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

text:
Published Mar 24. 2017 - 1 year ago
Updated or edited Mar 25. 2017

Using Denier to Standardize Fly Tying Thread

It makes sense to have a standardization, which would eliminate much of the confusion that surrounds fly tying thread today.

This article was written in 2006/7, and is published here as a part of Chris Helm's thread articles.
Some of the issues discussed here, spawned the article Fly Tying Thread Blues, and are covered in depth and with newer information in that article.
Measuring thread
Measuring thread
Martin Joergensen

In the summer 2004 issue of Fly Tyer, author Lyle Morgan addressed the question of whether standardizing thread size would help tiers become more effective in producing beautiful and effective flies. It certainly makes sense to have standardization which would eliminate much of the confusion that surrounds fly tying thread today. Based on the fly tier web poll conducted in the same issue as Lyle’s article, voters overwhelmingly agreed ( 252 to 32) that thread should be standardized. The process has begun and over the next few years you will begin to see the denier (pronounced DEN-yer) number listed on most of the spools of the major thread distributors. The denier system of count or weight for silk was introduced in France in 1535. The term is derived for "denarius", a coin from Caesar’s times against which lengths of silk were balanced or weighed.

Manufacturers say

Tom Schmuecker of WAPSI started the denier information process by introducing WAPSI UTC 70 and 140 denier thread in 1998, followed later by 210 and 280 denier nylon thread. His purpose in using the denier number rather than the "aught" rating was to try and subtly suggest that this system was more beneficial to the tier than the "aught" system that had existed for more than seventy years. Denier is also a recognized and accepted standard of measurement among thread manufacturers and the garment industry.

The late Jean-Guy Cote’ of UNI-Products was already putting the denier on a number of his products. He stated, however, " I won’t put the denier on the 8/0 thread until I am sure that all of the other distributors are using the same measurement system to identify the denier of their thread". The successor management is continuing to use the denier rating and I am confident that he will eventually put the denier on the 8/0 spools. Uni already identifies the denier of all their products in a chart which is available to anyone.

Paul Black of Gudebrod stated, "I have already started to put the denier number on the labels of our thread since we do all of our printing in house". Of course, this process may take a year or more to complete given the number of thread sizes (7) and the multitude of colors. These new labels will begin to show up in fly shops gradually as the proprietors order new stock. ( Editors note: In November 2006 Gudebrod discontinued the manufacture and distribution of all fly tying threads. However, good supplies remain with many dealers)

Danville manager, Dan Bezanson, stated, "wherever possible, Danville will include the denier on the spool label." A few labels may not contain the denier due to unavailable space. Danville recently introduced a 140 denier thread that does not have an "aught" designation.

Giorgio Benecchi Products, of Modena, Italy, does not have labels on their spools. However, they do provide this information freely to shops or distributors. In my own shop, I use a rubber stamp to put the denier as well as the "aught" rating on each spool of Benecchi thread.

A little bit of history

Historically the "aught" system began in the late 1930’s . Dan Bezanson said, "Based on the information that has been handed down in the company, Danville Chenille implemented the "aught" system to help standardize fly tying thread. This was based on a system where the number 0 or "aught" was the base point and as the thread became smaller additional zeros were added indicating that the thread was finer. As an example, a thread with six zeros (000000) translated to a 6/0 thread. As other thread distributors came into the market place after the early 1960’s , they followed the same system which was assigning a standard that does not necessarily provide as accurate a measurement for the fly tier as denier.

As more thread distributors and brands became available, the accuracy of the "aught " became muddied.
The aught system has caused much confusion with tyers for many years thus prompting the initiation of the use of denier by WAPSI FLY

When only one distributor existed making some sense of the system wasn’t difficult. Now there are at least seven distributors of thread in what has become a very competitive market. It occurred to me in the mid 1990’s that some of the aught numbers being assigned to some thread was a matter of trying to gain a competitive edge rather than providing accuracy for the fly tying customer. That is precisely what generated the article I coauthored with Bill Merg in the summer 1996 issue of Fly Tyer entitled "Testing the Ties That Bind" The focus of this article was on a number of aspects of thread but emphasized breaking strength and thickness.

Denier is defined as the weight in grams of 9000 meters of nylon, polyester, rayon thread, etc. There is a correlation between denier and breaking strength of nylon and polyester thread. The smaller the denier number the lower pound/ounce breaking strength of the thread. At the present time, about the smallest denier nylon or polyester for fly tying thread is 40, which would be used for tying midges. The one exception to this denier vs. breaking strength rule is that gel spun polyethylene thread is two to three times stronger than nylon or polyester thread of the same denier.

Denier is only one factor the tier should take into consideration when selecting a thread. The type of material of which the thread is constructed should be considered, whether the thread is a continuous filament, simple twist, bonded, or a rope type. Nylon has about 25% stretch, polyester around 15% stretch, and gel spun only 3% stretch. The type of material being used on the fly as well as the appearance desired also has to be considered. It is important to experiment with all of the various threads available to gain a complete understanding of the pros and cons of each.

Bill Merg conducted the tests on 15 threads that have become available in the past several years.
All of the other data listed in the chart (see next two pages) is from the 1996 test results. He used the same methodology in testing the various new threads that have become available in the past few years as the tests conducted for the thread listed in the 1996 article entitled "Testing the Ties That Bind" that is mentioned above. On all of the tests conducted in 1995, the various brands showed remarkable consistency in thickness throughout the spool. That was not the case in a number of the threads recently entering the marketplace. Those that showed slight variation in thickness included: (variation shown) WAPSI 210 (.008), WAPSI 280 (.005), Danville 140 (.006), Roman Moser Power Silk 6/0 (.0012). Keep in mind that one spool was randomly selected and used for these tests.

Another thread article by Ed Engle in the Spring 2000 issue of Fly Tyer entitled "Hanging by a Thread" compares twelve different threads for tying small flies. Then he rates the threads in a manner similar to how Consumer Reports evaluates products. This same article appears in Ed’s book Tying Small Flies. Ed describes the qualities of twelve threads and discusses the characteristics of each.

Darrel Martin wrote an excellent article on thread in the March/April 2000 of Fly Rod and Reel entitled "A Thread of An Idea". He discusses silk thread and its history along with numerous facts about thread sizing, characteristics of the each material used in thread. He also comments on thread pressure applied when tying and characteristics of waxed thread.

Matching the thread to the size of the fly and the material being used is extremely important in achieving both functional and aesthetically pleasing flies. The more a tier understands about all the materials used in tying the fly the more efficient and effective fly tier he or she will become.

Editor's note.: Data from this table and many other sources was compiled into this larger and updated Fly Tying Thread Table

Thread Brand Aught Size Material Denier Breaking Strength Thickness (.000)
UNI Caenis N/A mono 20 3 ozs. 1.7
Gudebrod * 10/0 polyester 45 9 ozs. 1.0
UNI 17/0 nylon 40 5 ozs. 2.0
Danville Spiderweb N/A mono 30 5 ozs. 2.0
Roman Moser Power Silk 8/0 gel spun 55 2 lbs. 6 ozs. 1.3
WAPSI 50 GSP N/A gel spun 50 2 lbs. 5 ozs 0.8
UNI Cord 12/0 gel spun 50 2 lbs. 7 ozs. 0.9
Benecchi Ultra Strong N/A gel spun 50 2 lbs. 6 ozs. 1.3
Benecchi Ghost N/A mono 60 11 ozs. 3.0
Gudebrod * 10/0 mono 50 2 lbs. 11 ozs. 6.0
Gudebrod * 8/0 polyester 67 15 ozs. 1.8
Benecchi 12/0 polyester 70 15 ozs. 1.9
Gordon Griffith Shear 14/0 polyester 72 10 ozs. 1.8
Gudebrod * GX1 gel spun 70 7 lbs. 1 oz. 1.1
Danville 6/0 nylon 70 11 ozs. 1.5
UNI 8/0 polyester 72 15 ozs. 2.0
WAPSI UTC 70 N/A nylon 70 13 ozs 1.1
Gordon Griffith Wisp 8/0 polyester 108 15 ozs. 2.2
Gudebrod * 6/0 polyester 143 1 lb. 15 ozs. 2.3
Benecchi 10/0 polyester 120 1 lb. 6 ozs. 2.0
Danville Monocord 3/0 nylon 116 1 lb. 10 ozs. 2.6
Uni 6/0 nylon 135 1 lb. 13 ozs. 2.9
Wapsi UTC 140 N/A nylon 140 2 lbs. 12 ozs. 1.6
UNI Cord 7/0 gel spun 100 5 lbs. 9 ozs. 1.4
Wapsi GSP 100 N/A gel spun 100 6 lbs. 15 ozs. 1.2
Gordon Griffith Cobweb 2 N/A polyester 134 4 lbs. 3 ozs. 4.1
Gudebrod GX2* N/A gel spun 130 6 lbs. 8 ozs. 2.0
Roman Moser Power Silk 6/0 gel spun 110 4 lbs. 8 ozs. 1.3
Gudebrod * 6/0 mono 143 2 lbs. 11 ozs. 6.0
Danville Flat-Waxed Nylon N/A nylon 210 2 lbs. 14 ozs. 2.0
Danville Fly-Master Plus N/A nylon 210 3 lbs. 2.8
Uni 210 N/A nylon 210 3 lbs. 3 ozs. 2.0
Gudebrod * 3/0 polyester 176 2 lbs. 6 ozs. 4.0
WAPSI UTC 210 N/A nylon 210 3 lbs. 5 ozs. 3.2
Gudebrod G * N/A mono 210 3 lbs. 7 ozs. 7.0
Gudebrod G * N/A polyester 330 3 lbs. 11 ozs. 3.5
UNI Big Fly Thread N/A nylon 440 5 lbs. 4 ozs. 3.5
WAPSI UTC 280 N/A nylon 280 3 lbs. 14 ozs. 2.7

* No longer produced

Log in or register to pre-fill name on comments, add videos, user pictures and more.
Read more about why you should register.


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/html

WARC-Type: response

text:
February 11, 2018 11:10 pm
Updated: February 12, 2018 12:36 pm

Canada’s first gold: Virtue, Moir reinforce top spot in team figure skating

WATCH ABOVE: Canada captures first gold medal in team figure skating event. Jeff Semple reports.

Canada has won its first gold medal of the Pyeongchang Olympics.

Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., clinched the top spot in the team figure skating competition after finishing third in the women’s free skate on Monday, before teammates Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir won the ice dance segment of the event.

READ MORE: Winter Olympics 2018: medal count results

Daleman’s 137.14-point performance added eight points to Canada’s cumulative score, bringing it up to 63. Daleman’s performance clinched gold because neither the Olympic Athletes from Russia or the Americans could catch the Canadians once Virtue and Moir began their free dance.

Figure Skating – Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics – Team Event Women’s Single Skating Free Skating competition final – Gangneung Ice Arena – Gangneung, South Korea – February 12, 2018 – Gabrielle Daleman of Canada competes. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

Story continues below

“Of course I was nervous, I didn’t want to let my team down. I just skated with all my heart and just was in the moment completely,” said Daleman. “I have such an incredible, strong team. Not only are we strong as individuals and as a team, but also as a country, and I really am glad with what we’ve done, and we stepped up and made Canada proud this week.”

Virtue and Moir added to Canada’s victory, taking the top spot in the free dance with a 118.10-point performance. That brought the Canadians final score up to 73, well ahead of the Russians (66) and the U.S. (62).

WATCH: Skating is her savior: Skater Gabrielle Daleman on her journey to the Olympics

The Canadians won silver when the team event made its Olympic debut in 2014 in Sochi, and have had their sights set on gold ever since.

Four years later, Canada arrived in South Korea as the world’s No. 1-ranked team, and is the only country balanced across all four disciplines. Virtue, Moir, Patrick Chan and pairs skaters Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford are all competing in their final Olympics and were determined to go out on a golden high.

Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue of Canada celebrate with teammates after their score was posted in the ice dance free dance figure skating team event in the Gangneung Ice Arena at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, Monday, Feb. 12, 2018. Canada won the gold medal for the team event.

(AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

“At the end of the day, a medal’s a medal and I’m going to hold this medal tight to me and it’s going to be as good as the individual event,” said Chan, whose performance earlier in the day set up the gold medal. “I’m sorry, that’s how I’m going to see it, that’s how I’m going to enjoy it, and that’s for me to decide.”

The three-time world champion placed first with a score of 179.75 in the men’s free program, keeping the veteran Canadian team in first place before Daleman’s performance.

Patrick Chan of Canada competes. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Skating to Jeff Buckley’s haunting “Hallelujah,” the 27-year-old from Toronto opened with two huge quadruple toe loops, his two mistakes coming on his triple Axels – he popped one and fell on the other.

“I hadn’t been that nervous in awhile,” Chan said through a grin. “I did the best I could and left no rock unturned.

“Looking back to last summer when I was struggling, and after Skate Canada (in October, where he missed the podium for the first time in eight years), of getting the national title and then making the team, and then doing the team event seemed so daunting, and so far away. And now I’m standing here after all of that. I survived, and I get to enjoy possibly a gold medal.”

Canada took a six-point lead over the Russians into the third and final day of competition, while the Americans were third.

Duhamel and Radford skated pairs for Canada, while Kaetlyn Osmond was Canada’s entry in the women’s short dance (teams can make up to two substitutions).

Canada hasn’t won an Olympic figure skating gold since Virtue and Moir climbed to the top stop of the podium in 2010 in Vancouver.

Similar to golf’s Ryder Cup, the team event sees the world’s top 10 countries compete in short and long programs in all four disciplines, but rather than tally up the judges’ scores for each event, they’re given points according to ranking – 10 points for a first-place performance, and so on, down to a point.

The bottom five countries were eliminated after the short programs.

© 2018 The Canadian Press

Report an error

Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.

Global News

warcinfo:
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2018-34
publisher: Common Crawl
description: Wide crawl of the web for August 2018
operator: Common Crawl Admin (info@commoncrawl.org)
hostname: ip-10-165-88-201.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:
Default avatar

I treated myself today for lunch at the Good Life Eatery cafe in London. The food was so delicious. It's a little gem. I had a jacket sweet potato with smashed avocado topped with minced walnut and chipotle cashew cream and served with a mixed green salad. It was melting in the mouth and the topping added a nice crunch. Will definitely go again, although it was very busy.
Do you know any other good places in London?

5 comments,0 shares,12 likes
Default avatar
over 2 years

Thanks glow girls, will add theses new addresses to my little glow black book

3a7c624c c8e8 4b55 b91c 090960daafa8
over 2 years

The Mae deli run by Ella Woodard

119597b4 b7f7 4127 acfb d0b16bb98d04
Madeleine Shaw
over 2 years

Love good life eatery!! Xx

8c4cbcb3 e98e 442f 9abc ba2b9483b90d
over 2 years

You should try The Detox Cafe on Kingly Street! It's amazing! The smoothies are incredible. Oh and Ethos on Eastcastle Street for vegetarian and vegan buffet food xxx

58770a39 df1d 4c99 8a57 b39f1c7a4df0
over 2 years

Wow! Looks absolutely delicious xx


text:
Daily WebLogs

Email, Print, Share. CLICK HERE.

Advanced Study: The Mongol Empire in Prophecy

Apr 25, 2016

Last night the four angels who are assigned to keep me in line showed up and gave me an advanced course on prophecy, taking me down the prophetic “rabbit hole” further than I had been in the past. So if you thought the last few weblogs were pretty deep with all the history, take a deep breath and try to relax while I unload on you a bit more than I had planned.

I have already shown how the rise of Islam brought judgment to the church, but also how the Mongol invasion and conquest of Baghdad interrupted Islam’s expansion. I also showed how the eighteenth Jubilee cycle of the church (866-915 A.D.) correlated prophetically to the eighteenth year of the reign of King Saul when he was disqualified over his conduct in the Amalekite war.

The insight I received last night took this understanding to a new level, as I was shown through the revelation of timing what prophetic role the Mongols played by conquering Baghdad.

Saul’s Eighteenth Year

First, some biblical background is in order, so you know the steps by which the angels led me to the timing of the fall of Baghdad.

Solomon laid the foundation of his temple in the 480th year from the Exodus (1 Kings 6:1). He finished the temple itself in seven years (year 487 from the Exodus), and then it took an unknown number of years to complete the construction of the temple vessels before the glory of God filled the temple. I believe the glory came down 490 years after the Exodus.

If the fourth year of Solomon was also the 480th year from the Exodus, then Solomon’s first year was 476-477. Forty years earlier, David had become king (436-437). Saul reigned 22 years after his disqualification, so he was disqualified 414-415 years after the Exodus. We note here that 414 is the number indicating Cursed Time, as I explained in my book, Secrets of Time.

The Amalekites attacked Israel shortly after the Exodus from Egypt, because this attack occurred before Israel arrived at Mount Sinai (Exodus 17). Hence, in our study of timing, we can equate the year of the Exodus with the year that God commissioned Saul to bring judgment upon the Amalekites. God had vowed to wage “war against Amalek from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:16), and told Moses to not forget this; but then God seemed to forget it for centuries.

But God had not really forgotten. He was simply full of grace. Cursed Time is a grace period that gives men and nations opportunity to repent. In the case of national curses, this grace period lasts 414 years or multiples of 414 years. In the case of Amalek, God gave them 414 years of grace before executing divine judgment upon them for their attack upon Israel (1 Samuel 15:1, 2, 3).

At the same time, God was also dealing with Saul, who was a rebellious Pentecostal king. Not only was Saul crowned on Pentecost (“the day of wheat harvest,” 1 Samuel 12:17), but he was also filled with the Spirit and even prophesied (1 Samuel 10:10). This makes him the main Old Testament prophetic type of the church.

When Saul was disqualified, Samuel mourned for him (1 Samuel 16:1) until God told him to go to Bethlehem to find another king to anoint. He found David, son of Jesse, and when he anointed David, “the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord terrorized him” (1 Samuel 16:14). This prophesies of the church in the Age of Pentecost (i.e., 40 Jubilee cycles of church history) leading up to the Age of Tabernacles and the reign of “David.” This was how the Roman church, as well as the Protestant churches and all that pertains to Pentecost, were disqualified legally from reigning in the Tabernacles Age to come. It does not mean that we ought to forsake or renounce Pentecost—or Passover, for that matter. It simply means that our Passover and Pentecost experience is insufficient, due to the corruption of human nature. We must go beyond the first two feasts, following the pattern of David.

David’s Preparation and Early Life

Saul died after reigning forty years (Acts 13:21), and David took the throne at the age of thirty (2 Samuel 5:4). This means Saul had reigned ten years before David was even born. It also means that David was just eight years old when Saul was disqualified and when David was anointed for the first time.

This explains why David was not with his brothers when the Israelite army was confronted by Goliath some time later (1 Samuel 17:17, 18). The lawful military age was twenty. David was somewhere between ten and twenty years old when he killed Goliath. More specifically, David was eighteen when he fled from Saul, even as Joseph was eighteen when he arrived in Egypt to be trained by the Lord through slavery. Eighteen is the biblical number of oppression or bondage. It seems that tests and trials like this occurred to biblical characters when they were eighteen, or, in the case of kings, their eighteenth year. Not only Saul, but David himself was run off his throne by Absalom in the eighteenth year of his reign.

So we can say with reasonable certainty that David killed Goliath between the age of ten and the age of eighteen. Yet it is unlikely that David was under 14, for that seems too young. After killing Goliath, David was immediately brought to Saul’s house (1 Samuel 18:2), and as they returned, the women sang “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands” (1 Samuel 18:7). Saul was angry, and “the next day” an evil spirit caused him to prophesy (1 Samuel 18:10 KJV) and to try to kill David with a javelin!

David escaped, but Saul then became afraid of him and “removed him from his presence and appointed him as commander of a thousand” (1 Samuel 18:13). He hoped that if David were exposed to danger, he might be killed. However, David only became more successful.

We are not told how long David remained as captain of the Israelite army, but the point of this is to show how we may pinpoint these events by the events that took place later in church history. After all, church history was the fulfillment of these prophetic types, and every event in the history of Saul’s reign was repeated in church history.

The Mongols Fulfill Prophecy

The Mongol conquest of Baghdad in 1258 A.D. serves as the fulfillment of David’s successful battle against Goliath. In this case, Islam was the “giant” threatening Saul’s army—that is, the church and the Western nations in general. The year 1258, in fact, fell on the 25th Jubilee of the Age of Pentecost, which corresponds to the 25th year of Saul’s reign. This was seven years after Saul’s disqualification, and therefore David was fifteen years old (8 plus 7) when he killed Goliath.

From the day of Pentecost in 33 A.D., when the Pentecostal Age began, add 25 x 49 years, and we get 1225 years. Add this to 33, and we come to 1258 A.D., the year Baghdad fell to the Mongols.

Is this mere coincidence? No, for we read in history how Genghis Khan came to power in 1206 and conquered his first nation (Western Xia) in 1209. The year 1209 was 49 years earlier. In other words, from 1209-1258 we see the history of the church’s 25th Jubilee cycle from beginning to end, and it is marked by the rise of the Mongols until their crowning achievement—the capture of Baghdad.

Here is the historical record:

“Mongol leader Genghis Khan commanded some initial raids against Western Xia before launching a full-scale invasion in 1209. This invasion marked both the first major invasion conducted by Genghis and the beginning of the Mongol invasion of China.”

After making Western Xia a vassal state, he conquered China and then moved west. Genghis Khan died in 1226, but his family continued the war in his place.

“The Siege of Baghdad, which lasted from January 29 until February 10, 1258, entailed the investment, capture, and sack of Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, by Ilkhanate Mongol forces and allied troops….

"The Mongols executed [the Caliph] Al-Musta'sim and massacred many residents of the city, which was left greatly depopulated. The siege is considered to mark the end of the Islamic Golden Age, during which the caliphs had extended their rule from the Iberian Peninsula to Sindh, and which was also marked by many cultural achievements."

The fall of Baghdad gave the West a reprieve of sorts from the Islamic threat. In another account, we read,

“Baghdad fell to the Mongols in 1258. It was then the biggest, richest city in the world. It was where the Caliph lived. He ruled the Muslim world, at least in name. Baghdad has fallen to a non-Muslim army only one other time: in 2003 to the Americans.”

From a prophetic standpoint, the Mongols played the role of David killing Goliath, as applied in that particular time period. “Saul” had reigned 25 Jubilees, and “David” was fifteen. Just as the killing of Goliath helped the Israelites in ancient times, so also did the overthrow of Baghdad assist the church in later times.

God’s Gift, the City of Peace

When I looked up the meaning of Baghdad, I found another interesting prophetic connection. The name means “God’s gift.” But its official name was the City of Peace, which is precisely the name given to Jerusalem. Both cities, in fact, turned out to be carnal cities, not fulfilling the mandate of peace, but (as we read of Jerusalem itself) becoming “the bloody city” (Ezekiel 24:6). In fact, it was for this reason (legally speaking) that the earthly Jerusalem was rejected in favor of the heavenly city. The Islamic City of Peace is mentioned here:

"When the Abbasid caliph, al-Mansur, founded a completely new city for his capital, he chose the name Madinat al-Salaam or City of Peace. This was the official name on coins, weights, and other official usage, although the common people continued to use the old name. By the 11th century, "Baghdad" became almost the exclusive name for the world-renowned metropolis."

The main difference, perhaps, between Baghdad and Jerusalem is that the name Jerusalem is plural—or rather, a dual—while Baghdad is singular. In other words, there were two Jerusalems, one heavenly, the other earthly, so that the fulfillment of God’s promises to the city could be fulfilled even after the glory departed from the earthly city, never to return (Ezekiel 11:23).

In Revelation 11:8 identifies the earthly Jerusalem with Sodom, Egypt, and Babylon itself. Baghdad, too, is a type of Mystery Babylon, the great harlot that is the prophetic rival of the bride of Christ. In that sense, Baghdad is represented by Goliath, the oppressor. Even as Babylon fell after 70 years (604-534 B.C.), so also Baghdad fell to US troops in April 2003, which was 70½ years after Iraq had become an independent nation in October of 1932.

The Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1930 granting Iraq full independence, was to take full effect when Iraq joined the League of Nations. This took place on October 3, 1932.

Babylon as a Monetary System

The original city of Babylon was a center of trade and finance. Modern Mystery Babylon is a worldwide banking and financial system based on debt and usury, using fiat money. Today we see the Babylonian system entrenched in the West, and it is presently being overthrown by the kings of the east, who are re-introducing a gold-back monetary system.

Chinese currency is called renminbi, or yuan. China is in the process of setting up a gold-backed yuan, which, when completed, will rival all fiat currencies that rely totally upon faith in the value of currencies created out of thin air and backed by nothing.

“Goliath” today, in fact, is the monetary system, because the giant’s name comes from the Hebrew word galah, which is often translated “DISCOVER” (credit card).

We only need to look at the tall buildings where these financial headquarters are located to see that they are “giants” in the land.

The conflict today between Babylon and the kings of the east was foreshadowed by Genghis Khan’s invasion of Baghdad in 1258. How? Because Genghis Khan was the first ruler of a new dynasty known as the Yuan Dynasty, which ruled the largest empire in world history.

Genghis Khan (1162–1227) and his sons set the foundation for the Yuan Dynasty (1279–1368) by defeating the Western Xia and conquering Central Asia, Mongolia, and the Hexi Corridor.”

They had no idea how they were fulfilling prophecy, of course, nor could they conceive of the way they were establishing prophetic precedents for the financial overthrow of Mystery Babylon more than seven centuries later. But that is the unique character of prophecy and the divine plan, and when we study history, we can see God’s hints from the past and understand how He is working in the present.

This is part 71 of a series titled "Studies in the Book of Revelation." To view all parts, click the link below.

Studies in the Book of Revelation

2018 Passover Conference Videos
2017 Tabernacles Conference Videos
[Click To Open]
Notices From GKM Admin
[Click To Open]
Daily Weblogs
[Click To Open]

Category: Teachings

Dr. Stephen Jones

Add Pingback


text:
Cart 0
Green Dog Pet Accessories Back Pack

Green Dog Back Pack

  • 1000

Green Dog Pack Perfect for doggie day care, people trip to the store, school or bike trip... Made from sturdy premium quality non-woven material (20% recycled content) with 1" reflective stripes, black draw cords with reinforced corner grommets, and carrying handle. Size: 13W X 16H

We Also Recommend


text:
Maypole Strongbox Hitchlock - Insurance Approved

Maypole Strongbox Hitchlock - Insurance Approved

  • £52.50

  • Stronghold Security Level - Diamond 5 (High Security Level)
  • Insurance approved and independently tested
  • Lightweight, user friendly touring or storage product
  • When fitted hitch helps prevent parking theft
  • 2 year mechanical warranty
  • Fits Alko, Albe, Winterhoff, Harrison, B&B and most other original open hand hitch types
  • Fits hitched and unhitched
  • High visibility yellow
  • Robust steel construction
  • Anti-prising lip
  • High security pick free lock with anti-drill feature
  • Supplied with 3 keys
  • Robust plastic carry/storage case
  • Colour pictorial fitting systems

Weight:  2.8kgs
Height: 105mm
Depth: 109mm
Width: 206mm
Construction: Welded

This product is best used for:

Builders trailers
Mobile Catering trailers
Boat Trailers
Camping trailers
Horse Box trailers
Jet Ski trailers
Motorcycle trailers


text:
Whether you are bewildered by the terminology used or just want to know a little more to support your child, I hope you will find this blog useful. You can click on the Parent’s Start Page to link to information about different areas of grammar and punctuation. Alternatively, enter a term in the search bar or click on a word in the cloud of labels. If you have further queries, get in touch and I will try to help where I can. You can also follow me on Twitter @grammarpuss13.

Wednesday, 27 January 2016

Update to Happy Families present and past progressive card game

Apologies to those of you who have downloaded the Happy Families game already.  I realised overnight that the singular past progressive cards needed to include 'I' as well as 'he/she/it'.  The cards are now revised.

Also, the final column should contain the words 'past progressive', not 'present progressive'.  I was a little over-enthusiastic with my copy and paste buttons when putting these together and will endeavour to proof read a little more carefully in future!

No comments:

Post a Comment


text:
The Sarah Jane Adventures

The Sarah Jane Adventures

The Complete Third Season

DVD - 2011
Average Rating:
Rate this:
A return to 13 Bannerman Road finds Sarah Jane, along with her son Luke and teenagers Rani and Clyde, with more Earth-visiting aliens to investigate. These exciting new adventures include the return of their most fearsome enemy yet, the Judoon. They also encounter a lonely telepathic alien whose powers grow out of control, and explore unexplained phenomena in a haunted house. A priceless painting comes to life, and a pair of Slitheen, Leef and Tree Blathereen, attempt to overrun Earth.
Publisher: [United States] : British Broadcasting Corp., c2011.
ISBN: 9781419890284
Characteristics: 2 videodiscs (335 min.) :,sd., col. ;,12 cm.

From the critics

Community Activity

Add a Comment

Besides the brief language, it was a good show.

Dec 25, 2015

This show keeps getting better. Everyone's favorite robot dog K-9 returns and there's a Judoon and finally, finally, I actually found a fart joke funny. My inner eight-year-old loved it as did my intrepid science fiction genre adult heart.

Age Suitability

Add Age Suitability

There are no age suitabilities for this title yet.

Add a Summary

There are no summaries for this title yet.

Add Notices

There are no notices for this title yet.

Add a Quote

There are no quotes for this title yet.

Explore Further

Subject Headings

No similar edition of this title was found at Library.

Try searching for The Sarah Jane Adventures to see if Library owns related versions of the work.

To Top


text:
Langenscheidt's Pocket Latin Dictionary

Langenscheidt's Pocket Latin Dictionary

Latin-english, English-latin

Book - 1966
Rate this:
Langenscheidt Pockets are the best value in the business. Value priced, durable, and easily portable, Pockets come in a full range of languages. Select from our best-selling line of bilingual dictionaries, plus a growing assortment of English language reference titles and foreign language grammar guides. Langenscheidt Pockets are one of the best-selling lines of bilingual dictionaries. Each edition is a powerful language tool with thousands of entries, precise grammar, and helpful listings of foreign abbreviations, proper names, and more. Value priced, easily portable Pockets come in a full range of languages. And, with their tough vinyl covers, Pockets will withstand years of hard use.
Publisher: Maspeth, NY : Langenscheidt Pub., c1966.
ISBN: 9780887291074
Characteristics: 479 p. ;,16 cm.

From the critics

Community Activity

Add a Comment

There are no comments for this title yet.

Age Suitability

Add Age Suitability

There are no age suitabilities for this title yet.

Add a Summary

There are no summaries for this title yet.

Add Notices

There are no notices for this title yet.

Add a Quote

There are no quotes for this title yet.

Explore Further

Browse by Call Number

Subject Headings

Find it at Library

To Top


text:
Archive for March, 2010

After having Matt completely off the Mirtazaphine (night-time antidepressant drug that helps him sleep) for 5 days, I decided to have him take 1/2 of one last night just to see if his behaviors would in fact become worse:

And the results are in:

Obsessive/Compulsive behavior—worse

Moodiness–way worse

indecisiveness–way way worse

Irrationality–way way way worse.

Causing mommy to age faster than the speed of light—you get the picture.

Is this just a coincidence?

But hey, he did get a great nights sleep! (sigh)

Read Full Post »

Since the sleeping medication appears to have worsened Matt’s anxieties and obsessive behavior, we decided to eliminated it.  Behaviors and anxieties have improved a great deal since we’ve stopped giving him this medication.  As far as his sleeping patterns………well, that’s another story. Here is an example of what the past few nights have been like.

8:00pm–Matt is ready for bed.

8:05pm–Matt falls asleep

9:00pm–Matt wakes up. Mom walks him back to his bed

9:05pm–Matt falls asleep.

10:03pm—Matt wakes up. Mommy gives him a melatonin, and walks him to bed.

10:25pm—Matt falls asleep.

1:15am—Matt wakes up and wants to watch a dvd.  Mom says no.

1:20am–Matt falls asleep.

3:02am–Matt wakes up and wants to visit. Mom says “The sun is not up. Go to sleep.”

4:00am–Matt falls asleep

6:45am–The sun starts to rise and Matt is wide awake.

Good morning to everyone.

Read Full Post »

About 7 years ago, our family began going through a drastic change. I say began because this change didn’t happen overnight.   7 years ago, our family was thrust into a new world as a result of one word: Autism.  In that 7 years time, our outlook on parenting changed.  Our feelings toward other misbehaving children changed. Our views regarding chemicals, processed foods, wheat, dairy, vaccine…..all changed.  And on some things (vaccines), our views changed more than once.

Our family’s vocabulary changed too.  We frequently began saying things  like “spectrum”, “IEP”, “sensory overload”, “motor planning”, “casein”, “gluten”, “meltdown”, “stimming”, “thimerisal”, “toxins”, “Jenny McCarthy needs to quit beating the dead horse regarding vaccines”………………This is all very common language in the autism community. Except for maybe that last part. The thing about Jenny McCarthy is just  my personal opinion.

So we have come a long way in 7 years and I have a feeling our vocabulary is about to change again.  As I have mentioned before, Matt has been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder comorbid to his autism. In other words, autism is not the only thing going on with this child.  He’s been diagnosed with Autism and Anxiety Disorder-NOS (Not otherwise Specified) . The “NOS” part of the diagnosis is really a way of saying, “we know he has an anxiety disorder, but that’s all we know and we can’t narrow it down for you, sorry.”

We have discovered this last week that the anti-anxiety medication Matt was taking has not helped his anxiety disorder at all. In fact, his psychiatrist has suggested that it could be making it worse, which would really explain the increase in  aggressive behavior on his part. Since my last positive, sunshine-birds-are-singing-life-is-great blog post, things went kind of downhill for Matt again.  Why would an anti-anxiety medication not help calm his anxieties? Especially after giving him a higher dose?  It’s a medication in the anti-depressant family of meds and the doctor told me “antidepressants can actually increase mania (such as in manic/depressive disorder)”.  So I asked her, “Are you suggesting that he has a bi-polar disorder?”  She answered. “It’s not important what we call the disorder. What’s important is that we find a way to stop these continuous outbursts and the way we might have to do that is by stabilizing his mood.”

I appreciated her response.  I know where she was going with it.  He has a serious mood disorder, but slapping a label on it at this point isn’t what our goal is here.  That’s fine with me.  We have a better goal now.  Stabilize his mood.  That means we jump back on our medication rollercoaster.  I think we are at our 3rd stop.  Since Zyprexa was a bust, we are now on Clonidine.  A high blood pressure medication that is often used off-lable to help with impulsivity and aggression.  So in conjunction with his therapies and help from us, I feel good about the direction we are going.  Its been 3 days since he’s been taking  Clonidine and his obsessive/compulsive behaviors have reduced by quite a bit.

Here’s the draw-back.  That anti-depressant medication that the doctor suggested was making him worse, was also his sleeping aid.   Since weaning him off, Matt has been waking up several times throughout the night.  Ugh. We are still in the early stages of all this so I still have hope it will get better.  Here’s to a good night sleep…..maybe.

Read Full Post »

A lot can be said about prayer.  Most prayers are in moments of crisis.  Even non-believers are said to have prayed to God in emergency situations.  Prayer is simply this:  Talking to God.   I do know that God wants us to talk to Him all the time, not just when we are in trouble.  I have been guilty of only praying when I need something. But that doesn’t mean God doesn’t listen. He does.

You can imagine that this past year I’ve been doing a lot of praying.  It seems like we are always struggling with” Matt” issues.  Most of my prayers went something like this:

 “Please, God….please help Matthew.”

“Please help our family”

“Please help him to have a good day at school.”

“Please help him to sleep through the night.”

“Please help him get through the morning without an outbust.”

“Please help him walk to the school bus without an outburst.”

“Please give us strength to survive the weekend.”

Please give us strength to survive the next hour.”

When times are dark, its normal to feel as though God is at a distance. It’s also normal to feel as though He isn’t even there.  Seeds of doubt are planted, and hope is lost.

Deep in my heart, I know that hope is not lost. Hope is what gets me up in the morning.  Hope is what gets me to church even though there are many times I don’t feel like going.  Like this last Sunday for example.  Matt had a tough weekend. We were unsuccessful getting the meds down him, he didn’t like what was for breakfast, and he became enraged several times because Alec looked at him weird. I just didn’t feel like going to church.  I didn’t feel like seeing happy families with their happy children walking together happily into the sanctuary. Nice christian attitude of mine, hu?  Truth is, I don’t believe that there is one christian in this whole world who can say they haven’t felt that way once or twice. But after the sermon is over, I always feel better. I am always glad that we came.

Our pastor’s sermon was about prayer.  It was about praying during all seasons of our lives. Not just the season’s of strife, but also during times when things are going well.  He said “praying should be like breathing”. Yes, it’s that important.  After church, I took inventory of my priorities.  Prayer didn’t land very high on my list of priorities. I just did it when it was convenient for me.  I also realised there was a small part of me that doubted God was even listening.  I mean, if He was, then why hasn’t He answered me by now?  He knows what I want. Why do I have to keep telling Him?  After giving it a lot of thought, I realized how ungrateful that sounded.  Throughout this past Sunday and Monday, I prayed.  I praised God for all the blessings that we have. I prayed for other people, not just me.  I asked for forgiveness for doubting Him and trying to control everything.  And of course I prayed for our family.  When I started praying for Matthew’s outbursts to settle, I felt the doubt creep in.  As if Matthew can go an entire day without freaking out at home.  Yah, right! It’s been almost a month since Matt went a whole day without a meltdown and that was because he was sick! But I prayed anyway. I prayed that Matthew would have peaceful days at home. Yesterday was Tuesday.  Matt did not have one meltdown at home yesterday. Not one. He hasn’t melted down today either! Haven’t heard the day care report yet but he did great at school! He even played with his brother for an hour! I can’t remember the last time that has happened! Some peopel might think this mellow behavior is a result of the new medicine he is on.  I dont’ think so because we’ve had little success getting him to actually ingest the stuff.  The taste is nasty and he gags and spits it up.  Never underestimate the power of prayer!  I know I won’t!

Read Full Post »

It may be obvious, but the title of this blog post is completely sarcastic.

So the doctor prescribed Zyprexa for Matt. In a recent post, I went on about how I was reluctant in the past to give my son medication.  It has come to the point where it is very necessary. These expensive little yellow dissolvable pills are supposed to have a sweet taste to them.  This is clearly so it is easier to administer to young children, right?  Not my young child.  The first time I handed him the little yellow pill, he asked me what it was. “It’s your new medicine”, I said. Matt held it in his hand.  He stared at it. He sniffed it.  He squished it between his fingers (it’s a texture thing).  “Go ahead and eat it, Matt” I said. “It tastes kind of like candy”. I also handed him a glass of water in case he needed to help chase it down.

 He looked at me and then  placed the smushed pill in his mouth.  He swished it around in his mouth a little.  The pill must have some type of obnoxious aftertaste because moments after putting it in his mouth, he leaned over and spit it out in his water. Hmmmm, well that’s $2.33 worth of saliva in his glass. Sorry, thats Matt’s dad in me talking .

 “YUCKY!!!!!!”  he screamed.  Matt was upset with me for two reasons:  1. Because I told him it tasted like candy and it clearly did not.  2.  Because I had the audacity to suggest that he drink up the water that he just spit his yucky pill in.

I chose not to  bribe or threaten right away.  For a kid with this amount of anxiety, such a tactic will usually trigger a large meltdown.  I did not want Matthew to associate taking his medicine as a negative event.  I decided my time and energy would be better spent finding ways of camouflaging the offensive tasting medicine.  Coke.  Matt loves Coke. I crushed the pill in to a powder and stirred it into a small glass of coke.  Here’s the problem with dissolvable tablets.  You can crush them, but once mixed with liquid, these floating granules have a ways of finding each other and clumping.  Added to the fact that these pills are florescent yellow, I am sure you can see the that the task of camouflaging was not easily accomplished.

While Matt was in the living room watching Bugs Bunny, I turned the lights out so he wouldn’t notice the bright yellow specks in his Coke.  Then I handed the small glass to him.  He looked at me and smelled it.  Uh-oh! He suspects. He looked at me again with suspicion.  But he drank it.  Success.  That was day one.  Day two was a bit more unsuccessful.  He hates Coke now because he decided it tastes like “dog poop”.  Grr stupid medicine. I think I got 1/2 down him yesterday.  It’s too early to tell if it works.  He still has outbursts. A lot of his outbursts are now triggered by me trying to get him to take his meds. The only difference I see so far with the Zyprexa  is that he is a little more tired in the morning.  I had zero success getting him to take the medicine this evening.

I will continue to brainstorm ways of hiding the meds.  Plan B will be having a reward for him if he takes it.  Sounds like a no-brainer-type plan but when you are dealing with high anxiety kids such as Matthew, it can actually be a recipe for disaster if the expectation is too much for the child.  I’m thinking of calling his doctor Monday to see about getting the medicine in a different form.

Read Full Post »

“Matthew may benefit from taking prescription medication.”

Always such fun words to hear.  I believe the first time we heard those words was when Matt turned 3 1/2.  His pediatrician was the one who suggested it. But she didn’t strongly suggest it.  Was I completely against the idea of medicating Matt?  No.  In fact, I was a little glad that we now had something to put in the “Plan B” file.  As I have said before, I always prefer to have  other plans on file in case plan A falls through.  But when Matt was 3, plan A was still in effect.  It was working…..well sorta. As a 3 year-old he exhibited some explosive behavior but he was small at the time and I was always able to restrain him if I needed to.  As we all know, that’s not the case anymore.  His outbursts are way more frequent than they used to be.

It wasn’t until Matt was 4 years old when I decided that he wasn’t making any improvements with plan A. He was becoming more difficult.  By the way, plan A was the gluten/casein free diet.  It’s always worth a try.  It worked well for Matt’s brother.  The diet wasn’t hurting Matt, but it wasn’t helping him either.  I was still very nervous about starting him on any medications.

It wasn’t the doctor that convinced me to try pharmaceuticals, but it was Matt’s occupational therapist  who convinced me.  He said, “If your son had diabetes or cancer, wouldn’t you give him medicine then?” I never thought about it that way. I guess a part of me felt as though we were giving up if we put Matthew on medication.  I know now, that is not true.  Not even close and I’ll be damned if anybody tries to convince me otherwise.

That was 4 years ago when we first got on the medication rollercoaster.  The very first medication Matt has ever taken (besides antibiotics)is called Risperdal.  Risperdal is an anti-psychotic drug that is often used to treat kids with autism.  Its main purpose is for treating adults and teens suffering from schizophrenia but research has shown it seems to help some children with autistic behaviors as well.  There is a great deal of controversy in medicating children with antipsychotics but I won’t go into that today.  Maybe in a later post.  After being on Risperdal for 1 week we noticed a huge change in Matt.  The outbursts reduced by 80%.  Happy ending?  Well Risperdal, like most medications, tends to lose its effectiveness overtime.  The only answer is to increase the dose or find another medication.   Increasing the dose equals increasing the side effects.  Bad side effects, such as weight gain, tremors, and a higher chance of developing diabetes.

A few months ago, we decided take him off Risperdal since it appeared to stop working.  The doctor put him on Mirtazaphine (an anti-depressant) to help him sleep.  Matt lost weight (in a good way, he was 8 pounds over). Matt gained sleep.  Our hope was that the Mirtazaphine would help his anxiety and calm behaviors but it did no such thing.  This past Monday, I frantically called Matt’s psychiatrist to inform her that the explosive behaviors were not improving, and they were beginning to spill over into school and daycare. He now needs a personal assistant during daycare.   “Lets try Zyprexa”, the doctor said. Zyprexa is an anti-psychotic much like Risperdal.  Same ugly side effects.  “We’ll try it for 30 days,” she continued.

I came home and googled “Zyprexa”.  Bad move.  Nothing positive being said about this drug. But then again, nothing good was said about Risperdal either.  I started to doubt myself and the guilt set in.  But I just reminded myself that it’s not long-term. Maybe it will help him get over this hump. Or maybe he’s dealing with a bipolar disorder and this is what he needs to function.  Maybe I’m just a bad mom. That last sentence was Satan chiming in so I told him to shut up!

So I just picked up the prescription for Zyprexa at the pharmacy. The pharmacist looked at me strangely and so did his assistant.  “This is for your boy?” he asked.  “Yes”.  I said.  “How old is your boy?”, he asked.  “Seven”, I answered.  He and the assistant exchanged looks and then he looked at me.  “Ok, I hope he doesn’t gain too much weight”, he told me.  I responded saying , “I understand how this stuff works and its only temporary”.  The pharmacist and his assistant exchanged looks again, almost like they were smiling.  “Ok, have him take one at bed time. Have a nice day. ”  I grabbed the medication bag…….JERKS!! Have a nice day? I just purchased $70 dollars worth of ANTI-PSYCHOTIC medicine for my 7-yr-old!  Do I look like a person who’s been having nice days?!?!  The  mom guilt set in again.  I put the medication in my purse and drove home. Tonight Matt takes his very first dose of Zyprexa.  Hang on tight we are about to start the next ride on the medication rollercoaster.

Read Full Post »


text:
Callochromis macrops (紅金天使 / 5-6cm)

It inhabits open areas with sandy bottoms (usually close to rocks, which the fish use for cover) in the southern part of the lake, south of Nyanza and Cape Caramba. Apparently it prefers habitats that are quite shallow and rich in suspended sediment. These tend to be murkier than most other parts of the lake. Beds of aquatic plants such as Vallisneria spiralis and Ceratophyllum demersum are common here too.

A predominantly open, sandy environment is the most essential feature, as it’s a sand-sifting, substrate-dwelling species. Males will also construct their bowers in the sand. Add a fairly deep layer (2-3″) to the tank, as they can use a surprising amount in building these. Try not to clutter up the tank too much with rocky formations, leaving as much open floor space as possible. The females do require some refuges though, so add a couple of rock piles in the back corners or at one end of the tank. You could also add some clumps of plants to provide additional cover. Both Vallisneria and Ceratophyllum are readily available, easily grown and true to the natural habitat of the species.


text:
Keep These Tips Handy As You Begin Your Home Improvement Project

It can definitely overwhelm you with the amount of information and tips online. There are some basic tips to follow so stress is lower and have a successful project.

Do not allow any work prior to signing a contract. You may also want to have the contract to your lawyer so he can look over it.

Think about adding coordinated metal fixtures if you want to change the look more modern without spending too much. You can find items such as shower curtain rods, cabinet knobs and towel racks in a lot of different styles.

Remember to always keep safety in your mind when you do any home improvement projects. There is a level of risk in any project that you work on, so read all the power tools instructions carefully and ask store associates for help if necessary.You can find websites that can help you with the project.

Do not demolish too quickly as you start your project. Always check structures behind a cabinet or wall before going to tear it down. It can be really expensive to fix any electrical components that are damaged during the making of home improvements.

You should make a list what you need before going to the home improvement store.

Remember to include landscaping when thinking of home improvement. The front lawn is one of the first things that people see, the entire house seems impressive.

A wood fireplace used for heating might not the best way to heat your home. Apart from aesthetic reasons, this system could be inefficient due to the heat having to go through the chimney.

It is a normal for the caning to sag after awhile. There’s an easy trick you can use to tighten up chair caning to a more original form. Wet a sponge and apply it to the sagging underside of the caning. Be sure you use is warm. Allow the caning to dry the caning overnight. Keep doing this until all the caning is fixed.

Free up space on your nightstand by using a floor lamp instead of a table lamp. Pick a lamp you really enjoy.

Natural materials are strongly preferred for the interior of the home renovation projects. Natural materials such as wood, stone and ceramic are almost always much better to their synthetic counterparts. They are more durable and also look better.The most costly natural materials may pay off over time because the synthetics will last longer.

One home improvement project with an outstanding return on investment to make is finishing a basement. Finished basements add livable square footage as well as extra enjoyment. You can also get the materials that you need from discount outlet. Finishing your basement can improve your home’s resale value by over 30%.

If you have purchased a home located next to wooded or undeveloped land, think about installing a tall fence around your backyard space. This will keep annoying animals out of your yard.

Even well-respected contractors with the finest reputations can turn your original project into one that’s bigger than you anticipated. Before you spend more money with the contractor, the homeowner should carefully review the contractor’s proposal.

You can save money if you buy your materials in a bulk fashion. A lot of the equipment and the materials that have to do with renovations usually possess long lead times.

Having working smoke alarms in your home that are checked frequently can keep you safe and bring down insurance premiums.This effect is greater with older homes because the insurance companies know that modern homes are usually built using materials that are more fire-resistant. Smoke alarms are essential safety equipment; they could save your life.

Do it yourself home improvement is entertaining and rewarding. In order to have fun with it though, you need to know what you are doing, and plan out your activities. This can reduce errors that could pop up.

Tips And Tricks On How To Get The Best Organic Garden

Learn some of the helpful gardening tips in this article. You can have a good idea on what you need, so that you don’t waste time and money on equipment you don’t need, or the wrong types of seeds for your environment.

Pick the proper soil to get the best results.You can also make an artificial area with only one type of soil.

Plants require a sufficient amount of CO2 in order to grow to their maximum height. Most plants will grow better in higher levels of CO2. The best way to obtain a lot of carbon dioxide (CO2) is to use a greenhouse.

Protect your delicate deciduous shrubs. Tie together the tops, and loosely cover the wigwam with a blanket or sheet. This method is superior to covering plants in plastic, because air can freely circulate, which will help to prevent rotting.

Moisture on your plants is a sure way to attract disease and parasites. Fungi is a common in the world of plants. It is possible to get rid of fungi after it appears with anti-fungal sprays, but the key is to treat your garden before any problems arise.

Do you love fresh mint leaves but hate how they grow to take over your entire garden, You can control the growth by placing them in a large container rather than in your garden. You can then plant the container down in the ground if you like, but the container will restrict the roots, and make sure that the plant doesn’t run rampant in your garden.

Fertilizing is an important step in preparing your garden is essential.Manure is a great garden additive, although it’s vital to use commercially composted products in order to lessen the risk of a variety of pathogens.

Pest control can present a vegetable gardening. One way to control garden pests is to be vigilant. If you happen to notice them early on, the best removal technique is just to take them off your plants by hand.

Plant items with fall season color in mind.Maple trees produce yellow and red leaves, as do Beech trees and Dogwood. When selecting shrubs, try hydrangea, hydrangea, or cotoneaster.

Allow your children to actively participate in your organic garden. A garden can provide a wonderful learning experience for children, and it gives you a chance to bond while producing healthy food.

Plant strawberries for your children in the organic garden.Children will be much more willing to help you if they can pluck their own fruit from the garden.

Protecting your knees while gardening is very important.Many people experience back pain and stiffness from bending over and working in the garden for long periods of time while they are standing up. Kneeling allows you to reach your plants easily and is healthier for your back. You can pick up a knee pad for you to rest on so that your knees are at ease on the pain.

Pine can be a wonderful mulch so do not discard the idea. Cover the beds with a couple inches of needles and as they decompose, they will release acid into the soil and nourish your plants.

Add mulch to keep your garden to improve the vitality of the soil. A layer of mulch can protect the soil underneath it. Mulch will keep the soil at an ideal temperature and protect your roots.This helps soil keep its moisture for extended periods by reducing the rate at which water evaporates. It is also serve as a method of controlling the weeds.

You will need the correct information, lots of patience, and the ability to spend time working outside. Your efforts will pay off when you experience the joy of watching something that you created grow.

Tricks On How To Fix Your Home Interior

People often dream about how they would like their home to look, not realizing that they do not have a sense of organization.Interior design isn’t the most complicated and you need not be a professional to get a beautiful looking home. Keep reading for some tips you started.

An excellent interior decorating hint is to always strongly consider what the room’s usage. For example, when decorating your child’s room, you should consider bright and vivid colors because they’ll match his or her personality. But brighter colors will definitely not go well in a library for instance.

One thing that you must remember when designing a room in their house is to create a mood. Think of a mood when choosing items for the room. For instance, if you’re trying to create a tranquil atmosphere, use colors that are soft and warm.

The color scheme you choose can make or break your home. Make sure you choose colors that will go together and which ones do not to ensure your room appears balanced and tasteful. It also important to stay away from using several bold color in a room.

Make sure that any office space functional whenever you design an office. It is vital to have good lighting in a work space.

The amount of light that each room or area plays a large role in most interior design. If one of your rooms doesn’t have a lot of windows, you should choose a light colored paint in order to prevent a cave-like effect.

An excessive amount of accessories and furniture often causes rooms to feel smaller than they truly are. A wiser move is to opt for one or two key furnishings in the room and maximize your open space.

They are also a big impact on the overall look of the space. You do not have them like everyone else does. Hang them at different angles and patterns. You can quickly change the room’s mood and create a cool look.

Consider the function a room you intend to decorate. Consider the number of people that will have in the room and just what they’ll use it for. Your bedroom should be designed to meet your individual needs, whereas your bedroom is only for you and your partner.

Consider applying wallpaper on only half of a wall. Redecorating your walls can cost a bit of money. A great way to save some money is to only wallpapering half the wall. Give your wallpaper a bolder border and paint the remaining wall. This is an excellent method of maintaining a stylish-looking home appear stylish and put more money at the same time.

If you have hard floors such as concrete, stone or tile, the use of stylish area rugs will make your room seem cozier and warmer to your feet.Rotate your rugs regularly to keep wear and tear evened out.

The mirror will reflect light off of the window and create an effect like two windows. This will also make the room feel more alive.

Get rid of your home’s clutter and gain space.Consider obtaining good piece of storage for the items that typically clutter your room. A simple box stored in the corner of a room will free up space than if everything was scattered throughout the room.

Now that you’ve read the information above, you now have great knowledge on what you need to know when dealing with interior design. Now that you know the do’s and do not’s, you should become an excellent interior designer and make your home stand out. Include these tips in your home to get the look you’ve dreamed of.

Try These Top Flight Organic Gardening Tips!

Organic produce tends be both healthier and nutrients.You could save money by growing your own produce instead of heading to the supermarket. Read this article below for tips and suggestions on how you can have your very own organic garden at home.

Plant strawberries for your children in the organic garden.Children love to snap up these sweet juicy fruits for themselves and will be more willing to help you if they can pluck their own fruit from the garden.

Using a solution of aspirin and water will help your plants fight diseases. Dissolve aspirin (1.5 pills per gallon of water for a plant disease fighting solution. You can easily spray the plans with this concoction to help them to fight disease. Try spraying your plants with this around every three week period.

The ideal temperature to set your thermostat for indoor plants should be kept between sixty-five and seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit during the daylight hours. The plants need this temperature needs to remain warm so they may grow. If you wish to keep your house cooler than that, try a heat lamp to use on your organic plants instead.

Keep your tools close at hand to make the most of your gardening time.

You may find an old plastic laundry basket to gather all of your garden. The basket strains the produce as well as stores it while you wash your garden.

Some typical examples are petunias and petunias. If you don’t know whether your seeds require sun exposure, resources are usually provided with the seeds or can be found online.

When maintaining your organic garden, lightly brush over them using your hand up to twice a day. While it might sound strange, it has been reported that this can encourage plant growth.

Create a raised bed for your garden out of stone, brick or untreated wood.Choose wood that is resistant to rot and is untreated. Some good choices include locust, cedar, and cedar. In order to avoid toxic substances from getting into the ground and perhaps into your vegetables, don’t use treated wood since its chemicals can leech into the food crops and soil.If you have placed treated wood in your garden, use a barrier such as plastic to line the bed.

Organic gardening can be more difficult than gardening with chemicals, but the payoff in the end is well worth the work. While chemical companies may make astounding claims about their products, organic methods will give you the best crops possible.

You may be able to skip watering for an entire day if rain is on the way.

One thing that sets organic is that they don’t contain pesticides. While this is great, you will want to be sure to check even more for bugs and other pests.

By mixing up your plants and planting them in different areas, you will be able to ward off disease and fungus naturally.

You can simply make a new garden for your perennials with a few steps. Use the spade to get under the turf, flip it, and then bury the whole area under a thick layer of wood chips. Wait a few weeks and then plant your perennials in the brand new bed.

You must be sure to mulch your garden with about three inches of materials that is organic. This will help your garden by adding nourishment to the soil, including enriching the soil, locking in moisture, and improving the overall appearance of the garden.

There’s no need to buy produce that’s not up to standard. Use the tips offered here and you can produce your very own vegetables and fruits.

How To Succeed With Home Improvement Projects Today!

Home improvement could be the structure or look of one or several rooms. There are a variety of projects that you can do cheap and easy. This article will help you some great ideas to begin your home improvement endeavors. You will also get a better sense of easy fixes you can do.

Use a dampened sponge when installing drywall. Use a sponge instead of sandpaper.A sponge can smooth the seams of drywall just as well as sandpaper. The good thing is that sponging doesn’t kick up all of the dust that you get with sanding.

Sand and wipe off any wood surface that you stain it. Using sandpaper is the best way to smooth finish. The damp rag removes the dust and will help create your desired smooth finish.

Chair cushions begin to flatten after they are used for a while. A great way to restore such cushions is to place them outdoors in the sun. The sun returns the bounce by evaporating moisture in the cushions and give them new bounce.Be aware that fabric color is subject to fading in the sun, because the colors of the fabric can fade in the sun.

Do you want to add sophisticated touches to your home but are low on funds, A good way to put in a nice touch to you home is by giving it a new doorbell. This is an improvement anyone who comes to your home again.

Adding a new sink can help spruce up your kitchen. This can instantly transform your kitchen’s look. Sinks nowadays are available in a number of colors, so you can really add some fun to your kitchen.

You can boost your home’s value and improve its curb appeal by adding high-gloss paint to its shutters and front door. Homes clad in lighter-hued vinyl or brick are a perfect candidate for a deep eggplant colors.

The result is bent bristles which wear out faster. You can also hang up mops by hanging them so they dry throughly.

When planning home renovations, you may wish to budget your money more at the beginning of the year, as you will likely have considerably less money during this time due to the holiday season.

Look for low areas on your property, paying special attention to the areas around your home’s foundation. You should fill up these areas with soil so you do not get puddles in order to prevent erosion and pooling of water.

Mark all of the wall stud prior to installing these so that you know where to put the screws. You can find a stud finder from a hardware store.

Get yourself a stainless steel taping knife for sheet-rock taping. This knife is easy to clean and it will last so you tackle in the future. If you buy a taping knife made of stainless steel, you probably won’t ever need to buy another.

When you look online, it’s worth your time to hit the Internet and look for “how to” videos that apply to your specific situation (right down to the model numbers of appliances that are involved). You may be amazed by the number of people who have had similar problems and have decided to share their experiences online. These videos offer the wheel when it comes to completing any project.

Are you thinking about starting a small home improvement project, Purchase neat frames that go along with your decor.

With any luck, these tips can help you see what benefits home improvement can provide. Tackling home improvement projects can make you feel proud about where you live. By doing your own home improvements you can save money and develop a new hobby.


text:
Contact us

  • OSWESTRY 01691 671770
  • WREXHAM 01978 366383
  • WHITCHURCH 01948 664404

Get a delivery quote

« back to Staple Guns

Staple guns

Griffith Tool Hire
Arrow T50 heavy duty manual handheld staple gun uses T50 staples 6-14mm.
Arrow T50 manual staple gun. Various sizes of staples available starting from 6mm to 18mm.

Select hire duration (+VAT)

£5.00 £7.50 £9.00 £10.00 £6.00

Extra days: £1.20

Price: £0.00
Price inc. VAT £0.00

Enquire Now

We are generally open between the hours of 7:30am - 5:30pm Monday to Friday and 8:00am - 1:00pm Saturday.

Find your nearest stores opening times here

Previously Viewed Products


text:
Book Your Site now for Christmas Cove 2014

Book Your Site now for Christmas Cove 2014 GULL LAKE SouthWest Saskatchewan Tourism  Cypress Hills & Area Attractions Christmas Cove

It’s time to channel your inner Clark Griswold and turn the Gull Lake Campground into Christmas Cove this holiday season!

Individuals, families, friends, companies, teams and service groups are invited (and challenged!) to create a festive holiday display in the Gull Lake Campground.

Sites are $20 each, with a limit of 2 sites per entry. Each individual or team is responsible for planning, funding and setting up their displays.

Christmas Cove will be lit up for the first time on December 1, and will illuminate the nights until the end of the month.

Even if you choose not to enter a site, take 10 minutes to drive through the Cove during December and enjoy the displays.

You may claim your Christmas Cove site beginning November 1. Only 33 sites are available, so get yours while you can! Contact Sara at the Rec Office at 672-4449 or

Via: Christmas Cove

Leave a Reply


text:
Florida’s Stand Your Ground Burden of Proof on the Prosecution ruled constitutional.

When the Florida Legislature in one of its last recorded Pro-Gun & Pro-Self-Defense acts changed the Statutes so the burden of proof of those seeking Stand Your Ground was shifted to the prosecution, which was a correction added to clarify a gaping legal hole left from the original statute.

In a criminal prosecution, once a prima facie claim of self-defense immunity from criminal prosecution has been raised by the defendant at a pretrial immunity hearing, the burden of proof by clear and convincing evidence is on the party seeking to overcome the immunity from criminal prosecution provided in subsection (1).

I know (or I think) I covered that a Miami judge ruled against it because only the Florida Supreme Court can enact procedural provisions in which was then a celebrated triumph for the Opposition. Unfortunately for the judge and Gun Control fascist, the ruling on that sense was deemed invalid by Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal.

Article V, section 2(a) gives the Florida Supreme Court the authority to adopt rules of practice and procedure. However, the Legislature has the constitutional authority to enact procedural provisions in statutes that are intertwined with substantive rights.

The Third Court goes on to say that this is a well established and accepted practice and then goes on to the specifics for Stand Your Ground:

The amendment shifts the burden of proof to the prosecution after the defendant has made a prima facie claim of justified use of force, and it requires that the State meet this burden of proof with clear and convincing evidence. § 776.032(4), Fla. Stat. (2017). This is consistent with the well-established legislative practice of passing statutes allocating the burden of proof in judicial proceedings. In addition, section 776.032(4) does not conflict with any rule of procedure promulgated by the Florida Supreme Court because no such rule was added to the Florida Rules of Criminal procedure regarding section 776.032 before subsection (4), nor was there a rule of procedure set forth by the Legislature before January 2017.2 The Legislature, thus, had the constitutional authority to enact the burden of proof provision of section 776.032(4) in order to give effect to the substantive right to immunity in the Stand Your Ground statute.3

About the only “challenge” I see the Florida Executive trying to forward in an appeal (IANAL Warning applies) is that they try to make the case that Stand Your Ground is not a substantive right, thus the Third Court of Appeals ruling needs to be vacated.  I my inexperienced legal opinion, this would be not only stupid as it would legally diminish the worth of Self Defense in Florida so it would probably be tossed out and Pam Bondy sent to the corner wearing the dunce hat in punishment, but it would political suicide for a Florida GOP already severely wounded for the lack pro-gun bills passed by the Legislature and the outright treason of SB 7026.

So what did the Third Court of Appeals did not approve? That the application of the amendment to the law was retroactive. The particular case argued in front of the court involved Ms. Tashara  Love:

The decision came in a case in which Tashara Love sought to use the “stand your ground” law to be shielded from prosecution after a November 2015 altercation outside a Miami-Dade County nightclub. Love shot a man as he was about to hit her daughter, according to the decision.

But the appeals court Friday ruled against Love on a key issue —- and created a conflict with a May 4 decision by the 2nd District Court of Appeal in a Hillsborough County case.

The issue centers on whether the 2017 shift in the burden of proof should be applied to cases that occurred before the change took effect, an issue known as applying the change retroactively.

The 3rd District Court of Appeal turned down Love’s argument that she should be able to use the 2017 change in a “stand your ground” hearing. Such a hearing had not been held in her case at the time the Legislature approved the change, but the appeals court focused on the law that was in effect at the time of the November 2015 shooting.

South Florida court upholds constitutionality of revised ‘stand your ground’ law

There was another case taken to the Second Court of Appeals which ruled the opposite and that will probably take this specific section of “our” case to the Florida Supreme Court. There might be another renegade judge who, in a new case,  may want to be activist and declare the shift of burden of proof unconstitutional, but there is already a precedent for smacking it down and hard.

So, rejoice! This is great news for all of us. Who knows? Maybe as with Shall Issue thirty years ago,  we are witness to the beginning of a new defensive rights’ chapter that will sweep the nation’s legal system.

One Reply to “Florida’s Stand Your Ground Burden of Proof on the Prosecution ruled constitutional.”

Feel free to express your opinions. Trolling, overly cussing and Internet Commandos will not be tolerated .

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


text:
Posted in Payroll | by: Leslie Harding

Your 4 Biggest W-4 Questions, Answered

Updated as of June 2018.

If Goldilocks were a government tax form, she’d be Form W-4.

Bear with us for a second — the Employee Withholding Allowance Certificate, nicknamed the W-4, tells companies how much money they need to subtract from their employees’ paychecks and then send off to the IRS. And in true Goldilocks fashion, it’s extremely important to get that number just right.

In this article, we’ll show you how to master the W-4 so you can allow your team to make more thoughtful decisions about their personal finances.

1. What is the W-4, anyway?

Along with the I-9, the W-4 is one of the first pieces of paper your new employees will have to fill out. Basically, the document itself is a hybrid form and worksheet. Bust out the pencils here — that worksheet section helps people determine their tax withholding.

Every time you run payroll for your team, you’ll be sending a slice of their paycheck — the withholding tax — directly to the federal government. This is an incremental payment that is credited to your employee’s income tax bill for the year. Done correctly, the W-4 helps shrink the amount of taxes people have to shell out in the spring.

2. When do my employees have to fill out the W-4?

Everyone should have a clean slate when they start a new chapter in their lives. That’s why whenever someone begins a job, they’ll have to submit a brand new W-4. And employees can update it whenever anything changes in their personal lives.

For example, if your team member ties the knot, has a baby, or buys a house, it will probably make them want to reevaluate their money situation. With the W-4, it’s a cakewalk.

Time for some tough love — even though you want to help your team, the W-4 is something they have to tackle entirely on their own. The details of the form are extremely personal, and it requires an in-depth understanding of someone’s life in order to be completed correctly.

3. How do I help my employees fill out their W-4s?

First, let them know that it isn’t scary. In fact, they’re secretly W-4 pros because they already know most of the information they’ll be asked about. Put them at ease by prepping them with this list of questions:

What you’ll have to answer:
  • What’s your name and address?
  • What’s your Social Security number?
  • Are you married?
  • Are you claiming any dependents? (Note: The more you list, the less will be withheld)
  • Is anyone else claiming you as a dependent on their tax form? (Like a parent?)
  • How much do you make?
  • Are you filing as head of household? (If you answer “yes” to all of the questions below, this may be your filing status.)
  1. In 2018, you paid over half of the cost to manage your home
  2. As of December 31st, you were not married
  3. You currently support a child, parent, or family member

Still baffled? Not to worry. Use this quiz from the IRS to help you make a final call on your filing status.

Allow us to explain allowances

Allowances — our first childhood hint of payday magic. But in IRS speak, allowances are a smidge different.

A withholding allowance is basically an exemption people can claim that then influences how much they’d like withheld from their paychecks. People get a certain number of allowances based on things like their filing status, marital situation, and a range of other factors. In essence, the higher the allowance number is, the less money is taken out of someone’s paycheck.

Getting that perfect allowance balance is crucial. You want to make sure your team isn’t saddled with a huge tax bill when April 15th rolls around — or for that matter, a whopping refund. A reimbursement that’s too big may not be wise financially, while the opposite situation can lead to unwanted penalties and interest.

Take a look at this quick, (generalized) breakdown:

  • If your parents claim you: Zero
  • If you’re single and have one job: You should typically claim two, but some people choose zero or one to increase their refund at the end of the year.
  • If you’re married with kids: Between you and your partner, you should claim a total of three allowances if you have one kid. If you have two kids, claim a total of four (one for each family member).
  • If you’re married without kids: In total, you and your partner should claim two allowances.

To help your team arrive at the perfect number, here are some tools to send their way:

4. Okay, my team just wrapped up their W-4s. Now what?

Time to celebrate! After your team knocks their W-4s out of the park, make sure they autograph them, date them, and hand them your way. All you have to do is find a secure spot to stash them.

If you’re using a payroll service that handles W-4s for you, you’ll probably already have an electronic copy on hand. Regardless, it’s still a good idea to have a physical version on file too. The IRS requires businesses to hold on to their forms for a minimum of four years, which is fairly easy to remember when it’s called a W-4.

Our tour of the W-4 has reached it’s final stop. By now, we hope you’re armed with a deeper understanding of the form so you can help your team fill it out with flying colors.

With a little education, your employees will feel more empowered about their financial decisions, and you both will discover how remarkable this simple sheet of paper can be.

About Leslie Harding

Leslie Harding is on the customer experience team at Gusto. She currently works with the onboarding team to serve customers through payroll setup. You can get in touch with Leslie here.


text:
VIDA’s list of Twenty ‘Gypsy’ Women You Should Be Reading

Portrait of Papusza, the mother of Romani poetry

I’m so delighted to share my Twenty Gypsy Women You Should be Reading with everyone In honor of Roma and Traveller History Month,. Gypsy culture is vastly misunderstood and underrepresented, and literature is a beautiful way to discover it. You may not have heard of many of these writers before but they will astound you with their talent. Happy reading!

“And while I spend a lot of time on my soap box bellowing that Roma and Travellers are just human, as a storyteller and a poet, I will say that some of the most beautiful, dark, and hauntingly fantastic stories I’ve ever heard or read have been from Gypsies. It’s a MathildeVonThieleworld-view that outsiders would never be able to reach on their own, and I feel this poignantly as a not-quite-white looking girl who grew up knowing that, way back, her Gypsy ancestors sailed up and down the Danube from Germany to Hungary, working as dancers and fortune tellers in the riparian towns before the war tore everything to shreds. Their lives were not idyllic, but the stories my grandmother told were beautiful. I would hold them close to my chest when I was stoned at school, or given detention for “witchcraft and the evil eye” in a town where there were no Gypsies, where my mother and grandmother routinely referred to the Gypsy community (some abstract thing I imagined) as “they” instead of “we.” I worried about my “percentage of Gypsy” and whether or not it was enough to claim. The few practices my grandmother kept and passed down to me didn’t make sense until I began to research my own people when I was a teenager and realized that alienation is also inheritance. I found Papusza, the Mother of Romani poetry and an omen of exile and connection. I stepped into the river-mouth of my blood.”

My great-great grandmother Mathilde as a young dancer

Today Roma honor the Goddess-Saint Kali Sara

St. Sarah, Kali Sara, Sara Kali, Sara-la-Kali, Sati-Sara, The Black Madonna, The Black Mother… many names for one Goddess-Saint sacred to Roma all over the world. Today is her festival– she is the Goddess of Fate, good fortune, fertility, and protection– and Roma honor her in pilgrimage, by worshiping her statue, through dance and community… so many ways, so many incarnations of the goddess who accompanied the Roma all the way from India.

Take a look at these articles below for more information about the Goddess-Saint, Romanipen/Romani religion/spirituality, and her celebration. Be sure to click the links for the whole articles.

The Romani Goddess-Saint Sara Kali

The Romani Goddess-Saint Sara Kali

“Until recently it was widely believed that this worship of Kali Sara, the Romani Black Madonna or Goddess was unique to Les Saintes Maries de La Mer. My own recent research among Romani refugees from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and in countries of the Balkans has uncovered the little-known fact that other Black Virgins are worshipped by Roma in central/eastern Europe and that Roma from these countries perform similar rituals. These rituals include laying flowers at the feet of the statue, adorning the statue with clothing of the sick hoping for cures, placing requests to the statue, and lighting candles to the female divinity. To the Roma, Kali Sara is the Protectress who will cure sickness, bring good luck and fertility and grant success in business ventures.
The Romani ceremony at Les Saintes Maries, as elsewhere, consists of carrying the statue on a platform strewn with flowers (4) into the closest body of water such as a sea, lake, flowing river or even a large pond of clear water. The platform is then lowered to touch the water while the crowd throws flowers into the water. Indian scholars such as Dr. Weer Rishi (5) and others who have witnessed this Romani ceremony, as well as Western observers who are familiar with Hindu religious customs have identified this ceremony with the Durga Poojaof India. In Romani, Kali Sara means Black Sara and in India, the Goddess Kali is known as Kali/Durga/Sara. Like the Hindus, the Roma practice shaktism, the worship of Goddesses. In other words, the Roma who attend the pilgrimage to Les Saintes Maries in France and in other related ceremonies elsewhere honouring black female divinities, are in fact continuing to worship Kali/Durga/Sara their original Goddess in India.

According to the Durgasaptashati (seven hundred verses in the worship of Goddess Durga and her various forms), chapter 5, verse 12, which mentions Sara, contains the following: “Salute to Durga, Durgapara, (Deliver of all difficulties), Sara, (Embodiment of everything par-excellent), Cause of everything, Krishna and Dhurma (Evaporated form in smoke).” Other references in this ancient Hindu scripture also confirm that Sara is one and the same with the Indian goddess Durga who is also another aspect of Kali, the consort of Shiva.” —“THE ROMANI GODDESS KALI SARA” by RONALD LEE

The Indian Goddess Kali

The Indian Goddess Kali

Some Romani groups in Europe today appear to maintain elements of Shaktism or goddess-worship; the Rajputs worshipped the warrior-goddess Parvati, another name for the female deity Sati-Sara, who is Saint Sarah, the Romani Goddess of Fate. That she forms part of the yearly pilgrimage to La Camargue at Stes. Maries de la Mer in the south of France is of particular significance; here she is carried into the sea just as she is carried into the waters of the Ganges each December in India. Both Sati-Sara and St. Sarah wear a crown, both are also called Kali, and both have shining faces painted black.  Sati-Sara is a consort of the god Ðiva, and is known by many other names, Bhadrakali, Uma, Durga and Syamaamong them.” —

“ROMANI (‘GYPSY’) RELIGION” by Ian Hancock

Sara, toi la sainte patronne des voyageurs et gitans du monde entier,
tu as vécu en ce lieu des Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.
Tu es venue d’un lointain pays au-delà des mers.
J’aime venir te retrouver ici, te dire tout ce que j’ai dans le Cœur,
te confier mes peines et mes joies.
Je te prie pour tous les membres de ma famille et tous mes amis.
Sara, veille sur moi!

(Sara, patron saint of travelers and gypsies the world over, you who lived in this region of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. You came from a far-away country from across the seas. I love to come and find you here, to tell you all that I have in my heart and in you confide my sorrows and joys. I pray to you for everyone in my family and all my friends. Sara, come to me!) —Saint Sara-la-Kali: A Sister to Kali Maa

Saint Sarah

Saint Sarah

Some Romani Easter traditions!

Whatever y’all are up to today, I hope it’s a good day.

“Out of concern for health, Roma eat lighter vegetarian dishes in addition to the heavy meat dishes on a feast day. Among the ursarii Roma, during Easter Fast Days, women clean the house thoroughly, whitewash walls and prepare the oven to cook traditional sponge cake. The Roma attach a specific meaning to each ritual dish: lamb to be light and pure as the lamb, fish (eaten on the first Easter Day) to be swift as the fish. Polenta is not to be prepared or eaten on the first Easter Day to preserve male and female fertility (so that one will not turn soft like polenta). In addition, the members of the family are not supposed to eat salt or perspire heavily. Such recommendations and dietary taboos rest on similitude magic, but from an external perspective, they also preserve a good state of health through a well balanced diet.

Hardelezii, also known as Tinker’s Easter, is the major feast of the Roma tinkers and is celebrated one week after the Orthodox Easter. It combines the symbol of Easter with Muslim Gurban. The main element of the ritual is slaughtering a lamb either for the recovery of a member of the family who suffers from a disease or the protection of the family from disease and misfortunes. Sometimes one lamb slaughtered for each child, for protection and well-being. Some of the rudarii Roma, similar to their tinker brethren, also celebrate the Gurban/Hardelezii, a tradition which reunites the symbol of the Easter and the Muslim feast. The rudarii hold a feast on Ascension, which consists of killing a lamb as an offering to God for reparatory healing purposes.”

To read more about Romani culture, check out the rest of the article by Romanian Romani academic Delia Grigore on The Gypsy Chronicles

I found all of these gems of the Lolo Diklo Facebook page— “like” for more about current Romani news, activism, arts, and culture.

1. A Travelling girl’s story: the struggle against eviction and her kickstarter to fund her education. Her video shows what it’s like to be a Traveller girl in England trying to better herself in spite of the daily persecution that Travellers and Roma face.

2. Romedia Foundation led a summer camp workshop for young Roma from Szendrőlád (a small settlement in North-Western Hungary) in the summer of 2012, as part of the “Youth in Action: Strenghtening the Voice of Roma Youth” project. The summer camp was organized by the Bhim Rao Association. The workshop held by Romedia had as its aim to bring to life different film creations, developed and carried out entirely by the young Roma participants, numbering approximately 30 teenagers. The workshop held by Romedia had as its aim to bring to life different film creations, developed and carried out entirely by the young Roma participants, numbering approximately 30 Roma teenagers.
Copyrights: Romedia Foundation

3. Pablo Vega is a Spanish Romani film-maker. His love of cinematography grew in time and he eventually started his own production company called “DIKA” which in Romanes means “SEE”.
His first documentary is called “Romnia” in which he documented the life of four Roma women living in Huesca aiming to reflect another reality of Roma women, breaking the stereotypes so often present in society. Women who have struggled to get where they are trough education, women of different ages portraying similar realities.

See his impressive works’ showreel, followed by an exclusive interview for the Romedia Foundation

4. Spanish-Romani radio programs on an array of fascinating topics! Gitanos – Valencia, sede de la exposición’Vidas Gitanas’

“IN the light of the Romani situation in present day Europe, the history of the Romani language- Romanès, as we call it- may not seem like an especially important issue. Arguing about whether or not this language has a history of being written down might seem less important still. Yet the claim that the Romani language has never been written down until very recent times remains untrue, and this claim is dangerous for precisely the reasons that people assume it to be correct….”

by Damian Le Bas

for the rest of the fascinating article on the history of written Rromanes:

For more like this, “Like” Lolo Diklo: Romani against Racism on Facebook

An array of fascinating videos, radio programs, and articles!

Being a “Gypsy”: The Worst Social Stigma in Romania

Being a “Gypsy”: The Worst Social Stigma in Romania

The roots of systemic antigypsyism go deep, not just in Romania, but everywhere. This article explores the current political movements, journalism and media practices, and education curriculum in Romania that cultivate ‘Vladian’ attitudes toward the Roma, calls for “extermination” and all. It’s easier somehow to forgive the ignorance and hatred of many centuries ago, but little has changed. This is much harder to forgive.


text:
HAIC is a strategic initiative set up by Aalto University and the University of Helsinki in June 2016 to ensure excellence in information security research and education. During the last few years, Aalto University and the University of Helsinki have built up strong research groups and education programs in information security and privacy. Collectively these groups represent the best information security expertise in Finland and one of the best in Europe. Both universities also offer a number of information security courses in their curricula which are very popular with students.

HAIC will focus on offering scholarships for talented master’s students choosing to specialize in information security.

HAIC is also expected to expand to cover doctoral training and research. The mission of HAIC is to develop into a world’s leading center for research and education in information security.

Privacy policy

Contact us

N. Asokan
Professor, Director of HAIC
Aalto University

Valtteri Niemi
Professor, Deputy Director of HAIC
University of Helsinki

Andrew Paverd
Research Fellow, Deputy Director of HAIC, Head of HAIC Public Outreach Program
Aalto University

Eija Kujanpää
Manager, International Relations
Aalto University

Niina Idänheimo
Coordinator of HAIC
Aalto University

Contact us via emailing haic@aalto.fi or by filling the form below: