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Updated on January 14, 2015 4:06am EST
China's economy rebounds in fourth quarter, 2012 weakest since 1999
China's economy regained speed in the final quarter of 2012, pulling out of a post-global financial crisis downturn that produced the slowest year of economic growth since 1999.
Evidence of a burgeoning recovery in exports, stronger than expected industrial output and retail sales, together with robust fixed asset investment, all signaled that Beijing's pro-growth policy mix has gained sufficient traction to underpin a revival without yet igniting inflationary risks.
Year-on-year growth of 7.9 percent in the fourth quarter beat a consensus forecast of 7.8 percent in a Reuters poll.
Full year growth of 7.8 percent was also just ahead of the poll's 7.7 percent call and comfortably ahead of the government's own 7.5 percent target, which just months ago seemed to some economists to be in jeopardy.
"It's kind of like a golden spot - stronger growth, but not strong enough to trigger a lot more inflationary concern. That's perfect for equity markets." said Dariusz Kowalczyk, Asia ex-Japan senior economist and strategist at Credit Agricole CIB in Hong Kong.
"What everybody wants is growth that's strong enough to give us peace of mind that revenues will increase and there is no hard landing risk, but not excessive, not strong enough to trigger inflation. And this is what I think we are getting. I'm bullish on China still."
Market reaction was generally upbeat, with Asian shares advancing and platinum and palladium following suit, while oil traders took the opportunity of data confirming the recovery to book profits after two sessions of steep rises.
China's new leaders must stabilize the economy this year to keep employment high while avoiding a surge in housing prices and inflation that could undermine reforms needed to overhaul the country's export-oriented growth model.
Without stability, incoming President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, who are set to be confirmed in March, have no chance of delivering a slew of reforms they say are needed to tackle a host of financial, industrial and income imbalances that threaten China's future.
China's statistics chief, admitting the country's wealth gap was "relatively large", released a recalculated indicator of economic inequality on Friday, the first time in several years that officialdom has addressed the sensitive issue head-on.
China's Gini coefficient stood at 0.474 in 2012, down from 0.477 in 2011 and from a peak of 0.491 in 2008, Ma Jiantang, the head of the National Bureau of Statistics, told reporters at a press conference on 2012 economic performance.
The index ranges from 0 to 1, with the 0.4 mark viewed by analysts as the point at which social dissatisfaction may come to a head.
INFLATION PREOCCUPATION
Quarter-on-quarter growth of 2.0 percent was below the market's expectation of a 2.3 percent rise, which was taken as a sign that the recovery's momentum is not strong enough to worry the authorities into pre-emptive action to snuff out any whiff of inflation - China's long term policy pre-occupation.
The People's Bank of China, which cut interest rates twice in mid-2012 and cut banks' reserve ratios (RRR) three times since late 2011, has since switched to short-term cash injections via open market operations to guide monetary policy, apparently wary of fanning price pressures or encouraging a property bubble.
The risk of policy tightening, however, does loom as growth gathers pace, leaving Beijing with a fine line to tread to ensure the recovery continues without reigniting speculative activity in the key area of real estate.
Data released alongside GDP numbers on Friday showed home prices extending a slow rise in December, with an average rise of 0.3 percent month-on-month in 70 major Chinese cities, the fifth month in the last six to show an increase, despite government efforts to temper prices.
Real estate investment, which accounted for 13.8 percent of China's gross domestic product in 2012, rose 16.2 percent last year from a year earlier and remains a key component of overall fixed asset investment - the cornerstone of Beijing's recovery strategy.
Annual fixed asset investment (FAI) growth was 20.6 percent in 2012, versus the 20.7 percent forecast in the Reuters poll.
"Typically FAI falls off at the end of the year - on average December FAI is 1 percentage point lower than November, but this time there was only a 0.1 percent edge off," said Ken Peng, an economist at BNP Paribas in Beijing, highlighting the strength of investment spending and the risk that it could be fuelling renewed speculation.
INVESTMENT SPENDING
Investment spending was the key near-term concern of Ren Xianfang, senior analyst at IHS Global Insight in Beijing.
"We have to watch the investment numbers especially because China has started (to put) controls on local financing, so this could limit fund raising and investment by local governments," she said.
"So far it's just talk, but if they implement measures like the sharp tightening in 2011 the impact on growth could be very substantial," Ren added, highlighting Beijing's policy dilemma.
Other data released alongside GDP showed industrial output grew 10.3 percent in December from a year ago, versus expectations of 10.1 percent.
Retail sales in December rose 15.2 percent on a year ago versus an estimated 14.9 percent in a Reuters poll.
A fourth-quarter recovery had been heralded by an acceleration in industrial output in October and November and a jump in exports in December, although some analysts believe last month's sharp expansion in trade could be a blip.
China's exports grew 14.1 percent last month compared with a year earlier, racing past market expectations of 4 percent and November's 2.9 percent pace.
Ting Lu, chief China economist at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch in Hong Kong, was confident that the data would not change the near term policy stance.
"Maintaining stable growth is the new leadership's key policy mandate in 2013," Lu wrote in a note to clients, adding that he expected a growth target of 7.5 percent to be adopted for 2013 and policy calibrated to delivering it.
"Pro-growth policies in 2012 will be extended into 2013, and big-bang stimulus will be avoided unless there is another global financial crisis. Within 2013, policy will likely be marginally tightened towards the second half of 2013 on concerns of rising inflation, rising home prices, investment overheating and financial system risks," Lu said.
(Additional reporting by China Economics Team; Writing by Nick Edwards; Editing by Alex Richardson)


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43. ceremonia rozdania Oscarów odbyła się 15 kwietnia 1971 roku w Dorothy Chandler Pavilion w Los Angeles.
Jack Martin Smith, Yoshirô Muraki, Richard Day, Taizô Kawashima, Walter M. Scott, Norman Rockett, Carl Biddiscombe – Tora! Tora! Tora!
Charles F. Wheeler, Osamu Furuya, Shinsaku Himeda, Masamichi Satoh – Tora! Tora! Tora!
James E. Newcom, Pembroke J. Herring, Chikaya Inoue – Tora! Tora! Tora!
Fred Karlin, Robb Wilson, Arthur James – "For All We Know"
Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer – "Whistling Away the Dark"
Riz Ortolani, Arthur Hamilton – "Till Love Touches Your Life"
Michel Legrand, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman – "Pieces of Dreams"
Leslie Bricusse – "Thank You Very Much"
Murray Spivack, Herman Lewis – Tora! Tora! Tora!
A. D. Flowers i L. B. Abbott – Tora! Tora! Tora!
Nick Bosustow – Is It Always Right To Be Here?
Tę stronę ostatnio edytowano 7 sie 2017, 22:27.


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b439bccd-1580-4359-baa2-694d47dc69dc
Series: Vengeance Trilogy Director: Park Chan-wook
"I'm a sort of scholar, and my field of study is you."
After the box office failure of his previous film, Park Chan-Wook worked hard with his next script to make something that would really draw people in. He cast two of South Korea's biggest stars to play the leads and based it on a successful manga comic, weaving a dark mystery together that was very operatic. And it worked! His 2003 film Oldboy was a huge box office success and garnered incredible praise for everyone involved. It also helped establish Park as a filmmaker of note. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we continue our series on Park Chan-Wook's Vengeance Trilogy with his film Oldboy.
We look at the nature of revenge taken in this film and how the truths of the characters contrast each other. We talk about the brilliant camerawork all through, notably the single-take hallway fight. We look at what Choi Min-Sik and Yu Ji-tae bring to the table as our protagonist and antagonist, and how there are definite comparisons to Oedipus and the Greek gods. We discuss the end of the film and how Park left it deliberately ambiguous. And we touch on the eating of live octopuses and why it can be deadly.
As crazy as this world is, it's a film that is fully invested in making it real. We had a great time watching it and have an even better time talking about it. Check it out and then tune in! The Next Reel — when the movie ends, our conversation begins.
Watch this film: Amazon • Netflix • Vudu
Old Boy manga
Also in Vengeance Trilogy:
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
← Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
Lady Vengeance →
March 29, 2018|2000s, 2003, Park Chan-wook, Vengeance Trilogy

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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FK Kolos Kovalivka (ukrajinski: ФК «Колос» Ковалівка) ukrajinski je nogometni klub iz sela Kovalivka u Kijevskoj oblasti. Trenutačno se natječe u Ukrajinskoj Premier ligi.

Povijest
Klub je osnovan 2012. godine te je do 2015. godine bio amaterski klub. Te godine osvojili su 3. mjesto u amaterskoj ligi te su postali profesionalni klub. Svoju prvu sezonu profesionalnog nogometa igrali su u Ukrajinskoj drugoj ligi tijekom sezone 2015./16. Te sezone postali su prvaci, stoga su promovirani u Ukrajinsku prvu ligu. Tijekom sezone 2018./19. osvojili su drugo mjesto, ostvarivši plasman u Ukrajinsku Premier ligu. Tijekom sezone 2019./20. osvojili su 6. mjesto čime su ušli u drugo kolo kvalifikacija za UEFA Europsku ligu 2020./21.

Uspjesi
Ukrajinska Prva liga
Doprvaci (1): 2018./19.
Ukrajinska Druga liga
Prvaci (1): 2015./16.
Nogometno natjecanje Kijevske oblasti
Prvaci (3): 2012., 2013., 2014.

Kolos u europskim natjecanjima

Vanjske poveznice
 Službena web-stranica

Kolos Kovalivka

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Tag Archives: nonfiction
Yarning with Mad Martha: Dumpling Cats
Posted on July 11, 2017 by gargoylebruce
Cheerio my dears! It's been quite a while, hasn't it, since we last sat down for a yarn so I am making up for that dearth of craft-related natter with a charming crochet book. Dumpling Cats: Crochet and Collect Them All! by Sarah Sloyer is a book of amigurumi patterns based on that popular app and game, Neko Atsume, or Kitty Collector for the non Japanese-speakers. We received a copy from Dover Publications via Netgalley and here's the blurb from Goodreads:
Waffles is a relaxed feline who loves to read, and Cheeks just can't get enough to eat. These fun-loving characters are just two of the 25 dumpling-shaped crochet cats in this whimsical collection. The cuddly crochet critters were inspired by the Pokémon™-like craze Neko Atsume, a game that enables you to attract cats to your backyard and "collect" them. Each little dumpling has a name and personality points that add up to big fun!
You don't have to be an expert to crochet and collect these adorable kitties — the patterns are suitable for crocheters of all skill levels. Easy-to-follow instructions are accompanied by full-color photos and simple drawings. The directions explain every stage, from ears to tail, and some of the patterns include accessories and costume items. Plus, there are bonus patterns for a cat bed, food bowls, and more!
As craft and pattern books go, this one is quite high spec. The patterns are clearly set out with extra pictures showing how to assemble the pieces, which is always helpful for those who like to see things step by step. Between the 25 kitty patterns are "bonus" patterns for accessories such as bowls and beds so crafters can provide a bit of comfort for their crocheted kitties. I jumped in with the pattern for Dusty, who is pictured on the left of the cover, but since the mini-fleshlings prefer Pokemon at the moment, I modified the ears and tail to make an Eevee instead.
The beauty of this book is that it is perfect for beginner amigurumists, because the patterns are simple to follow and result in a small plush that can be created in only a few hours. More importantly though, from an experienced crocheter's perspective, the patterns are basic enough that they provide a variety of good base shapes that can be modified, if you have the skills, thereby opening up a whole range of creatures that could be made. I'm already planning a Pikachu mod based on one of the plumper shapes.
Apart from the uses that I can see this having in terms of creating new spin-offs using these patterns, the book didn't entirely work for me because I prefer working with larger sized plushies. The small plushies produced here, that fit into the palm of your hand, aren't as forgiving when it comes to little mistakes that can be made here and there while following the pattern. Again though, the small sized pieces mean that a finished piece that looks pretty much like the picture is achievable for those new to the craft.
I can see myself coming back to this book to gain inspiration from the adorably squishy body shapes of the dumpling cats and I would definitely recommend it to beginners and more experienced amigurumists alike.
Yours in yarn,
ARC reviews Yarning with Mad Martha	amigurumi books cats craft crochet dover publications dumpling cats hobbies kitty collector neko atsume nonfiction pop culture yarning with mad martha
Bloomsbury Middle Grade Double-Dip: Dogs, Doctors and Doings for the School Holidays…
Seeing it's the school holidays here in sunny (always, always sunny) Queensland, you should probably let your hair down and grab a tantalising treat to accompany your perusal of today's double dip. Both of today's titles have been provided to us from Bloomsbury Australia for review.
First up, here's book five in the Marsh Road Mysteries series by Elen Caldecott, Dogs and Doctors, and here's the blurb from Goodreads:
The final title in the brilliant Marsh Road Mysteries adventure series by hugely popular children's author Elen Caldecott. For fans of the Laura Marlin Mysteries by Lauren St John.
Meet Piotr, Minnie, Andrew, Flora and Sylvie – the Marsh Road Mystery solvers.
Sylvie Hampshire is in hospital. She knows she's responsible enough to take control of her diabetes medication, but now she has to prove it on the hospital ward. She's only been there a couple of hours when Barry, a therapy dog, goes missing in suspicious circumstances. It's time to bring in the gang! With their detective senses on high alert, the five friends set out to find Barry, but the stakes soon become much higher than they thought. Have they finally met their match? Not if Sylvie Hampshire has anything to do with it!
…a fun and funny mystery featuring dogs, doctors, a mysterious entity known as The Whiter and five good mates untangling the mystery of a stolen therapy dog. Honestly, who'd steal a therapy dog? Well, that's what Sylvie and her friends have to work out! I hadn't read the first four books in this series but I had no trouble at all getting into this one. The relationships between the characters are explained neatly as they arise and the author doesn't waste time lumping backstory into the action to slow things down. The hospital setting makes this mystery stand out from the pack because it's different and has its own set of tricks and traps to foil well-meaning child detectives as they go about their detective business. The main characters all have their own strengths and character flaws that affect the investigation in various ways and the book even has some data sheets at the end showing each of the five kids' stats for those who may not be familiar with them.
…you're not a fan of meddling kids! The only thing that annoyed me slightly about this was Sylvie's initial attitude toward having to stay in the hospital for two nights for monitoring…but that's just the grown up in me being sensible and boring. Her reactions are perfectly age-appropriate and understandable if you're a kid.
Overall Dip Factor
While not the most riveting mystery there has ever been, Dogs and Doctors is a fun light read with two mysteries left out for the kids to solve. The ending is action packed enough to be a good payoff for the preceding detective work and Sylvie, as the main character, learns a thing or two along the way about being responsible and allowing others to come to the fore when needed. There was nothing in particular in the story that indicated to me that this was a "final" book of the series, which may leave long time readers of the series unfulfilled, but as a standalone read this ticked all the boxes for kids meddling in dangerous situations and coming out on top.
Next up we have Andy Seed's The Anti-Boredom Book of Brilliant Outdoor Things to Do, illustrated by Scott Garrett and just in time to combat the holiday chorus of "Muuuuuumm! I'm boooooooored!" Here's the blurb from Bloomsbury:
Say goodbye to boredom with this fantastic outdoor boredom buster book! From the hilarious Andy Seed, Winner of the Blue Peter Book Award 2015 for Best Books with Facts comes the fantastically busy Anti-boredom Book of Brilliant Outdoor Things to do.
The outdoors are boring right? Wrong! Not when you've got Andy Seed's Anti-boredom Book of Brilliant Outdoor Things to do! Suitable for all seasons, find out how to set bug traps, create a rainbow, construct an amazing summer slide and much, much more!
But what about those rainy summer days we hear you cry? Not a problem! This book also includes awesome indoor activities about the outdoors for rainy days. Design your own mini parachute, create the worlds most amazing frisbee, or create a bird feeder to keep your feathered friends well fed!
A brilliant book bursting with amazing outdoor activities that will have you running for the door! Packed full of hilarious illustrations from the wonderful Scott Garrett, this book will keep you entertained for hours on end!
…a comprehensive collection of ideas to keep the kids busy in the great outdoors. The book has ideas for all sorts of places, from the city to the beach, to the countryside to plain old indoors, so even if you're headed off on holiday somewhere, it would be a handy tome to bring along. The book is divided into the sections mentioned above, and lists a selection of activities for each environment as well as the things you'll need to complete them and tips or instructions for how to get the best out of whatever the activity is. As this is the book of outdoor things to do, activities range from kayaking around a lake to ball games to messy things to make and build. For those who love their devices, there are also some photo challenges to do as well as maps to look up if your mini-fleshlings can't go a day without looking at some sort of screen.
…you don't immediately want to be cajoled into hiking up the nearest hill or building a canoe out of twigs and shoelaces, I suppose. While many of the activities listed here will definitely keep the kids busy, a lot of them do require certain materials that may have the kids constantly asking, "Mum, where's the sticky tape? Where can I find coconuts? Why don't we have a limbo stick?" and so forth for the next two weeks.
There's definitely something for everyone in these pages and I particularly like that the end of the book has a list of "challenge" activities that require a bit more planning and, more often than not, the involvement of an adult or at least a small group of conspirators. Overall, I think this book is a great inspiration for those looking to develop more "unplugged" time as a family.
So there you are – an involving mystery and a bunch of outdoorsy things to do. You can thank me later for making sure your school holidays are busy and booked up.
ARC reviews Bruce's Book Reviews Double Dip	Bloomsbury Australia books children's books detectives double dip review fiction holidays kid's books kidlit kidnap middle grade mystery nonfiction outdoors pets reading series things to do
A Life in Death: Timely, Absorbing and Not for the Faint of Heart (or Stomach)…
Call me a ghoul if you like (a gar-ghoul?) but I have come, late in life, to a deep and abiding interest in the work of those who are employed in the field of death management. I just made that term up, but you get the idea. Funerary workers, forensic pathologists, police – it doesn't matter who, particularly, but I find the work they do fascinating and I find it helps a bit with acknowledging my own – and everyone else's – mortality. A Life in Death by Richard Venables, which we received from the publisher via Netgalley for review, deals with a specific subset of post-death work; Disaster Victim Identification, or the recovery and reunification of a deceased victim of a natural or human-caused disaster with the victim's next of kin. Here's the blurb from Goodreads:
Detective Inspector Richard Venables (QPM, rtd.) has helped identify thousands of bodies all over the world, piecing together fragments from tsunamis, transport and other disasters to return the victims to their loved ones.
A world-renowned expert in Disaster Victim Identification who was a member of the UK Police's Major Disaster Advisory Team, Richard's destiny was shaped in part by his presence as a uniformed sergeant at the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster.
In A Life in Death, Richard tells his extraordinary story, of how death came to be a key feature of his personal as well as professional life, as well as how he coped with the biggest challenge of his life: the 2004 Asian Tsunami, the deadliest event of its kind ever experienced by human civilization, claiming 230,000 lives.
Upon his retirement from the Police in 2006, Richard was awarded the Queen's Police Medal in recognition of his distinguished service. In A Life in Death, Richard takes us behind the scenes of extraordinary events, explaining with compassion and searing honesty the absolute necessity of his work, his life's passion.
As well as being an accessible and fascinating read, A Life in Death is, sadly, a particularly timely piece of work. Reading this, as I did, just a day after the terribly tragic Grenfell Tower fire in London and a mere few weeks after terrorist incidents in Manchester and London, really brought home the importance of the work that Venables and his ilk complete, off-putting though it may be to think about. In this tome, retired DI Richard Venables recounts his work in the police force in Disaster Victim Identification, from its early days in the 1980s, when those tasked with the recovery and identification of victims were often required to fly by the seat of their pants, so to speak, to the very recent past, by which time procedures had been created to ensure dignity for victims and their loved ones and the minimisation of mistaken identifications and psychological harm.
In case you should blithely stroll into this reading experience somehow unaware of what might lay within, this book graphically discusses corpses. And not just corpses – putrefecation, body parts separated from their owners, untimely and violent death, mass casualty events of the recent past, the raw grief of victims' families and the psychological scars that can come from working with death for a prolonged period. So there you are. You've been warned.
Having said that, it also deals with these topics in a respectful, non-gratuitous and dignified fashion. I appreciated the tone of the work, and much like Judy Melinek's excellent Working Stiff, being the memoir of a forensic pathologist up to and including the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack, the honest approach of the book allows the reader to absorb the technical information, feel moved by the human aspect of the work, yet never feel overwhelmed by the tragic nature of the cases being discussed. Venables frequently notes the difficulties that people who work with death can experience psychologically and champions the importance of workplaces providing support and appropriate assistance. Throughout the book it is also interesting to note ways in which this need for support has been written in to professional procedure, to ensure that workers receive that which they need.
Some of the unique problems discussed throughout the book include the difficulties with securing a scene or scenes immediately after a mass casualty event and the specific problems faced by those – be they emergency service workers or innocent bystanders – who arrive on the scene first. You will be stunned, I'm sure, as I was, by the completely preventable causes of some of the incidents and the unimaginable horror that one person's error or negligence can create. Similarly, the book touches on the thoroughness of the victim identification process and why this can cause upset for families of victims, due to delays that prevent families from having the death of their loved one confirmed.
Venables does a magnificent job of hitting the appropriate tone with a difficult and somewhat unpalatable topic. While never resorting to outright humour or jollity, he nevertheless acknowledges the odd juxtapositions that occur within his line of work. That while he loves his work and wants desperately to learn, practice his skills and improve the practice of disaster victim identification generally, to accomplish this requires mutliple people to die in unexpected and violent fashion with some regularity, for instance. Similarly, he recounts a situation in which he believed that he was about to die a remarkably ironic death in a plane crash, thereby becoming one of the victims requiring recovery and identification that he had always worked with.
I was so absorbed by this book and found it such an easy read that I knocked it over in two days. Since I was reading it amid reports of the Grenfell Tower fire, it was a bit of a surreal experience, but by the end I took some comfort in the fact that at the very least, the families and friends of those people who lost their lives in what will no doubt turn out to be an easily preventable tragedy, can be assured that the identification of the victims will be carried out with professionalism, in a way that respects the dignity of each individual, in spite of the shocking manner of their deaths.
Clearly, this book won't be for everyone but if you have an interest in emergency response and the workings of the post-life industry in its various roles, you might consider giving this a go.
Bruce's Book Reviews	books boxing day tsunami death disasters nonfiction police reading victim identification
A Collection of DNFs…
It's time for another round up of books I have recently lain aside. Given that I now have a default policy of not finishing books that I lose interest in, I unsurprisingly find that I DNF a lot more books than I did previously. I certainly don't feel guilty about this, but I do like to make you aware of some of these books because even though they didn't hold my attention, it doesn't mean they won't hold yours.
First up, we have Rotherweird by Andrew Caldecott which we received for review from Hachette Australia. Here's the blurb from Goodreads:
The town of Rotherweird stands alone – there are no guidebooks, despite the fascinating and diverse architectural styles cramming the narrow streets, the avant garde science and offbeat customs. Cast adrift from the rest of England by Elizabeth I, Rotherweird's independence is subject to one disturbing condition: nobody, but nobody, studies the town or its history.
For beneath the enchanting surface lurks a secret so dark that it must never be rediscovered, still less reused.
But secrets have a way of leaking out.
Two inquisitive outsiders have arrived: Jonah Oblong, to teach modern history at Rotherweird School (nothing local and nothingbefore 1800), and the sinister billionaire Sir Veronal Slickstone, who has somehow got permission to renovate the town's long-derelict Manor House.
Slickstone and Oblong, though driven by conflicting motives, both strive to connect past and present, until they and their allies are drawn into a race against time – and each other. The consequences will be lethal and apocalyptic.
Welcome to Rotherweird!
I started off very much enjoying this one but made the decision to lay it aside at chapter seven, after 133 pages. The narrative style was engaging, the characters quirky and there was a twist quite early on that I didn't expect that opened up a completely new direction for what I thought this book was going to be. By chapter seven though, I was having trouble keeping the characters straight and remembering exactly who was who and who was allied to whom and things were moving just a little too slowly to encourage me to keep on plodding away.
I do think this book has a lot of potential for presenting an original story, but I didn't have the concentration required at this point to make a framework for what was happening as I read. This one will definitely appeal to those who enjoy small-town intrigue, historical mystery and other worlds rolled into one.
Next, we have nonfiction zombie explanatory tome, Living with the Living Dead: The Wisdom of the Zombie Apocalypse by Greg Garrett, which we received for review from the publisher via Netgalley. Here's the blurb from Goodreads:
When humankind faces what it perceives as a threat to its very existence, a macabre thing happens in art, literature, and culture: corpses begin to stand up and walk around. The dead walked in the fourteenth century, when the Black Death and other catastrophes roiled Europe. They walked in images from World War I, when a generation died horribly in the trenches. They walked in art inspired by the Holocaust and by the atomic attacks on Japan. Now, in the early twenty-first century, the dead walk in stories of the zombie apocalypse, some of the most ubiquitous narratives of post-9/11 Western culture. Zombies appear in popular movies and television shows, comics and graphic novels, fiction, games, art, and in material culture including pinball machines, zombie runs, and lottery tickets.
The zombie apocalypse, Greg Garrett shows us, has become an archetypal narrative for the contemporary world, in part because zombies can stand in for any of a variety of global threats, from terrorism to Ebola, from economic uncertainty to ecological destruction. But this zombie narrative also brings us emotional and spiritual comfort. These apocalyptic stories, in which the world has been turned upside down and protagonists face the prospect of an imminent and grisly death, can also offer us wisdom about living in a community, present us with real-world ethical solutions, and invite us into conversation about the value and costs of survival. We may indeed be living with the living dead these days, but through the stories we consume and the games we play, we are paradoxically learning what it means to be fully alive.
I put this one down after 40% simply because I felt the author had done his job too well, and I had heard enough on the topic that I agreed with. The book highlights the ways in which the imagery of the undead often accompanies moments in history that trigger instability and a sense of doom. The book focuses on different aspects of the human experience that are highlighted by the zombie apocalypse narrative – the strength of community, for instance – and does this by examining the themes and events common to various iconic zombie-related pop cultural phenomenon of recent history. These include The Walking Dead, Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead and the satirical Shaun of the Dead. I imagine hardcore fans of these stories will get a new perspective as they watch after reading this book. Even though, of the shows featured, I had only seen Shaun of the Dead (and that a long while ago), it didn't hinder my engagement with the points the author was trying to make.
The author himself notes that he makes some of his points from a Christian perspective and while this didn't bother me particularly, it may not be to everyone's taste. The biggest problem I had with the book was that the author made his point so well during the introductory first chapter that I didn't really feel the need to read to the end of the book! If you have a burning interest in pop culture phenomena and how these influence and in turn, are influenced by wider world events, you should find something to keep you amused here.
Next is The Book of Whispers by Kimberley Starr, a historical YA fantasy novel that we received from the publisher via Netgalley. Here's the blurb from Goodreads:
Tuscany, 1096 AD. Luca, young heir to the title of Conte de Falconi, sees demons. Since no one else can see them, Luca must keep quiet about what he sees.
Luca also has dreams—dreams that sometimes predict the future. Luca sees his father murdered in one such dream and vows to stop it coming true. Even if he has to go against his father's wishes and follow him on the great pilgrimage to capture the Holy Lands.
When Luca is given an ancient book that holds some inscrutable power, he knows he's been thrown into an adventure that will lead to places beyond his understanding. But with the help of Suzan, the beautiful girl he rescues from the desert, he will realise his true quest: to defeat the forces of man and demon that wish to destroy the world.
When I requested this I remember thinking, "Should I?" and it turns out I probably shouldn't. I put this down at 11% simply because I felt there was too much telling, with a first person narrator, and not enough showing, and the narrative style was quite staid, as it often is with historical novels of this era. I was quite interested in the demon element, but after 10% of the story the demons haven't done anything except hang around and so my interest wasn't piqued in the way that it might have been. If you enjoy historical fiction set in the medieval era this may be more to your tastes than mine.
Finally, we have early chapter book Clementine Loves Red by Krystyna Bolgar which we received from the publisher via Netgalley for review. Here's the blurb from Goodreads:
It's the end of the holidays for Mark, Annie and Pudding (real name: Derek). They've
spent the summer in a cottage on the edge of a forest in the countryside, but they haven't had any really exciting adventures to tell their classmates back at school…
Until, on their final visit to see the Frog King of a nearby pond, they find a frightened young girl crying in the woods. The curiously named Macadamia tells them she has lost Clementine, and so the three children set out on a quest to find her.
But they are not the only ones looking for Clementine, and a storm is approaching, bringing with it a night full of surprises…
I've only just now noted that this story is actually a translation from the original Polish and that knowledge beforehand would have gone a long way to atoning for some of the oddness of the story. I put this one down after 37% simply because I was a bit bored and couldn't really be bothered ploughing on to the end. The story is straightforward enough, though the translation has rendered the narrative style a bit too offhandedly, in that the characters don't seem particularly invested in finding the mysterious "Clementine" or even having discovered a kid named Macadamia in the woods.
The illustrations are simple line drawings and didn't add much to my reading experience. I think this was just a case of reader and story not matching up and I'm sure others will enjoy this lighthearted adventure.
So there you are: four books that I decided not to finish. Have you read any of these? Do they sound like they might be your cup of tea? Let me know!
Bruce's Book Reviews DNF Reviews and Roundups	books did not finish DNF fantasy fiction hachette historical fiction humour middle grade fiction nonfiction reading Translation zombies
Fi50 Reminder and an Inspirational Early Chapter Book
It's that time of the month again – Fiction in 50 kicks off on Monday! To participate, just create a piece of fiction or poetry in fewer than 51 words and then add your link to the comments of my post on Monday. For more information, just click on that snazzy typewriter at the top of this post. Our prompt for this month is…
Ballerina Dreams: A Tale of Hope, Hard Work and Finding Your Groove…
Ballerina Dreams by Michaela & Elaine DePrince. Published by Allen & Unwin, 24th May 2017. RRP: $14.99
The world of early chapter books seems to have expanded greatly since I was a youngling and nowadays there are a plethora of beautifully presented, exquisitely formatted, engaging and accessible stories out there for newly confident readers. Ballerina Dreams: A True Story by professional ballet dancer Michaela DePrince and her adoptive mother Elaine is one such story. We received our copy from Allen & Unwin for review and here's the blurb from Goodreads:
At the age of three, Michaela DePrince found a photo of a ballerina that changed her life. She was living in an orphanage in Sierra Leone at the time, but was soon adopted by a family and brought to America. Michaela never forgot the photo of the dancer she once saw, and decided to make her dream of becoming a ballerina come true. She has been dancing ever since, and after a spell as a principal dancer in New York, now dances for the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam.
Beautifully and gently illustrated by Ella Okstad, Ballerina Dreams is the younger-reader edition of Michaela DePrince's highly moving memoir, Hope in a Ballet Shoe.
Not being a particular fan of ballet, I was a bit trepidatious going into this book, but I was drawn in by the young, brown-skinned girl on the cover. I happen to have some familial ties with a fantastic blog called FleshTone, that promotes representation of all skin colours in all areas of everyday life, from underwear to toys and beyond. FleshTone, driven by its founder, Tayo Ade, has a particular focus on dancewear for darker skinned performers, because bizarrely, despite the fact that there must be thousands upon thousands of non-white people involved in dancing worldwide, production of flesh-coloured dancewear to suit such people is hard to find. I immediatley wondered, while reading this book, whether Michaela DePrince has trouble finding flesh-coloured dancewear to suit her fleshtone…but I digress. Back to the book.
Ballerina Dreams is the early reader version of DePrince's memoir Hope in a Ballet Shoe. DePrince herself hails from Sierra Leone, where she lived in an orphanage after her parents were killed in the war there. Adopted by Elaine DePrince, along with her best friend and several others from the orphanage, Michaela moves to the USA with her new family and is able to pursue the dream she has fostered since finding an abadoned magazine with a picture of a dancer on the front: to learn ballet.
The story touches briefly on DePrince's struggles as a dark-skinned dancer in a world in which such dancers are scarce, before ending on her accomplishments as a professional dancer and her desire to inspire and encourage other young people of colour to pursue their dreams with hard work and patience.
The book is beautifully presented, with large print and colour illustrations throughout, appearing both as full page spreads and wrapped around sections of text. As such, the story will be accessible for young readers as both a read-alone or a read-aloud with an adult. It's wonderful to see that books – and particularly nonfiction books – highlighting individuals from diverse backgrounds are being published for this age group.
I would highly recommend this engaging tale for young fans of dance and those who enjoy true stories told in accessible ways.
I'm submitting this book for the Popsugar Reading Challenge in category #32: a book about an interesting woman. You can check out my progress toward the challenge here.
ARC reviews Bruce's Book Reviews Fiction in 50	allen & unwin ballerinas ballet biography books children's books diverse characters diversity early chapter book illustrated kid's books kidlit narrative nonfiction nonfiction people of colour reading refugees true stories
Shouty Doris Interjects during…Into the White: Scott's Antarctic Odyssey
We're seeing less and less of Doris lately, but I'm happy to say that everybody's favourite grouchy ill-tempered opinionated granny person is joining us today to discuss Into the White: Scott's Antarctic Odyssey by Joanna Grochowicz. It's a re-telling in narrative non-fiction style of Scott's ill-fated mission to be the first to reach the South Pole and we received our copy for review from Allen & Unwin. Here's the blurb from Goodreads:
Together, they have taken on the greatest march ever made and come very near to great success; never giving up, and never giving up on each other.
This is the story of Robert Falcon Scott's Terra Nova expedition to Antarctica and the memorable characters, who with a band of shaggy ponies and savage dogs, follow a man they trust into the unknown.
Battling storms at sea, impenetrable pack ice, maneating whales, crevasses, blizzards, bad food, extreme temperatures, and equal measures of hunger, agony and snow blindness, the team pushes on against all odds.
But will the weather hold? Will their rations be adequate? How will they know when they get there? And who invited the Norwegians?
Into the White will leave you on the edge of your seat, hoping against hope that Scott and his men might survive their Antarctic ordeal to tell the tale.
Into the White: SCott's Antarctic Odyssey by Joanna Grochowicz. Published by Allen & Unwin, 26th April, 2017. RRP: $14.99
I only knew the bare bones of this tale of epic adventure –
Epic idiocy, you mean.
Yes, welcome back Doris.
As I was saying, before reading this book I only knew the absolute basics of Scott's mission. Actually, to be honest, I only knew about the very ending bit, with Oates' famous, "I'm going out for a walk" quote and Scott's subsequent death from hunger and exposure-
His death from the crushing weight of his own egotism, you mean.
Thanks Doris.
…so finding out about the events leading up to the bit I knew about was both fascinating and completely baffling.
There you are, you got to the nub of it in the end.
So you agree with me, then, that this is essentially a story about a group of blokes on a boys' own adventure who were supposed to be undertaking proper scientific research but decided to pick out pack ponies based on the colour of their hides? Doesn't sound very scientific to me, deary, and look where that got them! Dead in the snow. Them AND their unscientifically chosen ponies!
Yes Doris, I do have to agree with you there. There was a certain sense of frustration that characterised this story right from the very beginning, although this had nothing to do with the writing of the story and everything to do with the facts. The very first page tips you off, in case you know nothing about the mission, that Scott's story doesn't have a happy ending, but to discover the bizarre, avoidable and beginner-level mistakes that were made on the journey –
by a third-time Antarctic adventurer no less…
-Quite! – made reading this feel like wading through snowbanks while wearing a wet-suit and flippers and dragging a massive box of rocks behind you.
Enough of this shilly-shallying.
Let's cut to the chase.
If you want to spend 250+ pages scratching your head, shouting "Turn back you imbeciles!" and hoping everyone gets sucked into an ice chasm, before finding out that it was all for nowt as the Norwegians beat them to it, this is the book for you.
I will admit that I did end the book wondering why Scott's epic failure has been so lovingly recorded while Amundsen's story – the leader of the Norwegian expedition that started closer, covered less dangerous terrain, and ultimately resulted in the first flag-planting at the South Pole – has been ignored.
It's because people like to read about people dying in horrible conditions with their toes frozen off. It's called Schadenfreude.
You may be right there, Doris.
To focus on the actual writing for a moment, as opposed to the historical event itself, while I found the information quite interesting, the narrative style felt a tad detached for my liking. This may have been deliberate, in that it certainly contributes to the atmosphere of a long, fruitless slog toward ultimate failure and death, and also allows the reader to avoid becoming too attached to characters that will eventually die, but all in all reading this felt like more of a history lesson and less like something I would read for enjoyment at times.
The book contains chapter heading illustrations throughout and also features actual photographs from the expedition in the centre. These were a great touch and added the needed link with the reality of the conditions under which the expedition was labouring to bring the story to life a little more. At the end of the book a collection of appendices includes short descriptions of Scott's prior attempts on the South Pole alongside Earnest Shackleton, as well as as Shackleton's later, unsuccessful Antarctic mission. A short section on Amundsen's expedition is included here too, which I found most interesting.
If you know any young history buffs in the upper middle grade and YA age bracket –
Or people who enjoy a good dose of Schadenfreude, while reading about people dying in horrible conditions with their toes frozen off…
-you might recommend Into the White. I can't say I really loved reading it because although the story itself contains plenty of action and setbacks that should have kept me interested, I got caught up in the epic folly of so many of the decisions that were made along the way that resulted in the men's deaths. And I just can't get over their whoppingly unscientific choice of pack pony.
Any final thoughts, Doris?
Needed more women in it to tell the blokes how ridiculous they were being.
Thanks for that Doris.
I'm submitting this book for the Popsugar Reading Challenge under category #14: a book involving travel. You can check out my progress toward all my challenges for this year here.
ARC reviews Popsugar Reading Challenge 2017 Shouty Doris Interjects!	animal stories Antarctica books death and dying epic fail history narrative nonfiction nonfiction reading scientific exploration Scott shouty doris
Picture Book Perusal: Do Not Lick This Book
Today's book will have you running the gamut from "Oooh, that's fascinating!" to "Bleeeeuuuuuuuuurrrrggh!" in a jolly and mildly nauseating romp around the world of microbes and their living environments…on your teeth, on your skin, in your intestines, inside this book, on your shirt….
We received a copy of Do Not Lick This Book by Idan Ben-Barak and Julian Frost from Allen & Unwin for review and here's the blurb from Goodreads:
Min is a microbe. She is small. Very small. In fact so small that you'd need to look through a microscope to see her. Or you can simply open this book and take Min on an adventure to amazing places she's never seen before—like the icy glaciers of your tooth or the twisted, tangled jungle that is your shirt. The perfect book for anyone who wants to take a closer look at the world.
Do Not Lick This Book by Idan Ben-Barak & Julian Frost. Published by Allen & Unwin, 26th April 2017. RRP: $19.99
This is a bright and intriguing gem of a book that blends actual electron microscope imagery with cute cartoons and hilarious text to create a fascinating and mind-expanding look into the world of microbiology. Readers are first introduced to Min (a microbe) and encouraged to touch the page to pick Min up and take her on a journey to discover other microbes that may be in your local environment.
And by local environment, we mean on your actual person. Inside your mouth. On your clothes. On the paper of the book you're holding. That kind of local.
Each new environment is accompanied by a double page image taken by an electron microscope and these we found absolutely fascinating. Who would have thought paper looked like a collection of discarded mummy bandages from Min's point of view?Or that the surface of your teeth resembled something planetary from Doctor Who? These images are absolutely going to blow the minds of young readers and I can't wait to watch the reactions of the mini-fleshlings in the dwelling when they get their paws on this book.
The microbe characters share some hilariously mundane dialogue throughout the book and as the story continues, the reader picks up different types of microbe, so that by the end of the book you've had a good overview of different types of microbes in different environments. The "Bleeeeeurrrgh!" aspect that I mentioned came right at the end of the book for me, as I read the handy little fact sheet that shows what the microbes, rendered as cartoons in the story, actually look like and we find out that Min is actually an E. coli.
I was totally absorbed by this little book (*as an aside, I find that I'm enjoying kiddy science books far more than I ought to, given that I am an adult*) and I'm certain that this will be a smash hit for young science buffs and a rip-snorter of a classroom read-aloud. For these reasons, we have branded this book a….
Top Book of 2017 pick!
If you, or any mini-fleshlings of your acquaintance have an interest in science – or just general grossness and interactivity in picture books – you MUST check out Do Not Lick This Book.
ARC reviews Bruce's Book Reviews Picture Book Perusal Top books of 2017	Australian author books children's books electron microscope germs illustrated kidlit microbes microbiology nonfiction picture book picture book persual reading science top book of 2017 pick


Introducing our newest kit … A Do It Yourself, Real Cherry Wood Home décor sign! This Welcome sign is affordable and a great way to get introduced to our Real Wood paper. Everything you need to assemble this sign is included in the kit.
Once assembled this Welcome sign is very versatile and will coordinate with many great everyday, fall and holiday décor ideas!
Real wood 'Welcome' home décor sign. Kit comes with 1- 8″ x 18″ roll of Real Cherry Wood paper, 1- 8″ x 18″ chipboard sheet, twine, vinyl sheet with applicator and instruction sheet. This kit is available for purchase for $11.99 in our online store.
Apply Real Cherry Wood to chipboard backer.
Place vinyl Welcome Home Sweet Home artwork to Real Cherry Wood sign.
Rub back of transfer sheet onto Real Cherry Wood with wood stick. Make sure to rub each letter for better adhering.
Gently remove the transfer sheet from vinyl making sure all of the vinyl artwork is stuck to the Real Cherry Wood.
Check over sign to be sure each letter and piece of vinyl has adhered to the Real Cherry Wood.
Remove any air bubbles from vinyl with a straight pin.
Punch 1/8″ holes on the top left and right corners of the assembled welcome sign.
Measure desired length of twine and attach to sign. Your sign is ready for display.
This entry was posted in Crafts & Kits and tagged Cherry Wood Sign, DIY kit, Home Sweet Home, Welcome Kit.


Mike's website has been hacked! Help him defeat the viruses, phishers, and Trojan horse before they ruin everything.
Your friends need rescuing! They're going to meet offline—unless you stop them. Get ready to run!
Will they never learn? Keep your family and friends from sharing too much online by stopping that post…again!
Speed through the levels and dodge enemies in order to stop your friends' and family's embarrassing posts!
Tad wants to keep his gossipy classmates from sharing his personal information. Help him clean up his profile. Put everything into the privacy vault and become a Privacy Guru.


Autumn is my favourite time of year when it comes to fashion. I love the colours, I love being cosy, I love it all. Despite not really be able to afford it at the moment (moving house is expensive!) I decided to have a look through the new in section on ASOS and share with you my favourite picks.
Links to all the items mentioned can be found beneath the photos. Please note, the links in this post are affiliate links. This means I'll make a small commission if you purchase through my links. It doesn't cost you anything extra and it really helps me out, so if you do decide to purchase due to my recommendation I would really appreciate you doing so through my links!
I absolutely LOVE mustard yellow, quite frankly I wear it all year round but I especially love it in the Autumn. I'm also a big fan of chunky knits so this jumper is basically the stuff of dreams for me. I like to wear oversized jumpers like this tucked into skinny jeans with a statement belt. I already own a couple of mustard jumpers but there's always room for more, right? Plus at £20, I think it's a great price.
I have wanted a pair of Dr Marten boots for as long as I can remember, specifically a pair in the cherry red colour so autumn seems like the perfect time to pick them up! The only thing i'm not keen about with these ones is the super chunky sole. Personally at 5"9 I don't really feel like I need any extra height. They are also quite pricy at £165 but I see Dr Martens as an investment piece and know they will last me for years! It's my birthday in a few weeks so i'm tempted to treat myself to them as a birthday present, but will keep hunting around a bit longer until I find the perfect pair.
I desperately wanted a teddy coat last year but just never got round to purchasing one. I left it too late and then all ones I liked were sold out. There are so many different multi-coloured versions of these coats out there now in all different styles but my personal preference is a more simple design in the classic light brown colour. It has a quilted lining which is going to keep you warm as the temperature drops, and it has real pockets which we all know is a winner! Plus because its from New Look, it's a pretty decent price point compared to the ones from Topshop and Zara.
We've already established that i'm a big fan of mustard, and i'm also a fan of tartan print at this time of year so as soon as I spotted this mustard tartan print dress I knew it had to be mine. I love how the model is wearing it with a roll neck underneath, it would also looks great paired with some tights and boots so can still be worn as the temperature drops. Plus it's an absolute bargain at £15.99. Despite this blog post being a wish list, I think it's safe to say that this will be in my basket before long!
I've already mentioned my love for tartan but this gorgeous red and navy pair of trousers basically just screams Autumn/Winter to me! They're from Warehouse and are a little pricer than I'd usually like to pay for such a statement piece at £42, but I could imagine myself styling these in so many different ways. I know Primark are also selling similar trousers at the moment if you want to get the same look for a lower price point.
I would style these with a grey thin knit roll neck, or a black chunky knit jumper. Perhaps even with a t-shirt tucked in and an oversized cardigan too. Essentially what i'm trying to tell you is that there are so many ways to wear these trousers!
I am a big fan of pinafore dresses, I actually think I already own three! But of course they're all totally different and therefore it would be acceptable to own another one - right? This rust colour is just perfect for Autumn! It would also work really well as a transitional piece; while the weather is still milder you could get away with wearing it with a thin knit roll neck underneath and perhaps even bare legs. Then when the temperatures start to drop pair it with some thick tights and a chunky knit to make sure you stay warm! It also has that all important button feature which has been a massive trend recently and one that I have definitely embraced.
I realise that T-shirts aren't exactly the most autumnal thing you can get, but when I saw the colour combination of this one it just had to go on my wish list! If you watch my hauls on YouTube you'll already know that I'm a big fan of yellow/mustard. Mix this with the rust, black and white stripes and you've got this gorgeous Pinkie t-shirt. It's also an absolute steal at £7.99! This piece might not work as well when temperatures really start to drop but in the mean time it would look great tucked into some high waisted jeans with a chunky cardigan or denim jacket over the top.
As i'm sure we all know, chunky knits are just essential at this time of year. It's easy to slip into the habit of wearing lots of very similar jumpers though. I love how different this one is with vertical ribbing across the body of the jumper and bobble textured sleeves. It is a bit pricer at £46 from River Island but I definitely think its worth it for such a unique piece. Plus i've owned a few RI jumpers before and they've always lasted really well so I definitely don't mind paying that little bit extra for good quality. I also (surprisingly) don't own any grey jumpers! I think this is because I usually go for my classic 'autumnal' colours so I'm definitely in need of a staple like this in my wardrobe.
I never used to be a fan of green, but over the last couple of Autumns it has really grown on me. This coat basically resembles a duvet and I think that's why i'm drawn to it - who doesn't want to feel like they're wearing a duvet when they're leaving their house on a winter morning wishing they were still in bed?! It's £60 which I personally don't think is a bad price for what looks like a great coat.
Which of these pieces is your favourite? Let me know in the comments!


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Home / Internationals / Ancelotti praises Anelka
Ancelotti praises Anelka
in Internationals, Manager News June 4, 2010 Comments Off on Ancelotti praises Anelka
Image Credit: Newscom
Nicholas Anelka has always been viewed as a sulk. Be it from his days at big clubs like Arsenal or Real Madrid, or small clubs like Bolton and Fenerbahce. But he has worked very hard to shake off that image ever since he moved to Chelsea in a £15 million deal back in January 2008. He is working harder than ever and doesn't complain when he is asked to play a different role to the central striker in which he is most comfortable with. That has bought him the praise of Carlo Ancelotti ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Anelka was frozen out of international selection until recently, when his recent displays for Bolton and Chelsea have brought him back in favour of selection. When he signed for Chelsea, many expected him to leave the club soon, but
such has been his level of performance that he has managed to become a regular in Chelsea's starting line-up.
Ancelotti has said that, Anelka and Malouda have been the most improved players from him last season. He said,
"He is very intelligent on a tactical level. Nicolas likes to touch the ball, and be in the centre of the game. Even if Nicolas is good anywhere, I believe his best position is centre forward. He is reliable both as a player and as a man. He never betrayed me. He is very professional: I believe he is one of the very few players who never came in late to training sessions this season at Chelsea. When I came to Chelsea, he was one of the players I knew the least along with Florent Malouda. But by the end, they were my two biggest satisfactions."
France kick-off their world cup campaign against Uruguay on 11th June and going by current form, it can be assumed that Anelka will be starting the match. France's record goal scorer, Thierry Henry isn't the same player anymore and Anelka is the man expected to fill his boots. France recently switched to a 4-3-3 formation with Anelka as the lone striker, flanked by two wingers, one of whom might be another Chelsea player, Malouda. Anelka has scored 15 goals for Chelsea this season. While he may have not been prolific unlike the season before when he was the golden boot winner, his goals this season have been very crucial in Chelsea's double trophy haul this season.
France after a miserable Euro 2008 will be hoping for a better tournament this time around with the help of his goals. Can Anelka make it a treble winning season personally?
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Smoking is bad for you. You've heard it a million times but now, under the influence of family pressure and common sense, you let that truth sink in and finally decide to give up smoking for good. You throw your last pack away and bravely make it through the first day. The next day comes, and you start experiencing headache and nausea, irritation keeps building up, and you see no harm in smoking just a single cigarette, offered by a colleague during the lunch break at work.
Although it doesn't apply to everyone, this is a sad reality for many people. Smoking is normalized in modern society, and quitting is often viewed as a matter of will. Failure to stop smoking on the first try can make a person feel ashamed and discourage them from repeating the attempt. However, overcoming nicotine addiction is no small feat that frequently requires the use of medications and professional assistance in order to be successful. Here are some guidelines to help you create your withdrawal plan.
Smoking is surrounded by many misconceptions and stereotypes that lead to unreasonable expectations. As a result, people frequently fail to quit, because they do it in a radical way that rarely works. Reading up on the problem can help avoid disappointment and reduce the time needed to break this habit.
Whether it's regular Marlboro, an e-cigarette, or a pipe, there are subtle differences in the composition of their contents and the ways they are used. Hence, it makes sense to research your device as popular e cigarette brands use different technologies. For instance, pipe smokers tend to refrain from inhaling the smoke, which forces nicotine to take longer to reach the brain and contributes to higher rates of oral cancer than in those who smoke cigarettes.
Nicotine is a highly addictive chemical that can be found in tobacco. When inhaled, it reaches the brain via the bloodstream within 10 seconds. Once there, nicotine triggers the release of various hormones and neurotransmitters like adrenaline and dopamine.
Adrenaline ensures that your body's reactions are most effective in stressful situations through increasing your heart rate and blood pressure, making your breathing more rapid and releasing the excess glucose into the bloodstream. At the same time, nicotine reduces the level of insulin, responsible for processing sugar. Consequently, a high level of blood sugar results in reduced hunger and increased energy.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that regulates the feelings of pleasure and motivation. It is an essential part of your biological reward system. When dopamine receptors in the brain register the increase in the level of this chemical, they send a signal to the orbitofrontal cortex, an area responsible for decision making. When nicotine causes the release of dopamine, the brain recognizes the pleasurable experience and urges you to repeat it. This is how addiction begins.
When you quit smoking, you disrupt a newly formed pattern in the brain, which results in withdrawal symptoms, cravings and mood disorders. Basically, your body begins perceiving the presence of nicotine as something natural, and it takes time for it to readjust to its normal state.
Contrary to popular belief, smoking isn't something you should bring to a halt all at once. A more gentle approach is not only likely to work better, but it allows you to see the benefits of quitting sooner and encourages you to stay tobacco-free. Therefore, receiving small doses of nicotine for a certain amount of time after you quit is, in fact, beneficial.
Nicotine replacement therapies provide a way to ingest nicotine without having to encounter tar, carbon monoxide, ammonia and over 4000 other chemicals contained in cigarette smoke. It's possible to deliver doses of nicotine through skin patches, gum, prescription-only nicotine inhalers, and nasal sprays.
In addition, these days, it's impossible to talk about smoking without mentioning electronic cigarettes. An e-cig uses heating rather than combustion to produce e-vapor instead of smoke and thus eliminates the majority of negative impacts that cigarettes have on the body. A nicotine-containing electronic cigarette can have both beneficial and detrimental effects, depending on whether it's used by those trying to quit or non-smokers. However, it certainly presents fewer health risks than conventional cigarettes.
Emotional dependence is one of the few things nicotine replacement therapies can't tackle. To quit successfully, it's important to deal with the causes that led a person to start smoking in the first place. Those can be extremely diverse and vary from experimentation and being peer-pressured into it to attempting to manage such mental conditions as anxiety or depression with cigarettes.
In the first case, it is important to remember that triggers won't go away when you quit. You will be presented with lots of opportunities to return to smoking, and it won't always be possible to avoid high-risk situations. Therefore, learning to say "no", both to yourself and other people, is a valuable skill that will help you stay smoke-free. Besides, in many places, smoking is accepted as a way of socializing, and confronting the need to light a cigarette just to fit in your current environment can be a surprisingly hard thing to do. If you feel like you lack the necessary skills to cope with stress and triggering situations, there are support groups for quitters, telephone- and online-based programs and counseling to assist you.
On the other hand, if you took up smoking because on an underlying mental problem, it is best to consult with your doctor and determine your next steps together. While quitting is still possible using the conventional methods, the tendency to manage your condition through self-destructive habits won't disappear with the desire to smoke.
One way or another, quitting is always beneficial. Your body starts healing within just 48 hours of staying clean, and the risks of developing major health conditions connected to smoking, including stroke and coronary heart disease, drop back to those of non-smokers between 5 and 15 years after you quit. Although many people slip and smoke again, with the right planning, sufficient support, and determination, you can stop smoking once and for all.
Thanush Poulsen is a columnist form Denmark who focuses on the healthy lifestyle and its popularization. By depicting the negative sides of bad habits, Thanush tries to raise people's awareness of the lifestyles they lead.


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David Mansfeld ist der Name folgender Personen:

* David von Mansfeld (1573–1628), deutscher Adliger, Graf von Mansfeld
 David Mansfeld (Mediziner) (David Magnus Mansfeld; 1796–1863), deutscher Mediziner und Stiftungsgründer

Siehe auch:
 David Mansfield (* 1956), US-amerikanischer Komponist und Musiker


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MP hosts successful University Fair with Whitmore High School
Gareth Thomas MP and Sue Hammond, Head teacher of Whitmore High School at the University Fair
Harrow West MP Gareth Thomas and Whitmore High School host successful third University Fair
The University Fair is the only event in Harrow's calendar where local state schools have the opportunity to engage with 30 of the UK's leading universities, including Oxford and Cambridge. This year, representatives of Harvard and Yale were also present.
Hundreds of students and parents were in attendance this year for an event which played host to representatives from 30 universities, and for the first time, a series of key speakers covering the application process to Oxbridge, studying Medicine/Dentistry, Student Finance, STEM Careers and Degrees via apprenticeships (sponsored degrees).
Prior to the event's launch three years ago, Harrow students and parents did not have an opportunity to meet representatives from the country's most prestigious universities in Harrow.
Local MP Gareth Thomas said:
"I wanted to even out the playing field a little, to provide our school students with some of the same opportunities as their privately educated peers. The majority of schools in Harrow are considered above average by Ofsted, with an estimated sixty-three per cent of local school students now going onto Higher Education. Academic and professional success should not be restricted to those who come from fee paying schools. It should be available to all in Harrow."
Studying at one of Britain's leading Universities like Oxford or Cambridge can be a goal for all of the students in Harrow, whether from a private or comprehensive background. This year, the fair went a step further, inviting representatives of Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Princeton and many more U.S. universities. Students were provided with the advice they needed, to identify whether studying in the United States would be a good fit for them, and how to go about researching U.S. universities as well as how to make an application. Students were presented with the opportunity to take a different direction to many of their peers and study abroad at one of the world's leading universities.
Susan Hammond, Headteacher of Whitmore High School said:
"This year we were able to provide even more insight for Harrow students, with five key talks and university representatives from across the Atlantic. Many students and parents from across the borough were in attendance."
Further to Harrow's University Fair, Gareth Thomas MP will be organising a Careers Fair alongside Rooks Heath College, with participation from many of Britain's leading industries. The Careers Fair will take place on the evenings of June 17th and 18th from 5-8PM.


Entitled Garden Caramoor this 1964 pastel on paper abstracted garden scene with statues is by New York artist and art collector Anne Granick (1911-2006). Granick was a self-taught artist and a dancer for the Martha Graham Company in New York. She and her husband, Arthur, collected and befriended many noted artists including Mark Rothko and Milton Avery.


Steel Grades, Properties and Global Standards - 1 ... Steel grade designations according to different standards Table 3 PRODUCT CODES: P = Hot rolled plate Quarto.
There are many different grades and types of steel that encompass varied properties. ... and the additional alloys that determine the properties of each grade.
European standard steel grade names fall into two categories: Steel specified by purpose of use and mechanical properties. Steel specified by chemical composition.
This particular grade of steel is a 'general purpose' manufacturing ... Properties of & Uses for 8620 Grade Steel; ... "Properties of Q345B Steel for Plate Material."
Molybdenum grade Alloy Steels & Irons. ... In the present section the focus is on grades and properties of Mo containing alloy steel and iron.
Grade 50 Carbon Steel is a high strength, low alloy steel. Plates available in many sizes. Choose your size here.


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Court Of US: Facebook Does Not Bother To Follow On Medical Sites
By Mervyn Pinfield	 On Dec 11, 2018
Court of US: Facebook Does not Bother to follow on Medical Sites. Facebook is not blamed in the United States for offering a possibility that might give the company sensitive medical information.
A court case was rightly discarded, judges the court of appeal for nine American states.
The federal court serves about one-fifth of the US population.
A group of users filed the lawsuit against Facebook and seven health websites.
They discovered that the social medium was given sensitive medical information by offering a so-called Facebook pixel.
The Court of Appeal ruled that the data are not as sensitive as the prosecutors allege.
"The data only show that the prosecutors looked for public health information and looked at it," the court writes.
"The data do not reveal any aspects about the medical status or medical history of the user."
The prosecutors can also not rely on the privacy policy of Facebook.
After all, it is the organisations behind the other websites that choose to install the Facebook pixel and so forward the information.
"Facebook cannot be held liable for promises that it has not made."
Dutch insurers also used Facebook pixel
In April it turned out that Dutch insurers send the surfing behaviour of their website visitors with a Facebook pixel to the social medium.
With practice, the websites may have infringed the Dutch privacy law,
the Dutch Data Protection Authority stated at the time.
Several insurers removed the Facebook pixel after the news from their website.
Spain Reaches An Agreement With EU And UK
Ryanair Requests Dismissal In Spite Of Interlocutory Proceedings For Dutch Pilots


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Stories of how students and developers get started in applied machine learning are an inspiration.
How interest in genetic algorithms lead to the discovery of neural networks and the broader field of machine learning.
Update Feb/2017: Corrections made regarding Álvaro's internship.
Q. Can you share a little about yourself?
I'm from Salvador, Bahia (Brazil), but currently, I live in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais (also in Brazil).
I am studying Electrical Engineering at the Federal University of Minas Gerais and since the beginning of my undergraduation course, I've been involved with software development in some way.
On my first week as a freshman, I joined a research group called LabCOM to help a colleague on his master's degree project. He wanted to build a self-managed traffic engineering system in which the network operation and maintenance are performed efficiently and without human intervention. It was built on top of a network simulator and I was assigned to deliver a module to measure some network parameters.
After that, I kept doing things related to software development, like the maintenance of a Linux server on my university, did a bunch of web development courses on sites like Code School, Codecademy and Coursera and a year ago I got my first internship job on a big software company.
It was an amazing experience, because I could work with state of the art technologies, very experienced developers, with whom I learned a lot of good practices and procedures.
When I was going to complete a year there, I received a proposal to work on another company on a Data Science team that was being formed, so I decided to accept that.
Q. How did you first get interested in machine learning?
I first heard of it during one meeting of the research group that I mentioned.
To make a long story short, we were using a genetic algorithm to get some results and, although they were reasonably good, they were taking longer than we could afford to be processed.
To overcome this, a colleague suggested to train a neural network with these results, because once we had a trained model, it would output results really fast.
I was one of the assigned people to implement this solution, but I didn't know anything about it, so I googled it.
Q. What books and courses have you tried?
When I decided that I wanted to learn machine learning, my first goal was to start the Johns Hopkins Data Science specialization on Coursera.
After completing two (out of ten!) courses, I let it go. I wasn't really needing to apply that knowledge at that moment, I just wanted to learn machine learning and I felt that attending ten courses just to get that knowledge was quite overwhelming. I got distracted with other things and forgot about it.
One year after that, I decided to give a second shot to my "learning machine learning" quest. I registered myself on the famous Andrew Ng's machine learning course on Coursera. It was just one course (instead of ten!), so I thought it would be okay. I really liked his lessons, he knows how to explain complex stuff in an easy way.
I was making progress there quite fast, but after finishing 60%, my first internship started and I started to use my spare time to learn the technologies I was using there. Then my classes at my university started and yes, I never came back to Coursera to finish that course again.
On the next semester, I attended an "Artificial Neural Network" class at my university. It was a good experience, reminded me of Andrew Ng's approach, but I left that class with the same feeling that I still didn't know machine learning enough, or that I wasn't allowed to say that I know it.
Nobody told me, but I started thinking that in order to say that you can apply machine learning, you have to do some master's degree program, because I saw a lot of students doing that.
Oh, another thing that I tried was to learn from articles (research papers). Please, do not do that. That's by far the worst approach I have ever tried.
Maybe I was naive, but well, some teachers encourage you to learn that way. I think they are good to find techniques and/or algorithms that do what you want, but after making a short list, leave them and start googling for YouTube videos, blog posts and books.
Q. How did ML Mastery help you on your journey?
I was doing fine on my previous job when I heard of a machine learning internship opportunity. It was with a company that I had already heard good things about, so I decided to give it a shot.
They gave me three machine learning challenges to do within a week, but since I was working and studying, I just had a weekend to do so.
The first problem asked us to train a logistic regression model to predict a target variable from a dataset with four features. I was supposed to do an exploratory data analysis, order the most relevant features, estimate the error and do some prediction on a test dataset. For this one I was able to use the knowledge that I already had, just had to learn the Scikit Learn API.
The second one was quite similar, but the dataset was heavily imbalanced and I had no clue on how to deal with that, so I started googling and I found your blog. It really helped me because I discovered that I could use other metrics instead of the default accuracy, do cross validation, stratified cross validation, undersample and oversample the dataset, compare algorithms, etc. With all this new information, I created a Python module that would do that automatically for me and rank the models based on their F1-Score.
The third one was the most challenging. I was supposed to find the most relevant features in a classification dataset with 128 features. Your blog posts also helped me with that.
I couldn't simply send them the results, I also had to write a detailed report, so your blog posts were fundamental as they helped to fill my knowledge gap very fast.
Q. Congratulations on the new job! Tell us about it?
The company is called Radix and I just joined the Data Science team.
Now we're using data-driven approaches in other projects to reach better solutions.
Specifically, the project I'm currently working on aims to find the root cause of fouling deposition on heat exchangers.
Q. How can readers connect with you?
It's a great success story!
Yes, well done to Alvaro!
Muitos Parabens Alvaro!!. Myself I did finish the Andrew Ng Coursera with honours and I can tell you that it was one best boost I have studied about machine learning. As Statistician, Machine Learning is actually a non-linear optimisation, so this is also a good vector to dig into more deeper on the topic.
Thanks for the note Ruben. Well done on finishing the course!
Hey, that's really nice Álvaro!
Nice Alvaro, from Bahia to the World!
Great story! Fun to read!
Congrats Álvaro! You deserve it!


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Women, Wicked Problems, & Pandemics
by Julie Graber | on 16 Apr 2020
There have been a number of articles recently about the women's leadership during the Coronavirus pandemic. This one caught my attention the other day was Does COVID-19 Prove Women Are Best Suited to Lead in a Crisis?, but it is certainly not the first of its kind.
This article focuses on New Zealand and Germany and draws a connection between each country's response to the coronavirus, which have been effective (so far) in limiting the spread of the virus, and the fact that both countries are lead by women: Jacinda Ardern and Angela Merkel. Ardern has given a "masterclass" in political leadership according to one article referenced by author CJ Werlemen, while Merkel and Germany have taken a "bazooka" to the virus's threat according to another.
Werlemen makes his argument that women may be better suited for our current crisis based on previous research that showed that women outscored men on 17 of 19 capabilities that distinguish the best leaders, including taking initiative; acting with resilience; practices self-development while also fostering development in others, building relationships, and championing change.
Werlemen refers to the coronavirus pandemic as a "wicked problem," a term coined in the late 1960s-early 1970s that has found business application in recent years. Wicked problems are described as unprecedented in nature, a "direct challenge to business-as-usual." There is usually a social complexity to wicked problems, with many different stakeholders and differences of opinion regarding the solutions. Wicked problems can't be solved on command, they require "flexible and collaborative" problem-solving.
While Werlemen might not be aware of it, there is additional research that supports his theory that women may be the best choice to lead us if the problems we face are "wicked". In a study conducted by PwC and Harthill Consulting in 2015, researchers identified the skills needed to solve wicked problems, which included the ability to reframe problems from multiple perspectives and to detach the personal from the behavior and see view the situation objectively. Strategists, the term used for these leaders, are also able to shift from the big picture to detail and back again without losing direction or focus, and they are able to lead with both vulnerability and courage. Interestingly, the research showed that women were more likely to have these skills than their male counterparts in the companies included in the study.
This makes sense when you consider additional findings in this study that leaders who have advanced through the operational side of a business may not be best suited to lead the type of transformation needed to solve wicked problems. This is the career path that most men follow. By the time they get to the top, men hold roughly 83% of C-suite positions overall, and 80% of these men are in operational positions directly related to lines of business.
For women who do make it to the top (holding 17% of C-suite positions overall), roughly two-thirds occupy staff position: CHRO, CFO, CIO, General Counsel, etc. These roles rarely become stepping stones to the CEO position, and aside from the CFO, don't usually show up among the most highly compensated execs. Time and time again, when I look at executive teams, if there are female executive officers, they are invariably in one of these staff positions.
There's an irony in here somewhere: women's typical career path through positions of support (not production) - which is one of the most frequently-cited reasons for that lack of women CEOs, female board members, and the gender pay gap - is the very thing that provides them skills and capabilities needed to lead in a time of crisis - in a time when the problems we face can only be described as "wicked."
Whether or not these research findings help explain the competencies attributed to Ardern and Merkel is an extended topic for another post. Werlemen argues that this gender gap in leadership skills is worth exploring; the question is whether the findings would make any difference.
Other articles of note (I'll keep updating):
Why Women May Face a Greater Risk of Catching Coronavirus
How Will COVID-19 Affect Women and Girls in Low- and Middle-Income Countries?
COVID-19: the gendered impacts of the outbreak
Coronavirus pandemic exacerbates inequalities for women, UN warns
Breaking: Some States Show Alarming Spike in Women's Share of Unemployment Claims
'The Reality Is, It's Incredibly Hard'
The secret weapon in the fight against coronavirus: women
What Do Countries With The Best Coronavirus Responses Have In Common? Women Leaders
Women Are Leading Canada's Public Health Response To The COVID-19 Coronavirus Outbreak
Chief medical officers are leading Canada through COVID-19 crisis — and many are women
Tags: In the News
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What Are the Features of a Slot Machine?
A slot machine is a device that spins a wheel and awards cash or prizes. Most machines offer a pay table to display how much a winning combination will earn. Some machines also have bonus features. These are typically aligned with the theme of the game. For example, a bonus feature that appears only on a particular reel will make it more likely that a symbol will land on it.
Some manufacturers offer interactive elements like sound effects, games with real time feedback, and multiple bonus rounds. They also offer options that are specific to each player's preferences.
The most popular feature is Hold&Spin. This allows a special symbol to stay on the screen for a set amount of time until a different symbol lands. Often, these symbols will award credits. Depending on the type of symbol, the prize may be smaller or more substantial.
The most important feature of a slot is probably the one that does not get much attention. In addition to a pay table, a machine will likely have a credit meter. It will display how many credits have been deposited on the machine.
Another important element is the RTP, or Return to Player. Basically, the RTP is the percentage of money a machine returns to its players over a certain number of plays. Usually, it is much higher for video slots.
The jackpot, or the most elusive of jackpots, is the largest payout a machine can award. But, most people won't win it. What's more, the probability of winning it is small. To keep the machine from failing to reward the lucky player, parlor operators intentionally place a few less lucrative machines on the floor.
There are many other slot machine features. For instance, a "stock" is a term used to describe a bonus that teases gamblers into feeding the machine. However, these bonuses are rarely worth a mention.
Another important slot game feature is volatility. A high-volatility slot offers large wins over a short period of time. On the other hand, a low-volatility slot can make you feel like you're losing all of your money.
Other interesting features of a slot include a three-dimensional feel and striking graphics. For instance, Pragmatic Play offers an impressive portfolio of around 150 video slots. Many of its titles are available on mobile devices. You'll even find a battery saving mode that allows you to enjoy the slots without using up all of your power.
As with most things, a slot machine has its flaws. One example is that some games have extremely irregular payouts. If the machine fails to pay out its minimum amount for several pulls, it is considered a deceptive gimmick. Similarly, some games are prone to tilt. An accidental spin that breaks the circuit is called a tilt.
A lot of companies produce slot machines, but not all of them are reputable. When playing online, it's especially important to find a reputable site.
Slot machines can be activated by pushing a lever or pushing a button. Pay tables are usually displayed in the help menu or on the face of the machine.
How to Play Casino Online Games