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Rise and Grind! I indulged over the weekend, so hit the gym early to log some quick (4.5) miles and get in some core. I took to the deadmill knowing that spring temps would bring lots or running outside! It was a busy day at work of jam packed meetings, luckily I got away for a lunch date with the hubs!
AM: Another meeting filled day, including a lunch meeting so hit the spin bright and early for a 40 minute ride, followed by a Tone It Up Full Body Work Out.
Fuel post-work out with all the greens. My current favorite is tropical greens
- spinach
- almond milk
- chia seeds
- dash of PB2 peanut butter
- dash of Vega Protein Powder
- handful of Trader Joes' Tropical blend frozen fruit
I'll post more recipes for blends soon!
It was also International Women's Day! I loved seeing all the empowering posts on social media from so many different women in my life.
"I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass." — Maya Angelou
PM: Power Yoga session at Enso Yoga. And a soak in the tub!
AM: Running brings to me life. I got to rock my new Oiselle FlyStyle for 6 morning miles with 3 at marathon pace! The most perfect temps to break in my knew KC Knickers. Followed it up by some strength training for the upper body. Because, gun show.
Post-run fuel included the new blueberry flavor from SO Delicious topped with KIND's blueberry granola.
It's spring break on campus, so some co-workers and I had a chance to dine al fresco for lunch! It was amazing, we went to House, a cute little spot that has the most amazing grilled cheese. Since it was so warm out we all opted for the half and half special — salad and sandwiches. I had the Winter Salad, not pictured, (spinach + figs + pecans); not pictured and the Southwestern Sandwich, pictured above, (panini w/ turkey + chedder + ranch + bacon + pico). If you are looking for a tasty lunch, I highly recommend.
PM: I was able to get back OUTSIDE for a quick mile warm-up and some kettle bell work to unwind from the day.
Then met some of my best girls for a late dinner at Firebirds — and I did a terrible job at documenting what I ate. 😦 #fail I guess it was because the company was just so great I was distracted from anything else. Because, girlfriends are the best friends.
AM: Some days I wake up before the alarm because I'm just so excited to RUN. And this weather has me soooo in the mood to run all the miles! It was a perfect morning to log miles, the temperature allowed me to wear shorts and a tee and to rock my brand new Oiselle Heads Up Wings Out hat!!!
8 miles | 8:16 pace | 3 @MP
Spring I hope you are hear to stay!
Post Run fuel: Another round of SO Delicious + banana + KIND vanilla granola (I suppose I'm a creature of habit).
And to prove that I'm not always in running gear…
Sometimes I adult, well most days… Thanks to The Limited, it's not Claire Underwood's wardrobe, but it's close!
PM: I was able to get out in the warm temps for a quick mile warm-up followed by my leg workout from hell… three weeks later and it's not getting any easier… YET.
Followed by the most delicious and colorful salad! Perfect way to quench my thirst for greens this week!
After an evening conference call, I was able to pop in for a quick mani (OPI "You Don't Know Jacques.") I gorgeous taupe color for spring!
I even made it to Zumba at Fuel House Fitness Studio (three weeks in a row with mama). And bonus, my girlfriend I had dinner with Wednesday as also there!
The morning breeze and yesterday's workouts pushed my crosstraining session to the afternoon…. unfortunately I had a to hit the bike to give the legs a rest to prep for a long run over the weekend, even tho temps were perfect for a run. I opted for 40 minutes of spin and back strengthening.
I know my back is something I often forget to work out, but it's vital to keep strength there as a distance runner, so I try to do it a few times a month. My workout includes: low rows, lat pull-downs, upward rows, and back extensions, with some core work thrown in there.
I came back to the office to a surprise of the BEST chips and pico with avocado dip I've had from 320 Market. HAPPY FRIYAY!!! TGIF!!!!
Looking forward to kicking off my birthday celebrations tonight 🙂 Hope you have a fantastic weekend and get to enjoy the weather while it's nice!


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Dimo HD Video Converter Free Full Version Registration Code (Win & Mac)
Dimo HD Video Converter is a professional and all-in-one High Definition Video Converter software, providing users hassle-free HD video conversion solutions. It helps users convert various HD video formats. incl. Ultra HD videos (HD MP4, HD MOV, HD WMV, HD AVI, HD Tivo, HD FLV, HD MPG, HD VOB, HD HEVC/H.265, etc.), Multi-track HD videos (BDAV, M2TS, MKV, AVCHD, TrueHD, MTS, MPEG-TS) and high definition videos (XAVC, MXF, MTS, MOD, etc.) recorded by Panasonic, Canon, Sony, JVC HD camcorders. It supports exporting video formats with incredibly rich choices and even extract original sound tracks from HD video files, such as MP3, M4R, M4A, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, WMA, AAC, AC3, OGG and so on. In addition, you could get your converted files on your PC in desired formats with highest possible quality, as we use advanced HD video decoding engine to convert HD video from one format to another without re-compressing it and optimizes the encoding and decoding for 4K and HD 1080p videos. What's more, the program adopted advanced audio and video sync technology; fixed Video/Audio sync problems to let you enjoy smooth synced videos.
This HD Video Converter provides you powerful editing functions. It can help you to improve your video effect by adjusting the Brightness, Contrast Saturation and Hue. You are allowed to clip/split your videos into one or more segments, or join several pieces of Video clips into one. You are able to change the video playing region by cropping. You could add text or picture watermarks to make your video special or even turn HD videos into GIF to keep precious memory forever. Moreover, you are able to adjust both video settings and audio settings. Above all mentioned, Dimo HD Video Converter can help you convert your videos to 3D videos. There are three ways Red/Blue, Top-bottom, and Side by Side 3D help you realize convert 2D videos to 3D. You are able to play back the media files after loading and preview the real-time video effect during video editing.
After conversion, you can get the latest videos to your PC and share them onto portable gadgets in the same network for smooth playback using the free media server plugin. You may choose to scan the resulted QR code on your iPhone, iPad, Samsung, Nexus, Sony and many other digital devices. Or simply input the url to the address bar of web browser to enhance your video experience on big TVs.
Dimo HD Video Converter Key Features:
- Convert HD video from one format to another with highest possible quality
- Transcode incompatible HD video shootings or online movie to iPad, iPhone, Xbox, VR, etc.
- Download your favorite movies/music from various sites
- Downsize HD files to 720p video with minimum quality loss to save storage space on devices
- Edit HD media contents by trimming, cropping, adding video watermark/effects, etc.
- Adjust video codec, bitrate, resolution, frame rate and other audio settings to get best result
Dimo HD Video Converter Free Full Version Registration Code
Dimo HD Video Converter is normally priced at $29.95 per serial key / registration code. But as part of the developer's giveaway offer, everyone can download a full version copy with serial key for free! The giveaway will be valid till May 31th, 2018.
Interested users just need to visit the official giveaway webpage here, and press the "Get it Now" button to get your free Registration Code & download link.
You have to install and activate it before May 31th, 2018. No free upgrade to the future version. But you can use the full functions of the activated version.
For Mac Users:
Download.hr are having a giveaway of Dimo HD Video Converter for Mac 4.1.0, where everyone can download a full version copy for free. The giveaway will be valid until May 31, 2018.
Interested users just need to visit the promo page here, and you have to share this offer with your friends to get your free serial key or else you will have to wait for 300s ( (let the page be open).

subset: commoncrawl


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Frankincense and Myrrh- Anointing Oil 10 ml
Anointing Oil with Frankincense and Myrrh. Contains Virgin Olive Oil, Myrrh and Frankincense. 0.34 fl oz | 10 ml
Price includes shipping.
36 in stock
Frankincense & Myrrh- Anointing Oil 10 ml.
This authentic anointing oil is made in the Holy Land, using natural Galilee and Jerusalem Virgin Olive Oil and scented with flowers and herb essences mentioned in the Bible. Perfumed with Frankincense & Myrrh.
When using anointing oil in religious ceremonies, during prayer or everyday life, it is well to remember that there is a link lasting over thousands of years which binds the believer to the Holy Land.
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked,"Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh."Matthew 2:1-11
The Holy Anointing oil, or the Shemen Ha'Mishchah, formed an integral part of the Old Testament rituals in the ordination of the priesthood as well as in the consecration of the articles of the Tabernacle. The primary purpose of anointing with the holy anointing oil was to cause the anointed persons or objects to become ha'kodesh – most holy.Anointing oils were used for religious purposes for the first time after God commanded Moses to make a holy anointing oil, a ointment compound according to the art of the perfumer, for anointing the Ark and the Holy implements and for use in religious ceremonies. Ein Gedi`s Anointing oils of the Bible are produced by local perfumers in the tradition of the perfumes made in biblical times. These oils are based on virgin olive oil and extract of plants and flowers mentioned in the Bible.
The oils come in unique bottles inspired by ancient perfume bottles unearthed at archaeological sites throughout the Holy Land.
Price includes shipping.
Additional information
|0.054 kg
|4 × 4 × 7.5 cm
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The Lakshmi Vilas Bank Ltd, a private sector bank with a strong, silent reputation for customer service built over 8 decades of presence in the Indian Banking scenario supported by significant technology investments in the last few years, has started recruitment of Clerks for its various branches in India.
How to Apply: Candidates are requested to apply through online only through our Bank's website www.lvbank.com between 19.04.2011and 10.05.2011. No other means/mode of application will be accepted.
Important Dates:
Opening date for online registration: 19.04.2011
Closing date for online registration: 10.05.2011
Tentative date of Written Examination: 19.06.2011
Application Fees: Candidates have to pay Rs.300/- (Rupees Three hundred only) by means of a Demand Draft from any Bank, favouring "The Lakshmi Vilas Bank Ltd" payable at Chennai being the examination fees. After successful registration of online application, take a print out of the registration slip, enclose the Demand Draft / affix the Passport size photograph and send the same to The Lakshmi Vilas Bank Ltd. HRD Department, Clerical Recruitment – 2011, Administrative Office, Salem Road, Kathaparai, Karur – 639006, Tamilnadu. Candidates are advised to mention their registration number and name written by pencil on the back side of the Demand Draft.
Read more at banktestcoaching.com


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Let's begin with a few important caveats: First, in the broad scheme of Robert Mueller's Russia probe, nobody beyond his tight-lipped team has a good sense of what evidence the special counsel does -- or does not -- have. That's why virtually all of the commentary about Mueller's work is conjecture, including some of what I'll offer below. It's also why any grand pronouncements of certitude about what the forthcoming Manafort verdicts may augur should be viewed skeptically.
Second, this analysis is not meant to suggest that a blockbuster New York Times story published over the weekend is an unvarnished positive for President Trump. It's not. For instance, the very fact that White House Counsel Don McGahn was reportedly worried that Trump and his personal attorneys may have been setting him up to be a fall guy speaks to an atmosphere of paranoia, mistrust and dysfunction at the highest echelons of this administration. Between that revelation, the fear and loathing over perhaps hundreds of Omarosa's clandestine recordings, and a pattern of vengeful leaking, it's safe to say that this White House's culture is deeply unhealthy.
With that context in place, somewhat lost in all the social media oohing and ahhing from journalists and politicos when the Times first published this article online Saturday afternoon were two crucial passages that appear to contain favorable news for the president and his defenders. Before we get to those, here are the first few sentences of the lengthy story, which is headlined, "White House Counsel, Don McGahn, Has Cooperated Extensively in Mueller Inquiry:"
The White House counsel, Donald F. McGahn II, has cooperated extensively in the special counsel investigation, sharing detailed accounts about the episodes at the heart of the inquiry into whether President Trump obstructed justice, including some that investigators would not have learned of otherwise, according to a dozen current and former White House officials and others briefed on the matter. In at least three voluntary interviews with investigators that totaled 30 hours over the past nine months, Mr. McGahn described the president's fury toward the Russia investigation and the ways in which he urged Mr. McGahn to respond to it.
He provided the investigators examining whether Mr. Trump obstructed justice a clear view of the president's most intimate moments with his lawyer. Among them were Mr. Trump's comments and actions during the firing of the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, and Mr. Trump's obsession with putting a loyalist in charge of the inquiry, including his repeated urging of Attorney General Jeff Sessions to claim oversight of it. Mr. McGahn was also centrally involved in Mr. Trump's attempts to fire the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, which investigators might not have discovered without him. For a lawyer to share so much with investigators scrutinizing his client is unusual.
It's not hard to see why this piece was met with widespread astonishment. But many people who apparently stopped reading after the headline and lede seem to have wrongly concluded that this is a bombshell story about Trump's top White House lawyer secretly turning on the president -- a move that could conceivably bring down the administration. That misconception brings us to the aforementioned nuggets that are revealed deeper into the story, including this ninth paragraph detail:
In fact, Mr. McGahn laid out how Mr. Trump tried to ensure control of the investigation, giving investigators a mix of information both potentially damaging and favorable to the president. Mr. McGahn cautioned to investigators that he never saw Mr. Trump go beyond his legal authorities, though the limits of executive power are murky. Mr. McGahn's role as a cooperating witness further strains his already complicated relationship with the president. Though Mr. Trump has fought with Mr. McGahn as much as with any of his top aides, White House advisers have said, both men have benefited significantly from their partnership.
The information McGahn shared with Mueller included testimony that was both "potentially and favorable" to Trump; plus -- and this is no small thing -- he asserted that he never saw the president exceed his legal authority. In other words, as relayed over the course 30 hours of wide-ranging interviews with the special counsel, the most senior White House lawyer (who was present for all sorts of highly sensitive private discussions, presumably including a healthy dose of Trumpian candor) attests that he never witnessed a single instance of Trump straying beyond the legitimate powers of his office. As for the third sentence in the excerpt immediately above, a legal pal on Twitter points out that the article really makes the case that McGahn is a cooperative witness, not a "cooperating witness" as that term is often understood. Significant difference. Then there's this extremely relevant fact, which appears near the story's 30th paragraph:
Last fall, Mr. Mueller's office asked to interview Mr. McGahn. To the surprise of the White House Counsel's Office, Mr. Trump and his lawyers signaled that they had no objection, without knowing the extent of what Mr. McGahn was going to tell investigators. Mr. McGahn was stunned, as was Mr. Burck, whom he had recently hired out of concern that he needed help to stay out of legal jeopardy, according to people close to Mr. McGahn. Mr. Burck has explained to others that he told White House advisers that they did not appreciate the president's legal exposure and that it was "insane" that Mr. Trump did not fight a McGahn interview in court.
Trump was fully aware of Mueller's request that McGahn subject himself to an interview, and agreed to it, even "without knowing the extent of what Mr. McGahn was going to tell investigators." It's possible, as the piece suggests, that Trump didn't know exactly how much McGahn ended up speaking with the special counsel's office. But he absolutely knew that it was happening, and didn't try to prevent McGahn from fully cooperating. If the president were desperate to keep incriminating information out of Mueller's hands, it's hard to imagine that he'd green light his own White House Counsel to sit down for an unrestricted interview. Indeed, this approach was so permissive that it "stunned" even McGahn. Here's my upshot:
Part of Trump's optics problem re Russia matter (we don't know what sort of legal peril he is/isn't in) is that his volcanic tweet storms & fury at Mueller make him *look* guilty. Two key details in NYT story cut in opposite direction. Not necessarily exculpatory but interesting.— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) August 18, 2018
McGahn neither kept his actions secret from Trump, nor, apparently, did he 'turn on' his boss. Here's the president (quite understandably) underscoring this point on Twitter yesterday morning, in his own inimitable style:
The failing @nytimes wrote a Fake piece today implying that because White House Councel Don McGahn was giving hours of testimony to the Special Councel, he must be a John Dean type "RAT." But I allowed him and all others to testify - I didn't have to. I have nothing to hide......— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 19, 2018
You may hate the guy and believe him to be guilty of something, but any fair analysis of the Russia investigation must consider this a powerful mark in his favor. Trump may object to the placement of important details within the Times story, and may certainly disagree with some of the hyperbolic extrapolations and mischaracterizations of what the article actually means -- but overall, the White House ought to be eager to share the two big takeaways I've highlighted here. I'll leave you with a dissection of a far lazier and misleading New York Times hit piece:
The Times ran a Democratic attack on Brett Kavanaugh without talking to one of the key players in the story. Not good. I fill in the gaps here: https://t.co/UDBdSoWLND— David French (@DavidAFrench) August 17, 2018


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Interview by Natallia Zelman
1. What do you have by now
1.1. Products: variety of breads, croissants, pastries and danishes + chocolates and chocole bars. Some of products are vegan. No chemicals, organic. Using butter not margarin.
1.2. Sites: Closed 2 in Grodno, Closed 1 in Shchuchin. Reason: ideas and business were moving to different directions. At the moment there are 2 locations in Lida selling the goods brought by drivers. Means that a separate location is baking and producing breads, driver is brining them to the sites for selling every morning.
2. "Tasty" Questions
2.1. Whole foods could be better if concentrated on quality not commerce
2.2. How to make crust is a special procedure that you need to follow
2.3. Dairy products can be saved for longer time by machinery milking, storing the product cool and ultrapasterizing it efficient as it's done in Holland by one of your friends.
3. Personal questions
3.1. I asked you for how long you are in Belarus. Why did you move. Did you settle in Lida.
3.2. You told the story is long and it would take rather a long time to describe all of that. You live in Lida but easy driving wherever you need to arrive.
4. Work Project (Idea)
4.1. To create the highest possible quality of breads, pastry, chocolates for the lowest possible price.
4.2. Figure: Not kiosks or islands in the mall. It has to be a place baking and serving fresh goods right away. Might look like coffeeshop, window+terrace, not large and not resraurant type. If it goes better and better news sites are coming to be opened.
4.3. Volume: Up to 20-22 locations thru the country. Thinking of opening the next one in Baranovich but it doesn't have to be Baranovichi. Might be the need of building one from scratch.
5. Working Conditions
5.1. Belarussian Labour Law (vacation, sickleaves, pension fees, tax etc. etc. under Labour Law of the Republic of Belarus ).
5.2. Remote with travels covered.
5.3. A Year contract following after 3 months probation.
5.4. 8 hrs a day-5 days-total 40 hrs a week (9-18)
5.5. Report to Garret only
6. Last but not the Least
6.1. I did try all the breads and pastries. Loved the snail and croissant most of all. Attaching the proof :)
7. Human Resourses
7.1. At the moment there are approx. 15 employees and 2 of them doing administrative job.
7.2. In need of a person not connected to a specific site/location but organizing the process of building the new site, working on communicaton with vendors and governmental institutions, doing research and analitycal work, documentation, scheduling.
8. What I'll need
8.1. Ilex base paid access
8.1.1. Online service of ready-made legal solutions for accounting, taxation and laws for accountants, lawyers, and managers


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Pushing back boundaries
Thales Romania is at the heart of a breakthrough scientific project which promises to open up knowledge about the universe through ultra-powerful lasers. Thales is providing ELI-NP (Extreme Light Infrastructure Nuclear Physics) center in Magurele, Bucharest with the most powerful laser in the world which experts expect to push back the frontiers of physics and to open up a magic box of countless breakthroughs in many fields, from revolutionary cancer treatments to nuclear waste disposal.
Professor Nicolae Zamfir, coordinator of the project (right in the photo below), has worked closely with Silviu Agapi (middle), Thales General Manager in Romania, to make sure that all details of the pioneering laser system are being implemented. They both share with the world this amazing journey together.
The laser of Magurele – a 60 mln. Euros project that could change the world


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Hello and welcome to another challenge at Winter Wonderland - Denise here. Please be gentle with me as this is the first time for me to write the post!!
Firstly I would like to say how fantastically creative you all were with last weeks challenge - there were some truly stunning creations so thanks for joining in the Christmas fun with us. Don't forget to check back on Sunday for the winner and top 3.
Now onto this week's challenge - Teddy Bear's Christmas
- so basically I would like to see teddy bears on your cards this week!
- so basically I would like to see teddy bears on your cards this week!
We are sponsored by Sassy Studio Designs
The lucky winner will receive 4 digis of their choice - wow what a prize!
My fellow DT have as usual come up with the most gorgeous creations which I hope will inspire you too. Don't forget if you click on the name above the picture you can find out how each card has been put together and what supplies have been used. You can also find out if they have combined their challenge with any others, which could give you some ideas.
Card will be up later!
Fabulous as always girls x
If you would like to be our Designer in the Spotlight for one week, then do let us know by leaving us a comment after the Inlinkz.
Now we love visiting your blogs and commenting on your gorgeous creations which do of course give us inspiration for the challenge too. It would be a great help if you could turn off word verification as this does add time onto our visits and in some cases prevents us leaving comments.
If you need any help finding this it's in the settings, comments part of your blog. Thanks for your help with this it's much appreciated.
We all hope you are able to join us in our challenge this week. We look forward to visiting your blogs and seeing your gorgeous creations! Please be sure to post a link back to the Winter Wonderland blog in your blog post in order to be eligible for this weeks prize! Thursday evening (
So all that's left is for you to get creative and leave your entry here with the blue frog so we can come and find you asap. Have fun!


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Personal development is not measured by financial, social or external success. Instead it is determined by our efforts to develop our intellectual, physical and spiritual aspects in order to reach our full human potential.
In the process of developing ourselves, we also strive to express our talents and abilities for the enrichment and benefit others.
Unfortunately, in today's instant gratification culture there has been an unhealthy trend towards 'get rich quick' (substitute thin, beautiful, fit, etc.) schemes gaining ground.
It implies that if you are rich enough, thin enough, or beautiful enough, you will be happy. Instead of encouraging legitimate personal growth and development, these schemes and false claims work against it.
I'm sure most of us have read, or heard the woeful tales of lottery winners who attained massive fortunes only to be broke soon after their windfalls. We have also seen beautiful, rich, and influential entertainment stars end their own unhappy lives in spite of their outward success.
The Lesson:
There are no "quick fixes" or short cuts to personal development.
It is a deliberate, disciplined process achieved by reflection, introspection and self-awareness.
The emphasis on personal development began to arise in the 1960's with the Human Potential Movement that had its roots in existentialism and humanistic psychology.
Its purpose was to promote the idea that humans can experience an exceptional quality of life filled with happiness, creativity and fulfillment when they strive to reach their potential.
Abraham Maslow, a humanistic psychologist, put forth the idea that self-actualization (the fulfillment of self through reaching one's potential) is the highest expression of a human's life.
In his research Maslow found that self-actualized people were those who are creative and spontaneous, possess a good sense of humor and are able to tolerate uncertainty.
Those who are self-actualized also have an appreciation for what life has to offer, a deep concern for others and are able to enjoy close, meaningful, personal relationships.
He advocated a list of behaviors that he felt lead to self-actualization.
These behaviors include:
Humanistic psychology emphasizes the importance of attending to and developing the "whole" person or those aspects of ourselves that make us human - the physical, the emotional, the intellectual and the spiritual.
To be your "true self" means to be and take responsibility for it on all of these levels.
Personal development is therefore, the process of striving to be the best that you can be in order to reach and realize your full potential. It is a journey of self-discovery, self-improvement and self-realization.
Related articles:
Invest In Your Personal Development
Increase Your Brain Power With Classics
How to Develop Good Habits


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Australian Jonathan Atherton has been described as a multicultural comedian. Jonathan has spent most of his life travelling making his first trip at the age of two, when he travelled with his father who was a foreign correspondent.
Jonathan toyed with journalism, then academia and has ended up combining his love of travel with his work as a comedian, actor and stage performer.
Jonathan has travelled extensively in Asia and Africa. He lived in Central Africa for two years teaching English and working as a safari guide in Uganda. He was initiated into Uganda's largest tribe, the Baganda. In Asia, Jonathan lived in Thailand for two years and taught English in Japan for six months.
Multi-lingual Jonathan speaks German, Indonesian, Malay, Thai, Ugandan and Swahili fluently and some Japanese, Lao, Hindi and several other African and Asian dialects. He has studied Linguistics, Anthropology and religion at the University of Queensland.
He describes working on the Globe Trekker programs as, "the best gig in the world, I mean, how many people can follow their passion and get paid for it?"
ABOUT – Australian Jonathan Atherton has been described as a multicultural comedian.


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Some people never have legs, and yet they can run the marathon of life faster than the Olympian. Some people never have eyes or ears, but they see secret things and hear silent words that we can never apprehend. Some people never have a voice, but they shout louder than the relentless hubbub of all humanity. Their spirits whisper, slide and sense a world of pain. Their impulse is to crawl back into the womb and long for the day they had never been born. If they could cry, they would. But tears can't form in the orbits of darkness. They are living and partly living; alive, but not fully being.
If you thought the scandal of Planned Parenthood harvesting the body of babies couldn't get any worse – with their "less crunchy" abortions, their "after-birth" infanticide and their subversion of language – this latest video will appall, disgust and distress. Indeed, if you are of a sensitive disposition, don't watch it. Just let the image above remain in your minds as you read what follows.
Some will say that the video is edited and words manipulated to make it all seem what it is not. And yet the context of each excerpt could not rationally assert an alternative truth; nor could conceptual reflection reinterpret the sincerity of the substantive testimony. This is a video which establishes that Planned Parenthood not only terminates pregnancies with a view to selling body parts: they kill living, breathing babies to harvest their brains.
Holly O'Donnell is a licensed phlebotomist who took a job as a "procurement technician" with a company called StemExpress in 2012. It is a company which specialises in foetal tissue: according to LifeNews, the company "acts as a middleman and purchases the body parts of aborted babies from Planned Parenthood to sell to research universities and other places". Whatever her motives, O'Donnell provides primary source testimony of being instructed to harvest the intact brain of male baby whose heart was still beating.
"I want you to see something kind of cool," O'Donnell recounts her supervisor saying. "And she just taps the heart, and it starts beating. And I'm sitting here and I'm looking at this (..slight hesitation..) foetus, and its heart is beating, and I don't know what to think." Bizarrely, she remarks of the beating heart of the aborted baby (or, of you prefer, foetus): "I don't know if that constitutes it's technically dead, or it's alive."
It is an incomprehensible profession of ignorance: in another hospital down the road, these are premature babies which are swiftly wrapped in linen and incubated for dear life. Yet here they are left on cold, kidney-shaped medical trays, and dissected like mice. And so the "procurement technician" of Baby Auschwitz cut through the face of the baby in order to harvest the brain. "I can't even describe what that feels like," she says, remorsefully, atoningly.
She continues: "It had a face.. its nose was pronounced.. it had eyelids and its mouth was pronounced.. It was a male. I remember picking him up.. I remember holding that foetus in my hands.. and started crying.. It's just really hard knowing that you're the only person who's ever going to hold that baby.."
It appears that Planned Parenthood purposely ensures the delivery of live late-term aborted babies (/foetuses) in order to better collect their organs for harvesting — such as beating hearts and processing brains. These babies are manifestly alive until their hearts and brains are cut out. But not only are they born to die on beds of stainless steel; they are born to be killed, like lab rats bred for experimentation.
This baby boy had legs, eyes and ears, but he never had a voice. May his life shout to the world that he was alive, very briefly, but was murdered for Molech in cold blood so that Planned Parenthood could get $100 for his brain.


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18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Matthew 13:18-23
37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Matthew 13:37-43


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Below is a list of year-round festivals, events, and Japanese Holidays. Festival and event dates vary year to year. Check online or at the Yujo Center for current information. January 1-3 New Year's ceremonies at shrines and temples 2 The […]
Below is a list of year-round festivals, events, and Japanese Holidays. Festival and event dates vary year to year. Check online or at the Yujo Center for current information.
1-3 New Year's ceremonies at shrines and temples
2 The public pays respect to the Imperial Family; palace grounds are open
3 Daruma Fair in Kawagoe
6 Dezome-Shiki Edo Fire Brigade near Harumi Pier
15 Seijin-no-Hi – Coming of Age Day
2 Setsubun Bean-Throwing at Kawasaki-Daishi, and Kamakura Hachimangu Plum Blossom Festival, Odawara Castle Park
3 Girls Day
3-4 Daruma Fair, Jindaiji
3 Rice Planting, Chichibu
Second Sunday in March, fire-walking ceremony, Mt Takao
27 Lion Dance in Hakone
Cherry blossom festivals, almost everywhere
17 Yayoi Festival, Nikko
3 Yokohama Port Festival
3-5 Odawara Castle Festival
11-12 Azalea Festival at Hakone
16-18 Asakusa Sanja Matsuri
17-18 Toshogu Spring Festival, Nikko
June, the rainy season
Mid-month (Saturday) Fussa Firefly Festival
1 Opening of Fuji-san
7-12 Tanabata in Hiratsuka, near Atsugi
13-15 Kawagoe Lantern Festival
14 Black Ship Festival (Kujirihama in Yokosuka)
20-22 Fan Festival in Kumagaya, Saitama
23-24 Chichibu River Festival
Art Aquarium in Nihonbashi opens
Showa Kinen Park Fireworks Festival
Sumida River Fireworks Festival
Hokuto City Akeno Sunflower Festival
(Fussa Tanabata Festival, 2016)
1 Summer Festival, Omiya Ayu
Sweetfish Festival, Atsugi
6-7 Tanabata in Fussa
Hachioji Summer Festival
Asagaya Tanabata Festival
Hossawa Waterfall Hinohara village summer festival
9 (About) Ginger Festival in Akiruno
16-17 Yabusame and Feudal Procession in Kamakura
17 Yokohama Carnival
1 Grape Festival in Katsunuma, Yamanashi
14-15 Kawagoe River Festival
17 Autumn Festival, Nikko
3 Daimyo Procession, Hakone
First two weeks, Chrysanthemum Exhibits in areas such as Meiji Shrine in Harajuku, Shinjuku National Gyoen, and Kitain Temple in Kawagoe.
3 Chichibu Night Festival
14 Gishi-sai for 47 Ronin, Sengakuji Temple
17-19 Hagoita Ichi, Asakusa Kannon
January – New Year's Festivities
The New Year celebrations consist of a series of traditional family and religious observances, which last for days. Preparations for New Year's Day, begin in late December. After thoroughly cleaning the house and garden, New Year's decorations are put up, such as:
Shimenawa: A twisted straw rope with white paper strips representing cloth offerings, hung over doorways or at the entrances of shrines. It announces the presence of the gods and keeps evil spirits out.
Kadomatsu: A decoration made of pine branches, straw, bamboo stalks and sometimes plum branches. It is placed at the front gate or doorway and symbolizes prosperity, good health, vigor and longevity. Its size indicates how prosperous the year was for that household.
The toshidana: A special altar. It is placed in the tokonoma or alcove of the main room of the house. It consists of two kagami-mochi (large round rice cakes), set one on top of the other, that are decorated with dried persimmons, a tangerine, dried seaweed, or other fruits or vegetables.
New Year's is a time to clear debts and obligations. Gifts are sent to superiors, friends and relatives to express gratitude. Personally designed New Year's cards are addressed and taken to the post office before the end of December. These cards are delivered during the first three days of January. Children get otoshidama envelopes, containing cash gifts.
There are many traditional dishes that are prepared for the New Year's holiday, and the first meal is a great event. Mochi, a thick, chewy rice cake, is made on the 30th day of December by pounding cooked rice into a gooey paste, then forming it into balls. It is pounded in a large wooden mortar, outdoors, by two or three men using long-handled mallets. Nowadays, mochi can be purchased in stores, or made at home by machine, so the traditional way is less often practiced.
New Year's Eve is traditionally spent at home watching end-of-the-year television shows and spending time with family. Families eat toshikoshi soba, "passing year:" noodle soup. At midnight, every temple bell in Japan is rung 108 times. Some good places to observe the New Year's activities are the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, Yamaguchi Kannon, near Seibu-en and Takahata Fudo Temple in Hino.
On January 2, a daruma doll ceremony is held at Haijima Daishi Temple, just off Rt. 16. Many people bring their old darumas and burn them at a fire at the shrine. New darumas and hamaya arrows (to ward of evil) can be purchased. When you buy a daruma, make a wish and color in one of the eyes. If the wish comes true, color in the other eye.
Traditional games are often played during New Year's, including tako-age (kite flying), hanetsuki (a Japanese form of badminton, with no net), karuta (card games), and koma (tops). A game known as Fukuwari is played when a blindfolded player attempts to draw the eyes, nose, and mouth on a piece of paper which has the outline of a face drawn on it. The greeting, "Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu" continues to be exchanged through the 6th of January.
During the second or third week of January, giant teepees made of pine branches and New Year's decorations are burned on the banks of the Tama River after a ceremony. Since there is no set date, have a Japanese-speaking friend call the Fussa or Hamura City Hall. You can see the teepees about a week before the burning ceremony. DIRECTIONS: Turn right out the Fussa Gate onto Rt. 16 then turn left at George's Auto Sales, 2nd light Shorin Dori Ent. Go 1.6 km and turn left onto Okutama Kaido, which runs along the Tama River. Go for 1.7 km (5 lights) and turn left across the canal. Turn right at the Tama River, drive past the walking bridge on your left, and park at the dam at the bottom of the hill. The best place to stand is on the walking bridge, unless the wind is blowing in that direction. Barbara Kirkwood, Christine Thomas, Karen Ozment, Melody Hostetler, Rita Mayer
January – Seijin-no-Hi Coming of Age Day
The second Monday of January, also known as the Coming of Age Day or Adult Day, is the day when 20 year-old Japanese men and women celebrate their official coming of age by participating in a ceremony at their local ward office or city hall (Seijin-Shiki). They also visit shrines to pray for good lives, careers and marriages.
You will notice many young women in traditional Japanese dress walking around the town. The long flowing sleeves of their kimonos (nearly calf-length vs. thigh length for married women) signify that they are young and single as do the different and more elaborate knots of the obi.
February – Bean Throwing Ceremony
The Japanese celebrate Setsubun, also known as Onioishiki, on Feb. 3. Americans refer to this ceremony as the bean-throwing ceremony. This ceremony is practiced in Japanese homes to drive away demons. Each family places a holly branch and the head of a dried sardine at the entrance of the house. In the evening, the windows of the house are opened to allow devils to escape, and each member of the family throws a few roasted soybeans into each room and out the open windows of the house while chanting "Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi" or "out with the demons, in with good luck!" It is customary to eat one bean for each year of your life, plus one for the coming year. The ceremony is called mamemaki. The next day the beans are swept up and thrown away.
Today this ceremony is also performed at some Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, where large crowds gather to watch Japanese celebrities throw the beans. If you are lucky enough to catch one of the beans, you gain good fortune for the year. One of the best nearby places to observe setsubun is Takahata Fudo in Hino City.
Barbara Kirkwood
Feb/March – Walk in Clouds of Color at Yoshino Baigo
Even with the Kanto Plain's mild winters, spring is a welcome sight. Plum blossoms, unlike short-lived cherry blossoms, are in bloom for several weeks and are a must-see while in Japan. Their delicate pink, white and lavender hues give a dainty loveliness to the surroundings from the end of February through March.
One famous spot for seeing Japan's plum blossoms is right near Yokota Air Base, in Ome City. Trees in almost everyone's yard are part of the beauty of the area. About 25,000 trees, spanning a collection of 100 different varieties, blossom in the town of Yoshino Baigo in Ome City, located on the Tama River. Yoshino Baigo has a small park named Ume-no-Koen, or Plum Park, which is especially lovely during plum-viewing time.
"Baigo" means "plum garden." Also, Yoshino Baigo has a festival to celebrate this season with a number of booths selling the usual festival foods and souvenirs. This festival runs throughout the month of March. There's a special day of celebration on a mid-March Sunday, with performances of traditional dancing.
TRAIN DIRECTIONS: Take the Ome Line JR train to Hinatawada; then walk north to the bridge that crosses the Tama River (on your left). You are in Yoshino as soon as you cross the bridge. This main street is where the festival is held. To get to Plum Park, continue on the street until you reach a T-intersection. Turn left and look across the street for a tiny paved street on the right-hand side of the road.
DRIVING DIRECTIONS: Parking is scarce on the main festival day and are also limited at other times. Turn right out the Fussa or Terminal Gates and go north on Route 16. Seven lights after the Terminal Gate, turn left on Ome Kaido and continue on Ome Kaido until you reach Hinatawada, in about 20 to 30 minutes. Watch for the Hinatawada train station on your right. It is above the road level and is painted yellow. Turn left across the first bridge over the Tama River after the train station. You are now in Yoshino.
Sondra Halweg
March – April Sakura
When cherry trees bloom, all of Japan celebrates. Time itself seems to honor the brief but beautiful life of the fragile sakura. Under canopies of soft pink, blankets are spread, families and friends gather to eat, drink, sing, and often just contemplate the beauty and peace. There are many places well known for cherry blossom viewing – Kyoto, Kamakura, Ueno. But some of the prettiest and most accessible are just outside the Yokota gates. Fussa and Hamura annually greet the cherry blossoms with festivals.
The Tama River has walkways that wind through woodland, past playgrounds, residences, and small shrines. The walks are lined on both sides with mature cherry trees. Normally quiet and fairly deserted, during the Cherry Blossom Festivals, these become the "place to be."
For several days, small booths sell traditional Japanese food, toys and flowers under the protection of the blooming trees. There is occasionally a tea ceremony demonstration, or you might discover a Noh theatre in the grassy areas along the path. The way becomes crowded with many who wish to share in the spirit, but the view is never blocked. The celebrations begin in the morning and continue until about 10 p.m. The walkway originates near the dam on the Tama River and follows a canal along Okutama Kaido. The most popular area is near the dam where the merchant stalls draw crowds for food and drink. But the entire walkway is worthwhile for its beauty.
The dates of the festival vary according to the blooming of the trees. Normally, it last for four days over the weekend nearest the height of the cherry blossoms.
Parking is tough. It is an easy 15-minute bike ride from the base. Driving should take about 20 minutes, depending on traffic.
DIRECTIONS: Turn left out the Terminal Gate. Go to the first stop light and turn right. Follow this street across two sets of train tracks until you come to a "T" intersection. Turn right. You are now on Okutama Kaido and the canal is on your left. Continue to the second stoplight. You'll see a bridge with yellow pavement here across the canal. Turn left over the bridge and follow the road around and down the hill past the athletic field. You may find parking along this street. You will be able to see the cherry trees and the path now. Follow the throng up the canal to the main area of the festival.
Donna Alexander
More Places to Enjoy Cherry Blossoms
1. Sayama Ko – This ordinary dam becomes a promenade during sakura (cherry blossom) season. While many Japanese crowd the area on weekends, fewer people visit during the week. It's a nice place to take children for a picnic. On weekends, food booths appear around the lake, selling corn-on-the-cob, grilled squid, snack foods and soft drinks. DIRECTIONS: Turn left out the East Gate. At the first signal light, turn right. At the next light, turn left. Continue on this road to the "T" intersection. At the "T", turn right onto Ome Kaido. After you pass the third light, you will see a 7-11 store on the right and the fourth light just ahead. Turn left onto a very small street just before the fourth light. Continue on this road. It will widen soon and you will enter a large park area. After about 6 or 7 km, you will pass the Tamako Jinja Shrine on your right. You will come to a fork in the road, a major intersection. Turn left. Going straight would take you around to Seibu-En and Seibu Stadium. Yamaguchi Kannon will be on your right. Just after this you will see a restaurant on your right and parking down a hill to your left. Park and walk to the dam. Cross over to the other side and there is another large park.
2. Mutsumibashi-Dori – A special viewing place, especially at night. DIRECTIONS: Go straight out the Supply Gate and cross two sets of railroad tracks. After 1.3 km, turn left onto Denen-dori, where you see a school on your right and four-way crosswalk overhead. Pass a Marufuji Store on the left. At the "T", turn right. Just before the bridge, enter the park on the left. Park your car and walk along the river to your right to find the cherry blossoms.
3. Yanagi Yama Park – Fifteen minutes from Yokota, this park on the Tama River offers paths for strolling or biking, and swings and slides for children. DIRECTIONS: Turn left out of the Main Gate and first right at Tamabashidori Ent. Continue down this road through one set of lights, over a train track, then through another set of lights, over another set of train tracks and on through two more sets of lights. At the fifth set of lights (at the bottom of a hill/bridge) turn right. You will see a white building with blue, glass frontage (the Fussa gym) on the left. Yanagi Yama is behind the gym. Parking is limited.
4. Chidori Ga Fuchi- A little further away, but easy to get to, this park has a science and art museum. It is across the street from a huge torii gate and shrine dedicated to those who died during World War II. On a small lake, you can row a boat under the blossoms. Rental boats are available Tuesday-Sunday, 9:30am-4pm. Cost is ¥200 for 30 minutes, or ¥400 for one hour. TRAIN DIRECTIONS: Take the Ome Line to Tachikawa and change to the Chuo Line toward Tokyo. At Nakano, change to Tozai Subway (track 4). Get off at the sixth stop, Kudanshita. Go out Exit 2. The park will be in front of you at the top of the stairs. Turn right and walk a short distance. You will see a sign in English saying "Chidori Ga Fuchi" pointing left. This is the prettiest walk with the trees forming an arch over the walkway. On the right you will see a large black torii.
5. Takao Rinyakyoku- This Forest Test Center offers the view of thousands of trees, which until recent years were enjoyed only by the Emperor. For a little exercise, hike to the picnic area at the top of a hill for a bird's eye view. Since there are no food stands, bring lunch. A map of the area is ¥50 or free of charge with the purchase of cherry blossom photographs (six for ¥500). Takao Rinyakyoku is open 9:30am-3:30pm Monday- Saturday during April. TRAIN DIRECTIONS: Take the Ome Line to Tachikawa and change to the Chuo Line toward Takao. Ride the train five stops. After you exit the train, look for the north exit near Tracks 1 and 2. Go out the north exit and walk to the street straight out the station, Takao Kaido. Walk up a hill. Bear left. Takao Rinyakyoku is about 15 minutes from the train station.
Pat Nolan, Lori St. Laurent, Sondra Halweg, Barbara Kirkwood, Christine Thomas
March – Girls' Festival
Hinamatsuri, known as the Doll Festival, or Girls' Day, is celebrated March 3. It is part of a seasonal festival called momo-no-sekku or peach festival, for the abundant peach blossoms. Families, especially those with young girls, will display a group of beautiful dolls, usually inherited, on tiers. Each doll represents a member of the ancient imperial court. On the top shelf are the Emperor and Empress (dairi-bina), below them are two eminent lords (udaijin and sadaijin), three ladies-in-waiting (sannin-kanjo), five musicians (gonin-bayashi), and lastly their three servants. At the bottom of the display on the lower shelves are miniature replicas of furniture, foods, and palanquins. Although Hinamatsuri is a festival from medieval times, the custom of displaying dolls only dates to the 18th century. In the beginning, the dolls were handmade and thrown into the river along with other offerings on March 3. Nowadays, commercially made dolls are very expensive so they are taken down and stored carefully away for the next year. It is said that the dolls should be taken down as soon after the festival as possible, preferably on the night of March 3. The story goes: if you leave the dolls out too long, your daughters will have bad luck in getting married. One friend, whose mother used to leave her dolls up for over a month after the holiday, strongly believes in this superstition, as she is 30 years old and still single.
Viki Lyn Paulson-Cody
March – Fertility Festival
Fertility festivals are held throughout Japan in March. The most popular is the Honen Matsuri, known as the Nagoya Fertility Festival. The purpose of the festival is, well, to promote fertility, complete with pomp, ceremony, and ah … unusual paraphernalia. On March 15, the festival peaks with a grand procession from one shrine to another along the banks of rice paddies to ensure a good harvest. Priests offer prayers for abundant crops while presenting sake to the crowd. Farmers do their part by contributing donations to the Shinto gods. Crop fertility, however, isn't the only fertility being honored. The priest also sprinkles rice on the spectators to ensure their fertility. Meanwhile, parade participants carry symbols of a different nature. Any lingering doubts about the festival's purpose disappear after one look at the parade's centerpiece: a male fertility symbol 12 feet long. Candy replicas of this, and its female counter part, can be purchased to take home. Two shrines, the Tagata (male) and the Gakuden (female), sponsor this celebration. Not surprisingly, the Tagata Shrine is the more important. Its large and varied collection of unusually shaped rocks, stones, and branches is on display on the grounds of the shrine. Held March 14-15, this festival is a splendid way to spend some time off. ITT runs a tour to this festival.
Norma Jean Myrick
March – Fire-walking Festival (Hiwatari Matsuri)
Mount Takao has one of the few local fire-walking festivals and it's not to be missed. Yamabushi Hiwatari is held at the Yakuoin Temple, near the summit of Mount Takao, on the second Sunday of March. Buddhist priests walking over red-hot embers lead the ceremony. To reach the summit you can take a 10-minute cable car ride to the top. The cable car costs about ¥800 round-trip for adults. Children's fare is about ¥410 round-trip. Follow the path up the hill to the Yakuoin Temple, about a fifteen-minute walk. You'll find souvenir shops and benches all along this trail. No equipment required, only energy and comfortable shoes. Festivities begin at 1 p.m. with a drum beating chorus. Next, a procession of Buddhist priests in ornate robes slowly makes its way to the altar for a purification ceremony. The priests gather around a very large wooden frame, which is covered with wood and pine boughs. There will be about 45 minutes of prayers, chants and rituals. Then the priests light the fire. As the fire grows larger they feed it with old prayer sticks for good wishes. The flames leap higher and higher, throwing ash into the air. Beware to those of you at the front: it will become an ash shower and can get smoky downwind. After about 20 minutes, the priests poke through the embers, creating two pathways. The priests walk across the embers and after their ceremony is over, they invite the spectators to try. The line will be very long, so if you want to participate in the fire-walking itself you should try to gather at the gate during the ceremony, not after. There will be four salt piles: one at the beginning and end of each of the two procession lines. Before walking across the coals, step into the salt and then again when you finish. Be sure to carry a washcloth or small towel to clean your feet when you are finished! Don't be afraid. On my visit, I watched a little girl of three or four try it with her mom, and she looked as though it was a breeze.
TRAIN DIRECTIONS: Leave from the Higashi Fussa station and take the train to Hachioji. Change to the Chuo Line on track four to Takao. The trains are very frequent, about one every ten minutes. Be careful not to get on an express train to Kofu! Except for the express trains, all the others stop at Takao and the train will be marked for Takao (in English). At Takao you will have to change trains again to the Keio Line to reach Takao-San. When you get off the train at Takao follow the signs (in English) to the Keio Line, going past the ticket booths. At Takao you will take the train to Takao San Guchi, the end of the line. The approximate cost of the trip is ¥400, one way, for adults. Travel time is about an hour.
Viki Lyn Paulson-Cody
May – Children's Day (Kodomono-Hi)
This national holiday on May 5 marks the end of Golden Week, a week of intermittent holidays and workdays during which many companies take vacations. This day was originally celebrated as the Boys' Festival. May 5 is also celebrated as tango-no-sekku or the Iris Festival and according to the old lunar calendar, this is the beginning of summer. To drive away evil spirits and to celebrate the future of their sons, each family will hang one or more koi-no-bari, carp streamers made of cloth, similar to our windsocks, from flagpoles and balconies. These koi-no-bori can range in size from two feet to 60 feet. They can be simple or ornamental. Indoors, gogatsuningyo (samurai dolls) are displayed.
Boys take a bath with floating iris leaves called shobuiyu. They eat kashiwa-mochi (rice cakes in oak leaves) and chimaki (dumplings in bamboo leaves). These decorations and foods are prepared by parents with the hope that their children will grow up healthy and strong. Samurai, carp, irises, oak trees and bamboo are known in Japan as symbols of strength.
Viki Lyn Paulson-Cody
June – The Fussa Firefly Festival
This little festival is held mid-month, on a Saturday. Billed as a "graceful dance of about 500 fireflies." The epicenter of the festival is a park in Fussa where butterflies are bred. The festival runs about 1-9pm. Location: About 1km from the Supply Gate. GPS: 35.7309,139.3305. Sponsored by Fussa City, so you can check the city website for details. (Check either the English section, or open the site in Google Translate.) Liz Ruskin, 2012
August – Fussa's Tanabata Festival
Yokotans join their Fussa neighbors in the city streets to celebrate the yearly rendezvous of the lovers, Vega and Altair. This festival grew from Chinese folklore brought to Emperor Koken's Imperial Court in 775 AD. The love story is about a talented weaver, Vega, who met Altair, a herdsman, through Vega's father. The young couple fell in love and Vega subsequently neglected her weaving. Vega's father was angered so he demanded the lovers separate, allowing them to meet only once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar.
Originally, girls wrote their wishes on paper strips hung on bamboo branches. Later, colorful streamers were used. There are three shrines carried, which are different from other festivals: one by adult Japanese males, one by adult Japanese females, and one by Americans. The festival includes dashi (a wagon with drums and music), dancers (about 130 groups), festival foods and fun. This is truly a Japanese-American festival and a Yokota-Fussa friendship event. If you want to be a "shrine carrier" and part of it all, just contact the Wing Public Affairs Office.
Thora Davidson-White
August – Yokota Friendship Festival
The Yokota Friendship Festival features fly-bys, static aircraft displays, music and dancing. The Japanese will wait in long lines to have their photos taken with airmen in front of their plane. There are many booths selling food, t-shirts, and other souvenirs. Some 200,000 people attend the annual 2-day summer event. A fireworks show wraps up the festival on Sunday evening. Watch the base bulletin and Fuji Flyer for specific dates. Invite your Japanese friends for a great day of entertainment!
Christine Thomas
August – Ome Fireworks
On the first Saturday night in August, Ome City has a magnificent display of fireworks. It lasts over an hour! To get to the viewing area, follow the crowds walking up the hill behind the Ome train station. Take a mat to sit on as hundreds of people sit on the ground of the athletic field. Go early so you'll have room to spread out your mat or blanket. Bring a picnic and enjoy the night!
Christine Thomas
August – The Festival of Lanterns
This is the month of Bon, when the spirits of the dead revisit their families and are entertained for a few days and then return to the other shore. Bon Matsuri, or Festival of Lanterns, is a time to show respect for and to acknowledge gratitude to ancestors. It is also a joyous time when those who have passed away return to visit with the living. Bon Matsuri is not a national holiday and is therefore not celebrated at the same time throughout Japan. It is celebrated from July 13-15 in Tokyo. In most other parts of Japan, the three-day event is celebrated in August during the summer break so that people can return to their hometowns. In preparation for O-bon, homes and graveyards are cleaned. Decorations, offerings and food are purchased at bon-ichi (Bon market) or kusa-ichi (grass market). Buddhist graveyards are elaborately decorated. Branches from Japanese umbrella pine, koyamaki, and sakaki trees can be found along with mochi, fruit and incense. On the first night, families flock to cemeteries with white lanterns to light the way for returning ancestors. In the main room of the house, the butsudan, or family altar, is displayed along with the ihai, record of ancestry. The house is carefully decorated and appropriate foods prepared to make the returning spirits feel welcome. Presents are exchanged between friends, and merchants give gifts to valued customers. Workers are often given a day off and a gift. Vendors offer all types of souvenirs, including crickets in wooden cages, red fish, bonsai trees and ferns. Fortunetellers promise a look into the future, and zodiac charms are available to insure good luck. At the end of the three-day visit, Dango, farewell rice balls, are offered to the spirits for their journey. People flock to rivers to flat small boats with lighted lanterns aboard.
A lively and important part of the Bon season is the Bon-odori, a rhythmic dance in which participants sing, clap hands and stamp feet in unison to folk songs, accompanied by beating drums that go faster and faster. The dances performed in Kosi in Nagano Prefecture, and Tokushima in Tokushima Prefecture, August 14-16 are among the most distinctive and very popular with visitors. Another noteworthy celebration takes place on Shiraishi-jima, an island in the Inland Sea, on August 13-16.
Tina Isaacson, Rita Mayer
September – Chouyo
Chouyo, the Chrysanthemum Festival, on the ninth day of the ninth month, was adopted by the Japanese from a Chinese festival during the Tokugawa period. The chrysanthemum signifies fall and winter and the wheel-like form of its shape is a symbol of the radiating sun (it is also the emblem of the present imperial family). Like Ground Hog Day, the weather on this day is said to forecast the weather of the coming winter. Good weather promises an easy winter, rainy weather means cold and snow, while a northeasterly wind predicts an abundance of fruit.
September – Juugoya
A pale moonlit night in autumn has a special appeal to the poetic temperament of the Japanese people. Juugoya, the 15th night or night of the full moon late in September, is an occasion for moon-viewing parties. Although the practice of greeting the moon is no longer observed as widely as in the past, it still delights many people. Just before twilight, a small table is set out where the rays of the harvest moon will fall. Fifteen dango (rice dumplings) are placed on the table with fruit and vegetables as an offering to the Moon Goddess. A vase with the Seven Grasses of Autumn (susuki: including cattails & pampas grass) will also be set on the table. When the moon rises, family and friends will admire the beauty of the moon while enjoying refreshments.
September – Keiro-no-Hi
September 15, Keiro-no-Hi or Respect for the Aged Day, is a national holiday for showing reverence to the elderly. (Be especially careful not to sit in the Silver Seat at the end of a railway car this day if an older person is present. These seats are reserved for handicapped and elderly persons at all times. They are usually marked by a different color and dark blue sign on the window above the seat.) Shuubun-no-Hi, or the Autumn Equinox, is another national holiday. Some Japanese make pilgrimages to the graves of their ancestors at this time. Housewives also make and distribute delicacies to friends and neighbors as tokens of kindness and regard for life.
Carol Ingmanson, Teresa K. Negley
September – The Ginger Festival
The Ginger Festival is to be found at the Ninomiya Shrine on September 9. About 100 years ago, the people of the area began celebrating an annual festival at the Ninomiya Shrine believing the eating of ginger would bring good health and well-being for the coming year. Ginger plants and craft items, can be purchased from a several venders. You'll find popcorn, cotton candy and honey-roasted chestnuts for sale. Try the squid cooked on skewers – surprisingly tasty. Throughout the day, there are many different types of traditional entertainment. The puppet show is a favorite of young and old alike. The stage is set up high to give everyone a good view. The puppets are about two-thirds the size of a human and magnificently crafted. The puppeteers can be seen, but they are shrouded in black to blend in with the background. Drums and other traditional instruments accompany the performance. Events at the festival continue all day. Between 4-8pm a smaller portable shrine is carried through the streets and up the 46 steps to the permanent shrine.
DIRECTIONS: From Fussa go to Haijima Station, then change to the Itsukaichi Line. Take this train to Kumagawa, then to Higashiakiru Station. The Ninomiya Shrine is only a four-minute walk from the station.
Debbie Reed
November – Shichi-Go-San
The "7-5-3" festival was traditionally held on November 15, but is now celebrated throughout the month of November. It is a festival for 3- and 7-year old girls, and 5-year-old boys. Girls are dressed in their finest kimonos and boys are dressed in their finest haregi. Parents and grandparents, also dressed in their finest, take their children to Shinto shrines to give thanks for their good health and pray for happiness and future blessings. The younger girls are usually dolled up at home, by mom or grandma. The older girls, however, may get to make a special trip to the beauty parlor where they get their hair styled, their faces made up and their kimonos perfect. The next stop is a professional photographer, who will capture the moment of the special day. Here the girls are given a stick of candy called chitose-ame (literally 1,000 years of age candy). The girls display these long candy sticks in festive bags for their pictures. Upon arrival, we were overwhelmed by the number of beautiful young girls and handsome young boys! We made our way to the registration area where our friends' daughters waited their turn to go into the shrine. After more pictures and some squirming by young people, the girls were finally called. There were approximately eight families in the room, with boys and girls. I tried not to look like a 'tourist' as I looked over each of these young boys and girls to see their kimonos and haregi. We knelt before a Shinto priest and he began the ceremony, which I never understood but will truly remember for the rest of my life. He blessed the children as a whole and prayed for their health and happiness in a ceremony that lasted only fifteen minutes. Within the first five minutes, my feet had gone to sleep and as I looked around thinking I might shift to a more comfortable position, I realized quickly this was a place where this should not be done. I wondered how I might walk when it was over! After the group blessing, the priest called each of the children by name to the front and gave them a blessing. Then, when all the children were done, we left the room. Next, we took a walk around the grounds and looked at some of the old original buildings within the Shrine grounds. After some more photos, we headed home, where everyone changed out of their kimonos into some 'Sunday' clothes could go out to celebrate with a traditional Japanese feast.This festival is quite an experience, and even if you cannot participate yourself, going to local and more famous shrines on Sundays in November (or a Japanese holiday in November) to see the boys and girls is a real treat. Some of the most popular areas in Tokyo are Meiji Jingu (Meiji Shrine) near Harajuku Station, Kanda Myojin near Ochanomizu Station, and Asakusa Jinja near Asakusa Station.
Viki Lyn Paulson-Cody
December – Emperor's Birthday
In Japan, although Christmas is not a national holiday, some western traditions are being adopted. Confectioners have started a "tradition" that a Christmas cake is to be eaten by the family on Christmas Eve. Santa Claus brings one gift per child. The only national holiday this month is the Emperor's Birthday on December 23. On this day, the castle gates are opened and the Emperor gives a speech to the public. This is quite an experience. He repeats the speech several times throughout the day to accommodate the masses of people lined up to view him and his family.
December – Chichibu Yo- Matsuri
An all-night festival is held on the 2nd and 3rd of December, highlighted by a parade of six huge lantern-lit floats. On the 3rd all the floats assemble at the Chichibu Shrine around 7pm, and proceed along the city's main streets. There is a fireworks display from 8:20-10pm in Hitsujiyama Park. From 2-3pm, kabuki is performed on a temporary stage in front of the Musashino Bank.
December – Gishi-Sai
A festival is held at Sengakuji Temple in Tokyo on December 14 celebrating the famous vendetta carried out by the 47 Ronin "masterless samurai" of Ako in 1702. The parade, reenacting the event, starts from Nihombashi Memmo Co., near Higashi-Nihombashi Station on the Toei Asakusa Line at 6pm. They cross the Ryogoku Bridge and arrive at Matsuzakacho Park around 6:20. After a reception they ride the subway to Sengakuji Station and arrive at Sengakuji Temple, the burial place of these masterless samurai, at around 7:30pm. A memorial service is then held.


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Hide Forgot
Test with Kernel 2.2.5-22, 2.2.11-1 (rawhide)
During the course of trying to do a NFS install with
both the original img files and your updates the
following happens (same target machine, different NFS
mounted CDROM machines (2) ).
Target machine has a signal 7
Source machine generates:
(example from one)
cave kernel: find_fh_dentry: 03:40, 188620/192636 not found
-- need full search!
also dmesg|more shows:
lookup_inode: looping?? (ino=178380, path=/libc-2.1.1.so)
lookup_by_inode: found libc-2.1.1.so (repeatedly)
copying the CD to the hard-drive and the install works.
Target machine
486DX66 16MB RAM 1GB HD 3c503 NIC
Source 1:
486DX66 28MB RAM 3c503 NIC PANASONIC 2X SB-CDROM CR-562A
Kernel 2.2.5-22 (Hedwig)
Source 2:
586DX66 32MB RAM 3c503 NIC 4X IDE CR-581 MATSHITA
Kernel 2.2.11-1 (Rawhide)
Of interest to note is that I can NFS mount the CDROM
in a non-install situation and access without problems
(reading and copying) and at no time do I have problems
with HD NFS mounted partitions.
BTW: what happened to the smb install option? While I was
tearing out my three hairs I wanted to try that and it is
I have tested all my hardware and apparently everything is
functional. I have done NFS installs on 2 of 4 machines
on prior versions with the same equipment. The NIC cards
all are functional otherwise as well.
I am not sure if this is an installer issue or a combo
installer or kernel and/or knfsd problem.
A signal 7 during the installation indicates the the machine is running out of
memory, so this is probably what is happening. Reopen this bug if you are
continuing to have problems on a machine with more memory.


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Photo Credit: Depositphotos.com
Creating gorgeous lips is all about getting the shape, structure and volume right. Next, to the eyes, lips are the area of the face that tends to get the most attention. This is especially true when celebs like Angelina Jolie and Scarlett Johansson are in the limelight causing the rest of us to gaze at our deflated lips with disdain. But we do have good options that are safe, soft, and ultra natural-looking and the selection just got even better.
So, what's new in lip fillers?
Restylane® Silk was the first FDA-approved hyaluronic acid (HA) dermal filler specifically designed for lip augmentation and the smoothing of wrinkles around the mouth. Now it is the first lip filler to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use with a cannula.
The approval was based on a 12-week study that took place in four centers across the U.S., with 60 males and females, 23 years of age or older. At 12 weeks, 98% of subjects were observed to have improvement in both the upper and lower lip by the treating investigator, as assessed by the Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale (GAIS), a global 7-point scale for aesthetic improvement in appearance. Following treatment, 81.7% of patients did not experience any adverse events, and most reported incidents were considered only mild, with the exception of swelling, and were resolved within 7 days.
Hyaluronic acid gel fillers are widely considered the 'go to' treatment for lip augmentation, mainly due to their predictability, soft results, and what injectors often refer to as an 'exit strategy.' By that I mean if too much is injected or the lips are asymmetrical, or in the unlikely event that you just don't like the look, there is an easy antidote. Your doctor can inject an enzyme called Hyaluronidase to break down the tiny gel particles in record time, so you don't have to wait for the HA to get resorbed over time, which could be 6-12 months.
Cannulas have added a new level of precision to facial injectables. According to San Diego, CA dermatologist Sabrina Fabi, MD, "The ability to use a cannula is a welcome addition to my toolkit, as studies have shown that a small blunt tip cannula demonstrates a suitable safety profile while achieving the desired fullness to the upper and lower lips.â€
Although lip aesthetics can be very taste specific, there are certain mathematics that aesthetic doctors and plastic surgeons look at when they study your lips. "When I evaluate a patient, I look for aging changes that can be improved to offer the patient a total facial rejuvenation. I feel the volume loss and lip distance from nose are major issues in central facial beauty. Over time, the area between the nose and upper lip gets lax, and the upper lip becomes thinner and longer, with less pink tissue showing. Â This creates a longer distance between the tip of the nose to where the vermillion border begins. Hyaluronic acid fillers like Restylane Silk can provide safe and excellent results, for lip rejuvenation" says New York City facial plastic surgeon Sam Rizk. MD, FACS.
He adds, "In some cases when this distance is more dramatic, I may recommend an upper lip lift to rejuvenate an upper lip that is too long, enhance the vermillion border and lift the lip for a broader smile and younger appearance. If there are receding or weak teeth, I will often refer them to a cosmetic dentist."
Look for a dermatologist, plastic surgeon or healthcare professional who offers Restylane Silk


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Yondelis general information.
Yondelis® (trabectedin) is a synthetic antineoplastic drug originally isolated from the marine tunicate Ecteinascidia turbinata. Trabectedin has a unique mechanism of action based on interaction with the minor groove of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), bending the helix to the major groove. This binding to DNA triggers a cascade of events affecting several transcription factors, DNA binding proteins, and DNA repair pathways, resulting in perturbation of the cell cycle.
Summary of Products Characteristics.
Local prescribing information should be considered for the exact approval in the country.


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Bhutan the realm of tranquility
Bhutan the 'land of happiness' is a synonym to the gaiety festivities, the dazzling hues of tranquil monasteries, the valley covered with rhododendron forests, luxurious traditions and cultures, and more. The last existing Buddhist kingdom often seems to be wrapped in the mysteries and magic. Bhutan is the travel aspiration for many people around the world. The serene kingdom boasts of breathtaking valleys, unexplored provinces, and pristine hills. Due to its charm, Bhutan witnesses a great influx of visitors throughout the year. With the blend of culture and modernity, Bhutan has been rapidly progressing as a tourism hub. Being the best hospitality in the world, hotels have been set up for accommodating the visitors. So, if you have planned to explore Bhutan, make sure you check Bhutan hotels tariff before jumping into conclusion.
Illustrating Bhutan Tariff for hotel bookings
The little kingdom is unique in every aspect. But, when it comes to booking hotels in Bhutan, the tariffs will be shockingly expensive. It might leave you wondering whether you can avail for something affordable. Well! Forget about your thoughts now! We are illustrating the best of Bhutan hotels tariff worth choosing.
Let us first check into Thimphu, the capital city
Hotel Thimphu Towers:
Ideally located near to the market, this is one of the best hotels in Thimphu Bhutan with exclusive tariffs. Avail the flawless services in hygienic rooms with value for your money. Approx tariff: 7,000 INR.
Ramada Valley Thimphu:
With free Wi-Fi, Bar, lounge, free car parking zone and other amenities as per your request, Ramada Valley is the delight of the travelers. With homely ambiance, it provides the excellent services. Approx tariff: 9,600 INR.
Tara Phendeyling Hotel:
Enhance your trip to Bhutan by choosing the accommodations wisely. Check in at Tara Phendeyling Hotel and enjoy the exclusive and standard services. Approx tariff: 5,500 INR.
Ariya Hotel:
If you think Bhutan, think Ariya. With warm hospitality, Ariya retains the tranquil realm. Secluded from the hustle and bustle, it provides a perfect relaxation. Approx tariff: 7,800 INR.
So, above is a brief list of hotels in Thimpu Bhutan with tariff. So, now let us help you to find out the hotels in Paro Bhutan with tariff. I hope you'd find this beneficial.
Zhiwa Ling:
Highly recommended by most of the travelers, Zhiwa Ling is one of the best hotels in Paro Bhutan with amazing rates and excellent services. It is a magic amid mountains. Approx tariff: 16,300.
Kichu Resort Paro:
Regarded as the best by many travelers, Kichu Resort Paro is worth your expenses. With a river rustling nearby, it is an ideal place to rejuvenate and enjoy the nature. Approx tariff: 5,400 INR.
Gangtey Palace Hotel:
With authentic and excellent services, enjoy the charm and aura of the tranquil realm. It is, In fact, one of the best hotels in Bhutan. Approx tariff: 4,500 INR.
Olathang Hotel:
Snuggled amid the greenery, the hotel maintains a beautiful garden. You'd surely love to fall under the spell of nature. With the exclusive services, you will surely love this place. Approx tariff: 5,100 INR.
So, apart from mentioned above places, Bhutan accommodates several hotels ranging from budget to the luxury hotels. To avoid unnecessary problems, you should either book your accommodations early or opt for an authorized tour operator.
Book best Hotels in Bhutan with tariff from Travel & Living Bhutan
Although the inflow of tourists in Bhutan is Limited, yet it is not easy to find the hotels in Bhutan with exclusive tariffs. While checking in online, you may come across several travel directories claiming to give a lucrative discount on tariffs. And yet, their price refuses to decrease. Even though it may decrease to some extent, there will be hidden costs included.
So, in order to avoid the inconveniences, rather choose Travel and Living Bhutan for the best tariffs on hotels worth your investment. We, travel and living, have been consistently working in collaboration with the authorized travel agencies of Bhutan, we have been introduced to the tariffs on hotel bookings. Thus, if you compare the tariffs of the travel directories with us, you will surely choose us. We not only book your hotels but also ensure the luxury services at minimum tariffs. There is never hidden cost involved from our end.
Why trust Travel and Living Bhutan for best Bhutan tariff for booking accommodations?
Our work is to help and support you obtain the best of everything, we have accomplished in doing so. Since the commencement, we have been serving the clients from around the world. With our ideal location near to Bhutan, we are well acquainted with the booking formalities, the exact tariffs on hotels, and much more. Fervently serving the customers for many years, we have gained a vast professional experience. Till today we have more than 5000 happy customers, satisfied clients, particularly for Bhutan. We also help you with budget hotels in Bhutan with tariffs and exclusive services, while you are on a budget holiday. We aspire to fulfill all your travel aspirations to Bhutan.
So, have an amazing vacation! Call: +919233920559 to Know Bhutan Hotel Tariff & Related Assistance


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Hacking Network / IP / Internet Camera
We can see a lot of security camera around. Some of the security camera come with built-in support for Power over Ethernet, that make it ideal for indoor or outdoor professional surveillance and remote monitoring applications.
Today I want to teach you how to hack these unsecured network / IP / internet cameras. hahaha.. just follow these steps:


text: Advert for 'Like an Old Fashioned Waltz' Back to gallery Wherever possible we have attempted to identify individual photographers and to ask permission to display their photographs. Thanks to all those who have agreed. If your photograph is here and either it's uncredited or you wish us to remove it, please contact us.


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A piece I wrote the day before I was diagnosed with cancer for the second time…
Something nobody ever tells you about surviving cancer is that this disease stays with you. That no matter how many years pass and how long your hair grows and how much you start to feel confident and strong and powerful in your skin again, there remains a feeling of insecurity. Like a Wednesday morning breakdown on a public bus, hiding tears behind sunglasses as autumn sunlight seeps through the window, because your doctor hasn't called you back and you're so deeply afraid of returning to the place where you felt the most fragile. People don't tell you that the hardest part is living with this pervasive worry that courses through your mind day in and day out, that you might lose it all again, that you might have to return to that island of isolation, again.
That's not to say life in between the anxiety isn't beautiful. In fact it's quite the contrary. Life is ineffably magnificent. In between the moments of doubt, being in recovery feels good. Sometimes it can even feel euphoric and miraculous, like the first day of summer, like being a kid again and climbing to the top of the highest tree in your garden, or being a grown up and crawling into bed beside the warm body of a lover. That's the gift of close encounters with death. That's the prize. You're able to cherish the way the light hits the water, smell the rich wood of a pine tree like you've never smelt it before, understand the that the sound of a child laughing in a playground is nirvana. You're able to turn a monotonous morning commute into an observation of human life, the old man in the tweed jacket with his pumpkin briefcase, the woman with the tight knot of curls, scarlet lips and sad eyes. Food becomes more flavourful; a Friday afternoon, ecstasy. Life is illuminated by this unshakable understanding that each moment is short-lived, fleeting and fading and you can't let a second of it slip by. You become hungry and voracious and desirous of everything. You want to grab it, squeeze it, pour it down your throat, in an attempt to quench this insatiable thirst for experience.
But I wish I could articulate what it also feels like to be 25 and terrified the swollen lymph node in your neck is a sign of relapse. A sign you might have everything pried from your hands once again. A sign you might lose the battle this time. What it's like to watch people your age stress over outfit choices, nights out, college deadlines, over their future plans and career goals and relationships. Things you too would like to focus on but can't, because all you're doing is wishing and hoping and silently praying that your body is ok. That you are ok. That you'll be able to stick around for the future too.
Cancer gives you perspective. Little things matter less. You stop hurrying, rushing, dreaming of the future, forgetting to be present. You find yourself more conscious in each moment, wishing for it stay, for the afternoon to pass by more slowly, for the sun to never set. You stop getting worked up over every little thing. When I see people getting mad at the traffic, pissed off that their train is late, castigating the waiter for taking too long, cursing a commuter for walking too slowly, words seem to rise from my throat in protest. I want to shout out, 'Wake up and look around you!' Isn't it incredible that every one passing you by has a story? That every individual is so layered and complex, so full of sadness and joy, longing and hope. Look at you, walking down the street, using your limbs, your healthy body. Can you not see the gift in being here? But I stifle these thoughts. Who am I to tell people how to feel? Nobody likes a self-righteous Pollyanna preaching clichés about looking on the bright side. No, that's not the point. Humans are mosaics of sentiment, multifaceted beings designed to experience every emotion. We're supposed to get mad sometimes. We're supposed to explode with anger and laugh so hard our tummies ache and occasionally sob like broken-hearted teenagers. But, there are moments when we can step outside of our story and learn to simply let shit go. A person cuts you off, a pigeon shits on your coat, your train is delayed, a stranger hogs the armrest. It's ok just to accept the moment as it is and not allow yourself to be enraged by something that ultimately doesn't matter. Cancer has given me the ability to step out of this narrative of victimhood and let gratitude gush from my veins and the beauty of every plain fantastic ordinary little thing become illuminated.
There are so many reasons I'm grateful for cancer and yet, and yet, living with this fear is debilitating. It robs you of a sense of freedom that your twenties is supposed to be about. Carefree, blissful, wild hedonism. How I long sometimes to just worry about the small things, instead of the big huge heavy things.
But, maybe that's a fair trade. Maybe living with fear is worth it, if it means that I get to live a life that is also defined by love and appreciation, etched with silver linings. An explosive life, made of luminous colours and awareness. Perhaps, knowing and feeling the fear is a necessary element to seeing the miracle. Perhaps without insecurity, the world wouldn't glimmer quite so brightly.
Perhaps, a life adorned with the roses of pain is even more spectacular.


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It's one of the most famous opening lines in literature:
Als Gregor Samsa eines Morgens aus unruhigen Träumen erwachte, fand er sich in seinem Bett zu einem ungeheueren Ungeziefer verwandelt"
Or to put it another way:
As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect."
So begins The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka's 1915 novella of angst par excellence, in which a travelling salesman struggles to adapt to his horrific new identity against the backdrop of his middle-class family's repulsion – although depending upon which translation you happen to be reading, poor old Gregor could be waking up to find himself transformed into anything from a giant bug to a monstrous cockroach to a large verminous insect. ("Ungeheuren Ungeziefer" has no literal translation in English, but broadly speaking it means an enormous or monstrous kind of unclean vermin; thus the entomology of Gregor Samsa remains a much-contested mystery.)
With the centenary of The Metamorphosis's publication looming, I've spent the past month or so reading as many of the different translations I've been able to get hold of. The purpose of my reading was not to uncover that even more mythical of beasts, the Definitive Translation; nor was it to discover the True Meaning of The Metamorphosis (and the fable-like simplicity of Kafka's prose means there are even more interpretations of the story than there are translations – from Ritchie Robertson's Freudian description of "a constellation of sex, power and violence at the heart of the family" to Nabokov's possibly tongue-in-cheek, certainly self-aware assertion that "the Samsa family around the fantastic insect is nothing less than mediocrity surrounding genius"). Rather, my intention was simply to compile a list of those translations I considered particularly noteworthy.
This piece, then, is intended as a starting point for discussion on the merits or otherwise of the different translations available. Please feel free to point out any that I have missed (or you feel I have misrepresented) or to champion your own particular favourite. And please don't feel you have to limit yourself to The Metamorphosis. By happy coincidence BBC Radios 3 and 4 are in the midst of a Kafka season, so if you have a particular favourite translation of The Castle, The Trial or Investigations of a Dog, or any other Kafka, now is an ideal time to flag them up.
Edwin and Willa Muir, first published in 1933. Currently published by Vintage Classics and Schocken Books.
As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect."
For decades the "standard text", and if the prose can seem a trifle stilted ("He was lying on his hard, as it were armour-plated, back …") and the dialogue antiquated ("the devil take it all!"), then this seems entirely in keeping with the middle-class milieu of early 20th-century Europe. Of the two editions, the Schocken is the better-looking and comes with an afterword by Kafka's friend and literary executor, Max Brod.
Stanley Corngold, first published 1972, currently published in the US by the Modern Library.
When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin."
Running to more than 300 pages, this is basically your one-stop Metamorphosis shop. As well as critical essays by WH Auden, Philip Roth and Walter Benjamin, this heavily annotated edition also includes letters and diary entries of Kafka's pertaining to The Metamorphosis. And Corngold's introduction is as thorough as it is provocative (he claims to have traced the origin of ungeheueren Ungeziefer back to a protestant pamphlet written in 1581: "O monstruous vermine"). However, Corngold's was not my favourite translation. In his introduction he states his intention as trying "to follow Kafka's actual idiom", which does not always equate with an easy read:
did the manager himself have to come, and did the whole innocent family have to be shown in this way that the investigation of this suspicious affair could be entrusted only to the intellect of the manager?"
One for the serious Kafka scholar, not the casual reader.
Joachim Neugroschel, first published 1993. Scribner Paperback Fiction.
One morning, upon awakening from agitated dreams, Gregor Samsa found himself, in his bed, transformed into a monstrous vermin."
Not only one of the most readable translations, but also a lovely-looking edition. And while reading Neugroschel, not once did I find my mind drifting to compare it to other translations – a trivial aside, perhaps, but after spending a whole month of reading nothing but The Metamorphosis, one not to be sniffed at.
Michael Hofmann (2007). Penguin Modern Classics.
When Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from troubled dreams, he found himself changed into a monstrous cockroach in his bed."
By dint of being a Penguin Modern Classic this is probably the most readily available translation. However, despite being perfectly readable and coming with an excellent introduction, this is not a favourite of mine. While Kafka purists may recoil in horror at the insect-specific Gregor, more troubling for me are slangy colloquialisms. Thus Gregor's boss is no longer "partial to the ladies" (Muir) but a "notorious skirt-chaser". A decent translation, then, but not for everyone.
Joyce Crick (2009). Oxford World Classics.
As Gregor Samsa woke one morning from uneasy dreams, he found himself transformed into some kind of monstrous vermin."
This edition contains a fascinating introduction by Ritchie Robertson, offering Buddhist, Freudian and expressionist readings of the text. And while Crick deserves praise for jettisoning that awkwardly intrusive "in bed" from the opening sentence, her stated intention of following Kafka's syntax as closely as possible – "often going further than English syntax can naturally accommodate" – can occasionally make for some rather confusing sentences:
[The picture] showed a lady posed sitting erect, attired in a fur hat and fur boa, and raising a heavy fur muff, which swallowed her arm right up to the elbow, towards the viewer."
Christopher Moncrieff (2014). Alma Classics.
"One morning, as Gregor Samsa woke from a fitful, dream-filled sleep, he found that he had changed into an enormous bedbug."
No introduction – which is a pity as this is by far the most idiosyncratic translation and it would have been interesting to know the reasoning behind some of Moncrieff's more florid decisions. ("Grete got up first and unfurled her flourishing young body.") Not a Metamorphosis I'd recommend to first-timers, but jaded Kafka-readers may enjoy being nudged out of their comfort zones (if jaded Kafka-readers have comfort zones).
Susan Bernofsky (2014), Norton.
When Gregor Samsa woke one morning from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed right there in his bed into some sort of monstrous insect."
A slim, gorgeous-looking volume, comprising solely of The Metamorphosis and a thought-provoking introduction by David Cronenberg. Bernofsky's handling of the opening sentence is masterful – both improving the rhythm around that troublesome "in bed" and staying true to Kafka's intended ambiguity. And while the rest of Bernofsky's translation is occasionally a tad verbose for my tastes it remains eminently readable and would make an ideal gift for the aforementioned jaded Kafkaphile.
John R Williams (2014) Wordsworth Classics.
And just when I thought no one could possibly improve on Bernofsky's opening sentence, along comes Williams, who – behind an ugly cover, and beneath an unnecessary subtitle ("The Transformation of Gregor Samsa") – quite simply, and quite beautifully, reshapes:
One morning Gregor Samsa woke in his bed from uneasy dreams and found he had turned into a large verminous insect"
The ecomomy here is characteristic of Williams's translation throughout. If Bernofsky is a putter-inner, Williams is a taker-outer, unafraid to break up some of Kafka's long, unwieldy sentences into shorter, more manageable units where necessary. This may get purists tutting, but I found this translation a joy to read. Highly recommended.