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When only a pound of flesh is enough

15 April 2015   (0 Comments)
Posted by: Author: Pieter Faber
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Author: Pieter Faber (SAIT Technical)

A discussion on the appropriate sanctions for tax offences, both monetary and confinement related

The recent case of Director of Public Prosecutions, Western Cape v Parker (103/14) [2014] ZASCA 223 (12 December 2014)reminded me of the works of William Shakespeare where the play, the Merchant of Venice, seemed an appropriate parody.

To set the scene for this thought provoking dialogue, we may need to refresh everyone’s memories of the play. In short we have dear Antonio who is indebted by contractual bond to Shylock and on suffering loss of his cargo, Shylock claims the debt under the bond. Payment under the bond was no mere matter of money either, as a pound of flesh closest to the heart was the payment sought in front of the Duke. Shylock is repeatedly requested for mercy and is even offered three times the debt in money by Bassanio, who is Antonio’s friend, but such payment is rejected as being insufficient and not following the letter of the law. Portia, who acting under deceit as Baltazar the doctor of laws, is the heroine of the play. She uses the letter of the law in the bond and prevents Shylock from taking the pound of flesh by demanding that he may only take it without taking a drop of blood, which per the letter of the law, was not his in the wording of the bond. This action by its very nature was impossible and Shylock, realising as much, seeks to take the alternate money offer to his peril. The rest as they say is history that ended badly for Shylock.

In the Parker case, we seem to have a similar scenario, with SARS demanding ostensibly, on the letter of the law that a VAT vendor who had failed to pay over VAT recovered, be prosecuted. However, not only for his misgivings under the provisions of the VAT Act, but also be prosecuted and sentenced to jail for the common law crime of theft. The reason given by the National Prosecuting Authority for this extreme petition was that the penal provisions under the VAT Act were not severe enough and they therefore were demanding "the pound of flesh closest to the heart” as the only manner of appeasing its claim against the vendor. The court invariably rejects SARS’ contentions, as on the letter of the law, they are not entitled thereto but merely that which is provided for in the VAT Act. Similarly, the court also [at 11-13], as Portia did to Shylock, explains to SARS why enforcing the letter of the law, as it claims it to be, is not practically possible.

Discussions on the appropriate sanctions for tax offences, both monetary and confinement, are a subject of much debate, but a good point to start such debate would always be the principles we seek from the Constitution as our guiding light to a better society. We have been made fully aware of the draconian powers of the fiscus as set out in the judgement of Metcash Trading Limited v Commissioner for the South African Revenue Service and Another (CCT3/00) [2000] ZACC 21; 2002 (4) SA 317; 2002 (5) BCLR 454 (24 November 2000)[at 23] where even the court a quo made the comment that the powers were "dramatic and extensive”[at 27].  As a country with a jaded legislative past, as reflected in the preamble of our Constitution, we are also fully aware that the law is not always just, even though its strict enforcement may mislead many to think that justice is in fact being done.

Hence the founding fathers of our Constitution have thought it well, and wisely so, that all laws in our country should be measured against the principle of justice and fairness as enshrined therein. The legislature has seemingly taken these principles of justice to heart, so when the Tax Administration Act (No. 28 of 2011) was enacted as part of a legislative consolidation, the explanatory memorandum that accompanied it had this to say [at 2.1.][ own emphasis]:

"International experience has demonstrated that if taxpayers perceive and experience the tax system as fair and equitable, they will be more inclined to fully and voluntarily comply with it.

"In drafting the TAB, due regard was given to the following principles of international best practice in tax administration:

(a)   Equity and fairness to ensure that the tax system is fair and also perceived to be fair, which in turn should enhance compliance….”

A similar principled approached is followed in the Davis Tax Committee’s First interim report on BEPS [at 28] and tax system design which states [own emphasis]:

"…Equity requires justice and equal treatment of domestic and foreign companies….”

In the judgement of the court in the Parker case [at 9] the court confirms that the relationship between SARS and the VAT vendor is that of debtor and creditor and not that of an agent or debt collecting agent. This begs the question whether in such relationship and in seeking the principles of justice and fairness, non-payment without the intent of criminality, should face such serious a sanction as confinement?

In Malachi v Cape Dance Academy International (Pty) Ltd and Others (CCT 05/10) [2010] ZACC 13; 2010 (6) SA 1 (CC) ; 2010 (11) BCLR 1116 (CC) (24 August 2010) the Constitutional Court had the following to say about detention for civil debt [at 40-41][ own emphasis]:

Freedom is an important right. The detention of any person without just cause is a severe and egregious limitation of that right. It is difficult to imagine the circumstances in which a law that allows detention without just cause could ever be justifiable.

Other comparable jurisdictions have done away with arrest and detention that aims to prevent flight or to recover civil debts. I therefore conclude that the limitation is not reasonable and justifiable in an open and democratic society based on human dignity, equality and freedom.

This then brings us back to the matter of tax and sanction for non-compliance. Where the matter is recovering a civil debt, should this constitute a criminal offence subject to a sanction of confinement? In both the Parker case as well as the case of AJC Olivier v Die Staat (A153/2005)(22 September 2006) the sanction of imprisonment was dealt with on the basis as to how objectionable the actions of the vendor were, including whether there was intent to deceive etc. and as per the statements in the Olivier case [at 25], whether the sanction would serve as deterrent for similar actions in future. The constitutional court in S v Williams and Others 1995 (7) BCLR 861 (CC) [at 64] has previously confirmed the traditional objectives of punishment as being prevention, retribution, deterrence and rehabilitation.

Whether the "crime” fits the punishment is a question which has been posed before by our society. Ironically, the court [at 65] cites an old criminal case from 1972 as principle [ own emphasis]:

"Punishment should fit the criminal as well as the crime, be fair to the accused and to society, and be blended with a measure of mercy . . . the element of mercy, a hallmark of civilized and enlightened administration, should not be overlooked, lest the Court be in danger of reducing itself to the plane of the criminal . . .”

The same court, however, states [at 66] [own emphasis]:

"While those principles have remained eternal truths with regard to the purposes of punishment, the justice and penal systems have been evolving towards a more enlightened and humane implementation of those principles. In keeping with international trends, there has been a gradual shift of emphasis away from the idea of sentencing being predominantly the arena where society wreaks its vengeance on wrongdoers. Sentences have been passed with rehabilitation in mind.”

Do the current tax law offences envisage the principles of mercy and rehabilitation or is it even more inequitable? When seeking the current principles applied in tax acts for punitive measures, what does come to mind is the fact that where a thief commits common law theft, the money stolen is recovered and imprisonment applied. However, when the same thief steals from SARS, he has to repay the capital, twice capital amount as penalty, punitive interest thereon back dated and possibly serve imprisonment. Similarly where a creditor seeks payment, he can recover the capital sum and possibly interest. When SARS as creditor seeks payment, it can recover the capital sum, late payment penalty, non-compliance penalties (i.e. additional tax) and retrospective punitive interest. In both instances SARS seeks not only its money but a pound of flesh as well,over and above what society in general would seek from such person in the normal matter of course. This does not in my mind seek to instil a system of equity and fairness, not to mention rehabilitation and mercy as the punishment in many instances does not seem to fit the crime.

Of further concern is the fact that unlike in the above mentioned cases of Parker or Olivier, criminal offences in terms of the tax Acts do not require some form of intent to deceive or defraud the fiscus, it merely requires non-compliance. This in itself is problematic where imprisonment is a consequence of non-compliance for something that society does not perceive as having an element of criminality, especially within a debtor creditor relationship.

For example, though caveated with the opening line of "wilfully or without just cause”, section 234 of the Tax Administration Act (No. 28 of 2011) makes it a criminal offence, subject to sanction of even imprisonment of two years, where a person fails or neglects to update your personal particulars with SARS. This seems a matter of mere monetary penalty rather than criminality, even if you seek to avoid SARS or merely just don’t care.

SARS would be quick to remind us that for many of these "minor” criminal offences they have never imprisoned or penalised anybody, however, herein lies the problem. In the Parker case the court makes the following statement (emphasis mine):

"The answer to these difficulties suggested by counsel, namely that the Director of Public Prosecutions would never charge the vendor under the circumstances contemplated in the example, provides no answer at all to the question whether a crime has been committed. The law cannot depend on whether or not the DPP decides to enforce it.”

It would seem that the legislature has in its efforts to give SARS its pound of flesh, not only made a law which seems more punitive than just, rehabilitative or representative of mercy and in fact it may in practice be arbitrary as well. The fact that many taxpayers have not updated their details wilfully is such offence which the taxpayer ostensibly has reconciled himself with, or more plainly, the concept of dolus eventualis may apply to many a taxpayer. In short as set out in Magatho v S (732/12 [2013] ZASCA 34 28 March 2014 [at 9] this form of intent is when:

"A person acts with intention in the form of dolus eventualis if the commission of the unlawful act or the causing of the unlawful act result is not his main aim but he subjectively foresees the possibility that in striving towards his main aim the unlawful act may be committed or the unlawful result may ensue and he reconciles himself to the possibility.”

Though many a taxpayer may have been guilty of this crime, few if any, have been charged with such offence notwithstanding that the law cannot depend on whether SARS decides to enforce it or not. It is clear that even SARS in its lack of enforcement (though not due to a lack of ability in my opinion) acknowledges the over zealousness of these punitive measures for the various tax offences.

No easy answer is to be had for the question as to appropriate punishment for tax offences, however from the principles laid down in our young democracy as to why and how we should punish, it seems rather a case where the legislature should review the criminal offences in the tax Acts.  In fact, the lesson from the Parker case may be that criminal offences and imprisonment sanctions, even for tax matters, should properly lie in the Criminal Procedure Act and not in the tax Acts, which should just rather regulate debtor and creditor matters with civil monetary penalties.

As set out in the Olivier judgement, the law should punish with consideration of the facts and with due consideration that such punishment should also deter others from committing such offences in future. In addressing the purposes of punishment, rehabilitation and mercy should also be reflected in the relevant tax laws punitive measures. As was the case for Shylock, the letter of the law may not always give the desired result that we strive for in fulfilling the social pact, in accordance with our constitutional principles, between the state and its subjects. Parties on both sides may need a rethink of their respective fiscal obligations and entitlements and how they are enforced or met.

All laws, including those that the fiscus enforce, should be just and not seek a "pound of flesh closest to the heart” where three times the amount (or even less) is sufficient recompense.

This article first appeared on the March/April 2015 edition on Tax Talk.

Section 240A of the Tax Administration Act, 2011 (as amended) requires that all tax practitioners register with a recognized controlling body before 1 July 2013. It is a criminal offense to not register with both a recognized controlling body and SARS.

The Act requires that a minimum academic and practical requirments be set to register with a controlling body. Click here for the minimum requirements of SAIT.

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I want to access Data source properties from my websphere console programatically. While reading through I cam across 2 options:

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2. Using JMX api

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Military News

June 4, 2013 11:24 PM

About 400 S.C. Guard troops return home from Kosovo

Sgt. William Miles got new marching orders from his 3-year-old son and wife on Tuesday as he returned to South Carolina after nine months in Kosovo with his Army National Guard military police unit.

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Awesome Person 2011
in the area with "NW" on the street signs
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Dec 9, 2015 jezbian commented on Ten Songs to Listen to as We Drown in the Flood.
yet another Stranger music post of a list that includes ZERO female voices.
Nov 25, 2015 jezbian commented on Oh My God, Did You Read About the Pastor Charged with Murdering a Teen Because He Wanted to Leave the Church?.
@9 actually that is pepe le pew & his unwilling gf penelope.
Nov 18, 2015 jezbian commented on Today in Election Results: Shannon Braddock Gains Slightly in West Seattle, Tammy Morales Concedes in District 2.
having worked for king county elections in a variety of positions, including working with live (ie voted) ballots, i encourage anyone i know to NOT write in names for non-viable people - you have NO IDEA how much extra work goes in to write in ballots, as EVERY write-in has to be handled by at least two (often more) workers on the county's dime - back in the '06 general (federal) election i had to handle a ballot where the douchetard had only voted on the federal positions (my guess was he only knew the names enough to pay attention to those races) and then wrote "MY DICK" in to EVERY OTHER GODDAMNED RACE. i had to sit there with another worker (live ballots are NEVER left alone with a single person, and armed county sherriffs have to be present, quite often with D & R representatives to watch over everything) and record every single fucking "vote" - a big damn waste of taxpayers' $/county workers' time.
Sep 4, 2015 jezbian commented on Drunk of the Week.
i'm with ms. v-DR - my fondest bumbershoot memories are when i paid $4.25 per day (advance tickets from pay'n'save drug stores - camera counter!) and got to see acts like eurythmics on the stage at the coliseum.
last time i went was a couple years ago and couldn't get over the über-entitledness of many drunk and/or just plain disrespectful idiots (see @2 for an example) - if i wanted to subject myself to that i could do it for free on the hill on most any night of the week these days...
Jul 31, 2015 jezbian commented on Savage Love.
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dan if you ever need a pair of dyke eyes to filter through real and fake "lesbian" letters just be in touch.
Jul 5, 2015 jezbian commented on What Will You Bolshie Heretics Never Shut Up About Now?.
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Jul 3, 2015 jezbian commented on You Should Go to a Seattle Storm Game, Cheer for Ramu Tokashiki, and Eat Awesome Nachos.
@5 no, it would be the first professional women's basketball team that played in seattle as part of the ABL, when the WNBA had not yet expanded to our market.…
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Jun 2, 2015 jezbian commented on So the Rent Is "Too Damn High"—How Damn High Is It?.
just curious - how's this map compare to the "urban archipelago" map?


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Sidewalk, curb, bike path, parking, traffic.

Of course we could never do this in Seattle. Because nothing that works anywhere else—even things that work everywhere else—works in Seattle. Our streets are too narrow (all of them), our hills are too steep (every street in Seattle goes oneway uphill), our weather is too rainy (except for the last six months), our cyclists are too crazy (totally crazy! totally crazy!), our drivers are too entitled (war on cars! war on cars!), etc., etc. Let's list all the reasons something like this couldn't work in Seattle—not even on wide streets, not even on flat streets—in the comments thread.

UPDATE: Whoops. I seem to have violated—brutally violated—Slog silence. In my defense, um, I'm in New York City and it's 1:30 PM here.

UPDATE 2: As Dominic wrote on Slog back in April, this is the kind of shit that ruined Paris.


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I am a 23-year-old bi girl in the Midwest. I was talking with a friend from LA the other day—a sexy lady friend, ten years older than me, and did I mention she's sexy?—and her boyfriend wants to have a threesome and she wants me to be their third. She offered to fly me out, put me up, and show me a good time in exchange for hopping into bed. Great. Super hot. That said, I'm nervous about letting them spend money on me because... what if I don't want to fuck around with them once I'm there? I would feel an obligation to get it on. Is this is prostitution? This is new territory for me. Got any ideas for how to help things go smoothly for a horny girl who wants a free vacation and to get laid?

Wanting Happy Orgasms, Realistic Exchange

My response after the jump...

Have you met or talked with the BF? Are you into him too?—Dan

I met him once in passing last summer. We exchanged a few words of small talk. Everything about him seems okay. Okay looks, okay personality... but underwhelming. I can see myself in a no-penetration threesome with this dude because I'm really into his girlfriend and he seems perfectly tolerable. My lady friend and I are both subs and she says he's a great Dom. So that's enticing, honestly. But I don't know.—WHORE

Unicorns—single, available, and willing bisexual women—are so hard to come by/in/on that I feel almost bad about queering the deal. But I wouldn't get on that plane, WHORE.

I don't think you'll be making a huge mistake if you do decide to get on that plane—and getting on that plane doesn't make you a whore. Assuming your friends are offering to put you up at their place and not get you a hotel room, WHORE, they're only gonna be out the cost of a round-trip airline ticket. In restaurants all over North America on any given Saturday night people are treated to meals that cost as much or more than a coach ticket by folks who wanna fuck 'em. (Yes, yes: young people and their hookup culture and their "sups" and like that. But trust me, kids, lots of people still go out on dates. Sometimes even people in their twenties.) It's perfectly acceptable to let someone who who wants to fuck you spend a little money on you—provided, of course, that someone has a reasonable chance of getting in your pants.

We know your friend stands a chance. And it does seem like your friend's BF stands a reasonable chance. He's okay in the looks and personal departments. But he's also a skilled Dom, at least according to your friend, which means he possesses a skill set that might compensate for whatever he lacks in the looks and personality departments. (And who knows? His looks and personality might grow on you if you spend some more time together.) But it's a lot easier to say "no thanks" and "goodbye" after someone takes you out to dinner—it's easier to extricate yourself—than it will be to say "no thanks" when you're staying with your friend and her BF.

And if you fly out, and he gives you a bad vibe, and he doesn't get your sub senses tingling, and you don't want to go through with it... you might wind up going through with it anyway. Even that won't make you a whore, WHORE, but it will definitely leave you feeling crummy after it's over.

Before you make up your mind, WHORE, have a couple of long Skype chats before a plane ticket is purchased and be absolutely explicit about what you're comfortable agreeing to in advance, i.e. a non-penetration threesome (or a threesome in which you're not the one being penetrated), and emphasize to your friend and her BF that you have a right to back out if you're not feeling it and that they have to cheerfully respect your right to back out.

If they're down with all of that, and if you're all able to regard that plane ticket as an expensive dinner date that may or may not lead to something more, then maybe you should go.—Dan


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Case Study: First Move | The Sunday Times

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Case Study: First Move

Published: 17 April 2005
NIKHIL SHAH, an accountant from Heston in Middlesex, was one of the first people to take advantage of the Lloyds India Banking Service.

He used it to send money to his wife, Angira, before she joined him in Britain last October.

Nikhil, 28, said: ‘We got married in India last March, but Angira had to stay there for six months while her visa was sorted out. I found out about the Lloyds service, which was being piloted in my local branch, and used it to transfer money to her in the interim. It saved me a lot because I was previously paying £12.50 for every transfer I made with HSBC.’

Nikhil has also used the service since Angira’s arrival to send money to other family members

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Star splits France with 'crime of passion' trial | The Sunday Times

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Star splits France with 'crime of passion' trial

Charles Masters, Paris and Mark Franchetti
Published: 14 March 2004
THE mother of Marie Trintignant, the French actress, has called for the rock star accused of battering her to death in a hotel room in Lithuania to be given the harshest possible sentence if convicted at his trial, which starts this week.

Nadine Trintignant, 69, urged prosecutors to demand the maximum 15-year penalty for Bertrand Cantat, her daughter’s lover, who has been held in the former Soviet republic since her death last August.

“I hope he is severely punished,” she said last week. “I can’t bear the thought that one day he’ll be able to take strolls in the street, sit in a cafe, take his children onto his lap, when my daughter can’t do such things any more.”

Cantat is expected to plead guilty to manslaughter, which under Lithuanian law is punishable by up to four years in prison. Even a murder conviction could mean a penalty of six

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Welcome to the Swan at Westgate

Outside The Swan at Westgate

The Swan in Sea Road in Westgate near West Bay offers something to suit everyone; from super food, a great range of drinks and a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

Telephone: 01843 831401 Email: theswanatwestgate@hotmail.co.uk

The main bar stocks a selection of real ales, premium lagers, quality wines, malt whiskies and special brandies. The sports bar with plasma screen shows Sky Sports and BT Sports; there’s also a pool room, lounge and traditional pub games.
The restaurant has earned its quality reputation, serving sumptuous a la carte food in beautiful surroundings. (Bookings only)
Diners have a great selection of quality wines to choose from and there is the option of a daily set menu at very reasonable prices.
Friday night is steak night at The Swan, with an impressive selection all served with mushrooms, onion rings, grilled tomatoes and homemade chips. You can also try a paella for a minimum of two people, but this must be booked in advance.
The Swan carvery is second to none, and is available from noon until 4pm every Sunday, and again, booking is advisable because it is very popular.  A varied selection of roasts with fresh vegetables plus vegetarian options are among the tasty treats for diners.
For outside dining and drinking try our beer garden. Our landscaped surroundings with potted plants and flowers are a splendid alfresco setting.
The Swan is popular for functions, which is hardly surprising, with its fully air conditioned ground floor ballroom and bar; catering for a range of events including wedding receptions, wakes, anniversaries, birthdays and business seminars.

Please feel free to pop in or call us on 01843 831401 to discuss your requirements, we’ll be happy to help.

About Westgate-on-Sea

firefox-grayOriginally consisting of a farm and a few cottages, local businessmen in 1860 developed the area in northeast Kent beside St Mildred’s Bay and West Bay as a seaside resort for the middle classes.

Its two sandy beaches remain popular today. Sea walls and groynes were built around both bays to provide protection for both beaches and town from coastal flooding.

A Royal Naval Air Service seaplane base was located here during World War I in order to protect the Thames Estuary and its coastal towns. After the war, the base was de-commissioned and its replacement at Manston eventually became Kent International Airport.

The town of Westgate is located on the Isle of Thanet, which, until around two hundred years ago, was a separate island from the mainland, which became exposed above sea level when the English Channel broke through between the Kent and French coast causing the sea level to fall. Due to silting of the channel in between, is no longer so and the chalk deposited when the area was below the sea has resulted in the area being designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).


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Tuesday, February 19, 2013

A Favorite Literacy Website . . .

If you are like me, you LOVE to see actual photographs of classrooms, student work, anchor charts, and more.  When I SEE, I remember.  When I READ, I wish I had something to SEE to help me remember!  That's just how my brain works.

Enter Julie Ballew.  Have you seen her website?  I am a frequent visitor because her photos of student work, anchor charts, and more help me picture things that I have read, thought about, considered doing, and so on.  When I browse through her site, I feel that excitement . . .  the "Ooooooh!  I want to do that!" and "I FORGOT about that!"  It's a great place to visit when you need inspiration!  She has everything from lesson plans to anchor charts (TONS of anchor charts!) to student work.  Get ready to spend a few hours absorbing it all!

One such "inspiration" for me came from a project she featured where students created personal "reading identity ladders".  We called them "Me as a Reader" projects!  We made these midway through first quarter after we had worked really hard to talk about reading behaviors, about what successful readers do, and about setting personal reading goals.

Here is the link to Julie's page . . .

Our version . . .

Look at all the readers!

The prompt for this piece was "I am the kind of reader who..."

"I want to be the kind of reader who..."

"My reading goal is..."

We had these hanging in the hallway and kids and adults LOVED to stop and check them out!  We just took them down, and the kids were so excited to have them to keep--and loved talking about what goals they would have NOW if they did the project.

So, when you are looking for new inspiration, I can't stress enough what nifty ideas Julie has!  Check it out!  Thanks for all your hard work, Julie!

  1. That is a great idea for self reflection! I will definitely have to check that blog out! Also, I nominated you for the Liebster on my blog because I love all your ideas so much!

    Eclectic Educating

  2. Thanks, Amy! That was really thoughtful of you! I was nominated for that a few months ago, and I appreciate your kind words and thoughts! Check out Julie's stuff--she is great!

  3. That's a great resource! I've bookmarked her to read over later when I can take notes :)

    1. Have fun! Maybe send your notes over to me.... ;)

  4. We write a Reader's Autobiography as our first reading log entry of the year and I just had the kids update them last week. I love the idea of translating the information from the autobiographies into a project like this. They would be great for display for Back-to-School Night. I'm thinking we could leave a section blank and bring them back out midyear for an update. Thanks for sharing. ~Stacy @ new-in-room-202.blogspot.com

    1. I love this, Stacy! Great way to combine the two ideas!


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A team dedicated in the face of tragedy

Sea-Hawks vow to play just as Erin Bursey would have expected

Kenn Oliver koliver@thetelegram.com
Published on June 28, 2012
The Memorial University women’s volleyball team is mourning the loss of captain Erin Bursey, shown in this file photo. Bursey died Tuesday night, three days after being struck by a vehicle and four days after her 21st birthday. — MUN Athletics photo/Mardon Erbland

When Chantel Jones and Erin Bursey found out Memorial University would host the 2013 Atlantic University Sport women’s volleyball championship, the two Sea-Hawks— both entering their fifth and final year of varsity eligibility — had one goal in mind.

“We decided this year was going to be our year, this banner was ours,” Jones told the Telegram Wednesday.

But if MUN does take the conference title in February, any celebration will be bittersweet, because Jones won’t have her best friend there to help raise the banner to the Field House rafters.

Bursey died Tuesday night from injuries suffered in a Saturday night vehicle-pedestrian accident on Thorburn Road in St. John’s. The day before the accident, Bursey celebrated her 21st birthday and found out she made the dean’s list after graduating from MUN with honours from the bachelor of psychology program.

“There’s no way I’m going to give up on that dream because of this,” says Jones.

“If anything, it’s going to make me push harder because she wanted it so badly, probably more than anyone else on the team.

“I’m going to get that banner for her.”

Bill Thistle says Bursey was one of the reasons he decided to sign on as the Sea-Hawks women’s volleyball coach two years ago, and while his players still expect to win the AUS crown, he admits it will be harder without the team’s captain and emotional leader.

“Somehow, we’ve got to dig down and find the fortitude and intensity to win this one in her memory,” he said. “She would want that, she would expect that. She wouldn’t be happy if we didn’t give her a full effort.”

Thistle says Bursey was just that type of player, an intense competitor who was never pleased with her performance unless it was perfect.

“If you talk to anybody, she was a pain in the ass to play with at times because she is so competitive,” says Thistle. “She pushed herself hard and she pushed her teammates hard. She was one tough kid.”

For much of the last two seasons, the five-foot five-inch Bursey played on left side for Thistle’s Sea-Hawks, a position normally filled by girls six-feet or taller.

“To do what she did at her height is unheard of,” says Thistle adding Bursey was one of the smallest hitter in the country at her position, but still one of the best. “People told her she couldn’t do it, that she was too small to play this sport, but she proved them wrong.”

This summer, Bursey was training to take over the team’s libero position and Thistle is confident she would have been the best defensive player in the AUS this upcoming season.

Off the court, Thistle says Bursey approached life the same way she did off it; always striving for excellence. This summer, for instance, Bursey organized all the Sea-Hawks volleyball camps. When she was held off the court with an injury early this past season, Bursey turned her attention to helping Thistle run the team.

“She would have been a brilliant coach in years to come as she matured.”

Originally from Weybridge on Random Island, Bursey came to St. John’s when her parents, Glenn and Jackie, along with brothers Andrew and Colin moved there 2006. She began attending Bishop’s College, where she befriended Jones and Beth Forsey, another Sea-Hawks teammate who wrapped up her AUS career this past season. They first met when Bursey was competing for Random Island Academy.

“We competed in all the same tournaments, so that’s how I got to know her. When she came to Bishop’s, that’s when we became really close friends,” says Forsey.

“I don’t think about losing a teammate, I look at is as losing one of my best friends.”

It goes without saying the season ahead will be a tough one for the friends and teammates Bursey left behind.

“We’ve got a lot of firsts coming up,” explains Thistle. “Our first practice without her next week, our first travel without her, our first matches without her. It’s all going to be difficult.”

Bursey, Forsey and Jones and other Sea-Hawks such as Julia Watts, Angela Peddle, Sarah Strickland, Nicole Joliffe, and Sasha Wilkins are part of an elite group of volleyballers who have competed against one another and with each other on provincial age group teams.

“First and foremost, she was a friend to these girls. They were extremely close.”

Funeral services Saturday at the Field House

Many of those girls will serve as pallbearers during a memorial service to celebrate Bursey’s life, which will take place noon Saturday at the MUN Field House, where a volleyball court will be set up for the occasion. A private interment will follow at Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

“It’ll be her last time on the court,” says Thistle.

Bursey will be resting at Barrett’s Funeral Home on Hamilton Avenue Friday from 1 to 9 p.m. In lieu of flower, donations may be made to the Erin Bursey Leadership Award.


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Monday, November 28, 2016

the best reusable shopping bags. ever.

i have tried to make the effort to use reusable shopping bags when on my weekly target or grocery store runs......but i wasn't always successful. i usually ended up forgetting them in the car or leaving them at home.....even if i remembered them i never had bags that worked well (too flimsy, etc.)

recently in california bringing your own bags has become mandatory, which i love. i now need to remember my bags and since i recently found the most amazing bags *ever* i actually look forward to bringing them. no joke, i get comments every time i use these bags from people asking me where to get them for themselves. these bags fold up easily, are a cinch to fill up at checkout and load into the car. obsessed is an understatement.

i am head-over-heals in love with these bags. give them a try.....pretty sure you will end up in a committed reusable bag relationship, too.

Thursday, November 24, 2016

always thankful

this post is sponsored by the lovely people at nutrish. the thoughts and opinions are our own.

today is a day we sit back and actually take stock of our lives. we gather together and, even if just for a few moments, we list all those things we are thankful for. this year has been a difficult one for heather and i but as we focus on having an attitude of gratitude, it becomes more and more easy to remember just how good our lives are.

so, today, before the turkey and stuffing, before the football and parades, we wanted to take a moment to share the things we are thankful for.

we are thankful for family

this one is at the top of both of our lists. how can we even imagine life without all of our wild and crazy kids surrounding us? we cannot. i'm blessed with an amazing husband, five pretty hilarious kids and a life that is never boring. it's pretty fantastic.

we are thankful for friends

one summer school class long ago, heather and i met and laughed over a lecture on teaching art to children. our lives have never been the same. here we are 20+ years later and the laughs continue. i can't imagine my life without her and there are countless other friendship stories that each of us have. our friends have often become family to us and we are so very grateful.

we are thankful for pets

i once swore that i would never have pets while i had small children. i couldn't imagine having another creature to take care of. i'm so glad i gave in and got our sweet kitties. i know heather feels the same with her adorable lola. just when days are getting difficult, one of the cats will do something to make me laugh or will come up to cuddle. they are sometimes just what i need to brighten my day and i can't imagine the hole that would be in my life and the life of my kids without them. they are little furry balls of joy.

we are thankful for health

both us of have had some weird health things come up this year. still, as we look back on our lives and the lives of our families, we are so very blessed. so many people walk through incredible illnesses and our hearts go out to them. we don't take our health for granted and we are so very thankful for each and every day we spend without the worries of illnesses in our families.

we are thankful for provision

heather and i have both traveled the world and have seen great poverty around the world. make no mistake, we are privileged people. each month we have money to pay for our homes and our food. our children have great education. we have clothes on our back and transportation to get us where we need to go. we are not wanting for our basic needs and we are aware that so many in the world don't have these luxuries. today and everyday we strive to be more grateful for the fact that our needs are met.

we are thankful for work

this blog has been a blessing for the last five years. we have laughed through it, learned through it and maintained a friendship and called it a business. through the ups and downs, it has brought us closer together and has brought us joy. we also get to work with amazing friends and companies. not only do companies partner with us, but we are able to build relationships with the people we meet along the way as well. we are so grateful for what blogging has brought us and the friendships we have made and maintained along the way. the lovely people at nutrish have been in a partnership with us for the last three years. we have laughed with them, traveled with them and they represent so much more than a company to us. they are friends we get to work with. what a joy that is.

we are thankful for you

when we started blogging five years ago, we thought we would write some things down and our mothers would occasionally read what we wrote. boy were we surprised to find out that there were people who found us interesting. we have giggled as we've watched people reading our blog from various parts of the world (we are pretty sure they just googled "boob") and we have been amazed to see that people have appreciated our hearts and our stories. thanks for sticking with us and for laughing with us. thanks for crying with us when we walk through heartbreak and for cheering for us when we need encouragement. we are thankful for you.

we are thankful for another day to enjoy it all

today we get to wake up and spend the day with those we love. we get to enjoy good food and laughter. we get to live another day knowing how blessed we are. that alone is good news. we aren't going to take today for granted. today and everyday we are beyond fortunate, beyond blessed and exponentially grateful. our job now is to take that gratitude and remember to cultivate it the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that. when we do that, we will get to remember each and every day just how much there is to be thankful for.

we love working with rachael ray's pet food company, nutrish. if you haven't tried her pet food, give it a try. we cannot say enough good things about it. rachael ray's pet food is made from simple, natural ingredients that your pet needs for a complete and balanced diet. all nutrish pet food is available where you purchase your family's groceries which makes shopping easier. we love the health benefits it gives our pets, the convenience of the shopping and the way that rachael ray gives back.

one of our favorite things about nutrish is that a portion of nutrish proceeds go to rachael's rescue, which was created to help animals in need. to date, over $14 million has been donated. this money has gone toward food, medical supplies and treatment for these unfortunate animals. we love that in some small way, when we care for our pets through nutrish pet food, other animals are being cared for as well.

please follow nutrish at:

Saturday, October 22, 2016

fall allergy survival guide

this post is sponsored by the lovely people of cvs minute clinic. as always, all thoughts and opinions are our own.

it's that time of the year. each fall, right as school is getting into full swing, it starts up again. my kids come home with itchy, watery eyes. they start to sneeze and cough. their asthma kicks in and they start wheezing and coughing some more. it seems like a never ending cycle and we face it every year at this time.

my kids have seasonal allergies. five out of five kids come home in the fall with snotty noses and wheezy coughs. ragweed and dust does us in each and every fall and it seems to take an army of medication and precautions to get them back on the healthy road again.

this year we are determined to be proactive and try to keep our kids in school and out of the doctor's office. in years past, their allergies have led to ear infections, sinus infections, bronchitis and other horrible sicknesses that can follow sinus congestion. we are trying to avoid all of those this year so are taking actions to prevent the congestion in the first place.

first, it is important for us to know the difference between a cold or the flu and allergies. allergies are a body's hyper-sensitivity to substances in the environment. allergies are long lasting. while a cold usually will clear up after 7-10 days, allergies can last for months (as seen by my five kiddos). if you have a fever, it's not allergies, it's a cold or the flu. aches and pains...that's also a sign of the flu. if you have consistent itchy eyes, nasal congestion, sneezing and have symptoms that occur as soon as you come in contact with an allergen, it is probably allergies. the best way to treat allergies is to avoid them in the first place.

here are five things that we do as a family to keep allergies and their symptoms at a minimum.

create a health plan with a nurse practitioner

every fall, we stop in to our cvs minute clinic to meet with a nurse practitioner to develop a family allergy action plan. we get all the medications we need filled for our kiddos and we get any and every new tip we can get for allergy prevention. we are fortunate enough to have two minute clinics in the same parking lot, literally two miles from my house. one is inside target and the other inside a cvs store. both are fantastic and i can even make online reservations for an appointment and can show up ten minutes before my appointment time completely checked in. it's fantastic and so convenient. i don't like to pull my kids out of school so i can even do all of their appointments on a saturday morning. we are in and out in no time and they don't have to miss any school assignments. on top of getting their prescription allergy medicine filled, we also get some great tips on allergy prevention. the nurse practitioners have given us all of the following tips to keep our kids healthy in the fall.

clean, clean, clean

this is, arguably, my least favorite thing about fall allergy season. i have to be very diligent about keeping my house clean. as lovely fall breezes kick up, so do allergens. as kids run in and out of my house in the lovely, cooler weather, they bring in all sorts of allergens that can affect them for months. as my kids are allergic to dust, dusting and vacuuming is increasingly important over the fall months. these responsibilities are passed on to my children and they have to take part in the allergy prevention. we also are pretty diligent about vacuuming and mopping our hardwood floors as well. dirty or dusty floors can reek havoc on allergy symptoms so the best way to combat it is to keep things as clean as possible.

wash their clothes

i don't like doing more laundry than i have to and i am definitely not apposed to wearing jeans more than one day, especially for my kiddos. i do, however, have to make sure that in the fall, they don't wear sweatshirts and t-shirts repeatedly. those articles of clothing are right next to their little faces and, while they are enjoying the beautiful weather outdoors, they are also collecting allergens. the only way to get rid of those allergens is to wash their sweatshirts and t-shirts. i have to wash them more than i would like but it does make a huge difference in how my kids feel.

wash bedding frequently

this is another thing i would like to avoid but i have to force myself to do it often, especially in allergy season. bedding is a breeding ground for dust mites and dust just loves to fill up every nook and cranny. add to that the ragweed that comes into our house during the fall and it can be a disaster for my kids as they breath during the night time. i have to be extra diligent to wash bedding at least on a weekly basis.

keep windows closed

this one kills me. i feel like i wait all summer long for fresh air but i have to remember that open windows means all of the outside is free to come inside. this is really bad news for my allergic kiddos. i have to keep the windows closed and run the AC or the heater if i want the air circulating.

change air filters

this really needs to be done every season but it is especially true for us in the fall. we have to have our air filters clean so the air that is circulating is as clean as possible. some people also invest in hepa filters. we used to have one when our kids were toddlers and they worked wonders but as our kids have grown and their allergies and asthma have been better controlled, we have been able to cut back on the hepa filter use. with or without a hepa filter, keep air filters in the house clean during this season.

wash hands and face each time you come in from outdoors

this one is hard for my little boys to remember but they are getting used to it. each day after outdoor play, they have to come in and wash their hands and their faces. this simple activity removes a big portion of the ragweed from their bodies before they keep playing in the house. it has made a huge difference in how they feel throughout the day. they also have to shower and wash their hair every night. my kids play outside all afternoon. if they come in covered in ragweed pollen and do not shower, they will be breathing that pollen all night long. when that happens, the pollen also spreads to their bedding and they can keep coming in contact with it again and again. showering and washing out the pollen is very important each and every night.

stay diligent with medications

my kids take their allergy medicines every single day. even when their allergies seem under control, we still have them take their medicines. we use it as prevention and we can tell from one day to the next if they have forgotten a day of medicine. this goes for their over the counter allergy medicine, their nasal sprays, their inhalers and their prescription allergy medicines. they have it all and they are religious about using it every day. when we miss, we tend to get really bad, really fast. that's just something we are not willing to deal with this year so we are taking care of our kids daily to make sure we don't get to that point.

that's it. it may seem daunting but each day i stay diligent is a day my kids can function allergy and sickness free. that is a huge win in my book. how about you? how do you combat allergy season for your kiddos? we can't wait to hear.

Friday, September 23, 2016

kitten must-haves

this post is sponsored by rachael ray's nutrish. the thoughts and opinions are my own.

bringing home a new kitten to the family is such an exciting thing. be sure to be prepared by having all that you need on hand to make for a smooth transition. we recently rescued our kitten, lola from a shelter and have created this list of absolute must-haves for the new fur baby in your life.

1. food

when it comes to food, i only want to give lola the best. i pick nutrish zero grain.

cats' natural diets are very low in grains, as cats are natural carnivores. also, some cats may have grain allergies, which can cause skin irritations or other problems. these cats can benefit from a grain free diet, which removes the grain allergens.

real chicken or fish is always the number one ingredient in every bag of rachael ray™ nutrish® for cats. there's no ground corn, wheat or soy. and there's never any poultry by-product meals, artificial flavors or artificial preservatives. just real meat or fish and wholesome veggies plus the vitamins, minerals and taurine your cat needs to be healthy and happy.

also? as soon as i bought a bag of zero grain she legit tried to break into it and start eating. she absolutely loves it,. truly. it makes me feel good to be giving her the best, too.

2. food/water bowls
these are a given on any list of kitten must-haves, but how cute are these two sets?! gotta have it.

vivipet cat dining table

cat bowls with slurp and meow set

3. litter box

litter boxes are a for sure must. who wouldn't like this self cleaning one? if you are like me and don't have a big house with extra room for a litter box to hide, try this super cute piece of furniture that disguises the litter box perfectly! it's truly wonderful.

scoopfree ultra self-cleaning litter box

merry products pet house and litter box

4. litter

who knew litter had so many options?!  genelle and i found out about this awesome litter while at catcon and fell in love. they even have a yummy scented lavender option that helps disguise any cat smells. my favorite part is that it isn't as heavy as other brands and does a far superior job.

5. collar

a collar is the perfect personality accessory for your new fur baby. show off your style with these favorites.

blueberry pet pack of 2, hunting expedition with fish bone and leopard print adjustable breakaway kitten cat collar with bell

blueberry pet floral collection dog collar with red cherry, pink rose, green cactus and palm tree patterns

6. bed

although a cat bed isn't a necessity, (lola sleeps on the couch) we really love this cute, cozy option.

kittikubbi - cat bed cave hideou

7. scratch post

you need to give your new addition a place to scratch, unless you want your furniture to be destroyed. we love this chic scratcher/lounge.

about nutrish:

nutrish is the fantastic line of super premium pet food created by the brilliant pet advocate, rachael ray. nutrish is made with simple, wholesome ingredients like real meat or fish, and do not contain poultry by-product meal or fillers.

a portion of nutrish proceeds go to rachael’s rescue®, which was created to help animals in need. to date, over $14MM has been donated. this money has gone toward food, medical supplies and treatments for these unfortunate animals.

all of the rachael ray nutrish products are available where you shop for your family's groceries, making specialty recipes accessible and convenient for every pet parent. if you are considering adding a new member to your family, please consider adoption.

please follow nutrish on social media:

Thursday, September 22, 2016

fun finds: decorating for fall

i love the fall. it is my favorite season of all and my heart does a little happy dance on this day each year. i am thrilled as i prepare for all the beauty that is this glorious time of the year. i love the crisp weather, the falling leaves, the beautiful colors; everything about this time of year brings me joy. i look forward to decorating for this season each year as well and every year i stockpile more and more things to get my home ready. this year i have searched through etsy to find more amazing finds that may need to be added to my fall decor collection. you may want to add them to yours as well...

Friday, September 9, 2016

monthly must haves: lego architect series

my littles are lego obsessed. it's pretty much lego building all of the time at our home. i love the way the can follow the directions and build away, but i love even more when they use their own creativity to build amazing creations from their minds imagination. recently i came across the lego architecture series, which has become a new obsession for all of us. the boys love building "like an architect" and we are having so much fun learning together about the buildings, the countries/cities they each represent and other fun facts. if you are looking for a great way to learn and connect with your littles, check out some of these sets that we love and start making memories together. enjoy!


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Welcome to your preview of The Times

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Scottish government shrugs off defeat in Lockerbie vote

The Scottish First Minister suffered an embarrassing defeat yesterday when MSPs voted against his minority government’s decision to free the Lockerbie bomber.

Alex Salmond had tried to convince the Scottish Parliament to endorse the release of the terminally ill Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds as “consistent with the principles of Scottish justice”. However, the opposition parties united to condemn the decision after an emotionally charged debate in which the SNP was accused of making the Scottish justice system look like a joke.

Mr Salmond’s defeat allowed opposition parties to put distance between the Parliament and the return of

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Scotland’s heritage ‘put at risk by Trust management’

The National Trust for Scotland’s ability to carry out its core function of conserving the nation’s heritage has been seriously undermined by its senior management, according to the man charged with reviewing the organisation’s work.

In an interview with The Times, George Reid laid bare an anachronistic organisation living beyond its means, whose board had compromised the trust’s ability to carry out its duties when it announced 91 redundancies and the closure of 11 properties last March.

Though these numbers were later reduced, “serious” damage had been done, Mr Reid said.

“When the organisation has made cuts it is difficult

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5) Immediate: Pop-under advertising provides its user with an instant source of traffic. Most popunder campaigns can be setup and begin generating visitors to client web sites within 24 hours. Campaigns can be setup accordingly to route anywhere between hundreds to thousands of targeted visitors to a web site each day.

6) Flexible: Popunder campaigns give users the ability to quickly substitute ads or web site URLs in the middle of a campaign as it runs. Advertisers can run one ad, learn what effect it has on their intended audience, and then adjust or change the ad midstream to re-evaluate its effect. If the marketer is not getting a good response from a pop-under ad, a valuable lesson can be learned and the campaign be adjusted. The advertiser then has the opportunity to modify the popunder with an alternate ad or web page to fine tune the campaign and generate more traffic.

The positive aspects of popunder advertising cannot be disputed. Through precisely targeted pop-under campaigns, advertisers can benefit from instant increases in web site traffic at some of the most affordable prices on the internet.

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Ford Focus ST - Michael Clark

Entered for the August 2010 competition.

Competition Entry

Name: Michael Clark

Make: Ford

Model: Focus ST

Year: 2009

Viewed: 3438 times.

Votes/Comments: 47

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Ford Focus ST
Ford Focus ST
Ford Focus ST

Products Used

How Michael Used Our Products

I washed the car with Meguiar's Gold Class shampoo and conditioner, then dried with microfibre towels. The next step was the detailing clay followed by another shampoo. I then proceeded to follow the instructions for the Meguiars 3 step system before finishing off with the NXT Tech Wax. About 6 hours in total before starting on the wheels and exhaust!!

Comments from Voters

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  • Very Nice Car

  • Fab car gets my vote

  • ooh nice very nice

  • Nice looking car, and the decals are for a great cause.

  • Fantastic looking example!!!

  • Mick is a winner

  • Superb car mate, all the best

  • A+++++

  • Brilliant results

  • good looking car

  • Great cause, all the very best of luck !!

  • looking good! Quality ST!

  • All that time to make a car look good...well worth it though stunning mick.

  • nice car mate

  • looking good

  • Very nice

  • Looks fab :o) x

  • Totally stunning car

  • Nice Motor

  • Great looking car and well cared for - worthy winner!!!!!

  • Stunning ST.

  • great looking car

  • Looks stunning, great work!

  • looking fresh

  • sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet

  • Fantastic

  • Looking good Mick, I may let you have a go at a proper car as I'm sure my XF'll need a good clean!

  • Lovely looking car.

  • Fantastic looking motor!!

  • Clicky click

  • Nice

  • Nice looking motor, good luck

  • Very nice motor - almost as nice as mine!!

  • Mick, Stunning example of the ST, and Help for Heroes charity work as well gets my vote

  • Quality

  • Very nice

  • Fantastic work, it looks superb!

  • A stunning looking motor

  • God i love this car......wash kit definately works as she's gleamuing

  • looking good mick

  • Great looking car and working for charity.. Gets my vote..

  • to win

  • Outstanding!

  • Very clean looking car..i want it!!

  • A great example of a stunning Focus ST.......Clean looking car Mick!!

  • Very very nice , excellent job

  • Beautiful car!! Sooo clean.....but I would say that!!

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Jaquet Droz

Petite Heure Minute 35mm

Ladies watch | Automatic movement

SALE PRICE: £12,780.00

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Brand Jaquet Droz
Series Petite Heure Minute 35mm
Model Number j005003270
Size Ladies
Case Material 18kt Rose Gold
Dial Color Red
Bracelet/Strap Satin Red
Clasp Tang Buckle
Movement Automatic
Screw-down Crown No
Crystal Scratch Resistant Sapphire
Case Back Transparent
Water Resistance 30m/99ft
Diameter 35mm
Case Thickness 10.4mm

Watch Description

This watch features:

Polished 18kt rose gold case.

Red "Ruby Heart" dial.

Off-set hour & minute sub-dial towards the top center of the dial, with a rose gold surronding ring and black printed hour markers.

Polished rose gold hands.

Jaquet Droz Caliber 2653, beats at 28,800 vph, contains 28 Jewels & has an approximate power reserve of 68 hours.

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Driver Verifier Manager & Device Manager: Troubleshoot Driver Problems in Windows

If your Windows freezes frequently or is encountering frequent Stop Errors or BSOD’s then, it is advisable to check if the problem is being caused by a faulty Driver. While in most cases, its usually the unsigned drivers which create problems, one cannot rule out the signed drivers too! Nevertheless, you can troubleshoot, identify & resolve common device driver problems with the help of the built-in Driver Verifier Manager & Device Manager.

Driver Verifier Manager

Windows has, what is called as, Driver Verifier Manager. Its a very useful tool to identify problematic drivers. To open it type verifier in charms bar / start menu search box and hit enter. The Driver Verifier Manager, tests each specified driver at startup. If it detects a problem, it identifies it and then stops it from running.

Driver Verifier manager

To use the Driver Verifier Manager, first select Create Standard Settings > Click Next > Automatically select unsigned drivers > Next. You will see a dialog box ‘Loading driver information’ at the end of which you will be presented with a list of unsigned drivers.

There are other options, too, to select at every step. Choose what you think would be most appropriate in your case. I have only mentioned unsigned drivers as they are usually suspect. This way Standard Settings will first be created. This helps you in identifying what might be a buggy driver.

In the last stage of the wizard, you have two options: to click Cancel or to click Finish. Its best to click Cancel. This way no changes are made to your system configuration. From the list which is presented, you can manually try to Roll back, Update, Disable or Uninstall the Driver. But if you click Finish, then on re-start of the PC, you may be presented with an error message. This will include the name of the buggy driver along with an error code. Note down the drivers name and the error code.

Next reboot, but this time in Safe Mode. Now you can choose to Roll back, Update, Disable or Uninstall the particular Driver.

Finally, to disable the Driver Verifier Manager, type verifier /reset in Windows Start Menu Search and hit Enter.

Device Manager

You can also use the Device Manager to identify a problematic driver. To do so, type Device Manager in Windows search and hit Enter.

Device Manager

If you see a triangular yellow exclamation mark, then this driver could be a suspect.Here is an example:

Right-click on it to open its Properties.

driver general

This will give the current status of this Driver. You can also check for Solutions online under the General tab.

driver general

If you feel that this Driver could be the cause, then under the Driver tab of the Properties box, you have the option to either Roll back, Update, Disable or Uninstall the Driver.

How to troubleshoot & fix Device Driver Problems and how to identify or verify unsigned / signed Drivers may also be of interest to you.

Posted by on , in Category Windows with Tags
Anand Khanse is the Admin of and a 10-year Microsoft MVP Awardee in Windows for the period 2006-16. Please read the entire post & the comments first, create a System Restore Point before making any changes to your system & be careful about any 3rd-party offers while installing freeware.


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Top Story: U.S. recyclers are sending lead batteries to Mexico for processing, where lax environmental standards expose workers and residents to dangerous amounts of pollution. The EPA says some Wyoming drinking water has been contaminated by chemicals from natural gas fracking.

U.S.: President Obama is about to fulfill one campaign promise, ending the war in Iraq, just before his reelection campaign begins in earnest. The recession has led to an increase in cremations, which are much less expensive than traditional burials.

Arts: Theater critic Ben Brantley dances around the underlying subtext of Hugh Jackman's one-man Broadway show: Jackman may not be a gay man, but he sure performs like one.

Health: There are 44 breakfast cereals that contain more sugar in one cup then three Chips Ahoy cookies. Researchers say generosity (even something as simple as making the coffee in the morning) is the key to a happy marriage.

Politics: Redistricting is forcing some Congressional colleagues, who used to work together, to fight for the same seat.

Movies: A review of the "superb new adaptation" of "Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy"

Obituaries: Jerry Robinson, the comic book artist who invented Batman's best friend, Robin, and his nemesis, The Joker.


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Scott Foley’s Shondaland Comedy Among Five Pilots Ordered by ABC

Network picks up pilots for four comedies and one drama

ABC has ordered pilots for one drama and four new comedies, including a Shondaland comedy written by “Scandal” star Scott Foley.

“Toast,” written by Foley from a story developed with Greg Grunberg, takes place during a couple’s wedding rehearsal dinner where their eclectic family and friends give toasts recalling anecdotes about the couple — but flashbacks reveal the toasts don’t always get it right, as we watch the real story of their complicated, funny and relatable road to marriage.

Foley and Grunberg will serve as executive producers on the ABC Studios comedy, along with Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers.

“Hail Mary,” from Sony and ABC Studios follows a young small town mayor named Mary Wolf has dysfunctional siblings, a dying father, disgruntled citizens, a nearly bankrupt town, and the mafia breathing down her neck. Only a miracle can help her. So, she fakes one.

The pilot is written by Brian Gallivan and directed by Seth Gordon. They will serve as executive producers alongside Intrigue’s Tariq Jalil.

An untitled project from Hannah Mackay and “The Mindy Project’s” Ed Weeks is a single camera comedy about an unapologetic lesbian and her best friend, a neurotic straight male, navigate their dysfunctional, co-dependent friendship and the world of dating.

Weeks and Mackay will serve as co-executive producers. Andrew Reich and Kindle Entertainment’s Siobhan Bachman will executive produce.

Gabriel Iglesias stars in ABC Studios’ multi-cam comedy “The Fluffy Shop” about a stepfather and boss to his family and friends, while he navigates his home life during the few days he spends off the road each week.

Iglesias will executive produce with Tim Doyle and Jay Lavender. Joe Meloche, Becky Clements and Marty Adelstein will also serve as EPs.

The drama pilot ordered by the network is Sony and ABC Studios’ “Notorious.” Inspired by the true-life stories of famed criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos and cable news producer Wendy Walker, the series is a provocative look at the unique, sexy, and dangerous interplay of criminal law and the media.

Allie Hagan will serve as co-executive producer. Mark Geragos, Wendy Walker and Kenny Meiselas will executive produce with Prospect Park’s Jeff Kwatinetz, Josh Barry and Brian Gersh.


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Home > Gaelle

What does Gaelle mean?

Gaelle Pronunciation of Gaelle [gaelle] as a name for boys (also used as girls' name Gaelle) has the meaning "foreigner; cheerful, happy". Gaelle is a variant form of Gale (Irish, Gaelic, Old English).

Associated with: cheerful (happy).

Gaelle has 5 variants: Gael, Gaell, Gail, Gaile and Gayle.

2 more different relations via Gale: Gaill and Gaille.

Creative forms:
(male) Gaelge, Gule, ..

(female) Gaella, Gaelli, ..

Middle name pairings:
Gaelle Jakai (G.J.), ..

How popular is Gaelle?

Gaelle is an uncommon first name for men. Gaelle is also a unique last name for both adults and children. (2000 U.S. Demographics)

Which version is better?

with its source form and related boy names. Gael (#220 last year), Gayle, Gail and Gale are the popular alternative forms of Gaelle (outside Top 2000). These relations of Gaelle were popular as birth names in 2012 (adoption of 0.1%) and are somewhat less common today (adoption 0.1%, 36%), with forms like Gayle falling out of fashion. (Top 2000 Names, 2015)

Top 2000 baby names ranking of Gael, Gail, Gale, Gayle in U.S.

Top 100 baby names ranking of Gaelle and related baby names outside U.S.

Similar Names

Gaelle is pronounced similarly to Gal, Gall and Gill. Other suggested similar names are Beale, Bealle, Bille, Cardelle, Carlile, Carlyle, Carnelle, Cayle, Daile, Dalle, Daryle, Dayle, Derelle, Eagle, Earle, Flavelle, Gabbie, Gabe, Gable, Gaelan, Gaer, Gaetane, Gaeton, Gaige, Gaillen, Galan, Galen, Galil, Galileo, Gallo, Galo, Galten, Galyn, Gamal, Gamble, Gamblen (see Gamble), Gamel, Gamliel (see Gamaliel), Gardie, Garrie, Garvie, Gaylen, Gaylin, Gayne, Gellert, Gene, Ghilles (see Gillies), Ghillie, Gilley, Greelea (see Greeley), Greville, Hale, Halle, Jamelle, Kaile, Karle, Kelle, Ladle, Lale, Levelle, Nagelle (see Nagel), Neale, Olle, Orvelle, Peale, Rafaelle, Randle, Sable, Savile, Saville, Tyrelle and Vaile. These names tend to be more frequently used than Gaelle.

See names
in meaning and etymology.


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Home > Greger

What does Greger mean?

Greger Pronunciation of Greger [greger] as a name for boys has the meaning "watchful, vigilant". Greger is a Scandinavian form of Gregory (Latin, Greek).

Associated with: scandinavian.

19 alternative forms via Gregory: Greagoir, Greer, Greg, Gregers, Gregg, Greggory, Gregoire, Gregoor, Gregor, Gregori, Gregorio, Gregoriy, Gregos, Greig, Grigor, Grigori, Grigory, Grygor and Grzegorz.

Creative forms:
(male) Garger, Gregar, ..

(female) Grege, Gregen, ..

Middle name pairings:
Greger Bentley (G.B.), ..

How popular is Greger?

Greger is an uncommon first name for males but a very popular surname for both adults and children (#19587 out of 150436, Top 13%). (2000 U.S. Demographics)

Which version is better?

with its source form and related boy names. Gregory (#346 from recent data), Gregorio (#1974), Greig, Gregor, Gregg, Greggory and Greg are the prominent alternative forms of Greger (not ranked) listed in the Top 2000. Other forms, like Gregoriy, are uncommon. These forms of Greger were at the height of their popularity 55 years ago (adoption of 1.25%) and have become much less popular since (adoption 0.06%, 96% less), with forms like Gregg falling out of fashion. (2015 Birth Statistics)

Top 2000 baby names ranking of Greg, Gregg, Greggory, Gregor, Gregorio in U.S.

Top 2000 baby names ranking of Gregory, Greig in U.S.

Top 100 baby names ranking of Greg, Gregor outside U.S.

Similar Names

Recommended names are Abeer, Allger, Archer, Beemer, Berger, Brewer, Bridger, Cramer, Eadger, Elger, Ellger (see Alger), Fraener, Frazer, Fryer, Gage, Garner, Garnier, Gasper, Gayler, Gayner, Geert, Geir, Gene, Ger, Gere, Gerek, Gomer, Gower, Gradea (see Grady), Gradee, Graeme, Grainger, Grange, Granger, Graves, Graye, Greelea (see Greeley), Grover, Guenter, Gunner, Heber, Heder, Jaeger, Jagger, Keder, Keer, Kiefer, Kuefer (see Kiefer), Lexer, Meier, Meyer, Neper, Nezer, Ofeer, Peder, Peer, Peter, Ranger, Regner, Rodger, Roger, Rutger, Seager, Seeger, Seger, Shefer, Speer, Teger, Tiger, Tigger, Torger, Traver, Trever, Weber and Xever. These names tend to be more frequently used than Greger.

See names
in meaning and etymology.


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Co-operative Bank receives £100m cash injection from former parent as part of attempts to fill £1.5bn black hole

Shame: Ex-Co-op bank chief Paul Flowers

The Co-operative Bank has received a £100million cash injection from its former parent as part of attempts to fill a £1.5billion black hole.

The bank’s capital shortfall was revealed in June last year.

Lenders agreed to bail out the bank at the end of 2013, after the Mail on Sunday revealed that its former chairman, Methodist minister Paul Flowers, took drugs and partied with rent boys.

The Co-operative Group, which used to wholly own the bank but now controls a 20 per cent stake, made the £100million payment last month.

There had been fears that the group, which faces its own issues in a fiercely competitive grocery market and amid an overhaul of its governance, would not be able to make the payments of £263million that it committed to last year.

It has to make a further £163million payment by the end of this year.

When the bank was forced to raise a further £400million from investors earlier this year it listed the Co-op Group’s inability to pay the £263million as a risk to its recapitalisation.

The group is set to issue new governance arrangements shortly, which would be voted on in a special general meeting to be held in September.

It has also asked customers how it should be run – but has put off revealing the results until the governance issues are sorted out.

The group is set to ditch its board of elected amateurs and appoint a set of professional directors, who are likely to be overseen by a separate elected committee.


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Rihanna Becomes A Warrior Queen in Dark Future for ‘W’ Magazine

After slaying another galaxy with “Sledgehammer,” Rihanna could quite possibly rule the world in a not so distant future.

The pop mega-star shows us what that would potentially look like in her latest W Magazine cover spread. RiRi rules as a post-apocalyptic queen in the special collector’s issue, which was inspired by Imperator Furiosa, a character played by Charlize Theron in the 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road.

Styled by Edward Enninful and photographed by Steven Klein, the shoot features various designers working together to make the Bad Gal “the ruling warrior queen in a dark, dystopian future.” Creative director Enninful said the ANTI chart-topper was treated like royalty for this project. “Rihanna is playing the Queen,” he said. “So everything has to be custom made specifically for her.”

The “Work” singer gives a devastatingly seductive glare on the September 2016 cover, which is a neck-up portrait shot featuring gems and diamonds as both makeup and jewelry. In this pic, she also dons a Cartier tiara, earrings, and necklace.

RiRi strikes a series of badass poses (holding a rabid dog on a chain, backed by smoke and fire), while clad in different designer pieces, including works by Maison Margiela, Gareth Pugh, Manolo Blahnik, Prada, and Dior.

Check out the photos below.

(Photos by Steven Klein via W Magazine)

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Friday, October 28, 2016

Hazel's Wolf Birthday Party

At the end of June, my sweet daughter Hazel turned five. Her favorite animal is the wolf, so for months she had been telling me she wanted to have a wolf themed birthday party. I knew it would be a tricky one planning and finding decorations for, but I was up for the challenge!
Even though this party happened months ago, I still wanted to share how we celebrated here with you. Better late than never right? (I'm pretty sure I say that about all of my kids' birthday party posts!)

This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for any sales made through them. Thanks for the support! Full disclosure.

The party was held on our back patio and I used most of what was already out there for some of the props, like salvaged old doors and a light up white holiday tree. We were going for a rustic, woodsy, wolf den look...if such a thing could exist. I tried my best!

The lights and stars were to give it a wintery night feel (even though it was 3 in the afternoon and summer). I added some shiny silver tree silhouette wallpaper to one of the old doors. Hazel wanted purple, gray and and white for the colors. I used a Mexican falsa blanket, from a thrift store, for the table covering along with pieces of faux fur.
The rest of the backdrop was decorated with a couple of light up wolf canvas prints that I found on Amazon, a wooden plaque that reads, "The Wild is Calling Me" from Etsy, and some gifts from my uncle who gave Hazel a large framed wolf print and a tin sign that says, "Welcome to the Wild Side."
My sister-in-law, Danielle, is a pastry chef, so I had asked her early on to make a "wolf cake" for the party and she thankfully took up the task (lucky us I know!). I bought several wolf figures to decorate the cake. I found them for decent prices at AC Moore and on Amazon. Hazel's only request was that the cake look like winter, had two tiers and a wolf howling at the moon. Wishes granted.

Danielle did an amazing job making it look like snow and even added a large full moon behind the howling wolf.
Leave it to Amazon to have wolf napkins! We had to have them...
I got creative with other party decorations adding a framed list of "Hazel's Wolf Pack." She has a growing collection. Even a favorite sheep that she has had since she was a baby belongs to the pack. I like to call him a wolf in sheep's clothing...Hazel doesn't yet get it :)
It was tough finding good favors for the kids who attended the party. I thought that would be an easy job but finding small wolf related items that were also affordable proved to be difficult.

We ended up getting several small stuffed wolf pups and added an, "Adopt a Wolf Pup!" sign. Each child got to take their own wolf pup home. We had a little area where they could decorate pipe cleaners with plastic beads to make them each a collar too. Hazel loved that.
When I saw these cookies while researching party ideas on Pinterest, I wanted to have them SO bad at the party. It was last minute, so what's a girl to do? Well, call up her crafty mother who loves to help with the grandkids' parties and leave the job to her, of course.

My mom went to the grocery store but wasn't able to find the same lemon cookies, so she went with these shortbread cookies instead. She dipped them in chocolate and added butterscotch chips for the claws. The kids loved them so much! I was just sad they were all snatched up before I got one...sigh.
Another last minute project was making a moon sign with a wolf and the number five. I cut a canvas circle and painted it white and silver. Since, I had a wooden five left over from this project, I spray painted it magenta (Hazel's favorite color even though she wanted mainly purple for the wolf party), and then added a silhouette of a wolf howling. I printed the wolf on label paper so it would work like a sticker....super easy! We hung it from the patio roof above the salvaged doors.
A purple 5 candle finished off the cake!

We had a lot of fun dressing up in wolf shirts as a family for the party! Hazel insisted :) I found all four of ours on Amazon. It was super hot and I was about 4-5 months pregnant at the time, so I got myself this tank top. Josh got this t-shirt to match with Owen's, and Hazel got a cute purple wolf tee.
I honestly don't know where Hazel's fascination with wolves came from, but it has only grown stronger through the years. She says someday she wants to work with wolves and help save them and teach people they aren't as scary as most people think.

It makes me feel so proud when she spouts off all the facts she knows about wolves. She loves getting new books about them from the library and book stores as often as she can.

My little wolf girl...
We all had a great time celebrating Hazel turning five, and she said it was "the best wolf party ever!" Guess I did something right.
One of the gifts Hazel wanted for her birthday was a giant wolf she first saw at Field and Stream. I ordered it on Amazon (for a much better deal) and gave it to her a few days before her party...on her actual birthday. She loved it and decided it was a girl whom she named Luna.
Wolf Birthday Party Source List:

Since then, we have also celebrated Owen's 4th birthday with an Avengers party. I will be sharing that  in the near future. And our baby girl is about to make her appearance yet another "birth day" celebration is coming our way!

Till next time...
~Alice W.

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