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Do your kids like comics?
Ok, that’s a silly question. Do your kids like to draw comics? Maybe they’re already experts at it, or maybe they need a little push in the right direction. Either way, I’ve got just the perfect book for you: the Adventures in Cartooning Activity Book.
This is actually a companion to Adventures in Cartooning, sort of a kids’ version of Understanding Comics. Like Scott McCloud’s seminal work, Adventures in Cartooning tells how comics work by way of a comic, this time with a knight, a horse, a dragon and a magic elf. It’s all done in a doodled style which is really cute and easy to read. The Activity Book notches up the interactivity. Instead of just reading about the knight’s adventures, your budding artist gets pages to fill in—drawing food for Edward the horse, filling in sound effects, learning how to use dust clouds and motion lines to show somebody running fast.
The story is pretty funny, too, with a cookie monster, a giant, robots and the knight’s solution for making the rain stop; the magic elf comes along to give pointers about how comics work. At the end there’s a review of cartooning tools, and then 14 pages of blank panels for geeklings to draw their own comics.


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Thank you for everyone’s love and support. Peter and I are truly blessed to be able to have the life we have. This is our 20th year making our living from our art!! We are looking forward to 20 more 🙂
If you would like to see the available paintings check them out here on our website under the Available paintings page.

domain: artistic


text:
Headteachers have demanded higher wages to encourage classroom teachers to pursue promotion.
The National Association of Head Teachers has told the School Teachers’ Review Body that the current gap between the salaries paid head and deputy headteachers and the pay received by classroom teachers means there is too little incentive for them to seek promotion.
It says many primary teachers at the top of the pay scale will get annual salaries of around £34,900 from September because of increases and management allowances.
Typical primary schools offer salaries of around £33,000 to £36,000 for assistant heads and £34,000 to £37,000 for deputies.
The union argues that the narrow gap, created by better improvements in pay for classroom teachers, has exacerbated shortages of senior staff.
David Hart, NAHT general secretary, said: “Pay differentials between school leaders and the rest of the teaching profession have been shot to pieces.
“Their salaries no longer reflect the very significant responsibilities they carry. The vast majority of classroom teachers have benefited from performance-related salary movements. Our members are in grave danger of falling behind.”

domain: news


text:
This was okay if you drink it very quickly. I thickens so fast and then it is very unpalatable.
I have found this to be an excellent way to get my calcium and magnesium. It is very absorbable and I take it an hour before I go to bed since both calcium and magnesium are very calming and relaxing.
This is the best cod liver oil I have ever used. The lemon and mint combine to cover the fishy smell and taste. Also it is very healthy.
I have used coconut oil for several years; but this one is my favorite. It is an extemely healthy fat & good flavor. I use it also as a butter substitue on toast.
1-4 of 4 total

domain: food


text:
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Winning the Chain Restaurant Game: Eight Key Strategies
Winning the Chain Restaurant Game
Are you ready for success?...
Find out what it takes in this insider's guide to making it in today's most exciting growth industry.
In this instructive and inspiring book, award-winning authors and foodservice industry experts Charles Bernstein and Ron Paul tell how the most successful restaurant companies win with bottom-up management, putting the customer on top. Based on interviews with more than a hundred industry executives and packed with enlightening examples as well as a few historic failures, this unique book teaches important lessons for restaurateurs and other entrepreneurs: * Presents the first authoritative, in-depth look at the restaurant chain industry as a whole * Tells how successful chain CEOs produce results with varied winning styles * Isolates and clearly describes the eight crucial factors, or strategic "links," vital to restaurant chain success * Tells how chains can capitalize on bulk purchasing, brand identity, consistent execution, an individual sense of style and--most of all--finding unique ways to please the customer
Few success stories so thoroughly embody the twentieth-century American dream as those of restaurant chains such as McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut, Wendy's, Little Caesar's, and Taco Bell. But besides the "true grit" demonstrated by entrepreneurial heros like McDonald's Ray Kroc and Wendy's Dave Thomas, what does it take to build and maintain a successful restaurant or retail chain? Find out in this first book to give a broad, long-term perspective on one of the nation's leading growth industries and to offer crucial lessons for all entrepreneurs, no matter what the business.
Winning the Chain Restaurant Game, by award-winning authors and noted foodservice industry experts Charles Bernstein and Ron Paul, documents the critical success factors required for one of the toughest, most competitive industries.
Highlighting the winning styles of more than a hundred chain executives, their triumphs, trials, disappointments, and turnarounds, this fascinating and instructive book identifies the eight strategic "links" that lead to victory in the chain restaurant business. With surgical precision, Bernstein and Paul explore such key factors as leadership, motivation, bulk purchasing, marketing, identity, consistency, and expansion. But they place focus ahead of everything and conclude that the entrepreneurial passion of an executive who deeply believes in his concept is the ultimate catalyst for success.
Small- to medium-size chains are going public at a dizzying pace and there are enormous financial opportunities for savvy restaurant owners. Winning the Chain Restaurant Game arms operators with the vital know-how needed to win the game.
Recent Book Searches:
ISBN-10/ISBN-13: 0781729513 / 978-0781729512 / Clinical Management of Articulatory and Phonologic Disorders / Mary Gordon-Brannan, Curtis E Weiss 0781729742 / 978-0781729741 / Griffith's 5 Minute Clinical Consult, 2001 (The 5-minute Consult Series) / 0781729823 / 978-0781729826 / Problem-Oriented Pediatric Diagnosis / Roger M Barkin 078173004X / 978-0781730044 / Lippincott's Manual of Psychiatric Nursing Care Plans (Book with CD-ROM for Windows & Macintosh) / Judith Schultz, Sheila L. Videbeck 0781730120 / 978-0781730129 / Stedman's Concise Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions: Illustrated (Book with CD-ROM) / Stedman's 0781730171 / 978-0781730174 / Nursing Issues in the 21st Century: Perspectives from the Literature (New Nursing Photobooks) / Eleanor C Hein 0781730201 / 978-0781730204 / Brain Death / Eelco FM Wijdicks 0781730341 / 978-0781730341 / Clinical Neurosurgery,Volume 47 Proceedings of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Boston, / 0781728401 / 978-0781728409 / OAT: Complete Preparation for the Optometry Admission Test, 2001 Edition, The Science of Review / Aftab S. Hassan, Lippincott, L. L.E. L. L. L. L. L.E. L.E. Williams 0781728452 / 978-0781728454 / Medical Toxicology / 0781728584 / 978-0781728584 / Manual of Nutritional Therapeutics (Spiral? Manual Series) / David H. Alpers, William F., M.D. Stenson, Dennis M. Bier 0781728819 / 978-0781728812 / Pathophysiology: Concepts in Altered Health States / Carol Mattson Porth, Carol M. Porth 0781728894 / 978-0781728898 / Pediatric Primary Care: Well-Child Care (Core Handbook Series in Pediatrics) / Raymond C Baker 0781728916 / 978-0781728911 / Breast Imaging Companion (Imaging Companion Series) / Gilda Cardenosa 0781729068 / 978-0781729062 / Handbook of Patient Care in Cardiac Surgery (Spiral Manual Series) / John H Lemmer, Wayne E Richenbacher, Gus J Vlahakes 0781729483 / 978-0781729482 / Pocket Atlas of Spinal MRI (Radiology Pocket Atlas Series) / Leo F Czervionke 0781729947 / 978-0781729949 / Clinical Decision Making: A Case Study Approach / Denise L Robinson 0781730112 / 978-0781730112 / Manual of HIV Therapeutics (Spiral(r) Manual Series) / 0781730147 / 978-0781730143 / Koneman's Color Atlas and Textbook of Diagnostic Microbiology (Color Atlas & Textbook of Diagnostic Microbiology) / Elmer W. Koneman 0781730392 / 978-0781730396 / Management of Respiratory Tract Infections / John G Bartlett 078172774X / 978-0781727747 / The The Wills Eye Hospital Atlas of Clinical Ophthalmology / William Tasman, Edward A Jaeger 0781727758 / 978-0781727754 / The Wills Eye Hospital Atlas of Clinical Ophthalmology: Review of Clinical Ophthalmology on CD-ROM / Daniel P Montzka 0781727995 / 978-0781727990 / Handbook of Pediatric Physical Therapy (Long, Handbook of Pediatric Physical Therapy) / Toby Long, Kathy Toscano 0781728053 / 978-0781728058 / Medical Terminology: A Programmed Learning Approach To The Language Of Health Care Including Flashcard Set / Marjorie Canfield Willis 0781728231 / 978-0781728232 / Field Guide to Urgent and Ambulatory Care Procedures (Field Guide Series) / David M James 0781728398 / 978-0781728393 / 2001 MCAT: Complete Preparation for the Medical College Admission Test / Lippincott, L. L.E. L. Williams, Wilkins 0781728606 / 978-0781728607 / Fundamentals of Periodontal Instrumentation / Jill S Nield-Gehrig, Jill S. Nield-Gehrig 0781728843 / 978-0781728843 / Current Neurologic Drugs / Lewis P. Rowland, Randy Rowland, Rowland 0781729041 / 978-0781729048 / Principles and Practice of Positron Emission Tomography / Richard L Wahl, Julia W Buchanan 078172905X / 978-0781729055 / Central Venous Access / Charles E Ray
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domain: literature


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text:
2-2-9 Kotobuki Taito-ku, Tokyo, Japan
|To City Centre||3.6 km|
|Nearest airport||Tokyo Haneda|
|Distance to airport||17.7 km|
|Policy||Pets not allowed|
|Payment & Cancellation||Policies vary by room type and provider.|
|Front desk number||+81 338 428 421|
Nightly rates at Agora Place Tokyo Asakusa will generally be 45% cheaper than the average 3-stars hotel in Tokyo. When staying at Agora Place Tokyo Asakusa, you should be prepared to pay about €44/night, which is considered to be a good deal in Tokyo for a 3-stars hotel.
There are 17.7 km between the closest airport, Tokyo Haneda Airport, and Agora Place Tokyo Asakusa. The drive to the airport from the hotel should take you 0h 13m with a normal traffic flow. It’s important to take high traffic times into consideration, especially in metropolitan areas.
Agora Place Tokyo Asakusa is just 0.9 km away from the centre of Taitō, Tokyo. From Agora Place Tokyo Asakusa you can easily get to other popular landmarks such as Nippon Budokan.
If you have questions or concerns about your stay, call +81 338 428 421 to talk to a Agora Place Tokyo Asakusa front desk representative.
Yes, Agora Place Tokyo Asakusa has Wi-Fi available to hotel guests.
Agora Place Tokyo Asakusa check-out time is 11:00, though late check-out may be accommodated if agreed in advance with the hotel reception.
Agora Place Tokyo Asakusa room prices depend on your dates, room type and availability. The average price found recently is €44/night, with the best deals starting from €17/night. To see current deals, enter your dates in the form above.
There is an on-site restaurant - contact Agora Place Tokyo Asakusa for opening and last order times.
If you need to have clothes washed during your stay, you can take advantage of the laundry facilities and service at Agora Place Tokyo Asakusa. Guests also have access to an iron and an ironing board during their stay - either in the room, or by asking the front desk.
You can walk to Tokyo Dome while staying at Agora Place Tokyo Asakusa - you’ll be about 3.5 km away.

domain: geography


text:
Bangor police arrested two convicted sex offenders, who are required by law to update their addresses whenever they move, during two separate incidents on Tuesday night, Sgt. Paul Edwards said Wednesday.
Detective Eric Tall, who is responsible for keeping track of sex offenders who live Bangor, ran across Daniel Comier, 31, who is listed as a transient, at around 5:45 p.m. and arrested him for allegedly failing to comply with the sex offender registry act.
Comier, who was convicted of sexual abuse of a minor in Knox County Superior Court in Rockland in 2005, has a Rockport address, according to the Maine Sex Offender Registry’s website.
Later in the evening, at around 8:45 p.m., Tall was dispatched to the Hope House to talk to Alec Philbrook, who also is listed as a transient. Philbrook, who was convicted in Penobscot County Superior Court in 2006 of two counts of sexual abuse of minor, was arrested by Tall for failure to comply with the sex offender registry act, Edwards said.
The sex offender registry had his address listed Wednesday as the Hope House, which is a shelter for people struggling with drugs and alcohol.
Both Comier and Philbrook were taken to Penobscot County Jail and remained there Wednesday evening, a jail official said.

domain: law


text:
Searsia chirindensis (Baker f.) Moffett
Common names: red currant (Eng.); bos-taaibos (Afr.); motha-thaa (North Sotho); umhlakothi (Xhosa); inhlokoshiyane enkulu (Xhosa); muvhadela-phanga (Venda)
SA Tree No: 380
The red currant, Searsia chirindensis, is an attractive, African tree with lovely reddish autumn foliage. It is common throughout the eastern part of South Africa and is often grown in gardens. Together with the kiaat, Pterocarpus angolensis, this species has been chosen as the Tree of the Year for 2003.
The red currant is a semi-deciduous shrub to small tree, 6-10 m high (although exceptional specimens may reach 20 m). Young and coppicing branches are armed with spines, although the mature tree is spineless.
The flowers are small, yellowish green and are borne in clusters at the ends of the branches from August to March. Male and female flowers occur on separate trees. The fruits, which are round, shiny, slightly fleshy, dark reddish brown and 4-7 mm in diameter, are borne from December to March, in heavy clusters which can weigh down the branches.
The large leaves, which may grow to 130 mm long, have three leaflets and are dark green, turning red before falling in autumn. The margin of the leaves is entire and usually undulate and ends in a tapering tip. The midrib is pinkish and usually sunken above and prominent below. The leaf stalk may be up to 70 mm long and is also pinkish red. The young leaves are reddish.
Distribution and habitat
This is a widespread African species occurring from Tanzania in the north to the Cape in the south. In South Africa it occurs from Swellendam in Western Cape along the coastal belt, through Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, through the Natal midlands and up the escarpment into Mpumalanga and the eastern part of Limpopo [Northern Province]. In occurs naturally in forests, along forest margins, in riverine bush and scrub forest and rocky hillsides.
Derivation of name and historical aspects
Most of the species grown in southern Africa, belonging to the genus Rhus have been placed in Searsia. Searsia was named after Paul B. Sears (1891-1990) who was head of the Yale School of Botany. The red currant, S. chirindensis, is named after the Chirinda Forest in Zimbabwe, and is the largest of all the southern African Searsia species. There are about 91 taxa in southern Africa including the commonly cultivated karee (Searsia lancea) and witkaree (Searsia pendulina).
In its natural habitat, the bark and leaves of the red currant are browsed by black rhino and the leaves by kudu, nyala, bushbuck and red duiker. The ripe fruits are a favourite of many species of bird (including louries, bulbuls, barbets, white-eyes, pigeons) as well as monkeys.
The sap of this tree is used in traditional medicine for treating heart complaints. The bark is also used to strengthen the body, to stimulate circulation and in the treatment of rheumatism and mental disorders.
The sapwood is yellowish and the heartwood a rich reddish brown. The heartwood is heavy and strong and makes attractive furniture. The wood has historically been used for wagon wood and for turning as well as for small tools and implements. The Venda name, muvhadela-phanga, literally means 'wood for knife handles'.
The red currant makes an excellent garden tree with its lovely autumn foliage. It is also attractive when in fruit and will attract various fruit-eating birds to the garden. The red currant bush (Ribes rubrum) from which jams and sauces are made is not indigenous to South Africa.
Growing Searsia chirindensis
As for most tree species, the red currant is best grown from seed with the seed germinating after 5-8 weeks. The seeds should be sown fresh for best germination results. There are also reports that it can be easily grown from truncheons and semi-hardwood cuttings.
The red currant is a fast-growing tree (up to 1 m per year) andcan be grown in full sun or partial shade. It should be planted in well-drained, composted soil. It does not have an aggressive root system. It should be pruned from an early age if a single-stemmed specimen tree is desired; if left unpruned it will grow into a multi-stemmed large shrub. It will tolerate moderate frosts and is drought hardy.
- COATES PALGRAVE, K. 1984. Trees of southern Africa, edn 2. Struik, Cape Town.
- GRANT, R. & THOMAS, V. 1998. Sappi tree spotting: KwaZulu-Natal. Jacana, Johannesburg.
- JOFFE, P. 1993. The gardener's guide to South African plants. Delos, Cape Town.
- JOHNSON, D. & JOHNSON, S. 1993. Gardening with indigenous trees and shrubs. Southern Books, Halfway House, Gauteng.
- LEISTNER, O.A. (ed.). 2000. Seed plants of southern Africa: families and genera. Strelitzia 10. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
- MOFFETT, R.O. 2007. Name changes in the Old World Rhus and recognition of Searsia (Anacardiaceae). Bothalia 37(2):165-175
- PALMER, E. & PITMAN, N. 1972. Trees of southern Africa. Balkema, Cape Town.
- POOLEY, E. 1993. The complete field guide to trees of Natal, Zululand and Transkei. Natal Flora Publications Trust, Durban.
- VAN WYK, A.E. (Braam). & VAN WYK, P. 1997. Field guide to trees of southern Africa. Struik, Cape Town.
- VENTER, F. & VENTER, J. 1996. Making the most of indigenous trees. Briza Publications, Pretoria.
- VON BREYTENBACH, J. et al. 2001. Pocket list of southern African indigenous trees. Briza Publications & Dendrological Foundation, Pretoria.
Witwatersrand National Botanical Garden
10 January 2003
Updated July 2008
Plant Type: Shrub, Tree
SA Distribution: Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Western Cape
Soil type: Sandy, Loam
Flowering season: Early Summer, Late Summer, Autumn
Flower colour: Yellow
Aspect: Full Sun, Morning Sun (Semi Shade), Afternoon Sun (Semi Shade)
Gardening skill: Easy

domain: biology


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Well, nearly every one of my guests may have already blogged about this event but now I might just join in. Two Saturdays ago I hosted a little get together for some London bloggers over brunch. There was obviously A LOT of food, litres of juice and I think we all came away inspired and buzzing from so many creative ladies in one room. I managed to squeeze all of them into my cosy flat…somehow.
Thanks to Lauren, Che, Jo, Emma, Lynne, Lulu, Nicole, Rebecca, Amy, Reema and Claire for coming out to West London for the morning. I love it when my home is full of life and obviously I love any excuse to style up a table with DIY details! And yes…I did get the spray paint out. Don’t judge me.


Calif. Resort Town To File Ch. 9 After $43M RE Judgment
The Mammoth Lakes Town Council unanimously voted to file for bankruptcy after Mammoth Lakes Land Acquisition refused to mediate the judgment against the town and obtained a court order requiring payment by June 30, the town said in a statement.
The town said it was dealing with insufficient revenue to pay...
To view the full article, register now.


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Sweet potatoes are one of the oldest vegetables known to man and of the most beneficial one as well. So for today’s power foods food blogging group, I made one of the comforting dishes known to human kind. Soup.
Sweet potatoes are full of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory nutrients, and blood sugar-regulating nutrients. “Recent research has shown that particularly when passing through our digestive tract, sweet potato cyanidins and peonidins and other color-related phytonutrients may be able to lower the potential health risk posed by heavy metals and oxygen radicals” Source WHF .
For this weeks power foods blog group, its the hearty, sweet potato soup. Welcome Fall!
38 Power Foods blog group focuses on one ingredient each week taking inspiration from the book ; Power Foods: 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients from the editors of the whole living magazine. Each week we all come up with recipes, stories, articles to encourage eating nourishing food.
Who is we all ? The following wonderful people who make nourishing food and talk about it on their blogs. Do check what they have come up with this week. Also, If you are a blogger and love the idea of being part of the 38 power foods, we would love to have you join us. Contact: Mireya(at)myhealthyeatinghabits.com for details.
Jill and Margo at Saucy Cooks;
Jeanette at jeanetteshealthyliving ;
Martha at Simply Nourished Living ;
Mireya at Myhealthyeatinghabits ;
Alyce at More time at the table ;
Casey at My Sweet and Savory


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#Pins 55+ Schuttrange Plan Communal 55+
Survey about ageing well 2022-03-24 - 2022-06-30Process phases
Back to the process page
1? - ?
22022-03-24 - 2022-06-30
Survey about ageing well
Within the framework of the municipal 55+ plan, the college of mayor and aldermen and the commission for Family, the Senior Citizen and Social Affairs of the municipality of Schuttrange would like to adapt its actions to the needs and expectations of citizens aged 55 and over. With this questionnaire we have addressed different topics on "ageing well". Your answers will help us to structure this process.

domain: sociology


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Iowa women's basketball: No. 19 Hawkeyes roll by Penn State without Monika Czinano
No Monika Czinano, no problem for No. 19 Iowa against one of the conference's worst.
The sophomore center's right ankle injury kept her sidelined Thursday night, but the Hawkeyes hardly needed her in rolling by Penn State, 77-66, at the Bryce Jordan Center. This matchup between the Big Ten's current leader and cellar dweller unfolded as expected.
After some early back-and-forth action, Iowa (18-3, 9-1 Big Ten Conference) removed any suspense with a 19-2 surge in the first half's final 5:36. A 23-22 deficit transformed into a 41-25 halftime lead — and the Hawkeyes had their cushion. A cruise-control second half saw Penn State (7-14, 1-9) trail by double figures until the final minute.
Kathleen Doyle led Iowa with 23 points on 7-for-13 shooting, also adding eight assists, four rebounds and three steals. Freshman McKenna Warnock, who made her first collegiate start in place of Czinano, finished with 16 points and seven rebounds for a nice follow-up to Sunday's performance. Warnock has reached double figures in back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Iowa also got 14 points from Makenzie Meyer and 15 from Alexis Sevillian, who buried three treys for the fourth time this year. Reserves Logan Cook and Kate Martin also helped fill in for Czinano, with short appearances
Had this been less of a lopsided affair, maybe Iowa would've rolled Czinano out there, perhaps in a limited role of sorts. But the Hawkeyes didn't need to push things right away against a team sputtering to stay afloat.
Czinano could return Sunday, when Iowa travels to Michigan for Sunday's 11 a.m. showdown at Crisler Center. If not, look for Warnock and others to shoulder the load again. A win against the Wolverines would mark Iowa's best start through 11 Big Ten games in the Lisa Bluder era.
Dargan Southard covers Iowa and UNI athletics, recruiting and preps for the Des Moines Register, HawkCentral.com and the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Email him at firstname.lastname@example.org or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.


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'Force Awakens' becomes fastest movie to $1 billion
LOS ANGELES - "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" has reached $1 billion at the box office, reaching the milestone with record-setting hyper speed.
The Walt Disney Co. said Sunday that "The Force Awakens" crossed the mark over the holiday weekend. The film accomplished the feat in just 12 days. The previous movie to reach $1 billion the fastest was Universal's "Jurassic World," which did it in 13 days in June. "Jurassic World" also had the benefit of record grosses in China. "The Force Awakens" doesn't open in the world's second-largest movie market until Jan. 9.
J.J. Abrams' installment of "Star Wars" also posted the biggest Christmas Day box office in history with $49.3 million and the best second-weekend take with an estimated $150 million.
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Uncovering Heian Japan: An Archaeology of Sensation and Inscription (Asia-Pacific: Culture, Politics, and Society)
The poetry of the Heian court of Japan has typically been linked with the emergence of a distinct Japanese language and culture. This concept of a linguistically homogeneous and ethnically pure Japaneseness has been integral to the construction of a modern Japanese nation, especially during periods of western colonial expansion and cultural encroachment. But Thomas LaMarre argues in Uncovering Heian Japan that this need for a cultural unity a singular Japanese identity has resulted in an overemphasis of a relatively minor aspect of Heian poetry, obscuring not only its other significant elements but also the porousness of Heian society and the politics of poetic expression. Combining a pathbreaking visual analysis of the calligraphy with which this poetry was transcribed, a more traditional textual analysis, and a review of the politics of the period, LaMarre presents a dramatically new view of Heian poetry and culture. He challenges the assumption of a cohesive national imagination, seeing instead an early Japan that is ethnically diverse, territorially porous, and indifferent to linguistic boundaries. Working through the problems posed by institutionalized notions of nationalism, nativism, and modernism, LaMarre rethinks the theories of scholars such as Suzuki Hideo, Yoshimoto Takaaki, and Komatsu Shigemi, in conjunction with theorists such as Derrida, Karatani, Foucault, and Deleuze. Contesting the notion that speech is central to the formation of community, Uncovering Heian Japan focuses instead on the potential centrality of the more figural operations of poetic practice. Specialists in Japanese history and culture as well as scholars working in other areas of cultural criticism will find that this book enriches their understanding of an early Japan that has exerted so much influence on later concepts of what it means to be Japanese.
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book coupons. But be sure not quickly jump into any bookstore site to buy. Always
click "Compare Price" button to compare prices first. You would be happy
that how much you would save by doing book price comparison.
Buy Used Books and Used Textbooks
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college students for saving. Different second hand books from different sellers
may have different conditions. Make sure to check used book condition from the
seller's description. Also many book marketplaces put books for sale from small
bookstores and individual sellers. Make sure to check store review for seller's
reputation if possible. If you are in a hurry to get a book or textbook for your
class, you should choose buying new books for prompt shipping.
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The notion that one's mobile phone is as much fashion accessory as indispensable gadget is reinforced with the newest collaborative handset from LG and Prada. The Prada Phone by LG 3.0 is highlighted by its elegant, understated design, featuring a black case with discreet Prado logo up top and adorned with the brand's signature Saffiano pattern at the back. The minimalist aesthetic is maintained with just a handful of physical buttons running underneath the fairly large 4.3-inch NOVA display with 800 x 480 WVGA touchscreen. While the phone's looks will undoubtedly be the primary selling point, the technology on hand is respectable: it's built on a dual-core processor with 8 GB of internal memory and runs the Android OS on a Gingerbread interface (which is customized with unique menus and icons in neutral shades of black, grey and white). Finally, there's an 8 megapixel autofocus camera with HD 1080p capability. The phone is expected to land first in Europe and South Korea.


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Servings: Serves 6
2 large apples, washed well and dried
½ cup creamy peanut butter
Pretzel sticks, broken
Slice and core each apple into quarters and then slice the apple into wedges. Spread about 2 teaspoons peanut butter on one side of each apple slice and sandwich together. Sandwich together and stick marshmallows, apples, and raisins in the peanut butter as teeth.
Recipe Courtesy of Paula Deen


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Thomas Mercer has set forth on a voyage of discovery to the Middle East, choosing the Dubai International Boat Show 2014 as its first port of call in the region.
The Richmond-upon-Thames based manufacturer is keen to introduce Middle Eastern buyers to its precise and aesthetically pleasing of marine chronometer designs. Thomas Mercer heralded its arrival in the Middle East with the regional premiere of its Legacy Shackleton Epic.
Commenting upon Thomas Mercer’s participation in the show, chief executive Alessandro Quintavalle, said: “The Dubai International Boat Show is a world class event and its continuous growth reflects the Middle East’s increasing importance in the international luxury maritime market. As a drawcard for discerning visitors seeking high end products related to the yachting industry, it is a tremendous opportunity for Thomas Mercer to showcase its matchless and exclusive marine timekeepers to existing and potential customers.”
The British brand, launched in 2012 with a fifth-generation descendant of Thomas Mercer on the board, is named after the chronometer maker and seeks to offer timepieces fit for ‘the globe’s greatest vessels’.
The original incarnation of the company was established in 1858 to manufacture precision chronometers to calculate longitude at sea, was appointed Maker to the Admiralty and sent pieces on epic voyages such as the Shackleton Expedition.


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Creamy, tangy vegan ranch dressing with fresh dill (or leave it out for a classic ranch). Soaked cashews work their magic to create the creamiest, dreamiest ranch dressing that is totally plant-based and dairy free.
Are there any ranch dressing lovers out there?
It seems like ranch is THE universal salad dressing for kids. Whether on a bed of lettuce or with some carrot sticks and cucumbers for dipping, is there anything better?
Make a batch of this Vegan Ranch Dressing with Fresh Dill to use all week long! I suggest using a high powered blender like the Vitamix or Blend-Tec. If you don’t have one, just soak your cashews in hot water for at least an hour before blending.
-Cut up some carrots and cucumbers and serve with this ranch for an after school snack.
-Dip your pizza into it. Yum.
-Use it to make this potato salad instead of the usual dressing.
-Top your baked potatoes with it, and add some tempeh bacon too, crumbled up….


Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani, Carrie Underwood, And Trisha Yearwood To Perform At ACM Awards
Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, Carrie Underwood and Trisha Yearwood will perform at the 55th ACM Awards on September 16.
Shelton and Stefani will perform their latest single “Happy Anywhere.”
In celebration of the 95th anniversary of the Grand Ole Opry, Underwood will honor trailblazing female Opry members by performing a medley of songs by country music icons.
Multi-ACM Award winner Yearwood will deliver a special performance of “I’ll Carry You Home” from her critically acclaimed album Every Girl for the In Memoriam, paying tribute to those we have lost in the Country Music industry.
Hosted by Keith Urban, the event will be broadcast live at 8 PM ET on the CBS Television Network and will be available to stream live and on demand on CBS All Access.
For the first time in the show’s history, the awards will take place in Nashville, broadcasting from three iconic Country Music venues: Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium and The Bluebird Cafe.
(Photo: Pete Souza)
Source: Read Full Article


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The first thing to do is to send and open the .kml file from ForeFlight in Google Earth on a PC or Mac.
Once the Track Log is showing within Google Earth, you will see the track information, but no specific altitude numbers. To view the altitude information pane, go to Edit > Show Elevation Profile.
Image 1: Edit > Show Elevation Profile.
If "Show Elevation Profile" is selectable, you will see the elevation profile as pictured in image 2.
Image 2: Track Log with Elevation Profile showing.
If "Show Elevation Profile" is not selectable (See image 3), then we will need to perform a few more steps.
Image 3: "Show Elevation Profile" is not selectable.
On the left side of the Google Earth window is a pane with a "places" section. Expand that section. Your Track Log should be listed under "Temporary Places." Expand the Track Log to view the sub-items. You will see a "Start" icon listed. If you deselect all the items in the Track Log (image 4) and then reselect only the sub-box that says the track log name you should be able to select the Elevation Profile (See image 5). If the "Start" box is selected, the Elevation Profile will not be available.
Image 4: All items deselected
Image 5: Tracklog name "KSZP-KSZP" is selected after clearing all selections. Now Show Elevation Profile is selectable.
It is important to note that if you just deselect the Start icon only, that will not work (See image 6). You have to deselect all, and then reselect only the track log name.
Image 6: Only the Start box was deselected without deselecting other boxes first. This will not allow the "Show Elevation Profile" option to display.
Alternatively, you can just delete the Start line by right-clicking and selecting Delete (See image 8). Once that is done, and with the Track Log selected, the "Show Elevation Profile" should be available to select.
Image 8: How to delete the Start line
Once you are able to select "Show Elevation Profile", do so. You will see a profile as follows in image 8.
Image 8: Elevation Profile is displayed for a Track Log.
Of interest, the profile shows both speed and elevation. To view only one or the other, tap on either the red elevation box or the blue speed box in the profile view. Image 9 shows just elevation selected.
Image 9: Profile view shows only elevation information when speed is deselected.
Last, you can scroll across the profile with your cursor to show specific information for that point on both the profile as well as on the track (See Image 10).
Image 10: Scroll with curser across profile to view point-specific information.


Every third Saturday of each month, stop by the Ames Family Atrium between noon and 4:00 p.m. to get a firsthand look at the art-making process. Each session will provide you the opportunity to engage and interact with a different Northeast Ohio maker during pop-up demonstrations and activities. See their work unfold and learn how artists create. Explore a related selection of authentic objects from the CMA’s education art collection in a pop-up Art up Close session. See, think, and wonder.
Participate in a community weaving with Praxis Fiber Workshop. Artists from Praxis will demonstrate how to make plain-weave-structure linen cloth from flax fiber, similar to how fabric was produced in ancient Egypt, one of the earliest cultures to practice weaving.
This event is organized in conjunction with the CMA exhibition Egyptomania: Fashion’s Conflicted Obsession.


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Welcome to my website!Miss Derrick
Room 129Third Grade
Email:email@example.com is my 28th year teaching at Elon Elementary. I have taught first, second, third, fourth and fifth grade as well as technology. I love to read and hope to instill a love of reading in each child. I love to watch the students grow each year and welcome any help and/or comments from parents.I have a mom, 2 sisters, 4 nephews and one niece. They live in Pennsylvania and Maryland.My Favorite place on the planet is Disney World. I have been 29 times and counting!!This summer I went to Disney, the beach and Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Did you get to travel any this summer?


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domain: entertainment


The rise of celebrity beauty brands: Why Millie Bobby Brown, Selena Gomez, Ciara are going into makeup and skincare
It's never been uncommon for celebrities to have some form of a side hustle to build onto their empire. Singers dabble in fragrances (see: 'Thank U, Next' by Ariana Grande and the many, many, many perfumes Britney Spears has dropped since 2004), while actresses go into everything from fashion (Kate Hudson has Fabletics), furniture (Reese Witherspoon call hers Draper James), to baby products (The Honest Company belongs to Jessica Alba). 2019 however, is shaping up to be the year of the celebrity beauty brand.
In a time not too long ago, celebrity-owned and celebrity-endorsed beauty products were a hit-or-miss affair. Many gained a rep for being nothing more than botched attempts at a cash grab, while the ones that earned relative success rose and dipped (and died) in tandem with the careers of their founders. (Remember Jessica Simpson's now defunct edible beauty brand, Dessert?)
But then Rihanna and Kylie Jenner's Fenty Beauty and Kylie Cosmetics came into the picture, transforming the landscape of the industry as we know it. Fenty's 40-shade foundation line, for instance, has re-established a new standard in the industry and serves as a litmus test of inclusivity for beauty brands. Kylie Cosmetics, on the other hand, (almost) single-handedly made bold, matte lip offerings relevant once more, becoming a mainstay in many a beauty bag since it was displaced in favour of shiny glosses in the 2000s. It's no wonder their peers — namely Millie Bobby Brown, Selena Gomez, Ciara, Lady Gaga, Hailey Bieber, and Cardi B — want to join in and do the conga.
While some celebs do demonstrate a genuine interest in the beauty industry, there's little to dispute the suspicion the rest are jumping onto the bandwagon at the prospect of profit. After all, the beauty industry has experienced explosive growth in recent years; a new report from retail analytics firm, Edited, revealed that it is estimated at US$532 billion this year alone as compared to US$446 billion in 2014. The beauty mammoth shows no signs of slowing either. Industry analysts claim that it will continue on a rapid upward trajectory as detailed by Fashionista... as long as brands remain committed to evolution both in terms of product and marketing.
It doesn't hurt that most celebrities have already established loyal, engaged, fan bases either. This makes promotional efforts a rather straightforward task, where a quick post on Instagram is all that is needed to get word out, guaranteeing some form of sales no matter the quality of the product. It does however, take a keen eye to distinguish the mediocre labels (umm, Bella Thorne's makeup line) from the stellar ones (Flower Beauty by Drew Barrymore).
Either way, establishing one's own beauty brand proves more sustainable in comparison to one-off brand collaborations. Take Kendall Jenner's joint effort with Estée Lauder. The brand launched a partnership with the model-turned-mogul in 2016, which featured an extensive 82-piece collection — two of which featured Kendall's input and (literal) signature. While the two items sold out in a matter of minutes, the other items weren't quite as well-received, leading to the eventual discontinuation of the line. This begs the question: when a celebrity's star power easily overpowers that of a big name corporation, is there really a need for a partnership in the first place? Striking out on one's own would be more lucrative and on brand in every sense of the word, especially that someone is of Kendall Jenner's calibre.
Social media and the change it has imparted on the beauty industry also play a part in the popularity of the celebrity beauty brand. Customers no longer trust old "figures of authority" to dictate stale and (often) toxic standards of beauty. The consumers of today are a new breed; a well-read, intelligent bunch seeking a community and role models who are "human" and "relatable." This is evident through cult beauty favourite, Glossier's success, which claims to produce products inspired by real life that harness a certain come-as-you-are acceptance. And who better to fit the bill than celebrities? While some aren't all that relatable (hey, Kardashians), they do lead aspirational lifestyles that help with sales, all the same.
While celebrity fashion lines might have proved a popular option in the 2000s (think Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B. or Miley Cyrus x Walmart), their success rate is far more erratic than that of beauty brands. Fashion's profit turn is low and slow, even with luxury celeb offerings lauded by critics (The Row by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Victoria Beckham by Victoria Beckham). In comparison, beauty products are cost little to produce and thus, can be sold at much higher profit margins. Heck, there are companies out there — notable names include SOS Beauty and HipDot — that work to develop beauty lines for celebs and influencers specifically. They'd put in the grunt work (quietly) while stars serve as the face of the brand, as revealed in an exposé by Business of Fashion, making the beauty industry a sweeter a gateway to more riches.
If anything, beauty products have always held mass appeal, as compared to fashion and lifestyle labels. Charcy Evers, a retail trend analyst, elaborates in an interview with The Daily Beast. "If you can't afford a Gucci bag, you get Gucci perfume. And if you can't be Ariana Grande, you can always smell like her." It's a concept that applies to skincare and cosmetics as well, as most are priced reasonably, allowing for customers to get a taste of luxury without having to splash out enormous amounts of dough. Consider, for instance, how a Kylie Cosmetics matte lipstick only sets one back $23, while Fenty Beauty costs $28 for a lippie.
The beauty industry is a low-risk venture for celebrities with the possibility of high returns; it's no wonder every celeb out there is hankering for one of their own. Whether they should, on the other hand, is another story altogether.


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The Elephant Whisperers is one such significant documentary that won the Oscars in 2023. It follows the bone between an orphan baby elephant and a couple. The couple takes great care to ensure the survival and welfare of the baby elephant. This documentary explores the beauty of Tamil Nadu, where the documentary has been shot. It brings forward the peaceful harmony that animals and humans share. The documentary showcases the Indian environment and culture. Netflix featured it in December last year.
There are several more environmental documentaries that you can watch on Netflix as they deal with issues that trouble the earth. Soil pollution, ice caps melting, marine life declining, forest cover receding, we have enough environmental troubles that challenge us today. Environmental documentaries shed light on many of these topics and propose appropriate solutions for us to apply. Here are 5 environmental documentaries that offer you insight into the environmental challenges that humankind faces today.
List Of 5 Environmental Documentaries
A Life On The Planet
David Attenborough’s Life On The Planet is a documentary that showcases the abuse faced by the planet today as a result of man polluting it. Attenborough is a historian who takes us through the documentary as the audience grieves the mistakes they make toward the planet. This documentary also teaches how some of the damage done can be restored.
A Plastic Ocean
This documentary captures the suffering of marine life in a plastic-polluted ocean body. It shows how the plastic pollutants left behind by humans are eaten by marine animals. This later endangers their life. Researchers and Mariners travel globally to propose solutions that can be applied for immediate relief of marine life. This documentary has been shot over twenty locations for four years.
Kiss The Ground
This documentary focuses on the soil being the answer to climate change. The documentary shows how repeated use of pesticides and tilling can affect soil health. This further leads to more ecological damage. The documentary places focus on the soil being quintessential for the overall health of the planet. Renewal of ecosystems and combating climate change is possible by regenerating the earth’s soil and using sustainable agricultural methods.
This is an underwater environment documentary that assesses the health of coral reefs. They have been disappearing due to the rising sea temperature. This loss negatively impacts the biodiversity of oceans. Divers, photographers, and scientists are closely related to coral research. They come up with solutions in the documentary to reverse the loss of coral reefs.
When Two Worlds Collide
Released in 2016 on Netflix, this documentary shows clashes that occurred between the police and indigenous protestors in 2009 in Bagua, a town outside Amazon. The state-owned areas of the Amazon rainforests are given away to contractors for work. This not only adversely affects the lifestyle of the indigenous people living there but leads to pollution. Along with environmental pollution, the documentary also offers insight into the lifestyle of indigenous folks.
Suggested Read: 9 Documentaries You Must Watch To Know India Better This Republic Day


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Willow Smith has made a huge revelation.
The singer has revealed on ‘Red Table Talk‘that she and he brother Jaden felt “shunned” by the black community growing.
Her words below:
“With the African American community, I kind of felt like me and Jaden were shunned a little bit.”
Willow then went on to describe her and her brother’s unconventional presentations as a reason saying:
“We’re not gonna take pride in them because they’re too different. They’re too weird.”
Both she and Jaden began adopting more of an androgynous approach to their presentations in the early 2010s.
Their mom, Jada Pinkett Smith, then recalled the “firestorm” that occurred when Willow cut her hair.
To watch the latest episode of ‘Red Table Talk,’ click here.

domain: celebrity


Traditional timber-and-slate houses vs a neo-concrete nightmare in a Himachal village
Nirmand, a village some 200 kilometres from Shimla, is on its way to 'development'. But those interested in art and architecture see it primarily as a threatened heritage site. The village is home to some of the finest and oldest specimens of hill architecture in India. These structures are now fast on their way out, and panicky art lovers are crying that the village ought to be declared a heritage site immediately, in order to protect what is left of these magnificent structures.
People here are no longer interested in preserving their ancient houses. Wooden houses with slate stone roofs are being replaced with modern structures. Villagers say it is no longer feasible to continue building these houses.
To start with, there are no longer forests close at hand, and logging planks and beams has become expensive and difficult. Besides, obtaining slate for the roofs involves quarrying these stones from mines and then carrying them back to the village on mules.
"It is easy for outsiders to say that we should build our houses the old way. Building a concrete house takes me only a few months. But if I were to construct a house in the traditional style, it could take years, and will be much more expensive," says J L Bharadwaj, a villager. "To start with, I would have to make countless rounds of the forest department office for sanctioning of trees. When that is arranged, I will need to find a traditional carpenter, who will work at a leisurely pace. And then there are the slate stones for the roof. Sand, bricks and steel for concrete houses are just one phone call away."
An oft-cited reason in defence of ancient hill architecture is that it was based on a strong understanding of the needs and limitations of the habitat. A 1984 intertecht study notes that the gable roof structure in hill architecture is covered with slate shingles. This slanting roof ensures that snow and water do not collect on the roof. The sloping beams forming the framework of the roof are made of sawn wood, with horizontal beams along the length of the roof. This architecture conforms to the seismicity of the region. The new concrete houses, on the other hand, are not designed for a mountainous terrain. Among the perils the new architecture poses is the fact that it does not conform to the region's seismicity.
Today, however, concerns and circumstances have changed. The traditional architecture of the area was based on locally available materials. Forests were close at hand, and slate was easily available. These materials are no longer accessible.
site or not, this house has been put to good use
Nirmand is considered one of the oldest villages in the western Himalaya. The village was once the seat of Vedic learning. Even today, some of the ancient houses could easily transport one to the early times. The broad, winding cobbled paths, the exquisitely carved wooden houses with small doors and verandahs that project out of these structures, the slanting slate stone roofs and large courtyards with piles of grain left to dry in the sun -- are strongly reminiscent of a rich past.
Today, some of those cobbled courtyards have given way to concrete floors. Slate roofs have been replaced by tin roofs. The clearest view of the extent of damage caused to the ancient structures is from a nearby ridge. One realises that a good part of the damage has been done by what art historians term 'pious vandalism'. Locals and officials, intending to preserve and renovate the old houses are ending up irreparably damaging them.
The village has seven ancient temples. The majestic Mahadev temple, considered one of the finest specimens of wood architecture in the region, was one of the first victims of this form of vandalism. "The beautiful temple was renovated and changed into an ugly structure by a revenue official, who thought he was doing a perfect job of it," says a regular visitor to Nirmand. A new practice of painting the wooden houses is also contributing to the damage. While the traditional polish made with apricot and linseed oil was safe and preserved the wood, chemical paints have toxic effects.
A number of structures have simply been abandoned, and a few are lying in ruins. The fortress-like Parashuram temple is in a dilapidated state. The main idol of the temple's deity was stolen a few years ago. And this is not an isolated instance. A caretaker of one of the many ancient temples in the village says, "Recently, a foreigner was willing to pay over Rs 100,000 for a single wooden panel of a temple covered with traditional wood carving."
A frequent visitor to Nirmand has this tale to narrate, "I took photographs of a wooden sculpture of Ganesha on one of the wooden panels. Later, when I tried to match this picture with a photo and description in a book called Antiquities of Himachal
, I noticed that earlier, there was the sculpture of another deity at the same spot. Evidently, the original one had been smuggled out and another sculpture had taken its place."
There are some attempts now to guard what is left of the precious artefacts in the village, some dating back to sixth century ad.
There is an interesting story about a copper plate that dates back to about this time. The villagers got together to establish a system to protect it. Eight members of the village panchayat have the key to the place where the copper plate is kept locked. If someone so much as wants to see the plate, all eight members would have to give their consent. Only then can the lock be opened and the copper plate viewed.
It is heartening that at least a section of the village has woken up to the destruction of their heritage. There are a number of voices today that express deep concern and dismay. "In the last 10 years, many of these houses have been demolished, and only a few have been replaced with the traditional wooden structures. Increasingly, the trend is to go for concrete structures," says Paras Ram, who at 98 is the oldest resident of the village.
Paras Ram is not alone. Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (intach
) has been working towards getting the Indian government to declare Nirmand a heritage village. "This would ensure that no new structures come up in the area demarcated as a heritage site. Repair and restoration work will also be carried out," says B S Malhans, in charge of intach
's Shimla chapter. Malhans adds, "Once a village is declared a heritage village, it means funds will be available for its preservation and restoration from several national and international bodies, such as the World Heritage Fund, the ministry of tourism and culture, and also the environment ministry."
|A view of the
valley (left); A man looks out of the door of an ancient community centre
V C Ohri, author of several books on art in the western Himalaya says, "The most urgent need is to document the houses and temples of Nirmand. Restoration and preservation work should follow." O C Handa, art historian, says, "The only way to save Nirmand from further damage is to declare it a heritage village immediately. This was done quite successfully in Bharmaur in Chamba district. There is no reason why it should not be successful here."
And there are other examples as well. intach had succeeded in getting Pragpur (Kangra valley) declared the first heritage village three years ago. Similarly, in May 2002, the World Heritage Fund agreed to fund the restoration work of a thousand-year-old abandoned monastery in Nako village in the remote tribal district of Kinnaur, close to the Tibetan border.
Manoj Jerat, an environment writer, has just returned from Nirmand. He believes that no plan to preserve the heritage of the village could be successful without the active co-operation of the villagers. He says, "A sensible way of preserving Nirmand's architecture is by promoting and developing 'heritage tourism'. This would provide an incentive to the villagers to look after these monuments.
The Outer Seraj area surrounding Nirmand is dotted with several scenic spots and old dak bungalows from the Raj days. These could be developed as trekking camps, with Nirmand as the base camp. The added attraction would be an exploration of the ancient hill architecture of the village."
There are no black and white answers to Nirmand's development dilemma. But art historians and art lovers in India are worried that the village's priceless architecture and artefacts are more deeply threatened with every passing day.
Baldev S Chauhan is a Shimla-based journalist, critic and environment activist. He can be contacted at email@example.com
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Healthy Cookies Recipe Kids Love and Make came from Liza D., mother of 4 kids ages 7 and under! Liza’s favorite family healthy recipe that sugar free, eggs free, whole foods ingredients, dairy free and super easy and quick to make. Liza makes Healthy Cookies often and her young kids love and make them on their own. When we met and shared our favorite Grandma Favorite Candy recipe, we realized the recipes were almost identical except for one additional step – baking. Cookies are soft and pleasant on texture. If you prefer soft texture cookies, bake them around 10 minutes, if crunchies – leave them for a few minutes longer. Hope you will enjoy them as much as we do!
Healthy Cookies Recipe
Read the Science Behind Healthy Cookies Recipe at the end of this blog.
Don’t have time to shape the cookies, spread them flat on a baking sheet and make Healthy Brownies.
Easy, quick, no-bake, whole-food, plant-based, vegan, keto, healthy ingredients.
PREP TIME: 5 min.
COOK TIME: 25 min.
CUISINE: European, Gluten free, Vegan, Paleo, Plant-based
AUTHOR: Liza D.
- 1 and 1/2 cup – raw pecans and walnuts (or any other nuts)
- 1 cup – dried dates (soak prior, if you wish)
- 1/4 cup – water (or almond milk)
- 1/4 cup – ground flax seeds (and/or other seeds)
- spices to taste ( ceylon cinnamon, turmeric, cardamon, etc)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (or apple vinegar, juice, buttermilk)
- pinch of salt
- Food Processor (the best) or
- Knife or Blender may work
- Ingredients and proportions change according to your taste.
- No time to shape cookies, lay the batter on a baking sheet
- No time to bake, shape and freeze without baking soda and lemon juice – ready to eat
- Measure ingredients, pour lemon juice on top of soda, blend everything in a food processor
- Use a spoon to shape cookies on a baking sheet
- Bake 10 min or longer at 350F (shorter time to bake makes them soft, longer time – crunchier)
- Let them cool and enjoy!
The foundation of any cookie recipe consists of a few main ingredients: fat, sweetener, flour, a rising agent, a binding agent, xanthan gum, and salt.
Fat adds flavor and affects how chewy or crunchy the cookies are. More fat – chewier, less fat – crunchier. This recipe the blended nuts give the fat cookies need.
Sweetener is a tenderizer, while controlling how much the cookie spreads. This recipe has dates as a sweetener.
Binding agents are the liquid in the recipe that holds the cookie together like eggs, milk, honey, or fruit juice. This recipe doesn’t use eggs but we used dairy-free milk or water.
Flour is a stabilizer and thickener and controls how much the cookie rises. It holds it together. This recipe goes with ground nuts but you can add or substitute with Almond Flour, which leaves the gluten behind and creates flatter and denser structure.
Rising agent or leavener most commonly used is either baking soda or baking powder (make sure to use aluminium free). If you use baking soda, your recipe must include another acidic ingredient, like lemon juice, vinegar, buttermilk. Baking soda increases browning and spreading, resulting in a flatter cookie. Baking powder will give you a puffier cookie but because it has starch, they become more sandy.
Xanthan gum (guar gum in some cases) stabilizes emulsions, increasing the viscosity of the mixture so that the oil and vinegar stay together longer and so that spices stay suspended. Xanthan gum also creates a smooth, pleasant texture in many foods and undetectable. To add 1/4 tsp of Xanthan gum is a great idea.
Salt is another important ingredient in cooking – breads, cookies, cakes and so on. A little salt added to grains will keep them from absorbing a lot of the cooking water so that they retain their shape. Salt enhances and intensifies food’s flavor in cookies. As we didn’t use grains, we skipped this step but a pinch of salt might be a good idea to put.


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MACCHERONI PASTA - SPINACH
Maccheroni is a traditional type of pasta in the shape of short tubes with small ridges. It is hollow inside to absorb the sauce that accompanies it better. This pasta is infused with spinach which contributes a bright green color and plenty of nutrients
Ingredients: 100% organic wheat flour, Semolina (Rawa), and Spinach.
Natural flavor: Spinach | No preservatives


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Lucy took the oxygen tubes out of her mother’s nose and turned off the tank so they could share a last cigarette together. Marge’s last cigarette. It was October 30, Mischief Night, the day her mother Marge had chosen in the hope of being buried on All Souls’ Day. She chose the time, around 11:15 p.m., so that she could watch the lead story on the 11:00 news; she no longer cared to hear the five-day forecast.
They sat in the dining room, which had been converted into a makeshift hospital room with an adjustable bed, a commode, a TV tray covered with prescription bottles, and the oxygen tanks. Lucy held the brown cigarette to her mother’s mouth. The smoke hung about Marge’s face. Her lungs could barely pull it in or force it out, but she still enjoyed the smell and taste.
The lead news story had proven a disappointment. The “werewolf boy” from South America had plastic surgery at Children’s Hospital to remove the thick hair covering one side of his face; skin grafts were required. Instead of after pictures of the boy’s face following the procedure, they aired pre-surgery video. Dr. Eugene McCormick, a man in his early fifties wearing wire-rimmed glasses and a white medical jacket, outlined an area of the boy’s face with a black marker, while the anchorwoman stated that the boy was recuperating and in stable condition.
“He is the same,” Marge said through parched lips, as she turned her face away.
She had motioned to Lucy that it was time. Reluctantly, Lucy let go of the aluminum foil-covered antenna of their old television. She didn’t want to kill her mother. She didn’t know whether she could kill her mother.
Lucy took a drag and then offered the cigarette to her mother again. Closing her eyes, Marge parted her lips and sucked ever so slightly on the filter. She opened her mouth to let the last of the smoke escape and studied its rise.
Then Lucy tapped out the cigarette in the ashtray until every ember was extinguished. She went into the kitchen to empty and wash the ashtray, a ritual Marge insisted upon after each cigarette. One that Lucy was grateful for now; it gave her a just few more minutes. “Smoking doesn’t have to be a dirty habit,” Marge would say.
As Lucy returned to the dining room, Marge pointed to her purse. Lucy knew what she wanted-the index cards with Marge’s final to-do list. Each step of her mother’s death was printed clearly, ingrained in blue ink, on its own index card. In the past few weeks, she’d meticulously jotted down notes while watching reruns of Columbo and other detective shows. From these notes, she created the concise, detailed to-do list. For as long as Lucy could remember, index cards were how Marge ordered the days, weeks, and seasons of her life. She kept all but these final ones in a recipe box on the kitchen windowsill. Mostly they were instructions on keeping house, some recipes-Marge’s parting gift to Lucy “so she wouldn’t have to reinvent the wheel every morning.”
Protest was futile. Lucy cautiously brought up that some in the Church might consider it a mortal sin. Marge said, “I’ve got that covered.” Lucy pleaded that she wasn’t up to the task, maybe there was someone else, perhaps Marge could do it on her own?
“I gave birth to you. This is the least you could do for your poor dying mother,” Marge replied. The conversations ended always with Marge’s standard end-of-discussion scowl.
Lucy sat next to her mother and when Marge nodded, she read from the first card: “Number one. Place pillow over my face and apply firm but gentle pressure for a minimum of five minutes.”
Marge reached for the pillow behind her head. Lucy took it with one hand and looked for a place to set the stack of index cards. Finally, she decided to put them on Marge’s lap, then she stood. She wanted to say something or do something meaningful but Marge seemed eager to get on with it. Afraid she’d fail her mother, Lucy started, “Mom . . .”
Marge calmly waved her off and motioned for the pillow. Lucy took a deep swallow, put the pillow over Marge’s face, bending its ends around her head, and held it tight. Her mother’s body became rigid. Her fists pushed into the mattress. Marge had warned Lucy not to break her nose. People would suspect foul play. And she didn’t want black eyes for her funeral. “It’s not that I’m vain,” she’d said, “I just want to be presentable.”
After a few moments, Lucy’s hands were wet with perspiration; her joints ached from the pressure, the tension. Her mother lay still. Lucy had forgotten to check the time before starting. How did she get stuck doing this? Who else would do it? Her father was dead. Her sister Anne would never have agreed to this; and Marge would never have asked her.
Lucy lifted the pillow.
“Mom, are you there?”
Marge’s eyes opened, startling Lucy, then Marge began coughing.
“Are you okay?” asked Lucy.
Her mother moved her head. Lucy couldn’t decipher if she was shaking it or nodding.
“Do you want a glass of water?”
Marge’s coughing subsided and she glared at Lucy.
“Get the egg timer,” she whispered with what was left of her voice.
When Lucy returned, Marge set the timer for five minutes. Pushing aside prescription bottles, she positioned it on the TV tray next to her. Then, she pressed the button to recline the bed. She motioned for Lucy to place the pillow over her head again.
“I’m not sure I want to do this!” Lucy started crying. Marge patted her daughter’s shoulder and reset the timer. She pushed the pillow to Lucy.
“Okay, okay,” Lucy mouthed. Right before she put the pillow over her mother’s face for the second time, she noticed Marge blowing air out of her mouth. Her hands lay across her chest, her gnarled fingers neatly intertwined and pressing down. Death could not come fast enough for Marge.
Her mother had been ready for death since her husband Joseph died twelve years ago. She’d curled into herself like a pill bug only her armor left showing. Marge never forgave Joseph for dying so unexpectedly, so poetically, and so well before her. His dying was not in the plan. He’d broken their agreement. He’d abandoned her.
Joseph Pescitelli was a house framer. One day on the job, he stopped hammering, clutched his chest, and slid down a wood stud until his tool belt clunked against the plywood floor. It was all one fluid motion. He died with one hand on his chest and the other still holding his hammer.
Theirs had been a May-December romance. Joseph was twenty-two years older and a confirmed bachelor when he met Marge. But he had always acted younger than his age and she, older. It was as if, in marrying Joseph despite her family’s disapproval, Marge O’Connell had committed her one act of youthful passion and been done with it. At the young age of fifty, Marge seemed to welcome the cancer, having grown bored and frustrated with living. She was furious that she was confined to a hospital bed with oxygen tubes up her nose, peeing in a pot in the middle of the very same dining room in which she conducted Christmas and Easter celebrations for thirty some years. Her dying was neither poetic nor quick.
The egg timer ticked the seconds. Lucy stared at the white pillow covering her mother’s face until she saw spots. Then she looked to the window and saw the reflection of the simple circular chandelier, hovering in the darkness. A lone white feather that must have escaped the pillow slowly swayed back and forth making its way to the bed until Lucy blew it away. Marge’s body was tense and shook slightly. Lucy stood, her arms straight, pushing down. Her elbows and knuckles ached. The dark hair on her arms stood on edge in contrast to the brightness in the room. Everything seemed alive and watchful. The egg timer, the feather, the chandelier-all witnesses. Lucy turned her face away and stared at the twisted zigzag lines of the television screen. Her vision was already blurred with tears as she tried not to notice her mother’s feet twitching under the blankets like two land-bound fish. Voices from another channel cut in and out. She couldn’t make out what they were selling. The health reporter spoke with great earnestness about the merits of drinking tea. The elderly British people she interviewed proclaimed that their religious consumption of tea was the reason for their longevity. Many had grandparents who had lived well into their nineties. The Pescitellis were coffee drinkers. Marge’s body jolted, once, twice, three times. Lucy held tight onto the pillow letting her tears fall from her jaw. Her throat ached, trying to release a cry. She swallowed. Next up on the news was a man who had invented a device for yanking trapped plastic bags from tree limbs. The news took a break to advertise the following day’s 6:00 news. The egg timer buzzed, rattling against the metal TV tray.
Lucy lifted the pillow and held it against her chest. Marge’s milky blue eyes were open. Lucy hadn’t expected that. She waved her hand in front of them; they didn’t blink.
“Mom? Mom? Are you there?”
“Are you dead, Mom?”
Number Two: Make absolutely sure I am dead.
Lucy lay her head on her mother’s chest. Sometimes when she was little, Lucy woke up to the sound of her father snoring in the front bedroom and the noise of the television downstairs. There her mother had fallen asleep in her recliner, the flickering light on her still body. Quietly, Lucy climbed on her lap and listened to her mother’s heart beating, her soft murmuring in her sleep. Now, there was no sound, no motion.
As instructed, Lucy placed a hand-held mirror in front of Marge’s nose and mouth. It didn’t fog up. She couldn’t make the call to the doctor unless she was absolutely sure Marge was dead; her mother had emphasized that several times. Lucy checked for a pulse in her mother’s wrist.
“Mom? Are you there?” Lucy stood above her and gently shook her shoulders. Marge’s body was limp. Lucy placed Marge’s hands on her chest, as they did at the funeral home where she worked. Her mother’s hands were rough. The perpetual cycle of scrubbing, washing and scouring had left her hands with the swollen, bruised look of a fisherman’s face after decades of exposure to salt air.
Number Three: Place pillow under my head.
After closely inspecting the pillow for any traces of bodily fluid, Lucy returned it to its place under Marge’s head. She straightened Marge’s faded strawberry blond hair with traces of gray. The muscles in Marge’s face were relaxed, but Lucy could still see the line between her eyes. Oddly, in death Marge appeared younger. For a moment, Lucy considered holding her mother in her arms, embracing her, but her mother’s eyes were still watching. Instead, she quickly kissed her forehead, something she would never have done while her mother was alive. In her mother’s house, love was clean underwear, not hugs and kisses. When she stroked Marge’s cheek, she was surprised by its softness and the light peach fuzz. She assumed her skin would feel more like burlap than silk. Her sister Anne bore a very strong resemblance to Marge-tall, slender, and fair with freckled skin and thin lips. Lucy took after her father, which meant she was shorter, rounder, her skin olive. Her dark hair was noticeable on her upper lip and sideburns, more pronounced on her arms and legs than the average woman’s. Lucy couldn’t help but wonder if Marge’s interest in the werewolf boy was an indirect slight at her.
Number Four: Reinsert oxygen tubes.
Lucy released a heavy sigh, not realizing she’d been holding her breath. The tubing rested on Marge’s throat. Lucy carefully inserted the prongs into her mother’s nostrils and turned the oxygen tank on. When Dr. Cuchinnati arrived it was to appear as though Lucy was so in shock that she left her mother untouched.
Number Five: Open window and release my soul.
Lucy opened the window next to the bed. Marge had told her to say a prayer for both of them. Lucy heard the Million Dollar Movie theme music coming from the TV. Beyond the alley, in the moonlight, the clothesline shimmered, a shooting star against the cinder block walls of the backyard. In the upper pane of glass, she could see her own dark reflection and the white brightness of her mother’s blankets behind her. If she stood perfectly still and concentrated hard enough, she thought she might see her mother’s soul leaving her body. “God forgive us,” she whispered. A chill traveled up the length of her spine. Had her mother left? Turning away from the window, she watched her mother’s motionless body. She grabbed the index cards and her mother’s purse from the foot of the bed, then slowly backed into the kitchen.
Number Six: Call Dr. Cuchinnati.
Marge’s purse was heavy, twenty years old and camel-colored faux leather. Sometime during the Seventies it was available for purchase exclusively on television. It had compartments specifically designed for a matching checkbook, address book, cigarette case, and key chain. When Marge saw it, she knew it was the perfect purse for her- a place for everything and everything in its place. The pages of the address book crinkled like old parchment from the stress of Marge’s printing as Lucy searched for the doctor’s information even though she knew the number. She needed the prop. The line rang and rang and Lucy envisioned the octogenarian slowly making his way to the telephone. Finally he answered. She could hear her mother’s voice in her head as she recited her lines: “She went peacefully in her sleep during the 11:00 news. I called to her from the kitchen to see if she wanted anything and there was no answer.”
With Marge’s purse in tow and the index cards folded into her palm, Lucy waited for the doctor on the front stoop. Being alone with her mother frightened her now, despite her years of practice keeping the dead company. Since the doctor lived several blocks away and stubbornly refused to take a taxi, Lucy knew she’d be waiting for some time while he hobbled over. The coolness of the marble step seeped through her threadbare sweatpants. She reached into her mother’s purse and pulled out the matching cigarette case. Some of its color had crumbled away. Her hands trembled as she lit a cigarette. Then, she began to pull at the hair on her forearm; the pain grounded her.
She looked over at the darkened row houses across the street. Her entire life had happened on this narrow street in South Philadelphia. She knew every neighbor at least by sight. The houses were all the same-two-story red brick fronts, a bay window on the first floor, two windows on the second. Tonight, they resembled yawning faces. Some neighbors had opted to install aluminum siding over the brick front; others stuck artificial grass to their steps, perhaps in an attempt to bring some green to the lawnless neighborhood. While Marge disapproved of these embellishments, her pet peeve was the adornment of the bay windows with Virgin Marys, or cat and dog figurines, or plastic flower arrangements against white vertical blinds. The Pescitellis had sheer curtains and heavy, dark mustard-colored drapes. A single crystal lamp lit the window. On this night, many houses had seasonal cardboard decorations of ghosts, witches, and black cats taped to the windows.
Only a few trees were on the block. In front of their house, at the base of their stoop, was a square of mismatched cement. When her father lived in the house alone, before he’d met her mother, a tree grew there. In the spring, it produced white blossoms. Marge had it removed, fearing it would fall on the house or tangle its roots around the sewer pipe.
Lucy slipped off her black flat and stubbed out her cigarette in its soft foam sole, which resembled a waffle from wear. Marge didn’t like butted cigarette marks on the sidewalk and Lucy didn’t want to reenter the house alone to retrieve an ashtray. Through the vertical blinds, Lucy spied the purple-pink light of televisions in some of the houses.
The street was quiet. She lit another cigarette and stared at the burning embers and the smoke drifting up. Since it was Mischief Night, she thought she might see some kids making mischief. At twenty-nine, she’d never seen it happen. But every Halloween morning, without exception, she awoke to see soaped-up car windows and doorways and store fronts splattered with over-ripened tomatoes and raw eggs.
A couple approached; they weren’t from the neighborhood.
“Those’ll kill ya, ya know,” the woman commented as they walked by.
“Yeah,” Lucy said, “I know.”
She took a deep drag, then blew the smoke out in a steady stream. So far the day had gone exactly as planned. In the morning she had finished some minor household tasks before the visitors for the day arrived. Fr. Reed heard Marge’s confession, gave her Holy Communion, and seemed to suspect nothing out of the ordinary in their behavior. Jack Kelleher arrived in the afternoon. Marge had respected and trusted Jack as a friend and a lawyer and because his aunt, Mrs. Garrity, who lived across the street, was her best friend. Jack was in his late thirties and had gone away for law school but returned to the neighborhood. Something graduates rarely did. He was the opposite of her sister Anne who only returned for funerals. Lucy lit another cigarette with the last one. The folded index cards were damp from being clenched in her fist. Despite this, the lines and dots Marge had embedded into the cards still felt like Braille. When Marge first reviewed them with her, Lucy felt demeaned by their simplicity and repetitiveness, but they had proven a comfort this night, allowing her to focus on tasks, not the implications of her actions. She unfolded them. The next card gave instructions for calling Anne. Lucy wasn’t to do this until Marge’s body had been taken from the house. Marge didn’t want Anne coming over and asking questions while she was still there. Lucy flipped to the last card.
Number eight: Destroy to-do list.
The final item.
St. Peter’s loomed large over the squat houses. Its muted bell rang out midnight. Her cigarette had burned down to the filter; it singed her fingers. For a moment she absorbed the pain. Then she ground the butt into her shoe and shoved the cards into her pocket. The sound of footfalls echoed down the deserted street and Dr. Cuchinnati’s elongated shadow appeared before he turned the corner.
Excerpted from When Love Was Clean Underwear by Susan Barr-Toman (www.susanbarrtoman.com), winner of the Many Voices Project’s Fiction Award 2007. The novel will be published by New Rivers Press in October, 2009.
Susan Barr-Toman teaches writing at Temple University and holds an MFA in Writing and Literature from the Bennington Writing Seminars.


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Idris Elba Tackles Youth Violence With New Track ‘Knives Down’
9 Jan 2024
An unmistakeable presence in our culture, actor and musician Idris Elba has released a new single, ‘Knives Down’, which aims to combat youth violence within the United Kingdom. The track has been accomapnied by a powerful music video directed by MD Films.
Produced by Fraser T Smith and FaNaTix, Elba implores the UK Government to take action against the rise of knife crime within the UK. The music video also features an image of Ronan Kanda, who was killed in 2022 due to a case of mistaken identity.
Speaking on the track and the message behind it, Elba states:
“I can’t stay silent as more young lives are lost to these brutal and heartless crimes. As school returns, too many young people will not be joining their classmates and too many grieving families have lost a young person they love in recent years. Young people are our future, their potential deserves to be met, not taken away by violence.”
The track is part of a campaign called ‘Don’t Stop Your Future’, which aims to bring youth violence to the top of the political agenda.


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It looks as though things are going from bad to worse for reality television star Sonja Morgan. The Real Housewives of New York star is apparently trying to save her home as she is hiring personal accountants to try and refinance her New York City townhome.
Morgan, who recently sold her multi-million dollar country estate in France, is in the midst of a huge legal battle and doesn't want to lose her home, which has been her primary residence for both her and her daughter for several years now.
According to Radar Online, Morgan has requested the court to allow her to hire a personal accountant. Despite having an accountant that handles her bankruptcy estate tax returns, Morgan wants to hire a separate firm to handle her personal returns so she can refinance her home.
Morgan sold her $5.7 million dollar French Estate back in May with a net of approximately $4.5 million after closing.
The trustee in her case filed the report while stating, "The Trustee of the above-captioned bankruptcy estate, hereby reports as to the private sale of the estate's interest in certain real property known as 'La Clos' located on the Parc de l'Oumede in Ramatuelle, France."
Morgan originally listed the French estate at $8 million but had to settle for much less when it sold.
It is also unknown on whether Morgan will be returning for another season of the Real Housewives of New York.


They were long afraid to do it, but now conservatives have their knives out for Rep. Michele Bachmann.
Senators in her own party, congressional candidates, a lawmaker in her state’s delegation and leaders of the House Republican Conference are all lambasting the Minnesota Republican for saying the wife of former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said merely floating the idea that Huma Abedin — a top aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — has family ties to the radical Middle East group is “pretty dangerous.”
“I don’t know Huma, but from everything I do know of her, she has a sterling character,” Boehner told reporters Thursday. “And I think accusations like this being thrown around are pretty dangerous.” Later on CNN, Boehner said he expects to speak to Bachmann soon.
Bachmann’s accusation came in a handful of letters to intelligence and national security agencies raising questions about the Muslim Brotherhood. The letters, also signed by four other Republicans, specifically mentioned Abedin, accusing her late father of having ties to the Brotherhood.