Need a reason to jump into Mexican Spanish with your child? Language experts suggest that children who learn a foreign language in early childhood show certain cognitive advantages over children who do not. But not only that, learning a new language is FUN! And with the Kids vs Mexican Spanish: Talking World audiobook, introducing Mexican Spanish has never been easier.
Perfect for children aged 18 months to 6 years+ (not to mention adults too!), this interactive audiobook will teach your little one kid-friendly Mexican Spanish vocabulary words through cute illustrations and easy to understand native audio, text and translations. Simply tap and play – it's that simple! Words cover everyday objects any child will come across, such as household items, toys, numbers and much much more!


A broader definition of Ethnomathematics comes from a more inclusive meaning of "cultural groups". It can include groupings by gender, occupation, age, etc. In the classroom, this means reaching out to include more positive roles of women in mathematics and, notably, applying the NCTM Standards of Mathematical Connections to see mathematics in many different careers and the daily life of children and adults. ISGEm members have been involved with these activities by participating in curriculum development programs and conference presentations which emphasize mathematics in our life and our world.
Plans are proceeding for Working Group 10 "Multicultural and Multilingual Classrooms" that will be part of ICME-7 in Quebec in August 1992. The Working Group will meet for four sessions of 90 minutes each. The first session will be for posters describing projects and displays of materials. The next two sessions will be in subgroups to facilitate discussion and the development of action plans. The fourth and final session will be a total group meeting with reports from the subgroups and discussion.
Plans are proceeding for Topic Group 2 "Ethnomathematics and Mathematics Education" that will be part of ICME-7 in Quebec in August 1992. The first session of the Topic Group will feature five or six reports on the situation around the world. The next session will consists of reports on the posters that have presented information of relevance to Ethnomathematics.
Lusona (pl. sona) are drawings that come from a long tradition among the Tchokwe and other peoples of Angola. They are presented in this bilingual (English and French) version of the original publication in Portuguese. An introductory Chapter 1 is followed by an explanation of the lusona tradition of sand drawings. Chapter 3 contains some "find the missing figures" challenges and Chapter 4 presents figures that the reader is invited to include in self-constructed patterns of increasing complexity. The final chapter encourages readers to submit their own lusona to the author.
Dr. Washburn's study addresses a persistent problem in the analysis of material culture: the fact that type and style categories are typically determined by features selected by investigators rather than those salient to the original makers and users. The author uses sorting procedures from experimental psychology as well as participant observation and interviews to discover nonverbalized and verbalized features that people use as criteria for object categories. The study shows that while two kinds of features are used for category definition--object-specific features and basic perceptual properties--the style of a culture is primarily defined by the way the basic properties are specifically manipulated. This thesis is illustrated by a study of named pattern categories on Bakuba raffia cloth.
This article suggests that ethnomathematics has "brought political issues into the mathematics education debate" and that "The very power of ethnomathematics and of the work done in this area challenges the notion that mathematics is only produced by mathematicians". It also briefly summaries ethnographic research completed by the author "to map some of the mathematical ideas and activities of children in a slum that developed into an interdisicplinary project in an informal educational setting". That work is published in his Master's thesis, Um Estudo de Etnomatemática: sua Incorporação na elaboração de uma proposta pedagógica para o "Núcleo-Escola Vila Noguiera-São Quirino", UNESP, Río Claro, São Paulo, Brazil.
Thomas Hülsmann, Service d'Administration des Projets, B.P. 869, Antanarivo, MADAGASCAR, is involved in the production of primary mathematics books.


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Accurate aperture and v-shaped blade buffer layer to ensure accurate stripping.
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Home Films Review: 'Unimaginable'
Review: 'Unimaginable'
By Maria Rochelle (@duraniemaria) – Guest Contributor
I watched the film "Unimaginable", the feature-length film of the award-winning short film on same-sex domestic violence. It was well written by Cedric Thomas Smith out of Texas, and the cast of actors who portrayed the main characters gave an outstanding performance. Cedric wrote the script which I'll call the bus, and the actors drove the bus. They delivered the creation of his film and brought it to life with lights, camera and action.
The leading characters in this feature-length film are: George Cisneros as Kirk, Carlos Camacho as Antonio and Maxine Greco as Cynthia (Antonio's Mother).
Cedric Thomas Smith
Here's the description of the film from "Unimaginable" Facebook page:
"How much does love have to hurt before it is not love?" is the question that plagues Antonio as the past demons of domestic violence resurface at the hands of his partner, Kirk. Antonio hides his physical and emotional pain from his all-knowing mother, Cynthia, who suffered such a tremendous amount of abuse at the hands of Antonio's father that Antonio became a nurse to heal pain that he could not heal as a child. Antonio is jolted out of his denial by one of his patients, Michelle, who is also, a frequent victim of domestic violence. While Michelle does not consider herself a victim, but as simply part of a couple that "loves hard and fight hard", a critical incident involving Michelle at the clinic forces Antonio to confront his own situation and reevaluate the "magic and tragic" of his life with Kirk before it is too late."
Here are a few lines that really caught my attention:
Kirk "I buy him flowers because I love him."
Cynthia "No, you buy him flowers because you beat the hell out of him."
Another line from Cynthia:
"His love for you runs so deep. I know how that feels. Why else would we take the abuse? Love shouldn't hurt like this."
A line from Antonio:
"We can't have the good without a little of the bad."
I learned a few years ago that "hurting people hurt people." You'll see that in action in this film. It's incredible and that you'll be clutching your heart to stop it from pounding because you witness the characters' flaws and feel the pain of the characters that are hurting. I'm familiar with the subject of domestic violence because of what I learned in training for work and spoke with victims as well. I know about it because it occurred in my family. So this movie touched on a few nerves of my own.
The cinematography was true to life. This isn't a film that has special effects and a bunch of Hollywood touches. It's a film with heart and a story and a topic that isn't always discussed in the media: same-sex domestic violence. It also enlightened me even more on the subject. The focus of the film is not just on same-sex domestic violence of course, but it also goes into the back story of the other characters as well.
As I watched the film, I felt like I was a part of it. In each scene, I felt like I was there. That's filmmaking at its best and wonderful acting. I felt for the characters and I emphasize with them. I wanted to yell at the screen when the police officers in one scene were being discriminatory in their actions against Kirk and Antonio. That scene made me angry.
In another scene where George Cisneros, who portrays Kirk, is in the kitchen drinking wine and cooking, he shows his acting abilities with his powerful expressions. There's subtext in his expressions. There are feelings being expressed without them being verbalized.
George Cisneros
I did have a chance to ask a couple of questions with George on his role as Kirk:
Maria- I'm curious for you as an actor, how hard was it for you to play the abuser? I saw the short as well, and you were convincing.
George: Well, as an actor, I did my homework on the character and the script. …I prepared myself.
Maria: You definitely did. What was the hardest part about playing Kirk?
George: Conveying and showing vulnerability.
There is some humor in the film and you will see some love as well. It's definitely a drama with heart. The full feature film is touring festivals at this time, so it's not available for public viewing as of yet. However, the short is available to watch on Vimeo and the link is listed with the social links. The film has been nominated for several nominations at Bare Bones Film Festival in Muskogee, Oklahoma. It will be screened on April 22 at the festival. Recently it has been picked as an official selection of the Thessaloniki LGBTQ Film Festival in Greece which will be at the end of September. An incredible film which I'm not surprised to see it go international.
Here are social links for Cedric Thomas Smith-writer and director of film
Here are social links for one of the leading stars, George Cisneros (Kirk)
A Poem Inspired by the Film
Interview with Rachele Brooke Smith
Review: 'SCYTHE'

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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NewsArticles
Watch an 11-year-old Meghan Markle flawlessly stand up to sexism: 'I don't think it's right'
A class act.
Even as an 11-year-old girl, Meghan Markle stood for the people.
In a resurfaced interview, the future royal and fiancée of Prince Harry can be seen slamming sexist gender roles, after watching a television commercial that presented chauvinistic messages about a woman's place in the world.
A '90s dish soap ad for Proctor and Gamble included a man's voiceover declaring, "Women all over America are fighting greasy pots and pans."
(We know, was that really only 25 years ago?).
Clearly disturbed by the implication that housework was only a woman's job, the future Duchess of Sussex wrote letters to the company who manufactured the soap and to strong women she admired, including Hillary Clinton and Gloria Allred.
She also wrote to Nickelodeon's Linda Ellerbee, who clearly believed in her cause, and later featured her on a Nick News TV segment.
"I don't think it's right for kids to grow up thinking these things," a young Markle said on Nickelodeon. "It's always, 'Mum does this, and Mum does that'."
As it would happen, this commercial fuelled Markle's foray into activism, and more than two decades later she would refer to it during a speech at a UN Women's event in Beijing.
"It was at that moment that I realised the magnitude of my actions," Markle said in her 2015 speech. "At the age of 11 I had created my small level of impact by standing up for equality."
Since the royal engagement news broke last week, the world has become fascinated with Markle's backstory.
Everything from her previous relationships to her early acting gigs, have been meticulously reported. But perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the Los Angeles-born star is her ability to call out the injustices she sees around her.
And the best bit? She was doing it long before she crossed paths with a British prince.
Lawyer accuses Britney of 'threatening' social media posts
The best ways to make use of summer mangoes


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Join Elders in Action this Thursday for their Annual Open House!
Elders in Action is a non-profit dedicated to helping older adults. Elders in Action, and their 31-member Commission, help give a voice to older adults in our community. They also advise local officials on the community's needs and Elders in Action's programs and policies. The non-profit also has many resources and programs that connect, engage, and empower Portland's older adults.
Nick is pleased to act as Portland City Council liaison to Elders in Action.
Check out all that Elders in Action has to offer at their Annual Open House this Thursday. Committed volunteers, staff, and partners will be on hand to answer your questions.
No RSVP is required. For more information about this and other Elders in Action events and programs, please check their website.


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An International Fact Finding Mission (IFFM) with members from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand visited Kalpitiya islands from the 23rd to the 27th of February, 2011 with the objective of studying the ramifications of the Kalpitiya Integrated Tourism Resort Project (KITRP). During its visit, the IFFM met with representatives of state departments, religious institutions and civil society, political leaders and members of the affected communities.
On the basis of its extensive interactions with a wide spectrum of stakeholders, the IFFM has made the following observations.
The project today is adversely affecting the livelihoods of the people and will surely have a negative impact on their social and cultural realities as well.
• Already, the project has caused land alienation and resulted in severe restrictions on people's access to sea and fishing activities.
• Entire communities face an imminent threat of displacement which appears to be under way even now.
• The entire process is suffering from a severe lack of comprehensive, precise and timely information for communities. Non-transparency, non-accountability and non-responsiveness on the part of government resulting in the absence of the possibility and opportunity for the people to participate is a matter of grave concern.
• While a study of the environmental impact of the project (EIA) has been conducted, no such study has been done on its social, economic and cultural impacts. Even the EIA suffers from a lack of precision and depth.
• The KITRP is not in accordance with the Sri Lanka Tourism Master Plan and the Coastal Conservation Act Amendment of 2006. In this context, a lack of collaboration among relevant government departments is apparent.
• To facilitate large scale private sector investment, KITRP has come up with a detailed Investors Guidelines. However, no regulatory mechanism is in place.
• The people strongly resent this tourism project and are resisting it. However, the resistance has been weak so far due to their fear of state repression.
• The project must be stopped with immediate effect. A review should be conducted taking into account the aspirations of the people and their notions of development.
• The review should respect the social, economic, cultural and political rights of the people with information flow, transparency and participation thereby ensuring accountability on the state's part.
• To address the issue of increasing land alienation, legal land titles should be given.
• Peoples' livelihoods should not be disturbed on any account. All necessary measures to ensure this such as unimpeded access to coast and such others must be taken.
In sum, the IFFM team affirms that food sovereignty be clearly recognized as a fundamental right and is not compromised in the name of development.


Located in the historic town of Alderson this beautifully maintained 960 sqft. 1 level home has 3 bedroom, 1 bath and features a wonderful updated eat-in kitchen with appliances. Large covered front & rear porches, level yard for your families needs and detached 1 car garage.


Pen and ink - two panels from the story Thirteen Fingers, published on page 115 of the book Maniac Killer Strikes Again. On 9" x 12" paper. Some areas of white-out/corrections, including the face in the second panel. Signed.


Southold 375th Committee Chairman Herb Adler, State Assemblyman Fred Thiele, Southampton Village Mayor Mark Epley, Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst and South Fork County Legislator Jay Schneiderman at Saturday's convocation.
There was a bit of gentle chiding but a whole lot of humility in the room when Southold and Southampton towns gathered together in Southampton's First Presbyterian Church Saturday afternoon to pay homage to both towns' 375th anniversaries.
Perhaps the most poignant moment of the afternoon was the reminder Shinnecock Nation elder Elizabeth Haile gave the crowd assembled for the towns' joint convocation to honor the anniversary.
Ms. Haile, who also took a trip to Greenport in January for Southold's 375th Anniversary kick-off, said her role in the festivities is one of "somber watchfulness," as her grandson showed a two-row wampum belt off to the crowd.
She said those lines mirror the paths taken by both the Shinnecock Nation and the settlers since Southampton's founding in 1640.
South Fork County Legislator Jay Schneiderman thanked the Shinnecock Nation for giving the early settlers in Southampton the tools they needed to survive their early, cold winters in Southampton.
He pointed out that the South Fork had done a great job of preserving land, but had more work to do preserving the ability for working people to live here.
North Fork County Legislator Al Krupski said he believes the natural environment of the East End was a big draw for the early settlers.
"After all the good farmland was settled in Southold, they had to travel to Southampton to settle," he joked of the early settlers.
Pastor Frank White of Kings Chapel Church of God in Christ in Southampton gave Southampton and Southold First Presbyterian Church ministers Richard Boyer and Peter Kelley a joint proclamation celebrating both churches' 375th anniversaries, which are also being celebrated this year.
Rev. Boyer said he'd be happy to keep the proclamation in Southampton for safekeeping, after which which the Kings Chapel choir, "Showers of Blessing," brought down the house with their rendition of "Oh Lord We Give You Praise," which echoed off the walls of the church for quite some time after they finished singing.
John v.H. Halsey of the Peconic Land Trust also paid tribute to the Shinnecock Nation.
"The native people stewarded this land. We owe them a tremendous debt," he said.
Mr. Halsey urged the crowd to imagine how they'd like to see their towns at their 500th anniversaries, even though no one in the room would live to see that day.
Rev. Michael Smith of the Shinnecock Presbyterian Church, in his benediction, said members of the Shinnnecock Nation fed, clothed and gave the early settlers shelter as part of their duty to their fellow brothers and sisters on earth.


Our campus is filled with trophies for various accomplishments, from Choir Competitions to Basketball Champions. While we are proud of the Eagles and their accomplishments, what really gets us excited are the life lessons learned along the way! We realize that God is the one who blesses us with gifts and abilities -- and we are here to help each student develop those for His glory. Here is a glimpse into one of our trophy cabinets. We invite you to find out more about Eagle Pride on a campus tour!
League All-Stars, All-State selections, Superior ratings in Fine Arts - Eagles Soar individually and as teams!!


Lancaster, TN United States - Eagle's Nest | Center Hill Chalets Inc.
The Eagle's Nest is a great 3 bedroom, 2 bath cottage less than 1/4 mile to Center Hill Marina. This cozy cottage has a great floor plan and lots of space indoors and outdoors. The kitchen is open and has 2 beautiful skylights to ensure the perfect atmosphere for cooking and/or hanging out and visiting. Kitchen also features new stainless appliances and has a large round table that seats 6, breakfast bar that seats 3 and a bench seat with coffee table. All 3 bedrooms have nice queen size beds and each bedroom has a ceiling fan. There are 2 nice living areas which feature 36-inch TVs with DVD players and cable. The main living room has a great cozy feel with a couch, 2 chairs and a wood burning stove. You will fall in love with the beautiful sun-room with nice table and wicker patio set. The upstairs living area has 2 nice sofas and 36-inch TV with cable and DVD and has a walk-out door to a covered porch with 2 porch swings that also steps down to a beautiful terrace with charcoal grill pit. Center Hill Marina is less than 1 mile from the cabin, minutes to Edgar Evins State Park and the Caney Fork River for those who being around the lake area. This is a home that is great for large groups and families and will be remodeled this year with a hot tub. Pets must be approved by our Chalet Management, and must not exceed 20 pounds. We charge a non-refundable pet fee that will not reflect in your online booking total. Please call the office for details.
Family had a great time. Location was perfect. Marina was just a couple of minutes away. Upon arrival, had one issue with downstairs television and plugs in den not working -but property management was a great help and gave us alternatives that worked.
Thank you for your review, Rachel. We are so thrilled that you enjoyed your stay and that maintenance was quickly and easily able to solve your problem. We hope you will stay with us again soon!
We booked a last minute weekend at the lake after a week in Nashville. We weren't sure what to expect, but this house totally EXCEEDED expectations. It was probably the CLEANEST VRBO we've ever stayed in but at the same time, it was decorated comfortably so we felt right at home.
Thank you for your review, Jill! We are glad you enjoyed your stay, and we hope to see you again sometime soon.
Very clean, nicely maintained, spacious home. The managers were a bit disorganized, but overall, a great experience.
Thank you for your review, Stewart. We apologize your expeirence with our staff was unsatisfactory; the week of your booking our chalet manager was unexpextedly out on emergency, but that is no excuse for the disorganization. We hope you choose to stay with us again.
We arrived to a clean cool cabin, we had a great time at the Eagles Nest and look forward to another stay soon!


Will Greenwald Vizio M3D550KD The Vizio M3D550KD packs plenty of features and very accurate colors into an under-$1,500 55-inch 3D HDTV.
Inexpensive. Full-featured. Excellent color and contrast.
Not terribly energy efficient for an LED-backlit set.
The Vizio M3D550KD packs plenty of features and very accurate colors into an under-$1,500 55-inch 3D HDTV.
Vizio strikes again with a low-priced, well-equipped edge-lit LED HDTV. Last year, we tested the 65-inch Vizio XVT3D650SV ($3,699.99, 4 stars) and were pleased by its Web features, passive 3D, and picture quality. Now, the M3D550KD follows suit, with just as many useful features and a much, much lower $1,429.99 (direct) price tag. Its 3D isn't quite as crisp as with some active 3D HDTVs, but considering everything you get for the price, the M3D550KD earns our Editors' Choice for budget HDTVs.
Plain and unassuming, the M3D550KD has a slightly glossy and rounded black bezel with a backlit Vizio logo on the bottom and no other design flourishes. A row of controls sit behind the right edge of the screen, offering Power, Menu, Input, Channel Up/Down, and Volume Up/Down buttons. The inputs face left and downward in a recessed part of the back panel of the HDTV, with four HDMI ports and two USB ports accessible from the left side. Oddly, the analog and optical audio inputs are above the HDMI and USB ports, making cable management slightly inconvenient if you use a soundbar under the HDTV.
The remote is a thick brick of a controller that hides a keyboard that slides out from its bottom half. It's a Bluetooth remote, so you don't need line of sight with the HDTV to use it once it's paired. Pairing the remote is a simple process that the HDTV walks you through when you first turn it on, and after that you can use Vizio's Internet Apps (VIA) and other online features with text input through the remote's QWERTY keyboard. Though the remote is thick, it also feels flimsy because of the sliding keyboard, and its size makes it less comfortable to handle than conventional remotes.
You can access VIA over the M3D550KD's built-in Wi-Fi, which includes a wide variety of apps, widgets, and services. The HDTV can access Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, Pandora, and other streaming media services, plus social networks like Facebook and Twitter and an assortment of news, sports, weather, and other information apps. You can even video chat on Skype with the optional $150 XCV100 camera accessory. The only thing the HDTV is really missing is a Web browser, like those found on LG, Panasonic, and Sony HDTVs. A browser would have really made the QWERTY keyboard on the remote useful.
We test HDTV picture quality with a Konica-Minolta CS-200 chromameter after basic brightness and contrast calibrations, and the M3D550KD performed very well, reaching a peak white level of 364.75 cd/m2 and a very dark black level of 0.02 cd/m2 for a contrast ratio of 18,237:1. Colors were similarly excellent; using Spectracal's CalMAN software and the DisplayMate test patterns to measure color, the HDTV's red, green, and blue channels were nearly perfectly aligned with the CIE ideal values. The chart below shows the ideal CIE values (the red, green, and blue boxes), and the values the screen displayed (the gred, green, and blue circles). It doesn't reach the inky blacks of our high-end Editors' Choice Sharp Elite Pro-60X5FD ($5,999, 4 stars), but you'd have a hard time finding a screen that gets brighter or darker anywhere near the M3D550KD's price.
I watched Piranha on Blu-ray, and the contrast ratio of the HDTV showed well in the movie's bright beach scenes and murky underwater shots. The party atmosphere looked warm and colorful, with the beach and people contrasting nicely against the blue-green of the water. Underwater, the darker texture of seaweed and fish showed detail, though the very dark parts of the scenes still got a bit muddy. While a slight bloom appeared in our test pattern tests, it wasn't noticeable when watching movies. Because the M3D550KD is edge-lit by LEDs and not backlit (the lights light the screen from the edges instead of from directly behind it), this bloom is a normal occurence.
As a passive 3D HDTV, the M3D550KD uses polarized lenses instead of electronic shutters. This means the screen comes with four pairs of glasses, and that additional pairs are inexpensive compared to most active shutter glasses at as little as a few dollars each. The passive 3D picture is roundly excellent, with little crosstalk and significant depth. I watched several 3D PlayStation 3 game demos on the set, and they were clean and clear. Cars in Gran Turismo 5 popped out as they drove down the track, and the large weapons and open battlefields in Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One showed generous distance. Some crosstalk appeared when I turned my head, but from most positions the 3D picture looked very sharp.
The M3D550KD uses an average of 135 watts, and no energy efficiency settings are readily available in the menu. While this is decent for a 55-inch HDTV, the LG 55LM6700 ($2,299.99, 4 stars) consumes less than half as much power at 67 watts, and even the larger 60-inch Sharp Aquos LC-60LE640U ($1,899.99, 4 stars) consumes just 115 watts.
If you want a big, full-featured HDTV for a low price, the Vizio M3D550KD should be at the top of your list. At $1,430 it's not exactly an impulse buy, but for offering 3D with four pairs of glasses, Wi-Fi, lots of Web options, a QWERTY remote, and excellent contrast and color for a lot less than similar-sized and similar-equipped HDTVs, it's our Editors' Choice for budget HDTVs.
Bottom Line: The Vizio M3D550KD packs plenty of features and very accurate colors into an under-$1,500 55-inch 3D HDTV.


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The Magic of Michael Morpurgo
December 3, 2016 December 3, 2016 / zackids / Leave a comment
Michael Morpurgo is one of my favourite authors. He has written hundreds of stories now and they always leave a lasting impression on you. He is an incredibly gifted storyteller who knows just how to grab the reader. There are two new Michael Morpurgo books out just in time for Christmas and they will make lovely gifts for any reader, both young and old.
The Fox and the Ghost King (published by HarperCollins) is a wonderful little story with something for everyone. There are foxes, football and a ghost. The story follows a family of foxes who love to watch football. Their favourite team, the Leincester City Foxes, keeps losing and losing and it seems like things will never look up. One night though as they are heading home they hear a ghostly voice and they discover the ghost of a king who has been buried underneath a car park. The ghost king promises the foxes that if they help him, he will help their favourite football team to win again. This is a book that is perfect to share with the whole family as it is short and will grab everyone's attention. I loved this little story and will come back to it again.
Such Stuff: a story-maker's inspiration (published by Walker Books) is the perfect gift for any Michael Morpurgo fan. This gorgeous hardback book is packed full of information about Michael's most memorable stories. Michael introduces his stories, telling you where he got the inspiration for each of them. This is then followed by an extract from the story and some of the facts from the story too. Reading this book makes you feel like you are sitting down in front of the fire with Michael as he tells you his stories personally. With every part that I read I felt that I fell more in love with Michael's writing and his stories became more ingrained in my mind. Finding out where the inspiration for the stories came from made me desperate to go back and read them all over again. By the end of the book I felt completely wrapped up in his stories. It's a book that I will dip into again and again.
This book is a family effort. Not only are there parts written by Michael Morpurgo about his work, but Michael's wife Clare, his brother Mark (who came up with the idea for the book) and Michael's long-time collaborator, Michael Foreman, all helped to create this treasure trove of a book. Such Stuff is a must-buy for any Michael Morpurgo fan.
Noisy Nights Blog Tour with Fleur McDonald
August 4, 2016 August 3, 2016 / zackids / Leave a comment
Noisy Nights is a delightful new picture book written by Fleur McDonald and illustrated by Annie White. You can read my review here on the blog and enter to win a copy of the book.
I have the pleasure of being joined by Fleur McDonald today as part of her Noisy Nights Blog Tour. Fleur has grown up on farms in Australia and she draws inspiration for her books from her experiences. This certainly shines through in Noisy Nights, which is all about a noisy farm at night. Read on to find out why Fleur decided to write Noisy Nights.
There is nothing more gorgeous than hearing a child giggle. For me, hearing that child laugh while reading a book, is even better. After all, something has really resonated with them to make it happen.
As a kid, I spent HOURS reading. Apparently (and I can't claim this is true as I don't remember, but Nana says it was, so it must be!) after my first day at kindy, I stormed home to my Nana's place, flung myself into the old Smokers-Bow Chair (which we grandchildren called 'The Story Telling Chair), she had next to fire place and groaned: 'they didn't teach me to read!'
That was the start of a love of reading that I've never lost.
Mum used to tell me, she'd hear me laughing in my bedroom and sneak down to see why … I would always be reading.
In 2004 I was told my son was 'at high-risk of autism.' I didn't know what autism was and started researching it from that day. As time went on Hayden began to show more and more signs that this was the case. During his year at kindy, one of the reports I kept getting back was his concentration span was very limited. I wondered what I could do to increase it.
For a few weeks I watched Hayden and it became clear he loved being out in the sheep yards. He loved the dogs, pet calves and lambs; any animal really. (I do need to mention here, that it didn't mean he was good with them, but he loved being with them.) He also didn't sleep at night.
I decided to try something I hadn't done since I was at school and that was to write a story. The story had to be about something he could relate to, understand and liked.
It took me quite a while and I struggled with the rhyming and rhythm. Poor Hayden had several versions tried out on him. But he sat still for longer and he laughed every time I read it to him.
That made my heart very happy.
Having been involved in the agricultural industry for more than twenty years, it frightens me how little some children understand about where their food comes from and how country people live. From here on in, I'd love to be involved in educating kids through stories – the emphasis being on STORIES.
Guest Author – Juliet Jacka on Frankie Potts
July 12, 2016 July 12, 2016 / zackids / Leave a comment
Juliet Jacka is the author of the fantastic new Frankie Potts series, about an inquisitive girl detective. The series is full of excitement, adventure and lots of fun. You can read my review of Juliet's new series here on the blog.
Juliet has very kindly written a special guest post for My Best Friends Are Books all about her Frankie Potts series and how it came to life.
How to turn five crazy words into a book
My new chapter-book series about Frankie Potts, amateur detective, and her clever dog Sparkplug burst into life thanks to an exercise I did at a writing course. Our teacher asked us to string together a bunch of unrelated words into some sort of story.
I wish I could remember exactly what those five words were. But I've lost the bit of paper. Although I think they might have been something like:
Bobbydazzler
Or possibly something else altogether. The point being, those five crazy words made my brain crank and whir, as it tried to string those horribly unrelated things together into some sort of something … and when I tried that out popped the character Frankie Potts.
Although, initially, she was a he — Arty Potts — until my story grew and changed after I fell in love with Arty … then Frankie … and started turning the 500 word exercise into a fully fledged book.
So, why don't you give it a go? You might surprise yourself and accidentally write a book. All you need to do is pick five words, then try and smoosh them up together somehow into a 500 word story.
If you're after crazy five-word inspiration, give these ones a go (they're from my first two Frankie books, out now).
Five words from Frankie Potts and the Sparkplug Mysteries
Dirigible
Five words from Frankie Potts and the Bikini Burglar
Now go get crazy word story writing!
Find out more about me and my books.
Laugh out loud with Aaron Blabey
December 1, 2015 / zackids / Leave a comment
If you need a good laugh all you need to do is read a book by Aaron Blabey.
Aaron Blabey has become one of my favourite author/illustrators this year. Not only are his books incredibly funny, he is also really prolific. By the end of this year Aaron would have published 6 books through Scholastic! This year he has given us Pig the Fibber (a follow-up to Pig the Pug), Thelma the Unicorn, Piranhas Don't Eat Bananas, I Need a Hug (released this month), and two episodes of his brilliant series for younger readers, The Bad Guys. Every one of these books is a winner in my eyes. I love Aaron's sense of humour, which appeals to kids and adults alike. His picture books are perfect to read aloud and I have shared them with kids from Year 1 to Year 8 this year, with resounding success.
I hope that we have many more Aaron Blabey books to look forward to next year. Here are my two favourites from Aaron this year.
Piranhas Don't Eat Bananas
This is the story of Brian (love the name!) a Piranha who should like meat but much prefers fruit and veges. His friends aren't happy and try to put him on the right track. He tries to persuade them that 'fruit is the best' but they would rather eat feet, knees and bums. This is a hilarious read that has kids and adults cracking up. The idea of the story is great and it works really well. There is so much expression in both the text and the illustrations. Brian is just so happy being who he is but the other piranhas get really frustrated with him trying to get them to eat fruit and veges. I also like Aaron's extra added features in the front and back of the book that explain all about piranhas and bananas. This is a picture book that will be read again and again.
This is my favourite series of 2015. It's perfect for kids from ages 7-12 and has all the things that make Aaron's picture books so great – a unique story, laughs galore and great illustrations. Episode 1 introduces us to the 'Bad Guys' of the story, Mr Wolf, Mr Shark, Mr Piranha and Mr Snake. They're always portrayed as the bad guys, with their shark teeth and nasty natures, but all they want to do is be good guys. Mr Wolf gathers his friends together and they come up with a plan to become good guys. Nothing seems to go as they planned though. In Episode 2 the bad guys are trying to make good again so they come up with a new plan – rescue 10,000 chickens from a high-tech cage farm. This time they're joined by a new guy, Legs, a computer genius tarantula. He's a good guy with a bad reputation too so he wants to help out and do something good.
The Bad Guys books are short, chock-full of illustrations (sort of like a comic), and absolutely hilarious! I chuckled my way through these first two episodes and I'll eagerly await more escapades of The Bad Guys.
Seriously Spooky Month: Guest Post – Lesley Gibbes
October 5, 2015 September 25, 2015 / zackids / Leave a comment
As part of my Seriously Spooky Month I asked some of my favourite spooky authors to write a guest post for My Best Friends Are Books. Today I'm joined by Lesley Gibbes, author of the award-winning book, Scary Night. Lesley joins me on My Best Friends Are Books today to talk about her spooky picture book.
There's no denying, I love all things scary! When I was a child I loved a good scare and nothing was scarier than the darkness of night. There's something so deliciously terrifying about noises in the dark made by things you can't see. My imagination would run wild and I loved it!
So of course, my first picture book just had to be set in the dead of the night when anything can happen. And in SCARY NIGHT when three friends, Hare with a hat, Cat with a cake and Pig with a parcel set out on a mysterious night-time journey all sorts of scary things happen. Close your eyes and imagine snapping crocodiles, roaring bears, mountain cliff tops, graveyards, bats, spiders, castle ruins and rats. Are you brave enough to join the journey and find out just where the three friends are going? Go on, you won't believe the surprise!
SCARY NIGHT has just the right amount of scare to give your kids a thrill with a reassuring ending that's sure to have everyone celebrating. It was awarded Honour Book, by the Children's Book Council of Australia for Early Childhood Book of the Year 2015 and is the perfect book for Halloween this October!
SCARY NIGHT written by Lesley Gibbes, illustrated by Stephen Michael King and published by Working Title Press 2014. CBCA Honour Book 2015 Early Childhood Book of the Year. Shortlisted Speech Pathology Australia, Book of the Year (3-5 years) 2015. You can visit Lesley Gibbes at www.lesleygibbes.com
Seriously Spooky Month: Guest Post – Gareth P. Jones
As part of my Seriously Spooky Month I asked some of my favourite spooky authors to write a guest post for My Best Friends Are Books. Today I'm joined by Gareth P. Jones, author of my favourite funny book about ghosts, Constable and Toop, and the forthcoming Death and Ice Cream. Gareth talks about why he loves writing about death. Thanks for joining me Gareth!
"Honestly, Gareth, why do you have to write about death?"
My new novel (published by Hotkey Books) comes out January 2016, and I already know that my mum won't like it because of its title. It is called Death or Ice Cream?
"Why can't you write a nice book like Little Women?" she says.
"I think because I was born a hundred years too late," I reply. "Also, I've not read it but I have seen that episode of Friends about it and I'm pretty sure someone does die in it. Beth possibly?"
"Black Beauty then."
"I'm not massively keen on horses."
My mum's real question is: "Why do you have to write about death?"
Firstly, I should explain that I don't only write about death. I have three series of books (Ninja Meerkats, The Dragon Detective Agency and The Adventures of the Steampunk Pirates) in which the vast majority of the characters make it to the end. I have also written the text for two picture books, (The Dinosaurs are Having a Party and Are You the Pirate Captain?) which are very light on the subject of mortality.
But when it comes to writing my standalone novels, I am often drawn to the subject of death. The Thornthwaite Inheritance is about a pair of twins trying to kill each other, The Considine Curse begins with a funeral, and Constable & Toop is a Victorian ghost story named after a real undertakers.
It was the real Constable and Toop that sparked the idea for my new book, Death or Ice Cream? I follow them on Twitter (sure, why wouldn't an undertakers have a twitter account?) and they put up a link to an article called 500 Ways To Say Dead about all the euphemisms we use for dying (kick the bucket, push up the daisies, fall asleep, bite the bullet, pop your clogs etc.) It got me thinking about why we have such a long list of ways to express the one thing that will definitely affect us all. The answer is that death is something we are scared of so we use language to soften its impact. We try to make it sound funnier, gentler… more temporary. But, if Dumbledore has taught us nothing else, it is that fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself.
"Yes, Gareth." This is my mum again. "But you write children's books. Why can't you be more like that nice Beatrix Potter or Enid Blyton?"
Over the nine years I have been a published author, I have visited hundreds of schools and met thousands of children. I have observed that these children have not yet learned to fear death but they are fascinated by it. And literature allows us to consider subjects in a way that is engaging, satisfying and, above all else, entertaining. So whether it's war, religion, prejudice, sex or death, books help us explore these tricky subjects in a unique – and rather wonderful – way.
Anyway, my new book isn't just about death. My favourite thing about being a children's author (rather than – say – a crime writer or a purveyor of historical fiction) is the freedom to employ different genres and draw upon a variety of influences to tell my stories. As my publishers will tell you, Death or Ice Cream? is a difficult book to describe but I'll have a go anyway. Death or Ice Cream? is a selection of dark morality tales, closely interwoven and all set in the same fictional town of Larkin Mills. While the characters change from story to story, the book has an underlying theme about the duality of the daily choices we are forced to make. Let me try that again. It's about god and the devil and why religion forces us to make a choice between them. It's also about domestic sharks, concrete sculptures, dodgem cars, corrupt politicians, evil doctors, the Roman empire, the dangers of archeology, zombies, the art of making television, alien landings, death and ice cream.
Oh and if you're thinking that the question Death or Ice Cream? is a no-brainer, then I should point out that it is not really a choice at all.
After all, you can choose never to have an ice cream.
Cover illustration by Adam Stower
Death or Ice Cream? is published January 2016 by Hot Key books.
You can read my review of Gareth's Constable and Toop here on the blog.
Interview with Jack Heath, author of The Cut-Out
August 4, 2015 / zackids / Leave a comment
Today I'm joined by Australian author Jack Heath. Jack is the author of action-packed thrillers for children and young adults, including the Scream series from Scholastic, Money Run, The Hit-List and his first novel, The Lab. Jack's latest novel is The Cut-Out, a spy thriller about mistaken identities that is perfect for fans of the Cherub series and Alex Rider. I had a few questions about Jack's latest book and spies. Jack very kindly answered my questions and you can read them here.
The Cut-Out is out now from Allen and Unwin.
What are 3 words that you would use to describe your new book, The Cut Out? Fast, frantic, fun.
Is the character of Fero based on who you wanted to be when you were a teenager?
Fero is everything I wasn't – athletic, quiet, courageous. In some ways I wish I'd been more like him, but it's those qualities that get him into so much trouble in The Cut Out!
In The Cut Out, Fero gets mistaken for enemy agent, Troy Maschenov. Have you ever had a case of mistaken identity?
I have a brother who looks a bit like me, and sometimes people get us confused. Fortunately my brother isn't a deadly foreign spy, or so he claims.
What is your favourite gadget in The Cut Out?
Definitely the Armoured Turbofan Vehicle, which is like a cross between a motorcycle and a tank.
What books and movies inspire your writing?
I love spy thrillers by Robert Ludlum and Olen Steinhauer. As for movies, some of my favourites include Tomorrow Never Dies, True Lies and Mission Impossible 3.
Who is your favourite fictional spy?
I'm a big fan of reluctant spies, so I always loved Alex Rider. He got more interesting with every book!
Your first book, The Lab, was published when you were a teenager. What advice do you have for young writers who want to get published?
I encourage all aspiring writers to join their local writers centre, to write something every day, and to read everything they can get their hands on.
Who would you recommend The Cut Out to?
The Cut Out is for anyone who likes shifting allegiances, big twists and lots of action.
Chris Riddell – Children's Laureate 2015-2017
It was fantastic to wake up to the news that Chris Riddell has been named the UK Children's Laureate for 2015-2017. Chris is the nineth laureate and follows in the footsteps of such giants of the children's literature world as Malorie Blackman, Michael Morpurgo, Anthony Brown and Anne Fine. Chris Riddell is a fantastic illustrator who has worked with Neil Gaiman, Russell Brand, Martin Jenkins, and most notably with Paul Stewart on their Edge Chronicles series. Has also written and illustrated his own books, including the Ottoline series, the Goth Girl series, and the picture books The Emperor of Absurdia and Wendel's Workshop.
His plan for his two-year post as Children's Laureate is to encourage people to draw every day, he'll post a daily illustration on his online 'laureate log,' and he wants to "to celebrate librarians at the heart of our schools."
If you don't follow Chris Riddell online you really should. He posts some of his wonderful illustrations to his Facebook and Twiiter pages. Follow him @chrisriddell50 or http://www.facebook.com/chris.riddell2.
Check out the Love Reading 4 Kids UK Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/lovereading4kids) as Chris has illustrated each of the previous Children's Laureates . They are absolutely wonderful illustrations!
Here is my virtual book display of some great books by Chris Riddell.
Celebrate Michael Morpurgo Month this November
November 1, 2013 / zackids / Leave a comment
November 2013 sees a month-long celebration of Michael Morpurgo's wonderful stories, marking his 70th birthday this year.
Throughout November the Michael Morpurgo website is hosting brand new author videos, audio downloads and competitions, focussing on a different book each day. From War Horse to Beowulf and The Butterfly Lion to Kensuke's Kingdom, celebrate 70 years of Michael Morpurgo's stories this November.
Michael Morpurgo is one of my favourite authors and every one of his stories is wonderful so I think it's fantastic that there is a month dedicated to him. I'll be sharing some of my favourite Michael Morpurgo books here on the blog this month.
Here's Michael Morpurgo talking about Michael Morpurgo Month:
Reading Matters 2013 – Highlights #2
June 4, 2013 / zackids / Leave a comment
Is there an app for that? – Paul Callaghan, John Flanagan and Fiona Wood talk stories and communities in a brave new world
This was a really interesting session that looked at the extensions to the book world, including apps, websites and social media. John Flanagan is the author of the Ranger's Apprentice and Brotherband series and there is a huge fan base for his books. As well as numerous websites and apps there are events held all over the world that offer fans real life experiences of the world of the books. Fiona Wood talked about expectation and desire for writers to be accessible, both from their publishers and from readers. She says that having this presence online will attract interest from readers too. There are challenges with setting up an online presence with blogs and social media, because you have to construct a persona that is who you are, while also respecting the privacy of family and friends.
John and Hank Green's Nerdfighters was held up as a shining example of how well this online presence can work. They have millions of fans and followers from all over the world. Fiona agreed that the Nerdfighters do alot of good, but she want 'to see a movie where the Green brothers turn evil' (I would definitely love to see that). While these authors could only dream of the Green brothers' massive success, they all agreed that audiences want a sense of connection to another person, no matter what the format.
The most interesting question of this session was 'Are apps the death of the imagination?' John suggested that there are a raft of games with instant gratification. You get a medal of some sort each time you finish the level so you're not striving for anything. John was very pleased that, through his books, he managed to get a kid 'off his bum and away from a computer.' He got an email from a reader who got so into the Ranger's Apprentice books that he was always out in the woods behind his house with a crossbow, instead of sitting in his room playing computer games. However, John fears the inevitable Ranger's Apprentice movie. He loves that every reader sees the world of his books differently inside their head and a movie could change this. Paul Callaghan believes that games can expand imagination in completely new ways.


When Howard Carter unearthed King Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922, the world was introduced to a fantastical cache of ancient Egyptian artifacts and the mummy of a young royal who died, mysteriously, at the age of 19. In the years since, speculation has raged about the life of the boy king, and more pointedly, how he died.
This past February, that mystery was heralded as solved when the Journal of the American Medical Association published the results of a two-year study by noted Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass and an international team of researchers. The project – involving DNA, radiological and anthropological examination – ended with the suggestion that Tutankhamun was felled by malaria and a bone disease.
Also studied were 10 other royal mummies, all of the famed 18th Dynasty. The project sought to establish kinship among the mummies, identifying such well-known figures as Amenhotep III and the "heretic pharaoh" Akhenaten and placing them, respectively, as Tutankhamun's grandfather and father. The article also pegs Tutankhamun's parents as siblings and notes among the royal mummies several linking physical deformities, such as cleft palate, club foot and scoliosis.
In the wake of the publication, and a related Discovery Channel special, several scientists have come forward to challenge the assumptions made by Hawass' team. Among those questioning the findings is Arizona State University bioarchaeologist Brenda J. Baker, whose letter to the Journal of the American Medical Association appears in the June 23 edition.
A specialist in human osteology and paleopathology, Baker takes issue with the identification of the skeletonized mummy KV55 as Tutankhamun's father, Akhenaten. The authors place this individual's age at the time of death at 35-45, despite producing no evidence that repudiates well-known prior examinations citing the age in the 18-26 range.
These earlier analyses – documented with written descriptions, photographs and radiographs – show a pattern of fused and unfused epiphyses (caps on ends of growing bones) throughout the skeleton, indicating a man much younger than Akhenaten is believed to have been at the time of his death. Baker also uses a photograph of the pubic symphysis of the pelvis to narrow the age of KV55 to 18-23 based on recent techniques used in osteology and forensic anthropology.
In addition, Baker questions the supposed pathology shared between KV55 and King Tutankhamun, none of which are supported by previous studies. Her conclusion is that KV55 are the remains of another son of Amenhotep III.
Baker, an associate professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is known for her ability to reconstruct the health conditions and lifeways of ancient people based on the examination of skeletal remains. She has done extensive work in Egypt as the senior physical anthropologist for the University of Pennsylvania Museum-Yale University-Institute of Fine Arts, New York University Expedition to Abydos since 1988 and directs an archaeological project investigating ancient Nubia in northern Sudan. Among the classes she teaches are Advanced Human Osteology and Life and Death in Ancient Egypt.
What kind of proof did they provide? Any further news?
I haven't heard anything new on the matter though I am inclined to agree that KV55 is not Akhenaten. I suspect that Akhenaten's remains may well have been desecrated and destroyed by the old order priests when the traditional religion was reestablished, just as all his images were defaced from temples etc. There is also reason to believe that many of the grave goods found in Tut's tomb were actually taken from Akhenaten's and Nefertiti's tombs suggesting that these had been ransacked soon after their deaths.


text:
TICKETS NOW ON SALE: IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS ARRIVES AT CHICAGO'S CADILLAC PALACE 11/21-12/3/17
Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:
STOP DREAMING,
CHICAGO IS GUARANTEED A WHITE CHRISTMAS!
"This cozy trip down memory lane should be put on your wish list." – The New York Times
"A holiday juggernaut. One well-loved Berlin tune after another." – Los Angeles Times
"An instant classic!" – The Boston Herald
There's a fall chill in the air and it won't be long before the holidays arrive again in Chi, IL. Want to make some family memories with a multigenerational crowd pleaser this season? ChiIL Mama's got an eye on this gem, packed with Irving Berlin classics.
Broadway In Chicago and the producers of IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS are delighted to announce that individual tickets for IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS will go on sale on Friday, Sept. 22, 2017. The stage adaptation of the beloved classic film is coming to Broadway In Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W. Randolph) this holiday season. Bring your loved ones for a heart-warming celebration of Americana during a limited two-week engagement that runs Nov. 21 - Dec. 3, 2017.
IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS tells the story of two showbiz buddies putting on a show in a picturesque Vermont inn, and finding their perfect mates in the bargain. Full of dancing, romance, laughter, and some of the greatest songs ever written, including "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep," "Happy Holiday," "Sisters," "Blue Skies," and the unforgettable title song, IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS promises to be a merry and bright experience for the entire family!
The New York Times exclaims "this cozy trip down memory lane should be put on your wish list." The New York Daily News hailed IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS as "a holiday card come to life."
IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS features Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin with Book by David Ives and Paul Blake and is based upon the Paramount Pictures film written for the screen by Norman Krasna, Norman Panama, and Melvin Frank.
This brand new production of IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS is produced by Work Light Productions. The creative team includes direction and choreography by Randy Skinner, scenic design by Anna Louizos, scenic supervision and adaptation by Kenneth Foy, lighting design by Ken Billington, and sound design by Peter Fitzgerald and Erich Bechtel. The tour is produced by agreement with R&H Theatricals, an Imagem Company.
For more information on IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS, visit www.whitechristmasthemusical.com.
Tuesdays at 7:30PM
Wednesdays at 2:00PM & 7:30PM
Thursdays at 7:30PM
Fridays at 7:30PM
Saturdays at 2:00PM & 7:30PM
Sundays at 2:00PM
*No performance on Thursday, Nov.23
*Additional matinee performance on Friday, Nov. 24
Individual tickets for IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS at the Cadillac Palace Theatre range from $18-$85 with a select number of premium seats available. Tickets are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710. Tickets are available at all Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St., 151 W. Randolph St., 18 W. Monroe St. and 175 E. Chestnut), the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (800) 775-2000 and online at www.BroadwayInChicago.com. For more information, visitwww.BroadwayInChicago.com.
ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 17 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining well up to 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago's Loop including The PrivateBank Theatre, Oriental Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place and presenting Broadway shows at The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University.
For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.
Facebook @BroadwayInChicago ● Twitter @broadwaychicago ● Instagram @broadwayinchicago ● #broadwayinchicago
Labels: Broadway in Chicago, Broadway in Chicago video, Cadillac Palace Theatre, holiday theatre favorites, Holiday themed shows in Chicago 2017, Shows on our radar, tickets on sale
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What is the dream catcher meaning?
"According to Native Americans, dreams that humans have while they sleep, are sent by sacred spirits as messages. According to their Legend, in the center of the Dream Catcher there is a hole. Good dreams are permitted to reach the sleeper through this hole in the web. As for the bad dreams, the web traps them and they disappear at dawn with the first light. For some, they try to determine what messages are being past onto them and what the message represents.
The Dream Catcher represents several meanings. All of the decorations and materials used to decorate them, all have a special meaning. A single bead in the middle may represent the spider that is on the web. Scattered beads throughout the web may represent good dreams that may have been caught throughout the night. A feather represents a symbol of breath or air which is attached so it hangs from the center of the ring. It is essential for life. A baby watching the air playing with the feather on her cradleboard was entertained while also being given a lesson on the importance of good air.
The use of gem stones, in some of the ones we make for sale, is not something that was done by the old ones. Government laws forbid the sale of feathers from our sacred birds. These include ALL Birds of Prey and include Hawk feathers, Bald Eagle feathers, Owl feather, Turkey Vulture feathers, and so on. Incorporating four gem stones into the Dream Catcher, is used to represent the four directions. Nature represents the spiritual inspiration in each.
When researching the long traditions of oral histories, storytelling has been passed down through the generations; from parent to child, grandparent to grandchild, or from one person to another. This is how the message continues to be passed on to future generations." - what a dream catcher is copied and pasted from History of the Dream Catchers, you can find more about it by going to the link that I will include as my source.
Interesting question, I too have always wondered their meaning.


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BSF through the years 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018
Acknowledgement Policy
About organisers
Organisation Team
Session 3: Regional Cooperation and Reconciliation in the Western Balkans: Continuation or Stalemate?
The participants discussed the role of regional and external actors in the reconciliation process, regional cooperation and obstacles to it, and tried to answer the question whether social reconciliation was a precondition for good regional cooperation.
The Western Balkans faced different challenges in the last two decades, such as ethnic and religious disputes and economic crises. The speakers agreed that the situation had improved, but that it was still far from the "European normality". They stated that regional cooperation is a responsibility of regional actors, but that the external actors are still crucial for the cooperation.
Since the countries of this region share the same Euro-Atlantic perspective, the speakers concluded that they need to improve regional cooperation as an essential element of the association to the EU. The conclusion is that economic cooperation remains as the vital element for the normalization and stabilization of the Western Balkans, since poverty, unemployment and corruption are the main challenges in everyday life.
Stabilization of the region is not possible without the reconciliation. However, the reconciliation from the ground level is almost impossible to accomplish – stereotypes, prejudices and distrust among ethnic and religious groups are common. The participants suggested that political and nonpolitical actors (such as media and the church) should take part in the reconciliation process, which would certainly be long and painful, but possible.
Johann Pucher' Defence Policy Director, Austrian Federal Ministry of Defense and Sports
Franz Lothar Altmann' Center for Applied Policy Research, University of Munich
Valbona Zeneli' Professor, College of International and Security Studies, George C. Marshall Center
Predrag Jurekovic' Senior researcher, Institute for Peace Support and Conflict Management, National Defense Academy, Austrian Armed Forces (Moderator)
Session 2: New Model of State Emerging from the Economic Crisis
Session 5: The Visegrad Group: Exploring the New Synergies with the Western Balkans
Belgrade-Pristina: Time for Radical Honesty?
Women on the Frontlines of Climate Change
China More Welcomed in Europe Then Thought
Serbian Public: Two Acceptable Scenarios for Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue
Belgrade Security Forum Calls for Re-engagement of EU in the Western Balkans
Western Balkans and the EU: Stuck in the Middle
Tae-Hyung Kim: North Korea Peace Treaty Would Change the Power Balance in Asia
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Cautionary tale for the Western Balkans: China and Czech Republic
Normalization of Relations between Belgrade and Pristina – A Long Walk to Agreement
Kosovo-Serbia: moving from stalemate to deterioration?
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text:
Home / Mixer Direct Blog / NEW ANGEL'S ENVY DISTILLERY
NEW ANGEL'S ENVY DISTILLERY
Angel's Envy is by far one of the most unique-tasting bourbons in the American whiskey market today. Steeped in a history of expert distilling, it has successfully secured its place on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
The New Angel's Envy Distillery
Not long ago, a Master Distiller named Lincoln Henderson worked for Brown-Forman for a number of years. In that time, he helped introduce the world to his pet projects, Woodford Reserve and Gentleman Jack. As one of the inaugural inductees of Kentucky's Bourbon Hall of Fame, Lincoln shared his wealth of whiskey knowledge with his son and grandson among a community of local distillers. It wasn't long after he retired that he decided to create something new and special, independently.
According to the Angel's Envy site: "The 5% of spirit lost each year during barrel aging is called the 'Angel's Share.' After tasting our finished whiskey, Lincoln joked that we'd finally gotten a better deal than the angels. And so Angel's Envy was born."
With his son, Wes Henderson, Angel's Envy grew as its own separate distillery. Wes' love of whiskey in the heart of bourbon country combined with his father's nearly forty years of spirits expertise resulted in unparalleled flavor from every barrel. Today, Lincoln's purported little black book of ideas is consulted by Wes and his son, Kyle.
Sommeliers know that scotch has been matured in Port barrels for ages. It was the Hendersons' idea to use them for their new whiskey. Angel's Envy comes in three primary varieties, but the first is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon. A regular straight bourbon must be aged at least two years, and labelled if aged fewer than four years. Using a mash of 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley, Angel's Envy is aged four to six years in 53-gallon American white oak barrels. It is then blended and moved to 60-gallon Port barrels to be aged up to six more months in classic "double maturation" style. At the end of six months, the bourbon is blended again at 8-12 barrels at a time.
As a result, each bottle contains an 86.6 proof of pure, complex flavor. It takes a true whiskey lover to appreciate the subtle sweet notes, the transitions of taste on the tongue, and the unadulterated finish that leaves the mouth both desiring more and savoring every drop. In fact, suggested cocktails on the Angel's Envy website are listed specifically to help the connoisseur enjoy its multiple facets.
I Need A Mixer For A Distillery
The buck doesn't stop there. Angel's Envy Rye also goes through the same rigorous process, but is finished instead in Caribbean rum casks for up to 18 months. The rum casks allow for a reddish color liquid with sherry, citrus, vanilla, and warm autumnal scents. On the tongue the finish is sweet, dry, and easy. A bartender would have a field day creating variations on a Manhattan with this rye, as its versatility lends itself to crowd-pleasing flavors for everyone's palate.
The so-called "malcontented" "perfectionists" continued with Cask Strength. At 124.6 proof, it is the distillery's strongest bourbon. The process is much the same as the original Straight Bourbon, but the Cask Strength is aged even longer in the Port barrels. It is suggested to be enjoyed neat or with just a splash of water. Why? To enjoy the full effect of the rich, buttery finish after an aromatic combination of earthy, floral, and mildly spicy notes. This limited edition bourbon is not to be taken lightly.
With the highest of accolades pouring in from numerous sources, Angel's Envy decided to open its doors to the public for tours and additional sales. In November of 2016, the downtown Louisville distillery's staff began to welcome all who wished to learn about their seminal style of bourbon creation. And as of February 2017, it became the tenth stop on Kentucky's own Bourbon Trail. The recent boom in the whiskey business has created thousands of jobs as a burgeoning tourist attraction in the area, and the Hendersons are proud to be alongside their distillery mentors.
Now, visitors to the Angel's Envy building are treated to one of the best tours on the Trail, complete with a gift shop and self-proclaimed "whiskey nerds." At ten slots per hour-long tour, guests learn the history of Angel's Envy along with the entire bourbon-making process, from barrel to finished product. The tour ends at The Finishing Room, a bar where tastings are held specifically to educate drinkers on the full flavor of each variety.
Especially intriguing is that the equipment used for the distillery was hand-designed, crafted, and implemented with the help of Kevin Curtis, Distillery Operations Manager. As folks traverse the guided tour, they gain a new appreciation not only for Angel's Envy's particular process, but for the history of a close-knit business immersed in Louisville and the tireless dedication it took to create a wholly special bourbon. From Lincoln's childhood spent with his father in the same Main Street building to Kyle Henderson's production management, the family business offers the whiskey world a truly American experience.
Angel's Envy Photo Gallery


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Q: copying over data from a union in C I've got a pointer to a struct with a union
so let's say we have
struct A {
  union {
    char **word;
    struct A *B
  } u;
};

and I have variables x and y of type A*
typedef A* A_t;
A_t x;
A_t y;

would x->u = y->u be enough to copy over stuff in the union.

A: You cannot just dereference pointers if they are not pointing to anything valid.
To be able to do x->u you have to make sure x points to some valid memory, The code you show dereferences an uninitialized pointer which causes an Undefined Behavior and most likely a crash. Same applies for y->u. So make sure x and y point to valid memory before you dereference them.
x->u = y->u

Will not perform a deep copy but a shallow copy.
You will basically end up with two pointers pointing to the same memory, which is not probably what you intend or need.
If you need a deep copy, you should allocate your destination enough memory to hold the data being copied to it and then use memcpy to copy the contents of the source union to it.
Good Read:
What is the difference between a deep copy and a shallow copy?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Model: Patricjia @ Next Models in her Acne dress!!
Ros Catching some amazing Behind the scene images!!
Nelson Vercher @ Agent Oliver: hair designer genius!! 7 models and 6 hair creations within 6 hours!! We were blown away!!
Love Root Studios in Brooklyn!! Tons of space for styling :) Dolce Gabbana, Emilio Pucci, The Blonds, Kiki De Montparnesse, Giuseppe Zanotti etc..


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Ever stopped to wonder why so many people you know have had no side effects from the Cv jab…and others end up in the ICU or dead?
from The Health Post NZ via EWR.
Sharing here a brilliant post from our group member retired USA Doctor Ray Sahelian. I hear it all the time: "I took the shots, my family members and relatives took them, and no one had any problems;" or, "I had the worst headache of my life; some of my co-workers got really ill and didn't show up for work the next day." Why is it that some people are unscathed — and think people are making a big deal of vaccine adverse reactions — while others have personal experiences that have made them wary. I have identified 12 reasons that account for these disparities:
Manufacturing of the 'vaccine'
We assume that every batch will be exactly the same. There have been quality control issues. Hacked documents show that some batches had suboptimal quantities of mRNA particles which means many people got a weak vaccine which may have led to minimal side effects (see comment #1). I am not sure if any agency is currently testing all the different batches to make sure they are consistent.
Transportation and storage of the 'vaccine'
If not properly done the mRNA strands could disintegrate and be weaker by the time of administration.
The amount administered
If the amount to be injected is 0.3 ml, some people may get as little as 0.28 ml and others up to 0.32 ml, which could make a difference. We can't assume the technicians administering the jabs are going to be perfectly accurate every time.
The needle entry
Sometimes the needle contents are released directly into a blood vessel in the deltoid muscle which could lead to a quick entry into the bloodstream and a stronger response and wider distribution of the lipid nanoparticles into organs all over the body.
If a person is sensitive to PEG or some of the other substances in the vaccines they could have a serious allergic response, even anaphylaxis requiring a visit to the emergency room.
Prior Cv infection
The initial company studies excluded individuals who had been previously infected but in the real world a good number of those getting the shots have, knowingly or unknowingly, been already infected. By getting the shots their immune system overreacts — kind of like adding fuel to the fire.
Certain individuals are more prone to clot formation and would more likely be prone to heart attacks and strokes. There are a wide variety of genetic conditions that influence our physiology and metabolism and how we react to foods, dietary supplements, medications, and vaccines.
A person weighing 100 pounds will proportionally get three times the dose as someone who weighs 300 pounds.
The young will mount a powerful immune response since they are healthy whereas the elderly have a weaker immune response. We can't expect a 12 year old to have the same response as a 90 year old. If the vaccines reduce mental function by a small amount, a young healthy person may not notice the mild brain fog whereas an older person who is already borderline may have a noticeable decline in their ability to think clearly. This is true also of physical impairment.
Women have more reactions than men
The reasons include hormones (women have more estrogen while men have more testosterone) and perhaps because women weigh, on average, less than men by about 15%.
There are hundreds of drugs that are prescribed and dozens of common dietary supplements and herbs that people take. Most of the time the vaccines should not interfere with them but interactions could happen. Those on immune suppressing drugs such as steroids or chemotherapy would not mount much of an inflammatory response to the shots. Statin drugs used for cholesterol reduction are known to sometimes damage muscle tissue and since the vaccines cause muscle inflammation the combination could make muscles ache worse.
Someone who is prone to heart rhythm disturbances may have aggravated arrhythmias compared to healthy, athletic individuals whose heart beats slower and regularly. A person with plaques in their arteries is more likely to have a blockage from a small clot in their blood vessels. Those prone to migraine headaches are likely to see worsening, as would those with chronic fatigue could get even more tired. The vaccines could trigger a seizure in a person who has a history of epilepsy. I could cite a number of examples.
Other possibilities that I have pondered include:
Does heavy exercise the days after the shots make symptoms worse or better? Would it cause more muscle tissue damage?
Would high intake of fluids soon after getting the shots and for a few days after flush out the spike proteins and reduce symptoms?
What is the role of diet?
How does prior heavy alcohol consumption influence such reactions?
What about smokers, are they more prone to clots?
Are some people more attuned to their bodies and notice minor changes while others are less aware of changes; or they think the vaccines are so safe that they do not attribute some of the reactions (such as fatigue, ringing in the ears, heart palpitations, and tremors) to the shot they got a few days or weeks earlier?
Have I missed other reasons? I welcome your input.
10 thoughts on "Ever stopped to wonder why so many people you know have had no side effects from the Cv jab…and others end up in the ICU or dead?"
alphaandomega21 said:
Hello from the UK
Thank you very much for your post. Useful questions to ask and I would say a very good list. I think it is fair to say that all of the issues you mention impact on what the vaccine does.
The reasons have essential to do with the status of the immune system of the individual; no one person is quite the same, as diet etc. are very unlikely to be exact, even I suppose for identical twins!
But I would also add there is the case of placebos. In the UK at least I know that many people have been part of a formal clinical trial where I understand 50% are placebo, the rest the real thing.
This is apart from many others who have merely been part of a cynical trial!! I say this because despite some reports to the contrary, the world has been undergoing a gigantic experiment of vaccines testing. Many people do not seem to realise this.
As regards vaccines I used to think they were of some use. I researched properly last year at 60 years of age and changed my mind.
This link sets out why if you or anyone else is interested.
https://alphaandomegacloud.wordpress.com/?s=vaccination
But in essence I will say that the reason some people end up in ICU or dead is because the vaccines are poisons, neuro-toxins that can only harm or sometimes kill. They do no good whatsoever.
Advertising by big pharma and those profit by it financially has deceived the vast majority as it did me until last year. Time for others to wake up too.
Baldmichael Theresoluteprotector'sson
Alison said:
A good article to explain the causes and variances in reactions to vaccines especially recent covid one. Obviously some folk are hesitant to get a vaccine in case they do react badly, or may have underying conditions. It is a little like Russian roulette, plus the type of vaccine is different to historical vaccines where a live vaccine was injected. Vaccines have been given for many years, including a vaccine passport (yellow booklets) recording jabs like typhpoid, smallpox, yellow fever, etc, which you needed to enter some countries where that virus was prevalent at the time. Many of the past vaccines recorded adverse effects for some people – the polio vaccine caused some paralysis in some people, but at the same time saved many lives. Scientists have for years been trying to effect cures through vaccines or medication for various diseases in the world, of course the drug companies do make a lot of money from their sales. They are still trying to effect a vaccine for malaria which plays havoc in many tropical parts of the world. Life is always a risk we have to take, lots of factors that will affect our longevity and mortality besides the current vaccine. Thanks for sharing this article.
Sara said:
Thank you for sharing your article. I have had many of the same thoughts. I have also pondered on whether individuals fight viruses differently. For example, when someone gets a viral infection, their body might be prone to using their heart to fight it. Therefore, does this increase risk of myocarditis or pericarditis following the vaccine for those people. I also wonder if medical experts and researchers are looking into cases and considering all aspects to find a trend or make links.
Deborah Waldron said:
Here is another reason:
Lesley Eade said:
My heart has not been the same since the vax. Palpitations, fatigue, heavy feeling in chest all the time.
drraymontmsncom said:
Hi Lesley, I am a physician who is developing a research project re natural immunity, but I am interested in your case and the effects you had from the vaccine. If you are willing can you relay to me ( I am also a medical writer) your story? Our research project website is not up yet but if you email MyceliaNZ@gmail.com I would appreciate it. Especially as the NZ Govt are now starting the boosters, which will also be mandated – these from all overseas reports have even more impact on those already negatively affected by the vaccine. Thanks, and I am sorry to hear of your experience.
Marie Baggstrom said:
I have heart pulpitations and arrithmeia problems naturally I am so scared to get the vaccine and this is why I am hesitant. I am flipflopping about it all the time and people are giving me hate over not doing it.
Waikanae watchers said:
Just tell people it's none of their business. Unfortunately the Mainstream Media has done a good job of brainwashing people with Jacinda government propaganda. Alternative views get censored.
motherlookatdick said:
I watched an enlightening interview with Dr Shankara Chetty through Voices for Freedom. He developed his own treatment protocol, observing that some people would start to recover suddenly become very ill on the 8th day. He discovered that it was an allergic reaction to the spike protein that the virus created in the cells. He treated at that stage with antihistamines and steroids. I can't remember what else. But his patients improved dramatically in a short time. Not everyone develops an allergic reaction – it depends on their particular sensitivity.
And that explains why not everyone has an adverse response to the 'vaccine.'
Why, oh why do governments worldwide condemn proven treatments? Hydroxychloroquine in the early stages, for example? And Ivermectin. And make them unavailable!
Murderous, really.
J said:
On the prescription it says that there are also PLACEBO'S being injected.
It is still a randomised experiment with placebo's.


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Neighbors react to Craven County shooting
CRAVEN COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - Neighbors described Friday night's shooting in Craven County that sent two people to the hospital, including a deputy.
"At first we thought he [Westrup] was out and about, because there were police officers going in the middle field over here," resident Brianna Manzella said. "His neighbor, I messaged her asking if they were okay. They ran across the street because their house was getting shot at."
Officials said Deputy Zachary Bellingham was shot when Robert Westrup opened fire at the home on Crooked Run Drive. Westrup received a single gunshot wound in the initial exchange of gunfire with deputies after he shot Bellingham, according to officials
Manzella said this wasn't the first time she was frightened by Westrup.
"It's definitely scary," Manzella said. "The day he came to the house, my husband was home from work because I had to pick up my son from school. My keys were in the van when he came. He was out here, and I ran out and grabbed my keys because I didn't know what he was going to do. So, I called the sheriff, but they said that he wouldn't give his name at first and he didn't say that he lived around here. He was in a winter jacket, pants, and everything. And it was the middle of the summer."
Parents were on high alert Saturday as Friday's incident brought more attention to the safety of children in the neighborhood.
"The kids were just playing a little bit ago and I was like "Oh they already let the kids out," Manzella said. "My husband was like "Well he's gone," I'm like "That's true," I'm still nervous to even come out."
Craven County Sheriff Chip Hughes praised the combined efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies to take Westrup into custody.
"We called in our SRT Team," Hughes said. "So, I had a lot of cooperation from the surrounding agencies, and I can't thank them enough, they really came to support us there and that's why we were able to bring this thing to a resolution somewhat quickly and there were no more injuries. So, for that I'm very thankful."
Hughes was echoed by Manzella.
"When the SWAT team got here ... over the loudspeaker was like "Put your hands up and everything," Manzella said. "So, they were definitely kind of frantic, but they took it very well. Everything was very well executed. This world today is just crazy. It's scary to raise my kids in it."
Craven County Sheriff's Office said no officer discharged their weapon after the shooting and no further incidents occurred after Westrup was taken into custody.


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El cinema bèl·lic és un gènere cinematogràfic que centra la seva història en guerres. Des de la seva invenció, va quedar patent que el cinema podia ser un mitjà que permetés arribar a grans quantitats de gent d'una manera ràpida i relativament senzilla. Aquestes qualitats van convertir l'invent dels germans Lumière en una eina al servei dels governs i de les seves màquines de propaganda.

Ja en la guerra civil espanyola, ambdós bàndols van utilitzar artistes per a tasques de comunicació o el reforç de la moral de combatents i civils, però va ser el bàndol franquista, el que gràcies a la influència germànica més forta Misa pel cel·luloide com a canal per a la distribució de les seves doctrines.

Durant la Segona Guerra Mundial, els països bel·ligerants van continuar utilitzant la pantalla gran com a via per transmetre a les seves tropes i habitants l'esdevenir de la campanya i consciència de les necessitats per a la victòria en el conflicte. Aquests missatges, generalment en forma de noticiari, van fer un salt qualitatiu als Estats Units, on es va decidir utilitzar l'enorme potencial que oferia Hollywood, com una gegantina agència publicitària.

En aquella època, nombrosos actors i directors van contribuir a l'esforç de guerra, realitzant el seu treball habitual, ja fos animant a les tropes o realitzant documentals o pel·lícules que servissin per elevar la moral dels estatunidencs. El tipus de cinema realitzat en aquells moments està carregat de contingut propagandístic i a les pel·lícules es tendeix a mostrar l'heroic sacrifici dels militars estatunidencs i els seus aliats.

Després de la guerra, el gènere bèl·lic perd la seva força i no és fins després d'uns anys, quan els 60 una sèrie de grans produccions que recreaven les grans batalles de la contesa tornen a revitalitzar aquest tipus de cinema. Les pel·lícules d'aquesta època ja no posen tant èmfasi en el sacrifici, encara que ens continuen mostrant als seus protagonistes com uns herois convençuts de la bondat de les seves creences i segurs que estan fent el que és més correcte per millorar el món.

A causa de la impopularitat de la guerra del Vietnam, el tema bèl·lic cau, i no és fins als 80 quan torna a ressorgir, al principi amb pel·lícules més properes a l'aventura en la qual l'heroi nord-americà venç a la pantalla com no va poder fer-ho a la selva.

A mitjans d'aquella dècada i en els 90 sorgeix un nou corrent, que deixa una mica de costat el conflicte, que es converteix en l'escenari i se centra en el soldat com a persona, que té sentiments i temors, a més de nombrosos dubtes morals sobre la correcció de les accions que es veu obligat a realitzar. En aquest nou tipus de pel·lícules s'observa la guerra i les seves conseqüències amb molta major crueltat que en les seves predecessores, qui sap si amb la intenció d'alliçonar l'espectador sobre la necessitat que els conflictes armats quedin únicament en el cinema i els llibres d'història.

Exemples de pel·lícules bèl·liques
 1957 El pont sobre el riu Kwai
 1967 El dia més llarg
 1967 Els dotze del patíbul
 1970 Tora! Tora! Tora!
 1978 El caçador
 1979 Apocalypse Now
 1986 Platoon
 1989 Born on the Fourth of July
 1998 Saving Private Ryan
 2001 Enemic a les portes

Enllaços externs

 Portal dedicat al Cinema bèl·lic

Gèneres cinematogràfics

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: What is the difference between Optionals and Nullable type Swift has Optionals. C# has Nullable types.
As far as I can tell both serve same purpose, besides value of some type they store information whether variable has value or is undefined (uninitialized).
Question is are Optionals just Nullable types with different name or are there other conceptual differences?
In another words, talking about concept itself, or in context of languages that do not have Optionals or Nullables, does it matter whict term is used?
When implementing that functionality in language does it matter whether I name type Optionals<T> or Nullable<T>

A: There is a different connotation, even though they work very similarly.  Everyone but Microsoft (insert eye-roll here) uses null and nullable only in the context of references.  Options and Maybes are generally understood to refer to both references and values, especially in functional programming languages where referential transparency means there isn't much difference between a value and a reference.

In another words, talking about concept itself, or in context of languages that do not have Optionals or Nullables, does it matter which term is used?

Options is the term that causes the least confusion among a broad audience.  Only C# programmers will think of a Nullable as potentially applying to a value type, and I think most of them are at least aware of what an Option is.

A: In .NET, there are two categories of type: references and values (int, double, structs, enums etc). Amongst their differences is the fact that a reference can be null, whereas a value cannot. Thus if you have a value type and want to convey "optional" or "unknown" semantics, you can adorn it with Nullable<>. Note that Nullable<> is constrained by type to accept only value types (it has a where T : struct clause). Nullable<> also has special affordances from the compiler whereby a null value is protected from NullReferenceExceptions:
string x = null;
x.ToString(); // throws a NullReferenceException

int? y = null;
y.ToString(); // returns ""

In functional languages (such as Scala, F#, Haskell, Swift etc) it is common for null to not exist. This is because on the whole people regard the existence of null as a bad idea, and language designers have decided to address this problem by disallowing it.
This means that again we need some way to represent a non-value in these languages. Enter the Option type (nomenclature varies, it's called Maybe in Haskell). This does a similar job to Nullable in that it wraps a type to add the case where the value is "None" or "Unknown" etc.
The real difference is in the extra functions given to you by languages that implement Option. As an example, take Option.map (in pseudocode):
function Option<T2> Option.map(opt: Option<T1>, mapFunc: T1 -> T2) {
    if (opt is None) return None
    else return Option<T2>(mapFunc(opt.Value))
}

Chaining functions like Option.map is a powerful way to avoid the typical null check boilerplate you see everywhere in C#:
if (service == null)
    return null;
var x = service.GetValue();
if (x == null || x.Property == null)
    return null;
return x.Property.Value;

The Nullable equivalent in C# would be:
public static Nullable<T2> Map<T1, T2>(this Nullable<T1> nullable, Func<T1, T2> f)
    where T1 : struct
    where T2 : struct
{
    if (!nullable.HasValue) return (T2?)null;
    else return (T2?) f(nullable.Value);
}

However this has limited utility in C# because it will only work for value types.
The new version of C# offers the "null propagation" operator (?.) which is similar to the Option.map function except it is only applicable for methods and property accessors. The above sample would be rewritten
return service?.GetValue()?.Property?.Value;


text:
Hopea altocollina is a tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae, native to Borneo. The specific epithet altocollina means "high hills", referring to the species' habitat.

Description
Hopea altocollina grows up to  tall, with a trunk diameter of up to . It has buttresses up to  tall. The bark is fissured and flaky. The leathery leaves are lanceolate and measure up to  long. The inflorescences measure up to  long and bear cream flowers. The nuts are egg-shaped and measure up to  long.

Distribution and habitat
Hopea altocollina is endemic to Borneo. Its habitat is dipterocarp forests, at altitudes of .

Conservation
Hopea altocollina has been assessed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. It is threatened by logging for its timber. The species is found in some protected areas.

References

altocollina
Endemic flora of Borneo
Plants described in 1967
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot