A split air conditioning unit contains two units, a compressor situated outside as well as an inside air electrical outlet unit. Unlike a system that requires a series of ductwork networked throughout the ceiling, split air conditioning counts on a collection of pipes to connect the exterior to the inside air device which is why they are referred to as a ductless mini-split air conditioning installation. The cooling agent is spread via the copper pipelines that cycle through the system to create either heated or chilly air.
Energy-wise, a split system with the greatest ENERGY STAR score not only allows your system to be more energy reliable, but it also helps to maintain the atmosphere clean as well as reduced your month-to-month power costs by using less power.
If it’s time for a new air conditioning system installation or time to change an older system with a more power-effective system, here is an energy-efficient option you’ll want to consider. Amongst the most usual air conditioning systems that function well in residences without ductwork as an addition to your present cooling and heating system is the split air conditioning unit system.
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Pros of a Split Ac System Device
If your residence does not have ductwork, a split air conditioning system is an excellent alternative since you will not incur the additional expense of having ductwork mounted in every area.
The solitary system functions well within a tiny location offering appropriate home heating or air conditioning. Using it in addition to various other sources can make your home comfier.
A large advantage to dividing air conditioning systems is the option to increase the system with added air outlets for various other spaces. Each has its own thermostat enabling private control to turn on or off as required, likewise called a multi-split air conditioning unit installment.
With added air outlets, the only extra installment necessary is the copper tubing linking the outside compressor to each air outlet.
Please click here for more information.


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The number of smokers in Ireland has fallen from 23% in 2015 to 17% this year, the annual Healthy Ireland (HI) survey has revealed.
According to the findings, this means there are now an estimated 165,000 fewer smokers than there were five year ago. Furthermore, 40% of current smokers have attempted to quit the habit in the last year.
Some 19% of parents of children under the age of 18 smoke - 21% of fathers and 17% of mothers. However, 33% of parents who smoke are either trying to quit or are actively planning to do so.
Overall, smoking rates remain highest among those aged between 25 and 34, and are also higher among people who are unemployed and have no third level education.
When it comes to tobacco packaging, 52% of smokers said that the warning picture is the first thing they notice when they look at a cigarette pack, while 25% have said that health warnings on tobacco packaging have made them more motivated to quit.
Meanwhile, 5% of the population use e-cigarettes, while a further 12% have tried them at some point.
The survey also looked at the weight of the nation and found that just 37% of those over the age of 15 are a normal weight. Some 37% are overweight and 23% are obese.
Overall, men are more likely than women to be overweight and obese and the proportion of people with a normal weight declines with age. For example, 65% of those aged between 15 and 24 have a normal weight, but among those aged 65 and older, just 26% have a normal weight.
Some 34% of people in Ireland are currently trying to lose weight, with the most common weight loss actions including exercising, consuming fewer calories and consuming less sugar-sweetened products.
Some 17% of those who are overweight or obese are also smokers, which significantly increases their future risk of health problems.
The survey also looked at physical activity and found that only 46% of people are achieving the minimum level of recommended physical activity, which is being moderately active for at least 150 minutes per week. That is equivalent to 30 minutes per day, five days a week.
The key barriers to increased activity were given as time restrictions due to work, studying or looking after family.
Other key findings in the survey included:
-9% of people provide unpaid care to a family member or friend and one in 10 carers provide care to multiple people. Almost half of carers have a long-standing illness or health problem themselves
-People get an average of 7.1 hours of sleep per night, although those in paid employment, those engaged with home duties and those who are overweight or obese tend to get less sleep
-73% of people have visited a GP in the last 12 months. Almost half of those who visited a GP did not have to pay (most of these had a medical card), while 26% said they had to pay in excess of €50 their consultation. Some 16% of people said that there was a time in the last year when they needed to visit a GP, but did not do so. Not having the time to visit and costs were two of the reasons given for this.
"This is the fifth wave of the Healthy Ireland survey, so we now have a valuable flow of up-to-date data and information about the health of the nation. This is a very valuable asset to help the Department of Health and our many Healthy Ireland partners to monitor the progress and impact of our collective work to improve health and wellbeing outcomes," commented Dr Tony Holohan, chief medical officer at the Department of Health.
This latest HI survey was based on interviews with 7,413 people aged 15 and older throughout Ireland. A summary report of the survey can be viewed here.
Discussions on this topic are now closed.

domain: sociology


text:
“Glee” regulars Lea Michele, Cory Monteith and Chris Colfer will not be back for the fourth season of the Fox musical hit.
In an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter, series co-creator Ryan Murphy said that the three regulars will be among the characters who graduate at the end of the fall’s upcoming third season.
“You can keep them on the show for six years and people will criticize you for not being realistic, or you can be really true to life and say when they started the show they were very clearly sophomores and they should graduate at the end of their senior year,” Murphy said.
Murphy added that planning for the future beyond high school will be a heavy theme during Season 3, noting that “more characters are leaving than are staying” when graduation time comes at the season’s end.
“We’ve never done anything by the book,” Murphy said, adding that who’s graduating and who’s staying will be revealed in the Sept. 20 season premiere.
Murphy said the decision to graduate the trio — among others — has been well-received by the show’s new writers. The group recently returned to work and are writing story lines that include several parents as the college talk heats up.
“We already made the decision before the new writers came in, but everybody likes where we’re taking it,” Murphy said.
Kate Hudson and her rock-singer fiance Matt Bellamy disclosed Thursday that they have named their newborn son Bingham “Bing” Hawn Bellamy. Tune in five years from now, when the couple slaps a sign on the lad that reads “Please ridicule me mercilessly” and sends him off to school.
Bing was born Saturday night in Los Angeles, weighing 7 pounds, 12 ounces. It’s the first child for Bellamy, frontman for the rock band Muse, and the second for Hudson, who has a 7-year-old son, Ryder, with ex-husband Chris Robinson.
A dark day that shook the world to its roots
YouTube shut down Lady Gaga’s official account Thursday, plunging the world into chaos and prompting mass rioting (not really).
YouTube’s move was due to a legal flap over a video she posted of her performance on Japan’s Fuji TV. Japan TimeOut reported that Fuji TV declared the video a copyright infringement, and YouTube responded by blocking access to the singer’s “ladygagaofficial” account. The legal standoff is expected to be short-lived.

domain: entertainment


text:
contributed by Leanne Guenther
I think puppets are a great tool to use in the preschool and kindergarten classroom! My paper bag tiger is a fun cut and paste puppet craft for children to make and play with!
- a paper lunch bag
- orange construction paper or orange poster paint
- a printer,
- some crayons,
- paper for the printer
- big wiggly eyes
Print the Template:
- Print out the template of choice (color or b&w)
- Color (as required) and cut out the template pieces.
Get Familiar with Your Paper Bag:
- I'm going to walk through this slowly. Look at your paper bag.
- It should be closed and flat like a piece of paper. Just like when they are brand new.
- On one side, it's all smooth. This will be the BACK of your puppet.
- It's important that all the kids get the back and front straight at the beginning!
- On the other side there's a flippy tab (which is typically the bottom of the bag when you're carrying your lunch around...)
- This flippy tab will be the HEAD.
- Lift the flippy tab up a bit. Underneath of the tab will be the mouth,
- When the child puts her hand in the bag, she'll be able to make the tiger talk.
- Look at the rest of the front of the bag. (The 3/4 or so of the bag below the part with the flippy tab) This will be the BODY.
- Look at the sides of the bag. There should be a FLAP of paper.
- We'll be slipping the arms (template 2) into this flap.
- If the kids goof and glue the arms onto the front or back of the bag, it isn't a big deal.
- OK, now that we're comfy with our bags, let's craft!
- Cover the paper bag with orange construction paper (just glue it on and trim) or paint the paper bag orange and let dry.
- Glue the tongue underneath the flippy tab.
- Glue the teeth underneath the flippy tab so they can be seen.
- Glue the stripes (small ones from first template) onto the HEAD.
- Glue the nose (a big oval) onto the HEAD. It should overlap the body a bit.
- Glue the eyes onto the HEAD above the nose. If you like, you can use wiggly eyes instead of the paper template pieces.
- Glue the ears onto the HEAD.
- Glue the arms into the FLAP.
- Glue the hair tuft onto the HEAD.
- Glue the stripes onto the BODY.
- Glue the tail onto the BACK.
- Close the template window after printing to return to this screen.
- Set page margins to zero if you have trouble fitting the template on one page (FILE, PAGE SETUP or FILE, PRINTER SETUP in most browsers).

domain: design


text:
Photomatic ... Idea-Ology Layers by Tim Holtz ... photographic portraits from the past to use as embellishments for decorations, mixed media, cardmaking, papercraft, scrapbooking and visual arts. Each pair of photos is 2 1/4" x 5 3/8" long (30 pieces, each with 2 photos, one of each design).
This beautiful collection of vintage photography features portraits of people in pairs and on their own, taken using a photo booth many moons ago. Some of the photos feature amazing backdrops, curtains and scenery. The colourings include black and white, sepia and a retro hand tinted finish.
Use as they are or alter them to suit your project using distress techniques, inking edges, staining, heat embossing, add texture paste and more.
Sizes (approx) : Each pair of photos is 2 1/4" x 5 3/8" long (30 pieces, as each piece is 2 photos, this gives you 60 photos, one of each design).
Designed by Tim Holtz and Oliver as part of his Idea-Ology range. Made by Advantus Corp. TH94310

domain: hobby


text:
Like the log base idea with holes drilled in. A little bigger with a Christ candle and this would be awesome
hyacinth balls with lace - spring / Easter (wedding) decor
Amaryllislökar i glascylinder Trädgårdsflow: Pink november & Christmassy steps
Sprouting bulb in a crystal sorbet cup
Such a cute gingerbread house. With templates.
various shape ideas for lussekatter ( Lucia buns ) - I always stick to the basic curly S as shown at lower left!
Tips på julbak: pepparkakssticks doppade i vit choklad. Snygga och goda
Pepparkakssticks doppade i vit choklad.
This idea using old hanging lamp shades decorated with greenery could be incorporated into trimming all your chandelier light arms, then adding touches of ribbon, bows, holly, and shiny ornaments.
Hyacinth bulbs covered with decorative wire and moss. Could also be done with Amaryllis bulbs for Christmas.
How To Fold Christmas Tree Napkins diy craft ideas christmas easy crafts party ideas diy christmas ideas craft christmas decor craft christmas ideas diy christmas party ideas diy christmas crafts diy christmas gift christmas table
Easy DIY Advent wreath centerpiece - simple: old metal bowl, fill with beans or earth, cover with fake or real moss, insert candles (use non-flammable materials or ensure moss is well dampened, watch closely when lit)
Excellent idea:Fill a teacup with Christmas greens, pinecones, moss and a candle for a charming, simple country Christmas accent.
Beautiful and quiet Christmas decor inspiration and holiday decorating splendor with gingerbread house, lantern, and candelight upon a white painted country cabinet. Festive branch frames the holiday vignette.
advent calendar -- brown paper packages tied with twine to a minimalist pine wreath/embroidery hoop
Lucia, Swedish Christmas decoration Use artifact or re-purposed iron and make it Christmas.

domain: artistic


text:
NINA K. THOMAN-ADAMS
NINA K. THOMAN-ADAMS
Nina K. Thoman-Adams, age 50, died Thursday, July 4, 2013, at Cloud County Health Center. She was born on Nov. 20, 1962, in Concordia, Kan., to Bob and Dianne (Demars) Thoman.
In her youth, Nina enjoyed growing up and helping on the farm. She graduated high school from Gibbon, Neb., and then Cloud County Community College. She was an administrative assistant/secretary at F&A Food Sales, Pawnee Mental Health Services and a host of other places. Nina enjoyed riding motorcycles and participating in the Toy Runs and Poker Runs. She was especially fond of her cats, kittens and dog Jett.
She is survived by her mother, Dianne LaBonte, Aurora; son Derek Adams and Kaitlyn Dykes, Concordia; fiancé, Rex Ellsworth, Concordia; brother, Marty Thoman and wife Beth, St. Louis, Mo.; grandchildren, Bentley and Carter Adams, Concordia, and niece and nephew, Lauren and Dillon Thoman, St. Louis, Mo.
She was preceded in death by her father, Bob; step-father, Jim LaBonte and grandparents.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m., Tuesday, July 9, 2013, at Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home with the Rev. Dean R. Frazier officiating. Burial will follow the services at St. Peter's Cemetery, Aurora. Visitation will be from 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday, with the family greeting friends from 7-8 p.m., at Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home. The family suggest memorials to the O'Connor Animal Shelter in care of the funeral home. For online condolences, please visit www.chaptubuoy.com.
Judith Ray A celebration of life for Judith Lee Ray, 73, West Plains, Mo., will be held from 2:00 until 4:00 p.m., Sunday, May 24, 2015, at the South Campus of First Baptist Church. Mrs. Ray died at 1:44 a.m., Wednesday, May 20, 2015, at her home. She was born May 9, 1942, at... [More]
CHARLES A. "CHUCK" STREETER Charles A. "Chuck" Streeter, Wichita, 79, retired produce manager, died Monday, May 18, 2015. A private memorial service will be held. Preceded by parents Charles LeRoy and Karen Streeter. Survived by his children: Pam Myers of Hutchinson,... [More]
CARLETON B. JOHNSON Carleton B. Johnson, 80, of Parsons, passed away Thursday morning, May 14, 2015, at the home of his daughter, Carla Pawlus, in Parsons. He was born Feb. 2, 1935, in Concordia, Kan., to Charles Bernard and Naomi (Chritton) Johnson. Carleton... [More]
Criminal Annmarie Davis appeared May 19 for sentencing for Operating a Motor Vehicle under the Influence of Intoxicant and was sentenced to 11 months in the Cloud County Jail and ordered to pay a fine of $1,000, the costs of the action, $158, a $250 Community Corrections... [More]
During a routine meeting Wednesday evening, the Concordia City Commission heard a favorable report on the 2014 audit. Neil Phillips of Jarred, Gilmore & Phillips, PA, presented the audit and said the city is in compliance with all Kansas cash basis laws. There were... [More]
Cloud County board of commissioners Monday voted unanimously to declare Zahner-Hansen guilty of substantial breach of the contract for construction of the new Cloud County Jail Facility. Reasons stated for the action were: failing to provide a water-tight building,... [More]
NICKERSON — The Concordia Panthers made a statement on their way to qualifying for the state baseball tournament for the fourth consecutive season. Top-seeded Concordia blasted second-seeded Nickerson 15-0 in four innings in the regional championship game on Thursday to... [More]
CHAPMAN — Top-seeded Clay Center knocked off Concordia 11-1 in the opening round of the Class 4A-Division II regional softball tournament on Tuesday. Clay Center advances to the championship game, and will play the winner of the game between Chapman and Smoky Valley.... [More]
- CHS golf team places sixth at Marysville
- Concordia eighth grade, seventh grade girls finish second
- Kymer captures No. 1 singles title
- CHS JV golfers place eighth in tourney
- T-Birds’ season ends with 3-2 loss to Red Ravens
- CCCC men win three events
- CHS tennis team finishes fifth
- CJHS boys place fourth in meet

domain: news


text:
2003, printed 2011
Image: 40 x 32 in.
Sheet: 48 x 40 in.
Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas, Purchase with funds provided by the Stieglitz Circle
© Joaquin Trujillo
Color! American Photography TransformedOctober 5, 2013–January 5, 2014
Through 75 key works, Color! tells the fascinating tale of photographers' halting acceptance of color, revealing the surprisingly extensive and diverse ways they incorporated color into their work as they sought to shape a language of creativity.
With the Help of FriendsFebruary 2–June 2, 2019
With the Help of Friends celebrates 15 dynamic photographs ranging from the 1930s to the present day that were selected and purchased over the recent years by the Carter with the assistance of its photography collection supporters.


text:
The next version of Android will be called KitKat, as in the Nestle chocolate wafers, and comes with a contest to win Android and Google Play swag.
Seth RosenblattFormer Senior Writer / News
Senior writer Seth Rosenblatt covered Google and security for CNET News, with occasional forays into tech and pop culture. Formerly a CNET Reviews senior editor for software, he has written about nearly every category of software and app available.
Google has announced that the upcoming version of its Android mobile operating system will be called KitKat, licensing the name from Nestle.
Android chief Sundar Pichai, in a Google+ post, revealed that Android has passed 1 billion activations and noted the KitKat branding of Android 4.4. This is the first time that Google had gone with a branded name for Android, which in the past have been generics like "Eclair" and "Jelly Bean."
Google says that the idea for branding Android 4.4 was developed internally, and that no money was spent either by Google or Nestle on the deal, according to a BBC report.
Google chose to change the "K" release of Android to KitKat from Key Lime Pie in part because, "we realized that very few people actually know the taste of a Key lime pie," said John Lagerling, Android's director of global partnerships. The flavor of Kit Kats, he said, is more familiar to programmers than Key lime pie, which happens to be the official Florida state pie.
The deal, which will involve Nestle shipping more than 50 million Android-branded Kit Kats across 19 countries, was finalized at a secret meeting earlier this year at Barcelona's Mobile World Congress. In an age of news leaks, the deal was kept secret by both companies, despite the fact that packaging production began more than two months ago.
According to the official Android KitKat site, there will be opportunities to win Android swag when you purchase soon-to-be-released Android-branded Kit Kats, including a Nexus 7 and Google Play credit.
Updated at 11:32 a.m.with additional details from the BBC.


text:
Top Pentagon officials say the Department of Defense (DoD) has already begun eliminating some 46,000 temporary civilian workers ahead of possible mandatory budget cuts.
A total of nearly 800,000 jobs could be threatened in all.
“We are on the brink of creating a hollow force due to an unprecedented convergence of budget conditions and legislation,” wrote the seven members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a letter recently sent to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) and other congressional defense and appropriations leaders. “Troops on the front lines will receive the support they need, but the rest of the force will be compromised. We are now planning for the potential to furlough up to nearly 800,000 defense civilians who are essential to critical functions like maintenance, intelligence, logistics, contracting and health care.”
Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter says if Congress does not come up with a way to avoid sequestration by March 1, the 800,000 civilian employees could face furloughs and reduced paychecks by April. The workers would lose one day of work per week for the remainder of the budget year ending in September.
DoD officials say the threat of sequestration has created widespread uncertainty throughout the Pentagon, including service members in combat who are worried about their pay, providing for their families and the ability to complete their mission.
The Pentagon has asked all service branches to submit specific recommendations on what they can cut by February 1.
“Rather than working together to find smart, strategic spending reductions, Congress set these irresponsible cuts in motion,” said NFFE-IAM Federal District 1 President William R. Dougan. “If we let these cuts go into effect March 1st, we are willfully cutting off our nose to spite our face. These employees deserve a steady job to show up to in April. Congress needs to worry more about the livelihoods of these dedicated public servants than their own narrow political interests.”
Tell Congress to avoid sequestration and avert the debt crisis by creating jobs. Click here.

domain: politics


text:
Did you know that human brain can quickly change after an injury of illness? A neurologist proved it through a pink fiberglass cast. He encased his healthy right arm for two weeks and proved the point.
Dr. Nico Dosenbach scanned his brain daily. The scan showed circuits controlling his immobilized arm disconnected from the body’s motor system within 48 hours. But, his brain began to produce new signals. They were meant to keep those circuits intact and ready to reconnect quickly with the unused limb.
Dosenbach is an assistant professor at Washington University School of Medicine. He performed same on two colleagues. The result was same. And, in all three the disconnected brain circuits reconnected after the cast was removed.
The study is published online in the journal Neuron. It shows that “within a few days, we can rearrange some of the fundamental, basic functional relationships of the brain,” says Dosenbach. Apparently it is possible to reverse brain changes caused by disuse of a limb after a stroke or brain injury.
Disability might be helped
The results of the study appear to support the use of something called constraint-induced movement therapy or CIMT. It helps people, usually children regain the use of a disabled arm or hand. This is by constraining the other, healthy limb with a sling, splint or cast.
Previous studies of CIMT have produced mixed results. Maybe because they focused on brain changes associated with increased use of a disabled arm, Dosenbach says. “We looked at the effect of actually not using an arm because we thought that was a much more powerful intervention,” he says.
Brain Scan Ritual
Every day at 5 a.m. Dosenbach went in for a brain scan. He says those scans revealed dramatic changes in the first few days. “The brain is very stable unless it has to change,” he says. “And then it can change at a rate, and at a scale, that I never would have thought possible until [I saw] the results from the study.” The scans also showed that as circuits involved in controlling the idle arm began to fade, a new signal appeared in the brain, Dosenbach says.


Mr. Kjetil Nilsen
Kjetil Nilsen has extensive experience from the senior management level in the Norwegian security and intelligence services, and from the Norwegian Police. Through his time in public service, he has been heavily involved in sector reforms.
At present, he is a Special Advisor in the Ministry of Defence, where he is assigned to the Centre for Integrity in the Defence and Security Sector (CIDS) as member of the staff and Senior International Expert.
From 2009 to 2021, he was the Director General of the National Security Authority (NSM), which is a cross-sectoral directorate under both the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Justice. As Director General, Nilsen was responsible for national tasks within risk assessment, security management, cyber security, critical infrastructure and personnel security, and for following up and checking compliance with the National Security Act.
Nilsen has held various operational and administrative leadership positions in the Police, both nationally and locally. He has held all ranks up to and including Chief of Police. From 2002 to 2008, he held the position of Director of Operations in the Police Security Service (PST), with responsibility for national tasks within counter-terrorism, counter-intelligence and threat assessments. Prior to this, he had responsibility for agency management, governance and reforms in the national police force. Nilsen joined the Police in 1982 and he has work experience as operational police officer and investigator. Nilsen has also experience as a Police Prosecutor.
During his time in the Police and the security and intelligence services he has gained extensive international experience. Early in his professional career, he served in the Norwegian Army, and had a tour in Lebanon with UN forces (UNIFIL) as Military Police (1. Lt).
Nilsen also has experience as a lawyer in private sector, and as an advisor in the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, where he has worked with governance, emergency preparedness, security and IT-related issues.
Nilsen has military officer training (army/infantry) and is a National Police Academy graduate. He holds a Master of Laws (LL.M / Candidatus Juris) from the University of Oslo and a Master's Degree in Management from BI Norwegian Business School with focus on HRM, Organizational Psychology, Organizational development, Leadership and leadership development. He has also attended the Senior Course at NATO Defence College in Rome, Italy. He has attended several leadership trainings programs.


text:
The Saints (3-1) bounced back from Friday’s loss to Proviso East. Emerging senior forward Cody Mitchell was named tournament MVP.
Coming into the season, East coach Patrick Woods raved about the improvement shown by the 6-foot-7 Mitchell, who grew three inches.
Mitchell averaged 4.2 points and 4.3 rebounds last season, but Woods said, “I expect to see his output triple.” Mitchell scored 23 points against Willowbrook.
“We were not looking for a lot of scoring from him with (Justin) Hardy around, but he is surely capable,” Woods said. “He will be a great leader for us and I expect him to come into his own based on his summer performance.”
Keep on rolling: Dundee-Crown finished last season with a flourish, and that continued last week at Sycamore’s Strombom Holiday Tournament.
The Chargers rolled to the title with a 4-0 record. Jordan Hairston led the Chargers with 23 points in the title-clinching win over Burlington Central. Jack Michalski, Josh Raby and Brad Stec all were named to the all-tournament team.
The Chargers had a 7-11 record last season when they turned things around. They went 10-2 in their last 12 games and won the regional title against Jacobs after losing twice to the Golden Eagles during the regular season.
That momentum carried over into last week.
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.


text:
This bread, like many rye breads, is meant to rest overnight before it is cut and eaten. The flavor and texture are dramatically improved by this resting period. This bread is great sliced thinly and used for open-faced sandwiches. It’s delicious topped with soft goat cheese and jam or cream cheese, tinned fish, pickled onions and herbs. The combination of Whole Grain Gazelle Rye and Organic Whole Grain Expresso flours make it earthy, spicy, dark and delicious, as well as hearty and healthy.
I wrote this recipe for Cairnspring Mills, based on their gorgeous Gazelle Rye and Expresso flours. Find it here

domain: food


text:
The idea of a non-contested referendum is a fallacy
Political contests bring out the ‘best’ of our political leaders. All of a sudden, they realise they are part of certain groupings and identities and as usual their interest is morphed into communal — nay — ethnic, regional or any other interest they can use for mobilisation to rally the naïve masses.
They emerge in different shades, with utterances and phrases such as, ‘us the people ,’ ‘our people bla bla bla,’ and even speak in local dialects to whip up emotions.
Interesting how BBI has reminded them of the need to champion their people’s issues when people already given their views.
After the BBI taskforce going round the country twice, collecting views from Kenyans, we would be shooting ourselves in the foot if we start debates around the constitution of Kenya amendment bill 2020 because of different interest groups.
Look at this way. We collect views from Kenyans; all of a sudden, we have various groups emerging with demands in the name of bringing everyone on board.
Now, some of these folks were all along against the BBI and today they want issues that have fairly little to do with Wanjiku addressed in a document and process whose main object was to address nine critical issues.
The BBI team collected views from Kenyans, through a process that was gazetted.
To contest and try to sneak in other agenda because you can hold a press conference in the name of representing different interest groups should be put in proper perspective.
A few critics have raised concerns about the interest some emerging groups are seeking to serve.
Kenyans addressed themselves to nine issues and we need to stick to solving these issues, which essentially form the bedrock of economic prosperity and political stability.
We need to interrogate instances at which some groups conducted public participation and engagement with the people they purport to represent.
Granted, any constitutional making process is a political process and in a democracy, contest is inevitable.
Now, if we start this conversation of a non-contested referendum, we will be reducing and cheapening our political discourse, especially if end game is to gain near unanimous support by accommodating all ideas and opinions regardless of their substantive contribution to our socioeconomic and political development.
The lie is that we can only have a non-contested referendum if we accommodate all elite interests, including of politicians with ambitions in opposition to the spirit of the BBI and other who have been by the fence only to emerge with partisan interest.
The fact here is serving elite interest does not necessarily mean common interest will be served.
Governors, for instance, are coming in with fairly interesting demands. We give in to the demands such as pension to governors and doing away with term limits, and we will be opening a Pandora’s box.
Then you have pastoralists who will then encourage miners, fishermen and all of a sudden everyone’s interest is included; there you’ll have a non-contested referendum that will be a bastard child of so many interests groups merged together.
Some demands such as that of deputy governors’ asking for ban on doing business with the government be expunged from the report are shocking.
Common folks in my native Suna East just want an environment to make their daily bread and not a deputy governor who will doing business with the government.
The numerous proposals have nothing to do with Wanjiku, and we should interrogate why self-seeking few elites want to sabotage and derail BBI process! —The writer is a PhD candidate in political communication


text:
Karin Schon, PhD, Receives $3.9M NIH Grant to Examine the Impact of Racism on Brain Aging, Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Older Black Adults
Black Americans are twice as likely as white Americans to have Alzheimer’s disease (AD) independent of genetic risk. Since perceived racism contributes to racial health disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, which also are risk factors for AD, it also has a significant impact on the racial health disparity in AD. Despite this knowledge, little is known about whether and how chronic experiences of racism contribute to poor brain health.
Karin Schon, PhD, assistant professor of anatomy & neurobiology at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), aims to address this pressing issue. She has been awarded a five-year, $3.9 million R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health. Her objective is to investigate the impact of racism burden on brain health in the medial temporal hippocampal (MTH) memory and prefrontal-executive systems in older Black adults and to examine potentially underlying biological mechanisms. The MTH and prefrontal systems are brain systems that show profound neurodegeneration in AD.
“We hypothesize that cognitively healthy Black seniors with higher racism burden will show greater CVD risk and poorer MTH and prefrontal system integrity than those who have lower lifetime racism burden,” explained Schon who also is a faculty affiliate at the BU Center for Anti-Racist Research.Schon believes that CVD risk and mental health may explain the relationship between racism burden and neurocognitive integrity, suggesting poor cardiovascular/cerebrovascular health as a mechanism underlying the relationship between racism burden and poor brain health in the MTH and prefrontal brain systems in Black seniors.
Her investigative team is not only diverse in expertise, but also racially and ethnically. Collaborators on this project include BU’s Yvette Cozier, DSc; Robert Stern, PhD; Emelia Benjamin, MD and Yorghos Tripodis, PhD. BU alumna Uraina Clark, PhD from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai along with Angie Sanchez, MD and Jonathan Jackson, PhD from Massachusetts General Hospital.
Schon, received a joint BA/MA degree in psychology from the University of Hamburg in Germany in 1998 and her PhD from the department of psychology at Boston University in 2005. Her dissertation focused on functional neuroimaging studies of working memory and long-term (episodic) memory formation. In 2010, she received a Pathway to Independence Career Development award from the National Institute on Aging to investigate the effects or cardio-respiratory fitness and exercise on the function and structure of the medial temporal hippocampal memory system. In 2013, she joined BUSM’s department of anatomy & neurobiology where she is the Director of the Brain Plasticity and Neuroimaging Laboratory.
Her brain plasticity research focuses on modulators of the MTH system across the lifespan. Currently, she is investigating the role of aerobic exercise, aging and chronic psychosocial stress, as modulators of cognitive function and brain health in aging and AD. With her cognitive neuroscience research on chronic psychosocial stress she aims to take an anti-racist perspective by focusing on the impact of interpersonal and institutional racism on brain health in Black adults. The long-term goal of this research to contribute to health policy change from a cognitive neuroscience perspective with the goal to eliminate brain health inequities.


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Java Draw Created May 21, 2009 338 x 470px Unless noted Copyright 2009 Ichiruki.
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super chibiness XD
i love it! super cute! 5 hearts
Very cute! :) 5/5
hehe, so cute!!! ^_^ awesome drawing!
aww so cute 5/5 + favs :D
soo chibi like i love it
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1. Subcellular trafficking in plant survival
Supervisor: Tomasz Nodzynski, Ph.D.
Endosomal trafficking is vital in plant development both in optimal and stress conditions. This regulated vesicle trafficking is necessary for membrane integrity preservation and therefore plant resistance to acute osmotic stress. We identified proteins differentially localized along the secretory pathway in response to stress indicating their role in cellular stress response. Characterization of those proteins will provide insights into the role of subcellular machinery in plant response to stress and might have potential applications to engineer stress resistant plants that might be curial regarding incoming climate changes.
The PhD student will perform the physiological and cellular phenotype analysis of mutants and overexpression lines. The admitted candidate will perform genetic and molecular biology studies, including in situ protein localization and life confocal imaging techniques. In parallel the student will continue with the characterization of isolated candidate genes interactors.
- Zwiewka M, Nodzyński T, Robert S, Vanneste S, Friml J. Osmotic Stress Modulates the Balance between Exocytosis and Clathrin-Mediated Endocytosis in Arabidopsis thaliana. Mol Plant 2015; 8:1175–1187.
- Ashraf MA, Rahman A. Cold stress response in Arabidopsis thaliana is mediated by GNOM ARF-GEF. Plant J 2019; 97:500–516.
- Baral A, Shruthi KS, Mathew MK. Vesicular trafficking and salinity responses in plants. IUBMB Life 2015; 67:677–686.
Keywords: vesicular trafficking; intracellular localization; stress response; adaptation

domain: biology


Filipino girl killed over smack talk
Talentless gamer on the run after shooting
Filipino police are hunting for a schoolboy who shot a 17 year old girl with a home-made shotgun last Wednesday, apparently after suffering a string of humiliating defeats at her hands in a local computer store. There's no mention of which game they were playing, but according to a report from the Philippine Star the victim had started teasing the boy about his lousy playing after beating him several times. Eventually the boy "flew into a rage" outside the shop and shot the girl in the face, killing her instantly. It just goes to show that some people take their games far too seriously.


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We never take for granted the fact that in this difficult time, you have chosen the floral designers at Blossom Flower Shops to help celebrate your loved one. It is a responsibility that we take very seriously. As you plan the details of a funeral or celebration of life, flowers play an important role; but making the right decisions may sometimes be a struggle when you have so much on your mind. In order to help you during this time, we would like to present some of our favorite sympathy designs and our most often purchased funeral sprays to help you in the selection process.
When paying tribute to your loved one, choosing floral designs that reflect a unique personality is a fitting way to honor and remember them. The Classic Symphony arrangement is one of our more popular selections; it has a bright demeanor that esteems the life of someone dearly loved and brings hope and beauty to the memorial service. We also offer designs that are more peaceful and reverent in nature, such as our Sentiments of Serenity spray. These traditional white lilies and roses are displayed elegantly as an easel spray, and will quietly give honor at a funeral service or memorial celebration.
If you have not had the opportunity to send sympathy flowers to the funeral, it is entirely appropriate to send sympathy florals to the home of the family. Small to mid-sized arrangements – like the classic Beautiful Whisper bouquet – bring peace to the home, and look beautiful on an end table or countertop. Featuring hydrangea, lilies and roses, the floral design is a timeless expression of empathy. You may also wish to have our designers create a custom piece that reflects a unique facet of the individual’s life; or perhaps a condolence gift is more fitting. We have a wide selection of bouquets, sprays, wreaths and gifts on our site; you may also call one of our professionals at any time for assistance.


text: Chased by a shark has never been this fun and thrilling, here in Paranormal Shark Activity! This is 2D running-based flash game with a unique concept. Your goal here is to jump onto the floating logs and try to outlast that giant shark. Take note that the shark can also switch positions after you hit him with some bombs. Evade the grassy pads for you will stick on it. Your score will automatically builds up as long as you're alive. You can add more points by successfully landing in the logs or rubber pads, that will multiply your points! Paranormal Shark Activity is one of our many Action Games that we publish on TheGamerStop.com. This game is also tagged as a Shark game. Click the play button to start having fun. To play even more free games, view our popular and new games page. If you want to play more games like this, then you can simply check out the games inside the game tags that are the most relevant to your interests or the Action Games category or the games like this game page at the end of the game tags.


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Patapaa’s Wife Speaks About Her Failed Marriage
The German wife of Ghanaian musician Patapaa Amisty has replied her husband after he accused Blogger Zionfelix of causing havoc in his marriage.
In a video Liha Miller shared on social media, she made it clear that she is not bothered about the news circulating about her failed marriage.
According to her, she doesn’t have time to reply to fools and also to explain everything currently going on in her life.
Watch the video below
Watch it on Instagram
Liha’s reply comes after the news went rife that her marriage to the ‘One Corner’ hitmaker has hit the rocks.
Just a week ago, Patapaa granted an interview where he revealed that he hasn’t divorced his wife and that he hasn’t seen his wife in months because of her work as a nurse in Germany.
However, yesterday, the musician disclosed in a post on social media that he doesn’t want to see his wife again.
According to him, popular Blogger Zionfelix is causing problems in his marriage and warned Ghanaians to be wary of him.


Tue, Jun 19, 2018 | Updated 11.58PM IST
in the news | LAST UPDATED : Mar 10, 2014, 07:17 AM IST
Katalin Dobos from Romania shares her experience of learning the classical Indian dance form, kathak.
Sania Mirza and her partner Nuria Llagostera Vives made a shock first round exit from the Pan Pacific Open after losing to Darija Jurak and Katalin Marosi.
Copyright © 2018 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service


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MSP's 2019 Season to close with the uproarious musical comedy, “The Drowsy Chaperone"
Alexa Boese stars as Janet in "The Drowsy Chaperone."
This show-within-a-show begins when a die-hard musical fan plays his favorite record, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” and a forgotten Jazz Age Musical comes to life in his living room! As the overture starts, the musical bursts to life with larger-than-life characters and laugh-out-loud results. The story follows a glamorous Follies star who plans to give up her career to marry her true love, while her producer is desperate to keep his showgirl and stop the nuptials at any cost.
“The Drowsy Chaperone” features book by Bob Martin and Don McKeller with music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison. This zany musical comedy was the darling of the Tony Awards, winning the most statues in 2006.
McLeod Presents "Gypsy" - 60th Anniversary
Katelin Coursey stars as Louise, famously
known as Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous
striptease artist of the burlesque scene.
McLeod Summer Playhouse opens its final professional production of 2019 this weekend with a very special 60th anniversary production of Gypsy: A Musical Fable, the play widely acclaimed as “America’s Greatest Book Musical.”
Inspired by the memoirs of famous striptease artist, Gypsy Rose Lee, the play deftly integrates a compelling story, complex characters and memorable Broadway standards such as “Ev’rything’s Comin’ Up Roses,” “Let Me Entertain You,” and “Together (Wherever We Go).” MSP’s take on the classic runs July 12-21. SIH Medical Group sponsors McLeod Summer Playhouse 2019.
Read the full "Gypsy" press release.
MSP Lets Loose with "The Full Monty"
While spying on their wives at a “Girls’ Night Out,” a group of unemployed steelworkers sees how much the women enjoy watching male strippers. Jealous, out-of-work, and feeling emasculated, the men come up with a bold way to make some quick cash. As they conquer their fears, the men discover that they’re stronger as a team, and the strength they find in each other gives them the individual courage to go "The Full Monty."
Left to right: Ethan (Ethan Rich), Harold (Derek Brookens), Dave (Gavin Carnahan), Jerry (Jeffrey Salsbury), Horse (Devin Bowles) and Malcolm (Josh Kimball)
Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical
Presents a Colorful History Lesson for Audiences of All Ages
Polkadots is inspired by Civil Rights pioneers Ruby Bridges and The Little Rock Nine. It follows 8-year-old Lily Polkadot who just moved to the “Squares Only” small town of Rockaway. As the first Polkadot to attend an all-Square school, Lily faces an almost impossible task of gaining acceptance from her peers.
Left to right: Penelope Square (Brooke Bucher), Ms. Square (Lyndsay Manson), Lily Polkadots (Kalyn Glover), Sky Square (Bryce Beliveau)
Southern Illinois’ Professional Summer Theater
McLeod Summer Playhouse (MSP) is the professional arm of the SIU Department of Theater. Presented in the summer months, MSP offers a season of professionally mounted productions through June and July, featuring a company of young professional performers gathered from auditions across the United States. The season concludes with the All Southern High School Theatre Project, an opportunity for area high school students to work with professional staff, jointly produced with Carbondale Community Arts.


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Happy Pride Month! We are celebrating books written by LGBTQ+ community members and books with LGBTQ+ characters!
Pride isn’t just a parade and celebration,
it is also a protest.
While representation is increasing, and acceptance and love is spreading, there are still many people in the LGBTQ+ community that are suffering. Yes, we celebrate this month, but we also protest for those living in countries where freedom to be yourself hasn’t been achieved, and to the lives lost getting to where we are today. Let this Pride Month be a reminder to us all that we need to consistently stand up when we hear words of hatred; we need to teach our children that love is available for everyone and that love is something we all deserve, regardless of who our partner is.
Let us continue our fight to make the world a more inclusive and accepting place. In honour of Pride Month, we are celebrating books written by LGBTQ+ community members and books with LGBTQ+ characters!
Happy Pride Month!
Here are a few of Tellwell’s picks:
BOOTS I’M IN
“Get over it” the story of my life
And it’s what I do to routinely survive.
“Get over it” those words I’ll ne’er forget
So often given with little to no regret.
For a First Nations Gay woman who’s deemed a triple threat
And a constant reminder of the boots I’m in.
In the mid-’70s whilst serving for my country
With a 1:1000 gender ratio in the military,
And only one of nine women at that time
Accepted to a trade, wherein the past denied.
And only one of three women of seven other members
Who graduated early with exceptional skills!
So, I reported to a station as the first woman in that place,
And was I worthy written on their faces.
For male dominance, such a routine privilege
And that’s the world I was living in.
Not only a woman but a Gay one too
And in that era, condemnation, it’s true.
If “outed” during service, I was discharged from the army
Without hesitation and without being sorry.
In the mid-’90s whilst serving as a cop
When a “fag boy” article stirred emotions up,
By fellow officers with blatant discrimination on display
And an employer who didn’t care what I’d say.
“Should have been a private joke,” said the commander,
But with my lifestyle deemed comical, that wasn’t the answer.
With article upon article in the newspaper
“Get over it” barked the enablers.
Now, my greatest threat at that time
Were comrades who conscientiously denied
Whilst the investigators dealing with my complaint
Didn’t have my back and held me to blame.
“Get over it” summarized the investigators.
“She’s the problem, and she’s a troublemaker.”
Now, with policies galore to protect my human rights,
It should have been a slam dunk and should have been airtight.
And I’m ne’er alone, there’re others like me
Facing discrimination on the job, it’s plain to see.
So, just another battle, I’ll “get over it”
And a constant reminder of the boots I’m in.
In a world filled with magic where Gods and Goddesses walk amongst the mortals who worship them, a war is brewing-a war between the Divine that started centuries ago. Unable to fight in the Divine Realms, they’ve enlisted their followers to fight for them. And to certain mortals they’ve even bestowed their own powers.
These mortals, known as the Blessed, walk a lonely path, balancing the awesome and cruel powers of the Gods and the vulnerability of their human sides. They are immortal unless their God or Goddess sponsor abandons them or they are killed by another Blessed.
One of these Blessed, a veteran from the first war, is gathering other young Blessed to her. Her plan? Create a bond between them all so they can vanquish the God bent on bringing destruction to their world once and for all. Under her tutelage, her students will be the turning point of their world. They start their destinies struggling with their powers and their place in the world. But will they be the salvation or the destruction? Only time will tell, for they are . . .
Neilina – a Blessed who once conquered a God, she has lived a solitary existence since the first war ended. Now once again she will face a foe from her past that could be her undoing. But this time, she won’t be fighting alone.
Adeline – the only daughter of a warrior king, she is a healer and prophet. But her powers weigh heavy on her and the darkness promises sweet reprieve-will her bond to her Brethren keep her strong?
Aubrey – a young girl with a mysterious past she can’t remember. She wants to be a knight in the Holy War, but she’ll need to discover her past if she’s to help save their future.
Mathilde – the Crown Princess of the nomadic tribes, she’s got to right an ancient wrong if she wants to help her people. Her powers of the wild and animals makes her a strong card for whoever earns her loyalty in the coming war.
Niall – the bastard waif of a nobleman of a distant kingdom, he’s not who everyone thinks he is. Behind his laughing persona is the power of the cosmos. He’s got a lot to prove.
Selene – the exiled Princess, cast away by her magic-fearing father. She’s got a lot to prove and isn’t afraid of a fight. Her loyalty is unquestionable but she feeds off of her emotions. Her powers are barely in check: she could be the wildfire that burns friend and foe out.
Eibhlin – with humble beginnings, her stunning beauty enchants every man who meets her. But when a young-love romance goes wrong, bitterness rules her heart and only time will tell if she turns to her Brethren for comfort or if she’ll cast them aside.
When nine-year-old Haven Fleet disappears from her school bus stop, everything changes.
Every parent will tell you that the thought of losing their child is unfathomable. Stevie Fleet would spend her whole life searching for her lost daughter, and her four remaining children will face battles of their own.
How far would one parent go to find her lost child, and what other obstacles could meet her along the way?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dani is a non-binary author, activist, and animal lover. They published their first novel in 2020 and have been writing since the age of ten. They are an avid activist for the LGBTQ+ community and includes this subject in many of their novels. Dani lives in Canada with their family.
“The truest, most authentic freedom in this Universe, is found in love…”
-Cosmo, Chapter 14, “Coming in from the Cold”
This is one of many seeds of wisdom prudently planted by Cosmo: a mysterious yet engaging and compassionate mentor to Jake Johnson, Jr., the protagonist in the novel “Coming in from the Cold”.
Jake, Jr. is a young, troubled African American man on the cusp of important life transitions when he meets and befriends Cosmo while travelling into New York City one day in early June. Cosmo takes the young man under his wings and over the course of a summer, Jake and Cosmo have a series of meetings and dialogues at significant venues in New York City. The compelling dialogues explore such topics as spirituality and religion, the constructs of race and racism, the dynamics of human sexuality and relationships, the connections between the health of planet Earth and human health, the mechanics of money and the material world, the legacy of slavery across time, and the nature of the Universe.
The first three chapters of the novel delve into the origins of Jake’s family life before his fortuitous meeting with Cosmo. At the heart of the novel is a love story. Shortly after graduating from Evergreen College in New England, young Jake travels to Japan, where he teaches English. During this transformative sojourn abroad, Jake meets and develops a close companionship with a very atypical, hip Japanese man named Hiro, who introduces Jake to love and the very best of Japanese culture.
Much against his father’s wishes, Jake is called to work in the field of education, and enrolls in Columbia University’s graduate program in teacher education upon his return from Japan. It is the period between his return from Japan and his enrollment at Columbia when Jake meets Cosmo, who provides guidance and wisdom at that critical juncture in the young man’s life. During Jake’s first semester of graduate school in New York City, however, there is a catastrophic earthquake in Japan, and all communication is cut off between Jake and his Japanese companion, Hiro. Not knowing if Hiro is dead or alive, and compelled by his deep love for him, Jake makes the momentous decision to take a dangerous trip back to Japan to find his lover, with whom he is eventually reunited. At the end of the novel, the true identity of Cosmo is revealed.
The main theme of the novel is about the redemptive powers of embracing love and wisdom in facing the vicissitudes of life during this transitional era in human history: a turbulent era on the cusp of brighter, more promising days of a more harmonious, united humanity on Earth.
Homelessness in the hardscrabble town of Belleau can be life-threatening: transients often suddenly vanish from the dingy streets without a trace. Sixteen-year-old Polly Onasis suspects the king and his guards are the culprits behind these disappearances. Once she turns eighteen, she knows she will be forced into the city streets too, away from the safety of her foster home and family . . .
One morning, Polly wakes up to discover that her hair has turned from deep brown to brilliant violet. How? And why? She must keep herself hidden from the public, for fear of being noticed by the king’s guards. But soon enough her eighteenth birthday is upon her, and she no longer has any way to hide herself. She runs into a mysterious stranger who seems to know all about Polly and the secrets which lie behind her hair. Polly’s life is turned upside down as she is carried through the wonderful and the nightmarish, the dark alleyways of Belleau and the king’s palace. Meanwhile, she must fight to protect her loved ones, and find out who she really is.
Basil’s Unkie Herb microwaves socks, plans fabulous birthday surprises and has a friend with a donkey, a monkey and a garbage truck.
This book chronicles the special relationship between Unkie Herb and Basil, and grandma’s worries about “lonely” Unkie Herb.
It ends with Unkie Herb finding love, and Basil learning, contrary to what the girls in school say, “where we live, you can marry whomever you love.”

domain: literature


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Update! Apparently someone has seen fit to remove both the flag at the trail head and the one at the top of the trail. Grr.
I always pre-hike an unfamiliar trail in preparation for a guided trek, so we planned this hike on a beautiful sunny Sunday morning. This was attempt #2- we previously hiked what we thought was Moses Mountain-but nope.
We are nothing if not stubborn,so today, through a somewhat circuitous route, we managed to drag ourselves to the top.
How to Get There
Take exit 5 from Highway 101, turn left from the off-ramp towards Windsor and then right on highway 1. Turn left onto Highway 14 (the Chester Road) Drive just over 11 km and you will come to a sign that says Mill Section. Start looking for civic numbers on the right-2955 , 2957 and 2961. Turn right there and drive a short distance to a small parking area on the right next to the gate. Do not park inside the gate if it’s open-it may well be closed when you get back and then what are ya going to do, hmm?
From inside the gate turn right and walk across a bridge and up a service road for about 1 .25 km. At that point be on the lookout for a tree with both a flag AND orange hunters tape attached,on your right.
Yes, yes, we walked past this on the previous hike without seeing it.In our defense,we were expecting it to be closer to the power line. That’s not really a defense though, is it?
You will see a clearly marked trail that winds through the woods and up, up and up to the top.(elevation 162 m)
It may be a steep hike but not a terribly long one-the way we came was less than 4. 5 km)
What You Need to Know About Moses Mountain
- The service road is steep with lots of rocks that are uncomfortable to walk on
- The trail itself is very well marked with orange hunters tape, it also has lots of rocks and roots
- It goes without saying it’s steep
- There may be a nice breeze at the top, but there were lots of annoying black-flies around-it’s been so wet- so we made sure to apply insect repellent.
- Ditto sunscreen
- Bring lots of water and wear good shoes. A hiking pole helps too.
- Bring a lunch or snack and enjoy the view from the top

domain: travel


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The Apostle Islands are full of beauty, adventure and wildlife. This summer, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the park, we are exploring some of the best ways to experience the National Lakeshore.
Our Sense of Adventure series includes live events on Zoom and replays available on the Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore website. Follow us on Facebook to learn when the next edition goes live and how to join the event.
In our new installment of our “Sense of Adventure” series, part of our 50th anniversary summer celebration, we will look at the many ways these islands and this lake inspire us – poetry, art, jewelry making, night photography, music, even the inspiration to connect the islands through swimming, a kind of dance among the waves.
There’s nothing like feeling refreshing Lake Superior spray in your face and the power of the wind in your sails. Have you dreamed of sailing the Apostle Islands?
Paddling the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore...

domain: geography


Guardiola was interested in signing Van Dijk from Southampton, but missed out after Liverpool agreed a deal on Wednesday, with the player making the move officially when the transfer window opens on January 1.
City’s manager has spent heavily on defenders himself since his arrival at the Etihad Stadium in July 2016.
Before the start of this season, he brought in Benjamin Mendy from Monaco in a deal that could be worth £52 million, Kyle Walker from Tottenham for an initial £45 million, and Danilo from Real Madrid for £26.5 million.
That came a year after he spent £47.5 million on signing England centre-back John Stones away from Everton.
“Van Dijk is an exceptional central defender, that’s a price we’ll see (again) in the future. Sometimes the cheaper players are more expensive than the expensive players. If he played six or seven years at a high level it would be cheap. If he played not well, more expensive.
“John Stones, when he came here, people said he was too expensive. Now he’s too cheap. It always depends on the value of what happens on the pitch.”
The transfer window may not open for another three days but that hasn’t put an end to plenty of speculation throughout Europe.
Here, we take a look at the biggest stories dominating the headlines on Friday.
Will any of the following deals happen?
Let us know your thoughts.
PHILIPPE COUTINHO AND ANTOINE GRIEZMANN
Barcelona are reportedly prepared to sell five players to fund the signings of Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann in 2018, according to AS.
The Catalan giants were relentless in their pursuit of Coutinho after losing Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain in August – and are widely expected to table another €120 million plus bid next year.
Ernesto Valverde’s side are expected to lure Griezmann to the Camp Nou, despite Manchester United also interesting in securing the Frenchman’s services.
SPORT360 RATING: 6/10
Coutinho is no doubt the best possible replacement available to help fill the gap left by Neymar and create a trident with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
With Griezmann showing flashes of class in recent weeks for Atletico Madrid, it is unlikely both players will be signed together due to their substantial transfer fees, with Coutinho looking the more likely option to put pen to paper in 2018.
Liverpool remain part of five clubs interested in signing Schalke star Leon Goretzka, according to Bild.
The German publication suggests Jurgen Klopp’s side have an advantage over other potential suitors due to his friend Joel Matip being at Anfield.
Despite widespread reports that Bayern have already secured a deal with Goretzka – who is out of contract at the end of season – Barcelona, Manchester United and Juventus are ready to nip in and agree a deal with the German international.
SPORT360 RATING: 6/10
Goretzka is one of the stars of German football after his stunning displays for Joachim Low’s side in the Confederations Cup during the summer.
With Bayern Munich considered front runners to sign him, the 22-year-old could opt to pursue a new challenge in the Premier League instead as Liverpool look for a midfielder capable of pulling the strings for years to come.
Southampton are looking to bring Theo Walcott back to the South East following the sale of Virgil van Dijk, the Mirror says.
The club have reportedly expressed an interest with Arsenal in a bid to secure a loan or transfer deal for the £140,000-a-week forward in January.
It comes on the back of the sale of van Dijk to Liverpool for £75 million, but the Saints may need to look elsewhere to spend their cash with Everton and West Ham also said to be interested in the 28-year-old.
Meanwhile, Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge could be swapping places with former team-mate Virgil van Dijk, with Southampton also said to be interested in bringing the striker to St Mary’s in a loan deal until the end of the season.
The Telegraph reports that Southampton are looking to bolster their attacking positions and with Sturridge finding it difficult to make the starting XI at Liverpool, he could be tempted by Mauricio Pellegrino’s apparent offer.
Everton are hoping to bring Cenk Tosun to the Premier League for £25 million, the Mirror claims.
Following the departure of Romelu Lukaku, the Toffees have struggled to find a suitable replacement, but Sam Allardyce appears hopeful the Besiktas forward could be his first signing as new boss at Goodison Park.
As David Moyes looks to strengthen West Ham, Borussia Dortmund forward Andre Schurrle appears to be a key target for the January transfer window, the Guardian says.
Along with bringing back Reece Oxford from a season-long loan at Borussia Monchengladbach, Schurrle could help the Hammers in defence on a short-term loan, the paper reports.
Also on David Moyes’ radar is Stoke and Wales midfielder Joe Allen, according to the Mirror.
The 27-year-old’s versatility in midfield is attractive to Moyes as he looks to rebuild his side in the January transfer window, the paper reports, though it remains to be seen whether Swansea will reignite their interest in the player after losing out in the summer.
Social media round-up
Players to watch
Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon has sparked interest at home and abroad, it is reported.
According to talkSport, Real Madrid are looking to the 17-year-old after a recent run of good form, but the LaLiga giants could face competition from Manchester United and Tottenham come January after previously admiring the youngster during his time in the Championship.
Danny Ings appears to be in high demand, with West Brom, West Ham and Newcastle all said to be keen to sign the 25-year-old.
The Independent reports that Alan Pardew is looking to the Liverpool star in a bid to salvage the Baggies’ goal drought and avoid relegation.


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Today analysts at Suntrust Robinson indicated Easterly Government Properties Inc’s (NYSE:DEA) shares as ‘Buy’ in a report released to investors.
According to Suntrust Robinsons price target of 21 on the company’s stock this indicates the broker now believes there is an increase of 8.92% from Easterly Government Properties Inc’s current price of 19.28.
In the last year Easterly Government Properties Inc’s stock price has increased by 14.63% from 16.82 to 19.28.
The number of Easterly Government Properties Inc shares in issue is 35,062,000 which have a current share price of 19.28 bringing Easterly Government Properties Inc’s market capitalisation to 676.00M USD.
The 52 week high of shares in Easterly Government Properties Inc is 20.82 while the 52 week low for the company’s shares is 16.41. The businesses 50 day moving average is 19.18 and its 200 day moving average is 19.13.
Easterly Government Properties, Inc. is a real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company is focused primarily on the acquisition, development and management of Class A commercial properties that are leased to the United States Government agencies, such as the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, Patent and Trademark Office, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Forest Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Department of Transportation. The Company owns approximately 40 properties in the United States, encompassing over 2.6 million square feet in the aggregate. The Company’s properties’ locations include Fresno, California; Arlington, Virginia; San Antonio, Texas; Omaha, Nebraska; Lakewood, Colorado; El Centro, California; Del Rio, Texas; Dallas, texas; Savannah, Georgia; San Diego, California; Sacramento, California; Martinsburg, West Virginia; Albany, New York; Miramar, Florida, and Midland, Georgia.

domain: finance


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I have a review of Infinite Fictions by David Winters in Denver Quarterly 50.4.
I have two short pieces in The Scofield 2.1, on Clarice Lispector & the Act of Writing. Download issue here.
“Dinner with Friends,” a short short story, is at Juked.
“The Truth About Death,” a dialogue, is at Numero Cinq.
I interviewed Susan Daitch for BOMB Magazine. Read it online here.


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Hermes has written a cease-and-desist letter to Mason Rothschild, creator of the MetaBirkin. The virtual and digital Birkin are a tribute to Hermes’ iconic bag. Rothschild designed over 100 Birkin-inspired NFTs, simulated with faux fur in a variety of colours and graphics. The bags were not made by Hermes and are not real.
Virtual bags can be traded for more than 1 million dollars
The bags were listed on OpenSea as a peer-to–peer marketplace for NFTs. They had a trading value in excess of 1.1 million dollars. However, they were removed by Hermes this month. Hermes claimed that the bags infringed its trademarks.
Rothschild published an open letter on his Instagram account, in which he stated that the MetaBirkins’ NFTs were protected from luxury brand’s trademark claims. Rothschild stated that the First Amendment gave him every right to create art from my interpretations of what is around him. Rothschild also believes that his designs are a “commentary on fashion’s history and cruelty to animals and its embrace of other fur-free and textile initiatives.”
Do fashion brands have the right to physical designs that have been translated into the virtual universe?
P-Education, an online source of learning, states that Hermes still retains strong rights over the Birkin bag’s composition and name for use on leather goods. However, it is possible to argue that these rights don’t necessarily apply to virtual handbags or the symbol associated to an image handbag (i.e., NFT). If Hermes is able to prove that its rights extend to the metaverse, perhaps by using rights to the Birkin bag’s name and composition in the digital/ecommerce space, and/or as part the scaling area argument, then it will be able to establish a case for infringement. It must also show consumers that they are likely to confuse the origin of the MetaBirkins, their association, association or association with NFTs.
Interview with Yahoo Finance Rothschild: “There is no bag more famous than the Hermes Birkin.” “I wanted to experiment if I could create the same illusion in digital life that it does as a digital commodity. With the stats that we have, I feel that I’ve accomplished that. It is the ability to create a digital commodity that everyone loves and sell it at that price, while keeping the scarcity of 100 bags and watching what the community does.”

domain: law


Our regular analysis selects one or more news stories from fashion technology, and presents The Interline‘s take on why they matter to our global brand and retail audience – as well as what they might mean for the longer-term future of fashion. As always, this analysis is also delivered to Interline Insiders by email — and signing up continues to be the best way to get a fresh look at the fashion technology news, completely free, in your inbox.
AI-generated models: inevitable job cuts clash with inauthentic inclusion
Artificial intelligence (AI) retains its grip on the headlines this week in both predictable and surprising ways, proving just how pervasive it is and is likely going to be for the foreseeable future. Two different companies, Deep Agency and Lalaland.ai for Levi Strauss & Co, are currently in the spotlight for their AI-generated models. And although they are each taking slightly different approaches to the technology – and both seem to still be in the early-ish stages of commercialisation – growing awareness of just how quickly AI models are being rolled out in place of people already has many debating the potential harm.
From a pure business efficiency point of view, AI-generated models are a clear win. Unlike photoshoots incorporating real models, generative ones negate the need to have real production samples in-hand, to book studio space, to hire photographers, and to hunt for models with the right look across the full spectrum of gender, ethnicity, body type, etc.
In their response to some of the initial backlash, Levi’s did indicate that their experimentation with AI-generated models was intended to supplement the continued use of human models, and that it is their intention to continue to represent a range of body types, ages, and skin tones. But not every brand will be so magnanimous when the scale of the cost-cutting potential becomes clearer, and while the first brand or retailer to exclusively use generated models will no doubt be using them to deliver an ersatz version of “representation,” the uncomfortable fact remains that AI-generated diversity is not real diversity.
It is, of course, not the AI industry’s fault that the fashion and modelling industries have been exclusionary for far too long, but the timing of the deployment of AI models, and the disruption they represent, could scarcely be worse. Just as fashion is making headway towards inclusivity and representation, the modelling sector is set to experience a historic upheaval.
To understand why this will make generated models such a lightning rod for criticism (beyond the obvious legal quagmire of using real people in the training datasets behind them) think of it this way: AI is all but guaranteed to eliminate a lot of modelling jobs because the bottom line argument is just too compelling for any commercial enterprise – especially a publicly-traded one – to ignore. But access to those jobs has not been equally distributed prior to the looming extinction event.
Losing your job as a model – to an AI model in both sense of the word – will be devastating. Losing your modelling career to AI when people who look like you have only recently started to earn proper representation in the first place, is on an entirely different level – like having a door held shut, then opened to you briefly before it’s slammed in your face again.
Currently, brands are – rightly – held responsible for under-representation or exclusion of certain groups of people by the lens of public scrutiny. It’s a straightforward task, as someone from a marginalised group, to look at a brand’s marketing material and recognise that you’re not reflected in it, and to want better. But in the very near future it may become difficult – then impossible – to know if the representation you’re being shown is real. We might see incredibly diverse, inclusive brand campaigns, catalogues, and e-commerce frontends, but have no idea whether or not they represent authentic or artificial inclusion.
And as we’ll see from the rest of this week’s AI-focused stories, this combination of huge upheaval and rapid timeline characterises a lot of AI initiatives – and is at the root of a wide spectrum of stakeholders’ concerns around them.
Generative fashion and virality: a double-edged sword?
A common counterargument to AI taking over the modelling industry would be this: most people can distinguish between real images and generated ones, and therefore generated models aren’t ready to replace real ones. But this week’s most viral AI story suggests that that’s already not the case. And as The Interline has seen it put recently: remember that the generated images of today are the low bar for the generated images of the future.
The viral story in question? It was a fashion meets faith moment as Pope Francis apparently stepped out in a stylish puffer jacket that had many people, celebrities included, fooled. The picture first appeared on Reddit and was later revealed as having been created with generative AI model, Midjourney.
The key takeaway here isn’t necessarily that AI images are fully believable and real – although they’re certainly headed in that direction – but more that in the context within which most people consume media today, they are already believable enough. Recent Microsoft research concluded that the human attention span has dropped to 8 seconds, dipping down from 12 seconds in 2000, and in this terse timeframe, AI-generated images may well go undetected even if they have flaws that are visible on closer inspection.
This level of at-a-glance verisimilitude was enough to prompt a statement from the Pope himself, who put out a surprisingly even-handed response, saying that: “I am convinced that the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning has the potential to contribute in a positive way to the future of humanity […] I am certain that this potential will be realised only if there is a constant and consistent commitment on the part of those developing these technologies to act ethically and responsibly.”
This opinion is also shared by some high-profile people who believe generative AI has been unchained too quickly. This week, the non-profit Future of Life Institute issued an open letter that calls on “all AI labs to immediately pause for at least 6 months the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4.” Amongst the thousands of signatories are Tristan Harris, Steve Wozniak, and Elon Musk. And their perspective is perhaps not surprising given that a new study by Goldman Sachs, published this week, speculated that AI could replace the equivalent of 300 million jobs. According to the research note entitled ‘The Potentially Large Effects of Artificial Intelligence on Economic Growth’, AI could “replace a quarter of work tasks in the US and Europe, but may also mean new jobs and a productivity boom [and] could eventually increase the total annual value of goods and services produced globally by 7%.”
Separately from AI’s impact on jobs and culture, though, is its direct impact on fashion, which is a cornerstone of both this story and an important brand announcement, also from this week.
While a lot of the attention has, understandably, been focused on how the generated image of the Pope managed to trick so many people, it’s also important to consider the other response it elicited: that the man looked chic. This raises the question of the role that generative AI is potentially going to play in trend creation (which might be an odd term, given that large models are typically accused of plagiarising existing work, rather than creating anything novel) when viral moments can be created around a piece of clothing that doesn’t really exist. In that scenario, should brands run with the moment and make that garment?
There are two elements to consider here: does the generated item bear too many style hallmarks of another brand (i.e. could it open your brand up to copyright infringement claims, depending on the prompt) and is it something that could potentially be producible? If a generated style passes both those tests it should – at least in theory – be subject to the same process as any other viral trend. The end result being that someone – and possibly several someones – will want to bring their own versions of it to market.
In fact, this whole cycle was wrapped into a neat package this week by G-Star Raw, which used Midjourney to generate a denim collection before going on to physically make one of the 12 top results, putting it on display in their retail location in Antwerp.
G-Star Raw’s designers seem keen on the idea of using AI as a tool to aid in their creativity, saying the following: “From a designer perspective, we can compare the impact of AI design to the effect Adobe Illustrator had on hand-sketching: it improved and accelerated the process, but always as a tool.” This is a common refrain among AI proponents, too, but it hinges on one key thing: the designer being conscious of the fact that they’re using AI as inspiration and assistance.
We should also point out that G Star’s experiment is different from “the Pope’s” AI-generated fashion in that this was all an in-house project, with no consumer influence until the real garment had already been made. Still, it’s a short hop to consider a scenario where consumers generate their own denim collection, have it go viral, and then either the original brand (or another opportunistic brand) decides to actually make one or more pieces from it.
Either way, it seems that fashion is destined to have AI be much more closely involved in trend creation and design assistance than anyone could have predicted would happen this quickly. And as generated images start to float to the surface of social media and other channels more often, we’re likely to eventually (and potentially very soon) see brands unknowingly using AI as inspiration.
Fast and frightening: AI-assisted product discovery, and outpacing regulations
Speaking of rapid advancement, we’ve also seen a massive leap in the link between AI and product discovery, which is something we wrote about a month ago as being an important question to address at an indeterminate point in the future before shopping became dominated by AI.
But that future point came around phenomenally quickly, and the past week saw shopping become directly integrated with AI as part of Open AI’s first wave of ChatGPT plugins. You can find out more about how plugins work, and why they represent such an important step in AI’s incredibly swift development by reading Open AI’s own article. But the key thing to consider here is that ChatGPT was only released at the end of November 2022, and by the end of March 2023 we have a direct plugin for product discovery, search, and pay-later shopping from Klarna. So when we consider the timeline from the average person saying “I can distinguish generated pictures from authentic ones” to “only trained experts and specifically developed programs can tell them apart” we should bear in mind that we’re probably talking months, not years, for the next milestone advancement.
As you have probably gathered, developments being made in AI are now moving far too quickly for rules and regulations to keep pace – with the consequence that some regulators seem to be opting to turn the other way.
As a case in point, regulators in key markets like the UK apparently consider the AI arms race to be so important for commercial and economic prosperity, that they’ve flat-out said no dedicated regulators will be appointment, and that instead, AI will be governed under existing frameworks. While this will no doubt play a part in realising the Goldman Sachs vision for heightened regional productivity and output, and is charitably intended to avoid curtailing innovation, the question remains whether innovation or harm will be AI’s most pronounced impact on the world.
Fashion, of all industries, perhaps has the most to gain from playing in that new creative space. But it also has a lot to lose if AI proves itself capable of replacing chunks of its direct and indirect workforce. So whether ours is an industry that ends up with more in the way of benefit or harm, only time will tell.
But we probably won’t have to wait too long to find out.
The best from The Interline:
This week, we published an exclusive feature from Bryce Quillin, PhD and Jessica Quillin, PhD, as well as a feature from the Founder of NOFORM.
In their first exclusive for The Interline, Bryce Quillin, PhD and Jessica Quillin, PhD, Co-Founders & Principals of It’s A Working Title, LLC shared their experiences on how this year’s SXSW became a nexus for a debate about where digital fashion stands, and where it should be headed.
Rahul Verma, Digital Fashion Design Consultant, and Founder of NOFORM, asks if digital working automatically equates to sustainable working? And if digital-only fashion is creating a false perception of what comprehensive DPC should really mean?


Stock futures were flat on Tuesday morning as Wall Street hoped for a modest rally ahead of another rate hike by the Federal Reserve.
Futures linked to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were slightly lower. S&P 500 futures fell 0.05%, while the Nasdaq 100 also lost 0.03%.
The Federal Open Market Committee begins its September meeting on Tuesday, and the central bank governor is expected to announce a 0.75 percentage point rate hike on Wednesday. Stocks have fallen in recent weeks as comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and a surprise consumer price index report for August prompted traders to brace for higher interest rates until inflation cools.
“I think a lot of work was done last week to reset rate expectations,” said Angelo Kourkafas, investment strategist at Edward Jones.
“The momentum in the stock market is down. …until we build this down pattern [inflation] readings, it’s hard to reverse the elevated uncertainty and volatility we’ve seen,” Kulcafas added.
Stocks rose in the afternoon during Monday’s choppy trading session, snapping a two-day losing streak and recouping some of their recent losses. The Dow rose 197 points, or about 0.6%. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite rose about 0.7% and 0.8%, respectively.
However, after the market closed on Monday, Ford announced that supply chain issues will cost the automaker an additional $1 billion in the third quarter. Shares fell 4.5% in extended trading.
On the economic front, investors will take a fresh look at the housing market Tuesday morning with reports on housing starts and building permits for August.


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COLLECTED POEMS, 1947-1997, by Allen Ginsberg. (Harper Perennial, $25.) Allen Ginsberg (pictured at right) died in 1997, but he is still making trouble. Earlier this month, 50 years after a judge ruled that his poem “Howl” was not obscene because it had “redeeming social importance,” a New York radio station declined to broadcast it for fear of being fined for indecency by the Federal Communications Commission. Luckily “Howl” appears in this new edition of Ginsberg’s “Collected Poems,” along with classics like “Kaddish” and nearly 1,200 pages’ worth of other, sometimes uneven but always exuberant work. A companion to the poems is I CELEBRATE MYSELF: The Somewhat Private Life of Allen Ginsberg (Penguin, $18), a well-researched, readable biography by Ginsberg’s friend and archivist Bill Morgan. It follows the writer from his New Jersey childhood through his incarnation as a Beat poet in New York and San Francisco to his role as the bard of the antiwar movement of the 1960s.
THE PRICE OF ADMISSION: How America’s Ruling Class Buys Its Way Into Elite Colleges — and Who Gets Left Outside the Gates, by Daniel Golden (Three Rivers, $14.95.) Golden, an education reporter for The Wall Street Journal, describes the college admissions process as a marketplace where “left-wing Hollywood movie stars and right-wing tycoons, old-money dynasties and nouveau riche” write checks or pull strings to secure places for their kids. Our reviewer, Michael Wolff, called the book “a delicious account of gross inequities in high places” that makes a larger point about America’s money culture.
THE MEANING OF NIGHT: A Confession, by Michael Cox. (Norton, $14.95.) This first novel, set in 1850s England, both follows and winks at the conventions of the Victorian novel. It includes an unreliable narrator, himself a murderer and opium fancier, and a sham poet who is trying to ingratiate himself with a childless aristocrat. In the Book Review, Susann Cokal found the narrative “as beguiling as it is intelligent, full of great country houses, epic loves, fierce anger and vicious habits of every sort.”
ANDREW CARNEGIE, by David Nasaw. (Penguin, $20.) Carnegie’s was an authentic rags-to-riches story: after arriving in Pittsburgh in the 1840s, he rose swiftly in the railroad business before entering the new steel industry. By 1900, Carnegie Steel was producing more than all of Britain, and its owner was perhaps the richest man in the world. Carnegie believed in investing in new technology (as well as in clandestine price-fixing and political bribes). He also believed that “the man who dies thus rich dies disgraced” and gave much of his money away, in the form of libraries, music halls and museums. David Nasaw, a historian at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, provides “a marvelous window onto both the man and his world,” John Steele Gordon wrote in The Times.
THE LIVES OF ROCKS: Stories, by Rick Bass. (Mariner/Houghton Mifflin, $13.95.) Although Bass lives in Montana, several of these 10 stories are set in the petrochemical haze of Houston, where he grew up. Bass, who has a reputation as a passionate advocate for the environment, is concerned with our capacity for finding beauty amid blight, and for realizing we are part of nature.Continue reading the main story
THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD: Racial, Ethnic, and Class Tensions in Four Chicago Neighborhoods and Their Meaning for America, by William Julius Wilson and Richard P. Taub. (Vintage, $14.) Wilson, a celebrated sociologist, and his colleague Taub spent three years interviewing the residents of working- and lower-middle-class communities on the South and West Sides of Chicago. Wilson and Taub focused on “the development of intergroup harmony in an era of rapid ethnic change,” but their results suggest that the goal of integration remains elusive.
THE LAW OF DREAMS, by Peter Behrens. (Random House, $13.95.) This first novel, about the Irish potato famine of the 1840s, is “an absorbing, unsparing and beautifully written account of one young man’s escape from the charnel house that Ireland became,” Kevin Baker said in the Book Review.
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE THUNDERBOLT KID: A Memoir, by Bill Bryson. (Broadway, $14.95.) “I can’t imagine there has ever been a more gratifying time to be alive than America in the 1950s,” Bryson writes in this ode to his happy midcentury childhood in Des Moines. Bryson, the author of “A Short History of Nearly Everything,” evokes the unsupervised freedom children then enjoyed and demonstrates a “lyrical gift for the tactile and noisome allure of childhood,” our reviewer, Jay Jennings, said.
ONE GOOD TURN, by Kate Atkinson. (Back Bay/Little, Brown, $13.99.) In her sixth book and second thriller, Atkinson displays her gift for manipulating multiple story lines. The novel begins when a timid mystery writer saves the victim of a road-rage incident in traffic for the Edinburgh arts festival; Jackson Brodie, the detective hero of Atkinson’s “Case Histories,” witnesses the fight, which turns the writer into an assassin’s target.
TESTIMONY: France, Europe, and the World in the Twenty-First Century, by Nicolas Sarkozy. Translated by Philip H. Gordon. (Harper Perennial, $15.95). This English-language edition combines two earlier books in which France’s new president reviews his career and presents his vision. “We discover a character willing to talk about anything, without stonewalling or taboos,” Bernard-Henri Lévy wrote in the Book Review.Continue reading the main story

domain: library


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A high quality wooden keepsake box for mothers day to keep her special things. This makes a delightful gift that is not only stylish but practical too. You can make it extra personal by choosing your own message to be engraved on the plaque, which is included in the price.
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Freya Design offers a unique collection of high quality, handmade and stylish keepsake and memory boxes, influenced by Scandinavian traditions and Nordic simplicity. MoreAsk Seller a Question


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You’ve done the Bottomless Brunch. Now you can go all-inclusive at night too –thanks to a new deal at a York bar.
Turtle Bay on Little Stonegate in York is one of just five locations in the chain that has launched a ‘bottomless dinner’.
The new endless cocktail dinner is designed for hedonist holiday vibes and includes a starter and main course, as well as an unlimited selection from the cocktail menu for two hours.
The price? It’s £39.50 per person.
The Caribbean beach-shack inspired restaurant has long featured bottomless brunches and late night happy hour, is combining the two “to extend the good times”.
The all inclusive dinner will be available from 7pm Monday to Thursday, and 5pm on Sunday, with last sittings taking place at 9.30pm.
On the food front, you can try the restaurant’s small plates collection, including Garlic Pit Prawns and Mac ‘n’ Cheese Bites, or mains like Curry Goat Hash and Bay Jerk Chicken.
“The whole of the cocktail menu is included in the all inclusive dinner so it’s a great opportunity to try as much of the tropical collection as possible,” a Turtle Bay spokesperson said.
You might try the new Pineapple Daiquiri (with Jamaica Cove Pineapple Rum and triple sec, fresh lime and pineapple); or perhaps the Rum Runner (white rum, amaretto and banana liqueur, fresh lime, grapefruit and raspberry).


You have to hand it to Hollywood polymath James Franco. He certainly seems unfazed when it comes to the challenges he sets himself. Adapting (with co-writer Matt Rager) and starring in this classic work from American author William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying (2013) also marks his feature directorial debut. While it’s undeniably messy and unwieldy, Franco’s efforts in bring the oft-phrased ‘unfilmable’ novel to the screen results in some absorbing moments amongst the excessive stylistics. When their mother succumbs to an undisclosed illness, the Bundren family, farmers in early 20th century Mississippi, set out on a difficult trek across harsh terrain in order to deliver her to her final burial place.
The journey is often fraught with difficulties and as it progresses, the family are beset by a number of setbacks, both physically and mentally. There’s the sense here that Franco has really turned the material inside out in his attempt to realise it for the screen. Finding a cinematic device to cater for the book’s multiple character narrations, Franco and his collaborator have the cast members address the camera throughout various moments in the film. The director also creates a predominately split-screen vantage point to convey the Bundren’s sense of emotional and geographical dislocation. This device initially resembles the fascinating non-linear structure deployed in Steven Soderbergh’s The Limey (1999), particularly when the action isn’t running concurrently between each image.
While this technique is suited to the story as it unfolds, it does grow increasingly tiresome as the action progresses. There’s a nagging feeling that the stylistics choices get in the way of the storytelling and that what’s being laid out is sometimes more akin to an extended art installation piece than that of a narrative feature. The film actually proves more effective during the uncluttered, single image moments where the family’s woes resonate much deeper. The superb cast Franco has pulled together help to smooth over some of the bumps, particularly in the case of Tim Blake Nelson as the emotionally-aloof, dentally-challenged patriarch. Franco is also strong as one of the sons, and it’s nice to see a cast-against-type Danny McBride in a small role as a helpful neighbour. Franco may have fallen a little short of his aims, but the lack of even a whiff of vanity means that As I Lay Dying is a commendable failure rather than a self-indulgent one.


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Agustin Edwards Ossandon
Members of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile
Chileans of Welsh descent
Chilean deputies Forum
Jose Agustin de Dios Edwards Ossandon was a Chilean politician and businessman, and one of the main forces behind the early railroad construction in South America.
Agustin Edwards was born in La Serena, the son of Jorge Edwards Brown and Isabel Ossandon Iribarren. At the age of 19, he started to manage the silver smelting operations owned by his father in the cities of Vallenar and Freirina. In 1837, by the age of 22, he became independent and moved to the city of Copiapo, with a small capital he had managed to save.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Agustin Edwards Ossandon

domain: history