text:
‘We are all instigators’: Malaysian graphic artists protest against corruption
Share this on

‘We are all instigators’: Malaysian graphic artists protest against corruption

AN attempt by Malaysian authorities to silence a local graphic artist for his work depicting Prime Minister Najib Razak as a clown has only served to inspire a social media movement.

On Jan. 30, Fahmi Reza posted the sketch of Najib to his Twitter account, along with the caption: “In 2015, the Sedition Act was used 91 times. Tapi dalam negara yang penuh dengan korupsi, kita semua penghasut (But in a country full of corruption, we are all instigators).”

This was in response to the recent decision by the attorney-general to clear Najib of any criminal wrongdoing after investigations into the US$700 million that had turned up in his personal bank account.

SEE ALSO: Malaysian PM Najib Razak cleared of wrongdoing in $700 million scandal

The tweet attracted the attention of the Police Cyber Investigation Response Center, which alerted Fahmi the following day that he was now under police surveillance. In their tweet, they told him to use the social media platform “responsibly and in accordance with the law”. They even included the Twitter handle of Inspector-general of Police Khalid Abu Bakar.

Supporters of Najib have also filed police reports against Fahmi for the piece of satirical art, calling it an “insult” to the prime minister, which would “inspire the public to turn against him”.

However, Fahmi refused to be intimidated and instead responded with a Facebook post saying, “In a country that uses the law to protect the corrupt and oppress those brave enough to speak out against it, the time has come for us to stop being polite and courteous when fighting against the government’s corruption.”

In solidarity with Fahmi, fellow graphic artists began creating their own versions of a clown-faced Najib, using the hashtag #KitaSemuaPenghasut (“We are all instigators”).

The posters have been compiled at the GRUPA Facebook community page. GRUPA, short for “Grafik Rebel Untuk Protes & Aktivisme (Rebel Graphics for Protests & Activism)”, is an independent collective of local designers and illustrators.

The outpouring of support from the graphic art community through the #KitaSemuaPenghasut movement has surprised even Fahmi.

“It was beyond my expectations. It proved to me that I was not alone. There were others who share my outrage,” he told the Malaysian Insider.

He added that in the past, when it came to politics and activism, Malaysian graphic designers had usually kept themselves out of the limelight, and likened GRUPA to “a breath of fresh air”.

Fahmi Reza and his artwork. Pic: Fahmi Reza’s Facebook.

Though the authorities have yet to contact Fahmi again, he is well aware that he and those at GRUPA could be slapped with a fine of up to RM50,000 (US$12,044), a year in jail, or both, under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which vaguely covers the “improper use of network facilities and services”.

But this isn’t the first time the graphic “artivist” has had a run-in with police – in 2012, he was arrested for participating in the Occupy Dataran protest at Merdeka Square.

However, he managed to turn the tables on the authorities when the High Court ruled in his favor in a lawsuit over his unlawful arrest.

As a result, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall and the police were ordered to pay Fahmi RM38,000 (US$9,157) in damages and RM30,000 (US$ 7,229) in legal costs, all of which Fahmi announced would be donated towards anti-corruption efforts.


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/html

WARC-Type: response

text:
Trade Insights: Trump, China, and a Tale of Aluminum and Steel Tariffs

The Bottom Line:

In this Insight, Antoine Martin and Professor Bryan Mercurio (The Chinese University of Hong Kong) discuss China – United States relations in light of recent trade developments. With the announcement of new tariffs against Chinese steel and Aluminum, President Trump has forced President Xi to react.

This analysis of the so-called trade war developments leads to the conclusion that the political game is changing. On the one hand, the U.S. is turning nationalistic and protectionist, even if it harms itself in the process. On the other, China is reversing the usual rhetoric and positioning itself as the god international citizen who plays by the rules. Keep reading for more.

Trade Insights: Trump, China, and a Tale of Aluminum and Steel Tariffs

[ By Antoine Martin and Bryan Mercurio ]

The complex relationship between President Trump and Beijing has again taken center stage with the announcement that the United States will take measures to increase the price of steel and aluminum imports from China to the United States. Sino-U.S. trade made headlines in late 2016 when President Trump lambasted China for violating the global trade rules. At the same time, President Trump announced that the U.S. would withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement because it was a ‘disaster’ for the U.S. and would certainly not ‘Make America Great Again’.

At the time, U.S. withdrawal from the TPP the policy seemed likely to have the ironic effect of bringing Chinese leadership forward. As it turns out, recent developments appear to confirm this prediction. Except now, China is selling itself as the country that plays by global trade rules and the U.S. as the flagrant rule violator.

A historically peculiar relationship

The trade relationship between Washington and Beijing has long been peculiar.

On the one hand, China is the biggest exporter of industrial products in the world, and sends billions of dollars’ worth of products to the U.S. every year. In this way, Sino-U.S. relations are strong and consistent.

On the other hand, the politics of trade are conflictual. China is the object of a significant name and shame polemic, with the U.S. and Europe acting in accord to denounce the incapacity of China to act as a market economy, free of government interference. Both the U.S. and EU are frequent critics of China’s subsidies and other market-distorting measures aimed at the steel and aluminum sector. Beijing always denies the accusations, and subtly hints that the so-called market economies are only using China as a scapegoat to leverage their own market protection measures. The game would often repeat.

Making America Great Again and the Paradigm Shift

Since the election of Donald Trump, things have changed. The rhetoric has increased, and become fierier in nature. China became not a trading partner but a cheater who abuses and ignores well-defined rules. President Trump was going to ensure that America was no longer cheated.

Of course in reality the U.S. withdrawal from the TPP was the equivalent of shooting oneself in the foot. The TPP excluded China, and was part of a larger plan under the Obama administration to “pivot” to Asia in trade, security and other areas. It would isolate China by showing its leadership and building trust with its Asian partners. By withdrawing from TPP, President Trump surrendered not only U.S. leadership on trade – severely harming Washington’s ability to influence and craft trade rules in the short to medium term – but also its position as a reliable ally in Asia.

The moves have also reinforced the ‘Make China Great Again signal’ to the world. Beijing has used the instability of the U.S. to reinforce its geopolitical positions and win friends in the region. Whilst President Trump put free trade on fire, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for more collaboration and further liberalization of trade, thus placing himself in the position of a raising trade (and world) leader. Ironically, it is now the Chinese that keep commenting on – and openly regretting – Washington’s unilateralism and protectionist stands.

The results of the U.S. shift away from Asia and towards protectionism have been disastrous. Even by December 2016, Washington’s new trade policy stated that “China [would] now monopolize constructive attention” – and the U.S. will be hard-pressed to counter China’s increasing influence through the Belt and Road Initiative over trade and investment in Asia. Of course, China’s growth was a direct result of Trump’s renunciation of the TPP. Trade continued without the U.S., and America’s trade partners continued trade liberalization without the need for U.S. leadership.

Recent developments

The current developments have shifted the picture even further recently with the U.S. apparently intent on starting a trade war with China – or at least threatening one to force China to the negotiating table.

On the U.S. side of things, the President Trump’s administration launched tariff procedures under the so-called Section 232 disposition which allows the U.S. Trade Representative and the President to take protective trade measures on national security grounds. As a result, Presidential proclamations 9704 and 9705 called for tariff increases of 25 percent on steel and aluminum imports into the United States – with the US offering Canada, Mexico, Australia, Argentina and a host of other countries exemptions. Second, shortly thereafter, the U.S. concluded an investigation under Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act and found China’s policies and law relating to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation to be “unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict U.S. commerce”. Hence, the U.S. has proposed an additional duty of 25 percent on a list of 1300 products totaling approximately $50 billion from China.

In contrast, Beijing has been firm but cautious in its response to the U.S. measures. China responded to the steel and aluminum tariffs with a proposal for a retaliatory tariff on 128 American goods, amounting a mere $3 billion (China-U.S. trade amounts to over $150 billion annually). Most sensitive American export products were not included on the list, most notably soybeans and aircraft. When the U.S. announced the second set of tariff hikes on an extra $50 billion of Chinese goods just days later, Beijing matched the U.S. move with its own tariffs on $50 billion worth of American goods, and this time they included all of the sensitive products.

  the asia pacific circle on linkedin

By the rules

President Trump threatened to punish this retaliation with a third wave of tariffs in the range of $100 billion, but Beijing stayed calm, thus signaling an intent to respond U.S. action with great restraint in not exacerbating the situation. Overall, indeed, Beijing’s response has been measured but firm.

In fact, Beijing is now working on showing that it does play by the rules when Washington does not. China has initiated an action against the U.S. at the WTO for the steel and aluminum tariffs, which it says are safeguards (that is, temporary measures to raise tariff rates in response to a sudden, sharp and unexpected surge in imports) and not ‘national security’ measures. It further alleges the U.S. measures will be applied in a manner not in accordance with the WTO’s Safeguards Agreement and also, because of the exemptions to a number of countries, violate a core principle of Most Favoured Nation whereby all WTO Members receive equal treatment.

China has a strong case. Even if a WTO panel does not find the American measures to be safeguards, in this case the U.S. is not treating every WTO Member equally. It is also unlikely that the U.S. national security defence will be upheld, given the lack of evidence of a security threat and that the clause is intended to be used in situations of war or threat of war.

Final word?

It is impossible at this stage to say who might have the final word on this matter, or even if there will be a continued trade war. The large tariff rises are not yet in place and will not come into force for at least another month. This gives each side a chance to step back, reflect and negotiate.

The U.S. threats of a trade war may be enough to get China to the negotiating table. But at this point, the U.S. demands are not clear – they seem to want concessions which would allow for increased automobile imports into China as well as changes to technology transfer and intellectual property rules. In order to get Beijing to the table, not only do the threats have to be credible but China will also want to know just what the U.S. will expect. China will not come to the table if it leaves empty-handed. What we see here is a sophisticated game of chicken, a pleasing melodrama to fans of game theory.

What is known, however, is that the political game is changing. The U.S. is turning nationalistic and protectionist, even if it harms itself in the process. China is reversing the usual rhetoric and positioning itself as the god international citizen who plays by the rules… but since the election of Donald Trump maybe that was to be expected.

Note: This article was originally published as an analysis titled “Trump, China, and a Tale of Aluminum and Steel Tariffs” on Trade Pacts |Global Trade & Investment Advisors.

tradepact on china and trump on steel tariffs 2018 by antoine martin asia pacific circle

Prof. Bryan Mercurio | Asia-Pacific Contributor

Personal Profile Bryan Mercurio The Asia-Pacific CircleProfessor Bryan Mercurio is Professor of Law and Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Law at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He has also worked in government and private practice and has advised law firms, international organizations, NGOs and several governments on a wide range of international trade and investment matters.

– Read more contributions by Prof. Bryan Mercurio –

Dr Antoine Martin | Co-Founder & Head of Insights

Personal Profile Antoine Martin Founder The Asia-Pacific CircleDr. Antoine Martin is the Head of Insights of The Asia-Pacific Circle, which he co-founded in Hong Kong in 2016 with Philippe Bonnet. Antoine follows analyzes and comments on developments in international trade and Fintech policy, with a particular focus on Asia-Pacific relations. He is also a scholar at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Law, a leading academic institution in Asia.

Beyond following Asia-Pacific trends, Dr. Martin enjoys pushing, challenging and helping entrepreneurs, lawyers, bankers and experts of all kinds to identify their message and formulate their ideas. His ultimate goal being, of course, to give them more tools to engage in value-creating discussions with their interlocutors. Now, can you see a trend? Would you like to share some thoughts? Please get in touch!

– Read more contributions by Antoine Martin –

Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of their author(s) only and do not reflect those of The Asia-Pacific Circle or of its editors unless otherwise stated.

More food for thought?

asia-pacific insights

Asia-Pacific Insights?

Are you looking for a big picture approach to APAC developments? From Financial Markets to trade diplomacy and geopolitics, The Asia-Pacific Circle connects the APAC dots in good business intelligence. [ Read all our APAC Insights ].

business insights APAC asia pacificAPAC Business Insights

Looking for hints and tips about business trends? Our Asia-Pacific Business Insights closely look at Business developments in the APAC region. From regional investments to blockchain developments and China’s digital economy, our expert contributors connect the dots. [Read our Asia-Pacific Business Insights].

Financial Market Insights

Financial Markets are predominant nowadays, hence our Asia-Pacific Insights closely look at financial developments in the APAC region. From financial regulation to Fintech policy and cryptocurrencies, the Circle’s Financial Market Insights connect the dots. [Read our Asia-Pacific Financial Markets Insights].

Trade Insights

Pro-business policies or interventionism? Free trade or protectionism? What is the impact of China-US relations on global and APAC trade and business? Our APAC Trade Diplomacy insights also connect the dots! [Read our Asia-Pacific Trade Insights].

the asia pacific circle on linkedin

The Asia-Pacific Insights published on The Asia-Pacific Circle are copyrighted content and cannot be republished without the approbation of their author(s).

warcinfo:
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2018-39
publisher: Common Crawl
description: Wide crawl of the web for September 2018
operator: Common Crawl Admin (info@commoncrawl.org)
hostname: ip-10-45-127-147.ec2.internal
software: Apache Nutch 1.15 (modified, https://github.com/commoncrawl/nutch/)
robots: checked via crawler-commons 0.11-SNAPSHOT (https://github.com/crawler-commons/crawler-commons)
format: WARC File Format 1.1
conformsTo: http://iipc.github.io/warc-specifications/specifications/warc-format/warc-1.1/


text:
pregnancy services

Should You Get a Pregnancy Test if Your Period Lasted Only One or Two Days?

Your periods are usually normal. Yet last month it only lasted one or two days. Should you be concerned? Do you need a pregnancy test?

Well, it all depends. In that short time, was your flow heavy or was it light? Shorter periods are sometimes normal. And, the heavier it was, the more likely it is that you are probably not pregnant.

Another question you need to consider is if you are on some type of hormonal birth control (pill, patch, ring, etc.) With some of these it is normal to have a shorter and lighter period (or even none at all.)

No matter what, it is probably smart to wait and see what happens with your next period. In the great majority of cases, if you are pregnant your period will stop altogether. Your body needs sufficient time to build up enough of the Hcg factor that urine pregnancy tests need in order to be positive. If it is too early, you could have a false negative test.

If you are convinced you are pregnancy, please call our helpline at 402-397-0600 in order to set up an appointment for a free pregnancy test. If it is positive, and you are far enough along, you can also get a free ultrasound. Now with two locations in Omaha and one in Council Bluffs, Assure Women’s Center is Your Best First Step!

you are beautiful
and stronger than you know.


text:
Let’s get personal with engraving

photo 5 (6)

Heart and disc charm necklaces from the Forever by Assya collection

Make a piece of jewellery truly personal by adding an an engraving, it can make the piece meaningful and unique to you or serve as a special piece for a friend or partner. Get the name of someone you hold dear engraved so you can hold it close to your heart, or a meaningful word to live by. Mark a moment by getting a date engraved, perfect for anniversary gifts. Or for the more literary, why not engrave a quote or a line from a poem or song?

Disc and heart necklaces from the Forever by Assya collection provide the perfect canvas for your engraving and work best with names, words and dates. Available in gold, rose gold and silver, mix and match chains and discs to your own personal specification and add charms to build a truly unique piece.

photo 3 (18)

Engraved heart and disc charm necklace from the Forever by Assya collection

photo 4 (11)

Engraved Baby Charm bracelets

Assya Baby Charm bracelets are a popular choice for engraving, they make thoughtful presents to preserve a moment or memory. A great example is a gift to a mother to commemorate a birth of a child. The child’s name can be engraved on one side and the date on the reverse, you can even choose the child’s birthstone as the semi-precious beads that decorate the bracelet.

Assya bangles can be engraved inside and out to hold longer messages and phrases. They come complete with hanging star, moon, heart or cross charms. Discs can also be attached to bangles for engraving.

photo 2 (25)

Hand engraved shimmer star bangle

photo 1 (24)

Bangle with engraved disc and un-engraved shimmer star bangle

For more information or to commission an engraved piece call 0207 2431687.

Wedding Jewellery

Jewellery is a crucial part of your big day and at ASSYA we can assist you with with every aspect of this, from the ring to the bridesmaid gifts, with pieces from our collection as well as bespoke one of a kind pieces.

The piece of jewellery at the centre of any wedding is the ring, with our bespoke design service we can help design the ring of your dreams. The design of engagement and wedding rings must take into account many factors. It must be contemporary, in keeping with current trends but at the same time have an air of timelessness. We will advise on how best to purchase precious coloured stones and diamonds and search for the best stone through our network of contacts. We will offer design choices, give detailed explanations on how to wear the ring and guide you to make the right investment.

Bespoke Engagement Ring

Bespoke Engagement Ring

Subtle earrings and a necklace can provide the finishing touch to your wedding look, the top choice for weddings is a necklace or bracelet from the Assya Love Knot collection. They are simple but elegant pieces that serve as a symbol of the bond between two people. Available in gold, rose gold and silver there is a piece available for every style of ring.

love knot

Love Knot Bracelets and necklace, from £240

Love Knot Bracelets and necklace, from £240

For a finer look, the Gem collection features necklaces with 18ct gold charms in shape of precious stones with diamond pave. The perfect choice to offset a diamond ring and a piece that you will treasure for a lifetime.

Saphire Shaped Diamond Necklace, £1,095

Saphire Shaped Diamond Necklace, £1,095

If you have a sentimental piece that you would love to wear but doesn’t suit you or is outdated why not have it remade as your ‘something old’ and ‘something new’. We can advise you on how to breathe new life into your heirloom creating a one of a kind design that is as much a work of art as an accessory.

Jewellery makes a great gift for the bridesmaids and our bestselling piece for bridesmaid’s presents are our baby charm bracelets. We can engrave the discs with whatever message you desire, dates and names being the most popular, making it truly personal and memorable.

Baby Charm Bracelets, from £145

Baby Charm Bracelets, from £145

For more information on bespoke pieces and our design service please contact us on +44 (0)20 72431687 or email us at


text:
It’s okay to say what you want.

I’ve never been too keen on asking for things or being able to say what I want. I despise ordering and would rather drink a bad cup of tea than admit its not quite right. But it’s years of living like that which has got me stuck in a rut.

I’ve left many restaurants having not eaten the food I really wanted, I’ve left many shops without things I really wanted to buy.

We all do it, we pretend we are happy with someone else’s choices, whether its about the choice of restaurant or the film they’ve picked. Whilst it’s important in life to compromise and balance (as always) is key, if you’re forever keeping quiet about your own needs, you’ll always miss out.

Unfortunately keeping quiet about your own needs can also affect your mental health. This was something that was stressed to me early on when I was having CBT sessions (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), where my amazing therapist would often remind me that people can’t read my mind. Himself doesn’t automatically know that certain films will trigger an anxiety attack, friends won’t automatically know when I’ve had a bad day and am struggling to order.

Unless I open up and say it.

Of course it’s hard sometimes to stand up for what you want, you feel selfish and guilty – I understand. I used to feel awful for asking Himself to take me somewhere or for planning girls nights in restaurants I wanted, but the more I did it the more I could see.

Your friends and family want to support you and they want you to be happy. So if that means alternating venues for gals night or changing up who drives, compromise means everyone wins.

So be brave and give it a try. You can ask for things you want and still be polite, so next time your office friend makes you a terrible brew, just politely say thanks and remind them that you would normally take one sugar not two!

Most people just want to do the right thing and they might genuinely not realise that they are affecting you, especially those who don’t know much about your mental health/worries. People may not realise that certain films trigger anxiety attacks or that for some just listening to the news is enough to upset them never mind watching it!

I’m trying more and more to speak up for what I want. Which means lots of pancakes served for breakfast, snuggly nature walks and all the carbs on gals night!

Don’t be embarrassed to like the things you do, they are the things that make you you. Sometimes you might feel silly for it, but trust me – you’re not. I’ve spent far too long, not doing things I wanted too because I felt silly or embarrassed.

I guess the final and perhaps most important point to make is, don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you’re too nervous to order, but really want those fries with extra bacon bits or your costa latte served with soya milk then give your friend a nudge. I know I’d happily help any of my friends if they were struggling and I know they would do the same for me.

One comment

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Logo

You are commenting using your account. Log Out /  Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s


text:
Retro. Gaming. Fun.
  1. Home >
  2. Game Database >
  3. Game Reviews >
  4. Rampage
Release / Year
/ 1990
Players (ComLynx)
1 (4)
Release (Rarity)
7 / 10

In the great tradition of the King Kong franchise, there are video games out there which allow you to be some sort of enormous monster, destroying everything you see. And as many of you will know, that's the kind of game 'Rampage' is for the Lynx! So...are you ready to rrrrrrumble?

'Rampage' is truly an original game. There's really nothing quite like it on the Lynx, and there wasn't much like it at the arcades when the game came out. Is it a scrolling beat ‘em up? I prefer to think of it as a ‘strolling eat ‘em up’! Plus smashing things. A coin-op translation, 'Rampage' allows you to be a big gorilla, lizard, rat or werewolf, and the goal is tracking down an escaped scientist. Why? He holds the cure for your giant, monstrous form! Get hunting!

Visually, ‘Rampage’ hits you with great graphics from the word go. The sprite of your character is huge, while the human life around you looks small. Nice. Unlike ‘King Kong’, the reason for your city exploration is to find a healing potion; not because you were captured and locked up. It’s easy to see why a game concept like ‘Rampage’ has recently inspired a movie adaptation (‘Rampage’ with Dwayne Johnson - appearing in 2018). Whilst the movie is unlikely to follow the story of the video game, the big destruction is still centre stage. ‘Rampage’ is about smashing stuff. And thankfully, the stuff you smash looks terrific.

With both graphics and animation, everything is silky smooth; army soldiers run, helicopters whizz overhead, buildings are detailed, and you can more or less do what you want in each stage. Oh yeah - there are over 50 stages (or cities) of stomping, crunching and climbing action. Your monster can scale buildings, punch windows, eat people and even hold ‘special captives’ in their fist for long periods to multiply scores. The look is cartoony, but it’s nicely detailed and everything scrolls beautifully. In fact, having seen the arcade, you could make the argument that the Lynx version looks better and is animated smoother! It’s certainly better than some console versions as well. And that’s a pretty good artistic effort when you think about it! It wouldn’t be the first time the Lynx has graphically outshone a console or arcade counterpart.

Sound-wise, your ears will be treated to a cacophony of interesting effects. Sadly there’s no speech, but the various sounds are great. And, the music is really nice too! Bombs explode, dynamite whooshes; and you can ditch that dynamite if you like. The sound of your monster chewing is pretty hilarious (we’ll get to the humour later). The audio side of the game matches the play really nicely overall. Overall there’s really no complaints, and it’s surprising how many different kinds of interesting sounds they managed to fit in here.

Controls, also, are mostly sharp. It’s very easy to jump, climb, punch and eat. You will find the monster’s slow leap a little strange at first (it’s an odd jump). But there’s no real issue once you get used to the ‘floatiness’ of it. Thinking about it, I must say that it would have been nice to have had a few more tricks up the monster’s sleeves in terms of moves. Maybe somersaults, or a hilarious pose after executing destruction (AKA ‘Pitfighter’). But remembering this is an arcade translation, you wouldn’t expect many new dynamics in the game; much of the animation and movement you see is taken straight from the arcade.

The Lynx does an amazing job of replicating those core arcade mechanics. You destroy the buildings the same way and much of the strategy remains identical. I should note here, there’s no real difference between monsters. It’s more about the visual look and preference you have. My personal top pick is the gorilla; his facial expressions are just the funniest!

I said I’d get to humour, so we just need to mention here how funny this game is. I mean, you can basically eat almost anything, but certain things WILL hurt you. Yes, you can eat the guy in the bath if you want, but swallowing the whole bathtub is probably not the best dietary move. Eating toilets? Bad. The monster will spit out the porcelain! Your beast will also see stars when he falls off buildings, and will stare at you with a really worried expression when he is close to death. It’s oddly hilarious. Weirdly enough, when you DO die, you get turned into your former human body with your monster’s head on it. How strange is that?

It’s at this time we look at the gameplay. And it must be said, gameplay-wise, there are a couple of things worth mentioning about ‘Rampage’. I’ll explore the good stuff before the bad stuff.

Let’s start with the positives. This is a fun game. It’s easy to control your monster, the concept is original, and there are different ways to play the game. Tired of knocking down buildings? Well, you can find a place to hide whilst the soldiers do it for you (with timebombs). Do you have the skill to avoid electrocution, army tanks, rifle-fire and dynamite? You get to find out! There’s lots of fun little touches to discover too, from water hazards to lightning bolts. The interludes are funny and the title screens are full of character and detail. A lot of love went into this game and you can tell this from the beginning.

Negatively, there are a few things that should be mentioned. Look, this game is LOOOONG. And there’s not a lot of variation, honestly. Bash building, avoid bomb, eat people, next level. And so on, through the whole game. The 50+ cities all look fairly identical after a while, even with the subtle difference in visuals. So the original novelty does wear off once you hit level 15 or so, and there comes a point where you wonder ‘I have to finish HOW many levels?’. That’s not to say the game isn’t fun to play; it really is. And unlike similar arcade Lynx conversions like ‘Pacland’, there actually IS an ending in this one. It’s just that...GETTING there, shall we say, may be a test of your patience. I did find that, after a few goes, I was wishing for either (1) a password system or (2) the game to be split into two parts. This would have made it so much better for replay value. As it’s based in the USA, couldn’t we have had “The Eastern States”, “The Western States”, etc? This would have allowed for more variety. Sadly, this wasn’t to be.

And yet...when you get right down to it, ‘Rampage’ has such a heart of fun and hilarity that you are mostly likely to look past the shortfalls, and pick it up every so often for a good game. And thankfully, there’s a level skip option which means that you are able to immediately skip further ahead in the city journey, at least for a while, to start the challenge (a la ‘Gauntlet’). This shows that the game designers probably did think about this ‘enormous volume of levels’ issue. In the final score, I have to take some points off for the lack of casual play options and no password capability over such a huge game. The sheer size of the game with no password system is a big ugh. But thankfully the game has a lot of great content, which means I can’t get too upset; the conversion really is strong.

Overall, I love the concept of this game, and it plays really well; I just wanted to see more variety and Lynx distinctiveness. It could have made the game even more of a beloved title than it already is. But hey - even the deficiencies don’t stop me from enjoying a ‘monster’ of a game. Just be prepared for a long play if you want to finish it. In all, ‘Rampage’ gets a thumbs up from me. Grrrraaarrggh, anyone?

Score Card

This review was submitted by Jon Mc from JMac Productions

Last updated on 2 April 2018
See Game Review Standards and Ratings for scoring details.
Hope you found this useful... please read on! All information on Atari Gamer is provided free of charge and we encourage you to share it as you wish. There is a small favour we ask in return however - engage in comments below, provide feedback, and if you see mistakes get in contact and let us know.

If you want to go a little further to show your appreciation, please check out how you can support Atari Gamer.


text:
Retro. Gaming. Fun.
  1. Home >
  2. Game Database >
  3. Kung Food
Kung Food
The ultimate food fight! Mutant munchies from your freezer invade your kitchen, your life, and your world. Speed and your martial arts skills are required to overcome the vicious veggies!
Play Online
Game Information
Rarity27 (5)
ConsoleAtari Lynx
Release Type
Release Year1992
Part #PA2076
Cart Type
Pack Type
DeveloperLore Games
Players (Console)1
Players (ComLynx)N/A
Variants (Compare)
Kung Food ( - - )Rarity: 16
Kung Food ( - - )Rarity: 27
See definitions of Rarity Scores and Release Types.
Related Information
External Rarity Information
AtariAge Rarity1 / 10
RarityGuide Rarity23 / 100
External Links
Pricing Information
Game Media

Hope you found this useful... please read on! All information on Atari Gamer is provided free of charge and we encourage you to share it as you wish. There is a small favour we ask in return however - engage in comments below, provide feedback, and if you see mistakes get in contact and let us know.

If you want to go a little further to show your appreciation, please check out how you can support Atari Gamer.


text:
Sophie Ring - White opalescent diamond

Set with a one of a kind, White Opalescent Pear Rosecut diamond.

Based on our favorite Diamond Torc Ring, the Sophie setting features pretty, delicate details.  This five claw setting sits close to your finger, with four brilliant cut diamonds tapered gently down either side of the band.

  • 14k solid gold
  • 1.62ct White opalescent pear rosecut diamond (8.76 x 6.57 x 3.14mm)
  • Set with 8 diamonds - Total carat weight 0.10 (FG VS/S1)
  • 2.3mm wide band at bottom
  • Size 5.5, complimentary sizing available
  • Made in Toronto, Canada

Enjoy complimentary domestic shipping! More about shipping here.

Looking for a different colour or karat of gold? Contact us here.

GOLD for your inbox. Invites. Product launches. Jewellery tips.

Your email


WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: application/xhtml+xml

text:
Accommodations in Mooroobool, Queensland

Search 114 Accommodations in Mooroobool

Save more with Secret Prices

Get instant savings with Secret Prices

  • Pay now or later on most rooms
  • Free cancellation on most rooms
  • Price Guarantee

Where to stay in Mooroobool

Mooroobool overview

If you're looking for a new favorite getaway, look no further than Mooroobool. Mooroobool might not have well-known attractions within the city, but you won't need to venture far to find top places to visit like Centenary Lakes Botanic Gardens and Mount Whitfield Conservation Park. Popular sights in the surrounding area include Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.

Where to stay in Mooroobool

A city welcoming to all, Mooroobool has a variety of hotels and other lodging options. You can shop as many as 773 deals for Mooroobool accommodations on, some with discounts of up to 50%. We have room prices starting at 10 USD per night and below you'll find the number of hotels by star rating in Mooroobool as well as in the surrounding area:
  • • 49 5-star hotels from 97 USD per night
  • • 153 4-star hotels from 70 USD per night
  • • 35 3-star hotels from 16 USD per night
  • • 16 2-star hotels from 11 USD per night

How to get to Mooroobool

Fly into Cairns, QLD (CNS-Cairns Intl.), 4.3 mi (6.9 km) from the heart of Mooroobool.

What to see around Mooroobool

Here are some top sights in the surrounding area:
  • • Centenary Lakes Botanic Gardens (2.4 mi/3.9 km from the city center)
  • • Mount Whitfield Conservation Park (2.9 mi/4.6 km from the city center)
  • • Skyrail Rainforest Cableway (7.7 mi/12.3 km from the city center)

When to visit Mooroobool

If you're beginning to plan your holiday, you may be wondering when is the best time of year to visit. Here's a list of seasonal norms to help you arrange your travel schedule:

Seasonal temperature averages
  • • January-March: 89°F day, 72°F night
  • • April-June: 85°F day, 63°F night
  • • July-September: 84°F day, 62°F night
  • • October-December: 89°F day, 67°F night
Seasonal rainfall averages
  • • January-March: 50.87 inches
  • • April-June: 15.12 inches
  • • July-September: 3.07 inches
  • • October-December: 13.19 inches


text:
‘Mbappe is our Zidane’ – Dugarry on why PSG star must play centre forward for France

The 19-year-old can be Les Bleus' spearhead for the next 10 or 15 years so should be given the chance to learn in that role, the ex-striker says

Kylian Mbappe is the Zinedine Zidane of the current generation of French footballers, World Cup winner Christophe Dugarry has argued.

Dugarry was in the squad that Zidane led to glory in 1998 by heading a double in a 3-0 win over Brazil in Paris and sees the young Paris Saint-Germain star as having the same talismanic effect as the current Real Madrid boss.

For that reason, he believes that the 19-year-old Mbappe should be used in his strongest position by Didier Deschamps: as a centre forward.

“For a long time, I’ve thought that Mbappe must be the forward for France,” he told RMC. “It’s sure because it’s his best position. He can play well on te right or the left, but the boy is a centre forward and must be France’s spearhead for the next 10 or 15 years. He’s a No.9.

“He’s our Michel Platini, our Zinedine Zidane. He’s the player for our future. So he must be allowed to learn and mature in this position.”

Dugarry has advocated a strike partnership with Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann, comparing the two to one of the great Brazilian pairings of the 1990s.

MORE: Kanoute questions PSG: ‘Big players don’t necessarily make a big team’ | Kante: Chelsea is my home | Pogba: I'd love to play with Neymar

“A duet with Griezmann would be wonderful,” he continued. “It’s the essence of football. They could go in behind, play off each other, they could play in small spaces. It would be like Romario and Bebeto and I think that would be perfect.”

Mbappe has only one goal in 10 appearances for the national side, netting the fourth in a 4-0 win over Netherlands last August but is expected to play a key role for France at World Cup 2018.


text:
User Support Analyst Jobs In Adelaide, South Australia

Top 1 to 2 of 2 job listings

Service Desk Analyst

Hudson (Adelaide SA, Australia)

One month contract: possibility of extension Adelaide CBD Work Autonomously Through Hudson, our client is seeking a Level 1 Support Desk Analyst with a...
- 17 days ago

Level 1 IT Support | $31 per Hour| Part Time

Robert Half (Adelaide SA, Australia)

Australian owned company is looking for a confident IT Support person who can provide the business with Level 1 support The Company Robert Half is recruiting...
Robert Half Australia
- 15 days ago

Postdoctoral Research Fellow/Research Fellow (Data Science a...

University Of Queensland (Brisbane QLD, Australia)

School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering Redback Technologies Research Centre Reference number - 504980 It is an exciting time to g
University of Queensland
- 8 days ago

Senior Compliance Officer

Public Transport Victoria (Melbourne VIC, Australia)

Great opportunity to bring your strong compliance experience to this busy role Be part of a lively team and enjoy work, life, balance Full-Time; Ongoi
Public Transport Victoria
- 2 days ago

Academic Promotion 2018 - Level B (July Call) (Internal Appl...

Federation University (Ballarat VIC, Australia)

Call for Academic Promotion and Information Sessions - Level B (July 2018) Applications are now called for Academic Promotion to Academic Level B. It
Federation University
- 16 days ago

Senior Manager, Digital Optimisation

Allianz (Sydney NSW, Australia)

Full time permanent opportunity with a leading global insurer Access to a range of attractive staff benefits Sydney CBD based The Senior Manager, Digi
- 19 days ago

Content Marketing Lead APAC

Hexagon PPM (North Sydney NSW, Australia)

Hexagon PPM (formerly Intergraph Process, Power & Marine) is the leading global provider of engineering software and project control solutions. We tra
Hexagon PPM
- 26 days ago

Diesel Mechanic

Des's Group (Hindmarsh SA, Australia)

Join our friendly team that contributes towards providing a valuable service to your community Opportunity to join a successful family owned business
Des's Group
- 14 days ago

Sr. Purchasing Agent

Johnson Matthey (Deptford VIC, Australia)

Under the direction of the Purchasing Manager, the incumbent is responsible for the procurement of high quality supplies, materials and services in su
Johnson Matthey
- 3 days ago

Advanced Analytics Consultant

Avanade (Melbourne VIC, Australia)

Founded in 2000 as a joint venture between Accenture and Microsoft we are a leading digital innovator, realising results for our clients and their cus
- 19 days ago
  1. Jobs
  2. Customer Service And Call Centre
  3. User Support Analyst
  4. South Australia
  5. Adelaide
All Jobs Starred Jobs


text:
User Support Specialist Jobs In North Sydney, New South Wales

Top 1 to 10 of 104 job listings

SAP Concur - Presales Senior Specialist - Sydney Job

SAP (Sydney NSW, Australia)

Requisition ID: 195518 Work Area: Presales Expected Travel: 0 - 40% Career Status: Professional Employment Type: Regular Full Time COMPANY DESCRIPTION SAP Concu...
- 19 hours ago

Cloud Engineer (Mobile Device Management)

Kloud (Sydney NSW, Australia)

Kloud is currently expanding our Managed Services capability in NSW, and we are actively looking for experienced Infrastructure Engineer with a deep technical b...
- 1 day ago

Solution Architech

Dentsu Aegis Network Asia Pacific (Sydney NSW, Australia)

ABOUT AMICUS DIGITAL Amicus Digital, A Merkle Company is a marketing and technology consulting business that specialises in helping organisations understand, us...
Dentsu Aegis Network Asia Pacific
- 2 days ago

Full Stack Software Developer

Bank Of Queensland (Sydney NSW, Australia)

Join ASX 100 Finance Leader – Australias Most Loved Bank! Apply your previous Software Development skills in a Customer Focused Specialised Banking Organisatio...
Bank of Queensland
- 13 hours ago

Client Support Specialist

The Gallup Organization (Sydney NSW, Australia)

• Does your personal touch produce the highest quality service? • Do you have a proven ability to learn computer systems quickly and navigate programs with ease...
The Gallup Organization
- 13 hours ago

Technical Services Specialist

InterSystems (Sydney NSW, Australia)

InterSystems develops advanced software technologies that enable breakthroughs. With a passion for excellence and a focus on client success, InterSystems provid...
- 1 day ago

Business Analyst_Application Dev - 1 year Fixed Term Hire - ...

Job Description Business Analyst_Application Dev - 1 year Fixed Term Hire - Sydney IBM is the largest technology and consulting employer in the world, serving c...
- 2 days ago

Executive Content Strategist

RELX Group (Sydney NSW, Australia)

Executive Content Strategist Category: Location: Sydney, Australia Elsevier is a global information analytics business that helps institutions and professionals...
RELX Group
- 15 hours ago

Project Manager

Macquarie (Sydney NSW, Australia)

Help us to deliver a strategic Virtual Desktop Solution for the organisation. As a Project Manager, you will join the Devices & Technology team, who support...
- 2 days ago

HRIS Specialist

InterSystems (Sydney NSW, Australia)

We have an opportunity for an HRIS Specialist, with advanced Excel skills, experience using Workday and a passion for people data & analysis. The role sits...
- 1 day ago
  1. Jobs
  2. Customer Service And Call Centre
  3. User Support Specialist
  4. New South Wales
  5. North Sydney
All Jobs Starred Jobs


text:
South Head And The Hornby Lighthouse

South Head Sydney with lighthouse front

The image above is a stunning glimpse across the water and towards South Head and its cheerfully painted lighthouse, a place which holds an important place in the history of Sydney, and the colony of NSW. Yet for many Sydneysiders, the lighthouse is simply a picturesque attraction.

The Hornby Lighthouse at South Head was constructed in 1858, but the story of the lighthouse itself begins a year earlier. In 1857, two ship wrecks caused a tragic loss of life for people travelling to Sydney Harbour. The first wreck, that of the Dunbar, occurred in August just off South Head and resulted in the loss of over 100 lives. Then, just two months later, the Catherine Adamson was lost, this time off North Head, resulting in the loss of twenty one lives. The public recognised that the entrance to Sydney Harbour, although seemingly a good, broad entrance, was a dangerous one. Ships could easily miss it, or mistake other rock formations as the entrance, resulting in terrible loss of life. Thus the public quickly began to agitate for a lighthouse which would denote the actual entrance to the harbour, eliminating a great deal of the danger involved in sailing to Sydney.

The Hornby Lighthouse is quite a small lighthouse, built on the extreme point of Inner South Head. It was constructed in 1858 and opened by Sir William Denison, the then Governor of NSW and named after the family of his wife, the Hornby Family. The light was usually known by the alternative name though, the Lower Light, which was used to distinguish it from the Macquarie Lighthouse, which was not far away along South Head Road. The Hornby lighthouse, which has long been recognised by its cheerful red and white painted exterior was designed by the Colonel architect, Alexander Dawson, and is actually built of beautifully dressed, curved sandstone blocks. The light itself stands 9 metres above the ground level.

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Logo

You are commenting using your account. Log Out /  Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s


text:
Paying the Piper by Simon Wood

October 30, 2007
Written by

Explore More

Paying the Piper
Simon Wood

Dorchester Publishing
Trade Paperback/324 pages
ISBN: 0-843959800
Buy This Book

"A great read that keeps the reader turning the pages."

Paying the Piper by Simon Wood thrusts the reader swiftly into the conflict, and the reader is soon feverishly trying to decipher the identity of the Piper. The book moves quickly over several days, but the reader will find the pacing almost too slow in the hunt to find clues.

Eight years earlier, crime reporter Scott Fleetwood became embroiled in a Piper kidnapping case when he was contacted by a copycat and became convinced the man was the real Piper. Unfortunately, Scott also convinced the FBI. In a fit of pique at being ignored, the Piper killed his victim and disappeared.

The Piper then kidnaps one of Scott’s twin boys and demands a ransom that he knows Scott cannot pay. But money is not the issue—revenge is the Piper’s goal. He wants to get even with all the people who interfered with his last kidnapping and “made” him kill his victim. And he wants Scott to assist him—or he will kill Scott’s son, Sammy.

For Scott’s first assignment he must find and bring the Piper-copycat, Mike Redfern, to the Piper. But when Scott refuses to kill Redfern on the Piper’s command, the Piper beats him unconscious. After killing Redfern himself, the Piper kidnaps Scott’s other son, Peter, in retaliation for Scott’s disobedience.

Scott’s next task is to find the Piper’s lair—in one week—and to do what all California law enforcement agencies and the FBI has failed to do. With a little help from people who believe in him, Scott finds it. But as law enforcement agencies converge, the Piper is killed and Scott realizes that nothing is as it seems. The search for his sons begins all over again.

The heavy on dialogue style keeps the pace moving, and the language is sparse. Paying the Piper is a great read that keeps the reader turning the pages.

Reviewer: Denise Lowe

Categorised in:

This post was written by Editorial Staff

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


text:
Only in Jersey: 2/15/12

Happy Hump Day!  It’s time for another edition of Only in Jersey!

If it’s filming in Jersey, takes place in Jersey, or is about celebs from Jersey, you will find it here.

Whitney Houston: Coming home. /Photo credit Getty Images

Despite speculation to the contrary, Whitney Houston’s family has no plans to hold a public memorial for the late singer, who died February 11 in Los Angeles, California. Whitney will be remembered during an invitation-only funeral service beginning at noon on Saturday, February 18, at her childhood church, New Hope Baptist, in Newark. There is, however, talk that the singer will be buried in Westfield’s Fairview Cemetery. TMZ reports Whitney will be laid to rest beside her father, John Russell Houston Jr., who died in 2003, because that was what she wanted. Newark, meanwhile, is preparing for a crush of fans and onlookers during Saturday’s celebrity-filled, somber ceremony. “Obviously Whitney Houston was one of the greatest performers of our time, and certainly we expect a huge presence of other performers, actors and we’re preparing for all that,” the city’s police director, Samuel DeMaio, told The Star-Ledger. And New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie ordered that state flags be lowered to half-staff on Saturday in Whitney’s memory.

Read the rest of this entry »

%d bloggers like this:


text:
Books · Food · Healthy · weight loss

#15×15 Check-in: Feasting and Fasting

In the book Bread and Wine there is a section about feasting and fasting. The author shares how we need both. She uses the term fasting loosely, which I follow in this post. (Though I also believe there is a time for fasting, or abstinence of food for prayer.)

I feel like in my #15×15 challenge I have done a lot of fasting, but this weekend I had the opportunity to feast. I got together with my (in)RL gals and we feasted on the recipes from Bread and Wine. A majority of us had been reading it and Kate graciously opened up her home for us to share community and food together. I honestly could have passed on the Dark Chocolate Sea Salted Toffee and the Simply Chocolate Mousse. They aren’t on my “eating plan”, but I also knew that this coming together and sharing recipes from one book wasn’t going to be a weekly affair. Therefore I feasted. I didn’t overdo it, but I didn’t stop myself from trying everything. I ate and was full, but not overfull.

I agree that we need both feasting and fasting, as in everything its finding the right balance, motives and following God’s leading.

My #15×15 Goals

Drinking 80 oz. water: I did better than last week and got 2-3 days of 80 oz. Maybe I’ll just work myself up by adding a day every week?

Exercise 5 days and 2 hours of walking: This week I finished three 28 min runs, one workout with Jillian, and about 20 min. of walking. I was hoping to catch-up by the end of the week but my allergies wiped me out.

Eating more veggies and fruit: I  had quite a few salads and berries this past week, but there’s still room for improvement. I may need to look for some new recipes with new vegetables to add to our menu.

Weight loss this week: .5 pounds Total weight loss for this challenge is 7 pounds. 8 pounds to go!

When have you found that feasting was a good choice for you?

This post is part of my #15×15 challenge. Feel free to join up with your own healthy living goals. If you need some accountability feel free to check-in in the comments, daily on Facebook, or by using the #15×15 hashtag on Twitter or Instagram.

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Logo

You are commenting using your account. Log Out /  Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s


text:
Books · Homeschool

Homeschool Conference Buys

This past weekend I attended our state homeschool conference. I love going just to have a little get away with my husband. It also is great to have some undistracted time to browse homeschool curriculum and hear from some veteran homeschoolers.

My friend, Jamie, from The Unlikely Homeschool, just did a post on her haul and I thought it was fun to see, so I thought I’d share mine. I didn’t have a big list and I’m still considering a few different curriculums so I didn’t get a whole lot, but here it is.

Have you been to a homeschool conference this year? What were some of your great finds?

4 thoughts on “Homeschool Conference Buys

  1. How fun! Thanks for showing your finds! I always love spreading everything out on the floor and looking at it, and the kids get excited about what they will be learning the next year!

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Logo

You are commenting using your account. Log Out /  Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s


text:
Navigáció kihagyása

Project Bletchley - Corda Distributed Ledger available on Azure

Közzétéve: december 21, 2016

Senior Manager, Microsoft Azure

We are very excited to announce the availability of R3’s Corda on Microsoft Azure, only a few weeks after its release to the open source community.  With the addition of Corda to Project Bletchley, we continue to expand our distributed ledger platform support on Azure to enable the next generation of distributed business applications.

Today, R3 published a virtual machine image in the Azure Marketplace to easily and quickly deploy a multi-member Corda demo network on a single VM.  This offering demonstrates the capabilities of Corda through real world scenarios, including an interest rate swap deal and Standard Initial Margin Model (SIMM) valuation. This is the first click-stop of many towards R3’s financial-grade distributed ledger platform offering on Azure.

As Richard G Brown, Chief Technology Officer at R3, describes Corda is a distributed ledger platform designed from the ground up to record, manage and synchronize financial agreements between regulated financial institutions. It is heavily inspired by and captures the benefits of blockchain systems, without the design choices that make blockchains inappropriate for many banking scenarios.  By making simple Corda demos available on the Azure Marketplace, R3 and Microsoft are making it easy for newcomers to experience Corda for themselves before joining the community.”

Some of Corda’s key design choices include:

  • Designed for Business: Recording and management of financial transactions, within existing legal and regulatory frameworks
  • Privacy First: Data sharing restricted to entitled participants of a transaction
  • Modular Consensus: Support for multiple consensus algorithms

For additional information, you can download the technical white paper.

Try out the Corda distributed ledger demo on Azure to gain insight for your business process development and let us know what you think!  Do not hesitate to leave a comment with questions, feedback, or additional requests as you begin.


text:
Call: (800) 905-7890
Call: (800) 905-7890
Cart 0

About Us

The History of Baby Book Baskets

For over 20 years, Once Upon A Time has been creating custom book baskets. Jane, co-owner of Once Upon A Time, operated one of the most successful and respected children's bookstores in the U.S. for ten years before devoting the business full time to these popular baskets. It was at this time that ‘Baby Book’ was born.

About Our Baskets

Each basket is completely unique and custom made!

Using their expertise on children's books, the Once Upon A Time team individually selects each book that is included in every Basket! Their service and expertise cannot be matched by superstores.

Each order is accompanied by a short list of questions about the child and family. Using these questions, we are able to carefully select books unique to the child.

Madonna, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chris Evert, and Will Smith are only a few of the celebrities who have received our baskets.

Call us and take advantage of our experience.
Send one to a loved one today!

  • Follow Me on Twitter
  • Follow Me on Facebook
  • Follow Me on LinkedIn
  • Follow Me on Pinterest


text:
Meet Lily Jade … The Ultimate Diaper Bag (+ Giveaway)

Meet Lily Jade … The Ultimate Diaper Bag (+ Giveaway)

When it comes to diaper bags it looks like the 5th time is the charm for me! That’s right – I’ve cycled through five different diaper bags hoping to find the right one; the one that can hold all my supplies, be easily carried while juggling a little one or a load of groceries, and, of course … looks hip! Where could it be?

Well, it’s time you all meet Lily Jade! I have and I’m smitten!

photo 1

photo 3

I’ve been carrying my Lily Jade for the last few weeks and am constantly amazed at how perfect this bag is. It’s so much more than just a diaper bag. It’s the ultimate tote, purse, and organizing companion. I can see myself carrying my Lily Jade for years to come – it’s just that classic, timeless and versatile.

Lily Jade was founded by purse loving mama, Meggan Wood. When she entered the crazy world of motherhood back in 2005 she searched and searched for the perfect diaper bag – one that balanced function and fashion – she never found one. That’s when the heart of Lily Jade was born and it later followed with her beautiful line of handbags.

Here’s a peek at one of Lily Jade’s newest designs – Elizabeth in Camel. This style was also released in a cheery red canvas.

lily jade elizabeth

Made to last beyond the baby years, Lily Jade handbags are comprised of two pieces – the handbag (6 styles available) and the baby bag. The handbags are made of beautiful leather, canvas or a combination. They don’t have that diaper bag look. Not one bit. If you walked past them in the store, you’d say, “What a beautiful purse!” But … surprise, surprise – a peek inside reveals the amazing baby bag taking the Lily Jade handbag from purely beautiful to beautiful AND functional! The baby bag is a stand alone pocket system that allows you to organize and store all the essentials. It’s genius. Period. No other word describes it.

And all the angels sing, because look … JUST LOOK! Stocked with all the essentials and organized for easy access. Goodbye bottomless pit, hello Lily Jade baby bag!

lily jade baby bagWhen the time come for me to retire diapers, snacks, extra clothes and all the baby day jazz, I’ll simply store my baby bag in my closet and continue carrying my Lily Jade as a regular handbag. Could you find a better investment? Well, yes, of course you could, but not when it comes to diaper bag investments! I promise! I’ve already done that research!

Lily Jade bags normally range from $159-$335 and that includes the baby bag. Happy announcement though … RIGHT NOW THEY’RE ON SALE!

Let’s see, other things I would be silly not to mention … the leather of the Camel Elizabeth is soft as butter. Not joking. The leather Lily Jade uses is unlike any other leather I’ve experienced in a purse. A number of Lily Jade bags have a few carrying options – the normal straps, crossbody and my favorite, the backpack. Three cheers for being hands-free and balancing my purse’s weight on my back! I also love that the baby bag is washable and that the bottom of the Elizabeth has metal studs to protect the base. Oh, and the zipper opens and closes both smoothly and easily, even when using it one-handed. You know those cheap zippers that get stuck and skip? Yeah, Lily Jade doesn’t have time for that. They’ve got top notch zippers and for that I’m quite thankful.

photo 1

Here’s your chance to fall in love with the Elizabeth, Madeline (another backpack option), Caroline, Anna, Sarah Grace and the rich purple, Cailin! I’m curious, what’s your favorite style of Lily Jade handbags? I’m a bit partial to the Elizabeth, I even made a mini video showing off how my stocked baby bag nests perfectly inside! Swoon! Happy mama here!

Lucky for you, my curiosity about your favorite has a reason … Yes, you guessed it! … the top notch team over at Lily Jade is giving away a handbag to one Baby Gizmo reader!

Thank you, Lily Jade, not only for your generosity, but also for creating something every mama has dreamed of. Lily Jade handbags are a dream come true!

Enter the giveaway below …

Michaele H.

What’s up for grabs:

One (1) Lily Jade Diaper Bag. Winner gets to choose!!

HOW TO ENTER: Rafflecopter is back for this one but we are making it SUPER EASY to enter! Only one mandatory entry and the rest are optional entries. You can do them if you want or not. Giveaway starts at 12:01am EST on Monday, July  28 and ends at 11:59pm EST on Sunday, August 3, 2014. US only! (Sorry, Canada!) But let us warn you – if you want the extra entries, make sure you actually do the entries! If you click on “leave a blog comment” on the Rafflecopter widget – make sure you actually leave a blog comment. We check! If you don’t do the actual entry – it doesn’t count! You won’t win. We’ll both be sad.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Previous articleDoes Your Child Grind Their Teeth?
Next articleTips On Throwing A Kid’s Birthday Party
Gretchen hails from the beautiful Pacific Northwest along with her husband and two young children. Before transitioning to life as a stay at home mom, Gretchen worked in sales and marketing while earning her Masters in Management and Organizational Leadership. Now her days are focused on managing meal plans and nap times while organizing her sewing stash and children's toy bins. My oh my, how life changes in the blink of an eye! Gretchen writes frequently about natural parenting, becoming more environmentally conscience, her affinity for thrifted treasures, and hopes of making it out of yoga pants each day on her blog That Mama Gretchen (

  1. This would be a gift for my wife and I’m honestly not sure which one she would pick. I’m sure it would be one in black.

  2. The leather Elizabeth is gorgeous. Everything I could want in a diaper bag. Tons of pockets, great color, versatility in options to wear, cleats on the bottom! Love love LOVE!

  3. I LOVE the cailin in purple or Madeline in any color. I have been look ing all over for this bag! Would be beyond excited to win!!

  4. I’d absolutely LOVE to WIN!! I’d probably choose the Elizabeth in Camel. Crossing my fingers and toes for the WIN!! <3

  5. Gosh I have no clue how you pick just one?! No clue which one I would want yet, but I do love the multiple strap options!!

  6. I have been trying to win one of these all year!! I’m obsessed with the Elizabeth in camel and the Madeline in brandy.. I know the chances are really slim of me winning.. But I felt like needed to give it one more shot!!

  7. I am due with my third little girl in September and I am in desperate need of a diaper bag to hold all my essentials for 3 girls under age 3. My favorite is the Elizabeth in Camel or Madeline in Brandy. Only Lily Jade can save my diapering days!

  8. Have our first baby girl coming this December and absolutely in LOVE with all this diaper bag has to offer! Not only is it stylish, but functional!!!

  9. They are all sooo beautiful!! It will take me a little bit to choose!! Thanks for the opportunity to win one of these beautiful bags! They would be very useful to carry all my stuff for my two babies!!

  10. Your style is adorable! I love all the photos and the advice. If I were to win, I would opt for the Caroline or the Elizabeth. I love the Elizabeth but am not sure if you can hold it on your shoulder. All the Lily Jade bags are beautiful, though. Thanks for blogging!

  11. I’m obsessed with anything in camel, but especially the Elizabeth! It’s the perfect replacement for my favorite purse that was stolen a few years ago, but even better with the Baby Bag!

  12. I love the Madeline bag. I mean, it helps that my name is Madeline though… I love the red. Or the black. Or the burgundy. I love it.

  13. I LOVE the Madeline in Brandy and the Elizabeth in Camel. It’s a toss up of which one is my favorite! Now that my baby girl is a little over one, I want something that can double as a diaper bag or a purse ;). I also love that they can be worn as backpacks, even better!

  14. I LOVE the Madeline in Brandy and the Elizabeth in Camel. It’s a toss up of which one is my favorite! Now that my baby girl is a little over one, I want something that can double as a diaper bag or a purse ;). I also love that they can be worn as backpacks, even better!

  15. I am loving the Elizabeth bag featured here in camel! Because it can also be a backpack, it’s perfect for babywearing!! 🙂

  16. I was about to buy a diaper bag last week but my friend talked me out of it b/c she thought I would rather have a nice looking bag to use beyond the diaper years for myself then to spend the money on one just for baby. This is the perfect compromise!!!

  17. I have been looking for the prefect diaper bag.. and this to the one. I have gone through probably 6 diaper bags and they just aren’t that great.. to big, ugly, not very organized, can’t fit everything i need, bulky, heavy and the list goes on. SO, this Elizabeth would be the prefect one!! I absolutely love it!!

  18. Swooning over the Elizabeth bag!! In love with it is an understatement. It would be perfect for the littles, and me too! 🙂

  19. Can’t remember if I commented when I entered giveaway so here’s another comment in case :). Madeline in black. No, brandy. No, black….

  20. I would love to win the Elizabeth in camel. The bag is absolutely stunning. I have yet to find a bag that is beautiful and serves it’s purpose as a diaper bag, other than Lily Jade. Thanks for the opportunity! 🙂

  21. I love the Caroline in Brandy! I’ve been dreaming about it for so long! It’s stylish, functional, and user-friendly… What more could a mom want!?!

  22. I have been obsessing over lily-jade since I discovered them about 4 months ago and I would die if I won this !! Such a great giveaway!!!

  23. I would Love to win this on my birthday! I’m also suffering from buyers remorse with my current diaper bag, I have to take everything out to get what on the bottem.

  24. I adore the Elizabeth bag! I have had my eye on it for a while, but can’t seem to get the funds in order to purchase. All their bags are fabulous…. but I love that the Elizabeth zips and has extra front storage for easy access!!! Probably would go with camel color as I don’t see gun metal in stock.

  25. I love the Elizabeth in camel! So classic and “season-less” … And I would never have even thought of a backpack style until I started lugging around my 13 lb baby boy plus a 13 lb diaper bag!! The backpack style would be a life savor without ruining a cute outfit

  26. Finally!!!! The search is over. Literally days away from having my third (and last) baby and I finally find this blog review and the diaper bag I have been searching for FOR 4 years! Love the Elizabeth!!! Great bag; great review! Cannot wait to see it in person with my new lil person! 🙂

  27. I’ve had my eye on the Madeline for months now. Still can’t decide between the brown vs black and every time I see a new review showcasing one or the other, I’m back to square one 🙂

  28. I love the Elizabeth in Camel that Baby Gizmo is “Promo”ing!!! Awesome looking bag for diapering and everyday needs! Fingers Crossed! 🙂

  29. I really like them all, but I really love the Sarah Grace in gold, the blue/teal lining is really in right now! But I really don’t think you could go wrong with any of the bag – all beautiful and all so perfect for the on-the-go mommy!

  30. I love that this bag is more of a purse than a diaper bag. That is so hard to find. I too have searched everywhere looking for a bag that I could wear as a purse yet function as a diaper bag. I really love the baby bag organizer that sets inside, its really an added bonus to the bag!

  31. I would love either the Elizabeth or calin and I would appreciate a bag that could last me we would never in a million years be able to afford those though haha…

  32. The Elizabeth in Camel is perfect for me! It’s big enough I could carry around all my junk that I need for two babes. I love that it’s a handbag or backpack , and it’s BEAUITIFUL.

  33. I love all of the Lily Jade bags! Functional and fashionable for all the cute moms!!! These bags are the only ones I’ve found that are both cute and realistically large enough for a diaper bag. Love love love! Thanks for the great giveaway! 🙂

  34. I love that it is stylish and does not look like a typical baby bag. The Elizabeth camel is my favorite!

  35. I like the backpack option so I would probably choose the Madeline in black or the Elizabeth in camel. Awesome giveaway. Thanks.

  36. I need to have the Elizabeth in Camel. I have no words to how beautiful this bag is. I need to have it. Is exactly what I was looking for. I hope I win this 🙂

  37. I need to have the Elizabeth in Camel. I have no words to how beautiful this bag is. I need to have it. Is exactly what I was looking for. I hope I win this 🙂

  38. I cant believe this is a diaper bag. I am 31 weeks and ive been looking for a diaper bag since I got pregnant. I am so in love with this bag, I have no words. I am usually not a purse girl but I knew I did not wanted to carry a baby bag that will not go with my style. This one is a winner. I am so in love with it, is the perfect diaper bag. The color is perfect and the material looks worth the price. I really cant afford this bag but I will find a way to get it hahaha! I need to have it.

  39. It’s so hard to make a choice! I love them all! I would want Elizabeth in black as my first Lily Jade. <3

  40. My partner woke me up at 6am yesterday to tell me that she’d found the perfect diaper bag – Lily-Jade! I’d love to get her the Madeline in Brandy as a surprise!

  41. I love this multifunctional bag! It would be so awesome to win since I’m always looking for a purse/diaper bag…i will soon be a Mommy of 2 and this would be excellent to have! 😉

  42. I love the Caroline and the Madeline in black. I have been using a diaper bag for 3 years and am still searching for one that not only has all of the fuction that I want but also a bag that I LIKE! I think I have gone thru 8…..Megan

  43. Out of all the bag, Elizabeth has kept my eye!! Definitely need this bag, my original diaper bag is really not up for the challenge of two baby boys :(. Seams are giving out on me after only 3 months … sucks!!! So fingers crossed here :).

  44. I love the Sarah Grace in Gold! So chic! Love them all. It was a difficult decision, but that SG Gold caught my eyes!

  45. My partner woke me up at 6am yesterday to tell me she’d found the perfect diaper bag 🙂 the Madeline in brandy is is what I’d love to win and surprise her!

  46. I am tragically obsessed with bags and since having my baby boy I have been on the search for a hood quality diaper bag…that doesn’t look like a diaper bag. This one looks perfect!!..if I don’t win this raffle I’m going to have to buy myself one!!

  47. I still love the Elizabeth in Camel. The contrast of the camel color and the red pop is fresh and doesn’t feel like a diaper bag at all!

  48. Love!! I would definitely get the same bag in the Camel. It looks like a regular handbag that I would scoop up quickly and I love that I can use it for my munchkin. Fashionable and function!

  49. Would love to win the madeline or elizabeth in red canvas . The elizabeth in camel is also beautiful or the madeline in red, brandy or black . Just had my first boy after having three girls . I have been looking for the perfect baby bag .

  50. I love the look of this bag and in desperate need of rescue from my bottomless pit of a purse/diaper bag. I have three boys aged 4,3, and 9 months who keep my hands full all the time so I would be more than grateful for a perfect piece like this! 🙂

  51. Wow! A stylish diaper bag?!? And it’s so hard to pick just one…The Elizabeth is my pick (although I love them all)!

  52. SO torn! I can’t decide if I’d go Elizabeth or Caroline or Madeline….um, definitely Brandy color and probably Madeline.

    Thanks for the chance!

  53. my girlfriend loves this bag and thinks its totes cute so im commenting this on her behalf and cuz i love her,,,and she mad me…her choice is the elizabeth in camel…id think itd look awesome cuz its two in one.

  54. I would definitely love the “Elizabeth in Camel” bag. I love that it turns into a backpack so you can go hands-free when needed!

  55. I really love the Anna in Black, such a classic yet chic looking bag and I adore purple so the inside calls to me!

  56. Great timing! My diaper bag is about to give up on me, having to put mine and baby’s stuff in it. Love the elizabeth design. Just what I’m looking for!

  57. I’m tempted by the Anna, since that is my name, but I’d have to choose the Elizabeth in camel. So cute and versatile!

  58. I would take any of them. I don’t have a diaper bag at the moment, keep using shopping totes and they look ugly and cheap.

  59. I have an emotional love affair with these bags! But the Elizabeth in Camel stands out the most to me. Great for chasing after and having lots of goodies for my fodder son.

  60. Oh, do I love the red color of the Caroline!!! It’s always so difficult to find a nice leather bag with a gorgeous shade of red, thanks Lily Jade:)

  61. Gasp!!! I have been trying to find something like the Elizabeth for a good year now. I current use a Oioi diaper bag a girlfriend found at VV when I had Diego. It’s a messenger bag style, but I carry my purse separate and hate it. I switch between that and a REI little hiking backpack. Hands free is so nice.

  62. I’d choose the Caroline or the Elizabeth. All the bags are beautiful though, so I don’t think you an really go wrong!

  63. I would love this leather diaper bag in Madeline. It’s versatile & will help with the kids, & with classes I’m taking, & as a handbag.

  64. Elizabeth in camel or Caroline in brandy. They are divine! I’d feel so blessed to carry one of these Lily Jade creations on my arm. =D

  65. The Madeline in Red Canvas 🙂 <3 my gosh love the back pack option, let momma remain hands free to play with her lo.

  66. The Elizabeth in Caramel would be fantastic! I just had my third baby and am tired of toting around the same black bag from my first baby. It would be wonderful to change things up!!

  67. Elizabeth in the camel leather! Looks like a great purse–almost as nice as my current Eddie Bauer backpack diaper bag. (Looks longingly)

  68. The Lily Jade Diaper Bag I’d choose if I won is the Cailin although the Caroline is gorgeous too! I love how versatile they are with the organizer inside and how they look like a regular high quality tote !

  69. My favorite is actually the Elizabeth in Camel because it’s such a rich and timeless color paired perfectly with a beautiful and trendy bag.

  70. Madeline in Brandy and Elizabeth in Camel are my faves. Its like shopping for beautiful handbags, not diaper bags. Amazing!

  71. I absolutely love all the Lily Jade diaper bags. But if I had to choose it would be the Caroline or Madeline in red or even the Elizabeth in camel is splendid also!

  72. They are all so pretty but I love the Elizabeth in Camel! Your pictures make it look like such a great piece to own!

  73. I love the Elizabeth, the Madeline and the Caroline…it would be hard to choose just one!!! The inner baby bag is amazing too! I want to buy one for my current tote that I use!

  74. The Elizabeth in camel is gorgeous! My daughter is pregnant with #3 and how I would love to gift her this wonderful bag! Thanks so much for the opportunity! A loving mommy/grandma – Bari.

  75. Elizabeth in camel is my fave! Love that you can use it 3 different ways. Regular diaper bags can’t do that. It’s perfect for all you baby’s essentials. So in love with the bag and you can’t even tell it’s a diaper bag, big plus. I would love to win this stylish and cute diaper bag!

  76. I am in love with these bags! I love the style and as a mom of 3 I love the function! Plus the organizer is amazing. I may not be able to afford one but I really appreciate the opportunity to try and win one!

  77. The Sarah Grace looks cute for summer time, but the Elizabeth in Camel you have featured would look great all year round! I love a diaper bag that does not look like a diaper bag. One I could use later for years to come : )

  78. I am in love with Lily Jade diaper bags and would love to have the Madeline or Caroline for my first baby – a girl – coming this September!

  79. I would LOVE the Elizabeth to help me organize all of my first little girl’s essentials…. due in 4 weeks!

  80. I love Elizabeth in camel. It’s totes cute!! Very stylish and looks nothing like a diaper bag. I would so love to win.

  81. I just recently stumbled upon Lily Jade, and I am in love. I am a mother of two and a full time teacher, so this would be my go to bag. They are all gorgeous!!!

  82. I just discovered Lily Jade and would love to win. I am a mother of two and a full time teacher who is always on the go so this would be my go to bag.

  83. I’ve been swooning over the elizabeth bag since I found it! Just saving to buy one but I would absolutely love winning one!!!

  84. I love this bag ! Being a younger more with two kids in toe ; this would make life easier. We live in the Portland NW so for our active lifestlyes this would be perfect .

  85. Ah! I love them all! Not sure if I would choose this one (the Elizabeth) or go with the Caroline which is the bag that made me fall in love with these!

  86. LOVE that you can use it as a backpack too! I do a lot of baby wearing and backpacks are key for me but I hate looking like I’m going to high school by using a traditional backpack… So definitely the Elizabeth in either camel or canvas for me!!!

  87. Omg love this bag!!! I am in my third diaper bag and just can’t seem to find the one I love!!! I have done petunia pickle to just regular back pack
    :(…this looks like it could be the one !!!!

  88. Love, LOVE the Elizabeth in camel and the Anna in gunmetal. I would definitely choose the Elizabeth though – swoon.

  89. I am in love with the leather Elizabeth. I’m going back to school and a bag that I can take the baby stuff out and put my notebooks in? Sold.

  90. This looks amazing! I’m at the point where I’m looking for a bag that will eventually become a mega purse vs diaper bag.

  91. I have never had a “real” baby bag – Elizabeth or the lovely Sarah Grace might be the ones to break that (overstuffed) chain!

  92. I love the Elizabeth in Camel– I have the Madeline in Red and adore the Caroline in black– That red interior is gor-geous! But if I could choose one right now– The Elizabeth in Camel is so enticing!

  93. I love them all! I am torn between the Elizabeth in Camel and the Caroline in Brandy. I love having one without a zip top because it is easier to get things out. That being said, with two boys, my diaper bag gets knocked over so being able to zip does keep things from spilling out. Long term I think the Caroline is my fav.

  94. I LOVE them all! But my fav one is the Elizabeth in camel! All the needs of my 4lil ones would definitely fit there!!

  95. I love the Elizabeth in Camel and the Caroline in Brandy…. this would be such a hard choice to make. All the Lily Jade bags are beautiful and I’d love to be able to carry any of them around with my littles!

  96. I just found out that I am pregnant. I know all of the products that I want to get already. Thanks to Baby Gizmo I fell in love with Uppa Baby Vista. I just enjoy watching all of your reviews. So I really hope that I can win this gorgeous bag.

  97. These are the ones that I’m having a hard time choosing between.
    But I think if I were to win I might have to pick the Elizabeth in Camel.

  98. I’ve been looking into buying one of these bags and the only reason I haven’t yet is that I can’t decide which one I like the best!!

  99. Ah! I’d choose the Madeline. Or the Elizabeth. Or maybe the purple one… there are too many options!!! But seriously, I’d probably start with the Madeline.

  100. I would choose the Elizabeth in camel….just like the picture! I think you did a great job in promoting that bag and color as I just LOVE the outfit your model has on. The bag goes perfect. I also love the backpack option!

  101. The elizabeth in camel is fabulous for fall.. love that it completely closes and has lots pockets for binkies and toys..

  102. I’m usually not a diaper bag kinda girl (usually just throw the kids and baby stuff in my purse which is a disaster) but I love this!!! The Elizabeth in camel is gorgeous!!! Crossing fingers and toes!!!

  103. I would have to choose the Lily Jade bag Elizabeth in Camel!! I just love the look of this bag + the color. I already have too many black bags – I am dying for this one!!

  104. I would have a hard time choosing but I’d like to be “forced” to do so… right now the Elizabeth is my fav… mainly because of the pockets and neutral color.

  105. I am patiently waiting to win one of these bags….I LOVE the Elizabeth bag. It would be so handy for me since I have 3 little boys. Love the backpack option and the whole organization of the bag itself….PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pick me !!!!!

  106. Oh my goodness I’ve been drooling over these for months thinking wouldn’t it be so nice to have something better for this 3rd baby than those other typical diaper bags. I’m so in love with Elizabeth and Cailin.

  107. I am IN LOVE with Lily Jade Bag. Chic. Timeless. Beautiful. Classy. Functional. Who can say that about a diaper bag? Now that baby number two is on the way, I hope to get one of these amazing bags to help me out.

  108. I fell in love with the Lily Jade bags when I stumbled across their site recently! Every bag is beautiful! Winning one would be super awesome! Thanks for the chance to win! Yay 🙂

  109. I’ve had my eyes on the Cailin in purple. I love the braided leather accents! The Elizabeth in Camel makes such a statement though! We just found out 4 days ago that we will be welcoming a second little early next year! I’d love to have a new bag (that’s actually functional) when he/she arrives! I love the baby bag, and it’s ability to be removed if you drop your little off for a short stay with grandma and grandpa! You can still have your “purse” with you!

  110. I love how it doesn’t look like a traditional diaper bag! Being a mom of 3, I’ve done the traditional diaper bag thing. I would be happy to win any of these and get a beautiful ‘mommy’ bag!

  111. Love these bags! Toss up between the Elizabeth and Cailin but the Elizabeth seems to have more pockets which I always need

  112. These are such beautiful diaper bags! I love the functionality of the Elizabeth. We are expecting our first little one in September, and a Lily Jade diaper bag is at the top of my wish list.

  113. I have a three and a two year old boy but I am also 3 weeks away from giving birth to an Elizabeth. I’m thinking a camel Elizabeth would help this mommy out. I’m already carrying double outfits for potty trainers and soon will be adding everything needed for a newborn.

  114. Would love the Elizabeth in Camel!!!! Pregnant with my 4th and never have I seen such a stylish and practical bag.

  115. I have been eyeing these bags for so long. I can’t wait for Baby #2 to justify the purchase if I don’t win. I’m torn between the Caroline in Brandy and the Elizabeth in Camel. All of the bags are so gorgeous.

  116. Wow this bag is beautiful, I love how it converts into a backpack too! Incredibly clever!
    I hope I can get one for my second baby.

  117. I would love to win this bag! I’m so over bulky and ugly diaper bags, this can be used to a diaper bag and a mommy bag too!

  118. I would love one of these purses especially the ones with backpack option would make my days easier with two kids. My favorite is the black Madeline but the camel Elizabeth looks nice too.

  119. The Elizabeth in camel is my favorite! However, the Caroline in brandy is a close second. Love the backpack options they both have!

  120. These diaper bags seem a awesome. I’m in need of a new one because I really used up the one I got for my first child. I would definitely choose the Elizabeth in camel hands down.

  121. All the bag are just so lovely it is hard to choice just one. I think my favorite is the Elizabeth in camel color.

  122. I totally love the Elizabeth leather bag. Wow who would have guessed that was a diaper bag. Easy to go Lily Jade!

  123. Love the Madeline (and several others!) I like the ones with pockets on the outside so I can find keys and phone quickly. Amazing bags!

  124. Beautiful bag! Love how versatile it is. The interior organizer is awesome! I would choose the Elizabeth in the Camel color.

  125. I love the Elizabeth in Camel! Love that they actually come in leather – so tired of the plastic looking leather that all other bags come in. I searched for MONTHS and couldn’t find anything like this – something I could use after my daughter outgrows the need for my giant diaper bag 🙂

  126. I prefer diaper bags that look like purses, so all of the bags there look great, and my favorite is the Sarah Grace Gold. The blue accents are such a fun detail!

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.


text:
March Flashes

This month’s parameters were:

Length: 10 sentences

Genre: Horror

Key words: stir and wind

Entry 1

Title: The Reflection

She looks in the mirror as she does every night before she goes to bed. And every night she sees the vision.
A bushfire–roaring, burning all in sight. Bright red flames, leaping through the tree tops.
The wind howling, causing the embers to stir and pushing the fire onwards.
A family inside the farmhouse– engulfed by thick suffocating smoke. The firestorm approaching.
A rabbit sits in the yard–its flesh raw, its eyes red and fearful.
It squeals in terror–trapped.
She does not understand, but she cannot stop herself from looking.

Entry 2

Title: Child’s Play

The house was dirt cheap. It was a pretty cottage, with grey and pink roof tiles and small, heart shaped windows. Like a child’s dollhouse almost. His daughter ran ahead on the curving gravel path and disappeared into the unruly orchard beyond. The locals had told him of an ancient, tiny grave, lacy with lichen in a corner of the orchard. It had been there beyond living memory, melting gently into the earth. Walking slowly he heard his daughters voice close by, muted, giggling. He called her name but ‘not now Daddy, I’m playing with my friend!’. Sudden ice filled his heart as beneath his feet he felt the grass stir and dance, as if touched by a gust of wind. Except on this warm and lovely day, the air was perfectly still.

Entry 3

Title: Rosemary

When the lover of her dreams came into her life, Rosemary could not believe her good fortune.
Within a short while Anders had wooed her and brought her to his divine home tucked in the hills.
He was attentive and pampering; preparing baths of scented water and sweet smelling oils, massaging her all over until she purred with love and contentment.
Anders was a fine entertainer; a superb cook with a flare for the exotic.
Rosemary met his friends at their progressive dinner parties where they expressed their admiration for her, telling her how beautiful she was and complimenting Anders on his good fortune, until Rosemary would blush with a stir of discomfort.
She smiled as she watched them boyishly compete for the culinary prize of the month, comparing the food and flavours each produced.
Anders had been so much in charge of the pantry that Rosemary had left him to do what he did best.
‘Tonight, with your help, I’ll make a gourmet meal to die for,’ he whispered as his own cooking night neared, encouraging her to finish the last drops from the bottle of the finest French cognac, before leading her for the first time to the basement where he began to wind tendrils of nasturtiums into her hair.
Rosemary swayed, staring overawed at a large vat of aromatic chicken fat, sage and bouquet-garni simmering on a low hot plate.
Anders gently lifted her in his arms, and as the broth lapped around her head and body he quietly said, ‘All this meal needs for perfection is Rosemary.’

Entry 4

Title: Ms

The wind raged against the walls of the corrugated iron shed. I could not sleep like my companion. I stared into the darkness. Lightning flashes showed a heavy coil of rope in the corner of the hut appear to stir.It uncoiled as if from an Indian snake-charmer’s basket, rose, and weaved towards me. It brushed against my head, moving my hair. I became paralysed with fear. It plunged,wrapped around my husband’s neck.It silently squeezed all life from him. The police found me by his body the next day. They are not convinced by this account.

Entry 5

Title: The Burn

Anna lived in the two-story sandstone at the end of Crescent Court and she had the perfect life. Most days Sadie would see her blue BMW arrive home after school and on fine days the top would be down and Anna’s blonde hair would be waving behind her in the summer wind. Sadie closed her notebook where she meticulously recorded these comings and goings of her beautiful neighbour and sighed contentedly as she congratulated herself for coming this far.

Sadie knew that on a school night Anna would be in her room, on the phone or laptop, until sometime between 11.10 p.m. to 12 midnight before her room would completely close in darkness. She figured that Anna would then be in a deep sleep and wouldn’t stir within two hours following, and this is when she would take the keys to Anna’s house from her mother’s handbag and quietly enter the side door near the stairs that wind up to Anna’s room.

Of course Anna’s parents trusted Sadie’s mum with the keys to the ‘sandstone’ since she’d been cleaning their house and ironing their clothes (while Anna’s mum played tennis) for the past 10 years. It disgusted Sadie to think how her family was made to serve the likes of Anna Wellspring.

Sadie again pulled her backpack out from under her bed even though she’d checked it numerous times throughout the day. The brown bottle of acid sat neatly in the bottom of the bag.

Tomorrow Sadie would never need to be ashamed to be the cleaning lady’s daughter again, after all, she wouldn’t be the one with her face melted and her hair destroyed.

Entry 6

Title: A Bad Dream

1/He looked in horror at the mess before him.
2/He had never seen so much blood.
3/He had never thought that you could bleed so much from what was essentially more bone than skin or flesh and bones don’t bleed.
4/ It wasn’t just blood, there was yellow and white stuff oozing from the hole in the skull.
5/He looked at the cricket bat in his hand,thick with accretions of bone and red and white pulp. 6/He was angry and he had hit her, but surely not so hard as to kill her.
7/He dropped the bat and went back to bed, falling into a deep sleep immediately this time free of the nightmare.
8/Thank God the sleeping tablets were delivering peaceful rest now
9/In the morning, It was the screaming that woke him.
10/ His dream came immediately to mind and it was with a feeling of dread he stumbled from his room to his mothers’ to discover the reality of the night before.

Entry 7

Title: Monster Man

They told me about a monster who lived in a man. A man who’d stir each night to sing of a circus. They said don’t go near him whatever you do, so we all stayed away from that monster.

The years went on, and he stayed in that house, where we had pointed him out and screamed. Nobody came to it, nobody left, and a good thing too I think!

My friends moved away and I followed too. We could not get stuck in that town.

On my wedding day I returned, not a boy but a man. The monster, I knew he had died so I visited that poor old house, but there was his chair and his cigar box to boot and I heard something sad on the wind, an old slow song about a circus long back.

He had no friends visit on his funeral day, my mother had said, and my guess is we scared them away.

Entry 8

Title: A Dream Life

1 Jesse looked in horror at the bloody mess before him.
2/ There was a body and yellow and white stuff, stirred with blood, oozed from the side of the skull that lay turned to one side on the black and white tiles of the bathroom floor.
3/ He wondered what was worse, to not sleep or to have such vivid and disturbing dreams that he felt he was in fact, awake.
4/ He was in torture but Dr. Malvin’s re-assuring voice came to him, a voice that said, dreams, no matter how vivid, cannot hurt you.
5/ “It’s just a dreadful nightmare,” Jesse told himself and went back to bed with a glass of water and more of the Doctor’s pills.
6/ He pulled the blanket over his head to block out the howling sound of the wind that seemed to be right inside his head.
7 And then oblivion, a deep sleep from which he awoke to find himself in a small, bare room with a toilet bowl in one corner.
8/ He screamed and immediately the door was flung wide and two men rushed at him flinging him to the bed and strapping him down.
9/ “ I want to sleep,” Jesse wailed, writhing beneath his bonds.
10/ “You’ve had enough sleep for a lifetime, mate”, said one of the men, “and your nightmare has not even begun.”

2 thoughts on “March Flashes

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Logo

You are commenting using your account. Log Out /  Change )

Google+ photo

You are commenting using your Google+ account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s


text:
, , , , ,

A Republican can love a Democrat but lock up the knives during election years.

Father’s Day Memories–[Excerpt from Life Begins When The Kids Leave Home And The Dog Dies]

Once upon a time (actually, it was February 23, 1952), a lovely girl named Genevieve married a handsome guy named Bob, even though he was a Republican. Despite epic spoon-flinging election year ‘discussions’ and a profound aversion to hugging, the next six decades produced ten children, nine sons-and-daughters-in law, twenty-nine grandchildren (plus assorted partners), and three great-grandchildren, plus deeply affected the lives of many more.

Growing up on the south side of Chicago as one of eleven children, Bob absorbed several critical life lessons.

  • The Notre Dame fight song is an appropriate soundtrack for every important life event.
  • Mayors are named Daley, cities are run by machines, and clout means… well if you have to ask, you don’t have it.
  • Also, carry jumper cables. Always.

Let me tell you about my amazing ten children. (You might want to take a seat…)

After a few detours for service in the Army Air Force during World War II, followed by an engineering degree (Notre Dame, of course), Bob and Gen moved to California, where he continued to pass along life lessons to his growing family.

  • Politics? A Republican can love a Democrat but lock up the knives during election years.
  • Multi-tasking? If there was a California mission within a hundred miles, Bob would stop, deal out head-scarves to his eight daughters (or, if the scarves ran out, a spare kleenex and a bobby pin), and 45-minutes later he was stacking scarves and ticking the ‘done‘ box on his top three priorities—family, religion, and education.
  • Travel? From Big Basin redwoods and Santa Cruz beaches to cross-country expeditions, Bob drove all curves at top speed, often while using both hands to refill his pipe or light his cigar. Actually, his mountain driving inspired more fervent religious experiences for his passengers than every mission in California combined.
  • Strangers? Bob never met one. He knew that everyone from colleagues to toll booth attendants would want to hear about his ten kids. In detail.
  • Success? Bob collected the trophies of his victory over forty-plus years of tuition payments in his proudest possession, the display cabinet containing the mugs from all ten kids’ universities.

    Trophy case

But the most important life lesson he taught us was love. Love doesn’t require hugs or kisses or even words. Sometimes love is the old cars you keep repairing, the toilets you keep unplugging, the tuition bills you keep paying, the vacations and new cars you keep putting off. It’s making and sharing the perfect Tom Collins with your wife and anyone else who happens by at the end of the day. It’s those tears you shed (proudly) at each of your children’s weddings. And it’s walking your guests to their car at the end of their visit, and then standing and waving until they are out of sight.

Bob, we were honored and so grateful to be the ones waving you out of of sight when you left to join Gen. No hugging.