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The Wollemi pine is one of the greatest botanical discoveries of our time.
The Wollemi pine is one of the greatest botanical discoveries of our time.
The 'Dinosaur tree' or 'living fossil', the Wollemi pine is certainly one of the greatest botanical discoveries of our time. Since its discovery in 1994 much has been learnt about this ancient plant and its relationship to its living Araucariaceae relatives. But there's a great deal to learn about this rare plant, not least to ensure its survival. The Recovery Team for the Wollemi pine has a number of collaborative research projects looking at various aspects of the Wollemi Pine; and there are a number of other research projects underway.
Major research projects involving staff of the Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, in collaboration with other institutions, are outlined here - just click on any of them to check out the latest research.
The unexpected discovery of living plants of the Wollemi Pine, a new conifer belonging to the family Araucariaceae, means we can reassess and compare a range of Araucarian fossil plants going back about 116 million years to the early Cretaceous age.
Fresh leaf material and male and female Wollemi cones (see Appearance) have now been compared with fossils from the Koonwarra beds in South Gippsland (south-east Victoria) and with fossils from other parts of eastern Australia. It seems likely that the Wollemi Pine was once present over an extensive area of eastern Australia; and possibly over a very much wider geographic range including Antarctica, New Zealand and possibly India and southern South America.
It's also likely it was widely present over a vast time span from the Mesozoic to the Tertiary (250-1.6 million years ago).
Professor Carrick Chambers (Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust)
Dr Andrew Drinnan (University of Melbourne, School of Botany)
Dr Stephen McLaughlin (University of Melbourne, School of Botany)
Dr Michael Macphail, Australian National University (Archaeology and Natural History)
Related research
Cretaceous coniferals of Alexander Island, Antarctica. Leaves, reproductive structures and roots
Cretaceous coniferals of Alexander Island, Antarctica. Wood taxonomy
To determine their age, a scientific team cut cross-sections from a fallen tree trunk (a large mature, 35-40 metres tall trunk when it collapsed) at the first discovered site in Wollemi National Park, and sent them to the Australian National University Forestry Department for analysis.
Seasonal growth characteristics of the tree rings were examined under a scanning electron microscope. The sharpness of the latewood-earlywood boundaries, and the knowledge that winter freezing temperatures occur in the canyon, indicate that the rings are annual.
By counting the tree rings - the study of tree rings is called dendrochronology - combined with carbon dating, the best estimate for this sample is probably about 350 years old, meaning that this trunk starting growing around 1650!
However, because of the unusual branching habit of this species (called coppicing), we can't determine how old the original tree was before this trunk was produced - possibly hundreds or even thousands of years since it was a seedling.
Although preliminary results have been released in a poster, there is still more to be done. By examining a number of cross-sections along the length of the trunk, and establishing the age of the trunk at a number of different heights, a model for determining the growth of a tree can be developed. This model can then be used in estimating the age of all the trunks in the site.
Using samples from the trunk collected by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service rangers we have been able to examine the anatomy of the wood. An electron scanning microscope was used to produce these images on the right, which are explained below.
Figure 1 An oblique view of the corner of a small block of the wood of Wollemi Pine. The scale bar indicates 0.5 mm. Transverse and tangential surfaces, and their structural inter-relationships can be seen. Approximately 90% of the wood consists of tracheids, 9% is ray and 1% axial parenchyma cells. This is typical of other conifer woods. In the transverse plane (upper half of image) the cut ends of tracheids are visible (figure 2 shows a magnified version). The two lines extending obliquely from above and below the upper left corner are growth rings (figure 3 shows a close-up view of a growth ring). The lower right of the image shows wood in the radial longitudinal plane with tracheids aligned axially and rays aligned radially. A higher magnification view of this plane is shown in figure 4. In the tangential longitudinal plane (lower left of image) the cut ends of rays can be seen (see also figure 5).
Figure 2 Magnified view of the cut ends of two tracheids as seen in transverse section. The tracheids are hollow tubes approximately 0.02 mm wide and 3 mm in length. Bordered pits, which interconnect tracheids, can be seen inside the uppermost tracheid. The scale bar indicates 0.01 mm.
Figure 3 Magnified view of part of a growth ring. The scale bar indicates 0.05 mm. The smaller (latewood) cells (on the right side of the image) were produced in the winter and the larger (earlywood) cells (on the left) were formed in the spring. The long cells, one extending the full width of the image just below centre, and the other in the lower left of the image are the cut sections of rays.
Figure 4 Radial longitudinal surface showing a ray, four cells high, aligned horizontally. Tracheids are aligned vertically. On the right side of the image the ray has been cut through radially, exposing its interior. The numerous perforations (on the left) and circular indentations (on the left) of the ray surface are cross-field pits that interconnect ray cells with tracheids. The scale bar indicates 0.1 mm.
Figure 5 Tangential longitudinal surface showing the cut ends of rays. In this image they range from two to twelve cells in height. The tracheids, which have been cut longitudinally, are aligned vertically in the image. Rows of circular-shaped bordered pits line the tangential walls of some of the tracheids. The scale bar indicates 0.02 mm.
Mycorrhizal fungi grow in and on plant roots helping extract nutrients from the soil. They are thought to be particularly important in the survival of juvenile plants. Two types are associated with the roots of the Wollemi Pine: arbuscular mycorrhizae and ectendomycorrhizae. Finding two types of mycorrhizal fungi was very unexpected because previously only the arbuscular type has been found in the Araucariaceae. These fungi lack specificity in their host association (are able to associate with a variety of plants) and, in practical terms, are common.
So far more than 50 species of fungi living on or near the trees have been identified, at least one third of which are new to science. Intriguingly, one of the species, Pestalotiopsis, that has been isolated from the foliage produces taxol, a cancer-controlling drug, though not in quantities useful for medicine.
Our tests have shown that, like many other Australian plant species, Wollemi Pines are susceptible to two common and easily transmitted pathogens: Phytophthora cinnamomi and Botryosphaeria sp. It is important to ensure that plants are cultivated in the absence of these pathogens and that the plants are not subjected to stress conditions that could predispose them to these diseases.
More importantly in the wild it is essential that hygiene measures already in place at the Wollemi Pine sites continue to be enforced, to ensure none of these fungal pathogens are accidentally transferred to the adult populations.
Dr Brett Summerell (Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, principal researcher)
Dr Ailsa Hocking (CSIRO)
Dr Peter McGee (University of Sydney)
Dr Michael Priest (NSW Department of Agriculture)
Professor Gary Strobel (Montana State University, US)
An unexpected biological finding in the Wollemi Pine, has been a lack of detectable genetic variation.
An extended search for genetic variation has been undertaken at the Australian National University, funded by the Friends of The Gardens and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
If genetic variation is found, laboratory assays could be developed to study the variation. While so far no detectable variation has been found, work is continuing using alternate methods. Perhaps the Wollemi Pine has lost its variation over a long time but retained its 'good genes'.
This knowledge improves our understanding of the species biology, evolution and horticultural potential.
Dr Rod Peakall (Australian National University, Division of Botany & Zoology)
Dr Cathy Offord and Patricia Meagher (the Australian Botanic Garden)
Leon Scott (University of Queensland, Centre for Identification and Diagnostics)
Most of the adult Wollemi Pine trees, and a number of seedlings and juvenile plants, have been tagged and measured for height and trunk diameter. This provides a basis for long-term monitoring survival and growth rates. Less than 100 plants are known and most have coppiced growth.
By following their life history it may be possible to determine the ability of the Wollemi Pine to maintain its population in the wild in the current climate. This can then be related to the history of trees using tree ring and growth analyses.
So far, tagging juveniles at one of the sites has shown that their survival is high, though their growth is very slow. This possibly suggests that juvenile plants need a break in the canopy before they can grow and mature into adult trees. However, a break in the canopy is likely to be rare, caused by tree death and fall following disturbances such as storms, rock falls, fire or floods.
The slow growth of young plants in the wild contrasts with their faster growing habit in a controlled environment like a glasshouse or cultivated plants in the ground.
Dr Tony Auld (NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service)
Studies at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan began with developing propagation techniques to establish a collection of plants that reflected the trees growing in the wild. Cuttings of each accessible tree growing in the wild were used in a number of experiments to achieve successful root growth.
Glasshouse experiments
Research on seed germination and early seedling growth has shown why the Wollemi Pine has survived for so long in its harsh natural habitat. Young seedlings are able to survive for years under low light and in very poor soils. The main trigger for growth of these seedlings appears to be increased light - research being conducted includes monitoring the population.
Current experiments on seedlings concentrate on how the Wollemi Pine respond to fertiliser, soil and potting mix, light and temperature.
The horticultural research project established a population for further research and material for commercialisation of mass cloned plants. The data obtained from this has already provided essential data for the commercial propagation of the Wollemi pine and the establishment of plants in the ground.
Patricia Meagher
Dr Cathy Offord (Australian Botanic Garden)
Carolyn Porter (Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust)
The two known populations of the recently discovered rare and threatened Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis Jones, Hill and Allen) consist of a small number of large multi-stemmed adult trees and small seedlings. Female and male cones are produced on adult trees with pollen release occurring in spring (October–November).
Seed cones mature 16-19 months later in late summer and autumn and appear to be produced annually. Approximately 10% of seed produced in two consecutive years was viable, 25% of which was damaged by animals. Glasshouse studies showed that seed germination at 25°C day/16°C night proceeded slowly but steadily at approximately 4% per week until, after 6 months, 88% of apparently viable seeds had germinated with the remainder of the seed rotting.
Growth of potted seedlings in this temperature regime was continuous (after a lag period of 4-6 months) with the monopodial axis growing 0.05-0.25 m in the first year, 0.5-0.6 m in the second year and 0.25-0.35 m in the third year, attaining a total height of 0.8-1.2 m. Multiple orthotropic shoots developed on some plants at this stage, some of which outgrew the primary shoot in height. The diameter of the stem below the cotyledon (just above the soil) grew 3-7 mm in the first year, 10-14 mm in the second and 15-20 mm in the third at which time it was 25-34 mm.
The average number of lateral branches produced was 5-17 in the first year, 25-36 in the second year and 24-30 in the third year giving a total of 60-77. The establishment of Wollemi Pine in the wild does not appear limited by the inherent viability of seeds and potential for early growth of seedlings.
Abstract from Sexual Reproduction and Early Plant Growth of the Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis), a Rare and Threatened Australian Conifer, by C.A. Offord, C.L. Porter, P.F. Meagher and G. Errington. Annals of Botany 84:1-9 (1999).
Measurements are being taken of seedlings and cuttings that have been planted in a number of sites in Australia (see seed germination), along with a number of potted plants at Mount Annan Botanic Garden. This information will give us an understanding of how the plants change over time as they grow into their adult phase.
Patricia Meagher (Australian Botanic Garden)
Wollemia nobilis W.G.Jones, K.D.Hill & J.M.Allen is represented in the wild by less than 100 adult trees, therefore understanding the requirements for seed germination is important for the conservation of this monotypic Australian conifer. Constant-temperature experiments found that seed germination proceeded most rapidly at temperatures between 24°C and 30°C. Few seeds germinated when incubated for 112 days at 10°C and 16°C but later germinated when transferred to 24°C, whereas seeds initially incubated at 35°C were killed. Unstratified seeds showed a pattern of prolonged germination taking 130 days to achieve 40% germination at 24°C and 40 days at 27°C. Seeds stratified at 6°C for 14 days and incubated at 27°C in the light achieved 40% germination within 20 days while those incubated at 10°C and 16°C for 112 days and transferred to 24°C achieved 40% germination by 15 and 24 days respectively. Initial germination of unstratified seeds was fastest when incubated at 30°C in the light, averaging 23 days.
Exposure to 12 h diurnal periods of 10-15 µmol m-2 s-1 light significantly increased 28-day incubation germination percentages, but only those incubated at 30°C. Additions of gibberellic acid (GA3) at 1mM had no effect on seed germination of W. nobilis. The field observations and laboratory experiments indicate that following seed shed in summer and early autumn when temperatures are high, W. nobilis seeds germinate, especially if exposed to light. The seeds that remain ungerminated or that are shed late in the season survive over winter, but germinate rapidly once temperatures rise in the next spring.
Abstract from Effects of temperature, light and stratification on seed germination of Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis Araucariaceae), by C.A. Offord and P.F. Meagher. Australian Journal of Botany 49: 699-704 (2001).
Dr Cathy Offord & Patricia Meagher (Australian Botanic Garden)
Among the conifers, the family Araucariaceae - to which the Wollemi Pine belongs - shows an unusual embryological (seed) development sequence. By determining the nature of Wollemi Pine seed development we will learn more about evolution and relationships of the Wollemi Pine and the Araucariaceae in general.
Regular sampling of cones as they grow is necessary to determine periods of active development for closer sampling, and may even provide sufficient material for determining the complete development sequence.
Materials for study can be kept indefinitely in alcohol-based preservative. After dissection and further processing through a series of dehydrating (drying) chemicals, ultra thin sections are cut and mounted on glass slides for microscopic examination or can be examined using a scanning electron microscope.
A knowledge of the seed biology of the Wollemi Pine is essential in understanding the reasons for the poor seed set of the species in the wild which may impact on management of the species.
This project was supported by funding from Hermon Slade Foundation, project HSF 02_7.
Assoc. Prof. N Prakash (University of New England)
Dr Russell Haines (Queensland Department of Primary Industry)
Dr Cathy Offord & Patricia Meagher (Australian Botanic Garden)
In September 1994 David Noble, an officer with the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service, discovered some trees he didn't quite recognise. In a deep, narrow canyon of the rugged Wollemi National Park, he discovered what we now call Wollemia nobilis or the Wollemi pine.
It's a very tall tree, close to Sydney and thought long extinct! It's rare, it's endangered, it's strange looking, and at first we didn't know all that much about it. Now we know a lot more – look below for any topic of interest to find out more.
The dramatic discovery of an evolutionary line thought to be long extinct is even more remarkable with these tall and striking trees growing only 150 km from Sydney, the largest city in Australia. They were found in the extremely rugged Wollemi National Park, a largely undisturbed wilderness area
The family?
The genus?
The number of living species?
1 (Wollemia nobilis - Wollemi Pine)
The population size?
Fewer than 100 trees
When & where was the Wollemi Pine discovered?
1994 (two populations), 2000 (one further population) in the Wollemi National Park, New South, Australia.
Who discovered by?
David Noble, National Parks & Wildlife Service officer, when canyoning
What is the distribution of fossil remains of Wollemia?
Widespread, including Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica
What are the closest relatives of the Wollemi Pine?
Agathis (Kauri Pines), Araucaria (Norfolk Island, Hoop, Bunya Bunya and Monkey Puzzle pines) all belong to the family Araucariaceae – see age and ancestry
What is the estimated age / lineage of Wollemi Pine? 90–200 million years, based on a combination of fossil evidence, known evolutionary relationships of the two genera, biogeography and known timing of the Continental Drift – see age and ancestry
What are the oldest known fossils of close relative?
90 million years (fossil pollen of dubious identity, known as Dilwynites)
What are the unusual characteristics of Wollemi Pine?
Its bark; its bud development; its branching habit – see appearance and characteristics.
When was the first cultivated Wollemi Pine planted?
On 9 February 1998, in the Rare & Threatened Plant Garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. It was planted by Jan Allen and Jeremy Coleby-Williams and subsequently planted in many other locations – see where to see it for the oldest plantings.
What are the major threats to the Wollemi Pine?
Humans – see protecting it
Where can I get images of Wollemi Pine for publication?
If you wish to obtain photographs of the Wollemi pine for commercial purposes please contact Wildlight Photo Agency, Phone 61 2 9698 8077, Fax 61 2 9698 2067
To determine the age of the Wollemi Pine trees, a scientific team cut cross-sections from one of the fallen trunks (a large mature, 35-40 metre trunk) at the original site in Wollemi National Park, and sent them to the Australian National University Forestry Department for analysis.
One of the most intriguing things that can't be determined, due to coppicing (the unusual branching habit which leads to old Wollemi Pines having many separate trunks - see appearance) is how old the original tree was before this particular trunk was produced. It may have been hundreds, or perhaps thousands of years since it was a seedling.
By counting the growth rings from cross-sections of the trunk and combining this with carbon dating, the best estimate for this sample trunk is about 350 years old - research is being conducted on determining its age. This means that this trunk started growing around 1650!
Family ties?
The Wollemi belongs to the conifer family Araucariaceae, and its closest living relatives in this family include the Kauri (Agathis spp), Norfolk Island, Hoop, Bunya Bunya and Monkey Puzzle pines (Araucaria spp). Morphological, wood anatomy and DNA analysis suggest that the Wollemi is a new genus, falling between the two previously known living genera: Agathis and Araucaria.
Conifers date back to the Carboniferous age, more than 300 million years ago. 'Modern' (evolved) conifers, like the Araucariaceae family, are known from the Triassicperiod, more than 250 million years ago.
There are Triassic fossil examples of the Araucariaceae family, which reached maximum diversity during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, between 200 and 65 million years ago, with worldwide distribution. At the end of the Cretaceous, when dinosaurs became extinct, so too did the Araucariaceae in the northern hemisphere.
Until about the middle of the Tertiary (30 million years ago), plants in the Araucariaceae grew in the forests of the southern super-continent of Gondwana (which included Australia, Africa, South America, Antarctica and India). The Araucariaceae family then began a slow decline in range and diversity as flowering plants, better adapted to climate change, began to evolve and gradually displace conifers. The last fossil record of the Wollemi Pine is dated at about two million years ago and so the Pine was thought to be extinct - research is being conducted on tracking it through time.
In the wild the trees grow to about 40 metres and their trunks can grow up to 1 metre in diameter.
Like other conifers, it bears cones (male and female), which appear at the very tip of branches with adult phase leaves.
The bark is particularly unusual, looking very much like 'chocolate crackles' or bubbling chocolate, making it quite different from the bark of other related species.
The leaves
The Wollemi has two types (or phases) of leaves. It does not have needles like pine trees in the northern hemisphere. Its young broad-based juvenile leaves are bright lime-green and grow in low light under the rainforest canopy. The adult leaves, which grow in much harsher conditions above the canopy, are tougher and a deeper bluish-green.
The leaves at the beginning and end of a growing season are shorter than those formed during the middle of the season, creating a diamond shaped pattern along the branch. The leaves also have an in-built system to help reduce water loss.
The branches
There are two types of branches on the Wollemi Pine:
1 - one grows upright (orthotropic), forming a stem or another trunk, depending where it starts
2 - the other grows sideways (plagotropic) from an upright branch and the leaves develop on these branches. Unlike trees in the genus Araucaria, the sideways branches do not divide unless the growing tip (apical meristem) is damaged.
Upright branches start from buds borne along the trunk, eventually maturing with foliage and a branching structure resembling the initial trunk, so that older trees develop a branched crown. Upright branches that develop from buds at the base of the trunk, referred to as coppicing, form a multi-trunked tree.
Young seedlings, from as early as one year old, can develop more than one upright branch - unlike Araucaria trees where additional upright branches develop only after the growing tip has been damaged or wounded.
Most flowering plants, though not conifers, have dormant buds in the axils (the angles between the upper side of each leaf and the stem) - so if a plant is damaged by insects or pruning, these buds can sprout. In the genus Araucaria and in the Wollemi Pine, each axil has a small group of cells that's somewhere between a fully formed bud and no bud at all. A unique feature of the Wollemi Pine is that these buds on upright branches develop normally to form a multi-stemmed and multi-branched tree.
Further reading: The Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis, Araucariaceae) possesses the same unusual leaf axil anatomy as the other investigated members of the family, by Geoffrey E. Burrows, Australian Journal of Botany, 4:61-68 (1999).
Some dormant buds may sprout along the trunk or from the base of the trunk. This is called coppicing, resulting in large old plants with multiple trunks of different ages - see age and ancestry. This may be a defence against damage from drought, fire or rock fall in the steep canyons where they grow. It's probably the reason that the Wollemi Pine has survived the increasing aridity of Australia over millions of years.
Further reading: Architecture of the Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis, Araucariaceae), a unique combination of model and reiteration, by K D Hill, Australian Journal of Botany, 45: 817-826 (1997).
The leaves don't have stalks (petioles) to attach to the branch - see appearance. Instead, the whole base of the leaf wraps halfway round the branch. So the tree sheds entire lateral branches rather than individual leaves, which is another unusual feature it shares with the genus Araucaria.
Its leaves have a thick cuticle (a very thin film covering the outer, or epidermis, layer of the leaf), a fibrous hypodermis (a layer of cells just under the epidermis) and sunken stomata (pores), a survival characteristic which helps it reduce water loss.
Further reading: Leaf Anatomy of Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis, Araucariaceae), by Geoffrey Burrows and Suzanne Bullock, Australian Journal of Botany, 47(3): 798-806 (1999).
The Wollemi Pine is bisexual (monoecious), like its closest living relatives, with both male and female cones on the same tree. The round female cones produce the seeds, and the long male cones produce the pollen.
They appear on separate branches, at the very tips. The female and male cones start growing in mid-summer. In late spring the male cones release masses of pollen, which is carried by the wind, to fertilise the egg cells in the female cones. The female cones then take about 18 months to ripen, when the fertilised ovaries develop into seeds and then they fall apart high above the canyon floor, releasing winged seeds that float to the ground - research is being conducted into embryological (seed) development. If a seed falls in a suitable position and the weather is favourable it will germinate. Over time if the light conditions are right, the small seedling may grow to become a majestic emergent rainforest tree.
Each conifer seed has a scale associated with it. Like Agathis, Wollemia seeds are separate from the scale, whereas the seeds of Araucaria are attached to the scale. BothAgathis and Wollemia have winged seeds, but in Wollemia the wing encircles the seed and in Agathis the wing is one-sided - research is being conducted into seed germination.
The Wollemi Pine grows in a sandstone canyon in a ferny warm temperate rainforest. It grows on the steep lower slopes and ledges of the canyon on an acidic, sandy loam soil with pH of about 4.5. The main vascular associate plant species are Coachwood (Ceratopetalum apetalum), Sassafras (Doryphora sassafras), Lilly Pilly (Acmena smithii), Soft Treefern (Dicksonia antarctica), shield ferns (Lastriopsis spp.) and Umbrella Fern (Sticherus flabellatus).
Population parameters
A remarkable aspect of the Wollemi Pine's ecology is that it is able to produce viable seed with no detectable genetic variation in its population.
Over 200 seedlings have been counted. Some of these are tagged and are being monitored for survival and growth rates. The seedlings grow on average only 1 cm per year and most are less than 30 cm high. Many of these seedlings will die unless there is a canopy opening that allows light in penetrate to the ground - thus providing energy for the seedlings to grow.
Given the right conditions the trees grow quickly for the first 15-20 metres until they reach the canopy then they put more of their energy into the bulk of their trunks and root systems. Their stem to diameter growth rate is a binomial rather than a linear relationship.
Through the millions of years of population decline, the Wollemi Pine has maintained its fitness for sexual reproduction but has adopted a secondary reproductive strategy - that of self-coppicing (see Characteristics).
Coppicing also helps the tree to survive disturbance. While tree ring analysis has revealed that trees with a diameter of 0.8 m may be 350+ years old, the coppice roots may be thousands of years old. The extensive root system of the Wollemi Pine may also explain how it has survived droughts - the roots penetrate into creek beds and into cracks in the sandstone cliffs.
All populations have been burnt or subjected to rock fall or windstorm damage. It is postulated that if these disturbance events happen too often they may reduce or eliminate the Wollemi Pine's population. On the other hand, if there is no disturbance the other rainforest plants may dominate the glades and prevent the Wollemi Pine's seedlings from growing into adult trees.
The main threat to the survival of the Wollemi Pine is visitation by humans – see protecting it. They may trample the seedlings, compact the soil and risk introducing the deadly root pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomii - see fungal associations & pathogens - which could wipe out the wild population of the Wollemi Pine.
Some big ecological questions
The long-term aim of the ecological research into the Wollemi Pine is to track the survivorship of the trees and the seedlings. This may reveal some insight into how to manage disturbance such as wildfire at the sites.
The Wollemi Pines grow in the Wollemi National Park, north-west of Sydney, the state capital of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The park covers about 500 000 hectares and is the largest wilderness area in the state - a very rugged mountainous region of ridges, cliffs, canyons and undisturbed forest.
The sandstone ridges and canyon walls are covered by dry sclerophyll woodland and shrubland dominated by Eucalyptus species. A warm temperate rainforest in the deep canyons is dominated by Coachwood (Ceratopetalum apetalum) and Sassafras (Sassafras doryphora), with an understory dominated by ferns such as Sticherus (Sticherus flabellatus). The Wollemi Pines grow on ledges in these canyons.
Given the degree of interest in the Wollemi Pine, protecting it is crucial, and this is done through both legislation and site management. Under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act (1995) a fine of up to $220,000 and imprisonment of up to two years can be imposed for any damage caused.
There has been worldwide interest in and demand for the Wollemi Pine for horticulture. As part of a strategy for Protecting it, research into its horticultural development and commercial propagation has allowed the plant to be available. This strategy is to ensure that it exists in cultivation so that people can learn about this interesting species while helping to conserve it. Plants have been available from Botanic Gardens Shops at the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney, the Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan, and the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden, Mount Tomah or on-line or from selected nurseries in Australia since 1 April 2006.
So far, the plant is proving to be an especially good pot plant and can be grown in many garden situations
Click here for information on growing Wollemi pines
After millions of years of evolution from ancestors in or before the dinosaur era, the Wollemi Pine is teetering on the edge of extinction. Human beings are the biggest threat to its survival. One visitor to the site could destroy the population by introducing pathogens, for example a root fungus.
Since there are so few specimens in the wild, a thorough management strategy has been developed to protect them - the Wollemi Pine Recovery Plan - which includes:
1. world heritage listing (the Wollemi National Park is part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area)
2. protection under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 and the federal Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
3. Memorandum of Understanding between NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service and the Botanic Gardens Trust to manage the wild populations and develop a cultivation and propagation program
4. not revealing the exact location of the known stands to other than bona fide scientific research teams
5. minimising the number and duration of visits to the site and avoiding trampling seedbeds and seedlings, compacting soil and introducing disease
6. introducing special precautions during scientific field trips, for example anti-microbial footbaths to ensure the exotic root rot pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi and other diseases aren't introduced to the site
7. monitoring the sites to guard against unwanted and perhaps destructive visits by bushwalkers and collectors, and liaising with neighbours to the national park who help with site protection
8. studying the ecology of the species in the wild to identify issues critical for recruitment and the survival of the species under a range of disturbances such as fires, floods, rockfalls and treefalls
9. establishing botanical research and horticultural development projects (seegrowing it)
10. licensing commercial propagation - see growing it.
Banks J.C.G. 2002. 'Wollemi pine: tree find of the 20th century', In: Australia's Ever-changing Forests V, Proceedings of the Fifth National Conference on Australian Forest History, Eds J Dargavel, D Gaughwin & B Libbis, CRES, Canberra: pp. 85-89.
Benson J, 1996, 'Threatened by discovery: research and management of the Wollemi Pine, Wollemia nobilis Jones, Hill & Allen', in Stephens, S & Maxwell, S (eds) Back From the Brink: Refining the threatened species recovery process, Surrey Beatty & Sons, Sydney, pp. 105-109.
Benson, J.S., 2002, 'Population ecology of the Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis)'. In Landsberg, J. (ed.) Ecology 2000. Pp. 25 in Handbook of the Second Joint Meeting of the Ecological Society of Australia and the New Zealand Ecological Society (Ecological Society of Australia: Canberra).
Benson, J.S. & Allen, C. (2007) Vegetation associated with the Wollemia nobilis(Araucariaceae). Cunninghamia 10(2): 255-262.
Briggs B G, 2000, 'What is significant - the Wollemi Pine or the southern rushes?' Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 87: 72-80.
Brophy J, Goldsack R J, Wu M M Z, Fooks J R & Forster P I, 2000, 'The steam volatile oil of Wollemia nobilis and its comparison with other members of the Araucariaceae (Agathis and Araucaria)', Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, 28: 563-578. Click here for more information.
Bullock S, Summerell B A & Gunn L V, 2000, 'Pathogens of the Wollemi Pine, Wollemia nobilis', Australasian Plant Pathology, 29: 211–214.
Burrows G E, 1998, 'Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis, Araucariaceae) possesses the same unusual leaf axil anatomy as other investigated members of the family', Australian Journal of Botany, 47: 61-68.
Burrows G E & Bullock S, 1999, 'Leaf anatomy of Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis, Araucariaceae)', Australian Journal of Botany, 47:795-806.
Burrows G E, Offord C A, Meagher P F and Ashton K, 2003 'Axillary meristems and the development of epicormic buds in Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis)', Annals of Botany, 92:935-844. Click here for more information.
Chambers T C, Drinnan A N & McLoughlin S, 1998, 'Some morphological features of Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis, Araucariaceae) and their comparison to Cretaceous plant fossils', International Journal of Plant Science, 159: 160-171.
Dettmann M E & Jarzen D M, 2000, 'Pollen of extant Wollemia (Wollemi Pine) and comparisons with pollen of other extant and fossil Araucariaceae, in M.M. Harley, C.M. Morton & S. Blackmore (Eds). Pollen & Spores: Morphology & Biology, pp. 197-203. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.
Entwisle T., 2003, 'Stored in the rings', Nature Australia, 27(10):76-77.
Fensom G & Offord C, 1997, 'Propagation of the Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis)',Combined Proceedings of the International Plant Propagators Society, 47: 66-67.
Gilmore S & Hill K D, 1997, 'Relationships of the Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis) and a molecular phylogeny of the Araucariaceae', Telopea, 7: 275-291.
Grace L, Cook J, Hargreaves C, Meagher P, Menzies M, Offord C & Trueman S, 2005, Somatic embryogenesis in Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis). Poster presented at IAPTC Conference, February 2005, Christchurch New Zealand.
Hanson L, 2001, 'Chromosome number, karyotype and DNA C-value of the Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis, Araucariaceae)', Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society,135: 271-274. Click here for more information.
Heady, Roger 2002. 'Micro-structure of Araucariaceae', In: Australia's Ever-changing Forests V, Proceedings of the Fifth National Conference on Australian Forest History, Eds J Dargavel, D Gaughwin & B Libbis, CRES, Canberra: pp 90-101
Heady, R D, Banks, J G & Evans, P D, 2002, 'Wood anatomy of Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis, Araucariaceae)', IAWA Journal 23: 339-357.
Hill K.D., 1995, 'The Wollemi Pine, watch out, look around you', The Gardens, 27: 8-9.
Hill K.D., 1996, 'The Wollemi Pine: discovering a living fossil', Nature and Resources, 32: 20-25.
Hill K.D., 1997, 'Architecture of the Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis, Araucariaceae), a unique combination of model and reiteration', Australian Journal of Botany, 45: 817-826.
Hill K.D., 2003, 'The Wollemi Pine, another living fossil?', Acta Horticulturae, 165: 157-164.
Hogbin P M, Peakall R & Sydes M A, 2000, 'Achieving practical outcomes from genetic studies of rare Australian plants', Australian Journal of Botany, 48: 375-382.
Jones W G, Hill K D & Allen J M, 1995, 'Wollemia nobilis, a new living Australian genus and species in the Araucariaceae', Telopea, 6: 173–176.
Lambert J B & Poinar Jr G O, 2002, 'Amber: the organic gemstone', Accounts of Chemical Research, 35: 628-636.
Lambert, J B, Shawl C E, Poinar Jr G O & Santiago-Blay J A, 1999, 'Classification of modern resins by solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Bioorganic Chemistry, 27: 409-433. Click here for abstract.
Lambert J B, Wu Y & Santiago-Blay J A, 2005, Taxonomic and chemical relationships revealed by nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of plant exudates, Journal of Natural Products, 68:635-648.
Macphail M, Hill K, Partridge A, Truswell E & Foster C, 1995, 'Wollemi Pine - old pollen records for a newly discovered genus of gymnosperm', Geology Today, 11: 48-49.
McGee P A, Bullock S & Summerell B A, 1999, 'Structure of mycorrhizae of the Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis) and related Araucariaceae', Australian Journal of Botany, 47: 85-95.
Meagher, P & Offord, C, 2002, 'The Wollemi pine: more than a new landscape tree',Parks and Leisure Australia 5(4): 11-14.
Meagher P.F. & Offord C.A. 2006, Survivor! The tree that survived the dinosaurs,Australian Age of Dinosaurs, 4:46-59.
Meagher P, Offord C, Cui P H, Duke R & Duke C, 2004, Storage of Wollemia nobilis seed: effects of moisture content and temperature on germination, servival and fatty acid content, Poster Millenium Seed Bank Workshop, Brisbane June 2004.
Meagher P.F. & Offord C.A. (in press), 'Understanding the Wollemi Pine: strategies for conservation, in The Araucariaceae. Proceedings of the 2002 Araucariaceae Symposium International Dendrology Society, Auckland New Zealand. Ed. Eieleski R L & Wilcox M D. pp. 409-418.
NPWS, 1998, 'Wollemi Pine Recovery Plan', NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Sydney. Click here for details.
Offord C A, 1995, 'Horticultural research on the Wollemi Pine', The Gardens, 27: 9–10.
Offord C A, 1996, 'Conserving the Wollemi Pine: an integrated approach', Danthonia, 5: 12–14.
Offord C A, Porter C L, Meagher P F & Errington G, 1999, 'Sexual reproduction and early plant growth of the Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis), a rare and threatened Australian conifer', Annals of Botany, 84: 1–9. Click here for more information.
Offord C A & Meagher P F, 2001, 'Effects of temperature, light and stratification on seed germination of Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis, Araucariaceae)', Australian Journal of Botany, 49:699-704.
Offord C A & Meagher P F, 2006, Wollemi Pine: from the wild to the world, Chronica Horticulturae 45(2):10-13.
Peakall R, 1998, 'Exceptionally low genetic diversity in an ancient relic, the Wollemi Pine: implications for conservation theory and practice', Abstracts 86, 45th Annual Meeting of the Genetics Society of Australia.
Peakall R, Ebert D, Scott L J, Meagher P F, and Offord C A, 2003. 'Comparative genetic study confirms exceptionally low genetic variation in the ancient and endangered relictual conifer, Wollemia nobilis (Araucariaceae)'. Molecular Ecology, 12(9):2331-2343. Click here for more information.
Pohia K E , Wallace H M , Peters R F , Smith T E & Trueman S J, 2005, 'Cuttings of Wollemi Pine tolerate moderate photoinhibition and remain highly capable of root formation, Trees, 19: 587-595.
Setoguchi H, Osawa T A, Pintaud J C, Jaffre T & Veillon J-M, 1998, 'Phylogenetic relationships within Araucariaceae based on rbcL gene sequences', American Journal of Botany, 85: 1507–1516.
Stefanovíc S, Jager M, Deutsch J, Broutin J & Masselot M, 1998, 'Phylogenetic relationships of conifers inferred from partial 28S rDNA gene sequences', American Journal of Botany, 85: 688–697.
Slippers B., Summerell B.A., Crous P. W., Coutinho T.A., Wingfield B. D. & Wingfield M.J. 2005, 'Preliminary studies on Botryosphaeria species from Southen Himisphere conifers in Australasia and South Africa', Australasian Plant Pathology, 34: 1-8.
Strobel G A, Hess W M, Li J-Y, Ford E, Sears J, Sidhu R S & Summerell B, 1997, 'Pestalotiopsis guepinii, a Taxol-producing Endophyte of the Wollemi Pine, Wollemia nobilis', Australian Journal of Botany, 45: 1073–1082.
Other articles & books
ABC TV, 1997 A Green Dinosaur - Wollemi Pines, Quantum
da Sliva, W., Dec 1997, 'On the trail of the lonesome Pine', New Scientist, 156: 36-39.
Diver J, 2002, 'Leave the Wollemi pine alone', Australian Geographic, 66: 37.
Duffy D, 1997, 'David Noble and the Wollemi Pine' in Foster, D & Duffy, M (eds) Crossing the Blue Mountains: Journeys through two centuries, from naturalist Charles Darwin to novelist David Foster, Duffy & Snellgrove, Sydney, pp. 177-186.
Jamieson V, 2005, The sale of the lonesome pine, New Scientist, 188:43-45
Lake J, 2000, ' "Living fossil" set to become next trend', Australian Horticulture,98(6):41-44.
McLoughlin S & Vajda V, 2005, Ancient Wollelmi Pines resurgent, American Scientist,93:540-547
Meagher P & Offord C, 2000, 'Wollemi Pine: back to the future', The Gardens, 44:6.
Offord C, 1996, 'Australia's living fossil tree - the wollemi pine', Australian Garden History, 8(3):11.
Peakall R, 2003, 'No genetic variation in the Wollemi Pine', The Gardens, Summer 2003:3.
Ravallion J, 2000, 'New Wollemi pine site found', Danthonia 9(3):5.
Tasker E M, 2003, Nursing an 'extinct' tree back to health, National Geographic News.
Various authors, August 2001, 'The Wollemi Pine: a survivor from the time of the dinosaurs'. An insert in the Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney's magazine updating research findings.
Von Kramer H, 2000, 'Zur Verjungung der Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis) - Regeneration of the Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis)'. Forst und Holz 55 Jahrgang, 14: 454-455.
Woodford J, 2000, The Wollemi Pine, Text Publishing, Melbourne.
Woodford J, 2005, 'Prehistoric miracle: Our dinosaur tree', Australian Geographic, 80: 50-57


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Saturday, July 20, 2013
My Cards and Tags: True to Herself
I made the dress out of fabric scraps and added some Washi tape to the background for even more visual interest. I also used chalk to color in the girl's skin and hair and rosy cheeks. All the paper I used is from a collection by DCWV called, "The Primrose Stack." I dig the romantic pastels and soft images it has.
Lastly, I finished off the card with a great sentiment stamp from Unity Stamp Company ("She remained true to herself"). I love that saying because it reminds me to live up to whatever I hold most dear and to not waste energy trying to be someone else. Not easy, but so vital!
4 comments:
Love that sentiment! You are so right. It *IS* vital to be true to yourself.ReplyDelete
I love that you paper pieced this with fabric. You should do a tutorial. It is so cool. And so fabulously YOU! :)
Wow! Love how this looks and how all the colours blend so nicely. A reminder that you don't always need the "perfect" piece of fabric to make something look fabulous. And, the sentiment just finishes it off so well. A woman can reveal many "colours" of herself, and still remain true to self.ReplyDelete
I too have enjoyed these stamps. I have purchased every doll stamp and have had more fun with them. I love that you used fabric. It gives her dress such great texture....so pretty! Julie Nutting appeared several times on the Prima Ustream Channel and gave many tips and tricks which were so fun. I totally fell hard for these stamps. Thanks for sharing!!ReplyDelete
Well you sure have inspired me!! Beautifully designed - I would love to be able to wear a dress just like this!!ReplyDelete

subset: commoncrawl


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I recently got my new two piece from Choies!
I couldn't help myself and I had to have it! The colors are so appealing and beautiful and since it's a two piece, I can make many different outfits with them!
It looks amazing in pictures, lovely to look at in person, and oh so very comfortable. The fabric is stretchy and breathable. The skirt should be a pretty good length even for tall people. The skirt has two layers and stays in place pretty well. I didn't have to worry about the wind too much but I would still wear shorts underneath it for extra windy weather.
Coming out of the package it's very wrinkly but I tried it on immediately, haha. It's not too bad and the creases don't bother me but wash it first. It's hand wash only but it's easy enough to do it and dries pretty fast.
It's available in XS, S, and M. I got the M because it's the largest size for bust which is 34" but my bust is 36". It's still pretty comfortable but if I were noticeably bigger, it may be a bit too snug. Everything else fits pretty nicely. Not snug or loose, just comfortable :]
Now to show you how it looks on me!
Two Piece: Choies
Cardigan: Forever 21
Headband: Aumore
Shoes: GoJane.com
Wig: Shojo Monsta
Necklace: Icing
This two piece was on my Christmas List and I couldn't be happier with it :3
It matches my Donut Themed Christmas Tree which I made felt donut ornaments for and it looks so cute! I got a couple ugly burns from my hot glue gun but it was worth it, hahaha!
Take a look!
I still need to get a star. For now Keroppi is my tree topper x]
How ready are you for Christmas? :]


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Lil Breeze - Bussin [SMG Submitted]
Chicago's Youngest King, Lil Breeze is ready to hit the streets with his new video "Bussin." Bursting onto the scenes in 2014, Breeze will be the first member of the Saleem Music Group (SMG) to release his solo project. Breeze's high energy, sharped-tongue lyrics and shirtless style created a name and reputation for him.
This single is an introduction to the group's mixtape, Training Day 2 (TD2).
With the world at his feet Breeze teams up with Chicago's very own, gold certified producer "Gaggie" on their turn up anthem " Bussin."
"Bussin," is a bass-filled, energetic turn up song that has multiple meanings but one in particular: to have fun. The song gives off a street vibe from to start to finish, which helps explain the definition of "Bussin."
Breeze reps his hometown with a beautiful young lady and his brothers to get it "Bussin." In this video you'll hear and feel every word of his raw rapping style while enjoying the Chicago scenery. The catchy and relatable hook will play continuously in your head. "All I ever wanted was some money/for my family to never want for nothing/them niggas ain't getting no guap/they ain't bout nothing/ slide right up on your block and get it bussin" says Lil Breeze.
Get familiar with his face because this the Young King is here "Bussin", claiming his throne and is never looking back.
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.


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According to stats to be revealed soon by Transport for London cycle use in the capital is still growing and, with the roll-out of new protected cycling infrastructure, is expected to keep growing. On some London bridges and streets there are now more cyclists than there are motorists, although cycling still only gets a tiny fraction of TfL's spend on roads. (Pedestrians still dominate on many streets in London but people on foot are often missing from traffic stats.)
TfL forecasts that cycling increased by 12 percent in 2015
Las year Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "Cyclists are becoming ubiquitous in London and prove, if further proof were needed, why we need to crack on with catering for them. There can be no doubt that our trusty bicycles have changed the way people get around our great city."
The Mayor of London's Vision for Cycling details a £913m ten-year programme to improve infrastructure for cyclists and "build on the boom in cycling from the last decade, which has seen cycling numbers double," says TfL.


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When you are purchasing products or services online, it is a convenient option to use your credit or debit card. In some cases, you can buy bitcoin with debit card.
Bitcoin users are always looking for fast and easy ways to buy virtual currency. Aside from Virtual World Exchange, they have a list of options.
You can use your debit card through Skrill ( former Moneybookers ) to buy cryptocurrency. However, there is a limitation on the amount of money you can transfer a day or a month.
Exchange websites
There are secure, reputable websites where you can buy bitcoin with debit card. In Europe, it will be Exmo, an online exchange which allows you to buy bitcoin with debit card or credit card, Visa and Mastercard.
Peer-to-Peer Trading Marketplaces
Peer-to-peer trading marketplaces like Brawker or Purse give you an option to buy bitcoins with debit card or credit card, if indirectly. These sites are intermediaries between you and individuals who want to buy products from different websites, using their bitcoins. Several sites do not support digital currencies, so the bitcoin owners (sellers) have to find people (buyers) who are willing to trade bitcoin for fiat currency like USD, EUR or GBP. The seller sends the price of the item to the P2P marketplace, along with the discount they want, which is usually about 25 percent. You, the buyer, seek for the website that sells the product, and you order the product for the bitcoin seller. You pay for the product with fiat currency through the P2P marketplace. When you pay, the site will post the product to the address of the bitcoin seller. Once the bitcoin seller receives the product, they will signal to the marketplace that the purchase is completed. The marketplace will transfer your money to your bitcoin wallet. You have to pay a high fee for this transaction, and the process is complicated.
CoinCorner and Bittylicious
In Great Britain, you can find a couple of exchanges that accept direct payment from debit card or credit card for virtual currency; however, it is a rarity.
A British exchange, CoinCorner, enables users to buy bitcoin with debit card or credit card. They also provide you options to buy other cryptocurrencies with your debit or credit card.
Bittylicious also offers this option.
CoinCorner accepts 3D secure credit and debit cards; they have implemented these security measures to prevent frauds. They also accept a debit card in case the bank that issued the card takes liability and ignores 3D security.
CoinCorner supports bitcoin, Dogecoin and litecoin. CoinCorner also has a mobile wallet option.


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Wake up in the morning feeling fucking burnt out, shit I got to go to school, don't think I can make, don't think I can take it. What the fuck am I going to do besides doing hot-knives in home-e
Dropping acid in phys-ed? Wait! Nil that narc is staring at me, time to my stash out back, where we'll playing games with real guns, selling dope to grade ones. C'mon ga kid give it a try, degr
Jr. High.


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Breakthrough, a provider of confidential online counseling and therapy, brought home the gold at Vator Splash (Sept).
If you attended the event, you would have not been surprised, as this company won the hearts of our investor panelists. When Robert Scoble (the emcee of the startup presentations) asked Mayfield's Raj Kapoor, Norwest's Tim Chang and Washington Post's Thao Tran which of the five presenting companies they liked, the overwhelming response was Breakthrough.
The three investors were the investor panelists providing insight and feedback to the last five presenting finalists. Breakthrough CEO Mark Goldenson and Project Manager Sarah Seegal were in that group. The other top five finalists presented in an earlier segment, in front of Matrix Partners' Dana Stalder, Javelin Ventures' Jed Katz and Ackrell Capital's Ezra Roizen.
Being the final startup left standing was not an easy feat. Palo Alto, Calif.-based Breakthrough first competed against more than 100 startups in an online competition that ran a couple months. Through popular voting, Breakthrough landed in the top 25 semi-finalist round. At that point, our online judges, which consisted of the judges onstage as well as North Bridge's Cali Tran, Claremont Creek's Micah Myers, CMEA's Sumeet Jain, HP's Bernard Slede, KPMG's Steven Morgan, and Vator Splash (Feb) winner Tim Hyer of RentCycle judged the 25 semi-finalists based on three criteria.
The combination of the popular vote (40%) and judges' vote (60%) determined the top 10 finalists.
Then the 10 finalists, which consisted of Breakthrough, Palo Alto, Calif.-based Appbackr, Mountain View, Calif.-based Micromobs, Bellevue, WA.-based Interview Studio, San Francisco-based Cohuman, Tempe, AZ-based OrangeSlyce, Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Phone Halo, La Jolla, Calif.-based Bump, Emeryville, Calif.-based MYeGamer, and Irvine, Calif.-based PlayMyAd presented onstage. The audience then voted for their favorite.
Upon winning the audience favorite vote, Breakthrough went back onstage for a special addition of Vator Box (which is our version of American Idol), called Splash Box.
As part of that segment, Breakthrough presented in front of our investor panelists Aydin Senkut of Felicis Ventures, Rob Hayes of First Round Capital, Rick Heitzmann of Firstmark Capital, and Gideon Yu of Khosla Ventures. for Splash Box. Ezra Roizen of Ackrell Capital fielded questions.


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Find out answers to common questions you may have.
What is the Been-A-Boob®?
The Been-A-Boob® is a prosthetic device available in 5 shapes and many different sizes. It can be worn by women with altered, removed or different sized breasts to balance their appearance. It is filled with little beads that mold to any shape of bra that you put it in.
Why should I try the Been-A-Boob®?
The Been-A-Boob® is made of soft fabric which simulates a natural breast. It will not make you hot. It will fill in areas where it is needed. It is fully washable. It can be worn in a swimsuit, a regular mastectomy bra and the janac sportsbra.
How expensive are they?
Janet wanted to create a quality product that was affordable for all women who have gone through this devastating disease. You will find it an inexpensive product that will make you feel comfortable and confident.
Will you be able to see the beads through my bra?
The beads we use are very fine so you won't be able to see the beads through your bra.
Will the beads make a noise when I walk?
No, the beads will compact into one solid mass when properly fitted into a bra, bra-tank or swimsuit.
How do you accept payment?
You simply click on the 'Buy Now' button on the order products page, this will take you to our shopping cart where you may continue to purchase items or pay for an item. Shipping will be calculated depending on your location and the weight of items purchased. You may pay by cheque, money order or credit card via Paypal. You will automatically be taken to a secure area to enter your credit card information if you choose that option. No credit card information is kept on file or held by janac. You will automatically receive an order confirmation.
Can I place a special order?
Custom orders are available for all janac products. To place a custom order, send us an email stating your requirements. We will do our best to accommodate all requests.
Is any special washing or care required?
For maximum durability; it is recommended that all janac products be hand washed and laid flat to dry. After hand washing the Been-A-Boob® take a towel and squeeze out the excess water, lay flat to dry, but give it a shake every now and then to release any trapped water.
Is the Been-A-Boob® prosthesis/ breast form right for you?
If you have had a full mastectomy, OR if your breasts are noticeably different in size, choose either the Spirit, Heart or Angel Been-a-Boob prosthesis/breast form. If you have had a lumpectomy or partial mastectomy the Freedom or Enhance may be the right shape for you.
How does it compare with other prostheses?
It is lightweight.
It is cool.
It will fill in areas where it is needed.
It is fully washable.
It can be worn in a swimsuit
It can be worn in any regular or mastectomy bra
It can be worn in janac Sports bras and bra tanks
Is the Been-A-Boob® covered by Provincial Healthcare?
See the Retailer page for information
Where can I get janac sportsbras and the Been-A-Boob® prosthesis/ breast forms?
Check the Retailer page to find a store near you, and if there isn't one you can order on-line,
or call 1-866-290-0821.


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For the serious and professional barista in mind the Motta Europa pitcher designed and made in Italy is perfect for latte art. A favorite choice among baristas due to its pronounced pouring spout, handy grip and heavy weight enabling precise control when creating latte art. Perhaps the finest frothing pitcher available.
Motta Europa made in Italy by Metallurgica Motta, founded in 1967, who specializes in the production of stainless steel products.


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|A Modern Church for a Modern World
About St. Michael's Church
Church Services
Children are warmly encouraged to take part in many of the Services, with Christian "Action Songs" and teaching which is often focused towards their involvement.
After our services, we serve hot and cold drinks & biscuits and if the youth are running things, even home made cakes (and more..) - this encourages people to stay behind and to get to know each other better. We welcome many families from surrounding villages who like our family freindly services, but would be also delighted to see more families from Tollerton coming through the door.
We are keen to share our faith in as many ways as we can. In recent times we have run both Alpha and START courses, which aim to introduce the Christian faith to anyone who is interested in discovering more about it. More courses will be run! If you would like to know more, please feel free to contact any of us.
Our Mission Work
We support the charity Compassion in the work they do and many of us sponsor children under their care. In addition, over the years, a number of the church congregation have gone to 3rd world countries such as Ethiopia, Pakistan and Rwanda to assist in mission projects.
And every year, the church tithes its income, supporting a number of Christian Mission-focussed organisations, locally, nationally and internationally.
Church Groups
A Men's group meets in the Church or at other nearby locations such as local pubs on the second Monday of each month, when we get together to have fun doing a variety of activities, followed by a time sharing our faith over a pint and some food. For further details contact Mr Arthur Harland
We also arrange many events outside of our Services including BBQ's, a Summer trip to Filey and a Conoeing afternoon at Allerton Park. This gives us a change to get to know each other more and encourages us to help form a close Christian based Community.
How is St.Michael's serving the Community?
Family Time!
Our History
In 1942 the process of funding and building a Mission church in Tollerton was begun by villagers and in September 1955 it was dedicated by the Bishop of Selby. In 1980 the building was refurbished, removing the old coke boiler with new heating, carpet, and furniture built by the then vicar Bill Henderson, timber screens and stone entrance, built by local tradesmen.
The building was then dedicated as St Michael's Mission Church. Since then, the church has been extended to include two meeting rooms, a kitchen and vestry and meeting area. The church has since served generations of local people and a service celebrating 50 years was held in September 2005.
Contact us
If you would like to talk to someone about the Christian faith or if you have any problems or concerns you would like to discuss in confidence please contact
Download our monthly Parish Newsletters below for further details on our current parish cativities
Covering Aldwark, Alne, Flawith, Tholthorpe, Tollerton and Youlton
Parish News December 2012 / January 2013
Parish News July / August 2012


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Eco-Friendly Bamboo Flooring for The Homes
Bamboo has recently come on the scene as a outstanding option for lots of home building options, including flooring. Bamboo flooring is fast gaining popularity across the European and North American regions. Nowadays, bamboo flooring is being preferred and recommended by more interior designers, who cite bamboo flooring's unique characteristics and aesthetic appeal. Bamboo flooring also has gained a reputation as an eco-friendly and a highly renewable source of material. Regarded as a good alternative to the conventional hardwood flooring, this type of flooring uses the stalk of a bamboo plant which grows mainly in the form of a tall grass and can be harvested easily in a small period of time.
Information About Bamboo Flooring
Often clouded by ambiguity, bamboo flooring is not stalks of material woven together in a fashion then installed on floors. In reality, this flooring is not a hardwood floor but a grass cultivated in tropical weather conditions suitable for such growth. When harvested, every three to five years, bamboo is then manufactured with increased technology producing strips, planks or tiles allowing for this unique material to be installed in the same fashions as other hardwood flooring material. With high environmentally sound composition, bamboo flooring has become the preferred choice amongst homeowners looking for a viable alternative to compliment the interior of their homes while maintaining harmony with the environment.
Amazing Bamboo Flooring
The benefit to a natural bamboo floor is the overall property value increase. The remarkable beauty of a bamboo cannot be compared to other floor installations based upon aesthetics, properties of bamboo material in combination with restoration and preservation of forests consumed by mass marketing of other hardwood materials. Unlike other flooring material, bamboo is enhanced with various installation alternatives including vertical, horizontal solid or strand woven construction which allows for a wide variation of installation patters that is limited only be the imagination and creative ability of the homeowner.
Bamboo flooring material is naturally golden blonde in color which produces very distinctive patterns when manufactured, that only bamboo flooring is noted for. During the latest in state-of-the-art manufacturing process, bamboo flooring receives the strength, durability and unparalleled resistance to insects, mildew and fire retardation associated with only bamboo wood flooring. With little or no maintenance required, caring for a bamboo wood floor requires occasional sweeping and moping maintaining overall brilliance for an unprecedented amount of time.
While selection of any hardwood flooring material has advantages and disadvantages, this type of flooring material is not one-hundred percent "fool-proof". Reports have indicated that bamboo flooring is susceptible to scratching, denting and color fading when installed in high traffic areas exposed to direct ultra-violet sunlight. Bamboo hardwood flooring is not tonally indestructible as is any hardwood flooring surface, requiring normal care and maintenance as is the case with any hardwood floor material. Despite occasional "optimistic" reports, bamboo hardwood floors remain the "easiest to care" for hardwood surface of all available hardwood flooring material products.
Vertical Bamboo Flooring
Durable Bamboo Flooring
Great Bamboo Flooring
With over fifty colors available, bamboo flooring offers point of interest in selection of a color to compliment the decor of any home interior. Bamboo hardwood floors are noted for deep, rich darker colors which are both eye-catching and attractive, bringing to life even the drabbest appearing rooms. Often used in grand foyers, the exquisite tone and texture of bamboo flooring is alarming and provocative, setting the tone and elegance of the remainder of the home. Compared to black walnut, the darker tones of bamboo highlight and draw attention to main focal points on the interior of the home with warmth, charm and sense of total relaxation. Bamboo flooring is also an excellent way to high-light or border tiled areas with contrasting colors a feature that is often used in new home construction. When it comes to prices, of course, bamboo flooring is significantly more affordable than any other flooring made from different materials. After all, bamboo flooring can be your alternative option over hardwood flooring. It is a good idea to using bamboo flooring and see how your house would stand out.


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Love Me opens by asking several men what love is, and it turns out that they think the way to find it is through the mail-order bride business.
This documentary, directed by American Jonathon Narducci, profiles five American men and one Australian from a variety of places and backgrounds who use the international online matchmaking services A Foreign Affair and Elena's Models to find wives from the Ukraine, where there are just 87 men for every 100 women. The major similarity among them is that they've become frustrated and claim they can't find compatible women in their countries. And most of them seem to prefer younger women.
A Foreign Affair has offices around the world and invites men to sign up on its website and then pay to send messages to women in other parts of the world. It also offers "romance tours" to male clients, where they're often outnumbered 10 to one by women at organized social events.
Love Me follows the trials and tribulations, the successes and failures, of these men and the women they fall in love with from a distance and then in person. These guys have spent thousands of dollars to find the woman of their dreams, and it sometimes seems like they're living more in a dream world than the real one.
There are two success stories, where Ukrainian women Vitalina and Inna form a bond with their American suitors and move to the United States and marry them -- hopefully to live happily ever after.
Another man finds the Ukrainians unfriendly and insincere and vows not to use these matchmaking services again. He later says that the experience helped give him a greater appreciation of local women and he ends up involved with one of them.
We're also introduced to A Foreign Affair founder John Adams and former mail-order bride and now Elena's Models owner Elena Petrova. They both seem like decent enough people who believe they're providing valuable and legitimate services that can bring happiness to men and women around the world. But I can't help but feeling that there's an underlying sleaziness to them and their business practices.
The most interesting stories, to me at least, are the relationships that don't go as planned. They show the desperation of the men and portray the women as either manipulative opportunists or confused damsels who maybe aren't sure what they want.
Michael travels from Australia to Kiev to meet Svitlana and her two daughters. He thinks he knows her well from their correspondence and, after seemingly enjoying their time together, he proposes and she accepts. A wedding in Bali is planned, but before that he receives an ominous email from the Ukraine that claims his bride to be is scamming him. The wedding goes ahead anyway, but the marriage isn't consummated and she cuts off communication with him after they return to their respective countries.
Svitlana admits to the camera that she has similar relationships with other men while she decides the best options for herself and her daughters. Michael doesn't give up, however, and returns to Ukraine to find out what's gone wrong. Svitlana says she doesn't love him and that the wedding was a mistake. He asks for his ring back and she walks out the door and out of his life.
Wisconsin farmer Travis falls for a woman just after meeting her in Ukraine, but he has to return to the U.S. and plans to keep the relationship going from a distance. He heads back to Ukraine three months later to ask her to marry him and, while something doesn't seem right, he thinks it will turn out okay. But when men show up to her apartment demanding $4,000 they claim she owes, he gives them the $200 he has with him and heads to the airport without proposing. The romance ends, but her online demands for money don't.
Bobby spent almost $10,000 on sending messages to a beautiful Ukrainian woman and flies there to see her. He's stood up at first and believes he may have been scammed, but meets her a day later. With a translator provided by A Foreign Affair, they talk, but he has doubts that it's the same person he's been communicating with online. But that doesn't stop him from asking her if she wants to move to the U.S. and marry him at that first meeting. Bobby believes that she's agreed and returns home thinking he's engaged.
But responses to the overweight and reclusive Bobby's messages are vague and he gives up hope. She's removed from the A Foreign Affair site because it's unclear if she was legitimate, but he was still out all of that money and went into state of depression and stopped his attempts at online dating before admitting to trying A Foreign Affair one more time. We're shown photos of a beautiful brunette and left with the feeling that he'll be heartbroken again.
Watch the trailer for Love Me.
Love Me will make its international premiere and be screened in Toronto as part of the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival at: 9:30 p.m. on April 25 at Scotiabank Theatre; 1 p.m. on April 26 at Scotiabank Theatre; and 7 p.m. on May 2 at Fox Theatre.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Love Me goes behind the scenes of international matchmaking services
3 comments:
- Shawn Deny said...
The major similarity among them is that they've become frustrated and claim they can't find compatible women in their countries. And most of them seem to prefer younger women.
matchmaking services
- 11:36 am
- Max Sttalon said...
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- 9:03 am
- Blogger said...
Looking for the Ultimate Dating Site? Create an account to find your perfect match.
- 7:21 am
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text:
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Illustration Friday: Wings
32 comments:
- Carin Bramsen said...
I love your drawing style, and your imagination!
- January 31, 2013 at 3:34 PM
- Lori ann said...
gorgeous things in hair paintings bella, so sweet! i especially love the birds and nest with little birdy eggs. and you've been needle felting! those are adorable!
- January 31, 2013 at 4:09 PM
- rachel awes said...
i wished i lived on your block...because i would like you to be my hair stylist (well, probably lots of beautiful reasons to live close to you)! LOVE!
+ your felted hares are darling.
- January 31, 2013 at 5:24 PM
- yoborobo said...
You needle felt? I have been wanting to try that! Of course, I stab myself daily already, so maybe not such a good idea. :) I need to find a craft that involves marshmallows. Love your floating heads! xox
- January 31, 2013 at 6:09 PM
- Michaele Razi said...
Wonderful! I love your stuff!
- January 31, 2013 at 6:18 PM
- Arija said...
Hallo my favourite doodler! What a pity I did not see your hairy heads before I cut my hair - they are so full of inspiration, I can just see myself with a few nests on my hair.
- January 31, 2013 at 7:45 PM
- Steve E said...
The hair is coming much more to my liking...see how square is me?
I have a lot of hair, but always admired (and wanted to be) bald. THEN came my chance: Beautiful Bald Babies Club.
Now, I must consider reducing my membership to a "social" status, with all this lovely hair design emanating from your imagination and pens.
Thank you for your now more frequent contributions, Bella.
...and, you know...
- January 31, 2013 at 7:54 PM
- Draffin Bears said...
Hi Bella,
Love you sweet illustrations and the beautiful bowling ball eyes and the cute little birds nest.
How very darling your little needle felted rabbits are ... you have been busy.
Happy weekend
- January 31, 2013 at 8:40 PM
- Indigene Theresa said...
Your floating heads are gorgeous! Hmm...my head feels like it's floating and let me tell ya, it looks a mess...but the flu will do that to you! LOL! You just make it looks so beautiful! :)
- January 31, 2013 at 9:44 PM
- Ces said...
There once was a head that kept praying for a body. One day God finally granted iits prayer and gave it a body. He was soooooo happy he ran out into the street not realizing he was naked. A car struck him and he died. Moral: Quit while you are ahead.
Hehehee. These heads are great. Keep them coming. Will you please draw one with very long hair that looks like an angry sea swallowing a boat? Like Hokusai or Hiroshige but a Bella Sinclair version, therefore much more adorable and make the face look like a Japanese woman?
Next, draw a head and she has octopus hair and puckered her lips, perhaps she is kissing a fish?
Okay. What about two heads arguing and they could not stop, their hair started fighting or cojoined heads?
Good morning!!!
Sorry, I was so exhausted yesterday and had no energy to comment.
- February 1, 2013 at 4:02 AM
- Ces said...
I forgot, the rabbits look great! Boy, they sure do multiply fast. The things we bleed for....
Sorry for my typos. Gotta go now.
- February 1, 2013 at 4:05 AM
- Amanda Dilworth said...
Wow Bella you are so creative, love the illustrations and the super cute bunnies
- February 1, 2013 at 4:07 AM
- Jennifer said...
Quite lovely! <3
- February 1, 2013 at 5:51 AM
- Amy C said...
eeeeeeek the sweeeetest little crew of needle felted BUNNIES - the bleeding is worth it (at least for me as an admiring felted bunny appreciator)
The floating heads are so gorgeous and actually remind me of my hair sometimes I think I might find a bird nest in there one day too complete with robins eggs
- February 1, 2013 at 11:41 AM
- Amalia K said...
Oh, I love all your floating head sweeties! Must feel so light and lovely to be so free...well, except for the scratching thing. :D
And your banner looks FAB! XOXO
- February 1, 2013 at 3:56 PM
- Andrea said...
I want to needle felt---eventhough I have no idea what is involved, but I sure do love those little friends you made. The floating heads are lovely! I wish my hair was like the second one!
- February 1, 2013 at 5:01 PM
- Arti said...
So very creative! Love those illustrations, wonderfully done. Have a lovely weekend Bella :)
- February 1, 2013 at 6:36 PM
- Ted Blackman said...
Oh, these are neat. Reminds me of that big floating, stone head in that '70s Zardoz movie with Sean Connery. Weirdest movie I ever saw, but I liked that scary floating head. Who wouldn't.
In the end of the movie it spews guns out of its mouth so the peasants can wage war against their oppressors. Uh oh, I've said to much...
- February 1, 2013 at 9:42 PM
- Ted Blackman said...
I'm leaning toward the redhead, she's my favorite. She's purdy. She's not making eye contact, though.
- February 1, 2013 at 9:46 PM
- theartofpuro said...
Thanks for the comment:)Your illos make my day:)I love them so much:)
- February 2, 2013 at 8:26 AM
- Vicki Smith said...
Such sweet images and little bunnies!
- February 2, 2013 at 1:36 PM
- k.h.whitaker said...
look at all your cute felted bunnies Bella. Yes needle felting is fun but dangerous ;) LOL I love the floating heads. I feel like that sometimes. Oh, I like Ces's ideas for heads. You should do them :D
- February 2, 2013 at 2:58 PM
- laughingwolf said...
awwwwwwww you and your babes, too :)
- February 2, 2013 at 9:57 PM
- aimee said...
they are ADORABLE!!
love the bowling ball eye!
- February 4, 2013 at 9:32 AM
- kristin maynes said...
So, so, cute!! Love the hair and bunnies!
- February 4, 2013 at 11:54 AM
- Cindy said...
love the ginger with the flowers in her hair and your new obsession! hop hop!
- February 5, 2013 at 10:34 AM
- Lisa M Griffin said...
Lovely! What great creations... both 2D and 3D. Thanks for sharing. :)
- February 6, 2013 at 11:22 AM
- Vanessa Brantley Newton said...
You are on a roll Honey! I love the needle felt. They let me blog for a second so here I am. At least you have hair. All of mine belongs to other people sadly. I love what you are sharing. It's amazing and full of life and realness. Fantastic work. It's touching me for sure and not that you are even trying to touch others, but your work again, "TAKES US SOMEWHERE" and that is so powerful in and of itself. Okay enough said. Hugs and much love to you always!
- February 6, 2013 at 3:33 PM
- Vanessa Brantley Newton said...
Morning my Darling! There is a lot of love over at my blog for you. A whole lot of love. Go now. See it for yourself. Hear it for yourself. It's just for you!!
- February 7, 2013 at 6:07 AM
- tera said...
So-o-o cute! I so love to come here and see your cheerful little things. :)
Have a blessed day!
- February 15, 2013 at 5:22 PM
- Cindy D. said...
Needle felted cutenesses, holy cow. I can see from the comments here that I am not the only person "interested" in needle felting. I think, eek, do I want to buy a whole new set of supplies? And then I think, aww heck, some folks sell starter kits on Etsy. I predict a lot of bloody fingers if I do.
Beautiful illustrations, too. I love the cranes and flowers!
- February 18, 2013 at 8:20 PM
- AtelierBrigitte said...
Such cute hares! Totally love them.
- February 20, 2013 at 11:29 AM


text:
Comment is unnecessary!
December 6, 1916
Well, at last, the atmosphere on the hilltop is all changed. We have a cantonnement de regiment again, and this time the most interesting that we have ever had,—the 23d Dragoons, men on active service, who are doing infantry work in the trenches at Tracy-le-Val, in the Foret de Laigue, the nearest point to Paris, in the battle-front.
It is, as usual, only the decorative and picturesque side of war, but it is tremendously interesting, more so than anything which has happened since the Battle of the Marne.
As you never had soldiers quartered on you—and perhaps you never will have—I wish you were here now.
It was just after lunch on Sunday—a grey, cold day, which had dawned on a world covered with frost—that there came a knock at the salon door. I opened it, and there stood a soldier, with his heels together, and his hand at salute, who said: "Bon jour, madame, avez-vous un lit pour un soldat?"
Of course I had a bed for a soldier, and said so at once.
You see it is all polite and formal, but if there is a corner in the house which can serve the army the army has a right to it. Everyone is offered the privilege of being prettily gracious about it, and of letting it appear as if a favor were being extended to the army, but, in case one does not yield willingly, along comes a superior officer and imposes a guest on the house.
However, that sort of thing never happens here. In our commune the soldiers are loved. The army is, for that matter, loved all over France. No matter what else may be conspue, the crowd never fails to cry "Vive l'Armee!" although there are places where the soldier is not loved as a visitor.
I asked the adjutant in, and showed him the room. He wrote it down in his book, saluted me again with a smiling, "Merci bien, madame," and went on to make the rounds of the hamlet, and examine the resources of Voisins, Joncheroy, and Quincy.
The noncommissioned officers, who arrange the cantonnements, are very clever about it. They seem to know, by instinct, just what sort of a man to put in each house, and they rarely blunder.
All that Sunday afternoon they were running around in the mud and the cold drizzle that was beginning to fall, arranging, not only quarters for the men, but finding shelter for three times as many horses, and that was not easy, although every old grange on the hilltop was cleaned out and put in order.
For half an hour the adjutant tried to convince himself that he could put four horses in the old grange on the north side of my house. I was perfectly willing, only I knew that if one horse kicked once, the floor of the loft would fall on him, and that if four horses kicked once, at least three walls would fall in on them. That would not be so very important to me, but I'd hate to have handsome army horses killed like that on my premises.


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MIDDLEBURY — Marble Valley Regional Transit District (MVRTD) jointly with Addison County Transit Resources (ACTR) will increase public transit bus service between Rutland and Middlebury starting Monday, July 8.
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May 13-17:
Weeklong event encourages green transportation
MIDDLEBURY — For nearly a decade, a growing number of Vermonters have pledged to try a new way of commuting during the weeklong Way to Go! Commuter Challenge. This year the statewide event is being held May 13-17. Way to Go! promotes economical, environmentally friendly, safe alternatives to driving solo. Businesses and individuals can sign up at the Way to Go! website, www.waytogovt.org.
MIDDLEBURY — Addison County Transit Resources (ACTR) was recently awarded an $8,000 grant from the Richard E. and Deborah L. Tarrant Foundation in Burlington, Vermont. These funds contribute towards the 20 percent local match requirements of a $2.85 million federal grant previously awarded to ACTR for the construction of the Addison County Community Transportation Center.
MIDDLEBURY — Several dozen people greeted the official breaking of ground for the new Addison County Transit Resource (ACTR) headquarters in Middlebury Monday with a cheer.
MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury College recently awarded Addison County Transit Resources (ACTR) a $100,000 grant. These funds are a contribution toward the 20 percent local matching requirements of a $2.85 million federal grant previously awarded to ACTR for the construction of its Community Transportation Center, which will be located off of Creek Road next to the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) maintenance facility.
MIDDLEBURY — Addison County Transit Resources (ACTR) has secured a combined total of more than $710,000 through two grants to help propel its proposed $4.2 million Middlebury headquarters closer to reality.
James Moulton, ACTR executive director, confirmed the two grants during an interview with the Addison Independenton Thursday.
BRISTOL — Addison County Transit Resources (ACTR) is proposing a new bus route along the Route 116 corridor that would take passengers from Bristol to Burlington, with stops in Starksboro and Hinesburg.
James Moulton, executive director of ACTR, said the new service could start as soon as April, pending funding.
"We believe it would be a good, strong route," Moulton said on Tuesday.
ADDISON COUNTY — Addison County Transit Resources (ACTR) is cruising into the fall with record ridership numbers, a revitalized bus fleet and a plan to give customers real-time updates on the timeliness of its bus runs.
The county's public transportation organization released figures last week showing its fleet of 16 buses had dispensed a combined total of 156,000 rides during the 12 months preceding June 30, 2011. That's 22-percent higher than ACTR's previous record year, officials said.
MIDDLEBURY — Addison County Transit Resources (ACTR) officials hope to soon start drawing down an already-secured $2.85 million federal grant and move toward building a new headquarters on Creek Road, and in the meantime they've applied for an additional $1 million to make the facility as energy efficient as possible.
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When calling at a Welcome Break Motorway service area with or without passengers and in a professional capacity you are invited to eat for the nominal charge of 1p* on presentation of a valid coach ID at the following outlets:
Burger King (£6)**
Starbucks (£5)**
Harry Ramsden (£6)**
Pret-A-Manger (£6)**
All food and drink should be consumed on the premises wherever possible. If you require food to take away please speak to our Duty Manager who will be pleased to help.
If you are travelling with passengers you are entitled to a £2 voucher or a £1 Love to Shop voucher
*WB has the right to remove this promotion without prior notice
**Additional amounts can be paid in cash or £2 reward vouchers. No change will be given.
In the absence of a membership card our teams have been charged with ensuring our valued coach drivers are treated with respect and have the opportunity to receive the relevant benefit if they so wish. We believe that our teams on the front line are best placed to make the correct decision, whilst you're visiting our sites.
With this in mind, please be aware that the manager on duty is responsible for the final decision on all coach driver benefits.
All we ask is that you are in a professional capacity. Our teams have been briefed to check for uniforms, I.D badges, Job Sheets and obviously passengers, but we also accept that, in our busy environment, these checks are sometimes not easy or perfect. With this in mind, your help and support in making it easy for us to identify you would be appreciated.
Registration process
The accurate completion of the Coach Driver Registration book is essential. All coach drivers calling at Welcome Break must be registered in the book.
The vouchers are deemed by HMRC to be an incentive, therefore it is a legal requirement to provide the following details:
The full name of the recipient,
The name and address of the recipient's employers,
Confirmation that the driver is working on the day,
The total amount of vouchers received.
All coach drivers must register at 24-hour WHSmith outlets, when calling at Welcome Break sites. If there is no 24-hour WHSmith outlet on site, then all coach drivers much register at 24-hour Starbucks outlets.
You will be required to complete the Coach Drivers Logging Sheet, which allows us to monitor the use of the scheme. We would really appreciate your support in completing this document; again any concerns can be dealt with by the team on duty at each service area.
It is our intention to reward coach drivers who bring passengers and therefore potential customers into our service areas, therefore whenever you do we will issue a voucher to the value of:
– Welcome Break £2 voucher per visit per driver
– or £1 Love to Shop voucher per visit per driver
The Welcome Break voucher will be redeemable against any purchase in our W.H.Smiths and Waitrose retail shops (excluding fuel, lottery, tobacco, alcohol or accommodation) or to supplement your meal choice.
Vouchers must be redeemed within their expiry date and cannot be exchanged or replaced once this date has expired.
Please remember that all of our benefits are aimed at Coach Drivers, Hosts and Hostesses who are bringing passengers into our service areas. The manager on duty will always make the final decision. In the event of any doubt around identification, we would ask for your support whilst making these decisions.


text:
Getting woken up yet the hideous stench of death must be one of the most unpleasant ways to greet the day. In Hollow House, this was how the residents of Willow Street started their day. Unfortunately that was only the start.
As a body is discovered in the long abandoned Kemper House, starting an unsettling police investigation. The police aren't the only people drawn to the Kemper House. In fact, before the police arrive teenager Zac Campell finds himself drawn to the house, on the premise of seeing a dead body. So begins the start of a disturbing chain of events.
As a reporter, Ben Traynor cannot believe his good luck to be handed such a juicy story. However, Ben's investigation becomes more about the Kemper House than the body found inside it. Little does Ben know about what this gift of a story will cost him.
I generally like haunted house type stories, especially upon finding that they have an unusual twist. Hollow House does have its own unique spin on the haunted house story. But maybe because of the way the book is written, it just doesn't come off as well as I'd hoped.
Whilst reading Hollow House, it felt like the author was taking, for a relatively short book, what felt like an inordinately long time to get to the final set piece of action at the house. I found it most frustrating that it then is all over in what seems like two pages. Hollow House was for me extremely anticlimactic.
For the most part the book was well written. But for some reason there was very little wow factor, and most importantly, there was very little in the way of scares. It wasn't like there was much fun to be had either. Unfortunately Hollow House Is only sitting as a 2 star read for me.
****Disclaimer – I purchased this book. This is my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own***


text:
Macro Microscope for kids, from Discoveryin Gadgets For Kids 1 Comment »
There is a beautiful and amazing microscopic world all around, just waiting to be discovered by your child; all they need are the right tools!
With both micro and macro settings, this microscope will let your kid examine the world around them in a level of detail that will astonish and amaze. Capable of 40 to 400 times zoom, your kids will be able to explore small objects with incredibly clear images at every level of magnification.
- Five vials of remarkable specimens to examine
- Five prepared slides: two insect cross sections, two plant cross-sections and one slide with a real 900-year old, Peruvian mummy wrap!
- Tweezers
- Eye-dropper
- Measuring beaker
- Spoon
- Blank slides for collecting your own specimens
- Experiment booklet


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An Xin Pork shop
There's a new pork shop near where I live. (Ok, maybe not really that new... this post is one of my backlog) An Xin Pork Shop took over the corner shop where the old Taman Megah's Secret Recipe used to be. If you know where is Bake with Yen or Chang Thung, you will surely come across this shop as they are all at the same row.
At last. A shop only for POK!
They sell pork leg, pork hand, the lean meat, the fatty three layer meat, the skin, the ears, ....the internals. But, this caught my eye.
A little disappointed because the skin wasn't as crispy as I have expected it to be. Taste wise, I still prefer Ipoh's 'Siew Yoke'.
Sampled a little of their honey lemon char siew as well. I didn't like it but my did liked it. Tasted like honey lemon chicken, except this was lean pork meat.
Whole package for RM12. Heh... not worth.
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Drop me a message here =)


text:
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Ex Machina
Posted by Jeff Victor at 3:24 PM
1 comment:
- Marlene Detierro said...
Very well done. So many layers with a really good morally philosophical subject along with a tense and suspenseful theme. Really great mind bending film for me, the story is really captivating and causes you to reflect as it progresses until the end when you're just left absolutely stunned! Yet makes so much sense as it all comes together and comes to pass. Definitely a unique and dark ending that will leave you a little bit disturbed in a thought provoking way.
Info site for Seattle Water Main Break Service
- January 30, 2016 at 6:54 AM
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Judge favors DNA testing for lifer
Judge favors DNA testing for lifer;
Man must prove tests 'could raise serious doubts'
By Sue Reinert
The Patriot Ledger
A mildly retarded man who confessed to a torture murder in Plymouth, only to be acquitted, now has a second chance to prove he did not rape and murder an elderly woman in Lakeville.
A federal judge has raised the possibility of DNA testing that could free Robert Wade, 57, from a sentence of life without parole for first-degree murder.
U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Gertner has ruled that Wade might be entitled to have the elderly woman's clothing and bed sheets tested for DNA if he can show the tests ''could raise serious doubts about the original verdict.''
''In accordance with the State's interest in doing justice, exculpatory DNA evidence may allow the state to both free the innocent and convict the guilty,'' Gertner wrote.
It is the first time a judge in New England has said that prisoners have a constitutional right to the sophisticated tests after conviction.
The ruling did not order DNA tests on evidence in Wade's case. He must first show that the tests could exonerate him, that he didn't wait too long to appeal, and meet other standards, Gertner said.Although DNA evidence has exonerated 183 people nationwide, Gertner's decision is the first to give prisoners the right to DNA testing after conviction if it might prove them innocent.Wade's appeal lawyer, Lenox attorney Janet H. Pumphrey, said she has sought DNA testing for five years.
''It could exonerate him,'' she said.Blood tests used in Wade's conviction were ''elementary,'' she said.Pumphrey said the Innocence Project, a group of lawyers and law students based in New York city, who have won freedom for prisoners across the country on the basis of DNA tests, helped her in Wade's appeal.
She called Gertner's ruling ''an important decision both in the area of civil rights litigation and in particular, post-conviction DNA testing.''Wade, who lived in Lakeville, confessed in 1986 to killing a disabled 23-year-old Plymouth man, Paul Rober Jr. Wade and Kurt Kegler beat and tortured Rober for six hours before they strangled him with rope provided by a Carver woman, prosecutors said.
A Plymouth Superior Court judge threw out Wade's confession, ruling it was not voluntary because he is mildly retarded and was drunk when police questioned him. A jury acquitted Wade.
The second murder accusation came in 1993. Police arrested Wade for raping Johanna Francescon, 84, the mother of the man who employed Wade on a Lakeville pig farm. Wade was charged with murder after Francescon, who had advanced Alzheimer's disease, died of pneumonia in a hospital after the attack.
Wade denied raping the elderly woman, although she was found in his cabin on the farm with fractures and abrasions.
Tests on blood and semen found on the victim's clothes suggested that it might have come from a second person as well as Wade, Gertner wrote in her decision.
Wade's defense attorney at his trial did not seek DNA tests, which were not widely used at the time. Instead, the lawyer argued that Francescon consented to have sex with Wade. The jury convicted him of murder as a result of the rape.
Lower state courts and the state's Supreme Judicial Court have denied Wade's appeals for DNA testing. Wade filed an appeal in federal court in 2004.
Terence Burke, spokesman for Attorney General Thomas Reilly, who opposed DNA tests for Wade, said Reilly's office is reviewing the ruling.Bridget Norton Middleton, spokeswoman for Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz, referred questions to Reilly's office.
Relatives of Paul Rober Jr. were angry when Wade's first conviction was overturned. Rober's father, Paul Rober Sr., who moved his family to Braintree after the murder, co-founded the Boston chapter of Parents of Murdered Children.The elder Rober died of cancer in 2000. His son, James Rober of Brockton, took up the campaign for murder victims.
Sue Reinert may be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com
Copyright 2006 The Patriot Ledger