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The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell
I read The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell for the Goodreads.com Mystery, Crime and Thriller group read.
EXCERPT: The volumes are enormous and weighty. Iris has to stand up to read them. A thick epidermis of dust has grown over the spine and the top edges of the pages. She opens one at random and the pages, yellowed and brittle fall open at May 1941. A woman called Amy is admitted by a Dr Wallis. Amy is a war widow and has suspected puerperal fever. She is brought in by her brother. He says she won't stop cleaning the house. There is no mention of the baby and Iris wonders what happened to it. Did it live? Did the brother look after it? Did the brother's wife? Did the brother have a wife? Did Amy get out again?
Iris flicks over a few more pages. A woman who was convinced that the wireless was somehow killing them all. A girl who kept wandering away from the house at night. A Lady somebody who kept attacking a particular servant. A Cockenzie fishwife who showed signs of libidinous and uncontrolled behaviour. A youngest daughter who eloped to Ireland with a legal clerk. Iris is just reading about a Jane who had the temerity to take long, solitary walks and refuse offers of marriage, when she is overtaken by a violent sneeze once, twice, three, four times.
She sniffs and searches her pockets for a tissue. The records room seems to be oddly silent after her sneezes. She glances around. It is empty apart from the man behind the desk and another man peering closely at something on a blue-lit microfiche screen. It seems strange that all these women were once here, in this building, that they spent days and weeks and months under this vast roof. As Iris turns out her pockets, it occurs to her that perhaps some of them are still here, like Esme. Is Jane of the long walks somewhere within these walls? Or the eloping youngest daughter?
ABOUT 'THE VANISHING ACT OF ESME LENNOX': In the middle of tending to the everyday business at her vintage clothing shop and sidestepping her married boyfriend's attempts at commitment, Iris Lockhart receives a stunning phone call: Her great-aunt Esme, whom she never knew existed, is being released from Cauldstone Hospital – where she has been locked away for over sixty years. Iris's grandmother Kitty always claimed to be an only child. But Esme's papers prove she is Kitty's sister, and Iris can see the shadow of her dead father in Esme's face. Esme has been labeled harmless – sane enough to coexist with the rest of the world. But Esme's still basically a stranger, a family member never mentioned by the family, and one who is sure to bring life-altering secrets with her when she leaves the ward. If Iris takes her in, what dangerous truths might she inherit?
MY THOUGHTS: It is many years since I first read The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell. While I may have forgotten the plot, I had not forgotten how bittersweet, sad, touching, yet absolutely magnificent this book was.
There are three narrators to this story: Esme, who has been incarcerated in Cauldstone, euphemistically called a psychiatric hospital where she has been incarcerated for more than sixty years; her older sister Kitty who now suffers from Alzheimer's and is in a care home; and finally Iris, Kitty's granddaughter, Iris's great-neice who inherits her great-aunt when Cauldstone is closed down. The story is told over two timelines, from Kitty and Iris's childhood through their womanhood, and the current day.
Each of the narrator's stories is spellbinding. We learn a lot of Kitty's story through her rambling and mostly disjointed thoughts. One thought will lead her to another without the first having been completed. You would think that this would be extremely annoying, but it's not. It is a glimpse into the mind of someone with a form of dementia, where the past becomes the present. She does not recognize Iris, expecting her to still be a small child in a pretty dress, not a confident young woman.
Kitty was the 'good' child, the peacekeeper. Esme was enquiring, inventive, fiesty, independent. Rules were made to be broken. Iris didn't want the responsibility of her chronically insane great-aunt. She has enough on her plate with her vintage clothing business, a grandmother with Alzheimer's, a married lover, and her step-brother Alex. She doesn't have room in her life for any more complications.
This is a complex and compelling story. It combines a historical exposè of mental health treatment with the modern dilemma of what happens to those people who were confined for the majority of their lives when there was nothing wrong with them other than they were an embarrassment to their families.
The characters are incredibly interesting and believable. There are historic family secrets, and modern dilemmas. O'Farrell has written beautifully, capturing both the emotions of the characters and the atmosphere and social mores of the time with both accuracy and occasional flashes of humor.
There are books that stay with us for a long time. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox is one such book for me.
THE AUTHOR: Born in Northern Ireland in 1972, MAGGIE O'FARRELL grew up in Wales and Scotland and now lives in London. She has worked as a waitress, chambermaid, bike messenger, teacher, arts administrator, and journalist in Hong Kong and London, and as the deputy literary editor of The Independent on Sunday.
DISCLOSURE: I own my copy of The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, written by Maggie O'Farrell, published by Headline Review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
This review and others are also published on Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.com
Author sandysbookadayPosted on January 9, 2021 Categories 5 star read, Contemporary fiction, Family drama, Historical fiction, Mental health, Mystery, Reviews, Uncategorized
10 thoughts on "The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell"
Shalini says:
I haven't read this book. But I think long back I read this author. Great review. This sounds perfect. 5 star is a great score from you
Thanks Shalini. I don't give many 5 star ratings out, but I have read 3 excellent books in a row. Look for my next review of a five star book tomorrow. ❤📚
oooh I am so excited
I need to read this!
Everyone needs to read this. ❤📚
Priyasha says:
that's a great review 🥰💕
Thanks Priyasha. It's a great and moving book. ❤📚
Tina M Culbertson says:
Maggie O'Farrell is a wonderful author and I loved this book. Sad parts, made you think about it long afterwards. Thank you for the comment on my Goodreads account
I recently read Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell and was very impressed with her beautiful writing. This book sounds like another showcase to that skill. I am putting this on hold at my library for March when I participate in Reading Ireland. Wonderful review Sandy, this book sounds so moving.
It is very moving, Carla. I will be interested to see what you think of it. ❤📚
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where the needs of our patients are the focus of our attention and we Provide Solutions with Care.
Community education is provided to requested groups regarding Hypertension (HTN), Diabetes (DM) and how they can cause Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) / End stage renal disease (ESRD).
Community Education: Community education is provided regarding Kidney disease and what dialysis is and how it's done.
If End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) is diagnosed in any patient, the ESRD stage is confirmed and patient is educated on the disease and monitored in the community to slow down the progression of the disease and education for life style changes is provided.
Patients with stage IV ESRD are educated regarding dialysis options, access site is created for when patient becomes at stage V and requires dialysis.
Medical Management: Renal diet education is provided to patients who have ESRD and do not yet require dialysis and to also dialysis patients.
We evaluate and treat persons who may develop symptoms of Hypertension (HTN) and/or Diabetes (DM) and need to be placed on a medical regime.
In addition, we screen persons who wish to have their renal function evaluated with the aim of ruling out Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)/End stage renal disease (ESRD).
When called to the hospital by the medical team, evaluation is done for patients who are in hospital due to Kidney Failure and requiring hemodialysis.
Since 2012, Health Solutions Inc. (HSI) has operated as a privately-owned medical services provider in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) that primarily offers outpatient dialysis services to persons in SVG and is one of the reference centres for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic renal pathologies in SVG. Moreover, Health Solutions Inc. is proud to serve the dialysis needs of patients from the CARICOM and internationally who visit SVG for business or pleasure.
We believe in the importance of having warm and therapeutic relations with our patients during treatments: our approach is based on respect, efficiency and honesty.
The patients who entrust themselves to our care immediately notice the comforting mood and helpfulness of the medical and management staff. Thanks to their extended experience, our staff recognizes the needs of our patients with chronic and complex medical conditions, and at times complicated haemodialysis sessions.
Our approach is holistic, aiming to the general wellbeing of the patient. We don't just rely on efficient equipment, but we look for the best conditions to handle medical conditions as they arise.
Overall renal education is provided to our patients and their families to ensure understanding of their condition.
Living with kidney disease is manageable, we are there to support you, but remember that you as a patient also have an important role to play; your active cooperation is a very important aspect – much more that is normally expected from non-renal patients.
Our nursing staff not only possesses the formal training and a wealth of experience to handle treatment of end-stage renal patients who require haemodialysis but our management team and consulting specialists comprise of individuals with immense international experience in nursing, surgical and transplant procedures and nephrology.
Health Solutions Inc. is proud to have a team with over 100 years of combined work experience in nephrology, kidney transplant, general surgery and nursing that provides tremendous comfort to the overall patient experience at our facility.
It is critical for any kidney disease patient to develop a trusting and collaborative relationship with your kidney care facility and their team. Health Solutions acts as your partner in this process along with your family and friends to assist in adaptation to treatments and medications involved in the care of someone with kidney disease.
Any dialysis patient is aware of the time spent at a treatment facility to maintain a quality of life that you deserve. All patients at Health Solutions are provided with a safe and comfortable environment as you will be spending a great amount of time with us and we want to ensure that your experience is a positive one at all times.
Hemodialysis is a way to remove waste products and excess fluid from the blood when the kidneys are no longer able to do their job adequately. In hemodialysis, blood is removed from the body and filtered through a filter called a dialyzer (artificial kidney) and the filtered blood is returned to the body.
One important step before beginning hemodialysis is preparing a vascular access, a site on your body from which your blood is removed and returned. It will allow for easier and more efficient removal and replacement of your blood with fewer complications. There are three main types of access points for hemodialysis: arteriovenous (AV) fistula, AV graft and central venous catheter.
During the typical dialysis session, the patient will need to sit or lie comfortably in a chair or bed, where he/she can read, listen to music, watch TV or sleep. Patients are also welcome to use their mobile phone to make any calls, work on a PC, or socializing with other patients. (Free Wi-Fi is provided).
Health Solutions Inc. uses High-flux dialyzers for hemodialysis which allows removal of both small and middle molecular weight solutes and in turn improves the results of dialysis for the patient.
Once the patient is settled in, using sterile technique the patient is connected to the machine to begin dialysis. The lines and the dialyzer are connected to the dialysis machine. The machine safely controls the flow of blood through the blood pump. Each patient based on their prescribed renal regime will have specific settings placed into the machine to ensure appropriate dialysis clearances and adequate fluid removal is achieved. A complete dialysis session usually lasts between 3.5 – 4 hours. The ideal dialysis recommendation regime is dialysis minimum 3 times a week with 3.5 – 4 hour sessions each.
Nurses periodically monitor both the patient and the dialysis machine to ensure patient stability.
Hemodialysis itself is not painful. However, it is possible for the patient to experience some side effects. It is quite common to feel tired after a long session of dialysis. Some patients may have nausea, feel dizzy or have muscle cramps during dialysis. If you have any of these problems, the medical staff will do everything possible to help you cope and re-evaluate your prescribed regime to avoid it from happening again.
Apart from the providing as safe and comfortable treatment environment, it is assuring for any patient that the medical management and staff are knowledgeable but possess the requisite experience in providing top quality care to all patients.
Health Solutions prides itself on having a management and nursing team with over 100 years of combined work experience in nephrology, kidney transplant, general surgery and dialysis nursing that provides tremendous comfort to the overall patient experience at our facility.
Through a surgical procedure, an AV fistula connects your artery directly to a vein, typically in the forearm. Connecting the artery to the vein causes more blood to flow into the vein. As a result, the vein grows larger and stronger, making repeated needle insertions for hemodialysis treatments easier. This method is often ideal because your own tissue is used, decreasing the chance of infection and clotting. Keep in mind, when a fistula access is created you will need to give it time to "mature" for use approximately 8 – 10 weeks. To develop your new fistula, be sure to exercise your access arm by squeezing a foam ball or using hand grips as directed. This helps the fistula develop properly.
Another option is to implant a synthetic tube, or graft, to connect your artery and vein under the skin in your arm. The graft becomes an artificial vein that can be used repeatedly for needle placement and blood access during hemodialysis. A well-cared-for graft can last several years and maturation is not required.
Thoroughly clean your fistula before each dialysis session.
Touch your fistula every day to feel the rhythm of your blood flow called "thrill" (vibration). The "thrill" tells you that the blood is flowing through your access as it should be. If you do not feel the "thrill," you should call your dialysis unit as this could signal a clot.
Your access site is only to be used for dialysis treatments.
Do not allow blood to be drawn from the access.
Do not let anyone put a blood pressure cuff on your access arm.
Do not scratch your access site as the scratching can increase the risk for infection if the surface of the skin is broken.
Do not wear jewellery or tight clothes over your access site.
Do not sleep with your access arm under your head or body.
Report any areas of your graft or fistula that appear to be protruding or ballooning out. This is called an aneurysm. The skin over an aneurysm may look thin and shiny.
Check your access point every day for signs of infection. These can include swelling, tenderness, or redness. If you experience any of these symptoms, contact your doctor.
If your kidney disease has progressed quickly, you may not have time to get a permanent vascular access before hemodialysis has to be initiated. A decision is then made to create a tunnelled catheter access site. The catheter is a long Y-shaped tube which the tip can be placed in your neck, chest or groin and is connected to a central vein. The other end of the tubing exits your skin and is attached to the tubing on the dialysis machine. Once the catheter is inserted it can be used immediately for dialysis. This choice of access is only used as a last resort as most catheters have a high infection rate and clot more frequently.
Do not open your catheter. The end caps of your catheter MUST be kept tightly closed. Only your dialysis nurse or physician should remove the caps or clamps.
Do not get the catheter wet in the shower. Avoid getting the waterproof dressing wet.
Contact the unit if you develop a high temperature, chills, shivering or sweating.
Contact the unit if you have any pain, redness or swelling around the exit site of the line.
Contact the unit if you notice any bleeding from the catheter site.
Any medical staff who touches the catheter site must undertake strict procedures to prevent infection. Ensure the dressing is not touched by anyone other than medical personnel who are familiar with using sterile technique.
DISCOVER ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES WITH THE PROVISION OF FRIENDLY, COMFORTABLE & CONVENIENT FIRST-CLASS DIALYSIS TREATMENT EXPERIENCE.
Health Solutions Inc. is located on the serene tropical destination of St.Vincent and the Grenadines. More specifically our facility is located in Beachmont which is approximately a short 5 minute drive from the capital city of Kingstown where our main port is located where all cruise ships dock and approximately a 15 to 20 minutes drive from most hotels in the country. Our facility is a warm and inviting 6-station unit that offers treatments from Monday to Saturday usually starting at 6:00a.m. and running 2 to 3 shifts per day.
The clinic is managed by a Canadian Registered Nurse and we have highly trained dialysis nurses.
In order to ensure we provide a safe and effective treatment we would require information to be completed by your dialysis unit, preferably one month before you travel.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines an island country in the Lesser Antilles Island arc, in the southern portion of the Windward Islands, which lie at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea where the latter meets the Atlantic Ocean.
Its 389 km2 (150 sq mi) territory consists of the main island of Saint Vincent and the northern two-thirds of the Grenadines, which are a chain of smaller islands stretching south from Saint Vincent Island to Grenada. The main island of Saint Vincent measures 18 km (11 mi) long, 11 km (6.8 mi) in width and 344 km2 (133 sq mi) in area. From the most northern to the most southern points, the Grenadine islands belonging to Saint Vincent span 60.4 km (37.5 mi) with a combined area of 45 km2 (17 sq mi). Most of the nation lies within the Hurricane Belt.
To the north of Saint Vincent lies Saint Lucia, to the east Barbados. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a densely populated country (over 300 inhabitants/km2) with approximately 120,000 inhabitants.
Its capital is Kingstown, also its main port. The country has a French and British colonial history and is now part of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, CARICOM, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
Agriculture, dominated by banana production, is the most important sector of this lower-middle-income economy. The services sector, based mostly on a growing tourist industry, is also important.
The tourism sector has considerable potential for development. The filming of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies on the island has helped to expose the country to more potential visitors and investors. Growth has been stimulated by strong activity in the construction sector and an improvement in tourism.
The Argyle International Airport was recently constructed and has been in operation for over 2 years. In addition to regional flights, direct flights are arriving in SVG from North America (Toronto, Canada & New York, New York) with plans to include flight arrivals from Europe in the not too distant future. This development has greatly enhanced access to this must-see tourist destination.
When considering a holiday in SVG or any other destination kidney patients on dialysis requires additional planning, so last minute bookings are not a realistic option.
Health Solutions Inc. will liaise with your health care team to assess your suitability for travel. We will also assist in your travel plans if requested to do so as these plans must be coordinated with our facility to ensure your treatment regime is fulfilled while on holiday.
In addition, to receiving and discussing your detailed health information with your health team in your home jurisdiction, pertaining to your treatment plan, the staff at Health Solutions Inc. will even help you to arrange accommodation at a hotel or apartment close to our facility and even plan transportation and other tourist activities while visiting SVG.
Our Company is a member of the SVG Hotel and Tourism Association.
Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, W.I.
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Home > Small Changes > Living
Christmas Cards After Christmas: How to Dispose of Them Properly
By Lizzy Rosenberg
Christmas came and went, which means you're now likely starting to think about disposing of that tree, taking down those decorations, and tossing those 2021 Christmas cards. Although the vast majority of them are probably made from regular paper, certain materials often used to decorate cards can't necessarily be handled and disposed of like regular paper — that's why we're giving an in-depth tutorial on how to recycle Christmas cards, sustainably.
Keeping non-recyclables out of the recycling bin is crucial to divert waste properly, and create less work for your local municipality.
"Christmas cards are a great way to send a message of love to family and friends during the festive season – especially after the COVID-19 pandemic has limited physical contact – but, once celebrations end, they can easily add to January waste," reads an article from Country Living titled 7 creative ideas for reusing and recycling Christmas cards.
The pandemic has revived the Christmas card industry, which in turn, creates more waste.
"In 2020, lockdown restrictions lead to a huge spike in the number of Christmas cards being sent," the article continues. "Research revealed that searches for 'charity Christmas cards' reached a 16-year-peak and, compared to December 2019, they were up 144 percent. So, with the planet in mind, it's more important than ever that we recycle Christmas cards this year and make it a habit for years to come."
Here's how to tell if your Christmas cards are recyclable:
More and more brands, such as tk and tk, have started making eco-friendly Christmas cards, to make your holiday festivities more sustainable. But how you can tell if a card is eco-friendly or recyclable at all? You can most likely tell if a card is plantable or compostable, based on the composition of the paper.
And if it's 100 percent recyclable, according to Express UK, the card will most likely have a recycling symbol on the back of it.
If not, cards made from plain paper can mostly be recycled.
"Most cards are paper-based and can be recycled, along with their envelopes, either in your household recycling collection, at local recycling points such as household waste recycling centres or at collection banks in supermarket car parks and the like," reads an excerpt from Recycle Now.
But, anything with glitter, ribbons, a plastic-y coating, jewels, foil, or other doodads cannot be recycled like the other cards.
Likewise, batteries should be disposed of at proper receptacles, so they don't leach chemicals or catch on fire.
Tossing incorrect materials into the recycling bin can contaminate other recyclable materials. It also creates more work for the employees at your local municipality, and it can even create issues with the machines there. Therefore, it's important to abide by these recycling rules.
Not all gift wrap is recyclable, either.
Likewise, even though wrapping paper has "paper" in the name, most gift wrap is not recyclable. Those that are made from actual paper and tear easily are likely recyclable. But those that appear to be metallic, include glitter, foil, plastic laminate, or other materials that aren't made from paper cannot go in the recycling bin.
This also applies to ribbons, tape, bows, and other decorations that might adorn your gifts. Anything that cannot be recycled should go in landfill trash. For embellishments like bows and ribbons, though, we recommend saving for next year. We promise they won't go out of style.
And if you want to divert as much waste as possible, we recommend opting for an eco-friendly gift wrap alternative — you can make it part of the present, which is the best kind of gift receptacle, if you ask us.
How to Tell If Your Wrapping Paper Is Recyclable
From Newspaper to Reusable Boxes, These Are the Most Sustainable Gift Wrap Alternatives
Eco-Friendly Gifts to Keep Things Zero Waste This Holiday Season

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Another variety from heirloom tomato collector Craig LeHoullier who grew out Cherokee Chocolate from another seed saver in 1997. One plant gave him a cross that stayed green when ripe. He then stabilized this seed for Cherokee Green. Our TomatoFest organic heirloom seeds produce big, leafy, regular-leaf plants similar to Cherokee Purple that yields 12-16 oz. beefsteak tomatoes that are amber green with a yellowish hue when ripe. This is one of the best tasting, most flavorful of all the green tomatoes. A very fine slicer tomato good as a salad tomato, a slicer for sandwiches and yes, give this a try for a delicious pasta sauce.


Calling all adventurers: we are embarking on a caving trip to some areas that you shouldn't go without someone who knows what they're doing!
We'll pop down one cave in the morning, have lunch in the fresh air and then go down into another cave in the afternoon, with the day lasting around six hours.
There are several caves that we may go into, the most likely being Giants, Bagshawe and Carlswark; we'll decide based on the bravery of those attending! Abseiling, wet feet and "through rips" are all possible, so if you'd like to come but are put off by any particular aspect then just let us know in advance and we'll work around it.
We have 8 places available at a cost of £22.50 per person; use the PayPal button or link below to sign up. This is a brilliant price which you'll be hard pushed to match elsewhere! This includes a qualified instructor and equipment (oversuits, wellies, knee pads, helmets, lights and gloves). We will send you an info and medical/disclaimer form to fill out in advance so the right sizes can be provided.
If you want to ask us any questions before you book, email us at contact@youngmensanorth.com.
You'll need warm clothes, ideally tracksuit bottoms/fleece trousers or similar, and at least 2 warm top layers (thermal and fleece type things), thick socks and optional hat without a bobble that will fit under a helmet if you want - and don't forget your packed lunch!
We'll meet at the car park in Castleton at the visitor centre to get kitted up before driving up to Giants, which is at the top of Winnatts Pass. This will allow us to condense cars and there are toilets in the visitor centre.
The nearest train station is Hope. If you want to come by train let us know as we will be happy to come and collect you from the station.
If you need help finding us then you can call or text the Phone Robot for directions (or for some encouragement to come along): 0144 360 6367.
Usually we would keep a close eye on our Telegram chat group during all our events, but the reception in Castleton is not great so don't rely on it. Make sure you know where you're going before you set off!


Screenshots are an integral part of Mac work for most users. In previous versions of macOS, the keyboard shortcut did a great job with this task, but a special screenshots tool appeared in macOS Mojave. Below we describe how to use it.
To take a screenshot of the entire screen, hold down Command + Shift + 3 on the keyboard.
To take a screenshot of a part of the screen, hold down Command + Shift + 4 . Use the mouse to select the area you want to capture.
To take a screenshot of the window, hold down Command + Shift + 4 , press the Spacebar , select the window, and then click the mouse button or the Enter key.
When the screenshot is taken, it will not appear on the screen immediately, as in previous versions of macOS. In macOS Mojave, only a preview of the screenshot will appear in the lower right corner of the screen, from where you can interact with it. Thus, you can easily edit, move and share screenshots.
Through the Finder, open the program folder, go to the Utilities and select Screenshot.
Or hold down the keyboard key Command + Shift + 5.
Screenshot of the entire screen.
Record selected part of the screen.
You can also select the folder for saving screenshots and records by default and turn on the timer countdown to the screenshot. You can also turn off the appearance of small previews and enable the screenshot history. You can enable or disable the display of the cursor in the screenshots.
The toolbar can be dragged around the screen. In the screenshots, the panel itself will not be displayed.
When you take a screenshot, a small preview will appear on the screen. It will automatically disappear after five seconds if you do nothing with it. You can remove the preview yourself by wiping it to the right. After that, the screenshot is immediately saved to the default folder.
You can drag previews to a program like Mail or Messages to quickly share a screenshot.
If you click on the preview with the right mouse button, additional options will appear: save to a specific location, open in programs, open in Finder, delete, edit, etc.
If you click on the screenshot with the left mouse button, it will open in Quick Look in full size. Here you can edit it, share it or crop it (if this is a video).
Most likely, most users will continue to use the familiar keyboard shortcut Command + Shift + 3/4. A new tool is quite convenient, but it is too long to open.
It is especially convenient that with the help of the tool you can also record the screen.


Is there any manner in cutting fingernails? I heard in a lecture that in cutting fingernails, we need to start in the index finger of the right hand followed by the rest of the fingers. Is there any Daleel on this?
The little finger of the right hand, the middle finger, thumb, ring finger and finally the index finger. Then, one clips nails of one's left as follows: The thumb of the left hand, it middle finger, the little finger, the index finger and finally the ring finger.
According to al-Shafi'e school, clipping one's nails has to be started with one's index finger of the right hand, since it is more honorable due to being used to attest Shahadah of Tawhid, then the middle finger, the little finger, the ring finger and finally the thumb. Then, the little finger of left hind, the ring finger, the middle finger, the index finger and finally the thumb. After that, one is advised to clip one's little toe of his/her right foot, and then, in turn one by one to be ended with the little toe of the left foot (Quoted freely from Mughni al-Muhtaj).
However, we believe that the above-mentioned narration concerning the order of clipping one's nails has no foundation Ibn Daqiq al-'Id, a well known a verifier and Muslim scholar, said: 'Clipping nails in accordance with a fixed order has no foundation in Sharia'. He added: 'It is not allowed to believe in the approbation of clipping nails according to the above-mentioned order, since such a desirability has no evidence in Sharia. So, it is wrong to believe this easily'.


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Composite Decking | Front Range Lumber Front Range Lumber has sold the Trex brand of composite decking to the Denver metro area since its introduction into the marketplace.
Decking Products | Materials & Deck Boards | Trex Discover high performance decking products from Trex. Learn about our variety of composite durable decking options for creating your outdoor living oasis.


FLC's newest member Mr. Anthony "Tony" Wilson started his first day on January 22, 2018. Taking on the role of Assistant Principal, he is stepping into the spot left empty by Nicole Lee after she accepted the job as Principal in December.
Newly hired Assistant Principal Mr. Wilson stands outside of his new office. Staff photographer Anannya Kundu. Note: a previous print version of this article mistakenly named the photographer as Bwe Ku.
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"No, no! The adventures first, explanations take such a dreadful time." -Lewis Carroll
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E for Effort, F for (adorable) Face
Today we moved on from "just" pre-writing tracing and got into real letters. I'm not certain how much he really knows beyond J-u-d-e. My initial instinct was to start in on A-B-C, because he's not great with putting things in ABC order, but then I read several articles that recommended working in a more natural progression, starting with "horizontal/vertical" line letters and working through to the ones that were more complex. I know that doesn't help with ABC order, but I think for his motor skills/motor planning, this way will work for him. He likes to draw and color, so we are doing dot-to-dots that use letters as point labels (instead of numbers) to work on putting things in order.
Today we started with the first two letters, Ee and Ff. He did a great job with the prewriting drills, so these pages* were fairly easy for him. What was hard was learning to follow the directions and stopping/starting with his pencil.
He did great with the first line of the Getting Ready section, but then struggled a little bit on the horizontal lines. It took several tries to learn to focus on the lines he was tracing, and to stop when the lines did. Once he moved on to tracing letters, he wanted to just follow along with his pencil. It took real effort to stop, pick up his pencil, and go back and start over for the next stroke, rather than trying to do it all in one pass. Once he got the hang of 1-2-3-4 for E, he did well. He added in an E at the end for good measure.
What takes him twice as long to do his work is that he often has to stop and tell me stories. Today he told me all about baby elephants, like the one up in the corner. "He is looking for his Mommy. He's hungry and wants a snack. He would like Smarties and Celia chocolate, please." (Nice try, buddy. Work, then snack.)
Little e was harder. He did great with the stroke shapes, but is used to free-handing the e. Rather than doing the more formal 1-2 strokes, he tends to work out the basic shape, and fill in the connections where necessary. By the end, he was getting the idea. One thing we will need to work on is remembering that the line and the circle should "kiss" the first time around, rather than the line having to "run back over" to the round part.
F was tricky. Uppercase F was a little harder, because after so many Es, he kept wanting to make the bottom line.
(For the record: fish swim in the ocean, all drains lead to the ocean, and fish are friends not food. Thank you Pixar, Nemo, and friends for those gems.)
It has taken him the longest of all to get used to the bouncing pre-writing exercises. Strokes he has done great with, in all directions. He does fairly well with repeating regular/inverted Vs, lines with right angles, and other block-ish shapes. But the rounded ones have been tough to make the curves. Finally, I told them they were like the jellyfish that Marlin and Dory bounced on (sense a theme here?) and you had to boing-boing-boing over the line. Eureka! He has been bouncing away ever since.
Surprisingly, having the camera around usually helps him focus. I think it is at least partly because he wants a turn with it (and he can only take pictures after he is done all of his work for the day). I like being able to document what we're doing, and to be able to watch him work. Some of his best expressions are when he's working -- sometimes, you can almost see that proverbial little hamster in there, madly spinning on his wheel.
Here, he's counting out the strokes.
Intent on bouncing.
Taking a break. Mr. Cuteness, or what?
*There are tons of letter writing pages out on the web. The ones we used today can be downloaded here. They are from the blog Confessions of a Homeschooler. There are lots of great ideas there for everything from Art to Writing.
Posted by Meg Falciani at 10:48 PM
Labels: alphabet, movies, writing
Hi! I'm Meg, a city girl from Philadelphia transplanted to a 19-acre farm in the Garden State of New Jersey. I started blogging to share about Jude's adventures homeschooling, and our adventures have grown to include his brothers and our friends. Welcome!
Matthew is learning to run a business. Your purchase gives him homework!
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If the essence of Europe is distilled in any one city, then Trieste must surely be a strong candidate for the distinction. James Joyce rather affectionately described the place as Europiccola (Little Europe). East meets West in this outpost of central Europe on the Adriatic.
We mentioned Trieste in our last e-brief really only en passant. So let us return to the Adriatic city that has so fired the imagination of writers over the last hundred years. Just think: Italo Svevo (whose novel Zeno's Conscience is thoroughly rooted in Trieste), the poet Umberto Saba, and of course James Joyce who taught English in Trieste. His very Irish novels are full of characters modelled on his Triestini friends, neighbours and pupils.
The city's magnetic appeal for writers has not waned. Some of the best modern Slovene literature comes from Trieste. Boris Pahor is just one of many celebrated Slovene writers who live in the city. The Italian writer Claudio Magris has lived in Trieste for more than three decades, and Jan Morris' Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere is an evocative meditation inspired by the port city. Morris returned to the Trieste theme in her 2006 book Europe: An Intimate Journey, casting Trieste as "one of the continent's fulcra".
If the essence of Europe is distilled in any one city, then Trieste must surely be a strong candidate for the distinction. James Joyce rather affectionately described the place as Europiccola (Little Europe), and there really is something beguilingly different about Trieste - a city that deftly melds Habsburg restraint with a dash of Italian flair and a dose of Slavic style. East meets West in this outpost of central Europe on the Adriatic.
We wandered the streets of Trieste for several days, last Sunday morning taking in Palm Sunday services at two of the city's main churches: the impressive neo-classical Sant'Antonio Nuovo, used by the city's Roman Catholics, and the deliciously exotic Serbian Orthodox church. Palms may be the traditional liturgical accessory for Palm Sunday, but in Trieste both communities opted for olive branches. Latin and Orthodox Christians both waved their olive branches on the same day.
It is not so very often that the Easter cycle of feasts is celebrated on the same days across the whole of Europe, with both the Latin and Orthodox traditions finding calendrical unity. But it happens this year. In the twenty years from 1991 to 2010, Easter Sunday has been simultaneously celebrated by both traditions on just four occasions (including today). As it happens, the coincidence is repeated next year.
Trieste's places of worship really capture the beauty of the city. Take the synagogue, tucked away in a back street behind the Caffè San Marco. Or the Greek Orthodox church down on the Riva. James Joyce was fascinated by the place and regularly attended the Divine Liturgy there, though interestingly he always reverted back to the Roman Catholic tradition during La Settimana Santa (Holy Week in the run-up to Easter).
That's the appeal of Trieste. It is a city of shifting identities. It has shown allegiance to both Vienna and Rome - well, just enough allegiance to smooth the route to some profitable commerce. And it is a city that encourages its inhabitants to shift identities. Italo Svevo started life Jewish and ended up a Catholic. Guglielmo Oberdan had a Slovene mother, but still managed to cry out Viva l'Italia just before he was executed by the Austrians, so earning for himself the posthumous status of irredentist hero. Shifting and hard-to-place, that is Trieste. We heard Russian and Greek voices in the streets, we went to Italian and Serbian churches. It is a place where the happy heterogeneity of our continent (even, if you will, la désunion européenne) is laid bare. If the meaning of nowhere is ever to be discerned, Trieste is surely a good place to start the search.
So this Easter morning, in that classical church at the top of the Canal Grande, Trieste's Catholics celebrate while just a hundred metres away the sonorous tones of the Orthodox liturgy give a Serbian rendition of the same feast. Only today. Only in Trieste.
P.S. You can see some pictures of Trieste on our website.


Sports equipment packs available for various sports including tennis, football, rugby, cricket and martial arts. Additionally we provide special PE equipment packs for primary and secondary schools, as well as special education schools, ideal for helping to develop movement skills in youngsters. Specialist equipment packs are available for personal training, circuit training and more.


text:
Former Lane County resident killed in bizarre Bend shooting
Jack Moran @JackMoranRG
Oct 26, 2018 at 9:25 AM Oct 29, 2018 at 3:21 PM
A Lane County native was shot and killed last weekend in Bend, in what Deschutes County's district attorney characterized as "a horrific and tragic incident."
Former Junction City resident Kyle Scott Adams, 33, died in the early morning hours of Oct. 20 after one of his neighbors — identified as Tyler Herrick — fired a number of gunshots that shattered the front window of Adams' home in a northeast Bend neighborhood, according to the Deschutes County District Attorney's Office. At least one of the rounds struck Adams, causing him fatal injuries.
Adams' roommate, identified by authorities as Brennan Pebbles, obtained his own gun and ultimately shot and killed Herrick after Herrick entered a bedroom where he had been hiding, officials said.
Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel said that Herrick had no justification to enter the home, and that Adams and Pebbles had done nothing to upset Herrick.
Hummel ruled that Pebbles' decision to shoot Herrick was legally authorized and saved his life.
"My heart goes out to Brennan Pebbles as he struggles with the pain of seeing his friend murdered next to him, being hunted down himself, and then shooting and killing the assailant to save his own life," Hummel said in a news release. "Kyle Adams' family is mourning the loss of a loved one who went to bed in his own home and woke up in a war zone. He did nothing wrong and will be missed."
A woman who answered the telephone Monday at Adams' family home in Junction City declined comment.
Adams' obituary says he was born in Eugene. Newspaper archives list a Kyle Adams as having graduated from Junction City High School in 2003.
The Oct. 20 incident that led to Adams' death began when Herrick came into his bedroom while he was asleep. Herrick spoke "unintelligible gibberish" before Adams ordered him to leave, prosecutors said.
After Herrick left the house, Adams sent a text message to Pebbles, who immediately returned to the home, officials said.
Adams and Pebbles were in their living room when Herrick came back to the house armed with an AR-15 rifle, prosecutors said. Herrick stood in front of the living room window, aimed his gun at the two men inside and fired multiple shots, according to officials.


text:
Jan Steven van Esveldt Holtrop,, ook Johannes Stephanus van Esveldt, (Amsterdam, 1777 - 's-Gravenhage, 20 november 1833) was een Nederlands uitgever.

Biografie
Holtrop was een zoon van Willem Holtrop en Helena van Esveldt. Hij was getrouwd met Catharina Brouwer en heeft ten minste een zoon, Johannes Willem Holtrop.

In 1808 heeft Holtrop de afdeling uitgeven van zijn vaders boekhandel overgenomen, nadat deze zich door zijn benoeming tot provisioneel commissaris-generaal van politie (21 augustus 1806) uit deze handel terugtrok. Hij kreeg in 1808 het recht zich koninklijke boekhandelaar te noemen. Omstreeks 1810 werd hij aangesteld tot inspecteur van de Franse staatsloterij. Na 1813 aanvaardde hij een betrekking bij de afdeling armenzorg van het departement van binnenlandse zaken in Den Haag.

Vertaalde de volgende toneelstukken
 Augustinus en Theodorus of de twee Pages, treurspel 1789
 Ieder veege zijn eigen vloer, treurspel 1799
 (V.E.H.) De verhinderde reis, blijspel 1800
 De schrijflessenaar of de gevaren der jeugd, treurspel 1807
 De kruisvaarders, treurspel 1803

Ander werk
Gezangboek voor vrijmetselaren.

Nederlands uitgever

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


For the average Indian gemstones have much more meaning than being fancy baubles or prized possessions. The gemstones are highly symbolic of the planetary powers so they go beyond ornamental purposes and are used as a revered medium of bringing about a positive change in life.
Strange but true, when people of note are seen to wear planetary gems, the appeal increases and so does the curiosity. One can invariably see the rich and famous wearing some gemstone. One could look at it the other way round where the gemstone's power has brought about the noteworthiness, fame and fortune.
Of late among the well-known Bollywood celebs, one can see a slimmer looking director – choreographer Farah Khan in the media. She has directed Om Shanti Om and choreographed many a hit numbers. She can be seen wearing a yellow sapphire in gold ring in the index finger of right hand.
The energy of yellow sapphire takes one towards the path of action rather than procrastination. It shakes away all doubt and induces a strength of will. The energy of this gemstone has the frequency of prosperity and wealth. It's an excellent stone for success in business. Yellow sapphire can help one overcome self-doubt and fear of failure.
Precious coral is captivating gemstone – with its smooth surface and robust color, the gemstone is absolute imagery of vitality and symbolizes youthful vigor.
– Nothing can replace lab certification. A good vendor will give you a certified gem that lists the verified properties of the specimen.
– Precious red coral measures 3.5 on Moh's scale and has a specific gravity of 2.65- 2.68 which will be clearly stated on the certificate helping in identification. Precious red coral is an opaque gemstone, it has a refractive index of 1.48.
– Don't get taken in by fancy names like Taiwanese coral. While previous coral does exist there, it faces a crisis as reefs are threatened by pollution. An entire plastic coral industry has come up which produces look-alikes that could confound anyone!
Available Easily Taiwan plastic coral – How do you distinguish?
– Bamboo coral, which is also a coral found growing in the sea, but not precious coral is dyed and palmed off to unsuspecting buyers. Make sure you ask the right questions and do a minimum homework before making a valuable purchase.
– Precious red coral will display a wood grain texture under magnification, which may not show in case of resin filled, wax treated coral, as it would give a texture too good to be true.
A variety of techniques can be use to determine if the color of a piece of coral is dyed or is a fake. However, these techniques like acetone exposure or heating will destroy the specimen being tested! A lab report and a trusted source always hold the key to a good buy.
Featured today is a natural and organic red coral of 4.94 carats. The rich Mediterranean ox blood color of the coral and the smooth blemish free surface of the gem allow it to stand apart. The cabochon cut red coral is from Italy and meets all the criteria for a premium jyotish quality gem.
Natural red coral or moonga is the gemstone of planet Mars/ Mangal and is used to harness its extraordinary powers.
Among the navagrahas, Lord Shani or Saturn is probably the most feared and the most misunderstood. It is only natural for children to dislike the hour when a strict teacher takes a class and to revel with an easygoing jovial one! Just similar is the case with human beings and planets – while the planetary period or influence of a soft planet or a yogkaraka is enjoyable, the planetary period of karmic planets, especially like that of Saturn brings difficult lessons and relentless troubles.
Lord Saturn in Vedic astrology and among the planets is the grandmaster of karmic retribution. He is largely instrumental in balancing the karmic books of individuals. In the sacred texts, he is described as having emaciated and long physique, tawny eyes, windy in temperament, big teeth, is indolent and lame, and has coarse hair.
He is depicted usually with a sword, arrow, trident and riding a raven/ crow/ vulture. His imagery is dark and scary conveying his hard taskmaster, no-nonsense aura completely. While his dasha or period of influence can be very hard, good conduct, sincerity, forgiveness and a life of truth and ethics can bring much relief as these are the very virtues Shanidev tries to impart – to convert ignorance and pain into lasting wisdom!
One can also find much relief by wearing his gemstone – blue sapphire, if Saturn is placed favourably in the birth chart. There can also be decrease in intensity of pain by praying to Shiva who is his guru, by praying to Hanuman especially on Saturdays and by visiting the Shaneeshwara temple on Saturday evenings. Individuals can make a pilgrimage to the Thirunallar temple in Kumbhakonam, Tamil Nadu and seek the grace from Lord Shani, who is regarded to be in his benevolent form in this particular temple.
Featured today is a fully natural and treatment free Ceylon blue sapphire of 3.14 carat set in Sterling silver as a Saturn talisman ring. This unheated blue sapphire is a tantalizing oval with excellent clarity and scintillating blue color with violet overtones.Natural blue sapphire or neelam gemstone is the gem of Lord Saturn and is used in a talisman to harness the energies of this planet.
The amethyst is one of the most alluring gemstones from the entire smorgasbord – be it the alluring color, the appeal or its versatility to sit beautifully in any piece of jewelry. The amethyst is a purple quartz that has an amazing range of saturation of color – from the light purple tones to the coveted purple with red flashes, when viewed in light, termed the deep Siberian purple.
The amethyst is also known as Katela in Hindi is an upratna for natural blue sapphire. Aside of harnessing the powers of planet Saturn or Shani as he is known, it is a gem known for helping heal dependency on alcohol. When used properly it ensures that the wearer instinctively does not feel the need to consume alcohol and even if one tries to indulge, one does not enjoy ultimately leading to freedom from alcohol. It is also a wonderful gemstone for fine tuning one's meditative capacity and is excellent for fine tuning intuition. It makes the heart free from complexes, traumas and other psychological barriers.
Featured today is a fine amethyst of 6.41 carats from Brazil. The natural and treatment free emerald cut amethyst has a lovely purple color and has been set in Sterling silver. The gem is accented by diamond simulants. The amethyst has excellent clarity.Note: The above links generally exist on the website for a period of 40 days after which they are periodically deleted to make way for new gemstones and to enable faster browsing.
It is quite likely in any part of the world that one may invariable find garnets to be a part of jewelry that has been handed down generation to generation. It has been a popular gem throughout. The name garnet has been taken from the appearance of the garnet crystals that appear in a literal seed like arrangement, akin to that within a pomegranate.
Garnets as a species cover a wide variety and colors from alamandite, pyrope, uvarovite, demantoid, rhodolite etc. From a planetary gem therapy perspective, the most important garnet is hessonite garnet. It is a grossular garnet found in Srilanka as well as in some pockets of Brazil.
The world of gemstones is very complicated and even more so as the awareness regarding gems is very limited. Just to give you an idea, here are some of the look-alikes of the cinnamon stone – the hessonite garnet.
The cognac like rich color is appreciated much in natural zircon.
Brown Topaz is sometimes irradiated to get a richer color.
Named after the famous Portuguese Madeira wine, for its red brown, honeyed caramel color, this is a warm gemstone.
Coming to the real question – while these are just a few look-alikes, and if one throws in the glass imitations, the synthetics etc too. , how would you differentiate between the real and the other masquerading goods? The price for each species differs! Here is where the deeper factors like specific gravity, refractive index etc. of the materials come into play.
Gemstoneuniverse gives you the advantage of certainty and provides certification for each of its gems. The certificate from a gem lab ensures and lists vital descriptions for you as a buyer and ascertains that you get what you ask for!
Comments Featured today is a natural and treatment free hessonite garnet of 3.98 carats from Srilanka set in Sterling silver as a Rahu talisman ring. The cushion cut hessonite is a lovely deep burn orange cinnamon in color, doing full justice to its name. The gem has excellent clarity and fiery embers in its belly!Hessonite also known as gomedh/ gomedhaka is the gemstone of the North node of the Moon or planet Rahu.Note: The above links generally exist on the website for a period of 40 days after which they are periodically deleted to make way for new gemstones and to enable faster browsing.
The most popular cut for emeralds is the step cut or the trap cut – so much so that it has been named the classic emerald cut. In this cut, the gem has a distinct table with rectangular faces on the crown as well as the pavilion, running parallel to the girdle.
The facets are sometimes square with truncated corners. There are two rows on the top, crown, and usually three rows on the pavilion or cone. This cut is preferred cut for emeralds as it allows for maximum weight retention and does give a stable form to this relatively soft gem that rates 7 on Mohs Scale and scratches easily.
While this is a great cut for an emerald, the emerald or step cut is unable to bring out the fire and brilliance in gems like diamond. A round brilliant diamond with 58 facets including the culet allow for light to bounce off so many surfaces, creating a spell binding brilliance!
And with the diamonds high refractive index, it would be a pity not to get the maximum fire and brilliance from the gem. It is a fact that emerald cut diamonds sell at a lesser price than round brilliants! They have their own connoisseurs though.
The emerald cut is good bet for emeralds as the clarity is almost always compromised in this gem that invariably forms in nature with multiple inclusions or Jardine. So there is hardly anything to lose in terms of brilliance or fire. Instead the advantage lies in this cut highlighting the rich velvety emerald green color.
Emeralds over one carat will invariably have one or the other clarity characteristics. So while judging an emerald, one has to be accommodative about inclusions. However, it does not mean that clarity can go for a toss! It means that a good natural emerald must have a diaphanous look, where light passes through the crystals giving it a soft inner glow.
Some top quality emeralds from Colombia have clear crystal and therefore may be found in mixed cuts highlighting the stunning clarity and lustre, typical of that geographic location.
Featured today is beautiful natural and treatment free Colombian emerald with early summer grass green color. The step cut natural emerald is 2.30 carats in weight and has great clarity, as would be regarded in the world of emeralds. The gem has been set in 22-karat gold with two more emeralds used as accent gems ensconced within the symbol of Mercury.These accent gems are calibrated 3mm rounds and are natural Colombian emeralds, intense deep emerald green in color.Natural emerald or panna is the gemstone of Mercury or Budh and is used to harness its energies in Vedic astrology.Note: The above links generally exist on the website for a period of 40 days after which they are periodically deleted to make way for new gemstones and to enable faster browsing.
Natural Yellow Sapphire Jupiter's Importance in Vedic Astrology, It is Lord Brihaspati or Jupiter's is the planetary energy that resides in the natural yellow sapphire gemstones. He is such a powerful force in the pantheon that no ritual, no sacrifice is complete without an invocation to him. He is the mentor of the Gods who is also credited with composing the hymns of the Rig Veda, the ancient treatise on which rests Vedic philosophy and wisdom.
Jupiter is a saatvik planet and is he significant of dharma, spirituality, wisdom, clarity, fortune, wealth, law and justice. Jupiter is a very important planet for the female individuals as he is the significator of marriage in a woman's horoscope and determines the relationship with husband. Blessings and grace of Jupiter are also vital for a happy and blissful married life.
Jupiter is best placed in the sign of Cancer as it finds exaltation in this sign. It gives good results when placed in the signs of Pisces or Sagittarius, which it owns. Jupiter placed in the 4th house also gives the individual good results as it gains digbala. To know more about Yellow sapphire astrology, learn about Natural Yellow Sapphire Gemstones Benefits.
Featured today is beautiful natural and unheated yellow sapphire of 1.72 carats set in 22-karat gold as a Jupiter talisman pendant. The cushion cut Ceylon Pukhraj yellow sapphire is a gorgeous light butter yellow in colour and has fantastic clarity. This unheated yellow sapphire from Srilanka has a fine lustre too.Natural yellow sapphire also known as pukhraj/ pushyaraag is the gemstone of planet Jupiter/ Guru/ Brihaspati. The Natural yellow sapphire in vedic astrology is always set in the precious metal yellow gold befitting Brihaspati's status as the mentor of the gods, the royal priest!


Eucalypt Australia will provide up to three multi-year grants in the areas of eucalypt conservation, education and research.
Grants will be funded up to $150,000 per annum for up to three years.
Applicants will be notified of the outcome in the third quarter of 2019.
Projects will commence in 2020.
Projects with co-contributions will be prioritised.
Priority areas for funding: Our research focus is on eucalypt genomics and DNA technology including eucalypt phylogeny, evolutionary history and diversity; and landscape connectivity and adaptability of populations and species to climate change.
align with the objectives of the Trust.
from organisations that are performing functions on behalf of federal or state governments.
Salaries for chief investigators and stipends for students are expected to be covered by other sources and will not be funded.
alignment with the Trust's research priorities. Our research focus is on eucalypt genomics and DNA technology including eucalypt phylogeny, evolutionary history and diversity; and landscape connectivity and adaptability of populations and species to climate change.
the scientific merit of the application and likelihood of cost-effective delivery against the stated objectives. Scientific merit is judged by peer review of the quality of the background information, the logic of the proposal and the experimental design.
likelihood of cost-effective delivery against the stated objectives.
justification of the budget. Components of the project budget for which funds are sought from Eucalypt Australia must be well justified – both travel and equipment must be essential for the project. Costs associated with attending conferences and publication costs levied by scientific journals will not be supported.
interviews. Applicants may be interviewed. This can be by telephone or Skype.
projects that have already started or taken place, although we may consider applications for strategic expansions of existing programs or new/innovative additions to an existing project.
maintenance of an established program.
Your grant will not include GST.
What is considered as equipment?
The Trust expects host institutions to provide basic equipment (including personal computers) and laboratory facilities. Equipment essential to the specific project (possibly including data analytical software) will be considered.
Can salaries, administration and other on-costs be included in the funding request?
Salaries for chief investigators in multi-year grant applications will not be covered. Salaries for others will be if the work they are undertaking is an integral part of the project/request.
No, the applicant organisation will retain all intellectual property.
How will my application be acknowledged?
You will receive an email confirming your application has been received. The office is staffed part-time so the response may not be immediate.
Are there obligations if a grant is awarded?
Grants are subject to standard grant conditions.
How are multi-year grants paid and when will I receive funding?
Once your application is approved and the contract signed, Eucalypt Australia will email your primary contact to request a tax invoice that must include your institution's BSB, account number and ABN. A bank transfer will be made after these details have been provided.
Payments in subsequent years will be made on receipt of a satisfactory Progress Report and Financial Acquittal in accordance with the agreed schedule. Payments will be made by electronic funds transfer on receipt of a tax invoice. The invoice must not include GST.
What type of reporting is expected?
Eucalypt Australia requires an Annual Report, and a Final Report and Financial Acquittal at the project's completion – see Managing your grant.
When is a Final Report and Acquittal due?
The Final Report and Acquittal is due within two months of completion of the project as per the approved schedule.
What do I do if my project is taking longer than expected? Can I get an extension for reporting?
If you are having difficulty meeting your annual reporting deadlines or scheduled completion date, please contact the Trust in writing outlining the reason for the delay. This will be assessed and an extension given where appropriate.
It is unlikely the Trust will award grant increases. If your project is over budget, you should contact Eucalypt Australia to discuss revising your timeline, sourcing additional funding and reporting requirements.
When the project is complete a final report must be submitted acquitting funds spent and disclosing remaining monies. Eucalypt Australia will contact you to discuss best use for this money.
Can I use the funding received from Eucalypt Australia for a variation of the original project?
If funding is going to be used for anything other than what is specified in your application, you must seek approval from Eucalypt Australia.
How do I acknowledge Eucalypt Australia's contribution?
The Trust appreciates acknowledgement of its support and can provide a logo. Please do not amend the logo in any way. To obtain a logo email executive@eucalyptaustralia.org.au.
If you can't find an answer to your question, call Eucalypt Australia on 0438 245 353 or email executive@eucalyptaustralia.org.au.
Keep in mind the office is normally staffed Tuesday–Thursday.
The Grantee will supply a tax invoice to Eucalypt Australia in order for the grant to be paid.
Progress reports are required at 12 monthly intervals from the date of receipt of the Grant.
The Grantee must submit a Final Report and Financial Acquittal when the Project is completed. Due dates for Reports will be set by the Grantor in line with dates specified in the application.
The Grant is subject to termination if the Board of the Bjarne K Dahl Trust is of the opinion that continuance is not justified in accordance with the aims and objectives of Eucalypt Australia.
As well as the above Standard Grant Conditions, the Trust may set additional specific conditions as advised in writing in the grant approval letter. These may include a completion date, timing for progress reports, specific milestones to be achieved, and payment schedules.
To satisfy the conditions for exemption from GST, Eucalypt Australia requires that Grantees agree to the Standard Grant Conditions as outlined above, by signing an Agreement form when submitting the first tax invoice.


Elyse Flynn Meyer Co-Authors New Book, "Breaking the Concrete Ceiling: Empowerment Tools for Women"
Elyse Flynn Meyer, Owner & Founder of Prism Global Marketing Solutions, recently co-authored the book, "Breaking the Concrete Ceiling: Empowerment Tools for Women". Her section of the book, "How to Build, Maintain & Elevate Your Personal Brand to Propel Your Career," focuses on 8 strategies to help individuals navigate, manage and sustain a personal brand that drives their career forward.
"Branding has always been synonymous with companies. Companies have a brand that has been cultivated over time, and people associate different attributes, thoughts, and feelings with that company because of their brand. People also have their own brands, but oftentimes don't think of themselves as their own brand. It's time for that to change. I was compelled to be a co-author in this book because I feel that personal branding has often been forgotten as people plan their career strategy. I want to help individuals leverage concrete strategies and tools to help them on their personal branding journey," says Elyse Flynn Meyer.
Download Your Copy of the Book Chapter.
The book, "Breaking the Concrete Ceiling: Empowerment Tools for Women" is designed for women internationally who need to understand how to embrace their unique qualities such as: empathy, compassion, genuine leadership, listening skills, collaboration, and communication. The purpose of this book is to provide women with the information they need to feel confident in both their professional and personal roles. Other co-authors of this book include: coaches, consultants, psychologists, educators, and business leaders. Specifically, another co-author of the book is Joanne Flynn, Elyse Flynn Meyer's mother. Her chapter entitled, "Organizational Currency 101: The Basics of Career Currency," focuses on helping individuals identify their personal career currency, and how to leverage the tools and their use of power to impact their career and perception.


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A series of workshops on project management aimed at improving the access of the non-governmental sector to state and local government funding concluded on 24 October 2018. Three hundred and fifty government officials and 250 representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs) took part in the two-day workshops held across Ukraine. They were organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU) in partnership with the country's Presidential Administration and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
The participants enhanced their knowledge of opportunities offered by co-operation and partnership between the authorities and CSOs, as well as of principles and procedures of transparent distribution of public funds to finance CSO projects. For non-governmental actors, the improved understanding of tools for project planning, management and implementation tools, including monitoring and evaluation, will enable them to better fulfill their missions and be engaged in state policy implementation. For officials, the knowledge gained will help them to make sure that expenditures are in line with the national legal framework and international best practices.
Special focus was paid to gender mainstreaming of projects, so that state-funded efforts of civil society are equally beneficial for men and women.
The importance of organizing calls for proposals by authorities in a transparent and efficient manner was among the topics covered in depth. Participants received copies of the guidebook (in Ukrainian) Manual for Conducting Competitive Selection of CSO Projects for State Funding (Ukrainian and International Experience), developed by the CSO expert and Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine with the support of PCU.


1UZ 2UZ 3UZ Manual Clutch and Transmission Parts, Accessories & Adapters. We ship globally!! Real employees, real tech support 24/7 365 Days. - SHIPS WITH FREE ARP BOLTS!!
Required ARP Flywheel bolts are included with this flywheel!
Our UZ series V8 chromoly flywheel is made form some of the hardest, most durable metal we can source for a flywheel.
Our machine shop gets mad every time we do a production run--they go on and on about how hard the alloy is, takes longer to machine, wears out tooling... Well that's great news if you're planning on abusing your V8!!! This flywheel will take some serious abuse without a doubt, and we have proven it ourselves in our personal cars over a length of time.
Weighing in at just 11 LBS, you will instantly notice your V8 rev up and rev down much faster! This equates to a more responsive throttle, getting to the important parts of your powerband, and more efficient engine braking.
Our flywheel utilizes the proven torque holding clutches of the SW20 MR2 TURBO 3S-GTE. We offer clutch setups to suit everything from a stock engine all the way to to 680 FT/LBS with this flywheel!
When installing our flywheel you will be required to install the OEM automatic bolt guide on the crank before installing the flywheel. This item is curved--the curve needs to face the engine and fit flat on the crank-to-flywheel mating surface. Please see pictures for more information as well. After installing the bolt guide, torque the included ARP bolt kit to 70 FT/LBS using red thread locker/loctite on the bolts, and tightening in a star pattern, not one next to the other. We also recommend tightening down in 2 or 3 goes as well instead of going from finger tight straight to 70 ft lbs.


I slept like a log. I think the butter before bed is helping, I'll repeat tonight. I woke up again earlier then usual and I felt rested. Today I had some pain in my left knee. I think fish oil is essential for me to keep inflammation down. I'll be taking fish oil to see if it will make a difference tomorrow. I felt a bit hungry today. I suspect that I am slowly depleting my glycogen stores instead of burning mostly fat. It means am not fully keto-adapted yet. One of the greatest benefit of keto-adaptation is freedom from hunger and snacking; your body seamlessly switch from burning dietary fat to body fat without much hunger signaling.
Today I had: 1 Tbs of coconut oil and 2 Tbs of butter in a coffee in the morning and 2 Tbs of coconut oil in the afternoon. Dinner consisted of lobster with garlic clarified butter/olive oil mix, some romaine as a side salad, with sardines and 3 Tbs of olive oil in a homemade dressing. Before bed I'll have 1 Tbs of butter with fish oil. It's about 2000 calories for the day.
Lobster with garlic butter, mmmmm!
As a general rule the short and medium lengths are metabolized quickly and easily by the body; they will be diffused from the GI tract to the portal venous system, fed to your good gut bacteria or they will kill bad ones. This is why I use butter and coconut oil during the day for energy and gut health. Long chain fatty acids (like olive oil, Omega-3, Omega-6) need more work and processies to be used as fuel and are preferably used for maintenance, repair (this is why they have such great health benefits) or are stored if we are in a calorie surplus.
The fat we store for future energy use is a mix of about 50/50 monounsaturated and saturated fat. It is the preferd type of fuel at the perfect ratio.
Polyunsaturated fat are essential fat (they act more like vitamins) but they make poor fuel source for the body.
Too much polyunsaturated fat as a percentage of calories on a well designed ketogenic diet is detrimental for many reasons. Sometimes I see people not reacting well to lower carbohydrate/ketogenic diet only because they eat a lot polyunsaturated fat sources like commercially available mayonnaise made with soybean oil. It is too much polyunsaturated fat to feel well! It's better to make our own, with a light tasting olive oil or, less idealy, to buy commercially available mayaonnaise made with an olive oil/canola blend.
An equal quantity of olive oil and butter mix together would be very close to what is in our fat storage. The same goes for animal fat. Bacon, for instance, has a perfect 50/50 blend of monounsaturated/saturated fat.
Most fat sources are a combination of different length and double bond in the carbon chain.
In the context of a well designed ketogenic diet, where fat is the main source of fuel for the body: it's important to keep an eye on the amount of polyunsaturated fat consumed (which is as little as possible Omega 6), correct the Omega-3/Omega-6 ratio with supplements and aim for the equal amount of monounsaturated fat and saturated fat.
Also staying away from Trans fatty acids found in: food fried in vegetable oil, margarine, vegetable shortening and anything that says partially hydrogenated oils on its label, is a general rule for any healthy diet, independently of its macronutrient combination.
The last point I want to make is about storing and cooking oil and/or fat. Fat is altered by heat, light, humidity and oxygen. Saturated fat is the most stable, then monounsaturated and lastly the most delicate is polyunsaturated.
Heat oxidation and rancidity are major issues for any fats. You should know the smoke point (burning point) and ideal storage conditions of the oil/fat you are using.
For instance, we should never fry/stir-fry extra-virgin olive oil. Its smoke point is very low (375°F) and heat destroys all the health benefits and denatures the fatty acids. If you want to use olive oil for cooking, it is better and cheaper to use extra light olive oil (468°F) and ghee (485°F) instead of butter (250°F).
Olive oil can be kept at room temperature for up to a year after its production date. If you buy in bulk, you should keep the big container in a cool place or the fridge and keep a small refillable bottle in the pantry. Raw nuts and seeds, rich in polyunsaturated fat are best kept in the fridge and will stay good for a year after it's picked (sometimes you eat a nut and you can taste the rancidity, it's bad!) Ghee can be kept at room temperature up to 3 months and salted butter a couple of days (unsalted butter cannot be kept at room temperature because there is no salt to protect it from molds and bacteria). If you like soft butter, a good tip is to make a 60/40 or 50/50 butter-oil mix and keep it in the fridge. It will have the consistency of a spread or margarine. You can use light olive or canola oil to preserve the taste of butter.
Not many things pains me as much as seeing a person who is suffering from severe acne. Even if it is consider a benign condition by the medical establishment, only someone afflicted with it can understand the deep social and psychological impact it can have on someone's life. I am one of them. I have used every product, tried every program but I only saw dramatic and lasting results once I gave up on the quest to find the miracle cream or pill and realized that there was no quick fix. The skin is a window into our overall health, and acne is a sign that something isn't working as well as it should.
Cut out the worst offenders: sugar containing beverages like soft drinks, sport drinks, energy drinks, fruit punch, etc. are all inflammatory and put a burden on your elimination system. For someone who is predispose to skin problems, it makes things worst, period. Drinking enough water and maybe some green tea, is a must to make sure you stay hydrated and that you flush out toxins efficiently. The juice of half a lemon (freshly squeeze is best), in a cup of warm water, perhaps with a pinch of salt, first thing in the morning is a great and gentle way to encourage liver and digestive system detoxification, among other things.
Eat an adequate protein diet, with a low-glycemic load and plenty of good fats with a proper Omega-3 : Omega-6 ratio. Once again, we want to quell inflammation. Roller coaster of insulin wreak havoc on our system and makes skin problems worst. In many cases, the stabilization of blood sugar, leads to a major improvement in skin's feel and appearance. We want most of our meals to be composed of: a quality protein, some non-starch veggies, some lower glycemic starches and good fat like olive oil, flax meal, avocado (guacamole), ghee / grass-fed butter, some nuts etc. The protein and fats will provide what we need to build, heal and repair. The fats, veggies and starches will help us with elimination (proper bowel function is extremely important) and hormonal balance.
Consider implementing a basic supplement regiment composed of: a Complete Multi-vitamin and Mineral and Fish oil (for skin health, I like cod liver oil with its naturally occurring extra Vitamin A and D, 10:1 ratio). Some extra Vitamin C, probiotic and especially Zinc (25-50g/day of citrate or picolinate), can also help, if you wish to add them.
Stress, cortisol and poor adrenal functions affect your skin, be mindful of it. Sufficient good quality sleep, lowering our caffeine consumption and the implementation of stress coping strategies, can have a surprising effect on the level of inflammation in our skin.
Do not use harsh products on already inflamed skin, it makes it worst. Take an Epsom salt / baking soda bath, 2-3 times a week to help your skin and body detox and use gentle cleaner only.
Give yourself time. It takes about 4 to 6 weeks for the new cells to reach the surface of the skin. Don't give up too soon! Implement the changes slowly, but make them permanent. Not only will you have better skin, but your overall health will benefit.
If you are still struggling after a couple of months, consider that you might have a food allergy or sensitivity. An Elimination Diet would be worth trying. Once most sugar is eliminated, the most common offenders are dairies and gluten/grains (also oranges and grapefruits to a lesser extent).
Should we pass on Nuts?
Nuts are fairly high in Linoleic Acid, an Omega-6 inflammatory precursor, with a few exceptions like macadamia nuts which are lower. A diet high in nuts, would presumably skew the Omega-3 : Omega-6 ratio toward pro-inflammatory processes.
But nuts should not make up the bulk of our diet. On the spectrum of inflammation and Omega-6, a small handful of raw or lightly roasted nuts is nothing compare to stir-frying or baking with corn, grapeseed, margarine or soybean oil.
Nuts are much more than Linoleic Acid. In fact, they are pretty complete nutritional source. They have a good balance of fat/carbohydrate + fiber/protein, have a low impact on blood sugar, are a great source of antioxidants like Vitamin E and important minerals like selenium and magnesium. Actually, one of my favorite snack or dessert is a dozen of macadamia nuts, a square of dark chocolate and a green tea with a squeeze of lemon or coffee with a dash of cinnamon.
"Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." Voltaire.
There are definitely better choices in every food categories, but over-analyzing our food intake is a good way to stress ourselves and make every little dietary decision an internal struggle. We have to stay informed and vigilant, but we have to pick our battles. Using healthier options like good quality olive or coconut oil preparing our food or passing on the box of donuts at the office is worth the effort; stressing over the Omega-6 content of 10 almonds is not.
Understanding Omega-3 and Omega-6 pathways; how it could change your life.
Omega-3 and omega-6 are types of essential fatty acids i.e. we cannot produce it in our bodies and have to obtain them from our diet. Omegas are the building blocks for hormones, it control immune function, blood clotting, and cell growth as well as being components of cell membranes. In our modern diet, there is hardly any good source of omega-3 fatty acids, except wild fatty fish. By contrast, sources of omega-6 fatty acids are abundant. Our diet, which is rich in commercially farmed animal product and polyunsaturated vegetable oils will causes an omega 3 deficiency.
The simplified pathway graph below will help us understand what is happening in the body.
Omega-3 and omega-6 simplified pathway.
The boxes named ALA and LA represent omega precursors. Precursors are building blocks from vegetable origin. The body cannot convert and use them without the help of the enzymes ∆6 and ∆5 desaturase.
Let's say we eat a piece of multigrain toast that contains flax and corn. Our body will make the enzymes and indiscriminately convert the ALA in EPA, then DHA and the LA in AA. If we eat as much of one as the other, we will have approximately a 1:1 ratio output. We'll be in a balance of anti-inflammatory vs. inflammatory factors i.e. life is good!
But if we put peanut butter on our toast, we get in trouble! Peanuts have a 5162 : 1 LA to ALA ratio, meaning it will skew the balance in the favor of AA, resulting in inflammation in the body.
This is why we hear so much about the importance of taking fish oil. It is speculated that a couple of capsule of fish oil a day would counteract the overwhelming amount of omega-6 and omega-6 precursor we consume in our modern diet. But is that so?
The omegas in fish oil are directly available to us, because it has already been transformed fish, from ALA in phytoplankton, to EPA and DHA.
Simply put, EPA would be the antagonist of AA. EPA counteracts the inflammatory action of AA found in commercially farmed beef, chicken, eggs, pork, and dairies, as well as the AA produced from excess LA found in most of our foods like vegetable oil, margarine, grains, nuts, seeds and so on.
DHA has more of a structural function, is the most abundant fat in the brain and is a large contributor to brain growth. Oxidative damage that comes with age diminishes DHA concentrations in brain cell membrane, and is linked with its degenerescence. The important benefits of fish oil on moods and attention disorders is often attributed to DHA.
AA is not a bad guy. We need AA, it is an essential component in membranes of our body's cells, and it is abundant in the brain, the muscles and the liver.
The problem is that we do not have the right balance in our modern diet. To function optimally, we should keep a ratio of 1 : 1 O-3 to O-6. If you have been eating more O-6 to O-3 in your diet (everybody raise their hand), a 2-3 : 1 ratio in favor of omega 3 would be more appropriate to correct the overabundance of omega-6 already in our body. It is pretty discouraging and almost unrealistic to achieve this, in the context of our modern life.
Beware of misinformation, even from reputable sources! We always have to keep and mind that we are looking at for high sources of ALA/O-3 AND a favorable ratio.
O3:O6 ratio: 2.5:1 = anti-inflammation = good! O3:O6 ratio: 14:1 = anti-inflammation = best!
It's definitely worth to take some time to do our research!
Once we have the tool to make better choices for ourselves, we can add helpful supplements, if we wish to. I use a two prongs approach.
Using Chia seeds, Flax seed meal and Flax seed oil as a source of ALA.
Using good quality Fish oil as a source of EPA and DHA.
Most people agree on taking the Fish oil but some frown on flax. The argument is that fish oil is superior to flax because the ALA in flax need to be converted by our enzymes in EPA and DHA. So it make sense to think that 1 g of fish oil would be more potent than 1 g of flax oil. It sounds logical but I still take flax with my fish oil!
My logic behind using flax, besides being very beneficial for PCOS, is that I want to make sure I provide some ALA to compete with the LA for the attention of my enzymes ∆6 and ∆5 desaturase. I speculate that if my intake of ALA is very low compare to my LA, my enzymes we'll be busy pumping out a huge amount of AA into my system. A higher intake of ALA would slow down the output of AA and augment the circulating O-3 in my system. Then I take my fish oil to balanced the rest of the AA. Without getting too technical, I get noticeable benefits from each independently and I feel they even work better when they are taken together.
The key is always to balance one, with the other.
Fish oil, at the right dosage, does wonder on insulin sensitivity, mood and energy. If I'm traveling and I forget my supplement, there is a noticeable change it my mood within days.
Almost everybody can benefit from this key supplement!


INSTRUCTIONS: (1) Select the "Disturbance Period" (2) select the "Country"
The Global Forest Disturbance Alert System (GloFDAS) provides data on forest disturbance globally on a quarterly basis.
A new MODIS product called the "Quarterly Indicator of Cover Change" (QUICC) has been developed at NASA Ames Research Center by the CASA ecosystem modeling team. The QUICC product is based on comparison of MODIS global vegetation index images at the exact same time period each year (ending of March, June, September, and December) in consecutive years. The CASA team updates its global QUICC products as soon as the newest quarterly MODIS worldwide VI image at 5-km spatial resolution is available.
The cause(s) of any forest disturbance point detected in this map has yet to be confirmed.
Disturbance locations and impacts are subject to verification through local observations.
Due to atmospheric interference with satellite image quality, the providers of this forest disturbance data set can make no global assurances of its accuracy.
For more information on development of these forest disturbance products, visit geo.arc.nasa.gov/sge/casa/latest.html.
The global validation of the QUICC approach for accurate detection of large-scale tropical forest loss is published in Potter, C. S., 2014, Global Assessment of Damage to Coastal Ecosystem Vegetation from Tropical Storms, Remote Sensing Letters, (in press).
Alternatively if you have suggestions on how to improve GloFDAS, please contact us.
In coming months, GloFDAS will offer an alert system whereby users can sign up to get notifications via email or SMS text message on recent changes in forest cover for a specified location or country.
GloFDAS is done in partnership with Cal State Monterey Bay and NASA Ames Research Center.


After 26 years at CitiBank in mortgage lending and consumer lending I have joined the outstanding professionals at Mortgage Options, Inc. Throughout my career my mantra has always been to deliver exceptional service, while providing the best product suited for each client. This mantra has afforded me much success over the years and now with Mortgage Options, I can also add delivery of the best loan programs and pricing levels in the industry.
I grew up in Miami and graduated from USC Upstate. As a student athlete I was fortunate enough to be inducted as a member of their athletics hall of fame as an All American soccer player.
I moved to the Midlands 5 years ago with my wife Marcie and three boys Christian, Stefan and Ryan.


We know you've been waiting forever for those sun-infused weekends. Now that they're just around the corner, you have the right to celebrate them! The View Hunters have been working on 6 e-cards ready to be sent to your holiday sidekicks. Whether you book a round-trip ticket to London, Paris or the French Riviera, you'll find just the e-card to inspire.
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The gold market is getting hit hard in action on Thursday following significant weakness in the overnight session. The primary drivers behind the selling include weak data out of China, a higher dollar index and some corrective trade after recent gains. An apparent stall in U.S./China trade talks is not doing the market any favors either.
The Chinese economy continues to show signs of slowing as industrial output came out lower than expected. According to MarketWatch, the latest reading on industrial output rose by 5.3% in the January-to-February period, indicating a slowdown from the December year-over-year reading of 5.7%. Consensus estimates were reportedly looking for a rise of 5.5%.
Retail sales were higher by 8.2% over the same period last year and steady from December's reading.
Ongoing concerns over the health of the globe's second-largest economy continue to keep a lid on risk appetite. Although the benchmark S&P 500 appears poised to challenge the 2800 level, stocks may have a difficult time putting together further upside if the recent trend of Chinese weakness remains intact.
According to CNBC, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he is in no hurry to complete a trade pact with China. Intellectual property protections seem to be a major sticking point in the ongoing negotiations, and there is thus far no date set for Trump and Chinese Leader Xi Jinping to meet. The ongoing tariff war is having a measurable effect on the economies of both nations, and the issue could potentially crimp demand for raw commodities.
The gold market is seeing some solid selling pressure today as prices are down $11.47/oz at $1296.03. The market has seen a sharp decline in recent sessions as some longs were quick to fold after the market failed to maintain upside momentum. Recent weakness has driven prices back below previous key resistance around the $1,300 area and likely triggered sell-stops and sell-signals. The market did see a bounce off of the week's lows, however, in what could be eager bargain hunters stepping into the market. Renewed upside momentum in the dollar index is likely having a major impact on the gold price, and the market needs to hold previous support around the $1280 level to avoid another leg lower. If the market cannot hold that level, the 200- day moving average around $1250 may find plenty of willing buyers.


We spent the bulk of our Baja trip in a fishing town called Bahia Asuncion about halfway down the peninsula on the Pacific Coast. The town itself is somewhat drab and utilitarian rather than charming, but the landscape around it is fascinating. It's incredibly austere — none of the plants are over waist high, they're widely spaced, and none of them had foliage while we were there — and I was at first a little unsure about the place as a vacation destination. But it grew on me, as desert landscapes tend to do, and the beaches are fantastic, endless and empty of other people. I made about a dozen watercolors while I was there, doing the sketch on site during the day and then adding color during the evening.
I also made two watercolors of the central desert we drove through to get there, Ocotillos, Cardons, and Boojums in the boulder gardens.
And I did three watercolors of the missions. One of an Elephant Tree at Mission Mulege.
And two at Mission San Ignacio.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 30th, 2016 at 7:54 am and is filed under sketchbook. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


The State Auditor has published an official report on the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) and in addition to revealing the usual, garden-variety problems that bedevil state agencies (e.g. mismanagement, inefficiency, and poor book-keeping) it confirms a long-harbored suspicion: The MCAD asserts jurisdiction where it has none. This matters not only to the small business owners who find themselves the target of costly investigations that drag on for years, but to all citizens who expect public servants to abide by one of the bedrock principles of constitutional government, namely the separation of powers (see Article 30 of the Massachusetts Constitution).
Despite clear statutory language confining its jurisdiction to cases filed within 300 days of the last allegedly discriminatory act, the Commission investigates cases filed after the deadline. And it does so on a scale that suggests something more than ineptitude, no mere unfortunate series of oopsy daisy events.
Any complaint filed pursuant to this section must be so filed within 300 days after the alleged act of discrimination.
The word must falls into the category of words legislative drafters call mandatory, as opposed to precatory or hortatory. In the vernacular, it is hard not mushy.
[D]uring our audit period, MCAD accepted 123 complaints beyond the 300-day timeframe for complainants to file their complaints. MCAD regulations allow for this 300-day timeframe to be extended under certain conditions, but there was no documentation in the case files to substantiate that any of these complaints met those conditions.
I cannot tell whether the auditors independently identified the 123 cases or simply made note of the instances where the MCAD itself had determined that it lacked jurisdiction on the basis of the limitation period. If the latter, then the determination would have come at the end of the MCAD's investigative phase, the point at which the Commission issues a Lack of Probable Cause (LOPC) finding. On average that point now arrives four years — yes, four years — after the filing of the complaint. In the meantime MCAD investigators will have required the employer to devote hours responding to questions and demands for internal documents and to attending "investigative conferences" at the agency's offices.
Either way, this is an extraordinary finding on the part of the State Auditor. The 300-day deadline is not some off-the-cuff recommendation or flexible guideline but a statutory limitation. The Legislature decided that the deadline for filing a discrimination complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) is 300 days, and only the Legislature can amend a statute. By flouting the limitation period so often, the MCAD has arrogated to itself the power to legislate, a power the Massachusetts Constitution expressly reserves to the legislative branch.
If a respondent files a motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction, the MCAD shall suspend its investigation until it has adjudicated the motion.
The proposal does not require action on the part of the Legislature. With a nudge from the Governor the Commissioners could make it happen via a simple amendment to the MCAD's regulations, with proper notice and comment. Under my proposal, the MCAD would have to deal with the threshold matter of jurisdiction before putting the employer to the expense of a full-blown, years-long investigation.
I submitted this suggestion back in January 2015. In view of the State Auditor's findings, I shall re-send it.