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The Earthquake
I'm sure everyone has heard about the massive earthquake that ocurred in China's Sichuan province on Sunday. Sichuan is in the south central region of China, as is Anna's home province of Guangxi.
Guangxi and Sichuan are separated by the province of Guizhou. There are many news stories out there, so I won't describe much here. I will note that our adoption agency, CCAI, has had word from their Sichuan representative. Most of the adoption activities in all provinces occur in the provincial capitals, and Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, was far enough away from the epicenter of the quake to avoid damage to all but the oldest buildings. Any adoptive families in the area, and as far as we know, the orphanages, are safe. The stories about families searching for children in the rubble of collapsed school structures are absolutely heart-rending.
We are hearing so much more about China these days, most likely because China is gaining influence as a world power. I'm sure the unpleasant things that are happening there are no more serious than one would expect in a very populous developing country, and have probably been happening there for many years. But my awareness of those things has certainly increased, and all I can say is I am very grateful that I was able to go there and take my two little precious children out of there, hopefully to a better place.
On a totally unrelated note, our little Anna, with absolutely no effort by Joe or myself, has suddenly acquired the ability to go to sleep by herself. A few days ago, I noticed that she was trying to kick me out of her room, saying, "good night, bye bye!" I'm kind of slow to take those kind of hints, so it took me a few more days, but I got really tired of laying there by her waiting for her to go to sleep, kicking me, wiggling, etc. So, the last few nights, I've been staying with her a little while and then coming up with some reason I need to leave. She's been OK with it. Tonight I basically read her a story, then turned out the light and told her I was going to take my bath. She said that was fine, and by the time I was done, she was asleep. Amazing.
Now, if only she would potty train herself…


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Back to basics: How to braid your own hair
Let's get back to braiding basics. Here's how it's done.
Just in case you missed the memo, it's time to give your curling tongs and straightening iron a rest. Messy, just-rolled-out-of-bed 'French girl' hair is in, and it looks like it's here to stay. Here's how to get this effortless, tousled look regardless of your hair type or texture.
Start by sweeping your hair to the side and pinning it in place. Twist the length of the hair and lift it up, tucking it behind the portion that you pinned, and secure once again. Embrace the messy look – there's no need to use hairspray to tame those fly-aways!
Add some bounce and shine to your locks with texture-enhancing Messy Cliché Styling Spray from the L'Oréal Professionnel French Girl Hair styling range. Next, tie your hair up into a very high ponytail. Pull at the strands on the crown of the head to ensure that they aren't secured tightly and to create a relaxed, messy look. Wrap the length of the hair around the hairband and secure loosely with pins. Pull out a few extra strands to finish off the look.
Perfect for girls with thick hair, the French Froissé Styling Cream from the L'Oréal Professionnel French Girl Hair styling range will give your locks texture for this style. From there, if you can French braid your hair, do so. If not, a regular plait will work. The key to adding laid-back French sass to either look is to pull on your hair after braiding to create a messier aesthetic.
We're sure you'll all agree that 'au naturel' has never looked so good! A big thank you goes out to our French sistas for helping us simplify our morning routines and embrace our natural beauty. French girl hair for the win!
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Cavallo Simple Ride Mask - No Ears
The Cavallo Simple Ride Mask protects against flies, insects, dust and debris. Lightweight and exceptionally transparent, durable and comfortable. Provides UV protection. Lightweight and comfortable. Simple to use. Can stay attached to bridle at all times. Eliminates toxic, messy fly sprays.Attaches to bridle with Velcro fasteners. Use with all types of bridles, including snaffle, double, western, bosal and hackamore. Do not attach to snaffle cheek piece. Not recommended for use while jumping as vision may be compromised. Rinse in warm water. Use gentle natural soap if required. Hang dry. Clean mesh allows for better vision. No ears.
Shop the latest equestrian fashions on Equestrian Collections. Always be in the know! Shop the latest Equestrian products on Equestrian Collections.
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Product Description
Jeep Grand Cherokee WK2 Running Boards
This pair of Jeep Grand Cherokee WK2 Running Boards is an excellent modification. It gives you protection and an easier way to get in and out of your Jeep.
NOTE:Please confirm your model with us before purchase. This item Cannot fit for summit & SRT model.
Jeep Grand Cherokee WK2 Running Boards
Material: High Quality aluminum
Sold As A Pair ( Both Passenger & Driver Side )
100% Brand New In Stock, Item Exactly As The Picture Shown
Provide Side Protection / Brush Guarding For Off-Road Use
All Necessary Mounting Hardware Are Included


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Running on Empty - Jackson Browne (from You-Tube)
Running on Empty
From near Ararat,
North west of Ballarat,
As a young lad to Sydney I'd come;
A notice by mail:
'Twas a lottery, a select few of us won!
Now a 'bushie' like me,
From out in the mallee,
Was used to the wide open spaces;
Not cities or towns,
Taking orders from 'clowns',
Nor restrictions on military bases.
"All wakey wakey!
Hands off ya snakey!"
'Twas still dark and barely cracking dawn!
"Hands off ya cocks,
And put on ya socks!"
Oh my God! ... All freedom finally gone!
"Stand by ya bed!"
Our corporal said,
At attention, stood all ten, erect;
Salutes exchanged with 'brass',
In this daily farce,
Homage paid which they'd expect.
For dress and quarters,
Inspecting warders,
Insignia clear upon their gowns;
From hut to hut,
This party would strut,
An entourage of 'stripes', 'pips' and 'crowns'.
Robotic orders,
To us reluctant boarders,
Mere 'boys' who had just turned twenty;
With a: "Yes Sir! No Sir!
Three bags full Sir!"
Exhausted and nigh running on empty.
* * *
Fixed eyes awaited,
For this ritual hated,
Some trying real hard not to grin;
A smirky smile,
Would vanish meanwhile,
If stubble spotted on one's chin.
And 'twas our job,
To ensure 'two bob',
Could bounce upon our made-up bunks;
Blankets not tucked in,
'Twas a dreadful 'sin',
Like untidy lockers, or metal trunks.
Hours of ironing,
Brass and leather shining,
Any flaws noted by our 'Sarge';
With no defences,
Punished offences,
Like leave cancelled, guard duty ... or a 'charge'.
As that time drew near,
We'd grab eating gear,
Metal mug, knife, fork and spoon;
'Cause once again,
When mealtime came,
Up at the mess lined our platoon.
Perhaps beans 'n' bacon,
Or 'things' mistaken,
All half-cooked, with some kind of brew;
The 'chef' meanwhile,
With a cheesy smile,
Enjoyed what he alone just knew.
Yet, despite all that,
It was indeed a fact,
There was certainly food aplenty;
In order to get through,
The rest of the day we knew,
'Twas no good running on empty.
* * *
"Emu bob outside!"
Our corporal cried,
Usual sighs uttered, yet all in vain;
"Pick up papers and butts,
Around these huts,
And when that's done, go 'round again!"
"On Parade!" … once more,
Came the corporal's roar,
So we'd form up in three straight rows;
Numbered from the right,
According to height,
A fixed pattern each soldier knows.
Alphabetically read,
Names from A to Z,
As the sergeant called the roll;
Ensuring that all,
Answered to their call,
And no one missing as AWOL.
Drill practice each day,
In the same old way,
"Quick march! Left-right-left!"… then …"Halt!"
Repeated over once more,
Such a dreadful bore,
Until done without a fault.
Around our base,
The CSM's red face,
Delivered all orders with a shout;
Like: "Stand-at-Ease!" was one,
Also "Att-en-shun!"
"About face!" ... and then ... "Fall out!"
Orders galore,
Controlled by military law,
In this circus with clowns aplenty;
Like puppets on a string,
After programming,
We were robots nigh running on empty.
* * *
Whether fine or raining,
Always training,
Slight variations, there might have been;
With rifle range and drills,
PT and bush craft skills,
For the infantry, 'twas routine.
And there were many ways,
Like a route march, 5 Ks,
All designed to get us fit;
Only real trouble,
'Twas done at the double,
Carrying rifle and in full kit!
'Exercises' were run,
Each odd month there was one,
When we'd practice all theory taught;
Map reading patrols,
Picket and 'sig' protocols,
Until perfected, so we thought.
Boring lectures we'd face,
At night in our base,
'Brain washing' 'tis what I feared;
Political views,
And biased war zone news,
As our departure time then neared.
Came 10 o'clock, with a shout:
"All lights now out!",
Exhausted bodies racked with pain;
All too soon 'twas morn,
Reveille's bugle at dawn,
Up to do it all again.
Now, I look back at that time,
Back then in my prime,
Images of tough days, when I was twenty!
Yet, thoughts of home on the plains,
And 'The Bush' in my veins,
Meant I was never really running on empty!
Running On Empty
Author at Corps Training - November 1965
When the initial 3 months-long Recruit Training program had been completed (either at Puckapunyal, Kapooka or Singleton camps) all 'graduates' were allotted to their respective corps (Infantry, Artillery, Engineers, Armoured, Ordinance, Services, Medical etc). Each corps was stationed at various localities around Australia. 'The Tigers' (the Fifth Battalion of the Infantry or 5RAR) were stationed at Holsworthy in Sydney's south west. It was there where the real training for war (for them) was centred.
Periodically, an exercise was held in some remote jungle location over a couple of weeks so as to hone the skills being taught. Meanwhile, the mundane routine of camp life continued. This poem attempts to capture some of that routine.
' - U U U U - ' ' The Unwilling, led by the Unqualified, doing the Unnecessary, for the Ungrateful'
- (Some American soldiers in Vietnam chalked up this slogan on their helmets).


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Why Choose H&L Australia for your Hospitality Venue?
We live and breathe hospitality and our solutions are specifically designed for the hospitality industry by hospitality people.
H&L specialises exclusively in hospitality, bringing sophisticated technology solutions to venues large and small, with a history spanning over 30 years since our inception in 1987.
We are a leading provider in Australia of technology solutions for POS, Back-of-House, Staff Management, Booking Systems, Marketing and Loyalty systems.
We have LONGEVITY
30+ years in delivering technology solutions to the hospitality industry
We are SPECIALISTS
We specialise in delivering POS, Workforce Management, Stock Control, Touch Screens, Booking Systems, and Loyalty Systems
We manufacture in AUSTRALIA
Our products are locally manufactured and supported which means we can be more innovative and responsive to the needs of Australian hospitality venues
We are SUPPORTIVE
We have on the ground crew with H&L staff in every state of Australia to help you when you need it and ensure your business operations continue to run
We embrace INNOVATION
We are always on the verge of developing new technology solutions for the hospitality industry
We are CHARITABLE
We have an industry wide focus, supporting and collaborating with other stakeholders to continue developing sophistication in Australia's hospitality industry. We also support charities that we are passionate about.


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- Carol
- Hello and welcome to my blog. Here I will be showcasing all my design team work, general crafting and digital scrap booking.I hope you enjoy seeing my creations and listening to my ramblings. If you leave a comment I'll know you've been and be able to visit you in return. I read and appreciate all comments which are left - good or bad! Thank you for taking the time to visit me. Pop back soon. Carol xx
Monday, 30 September 2013
Camera Shy
13 comments:
What a gorgeous picture of Freya. The page looks lovely Carol. Enjoy your Day in Galashiels. Hugs Rita xxxReplyDelete
Freya is gorgeous as is this layout.xxReplyDelete
Such a beautiful picture. Love the layout design. Not so nice in the South West - drizzling for last few days!ReplyDelete
Thanks for sharing at DSC.
Hugs Ali x
A beautiful photograph of Freya, she is beautiful. Lovely layout too and loving the colours.ReplyDelete
Linda xxx
What a beautiful way to showcase your doggie!ReplyDelete
Thank you for joining us at Digitally Sweet!
Oh so cute!! absolutely gorgeous Carol as always beautiful layout xxReplyDelete
What a gorgeous picture of your dog Freya Carol. Love the layout too! Have a good day hope your cars get sorted! Susan xReplyDelete
What a sweet photo and a beautiful LO! Thank you for joining us at Digitally Sweet! Hope you join us again!ReplyDelete
Beautiful layout - and lovely photo. How was Galashiels? It's been a few years since I was last there! Digitally Sweet!ReplyDelete
Another fabulous layout Carol, lovely photo of Freya and great design.ReplyDelete
What a cute little fellow! Great layout!ReplyDelete
First off, what a beautiful dog .. wow. I love your page! Thanks for joining us at Digitally Sweet :-)ReplyDelete
Oh your dog is beautiful and the layout is wonderful, I am so envious of those that scrapbook that I decided to give it a try and update some of my son's old photographs. I think it has been two weeks now and paper and photo are still together and being passed from one spot to the next awaiting some burst of creativity. Hope it comes B4 I have grandkids:O)!ReplyDelete
Many thanks for taking the time to comment on my post. Constructive comments are always welcomed and appreciated on my creations. Carol x


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Chubby to skinny
Meredith collects data to deliver the best content, services, and personalized digital ads. We partner with third party advertisers, who may use tracking technologies to collect information about your activity on sites and applications across devices, both on our sites and across the Internet. To avoid personalized advertising based on your mobile app activity, you can install the DAA's AppChoices app here. You can find much more information about your privacy choices in our privacy policy.
Ramona. Age: 23. I am very open minded and warm-hearted, a funny beautiful girl who will take you beyond your expectations! I like to go to gym to work out maintain my knockout curvy figure, I enjoy spreading positive energy with others, I like to spend time with up-scale gentleman.
13 women who have proven weight loss doesn't necessarily make you happy
Fat to Skinny: How I lost Pounds in One Year
I get a lot of questions from readers asking me how I went from fat to skinny in one year. It all started around , when a friend of mine helped me out with my before and after weight loss pictures. When he pasted them together yes that was too high-tech for me , I was shocked at my own transformation. I posted it up on Facebook and friends started e-mailing me asking me questions everyone was shocked…. I figured I would dedicate a post to their questions and encourage you to ask me questions below as well. I eat only all natural foods, no processed foods, no fake sugars none of that. Not as much as I would have liked to, I kept my body moving but to be honest I had no real workout regimen.
Bianca Andrade. Age: 23. Nice girl will be glad to plunge into the sea of pleasures! The exquisite magnificence of my figure drove more than one man mad. I will give you paradise, waves of ecstasy, a sea of orgasm and sensual pleasure, which you have not seen before.
Fat to Skinny: How I lost 150 Pounds in One Year
Home Weight Loss. Every product is independently selected by our editors. If you buy something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Instagram is a wonderful place when it comes to motivating yourself to lose a few pounds. But not everyone wants to lose weight, which is why we are all for the women who have taken an alternative approach to the body transformations we see so often. These 'reverse transformations' show women who are much happier in the bodies they've got now, having gained weight, either through building muscle or simply by calming down their intense diet and fitness plan. And for them, it's turned out to be the true answer to good health in all its forms


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25 Healthy Relationship Questions to Discuss With Your Partner
Being in a relationship can be fun, particularly in the early honeymoon phase of it all. As more time goes by and things get serious, reality begins to set in and it's easy to wonder if this could be a long-lasting thing.
Communication is key and whether it's a tough topic to tackle, problems you're having with one another, or simply an issue that needs focus, it's important for both of you to know that you can talk to the other about anything. Nothing should be off limits and you should be able to discuss or ask about anything and everything.
April Masini, relationship and etiquette expert of Relationship Advice Forum, weighed in on the questions that need to be asked. From fun relationship questions to what some might consider tough and controversial, focus on these things you should probably know before establishing a life with your potential life partner.
Have you dated a lot?"To try and figure out if your partner has commitment issues — or is a serial monogamist," Masini believes this simple — yet deep relationship question is one to ask that's not too tough to answer.
RELATED: 10 signs your partner is a narcissist.
Have you done a lot of online dating?We live in the era where online dating is the way to go for many singles, but if most of their interactions have been via phone and not in person, that may say something about their personality in general. Though they shouldn't be written off as awkward or introverted; they just may have been waiting for that perfect someone to meet IRL.
RELATED: 10 mistakes to avoid on your online profile.
Have you ever lived with someone?"[Here's] a way to find out how your partner has been in past relationship and what they may expect from you," suggests Masini.
SEE ALSO: These are the things you should never do while in a healthy relationship.
Have you ever been married?"This is a great question to ask early on," states Masini. "For many people this can be a deal breaker, and for most people this is a really interesting gateway into who the person you're dating is."
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 21 toxic on-screen relationships we accidentally romanticize.
Where did you go to school?"If one of you dropped out of high school and travelled the world, that person is going to have a very different take on life than someone who went to the finest private schools, and works at a corporate law firm," details Masini. You may think you share the same views but there may also be some stark differences that you don't notice right away.
Do you like your job?Feeding off the last point, this is a little telling on whether they stuck to their guns and continued to pursue what initially floated their boat vs. following something that struck their fancy later on.
RELATED: What to do if you hate your job.
Did you wind up doing what you wanted?For those who are still trying to figure out what they want to do, it tells a lot about how passionate a person is about something and how that passion continues to thrive — or not. "Compatibility is very important here," says Masini. "You can learn a lot, early on, about each other."
SEE ALSO: 20 surprising jobs you can do from anywhere.
Do you own or rent?"It's not good manners to come out and ask someone how much they make," warns Masini, "But you can be stealth and ask where and how they live," thus learning a lot about their finances (and sussing out whether they live on their their own, have roommates, or still live in a parent's basement).
SEE ALSO: Where are Millennials bleeding their money?
Are you a spender or a saver?Masini considers this one a "deal breaker," so "if you ask now, you can find out if you have a gap to bridge with this person, or if you're compatible when it comes to these issues."
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: How to curb your online shopping addiction.
How do you handle debt?Tying into the last slide, realistically, the way you deal with money and debt can make or break a couple when looking at the big picture and whether the relationship will, and can, endure.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Signs your marriage needs some major help.
How honest should we be with one another?Yes, honesty is something that every good, lasting relationship should have but some people don't think everything needs to be shared with their partner. And a little mystery is OK — but you need to be on the same page. Keep in mind, though, trust is important and if there are secrets being kept, that may not bode well for your future.
How did you express your emotions and feelings growing up?A person's upbringing says a lot about them and what family means to them, whether it's the roles of parents, siblings, how conflict was handled, how family members communicate. By asking this tough relationship question, it can give you a better understanding on where they're coming from and how that will form your own system as you embark on a future together.
SEE ALSO: 10 reasons why you can't get over your ex.
How do you deal with conflict?An open and honest discussion about how your partner handles conflict, deals with difficult emotions, and stressful situations. Does they avoid any kind of conflict, lash out or shut down when they get angry. These are the tough relationship questions that need to be addressed.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: this is how all the zodiac signs cheat
Does your family live nearby?These are really important questions, and you should discuss them sooner than later. You don't want surprise drop-ins that come way more often than requires.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Things you should never ask your significant other to do. Ever.
Do you see yourself having any children?If ever there was a question that could make or break a relationship, it's this one. But it needs to be asked.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 10 mothers on what it's like having kids at every age.
Do you have any kids?If they were previously married or long-term relationship, the possibility of children being in the picture is strong. And it's an important question to ask, especially if you plan on having kids together.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: The top reasons why marriages don't work out.
How do you and your ex handle holidays with the kids?Another critical kid-related query, this will affect — hopefully, only in positive ways — holidays going forward.
SEE ALSO: Here's how exes can still be friends.
Why did your last relationship end?It can be uncomfortable and some people want to avoid the subject completely but discussing why the last relationship came to an end can inform whether or not any baggage remains, how they coped with the breakup. This can also inform you on how your partner has dealt with conflict in the past and if you notice any similarities between their past relationships and your own, a pattern may need to be examined.
RELATED: How your attachment style affects your relationships.
What do you consider cheating?Cheating sounds like a dirty word, but it can mean different things to different people. There's an actual physical affair or one-night stand, there's emotional cheating and there's even financial infidelity. So you need to draw the line on things like watching porn, texting other people or receiving a drink from someone at a bar while out with friends.
SEE ALSO: Once a cheater, always a cheater? According to these signs, the answer is yes.
Ideally (though, realistically as well), how often would you like for us to be intimate?There are some people who need to have sex every day, and there are those who can deal with once a week. If you can't come to a compromise, it might not be the best fit.
Speaking of numbers, Masini says a big no-no is asking a person how many people they've been with. "Stay away from the question about peoples' sex numbers — especially early on. This is a question that in the wrong circumstance, can feel aggressive and provocative."
RELATED: Why Millennials are having less sex than any other generation.
Is there anything you/we haven't tried sexually that you'd like to?"You can get a few clues about your partner's sexual interests by talking to them," suggests Masini. "For instance, you can figure out if your partner has very kinky ideas, is into threesomes or some fringe stuff, simply by talking to them."
These are the sex myths everyone thinks are true.
What are some things we can do outside of the bedroom to keep the feelings of intimacy going all day?"You want to find out what kind of expectations and interests your partner has so that you can figure out if you're sexually compatible," Masini adds. "Not all of this happens in bed."
SEE ALSO: These are the most misunderstood things about bisexual women.
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I've received a few questions regarding the way I started doing scarf joints. I adapted my method from watching other builders like Dylan from daemoness and Aaron from blackwater guitars. Basically you rough shape your head piece as a block and glue it on without marching the angle. I did this because when I used to cut the angle, it often times would slip down a bit. Which made things difficult because I had to plane the entire flat surface of the neck down. I don't have proper tools to do that accurately. So in order to get the job done I had to account for my possible mistakes. So I don't bother anymore lol. I glue it as is then plane it down using rasps and a hand plane. You can see it in my last walnut build. Worked better than anything I've done before.
Make sure you make the rough cut way oversized. It'll account for any shifts left right front and back. And make sure you make the piece a tad longer so you can glue it with some room. That's about it. I use binding tape to hold it in place when I clamp because it's strong as hell.
Hope this helps!


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Student accommodation developer UNITE Group PLC (LON:UTG) said its Unite Students Accommodation Fund (USAF) joint venture has acquired a property under development in Durham.
The 'forward funded' asset will be opened in September 2018 and will provide a home for 363 students attending Durham University.
USAF, in which UNITE has a 24.6% stake, is paying £34mln for the asset and expects it to yield on cost of 6.4% in its first year of operation.
Based on current valuations, the asset will be valued at a yield of 5.5%, UNITE said, resulting in a profit on cost of around £5mln, of which UNITE's share will be £1.1mln.
"This latest acquisition further extends our high-quality development programme in a strong regional location where there is strong demand for purpose built student accommodation," said Richard Simpson, the group's property director.
"Our strategy remains focused on high quality universities like Durham, where we see sustainable growth," he added.
Broker Liberum gave the deal the thumbs-up.
"We believe Unite offers one of the best combinations of capital and income growth in the sector, with forecast total returns of 12% p.a., and trading at a 10% discount to NAV. Forecast growth is anticipated to come from RPI linked rents and a secure development pipeline. While the cycle of yield compression may be over for student accommodation, we believe Unite's prospects for income growth remains attractive, and that the capitalisation of that gain to NAV will continue to support total returns," it said,
Shares in UNITE dipped 3p to 633.50p. Liberum has a price target of 720p.
--- adds broker comment and share price ---


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My kids like to wash their hands. Their love the water, making bubbles, pulling the stopper and making a lake. It's all great fun for both of them. My kids have actually gotten into the task even more since my daughter learned a new hand washing ditty, I presume, from school. She's always coming home and chanting new jams, but this one may actually help you out if your kid(s) are not the biggest fans of clean hands. It's to the classic tune Fara Jacque/Are You Sleeping.
Top and bottom, top and bottom
In between, in between
Rub 'em both together, rub 'em both together
Nice and clean, nice and clean.
C'mon, you know you love it.


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Archive for the 'futurism' Category
capacitors, supercapacitors and electric vehicles
Jacinta: New developments in battery and capacitor technology are enough to make any newbie's head spin.
Canto: So what's a supercapacitor? Apart from being a super capacitor?
Jacinta: I don't know but I need to find out fast because supercapacitors are about to be eclipsed by a new technology developed in Great Britain which they estimate as being 'between 1,000 and 10,000-times more effective than current supercapacitors'.
Canto: Shite, they'll have to think of a new name, or downgrade the others to 'those devices formerly known as supercapacitors'. But then, I'll believe this new tech when I see it.
Jacinta: Now now, let's get on board, superdisruptive technology here we come. Current supercapacitors are called such because they can charge and discharge very quickly over large numbers of cycles, but their storage capacity is limited in comparison to batteries…
Canto: Apparently young Elon Musk predicted some time ago that supercapacitors would provide the next major breakthrough in EVs.
Jacinta: Clever he. But these ultra-high-energy density storage devices, these so-much-more-than-super-supercapacitors, could enable an EV to be charged to a 200 kilometre range in just a few seconds.
Canto: So can you give more detail on the technology?
Jacinta: The development is from a UK technology firm, Augmented Optics, and what I'm reading tells me that it's all about 'cross-linked gel electrolytes' with ultra-high capacitance values which can combine with existing electrodes to create supercapacitors with greater energy storage than existing lithium-ion batteries. So if this technology works out, it will transform not only EVs but mobile devices, and really anything you care to mention, over a range of industries. Though everything I've read about this dates back to late last year, or reports on developments from then. Anyway, it's all about the electrolyte material, which is some kind of highly conductive organic polymer.
Canto: Apparently the first supercapacitors were invented back in 1957. They store energy by means of static charge, and I'm not sure what that means…
Jacinta: We'll have to do a post on static electricity.
Canto: In any case their energy density hasn't been competitive with the latest batteries until now.
Jacinta: Yes it's all been about energy density apparently. That's one of the main reasons why the infernal combustion engine won out over the electric motor in the early days, and now the energy density race is being run between new-age supercapacitors and batteries.
Canto: So how are supercapacitors used today? I've heard that they're useful in conjunction with regenerative braking, and I've also heard that there's a bus that runs entirely on supercapacitors. How does that work?
Jacinta: Well back in early 2013 Mazda introduced a supercapacitor-based regen braking system in its Mazda 6. To quote more or less from this article by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), kinetic energy from deceleration is converted to electricity by the variable-voltage alternator and transmitted to a supercapacitor, from which it flows through a dc-dc converter to 12-V electrical components.
Canto: Oh right, now I get it…
Jacinta: We'll have to do posts on alternators, direct current and alternating current. As for your bus story, yes, capabuses, as they're called, are being used in Shanghai. They use supercapacitors, or ultracapacitors as they're sometimes called, for onboard power storage, and this usage is likely to spread with the continuous move away from fossil fuels and with developments in supercaps, as I've heard them called. Of course, this is a hybrid technology, but I think they'll be going fully electric soon enough.
Canto: Or not soon enough for a lot of us.
Jacinta: Apparently, with China's dictators imposing stringent emission standards, electric buses, operating on power lines (we call them trams) became more common. Of course electricity may be generated by coal-fired power stations, and that's a problem, but this fascinating article looking at the famous Melbourne tram network (run mainly on dirty brown coal) shows that with high occupancy rates the greenhouse footprint per person is way lower than for car users and their passengers. But the capabuses don't use power lines, though they apparently run on tracks and charge regularly at recharge stops along the way. The technology is being adopted elsewhere too of course.
Canto: So let me return again to basics – what's the difference between a capacitor and and a super-ultra-whatever-capacitor?
Jacinta: I think the difference is just in the capacitance. I'm inferring that because I'm hearing, on these videos, capacitors being talked about in terms of micro-farads (a farad, remember, being a unit of capacitance), whereas supercapacitors have 'super capacitance', i.e more energy storage capability. But I've just discovered a neat video which really helps in understanding all this, so I'm going to do a breakdown of it. First, it shows a range of supercapacitors, which look very much like batteries, the largest of which has a capacitance, as shown on the label, of 3000 farads. So, more super than your average capacitor. It also says 2.7 V DC, which I'm sure is also highly relevant. We're first told that they're often used in the energy recovery system of vehicles, and that they have a lower energy density (10 to 100 times less than the best Li-ion batteries), but they can deliver 10 to 100 times more power than a Li-ion battery.
Canto: You'll be explaining that?
Jacinta: Yes, later. Another big difference is in charge-recharge cycles. A good rechargeable battery may manage a thousand charge and recharge cycles, while a supercap can be good for a million. And the narrator even gives a reason, which excites me – it's because they function by the movement of ions rather than by chemical reactions as batteries do. I've seen that in the videos on capacitors, described in our earlier post. A capacitor has to be hooked up to a battery – a power source. So then he uses an analogy to show the difference between power and energy, and I'm hoping it'll provide me with a long-lasting lightbulb moment. His analogy is a bucket with a hole. The amount of water the bucket can hold – the size of the bucket if you like – equates to the bucket's energy capacity. The size of the hole determines the amount of power it can release. So with this in mind, a supercar is like a small bucket with a big hole, while a battery is more like a big bucket with a small hole.
Canto: So the key to a supercap is that it can provide a lot of power quickly, by discharging, then it has to be recharged. That might explain their use in those capabuses – I think.
Jacinta: Yes, for regenerative braking, for cordless power tools and for flash cameras, and also for brief peak power supplies. Now I've jumped to another video, which inter alia shows how a supercapacitor coin cell is made – I'm quite excited about all this new info I'm assimilating. A parallel plate capacitor is separated by a non-conducting dielectric, and its capacitance is directly proportional to the surface area of the plates and inversely proportional to the distance between them. Its longer life is largely due to the fact that no chemical reaction occurs between the two plates. Supercapacitors have an electrolyte between the plates rather than a dielectric…
Canto: What's the difference?
Jacinta: A dielectric is an insulating material that causes polarisation in an electric field, but let's not go into that now. Back to supercapacitors and the first video. It describes one containing two identical carbon-based high surface area electrodes with a paper-based separator between. They're connected to aluminium current collectors on each side. Between the electrodes, positive and negative ions float in an electrolyte solution. That's when the cell isn't charged. In a fully charged cell, the ions attach to the positively and negatively charged electrodes (or terminals) according to the law of attraction. So, our video takes us through the steps of the charge-storage process. First we connect our positive and negative terminals to an energy source. At the negative electrode an electrical field is generated and the electrode becomes negatively charged, attracting positive ions and repelling negative ones. Simultaneously, the opposite is happening at the positive electrode. In each case the 'counter-ions' are said to adsorb to the surface of the electrode…
Canto: Adsorption is the adherence of ions – or atoms or molecules – to a surface.
Jacinta: So now there's a strong electrical field which holds together the electrons from the electrode and the positive ions from the electrolyte. That's basically where the potential energy is being stored. So now we come to the discharge part, where we remove electrons through the external surface, at the electrode-electrolyte interface we would have an excess of positive ions, therefore a positive ion is repelled in order to return the interface to a state of charge neutrality – that is, the negative charge and the positive charge are balanced. So to summarise from the video, supercapacitors aren't a substitute for batteries. They're suited to different applications, applications requiring high power, with moderate to low energy requirements (in cranes and lifts, for example). They can also be used as voltage support for high-energy devices, such as fuel cells and batteries.
Canto: What's a fuel cell? Will we do a post on that?
Jacinta: Probably. The video mentions that Honda has used a bank of ultra capacitors in their FCX fuel-cell vehicle to protect the fuel cell (whatever that is) from rapid voltage fluctuations. The reliability of supercapacitors makes them particularly useful in applications that are described as maintenance-free, such as space travel and wind turbines. Mazda also uses them to capture waste energy in their i-Eloop energy recovery system as used on the Mazda 6 and the Mazda 3, which sounds like something worth investigating.
References (videos can be accessed from the links above)
on the long hard road to femocracy
Recently, a list of Australia's 200 richest people was published. It's been widely reported that of those 200, only 22 were women; just over 10% – a figure that has apparently held good for some years. But while this is a useful first indication of wealth imbalance along gender lines, it would pay to look more closely at the figures, though this is hard to do, given the secrecy surrounding the wealth of some, and the complexities surrounding and conditioning the wealth of others. Quite a few of these wealthy women appear to be heiresses or 'sleeping partners' (in a business sense, but who knows?) rather than active business types, and even leaving this aside, I'm pretty sure that if I could do the maths on all these fortunes, the figure for women would amount to considerably less than 10% of the whole.
These are the Australian figures. Would anybody dare to suggest that the figures for female wealth in China, say, would be any better? (information on wealth in China, like just about any other information from China, is virtually impossible to obtain). Or in Russia – currently rated (by New World Wealth) as the nation with the most unequal distribution of wealth in the world? Just as a guess, I'd expect, or at least hope, that the US and some European nations might be ahead of Australia in terms of female wealth, but if so it surely wouldn't be by much. Ask a group of students who's the richest man in the world and you'd get a few unsurprising answers, enthusiastically proclaimed. Ask them about the richest woman, and you'd get puzzled looks as they wonder why you asked such a question.
I'm no economist, and wealth per se isn't an interest of mine, and I'm much more concerned to get women into leadership positions in science and politics, but clearly having 95% or more of the world's wealth in the hands of the more fucked-up gender is a big problem, and a huge obstacle to the dethronement of patriarchy.
While I'm not pretending this might happen in the near future, it seems to me that the ultimate solution lies in women's best weapon – collaboration, or ganging up. The pooling of resources – financial, intellectual, practical, even sexual. I'm not talking about war here, but I am talking about a struggle for power, a slow, persevering struggle built of connections and networks, transcendent of nation, culture, class and age. A struggle not against men but against patriarchy. A struggle which, with ultimate success, will leave all of us winners. You may say I'm a dreamer, but why is a world dominated by woman so absurd when a world dominated by men, the fucked-up world we have now, is apparently not?
oil, black gold, texas tea: riding the long decline
Canto: The price of oil, if you're looking at Brent Crude, is just over $35 per barrel. That's today, February 4 2016. But what's Brent Crude, and whose dollars are we talking about, and who if anyone controls the oil price?
Jacinta: Don't look at me. So we're going to talk OPEC and Saudi Arabia, and gluts and reserves and peak supply and peak demand and carbon emissions and oil geopolitics now are we?
Canto: Why not? The oil price has just picked up slightly from a 12-year low of just under $30 a barrel, and nobody seems to know what's causing the volatility, because there are so many players and factors affecting the global market. The uncertainty is as much long-term as short-term. It's probably fair to say that the glory days of oil, that ineluctably diverse commodity, are behind us, but the decline will be slow, and we're still a long way from finding a viable alternative in the transport sector.
Jacinta: Well, especially in air transport. So it's hard to know where to start, but what's OPEC?
Canto: Well you probably know that it's an organisation of the major petroleum exporting countries, an organisation with a slightly shifting membership but always centred around the principal exporter, Saudi Arabia. It was founded in 1960, at a time when it was becoming clear that oil was the world's most bankable commodity, and that most of that commodity was to be found in the Middle East – in Saudi in particular.
Jacinta: Right, and of course OPEC was formed to protect the interests of suppliers, and to ensure sovereignty over supply, against a background of exploitation and corruption. Not that the new 'owners' of the oil are any less corrupt than the previous ones.
Canto: I don't know how useful it is for us to go into all this, I mean surely we don't want to get caught up in the labyrinthine politics of the Middle East and its antagonists…
Jacinta: No no you're right, though I do find it all very intriguing. I mean, this oil dependence we have is a recent phenomenon, essentially a 20th century issue, and it has had extraordinary consequences. To take just one example, it is the absolute basis of the wahabist Saud dynasty's stranglehold on power, and I think it's fair to say that this hasn't been a good thing – particularly for the women of the region. I know I'm not alone in finding it demoralising that the rise to riches of Saudi Arabia in recent decades has seen no increase in freedom or in education outside of some narrow technical areas.
Canto: Yes, it's depressing, so shall we instead focus on the commodity itself, and its future?
Jacinta: Fine well its immediate future was secured in the past with the invention of the automobile and the aeroplane. Before that the stuff was mostly used for kerosine, for heating.
Canto: And don't forget plastics.
Jacinta: Absolutely but as I've said, it's the transport sector that's most dependent on oil, so how do we solve that problem, assuming we want to wean ourselves from the stuff?
Canto: But are there really any serious alternatives? I mean you mentioned air travel. We've heard of electric cars, solar cars, hydrogen cars, but air travel? Remember the Hindenburg?
Jacinta: Well I heard one expert put it this way. The world is largely tooled for liquid fuel – that's petrol, LPG, diesel etc. That's an investment of multi-trillions of dollars, an investment that continues every day. And there's no viable alternative ready to go now or in the foreseeable, and even if there was, trashing all this perfectly functional machinery and all the ancillary technology and business that connects to the oil and gas industry – the consequences need to be realistically considered. You can't be too simplistic about this stuff. So it is going to be incremental change no matter what.
Canto: So you mean a continual tinkering with current fuels to minimise their environmental impact while experimenting with new forms of fuel which we might be able to exploit without too much retooling.
Jacinta: Yes, at least not in the short term.
Canto: So how does LPG compare with petrol in terms of viability and environmental impact? I know there are those in the oil and gas industries who point to gas as a 'green' alternative, while others like Naomi Klein dismiss it as just another fossil fuel. Is it plausible or sensible to aim for LPG as the predominant road fuel while developing renewable alternatives?
Jacinta: Well there seems to be quite a few problems with LPG technology in cars – lots of extra plumbing and wiring, things to go wrong, high costs to fix problems, no doubt largely due to it being a minority system. And that's the main problem – LPG has been around for a long time now but has never really taken off and been seriously competitive with petrol. That means availability is limited – a major inconvenience – and maintenance costs will be higher. That doesn't look like changing.
Canto: How about biofuels? They were all the rage a while back but they seem to have gone out of fashion. Something about wasting good food, or grain or whatever, and the precious land to grow it on, on something so trivial as travel.
Jacinta: Well yes, there are those problems but there's a new, or newish idea being worked on re biofuels – the use of algae. But I plan to write about that, and other possible solutions, on our other blog, Solutions OK.
Canto: Yes, and that's also the place to consider the future of autonomous vehicles, and even autonomous electric vehicles, because it's quite likely, isn't it, that if these vehicles eventually take off (and I don't mean flying vehicles, though they've also been developed), they could revolutionise our road usage, and why wouldn't we use a better source of energy, such as electricity – already a proven technology for road transport, pre-dating the infernal combustion engine, or at least its use in motor vehicles.
Jacinta: Yes, so talk about future energy solutions is verboten here, and talk about geopolitics is obviously beneath us, so what's left?
Canto: We'll think of something, next time.
reveries of a solitary wa*ker: wa*k 3
Having finished reading the big Darwin book I'm letting the influence of his character and world percolate through me, for example on my way home from work the other day, walking by the city river, I got the idea of taking pics of the bird species hanging by the riverside with my mobile phone – murray magpie, mallard, eurasian coot, black swan, masked lapwing, Australian pelican, Australian magpie, dusky moorhen, Australian white ibis and little pied cormorant. It really brightened my day, though the photos were pretty crappy, but I looked up the species when I got home (this is where the internet really comes into its own) and learned so much about habitats, male-female differences (the male murray magpie, or magpie-lark, has a white 'eyebrow' and a black throat) and such. Fun, and now I'm thinking about a good camera for bird-watching. I've also, on something of an impulse, bought a digital microscope, on its way from the USA. No idea as yet what to use it for.
At a recent meetup group I had a stimulating discussion, or rather listened in on one, about the end of humanity, the various possibilities for our impending doom, the principal one being artificial intelligence. The idea is that so many things that humans are engaged in are barely in control, and that the best option for the survival of a species isn't constant change and development, but stasis, as with trilobites perhaps, or some types of bacteria. Since this appears not to be an option for us, some think that we're hurtling, with all our good intentions, not towards the singularity, but towards extinction. Anthropogenic global warming, mass species extinction, human-induced epidemics, out-of-control artificial intelligence, or a combination of these might cause this event, but it was the view of one conversationalist that AI would be our undoing, and possibly quite soon. It might lead to a gradual transhumanism, which we won't recognise until it's too late. One of the key figures mentioned in analysis of humanity's possibly grim future was Nick Bostrum, whose name has come to my attention from time to time. Wikipedia tells me he's a philosopher based at Oxford, and the director of its Future of Humanity Institute. So, a person and an institute I should be conversant with for my solutions ok blog. I should probably link to it there, and it'll mean a lot more reading and study, groan. Meanwhile, one of the arguments I heard the other night was that this could explain why we don't find complex life out there looking for us, with their super-clever antimatter rockets and super light-speed travel techniques, because complexity of that sort beats an inevitable path to destruction. Highly-developed life-forms like us and our superiors burn with brief intensity then snuff themselves out. For us, this might be sooner than later. Hmmmm. In any case, existential risk is something I'll have to pay more attention to in the future, if we have one.
The other day I was listening to the amusing Answer Me This podcast when the name Marky Mark came up – apparently an actor, for he was chosen to star in Peter Jackson's film The Lovely Bones. Not being too keyed in on popular culture, I'd never heard of Marky Mark (or The Lovely Bones for that matter) so I looked him up. It turned out that this was an early moniker for the actor Mark Wahlberg – whose name I'd heard of, but that was about it. Having now seen some photos of him, I don't think I've seen him in anything, and I had no idea that in his early life as Marky Mark he was a notorious rapper and petty crim. But interestingly, I read that Wahlberg was now seeking a government pardon for the crimes he was convicted of as a teenager – including a few bashings of Asian-looking people. One of these incidents resulted in the victim having permanent eye damage. I don't automatically trust too many internet sites, but the story appears to be that Marky, as a probably drug-fuelled and undoubtedly peer-influenced teen, indulged in some pretty nasty behaviour, spiced with language about 'gooks and 'slopes', but he did have potential – don't we all – and with the help of mentors he turned his life around to become, eventually, a Hollywood 'star'. He did receive punishment for some of his crimes – and I read that he was tried as an adult for at least one of them – probably the one in which a victim lost an eye, or part of one….
I mention all this because it's a case that raises a number of fascinating and important ethical issues. Firstly, there's the tendency, most prevalent in the US but increasingly here too, to try juveniles as adults when they commit serious crimes, as if their ability to be fully responsible for their actions is in direct proportion to the damage they do. This smacks of a slide down the slippery slope of retributive justice – people have been really really hurt so the perp has to be really really punished, no matter that she's eleven years old. While I have some sympathy for that attitude, and I'll elaborate on that later, we have to accept that teenagers and children are different and that there are good, scientifically verified reasons for granting them diminished responsibility in a graded way from earliest childhood to the latest teens. The law is always a bit of a bludgeon of course, rarely taking full account of individual developmental and psychological peculiarities, which is one of the problems of 'equality before the law', but there's no doubt that we generally do stupid things as teenagers and school kids, often under peer pressure, things we'd never do as mature adults. I myself got into trouble with the law for stealing, together with four or five of my friends, at the age of fourteen. We'd been egging each other on, and we perpetrated a lot more than we were charged with, but it all came crashing to a halt when we got caught. None of us were nasty brutish types, and it's unlikely that any of us have reoffended.
Marky's offending was rather brutish though, with serious consequences for a least one victim. His desire for a pardon is apparently driven by the fact that he's disqualified at the moment from getting an Oscar or other accolades because of his past. Unlike me he has a permanent criminal record presumably due to being tried as an adult. He's written a letter to government authorities wanting recognition for being an entirely different person than the one who committed those acts. Marky now does charitable work on the side like many other Hollywood stars – which is fine and dandy especially as they're significantly overpaid for what they do and would have good reason to consider themselves bloody lucky to be in their position – but as online critics have pointed out, he's never apologised or made reparations to his permanently-scarred victim. It goes without saying that this soul has also had a change of life since being bashed with a two-by-four all those years ago. Not much work for a one eyed Asian in Hollywood, methinks.
So this is the dilemma. Why doesn't Marky Mark face up to the damage he did by trying to help the one person whose life he changed irreparably as an oafish teenager? That would seem to be an obvious move. And that brings me back to the treatment of serious crimes committed by persons of diminished responsibility. The reason we seek to impose harsher penalties, and for that reason to attribute greater responsibility to the young perpetrator, is because of the consequences of the crime. We believe someone has to pay for all that damage, and if not the perp, then who? It's a really vexed question, but imposing an extremely harsh penalty on an adolescent for an extreme crime doesn't really help, especially when the penalty, such as a prison term, will tend to harden the adolescent and make him more resentful, angry, and subject to bad influence, than he was before.
Unfortunately, we don't live in a very forgiving society, a society which immediately seeks to help adolescents who've gone off the rails to the extent that Marky Mark presumably did – and I should make it clear here that I'm just using him as an example, and I've no idea if the facts of his case are exactly as, or even close to, what I've reported (I got it off the internet after all). As part of that help, he should've been made to face the living consequences of the damage he had done, the suffering and change he had wrought in the lives of others. But that of course would require a massive change in our system of crime and punishment. For adolescent crime though, I think it would work well, and to be fair, it does operate to some extent in some juvenile court systems, conferencing between perpetrators and victims and their families, though there isn't enough of it, I suspect.


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Live Laugh Love Fossil Canvas
By: Candy Colwell
February 23, 2017
I could not wait to get my new Andy Skinner Fossil stencil. It finally arrived and I immediately went to work creating this very "earthy" 10" x 10" canvas. The stencil is a larger one; measuring 8" x 8". But I love that because you can use the entire fossil, as I have done here or just portions of it on your creation.
This is definitely a showy home décor piece that was not difficult to make. Join me in this pictorial tutorial showing you how to make one for yourself!
Items needed:
- DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics - Cobalt Teal Hue
- Andy Skinner Stencils 8x8 - Fossil
- DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics - Burnt Umber
- DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics - Pyrrole Red
- DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics - Titan Buff
- DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics - Titanium White
- DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Interference - Turquoise Interference
- DecoArt Media Mediums and Specialty Products - Liquid Glass
- DecoArt Media Mediums and Specialty Products - Texture Sand Paste
- DecoArt Media Mediums and Specialty Products - Gesso - White
- DecoArt Media Antiquing Creams - Raw Umber
- DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics - Hansa Yellow Medium
- 10" by 10" Canvas
- Spray Water Bottle
- Assorted Brushes
- Palette Knife
- Basil Wood Trim
- Sponge
- Stampendous Frantage Embossing Powder Aged Gold and Shabby Blue
- Feathers
- Copper Accents and Beads
- Teal Beads and Stones
- Brown Waxed Thread and Needle
- Antique Button
- Craft Saw
- Sandpaper
- Pencil and Ruler
- Embossing Ink Pad
- Live Laugh Love Stamps
- Tape
The only thing I knew when I started this canvas was that I was going to center the Fossil Stencil. So, while I could have created my background first and then stenciled over it, I really like the way this canvas turned out as I was experimenting throughout the process. For me, not having everything laid out first is the fun part of the journey!
Secure the Fossil Stencil to the center of the canvas. Using a palette knife, scrap DecoArt Media Texture Sand Paste over the stencil, covering everything and removing the excess paste. Remove the stencil and immediately clean it. Let the Texture Sand Paste air dry.
This is how your canvas will look at this point.
For more dimension, replace the stencil over the dried texture paste and repeat step 1. Be sure to secure in place with tape. Let air dry.
Mix DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Titan Buff and DecoArt Media White Gesso together and brush over the entire canvas.
While the canvas is drying, measure and cut the basil wood trim pieces to form a frame on the perimeter of the canvas. In this case, two sides measure 10" and the other two sides measure approximately 8 ¾". Sand the edges. There are two separate pieces of wood for this trim; a plain underpiece to add height and a decorative piece that will be glued to the top of the plain piece.
Using DecoArt Liquid Glass, glue the two matching wood pieces together. Line all of the pieces up and cover them with a heavy book or object to secure them.
Mix DecoArt Fluid Acrylics Cobalt Teal Hue and Titanium White with water to create a soft wash. Brush the color randomly onto the canvas. Then set the canvas up on one end and spritz with water to allow the paint to run into the crevasses of the fossil and down the canvas. Heat set the color.
Mix together DecoArt Fluid Acrylics Pyrrole Red, Hansa Yellow Medium and Titan Buff to create a soft salmon color. Mix the paint with a little water as well; enough that will allow the paint to run down the canvas a little. Start at the top of the canvas and randomly make brush strokes with the salmon color. Spritz with a water bottle to aid in the dripping of the paint down the canvas. Repeat as necessary to get the look you desire. (The top of the canvas will be hidden under the wooden frame so don't be concerned about the straight line you see now at the top of the canvas. You may also want to add more teal on top of some of the salmon areas. Simply repeat step 6 randomly over the top of the salmon color. Heat set the color.
Do the same process at in steps 6 and 7 only this time, mix DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Titanium White with Interference Turquoise. Spritz with water as it is running down the canvas. Since the Interference Turquoise is a semi-transparent color, you may want to add a few random brush strokes of it onto the canvas and then spritz with water to add more of that subtle shimmer. Heat set the color.
Paint the joined wood accent pieces with DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Titanium White. Let dry and set to the side.
Lay the Fossil Stencil back over the stenciled image on the canvas and secure with tape. To bring out more of the white on the fossil, use a sponge, dipping it into a little DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Titanium White paint and dab it over the surface of the fossil. Repeat until you have achieved the desired white effect.
This is how the canvas should appear at this point.
Brush DecoArt Media Raw Umber Antiquing Cream over primarily the top and the sides of the wooden trim pieces. These can completely air dry or you can use a damp paper towel or cloth to remove the cream while still wet. Repeat this step until you achieve the desired antiquing effect. In this picture; you see the white wooden trim piece on the top, the wet and covered Antiquing Cream on the middle piece and the wiped and finished wood trim piece on the bottom. Dramatic difference!
For this step, I added a bit of shimmer and texture by adding Stampendous Frantage Shabby Blue Embossing Powder randomly over the top of the stenciled fossil. Work in sections and simply dab an embossing ink pad randomly over the fossil. Sprinkle the embossing powder over the inked areas. Turn the canvas up on end and remove any excess embossing powder onto a piece of clean paper. This can then be returned to the bottle for later use. Brush away any excess powder with a dry paint brush and then heat set.
Using a small paint brush and almost dry brushing effect with the DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Burnt Umber paint, create depth and shadows randomly in the recessed areas of the fossil.
I love this trick! Use the metallic looking Stampendous Aged Gold Embossing Powder to really accent and add texture and depth to random areas of the stenciled fossil. To do this, use DecoArt Media Liquid Glass and randomly add it to areas around the fossil that you really want to accentuate. While the Liquid Glass is still wet, pour the embossing powder directly over the wet Liquid Glass. Gently tamp down the embossing powder, turn the canvas up on end and remove any excess powder onto a piece of clean paper. Return the unused embossing powder to the jar to be used later. Now heat set the embossing powder and watch it turn metallic and also bubble up. It creates a very rustic and unbelievable texture. If you want to add more metallic color or create even higher areas of the embossing powder, simply add more Liquid Glass over the area you want to work with and repeat the process. It's magic!
This is what your fossil canvas will look like at this point.
Lay the wooden trim piece in place; the longer pieces at the top and bottom of the canvas. Hot glue them in place and hold each one to make sure it is secure on the canvas.
Put a little DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics Burnt Umber onto a craft mat and brayer it out. Then roll the brayer over the "Live, Laugh and Love" stamps. Stamp them onto a piece of stamping paper.
Immediately pour Stampendous Frantage Aged Gold Embossing Powder over the wet paint. Clean your stamps and the brayer immediately. Then remove the excess powder from the stamped images, returning the excess to the jar, and heat set them.
Cut out the stamped words, position them to the left of the canvas and glue them in place. Notice all of the texture that the Liquid Glass and embossing powders provide!
Create your own hanging beads and feathers designs to embellish the canvas. I used brown waxed thread to string my bead and metal accessories. When knotting the thread, it won't come undone. I cut a long enough piece of thread to create hanging beads from both ends of it. Then I glued a feather at the very end by pushing it up into the bead. The glue I used was DecoArt Media Liquid Glass.
Once the thread had beads coming from either end, I used a needle and thread, came up from the back side of the canvas, captured the beaded thread, went back into the back of the canvas and tied the beads and feathers in place on the backside of the canvas. I added one more single stand of beads in the center and added a charm at the bottom instead of a feather. Again using the needle and threaded beads, I simply pushed the needle through the backside of the canvas and tied the thread in place on the back side of the canvas.
Finally, I glued one more little brown feather (using DecoArt Media Liquid Glass) in place on the right side of the gathered beads.
All finished! I love pieces that freely dangle and move on art pieces. The light will catch the beads and the metallic embossed areas while air will move the delicate feathers.
Thanks so much for stopping by DecoArt's Media Blog. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and it's inspired you to get out your DecoArt Media products and have some fun!
Be sure to visit Creativity Is Contagious for more projects and to learn more about Candy Colwell.
Wow Candy this is so gorgeous love the colors you used and the feathers and beads completes the piece for sure . Thanks for the easy step by step tutorial which I will refer to from time to time .
February 23, 2017
Candy, this is truly stunning! I love the way you added the warm red and yellow, they really make the Fossil 'pop'. and your 'dream catcher' feathers and beads just take the canvas to a whole other level. I love that you made your own frame too, it is the perfect finishing touch! xx
February 24, 2017
Love this piece
February 24, 2017
Gorgeous textural piece Candy, this looks so tactile. I just want to reach out and touch it . Gorgeous backdrop too. Tracy x
February 24, 2017
Lovely work
February 24, 2017
Creativity at it's best. Just BEAUTIFUL. Xj.
February 24, 2017
Stunning, love how you used embossing powder with liquid glass.
February 25, 2017
Gorgeous textures and colours, and the weathered frame looks amazing. Great inspiration from Candy. Alison x
February 25, 2017
Gorgeous Candy! I love the background colors and the use of the Frantage! Excellent idea! xo
February 28, 2017
Love it!!!
March 23, 2017


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Sleeves : Full SleevesMaterial : 100% Cotton Please mention your preference in the special instruction box on the cart page. Fitting (Regular, Slim, Tailored) | 3 colour choices | Size Please note that we will be mailing you 3 option based on your preference to select one from.Rs.3549 / $49.81
This section exhibits a magnificent collection of apparels assorted to delight your dear brother. It includes shirts, trousers, jeans and ties precisely categorized into different sub sections. You can also charm your affectionate brother with this list of gifts for rakhi.


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Ecosystem business model tool
This idea is a part of The Future of Nordic Manufacturing
"Up until now, business has been all about ""maximizing own profit,"" meaning that companies have looked from a vendor-centric manner when conducting business. In this era of digitalization, for instance, industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things and other technologies it is required to collaborate with other participants in shared value ecosystems to enable services and acquire and data. Hardware, connectivity, software and applications are needed for that, and a small company cannot comprehend all that in an efficient manner, creating incentive to start collaborating.
This requires a shift in the mentality of how to do business, which companies yet don't manifest. This hurdle makes it hard for companies to start doing digital business and if they don't they might risk disappearing in the future for not gathering data and servicing or lose market share. At the same time, it can be pointless to approach the digitalization with a ""we can do it all ourselves"" mentality, which most Danish manufacturing firms has that will lead to a dead-end.
The idea is to develop an educational handbook and business model tool, that explains how to collaborate in ecosystems to enable technology service. Like Osterwalder (which is vendor-centric), however, relevant for this time (network-centric).
This can, for instance, be: Clarification of roles in ecosystems, shared financial structures, the disruptive transition from ""To-be"" ""As-is"" business models, understanding terms of data-ownership, how value flows in ecosystems and not only inside the vendor, exemplifying possible digitization business model patterns and so forth that. The model will support flexibility and agility which digital solutions requires and help identify new sources of revenue streams and capture them.
Non of the business model tools of today supports this network-centric view, and the specific needs to enable digitalization."


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In anticipation of this year's CFA Institute Annual Conference, the editors at Institutional Investor Journals have made a selection of articles by seven of our leading conference speakers available for free for a limited time.
So, before you join us in Seattle or follow along in social media, catch up on their past research and immerse yourself in a unique set of authoritative perspectives on topics as diverse as hedge funds, volatility harvesting, and retirement investing. Among the standout articles: Nobel Prize Winner William F. Sharpe's detailed discussion of the Sharpe ratio, published in the Fall 1994 edition of the Journal of Portfolio Management.
The full set of Institutional Investor Journal articles follows below, organized by speaker. They are available only for a limited time.
Clifford S. Asness
At this year's conference, Clifford S. Asness, co-founder of and managing principal and chief investment officer at AQR Capital Management, will be speaking about 21st Century Asset Management.
The Devil in HML's Details (The Journal of Portfolio Management): Asness and coauthor Andrea Frazzini challenge the standard method for measuring value that is used in academic work on factor pricing. The standard method uses lagged book data to calculate book-to-price (B/P) at portfolio formation. It aligns price data using the same lag, ignoring recent price movements.
- Practical Applications of the Devil in HML's Details (Practical Applications): This article has a catchy title. Its findings are equally catchy for quantitative portfolio managers who want to pick up an extra 300 to 400 basis points of annual performance on their high-minus-low investment strategies.
- An Alternative Future, Part II (The Journal of Portfolio Management): An argument can be made that hedge funds, particularly a combination of traditional index funds and hedge funds, represent the future of investment management — but we are not there yet, for a variety of reasons. Some dark sides of hedge fund investing stand in the way. Hedge fund fees remain a contentious issue. Fees must become more rational in terms of paying for alpha versus hedge fund beta versus traditional beta. Other evolutionary changes must occur to make hedge funds more user-friendly, particularly for institutional investors.
Paul Bouchey, CFA
Paul Bouchey, CFA, managing director of research at Parametric, will be delivering a speech titled Is Smart Beta Still Smart after Taxes?
- Asset-Liability Management in Private Wealth Management (The Journal of Portfolio Management): The objective of this article is to shed light on the potential benefits of asset-liability management techniques, originally developed for institutional money management, in a private wealth management context. Bouchey and his coauthors show that much of the complexity of optimal asset allocation decisions for private investors can be captured through the addition of a single state variable — liability value — which accounts in a parsimonious way for investors' specific constraints and objectives.
- Measuring Alpha Potential in the Market (The Journal of Index Investing): In this article, Bouchey and his coauthors formally define a measure of cross-sectional volatility, demonstrate potential uses for a set of indices that track this metric, and establish a strong, positive relationship between cross-sectional volatility and active manager dispersion.
- Volatility Harvesting: Why Does Diversifying and Rebalancing Create Portfolio Growth? (The Journal of Wealth Management): Investors have traditionally equated volatility with risk and viewed it as unavoidable. However, volatility also affects how returns compound over time, which raises the question: Is it possible to profit from volatility? The answer is a definitive yes.
Robert Litterman
Robert Litterman, a partner at Kepos Capital LP, is moderating the session >Past, Present, and Future Financial Thinking: A Conversation with Bill Sharpe. Even if you can't attend the conference in Seattle, you can watch this session live online.
- Asset Allocation: Combining Investor Views with Market Equilibrium (The Journal of Fixed Income)
- The Active Risk Puzzle (The Journal of Portfolio Management): While almost all institutional investment funds take active risk, the amount is almost uniformly a tiny fraction of the market risk that they expose themselves to. Readily available financial engineering techniques today allow funds to separate market risk from active risk. Given the lack of correlation between the two, the optimal allocation to active risk is very sensitive to the net aggregate information ratio from active management. It makes no sense that this assumption should be virtually the same, around 0.04, for all funds. Some funds will focus on indexing to reduce costs. Others will seek to increase the amount and improve the quality of their active risk. If these developing trends continue, look for interesting implications for the asset management industry.
Lionel Martellini
Lionel Martellini, professor of finance at EDHEC Business School, will speak about New Frontiers in Risk and Asset Allocation.
- Diversifying the Diversifiers and Tracking the Tracking Error: Outperforming Cap-Weighted Indices with Limited Risk of Underperformance (The Journal of Portfolio Management): A number of quantitative or fundamental weighting schemes have been shown to produce robust outperformance with respect to standard cap-weighted equity indices over long time periods. Over periods ranging from a few months to a few years, however, such alternative weighting schemes can generate substantial downside risk relative to cap-weighted indices, which would be a source of concern for most investment managers or chief investment officers. In this article, Martellini and his coauthors focus on two reasonable proxies for well-diversified, efficient frontier portfolios, namely, the maximum Sharpe ratio portfolio and the global minimum volatility portfolio.
Wade D. Pfau, CFA
Wade D. Pfau, CFA, a professor of retirement income at the American College, will be speaking about Best Practices in Retirement Planning.
- The Portfolio Size Effect and Lifecycle Asset Allocation Funds: A Different Perspective (The Journal of Portfolio Management): In this article, Pfau does not share the conclusion of previous research that the portfolio size effect soundly overturns the justification for the lifecycle asset allocation strategy. Although strategies that maintain a large allocation to stocks do provide many attractive features, the authors aim to demonstrate that a case for supporting a lifecycle strategy can still be made with modest assumptions for risk aversion and diminishing utility from wealth.
- Analyzing an Income Guarantee Rider in a Retirement Portfolio (The Journal of Retirement): Income guarantee riders for variable annuities are growing in popularity as a retirement income tool. This article explores their role in both the deferral and withdrawal stages of retirement income planning. Results explore how well income guarantees support an inflation-adjusted benefit base, as well inflation-adjusted retirement income withdrawals. By comparing income provided by a guaranteed portfolio with an unguaranteed portfolio replicating the same payments, we can obtain greater insight about the efficacy of the income guarantee. Results depend on what asset allocation choices would be made by retirees both with and without the income guarantee.
William F. Sharpe
William F. Sharpe, STANCO 25 Professor of Finance, Emeritus, at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, will appear at the session Past, Present, and Future Financial Thinking: A Conversation with Bill Sharpe. Even if you can't attend the conference in Seattle, you can watch this session live online.
- The Sharpe Ratio (The Journal of Portfolio Management)
- The Symmetric Downside-Risk Sharpe Ratio (The Journal of Portfolio Management): The Sharpe ratio, a most useful measure of investment performance, has the disadvantage that it is based on mean-variance theory and thus is valid basically only for quadratic preferences or normal distributions. Hence skewed investment returns can engender misleading conclusions. This is especially true for superior investors with a number of high returns. Many of these superior investors use capital growth wagering ideas to implement their strategies, which means higher growth rates but also higher variability of wealth. A simple modification of the Sharpe ratio to assume that the upside deviation is identical to the downside risk gives more realistic results.
- "Sideways Betas": Further Comments (The Journal of Portfolio Management)
Scott D. Welch
Scott D. Welch, chief investment officer at and co-founder of Fortigent, LLC, will be speaking about Putting Investors First: Positioning Wealth Management Firms to Understand the Client Base of the Future.
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to Core/Satellite Investing (The Journal of Wealth Management): Although the concept of core/satellite investing is not new, most of the literature on the subject is written by academics or practitioners for other academics or practitioners. This article attempts to present the arguments for a core/satellite investing approach in a practical, nontechnical manner, the way it might be explained to a potential investor or a new client.
Please note that the content of this site should not be construed as investment advice, nor do the opinions expressed necessarily reflect the views of CFA Institute.
Photo credit: ©iStockphoto.com/temmuzcan


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General Information
Air Travel and Airport Transfers
To obtain the best rates for international or domestic air travel, it is essential to book airfares as soon as possible. Contact your local travel agent for the best rates or visit www.airnz.co.nz. Please ensure you arrange your own transfers from the airport.
Car Parking
There are two car parks at Auckland City and Starship Children's Hospital. Disabled car parks are provided in both car parks, you may park in either. Please view the map on the venue page for information.
Contact during the Conference
As a courtesy to speakers, delegates are requested to switch off mobile phones and pagers during sessions.
Facilities for People with Disabilities
Please indicate on your registration form if you require disabled facilities.
Name Badges
All delegates will be given a name badge upon registration. This name badge is your official pass to the workshop. It is necessary for delegates to wear their name badge at all time when on-site.
No Smoking Policy
Delegates should be aware that smoking is banned in public buildings and hotels and restaurants in New Zealand, including the workshop venue and on the Auckland Hospital grounds.
Taxi information
Green Cabs: Ph: 0508 447 336 www.greencabs.co.nz
Corporate Cabs: Ph:09 377 0773 www.corporatecabs.co.nz
Co-Op Taxis: Ph: 09 300 3000 www.cooptaxi.co.nz
Registration Cancellation Policy
Liability Disclaimer
The Organising Committee, including the Conference Managers, will not accept liability for damages of any nature sustained by participants or their accompanying persons or loss or damage to their personal property as a result of the meeting or related events. In the event of industrial disruption or other unforeseen circumstances, The Conference Managers accept no responsibility for loss of monies.
Accepted credit cards are Visa, Mastercard and AMEX.
You can also pay by bank transfer, please refer to your invoice for details.
All fees quoted are in New Zealand Dollars and are inclusive of GST. Payment for registration must be received prior to the commencement of the conference.


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Chad da don whisked his fiance Kelly Khumalo off to celebrate their engagement over the weekend and we were never ready for the massive rock which Chad adorned on Kelly's ring finger.
View this post on Instagram
Chad liked it and put a massive rock on Kelly's finger
He posted a boomerang of both their rings on Instagram with the caption "Pepereza Pepereza Nyefe Nyefe Nyefe …Where's her ring ?you cheap Chad!How can you only have tattoos of your rings …Should of Married a real man Kelly blah blah blah Tsek and just drink water thank you ? ? Happy Monday"
View this post on Instagram
To which Kelly followed up with a post on her Instagram account with the caption "Who is going to believe me? ?"
View this post on Instagram
Like the wise Jay Z said, 'cause that rock on ya finger, is like a tumour, you can't fit ya hand in ya new purse'! Congratulations you guys.
Read more celebs


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Ashvegas Hot Sheet: Ingles buys 17-acre Patton Avenue property
Also, Axeville Throwing Club is planning to open a second location in south Asheville, and much more.
Also, Axeville Throwing Club is planning to open a second location in south Asheville, and much more.
Also, the old Bob Lawrence Power Equipment building in the Five Points neighborhood was recently demolished, and more.
Also, the Princess Anne Hotel wants to convert its private dining room into a restaurant open to the public, and more.
Freedom is a beautiful thing, y'all. This July 4th weekend, exercise your right to celebrate it. From live music to more live music to boozy brunches and beyond, we've got the scoop on everything that will make your weekend great. And we even have your holiday weekend weather report. Seriously. Friday Downtown Books and News Turns 28! @ DBN 9 am-9 pm Highlights: Golden[Read More…]
Stu is awarding one lucky person a plate of award-winning wings. Read on to learn how to enter.
Hello Asheville! Sacre bleu, c'est la Stoobies part deux! If you haven't read part one yet you can do that HERE, and if you don't know what the Stoobie Awards are… yeah, it's all explained in part one and I don't feel like repeating it here, so either go read that, or figure it out along the way. It's not[Read More…]
Autumn Pittman and A.J. Gregson started selling their food on the music festival circuit.


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Plan 31 was an order given to the 474th Spec Ops Fleet by the U-TIC Organization after they had failed to secure one of the Zohar emulators on board of the Federation ship Woglinde.
When the Durandal had showed up at the scene of the fallen Woglinde, the 474th Spec Ops Fleet opened fire, and the Durandal returned fire. After the ambush, the Spec Ops Fleet had taken video and doctored it to make it appear as though the Durandal was responsible for sinking the Woglinde. This video was leaked through space, and the Kukai Foundation (and the Miltian government) were caught in the trap, were surrounded by Federation forces, and those supposedly related to the incident were arrested.
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.


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Neo09 – 10-13 April 2009 Harper Adams, UK
The 4th running of the Neo race took place April 10-13th, this time we were blessed with 'almost t-shirt' weather – perfect for an RC Race! The format stuck to 10min heats, with 180 entries in the nitro buggy class and a special eletric 1/8 buggy class which provided some good entertainment; Ryan Maifield was easily the best in electric as he swept to victory. In nitro buggy things were closer, TQ wasn't established until the 5th and last round as Jared Tebo overhauled a poor start to show everyone he was the man to beat. The 45min final saw Tebo in command, Darren Bloomfield close at times, but not able to realy hassle Tebo as he counted down the laps to victory.
Links: Overall Results | Neo09 Photo Gallery |
Sponsors: GS Racing, HoBao, Caster Racing, Hobbytech, LRP, Ultimate Racing,
SH Engines, Hot Bodies, Upgrade-RC, Novarossi, Ishima


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Go to this page to read cool articles about pretty much anything! Includes: alternative energy, biodiesel, acetone (for better gas mileage), hydrogen gas generator for your car, and more!
Please click here to visit: John Melendez - Technical Writer & Journalist - coolreads.2ya.com.
Powered by ShortURL.com - free sub domains.
2Ya.com - Free domain forwarding and email forwarding services.


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Tony's PA Services
Contact details
Tony Hughes
Phone: 01424 395625
Mobile: 07816 833081
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
List of services
Personal Assistant in good health having a caring/considerate/quiet/calm disposition:- Available to assist those to live the fullest of lives in there own homes with companionship social outings, appointments, shopping, paperwork / phone calls etc., computer and internet access.
Bexhill and Hastings + immediate surrounding area
Most of my time is full although some duties vary therefore it is worth enquiring as to availability. Sessions are normally a minimum of two hours duration
Charging and related information
£17 per hour + use of car @ 0.45p per mile
Apart from those already mentioned I have a high level of interest in mechanical applications connected with cars etc. and latterly in investments associated with share dealing.
I also have a great interest in exercise & healthy living.
My initial experience was gained with looking after my own Mum at close quarters through various illnesses/conditions during the last 15 years of her life. Since then I have spent seven years as a PA with SWC with experience gained attending client's with quite varied difficulties and conditions.
I have completed East Sussex County Council training in becoming a Personal Assistant then:- Autism, Moving & Handling, Safeguarding Adults @ Risk-Level 2, Food Safety, Person Centred Thinking, Assessing under the Mental Capacity Act, Understanding Depression, Support Planning, Basic First Aid, Autistic Spectrum Conditions.
During my SWC PA period I have now enjoyed the pleasure of attending client's with quite varied difficulties and conditions.
- Support With Confidence accredited member
- Support With Confidence approved
Category listings
- Personal Assistant
- Personal Assistant Transport
- Respite care
- Secretarial and administrative
- Shopping assistance
- Social Activities


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Friday reads was invented by The Candid cover
It's a book meme that mixes two already existing:
- Book Beginnings is a book meme hosted by Rose City Reader where participants share the first sentence (or so) of the book, along with initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.
- The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice, and the rules are quite simple: Grab a book, any book, and turn to page 56 or 56% in your e-reader. Find any non-spoilery sentence(s) and post.
My Current read
This book is so delightfully weird! It has dreams and dreamers, an undreground blackmarket full of strange things and people, three brothers, and six girls who are actually just one split up.
I'm enjoying this even more than the original The Raven Cycle books (probably because Ronan's always been my fave)
Book Beginnings
This is going to be a story about the Lynch borthers.
My favorite kind of story (and of brothers)
The Friday 56
"I don't believe you," he said out loud. "I have trust issues."
Why is this so funny? Ronan doesn't have an issue talking about his issues and I love him


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Join us on Saturday, December 3rd at 1:00 PM for an afternoon full of delightfully frightful tales with the master of goosebumps himself, the inimitable R.L. STINE! Your young readers will enjoy every thrilling moment, as R.L. STINE presents his newest book, Young Scrooge: A Very Scary Christmas Story.
Rick Scroogeman hates Christmas. He can't stand the carols and the pageants. He can't stand the lights and the mistletoe. But what he hates the most is having to watch the old movie A Christmas Carol every year at school. Since his name is Scroogeman, all of his classmates start calling him Scrooge. And he hates being called Scrooge.
But everything starts to change when three ghosts visit him. At first, he thinks it's a dream. But then he realizes that it might be a nightmare. A nightmare that could become real.
Books of Wonder
18 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011
(212) 989-3270


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timespace coordinates: 1889, Deadwood, South Dakota
Deadwood: The Movie is a 2019 American television drama film directed by Daniel Minahan and written by David Milch for HBO. It is a continuation of the television series of the same name, which ran for three seasons from 2004 to 2006. The film reunites the majority of the large ensemble cast, including Timothy Olyphant, Ian McShane, Molly Parker, Paula Malcomson, John Hawkes, and Gerald McRaney, and premiered on May 31, 2019. (wiki)


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Fugazzi* out of **** 1886 Centre St. (corner Shearer St.); 438-522-7499; fugazzimtl.com Reservations: By phone and online Vegetarian-friendly: Yes Wheelchair access: Yes; a couple steps up from the street Price: Appetizers $2.75-$19.75; mains $11-$26; desserts $8-$11 Ratings are from one to four stars: One is good, two is very good, three is excellent, four is exceptional.
Walking into the new Pointe-St-Charles pizzeria Fugazzi is a sensory overload. It's early-'90s skateboarder meets Saved by the Bell via Pee-wee's Playhouse. It also could be what any child who grew up during this era wished their basement looked like.
There's a lot going on: black and red painted tables in thick bold splatters, black and yellow speckled beams, colourful mosaics on wood panels, a lit-up bar made of clear glass blocks, a flashy wall-mounted shark, skateboard decks, graffiti-esque wall art, logo stickers galore, and a bathroom you can tag. The white tiled pizza oven in the open kitchen has "Fugazzi" written across it in bright yellow superhero-style lettering, and there's a booth facing it — "nonna's table" — that feels right out of an old Italian-American red-sauce joint, complete with plastic checkered table cloth. Retro knick-knacks can be found all over the 70-seat space: an ALF telephone; a boombox; an old TV, computer and VCR tucked in a fireplace with requisite VHS tapes; a hoarder's mother lode of tchotchkes. It's definitely a sight to see. A shame that the place is 18 and older, as the décor (designed by the Gauley Brothers), as well as the predominantly pasta and pizza menu, plus the neighbourhood full of young families, would have made Fugazzi kid heaven.
This restaurant is part of the growing Barroco Group, which owns the nearby Foiegwa and Atwater Cocktail Club, as well as Old Montreal's Bocata and Barroco. It also owns the impressive, glass-roofed bar that is part of Fugazzi upstairs, Milky Way, which explains the restaurant's licensing situation.
The food — inspired by Italian-American fare and headed by chef-owner Jean-Philippe Miron, along with Jérémie Falissard and Marcus Sahou — is supposed to be fun and creative, just like the space itself. And it definitely is that, but unfortunately it's also uneven and often just too much.
On the service front, it was friendly and efficient throughout the night. Our waiter was very informed about the wines and went into great detail about some of the bottles I was considering. (It's a shame she didn't explain the details of our dishes as passionately.) Wine prices are in the $45-$85 range, with lots of bottles that work well with pasta and pizza. Our favourite was Domaine Mosse's Travel Vin de France, a deep, delicious rosé made of Tavel grenache and cinsault with some Loire Valley gamay.
Our table of four started with three appetizers: a zucchini Caesar, octopus and sobrasada (a Spanish sausage eaten like a pâté), and carrots with tahini and pistachio. All sounded promising, but were disappointing in their own ways.
The zucchini was sliced in half and baked so that it was watery and tasteless, suffocated by a thick layer of heavily anchovied Caesar dressing and covered in a confusing chunky bread crumble, along with chives. The octopus was tough and chewy, bathing in a pool of oil and paprika-infused mounds of sobrasada. The mollusc's overcooked qualities were matched only by the undercooked ones of the pieces of potatoes that were thrown in the mix, along with thinly sliced onions. The carrots — roasted and coated in tahini, pistachios and a pleasant Middle Eastern spice rub — were nice, but needed something to lighten them up. Even seasonal greens or fresh herbs would have enlivened this dish.
We went for two pastas: rigatoni all'amatriciana and tagliatelle ragù alla Bolognese. The first one made everyone happy: homemade rigatoni coated in a spicy, rich tomato sauce, full of depth thanks to slices of guanciale (salt-cured pork jowl) and pecorino. This Roman specialty was oily in the best way, salty, peppy, simple and very good.The Bolognese, like the décor, was busy. Had it not been served with an overly generous shower of Parmesan plus a large heap of herbed ricotta, it could have been great. But the excess cheese made it heavy and rich, overpowering the actual ragù.
The pizzas — Fugazzi's main draw — reflect the restaurant's playful nature with names like One Night in Paris, Mush Pit, Liberace and our choices, Wu Tang Killa Bees (tomato, Calabrese salami, honey, thyme oil, mozzarella) and Donnie Brasco (mortadella, burrata, ricotta, arugula).
The pizza dough — a fluffier, floppier Neapolitan style — was super satisfying, with a soft, spongy crust and hint of sweetness. Unfortunately, the sugary notes of honey and the thyme oil's herbaceous nature that would have elevated the Wu Tang pizza were totally lost, if there at all. And Donnie Brasco's two cheeses needed salt, as did the dry, unseasoned arugula on top, giving this promising pie a bland tone that even mortadella couldn't save. I will say that on a previous occasion I picked up these very same pizzas to go, and they were much better that time around. It's possible the kitchen was having an off night, or they're still working out some kinks, but Fugazzi has been open since January.
It's also worth noting that none of the waitstaff explained any of our dishes as they hit the table — even the most basic details, like which pizzas were which. We had to call them over on several occasions to ask about what they had just served us, and no, they were not extremely busy.
For dessert, we told our waiter to choose for us. In retrospect, had we made the decision ourselves, it wouldn't have been the one she brought. Not that it wasn't good, but it was basically more dough — this time fried — with whipped cream and lemon curd. I would have enjoyed this Neapolitan lemon tart much more had I not just cream and carb loaded for two hours.
I really wanted to have fun at Fugazzi, because everything about this restaurant is supposed to be just that, but somehow the fun got lost along the way, and it just became confusing and excessive. When I was a kid, I remember my grandmother loved dressing in eccentric pieces, wild prints and lots of bling, but she would always tell me that the key to pulling it off was to look in the mirror before going out, and take something off.


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Bill Laurance to conclude residency with a special live masterclass
Having spent the last year as our Artist in Residence, keyboardist Bill Laurance from the Grammy Award-winning jazz ensemble Snarky Puppy will bid Morley farewell with a special live masterclass on 1 December - and we're inviting two unsigned bands to take part.
We've been delighted to have Bill over the last year, and the knowledge and expertise he has brought to the College has been invaluable for our students. To celebrate his residency, we'll be hosting a farewell event in the beautiful Holst Room, where Bill will perform live with two Morley students selected by the music department. But that's not all - we'll also be inviting two unsigned bands to perform during the event, with the unique opportunity to receive feedback and career advice from Bill himself.
Competition Entry Details
If you have a band and want to be considered for the show, get in touch with us on email@example.com and send us links to two original recordings of your work, along with a 150-word statement introducing your band and explaining why you'd like to be selected. All musical genres are welcome, but the pieces submitted should include improvised elements, such as solo sections. The deadline for submissions is 10am on 27 November 2017 - successful bands will be notified by the end of the day.
Bands must be based in the UK and unsigned in order to be eligible. Morley College can provide access to a grand piano, drum kit, microphones, PA system, and guitar and bass amps; any other equipment must be provided by the selected bands. Successful bands must be available from 3pm on 1 December for sound check, and should be prepared to play at least three pieces on the night. No cash alternative is available and Morley is unfortunately unable to pay for expenses. If you have any further queries, please email email@example.com.


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Dhaka, June 18 (UNB)– Magura District crushed Khulna District by a massive 13-0 goals in the JFA U-14 National Women's Football Championship at the Shamsul Huda District Stadium in Jashore on Tuesday, featuring hattricks by Ria, Anika and Ankhi.
In another match of the day at same venue, hosts Jashore District beat Barguna by 3-1 goals, featuring a hattrick by Sonia.
Sylhet District outplayed Moulvibazar by 7-0 goals in the day's other match at the Khagrachhari District Stadium with Salma making a hat-trick.
Besides, Madaripur beat Rajbari by 2-1 goals at the Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Football Stadium in Gopalganj on Tuesday.