text:
Decades ago, it was rare for a woman to start her own business. Today, millions of female entrepreneurs across the country are launching and running successful startups, with more and more women joining their ranks every year.
In 2013, BusinessNewsDaily interviewed and shared insights from dozens of ambitious ladies who have made it in the business world. Here are 10 of them who truly inspired us this year.
Photo: Angie's List/Facebook
Angie Hicks
You may not know Angie Hicks, but you probably know her company: Hicks is the co-founder of popular consumer review site Angie's List. A self-described introvert, Hicks had to step out of her comfort zone when she went door-to-door selling subscriptions to her then-local service. Since the company was launched in 1998, Angie's List has become a national household name, and Hicks knows that her success was only due to her willingness to take a risk and seize the opportunity in front of her.
"Don't miss out on opportunities that come your way," she said. "Put yourself in a position to have those opportunities, know when one is facing you and take it."
Photo: Dell Photos/Flickr
Heather Schuck
Before Heather Schuck founded children's brand Glamajama and online community glamaLife, the mother of three was unhappy with her work-life balance. When she finally took the time to re-evaluate her priorities and start her own company, Schuck was able to find the fulfillment in her family life and her career she'd long been seeking. While juggling motherhood and entrepreneurship is no easy task, the CEO wouldn't have it any other way.
"The greatest joy of being a working mom is having the opportunity to contribute to the family's financial well-being while pursuing your passions — to have not only personal success, but professional success as well," Schuck said.
Kathy Savitt (left) with Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer at a Yahoo event in May 2013. (Photo: Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images)
Kathy Savitt
Before she became the chief marketing officer of Yahoo, Kathy Savitt was very involved in the world of entrepreneurship. Her first company, a marketing communications firm called MWW/Savitt, helped launch more than 100 startups, and in 2009, she went on to found fashion and beauty photo-sharing website Lockerz.com. Savitt was the keynote speaker at Cornell University's second annual Entrepreneurship Summit this year, and provided valuable advice for fellow entrepreneurs based on lessons she's learned in her own journey as a business owner.
"Experience is the enemy of innovation," Savitt said. "If you refuse knowledge, you're limiting your resources."
Photo: Google+
Lara Galloway
Like many "mompreneurs," Lara Galloway decided to start her own business as a way to take control of her career while still being able to be there for her children. As a founding member of online counseling service MommyCoach, Galloway wanted to provide other moms with the support, help and understanding she wished she'd had when she first became a mother. Her journey to entrepreneurship was inspired by motherhood, but it also serves as a supplement to it.
"I needed to start my business to make me feel balanced as a mom," Galloway said. "Work doesn't take away from who I am as a mom; it adds to it."
Photo: StyledOn
Leora Kadisha
Leora Kadisha started fashion social networking site StyledOn back in 2009 as a college senior. What started as a small photo-sharing site for the fashion-obsessed has become a thriving community where bloggers and fashionistas can interact and shop for items by their favorite big-name brands. The site's success has come as a direct result of its founder's unwavering commitment to connect people who love fashion as much as she does.
"StyledOn became my life," Kadisha said. "Four years later, I am still spending every waking minute building this business. If you are not passionate about what you are building, it is the first and most immediate step to failure. Everything else is secondary."
Photo: Nextiva/YouTube
Melinda Emerson
Better known as Twitter's @SmallBizLady, author, speaker and entrepreneur Melinda Emerson inspires more than 245,000 followers every day with tidbits of business advice. In September, Emerson led the first-ever American Express OPEN CEO BootCamp, an event focused on providing female entrepreneurs the support and guidance they need to succeed as businesswomen. Before she introduced an accomplished lineup of guest speakers and panelists, Emerson shared her own words of wisdom.
"Mentorship is everything in business," she told attendees. "Startup entrepreneurs need sounding boards of people who are interested in their success, people who will tell them the truth and give them support."
Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images for JOOR
Mona Bijoor
JOOR, an online wholesale service that connects fashion brands and retailers, was founded by former Chanel and Elie Tahari consultant Mona Bijoor. She's learned a lot in her nearly four years as a CEO, and struggled through times when she and her staff were spread very thin. After a few bad hiring decisions, Bijoor discovered that it was better to hold out for the right candidate than to hire the first applicant just because you need help.
"People encourage you to hire, hire, hire, but we've found that it's best to take our time and go slowly," she said. "At the end of the day, you have to have the best team to execute your business. You need to have the right chemistry of people."
Photo: City Heat Films/Vimeo
Phrantceena Halres
As an African-American female business leader, Phrantceena Halres has risen above a double business underdog status. In 2002, she founded TPS Global Security, a security company focused on critical national assets and infrastructure, and currently serves as the chairwoman and CEO. Over the years, Halres has learned a lot about taking control and becoming a strong female leader in the primarily male security industry. But the most important lesson she's learned is the value of silence.
"Women have been taught that being quiet is a negative thing in terms of empowerment, but using nonverbal language is powerful," Halres said. "It stimulates intelligence on all levels from a place that cannot be captured by the alphabet or numbers. It's not heard, but one can feel its results."
Photo: Fast Company/YouTube
Polina Raygorodskaya
In 2006, two years before she graduated from Babson College's entrepreneurship program, Polina Raygorodskaya founded her first business, a boutique public relations firm called Polina Fashion. Since then, she has founded and run several successful companies, each one inspired by the need to solve a problem that no one else was currently addressing. This is how Raygorodskaya arrived at the decision to start her more recent venture, Wanderu, a travel comparison site that allows users to compare and book the best-priced bus and train tickets for their inter-city trip. In order for Raygorodskaya to successfully launch a unique take on an existing model, she had to be sure that she had a viable market.
"When I started doing research, I realized there are over 750 million people traveling by bus each year in the U.S., more than are flying domestically," she said. "I began speaking with these travelers and found that most of them had the same frustrations that I did, so I set out to make finding and booking bus and train travel easier."
Stephanie David
Corporate social responsibility has become increasingly important to today's conscious consumers, and e-commerce website PopNod makes it easier than ever for shoppers to give to important social causes. Founder and CEO Stephanie David started her company as a way for people to shop for their favorite major brands while earning cash back that can be allocated to charitable organizations of their choosing. David's service doesn't require customers to contribute any extra money or seek out avenues for giving — it simply encourages them to shop responsibly.
"People are generous at heart and really want to give, but many don't think they have the time or money to do so," she said. "PopNod provides a simple way for people to integrate giving into their everyday lives."
Related on BusinessNewsDaily and MNN:


text:
Old Point Completes Purchase of Full Ownership of Old Point Mortgage
HAMPTON, Va., April 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Old Point National Bank is proud to announce that it has completed the purchase of 100% ownership interest in Old Point Mortgage. The Bank, which previously owned 49% of Old Point Mortgage, entered into an agreement to buy the majority interest from Tidewater Mortgage Services, Inc., in January 2017.
Old Point Mortgage will continue to serve its existing footprint, which covers the entire Old Point National Bank and Old Point Trust branches and coastal North Carolina. A Southside Main Office and Peninsula Headquarters have been established to expand our reach in those regions.
Sherry Thacker, longtime Vice President of Old Point Mortgage, has been named Senior Vice President & Managing Director of the organization and will lead their efforts in the Hampton Roads community. Thacker is a Hampton Roads native and has over 25 years of experience in the mortgage industry. "As the market continues to improve, I am excited to lead Old Point Mortgage's efforts to help increase home ownership across our region. Our organization does a remarkable job and we have a lot of opportunity," said Thacker.
Joseph R. Witt, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Business Development Officer at Old Point National Bank said, "Old Point has enjoyed a long and profitable relationship with Tidewater Mortgage with its joint venture in Old Point Mortgage. This effort will expand opportunities for both organizations and we eagerly anticipate our future success."
Old Point National Bank and Tidewater Mortgage began their partnership in 2007 and provide a full range of mortgage solutions to the Hampton Roads area. Old Point Mortgage, according to Witt, "will continue to provide stellar service, local decision making, and loan products focused on our customer needs."
About Old Point National Bank
Old Point National Bank is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Old Point Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: OPOF) with branches throughout Hampton Roads. It is a full service bank offering a wide range of financial services, from solutions focused on individuals and small businesses to comprehensive commercial services. www.OldPoint.com.
For more information, contact Erin Black, Senior Vice President/Director of Marketing, Old Point National Bank at email@example.com or 757.251.2792.
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/old-point-completes-purchase-of-full-ownership-of-old-point-mortgage-300443468.html
SOURCE Old Point National Bank
Old Point Financial NewsMORE
your MARKET VIEW
Your Personalized Market Center

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Welcome to CCAC's library. Here you will find useful links to news articles, IEC materials, project reports, and other documents that give you a better understanding of our work.
These include opinion pieces and news articles written about CCAC and other stories about rice and climate change.
These include information communication materials and research posters highlighting CCAC's work and activities.
These include reports on CCAC activities in Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Colombia.


text:
King Price 5 Day Colour Fest Terms and Conditions
By entering the Competition and/or accepting any prize, all entrants and winners agree to be bound by the terms and conditions below.
How to Play – The King Price 5 Day Colour Fest (The Competition) commences on 01 September 2014 and ends on 05 September 2014 ("Period"). The winners will be personally notified and announced after the draw on 05 September 2014.
To qualify as an entrant in the Competition you must be a citizen or permanent resident of South Africa, currently residing in South Africa and be in possession of a valid South African identity document, and be 18 years old, or older, at the date on which you enter. All participants must be currently employed in a fulltime capacity by a King Price affiliated dealership or brokerage at the time of entry.
To enter the Competition you must visit the King Price Facebook page on http://www.facebook.com/KingPriceInsurance and click on the competition app tab on the page. By submitting your details at login and entering the competition you agree to allow King Price to use your name and image on related Facebook competition posts, and also to contact you regarding any prize that you may have won.
Any entrant found to have cheated during the course of any competition, or in any way attempting to cheat the system will be immediately disqualified and banned from further participation in the competition and any further competitions or games organised by the promoters, King Price and its agencies. The competition is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. Facebook is completely released of all liability by each entrant in the competition. Entrants will be providing information to Organisers and not to Facebook.
Prizes – Entrants stand a chance of winning a Colour Fest Hamper, to be shared amongst their team at their discretion.
Prizes are not exchangeable or redeemable from King Price for any alternative form of compensation. Prize winners will be contacted telephonically within 7 (seven) working days following King Price's draw on 05 September, when the prize will be revealed. Prize winners will be given a period of 7 (seven) working days to respond to this or any email communication and claim their prize. If the prize winner does not respond within this period, an alternate winner will be selected from the entry pool by random selection. The Organisers reserve the right to change these proceedings without notice.
General – The promoter of the Competition is King Price and/or its agencies ("Organisers"). The Organisers will interpret the Rules in their sole discretion and reserve the right to amend the Rules at any time. No entry is valid until a validation process determined by the Organisers has taken place. The winners of the prizes shall be chosen at the end of the Period by random selection, monitored by the judges.
In the event of a dispute, the decision of the Organisers will be final and binding and no correspondence will be entered into. By entering the Competition and/or accepting any prize, the entrants and winners hereby indemnify, release and hold harmless the Organisers (including their subsidiaries, holding companies and affiliates), their directors, employees, agents, suppliers and contractors ("Organiser Parties") from and against any actions, claims and/or liability for injury, loss or damage of any kind resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from participation in the Competition, and/or the use, acceptance or possession of a prize, and/or participation (or non-participation) in a prize-related activity. The Organisers may require the winner (at no fee) to be identified, photographed, filmed and the aforementioned to be published in any media, subject to the winner's right to decline participating in any such marketing activities. The Organisers reserve the right to terminate the Competition with immediate effect, without notice. In such event, all entrants hereby waive any rights which they may have against any Organiser Party and acknowledge that they will have no recourse or claim of any nature against the Organiser Parties. The prizes are not transferable. The Organisers reserve the right to substitute any prize with another prize of similar value. The Organisers are not liable for any technical failure that may result in an entry not being successfully submitted. Any prize is accepted by a winner at his/her own risk and the Organisers are not liable, at any time, for any defect in the prize.
By using this application on your Android device you agree to be bound by the Google Policies found at the following link: http://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/
By using this application on your Apple Device you agree to be bound by the Apple End-User License Agreement


text:
Last Christmas saw the UK consuming approximately 10 million turkeys.
It is estimated £22bn is spent by UK households at Christmas, with the average household spending £796. Of this, £159 is thought to go on food and drink and the rest on gifts (£596) , cards, trees and decorations (£41). Source: YouGov
The majority of families (76%) around the UK will serve up a succulent roast turkey as the centre piece of their festive meal this Christmas.
Turkey is a relative newcomer to the Yuletide table - it was a luxury right up until the 1950's when they became more widely available.
In Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol (1843), Bob Cratchit had a goose before Scrooge bought him a turkey.
Prior to the turkey tradition Christmas fare included roast swan, pheasants and peacocks. A special treat was a roast boars head decorated with holly and fruit.
A survey has revealed on average, British women do not attempt their first Christmas lunch until the age of 34. Nearly half of women polled said they felt a real sense of achievement when finally dishing up the Christmas dinner and 28% of British men admit that their partner's dinner is better than their mother's. Source: Food Network
Henry VIII was the first English king to enjoy turkey, although Edward VII made eating turkey fashionable at Christmas. Indeed turkey was a luxury right up until the 1950's when refrigerators became commonplace. However, traditions for many countries around the globe vary enormously where the centrepiece can range from pork chops to curried goat!
Norway: The big festive feast takes place on Christmas Eve. Most people around the coastal regions eat fish - concoctions of cod and haddock and a variety called lutefisk. Inland they go for pork chops, specially prepared sausages and occasionally lamb.
Sweden: The Christmas feast consists of a smorgasbord of caviar, shellfish, cooked and raw fish and cheeses.
Ukraine: The people here prepare huge broths brimming with meat for Christmas Eve rather than Christmas day.
Czech Republic: Tradition dictates that the tree is not lit before Christmas Eve then they have a big dinner of fish soup, salads, eggs and carp. Scarily, the number of people at the table must be even or it is believed the person without a partner will die next year.
Germany: The Germans tend to have a game feast on Christmas day, usually wild boar or venison.
Jamaica: Christmas dinner usually consists of rice, gungo peas, chicken, ox tail and curried goat.
Italy: Christmas dinner in Italy can last for more than 4 hours. Most families will have 7 or more courses including antipasti, a small portion of pasta, a roast meal, followed by 2 salads and 2 sweet puddings - then cheese fruit, brandy and chocolates.
Austria: A typical Christmas dinner would consist of braised carp served with gingerbread and beer sauce.
Poland: The traditional Christmas Eve supper consists of 12 non-meat dishes, representing the months of the year and featuring fish such as pike, herring and carp. Other typical Polish dishes are fish soup, sauerkraut with wild mushrooms or peas and Polish dumplings with various fillings.


text:
Symphonic Sounds (Digital Download)
Sometimes the right one-shot sound can be the missing vital ingredient to your beat. With that in mind we created 'Symphonic Sounds', a one-shot classical collection of highly usable, gritty, stab samples for your productions.
Classical music is often overlooked but can be a vital source for inspiring sounds and textures. Our expert Digging Team spent an enormous amount of time assembling this pack. All the samples here are sourced from the rarest classical records and processed through our analogue outboard gear to give them a totally unique sound. Save yourself hundreds of hours of digging time and gain access to this high quality, inspirational one-shot sound collection. Don't believe us? Try before you buy and download the demo kit CLICK HERE.
- 79 Unique Classical One-Shot & Stab Sounds
- Sampled, Layered & Processed To Perfection
- Real Vinyl Character
- Analogue Processing For Texture
- All files are 16bit/44.1k WAV
- Compatible with older hardware samplers as well as newer soft samplers and DAWs
Have questions about this product?
For all product inquiries please use our contact form here.Don't sleep on these! Check out the demo below:


text:
[JSA10698] Show Article Properties
[JSA10698] Hide Article Properties
Multiple vulnerabilities have been addressed in Junos Space 15.1R1 release. These include cross site scripting (XSS), SQL injection and command injection vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities may potentially allow a remote unauthenticated network based attacker with access to Junos Space to execute arbitrary code on Junos Space. These vulnerabilities were found during internal product testing. These issues have been assigned CVE-2015-7753.
OpenJDK runtime was upgraded to 1.7.0 update_79 which resolves:
Following vulnerability was resolved in OpenNMS software included with Junos Space:
KVM Package was upgraded to kvm-83-273.el5.centos.x86_64.rpm which resolves the following vulnerability:
Mozilla NSS Package was upgraded to nss-3.18.0-6.el5_11 which resolves the following vulnerability:
Apache HTTP Server was upgraded to 2.2.31 resolving the following issues:
MySQL was upgraded to 5.6.23 which resolves the following vulnerabilities that may pose a risk to MySQL as used in Junos Space:
2015-10-14: Initial publication2016-09-07: Corrected the name of Java Runtime Environment used by Junos Space.
© 1999 - 2017 Juniper Networks, Inc. All rights


text:
I was four, I think, when I realized that I was a girl. I'd just hit a boy who was trying to hit me. I was berated by my kindergarten teacher because that was not the way girls behaved. I got a lot of that growing up and it was considered not very feminine of me to fight back. Messed up my identity, that did.
Similarly, I have never considered myself a heterosexual until I was forced to realize that there was a difference between me and "them", that I have rights the members of the LGBT community do not have.
Today, I'm feeling very heterosexual, because I cannot begin to imagine how it feels to have ten thousands of your countrymen (and women) trying to legally abolish your right to love whomever you want. I don't know how it feels to see smiling faces of young volunteers, going door to door, asking for support to ban you as a person, to prevent you to fully realize yourself and to have a life that you deserve.
Edit: I'm appealing to you, if it's something you believe in, to sign this petition for marriage equality in Croatia.


text:
When you're tempted to reach for a high-calorie, high-fat snack, rice cakes may be a great alternative choice. But if you're filling up on rice cakes to the exclusion of nutrient-dense foods, they're not a healthy replacement. Even though their primary ingredient is whole-grain brown rice, rice cakes are low in total nutritional value.
Calories and Fat
No matter what flavors are added, brown rice is the primary ingredient in rice cakes. Many brands in the local grocery store have about 35 calories in one rice cake, but some brands state on the product label that they use double the rice. With that extra rice, you get a rice cake that's double the size and has twice the calories. When chocolate is added, one regular rice cake has about 60 calories. The amount of fat, however, remains fairly consistent in all types. Rice cakes have such little fat that it's reported as zero grams on the Nutrition Facts label.
The amount of carbohydrates you'll get from one rice cake ranges from 7 to 16 grams, depending on whether it's a regular-sized, 9-gram rice cake or the double-sized version. A regular rice cake has 5 to 12 percent of the daily carbohydrates required to fill your energy needs. Brands with fewer carbohydrates have 2 percent of women's daily fiber, while those with higher carbohydrates have double the fiber. If you're craving sweets and hope a sweetened rice cake is a healthy choice, then you should know you'll gain about the same amount of sugar as one miniature plain milk chocolate candy bar. Unsweetened rice cakes don't have any sugar, but sweetened varieties have about 3 grams in one cake.
Besides calories and carbohydrates, the ingredient that varies the most from one brand of rice cake to another is sodium. Generic rice cakes have 20 to 29 milligrams, but some brands have 55 to 75 milligrams of sodium in one rice cake. At the higher values, you'll get about 5 percent of the recommended daily intake.
Brown rice is a rich source of manganese, and rice cakes retain a significant amount of the mineral. Just one rice cake has 19 percent of women's recommended daily intake. Not a well-known mineral, manganese is a vital component of several enzymes that metabolize carbohydrates and proteins, and help develop bones and cartilage. You'll also get about 3 percent of the daily value of magnesium and zinc from one rice cake. Magnesium relaxes muscles, including those in your blood vessel walls, which helps lower blood pressure. Zinc has a role in the synthesis of proteins and cells that keep your immune system working properly.
Video of the Day
- USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory: Snacks, Rice Cakes, Brown Rice, Plain
- Linus Pauling Institute: Manganese
- Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism: Magnesium -- Novel Applications in Cardiovascular Disease -- A Review of Literature
- Linus Pauling Institute: Zinc
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Manganese Content of Selected Foods
Photo Credits
- Thomas Northcut/Photodisc/Getty Images


text:
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has stressed the need to avoid an escalation of tensions in the wake of the recent abduction of three Israeli teenagers and the increased violence and mass arrests in the West Bank.
The three teenagers were abducted in the West Bank near the city of Hebron on 12 June. There are reports that since then, more than 200 Palestinians have been detained in the West Bank in the context of security operations by Israel.
In a phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, Mr. Ban conveyed his sympathy for the abducted teenagers and deep solidarity with their families, according to a read-out of the conversation provided by the Secretary-General's spokesperson.
The United Nations chief also voiced concern over the increased violence, mass arrests, and restrictions on movement in the West Bank.
It was imperative, he said, for both political and security reasons, not to give in to provocations in a way that seems likely to escalate tensions further.
He expected all sides to exert efforts to this end, show restraint and to observe human rights standards and international law.


text:
Today Transylvania announces a new Pioneer athletic mascot Raf, who pays homage to the university's legendary professor, Samuel Constantine Rafinesque, a charismatic naturalist whose tomb is on the first floor of Transylvania's main administrative building, Old Morrison. The campus also boasts a fast-food dining area bearing his name.
For nearly two decades Transy has been without a Pioneer mascot. The new mascot was developed through interviews with student-athletes, prospective student-athletes and extensive marketing research over the past two years to come to the decision.
Rafinesque's passion for bats is the stuff of legend. John James Audubon described hearing a loud commotion one night while Rafinesque was staying at his cottage. Apparently, some bats had fluttered into Rafinesque's candlelit room through an open window to feed on moths. Raf attacked the bats with the famous ornithologist's favorite violin, destroying the instrument in the process. While Rafinesque was overjoyed at what he thought was the discovery of a new species, Audubon didn't share his excitement—because he doubted it was even a new species, and obviously because of the violin.
Transylvania's new mascot is a Rafinesque's big-eared bat. These Kentucky forest dwellers with freakishly large listeners play an important ecological role by keeping insect populations in check—and Raf will play an important role at Transy by firing up crowds at Pioneer sporting events and helping recruit new students.


text:
Film Review: Mad To Be Normal
Robert Mullan's Mad To Be Normal offers good performances from its cast. Whilst the attention to detail is commendable, the film is not captivating. In the 1960s, psychiatrist R.D. Laing offers a different type of treatment to those afflicted with mental health conditions. His methods, which focus on listening to patients over harsh procedures, are the cause of some controversy… […]Read more


text:
In a profile piece by Time Magazine, Tom Hanks is depicted as the accidental history buff. He wasn't interested in history when he was in school, but now he, along with Steven Spielberg, is about to release his second ten-part World War II mini-series. HBO's eagerly awaited The Pacific follows three soldiers as they travel through the Pacific campaign. In the piece, Hanks notes that they won't shrink from the horror of America's own brutality in the war, and he's eager to show how our battle in the Pacific compares to a current war in the Middle East:
"From the outset we wanted to make people wonder how our troops can reenter society in the first place. How could they just pick up their lives and get on with the rest of us. Back in World War II we viewed the Japanese as 'yellow slant-eyed dogs' that believed in different Gods. They were out to kill us because our way of living was different. Does that sound familiar by any chance to what's going on today?"
Hit the jump for what Hanks had to say regarding his plans for a mini-series about the JFK Assassination. The Pacific premieres March 14th at 9/8c on HBO.
Hanks also commented on his plan to give the mini-series treatment to Vincent Bugliosi's 1,648 tome, Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy:
Hanks and Gary Goetzman will act as executive producers, and Hanks hopes the adaptation will air in 2013. He believes the public has been snookered into believing that Lee Harvey Oswald was framed. "We're going to do the American public a service," Hanks says. "A lot of conspiracy types are going to be upset. If we do it right, it'll be perhaps one of the most controversial things that has ever been on TV."
I think it will be controversial insofar as conspiracy buffs will rail against it and some people will go, "Huh, that's interesting." The JFK Assassination is fascinating, but it's hardly a hot-button issue. Hopefully, Hanks will not only systematically debunk of conspiracy claims (as Bugliosi's book does), but get to the heart of why Kennedy's assassination created such theories in the first place, and why people have invested in these theories for over forty years.


text:
The Indo-Pak stand-off gets a new twist
India's decision to call off Foreign Secretary-level talks with Pakistan because the latter insisted in going ahead with consultations with separatist leaders from Jammu & Kashmir, is a new twist in the old India-Pakistan standoff.
It is new because in the past Islamabad has routinely held such consultations on the eve of bilateral dialogues for no other reason than to show its constituencies back home that Kashmiri interests had a primacy in Pakistan's India policy.
Indeed, the Pakistan Foreign Office response noted that the meetings were "a longstanding practice" and were aimed at facilitating "meaningful discussions on the issue of Kashmir."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif during the latter's visit to India in May
New Delhi went along with this fiction, knowing fully well that the separatists - Hurriyat leaders like Shabbir Shah, Syed Ali Shah Geelani or Yasin Malik - had little traction in the Valley.
But now, by insisting that any dialogue with the Hurriyat is tantamount to interference in India's internal affairs and, as such, unacceptable to India, the Modi government has upped the ante.
Maybe Pakistan was testing the new government, if so, they have got a clearer idea of what it is all about.
Narendra Modi has his own compulsions. He has come to power with a promise of taking a different and tougher approach towards Pakistan. So, it cannot be business as usual for him.
Why did Pakistan choose to make this provocative move towards the Hurriyat right now? The meetings may have been a longstanding practice, but that was not the only message coming out of Islamabad.
In the last two weeks, there have been almost continuous and egregious violations of the ceasefire. Taken together, it would suggest that there are forces in Pakistan that do not want any change in Pakistan's ties with India. It does not take a genius to figure out who those forces are.
The answer to this question probably lies in Pakistan's internal politics and turmoil. Nawaz Sharif, who defied hardliners to attend Modi's swearing in, had two goals in mind after sweeping the Pakistani elections to become prime minister in 2013.
First, to rein in the Army, and second, to pick up the threads of peace that were dropped in 1999 when he was overthrown by Musharraf.
In his present circumstances, where Islamabad is being besieged by Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the religious leader Tahir al Qadri, he has chosen to make a quick deal with the Army.
But New Delhi, having sent a tough message, will hopefully, be working along a coherent policy perspective. Relations with Pakistan are too important to be left hostage to knee-jerk reactions.
The writer is Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation


text:
Wait Entertainment: Did not wait, used the speed pass so could not tell if there was entertainment or not. There was a viseo screen in there showing patrons inside the HH being scared as we walked in the Speed Pass waiting area.
Length of Event: 15 minutes.
Actor Performance: Nice performance by all. One hint- if you are a child don't come up and scream in people ears. That is not scary just annoying!
Patron Flow Inside Attraction: Did not run into any group within the house. Nice job!
Appropriate Ages: As we have seen in the past going to HH this year- don't take young kids! 10 on up.
Props / Special FX: Nice use of special effects and props. First three rooms earned you a 10 then went down slightly to an 8. Nice use of the bungee guy.
Costumes / Make-up: Mostly make-up in this house. a couple of mask that were really freaky!!! Loved the opening scene- that was a showstopper!
Summary: This house has been consistant but could step up there game a little. So many possibilities. For the price it cannot be beat. Love that you took a story and used it all throughout the house with the exception of a couple of areas that did not flow with the storyline. Nice job overall guys!!
Wait Entertainment: We did the speed pass, so didn't see any entertainment other than the dvd players
Length of Event: 10 minutes
Actor Performance: This was the weakest part. After the first two rooms which were very well done the house just fell apart. The timing of the actors were after front person in group only, often by the time the last person in our group entered the scare was over.
Patron Flow Inside Attraction: never ran into another group
Appropriate Ages: 8+
Props / Special FX: Very nicely detailed sets. This is what stood out most.
Costumes / Make-up: Good combination of masks and make up.
Summary: Can't say great, can't say poor..this house falls right in the middle. I am not sorry we went, but it doesn't quite stack up to some of the others.It definately has the potential.
Wait Entertainment: Speed Pass and they take you to a different room and nothing is there.
Length of Event: 15-20 mins
Actor Performance: First three rooms were great. After that, not so much.
Patron Flow Inside Attraction: We didn't see anyone else and no one caught up to us.
Appropriate Ages: Parenting tip for the day: If your child wouldn't be comfortable working in a hh, then don't try to take them through.
Props / Special FX: Excellent props and FX. I loved the rooms and sets. Very detailed and lots too look at. Really liked the dude on the bungee cord.
Costumes / Make-up: Mostly masks. Nothing spectacular in the mask or makeup department. There were kids in the plexiglas prison without either a mask or makeup. I wasn't sure what was happening with that.
Summary: I wasn't scared at all in here after the first room. I kept waiting! The rooms were great and I loved the attention to detail. Not a lot of action going on though. Maybe it was because it was so late. A long night of scaring can be very exhausting. I wouldn't pay for the speed pass again. It wasn't worth it unless it is as cold as it was last night. No way I could have waited in that line.
Wait Entertainment: the guys outside had very nice high quality masks,very scary! and when you first go in there is a video explaining what happened and the missing pilot.
Length of Event: fifteen to twenty minutes.They have alot of rooms just full of props and several actors in some rooms so they can come from all directions.
Actor Performance: overall good actors you always have some better than others.the man doing line entertainment with the can was great and the little girl in the first room with the white round head was really creepy and very good.a few needed a little help with timing.
Patron Flow Inside Attraction: we never ran into anyone else and i did not see anyone behind us either.
Appropriate Ages: nine and up
Props / Special FX: alot of props and actors nice mix. I really liked the swamp room with the moving bridge and running water and i liked the plane crash.
Costumes / Make-up: nicely done! most of the costumes fit the area and the makeup was very nice, alot of detail. hair as well,they definatally have someone who knows what they are doing
Summary: overall this is a great haunt.I was impressed with the rooms and how it has a very nice sound system it is very consistent throughout and the sound effects match the rooms well. i would like to visit again i dont think you can see everything in just one trip.I found myself wanting to look around so i wouldn't miss anything.
Wait Entertainment: there were about 4 people outside entertaining. A couple of them had really cool masks, and they were definitely entertaining. At first I didn't understand their costumes, but they fit the theme great once you get into the house.
Length of Event: about 20 minutes, but surely it depends on how fast you move through.
Actor Performance: They were great. There were some little kids but they were honestly scary. Everyone did great and there was a part where a guy talked to us a little bit in a room with a bed, and he did a great job.
Patron Flow Inside Attraction: It was good, we didn't see any other groups.
Props / Special FX: It was the most technological haunted house I have been to in a long time. It was very cool. There were some cool laser effects in the cue line. There were good props also.
Costumes / Make-up: The costumes were very fitting to the theme and there were some really cool makeup effects. They looked very real, and everything was very professional.
Summary: The haunted house was great. It was the first time we have been there, and we heard about it from a family friend. It was fun to walk through. They paid attention to detail very well, and I wish I could have gone slower through, but I was somewhat scared, so I was ready to get out. I plan to go back in future years because it was very well done and I can only bet it will be great next year.
Wait Entertainment: The guys working the crowd were awesome! The never broke from character and really did a great job.
Length of Event: 15-20 minutes depending on how fast (or in our case, slow. We were too busy taking in all the fantastic decor) you move
Actor Performance: Top notch. The Boo Crew has some of the best when it comes to getting into character and they never waver away from that. Great Job!
Patron Flow Inside Attraction: good, very well spaced.
Props / Special FX: Very good. One of the main reasons I love going to the Boo Crew. Alot of time and energy goes into their props and such.
Costumes / Make-up: Very nice! A good mix of make up and masks. The masks they were using weren't low quality either. You could tell they are very high end.
Summary: The Boo Crew has become a staple in our yearly haunt tour. They are always on top on our list. Everything is very top notch and detail oriented. The actors really do a great job as well. This is a must see haunt and for the price, you cannot go wrong! Bravo again Boo Crew!
Wait Entertainment: They had a "television" story about a plane crash which set the mood for the house. They had a guy working the groups who acted like he was a few bricks shy of a load he did a great job.
Length of Event: 20-25 mins depends on how fast you walk or how scared you get.
Actor Performance: The actors did a great job and the story flowed real smooth
Patron Flow Inside Attraction: Excellent did not run into any groups at all.
Appropriate Ages: 8 and up
Props / Special FX: Many animatronics and air cannons as well as real nice scenery and static props they get a 10 for decoration and acting
Costumes / Make-up: Great use of prosthetics, makeup, and masks.
Summary: This is one of my favs to visit and you won't be disapointed. The price is perfect and you do get your moneys worth. I think the location and the building they use is perfect and they always have a great storyline and actors to pull it off just right.
Wait Entertainment: Some creatures working the crowd and nice visual presentation on the tv screen shows the plot of the haunted house - swap area.
Length of Event: 20 minutes, lots of "action" within that time.
Actor Performance: Actors did a great job here, no problems.
Patron Flow Inside Attraction: Normal traffic moves somewhat slow and expect to wait, they have a great following throughout the years including myself. Recommend using the "speed pass" for the extra $4.00 - $12.00 total ticket price its the best deal in the state.
Appropriate Ages: 9+ There is some "shocker" action in the house - smaller children could have problems with the shock.
Props / Special FX: Props are very good and the special effects they use works here also. Some electronic action figures moving the jumping throughout. All professional quality effects here.
Costumes / Make-up: Costumes work great here, no problems noticed.
Summary: One of the better haunted house attractions in the state of Illinois here and for the normal $8.00 price its a deal. Everything moves fast within the walls of the haunted house, actual you could go through it twice and see different stuff each time through - lots of action here and detail is perfect. You can tell that a great deal of work has gone into this attraction and they improve it every year - the money goes back into the haunted house for new and updated stuff. Only let down might be no high action closing room effects, need some high impact closer to the house.


text:
Cheyne Capital fundraising points to bright future for event-driven strategies
London hedge fund manager Cheyne Capital Management has raised more than $100m for its Event Driven fund since launch a year ago with about half coming from European and UK pension funds. Cheyne said the rest of the inflows came from investors in the US and Asia. Continue reading →
Cheyne Capital Healing Credit Markets Offer Reservoir of Opportunity
From its origins, Cheyne has focused on credit investing, and worked to be a pioneer in diversified European alternative asset management Continue reading →
Profitable trading with binary options.
Finance is a complex science. The awareness of the concept of money and its profitable use is a necessary knowledge for everyone in the modern world. Continue reading →
Legal Card Debit Elimination.
This method of legal credit card debt elimination is acceptable, easy and straightforward, and anyone can handle this process on their own. Continue reading →
The gains of commonwealth internet banking
The internet banking has the taken the world by storm. People have almost stopped going to banks. Everyone is conducting bank transactions online either from the work place or from the comfort of ones home. Mobile banking has further revolutionized the banking world. Continue reading →
Anyoption Scams-Learn the Real Truth
With the recent bad economic status, everyone is more careful when it comes to where they invest their money. Binary Options trading is becoming more popular as each day goes by, but there are a large number of people who dont know exactly how to go about the situation. Continue reading →
Mobile TMS Makes Management Easy
When you have a business and you need to have things comfortable for your customers, you wanted to create a system that both works for you and for them. With time being a great commodity these days, you need to make up a system where payment processing becomes a breeze for them. Continue reading →
Can Online Banking Help You Get the Best CD Rates?
Traditionally, you would have depended on your local bank for CD rates. However, with the advent of new technology and the rise of online banking and comparison sites, you can find great rates on CDs no matter where you live. Continue reading →
CDs:A Secure Way to Save Your Money
Banks offer a variety of products that involve different amounts of risk tolerance and reward. Many people are turning to CDs (Certificates of Deposit) as a safe way to invest their money while getting a good rate of return. Continue reading →
How a CD Can Help You Reach Your Financial Goals
When it comes to saving your money, there's no shortage of bank products to help. But how do you make your money go farther while still avoiding risky pitfalls? Certificates of Deposit or CDs are designed for this very purpose. A CD is a bank product that you buy, rather than an account. Continue reading →
Popular Articles
Credit Card Processing for Wholesale Food Distribution Companies by Jennifer Loganathan
In slow economic times growing your business can be tough. Now days, business owners are trying to see to the future as much as they can and...
203551 Views
ugg outlet +trackback skriv en kommentar
ugg australia ugg america, ugg ??, ugg ?????, ugg classic short bling boots, ugg?????????, ???
28736 Views
Ensure A Safe And Natural Weight Loss
The safest way to lose weight is with the help of a professional nutritionist. Learn about whole foods for a healthy, happy, body. No supplements...
15469 Views
The Best Online SEO Service
We will help you to reach the top of the searching list. SEO Company will help your website from the very beginning.
8041 Views
Growing popularity of iPad, ios and file maker printers!
The current world of technology has advanced a lot. You can check out the iPad mobile printer, iOS label printer, FileMaker label printer out...
4898 Views
Latest Articles
Single Sim Multi Recharge
Web Service API enables automated transactions over secure channel and Solutions to suite your requirements, Single API for all services....
on Feb 21, 2015
Recharge Software
Recharge software is a unique facility that offers recharge facility to a wide array of mobile, internet and DTH connections. Once you get access...
on Feb 21, 2015
Recharge API
Recharge API is a wonderful innovation in the mobile recharge business whereby by a single click of the button you can recharge a number of mobile,...
on Feb 21, 2015
Multi Sim Recharge
Multi sim recharge is a unique facility whereby using a single sim you can recharge a number of mobile and internet connections. Maintaining a...
on Feb 21, 2015
All Sim Recharges
The all sim recharges is a unique facility wherein by owning a single sim with a prepaid facility you can recharge your connection with various...
on Feb 21, 2015


text:
Check-Ins allow you to work with us one meeting at a time. This option works best for entrepreneurs who don't feel ready for the consulting packages, but are looking for some short term help right away.
- Are you feeling restless?
- Looking for support as you expand your brand?
- In need of guidance as you manage your business and growing anxiety?
These sessions work best for established entrepreneurs who are in the need of a self-care check-in. Together we will identify any barriers to managing your self-care and create a plan to reduce your stress.
Check-ins are one 50 minute telephone session and 15 days of email support for $199.


text:
Buenos Aires' Chinatown is gearing up to ring in the Year of the Pig beginning February 2 and continuing through the weekend.
Officially, the Chinese New Year 4717 falls on Tuesday February 5th.
The festivities include the yearly dragon dance through the streets, advanced martial arts demonstrations, a Korean percussion performance and the obligatory tango demonstrations made up of Argentine and Asian-Argentine dancers. For the first time this year, a ballet consisting of 30 artists from the province of Zhejiang will perform.
Stands offer a wide variety of budget-friendly and delicious Asian street food, calligraphy demonstrations and exotic plants for sale. There will be Tai Chi classes given by Master Liu Ming, Pope Francis' former Chinese doctor.
Performances will begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 2, and run through the weekend until Sunday night.
The number of attendees to Buenos Aires' Chinese New Year celebrations has grown exponentially in recent years beginning with the 2011 festival– the year Buenos Aires decided China was cool and a record 60,000 visitors overwhelmed organizers.
"A lot more Argentines are studying Chinese now to operate in the business world," says Maria Antonía Diaz, secretary at the Chinese-Argentine Cultural Association, one of the groups organizing of the event. "Others are drawn to this area because of the variety of businesses and an interest in the rich culture of China."
To accommodate the growing crowds and the city's other events, the principle stage is no longer in central Chinatown, or the nearby Plaza Barrancas de Belgrano, where it was originally relocated. Now celebrations take place some blocks away at Plaza Parques Nacionales (Av. Figueroa Alcorta and Sucre).
Year of the Earth Pig
This year marks 4716 on the Chinese calendar, the year of the earth pig.
Chinese diviners predict this yin year will highlight greed and selfishness in human culture with the possibility of many uprisings. Social change will be highlighted this year and there will a lot of communication, expressing the need for solidarity and dialogue to solve the world's problems. Although one's own individual luck depends on their astrological sign and birth year the year of the pig is considered positive for career advancement and making money, and forming new friendships.
Chinese New Year's Celebrations Buenos Aires: 2019
ª When:
Saturday, February 2, 12:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 3, 12:00 p.m.- 9 p.m.
*In case of rain, activities will take place the following weekend
• Where:
Plaza Parques Nacionales Argentinos, Av. Figueroa Alcorta, between Sucre y Echeverría
• Barrio Chino (& how to get there)


text:
1101 Clinton Industrial Park Rd.
Clinton, MS 39056
Phone: 601.924.0640
Fax: 601.924.1107
Established in 1970, Iron Innovations, Inc., has expanded and progressed in the iron industry to become a leader in creative forging and metalworking. Specializing in custom iron, aluminum and copper work, our many products are used both residentially and commercially. We offer gates, fences, hand railings, balcony railings, metal awnings, mailboxes, signs and covered kiosks, to list a few. Our entrance gates and fences are elegant, secure, and private. Our many styles range from basic to ornate to provide a tasteful "first impression" of your property while complimenting the surrounding landscape and architecture. Our state of the art powder coating system allows our finishes and colors to range from industry standard to exotic faux.


text:
Our first winner never contacted us, so we picked another winner!
Just know, you must contact us within 48 hours in order to claim your prize. If we don't hear from you, we will pick another winner.
So here is the new winner:
**Well, Nicole- you have now won something
and we look forward to hearing from you!**


text:
Toggle navigation
Home Inspection Software
Home Inspection Software Features
HG Companion: Android & iOS
Commercial Inspections
Sample Reports
Switching to HomeGauge
Download a Trial
HomeGauge Services
HomeGauge Services Features
Create Request List
Per Report E&O Insurance
Extra Care Service
Find a Home Inspector
Home Inspector Websites
Sample Websites
SEO Builder
Get a Custom Website
Store Home
Subscription & Packages
Home Inspection Software
HomeGauge Services
Custom Websites
Per Report E&O Insurance
HomeGauge Add-ons
Home Systems Illustrated
View Cart
HomeGauge Support Center
HomeGauge Training
Conferences We're Attending
Lost Password
News Alerts
Start a new search
Home Inspectors by Location
Zip/Post Code:
Search Radius:
25 Miles
50 Miles
75 Miles
100 Miles
Search by Contact Information
HG Username:
10 Home Inspectors in hamilton County, OH
Greg Stowe
Second 2 None Home Services LLC.
Somerville, OH
Licensed in Ohio = OHI.2019005171, InterNACHI certified, HVAC certificate (Ashworth University)
Licensed and Certified in the field of professional home inspections. Dependable, honest, and thorough. Hard working with a strong emphasis on family.
See Company Profile
Steve Wolfe
94 Ratings
A Better Inspector
Florence, KY
Home Inspector since 2000 KY (Lic#2089)OH (Lic N/A) InterNachi Certified Former ASHI member Former HI Instructor
We are law compliant inspectors that have served the Greater Cinti and N KY area since 2000. We offer years of contracting and thousands of inspections of experience to ensure your inspection is a quality, thorough, informative experience.
See Company Profile
Glen Bussey
Inspection Services of Cincinnati, LLC.
Reading, OH
See Company Profile
1 Ratings
See Company Profile
Doug and Cheryl Haynes
9 Ratings
AmeriSpec Inspection Services
Loveland, OH
See Company Profile
Michael Hesterberg
52 Ratings
Building Inspections LLC dba Building Environments
Cincinnati, OH
ASHI #204652, KY#HI2292, IN#HI006000024,EDI OH-31, EIFS Inspector, Certified Mold Inspector and assessor,Radon OH#RT406
We provide Home Inspection, Mold Inspections and testing, EIFS inspections, Radon testing, expert witness services, and more. With over 15 years in the inspection industry we are the right choice for your home inspection needs.
See Company Profile
Jonathan Hittle
38 Ratings
Hittle Home Inspection LLC
Eaton, OH
NACHI, IAC2 Certified, Graduate Inspector Hondros College, Licensed plumber, Ohio Backflow Certified, Thermal Imaging
A quality inspection service with over 40 years of combined construction experience. We are constantly upgrading our services to meet today's demands. We offer a wide array of services at the most reasonable price.Thermal Imaging trained
See Company Profile
Richard McKenzie
150 Ratings
1st Inspection Services
Cincinnati, OH
Members of NACHI; ASHI; service the Greater Cincinnati areas.
Web based reports, full service inspections. We do the scheduling using your preferences. All reports completed in 24 hours or less. See pricing and sample inspections at: www.1stinspections.com.
See Company Profile
Michael Patton
258 Ratings
AA Home Inspection LLC
Union, KY
KY License HI-2005, OH N/A, Radon Testing, WDIR/Termite Inspections
As an ASHI member, and a licensed home inspector Michael Patton, AA Home Inspection LLC performs all home inspections to ASHI Standards. WE WALK ROOFS. See our web site "What to Ask When Hiring a Professional Home Inspector!"
See Company Profile
Todd Scott KY HI 102509
13 Ratings
Homeland Inspection Services
Bethel, OH
See Company Profile


text:
Make this the wedding of your dreams with Castle Hot Springs.
With the desert oasis to inspire you, our custom touches and intricate details will ensure that your special day stands out forever. We will make every moment perfect, so you can enjoy what's most important: your spectacular day.
Say your vows in the classically elegant Stone House. Share cocktails or cheers with champagne in the rustic Lodge. Castle Hot Springs will help make your wedding become one of your most cherished memories. The property allows for unmatched privacy, all while being surrounded by the most exclusive and elegant amenities.
We attend to every detail of your wedding so you can indulge in everything our resort has to offer. Relax your body with a soothing massage, ease your mind with a dip in the natural hot springs, dine on delicious culinary delights, and embrace adventure at Castle Hot Springs.
The beauty of Castle Hot Springs has to be seen to be believed.
The experience of a lifetime awaits, created just for you.
For centuries, sojourners have sought Castle Hot Springs. See why.


text:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 16, 2014
Contact: Diane Rogness, SHSND
BISMARCKOn Saturday, June 28, the public is invited to attend a free day-long conference commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in North Dakota. Place, Property and Power: Pre and Post North Dakota Civil War Story activities will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the ND Heritage Center & State Museum in Bismarck. The program is sponsored by the State Historical Society of North Dakota, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, and the Fort Peck Tribe.
Five US Civil War battlefield sites are located in North DakotaBig Mound, Dead Buffalo Lake, Killdeer Mountain, Stony Lake, and Whitestone Hill. The Confederate States of America did not invade Dakota Territory, but the US Army did use resources and troops to battle with the Dakota or Sioux people to drive them west out of Dakota Territory. This was in response to the US Dakota War in Minnesota in 1862, said Fern Swenson, director of Archaeology and Historic Preservation with the State Historical Society.
Speakers will focus on the Northern Plains before 1850, the aftermath of the battles, and how that history affects the state today. This event will set the context of the 150th commemoration of Killdeer Mountain Battlefield, Battle of the Badlands, and Fort Dilts. Additional events specific to those locations will take place throughout the summer.
Speakers include Kevin Locke, distinguished musician and educator; Dr. Raymond DeMallie, chancellors professor of Anthropology and American Studies at Indiana University; Dr. Gregory Gagnon retired from the University of North Dakota Department of American Indian Studies and teaching with Loyola University of New Orleans; and Dr. Douglas Scott, retired archaeologist from the National Park Service.
For a full schedule of events, go to history.nd.gov or call 701.328.2666.
A Krolls Diner food truck will be available for food purchases.
- 30 -
612 East Boulevard Ave.
Bismarck, North Dakota 58505
Get Directions
State Museum and Store: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. M-F; Sat. & Sun. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
We are closed New Year's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
We are open 8 a.m.-noon on Christmas Eve.
State Archives: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. M-F, except state holidays; 2nd Sat. of each month, 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
State Historical Society offices: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. M-F, except state holidays.
Contact Us:
phone: 701.328.2666
email: firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Blog post by Marco Altini
It's been a bit over a year since we started the HRV4Training Blog. The intent of this blog is to cover and provide educational material on many different aspects of HRV analysis and physiological measurements, as well as to document insights we derive continuously by analyzing our unique dataset. Overall, we had about 120 000 page views on the website during the past 12 months:
Top five
Here is a list of the 5 most read articles of the past 12 months (reads/day were considered only for the period of time the article has been published):
This is a good set of HRV-related topics, ranging from technology to interpretation of trends. So, if you haven't read them yet... happy reading!
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply.
Register to the mailing list
and try the HRV4Training app!
Blog Index
How To
1. Intro to HRV
2. How to use HRV, the basics
3. HRV guided training
4. The big picture
5. HRV and training load
6. HRV, strength & power
7. Overview in HRV4Training Pro
8. HRV in team sports
HRV Measurements
Best Practices
1. Context & Time of the Day
2. Duration
3. Paced breathing
4. Orthostatic Test
5. Slides HRV overview
6. rMSSD vs SDNN
7. Normal values and historical data
Data Analysis
1a. Acute Changes in HRV
(individual level)
1b. Acute Changes in HRV (population level)
1c. Acute Changes in HRV & measurement consistency
1d. Acute Changes in HRV in endurance and power sports
2a. Interpreting HRV Trends
2b. HRV Baseline Trends & CV
3. Tags & Correlations
4. Ectopic beats & motion artifacts
5. HRV4Training Insights
6. HRV4Training & Sports Science
7. HRV & fitness / training load
8. HRV & performance
9. VO2max models
10. Repeated HRV measurements
11. VO2max and performance
12. HR, HRV and performance
13. Training intensity & performance
14. Publication: VO2max & running performance
15. Estimating running performance
16. Coefficient of Variation
17. More on CV and the big picture
18. Case study marathon training
19. Case study injury and lifestyle stress
20. HRV and menstrual cycle
21. Cardiac decoupling
22. FTP, lactate threshold, half and full marathon time estimates
23. Training Monotony
Camera & Sensors
1. ECG vs Polar & Mio Alpha
2a. Camera vs Polar
2b. Camera vs Polar iOS10
2c. iPhone 7+ vs Polar
2d. Comparison of PPG sensors
3. Camera measurement guidelines
4. Validation paper
5. Android camera vs Chest strap
6. Zoom HRV vs Polar
7. Apple Watch and HRV
8. Scosche Rhythm24
9. Apple Watch
10. CorSense
11. Samsung Galaxy
App Features
1. Features and Recovery Points
2. Daily advice
3. HRV4Training insights
4. Sleep tracking
5. Training load analysis
6a. Integration with Strava
6b. Integration with TrainingPeaks
6c. Integration with SportTracks
6d. Integration with Genetrainer
6e. Integration with Apple Health
6f. Integration with Todays Plan
7. HRV4T Coach advanced view
8. Acute HRV changes by sport
9. Remote tags in HRV4T Coach
10. VO2max Estimation
11. Acute stressors analysis
12. Training Polarization
13. Custom desirable range / SWC
14. Lactate Threshold Estimation
15. Functional Threshold Power(FTP) Estimation for cyclists
16. Aerobic Endurance analysis
17. Intervals Analysis
18. Training Planning
19. Integration with Oura
20. Aerobic efficiency and cardiac decoupling
1. HRV normal values
2. HRV by sport
3. HRV normalization by HR


text:
Monday, 09 January 2012 09:57 AM
The government auctioned 3.9 billion euros ($4.98 billion) of securities maturing in July at an average yield of minus 0.01 percent, the Federal Finance Agency said in an e-mailed statement today. It was the first time it sold the securities at a negative yield, Joerg Mueller, a spokesman in Frankfurt, said in a telephone interview. The Netherlands sold securities due in March at a yield of zero on Jan. 3.
"For the German taxpayer, this is obviously good news," said David Schnautz, a fixed-income strategist at Commerzbank AG in London. "There are investors out there who really worry about the return of their money. That's why they are OK donating to Germany some of their money just to make sure they get it back. It just underpins how nervous the overall market is."
The sale drew bids that were nearly double the amount allotted. Some 25 of the Federal Finance Agency's 39-member auction group participated in the bidding, the debt agency said in an e-mail today. The bid-to-cover ratio was 1.8, it said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy plan to drive forward their agenda for stricter budget rules as they seek to craft a master plan for rescuing the euro over the next three months. The two leaders have sponsored a plan to draw up new fiscal guidelines by March to resolve a crisis that began in Greece more than two years ago.
© Copyright 2019 Bloomberg News. All rights reserved.
Newsmax Comment Policy
Keep discussions on topic, avoid personal attacks and threats of any kind. Links will not be permitted.
Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.


text:
Though they resemble large satellites, radio telescopes actually collect data from satellites. Upon completion, the world's largest 'scope, the Square Kilometre Array, will be able to collect a lot of data. So much so, actually, that IBM is looking to build a $43-million supercomputer to handle all of that data—100,000,000 terabytes of data per day, to be exact. It's the equivalent of twice the amount of internet traffic per day. To put that in perspective, it's the amount of data needed to fill up 15 million 64GB iPods daily.
The supercomputer will have a bunch of new stuff you and I have never heard of, namely novel phase-change memory (high performance storage systems), nanophotonics (for large data transfers) and 3D stacked chips (for energy efficiency). It should be done within the next decade.
[via Gizmodo]


text:
Monday, November 27, 2006
After The Rain
Click here to read the rest of this refreshing patter by the inspirational Liz Strauss.
Her feel good posts are the cream in my morning coffee.
Friday, November 24, 2006
The Gift
Not me.
I hide on Black Friday. I eat leftovers, put up my Yule Tree, string the lights, burn some candles, and hang out in my big back yard with my dogs.
Today, the skies were blue, and the weather, just gorgeous. I was sittin on my back deck, overlooking the woods, and thinking, well, speaking with my mind, really;
"The Red Tails will be brooding chicks in early March, which means they will be building new nests in February, and mating in January. That's only a bit more than a month away. Oh I hope my feathered Friends come back to nest here. I would so love to watch them, learn from them and share with them. My tree line is perfect. There is a stream, and plenty of small game. Oh I do hope they nest here this year."
Now, I kid you not, dear readers, it was at that very moment, a HUGE Red Tail Hawk appeared over the rooftop of my house and circled above my tree line for a good twenty minutes. I called my husband and son out to watch, telling them the story. My son ran in to get his friend.
"LOOK! That's Mommies Spirit Guide! She called him, and HE CAME!"
There are some Gifts, money just can't buy.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Plan B Access
I dont get it. yanno, if the pro life folks want to reduce abortion, you would think they would be all gun ho about Plan B. Must be they don't really care about babies...they just don't want women to have sex.
Anyway, follow this Link to put pressure on all the big chain pharmacys to stock Plan B.
It's a good thing.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Off The Wall: A Poetry Carnival
It's full of yummy thought provoking stuff, including a humble little effort by yours truly.
Check it out.
Friday, November 17, 2006
According to Jessica at Feministing, it seems Bush has appointed an abstinence-only nut to oversee reproductive rights funding.
"The Bush administration has hired Dr. Eric Keroack to oversee Title X funding—the only federal program devoted entirely to family planning and reproductive health.
Keroack, who is currently the medical director of a Massachusetts pregnancy crisis center (you know, the folks that Lie to Women), will be the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs.
Keroack is not only a well-known anti-choicer, he's also a major proponent of abstinence-only education…and when I say proponent, I mean fucking insane person."
-From Jessica at Feministing.
Ladies, if you are not STEAMING over this, you should be! Bush has just appointed a guy who is against birth control to be in charge of Flipping BIRTH CONTROL!!!!!!!
Did you catch the little quote about "saying that promiscuous women will not be able to form long-lasting relationships because they have used up all of their "bonding" hormone on casual sex." Oh MY DOG! What midevil monistary did this guy crawl out from under? The old argument that only "Promiscuous Women have abortions is SOOOOOO NOT EVEN REAL, I can't believe Bush would....AUGGGHHH AUGGGHHH AUGGGHHHHH.............
"This physician is abusing the trust and credibility that the public lends to him by publishing this completely baseless & unethical study. The public can file a complaint against him with the American Board of Obsetrics/Gynecology, where he is certified, and the Massachusetts Board of Medicine, where he is licensed. You can reach each at:
CONTACT The WHITE HOUSE TODAY!
And send an e-mail to Cecile Richards, thanking her for standing up for your rights. Give her some money, offer your support, and tell her Kelley Bell sent ya.
You can send your message to Cecile through
Andrea Hagelgans
A nice pat on the back
Ya-all are so sweet.
Now if you folks don't let up a bit, I'm going to end up doing the happy dance and throw my back out again. Geesh, Can't you just let a woman suffer in peace?
Empty Cup
The ol back injury is inflamed.
A root canal on Wednesday,
stomach upset and constipation
from the pain pills.
Pain, Pain, and more f*cking pain.
Let's hold a pep rally on percoset!
I feel like Hunter Thompson
Sitting on the sidelines
with a cigarette and a set of pom-poms.
There is nothing more pathetic
than an optimist
with an empty cup.
Pain takes the mind to dark places,
of which the sane dare not speak.
I hope I snap out of this soon.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Gloria Steinem and Cecile Richards Get Ohio to Vote!
(Bravo Kelli, for a job well done!)
Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards and feminist activist Gloria Steinem were scheduled to make celebrity appearances. I assumed they would take the podium, offer speeches, and cap it off with the standard photo-op meet-n-greet to rally the volunteers, but it did not quite work out that way.
Kelli greeted me with a warm welcome when I arrived, and handed me a packet of information about the evening's events.
"Instead of working the phones, I want you to go door to door as the leader of my VIP group. Do you have a car?"
"Sure thing, It seats six. Where's my group?"
"I want you to take Cecile Richards and Gloria Steinem."
At that moment, my heart went into a state of tachycardia, but I did my best to nod in an offhand, businesslike fashion, while thumbing through the paperwork.
"Um-Hm. I see. Could you excuse me for just a moment? I'll be right back."
I made a dash for the bathroom, hyperventilating into one of those little white bags used for sanitary napkin disposal. Then I went out to my car and panicked. You see, we just celebrated my daughter's twelfth birthday, and the car was still covered in grime and mess from five muddy munchkins on a sugar high.
I had three minutes, one used towellete, and an image of Gloria Steinem picking gummy bears off her shoes. I felt like Martha Stewart on a bad batch of crystal meth. But fear not my darlings, for I am Super Mom, and I managed to clean that car in less than a New York minute! (well, the front two rows anyway.) I pushed all the kid crap under the seats and on to the floor of the third row seat. While far from perfect, it would just have to do.
When I went back in, we decided to split Gloria and Cecile into two separate groups for maximum voter impact. I was all for it, as this meant Cecile would sit in the front, and my dirty little secret would be safe.
Cecile and three of her aids from Washington walked with me to the car. Cecile was so fun. Her excitement and enthusiasm for democracy are contagious. I opened the back door of my Pacifica, to demonstrate how to fold the seat for a third row passenger, guiding one of the girls to the back, but Cecile trumped me. She came from the other side and dove over the second row, into the third, spreading her six foot tall frame across the back of the car like an Olympic gymnast doing a full layout.
She was just like my kids! They never bother to fold the seat forward. They just dive in. I did not know if I should apologize for the ooey-gooies, or just offer her a pack of leftover gummy bears.
In retrospect, it must not have been all that bad. She did not seem to mind at all. Besides, she's a mom too. Maybe her car is about the same. (Either that or she is just one heck of a nice person.)
Anyway, we spent the evening going door to door, enthusiastically reminding people to vote.
I have never felt a more powerful connection to the political process than I did that night. This is what American Democracy is all about. If you have ever lost faith in our government, if you have ever felt depressed by the negative attack ads, or corruption reported on the news, folks, I can tell you; this is how you get your faith back. This is how you renew your sense of hope. You find good, like-minded people, then join up, and pitch in.
During our canvassing effort, we met a voter with a cute little dog. He said the pup was a Katrina survivor, rescued three weeks after the hurricane. I watched quietly as Cecile petted the dog and chatted with his owner. This man was a staunch lifelong, card carrying republican. Cecile did not grandstand or debate issues with him. She did not even reveal to him who she was. She was kind and respectful, and just petted the pup and listened to the story of the dog's horrific ordeal. She evoked this man's emotions, and got him thinking about the issues on a personal level. She handed him a flyer saying "Remember to vote!" but he just shook his head and said "I can't. I just can't. Not this time." It was clear; he could not bring himself to vote against his party, even though he too felt the need for change. The best he could do was abstain. Cecile offered a sympathetic smile as we prepared to move on.
I so admired her at that moment. It is clear, this woman understands, democracy is built on the foundation of listening to the people. It's not about screaming, or shouting at the opposition, it's about grass roots efforts, connecting to people, and working to make the world a better place.
When we got back, Kelli had box dinners waiting for us in the office. I sat down on a rickety fold out chair at a six foot table, littered with campaign material, and ate, with none other than feminist extrodinare, Gloria Steinem!
It's funny, when you imagine having a chance to share ideas with someone so famous and influential, the idea of eating sub sandwiches on paper napkins never enters the dream.
We had a wonderful conversation about politics, feminism, matriarchal cultures, and ancient history. (My favorite subjects, as those of you who read this blog already know.)
I liked Gloria. Her energy was so soft, like the calm of Walden Pond; still and deep, and infinitely contemplative. As a person who used to work security at rock concerts, I am accustomed to the drill when celebrities are afoot. But it was not like that at all with Ms. Steinem. She wanted to talk to everyone. Not just the superficial handshake and smile stuff. She wanted to know what we were thinking, and where we stood on the issues.
When I complimented her on her down to earth persona, she replied "You know, you can't write effectively in isolation. As writers, we need all five of our senses. We need to get out in the world and explore. The writing is meaningless if it is not connected to a sense of community."
I hope she really meant that. I think she did, and I was honored she spoke to me as a fellow writer. I gave her an envelope with a note of thanks and a CD with some of my feminist essays. I hope she reads them. I hope she likes them, and I hope my little contribution will aid these two amazing women in their efforts to make our world a better place.
Gloria told me "It's all about hope."
And hope is exactly what I feel tonight.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Just a little Teaser
WHO is that woman in the back seat of my car and WHAT is she talking about????
(Just a little teaser... Full details tomorrow.)
G'nite all. This tired pup is off to dreamland.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Doin My Betsy Ross Bit
I just found out Gloria Steinam and Cecile Richards will be joining us in the trenches and then for dinner. How cool it that!?
-Stay tuned...


text:
Skull and Shackles Online
Welcome to the Skull and Shackles Online homepage.
This is a sandbox campaign centered around piracy that simulates a perpetual world. Non-player characters are not always scaled to an appropriate encounter-level. Evaluate your enemies carefully. In other words, many NPCs can and will kill you in one hit.
Characters will be built with a 15 point-buy system. They will be allowed to have two traits, though one must be a campaign trait. Class and archetype suggestions from the Skull and Shackles player's guide are strongly recommended. It is also suggested that the players communicate when designing their PCs in order to facilitate a balanced party (i.e. one warrior, one specialist, one arcane, and one divine). Characters will follow the medium advancement track.
We will be using the hero point system (Advanced Player's Guide pg. 322). I do not pull punches with my DM style. Hero points will often be the difference between a heroic victory and a total party kill. Use them wisely.
The game will take place over maptools v1.87. The day and time are yet to be determined.


text:
Sources: Verizon Not Passing on the Palm Pre
I hate to play the unnamed sources game, but I have unnamed sources like everyone else does. I just don't usually bust them out, because I prefer to use named sources that you, the reader, know you can trust.
When the rumor popped up that Verizon is passing on the Palm Pre, my unnamed sources in the industry - call them People Who Know A Lot Of Stuff, or Sources With Knowledge Of The Situation - were pretty derisive. Verizon hasn't passed on the Pre, my sources said; they're just letting Sprint have their time in the sun. But my unnamed sources also wanted to stay off the record, so I didn't write about the topic. They have since changed their minds, so as to make all this idiocy stop.
Reliable analysts with actual names agree with my People Who Dare Not Speak Their Names. Deutsche Bank's Jonathan Goldberg says Verizon will probably carry the Pre, and he has an actual name. (It's Jonathan Goldberg.) Tavis McCourt, whose mother named him Tavis McCourt, agrees that Verizon will probably carry the Pre.
Here's another name: Maggie Reardon, who quoted Jonathan Goldberg and Tavis McCourt in her story.
None of those names add up to the big one, though. Back in May, Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam - the biggest name you can get for this story - said his carrier would stock the Palm Pre. Nothing about that has changed, according to my faceless, hooded cabal of elders. Now, Verizon may decide to cancel the Pre between now and their planned launch date early next year. But for now, it's on track.
Verizon and Palm had no comment on any of this.Originally posted to Gearlog.


text:
Pics After The Jump
Chris Brown and Rihanna appear to be a couple again if recent photos are any indication. This news really shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who has been keeping up with the two in recent months. The only surprise is that haven't publicly admitted that they have rekindled the romance that came to a screeching halt in 2009 after Brown assaulted Riri.
In the latest public display of affection Rihanna tweeted a pic of her straddling Brown last night in Frankfurt, Germany after his concert there.
The two also celebrated Thanksgiving in Berlin together. Rihanna later tweeted a shirtless photo of Brown in bed, followed by her own topless photo.
"As far as our personal life, I think people just got to give it a chance — or not even give it a chance, but shut the hell up. It's me. At the end of the day, whatever opinion they have ain't going to change nothing I'm doing," Brown told Big Boy's Neighborhood earlier this month.
"To the world, I feel like there's no closure," Rihanna told Vogue recently. "There's some obsession that's continued even throughout when we weren't friends or couldn't be friends at all. Hated each other. The world hasn't let go. They haven't seen any progress in our friendship, because they don't see anything, really, besides the song."
Follow Me
Views: 120


text: Parliamentary Services – Wellington, New Zealand In partnership with UNIFY, Parliamentary Service implemented a Microsoft® Identity Management solution to replace its legacy Enterprise Directory. UNIFY Identity Broker helped to integrate with Microsoft Dynamics CRM while FIM (Forefront Identity Manager) Event Broker helped to achieve governance and near real-time synchronisation. Provisioning and deprovisioning users is now more efficient and takes only a few hours.


text:
Waiting Room - Johnny DiazPosted by Anthony DiGeorgio Wednesday, June 9, 2010 at 4:20 PM 0 comments
Here in this waiting room yearning for You to say go
And though I'm convinced that a yes would be best
This time You're telling me no
It's not that I don't have an answer
It's just not the one that I'd like
But through this time Lord I must keep in mind
You're always wiser than I
You have a much better purpose
And You have a far greater plan
And You have a bigger perspective
Cause You hold this world in your hands
The things that I seek are from You
Like the strong healing touch of your hand
But when You say no help me trust even though
There's a reason I can't understand
When that miracle comes cause Your answer is yes
I will praise you for all of my days
But when Your wisdom declares that a no is best
I will praise You just the same
Quote of the WeekPosted by Anthony DiGeorgio Saturday, May 29, 2010 at 7:05 PM 0 comments
"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the weaponry to make the difference."
Thought for the DayPosted by Anthony DiGeorgio Monday, May 24, 2010 at 7:03 PM 0 comments
Challenge of the Week: Be Courageous!Posted by Anthony DiGeorgio Friday, May 21, 2010 at 3:56 PM 0 comments
I've heard before that the one thing people fear more than death is public speaking. I've also been told that grape jelly tastes good on chicken. Whether either of these things are true, I am not sure - I will note that I'll never test the latter, though. Grape jelly on chicken? Seriously?
Anyway, back on topic (or, time to get on topic): whether it is true that people fear public speaking more than death or not, it illustrates how difficult we humans find many situations in our lives. As a Christian we can often find ourselves is the midst of fear. Fear of rejection when witnessing, fear of telling someone about Jesus, fear of making the wrong choice in a hard situation, the fear of appearing weak in faith to fellow Christians or friends...
We have a lot of things we can be afraid of. One of my biggest fears is misquoting the Bible - using the Word of God to suit my purposes, rather than God's. I also am always afraid when witnessing. There have been many times where I have felt the Spirit telling me to tell someone about God, to talk to them, and I have walked away, giving myself one of many excuses like, "Well, the person looked busy," or "That's a girl. I can't witness to a girl."
I've also been afraid when the world seems to be boxing me in. Bad stuff just keeps happening. I can't get a job. My grandfather just died. I get a huge bill from my student loan in the mail. Some of my old friends want me to hang out with them again, those friends who were a part of my life before I changed. When stuff like tis happens, it just always seems to feel like the world is crashing in on me, that someone or something is out to get me. When all this happens, my first reaction is to blame someone else. God is an easy one to blame, "God, why do you let all of this happen to me!" Or I blame my parents, "If they had raised me better, given me more chances, this wouldn't be happening!"
You know what I've found blaming someone does? It distracts me from overcoming my fear, from getting past those issues or problems in my life. It takes my focus off God, and His Word; the one book that has the answers I need.
During Wednesday night worship at my church we sang the song, "I Will Lift My Eyes" by Bebo Norman. The chorus of the song starts out with these lines:
I will lift my eyes to the Maker of the mountains I can't climb, I will lift my eyes to the Calmer of the oceans raging wild...
When we come to a situation that we fear, such as witnessing or making an important choice, they often are like huge, rocky mountains that can't be climbed. When things start happening in our lives and just keep piling up, and we have not idea what to do, and it seems like we are being boxed in from all sides; that's like being in a boat in the middle of an ocean, and it is raging wild - the boat is tossing and turning and we don't know what to do - we are afraid.
Pslam 16:8 says, "I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."
All of the mountains in our lives are smaller than God, no matter how big they may seem. When we put the Lord before us - when we focus our eyes on Him (by staying in the Word, praying and worshiping), He we lead us through those mountains. Whether He does so by moving the mountain, taking us around it or showing us the way up the mountain, He will get us past that feat, that mountain in our life (Matt 17:20).
In Mark 4:35-40 we read how Jesus calms the storm on the sea of Galilee. In the same way, God has the power to calm any storm that is causing the sea to rage in our lives. And sometimes the storm won't calm all the way, but Jesus will keep us safe until the seas settle once again.
If you are going through times of trouble, or find a fear in your life that looms above you like a giant mountain, focus your eyes on God and follow the path He sets for you. Know that as a Christian, He is always with you.
In Christ's love,
Anthony DiGeorgio
Ekklesia Radio: Being a Christian WitnessPosted by Ekklesia Church at 12:40 AM 0 comments
FreindsPosted by Anonymous Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at 8:57 PM 1 comment
Here is why. When entered high school I was young an innocent and very naïve and I had just transferred from a Evangelical Christian School, a private Christian school, to Riverdale High School, a stereotypical redneck school. And I was your classic prep school graduate who liked video games and reading, so it could be said that I wasn't exactly well known among this crowd. So it was only natural that I was a little desperate to make friends. Unfortunately I was not very discerning about who I became friends with. So I made friends with just about anybody that would talk to me... and pretty girls.
Whats so wrong with this you ask? This is how friends are made, you say, well just listen.
Like I said I was the innocent and naïve one, and it showed. In fact it was so bad, that I was told I shouldn't curse because it sounded wrong coming out of my mouth. So my friends, being so kind and considerate, decided to take it upon themselves to corrupt me. Hence began their campaign to dirty my thoughts, pervert my speech, and sour my mood. Soon I was listening to Green Day's Boulevard of Broken Dreams, cursing like any other high school student, and had become talented at crafting dirty jokes. Exactly the kind of person you would expect a son of God to be, right?
The problem was that I didn't head the advice of Psalms 1:1 - Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; - These people were not people of God and where not concerned with Him nor His statutes an where thus evil people. It was in there counsel I walked, I stood among them, and I sat in fellowship. I partook in there deeds, as they would partake. Now I live with the consequences. What they did to my mind can not be undone only subdued.
But there is a flip side to this story.
I now have great friends, who love God and encourage me in my walk with God. They keep me focused on God and confront me when I am in sin. These are the truest friends I have ever had in my life. They are legitimately concerned with my well being, not how far into depravity they can pull me. Instead then pull me into righteousness by being righteous themselves. These are the types on friends you should have.
So what now? What should you do with your depraved friends?
I wish I could say that the best thing to do it to dump all the bad influences in your life and marginalize friends who don't care about God, but I personally know that sometimes this isn't an option. For example, I have a friend whom if I were ever to abandon would curse God and my religion. Its a catch twenty-two, if I remove the this person from my life I would tarnish the name of the One whom I am trying to worship by leaving this friend. So I can personally attest to the fact that it is never as easy as it sounds. So I give you this advice, put your Godly friends above those who are not, but do not abandon the others, pray for them and witness to them, so that one day they might become a friend that is as close as a brother.
DoubtPosted by Anonymous Wednesday, May 12, 2010 at 11:59 AM 0 comments
Have you ever doubted your faith?
I have.
I did it this morning, in fact. It happened while I was listening to one of my favorite podcast; the subject was morality. They were telling a story about primates and how they settle arguments in the end it was concluded, with enough evidence to compel me, that primates have a sense of morality. It had always been my belief, though I won't go into the details now, that the one quantifiable quality that separated us from our animal friends was the ability to understand right and wrong as is seemingly stated in Genesis. I was wrong.
Right then an there, like a swift punch in the gut, doubt exploded in my mind.
How can primates know the difference between is right or wrong? And yet there it was, proof that they do. How can this be?
The sting of doubt is one that is familiar to us all. At some point in our lives we will doubt God and religion. We will read something, hear something, or experience something, that will bring doubt racing into our vulnerable minds. If you try to prevent it you will fail, it is a fact of life that doubt will come. Like a weed it will grow rapidly and fill your thoughts and try to choke out your faith.
So how do you fight it?
Simple. You don't.
Well sort of. After hearing that story about the moral capacity of primates, I was filled with doubt, but I used that doubt to fuel my search for answers. I began to dive into science articles and news reports and found a few very exciting fact. Humans are the only animals with the capacity for moral judgment. The primates have only instinctual understandings of morality. (I will be talking about this experiment in a later blog) As soon as I learned this that cloud of doubt disappeared. Replaced by a stronger faith and greater understanding of God and the universe he created.
Doubt doesn't have to be evil, sometimes it can be the very thing that leads you into a deeper relationship with God. If you ever doubt your faith in God, or anything for that matter, just use that doubt to fetter out the truth and then be even stronger in your beliefs.
A Thought for the DayPosted by Anthony DiGeorgio Monday, May 10, 2010 at 12:47 PM 0 comments
Anthony's Challenge of the Week: Be Encouraged!Posted by Anthony DiGeorgio Saturday, May 8, 2010 at 4:00 PM 0 comments
Sometimes I spend hours upon hours trying to think of a story or a situation in my life that I can use to help illustrate a point I want to make. Ask pastors/reverends/ministers about it. Ever notice how they always seem to have a story that fits? Sometimes I just can't think of a good story to fit my point, and it takes forever.
This week I didn't have that problem, because I can think of hundreds of times I have been in need of encouragement. Every one of us has those stories - times when we were broken and tired physically, emotionally and spiritually. Sometimes we tell ourselves: "If only someone would encourage me. If only someone would give me a boost."
Sometimes things happen - sometimes a lot of things - that seem to drain us. The death of a family member, the "big breakup," losing a job or a hundred other things. These things almost always seem to just pile up an accumulate, and we just don't know what to do. We just... need something, some one.
I like to consider myself pretty close to God. I have a long way to go, no doubt about it, but the Big Guy and I have a pretty good relationship. That being said, sometimes it is just hard to turn to Him for help, for support. In fact, the more discouraged I get, sometimes the harder it seems to focus on God. It is like the discouragement has clouded my vision, making I hard to see the truth I know.
Psalms 34:18-19 - The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are
crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.
God is and will always be the ultimate encouragement. Know this: That no matter what happens, how terrible things seem to be turning and how much you think you can just not do it on your own, God is there! He is close to the broken hearted - it is as if when you hand fallen, he kneels next to you, holding His hand out in an offer to help you out. Sometimes it is hard to see that hand through the tears and the pain, but He is there! Accept the hand!
Not only that, but God has given us other Christians. The Bible tells us that we are all members or the same body, so when on part is hurting, the whole body feels the pain. We are to help and support and encourage each other. One of the kindest things someone had ever done for me I remember as clearly as it was yesterday.
I was going through a very tough time in my life. I didn't tell anyone - I was holding in all the pain, hurt and despair. No one, as far as I had known, was any the wiser - they had no idea. In fact, I always seemed extremely happy. Anyway, one day a man at my church handed me a small, folded piece of paper when he shook my hand. I knew him, but not extremely well. He didn't say anything, but gave me a kind smile. I opened it and read the simple, powerful message. It said something along these lines:
"Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be moved. - Psalm 52:22
I have and will always be praying for you.
Love, One who also struggles"
I didn't start crying, but I had wanted to. The note seemed to open a flood gate that I had built in my heart. That night I went home and spent a long time praying, giving my burden to God. I had heard that verse before, had known it... but for some reason, being reminded of it by a fellow Christian just broke me down. The following day was my first day free from the slavery of the despair I had been experiencing. It was the first time in what seemed like months my spirit was renewed.
If you are at a point where you are doubting or experiencing a situation where you are discouraged know that you are not alone. You do not have to struggle by yourself. Not only do you have the body of Christ here to support and love you, but you have the creator, the Father - God.
Be encouraged! Be encourages because, no matter what you are going through, God is right there to help you. Be encouraged because, whether or not people of this world acknowledge and thank you for what you do, God knows. So don't grow tired while doing good! Be encouraged because you have a body here on Earth that is going through some of the same things you are – you are not alone. That is where despair comes from, the thought that we are alone – but we aren't.
John 16:33 - These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
In Christ's Love,
Anthony DiGeorgio