1. Price: ONLY for 1 piece curtain or tulle.Curtain and tulle are sold separately!
4. Please allow 5-10cm error because of manual measurement.
5.We Suggest The tulle Can Be Washed By Hands Softly , Can't Be Washed By Machine !!
6..Due to the different monitor and light effect, the actual color of curtain might be slightly different from the color shown on the photo.
Note: If you choose style ④ "Just Material" that means you will just receive a Material ,you need sew it in your own country !
заказала curtains received 11.11 14.12, shipping courier at home. description and fully comply with tulle curtains and photo. felt satisfied overall.


Located in a sought-after area above the Hudson River in verdant Garrison, this nature lovers' sanctuary is available as a weekend or full-time retreat. Great for a single person, 3-4 professionals, couple, or family. Nestled in two woodland acres, the beautifully furnished two-story home features 4 BR, 2.5 Baths, 2 home offices, and includes a "mother-in-law" apartment, among other amenities. Superb location: 7 min to Metro North, 12 min to shopping, and 1 hr to NYC.
I'm interested in a 1+ year rental beginning July 1, 2019. If a different timeline interests you, or if you want to rent the house without the apt at a much lower price, let's talk!
The home is surrounded by babbling brooks in a fern and moss woodland garden. Perfect for those who want to be serenaded by nature's soothing sounds, not traffic! Enjoy coffee, wine, or meals on the main deck overlooking your own small private pond.
The upper level features an open floor plan w LR w beamed cathedral ceiling, DR, 2 BR's, office, gallery/library, kitchen, and full bath. Art, antiques, and an in-house stereo system enhance one's quality of living. DR and master BR both open onto the deck. The ground floor includes a bedroom suite with half-bath, living area, home office with separate entrance, laundry room, and the "mother-in-law" apartment. Apt has an open floor plan w LR, DR, kitchen, bedroom, full bath, and its own private deck and entrance. House has wireless internet, cable TV, AC, etc. Two kayaks. Mint condition.
Serenely set in nature, the bucolic neighborhood offers architecturally award-winning homes and gardens, plus numerous hiking trails, including the Appalachian Trail. A nearby horse farm offers children's riding lessons, and a CSA provides fresh organic produce in the summer. My neighbors' sheep cut their grass sans gas fumes or engine noise. It's wonderful to drive into our lane and see sheep grazing in the meadow! The house's location is below the red dot in the photo of Constitution Marsh and Hudson River (last photo).


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Five for Friday with author The Black Rose #RPBP
Welcome to Five for Friday at Rukia Publishing.
Today we ask featured author The Black Rose five questions about her writing life.
1. What is the genre of your writing?
The genre of my writing is simply categorized as interpersonal relationships: people's feelings, thoughts, emotions, and the intimacies between two people that truly love each other despite the circumstances surrounding them. I write about love, honor, and doing the right thing, even when it seems disadvantageous, even when it's not the popular path to take.
2. You take on many aspects of the publishing process, you write, design your books: interiors and covers, and then promote them. What do you find is the hardest part of this process?
Getting Readers to buy and read my books. Readers choose books for different reasons: reviews, popularity, advertising, recommendations, but in the end, they go back to the same authors because they understand and like the characters. That's trust. I sincerely hope that they trust me as an author and choose my books.
3. Who is your biggest source of inspiration in your writing life?
Other than God and my pup, being told I can't accomplish something.
4. How do you pick the subjects that you write about?
I don't pick my subjects, they pick me. I'm traditional, even archaic. I believe in chivalry and honor, and I like to see more men and women pattern themselves after those virtues.
5. If you could share one thing about yourself that you would like readers to know, what would it be?
Everything anyone needs to know about me is in my stories.
Thank you for joining us today and be sure to let us know when we can expect to see your next book released!
Readers if you want to know more about The Black Rose and her books here are all the links you need.
Twitter: @theblackrosenyc
Facebook page:	http://www.facebook.com/theblackrosenyc
Goodreads author page:	http://www.goodreads.com/TheBlackRoseNYC
Amazon links: amazon.com/author/theblackrose
B&N:	http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/the-black-rose
LinkedIn:	www.linkedin.com/in/theblackrose
Pinterest:	http://www.pinterest.com/theblackrosenyc/
Google+:	+TheBlackRoseNYC
Author website:	http://www.theblackrosenyc.com
SURPRISE!!!! New release ebook from author John Searancke! #RPBP
Prunes for Breakfast
ebook available NOW!!
You may remember reading on my blog that the paperback version of Prunes for Breakfast went on pre-order a few weeks back with no mention of an ebook. Well, surprise! Here it is a new release today on Amazon.
Prunes for Breakfast by John Searancke
This is the story of John Searancke's parents, told mostly from the side of his father, Eddie Searancke, from the time of his calling up in early 1940 to his release from a prisoner of war camp in Germany in 1945, thence his return to England to try to pick up the pieces of his old life. Nothing could ever be quite the same afterwards. The letters take readers through five captivating years, telling of the ups and downs, the plots and counterplots, as Eddie rose through the ranks to end his war as a captain, elevated to that rank in the field as his troops faced the formidable might of the SS Panzers. The letters also reveal where his battle came to an abrupt end, in an orchard surrounded by the enemy and captured after a series of bloody skirmishes as the British army spearheaded its way from the beaches of Normandy. The journey as a prisoner across France and Germany in a truck, with comrades dying each day, may be as hard to read as it is to tell, particularly when a new life and new harsh rules had to be learned and rigidly enforced in a prison camp in northern Germany, the final destination. This is written as part memoir, part fictionalised retelling and partly in letter format; John draws together all sources to recreate the five years of war and hardship that the letters span.
Get your copy of Prunes for Breakfast here
Let's help John Searancke get the word out about this amazing new book by sharing the news on social media.
You can connect with John on:
NEW RELEASE ANTHOLOGY - Alternate Voices #RPBP
Proceeds from the sale of this anthology will be donated to Macmillan Cancer Support to help people living with cancer in the UK.
It's seven very different DI Lyle fan fiction stories by seven different authors.
Here's what is included:
Sudden Impact.
James Lyle takes his boyfriend, Thomas, to visit his step-brother, Jez, in prison. An incident on the way home forces Thomas to confront a demon from his past.
A Change of Heart
Struggling to come to terms with mistakes she has made as both a wife and a mother, Sarah Lyle strikes up an unexpected friendship, which leads her to re-evaluate her life and priorities.
A Scandal across the Pond
DI Lyle & DS Desai are recalled to investigate the disappearance of a missing prostitute; a case they were convinced had gone cold. But now the case has acquired a transatlantic dimension. Can they get to the bottom of things?
A series of warehouse robberies in Ashbeck culminates in murder. A new recruit to Ashbeck CID is anxious to impress DI Lyle, but how far will her attempts to shine in the investigation actually go?
DS Thomas Fox and his boyfriend, James Lyle, help a young girl who has been rescued from a horrific ordeal and needs help to cope with her situation. Their friendship brings unexpected rewards.
The Cry of the Blood
DI Redfern is summoned to another jurisdiction when the body of a man who absconded from Ashbeck is found. He soon realises that New Hope Independent church has a past but will he be helped or hindered by obnoxious CSI Ben Drummond?
The Lyles and the Foxes go to the fair as a delayed birthday treat for Jasmine, but an unexpected discovery throws them into a sinister investigation.
I would like to introduce Juliet B. Madison, who collected these stories for the anthology, to tell us about this project.
Thank you Sarah Jane.
Alternate Voices is a fan fiction anthology. I asked people to submit a story featuring the characters from my DI Frank Lyle Mystery Series. I have put the anthology together to raise money for leading UK charity Macmillan Cancer Support. I chose Wednesday 23rd September to release the book as it is the 7th anniversary of my partner, David's death from cancer and the anthology is dedicated to his memory.
Not all the stories involve crime, but all have made splendid use of my characters and it was fun to see where people took them and how they interpreted them.
Other than my own contribution the anthology features stories by Tricia Drammeh, Joel Mark Harris, Gerry McCullough, Paul Trembling, Katrina Bowlin-MacKenzie and Caroline Lee.
You can buy Alternate Voices from the following ebook stores.
Alternate Voices - Amazon
Alternate Voices - Kobo
Alternate Voices - Nook
Alternate Voices - Apple
To connect with Juliet B. Madison visit the links below:
http://julietbmadisoncrimeauthor.weebly.com/
http://difranklylefanz.weebly.com/
https://twitter.com/JulietBMadison
www.facebook.com/JulietMadisonCrimeAuthor
Please support this project by sharing, tweeting or buying the book.
Behind the scenes of The Killing Game, we analyse Ives Andrich #RPBP
Today, Rukia Publishing featured author, The Black Rose, takes us behind the scenes of The Killing Game
The Killing Game Series
In The Killing Game, the first book of the series, the story of two people, Ives Andrich and Allina Kovar. It is a behind-the-scenes look at the relationship between two people and how they handle the life they have together.
The story begins deep in their intimate relationship where the reader is introduced to Ives the hero and main character. He is powerful, influential, and force to be reckoned with. Yet at most times in the story, he is as gentle as a lamb. Well, until provoked. The best description of Ives is given by his assistant, Al Walzinski, who says, "You're a shark in murky water. You're lethal, and Washington doesn't have a clue." Despite the first part of that statement painting a dark and dangerous image of Ives, the second part redeems him. It also suggests perhaps Washington (meaning DC, the country's capital) may not be as honorable as their façade portrays.
However, all of that is washed away the instant he sees Alina Kovar's, the story's heroine's, photograph. Something changes within him, something he is unable to identify just then, but he feels the change within. He seems stronger and ever more powerful and all because true love is awakened in him. He knows God has answered his life long prayer to find the woman he is meant to spend his earthly life with. The woman his father advised him to wait for when he said, "Get your working days over when you're young, because when you find her, you'll want to be with her all the time." From this point on, the reader sees not only a man that is powerful but a man that is truly in love with one woman. That love, coupled with Ives' innate sense of honor and loyalty, becomes his new driving force. Yet, unbeknownst to him, their meeting is predestined and all pieces of the puzzles of other character's, even those that lived long before Ives was born.
In this first book, the reader experiences the emotions of a man, whom true love is new to. Occasionally, jealousy shows itself and that makes the reader want to give Ives a firm shove to wake him up. But without the reader's interference, Ives always comes back to the balanced man he is. And that is despite the multitude of complications his life involves. Or as Allina describes him to be: "He is a true Libra. Always weighing the good against the evil and emphasizing the best of both." Complicated realizations sometimes take time to resolve. In the process, things go awry. Yet Ives continually proves he has control over his actions and emotions. He channels those into the outcome best serving the people in his immediate life while still giving consideration to all others.
Why would a man worth a fortune enough for ten men work for any government? Why would he be a civil servant? On the surface it appears Ives' heroic persona requires this sort of job. He has everything he needs and realizes that those who have must help those that do not have. However, as the reader continues the story, there are hints that perhaps his destiny was laid out by others, including William Schofield, the Chief of Investigation (second man in the Bureau only to the Director), and perhaps Ives' own parents. What did they know that he did not, if they knew anything? A subliminal question to resurface further on in the series.
In this book, Ives battles two dragons. In the end one is slain, but not by him. By a person who rose to the occasion to protect what they loved most in this tainted world. This event shocks and equally thrills Ives as he comes to his own realizations about the people in his life. But mostly about Allina. Regardless, he blames himself for all that has happened to her and even in the beginning he cited himself as guilty as Don Giovanni from Mozart's opera of the same name. He felt condemned to the eternal flames of hell for what he had allowed to happen. As we hear: He felt like Mozart's stupid character: the seducer, the rogue, the pompous ass, the idiot Don Giovanni. All through the story the reader see's his remorse and his repentance as he strives to correct the wrongs he felt he had permitted. But did he actually permit anything? Permission requires knowledge and as Ives says: "You can be the Chief, and still they scheme behind your back." He laughed quietly. "My own Sword of Damocles," he said, referring to the ever-present threats any man of great power must live with.
After a personal tragedy, and once the villain is done away with, Ives makes good on his promise to leave the Bureau to live his life with the only woman he has ever loved. As he hands his badge to Walzinski, he says: "Here, send this to Washington. Tell them what they can do with it. I'm through." Despite his decision, fate has another challenge for him. But will he be able to break away from the addictive power the Bureau gives him? By the end of the story, Ives and Allina are walking straight on into other character's plans for them, for now they are linked to the same quest and Ives has yet another dragon to slay. Despite his deepest desire to leave the world behind and spend the rest of his life with the woman he loves, can he leave the Bureau just yet? It is amazing how addictive power can be.
If you want to know more about The Black Rose visit:
Meet the author The Black Rose
Book Showcase The Killing Game
Buy the book The Killing Game on Amazon
Five for Friday with memoir author Peri Hoskins #RPBP
Welcome to Five for Friday at Rukia Publishing. Today we ask featured author Peri Hoskins five questions about his writing life.
Hello Peri,
Thank you for joining us today.
1. You have used the term novella for Millennium can you tell us why you chose that description for your memoir?
It is actually a novella-length piece of creative nonfiction, although I'm always flattered when someone calls it a novel or novella. It is such hard work getting real life to read like a novel or novella. Real life is often boring and anti-climactic. The hard work I refer to is making a slice of real life funny, engaging, poignant, and interesting enough to keep the reader turning the pages. The length of the book chose itself in that the slice of life I write about was short, only a few weeks, hence there was only enough material to write a novella-length piece.
2. Can you explain what is meant by the term creative non-fiction and how does it apply to Millennium?
Creative nonfiction means material that is factual, based in real life, that the author has enhanced with among other things, his/her observations, descriptions, humour, digressions and insights into what is going on. It is the author's enhancements that make the piece read like a novel.
3. What are you working on at the moment?
I'm working on a full-length autobiographical novel 'East' based on the five months I spent travelling around Australia in 1994. It is a prequel to Millennium and written in a similar style. Vince is again the narrator. East, is however, lighter than Millennium and it has a different tempo, a different beat. I've released small parts of it to give people a taste and people really like it. It is in some ways an Australian 'On the Road' set in 1994. In a full-length novel, I have the opportunity to develop characters and round them out so readers looking for a bigger, meatier version of Millennium should be happy.
4. Where do you get the ideas from for your books?
My own life experience. I see plenty in real life worth writing about without resorting to fiction.
5. What is the hardest thing about writing your latest book?
The hardest thing is actually getting the writing and editing done if I am tired or distracted and have competing priorities for my time. Being single is however an advantage.
Thank you Peri, and good luck with your new book East (which is on pre-order at iTunes). Don't miss the launch day announcements here on Sarah Jane's blog soon.
If you want to know more about Peri and his books visit his author website.
Click the links here to connect on Twitter and Facebook
Find Peri's books on Amazon here
Featured New Release: Tragedy at Silver Creek #RPBP
Release day for Rukia Publishing
Featured author Belinda Buchanan
Guilt is a powerful thing, and former deputy Jack Collins is mired in it. Unable to forget the events that have taken place in the town he was sworn to protect, he feels as if he is slowly drowning as he tries to cope with the aftermath of a serial killer's reign of terror, as well as his new—and unwanted—job as chief of police.
When the body of a young woman, having the same puncture wounds as the serial killer's previous victims, is discovered, Jack must determine if this is a copycat crime or the work of a possible accomplice—either of which—could put the killer's only surviving victim, Katie Winstead, in grave danger. As Jack delves deeper into the murder, his vow to keep Katie safe, combined with the secret he's been harboring, begins to take its toll. His sudden inability to confide in his wife, Cheryl, causes their home, which was once a haven for him, to become just another source of tension.
An overzealous news team, a threat from his not so distant past, and a mayor who wants the murder swept under the rug, only add to the pressure surrounding him as Jack struggles to do what's right on all levels in this riveting, stand-alone sequel to The Monster of Silver Creek.
Where can you get your copy of Tragedy at Silver Creek?
Here are the links you need:
Congratulations Belinda from the
Rukia Publishing Social Media Team.
Be sure to share and tweet for Belinda today
we are authors and readers working together
Five for Friday with Susan Joyce #RPBP
Welcome to Five for Friday as we ask featured author Susan Joyce, who is busy putting the finishing touches to her new book 'Good Morning Diego Garcia!' five questions about her writing.
Hello Susan,
1.What satisfies you most about writing?
I enjoy writing. Period. Reminds me of doing picture puzzles and getting the pieces in the proper place to complete the picture and tell the whole story. I write most days. Not necessarily at the same time. But make certain I write 2-4 hours most days.
2. Where do you find your inspiration?
Inspiration comes to me in many ways. Walking can stir it, as can my dreams. Dreams play a big part in my life and also appear in my writings. Good fodder. Dreams are also a way of journeying from one place to another on a different level--a peek into consciousness. I see dreams as a different way of thinking. I love exploring their meanings.
3. Where do you write?
My writing office is upstairs and I have a wonderful view of neighboring houses and the street life. I love the calm here. A walk along the beach or through our neighborhood often stirs my imagination.
4. Can you tell us about your new book?
It will be published in November 2015. It's about crossing the Indian Ocean in monsoon season in 1975. A harrowing adventure; the scariest time of my life so far. We ended up, way off course, stranded on a coral reef in Diego Garcia, a top secret military base run by the US and Great Britain. Looking back now, it seems that someone had definitely planned our trip there. I didn't know anything about Diego Garcia until we got to the Seychelles and then discovered the history of the people and their forced deportation to the Seychelles. Happy to say, I survived the turbulent voyage and am here to write about it. Ride of my life!
5.What do you find most rewarding about being an author?
The most rewarding part of being an author continues to be that I am following my dreams and making them come true. If my books have an underlying message to readers it is: Follow your dreams! Make life happen!
Thank you Susan and good luck with 'Good Morning Diego Garcia!' Don't miss the cover reveal here on Sarah Jane's blog very soon!
If you want to know more about Susan and her books you can visit her pages here at Rukia Publishing.
Meet the author Susan Joyce
Book Showcase The Lullaby Illusion
To connect with Susan or for further information visit her author website
Find Susan's books on Amazon here
PRE-ORDER NEWS!! EAST by Peri Hoskins! #RPBP
Author news from Peri Hoskins
Pre-order live on Apple iTunes
It's 1994. Junior lawyer, Vince Osbourne, leaves behind a small, mean and viciously circular life in the city representing petty criminals and takes to the road. He's lived 30 years. The wide continent of Australia is out in front. He's almost young. Where will the road lead? East takes in sunsets; rain in the desert; a five-year-old girl on a bike; a battered former thief and jockey; old-timers; young lovers; beautiful women, and aboriginals in public bars. The open road connects many vignettes making a rich tapestry of human encounters. East is poignant, gritty, funny, sad and above all: human. Hoskins' laconic prose captures the harsh, arid country in all its big, empty beauty along with quirky exchanges with strangers, travel buddies, shop assistants, workmates, and friends old and new. A journey without and within, East taps into the spiritual realm that lies beneath this land and its people.
https://itunes.apple.com/nz/book/east/id1036194304?mt=11
Keep watching for news of East at other bookstores coming soon!
Have you read Peri's first book Millennium A Memoir?
"... a genial well-observed book that insinuates itself into the affections." -- Christopher Moore, New Zealand Listener, 2 August 2014
It's December 1999, the cusp of a new millennium. The tiny Pacific Kingdom of Tonga will be first nation in the world to usher it in.
Our narrator takes us there to see the sun set on the old and the dawn rise on the new. We discover much more.
In a time and place of old customs we see the gentle advance of the new. This Pacific paradise is home to a diverse group of human beings at this unique time. Our journey through many human exchanges – quirky, funny, and sad – accompanied by quotes from Hindu scripture echoes through the millennia and asks us what it is to be human in these dark times.
This book constantly entertains and delves beneath a fascinating surface to examine the quality of our age.
Millennium—A Memoir is a novella-sized slice of life travelogue that evokes the work of Ernest Hemingway.
https://itunes.apple.com/nz/book/millennium-a-memoir/id1031835929?mt=11
Drum roll!!!!! Cover reveal from author Robert Fear #RPBP
Today I would like to welcome Robert Fear as my guest blogger as he reveals the new look coming to Fred's Diary!
I think it looks fabulous - be sure to leave a comment to let Robert know what you think.
Thank you Sarah Jane,
Fred's Diary 1981 – a long road
The second edition of Fred's Diary is on target for release in mid-October.
It was originally written on the travels that Fred took around Asia between February and July 1981. He had never committed any of his previous travels to paper in the way he did for this long awaited journey into the unknown. The final collection runs to 600 pages of closely written detail.
When Fred landed in Hong Kong in that February he had two small carbon copy books of 100 pages each and he started writing everything down about his impressions, the people he met, the things he did and thought, what he ate and what things cost. As his journey developed the diary became almost a mission of its own, especially when the unexpected happened in Thailand.
The first two books lasted two months and Fred had to buy additional copies along the way, all used with carbon paper. Every few weeks he would send the originals back to his friend Jan, in Frankfurt, Germany. She collected all the pages in an A4 folder and luckily they all made it back safely. Fred kept all the copies with him as a backup.
After returning from his travels, Fred settled again in Frankfurt and stayed there for five years. He then returned to England and took the A4 folder containing the diary with him. It was almost forgotten for many years, only making an appearance when friends asked to see it or to read it.
It wasn't until around 2005 that Fred decided to start typing up the diary onto his computer. He managed to get the first two months done but then ran out of motivation.
A couple of years later there was an article in a PC magazine about Kindle and self-publishing that sparked his interest again. He started working on the second part of the diary and released it in 2009 as Time in Thailand. The first part followed in 2011, published as £99 to Hong Kong.
By now the bug had truly bitten and Fred started planning the release of the whole diary. First though, he had to scan copies of all 600 pages as they were deteriorating and writing was becoming faded in parts. Over the next two years he typed everything up and started editing the diary for publication, all in his spare time.
Fred's Diary 1981 was self-published in December 2013 and has been relatively successful with a good number of excellent reviews on Amazon UK and US. It is a long book though. The paperback version is 564 pages and contains 165K words.
Over the past year further editing work has been going on. You may have seen the daily serialisation of Fred's Diary on the blog fd81.net earlier this year. This version had already been edited down to 135K words.
Further editing has taken place since then and the second edition will contain less than 100K words, with around 360 pages. It has also had a professional final edit and there is a wonderful new cover which we are revealing today.
Thank you Robert, everyone at Rukia Publishing wishes you every success with the new edition.
Watch out for the release of Fred's Diary 1981 in mid-October 2015.
Follow Fred's Diary on Facebook for release day news!
Five for Friday with John Searancke #RPBP
Welcome to Five for Friday as we ask featured author John Searancke, who is busy promoting his latest book Prunes for Breakfast, five questions about his writing.
Thanks for joining us today.
1. How long have you been a writer and how did you come to writing?
I started writing Dog Days in The Fortunate Islands about 2 years ago, and the whole process, from first word on paper to publication out to the books trade, took about 10 months. I was lucky enough to receive a contract from a "traditional" publisher, but the terms were arduous and, upon advice, I rejected it.
I had always wanted to write a book, (does not everyone, secretly?) and the opportunity finally came along when we retired and sold our business, giving me the time.
2. What are the best and the worst aspects of writing?
For me, there are no worst aspects of actually writing! I enjoyed the process thoroughly. The best is to finally hold in your hand the result of all your hard work; the finished product. I hate being involved in the marketing and publicity, though.
3. What inspires you to write?
The idea of a story that just needs to get out, to be worthwhile, and hopefully which may receive some praise in certain quarters. Decent book sales help, too!
4. Who or what has had the greatest influence on your writing and why?
My wife and my dog for the first book, and my father for the second. Looking out at El Teide, that huge volcano which is visible from our terrace, is an awesome incentive, too!
5. Can you tell us about Prunes for Breakfast?
Another war memoir? Well, yes, and for a very good reason. It could not be told before, until personal papers and photographs were made available to the Author. This is the story of my mother and father, told mostly from the side of my father, from the time of his calling up in early 1940 to his release from a prisoner of war camp in Germany in 1945, thence to return to England to try to pick up the pieces of his old life. Nothing could ever be quite the same afterwards, but travel through those 5 years, learning of the ups and downs, the plots and counterplots, as my father rose through the ranks to end his war as a captain, elevated to that rank in the field as his troops faced the formidable might of the SS Panzers, and where his battle came to an abrupt end, surrounded in an orchard by the enemy and captured after a series of bloody skirmishes as the British army spearheaded its way from the beaches, through the bocage of Normandy, aiming for the liberation of Paris and then the final conquest of Germany. Such was the fighting that a VC was won that day, the action taking place in plain sight. His journey across France and Germany in a truck, with comrades dying each day, is as hard to tell as it may be to read, particularly when a new life and new harsh rules had to be learned and rigidly enforced in a prison camp in northern Germany, his final destination. Not all was doom and gloom however, because, for example, who else would order a new car whilst in that German prison camp, so certain that he would be home in time to take delivery? The story is full of uplifting moments and may possibly be the first time that an individual's war story has been told in such a homespun and ordinary manner, complete with extracts of letters that passed between husband and wife over those 5 long years, adding greatly to the poignancy of the telling of the tale.
Thank you John and good luck with Prunes for Breakfast!
If you want to know more about John and his books you can visit his pages here at Rukia Publishing.
Meet the author John Searancke
Book Showcase Prunes for Breakfast
To connect with John or for further information visit www.johnsearancke.com
Follow Rukia Publishing for updates on all featured authors

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
DataInsight
Extracting Knowledge From Data
Remaining Lifetime Estimation
When a machine or other device fails unexpectedly, the costs can be tremendous. The very worst case would be a device such as the gear box of a helicopter, where failure could easily cause the death of everyone aboard. In an industrial context, loss of life is more rare, but unexpected device failure can result in tremendous financial costs. These costs do not only include the obvious ones: the labor and material cost to repair or replace the device. Depending upon the use of the device, the costs can extend to collateral damage to product or devices, lost business because the device is unavailable, loss of the use of other devices whose use depend in some way on the broken one, as well as lateness penalties and future business lost because of customer dissatisfaction.
We advise our clients on how to move from preventive maintenance to condition-based, or "predictive'' maintenance, i.e. servicing or replacement only when called for by the actual condition of the device in question. The figure displays a map of the "wear surface" of one of our former client's devices. Such a map enables the user to estimate the remaining lifetime of a device given its past use.
Pattern Recognition Anomaly and Impending Nonlinear Processing Data Mining Noise Sustained Patterns
Network Dynamics Remaining Lifetime More Publications Statistical Learning Multivariate Modeling


Matches senders to gauges, even reversed ones!
This electronic circuit is our own design.
This wizard can be calibrated for sensors and guages between 0 and 1000 Ohms, and any variation in between, including reverse reading.
This wizard does everything the MK2 and 3 wizards did, but is does it better, and it does a whole lot more too !
Note-: this product supercedes the wizard MK3 which is no longer available from us, but can still be obtained from "Car Builder Solutions"
This product has been found to NOT work with "Stack" fuel gauges but a fix is in the pipeline !
NOTE, FOR 24 VOLT USERS ONLY the Wizard requires a 12v Supply but can drive gauges that are running on a 24V supply.
This requires a 12V Voltage stabiliser to be fitted to the power line before the wizard.


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What Nigeria's Largest Voting Bloc Wants From Atiku, Kwankwaso, Obi, Tinubu
Three different polls conducted in Nigeria have presented before the top presidential candidates the aspirations, concerns, and demands of various voting blocs ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The polls, which were conducted by Bloomberg, African Polling Institute (API)/BusinessDay and NOI Polls/ANAP Foundation, said the major demands of Nigerian voters centred on the economy, jobs, corruption, and security.
The Bloomberg survey had a total of 3,973 Nigerians as respondents from September 5 to September 20. Respondents to the app-based poll were selected from quotas developed by age, gender, and location across the country's six geopolitical zones.
Three-quarters of the respondents said the country was heading in the "wrong direction." A combined 88 percent listed the economy and jobs, corruption, and security as the most important issues facing their communities.
READ ALSO 2023: Peter Obi Surpasses Atiku And Tinubu As He Reportedly Has Highest Follower Growth On Twitter
The results were then weighted against the original quotas to ensure national representation. About 44 percent of Nigerians own smartphones, according to the Alliance for Affordable Internet.
The poll was conducted by API, in partnership with BusinessDay, aimed at gauging the perception of Nigerians towards the 2023 elections. It was conducted nationwide between July 18 and 22, 2022.
The result revealed that more than 80 percent of the respondents rejected a same-faith presidential ticket, preferring to vote a mixed-faith ticket.
The poll adopted a quantitative approach involving telephone interviews administered to target respondents, in which a total of 1,135 completed interviews were captured out of 3,072 calls made, representing a response rate of approximately 37 percent.
READ ALSO Actor Ugezu Jideofor Reacts After A Man Said They Were Taught Not To Trust The Igbos From Childhood
The survey also used a stratified Random Sampling Technique to representatively select citizens in all 36 states of the nation and the Federal Capital Territory.
ANAP Foundation released in September the result of an opinion poll conducted for it by NOI Polls on the forthcoming presidential election which showed Peter Obi of the Labour Party holding a significant eight percent lead over Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party. Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigerian People's Party trailed them in the fourth position.
ANAP Foundation has been conducting such polls since 2011 through NOI Polls. Its founder, Atedo Peterside, said the latest was conducted in early September and asked respondents the same question: "Suppose the presidential election is being conducted today, who are you likely to vote for."
READ ALSO Peter Obi: Soludo Has Suddenly Forgotten That He Had To Leave PDP To Win Anambra Election – Aisha Yesufu Blows Hot
The poll described the presidential contest as a three-horse race and gave Obi an eight percent lead with 21 percent votes over Tinubu and Atiku, who each got 13 percent of the votes to end up as joint second in the poll. Kwankwaso was fourth with three percent of the votes.
ANAP Foundation said only just over half of the respondents said they had made up their minds on whom to vote for on February 25, 2023. "Undecided voters and those who prefer not to reveal their preferred candidate add up to a whopping 32 percent and 15 percent respectively."
Tags: 2023 presidencyAtiku AbubakarBola Ahmed TinubuPeter ObiRabiu Kwankwaso


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Cheryl Jumbo
by Emeline Nsingi Nkosi
A Cosmetic Scientist, Founder of Cherry Coco (a natural skincare company) and Black Beauty Communications ltd. Cheryl Jumbo, one of six children, was born in Glasgow to Nigerian parents. She recently announced the UK's first ever beauty industry awards event for Black Beauty products aptly named the "Black Beauty and Fashion Awards".
We spoke about her experience in the beauty industry, BBFA and what she plans on achieving …
"Black Beauty and Fashion Awards is a movement, I am set on advancing the industry."
Who is Cheryl Jumbo?
Today I am someone who loves business and empowering people; I think it's important to leave a legacy. I find much satisfaction in supporting individuals in pursuing their dreams; I believe you can accomplish anything you commit yourself to!
Cheryl Jumbo at event
Tell us about your experience in the beauty industry?
My entry point to the beauty arena was most unexpected, around the age of 19, I had intended on purchasing a premium foundation from a company called fashion (there wasn't much else available), whilst I was browsing I was approached by one of the beauty consultants. We started talking, she enquired about my skincare regime, my interests and asked me what I was doing for a living. I explained that I was studying to become a Sound Engineer. She scoffed lightly and said "no no no my darling, YOU belong in the world of beauty. I can see you now with your silver Hitachi case going to a business meeting".
As a student of sound engineering, I was the only female in my class, which I didn't mind much at all. I needed a part time job so I decided I'd explore a little, I sought employment with a cosmetics consultant agency to find out more about the world of beauty.
I had assumed it would be very superficial but being creative and technical I excelled. As I began to consult and sell cosmetic products to consumers, I yearned to understand why people were buying from me besides my selling technique. What was so good about these products? What made them so effective? Were they truly beneficial at all? I wanted to learn the science behind these amazing pots of promise.
What was your next step?
Fortunately, around that time The London College of Fashion, had recently introduced to the UK a new BSc (Hons) Cosmetic Science, I secured a place and eventually, proudly graduated whilst maintaining employment throughout my studies.
What was your professional experience?
Since then, I have gained a broad experience of the industry, working in various capacities from setting up a beauty business, working as an expat in Africa, providing skincare workshops, brand development, consulting, working in regulatory affairs at QVC UK, product design and formulation of skin care at E.C Dewitt and Manufacturing at Barry M Cosmetics.
In the UK, I have found myself working in places where I am the only black person in the entire organisation. This has presented some great advantages and in some cases disadvantages, I am keen to see more of us in this arena, our contribution is necessary in a multicultural society.
How did you come up with the concept of BBFA?
Sadly, BBFA was born from a feeling of social exclusion. Every single year, we have beauty industry awards that celebrate the great product offerings available from various brands across the UK and further afield. This is great until you realise that none of the products spot-lit with adulation cater to your needs. One particular year as my colleagues and I geared up to attend the latest installment of beauty awards, I pondered on this fact; I have contributed hugely to the UK economy via my hair and beauty needs and wants. I pondered on the fact that at age 19 my only choice of foundation was an expensive premium product, which as a student cost me a small fortune.
I decided that I would become the change that I wished to see. It was at that moment, 6 years ago, that I knew I would create the Black Beauty and Fashion Awards! It would be a celebration of diverse black beauty and culture. However, it would have been seen as too Afrocentric, and so I decided to wait until the right time, which is NOW!
BBFA
What do you aim to achieve from BBFA?
Our event is divided into two halves, firstly, the public voting poll which lasts approximately 4 months from March 2017, followed by the corporate end which takes place later in November.
BBFA seeks to empower BMR* consumers' voices to express their passion for the products they enjoy using or want to support, and exercise their unassailable right to inclusion. Black males are for the most part ignored in advertising of grooming products. Women of colour spend on average, six times more than their counterparts on hair and beauty products. It is about time to acknowledge this significant contribution to the economy.
Advancement is taking place within the industry concerning black beauty, hair and fashion and it must be acknowledged. There's a great range of products available for BMR people, but a 'disconnect' exists between brands, retailers and consumers. Often people can't find what they want, although it exists…somewhere.
BBFA seeks to promote, encourage and celebrate producers of high-quality BMR products and build bridges to prompt greater inclusion via mainstream channels. This is all towards bringing about the growth that our communities will also benefit from.
What is your mission statement?
My dream is to see Black Beauty and Fashion Award-winning products made available to the public in mainstream stores across the UK
My vision is to celebrate the diverse beauty and see greater representation in mainstream media. To acknowledge the brands that have over the years, diligently catered to our ever-changing beauty needs. To support entrepreneurialism. In a multicultural society, I would like to see more BMR individuals as manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers and being part of the supply chain of this industry. After all, we are the ones using the products! It would be great to have a hand in what's being added to these products created to care for our unique beauty.
My mission is to advance the beauty industry, impacting it positively. To celebrate the diversity of black hair and skin and our beautiful culture. To make BBFA a global entity as we expand our Industry award to the Continent and the Caribbean.
All winning products and brands have the right to carry the BBFA winners' seal created to be displayed on company websites, marketing literature, and products, visible to consumers at the point of sale.
How will it facilitate direct engagement between brands and consumers?
BBFA is the people's choice award! We are here to elevate to empower the voice of consumers, to alleviate social exclusion and to carve out a space for our beauty products in mainstream outlets. We hope to see Black Beauty and Fashion Award-winning products available online and in high street stores.
Black Beauty Communications' BBFA has amongst its aims, to be the go-to marketing and quality assessment vehicle to help both lesser-known and readily recognisable businesses gain greater brand awareness within Black and Multiracial client groups. In so doing, a more mutually beneficial exchange emerges, wherein BMR people, with a predicted £100 million 2016 hair and beauty spend, shall notice better representation in mainstream channels. This leads to greater opportunities in employment. Brand loyalty, improved market segmentation and CSR fulfillment are just some of the elements available to participating businesses at the other end of the exchange.
Awards for BMR communities are often not mainstream, should they be?
Yes, indeed they should be. So many elements of our culture are used and adopted in the mainstream, from our hairstyles and fashion to music and dance. I believe our ingenuity, success, creativity and innovation need to be acknowledged mainstream also. It's a known fact that we tend to be products of our environment, witnessing achievements mainstream provides aspiration for peers and following generations.
Would we benefit from having an award for BMR products in beauty awards such as InStyle beauty awards, Cosmopolitan beauty awards, Allure etc …
To some extent yes. I believe that these organisations have missed a trick when it comes to black beauty and fashion. For decades black and multiracial individuals have engaged these brands frequently only to feel a sense of exclusion and being overlooked. Perhaps their lack of offering comes from a lack of understanding of our hair and authentic beauty.
Lastly, tell us a little bit about the award ceremony, where will it take place and when?
The inaugural Black Beauty and Fashion Awards is a Red carpet affair. it will be a stupendous night of beauty and style on Friday 3rd November 2017. The venue of choice is the beautiful Porchester Hall; I adore its classic art deco design. Amongst others, in attendance will be manufacturers, retailers, entrepreneurs and industry professionals. The evening will include a fashion show, 3-course elegant dining experience, live entertainment, award ceremony, charity auction for Lupus and Alopecia UK and much more.
There will be various voting categories, such as Best shampoo, Best hair treatment, Best Foundation etc and we have a number of special awards including Beauty entrepreneur of the year, Fashion entrepreneur of the year, Best new business venture, Best new beauty tool/appliance as well as honour an amazing individual with a Lifetime Achievement award for their Contribution to the Beauty and Fashion industry.
How can the public vote?
Voting is easy. Simply visit www.bbfawards.com/voting-online. All voters are automatically entered into the BBFA cash prize draw and the opportunity to win some amazing goodies. Prize winners will be selected randomly and announced via our social media platforms later in the year.
[BMR* – Cherry's own acronym , Black Multi-Racial]
Instagram: @blackbeautyandfashionawards
Twitter: @bbfawards
Facebook Page: Black Beauty and Fashion Awards
Website: www.bbfawards.com
Instagram: @emelinenn
Twitter: @emelinenn
Facebook Page: Emeline Nsingi Nkosi
Website: www.emelinenn.com
Representation Matters.
Directed by Barry Jenkins, Moonlight has received wide critical acclaim with 6 nominations and 1 win (Best Motion Picture) in the golden globes alone. Starring Trevante Rhodes, André Holland, Janelle Monáe, Naomie Harris and Mahershala Ali, the film focuses on the struggle of an African-American man to accept one's own identity.
The 2017 Golden Globes felt quite special to me.
It felt like the first time in a long while, if not ever, that there was some decent representation, that I could look at the list of people that the establishment had deemed "the best" in television and film, and see a more diverse range of people representing the many stories that touched us this year.
Representation matters! And, I don't just mean one token person who is not straight, white, male and able-bodied on a show written, produced and directed by a white male. What I mean is a plethora of people telling an array of stories in their diverse voices. What I mean is the use of the arts to expand collective consciousness and aid in dispelling the limited idea of normalcy.
I didn't grow up thinking that my family was strange; my gorgeous multi-cultural, multi-racial family was my first understanding of the world. I only became aware that the wider world seemed to have more restrictive views of what constituted the most inclusive values in the world: beauty, love, family, struggle…
At its best, television and film, like all the arts, can be a mirror into your soul, shining light on the deepest truths of human existence with love and compassion, inviting us to
Thandie received a nomination for her role as Maeve in the television series Westworld in the category of for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or Motion Picture Made for Television.
contemplate who we are and where we find ourselves in the world. Television has always seemed especially amazing to me because you bring the stories and characters into your home, sometimes over a period of years or even decades.
It can engender intimacy and belonging, but at its worst, it can also encourage feelings of otherness and lacking, a feeling that people who look like you don't belong in the collective narrative or don't deserve a space to share their stories. I inhabited this realm for a long time, and only obtained self-love through hard-learning against the popularised lack of representation.
Viola Davies (left) won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for the movie Fences. This was her first win after 4 previous Golden Globe nominations. Tracee Ellis Ross (right) won the Golden Globe for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series for Black-ish.
Self-love is really hard when you feel like an island; when it feels as though every message society sends is so foreign to yourself. I grew up in a society that didn't encourage my self-love, that subliminally, and sometimes explicitly, taught me that I was not enough and that I certainly would never be "the best".
My society taught me loathsome self-depreciation.
Television used to encourage the most negative feelings for me. But it is gradually becoming a source of delight, a place to go to feel understood and valued.
Some day Viola or Tracee or Thandie will win an award or nominated and it will just be about them.
I hope that day is near, the day when it won't be remarkable that someone who is colourful and unique and universal can be hailed as the best at what they do and that the next woman of colour to win a Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actress in a comedy or musical television series will not have to wait until 2052.
I hope that my children, whatever their colour, gender identity, or ability will be able to hold the television up to their faces like a mirror and proudly see themselves reflected and represented in the most beautiful and honest light.
For now, their wins are still also our wins. They are part of the long-awaited slow-dawning collective realisation that we, too, represent the world.
Women. Who. Wrap.
With the prominence of smart, beautiful women of colour in the pubic eye wearing head wraps, it might seem like head wraps are having a renaissance. But i would argue that they never went away. Phenomenal women like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Lupita Nyong'o and Zadie Smith deserve credit for wearing their head wraps with such style and grace, and their power is only enhanced by the fact that the history of the garment makes them part of a long tradition of women of African origin defying the conventions of Western beauty standards and standing tall and powerful at the intersection between tradition and avant-garde.
Head wraps are worn by women and men all over the world for various cultural, social and religious reasons, and the history of the head wrap in Africa is diverse.
The African American head wrap has a distinct story. At one time it was mandatory for slaves to cover their hair and, as photographer Juliana Kasumu discovered while working in her photo-series, Moussour to Tignon: The Evolution of the Head-Tie, head wraps were made compulsory for Black women, freed and enslaved in 1786 by Esteban Rodríguez Miró. The governor of Louisiana and Florida decreed that black women, both freed and enslaved, had to wear a head wrap as a means of racial classification.
But like all policies intended to strip Black women of the natural power of their Afro hair throughout history have, it failed.
Kasumu notes: "They looked even more beautiful, and more appealing, and they used to decorate these head wraps with jewels, and plumes. They became more attractive if anything. It just backfired."
For me, the head wrap is like a crown that gives height, power and presence. It connects me to a long legacy of Black women who refused to crush their beauty to make other people feel more comfortable. Sometimes it's functional, like when I rub homemade leave-in conditioner into my hair and wrap it to let it soak in, but more often it's because of how it makes me feel. It makes me stand tall, think hard and feel proud.
We asked some wonderful women who wrap (and one man, too), to reflect on what it means to them.
Bwalya Newton – Writer and Founder of Hackney Gazelles
"Like all hairstyles for black women, headwraps mean a myriad of things to me. From protective style, to channelling Royal African Realness, emulating Erykah Badu, or even just feeling too lazy to do something with my hair, I find that it's a look that gets to adapt and change with my mood and style.
My Aunty Chipili was always in headwraps; different materials, different prints and always tied in new ways. I guess symbolically for me it was and still is her crown. A sense of pride exudes from black women who wear headwraps and they also emit a regal energy – I mean look at Nefertiti.
Style inspo firstly comes from every single Igbo and Yoruba aunty heading off to a wedding or Sunday service in the most deluxe gele's, their looks and fabrics are consistently immaculate. Also, I remember, as a kid my mum having a cassette of Miriam Makeba lying around and being enamoured by Miriam's noble headwrap and dangly earrings on the cover art. Solange always has fun with it her looks and headwraps and Erykah Badu's layering techniques are killer. I really love how Nina Simone's wraps matched the fabrics of her designer suits and bespoke chic clothes. She's a lasting symbol of opulence and unapologetic blackness.
Last, but not least, Aunty Chipili, who like Nina, always wore whatever she wanted and paired it with an elegantly-tied headwrap."
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Vernon Francois – Hair Stylist Extraordinaire
"The creative process for styling any of Lupita's looks is always a joint effort between myself, Lupita and her stylist. Like me, Lupita is always filled with ideas. Her hair is so versatile and we both get excited talking about our visions and possibilities for it. There must be a balance though, of fabulous hair that works with the overall styling; complementing what she is wearing, not distracting from it.
For the Queen of Katwe promotional tour, premieres and so on, Lupita knew that she wanted to wear a head wrap. We started thinking about this about a year in advance and researched sources from all over the world. Our main influence which helped to inform our vision of what we wanted to achieve, was African tribes.
Her stylist and I spent quite a long time in various markets and fabric stores in Kenya, sourcing materials. We took these to the design houses that Lupita was working with, who then either used the same fabric for fashioning her dress or used it to inspire their own choice of fabric.
Lupita had to explain to her fashion houses that we wouldn't know exactly how her head wraps would look, until the day. On the day of styling any head wrap, I always think that the most important thing is to approach it with a flexible mindset and be prepared to go with the flow. Because each piece of material will bend, shape and fold in its own way. Create with the material.
Styling a head wrap in a modern way, for me, boils down to these three things: creating height, a striking silhouette and choosing the best fabric to either match or complement your outfit.
Femininity, elegance and confidence. You can't help but walk with your head held high when wearing a wrap. And it's been shown that if you walk tall with a positive posture, you feel more confident. Which I think can only be a good thing.
Of course, I am also highly aware that head wraps can have cultural and religious meaning; which I am always very respectful of. I keep this in mind when working with my clients, choosing colours appropriate to events that they are attending, for instance.
Head wraps are worn by people all over the world; in many ways and for lots of different reasons; functional, fashionable, cultural or religious. Those of African origin tend to vary in style depending on where they are created.
The Nigerian head wrap is called a gele and has inspired some of my creations for Lupita. Geles are usually quite big and bold with lots of height. I wanted to make sure that I did this head wrap justice with a blend of keeping its integrity but making it more modern. I was pleased that this was recognised and embraced by a lot of people who are familiar with geles; and received some very positive comments about it."
Leyla Hussein – Psychotherapist and Gender Rights Activist
"Head wraps are a part of who I am, part of my identity as an African women. I'm African first- you see me that's what you notice first. Head wraps also represent my fierce lioness side. I feel extremely powerful when wearing my head wrap, as a child most women who I admired, including my mother, wore heard wraps.
I don't wear it for political reasons or solidarity with others, all my life I fought for being my true authentic self and wearing a heard wrap is me at my core, however the head wraps has being a symbol to exhibit my African roots when speaking at a global stage, a symbol of pride.
I love bold colours, such as red , green and egg yolk, I would wear it with my western clothing, love pairing heard warps with my fitted suits, you will find my head wrap colour will match my statement accessory wether it's a necklace, rig or hand bag.
My biggest style inspiration has always being my mother, as a child I couldn't wait to grow up so I can dress like her, she always had her own sense of style till today my mother designs a lot of my dresses, we have similar taste, we like simple and unique looks, I guess the head wrap gives me that opportunity to experiment with colours and print."
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Interview With Artist And Illustrator Andrea Pippins
Andrea Pippins is an artist, illustrator and designer from Washington, D. C., whose work seeks to inspire a generation of women. Her first book, I Love My Hair is a colouring book that invites people of all ages and colours to celebrate their hair for its unique beauty. Her second book, Becoming Me, is a glorious exploration of what it means to be a young woman of colour. It asks us to doodle, scribble and write our own investigation into ourselves.
I spoke to her about beauty, creative arts, and the importance of self-expression.
Tell us a little about your upbringing.
I spent my early years, from the age of six months to four years, in a sewing studio in the Georgetown neighbourhood of Washington, D.C. The studio was run by a French woman named Solange Cody and was occupied by a team of four women who spent their days constructing, hemming, and altering clothes. These ladies, except for one African American woman, were all immigrants—including my mother, who's from Brazil. While my mother was sewing and fitting clothes, I would be drawing and colouring for hours. I believe that space planted the seeds for my own creativity; my love for textiles, patterns, and colour; and my desire to become an entrepreneur. But that all would come together much later.
I didn't really know about graphic design until I saw Halle Berry playing the role of Angela in the film Boomerang. Angela was an art director and artist, and it was my first time seeing a woman of colour doing that kind of work. Even though it was fiction, it blew me away. But it wasn't until I started applying for college that I really learnt about careers in graphic design, or what was then called commercial art or graphic art. I applied to Tyler School of Art at Temple University, and though it took several tries because of a lacklustre portfolio, I was finally accepted into the design program.
After working as a graphic designer at companies like Hallmark Cards and TV Land/Nick@Nite, I returned to Tyler and graduated with an MFA in Graphic and Interactive Design, so I could teach design at a college level. Eventually, I decided to take a leap of faith and pursue a path as a full-time freelance designer and illustrator. Currently, my work is transitioning from graphic design to a focus on art and illustration. I've always solved design problems with illustration, not realising that that is where my skills and talent flourish.
Who influenced your perception of beauty growing up?
Aside from my mother, I would say the media heavily influence my perception of beauty. My mother had a subscription to Essence magazine, and I remember absorbing those pages filled with beautiful women. But I always saw it as a publication for adults. Where was the magazine featuring little girls who looked like me or had hair like me?
As a teen I loved Seventeen magazine, but honestly, at the time those pages didn't show anyone who reflected me. So it was difficult to find style, hair, and makeup advice.
As a kid and teen I watched a lot of TV, and thank goodness it was during a time that black TV and film was doing so well. From TV shows like Living Single and A Different World to movies like Love Jones and Boomerang, I did have a lot of positive references that influenced my ideas of beauty. There could have been more, but having those showed me more of a range than what I see today.
Your first book 'I Love My Hair' was a great critical success. Where did the inspiration come from?
I Love My Hair happened when I met an art director at Random House and sent her some ideas for a colouring book last spring, none of which had anything to do with hair. After looking at my artwork, she responded asking if I'd be interested in doing a colouring book about hair, and I said, "OMG, of course." I didn't have a specific plan of what to include, I just knew that I wanted it to be fun and that I wanted to show a wide range of hairstyles and ideas of hair. There were 84 pages to fill, so it was a creative challenge to figure out what would be interesting and what would work in terms of filling it with colour. Because "hair" is so specific, and because I didn't want it to be just about hairstyles, I had to be creative in my interpretations. So I explored abstract representations, lettering, and accessories and tools related to hair.
Do you think there is a gap in the market for more books celebrating women of colour?
I don't know the numbers, so I can't speak about the gap in the market for books celebrating women of colour, but I can speak about what stories are being celebrated and highlighted. I do think there is a gap in the kinds of stories that are told about women of colour, and a huge gap in what gets recognition, awarded, written about, etc. I assume that fewer of us get opportunities to write books, but also wonder if it's really that fewer of us get recognized. Or a combination of both. Either way, it is frustrating.
Your new book, Becoming Me, deals with self-discovery and self-acceptance so beautifully. Tell us a little about your own journey of self-love.
Because of my family and community, I've always had a pretty strong sense of self. But in certain areas of my life, I can be a perfectionist, and at times this results in high expectations and me being hard on myself. In the last few years, I've learned to surrender, be easy, and give myself a break. This also means not working so much and allowing myself to just be.
If you could give the twelve-year-old Andrea one piece of advice, what would you say?
I would tell twelve-year-old Andrea to always be herself. That who she is enough, and that life is too short, so to not take things too seriously.
What role do you see the visual and creative arts having in dealing with some of the issues of our age?
I am a strong believer that image is power. Whether it's in propaganda, a story being told, or an advertisement, an image really drives the message. The people behind media understand this and use images to tell how us how to see the world. And until we get people of colour behind the wheel as directors, producers, cinematographers, artists, and designers, we won't be able to control how we are portrayed or the stories that are being told about us. In this way, we can give all people access to visual expression, which is important. The beauty, though, is that we live in a time when the tools to create images and tell stories are readily available. And people are taking advantage of it. We can already see how the media is shifting because of that access.
But on a micro level, being able to understand what you see is just as important as being able to read. So regardless of your level of interest in art and design, you need to be able to interpret the millions of messages being thrown at you everyday. You need to be able to decipher and question the intent behind an image. And with the arts being eliminated from our school programs, people aren't developing that skill.
Having access to the visual arts is about self-expression AND developing a form of literacy.
Who are some of your favourite artists? Who inspires you?
My favourite artists are also people who inspire me, such as Emory Douglas, Kerry James Marshall, Sister Corita Kent, Frida Kahlo, Malick Sidibe, and Nina Chanel Abney, among many others.
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Featured image by Danielle Finney, all other images courtesy of Andrea Pippins
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 'The New Face of Beauty: You'
By Oyin Akande
We are celebrating and you should be too. On Friday 21st, celebrated Nigerian writer and feminist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was announced as the commercial face of the new Boots No.7 campaign.
Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie. Photo by Akintunde Akinleye
Chimamanda, who already has several critically acclaimed novels under her belt, TED talks viewed by millions and millions and a phenomenal cult following that includes Beyoncé, Zadie Smith, Dior and something like the entire population of Sweden, has just taken on the redefinition of the beauty industry.
What is really great is what this means for you. As the face of a huge beauty campaign, Chimamanda makes accessible the rosy and impossible fantasy of the beauty industry:
"I think much of beauty advertising relies on a false premise – that women need to be treated in an infantile way, given a 'fantasy' to aspire to… Real women are already inspired by other real women, so perhaps beauty advertising needs to get on board", Chimamanda told Vogue in the November 2016 issue which is downloadable here. She challenges the ill-conceived unattainability of women represented in beauty campaigns, which leave the majority of women unrepresented and unable to relate. She has quite literally opened up the possibility that you- someone real- could be the next face of beauty.
What we really love though is that she has opened up a very public dialogue with feminism and make-up, two things long believed to be at odds. Where make-up has wrongly been understood to be a tool to hide yourself, Chimamanda is reclaiming it as a tool of precise autonomy over who you are and who you present to the world. Days before the campaign was announced, Chimamanda released an amazing feminist manifesto 'Dear Ijeawele', which you can view via her Facebook page. The campaign merges the voice of contemporary feminism with the face of a real woman and we love it.
Watch the No.7 Campaign Video:
We invited Chimamanda to our first ever blogpost- within the context of beauty and makeup- back in 2013 when we asked her to do the ThandieKay Q+A. We would never have imagined then that any make-up brand would use a grown-up woman of substance as a make-up ambassador let alone one of colour, and for such a mainstream, British brand. It gives us great pleasure to realise that little girls going into Boots will now see a magnificent role model, whose beauty is secondary to her wisdom, fearlessness and intelligence.
What is your earliest make-up memory?
Six years old, at my mother's wonderfully cluttered dressing table in Nsukka, trying on her very sticky lip gloss.
I feel most beautiful when…
I am in a good mood; I am fit and exercising regularly; I am wearing stable high heels; I have managed to do a flawless 'cat-eye.'
When you were a child, what was your Mother's beauty routine?
She moisturized her entire body very diligently. Ashy skin was unacceptable. I remember watching her after her bath, how she would reach across her shoulder, hand coated in cream, to get as much of her back as she could. She liked perfumes. There were heady scents in her bedroom. I remember the green POISON, the fawn CHLOE. She wore perfume to sleep. There was nail polish, powder compacts, eye pencils. She always wore tasteful makeup. My mother is one of the most beautiful people I know, and I thought so even as a child.
Is make-up a chore or a delight?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Thandie Newton at the Toronto Premiere of 'Half of a Yellow Sun' (2013)
It's become an absolute delight. I was once interested only in the most minimal makeup – colorless mascara, that sort of thing – but became more interested in make-up when I started using it to try and look a little older. I was so tired of being told I looked like a child. Now, I like to try new things, and I like the temporary transformation that make-up can bring.
Did your father refer to your Mother's beauty, and how?
Yes. "Nekene nne unu," he would say – "look at your mother!' – when my mother was all dressed for church on Sunday mornings, sequinned george wrapper on her waist, a sparkly blouse, a beautifully-structured gele on her head. She knew he thought she was beautiful, you could tell.
What's been your worst beauty mishap?
I once decided I wanted a funky afro. So I colored my hair in my bathroom, with three different color kits because the first two didn't quite show. The result was orange hair. But what brought despair was how dry and brittle my hair became.
If you could give one beauty gift what would it be?
A good facial moisturiser.
Where's the craziest place you've done your make-up?
In a narrow train toilet, although that was less crazy and more uncomfortable.
What would you like to see more of in the beauty industry?
A greater range of colors (and undertones) in foundations and tinted moisturisers. A greater awareness that dark-skinned women have enormous buying power and are as much interested in beauty as anyone else.
When was the last time your mascara ran, and why?
Some years ago in my hometown. It was very hot, I'd been outside for a while, and suddenly felt a gooey heaviness around my eyes.
Buy Boots' No.7 products here.
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Anopheles freeborni larval densities have been shown to have a positive association with plant cover, indicating that vegetation is a key characteristic of their larval habitats. This is reflected by the species' ready utilization of rice fields, although significantly higher numbers of adult An. freeborni are found in riparian and mixed habitats than in rice and pasture habitats.
Anopheles freeborni is reported to be an opportunistic feeder and host availability appears to be key in determining blood meal source. For example, An. freeborni females collected in cattle areas contained a high proportion of bovine blood when compared to sites of human habitation, near a rice production area, where no bovine blood was found but 35% of the sampled females had fed on dogs. This suggests that the species is zoophilic, although a preference is not always found. Resting mosquitoes have been collected from farmyard sheds, abandoned domestic animal shelters, house porches, artificial shelters, bridges and culverts, indicating an outdoor resting preference.
Anopheles freeborni is considered to be a dominant malaria vector species.


Love or hate Christmas it would be hard not to get into the spirit of festivity at one of the many European Christmas markets.
Over 2 million people visit every December to wander the six delightful markets with over 160 stalls offering something for everyone. Here Santa makes a daily visit aboard the floating market of MS Wappen. Markets are open from 25 November to 23 December.
This IS Christmas. Think snow, mulled wine, local stollen and other festive local delicacies as well as ample live music, over 200 stalls and plenty to do for the kids. Nuremberg is one of the best known Christmas markets in Germany dating back to 1628, many couple choose to leave our half hearted 'budget' Christmas and head for festive romance and one of the most charming places to visit at this time of year. Open between 1-24 December.
Not for those wishing to budget, these markets are set amongst the imperious surroundings of the magnificent former home of the Habsburg Empire. Vienna's markets welcome millions of visitors each year eager to soak up the atmosphere as well as sample the delights of the spiced mulled wine and Christmas treats. The market in front of the Town Hall with its intricately decorated trees is a photo must have, especially at night, there is also the Christmas Village of the market at Schoenbrunn Castle, or the historical market at Spittelberg. Wherever you decide chic Vienna will make sure you get the best start to the Yuletide festivities. The market is open from 16 November to 24 December.
Prague, famous for stag weekends of boozy men. At Christmas it is famous for one thing…it;s markets. Christmas in Prague is an exciting time, markets throughout the city host to concerts, theatres and even a petting zoo. The most popular market is on the cobbles of the Old Town square and here that you can stroll past the brightly coloured stalls with gifts including handicrafts, jewellery, clothes and plenty of hot food and warm drinks (the stronger the drink the warmer your body!) . This is a magical place to visit at Christmas and if you are lucky there may even be snow adding to the true Christmas feel. Open from 27 November through to the beginning of January.
This market has only been running for the last 6 years but has very quickly gained a reputation as a festive delight. A Mecca for arts and crafts fans as there are many handmade local arts and crafts on display. In the heart of Pest, Vörösmarty Square is transformed into a sea of colourful stalls to wander through until your feet tire when you can then take a seat and watch the central stage with a selection of shows, acts and concerts for you and the kids. Despite only being in existence for 6 years it is reckoned to be one of the most traditional markets to visit!
If you are thinking of taking a short or long break to visit Santa, drink mulled wine or just get downright festive, there are plenty of winter deals about as agents recover from a nightmare summer season of losses, delay, cancellations and ash cloud delays! Don't' forget to buy travel insurance, especially if you are thinking of Christmas shopping-you don't want all your hard earned cash and time lost in your suitcase by some baggage handler! So make sure your possessions and newly purchased gifts are insured and visit Holidaysafe.co.uk where you can get cover for European mini-break for as little as £4.00.


Northwestern unionization: How the National Labor Relations Board failed college football players to prop up the NCAA.
The National Labor Relations Board knows it, but is too cowardly to say so.
Officials from the National Labor Relations Board leave Northwestern University after football players voted to determine if they want to form a union, in Evanston, Illinois, on April 25, 2014.
The National Labor Relations Board unanimously ruled on Monday against a petition by football players from Northwestern University that sought to have them legally declared "employees" for the purpose of potentially unionizing. The NLRB refused the players' petition in a strange way—not by rejecting the argument that the players are actually employees, but by declining to exercise jurisdiction over the case. As many have noted, they essentially punted. The case has already done some good in pressuring colleges to do more for players, and the NLRB at least partially kept the pressure up by saying it wouldn't rule out looking at the issue again. But the board members could have, and should have, done their job and ruled that the players are employees. They failed.
Some quick background: Early last year the players filed a petition with the Chicago Regional Office of the NLRB, asking to be represented by the National College Players Association—but they could only go through with unionization if the players were employees. The regional director, Peter Sung Ohr, swiftly determined that they were. A union vote followed, but the results were impounded pending the appeal to the national Board. Now, the ballots will be destroyed so we'll never know how the players would have voted on whether to unionize.
Plenty of people, including me, thought the players had a strong case, and the regional director's decision was a convincing endorsement of that position. In a careful and thorough opinion, Ohr detailed the suffocating list of special rules that the football players must follow, and clearly demonstrated that the time commitments of these athletes is characteristic of a full-time job, not of a student who happens to play football. Ohr also detailed the enormous revenue that Northwestern's pigskin program produces—$235 million between 2003 and 2012.
According to the board's definition, an employee is any person "who performs services for another under a contract of hire, subject to the other's control or right of control." That pretty well describes the players, who receive scholarships, room and board, and other education-related payment for their on-field exploits. Ohr ruled accordingly.
The board accepted Ohr's factual findings, and didn't even disagree with his conclusion that the players met the definition of employees. Instead, it "assume[d], without deciding, that the … scholarship players are employees." Then it sent them away empty-handed anyway.
Since the authority for this "stability in labor relations" discretion is both broad and unspecified, it's rarely used. (In fact, the board's decision cites only one previous case where it's done so.) It's easy to see why. The NLRB is supposed to uphold the rights of workers. It can't do that if it turns away petitioners who are entitled to the protections of the National Labor Relations Act, as it did here. Could the board simply decline to consider whether steelworkers are employees? As a practical matter, of course not. So why did the board spend some capital on this shaky doctrine in this case? For a mix of practical and political reasons.
The board noted that there's something odd about a collective bargaining unit—the Northwestern football players—that represents only one team within its conference. In the Big Ten Conference, in fact, Northwestern is the only team that's part of a private school, and therefore subject to the board's authority. (State schools come under the aegis of state labor boards, not the NLRB.) The board also noted that since the filing of the petition, Ohio and Michigan enacted laws that, not incidentally, fence their "student-athletes" out of the "employee" category. So, anything Northwestern athletes could achieve in collective bargaining could not be emulated by their public-sector counterparts in other states. Asymmetry would result, with different terms and conditions of employment applying to similar athletes at different schools. There's something to this, but it's also true that something similar routinely happens in all kinds of industries. No one would think of denying the employees of a private school bus company the right to unionize just because their public-sector counterparts can't in states that don't allow public employees to collectively bargain.
The decision also seemed fearful of a "tail wagging the dog" problem. If Northwestern players achieved a certain reform, say, medical monitoring for life following a football career, there "would likely [be] ramifications" for the conference, and for the NCAA. The board doesn't really explain why that would be a bad thing, and it might not be. If the Northwestern players union was able to reduce the total number of practice hours per week, for instance, the possibility of a competitive disadvantage to the Wildcats might be countered by successful pressure on other Big Ten schools to follow suit. Either way, they'd at least have the ability to exercise their rights.
As for the political side of the equation: The NLRB conceded that it lacked any direction from the Hill in this case, but may have been spooked by noises coming from Congress that threatened to trump any decision that recognized college revenue-sports athletes as "employees." As the board learned from the fallout caused when it charged Boeing with retaliating against unionization in the Pacific Northwest, the conservative lawmakers who run the show aren't shy about threatening legislation to undo any ruling they don't like.
Two things should hearten the players and their supporters, though, at least a little. First, the board stated—several times—that it was declining jurisdiction for now, but not expressing an opinion on what it might do in the future. The suggestion was clear: If the NCAA, the Big Ten, and Northwestern don't continue to take steps to improve the lives of these money-generating athletes, the board might take a future case.
Second, the very filing of the petition has already triggered some positive changes—a development the board noted with approval. The NCAA now allows its wealthiest conferences more autonomy in making their own rules, and, as a result, the value of scholarships in some conferences has increased, and—more importantly—been guaranteed for a full four years, rather than the previous one-year guarantee. The Big Ten has also reformed its concussion protocols, in obvious response to one of the demands highlighted in the Northwestern players' initial publicity blitz.
An appeal might actually have a shot at success—a federal court could rule that the board doesn't have the right to pass on answering the question of such statutory rights. But no one's talking about appealing, so the case's lasting impact is likely to be added pressure on Northwestern, on other schools, and—critically—on the NCAA.
But the NCAA and the schools will continue to have tremendous power; the athletes, little. Just look at the way Northwestern's football coach, Pat Fitzgerald, carried water for the university by pressuring the athletes to vote no on the unionization. When it comes to football, colleges are no different from any other corporation seeking to beat back workers' efforts to speak with a collective voice.


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Pope Francis: the oceans and seas reflect God's...
Pope Francis: the oceans and seas reflect God's greatness
Hannah Brockhaus Sept. 1, 2018
Ocean, nature. (CC0 1.0)
Contemplating the grandeur of the ocean is also an opportunity to reflect on the goodness of God the Creator, Pope Francis said in a message for a day of prayer for the care of creation.
"It is our duty to thank the Creator for the impressive and marvelous gift of the great waters and all that they contain, and to praise him for covering the earth with the ocean," the pope wrote in a message Sept. 1.
"To ponder the immense open seas and their incessant movement can also represent an opportunity to turn our thoughts to God, who constantly accompanies his creation, guiding its course and sustaining its existence."
The pope's message was sent on the occasion of the fourth annual World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, which he established in 2015, shortly after the release of his encyclical on the environment, Laudato si.
The day takes place each year on Sept. 1. Francis' decision to institute the day is in keeping with themes expressed in the encyclical and is seen as a sign of unity with the Orthodox Church, which established Sept. 1 as a day to celebrate creation in 1989.
In 2017, the pope's letter was a joint message with Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
The theme of this year's day of prayer is "Water, particularly in two aspects: respect for water as a precious element and access to 'water as a human right.'" Water, Francis wrote, "is a very simple and precious element," yet access to it is difficult, or even impossible, for many people.
"In an evocative image, the beginning of the book of Genesis states that, in the beginning, the spirit of the Creator 'swept over the face of the waters,'" he said. "On this Day of Prayer, I wish first to thank the Lord for the gift of our common home and for all those men and women of good will committed to protecting it."
Today, care for the "treasure" of water is an inescapable "duty and genuine challenge," he said, noting the need for cooperation of men and women of good will in assisting God's ongoing work of creation.
Francis explained that Christians have a responsibility to care for the world's seas and oceans, and to keep them from being littered "by endless fields of floating plastic," which he called an "emergency" needing to be fought with active commitment.
"We need to pray as if everything depended on God's providence, and work as if everything depended on us," he said.
He also invoked prayers that water would be a sign of encounter between people, not separation. He also prayed for fisherman and sailors; politicians engaged in the issues of climate change and migration; and those who safeguard maritime ecosystems.
"Finally, let us be concerned for the younger generation and pray for them, that they may grow in knowledge and respect for our common home and in the desire to care for the essential good of water, for the benefit of all," he stated.
"It is my prayerful hope," he concluded, "that Christian communities may contribute more and more concretely to help everyone to enjoy this indispensable resource, in respectful care for the gifts received from the Creator, and in particular rivers, seas and oceans."
Read the latest local and global Catholic News.
Young people's activism is sign of hope for Earth, says Cardinal Turkson


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Home News Education LSMSA alumni return to spruce up campus
LSMSA alumni return to spruce up campus
Rusty Frioux ('94) kept busy cleaning benches
LSMSA
More than 100 Eagle alumni returned to the nest at the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts to put sweat equity back into the campus during the school's 12th annual Social Service Weekend over the weekend of July 6-8. Alumni from the classes of 1985-2018 painted parking lots, cleaned the dorms, constructed the school's Christmas parade float, pressure washed several of the buildings, recovered furniture, cleaned desks, worked on landscaping and more.
The 172 LSMSA alums and their families were joined by Rep. Beryl Amedée, R-Houma, for the second consecutive year. "LSMSA is not just a place. It's my family," said Kari Calhoun of Baton Rouge, class of 1998. Coordinators were Laura LeBlanc Bourque (1992) of Scott and Brittany Taraba (2007) of Swartz.
Catherine Credeur ('89) reupholstering chairs in LSMSA's Caddo Hall
Alumni and their families paid a $12 fee that covered meals and had the option of staying in one of the residence halls, Prudhomme Hall, at no cost. "My LSMSA experience shaped my life in a way and magnitude that nothing else ever has," said Stacy Carpenter of Haughton, class of 1992. "I want to play a part, however small, in the same thing happening for others."
It was a sentiment echoed by many other alumni, who also credit the school for changing their lives. "As each year passes, the profound impact this school has had and continues to have on my life becomes clearer and clearer," said Tanya Voorhees, of Gulfport, Miss., class of 1985.
A lot of work went into reupholstering these chairs.
Volunteers also provided childcare for returning families. While the alumni worked, their children did arts and crafts, science experiments, ran an obstacle course and more. "It isn't just about us … our kids have grown up with the other kids. They shine a little brighter when they all get back together," said Maggi Bienvenu, class of 1995.
LSMSA alumni and their families returned for Social Service Weekend
For school staff, it's not just about getting things done, but about seeing LSMSA alumni reconnect. "I think the most important benefit of SSW is to give our alumni a chance to return home and continue to contribute to the ongoing development of the school," Executive Director Steve Horton said. "We all feel good about giving back to those things that positively impacted us over the years. Service to LSMSA is a lot more than that — it not only allows us to walk the halls again, but it allows for a few days to unwind and reconnect with those who had such an impact on our developmental years."
Thorn LaCaze, Senior External Affairs officer/Summer @LSMSA director and Mike Huguet ('95) move in new mattresses.
The Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts is a public, residential high school for high-performing, highly motivated sophomores, juniors and seniors. Located on the campus of Northwestern State University, the school offers a unique living-learning environment for more than 300 students.
And the chairs are almost done!
Erica Durr ('05) cleaned windows
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Q: In winforms with a bindingNavigator bound to an empty datasource - how do I automatically add a record? am using EF Code first, and have a windows form with a bindingNavigator bound to a datasource.
The data entry textboxes are also bound to the datasource
I want it to work so that
When the user opens the form
if there are no records in the data source
then the form behaves as if the user had clicked the add button.
I have tried
private void PersonForm_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        if (bindingSource1.Count == 0)
        {
            bindingNavigator1.BindingSource.AddNew();
        }
    }
private void bindingSource1_AddingNew(object sender, System.ComponentModel.AddingNewEventArgs e)
    {
        e.NewObject = CreatePerson();
    }

 private Person CreatePerson()
    {
        var obj = new Person();
        obj.RowId = Guid.NewGuid();
        return obj;
    }

however the record selector stays disabled and when I click save in the navigator bar the new record does not save.

A: I found if I added the entity before setting the data source, the navigator behaved how I wanted
DbSet<Person> dset = Db.People;
bindingList = dset.Local.ToBindingList();
if (bindingList.Count == 0)
{
   var obj = CreatePerson();
   dset.Local.Add(obj);
}
 binding.DataSource = bindingList;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Hours are subject to change. Closing times may vary dependent on scheduling. Please contact the arena.
Monday to Thursday: open at 7 a.m.
Friday: open at 10 a.m.
The Little Blades Learn to Skate Program for children age 3 to 4 is available at this arena. You must register for this program. For more information visit our programs and lessons page.
Sundays 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Fridays, April 19 and 26 and May 3, 10 and 17 from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Monday, April and Wednesdays: 10 a.m. to 11 a.m..
Fridays 10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
Wednesdays 10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
View our shinny hockey fees.
Monday to Friday: before 6 a.m. (if arena is not open) and after 5 p.m.


There are N students in a class. Some of them are friends, while some are not. Their friendship is transitive in nature. For example, if A is a direct friend of B, and B is a direct friend of C, then A is an indirect friend of C. And we defined a friend circle is a group of students who are direct or indirect friends.
Given a N*N matrix M representing the friend relationship between students in the class. If M[i][j] = 1, then the ith and jth students are direct friends with each other, otherwise not. And you have to output the total number of friend circles among all the students.
Explanation:The 0th and 1st students are direct friends, so they are in a friend circle.
The 2nd student himself is in a friend circle. So return 2.
so the 0th and 2nd students are indirect friends. All of them are in the same friend circle, so return 1.


Thanks to the artist's receipt for £2/16/10 that resides in the Cobbe Collection, this portrait can be dated to 1757 when the sitter, Lady Anne, was approaching her fortieth year. She is shown wearing a blue dress with a floral bodice (most likely of Spitalfields silk) trimmed with blue ribbon, her ruff collar fill-in secured with a matching blue ribbon bow. Her powdered hair is upswept and topped with a pearl and lace head-dress.
Born in 1718, Lady Anne was the sixth daughter of Marcus Beresford, 1st Earl of Tyrone and his wife Catherine Power, Baroness de la Poer. She married William Annesley, 1st Viscount Glerawly with whom she had five children. Lady Anne died in 1770.
The portrait is signed SP by the artist and is housed in a later gilt-metal frame.
Simonneau (later known as Simon) Pine was the son of an engraver. He worked in Bath before moving to Dublin in about 1762. Signed portraits by Pine are rarely seen.


Features 8" (20cm) blued steel barrel, frame and cylinder.
Polished walnut grips with brass trigger guard. Overall length 13 3/4 " (35 cm). Weight 2 1/4 lbs (1.02 kg).
Euroarms Remington 1858 NMA Blue 6 1/2" Barrel Black Powder revolver.44cal.
Features 8" (20cm) blued steel barrel, frame and cylinder. Polished walnut grips with brass trigger guard.
Overall length 13 3/4 " (35 cm). Weight 2 1/4 lbs (1.02 kg).


I just found an invite the Joost beta test in my inbox. To summarize the experience in one word: AWESOME!
The user interface concept is just what you expect from a state-of-the-art service. Transparent overlay menues are nothing new, but it is good to see them used well. The channel navigation is great. The viewing experience in full screen is nice. Although most footage is not in HD.
I just got 16mbps DSL service from the pink giant (Deutsche Telekom), still I got several hick-ups watching footage.
The biggest issue with the current Joost service i found is that fast forward is not working. Apparently it should work to move the slider on footage that I already viewed, but that did not work either.
Fast forward on something I did not watch before is not supported right now, based on a comment in the Joost forum. Fast forward is an important feature. I hope to see this working in the next version of Joost.
There are also already short commercials featuring Eclipse and T-Mobile. They appear switching between shows. The Skype founders Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis announced that their new venture will be called Joost in January. In February they announced their first important content deal with Viacom.
You can apply for closed beta of Joost on their site.


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Q: iOS : UITableView - Adding columns to your table I'm looking to change the number of columns my tableview has without subclassing it. Any suggestions?

A: I think you can find your happiness here: http://usxue.is-programmer.com/posts/14176.html
With that you can create a Grid and have multiples columns

A: If you don't need to select individual columns the you could just subclass UITableViewCell to make it LOOK like it has more than one column.

A: Doing this without subclassing anything would need to be done as follows:
1) Place a UIScrollView in the view.
2) Put n amount of UITableViews embedded in the UIScrollView where n is the amount of columns desired.
3) Turn scrolling off in all of the UITableViews.
4) Make all of the UITableView frames equal to that UITableView's contentSize.
5) Set the UIScrollView's content size equal to the largest UITableView's frame.
I have not tested this because I would definitely recommend subclassing either UITableView or UITableViewCell, but this would be one way of doing it.


Russia and NATO have completely ceased cooperation. Cooperation has ceased both in military and civilian lines, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko.
Russia based company Rusal has announced a $200 million investment in Braidy Industries in Boyd and Greenup Counties. The company is the US' number two non-domestic supplier of prime aluminum. Rusal is set to supply Braidy with low-carbon aluminum for 10 years.
PM @narendramodi has been awarded Order of St Andrew the Apostle, the highest order of the Russian Federation.