My Favourite Ugg Blog

shopping habits in a kind of stiff

admin — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 18:12:00 +0000

“Good-bye,” she beamed, following them to the door. They took the streetcar and got out at Gay Street. There was no flurry and no dawdling as there would have been with any other woman Rufus knew; none of the ceremony that held his grandmother’s shopping habits in a kind of stiff embroidery; none of the hurrying, sheepish refusal to be judicious in which men shopped. Hannah steered her way through the vigorous sidewalk traffic and along the dense, numerous aisles of the stores with quiet exhilaration. Shopping had never lost its charm for her. She prepared her mind and her disposition for it as carefully as she dressed for it, and Rufus had seldom seen her forced to consult a shopping list, even if she were doing intricate errands for others. Her personal tastes were almost as frugal as her needs; hooks and eyes, lengths of black tape and white tape, snappers so tiny it was difficult to handle them, narrow lace, a few yards, sometimes, of black or white cotton cloth, and now and then two pairs of black cotton stockings. But she loved to do more luxurious errands for others, and even when there were no such errands, she would examine a rich variety of merchandise she had no intention of buying, always skillful, in these examinations, never to disturb a clerk, and never to leave disturbed anything that she touched, imposing her weak eyes as intently as a jeweler with his glass and emitting little expletives of irony or admiration. Whenever she did have a purchase to make, she got hold of a clerk and conducted the whole transaction with a graceful efficiency which had already inspired in Rufus a certain contempt for every other woman he had seen shopping.

The Ultimate Test of Love…

admin — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:16:04 +0000

John Blanchard stood up from the bench straightened his Army uniform,
and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central
Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face
he didn’t, the girl with the rose. His interest in her had begun
thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the
shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book,
but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting
reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind. In the front of
the book, he discovered the previous owner’s name, Miss Hollis
Maynell.

With time and effort he located her address. She lived in New York
City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her
to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas for service in
World War II. During the next year and one month the two grew to
know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling
on a fertile heart. A romance was budding. Blanchard requested
a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared,
it wouldn’t matter what she looked like. When the day finally
came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first
meeting – 7:00 PM at the Grand Central Station in New York.
“You’ll recognize me,” she wrote, “by the red rose I’ll be wearing
on my lapel.” So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a
girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he’d never seen.
I’ll let Mr. Blanchard tell You what happened:

A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim.
Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her
eyes were blue as flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle
firmness, and in her pale green suit she was like springtime
come alive. I started toward her, entirely forgetting to
notice that she was not wearing a rose. As I moved, a small,
provocative smile curved her lips. “Going my way, sailor?”
she murmured. Almost uncontrollably, I made one step closer to
her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost
directly behind the girl. A woman well past 40, she had graying
hair tucked under a worn hat. She was more than plump, her
thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes. The girl in
the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt as though I
was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet
so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly
companioned me and upheld my own. And there she stood.
Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible, her gray eyes
had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My fingers
gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was
to identify me to her. This would not be love, but it would be
something precious, something perhaps even better than love,
a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful.
I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to
the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the
bitterness of my disappointment. “I’m Lieutenant John Blanchard,
and you must be Miss Maynell . I am so glad you could meet
me; may I take you to dinner?”

The woman’s face broadened into a tolerant smile. “I don’t
know what this is about, son,” she answered, “but the young
lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear
this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out
to dinner , I should tell you that she is waiting for you in
the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some
kind of test!” It’s not difficult to understand and admire
Miss Maynell’s wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in
its response to the unattractive.

“Tell me whom you love,” Houssaye wrote, “And I will tell you
who you are.”

Hua Junduo

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:00:14 +0000

Hua Junduo, commissioner general for World Expo 2010, also met the delegation to talk about the exhibition planning and the overall design of the African Pavilion.

Shanghai Expo Bureau established a special consultant group of Africa consisting of five former ambassadors stationed on the continent. They were recommended by China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry.

India navy plane crashes at air show, killing pilots

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:46:28 +0000

An Indian naval plane has crashed at an air show in the city of
Hyderabad killing both pilots, the navy says.
Footage showed the plane flying in formation before crashing in a
densely populated area near the show ground.
A three-storey house was destroyed and other buildings damaged. There
is no word yet on any further casualties on the ground.
It is not clear what caused the crash. The Indian Aviation 2010 show
opened on Wednesday and will go on until Sunday.
The two-seater Kiran MK-II which crashed was part of a four-plane
formation.
“In the final phase, the aircraft appears to have gone out of control.
They crashed into a building and the pilots have died,” navy chief
Admiral Nirmal Verma told reporters.
The other three aircraft landed safely, the navy said.
An inquiry is being ordered to find out what caused the crash, it
added.

Euro rises on new Greek austerity measures

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:45:46 +0000

The euro has risen against the dollar after the Greek government
unveiled a new series of austerity measures.
The euro rose 0.3% to $1.3637 but was slightly lower against the pound
at 90.60 pence.
On Tuesday, the currency fell to its lowest level against the dollar
for 10 months amid continuing concerns over Greece’s debt crisis.
Persistent worries over Greece’s 300bn euro ($419bn; £259bn) debt has
weighed on the European single currency.
The pound fell against the dollar, trading at $1.505.
The Greek government approved 4.8bn euros of austerity measures, hoping
to convince financial markets that it can pay off its debts and
persuade European leaders it is doing enough.
Greece has pledged to reduce its deficit from 12.7% – more than four
times eurozone rules – to 8.7% during 2010.
The measures announced on Wednesday include raising VAT to 21% from the
current rate of 19%, and cutting civil servant bonus payments during
holidays by 30% – which has annoyed union leaders.
But the austerity measures proposed so far – such as freezing public
sector pay, raising taxes and changing the pension system – have
already provoked huge street protests.
“The fiscal measures announced by Greece today should allow the
government to ease the short-term pressure on its finances with a bond
issue and may lead to firmer support from other countries,” said Ben
May, European economist at Capital Economics.
Greece needs to sell bonds in the coming weeks. It has to raise 20bn
euros in order to pay off maturing debt in April and May.
Greece’s Prime Minister George Papandreou is due to visit German
Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Friday, in what could be a key
meeting to decide what, if any, European assistance Greece receives.
He will visit France to meet President Nicolas Sarkozy soon afterwards.

Man bailed after shots fired near football pitch

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:45:07 +0000

A man arrested after a shooting near playing fields in Liverpool has
been released on bail.
The shots were fired near the William Collins playing fields, Vauxhall,
on Sunday afternoon while an under-12s football match took place
nearby.
No-one was hurt in the incident, which happened near some changing
rooms, but it was thought to be a targeted attack.
The 30-year-old man, from Kirkdale, was arrested on Monday and
questioned on suspicion of affray.
He has been released on bail pending further inquiries.
Officers have appealed to anyone who may have seen a white van in the
area to contact them.
Crime scene investigators attended the scene to conduct forensic
examinations and evidence has been recovered.

Greece awaits new round of tax rises and spending cuts

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:44:57 +0000

The Greek government plans to announce a third round of tax increases
and spending cuts to alleviate the country’s financial crisis.
Expect an increase in the VAT and the prices of petrol and diesel, and
to make a move to abolish the holiday attention generous bonuses to
staff.
PM George Papandreou over the financial crisis, a situation of war .
The Socialist government has pledged to reduce the budget deficit of
Greece by 12.7% – more than four times the limit under the rules of the
eurozone – was 8.7% in 2010.
He also tried to reduce the 300 billion euro ($ 419bn, 259bn) of debt.
He said that Greece was to avoid a nightmare bankruptcy in which not
the state be able to pay wages and pensions.
Mr. Papandreou has taken some dramatic turns of phrase to describe the
fiscal problems of Greece in recent months, but that was his alarming
so far, says the BBC’s Malcolm Brabant in Athens.
We believe that VAT will be increased by two percentage points, the
prices of petrol and diesel will be increased for the second time in a
month, and that luxury goods are subject to excise tax.
The government plans to abolish the annual paid holiday for civil
servants, says our correspondent.
Minister for Economic Louka Katseli warned that measures to assist
should be socially just.
Doing business in Greece is more likely to react negatively to tax
increases, as they see it, hold such disadvantages, consumer spending
and contribute to a new spiral, says our correspondent.

Gene test aid to cancer treatment

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:42:53 +0000

Scientists have developed a gene test which predicts how well
chemotherapy will work in cancer patients.
Starting with 829 genes in breast cancer cells, the team whittled down
the possibilities to six genes which had an impact on whether a drug
worked.
They then showed that these genes could be used to predict the
effectiveness of a drug called paclitaxel in patients.
It is hoped the approach, reported in The Lancet Oncology, can be
replicated for other cancers and treatments.
The international project, including researchers from Cancer Research
UK’s London Research Institute, opens the way for breast cancer
treatment to be targeted to those who will benefit the most.
To find which genes, if missing or faulty, could prevent the drug from
working, they deleted them one by one from cancer cells in the
laboratory.
They eventually highlighted the six genes which if absent or not
working prevent paclitaxel from properly killing breast cancer cells.
More than 45,500 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK each
year – and it is estimated that around 15% of these women will be
prescribed paclitaxel.
The researchers estimate they could potentially spare half of the
patients currently receiving this drug from treatment which would not
be effective.
Study leader, Dr Charles Swanton, head of translational cancer
therapeutics at the Institute, said one of the great challenges in
cancer medicine is determining which patients will benefit from
particular cancer drugs, which are in themselves toxic and carry severe
side effects.
“Our research shows it is now possible to rapidly pinpoint genes which
prevent cancer cells from being destroyed by anti-cancer drugs and use
these same genes to predict which patients will benefit from specific
types of treatment.”
Further studies will now be done to see if the technique can be
developed into a simple diagnostic test to be given to patients to help
inform doctors about whether or not to prescribe paclitaxel.

Hillsborough panel views scale of archive task

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:42:23 +0000

The scale of the task faced by a group studying secret documents linked
to the Hillsborough tragedy has been revealed.
The Hillsborough Independent Panel is overseeing the release of
archives held by emergency services, Sheffield City Council and and
other public bodies.
On Tuesday, the panel led by the Bishop of Liverpool, the Right
Reverend James Jones, visited Sheffield to see the documents for the
first time.
Ninety-six Liverpool fans died from a crush at the stadium on 15 April
1989.
The bishop said the archive of around 45,000 boxes of material was
“daunting” in its size but praised the work already done to organise
it.
He said: “The reason we’re doing this is because this is the principal
purpose of the panel, which is to oversee the maximum possible
disclosure of the documents which are contained in the Sheffield
archive.
“This today was our first opportunity of walking through the archive
and seeing the shelves of material – in all some 45,000 boxes here.
It’s a very large archive.
“This is a three-star archive which speaks of the excellence of the
service here.
“It is daunting and that’s when you realise you need a team. There’s no
one person that can do this.”
The panel gathered for the first time in Liverpool last month when it
met representatives of Hillsborough victims’ families.
It will oversee public disclosure of the documents after first letting
the victims’ families know their content.

James Bulger’s mother says killer ‘where he belongs’

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:42:01 +0000

The mother of murdered toddler James Bulger has said killer Jon
Venables is “where he belongs behind bars”.
In her first reaction to his return to custody, Denise Fergus also said
on Twitter, “is this my [son's justice?]“.
Venables, 27, was recalled to prison last week after breaching the
terms of his release. He and Robert Thompson killed James on Merseyside
in 1993.
Home Secretary Alan Johnson said he could not give details of why
Venables was back in custody.
Venables’ solicitor at the time of the trial told the BBC he would be
surprised if he had contacted Thomson or returned to Merseyside.
Two-year-old James was abducted by Venables and Thompson while at the
Strand shopping centre in Bootle.
Home Secretary Alan Johnson could not give details of why Venables was
back in custody
His battered body was found by children playing on a freight railway
line more than two miles from the shopping centre, and 200 yards from
Walton Lane police station in Liverpool.
Family members said Mrs Fergus remained unaware of the nature of
Venables’ breach. The precise details were not released by the Ministry
of Justice.
Both Thompson and Venables were given new identities when they were
released. An order prohibiting the publication of details which could
reveal their whereabouts has since remained in place.
Speaking on the BBC News Channel on Wednesday morning, Home Secretary
Alan Johnson declined to reveal the reasons behind Venables’ recall to
custody.
When Jon Venables walked out of prison in 2001, it was not as a free
man. His release came because the Parole Board decided the public would
be safe if he were allowed into the community on a licence that
includes strict conditions.
A criminal’s recall to prison is triggered by one of three
circumstances. He either committed a crime, showed the signs that he
was about to, or breached specific conditions imposed. Breaches can be
technical, such as being out of the home at the exact start of a
curfew, or far more serious, such as contacting a victim’s family.
Venables will be told why he is back inside and he can seek a full oral
hearing before the Parole Board. But with public protection being the
top priority, the panel will start with the case for keeping him
inside, rather than the argument for letting him out.
“You know I cannot say anything more than confirm the fact that Jon
Venables is back in custody,” he said.
“I talked to Jack Straw earlier on today, the Justice Secretary, and of
course we understand that the public want to know more about this.
“At this stage I’m afraid I can’t say anything more. There is a
worldwide injunction on Jon Venables in relation to his new identity.
“There is also a process to be gone through. So at this stage I cannot
say anything more than you already know. Which is to confirm the fact
that he is back in custody.
“I would expect more information to be available at some stage.”
He added that it was very important that the licence conditions were
observed very closely, and if breached that Jon Venables was brought
back into custody.