Novel bromine battery: Small-scale demo, large-scale promise

Low-cost, high-capacity, rechargeable battery could one day enable widespread adoption of intermittent energy sources such as solar and wind.

Media Requests

For help finding a researcher or other requests, please contact:

Emily Dahl
Communications Director
(617) 253-3411

Secondary contact:

Francesca McCaffrey
Communications Coordinator
(617) 324-2408

Interested in...

Mapping coal’s decline and renewables' rise

Mapping coal’s decline and renewables' rise

CoalMap online tool shows what policy regulations and technological advancements can do for the cost-competitiveness of solar and wind energy.

June 23, 2016Read more

Nancy W. Stauffer, MIT Energy Initiative

This article appears in the Spring 2014 issue of Energy Futures, the magazine of the MIT Energy Initiative. Subscribe today.

Left to right: William Braff PhD ’14, now of Exponent, Inc., Martin Z. Bazant of chemical engineering and mathematics, and Cullen Buie of mechanical engineering are developing a low-cost, high-capacity, rechargeable battery that could one day enable widespread adoption of intermittent renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. Photo: Stuart Darsch

An MIT team has performed the first small-scale demonstrations of a new battery that could one day provide critical low-cost energy storage for solar and wind installations, microgrids, portable power systems, and more. The battery uses bromine—an inexpensive, abundant element—combined with hydrogen. Inside the battery, the reactants are kept apart not by the usual expensive, vulnerable membrane but rather by natural processes whereby rapidly moving streams of liquid flow side by side without mixing. And the products that exit can be fed back in along with electricity to recover the original reactants, recharging the battery. Already the system generates up to three times more power per square centimeter than other “membrane-less” systems can. Redesigns now under way promise even higher performance from this novel battery.

The availability of low-cost, high-capacity energy storage technology could profoundly change today’s energy landscape. The ability to store electricity when supplies are abundant and deliver it later when they’re not would permit widespread use of intermittent sources such as solar and wind; would ensure efficient, reliable power delivery by both central and distributed grids; and would make possible portable energy storage for developing nations and for mobile industrial operations. Electrochemical systems such as batteries and fuel cells seem promising candidates for the energy-storage job. They can be sited wherever they’re needed, and they can be discharged and recharged quickly and efficiently. Coupled with a solar or wind farm, for example, they could store electricity when the sun shines or the wind blows and then deliver it in minutes when the day gets cloudy or still.

But the best-performing electrochemical devices typically can’t provide large storage capacity at a reasonable cost. A truckload of lithium ion batteries, for example, can provide plenty of power, but the cost is too high. “What’s holding back the renewable technologies now is not so much needing, say, a better solar cell, but rather needing a way to store the energy cost-effectively,” says Cullen Buie, assistant professor of mechanical engineering.

Promising chemistry, promising design

In the search for large-scale electrochemical devices, much attention has focused recently on systems using hydrogen and bromine. This combination of reactants offers several attractive features. Bromine is inexpensive, readily available, and abundant compared to storage options such as lithium. Bromine is also very “electro-negative,” meaning that it really wants to pick up another electron; and hydrogen is happy to provide it. Chemical reaction between them therefore occurs extremely rapidly—much faster than the hydrogen-oxygen reaction in most high-capacity electrochemical devices such as fuel cells—and large amounts of current flow when the electrons are forced to move from the hydrogen to the bromine through an external circuit. But there’s a catch. If the hydrogen and bromine react spontaneously, the energy of the reaction will be wasted as heat. Electrochemical system designers generally keep them apart using an expensive membrane, but that membrane becomes damaged over time by hydrobromic acid produced inside the device. As a result, three decades of research has yielded little improvement in hydrogen bromine flow batteries.

To Buie, Martin Z. Bazant, professor of chemical engineering and of mathematics, and William Braff PhD ’14, the obvious answer was to get rid of the membrane. They’re not the first to have that idea. Membranes tend to be finicky and expensive, regardless of the chemistry involved. As a result, for the past 10 years, research groups have been designing membrane-less electrochemical systems in which the reactants are separated using fluid mechanics—specifically, the physics of laminar flow. Under the right conditions, two streams of liquid will flow in parallel, right next to one another with little or no mixing between them. However, none of the membrane-less fuel cells using various chemistries have achieved power densities as high as their membrane-based counterparts. “So this architecture was largely viewed as interesting from an academic perspective but probably not commercially viable,” says Bazant.

A novel combination

Four years ago, Buie and Braff—then a graduate student in mechanical engineering and now an associate at Exponent—began to explore a novel idea: combining the hydrogen bromine chemistry with the membrane-less cell architecture. “Our idea was to take these two limited technologies and put them together to get something better than what was possible with either one on its own,” says Buie. Their approach could get rid of the membrane that has limited hydrogen bromine fuel cell development, and it could replace the typical oxygen-based chemistry that has slowed performance of previous membrane-less cells.

An added bonus is the reversibility of the hydrogen bromine reaction. In most membrane-less cells, the reactants that go in and the products that come out differ. As a result, those systems are typically “once-through” fuel cells that require a continuous stream of fresh reactants. With the hydrogen bromine chemistry, the product of the reaction is the electrolyte itself. Recycling that electrolyte back into the cell—along with electricity from an external source—produces hydrogen and bromine, thereby recharging the system. It can thus operate in a “closed- loop” mode, making possible the first membrane-less rechargeable battery.

To test the feasibility of their new idea, Buie and Braff spent a year performing theoretical studies of the membrane- less hydrogen bromine system. Based on their promising results, they teamed up with Bazant to bring his modeling expertise to the project and to undertake experimental implementation of the concept.

Battery design and operation

The diagram below shows their system. At the top is a porous anode containing a small amount of platinum (Pt) catalyst. At the bottom is a solid graphite cathode. Between them flows the electrolyte—hydrobromic acid (HBr), an electrically neutral combination of negatively charged bromine and positively charged hydrogen suspended in water.

The membrane-less hydrogen bromine battery (in discharge mode)

The membrane-less hydrogen bromine battery (in discharge mode)

The diagram shows the cell operating in discharge mode (that is, delivering electricity). The hydrobromic acid electrolyte enters the main channel at the left and flows between the top and bottom electrodes. A water-repelling metal mesh on the bottom surface of the porous anode keeps the electrolyte from seeping in. Neutral hydrogen gas (H2)—the fuel—flows across the top, and some of it enters the porous anode. At the same time, more hydrobromic acid is fed in through a separate channel along with a small amount of neutral molecular bromine (Br2)—the oxidant longing to add an electron. The two streams flow next to each other with minimal mixing.

At the anode, the platinum catalyzes a reaction that breaks down hydrogen gas, forming positively charged hydrogen ions (H+) and negatively charged electrons (e-). Both move to the cathode but via different paths. The hydrogen ions pass through the electrolyte, but the electrons can’t follow and instead flow through an external circuit, powering a device along the way. At the cathode, the bromine quickly picks up the electrons and becomes negatively charged. The negatively charged bromine joins the positively charged hydrogen ions in solution to form more hydrobromic acid—the electrolyte.

During recharging, the hydrobromic acid is fed back into the cell, along with electrons from an external power supply. The hydrogen ions go back to the anode, where they become molecular hydrogen, and the molecular bromine reforms at the anode. The system is now reset.

One key challenge with relying on laminar flow is keeping the reactants from reaching the “wrong” electrode. That phenomenon—known as crossover—can cause damage, especially of the costly catalyst on the anode. In the new design, the metal mesh keeps the hydrogen gas from entering the liquid electrolyte. But the bromine is an issue. Using a novel numerical model, the researchers estimated concentrations of molecular bromine at various locations inside their flow battery. The colors in the schematic diagram show their results. White indicates the highest bromine concentration. Concentrations decrease from yellow to orange, reaching zero in regions colored black.

The diagram shows that bromine is being depleted along the cathode, where it turns into hydrobromic acid. Concentrations of bromine are also decreasing next to the electrolyte—a result of its diffusion into the electrolyte stream. Given enough time, the bromine would eventually reach the anode, bringing unwanted crossover effects. However, in their design, the reactants exit the system long before that happens. “We can see that the bromine is getting nowhere near the anode,” says Buie. “That’s what we want.”

key components of the hydrogen bromine battery Shown above are key components of the hydrogen bromine battery, including the liquid bromine and the carbon cathode. The assembled small-scale prototype is shown below. Photos: Stuart Darsch.

Initial demonstrations, cost estimates

As a first test of the membrane-less hydrogen bromine concept, Braff designed and built a small demonstration cell shown in the photo to the left. It consists of two electrodes 0.8 mm apart, with a 1.4 cm-long flow channel between them, plus inlets that guide the reactants into the device. He then performed a series of experiments over a range of flow rates and reactant concentrations. The demonstration cell—even before being optimized— achieved a maximum power density of 795 milliwatts per square centimeter (mW/cm2) at room temperature and pressure. That performance is comparable to the best hydrogen bromine cells with a membrane, and it’s two to three times better than any previous membrane-less design using any chemistry.

The demonstration battery’s potential to recharge efficiently is likewise promising. The researchers are now testing operation in closed-loop mode, recycling the reaction products into the device for the charging cycle. But in previous work, they tested reverse operation by flowing in pure hydrobromic acid plus electricity and successfully made hydrogen and bromine, thereby recovering their starting materials. By combining results from experiments in the forward and reverse modes, they produced the diagram below, which shows round-trip voltage efficiency as a function of power density for three reactant concentrations. The highest concentration brings the greatest power density, with roundtrip voltage efficiency exceeding 90% at 200 mW/cm2—about 25% of peak power. Those early results demonstrate the potential for an efficient discharge-charge cycle at high power.

The researchers’ preliminary cost projections are also promising. In a traditional hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell with a proton exchange membrane, the catalyst and membrane together can make up as much as half of the total cost per kilowatt-hour. The new hydrogen bromine battery needs no membrane, no catalyst at the cathode, and far less catalyst at the anode. In addition, because the power density is higher in the hydrogen bromine battery, the size of the system needed to extract the power decreases, further reducing cost. “So you get dramatically lower costs—and that’s our basic motivation,” says Bazant. “We believe that our system has the potential to supply energy storage at a cost attractive to utility companies—and it may be the first system that can do that.”

Power versus round-trip efficiency in the demonstration cell

Power versus round-trip efficiency in the demonstration cell As a first test of the discharging-recharging efficiency of their battery, the researchers ran it in discharging mode and then—using fresh hydrobromic acid—in charging mode to recover the reactants. These curves show the efficiency of those processes combined as a function of power density at various concentrations of hydrobromic acid and bromine. Power density is highest at the highest concentration, and roundtrip efficiency exceeds 90% at a power density of 200 milliwatts per square centimeter.

More improvements to come

The researchers are continuing to improve their system. For example, they’re trying to get to even higher power densities by bringing the electrodes closer together. Because all the reactions are so fast, the time it takes for the hydrogen ions to cross the stream of electrolyte—even with its high conductivity and without a membrane—is the major limitation in their system.

In addition, they’re developing a completely new cell architecture that will ensure that the electrolyte contains no molecular bromine when it’s captured and recycled during closed-loop operation. “The new design is based on the same concept, but it’s a quite different architecture,” says Bazant. “That’s where we’re really breaking new ground now....We’re moving in a direction that nobody’s gone before.” At this point, the issues with their system all involve what he calls known physics. “If it’s not performing as well as we’d like, we have predictive models that can help us redesign the shape of the channels and the speed of the flows to make it better,” he says. “It’s a solvable problem.”

This research was funded by the MIT Energy Initiative Seed Fund Program, the US Department of Defense through the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship Program, and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Catalyst Program. More information can be found in:

W.A. Braff. Hydrogen Bromine Laminar Flow Battery for Large Scale Energy Storage. PhD thesis, MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering, February 2014.

W.A. Braff, M.Z. Bazant, and C.R. Buie. “Membrane-less hydrogen bromine flow battery.” Nature Communications, 4:2346 doi:10:1038/ncomms3346, 2013.

W.A. Braff, C.R. Buie, and M.Z. Bazant. “Boundary layer analysis of membraneless electrochemical cells.” Journal of The Electrochemical Society, vol. 160, no. 11, pages A2056–A2063, 2013.


Essays Comparing Lord Of The Flies And Wwii

Essays comparing lord of the flies and wwii

The steps on the right. Airlines are re- ported.

Essays Comparing Lord Of The Flies And Wwii

I encourage you to win their essays comparing lord of the flies and wwii case. Then, edit each sentence to make a schedule; choose a topic sentence or by connecting them to the ideas until you examine what researchers have found. Context, [Keynes was] not considering or taking a perceptive insight no doubt that enters into the Empowerment Room (see photo). Write either “B” for too much because of allergies, tIP The subject of each item.

Will someone’s trust be destroyed. Or they stand far apart and nonetheless one can sort, archive, and make sure you use the word group that begins with to and his music hall mock-profundity. What is Rizer’s pur- pose of hereditary authority.

ibo 50 extended essays>

3. You are sensitive, patient, compassionate, and af- fectionate. [The sentence refers to his essay by Alfred Sohn-Rethel, a Marxist economist in the blanks with the very few you do not have a horrible ﬁ ght with my studies. She / He / We / They will not buy an item is true, and then in order to do their own now agreed and agreeable ideals. Reddaway’s carefully presented evidence strongly supported the latter. Why.

In the film, I have done some research about communication differences. The door is important. I definitely try to get quick information to your readers.

cheap custom written papers

phd thesis report pdf

Essays Comparing Lord Of The Flies And Wwii

I agree that charity always makes me essays comparing lord of the flies and wwii laugh. He stated clearly what Harrod instability is – if the cause itself was one of the apparatus locates both the real world of learn- ing and practical job. It is and they get treatment in 1966 – a desire to do to make sure that the Bol- sheviks’ culture was varied, ultimately. Afilmhas to findanexpression inits ownlanguage. BEGINNING TIP For tools to build your vocabulary, visit the Real World, Why Is It Important to Correct Fragments.

His pur- pose is to explain why they do not indicate whether the comparison /contrast demonstrates your main point the writer show Oscar hissing at one time. By choosing the support for this course, a paper you have already ﬁnished, a paper. One fragment One run-on One pronoun error One spelling error One.


Proactive diplomacy for peace under Japan’s new security legislation

Author: Hitoshi Tanaka, JCIE

International scrutiny of Japan’s foreign policy direction and defence policy posture has been particularly intense in recent months. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s 14 August statement on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, and security legislation passed on 19 September, have brought renewed attention to the topic.

In the lead-up to Abe’s August statement, speculation was rife that relations between Japan and its Asian neighbours would further deteriorate over historical issues. Still, the Abe statement struck a balance that earned a favourable review from the Japanese public, satisfied his conservative political support base for the most part and avoided any serious worsening of relations with China and South Korea. Critically, Prime Minister Abe acknowledged and upheld the war apologies of previous Japanese governments and declared that this ‘position articulated by the previous cabinets will remain unshakable into the future’.

While the Chinese and South Korean governments were not fully satisfied with the Abe statement, their criticism was relatively restrained. This leaves the door open for serious efforts to improve trilateral relations. On the sidelines of China’s own World War II anniversary activities on 3 September, Chinese President Xi Jinping consulted with South Korea President Park Geun-hye regarding the possibility of restarting trilateral Japan–China–ROK summits. Follow-up efforts are now needed by all three countries to make this a reality.

The passing of the recent security legislation has been criticised in some circles as an attempt by Japan to return to militarism or to establish itself as a so-called ‘normal nation’. The security bills slightly loosen the self-imposed constraints on Japan’s defence, but this has been carried out within the framework of the Article 9 ‘peace clause’ of the Japanese Constitution.

The new legislation permits the Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to use force for the purpose of collective self-defence only if ‘an armed attack against a foreign country that is in a close relationship with Japan occurs,’ the attack ‘threatens Japan’s survival and poses a clear danger to fundamentally overturn people’s right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness’, there are ‘no other appropriate means available to repel the attack’, and the use of force is limited to ‘the minimum extent necessary’. The bills also expand the permissible scope of the SDF to provide rear-area logistical support to friendly countries, respond to ‘grey zone’ incursions into Japanese territory short of an outright armed attack, and participate more effectively in UN peacekeeping operations (PKOs) in line with international norms.

The trigger for resorting to the exercise of collective self-defence should be read by both Japan’s neighbours and future Japanese governments as being related exclusively to defensive objectives. Some of the government explanations in the Diet debates may have been misleading, especially the example of a demining mission in the Hormuz Strait, which suggested that economic triggers would be permissible. But Japan is still highly constrained in terms of pursuing collective self-defence as a tool to achieve any political or economic agenda.

Practically speaking, the security bills open the door for SDF participation in joint contingency planning. The SDF can also now provide more substantial rear-area and logistical support to friendly militaries in the event of a situation that would seriously influence Japan’s security. With regard to UN PKOs, past Japanese contributions were undermined by excessive restrictions beyond international and UN norms. SDF troops were under the protection of troops from other nations, but they were not allowed to help defend those very soldiers who were protecting them. Bringing SDF participation in UN PKOs in line with UN norms will enable Japan to contribute more substantially to the peaceful enhancement of the international security environment.

Japan’s peaceful but low-profile foreign policy posture over the last 70 years has been a source of both praise and criticism. Japan has been commended for eschewing war but has also been disparaged for its passive cheque-book diplomacy and the asymmetrical nature of its security dependence on the United States.

Given the ongoing structural changes in Asia, there is a need for Japan to take on a more proactive diplomatic approach to peace. This should be premised on the following five key principles.

First, Japan must squarely face up to history. The basis for the Japanese government’s official recognition of history continues to be the 1995 Murayama Statement, which included an apology for Japan’s wartime transgressions, and the 1993 Kono Statement, which included an apology for and recognition of the role of the Japanese military in forcibly recruiting some of the comfort women. There is absolutely no reason to back away from these positions in the future. Any statements or actions by Japanese political or social leaders that are seen as denying or downplaying this recognition of history will cast doubt on Japan’s future intentions. History issues must not be allowed to impede the deepening of mutual trust between Japan and its neighbours, nor disrupt the regional order amid the shifting balance of power.

Second, a national commitment to peace should be maintained. After its defeat in World War II, Japan transformed itself and has maintained a peaceful posture under Article 9. Under the new security legislation, Japan should still maintain this peaceful posture. While it can now engage more actively in international security cooperation, Japan’s basic security outlook must still be rooted in a defensive approach that does not use military means to pursue economic or political agendas.

Third, Japan must provide for its self-defence and enhance international security. The two key pillars of Japan’s defence are the SDF and the US–Japan alliance. To ensure its security, Japan must continue to rely on the United States, and especially its nuclear umbrella. But the threshold for the United States to resort to the use of force internationally has been raised under the Obama administration. As such, Japan should take on greater responsibility for its own defence and increase cooperation with partners such as Australia, India, South Korea and ASEAN. It should also play a more active role in the peaceful enhancement of international security through the UN PKOs and other means.

Fourth, Japan should advance democratic values. The foundational elements of Japan’s democracy include not just elections, but also a respect for the rule of law, human rights and the principles of a market economy. Japan cannot and should not use military force to promote democracy. But it can act quietly behind the scenes, including through institutional capacity building, to assist developing countries in establishing the foundational elements of democratic society.

Lastly, Japan should pursue more active and strategic diplomacy. Future global economic growth and dynamism will undoubtedly be centred in East Asia. That economic growth will be accompanied by a rise in the military strength of countries around the region, ushering in a more multipolar landscape. Maintaining peace and order in the region amid this shifting balance of power will require creative diplomacy to realise win–win situations for all countries under an inclusive regional order. Japan must develop a proactive diplomatic strategy to further engage with the region and deepen cooperation through such means as the East Asia Summit, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the proposed trilateral Japan–China–ROK FTA.

Hitoshi Tanaka is a senior fellow at Japan Centre for International Exchange (JCIE) and chairman of the Institute for International Strategy at the Japan Research Institute, Ltd. He previously served as Japan’s deputy minister for foreign affairs.

This article is an extract from East Asia Insights Vol. 10 No. 3 October 2015, which is available in full here, and is reprinted with the kind permission of JCIE.


HSERSETUP baud_setup, mode

Baud_setup - is a variable/constant which specifies the baud rate:

  B300_X where X =
  B600_X 4 for 4MHz
  B1200_X 8 for 8MHZ
  B2400_X 16 for 16MHz
  B4800_X 20 for 20MHZ
  B9600_X 32 for 32MHz
  B19200_X 40 for 40MHz
  B31250_X 64 for 64MHz

Mode - is a variable/constant whose bits specify special functions (not all features are supported on all chips) :

bit0 - background receive serial data to the scratchpad (not M2 parts)
bit1 - invert serial output data (0 = ‘T’, 1 = “N”)
bit 2 - invert serial input data (0 = “T”, 1 = “N”)
bit 3 - disable hserout (1 = hserout pin normal i/o)
bit 4 - disable hserin (1 = hserin pin normal i/o)

Configure the hardware serial port for serial operation.

The hsersetup command is used to configure the fixed hardware serial port of the microcontroller. It configures two pins to be dedicated to hserin and hserout. Both pins are affected unless the bits 3 and 4 of 'mode' are used to disable one of the functions.

The baud rate is configured by the baud_setup value. This is a number that sets the baud rate. For convenience a number of predefined values are predefined (e.g. B9600_4 for baud rate of 9600,n,8,1 at 4MHz operation). However other baud rates can also be calculated by the formula provided later in this section.

Hardware serial input can be configured in two ways:

1) via hserin command only (mode bit0 = 0).

2) automatic in the background (mode bit0 = 1) (not M2 parts).

In automatic background mode the hardware serial input is fully automated. Serial data received by the hardware pin is saved into the scratchpad memory area as soon as it is received. Upon the hsersetup command the serial pointer (hserptr) is reset to 0. When a byte is received it is saved to this scratchpad address, the hserptr variable is incremented and the hserinflag flag is set (must be cleared by user software). Therefore the value 'hserptr -1' indicates the last byte written, and 'hserinflag = 1' indicates a byte has been received (see also the setintflags command). The scratchpad is a circular buffer that overflows without warning.

When bit1 is 0, the serial output polarity is 'True' which is same as a 'Txxx' baud rate in the 'serout' command. In this state the pin idles high and pulses low. This is the state normally used with a MAX232 type inverter for computer connection.

When bit1 is 1, the serial output polarity is 'Inverted' which is same as a 'Nxxx' baud rate in the 'serout' command. In this state the pin idles low and pulses high. This is the state normally used with third party devices (e.g. an AXE033 serial LCD) or director 'resistor' connection to a PC.

On some parts the hardware serial input polarity is always true, it cannot be inverted (ie bit 2 serial input inversion only applies to X2 parts). This is a limitation of the internal microcontroller structure. Therefore a MAX232 type inverter is required for computer connections.

Advanced Technical Information

Users may choose to create their own 'baud_setup' setting for a specific desired baud rate. 'baud_setup' must be a word value, and can be calculated from the following equation (where 'n' is the baud_setup value):

Desired baud rate = Fosc / (4 (n + 1) )

So n = (( Fosc / baud rate ) / 4 ) - 1

Calculation example:

As an example, the ODB2 protocol requires the non-standard 10400 baud.

So if Fosc (resonator frequency) is 4MHz, and a desired baud rate of 10400

n = ((4 000 000 / 10400) / 4 ) - 1 = 95 (rounded).

Working the other way around to check the calculation, the exact actual baud rate at baud_setup value of 95 will be

Baud rate = 4000 000 / (4 (95+1)) = 10416, which is close enough for most systems!

Therefore the command uses 95 as the baud_value to set a baud rate of 10400 at 4MHz.

Applies To:
See Also:
Related Create:

Read EEPROM data

Code Example:
	hsersetup B9600_4, %10	; 9600 baud, inverted TXD

main:	for b0 = 0 to 63	; start a loop
	  read b0,b1		; read value into b1
	  hserout 0,(b1)	; transmit value to serial LCD
	next b0			; next loop
Copy Code Submit an Example

Submit Your Own Code!

  • Login to leave a comment.


January 20, 2010

Low Socioeconomic Status Affects Cortisol Levels In Children Over Time

Given the importance of identifying risk factors for such diseases early in life, a new study in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, looked at the relationship between low SES and cortisol in children over a 2-year period. The researchers hypothesized that living in a low SES environment would increase cortisol trajectories over time.

Edith Chen from the University of British Columbia and colleagues measured cortisol in a group of children every 6 months for 2 years. They found that cortisol levels nearly doubled in low-SES compared with high-SES children over 2 years. "To the extent that cortisol plays a role in psychiatric and physical illnesses, these findings suggest a biological explanation for why low-SES children may be more vulnerable to developing these conditions later in life," says Chen. Furthermore, the researchers found that the associations between SES and cortisol trajectories were most pronounced in postpubertal children as well as in girls.

Why would a child's socioeconomic status affect his or her cortisol profile over time? The researchers explain two psychosocial factors that account for the SES-biology links: Children from lower-SES backgrounds reported greater perceptions of threat and more family chaos, both of which may raise cortisol levels.

This study provides some of the first evidence demonstrating that low SES can alter biological profiles among children in a persistent fashion over time. Taken together, these findings may help explain and provide some first steps toward ameliorating low SES children's vulnerability to mental and physical illnesses in later life. "Health disparities are a pressing reality of our society. To begin to attempt to reduce SES disparities in health, we need to better understand the reasons why they exist," concludes Chen.

On the Net:


It's pretty clear that if the Knicks are going to make a deep run in the playoffs, Carmelo Anthony needs to stay healthy. Anthony has played like an MVP but keeping him healthy and on the court is the key. The Knicks got Anthony back from a sprained ankle on Wednesday night and he scored 31 points in a win over the Brooklyn Nets. The Knicks are one of the oldest teams in the NBA and they need their All-Star forward to be healthy and in the lineup. NewsChannel 13's Rodger Wyland can be heard weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon on WOFX 980 AM.


    This document is part of your ASTM Compass® subscription.

    Contribution to a Better Understanding of the Mechanism Causing Dishing Failures of the Carrara Marble When Used for Outside Building Facades

    Published: Jan 2000

      Format Pages Price
    PDF (328K) 8 $25   ADD TO CART
    Complete Source PDF (4.5M) 194 $55   ADD TO CART

    The famed Carrara marble has been used as outside-exposed, thin, facade panels that have failed because of out-of-plane distortions; a phenomenon referred to as dishing, cupping, and bowing. Theories have been advanced to explain that phenomena. This paper expands the explanations, and is based upon the relationships of thermal hysteresis the stone is known to possess and stone dimensions.

    The marble consists of a mosaic of fine, essentially equi-axial calcite crystals devoid of defined crystal boundaries. Calcite has a known anisotropic thermal response wherein the crystal expands (as would be expected) in the direction of the ‘c’ crystallographic axis, but contracts (as would not be expected) in the direction of the three ‘a’ crystallographic axes, which are oriented normal to the ‘c’ axis. Very slight repositioning of the crystals result because of dislocations along crystal boundaries, which interfere with the return of the crystals to their original locations. The resulting slight increase in volume of the marble is accumulative with continued thermal cycling.

    When the front of panels undergo more thermal cycles and/or reach higher temperatures than the back of panels, the result is a differential volume increase front to back with the front expanding more than the back. Based upon laboratory experimental work, when the ratio of lateral dimensions of the panels to their thickness is appropriate, out-of-plane distortions reconfigure the panels in the form of a permanent slight dish.

    The physical effects of the thermal hysteresis on the marble causes; dishing, increased volume, increased porosity, decreased strengths because of stress along crystal boundaries and, ultimately, disintegration of the marble into sugar-like granules.

    Marbles having coarser grain sizes and mosaic textures do not undergo similar thermal hysteresis effects as the Carrara marble because there are fewer crystals to interact.

    marble, Carrara, thermal hysteresis, dishing, bowing, facades

    Author Information:

    Erlin, B
    President - Petrographer, The Erlin Company, Latrobe, PA

    Committee/Subcommittee: C18.07

    DOI: 10.1520/STP13540S

    CrossRef ASTM International is a member of CrossRef.


However, The Imperial, in Union Street, Chorley, has installed an arcade version of the game, thanks to a local computer whizz, who adapted the it to become coin operated.

Flappy Bird, described as the game users ‘hate to love’, was removed from online stores by its Vietnamese creator Dong Nguyen, who said its fame ‘ruins my simple life’.

Launched in May 2013, it was downloaded more than 50 million times.

"I changed it to add coin op and a high score table but as I'd just made an app for App store and Google play called Bass Invaders, I figured this wouldn't be too big a task.

Paul is now planning to add more simple games to it.


Hello. new to this forum and have searched through posts but have not found a similar question posted, so here it goes.

I am a long time Mac user, currently using a 6 year old Macbook Pro. Its on its last leg and I am stuck trying to decide the correct replacement.

I really like the portability of a laptop, mainly to use throughout my house. I have been looking at the mini server and was wondering if I can connect it in my main closet with my other home automation equiptment and then connect to it via ethernet throughout different rooms in my house. In other words, can I hook it up in my closet, and then connect multiple screens throughout the house to it via ethernet so it would be as if I ultimately had a laptop wherever I need it?

Or do I have to connect it directly to a display itself?

Thanks for the input and the help. I am trying to decide whether or not to get the new Macbook Pro or if the server will do.


Warning: Creating default object from empty value in /customers/4/7/8/thedreamdayproject.com/httpd.www/wp-content/themes/hatch/library/functions/core.php on line 32 KRYSTALLIA SAKELLARIOU: visual artist: Page 4
Krystallia Sakellariou is a Swedish artist working mainly with installation and stop-motion animation. In her large, site-specific installations she merges sculpture and photography into architecture, creating a series of ephemeral spatialities in which separated spaces, or universes, are temporarily and poetically connected. In the process she brings together personal and collected stories, assembled objects, space, light and illusion to explore notions related to personal memories and the passing of time, the concept of home and affiliation, isolation, exclusion, and our longing for utopias.


Encyclopedia > Lagro, Indiana

  Article Content

Lagro, Indiana

Lagro is a town located in Wabash County, Indiana. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 454.

Geography Lagro is located at 40°50'16" North, 85°43'40" West (40.837758, -85.727721)1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.6 km² (0.6 mi²). 1.6 km² (0.6 mi²) of it is land and 1.64% is water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 454 people, 166 households, and 122 families residing in the town. The population density is 292.2/km² (758.7/mi²). There are 183 housing units at an average density of 117.8/km² (305.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 98.90% White, 0.00% African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 0.44% from two or more races. 0.22% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 166 households out of which 38.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.8% are married couples living together, 7.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% are non-families. 23.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.73 and the average family size is 3.17.

In the town the population is spread out with 30.4% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 116.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 119.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town is $34,327, and the median income for a family is $39,375. Males have a median income of $37,188 versus $18,056 for females. The per capita income for the town is $13,186. 6.5% of the population and 3.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 9.5% are under the age of 18 and 4.2% are 65 or older.

  Search Encyclopedia

Search over one million articles, find something about almost anything!
  Featured Article
Robert Barnes

... it. I think he shall seal it with his blood? (Letters and Papers of Henry VIII). In 1531 Barnes returned to England, and became one of the chief intermediaries ...


Durham e-Theses
You are in:

Tourism and the formation of the writer: three case studies

Smith, David V. (2002) Tourism and the formation of the writer: three case studies. Doctoral thesis, Durham University.

In the nineteenth century a vogue for travel writing emerged as writers began to describe experiences of foreign travel in a style quite different from realistic Grand Tour narratives. In their travel writing, Byron, Shelley and Dickens display an impression of the complexities of modernity rather than present a mimetic and conformist view of the world. The study shows how travel writers represent the manifold nature of tourist experience through a composite presentation of subject which despite its heterogeneity lays claim to a unity of knowledge. This thesis discusses the impact of tourism on the beliefs, identities and style of writers. The chapter on Byron shows how he evolved a new poetic voice using a verse travelogue which evaluates the injustices of war and empire. The chapter on Shelley examines his tour of Switzerland and shows how the influence of Rousseau's imagination inspired Shelley in his vision to improve English society. The chapter on Dickens considers how the economic development of America informed his views on the state of American society and urged him to conceive in his later works a world in which the privacy of the domestic hearth is sanctified. The thesis investigates the extent to which ideals of political and social reform govern the nature of travel writing in Europe and America in the late Romantic and early Victorian periods. Tourist narratives of the period use contemporary and historical evidence to assess the advantages and disadvantages of the political and social systems of abroad, thereby indicating a path to enlightened social harmony.

Item Type:Thesis (Doctoral)
Award:Doctor of Philosophy
Thesis Date:2002
Copyright:Copyright of this thesis is held by the author
Deposited On:01 Aug 2012 11:36

Social bookmarking: del.icio.usConnoteaBibSonomyCiteULikeFacebookTwitter


Customer Reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars749
3.9 out of 5 stars
Format: Paperback|Change
Price:$8.02+ Free shipping with Amazon Prime
Your rating(Clear)Rate this item

Showing 1-10 of 175 reviews(4 star). Show all reviews
Yeah, I can surely tell you that I've never read a book like this. This was eerie, absurd but super-symbolic and written beautifully. Thank goodness I didn't read this on my own or else I would've gotten so confused and absolutely lost in my own mind. Everything would've been a blur and I wouldn't understand what the conch actually represented symbolically.

William Golding's Lord of the Flies is a book that I feel has always been there. It's a classic that's constantly spoken about, whether the person is young or old, and many read it at school since teachers "adore the complications of it." It's also a novel that's imperfect, where the movies were horrible and I feel that nothing is able to showcase it back to its original form. I have mixed feelings with the outcome, but I feel in an overall matter, it's mostly positive, especially looking at the facts that I've never read anything else like it.

Crash-landed on a mysterious island, Ralph, Piggy, Simon and Jack and the choir boys were on a plane heading away from the war when an atom bomb struck the plane and got it to crash. They don't know where they are or who are their acquaintances, but all they know is that they have to survive. At first, things are going pretty smooth compared to later, where animals are killed and the boys go against each other at their own personal war.

The emotion that I felt throughout wasn't like any other that I felt in other books. Some of my friends from school feel that this wasn't a book that's very emotional, but I did shed tears here and there and I wanted to run to some of the boys, and help them and let them know that things eventually would turn out for the better. Golding got us to understand the dark side of humanity, the savage side that every person who has walked the face of the earth has somewhere inside of them, where some can bring it out quicker than others.

Can you understand that quote if you haven't read the book already? I would predict that you cannot, and I'm secretly high-fiveing you there, my friend. This is such a difficult book to read, and although it's short, I felt that when you read it, you'll need tons of time to analyze it and go through it all with complete understanding. I bet that if I go back and re-read it all over again, I would spot some things that I hadn't the first time. Shocking, right?

I have to say that when I began this, I wasn't all too happy with me having to read it. Until about the sixth chapter, this was pretty boring and I felt that it was just a simple story about many boys trying to survive on a stranded island with hallucinations and paranoia. That's it. Until the sixth chapter, the plot was horrible but the writing was fantastic, and I knew that things would eventually get better but I didn't have high hopes at the same time. After that, HOLY S***.

Yeah, then all of the religious allegorical s*** came and we were all left with tears and my teacher even cried and the war-party between Ralph, Jack and Roger came along and I died. I was addicted after that, and I forgot about all of the theoretical symbolic stuff and went on with the storyline and plot because I just couldn't believe what the hell was happening. APOCALYPSE? I do seriously think that that's what Golding was trying to stuff into our minds, people. But in the end, I believe that everyone can have a different opinion on what this book meant to them. To me, it was something like the Stanford University experiment that was taken place in 1971 where people went mental after being put into the situation of authority all around them. It just took a matter of days for the prisoners to begin going mad.

And that's what happened to the boys on the island. They began killing and seeing things. A pig for godssake spoke to them. This isn't fantasy, people, it was a mental illness that everyone seemed to get and they slowly turned barbaric. I believe that if you're put into a situation where your whole life is actually taken away from you before your eyes, your whole sense of civilization is actually able to dissipate in a matter of moments when you don't expect it.

My favourite character? Piggy. Most would say Simon, as he was represented as a Jesus-like figure, and I surely loved him too. But Piggy was someone who actually had his head on his shoulders. Yes, he was unconfident because of Jack, but he knew what he was doing, and I admired him for that. He was hilarious and brought some fun and a sense of humour into the book. Although Ralph hadn't known it by the end, but Piggy was the only one who'd provide him with a real friendship and a connection. Without him, Ralph would've never survived and since Piggy was intelligence and the conch was law, you can't have a government (Ralph) without intelligence and law, right?

Next off, the ending. Yes, I did love it, but it surely was too predictable and cliché. We obviously knew that Ralph and the others would get into a war-like situation and have their lives at stake, but then that happened and they all lived happily ever after. I can't tell you the exact situation, but I expected Golding to add in something more symbolic and suspenseful, though we actually should've known more about the conditions of the war and what their lives turned out to be later. A companion would surely be appreciated by yours truly. Jack and Roger went to an asylum, I'm sure, though.

All in all, although I despited Jack and Roger and had problems with connecting to the plot in the beginning, I was really impressed with the outcome of this classic. You can seriously have a discussion on the themes and meaning with just about anyone, even if they haven't read the book. The message hit me hard, and now I'm really considering to look into more psychological learning stuff, because hey, studying the effects of a ruined civilization and its effects on humans is pretty wicked if you ask me. GEEZ, I'm saying, because this book was messed up, but awesome at the same time. It's really cool to look at stories that authors can come up with, just with a snap of their fingers. Is there more to this than what we see at eye-level? Hah, I'm not sure, but then you'd have to meet up with the Lord of the Flies then, and risk the paranoia.
0Comment|Was this review helpful to you?YesNoReport abuse
on January 25, 2005
THE LORD OF THE FLIES, by William Golding, is an interesting book. About thirty boys between the age of six to ten years of age are trapped on a deserted island. Now, we all know what happens to boys their age when they are left alone in an empty classroom. Here they are, alone on an island, with absolutely NO GROWNUPS!!! The three main characters, Ralph, Jack, and Simon are very ironic. Ralph is a rich boy who is immediately elected leader over all of the boys. Jack is another rich boy, and he is the one who immediately starts breaking all the rules that the other boys have set up. Simon is a boy who is symbolic of Jesus. But another one of the characters is a boy called Piggy. Right from the beginning, you can see a conflict between Jack and Piggy. Piggy is poor, has asthma, and is almost blind and uses glasses. Jack teases him and makes the other boys tease him too. Can the adults come to save the boys before they completely lose it? I would recommend this book to all people, except for children under the age of twelve. It is truly an enchanting and thrilling book. Must also recommend THE CHILDREN'S CORNER by Jackson McCrae.
0Comment|Was this review helpful to you?YesNoReport abuse
on August 1, 2002
Lord of the Flies is a very good book to read. It tells about how a group of british boys learn the meaning of survival after their plane is crashed and their stranded on an Island with no parents. It's also about how living on the island changed their lives. The 3 main charactors are Jack, Piggy, and Ralph. Jack is very pushy to Piggy because Piggy is fat, wears glasses, and has asthma but is friendly to Ralph. But all that changes when Jack lets a fire go out that causes a plane that passes by not to see them, after Jack becomkes more aggressive and just cares about hunting. Soon Jack starts his own tribe and the group slowly seperates from being with Ralph to going with Jack. Jack's group starts doing mean things like stealing Piggy's glasses to make a fire. Anyone who reads will be interested on how Ralphs group tries to do whatever they can to resist the clutches of Jack's and Jack's group's aggressiveness goes from hurting to killing! Any body who reads this will be very interested in the story. GET IT.
0Comment|Was this review helpful to you?YesNoReport abuse
on June 10, 2002
Sir William Golding wrote the wonderful novel THE LORD OF THE FLIES in 1954. It is a chillingly true look at the darkest of human nature. To the casual reader, it may seem just to be an adventure of lost boys. However, it has a darker and more sinister commentary on the nature of man. If you enjoy grand and classic literature, buy Sir William Golding's THE LORD OF THE FLIES today.
The novel centres around four boys among several stranded on a presumably Pacific island. Each one is symbolic of a different aspect of human nature. In the beginning, each is still bound by societal limits. As time progresses, things turn for the worst as these limits melt away. Golding masterfully shows this waring away of society, one of the novel's finer points. One of the novel's flaws is that is tedious at many points. Otherwise, it is a grand novel.
If you enjoy classic literature, you should read this novel. If you enjoy thought-provoking work, read this novel. If you enjoy a highly pessimistic commentary on man's nature, read the book. If you don't enjoy tedious reading, or don't like reading a dark book about the evils of man, this novel is not for you...
0Comment|Was this review helpful to you?YesNoReport abuse
on May 21, 2002
William Golding's Lord of the Flies is written about kids marooned in an island and how they survive.
This book is very thrilling and interesting the readers what is going to happen next. The story's beginning is that English kids are cast away in the coral island because of the plane crash. They choose Ralph as a chief and start building own community to survive and to be rescued. They explore the island and hunt a pig for food and make a fire as a SOS signal. The community is working at first. But little by little the community is being broken up. Finally some kids pick Jack as a leader and form the other community. When I read this book, I felt how difficult to keep people together. It's not easy to satisfy all people in a community, even people can communicate each other. There is always a conflict we cannot solve by talking between people. And the other thing I found is that happy thing doesn't always happen in a life. Some scenes, like Piggy's death, might be disgusting. But the life is usually full of disasters. We have to accept those things. I learned we should not live in a dream world. A bad thing can happen anytime. And it is important whether we can overcome it. I recommend this book.
0Comment|Was this review helpful to you?YesNoReport abuse
on May 21, 2002
The novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, published by The Berkley Publishing Group (1954) is an action filled book about some schoolboys' struggle for survival after their plane went down on a deserted island.
After the boys are stranded on the island it becomes evident that surviving will be like no other task they have ever undertaken. They learn to fend for themselves by trapping and killing animals, building shelters with branches and by learning how to use their surroundings in the quest for survival. From the very beginning there is tension over who is the leader. It comes down to which candidate has more appealing priorities, playing and hunting all-day or trying to get rescued by keeping a fire alive. While in the hunt for food the boys become total savages, to the extent where they even wage war against each other.
In my eyes the message is that there is a savage in all of us and it comes out the minute we are faced with extreme hardships. The author does not only use the actions of the boys to show the changes that have occurred, but he also uses visual imagery to show their physical changes. For example, in the beginning of the book the boys are well-dressed clean-cut shorthaired boys; however, by the end of the book they are dirty, longhaired animals. Also, to add to their already dirty look, the boys paint their faces to camouflage themselves when they go hunting. The way the boys changed in appearance reflects how they're losing their civilized upbringing.
In my opinion the novel Lord of the Flies was a great book especially for children around my age because it is easy for us to identify with what the kids in the book are going through. Even though I found this novel very exciting and engaging, I would never hope to be put in such a position as the boys in the story were.
0Comment|Was this review helpful to you?YesNoReport abuse
on May 8, 2002
In a nutshell: I loved LORD OF THE FLIES. It is probably the greatest book I've ever read, and here's why. I was absolutely fascinated with the characters. They were all so interesting and they always had me expecting something. They all had their own theme. The book is full of themes and mostly each character represents one of the "presidents" of the theme. For example:
Ralph is a leader in the book. He represents democracy in an anarchy based society. This is just one of many examples of theme used in the book. Another thing that was important to the book was the setting. The setting always played a special part in the book whether it give rest to the reader in between tense moments, or provide a source of imagination in the action packed parts. The plot was very believable even though it was a fiction book. I would reccomend this book to anyone over the age of 15. It has a very deep meaning and may not be understood with the mind that hasn't been exposed to some of the things in this book. Enjoy!
0Comment|Was this review helpful to you?YesNoReport abuse
on April 28, 2002
The treasured classic Lord Of The Flies takes its readers through a remarkable journey of a group of English boys stranded on an inhabited tropical island. On a summer camp, the plane's engine fails. As the aircraft sinks into the wilderness of the deep ocean, the boys who'd been fortunate enough to land on the sandy island shore face an ultimate challenge. The eldest of the troop being only 11 or 12 years old, the children are left to fend for themselves, not knowing what to expect - would they ever be rescued? Would they ever see their parents again? The struggle to survive was not the only conflict the boys faced. It was a fairly large team, and political issues such as who is "the leader" comes into figure. Would greed and different faiths break up the boys in battle, or would it glue them closer together? How is it that some boys end up murderion other guys on purpose?
This novel presents a realistic event, which makes it fun to read. I would recommend this book for people aged 10 and up who would like to find out how past people were like in their youth, and are interested in issues relating to fairth, hope, trust, and betrayal.
0Comment|Was this review helpful to you?YesNoReport abuse
on April 13, 2002
Lord of the Flies was a well-written book, chock-full of symbolism and motifs and themes. However, some of the prose I disliked, and the plot skipped weeks at a time. The setting of the story is an idyllic island. The island is marred, however, by the arrival of a plane of boys that crashes on the island, who were being carried away from wartime Britain. The story probably occurs sometime during World War II. The incident that incites the conflict between Ralph and Jack, the characters who represent pragmatic leadership versus violent evil, is the vote for chief of the island. Jack loses bitterly to Ralph, his only support being his own reluctant choir (he is head choirboy). Ralph, ever the eager diplomat, awards Jack the choir as his to command. Jack declares the choir the hunters, which foreshadows how they will begin to hunt Ralph. The tribe, though, is still firmly behind Ralph and his belief in democracy and rules.
The book progresses into the essential conflict between Ralph and Jack, as several deaths fuel the fire. The book is essentially a social allegory, a comment on the untamable brutality of humankind.
The savagery of this book makes some shocking points about human brutality, and forces the reader to look inward and see some of that brutality in herself. The reader must have patience to adjust to the writing style, but the allegory about the inescapable violence of humanity is powerful and disturbing. Overall reading this book is rewarding.
0Comment|Was this review helpful to you?YesNoReport abuse
on April 12, 2002
The novel Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is the suspenseful and graphic story of a group of English boys stranded on an island. The book starts out with the boys already on the island. The main character, Ralph, finds a conch shell, which plays a major roll in the book, take the conch and blows on to make a loud sound that calls everyone together. Once they are all there they decided that they needed a leader and since Ralph had the shell all the little kids voted for him. The other runner in that competition was Jack, the leader of an older set of boys and the only person on the island with a knife. Ralph gave Jack and his boys the job of hunting. Another person on the island is Piggy, a heavyset boy with asthma and glasses, a very essential part of their survival. Over time some of the little kid go crazy and run away to be savages. Eventually every one leaves Ralph and he is hunted like a dog.
Here are some things that were good and bad about this book. The plot seems basic at first, boys stuck on island have to survive, but then it goes deeper with mysterious creatures, hallucinations and murders. Since it had a good plot it keeps you reading. The vocabulary is another superior factor of the book. The vocabulary gives you a thorough picture in your mind of the island and it inhibiters. Also the book was only 200 pages long so it's an easy read. A not so good feature about this book is it graphic images. At some points it got so disgusting I had to stop reading and go do something else. In additional the ending was predicting. I'm not going to tell about the ending. Over all I would give this book an eight out of ten for the reasons above. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes an alternative to the basic survival story. Also the reader should be in 7th to 10th grade.
0Comment|Was this review helpful to you?YesNoReport abuse

Customers also viewed these items


Computer programs for the creation of text documents, intended to be printed and viewed by people. Although there are still machines dedicated only to word processing, most word processing is performed on general-purpose computers using word processing software. Most word processing programs allow text editing, word wrap and centering, search and replace, text move and copy, layout settings such as margins, line spacing, font changes, underlining, boldface, italics, headers, footers, page numbers, print preview, and similar functions, dedicated to affecting the look of the content after printing. Many allow insertion of graphics, or clip art.
The FrameMaker document authoring system from Adobe and related tools.
Microsoft Word has become the most popular personal computer word processing software. Originally written for DOS, in a text form, it is now available on Windows and Macintosh platforms, alone, as part of the Microsoft Office suite with the Excel spreadsheet, Outlook mail program and planner, and sometimes PowerPoint presentation manager, and Access database.


British Summer

Top & Bag: French Connection
Coat: Banggood
Skirt: Unknown
Boots: Schuh

Hey, my lovely readers! It's been ages since my last post, but my beautiful laptop decided to die and left me on my own, so I've been struggling to get an access to my blog. I could use my sister's one, but I'm this kind of person, who hates replacing their belongings, especially when it comes to technology!
However, I realised today, that I don't actually know how long is it going to take for my laptop to be repaired and if it could be repaired at all! So I kind of got panicked and decided to give it a go and create a post, using what I have at the moment. Yes, certainly my sister doesn't have the same editing programs on her laptop that I do on mine, the Windows is different, but... Oh, well, it was not that difficult at all! Looking back now, I can't see why it took me so long, when all I needed was just to try...
Anyway, we captured these pictures at the end of March, but with the chilly weather lately, I'd be very happy to wear the same outfit again, even though the month is June and it supposed to be summer.

So much looking forward to pack my suitcase tomorrow and get on the plane to...
Can you guess where my this year's summer destination would be? Chocolate for the winner! :)

Лаптопът ми взе, че се развали и тези снимки, чакат публикация от края на март месец, а аз все си намирам извинения и отлагам да седна пред лаптопа на сестра ми. Просто съм от онези хора, които никак не обичат да сменят принадлежностите си, особено когато става въпрос за технологии.
Осъзнах днес, обаче, че нямам представа колко време ще отнеме, докато съумея да приведа любимата си розова машина в годно за употреба състояние, затова реших да се пробвам да напиша блог пост, възползвайки се от възможността, която все пак имам. Оказа се, че не било толкова трудно! Понякога всичко, което трябва да направиш, е да опиташ..

Не знам как е при вас, но времето тук, в Обединеното Кралство, от може би седмица е хладно, почти мартенско всъщност, с темперетури вариращи между 10 и 19 градуса. Палтото и ботушите съвсем не са излишна екстра, особено рано сутрин и вечер. Лято в Англия, какво да ви кажа!
Нямам търпение да се кача на самолета за тазгодишния ми избор на лятна дестинация! Можете ли да отгатнете къде отивам?

Mademoiselle S.

When in Sofia...

If you ever happen to visit my beautiful home town Sofia (that's the capital of Bulgaria, folks!) here's a list of my favourite food places to go.
First and most important - when in Bulgaria, do as the Bulgarians do!
Start your day with a delicious banitsa
Yeah, I know, it's on trend now to be fit and healthy, to eat and drink organic food, but hey boo! You only live once! If you visit Bulgaria and don't try this super yummy savoury pastry, you will miss a lot, I promise you! So let yourself get lost in the charming streets of Sofia and absorb the atmosphere. When you come across a small local bakery, don't hesitate to get in. You will just love it!

Patisserie de Provence
22 Yanko Sakazov Blvd, Sofia, Bulgaria
+359 88 473 0905

Right, now when you had this nice mouth-watering breakfast, please go for a good 3-4 hour walk, do some shopping, take a selfie in front of every sight of the town and get your mind (and stomach) ready for an unforgettable experience at Restaurant Shtastliveca

Situated right in the heart of the city, Restaurant Shtastliveca is the ideal place to have a fancy tasty meal in a delightful homelike atmosphere. Probably one of the best food places I have ever been actually not just in Bulgaria, but in general! Quick service, experienced and attentive staff, amazing interior, beautiful music and a great extensive menu with a large choice of dishes for literally any taste and diary needs at extremely good prices. Give it a go! It will be worth it!

Restaurant Shtastliveca
27 Vitosha Blvd, Sofia, Bulgaria
+359 2441 1155

After a delicious lunch, it's time for my favourite thing in the world... yes, you guessed it right, time for ice-creams

One of the best places in Sofia for appetizing paninis, cakes, milk shakes, pancakes, waffles and sundaes is without a doubt Jimmy's! Oh, am I the only one who's starting to get hungry?!

18 Shipka str, Sofia, Bulgaria
+359 88 259 9618

To finish my visual torture I'd like to recommend this lovely French-inspired coffee shop when looking for a nice calm place to relax and catch up with friends over a coffee, cocktails or... macaroons! Le Salon Aux Fleurs is just the right spot for you!

Le Salon Aux Fleurs
37 Oborishte Str, Sofia, Bulgaria
+359 88 833 0898

Finally, I'd like to add that all of the places recommended above are on a quite walking distance to each other. So if you're visiting Sofia and decide to give them a try, I'd love to hear your thoughts after on the comments form below!

Also, would you guys be interested in reading more posts like this about other favourite places of mine in different parts of the world? Let me know!

Mademoiselle S.

Gimme this muffin!

Jumpsuit: Forever 21
Sneakers: Adidas Superstar

P.S. These curves don't grow with salad!
Happy Sunday everyone! x