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Welcome to NRP – Anna Shenton
A big hello to author, blogger and Facebook aficionado – Anna Shenton. Anna and I met via her writers' page on Facebook and I wanted to get to know her better. So, here we go.
Anna, tell us a bit about yourself.
Born in a village in Staffordshire, England I experienced an interesting upbringing via my English father, and German mother -together with two elder siblings Ilona and Steven, and later, Ingo, a surprise brother from Germany.
Interesting names: I would like to know more about them sometime.
I live in Staffordshire with my lovely retired policeman hubby. We love to travel with our touring caravan. We share a fantastic family of six sons and daughter-in-law's, and millions of adorable grandchildren, no shortage of inspiration.
Did you say caravan? Small wonder we clicked on Facebook. Not that OUR caravans are anything like this one – LOL.
Share with us how the writing process works for you
I write purely as a hobby, no set rules to how I work. I rely on what, where and when. I've never experienced (what shall I write feeling, or I must do this). Having said that, I hold much optimism for the future and revel in the freedom of writing. A home study course with the Writing School of London helped with publication of Star Letters, Fillers, and Articles in various magazines including Writers Forum.
Indie-publishing is my ideal. I'm free, no deadlines, no criteria, no rules. Thus far I've created – Seduced by Mind Tricks being my debut romance novel, followed by Lust for Survival a collection of short stories, Writing Spelled Out a guide on how to start writing, and my recent release 76 Silver Street a historical romance novella.
Freelancing is always lurking at the back of my mind, too. Scanning through magazines often tempts me to submit feature articles. If they're accepted, great, if not, I've enjoyed writing it.
I love social media and through it I've made many new friends – writers and readers alike. But it can be 'time suckage. What do you think, Anna?
My heart has warmness to the social network. Without it I wouldn't have learnt so much, neither would I have met so many wonderful people. Controlling usage is the key; I don't allow it to takeover! Many opportunities are there for the taking and I do believe building a social network reputation is essential for all authors! I've enjoyed building a Facebook page, and creating the writers authors & readers closed group, almost 1,000 fabulous supportive members.
Tell us who or what inspired you to become a writer –
My flair to create comes from my family. My late uncle, a famous artist, and my late father, a pencil/cartoonist who contributed to the Daily Mirror. My late brother wrote his Debut Novel (Notes in the Margin) which unfortunately, wasn't published. I hope to get this published one day donating proceeds to cancer. My Sister writes a very popular frugal blog too (Mean Queen) she is amazing. The freedom of writing, expressing your inner self and creating is something I would hate to lose. I breathe inspiration from everyday life.
If not a writer, then what
Thank you Lizzie, for the opportunity to answer this question. It holds so many diverse answers. Naturally life itself is foremost, family, sharing and savouring precious moments. Thereafter, I'm lucky enough to have time to travel with my touring caravan, to tranquil places taking my pencil drawing subjects with me. I mainly draw portraits, self-taught, from photographs and find it rewarding. Outdoor life suits me too, so lots to do beyond writing.
A sequel to 76 Silver Street is at its infancy, title coming later.
Blurb – Although she had a roof over her head, Rosa Brown couldn't abide Dan's drunken coercive behaviour as his housekeeper anymore. Aunt Mildred's call from her hospital-bed sends Rosa sneaking out of town, to take over her aunt's rundown boarding house. Met by Jack Howard on arrival, in Pemberton 1905, Rosa's heart plummets when her eyes meet with the dingy filthy place and Jack's dark devilish impudent manner, who thinks she's mad and has no intention of helping to get the place up and running before it goes bust.
Rosa is shocked when faced with all the ruffians and commoners knocking on the door and struggles to keep Jack's hands off her. Sprucing the place up and filling it with respectful paying guests, proves harder than expected.
Now, filled with fear for her aunt and her own wellbeing, will Rosa ever find true love and be free from trouble?
Jenny Lakin – 5.0 out of 5 stars Fast paced romantic novella of lives in the early 20th century suburbs of working Manchester . The story is fast paced and keeps you reading, I read it in one go.
S. M. Wragg – 4.0 out of 5 starsLively, believable characters. Sets the scene well at the turn of the 20th century. Running away from an abusive relationship, young and feisty Rose Brown has been left in charge of a run-down boarding house by her aunt, who is ill, a happening that brings her into contact with a variety of lively, believable characters. I enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.
Lady Rochford – 5.0 out of 5 stars
This is a time when life is cheap . . . Manchester at the turn of the last century is no place for a girl like Rose. Just when she thinks she's found safety and love she needs to draw on all her reserves of strength in order to survive. She needs a way out of the slums; and a call from her aunt provides her with just that.
Thank you Lizzie, for the kind invitation to write a guest post for your blog. It's a delight to be here. I hope to make this post as fulfilling, interesting and joyful as I can!
You can connect with Anna Maria at –
76 Silver Street – Kindle edition https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07JGQGYRQ
paperback coming soon
Posted on January 28, 2019, in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment.


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Paleo Staples: The Fry Up
This is my version of what Brits often call a fry up. It's more like a roast-up, or a broil-up, but whatever. It's comprised of some kind of meat, a lot of veggies, and eggs. I'll break it up by procedure rather than ingredients. Meat: I use a gf sausage or bacon; something that sheds … Continue reading

subset: commoncrawl


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Afghan attack kills US major general, wounds 15
KABUL, Afghanistan — A man dressed in an Afghan army uniform opened fire Tuesday on NATO troops at a military base, killing a U.S. two-star general and wounding some 15 people, among them a German brigadier general and a number of Americans troops, authorities said.
The attack at Camp Qargha, a base west of the capital, Kabul, killed who is believed to be the highest-ranking U.S. officer to die in the nearly 13-year war and comes as foreign troops prepare to withdraw by the year's end. While details remained murky about what sparked the attack, it showed the challenges still remaining in Afghanistan, a nation that's known three decades of war without end.
Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, a spokesman for Afghanistan's Defense Ministry, said a "terrorist in an army uniform" opened fire on both local and international troops. Azimi said the shooter had been killed and that three Afghan army officers were wounded. He did not offer a motive for the assault.
Rear Admiral John Kirby identified the dead U.S. officer as a major general. One U.S. official said about half of the wounded were Americans. That official spoke on condition of anonymity as the official was not allowed discuss the information by name ahead of an official announcement.
Germany's military said 15 NATO soldiers were wounded in an assault launched "probably by internal attackers." The wounded included a German brigadier general, who the German military said was receiving medical treatment and was "not in a life-threatening condition."
NATO said it was investigating the attack, which Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned as "cowardly."
It is "an act by the enemies who don't want to see Afghanistan have strong institutions," Karzai said in a statement.
In a statement sent to journalists, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid praised the "Afghan soldier" who carried out the attack, as well as a police officer in Paktia province who shot at NATO forces earlier Tuesday. He did not claim the attacks.
Qargha is known as "Sandhurst in the Sand"— referring to the famed British military academy — as British forces oversaw building the officer school and its training program. In a statement, the British Defense Ministry said it was investigating the incident and that "it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."
Soldiers were tense in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. One soldier in a NATO convoy leaving Camp Qargha fired an apparent warning shot in the vicinity of Associated Press journalists who were in a car, as well as pedestrians standing nearby. AP photographer Massoud Hossaini said he and an AP colleague were about 15 feet (5.5 meters) from the soldier at the time. Hossaini said he thought the soldier fired a pistol.
"The vehicle before the last one, someone shouted at me," Hossaini said. "The last one, the soldier opened fire."
No one was wounded.
The Qargha shooting comes as so-called "insider attacks" — incidents in which Afghan security turn on their NATO partners — largely dropped last year. In 2013, there were 16 deaths in 10 separate attacks. In 2012, such attacks killed 53 coalition troops in 38 separate attacks.
Such "insider attacks" are sometimes claimed by the Taliban insurgency as proof of their infiltration. Others are attributed to personal disputes or resentment by Afghans who have soured on the continued international presence in their country more than a dozen years after the fall of the Taliban's ultra-conservative Islamic regime.
Foreign aid workers, contractors, journalists and other civilians in Afghanistan are increasingly becoming targets of violence as the U.S.-led military coalition continues a withdrawal to be complete by the end of the year.
In eastern Paktia province, an Afghan police guard also exchanged fire Tuesday with NATO troops near the governor's office, provincial police chief Gen. Zelmia Oryakhail said. The guard was killed in the gunfight, he said. It wasn't clear if the two incidents were linked and police said they were investigating the incident.
Meanwhile Tuesday, a NATO helicopter strike targeting missile-launching Taliban militants killed four civilians in western Afghanistan, an Afghan official said Tuesday. NATO said they were investigating the attack.
The attack in western Herat province comes as civilian casualties from NATO attacks remain a contentious issue across the country. Almost 200 people protested against NATO in Herat on Tuesday, carrying the bodies of the dead civilians into the provincial capital and demanding an investigation.
In a statement, NATO said it was aware of the attack and was investigating, without elaborating.
Civilians increasingly find themselves under fire as the 2001 U.S.-led war draws to a close, as Afghan forces take the lead in operations targeting the Taliban. The civilian death toll in the war in Afghanistan rose 17 percent for the first half of this year, the United Nations reported in July. The U.N. said 1,564 civilians were killed from January through June, compared with 1,342 in the first six months of 2013. It blamed
Insurgents were responsible for 74 percent of the casualties, the U.N. said, while pro-government forces were responsible for 9 percent, government forces 8 percent and foreign troops just 1 percent. The rest could not be attributed to any group.
Karzai has repeatedly clashed with NATO over civilian casualties and strongly condemned the helicopter attack Tuesday.
Afghan security forces also increasingly find themselves under attack as the planned foreign troop withdrawal draws near. On Tuesday, a police car struck a roadside bomb in the eastern province of Nouristan, killing three officers, provincial police chief Abdul Baqi Nouristani said. Two other roadside bombs in northern Sari Pul province killed three people, including a district police chief and his driver, deputy provincial police chief Sakhi Dad Haidary said.


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"America is back". That was the opening line of a recent commercial, and all I could think was "Really? Where was it?".
As far as I can tell, America hasn't taken a trip anywhere, though it has meandered a bit. These last few years, the poor country has been pulled in so many directions, it must feel a little like Gumby. With only days left before the mid-term elections, I have to wonder if America is trying to hide until the worst is over. But then, what is the worst? We've certainly seen a whole lot of bad behavior, that's for sure. If America was a kid, it would have been sent to its room for days. But then, it's not one kid – it's millions and where do you send them when they've been busy setting little fires everywhere? I'd send them to the voting booth.
America belongs to EVERYONE. Yup, sorry to break it to anyone who thinks only the anointed few get to lay claim, but that's the truth. Of course, the original inhabitants found out the hard way when new guys (English refugees otherwise known as Pilgrims) pulled up, grabbed the land and all THEY got was a tee shirt and nifty reservations in the middle of nowhere. Didn't they welcome the Pilgrim dudes, give them corn pudding and help them survive first winters? Sure, but who's counting. We still make those cheery construction paper feathers to honor them on Thanksgiving, so it's all good, right?
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it.
Mark Twain
For 241 years, America's been stepping away, and coming back. We've been to war, to the moon and to the polls. We've raised the flag, our voices, our fists, and our leaders. We've seen the best and the worst of times. We have been and are a great, beautiful land with fierce spirit and big hearts. We fled a monarchy, started a republic, became a democracy and today waffle between them, with some resurgent populism and nationalism thrown in. (we know how well THAT worked out!)
Through all its growing pains, America learned to walk and became a country to reckon with. Yet, those who came after the Mayflower crowd didn't get dibs on sleeping arrangements — or rights. Some came for a new life; some had lives stolen from them. Newcomers with different speech, different cultures were hopeful. However, for those in chains with ebony complexion, hope was in short supply. Newbies all went through America's version of fraternity hazing, some far worse than others. Few were immune from some version of suspicion, job blocking, violence and ghettos. Ask your grandparents.
America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great. Alexis de Tocqueville
America has been rich, poor and in between. We've been to war, juggled peace and though the people we put in charge weren't always our favorites, we believed they had our backs. Often many just pad pockets (theirs not ours), hand gifts to corporations in our name, and today there's an IOU so large our grandchildren are will be saddled with debt. Still, some leaders have shone, have lead, have helped build this country's greatness with integrity and courage. And some, were everyman.
America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. Abraham Lincoln
Did America leave – or did we leave it? Since 46% of the country never voted in the last election, I'm thinking maybe the latter. If our country left when we weren't watching, why weren't we? If America had actually checked out, it might have been because it couldn't bear to see what we were becoming. And if that were the case, it better buckle up and take an extended vacay because we are full up today with things that go bump in the night. And we can only blame ourselves.
Voting has always been our checks and balances on dictatorship, monarchy and well, chaos. Thought we haven't reached those particular cliffs yet, goblins of history fly around on a regular basis which is one reason the 17th Amendment decided senators need to be elected directly by the people. The 19th Amendment finally gave the hard fought right to vote to women in 1920 (Half of our country's humans, you know, the half that gave birth to the male side, had to beg for the vote. Don't get me started) and the Voting Rights act protect the vote of Black Americans came in 1965. Yet, in this election year, more than 53,000 Black American votes have been suppressed in one southern state alone.
"If everything is to stay the same, everything has to change". Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa Tancredi
Politicians are a funny lot. They represent us just enough to get on the ballot but not enough to stand up when truth is required. Campaign finance boosts them up with burgeoning dollars and their job keeps on giving long after retirement. But few politicians take cues from the original promise of their positions, as held by colonial predecessors.
The movie 'John Adams' should be required viewing for everyone who wants to understand how our country was born and what those who nurtured it were made of. Early framers included a hemp farmer, smuggler, even a revolutionary. They were mostly poor, some poorly educated but all believed in this infant country. I wonder if they would recognize their governing counterparts today.
As it scans the world today, America may want to get outta Dodge while the getting's good but where would she go? Democracy has been taking a hit in governments everywhere and climate isn't the only thing getting hotter. Global power grabs threaten what people fought so hard to keep safe and there's no vaccine for that – yet.
America was born of revolt, flourished on dissent, and became great through experimentation. Henry Steele Commager.
America is growing but are we smarter, more compassionate, kinder? Those who think vanilla is the only flavor are terrified that latte people will take over. The glass ceiling has a few cracks but still rigidly holds its place. Different strokes for different folks has a rainbow ring to it but that ring gets increasingly tighter. Here's the thing. We can't hold tight to the status quo without losing what made us America in the first place. If we do, the shining city on the hill will never again be a light in this world.
We have another chance to get it right. Elections are one week from now. Don't blow it. We are so much more than the flag, anthem, or pledge; we are the people. America, we need what you were born to be. We need you to help fight against demagoguery and nativism, racism, division and hatred — not surrender to it. You were always great; it's we who need to be great for YOU. We'll start by voting.
America – YOU be YOU.


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Hay House Versus Haywire
I started writing my book 'Divine You — Redefining Love in the New Earth' in June of 2010. It was an amazing journey of self and felt incredible to put it into words. When it came to finding a publisher, I chose a publishing house in New York whose motto was 'changing the world, one book at a time' — I thought this was relevant and submitted my manuscript.
Since the momentous day, when they accepted my book and it landed on book shelves worldwide, I have tried to fit into a 'spiritual' persona category that just wasn't me.
What Do I Mean?
Well, it took me 2 years to realize that I am trying to be something I am not. I wrote a self-empowerment book but that doesn't mean that I am, what I like to call, a 'Hay House special'.
Louise Hay, as most of you probably know, has a publishing company called Hay House. Some of her writers include the wonderful Wayne Dyer and Doreen Virtue. If you take a look at my home library, you will see many of her signed authors on my shelf — I have a great love and respect for most of the authors in my field.
"We all have a unique energetic signature to graffiti this wall of life with — you need to embrace all the idiosyncrasies or traits that make you you."
My confusion lay in trying to conform to be an 'esoteric', clean-cut, straight-laced author which is a far cry from what I am inside — which is more zany, loud and humorous (growing up on shows like 'Monty Python'). This is, however, not the image that my marketing consultant and I came up with to promote my website and book.
Struggling With My Image
I didn't even realize, until recently, that I have struggled to keep this clean-cut look whilst feeling like a wild and wicked butterfly just dying to emerge from her black velvet, gold patterned and red spray-painted cocoon (that is the abstract artist in me, banging the door down, trying to get out!).
Although I have chosen a spiritual path, I am anything but a white-cotton-wearing, new age writer. My roots are firmly planted in rock, art and sci-fi.
If you were to be transported back in time, you would see the Gothic 15 year old version of me walking down the street wearing my black pixie boots, a long trench-coat, heavy-lidded make-up and sporting my bass guitar over-the-shoulder with possibly a Terry Pratchett novel poking out of my bag.
Origins in Rock
When I used to think back to that time I would give a little shudder of embarrassment — you know how it is, you fish out those old archived 'teen' photo's and shriek 'what was I thinking?'. But in hindsight, I look back now and say to myself — those were my origins, that is who I was then to mold the being I am now.
I left school and played in many different bands, the last of which saw us bringing out 2 CD's. I still love to listen to all the great musicians of our time and music is a big influence in my life.
I simply can't resist having my first cuppa in the morning to a good, thumping tune (probably much to my neighbors distress) — it really gets my blood pumping for the rest of the day and sets a distinct electrifying mood.
We all have a unique energetic signature to graffiti this wall of life with — you need to embrace all the idiosyncrasies or traits that make you you.
Puff out that chest and be proud of your authentic, one-of-a-kind identity!
So Where Am I Going With This?
When you step into the integrity of who you truly are, you encounter that part of you that you may have suppressed for years due to social etiquette or fear of rejection, embarrassment or humiliation — not being accepted for who you really are.
"When you come into alignment with your true self you will discover that the world is an amazing place filled with opportunity, adventure and intrigue. The only thing that was blocking your view before was your lack of higher perspective."
We, so often, try to conform to what is considered normal or polite — squashing our true feelings or reactions to situations or people, restricting our very being that is bursting to come out and shine in the light of pure Truth.
When you can tie in all your life experiences and merge them with the current 'you', you have a recipe for the most delicious human that can spread themselves on any bit of toast and be a culinary delight.
You just need to see it for yourself — can you view yourself from a different perspective?
How Does Your Soul Script Captivate?
They say everyone has a book in them:
- What does your script read like?
- Do you think you are interesting or dull?
- Can you inject more pizzazz into your life?
- What is holding you back from expressing your creative flame?
When you can speak and live your truth and it comes from pure source or your core/soul — you will be in your integrity. When you come into alignment with your true self you will discover that the world is an amazing place filled with opportunity, adventure and intrigue. The only thing that was blocking your view before was your lack of higher perspective.
If you were in the dingy, dark and smelly alleyways of Paris you may think that you have landed in hell itself. What if you were to climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower and take another look — you may find that you were in paradise all along!
Original article was posted on LIGHTWORKERS WORLD


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Tim the Enchanter
"Death awaits you all, with nasty, big, pointy teeth!"
The fire-loving, horned-helmeted, robed, foul-mouthed, bearded enchanter Tim the Enchanter, is the sworn enemy of the Killer Rabbit. Tim was a moderately famous pyromaniac and conjuror on many Monty Python films such as Monty Python And The Quest For The Holy Grail. Tim was born in the late 2nd century to a couple of peasants named William and Rosalia Gates (nee Mera).
Tim was introduced to black powder and explosive magic at an early age when his rich aunt, Zoot, sent him a package of fireworks as a belated birthday gift. Once his parents had rebuilt the house, Tim went to live with his cousin's friend's daughter-in-law, an unladen swallow's flight (African; assuming it decided to migrate) away.
The life and death of the one who some call Tim[edit | edit source]
Early life[edit | edit source]
"Some call me......Tim..."
Tim was born in Quegsburgh, Scotland in the year 1234, and also happened to be the 1337th in the family line of Richardson. He didn't care really, though, since 1337 wasn't invented yet. He grew up in a happy and loving family, until by some unfortunate coincidence a Grue came by and ate his family. The only 7 years old Tim vowed for revenge, and therefore he has a grudge against anything fluffy and furry. That, and they happen to burn well. After vowing for revenge he set his house on fire, and consumed by madness, only consumed flint ant tinder. Also he developed an unusual tendency to dye the sides of his beard dark brown. Gandalf took him in custody and taught him the art of pyromancy, which has since then become a fetish for Tim. After Gandalf pulled a joke on Tim by making him fart fire, Tim burned his house too.
After burning Gandalf's house, he joined The Knights Who Say Ni. He was then already 103 years old, but since he's a wizard, he looks no older than 75 (that's pretty lame!). He got dismissed from the Order of the Knights Who Say Ni because he could not control his pyromancy and set the Knights' shrubberies on fire. Deeply angered and saddened by what happened, Tim went to live in the mountains as a hermit, where he sat all the time being ominous and blowing things up for absolutely no reason. Eventually he joined up with King Arthur in their quest for the Holy Grail, but it turned out to be nothing more than an excuse to set stuff on fire. After being let down by Arthur, he set the Big Ben on fire. Unfortunately he got arrested and died in prison because of an underexposure to flint and tinder. In the afterlife God offered him a place in heaven, because of his aid in the quest for the Holy Grail. Unfortunately, pyromancy was not allowed in heaven, so Tim naturally preferred Hell.
Later life[edit | edit source]
After living with the cousin's frie… this family for thirteen years, Tim changed his name, using his life's savings to pay for it, and registering it in California, to Tim the Enchanter. After this change of identity, he decided to learn the rudiments of magic (teleporting, speaking in eerie tones and harsh brogue) so as not to live a lie. Eventually he became bored with this solitary and low-paying career choice, and so, was lured to pyrotechnics, which, he decided after 2 years of producing displays for the WWF (as it was called in those days), was too tame for his tastes. Immediately afterwards, he enrolled in a college that taught demolition techniques (blowing shit up). He passed the courses with flying colours, partly due to his aptitude for magic, which enabled him to teleport charges to a site with pinpoint accuracy, or talk irate squatters out of derelict buildings with his acquired unintelligible drawl.
Even later life[edit | edit source]
After the scandal of 295 AD, in which Tim's teleportation skills failed him and led him to blow up a pig sty owned by an influential tavern proprietor, Tim was banished to New York, and then, ultimately, to The Badlands, not far from the cave of the killer rabbit (which is directly adjacent to the gorge of eternal peril, and the bridge of doom). In this place, he continued blowing the crap out of the countryside, grew horns and a beard, and honed his teleportation and unintelligibility techniques until 409 AD, when he was obliged (by the powers of subtlety
displayed by King Arthur's Knights as they passed through his bombed out homeland), to lead a group of ignorant knights to the cave of the killer rabbit. After the knights blew the rabbit to pieces (it was their enemy) with the Holy Hand Grenade, chucked an old guy into a gorge, mounted an assault on the castle Arrrgh (inhabited, of course, by some foul mouthed French who made huge double takes and silly faces), and were rounded up by police for killing an ancient historian (your own interpretation) and cruelty to animals, Tim was also arrested under Britain's new terrorism legislation, and jailed without being charged (although it was rumoured to have something to do with his extensive experience with explosives). After doing 32 years of hard time in a top-secret British prison, Tim was released from prison. He then produced a book called "If I was a terrorist, this is how I'd do it", and became an internationally acclaimed writer, winning all of 4.2 awards for his work.
Latest life[edit | edit source]
Tim, after (obviously) mastering the art of immortality, now resides in a cozy 63,000 square foot ranch with 90 acres of land and 2 Llamas (Mexican). Since the release of his book, Tim has guest starred on a few television shows, including: "CSI: Camelot", "'Bring out your dead!'- A look at the Plague in Britain", and "The sermon in the dugout" (a historical account of the blessing of the holy hand grenade), and is currently promoting vacations to Norway.
What Tim likes[edit | edit source]
Fire, tinder, flint, you, fire, petrol, Hell, Awesome Violence and Explosions!, beer (who doesn't?), being ominous, his beard, fire, toilets, laptops, sink cleaner, fries, Oscar Wilde, himself, shrubberies (they burn pretty damn well), Holy Handgrenades, haggis, chili and C2H6O.
What Tim DOESN'T like[edit | edit source]
Grues, furry things, rabbits, King Arthur, me, company, Roman writers, Gandalf, or any other wizard for that matter, Internet, 3li73 +|-|1|\|6z, Wikipedia, Black Beast of AAAARGH!, politics, cats, hippies, nonsense, firemen, the Big Ben, chemistry and C8H10N4O2.


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UK National Lottery Daily Draw Show Moves Online with New Workflow
At the end of 2012, the UK National Lottery operator Camelot, in partnership with the BBC, which broadcasts the draw, updated the draw presentation formats. This change triggered a search for new production equipment and techniques.
The Saturday evening show is televised and incorporates live performances, as well as the main draws. The challenge was to move the other draw results shows to an on-line format that provides lots of sizzle, a fast turnaround and plenty of branding, all produced reliably, but with minimum staffing and equipment.
"Most people just want to quickly catch up with their results in the week, so we decided to deliver short, succinct results shows via our YouTube channel, website and social media outlets," explains Max Tilney, Channel Editor, Digital Content, Camelot UK Lotteries Limited.
The new online show format, shot at Pinewood Studios, is produced by Initial Endemol using a TriCaster live production system that has introduced a great deal of automation and simplification to the production process, at an affordable cost.
"We wanted a streamlined, efficient and reliable workflow, as we only have one chance to get each draw right," Max says. "When it came to choosing a production system, we went through a rigorous review process together with the Pinewood team and looked at many products on the market. TriCaster was the clear choice to give us a complete standalone production operation, with all the features we needed and more. All within our budget."
Since January 2013, the Initial Endemol production team has used TriCaster to produce the EuroMillions results on Tuesdays, the Lotto and Thunderball results on Wednesdays, and the EuroMillions and Thunderball results on Fridays.
For the studio-based Lotto and Thunderball shows, five Panasonic HE60 remote head cameras are pre-set to capture wide shots and close-ups of the lottery machines, and the numbered balls as they are drawn. These locked-off feeds are then sent to the TriCaster. A PC-based graphics system linked to the ball machines and the TriCaster automatically produces a graphic for each ball, and triggers the correct voice-over to announce which ball has been drawn. An operator vision-mixes the camera feeds and graphics, and then creates a second pass to add additional sound bites before preparing the file for export and upload to YouTube.
The results show is uploaded approximately an hour after the draw, and is subsequently embedded into the National Lottery website and social media sites. Chris Jones, Senior Producer, Initial Endemol, explains, "The YouTube feed is a one-off continuous as-live presentation, and we wanted to make it as quick as possible, rather than building a slow process with an edit. Having the TriCaster has enabled us to create as near to a finished product as possible in one pass."
The EuroMillions draws are produced in a rather different way, as the satellite feed is sent from Paris, to all countries that participate in the draw. The clean feed goes directly into Pinewood's TriCaster and the system concurrently applies a crop to remove the Paris show's graphics. As Chris says, "This is a great feature of the TriCaster, as it shaves considerable time off our turnaround, and the editor can then easily apply our local branding, graphics and voice-overs before exporting. The TriCaster has more than proved its worth for this project, and it has shown us that there are lots more things we could do with it down the line. It is fantastically versatile and has some brilliant features, like being able to take in and output lots of different video formats, simultaneously."
Paul Darbyshire, Broadcast Director, Pinewood Studios, says, "The TriCaster does exactly what we employed it to do, quickly and simply. The production team is very happy with it, as it has enabled them to automate a large part of the process and minimise turnaround times, all within their set budget. Its flexibility and portability offer the potential to use it for future programming outside the studio environment for multi-camera events."
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Butterflies Earring
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- Product Name: Butterflies
- Material: 14K gold-dipped brass & 925 Silver
- Color: Gold
- Packing: Regular SWEETEARING Packing
- PS: Skip this product if you are allergies
- Sweetearing stud earrings featuring 925 sterling silver, shell, and Gold-plated.
- These silver pieces are built for longevity. This piece features metal plating or flashing, or electrocoating for a more lustrous appearance.
- Studs earrings are suitable as gifts for girlfriends and wives on birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries, and holidays.
- Gold-plated earrings are the best personality match for women to attend dances, festivals, ceremonies, and dinners, making them more beautiful and charming.
- Earrings are polished, and gold-plated, suitable for most kinds of sensitive skin, so you can wear them with confidence.
- To ensure the longevity of your plated items store your jewelry in a dark, cool, dry place such as a pouch or air-tight box and avoid rubbing plated items together. Also, try to avoid exposure to cleaning products and perfume which can both negatively affect your items.
You have two choices of shipping methods. The free shipping time is usually 7~15 business days, and the expedited shipping time is 5~7 business days. Please check the shipping policy for shipping details.
If you need to attend an important occasion, please note the time you want the package to be delivered
The shipping time does not include the time to process the order, we need to sort the order, then pack the package, and finally deliver the package to the logistics company, which takes about 3~5 days.
If you need to receive your package as soon as possible, please contact us and let us know when you need the package to be delivered
RETURN & eXCHANGE
If you are not satisfied with our products, you can return or exchange the product within 30 days, or contact us for a refund. For details, please check the return & exchange policy


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In a lot of ways Expendables successfully rekindled people's love for old- school action flicks and we are seeing a bigger and bigger tidal waves of EX inspired films like Asylum's female mercenaries riff Mercenaries and recent Mark Dacascos's directing debut Showdown in Manila (with Casper Van Dien , Matthias Hues, Cary Tagawa and Olivier Gruner) but the newest one is perhaps the most intriguing.
Dacascos and company, coming soon!
Coming straight from the slums of Wakaliwood, famed no- budget action director Isaac Nabwana is presenting his grandest opus to date. Combining all the the action stars of Uganda (not that many I know) into one place Operation Kakogoliro aka Ugandan Expendables promises all the kicks, punches, gunshots and explosions we can handle.
Also, IGG is trying to seriously step up production values so he made a Kickstarter and Patreon page for Ramon Film Production. Campaign is of course a success and we can expect too more additional movies too- Tebaatusasula: EBOLA (the sequel to the original Wakaliwood hit) and Eaten Alive In Uganda ( their foray into Canibal genre).
You can donate on Patreon here. https://www.patreon.com/wakaliwood?ty=h In the meantime, enjoy this trailer!


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Lord, Your faithful love reaches to the sky. Your faithfulness is as high as the clouds. – (Psalm 36:5, ERV)
Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. – (Psalm 36:5, NLT)
Your steadfast love, O Lord, is as great as all the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. – (Psalm 36:5, TLB)
It is with great joy and an overflowing heart, that I can testify of God's great faithfulness in my own life. For far too many years, I existed in a world where "love" had conditions and the price was losing much of who I was, and hiding who I was meant to be. After making the agonizing decision to get out of that which was destroying me and detrimental to my boys, I began to learn just how faithful the Lord's love is for me, personally. I rediscovered my passion, drive, and my voice, and began to discover the depth and breadth of His love and care, as I sought Him in all things. About a year and a half ago, I was visiting with my best friend out on her deck, when she got a text message back from an old friend in response to a mechanical question that she had asked him earlier. Polite, casual conversation, soon turned to his curiosity as to who I was, and whether or not I was single. Her response was, "Not for you." The banter back and forth that continued that evening between the three of us led to him asking my permission to message me. I verified with my dear friend the safety of doing so, and the rest is history. Last evening, as we gathered with great friends for a Bunco night, my Viking surprised everyone with his sweet proposal, right there, as we were taking a break between rounds. My heart can hardly contain the joy and excitement for the life that we are learning to build together as we spend as much time as we are able as a to-be family of five. The Lord is faithful beyond what we could hope or imagine and we must choose to trust in the power of His perfect love.
The Lord's faithfulness,
Goes beyond what's seen;
We must simply trust,
The time in between.
Though trust is scary,
To hold what's unseen;
Love beyond measure,
As God intervenes.
So great is His love,
And that which He gives;
His faithful blessings,
All trust as we live.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the incredible faithfulness of Your great love, and how You hold us in Your hands. Thank You that You pick us up, dust us off, and heal the wounded places to prepare us to receive so much more than we ever would have thought possible. Forgive us for our fearfulness and lack of trust when we cannot see Your hand. Teach us to trust You more, as You are faithful forever, and have great things in store for those who follow after You. Thank You for the incredible gift of this man that You brought into my life when I had no intention to risk love again. Thank You for showing me Your heart in new ways through the love that I receive. Show us how to give love that demonstrates Your faithfulness in ways that encourage and touch hearts most. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we give You all praise for Your faithful loving ways forever. Amen.
© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present
When times are good, be happy. – Ecclesiastes 7:14


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It's 90 minutes by car, but up to three hours by bus. The Balkans' definition of bus and our definition were clearly misaligned during this trip. When I think bus, I think of a temperature-controlled bus with WiFi, toilets, and comfortable seats.
This bus did not fit any of this criteria. It was a mini-bus that seats 16, with limited luggage storage, no WiFi, and definitely not any toilets (not that I would use them, anyway).
We shlepped our bags on board and made our way to the back rows, hoping no one would expect us to put our bags in the luggage hold. We found ourselves across the row from an American expat working for the World Bank (called Mark Deux), and a UK train employee named Mike. Too many M's. Mark, Mike and Mark Deux set the world right talking about finance, startups and international affairs. I attempted to drift in and out of sleep but the roads in the Balkans are not known for their newness or smoothness so sleep became impossible.
A clipboard made its way around the bus where each person has to write down their name and passport/ ID card number. This, in theory, is supposed to make the border crossing much quicker. What actually happens at the border is a Macedonian border official collects the clipboard and takes it back to his little post. Then he comes back and has to collect each passenger's passport/ ID card and return those to his post. After about ten minutes of hem-hawing, the passports are returned to us. Sometimes we get a stamp; sometimes we are disappointed. The odds are 50/50. Then the exact same process is repeated at the Kosovo border.
The border control is unremarkable, and the bus driver behaves normally by stopping at places that are most assuredly NOT typical bus stops to pick up random people. His homies, I'm guessing. These people pay when they get on, an indiscriminate amount, sometimes 1 euro and sometimes 3 euro. There's definitely not a system.
We're about an hour away from Pristina when we pull into a petrol station. I assume it's to pick up fuel, but then Mark Deux investigates and the Batman driver and his Robin are taking a smoke break! We're an hour away; honestly, you couldn't wait? Mark and I run into the "convenience store" and pick up a crisps and chocolate breakfast. Someone runs in and asks us, in very broken English, if we're with the bus. We say yes and run out to see everyone moving their luggage from our little bus to a large, cushy coach.
What is going on? We grab our bags and head to the coach. Turns out, our bus BROKE DOWN, and this coach has come to rescue us. Stellar. We are waiting in the stairwell of the coach to get onto it and I get frustrated. I snap at the person in front of me to move.
That's when it becomes abundantly clear that the bus is full. There are no seats. So the 15 or so of us that were on our rinky dink bus are now standing in the aisle of the coach, hovering awkwardly over sitting passengers. I move my way straight to the front and dig in to my breakfast: a Milke Oreo chocolate bar and tomato pesto crisps.
It's probably only ten minutes later when people begin disembarking, but it being so awkward for me it felt like 20 hours. Someone moves and I gesture for the person behind me to take a seat, which she refuses. I don't offer twice so I take the empty seat. One by one, people slowly begin filing out of the coach and the standing room passengers begin finding seats.
The coach enters Pristina and nearly the entire bus empties into the middle of a random intersection. That's when it occurs to us that there's a decent chance this coach's final destination is not Pristina Bus Station. It could be going to Serbia. The coach driver could have had Rakija with his breakfast and forgotten his destination. When we turn away from Pristina city center and toward Mitrovice, my anxiety swells.
Just when I think we're headed into a different country, the coach veers sharply to the left and off, on the side of the road, is the underwhelming Pristina Bus Station.
Whew. Mark Deux and Train Mike file off of the coach. There's a running joke that whenever we board the bus to somewhere, it is always raining in our final destination. Pristina is no different. It was raining. A cold, piercing, hair-frizzing rain.
We part ways with Mark Deux and UK Mike, drag our sopping selves and our damp packs into a completely unmarked cab and arrive back to the hostel twenty minutes later for less than $4.


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This week we have some big stuff for you, including a rewritten global shortcuts settings page, an option to remember Dolphin's window state across launches, a fix for longstanding kerning issues with centered text in QML-based software, and much more!
New Features
- Dolphin now remembers and restores the location you were viewing, open tabs, and split views when closed and launched again. This feature is on by default, but can be turned off in the Startup page of Dolphin's settings window (me: Nate Graham, Dolphin 20.08.0):
- The System Settings Global Shortcuts page was rewritten from scratch, providing radically better usability, long-requested features such as a global search and the ability to see and configure more than two shortcuts. Nearly all the open bug reports were fixed! (David Redondo, Plasma 5.19.0):
Bugfixes & Performance Improvements
- Centered text throughout QML-based KDE software no longer sometimes displays terrible kerning (Arjen Hiemstra, Qt 5.15.1)
- Moving or copying files to a remote SFTP location no longer appends ".part" onto the end of the file (Harald Sitter, Dolphin 20.04.1)
- Restored Okular's missing keyboard shortcuts for page view modes (David Hurka, Okular 1.10.1)
- Fixed scrolling with mouse wheels that can spin freely (Kezi Olio, Okular 1.10.1)
- In Elisa, clicking on the "Show Details" button for a song now works the second time you click it (me: Nate Graham, Elisa 20.04.1)
- Dolphin's Information Panel no longer shows empty information in various locations; instead it just hides fields with no applicable information (Méven Car, Dolphin 20.08.0)
- Overwriting an existing file while scanning in Skanlite no longer shows you an unnecessary second "confirm overwrite" prompt (Frederik Yin, Skanlite 2.0.2)
- Changing icon sizes in the System Settings Icons page now results in icon sizes throughout KDE software being changed immediately, rather than having to be re-launched (Kai Uwe Broulik, Plasma 5.18.5)
- GTK-based apps installed from Flatpak are now capable of displaying folder chooser dialogs (Jan Grulich, Plasma 5.19.0)
- User scripts defined in ~/.config/plasma-workspace/env/ now always take precedence over system-level configuration in /etc/xdg/plasma-workspace/env/ when there would be a conflict (Francis Thérien, Plasma 5.19.0)
- Dragging text in Kate to the line number gutter no longer unexpectedly creates a new document (Christoph Cullmann, Frameworks 5.70)
User Interface Improvements
- Konsole's I-beam cursor now follows the font size instead of always being the same size (Gastón Haro, Konsole 20.08.0)
- "Low Battery" notifications are now marked as critical to ensure that you get advanced warning before the "Battery critically low!" notification appears while in a full-screen app (Kai Uwe Broulik, Plasma 5.19.0)
- When adjusting all font sizes using the System Settings Fonts page, the Small font is now changed to a size smaller than the general one, preserving the pre-existing size relationship between them (me: Nate Graham, Plasma 5.19.0):
- The System Settings Fonts page now gently guides users towards the global scaling feature if it detects an attempt to use ad-hoc methods to scale everything using fonts (me: Nate Graham, Plasma 5.19.0)
- When creating a new HTML file using the "Create New…", the created stud HTML file is now more useful and standards-compliant (Grzegorz Szymaszek, Frameworks 5.70)
How You Can Help
Have a look at https://community.kde.org/Get_Involved to discover ways to help be part of a project that really matters. Each contributor makes a huge difference in KDE; you are not a number or a cog in a machine! You don't have to already be a programmer, either. I wasn't when I got started. Try it, you'll like it! We don't bite!
Finally, consider making a tax-deductible donation to the KDE e.V. foundation.


text: Someone who personally claims to enforce law and order, but lacks legal authority to do so. Vigilantes operate by using actual or threatened force, and are distinguished from people who simply watch out for criminal behavior and report it to the police. Vigilantes are often motivated by a desire to avenge a perceived harm or injustice.


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This week will be a continuation of the Ming dynasty post from Mr. Chen's Chinese Photo Studio 陳先生的復古照相館. This is part of a series following wedding traditions. Happy Valentine's Day!!
More pictures below the cut.
Hanfu groups seem to work together so I apologize ahead of time in case there are any repeats. Also, please understand that sorting Hanfu by era can be hard due to similar styles carrying over into different eras, lack of historical evidence or knowledge, and various other factors.
The following are some links that may help you get some background information. Please let us know in the comment section if there are any other sites you may be able to recommend for more pictures.
General Chinese Clothing Timeline
Hanfu: General Information, Hanfu List


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Thank GOD It's Fall!
As much as ☼summer☼ is my favorite season (after all, that's when my birthday takes place), I'm making the most out of autumn ~ especially going outside for crisp, fresh air!
I'm also all about Starbucks seasonal flavors* ~ from ☼summer's fruitiness to these comfy delights:
- *NEW* Toasted Graham
Furthermore, football has kicked off into full swing!
Here are a few of my favorite things for fall …
Nine Fine Fall Flaves
1. Favorite Candle: my Bath & Body Works' Salty Caramel that I used to light up my *Dallas Cowboys* jack-o-lantern and Advent †cross† (I'm also all about BBW's Pumpkin Pecan Waffles/White Barn's Thanksgiving Morning)
2. Favorite Lip Color: toss-up between my red Ardency Inn ♥Love♥ Cat lipstick from Sephora or purple Vera Wang *Rockstar* lip gloss from ULTA (c/o my Bestie Evie)
3. Favorite Drink: please view above {Exhibits B-E}
4. Favorite Blush: the ones from my KleanKolor Double Rainbow palette, plus I think that I'll try Dulce Candy's tip on lip colors in a pill box for cheek colors!
5. Favorite Clothing Item: my birthday gifts ~ specifically the scarf/shawl ~ and my recent online finds plus my Target scores ~ particularly the jeans and booties!
6. Favorite Fall Movie: no new releases, so I'll go with classic football flicks: Varsity Blues (came out my sr. yr.), Friday Night Lights (with a cameo of my h.s.), Remember the Titans, Any Given Sunday, The Longest Yard (including the original)
7. Favorite Fall Show: Grey's ♥Anatomy!!! I've been counting down for the Season 12 premiere since the Season 11 finale ~ as a loyal fan for over a decade since the very beginning with the previous seasons on DVD
8. Favorite Thanksgiving Food: I'm not going to lie –> my Cranberry Pie #DISPObustAFlow
9. Favorite Halloween Costume: now how about I have y'all pick? My personal faves include when I rocked out my abs live, No. 5 … I won our contest in 2013 as Lone Ranger's Tonto and in 2014 as my Nurse Mom who was fine in 1969! Will I make a 3-peat??
Actually, please allow me to add a 10th item:
My #1 Favorite for Fall: my ✌two✌ ♥cute, cuddly companions♥ with whom to softly snuggle for cozy comfort plus who keep me company while hard at work and welcome me home after hard at play!
CHEERS to this time of year!


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This blog collects letters written by famous historical and contemporary figures on a wide variety of issues. You will find something you can use in your classroom here. Great primary source materials, and great access to the thoughts and feelings of historical figures.
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
Related posts:
please consider leaving a tip. Pay what you like!


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Mission Crossroads magazine
Mission Crossroads is a three-times-a-year magazine focused on the worldwide work of the PC(USA). It offers news and feature stories about mission personnel, international partners and grassroots Presbyterians involved in God's mission in the world.
To subscribe complete this form or call (800) 728-7228, x5415.
Welcome to the ePub edition!
This is browser-based reading on all of your devices.
You have the option to download the pdf version in a tab at the top of your window.
Download issues of Mission Crossroads
Addressing Global Issues
Educating Children, Training Leaders, Stopping Sexual Violence
Spring 2016 - View or Download
Planting Seeds of Inspiration: Garden Grows from Congregation's Values
Winter 2015 - View or Download
The Changing Face of Mission: Answering God's Call Together
Summer 2015 - View or Download
Answering Christ's Call to Witness in the Middle East
Spring 2015 - View or Download
Training Leaders for Community Transformation
Winter 2014 - View or Download
Poverty Alleviation Through Education
Fall 2014 - View or Download
Reconciliation: Healing the Wounds
Spring 2014 - View or Download
Call to Mission
Fall 2013 - View or Download
Addressing Critical Global Issues
Spring 2013 - Download
Addressing the Root Causes of Poverty
Fall 2012 - Download
Celebrating 175 Years of Presbyterian World Mission
Summer 2012 - Download
Communities of Mission Practice: Bringing God's Global Family Together
Spring 2012 - Download
Make a Difference in God's World With Presbyterian World Mission
Winter 2011 - Download
Bearing Faithful Witness to Jesus Christ
Fall 2011 - Download
Serving in Sudan
Spring 2011 - Download
Inspiring Service
Fall 2010 - Download
Better Together
Summer 2010 - Download


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Tag Archives: Carlos Ramirez-Rosa
CN March 14 2019
It's a double header this week as we're visited first by the great Maya Dukmasova (Chicago Reader) and then by former Mayoral candidate Paul Vallas. Dukmasova expresses some surprise at the strength of the resistance to two big votes yesterday … Continue reading
Posted in Chicago Newsroom past shows Tagged Ald. Scott Waguespack, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, Chicago budget, Chicago Police Training Academy, Chicago Reader, Deb Mell, Joe Moore, Lesie Hairston, Lincoln Yards, Lori Lightfoot, Maya Dukmasova, Michelle Smith, Mille Santiago, Paul Vallas, Pension debt, Proco Joe Moreno, Rahm Emanuel, Richard Daley, Roberto Moldonado, Toni Preckwinkle Leave a comment
CN May 24 2018
A City Council meeting attracts about a hundred off-duty police officers and more than a hundred anti-police protesters for one of the most raucous meetings in recent memory. They manage to approve the construction of the Obama Presidential Center, but … Continue reading


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Art Camp with Periwinkle Art Studio: All Media
It's an art camp extravaganza! Campers will explore their creativity in several 2D and 3D projects with using mixed media tools. Art enhances fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, problem-solving skills, and creative thinking skills. Materials will be provided.
This camp runs Monday, July 17 – Friday, July 21, 10:00am – 12:00pm
Ages: 7 – 14 Years Old
Gorton Center will take and may use photos and videos from this event for its promotional purposes. Your attendance indicates your consent to the above.
By purchasing a ticket to an event at Gorton, I acknowledge the contagious nature of COVID-19 and voluntarily assume the risk that my child(ren) and/or I may be exposed to or infected by COVID-19 by attending or participating in a program, event or activity and that such exposure or infection may result in personal injury, illness, permanent disability, and death. I understand that the risk of becoming exposed to or infected by COVID-19 at Gorton may result from the actions, omissions, or negligence of myself and others, including, but not limited to, Gorton employees, volunteers, and program participants and their families. I voluntarily agree to assume all of the foregoing risks and accept sole responsibility for any injury to my child(ren) or myself (including, but not limited to, personal injury, disability, and death), illness, damage, loss, claim, liability, or expense, of any kind, that I or my child(ren) may experience or incur in connection with my or my child(ren)'s attendance at Gorton or participation in a Gorton program, event or activity ("Claims"). On my behalf, and on behalf of my children, I hereby release, covenant not to sue, discharge, and hold harmless Gorton, its employees, agents, and representatives, of and from the Claims, including all liabilities, claims, actions, damages, costs or expenses of any kind arising out of or relating thereto. I understand and agree that this release includes any Claims based on the actions, omissions, or negligence of Gorton, its employees, agents, and representatives, whether a COVID-19 infection occurs before, during, or after participation in any program, event or activity that took place at Gorton.
Artists, dates, times, prices and fees are subject to change.


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The minds over at Geek6 have devised this devilish chart to show the peaks and valleys of genre TV since the dawn of television.
Rob Savage on Collaborating with YellowJackets' Sophie Thatcher
According to Josh over at Geek Six:
"I've compiled a database of 1,000 sci-fi, fantasy and genre shows that have aired in the past 70 years. My first swing at parsing through some of the data yielded this. It tracks every show by year to see when sci-fi shows were huge, and then watches them topple as networks realized the allure of reality television."
Well done, Josh. Well done.
(Via Geek6)


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~~September 8, 2014~~
"As it appears in ….. "
Richard Williams, better known by his stage name Prince Ea, is an American rapper and activist.
Prince Ea was born as Richard Williams on September 16, 1988 in St. Louis, Missouri, the youngest of three children, and has resided there his whole life. The alias Prince Ea is derived from Sumerian mythology ("The prince of the Earth"). He has also graduated from the University of Missouri,St. Louis with Latin honors.
~~The "Make 'SMART' Cool" movement~~
In late 2009 Prince Ea, upset at the present state of the music industry, decided to form a movement named "Make 'SMART' Cool". The "Make 'SMART' Cool" movement (SMART is an acronym for "Sophisticating Millions And Revolutionizing Thought") attempts to "promote intelligence to everyone, everywhere and integrate it with hip-hop.
To create and nurture, without discrimination or preference, a community of free-thinking individuals under the singular purpose of promoting the ideals of education, intelligence, unity and creativity throughout the world at large."
~~Why I Think This World Should End~~
~~Published on September 8, 2014~~
Sorry if this Offends You
We ALL are ONE!!


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June is a great month. It official marks summer break from school, as well as the first day of Summer. It is also my birth month, which is why I decided to publish The Road I've Traveled on my birthday.
The Road I've Traveled is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Its official release date will be on the 19th of June.
I absolutely love the cover. The anchor represents my time in the Navy. The color blue represents my love of the ocean, as well as autism awareness.
The Road I've Traveled is a compilation of poems and short stories Jennifer wrote during moments of her life where she felt the need to get it all out. She writes about being in the Navy during the tragedies of 9/11, having to deploy to New York where she and her shipmates stayed in New York's harbor for three weeks, guarding the coastline in hopes of preventing any further attacks.
She writes about loss, love, heartbreak, family. You can see the fondness she had for her grandfather as she includes a heartfelt eulogy she had written moments after his passing.
She also writes about being a single mom, as well as a mom to a child who is on the autism spectrum. The journey they have endured together has been bumpy, but they continue to plow through life, learning about autism and sensory processing disorder as they go.


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Zipper Card Holder Honey Brown
Regular priceDhs. 1,413.00
Dimensions: 8 cm X 13 cm ( 3.1 X 5.1 in inch)
Bosphorus Leather Zipper Card Holder Honey Brown is specifically designed to serve you carry your banknotes, receipts, your ID cards, credit cards, your passport during your travels and you can either put your handy(mobile), your plane,train and bus tickets in all together! It is pretty useful and highly elegant with its Patina Leather. It is as precious as the money that it carries in! This stylish wallet will be your good friend that you won't want to put it away from you while you travel! You will love its appearance and functions!All handcrafted and hand-dyed this premium wallet is crafted from a hundred percent full grain and highest quality veg tanned cow leather. Its vintage appearance is being given by Bosphorus Workshop Craftsmen who have mastery of leather dying and vintage effects.
Both side covered by card holders completing to this chich Zipper Card Holder.
Also the zipper pocket can allows you to save your coins, important receipts etc.
Product Features
You can customize the color of the case (purple, pink, orange, and such others), and the type of leather. Lots of variety of Wallets are available! Just check out the "Wallet" Menu!
Now! Make this highly elegant, full handmade Wallet yours!
- Patina Leather for Outside and Inside
- One Zipper Pocket
- Card Holders
You can customize the color of the case (purple, pink, orange, and such others), and the type of leather. Lots of variety of Wallets are available! Just check out the "Wallet" Menu!
Now! Make this highly elegant, full handmade Wallet yours!
For inquiries, please feel free to contact us by email at email@example.com
We kindly remind you that the items you have purchased from "Next Day Shipping Category" are handcrafted products which we have made ready for your pleasure.
If you have purchased Bosphorus Leather Next Day Shipping product(s), we ship it/them the next day with Fedex/TNT Express Carrier. (Saturday Purchasements are being sent out on Mondays due to Sunday being an off day of delivery companies.
Once your order is shipped, you receive a customer tracking number to be able to track your consignment online.
All products in Bosphorus Leather Store are handcraft and some of them are also hand dyed products. Since there is no ready made product in the Bosphorus Leather Store, the making process of your order nearly takes 30 days to be ready for shipment. That 30 days may be shorter or a few days longer according to your ordered item, customizations, extras. Normally, the shipping period takes 2-5 business days to be at your address. (Delivery companies declare those figures.)
Once you complete the purchasement, we add your order with its number(ID) to the Production List which is being followed up both by masters and related staff. After the Quality Control Process, we ship your consignment with Fedex/TNT delivery companies and give your tracking number to be able to track your package online.
Each Bosphorus Leather product is being shipped rigorously in its dust bag and original box which carry brand logo and brand name on it.
For the best delivery in a short time, please fill your phone number, email address, postcode and address while ordering.
Price Details
Prices include shipping costs. The customs duties are not being added to the prices since possible customs duties vary according to the destination country, amount of invoice and the product. We do not prefer to remark an estimated figure which may vary. On the other hand, most items arrive at your address without customs clearance.
Refund Policy
The Refund Policy of Bosphorus Leather is "so simple", "quite basic"! No need to bear around the rush with chic, fancy and long sentences that get you bored!
Just we need your unpackaging video record! We advise that when you receive the consignment, please take a video record as you open up the package of the consignment of the delivery company. That method facilitates the job of both of us!
If you were not able to take a video record, please send us photos of the item that shows default or defaults in reasonable day. Let's imagine that you are in hectic days and you were not able to send the photos of the product. Calm down, we can easily notice our faults when you provide the clear photos and compensate for them! If you are able to prove the Bosphorus Leather item has a default; rest assured, we will send out a new one to your address or refundimmediately.
The "Warranty Policy" of Bosphorus Leather is quite simple as its RefundPolicy. Bosphorus Leather Warranty shall cover all products and shall remain valid for a period of two(2) years as from the date on which the "Buyer" received the "Product".
Throughout the period of warranty, Bosphorus Leather undertakes to replace at no extra cost all "Products" which the "Buyer" declares faulty, as well as to repair any operational malfunction detected and declared by the "Buyer".
In all cases, Bosphorus Leather reserves the right to verify by any means or method, any default detected by the "Buyer", without hindrance from the "Buyer" to the persons assigned by Bosphorus Leather to carry out such verification. This warranty shall not apply to any faults or damage to the products incurred by negligence or misuse of the Buyer. To be more informed about "Product Care"
Rest assured, you will have a customer lover after sale policy. So far, we have replaced our products even though they had natural leather wrinkles, scratches to pleasure our customers.


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MINNEAPOLIS—Publication of best-selling author Vince Flynn's unfinished novel is postponed indefinitely after his death last month.
Flynn's longtime editor, Emily Bestler, made the announcement Thursday.
Bestler says the Minnesota author hadn't completed the manuscript when he died June 19 at age 47, more than two years after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The book, titled "The Survivor," was planned for release this fall.
Bestler says in a statement it's too soon to know how much of the book was written or whether Flynn had made arrangements in case he could not complete the book. So she says publication is listed as "postponed indefinitely" instead of "canceled."
Flynn wrote the Mitch Rapp counterterrorism thriller series. His 14th novel, "The Last Man," was published last year.
Vince Flynn's website: http://www.vinceflynn.com


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White Denim at A&R
Bonnaroo is probably the most old-fashioned of today's great American music festivals, so it follows that something called the Bonnaroo365 Tour would bring our closest answer to the great American rock band to town. And when the great American rock band visits your town, you'd be wise to pay homage.
No group gets harder, faster and funkier at once than Austin garage gargantuan White Denim. Last year's D presented a rambunctious but refined groove, further revealing the QFM classic rock was buried under untamed earlier works like the recently reissued and expanded Fits.
Plus, the excellent (yet extremely different) Maps & Atlases will be there too, performing math rock that throws a wrench in the whole "Bonnaroo gravitates toward good old fashioned rock 'n' roll" meme.
A&R Music Bar
7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30
391 Neil Ave., Arena District


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IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) has launched a new set of resources relating to eBooks and libraries. Providing access to eBooks is one of the most pressing issues facing libraries right now.
The rise of commercial dissemination of written content in digital form has imposed a new and challenging reality for libraries, publishers, authors and readers. Evolving and escalating changes in reader expectations fuelled by technological change are threatening traditional service delivery and business models.
The IFLA Principles for Library eLending is based on the assumption that it is necessary for libraries and publishers/authors to negotiate a range of reasonable terms and conditions for the licensing of eBooks to libraries which allows them to fulfil their mission of guaranteeing access to knowledge and information for their communities.
The principles below are intended to help all library professionals seeking to provide downloadable eBook content to their users, and are broadly drafted to maintain relevance across IFLA's 150 member countries.
Principles for the Licensing/Purchase and Use of eBooks in Libraries
1. Libraries should be able to license and/or purchase all commercially available eBooks under a variety of terms and conditions dependent upon the nature of the work and the rights provided to libraries and their users such as:
- Number of simultaneous users
- The period of time the library has the right to make the eBook available.
- The option of outright purchase with permanent availability1
- A limit on the total number of loans permitted
- Publication date and retail sales.2
2. Given a mutual respect for copyright on the part of libraries and rightsholders, any eBook licensing/purchase options offered to libraries must respect copyright limitations and exceptions available to libraries and their users in legislation including if applicable:
- The right to copy a portion of the work
- Reformat the work for preservation purposes if it is licensed or purchased for permanent access
- Provide an interlibrary loan copy
- Re-format a work to enable print disabled access
Libraries should have the right to bypass a technological protection measure for the purpose of exercising any non-infringing purposes.
3. eBooks available from libraries should be usable on all commonly available eReading devices.
4. Libraries and library users must be able to control the use of a user's personal information including their library digital reading choices.
5. When publishers and/or authors and/or resellers withhold library access to eBooks, national legislation should require such access under reasonable terms and conditions
Image: Let me see


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Yesterday was mine and Dane's 5th anniversary and honestly, I don't know where those 5 years have gone.
I know I've given you all the sop before but I just wanted to write about us here, because it's nice and stuffs. 😛
We both met through POF (Plenty of Fish), which for those of you who live under a rock and don't know, it's a dating site. I remember an old friend telling me how she'd met guys through the website and had gotten loads of dates (even though she never went on any…) with guys.
A couple of months later in jest I was talking to my friend Jacqui about the website, and suggested we both give it a go. We set our profiles up and before we knew it we were ready to meet some guys! Urgh they were either grim, clingey and professing their love or just after a quick shag.
Then Dane messaged me, he was sweet and we had quite a lot in common. I remember my first comments were, "He's ginger!" and "He's from Coventry… Is that far from here?"
We spoke for a week via the website and then moved to texting as it was easier. Before long we were arranging out first date and met in Birmingham for drinks. From then on it was just date, date, date! We went to Milton Keynes a couple of days later for a second date and then after that a week later we met up for a shopping trip in Birmingham.
It must have been almost a month before and Dane decided to become a couple during a gig. It was lovely to be honest and was nice to wait a little before jumping it. I think we both knew though that we liked each other and wanted to make it work.
6 months later on my birthday we said those 3 little words and since then we've just been so in love and all that soppy shit!
For our first year together we went to Bristol for a long weekend. I loved it so much and it's a city I have always wanted to visit again, but sadly just never have… Not for any real reasons why either to be honest with you.
That is until our fifth anniversary where we decided to head to Chedder Gorge for a couple of days before the weekend, which also involved a trip to Bristol, as well as a trip to Weston Super Mare.
Before I go into what we got up to, we gave each other our anniversary presents early as sadly we both knew what we'd bought one another. As we always do at Christmas, birthday's and especially anniversary, we always gift each other a Nendoroid (or two!).
This year I bought Dane Kakashi Hatake from Naruto and Dane bought me Nana Ebina from Himouto! Umaru-chan.
Sadly I didn't manage to get a picture of Kakashi Hatake in his box, Dane got him out as soon as he received him and was playing around with his positions, etc. So I decided to show pictures of them in our Nendoroid cabinet instead! I hope you like them! We always try and make our Nendoroids look as happy and "realistic" as possible, all whilst looking cute!
The week before me and Dane broke up from work for our week off together, he booked us a 2 night stay in Webbington at a hotel and spa. It wasn't a surprise but due to how busy I was at work the day he was booking it I didn't realise until I got home that he had booked it!
We had originally planned to go to the Lake District and Scotland for a long weekend, but ended up cancelling that due to money. So after I suggested going to Bristol for a long weekend Dane found somewhere a drive away from Bristol and everywhere else we wanted to go.
I was a mixture of excited and nervous. Since leaving my old job I am always conscious and worried about money now so the thought of going away did worry me… Only because of money though!
The hotel didn't cost us a lot due to Dane's nights he'd saved up with Hotels.com, so in total we only paid £55 altogether for the 2 nights!
I hadn't worn my Lumpy Space Princess Black Milk Clothing dress for the longest time, so I decided to team it up with my rainbow cardigan (which you can read about here) as well as my new Eevee doughnut pin badge from Ohayou! Clothing's Patreon (which I've linked here). I felt so kawaii and cute! 😀 Sadly/thankfully I got zero comments on my outfit, which made me a tad sad considering.
Before going to the hotel though, we decided to stop off in Bristol first for a look around the shops and for some lunch. To think we went into Bristol to buy stuff we couldn't get at home, but alas we ventured into Primark and as sad as it sounds I loved the Bristol Primark! It's the biggest one I've been into to date and as it's space out over 4 floors, there's so much room to look around everything and not feel claustrophobic. Dane bought himself some gym/running gear, I grabbed a swimming costumes for the pool at the spa, as well as a pair of mustard yellow joggers (which make me look like the main character from Kill Bill!) and a Lady and The Tramp nightshirt, which I am BEYOND excited to wear!
Before that however we popped to Three Brothers Burgers for lunch. We discovered it the first time we went to Bristol for our first anniversary and we fell in love with the place. I'd talk loads about it here but I want to write A WHOLE REVIEW on the place on a separate blog post! For now I'll link their website here so you can take a peek for yourselves.
I am so happy that we went to Bristol for the afternoon for various reasons, the main one being how much it reminded us of our first year together and how we celebrated it there. Bristol will always have a huge place in my heart due to that. Not only that, but it made me and Dane realise how Bristol isn't THAT far away from Birmingham and we've already decided that we will go there more for days out. We're already planning to go there for the second instalment of Gromit Unleashed with some friends!
After we'd had enough we headed to our hotel, which was gorgeous but kind of in the middle of nowhere. We had expected a village within walking distance so we could walk to a local pub for drinks, but sadly this wasn't the case. The hotel did have a bar, but it just wasn't what we were expecting. The spa in there was also lovely, but with how tired we were after each day we didn't want to use it, which again is such a shame as that was the sole purpose for booking this one in the first place. But if you wanted to go in the pool and then to the steam room and sauna, you needed to walk through the gym to get from one to the other and you'd have to dry off beforehand. It didn't make sense. Plus when we were having a guided tour I felt awkward standing in front of the sauna and steam room with half naked men sat staring at me.
So yeah, big no no! We also contemplated booking massages each, but these cost between £25-£50 and whilst I probably spent that money shopping today, I didn't feel like wasting it on a massage. I also didn't know whether you had to call the lady to book to do it, or go to the hotel desk and they'd sort it. I'll just look at my local college for some cheap beauty treatments soon.
Thursday evening we were shattered and fell to sleep relatively early, ready for an early start the next day!
We got up bright and early, got washed and dressed and headed out for breakfast before going to Cheddar Gorge to explore the caves, as well as the village. I dressed in my gorgeous Midnight Owl dress by Black Milk Clothing. I love this dress so much and since buying it I've already worn it loads.
It didn't take long for us to drive to Cheddar and walk through Cheddar Gorge! I'd never really heard about it before and it was all Dane's idea to go! I was somewhat anxious walking through the caves, but I put this down to my anxiety and claustrophobia. I was okay though and I actually really enjoyed being able to see inside the caves and how they've formed over thousands of years!
Afterwards we popped around the museum over the road and walked up hundreds of steps, only to be left feeling shattered and achey! We deserved an afternoon cream tea. 😛 Well, Dane did! I shared half of the plain scone he had with my cup of coffee. The picture isn't showing it, but it was such a gorgeous and sunny afternoon! Soon after we had a mooch around the shops, which also included buying a slush puppy, we walked back to the car and headed to our next destination, Wookey Hole!
It didn't take long to head over to Wookey Hole and I'd never been before, or even heard of it! It was nice to see Dane talk to fondly of it from when he visited it with his family as a child. It was incredibly sweet and I can understand why from my own experience.
Wookey Hole was different than I thought it was going to be. It wasn't as open as Cheddar Gorge was and due to that my anxiety was quite bad at some parts of the the tour. We went around a dozen, if not more caves and to get through from some to others you had to duck right down to get under, this in itself scared me a little bit, but when you got across the other side and saw the whole cave, it was amazing! There was one area where you had to walk across metal bridges (safe by the way!) to get through one cave to the next. This is where I was incredibly anxious and urgh, when you're surrounded by people and you feel like that it can really suck! If you're claustrophobic then Wookey Hole might not be for you, but looking back it wasn't as bad as it seemed.
Sadly we never took any pictures but near the gift shop there were LOADS of old games and arcade machines, which even included some rude photo viewers. Me and Dane had a go at the one for shits and giggles and it was pretty funny! It was only a woman taking off her clothes, as in she's just got in from a busy day out and she wants that bra off! 😛 You know that feeling ladies. Anyway, it was such a laugh either way and we really enjoyed looking around all the old arcade machines. We also had a go at doing the mirror maze together, as well as looking at our funny reflections in the fun house mirrors. I haven't seen them for the longest time, probably not for a good 18 years now!
After Wookey Hole we did contemplate going home to freshen up and then head to Weston-super-mare but we just ended up heading straight there, which was a good thing because we hit SO MUCH TRAFFIC and we were pretty hungry too. We'd planned to head to the beach for some fish and chips, get an ice cream and maybe play on some arcades. The only things that happened were the first two.
We walked around for ages as I couldn't believe that the beach was pretty much all Weston had to offer and that looked rubbish as it wasn't the best weather. We eventually grabbed something to eat, which was lovely but I was constantly on edge that a seagull may steal my dinner! We didn't have an issue thankfully, but a family near us certainly did! We don't quite know what happened but at one point the family had left a full pack of chips on the wall and the seagulls were literally all attacking at it for what was inside! All you could hear was the father shouting, "GRAB IT! QUICKLY! COME ON HURRY UP!" Me and Dane sat there giggling our heads off!
We sat for a while on the beach after we'd eaten out food and just chilled. We sadly didn't take any pictures whilst in Weston and I'm glad as it was crap there. It looked so miserable and yeah. I was gutted in all honesty about going there as it wasn't what I remembered it to be when I was a kid. It reminded me of a shitty holiday area for British tourists. It did however inspire me to write a teen novel again, which I'll get around to at some point.
Eventually we moved on from the beach and went in search of ice cream! For a £1 I had the best ice cream ever in Weston and it took me aggggges to finish it! Just the thought of it is making me want another one. 😛
After we'd eaten our ice creams it was time to head back to the hotel. We'd seen enough of Weston to last us a life time. The only thing that I'd go back for is if there was a special event on there… Probably one involving loads of food. 😛
That evening we just chilled out together watching YouTube videos. We had planned to go for a swim together but we were both far too tired for that. Plus we wanted to be up nice and early to check out and go for breakfast.
Dane had researched where we could go for breakfast in Cribbs Causeway and he discovered they had a Frankie & Benny's. The plan was made and we went to sleep.
The next morning we did indeed get up bright and early and got ready to leave. It was quite sad leaving as whilst I wasn't a massive fan of the spa facilities anyway, I was gutted that we hadn't taken advantage of them. The hotel was lovely but the walls were also pretty thin. On the Friday night we could hear every word of the people's television next to us. We could also hear people walking outside of our room and most of the floorboards creaked around the hotel. This being said, our room was gorgeous and we actually had the best one in the hotel, aka the supreme suite! I felt special knowing that to be honest with you. We also had the best shower in the world, a waterfall shower or whatever they're called! I was anxious to use it at first as I didn't want to get my hair wet, but now I want to get one myself! Me and Dane have added it to our, "perfect bathroom" wish list! 😛
I decided to wear a Lady and The Tramp sweater I'd recently bought from Depop, (which you will see on a future post VERY soon!) with my new yellow joggers from Primark. I was super comfortable but my only flaw with the joggers are that there's no pockets in them. Very sad times. Not going to lie, I actually love the second picture of me as a potential new profile picture for on here! Let me know what you think. 😉
We headed to Cribbs Causeway but we've only been once and the place is HUGE! It reminds me of a shopping mall by me but I feel like this place is just way bigger. Due to getting "lost" amongst all the shops we didn't go to Frankie & Bennys, because we couldn't find it! It would have meant driving all the way there, to drive all the way back and it just wasn't worth it, sadly.
Instead we went to Patisserie Valerie for breakfast and it was so lovely! Dane had pancakes with fruit and I have scrambled egg, salmon and toast. It was amazing and kept us both full up until past dinner time.
We ventured around the shops for a while and I knew the one place I wanted to head into was the Gromit Unleashed shop. I knew I wanted to pick something up from here as we never did 4 years previous when we'd ventured there. Now me and Dane own our own home we've become that type of couple where tea towels become pretty good souvenirs! I was also going to pick up a pen and a notebook, but I have plenty of those already. This pink tea towel doesn't really match our red, white and black kitchen but who gives a fuck! You have a live a little. 😛 This was pretty decent in price so I'm glad I picked it up. It's now washed and as soon as it's dry, it'll be in my kitchen and ready to use!
The next shop we ventured into was Cath Kidston. Over the past year I've really fallen in love with the store and their cute and vintage inspired designs. What caused me to fall in love with them was their Disney 101 Dalmatians collection which I bought a notebook from… I regret not buying more!
Since then I haven't bought anything else from there, until today! I only went in for a nose in case they had any 101 Dalmatians goodies left, or even any cute guinea pigs items from the Pets Party collection. I discovered something even better, fox designs from their recent Park Wildlife collection!
It was Dane who noticed all the cute fox stuff I picked up from the store! It started with a pillow he spotted, which sadly I didn't buy and slightly regret it… I'm going to keep my eye on it on the website!
I've been in need of a trinket dish for the past 6 months now and although I've ummed and ahhed at many, I've never picked one up because it didn't say me! I nearly bought one yesterday when I was in Wookey Hole because it was an awesome Pingu one.
If I had of picked it up, I wouldn't have this awesome little fox one, which is definitely more me! It fits all my jewellery perfectly and also looks adorable whilst doing so.
Finally and Dane noticed it when I was waiting by the till, but it's this gorgeous tray with all the wildlife animals on it, especially that cute little fox. This is for our living room table to keep things organised on it. At the moment we have our sippy cup on it, television and soundbar remotes and our Xbox One and PS4 controllers. I also suggested how we can also use it for mornings when someone makes morning coffee. It's very sturdy and I am so glad I bought this!
After we'd had enough of looking around the shops we decided it was finally time to head home.
Although I had a lovely couple of relaxing and adventurous days with Dane, I was so glad to be back home and just relax and chill.
We spent the evening doing our own thing, me doing some blog work and Dane playing some games. We cuddled and relaxed together this evening whilst E3 2018 kicked off with EA and we had some dinner.
We both had such a lovely time together celebrating out fifth anniversary and if anything it's taught us a few things…
- We still want a puppy/dog to take with us for adventures.
- We love Bristol STILL and can't wait to go there again for both days out AND Gromit Unleashed 2.
- Three Brothers Burgers are still the best.
- Weston is a shit hole, but the food is spot on.
- Next time we book a spa hotel, we MEAN WE WANT A SPA HOTEL.
- And finally, we really want a waterfall shower.
I apologise that there aren't any pictures of me and Dane in this post, I want to keep those private for us two. We don't really take pictures together much another so the couple of gems that we took I want for just me and Dane.
I hope everyone has had a great week though and especially a great start to the weekend! I'm back at work on Monday and whilst I'll miss lazy mornings in bed and days spent sat in my bed playing games and writing blog posts, I will be glad to be back at work!
Until next time, take care all and I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekends.


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From one of the first interviews in The Paris Review (1954), the young William Styron (click on link for full interview):
INTERVIEWER (Peter Matthiessen and George Plimpton)
What value has the creative writing course for young writers?
It gives them a start, I suppose. But it can be an awful waste of time. Look at those people who go back year after year to summer writers' conferences, you get so you can pick them out a mile away. A writing course can only give you a start, and help a little. It can't teach writing. The professor should weed out the good from the bad, cull them like a farmer, and not encourage the ones who haven't got something. At one school I know in New York, which has a lot of writing courses, there are a couple of teachers who moon in the most disgusting way over the poorest, most talentless writers, giving false hope where there shouldn't be any hope at all. Regularly they put out dreary little anthologies, the quality of which would chill your blood. It's a ruinous business, a waste of paper and time, and such teachers should be abolished.
The average teacher can't teach anything about technique or style?
Well, he can teach you something in matters of technique. You know—don't tell a story from two points of view and that sort of thing. But I don't think even the most conscientious and astute teachers can teach anything about style. Style comes only after long, hard practice and writing.
Do you enjoy writing?
I certainly don't. I get a fine, warm feeling when I'm doing well, but that pleasure is pretty much negated by the pain of getting started each day. Let's face it, writing is hell.
How many pages do you turn out each day?
When I'm writing steadily—that is, when I'm involved in a project that I'm really interested in, one of those rare pieces that has a foreseeable end—I average two-and-a-half or three pages a day, longhand on yellow sheets. I spend about five hours at it, of which very little is spent actually writing. I try to get a feeling of what's going on in the story before I put it down on paper, but actually most of this breaking-in period is one long, fantastic daydream, in which I think about anything but the work at hand. I can't turn out slews of stuff each day. I wish I could. I seem to have some neurotic need to perfect each paragraph—each sentence, even—as I go along.
And what time of the day do you find best for working?
The afternoon. I like to stay up late at night and get drunk and sleep late. I wish I could break the habit but I can't. The afternoon is the only time I have left and I try to use it to the best advantage, with a hangover.
Do you use a notebook?
No, I don't feel the need for it. I've tried, but it does no good, since I've never used what I've written down. I think the use of a notebook depends upon the individual.
Do you find you need seclusion?
I find it's difficult to write in complete isolation. I think it would be hard for me on a South Sea island or in the Maine woods. I like company and entertainment, people around. The actual process of writing, though, demands complete, noiseless privacy, without even music; a baby howling two blocks away will drive me nuts.
Does your emotional state have any bearing on your work?
I guess like everybody I'm emotionally fouled up most of the time, but I find I do better when I'm relatively placid. It's hard to say, though. If writers had to wait until their precious psyches were completely serene there wouldn't be much writing done. Actually—though I don't take advantage of the fact as much as I should—I find that I'm simply the happiest, the placidest, when I'm writing, and so I suppose that that, for me, is the final answer. When I'm writing I find it's the only time that I feel completely self-possessed, even when the writing itself is not going too well. It's fine therapy for people who are perpetually scared of nameless threats as I am most of the time—for jittery people. Besides, I've discovered that when I'm not writing I'm prone to developing certain nervous tics, and hypochondria. Writing alleviates those quite a bit. I think I resist change more than most people. I dislike traveling, like to stay settled. When I first came to Paris all I could think about was going home, home to the old James River. One of these days I expect to inherit a peanut farm. Go back home and farm them old peanuts and be real old Southern whisky gentry.


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City Council Affirms Anti-Panhandling Law (Updated) – March 25, 2011
Note: The City Council yesterday held a closed session to consider anticipated litigation by political activist Richard Salzman challenging the City's recently passed anti-panhandling ordinance. This morning the City issued the press release below. – Ed.
Following the closed session held on March 24, 2011, the Arcata City Council, by a vote of 4 to 1, confirmed its support for the Panhandling Ordinance enacted in April 2010. Councilmember Shane Brinton was the dissenting vote.
Mayor Susan Ornelas stated, "Because of frequent encounters with panhandlers, many citizens expressed to me and other members of the Council that they felt unsafe in the downtown and other areas of the City." The Council responded to these concerns with a carefully crafted ordinance that balances the rights of people to freely engage in activities without feeling threatened with the rights of people to ask for donations. Since enacting the ordinance, feedback to the Council has been strongly positive.
"A mother attending HSU told me she now feels comfortable bringing her children to the Plaza," said Mayor Ornelas.
The Council worked closely with the City Attorney to draft an ordinance consistent with other cities' ordinances which have been upheld by the courts. Specifically, the ordinance was drafted to address situations in which citizens did not feel free to say 'no' because of the manner or place of the panhandling.
According to Police Chief Tom Chapman, the ordinance is clear and well defined. For the first year, the police emphasis has been on helping solicitors comply with the ordinance. As a result, very few citations have been issued.
The Council's position is that the ordinance is fair and effective in achieving the goals of people of all ages to participate in social, recreational and business activities throughout the City.
Note: Friday evening, Councilmember Shane Brinton issued this response to the above statement. – Ed.
"The purpose of the First Amendment is to protect free speech, even speech that makes some people uncomfortable. Panhandling is a problem that we should address as a community, not by denying citizens their constitutional rights."
Brinton expressed disappointment that his fellow councilmembers did not take this opportunity to repeal the ordinance and work together to pursue real solutions.


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The Loiterers Resistance Movement – Loitering with Good Intentions
ring with intent to make Manchester wonderful", is probably Manchester's only local history and walking group watched over by the Greek goddess of chaos, Eris, and influenced by the flâneur, a dandy-esque Victorian figure who wandered the city as a detached observer.Founder Morag Rose complains "modern society is so rigid". Chaos, on the other hand, "can be a creative force".Morag explains, "chaos is thought of as scary, but it can be beautiful".
In a manifesto-esque statement of intent on the internet, The LRM lists its likes and dislikes: "plants growing out of the side of buildings" are good, "gentrification" is bad. The LRM celebrates the "colourful and diverse". Continue reading "Loiterers Resistance Movement,"