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Pop Cultured

‘The Little Drummer Girl’ adds Alexander Skarsgård and Florence Pugh

BBC confirms the leading cast

Alexander SkarsgårdWarner bros

Earlier today the Ink Factory, BBC ONE and AMC announced today that Emmy Award-Winner Alexander Skarsgård (“Big Little Lies”, “True Blood”, Tarzan) will join Florence Pugh (Lady Macbeth), in Park Chan-wook’s (Old Boy, The Handmaiden, Stoker) television debut “The Little Drummer Girl”, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by John le Carré ($11 on Amazon). Production on the six-part mini-series begins early next year with global sales handled by Endeavor Content/IMG.

In “The Little Drummer Girl” brilliant young actress Charlie (Pugh) strikes up an acquaintance with an intriguing stranger while on holiday in Greece, but it rapidly becomes apparent that his intentions are far from romantic. The man is Becker (Skarsgård), an Israeli intelligence officer, who entangles her in a complex and high stakes plot which unfolds as she takes on the role of a lifetime in the ‘theatre of the real’. Set in the late 1970s, yet sharply contemporary, “The Little Drummer Girl” weaves a dynamic and exciting story of espionage and international intrigue; of love and betrayal.

Simon and Stephen Cornwell, Co-CEOs and Founders of The Ink Factory said: “The level of expertise and creativity behind this series is unmatched, and we are excited to be gathering a cast of incredible talent to inhabit the brilliant world le Carré has created. Alexander Skarsgård is a captivating actor with great depth and we are delighted to have him join the project.”

Park Chan-wook added: “To play an enigmatic man who hides his true feelings deep inside, I couldn’t think of a more fitting actor. I believe Skarsgård’s growing depth as a great character actor and his soaring energy will elevate “The Little Drummer Girl” to a higher place.”

The series will be financed and produced by The Ink Factory in partnership with 127 Wall and co-producers the BBC and AMC. Laura Hastings-Smith (“Howards End”, Macbeth and Hunger) will work as Producer with Simon and Stephen Cornwell serving as Executive Producers alongside John le Carré, Mona Qureshi for the BBC, Joe Tsai and Arthur Wang for 127 Wall, and Wonjo Jeong.

Skarsgård will next be seen starring in Duncan Jones’ Mute opposite Paul Rudd and Justin Theroux and The Aftermath, starring opposite Keira Knightley. He will also be seen in Hold the Dark, Netflix’s adventure thriller from director Jeremy Saulnier. Skarsgård is currently shooting Hummingbird in Montreal, which he is co-starring in opposite Jesse Eisenberg, with Kim Nguyen directing. Skarsgård was most recently in Jean-Marc Vallée’s award-winning HBO series “Big Little Lies,” for which he won the Emmy for best supporting actor in a limited series.


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Wilson Inlet – Solo spinnakers

Third time out, light airs, another gorgeous day.

I wasn’t the only one to have thought it was a great day to go sailing, and another small catamaran was slowly coming downwind under mainsail as I tacked upwind close to them in order to say hi. We agreed that it was a cracking day for a sail, but that they had come much better prepared as they had beer, and I didn’t. Somewhere in the conversation while passing they thought it was my first time sailing, and said I was doing quite well. Nice of them to say so, but I thought there was good opportunity to surprise them. Once I’d got suitable upwind of them, I decided that nothing could possibly go wrong if I chucked the kite up by myself.

Up it went, and downwind we went. They did look slightly surprised as I blasted (relative term) past them, and towards the other end of the inlet. After bit of playing to see quite how far I could sail a symmetrical spinnaker upwind, down it came, with remarkable ease, and I headed for home.

When I caught up with the other couple onshore it turned out that he had lived on a large catamaran for many years, until a large cyclone up near Dampier had totalled everything. He’s started again with a 10ft one, and is working his way back up!

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Why publish a history?

Commemorative coffee-table history books: Why talk about the past when you’re looking to the future?

In 1930, as Americans were feeling the grip of economic depression, a candy manufacturer named W.E. (Bill) Brock had this to say: “There are plenty of people to do the possible; you can hire them for a small sum of money. The prizes are for those who perform the impossible.” Just three years later, as the recovery dragged along and businesses continued to fail, Brock’s first outside audit revealed a huge loss of revenues. The company was on the brink of financial ruin. In March of that same year, massive bank withdrawals across the nation prompted President Roosevelt to declare a Bank Holiday. Banks closed all over America. All banks in Chattanooga closed. The Brock Candy Company not only lacked operating capital, it had no way to issue checks to its employees.

But Bill Brock refused to close his doors. While 878 candy companies across the nation went bankrupt, he negotiated long-term deals with his suppliers to continue shipping him sugar and corn syrup. He challenged his sales force to double their efforts. And he found another way to pay employees. Every day Brock representatives would collect accumulated cash from its customers, mostly local dime stores, and pay employees from sacks of nickels, dimes and quarters. Employees had to be satisfied with less but were enormously grateful for work and hard cash.

Crisis often helps to define a company’s character, just as it does for any organization, school, family or individual. Economic depression, world wars, natural disasters, energy shortages… all serve as extraordinary backdrops for stories so compelling they sometimes verge on mythical.

At the Storyline Group, we’re helping companies research, discover and share their legacies through commemorative coffee-table books, video histories, history walls, e-books and enhanced e-books — all designed to help our clients build brands, inform communities, educate target audiences, and inspire future generations.

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Technological News Portal

George Hotz (geohot) On The Alyona Show “Beating Them in Court is Just a Start”

PlayStation 3 jailbreaker GeoHot, was recently on The Alyona Show. When asked about whether he thinks the whole issue will blow over and whether he has a chance to beat Sony in court, GeoHot responded with the following:

“Oh without a doubt. I think I will beat them. I think the reason they brought this suit is just to harass me and ‘this is what happens to you if you hack Sony products.’ Beating them in court is just a start.”

Still, GeoHot did ask for financial help just last week, after releasing a rap video to poke fun at the whole situation. He has reportedly covered his legal costs and then some in just two days of donations.

GeoHot still insists that Sony is suing the wrong guy since he is against mass piracy and does not distribute anyone’s copyrighted work but his own. His goal for the PS3 is to provide users a legitimate path to homebrew, which should be legal according to previous non-console court cases.

He may be a little more confident about it than he should be, but in either case, the dude always makes me his fan with every single thing he does!

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Technological News Portal

GreenPois0n RC6 for Apple TV 2G To Bring Untethered 4.2.1 Jailbreak

Good news for Apple TV 2G users. Greenpois0n is coming to jailbreak it as well. In a recent reply to a user’s tweet, @pod2g, the key member of Chronic Dev Team said that Greenpois0n RC6 would bring untethered jailbreak support for Apple TV 2G on iOS 4.2.1. Checkout his tweet after the break.

Here’s the tweet:

From his tweet:

BlamJam: greenpois0n rc5/5.2 not workingwith AppleTV2 – @pod2g says it will in next build.

pod2g: @BlamJam sorry but I was talking about RC6.

The “Readme” file for Greenpoison 1.0 RC5 also confirms this news:

*** greenpois0n 1.0 RC5 ***

> Description of the software:

greenpois0n will Jailbreak your iDevice.

> Supported iDevices:

– iPod Touch 2G (all bootroms)
– iPod Touch 3G
– iPod Touch 4G
– iPad 1G
– iPhone 3Gs (all bootroms)
– iPhone 4
– iPhone 4 Verizon (_not_tested_)
– ___AppleTV 2___ (support will be added in RC6)

> Requirements (check this !)

– a supported device (see above)
– the device should run iOS 4.2.1. Please check on the device in the Settings -> General -> About page.
If your device is running an older version, please upgrade iOS first using iTunes.
*** If you want to SIM Unlock, preserve your baseband using TinyUmbrella ***
– at least MacOSX 10.5
– OSX in a VM won’t work
– a working internet connection

> Notes (checks this also !)

– if your device is jailbroken with iPhone Dev Team’s Monte, please restore to fresh 4.2.1. first
– if Cydia doesn’t show up after Loader, you may need to reboot the device
– this version of greenpois0n doesn’t include a patched activation system. You’ll need to activate your device using iTunes

> Instructions

1. plug the device to your computer using the USB cable
2. quit iTunes if it shows up
3. start
4. follow instructions
5. the device will boot a 1st time with verbose text on screen. This operation will install the jailbreak on the device.
6. the device will reboot normally
7. start the Loader application (green icon on the SpringBoard), and follow instructions to install Cydia

Hence, GreenPois0n RC6 is not available right now, but Chronic Team will release it as soon as possible.

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Technological News Portal

New Radio Wave Technique For Detect Alien Planets

New radio wave technique could detect alien planets, receive interstellar tunes and because exoplanets often have decades-long orbits, meaning you could spend a lot of lonely nights fruitlessly searching the skies.Scientists at the University of Leicester in England developed a new approach,, they are looking for radio waves emitted when ultraviolet flares light up the atmospheres of planets like Saturn and Jupiter…………….

Scientists at the University of Leicester have shown that emissions from the radio aurora of planets like Jupiter should be detectable by radio telescopes such as LOFAR, which will be completed later this year. Dr Jonathan Nichols will present results at the RAS National Astronomy Meeting in Llandudno, Wales, on Monday 18th April.“This is the first study to predict the radio emissions by exoplanetary systems similar to those we find at Jupiter or Saturn.  At both planets, we see radio waves associated with auroras generated by interactions with ionized gas escaping from the volcanic moons, Io and Enceladus.  Our study shows that we could detect emissions from radio auroras from Jupiter-like systems orbiting at distances as far out as Pluto,” said Nichols.Of the hundreds of exoplanets that have been detected to date, less than 10% orbit at distances where we find the outer planets in our own Solar System.  Most exoplanets have been found by the transit method which detects a dimming in light as a planet moves in front of a star or by looking for a wobble as a star is tugged by the gravity of an orbiting planet. With both these techniques, it is easiest to detect planets close in to the star and moving very quickly.

“Jupiter and Saturn take 12 and 30 years respectively to orbit the Sun, so you would have to be incredibly lucky or look for a very long time to spot them by a transit or a wobble,” said Dr Nichols.Dr Nichols examined how the radio emissions for Jupiter-like exoplanets would be affected by the rotation rate of the planet, the rate of plasma outflow from a moon, the orbital distance of the planet and the ultraviolet (UV) brightness of the parent star.He found that, in many scenarios, exoplanets orbiting UV-bright stars between 1 and 50 Astronomical Units (AU) would generate enough radio power to be detectable from Earth.  For the brightest stars and fastest spinning planets, the emissions would be detectable from systems 150 light years away from Earth.“In our Solar System, we have a stable system with outer gas giants and inner terrestrial planets, like Earth, where life has been able to evolve.  Being able to detect Jupiter-like planets may help us find planetary systems like our own, with other planets that are capable of supporting life,” said Dr Nichols.

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Darlene Lim is an award-winning short filmmaker who has worked in film, television and communications in a variety of roles, including writer, story consultant, researcher and television field producer, as well as in sales and acquisitions for the arthouse cinema distribution sector.

In France, Darlene began writing for the beauty and cosmetics industry and she now currently manages print and video editorial projects for the fashion marketing department of a French tech company. She’s available to take on freelance work, and can write about everything from the best baguette in Paris to what it’s like to travel overnight on an unheated chicken bus to Uyuni, Bolivia, in the dead of winter (true story).

In 2010, Darlene gave up her post of Communications Specialist at one of Canada’s largest media companies to embark on a one-year working holiday in Paris, France.  It didn’t take long, however, for her to fall in love with the city and decide that one year in Paris wasn’t nearly long enough…

2 Responses to “About”

  1. Nin Says:

    Hi Darlene, by chance I stumble on your blog and I think its very interesting blog, I will start following your blog from now on

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Who holds power on Election Day is Loser?

Gomin Dayasiri (Daily Mirror)

Caption is a query raised without consulting an astrologer or a suggestion from a wild buffalo. Voters expect too much in return from a country that is near broke. Politicians make offers beyond their means to gain power. Nation has to beg and borrow to live another day. Whoever is in power from 2017 to election date is the likely loser at the next presidential or general elections.

Any ruler in office is ineffective in a sagging economy unless corruption is slackened and administration tightened. Neither is on mend. Route Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe picked was nullified by minions in the government as seen in the Development (Special Provisions) Bill, shot down by his buddy President Maithripala Sirisena  and his provincial marauders. Same fate, thankfully awaits, the controversial Constitutional Amendments that would gather dust on the shelf. Naturally, these are scatterbrain schemes. Unseen saboteur is the President, studies the ground situation rationally, more than Ranil, living a planet away. Knows opposition could coalesce on a sentimental issue that is attractive to the fast expanding middle – income groups that carry voting strength.

Middle-income, middle-class strayed from the government as the economy started tickling them. Tickle turned to a scratch and became a wound that did not answer to any antibiotic. They were the bulwarks of the 2015 elections.

Middle-incomers, after the victory over terrorism led a more comfortable life style (travelling around Sri Lanka in vans on pilgrimages to the hill country, up north, improving home conditions, purchasing mechanized two, three or four wheelers and sending kids to more tuition classes!) acquired wealth after the chapter on terrorism was firmly nailed. They presently live in discomfort with ‘luxuries’ pruned down.

Billboards on road side advertise expertise from dressing brides to repairing computers to perming hair in their homes in proof of an emerging economic class where the income is tax free, earned without paying rent or incurring transport charges. These homes had more than one income earner and parked more than one vehicle. Roads naturally are clogged with vehicles with the ‘middle-tons’ on the move.

Public officers in this category, if convinced, the government is frail and vulnerable, as at present, would accelerate the rate of destabilization in search of their advancement.   Mahinda Rajapaksa (MR)’s apparent fizz is not self-induced but coincides with the unpopularity of the Ranil-Maithri combine. A coalition between UNP and SLFP cannot function smoothly as they tread different paths with competing MP’s having an eye on re-election. Presently, Ranil is trying cheap gimmicks to make the economy tick without luck, as his vintage administrators are an elitist bunch forming the establishment that misled him with their unfriendly policies that undid the UNP between 2001-2004.

Daydreaming of manufacturing a Volkswagen vehicle locally failed miserably, Ranil has not succeeded in attracting a maker of dinky toys to set up a factory, notwithstanding having the best finance minister in the world as determined by a banking magazine.   The economy is the live issue, relegated at the last election to the background, while good governance was made sugary sweet by the NGOs’ whacky armies; genuine few, in disgust, sought fresh pastures in anguish, regretting their misguided exercise was badly fractured.

Ranil and Maithripala enjoyed an easy ride to office without an Economic Master Plan (J.R. Jayewardene’s bags of cereals –‘Ata atta’ or R. Premadasa’s dole assured every poor household a bounty of Rs. 2,500 per month) to keep the poor out of despair awaited patiently for the arrival of a miraculous go-dot. An absent Santa makes the‘fed-up’ rate grow swifter. Good governance kids unwittingly caused the government to engage in disastrous ad hoc economic policies, on being underprepared.

The former President peaked in popularity with the war victory, became a sitting duck unable to respond to the cry for good governance with rampant corruption marching hand- -in-hand at the elections; voters knew and know the culprits of then and now. Mahinda’s toadies made him look regal. Being a silly mortal fell into their trap in believing that ‘King can do no Wrong’- fiddled like Nero while the country was on the mend, then fell into an insurmountable hole on public debt – the encircling albatross of economic development.

Restrictive phase where general elections are tabooed for 12 months after the previous, was by Constitutional Amendment extended to 54 months; needed a simple majority of one in Parliament to revise the prohibitive period, now requires a 2/3 majority. Silly surplus, as no MP is prepared to shorten his parliamentary lifeline? These are the achievements of the 19th Amendment that could unsettle the present government. Draconian provisions were extended without the 5/6th majority enjoyed by J.R.Jayewardene.

Therefore, a general election could be held after February 16, 2020. Yet governments could change hands in persons and parties without the exercise of the franchise – the issue is the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Siripavan evaded answering in the 19th Amendment. Justices are answerable some day, somewhere, since the issue causes havoc. All that is needed is a show of hands in Parliament. The 19th Amendment kills the good work of good governance with one stroke!  Mahinda promises an early return to power by this queer process with his old familiar unfriendly faces. New government, if any, will be virtually the same that lost in 2015, back in the saddle knowing well this is their last hurrah, multiplying corruption.

Some sail with President Maithripala and continue to hold ministerial appointments. Such are not wanted for a parade before the FCID that has failed to lead any evidence in any court on any corruption charges. Mahinda has to play with these past masters till 2020; many cheated him. Maithripala, champion at pole vault, holds a whip in hand, against possible ‘double crossing-tons” with or without sharing a hopper; others will say bye-bye to the FCID, already in toe with the tortoise, would parade different faces; tempting more from the UNP to join the Mahinda’s bandwagon, to be secure. Has a new insurance policy been designed exclusively for MPs?

 Tired Sinhala Buddhist nationalists trek to learn thorny constitutional issues under the tutelage in the home of unblemished Prof. G.L. Piers. Tolerance in Buddhism makes it possible to forget and forgive. Prof. Pieris has artfully won over a hostile constituency. Now dressed as a Sinhala Buddhist zealot is ousting the old guard in the MEP, JNP, SLFP and JHU that stood loyally in difficult days when waltzing Prof. Pieris, with the UNP evolved federal structures with the LTTE and produced a Package for the SLFP in the company of Neelan Thiruchelvam of the TNA. Selling names attracts dodgy funding.   Good Health and Long Life to those seeking a place in the sun in their last days. Sulking dears may surface in round two, poorer with sour faces sadly muddied for life. Sad to say they are purchasable for a sandwich and an outing being long without recognition sought desperately.

Prof. Pieris is a treasured asset for Mahinda, as he is a master of the English language (quality sadly lacking in the joint opposition) supposedly “knows the law”, is no threat to Mahinda, flexible to vary directions, has space to set up a clubhouse to varied and conflicting causes of persons with excess free time and provide refreshments to all and sundry. Such a combine together with culinary skills cannot match gallons of tea and lumps of jaggery offered by the MEP, JNP or JHU or SLFP ‘patriots’ as they fall by the wayside against a buying office well funded.

Pieris is Mahinda’s on/off Anagarika with western flourishes as he doubles as latter’s principal spokesman in the English-speaking to foreign dignitaries in different tongues. Mahinda wants to enjoy power with his manageable old stock that provides him a free hand.   Mahinda needs 75% of Sinhala Buddhist support, not necessarily as votes, since there is no election – to counter the oncoming economic upheaval responding with the shrill cry of a divided nation to keep him afloat in the south, without a team of any re-known. Minority vote is not his constituency but fortifies the majority vote. People abhor terrorism, learnt lessons at their doorstep. Maithripala’s SLFP too needs the Sinhala Buddhist vote to survive. Vote as you desire; don’t make Sirisena a foe for he can be a friend to offset Ranil’s wild desires, with his presidential powers.  Think of the nation, my friends, not of politicians that provide a tasty bite.Be your thinking machines and no particle of any politicians’ Seeya/Archie Armies.

Ranil in his wisdom may craftily manoeuvre a shift to the opposition by having him outvoted in Parliament or more likely dissatisfied parliamentarians may shift loyalties and outvote him in parliament leaving the country in the hands of Mahinda and his merry men to fumble. Reminded of a story of treading angels and rushing fools.

More likely, UNP may return without Ranil or the SLFP without Mahinda, whichever or whoever is out of power, in 2020: reaction to a bored leadership. Generation gap between an aged leadership and youthful constituents is expanding – forced retirements may be a mutual feature.

A timetable to remember –   A) Presidential elections must be held on any date before the 7th of January 2020   B) General Elections must be held between February16 and the August 16, 2020.    The President has to determine the dates of both elections. Both elections cannot be held on the same day, much to Maithripala’s disadvantage due to the artificial datelines. Which will he hold first? Will he as promised gracefully retire than be sure defeated as the permanent fixture of hard times and search a corner to sulk?


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The Opioid Epidemic and Substance Use Disorder: A Guide to Better Outcomes

The opioid epidemic is one of the most pressing and prevalent issues that our great nation faces. More than 33,000 people lost their lives to opioids in 2015, and the Surgeon General reports that substance misuse and SUD costs society $442 billion each year.

This guide discusses how we can improve clinical and financial outcomes for those with Substance Use Disorder through a combination of post-acute engagement, upstream prevention, emerging technologies, and data analysis.

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2018 Conference Call for Proposals | The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity

The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity has issued a call for proposals for their 25th annual summer conference. The 2018 conference invites healthcare and other professionals, scholars, researchers, educators, and students to address questions associated with their conference theme–“Bioethics & Being Human”–and to engage more broadly with foundational and emerging issues raised at the intersections of medicine, science, technology, and our common humanity.

Submission Dates for Proposals: September 1, 2017 – November 1, 2017

Conference Dates: June 21-23, 2018

For more information on submission guidelines and the conference, please see the Call for Proposals page.


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[Rd] Re: [R] Redirect standard input and output of R

From: Paul Roebuck <roebuck_at_odin.mdacc.tmc.edu>
Date: Thu 18 Nov 2004 - 21:04:35 EST

On Wed, 17 Nov 2004, Victor Robles wrote:

> I'm trying to write a C program that write to the standard input of R
> and read the standard output. I can perfectly read the R output, but
> I'm not able of writing anything to R.
> [SNIP C code]

Several years ago, I wrote some software that used S-plus as its back-end and Java for the front-end. I found what worked best was to add a pseudoterminal inbetween; you can use the code from "UNIX Programming Environment" to create one. The solution was later reused when a similar project used R for its back-end.

SIGSIG -- signature too long (core dumped)

R-devel@stat.math.ethz.ch mailing list
https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel Received on Thu Nov 18 21:11:21 2004

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.8 : Thu 18 Nov 2004 - 23:10:31 EST


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Monthly Archives: November 2008

At Full Stretch

metm21– Mum & Baby Yoga Classes in SW11

It’s a sad truth that not by any stretch of the imagination is your pre-baby figure going to reappear without some work.

But rather than a full on military style workout, stretch the rules at Battersea Yoga where Nadia will have you back in shape and feeling fabulous in no time.  The one hour class will put you through an effective and strong postnatal yoga routine which will leave you feeling revitalized, relaxed and rejuvenated.

Then, on the strength of a world famous back catalogue of nursery rhymes, Junior is put through his paces where you help him stretch his legs (and arms!) and indulge him in some Mummy and Tot bonding baby massage.

After his big work out, the little one is guaranteed to nod off on the home stretch.

What Mini says:

At a stretch, I’m up for it.

You are ready for post natal yoga after your six week check-up. Nadia’s post natal classes are held on Mondays and Wednesdays at St Vincents Hall, 36 Altenburg Gardens SW11 1JJ. The new term starts 5th January / 7th January and the course costs £168 for 14 classes. To book, email Nadia on is the ultimate review site for London mums, babies and toddlers. Click here to read more about our reviews of classes, activities and great things for Mum and baby or toddler.

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Filed under Mums' Classes (Tots in Tow)

Off the Wall

metm25– Fun for all at the Leisure Centre (NW3)

Feel like you’re climbing the walls? With a thunderous child, serious cabin-fever and the looming threat of those extra Christmas pounds on your newly-recovered derriere, you need a day at leisure.

On a dark and stormy day, what better way to meet Mini’s multitude of demands (or your own) than a visit to the sensational Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre.

Re-launched in 2006, it offers a wide range of activities in stylish and serene surroundings: Let Mini romp in the soft play and baby jungle. Take her for a dip in the tots’ swimming pool. Or browse around the children’s library …

If you need some “Moi time”, take advantage of the lovely crèche while you enjoy the gym, pool or women-only work-out sessions. For those considering a return to the concrete jungle, test your muscle on the climbing wall. It’ll have you scaling new heights.

Afterwards, unwind at your leisure in one of the sumptuous cafes (yes, plural! And not a single hole in the wall.).

What Mini says:

Why ‘a fly on the wall’? You should only know what babies observe…

Go on! Take a stroll (or tube, bus, or even drive) to the crème de la crème of leisure centres. With a weekly farmers’ market round the corner, you’ll even be able to sort out supper on your way home.

Thanks to the lovely Moi, Eliza Maree, and her gorgeous mini, Pandora for testing and submitting Off the Wall.

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Filed under Fun with Mini, Out & About

Got Milk?

– Simple and stylish protectors of a Mum’s modesty

metm_24novemberJust because you’re not at the front of the lunchtime queue at your City coffee-chain doesn’t mean you’re any less stressed than you were pre-maternity leave.

It may only be 10:30am at your local café, but as you wait to place your order, the challenge ahead looms large: to feed a ravenous, wriggling nipper and sip a latte, all while holding a blanket in place to preserve (what remains of) your dignity.

With Bebe Au Lait you can breastfeed whenever and wherever, be that the local Starbucks or out to lunch with your colleagues.

This easy-to-use, machine washable cover provides a private space for you and your’s to gaze lovingly into one another’s eyes; reduces the need to constantly check that your chosen protector of privacy is in place and, perhaps most importantly, allows you to participate in the passing show – be that a conversation or a good cuppa.

So when you’re feeding on the go, make sure your bébé is au lait. How you order your coffee is up to you …

metm_cupcakesWhat Mini says:

Make mine a double espresso … I need to be up all night.

Once the preserve of the international jet set mums – with the likes of Gwen Stefani and Gwyneth Paltrow among its devotees – the world-famous Bebe Au Lait (SSP £25) is now available at your local John Lewis.

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Filed under Other, Stylish Accessories

Fashion First

– 5 Minute Fix for Looking Fabulous This Autumn/Winter

These days, you’re more likely to be walking to watch the ducks than watching the catwalks.

And when you do have a spare 5 minutes to get dressed, the fear of ‘What Not to Wear’ is enough to make you stay at home.

No SuperMummy wants to be known as a fashion victim but that’s doesn’t mean you have to be a Slummy Mummy.  So, how do you strike a balance without striking a pose?

At Mini-et-Moi’s first ever SuperMummy event on 28th October, empowered our SuperMummies with their Top 10 Fashion Tips that set them all on perfect course to sail glamorously and effortlessly through Autumn / Winter 08/09.

If you missed our event, click for the Top 10 Tips!

What Mini Says:

You look fabulous, dahhling!

Finding time to make sure your party frock fits you like a glove is a challenge.   After a(nother) sleepless night with Junior, you’re more fit to drop than fighting fit and your exercise routine is, at best, fits and starts.  In need of a five minute fix it for fab abs to make sure you are the belle of the ball?  Click here for Mini-et-Moi’s Top Tips for Fab Abs.

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Fashion First

– 5 Minute Fix for Looking Fabulous in Autumn/Winter 08/09.

metm21Passed on directly from the experts, Mini-et-Moi’s 5-Minute Fixes© are practical and easy to apply and they’ll leave you polished, poised and perfectly prepared to enhance your personal SuperMummy© potential.

No SuperMummy wants to be known as a fashion victim but that doesn’t mean you have to be a Slummy Mummy.  Read on and learn how to strike a balance without striking a pose, delivered courtesy of

  1. Like any seasoned City pro, make sure your wardrobe investments pay off. Do your due diligence on the essentials – the jeans, the LBD, the shoes, tee, bag, and blouse.
  2. Be clever with classics – choose a winter coat to take you from season to season.
  3. Leather and lace may not be a good look for the under 2 set, but as one of the hottest trends of the season, this one will also last for years to come.
  4. In your sleep deprived state, you may not have noticed that there is more to tights than black opaques! Opt for coloured, patterned or thick ribbed to update any look.
  5. Pump it with flat ballet pumps and moccasins for day: You’ll be and comfortable; and ready to take off after Junior in seconds flat.
  6. Your little diamond in the rough may have taught you all you need to know about making a real statement. (And always when there’s an audience.) Now show him a thing or two by making a statement with your jewellery: From cuffs to cocktail rings, big is best.
  7. Season your style with a scarf. A silk or cashmere scarf will transform any outfit in an instant. (It also makes a refreshing change to the muslin cloth that has become your signature piece.)
  8. Boots are back. With ankle boots, shoe boots, knee high boots and flat biker boots, it’s never been easier to step out in style.
  9. The tot is not the only one who likes to snuggle up in a knit. Warm up your wardrobe with a chunky knit cardigan or jumper dress.
  10. Wise up your arm-wear with well-chosen bag buys – a clutch for night and a classic tote for day. Leave the change bag at home (at your peril!).

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From Ab Flab to Fab Abs

– Tips for Fab Abs!

MetM5After a(nother) sleepless night with Junior, you’re more fit to drop than fighting fit and your exercise routine is, at best, fits and starts.  Read on for Mini-et-Moi’s 5-minute fix it for Fab Abs,  as delivered by Poppy Dickinson.

Mum’s Muscular Memory

  • Set a manageable time to exercise, even ten minutes can help.  Keeping up the practice is good, and a little is better than nothing at all. Enjoy your exercise and relax with it!  If you don’t like your exercise routine, change it.  Feeling happy, relaxed and balanced will allow your body to tone up well.
  • You may not be fully convinced but muscles have memories.  If you work them well, they continue to work outside of your exercise regime.  Try incorporating this concept in your daily routine, e.g. use your abs when pushing, lifting and crawling around after Junior. And always think about your posture.

Core Strengths

You don’t need a full hour at the gym to work on your posture. (You don’t remember the gym? It’s the one with the excellent crèche. Where you signed a new contract months ago …?)

  • Neutral Position – Make sure your body is in good alignment: Shoulders relaxed, spine and pelvis in natural position.
  • Your core consists of shoulders, rib cage, abdominals and pelvis.  All must be well placed to tone correctly and efficiently. Think of your core as a central control.  Always ensure it is engaged when you are moving.  All leg and arm exercises stem from your abs/core, which is your centre of strength.
  • Breathe well.  Abdominals attach to the ribs, so the rib cage movement should be lateral to keep the abdominal wall as flat as possible.  Breathe in through nose and out through mouth.

Small Challenges

  • Use both sides of your body equally.  e.g. hold that change bag on different shoulders, use your weaker arm/leg for certain movements that you would usually use your stronger side for.  This will give you good balance.

Show us your pelvis, Elvis

  • Pelvic floor work is a must both before and after baby arrives.  Simply lifting and releasing the pelvic floor is a good exercise for the lower abdominals too.  (Don’t know how to do it?  It’s like holding from going to the toilet.  Squeeze and release!)

Take your Baby, Gaby

  • Include the baby in your exercise by moving your body in different ways and directions.  Flexion (forward bending), extension (small upper back bending), lateral flexion (side bending) and rotation.  A variation of movements is good!

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Filed under Life Skills

The Jet Set

MetM9The Jet Set

– Gorgeous Gift Set for Gallivanting Gurglers

You have the most fantastic passport photo of Mini (and it took only 7 times to get it right), you’re all organized for your holiday but you’re still  missing  that  finishing  touch  for  your  little jet setter’s trip.  Look no further!

The gorgeous Baby Passport and Luggage Tag Gift Set by Bombay Duck is all a travelling tot needs.

metm_12nov1Show  off  Mini’s  star  baby credentials at Passport Control with the luxurious  leather  passport cover, before moving on to spy the lavish coordinating luggage tag as Mini’s suitcase arrives on the carousel. Watch even the weariest traveller sit up and take notice.

With first class accessories like these, you’ll be rich pickings for an upgrade.

metm_12nov2What Mini says:

Just the thing to get my globe trotting off to a flying start!

The Bombay Duck Baby Passport and Luggage Tag Gift Set (SSP £18) is available  online  and Huttons on Northcote Road, SW11 and Putney Exchange, SW15.

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'Dancing to the Flute' falls short on substance

AP News
Posted: Feb 05, 2013 1:08 PM
'Dancing to the Flute' falls short on substance

"Dancing to the Flute" (Atria), by Manisha Jolie Amin

A little boy appears in an Indian village, not remembering his name nor where he was from. But he is charming, clever and musically gifted, and manages to make his way, thanks largely to the kindness of strangers.

His talent for playing the flute brings him to the notice of a wandering healer whose brother is a famed musician. That brother decides to take on the boy, known as Kalu, as a student. And over the years, both learn much.

"Dancing to the Flute" is Manisha Jolie Amin's first novel and her American literary debut. It is an airy, free-floating tale, evoking the notes of a flute on the wind.

The author writes that each part of the novel is supposed to mimic an Indian melodic form known as the raag, starting slowly and gaining pace as it progresses. But the book doesn't quite achieve lyrical status, although it tries very hard.

The boy at the center of the story is actually its least interesting character. It's the others around him — the meek servant girl, the downtrodden buffalo handler and others — who give the book what little heft it has. There are two particularly powerful moments in the book, and Kalu is something of a side-note in each of them.

One of the downfalls of trying to make a book "lyrical" or "atmospheric" is that it's easy to simultaneously make it too vague. It's a bit unfair to the reader, who can struggle to try to understand what just happened in a paragraph or a chapter.

Sacrificing substance for style doesn't always work. "Dancing to the Flute" falls short of achieving exceptional style, and it definitely could have used more substance.

Follow Nahal Toosi on Twitter at twitter.com/nahaltoosi.


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New Yorker wins U.S. spelling bee with 'knaidel'

Reuters News
Posted: May 29, 2013 9:25 PM
New Yorker wins U.S. spelling bee with 'knaidel'

By Ian Simpson

OXON HILL, Maryland (Reuters) - Arvind Mahankali, a 13-year-old boy from Bayside Hills, New York, won the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday by correctly spelling "knaidel," a kind of dumpling.

Mahankali, a student at Nathaniel Hawthorne Middle School, had finished third in the contest twice before, each time stumbling on German words. This year, the packed auditorium erupted in a standing ovation when he nailed "knaidel," which comes from German-derived Yiddish.

"I thought, 'The German curse had turned into a German blessing,'" he said of his victory. "It means I can retire on a good note."

Mahankali, who wants to become a quantum physicist, defeated 10 other finalists. Asked what he planned to do during his summer vacation, he said he planned to study physics.

He said he would use the $30,000 cash prize for college.

The second-place finisher was Pranav Sivakumar, 13, of Tower Lakes, New York, who attends Barrington Middle School. Sriram Hatwar, 13, from Painted Post, New York, and a student at the Alternative School for Math & Science, finished third.

Finalists were eliminated on such words as "pathognomonic," a disease's characteristics, "doryline," a kind of ant, "melocoton," a grafted peach, and "kaburi," a land crab.

Contestants bit lips and clutched hands as they spelled before a crowded ballroom. All asked for definitions, origins, and a sentence using the word. Most wrote the word on their hands or forearms with a finger before spelling them into a microphone.

Asked by pronouncer Jacques Bailly to spell "temenos," Vismaya Kharkar, 14, from Bountiful, Utah, covered her face with her hands and rocked her head forward and backward.

Then she wrote it into her hand and, after spelling it correctly, flashed a big smile and high-fived other contestants. But Kharkar went out on "paryphodrome," exclaiming "Oh, no!" when the bell sounded indicating a misspelling.

Amber Born, a 14-year-old from Marblehead, Massachusetts, who is home schooled, reacted with raised eyebrows when given "lansquenet," a kind of card game. "That is cause for panic," she said, then slowly spelled it correctly.

Mahankali won a contest that involved 11 million young spellers at some point. A total of 281 aged 8 to 14 from all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and foreign countries took part in the Bee held outside Washington.

For the first time since it started in 1927, the contest included tests on vocabulary. Organizers said the new quizzes were part of the Bee's commitment to deepening knowledge of the English language.

Since 1999, 11 of the 15 winners have been of South Asian origin, including the last six.

(Editing by Scott Malone, Alden Bentley and Christopher Wilson)


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German spy chief says targets Russian, Chinese industrial espionage

Reuters News
Posted: Feb 18, 2013 6:08 AM

BERLIN (Reuters) - The head of Germany's military intelligence said in a rare interview that one of his main challenges was to protect defense projects from industrial espionage by the Chinese and Russian secret services.

The Military Counter-intelligence Service has until now kept a much lower public profile than Germany's two other larger federal spy agencies - the BND, which gathers foreign intelligence, and the BfV, charged with domestic intelligence.

Chief Ulrich Birkenheier told Die Welt in an interview published on Monday that "espionage against international defense projects" was a growing challenge, with foreign agents trying to get hold of information about military trials of new defence products.

"Russian and Chinese secret services are still trying to recruit German soldiers. We have to investigate that and prevent it," Birkenheier told Die Welt in the agency's first media interview in its 57-year history.

Germany's intelligence services were seriously criticized after the discovery in 2011 of a small far-right cell, the National Socialist Underground, which murdered nine immigrants and a policewoman, carried out a bomb attack and robbed 14 banks over a decade without being detected.

Birkenheier said that affair had convinced his spy agency "how useful it is to explain our task and our work to the outside world". The service has 1,150 staff, he said, with agents in seven overseas locations including Afghanistan, Kosovo and Djibouti, where the German military takes part in international missions.

(Reporting by Stephen Brown; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)


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Posts Tagged ‘jacksoncurtis’

50 Cent admit hes gay by removing his tattoos!

April 16, 2010 Leave a comment

Posted Thu Apr 15, 2010 2:27pm PDT by Lindsay Robertson in Stop The Presses!

50 Cent’s many tattoos have always been a part of the rapper’s image. He’s displayed them prominently on album covers and in magazines throughout his career. But the ink that made him stand out in the music world isn’t serving him so well now that 50 Cent the rapper is becoming 50 Cent the rapper-actor. So Curtis Jackson (his real name) has begun the process of removing many of them with costly laser procedures.

People reports that Jackson removed some of his iconic arm tattoos, saying that not only were they limiting the roles he could play, but that having them covered up for films was getting to be a pain.

“[Laser removal] cuts down on the amount of time I have to spend in makeup covering them up,” says the actor. Jackson has roles in several upcoming films, including Twelve with Chace Crawford (out later this year), 2011’s Things Fall Apart, and The Dance, a boxing film costarring Nicolas Cage.

Last November, Jackson made it clear that he values sleep over body art, saying that covering the ink in the makeup chair often required him to show up on set four hours before the other actors. And even when the ink is covered up, some rigorous roles won’t withstand the industry’s heaviest makeup. Jackson said of his role in The Dance, which is now in development, “When you’re a fighter, you’re sweating, [and] with a whole bunch of make-up on and stuff like that, it doesn’t look real to me.”

But fans of 50 Cent’s most unique tattoo – the giant “50 Cent” on his back – shouldn’t fret: That one is here to stay. “I can’t take that off,” he says. (Lucky for him, a back tattoo is usually pretty easy to hide under clothing.)

Meanwhile, another famously tattooed celebrity is still using her body as a canvas, makeup-chair hours notwithstanding. On the cover of the latest Entertainment Weekly, Angelina Jolie displays what appears to be a new tattoo – the underlining of text on the back of her neck. (The text, which is not new, reads: “know your rights“.)

Like 50 Cent, Jolie (who is currently promoting her new movie, Salt) is no stranger to changing her mind about supposedly permanent body ink. Jolie altered an upper-arm tribute to her ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton after the two split up. Jolie’s arm now displays the map coordinates of where each of her six children were born.

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Published on Aug 6, 2013

Bob Wright of The One People (TOP) relates his experience of converting his intrinsic value into money in his bank account by presenting the bank with documentation similar to what is required when taking out a loan, except that with this approach one is not legally obligated to pay it back. There is also a discussion with the other TOP members about the significance of his successes, and also the fact that Heather is preparing documentation for everyone to be able to do something similar. Discussed also is the fact that the Pope as of Sep 1st is cancelling the immunity from prosecution afforded to politicians lawyers, etc under the Roman Curia law, and generally the significance of Sep 1st. Visit for more info and updates.


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Day out in London

by kabuki

You know you’re lucky when you get sunshine in London which was good for me because 20 kgs (maximum limit 23 kgs) of my baggage was occupied by cotton blouses,floral skirts and summer dresses.I did not want to give God the option of forcing me into woollens hence, I just didn’t carry any:) I guess fortune does favour the brave.


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Arbitration Victory

MAJOR ARBITRATION VICTORY: In July, 2015, (CHECK YEAR) United Faculty won a major arbitration award on behalf of a faculty member who had been the subject of an improperly conducted investigation by the UNI Office of Compliance and Equity Management (OCEM). According to the arbitrator, conclusions from the investigation were entirely unfounded. As part of the award, the OCEM’s findings must be removed from the faculty member’s file. This was a lengthy and expensive arbitration. The findings will have important implications for protecting the due process rights of all UNI faculty.

OCEM ALERT: Any faculty member who believes they are the subject of an OCEM investigation should immediately contact United Faculty (i.e., Becky Hawbaker or Joe Gorton).

MANDATORY REPORTING POLICY: In 2015, United Faculty filed a Prohibitive Practice Complaint (PPC) with the Iowa Public Employee Relations Board (IPERB) regarding the OCEM’s new mandatory reporting policy. The policy requires faculty to report to OCEM any employee the faculty member believes might be engaged in sexual misconduct toward another employee. The requirement would exist even if a fellow employee came to a colleague seeking support or advice but did not want to file a complaint. Among other concerns, UF believes the policy will have a chilling effect upon the ability of sexual misconduct victims to seek support from friends and colleagues. After United Faculty filed the PPC, President Ruud formed a work group that included UF representation (Barbara Cutter), to review the policy and make recommendations for revisions. In May, the work group submitted its report to him. Earlier this week, President Ruud agreed with a work group recommendation that will remove the mandatory requirement for faculty to report other employees. United Faculty is indebted to faculty members Cyndi Dunn, Barbara Cutter, and Catherine MacGillivray for their great work on the work group. Their efforts will help strengthen due process for all UNI faculty.

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION GRIEVANCE: On September 9th, 2015, the Interim Dean of the College of Business Administration promulgated the college’s 2015 Merit Guidelines. The guidelines state, “in order to be considered for merit, a faculty member must administer student assessments in all sections of all classes every regular semester.” (emphasis added) The requirement violates contract provisions which state, “Tenured faculty members shall be assessed by students during the fall or spring semester each second (2nd) year, not counting years on leave or non-teaching assignments.” (emphasis added) United Faculty regards the interim dean’s merit guidelines as an attempt to subvert the contractual agreement between UF and the Board of Regents. For this reason, UF has filed an organizational grievance alleging violations of contract provisions 3.22, 3.23, 3.26, 8.03. It is important to know that this very issue was resolved in United Faculty’s favor in a 2012 arbitration award.

PROGRAM DEFINITIONS: Article 5.2 of the new contract is an important victory for UNI faculty and our families. The article’s new provisions will prevent administrations from engaging in the type of employment termination tactics used in 2012. In short, management will not be able to create arbitrary program boundaries that target specific faculty for layoffs. I am pleased to report that Provost Wohlport and Associate Provost Cobb are working very collaboratively with United Faculty on program definitions.  Not surprisingly, a project of this nature will have a few bumps in the road. But, all in all, I could not be more pleased with the spirit of collaboration between the provost’s office and the union on this issue. Bear in mind there is virtually zero chance that article 5.2 will be implemented this year. Program definitions will be revisited annually so anything not fully resolved by October 1st should be fixable next year.

THE FOUR/FOUR “ACTIVE SCHOLAR” POLICY: Based on Joe Gorton’s discussions with Provost Wohlpart, it’s fair to say that the Gibson 4/4 “Active Scholar” policy and procedures are dead. It is our understanding that we have returned to the pre-Gibson straightforward interpretation of the Master Agreement. Unless a member of the faculty chooses to not engage in ‘scholarly or creative work and service,” the expected teaching load will not exceed nine hours per semester. The number or type of research/creative projects will no longer be a factor that could cause a faculty member to be assigned to a 4/4 load. UF wants to thank Provost Wohlport for his common sense interpretation of the teaching load provisions of the Master Agreement. Please feel free to let him know of your appreciation as well.

UNITED FACULTY RESOLUTION SUPPORTING UNIVERSITY OF IOWA AAUP:  By now, everyone is aware of the IBOR’s decision to hire someone who lacks a Ph.D. and an academic background to serve as President of the University of Iowa. Attached is the resolution from United Faculty in support of the University of Iowa AAUP Chapter. Thank you Frank Thompson for writing the resolution and vetting it through the University of Iowa AAUP Chapter leadership. The hiring controversy has caused University of Iowa AAUP leaders to begin discussions about whether to launch a union organizing campaign. The following link goes to an Iowa Press Citizen article about that possibility.

BOARD OF REGENTS: Although their recent decision regarding the search for a new UI president falls significantly short of AAUP expectations, United Faculty continues to have a positive and mutually respectful relationship with the Board of Regents. A few weeks ago, UF Treasurer Jeff Elbert and I met with Regent’s President Rastetter, President Pro Tem Mulholland, and Executive Director Donley to discuss areas of mutual concern to the union and the board. Our discussion was cordial and productive. Among other things, we agreed there are good reasons for considering whether to have serious discussions regarding the incentive structure for promotion to full professor. Of course, United Faculty President Joe Gorton will keep you posted on any developments in this area.

FORCES OF COMMODIFICATION: The day before the Board of Regents announced their presidential hire, United Faculty President Joe Gorton included the following comment in his remarks to the 2015 Fall Faculty Meeting, “Call me alarmist if you want, but I believe there is a storm on our horizon. All over America, from Maine to Ohio, from Louisiana to Illinois, from Florida to Wisconsin the forces of commodification are in the process of degrading the real and essential values of America’s public colleges and universities. … To find further evidence of the storm coming our way, you need look no further than the recent list of final candidates for the position of President of the University of Iowa.”

UNITED FACULTY NEEDS YOUR HELP: In addition to advocacy, grievances, and contract maintenance, we have a lot going on within UF. One of our important initiatives involves reforming our constitution and by-laws. This is a major project that I believe will make UF a more flexible, democratic, efficient and effective organization. UF is also making a concerted effort to ask younger faculty to become more involved and to eventually take union leadership roles. Increasing numbers of our members are retiring. We must begin recruiting and training a new generation of members and leaders for our union. We cannot overemphasize the importance of this initiative for our faculty and our families. More information about this project will be forthcoming. In the meantime, it is essential that we grow our membership. As a matter of fairness and equity, it is not right that fewer than half of UNI’s tenured and tenure-track faculty are forced to carry the burden of protecting all faculty and our families. This is especially true given that our dues rate is lower than any union we know of. UNI’s custodians pay a higher dues rate than tenured and tenure-track faculty.  If you are not a UF member, please join as soon as possible. If you are a member, please ask your colleagues who have not yet joined to do so. Membership forms can be found on our website or you can reach out directly to Becky or me.

THANK YOU:The efficacy of United Faculty is due in large part to the commitment demonstrated daily by members of our Executive Board and Central Committee (see the attached list). It’s can be difficult to recruit folks to take on the responsibility of union work. Please don’t hesitate to let our Executive Board and Central Committee members know that you appreciate their work to protect academic freedom, tenure, faculty governance, due process, and the salaries and benefits that support UNI faculty and our families.


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Big Bang star wants to stop calling grown women 'girls'

Louise McCreesh
Photo credit: CBS/Everett / Rex Shutterstock

From Digital Spy

The Big Bang Theory's Mayim Bialik (Amy Farrah-Fowler) has just gone viral after posting a video that asks women and men to stop referring to women as "girls".

On Thursday (March 23), Mayim uploaded a four-minute video to her Facebook page, alongside this caption: "I get super annoyed when people call women 'girls'.

"Here are my thoughts on why and how to change how we talk about women."

The video – titled "Girl" vs. "Woman": Why Language Matters – has been viewed more than three million times and urges people to think about the language they use when describing women.

And, we dare to say, she has a point. You tell 'em, Mayim.

"When we use words to describe adult women that are typically used to describe children, it changes the way we view women - even unconsciously - so that we don't equate them with adult men," she said.

"In fact, it implies that they're inferior to men."

During the video, the sitcom star argues that calling women 'girls' dates back to an "outdated" and "male-centric" time in history, before calling on women and men to "change this narrative".

"There's a thing that happens when we grow up in the kind of male-centric culture we live in," she added. "We start to believe the way things are, is the way they have to be.

Photo credit: David Livingston/Getty Images

"The terms we're using for women are outdated and insensitive - and they assume a structure of power when men are on the top, and women are on the bottom.

"This kind of thinking has persisted far longer than it should have, and we know better now.

She concluded her video with a rallying message to everyone, adding: "It's up to us to change this narrative.

"The thing we need to start doing as women is to consistently, gently and politely correct people when they call women 'girls'."

The Big Bang Theory airs on CBS in the US and on E4 in the UK.

Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Twitter account and you're all set.

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Shares of Turkey's Halkbank sink after executive arrested in U.S.

By Daren Butler and Humeyra Pamuk
1 / 4

Atilla, a deputy general manager of Halkbank, is shown in this court room sketch with his attorney DiChiara as he appears before Judge Francis IV in Manhattan federal court in New York

Mehmet Hakan Atilla (R), a deputy general manager of Halkbank, is shown in this court room sketch with his attorney Gerald J. DiChiara (C) as he appears before Judge James C. Francis IV in Manhattan federal court in New York, New York, U.S., March 28, 2017. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg

By Daren Butler and Humeyra Pamuk

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Shares of Turkish state lender Halkbank suffered their biggest one-day fall on Wednesday after U.S. prosecutors charged a senior executive with participating in a multi-year scheme to violate sanctions against Iran.

Halkbank , Turkey's fifth-largest listed bank by assets, confirmed Deputy General Manager Mehmet Hakan Atilla had been detained in the United States and said it and the Turkish government were looking into the matter.

The 47-year-old is accused of conspiring with wealthy Turkish-Iranian gold trader Reza Zarrab to conduct hundreds of millions of dollars of illegal transactions through U.S. banks on behalf of Iran's government and other entities in that country.

"Our bank and relevant state bodies are conducting the necessary work on the subject and information will be shared with the public when it is obtained," Halkbank said in a statement.

The arrest escalates a case that has added to tensions between the United States and Turkey. President Tayyip Erdogan has said - without elaborating - he believed U.S. authorities had "ulterior motives" in prosecuting Zarrab, who was arrested in March 2016 in Miami.

Halkbank shares tumbled as much as 16 percent, and closed down 14.3 percent at 10.34 lira, their biggest one-day fall since their May 2007 listing, according to Thomson Reuters Data.

The U.S. complaint bears similarities to a 2013 Turkish investigation, which also named Zarrab and Atilla and which Erdogan, then prime minister, cast as a plot by his political enemies to undermine him. (

In that investigation, prosecutors accused Zarrab, along with others, of having paid cabinet-level officials and bank officers bribes to facilitate transactions benefiting Iran.

The prosecutors were removed from office, police were reassigned, and the investigation was dropped after a court ruled evidence was not properly obtained. At least two of the prosecutors fled the country in August 2015 and are wanted by the Turkish authorities.

Zarrab has denied the charges in his case. It was unclear whether Atilla, who briefly appeared before a U.S. magistrate at a court hearing in New York on Tuesday, had hired a lawyer or made a bail application. Halkbank said last year it had no connection with the U.S. investigation into Zarrab.

In an email to Reuters in 2010, when the United States blacklisted Iran's central bank and a number of other Iranian financial institutions, Atilla rejected the suggestion that Halkbank had been involved in any improper activity.

"We as Halkbank have never executed or accommodated any transaction regarded or considered as illegitimate," he said in the email. "We are fully committed to international regulations and we share concerns of (the) international community regarding illegal activity of any country or institution."

Atilla had been in New York to meet with investors as part of a marketing "roadshow" for a planned bond issue, bankers said. He was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

"The first thing we are trying to understand is how far the process will extend," said one senior banker, who asked not to be identified. "We ask ourselves the same questions in the Zarrab process. Will this remain with just accusations against a few people or will the allegations be widened and have an impact on some Turkish companies or higher levels?"

Some industry sources said they didn't believe the arrest would impact Halkbank's expected bond issue.

"I do not think there will be any problem in the roadshow," said another senior Turkish banker. "It will not create a problem among investors concerning the bank's borrowing."

Still, the lira weakened more than 1 percent late on Tuesday after the news of Atilla's arrest, while the Istanbul bourse's index of bank stocks <.XBANK> fell nearly 2 percent on Wednesday.

"It is obviously very difficult to judge the impact on Halkbank itself right now," said Trieu Pham, a strategist at MUFG Securities. "There is a chance that this could play out further, but there are also a lot of people who think at this level it does look interesting."

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the case would be discussed with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson when he visits Ankara on Thursday. Cavusoglu, speaking to broadcaster TRT Haber, also called for a transparent process regarding Atilla's arrest.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told broadcaster NTV that Turkey would ask Tillerson for an explanation for the arrest and would follow the legal process very closely.

Atilla was detained on the same day it was revealed that Zarrab, the gold trader, had added former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, a confidante of President Donald Trump, to his legal team.

According to the U.S. criminal complaint, Atilla worked with Zarrab and others from 2010 to 2015 to conceal Zarrab's ability to supply currency and gold to Iran through a Turkish bank, without subjecting the bank to U.S. sanctions.

As part of that scheme, Atilla and Zarrab used front companies and fake invoices to trick U.S. banks into processing transactions disguised to appear as though they involved food, and thus were exempt from U.S. sanctions, prosecutors said.

(Additional reporting by Ebru Tuncay, Birsen Altayli, Nevzat Devranoglu and Tuvan Gumrukcu in Ankara and Karin Strohecker in London; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Nick Tattersall and Mark Potter)

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Posts Tagged ‘sweater’

Now that I’ve got my computer back up and running, and the Universal Toque pattern tested and posted, it’s time to revisit my FOs, WIPs, and wistfully, the frog pond as they’ve been in the last six weeks.

First up, here’s my current love affair: Stephen West’s Spectra, knit from Little Red Bicycle worsted (grey; purchased at Knit City, and sadly I think in-person sales are currently the only way to buy this awesome yarn) and my early handspun, in Hydrangea BFL/silk gradient-dyed fibre from Everything Old!

spectra scarf close-up

More (pics, projects, pontification) under the jump.

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The winter solstice is still almost a month away, but oh man it gets dark early already.  By the time I get home from work at 5, it’s full dark, and really, if I want useful light for photography on these mostly overcast days, it’s got to be before 3.  All of which is to say that I’ve been taking some terrible flash photos of my latest misadventures and they’re awful but they’ll have to do.

First up, the socks that aren’t.  Not any more.  I frogged them.

The pattern was Mince Pie Mayhem from Socktopus by Alice Yu.  It’s a cool pattern and I look forward to knitting it down the road, probably on a size larger needles than those I got gauge with (2.25mm), definitely when there’s no deadline involved.  The stitch pattern has cable crossings every second pair of stitches on every second row and there was just no way I could envision myself finishing them in time to give them to Mr. Salamander for Christmas, plus I was not happy with the way the yarn was spiral pooling.  So I ripped them out and started again with a different pattern (which is turning out well enough to deserve Saturday afternoon light, no pics yet).

And then an uninspired doll shirt.

I think this is the third time I’ve tried to knit a distressed-look doll sweater, and every attempt has either languished on stitch holders or been frogged into oblivion.  I think it’s the drape – or lack thereof – at this scale that causes my dropped-stitch sweaters to look dumb instead of badass like their human-scale counterparts.  Drape is definitely an issue with this handspun I was using (singles from the Tour de Fleece), and I was also really disappointed with how not handspun it looks.  I was trying to spin thick and thin, why didn’t it come out that way?!?  So that’s frogged as well, and the yarn is in time out.

I do have one flash photography success story, though, but I’ll put it under a cut for anyone who’s not ready to see *gulp* Christmas-themed decor yet…!

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OMG DEARLI IS DONE.  Now that it’s November, I’ve finally finished my summer sweater, aw yeah!

It took over a week to block that ruffle.  Now I never want to wash the thing for fear of having to block it again (I am pretty sure I could get it down to about 5 days now that I understand it’s imperative to block a section upon waking and before bed, not just once per day).  But I’m sure it will happen because, as I suspected, I LOVE THIS CARDIGAN.

I went for a modern/urban and yet Mori-girl inspired look today.  I’d really love to super-Mori-style this with a big fluffy hat, a pair of loose leggings over the tights, and maybe a long scarf…but these were the pieces I actually own.  Seriously thinking about knitting a hat, though.  Like, now.

All my hard work shaping and re-shaping the body paid off.  The shoulders aren’t quite perfect (although some of that awkward pooch is from blocking and should fade after a couple wearings), but can I just say how much I dig the turned cuffs?  I love how smooth and simple they are, providing a super-subtle contrast to the excitement of the ruffle.  They’re also really comfy!

And check out the cute purse I got for $2!  It’s pretty small (I usually go for big sack purses), but so cute, and just right for this outfit.  Only problem is, I can barely stuff my next knitting project inside it and still have room for wallet & phone!  What’s the next project?  Oh, you know, just yet another sweater…!

When it grows up, it’s going to be a sweater I heard about from the gals over at the Just One More Row Podcast: Wanda Nell, a cardigan with such small yardage it can be knit from about 300g of fingering weight yarn – perfect for 2-3 skeins of indie-dyed sock yarn you might have impulse bought without thinking what you would use them for!  I actually bought this yarn specifically for the cardi when I was at Knit City; it’s Sweet Georgia Tough Love, and I am totally loving the subtle tonal variation, as well as the incredibly funky mix of grey and pink.  Hey, maybe I can do this colour pairing thing after all!  Since it’s a top-down seamless raglan, it feels like it’s clipping along quite nicely right now, though it will slow down by the time I get to the main body.

I’ve also been getting to know Tamar (my wheel), spinning away at the alpaca I picked up at Fibrations.  Here’s about 2.5 oz of mixed natural-coloured alpaca, spun up “que sera sera” style to approximately fingering weight 2-ply. It really turned out quite even considering how little I was trying to spin it accurately – I am starting to get the hang of this wheel thing!  I have one more “practice” bump of fibre to spin, and then I think I will be ready to spin something I really care about (I totally agree that life is to short to spin crummy fibre just because you’re learning, but I also believe there’s value in learning on middle-of-the-road stuff and saving your totally dreamy indie-dyer batts from heaven until you have a modicum of skill)!

It’s soft and floofy as alpaca ought to be, but it does have a little vegetable matter still stuck in, despite my best efforts to remove it.  I am thinking it will either be a hat (see above post re: Mori girl style) or perhaps a möbius cowl.  I only have a little under 300 yards, though, so although I was dreaming of being able to do both, I think I’ll have to choose just one.  Time to start pattern diving!  Any favourite hat patterns out there, especially for gals with bangs they don’t like to compress?

P.S. I totally found the white balance setting on my camera!  I feel like a total doofus that it took me almost 2 years, but holy crow did that make a difference in how accurately I was able to photograph colours!  Live and learn, eh?  Maybe now I’ll be able to take indoor photos and have them look decent too, who even knows?!?

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It took a lot of ripping and a lot of knitting, but I got Dearli looking the way I wanted it to!  Here’s how much yarn I took out of each front:

And here’s how the sweater is looking right now:

This is seriously the best fitting sweater I have ever owned, and it’s not even sewn together yet (notice how my black t-shirt showing on the right makes my arm look disembodied?)!  Yesterday was a day of epic busy-ness: I finished knitting the sweater.  I went grocery shopping.  I photographed the sweater.  I put ONE MILLION LOCAL SQUASHES in the oven (okay, it was one pie pumpkin and 1.5 kabocha squashes but still, the oven was full).  Meanwhile, Killira decided that actually it was her sweater:

I washed the sweater.  I made delicious pumpkin pie filling (for Thanksgiving, you know).  I blocked the sweater.  I made amazing squash soup.  I washed ALL THE DISHES (I think I broke the hot water heater).  Then I collapsed on the couch.

Now I’m still waiting for the darn thing to dry so I can sew it up and see if I can knit the ruffle while wearing it.  I know once I put this one on for real I will never want to take it off.  But why does wool have to take so long to dry?!?

Oh, and the pie was delicious!  My grandma confessed that in all her 71 years, she’s never had a pumpkin pie that didn’t come out of a can…so thankful for the opportunity to share the yumminess!  I also used the leftover pastry to make pumpkin tarts to share with my friends over the next few days so we can all enjoy the local squashly bounty.

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my Dearli sweater-in-progress

Just a quick webcam pic to show you where Dearli was at as of the first of the month (and incidentally, the day after the KAL concluded).  Guess I’m on my own with this one now, though I sure did have fun keeping up with other Luvinthemommyhood knitters-along (knit-along-ers?).  By now, I’ve almost finished the second sleeve, and I’m plugging along re-knitting the back & fronts to the correct length (almost done the back, hooray!), then it’s on to the ruffle!  I think that will take a long time…but it will be glorious, because it will mean the sweater’s almost done!  Hoo boy, I just can’t wait to start wearing this one!

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Oh dear!  It’s not looking like I’ll have time to finish my Dearli cardigan by the end of the month for the Summer Sweater KAL!  I am feeling a bit disheartened as the FOs pour in over on the Ravelry group for Luvinthemommyhood…some people are wrapping up their second sweaters and I’m only halfway done my first!  Here’s where it’s at at the moment and I’ll tell you why I don’t think I’ll make it to the finish line…after you enjoy how well it ended up fitting my waist in the new & improved version.  Not to mention how perfect that shawl pin is!  If it looks equally good with the ruffles, I won’t need to do a belt at all!

Okay, here’s the problem.  See that section of increases/decreases around the centre of the front?  The one where the fullest part is just below my breast and the decreases start right at my bust line?  Those are my bust darts, and they’re supposed to be about 1.5″ higher so that, you know, the fullest part of the dart would match up with the fullest point on my bust (crazy, I know!).  I’m not sure what happened in the armhole portion, but something went horribly wrong with my stitch count and this is the result of me having fudged things to get that right, only to apparently add over an inch too much length.  Sigh.  I will be ripping back yet again to make this right – I thought I was quite carefully following the “decrease at neck edge every X rows Y times, then every Z rows Q times” directions, but when I achieved the full length of armhole I was supposed to have, there were several decreases left to go…so I just did them.  Nope.  Don’t do that, kids, it brings nothing but tears.  At least this time I’m not ripping back to my cast on – it’s only about 8″, no big deal…

The other reason I won’t be finishing this sweater in the next 11 days is that I’m working hard on a super secret project for which I juuuuust finished spinning this yarn!

I’m really looking forward to having a proper blog about it in October…and wearing it at Knit City on the 13th & 14th!  The yarn, a heavy fingering/light sport, is spun from Everything Old fibre, a merino/bamboo mix that I’m really enjoying, spun on my favourite sparkly spindle.  Over the course of this project I’ve also decided that I really need to get into proper supported spindling, since I currently just use my pointy-ended drop spindles as makeshift supported ones.  Any suggestions for brands/styles you’ve enjoyed?  I will be checking out Ancient Arts Fibre Crafts at Knit City, as I’ve heard they carry spindles, and if not there I’ll be ordering online soon after!

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Don’t you just love that feeling of clearing something off your to-knit list?  Especially when it’s been hanging around for a long time!  I have two such success stories to share with you today!  In fact, from a certain perspective, I have three thrilling tales of projects I’ve happily wrapped up!

You see, last September, this is what our computer/craft/spare room looked like:

Before you judge my housekeeping too harshly, this was in the midst of Mr. Salamander renovating the landlords’ deck as well as our laundry/utility room underneath it, so there were appliances and bicycles everywhere.  Still, this room is a magnet for junk.  But right now, it looks like this:

(Sorry about the weird bending effect – I thought it might be fun to take a panorama shot and only realised after uploading the photo that I’d changed the alignment somewhat midway)

There are a few things left to do, but the spare room is looking great right now – and the rest of the house is pretty close!  While we were tidying in here, though, I noticed my Ivy sweater (which I started more than a year and a half ago) balled up on top of one of my yarn storage towers where I’d tossed it when the Tour de Fleece started.  “THIS CANNOT BE!” I thought.  And after an afternoon’s work, it isn’t!

I love Mary-Janes and cardigans so much, this outfit almost makes me wish I was going back to school next week instead of back to my nannying job!  Like the spare room, it’s not perfect – the collar is quite floppy in the back and although I am hoping I can block it into shape I suspect I may have to re-do it.  But that’s for another day.  Right now I’m enjoying wearing it – it fits pretty well, although it wants to fall off my shoulders.  Not sure if that’s because I am not well endowed in that area, or if, like with my Regent, I should have knit a size smaller in the back and a size larger in the front instead of just picking the size that fit my circumference best – it will be fine when I’m wearing it over a shirt, but with just a camisole underneath here, I had to re-take this photo several times to make sure my undergarments were not making an appearance!

Then I was on a roll and I had my yarn needle out anyway, so I decided it was time to finish up the Puerperium Cardigan I cast on in February, so sayeth my Ravelry project, intending to mail it to my baby cousin who was expected to appear in mid-late March…and then put away when I still hadn’t finished it by the time she was 4 weeks old.  I needed more time to finish, and then it would have taken a couple of weeks to get to her in the mail, and it would have been so sad if it didn’t fit, and I became full of self-doubt and lack of willpower.   So I’m hanging on to it for now, maybe to add to my hope chest or maybe to give to another family, as I seem to be reaching the point in life where people I know make babies.

My Puerperal Pansy was a fun knit.  It was easy and quick – don’t let my problems getting it finished deter you!  I am definitely considering buying the extended version (Beyond Puerperium, for multiple yarn weights and sized up to 2 years), since it’s such an adorable gift knit and lends itself so well to embellishment!  I was thrilled to find that I had just enough yarn left over from knitting the original pansies to do an entire baby cardigan in pansy colours and then a pansy decoration, and I love how sweet it turned out.  This would be freaking adorable paired with a headband that had a pansy on it as well…hmm, must see if I have any of that yarn left!

Here’s hoping I can keep up the momentum and knock a few more items off my WIPs list!

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Over a Million New Jobs Not 211,000

According to the BLS Commissioner’s report for this month:

“The unemployment rate changed little over the month but, at 4.4 percent, matched the pre-recession low reached in 2007. The number of unemployed persons, at 7.1 million, also changed little in April.

Today’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Commissioner’s Report says, “Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 211,000 in April, and the unemployment rate, at 4.4 percent, was little changed. Thus far this year, monthly job gains have averaged 185,000, in line with average monthly job growth in 2016. In April, job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, health care and social assistance, financial activities, and mining.

But we have to remember that typically employment increases in April. So what the BLS Commissioner is saying is that 211,000 more jobs than average were created. In layman’s terms, unadjusted employment was 144.953 million in March and 145.979 in April for a net gain of  1,026,000 jobs.

Employment Growth Bubbles

In the above chart we see the various sectors of employment. The size of the bubble represents the size of the sector so the large pink bubble represents the education and health services sector. The further to the right the bubble is the more jobs that sector gained over the month (on the bottom scale). So the pink education and health bubble gained just over 40,000 jobs over the month. If we look at the left hand scale we can see that this sector has a slightly below average weekly salary. Fortunately, we also see lots of sectors above the dotted average salary line that gained jobs as well, such as the large light green bubble representing Professional and Business Services. The average salary was $1,142/wk. and it gained 39,000 jobs over the month.

BLS vs. Gallup Unemployment Numbers

BLS Numbers  April March
Seasonally Adjusted U-3 4.4% 4.5%
Unadjusted U-3 4.1% 4.6%
Unadjusted U-6 8.1% 8.9%
Gallup Numbers
Unadjusted U-3 5.4% 5.7%
Unadjusted U-6 14.0% 13.7%

 What U-6 Minus U-3 Tells Us

The following chart is the difference between U6 and U3. This is calculated simply by taking U6 minus U3. When it is low the economy is nearing full employment i.e. when everyone who really wants a job can find one. Historically, full-employment has been considered to be when unemployment was in the upper 3% range. Why not 0%? Even when employers are having difficulty finding employees some people are unemployed simply because they quit their job knowing it would be easy to  find another (hopefully better) job.

U3 minus U6 Unemployment

This month we saw a massive drop in the differential between U-3 and U-6 so perhaps we are getting closer to “full employment” we we are still a full 1% away from the lows on this chart. In the chart above we have subtracted the U3 unemployment rate from the U6 unemployment rate and so we see the differential. When the differential is low it is easier to find a job (i.e. everyone who wants one can find one). Recently, commentators have been claiming that we are approaching “full employment” i.e. when everyone who wants a job can find one but this chart indicates that although we’ve seen a significant drop to a 4% differential between the U-6 and unadjusted U-3 we still have another 1% to go before we reach the levels of 2000 and 2006.

Another “fly in the ointment” is the Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) just because the current unemployment looks like it is low doesn’t mean that the actual situation is similar to that of 2000 or even 2006. The final reason that we may not be entering full employment is because the numbers are just plain wrong. According to Gallup (the survey people) the real unadjusted U-3 is 5.4% not the 4.1% that the BLS says and the real U-6 is 14.0% not 8.1%. 5.4% unemployment is nowhere near full employment and 14% U-6 is still horrendous. Add to that another 4% due to LFPR and we’re still looking at 18% unemployment.

Read the Full Article Here: Why the U.S. Isn’t at “Full Employment” Yet

Seasonally Adjusted Unemployment Rate Chart 1948-Present

The current “Unadjusted” rate is 4.1% down from 4.6% in March,  4.9% in February and 5.1% in January. And below the 4.5% in December and 4.4% in November. Typically unadjusted unemployment rates jump in January for “Seasonal” reasons which is why we see a large jump in the unadjusted rates but a much smaller jump in the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate.

See: Current Unemployment Rate Chart here.

Current  Employment Commentary

Current Employment vs Unemployment Chart

Historical Employment with Recessions
BLS vs Gallup Unemployment BLS vs Gallup Unemployment Numbers
Labor Force Participation Rate Labor Force Participation Rate

About Tim McMahon

Work by editor and author, Tim McMahon, has been featured in Bloomberg, CBS News, Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Forbes, Washington Post, Drudge Report, The Atlantic, Business Insider, American Thinker, Lew Rockwell, Huffington Post, Rolling Stone, Oakland Press, Free Republic, Education World, Realty Trac, Reason, Coin News, and Council for Economic Education. Connect with Tim on Google+


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Craft Brew Blues

Craft Brew Blues

It's hard to find a good beer in Iqaluit
By Beth Brown
Jun 09
From the June Issue Issue

I studied the selection shelf of familiar bottles and cans behind the bar at the Iqaluit Legion: Canadian, Kokanee, Keith’s. An outsider might have guessed indecision to explain my hesitation, but I was actually grappling with my new reality. I was now north of any small-batch, craft brew, or even on-tap beer. I squelched my highbrow hop obsession, called on my salt-of-the-earth rural roots and chose a Kokanee—I think.

It was a winter Wednesday evening around 7 p.m. in Nunavut’s capital. That night, seats in most bars were occupied with patrons warming weary bones. Iqaluit is a damp city booze-wise, meaning alcohol can only be purchased at licensed establishments. No liquor store; no off-sales.

My date and I would unwillingly hop from bar to bar in search of a table before settling into our third city watering hole. The no-fuss aesthetics in the quiet section of the Legion left as much to be desired as the beer selection, but it was warm and the conversation was good.

Before we go any further, I should note that I have a grudging respect for regular beer but by preference designate Coors Light, Budweiser and their ilk to campfires and afternoon boat trips, where their simple  tastes are augmented by brush smoke, diesel exhaust and No Name wieners. But when it’s -40 C, midweek and I’m indoors, I like my beer to both surprise and delight the palate.

This could be blamed on my coming to legal drinking age around the time the microbrewery craze caught on in Canada. While the craft cult quickly swept across the south, I discovered by default the trend is only just creeping up to the higher North.

Fast-forward to Friday night at the Elks Lodge, where there’s a Newfoundlander playing all my favourite drinking songs and the fridge boasts two types of Sleeman I hear are new to the weekend roster. I place Sleeman in the same family as Rickard’s Red and Corona—a trusty pick when the pickings are slim.

Come Monday over burgers at the Kickin’ Caribou Pub there’s a hoppy bottled option with citrus and coppery notes from Ontario brewer Flying Monkeys. I make a mental note: this is my favourite beer in town.

At the Storehouse’s Taco Tuesday and trivia night with an old college friend, there’s a blonde on tap. The pint is, to my knowledge, the only draft beer in town. Kegs, I’ve been told, are only common around sealift season, and rare even then. Alcohol distribution is done primarily by air, adding freight costs and delivery delays. Current Nunavut Liquor Commission policy is to buy in bulk directly from breweries, so sourcing from microbreweries is seen as inefficient. The exception is small orders through Quebec and Ontario liquor associations, which explains that fine IPA I found on Monday.

The cloudy golden elixir hit my bloodstream before the tacos arrived—to the good fortune of an artisan walking by with a beaded purple necklace I’d resisted purchasing at the Caribou the night before. Pleased with my new necklace I ordered another pint—but the kegs had already run dry. Figures.

For all the troubles finding a good brew, things might be changing with talk of a beer and wine store opening in Iqaluit as soon as this summer. It’s a highly contentious socio-political discussion that’s currently being had inside the city’s boardrooms as well as its bars. For instance, there’s a lack of addiction support facilities in Iqaluit and there are regional concerns about how easier access to alcohol will affect smaller hamlets, where services are even more lacking than in the Nunavut capital. Alcohol, it must be said, is a major factor in the territory’s higher-than-national crime rates.

Supporters of the store see it as a way to decrease binge-drinking by making lower alcohol-content drinks more accessible than spirits like vodka and whiskey, while also dampening the black market for hard liquor circulated by bootleggers at premium prices. The store would have daily purchasing caps and, hopefully, improve beer options for consumers.

Which brings me back to the Legion, where the bar was full of people playing pool and darts after work—a similar scene likely playing out in watering holes all over the continent. After three cans of I-don’t-remember-what and a few hours of first-date conversation, I decided staple beer was a hell of a lot better than no beer.

And, hey, a Flying Monkeys Hoptical Illusion was only a five-minute walk away.


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Local families love lambing weekend

The Royal Agricultural University (RAU) was delighted to welcome more than 1,000 people to its popular lambing weekend on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 March 2017, and raised a staggering £1,200 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

The University opened the gates of its Harnhill Manor Farm to families and members of the local community, and invited them to find out what goes on during lambing season. Visitors had the chance to get up close to the lambs, and see some being born. Families enjoyed tractor and trailer rides, educational displays on farming and food production, and met RAU students and staff.

RAU Farms Director, Tom Overbury, said: “The lambing weekend was a huge success, it was fantastic to welcome so many people to the University farm. Families and children could gain an insight in to what happens on a modern farm, and find out about the sheep, calves, pigs, and other enterprises.”

Speak Your Mind


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Much of the search terms directed at my site are often about getting around the Valluvanad region. This article tries to answer some of those queries…

The largest town by size in the region is Perinthalmanna ; which lies on the Palakkad – Kozhikode National highway . You could get there by train via the Nilambur line from Shornur , getting down at the Angadipuram Railway station. Perinthalmanna is well connected by road to almost all the major towns of Palakkad and Malappuram Districts.  There are limited stop private buses and KSRTC Town to Town buses to Palakkad( via Mannarkad) and Kozhikode (via Malappuram) every few minutes on NH 966 . KSRTC buses to at intervals of 20 to 30 minutes connect Perinthalmanna to Thrissur. Private local buses ply at frequent intervals to Manjeri, Malappuram, Nilambur, Melattur – Karuvarakundu, Alanallur, Mannarkad , Valanchery , Kottakal ,Cherpulassery and Pattambi.There are 2 private bus stands and a KSRTC bus stand here but private buses usually bye pass them. you could get Palakkad or Mannarkad buses from near the police station ; Calicut , Nilambur,Melatur,Manjeri, Valanchery and Kottakal buses from the bus stop near KMT silks ; Pattambi and Cherpulassery buses from the bus stop near Moulana hospital. Shornur could be reached either by taking a Pattambi or Cherpulassery bus from where there are buses to Shornur .

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Ottapalam , the cultural capital of Valluvanad lies on the Kulapully – Palakkad state highway. There is a private bus stand from where you could get both private and KSRTC buses. Ksrtc buses are are mostly the ones on Palakkad- Guruvayur route. There are  private buses to Thrissur (via shornur) ; Palakkad ; Guruvayur (via Pattambi) ; Thiruvillwamala ; Mayannur ;Mannarkad and Cherpulassery . There are a few fast passenger buses in the morning to Calicut. The Ottapalam railway station falls on the Shornur – Palakkad line . Only a few express trains halt here and the nearest major railway station is the Shornur Junction station .

Pattambi lies to the west of Ottapalam and Shoranur on the Palakkad – Guruvayur route. there is a Private bus stand and a ksrtc bus stand here . Like Ottapalam KSRTC buses are few and most of them ply on the Palakkad – Guruvayur or Perinthalmanna – Thrissur route. There are private buses to Shornur, Palakkad (via ottapalam),Guruvayur (via kunnamkulam), Cherpulassery, Perinthalmanna,  Valanchery, Ponnani (via edappal)  and Pallipuram. There is a railway station at Pattambi , lying on the Shornur – Calicut line , But only a few long distance trains have halts here . The nearest major railway station is Shoranur Junction.

Shornur is the railway gateway to Valluvand. There are regular trains to most places in India from here. Sadly Shornur is poorly connected by bus to rest of the region. you could get buses to Thrissur and Ottapalam from the railway station. Shornur bus stand caters to Cherpulassery , Pattambi and Chelakkara buses . For buses to Palakkad you would have to take the Ottapalam bus from the railway station and get down at Kulapully  (2 Kms from the station) which falls on the Palakkad Guruvayur route. Buses to Perinthalmanna are rare and the best option is to take the Pattambi bus and then board a Perinthalmanna bus from there.

Cherpulassery is equidistant from Pattambi , Ottapalam , Perinthalmanna and Shornur. The place is well connected to these places by private buses . Cherpulassery private bus stand also caters to palakkad and mannarkad buses. The nearest railway station is Shornur Junction.

Mannarkad is the farthest away from  any other major Valluvanadan town. It falls on NH966 between Perinthalmanna and Palakkad. There is a KSRTC bus stand and a private bus stand  here . The town is well connected to Palakkad and Kozhikode  by regular town to town KSRTC buses and private Limited stop buses. Private bus services connect Mannarkad to Agali (Anakatty), Melattur,Perinthalmanna,Cherpulassery,Palakkad and Ottapalam. The nearest railway station is Palakkad Junction railway station.


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As a result of building a strong brand, communications and culture, her work received 4 global industry awards in single year by Institute of Engineering and Innovation (IET). She was also recognized as an Innovation Finalist of the Year. Audrey served as a Board member of a non-profit, developed and promoted STEM programs and led philanthropic efforts for low-income families. She holds an MBA from Pepperdine University and a bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from Michigan State University.