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11 comments
I am a Brags Medallion honoree, and would love for you to review my Medallion book, but would like to know if there is a fee.
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I am an Indie B.R. A .G. Medallion honoraree, and I have been referred to you for a review. I'd love it if you would be willing to review my book. Please let me know your submission guidelines. Best.
I just read that Words A Plenty is accepting B.R.A.G.Medallion Honorees for review. Please send me an email with additional information! I'd be interested in learning more. Thanks!
Thanks Charla for your review of my book. I liked it a great deal. I also forwarded it to Dan Lawson, who was also very pleased.
All the best, John
I would love to be interviewed/reviewed for my two BRAG Medallion winners, Hollow and Vain Pursuits. How do we do that?
I am also an IndieBRAG honouree and would welcome the opportunity to have Gisborne: Book of Kings reviewed please.
Hello Words A Plenty,
I would also like to contribute my Honoree book for reviews.
My novel, Return to Taylor's Crossing, has just received an Indie B.R.A.G. Medallion. I would love to have you review it. Please let me hear how to proceed, and if I mail you a hard copy.
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I would like for as many people as possible to read my new Playwright Book called "The Locks Hated On With A Smile" and tell me what they think it's available on Amazon, Kobo and Nook check it out
I'd like to start by thanking you for reading and reviewing my book Ghosters 2: The Library Ghost. As an author, I'm always looking for book reviews, but that's even more important now, since the third book in my middle-grade series, Ghosters 3: The Secrets of the Bloody Tower, has just come out. So, I've come to you. Would you be interested in reading it and writing me an honest review? I can send you any version of e-book or paperback, if that's what you prefer.
Diana Corbitt


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HRIS implementation projects are usually exciting at the beginning, but can quickly dissolve into a mess. Even with the best planning and the most compatible software, sometimes unexpected situations arise that derail the project. Instead of simply hoping for the best, taking action can help to turn the project around.
1. Admit There Is a Problem
The first step is always admitting there is a problem. While no company wants their implementation project to fail, recognizing that things aren't going as planned can allow a company to turn things around before they have gone too far to salvage. After everyone agrees that there is a problem, it is possible to get to work figuring out what the problem is and how to fix it.
2. Meet with Project Staff
If a project is going south, the implementation team is likely worried and possibly feeling disgruntled. While the purpose of calling a meeting is to reassess goals, pinpoint issues, and create a timeline, it is important to make sure that these issues are being addressed in the most positive way possible. If a project is already failing, the worst thing you can do is beat up the people that are working hard to make it work – you want them motivated to do what it takes to make the project a success.
3. Consider Reassigning Project Team Roles
In some cases, HRIS implementation projects fail because the team managers are inexperienced or ineffective. Interviewing project team members separately may be necessary to figure out whether the project team needs to be reworked. If there is reason for concern, it is best to take action to change the project team as quickly as possible.
4. Beware of the Blame Game
When a high dollar project starts to go bad, it is easy to start with blaming. However, whether the failure is the fault of the vendor, the HR staff, the implementation team members, or the employees, placing blame does not help to fix the issue. All parties must work together to solve the problems with the project so that the HRIS can run smoothly.
5. Allot More Resources As Needed
Trying to move forward with a project without putting more people or money towards the job may be a mistake. If the project is failing because team members are struggling to complete all of the tasks or are being stretched thin trying to answer employees' questions and keep up, a pep talk and even a reassignment is not likely to fix the problem. Since the company has already invested money in the HRIS, it may be worth assigning additional employees to the task or otherwise using resources to turn the ailing project around.
6. Revise the Project
Many companies start out with very ambitious plans for their HRIS, with many different tasks being automated. It may be necessary to scale down the project and implement or transition in phases in order to keep the project from becoming overwhelming. In some cases, it may be necessary to pull back and start from scratch, using the new plan to make the project more realistic for the team.
Request Free HR Software Demos
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subset: commoncrawl


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No more Water
Work is done, the water gone… time for a beer!
Work is done, the water gone… time for a beer!
In the old foundry, most of the machines standing around during during our last visit are gone. What remains is emptiness and a thick layer of dust…
In the dark basement of the old foundry, a long lavatory stands in front of the showers and lockers. Washing after work was needed – after just a few hours of exploring I was all black. And that from an abandoned factory without work in
Below the old foundry, in the locker room, a phone hangs on the wall. Ready for a call "Shift is over – I'm coming home!". A picture form the 2nd visit on last Saturday.
Last weekend we finally went to visit the Château Banana in France. Even if it is a unique piece for urbexing it gives mixed feelings – rather like an exhibition than a discovery: half of the rooms are staged for photo shoots while others are…
Under the roof of the Clinique du Diable… all is dark except of one tiny window that lets a little light in. In the spooky attic some silver shiny pipes emerge from the floor and disappear in walls…
Whoever played the piano last must have given quite a show.
Empty eyes (literally) and a look like an alien… The empty hull of a dragonfly larva.
A cat from our neighborhood… If she's around when we go for a walk, she always comes to get some petting.
Sarina's kitchen is quite a mess… I did not figure since when the tavern is abandoned – but it must be a while.


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I have already hinted here about my fears that I am not really using my degree. After spending all of High School, College, and my first four years of teaching in rehearsal every night and always working on finding the next play, I haven't directed or been onstage for eight years (It is also the reason I am in a sort of arrested pop culture development. I know far less Seinfeld than others my age and hardly even saw movies during that era. I was in rehearsal.). In those eight years, I find myself wondering more about why I don't miss it than actually missing the stage at all.
Then sometime, I remember. Call it the Peaches and Herb Effect. When I spend time with friends from that time, it makes me think about the stage again, almost even miss it. I have talked more in the last year with old college friends more than I did for the whole last decade combined, and I find the urge creeping again. Here's what's funny, though, I don't know that the old crazy extrovert is eliminating my new more introverted self as just leveling it out. I want to enroll in the stand up comedy classes I found, but want to find time for a sock knitting class also. I want to introduce the person I was to the person I am now and see if they get along.
I like it here in the center. If I do take time to perform again, it's not going to be the crazy "I have to do this to make a name for myself and have a show all the time" life but I don't ever want to be as introverted as I became when my depression was at its worst.
So here's to the new year, and the center.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Trying To Center Myself
Posted by educat at 1/01/2006 08:29:00 PM
2 comments:
It must be our age, as I've found myself lately asking the question "If I met the old me on the street, what would I think of myself?!"
For what it's worth, as someone who knew you then, and tries to keep up with you now (although not as well as I should from Nash-vegas), my opinion is that the center agrees with you!
As to the new year, I'm striving to lurk a bit less (I know you hate that I flit around the edges and never have anything to say!)
Happy New Year!
- educat said...
You actually should have been present at said conversation. I wondered if you were holiday-ing here in the OC. It was a lovely visit. They'll soon be an email, or phone call, or something to recount the details.
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Chapter Thirteen V
Janah, "Good enough. You're right, his days are numbered. We may still have to deal with him. He must be followed and reported on. Please tell David the birds should continue to follow him and report if he appears to be making trouble."
Despite her instruction, Janah is uncertain. She is reluctant to kill him outright, but she takes Chan's observation seriously. It unsettles her.
I can feel your dissonance. Let Black put him out of everyone's misery.
I'm thinking it over.
Chan leaves to deliver the message, understanding he could not avoid the birds telling David what they knew regarding any killing.
David Li answers his father's unspoken concern, "Father, do you think I don't understand death? I hear from my friends of the deaths of their companions all the time. They do not fear death because they do not dwell on it. They are saddened for a time, but soon forget. They do not live as long as we, they have a different sense of time. They are killed by old age, by accidents, or as a consequence of some other animal's need for food. They eat grain, but they eat insects and worms as well. Death recycles life."
Chan nods. His son is more familiar with death than he himself. That's why, he determines, Janah has no concern over David receiving reports from the birds. Even reports about his Aunt Nikko or his father hurting or killing someone. His animal friends do what's necessary to drive off predators or to survive. It is Chan who has learned, he bows to his son. David Li smiles at his powerful dad.
Chan, "As always, Master J understands ahead of the rest of us. And understands a parent's concern for their child."
Janah, "Daphne and I meditate for the relief of suffering. The universe gave us Nikko, you, Black and now David Li to help. We are poor stewards of our gifts if we do no nurture and protect them. There is no guarantee of safety. If our friends decide the danger is too great for their families, then Daphne and I continue alone. There is no obligation."
Chan, "There is no question of our continuing."
Black, "You already know where I am. Besides, even if I was inclined to back off, I'd never be able to face Sonia. She knows who saved her life. We gonna finish this one, then take on whatever comes next."
Two weeks go by, things are as normal as life allows for us. Nikko's experience facing down Huang apparently has flooded her with an intense need for frequent sex.
I hope she doesn't have to whack off too many heads, we may never leave the bedroom.
Janah giggles, Well, if the necessity does arise, I'll just have to do my part to help her reset. I don't see you complaining any about getting jumped everyday.
When have I ever complained about being jumped?
Janah, No, you couldn't. That's your role in life, to give it up. Thank goodness.
I thought you sought me out for help and protection?
Janah, Sex is the help part.
Chan is coming.
Janah, God, that hearing. Ning I can hear clicking up in her heels. Chan doesn't make noise.
A knock on the door, it's….well, we already know who it is.
Chan, "David Li is on the roof. There's a problem with Fourth."
Janah, "Anyone hurt?"
"Not yet, but he's finagled an old woman for a free room, and asking for, or demanding, money, food or clothes from shop owners. He leaves with packages or cash."
David Li comes in the still open door, "Bird says Fourth has injured a small boy, only for being in his way as he climbed the stairs. He told the boy to move, when he took too long, Fourth waved his hand and the boy's head cracked against the bricks bordering the stairs. He is unconscious. Someone saw him there and they took him to the hospital. We don't know anymore."
Janah, "Where is he living?'
David gives her an address in Brooklyn.
Janah, "Thank you for your attentiveness. Thank your friends for me please. By the way, do they know which apartment Fourth lives in?'
"Of course, third floor, back left. They sit on his small windowsill, or sometimes the building facing his. There is an alleyway between them. He sits alone, eats, does a lot of meditation, practices some sort of exercise like Aunt Daphne's gung fu, but not the same exactly. Very slow."
Chan, "Tai chi, it would serve his purpose for qi meditation."
Janah calls Black, "I've made a serious error in judgment. Fourth is making more than just an annoyance of himself, a child had been hospitalized. Do you want to do it, do you need Daphne or Nikko?
Black. "Just give me the address. I wanted that puke the first time I laid eyes on him, guess I'm not such a great Buddhist."
Janah, "You are who you are. Your sense of him was better than mine. I'm going to inquire after the boy, we don't have a name, just where he was injured and where he was taken. The Society will find him. Hopefully a concussion and an overnight stay. But Fourth has been up to other annoyances, he's not going to follow any rules. I have made an error I will not make again."
Janah gives him the location, Black hangs up.
Chapter Fourteen V
If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative.
Woody Allen
Fourth isn't simple, ready when Black busted in the door. Black gets his eye popped, and the smaller man hit him hard. It isn't going to be like dealing with Chan, but it's going to be a handful.
Fourth takes a swipe at Black again, earns a busted rib for his trouble. He throws a knife, Black dodges getting it in the chest, but the blade catches him in the triceps. Black pulls it out and forwards it at Fourth's head. He twists away, still cuts him across the cheek.
Fourth tries to lay him out with a shoulder tackle, does a good job for man his size. Black is pushed against the wall, grabs the doorjamb, Fourth slams the door against it and breaks a finger.
Black is getting tired of the asshole, he smiles. Fourth can't process the smile and what must be a very painful finger, and a deep puncture in the big man's arm. Confused is how he lived his life, and confused is how he dies. The knuckles on Blacks' massive fist crush his breastbone and stop his heart, dead even as Black's second strike, four straightened fingertips, crushes his thorax.
Black smiled because he realized that if his sister Nikko had come instead, Fourth would have been headless before he got to say hello. Then he thought it more likely, because of the little boy, Fourth would have still died, just over two or three days. Probably why Janah sent him instead.
Black retrieves the knife, wipes what he'd touched. He goes to the sink and washes his hands; fingers through the throat had been bloody work. He pours bleach over and down the sink, and on any spatters that he thought might have been from the cut on his arm. He's bald, no hair fibers to find.
He gets cubes out of the ice bin in the refrigerator, packs them into a doubled plastic bag, lays the bag against his eye, and holds a few cubes in the hand with the broken finger.
He looks around. Fourth had talked himself into a nice place, new refrigerator, automatic ice maker, even a washer and dryer. One bedroom, a remodeled bathroom, the apartment is too good for him. It's already a mess, stuff in the sink unwashed, the garbage can overflows. His few clothes are draped over a couple of chairs and in a heap in the floor.
Black wonders, 'Think a dude with all that qi power would use some of it to keep his crib clean.'
He closes the busted door and leaves. There had been unusual noises in a respectable apartment building. Being New York, most people ignored it, but somebody hadn't. Black takes the back way and as he emerges a block further down the street, a police car pulls up to the building. He keeps to the shadows in the opposite direction. A mile of zigzags later, he calls Sonia, she picks him up.
"Sorry to drag you out baby, but I can't get on the subway bleeding like this, with a busted finger and a swollen eye. The transit cops would be all over me."
"You think I wouldn't be more pissed if you hadn't called? You said you had serious temple business. I'm not so stupid as to think it meant going to a meditation session?"
Black, "Slow down, I got to lose these shoes."
He tosses his big sneakers one at a time over the rail on the Brooklyn Bridge.
Sonia picks up speed again and soon they're at the temple.
Janah fusses quietly, "Did somebody tell you to take that gel pack off your eye? Leave it where I put it."
Black, "Geez, it's frozen solid already."
Janah, "It's a gel pack, you aren't getting frostbite, Just do what you're told, and lie still."
She jams a needle of Lidocaine in his arm, another in his finger, then stitches his arm, "It's deep, but we got it full of antibiotic, and the bleeding has stopped. Good thing it's so much muscle or he might have caught an artery."
She yanks his finger straight, even with the Lidocaine, he flinches.
"It's broken, not fractured, he got it good. It feels lined up. But there's no way to tell without an x-ray. I'll splint it for now, but we need to call dad and see if we can get an x-ray without a lot of questions."
She calls James, "I need for Black to have an x-ray, one that never happened."
James, "I'll call the lab, you know where it is. Take him directly there, not to admissions. Wear robes. Nobody will ask. Get the x-ray copies from the tech, you can read them well enough. If his finger is lined up properly, it will be obvious. If it's not, then you have to give it another go. It'll hurt like hell, but there's no alternative without admitting him. I'll see you at the lab."
The tech does his job and evaporates. Janah had lined up the finger as good as it would get without operating on it.
Black, "If it's a bit crooked, who cares. Will it work normally?"
James, "Yes, actually the broken part will be stronger once it mends. But give it time. Screw up and bust it again, then we have to cut it open, put in a pin, then more time to heal and limited flexibility."
Sonia, "He'll be good, or he'll have a lot more pain than just a busted finger."
Black smiles at his woman. She isn't joking. Sonia nearly died, but found the strength to live with the help of Janah and a booster from me. What emerged from her trauma is a tough, capable young woman. She loves her big man, but she could go toe to toe with him when it comes to personal matters. She knows his life will occasionally involve danger, possibly deadly danger. But that has passed for now, and he would mind Janah's instruction or face Sonia's wrath. Seems easier to just to follow the simple directions.
"I get it. Don't worry. I want this to heal up and be done with it. So everybody can chill. At least it's the same arm he stuck the knife in. I still have one fully operational, that's something."
Sonia kisses her honey, "Let's get home and start your recuperation. Janah could probably do some things to move it along faster, but it's going to heal up one way or the other."
Janah, "Good. Let us know how things are mending. If there's the slightest problem, call. We'll get him any necessary treatment. Keep the wound clean, but don't go into overkill, redressing it daily will be plenty. Don't be shy about the antibiotic cream. The black eye will be gone in a couple of days with ice and liniment. His finger will be fine if he leaves it alone for at least three weeks, then slow movements and light massage. For now, use the liniment on his finger, not the wound. It contains capsaicin, which will make the blood flow and facilitate healing. It's a strong variety, it will burn for a while, that's normal. After three weeks, start to squeeze a tennis ball, flex it, but don't go crazy. In a couple of months, you'll be all set."
Black hugs Janah, he and Sonia leave. James gives Janah a ride back to the temple.
"I don't suppose there's much you can tell me about this?'
"If it's under doctor patient confidentiality."
"Of course. But if you don't want to say, even under the ground rules, I understand."
Janah, "Only because it's rather ugly, and I'm never comfortable with the things we sometimes do."
She recaps the story of the OM, his disciples and the necessity of two killings. James recalls Janah telling him about the time, long ago, when she had seen a grown man bully and hit a woman, nearly hit a young boy, and getting pushed to ground as a consequence of intervening. He knows his daughter. She is hardly naïve, she studied abuse, they had talked about it. For all her compassion, she has little tolerance for sheer meanness. Compassion is not suffering, it is the removal of suffering. If making some dork absent from the living relieved suffering, then that's how it would be.
James, "There's nothing else to do Janah. There's no police evidence. The child doesn't likely know that the one you call Fourth had anything to do with him hitting his head. Black had no choice. Hell, he'd already been dealt with once, given a chance he proved he didn't deserve."
Janah's cell goes off, it is Mrs. Epstein, "Hello dearest. Where are you, can you talk?"
Janah, "Dad's giving me a ride to the temple. Black needed a finger x-rayed without the complications of forms and nosy questions."
Mrs. Epstein, "Tell James hello for me, do you have a moment?'
Janah, "Yes, what about the boy? I presume that's why you're calling."
"He's not dead, and that's the only good news. His skull wasn't cracked. Bernie tells me that's not always good. There is swelling, they've drained the fluid, but had to leave an opening until the injury quits producing so much liquid. Your father will know, perhaps you already do.
Janah, "More than I want to. Who's the doctor?"
"Dr. Franklin Parsons, it's a Brooklyn hospital, your dad may not have even heard of him. We've checked his background, deeply. Two malpractice suits, one he refused to settle and he won. The second settled with no admission on his side of anything. Sounds like a cost efficiency decision. Otherwise, he's got a good rep. He's been in the brain business a long time, he's bound to have been sued. Almost more surprising he hasn't been sued more often, thirty years of surgeries, two suits. He must be pretty damn good."
"Thank you, I'll tell dad," they ring off.
Janah recaps the story to James.
"I'll call Ted Jensen in the morning. He'll know the guy. If he's as described then the boy is in good hands."
Chapter Fifteen V
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
Ecclesiastes 9:11
James calls early.
"I could have called last night, Jensen was still at the hospital, I should have known. Dr. Parsons is well known to him, they've golfed occasionally, talked neurosurgery and played poker in the club's locker room. Parson's a decent golfer, twelve handicap, a lousy poker player, Jensen loves it when he's in the game, says he always cleans him out. To the point, the boy will be touch and go for weeks. Until the swelling subsides and Parsons can have a scan that means something, and perhaps take a look inside, he can't render an opinion of any real substance. He says if the boy emerges unscathed, it will be the first time he's see this level of swelling with no consequences. I'm sorry baby. What can I do?"
"Do you think there's anything we can do?"
"Something you did pulled Sonia through. Ted has, of course, heard the story, it's been a bit of a legend at our hospital. I'll ask him, and maybe Bernie, to run it by Parsons. He's the doc, it's his call."
The next day, Janah sits with Dr. Parsons in his office at Brooklyn Medical.
"I'm skeptical, and we wouldn't be sitting here at all if you had called out of the blue. But I've got a lot of respect for Ted Jensen, and I've given him a lot of my money over the poker table, so I pay attention when he makes a suggestion. The boy's skull wasn't cracked open, in a way that's the problem, the tests showed swelling, so I installed a "relief valve" (intra-cranial pressure monitor or ICP) to let off the excess pressure."
Janah, "But there's no way to tell what tearing may have occurred, connections broken."
"You seem to know something about this. Been talking to your dad I guess."
Janah doesn't elaborate. She'd read all the current literature on traumatic brain injury and the treatment modalities. There is nothing to do until he regains consciousness, can be talked to and monitored for abnormalities. As best the surgeon can tell from talking with the parents he is a normal child, no pre-injury brain dysfunction, just a kid like any other.
Parsons, "What do you think you can do?"
Janah, "Maybe nothing. We practice an form of internal energy, which allows for a particular sensitivity to the energy flow in another. Mostly, I have to touch the person to get a feel for this energy flow. It is not invasive, I just get a feel for his internal strength. After that, we talk about any next steps."
Parsons, "His vitals are fine, heart rate normal. A little slow but he's just lying there. Blood pressure is a bit low, he was bleeding internally after all. His breathing is regular. He is immobile, there are no jerky movements, as if he were dreaming, or there was some physical abnormality emanating from his brain. There's no reason you can't see him, I'll have to discuss it with the parents. Do you want me to do it with or without you?"
"If I can be in the room, I will be able to tell if they are concerned, or dubious. If they are hiding anything, I'll know. You can check with my father or Dr. Epstein. I don't expect you to just take my word for it. I'm not offended, you'd be doing your job."
"Let me make a few calls, then perhaps we can talk to the parents."
An hour later, Janah is with Dr. Parsons and two obviously distraught parents. Thirty minutes later she's in the room with the boy and a priest. The parents are Catholic, they consulted the priest; he saw no reason not to see what Janah came up with.
Janah lays her hand on the boy's head, then his neck, then his chest. She ends up holding her hands on his bare feet. It takes about fifteen minutes, then Janah and the priest are back in Parson's office.
Janah, "He's not going to die. He's young, his energy level, as your tests indicated, is good. He will have trouble walking at first, and his speech will be slow. That is, he will be slow to respond, but I think he will understand what he's told. Please ask the parents to be patient with him. His muscle tone is excellent, he was an active little boy, and will be again, but not for a while. If you wish, we can visit him when he's awake and stronger. We can perhaps speed up his recovery with some gentle energy application. But I do not want to frighten the parents. They are free to believe the help comes from God, or to not have any additional involvement with us at all."
The priest asks, "Who is "us?"
"There are several monks with healing qi. You need not believe in it for it to work."
"These people aren't rich."
Janah, "We require no payment, we do not want any recognition. In fact, it's better if nothing is said."
The priest says, "God provides. I don't mean that in some Christian Science way. God brought you here from my point of view. I'll talk to the parents. We'll see."
Janah turns to Parsons, "Good enough. If you want us back, all you need to do is call. In a way, it will be better to find out what, if anything, is the real long term damage. We can, if you wish, speed up the healing of his brain as well. But you will naturally want to consider that. You have no reason to think we can do anything, nor that anything we do won't make things worse. I understand."
Dr. Parsons, "Then let's see what develops. I'll call Jensen with an update."
Janah stops by to see the grieving parents with the priest in tow. She doesn't want anyone thinking she talked them into something."
"Senor and Senora Hernandez," she speaks to them in Spanish.
"Your son is strong. He will get better. I appreciate the difficulty of the decisions you will have to make. I have spoken to the doctor with Father Geraldo. He is free to relate our conversation to you. We are Shaolin priests, and we have offered our services to any degree we are capable. We will be in constant meditation for the swift healing of your son."
"Gracias, senorita. How did you hear about him?"
Janah wondered when someone would ask, she couldn't go into how of course, she said, "A lady I don't know told a friend of ours, I felt compelled to ask after him, I'm not sure why."
"God decides, He gave you the inspiration."
Janah nods, nothing else to do, she bows and leaves, the priest sits with them and they bend their heads together in what appears to be prayer. When Janah gets on the elevator they are staring at her, then begin to talk. I'm waiting for her in the lobby downstairs, we return to the temple.
"I followed the conversation. You think the doctor is skeptical, the priest is open minded and the parents can't think at all right now."
Janah, "Pretty well sums it up. I have an issue to struggle with."
"You mean that we didn't take out Fourth in the first place? That's not an issue, Janah. If we had, then you would be wondering if we could have refocused him rather than taking his life. Black gave that a go the first time. This is a no win thought process."
"Okay, you're right. The boy speaks mostly Spanish, I can tell from listening to the parents, who speak little English themselves. They struggle to get into a decent apartment building, to raise their child out of some barrio, and they get this for their trouble. Likely the boy was only trying to process what Fourth was saying. This is what happens when qi sensitivity goes wrong."
"So what do we do about the other three?"
Janah, "I don't know. Do we kill everybody involved? The other three are children in the art. They can't do any damage with their skills, they aren't nearly well formed enough. Are they likely to do something stupid?"
"If we start killing stupid people, we'll be pretty busy."
Chapter Sixteen V
The evening star was on the hill, but soon she would drop from sight. In the distance an owl was calling, and all about one the insect world of the night was alive and busy; yet the stillness was not broken. It held everything in it, the stars, the lonely owl, the myriad insects. If one listened to it, one lost it; but if one were of it, it welcomed one. The watcher can never be of this stillness; he is an outsider looking in, but he is not of it. The observer only experiences, he is never the experience, the thing itself.
J. Krishnamurti, Commentaries on Living
Three weeks pass. The boy is recovering, conscious and talking. His comprehension, as Janah had suggested, is slow, and he has trouble with balance. He said that a man got angry with him, and he fell against the wall, unclear on whether he'd been hit. Consequently, the family has only a vague idea of what happened, but they were told the man was just a brute, and had obviously been in some sort of trouble as he was subsequently found dead. They made it seem like he was a scared, angry bully and left it at that. That he was dead didn't hurt the parents' feelings any.
Dr. Parsons didn't ask. He assumed the boy had fallen on his own. Father Geraldo, on the other hand, understands evil. He didn't know much about qi, he looked it up. In his Christian mind, Christ had healed by laying his hands on people. But that was the Son of God, not a girl in a Manhattan Buddhist temple. Still, he thought, God did what He did through human agency, miracles had been few and far between in Father Geraldo's experience. In fact, he had never witnessed one that couldn't be explained without the miracle part. Naturally, he'd heard about Our Lady of this and the Madonna that, but he put no stock in weeping statues or water at Lourdes. He is a middle aged priest, not a mystic.
His conversation with the parents is simple. He could not say if we could help the boy heal. He did ease their concerns by saying Buddhists did not try and convert anyone to any beliefs, and that there are actually Christian Buddhists in certain parts of the world.
The parents found the young woman comforting in their short conversation, and she spoke Spanish. They told Father Geraldo that if he would monitor the child as best he could given his other duties, they would give their consent.
The boy, Manolo, is home finally. He watches television, walking is an effort, he loses his balance frequently. He comprehends, but is slow in responding, the effort for him is enormous.
"Let's bring him to the temple for a couple of weeks. The priest can visit, the parents can visit. The monks will see it as their obligation to help him with his balance, and to talk with him. He speaks enough English, and you'll be there to help him over any language hurdles. His brain is rewiring, he's not otherwise physically injured, his skull didn't crack."
Janah, "It's either that or I send you and Nikko to Brooklyn to work with him on balance. His language will pick up, but he must be talked to, and be required to respond. If you're patient, he won't be intimidated."
"Maybe that's best to start, let the folks get used to us rather than take off their injured son to Manhattan. The priest says he sits and watches TV all day. His parents do their best, but they both work and there's a grandmother who speaks no English at home caring for him, that's it."
Janah calls Father Geraldo and explains the idea. He likes it. The doctor said the boy needed physical and verbal stimulation. Dr. Parsons wanted to be reassured there would be nothing physically strenuous, and warns us that he might tire easily. He's leery, but the parents are also erratic about bringing him in for physical therapy, we're a better than nothing alternative.
Nikko and I go to Brooklyn four times a week. We clear out a space in the small yard, then I do two gung fu forms while Nikko explains. The boy's eye's wide as I sail through the air, hardly able to follow my hands and feet. Nikko does the beginner taekwondo forms, Il Jang.
I ask him if he would like to learn it.
It's better than asking him if he wanted to be a rock star. He nods eagerly.
"Do you really want to learn? It takes a while to get it right."
The boy nods again.
"You have to tell me you want to learn. If Nikko is going to instruct you she has to hear you say it, in either English or Spanish. You must say, 'I want Senorita Nikko to teach me taekwondo."
He hesitates, bobbing his head, looks up at me, my smile trumps his frustration, "I w…w..want Seniorita….n…n.nnn. Nikko….I ffff
I start again, word by word, until he can tell Nikko he wants her to teach him. Then she gets him to say it all in Spanish. Then in English again, then again in Spanish. It takes a half hour, but he does it. Nikko high fives him, he beams like he's gotten an A in rhetoric.
"You can relearn how to balance. I'm sure you are tired of falling and running into things. We can teach you to be a regular boy again, but you have to do two things. Ask me what they are."
"Wh…wh…what….are…the …t..t…two…things?"
"First, do the best you can. It won't be perfect, we don't care. What is important is that you try. Second, when you are tired, you must say so. If we practice for fifteen minutes and you are tired, it's okay. We'll quit and practice the next time. Do you promise?"
Manolo nods.
"You have to answer,'" I smile my blazing heartthrob smile, "I know you can do it."
Manolo, "I…will do my…b…best and…uh…."
"You will tell us when you are tired."
Manolo starts to nod, I cock my head, Manolo gets it, "I will….say, wh...wh…when…I…am…tired."
I smile again, which makes Manolo grin. He wants to do well for us. That will have to do, we'll teach him to do well for himself, but first things first.
"Do you want to learn a few steps of the form Nikko showed you? Just a few. It's how we teach everyone. It takes all new students a while to learn the steps. And sometimes they fall down when they are learning. It's good to fall down, it's fun. And Nikko will show you how to fall down without hurting yourself."
Manolo, "Sh….She can…do…th…that?"
"Nikko is a wonderful instructor. Just remember your promise, what was it?"
Manolo is blank for a while, then, "I have…to do…as…g….good …as I….can, and….."
I wait, he brightens, "And I have to….s…say….if...I am tired."
We high five again.
I go inside, Nikko takes Manolo very slowly through the first four or five movements of Tae Geuk Il Jang. Manolo has trouble coordinating the left step movement and his down block. They do it tai chi style, very slowly. I watch from the kitchen window, drinking a cup of coffee so strong it reminds me of Miss Alva's.
Manolo's mother is there, she is silently weeping. The priest is watching from the kitchen table. This is the closest thing to a miracle he'd ever seen, and it's damn well good enough he decides.
Every other day, we go to the boy's house. After a month, the parents let us take him to the temple for a two week stay. That turns into a week at home, two weeks back at the temple, then a full month. Janah works on him for an hour, but he is so fascinated with the gung fu practice he can't sit still any longer than that. She decides his interest is a good thing. His parents come every weekend, the priest at least once during the week, then one day Dr. Parsons shows up.
"I had to come see for myself. I'm having trouble digesting what I'm being told. I hope you don't mind if I observe for a while."
Janah, "Manolo is in the garden with David Li, the son of Chan Li, one of our monks. Manolo has been learning about plants from Master David.
We call the David Li, his full name, Master David is Chan's childhood friend, they entered the temple together, Chan named his son after David. Manolo is also learning and about birds, plants and insects from David Li. Please, let's go quietly, we can observe from the edge of the garden."
Dr. Parson's is awestruck, he can barely process what he's seeing. There are a dozen birds surrounding the two boys. The Chinese boy appears to be talking with them. They sit on his knees, his shoulders, he holds out grain and they approach and eat fearlessly. Manolo is also feeding them, laughing and jabbering away a mile a minute. Talking to the young boy beside him and turning to ask questions.
Janah and the doctor slip back to her office.
"I never imagined such a thing as possible. His parents tell me he is learning taekwondo from a Japanese girl, that he is incessantly asking questions and, while still speaking somewhat hesitantly, has no balance problems, in fact is precision itself. He asked them if he can live here, and become a Shaolin student."
Janah, "And we would delight in having him. He's quite bright, he is devoted to Nikko, who has taught him a bit of taekwondo. He observes the gung fu classes and I've caught him practicing on his own. His new friend David Li, well, let's say he has certain special capacities.
Dr. Parsons, "What's with all the birds?'
Janah, "I'm not sure you will think me sane, but I'll give it a shot. David Li has a gift, he can relate to living creatures in ways we do not fully understand. He has a sensitivity that few humans possess. The birds are far more sensitive than you and I. In their eyes, we are the ignorant."
Dr. Parsons, "And you know this how?'
Janah, "They have demonstrated it to me, to Daphne, to David Li, among others. You have seen for yourself the level of trust they have in David Li and now Manolo. Talk to him for yourself, then decide."
Janah mentals me to bring Manolo to her office. We appear as if we dropped from the sky.
Manolo bows deeply to Janah, then says to Dr. Parsons, "Master J…. tells me that…..that…. I have you to thank for keep….keeping….me alive, when I…..was first….injured. I am deeply…..grateful."
Parsons doesn't have a clue what to say. This is a boy who is supposed to be, at best, stuttering his way along, walking with a cane, and processing information very slowly. Even that should have taken a year or more of speech and physical therapy. He hasn't been out of the hospital for more than four months.
Dr. Parsons finally finds his voice, "Manolo, it is so good to see how well you are doing. Your parents are so delighted I had to come see for myself."
Manolo, "I am honored…by….your visit….sir. I apologize…it is…..still taking…time….for me…..to….speak."
Parsons, "I understand you perfectly Manolo. Take all the time you need."
Manolo bows, "May I return to the garden Master J? David Li is talking to his friends, and Master David has promised to let me help with preparation of his special liniment."
Janah, "Yes, student Manolo, return to your studies."
Manolo bows again, then bows to Dr. Parsons and runs out the door.
Parsons, "I thought I knew how the brain worked. I am clearly a novice. I also notice he doesn't slow his speech around you."
Janah smiles, "It's partially his natural shyness. When he's here with his friends, he has some occasional hesitancy, it's mostly around people he doesn't know well."
Dr. Parsons, "His recovery is beyond me. There is something in what you do here, and you carry with you personally. I can't put my finger on it, but I feel it."
Janah, "The resiliency of the brain is more than either of us yet understand. We study the same thing. Your specialty is the mechanics, ours is the consequence of the mechanics. We are both still in our infancy."
They talk synapses, neurons, neurotransmitters, dendrites, and neuroplasticity for nearly an hour. Parsons gradually realizes she knows as much as he does about the mechanics, and significantly more about human nature.
Parsons stands, "I have no words. Of course, you are right, I've witnessed it. The brain is far more complex, and capable, than I ever understood. I have given it my limitations, looked at it only from my training and personal observation. Thank you for your patient instruction."
They shake hands, then Parsons does something he didn't understand but feels compelled to do, he bows to Janah, leaves. He wonders to himself on the drive home, what had made him do it. He is a master surgeon, not a Buddhist. Why bow? He realizes that he has been in the presence of one whose temperament, skill and ability make him look like a first year med student. He hadn't felt humble in a very long time, he decides he is overdue.
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Hi everyone! I wanted to check back in for those people that appreciate this stuff. My original post is here:
And subsequent 2 year update here:
In short I can almost guarantee you I twitch more than anyone (although a few out there might be close) . And I went through just about every symptom mostly because of the stress and anxiety we all place on ourselves through this. Once I got through that mentally and accepted I was going to be fine things got MUCH better. Not easy to do but it can be done. My 2 year update tells how I did that. Anyway, I still twitch hundreds of thousands of times a day and don't even care anymore. I Promised myself I wouldn't look at them several years ago and this only aided in my reduced obsession. In fact I feel them going crazy as a type this. I still run way too much and have really grow to appreciate my otherwise good health. In the grand scheme of things I feel lucky to have bfs cause people suffer from much worse. I know this is easier for me to say than someone fresh into this experience but I promise you that you will eventually get there.
I'll check in a few times in case anyone has any questions but will eventually check out again for another year. This is a great website with some awesome veterans that are extremely smart of the subject.


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To Benjamin Franklin from William Hodgson, 23 November 1779
From William Hodgson9
ALS and copy: American Philosophical Society
London 23d Novr. 1779
Dear Sir
The redress of some grievances under which the American Prisoners at Forton laboured, called me this morning to the office of the Commissioners for Sick & Hurt. During the Time of our Subscription I have had frequent occasion to attend them & in the main have found them Men disposed to act as fairly & openly as cou'd well be expected & I cannot but be of the Opinion but that your unhappy People who have been so long confined might have been liberated long eer this, had a proper understanding been had betwixt you & them, this Sr. will be an Apology for the trouble I am going to give you, I had after my particular business was dispatched, much Conversation with them relative to the future proposed Exchange, founded upon their Letter to Mr Hartley dated the 15th Instant—1 I stated to them that I thought there was an Ambiguity in the Letter, whether it was the Intention of the board to send the Cartel to Morlaix under the present Circumstances, or to wait your further Answer & Specification of Numbers & Name of Agent. I understood however very clearly that they do not mean to send any Vessell to Morlaix untill your Answer returns. I further understood it to be clearly their Resolution not to send more men to Morlaix than you had Prisoners there to be returned by her— I mentioned to them the Crews of the Serapis & C of Scarbro captured by P. Jones. I found that the objection against sending to the Texel was that those Vessells & their Crewes might possibly be retaken on their Return to Dunkirk or elsewhere, but that if those prisoners were arrived in France at whatever port, on receiving a passport for a Vessell they woud immediately send & exchange as far as their Numbers woud go— Mr Hartley being out of Town & mentioning to Mr Digges these Circumstances he thought I had best inform you of them. Tis needless for me to assure you that I shall be very happy of doing anything in my power to facilitate the Exchange of these unhappy long confined Men & that you may command me in any thing relative thereto— We drunk your Health at Slaughters2 twice a Month & woud flatter ourselves with the Hopes of yet seeing you again. I am very Respectfully Dr sr yr &c
William Hodgson
P.S. A Letter to Guill: Hodgson & Compa will come very safe.
Addressed: Dr. Franklin
Notation: Hodgson Novr. 23. 1779
9. Of William Hodgson & Comp., Warehousemen, 17 Coleman St., London: Kent's Directory for 1779, p. 87. Hodgson (d. 1784) had long been interested in the plight of prisoners. On Dec. 24, 1777, he was appointed to a committee of twenty (including also Thomas Digges, Benjamin Vaughan, Edward Bridgen, Matthew Ridley, and Edmund Jenings), which organized a subscription for the relief of American prisoners: XXV, 350n; Elias and Finch, Letters of Digges, pp. xliv, lv; London Public Advertiser, April 10, 1779.
1. Enclosed with Hartley's letter of Nov. 16, above. On Jan. 8, 1780, below, he sent another copy.
2. Old Slaughter's Coffee House, where the Club of Thirteen met: XXI, 119–20; XXII, 173n. In a March 10, 1780, letter to BF (APS) Hodgson identified himself as one of its members.


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Also known as sanders or yellow sandalwood. The regining planet being mercury & element air, the parts used are powder wood & essence. The fragrances are woody sweet, clean & transcends the magic of divination, good luck & success.
Super Sandal dhoop sticks are a wonderfully rich and fragrant incense, made using powdered yellow sandalwood and sandalwood essential oil. Their aroma - known in India as Chandan - is woody, yet clean and sweet. It encourages spirituality and inner calm.
Manufactured By:
Shrinivas Sugandhalaya
Country of Origin: Product of India
Product Weight: 0.7 OZ (20 Grams)
Quantity: 10 Dhoop sticks
Storage Instructions: Keep in Dry and Cool Place
Package: Box
Caution: For fragrance purposes only. Keep out of reach of children, pets. Never leave burning incense unattended, and make sure all ashes fall in ashtrays or burners.
Directions: Light the tip of the stick & wait till it burns evenly. Blow out the flame and place the sticks over the stand provided.


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Liv Tyler and Patrick Wilson have joined the cast of first-time writer-director Matthew Chapman's suspense film, The Ledge. According to THR, The Ledge centers on a man (played by Charlie Hunnam) standing on a high-rise ledge who insists he must jump by noon as the policeman below (played by Terrence Howard) tries to manage the situation. Chapman says the film "examines the different and sometimes dangerous beliefs people adopt as a means of surviving emotional trauma." No word on what roles Tyler and Wilson will play.
Tyler will next be seen in James Gunn's action-comedy Super while Wilson has the summer covered with The A-Team in June, Morning Glory in July, and The Switch in August.


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He criticized President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's government for backing out of the deal after 11 years of negotiations, and said militants within the rebel ranks who are opposed to the peace process may stage fresh attacks.
"After long years, we came to a point that seemed to bolster what the anti-negotiation groups are saying: that the government could not be trusted," Iqbal said. >>>>>


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Greetings to all from sunny South Luangwa National Park.
August seems to have brought with it a surge of births among the predators of Shenton Safaris' area of operation, with guests from Kaingo Camp and Mwamba Bushcamp thrilled to see Lion cubs, Leopard cubs and Hyena pups.
Following on from July's newsletter, we are delighted to say we have finally managed to catch a glimpse of the female leopard and her little family. The leopard and her cubs were spotted close to Kaingo Camp by guests as they set out on their afternoon activity! Meyam and his guests were first on the scene. They spotted the small family group as they drove out of Kaingo Camp, past Guinea Fowl Plain toward Hippo Hide. Sue, one of the guests, spotted a leopard moving through the bush with something in its mouth. Thinking they had come across a leopard who had successfully secured a guinea fowl for dinner they stopped to watch and what they didn't expect was to see, was that the leopard was actually carrying . . . a young cub! As they approached the leopard, they could make out the tiny creature as it uncurled itself while being held in its mothers powerful jaws. They were even more astonished when they saw the second cub left on the ground, snarling bravely at the approaching vehicle!
The female leopard had been moving her cubs to a secure location when the vehicles came along and not wanting her little charges to be spotted, she quickly picked up one cub and dashed off, carrying it to the safety of a nearby bush. The second cub was too small to keep up and sensibly made its way to the security of a nearby tree, away from our prying eyes.
When the female leopard came back to collect the second cub,it would not come down from its hiding place in the tree. The patient animal then took up sentry duty beneath the tree until darkness fell. We were all lucky enough to catch glimpses of the small creature hidden among the branches and leaves. As the vehicles dispersed, four guests decided to wait to see what would unfold so they moved back to a safe distance that would allow the female leopard the space and room she needed to move her cub. Eventually as darkness fell there was movement in the tree and the little cub appeared and gingerly descended the tree to be reunited with its mother. The guests were all delighted and managed to get some wonderful shots of this rare sighting.
Patrick had a very exciting start to the month when he discovered the Mwamba/Kapanda pride had eight new cubs all between the ages of one-and-three months old and all of whom are in great condition.
After the initial sighting, we managed to catch up to them a few times before they headed further inland.
On another afternoon drive close to Wild Dog Lagoon, Meyam was out with guest Jeff Smith, when he caught a glimpse of a Hyaena sunning herself in the glow of the setting sun.
Realising that she could be sitting above the mouth of a den, he decided to investigate further. As drove closer to the area, he grew very excited as he recognized that he had indeed found the clan's matriarch at her den. Meyam and Jeff parked at a safe distance hoping to catch a glimpse of any new arrivals but the female had them safely tucked away. They decided to take a short drive in the area, to see what other activity was going on that evening, so they took off and found a nice area to watch the Sun dip below the African horizon. Once the sundowner drinks and snacks had been enjoyed, Meyam and Jeff returned to the den and were well rewarded with the sight of the female and her two young charges, which were about one month old, out at play under the cover of the darkness.
Meyam and Jeff watched in delight as the two puppies played among themselves, returning to their mother at frequent intervals for a little reassurance and affection.
As the month went on the guides visited the den regularly and many guests saw the small family…some just a fleeting glance while others were lucky enough to see the special interaction between the mother and puppies.
One day, about one week after the discovery of the den, Matt brought his guests on a visit to the den and was very disturbed to find the area had been trampled by hundreds of buffalo hooves and no sign of the Hyenas. It looked like a large herd of buffaloes had milled around the area for some time. With no sign of the matriarch and her two charges, they left the area. It is often a cause for concern when one finds a scene like this, as buffalo are always ready to take on potential predators, no matter how small they are. And it was most upsetting for us in Kaingo and Mwamba, as the arrival of new life is a precious thing and we like to observe the new generations mature to adulthood.
A couple of days later, we decided to take a trip to the den to see if there was any activity in the area. We were thrilled to be greeted with the usual sight of the matriarch sunning herself outside the opening of the den and a short while later a little head popped up!
It was play time and a pup emerged to join Mom in the sun. We were sad when the second little head didn't follow its sibling but were hoping that it was just having a sleep in!
It has also been an exciting month at Mwamba Bush Camp, as the surrounding inland water dries up, our camp waterhole has become more and more active, with daily visits from Elephants, Buffalo, Pukus, Kudus, Impalas, Warthogs and Waterbucks, all interspersed with Baboons and Vervet Monkeys, as well as a numerous species of birds. The camp itself has had various late night visitors and early one morning we were awoken by the sound of twenty Hyaenas killing an impala right outside the staffs' living quarters. Two nights later, a male Lion killed a Puku in our bar area leaving brightly splashed evidence on an entrance mat!
The male Lion was later mobbed by a large number of Hyaenas who managed to chase him away and claim the carcass for themselves.
A young bull hippo set up his `territory' in an ever-shrinking pool in the Mwamba River, safe from the larger bulls that dominate the pools and their resident pods in the Luangwa river. But it is a relatively dry year and the pool was disappearing much faster than he might have anticipated; this would leave him stranded away from water and vulnerable to sun-burn. His condition deteriorated visibly and his gait was slow, but still steady, when we viewed him walking up the dry river bed towards his pool. Unbeknownst to him, he was approaching the Mwamba/Kaingo pride, relaxing on the river banks, watching, waiting . . ..
The lions watched his steady approach and then some of the youngsters attacked, sending him careening through the thickets and eventually over the side of the river bank with Lions swarming all over him.
The Lions eventually realised that they were no match for the enraged bull when he tossed one young male into the muddy water, leaving him looking decidedly grubby.
Three weeks later this young bull Hippo was discovered dead at the Mwamba waterhole, probably as a result of malnutrition. We dragged his body away from the water so as to make it easier for the scavengers to dispose of the carcass.
Malaika and Chiphadzuwa have continued to delight our guests at Mwamba Bushcamp with their relaxed demeanours and we are fortunate to be graced with sightings, on a almost daily basis. The interactions between mother and daughter are indeed a special sight to behold .
On one such sighting Chiphadzuwa found herself in a spot of bother after Malaika left her alone whilst she took herself off hunting. A large troop of over one hundred Yellow Baboons spotted the young Leopardess, setting off a crescendo of barking alarm calls.
Chiphadzuwa had clearly discovered the joy of chasing Baboons up and down trees and proceeded to play this game. This time however, she unfortunately picked on a large male, who did not turn tail and run but retaliated and the rest of the troop followed suit and began to give chase. She took off in a flash with at least one-hundred-and-twenty Baboons on her tail, barking and screaming their fury and fears.
The last we saw of her was a flash of black and gold flying through a thicket with hairy yellow shapes in hot pursuit. We were relieved to find her the next morning, no worse for wear but hopefully with a new found respect for adult male Baboons.
On the fourteenth of August, Andrew and his guests had an amazing afternoon drive and this is his account of the events that unfolded: "Another amazing game drive! We were very fortunate to watch Chiphadzuwa make her first recorded kill, as she brought down a young Puku. Then we watched six of the Mwamba/Kaingo lions come along and steal it from its hiding place under a bush. I hope that this is a lesson learnt and she will stash her next kill up a tree away from thieving lions. An hour later we watched the Mwamba pride try, unsuccessfully, to kill a buffalo but the beasts bravely fought back. There was a lot of chasing, noise and jostling. Things seemed to settle down and I thought the excitement was over…but I was wrong! When the dust finally settled I discovered there was not one but two prides of lion after the same herd of buffalo and as the buffalo disappeared they were left standing face to face. Yes, 7 members of the Hollywood pride had arrived on the scene. Anticipating a fight I edged in closer, everyone got their cameras ready to capture the moment but we were all left with our fingers on the shutter buttons and gaping in disbelief, Africa's top predators peacefully worked out their little misunderstanding on the respective territory boundary. They calmly separated and each pride headed off in the opposite direction vanishing into the darkness without looking back. Despite being extremely territorial and the desperation for survival strong in both prides, there top predators peacefully ironed out their territorial conflict. I think our politicians and the human race in general can learn a thing or two about conflict resolution…Hats off!"
And Patrick was fortunate to be able to show to his guests a male Leopard's abject hatred of Vultures . Vultures are the primary culprits in revealing the whereabouts of carcasses to scavengers, because Lions and Hyaenas watch the movements of Vultures in the skies above. They follow their flight paths and will run to the area where large numbers of Vultures are seen to be descending; the result, very often, being an easy meal.
Other than the viewing of their cubs, we have not seen much of the Mwamba/Kapandas, but the Mwamba/Kaingo pride have been in some serious action involving Buffalo, Hyaena and visiting adult, male Lions. They managed to bring down a large bull Buffalo on the banks of the Kamima stream.
After they had consumed most of the meat, approximately nineteen Hyaenas arrived and drove them off the sparse leftovers. They had no sooner settled into some shade under the nearby Gardenias, when a large nomadic, male Lion charged into the scavenging Hyaenas, scattering them to the four winds. He stayed and fed for a while before noticing the pride under the sweetly-scented trees, whereupon he immediately left his meal and charged the pride. The young males fled, tails between their legs as the old male singled them out for his attentions. One of them ran so far and so fast he only reunited with the pride three days later! The adult male then returned to his meal but stopped short as he noticed a young Lioness ensconced in the shade. She signaled that she was receptive to his attentions by flicking her tail up, down and all over the place, but when he advanced upon her she moved away, enticingly always just beyond his reach.
A large young male Lion has mastered the art of bringing down young Buffalo on his own!
Isolated as he was, he sat and ate to his elegant sufficiency over three days, unmolested by Hyaenas and other Lions.
The Mwamba/Kaingo pride killed another bull Buffalo, this time in the Ebony grove, close to the spot where Derek & Jules were married. Sylvester and the Marshall family were first to reach the kill moments after it had occurred.
The nine Mwamba/Kaingos had brought this bull down so swiftly and efficiently that we had not even heard his bellows of pain at Kaingo Camp, which is mere minutes from the grove. They fed on the carcass, undisturbed for most of the night, until at approximately four o'clock in the morning the whooping of Hyaenas challenging for the kill, awoke the whole camp. The guides and guests were chomping at the bit to get out and view the action and none could wait for the appearance of the sun; Andrew and the Jones family took pole position and were first out to view the spectacle.
The same Hyaenas had again driven the Lions from the carcass and were busy extracting every last scrap from it. The Lions had surrendered completely and moved away to sit under some Mahoganies as they digested their second massive meal in five days. Andrew and his guests were by this time joined by Patrick from Mwamba and Sylvester with the Marshalls'. Suddenly the same big adult male Lion charged upon the scene again, and again scattered the giggling Hyaenas all over the grove. He fed contentedly for a few minutes until another, younger male Lion crested the banks and advanced on the carcass.
The older male was having none of this and flew at him; he turned tail and fled, closely followed by the male who had now abandoned the kill to the Hyaenas. The chase lasted for approximately one-and-a-half kilometres, before the younger male stopped, panting and turned to face his adversary, abruptly sitting. The older male loped into the clearing,
upon seeing the younger male close at hand he began to stalk him,
then suddenly stopped and he too sat, then they both lay facing one another, chests heaving as they contemplated the folly of running in the mid-morning heat.
The beautiful male Leopard nick-named Mapolo-ya-molilo by Daryl Balfour, killed a young Bushbuck and the distress calls attracted the Hollywoods, who instantly treed him.
He managed to hang on to his prey despite numerous attempts by them to get at him.
Eventually the Lions followed the shade cast by the tree and moved far enough away, allowing the Leopard to descend and sprint away with his hard-earned meal.
The famous Hollywood Pride has also been in other action when two of their females managed to bring down an adult Warthog. The watching guide and his guests were horrified when, during the bloody feeding, the Warthog began to thrash and squeal. The Lioness feeding closer to his head, placed a massive paw on him to stop the threshing and continued to feed. The video is available on to be viewed as a blog, on our YouTube site and on our Facebook site.
Without the two dominant males to assist them in the hunt for Buffalo, the Hollywoods are known for subsisting on smaller game, but as one can see from the picture below, even an adult female Puku does not bring enough to the table for this many Lions:
The two males associated with the Hollywoods have been seen together, for the first time in a long while and Patrick and his guests were on hand to view the special sight.
Other lucky guests were also incredibly fortunate to watch a pair of White-tailed Mongooses frolicking and then mating out in the open! Unfortunately the photograph is a bit blurred . . ..
And at Mwamba Bushcamp the honey badgers are continuing to give us headaches with their nightly raids into the kitchen. Each night our kitchen is well and truly "locked down" with everything either locked inside our large store cage or packed away in metal trunks, which are then bound to the support structures on the walls. The fridge is locked and bound shut, then secured to the wall so the honey badgers cannot pull it over. But every night without fail, they will attempt to climb up the walls of the cage or even attempt to dig down and under the iron mesh encasing the kitchen to gain access. When they fail, a rare occurrence, they flip our garbage cans over and litter the kitchen, which we believe is purely out of spite! They have even made the bar chest-fridge a target, flipping it open and drinking all of the fruit juices . . . and so the battle goes on.
Some of the nocturnal viewing was colourful and some wrenched the heartstrings . . .
A chameleon blushing pinkly as it was caught in the spotlight – Chameleon skin has a superficial layer which contains pigments, and under this layer are cells with guanine crystals. Chameleons change colour by changing the space between the guanine crystals, which changes the wavelength of light reflected off the crystals, which changes the colour of the chameleon's skin – so actually it is blending in with the green leaves and pinkish thorns of the Capparis.
and a Three-banded Plover was spotlit sitting on her eggs which she had cleverly disguised among some herbivore dung pellets – unfortunately the eggs were gone the next night, possibly having been sniffed out by a Genet or Civet,
The baby Pel's Fishing-owl is almost a fledgling,
and incredibly difficult to spot at night: a Brown-hooded Kingfisher huddled in a Mahogany.
Then there was the lonesome Lioness calling endlessly and without answer, discovered by Meyam and his guests, sitting forlornly near Acacia Grove.
An adult African Pied Wagtail feeds its chicks in a nest metres from the lower deck at Kaingo Camp. The log housing the nest, was an island in the middle of an arm of the Luangwa river, ensuring that the babies were safe from Genets and Civets.
And more photographs from our guests and guides:
Photo by Phil Branham of a Hyaena driven off its meal by Lions.
That angry male Leopard chasing vultures:
Photo by Phil Branham of Malaika on the hunt.
Chiphadzuwa has some dinner
Its that time of year again and voting has opened for the 2016 Safari of the year awards. Please click on the picture to vote for us.
Thank you if you took the time to vote for us.
Until next month
The Shenton Safaris team.


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Government to introduce career break scheme in health service
Scheme part of plan to reduce number of staff on payroll
Minister for Health Dr James Reilly: he says the measures being worked on at present include an incentivised career break scheme and a targeted voluntary redundancy scheme. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill
The Government is to introduce an incentivised career break scheme for staff in the health service, Minister for Health James Reilly has said.
The planned new scheme would be in addition to the Government's proposal to put in place a targeted voluntary redundancy scheme to reduce the number of staff overall on the payroll.
Dr Reilly said the Government had decided that the numbers employed across the public service must be reduced to meet fiscal and budgetary targets.
Reduction in numbers
He said the health sector had to make its contribution to that reduction. "This policy requires that by the end of 2013, the health service achieves a workforce of 98,955 whole-time equivalents ."
The HSE's performance report for January said that at that stage there were 101,407 whole-time equivalents in the health service.
The Minister told Michael McGrath of Fianna F áil in a reply to a parliamentary question that work was being undertaken at present by the Department of Health in conjunction with the HSE "to develop a series of targeted measures which will facilitate the achievement of the necessary net reductions in health service staff numbers".
Service levels
He said this would be done while at the same time ensuring service levels and other objectives set out in the HSE's national service plan – its agreement with the Government on how its €13 billion budget for the year would be spent – would be delivered.
Dr Reilly said the measures being worked on at present included an incentivised career break scheme and a targeted voluntary redundancy scheme.
"These schemes will be among the tools available to the HSE to assist in achieving the reductions required."
He said the HSE would determine the locations, units and services to be targeted, while ensuring the effect on front-line service delivery was minimised.
"I expect that the schemes will be made available on a phased basis in the coming weeks ," Dr Reilly added.
T he Government is expected to introduce targeted redundancy schemes in the health, agriculture and education sectors.
The Government's overall plan envisages 2,000 redundancies in 2013 and a further 2,000 in 2014.
Terms of scheme
The terms of the redundancy scheme will be the same as those offered to HSE employees who took voluntary retirement in 2010 – namely three weeks' pay per year of actual service plus statutory redundancy entitlement subject to an overall limit of two years' pay or, if less, half of salary payable to minimum pension age.


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Liberty Home Builders is helping prevent dating violence
Houston-based home builder, Liberty Home Builders, supports dating violence prevention programs in local high schools by donating to Shield Bearer's Lindsay's Light Fund.
This fund helps Shield Bearer reach thousands of Houston teens each year and honors the legacy of Lindsay Laneigh Ferrill, a Katy High School student who lost her life to dating violence.
You can learn more about Lindsay's Light Fund and Shield Bearer's Dating Violence Prevention program at ShieldBearer.org.
More about Shield Bearer, 501c3 nonprofit charity and a lead agency in the movement for healthy marriages, families, and communities, is available at www.shieldbearer.org or (281) 894-7222.
More about Liberty Home Builders is available at http://www.libertyhomebuilders.com/ or (281) 645-0225.


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Design Competition for Bordeaux Puts Nature First
As issues of global warming and climate change continue to play a prominent role in planning and political discourse, more cities are looking to nature for its sustainable and restorative qualities. A design competition in southern France called Bordeaux 55,000 challenges five multidisciplinary teams of designers to come up with the most innovative idea of "how best to transform 55,000 hectares (136,000 acres) into natural areas," reports John Thackara.
The teams include specialists in the areas of architecture, landscape, geography and ecology, to name a few, and are focusing their attention on revitalizing the major areas of focus which include "the heart of the city; major adjacent agricultural and forest areas; enhancement of wetlands or flood plains; and various wastelands."
One of the major challenges faced with these sorts of design competitions, writes Thackara, is creating a design that is more than just a pretty idea, but can actually be translated into reality. What sets this competition apart from many others are requirements for the five multidisciplinary teams to integrate the "concept of resilience, and the design principles of permaculture, in developing their proposals."


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My name is Sue and I make a selection of delicious homemade pickles, chutneys and artisan bread from my home in Wivenhoe, Essex.
I'm passionate about food, its provenence and how I can turn a few ingredients into something wonderful.
From a lifetime of loving good food and eating copious amounts of it, I have now decided to specialise in two types of food: real bread and modern preserving.
My breads and preserves are made by hand, without any preservatives. I've learnt from some of the best teachers and practitioners in the industry how to get the best flavour, texture and overall goodness from the foods I make – you won't be disappointed!
Here at SuzyShack we work hard to deliver a variety of products customers enjoy, enabling them to recommend SuzyShack as a successful food producer. We strive to provide the best customer service with commitment to regularly producing products in a professional, authentic manner. We take pride in everything we do and listen to customers and their changing needs.


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List Categories | List All Articles | List Articles By Title
Caution! Watch Out For The Net Carb Trap!
As a low carb dieter, you have probably been bombarded with all sorts of new food terminology. One of the phrases you've probably heard time and time again is "net carbs." Net carbs is the new term food producers are using to describe the amount of carbohydrates in food that have a significant impact on blood sugar levels.
Food producers use a relatively simple formula to determine net carbs. They take the total amount of carbohydrates and then subtract the amount of carbohydrates that have a "negligible" effect on blood sugar.
For instance, let's say a food producer makes a candy bar that contains 20 grams of carbohydrates. Two grams of those carbohydrates are in the form of fiber. Fifteen grams are in the form of various sugar alcohols. That makes a total of 17 grams of carbohydrates that have a "negligible" effect on blood sugar. Subtract 17 from 20 and you have your total amount of "net carbs"--three.
While the advent of "net carb" labels may seem like a godsend as a low carb dieter, it is important to realize that these labels are somewhat deceptive.
To begin with, different types of "negligible" carbohydrates have different effects on blood sugar levels.
Whereas fiber may have a truly negligible effect on blood sugar levels, sugar alcohols are an entirely different story.
According to experts, sugar alcohols affect blood sugar levels at a slower and less complete rate than normal sugars do-- and also in a different manner from person to person. Some diabetics claim that they feel an immediate sugar rush after consuming small amounts of sugar alcohol while others report no change whatsoever.
Whatever the case is for you, it is probably better to ignore the "net carb" labels on products--and instead go straight to the nutritional information panel. Figure out exactly why the product is "low carb."
If there are no sugar alcohols, you can eat the product without thinking twice; if the product has a significant amount of sugar alcohol, you should either skip it entirely or count each gram of the sugar alcohol as 1/4 to 1/3 of a gram of carbohydrates. If you follow this approach to assessing "net carbs," you will avoid unnecessary cravings and seemingly inexplicable weight-loss stalls.
Benji Paras runs http://www.list-of-low-carb-food.com, specializing in the benefits of the low-carb lifestyle. The site contains a treasure trove of information for losing weight, and includes a list of low carb foods along with informative articles and the latest low-carb headlines.
Is Your Ability to Buy Dietary Supplements, Herbal Preparations, and Tonics in Jeopardy in the USA?
When the DSHEA (Dietary Supplement Health Education Act) was passed by the USA Congress in 1994 it was a boon to all of us consumers. Finally, we all could buy herbals that had long histories of safe and effective use throughout the world.
The Dirty Little Diet Secret
Have you ever wondered how actors stay in such great shape? You know they couldn't starve themselves all the time, because you can see their weight fluctuate from movie to movie, depending on the role they're playing. The fact is Hollywood's slim and slender are hiding a dark secret from you, their adoring fan.
The Public Stoning of Gastric Bypass Patients: When Things Get Ugly
Recently a woman went public in her online diet community with her decision for gastric bypass surgery. She was asking for fellowship and support from fellow dieters.
Reasons for Obesity
Causes of ObesityJust like there is no weight loss pill or single "magic potion" diet plan to cure obesity there is no single cause of obesity.We are living in an age of two income families, job loss, stress, and time constraints.
Weight Loss Programs:The 7 Critical Points You Must Check Before You Choose
Yes, you must be aware of the following 7 points before adopting a diet plan.1) Your weight loss program must remove toxins from your body.
Atkins Diet Plan -- Are Low Carb Diets Doomed?
According to Veronica Atkins, the widow of Dr. Robert Atkins, the cause of his death was from falling on a slippery sidewalk with subsequent irreversible brain damage (from a CNN interview, February, 2004).
Diet: Are French Fries Really A Vegetable?
The government, nutritionists, doctors, and dietitians implore us to eat 5 servings of vegetables a day. Considering that a serving is only half a cup, a decent-sized side of vegetables and a big salad does it for the day.
Nothing More Powerful Than Your Words
Telling yourself you have to "struggle with this weight issue for the rest of my life," is as good as telling yourself there's no point in trying. "Why bother? I'll just gain it right back.
Hydrate to Lose Weight: The Real Skinny On Water Retention and Sodium
If you've been scouring the news, devouring as much information as possible regarding weight loss, you've likely heard all the buzz about the relationship between weight loss and drinking water. It has been well documented that the liver is able to metabolize more fat if you help out your kidneys by drinking plenty of water each day.
Help! My Kids are Overweight!
If you have recently found yourself fretting over your child's waistline, you are not alone. The youth of today are fatter than ever before, and parents are starting to panic.
Why Weight Loss Products Dont Work
Did you know that less than 2% of dieters lose weight and then manage to keep it off?YOU ARE NOT TO BLAME, if you've tried many different diets and weight loss products and have still been unable to lose the weight. Your dieting efforts have been condemned to failure right from the start.
Diets May Have Long Term Side Effects...Do You Know What They Are?
To see the "low carb" diets on the way out is a somewhat reflective process, not that I was an advocate of ketogenic diets at all unless you have Adolescent Epilepsy, but bringing the "low carb or ketogenic diet" into the forefront of our American Society meant that more people were being educated about obesity, food and eating. This acknowledgment about food was astounding and became overwhelming , causing restaurant chains and some farmers to really suffer from these trendy diets, people have lost farms that have been in their families for years , businesses that lend job and economic stability to an area, have gone out of business or lost business, all on a dietary whim, with no research done on the side-effects of "not eating" what these diets restrict.
How We Rescued Our Child from Anorexia, Effecting a Complete Recovery in Just Six Months
In March 2003 our then 13 year old daughter, Helen, was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, at which point she was on the verge of being emaciated. Her BMI was approximately 15.
Three Steps to Achieving Your Health Goals
We all have aspects of health we want to improve. It could be as simple as increasing your stretching, or as great as starting an exercise program.
The Cost of Gastric Bypass Surgery
The cost of gastric bypass surgery and other bariatric surgical procedures are high averaging between $20,000 and $35,000. Many insurance companies are beginning to see obesity as a serious health disorder, however, and have begun to cover some of the cost of gastric bypass surgery.
Faster Fat Loss Thats Healthy
I received a telephone call from a lady last week. Her first word was "heeeelp"! She was on a weight loss program and only losing about one half pound per week.
How Music Can Help You Burn More Fat
Browsing one of the Russian websites I have recently found a little article claiming that music can affect our health both improving and worsening it. That sounded very interesting and I decided to research how can music actually affect our well-being.
When Losing Weight Seems Hopeless
Sometimes it's good to just let the feelings flow. Take out a piece of paper and just start writing your feelings down on paper.
Approaches to the Treatment of Obesity and A Free Weight Loss Formula
The general approach for treatment of obesity is to suggest a low calorie diet and increased physical activity. Ther are many weight loss programmes in the market.
Loss Your Weight
WEIGHT LOSS:Nutrition and weight-loss researchers say that some supplements can give you a advantage in the battle to be slim (helping you lose about 2 to 3 pounds a month).Protein can reduce hunger (thereby decreasing the calories you consume), help you preserve muscle as you lose weight, and help your body build more muscle, particularly if you include strength training in your fitness routine, Muscle burns more calories than fat and also helps you look trimmer, Kreider says, so strength training three times a week is a good addition to any weight-loss program.
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4 Bedroom Detached Property in Rural Rockyview County, Alberta
- 124 Willow Creek Summit
- Rural Rockyview County, Alberta T3R 0K3
- $1,389,000
- 4 Bed, 3 Bath, 3157 SqFt, 2.02 Acres
- Detached
PRISTINE 2.5 ACRES IN BEARSPAW - A GEM NW of CALGARY - North of Crowchild Trail and off Bearspaw Rd where you get to live in the most serene quiet location with ponds, birds, amazing wildlife, and in a beautiful setting surrounded by mature trees. Features of the main floor include a great room with a central stone fireplace, a large formal dining room and corner den, a designer kitchen with large center island, breakfast nook, granite counter tops, and a walk-through pantry leading to the garage. The garage mudroom has the most unique closet storage design for out door living. The upper level is air conditioned boasting a mountain view Master Bedroom with its own sitting area and luxurious en-suite, along with three more bedrooms. The Lower Level comprises a rec area, movie area, hobby/craft area, gym and a wine room. The outdoor space is an 'entertaining haven' with an outdoor kitchen, gigantic green space for children, gazebo, large deck and patio area. Heated triple car garage with benches and more. This property must be seen to be appreciated! To the north side of the triple garage is ample land to accommodate a future free standing garage that could accommodate a large fifth wheel or motor home as the driveway entrance was designed for accessibility for large RV's. Along the east side of the property is a rock filled 'county approved' water drainage area that drains into the large pond to the south and east of the house. The entrance to this property is through two stone posts, alongside a small pond tiered landscaping with trees for privacy. The placement of trees on this property was "well thought through" to provide privacy that accommodates private outdoor living. Photos cannot give the viewer the complete feeling of what this property really exemplifies. The location is fabulous! Book a viewing today! This one won't last!
Fire Pit, Air Conditioning-Central, Ceiling 9 ft., No Smoking Home, Patio, Programmable Thermostat, Porch, Vinyl Windows
Golf Nearby, Landscaped, No Back Lane, No Through Road, Shopping Nearby, Treed Lot, View Mountain
Disclaimer: Information herein deemed reliable but not guaranteed by CREB®.
Listing information last updated on December 8th, 2019 at 5:45pm MST.


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In the first edition of "The 2011 Arms Race" I broke down which National League clubs could compete with the Philadelphia Phillies slew of pitching talent. While the Phillies, on paper, still trump anything the American League has to offer, let's take a look at which AL clubs could spoil the Phillies' parade plans should they get back to the World Series.
At first glance the National League appears to have a stronger crop of dominant pitchers (Lincecum, Lee, Halladay, Carpenter, Wainwright, Josh Johnson, Tim Hudson, Ubaldo Jiminez, etc.). In fact, the NL teams dominated the list of best staffs based on the top four pitching statistics (ERA, QS, BAA, and WHIP), but the AL also has to face much tougher lineups on a day-to-day basis, so in many ways the statistics are a wash.
With that said, I apologize to some dominant, division changing pitchers who will not be relevant here because the rest of their staff isn't up to par (reigning AL Cy Young winner "King" Felix Hernandez, CC Sabathia of the Yankees, and Justin Verlander of the Tigers). The absence of those pitchers, along with the departure of Cliff Lee to the National League, eliminates any clear cut favorite among AL teams going into 2011. There are, however, many teams that have solid rotations from start to finish, and will battle all year long to be considered the best. Here are five AL teams that will vie for pitching supremacy in 2011:
• Texas Rangers: Like the Giants, you have to dethrone the AL champs to knock them out of the argument. While Cliff Lee's departure hurt, the Rangers hope that 2006 NL Cy Young winner Brandon Webb will return to form and help pick up the slack. Don't forget, too, that Lee joined an already very good staff for the final half of the season, and the Rangers will rely heavily on the young arms of Colby Lewis, CJ Wilson, and Tommy Hunter. Last season those three combined for a solid but underwhelming 40-25 record, but came up big down the stretch and the playoff run is sure to boost their confidence going into 2011. Playing a handful of games against the Seattle Mariners will certainly be confidence boosters, as well.
• Boston Red Sox: Yes, Josh Beckett had a horrible year last year battling through injures, but he is only one year removed from a 17-6 season where he posted an ERA under 4.00. Not to mention he has two World Series rings and two postseason MVP awards. Even if Beckett doesn't regain his old dominance, the Red Sox still have two studs in Clay Buckholtz (17-7, 2.33 ERA in 2010) and Jon Lester (19-9, 3.25 ERA) who will carry the majority of the load for this rotation. With longtime knuckleballer Tim Wakefield gone, former Angels ace John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka aren't what they once were (Daisuke has never lived up the hype), but with twenty-three wins between them last year they are above average pitchers that any team would gladly take as their #4 and #5 starters.
• California Anaheim Los Angels Angels of Anaheim Los Angeles Angels: Speaking of the Angels, they are loaded from top to bottom with quality starting pitchers, and are arguably the best overall pitching staff in the AL going into 2010. Jered Weaver finally took over the Angels staff in 2010 once Lackey jetted for Boston in the offseason, and he posted team bests 3.01 ERA and 233 K's in the process. Sounds like he took advantage of the opportunity to be "the guy" to me. Even if teams handle Weaver without much trouble, they'll still have to face Ervin Santana (17-10), Dan Haren (who should fair much better without the pressure of being acquired while the Angels were in the middle of a heated AL West playoff race against the Rangers), former Rays ace Scott Kazmir (no longer an ace, but a solid 4th starter at this point in his career), and Joel Pineiro (10-7, 3.84 ERA).
• Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays will go as far as David Price can take them, but he didn't do it alone. The only other AL team to finish in the top ten in the Majors for team ERA last year, the Rays will rely on their young, but relatively experienced arms to take them back to the postseason. Price's 19-6 record and a 2.72 ERA speaks for itself, and again, was a huge reason they were able to win the AL East last year. That's a huge accomplishment if you're a Rays fan, especially playing and paying against the Yankees and Red Sox. Though #2 man James Shields struggled down the stretch in 2010, he still finished with 13 wins, and Wade Davis (12-10), Jeff Niemann (12-8), and young Jeremy "Hellboy" Hellickson fresh out of the Rays farm system should be consistent starters to round out the rotation. At the very least, the Rays will give the Yankees and Red Sox something to sweat about late into the summer.
• Oakland Athletics: I admit, three AL West teams seem excessive, but when you look just at their pitching rotations, it's hard to argue against them. The A's farm system must be ridiculously talented, because every time they let an All-Star or potential All-Star pitcher walk away (Hudson, Haren, Zito, Mulder, and now Duscherer, they plug in another young arm into the rotation without missing a beat (Anderson, Cahill, Braden). Anchored by Trevor Cahill (18-8, 2,97 ERA) the A's as a team finished 6th or better in the Majors in all four major pitching categories (4th in ERA, 1st in quality starts, 6th in WHIP, and 5th in BAA). Behind Cahill the Athletics will be confidently throwing out Gio Gonzalez (15-9, 3.23 ERA), Brett Anderson (7-6, 2.80 ERA and 13 QS in 19 games) to keep opposing hitters at bay. While the A's may need another perfect game or two from Dallas Braden to make a real run against the Rangers and the Angels, it certainly won't be the pitching to blame if they find themselves watching the playoffs on television once again.
Apologies also to any AL Central fans that none of your teams were represented on my list. If you feel your team was unjustly overlooked, comment below and state your case. I'm always willing to listen to some well presented evidence.


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As a GuildQuality Guildmember, Bath Planet of Idaho relies on our customer surveying to help them deliver an exceptional customer experience.
In this report, Bath Planet of Idaho has published a summary of the customer feedback they've received since they joined GuildQuality in July 2015.
Bath Planet of Idaho surveys all of their customers shortly after the completion of work, and their feedback appears in the summary on this page.
If you are a Bath Planet of Idaho customer, and if Bath Planet of Idaho completed work for you after July of 2015 but you haven't yet received a survey, please let us know.
Thanks for letting us know that this comment may be inappropriate. A member of our team will review the comment.


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Hewlett-Packard has updated its ultraportable portfolio, after introducing ruggedized laptop machines with a military grade casing, for today's go-anywhere business executive.
HP's EliteBook 2530p ultraportable and EliteBook 2730p tablet PC have been tested to meet the US military's standards to withstand harsh elements like high altitude and temperatures, the company said.
The laptops, targeted at business users, have also been designed for sensitive parts like hard drive or displays to withstand impact on falls, said Keith LeFebvre, vice president and general manager at HP.
Gobi wireless technology from Qualcomm allows the laptops to seamlessly switch between 3G networks, LeFebvre said. With the technology, users can decide to change 3G networks without changing the hardware.
All users have to do is change firmware, which changes the 3G radio. The chip supports EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimised) and HSUPA (High-Speed Uplink Packet Access) 3G technologies. In the United States, users will be able to switch between 3G services from Verizon, Sprint and AT&T, LeFebvre said. Depending on the wireless technology, users will be able to switch between other 3G networks worldwide.
The new laptops also have a unique feature to read business cards and convert them to text. Users can place a business card into a slot carved into the front of a notebook, after which the webcam shoots its picture. Software extracts important contents from the business card - including names, addresses and phone numbers - and converts it to text. The data is then transferred to a file.
The EliteBook 2530p comes with a 12.1-inch screen and weighs 3.19 pounds (1.45 kilograms), with prices starting at $1,499 (£802).
The EliteBook 2730p tablet PC comes with a 13.1-inch screen, weighs 3.7 pounds and is priced starting at $1,670 (£894).
The laptops run on Intel Core 2 Duo low-voltage or ultra-low voltage processors, support up to 8GB of RAM, and can handle additional wireless networking including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Storage options include hard drives or 80GB solid-state drives. The laptops come with Intel's integrated graphics technology.
Running Microsoft's Windows Vista OS, users will have the option to downgrade to Windows XP. The laptops will be available worldwide, according to the company.
HP is the world's top PC vendor, followed by Dell, which is closing in on the top spot. During the second quarter of 2008, HP shipped 13.32 million units worldwide for an 18.9 percent market share, followed by Dell, which held a 16.4 percent market share, according to IDC.