text:
«Суспі́рія» () — італійський містичний фільм-трилер 1977 року, поставлений режисером Даріо Ардженто. Прем'єра фільму відбулася 1 лютого 1977 року в Італії. Фільм добре був сприйнятий глядачами — прихильники фільмів жахів вважають цю кінострічку культовою завдяки вдалому поєднанню в ній музики, що давить, незвичайних зйомок і різкої кольорової палітри. Критики також не залишили фільм без уваги — стрічка отримала три номінації від американської Академії наукової фантастики, фентезі та фільмів жахів. .

Сюжет
Юна балерина Сюзі Бенніон приїхала із США у знамениту балетну школу у Фрайбург. На її подив, увечері, коли вона під зливою дісталася до будівлі, її не впустили всередину. Проте вона бачила, як з будівлі вибігла дівчина. Того вечора ж ця дівчина була загадково вбита.

Сюзі селиться в пансіоні при школі, проте таємнича й зловісна атмосфера її пригнічує. Кожен вечір їй, хворій після перельоту, видають склянку вина, випивши яке вона миттєво засинає, але нова подруга, сусідка по гуртожитку встигає до свого зникнення поділитися з нею побоюваннями.

Сюзі зустрічається з фахівцями-психіатрами і дослідниками таємних наук і дізнається, що засновниця школи, в якій вона навчається, гречанка Гелена Маркус за життя була відомою як могутня відьма, «Чорна королева».

Проникнувши в потаємні приміщення школи, Сюзі переконується, що її побоювання були не марними: адміністрація школи насправді є ковеном відьом, і вони, між іншим, готують її вбивство. Перелякана дівчина намагається тікати та потрапляє до «найсвятішого» — кімнати Гелени, де, на свій жах, знаходить ту мертвою, але ніяк не спокоєну. Мужність дівчини рятує їй життя: вона встромляє в горло повсталому трупові перо з хвоста випадково розбитого нею скляного павича, члени ковена гинуть, а прокляту будівлю охоплює всежеруще полум'я.

У ролях

Знімальна група

Виробництво

Сюжет фільму навіяний діснеївською «Білосніжкою». Більша частина стрічки знімалася в Римі, а натурні зйомки проходили в Німеччині. При цьому загальна кількість часу, витраченого на зйомки, склала близько чотирьох місяців. Також у Німеччині знімалися школа і басейн. Для зйомок зовнішнього вигляду балетної школи у Фрайбурзі, використовувалася історична будівля Haus zum Walfisch. Сцени у басейні знімали в Мюллерівських лазнях, у Мюнхені. Також показаний Музей BMW, у фільмі він фігурує як психіатрична клініка, куди зверталася за консультацією Сюзі Бенніон.

За первинним задумом Даріо Ардженто учениці балетної школи мали бути дівчатками не старшими 12 років. Саме такими вони й були в оригінальному сценарії фільму. Проте студія та виконавчий продюсер Сальваторе Ардженто відмовилися реалізовувати цей задум, вважаючи, що фільм, основу якого складе демонстрація жорстоких убивств дітей, буде заборонений. Тоді Даріо Ардженто підняв віковий поріг героїнь до 20 років, що дало можливість запустити фільм у виробництво.

При зніманні сцени, коли орел падає на сліпого, Ардженто використав принцип зйомки під назвою «бомбометання». Сцена знімалася в Монако. Для цього була виготовлена сталева підвісна канатна дорога, по якій камера опускалася і піднімалася кілька разів. А під час зйомок сцен з черв'яками на загальних планах був використаний рис, проте на великих планах застосовувалися справжні живі черв'яки.

Існує твердження, що для того, аби досягти потрібної колірної гамми фільму, було прийнято рішення знімати на плівку технологічного процесу компанії Technicolor під назвою Technovision, який дозволив досягти нереальних колірних відтінків і насиченості. Проте фільм знімався на звичайну плівку Eastman Color Kodak і друкувався на одній з машин, що залишилися, для обробки плівки Technicolor. Невірне твердження виникло через помилку в документальному фільмі на 3-дисковому DVD-боксі, випущеному на честь 25-річного ювілею фільму.

Музичний супровід

Музика до фільму була записана стереофонічно на чотирьох магнітних доріжках. Вона була записана до зйомок фільму і виконувалася під час зйомок акторської гри. Саме ж знімання відбувалося без запису звуку, а останній після закінчення роботи над зйомками спеціально дублювався.

Інтерпретація
У 2018 році режисер Лука Гуаданьїно постави нову інтерпретацію фільму Даріо Ардженто з однойменною назвою. Фільм брав участь в конкурсній програмі 75-го Венеційського міжнародного кінофестивалю, де 1 вересня 2018 року відбулася його світова прем'єра.

Нагороди та номінації

Примітки

Література

Посилання
    (станом на 20.09.2018)

Фільми-трилери Італії
Фільми жахів Італії
Фільми італійською мовою
Фільми німецькою мовою
Фільми російською мовою
Фільми англійською мовою
Фільми Даріо Ардженто
Фільми про балет
Фільми про відьом
Фільми про Німеччину
Екранізації британських літературних творів

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
This is about the Verbena bonariensis described by Linnaeus. See also below for a common misapplication of this taxon.

Verbena bonariensis, the purpletop vervain, clustertop vervain, Argentinian vervain, tall verbena  or pretty verbena, is a member of the verbena family cultivated as a flowering annual or herbaceous perennial plant. In USA horticulture, it is also known by the ambiguous names purpletop (also used for the grass Tridens flavus) and South American vervain (which can mean any of the numerous species in the genus Verbena occurring in that continent). For the misapplication "Brazilian verbena" see below.

It is native to tropical South America where it grows throughout most of the warm regions, from Colombia and Brazil to Argentina and Chile.

Description
Verbena bonariensis is a tall and slender-stemmed perennial. It can grow to 6 ft (180 cm) tall and can spread to 3 ft (90 cm) wide. At maturity, it will develop a woody base. Fragrant lavender to rose-purple flowers are in tight clusters located on terminal and axillary stems, blooming from mid-summer until fall frost. The stem is square with very long internodes. Leaves are ovate to ovate-lanceolate with a toothed margin and grow up to 4 in (10 cm) long.

Etymology
Verbena is derived from Latin, meaning 'sacred bough', in reference to the leafy twigs of vervaine (Verbena officinalis) which were historically carried by priests, used in wreaths for druidic rituals, and for medicine. Named by Virgil and Pliny the Elder. The common name, vervaine, comes from the Celtic name, 'ferfain'.

Its specific epithet bonariensis means 'from Buenos Aires, Argentina'. 'Buenos' means 'good' and 'aires' means 'air' ('good air').

Taxonomy and systematics

Verbena bonariensis is a member of the South American vervains, which are polyploid and have more than 14 chromosomes. Among these, it is part of a lineage which might also include Verbena intermedia and seems well distant from Verbena litoralis or Verbena montevidensis for example.

Sometimes, the name Verbena brasiliensis, Brazilian verbena or Brazilian vervain, is found for this species. However, this is the result of a mix-up with V. brasiliensis, the "true" Brazilian verbena, which has been erroneously referred to as V. bonariaensis by several botanists.

Subspecies
There are two named subspecies:
 Verbena bonariensis subsp. bonariensis L.
 Verbena bonariensis subsp. conglomerata Briq.

Cultivation

V. bonariensis is cultivated as an ornamental plant for traditional and drought tolerant and 'pollinator-host' gardens and parks.

It is a perennial, hardy in USDA Zones 7-11. It can be grown as an annual in areas where it is not winter hardy and will bloom in the first year when grown from seed. Its long internodes give it a sparse appearance but allow it to intermingle and coexist with other plants. The flowers  which appear in mid- to late summer, are very attractive to butterflies, and provide nectar for native bees and many beneficial garden insects.

This species grows best in a well-drained soil. It prefers full sun to partial shade and needs regular moisture. It has a reputation of rarely being attacked by insect pests, but may be susceptible to powdery mildew. V. bonariensis is commonly grown from seed which germinates readily without pre-treatment, but can also be propagated from herbaceous stem cuttings.

It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Invasive species
V. bonariensis self-seeds readily. This ability has raised concerns that it may become an invasive species and noxious weed in favorable habitats. It has naturalized in a number of southern United States.

Presently, the plant is on the invasive species watchlist for Washington state, naturalized in tropical and southern Africa, temperate Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the United States (including Hawaii), the West Indies, Macaronesia and the Mascarene Islands. According to Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk, it is considered a weed in Fiji, New Guinea and other South Pacific islands.

Footnotes

References
Bailey, L.H. (1951): Verbena bonariensis. In: Manual of Cultivated Plants: 840. Macmillan Publishing Company.

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) [2008b]: USDA Plants Profile: Verbena bonariensis. Retrieved 2008-AUG-07.
Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board (WSNWCB) (2007): Tall Verbena, Purple Top, Cluster Flower Vervain. Version of 2007-MAR-31. Retrieved 2008-AUG-07.
Yuan, Yao-Wu & Olmstead, Richard G. (2008): A species-level phylogenetic study of the Verbena complex (Verbenaceae) indicates two independent intergeneric chloroplast transfers. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 48(1): 23–33.

External links

Missouri Botanical Garden Kemper Center for Home Gardening - Verbena bonariensis (Purpletop)
Verbena bonariensis - Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Database
Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk

bonariensis
Flora of South America
Flora of Argentina
Flora of Brazil
Flora of Chile
Flora of Colombia
Flora naturalised in Australia
Butterfly food plants
Garden plants of South America
Drought-tolerant plants
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus


text:
Q: unreported exception Exception; must be caught or declared to be thrown? The following program will get the error of

unreported exception Exception; must be caught or declared to be thrown

Why the re-throw is not working? In C#, there is no need to wrap the call in try block.
public class HelloWorld{

    public static double test() throws Exception {
        return 1;
    }

    public static void main(String []args){
        try {
            double a = test();
            System.out.println(a);
        }
        catch (Exception e) {
            throw e;
        }
    }
}

A: C# doesn't have checked exceptions, so this compile error can't occur there.
In Java if you want to throw a checked exception from a method you have to add that exception to the throws clause, here you would change the main method to:
public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception

When an exception is thrown from the main method, the JVM will write the stacktrace to stderr.
In general wrapping the exception in an unchecked exception (RuntimeException) is possible too. In this particular case, since this is being thrown from the main method and propagation of the checked Exception is not an issue, all that wrapping the exception accomplishes is it generates a bigger stacktrace.

A: You need to try throw new RuntimeException(e) instead of throw e. Throwing Exception will give a compile time error as it will require you to deal with the checked exception. new RuntimeException(e) will basically wrap your checked exception and throw it, aborting the program.

A: If main() throws an exception and does not catch it then main() must have a throws declaration.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Event Coverage: NAIAS 2017 part 3. MY DREAM CAR!!
Ever since I saw James May review the Singer 911, I pushed my #1 favorite car down a notch. The classic Porsche 911 is an extremely recognizable car. It's round headlights, vaguely beetle-shaped silhouette and nicely flared wheel arches just work.
The perfect paint work, hand-built restoration and a higher level of quality than the factory in Stuttgart ever produced means this, and other Singer 911's demand a over $650,000. This car, like all Singer 911's were built in California. After the Auto Show circuit, this one will be going to it's owner in Milan, Italy.
These gorgeous cars are on display until Sunday in the Michelin exhibit. These cars made me stop and stare for a good long while. Before this, I thought my favorite car was the Ferrari F40...apparently, the F40 is now #2.


The Wasatch is great whether you're going on a weekend adventure, or multi-day hike. It's sleek design and unique side compression system makes this pack a favorite among most. It has top-loading access and the main compartment can be accessed from each side. It has a fully padded suspension, adjustable shoulder straps, and a large torso range to accommodate various body sizes, and will still carry comfortably. It also features large neoprene, lower side bottle pockets that will accommodate Nalgene water bottles that can be easily accessed. With the included rain cover, your pack is ready to hit the trail when you are. Features: - Top Loading - Extendable Top Lid - Rain Cover Included - Access to Main Compartment from Each Side - Spindrift Collar with Draw Cord - Improved Adjustable Suspension - Rescue Whistle Buckle on Sternum Strap - Hydration Pocket & Port - Unique Pack Compression System - Lower Neoprene Side Bottle Pockets - Standard Harness Included (Torso Range: 15" - 18") - Standard Waistbelt Included (Range: 26" - 40") Specifications: - Color: Blue - Fabric: Polyester Ripstop - Capacity: 3300 cu. in. / 54 L - Weight: 4 lb. 15 oz.


Andrew Harvey, Minister of Environment and Local Government visited the site in Beechwood on Monday to officially mark the beginning of work.
Development of the Beechwood Community Park will include land development, a gate and fencing, boat docks, a boat launch, picnic sites and a pavilion.
The province is investing $79,000 in the $195,500 project, according to a news release from the Regional Development Corporation. Additional contributions will be made by N.B. power, the community and community partners.


text:
How Die Jack Rains Die? Who Killed Him? Where is Tina Williamson Now?
Viswa Vanapalli
Image Credit: Murfreesboro Voice
Investigation Discovery's 'The Devil Speaks' uses actual recordings of 911 calls, police interviews, and phone conversations to take the viewers through real-life police investigations. By doing so, the show provides a better insight into the motivations of the perpetrator and the life of the victim. The episode 'Dirty Little Secret' explores the murder of 83-year-old Jack Gains in the city of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. A war veteran who lived a simple life, his death was as unsettling as it was baffling to the people who knew him. If you're curious to find out what happened, we've got you covered.
How Did Jack Rains Die?
General Jack Rains was living a leisurely life of retirement before tragedy struck him. He had served for 32 years with the United States Air Force, worked with the Tennessee Highway Patrol, and was an ex-Chief of Police in Woodbury. His wife, Ruby, lived in a nursing home due to dementia, as was stated by his son Gary in the episode.
Jack was a gun enthusiast, and this led to a chance encounter with Ronald Williamson, an avid gun collector. They met at a flea market, quickly bonding through their mutual love for guns. They spent a lot of time together over the next few weeks. Jack would come over to Ron's house regularly. The victim had a good relationship with Ron's family which included Tina, his wife, and Stephanie, his daughter.
On September 1, 2007, Jack was found dead in the kitchen of his house by Ron and Tina. They went to check on him because it was unusual that he hadn't called or returned their calls for more than a day. Unfortunately, Jack had been shot five times. A detective stated that the positioning of the victim and the fact that he was shot from behind suggested that Jack wasn't expecting it, and it was definitely not a suicide.
While things within the house were moved around, nothing of value was missing, so robbery was quickly ruled out as the motive. The medical examiner's report stated that one shot was fired from a distance, three shots were fired from a progressively decreasing range, and a final shot was fired point-blank. It was also stated that Jack was killed about a day before the body was discovered.
Who Killed Jack Rains?
Eventually, it was Tina who was convicted for the crime. Jack was a regular presence at the Williamsons' household. It was reported that Tina had been in a car accident sometime in the fall of 2003 and broke her back as a result. This led to her being unable to drive because of the medication she was taking. With Ron's work keeping him away from home through the weekdays, Jack would often help out, driving Tina into the city to run errands. In return, Tina would help take care of Jack's home.
Image Credit: Murfreesboro Post
As time went on, however, it was speculated that the two were having an affair. However, this claim was vehemently denied by Tina. Forensic analysis of the boxers Jack was wearing when he died revealed traces of DNA of a female mixed with Jack's semen. This was later confirmed to be Tina's. With the assumption that they were in a sexual relationship, the police applied for a warrant for Tina and Ron's phone records.
Ron was cleared as a suspect when his location was nowhere close to the crime scene at the time of the murder. But that was not the case with Tina. She had made three calls to a friend of hers, Betty Olson, from the vicinity of the crime scene around the time of Jack's murder. Betty told the cops that she picked Tina up from a highway that was close to Jack's house on the day he was murdered. Now, the cops asked Betty to wear a wire on her next meeting with Tina.
In that conversation, Tina stated that Jack used to give her money and pay for her medication. This led the cops to Jack's bank records. The investigation revealed that Jack and Tina had a joint bank account with $100,000. The police saw the money as a possible motive. To further solidify the case, they asked Betty to call Tina, hoping she would admit that Betty gave her a ride. In the recorded phone call, Tina did just that, hence incriminating herself.
Where is Tina Williamson Now?
Tina Williamson was arrested in 2007 on the charges of murder, felony murder, and especially aggravated robbery. She was tried and convicted of the same. Tina always maintained that she was innocent. As per a report, she thought her lawyer represented her inadequately. She also brought up the fact that the murder weapon was never found or connected to her.
Nevertheless, the judge sentenced Tina to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus twenty years. The District Attorney stated that a life sentence equals 51 years in prison, which brought Tina's total sentence up to 71 years. According to prison records, she will be eligible for parole in 2065, at age 96. It seems as though she is currently serving her time at a correctional facility in Tennessee.
Read More: How Did Taylor Behl Die?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Ksenija Mileuskaja (, engl. Transkription Ksenia Milevskaya; * 9. August 1990 in Minsk) ist eine ehemalige belarussische Tennisspielerin.

Karriere
Mileuskaja, die am liebsten auf Sandplätzen spielte, begann im Alter von sieben Jahren mit dem Tennis.

Sie triumphierte 2007 im Finale des Juniorinnendoppels der French Open und im Finale des Juniorinnendoppels der US Open, jeweils mit Urszula Radwańska.

In ihrer Karriere gewann sie sechs Einzel- und zehn Doppeltitel auf dem ITF Women's Circuit. Auf der WTA Tour sah man sie erstmals im Hauptfeld bei den Nordea Nordic Light Open 2007 im Einzel.

Außerdem spielte sie 2007 für die Belarussische Billie-Jean-King-Cup-Mannschaft, für die sie vier ihrer fünf Partien gewann.

Turniersiege

Einzel

Doppel

Weblinks

Billie-Jean-King-Cup-Spielerin (Belarus)
Belarusse
Geboren 1990
Frau


Falcon Wedding Cars in East Sussex are dedicated to providing the perfect classic vintage wedding car hire.
This company have a visually stunning product and they needed a website that followed suit while being simple to navigate and informative to their customers.
We provided just that, we took their old website and transformed it into something award-winning in it's industry. Winning both regional and national entries in the 2015 wedding industry awards.
This project adopts the use of blogging software which the customer updates via the content management system. It also employs an availability calendar to inform customers the availability of their cars.


Oval leather top desks and antique reproduction kidney desks. High-end antique style walnut and mahogany desks for sale.
71 inch kidney shaped walnut desk with a monitor lift that can hold up to a 22 inch monitor at 30lbs.
Oval gold tooled leather top walnut partners desk with file hangers. Burl walnut top and brass hardware. A high end traditional desk.
High end mahogany kidney shape desk. Oak drawers, cathedral mahogany top and banded front drawers. Fluted leg cabinet.


text:
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2020 BMW 1 Series Breaks Cover
By Car Dekho | May 29, 2019
The third generation BMW 1 Series has been developed from ground up and becomes the latest of the automaker's compact models to switch to a Front-Wheel Drive set-up in addition to completely new design language and features on board.
The BMW 1 Series has been one of the most fun to drive hatchbacks over the previous generations and the automaker has now released the all-new generation of the model. The 2020 BMW 1 Series is quite literally all-new, having been built from ground up and shares little details with its predecessor. The biggest change by far comes with the front-wheel drive (FWD) set-up on the third generation that replaces the rear-wheel drive architecture, which made it such a hoot to drive in the first place. The new 1 Series also comes with All-Wheel Drive (AWD) on the top trims. As a result, the new BMW 1 joins the automaker's smaller set of FWD cars including the X1, 2 Series and the 1 Series sedan.
BMW 1 The third generation BMW 1 Series is based on a completely new platform and the design language is also all-new and must we say more proportionate too over the older version. Most prominent are the larger kidney grilles up front that mimic the newer Beamer models, while the bonnet length is long yet in-line with the rest of the body. The headlamps are smartly designed bringing a fresh look and can be had with adaptive full-LEDs that are available as optional. At the sides, the flat beltline on the 1 Series is now slightly raked and the Hofmeister kink gets a subtle update. The rear sports a more athletic appearance with the sharply styled bumper, raked windscreen and roof spoiler, while the massive wraparound LED taillights look bold. A first on the new 1er will be the addition of a panoramic sunroof while wheel sizes will range between 16-inch and 19-inch depending on the variant you choose.
With respect to dimensions, the 2020 1er is 5 mm shorter at 4319 mm (170 inches), whereas the width has increased by 34 mm at 1799 mm. The height is up by 13 mm to 1434 mm, with the wheelbase now shorter by 20 mm and sits at 2670 mm. Nevertheless, the FWD set-up has helped liberate more room in the cabin. You get 33 mm of additional kneeroom at the rear along with 19 mm of extra headroom and 13 mm of elbow room. The luxury hatchback can also take up more luggage than its predecessor with a cargo capacity of 380 litres, which can be expanded to 1200 litres with the rear seats folded. The automaker says the boot is also wider than before that makes it easy to load and unload luggage, while the tailgate is now electric.
Inside, the 2020 BMW 1 Series replicates the familiar design language from the larger Beamer models. The car comes with an 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with gesture control, and Apple CarPlay compatibility. The instrument console is fully digital and gets a 10.25-inch screen that displays all the necessary information.
Under the hood, the third generation BMW 1 Series will get two petrol and three diesel engines. The most powerful version will be the M135i xDrive with the 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged motor tuned for 301 bhp and 450 Nm of peak torque. The range-topping model can sprint from 0-100 kmph in 4.8 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 250 kmph. An optional M performance package will further shave a tenth of a second on the hatchback. Other engines will range between three- and four-cylinder versions churning out as low as 115 bhp. All units will come paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch or 8-speed Steptronic automatic transmission. There's a 6-speed manual available as well.
The new 1 will also come with a host of electronic aids including Lane Departure Warning with active lane return, Active Cruise Control, Lane Change Warning system, rear collision warning and crossing traffic warning. The car also comes with Park Assist, while features like VDC (Variable Damper Control) and ARB (actuator contiguous wheel slip limitation) technology, further improve the car's handling capabilities. Customers can also opt for the BMW Digital Key and the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant on the new 1 Series.
The all-new BMW 1Series will make its debut in Munich from June 25 to 27 as part of the #NextGen event, while a public showcase has also been planned at Frankfurt in September this year. The previous version of the 1 Series was sold in India, but it's unclear if the new one will actually make it here. Globally, the car will lock horns against the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Audi A3 Sportback, Volkswagen Golf and the likes.
BMW BMW 1
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text:
Portilliband?
History often repeats itself. But it takes time to recognise precisely where and how, and often the key players fail to duplicate the historic figure they are most often compared to. For example during the last years of the Major government Ken Clarke was often compared to Roy Jenkins during the end of the first Wilson government. But Clarke did not go on to play a damaging role that electorally crippled the Conservative Party in subsequent years and certainly never formed a breakaway party. Nor did the players always play quite the role at the time that subsequent myth gives them.
Right now it seems umpteen comparisons are being drawn between the Brown government and John Major's circa 1995. So invariably David Miliband is being talked of as the Michael Portillo, the one who lays the ground for a leadership bid and then backs out of it. (e.g. The Debatable Land: Alea Iacta Est, Global Dashboard: Miliband's folly, Daily Telegraph - David Hughes: David Miliband - a leadership tick list and Raedwald: Miliband - too weird-looking to win.) But there are some key differences.
Portillo personally never forced the 1995 leadership election - John Major opted to call that off his own back in response to his weak position on the back benches, not to outmanoeuvre Cabinet colleagues. But once the leadership election was on he, and for that matter Michael Heseltine, went and prepared campaign headquarters for a second round. It's a bit of a myth that either man was preparing to challenge Major but rather both were planning on Major being toppled in the first round and opening up the second round. Really it's only because another Cabinet minster - and to be honest a not very important one - resigned to contest the first ballot that the myth of Portillo preparing and bottling it emerges. Conservative assassinations take place behind closed doors not in full view. Nor did Portillo completely blow his chances then - most people think that if he hadn't lost his seat in 1997 then he would have won the resulting leadership contest. And in 1995 the issue wasn't really about John Major personally but about the direction of the party and policy issues.
This is a very different thing from Miliband all but openly reminding his party there are alternatives to Gordon Brown and putting forward a vision. If he is to challenge Gordon Brown then he must either round up a set of Cabinet heavyweights (if there are enough for a set!) and issue an ultimatum or else he must somehow try to get Labour MPs to support a formal leadership challenge through a very complicated procedure that requires the challenging candidate to publicly put up whilst simultaneously avoiding the odium of adding to the government's problems. That's a very tall order and it's not really clear what Miliband hopes to get out of this. Being sacked for telling Brown he needs to go for the party's sake would at least give him a clear status for a leadership contest. Being sacked for just shit stirring and compounding the government's problems would have the reverse effect.
If Miliband is anyone from that era he's William Hague - seen in some quarters as the Great Hope of the future despite not really having done anything or been properly tested. And when Hague ascended far too soon he proved a disaster as leader. (He should have stuck to his original plan to run as Michael Howard's deputy on a "dream ticket" and then win or lose waited until 2001 for his own bid when he would have been in a stronger position.) So maybe it's not "Portilliband" but "Milihague"?
Labels: Daily Telegraph, David Miliband, Global Dashboard, Harold Wilson, history, John Major, John Redwood, Kenneth Clarke, Michael Heseltine, Michael Portillo, Raedwald, Roy Jenkins, The Debatable Land
On ideology in youth wings
Tory Bear has recently posted Back to the Future about the lack of ideological battles in Conservative Future elections. And he has a strong point - for as long as I can remember in Conservative Future (since about 2000 - yes I'm showing my age!) virtually all the candidates in elections for the national executive have run campaigns based on what sort of administration they would run if elected and nearly all have had supporters' lists that are ideologically all over the party. The handful who've tried for purity have never got anywhere and even those candidates strongly associated with certain ideological groups in the party have not tried to run on such a line.
Now to a large extent this is because the Conservative Future national executive is an administrative body and so it's utterly irrelevant as to what are someone's opinion on grammar schools, whether or not Conservative MEPs should sit in the European People's Party (although the issue of Conservative Future's affiliation to the European Democrat Students is one that could do with settling) or so forth.
But it's also because a lot in Conservative Future have always been deeply wary of bringing ideology into elections. Many of us have encountered the teenager and twenty-something year-old for whom everything in politics is absolutely back & white with nothing in between, for whom ideas of pragmatism, compromise, electability and so forth are anathema and who often calls for those who don't agree with them to leave the party. Friends in Labour and the Liberal Democrats have confirmed that this is not a feature unique to the right. The idea of ideological based elections brings the danger that the outcome would be a very ideological Conservative Future that would be very off putting to new members, to the detriment of membership and effectiveness. (That problem exists at the moment but it would hardly be resolved by this!) It could also become an embarrassment to the party in general if the youth wing started coming out with absurd policies. Then there's the danger that particular groups in the party would regard the youth wing as a platform to be captured for espousing their own particular policies rather than for benefiting the younger members of the party as a whole.
And what exactly is the point of a party's youth wing espousing political views, which would generally not be those of the membership as a whole or even a national council, but probably those of just those members of the executive controlling decisions and/or accessing the microphone? If it's to influence the party policy there are far better ways to do that - indeed it's better to be enabling individual members and groups to be able to submit their voice rather than have one single voice for all young members. If it's to give the organisation a sense of purpose then it's rather an extreme step to take. And taking it back to the issue of elections, what difference would it make if one candidate is from the One Nation wing of the party, one from the Thatcherite wing and one from the Faith, Flag & Family wing? How would their ability to do the job be in any way affected by this?
(The one point I have seen a few people raise is over the allocation of forty-two places on the Conservative National Convention that are reserved for Conservative Future. How the places should be filled has been a somewhat contentious issue over the years and in one election a chair candidate's supporters asserted that there is a danger of putting forty-two voting places in the wrong hands. But the answer to that must be reform of the Convention places, not hoping for the "right" hands!)
Labels: Conservative Future, Labour Students, LDYS, Tory Bear, Young Labour, youth wings
Has Lembit been decontaminated?
Liberal England blogs that The Curse of Lembit is lifted. His endorsement of a candidate for the Presidency of the Royal Institute of British Architects has not sunk her.
So does this mean the tide is turning and Lembit can now support people and causes that will succeed? If so it puts a crimper on his hopes of being the next Liberal Democrat leader!
Labels: Lembit Öpik, Liberal Democrats, Liberal England
Lib Dem donor on the run
Michael Brown is in the news again. He is the businessman who famously gave the Liberal Democrats £2.4 million in possible breach of party funding laws (see Is this the end of the Liberal Democrats? and Are the Lib Dems facing their final point?) and also dubbed the party as "muppets" for getting rid of Charles Kennedy. Now it appears he has skipped bail while awaiting trial for fraud and money laundering. (Sky News: Police Issue Arrest Warrant For Lib Dem Donor) I guess the Lib Dems won't be taking any donations from him for the time being!
Labels: Liberal Democrats, Michael Brown, Sky News
Conservative mergers - all the rage?
A few years ago the Canadian Progressive Conservative Party and the Canadian Alliance merged to form the Conservative Party of Canada. It is now the government of Canada. Then this week we heard the proposals for a Conservative-Ulster Unionist merger which could well become the government of the United Kingdom at the next election. And yesterday in Queensland, Australia the National Party and the Liberal Party merged to become the Liberal National Party of Queensland. (ABC News: Qld conservatives hail new party) It remains to be seen if the Liberal and National parties in the rest of Australia will follow the trend (although in the Northern Territory this merger was made decades ago) but the new party offers a single force to take on the Labor state government and start a conservative revival across Australia.
So will we see more conservative mergers in other countries around the world?
Labels: ABC News, Australia, Canada, Conservative Party of Canada, Conservatives, Liberal National Party of Queensland, Liberal Party of Australia, mergers, National Party of Australia, Ulster Unionists
A Conservative-Ulster Unionist merger?
The news that the Conservatives and the Ulster Unionists are to explore moves towards a joint party (ConservativeHome: The Conservative AND Unionist Party and Conservatives in Northern Ireland: A Historic Statement by David Cameron and Sir Reg Empey) has come as a surprise to me, which is a credit to the discrete negotiation skills of Owen Paterson and stands in complete contrast to the way attempts to form a new group in the European Parliament have been handled. But it's also a good move for not only both parties but the whole of the United Kingdom. For too long Northern Irish politics has been an isolated microcosm, with only half hearted efforts at organising by a handful of parties from both Britain and the Republic of Ireland, give or take a few small parties, and the result has been alienation and sometimes hatred, most recently when the DUP provided the majority of 42 days' detention or Iris Robinson MP's horrific comments about homosexuality.
A party that is a strong and credible contender at all levels of Northern Irish and UK politics, that can allow for full engagement with national and international politics, can only help to move political debate forward in the province. It also helps to anchor the Conservative Party in all nations of the United Kingdom, a contrast to Labour who've had to be dragged into allowing even membership by the courts and is determined to remain a Brits only party.
Will this lead to a sudden landslide in Northern Ireland at the next election, with seats turning blue all over? Well let's not get carried away - there's a lot still to do and hundreds of thousands of voters to engage with. But it's a good start with promising signs to come.
Labels: ConservativeHome, Conservatives, David Cameron, Iris Robinson, Northern Ireland, Owen Paterson, Sir Reg Empey, Ulster Unionists
Inhuman MPs?
Tom Watson has beaten Kerron Cross to this one. (Tom Watson: Biohazard in the House of Commons & Kerron Cross: In Loo Of Recent Posts...) This is the scene in a House of Commons toilet:
When people say MPs are inhuman I didn't think they mean it quite like this!
Labels: House of Commons, Kerron Cross, toilets, Tom Watson
Welease this film!
Many years ago some people heard about a film and shouted "down with this sort of thing". It wasn't about the Messiah it was just a very naughty film. And many councils banned it. Even those that had no cinemas.
It seems some of the bans are still in the place today. Life of Brian actress Sue Jones-Davies has now become the Mayor of Aberystwyth and wants to lift the ban. (BBC News: Mayor wants Python film ban ended) However as nobody in the Ceredigion council licensing department is aware of the ban it could prove harder to lift than expected.
In the meantime here's the scene all political bloggers remember:
And the British extreme left still acts like this to this day!
Labels: Aberystwyth, BBC News, censorship, Ceredigion, Life of Brian, Monty Python, YouTube
Cheeky Boy no more?
News has emerged that Lembit Öpik has been dumped by his fiancée, Cheeky Girl Gabriela Irimia. (Daily Telegraph: Lembit Opik 'dumped by his Cheeky Girl fiancée Gabriela Irimia')
Once again Öpik is in the news for all the wrong reasons. There have been murmurings of dissent in the Liberal Democrats about him before (see Liberal Democrat *leaders* in trouble, admittedly several leaders ago) and I wonder just how much further his stock can fall. And will Liberal Democrat activists want to fight the fight in Montgomeryshire for him? (See Can a political Jonah save himself?)
Labels: Cheeky Girls, Daily Telegraph, Lembit Öpik, Montgomeryshire
A beautiful defection?
News of the latest possible recruit to the Conservative Party has come through - Gemma Garrett, the current Miss Great Britain and Miss Belfast and founder of the Miss Great Britain Party, who recently stood against David Davis. (Daily Mail: A glamour move? - Gemma Garrett may switch to the Tories) It's an interesting possible move but if true I suspect she won't get so much publicity as a mere regular on the candidates' list. Also the policies of the Miss Great Britain Party contain some things that aren't out of place on a Conservative manifesto but some of them, like two new tax rates, are not exactly expected!
Hattip to Guido Fawkes: Beauty and the Basher for this story.
Labels: Conservatives, Daily Mail, David Davis, Gemma Garrett, Guido Fawkes, Haltemprice and Howden by-election, Miss Great Britain Party
A battle of equalities - or the onset of culture wars?
It's hard to know what to make of the Lillian Ladele case. But it has plenty of elements to make various people's blood boil. Discrimination on the basis of religion. Discrimination on the basis of sexuality. (Which puzzles me as talking about equality between marriage and civil partnerships is a total oxymoron.) And of course it had to happen in Islington.
Now I've not yet had a chance to read the tribunal outcome but from what I've seen in the media the tribunal focused on the point of whether or not she was being bullied in the workplace for her religion and whether Islington was still able to deliver the service rather than over whether she was right to refuse to perform civil partnership ceremonies. (As an aside if you were entering into a civil partnership wouldn't you want a registrar who actually wanted to do the job, rather than one who was forced to by their employer and the law?) Also a point that hasn't received that much attention is that the nature of the job has changed since she took it - until late 2007 Islington registrars were effectively working freelance and thus her colleagues were taking civil partnerships and so it wasn't an issue. (The Guardian: Paying to be discriminated against - The decision in favour of a registrar who refused to deal with gay couples sets a hugely dangerous precedent) So it's not a case of someone taking up a job even though they disagreed with part of what it entailed - the requirements of the job changed whilst she was in post. This may also have some bearing on whether or not it was possible to resign.
But what is worrying is the way that so much of the reaction to the tribunal outcome is deeply polarised, going beyond the issue of the balance between equality of religion and equality of sexuality and into what feels scarily like the opening shots in something like the US "culture war". Some of the comments I've seen on the web have been incredibly anti-religious whilst other comments sound like a gloating victory over "political correctness". Naturally the case emerging from the UK's answer to San Francisco adds to fuel to the fire.
For a long time issues of both religion and personal behaviour have traditionally been regarded as "issues of conscience" and not made party political issues. Quite apart from the party management advantage it has also meant that the parties have not been divided down such lines and the UK has for the most part avoided the US "Red States-Blue States" divide that leads to radicals on each side almost demonising the other and making control over issues such as education ridiculously tense. And it encourages minority mentalities whereby particular groups in society get told they must support a party not because they agree with it on the basics but because only that party looks out for it and the other hates it. In turn it leads to a belief that when the other party is in control everything will be bad.
Some of that last paragraph doesn't sound too dissimilar to behaviour in certain quarters of UK politics does it? Is this really to the benefit of the country?
Labels: civil partnerships, culture war, equality, Islington, Lillian Ladele, marriage, religion, The Guardian
David Davis vindicated!
The results of the Haltemprice and Howden by-election, 2008, courtesy of Wikipedia:
Haltemprice and Howden by-election, 2008
±%
Conservative David Davis 17,113 71.6 +24.1
Green Shan Oakes 1,758 7.4 N/A
English Democrats Joanne Robinson 1,714 7.2 N/A
National Front Tess Culnane 544 2.3 N/A
Miss Great Britain Party Gemma Garrett 521 2.2 N/A
Independent Jill Saward 492 2.1 N/A
Monster Raving Loony Mad Cow-Girl 412 1.7 N/A
Independent Walter Sweeney 238 1.0 N/A
Independent John Nicholson 162 0.7 N/A
Independent David Craig 135 0.6 N/A
The New Party David Pinder 135 0.6 N/A
no label David Icke 110 0.5 N/A
Freedom 4 Choice Hamish Howitt 91 0.4 N/A
Socialist Equality Chris Talbot 84 0.4 N/A
Independent Grace Astley 77 0.3 N/A
Christian Party George Hargreaves 76 0.3 N/A
Church of the Militant Elvis Party David Bishop 44 0.2 N/A
Independent John Upex 38 0.2 N/A
Independent Greg Wood 32 0.1 N/A
Independent Eamonn Fitzpatrick 31 0.1 N/A
Make Politicians History Ronnie Carroll 29 0.1 N/A
Independent Thomas Darwood 25 0.1 N/A
Independent Christopher Foren 23 0.1 N/A
Independent Herbert Crossman 11 0.0 N/A
Independent Tony Farnon 8 0.0 N/A
Independent Norman Scarth 8 0.0 N/A
Majority 15,355 64.2 +53.5
Turnout 23,911 34.5 -35.7
Conservative hold Swing N/A
With Labour running away from the opportunity to defend government policy the by-election could have had micro turnout but it didn't. David Davis has been vindicated in his courageous stance on forty-two days detention.
Looking at the also-rans, amazingly there are six women immediately behind Davis but this could just be because of candidate selection. And the Official Monster Raving Loony Party's hopes of getting their best ever result have been thwarted once again. Ronnie Carroll was looking for the lowest number of votes ever and failed - he didn't even finish in the bottom five. Here's a couple of tips - don't tell everyone that's your goal and don't run with a description saying "Make Politicians History" that was bound to pick up a few votes.
Labels: David Davis, English Democrats, Green Party, Haltemprice and Howden by-election, internment, Mad Cow Girl, Miss Great Britain Party, National Front, Official Monster Raving Loony Party, Wikipedia
So this is IDS's idea of Heathcliff!
On Question Time tonight Iain Duncan Smith said that he thought Heathcliff was a cartoon cat. I guess that he, like myself, has never read Wuthering Heights (I was forced to read Jane Eyre instead for GCSE) and it's nice to see a politician who is aware of culture other than lengthy novels that were seemingly designed to terrify a generation of students, especially one of the cartoons of my childhood.
So here's the intro to the second Heathcliff cartoon, thanks to YouTube:
So what would it say about Gordon Brown if he'd been comparing himself to this Heathcliff?
Labels: Gordon Brown, Heathcliff, Iain Duncan Smith, Question Time, Wikipedia, Wuthering Heights, YouTube
Bureaucracy gone mad!
You couldn't make this up - Jayne Jones, a mother in Aberfan has been told by Merthyr Tydfil council that she cannot travel to school with her severely epileptic son Alex because she hasn't undergone a Criminal Records Bureau check. (BBC News: Mum's police check for school run) A system that was set up to protect children and put parents' minds at rest when other people are looking after them is now being used to stop a mother from being with her son in case he has an attack and needs drugs administered by someone trained. How is this benefiting anyone?
A spokesperson for the council said:
"We cannot comment on particular cases but can confirm that CRB checking is a requirement of our transport provisions in relation to adults travelling on home-to-school transport in the capacity of an escort.
"This is a standard requirement and has been for several years.
"Any adult acting as an escort will, in the public gaze, be viewed as acting with the full acquiescence of the council and hence with its implied authority.
"For the protection of the council and all vulnerable persons in its care it's essential all those endowed with an authority, implicit or explicit, should meet the security requirements within the transport contract provisions."
Can anyone make any sense out of this?
Labels: Aberfan, BBC News, bureaucracy, Criminal Records Bureau, idiots, Merthyr Tydfil
Outrage! backs Boris's move!
In an interesting follow-up to the news that Boris abolishes a do-nothing advisory panel, the move has been backed by none other than OutRage! (PinkNews: OutRage! backs Boris over abolition of gay advisory panel)
Brett Lock of direct action LGBT rights group OutRage! said that Mayor Boris Johnson was "quite right" to scrap it.
"It was elitist, unelected, unaccountable and anti-democratic," he said.
"No one elected the panel. They were hand-picked by Ken and were not necessarily representative of the LGBT community.
"Instead of negatively sniping at the Mayor, LGBT groups should concentrate on presenting Boris with practical and constructive policy ideas for the benefit of LGBT Londoners," he said.
Note also Brett Lock's comments about LGBT Labour activists being more concerned with LGBT for Labour than Labour for LGBT:
"Instead of petty party-political point-scoring, gay Labour activists should concentrate on pressing their own party to stop mistreating LGBT asylum seekers and end the ban on same-sex marriage," said Mr Lock.
Unfortunately it seems some are determined to make party matters of the personal.
Labels: Boris Johnson, LGBT, LGBT Labour, Mayor of London, OutRage, PinkNews
Boris abolishes a do-nothing advisory panel
This shouldn't need to be a story should it? Ever since Boris Johnson was elected Mayor of London a new broom has been sweeping through the Greater London Authority and many of the wasteful and tokenistic initiatives of the Livingstone era have been abolished. However the decision to abolish a Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Advisory Panel that had only been formed a few months ago and had just a preliminary meeting has provoked some criticism. (PinkNews: Boris team rejects criticism over LGB advisory panel) But surprise surprise the first person to speak out about this is a Labour Party councillor - the reaction of many Labour members to Boris's victory struck me as one of outrage that the voters had dared to deny Labour its supposed God-Given-Right to rule. On close inspection the panel membership is also suggestive:
...the panel which was chaired by Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall, included Linda Bellos of Black Lesbians UK, Jackie Lewis of trade union UNISON, Lynsey River of Polari, the older people's LGBT network, Brenda Ellis of REGARD, a disabled LGBT group and Mr [Pav] Akhtar in his role as Chair of Imaan, a Muslim LGBT group.
This sounds suspiciously like a mainly Labour mates show that did very little but ticked a few boxes, of the kind all too common under the Livingstone regime. For another example see PinkNews's interview with Deputy Mayor Richard Barnes where he talks of a disability adviser who similarly served to tick boxes. (PinkNews: INTERVIEW: A heartbeat away from the Mayor of London)
I remained to be convinced that this advisory panel that only ever had a preliminary meeting was actually doing anything to the benefit of Lesbian & Gay (and I deliberate use just those words) Londoners and that their lives were in any way enhanced by its existence. Maybe the timing of the announcement wasn't the best but I don't want Labour style gesture politics that creates positions and throws around money for appearances' sake, I want results and substance. And I believe many Londoners want the same.
So I hope Boris Johnson will carry on getting rid of wasteful tokenistic bodies that just serve to tick boxes and get one with delivering real results for all Londoners.
Labels: Ben Summerskill, Boris Johnson, Brenda Ellis, Greater London Authority, Jackie Lewis, Ken Livingstone, LGBT, Linda Bellos, Lynsey River, Mayor of London, Pav Akhtar, PinkNews, Richard Barnes
Battle of the CF blogs!
A little competition never hurts anyone. Recently the blog Tory Bear was launched, focusing mainly on gossip around Conservative Future. And now a rival has sprung up - the Blue Guerilla. Hopefully this will encourage the appearance of further such blogs and the competition will be a great force for driving up quality. Battle away!
Labels: competition, Conservative Future, the Blue Guerilla, Tory Bear
Has David Davis succeeded?
When David Davis announced his resignation from the Commons over 42 days detention many saw him as making a courageous move because opinion polls suggested that public opinion was behind the government on this issue.
Now an opinion poll has suggested a significant shift in public opinion, suggesting that because the issue has had much greater debate in public people have learnt more about it and decided they don't like it. Taking the debate to the wider public, rather than facing down Mad Cow Girl, has been the purpose of Davis's stance and it seems he's been successful, regardless of what the result is on Thursday.
Hattip to Iain Dale: Has David Davis's National Debate Been Sparked?
Labels: David Davis, Haltemprice and Howden by-election, Iain Dale, internment, Mad Cow Girl
Lib Dems: Wales is only a "Region"
Whilst glancing at Liberal Democrat Voice I saw the post Welsh Lib Dems choose Alan Butt Philip as lead Euro candidate, leading to the announcement on their website "We can win" - says Welsh Lib Dem Euro candidate and the following caught my eye:
Based on the 2007 Regional Assembly Election,
(My emphasis)
So according to the Liberal Democrats, the party full of more pedants than any other, Wales is a "Region" and the title of its devolved body is "the Regional Assembly".
Anyone want to place bets on how the Liberal Democrat list will do in the "Region of Wales"?
Labels: Alan Butt Philip, Liberal Democrat Voice, Liberal Democrats, Wales, Welsh Assembly
Do we want lame duck Mayors?
I've not blogged about the Ray Lewis affair, partially due to lack of time, partially due to the wide range of contradictory information (for example I've seen lengthy posts on just when someone becomes a magistrate with a suggestion that even the Ministry of Justice isn't 100% consistent). But there's an interesting suggestion made by Gulf Stream Blues: The Ray Lewis Fiasco and echoed by Liberal Burblings: The Boris/Lewis train wreck - an American perspective about the basic problem in the system:
In a larger sense this is partly to blame on a problem that has nothing to do with the Conservatives, as the new position of London mayor still gets the kinks worked out. The position of mayor is essentially an American system that was shoehorned into British politics in 2000, but in some aspects they seem to have not grasped it properly. An American-style complete change in administration takes time to work out. That's why the US has its elections in early November, and the winner doesn't take office until January. That gives them several months to put together an administration and ensure an orderly transition. Here, Johnson took office just days after the election, and had to hurriedly select administration professionals and advisors without proper background checks.
We've already seen this to an extent with candidate selection - the British system generally expects politicians to work their way through the benches, not jump straight in to a high profile position from outside politics, Arnold Schwarzenegger style. For borough councils an elected Mayor just about works because it's a natural extension of the role of a councillor, although there have been many independent Mayors from outside politics. However for London it becomes hard to attract candidates in all parties as it's a diversion from a parliamentary career (and indeed takes one out of the House) but candidates from outside the regular political classes are hard to recruit.
And we see it again with the lack of a transition period. This is a relatively new thing in British politics - in past decades the outgoing government often took a few days to resign and the incoming one had more time to put together an administration. But nowadays a new government has to be put together by the new Prime Minister within hours of the election result. Because virtually all the ministers will be experienced MPs and peers it's often relatively simple to do this. However as Gulf Stream Blues has noted, the Mayoral administration has to recruit for the most part from outside the political mainstream and has very little time to do so. During the election Boris Johnson refused to list who would he appoint as he was the candidate standing not them, but it left little time to do the appointment checks.
The seemingly obvious solution would be to have a gap between the election and taking office. But this would mean the incumbent Mayor would remain in post for the time being, empowered to take decisions despite potentially having been rejected by the voters - not a good recipe for decisive decision making in a country not used to lame duck politicians. Just what is the solution here?
Labels: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Boris Johnson, Gulf Stream Blues, lame duck, Liberal Burblings, London Assembly, Mayor of London, Ray Lewis
No June on this blog yet...
Tracksy is currently playing up and I'm not sure why - is anyone else experiencing problems? So for the moment I'm afraid there aren't any details about June's readership.
A battle of equalities - or the onset of culture w...


8220;The goal of BPEF and this golf tournament is help make certain that the next generation of business-to-business media professionals is well educated and savvy," said ABM Managing Director Mike Marchesano.
To learn more about BPEF and the scholarship program, visit www.
The Intern Award evaluated the quality of work produced by 2005 BPEF participants during the course of their summer internships, and was designed to recognize the voices of emerging b-to-b talent who may one day become Neal Award winners.
Our core competency is to provide our clients with high quality research and advice, followed by impeccable execution, clearing and settlement," said Francois Salzedo, chief operating officer for BPEF.
This is a key advantage in on-going monitoring and maintenance," said Andrea Masson, integration project manager for BPEF.


Here we are again with another skincare project! Today, I'll be chatting about one of my favourite skincare brands: Oskia. I've been using their products for over a year now after their dreamy cleanser first came into my life (thank you, blogger hype) and I always keep an eye out for what new products Oskia bring out. As you all know and are probably sick of hearing, but I am on Roaccutane which makes my skin very dry, so I'm always looking at products to nourish and hydrate my skin and give it that cushioned feel to relieve any irritation.
So, I've been testing out these Oskia bits over the past few weeks and I have to say, they're pretty darn amazing. First is their cleanser which I have two backups of (yup, obsessed) as I can't be without it! The Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel is a balm like cleanser which feels ultra nourishing on the skin, smells divine and leaves skin feeling hydrated and plump. It's one of those things you have to try out to seriously get the hype – go forth and purchase.
Next is an oil and moisturiser combo that I've been using every day to keep any dry patches at bay. First, the Oskia Restoration Oil which is a very light and silky oil, perfect for those who don't like using heavy products on their skin. It has a sweet but natural smell due to the orange and rose elements to it which I really like and, using 2-3 drops every morning and night, it's worked well to boost the hydration levels and radiance in my skin. I love it. The other part of this duo is the Oskia Renaissance 360 Supreme Cream, which is hailed as a 'vitamin rich daily hydrator'. This light yet hydrating cream has really been helping my skin not only in keeping it moisturised, but looking a lot less dull too. Roaccutane does give you a bit of a glow, but is also leaves you with a lot of scars from the initial break out phase so these two have definitely been helping!
When I finish my treatment, I'll be using my Oskia Bedtime Beauty Boost once more (as I can't now due to it having vitamin A as a prominent ingredient). It's an ultra lush cream – honestly, when I first got it I referred to it as my 'marshmallow moisturiser' due to it's texture – that leaves skin looking so plump and smooth the next day! I'll probably review this one again once I start using it once more.
Finally, a bit of a cult (in the blogger world, at least), the Oskia Renaissance Mask is something I wanted to try for absolutely ages and I'm oh so glad I have now. It's an acid based mask, so it uses fruit and lactic acid to slough away any dead skin cells and exfoliates the skins surface underneath so it's super radiant and bright! I use this once or twice a week and it leaves my skin absolutely glowing every time – 100% worth picking up if you suffer from dull skin!
Have you tried Oskia Skincare before?


Fourth quarter is almost upon us – can you believe it? The end of the calendar year always seems to sneak up and take us all by surprise. It is a whirlwind of planning – planning for parties, planning schedules, planning gifts, planning work, planning vacation, everything is planned!
For Affiliate Marketers, this time of year can be pretty stressful because is it the most profitable season. That means, all your ducks need to be in a row! It is crucial to be fully prepared for the fourth quarter and being organized is half the battle. We've got some organizational resources & tips to make sure that your Q4 is not only profitable, but also enjoyable!
Every successful blogger has some sort of scheduler, planner or somewhere that they write down a plan of action for the next week, month or quarter. Even just a spot for ideas or topics is helpful. At the very least, bloggers are aware of holidays. The fourth quarter gets really hectic and crazy between all the holiday parties, the ramp up for Black Friday/Cyber Monday and just life's general busyness. No one ever complained about being TOO organized. If you don't already have an online organizational system for dates, ideas, brainstorming sessions, then look no further! We got some online tools for you.
Plan, Research, Publish, Share…. Shareist is the latest tool to help you manage in an age where you sit at the nexus of incoming and outgoing streams of information. Join the Shareist Affiliate Program!
Marketing and Content Calendar for Blogging, Marketing + Social Media. CoSchedule is the best way to plan your marketing and save a ton of time. Trusted by more than 10,000 bloggers, editors, and social marketers world-wide.
Capture what's on your mind. | Collect, nurture, and share ideas across desktop and mobile platforms with Evernote. Your thoughts are always with you, always accessible, always in sync.
Social Media Management Dashboard – Enhance your social media management with Hootsuite, the leading social media dashboard. Manage multiple networks and profiles and measure your campaign results.
Some people just don't like online planners or use a combination of both, like yours truly. I don't know why, but I love being able to physically write things down and better yet is that amazing feeling of satisfaction that you get after crossing it off your to-do list. So for all of you old school planners out there, these are for you!
And don't forget…a new year is coming soon! Have you picked out your 2017 planner yet?
Emily Ley is a boutique lifestyle brand that inspires women of all ages to build joy and simplicity into their lives through intentional choices, purposeful plans and playful experiences. Join the Emily Ley Affiliate Program!
The Day Planner for Mom. Stay organized on the go with our fabulous, functional File Totes! Join momAgenda's Affiliate Program.
Blogging is hard work and takes a lot of creativity. Let's be real, sometimes bloggers are fresh out of creativity. Topics and titles are difficult to decide on and so you stare at your blank wordpress page, hoping that something, anything, will come to mind. Don't just sit there, do something about it! There are TONS of resources to help you brainstorm, give you ideas for a blog post series and get you out of your rut.
Capture this audience with unique coupons and deals from the ShareASale coupons and deals database within your Affiliate interface. Be sure to also subscribe to the coupons and deals RSS feed to get live deal notifications!
Are you stuck in a blogging rut? Here are some ideas to help you beat writers block and stay on top of your posts in August.
We hope that this helps you find inspiration to write blog posts, reviews, gift guides of your own, and generally find great Merchants and Retailers to partner with throughout the year. Stay tuned every Monday for a new lineup!
Don't let Q4 pass by without implementing some gift guides – readers love them! Take time to plan your gift guides asap so that you can truly enjoy and relish the holiday festivities.
Get oodles of custom blog ideas from @HubSpot's free Blog Topic Generator. Don't let yourself get in a rut, instead allow us to help!
Organization will definitely help you out in the long run, so find what works for you. Maybe you need a time restriction, a chatting platform for your team or a killer email newsletter provider. Here are some resources to get you started or to get the wheels turning. Enjoy!
Send better email. Sell more stuff. | MailChimp is the best way to design, send, and share email newsletters.
Fourth quarter is undoubtedly not only the busiest time of year, but also the most profitable for most Affiliate Marketers. Therefore, you need start planning NOW! Here is a list of things that you can do immediately.
If you are like me, there is nothing more satisfying that putting a big exaggerated check mark next to a box on my To-Do list. "Success!" I scream with glee, as I am sure you do too.
It may be overwhelming as a new Affiliate on ShareASale. Once you begin to browse through the Merchant list you are met with various categories and brand names – some you may be familiar with and some of which you are not.


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Mark Lanegan Band - Gargoyle
There's a singer with a voice 50 fathoms deep and the consistency of vitrified teak, who has been known to go to extremes in search of a song. Across continents, over oceans, through multiple time zones. From West Hollywood to... Tunbridge Wells. A long way - but Mark Lanegan knows the directions. Early in 2016, Mark was at home in Los Angeles, working on some ideas for what might turn into his next album. He wasn't too thrilled by what he was coming up with. Then he got an email from a friend, an English musician named Rob Marshall, thanking Mark for contributing to a new project he was putting together, Humanist. The pair first met in 2008, when Marshall's former band Exit Calm supported Soulsavers, who Mark was singing with at the time. Now Rob was offering to write Mark some music to return the favour. "I was like, Hey man, I'm getting ready to make a record, if you've got anything?'" Mark recalls. "Three days later he sent me *10 things… !"