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Hi... Well, we've had our summer "off" (Deb and the boys were back in the US for 7 weeks... and I joined them for the last 4) and we've been back in Liberia for a month. Work is all right, and the boys are chest-deep in homeschooling. And we've been reading a terrific Liberia book called "The House At Sugar Beach" by Helene Cooper. She is the White House correspondent for the New York Times. She was born in Liberia and grew up here til the age of 14, the daughter of Americo-Liberians. It's a well written book, which pretty honestly shows a lot of the inequities of pre-1980 Liberia. In 1980, Helene's uncle was executed along with other government officials as part of Samuel Doe's coup, and she left the country about a month later. The book is a memoir of Helene's life, climaxing with her return to Liberia in 2003 to seek out her long-lost foster sister, Eunice.
One of the interesting things to me has been just the familiarity of it all--Sugar Beach is just a few miles southeast down the coast from us here at ELWA, and there are a couple brief mentions of ELWA in the book. But I wanted to know exactly where it was. There's no exact spot known as "Sugar Beach" now--at least not well known--so after looking for options of places matching the description on Google Earth last night, I took a walk this morning before church to go looking for it, and here it is: The House at Sugar Beach, as it is today--run down, only half of it occupied, a monument to the history of this nation which is told so well in this book. In case you want to see our area... check out Google Earth... the house at sugar beach is at 6 deg 13'41'' N, 10 deg 40'03" W. My walk this morning (one way) was about 2.4 miles of coastline.... see if you can find us at ELWA on Google Earth... we're waving!
The House at Sugar Beach, as it is today (picture taken from the ocean side...I'm standing at the tide line).
Sunday, September 27, 2009
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Is 'Good' Behaviour Good Enough?
The vast majority of schools in England today are judged by Ofsted as having 'good' behaviour, and yet we also know that student behaviour is one of the most commonly cited reasons given by staff for leaving a school or the profession. "Good" behaviour in one school can feel and be very, very, different to that in another. And while we know that behaviour is generally thought to have got better in our schools in recent years, we believe that things can be even better still. Why settle for anything less than harmonious relationships all-round & hard-working students?
So, inspired by places such as Dixons Trinity, King Solomon Academy, Reach Academy Feltham, and the Tauheedul Boys & Girls schools, we are going to analyse exactly what it is that great schools are already doing to create the most inspiring cultures for learning, and create a toolkit that others can use to adapt and adopt these approaches for their own schools.
We'll need lots of people's help with this project, as we're convinced that the means by which every child and teacher can work in a school that has a phenomenal culture for learning lies not with Ofsted or the Department for Education, but the people who work with children every day. We'll be asking for inputs from people in the near future.
Join us and register your support
We are working for excellence in the education system. By joining us, you can help to persuade everyone, from the Government, all the way down to local schools, to follow a model that will deliver excellence.


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TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
Trainer, educator, animator and mentor. Pedagogist of theatre. Coordinator of mobility projects and member of Polish National Agency of Erasmus + pool of trainers.
Motto: nil mirari nil indignari sed intelligere
Anna Huminiak has 4 references for past work as a trainer.
free lance
since 2012 - Free lance trainer at ASCOLTO-EDUKACJA I SZKOLENIA
since 2011 - Member of pool of trainers & EVS trainer for Polish National Agency of Erasmus + Programme
since 2016 - Expert of diagnosis in SPLOT (Network for NGO's support, Warsaw)
since 2015 - Member of Among Others pool of trainers (FRSE & IJGD project of intercultural formation of University students and scollars )
2014-2015 - Educational project coordinator in IGO (Institute for Global Responsability, Warsaw)
2007-2012 - Expert project coordinator and trainer at DAS (Angelus Silesius House, Wroclaw)
2002-2007 - EVS projects coordinator and mentor, trainer and animator of local & intenational workshops
2002 - EVS volunteer in UNISER, Forli, Italy
Post-graduate studies of Pedagogic of Theatre at University od Warsaw & Theatre Institute (2016)
School of Trainers of Polish Association of NGO Trainers (2011)
Faculty of Pedagogy and History, History of Art, Uniwersity od Wrocław (2004)
drawing, visual thinking sketchnoting, contact improvisation and work with body
German, Portuguese
This profile was last modified on 2017-02-24


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Read this month's Insider Wales for Jon Geen's comments on the how Swansea Bay City Deal could benefit Pembrokeshire here.
Here you will find all the latest news as it happens. If it's news and it involves Acuity, one of our clients or our CSR activities this is the place to come.Back to news


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As a response to yesterday's post, I thought I'd post Douglas Henderson's version of what really happened to the Dinosaurs. What I love about Doug's work is, just when you think you've seen every interpretation of prehistoric life, he comes up with an entirely new perspective.
I don't think I've ever seen a depiction of the asteroid's approach that is so eerie and ominous. I love the idea that dinosaurs, like any animal spooked by a coming storm, would have started acting erratically. This is the inciting incident of Act I.
In story, we're always looking for contrast as a way to show escalating drama, which is why I love the difference between the calm, cool-colored approach of the asteroid and this cold, black, existential over-the-moon's-shoulder shot of the asteroid entering atmosphere. This is the escalating action of Act II.
And, in what would only have lasted a fraction of a second, the brilliant, near black-and-white sizzle of the K-T event in progress. This is the crisis moment at the end of Act II.
The final impact puts even Mt Doom to shame.
This is the dramatic climax of Act III.
And finally, our story's resolution. A tragedy from the dinosaur's perspective, a comedy from the asteroid's.
More of Doug's amazing paleoart can be found here.
More of Doug's amazing paleoart can be found here.


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As we speak, people across the state of New York are begrudgingly putting away their decorations, taking down their lights, and saying their final goodbyes to friends and families as the holidays have officially drawn to a close. Of course, with the end of the holiday season also comes the release of comprehensive statistics summarizing the impact of the "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" campaign.
For those unfamiliar with this national anti-drunk driving campaign -- which was subsidized largely by federal funds -- it featured national television and radio advertisements, as well as increased enforcement over the holiday season.
Here in New York, the State Police maintained an increased presence on many commonly traveled highways/roads from December 14 through January 1. Specifically, the agency carried out 29 sobriety checkpoints, 10 saturation details, 12 underage consumption/unlawful sale to minors details, and checked 120 stores and 14 bars across the Empire State.
Breaking the numbers down, the State Police accomplished the following during the 2012 holiday season:
- Issued over 33,000 tickets, at least 10,000 of which were for speeding, failure to wear a seat belt or properly restrain children in vehicles
- Arrested 538 people for driving while intoxicated
- Arrested 22 people for providing alcohol to minors
By comparison, State Police made 526 DUI arrests and issued 35,496 traffic citations during the 2011 holiday season.
Statistics also revealed that despite the increased presence of law enforcement officials dedicated to combating drunk driving and other motor vehicle violations, there were still 12 fatalities and hundreds of motor vehicle accidents.
Here's hoping 2013 turns out to be the safest year yet for all motorists. Stay tuned for more from our New York traffic law blog ...
A DWI/DUI arrest can have a serious impact on your life in a number of ways and result in various penalties. In fact, many of these penalties are much more serious than the mere license suspension or revocation.
When faced with this scenario, consider contacting an attorney who understands New York's confusing legal system, and who can help you evaluate your options and make the right decisions.
This post was provided for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal advice.
The Journal News, "State Police Issued 33,000 Tickets During Holiday Sweep," Joseph Spector, Jan. 2, 2013
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, "U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood launches 'Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over' holiday crackdown," Dec. 13, 2012


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Honey cake is a dessert that I made to bring over to a friend's house for the Jewish New Year. Rosh Hashanah is a Jewish holiday referred to as the Jewish New Year. One of the symbolic foods that represents this holiday is honey. Apples are often dipped in honey to represent a sweet year. In this recipe, although there are no apples, 1 1/2 cups of honey is included, making this cake sweet and delicious, and one of the desserts commonly baked and eaten at Rosh Hashanah.
Combine dry ingredients with wet ingredients.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes until golden brown. Smell the delicious aroma that fills the kitchen.
Honey Spice Cake (Taken from Second Helpings Please, Revised Edition)
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup oil
1 lb. liquid honey (1 1/2 cups)
3 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup cold coffee or tea
zest of one orange
Beat eggs and sugar. Add oil and honey and blend well. Combine dry ingredients and add alternately with liquid. Pour into an ungreased 10" tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake for 1 hour. When cake is done, cool for 15 minutes. Then, invert and cool completely before removing from pan.


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PostNet Franchise Owner Makes News as 'Someone You Should Know'
NBC-affiliate highlights the continued success of veteran marketing services franchise owner in Billings, Montana on television news segment
Being that PostNet franchise owners play a meaningful role in the success of their small business communities, it was fitting for KULR-8, a local NBC-affiliate in Billings, Montana, to feature their local PostNet franchise owner as "Someone You Should Know," on a television segment broadcast in June.
The television news team visited veteran PostNet franchise owner, Bill Ruff, at his bustling center in the heart of Billings, to pick his brain as to how his business has remained successful over the years. The answer? Bill has evolved with the PostNet franchise from a pack-and-ship business model into his community's local partner for marketing services solutions:
"Bill Ruff is the proud owner of the PostNet located on Grand Avenue," says KULR-8 reporter Greg LaMotte at the beginning of the segment. "It's a business the born-and-bred Montanan from Laurel bought eight years ago. He says he was looking for something that would allow him to eventually semi-retire. Eight years ago, Bill says that the business focused on packaging and shipping – now his business focuses on printing and design."
PostNet franchise owners are their community's local partners for marketing services solutions
One of the reasons that KULR-8 named Bill, "Someone You Should Know," to the community of Billings, is that Bill's marketing services franchise specializes in providing professional solutions to the hundreds of small businesses in the nearby area. PostNet offers a full menu of services, including graphic design, full-service digital printing, direct mail, signage, document binding and finishing, and ancillary business services, like private mailbox rental and more. Unlike traditional postal and mailbox franchises, PostNet has strategic partnerships with all of the major logistics companies — UPS, FedEx, U.S. Postal Service and DHL — offering a multi-carrier selection, coupled with in-center professional packaging services to meet the shipping needs of our customers.
PostNet is way out in front of our competitors in the rapidly growing marketing services industry; the Titanic-sized brands aren't nimble, local or authentic enough to be the local partner that a small business owner depends on. The industry has taken notice, and our business model has this year been named a best-bet investment by Franchise Direct, Franchise Gator and Entrepreneur magazine. The demand for new PostNet centers is bigger than ever, and PostNet has become the go-to resource for millions of small businesses.
"Bill says, for him, it's much more than just a business," LaMotte reports. "It represents his continued deep connection to the community."
"The community is great," Bill says in the segment. "A lot of what we're doing in our design work is dealing with small businesses like us….there's an awful lot of cottage industry. There's a lot of small businesses who are looking for a one-stop-shop. They can come in here and we can do the printing, the design work, and we can mail it for them if they need us to do that."
Ready to join the PostNet marketing services franchise family?
After kicking off the year with exciting center openings in California, West Virginia, Connecticut, Georgia, New York and Texas, PostNet's outlook for 2016 is strong. Throughout the year, PostNet will continue executing its strategic growth plan, expanding the brand into untapped and existing markets domestically and overseas.
"Our continued franchise growth in 2016 and impressive number of new centers scheduled to open in 2016 demonstrates the strong demand for our customized, business-enhancing services," says Steve Greenbaum, CEO and Co-Founder of PostNet. "Innovation has, and will always, drive our company strategy, making us well-positioned to develop products and services that meet the changing needs of consumers and businesses. We will be growing for years to come."
Want to see more of PostNet on television? Click here catch CEO and Co-Founder Steve Greenbaum's emotional episode of the hit CBS show, 'Undercover Boss!'
Learn more about starting a PostNet franchise
Ready to learn more about PostNet franchise opportunities? You can read interviews with PostNet franchise owners on our blog and learn more about our business model by reading over our research pages. To request even more information, download our free franchise report.


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Plans for a heavyweight web and digital-info feast are well underway, as the crème of the world's online community readies itself for Berlin Web Week. Much like a music festival for tech devotees, ideas-people, investors, and all-round geeks, the eight-day event will feature conferences from various industry talents and key players..
And here's the line-up:
re:publica – 2-4 May
In its sixth consecutive year in its native Berlin, re:publica has arguably grown to one of Germany's largest conferences for the blogging and social media society. This year's theme 'Action!' aims to capture the power of pushing social media for political movements – to showcase the significance of digitalisation, technology innovations, mobility issues, and more.
Heureka! 7 May
For the first time, entrepreneur and startup magazines Gründerszene and VentureVillage will jointly host a one day event in English with an outdoor BBQ to boot. Heureka! will spotlight the most important tools for building a successful Internet business and all the the latest ideas and trends from the business world in the form of talks, workshops and networking rounds from some of the world's biggest industry leaders and innovators. The Heureka! website is expected to launch by the end of the week, so stay tuned for all the details.
Startup Weekend – 4-6 May
In Startup Weekend's third instalment in Berlin, the event consistently draws in around 10,000 attendees and city-hops across the globe. The aim of the weekend is get startup enthusiasts to mingle, pitch ideas, form teams, and present a minimally viable product to a panel of experts. The purpose of it all is simple: to hopefully launch a startup!
NEXT Berlin – 8-9 May
This hotly anticipated event is arguably Europe's leading conference for the digital industry. NEXT Berlin – an annual tech melting pot, will feature knowledge-sharing talks from experienced founders, investors and business innovators. Additionally, some startups will be invited to pitch their ideas live on stage to international experts.
European Venture Market – 8-9 May
This two-day networking conference, will include up to 300 investors, service providers, and early stage companies from various areas of the industry. European Venture Market attendees will have the chance to meet, greet, discuss and share business ideas and projects. Participating entrepreneurs are also given the chance to pitch their ideas to a crowd of investors.
Informare! 8-10 May
This new conference aims to highlight the role of scientific, technical and professional information in education, science and society. Key issues at Informare! will include; scientific communication, information management, search engines, e-readers and gaming.
Heureka! Berlin to host hot new international digital conference


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Product benefits
Field of visionVery wide field of vision, 135° - 150°, to see all that is going on around you.
Adjustable1 adjustment: split head strap at rear, side adjustment, one-piece nose bridge
StabilityExcellent thanks to its elasticity and hydrodynamic design.
Anti-foggingAnti-fogging treatment.
WaterproofThe seals are very soft and easily adapt to fit the shape of your face.
Sun protectionUV protection component
Product feature
CHOICE OF SIZEThe watertightness of the swimming goggles is dependent on the proper fit of the silicone seal with the shape of your face. Before purchase, we advise you to do the "suction" test without the strap. If the goggles hold on your face by themselves with slight suction, the product will be watertight during your swim. This allows you to see if the size is too tight or too big SPIRIT GOGGLES ARE AVAILABLE IN TWO SIZES: S for small faces and L for large faces.
CARE - PRECAUTIONSYou should: - rinse your goggles after use - put them in a box between each session to prevent any contact with the lenses (inside where the anti-fog coating is located, and outside to avoid any scratches that may impact your visibility). NEVER TOUCH/RUB THE INSIDE OF YOUR LENSES.
FOGThe appearance of fog depends on several factors, the difference in temperature between the body and the water, humidity levels, etc. Wear due to friction is one of the main causes. If your goggles fog up, dip your lenses in the water and a protective film will reform. Be aware that after a certain amount of time it is normal for the performance of the anti-fog coating to be diminished. We offer an anti-fog marker which reactivates the anti-fog coating and increases the lifetime of your goggles.
LENS TINTThe colour of your goggles should be suited to your swimming location and its lighting. If you swim outside or in a swimming pool with bright lighting, you will benefit from smoke-tinted or mirror finish goggles. Your comfort when swimming will be greater. In comparison, if the swimming pool is darker with low lighting, during winter evenings for example, you will prefer transparent or slightly tinted lenses. Spirit goggles are available in different lens tints.
Product testing
CompositionLens : 100.0% Polycarbonate (PC) Joint/Gasket : 100.0% Rubber - Thermoplastic Rubber (TPR) Packaging : 100.0% Polypropylene (PP) Backing : 100.0% Silicone
Storage advicePut the goggles back in their box between your sessions. Important: Do not touch the inside of the lenses to avoid damaging the anti-fog treatment.
Cleaning adviceRinse goggles in clear cold water after each use. Important: Do not touch the inside of the lens (with your finger or with a cloth) to avoid damaging the anti-fog treatment. Do not leave exposed to the sun for long periods as this damages the straps and s
Product catchlineGoggles with a wide field of vision that are very comfortable thanks to the soft skirts that adapt to fit the shape of your face, guaranteeing an excellent watertight seal.


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Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Nearly Narnia. Snow... oh, oh!
Lucy discovers the land of Narnia when she hides in an old wardrobe. One moment she is pushing her way in between old fur coats and other garments, and the next she is tumbling out of the back of the wardrobe into a land that is deep in snow. Of course this all takes place in a children's story by C. S. Lewis, "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe". As a child, I did try to find Narnia through the back of our wardrobe at home, but the plywood back remained firm, and the jackets and trousers on their hangers, tickled my ears and brushed my neck. In the books that concern Narnia, it was mostly children that found the way to that world, although there were some notable exceptions.
I think we found Narnia last Sunday evening, or that it came very close to us. Snow began falling with real purpose through Sunday afternoon, and, by nightfall, there was a good covering of it over everything outside. About 10.30 at night, I wrapped up warmly and took the camera out for what I thought would be a fairly futile attempt at capturing some of the scene by night. The snow made things hazardous, it was a little too wet and turned to ice under foot, but I made my way beside our house to where I could get a view of the snow under our trees; and there was Narnia! The orange glow of a street light made puddles of pale colour on the snow between the trees. The light contrasted with the dark blue shadows and the charcoal grey of the tree trunks. Away from the light, everything merged with a gloom that was so complete that the uncertain lines of branches and trunks seemed to vibrate. What I saw was like the description of that place in Narnia where a gas lamp glows in the depths of a snow covered forest. I found myself looking for Mr Tumnus the fawn, hoping that I would see him stepping daintily amongst the pools of light and shade.
In the morning I did find little footsteps in the snow, but I think they belonged to someone other than a fawn!
That night I took a few photos under the trees, and a photo of Laura's wooden construction that fills in where our side gate should be (the real gate was stolen a few months ago, and I have yet to replace it). Something about the side "gate" reminded me of paintings by the American artist, Edward Hopper (of Nighthawks fame). The black silhouette of the "gate" contrasted with the butter yellow colour of the lamp lit snow. To my joy, the photos actually did turn out with a little "tweaking" with Gimp (a wonderful free image editor).
In the morning I took a few more photos by daylight of a world that was white. A bitterly cold gale kept my time outside short. We had more snow than the fall of snow we had about three weeks ago, but this snow kept thawing, then building, then thawing again, so it did not accumulate as much as it might have. The main road to Dunedin was blocked Sunday night and most of Monday, so we enjoyed relative peace, but the snow was less friendly than before, and we did worry about the sheep and the new lambs that are starting to appear at this time.
Interestingly, this snow was something of a record setter, as it did snow a little in Auckland in the North Island. Auckland usually enjoys a sub-tropical climate and hardly knows frost or real cold, so snow in the air was a big topic on the 6 oclock news on Monday evening. Indeed there was some debate as to the difference between hail, sleet, and snow, as some unkind commentators had attempted to question the validity of Auckland's claim. Expert opinion had to be summoned to settle things! According to records, Auckland last enjoyed snow on 27 July, 1939 (see Auckland in wiki under the heading, "climate"). In a world that is beset with so many woes, it is refreshing to see that a sprinkling of snow in a mostly warm city can grab headlines!
On the potting front... I am currently firing a test fish jug and some other pots and glaze tests. I want to be certain that I get the glaze right for the coil built fish jug, so I am doing this firing to make sure that I know what I am doing!
13 comments:
- gz said...
The snow reminds me of what we'll probably have in a few short month's time...
- August 17, 2011 at 7:26 PM
- cookingwithgas said...
Snow! As I sweated here in the 90's.
We have friends visiting the area now and I hope they get to see some snow while they are there.
- August 17, 2011 at 11:05 PM
- Arkansas Patti said...
Ah, that snow looks soooo good. Wondeful photos Peter, your camera eye matches your potting eye.
That second one took me right into Narnia.
Interesting how you have such vastly different of climates in New Zealand.
- August 18, 2011 at 12:18 AM
Just so you know Uncle P - the snow in NZ made the newspapers here. complete with a photo. I thought that was a bit extreme. We get a lot worse snow here. Amusingly enough people assumed that it was snowing in the middle of summer (probably why it made the newspaper)
- August 18, 2011 at 4:53 AM
- Peter said...
Hello Gwynneth,
I love the photos you post of the walks that you take along the lanes and up the hills. I guess that your landscape needs the cold and rain as well as the warmth to maintain its beauty!
Hi Meredith,
"the 90s" I am mentally calibrated in Celsius, so temperatures like that are even more impressive!! I visualise steam rising in your studio!! If your friends are anywhere near us, we'd be delighted to see them if they would like to drop in.
Hi Pat,
Glad you enjoyed the snow. I hope that my "virtual" snow contribution is helping bring temperatures to more acceptable levels in Arkansas! Thanks for the nice comment regarding the photos, I do regard the night time ones as being "lucky" accidents really, but it is nice to have been able to take away a little memento of that lovely scene! The funny part of living in this area in the South Island of NZ is that we really can get 4 seasons in one day. Antarctica just needs to pucker its lips and blow in our direction and temperatures take a dive right away!
Hello Eleanor,
Lovely to hear from you. I think that we really must have a flat earth after all if people near you think that we share the same season... Maybe the world is flat and the round earth thing is all a conspiracy!!!! (just kidding!). Of course some people in this part of NZ find the attention that Auckland received from the snow rather amusing too... , but it must have been fun to have been in Auckland seeing the white stuff floating down!
- August 18, 2011 at 9:36 AM
- Angie said...
I think those night shots are brilliant ...such atmosphere ...where else but Narnia....love the day time shots too but find it hard to believe that you have snow in August.
Good luck with the glazes.
- August 18, 2011 at 11:08 AM
- smartcat said...
Narnia and Middle Earth? New Zealand must have a true weird about it.
Discovered your blog while scrolling through Wikiclay. Most enjoyable!
- August 19, 2011 at 12:26 AM
Hi Peter,
Thanks for the pictures. Where are the snow angels?
I have Russell coming to visit me next month, the chap who nearly brought me to see you when we were in NZ.
Looking forward to that.
keep warm.
- August 19, 2011 at 12:29 AM
- Peter said...
Hello Angie,
I'm finding the snow in August a bit unexpected too... It certainly is not unknown here, but we had almost looked like we would miss winter completely this year as June and July were warmer than they should have been... The flowers are all confused, we've had daffodils and plum blossom out for some time..
Hello Smartcat,
Good to hear from you, welcome to my blog, glad that you are enjoying it. Thanks to the film industry NZ has been inhabited by Hobbits, various witches, wizards, talking animals, and young children with swords and bows! It really is becoming quite hazardous for ordinary folk!
Hi Hannah,
lovely to hear from you. What fun that Russell will be coming to see you, I'd completely lost touch as to where he was. I think the last reported sighting was somewhere in Australia heading for the gold fields or something!
The snow angels were concerned that they might freeze this time... the wind was particularly chilly.. but you never know when they might appear (a bit like Russell!!) Do send him greetings from us in NZ.
- August 19, 2011 at 11:14 AM
- Pat - Arkansas said...
Lovely Narnia photos, Peter; I found them enchanting. What a wonderful place you live in.
I suppose it will not be long until we have our own snowfall, but in almost 100F heat it seems unthinkable.
Someone stole your gate? Good Grief!
- August 20, 2011 at 4:54 AM
- Peter said...
Hello Pat,
Isn't it wonderful that it is possible to be enchanted by the "little things" that we can see around us so close to home. Snow certainly does do magic by its habit of changing the everyday into something special.
I do wonder about that gate... why someone bothered to take it. It wasn't even nice looking, just metal pipe and steel mesh.. Just a real nuisance, time and money that we don't really have to replace it..
- August 20, 2011 at 1:12 PM
- Armelle said...
Nice photos of Narnia Peter !!! I love fairy tales and I saw Narnia at the movies with a nephew, some years ago, what a pleasure. Hope it's not too cold at home, here the summer was as hot as autumn.
I also like yours latest posts and the experiences with oil drip reduction are very interesting.
- August 23, 2011 at 7:05 PM
- Peter said...
Bonjour Armelle,
Ici, à Waikouaiti, aujourd'hui, il fait beau, le soleil brille!
Really nice to hear from you, and I am glad that Narnia reached you in France! The C. S. Lewis Narnia books were part of my childhood (and I still read them), and I also enjoyed the movie that was based on "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe".
There are still some small patches of snow on the hills, but now the weather is getting warmer, and today it feels like Spring.
Best Wishes from All of us here (Ginger sends special greetings as I write this!). P.
- August 24, 2011 at 9:16 AM


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The French historian Charles Rollin on Macedonia and Greece.
Charles Rollin (January 30, 1661-December 14, 1741) was a French historian and educator. He was born in Paris. His famous work is the Ancient History of the Egyptians, Carthaginians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes and Persians, Macedonians and Grecians. (Paris, 1730-38)
Извор: Charles Rollin über Makedonier und Griechen
Види и: Historie - Charles Rollin


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PAWS to organize Fun Day
Protecting Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) will be organizing PAWS Kuwait Family Fun Day at the INSTITUT FRANCAIS on 18 February, from 11am to 4pm. The entrance fee is set at KD 1.
For more information refer to the above flyer.
"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."
"Envy comes from wanting something that isn't yours. But grief comes from losing something you've already had."
Photo Gallery


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Back to Earth is a natural building material supplier. We're not your typical builders' merchant though and instead work closely with our clients during the planning, designing and building phases of projects.
As a material supplier we partner with some of the world's leading natural building material manufacturers. Our intention is always to bring to our clients the very latest material innovations and offer expert technical support.
Where we really add value though is with our design consultancy. With years of building experience, we help to ensure our clients use the most effective material systems.
We do this by spending time reviewing their building plans, before making informed recommendations about the correct use of materials.
In summary, if you are looking for more than just a builders' merchant, we might be the guys to talk to.
If you'd like to get in touch to discuss your project, we'd love to hear from you. We're always happy to talk things through and share our ideas on how to make your sustainable building project a success.
Please do give us a call on 01392 861763. If you'd like to contact us via email, you can get in touch here.


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Here are several more posts from my micro-blog and conceptual proving ground, Tumbld Thoughts. This series is all about internet memes. The first feature (The white flag of reductionism........) is my reflections on what drives complex processes like history and evolution, using a popular internet comic as inspiration. The second feature (What comes next, a pattern recognition test......) is a matching game I made from a meme involving the failed restoration of a religious fresco and various cultural references. The final feature of this post (The role of variation in memetic evolution) highlights a new study on the evolution of and variation inherent in internet memes. In the name of scientific and creative realism, all profanity is left in its original context.
I. The white flag of reductionism........
Figure 1. The "most important driver is random shit" meme.
Inspired by the "most important driver is random shit" meme (Figure 1) [1], I have modified the cartoon to more accurately reflect the rhetorical message of the original [2]. While randomness can play a role in processes such as history, evolution, and other complex systems [3], there are at least two alternate hypotheses:
A) The image in Figure 2 features the first of these (subtle factors), which suggests that many hidden and unknown variables are responsible.
Figure 2. Cartoon for the subtle factors hypothesis.
B) The image in Figure 3 features the second (multivariate causality), which partitions the "random shit" category into many candidate causal factors, each contributing different amounts to the entire picture [4].
Figure 3. Cartoon for the multivariate causality hypothesis.
II. What comes next, a pattern recognition test......
Figure 4. Pick one image from the bottom row that completes the sequence in the top row.
Your task is to pick the next logical image in a sequence of images (see Figure 4). Choose among the options (A, B, and C) below. Creative extrapolation is required.
This exercise is brought to us by Cecilia Gimenez, the Sock Monkey, Muno from the TV show Yo Gabba Gabba, and Ted Kacynski. Thanks for playing!
III. The role of variation in memetic evolution
Here is an interesting new arXiv paper [5] on internet memes. In the study, Michele Coscia [6] statistically analyzes and builds a predictive model (Figure 5) that characterizes the interactions between and variability among memes (Figure 6). This is treated independently of results from a more typical approach, which is to observe the propagation of memes in a social network.
Figure 5. A figure from the paper showing a hierarchical statistical analysis of a meme population.
The research relies upon treating memes as analogous to genes (biological units of inheritance) [7], and raises some interesting points. For example, memes appear to behave collectively and over time in ways similar to genes, including exhibiting "selfish gene"-like behavior [8], functional collaboration, and can even become functionally integrated into "organisms" [9].
Figure 6. A demonstration of natural variation via cultural evolutionary processes in the "Annoyed Picard" meme.
Update (9/27): Here is a nice article in the latest issue of Nautil.us, critically evaluating the meme concept [10].
[1] Traced back to: Weiner, Z. What drives history. Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal comic, April 15 (2013). Can also be found on a number of other blogs and with slight variations in the wording.
[2] this is basically an argument against essentialism, and seems to be relatable across a number of reposts.
[3] Even the notion of "random shit" can be a bit more experimentally-tractable. In the case of gene expression, randomness can be partitioned into intrinsic and extrinsic variation. For more information, please see: Elowitz, M.B., Levine, A.J., Siggia, E.D., and Swain, P.S. Stochastic gene expression in a single cell. Science, 297(5584), 1183–1186 (2002).
[4] For an example of the subtle factors hypothesis using the fall of the Roman Empire, please see: Arbesman, S. 210 Reasons for the Fall of the Roman Empire. Social Dimension blog, June 26 (2013).
[5] Coscia, M. Competition and Success in the Meme Pool: a Case Study on Quickmeme.com. arXiv: 1304.1712 [physics.soc-ph]
[6] Coscia, M. Memes and Cultural Organisms. Follow the Crowd blog, June 25 (2013).
[7] this is often problematic, as the meme-as-gene metaphor may break down given complexity and the transfer to cultural system dynamics. For more on the meme-as-gene metaphor, please see: Blackmore, S. The Meme Machine. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK (2000).
For more on the the notion of dual (meme-gene) inheritance, please see: Richerson, P.J. and Boyd, R. Not By Genes Alone: How Culture Transformed Human Evolution. University of Chicago Press, Chicago (2005).
[8] For more on the selfish gene hypothesis, please see: Dawkins, R. The Selfish Gene. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK (1976).
[9] To a biologist, these terms will seem misused. The terminology is analogical, but the basic structure of units of inheritance and selection are closer to what is seen in biology.


text: Dan Shafer makes some disingenuous arguments in his column explaining why page chunking is necessary. I'll address just one of them. Shafer explains that all of their tips are placed on distinct pages for "database purposes." By placing all of the tips on different pages, they can create a database of tips and easily link to them. What he doesn't explain is that if the tips are in a database, you can easily place them each on a single page, or on multiple pages, as you prefer. The whole point of database-backed publishing is to separate content from site structure. Even though Shafer makes some weak arguments about why page chunking is justified, he does come out and cop to the fact that it is all about money, to his credit.


text:
Scrapkit is by Funky at Wishing on a Starr here,her part of a stunning"Its A Kind Of Magic"collab of kits put together by 14 fabulous Designers,just shop anywhere in store to get this magical collab absolutely free here. This kit is stunning! Thank you Funky!!
Font is Perigord here.
~This tutorial was written assuming you have working knowledge of PSP~
Open a new 600x600 transparent canvas.
Paste frame as a new layer/resize 25%/click inside frame with your magicwand/selections/mopdify/expand by 6.
Paste paper 3 below frame layer/resize 18%/position/selections/invert/delete/deselect.
Right click on frame layer/merge/merge down to paper layer/dropshadow.
Paste frame 2 below merged layers/resize 15%.
Paste decor/resize 35%/layers/duplicate/position/dropshadow.
Paste plant/resize 40%/lauyers/duplicate 1 time/position/dropshadow.
Moving up top/paste/position/dropshadow following:
Buds/resize 42%
Element 1/resize 50%
Repeat with cap
Repeat with fairy lights
Floral/resize 30%
Forget Me Knots/resize 45%
Paste fairy baby/using eraser tool/erase bottom portion of tube(optional)
Wings/resize 55%/edit/repeat resize/layers/duplicate 2 times
Bird/resize 70%
Image/resize all layers 20%.
Add copyrights.
Add name.
Layers/merge/merge visible.
Hope you enjoyed my tut :)


text:
2♥ weak nothing fancy. Leaping michaels is on convention card, so a 3♥ initially asking for stopper, no specific distribution information
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text:
For our special friday behind the scenes peek we've bought you some I-spy moments from around our office.
|The Insider's Inspiration Wall
This is where it all happens, the nerve centre of the buying team...
|Testing out a new machine
...and it's probably nowhere near as glamorous as you think it might be.
|Bunny keeps Shoshana sane
|Always important to remember our heritage!
|Keeping up to date with the latest patterns
|Our treasured antiqe Singer machine
|Wall o'thread
|Quality and colour samples
I can't show you too much... don't want to give away our trade secrets ;) Needless to say it's a hard working, busy (and often a little messy) space full of creativity.
Take this weekend to get out of the office and get creative - then share it with us! Leave us a comment or a post on Facebook.
Have a great weekend! xoxo The Insider


text:
Gartner Webinars
Trends and Topics on Virtually Every Area of Business
Lifting the Fog Around AI and Advanced Analytics in Healthcare
Watch this free 60 minute Artificial Intelligence webinar on-demand
Discussion Topics:
- Why it is impossible to ignore AI in healthcare
- What AI is and which capabilities are showing the most promise in healthcare
- How to bring clarity and confidence to your AI investment
Watching on-demand? Tell us what you think. You can still submit feedback under the "Rate this" tab.
As we embark on a new era of digital medicine, there will be rapid innovation and transformation. Healthcare is fertile ground for artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging advanced analytics technologies to help CIOs improve outcomes, cut costs and increase engagement. In this webinar, you will learn to plan ahead and develop your healthcare AI and analytics strategy.


text:
Online outsourcing: A global job opportunity for everyone?
- Male, from Madurai, India, Age between 16-25, intermediate diploma holder
" I am a full time independent freelancer and my 100% earning comes from online. So definitely internet is one of the most important things in my life"
- Male, from Dhaka, Bangladesh, Age between 26-45, completed Bachelor and above
These quotes are just a glimpse at the power of digital technologies, coming from many amazing stories as people answered the following question online: "how has your life changed (personally or professionally) after you began to use the internet?" A key message from the responses is "Internet provides an opportunity to learn, earn, make friends, connect with family and friends, apply for jobs easily, and shop online." As discussed in the upcoming World Development Report 2016 "Digital Dividends," the internet, and other digital technologies, are changing the way people work, entertain, interact, and find jobs across high, middle and low-income countries.


text:
Principal Artist
Rebecca Singh is an artist and performer. Her work is often creation based and interdisciplinary and has been presented in theatres, at multidisciplinary festivals and literary events. She has been performing since 1994. She's appeared in FLASHPOINT, was a regular on Fries With That? and ran and performed with the popular comedy troupe, The Montreal All-Star Cheerleaders for four years. She is an actor, published poet and author.
Rebecca has extensive experience producing, consulting and curating for festivals, institutions and foreign ministries. In 2013 she became the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres' Mallory Gilbert Leadership in the Arts Award protege.
Artist Statement
I make art to make spaces better for people. Art shows us new possibilities and new perspectives on the world we live in. My work addresses important issues such as the place of art in the community and seeks to provide new ways for people to communicate either through environments or dialogues that add to and echo the landscape we live in.
I am inspired to respond to circumstances both in my environment and in the community that limit freedom of expression due to injustice or privilege. Both artists and audiences experience limited access to work and dialogue that is not befitting to Canadian values of inclusivity and diversity. I am inspired to find creative solutions through art to address these issues.
My work reflects a forward thinking attitude towards Public Value and the benefits that engaging with art can bring to society. Diversity and inclusiveness are achieved through ongoing and robust effort, which I try to embody with my work. Human potential is best achieved through individual creative thinking, collective imagination and access to artistic expression.
I am an actor by training and grew up multicultural and multilingual, with a parent that came to Canada for a better life. I create as a way to interpret that dream of a "better life". My work, first imagined through performer's eyes, is informed by experiences in creating, performing and producing within festivals and institutions both big and small. I collaborate on almost all my work and count many artists living in other parts of Canada and the world as colleagues, a major source of inspiration and members of my community.
Creating art on larger and smaller scales gives me a sense of community and direction. Connecting with other communities beyond the artistic world thrills me and increases my love for humanity and allows me, despite all odds to continue to build the Canada I want for both myself, and future generations.
Rebecca Singh
February 2014


text:
BPO New DelhiWelcome to the 123outsource.net New Delhi BPO companies page.Find New Delhi BPO companies.If you manage a companies offering BPO services in New Delhi, please contact us so we can offer you a free or paid listing. The BPO New Delhi listings on this page offer a wide variety of specialties, so please be sure to read all of the profiles carefully.
Thank you for visiting our New Delhi BPO outsourcing page. Please visit our resources pages, our facebook, twitter, blog, and other professional specialty pages as well.


text:
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Morning everyone! Just a little screenshot of one of the projects I'm working on at the mo. It's still in it's VERY ROUGH stages, with lots more planning and adding and subtracting and fiddling to do! It's a fabric design for some curtains for the bub's room :) I hope you all have a lovely Tuesday! xo
17 comments:
- Brad said...
bee these designs are absolutely fantastic! so retro and beautiful. i love them all, they will make awesome curtains!!!
- February 22, 2011 at 7:40 AM
- Kelly Medina said...
Soooo awesome. I can't wait to see your final pattern.
- February 22, 2011 at 8:10 AM
- Megan said...
gorgeous, i love the colours :)
- February 22, 2011 at 8:36 AM
- Flora said...
Love it! Can't wait to see the finished result :)
- February 22, 2011 at 10:38 AM
- Steve Haskamp said...
Looks like a terrific and fun project to be working on! Your characters are so cute. I also saw that you got a shout out on the print pattern blog regarding some very cool pillows you designed. Keep up the amazing work!
- February 22, 2011 at 12:09 PM
- Suzi Catchpole said...
Gorgeous! We love your designs at Babyology!
- February 22, 2011 at 5:57 PM
- Catherine... said...
Hi Bee,
I've just popped over from "I drew this".. love your art. Am loving those owl cushions.. My sister lives in Melbourne, will tell her to look out for your stuff....
- February 22, 2011 at 6:43 PM
- yeevon said...
Love the chicken and the bear!! so cute XD
- February 22, 2011 at 7:09 PM
- Cally Johnson-Isaacs said...
Oh Bee these are so cute, I love them all! I saw your cushions and Print and Pattern, they look fantastic! Hope you're keeping well, catch up soon xx
- February 22, 2011 at 8:07 PM
- fhiona galloway said...
love this!!!
- February 22, 2011 at 8:14 PM
- Sjan Weijers said...
always good to see work in progress! Cute snail btw :)
- February 23, 2011 at 2:14 AM
- Jennifer A. Bell said...
Those will make great curtains! Very cool.
- February 23, 2011 at 3:53 AM
- miss pixie said...
Hey bee your characters are ace!! how are you growing? am sure you are loving it :)
- February 23, 2011 at 5:01 AM
- victor fox said...
love them bee!
you are one talented artist. Congratualtions for being on print and pattern too
- February 23, 2011 at 11:45 AM
- Moira Millman said...
Bee-autiful design! look forward to seeing the finished fabric:)
- February 23, 2011 at 10:49 PM
- fortyfourhat said...
very cute :D
can't wait to see finished work !
- February 24, 2011 at 1:16 AM
- Vanessa Brantley Newton said...
These are magnificent! I love all of them. You are the queen of design for sure. Awesomeness once again.
- February 26, 2011 at 10:14 PM


text:
Ian Hendry + Janet Munro Interview [Showtime Magazine – September 1964] Plus Jack Lemmon, Susannah York, Cilla Black, Richard Chamberlain, James Bond's Girlfriends – Honor Blackman + Jacqueline Jones And More!
Showtime Magazine – September 1964
Showtime – the film magazine – was first published in 1964 as Rank's competitor to the ABC film Review. Showtime only gave publicity and praise to those films showing in rank cinemas and similar to the ABC film review it contained articles on fashion, pop music and interviews with stars of the day as well as film reviews and advance publicity of films due to be released. The magazine could only be purchased in Rank Cinemas or by subscription. The magazine was not as successful as the ABC Film Review and ceased publication by the late 1960's. In this Septemeber 1964 edition we highlight the interviews published on Ian Hendry and Janet Munro, Jack Lemmon, Susannah York, Richard Chamberlain as well as a classic portrait of Cilla Black, who was celebrating her first anniversary in show business!
Ian Hendry + Janet Munro Interview
Ian Hendry and Janet Munro met when they were both cast in ABC TV's Armchair Theatre production of 'Afternoon of A Nymph [1962]. A year later they were married and by September 1964 Ian had completed his third feature film playing the lead part in Val Guest's 'The Beauty Jungle'.
Original Film Trailer – The Beauty Jungle [1964]
Ian Hendry + Janet Munro Interview + Portrait
Showtime Magazine Advert – The Beauty Jungle [1964]
Product placements and film/ movie tie-ins are of course not a new phenomenon. Here Maidenform have ensured that their products are featured prominently!
Showtime Magazine September 1964 – Also Featuring…
James Bond's Girlfriends – Honor Blackman + Jacqeline Jones
Another former Avenger featured in this edition of the magazine – Honor Blackman who replaced Ian Hendry [Dr. David Keel] as Patrick Macnee's [John Steed] new assistant, Kathy Gale. Blackman then left The Avengers TV show when she was offered the part of Pussy Galore in the James Bond film, Goldfinger. She was in turn replaced by Diana Rigg, who went on to play the part of Emma Peel.
Susannah York
Richard Chamberlain – Dr. Kildare
Roy Orbison + Brian Poole and the Tremeloes
Cilla Black
Celebrating her first anniversary in show business!
Jack Lemmon
Also On General Release…
First Man In The Moon And East Of Sudan
Edward Judd, Martha Hyer and Lionel Jeffries in First Man In The Moon and Anthony Quayle and Sylvia Simms in East Of Sudan…
Marnie [Dir. Alfred Hitchcock]
Sean Connery + Tippi Hedren in…
633 Squadron
Cliff Robertson and George Chakiris in…
Irma La Douce
Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine in Billy Wilder's…
A selection of classic adverts, typical of the time. Charles Atlas (born Angelo Siciliano; October 30, 1892 – December 24, 1972)[1] was an Italian-American bodybuilder best remembered as the developer of a bodybuilding method and its associated exercise program which spawned a landmark advertising campaign featuring his name and likeness; it has been described as one of the longest-lasting and most memorable ad campaigns of all time.
Until next time,
Neil Hendry
Editor, Official Tribute To Ian Hendry
Further Reading
A detailed account of the life and work of Ian Hendry in the new biography:
Read: 'Send in the Clowns – The Yo Yo Life Of Ian Hendry' by Gabriel Hershman


text:
Superb. the little claws are fantastic!
Thank you holly! I finally got around to finishing this. Made quite a few changes to it but kept the little bear claws intact :)
great! i'm so glad i discovered your blog. keep up great work!
coolwork with the acrylics paints is never easy, but you're so good at it as weel as with the pencil!


text: Do More New & Next Maya Lesson 2.4 - Scene Organization Share Pin Email Print New & Next 3D Design 5G Wireless Cutting Edge 3D Printing Smarthome Raspberry Pi by Justin Slick A technical writer who specializes in 3D character and environment creation. Updated December 18, 2018 01 of 04 Groups Group objects to move, scale, and rotate them as a single unit. Groups are something that I (really all modelers) rely on heavily in my modeling workflow. A finished character model or environment can contain dozens, or even hundreds of separate polygon objects, so grouping can be used to aid selection, visibility, and object manipulation (translate, scale, rotate). To demonstrate the usefulness of groups, create three sphere's in your scene and arrange them in a row as I've done in the image above. Select the three objects and bring up the rotate tool. Try rotating all three spheres at once—is this the result you expected? By default, the rotate tool rotates each object from its local pivot pointin this case, the center of each sphere. Even though all three spheres are selected, they still retain their own unique pivot points. Grouping objects allows them to share a single pivot so that you can translate, scale, or rotate them as a group instead of individually. Select the three spheres and hit Ctrl + g to place the three objects in a group together. Switch into the rotate tool again and try rotating the spheres. See the difference? Selecting a group: One of the greatest strengths of grouping is that it let's you automatically select similar objects with one click. To re-select the group of spheres, go into object mode, select a sphere, and press the up arrow to automatically select the entire group. 02 of 04 Isolating Objects Use the "View Selected" option to hide unwanted objects from view. What if you're working on a complex model, and but only want to see one (or a few) objects at a time? There are a lot of ways to play with visibility in Maya, but probably the most useful is the View Selected option in the show menu. Select an object, find the Show menu at the top of the workspace, and then go to Isolate Select → View Selected. The object you selected should now be the only thing visible in your view-port. View selected hides everything except the objects that are currently selected when the option is turned on. This includes polygon and NURBS objects, and also curves, cameras, and lights (none of which we've discussed yet). The objects in your selection set will remain isolated until you go back into the Panel menu and uncheck "View Selected." If you plan on creating new geometry (through duplication, extrusion, etc.) while using view-selected, make sure you turn on the Auto Load New Objects option, highlighted in the image above. Otherwise, any new geometry will be invisible until you turn off view selected. 03 of 04 Layers Use layers to control the visibility and selectability of object sets. Another way to manage the contents of a Maya scene is with layer sets. Using layers has a lot of advantages, but the one I want to talk about right now is the ability to make certain objects visible but un-selectable. In complicated scenes it can be frustrating trying to select a single piece of geometry from the rest of the clutter. To alleviate such difficulties, it can be massively beneficial to divide your scene into layers, which allow you to make certain objects temporarily un-selectable, or turn off their visibility altogether. Maya's layer menu is in the bottom right corner of the UI beneath the channel box. To create a new layer go to Layers → Create Empty Layer. Remember, keeping everything in your scene aptly named will only help you down the road. Double click the new layer to rename it. To add items to the layer, select a few objects from your scene, right click on the new layer and choose Add Selected Objects. The new layer should now contain any objects that were selected when you clicked add. You now have the ability to control the layer's visibility and selection settings from the two small squares to the left of the layer's name. Clicking the V will allow you to toggle that layer's visibility on and off, while clicking the second box twice will make the layer unselectable. 04 of 04 Hiding Objects Display > Hide Selected is another way to hide objects from view. Maya also gives you the ability to hide individual objects or object types from the Display menu at the top of the UI. To be honest, it's relatively rare that I use Display → Hide → Hide Selection for individual objects or groups, because I tend to prefer the methods introduced earlier in this lesson. However, it's always beneficial to at least be aware of all the different ways to achieve something so that you can decide on your own which you prefer. There are other options in the display menu that can be handy from time to time, namely the ability to hide or show all objects of a single type. For example, if you're working a complex lighting set-up for an architectural interior and decide you want to go back and perform a few modeling tweaks without all the light shapes getting in the way, you could use Display → Hide → Lights to make all the lights disappear. Admittedly, I'd probably just place all the lights into their own layer, but neither way is right or wrong—in the end it's just the way I'm used to working. When you're ready to un-hide objects, use the Display → Show menu to bring hidden objects back into the scene. Continue Reading


text:
International 001.566.252.3789
Try Our Other App!
Omnibus Public Lands Bill is still alive and to be voted on Monday March 16!
Thursday 12 March
was a sad day for Americans who enjoy traveling the great
outdoors and for international observers of the US law making
One of the biggest
land use Bills, the once named Omnibus Bill, now tacked onto H.R.
146, has been engineered in Congress to allow minimal discussion
despite its complexity and huge implications to 4x4 recreation,
energy resources etc..
It is vital that you
call or email your Senators and representatives immediately,
to demand that they vote NO to the passage of H.R. 146 in its
present form. The House votes on Monday afternoon.
To find your Officials, the AMA have a useful system on www.amadirectlink.com/legisltn/rapidresponse.asp
The irony is that
H.R. 146 is the Revolutionary War
and War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act Bill,
to recognise those sites in US history where citizens died for their
Peter Vahry
UFWDA international vice-president


text:
It irritated me.
First of all, it was by "Anonymous". Anonymous surely has a lot to say and most of the time it is critical and condescending. People are braver when they are anonymous and tend to not tell complete truths and entire stories. They just rush to judgement and offer harsh words against others. If you are going to be nasty, at least have the decency to own it.
|Anonymous is brave.
I also wonder if she had ever voiced her concerns to her grandchildren's mother, out of love and concern and without a condemning spirit. I wonder what her attitude was toward homeschooling in the first place and if she allowed that to cloud her judgement. She just sounded angry and ticked off. So, I am thinking there is more to it than what she admitted.
But, that aside, what if we *did* find out that someone was not teaching their kids? What if we found out that the kids were bright and ready to learn and the only thing holding them back was laziness on the part of the parent. What if there was a child whose education was being severely neglected?
My answer is going to piss a bunch of you off -
|I can take it! (Maybe)
So what? Why is that your business? I believe it is the right of every parent to decide the education they want for their kids. Do I agree that a parent should not do anything? No. Do I think it is a good idea to not educate a child? No. Do I think the parent is failing if they say they homeschool and do nothing? They are absolutely failing their child in this area. Do I think the child should be removed from the home and put someplace where they will be "better off"?
Not if at the end of the day is the child loved and cared for. I have two children that I have adopted out of the foster care system. When a child is removed from their home it causes them harm. Sometimes, it is unavoidable, as it was in the case of my adopted children, to keep them safe and healthy. But even though my home is safe, my kids are loved, my kids are well cared for, and my kids are appropriately educated - my daughter hurts. Her pain has really opened my eyes to what removing kids from their home does and the damage it causes, even after being placed in a better environment where healing is promoted and offered.
So, if I ever ran across a family like this, I think I would just love them. And in loving them, maybe I could offer a reading lesson or two. Maybe I could offer to have their kid(s) sit in on my own children's history lessons. Maybe the parents would learn to trust my love for them and eventually open up about why they making the choices they are, because I will bet there is a reason, and maybe I could offer assistance.
I will leave with this last thought. Kids learn an amazing amount on their own. It is astounding to me all of the things my kids know that I have never taught them. We never had formal handwriting classes. But, all of my kids know how to write and form letters, my son actually has beautiful handwriting. My four year old taught herself simple subtraction after learning how to do simple addition. Their minds are just like sponges and really do soak up the world around them. I am reminded that we are standing before the judgement seat of Christ, we are not going to be asked how much algebra we understood or if we ever got around to reading "Little Women".
But God will care about our character, how much we loved, and how much we forgave.


text:
Holistic ranchers aim for harmony with the land and its occupants,
and that means finding common ground, not common enemies
n a sun-drenched early summer morning,
Ulring and Hannibal Anderson are standing
shin-deep in Timothy grass, the mountains of
Yellowstone National Park less than 3 miles
away, while roughly 40 black Angus cattle
huddle curiously around a rotted carcass. The men start to
discuss the most recent "big event."
A few days earlier, a neighbor just down the gravel road in
Tom Miner Basin—a classic Montana movie backdrop—shot
and killed the alpha male of the Steamboat wolf pack, which
had roamed the basin and denned there without incident for
several years. The wolf had wandered by the wrong person at
the wrong time.
Such news can still elicit accolades at watering holes in the
Northern Rockies, but not on this ranch. And not on a growing
number of spreads across Montana where ranchers are evolving
to more holistic thinking toward their land, water and wildlife—
and discovering, perhaps counter-intuitively, that ecological and
economic prosperity aren't mutually exclusive after all.
In the process, they're embracing a third and unexpected
reward: enhanced quality of life in a business where tunnel
vision toward the financial bottom line has long meant a dawnto-past-dark, week-to-week, season-to-season grind.
"When you're holistic you're always thinking about the
ecological benefits but simultaneously about making money and
quality of life," says Ulring, a Rapid City, South Dakota, native
who co-owns Yellowstone Grassfed Beef, which is counting on
consumers who value wild places and wildlife to pay a little
more for healthy beef raised in healthy environs. "If you're working 18 hours a day and you're always on a treadmill of reaction,
that's not very fulfilling, it's not very sustainable and it's really
not financially sustainable."
Yellowstone Grassfed Beef, co-founded with Ulring by
Rockefeller heir Peggy Dulany and fifth-generation Montana
rancher Zachary Jones, is on the leading edge of what Ulring
calls "an experiment," but YGB isn't alone.
Kathleen McConkey herds cattle to a new patch of grazing on the
Twodot Land and Livestock Company south of Harlowton. McConkey
says they use horses on the ranch because they are more precise,
slower, quieter and more selective than four-wheelers.
Stuart Phelps, left, and his partner, Kathleen McConkey, look over the ranch grazing plan before heading out for their day's work. They keep track of grass
growth, weather, water quantity and other data.
Some 300 miles to the northeast, where grasslands and tilled
fields extend to distant horizons, the American Prairie Reserve's
ambitious effort to preserve and restore a vast "American
Serengeti" of native prairie includes its fledgling Wild Sky Beef
program. Participating ranchers are setting aside entrenched
suspicions about conservationists and accepting monetary incentives to conduct wildlife-friendly, premium beef operations.
At Yellowstone Grassfed Beef and Wild Sky Beef, holistic means not only coexisting with wildlife but also monitoring
soil, water, vegetation and, in Ulring's case, even cow patties.
When he walks through a pasture at one of the four Montana
ranches where YGB's cattle are raised, he routinely bends down
and flips over a crusty chip in hopes that it'll be crawling with
dung beetles, a prime food source for the struggling sage grouse,
among other species.
"It's a different lens," explains Anderson, a longtime educator who in retirement has returned to the property his father
bought in 1955. "Humans are pretty linear. We've simplified
systems to get the results we want and know. Now we're shifting
from linear to results-oriented. It's a set of relationships more
than just a fiscal bottom line."
Cattle ranching is fraught with peril. Disease, drought, lightning, stray dogs, coyotes, eagles and even modern-day twolegged rustlers stealing $1,200-a-head calves. And then there
are the costs of nurturing cattle from birth to the slaughterhouse:
planting, irrigating and harvesting hay and other forage; antibiotics for disease in crowded feedlots; hormones to promote rapid
growth; and herbicides to kill invasive weeds.
Eradicating nuisance wildlife, especially predators, has been
as much a part of the ranching regimen as barbed-wire fences,
lonely windmills and American-made pickup trucks.
Yet the thinking has shifted dramatically at the American
Prairie Reserve and at Yellowstone Grassfed Beef, where two of
the ranches, the Anderson place in Tom Miner Basin and the
20,000-acre J Bar L Ranch in the remote Centennial Valley
along the Montana-Idaho border, accept wolves and grizzly
bears as part of the complex landscape.
In fact, news of the alpha male's death is unsettling.
The Steamboat wolves have survived for years on the region's
healthy elk population and, as Anderson put it, "have been wellbehaved." From his 1879 Victorian stone home, he even occasionally sees them wander past the cattle without causing undue
stress and the weight loss associated with it.
Removing a leader creates pack dysfunction that could
cause younger wolves to go rogue and seek other prey. Anderson
and the other hands, including the range riders who provide a
human barrier between predators and cattle, will need greater
"People see a wolf and their automatic reaction is they want
to get rid of it," Anderson said, shaking his head. "They never
see the bigger picture."
Yellowstone Grassfed Beef, that picture is crystallized by Hilary Zaranek, Hannibal's daughter-inlaw and the resident predator expert. After earning
a degree in wildlife biology from the University of
Montana and volunteering with the Yellowstone Wolf
Project, Zaranek spent a summer in Tom Miner, where she met
Hannibal's son and her future husband, Andrew Anderson.
"I'm not sure the alpha male being killed changes their
vulnerability," she said of the cattle. As long as the alpha female
remains alive, she explains, "[She] will determine pack structure. When the alpha female is killed, 97 percent of the time
the pack will dissolve and the younger wolves won't have food
sources [so they might prey on cattle]."
Andrew and Hilary split their time between Tom Miner
and the J Bar L about 100 miles to the southwest, in the heart
of the remote Centennial Valley, where full-time residents can
be counted on two hands. The Centennial is about 50 miles
long and not half that wide, bounded on the north and south by
mountains and, at 6,700 feet on the valley floor, inaccessible by
wheeled vehicles much of the year. Thousands of cattle graze on
its forbs and grasses, yet the Centennial also serves as a critical
wildlife thoroughfare between Greater Yellowstone and the wilds
of central Idaho and northwest Montana.
As Ulring gently herds summering cattle that have managed
to escape a Centennial Valley pasture enclosed with a white,
single-wire portable "hot" fence, he spies a cow patty. He kicks
it upside-down to reveal a pungent, moist underside where
hundreds of dung beetles are scurrying about, startled by the
sudden exposure. From under his cowboy hat, Ulring looks up
and nods in approval.
He points to an area of knee-high grass nearby, a breeding
lek where sage grouse perform their flamboyant mating rituals.
Grouse are candidates for listing under the Endangered Species
Act because of shrinking populations due to habitat loss.
"We're thinking about sage grouse, we're thinking about
trumpeter swans," Ulring said. "We're thinking even more
about dung beetles. If you go into a pasture and two weeks after
the cows are removed the pies are gone, it means you're feeding wildlife. If people can make a living with nature rather than
against it …"
When Peggy Dulany came upon the Centennial in 2000, after
a dusty 56-mile ride on dirt roads, she was on a lengthy search
for open spaces and a place to raise a small cattle herd. She saw
range and stream banks so denuded and eroded that the federal
Bureau of Land Management had placed rigid restrictions on
public grazing allotments. But Dulany was nevertheless smitten
by the solitude at altitude.
"The Centennial was one of the remaining valleys with wideopen spaces that animals could cross," she said. "It's also still
almost totally an agricultural valley of high mountain grass, which
is the most nutritious. And then, of course, there's the beauty."
Dulany, a philanthropist who took her surname from her
mother's side of the family to minimize the perceptions of privilege attached to the Rockefeller label, spent a year acquainting
herself with the landscape before purchasing cattle. A visiting
friend told her about an innovative program called conservation beef: paying ranchers a premium of 10 cents more a pound
(it's much higher now as conservation-minded beefeaters learn
about the program) to raise cattle in a wildlife-friendly way
while improving the range. For economic diversity, Dulany also
restored three crumbling homesteads on the ranch and turned
them into vacation rentals.
"So the idea gradually took shape," she said. "It was in part
because I believe in doing it that way, in part because I came
to believe in the economic viability, and maybe in part because
I came to believe if I could do it and was willing to risk new
things to see if it could work, then maybe other people would see
what we're doing and be interested in some of the same things."
In 2007, Dulany hired Ulring, a Montana State University
business graduate who was running a fly-fishing program for a
travel company at the time. Ulring always had a passion for agriculture from visiting his grandparents' farm in South Dakota.
They, along with Jones of the Twodot Land and Livestock Co.
near Harlowton, created Yellowstone Grassfed Beef, which
turned its first profit in 2013.
Ulring and Jones were—and remain—avowed disciples of
Allen Savory, a Zimbabwean ecologist who had once been vehemently anti-livestock. Savory evolved to believe that managing
domestic livestock to mimic historic patterns of native animals,
such as bison, was the only solution for reversing range damage
caused, ironically, by livestock. Jones cofounded the Savory
Portable electric fencing is used to confine grazing animals to the
intended piece of pasture on the Twodot.
Institute in Boulder, Colorado, which is dedicated to promoting
"large-scale restoration of the world's grasslands through holistic
Following Savory's methods, Yellowstone Grassfed Beef
rotates more than 1,000 head of cattle between four ranches and
keeps them for at least two years before sending them to slaughter, compared to as little as 14 months for traditional operations.
Almost all mother cows are kept at the undulating 12,000acre Twodot Ranch, where calving takes place in May and June,
to emulate the patterns of native ungulates and avoid the misery
of cold-weather calving, and where the young animals are far
from Yellowstone's large predators and its prevalence of brucellosis. Weaned calves spend their first winter in Twin Bridges.
As yearlings, they spend the summer in the Centennial before
Phelps leaps
a small creek
toward a herd
of heifers and
steers, grazing
in a riparian
area. Holistic
riparian areas
from grazing,
Phelps says.
animals graze
and move
on quickly,
healthy grass
growth, but
not damaging
the stream
returning to Twin Bridges for one more winter. Steers and spayed
heifers are "finished" by gaining up to three pounds per day on
the nutritious grasses in Tom Miner, weighing as much as 1,200
pounds when they go to market.
Copious spreadsheets detail range conditions and other vital
signs. In the Tom Miner and the Centennial, cattle are rotated
frequently within those single-strand electric fences, which are
powered by small solar panels.
The results? Ulring points to a four- to five-fold increase in
grass density in the Centennial, notes a relaxing of the BLM's
grazing restrictions, and directs a visitor toward Peet Creek,
where vegetation is returning to eroded banks.
Equally important, working within nature's rhythms is
enabling the company to write its bottom line—and quality of
life—in black.
"We're making money and the land is telling us what we're
doing is good and we're producing meat that's good for people,"
Ulring said. "We're moving cattle between four counties and it
sounds like a hell of a lot of work, but it's not. It's different work.
We spend more time herding and less time doctoring."
Added Anderson: "It's just a more satisfying
place to be. You feel better."
That's reassuring news to Mike Phillips, executive director of
media mogul Ted Turner's Endangered Species Fund in
Bozeman. Most of the prime wildlife habitat in the West, he
points out, is in private hands. The future of wolves, grizzly
bears and other iconic species ultimately rests on landowner
"Private lands can do more for imperiled species conservation," Phillips said. "Diversification on wild working landscapes
is also a great way to ensure increasing the health of rural
Nonetheless, there are skeptics and critics among conservationists and ranchers alike.
is about the worst place you could
choose for a livestock operation—if
you were to do a full accounting of
the real economic and environmental
costs," says George Wuerthner, author of Welfare Ranching: The
Subsidized Destruction of the American West.
Wuerthner rattles off a litany of issues: Prolific use of scarce
water supplies to irrigate hay fields. Trampling of streamside
vegetation. Compacting of soil, which reduces water filtration.
he problem is that the arid
Competition with wildlife for forage. Spread of weeds and
diseases in native wildlife.
Wuerthner adds that the J Bar L and ranches like it are
"a fluke, so to speak," because they have the resources to
Not everybody sees it that way. Michelle Fox, a fifth-generation rancher and a member of the Gros Ventre Indian tribe,
certainly doesn't count herself among the resource-rich—at
least financially. Her family raises cattle on Peoples Creek near
Hays on the impoverished Fort Belknap Reservation in northcentral Montana.
The Foxes are among the four cattle-ranching operations that
have joined American Prairie Reserve's Wild Sky Beef program
to date. They signed up in 2014, after spending a year discussing whether they could meet Wild Sky's biodiversity-oriented
parameters, and became fully integrated into the program this
past summer.
Though the partnership meant her children could no longer
plink at prairie dogs with .22 rifles for sport, Fox opted in without the deep suspicions shared by some neighbors who believe
APR's agenda is to banish them from lands they've ranched
for generations. She values APR's mission to create a naturally functioning 3.5-million-acre prairie reserve, primarily by
purchasing private lands and working with managers of adjacent
public lands.
"First and foremost, it's a business decision," Fox said. "But
I think we're natural conservationists by birth, and ranching on
the Indian reservation...we're much more communal. We have to
take care of the land because it's all we have left."
The genesis of Wild Sky Beef was a visit by APR President
Sean Gerrity to southern Africa. He saw models for "predatorfriendly beef" in places where conservationists and ranchers
had long been at odds. Gerrity envisioned a similar concept
succeeding on the reserve.
"We had to find a way to work with our ranching neighbors,"
says Laura Huggins, Wild Sky's director of business development and marketing.
After a year, and without a major marketing push, Wild Sky
is in about 70 outlets nationwide and averaging $85,000 per
week in sales touting its "wildlife-friendly beef" label, Huggins
said. APR Managing Director Pete Geddes said Wild Sky Beef
is typically priced about 5 percent higher than "other natural,
grass feed and finished beef products." The early focus has been
on the east and west coasts, "just because they have a little bit
more discretionary income to buy higher-priced beef," Huggins
adds. But Wild Sky recently signed an agreement with the
200-store Meijer grocery chain in Michigan.
Huggins said Wild Sky hopes to have as many as 50 ranchers on board within the next three years, but the program
will always have to acquire cattle from producers across the
Peggy Dulany
owns the J Bar L
Ranch in Montana's
Centennial Valley.
northern Great Plains—all from operations with similar holistic
"There just aren't enough cattle in that part of Montana,"
Geddes said, adding that increasing the number of participating
ranches will at the same time require APR to raise the money to
support paying them.
At the Fox ranch, Michelle's family has learned to appreciate
the prairie dog, an ecologically important species traditionally
shot or poisoned. As for finances, they recently purchased her
aunt's ranch after living and working on it for three years. With
the help of Wild Sky money—payments for wildlife-friendly
improvements, plus the higher price they get for their cattle—
they have rebuilt three miles of fencing that allows pronghorn
antelope to pass beneath it, raised a metal barn and built a
"One cool thing is we're now seeing antelope cross between
the [tribal] buffalo pasture and our ranch," Fox said.
Also cool?
"I don't know any other way to say it, but Indian cattle are
getting the same prices as non-Indian cattle," Fox said, citing
a historic disparity at auctions. "Our beef is raised on the Fort
Belknap Reservation and it is going places it's never gone
before. It's really cool."
Given the success of the three-legged stool of ecology,
economics, and quality of life, the question arises: Why aren't
more ranchers involved? Ulring and Fox say traditions die hard
in the culture. Many fear the financial risk. Others are simply
content with the status quo. Yet they see change coming.
"Ten years down the road," Fox said, "It's going to look very
Ulring recalls a predator presentation by Zaranek to ranchers
in Dillon. Zaranek's approach, rooted in the belief that the West
is a better place with both ranchers and predators thriving on
the landscape, is simply to share the J Bar L's success stories.
"Killing wolves hasn't made any impact whatsoever," she told
the crowd. "Even when you kill wolves more wolves come. It's
better to know the wolves we have and make it work. We know
where they den and we know where we should put cattle. So far,
everything we've tried has worked."
The reaction, Ulring said, was "unbelievably receptive."
Whether holistic beef ranching succeeds, though, ultimately
will depend on the American consumer, Ulring and Fox agree.
"From an economic standpoint, I wish people would put their
money where their mouth is more often," Ulring said. "If you
love wolves and wild places, pay what it costs to raise animals
here. Everybody gets to vote with what they eat."
To make that easier, Yellowstone Grassfed Beef offers
free delivery in the Bozeman and Livingston areas and offers
its products in stores from Lewistown to Columbia Falls to
Yellowstone National Park, in restaurants and the University of
Montana's dining halls (see www.yellowstonegrassfedbeef.com
for more information).
Tom Miner, Ulring and Hannibal Anderson
move closer to the cattle and what turns out to
be the hair and stripped bones of a deer, cause
of death unknown. High above, on a grassy
hillside, an elk herd emerges from a forest of
aspen and fir. Mountain bluebirds flit in the breezes. Ulring is
gratified to see the cattle so tightly compact and alert around the
carcass, all part of Zaranek's training.
"Like bison mob grazing," he said.
They move through the cattle, ruminate about "big events,"
and pause every so often to absorb surroundings they're now
filtering with hope, landscape seen through a new lens.
p in


text:
|Black to move
8/4kp2/4p1p1/1pqb2P1/1p2nQ2/P6B/1PP5/1K1R4 b - - 1 1
On the white side
- The white king has little mobility due to lack of space.
- Black can set up a battery with Qc4, which is a duplo attack. A duplo attack is based on lack of time, as you know.
- b2 is immobile due to its double function, protecting both c3 and a3
- The black queen must keep an eye on the invasion square c7
- The black knight protects the invasion square f6
What I missed
The reason that I experienced difficulty with this position is twofold.
I missed the counter attack motif Rf1 Qxf7+.
I did notice the promotion motif, but I have not made an in-dept study of it just yet. So I mist an important aspect.
Often I don't look at counterattacks too much. As long as you don't waste any time, that usually isn't a problem. But since I didn't spot a continuation after the fast and obvious moves 1. ... Qc4 2.Kc1, I started to look at the promotion of the g-pawn and ended up with the slow move gxh6. Since it is too slow, white can start a counter attack with 2.Rf1 against the PoP (Point of Pressure) f7.
The point is that I hadn't identified another function of the white king: it has to stay in contact with the path to promotion. It must stay in contact with a2 and a1. Guarding the path to promotion, is a function specific to the promotion motif. this means that the move 2.Kc1 immediately should draw the attention to the path to promotion. Once I saw this clearly, the position started to look less complex and more simple. It's a miracle! I have found with no doubt the element I was looking for. And as expected, the knowledge is portable to other positions with the counter assault and the promotion motif.


text:
I have a gas stove. I bought a gas stove on purpose. I seriously considered one of those smooth top stoves because they looked so easy to keep clean but I was afraid one would not hold up to heavy duty cooking, such as canning.
I like my stove but it is a PAIN to clean. If you want to know how to do something the easy way, ask a lazy person. I am lazy. Below, is the easy way to clean a gas stove with heavy grills.
If you have a glass top stove, here is a nice post on how to clean it:
I made black beans one night a couple of weeks ago. I obviously wasn't paying attention and let the beans boil over. What a mess!
|Bad Mom
I use the Wal-Mart brand of oven cleaner, it's cheaper and it works just fine.
|Wal-Mart Brand Oven Cleaner
|Stove parts in Oven cleaner
My husband is constantly telling me, "You just need to learn to focus". I would really like to argue with him about his assessment of me but quit frankly, I can't concentrate long enough to do so.
Recently I decided to clean my shower. I had purchased some Wal-Mart brand bathroom cleaner in an effort to save a little money. Whatever you do, DO NOT purchase Great Value Bathroom Cleaner. In my opinion, it does not come even close to its Scrubbing Bubbles Competitor. It should be named "Poor Work Ethic Bubbles". Anyway, I wanted to use it up and go get the good stuff. I am a great fan of generic except when it doesn't work.
I started spraying the cleanser and almost couldn't breathe. It seemed like it was greasy and left a dull residue all over the shower. The stuff was even worse than I remembered. It was right about then I looked down and realized I was using oven cleaner, not foaming bathroom cleaner.
The room was spinning and it was as if I could hear my husband's voice bouncing off the walls. "You need to focus...You need to focus...You need to focus." Forget heroin, I think I was on a really bad oven cleaner trip.
I had to re-clean the shower about three times to remove all the greasy oven cleaner residue. In my defense, they do look eerily similar. If they made Great Value Whipped Cream in a can, I would probably be dead.


text:
Growing up, my mother used a handled rolling pin, so naturally I followed suit—until I had to stock my own kitchen. Being a poor college student who wasn't willing to relinquish baking activities, I was lured by the inexpensive cost of the tapered French rolling pin. And what started out as a way to save money has become an indispensable tool. The French pin is lighter and easier to pivot, which allows more control over a pastry's thickness and size. It took a few flattened cookies to get used to the slim design, but after rolling pie, cookie, pizza, and tart dough, the benefits of this pin are apparent.
French rolling pin, $13.95


text:
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14 October 2002
14 October 2002 Parents have expressed fears for the lives of their frozen IVF embryos after it emerged that the English fertility clinic where they are being stored is to close. St George's hospital, Tooting, London, announced the sudden closure of its Assisted Conception Service last week amid concerns about lack of specialist staff. The hospital has arranged for the frozen embryos of around 40 couples to be transferred to a unit at King's College hospital, although the parents are concerned about the potential effects of the disturbance on their embryos. [Wandsworth Guardian, 11 October] The frozen storage of IVF embryos is another example of how the advent of IVF has led to a devaluing and commodification of human life. The scientist who cloned Dolly the sheep has announced his intention to submit the first application in the UK to clone human embryos for research purposes. Professor Ian Wilmut of the Roslin Institute, Edinburgh, said he hoped to lodge the application within six months once all the regulatory hurdles had been overcome. Professor Wilmut describes cloning for reproductive purposes as unsafe and unethical, but hopes that research on the stem cells of cloned embryos [individual human beings who would be destroyed in the process] could lead to treatments for a range of adult ailments. [BBC News online, 12 October ] The Catholic bishops of Peru have condemned an attempt to remove protection of unborn life from the country's constitution and open the doors to legal abortion. The text of a proposed constitutional amendment approved by the Peruvian congress last week states: "Abortion is prohibited but for the exception permitted by the law." In a letter to lawmakers, the bishops condemned this exception as an attack on the fundamental right to life, and noted that it would make Peru the first Latin American country in which abortion was permitted in the constitution. The bishops urged lawmakers to respect the American Convention on Human Rights which explicitly affirms the right to life from conception. [Zenit, 11 October ] India's supreme court has ordered the governments of all states and territories to take further action against the continuing practice of sex-selective abortion. Pre-natal testing with a view to sex-selection is illegal under Indian law, although a suit filed with the supreme court alleges that unlicensed clinics are continuing to advertise sex selection services unhindered. It is reported that the traditional preference for male children in India has led not only to widespread sex-selective abortion of females, but also to the use of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to select only male children during IVF treatment. In February, the supreme court ordered all state governments to impound unlicensed ultrasound machines which were being used to facilitate sex selection. [Hindustan Times, 8 October; via Pro-Life Infonet ] The teaching of the Catholic Church against abortion has been highlighted by a group of more than 100 young Catholics in an open letter marking the 40th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council's opening, last Friday. The letter affirms that Church teachings on abortion, contraception and the true nature of marriage "are integral parts of one beautiful seamless garment and cannot be torn away from the whole". The Second Vatican Council reaffirmed the Church's ancient teaching in defence of the unborn. [Catholic Herald, 11 October] The importance of promoting the inherent value of human life in its earliest stages will be the subject of a bioethics forum to be held in Brussels, Belgium, next weekend. The conference, organised by Medicine and Human Dignity, will be addressed by prominent medical experts, academics, lawyers, ethicists and others who will facilitate discussion on how to protect the embryo and answer the ethical questions raised by destructive embryonic research. [SPUC Brussels, 14 October and www.theembryo.com ]


text: A new update came out yesterday for doubleTwist that allows podcasts to be downloaded and sync'd just like on the iPod/iPhones. And not just audio podcasts like Google's app, you also get video podcasts as well! Though it does seem like it takes awhile to sync them, it is a way cool addition that makes doubleTwist closer to that all-inclusive experience that iTunes gives with all the different media.


text: When doing some research on the restoration of my bike I came across a really interesting company in Lancaster called Proud to Ride Classic. Their ethos is all about renovating and restoring beautifully constructed lightweight steel frame bikes to sell on. At the moment they are still working on the stock they have and will be selling soon. In the meantime you can check out their website and keep and eye on their twitter and facebook activity. Nice to see people recycling these fine bicycles and getting them back on the road where they belong!