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How do these water problems begin?
Industrial, commercial and residential development within watersheds increases yearly, and many of our lakes and rivers have been subjected to ever-increasing loads of nutrients, sediments, industrial pollutants, and raw sewage. The result is decreased water quality. Increased nutrient loadings are most commonly due to excessive use of fertilizers, malfunctioning sewage systems, industrial contamination and improper waste disposal within the watershed. As development continues, the amount of total hard surfaced area, such as roads and buildings, also increases; therefore, the volume and velocity of the water moving through the watershed into surface waters is increased. This run-off erodes soils and transports organic materials and nutrients from surface soils.
The elevated nutrient loadings that find their way into rivers, streams, lakes and ponds cause many environmental problems. These include: algae blooms, proliferation of unrooted aquatic plants, low Dissolved Oxygen levels, increased water temperature, unpleasant odor, increased coliform levels, stunted fish populations and fish kills when the Dissolved Oxygen reaches zero.
Healthy water bodies have a natural capacity to clean themselves. Every pond, lake and river is an individual or inter-connected ecosystem, with a food chain of organisms that assimilate the incoming nutrients. The food chain moves nutrients up from the simplest bacteria, to healthy plants, fish, and bird life. This natural system works very well without any man made system to improve water quality, keeping the ecosystem in balance until excessive human waste overwhelms the ability of the ecosystem to assimilate the nutrients.
Why do you not recommend adding chemicals to eutrophic water?
Chemical cleaning solutions kill weeds and algae, and the dying vegetation sinks to the bottom of the water-body where it decomposes. As the vegetation decays, nutrients in the plants are released back to the water column and become nutrients for the next weed growth or algae bloom. At the same time, decaying vegetation uses up the oxygen at the bottom, creating an anoxic zone. The dead mass of vegetation accumulates on the bottom of the lake adding to the mass of organic sediments already there.
If oxygen is present at the bottom, the accumulating organic sediments begin to decompose aerobically. This organic material serves as food for bacteria and other aerobic organisms that live in the substrate including insect larvae and worms. These aerobic organisms require and consume Dissolved Oxygen as they consume the organic sediments. As sediments and biological activity increase, Dissolved Oxygen levels are depleted. Low or no Dissolved Oxygen conditions can occur rapidly, wiping out these aerobic organisms which slows the breakdown of the organic sediments. Next begins the increased growth of anaerobic bacteria, the bacteria that thrive in low or no Dissolved Oxygen.
Anaerobic digestion of the organic sediments releases toxic green house gases into the water and atmosphere that further disrupt the food chain. Anaerobic digestion of lake sediments is a much slower process than aerobic digestion. Aerobic digestion can result in the control or reduction of organic sediment levels, whereas slow anaerobic digestion usually allows organic sediment levels to increase while releasing green house gases. During anaerobic digestion, bacterial enzymes and lack of oxygen make the nutrients on the bottom sediment soluble. These nutrients return to the water column and are available to support new weed and algae growth (i.e. water hyacinth, azolla, ect.).
Thus, chemical cleaning causes worse anaerobic conditions on the lake bottom which has a crippling effect on the food chain and the ecosystem.
Why aerobic bio-remediation?
To restore a water body to its original pristine condition, we must restore the natural processes that allow it to assimilate the nutrient load that it receives. We must supplement the natural assimilation of the nutrient load as it exists until the aquatic environment can sustain itself.
The natural assimilation of nutrients in an aquatic ecosystem begins to breakdown when these natural processes are limited or eliminated by low oxygen levels. Aerobic organisms are much more efficient at consuming organic material than anaerobic organisms. Aerobic organisms feed on organic materials contained in the sediments and assimilate these nutrients into increased body mass and reproduction. Aerobically absorbed nutrients become part of the food chain which moves up the chain and often out of the water.
By maintaining aerobic conditions at the bottom and throughout the water body, the food chain will improve in quantity and quality. Maintaining the aerobic environment prevents the accumulation of organic sediments. To the point - aerobic conditions at the bottom benefit all aspects of the aquatic environment.

domain: biology


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It’s been quiet around these parts for a good while, but it’s not for a lack of activity in my real life. Rather the opposite: I’ve been buried under a pile of responsibilities and activities both secular and religious, and writing that has no clear deadline or penalty (read: this blog) has gotten put to the wayside. Of course, there is in fact a penalty: I begin to feel like I have a well bottled up in me, and as if I’m betraying promises I made to the gods when I first started this site. And so, segue, I’m here to write about running ritual and the difficult but worthwhile responsibility it brings, centered around my first time running a ritual at this past Winter Solstice.
It all started half a year ago, when there was some chatter among the grove bards and priests about a bluegrass-y song a couple of us were writing for Samhain. That led to a discussion of washboards, both musical and for laundry, and somehow I ended up suggesting that the Winter Solstice celebration could be built around the story of the Cailleach Bheur washing her plaid in the whirlpool at Corryvreckan, thus ushering in the winter. And since, so far as I know, I’m the only one in the grove who deals in Scottish matters or has a relationship with the Cailleach, it fell to me to run the rite.
This sounded fine in July, but as December neared I felt more and more out of my depth. There’s not really a script for an ADF High Day ritual. There are some templates, there’s a basic breakdown of what must be included (and a bare handful of things that shouldn’t be), but beyond that it’s really quite open. In addition, Three Cranes Grove tends to leave parts open to the individuals performing them, rather than having the ritual leader script all the parts. In general I very much like that choice — I believe it encourages individuals to develop their own strengths as ritual practitioners — but in this case, with my ideas being very much in formation even a week before the ritual, it was nervewracking. How to wrangle all these individual contributions into a cohesive ritual that both duly honored the gods and spirits we invited to our fire, and also provided an emotionally and spiritually satisfying experience to those in attendance, when I hadn’t even yet figured out what I was doing? It felt like juggling sand.
Nevertheless, in the weeks preceding, the bardic team recorded scratch recordings for grove members to learn music beforehand if they wished (I wrote two songs for the occasion, and we used rather less-common songs to fill in the rest, in order to strike the proper tone); I did a lot of researching in Scottish Gaelic to come up with names for the many spirits we call on (that were culturally appropriate and linguistically accurate to the best of my ability), and recorded pronunciations for everyone; I wrote a ritual outline to try to get across my vision for the arc of the ritual. Most everyone seemed relatively unconcerned, and I put a good face on it, but I was still terribly anxious.
And then the day came. We had some small fumbles, but I put on my improviser’s face and ran with it. We neglected to bless the Hallows, but they still opened as gates to send our prayers to the Ancestors, the Nature Spirits, and the Shining Ones. My guitar playing still could use a lot of work, but playing a hymn that I wrote to the Cailleach Bheur, in her divine presence and with the praise of the folk poured out on the altar, was a staggeringly gratifying experience.
The greatest experience of the ritual, however, was the part for which I’d prepared least. During ritual prep, Jan and I had had many discussions about what to do for a working: what would send the folk out into the dark winter with a sense of joy and hope, rather than a sense of doom and cold? And how could that be appropriate for a goddess who is, frankly, often terrifying, and whose usual image is not of returning light and warmth (cf. Sol Invictus), but rather of darkness and privation? As I meditated on the Cailleach, I thought about her purpose, and the winter’s purpose: the winter brings a respite to the growing land, a time of enforced repose. The Cailleach’s greatest terror, the biting cold of winter, is also her greatest gift. And so we decided that we would have paperwhite bulbs on the altar throughout, and in the working we would have the folk light candles to symbolize the warmth of community, and infuse that energy into the bulbs. That way, as they sprouted and grew in people’s homes, despite the pall of winter outside, they would grow with them the light of community and the promise of renewed vigor in the coming year.
As I describe it above, this sounds well thought out, but in fact I wrote no introduction, not even notes to self. Literally all I had were some general ideas, and a basic plan that two members of my ritual team would begin passing light from candle to candle as we sang a two-line chant:
Out of the darkness comes the dawning of the light.
Out of the winter’s cold comes the warmth of firelight.
And that was it: no plans for how I was supposed to actually do the work. And yet as we all sang, I felt the prayers of the people around me almost as a tangible fluid, and I felt the chill of the Cailleach at my back, cold but also insulative. I felt my hands spread and lift, rising like green shoots and then turning and pressing life and holiness into the bulbs. In watching the video after the fact, I see a resemblance to the Catholic priests of my upbringing as they consecrate the Eucharist, but until right now, as I write, I’ve been hesitant to call this a consecration: that word seems almost illicit, off-limits to me as a layperson. But I realize as I write how important it is for me to claim ‘consecration’, to recognize its power and its weight. In leading the working, I was channeling the prayers of the people and awful might of the Hag of Winter: that’s the power. But I also had a duty in that moment, a responsibility to the folk and to the divine: that’s the weight. Wrongly directed, the whole coordinated effort falls apart magically — that’s weight enough. But even more so, to not perform the duties we volunteer for would be a betrayal of the implicit promise we make as ritual practitioners to act in good faith toward those attending, both mortal and immortal.
It was a good weight, and a holy one. At the end of the ritual I nearly started crying, not only with relief at how well it had gone, but also with a sort of release of the emotional, spiritual work I’d done. It felt like a post-performance glow and let-down, but magnitudes greater. I’m glad to pass on the responsibility to someone else for Imbolc, but I’m also honored by the opportunity to carry it for this high day, and to take it up again in the future. A Mhàthair Talmhainn, Dheachdaidh, Shinnseara, Spiorada Nàdair, Dhiatha, agus Chailleach Bheur — to the Earth Mother, the powers of Inspiration, the Ancestors, Nature Spirits, Gods and Goddesses, and to the Cailleach Bheur — as well as to my community in Three Cranes Grove, my humble praise and thanks.
Header image: “Fog Bow” by Christopher Michel/Flickr. License: CC BY.

domain: artistic


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The Serbian Orthodox Church in North, Central and South America is canonically and hierarchically an integral part of the Serbian Orthodox Church (Patriarchate), with its See in Belgrade, Serbia. The USA Dioceses have Administrative Autonomy in all matters which pertain to the administration of external church affairs: the ownership, control, possession, management and administration of the real and personal property of the Dioceses and their Monasteries, Church-School Congregations and other constituent bodies.
The joint activities of the USA Dioceses are governed by the Episcopal Council and Central Council, both of which have as their seat Saint Sava Monastery in Libertyville, Illinois, which is the first Serbian Orthodox Monastery in the USA (1923), dedicated to the first Archbishop and Enlightener of the Serbs. 2019 marks 800 years since Saint Sava obtained autocephalous (self-governing) status for the Serbian Orthodox Church.
There are presently three (3) USA Dioceses:
• the Diocese of New Gracanica-Midwestern America, with its See in Third Lake, Illinois;
• the Diocese of Eastern America, with its See in New York, New York; and
• the Diocese of Western America, with its See in Alhambra, California.
The first Serbian Orthodox immigrants came to the USA in the late 18th century but the first large wave arrived in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century. This first group came from all parts of southeast Europe where Serbs lived at that time. Many were escaping religious/ethnic persecution in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Turkish Empire; others were economic immigrants from the Kingdom of Serbia and the Kingdom of Montenegro.
The first distinctly Serbian Orthodox community was established in the mining town of Jackson, California in the Sierra Foothills, where in 1894, Saint Sava Church was built atop a hill overlooking the town. This church still stands and is considered the oldest Serbian Orthodox Church in the USA. Soon after, other parishes were founded in places like the port city of Galveston, Texas and the industrial/mining centers in the East (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan) and the Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Montana).
Major “personalities” who contributed significantly to the history of the Church in the USA were:
—Saint Archimandrite Sebastian (Dabovich) was the first US-born and ordained Orthodox Christian priest/missionary, who built St. Sava Church in Jackson, and established many other Orthodox communities in the USA. He was canonized by the Church in 2015 and his relics repose in Jackson. He was known as the “English preacher” of the San Francisco Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox North American mission;
—the prominent theologian Saint Bishop Nicholai (Velimirovic), who was placed in the calendar of saints in 2003, who known for eloquent preaching and writing and is often referred to as “the New Chrysostom;” and
—Saint Bishop Mardarije (Uskokovic) who was the first Serbian Orthodox Bishop of the USA and Canada, and was canonized a Saint in 2015.
These first Serbian Orthodox parishes in the USA were united as the “Serbian Mission” under the omophorion of the multi-ethnic Russian Orthodox American Metropolia, led by the Russian Archbishop in New York. When then-Archimandrite Mardarije (Uskokovic) arrived in the USA in 1917, he was appointed as Administrator of the Serbian Mission and was placed in charge of these parishes by the Russian Archbishop.
However, in the wake of the Bolshevik Communist revolution in Russia, the Serbian Orthodox Mission and its parishes petitioned for acceptance by the Serbian Orthodox Patriarchate in Belgrade, which proceeded in 1921 to establish the Serbian Orthodox Diocese of the United States of America and Canada, with its See in Chicago, Illinois. The first Administrator of this Diocese was Bishop Nicholai (Velimirovic). In 1927, Archimandrite Mardarije was elected as the first resident ruling bishop. Among Bishop Mardarije’s most remarkable accomplishments was the adoption of the first Diocesan Constitution (1927) and the founding of the Saint Sava Monastery in Libertyville, Illinois, which became the Diocesan See and the center of spiritual life and place of pilgrimage for the Serbian Orthodox community in America.
Saint Sava Monastery has a beautiful Russian-styled Church (built in 1931), which is a US National Historical Landmark. The Monastery cemetery is where many prominent figures were laid to rest: Saint Bishop Mardarije, Saint Bishop Nicholai, King Peter II Karadjordjevic (King of Yugoslavia who died in exile), the famous poet Jovan Duchich, Serbian government officials and army officers, etc. Since 2017, Saint Mardarije’s relics repose in a reliquary in the Monastery Church and pilgrims from all over the USA come to pray before them, asking for his intercession.
Like other Eastern European communities in the USA, the Serbian Orthodox community in the USA was deeply affected by the political changes in Yugoslavia, both during and after the Second World War, when a Communist regime took control.
Just before the beginning of the Second World War, in 1940, the Holy Assembly of Bishops had appointed Bishop Dionisije (Milivojevic) to head the USA-Canada Diocese. At the end of the war, a huge wave of displaced persons and political refugees arrived, including many priests. Bishop Dionisije and his talented team of clergy strengthened existing institutions and established new ones. In particular, Bishop Dionisije spearheaded the creation of the philanthropic “Federation of Circles of Serbian Sisters”, which together with the Diocesan Council established the first Orthodox Christian children’s summer camp at Saint Sava Monastery in Libertyville, Illinois. In the early 1950s, over 1400 acres were purchased by the Diocese in Shadeland, Pennsylvania, where a Charity Home and another children’s camp were established. In the early 1960s, the Diocese also purchased land in Jackson California, were a third summer camp was formed. These summer camps continue today to provide year-round opportunities for Christian Education and recreation for children and youth.
In 1963, the Holy Assembly of Bishops in Belgrade decided to re-organize the existing single USA-Canada Diocese into three dioceses (Midwest, East/Canada, West). Bishop Dionisije disagreed with and disobeyed this decision. A tragic division ensued, which lasted almost thirty (30) years. Canonical and hierarchical reunification began in 1992 (eucharistic unity with parallel diocesan structures) and culminated in 2009 with full administrative reunification (by way of diocesan arrondation/elimination of the parallelism).
The Serbian Orthodox community in the USA continues to grow both through the influx of new members who embraced Orthodoxy from other faith communities as well as new waves of Serbian immigration, many of who are refugees from the civil wars that engulfed Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Today, the Serbian Orthodox Church in North, Central and South America has over 120 parishes, 11 monasteries, and a theological school. Many of these Churches are breathtaking representations of Serbo-Byzantine architecture, which include unique characteristic elements from the Middle Ages. These church buildings are monuments to the timeless qualities of the Serbian Orthodox Church and noteworthy cultural contributions of the Serbian people’s ancestry. An example of this impressive architecture is a replica of Gracanica Monastery (which was built in 1321 and is located in the Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija), which is known as “New Gracanica” Monastery (which was built in 1984 and is located in Third Lake, Illinois). The “Old Gracanica” of Kosovo and Metohija, the famous church that was continually destroyed and rebuilt, is an example of the powerful Serbian spirit that, with the Church as its guide, carried itself from an age of struggle in Serbia, which now finds its expression in an age of peace in the USA, in Third Lake, Illinois, in the form of the “New Gracanica” Monastery.
The ministries of the Serbian Orthodox Church in North, Central and South America include the development of Serbian Liturgical Music in the English language, Christian Education and Youth Programs, Stewardship Awareness, Publications, Missions and Outreach.
The official news publication of the Serbian Orthodox Church in North, Central and South Americais The Path of Orthodoxy, a quarterly magazine.
There are many other ongoing efforts in Orthodox witness, such as Sebastian Press of the Diocese of Western America, established in 2007, which has published nearly one hundred theological works by such noteworthy Serbian theologians as Saint Justin (Popovic), Saint Nicholai (Velimirovic), and Bishop Atanasije (Jevtic) in the English language.
In 2019, the Serbian Orthodox Church published a rare and exception work, THE SERBIAN CHRISTIAN HERITAGE OF AMERICA: The Historical, Spiritual and Cultural presence of the Serbian Diaspora in North America (1815-2019). This book consists of 1004 pages, in a hardbound, with over 700 photos of the most important historical figures, churches, parishes, monasteries, frescoes, icons and other art objects. It contains professional texts of prominent historians, theologians, artists, and others who are leading experts in the areas from which they write.

domain: history


Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has hailed her visit to Washington after what she said was “false propaganda” around her right-wing government.
Ms Meloni received a warm welcome during a meeting at the White House with US President Joe Biden, who praised her steady backing of Ukraine.
Ms Meloni told Italy’s Sky Tg24: “False propaganda, so to speak, preceded me, which described the idea of a centre-right government as a disaster in terms of maintaining international relations, in terms of economic stability for Italy, in terms of institutional and national stability.
“But in reality, once it was no longer possible to mystify – because facts count more than the narrative built around those facts – it emerged that a centre-right government led by Giorgia Meloni as prime minister is a serious government.”
Ms Meloni is at the helm of Italy’s first far-right-led government since the end of the Second World War. She is also the first woman to hold the position of prime minister in the country.
Who is Giorgia Meloni? A profile of Italy’s prime minister
Her ideology had caused some concern in Washington, but the two leaders vowed to deepen economic ties and strengthen cooperation on challenges posed by China.
Mr Biden said he and Ms Meloni had “become friends”.
“Italy and the United States are also standing strong with Ukraine, and I compliment you on your very strong support in defending against Russian atrocities, and that’s what they are,” the US president told her at the start of their Oval Office meeting.
With China high on the agenda, Ms Meloni also met with Henry Kissinger, the former US diplomat who played a key role in normalising ties between Washington and Beijing in the 1970s.
The two also discussed artificial intelligence, with the Italian PM saying she is “fearful” of its potential implications.
“If we make the same mistake we did with globalisation, letting it go and then finding ourselves catching up, the impact could be irreparable,” she said.
“So far, for better or worse, progress has enhanced our skills and been at the service of humans. The centrality of the human being has never been in question.
“When machines start thinking, you see that progress risks becoming a substitute for humans. And this should frighten us.”
The Italian prime minister said she envisages “an intervention by states and international organisations – and I hope we can agree on the fact that human beings should remain at the centre of our world.”
Italy takes over the presidency of the Group of Seven (G7) nations next year.


Black Orchid Empire Touring the UK this Fall!
Black Orchid Empire have quite the reputation as a ferocious live band.
Today, the British prog rockers are announcing a fresh run of tour dates. They'll be playing shows across the UK this October. Get tickets HERE.
"We're super stoked to be heading back out on the road!" says vocalist and guitarist Paul Visser. "It's been awesome to see the fantastic response to 'Tempus Veritas' and we can't wait to play some of these songs to people who haven't experienced them live before. This tour hits a few new places for us - go grab a ticket and we'll see you at a show!"
Black Orchid Empire have blown away audiences across Europe with heavy metallic riffs, crisp but concussive drumming and aching vocal melodies. Festival crowds have screamed along to their powerhouse choruses at Download, Standon Calling and Planet Rockstock. They've got a big fan in Skin, who's brought them on tour with Skunk Anansie.
The band will be playing songs off 'Tempus Veritas'. New Noise said "there simply isn't a note that falls flat" on their new album and called Black Orchid Empire "the new standard for prog rock.
Go behind the scenes of 'Tempus Veritas' and learn how Black Orchid Empire was inspired by Galileo, Vikings and other moments in "hi-fi".


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Bradenton, Florida – The Antigua and Barbuda national football team has taken its World Cup Russia 2018 preparation to the United States for a 10 camp.
The Bennaboys who recently won 3 friendly matches in the month of march have changed the fields and white sandy beaches of Antigua to the IMG Academy, a high performance center in Bradenton Florida. The team will be undergo a tough training regime during their time in Florida while also playing friendly matches.
Attending the camp are under 23 players Davrick lockhart of Fort Road F.C, Jamoy Stevens, Jamarlie Stevens, Javorn Stevens, Eugene Kirwan and Tomarley “Ziggy” Thomas of Greenbay Hoppers F.C. They are joined by Parham F.C contingent Molvin James, Akeem “Leppy” Thomas and Lawson Robinson.
Players on trial from the UK are Kyjuon Marsh-Brown of Brentford F.C, Reece Beckles of Woking F.C and Remish Richards from Interwood F.C Academy.
Technical Director Piotr Nowak and head coach Rolston “Debu” Williams aim to not only prepare the players for World Cup and under 23 qualifiers but also build team chemistry.

domain: geography


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Summary of the Discussion
The discussion suggested several directions in which to develop a theory of long-run technical progress as sketched by Harry Johnson in the paper. Historical as well as contemporary examples were given to illustrate the importance of technical breakthroughs for the global location of economic activity. Attention was given to the effects of warfare and of the military sector in developing new technology, and to nations as social groups initiating major technical innovations. Governmental attempts to close technological ‘gaps’ and the practice of applying Western technologies in LDCs were emphasised. The discussion also treated the interaction between technological change, geographic factor movements and migration policies. Finally, it was argued that the effects on trade patterns of economies of scale should be analysed. This session was chaired by Michael Michaely.
KeywordsTechnological Change Trade Pattern Migration Policy Domestic Labour Global Location
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
- 1.He referred to Lynn White, Medieval Technology and Social Change (Oxford, 1962), which contained an interesting essay on how attempts to raise a cavalry following this invention led to the growth of feudalism.Google Scholar
- 2.See Fernand Braudel, The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II, New York, Harper (translated from the revised French edition of 1966), Vol. II (1975).Google Scholar

domain: library


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“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17 (KJV)
How can your faith be contagious in an environment that is fearful and unbelieving? Faith comes by hearing God’s Word and it spreads by speaking God’s Word. When you are around someone that is full of faith, no matter what your attitude may be at the time, their faith will affect you. Our words of faith can awaken sleeping giants in others. God’s word goes straight to the heart and causes immediate change on the inside. It is alive, sharp, powerful, and very active! It is like the doctors, “CLEAR!!!” when someone is dying. It was Joshua and Caleb’s faith that spread to the entire people of Israel causing them to enter into the Promised Land. How did that happen? Through Joshua’s words of faith. Let your faith be contagious through the words that you speak. More than your private prayers, people need to hear what you believe. If you know God will make a way, say it! If you know God will provide, say it! If you know He is faithful and will do what He said, say it! Don’t hold back your words of faith and close your mouth while others stay in fear! Speak God’s words and your faith will spread contagiously!
Prayer: Father God, Your Word is sharp, powerful, and alive. When I hear it, it affects me in a great way. I know if it has such a great impact on me, it will have a great impact on others, even when it doesn’t look like it. Let my faith be contagious, Lord! Yes, let it spread! I pray when I speak Your words out of my mouth that it causes people to awaken and come alive in You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

domain: literature


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Freeform Crochet Patterns Tutorial 9studio sheru
In this freeform video pattern I will demonstrate you how to crochet the triple-colored scrumble motif.
Begin the work from the spiral then I'm using different basics method such as Tunisian crochet, puff stitches, bullion block stitches, reverse single crochet and so on that you can use in different sequences.
Freeform Crochet Video
The membership is closed. All videos and patterns that were included in the membership, will be published free on the website.
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Mata Gujri College becomes Pbi Uni Football Champion
Football Team of Mata Gujri College, Fatehgarh Sahib won the championship trophy by defeating E.C.P.E, Jhunir college in the five-day inter-college football tournament organised by Punjabi University, Patiala.
15 teams from different colleges of Punjabi University have participated in this tournament organised here at Mata Gujri College. After knock-out competitions, the teams of four colleges reached the league competition. In the final match, Mata Gujri College has won the championship trophy by defeating the E.C.P.E. Jhunir College. Mata Gujri College’s player Navjot Singh has been adjudged as the best player in this tournament.
Director Principal Dr. Kashmir Singh congratulated the players and their coaches for the victory. He said that sports equipped the students with the qualities of discipline, coordination, leadership, excellence besides providing the job opportunities.
Head of Physical Education, Dr. Parminder Kaur Randhawa said that this success was the result of untiring hard work of the players and the able guidance of their coach Bahadar Singh.

domain: news


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Whether you crave relaxing beach vibes or possibly a once-in-a-lifetime safari vacation, the Seychelles offer the most of both worlds. Bora Bora’s hibiscus-scented lagoon and white-sand shorelines are unparalleled, when rugged Shape and Praslin happen to be paradises for the purpose of couples who all love to explore mutually.
For your city honeymoon vacation, nothing defeats New York. From your top of the Empire State Building to a rooftop dinner and a show, there exists romance in every corner on this vibrant locale.
Venice’s canals, gondolas and Medieval palaces make this one of the best locations to honeymoon. Couples can stick around above candlelit dishes in an old-world luxury lodge and explore stunning landmarks together.
A trip to Venice wouldn’t become complete without a gondola ride, serenaded by a stripy-shirt-and-hat-clad gondolier. Fine art and customs buffs can discover the city’s many museums and galleries, or perhaps attend a great opera performance at Teatro La Fenice.
The Greek area of Santorini, or Thera simply because it is called by simply locals, is definitely one of many world’s the majority of romantic honeymoon destinations. Its unique landscapes offer attention-grabbing views and awe-inspiring experience.
Long-haul sun seekers can obtain the islands of French Polynesia. Bora Bora is exactly where overwater bungalows originated and it offers a dreamy setting up for a luxurious getaway.
For a more affordable choice, Slovenia provides a mix of batch and beach front. Don’t keep without hoping a souvlaki (pork, rooster or lamb wrapped in vine leaves) and syrupy baklava.
You can explore stylish villages and breathtaking beaches on your vacation in Cape Cod. You can even take a romantic tour of the lighthouse or perhaps learn to sail.
Add to your honeymoon experience by visiting Nantucket, a small tropical isle that gives boutique shops and dining possibilities. Another great experience is taking a winery tour. You can enjoy wines which might be crafted in the region https://order-bride.com/latin-girls/caribbean/ by many different vineyards.
Banff Countrywide Park can be described as breathtaking destination with lots of romantic activities. You can go through the beauty of the location in each and every season!
Possibly the best things to do in Banff is take a scenic helicopter airfare. This is an experience you and your brand-new spouse will not forget.
Great activity can be horseback riding in the mountains. This is certainly a very enjoyable activity with breathtaking beautiful places!
The small island of Sri Lanka seems to have an enormous personality and an unique vibrancy. The selection includes enchanting colonial time towns, hilly landscapes blanketed with lush tea plantations and thriving nationwide recreational areas skirted by simply miles of sandy beaches.
Those who like animals can feed marine turtles in Turtle Seaside, spot leopards at Yala and go to the elephant flow home that cares for orphaned elephants prior to returning them to the outrageous.
The tropical paradise of Bali, Dalam negri, is mostly a must-visit for the purpose of couples who all love doing yoga retreats and one of a kind island dishes. Encounter local lifestyle for mist-shrouded wats or temples and spectacular hill vistas.
Try a traditional Balinese dinner of Bebek Bengil (fried duck), then watch a dramatic Kecak dance overall performance at Uluwatu Temple. This place also has a lively night life and exciting buying. Enjoy a wide range of outdoorsy experiences, including camping and bird-watching.
The tropical Carribbean isle of Desfiladero Rico includes a little bit of everything that couples love. A fresh perfect honeymoon vacation destination that offers Latin lifestyle, outdoor escapades, and great beach locations, all in one place.
Check out Old San Juan and stroll it is cobblestone streets or walk through Este Yunque National Forest to find out its spectacular bioluminescent lagoons. Then, treat yourselves at a wonderful Puerto Rican resort.
Tuscany’s bucolic hills and picturesque landscapes be like they were plucked from a travelling poster. The region is also residence to Renaissance masterpieces and all natural splendors https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-manage-an-older-woman-younger-man-relationship-5210396 that range from lunar-like clay-based canyons to rocky mountain range and a healthy 250 miles of Mediterranean https://camnangchamsocsuckhoe.com/chua-duoc-phan-loai/manifesting-a-relationship-dialog-starters-with-respect-to-couples.html coastline.
To completely experience Tuscany, go to a sagra (festival) and eat regional foods the fact that the residents of small towns prepare. These kinds of feasts consist of everything from truffles to beer.
Following months of planning, navigating with capacity of charts and saying “I do, ” newlyweds are entitled to an bienfaisant honeymoon to damaged spot the start of all their lives together. These kinds of top honeymoon vacation areas offer a very little something for each and every kind of couple, from secluded island hideaways to cosy off-road getaways.
Dazzlingly futuristic Dubai presents glitz and glamour in abundance. Try a snowball fight or possibly a romantic wilderness camel ride in this outstanding city.
Barefoot extravagance is justa round the corner at this 620-acre resort, where lovers dine dockside and enjoy the blend of Philippine and Oriental flavors. With proximate sister homes Fairmont and Banyan Tree, guests can easily hop among these beach-front resorts.
Wine lovers enjoy Napa Area and Sonoma County’s cozy vineyard villages and worldclass wines. For a stand-out stay, publication a luxurious package at the Motel Traditions, which features decor that nods to Oscar Schwule and P. G. Wodehouse.


Big Sam has a contract until 2015.
West Ham United have drawn up a three-man short list of possible candidates to take over from their under-pressure head coach Sam Allardyce in the Upton Park dugout next season, according to reports in the Sunday Mirror.
SEE ALSO: The top 10 managers in world football
The East London club held a board meeting last Tuesday in which it had been expected that Allardyce would be given his marching orders after a disappointing last campaign in which the club flirted with relegation from the Premier League, with the Hammers fan in particular not happy with the style of football on display at Upton Park.
And with West Ham due to move into the Olympic Stadium on Stratford at the end of next season, co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan are understood to be determined to bring on board a new manager who can change the brand of football at the club, with Feyenoord boss Ronald Koeman, Sunderland manager Gus Poyet and former Manchester United coach David Moyes all said to currently be under consideration for the role in the east end of London next season.


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Note: I don’t speak French, I’m responding to a Google Translate version of the original post, so I’ll refrain from my usual special attention to semantics, in order not to dwell on what may be a technical mistake in translation.
Last Wednesday, Jacky Terrasson’s agent, Christophe Deghelt, responded to the massive campaign to boycott the Israel state sponsored Red Sea Jazz Festival (more details on the government and corporate connections of the festival in this article). Since thought did actually go into this post, I think we in the BDS movement should respond. So here it is, point-by-point. I hope this furthers public discussion, as BDS so often does, because just like Christophe Deghelt, this is a “debate that I hold dear”.
Note: Stanley Jordan is scheduled to perform in the Red Sea Jazz Festival between 17-19 of January. Although, after much deep soul searching, he has written a statement that he intends to continue as scheduled (below), in our political reality, we don’t give up until the Jazzist plucks the first guitar string in front of a segregated audience.
For your convenience, the rest of the international artists performing in the festival are listed at the end of this article.
I’m a Spiritual Atheist. I never knew you could capitalize that phrase, but thank DOG, the internet is a wondrous place:
SPIRITUAL ATHEISTS are people who are:
Spiritual Atheists do not believe in the existence of an entity external to the universe that supposedly created and rules the universe… Spiritual Atheists generally recognize the word “God” as a personal name that has been given to the collective personality of the infinite and eternal universe… Even so, many Spiritual Atheists are extremely reluctant to make use of the word “God”, due to the extreme desecration it has suffered by traditional Theists and Atheists alike.
Spiritual Atheists believe that the entire universe is, in some way, connected; even if only by the mysterious flow of cause and effect at every scale. Therefore, Spiritual Atheists generally feel that as they go about their lives striving to be personally healthy and happy, they should also be striving to help the world around them be healthy and happy! (“Wholistic Ethics”)
There are many people in the world like me. Some are atheists, some are theists. I respect all’s choices and love me a good theological debate, but to me, the most important piece of information in the above quote is “generally feel that as they go about their lives striving to be personally healthy and happy, they should also be striving to help the world around them be healthy and happy!”. This is also the first time I’ve heard the phrase “Wholistic Ethics”, I have my critique of it (and also have a critique of trying to unite atheists who define themselves as spiritual), but that would derail the conversation from what I really want to talk about: What does spirituality have to do with politics?Continue reading “Spirituality, Stanley Jordan, and BDS”
Earlier this week, I found a message in my inbox by an Israeli, who’s a Jazz musician, who’s paying gig was canceled because of a successful BDS movement campaign to get Swedish Jazzist, Andreas Öberg, to cancel his gig in the Eilat Red Sea Jazz Festival. Usually, the extent of my response, when I get unsolicited mail from angry Israelis, is to take a screenshot and add it to my “Love Letters” albums on my Facebook profile. Call it an artistic form of exhibiting political repression, racism and sexism, if you will (but what does culture have to do with politics, I wonder…). This time, however, since we’re not talking about your typical angry Red Hot Chili Peppers fan, but someone who has lost a paying gig. I think it merits a response (even though, as I will argue below, I am actually not the address for cultural worker grievances).
As a BDS activist, whose main focus is cultural boycott, I’ve come up against a very common Israeli claim (individuals, small business, and government officials) that “culture has nothing to do with politics”. Most commonly it comes in the form of a puzzled “rhetorical” question: “What does culture have to do with politics?!” As if asking this question closes the discussion, because it’s so obvious that art, music, books, films, theater and dance are a pure form of entertainment that has no intellectual, political, anthropological value. As if cultural products aren’t bought and sold as commodities and status indicators.
Shuki Weiss Promotion and Production Ltd. in the Service of the State of Israel
You book some tour, receive some award, get an event invitation. “They love me! They really love me!” you think. Or maybe “Woah, cool! I always wanted to go to Murmansk!” All of a sudden, out of nowhere, you start getting letters from Arizona: “Dude, we’re trying to have a picket line here, you’re seriously treading on our turf! Boycott racism!” Panicked, you call your agent: “But I just wanted to make music!” Your agent, being payed to be in contact with the corporeal world tells you how it is: “We’ll have to loose some revenue, but let’s donate this concert’s proceeds to these people’s organizations!”, better yet “let’s buy activists off with free tickets!” Without much debate, you happily pack your bags and head off in your private airplane to the Congo. After all, what do you know about politics?
In what is a bitter irony, whilst reaping the PR benefits of association with the 2012 Paralympics, the Dow Chemical Corporation is directly responsible for wave after wave of disability in faraway lands.
Today begin London’s 2012 Paralympics, set to be opened by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. For another two weeks, we will hear Lord Sebastian Coe and other LOCOG officials’ lofty statements not just about the games’ alleged spirit of inclusiveness but also about their role in the empowerment of disabled people and the challenging of misconceptions around disability. Such pomp and pageantry however, is disingenuous to its core, something recognised by many disability rights campaigners.
Dogging the games for several months now has been controversy relating to corporate sponsorship from a variety of the world’s murkiest companies. The Paralympic games allow for what The Nation’s Dave Zirin has termed ‘corporate sin washing’ more than any other athletic spectacle.
As many have noted, from McDonalds and Coca-Cola, partly responsible for obesity epidemics worldwide, to British Petroleum, notorious for off-shore drilling and funding climate change denial, the list of sponsors leaves one bewildered.
Last month, Stuart Jeffries writing in the Guardian, observed, “Capitalism is in crisis across the globe – but what on earth is the alternative?” In 1840, Orestes Brownson in his essay “The Laboring Classes,” asked the same question, “…what shall government do? … Its first doing must be an undoing. … We want first the legislation which shall free the government, whether State of Federal, from the control of the Banks. … a banking system like ours, if sustained, necessarily and inevitably becomes the real and efficient government of the country.” How ironic that 172 years ago, only 49 years after the adoption of the Bill of Rights, Brownson notes, “… at the end of ten years (of) constant hostility, (we know) all too well the power of the Banks, and their fatal influence on the political action of the community.” He declares further that “uncompromising hostility” against the banking system should be the motto of every working man, and of “every friend of humanity.”
Brownson’s “Laboring Classes” is a call to action, virtually at the inception of the country, to put the control of the government back in the hands of the people. “The system must be destroyed….The system is at war with the rights and interest of labor, and it must go.” How ironic Jeffries’ observation of the current state of affairs when contrasted to that of Brownson.
“Today, 164 years after Marx and Engels wrote about grave-diggers, the truth is almost the exact opposite. The proletariat, far from burying capitalism, are keeping it on life support. Overworked, underpaid workers ostensibly liberated by the largest socialist revolution in history (China’s) are driven to the brink of suicide to keep those in the west playing with their iPads. Chinese money bankrolls an otherwise bankrupt America.”

domain: politics


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Outdoor furniture left soaking in the heavy rain, ends up covered with dust and dirt. Removing the traces of bad weather is a long and tiring process. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart have come up with a strange solution, quite smart though. Furniture can clean itself, when the sunlight comes out of the clouds again.
Plastic surfaces can be treated with titanium dioxide that reacts with UV rays and leads to chemical reaction initiating the cleaning process. The reaction is electrochemical and is antibacterial – titanium dioxide is antiseptic killing all bacteria, fungi, algae thanks to sunlight.
Researchers tested the new coating on surfaces with bacterial cultures applied on. Self-cleaning surfaces were left outdoors for 2 years. Then when compared to regular non-special coated surfaces, it turned out that the photo-catalytic plastic furniture was almost immaculate. The ordinary plastic furniture was heavily stained almost uncleanable.
The new sunlight activated coating can be used on various surfaces, even on smartphone screens, removing oily marks and fingerprints. When applied on glass wear, it needs 1 hour of direct sunlight to be activated.
The team is now working on titanium dioxide coating that can be applied indoors, activated by artificial light.

domain: chemistry


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Lauren Laverne has done it again. I was listening to her 6 Music show from Monday morning and up popped a song called Dog Years by a guy called Luke Rathborne.
So obviously after hearing that I bought the EP from iTunes, I think Dog Years is the best song on it, but at the same time if it just so happened to be a lazy sunday evening the whole thing could be perfect, or any point in the week when recovering from a hangover. Listen to it on Soundcloud, it’s free that way.
Lauren Laverne on 6, best radio show on the BBC, my favourite from anywhere in fact, 10am-1pm weekdays, I think that if she actually likes 85.72% of everything she plays then we share a very similar music taste.

domain: entertainment


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2012 Planting Projections
2012 Prospective Plantings
Released March 30, 2012, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
|Peanut Area Planted – States and United States: 2010-2012|
|State||2010||2011||2012*||Percent of Previous Year|
* Intended plantings in 2012 as indicated by reports from farmers.
Peanuts: Growers intend to plant 1.42 million acres in 2012, up 25 percent from the previous year. Record high planted area is expected in South Carolina. If realized, planted area in Florida and Mississippi will be the highest since 1951 and 1943, respectively.
The expected increase in planted area is largely driven by higher peanut prices and low supply. Last year growers decreased peanut acres in many States due to higher prices of competing commodities. Strong demand left peanuts in short supply, indicating the need to increase production in 2012.
Listed below is the commodity statistician in the Crops Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service to contact for additional information. E-mail inquiries may be sent to email@example.com
Suzanne Avilla – Peanuts, Rice…………………………………… (202) 720-7688
Article first appeared as North Carolina Peanut Note (PNNC-2012-009)

domain: agronomy


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Doctors’ smartphones a potential source of fatal infection, studies find
In five of eight hospital studies smartphones were found to be carrying antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Doctors’ smartphones have been identified as a new source of potentially fatal hospital infections, including MRSA
Medical researchers in the Netherlands have identified doctors’ smartphones as a new source of potentially fatal hospital infections, including MRSA – and a source for which there are currently no disease control protocols.
A team from the VU (Free University) Medical Centre in Amsterdam carried out studies in eight separate Dutch hospitals and found that while 80 per cent of doctors carried smartphones, 57 per cent also used them while treating patients, without thinking of hygiene considerations.
The findings, published in the journal Medisch Contact, which aims to keep doctors in touch with cutting-edge academic research, showed that of 989 smartphones tested, between 42 per cent and 95 per cent were found to be infected with nosocomial or healthcare-related bacteria.
Even more worrying was the finding that in five of the eight studies, smartphones were found to be carrying antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as the hospital “superbug” MRSA, which in vulnerable patients can lead to life-threatening infections, such as blood poisoning or endocarditis.
The problem, said VU postgraduate researcher Stijn Voeten, was that while watches, rings and long sleeves were already banned because of their hygiene risks, in order to be contactable hospital doctors carried their smartphones literally everywhere, including into unhygienic areas. “Even so, there are no disease control protocols covering these phones. They are being relied upon more and more so banning them is not feasible, and as a result they have become an uncontrolled source of bacteria”, said Mr Voeten.
The Dutch research findings – effectively illustrating for the first time the likelihood that many doctors are helping to infect their own patients by failing to take adequate hygiene precautions – has the potential to change attitudes to smartphone hygiene the world over.
Mr Voeten said: “The phones themselves should be covered in a protective film which can be disinfected. It’s that simple.”

domain: medical


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Gov. Beshear reports 796 new COVID-19 cases; 3.12% positivity rate
FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKYT) - Governor Andy Beshear has provided an update on COVID-19 cases.
Governor Beshear reported 796 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the state total to 443,408 cases. The governor says the state is seeing a 3.12% positivity rate. Of Thursday’s new cases, 160 are in kids 18 or younger.
There were 10 reported COVID-19 related deaths on Thursday, and two new audit deaths. That brings the state total to 6,497.
As of Thursday, 422 people are hospitalized for COVID-19 related reasons, 97 are in the ICU, and 45 are on ventilators.
The governor says 1,751,541 Kentuckians have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
“Every day, thousands more Kentuckians get their shot of hope, but we need to accelerate our progress,” said Gov. Beshear. “The sooner more Kentuckians get vaccinated, the faster we can lift more restrictions.”
Copyright 2020 WKYT. All rights reserved.


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Readers should realize all Noon Lions Club does Editor, I am writing this letter to extol the generosity of the San Marcos Noon Lions Club for their extensive ongoing support
Lindsey Hill’s story will end badly Editor, I would like to address the issue of the proposed rezoning of the Lindsey Hill project from an “ area of stability” to
Thanks for the assistance Editor, I want to express publicly my deep appreciation to the 911 lift and assist personnel who came to help me Tuesday night when my husband,
A good development but in the wrong place Editor, The Lindsey Hill debate has riveted me from the beginning. The biggest reason I will explain shortly, but for openers I
The White House has launched a new salvo in its ongoing assault on the media and free speech. Instead of railing against newspapers and cable news channels, Donald J.
With negotiations on the 2018 Farm Bill expected to heat up this week, agricultural producers across Texas and are anxiously watching for signs of progress.
Dear Daily Record staff,
Cape’s Dam is damaged. There’s no question that it’s unsafe for recreation, unattractive, and preventing the utilization of what could be beautiful park space on the San Marcos River. What’s
In honor of Labor Day weekend, the Texas Workforce Commission would like to take this time to recognize the 13.8 million workers who are the backbone of our strong Texas
P.O. Box 1109, San Marcos, TX 78666


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At the United Nations meeting taking place this week in New York to discuss ecosystem approaches and oceans, Palau has presented a new proposal for a moratorium on high seas bottom trawling. In the approach to the meeting, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden and Brazil confirmed their support for a UN moratorium, as science continues to unravel the mysteries and vulnerabilty of deep-sea species and habitats.
This week, Ministers are meeting in New York to discuss ecosystem approaches and oceans in New York at the seventh meeting of the UN Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (UNICPOLOS-7 or Consultative Process). In its opening statement, Palau, one of the first nations to call for a moratorium on high seas bottom trawling reiterated its call, noting that lack of knowledge cannot justify inaction. It presented a new proposal for consensus on the issue. Stuart Beck said: “Bottom trawling is widely recognized as the most destructive and indiscriminate fishing practice known to mankind – for just a few fish destined for niche markets, trawlers raze associated coral, sponge, and other flora and fauna. And, as more and more countries close their national waters to bottom trawlers these vessels are being pushed more and more often into international waters destroying whole ecosystems before scientists even have a chance to learn about them.” “Yet despite this threat, there is no ecosystem-sensitive approach, or even any regulation at all, for bottom trawling throughout most of our shared international waters.
This must not go unheeded by this conference… “In Palau it is more than just a saying that “we do not inherit the earth from our parents, but we borrow it from our children,” it is a deeply held belief. And the Pacific philosophy that the oceans unite us rather than divide us, is one which embraces the spirit of our discussions this week. We look forward to these discussions here at the United Nations as we seek real solutions for protecting the ecosystems that bind us all together.” In February, new results from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge Ecosystems Program (MAR-ECO) show that that deep-sea pelagic fish may be gathering at underwater features such as ridges and seamounts, to spawn before dispersing. Presented at the Ocean Sciences meeting in Honolulu, the findings have important implications for how deep-sea ecosystems should be managed to prevent devastation by deep trawling activities. The findings imply that seamounts are ridges are likely to be critical to the preservation of the species involved. Unprotected, they are likely to become primary trawling targets, with devastating effects on spawning aggregations and thus on populations. “Deep-sea fisheries are exploiting the last refuges for commercial fish species and should not be seen as a replacement for declining resources in shallower waters. Instead, deep-water habitats are new candidates for conservation, ” concluded a report released in March. Canadian scientists have shown that five species of deep-sea fish have declined over a 17-year period [1978-1994] in the Canadian waters of the northwest Atlantic to such an extent that they meet the IUCN [World Conservation Union] criteria for being critically endangered.
The scientists conclude, “Our results indicate that urgent action is needed for the sustainable management of deep-sea fisheries…” Sharks and rays have been added to the 2006 IUCN Red List. IUCN says “This confirms suspicions that these mainly slow-growing species are exceptionally susceptible to over-fishing and are disappearing at an unprecedented rate across the globe.” As the science continues to highlight the vulnerability of deep-sea life, the calls for action to protect it are increasing. In Feburary, the EU called for strong, precautionary measures to protect biodiversity in the high seas. Speaking at a UNGA working group on biodiversity in New York in February, the Head of the EU delegation, Dr Gerhard Hafner said: “The EU views that evidence of actual destruction of ecosystems is overwhelming and that we know sufficient about growing human pressure on marine biodiversity in [areas beyond natural jurisdiction] to warrant taking further steps on international cooperation and coordination for its conservation and sustainable use… on the basis of the precautionary principle and on the basis of the current status of science – we have to act on both the implementation and governance gaps. We have a very impressive and authoritative information basis to warrant those actions.” The most immediate and serious threat to high seas ecosystems is bottom trawl fishing. Many delegations attending the UNGA meeting, including the US, Pacific Islands nations and Norway, all stated that the impacts of destructive fishing practices on vulnerable marine ecosystems is one of the most urgent problems for the international community to resolve. In March, EC Commissioner for the Environment Stavros Dimas said, “We should put in place an interim prohibition of destructive fishing practices in international waters, including bottom trawling, that has adverse effects on vulnerable marine ecosystems.”
However, these words have yet to translate into action from the European Union, which is responsible for about 60% of high seas bottom trawling world-wide. Influenced primarily by bottom trawl fishing nations Spain, Portugal and Poland, the EU has been opposed to a moratorium. However, recently Portugal seemed to agree that high seas bottom trawling is a major threat to marine biodiversity. At a DSCC workshop organised in Lisbon, State Secretary for the Environment, Dr. Humberto Rosa said: “High seas bottom trawling is an unsustainable activity. We have a strategic opportunity. We have a large fish consumption, we are fishers too and we want to conserve marine biodiversity.” Furthermore, since April an increasing number of European governments have added their voice to those European countries in favour of a temporary halt to high seas bottom trawling, with Austria, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden openly stating their support for a UN moratorium on the practice.
In May, for example, in a letter to Greenpeace, the Belgian government wrote: “Given that Marine Protected Areas will not provide a short-term solution for the large-scale damage caused by bottom trawling, Belgium finds it necessary to urgently adopt short term measures within an international framework. Later this year the UNGA will discuss the possibility of a moratorium on destructive fishing practices on the high seas, including bottom trawling. In an attempt to stop further destruction of the ecologically valuable deep sea, Belgium is calling for such an initiative (moratorium) at the UN level and at the preparatory European meetings.” Also in May, speaking at the UN Fish Stocks Agreement Review Conference in New York, Brazil included the following statement in its opening remarks: “As regards the question of high seas bottom trawling, Brazil supports a moratorium of such activity in high seas beyond national jurisdiction.” Norway said the Conference should recommend that States prohibit their vessels from bottom trawl fishing in unregulated areas of the high seas – areas where there are no regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) with the authority to manage deep-water fisheries. The Norwegian delegation further stated that where RFMOs exist which do have the authority to manage bottom fisheries, they should do so consistent with the UN Fish Stocks Agreement in relation to its biodiversity and ecosystem provisions. “The evidence for urgent action to stop high seas bottom trawling is stronger than ever,” said Matthew Gianni, DSCC political adviser. “The calls for a UN moratorium are becoming increasingly overwhelming. The EU cannot continue to allow itself to be held hostage by a few bottom trawling nations and a handful of fishing boats operating on the high seas that account for a tiny fraction of the global fishing fleet.”


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How To Use Cryptocurrency In E-commerce Industry
Cryptocurrencies have once again taken a front seat in our everyday lives. Since the beginning of the year, Bitcoin is all over the news, having tripled its value since its 2017 all-time highs.
As a result, people are getting increasingly interested in these types of assets and purchase bitcoin for the profit potential it offers. However, profit is far from being the only benefit of cryptocurrencies.
Bitcoin, for instance, is a great store of value and a flexible alternative to commodities for hedging against inflation. But maybe the most important aspect of cryptocurrency is its ability to provide us with a borderless means of payment.
Crypto is a cheaper, safer, and more efficient way of making online transactions than traditional methods. It also requires no intermediaries such as banks, increasing the trust between the consumer and the merchant.
As such, you might be interested in how to incorporate this type of asset as a method of payment for e-commerce. This article will help you do exactly that.
To this end, we will explore all of the options on how to use cryptocurrency in e-commerce and lay down the pros and cons of each method. This way, you will be able to decide what suits you best.
Accepting crypto through a private wallet
The first and most simple method to accepting cryptocurrencies for your e-commerce is through a crypto wallet.
Cryptocurrency wallets are software solutions that allow you to access and spend your coins. The advantage of using such a wallet is that you remain in total control of your funds at all times.
This means that there’s no bank or other intermediary that can deny access to your money. It’s available 24/7, and you are the only custodian of your funds.
All you need to do is to decide which coins you wish to accept and open an address for every one of them. Then, simply share your public address whenever a customer wishes to make a purchase.
That being said there are a few drawbacks to using a private crypto wallet:
- Unless you are exclusively accepting stable-coins, you remain exposed to the volatility of the crypto market. Cryptocurrencies are known to be volatile assets, and their value can quickly drop even while the transaction is completing. Consequently, you could lose out on the profits of your sale, depending on the price of bitcoin at that moment.
- Some popular coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum are inherently slow, requiring more than 30 minutes for a transaction to complete.
- Depending on the saturation of the network, the transaction fees might become quite expensive.
- Linking a crypto wallet to accounting and invoicing software can be challenging. This means that you might be left doing your books by hand.
So, while accepting crypto might seem complicated and somewhat costly, worth noting is that most of these disadvantages have their solution.
Peer-2-peer focused cryptos
There are cryptocurrency coins that are specifically designed to be lightweight, fast, and cheap to use for daily payments. Initially, this was the goal of Bitcoin, but the original cryptocurrency has morphed into a store of value instead.
Alternative cryptocurrencies like Litecoin and Bitcoin Cash are better suited for microtransactions, providing a faster network and low fees.
Layer 2 solutions
Another solution to slow transactions and high fees are Layer 2 solutions such as the Lightning Network.
Lightning Network allows the merchant to accept Bitcoin while at the same time using fast and cheap transfers. This is done by opening a trading channel between peers on a separate blockchain, and transactions are made off-chain, almost instantly.
Only once both users decide to close the channel, the transactions are recorded on the main Bitcoin blockchain.
Payment gateways are third-party solutions that act as an intermediary between the customer and the merchant.
Usually, they allow the customer to pay in crypto while the merchant can choose between accepting crypto or FIAT.
This way, the customer has the option to spend their cryptocurrencies for goods and services, while the merchant can avoid entering the crypto ecosystem altogether. Crypto payment gateways are usually integrated within popular e-commerce platforms such as Shopify and Magento.
One major drawback of payment gateways is the dependence on a 3rd party for your crypto transactions.
Finally, a more recent option for merchants to accept cryptocurrencies is the crypto checkout method which was integrated into the PayPal wallet in March 2021.
Every merchant that accepts PayPal as a payment method can now accept cryptocurrencies from PayPal users.
While convenient, there’s still little information on how withdrawals will work.
Cryptocurrencies are entering the mainstream, and merchants that accept them as a payment method can access a wider and global customer base. Thankfully, there are various methods of using crypto in e-commerce, as we depicted in this short post.

domain: finance


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Source: Human Rights Commission
The Human Rights Commission has launched a ground-breaking public inquiry into the Pacific pay gap to examine the causes and contributory factors of the pay gap, conditions of work, promotion, and career advancement of Pacific workers.
What is the Pacific Pay Gap?
The Pacific Pay Gap is the difference in pay between Pacific workers when compared with the highest paid group in Aotearoa – Pākehā males.
In 2019, the gap between the average hourly earnings of a Pacific worker and a New Zealand European worker was 23 per cent. When gender is taken into account, the gap between European male workers and Pacific female workers is 27 per cent and for Pacific men was 22 per cent.
The Pacific pay gap (calculated by the Public Service Commission as the difference between average pay for Pacific and non-Pacific employees) in the public service in 2020 was 19.5 per cent. When gender is taken into account, the gap between the average salary of Pākehā men and Pacific women in the public sector is 28 per cent.
What is the Pacific Pay Gap Inquiry?
The inquiry will focus on the private sector particularly the Construction, Manufacturing, and Health and Care sectors where there is a high concentration of Pacific workers.
Through the inquiry, the Commission hopes to recommend solutions to address the persistent pay gap, racial discrimination, and lack of equal employment opportunities that Pacific peoples face.
How can you get involved?
The Human Rights Commission wants to hear directly from Pacific communities about the human rights violations they are experiencing concerning pay, work conditions and career progression.
From 19 July until 30 November you can write to us, email us, tweet at us, send us a video, or attend one of the fono which will be held across the country. Further details will be posted on the website soon.
For more information, please get in touch with the Pacific Pay Gap Inquiry Project Manager Lisa Meto Fox at [email protected]


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We're in this together!
There is Hope for Healing
A few weeks before COVID, I created this totem stick and I’m struck by how the name seems to fit this awful moment in time.
A totem pole for your wall, this wall sculpture is made of stoneware shards mounted to a poplar “stick”. The shards are covered with black slip, then carved in the sgraffito technique. Fired to 2167 degrees F, then mounted to a poplar “stick”, with bumpers at the bottom to protect your wall.
So what do these totems and symbols mean?
- Hummingbird – In some cultures, the hummingbird is considered the strongest totem – a warrior spirit. It is also a symbol of perseverance, healing and strength.
- Feather symbol- Feathers are often associated with warriors and chiefs, but they also represent prayer. Ancient Native Americans believed that prayers were carried to the Great Spirit on the wings of an eagle.
- Woodpecker – Called “Biskinik” in Choctaw, the woodpecker is known as the news bird. In fact, the Choctaw newspaper is named The Biskinik. The way the woodpecker “knocks” on a tree symbolizes opportunity knocking.
Ready to Hang
Ready to hang with a D hook on the back. Perfect for that slice of wall next to a door or window – or select more than one for a grouping with big impact.
- Handcrafted by the artist, personally
- Supplies hand picked from the best US suppliers
- Card explaining totems included
- Exclusively featured here – you won’t find anywhere else
33 x 6 x 1″, stoneware, slips, mounted poplar
©Carolyn Bernard Young


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In this press release, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Deputy Secretary Michael Jackson announce important progress in the development of biometrically-enabled technologies to prevent the use of fraudulent or stolen international travel documents. DHS is testing e-Passports and e-Passport readers in anticipation of an upcoming deadline requiring all Visa Waiver travelers issued a passport after October 26, 2006, to present an e-Passport to enter the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). The use of the new e-Passports and deployment of e-Passport readers to U.S. ports of entry will help to ensure the authenticity of international travel documents and provide U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers with another invaluable tool for use in the border inspection process.
Dept. of Homeland Security: http://www.dhs.gov/


We’ve been keeping you posted on all of Penn Station’s upcoming renovations, but we’re excited to report that the Long Island Railroad Concourse is ready and open to all commuters!
Today, Skanska, a leading global construction and development firm, has announced the completion of the $414 million renovation of Penn Station’s LIRR Concourse.
Construction began in January 2021, and the team completed it in March 2023.
Enhancing the commuting experience for the 600,000 passengers that utilize the LIRR’s 33rd Street corridor daily, the 27-month design-build project encompassed both the design and construction of the reimagined concourse, with a widened corridor, raised ceiling heights, upgraded lighting and wayfinding, new digital information screens, improved mechanical and electrical systems, and new architectural finishes, among other station enhancements.
“In order to best accommodate and enhance the commuting experience for the 600,000 passengers that utilize LIRR’s 33rd Street corridor daily, deciphering a path to improving the station’s circulation and traffic flow without disrupting daily train service was paramount,” said Michael Viggiano, executive vice president of Skanska’s East Coast civil operations. “We’re thrilled to be celebrating the completion of this project and to have played a crucial role in reconstructing one of New York City’s most highly trafficked transit hubs.”
The renovation also improves safety and ADA access from the street to the concourse via a new elevator on 33rd Street and from the concourse to the platforms with rebuilt stairs and handrails, new enclosures for fire protection, and a replacement elevator.
“We worked closely with the design-build team to create a new center of gravity for Penn Station and the LIRR,” said SOM Partner Colin Koop. “The concourse design introduces a clear connection to Seventh Avenue and simplifies the flow of foot traffic between the street, the subways, and the LIRR—helping travelers easily navigate the station, all in an expansive space filled with light.”
We’re excited about these improvements and will keep you posted on most of Penn Station’s modern makeover. We are already huge fans of the High Line’s $50 million extension to Penn Station, so seeing the other improvements that’ll come to this area is exciting!


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In Search of China’s Soul: Mount Wutai, Buddhist Sacred Geography, and the Bodhisattva of Wisdom
Where: China Institute
100 Washington St.
212-744-8181 Price: $10
Buy tickets/get more info now
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The northern Chinese mountain range of Mount Wutai has been an important site of international pilgrimage for over a millennium. Home to more than one hundred temples, the entire range is considered a Buddhist paradise on earth, and has received visitors ranging from emperors to monastic and lay devotees. On May 16, join art historian Wen-shing Chou and preeminent Sino-Tibet expert Gray Tuttle to explore the changing meaning and significance of one of the world’s greatest religious sites. The event is held in conjunction with China Institute’s current gallery exhibition, Art of the Mountain: Through the Chinese Photographer’s Lens, and will celebrate the launch of Chou’s new book, Mount Wutai: Visions of a Sacred Buddhist Mountain.
Wen-Shing Chou is Assistant Professor of art history at Hunter College, City University of New York. She specializes in Buddhist art of China and the Himalayas. Chou’s research focuses on the relationship between religion and empiricism in early modern and modern periods, and the intersection of history, geography, and biography in Buddhist traditions. Mount Wutai explores the rich history of the holy mountain at the nexus of imperial expansion, cultural exchange, and religious devotion in Qing China.
Gray Tuttle is the Leila Hadley Luce Associate Professor of Modern Tibetan Studies at Columbia University. He studies the history of twentieth century Sino-Tibet relations as well as Tibet’s relations with the China-based Manchu Qing Empire. The role of Tibetan Buddhism in these historical relations is central to all his research. In Tibetan Buddhists in the Making of Modern China, he examines the failure of nationalism and race-based ideology to maintain the Tibetan territory of the former Qing Empire as integral to the Chinese nation-state. Instead, he argues, a new sense of pan-Asian Buddhism was critical to Chinese efforts to hold onto Tibetan regions (one quarter of China’s current territory). His current research project, Amdo Tibet, Middle Ground between Lhasa and Beijing (1578-1865), is a historical analysis of the economic and cultural relations between China and Tibet in the early modern periods (16th – 19th centuries), when the intellectual and economic centers of Tibet shifted to the east, to Amdo — a Tibetan cultural region the size of France in northwestern China.Buy tickets/get more info now


By Jeff White
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — High above the field at Sun Life Stadium are displayed the names of the legendary players who have worn Miami Dolphins’ uniform, Larry Csonka, Dwight Stephenson, Bob Griese, Paul Warfield and Dan Marino among them.
UVa’s football players took all of that and more in Wednesday afternoon during their walk-through at the Dolphins’ stadium. Their focus now is on the Miami Hurricanes, who also play at Sun Life.
“This is a business trip,” second-year coach Mike London told his players Wednesday. “This is not a sight-seeing trip. Yes, NFL teams play here, but all that matters is what happens between the lines here.”
At 8 o’clock tonight, UVa (1-2, 4-3) will meet Miami (2-2, 4-3) in an ACC game shown nationally on ESPN. It will the Cavaliers’ first appearance on ESPN’s Thursday night stage since Oct. 19, 2006, when they pummeled North Carolina 23-0 at Scott Stadium. UVa’s current players were still in high school — or middle school — then.
“It’s an exciting deal,” senior wide receiver Kris Burd said. “Thursday, when you’re flipping through the channels and you see a game on, you’re definitely going to stop. We look forward to that chance to get to play in front of our peers, all other colleges around the country, I know they’re going to be watching. There’s nothing else you’re really doing on a Thursday night. It’s a perfect opportunity for our team right now.”
The game can also pay dividends in recruiting.
“Provided that you play well and you’re competitive, it gives you an opportunity to get your name out there and to get your brand out there,” London said Monday. “These young men that we’ve been writing and calling and visiting their schools, they have heard about us. This is an opportunity to put a face with the name, an opportunity to put the school brand out there, to be recognized from the national media exposure that’s given … Playing well on national TV against a very, very good opponent is something that every program [wants to do].”
A year ago, when these teams met at Scott Stadium, a jarring tackle by defensive tackle John-Kevin Dolce knocked Miami’s No. 1 quarterback, Jacory Harris, out of the game, and the Wahoos went on to win 24-19. Dolce is out of eligibility, but Harris is back, and the 6-4, 200-pound senior is having a stellar season.
Harris has completed 90 of 145 passes for 1,244 yards and 12 touchdowns, with only four interceptions, and he’s also a threat to scramble.
UVa’s quarterbacks aren’t nearly as experienced. Starter Michael Rocco is a sophomore who hasn’t redshirted. His backup, David Watford, is a true freshman.
“The reality of it is, would you like a guy who’s a fifth-year guy or a senior or whatever it is?” London said Wednesday on the ACC coaches’ teleconference. “Sure, you would. But the reality of it is, we don’t at this point, and the only way you address that is by recruiting and separating guys as they go on.
“You do the best you can with what you have and the evaluations that your coaching staff makes, and you live with it … We understand where we are right now as far as quarterbacks in the program. We just gotta develop them and do the best we can and put the best players out there that can give us a chance to win. That’s all we’re trying to do.”
Watford has appeared in every game, but he threw three interceptions last weekend in UVa’s 28-14 loss to NC State, and the coaching staff plans to reduce his workload for the rest of the regular season. That figures to give Rocco more opportunities to get in and stay in rhythm.
For the season, Rocco has completed 109 of 182 passes for 1,186 yards and four TDs, with eight interceptions.
The key for Rocco against Miami, London said, is to not “get caught up in the bigness of the game. It’s a national game, but Mike has a calm demeanor, and he’s able to go out there and run this offense. And I think despite all the glitz and glamor and everything that’s going around, this is a situation, because of his mentality, that probably bodes well for him.”
On the home sideline tonight will be a man London knows well. He and Al Golden worked together first at Boston College and then as assistants on Al Groh’s staff at Virginia, and they remain good friends.
Golden, who revived the program at Temple, is in his first season as Miami’s head man. In August, allegations of NCAA violations rocked the Hurricanes’ program, and 12 players have served suspensions of varying lengths this season. But the ‘Canes have won two straight and appear to be improving each week.
“Coach Golden has done a great job shielding them from whatever the early-season issues that might have been going around, and now they’re concentrating on playing football,” London said. “They’re a team that’s looking to make strides, as we are, so this is an important game for both teams.”
Neither team has had much time to prepare for this game. Both played Saturday. Miami, which beat Georgia Tech, came out of the weekend feeling better than Virginia, whose offense sputtered against the Wolfpack.
Still, London said, “I think at this point of the season, one of the things that takes the sting out of losing a game is the ability to play again, and then the ability to play again in front of a national audience. If that doesn’t drive you and get you psyched-up, I don’t know what will.”


Jessica Chastain Is Totally Unrecognizable as Tammy Faye Bakker in New Film
You're going to have to do a double, triple, and maybe even a quadruple take when checking out these photos of Jessica Chastain in character as Tammy Faye Bakker in the new biopic The Eyes of Tammy Faye.
Chastain plays the televangelist throughout multiple decades, ending up in the late '80s when Bakker and her then-husband Jim Bakker (played by Andrew Garfield) ultimately meet an ugly downfall after a steep climb to controversial fame within the Christian community.
For Bakker's later years in the late 1980s, Chastain wore a full set of prosthetics, include a fake tan and wig to replicate Bakker's iconic look, and is totally unrecognizable.
Chastain shared a handful of stills from the movie and shared her thoughts about her portrayal of Bakker, who was criticized by her fellow Evangelists for showing compassion to the LGBTQ+ community, interviewing the gay Christian minister Steve Pieters, who was suffering from AIDs at the height of the crisis, and discussing other topics considered taboo within the religion.
"I found a video of her singing a song, and she turned to the camera and said, 'God loves you just the way you are.' Whatever God means to anyone." Chastain began in her June 1st post.
"I've never been baptized. I didn't grow up within a church, but I do believe in unconditional love," she continued. "We are all part of this world, part of humanity and part of grace. No matter where you come from, you are perfect, and you are fully and unconditionally loved. And that's what I hope people leave the theater knowing."
The biopic follows Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker as their fame reaches its peak, as well as the trials and tribulations of their messy downfall throughout the '80s and '90s. The Eyes of Tammy Faye will hit theaters September 17th.


Blazing star liatris (Liatris spicata Floristan) Common Names: Blazing Star, Liatris, Gay Feather. Zone: Full to Partial Sun HT: inches (tall). Blooms Early Summer-Late Fall Excellent cut flowers, attracts butterflys and hummingbirds, deer resistant.
COTTON CANDY Anything! Think pink! Cotton Candy Pompous Grass - withstands heat, humidity, poor soil and even drought. Very easy to grow, it reaches a mature height of feet tall and gets feet wide. Grows in all U.S zones.


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The Raleigh Tavern's Bake Shop in Colonial Williamsburg is a favorite destination for Virginia tourists. Queen's Cake, a dense buttery pound cake studded with currants and bursting with bright citrus flavor, is one of the bakery's most popular items. Now you can enjoy this easy dessert in your own kitchen with just a handful of simple ingredients -- no vacation necessary!
Not to be confused with a Queen Victoria Sponge Cake (which is a layer cake with jam in the middle) or a Russian King's Cake (a chocolate layer cake), the Queen's Cake from Colonial Williamsburg is a recipe from 18th century England that has been updated for modern baking. The Colonial Queen Cakes were enjoyed in Virginia homes during the Colonial times, and one of the first known published recipes dates back to The Art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy from 1760.
This colonial Queen's Cake is a citrus pound cake that's baked in a loaf pan and studded with an abundance of dried currants. It's dense, buttery, sweet and oh-so-decadent! One small slice is all you need to instantly transport you to a different era.
1 c granulated sugar
1 orange zest
1 lemon zest
2 c all purpose flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
2 c dried currants
- Grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well...
See the full directions on my site

domain: food


Woman ordered to pay for file-sharing will appeal
- 09 October, 2007 07:50
A woman ordered to pay US$222,000 for downloading and sharing music files has decided to appeal the case.
A happy Jammie Thomas said on her Myspace.com blog that the appeal was announced by her lawyer, Brian Toder, in an interview with CNN.
"My attorney announced, on national television, with the RIAA watching I'm more than certain, we're going to appeal," she wrote in the blog entry. Winning the appeal will "stop RIAA in their tracks," she wrote.
Thomas was ordered last week by a jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota to pay US$222,000 in damages to six music labels, representing US$9,250 for each of 24 songs illegally downloaded and shared over the Kazaa file-sharing network. The case against Thomas was filed by the Recording Industry Association of America, an umbrella group representing music labels.
The verdict was a sign that RIAA might come out victorious in some of the more than 20,000 lawsuits it has filed against people for alleged Internet copyright infringement.
Thomas, who lives in Minnesota, has also set up a Web site to raise funds to cover legal expenses. As of Monday, supporters had donated US$957.
Neither RIAA nor attorney Toder, of the Chestnut and Combronne law firm, could not be reached for comment.
The music labels involved in the suit include Capitol Records, Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Warner Bros. Records.


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I, Claudia By Marilyn Todd I came across this series after joining the Roman history reading group on Facebook (well worth joining if you are interested in Roman fiction, as I presume you are if you are on this site!). Marilyn Todd wrote this series back in the mid 90s, but the rise of the Kindle and e-book has given the series a new lease of life, and is now available on Amazon to download. I, Claudia is the first of a series following the eponymous heroine, Claudia Seferius through her adventures in Augustine Rome. Claudia is a fake, a liar, a swindler and a hopeless gambler, as well as intelligent, streetwise and sexy as hell. In this first book, Claudia, married to the wealthy Gaius, has to disguise from her husband the extent of her gambling debts, and her ruse to repay them by offering services as a dominatrix to the great and good of Roman society. When her clients start to die one by one, she attracts the attention of the authorities, and in particular Orbilius the investigator. Orbilius wants to solve the crime, which he knows Claudia is implicated in, but he can’t help falling for her too. I, Claudia is a funny, sizzling hot mystery, and Claudia is a great character. There is something of the Lindsay Davies/Falco about the book, with a similar setting, idea and sense of humour, but I, Claudia is dirtier and darker. I would recommend, and will be reading more.
Exciting announcement! The Mark Antony series audios will be narrated by Andrew Wincott. Andrew has just won an award at the BAFTAs for the part of Rafael in Baldur's gate III
He is also Adam Macy in the Archers!
Thanks to @JohnsonAlcock


Home > Clothing & Footwear > Women's > Hats & Accessories > Hats & Headwear > BUFF Original CrossKnit Headband
BUFF Original CrossKnit Headband
Item # 126484.933
product description Enjoy the pumped-up energy of your next hike or workout while wearing the BUFF Original CrossKnit Headband. It's got sweat repellent technology, and that means it's designed specifically to keep moisture away from your skin. It dries quickly and can be tossed into the washer to be cleaned in warm water. The outer shell is delightfully soft and very good at keeping sweat off your face. Includes reflective elements for greater visibility in the outdoors.
- Sweat Repellent Technology
- Reflective BUFF® elements
- Outer shell: 100% Acrylic
- Lining: 100% Polycolon Polypropylene


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The conviction of Tipperary trainer Philip Fenton for horse doping offences yesterday has raised questions about Irish horse breeding’s squeaky clean reputation.
John Mooney, crime and security correspondent with the Sunday Times, has been writing about this issue for some time. He speaks to Sean along with horse trainer Noel Meade.
Earlier this week, the defamation case taken by American pop star Justin Timberlake and his wife, the actress, Jessica Biel against Heat magazine played out in our High Court.
The magazine is distributed across Europe, but the couple chose to fight the legal action here, prompting renewed analysis of our defamation laws.
Joining Sean on the line was Media Lawyer, Paul Tweed who represented the famous couple in court and Ger Colleran, columnist with The Irish Daily Star.
Paul begins by explaining to listeners why an American couple ended up taking a case in our High Court over an article in a magazine that is on sale all over Europe.
They call it the gift of life and the man who joined Sean this morning can testify to the wonderful and positive difference an organ transplant can make, granting renewed good health to someone who has been very sick.
Five years ago, and after decades of illness, Seamus Eager received a heart transplant in the Mater Hospital. He spoke to Sean of his medical history - going through a triple by-pass, having a defibrillator and then receiving his heart transplant in 2009.
Master Butcher Pat Whelan came to studio to talk all things full Irish. The great Irish breakfast is made of sausage, egg and bacon. Pat discusses what makes a good breakfast and how it has evolved to become an all day offering.
Whatever the effect of the last week’s budget on your finances was, there are still ways to save on your taxes. Sinead Ryan, consumer journalist with the Herald and the Independent joined Sean in studio to take us though all the available tax reliefs and credits.
Many people don’t realize they can get back some money they pay in taxes, Sinead Ryan explains.
Preview of Oliver Callan's comedy show 'Callan's Kicks'.
On the panel this week were Fiach Kelly, political correspondent with the Irish Times, Martina Devlin, author and Irish Independent columnist, Eoghan Murphy Fine Gael TD and Padraig MacLochlainn Sinn Fein TD.
Up for discussion: Irish Water and CEO John Tierney, Mairia Cahill and Sinn Féin.
Presenter: Sean O'Rourke


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Read News For Me
Cryptographic money has become a worldwide wonder as of late, albeit much is yet found out about this advancing innovation. Numerous worries and stresses are twirling around the invention and its ability to upset conventional Financial frameworks.
Some Financial experts anticipate that a significant change in crypto is impending as institutional cash enters the market. Additionally, there is the likelihood that crypto will be coasted on the Nasdaq, which would additionally add validity to blockchain and its uses as an option in contrast to ordinary monetary forms.
A few organizations have acknowledged crypto as a type of instalment that has expanded its acknowledgement; increasingly, more business acknowledgement will drive more individuals to utilize it, and with new advances, it becomes simpler to use the innovation. Blockchain isn't just used even in digital money yet also in protection, fintech, and clinical businesses and more acknowledgement means the more issues the creation can settle in our consistently to-day life.
Governments have begun making their own digital money as an approach to get into the mechanical upset, and a ton of guidelines has come from a ton of nations to control its utilization, which gives it more authenticity as cash to be utilized by business and people. More approaches will be seen and will quick track the utilization of crypto in ordinary exercises.
Allies of Bitcoin and other cryptographic forms of money guarantee that these monetary stages are intrinsically trustless frameworks - that is, they're not straightforwardly attached to any country, state, government, or body. They would contend that cryptographic money is better than traditional actual monetary standards since it isn't subject to, for example, the U.S. central government.
Grundfest noticed that it's not altogether exact whether or not you imagine that is a fortunate or unfortunate thing. Cryptographic money isn't trustless by any means. They are as yet dependent on the basic framework controlling digital currencies like Bitcoin, situated in China. The Chinese government could hypothetically make changes to cryptographic forms of money at a crucial level by forcing its will on the information diggers who keep them running.
Cryptographic money that tries to be necessary for the standard monetary framework needs to fulfil significantly different measures. While that chance looks far off, there is little uncertainty that Bitcoin's prosperity or disappointment in managing the difficulties it countenances may decide the fortunes of other digital currencies in the years ahead.


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- Crinkle Chiffon long shirt in Light Mint color.
- Embellished collar and yoke.
- Collar neckline.
- Sleeveless styling (can be made with sleeves)
- High-low hem.
- Super-soft silk lining.
- Raw Silk straight trouser in Dark Orange color; beautiful embroidery work on the bottom; hidden zipper.
- Crinkle Chiffon dupatta in Dark Orange color; heavy sequins shower with appliqued border; edges finished.
Embellishments crafted from sequins, beads, Swarovski crystals, diamantes, kora, dabka, naqshi, cut-glass, pearls, resham, badla, kamdani, and marorri. 100% natural pure imported fabrics. 100% handmade embellishments. Same as shown.
Made in Pakistan.

domain: design


Newton Mayor David Carr says two homes in the area were damaged or destroyed by fire on Saturday morning.
Carr says the homes are located on Walnut and New Ireland Streets. Residents in both homes were able to escape without being injured.
Mayor Carr tells Newscenter 11 that while a full investigation is being conducted, it appears that lightning is to blame for starting the two fires.
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or firstname.lastname@example.org.


Lexus has made quite a fuss during the 2016 Detroit Auto Show due to their new car, the LC500 Coupe. As a matter of fact, we’re at a loss why they have manufactured a model that definitely looks like a sports car but ‘not a sports car’. Experts aren’t that sure but maybe, it’s because that usually, sports cars are very expensive. Somehow, it’s just an educated guess.
Under the Hood
Featuring a 5-liter V-8 engine that runs in 467-horsepower and 389 lb-ft torque, this car uses a 10-speed automatic transmission along with shift paddles. Though its makers avoid using the ‘sports car’ label, the car’s less than 4.5 second 0-60 mph acceleration says likewise. Active exhaust also creates a ‘sporty’ tone and is supplemented by the installed sound generator.
Just by looking at the car’s exterior design will definitely make anyone say that it’s a sports car.
Though most specifications are still cloaked in secrecy, it is noticeable that the interior door panels are made of carbon fiber. Aluminum is used in the door skins, suspension reinforcements, front suspension links and bumper beams. In addition to that, the trunk-mounted battery and composite trunk floor widely contributes to the LC500’s front-to-rear weight distribution. As a whole, experts assume that the car’s overall weight will be a little more than two tons.
- Category : Sports Coupe and Convertible
- Engine : 5.0-liter V-8
- Transmission : 10-speed automatic with shift paddles
- Drivetrain : RWD
- Power : 467-hp
- Torque :389 lb-ft
- 0-60 mph : ~4.5 seconds
- Price : TBD


NEW DONOVAN GIBSON GUITAR RELEASED
Read the letter that comes with every Donovan model Gibson guitar
Donovan, his J45 and Transcendental Meditation
The guitar you are holding is the same guitar that wrote with me all the songs from 1965 to 1969, when my original cherry red Gibson was stolen.
In the cottage you see in the photo is where I lived and I would write up into the night in the little wood in Hertfordshire. I was also searching through my books for the lost technique of true meditation. I just knew it was the way to discover the cure for suffering everywhere. My young chums George John, Paul and Ringo were also searching. Between us The Beatles and I wrote the most songs for the self. We found Maharishi our guru and he found us. Maharishi called us to his Ashram in India to teach us his Simple Transcendental Meditation. And there by the Ganges I taught John the Donovan finger style. John learned on my cherry red J45 and he wrote Dear Prudence Julia and many more. George learned new chord patterns on my J45 and wrote a new set of songs including While my guitar gently weeps. Paul would create Blackbird. I completed my song The Hurdy Gurdy Man and more in India, and with the La Bella silk and steel strings that Joan Baez turned me onto, I recorded it in London on my J45. So you are holding the guitar that made my history sound so sweet. When Gibson heard of how my J45 had been stolen he said Gibson would make me a new one. And here it is.
By the way I will donate my income from the guitar you buy to teach students to meditate.
Contact me for more info on Transcendental Meditation.
Ireland, January 2014
More info about Donovan Master Classes