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"As your Queen, and as a grandmother"
It was on a cool September Thursday at Balmoral that Queen Elizabeth II realised she would have to change course. She had read the newspapers over breakfast that morning, digesting their angry sermons with the long-practised pensiveness which caused her eyes to narrow. Her jaw would firm slightly as her thought processes started, shifting her chin forward a fraction -- a signal to her staff to think one more hard thought before they opened their mouths. Then, soon after nine o'clock, the phone calls from London started.
Diana had died the previous Sunday -- the last day of August 1997 -- and it had been pressure and decisions ever since. Helping the two boys had been their grandmother's first priority, applying her own therapy in times of trouble -- lots of exercise and fresh air.
"We must get them out and away from the television," said the queen as she clicked across the mournful images of the princess being run non-stop on every channel. "Let's get them both up in the hills."
The fact that they were all together as a family, away from everything, in the rugged beauty and peace of Scotland, had seemed such a blessing at first. Peter Phillips, Princess Anne's bluff and burly rugby-playing son, had gone out with William and Harry on the moors each day, jollying them along with stalking and the odd fishing expedition -- plus lots of mucking around on the brothers' noisy all-terrain motorbikes. The two young princes both loved the outdoors. In that respect they were very much Charles's sons.
The weather had been balmy, with just a hint of autumn crispness, and the whole family had driven out most evenings in the Land Rovers to eat. Ever practical, ever-tinkering, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, is the proud deviser of a bulky, wheeled contraption that is the centre of these cherished rituals -- a picnic trailer. With the grilling rack and pots and pans stowed neat and ship-shape enough for the naval officer he had been, and padded drawers for carefully segregated types of fortifying alcohol, the wagon is towed to the shooting lodge selected for the family barbecue. No staff are present and the royal paterfamilias becomes chef.
In that first week of September, the duke's barbecue wagon had come into its own as never before. Cooking and carving and cleaning up afterwards, the shared chores and rituals of the self-help meal had kept the whole family busy and had helped create the feeling there was something everyone could do. It was practical therapy.
At fifteen, William had seemed to take it bravely, on the outside at least. But he was insisting that he would not walk behind the coffin at the funeral. Not quite thirteen, Harry had been more obviously upset. Was everyone quite sure Mummy was dead? he was heard to enquire. Could it not be checked to make sure there had not been a mistake?
Gently helping the brothers to cope was, like everything royal, more than just a private, family matter. If the two young princes did walk through the streets in London on Saturday, their composure would be the pivot on which the whole occasion turned.
Working out the details of the funeral had been the other big job since Sunday -- the style of the service, the length of the route, as well as the role that William and Harry would play. There had been family arguments in the small hours as the bad news came through. The Spencers -- Diana's mother, brother, and two sisters -- had wanted a private funeral, a small family affair, and to start with the queen herself had agreed. But by Sunday evening it was clear it would have to be a full-scale ceremony in Westminster Abbey, and since Monday the fax machine had been processing hymn sheets and processional time-tabling non-stop. Princess Margaret disapproved, but the queen mother had got quite excited about the prospect of listening to Elton John.
Then came all the fuss about the flag.
Downing Street was the first to sense that something was awry. Sitting in his media command room at No. 10, Alastair Campbell, the prime minister's press spokesman, caught a cable television news bulletin that worried him. It was Wednesday morning, and the long lines of mourners waiting in the Mall to sign the condolence books for the princess were spending as many as five hours looking through the trees towards Buckingham Palace.
People were not just signing their names when they got to the head of the queue. Most wanted to pen some special tribute of their own, and after half a day on their feet everyone wanted to sit down.
"In retrospect," says an official of the Lord Chamberlain's Office, "it was clearly a mistake to have supplied chairs."
Some people were spending as much as half an hour over the page composing their essays. So the lines waiting outside in the Mall grew longer, and as people shuffled slowly forward, they had been struck by the absence of any flag flying at half-mast over the queen's principal residence.
It was a technical matter. The queen's presence is signalled wherever she may be -- in palace, car, boat, or plane -- by the Royal Standard, a luscious and ancient confection of heraldic lions and symbolic harpstrings that follows her everywhere, battle-standard-style, and is never lowered, even when the sovereign dies. "The King is Dead, Long Live the King."
But the tradition had developed at Buckingham Palace -- though not at any other royal residence -- that, in the absence of the Royal Standard, no other flag should fly. So while flags all round the country -- including those over Windsor Castle and over the royal country residence of Sandringham in East Anglia -- were now flying at half-mast, Buckingham Palace itself was conspicuously bare of any sign of mourning for Diana.
"I've just been watching Sky News," said Campbell in a phone call to Robert Fellowes, the queen's private secretary, who was also Diana's brother-in-law, married to her elder sister, Jane. "Now, it's just a straw in the wind, but I think they're going to make some mischief over this thing of the flag."
Rupert Murdoch's Sky News had been running dramatic vox pop interviews from the Mall in which mourners complained about the bare flagpole over the palace. It made for compulsive, angry television, and Campbell guessed it was only a matter of time before the other bulletins followed suit.
"I hear what you're saying," replied Fellowes. "But it's a curious business, the flag at Buckingham Palace. There are certain things, you know, that I can deliver straight away. But I'm not sure it's going to be as easy as it looks, even if it's right, to please the public on this one."
Fellowes rang Balmoral to pass on Downing Street's concerns to his deputy Sir Robin Janvrin, who was running the private secretary's office there, and also to the queen. But the private secretary did not argue Campbell's case very strongly.
"The alarm bells," as one participant put it, "did not jangle."
Sir Robert Fellowes, today Baron Fellowes of Shotesham in the county of Norfolk, was a royal retainer who was the son of a royal retainer. His father, the bluff Sir Billy Fellowes, had run the royal estate at Sandringham and had been a shooting companion of the queen's father, King George VI. In his time as private secretary, Fellowes had overseen some important changes in the monarchy, and there was a mildly subversive twinkle behind his horn-rimmed spectacles.
"We don't have protocol here," he liked to say when talking of palace etiquette " -- just bloody good manners."
But Fellowes had breathed tradition all his life. It was a key element in his job as private secretary, and protocol had always provided a sure fall-back in times of difficulty.
Elizabeth II felt the same only more so. For the queen, tradition and protocol represented something greater than oneself -- deep values approaching the sacred. It could be compared to how non-royal people feel at their children's Christmas carol concert or when the bugle sounds on Remembrance Day -- the tingle of nobler things. It is easy to smile condescendingly at the scarlet-tunicked and bearskin-clad Guards parading formally outside Buckingham Palace until, in the aftermath of a terrorist attack on New York, these very British soldiers stand to attention while their band plays "The Star Spangled Banner."
Tradition is one of the cornerstones of the royal mystery. The most troublesome time in the otherwise tranquil childhood of the young Princess Elizabeth had been when she was just ten, when her sparky and original Uncle David had ascended to the throne as Edward VIII. Shrugging his shoulders at precedent, he had spent a hectic year insouciantly overturning tradition in his quest to make the monarchy modern, and it had ended in tears. The abdication crisis of 1936 was the darkest moment in her family's recent history.
If Prince Charles, and not his ex-wife, had died in a car crash the previous Sunday, the queen would not now be flying the Union Jack at half-mast over Buckingham Palace. She had not done it for her beloved father, George VI -- and it would not happen for the queen mother, who, despite all her personal popularity, had always understood how the institution of monarchy ultimately transcended the individual.
A personally modest spirit, the queen would certainly not expect such a gesture for herself. So why should tradition be overturned for a young woman who, Uncle David-like, had put herself before the family and had come to be the focus of such bitter and divisive trouble?
Elizabeth II had been one of the first in the family to fall out of love with Diana.
"The Queen is a very good judge of character," says one of her staff. "She was very quick in 'sussing' the less fortunate sides of the princess's personality."
The queen had tried to be fair to her daughter-in-law, taking her side on occasions in the bitter separation battle with Charles. But Diana's open sniping at what she had publicly derided as the stuffy palace establishment made her the last person for whom the queen -- or still less her strong-minded husband -- would command such a change. Only days previously Diana had been parading the Mediterranean with her Egyptian playboy lover, the couple draped over each other half naked, to the horror of the royal family and the agonised embarrassment of her sons.
Fellowes got the answer he expected. There is long-standing mistrust in Buckingham Palace against making quick concessions to the concerns of the moment, especially when voiced by the tabloid media.
"It's like feeding Christians to the lions," says a former press secretary.
So the royal reaction to the TV straws in the wind was exactly the opposite of Alastair Campbell's. Unhappiness over the flag was something that the enduring monarchy should rise above in a world of trendy gestures. No flag except the Royal Standard had ever flown over Buckingham Palace.
"It just needs to be explained," insisted the royal private secretary.
Campbell did not push the point. Never one of nature's monarchists, he felt in alien territory. In his days as political editor and columnist for the Daily Mirror he had been famous for his scathing attacks on the misbehaviour of the young royals. As he had walked through the crowds that Wednesday morning to confer with Fellowes and the other members of the Lord Chamberlain's funeral committee at the palace, he felt he could sniff mutiny in the air.
"There was almost that football crowd fear, you know, when you're coming out of the stadium and your team has lost, and you're not quite sure what you'll find round the next corner."
But this lager and baseball cap analogy clearly did not fit the arcane world of deep precedence. It was like the negotiations over Northern Ireland with which Tony Blair was just beginning to grapple, with all its sticking points of flags and badges and emotion-charged symbols.
"There were times in that week," says one of No. 10's more radi-
cal insiders, "when you could not believe what was coming down the line from Balmoral. You wondered if they were living in the same century."
Campbell went back to Downing Street to confer with Blair, then gave Fellowes a ring at the palace.
"How would it be," he asked, "if Tony went out publicly into the street, outside Downing Street, and said, 'Look, these are ordinary people going through circumstances that none of us can imagine,' you know, a 'They are human beings' strategy?"
At the end of that Wednesday, the prime minister did just that.
"All our energies," he said in front of No. 10, "are now directed to trying to make this as tremendous a commemoration of Princess Diana as possible...I know those are very strongly the feelings of the royal family as well."
Blair's New Labour Party had come to power a few months earlier in the general election of 1 May 1997, winning a massive majority that owed not a little to Blair's consummate mastery of PR technique. The prime minister's appeal was timed to catch the evening news bulletins, then command the next morning's front pages. But only the left-leaning Guardian followed Blair's lead. The tabloids went for the jugular.
"Show us you care," demanded the Express over the photo of a flinty-faced queen.
"Your people are suffering," proclaimed the Mirror -- "Speak to us, Ma'am."
With the generally more sedate broadsheets only moderately more restrained, Elizabeth II was confronted by an unprecedented chorus of newsprint criticism over her Balmoral breakfast that Thursday morning. Rupert Murdoch's Sun put it most powerfully.
"Where is the Queen when the country needs her?" demanded an open letter on the paper's front page. "She is 550 miles from London, the focal point of the nation's grief. Her castle at Balmoral is about as far away as it is possible to get from the sea of flowers building up outside the royal palaces....Every hour the Palace remains empty adds to the public anger at what they perceive to be a snub to the People's Princess. Let Charles and William and Harry weep together in the lonely Scottish Highlands. We can understand that. But the Queen's place is with the people. She should fly back to London immediately and stand on the Palace balcony."
There was some convenient relief in the energy with which Britain's newspapers turned on Elizabeth II that Thursday morning, 4 September 1997. Three days earlier, those same newspapers had been the objects of bitter blame. Photographers who ventured too close to mourners laying flowers outside the palaces had been shouted at and menaced -- the butt of public fury at the role of the paparazzi in hounding the princess into the Alma Tunnel in Paris. The announcement by the Paris police that Henri Paul, the driver on the fateful night, had had more than three times the legal limit of alcohol in his blood had let the editors off the hook, and they wasted little time diverting public anger away from their own role in the tragedy.
But the idea so beseechingly stated in The Sun's open letter, that royal people exist as vehicles for the collective emotions of the communities they head, was undeniable. And exhibiting emotion was one aspect of the royal job that Elizabeth II -- unlike Diana -- had never done with any ease.
"She has a deep mistrust," says one of her advisors, "of what she calls 'stunts.' "
Elizabeth II is not an actress. At the heart of Britain's performing monarchy is a serious, matter-of-fact woman who is an obstinate non-performer. Blessed with a ravishing natural smile, she finds it impossible to switch on that smile to order. She had issued a statement of regret on the morning of Diana's death and was now supervising a practical family effort to comfort the two boys who were most intimately affected. Rather shy, and quite the opposite of her outspoken husband, she had never been a step-forward-and-open-her-mouth type of person -- and her staff had taken their cue from that.
"We got a day behind the game," admits more than one of those at the centre of that week's activities.
How to catch up was the urgent theme of the discussions that Thursday morning in Buckingham Palace -- and as the ideas bounced around in Robert Fellowes's office, the flag suddenly became the simplest issue. After the tabloid front pages and the tone of that morning's radio coverage, there could even be a question of public order at stake. Some concession would have to be made, and it seemed obvious that, protocol or not, the Union Jack would need to be flying at half-mast over the palace on the day of the funeral. Other members of the family would have to show themselves in public before that, and, most important of all, the queen would have to speak to the nation.
This was what had been lacking -- anyone from the royal family personally expressing their feelings. The family had been planning to stay in Balmoral until the last possible moment, coming down on the royal train on Friday night to arrive in London on the morning of the funeral itself.
"How can we coop the boys up in a gloomy old palace all covered with dustsheets?" Prince Philip had asked.
But the royal journey south must now be visibly moved forward as a solid concession to public sentiment -- even though "concession" was a word that the press office would eschew. The queen's arrival in London would be turned into a significant event, and it would also provide the moment for her to face the TV cameras.
Robert Fellowes and Geoffrey Crawford, the queen's Australian-born press secretary, got on the phone to Balmoral to talk the problem through with Robin Janvrin and with the queen herself. There was a need for a fresh and clearly pro-active policy, the two men in London argued, a visible change of direction -- and, faced with the facts, Queen Elizabeth II, guardian of unchanging tradition and protocol, agreed to it all, virtually on the spot. Suddenly the arcane details of what flag flew where counted for nothing.
"The Queen has ruthless common sense," says one of her private secretaries. "If you can explain clearly why something has to be done, and she agrees, that's the end of the matter. She doesn't say, 'Well, last time when we looked at this...' She has an extraordinary ability to listen, absorb, and come to a decision immediately."
Five years earlier, at the time of another crisis, the queen had decided with similar abruptness that standing arrangements could be discarded, and had agreed to surrender the royal tax immunity which she had until then considered an article of faith.
If you have got to move on, you have got to move on. That is the bottom-line motto of the House of Windsor. They are a tough bunch. Their anachronistic persistence in the modern world derives from an unsentimental ability to sense when the dynasty's existence is threatened, and to adapt, backtracking and reinventing themselves if necessary. They have an uncanny nose for survival, derived from a profound understanding that their power and entire significance stem ultimately from the
people. Being royal has no meaning or function without it. If the people do not want a stoic, stiff-upper-lip figurehead, then let the lip wobble a little.
The queen told her private secretaries to start drafting the speech she would deliver next day.
Early in her reign, Elizabeth II was due to visit the Yorkshire town of Kingston upon Hull and asked one of her private secretaries to prepare a first draft of her speech.
"I am very pleased to be in Kingston today," the draft confidently started.
The young queen crossed out the word "very."
"I will be pleased to be in Kingston," she explained. "But I will not be very pleased."
Elizabeth II has always found it impossible to be what she is not. Her staff say it is her greatest strength -- her inability to pose or act. She is bleakly and appallingly honest -- trained by a lifetime inside the prison of courtly waffle and flattery to detect insincerity, and dismiss it in a regal and disdainful blink of the eye.
"I am not a politician," is her standard response to modern press advisors who try to get her to jump through hoops.
So as her private secretary sat down to draft the most important speech of her reign, he was faced with two problems. He knew that the queen would not say anything that she did not mean. And he knew that Elizabeth II was definitely not mourning Diana in the way that most of her subjects were.
The condolence-book queuers and the mischief-making editors were correct in their hunches. Their emotionally controlled sovereign considered that there were several more important things in life and death than the passing of Diana. At the top of that list was the queen's own idea of enduring royal dignity, which she had upheld for forty-five years and which she was not prepared to forfeit with empty gestures.
To those who knew Diana personally, the princess's saintly public aura -- massively magnified in death -- was compromised by a private wilfulness on a major scale. It extended far beyond self-indulgence to a pattern of deceit and narcissism that poisoned her relations not only with her royal in-laws but with her charities, her most loyal servants, and even with her own blood family, the Spencers. In the last summer of her life she had had bitter rows and had been in a state of prolonged "no speaks" with both her mother and her brother Charles.
For many years Elizabeth II had done her best to keep working with what she called her daughter-in-law's "difficult side." She genuinely admired Diana's idealistic impulses and empathy with the public, and she gave full weight to the princess's role as a future queen and mother of a future king. But the previous year, at the beginning of the couple's divorce negotiations in 1996, Diana had engaged in a sally of deception at the expense of the queen herself. She lied about what she had said face-to-face to the queen, and her blatant dishonesty had shocked Elizabeth II and angered her profoundly.
The most important issue in the queen's eyes was the institution of monarchy that she was pledged to protect -- and by the end of Diana's life she had come to feel that the princess was undermining it. From that perception stemmed the difference between the queen's feelings and those of many, if not most, of her subjects. A dangerous gap had been created, and tomorrow's speech would have to close it.
The royal plane touched down at Northolt, the RAF air base fifteen miles west of central London, at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, 5 September, the afternoon before the funeral. Helicopters were hovering overhead, and their cameras followed the royal car as it threaded its way through the suburbs of west London, past the BBC in Shepherd's Bush, through Paddington and across Hyde Park, finally to bring the queen back to her palace.
"I had some trepidation," confesses one royal aide, "as to what was going to happen when they got out of the car. Perhaps people would jeer or hiss at her."
Geoff Crawford had sketched out the route she would follow down the barricade of flowers against the railings, and there were plain clothes police looking for trouble in the crowd. In fact, the mood of people around the gates was warm and welcoming -- "a universal saying," as one participant remembered, "of 'Well, at last you're back.' "
Peter Edwards, the sound technician who had worked on the ground-breaking Royal Family television documentary in the late sixties, had been called at lunchtime and had driven straight to the palace. Since 1969 Edwards had recorded all the queen's Christmas Broadcasts for both TV and radio, and he had a knack for putting her at ease. She would be taping a "piece to camera" around four or four-thirty, he was told, to go out later in the evening, and he arrived to find the BBC's engineers in the process of setting up.
The atmosphere was tense. Philip Bonham Carter, the freelance cameraman who normally worked with Edwards on royal assignments, had not been able to make it, and Edwards worried that the lighting being set up by the BBC's cameraman was too strong. The hastily rigged circuit of lamps and electrical connections was audibly "buzzing" both in the room and on the soundman's tape, which was crackling with interference. Press office staff were working on last-minute changes to the teleprompter.
Behind the scenes the broadcasting strategy still was not finalised. One option was for the queen to "do live," talking direct to the camera in a live insert that would break dramatically into the evening news bulletins. A second best would be for the queen to speak "as live," making a recording which would then be broadcast within minutes. But that would lessen the impact, and those who knew Elizabeth II's unease with rehearsals and fake occasions knew that she needed to be put on her mettle.
"It was a psychological thing," said one aide. "She goes flat when she knows it's being recorded. When she knows it's real, she rises to the challenge."
To go totally live was a high-risk strategy. The queen had never before spoken so directly and unshielded to such a major audience. When she gave her only previous "address to the nation" on the eve of the Gulf War in 1991, it had been recorded. But Fellowes and Crawford felt she could do it, and they walked to the Belgian Suite at the back of the palace where the queen and her husband were having tea.
"Do you think you can do it?" Fellowes asked the queen.
"If that's what I've got to do," she replied.
The queen looked through her script one last time and suggested some final alterations. Fellowes went to his office to get the changes transcribed, and, with only ninety minutes left before transmission, Geoff Crawford walked back into the reception room-turned-studio.
"Can we do it live?" asked the press secretary.
BBC riggers scrambled as they ran sweating up and down the stairs, running leads to connect up with the Outside Broadcast links trucks outside.
"Are you sure you can say every word in this speech and really believe it?" someone had asked the queen during the drafting process.
"Certainly," she replied. "I believe every word."
At twenty to six, she did a final run-through with the autoscript, looking into the camera as Fellowes and Crawford watched. One rehearsal was enough, they decided. Then at five fifty-five, the countdown started. As the clock ticked round to six o'clock, the technicians turned their attention to the two television monitors in the corner. One showed the early evening programming on the BBC. The other displayed the interior palace shot of the queen looking intently into the lens. The floor manager was counting down, "Five, four, three, two" -- then he made a motion to the queen, mouthing "Go!" Suddenly both monitors were showing the same image and Elizabeth II began to speak live to the nation.
Robert Fellowes had talked his first draft over with Geoff Crawford and David Airlie, the Lord Chamberlain, and had then faxed it to Balmoral, where the queen and Robin Janvrin worked on it together. The final version had been sent to Downing Street in line with the procedure prior to the queen's Christmas Broadcast, when the prime minister's comments are invited as a matter of courtesy.
"It was not for the Prime Minister's approval," stressed an aide. "We're always a bit of a stickler for that. It was her own speech. She wasn't speaking 'on advice.' "
"On advice" is the constitutional term for speeches when the queen is acting as the government's mouthpiece, greeting a foreign head of state, or, most obviously, when reading out the government's avowedly political agenda in the Queen's Speech at the Opening of Parliament. Her speech in September 1997 was infinitely more challenging. Normally, it was her royal job to be plain vanilla. This Friday evening she had to do the opposite of what she had been trained for and had practised all her life -- she had to show at least a little of her personal feelings.
"Since last Sunday's dreadful news," began the queen, "we have seen throughout Britain and around the world an overwhelming expression of sadness at Diana's death. We have all been trying in our different ways to cope. It is not easy to express a sense of loss, since the initial shock is often succeeded by a mixture of other feelings -- disbelief, incomprehension, anger and concern for those who remain. We have all felt those emotions in these last few days. So what I say to you now, as your Queen, and as a grandmother, I say from my heart."
The words "as a grandmother" had come from Alastair Campbell.
"Alastair was quite tentative about it," remembers one palace insider. "He said, 'The Prime Minister has only one comment, which is, would it be right for the Queen to say speaking as a grandmother?' We grabbed it and used it."
The live crowd backdrop was the speech's other masterstroke. As the queen spoke, viewers were able to look through the window behind her, where people were moving about like matchstick figures in a painting by L. S. Lowry, coming and going, still laying their flowers.
Peter Edwards had been struggling all afternoon to get an uncluttered soundtrack, and the decision to go live had made his problem worse. The heat and sweat in the room had added further interference to the whistle of the lights.
"Can't you get a clearer sound?" the BBC control room were shouting down the line.
Edwards opened the window to get a few minutes of fresh air and heard an extraordinary sound outside -- the quiet murmuring of ten thousand or more people as they milled around in the traffic-free arena outside the palace.
"Prov. Town Atmos," is how the soundman today remembers the noise, referring to the BBC title of their standard, canned Sound Library tape, used to create the atmosphere of a provincial town. "But it was also a sound of its own, like nothing I'd quite heard before. This was London. Then. At that very particular moment. I shivered when I heard it."
Edwards had the solution to his sound problem. He stationed a microphone outside the window to pick up the wind and the shuffle of the crowds, blending it strongly into the audio track from the queen's microphone. The electronic interference was masked, and the living noise of London gave physical texture, and its whole brooding background meaning, to what she said.
"I admired and respected her," the queen was saying, "for her energy and commitment to others and especially for her devotion to her two boys. This week at Balmoral we have all been trying to help William and Harry come to terms with the devastating loss that they and the rest of us have suffered. No one who knew Diana will ever forget her. Millions of others who never met her, but felt they knew her, will remember her....
"I hope that tomorrow we can all, wherever we are, join in expressing our grief for Diana's loss and her all-too-short life. It is a chance to show to the whole world the British nation united in grief and respect. May those who died rest in peace and may we, each and every one of us, thank God for someone who made many, many people happy."
A snappier and more fluid ending might have been to thank God for someone who had "made us all" so happy. But this was a speech delivered by the woman who had refused to pretend that she was very pleased to be in Kingston. The strength of her words was that they did not flirt with exaggerated or false sentiment. Her reservations were clearly there for those who cared to look for them, along with her sternness and her unwillingness, in Britain's number one acting job, to act.
Elizabeth II had searched her heart -- a key word that she had used near the beginning of the speech -- and, with the help of her private secretaries, she had set out all the good things that she did feel about her late daughter-in-law. She would be genuinely grieving at the funeral next day, albeit in her own undemonstrative and queenly way. The head of a thousand-year-old monarchy had rallied the troops in traditional style, while also managing, in a contemporary idiom, to tell her people that she could feel their pain.
"She's turned it around!" exclaimed the Sun photographer Arthur Edwards, jovial King Rat of the journalistic royal rat pack, who had taken a break from his duties outside the palace and retired to a pub to watch the broadcast on television. "It brought a lump to my throat. 'Thank God,' I thought. 'She's back in charge.'"
"It was uncanny," remembers Alastair Campbell, who had watched the broadcast in Downing Street. "I was out in the Mall soon afterwards with all the crowds still milling about. Most of them had not heard the broadcast or even known that it had taken place. But the change in atmosphere was palpable. The pressure was being let out."
A contingent of senior police officers were gathered in St. James's ready for the transfer of the princess's coffin to Kensington Palace, where the funeral procession would start next day. Eyes that had been tense and watchful were relaxed. Their men in the crowd were telling them, and they could feel it -- the moment of crisis had passed.
Elizabeth II had taken her time about it. But when it really mattered, the queen had done her job. Setting her personal reservations aside, she had managed to express genuine emotion. Taking command and using modern media to assert her ancient and mysterious authority, she had also acknowledged, through her willingness to change her plans and to make her speech, that she listened to her subjects -- and that they were, in one sense, her ultimate boss.
This book is published to mark the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II -- the fiftieth anniversary of her accession to the British throne in February 1952. It seeks to tell her story, while also trying to explain the nature of her monarchy, a stirring and irrational symphony of emotion between the national figurehead and her people, which enchants its many believers and mystifies those who are tone-deaf to its music.
This private and straightforward woman is celebrating fifty years in one of the world's most public and paradoxical jobs. The British crown long ago lost the political powers it once commanded, but in its place Elizabeth II commands a potent role in the emotional life of her country -- and of the wider world. Thanks to the embrace of the mass media, the personalities of the House of Windsor occupy prominent armchairs in that corner of our consciousness inhabited by presidents and film stars, TV hosts and all the variegated heroes, fraudsters, and villains of the celebrity culture. We "know" them all. The family's marriages, births, divorces, and, in the dramatic case of Diana, death, stimulated some of the late twentieth century's most intense global experiences of communal joy and sadness.
This process developed its momentum more than a century and a half ago in the reign of Queen Victoria, whose fascinating venerability Elizabeth II is now approaching. From the sylph-like slenderness of her youth, Elizabeth II moved into comfortably rounded middle age, and at seventy-five the royal silhouette is heading for the stocky authority of the first Jubilee queen. With her own Golden Jubilee of 2002, the queen's parallels with Victoria become ever more intriguing. "Lilibet" was born in Queen Victoria's shadow, and the grand and gaudy business of royal celebrity at which she has worked so dutifully all her life first took shape around her formidable great-great-grandmother.
Copyright © 20002 by Robert Lacey


text:
Rusty Cooley
Interview Conducted By Robert Williams
Videography Courtesy Of Sandra Torres
A band is only as strong as the sum of it's parts, and such is the case of the Houston, Texas progressive metal group Outworld. Currently on hiatus after some key lineup changes with the departure of longtime keyboard player Bobby Williamson and erstwhile vocalist Carlos Zema who since joined the David Shankle Group only to depart a short time later, the duststorm surrounding Outworld and the tremendous amount of momentum they had going is starting to clear up, and as the dust settles there can be little doubt that the key driving force behind Outworld is/was guitar virtuoso Rusty Cooley.
Rusty had a tremendous 2008, filled with notable endorsements from Dean Guitars and ProTone pedals. A successful two disc instructional DVD set through RockHouse Method and several guest appearances showcasing his masterful guitar acrobatics. With a level head on his shoulders he embraces the upcoming opportunities afforded to him in the future, and stands poised to divide and conquer in 2009.
So Rusty you just had quite a weekend in Anaheim, California at the 2009 Winter NAMM show doing some autograph signings for Dean Guitars who make your signature 7 string guitar the RC76 as well as a absolutely dynamite performance at the annual Rockhouse Method – Wimbash. What were some personal NAMM highlights for you?
Well there's actually three awesome things that happened. At the Dean booth I had a great two days signing autographs and taking pictures with fans and interviews…stuff like that…The thing that really made it was the guitars that debuted, as you know I have the RC7 out, which is the USA model, and then this year at NAMM the RCX debuted which is the RC7 import.
We also have a six string model called the DC6, it's not really a signature model but it's based on the RC7. So there's really three guitars this year at NAMM for me. So that was really awesome.
RockHouse Method an innovative musical instruction DVD company has recently released your Fretboard Autopsy – Scales, Modes and Melodic Patterns Level One & Two DVD's. You are definitely no stranger to the world of instructional videos, what do you think set's RockHouse Method apart from the rest of the pack?
Well, RockHouse Method, right now I think they are the cream of the crop becuase they are really locking in and getting all of the hottest players and they really know what they are doing, they've been in business for a while and it's a very well oiled machine.
I was really blown away with them when I went up and did my two DVD's. We went up, worked on the product for a day, got the program in the order that we were gonna do it. The next day we went into New York and shot video, three camera angles, monitors…the whole nine yards. It was a very well put together package that's just as good as anything I've ever seen out there…quality wise and look and packaging etc.
The product doesn't stop with you buying it and taking it home. You can get continued support (online) you log on, you get backing tracks, you can download additional tabs. You can interact with all of the other RockHouse students and fans (and even some instructors) and that's pretty cool. They got the blog to keep you up to date with what all of the instructors are doing and tourdates…You really get in touch with the artists through RockHouse. That's really pretty unheard of. As far as I know nobody else does that at all, I don't think outside of them that even exists.
They've got it out there, you can go to Guitar Center and get it, you can get it online ( www.rockhousemethod.com ) You name it.
I read on the RockHouse Method website that they landed a deal putting their DVD's in every Guitar Center in America, that must be a huge deal for you!
Yeah, they're playing my DVD's here at the Guitar Center in Houston. I walked in there a couple weeks ago and it was playing. You know, so that was pretty cool!
Do you have plans to do some more work with RockHouse Method?
Absolutely man! That's on the plate. Right now I'm doing three things, the first thing on the menu I'm doing a DVD feature for Young Guitar magazine in Japan. I'm gonna get that out of the way in the next week or so, I'm gonna be going back up to New York to do more RockHouse stuff, by this summer I'll be back up there doing a couple more DVD's, and then I'm also working with Derek Sherinian on some stuff.
How did you enjoy performing at the RockHouse Method "Wimbash" ?
The Wimbash was awesome man, I had a great time that night I really walked away feeling like I played well, which for me usually I'll walk away unhappy with my performance but I actually left the Wimbash the other night feeling really good about what I had done in my performance.
Another cool thing from NAMM, I don't know if you already know this but I'm with Protone Pedals now. The ProTone Overdrive pedal made it's debut. So that was really cool. We had the three guitars at Dean, the Wimbash and the pedal, which is a really cool Overdrive pedal.
I really enjoyed using your presets on the GHS Rocktron Prophesy II preamp. Do you have plans to do some more work with them?
Yeah, as a matter of fact I just had a very good meeting with Rocktron and GHS before I left NAMM and they wanna talk to me about doing some more stuff with them. So I'm not really sure at the moment what that means, but I'm looking forward to seeing what comes out of that. So, I think it's going to be some really cool stuff.
The last time we talked metal you had a new promo cd from Outworld that you guys were shopping around and then suddenly in the months that followed vocalist Carlos Zema and keyboardist and longtime collaborator Bobby Williamson left the group. What was the reasons for their departure?
Well, you know…In all honesty, the reasons Bobby gave me for leaving the band I don't really believe is why he left the band. So…I don't really know exactly what's up. I think he just wanted to do his own thing I guess…Cause that's actually what I read – him saying that he wanted to do his own thing, but then he told me something different, so I don't really know man.
So Bobby split, Carlos…you know when Bobby left, him and Carlos are really tight so Carlos just kinda went his way as well, which is really no big deal to me. We didn't have the tightest repoire, me and Carlos…so…it's just a big long ordeal. More than I have time to get into…
What is currently the status of Outworld?
Without saying anything official Outworld is on the backburner temporarily. Bobby's doing his own thing. I have no idea what Carlos is doing. Matt's doing a little metalcore band with his little brother. I don't know what's up with Shawn. I haven't talked to him in months.
Like I said, I'm doing some work with Derek Sherinian which as far as I'm concerned is a huge step up from what I was doing. I just recorded a song with Derek that's gonna be on his instrumental cd that's gonna be out in March and like I said we're working on some other stuff which will open up some much bigger doors and put me way ahead of whatever I could of been doing with Outworld.
So again, in hindsight I was really depressed about Outworld but because of what happened with Outworld this is allowing me to move way further ahead. With Outworld if we had toured we would have been lucky to get a bus or a van to do some European dates, but what I do with Derek is gonna be much friggin' bigger than that. We don't have to struggle to get a record deal, it's gonna be friggin' awesome!
You also contributed two guitar solos on the new All Shall Perish cd "Awaken The Dreamers"
That's right! There's a short little instrumental on that cd called "From So Far Away" but if you look at the song titles on the back of the disc I think they've got them in the wrong order. So I'm not sure if it lines up on the right song, but there's an instrumental on that cd that's about three minutes long that I did the two main guitar solos in that song.
So that was really cool. Chris Storey who is the guitar player for All Shall Perish is actually a big fan of mine and he's also a student, he studied all of my "Chops From Hell" DVD's and has taken private lessons from me. Chris as well plays the Dean RC7 and uses the same preamp and power amp that I use which is the Rocktron Prophesy II and the VHT power amp as well. So that's kinda how I got hooked up with that.
Was your motivation to re-release your debut album to focus on your solo career from here on out?
Well the problem was I was never happy with the debut cd. When that deal came up I was low on funds and the studio jacked me up and I just had to turn in the masters and I was very unhappy with it and I just felt like a lot of things suffered because of it.
So when the opportunity came up for me to resign my contract with Lion Music and go in and remix and master it and put it out with a bonus DVD and all that stuff I was all over it! Because I mean…I was really proud of that work and when I was done recording it…I wasn't so happy. You know?
That's not the way to go into your debut instrumental release. So I was really happy to get the opportunity to get it to sound the best it could possibly sound. There's certain things you just can't fix because I don't want to re-record anything, so you just do your best.
I did that (album) at Diamond Studios also which is where Outworld did their first cd.
What can shred heads expect from Rusty Cooley in 2009?
Well in 2009 you can expect more instructional DVD's, I'm hopefully gonna get out there and do some guitar clinics and master classes and just more exposure, like I said I'm working on some stuff with Derek and hopefully we're gonna see some of that come to light in 2009.
As well your gonna be able to hear a track with Derek. March is the release of Derek's solo album "Molecular Heinosity" which I have a track on there called "Frozen By Fire" that we co-wrote together. So, those are gonna be the big things man. I'm excited and can't wait to see what else comes up.
I'd like to thank you for taking the time to talk metal with me Rusty, before we wrap this up do you have any last words for your fans?
Yeah…just…thanks for the support through the years, stay tuned and keep checking back with rustycooley.com for the latest news and updates.

subset: commoncrawl


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Pistorius' Housekeeper Was Inside Home During Shooting
Why the defense and prosecution aren't calling him to testify.
May 6, 2014 -- Someone else was inside Oscar Pistorius' home in Pretoria, South Africa, the night the athlete shot his girlfriend to death -- his longtime housekeeper, Frank Chiziweni.
Chiziweni was sleeping in his room off from Pistorius' kitchen on Valentine's Day 2013. His presence was revealed in court Monday, when a neighbor testified that Chiziweni greeted her at the home. In the 16 months since the shooting, it was believed that only Pistorius and victim Reeva Steenkamp were in the residence.
The defense and prosecution have declined to call Chiziweni, a Malawian, to the stand. They believe he wouldn't have said anything. Following the shooting, he told police that he "heard nothing" that night, sleeping through what witnesses who lived 200 yards away described as "bloodcurdling" screams.
MORE: Oscar Pistorius Begged His Girlfriend Not to Die
MORE: Oscar Pistorius Trial Resumes After Break
Pistorius' neighbors demonstrated those screams in court today. Witnesses Rita Motshuane and Eontle Hillary Nhlengethwa mimicked the high-pitched, almost howling cries they heard after Pistorius shot his girlfriend to death.
Pistorius is accused of premeditated murder in Steenkamp's death, but he argued he mistook her for an intruder.
None of the witnesses called today heard a female scream, a stark contrast to the state's witnesses, who testified about hearing screams and a woman's voice.
Nhlengethwa's husband, Mike Nhlengethwa, testified that Pistorius introduced Steenkamp to him as his fiancee, a meeting that occurred days before the shooting. When Nhlengethwa went to shake Steenkamp's hand, she instead opened her arms and hugged him.
Nhlengethwa said Pistorius, with whom he shared a passion for cars, told him he wanted to move from Pretoria to Johannesburg, South Africa, to be with Steenkamp, a model and reality TV star.
Nhlengethwa was sad about the prospect of his neighbor moving away, but it was worth it for a woman like Steenkamp, he said.
The trial was adjourned to Thursday, as elections are scheduled for Wednesday in South Africa. Defense attorney Barry Roux apologized for not having more witnesses available to call today, but he reassured the court that it will not interfere with the trial's projected time frame. Roux is confident that he will be able to end his case by next Tuesday, May 13.


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South Texas Independent School District is committed to quality services for students with disabilities in grade levels 7th through 12th. This commitment is based on the belief that special education is a service and not a place.
"All students are successful when appropriate services are provided."
South Texas Independent School District's Special Education Program is designed to individually challenge students with disabilities to acquire the necessary skills to successfully transition to a post-secondary education of their choice.
A student diagnosed with a disability and interested in attending STISD is required to first attend an IEP meeting at their home district. This is necessary to ensure the student's post-secondary educational goals are considered and individual interests are met.
Students referred to Special Education follow the Response to Intervention (RTI) process. For additional information see the individual school websites:
100 Med High Dr., Mercedes, TX 78570 | Phone (956) 565-2454


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You can use the prstat command described in the prstat(1M) man page to monitor CPU usage by active projects.
You can use the extended accounting data for tasks to obtain per-project statistics on the amount of CPU resources that are consumed over longer periods. See Chapter 4, Extended Accounting (Overview) for more information.
To monitor the CPU usage of projects that run on the system, use the prstat command with the -J option.
% prstat -J


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Learn More
Thermo Scientific™ 9mm Certified Clear Wide Opening Screw Thread Kits
Use certified clean, low particle, low background vials for your high sensitivity LC/MS and GC/MS applications. They are fully lot-tested for 15 critical parameters.
Brand: Thermo Scientific™ CERT5000-580W
Additional Details : Weight : 0.40000kg
Unassembled kits
- 100 vials and 100 caps with pre-assembled septa
- Reusable two-compartment trays protect vials and closures while keeping matching supplies together
- Clear trays make it easy to keep track of available supplies without opening containers
Assembled kits
- 100 vials with pre-attached caps and septa
- Packaged in convenient vial trays with clear covers
|Convenience Kit, Certified 9mm Wide Opening SureStop Vial, 2mL
|Glass, PTFE, Rubber
|Ivory PTFE/Red Rubber
|Mass Spec Certified
Limited warranty period: Subject to all warranty requirements and exclusions set out in our Terms and Conditions of Sale, this product is warranted from the date we ship the product and for ninety (90) days thereafter. Disclaimer to internal research use restriction: Any restrictions on the purchaser to utilize the product(s) for internal research purposes only does not apply to the product(s) on the web pages associated with this statement.


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- General Discussion is open to all registered users, you can post anything you want except:
- inline images that exceed a PG rating (Link to discussion relevant images with a link only and mark NSFW if it's not PG safe). The only exception to this is the Naked Thread, nudity can be inlined there.
- posts encouraging the hate of any person, place, thing, religion, idea, just don't hate something cause it exists or doesn't exist.
- spamming the forums with unsolicitied sales pitches.
- spamming the forums with any non-CG/non-Keenspot promotions not cleared by STrRedWolf, Kisai, or Mercury Hat (most are OK'ed -- we want you to ask).
- ganging up on any specific poster, comic author Comicgenesis or not
- encouraging any illegal activity that is illegal in the USA and/or the country that the poster is from.
- General discussion is not the help forum, for Comicgenesis-specific problems, go there instead.
Moderators and Admins will use discretion when locking posts/threads. Posting any item that it's sole purpose is to start a flame will be locked.
- No links or instructions on how to obtain pirated software for doing comics. Moderators, please edit/delete any posts with links to pirated material or instructions how to obtain it.
If you want to quickly know how to make a webcomic without spending money for photoshop, flash, illustrator, or whatever there are a few free pieces of software
- The gimp (Unix/Win) at http://gimp-win.sourceforge.net/
- Paint.net (Win) at http://www.eecs.wsu.edu/paint.net/
- SSWF (Unix/Win/Mac) http://sswf.sourceforge.net/ (Note this is nothing like Macromedia's editors, it's script based, source code)
- Alternative to SWF you can look at SVG, which is a free vector image format, but there are no free viable editors that support everything.
Though you can code SVG without needing any editor.
Though this editor is close, http://www.inkscape.org/ , free too. (thanks SJ) (We don't know if SVG is compatible with our systems yet for comics --STrRedWolf)
- The forums limit size of the sig to fit in the same area that a standard advertisement would fit plus 20 px (468px wide, 80px high). Banners must be Safe-For-Work (no nudity/gore.) Sigs will be disabled on users who circumvent the enforced limit.
- In the same line of thinking, you can upload images in ANY forum except General Discussion. Please do not hotlink to third-party sites just to show your image, with the exception of PhotoBucket, any similar photo-hosting service which encourages you to hotlink, and your webcomic accounts. Do not use imageshack.us . Also, please limit the width of each image to no more than 720 pixels (so us folk who like their webbrowser not to be full screen need not full screen it... and yet still have to scroll to get to the next page because someone put up a 2048x1536 pixel behemoth of a photo up).
Avatars are now set to 125 wide and 125 high, this is to make up for the new forums widths. phpBB3 has about 200 to 225 pixels of width for the user's profile, where as phpBB2 only had about 100 and wasn't fixed. Avatar size has been upped to 48K, but please do not use the maximum size unless there is a need. at 20 posts per page that would make each page 960KB just for the avatars.
Thank you,


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All prices are in All prices are in USD
Shop dog wristbands for your favorite pooch! Whether he's heading to the gym or to an 80's-themed costume party, your dog will be turning heads. All products are machine washable and proudly made in the USA.
All prices are in USD. © 2020 Ruff Ruff and Meow.
Sitemap |
Shopping Cart Software by BigCommerce


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Cancer Surgery Patients: More Complications, But Less Likely to Die
The finding, part of a first-of-its-kind study by researchers at Henry Ford Hospital and others in the U.S., Canada and Germany, could lead to recommended changes in national health care policy and a reallocation of resources.
The study was published online in British Medical Journal Open.
Jesse Sammon, D.O., Henry Ford Hospital urologist, research fellow and co-author of the paper, says the seemingly contradictory finding can be explained by improved response to patient crises, but a need for better prevention of post-surgical complications.
"Our report shows that while the incidence of preventable adverse events after major cancer surgery – blood clots, infections, respiratory failure and pressure ulcers – is increasing, the overall mortality of patients undergoing these procedures is decreasing in the U. S.," says Dr. Sammon.
"This paradox is explained in our report by the fact that physicians are probably getting increasingly better at identifying these adverse events early and managing them more effectively, thereby leading to lower mortality rates from adverse events and, by extension, lower overall mortality rates in the entire population of patients undergoing these procedures."
That's the good news. The bad news is that more needs to be done to prevent these complications.
"Just because physicians have become increasingly effective at managing these adverse events once they occur does not obviate the fact that there's still a lot of room for improvement in reducing the actual occurrence of these adverse events in the first place," Dr. Sammon says.
The study – the largest ever to assess the quality of oncological surgical care in a nationwide sample – focused on 2.5 million surgery patients over the age of 18 who underwent a major cancer procedure between 1999 and 2009.
The operations included partial or complete removal of a cancerous colon, bladder, esophagus, stomach, uterus, lung, pancreas or prostate.
Among the findings were "marked and worrisome increases" in the frequency of infections, pressure ulcers and respiratory failure after surgery. But at the same time, there were also improvements in preventing anesthetic- and transfusion-related complications and hip fractures.
The researchers note the significance of this finding because Medicare curtailed the ability of hospitals to be reimbursed for "reasonably preventable events" since 2008 as an incentive to improve quality of care. The Affordable Care Act, which passed two years later, has added its own such initiatives.
"A rational approach to improving accountability for substandard care should begin with identifying the true burden of hospital-acquired adverse events," the study asserts.
In presenting their study, the researchers said it was launched at a time when medical errors in the U.S. cost an estimated $17 billion a year.
Funding Source: Vattikuti Foundation
The study is available at http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/3/6/e002843.full?sid=3f28b1ae-36e0-42d1-90c9-2ac9bf8ca277
MEDIA CONTACT: Dwight Angell
[email protected]


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If excessive lock contention causes the lock server to become a bottleneck, you can distribute the load by instantiating multiple server lock managers to handle competing lock requests. For example, the following diagram shows a site with the following setup:
Repositories A, B, Y, and Z, where A and B each have two instances on different Oracle ATG Web Commerce instances
Four client lock managers, where the client lock managers for repositories A and B reference server lock manager SLM_AB, and client lock managers for repositories Y and Z reference server lock manager SLM_YZ.
Two server lock managers that handle different sets of lock requests: SLM_AB and SLM_YZ
In a distributed application where the same repository—for example, the ProfileAdapterRepository–runs on multiple Oracle ATG Web Commerce instances, all repository instances must use the same ServerLockManager component. In the previous diagram, two instances of repository A run on separate Oracle ATG Web Commerce instances. Thus, their client lock managers must be set up to use the same server lock manager.


text:
I am at the Barnes and Noble. The girl next to me is talking very, very loudly to her elderly father on the phone. She has to repeat everything two or three times. Everything. I was getting irritated until the conversation graduated into farce.
It was clear that she had just brought her boyfriend home to meet her elderly parents. Dad was worried he didn't make a good impression. Daughter assured him, no.
"Dad, I have a medical question."
"Mark and I don't believe in sex before marriage"
"But is it possible to get pregnant through clothing?"
I assume her father is a doctor.
"Well, I am on the pill and everything, but sometimes I forget."
Forget to wear clothing?
As I write this, the details are continuing to pour out, audible to at least twenty people.
"So as long as I am on the pill and I am wearing clothing, we should be all right."
"Oh, hi Mom!"
Apparently somebody heard Dad's end of the conversation and grabbed the other extension in a hurry.
The world is bizarre. I don't expect you all to believe me, but this is happening. Loudly. In Barnes and Noble.
UPDATE: Now it all comes out. She has had a couple of drinks and her boyfriend Mark didn't want her to drive home, so she is hanging out in a coffee shop.
And now: "Mark's parents are super Christian so it is important that I am a Christian, and they are glad you are a Christian, too!"
Just keep your clothes on, girl.
"Well, actually, I called to tell you I am engaged!"
"Dad, are you there? I am ENGAGED."


text:
Designed to Master the Road
All it takes is a single glance to realise that you're in the presence of something more than an attractive sports sedan. From the wheels and brake callipers to the mirrors, air intakes and the tiger nose grille, the Kia Stinger is a true celebration of rear wheel drive, enriched with high tech prowess.
Perfection from Every Angle
The Stinger ushers in a new era for Kia, combining a harmony of imagination and cutting edge functional elements in a totally new design. Thanks to the athletic silhouette, its unique fastback appearance creates the perfect synthesis of aesthetics, elegance and sporting flair.
Elevate Your Senses
Intimate yet expansive. Classic yet striking.
Every single finish and feature inside the Kia Stinger is dedicated to the thrill of driving. The aircraft-inspired cockpit surrounds you delivering everything that you need exactly where you need it.
Space, Comfort & Grace
Open the doors and you'll find a spacious, modern interior enhanced with bold accents, soft-touch surfaces and fine, premium stitching, all of which come together to create a sanctuary of quiet comfort and craftsmanship for you and your passengers.
The Family Sports Sedan With 5 Doors
The Kia Stinger features a luxurious driving experience without compromising comfort and accessibility for those long road trips - where the joy of the journey is everything.
The Comfort & Style They Love
Thanks to its long wheelbase, the Stinger offers superior headroom and legroom, providing ample space for passengers to sit comfortably and stretch out.
The Space & Flexibility You Want
Whether it's a drive to the seaside, a weekend road trip or a family holiday, the Stinger will ensure you're not left short on space.
Its five-door fastback layout means there's plenty of easily accessible space to bring along everything you'll need. The rear lifts to reveal a broad opening with 406 litres of cargo capacity, making it easier to load wide objects or arrange cargo. The rear seatbacks split and fold 60:40, giving you 1,114 litres of cargo capacity and several options for accommodating longer items.
Power To Surprise
The Kia Stinger is a Gran Turismo for the modern era. Its agile performance is defined by thrilling acceleration, ultra precise handling and perfect road holding – even when cornering and during demanding driving situations.
At Kia's testing facility at the grueling Nürburgring, in Germany, our engineers put Stinger to its limits to ensure its dynamic performance is innate in every vehicle.
The Stinger endured months of frozen lake testing in sub-zero temperatures and icy conditions of northern Sweden. Extreme weather testing ensures the gran turismo-inspired handling and the engaging, fun-to-drive character of a rear-wheel drive sport sedan remain in all conditions.
To deliver exceptional large sports sedan handling with Australian comfort and dependability, Stinger was subjected to a localisation and tuning program, over thousands of kilometres across urban, country and outback roads.
Strong To Its Very Core
Constructed on a chassis comprising of extensive use of advanced high-strength steel and fitted with some of the most advanced active safety features available in a Kia, the Stinger always has your safety in mind.
360° Camera View
Benefit from a bird's eye view of the space around your Stinger while parking thanks to the 360° Camera View with three wide-angle images from cameras at the rear and sides.
360° Camera View available on GT & GT-Line grades.
Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) & Forward Collision Warning System (FCWS)*
Using radar and camera data, the Stinger senses the potential for a collision with a pedestrian, car or object ahead, and applies emergency braking to avoid or reduce the effects of a collision.
Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)*
The Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) system works when backing out of a parking spot or driveway. The system warns the driver if it detects any incoming traffic in either direction while the vehicle is reversing.
RCTA available on GT & GT-Line grades.
Blind Spot Detection (BSD)*
The system detects approaching vehicles and warns you when they enter your blind spot zone, and that it may be dangerous to change lanes.
BSD available on GT & GT-Line grades.
Active Hood Lift System (AHLS)*
The Active Hood Lift System will help protect a pedestrian in the event of an emergency, by lifting the hood to absorb some of the impact.
Driver Attention Alert (DAA)*
The Driver Attention Warning (DAA) monitors the driver and will give warning signals to encourage the driver to take a break if it senses the driver's attention level has been significantly reduced.
2018 Large Car
under $70,000
Award 2018
of the Year 2017
Year 2018 Finalist
Award 2018
The stinger range
- Launch Control
- Paddle shifters
- Apple CarPlay™† and Android Auto™ ‡ with voice recognition
- Rear view camera with in-audio screen display & dynamic parking guidelines
- AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking) with FCWS (Forward Collision Warning System)*
- LKA (Lane Keeping Assist)*
- DAA (Driver Attention Alert)*
- ASCC (Advanced Smart Cruise Control) with steering wheel mounted controls
- Sports leather~ appointed seats
- Rain Sensing Wipers
- Dynamic Stability Damping Control (DSDC)
- 360° Camera View
- Driver`s seat lumbar support, Bolster adjuster & thigh extender
- Colour Head-Up Display (HUD) with Digital speedo
- Ventilated & heated front seats
- 15 speaker premium sound system - harman/kardon® brand
- Wireless phone charging (Qi)
- Mechanical Limited Slip Differential (LSD)
- Brembo® brakes
- Variable Gear Ratio steering
- DAB+ digital audio
- Drive Mode Select system (5 modes - Smart, Eco, Comfort, Sport, Custom)
- LED rear combination lights
- 19" Machine finish alloy wheels
- Carbon fibre pattern film insert trim (console & door)
- Active Sound Design (ASD)
- AEB (Autonomous Emergency Braking) with FCWS (Forward Collision Warning System)*
- DAA (Driver Attention Alert)*
- ASCC (Advanced Smart Cruise Control) with steering wheel mounted controls
- GT Interface (Oil temperature, Torque & Boost gauge, Lap timer, G-Force metre)
- Dynamic Stability Damping Control (DSDC)
- Sports Nappa leather~ appointed seats with GT logo
- Suede interior trim (Roof, Pillar, Sunvisors)
- 360° Camera View*
- BSD (Blind Spot Detection)*
- RCTA (Rear Cross Traffic Alert)*
- All information and illustrations are based on data available at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Contact your local Kia dealer for current information.
- *Safety technologies are supplemental systems and do not replace the need for the driver to exercise care and attention. For more information about Kia's safety systems, please see your local Kia dealer or refer to your Kia vehicle's owner's manual.
- †Apple CarPlay™ connectivity requires compatible iOS device. See apple.com.au for more details. Apple CarPlay™ is a registered trademark of Apple Inc.
- ‡Android Auto™ connectivity requires compatible Android device. See android.com/intl/en_au/ for more details. Android Auto™ is a registered trademark of Google Inc.
- ~Leather appointed seats may comprise of genuine leather, polyurethane and other man-made materials or a combination thereof.
- Kia's Unlimited KM 7 Year Warranty. Note: 7 year/150,000km warranty for vehicles used for the following: rental vehicles, hire cars, taxis, courier vehicles, driving school vehicles, security vehicles, bus and tour vehicles. Capped Price Servicing: Maximum payable for specified number of manufacturer's standard scheduled maintenance services up to 7 years or 105,000kms, whichever occurs first. Complimentary Roadside Assistance for the first year. Renewed yearly by completing scheduled maintenance services at Kia Dealerships (up to maximum 7 years). Terms and conditions for Warranty, Capped Price Servicing and Roadside Assistance can be found at www.kia.com.au


text:
Sources in the Conspiracy-Pseudoscience category may publish unverifiable information that is not always supported by evidence. These sources may be untrustworthy for credible/verifiable information, therefore fact checking and further investigation is recommended on a per article basis when obtaining information from these sources. See all Conspiracy-Pseudoscience sources.
- Overall, we rate AlternativeNews.com a right-wing Tin-Foil Hat Conspiracy and Quackery Level Pseudoscience website based on the questionable sources they link to.


text:
The following is a combined Day of Archaeology post from the Michigan State University Campus Archaeology Program (http://campusarch.msu.edu).
Since we have completed our major piece of fieldwork for the summer at the beginning of July, I asked our graduate fellows to talk about what they are doing now. I wrap up the discussion at the end of this piece. The first picture is from our summer field school excavations, the second from a series of tours we regularly do (this one was Grandparents University).
Lynne Goldstein, Director of CAP
Chris Stawski
As MSU's previous Campus Archaeologist, a day for an archaeologist like me is concentrated on the educational aspects of our program and of archaeology. Ranging from working with undergraduate interns on their semester projects in archaeology, to writing technical reports on fieldwork and site mitigation, to the basic social outreach done through Twitter, Facebook and the CAP blog, each aspect centers around education. It's these day-to-day operations that educate the public, the community, and our students about the methods, theories and platforms that we as archaeologists use to preserve, protect and share MSU's historic past.
Katy Meyers
As the new Campus Archaeologist for MSU, most of my time is currently spent trying to transition into the position and get ready for the upcoming year. While archaeology does involve a lot of excavation and work with material culture, it also requires planning and working with the public. Currently I'm working on developing a social media plan with one of the previous Campus Archaeologists. Creating a relationship with the campus community requires work with a number of online platforms to make the work accessible, open and relevant. All the archaeological work that is done on campus is tweeted, facebooked, photographed, and published online. This requires not only careful documentation of everything that we're doing, but also a method for disseminating the information in a cohesive, standardized and — most importantly — quick manner. By making the campus aware of our activities, we spread information about archaeology, and we also create connections with various facilities on campus that may be doing potentially destructive work.
Grace Krause
While I love dirt and the glamorous excitement of new archaeological finds, my life in the lab is far more satisfying to me. After spending several years in museums, detailed work with collections has become the most enjoyable aspect of archaeology for me. Lately for Campus Archaeology, I have been analyzing our faunal collections. My day in the lab requires bone manuals for identification, a microscope and magnifying glass to look for small modifications, and calipers (a precision measuring device) to take measurements that help determine species and age. Some broken bones I am able to reconstruct to help with identification. After identifying a bone, I enter it into a database with site information, bag number, species, any modifications, and other potentially important information; the bone is then drawn on a separate form if there is evidence of human modification. Of course, it is always better to record more information than you think you might use. Finally, specimens are tagged and returned to their cabinets for safekeeping. Organizing collections such as this is a key aspect of archaeological research. Without such work, we could not make informed interpretations about the frequently confusing remains we see at sites.
Kristin Sewell
Imagining a typical archaeologist, many people envision a khaki-clad figure huddled over a hole with paint brushes and trowel, rear-end stuck in the air like a stink beetle. For most archaeologists, realizing this popular image is a high-point of the year: the much anticipated field season. But, what do archaeologists do during the rest of the year? For me (a historic archaeologist), the bulk of my archaeological research is done in preparation for the field season and happens in the library and archive. Libraries contain secondary sources like biographies, histories, and maps that help me recreate the past and identify previous research and interpretations of cultures and people. In the archives, I scour journals, letters, ledgers and other primary sources that describe the experiences of specific individuals. I try to find that small voice that reaches out from the past to direct my research in the present—I once heard an archival researcher compare this research as the moment when Dr. Seuss' beloved Horton finally hears the Whos on that speck of dust "We are here! We are here! We are here!"—With research from primary and secondary sources in hand, archaeologists like me can better identify where to dig, how the land there was used, why it was used, and what we might recover during the archaeological field season. This is the life of a typical archaeologist, a life spent as much in the dust as it is in the dirt.
Lynne Goldstein
The Michigan State University Campus Archaeology Program is unique – we not only step in to collect site information before it is destroyed by development, we do work on any and ALL ground disturbances on campus – from new buildings to new sidewalks, trees and shrubs. Another important aspect of our program is education, as both Chris and Katy have noted above. Both Grace and Kristin have talked about lab and archival work that is critical for establishing context and helping in interpretation. We actively try to include the entire MSU community – from staff, faculty, administrators, students, and visitors to alumni and the general community – in everything we do. There is no question that this program is the most transparent and collaborative program I have ever directed or participated in. We want people to know who we are, what we are doing, why we are doing it, what we are finding, and what we have produced. On this day of archaeology, we hope that we provided a glimpse into our program, and we welcome you to visit us on a regular basis, via our website (see above), Twitter (@capmsu), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/capmsu), Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/capmsu), or in person! Hope everyone learns a lot today and gets excited about archaeology around the world!


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The author rejects the attribution of the discussed painting to Raphael, which has been admitted almost unanimously since 1970. The previous idea was based on two mistakes: an inaccurate interpretation of the results of conservation carried then and the groundless identification of the London painting with the one exhibited in the sixteenth century in the church of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome. The detailed examination of the stylistic features of the both famous portraits of Julius II - in London and the Uffizi Gallery - leads the author to the primacy of the latter one, which is probably the original of Raphael, painted possibly after the cartoon preserved in the Collezine Corsini in Florence, but not after the one from Chatsworth as supposed before. The London painting was a workshop copy painted probably ca 1516 by Giovanni Francesco Penni.
Combining technical and historical research, a paper conservator and an art historian study a recently discovered work by Paul Gauguin. The small painting of a Breton Girl by the Sea, signed and dated 1889, has altered significantly in colour and tonal relations over time. Fugitive colour has faded and the paper support has darkened. Scientific techniques are used to recover a more precise idea of its original appearance. Technical study shows that the painting was carefully developed from underdrawing to painted surface in a procedure very similar to Gauguin's painting practice. Media, palette and execution can be related to other primitivizing works of 1889 and their pre-Raphaelite and non-Western "Oriental" sources.


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Yes the Bum bag is back. Can be work around the hip or over the shoulder. Convenient for travel or when you need your "hands free"
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JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc.
Nepal Family Health Program II
JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. successfully implemented the Nepal Family Health Program II for the U.S. Agency for International Development from 2007 to 2012. For further information on project activites, visit the NFHP II page on jsi.com.
The public sector health care system in Nepal has the potential to provide quality primary health care throughout the nation. There are a number of obstacles, however: difficult terrain in the middle hills and mountain regions, inadequately trained and supervised staff, and a lack of consistent supplies of essential drugs, resources and equipment.
JSI has worked in Nepal since 1981 to assist the government in developing a functional health care system that integrates health services to meet people's needs. Under the USAID-funded Nepal Family Health Program II (NFHP II), JSI followed up its successful predecessor, the Nepal Family Health Program, to improve the delivery and use of basic public sector family planning, maternal, newborn, child health, and literacy/life skills services, in a manner that builds local capacity and encourages stakeholder collaboration. Working with government and NGO partners at national and district levels, NFHP II worked to improve policy and strengthen leadership and management capacity; improve service delivery; spearhead innovative approaches in community-based maternal and neonatal care, including nutrition; and increase community participation in health decisions and activities. Learn more…
NFHP II was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc., with EngenderHealth, Jhpiego, Save the Children, World Education, Inc., Nepali Technical Assistance Group, Nepal Fertility Care Center, Management Support Services Private Ltd., and Nepal Red Cross Society. Copyright 2012 John Snow, Inc. All Rights Reserved.


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| 2.2°C Belfast
An eight-year-old boy would have had more chance of surviving a fatal asthma attack but for an error by an ambulance call-handler, a coroner has ruled.
Clayton Barker died after paramedics were delayed because his grandmother's 999 call was wrongly categorised as less serious than it was, the inquest into his death heard.
If the "correct response" had been taken, the ambulance would have arrived before Clayton collapsed and his chances of survival would probably have been "enhanced", Simon Nelson, senior coroner for Manchester North, said.
Mr Nelson, giving his ruling at the end of the inquest in Heywood, Greater Manchester, said: "Clayton Barker died following an acute asthmatic attack.
"The evidence at the inquest confirmed that the first of two emergency 999 calls was not processed in line with best practise.
"Had the correct response been generated, then the ambulance would have arrived before rather than after Clayton collapsed, in which case, on the balance of probabilities, his chances of survival would have been enhanced."
Gemma Barker described her son, one of three brothers, as "mischievous" and "full of energy", despite being diagnosed with asthma from the age of five.
Clayton, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, started struggling for breath while enjoying a sleepover at his grandmother's house on March 14 last year, the inquest heard.
But when his grandmother Elaine Barker phoned 999, the operator thought the emergency was less serious than it was so the next waiting ambulance was sent to another emergency instead - and Clayton was not reached by paramedics until 23 minutes after the initial call.
During the hearing it emerged the call operator - who had taken nearly 80 calls during the "extremely busy" 12-hour shift - asked Clayton's grandmother: "Is he having any difficulty speaking through breaths?"
But she wrongly registered the answer as "no" instead of "yes".
It meant the situation was thought to be less urgent than it was and the call coded green instead of red, for potentially life-threatening.
Elaine Barker had phoned 999 at 7.17pm and an ambulance dispatched at 7.29pm, arriving at 7.40pm.
If the call handler had written down "Yes" an ambulance could have been sent from a much closer station and been mobile at 7.21pm and on the scene at 7.27pm.
It meant the ambulance could have been there five minutes before Clayton collapsed at 7.32pm, but instead the first ambulance arrived eight minutes afterwards.
Clayton was eventually taken to the Royal Oldham Hospital by ambulance staff, but was pronounced dead on arrival shortly after 8pm.
Angela Lee, assistant service manager at the emergency centre of North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) told the inquest the call handler had been using a series of scripted questions as part of a "medical priority dispatch system" that was used nationally and internationally.
Mrs Lee said all staff had been reminded of the importance of recording information accurately.
She added: "It was an individual error, I don't believe there needs to be a change in procedure."
Gemma Barker is understood to be taking legal action against NWAS through criminal negligence lawyers at Slater & Gordon.
Solicitor Zak Golombeck said: "Gemma and her family would like to thank the coroner for his full and thorough investigation.
"The evidence was unambiguous that had the initial 999 call been categorised correctly and attended Clayton in a timely manner, Clayton's chance of survival would have been enhanced.
"Gemma's loss is not something words can describe.
"Clayton was a happy and lively young boy who will be deeply missed by his family, especially his two brothers.
"I will now be advising Gemma in relation to pursuing legal action against the ambulance service."
Derek Cartwright, director of operations for NWAS, said: "The Trust would like to offer our apologies and express our sincere condolences to Clayton's family. We fully appreciate that this must be a very difficult time for them.
"The control manager informed the court that an error had been made in the control room at the time of the incident, which unfortunately resulted in a delay in despatching an ambulance to the address.
"We therefore accept the coroner's comments and since this tragic incident, have reviewed our processes within our control rooms.
"The trust is committed to learning from all incidents in order to avoid any similar occurrences and to improve patient care and safety.
"We would also like to thank the coroner for his handling of this sensitive case."


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'News of Interest to Colored Readers,' 1927-1928
A ten-month column from the Alexandria Gazette written by African-American Estelle Lane about events in her community in Alexandria, Virginia.
Ancestry.com - Search Newspapers & Publications
Ancestry.com has searchable indexes; database results and some digitized images are available with a fee-based subscription. Free articles and helpful research materials.
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers
Search and view newspaper pages from 1880-1922 and find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress as part of the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).
Search by a series of choices including state/county/city, date, keywords, and type of newspaper.
King George Journal, Stafford Journal, Westmoreland Journal, Gazette Virginian, Halifax Gazette. Fold3 is an online repository for original historical documents, combined with the ability for users to make comments, annotations, and upload their own documents. The focus of Fold3 is to be a comprehensive collection of U.S. Military records. Some areas of Fold3 are free to use, while others can be freely searched and then viewed with a paid subscription.
The Internet service of The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg, Virginia.
GenealogyBank.com - Historical Newspapers - Virginia $
GenealogyBank's collection includes modern obituaries, historical newspapers, books, pamphlets, military records, and government documents. The 2,400+ historical newspapers include letters, speeches, opinion pieces, advertisements, hometown news, photographs, illustrations and more. Searchable database results shown, images available with a fee-based subscription.
Historical Newspaper Index - Fairfax County, Virginia
This site provides an index to eight different Fairfax County and northern Virginia newspapers from 1785 to 1973. Users may request copies of articles they would like to see. It is a complete subject index that includes advertisements, legal notices and general news items.
Directory of daily and weekly newspapers in the United States.
Index of Newspaper Articles from the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Circa 1930s
Rare collection of newspaper articles from the Sunday Magazine Section of the Richmond Times-Dispatch in the 1930s.
Library of Virginia - Virginia Chronicle
This collection contains 48,924 issues of newspapers published in Virginia, comprising 309,587 pages. The database may be searched by keyword, and the results are displayed as full-text images. Dates from 1800 to 1999 are included, although the primary emphasis is on newspapers published before 1923.
NewspaperARCHIVE.com - Virginia $
The world's largest online newspaper archive. Featuring billions of articles from historical newspapers around the U.S. and the world. This unique archive spans more than 400 years of family history, small-town events, world news and more. Searchable database with the number of results shown, images available with a fee-based subscription.
Newspapers.com - Historical Newspapers in Virginia $
Newspapers.com, a fee-based subscription site, is one of the largest online historical newspapers sites, adding millions of pages each month and making it easy and convenient to search or browse millions of newspapers to find news, notices of births, marriages and deaths, and much more. The site offers the ability to make "clippings." Clippings are an easy way to keep track of interesting things you find on Newspapers.com. You can clip an article, a page, a newspaper, a search, or another member's profile. Once it's clipped, you can easily find it again, share it with friends, and receive notifications when it's updated.
Online Historical Newspapers Website
The purpose of the site is to have links to all online newspapers in one place, listed by county and city. It is meant to be used as an aid to genealogists, historians, and other researchers.
Pilot Online - The Virginian-Pilot
Hampton Roads.
Texas Digital Newspaper Program - Virginia Newspapers
Digitized newspapers through the Portal to Texas History.
United States » Virginia » Newspapers
41 Links


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Maybe designers are recognizing the genius of Forties Fashion, an era where femininity was truly celebrated. Maybe designers are paying tribute to the Great Depression, as we currently face an increasingly dire economic state. But no matter the intention, there's no denying it: we're witnessing a revival of 1940's Fashion.
The glamour, the power, the elegance of the WWII era is being reborn in demure necklines, hemlines that hit just below the knee, belted waists and pencil skirts.
It's a powerful look that speaks to women in the 1940's who singlehandedly supported the household while their husbands were at war; they were sharp, feminine and in control. The key pieces? Elbow length gloves. Thin belts. Tailored Suits. Long, elegant gowns. Dramatic hats. Peplum waists. Broad shoulders. Cinched waists. Oh, and lots of fur.
Victoria Beckham in her own design.
Amy Adams in Roland Mouret
L'Wren Scott
Chris Benz
Elie Saab
So classy!
Here's how to make the look wearable. Invest in a thin belt to wear over sheath dresses and suits. The cinching was a staple of the classic, feminine 40's silhouette.
And embrace fall's hottest new 40's-inspired cocktail trend: peplum.
It's a single skirt layer that flares over a fitted dress or dances around the bottom of a blazer. It adds a flirty femininity to fitted looks and forms an hourglass figure by accentuating the waistline and adding to the curve of the hips.
Charlize Theron
Piece To Buy: A peplum dress or jacket will give your wardrobe an instant update. If you have curves, the silhouette will accentuate them in the most feminine way. If you're boy-shaped, the look will create them where they didn't exist. Either way, the fit-and-flare silhouette provides a flirty, fashion-forward look that's very now.
Add a touch of forties glamour to your wardrobe this season with red-carpet inspired faux fur looks with down-to-earth price tags. Indulge in the ultimate recession luxury with the affordable fur shawls, vests and jackets below. P.S. If a fur coat, vest or shawl is too luxurious for your taste, add a small dose of drama with fur-lined purses, gloves and even boots.
Christian Lacroix
Andrew GN
Derek Lam
J. Mendel
Victoria Beckham
Piece to Buy: A fur jacket or vest that's as versatile as it is affordable. Look for one that can go edgy with a tank and boyfriend jeans or full-on glamourous with a cocktail dress and stilettos.


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Spa Breaks
Book Online
• Lowest Priced (or often FREE) Car Ferry Travel!
• Free Unlimited Access to Spa Facilities
• Access to Special Offer Packages
• £10 off Each Hour of Spa Treatments
Melville Hall Hotel & Utopia Spa is located in a wonderful peaceful location in Sandown on the Isle of Wight.
Being adjacent to the beautiful leafy Los Altos Park provides a great environment for your relaxing short break and Isle of Wight holiday. Being only 5 minutes walk to the quaint town of Sandown and the beautiful sandy beach and stunning cliff walks, you get a location that is one of the very best for adults only holidays and spa breaks.
There are three main ports to set sail from to the Isle of Wight. Get directions to your chosen ferry terminal by entering your postcode, address or area:
to Southampton Ferry Terminal
to Portsmouth Ferry Terminal
to Lymington Ferry Terminal
from Cowes
from Fishbourne
from Yarmouth
Melville Hall Hotel
Melville Street
Isle of Wight
01983 300100
Portsmouth Wightlink Ferry Terminal - PO1 2LA - Goes to: Fishbourne Ferry Terminal - PO33 4EU
Lymington Wightlink Ferry Terminal - S041 5SB - Goes to: Yarmouth Ferry Terminal - PO41 0PB
Southampton Red Funnel Ferry Terminal - SO14 2AQ - Goes to: East Cowes Ferry Terminal - PO32 6RF
From the Fishbourne car ferry terminal, turn left at the traffic lights at the end of the road, towards Ryde.
Follow the main road through Ryde (A3055) signposted Sandown.
Pass through Brading Village (20 mph speed limit) and through traffic lights to Sandown.
Keep left through traffic lights and under railway bridge .
Turn right at the mini roundabout and head up the hill (The Broadway)
At the fourth zebra crossing, turn immediately right and we are located 30 yards down on the left hand side.
Head out of East Cowes, past Osbourne House and take the exit signposted Ryde at the Roundabout (first exit)
Follow the road to Ryde, past Fishbourne and then follow the instructions above.
Take the first ext (left) at the roundabout outside the ferry terminal signposted Newport.
When approaching Newport, take the third exit at the roundabout and travel down the dual carriageway signposted Sandown/Shanklin.
At the large roundabout with lots of traffic lights head for Sandown (second exit).
Go straight across the next roundabout, past St George's football club and continue towards Sandown. Stay on this road until you come eventually to traffic lights at a T Junction in Lake - beware the speed cameras just past Safeway in the 30 mph speed limit.
Turn left at these traffic lights and head up Lake Hill, straight through the traffic lights at the Heights Leisure Centre and take the second turning on the left immediately before the zebra crossing. We are located 30 yards down on the left hand side.


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Stock futures are higher prior to the open, with the dollar significantly lower, bonds lower, oil slightly lower, gold & silver slightly higher, and food commodities are mixed.
There is no meaningful economic data again this morning, "Consumer" Credit will be released this afternoon.
Yesterday the markets finished with the major indices in an oversold condition below the bottom Bollinger bands, and with zero percent of stocks above their 10 day moving average. That makes a bounce sometime soon fairly likely, but of course we can't be sure what is on the agenda of those who own the exchanges, own the HFT machines, and produce money from nothing while charging the people interest on that production.
Obama's Chief Economic Advisor, Austin Goolsbee, resigned today to head back to the classroom. What, a little pressure and he folds like a cheap suit? Yeah, yeah, he did a great job with a bad situation… NOT. Another missed opportunity to the do the right thing, but Goolsbee is just another spineless man who did not possess the courage to operate outside of the central banker captured, yet failed, paradigm.
Their real effect on the economy is summed up in the following (I think) very relevant article that only partially describes the stress placed upon today's workforce:
Economy makes people sick, literally
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- In 2009, the stress caused by the recession sent Katie Pfledderer to the hospital.
Her income as an advertising executive was cut by 20% and her workload increased. To make ends meet, she had to take an additional part-time job, but the strain was more than she could bear.
"I was tired all the time and then one morning I started crying and I couldn't breathe."
Pfledderer suffered a panic attack and was taken to the emergency room. She said she had been living in fear of losing her job in the midst of the Great Recession. "It was constant concern about what's going to happen next," the 28-year-old account executive said.
As the recovery sputters, many Americans, like Pfledderer, continue to struggle in the face of sluggish job growth and falling home prices -- and that's taking a toll on their overall well being.
Thirty-five percent of middle class Americans said they or someone in their household has experienced a physical symptom of stress related to the economy, according to a recent report by First Command Financial Services, a financial service provider.
Most common were anxiety, changes in weight, sleeplessness, low energy and irritability. "These are health conditions that we want people to be aware of," said Kathryn Power, director of the Center for Mental Health Services, a division of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Power said that at the start of the recession there was a sharp uptick in the number of calls to the Center's suicide hotline. "About 30% of the calls we get are related to economic distress," she said. "They were having emotional difficulties because of fear of their financial situation, fear they would lose their job, lose their home."
Speaking of how our economy damages health, the Fukushima disaster is being dragged into the light slowly but surely. All three reactors fully melted down. Plutonium exists outside of the Fukushima plant's ground. Radiation levels inside of Tokyo are very high in spots and the government is working hard to cover that fact up. The future sickness and suffering due to their miscues will be epic, and the proper steps to truly contain the radiation further are still not taking place, thus putting us all at risk.