text:
Fiona and Phantom were just two more "throw away" cats at a high kill shelter until Good Mews Animal Foundation, a cat rescue in Marietta, GA, swooped in and took responsibility for them and 24 other cats in danger of euthanasia. Fiona and Phantom had severe health concerns so both were immediately taken to Cat Care of Vinings clinic.
Fiona, a seven-year-old calico with beautiful green eyes, was icteric. Her skin was yellow, indicating an issue with her liver. Her bloodwork showed elevation of her liver values and she was also anemic. Urine culture and abdominal ultrasound both came back negative so a diagnosis could not be determined yet. She didn't want to eat so she was placed on IV fluids and fed with a syringe until someone had some answers. After exhausting all possible causes, it was eventually decided she was suffering from Hepatic Lipidosis, a condition caused by rapid weight loss. In Fiona's case, it was likely due to malnutrition and/or neglect.
For Phantom, a handsome black 8-year-old, his health concerns were more obvious. He had an untreated wound on the side of his face which needed dressing and a regimen of antibiotics. In an unrelated issue, his right eye appeared to be bulging and it was likely he was blind in that eye. The theory was this was caused by a previous trauma, but it would need to be addressed – up to and including removal of the eye. Phantom was also neutered while he received other treatments. Moreover, he was also diagnosed with intestinal parasites requiring treatment.
Fiona steadily improved with appetite simulants, liver supplements and subcutaneous fluids. The biggest concern was her long-term liver health. Despite her severe neglect, she was a sweet girl who purred loudly, when her caretakers gave her affection. Eventually, they were able to wean her off the liver supplements. She would still need to be monitored to ensure continued improvement, but the good news was she was FINALLY ready to be adopted!
Phantom gave them quite a scare when his wound proved to be resistant to antibiotics. After a bacteria culture put them on the right track, he finally started to heal. As expected, the vet did recommend his bulging eye be removed. The original injury had also caused a painful glaucoma so removal offered the best course of treatment for his quality of life. Almost completely recovered from surgery, Phantom was finally ready for his forever home and was put up for adoption. His many head butts implied he was feeling much better.
As is the case with rescues like Good Mews, they care for these animals on a very small budget so they reached out to the Ian Somerhalder Foundation for help in saving these kitties. We were more than happy to provide them a grant to offset the cost of their treatment, especially after hearing they rescued 26 cats from a high-kill shelter. They may not wear capes, but these folks are true heroes. Kendra Ledlow, Shelter Manager for Mews, had this to say, "I think this whole experience confirmed my belief that you really have to speak up for the voiceless. Unfortunately, without rescue groups like ours, cats like Phantom and Fiona do not have a good chance of recovery at most animal control shelters. I'm glad we looked at those two and said, 'Yes, we will help!' These two proved that sometimes taking a chance on a situation that seems hopeless might actually turn out better with a lot of love and care."
Written by Shandra Locken
Grantee Success Stories
- Any -CatsDogsHorsesOther


On the same day his band announced they were canceling the remainder of their U.S. tour due to his "vocal issues and exhaustion," Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill was in New York, where he told a TMZ cameraman he was focused on healing.
target="_blank">said while walking with his wife, model Lily Aldridge.
One Fan's Take: "If The Performance Would Have Suffered, Respect Their Decision"
On Monday, the Kings of Leon scrapped their tour in the wake of a disastrous Dallas show during which Followill repeatedly complained about the heat and then abruptly left the stage after announcing to the crowd at the Gexa Energy Pavilion, "I'm gonna go backstage and I'm gonna vomit. I'm gonna drink a beer and I'm gonna come back out and play three more songs."
He never reappeared, leaving his bandmates to apologize to the audience. Following the show, KOL bassist Jared Followill took to Twitter to express his frustrations, writing, "There are internal sicknesses & problems that have needed to be addressed. I can't lie, there are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade."
Initially, the band only postponed a Saturday-night show in Houston, but citing Followill's health, they made the decision to cancel their remaining U.S. shows, saying in a statement, "The band is devastated, but in order to give their fans the shows they deserve, they need to take this break."
The Kings are scheduled to return to the road at the end of September, with a run of shows in Canada, but when asked about future touring plans by TMZ, Followill would only say, "I don't know. ... We'll see how it goes."
The TMZ cameraman then asked Followill how he plans to heal his voice, to which he jokingly replied, "[I] try not to do interviews."


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China Burnishes Anti-Piracy Credentials Without Clarifying Possible Use of Lethal Force
The Chinese Ministry of National Defense clarified the extent of the Chinese Navy's anti-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean.
By Ankit Panda for The Diplomat
Credit: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Shannon Renfroe/Released
A few weeks ago, I discussed China's aspirations to burnish its anti-piracy credentials by responding forcefully to the new resurgence in piracy off the Horn of Africa.
In at least two incidents in April, Chinese People's Liberation Army-Navy vessels, assisted by the Indian Navy in at least one of the two instances, acted as first responders. In the first incident, Chinese forces rescued the crew of a Tuvalu-flagged bulk carrier, the OS 35, and in the second, the PLAN responded to a distressed Panamanian-flagged carrier, the Alheera. With reference to the latter, Voice of America reported that unidentified "foreign naval forces" used lethal force against the pirates.
The Chinese government has yet to confirm if its naval forces used lethal force against pirates in the Indian Ocean, which may well be the PLAN's first recorded use of such force in the Indian Ocean region. The matter of anti-piracy did come up at the Chinese Ministry of Defense's monthly press conference in April. Senior Colonel Yang Yujun, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, was clearly pleased when the matter of China's anti-piracy activities came up, commending the reporter that raised the question for a "very good question."
He went on to note the "strong rebound of piracy activities has been witnessed with a large increase of attack in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia" this year. He then confirmed the activities of PLAN vessels in anti-piracy activities that had been earlier reported on by Chinese state media. "On April 9, the Chinese guided missile frigate Yulin rescued a Tuvaluan cargo ship hijacked by pirates and ensured the safety of the 19 crew members."
He then described the circumstances of the second incident, where the PLAN may have used lethal force. "On April 15, the Chinese guided missile frigate Hengyang verified and expelled pirate suspects and successfully rescued a Panamanian ship," he said. Yang did not clarify if lethal force was used, simply noting that the pirates had been "expelled."
Crucially, supporting the argument I'd made earlier that China views these anti-piracy coups as an important justification for the PLAN's increasingly expeditionary presence in the western Indian Ocean region, Yang noted that "the pirate threats in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia can not be eliminated in a short term, thus the escort mission will be a long term task for the Chinese PLA Navy."
Casting China as a defender of the global commons in a manner similar to the United States Navy, Yang continued: "The Chinese side will keep a constant deployment and make more contribution to maintain regional peace and stability, and secure the security of important Sea Lines Of Communication (SLOCs)."
As Beijing establishes its first overseas naval facility in Djibouti, the PLAN will no doubt continue to seek out anti-piracy missions to justify its presence in the region as a benign contributor to the security of the global commons. In this endeavor, it will seek to rebuff skepticism among U.S. and Indian observers that the PLAN's westward expansion in the Indian Ocean is more about securing a strategic advantage in any future inter-state conflict.
Ankit Panda
Ankit Panda is the Stanton Senior Fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Follow him on Twitter.
anti-piracy operations
China Dispatches New Naval Fleet for Gulf of Aden Escort Mission
The PLAN's deployments to the western Indian Ocean region continue.
What's a Recent Chinese Naval Deployment to the Eastern Indian Ocean About?
What should be made of an exercise by Chinese naval vessels in the Indian Ocean amid a crisis in the Maldives?
The Chinese Navy's Djibouti Base: A 'Support Facility' or Something More?
China says its facility in Djibouti will amount to little more than a "support facility."
What the Pentagon Thinks of China's Military
The U.S. Department of Defense's 2016 report on China's military offers a detailed look into the PLA.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Show that $\lim\limits_{(x,y)\to(0,0)}\frac{x^3y-xy^3}{x^4+2y^4}$ does not exist.
Show that $$\lim_{(x,y)\to(0,0)}\frac{x^3y-xy^3}{x^4+2y^4}$$ does not exist.

I'm not even sure how to approach this. I tried factoring out $xy$ in the numerator to get $xy(x^2 - y^2)$, but I don't think that gets me anywhere with the denominator.

A: Putting $x=y$ your expression vanishes, and for$x=2y$, the limit will be $1/3$. Therefore the limit does not exist

A: HINT:
What happens if the limit is taken along $y=2x$?  What happens when the limit is taken along $y=0$?  Are these equal?  If not, what can one conclude?

A: Let's approach the limit along the line $y=mx.$
$\begin{align}
&\lim_{(x,y)\to (0,0)}\dfrac{x^3y-xy^3}{x^4+2y^4}\\
&=\lim_{x\to 0}\dfrac{x^3mx-x(mx)^3}{x^4+2(mx)^4}\\
&=\lim_{x\to 0}\dfrac{x^4m-m^3x^4}{x^4+2m^4x^4}\\
&=\lim_{x\to 0}\dfrac{m-m^3}{1+2m^4}\\
&=\dfrac{m-m^3}{1+2m^4}\\
\end{align}$
So what can you conclude about the limit ?

A: Doing the change to polar coordinates:
$$
\frac{x^3y - xy^3}{x^4 + 2y^4} =
\frac
{r^3\cos^3\theta\,r\sin\theta - r\cos\theta\,r^3\sin^3\theta}
{r^4\cos^4\theta + 2r^4\sin^4\theta}
= \frac
{\cos^3\theta\sin\theta - \cos\theta\sin^3\theta}
{\cos^4\theta + 2\sin^4\theta},
$$
dependent of $\theta$ (and independent of $r$), so the limit does not exists.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Remmers series: the talk of the town
A professor once called Walter Remmers, MetE'23, MS MetE'24, "the laziest man in school." And Remmers owned up to it. "When I started here, I had a better high school education than most freshmen, but I didn't work." That professor's comment lit a fire under Remmers, though, and he went on to excel in his studies and he earned a bachelor's and master's degree in metallurgical engineering in 1923 and 1924, respectively. But one thing was missing from his education: a "lack of refinement."
Graduates of his era "left the campus as well-trained, well-educated engineers. But when it came to the rest of the world, they were a bunch of country bumpkins." This led Remmers and his wife, Miriam Remmers, to establish the Remmers Special Artist/Lecturer Series. Starting with former U.S. President Gerald Ford in 1979, the series has brought world leaders to campus including former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, former U.S. secretaries of state Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, journalists Charles Kuralt and Steve and Cokie Roberts, and renowned performers like Itzhak Perlman, Wynton Marsalis and Yo-Yo Ma.
Today, the Remmers Series continues under the leadership of Walter and Miriam's son, John Remmers, a 1984 graduate in metallurgical engineering, and a campus committee.
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S0205. ADOLF BUSCH & RUDOLF SERKIN: Sonata #2 in A (Brahms), recorded 20 Sept., 1932; ADOLF & HERMANN BUSCH & RUDOLF SERKIN: Trio in E-flat (Schubert), recorded 23 Oct., 1935. (Canada) St Laurent Studio YSL 78-203. Transfers by Yves St Laurent.


After over a decade of representations to Government to improve access to a cost and time effective framework to address Intellectual Property infringement issues for small businesses, ACID is delighted that The Government has confirmed that a new small claims service will be introduced at the Patents County Court to give SME's easier access to deal with copyright, patents, trade marks and design infringement.
The recommendation for a small claims service, made in the Hargreaves Review of Intellectual Property and Growth was supported by ACID. However, ACID believes that the Government figure of just 150 firms potentially bringing cases through the new system seems unrealistically low in terms of the infringement cases it hears about on a daily basis.
Minister for Intellectual Property Baroness Wilcox said: "We hope to have the new system in place by this time next year".
ACID is trade association for designers and manufacturers with a diverse membership ranging from individuals to multinationals and spanning many industry sectors. The organisation is committed to fighting design theft and lobbying Parliament for design law reform. ACID's key objectives are protection, deterrence and education, working towards a safer commercial trading framework enabling originators to fully exploit and maximise their IP rights.


Ahh, Frozen mania! It sees like every little girl who is turning four in 2014 is having a Frozen birthday party. I had no idea it was still so popular when my daughter decided it would be the theme for her party this year. I went shopping for party supplies yesterday and our local Walmart was pretty much completely sold out! All that was left were a couple of cups and invitations!
We decided to hit up Party City for the decorations. I do not go crazy with birthday parties. We do our parties at home with family and a few close friends, but I still want the kiddos to have fun and my daughter LOVES decor and party planning. So, I'm going to lay out my plans and show you what we got, the games we are planning to play, and the food we are going to serve. Hopefully after the party I can show you how it all turns out!
I will also make decorations for the food with these printables.
I will make a centerpiece with this printable.
My daughter has requested a hot dog bar. So, hubby is going to grill hot dogs and we are going to serve all the fixings; relish, diced onions, mustard, ketchup, chili, and cheese.
We are also going to have chips and dip, baked beans, a veggie tray with Olaf noses (carrots), and a spinach/artichoke dip with baguette.
I have ordered a Frozen themed cake from our local Kroger. I hope it turns out great!
I'm also planning to make "frozen hearts" with strawberries dipped in white chocolate.
We are going to make blue party punch using this recipe from Comfy in the Kitchen.
Frozen coloring book made from free printables found on Pinterest.
Whew! Seems like a ton of work! I better get to it! I'm using Pinterest to plan this whole party!
Wanna see how our Frozen party turned out? Check it out!


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Anna Fisher aka Oboelady
RENAISSANCE IN FORMATION
ANNA FISHER
Anna Fisher is one of a handful of classical oboe and English horn players who has taken those instruments into new and rarely used genres to create a fresh new sound in music.
Born and raised within a musical family, Fisher began private oboe study at the age of 11 and fell in love with the sultry penetrating sounds of Yusef Lateef, Mitch Miller and John McCandless who were trailblazers for oboe music outside of the classical realm. Seeing Martin Luther King, Jr. give his "I Have A Dream" Speech at the March on Washington in 1963 left an indelible mark that permeated her vision for a better future of brotherhood and tolerance.
Years of study at the conservatory level since High School, summers spent at Northeast Music Camp, Tanglewood Insititute and Indiana University Summer Music Festival and concert tours with the Rome Festival Orchestra and Massachusetts Youth Wind Ensemble, she knew music would always play a major role in her life.
Her teachers in oboe include Patricia Morehead, David Huston, Ira Deutch, John Holmes Jerry Sirucek, Vance Reger, Laila Storch and Masterclasses with Joseph Robinson and John Mack. She has performed on stage with Jazz Greats, Barbara Morrison, Ernie Andrews, John B. Williams, John Williams, Onaje Murray, Ndugu Chancelor and Norman Connors to name a few. She has performed onstage with The Wailers, Frankie Paul, Calton Coffie, Screwdriver, Simple Simon, Soul Syndicate and Jubilee House Orchestra as well as two tours to Jamaica to perform in honor of the late great Joe Higgs, founder of Reggae and mentor to both she and Bob Marley among others.
Writing originals, arranging covers and premiering others' originals, her music is anchored with the double reed sound. Additionally, she also sings on some of her tracks and has collaborated with other fine vocalists to embellish her songs influenced by her favorite reggae and jazz artists.
She has toured Italy, Greece, North America, Hawaii and the Caribbean gracing venues with oboe and English horn as an ambassador of peace.
Anna recruited some of the very best musicians she could find to accompany her and has received international airplay and recognition for her unique works. In addition to composing, arranging and performing, she also produced all of her tracks on her own label, MOLIN MUSIC founded in 1993 and named for her two children Monique and Lincoln.
She has graced stages and arenas to bring her sound to the populace. She has opened a Los Angeles Clippers vs. Portland Trailblazers Game at Arrowhead Pond Arena in Anaheim, CA. Opened for major acts such as Alpha Blondy, Third World Band and Frankie Paul. She has recorded for Ed Townsend, Jawge Hughes, Onaje Muirray, Soul Syndicate and earned a Grammy Nomination with Third World Band for "Black Gold Green" Album paying tribute to her friend and mentor Joe Higgs in a rendition of "There's A Reward" with Bunny Rugs, Stephen Cat Coore and Fiona Robinson on vocals. They recently celebrated their 45th Anniversary in the industry.
She has also been awarded Jazz Artist of the Year by the Watts Summer Festival, International Artist of the Year by the Joe Higgs Music Awards and has commendation awards from the California State Legislature, City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles City Council and Mid-City Chamber of Commerce for her efforts to bring unity to the communities. She has two songs in Spanish in her discography and a tribute to Nelson Mandela. Her latest of four solo albums incorporates the sounds of Soul Syndicate titled, "Tribute For Salvation" paying respect to Horace Silver, Jackie Mittoo, Abyssinians, Bob Marley, The Beatles, Johnny Nash and Jimmy Cliff. She has also paid tribute to Carole King and Stevie Wonder as well as Yusef Lateef and John Coltrane on earlier releases.
She has been featured speaker/performer and panelist at schools, universities, shelters, industry conferences, churches and festivals across the globe. As a lifelong professional musician and elementary general music educator and teacher, as well as abuse survivor, her intention has remained to expose the world to the beautiful sounds of instruments while spreading conscious and uplifting messages of universal peace and love.
© 2020 Anna Fisher aka Oboelady . All Rights Reserved.


Improving your use of Product categorisation, Marketing and Custom data will let you get more out of Google Analytics Google Analytics has changed considerably in the last three years and in the latest update to our 7 Steps to using Google …..
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A briefing on the new segmentation features for Google Analytics Probably one of the most significant updates to be rolled out of Google analytics in recent times is the revamped segmentation feature, it is hard to understate its impact! In …..


Our Dolce Gusto® compatible capsules combine our vast experience spanning more than three generations in the world of coffee with the innovations in single-serve espresso brought by technological advances, so that you can enjoy exceptional coffee even when you are at home and at work.
Every capsule contains first-rate blends that are roasted and ground in the traditional way. We follow the recipes that we have been using in our cafés for decades while also presenting some delicious new offerings. Our capsules are compatible with Dolce Gusto® machines. The Dolce Gusto® trademark is not a property of Caffè Carraro S.p.A. or its affiliates.


Garlic Mushroom Chicken Thighs (LOW CARB) is a quick throw together chicken recipe all cooked in one pan!
Golden seared chicken thighs in a delicious garlic butter mushroom sauce with a hint of herbs is THE weeknight dinner everyone raves about! The perfect dinner when your faced with minimal ingredient and no time. Serve these Garlic Mushroom Chicken Thighs over rice, pasta, mashed potatoes OR lower carb options like mashed cauliflower or zucchini noodles!
Who doesn't love this flavour bomb? Many readers have been writing in asking how to simplify this Cheesy Garlic Butter Mushroom Stuffed Chicken recipe. Of COURSE I'm up for that and here it is! Garlic butter and mushrooms go hand in hand already, for breakfast, lunch or dinner. BUT throw in some juicy, golden chicken thighs and WOAH have mercy!
We decided to use chicken thighs for this recipe because dark meat suits the natural juices released from mushrooms. Although we use chicken thighs, you can substitute them with skinless, boneless breasts or chicken tenders if you like and follow the rest of the directions. This is an extremely forgiving recipe!
With only a handful of ingredients, you'll have one of the BEST and easiest chicken recipes hit your dinner table.
Once your chicken is seared, move onto your garlic butter mushrooms! Cook them in the same pan your chicken was in, scraping up any browned bits from the base of the pan for extra flavour in the mushrooms.
The simple sauce of the buttery garlic mushrooms mixed with the seared chicken is what really makes this Garlic Mushroom Chicken Thighs recipe amazing.
Garlic — use fresh or bottle minced garlic. Fresh is best!
Herbs — we love thyme, rosemary and parsley! Not a fan of those? Use whatever herbs YOU like!
*You CAN use fresh herbs if you have them! 2 teaspoons each of fresh herbs is fine. If you don't like Thyme or Rosemary, substitute with Basil and Oregano, or use Tarragon.
The post Garlic Mushroom Chicken Thighs appeared first on Cafe Delites.


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Home | Wire | Italian Literature and Libertarian Theory
Italian Literature and Libertarian Theory
12/22/2016David Gordon
Annali D'Italianistica, "Speaking Truth to Power: From Medieval to Modern Italy." Volume 34, 2016. Edited by Jo Ann Cavallo and Carlo Lottieri.
The great historian of the Italian Renaissance Jacob Burckhardt said, "Power is evil," and Jo Ann Cavalho and Carlo Lottieri, the co-editors of this volume, would with one caveat agree with him. They distinguish between political power and power of other sorts: it is only the former that is to be condemned. "Many authors have grouped together under the same umbrella political power (which compels compliance through the use or threat of physical force), cultural power. . . and economic power. . .Against this all-inclusive definition of power, we maintain that culture and wealth do not represent, in themselves, instruments of violence. . .For this reason we have chosen to focus critical attention specifically on opposition to political power. . .because the state, regardless of the structure it assumes, is the only entity that claims a legal monopoly on the use of violence within a given territory and thereby compels compliance through physical aggression." (p.21)
As is readily apparent, the editors are convinced libertarians, and they draw explicitly on Austrian economics and the political philosophy of Rothbard and Hoppe. "The conception of state power outlined above is shared by the Austrian School of economics and by libertarian philosophy." (p.21)
The volume's twenty essays range over Italian literature and history from Dante to Elsa Morante, and I can here comment on only a few of these. Cavallo discusses a novella, "Triunfo da Camarino" (Triumph of the Little Room) written by by Giovanni Sabadino degli Arienti, (1443/5-1510) The story is about a servant "who regularly stages a dialogue between the emperor and the pope during his daily hour of privacy and who abruptly leaves his aristocratic employer after the latter spies on him and discovers his secret pastime." (p.141)
In her analysis of the tale, Cavalho draws from Franz Oppenheimer: "Triunfo [the servant] opposes the pope's and the emperor's coercive modus operandi. . . Whereas his performance draws attention to the political means used by those in power, his interactions with his employer illustrate instead the economic means underlying consensual exchange in the market place. According to sociologist Franz Oppenheimer, who coined these terms, there is a fundamental opposition between these two means of seeking to attain one's desires. . . In the first case, the pope and emperor resort to coercion and threats. . . in order to wage war and increase their power. By contrast, in the private space of Piero's household, the contractual parties freely negotiate mutually acceptable conditions. When the aristocratic employer violates the contract by invading the servant's privacy, the latter responds by exercising his unquestioned right to depart as a sovereign individual." (p.159)
Nicla Riverso analyzes the efforts of the 16th century Venetian friar Paolo Sarpi to defend the Venetian Republic against the power-seeking and corruption of the Roman Curia. "In his explanation of the unscrupulous means by which the pope arrogated more authority and power to himself, Sarpi notes that to exercise temporal power is to ignore the divine injunction against exercising any authority over the bishops which might divert them from their main task, namely the care of believers." (p.304). Riverso discusses Sarpi's great influence on English Protestant writers; this was in sharp contrast to his waning power at home. I would add to Riverso's account that Sarpi's influence on English writers continued in the 20th century. A.N. Whitehead in his Lowell Lectures at Harvard, Science and the Modern World, quotes from Sarpi's History of the Council of Trent.
Maria Giménez Cavallo carries the dissection of state power to the 1970s. In an discussion of Elsa Morante's La storia. Cavallo finds that "Morante's meditation led her to distrust the prevailing ideologies of the period.. Her political vision cannot be understood by applying the narrow, horizontal categories of Left vs. Right, since it tends to move in a different spatial direction altogether, a vertical axis in which state power is opposed to freedom. "(p.424)
Cavallo finds both similarities and differences between Morante and Rothbard. Morante "insists upon the basic premise that anarchism is the antithesis of Power and therefore cannot be arrived at through the use of violence or state power in any form. . .This refusal to align anarchism with Leftist paradigms might seem at first glance to bring her vision in line with that of the American libertarian philosopher, economist, and activist Murray Rothbard. . .Where they split company, however, is on the issue of property rights.. Whereas Rothbard, in Lockean fashion, grounds human rights in the self-ownership of one's body and one's rightfully acquired property, advocating free-market capitalism, Morante includes private property in the list of evils to combat in order to arrive at a collectivist anarchic society." (p.443)
This very valuable collection continues the work of Paul Cantor, Stephen Cox, and Allen Mendenhall, among others, in applying Austrian insights to literary history and criticism.
Contact David Gordon
David Gordon is Senior Fellow at the Mises Institute and editor of the Mises Review.
Note: The views expressed on Mises.org are not necessarily those of the Mises Institute.
When commenting, please post a concise, civil, and informative comment. Full comment policy here
An Interview with Ralph Raico
Gordon, Rockwell, and Salerno interview Ralph Raico. They discuss his life and career, and his associations with...
Why Capitalism?
Taught by David Gordon, this course explores how capitalism lifts people from poverty to plenty.
Carmen Elena Dorobăț
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text:
Covid-19 patients at UHG almost doubled over past 7 days
Galway Bay fm newsroom – The number of patients being treated for Covid-19 at University Hospital Galway has continued to climb steadily and is almost double what it was this day last week.
There are now 127 patients being treated for the virus – compared to a figure of 71 recorded at the city hospital this time last week.
12 patients are currently receiving treatment in the ICU – while there are 2 critical care beds available.
Elsewhere, at Portiuncula in Ballinasloe, there are 11 confirmed cases of Covid-19, with 2 patients in the ICU.
Nationally, over eighteen hundred people are currently hospitalised with Covid-19.
The figure includes 169 patients in intensive care.
The National Public Health Emergency Team is meeting today to discuss the situation in hospitals.
Public Health Expert Dr Gabriel Scally says the country is not in a good situation.
To hear more, tune into Galway Bay fm news….
Health Minister criticised over lack of respect shown to Leas Cheann Comhairle Catherine Connolly
City council urged to initiate compulsory order for Corrib Great Southern derelict site
Galway Bay fm newsroom – Galway City Council is to publish all Part 8 planning applications online.
Fianna Fail City Councillor John Connolly proposed uploading the documents to the Local Authority's online planning system, where they could be publicly viewed – at this week's meeting.
The City Chief Executive Brendan McGrath advised Councillor Connolly that it would be more appropriate to upload the documents to the City Council's general website as the planning section was not designed to host Part 8 documents.
Meanwhile, Director of Services for Planning Ruth McNally advised the meeting that a new portal is being set up where the files can also be uploaded.
Galway Bay fm newsroom – Gardaí have sent a file to the DPP in relation to the investigation surrounding the Oireachtas Golf Society dinner, which was held in Connemara last summer.
81 people, including politicians and members of the judiciary attended the event in Clifden in August, during a period of COVID-19 restrictions.
Golfgate was followed by the resignation of Phil Hogan as EU Trade Commissioner and the resignation of former Agriculture Minister Dara Calleary.
A number of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael senators also lost the party whip as a result.
Supreme Court judge Seamus Woulfe was also in attendance, but a report by former Chief Justice Susan Denham found it would be unjust to seek his resignation.
Galway TD describes Commission report into Mother and Baby homes as 'colour by numbers' exercise
Galway Bay fm newsroom – The report from the Commission into Mother and Baby Homes has been described in the Dáil by Galway West TD Catherine Connolly as 'a colour by numbers' exercise where 'the picture was pre-determined'
The Independent Deputy again raised the report in the Dáil this week arguing its conclusions are at odds with witness testimony.
Deputy Connolly questioned the findings of no evidence of forced adoptions and no evidence of pressure to put women into the institutions.
She also questioned the findings on vaccine trials with no side effects recorded, while a minimum of 10 thousand deaths were recorded at the homes.
The Galway West TD told the Dáil the report quotes 'all of society' and argued it was the 'powerful in society' while the government bowed down.
The Dáil heard the report described as a 'colour by numbers' exercise where the picture was pre-determined….
More on Galway Bay fm news
Connacht Tribune4 hours ago
Compliant Galwegians are keeping their distance
Lessons learned on home-schooling


Good thing Steve Hansen does not listen to talkback radio. Or imported one-eyed coaches.
The All Black side he has come up with to take on the Wallabies tomorrow night for the opening Bledisloe Cup match is the best possible side the coach could have picked.
No matter what the blinkered mob up the road say.
This whole Richie Mo'unga drum beating has just got completely out of hand. Some of the stuff coming out of red and black land was bordering on madness.
We all know the Crusaders first five-eighth had a good Super Rugby campaign.
He worked his way into some outstanding form and was one of the best as the Crusaders marched their way to another title.
But those calls to put him into the All Black No10 jersey at the expense of Beauden Barrett - well, sorry, lunacy really.
It would be like giving the dux title to the schoolboy who was top in the junior exam. He was good at his level. But there are others who have performed at a higher level.
Games at the top tier are completely different from what is presented at the next step down.
It is far higher intensity and is a very different cousin to Super Rugby.
Barrett, time and again, has proved himself to be top notch at the white-hot intensity of test level.
Maybe he was not as his best for the Hurricanes but isn't he the world player of the year two years in a row?
By that definition, he should be the first player picked in any team in the world.
Mo'unga is not even the second-best first five-eighth in the country.
Damian McKenzie is coming off a test in which he bagged 24 points and was also named Super Rugby Player of the Year. How do you leave a guy out after a performance like that?
Then there was some thinking by some clever clogs up the highway to put Barrett back to fullback to accommodate Mo'unga in the No10 jersey.
So Ben Smith gets dumped to accommodate the world player of the year who in turn is out of position because a guy, who has played one test, has to play? Apparently his form is that good. Justifiably, it does not stake up.
Thankfully, Hansen did not buy into the hype.
He knows he can lean on Barrett and the Taranaki man will come to the party.
So it is good to have one Barrett there but talk to get another one from the same family on the pitch has also thankfully been laid to rest.
The talk about Jordie Barrett went from fact to fiction in the past few months.
Now young Barrett obviously has some gifts and talent.
But he was very much off form for the Hurricanes in the latter part of the season and his basic play was below that expected of an All Black. There were too many dropped balls, missed and lazy tackles, and poor kicks.
Jordie is only young -21 - and will come again but at the moment he just needs to work on his game.
Ben Smith has never done anything wrong in the black jersey. Long may he stay there.
He has the runs on the board. Others are barely out of the pavilion.


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Large Scale Ink Drawings on Handmade Himalayan Papers.
(To return to home-page, click on the artist's name).
This work hangs as a tapestry. There is a hand-inked QR code that will take the viewer, using a smart phone, to a 2-minute video that takes the viewer into the doorway and shares its secret. The background in the drawing is real bark texture and binary code of the names of God that begin with the letter, "A." The image shows a holy man looking for enlightenment on his iPad and his student who is texting and wearing a T-shirt that reads, "I'm a Beleiber." The temple is a real structure in the village of Bhakitpur in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal and is based on my own location drawings during 12 visits there.
See description on full image.
This work is one of the most successful inks I've ever done. It explores, more closely, the breaking down of the dichotomy between being the viewer and the thing being viewed -- projecting our own meaning onto the form and realizing that we are actually projecting ourselves. The "Gate" is the realization of that projection.
Explores the moment of enlightenment when one experiences the connection. The layered papers play with the Tibetan prayer flags.
Based on a temple in Patan, Kathmandu Valley. Explores the idea that when we reach a state of enlightenment, all those things thought sacred or profane, drop away.
Commissioned by World Artists for Tibet, for a solo exhibition on Chinese human rights issues, at the Denise Bibro Gallery, NYC in 1991 Year of Tibet.
Louie Myers posed for this less than a year before he died.
Based on an experience with the Tengboche Monastery monks while doing a Lhasing Ceremony on the ridge above the monastery.
Based on an experience at Sakya Monastery, Tibet.


I really wanted to try my hand at pastry, as i'd never tried to make it from scratch before. i'd also never attemped meringue either!
This recipe was super easy to follow and the pie turned out really good!
I may need to work on my presentation, but it tasted phenomenal!!
one stage that i found pretty tricky was adding the water to the cornflour! its the oddest thing, i goes hard! it took me a couple of attempts to get the consistency right.
the lemon filling did come out quite runny, it tasted amazing but next time i might change the amount of cornflour, or the boiling time to make it a thicker consistency.
although i think if i'd let it cool slightly before tucking in, it might have thicken up on its own! i was just too impatient!
I was amazingly proud of myself for getting this right! it has boosted my pastry confidence! next on my list to try is a tradtional apple pie and a pumpkin pie!
Thank you for reading my blog, dont forget to leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
See Lemon Meringue Pie on Key Ingredient.
You did it all by hand? Wow! You are determined, aren't you! Hope you get a kitchen aid mixer for Christmas! Is Paul reading this???
Holy crap girl, you made meringue with a whisk? You're nuts! I don't have a Kitchen-aid either. Can't afford it, don't have the room for it. But I just don't make things like this, the most daring thing I do is whipped cream.


Did he fool you? Andrew Yang's Universal Basic Income paid for by taxing automation.
With basic income advocates, there is usually no up-front mention of the source of the money to be distributed. We must learn if Andrew Yang is a populist wanting government to distribute the basic income created ex-nihilo ("from thin air") and autonomously (not co-created with new debt) – or whether the government must tax the middle class and borrow at compound interest from international lenders, making him another shill for usury. Which is it?
He says he will provide a thousand dollars to each citizen per month from taxes on corporations that make use of automation! THIS MEANS HE IS NOT ADDING NEW MONEY TO THE ECONOMY AT ALL, BUT IS RAISING THE PRICES OF GOODS PRODUCED WITH HIGH TECHNOLOGY. THIS SOURCE OF REVENUE WOULD SOON BE USED UP AS FIRMS RESORT TO LESS-PRODUCTIVE HUMAN LABOR, WHICH OF COURSE MEANS OUTSOURCING TO CHINA WHERE LABOR IS NOT PAID VERY MUCH. Yang is a shill – perhaps a de facto shill, but a shill nonetheless.
End result of Yang's "universal income" paid for by taxing technology? The final death of technology in American industry and more corporate outsourcing to China for cheap labor. Don't you smell Soros and false-front economic sabotage benefiting China and Kissinger Associates? I do.
The problem with the American economy is its money and lending system. The solution is not redistribution of business earnings to consumers done in such a way as to make businesses less efficient and to incentivize them to outsource labor.
The real problem is that we live in an economy where the entire money supply (transferrable bank deposits) is borrowed into existence with a co-created debt obligation to pay principal and compound interest to the lender. Instead of this, we need permanent national money that is not co-created with new debt. This new money needs to be distributed exclusively via a new-money dividend to households. That is populist social credit – not to be confused with China social credit, which is communism that gives to each according to his obedience to Big Brother and takes from each his labor, which is sold to Jewish-owned corporations through Henry Kissinger and Associates.
People: Take Back Your Governments! Demand Monetary Rights!


Its not that bad, just the driver's side, nossle/cylinder for the headlight and covers are busted, gash at the top of the bumper, headlight lens. No real body/structural damage.
- Are there any other companies with in my price range that have skirts similar to what I posted above?
- Does anyone have pictures of S4 with Infinity V1 skirts?
tmt tuning is gonna cost a lot of money because they are in europe.
did you get some cash out of it?
where do you get the creative designs one?
www.lltek.com ? anything you like there?
Well at least you caught her and her insurance is paying for it.


text:
The Onion Girl (Newford) (Paperback)
By Charles de Lint
Tor Books, 9780765303813, 512pp.
Hardcover (10/1/2001)
Compact Disc (12/1/2008)
Compact Disc (1/1/2013)
Audio Cassette (12/1/2008)
Hardcover (4/1/2009)
Pre-Recorded Audio Player (6/1/2009)
MP3 CD (12/1/2008)
2017 Aurora Awards Best of the Decade Finalist
In novel after novel, and story after story, Charles de Lint has brought an entire imaginary North American city to vivid life. Newford: where magic lights dark streets; where myths walk clothed in modern shapes; where a broad cast of extraordinary and affecting people work to keep the whole world turning.
At the center of all the entwined lives in Newford stands a young artist named Jilly Coppercorn, with her tangled hair, her paint-splattered jeans, a smile perpetually on her lips--Jilly, whose paintings capture the hidden beings that dwell in the city's shadows. Now, at last, de Lint tells Jilly's own story...for behind the painter's fey charm lies a dark secret and a past she's labored to forget. And that past is coming to claim her now.
"I'm the onion girl," Jilly Coppercorn says. "Pull back the layers of my life, and you won't find anything at the core. Just a broken child. A hollow girl." She's very, very good at running. But life has just forced Jilly to stop.
Charles de Lint and his wife, the artist MaryAnn Harris, live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. His evocative novels, including Moonheart, Forests of the Heart, and The Onion Girl, have earned him a devoted following and critical acclaim as a master of contemporary magical fiction in the manner of storytellers like John Crowley, Jonathan Carroll, Alice Hoffman, Ray Bradbury, and Isabel Allende.
Praise For The Onion Girl (Newford)…
"De Lint is a romantic; he believes in the great things, faith, hope, and charity (especially if love is included in that last), but he also believes in the power of magic-or at least the magic of fiction-to open our eyes to a larger world." —Edmonton Journal
"In de Lint's capable hands, modern fantasy becomes something other than escapism. It becomes folk song, the stuff of urban myth." —The Phoenix Gazette


Delivers triple-strength cleaning power and boosts cleaning results. Fibers are left cleaner and more resistant to resoiling. DynaForce 77 with Biosolv can be used in both truck mount and portable extraction units. Because DynaForce 77 with Biosolv is instantly soluble, you no longer have to worry about clogging or unmixed powder; it instantly dissolves in hot or cold water. Plus, special defoaming agents and dual-corrosion inhibitor agents help keep your equipment running longer between descaling jobs. As an added bonus, Dynaforce 77 with Biosolv also contains advanced anti-foaming agents, so it's ideal for use in portables. It won't create a thick, choking foam to clog your equipment and force you to empty the recovery tank more often. Cost effective cleaning at a fixed dilution ratio of 320 to 1. This product has a pH level that is safe for use on most synthetic, stain-resistant, and wool fibers.


Secure free VPN with restrictive 1GB data cap. Best used for general browsing.
Avira Phantom's free plan is a secure choice for VPN newbies who want to use a VPN for general browsing – anything more than that and you'll struggle due to the 1GB monthly data cap.
The popular security brand's VPN offers a decent level of privacy but isn't ideal for torrenting or performing other privacy-sensitive tasks as it lacks some essential security features such as a VPN kill switch.
We'd like to clarify that this review refers to the free version of Avira Phantom – you can read our review of Avira Phantom premium here.
Avira Phantom's free plan offers speeds that are mediocre at best and unusable at worst. Local downloads are just fast enough for HD streaming on a single device, but the 1GB monthly data cap is very restrictive- we were only able to run a few speed tests before our monthly allocation ran out.
Local performance peaked at an unimpressive 31Mbps up and 39Mbps down in the Netherlands (we test from the UK). Connecting out to the US East Coast was decent at 24Mbps up and 43Mbps down, but more distant connections, such as Europe to Australia, struggled to reach an almost unusable 2Mbps up and down.
We found latency to be lower than what we've seen from other free services. Same-country connections were as low as 7ms, which will be snappy enough for most but might cause enough lag to frustrate gamers.
Beware that connection times are fairly slow on the desktop apps, and the fact that there's no kill switch feature means your IP address could still be exposed while the app connects to a new server.
Avira Phantom offers the same 25 countries to its free users as it does to its premium ones. While this is a decent number of locations for a free service, it's not a patch on the networks offered by premium providers, such as HideMyAss! with over 190 countries.
We were pleasantly surprised by the choice of 12 US cities, offering coast-to-coast coverage. This is great for those who want to pinpoint their location for improved performance in the country, but unfortunately, city-level servers aren't available in any other locations.
Like many providers, the majority of servers are located in Europe and North America, but Avira does offer users in other regions some choice. Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, and Singapore cover the Asia-Pacific and those located in South or Central America can connect to Brazil or Mexico respectively. There are no servers locations in Africa.
Avira Phantom offers custom apps for four popular platforms: Microsoft Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS.
You can use it on an any amount of devices simultaneously, but due to a lack of manual workarounds, you are limited to the above platforms. It's not even compatible with routers, which means it's no-go for those looking to protect their streaming devices or games consoles.
We were pleasantly surprised to find that Avira Phantom offers a browser extension for Google Chrome. Unlike many other VPNs, free or premium, Avira's extension uses full VPN encryption, rather than a less secure proxy connection.
While it only offers a handful of popular server locations for free users, there's not a data cap in sight. This is great news for heavy browser users who want a lightweight alternative to the desktop app. However, we recommend using it alongside the main apps to protect any non-browser-related activity too.
If you're a streaming fan, Avira Phantom's free plan is not for you. Access to Netflix is extremely patchy, and the 1GB monthly data cap will severely restrict how many shows you can watch anyway – don't expect to stream for more than half an hour in HD. We also found BBC iPlayer to be blocked. Instead, choose a VPN with no data caps and dedicated streaming servers like SaferVPN.
The stingy data cap and lack of advanced security features also make the free plan a bad choice for torrenters. Avira doesn't mention anything about P2P activity on their website, but our tests found that torrenting is possible.
The free version of Avira Phantom offers strong encryption but lacks the extra features required for the highest levels of privacy. There is no explicit mention of which VPN protocol is used for each app, but Avira told us it's OpenVPN for all except iOS (and MacOS when downloaded from the App Store), which uses IKEv2. OpenVPN is our preferred protocol as it offers the best balance between performance and privacy. Encryption is via 'unbreakable' cipher AES-256.
We were also pleased to find that Avira uses first-party DNS servers and includes DNS leak protection for free users – we didn't experience any leaks during our tests. These features ensure that your traffic won't be routed through any less secure third-party servers, which is a huge privacy plus.
Unfortunately, the free apps lack the all-important VPN kill switch. This feature is designed to block internet traffic in the case of a VPN connection drop, preventing your IP address from being exposed to your ISP and other third parties. If you will be using a VPN to access privacy-sensitive data, we'd recommend opting for a provider that offers a full suite of security features such as Astrill.
Due to the recent crackdowns on VPN providers in China, we wouldn't recommend Avira Phantom to anyone who wants to connect out from the country. The Great Firewall can detect and block OpenVPN traffic, so the fact that Avira doesn't offer any obfuscation tools means that it most likely won't get past the censors. There are far more reliable options out there, such as those included in our dedicated roundup.
Nevertheless, we are satisfied that none of the collected data can be used to personally identify users.
Avira Phantom offers simple, one-click solutions for VPN beginners, but will likely fail to satisfy more experienced users due to a lack of configurable options. The apps include a big on/off button and show you how much data you've used so you can easily keep track. Once the data limit is up, the app gives you five minutes before it cuts the VPN connection, which is a useful privacy backup.
You can find the server locations by clicking the link next to 'Virtual Location' below the connect button. These are listed in alphabetical order, and there's also a search function within the desktop apps to make it even easier to find the right one. Next to each location it tells you the expected ping time, but we'd rather it showed download speeds for a better indication of performance.
The settings can be found behind the cog symbol in the top right but these are incredibly minimal. We'd suggest turning off 'Send diagnostic data' for privacy reasons, but that's about all you can do within this menu. The kill switch feature is visible but blocked as it's a premium feature. Avira offers a good connect-and-forget solution for beginners, but it's definitely not for those who want to tweak loads of settings.
Downloading and installing Avira Phantom is quick and easy – simple enough for complete beginners. It's as straightforward as downloading the relevant software from Avira's website and following a couple of simple installation prompts. Once the installation is complete, you can register a free account to double the monthly data cap from 500MB to 1GB.
Download the relevant software from Avira's website.
Follow the simple installation prompts and accept the terms and conditions.
Once the installation is complete click 'Open Avira'.
When you open the app for the first time you'll have 500MB to use each month. If you want to double the monthly data cap, click 'Register' in the top right and fill in some basic personal details.
The main screen turns green when successfully connected and clearly shows how much data you've used.
Click on the button next to 'Virtual location' at the bottom of the app to access the full server locations list. Next to each location you can see an indication of the server's latency.
The minimal settings menu is located behind the cog symbol in the top right. Unfortunately, the VPN kill switch function is blocked as it's reserved for paying customers.
Avira Phantom fails to offer free users a sufficient level of support. The online knowledge base is threadbare, including some very basic FAQs and a community forum where many questions are left unanswered. If you have a more technical issue, you probably won't find answers on the website.
We were even more disappointed to discover that tech support is limited to paying customers. This means that you'll be left in the dark if you have a query that can't be answered by Avira's very limited online resources. Even for a free service, we'd expect at least an email address, but Avira fails to provide one.
Avira Phantom is a basic and secure free VPN that's best suited to beginners who mainly want to browse the web. Speeds are nothing special, but fast enough for streaming in HD on one device. The real issue comes with the 1GB monthly data cap, which severely restricts what you can do online.
Avira Phantom offers a decent level of privacy, with a minimal logging policy and solid encryption. First-party DNS servers and DNS leak protection are a welcome bonus, but the lack of a VPN kill switch is concerning and may be an issue for those wanting to access privacy-sensitive data.
There are user-friendly custom apps available for four popular platforms, but it's not possible to manually install the VPN on any other devices, including routers. Customer support is practically non-existent for free users. Avira Phantom's free plan is good enough for accessing emails and browsing the web, but it's not a great choice for anything else.


is a Filipino motivational speaker who is also known as "#PambansangInspirasyon in the Philippines. He's an Asian productivity humorist giving at least 120 speeches annually since 2005, author of 13 self-help books, songwriter, speechwriter, publisher, and serial entrepreneur.
LLOYD ABRIA LUNA, popularly known in social media as #PambansangInspirasyon, is an Asian motivational speaker and productivity humorist giving at least 120 speeches annually, author of thirteen self-help books, radio and television talk show host, songwriter, speechwriter, publisher, and serial entrepreneur.
He is a Board Member at Global Speakers Federation, which is composed of only 15 countries in the world including the National Speakers Association of United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Singapore. He is the founder and president of Philippine Association of Professional Speakers.
His remarkable life story of turning scarcity during his early childhood into golden opportunities in his 20s has been shared to thousands of people, inspiring many Asian countries like Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Brunei, Vietnam, United Arab Emirates and Thailand since 2005. He is President of LLOYDLUNA Communications, the parent company of Umbrella Speakers, Scroll Publishing, Skybell Clothing, and Peaches Music.
He is a sought-after keynote speaker in the areas of productivity and personal development. He has been featured in over 1,000 conventions, conferences, and seminars, has appeared on more than 200 media interviews and has spoken to prominent companies such as Canon, Toshiba, Lenovo, Kia, Toyota, Nestle, Alaska, Robinsonsland, Puregold, Globe, Unilab, Watsons, Vistaland, Sunlife, Insular Life, DMCI, HSBC, UCPB, PNB, and Landbank.


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A year and almost a half out of my self funded sabbatical I'm just about ready to invest again. I'll just be doing Harry Browne's Permanent Portfolio. It would be nice to have a get-rich-quick methodology, but I really haven't given myself a choice anymore. No more time to waste. I just have to invest conservatively and save as much as I can and earn more money in my new chosen career (I'm coming from electrical engineering to computer programming). I'm 37 right now, so that means I probably have 20 years before people start to refuse to hire me, assuming I have that much time. I have a friend that was getting closer to retirement and businesses started turning him down left and right. I don't understand why. My short experience in the industry has showed me how much a senior dev that has been around the block can save a company by not making stupid newbie mistakes. I figure the company I work for has lost over a quarter million dollars by not hiring senior devs in the very small portion of the company I work in.
"You know that guy who has a book with his fool-proof method for making a fortune? So why is he wasting his time selling books for $2 a copy in royalties rather than following his method?"
That's actually better than I was told, that it is a minimum wage job whatever infomercials are hawking. Otherwise, they'd pay someone minimum wage to do it and pocket the difference.


text:
Podcast, Entrepreneurship, Skills, Financial Services, Finance & Accounting
BTU #198 - Army Veteran to Founding an $110M Startup (Benjamin Faw & Best Reviews)
"I think every single entrepreneur that I've known one some level or another (and maybe on every level), they are just learning machines and growth machines. And so for me it's less about a certain book or podcast or conference, and more about: if you're not trying to learn and better yourself every single day, then maybe entrepreneurship isn't where you need to be."
— Ben Faw
Subscribe on: iTunes | Stitcher | Google Play Enjoy the episode? Review us on iTunes!
Ben has been incredibly successful as an entrepreneur, having sold his first startup for $110M. He talks about his previous experience at business school and LinkedIn, and advice for other Veterans thinking of starting their own company.
About Ben:
Ben Faw is the Co-Founder and COO of BestReviews, a technology startup that has helped over 180M users by simplifying their purchasing decisions. BestReviews was recently acquired by tronc (formerly known as Tribune Publishing) for $110M. He started out at West Point, and served in the US Army for 4.5 years as a Platoon Leader, Executive Officer, and Aide-De-Camp. After his military service he got his MBA from Harvard Business School and worked at LinkedIn as a Marketing Solutions Account Executive.
BTU #99 - Jacob Martinez: Army Sergeant to President of USA's 592nd Fastest Growing Company
Joining me today from San Francisco, CA is Benjamin Faw. Ben Faw is the co-founder and COO of BestReviews, a technology startup that has helped over 180M users by simplifying their purchasing decisions. BestReviews was recently acquired by Tronc(formerly known as Tribune Publishing) for $110M. He started out at West Point, and served in the US Army for 4.5 years as a Platoon Leader, Executive Officer, and Aide-De-Camp. After his military service he got his MBA from Harvard Business School and worked at LinkedIn as a Marketing Solutions Account Executive.
How would you explain BestReviews?
You may be familiar with Consumer Reports. It's a print publication that has advice and recommendations for purchases such as household products or cars. We tried to re-think that in a for-profit digital model. Before you make a purchasing decision, you can go to BestReviews to view reviews on that product.
Where did the idea come from?
There's three co-founders. One prefers to remain anonymous. He wanted to buy a power drill but didn't feel that there were enough resources available to find reviews and information about various drills. Through that experience, he realized that there should be a website that brought together this information. The second co-founder saw not only the business opportunity but that many goods get returned each year. He believed that a lot of this came from people buying products and not really knowing what they were getting. And then for me, it stemmed from my familiarity with Consumer Reports and realizing that nothing existed like that online.
How did you meet your co-founders?
I was really fortunate. I met one of my co-founders prior to business school at a social function for admitted students. And he knew our third co-founder. They had worked together at Google. I've been given some advice about the process of meeting co-founders. Matthew Prince, who is now the CEO of Cloudflare, said that you have to be excellent to everyone you come in contact with. If you treat everyone you come across with respect, you're going to be sought out and and sought after. So I would advise you to go out and meet people and gain an expertise in a particular area.
You knew one of your co-founders for several years before starting the company together. If someone has identified a co-founder, is there any way to test that relationship before fully going into business together?
Working on projects with different people is a great way to understand how you function together. Fortunately for me, I was able to get involved in BestReviews before I joined full time. This gave me ample experience with both co-founders before I stepped in full time. During that time before I was hired full-time, I was working for free. But the experience I gained was invaluable.
I would also say that you shouldn't start a business just to start a business. For me, I knew that I wanted to be in entrepreneurship but the right opportunity hadn't come about for me. So right after business school, I joined LinkedIn while also working on side projects. In this way, by the time I joined BestReviews full-time, I had gained more experience and more competencies.
What are some of the more challenging aspects of owning your own company?
More than 90% of it is not very fun. It's a lot of roller coasters and challenges. And there's a lot of work that has to get done. There's a lot of excitement surrounding entrepreneurship but there's a lot of work and non-glorious moments that go into it. And far more likely than not, the end result might not be super successful. You have to enter with your eyes wide open. I've been involved in five different projects. Only one turned into a real business.
You had a great job at LinkedIn. What finally pushed you over the edge where you wanted to leave and go into entrepreneurship full-time?
There's a model called Black Scholes that is used to price stock options. The basic premise is that as you increase volatility, in most cases you also increase value. So if you go with something with low uncertainty, the chances that you'll make a lot of money is almost zero. But if you get early equity, you're likely to end up with zero. But there's also a small chance that you'll make millions of dollars.
What's it like to be the CEO of a startup?
Everyday has its idiosyncratic elements. I get around 1500 emails a day and I send 200. I get about 2000 Slack messages and send 250. I do some exercising in the morning. I get up at 6:15 and make it into the office by 8:30. I catch up on the most important of my emails. My first meeting is around 9 to discuss various projects we're working on. I also often have guests coming to the office throughout the day to discuss various partnerships and tours. In the afternoon, I meet with our senior executive team to discuss projects and the direction to company is going in. Later on, I have other meetings with members of our various teams. I also use that time to catch up on emails. I usually go home around 6ish. I eat dinner, and then I check in with our CEO to review the day.
How do you manage that many emails?
We have one an executive administrator here and without him it would not be possible. He's very good at multitasking and handling a large number of tasks that need to get done.
What advice would you give to someone that wants to start their own company?
I would encourage people to find a 50/50 balance between learning and doing. This way, you're able to learn while doing. For me, I found that to be successful. My entire time at Harvard Business School, I was heavily engaged with multiple startups. That really helped me understand what works and what doesn't. I was also able to learn about various functional roles and figure out what I wanted to do.
I imagine you had to give up a lot of opportunities in business school to really focus on entrepreneurship.
Absolutely. I don't know one entrepreneur that hasn't had to sacrifice to get where they're at. You get there by hanging in there through the highs and lows. I think in business school, I went to a total of three parties. There's many people that did more than that in a given week. And I'm not here to point fingers. It was just that I wanted to put my head down and really learn and grow.
Would you advise other aspiring entrepreneurs to also go to business school?
For me, it made a lot of sense. I knew I had a long-term interest in being in entrepreneurship. Business school provided me a moment to pivot out of the military and into business. But it's different for every person. For people that know that this is what they want to do for the long term, business school could be the right move. If you can see how it will be helpful for you, it's a worthwhile life investment. You will meet other people that are like-minded. Being around people that are fired up about things creates long-term friendship. I'm still in touch with my business school classmates on a daily business.
For those that don't like being in an academic setting, you don't have to go to business school. Many of the most successful people I know did not go to business school. So it's case by case and you just have to figure out what is the right path for you.
How did you like having the experience at LinkedIn prior to going into your startup?
For me, it was wonderful. I have yet to cross paths with many entrepreneurs that went straight into entrepreneurship without prior business experience. For every Mark Zuckerberg, there are 20 or 30 successful entrepreneurs that start their business when they're 40 or 50.
It's not like I became a business genius working at LinkedIn for a year but I did understand a lot more about the marketing and business ecosystem. That experience helped me from Day 0 at BestReviews. It also helped with branding. Brands matter. Because I had worked at Tesla and LinkedIn, I was given credibility in the business world. My military experience didn't necessarily allow for this because most people have no idea what it means that I went to Ranger School or Airborne School. However, most people in the business world equate LinkedIn and Tesla with high quality brands that are difficult to get into. That brings immediate trust and capability.
I love the point you made about many successful companies being started by people in their 40s and 50s. I completely agree that having that prior business experience can be extremely valuable.
I completely agree. There's a veteran entrepreneur named Mark Hoffman. After leaving the Army and going to business school, he went to a small tech company for several years. He ended up co-founding a startup that was later sold for two billion dollars. But everything that he was able to accomplish came from those early relationships he was able to build.
I wish that my post-military self was not in such a rush to get somewhere fast and had been more focused on just gaining skills along the way.
I can't fault you at all for that. If I had had the same passion you had for your project, I would have pursued it to but I'm sure my outcome would have been disastrous.
Do you have any resources you would recommend to veterans
I think every single entrepreneur that I've known one some level or another (and maybe on every level), they are just learning machines and growth machines. And so for me it's less about a certain book or podcast or conference, and more about: if you're not trying to learn and better yourself every single day, then maybe entrepreneurship isn't where you need to be. Because I can promise you there is a competitor out there that has more resources, time and money, and they are coming for you. So if you're not willing to put the time in to be as nimble and agile as you can, it's going to be extremely difficult to survive.
Personally, I like reading the Wall Street Journal every single day. I like to get as much as I can in the morning. I'm also reading two books at all time. I also like to talk to mentors and other people in the industry. If you just become a knowledge machine, you're going to start accumulating an incredible amount of knowledge capital. And at that point, it's only a matter of time until you cash that in for financial capital.
Is there anything else you'd like our listeners to know?
Be resilient. It's something we used to talk about a lot in the military. It really doesn't matter what path you choose after the military, you will face incredible setbacks. Built the resilience and remember the successes you've had. You can have too much of it. Also, reflect on what you've learned. The biggest travesty I've seen in the military community is that people rush their transition and they really don't have the time to reflect on their service and think about where they want to go. I recommend writing these things down as well.
In selling my company, I had to write several hundred pages of documentation. Through this process I really had the time to think about what worked with the company as well as the trajectory of the company over time.
How do you recommend accomplishing this writing?
I put it on my calendar. I section off 30 minutes a couple times a week. In business school, I did it every day. This helps me reflect and remember things more.
Thank you so much for your time today, Ben. I appreciate the example you are of a veteran succeeding in entrepreneurship.
Newer PostBTU #199 - Army Special Forces to the White House & Published Author (John Fenzel)
Older PostBTU #195 - Active Duty Army to the NFL (Alejandro Villanueva)


assertions about the state of some data.
constraints typically allow (at least, with MooseX::Types).
Does that make any sense? Is this a misappropriate use of type constraints?
Is this already supported and I've just overlooked it?


text:
Nigerian politicians are key players in the illicit businesses of human trafficking and organ sales--International Report
Published by Family Writers Press
Reports by international bodies made available to Nigeria's security agencies now suggest that top Nigerian politicians and diplomats have been major players in the illicit businesses of human trafficking and organ sales.
The businesses involve Nigerian victims and others from the West African sub-region, going by INDEPENDENT findings.
The reports – mainly from Italian, French, and International Police (Interpol) – detail how diplomatic channels are used to integrate illegal immigrants into countries like Italy, France, and Spain.
INDEPENDENT investigations revealed a highly cohesive network where politically exposed persons (PEPs) are involved in ambassadorial/diplomatic appointments solely with a view to promoting the criminal cross-border trade.
Informers have also disclosed that the uncanny practice involving human organ trafficking – with emphasis on warehousing needed human parts – may have berthed in Nigeria.
The intelligence, in addition to the gorier details concerning the sale of human organs, fingered well-connected politicians and diplomats.
As gathered, the operation begins with ambassadorial appointments/lobbying.
This, according to presidency sources, explains President Muhammadu Buhari's choice of ambassadorial nominees.
There had been misgivings over the ages of some Nigerian ambassadors, with some being over 80 years old.
In the Senate, too, lawmakers have decided in favour of career diplomats ahead of politically exposed persons.
"The effort is meant to stem these clandestine and illegal cross-border operations," a presidency source explained.
An Italian secret police source from Rome hinted that reports detailing Nigerians' involvement in this criminal enterprise have been made available to Nigeria's security agencies and government in several instances.
"We have made our findings open to them after much interrogation of some Nigerian suspects in the operations upon request from your country, as I am aware of, and there was also a joint security report by my country, Spain, and France at some point, too," the foreign source said.
The source said the matter is difficult to handle because it involved highly powerful PEPs not only in Nigeria but also in the countries of destination of these trades.
"Powerful people are involved on all sides and, honestly speaking, the trade sustains some sectors of the economies in these countries," the source added.
Currently, there is a global outrage after the death of twenty-six Italy bound Nigerian women, believed to be illegal immigrants on the high seas, recently.
The matter almost sparked a diplomatic row after Italy buried the women without duly notifying Nigeria and properly identifying the corpses.
Even more, the United Nations reacted recently to reports and horrifying footages from Libya of slave trading of blacks by Arabs believed to be Libyans.
Intelligence reports suggest that most of these victims are targets of organ theft or sex trade.
Some of the victims are sold outright as slaves to out of the way labour camps.
Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General, called on all stakeholders in the global community to act fast on the matter, describing the trend as "horrifying" and "a heinous crime against humanity".
But the bigger worries stem from the more sinister harvesting and trafficking of human organs across borders.
Only recently, too, Isaac Adewole, Minister of Health, warned Nigerians who were in the habit of travelling abroad for health tourism to be careful of organ harvesters.
What the minister, however, failed to explain was that the operation was highly organised and involved the casing/profiling of would-be victims right from the Nigerian shores.
As learnt, personal and health details filed at mission houses were somehow obtained and sent ahead to their accomplices in foreign countries.
"Some organs are stolen right in the hospitals where the victims are being treated while they are under sedation," explained a medical doctor based in Abuja.
According to the physician, one of these victims who returned from one of the big Asian countries reported to his hospital a few days later after arrival, complaining of health complications.
Upon examination, it was discovered that one of his kidneys was missing.
There are fears, too, that the menace may have started proliferating in the country.
As learnt, a French police report indicting Nigerian diplomats and politicians show that the syndicates may have devised new ways of luring unsuspecting victims to countries where their organs are harvested.
"It is a very lucrative trade that involves not only kidneys," explained an intelligence officer in the country who was privy to the report.
According to him, a single human lung sells for as much as $10,000 to $20,000.
Human organs remain viable for between four and eight hours, depending on the conditions in which they are kept.
But with technological breakthrough designed to 'deceive' the organs into believing it is still encased in a human body, organs like kidney, lungs, heart, reportedly can now be warehoused for more than forty-eight hours.
"What this simply means is that you can have organ warehouse in countries with poor regulations and supervision," explained the Abuja based physician INDEPENDENT.
The European Union (EU) figures further buttresses that Nigerians are the biggest traffickers in persons and the biggest victims of the trade.
There are suggestions, too, that not a few Nigerians are victims of organ-harvesting.
For instance, Nigerians accounted for an estimated 8,700 out of 283,532 irregular migrants entering the EU borders, many of whom risked their lives crossing the Mediterranean in 2014.
In the first half of 2015, Nigerians ranked 9th of all persons granted international protection in EUs 28-member states.
EU further states that Nigerian nationals are the most numerous among non-European victims of trafficking in humans, and they are also the most numerous traffickers.


Jewelery sets are the solution if you are tired of the long search for matching pieces of jewelry. We offer beautiful, high-quality jewelery sets at fair prices. Alternatively, a jewelery set can of course be given away as well. Our sets consist of either a necklace and an associated pair of earrings or stud earrings or a necklace with a matching bracelet. Also there are jewelry sets of earrings, bracelet and chain. From Murano glass, to twisted glass beads, all the way to mother of pearl and pearls, everything is common to all of them that they are skin-friendly to wear. Also sets of silver, nylon, gilded silver or copper, glitter ball jewelery, coral sets or brass jewelry sets are represented. Often these are combined with gemstones, leather straps, glass crystals or mother of pearl. |-| Jewelry sets made of glass beads and Murano glass ~~ The special, especially with the glass beads and the Murano glass is the loving and detailed love processing of the patterns on the jewelry. All drawings and motifs are handpainted or mouthblown. Each chain is thus a kind of unique, because the chains are not made by machine. The chains are made of cotton or jewelry wire and are adjustable in length. However, these chains are more suitable for small cutouts, since they fit tightly around the neck. The matching bracelets are also adjustable in length so it should not be a problem to find the right size. Our jewelry sets stand for elegance and lightness. Although they are colorful and available in many different colors, but the chains that you can purchase in jewelry sets are usually single-layered and dainty. We have monochrome chains on offer but also colorful ones. Other Styles Striking are our jewelry sets made of brass, which show in silver or gold large statement necklaces, sometimes combined with leather or acrylic cords. On the other hand, the sets made of gilded copper are filigree, while the silver jewelry sets, which are partly adorned with gemstones, mother of pearl or coral, are elegant. Striking but at the same time playful and elegant, the sets are made of glittering crystal jewelery. Pastel shades adorn the sets of mother of pearl necklaces and earrings. Our stone jewelry sets attract attention and can be chosen in a variety of colors.


Independence Square, where Statkevich addressed the crowd.
sign of its attitude toward all non-governmental organizations.
Soviet Union, RFE/RL's Washington correspondent reported.
than $400 million in U.S. aid for missile destruction.
current moratorium on the death penalty be made permanent.
cooperate closely in their efforts to integrate with the West.
to win support for Latvia's efforts to join the EU and NATO.
official visit to the U.S., met yesterday in Washington with U.S.
on the alliance's eastward expansion.
HUNGARIAN POLICE SAY EXTORTION GANG ARRESTED.
smuggle scrap metal and other booty abroad.
enable smaller parties to enter parliament.
BILDT WANTS U.S. TROOPS REDEPLOYED TO BALKANS. .
former Swedish prime minister also called "somewhat naive"
implemented as well as the military ones.
...AND LEAVES DOOR OPEN TO TALKS WITH KARADZIC.
Karadzic is supposed to leave public life completely.
wounded. Serb youths also stoned a bus bringing in U.S.
ROUNDUP FROM AROUND THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA.
cannot agree on basic economic legislation for the republic.
correspondent reported from the Serbian capital.
during his tenure for political purposes.
President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Alain Juppe.
Bulgaria's Interim Prime Minister Stefan Sofianski and U.S.
talks focused on regional cooperation.
Emil Constantinescu met with Stoyanov in Sofia on 30 April.


At The Family Research Council's Values Voters Summit of the Day: Ted McGinley (AKA Stan Gable AKA Jefferson D'Arcy AKA Mr. Scream) and Daniel Baldwin (AKA The other, other Baldwin brother) star in Christmas with a Capital C a straight-to-DVD holiday turkey about a godless Grinch desperately trying to steal Christmas from the good, God-fearing folks of Seward, Alaska. It's the feel-good movie of the Rapture!


Before I tell you about the AIM Program and how it saved my life, first let me say that I am not getting paid for talking about it. I talk about this program a lot because it healed me and other people who got on it. I have made it a kind of mission to tell people about it. Whether or not they go on it is entirely up to them.
In 1999, I ate tainted meat - twice. The first time I recovered from the symptoms of food poisoning but the second time I got really sick and had to go to the ER. Subsequent blood tests, MRIs and scans showed nothing but I was so sick I couldn't go to work for months. The illness affected my spine. I couldn't lie down to go to sleep because the pain was too intense so I slept propped up on pillows. I was lucky. I found an osteopath who helped me recover enough to return to my job but I never felt really well. I couldn't remember when I felt "normal", and had energy to do things.
The following year, in August of 2000, I attended a seminar given by Dr. Wayne Dyer, a man I completely respect and trust. During his presentation, he referred to a program which had helped heal his daughter and mentioned that the books about the program were on the tables in the back of the room. During the intermission, I got the book and read it in one night. (SANCTUARY: THE PATH TO CONSCIOUSNESS by Stephen Lewis & Evan Slawson). There was an application in the back of the book which I sent off immediately. Then I forgot about it because I was starting a new job and the little energy I had at that point was focused on getting ready for the new position. Several weeks later, I woke up one morning feeling well. I felt fine. My energy level was high and I got through my day at work easily. Later that day I went to see my osteopath. She took one look at me and told me my energy had completely changed. I had no idea what she was talking about but she discharged me that day and told me I didn't need to come back. I walked home from her office and decided right then and there to paint my apartment. I went and bought spackle, paint, brushes and so forth and started work that evening.
The next day was Saturday. I woke up feeling fine, ready to continue on my project. I still had no idea why I was feeling so well but I got busy. Later, the mail came in and I got a letter from the AIM Program telling me I had been put on the program three days before. I continued to have a lot of energy and was able to accomplish whatever I set out to do. When you go on the AIM Program, you are given a "Life Force" number, from one to a hundred. Mine was pretty low at the time but soon I was at 100 and continue to be so to this day. I've been on AIM for 15 years. I'll never go off of it. AIM works on diseases, like cancer, diabetes, etc. It doesn't work on structural issues. If you break a limb, it won't help with that. My friend who was chronically and seriously depressed went on AIM and started doing her work again. Several people diagnosed with cancer went on AIM and went into remission. Every person who goes on AIM gets a facilitator, a person who can answer your questions and provide information about the program.
The book is SANCTUARY: THE PATH TO CONSCIOUSNESS by Stephen Lewis & Evan Slawson. Stephen hosts a weekly radio program. EMC² sends out newsletters to participants. AIM doesn't claim to cure anything. You fill out an application and send a picture and if you get better, well, that's a "coincidence". The premise is that all diseases have an energy signature. Your picture is placed on a tray connected to a computer that sends out the "anti-frequency" of that illness. I know how crazy this sounds. I know it sounds like a scam. But it doesn't cost that much, about $75 a month and if you pay for a year in advance you get a discount. I've told millionaires about this program. One woman had a rare form of cancer. She had weeks to live. She listened to what I said politely. But I knew she wouldn't go on AIM. She died shortly thereafter. I think I was ready for this program when I first went on it because I had read Deepak Chopra's book, QUANTUM HEALING. If you want more information, go to aimprogram.com. Check it out if you feel impelled to do so. I recently had a discussion with a friend who is deeply religious and prays fervently for other people. I tried to tell her that this is a kind of prayer. She demanded scientific proof. I told her about Deepak Chopra's book. After all, he is a scientist as well as a metaphysician.
Everything is energy. Even the table in front of you which looks solid, isn't. The atoms and molecules are in constant motion. Everything is the universe we call home is in motion. It just takes a leap of faith to think outside that old box. I think of Sartre's play "No Exit". The characters are in hell, torturing each other. At one point, the door opens. The three characters stand there, staring at the door, which slowly closes. Read the book, SANCTUARY. I think of the AIM Program as that open door.


text:
Emo/Screamo
Grind/Noise/Other
Straight Edge/Vegan
Pop-Punk Bassist in Godflesh Shirt Clearly Wishes He Was in Different Band
By Ryan Danley | December 1, 2019
DENVER — Attendees of a local pop-punk show last night reported The Only Wish bass player Robert White's Godflesh shirt suggested he'd much rather be playing a different genre of music.
"That shirt just seemed out of place in a room where most people were wearing Knuckle Puck hoodies — I'm positive nobody here ever heard of Godflesh, let alone heard them. I personally can't listen to a band without clean vocals," said scene veteran Alex Ungerman. "But it got really weird when mid-song he started stomping around the stage, glaring at the crowd and doing this weird crabwalk. It's fine, I guess, but it didn't really fit with a song about not getting invited to the prom."
Show booker Ryan "Tiny" McBride also noticed the shirt during load in.
"He wasn't wearing a tank top, which was the first red flag — usually pop-punk bands are all tank tops, all the time. And I knew he wasn't like the other guys when he actually gave me a firm handshake: in all my years of booking pop-punk, not a single one ever had a good handshake," said McBride. "But I had to stop him when he tried to roll his Ampeg SVT stack in here. This venue couldn't handle something that size — we'd blow a fuse or start a fire and kill everyone. The idea didn't seem to phase him at all."
Band members agree, however, that while White may seem out of place, his dedication The Only Wish is sound.
"This guy is a lifelong soldier in the battle to defend pop-punk. Plus, we had trouble finding a bass player and he answered our Guitar Center ad," said frontman Daniel Fox. "Sure, he's not real talkative with the rest of us, never hangs out after practice, and doesn't say goodbye when he leaves… but most of the time, he shows up for the shows. And he uses all our drink tickets, and taught our drummer something called a 'blast beat.' That seems pretty dedicated to me."
At press time, White was unavailable for comment, as he refused to roll down his minivan window or turn down the Magrudergrind album he had on full volume.
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Opinion: Steve Isn't Racist, He's Just Weirdly Aware of Race All the Time
By Rachel Steele on January 20, 2020
People are always coming after my friend Steve for being "racist," but I prefer to think of him as "descriptive." There's nothing wrong with a few observant descriptors when you're...
Opinion: Yeah, Well Maybe John Darnielle Doesn't Like Your Whiny Voice Either
By David Tyler on January 18, 2020
When you told me you'd never heard The Mountain Goats before I was over the moon. Finally, I got to give someone the gift of listening to the best religious...
Shaq May Forgive the General for His War Crimes, but We Never Can
By Carson Soukup on January 16, 2020
The NBA has had a long history of problematic relationships. Dennis Rodman was pals with Kim Jung Un, the NBA as a whole dropped support for Hong Kong under the...
Isn't It Weird How Everyone Keeps Asking for Another Swing Revival? by Brian Setzer
By Peter Woods on January 14, 2020
It's just so crazy to me that everyone keeps asking for another swing revival. There's just something in the ether I guess. It's weird because we're basically talking about a...


I can never decide whether Embroidery or Patchwork and Quilting is my true love. Both are equally addictive – so I'll just do both! If you would like to see more of my quilts then please visit the pages in the drop down menu.
Machine pieced and quilted by hand and machine, this quilt features a Le Moyne Star and was inspired by lily ponds.


We have plenty of opportunities available if you wish to advertise with the Airport Guides. If you are interested in promoting your taxi or transfer service to or from Manchester Airport then take a look at our Taxi and Transfer Services page. We have different visibility options, and you can set up, manage, and preview your advert from our advertising platform OMOT. It's not just taxis – if you've got a travel related service you'd like to promote then we can help with that!


Scorched skin from the rays of the sun from trekking the high passes.
For either of them will suit her just fine.
and race your feet to the tops of the mountains.
She will challenge your limits only to become better each day.
And fill it with so much magic that you will never ever want to walk off trail without her by your side.
Dedicated to all women trekkers who go solo on the trails, and otherwise.


This Kent residential care home interior design reflects the peaceful green, semi rural setting. Gresham House in Staplehurst is a care home accommodating young people with learning disabilities and specific needs. The client brief was that this home needed to be comfortable and calm, yet durable.
The original layout comprised a modest sitting room and a corridor, with a bedroom off it, leading to a side door. By removing the stud wall we completely opened up the space, added bi-fold doors which made the most of the natural light and the pretty orchard garden. Strategic placement of the furniture ensured that the larger space was correctly zoned with a TV area and a quieter games area. Whilst the client was losing a bedroom on the ground floor, the attic was converted at the same time to create two new resident rooms. The larger, lighter communal lounge transformed the ground floor and provided a space with flexible use for a variety of activities.
Our ongoing work with this client has seen us re-design and re-furbish many of their homes across the South East.


The New Generation Volkswagen ..
Anna Flanders explores the new Aesop store in Perth's Claremont Quarter by Ryan Russell for Russell & George.
Local context was behind Aesop's first West Australian store in Claremont Quarter, which is one of Perth's most exciting retail developments.
Melbourne-based Ryan Russell for Russell & George is the architect behind the design and he's no stranger to the Aesop philosophy (think the award-winning Doncaster, Armadale, Chatswood, plus numerous counters in Australia and Asia).
However, he says the Claremont space differs from the usual store design due to its position.
"Every site has its own challenges and this one had a street and mall frontage, so we had to create a design to suit both. We went for a suspended element that echoes steel gantries, which are used in mining," says Ryan, adding that mining and the WA landscape were references for the store.
The Kimberley inspired the sandstone counter, which is the store's centrepiece, given a hit of glam overhead with a gold-coloured vintage Danish pendant from Vamp Vintage Design.
"We used [sandstone] on the counter because it is such a beautiful material to touch and as a colour contrast to the Aesop bottles," says Ryan. A custom-designed undermounted sink with industrial-style Gessi Oxygene Hi Tech mixers is to one side.
Cork has been used underfoot and to clad the counter – "a reference to the desert landscape" – for its acoustic properties and tactility. It's complemented by a ceiling and walls of Masonite pegboard (using the dark side, which has been sealed for a darker tone) and contrasted with green paint (Dulux Yucca) within the pegboard cubes and on walls.
The colour gives an element of surprise and was inspired by the colour of the Indian Ocean off Rottnest Island, which is just off the west coast.
"We wanted to make it inviting and comfortable and give it a level of interest and detail that provides intrigue and allows people to inhabit the space," Ryan explains.