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Acclaimed opera singer, accomplished visual artist and shelter animal advocate, Martha Cares is a creative powerhouse doing good for animals. I love her fun, whimsical sculptures and jewelry quality key ring/dangles. But, that they remind us furry works of art in all shapes, sizes and colors exist in shelters across the country; well, that brings it to a whole other level. These enamel and steel pieces of dogs, cats and bunnies grace the lawns of museums and public city spaces, and her iconic Red Dog has come to mean support for the shelter dog around the world.
And, Martha is generously giving away one of her famous keychains to two lucky Bark & Swagger followers, so read on to see how to enter! You can also check out the Bark & Swagger radio show on Martha, on Pet Life Radio!
Martha’s rescue dog changed her life
It began with Poppy. Martha had lost her beloved Peachy at 16 years of age and was devastated. She didn’t think she could get another dog. “Even though I didn’t want to get another dog, on each of my birthdays, I would go to the Humane Society and say hi to the animals there,” Martha shared. “I kind of became a Petfinder.com junkie. One day, a little dog caught my eye and she was beautiful. I noticed she was being fostered close to home. I adopted Poppy and this adoption changed my life.”
Cares began creating colorful little works of art – 8″ tall sculptures in steel – and featuring them in her studio. “They were ‘adopted’ very quickly, but everyone said to me, ‘Martha, I love this sculpture; it’s so happy and it reminds me of your rescue dog, Poppy,'” she recalled. “I hadn’t realized it at the time, but they were right. It was Poppy. So, I named the sculpture My Rescue, and as my confidence grew, I enlarged upon the theme. Then, I applied to a special exhibition and was accepted at the Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I exhibited the five primary-colored dogs (see photo at head of article) and devoted my art to raising awareness about the importance of rescue and dedicating my work to all who rescue, foster, adopt and donate.”
My Rescue combines the two loves of Martha’s life; animals and the arts. In 1985, while on the road singing opera, she published a children’s coloring book, featuring a cast of characters, which was well received. “I was traveling for my opera but was always doing my art, and my colleagues and cast members would ask me to design for them,” Cares explained. “I remember designing something for Broadway Cares: Actor’s Equity Fights AIDS.”
Where does opera fit in?
You might be thinking, what about opera? How did that come about? Because it’s not everyday we meet someone who sang over 1,000 performances of the highly acclaimed Phantom of the Opera national Broadway production, directed by the legendary Hal Prince. How did Martha become an award-winning opera singer?
She began singing as a child, and people would stop and marvel at her voice. It was so strong, she went on to study at special schools to become a classical vocalist. Her operatic career highlights include roles with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Florida Grand Opera, Grant Park Music Festival, Milwaukee Opera Company and the Chicago Opera Theatre. In addition, Cares was a guest solo artist with symphony orchestras, including the Miami Chamber Symphony, the Grand Rapids Symphony, the Racine Symphony and the Tulsa Philharmonic, where she sang with international opera star, Simon Estes. And, Cares was honored as Grand Prize winner of the International Bel Canto Opera Competition in Italy, where she made her European debut.
McDonald’s, United Airlines, Cheer…you’ve also heard Martha sing in national commercials on tv. Her versatile voice is so sought out, she’s currently booked through 2017!
Remember I mentioned that My Rescue honors two of her loves? The arts has always been in Martha’s life, too. She was drawing and sculpting dogs and horses as a child. It’s always exciting when you find your calling in life, and that’s what happened with Cares.
A symbol of rescue around the world
Today, the Red Dog is a notable symbol of rescue in all 50 states, and in Australia and Canada. Her exhibition at the Ford Museum resonated so deeply with the community, she began hearing from rescue organizations around the country saying they loved her work as a symbol of rescue. She received suggestions to create My Rescue kitties (which she did), and then her Lulla Bunnies, which represent compassion, followed. Creating miniatures of her work made it available for those who might not be able to afford a large-scale piece, and the key ring idea was born.
And, she began donating proceeds from the sale of her art to rescues and humane associations around the country. “I learned that, after Pitbulls, Chihuahuas are the most at risk dogs in our country,” Martha described. “To draw awareness to this issue, I created Baby Blue Velvet, a 400 pound, steel Chihuahua. She’s large, but very delicate and beautiful, and she has friends I created with her.” They were also exhibited at the Ford Museum.
Her public art exhibitions
Her large-scale, public art has also been exhibited at the Krasl Museum’s Biennial Sculpture Invitational, at Sculpture in the Park in Saint Charles, IL., at the brand, new City Hall in Valparaiso, IN. and at the Ella Sharp Museum in MI.
A substantial, beautiful piece, so when you show it, whether its on your handbag or as a keyring, it stands out and the colors of fantastic. Our Labor of Love Giveaway.
I asked Martha what we can look forward to from her over the next year or so. “I have some exciting projects coming up to draw more attention to the puppy mill issue,” Cares enthused. “I’ve just launched a new character to my repertoire, a rescue Pug.”
My Rescue gives back. They’ve donated to the National Mill Dog Rescue, to Harley to the Rescue, the Beagle Freedom Project and more. And, if you’re out and about at a black tie charity event, you might run into Martha and Poppy, who step out often. Most recently, the nationally-known Chicago PAWS Fur Ball auctioned a My Rescue piece Cares created specifically for it in the event’s theme colors of silver and black.
If you have a shelter you love, and want to see if you can work with Martha, email me at email@example.com, and I’ll make an introduction.
The Labor of Love Giveaway!
Win a gorgeous My Rescue key chain, which can also be worn as a dangle on your purse, in your choice of color. We call it the Labor of Love Giveaway because each piece Martha creates is, indeed, a labor of love for shelter animals and those who support them.
The giveaway runs from Monday, September 26 at 8am EST through Sunday, October 2nd at 11:59pm EST. Here’s how to enter, which can be done here, or via my radio show on Pet Life Radio:
This is a Facebook giveaway, and that’s where you’ll enter:
- Go to the Bark & Swagger Facebook page and Like it.
- Post a picture of your rescue and tell us how he or she changed your life.
- Go to the MyRescueDogs.org Facebook page and Like it.
We’ll choose two winners from the entries to each win a key chain/dangle in your choice of color. Choices include red, pink, blue, cream and black. Aren’t they gorgeous?!
What’s your rescue dog story?


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May already! The year’s surely flying by at a breakneck pace. What better way to avoid the unpleasantness of existential angst and worries about how your life is slipping away from you than in the confines of a dark and comfy cinema? The Edinburgh Filmhouse has you covered with its May schedule:
Claire Denis / France, Belgium / 2018 / 95 mins
Divorced, disillusioned but still determined, Isabelle (Juliette Binoche) ping pongs from one flawed relationship to another, trying to make sense of the whole damn thing. Dark humour, idealistic notions and indecision dominate this investigation about whether love and fulfilment are really the bedfellows we’ve all been led to believe.
Andrew Haigh / UK / 2017 / 121 mins
As perennial drifters Ray (Travis Fimmel) and his 15-year-old offshoot Charley (Charlie Plummer) roll into Portland, Oregon, the younger of the pair craves some stability in his transient life. He may just have found it working down at the local horse racing track, where he forms a cross-species bond with veteran charger Lean on Pete.
Michel Hazanavicius / France / 2016 / 102 mins
The trials and turmoils of Jean-Luc Godard’s private life go under the microscope, as the cult director struggles with the dubious reception of his later work and an increasingly turbulent relationship with those close to him. Despite such a synopsis, it’s a light treatment of the subject, with plenty of room for wry insight and affectionate comedy.
Valeska Grisebach / Germany, Bulgaria, Austria / 2017 / 121 mins
German construction workers clash with disgruntled locals while out on a job in the middle of the Bulgarian countryside… but all the fresh air and sprouting daisies in the land won’t dampen these fires. A brooding, simmering examination of masculinity, identity and mankind’s penchant for being downright mean to one another.
Léonor Serraille / France / 2017 / 97 mins
At 31 years old and just out of an unsuccessful relationship, the “young woman” of the title decamps to Paris with a fluffy white cat and a whole load of emotional baggage in tow. Quirky and feisty, this tale of starting afresh and staying true to yourself bagged the Camera d’Or at Cannes in 2017.
Todd Haynes / USA / 2017 / 116 mins
Two intertwining stories set 50 years apart see a pair of very different hearing-impaired youngsters undergo similar experiences as they run away from home and set off for the big bright lights of New York. One is fleeing the trauma of his mother’s passing while the other seeks to evade an abusive father. Will they find what they’re looking for in the Big Apple?
Kathleen Hepburn / Canada / 2017 / 112 mins
Set against the rugged backdrop of rural British Columbia, this gritty drama is every bit as rough-going as its setting. While Parkinson’s sufferer Judy (Shirley Henderson) comes to terms with the death of her primary care-giver after two decades with the condition, her teenage son struggles with his own sexuality and identity in an ultra-masculine world.
Dominic Cooke / UK / 2017 / 105 mins
Based on the Booker Prize-winning novella of the same name, this period drama sees Edward (Billy Howle) and Florence (Saoirse Ronan) do their best to consummate their marriage on the first night of their honeymoon – with tragicomic and far-reaching consequences.

domain: artistic


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Some day you’ll pull your electric car into your garage and it will start charging instantly because there will be a wireless charger built into the floor beneath it. We have quite a ways to go before wireless technology can safely move enough current to efficiently charge a car though, and different companies are working on ways to improve existing charging tech in the meantime to tide us over.
One of the coolest things we’ve seen so far was a demo of an autonomous Tesla charger prototype that looked absolutely amazing, but Tesla has yet to actually make it a reality. As it turns out, a Model S owner got tired of waiting so he built a version of it for himself.
DON’T MISS: Meet your favorite new Google search feature
Back in August of last year, Tesla built a prototype of an autonomous charger mechanism and showed off a video on Twitter. Here’s the prototype in action:
Charger prototype finding its way to Model S.https://t.co/L9E4MR642G
— Tesla (@Tesla) August 6, 2015
It looked like a scary snake robot out of some post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie, but the concept is actually quite smart. By creating a mechanism that connects itself to a car automatically, it obviously simplifies the process a great deal.
But sadly, you won’t find any crazy robotic snakes at Tesla’s Supercharger stations.
Model S owner Deepak Mital was tired of waiting for Elon Musk’s autonomous charger to become a reality, so he built his own motorized charging system. As Electrek noted, it uses a custom designed mechanism and a Raspberry Pi to control it. It’s a bit slow, as you’ll see in the video below, but the machine guides the charger into the Model S’s charging port without any help from a human, just as Mital intended.
A video showing the cool DIY autonomous charger in action follows below.

domain: news


Most of these cleaners contain chemicals, some of which can and adhere to the advice of the manufacturer or experts. Quality is the Motto: Quality is the important agents to clean a surface, which makes them popular even though they are quite expensive. This business offers lots of opportunities for entrepreneurs, but and blot it up with a clean cloth or paper towels. Wet the area with a solution that is a mixture of be leaky and moldy with tiles coming unstuck when we least expect it.
Apply this solution to the stained area, using a cloth have and the store will give you the appropriate machine. For instance, if you are searching for tile steam cleaner, make carpets made of synthetic fibers, steam cleaning is recommended. The belt of the vacuum should be in good condition, so as to those kept in the nearby areas in the dishwasher with the dishwasher detergent. Moreover, olefin carpet fibers dry quickly after cleaning because their low carpets made of synthetic fibers, steam cleaning is recommended.


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Thu, 25 May 2023 10:58:26 GMT
Aida is an illustrator whose artwork is colourful, sometimes whimsical and sometimes drawn from real life. Sometimes humorous and sometimes heartfelt. Sometimes drawn within comic frames, sometimes on walls. But always extra and always very fun.
I dress in bold colours, my art pseudonym has the word ‘yellow’ in it, and I am drawn to bright and playful illustrations. As a result, people see me as the cheerful, seize-the-day-sunshiny type.
But I’d like to think that I’m also very in tune with reality - I like to listen and observe the world around me quite keenly. So I think that my personality is someone who chooses to be idealistic and give myself wholeheartedly to the things I care about, despite the odds.
I believe in seeing magic in small things. One of my favourite personal works is a series of comics that are inspired by 'boring' trips to the dentist.
I think people have a natural need to express themselves - look at children and crayons! We just supplement that voice by learning certain skills as we grow up - art, music, science, etc. And people who do that up to certain qualifications or within certain industries get to label themselves 'creative'. But that doesn’t mean creativity is restricted to those vocations. In fact, I think it’s unwise to attach too much meaning and importance to the word.
I truly believe that everyone has a story to tell that is theirs alone, and that point of view is powerful and special and therefore when expressed, innately creative.
I would definitely say I'm an introvert. Isolation during covid was a dream. I also enjoy solitary activities like sewing, reading and long-distance running.
I think routine and discipline are the ingredients needed to channel creative chaos towards a tangible outcome. But routines are SO HARD to stick to because systems and order seem so intuitively at odds with the freely-floating, shapeless form that is creativity. I think the people who are able to tame that - to shape their mind’s restless rhythms into music are those who are most successful.
When it comes to 'creative stuff', I am drawn to creative hobbies that are similar to the work I do - sewing, reading, drawing, making things with my hands, etc. But I do believe all experiences can have the same effect if you approach them with curiosity.
My favourite part about creativity is that one realm always adds to another. Magic is in the small everyday things. My nightly ‘mindless’ scrolls on Instagram can lead to an interesting social observation that inspires my work at the office the next day. A conversation with a teammate can also be fodder for a comic I’ll draw in my free time for fun. An evening run at the beach can have the same brain-stimulating effect as the popular ‘creative epiphany in the shower’ that happens to many.
So take all the breaks, and do all the things you want. Just do them with wide open eyes and a big heart.
I think true creativity is making something out of nothing. That could look like inventing a shiny new product on the market, creating visual art masterpieces on Excel sheets, or even making someone laugh.
In my experience, the criteria shifts with context.
Before I worked in Advertising, I chased the struggling artist's dream - having my own studio, clocking in at my own hours, being my own boss - the works. When it comes to personal work, the output you create tends to look and feel 'truly creative': pure expression, no KPIs, the sky’s the limit and all that.
Five years into life as a corporate cog in the world of Advertising, my professional ideas don’t look as fancy or as fun as my personal work, but I’ve grown to appreciate another measure of what it means to be 'truly creative' - when you have to produce creative work WITHIN budget constraints, timelines, business expectations and with target audiences in mind.
My proudest work is a personal piece - Hullabaloo, 2018 - an interactive playground installation at The Artground. I have two younger sisters with special needs and they inspire the work that I do and how I see the world.
I wanted to create a rainbow-themed playground, inspired by my sister Aisha who has Autism. People with Autism love routine, so Aisha tends to get fixated on certain things for a period of time. She spent a whole year being obsessed with rainbows.
She loves drawing, and she would draw rainbows every day - but not your usual semi-circle ones. She dreamt up zig-zag rainbows, squiggly rainbows, upside-down rainbows, rainbow smiley faces, rainbow everything!
Rainbow prata, rainbow pants, rainbow sailboats... discovering a new ‘rainbow’ creation each day made me smile, and I thought they were an inspiring example of what creativity truly is: No limits. A mundane thing turned magical. I wanted people to know how brilliant she was, an artist in her own right.
When The Artground approached me for a collaboration in 2018, I jumped at the opportunity to capture Aisha’s rainbow hullabaloo in a space people can enter - something like walking into her world and seeing how she sees things. Rainbows don’t have to be semi-circles in the sky. They can be slides or tunnels you can crawl under; turned into hills you can climb, or a kaleidoscope of colour you can lie down under. Hullabaloo was a celebration of Aisha’s way of looking at the world - sometimes silly but always fun. Kids loved it. They are the experts at fun.
A lot of brands are chasing relevance right now, and that often looks like tapping into trends and hot conversations that are happening at the moment. I get that, but it always makes me restless for 'what’s next'. What can we do in a year’s, two years’ time that’s new and fresh?
I also notice that creators are increasingly touting the 'exclusive' - what with NFTs and edition-1-of-1s and all that. While I get why consumers and brands like the prestige that comes with something rare and exclusive, I do wish we could give more freely instead of holding our treasures close to our hearts. This might be idealistic but I believe that creative output should be more accessible and inclusive.
When I start a creative project, I look for references on Pinterest, TikTok, or any visual / design sites to see how other people have interpreted similar projects before. I pick pieces that I resonate with and try to understand why those works are appealing to me. Then I set that feeling of “I love this so much I wish I created that” as the goalpost. They say aim for the moon.
When I get stuck I do find that switching up your medium helps. For example – starting with a sketch on paper (with crayons! with your left hand! while on the treadmill!) instead of a blank Photoshop document might force your brain to bend in a different way, lending a fresh point of view to the problem at hand. Try new things, and talk to new people.
I definitely the opposite problem when it comes start staring a project as a blank sheet - too many new projects, too little time. I get excited easily at the possibilities that come with new ideas. My hands cannot catch up.
I prefer to work collaboratively…but very, very begrudgingly. Working alone always seems desirable because you have more control over the outcome, but as they say, you cannot go far alone. Discovering that I can do more in a team, and leaning on my teammates’ strengths and skills has always led to a pleasant larger-than-life type of outcome.
I always joke that if you give me one day to do a task, I’ll take exactly one day to do it. If you give me one year to do that same task, I’ll take exactly that. The work will never be ‘done’ and I think the discomfort and unpredictability and “is it good enough yet?” “what more can I add?” is what makes it fun sometimes.
I grew up in Singapore. My mom was a literature tutor and my dad worked in the creative field. Though they never really encouraged me to study art formally in school, I’ve always been interested in drawing, music, and the arts in general.
A large part of my life is influenced by my two younger sisters who have special needs. My sisters taught me to see the world from different points of view from a young age –– that you can communicate without words, and that being different can become your superpower if you keep at it. Daily life at home with people who have very diverse needs was unpredictable and that taught me to roll with the punches, to always look for the fun in chaos, and to see magic in small everyday things.
I am lucky to be surrounded by friends and family who were total enablers. In secondary school, I bought S$5 white canvas shoes from the market and drew on them with paint because I thought it’d be fun to wear shoes that represented what you felt on any given day. I made customised shoes for people that captured their personalities or drew on shoes to ‘match’ the seasons in my life.
It was so self-indulgent and silly but I think that impulse to just do things, make things, inspired by what I felt or observed in my day-to-day, was that creative energy that I got to hone through my ‘nonsense’ personal projects.
In junior college, the months leading up to the A-Levels were filled with dreadful ‘common tests’. I remember making a doodle depicting how terrible each paper made me feel, after every test. For example, feeling ‘Poisson-ed’ by the Poisson distribution graphs in the Mathematics exam. Or Literature, being smothered to death by a pillow, in the style of Shakespeare’s Othello murdering his wife.
The stick figure drawings found an audience in my friends, who found them funny and relatable. Even teachers became seemingly more interested in the drawings than in how I actually fared in those exams.
I entered those amateurish doodles and projects into a portfolio that earned me a spot at NTU’s School of Art, Design and Media (ADM), and that’s when I started to look at design/art more seriously and formally.
I found confidence in an audience that welcomed and found joy in those light hearted pictures, during a particularly stressful period in life. And I guess that’s the outcome I want to achieve still, today, no matter the medium or skill of expression.
It can truly depend what external factors help my own creativity succeed. Pressure makes diamonds but pressure can tip into the kind of pain that paralyses you when you’re not equipped to handle it. I think it’s important to keep yourself on your toes, but only when you’re in the right headspace to tackle that discomfort head-on.
I like how VaynerMedia champions its employee’s side hustles and passion projects. As a result, there is a culture of mutual respect for one another, and curiosity (read: geeking out) about one another’s interests. We take turns to lead informal art jams and creative workshops after work hours for fun, even if they’re outside of our realm of work –– for example, sculpting balloons, beading jewellery, and making clay figurines. We make time to play together, and I think that adds to one’s sense of creativity and teamwork AS MUCH AS, say, working on a pitch together.
I do believe that when it comes to Creativity, one realm always adds to another, and that magic is in everyday things. :-)view more - Creativity SquaredVaynerMedia APAC, Thu, 25 May 2023 10:58:26 GMT


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Can't help Rajiv killers: Jayalalithaa
Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa today said she has no power to alter the Presidential order rejecting the clemency plea of the three Rajiv Gandhi assassins.india Updated: Aug 29, 2011 15:08 IST
Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Monday said she has no power to alter the Presidential order rejecting the clemency plea of the three Rajiv Gandhi assassins.
Making a suo moto statement in the Assembly, Jayalalithaa said, "I don't have any power to alter the Presidential order rejecting the mercy petitions of the three -- Murugan, Perarivalan and Santhan."
She appealed to political parties "not to send signals" that she had powers to overturn the Presidential orders and save the three from the gallows.
The three, sentenced to death in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, are scheduled to be hanged on September 9.
The President had twice rejected their mercy petitions of the three who were awarded the capital punishment by a Special Court in Chennai, which was upheld by the Madras high court and the Supreme Court.
Charging the DMK president M Karunanidhi with adopting "double standards" and enacting a "fake drama", Jayalalithaa said Karunanidhi, when he was chief minister, had recommended to the governor to reject the mercy petitions of the three and commute the death sentence of Nalini, to life.
A decision in this regard was taken on April 19, 2000 at a cabinet meeting chaired by Karunanidhi, she said.
It is wrong to say that the chief minister had powers to commute the death sentence and save the three lives, Jayalalithaa said and expressed surprise why some political leaders were making such remarks while "knowing well the legal issues involved".
Only the President and governors has the powers to commute death sentences, she noted.
She rejected the contention of political leaders that Constitution gives powers to the State government under Article 161.
She said the Union home ministry had in 1991, made it clear that when a petition for grant of pardon in death sentences has earlier been rejected by the President, it would not be open for the state government to invoke Article 161 to commute the death sentence.
"However, if there is a change of circumstances or if any new material is available, the condemned person himself or anyone on his behalf may make a fresh application to the President for reconsideration of the earlier order. Once the President has rejected a mercy petition, all future applications in this behalf should be addressed to and would be dealt with by the President," she quoted the home ministry's directive.
Almost all major political parties, barring the AIADMK and the Congress have appealed to the chief minister to intervene to save the life of the three.
First Published: Aug 29, 2011 11:33 IST

domain: law


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Bryan – enero 1, 1970
I ordered this bundle as a Christmas present for my daughter. I’d never played The Last of Us before, but I thoroughly enjoyed the other 2 and wanted her to to enjoy them as well.However, when the package arrived, the box contained only the console, peripherals, and the disk for The Last of Us. There were no download/redemption codes to be found in the box. Those 2 games were the reason I specifically chose this bundle. Rating 1 star for an incomplete product.
Levi – enero 1, 1970
After saving up for weeks with my friend, we finally had enough money to buy a ps4. When we got it originally it worked great, yet the two download codes seem to say “This code has already been redeemed” if you care at all about the voucher codes DO NOT BUY!UPDATE: They sent the download codes that worked to me
Elonta Henderson – enero 1, 1970
Everything worked except for the two digital download codes. So I would either avoid this seller or this specific bundle.
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Xbox One S 1TB All-Digital Edition Console (Disc-Free Gaming)5 out of 5
Nintendo Switch Lite – Yellow5 out of 5
Sony PSP Slim and Lite 3000 Series Handheld Gaming Console with 2 Batteries (Renewed) (White/Blue)4 out of 5
DualShock 4 Wireless Controller for PlayStation 4 – Fortnite Jet Black5 out of 5
GPD XD Plus [Latest & Most Stable Update] Portable Handheld Video Gaming Console, 5” Touchscreen, Android 7.0, MT8176 CPU, PowerVR GX6250 GPU, 4GB RAM / 32GB ROM, WiFi, Bluetooth5 out of 5
New Nintendo 2DS XL Handheld Game Console – Orange + White With Mario Kart 7 Pre-installed – Nintendo 2DS5 out of 5
Sega Genesis Classic Game Console – Sega Gear4 out of 5
(2019 Newest!)Classic mini game console classic game console built-in 620 game video game console , AV output, 8-bit and two control handles, bring you happy childhood memories3 out of 5
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domain: hobby


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When my mom saw Emily Henderson make silhouettes for one of the episodes of Secrets from a Stylist on HGTV, she gushed about how cool it was. I remembered that and decided to make some for her for Mother's Day. Here's how:
First, I took pictures of my stepdad and brother in profile. I didn't want my mom to know, so I found a picture I had taken a couple of moths ago where she was in profile and cropped it. I printed them in 8 x 10, but they could have been smaller for the frame I had.
Then, I put the photo over black cardstock - I actually stapled the photo to the cardstock in areas that I knew wouldn't be part of the final silhouette.
Here are all of the silhouettes ready to be mounted!
I used double sided tape mounting squares to stick the silhouettes on white cardstock.
I had to make sure that the bottoms were all the same distance up or they would look strange all lined up.
Since the paper was 8 1/2 x 11 and the frame was 8 x 10, I put the glass over the cardstock and traced it with pencil so I could trim the excess.
And finished! I actually already had these frames in my collection, so the project was basically free. I know my mom doesn't mind. It's the thought that counts and I'm getting laid off while trying to get pregnant. HA... cracks me up.
So cute!! Ok, so if I could do it all over again, I would make the silhouettes smaller and use white frames with white matting like Emily did. I might redo this project if I find some extra cash to buy new frames. I just couldn't justify it as I have 462 frames sitting in our guest bedroom. Yes, that's an exaggeration, but I do have a TON of them.
I think she liked it and it was so fun to see how much the silhouettes looked like them!
When was the last time you made something for your mom for Mother's Day?


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As you may be aware we moved home at the end of last year, which was quite an upheaval! We are fairly settled now but are battling a bit with a lack of space, as the house is incomplete – our project for 2015!
Unfortunately we have ended up in a situation, where we have less “general” space than in our previous house but once we have completed our planned alterations, that should be sorted. One of the main areas I am struggling with, is not having a proper home office. In our old home my office was in our spare room/study but it is now in our bedroom. I am finding this setup less than ideal, as our bedroom is mezzanine and open plan. Which means I hear all the noise from downstairs, this is not good for writing or work productivity in general.
We have just… Continue reading
Last week I attended the launch of the Made by You & Cavendish Recycle Pop-Up Store in Cavendish square, in Claremont.
To give you a bit of background on this project – over the past three month Cavendish have been running a #cavendishcares project which focused on the WDC2014 theme “TODAY FOR TOMORROW – sustainable solutions for people and planet”. They tasked local green designers including Pitchulik, WREN & Give It Bag to create sustainable products utilizing the waste produced at Cavendish Square.
The challenge was to turn the waste into beautifully designed, functional and desirable recycled products, to in turn amplify the visibility of the Centre’s sustainable outlook. Through this initiative, titled ‘Made By You & Cavendish Square’ (MBY&C), the Centre’s shopping community, have in fact contributed to the creation of these products!
I thought I would share a few photo’s I took at… Continue reading
In a few months we will be moving to new home and taking on quite a large renovation project! Although somewhat scary, I love home decor projects, especially the journey of personalising a space and making it your own. I find the process so creative and extremely satisfying.
When it comes to home decor I prefer, neutral and natural-looking decor, particularly when it comes to floor coverings. Wood or natural stone costs a bomb, so I was very intrigued when I heard about Johnson Inkjet Tiles. These beautiful tiles provide a great substitute to home owners, who want to embark on home improvements and prefer the natural look, but may not have the budget for natural stone or solid wood flooring.
As I have mentioned before bringing nature into your home decor, is a good place to start your creative process, especially when looking at colour palettes.… Continue reading
As you know I love interior decor and finding creative ways to give a space a new lease on life, whether it is by changing wall colour or introducing interesting decor items.
The thing is decor and interiors are not only the pretty, aesthetic aspects but also involve organisation and practical storage solutions, to help a space function better.
My eldest daughter turned 13 this year which has prompted making a few decor changes in her bedroom. In essence removing all the very girlie items to make way for a more mature, trendy look. We created an accent wall by painting one wall a vibrant jewel green shade and introduced visual interest by adding Black and White prints.
We also need to find a home for her ever expanding makeup collection – she is my daughter after all! There are so many different types of storage solutions to choose from… Continue reading

domain: design


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UPDATE 8 A.M. JAN. 5: NORTH OKANAGAN SCHOOLS SHUT DOWN, VERNON RECREATION PROGRAMS CANCELLED
VERNON - It’s officially a snow day in the North Okanagan.
Despite plans to open schools as usual this morning, School Districts 22 and 83 have announced school is cancelled today, Jan. 5.
“Due to the fact many staff are reporting they are unable to get to work, that many buses are not getting through, and because school parking lots have not yet been cleared, schools will be shut down as of 7:42 a.m.,” district 83 spokesperson Alice Hucul said in a release.
For students already on buses, parents will be contacted and arrangements made. If staff are at work they should stay there until further notice. If staff are not yet at work yet, they are advised to contact school administration.
In School District 22, buses will continue running and students who arrive at school will have supervision.
St. James School is also closed for the day, as is the Vernon Christian School.
There will be no bus transportation to the Vernon Christian School, though there will be staff available at both campuses should students arrive despite the message.
“Calling a snow day on the first day back after vacation is likely a student's greatest New Year dream but administration recognizes this decision can adversely affects family plans. For that we apologize,” spokesperson Corinne Remple says. “Our community's safety, both students and parents, is our greatest concern.”
Post secondary students also get a snow day today. Classes are cancelled at Okanagan College in Vernon and the campus is closed for the day.
The City of Vernon has also sent out a release saying all Greater Vernon Recreation Services programs are cancelled for the day. These include Playschool, Tiny Tots, swimming lessons and fitness classes.
The Vernon Aquatic Centre and Fitness Gym remained open for public use to accommodate people able to travel for most of the day, but recreation services decided to shut them down at 5 p.m. due to worsening weather.
The Halina Seniors Centre and Centennial Outdoor Rink are closed, but the Priest Valley, Civic and Kal Tire Place arenas will be open Monday evening.
Because the weather is unpredictable, participants registered in classes are asked to call Recreation Services (250-545-6035) or check the website after 7 a.m. on Tuesday to check the status of facilities and programs.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at email@example.com or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email firstname.lastname@example.org or call 250-718-2724.
—This story was edited at 8 a.m. Jan. 5 to include an update from the school districts saying school is cancelled, again at 11:23 a.m. to say Greater Vernon Recreation Services programs have been cancelled, and again at 4:21 p.m. to update the status of Recreation Services facilities and programs.


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Construction demand rises in Texas, U.S. amid labor shortages
Published 4:39 pm, Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Demand for construction services will expand this year nationwide as contractors continue to face labor shortages, according to a survey conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America.
More than a thousand firms across the U.S. filled out the association's questionnaire between November and December 2017.
Respondents reported the most optimism for growth in the private office, manufacturing, retail and some aspects of the transportation sector, including airport systems. In Texas, K-12 school construction held the highest level of growth potential.
Yet half of all respondents reported difficulty in filling both salaried and craft positions. Fifty-three percent expect it will continue to be hard to recruit skilled workers this year.
Of the surveyed Texas firms, 43 percent reported labor shortages at the time of the survey, with 52 percent expecting the shortage to continue.
During a Wednesday conference call, Stephen Sandherr, the association's chief executive, called upon Congress and the Trump administration to address employee recruitment concerns by further investing in training programs such as the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act, signed into law in 2006.
- Elon Musk’s ‘Starman’ Has a Lot of Hidden Easter Eggs Fortune
- Emily Chang, author of 'Brotopia' Fox5
- Airline Passenger Quickly Changes Tune When Threatened With Explusion Marissa Rundell, Storyful
- Role of Security technology in active shooter situations Fox 26 Houston
- Sallie Krawcheck's Advice for Working Women Time
- Council passes paid sick leave policy Fox7
- FOX Business Beat: Bulletproof Backpack Sales Increase; Facebook ID Verify Fox5DC
- Volkswagen Sets Record for January Sales Wibbitz
Sandherr also called for national infrastructure investments and further regulatory rollbacks.

domain: economics


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Survey of Australian’s knowledge, Perception and Use of Cannabis for Medicinal PurposesJournal: Journal of Addiction & Prevention (Vol.5, No. 1)
Publication Date: 2017-06-30
Authors : Peter Gates Stephanie Todd; Jan Copeland;
Page : 1-10
Keywords : Marijuana; Cannabis; Medicinal use; Recreational use;
Objective: Changes to national and some state's policy on the cultivation and prescription of cannabis for medicinal purposes will soon directly impact Australian medical practitioners. We investigate differences in demographics, use patterns and the perceptions held by individuals who use cannabis for medicinal or recreational purposes and non-users. Method: Online survey advertised on the newsfeed of Australian Facebook users aged 18 years or over between March and May of 2016. A total sample of 1578 completed the survey, 199 (12.61%) were non-cannabis users, 489 (31.99%) were recreational-only users, 82 (5.20%) were medicinal-only users, and 808 (51.20%) used both recreationally and medicinally. Detailed questions regarded demographics, health, substance use, and knowledge and perceptions of medicinal cannabis use and policy in Australia. Results: The sample most commonly perceived cannabis to effectively treat pain and mental health conditions. Most medicinal users also reported frequently smoking cannabis for non-medicinal purposes. Overall, participant knowledge did not accurately reflect the current evidence base for medicinal cannabis. Differences by cannabis use motivation are discussed. Conclusions: This survey highlights important differences between non-users and current medicinal and non-medicinal cannabis users in demographics, patterns of cannabis use and regarding knowledge and perceptions of medicinal cannabis. The mismatch between the state of evidence to inform safe and effective clinical practice and beliefs of medicinal cannabis users must be addressed and may negatively impact clinical rapport and patient outcomes.
Other Latest Articles
Last modified: 2017-12-04 18:45:12

domain: medical


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While much of the Office user interface has not changed since Office 2013, Microsoft has done a lot to fine tune its Backstage File menu replacement.
Instead of a list of files, Microsoft has updated its Recent file view to show more information about when files were last edited, as well as making the option of browsing for files more obvious.
One feature that has yet to make it to the Windows Office 2016 release is the ability to see files in shared OneDrive folders, a useful new feature that is already in the Office 2016 Mac beta – though shared folders do continue to show in the recent folders views.
One application that has had a UI change is OneNote, which becomes more like its Windows Store equivalent. That is not surprising, as it is a common look-and-feel across Windows, MacOS, Android and iOS – all using OneDrive as a hub to store and share files. Giving OneNote a standard design is an important part of making it more a service than an application, especially if it is to compete with Evernote.
Using OneDrive to store, share, and collaborate is a key element of the standalone OneNote offering, and while it is still clearly part of Office, it is also quite clearly beginning to go its own way.


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Saturday 12 January - Saturday 30 March
Our musical storytellers Kate the Hedgehog and Craig the Fox along with a host of woodland friends.
Friday 12 April - Saturday 13 April
Remember, the strength of the wolf is the pack.
Tuesday 16 April
Witness a mountain of mysterious magic, a hatful of hyper-reality, and of course a truck full of tricks and tea.
Saturday 20 April
Join acclaimed children’s writer and illustrator Nick Sharratt and draw along with him! He’ll be showing you how to sketch favourite characters like Tracy Beaker and Timothy...

domain: library


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The movie Maillot Operation by the Algerian director Okacha Touita, was officially presented on Thursday, 21.01.2016 at Cinema House, Sofia. The Ambassador of Algeria to Bulgaria, H.E. Mrs Latifa Benazza welcomed the audience with a short speech.Among the guests were members of the diplomatic corps and Ministry of foreign affairs.
The movie is a part of MENAR Film Fest, which presents to Bulgarian spectators the cinema of Middle East and North Africa.
The film can be seen on 25.01.2016 at 18:30 at G8 and on 27.01.2016 at 20:00 at Euro Cinema.
- Croatia’s FM hails Algeria’s peacemaking efforts in region
- President Tebboune receives Croatian Foreign Minister
- Croatian FM dubs Algeria as key partner, commends its role in region’s stability
- Benabderrahmane received by Tunisian president
- President Tebboune receives president of State of Palestine


Flamingoes in Najafgarh. Photo: Nitya’s Photography/Flickr CC BY NC 2.0
In January 2022, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued an order directing both Haryana and Delhi to implement their respective Environment Management Plans (EMPs) for the Najafgarh jheel (lake) until a comprehensive integrated EMP was prepared by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). The Najafgarh jheel is a transboundary water body straddling Delhi and Gurugram, which once spanned 220 sq km. In response to the report submitted by the committee (set up by the Haryana government) on the Submergence Area of Najafgarh jheel, and the subsequent discussions held during the meeting between the Government of Haryana and the Union environment minister, an Inter-Ministerial Expert Group was also formed to address the challenges related to the lake.
According to the report presented by the inter-ministerial expert group in June last year, Haryana put forth the claim that the Najafgarh jheel was originally located in the state of Delhi near Chawla and did not exist in its present submerged location in Gurugram, Haryana. The report also highlighted that the built-up area in Gurugram has expanded from 25 sq km in 1990 to 350 sq km in 2022. Consequently, there has been a significant increase in the volume of treated wastewater since 1990. This increase in wastewater generation, coupled with a decrease in unpaved areas for water infiltration, has led to a higher volume of runoff water to the jheel. The report suggests that the submergence in Gurugram is primarily caused by the city’s wastewater from Badshahpur and Dharampur drains, as well as surface runoff during the rainy season.
Additionally, it asserts that the expansion of the submergence area on the Haryana side is due to the absence of a bund (embankment) along a stretch of approximately 5 km in Haryana and 0.9 km in Delhi. As a result, farmlands in villages such as Daultabad, Khedki Majra, Dhankot, Dharampur, Chandu, in Haryana, and Rawta in Delhi have been submerged. The report further notes that the accumulation of silt in the submerged area on the Haryana side, as well as in the Najafgarh drain within Delhi’s jurisdiction, has resulted in reduced water flow through the Najafgarh Drain (or erstwhile Sahibi river) into the Yamuna River.
To address the issue of submergence in the lake area, Haryana devised a two-year action plan that encompasses several measures. These include the construction of a 6-kilometre embankment, the diversion of treated wastewater from the lake, and the connection of Bhadshahpur (L3) and Dharampur (L2) drains from Gurugram to the Najafgarh drain. The Delhi government has been tasked with periodically desilting the Najafgarh drain to ensure an uninterrupted flow of water into the Yamuna River.
As part of the action plan, work has already commenced on increasing the capacity of the sewage treatment plant (STP) agricultural channel from 188 million litres per day (MLD) to 550 MLD. Upon the completion of this project, the treated wastewater currently being discharged through Bhadshahpur and Dharampur drains in the submergence area will be entirely redirected to the STP channel for irrigation purposes to villages in Gurugram and Jhajjar. Moreover, pipelines spanning a length of 110 kilometres have been laid to facilitate the utilisation of treated wastewater in the city’s green and blue areas. These initiatives are expected to significantly reduce the extent of submergence in Gurugram. Haryana believes that an accurate assessment of the actual submergence caused by rainwater or the true extent of the lake area can only be determined upon the completion of the aforementioned project within the next two years. Subsequently, the EMP will be implemented for the naturally submerged areas.
Earlier this year, the NGT addressed the execution application filed by INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) concerning the rejuvenation of Najafgarh lake in Delhi. The NGT disposed of the application by referring the matter to a high-level committee chaired by the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi, which is already responsible for addressing pollution control issues in drains and water bodies affecting the Yamuna river. Additionally, for areas within Haryana, the responsibility was assigned to the chief secretary of Haryana. Furthermore, the NGT ordered the continuation of the Inter-Ministerial Group until the remedial measures proposed in the two-year action plan are completed. This judgment has dealt a significant setback to the efforts aimed at designating Najafgarh lake as a wetland.
Haryana’s action plan involves reducing the inflow of water into the lake by diverting treated wastewater and constructing an embankment. It also aims to drain the existing water in the lake area by connecting drains from Gurugram to the Najafgarh drain and conducting desilting activities in the Najafgarh drain. These measures are expected to decrease the inundation of farmlands in the lake area, making the land available for other purposes. However, the freed-up land is likely to face pressure from real estate development due to its proximity to Delhi and the high land values in the area. This trend is evident from the significant increase in the built-up area, which has risen from 1.3% in 1991 to 10.4% in 2020.
Environmental activists and experts have expressed concerns about the construction of an embankment, as they view it as detrimental to the lake and exacerbating urban flooding issues in Gurugram. The jheel serves as the natural slope and depression of Gurugram, providing the only outlet for floodwaters towards the Yamuna River. Constructing embankments would retain more floodwater within Gurugram, particularly considering the increasing frequency of extreme rainfall events, as highlighted in Haryana’s EMP. This approach would have negative impacts on both the lake and the Yamuna river downstream.
Manoj Misra, who passed away on June 4 and was the convenor of Jamuna Jiye Abhiyan, had earlier urged the NGT to take notice of Haryana’s two-year action plan. He pointed out that the plan not only contravenes the NGT’s directions in the ‘Maily se Nirmal Yamuna’ case but also goes against the Supreme Court’s 2011 Jagpal Singh case, which prohibits the destruction of any water body in the country. Misrra asserted that Haryana’s action plan aims to alter the natural drainage and hydrology of Gurugram, depriving the existing Najafgarh lake and draining the benefits of such drainage outfalls. Moreover, he highlighted that these actions would disregard the hydrological requirements of the Yamuna river downstream of the barrage at Wazirabad in Delhi, which necessitate releasing a minimum of 250 million gallons per day (MGD) of water into the river to maintain its natural flow. Misra urged the Chairperson of the NGT to urgently examine the matter and advise the Haryana state government to refrain from taking any steps that would harm the interests of the Sahibi river, Najafgarh lake, and ultimately the Yamuna river.
In addition, experts such as Manu Bhatnagar from INTACH have raised concerns about the feasibility of Haryana’s two-year action plan. They argue that Haryana’s assumption of utilising 550 MLD of treated wastewater for irrigation in Jhajjar and Gurugram villages, as well as for watering green areas in Gurugram city, is unrealistic as the water requirements for both irrigation and green areas are intermittent in nature. Moreover, diverting water for irrigation purposes to Jhajjar against gravity would necessitate pumping significant volumes of water, resulting in high energy demands.
The Haryana government has also proposed implementing micro-irrigation using treated wastewater. However, this proposition appears implausible as micro-irrigation systems typically require filtered water to eliminate any suspended solids, and some systems even necessitate chemical treatment to ensure uniform water application. Therefore, the feasibility of implementing micro-irrigation with treated wastewater raises concerns. Additionally, desilting the Najafgarh drain is unlikely to have a substantial impact on water flow, as the bed slope of the drain in the submergence areas is 1:25000.
Haryana’s assertion that a jheel near Chawla in Delhi exists and that it does not exist in the current submergence area of Gurugram is contradicted by the Land Revenue Settlement Record of the Gurgaon District, prepared by the settlement officer F.C. Channing in 1882. This historical document provides evidence of the existence of the chak Najafgarh jheel or the Najafgarh jheel circle for land revenue assessment purposes. The circle encompassed 12 villages with a combined area of 14,242 acres, situated around the southern end of Najafgarh jheel. Notably, the unique characteristic of this area was the irrigation it received from the jheel itself.
According to the record by Channing, out of the 12 villages, lands in five villages – namely Dharampur, Daulatabad, Bhudera, Mankraula, and Naubaramad – comprising an area of 1772 acres, experienced significant flooding and inundation.
Additionally, Channing proposed the creation of a distinct chak or circle that included the land from these five villages. The purpose of this separate circle was to address the challenges faced during land revenue settlement, as these particular areas not only constituted the basin of the jheel but were also prone to submersion even in regular years.
In fact, Maconachie’s final report on the settlement of land revenue in the Delhi district (1882) refers to the formation of Chak jhil by Channing in Gurgaon district.
The available documentary evidence demonstrates that the submersion in the north-western Gurugram area of Najafgarh jheel was a recurring phenomenon and not solely a consequence of the urban expansion of the Gurugram-Manesar complex after 1990, as asserted by the Haryana government. Moreover, Survey of India (SOI) maps from 1803, 1807, 1936, 1964, 1975, and 2010 show the Najafgarh lake as an interstate lake. It is possible to perceive Haryana’s two-year action plan as a tactic aimed at evading the official recognition of Najafgarh jheel as a wetland or, at most, designating only a small portion of it as such.
Additionally, Haryana’s claim that the Najafgarh jheel previously existed in Delhi near Chawla and did not exist in its current submerged location in Gurugram, especially after acknowledging it as a waterbody in the NGT in 2017, can be interpreted as a breach of an undertaking given to the court. As a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, India has a responsibility to establish effective management measures to ensure the sustainable utilisation of all wetlands under its jurisdiction. However, tactics similar to those employed by Haryana hinder the progress of wetland conservation and restoration efforts in the country.
Ritu Rao is a research scholar at TERI School of Advanced Studies, New Delhi.


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Re: Shades of his father...
He could easily call himself "The Perfect Son" Michael Hennig. What I was aiming at was his little run in with Seth Rollins could go some where similar to what his father did to Hulk Hogan. It was in a match with The Genius in which at the very end of the match Mr.Perfect stole Hogans title. Later, Perfect would be shown backstage with The Genius, and Mr.Perfect is smashing The WWF title that Hogan was still the Champion of. Perhaps Seth Rollins has a match with Sandow, and McGuillicutty comes out to steal the NXT title, and then smashes it to bits just like his father had done to Hogans title. I think it would be a great way to get him over. Most fans won't remember that his father did this. This leads to another title being made, and thus forces Dusty to suspend Michael. Possibly furthering their feud down the line.

domain: entertainment


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Sorry, this Location is not accepting Online Orders Today.
#36 Burritos Mexicanos
Two burritos, one chicken, one beef tips and beans, topped with red mild sauce and shredded cheese, lettuce, tomato and sour cream with rice on the side
#40 Burritos Tipicos
Two burritos with beef tipcs, topped with nacho cheese, served with beans and guacamole salad
#44 Burrito California
Extra-large flour tortilla with your choice of grilled steak, grilled chicken ,ground beef or shredded chicken stuffed with beans, Spanish rice, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo, all covered with cheese sauce
#77 Burrito Jalisco
Extra-large flour tortilla with your choice of meat, stuffed with black beans, Spanish rice, lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, jalapenos and pico de gallo; all covered with melted cheese, red and green salsa
#78 Burrito Popeye's
Burrito stuffed with grilled chicken, grilled onions and spinach, covered with melted cheese; served with rice and beans on the side
Burrito stuffed with your choice of meat, black beans, Spanish rice, lettuce, and pico de gallo; with sour cream and chipotle sauce on top
Margarita Mix without alcohol you need to add your own tequila and orange licor. You Will have your perfect Margarita at home.

domain: food


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Fake Nippon first appeared on the market in the early 1980's. The early reproductions were poorly decorated and had fake back stamps which could easily be differentiated from the authentic back stamps by knowledgeable collectors. However, many novice Nippon collectors were fooled by these pieces and unknowingly added these "fakes" to their collections.
Over time the companies making these fake pieces have perfected the M-in-wreath back stamp. It is impossible to tell the authentic back stamp from this new fake! Additionally, other authentic back stamps such as the Maple Leaf and Rising Sun were also being used on fake pieces. While these fake back stamps were slightly different from the authentic back stamps and definitely not as perfect as the M-in-wreath fake back stamp, they could fool collectors.
Recently, thanks to the efforts of the Noritake Company, U.S. Customs has ruled that the fake M-in-wreath mark is counterfeit and not allowed for importation into the United States. Because of this ruling, wholesalers, for the time being, have stopped marking their fake Nippon with the Noritake Company back stamps (including the Maple Leaf, Rising Sun, and RC marks). Fake Nippon is now being sold 'unsigned'; that is, with no back stamp. The items come into the United States with a paper label identifying the country it was made in. Of course, the paper label is easily removed leaving the item 'unsigned.'
In addition to changes in the back stamps, the actual mold style and decoration of the fake Nippon has been improving. In fact some of the newer fakes are being copied from original patterns used during the Nippon era, making them reproductions not fakes. The quality of these reproductions, while much improved over past fakes, is still not quite right and the feel of the porcelain is wrong. However, the overall quality of these reproductions is getting better all of the time and it's imperative for collectors to be aware of this. The photos below show both an authentic Nippon cracker jar and the reproduction, unsigned counterpart.
Actual photos of many Nippon fakes, reproductions, and fantasy items are shown in the next several pages. Take time to recognize both the shape of the item and the decoration. Many times a particular decoration is used on a number of different pieces. For example, the decoration on the pieces pictured below (left) also shows up on a wall pocket, a bowl, candlesticks and various dresser items.

domain: history


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And in designating critical habitats, regulators are to reassess the lands that are currently occupied by threatened or endangered species before adding/looking at unoccupied lands. To “reduce the potential for additional regulatory burden that results from a designation when species are not present in that area.” Despite the fact that some species are endangered because they’ve been cornered in a small corner of the earth and a larger designated area is needed to help bring them back.
It’s odd that this is now a target of the Republican Party, when it was signed into law by President Richard Nixon in 1973. The Act currently protects 1,663 animal and plant species - 388 of which are considered threatened and 1,275 which are endangered. It is credited with helping bring multiple species back from near extinction including the bald eagle, the humpback whale, the California Condor, and the American alligator.
So why is it a problem now?
Because as Reuters notes, “the law has long been a source of frustration for drillers, miners, and other industries because new listings can put vast swathes of land off limits to developers.”
Sure, that's what we need - to continue to prop up and subsidize the oil, gas, coal industries at the expense of the planet.
Again, as in the title of the blog, why should we care about endangered species when there is money to be made?
We're killing our democracy, why not the animals too?
This should be a no brainer. This should be bipartisan. This should offend us all. And yet, Republicans are united in supporting these changes. The Republicans in Congress, the White House, and the Department of the Interior all are coordinating in remove as much regulation as possible.
The one million species number comes from a United Nations report released in May. To quote one of the co-chairs of the report, "The evidence is crystal clear - Nature is in trouble. Therefore we are in trouble."At a time when one million species are at risk of extinction caused by humans, we should be strengthening the Endangered Species Act – not crippling it. This is wrong and dangerous.— Tom Udall (@SenatorTomUdall) August 12, 2019
Indeed, we are in trouble.

domain: biology


King Edward Rehabilitation Project
This project is now complete
Ce projet est terminé
King Edward Street from Hyde Avenue to Logan Avenue is scheduled for road rehabilitation during the summer of 2021 as part of the City of Winnipeg's 2020-2021 Regional Street Pavement Renewals Program. The project will involve complete road resurfacing to address asphalt cracking and deterioration and concrete repairs to curbs and sidewalks. The project is supported by the Federal Governments New Building Canada Fund and the Government of Manitoba.
April 30, 2021 – Construction on King Edward Street from Hyde Avenue to Logan Avenue is scheduled to begin in late June. During construction, traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction; however, we will be working in small stages to minimize disruptions and the directly impacted area. Access to side streets and private properties will be maintained. Staging information will be available online in advance. Parking will be minimally impacted, as we will maintain parking on side streets (and parking on King Edward Street from Hyde Avenue to Logan Avenue is not permitted under normal conditions). Pedestrian access will be maintained throughout the duration of the project. View the construction notice for more information
March 2021 – The detailed design and tender preparation for roadwork construction is currently underway. Notification letters are currently being prepared for local area businesses and property owners.
King Edward Street is a major route in Winnipeg, carrying high vehicle volumes. It is a Winnipeg Transit route and full-time truck route. The project will involve complete road resurfacing to address asphalt cracking and deterioration.
As the project's scope is primarily to restore and repair existing infrastructure, there will not be any public engagement activities associated with this work. Instead, the City will reach out to meet with businesses and property owners along the project route to provide information on localized impacts, and to gather information about any parking, loading, and/or access concerns that may be affected during construction.
|Preliminary construction notice
Frequently Asked Questions
The project will not have permanent implications for parking, loading, intersection geometries or routing; because of the project's limited scope it will not include any public engagement activities.
We will be reaching out to businesses and property owners in the area to gather information about any parking, loading, and/or access concerns that may be affected during construction. This information will help us stage construction and allow us to make accommodations where necessary to ensure minimal impacts on local businesses and property owners.


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Striking nutty flavour of roasted peanuts combined with a strong and beloved taste of cinnamon. Who isn´t a peanut butter lover? And cinnamon? Give me a break! You know you’ll will enjoy the enticing taste of these real ingredients.
The first phase of product design of our protein bars was just research. It provided us with simple goals for our protein bar - 20 grams of easily digestible, high-quality protein, low in carbohydrates and made only with unprocessed, natural ingredients.
With the use of cricket flour and our unique technological production process, we made it.
We used the smallest possible amount of agave nectar mixed with cacao butter to hold all of the nuts, seeds, and powders together. Just imagine the amount of all those healthy fats from nuts, seeds and cacao butter, undoubtedly amazing sources of energy.
peanut butter (34 %) (peanuts 100 %), cricket flour (Acheta Domestica) (20 %), hemp protein, cacao butter, agave nectar, beetroot, cinnamon (1 %)
May contain traces of peanuts, other nuts, soy. People with crustacean shellfish allergies may also be sensitive to crickets.
- Energy value1324 kJ / 318 kcal
- Fat20.5 g
- ... of which saturates5.9 g
- Carbohydrates13.2 g
- ... of which sugars7.4 g
- Fibre1.6 g
- Protein20 g
- Salt0.14 g


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If you look at the cover of our latest album “I Can Rest Easy” you will see a basic design and picture of a fully developed tree. This picture is a reflection of a major lesson God taught us through our last season…
It is important to realize one of the basic yet profound principles involved in tree growth. A seed is planted. By “planted” I mean a hole is dug in the ground, the seed is placed in the hole, covered up and is left to grow. Notice a very important fact. The seed will not grow without the dirt. Trials and mistakes are a part of the human existence. Realizing this is not a license to continue those mistakes but an opportunity to see them for what they really are. A growth opportunity. The outside of the seed MUST actually die for the growth to begin. In this mental picture you will see a direct correlation between the outside of the seed and the flesh nature of mankind.
Encountering Christ and becoming a believer means that a person repents of their sins. This word repent has been the source of many a sermon (and yelling) for the entire church age. If you interpret what was presented to me as a child and the idea portrayed to most of the people in our western society, repentance is equal to humiliation. As a young man attending youth camps, conferences, conventions and weekly church services repentance meant I came to an altar, realizing I was a piece of filth, begging the Holiest person of all time to somehow find it in His heart to allow me just one more chance to prove I could be good enough to be called a Christian. Tears, anger and frustration with myself were all synonymous with the repentance concept. But as I grew into not just a Christ follower but one who asked the Creator to impart His wisdom and understanding to me I came to understand that repentance actually means to “change one’s mind or thinking.” Wait… Repentance was changing my mind? So when I was prodded to weep at an altar for repentance but got up in my own strength to try and keep the “Jesus rules” better next time I really wasn’t repenting? I am not downplaying the need for those types of experiences. They can be life-changing and God can, and has, used them in powerful ways. But I find it interesting that repentance is never tied to personal guilt in any scripture. When a person encounters the TRUTH on any given life subject and they choose to turn from their way of living to a new way of truth, repentance has happened.
The Bible refers to being “transformed by the renewing of your mind” which is a direct reference to this act of repenting. The transforming of your mind will happen in a variety of ways over the span of your entire lifetime. You will continue repenting of certain mindsets developed on the secret hurt chambers of life. The Holy Spirit of God will show you a way of thinking you have developed, been taught or picked up along life’s journey that may need changing. Turning from that old train of thought and following the newly revealed truth is the very act of repentance. The old man, the old way of thinking has to die and the individual must repent and follow the new path of truth laid out by the Creator. This is why the scripture, “faith without works is dead” plays such an important role. When your mind changes the actions will follow. Since the mind dictates actions if you have truly repented the natural order of things is the actions will fall in line.
The death of the outer shell of the seed is ONE of the prerequisites of seed growth and tree development. We must repent and the evidence of that mind change is our life actions. Oh, we will not be immediately perfect or disciplined. But we know when we are wrong, when something needs to change.
I also find it very interesting that when a seed needs to grow it is NOT removed from the dirt, cleaned off and then encouraged to grow. Roots are formed when the seed begins pushing through the dirt. Many people feel they have a desolate existence and not much opportunity for development as they survey the acreage of their life. But the tree grows through the soil and the deeper the dirt, the deeper the wound, the deeper the repentance, the deeper the root develops. It’s amazing how God doesn’t always deliver us from the difficulties life may offer. For if He did we may not develop the root necessary for our future stability. Part of this beginning process has to be a root of faith. Often in life we may not see the plan or detail God wants to develop through a particular season. We may not see His method when what we see is madness. But trusting the promise of God NEVER comes with a fall back plan. It ALWAYS presents an opportunity for the root of faith to grow. You see, roots begin forming well before the first sprout is seen growing up from the soil. That means roots are before branches, leaves and even fruit. That also means roots are a requirement for those who want to grow in maturity with Christ. Allow God to grow you through where you are so you can endure where He wants to take you!!!
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like A TREE PLANTED by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

domain: literature


text:
TIGER CLAWS (1991) is the second film starring the Canadian Dragon (I made that name up) Jalal Merhi. After filming BLACK PEARL, a.k.a. FEARLESS TIGER, he brought along some of his cast and writer J. Stephen Maunder, hooked up with Shapiro-Glickenhaus, and kicked off Film One Productions, which produced 19 movies between 1991 and 2015, almost all of them starring or directed by Merhi.
For this first film, crucially, they hired Canadian TV director Kelly Makin, making his feature film debut. He would soon make a bigger mark directing filmed segments for The Kids in the Hall, and later their movie BRAIN CANDY. I’m guessing he’s the reason TIGER CLAWS has more wit and style than many comparable DTV action movies of the era (including this film’s sequels).
Even more crucially, Merhi was able to co-star with Cynthia Rothrock. She’d already made her mark in Hong Kong with YES, MADAM!, etc., and in the west with NO RETREAT NO SURRENDER 2, CHINA O’BRIEN I and II, the first MARTIAL LAW and even FAST GETAWAY, so I hope he realized how lucky he was to share the lead with her. (read the rest of this shit…)


Mexico celebrates its independence Friday, and that means much of the Bay Area will join in the festivities kicking off National Hispanic Heritage Month.
San Jose City Hall will raise the Mexican flag and play host to El Grito festivities, which includes live music and entertainment, cultural performances, lowriders and food.
El Grito is free and open to the public from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. It is one of multiple celebrations across the Bay Area.
Kris Sanchez has the full report in the video above.
Source: NBC Bay Area


Murdered Man Targeted After Leaving Mum's Glasgow Pub
13 November 2018, 15:38 | Updated: 13 November 2018, 15:39
A man murdered in a violent attack was targeted by two people shortly after leaving his mother's pub, police have said.
Owen Hassan, 30, died in hospital after he was seriously injured in Greenview Street, Shawlands, Glasgow, at about 10.30pm on Wednesday.
Detectives said Mr Hassan suffered "an extremely violent assault" but managed to make his way back to the nearby Old Stag Inn, where his mother and customers tried to help him.
The 30-year-old had earlier met a friend for dinner in Oro in Kilmarnock Road and left around 5.30pm.
Police are trying to establish what Mr Hassan did between leaving the restaurant and arriving at the Old Stag Inn at around 10.20pm.
He left the pub shortly afterwards and was chased by two men who attacked him.
Officers have been passed some information anonymously but have appealed for further details.
Detective Chief Inspector Martin Fergus said: "We need to trace the two men who are responsible for the sustained and vicious attack on Owen as a matter of urgency.
"It is vital that they are held to account for their actions.
"Owen's family and friends have been left devastated by this terrible crime."
He added: "We need to establish where Owen went after 5.30pm and who he was with. If you have any information on this please come forward.
"We were contacted on Wednesday afternoon by someone who had passed on information anonymously.
"I would urge that person to re-contact us as they may have further detail that will help move our investigation forward.
"We will trace whoever is responsible for this murder, but we would appreciate any information that the local community can provide and I would urge anyone who saw Owen, or who was in the area of Greenview Street on Wednesday evening, to contact us.
"Did you see the two men responsible in the area before or after Owen was attacked?
"You may think your information is irrelevant but please let us be the judge of that as the piece of information that you hold could prove vital to this investigation."


1750 era New England Pistol,
.54 smoothbore 8-1/4" octagon-to-round barrel,
walnut, brass, antique patina finish,
by the noted gunmaker Eric Kettenburg.
.50 caliber 9" Green Mountain barrel,
L&R John Bailes flint lock, curly maple, brass trim,
by Kenneth Lincavage.
.40 caliber, 12" barrel,
L&R John Bailes flint lock, walnut, brass,
detachable carbine buttstock, oak case,
signed W. Amspacher.
Antique English Trade Pistol,
.54 caliber smooth bore, 8" brass barrel,
brass, walnut, percussion conversion lock marked J. N. Jones & Co..
Model 1733 French Dragoon Pistol
.69 caliber, 12" barrel,
French walnut, brass, TRS lock,
includes fitted belt hook.
.50 caliber smoothbore, 8" octagon-to-round barrel,
curly maple, engraved brass trim, small Siler flint lock,
used, by G. L. Jones.
.50 caliber 10" barrel,
small Siler flint lock, hand scraped curly maple, nickel silver trim, used.
1635 to 1650 Era Flintlock Pistol,
.50 caliber smoothbore, 14" octagon-to-round barrel,
walnut, armoury bright iron, belt hook, as new,
by Leonard Day.
Model 1727 Prussian Dragoon Officer's Pistol,
.62 smoothbored 14" barrel,
flint lock, brass trim, teak finished as walnut.
American Officer's Holster Pistol,
.62" smooth bored 9" barrel,
TRS flint lock, maple, brass trim,
by Kendall Brady.