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Thinking about Islam constantly -- Can I really stay away?
I mentioned a couple times in other posts that I have been thinking seriously about Islam these days. There was no big turning point, really, to make me feel like I need to be a Muslim, but yes, that's what I feel these days. :) My husband, from his reaction to all this, doesn't seem ready for me to be Muslim. I don't fully understand him... But what I get from that is that he's not ready to practice Islam and he wouldn't want me to be a better Muslim than he is.
Anyway, this was mostly as a semi-announcement. I am not announcing that I am Muslim, because I still am not, but I am announcing that I feel I will convert relatively shortly, something I have never actually felt.
How should I do it? I don't believe it needs to be anything "official" with an imam or anything, but at the same time, it could be a positive experience to do it that way. What are your suggestions and experiences?


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The AFC West might just be the most competitive division in the conference. The Denver Broncos own one of the top defenses in the NFL while the Oakland Raiders have one of the most prolific offenses in the league. The Kansas City Chiefs are starting a rookie RB, but are always a threat to claim a Wild Card spot. The Los Angeles Chargers have a new home, but they have been nothing but average to slightly below average for quite sometime now, as injuries have derailed them in recent years.
In The DivisionThe Broncos are 5-1 against the Chargers in their last 6 meetings, beat the Raiders four times in the last 3 years and lost their last three games against the Chiefs, after winning 3 in a row.
Kansas City has not lost to San Diego/Los Angeles in the last three years and is 5-1 against Oakland since 2014
After losing both games in 2014 to the Chargers, the Raiders have won four straight.
On The RoadOakland plays back-to-back road games three different times this year, including the final two weeks. They play 4 games in the Eastern Time Zone.
The Broncos have it even worse with three straight road games in weeks 7-9. They also have two other back-to-back road games on their schedule.
The Chiefs do not play back-to-back road games as they have a bye week 10 between games with at the Cowboys & Giants. They do however open the season against the Patriots in New England.
Los Angeles has to travel across the country for games against the New York (both teams), New England & Jacksonville.
At HomeThe Raiders don't have a tough home game until the Chiefs visit week 7. They have a tough second half home schedule with games against the Patriots, Giants and Cowboys in a 5 week span.
Denver gets four home games and a bye week before week 7! They will host the Patriots and Bengals in weeks 10 & 11.
The Chiefs don't have back-to-back home games until they get three in a row from week 14-16. They host the Steelers in week 6.
San Diego will host three home games in a row from weeks 2-4. They host the Patriots in week 8 and the Cowboys in week 12.
Fantasy Football OptionsQB
- Amari Cooper
- Demaryius Thomas
- Keenan Allen
- Tyreek Hill
- Michael Crabtree
- Emmanuel Sanders
- Tyrell Williams

subset: commoncrawl


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Wednesday, 12 November 2008
CD Review: Iron, by Ensiferum (2004)
As an example of how good folk metal can be, it is difficult to find a much better album than Iron by Ensiferum. On just their second studio CD, Finland's masters of the folk metal genre pull all the elements together to deliver a masterful collection of songs that will likely always be held up as a benchmark.
It is clear that producer Flemming Rasmussen, who worked on CDs such as Metallica's Master of Puppets and ...And Justice For All, provided Ensiferum with a professional polish that significantly raises the quality of the material.
Track 9, the appropriately titled LAI LAI HEI (yes, all in CAPS) encapsulates all that is good with the band and the CD. A mixture of slow and fast tempos, a majestically and memorably haunting melody that develops into numerous variations, gradually building to an epic chorus. No matter the sub-genre, melodic heavy metal does not get much better than this.
Most other songs on the CD achieve similar lofty heights. Opener Ferrum Aeternum is a shortish but weighty instrumental that casts Ennio Morricone in metal. Title track Iron introduces a battle-ready anthem that recalls the best of Manowar. Lost In Despair demonstrates the beautiful power that Ensiferum can deliver at a slow tempo -- a terrific sign of maturity. And Into Battle introduces a galloping pace and a good build-up that seems to be content until it explodes into an extended jaw-dropping sonic solo that entirely redefines just how good the song is.
Unfortunately, someone saw fit to throw in the un-listenable Tears into this CD, in a stunningly misguided attempt to introduce smarmy vocals and a lame ballad into the mix. It is a miserable failure, made all the more apparent due to the overwhelmingly good material throughout the rest of the CD.
At least the 2008 re-release version of the CD removes the bad taste by including Track 11 as a Bonus Track, a cover of Metallica's Battery. There is little that anyone can do to reduce the impact of this song, and Ensiferum respectfully give it a faithful and slightly amped-up treatment that hits the spot -- just like the rest of Iron.
Jari Maenpaa - Vocals, Guitars
Markus Toivonen - Guitars
Oliver Fokin - Drums
Jukka-Pekka Miettinen - Bass
Meijo Enho - Keyboards
Songlist (ratings out of 10):
1. Ferrum Aeternum - 9
2. Iron - 9 *See Audio Clip Below*
3. Sword Chant - 8
4. Mourning Heart - Interlude (no rating, short interlude)
5. Tale of Revenge - 8
6. Lost In Despair - 9
7. Slayer Of Light - 8
8. Into Battle - 9
10. Tears - 4
11. Battery - 10
Average: 8.40
Produced by Ensiferum and Flemming Rasmussen
Mastered by Mika Jussila
All Ace Black Blog CD Reviews are here.
Posted by aceblackblog. at 21:14
Labels: CD of the Week, CD Review, Ensiferum, Finland, Folk Metal, Heavy Metal, Insomnium
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text: Uncertain Feelings August 4, 2016August 19, 2009 by Vinay Leo R. When feelings decay A riot starts in your heart Making you unsure Be careful now in judgment Reflect on your thoughts If the decay does not stop Then, leave gracefully Image Credits 3WW Vinay Leo R.Poetry & writing are to me, a breath of fresh air in a life that is sometimes covered by the smoke of sorrow or self doubt. They also become the sweets I share to celebrate when life offers me a reason to. But most of all, they are to me, my life. For each word I write is a piece of my heart, a thought that just had to find its way into the world.


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I saw some geese flying back. Poor, confused things. Sticking with the theme of confusion, here are my very random five of the week.
My little eight year old was having a hard time understanding what she read and having a hard time actually finishing what she was supposed to read. (I am just using Fox on Wheels as an example text to demonstrate what I mean because I had it here. )
When I worked with my little girl, I had her use these little post-its at the bottom of each page. She had to put a green post it with a period on it at the bottom of the page if she understood the whole page.
At night when she read on her own, she had to do this for each page so that we could discuss it and see what she came up with the next day. We reviewed what she had read, and then looked at the yellow post-it pages. She reread to find what question she had about the page, and we talked about it together. Putting a post-it on each page really helped her to focus on one page at a time because she had a job to do after reading each page.
She was a little sticker lover, so next, I added a hot pink "!" post-it, that she could put beside anything that she read that was exciting or that she wanted to share with me.
This was a wonderful reminder for her that she had a job to do- which was to read and understand the text. If she did not understand, her job was to ask questions, so she could understand. This also helped her to think about the main idea of the story, because she had to really decide what each page was saying.
I had a lot of success with this strategy. She slowed down her reading and really had much better discussions about what she read.
This strategy reminded me of this:
I just taped the wrappers on top- no title or anything- so not an official graph, I know... It was very last minute, but we did so much math with these cookies, I was actually happy with math that day so I am overlooking the ugliness. Then, I wasn't going to even share the graph and pretend that I had made a perfect looking one, but this is the real deal, like "celebrities without make-up."
After we made our graph, we talked about more, less, most, least- and the dreaded "how many more?" question. I called up different children to match up and compare two cookies to see which ones were left without a match. That was how many more.
We also did addition and subtraction questions with cookies. We had just begun talking about greater than, less than, and equal to symbols, so we did some work with that concept, too.
We are working on Opinion Writing this week. I could have had them write about the favorite cookie they chose, and WHY, WHY, WHY it was their favorite cookie. We ran out of time, but there is always tomorrow!
I also had the children sort my bins of "things" from biggest to smallest, or smallest to biggest, with a partner during our center time.
They had lots of fun sorting. (The magnifying glass distracted them for a while because they had to study everything they found with it, but they managed to finish their task eventually, and find every tiny mark on each item using the magnifying glass in the meantime.) First, we talked about (and I modeled) how to line up the objects by having them all rest on the same bottom line to get an accurate measurement.
We had so much fun this week talking about and drawing emotions. The artist we studied this week was Rembrandt, because he drew so many different faces. Here is my "emotional post," which includes some great TPT freebies, from earlier if you missed it.
Morning Glory Update!
Have a beautiful weekend! Thank you for stopping by!
I would love you to follow my Facebook page if you don't already. THANK YOU THANK YOU!


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How To Get Loans When You Have Low Credit Ratings.
When seeking to obtain loans and you have a bad credit ratings, the experience may not be perfect for you. The following are awesome tips to guide you if you want to take a loan with bad credit ratings.
Always get ideas about the credit score you have before you try to get a loan with bad credit ratings. With knowledge about credit score, one will go for the loan products with high stakes for being approved. It will also enable you to see the level of improvement you need to take to boost your ratings.
Get free credit score information from the free credit score checking tools like Mont or request the same from the credit bureaus. You should also start building and checking on your credit. Ensure you've borrowed often as this could be a solution to improving your future financial access.
To boost and improve on your credit, ensure you've done the following. You need to pay the available loans and dispute all errors in the credit bureaus or choose a perfect financial planner. More so, choose to take secured loans always to guarantee the lenders of ability to repay.
Lenders often consider collaterals and other securities for the loans taken by those with bad credit scores. When you take a secured loan, you give valuable properties like boats and cars that can be reposed by the lender when one fails to pay the loans.
You may also choose a co-signer that will sign in the lender's statements so you can be given loans where their creditworthiness will court more for you. Also, choose to work with the credit unions that work to offer financial assistance to people with bad credit scores.
Ensure you've fulfilled all the requirements of the credit unions for you to be considered for the loans since they also have standards. There are also established online lenders that one may result to for their exemplary services to people with poor credit scores.
As you do online research about bad loan lenders. Take great caution not to fall into the predators that can take you for granted. Explore situations where the peer to peer lenders are so you can establish good connections with them for them to trust you with their loans.
The peer to peer lenders often have websites where you must sign up to be a member before accessing their loans. The pay day loans are also available for you of you have poor credit scores.
Compare different types of loans and take those that can give you better score. If your friends and relatives trust you, they will offer you a loan.
Doing The Right Way
How To Get Loans When You Have Low Credit Ratings.


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Expensive bikes are going missing at an alarming rate in Whistler. Since the start of the bike season there have been anywhere from four to seven bikes reported stolen each week, sometimes creeping into the double digits. Last year was worse, with two thefts per day during a particularly brutal crime wave — but this year is far from over.
The situation is so bad that there's usually very little attention paid to the disappearance of a bike. Standard practice is to file a police report, make an insurance claim, pray the insurance company will come through, buy a new bike from a bike shop using the insurance money and forget about the old bike because it was probably chopped into parts within hours of being stolen.
The thieves are good at what they do and they know that theirs is a racket the authorities have trouble breaking.
Ingo Lou had enough after his fourth bike was stolen. The Vancouver resident decided he was going to make a difference in the world of bike theft.
"I think I was mad for all of 10 or 15 minutes and it just hit me, this can't go on," he says from his offices in Vancouver.
The filmmaker brainstormed a show called To Catch A Bike Thief. The premise is simple: create a bait bike, capture the theft on video, chase down the thief on video and publicly humiliate the thief.
"We kind of wanted to create a show, a web series, that would provide tools, technologies, solutions that cyclists and communities could use to protect themselves against bike theft," says Lou.
He put his idea in motion and with a team of helpers created a demo reel of sorts online at ToCatchaBikeThief.com. He says his group is close to a deal to partner with an Emmy Award winning production company interested in developing To Catch a Bike Thief for network television.
"They are fairly confident that we can get the show on OLN," says Lou.
Through his work on the series, Lou has concluded there are three kinds of bike thieves; opportunists, career thieves and organized criminals.
He says opportunists are the folks who find a bike that is easy to steal at a time when they could use a bike. He gives the example of a drunken bar hopper looking to get home as soon as possible after a night out.
"Career thieves are people who have tools and know the best locations and what is best to steal," says Lou.
The most dangerous group of thieves, according to Lou, is the group involved with organized crime.
"They have an employer who says we need a red Cervélo," says the bike theft prevention advocate. "It is a very targeted approach and they look for high-end bikes. You probably see a lot of that in Whistler."
December 15, 2019, 7:00 AM
Sea to Sky Community Services hopes to find a new home for The Gingerbread Project More...
December 14, 2019, 3:43 PM
Germans top doubles race at Whistler Sliding Centre More...
December 14, 2019, 3:00 PM
Council briefs: BC Transit delegation; Indigenous cultural training More...


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And another Wednesday has rolled around. Here's another bowl with an interesting rim and a dark cobalt blue glaze.
The bad news is that several weeks ago I broke my upper arm and I haven't been able to make anything since. The good news is that my arm is mending and soon new pieces will be coming. Other good news, if it's possible to find any in a broken humerus, is that I'm getting quite adept at using my left hand for everything. And I found out how to buy left-handed scissors from Amazon.


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New York Rap Acapellas Part 3 MULTiFORMAT-FANTASTiC23 September 2017
New York Rap Acapellas Part 3
FANTASTiC | 03 December 2015 | 401 MB
The third volume of freshest royalty free Rap Acapellas featuring some of the best MC's in NYC! Many times in the studio you get to the point where to take things to the next level you need a little something special. A great vocal can take the track from being ok to being a remembered as a classic. This is tricky if you don't know any decent MC's or have access to a studio to record them. This is where Rap acapealla series steps in, Quality vocals right where you need them. For this installment we are keeping it within the family. Monster Sounds has returned to the mean streets of Brooklyn to work with performer and producer Dan Walker aka NineLives The Cat. As a performer Dan has appeared on many tracks over the years and as part of the amazing art punk outfit "The Deathset" he is signed to Steve Aokis "Dimmak" Label. For this pack using Dans street knowledge of the NY Scene we have linked up 5 of the Big Apples most talented MC's.
Tech Specs:
• 24-Bit Quality
• 303 Vocal Loops
• 303 Rex2 Files
• 188 Vocal Hits
• 5 Soft Sampler Patches for NNXT, Halion, SFZ, Kontakt, EXS24
INFO/DEMO/BUY: http://mage.si/NCxu
New York Rap Acapellas Part 3 MULTiFORMAT-FANTASTiC
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Family Gulls, Terns, Skimmers (Laridae)
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)
Sterna Hirundo
Linnaeus, 1758,
Genetic data#R indicate that present species, S. dougallii, S. hirundinacea, S. paradisaea and S. vittata may form a monophyletic group that also includes Old World S. striata and S. sumatrana, with S. forsteri and S. trudeaui possibly also part of this group. In North America, genetic studies of populations in N USA (Minnesota and Wisconsin) and ringing studies in NE USA reveal high degree of gene flow, despite colony site-tenacity. Can hybridize with S. dougallii. C Asian minussensis often considered to be no more than a hybrid form between nominate hirundo and longipennis. Four subspecies normally recognized.
Descriptive notes
Food and feeding
Status and conservation
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Series ALHxx4 is a range of 24V linear spring return actuators available with 3-point floating control mode (extend/retract) and proportional control mode (voltage/current). The series is available with different stem spring return directions (up/down).
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Nine minutes of kitschy delight set at GM's Motorama, the 1956 video "Design for Dreaming" conclusively proves that the future is an all singing, all dancing extravaganza of old-fashioned girliness. Repeat after me: "Girls don't go to Motoramas/Dressed in a pair of pink pajamas." And what do they wear? A ball gown! Watch the movie if you don't believe us. Prelinger Archives.
What to Wear to Motorama of Tomorrow?


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Colorado Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet have issued a letter to Tom Vilsack, secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, urging an in-depth study of fire conditions and what can be done to mitigate the risk as a result of the Waldo Canyon Fire and other wildland fires in Colorado.
Specifically, Udall and Bennet want a "scientific review" of the Waldo Canyon Fire that would cover topics including what treatments were used to stop or slow the fire; the role (if any) of "community wildfire protection plans" in fire management and losses; projected fire-related costs over time; the effectiveness of post-fire stabilization and restoration approaches; and much more.
"We must examine the factors that led to the level of intensity and damage, and learn what we can do to reduce future risks," Udall and Bennet say in the letter. It's dated Oct. 11, three days after the Independent wrote to both senators asking whether the Waldo fire would be studied as thoroughly as the Hayman Fire was in 2002. That study led to an exhaustive report issued in 2003.
The letter: "This type of systematic, in-depth analysis to understand the social, economic, organizational and ecological impacts of these fires is essential to effectively addressing the future of fire management ion the WUI [Wildland Urban Interface] and to mitigating the impact of these large catastrophic events."
Udall and Bennet suggest the Agriculture Department work with Colorado-based institutions, including the USDA Rocky Mountain Research Station, the Southern Rockies Fire Science Network, Colorado Forest Restoration Institute, the Western Fire Research Center, and the National Institute for Standards and Technology.
The Rocky Mountain Research Station took the lead in investigating similar issues surrounding the 2002 Hayman Fire, which wiped out more than 137,000 acres and made a one-day, 60,000-acre run.
That fire broke out in early June and eventually burned parts of Park, Teller and Douglas counties. By the end of that month, Udall was quoted as saying it would be "instructive to take a close look at the behavior of the fire, examine the factors that led to its intensity, and see if the way it behaved when it encountered previously affected or treated areas can be instructive in designing future risk-reduction projects."
Those statements led the Forest Service to establish the Hayman Fire Review Panel, which issued a 396-page report in September 2003 that details fire weather, climate, fire behavior, fuel treatments, suppression activities, soils and erosion, aquatic systems and the social and economic issues of the Hayman.
It's not Udall's first foray into investigating the Waldo fire. In August, he conducted an after-action review at Peterson Air Force Base to evaluate how federal and military forces interacted.
Udall spokesman Mike Saccone says in an e-mail the senators "completely expect" Vilsack to take up the study, especially "given the value for forest management, wildfire preparedness, etc., that would emerge as a result of such a study."
Here's the letter:
Showing 1-2 of 2


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Teaching children about generosity and giving practices when they're young yields lifelong benefits. They grow up as disciples of wise stewardship. They engage with their church community early in life. And, more often than not, they end up with a sense that wealth comes from generosity — not the other way around.
To successfully build generations of givers, remember a few key things about children:
- They're technology natives, so what you do and how you communicate must include digital touchpoints.
- They're naturally generous in spirit, but distracted by a world of commercial prompts.
- They're keen observers of their parents and how they demonstrate what they value.
By keeping those points in mind, churches can find meaningful ways to provide their congregations with opportunities to give at each stage of life. Begin simply. A child who has the chance to give of his or her resources as part of worship often ends up with a deeper personal faith. That can translate into a stronger church community that is more beneficial for everyone.
Nursery and preschool
Raising active givers can begin in the nursery, when little ones are learning to read and share. Pair their Bible lessons with specific giving opportunities. A basket near the door of the preschool worship area or classroom is a tangible reminder to share. At certain points in the year, such as during holidays, VBS or congregational mission efforts, involve the young children in a saving campaign that has a clearly communicated recipient and goal.
As children get a bit older and have an opportunity to earn at home, they can start to build an understanding that generosity is a choice. At this age, they're getting ready to learn how to budget, or make choices about where they spend their money, and why.
It's important for parents to be involved. They can give their young children a dollar to put in the collection plate to help develop a giving habit. Children also need to see adults model faithful stewardship and understand how they make giving decisions. Melanie Gordon, director of ministry with children for the United Methodist Church's Discipleship Ministries, recommends: "If you place your offering in the plate, let them witness this. If you send your offering electronically, let them sit at the computer with you, and talk to them about why we give to the church."*
Parents also can start a give/save/spend program at home. Have the kids decorate and label envelopes or jars with the words "save," "spend" and "give" and encourage them to divide their money among them. The church can help. During Sunday school, discuss with kids why each category of spending and saving is important, and offer them ideas for ways they can contribute their "give" money.
By now, many young people have observed how their parents and other adults give. They likely have had opportunities to be generous. But they may be seeking to understand the purpose. Chris Winderlink, the director of young people's ministries for Discipleship Ministries, notes that "as a generational trend, millennials and younger give money to places where they understand how their money will make a difference."* Whether through youth group, outreach programs, mission trips or impact stories, it's important to show young people how their generosity is making a tangible difference in the lives of others.
Young adults
The effort doesn't end with adolescence. The church can help to ensure that the time invested in raising generous children translates into a stronger church community. It's important to involve young adults in conversations about how and where church money is allocated, give them opportunities to have a voice in how the church is using its money and share ministry ideas that are meaningful to them.
For the church, cultivating a community of active young givers is a part of creating an overall culture of generosity, and may be one of the most important things it does to build a healthy financial base.
* Giving Together Creates Faithful Community (Part 2) - United Methodist Church's Discipleship Ministries


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Basseterre, St. Kitts – The importance of the Nagoya Protocol to St. Kitts and Nevis and exploration of biological resources was discussed during an Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) workshop. Alistair Edwards, Permanent Secretary, who has responsibility for Environment welcomed participants and said St. Kitts and Nevis views the Nagoya Protocol as extremely important.
"St. Kitts and Nevis recognizes the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Benefit-Sharing as an opportunity to promote and conserve the mutually beneficial exploration of our biological resources," said the permanent secretary. "The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis recognizes the importance of this Protocol and is cognizant of the fact that its implementation will create greater legal certainty and transparency for both providers and users of genetic resources."
The permanent secretary said it is important for everyone to contribute in some way to the development of legislative provisions to implement the Nagoya Protocol that is anticipated to be enacted by Parliament in due course.
"One of the core requirements of the Nagoya Protocol calls for countries to develop domestic ABS legislation in order to effectively implement the Nagoya Protocol," Edwards explained. "Our deliberations would therefore be in accordance with this fundamental requirement that would enable St. Kitts and Nevis to fulfil its obligations under the Protocol upon ratification."
According to Eavin Parry, Environmental Scientist in the Department of Environment and National Focal Point for the project, for two years, St. Kitts and Nevis has been a participating member state in the Global Environment Fund (GEF) Advancing the Nagoya Protocol in countries of the Caribbean and has reaped many benefits.
"We have benefited significantly as a country in our quest to lay the ground work and operationalize the Nagoya Protocol at the national level," he said, while expounding on participants expectations for the workshop.
"They would be expected to have an understanding of ABS concepts and how they relate to our national circumstances; understand the rules of the various institutions represented here as it relates to having a functional ABS system in St. Kitts and Nevis; and play an active role in contributing to the discussions relating to developing ABS policy and legal measures in St. Kitts and Nevis," he explained.
The Sept. 5 to 7 workshop was hosted by the Department of Environment and facilitated by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, with funding from the United Nations Environment and the Global Environment Fund.


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e. "Fam. I tried to call!!! They in lock up jumping in folks for shit!!! Get them to start calling up here!!!! They sparging that shit and we can't breathe!!"
Tag Archives: torture
"They Break Bread, Then Drink Wine"
By Mae Smith
November 13, 2014
AL DOC has told me that they can no longer communicate with me concerning my son, seriously do they think I am going to just stop inquiring about his wellbeing?
He has been beaten, abused and locked in solitary confinement for almost 2 years and now they are giving him weekly injections all in order to kill him, because they don't go to prison for the murders they commit, they break bread and drink wine!!!
Effects Of Solitary Confinement
Originally posted on A Madman's Path To Reason:
By: Ryan Pettigrew (August 20, 2013)
The California hunger strike and Evan Ebel's rampage have shed light on the solitary confinement problem in American prisons. Citizens are now starting to realize that how we treat our prisoners directly affects them since most will be released, with a direct correlation between prisoners released who return to crime and their treatment while in prison. Common sense proves that the more ignorant and angry a released prisoner is, the more likely it will be that he/she returns to crime.
Solitary confinement has become the most grossly overused and ineffective program in American prisons, with the ACLU estimating over 80,000 American inmates in solitary confinement. Most of the inmates in prison will be released one day but figures show how those in solitary confinement return at a higher rate than those in general population (64% versus 41%), proving the effects of solitary confinement translate…
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Date: 07/08/2019
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Date: 07/08/2019
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A science fiction convention in Austin, TX, July 29-31 2016. Guest of Honor: Wesley Chu; Special Guest (Artist): Dominick Saponaro; Editor Guest: Joe Monti; Fan Guest: Ken Keller; Toastmaster: Joe McKinney; Artist Guest: Christina Hess
What I liked the best about this ArmadilloCon was Arianne "Tex" Thompson's 1.5 hour worldbuilding workshop. Subtitled "Escape From Clichea", it was ostensibly on worldbuilding, but turned out to be about much more than that. It was chockfull of useful writing exercises that would let you better organize your thoughts and carve out your identity as a writer, surmount the hurdles everyone experiences writing a novel, and avoid the pitfalls that can sink a novel.
It suggested ways of developing your identity as a writer -- what makes you stand out from others -- by writing down lists of three items, and defining their intersection. Worldbuilding exercises: how to make a reader want to know more about your world. How to create a world that your readers want to return to again and again. How to avoid infodumping and cliches (a big theme in the workshop, hence the title) -- or how to use them to your advantage.
Here is my entire blog post about Arianne "Tex" Thompson's worldbuilding workshop.
IMG_20160729_151341 Writers' workshop teachers
Left to right: authors Patrice Sarath, Urania Fung, Eugene Fischer, Arianne "Tex" Thompson, Mark Finn, and Marshall Ryan Maresca -- teachers at the ArmadilloCon 2016 writers' workshop.
IMG_7660 Writers' workshop teachers
Left to right: authors Marshall Ryan Maresca, Amanda Downum, Joe McKinney, K. G. Jewell, editor Joe Monti, and our Guest of Honor Wesley Chu -- teachers at the ArmadilloCon 2016 writers' workshop.
IMG_20160729_192008 ArmadilloCon 2016 opening ceremony
Left to right: Guest of Honor Wesley Chu, Toastmaster Joe McKinney, fan guest Ken Keller, artist guests Christina Hess and Dominick Saponaro, and editor guest Joe Monti.
IMG_20160729_193051 Vincent Villafranca holds Lone Star Fandom Award
At the ArmadilloCon 2016 opening ceremony artist Vincent Villafranca holds the Lone Star Fandom Award statue that he made. The award goes to Fred Duarte Jr.
IMG_20160730_160308 Writing The Other panel
L-R: Nicky Drayden, Stina Leicht, Wesley Chu, Kirk Lynn, Marshall Maresca, and Arianne "Tex" Thompson on the panel on writing characters from different cultures or demographics than you. Click the image to read the do's and don'ts.
IMG_20160730_172628 Space Squid flash fiction contest
Another ArmadilloCon tradition: Space Squid flash fiction contest. It takes place in the Consuite, and is lead by Space Squid editor David Chang (second from the left). The participants compose flash fiction based on prompts, and read it right there.
IMG_20160730_130309 Law Enforcement in Speculative Fiction panel
L-R: authors Patrice Sarath, Joe McKinney, and Myke Cole on the "Law enforcement in speculative fiction panel". The panel had the potential to discuss hot and controversial topics of the day, but missed that opportunity. Click the image to read
IMG_20160730_130329 Law Enforcement in Speculative Fiction panel
L-R: authors Jayme Lee Moyer, Kirk Lynn, Marshall Ryan Maresca, Patrice Sarath, and Joe McKinney on the "Law enforcement in speculative fiction panel". Click the image to read more.
IMG_20160730_180932 State of virtual reality presentation
State of virtual reality presentation by Eric Bakutis. He talked about the games you can play with the newest VR headsets, throwing in interesting tidbits about how interactions in VR are nevertheless shaped by people's interactions in real life.
IMG_20160729_170401 Escape From Clichea worldbuilding workshop
Arianne "Tex" Thompson gave a 1.5 hour workshop that alone was worth the ArmadilloCon admission ticket. It was chockfull of useful writing exercises to surmount the hurdles of writing a fantasy / science fiction novel. Click the image to read mo
IMG_20160729_172007 Use the Triforce, Luke!
Triforce consists of: Education - something you know about; Passion - something you care about; Inspiration - something you are excited about. At the intersection of those things is a story that only you can write, says Arianne "Tex" Thompson.
IMG_20160730_204351 Best time travel stories panel
Left to right: John Gibbons, Marshall Ryan Maresca, K. G. (Kevin) Jewell, and Rebecca Schwarz on the time travel panel. The best thing about it were time travel story recommendations. Click the image to read them.
IMG_20160730_143121 Mustache and cowboy boot-shaped sandwiches
in the ArmadilloCon 2016 Consuite, served at the Teapunk Teas tea tasting.


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Occupy Asheville has reached it's 5th day in downtown Asheville. I covered day one of the protest with photos and audio quotes from the protesters. Today, at Prichard Park, still about 80 people met for a general assembly. I asked a few more protesters about why they have come, and how they are being perceived in the community.
This is Andy. While I interview him, he's serving donated soup out of 5 gallon buckets for the protesters to eat. He's very energetic, all afternoon he's engaged in helping this ad-hoc community work.
Not stopping his ladling of soup, he discussed with me at length with how generous local businesses have been at supplying the protesters with supplies and support. Here's an excerpt:
There's a big pile of camping supplies in the park, with protest signs leaned against them. This seems to be an improvisational mess-hall supplied by donations and staffed by whoever is willing. Here's one of the signs.
This is Bill Abraham. He told us, "I would like for everyone to pay their fair share, and by that I mean, the people who are at the top of our economic structure need to contribute to America the same as everyone else does."
This is Scott. He is a dedicated pacifist, and was attracted to the movement because it's peaceful. He is concerned about 1% of the population controlling the planet.
This is Taylor. She believes in power of the people.
She also feels that corporations should not have the same rights as people, a common theme in a lot of our interviews:
This is Venice and Celtia. Mother and Daughter, both came to the rally together. Venice told me that it's important for the media to know that people from all walks of life are involved:
FML wants to increase the level of Chaos in Asheville. Without his bandana on, FML engages with the other protesters easily. He's actually full of smiles, but insisted on wearing the bandana for this photo.
When asked about the meaning of his sign, he said:
It's striking to me that entering Pritchard Park, there's a whole functioning community to be found. Leaving the park, it's only a few steps before you find that you are in a thriving tourist town, visitors everywhere, and very few people are aware and cognizant of the subculture being created in the center of the city. I'll keep up coverage every few days as this protest continues.


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Cat Collars by Hiro + Wolf
Ethical pet brand Hiro + Wolf have launched an new collection of designer cat collars in five of their modern signature prints. Handmade in England from fabrics sources on their travels through Africa, the cat collars are lined in soft velveteen and can be adjusted to fit little kittens and big tomcats. Each collar is fitted with a bell, trimmed in vegetable tanned leather and finished with an elastic strip making them safe for kitties that love to climb trees.
Showing items 1-1 of 1.


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Nemasys Fruit and Veg Protection
The organic pest control: harmless to children, pets & birds!Buy Nemasys Fruit and Veg Protection
Nemasys Fruit and Veg Pest Control is a unique mix of different nematode species to target a broad range of pests it has been specifically researched to combat:
- Carrot & Cabbage Root Fly
- Leatherjackets
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- Onion Fly
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- Caterpillars
- Ants
- Codling moth
- Thrips
- Gooseberry Sawfly
It is so easy to use and when used as a programme, the gardener does not have to worry about application times or thorough investigations as to what the pests actually are. Just follow the programme – designed to target pests when they are active in the soil or on plants, see below for specific details.
Nemasys Grow Your Own is safe on food crops and suitable for use on organic crops. It will not harm pets, children, wildlife or bees.
Buy Nemasys Fruit and Veg Protection:


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Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Design/Art "favors"?
I'm becoming reasonably (and I say that hesitantly) capable of telling people I'm too busy with life and other projects to just "do a favor", or that I do in fact get PAID to do that kind of work, but it seems to be harder when it's a closer friend, or extended family member.
How do you all deal with family and friends who just" need your help" in coming up with some imagery (logo, website, invite, etc) for a project--especially when there's no mention of any payment?
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That is a tough call Oliver... I suppose it depends on the time commitment involved and the relationship you have with the relative/friend and the ease/difficulty of working with them (we call it the PITA factor):)ReplyDelete
My experience has been that my really close friends and family always, and I do mean always, offer to pay me. I will gladly do small design/cartoon jobs for the people I truly care about without charging. To a person, they have always given me a gift to say thanks.ReplyDelete
It's the fringe people I've had problems with. You know, someone you barely know. That friend of a friend you played a round of golf with in 2003. They are shocked to find that you would charge them to do this "small favor".
I'm waiting with you to hear the responses, Oliver. This has been a banner year for pro-bono work for me. I genuinely love my family and friends, so I continue to do stuff but yes, it gets difficult. Fortunately there's often some quid-pro-quo involved (babysitting, free haircuts, etc.)ReplyDelete
At the moment, I'm just glad I'm not a CPA.
Not to scare you or anything, but if you think you are inundated now, wait till your kids get to school. Bwahahahahahaha!
Another thing: If the family member you're trying to say "no" to is your Mom, take this as my best advice:ReplyDelete
Just do the invitation.
I think Daryll summed it up perfectly...Chuck the check's in the mail - guilty. I owe you a lunch at least...ReplyDelete
John, that didn't even enter my mind!ReplyDelete
Charitable organizations is another topic for another post.
Chuck brings up a good point. Once your kid's school finds out what you do for a living, look out!!! Here come the t-shirt designs, posters,etc.ReplyDelete
Now, I don't have kids, but let me relay a school freebie story from my youth.
I was known the artist at my Catholic grade school. The Youngstown Diocese had a half hour tv show that rotated hosts among it's schools every week. It was my school's turn and they needed cartoons for the presentation.
For some strange reason, they assumed that since I could draw so could one of my parents. Three of the nuns from my school came to our house and before they left, my dad had the assignment to create 6-10 cartoons for their show.
My dad could draw, but was not a professional. I remember him coming home from a shift at the steel mill and drawing and drawing and drawing trying to nail down these images.This went on for weeks! I might add that my dad was blinded in one eye fighting in WW2. Try drawing or painting with no depth perception.
They actually came out really good and when I brought the finishes to class my teacher was pleased and told me to tell my dad, thank you. That was it. When the show ran, no mention was made of who did all the artwork.
I'm sure my dad didn't expect to be paid. But it would have been nice to be recognized in a more personal way.
Among all the arts, illustration/visual arts are the most misunderstood. What we do and how we do it is a mystery to most.And undervalued...
Great story, Daryll —thanks! (thank your Dad for me too!)ReplyDelete
The problem I bring upon myself is that everyone who knows me has seen me whip out a random sketch in seconds. Most of us are good at lightning-fast drawings of nothing-in-particular. When someone asks you to do something to fit a specific need, the rules change appreciably:
What does a crusader really look like? What does he look like when he's holding a lacrosse stick? Is his expression too mean for an elementary school? Will this show up on a black shirt? The school's colors are maroon and gold, what PMS colors are those? Who in the school's hierarchy knows?
A simple computer compatibility issue can cost you hours. Ever design something and hand it off to someone who can't get it to work in Microsoft Word? Arrgh!
It's hard to educate your beneficiaries without griping (behaving charitably is the harder part of doing charity-work), but there are ways of bringing them into "the know".
Sometimes I'll ask a beneficiary to accompany me to the printer to check something, even though it's not entirely necessary. They get a new experience, and they also learn something about the hidden costs of doing free business.
Excellent point Chuck! It goes back to the ignorance thing about what we do. The general public is clueless about what it takes to get a drawing from sketch to finish to printing. Most peoples experience with the visual arts ends with crayons and coloring books.ReplyDelete
Also great point about folks seeing you whip out something in 30 seconds that they couldn't come close to if they were given a week. This adds to the confusion about out talent.
A big freaking mystery.
The first thing I tell the person is how long it will take - it's usually a shock to them! And, if I've decided to do it, how many things are already on my plate, which will add to the time.ReplyDelete
Tattoo designing requests come to me, somehow. In one case, I asked for a pittance; the person never got back to me.
In another tattoo, the elements were so, so tasteless that I couldn't do it. And the person had no concern about who would be doing the work, or that the idea was impossibly busy. I knew that it didn't matter what I did: it would be ruined.
So I created a Photoshop collage of the awful elements and balanced them as much as humanly possible...never so much as a "thank you"...


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Eyeing glory, Indian Hockey Teams arrive in Rio for 2016 Olympic Games
Eager and determined to put up a top-notch performance at the 2016 Olympic Games, the Indian men and women's hockey teams arrived in Rio earlier this morning (local time).
While the men's team traveled from Madrid after playing two friendly matches against the Spanish national squad, the Indian women's team arrived from Philadelphia where they won two matches against Canada and one match against USA national teams. This will be the first women's hockey team from India in 36 years to play at the Olympics.
The excitement and anxiousness was palpable among the women led by promising young Captain Sushila Chanu. The Hockey India women's team features in Pool B and will play against Argentina, Australia, Great Britain, USA and Japan. "After a series of losses in England and Australia in the lead up to the Olympic Games, the wins in the USA has helped us in gaining the confidence we needed ahead of the Rio Olympics," said Chanu.
"This is our first Olympic Games and we are aware that our performance here will help the future generation of women to take up the sport and excel. We are looking forward to putting up a good show and our aim is to make the quarterfinals first," a confident Chanu added further.
Also read: PR Sreejesh: "We will have 11 captains on the field"
Meanwhile, the men's team riding high on their recent exploits in the FIH Champions Trophy in London, where the PR Sreejesh-led squad won a historic Silver medal, is vying to get the better of some of the top teams in their pool.
On arrival, Captain and goalkeeper of the Indian Hockey Team, PR Sreejesh said, "Our first priority is to beat some of the top teams in our pool including Germany, Argentina and Netherlands. Though we have beaten each of these teams in the past or have come close to beating Germany in the Champions Trophy recently, the Olympic Games is a different ball game and we need to put up something extraordinary and special to excel against them."
The captain further stated that every match will be crucial and their first goal is to make the quarterfinals. "Obviously, we are here to win a medal. But to do that, we need to take it match-by-match. We will not take any match lightly, be it Ireland (the first team we play), Canada or the defending Olympic Champions Germany. We will play each match like it is our last," stated the goalkeeper.
Also read: "I want to beat Australia", says an emotional SV Sunil ahead of Rio Olympics
The Indian men's team will play Netherlands, Argentina, Germany, Ireland and Canada in their pool 'B' matches and will need to be in the top four in the pool to make it to the quarterfinals.
Chief Coach Roelant Oltmans expressed the team's eagerness to compete in the greatest tournament on the planet. "This is the first Olympics for most of the boys in the team and naturally, they have butterflies in their stomach but this bunch knows how to handle pressure in big-ticket matches. This moment that we have been working on for so many months and years is finally here and I am confident that this team has it in them to create history. This is the time for them to peak and I am sure they are ready for it," he concluded.
The men's team will take on Ireland on August 6, 2016 at 19:30 IST in their first match while the women begin their campaign against Japan on August 7, 2016 at 19:30 IST. All matches will be broadcasted Live on Star Sports, Star Sports HD and DD National.


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The relief pitcher game is a varied and tough world. From overpowering closers, to strategically placed match up artists, to the jacks of all trades that get the tough outs whenever they come up, there are all sorts of impacts that are requested out of the modern day bullpen.
With all of those elements considered, 2014 was a year where it seemed that the redefinition of a true impact arm out of the pen took a further step in a new direction. Gone are the days when a big save total and a flashy one-inning arm alone makes for the cream of the relief crop. Now the seventh and eighth innings are arguably just as important and are also manned by some of the most dominant relievers in the game as well. In order to make an elite bullpen today, it takes at the minimum of what could be considered two closer caliber arms. The old adage of an elite reliever making it an "eight inning game" is getting earlier and earlier.
And with that, here are the best in the world at bringing a game to screeching halt today—regardless of when the cease fire may be needed.
1. Craig Kimbrel, Braves (#1 in 2014): He is the easy answer to a comprehensive question. No closer has been more efficiently dominant than Kimbrel has been since he debuted four years ago. In 2014 he kept to his usual ways, which included taking at least a share of the National League saves lead for the fourth straight year with 47, and posting a sub-2.00 ERA while holding batters to an average against beneath .200 (1.61 and .142, respectively) yet again.
2-year average: 1.40 ERA, 0.894 WHIP, 48 Saves, 57 Games Finished, 13.5 K's per nine, .142 avg. against
2. Greg Holland, Royals (#5 in '14): The final nail among KC's deadly bullpen toolbox is Holland, who affirmed the fact that he is among the game's most dominant mound presences a year ago. He nearly replicated his outstanding 2013 performance, finishing in the top 3 in the American League in saves and games finished, while limiting opponents to a .170 average against him.
2-year average: 1.32 ERA, 0.889 WHIP, 46 saves, 60 games finished, 13.4 K's per nine, .170 avg. against
3. Aroldis Chapman, Reds (#2 in '14): The game's most overpowering presence issued over 400 pitches that were at least 100 miles per hour a year ago. He rode this regular abuse of power to a stunning 106 strikeouts in just 54 innings, a rate that would play out to 17.7 per nine innings. Over the course, he set a MLB-record for consecutive appearance with a K, at 49 and struck out 52% of his total batters faced.
2-year average: 2.29 ERA, 0.943 WHIP, 37 saves, 50 games finished, 16.7 K's per nine, .121 avg. against
4. Wade Davis, Royals (Not Ranked): Dominance was not in short supply out of the Royals pen a year ago. Davis was the second stage of hell in the Royals pen, between Kelvin Herrera and Holland, and was arguably the toughest part of the equation. He allowed just eight earned runs over 72 innings in 2014, while striking out 109 and allowing only 64 base runners.
2-year (in relief) average: 0.98 ERA, 0.829 WHIP, 3 saves, 13 games finished, 9 K's per nine, .151 avg. against
5. Dellin Betances, Yankees (Not Ranked): During his rookie year, he simmered behind closer David Robertson despite being the clear best arm in the Yankee pen, but now the slow burn is nearly done. Betances is still not the sole owner of the Yank's ninth inning duties –the newly signed Andrew Miller is in the mix as well – but his 2014 effort (135 strikeouts in 90 innings, a 1.40 ERA) proved that he has the type of stuff that makes an easy translation into the role with Joe Girardi is ready.
2-year average: 1.89 ERA, 0.853 WHIP, 1 save, 6 games finished, 13.7 K's per nine, .149 avg. against
6. Kenley Jansen, Dodgers (#6 in '14): He got off to a slow start with the rest of the Dodgers' pen, but he turned back into the standard shutdown machine he is beginning to regularly be in the second half. Jansen ran up 101 strikeouts against only 19 walks on the year, in route to a career-best 44 saves and solidifying himself as one of the preeminent power arms in the game.
2-year average: 2.28 ERA, 0.976 WHIP, 36 saves, 51 games finished, 13.4 K's per nine, .224 avg. against
7. Sean Doolittle, Athletics (Not Ranked): It is tough to beat what you simply cannot reach base against, and regardless of whether he was a situational arm, setup man or closer –all roles he worked in last year— Doolittle was epically stingy. He held batters to a .169 average against him, while walking only eight batters over 62 innings and striking out 89. He followed a 30 game run without issuing a walk by seamlessly sliding into the closer role, converting 22-of-26 situations.
2-year average: 2.94 ERA, 0.851 WHIP, 12 saves, 26 games finished, 10.2 K's per nine, .169 avg. against
8. Koji Uehara, Red Sox (#3 in '14): He was bound to come back to Earth some after his once-in-a-lifetime 2013, but Uehara was still his usual very efficient self a year later. He used his pinpoint control and confounding change-up to convert 26 saves and keep a 10-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio (80-to-8). Uehara reaffirmed the fact that he is one of the most efficient final inning options in the game, albeit in a far more finesse way than any of his contemporaries.
2-year average: 1.75 ERA, 0.728 WHIP, 24 saves, 45 games finished, 11.7 K's per nine, .216 avg. against
9. Mark Melancon, Pirates (Not Ranked): He was one of the NL's best setup men before becoming one of its best closers, all in the same year. Melancon notched 14 holds before taking over for an injured Jason Grilli in the ninth, when he then ran up 33 saves as well. Armed with a hard turning slider, impressive control and an ability to take the ball as often as asked, he is one of the most versatile relievers in the game.
2-year average: 1.65 ERA, 0.915 WHIP, 24 saves, 36 games finished, 8.9 K's per nine, .195 avg. against
10. Huston Street, Angels (Not Ranked): He put forth his usual uber-proficient effort between San Diego and Anaheim, posting a sub-2.00 ERA in over 25 innings in both leagues. His overall 1.37 ERA was a personal low and the second time in three years he posted an ERA figure sub 1.90, and he converted a career-high 41 saves overall in the process.
2-year average: 2.02 ERA, 0.983 WHIP, 37 saves, 52 games finished, 8.0 K's per nine, .196 avg. against
Runners Up: Jonathan Papelbon, Jake McGee, Zack Britton, Drew Storen


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October 29 2010
Lync Server 2010 released!
The next version of Office Communications Server and Communicator, Lync Server 2010 has been now been released to manufacturer. This should start to appear on the Volume Licensing website in the next few days. More info here –> http://blogs.technet.com/b/uc/archive/2010/10/27/microsoft-lync-released-to-manufacturing.aspx
I use a maximum of one Google Ad per post to help offset some of my blog hosting costs.


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Khalida Ismail, BM BCh, PhD; Stephen M. Thomas, MB BS; Esther Maissi, MSc; Trudie Chalder, PhD; Ulrike Schmidt, MD, PhD; Jonathan Bartlett, MSc; Anita Patel, PhD; Christopher M. Dickens, MB BS, PhD; Francis Creed, MB, BChir, MD; Janet Treasure, MB BS, PhD
Acknowledgment: The authors thank the participants for their time and commitment in participating in the study; the diabetes physicians who gave permission and enduring support, together with their clinic and laboratory staff, and assisted in the recruitment and follow-up of participants (Professor Stephanie Amiel [King's College Hospital], Dr. Jake Powrie [Guy's Hospital], Mrs. Judy Adcock [Lewisham Hospital], Dr. Richard Savine [Mayday Hospital], Dr. Robert Davies [Manchester Royal Infirmary], Professor Phil Wiles [North Manchester General Hospital], and Dr. Ngai Kong [Stepping Hill Hospital]); the general practitioners who assisted with data collection; Dr. Kirsty Winkley; Ms. Judy Jackson (research psychologist) who did the recruitment, follow-up, and data collection in the Manchester sites; the Trial Steering Committee members (Professor Glyn Lewis, Dr. Dennis Barnes, and Dr. Bianca de Stavola) and the Data Ethics and Monitoring Committee (Professor Graham Dunn, Professor Robert Peveler, and Dr. Peter Watkins) for their intellectual guidance; Ms. Suzanne Roche (cognitive behavior therapy therapist, Maudsley Hospital) for contributing to the cognitive behavior therapy training and manual development; the nurse therapists who delivered the treatments; the Clinical Trials Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, for the randomization and allocation concealment; and Dr. Keith Wiener (North Manchester General Hospital) for his guidance about hemoglobin A1c level measurements. Finally, the authors acknowledge the contribution of Mr. Phil Dickinson (dietician, Manchester Royal Infirmary), who died recently. Mr. Dickinson managed the diabetes database and contributed enthusiastically to this project and will be greatly missed by his colleagues.
Grant Support: By the United Kingdom Department of Health's Health Technology Assessment Programme (project no. 01/17/05).
Potential Financial Conflicts of Interest: None disclosed.
Reproducible Research Statement:Study protocol and data set: Available to approved individuals through written agreements with the author and subject to appropriate ethics committee review by contacting Dr. Ismail (e-mail, firstname.lastname@example.com). Statistical code: Available from Mr. Bartlett (e-mail, email@example.com).
Requests for Single Reprints: Khalida Ismail, BM BCh, PhD, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, Weston Education Centre, 10 Cutcombe Road, London SE5 9RJ, United Kingdom; e-mail: email@example.com.
Current Author Addresses: Drs. Ismail, Chalder, Schmidt, and Treasure and Ms. Maissi: Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, 10 Cutcombe Road, London SE5 9RJ, United Kingdom.
Mr. Thomas: Diabetes Centre, Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7EH, United Kingdom.
Mr. Bartlett: Medical Statistics Unit, Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene ##amp## Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom.
Dr. Patel: Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 9AZ, United Kingdom.
Drs. Dickens and Creed: Department of Psychiatry, University of Manchester, Rawnsley Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, United Kingdom.
Author Contributions: Conception and design: K. Ismail, S.M. Thomas, T. Chalder, U. Schmidt, A. Patel, C.M. Dickens, J. Treasure.
Analysis and interpretation of the data: K. Ismail, S.M. Thomas, T. Chalder, U. Schmidt, J. Bartlett, A. Patel, C.M. Dickens, J. Treasure.
Drafting of the article: K. Ismail, J. Bartlett, C.M. Dickens.
Critical revision of the article for important intellectual content: K. Ismail, S.M. Thomas, T. Chalder, U. Schmidt, J. Bartlett, A. Patel, C.M. Dickens, F. Creed, J. Treasure.
Final approval of the article: K. Ismail, S.M. Thomas, T. Chalder, U. Schmidt, A. Patel, C.M. Dickens, F. Creed, J. Treasure.
Provision of study materials or patients: S.M. Thomas, C.M. Dickens, F. Creed.
Statistical expertise: J. Bartlett.
Obtaining of funding: K. Ismail, F. Creed.
Administrative, technical, or logistic support: E. Maissi, F. Creed.
Collection and assembly of data: K. Ismail, E. Maissi, C.M. Dickens.
Although psychological issues can interfere with diabetes care, the effectiveness of psychological treatments in improving diabetes outcomes is uncertain.
To determine whether motivational enhancement therapy with or without cognitive behavior therapy improves glycemic control in type 1 diabetes compared with usual care.
Randomized, controlled trial.
8 diabetes centers in London and Manchester, United Kingdom.
344 adults with type 1 diabetes for longer than 2 years, with hemoglobin A1c levels of 8.2% to 15%, and without complications or severe comorbid disease.
Nurse-delivered motivational enhancement therapy (4 sessions over 2 months), motivational enhancement therapy plus cognitive behavior therapy (12 sessions over 6 months), or usual care.
12-month change in hemoglobin A1c levels (primary outcome), hypoglycemic events, depression, quality of life, fear of hypoglycemia, diabetes self-care activities, and body mass index (secondary outcomes).
In an analysis including all randomly assigned patients, the 12-month change in hemoglobin A1c levels compared with usual care was 0.46% (95% CI, 0.81% to 0.11%) in the motivational enhancement therapy plus cognitive behavior therapy group and 0.19% (CI, 0.53% to 0.16%) in the motivational enhancement therapy group alone. There was no evidence of treatment effects on secondary outcomes.
Of 1659 screened patients, only 507 were eligible and 344 participated. Data on the primary outcome were unavailable for 11.3% of the participants. Study design did not permit distinction of the additive effect of cognitive behavior therapy plus motivational enhancement therapy from the effect of greater intensity and duration of the combined intervention compared with the motivational enhancement therapy alone.
Nurse-delivered motivational enhancement therapy and cognitive behavior therapy is feasible for adults with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes. Combined therapy results in modest 12-month improvement in hemoglobin A1c levels compared with usual care, but motivational enhancement therapy alone does not.
Ismail K, Thomas SM, Maissi E, et al. Motivational Enhancement Therapy with and without Cognitive Behavior Therapy to Treat Type 1 Diabetes: A Randomized Trial. Ann Intern Med. 2008;149:708–719. doi: https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-149-10-200811180-00005
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Published: Ann Intern Med. 2008;149(10):708-719.
Cardiology, Coronary Risk Factors, Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolism.
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For thousands of years, honey has been touted for its medicinal purposes and used to cleanse and soften skin. Its antiseptic and moisturizing qualities make honey a natural facial treatment. Honey is safe to use on all skin types; however, in the rare case that it irritates the skin, this may be due to an allergy and it should not be used. Raw honey should be used for facial treatments because pasteurization and heating disrupts many of its healing properties.
Cleanse and Treat Acne
Raw honey contains anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties that can help heal even more serious skin wounds. According to Dr. Robert Frykberg, Chief of Podiatry at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Phoenix, wound care products made with honey have successfully treated diabetic ulcers on the skin.
Honey reacts mildly with water to form small amounts of hydrogen peroxide, which is a mild antiseptic. This helps repair damaged skin faster and destroys acne-causing bacteria on the skin. To cleanse with honey, wet the face and massage a small amount of honey onto the skin, focusing on oily and problem areas. Wait a few minutes before rinsing with warm water.
Exfoliate and Renew
Exfoliate and renew the skin with a just a teaspoon of honey. Honey contains small amounts of natural gluconic acid and other alpha-hydroxy acids. These mild acids help to remove dead skin cells and stimulate circulation for a more radiant and glowing complexion. They also decrease oily skin, tone the pores and reduce wrinkles and blemishes. Simply massage honey into skin, let it sit for a few minutes and wash off with warm water. For acne-prone skin, mix a teaspoon of honey with half a teaspoon of cinnamon and use as a face cleanser and scrub. The cinnamon adds anti-bacterial power to this natural facial treatment.
Moisturizing Treatment
The natural sugars in honey make it a humectant, which means it attracts and retains water. Honey also contains amino acids that moisturize the skin. Use a honey mask to balance dry skin or oily skin and maintain skin's natural moisture. Apply one to two teaspoons to the face and neck and wash off with warm water after 15 to 30 minutes for an easy facial treatment. Honey can also treat eczema and itchy or inflamed skin patches.
Antioxidant Treatment
Raw honey contains numerous antioxidants that can reverse damage caused by free radicals, toxins, aging, pollution and sun exposure. Raw honey also contains pollen and propolis, the glue bees use to make honeycombs. Both the propolis and pollen contain large amounts of antioxidants, enzymes and vitamins. These nutrients help to reduce lines, wrinkles, sunspots and blemishes by promoting new tissue growth. Using raw honey as a cleanser, exfoliator or facial mask will give skin a stimulating antioxidant treatment.
- Alliance/iStock/Getty Images


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Create an Account - Increase your productivity, customize your experience, and engage in information you care about.
Join us at Brentwood Park for the largest Foam Party that Brentwood has ever seen! Music, dancing, and plenty more!
Saturday, July 20Brentwood Park5:30 - 9:00pmFREE EVENT
*This fire fighter training foam is environmentally safe. The foam can be an irritant to those wearing contacts so please removed those before participating. Goggles are recommended.
Call 314.963.8689 for more information.


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18 months to 3 yrs – Parent-Tot:
Monday, Wednesday, Saturday at 10:00-10:45am
This class is designed to introduce your child to the fun filled world of gymnastics! They will go through obstacle courses on every event – that the "big" kids get to do – in a fun, safe and positive environment! They will learn the age appropriate basics of gymnastics—monkey jump s (cartwheels), donkey kicks (handstands), etc. This is fun for all participants including mom or dad, but please wear your sweats as you will get a work out too!
3/4 years and 5/6 years – Preschool:
3-4 year olds:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday at 10:00-10:45am, 11:00-11:45am, or 5:30-6:15pm
Saturday at 9:00-9:45am and 10:00-10:45am
5-6 year olds:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 10:00-11:0am or 11:00-12:00pm
The preschool classes introduce your preschooler the basics of gymnastics in an age appropriate way. We make it so fun to learn that they have no idea they are exercising! As they learn, the smaller gymnastics skills starts turning into "real" gymnastics before your eyes! Every class is designed for all levels of learning – quick or slow, strong or a bit challenged, every child will feel they can succeed!
Preschool Rhythmic Gymnastics
3-4 year olds:
Tuesdays at 10:00am – 10:45am
5-6 year olds:
Tuesdays at 11:00am – 12:00noon
Rhythmic gymnastics is a mix between artistic gymnastics and dance. Rhythmic is based off of ballet technique, while incorporating pre-acrobatic skills , contortion, and rhythmic equipment. Rhythmic equipment includes jump rope, ball, hoop, clubs, and ribbon. Rhythmics became an Olympic sport in 1982.
In this class, they will learn:
- Basic dance technique and steps
- To connect dance steps to music
- Basic handling skills with the ball, hoop, rope, and ribbon.
- Develop hand eye coordination while playing with balloons, scarves, and feathers.
- Basic pre-acrobatic tumbling skills (rolls, cartwheels, back bends, chin stands)
- Safe ways to stretch and strengthen their muscles


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OpenMandriva Lx 3.0 Beta2 released
Written by rugyada Monday, 27 June 2016 18:31
OpenMandriva Lx 3.0 Beta2 is here!
The announcement at OpenMandriva Blog:
It was worth waiting for it, we promise! OpenMandriva Lx 3.0 Beta2 is now ready!
Here, check out why:
This second beta has concentrated on improved stability and performance and now, for the first time, has accommodation for the Chinese and Japanese languages using fcitx to support their input methods.
OpenMandriva is a cutting edge distribution compiled with LLVM/clang. Combined with the high level of optimisation used for both code and linking (by enabling LTO) used in its building, this gives the OpenMandriva desktop an unbelievably crisp response to operations on the KDE Plasma5 desktop which makes it a pleasure to use.
The latest release of all the KDE apps is there to support the desktop and help give you a consistent feel.
Read more at OpenMandriva Blog
For more information please read OMLx 3.0 release notes.
Torrents: 64bit
Join the fun!
Chwido says "woof, woof"
OpenMandriva Lx 3 Beta1 released
Written by rugyada Wednesday, 06 April 2016 23:02
Finally OpenMandriva Lx 3 Beta1 is out!
The announcement at OpenMandriva Blog:
This BETA1 release is the culmination of over a years effort and offers features that set it at the leading edge of software technology.
The use of the Clang/llvm compiler to generate the majority of the code combined with Link Time Optimisation (LTO) has created and operating system that is fast stable and efficient.
KDE Plasma 5 now runs under the Wayland graphical server which offers smooth and fast graphical rendering. This configuration is experimental.
The lightweight LXQt desktop is available when fewer resources are available. For those who wish to use a gtk based desktop xfce4 may also be installed.
Read more at OpenMandriva Blog
For more information please follow OMLx 3 release notes.
64bit: Torrents link coming soon
Join the fun!
Chwido says "woof, woof"
OpenMandriva Games
Written by rugyada Sunday, 20 September 2015 19:39
Gaming - new arrivals! (more to come :)
For a while we were working on a surprise for you, and here it comes:
OpenMandriva launches gaming page!!
Your favorite games on OpenMandriva? Now - quick and easy to setup and execute.
Our talented and very much playing ;) members created a portal to help you to install and execute most popular Windows Games and Games Platforms - now - in your OpenMandriva Lx!
We used all community forces (Wine, PlayOnLinux and our knowledge) to provide best and easy way to install all of them. We started from most popular games and platforms.
Forget dark commands with a lot of parameters and codes and configurations, you will install simply and quick, using basic linux commands, but most of the time you will need just your mouse.
Already there:
Dota 2, League of Legends, Minecraft, Minetest, Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Heroes of Newerth, Hearthstone, Alien Swarm and Gear UP.
english version:
pt-br version:
Platforms already included:
PlayOnLinux and Steam.
Next games how-to to be released:
World of Warcraft, Heroes of the Storm, Sword Coast Legends and CS:GO.
Read more at: OpenMandriva Blog
OpenMandriva Lx 2014.2 The Scion released
Written by rugyada Thursday, 02 July 2015 10:22
OpenMandriva tribute to Mandrake, The Scion, has been released!
Here is our tribute to our founder and the community he and others created.
"The Scion" is a release dedicated to Mandrake, our ancestor, not lost but living on here:
Gaël Duval recently stated:
"I read a lot of sad comments on Twitter about it (the loss of Mandriva) and realized that few of those guys seemed to be aware that actually Mandriva, the company, wasn't doing a Linux distribution anymore for several years. The Mandriva Linux distribution, which earlier forked as PCLinuxOS, Mageia and others, is now OpenMandriva".
(Gaël Duval is the founder of Mandrake ultimately to become Mandriva)
Just as any offering in the Mandrake spirit should be – it's even more stable and it has loads of new fun stuff!
OpenMandriva Scion (2014.2) is a major update release of OpenMandriva Lx 2014.1.
Read more at: OpenMandriva Blog
Tribute to Mandrake
Written by rugyada Wednesday, 27 May 2015 09:58
OpenMandriva tribute to Mandriva/Mandrake, and announcing new upcoming 2014.2 update release.
Hi there
Good news everyone, a new version of OpenMandriva is ready to see the world in a few days, 2014.2 will soon be making its way to you. Listen out for details, features - and torrents!
OpenMandriva's history is well known. It was born at the tail of 2012 with the help of the community and Mandriva SA to continue the work on the distribution after Mandriva SA could not continue that.
We thank Mandriva SA for their support at the start and wish the remaining Mandriva employees well for the future.
The OpenMandriva Association was created to unite the distribution formally known as Mandriva (aka Mandrake); to bring it back to its roots through listening to peoples needs and getting closer to its users and developers. Since then we have been independent (though we always welcome cooperative effort). We are glad to say that we continue to do this and will be bringing you a new release of OpenMandriva Lx 3 (2015) in the near future that will include new features and an update of many of the core components.
Mandrake was the first distribution to make a free operating system available which could be installed and configured by anyone who could use a keyboard and a mouse. When many of us first came to the "linux" world, there were two types of distro, the ones that gave you headaches as soon as you put the CD in the slot, and then there was Mandrake. The vision of its founder Gael Duval created an operating system which undoubtedly allowed many, many people access to modern technology and in doing so added greatly to the strength of the free software community.
We do and will do our very best to continue to hold and carry their crown - for you.
Always here for you
Source: https://blog.openmandriva.org/2015/05/tribute-to-mandrake/
OpenMandriva Lx 3 Alpha released
Written by rugyada Friday, 24 April 2015 12:42
Finally OpenMandriva Lx 3 Alpha is out!
Mixing the Ingredients Together - Announcing OpenMandriva Lx 3 Alpha
The announcement at OpenMandriva Blog:
The OpenMandriva Community has been working hard, and after a long period of development and fixes, we're happy to announce the alpha release of OpenMandriva Lx 3 (Einsteinium)!
We need your help to test all the little quirks which happen with different hardware! Please download and test the release, and report any bugs you see to our development team so that we can get started on fixing them. Together, we can make OpenMandriva Lx a great project.
Read more at OpenMandriva Blog
For more information please follow OMLx 3 release notes.
64bit: http://downloads.openmandriva.org/torrents/OpenMandrivaLx.2015.0-alpha
32bit: http://downloads.openmandriva.org/torrents/OpenMandrivaLx.2015.0-alpha
More screenshots at
You can also find OpenMandriva Lx 3 video at
Join the fun!
Chwido says "woof, woof"
OpenMandriva Fundraising Campaign
Written by rugyada Saturday, 10 January 2015 07:43
OpenMandriva crowdfunding campaign.
I am glad to inform you that OpenMandriva crowdfunding campaign is now live at the following address: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/free-easy-and-secure-advanced-software-for-all
Free, easy and secure, advanced software for all!
For over two years we've created and supported a modern, free and easy to use OS without backdoors.
OpenMandriva is a non-profit association, a fully independent organization that manages, governs and develops its own Linux Distribution, it's roots are in the Mandrake-Mandriva community. We have been developing this operating system for two years. Our contributors are all volunteers, who believe and invest in the world of free software which aims to produce software which is free of any backdoors (spyware). Our legal headquarters is in France, but our contributors and members come from 30 countries from all around the world.
We believe that operating system should be free for the user, adaptable to their needs, technically advanced but at the same time easy to use. We have already developed and supported the system, it is a real functional thing that you can install and use yourself right now, feel free to download OpenMandriva Lx 2014.1 from http://openmandriva.org/
If it is here, why are we running a campaign? Our next release is scheduled for May 2015 and we need your help to support and further improve this high quality product.
Read more at indiegogo.com page and at OpenMandriva Blog.
Bye, ruru
Join the fun!
Chwido says "Please donate! woof, woof"
OpenMandriva Lx 2014.1 released
Written by rugyada Wednesday, 01 October 2014 14:55
OpenMandriva Lx 2014.1 is a bugfix release for 2014.0.
If you thought it couldn't get better, here is OpenMandriva Lx 2014.1
The announcement at OpenMandriva Blog:
OpenMandriva is proud to announce the release of OpenMandriva Lx 2014.1, that aims fixing lots of bugs and improving the overall performance of the distro. We would like to thank everybody that help us made this possible, testers, bug submitters, developers and all the community.
Read more at OpenMandriva Blog
For more information please follow 2014.1 release notes.
Join the fun!
Chwido says "woof, woof"
OpenMandriva Lx 2013.0 End of Life
Written by rugyada Saturday, 02 August 2014 09:44
OpenMandriva Lx 2013 End of Life
From official Blog:
Support and updates for the OpenMandriva-2013.0 release will cease on the release of the OpenMandriva-2014.1 update which will occur early August. The release of these new isos will, we hope be an ideal opportunity for you to update or re-install your existing versions.
Read more at OpenMandriva Blog
VirtualBox 4.3.12
Written by grissino Saturday, 17 May 2014 18:05
VirtualBox 4.3.12 per 'Rosa2012lts, Rosa2012.1 ed OMV2013.0.
Virtualizzatore per realizzare ed usare le VM (Virtual Machines) con svariati sistemi operativi.
Manuale utente build-in.
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Blog tour posts may contain affiliate links.
The Crochet Express National Crochet Month Blog Tour
Welcome to Crochetville's fourth annual National Crochet Month (NatCroMo) blog tour, taking place each day of March 2016. Join us as we take a virtual tour on our passenger steam train, The Crochet Express, visiting crochet designers, crochet-friendly local yarn stores, and yarn companies, and offer some fun giveaways.
Today's Posts: Julie Yeager | Anastacia Zittel | Jackie Fenwick | Serendipity Needleworks | Deborah Norville, Knit and Crochet Now! | Daily Giveaway
Want to Chat about the Tour?
Part of the fun of taking a passenger steam train trip is talking with your fellow passengers. This year, we're providing two locations where our passengers can get to know each other. We'd love to hear about your favorite things you've discovered on the tour and see photos of your current crochet projects. You're invited to join us daily for virtual cocktails/appetizers and dinner. (We'll be sharing links to some fabulous recipes!)
March 14 Daily Giveaway
Special thanks to Knitkabob for sponsoring the March 14 Daily Giveaway on The Crochet Express. Knitkabob has generously donated a Knitter's Pride set of Dreamz Symfonie Wood crochet hooks.
Approximate retail value : $50
We regret that due to the cost of international shipping with tracking options, this prize can only be shipped to a US address.
Scroll down to the bottom of the post to see the Entry Form and Terms and Conditions.
About Knitkabob:
Knitkabob is a crochet-friendly yarn store located in Union, Oregon. Knitkabob will be the featured LYS in The Crochet Express blog tour on March 18. Please come back on that date to read our post about the store.
Find Knitkabob Online:
Website: knitkabob.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Knitkabob/125972087477794
Enter the Giveaway:
Additional Blog Tour Information:
Links to All the Info


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This week I had the opportunity to participate in two sessions delivered by Bill Brewer of DesignedLearning that were related to Peter Block's book Community: The Structure of Belonging.
Here is a brief video which summarizes the six conversations. Despite what is says, it only runs a little over two minutes, but like anything from Peter Block, you need to watch it a few times to begin to understand the impact.
In addition, here are a few of my notes from the sessions if you are interested.
- To create a future which is different from our past we must shift our thinking 180 degrees about cause and effect. For example, the audience is responsible for the performance, not the players on stage.
- The etymology of the word "accountability" come from when Roman Senators needed to stand up and be counted during votes.
- When Peter Block says that questions should create anxiety, he is referring to his belief that great questions make us confront the fact that we have a choice.
- A great question for a consultant to ask on a regular basis is, "What doubts do you have about this?"
- We only have doubts about those thing we find to be truly important. In other words, having doubts is an indicator of the importance of the issue we are confronting.
- When providing someone with content (information) it is important to establish a connection before you provide that content, otherwise the content is likely to be rejected or not even heard in the first place.
- In most organizations, control is accomplished by disconnection (sometimes even the threat of disconnection) of the individual from the group. Superiors believe if I can disconnect you, I own you.
- Most policies are in place because someone previously screwed it up.
- Sharing presentation slides ahead of time is a mistake because it states that you are making a prediction about the future and as we all know the future is unpredictable. Henceforth, I will do my best not to share my slides ahead of time.
I would be happy to engage in any conversation you might want to have about this great subject.


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Just in case some of you don't have a Goodreads account, I thought I might give you some information on my rating system since it's similar to the one on Goodreads. I've seen many bloggers do this and I think that it's not a bad idea. It will be easier for all of you to actually acknowledge my opinion on them.
I don't give a rating of 5 very often but when I do, I do it cause the book totally deserves all my recognition and even though I don't mention that I recommend it, it goes without saying that you should go read it. Those are one of the beautiful things that make me happy.
4 means yeah it was really awesome, I could recommend it but not all of them that are rated 4. I usually rate those that have a potential to be awesome but they didn't reach that level. I liked them a lot but not enough to be the top best ones.
3 is like mediocre. Yeah it wasn't bad but I'm not dying over it either. A casual read that didn't suck.
I give 2 when the book is kinda bad but I still liked something about it and it won't let me give it a 1. It's just not that low as the ones I rate 1 but it's not mediocre either. The writing could be awesome but the plot could be bad or the other way.
1 is just garbage that I don't even know how I finished.
Alright this is extremely simple to get and I don't think that I need to say a lot more about it. I just thought some of you might like to know.
Have an awesome day!


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Loe Pesci – Headbangers [Video]
Loe Pesci is back with a brand new video shot in Hamilton, Ontario, for "Headbangers", off his GOOD X 2 album. Beat produced by Moon Boots and video directed by JTrue for In Da Cut. GOOD X 2 on Bandcamp:
KOTD World Domination 3: Loe Pesci vs. Bender // Expensive Heat Mixtape
Battle rap teammates/actual recording artists Loe Pesci and Bender go at it for 3 rounds in this much-needed title match for World Domination 3, the largest international rap battle event going down in Toronto, where the best of the best from the Philippines to Sweden try to show why their battle scene is relevant. Officially, […]


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Developing Meaningful Workplace Rewards
Attract, motivate & retain your workforce by rewarding the right behaviours. Mercer can help with benchmarking, total rewards strategy, and more!
Your People Are Your Greatest Asset – Reward Them
Look at your balance sheet and you won't see any line items that reflect your employees' enthusiasm, engagement, or energy levels. But these intangible factors are key to employee performance. Make them sustainable with the right rewards strategies.
Facts, Data, Insights: Analysing the 'Unquantifiable'
Business results are driven by people. But what are people driven by?
A paycheck, yes — but there's more to it than that. Mercer has more than 70 years of experience understanding what drives employees and translating that knowledge into results. You won't find data like ours anywhere else.
"65 percent of today's grade-school kids may end up doing work that hasn't been invented yet."
The New York Times
How Well Do You Know Your Talent?
Effective rewards strategy design means embracing the needs of a diverse, multigenerational workforce. Gen X-ers, millennials, and baby boomers of all backgrounds are working together. It's a beautiful thing — and something that demands a more nuanced rewards strategy than ever before. After all, "rewards" means something different to different people, at different times in their lives, and in different parts of the world. In the era of choice, how you design and deliver this cornerstone of the employee value proposition is the biggest retention lever you can pull.
As unique as each person's career is, we can make your rewards structure easier and more efficient with solutions like job levelling across your organization and the world, job architectures that help your employees build careers, and dynamic career frameworks that direct all of your rewards decisions.
An even greater challenge lies beyond creating a flexible framework for a diverse workforce: anticipating jobs that have yet to be created. The next generation of workers will be asked to fill many roles that don't even exist today. But how can you plan for what you don't know?
Mercer relies on proven science. Our International Position Evaluation (IPE) methodology underpins the job architecture and methodology we use to evaluate brand new roles. So you can maintain your stride even as the world of work changes before your eyes.
How We Can Help
Our employee rewards professionals can help you:
- Create incentives that drive growth with talent strategy and workforce rewards.
- Get a data-driven read on performance with job analysis and job evaluation.
- Benchmark salaries and level jobs across a wide variety of industries and geographies with base pay and pay structure design.
- Build your employees' careers through job architecture and career frameworks.
- Manage costs through pay for performance or variable compensation plans.
- Design an effective rewards strategy to drive performance.
- Harmonise rewards strategies following a merger or an acquisition.


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It is National Ag Week!
I was so lucky to grow up a farmer's daughter! I am so lucky to be a farmer's sister. I am especially lucky to be a farmer!
There are so many aspects of this proud profession. Here's a few…
To me there is no greater pleasure in life than loving what you do. It makes for some truly blessed days!


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Our transportation choices have an enormous effect on energy use, air quality, health, economic issues, and climate change. We need to increase the number of people who travel by bus, train, bike, and on foot, to increase the availability and efficiency of public transport, and to support the development and use of less-polluting cars.
Current Projects: No current project — suggest one!
Questions or ideas? Contact us!
Cycle tracks will abound in Utopia.
H.G. Wells


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Erynn L. Marshall
Music in the Air Somewhere is a study on conventions that many West Virginians hold dear: fiddle music and folk traditions. It is also a look into the broad influences that folk music has on fiddlers' compositions and their practices. By exploring the oral histories and music of seven celebrated, life-long West Virginian musicians, Erynn Marshall illuminates the diversity of these music traditions and the culmination of fiddle song genres. These vocal and musical pieces have transformed into various forms of the art, and each can be independent of the other. Four song pieces are analyzed and contrasted in seven studies through instrumental and vocal interpretation. Characteristics such as rhythmic elaboration, melodic variation, increased ornamentation, reduced fluctuation in key and tempo, the imitation of vocal "dwells," and the addition of "ending tags" are all analyzed to explain these phenomena in fiddle-song tradition. Through the studies of these musicians' lives, oral transmission, social contexts, and analysis of various genres within the contexts, Marshall expresses how the instrumental and vocal tradition has merged and transformed over time, blurring the present boundaries and perceptions of the art. Included with this intense survey of Appalachian tradition is a CD of Marshall's field and archival recordings of West Virginia musicians Warren Cronin, Rita Emerson, Lela Gerkins, Leland Hall, Phyllis Marks, Lester and Linda McCumbers, Woody and William Simmons, Melvin Wine, and the Sandy Valley Boys.
Coming Soon
"[Erynn Marshall's] book represents a fine contribution to our understanding of West Virginia old-time fiddling."


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For Fun Run donations, did you know that the classes with the most participation and highest donation total will win a pizza party? Let's see who is in the lead.
Who has the highest participation?
1. Mrs. Beauchamp's 4th grade class has the highest participation with 20 out of 23 students turning in Fun Run donations. That's 86.96% of her class!!! ...
2. Ms. Lipe's kindergarten class is second with 73.91% or 17 out of 23 students.
3. Mrs. Roh's second grade class is at 71.43% with 15 out of 21 students.
Who has the highest donation total?
1. Ms. Millichap's 2nd grade class is in 1st place with $1446.00.
2. Ms. Lipe's kindergarten class is in 2nd place with 1191.88.
3. Mrs. Sedaghat's 2nd grade class is in 3rd with $1060.00.
We can do it! We are only $4400 away. Remember all donations are due by Friday!


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This program is not intended to be a substitute for psychotherapy or counseling. You can think of it as a very sophisticated and interactive set of self-help books, plus guided meditations and customized reports.
First you will go through a number of pages to understand the pattern and make sure you have it enough to want to work on it. If so, you will then embark on a 5-stage process to explore this pattern, the childhood origins behind it, and the healthy capacity that transforms it, and to set up a homework practice to activate the capacity in your life instead of the pattern. The system will create a report for each pattern, capacity, and wound that you explore, plus one for each homework practice. People usually take between 3 and 8 hours for this process. So plan to do this over more than one session.
Since this work will take multiple sessions, it is very important to stick with it. When you finish a session, I recommend that you schedule your next session right then and put it into your calendar. Some people like to do one session per week. Others, who want faster results, may do a session every couple days or even every day. The important thing is not to let it slide. Always have your next session scheduled, and if something comes up so you can't do one, then reschedule it right away.
It is important to engage with Self-Therapy Journey in a very different way than is usual with computers. Rather than using it in a fast, intellectual way, you will get much more out of it if you engage with it in a slow, open, contemplative manner, where you pay attention to your emotions.
Even though Self-Therapy Journey in set up in a linear fashion, you don't need to go through it that way. You may not be able to fill in all the information you are asked for the first time you get to a page. You may need to come back to a pattern or wound a number of times in different ways before you fully understand it. Take your time and explore it in the way that works best for you. You can go right through the stages or allow it to be a longer term project. Whatever feels right to you.
Self-Therapy Journey provides a variety of options at various points, and some only apply to certain users. If you don't understand something, it probably doesn't apply to you, so just ignore it and go on.
Self-Therapy Journey provides a lot of possibilities for exploring different patterns, capacities, and wounds. If you explore every one that comes up while you are working through a pattern, you may get overwhelmed. It would be better to either mark them for exploring later or just ignore the ones that aren't crucial for your current pattern. This way you can stay on track.
How to engage with STJFollow
Have more questions? Submit a request


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When I'm not at Murfie HQ, I host a radio show called U-Dub on Wednesday nights on 91.7FM WSUM-Madison. Being a reggae DJ has given me great opportunities that mean a lot to me, and I love every second of it.
This past weekend I had a particularly wonderful experience! Toots & the Maytals came to town for a show, and I was lucky enough to meet Toots Hibbert, a living legend, after the show.
Toots is widely known as the "Grandfather of Reggae." With his 1960s hit song "Do the Reggae," he was actually responsible for giving the genre its name! You may have heard songs like "54-46 That's My Number" and "Pressure Drop," among many others.
Toots was so nice! He gave me a hug right away, and he has the happiest smile you will ever see! I had a little chat with him for my radio show, and if you want you can listen in this Wednesday at 7pm Central time.
In the above photo, that's me and Toots after the show. Fierce, right?!


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The Attorney General's office says it has been looking out for potential fraud since September and noticed some dodgy on-line activity last month.
"We sent them cease and desist letters informing them they were violating the law," says Jill Habig with the Attorney General's office.
Habig says these private insurance broker sites were misleading the public.
"Californians who were interested in purchasing health care plans with the full benefits of the Affordable Care Act, were being lured to these sites," she says. "They were purchasing private insurance plans."
James Scullary with Covered California says there's only one legitimate site: "Coveredca.com is the only place you can apply for financial assistance in getting health care coverage."
The Attorney General's office says websites like coveredcalifornia.com and stateexchanges.org have either been deactivated or redirected to the official site.