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Whether it's at home, in the office, or in your personal life, everyone craves success. This course provides uniquely Jewish ways of thinking to help you develop a growth mindset, identify and cultivate your signature strengths, deal with your weaknesses, and overcome the obstacles to your success.
We yearn to feel happy, self-assured, and enthusiastic, yet we're consumed by feelings of doubt, regret, insecurity, and suffering. Do our delicate positive emotions have a fighting chance at being in control? This course explores negative emotions in a completely new light, offering spiritual mechanisms that allow us to remain upbeat no matter what life brings.
Addressing Impostor Syndrome
When praised for a good deed, 70% of people admit to squirming because they feel their act lacked authenticity. In this opening session, discover a place of objective authenticity within yourself that can weather any self-doubt and help you build confidence in your genuine goodness.
Addressing Shame, Frustration, and Feelings of Inadequacy
Wrestling with feelings of overwhelm, procrastination, or general not-enough-ness? This session explores the seemingly senseless feelings of inadequacy and charts a course to transform them from adversary to ally.
Addressing Unhealthy Guilt
We all slip, and it's natural to feel some regret or guilt when we do. But can we focus on past actions without becoming paralyzed by bad feelings? In Lesson 3, we'll challenge the negativity associated with regret, finding a catalyst for remarkable growth where it's least expected.
Addressing Pain, Anguish, and Anxiety
An optimistic attitude is a noble goal, but the sincere, burning flames of sadness, suffering, or loss can be incredibly difficult to douse. This session embraces the validity of pain while sensitively enhancing our internal perspectives to let the sun peek through despite the reality of our suffering.
Finding Happiness and Fulfillment
Things are fine—you've got what you need in health, finances, and relationships. But is "feeling fine" the same as feeling truly, energetically happy? By looking at common patterns in chasing inner contentment, Lesson 5 helps us pave a new path to more dependably enthusiastic living.
Remodeling Our Approach to Love and Relationships
Without a doubt, healthy relationships are key to positive emotions, but they are so much easier said than done. This session explores the triumphs and dysfunctions of human relationships, formulating a steady approach to allowing yours to flourish despite inherent strains.
By most indications, modern society is a model of moral progress. Yet when it comes to everyday values, we still grapple with the big ones…
- What are our responsibilities toward the less fortunate?
- How do we fashion a more moral and equal society?
- How can we make a move toward more cohesive family living?
Join us to unpack six of the world's most cherished values and how they were delivered to humankind by the Torah. By tracing their fascinating journey to the mainstream, we'll discover a timeless core of purpose, integrity, and clarity in each value—a powerful gift of guidance as we navigate our own daily choices.
To the ancients, poverty and suffering were unfortunate facts of life for the unlucky to bear alone. It was the Torah that introduced the radical concept of social responsibility. So, what's the true nature of that responsibility? Whose is it? And how should I relate to those receiving my help?
Abraham, the first Jew, discovered something that shook the foundations of the pagan society around him: there was one—only one—G-d, Creator of Heaven and earth. Monotheism drastically changed the way humanity has viewed life, purpose, and progress ever since. Discover how.
It might seem axiomatic that human life is valuable, but a hard look at history reveals that the concept was once considered utterly radical. To discover how respect for life became a universal value, we'll explore the underlying questions: What makes us human? And what are we here to do?
Mastery over others was long deemed a birthright: some were born to rule; others to be ruled. Today, civil people agree that no one is intrinsically inferior or superior. This shift is thanks to the Torah's revelation that we are all equally created in G-d's image: just as G-d cannot be redundant, no human can be.
Originally, those who labored did so endlessly. The Torah introduced us to Shabbat, mandating that Jewish people pause from work for a full day each week to focus on life's purpose, on worship, and on family. As the modern world begins to recognize the benefits of Shabbat, our call to set aside that time of focus is more critical than ever.
Early societies considered human history locked in an endless cycle of war, conquest, peace, and more war. The Torah insists otherwise: we can, must, and will change the world for the better; war will eventually cease; justice and kindness will ultimately prevail. Today's world is more eager than ever to hear this empowering message. Our closing lesson will suggest ways we can share it.
The Bible is rich in tales, from the Garden of Eden to Noah's Ark, from the selling of Joseph to Moses's breaking of the Tablets. But what do these stories truly tell us? Review six famous and infamous biblical stories, and investigate the questions and mysteries they raise under the lens of the Torah's mystical insights. The results bear both cosmic significance and practical relevance.


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Leaves and pumpkins
We are busy collecting leaves again as we have done each autumn for several years. Since the hens have scratched up all the grass in their half of my garden, we put down leaves in their runs. We have very heavy clay soil and when it rains, the ground turns into a quagmire. It rained very heavily all day recently and when I went out to the hens in the afternoon, you couldn't see their feet at all. They need wellies! Failing that, they have leaves which keeps them out of the mud a bit. Leaves are also very good at keeping their feet off the frozen ground when the temperature plummets.
A couple of Christmases ago, our son gave us a thing to help us fill bags. I've looked it up on Amazon and apparently it is called a bin bag loader. We just call it "that plastic thing to help us fill bags"... : )
You put it into your bag, then fill it and remove the plastic thing and there you have a bag filled with leaves or garden rubbish - and the bag is not torn by all the little twig etc. Not only that but the bag stays nicely open for you to put things in it. It more than halves the time to fill 20 bags with leaves. In fact I would happily buy shares in the firm that makes them because it is so useful.
Today we filled 20 bags with leaves. We really only have October to collect a year's supply of leaves so we need to get out there when it is dry. 20 bags is pushing it and our backs are tonight reminding us that 20 bags is more than we usually fill in one day. We must have about 60-70 bags filled already but that is not enough yet. The bags we use are the charity bags that come through the door and are never collected again. We have not yet used all those that have come through the letterbox this year.... We are fortunate to live in a road lined with sycamore type trees. Our neighbours don't tend to use the word "fortunate" during October but they don't mind at all when they see us out sweeping them up : )
Any Topcashback customers around? Have you spotted in their Snap and Save section that they will refund you the price of a pumpkin up to the value of £3 until next Tuesday? I feel lots of pumpkin soup coming in our future. Yum!
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DetailsBack by Popular Demand - Same Great Formula (formerly named Odor Away). Safely attacks and terminates odors at the source on virtually all types of fabrics. Eliminates odors from pets, smoke, cooking, vomit, mustiness and more. Use on upholstery, rugs, car seats and carpets, sneakers, athletic bags, clothes, draperies - almost any type of fabric surface. 24 fl oz spray bottle. Made in the USA.
- Instructions for Use
Spray fabric evenly until slightly damp. Allow to air dry. Odors fade as item dries.
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Keep It Simple, But Not Too Simple
Happy 75th, Philip Glass, everyone's favorite minimalist.
Happy 75th, Philip Glass, everyone's favorite minimalist.
Been reading a lot of authors' bios lately. For instance, just finished And So It Goes, Charles J. Shields' life of Kurt Vonnegut. (Shields had the cooperation of his subject, but Vonnegut died almost as soon as he started). Like Joseph Heller, Vonnegut's WWII book simmered for many years until it came out and made him famous. His generation served in the war, and many big novelists made their name soon after, but Vonnegut, who landed in Europe and was captured almost immediately, wasn't sure how to write about his experiences as a POW, especially his time in Dresden, before and after it was firebombed.
It happens to be the birthday of Saul Alinsky. He's been dead 40 years but it's amazing how often his name pops up, usually as an accusation. He was a community organizer who wrote Rules For Radicals, laying out his strategies to help the underclass, based on a lifetime of experience.
The Directors Guild named Michel Hazanavicius director of the year for The Artist. Not a great choice. Yes, a silent film may be striking, but it didn't seem to me the direction was that well done, and some of the staging was downright awkward. I suppose this makes him the favorite for the Oscars.
I recently heard something on NPR about the effect of Citizens United on the 2012 campaign. (I probably don't need to tell you it was one of those pieces where the media says "hey, we enjoy more freedom of speech than anyone, but it's still important that the government require everyone else to shut the hell up.")
I just watched an episode of Inside Comedy, where David Steinberg sits down with various comedians. There have been a number of shows with this sort of format, though it's a bit different in that we cut back and forth between the two interviews.
Dick Tufeld died earlier this week. He was one of the greatest announcers of the 20th century. If you watched TV from the 50s through the 80s there was a good chance you'd heard him.
I was reading this Michael Wood essay on one of my favorite films, The Shop Around The Corner, in the London Review Of Books when I came across this:
I just read Anne Heller's Ayn Rand And The World She Made. It's probably the best book about Rand--but then, it's one of the few books written about her from the outside. (An objective book about the first Objectivist.) Heller appreciates her accomplishments, but isn't an acolyte, and didn't even read Rand's novels until she was in her forties. She also offers a good balance of biography and literary analysis.
Touch is the new Fox drama from Tim Kring, who created Heroes. Heroes started out fun before falling apart, but Touch isn't fun right from the start.
The great Pajama Debate (as opposed to that silly one in Florida with the shrieking ninnies) continues.
I sometimes shop at the local Fresh & Easy grocery in Hollywood. They used to have this big station where they offered samples of their goods. Recently, they shut it down and now only fitfully give out free stuff. I never thought that's why I shopped there, but I have to admit, it's a bit out of the way and I now feel less likely to go.
I watched the American Masters documentary on Phil Ochs. The format was interesting in that there was no narration, just soundbites from those they interviewed to tell his story.
Happy birthday, Antonio Carlos Jobim. A lot of people who haven't heard of him have probably heard his music. Get ready to feel mellow.
There was an important event that had Americans glued to their sets yesterday. I'm talking about the Oscar nominations, of course. Let's go over the big ones:
Jesse Walker has no top ten for 1921 because he hasn't seen enough films from that year. Fair enough, but if he were into comedy shorts (and Chaplin) it might not have been that hard.
In the comments to a recent post about Newt Gingrich, there's been a discussion of how much character should matter in voting for candidates. I say very little.
Django Reinhardt was born 102 years ago today. When he was 18, a fire destroyed his ability to use his left hand's ring finger and pinky, but that didn't stop him from being the greatest guitarist in the world of jazz.
Jesse Walker is near or at the end of his movie lists, since he's now doing 1931. By this year, Hollywood had firmly made the transition to sound and we're starting to establish new stars, but what's fun is they haven't figured out all the cliches yet, so you get some weird stuff too. (Profits were also dropping considerably due to the Depression.) Meanwhile, there was some interesting work going on in Europe.
There's a scrabble site I check out regularly, where they draw letters and have visitors send in the biggest point play possible (which is sometimes incredibly stupid--they'll throw way an S for an extra point) on the ever-changing board. They update twice a day, at 9 am and 9 pm PST.
Some songwriters claim the songs are already out there, they're just channeling them. A bit too mystical for me, but I've always been fascinated by how poets can fashion words in such a way that they can't be forgotten, as if they were always meant to be in that order.
I just read Patrick McGilligan's biography Nicholas Ray: The Glorious Failure Of An American Director. It's sort of a sad life, filled with doomed marriages and affairs, drug and alcohol binges, and what amounts to a failed film career.
Is it Squirrel Appreciation Day already?
Fascinating. After having been written off a second time, Newt Gingrich is making another comeback. According to the most recent polls, he seems to be the favorite to win in South Carolina. His recent rise isn't that mysterious. There's still a lot of anti-Romney feeling among conservatives and the main question is which candidate will it coalesce behind. You'd probably think Santorum--especially now that Perry is out of the race--but Gingrich hit it out of the park in the last two debates. Conservatives hate the media, and Gingrich attacked the media. Conservatives are tired of being called racist, and Gingrich defended them. And he did it with some panache.
I just read Gary Wills Rome And Rhetoric, his looks at Shakespeare's Julius Ceasar--how Shakespeare creates the characters and their rhetoric, versus what he know about them from Plutarch.
David Lynch turns 66 today. He's a great director, but considering how unconventional his approach is, it's amazing he's had a career at all.
Happy birthday, Phil Everly. He was the younger half of one of the best rock duos ever.
I watched the first two hours of Alcatraz, the new series on Fox. The premise is when Alcatraz closed in 1963, the official story was a cover-up. What actually happened was the criminals there simply disappeared. Since then, there's been a task force run by former Alcatraz guard Emerson Hauser (Sam Neill) researching the situation and awaiting their return.
I feel we have a special obligation to object to this particular proposed nanny state law.
Bobby Goldsboro was a big soft pop artist in the 60s and 70s, scoring a bunch of top 40 hits, hitting #1 with the lachrymose "Honey" in 1968. His first top ten song was "See The Funny Little Clown" in 1964, but how many remember the song that went to #74 later that year, the Bacharach/David composition "Me Japanese Boy, I Love You"? Anyway, happy birthday, Bobby.
Jesse Walker now presents his film list from 1941. I see it as the last year of the early talkie period. Yes, things had changed since the late 20s, but it was a time when all the studios were operating at their peak, just before the U.S. entered the war and everything changed. (Everything had already changed in Europe, of course.)
Time for my annual film wrap-up. Maybe I was just in a bad mood, but I thought 2011 was a weak year--even the stuff I liked I didn't like that much. Which is why I was so surprised when a lot of critics called it a great year. I don't see all the films they see, but I saw enough of the top-ranked titles to realize we have a difference of opinion.


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Health-and-beauty tips for middle-age women.
On a mission to educate women ages 30 through 50 about making manageable changes to daily routines to ensure they carry their vibrancy into their 50s and beyond, OB-GYN and CBS News medical correspondent Ashton (The Body Scoop for Girls, 2009) presents a self-improvement plan involving "clock-stopping" tweaks in diet, exercise, skincare, stress management and sex life. As evidence, the author offers her own success at juggling two kids, two dogs, a happy relationship with her physician husband, a busy practice and daily TV appearances, alongside the observation that "the vast majority" of those included in Forbes' 2010 list of the world's 50 most powerful women "were in their forties or older." Encouraging readers to attempt the various behavioral modifications she suggests in five-week increments—"you can do anything for five weeks"—Ashton employs simple math and everyday contextualizing in doling out her advice. For example, in her "Five-Day/Two-Day" diet, she advises, "cut bad carbs and eat lots of veggies, fruits, and proteins" on weekdays, and "then take it easier on the weekends." A beauty tip for healthier skin includes the exuberant recommendation to apply at least 20 minutes before going outside "as much sunscreen as would fit in a shot glass," while a subheading for a section on breast reduction is glibly titled, "Honey, I Shrunk the Tits." The author's positive attitude, generally practical health recommendations and sassy style combine to lend her professional advice wide appeal. Whether Ashton's "clock-stopping" ambitions ultimately succeed, however, only time will tell.
Holistic health advice for women of a certain age.


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On earth of authorized graduate recruitment, industrial recognition is critical. But also the words may be baffling for those trying to get exercise arrangements and holiday vacation themes.
Usually, university students don't take advantage of the teaching commitments or descriptive essay scams they make an application for as a result of loss of commercially made knowledge. One such university student is Connor Bingham, a third-year exchange scholar through the University of Warwick, at this time in the College or university of Utrecht, who locates the phrase ambiguous.
He affirms: "After signing up to Allen & Overy and Clifford Probability and passing the aptitude examinations, I been unsuccessful from the CV phase due to a not having enough commercialized information. I viewed some visiting seminars, meals and speaks so as to resolve this.
"I imagined I understood a specific thing concerning the business world, it could be much more than several of my 'commercially aware' companions. I merely got no resistant, or reasoning behind something i was trying to demonstrate," shows Bingham.
Joshua Littlefield, your final-year regulations college student with the College or university of Hull, was unsuccessful with get-away services as he also did not present advertisement understanding. But when he grasped the idea of and in what way it is chosen, he guaranteed a positioning with Stamp Jackson And Procter.
"In my practical experience, high street companies and magic group of friends agencies look for unique components of business information. I have been advised by wonder group of friends providers to see the Finance Situations. Still, commercially made attention can be about having to know the state of the permissible niche. Immediately after realising the actual difference, I been given has for vacation tactics," claims Littlefield.
For individuals aiming to key in legitimate approach, being familiar with professional interest is useful and increasingly appealing to companies, says Stuart Malawer, a famous program professor of legal requirements and overseas market at George Mason Institution.
"Commercial consciousness in a universal perspective is required to thoroughly present potential clients in international ventures. Simple professional practical knowledge will not be ample. You need to understand the marketplace many elements pertaining to it."
Malawer brings: "It's relevant if you are choosing unique undertakings across the globe or domestically – connected with business enterprise or otherwise."
Doctor Dan Awrey, correlate professor of legislation and financial from the Institution of Oxford, claims: "Commercial understanding is among the the ones terms and conditions that is commonly used but almost never determined. In legislation classes, the target is often and rather appropriately within the regulations per se. In practice, but, a lawyer's understanding of legal requirements happens to be an valwriting.me/essay_outline that potential clients hope to leverage to get through the legislation in quest of their aims. As an example, how do my clients oversee the producing dangers?
"Commercial understanding may then be known to provide a function of the lawyer's power to translate their lawful competency into much better final results for buyers," suggests Awrey. – http://cortex.demo.itwconsulting.com/blog/larry-cuban-on-classroom-change-and-classroom-rehearse-lack-of-desktops-in-faculties-would-be-a-blessing/


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February 15, 2006
Willie Nelson's gay cowboy songFiled by Bil Browning | February 15, 2006 | 2:36 PM |
Just when you think you're safe. When gay cowboys couldn't attack your pocketbook or lay siege to your brain matter anymore... When all the cartoons and magazines and news shows weren't all-Brokeback all the time anymore... Willie Nelson releases...Read More
Another Response to Ellen's Challenge (Completed)Filed by Ed Team | February 15, 2006 | 10:22 AM |
I have never considered a political autobiography before. One might think a political autobiography would somehow reflect a person's development, maturity, and increased consciousness from one's life experiences and would therefore suggest an evolution of some sort in which the...Read More


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As worker commuters waited this morning at the station for their trains to work-joy, the Metro headline 'Coalition of Chaos', following last Thursday's General Election, seemed to be on everyone's mind. If Theresa May hadn't actually won outright, why were the Tories still clinging to power? Many would argue in response that the first-past-the-post system doesn't fairly reflect the actual votes of the electorate. Moreover the overwhelming media bias against Jeremy Corbyn and the boundary changes designed to favour the Tories expose the lie of liberal 'democracy' and, of course, the treachery of a Labour right-controlled Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP). Against all these odds then, Corbyn, without actually winning, has been vindicated and strengthened, sending his many party opponents into a calculating, sycophantic race to now try and capture positions in a possible government-in-waiting, with The Guardian naming 'big hitters' such as Ed Miliband and Lisa Nandy as possible appointments.
The Labour careerists, not least the Welsh ones, are in shock that 'pro-worker' policies such as free education and the scrapping of tuition fees are popular, something those of us on the socialist left have been campaigning for since Tony Blair's Labour Party actually introduced the fees in 1997, a blatantly anti-working class policy supported by endless, self-serving Labourites in the NUS, the PLP and too many of the unions. Welsh Labour has consistently refused to use its limited powers to try and stop job losses and cuts and doesn't support 'devo max' for Wales or fight for control over the Welsh budget, with Wales historically underfunded by the Barnett formula. Wales has never voted for the Tories yet we keep getting stuck with their governments ruling us. Welsh Labour politicians remain part of the problem, not the solution.
Meanwhile May is delaying the Queen's Speech as she tries to scramble a deal with the horrifying DUP (Democratic Unionist Party), a sectarian, sexist, homophobic, austerity-loving and utterly reactionary party with links to loyalist terror groups – a deal which could threaten the Northern Ireland Peace Process. A deal breaker for the DUP is abortion, which is still illegal in Northern Ireland – May is planning to legislate to reduce the time limits on abortion to win their support. A demo in London is already planned to protest this disturbing partnership and the threat it represents to women's reproductive rights (Women's March on Downing Street against the DUP, Central London, June 24). Never has extra- parliamentary activity been more essential and it's been frankly over-due a long time now.
Corbyn plans to challenge her right to rule and put forward the case for an alternative government, hoping for another General Election in an attempt to win a decisive mandate for Labour. The DUP are especially dangerous and threaten working class unity and an escalation of ruling class Unionist reaction in Northern Ireland and also Scotland.
Following the result with Corbyn calling for the discredited May to resign, Caroline Lucas of the Greens is indicating that her party would be willing to partner with Labour and the other 'anti-austerity' parties (I put speech marks around this as all the proposed parties in this possible but highly unlikely alliance have actually implemented austerity whilst in power be it the SNP, Plaid Cymru, the Liberal Democrats and yes, the Greens themselves in Brighton). Despite my scepticism about any of these parties so-called anti-austerity record (please remember that Corbyn has previously ordered Labour councils to pass cuts in order for council budgets to be 'legal'), the entire labour movement needs to mobilise now to demand May resigns, oppose any Tory / DUP coalition and insist on an end to austerity now. But what we also need is a clear anti-capitalist vision and an end to parliamentary illusions in the first place.
This task cannot be left to Labour alone, nothing changes without the mass independent action of the working class. The entire movement needs to mobilise with protests, marches, strikes, mass meetings and rank and file union organisation of both unionised and non-unionised workplaces. Whilst many Labour activists have been celebrating this weekend, the reality is that people are still sleeping on the streets this morning and many of us are in workplaces facing closures, cuts and job losses with trade unions (where we have them) generally missing in action.
Even if Labour were able to form a minority government with the support of other parties (an outcome certainly preferable to the Tories and their sectarian friends being in charge), the real risks of compromise and betrayal of workers lies ahead – and it's far from certain that's on the cards. But even if it did happen, first of all, it still wouldn't be enough seats. Secondly, Corbyn would have to make compromises with the right in the Scottish Nationalist Party, the discredited Liberal Democrats (remember that ConDem coalition), Plaid Cymru who have also implemented austerity in power and the right-wing of his own party, including Machiavellian opportunists such as Stephen Kinnock.
Labour's programme, apparently progressive in the context of decades of neoliberalism, is not as radical as it seems. Aside from maintaining Trident, supporting NATO, promising to work with business and not supporting the free movement of labour, it is informed by Keynesian capitalist economics and already opportunist right wingers are pouncing on the chance to serve in the shadow cabinet whilst the hardest of the right continue their plotting. Corbyn is speaking about how the unity of the party must be maintained and there is the real danger he will continue to compromise even further with his new found 'moderate' allies who like power-hungry hyenas are sniffing and foaming at the mouth at the chance to rule again in the possible near-future.
Corbyn and Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell represent a revival of second internationalism (the 'international' which supported WW1 and for many, many decades has capitulated to capitalist economics and maintaining imperialism). The outpouring of working-class support for Labour in last week's election is undoubtedly encouraging but people's hopes stand to be dashed if May clings on with the utterly reactionary DUP, or if Corbyn and McDonnell pursue a new election without the mandatory re-selection of MPs. In reality, the Labour Party is two parties and the members need to assert democratic control – a task never previously achieved – or more likely, start to learn some lessons about the impossibility of this task. Parliament has never been a vehicle for socialism which is why the second internationalists degenerated into capitalist conformity in the first place, many, many decades ago. But still the current revival of it is welcome only in the sense that it indicates an increasing confidence of workers and especially young people to move into struggle again – however, the obstacles are huge.
For Corbyn, the ideal would be a fresh General Election with a clear and overwhelming mandate. However, as myself and others have consistently pointed out for the last two years, it is essential that Corbyn uses this opportunity to introduce mandatory re-selection of MPs if he wants any chance of decisively winning the internal civil war and 'democratising' the party. The two parties in one is untenable. But that doesn't look likely given Corbyn's misguided belief in the Labour 'happy family'. Momentum is ostensibly triumphant but seems more interested in stopping so-called Trotskyist 'infiltrators' (or in more neutral language, new party members) than pursuing the re-selection of MPs. The Labour Party has never been democratic and this myth that it has ever been socialist needs to be challenged, not reinforced by self-described revolutionaries who uncritically champion Corbyn's limited state capitalist programme and establishment approved Keynesian economics, not explaining that, however preferable it is to full-blooded austerity, it still represents a continuation of capitalism which is still in the grips of a long-term 'great depression'. To quote a recent blog post of Marxist economist Michael Roberts, 'UK election: British capital in disarray':
"The UK economy is set to enter a period of stagnation at best. The OECD's economists are already forecasting that the UK economy will slow down to just 1% next year as Brexit bites. And there is every likelihood of a new global recession in the next year or two…
"…This minority Conservative government is going to find it difficult to survive for long. There could well be a new general election before the year is out and that could well lead to a Labour government aiming to reverse the neo-liberal policies of the last 30 years. But if the UK capitalist economy is in dire straits, a Labour government will face an immediate challenge to the implementation of its policies."
Not only is another recession very likely, any reformist government will have to deal with hostile and unaccountable institutions such as the EU during Brexit negotiations, the World Bank and IMF, etc. Politicians hoping to make capitalism nicer would have to contend with the fact that the dictatorship of the international market will never passively accept any attempts to redistribute wealth to the masses. Capitalism exists to make profit, not pay workers fair wages (and all profit is created by the unpaid labour of the working class, the real generators of wealth).
The capitulation of the left-wing SYRIZA government in Greece is a stark warning, as are the many historical examples of the inevitable, and frequently bloody, resistance of the ruling class to any attempt to fundamentally threaten their profits and power. It's worth remembering the tragic events of Chile in 1973, where the more radical Salvador Allende was overthrown in a CIA-supported fascist coup. Augusto Pinochet murdered not only the democratically elected Allende, he and his armed thugs of the state executed thousands of socialists, anarchists and trade unionists to crush the mass movement behind Allende. Certainly the ruling class are not averse to threatening flights of capital, denial of loans, economic blockades and yes, even military coups. Our struggle has to be international and with no illusions in the capitalist state.
Whilst there are encouraging developments with the recent election result in terms of giving the Tories a well-deserved bloody nose and a crisis in the establishment, it's important to be sober and make an honest and unflinching assessment of the huge obstacles our side is up against. We suffer from shockingly low levels of workers' struggle, with union membership at an all-time low. No one on the left has anything better to offer us than Labour, a party which has consistently betrayed workers and the oppressed over the last century or so. There is presently no coherent anti-capitalist vision, or strategy beyond A to B marches, and yet there is dangerously misguided co-operation with the police to keep protests neutered. On the police, the left needs to stop sowing illusions in their so-called neutrality – look at the role of the police and military in the Miners' Strike of 1984-85, Hillsborough in 1989 and so on. According to Friedrich Engels, in the last analysis the state represents the armed bodies of men who protect private property and, as Angela Davis and so many black activists have pointed out, maintain a profit system based on racism and oppression of all kinds. We need genuine socialist internationalism, updated for the 21st century, if we are ever to succeed in our tasks. Whether this happens remains to be seen. But the politics of tinkering with the system and appealing to the capitalists to be a bit nicer to workers is naïve at best, at worst deluded and dangerous. But still we must struggle…
Author: Sa Kollantai is an education worker, trade unionist and left communist writer from Wales


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Fill out the brief form below for access to the free report.
First Ladies Have a Platform for Impact
About the Program
More than forty current and former First Ladies, including First Lady Michelle Obama and Mrs. Cherie Blair, have participated in Initiative summits, collaborative meetings, and other program related activities.
This essay is part of a new series of policy recommendations from the George W. Bush Institute. To read more, visit What's Next: Policy Recommendations from the Bush Institute.
Download this report as a PDF
First Ladies perform many roles, but perhaps their most important one is to champion causes that improve lives. Their unique podium gives them the opportunity to take on critical issues and have a lasting impact.
As advocates for change, spouses of state leaders have encouraged action to help vulnerable populations around the world. In her time as First Lady, Mrs. Laura Bush spearheaded a vast number of projects, including expanding literacy and education, empowering women and girls in Afghanistan, promoting democracy and human rights in Burma, and addressing challenges facing America's youth. Her advocacy now continues through her work at the Bush Institute, Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon, and the Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries, among other organizations.
As our country prepares for a new administration and a potential new paradigm with Melania and Ivanka Trump in the East Wing, here are five things that can support the work within the Office of the First Lady:
Use the podium to showcase the work of local advocates
First Ladies have a platform that can amplify the work of others. They can make a difference by elevating issues and effective interventions. A "listener and facilitator," Mrs. Rula Ghani, First Lady of Afghanistan, spotlights the courage and contributions of women and girls. By amplifying existing efforts, she builds awareness and support for local organizations to advance gender equality in her country.
Support collaboration among partners
Partnerships are a crucial way to help vulnerable populations. At the same time, partnerships ensure accountability, promote local engagement, and foster transparency among stakeholders.
For example, Mrs. Cherie Blair, spouse to the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, collaborates with corporations, non-profits, and local organizations to empower female entrepreneurs and strengthen financial independence. The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women has reached over 136,000 women in 90 countries worldwide.
Through Joining Forces, Mrs. Michelle Obama has worked in partnership with the public and private sectors to ensure that service members, veterans, and their families have the tools they need to succeed throughout their lives.
Encourage the sharing of best practices and promote dialogue
No one person or organization can tackle a problem alone. To ensure long-term impact, First Ladies and their offices must lead the way in sharing ideas and strategies with other leaders committed to the same cause.
Mrs. Monica Geingos, First Lady of Namibia, exemplifies this through her First Ladies Advisory Council. Comprised of advocates throughout Namibia, the Council breaks down silos and shows how organizations can work together for the common good.
Build awareness and break down stigma
At the national and global levels, First Ladies have a bully pulpit they can use to shift mindsets and save lives. Through her visible support for women's cancer screenings, Mama Salma Kikwete, former First Lady of Tanzania, challenged fear and stigma around maternal health care services in East Africa. She recognized that women are likely to come forward and use such services when they hear from a woman they trust.
Promote the value of women as leaders
Research shows that where women hold an equal role in society, their communities are more successful and stable. When women are educated, their children are more likely to be educated. When women have access to quality healthcare, their families are healthier. When women have equal entry to the economy, their countries are more prosperous. Leading by example, through advocacy and action, First Ladies demonstrate the value of women's leadership in creating lasting change.
No matter the issues that our new First Lady takes on, these approaches encourage successful outcomes. They also ensure local representation, accountability for results, and an opportunity to broaden the efforts of existing organizations.
We see this everyday through our work across the Bush Institute's First Ladies Initiative, which has engaged with over 40 current and former First Ladies worldwide. Our forthcoming research study, in partnership with the International Center for Research on Women, takes an in-depth look at the role and influence of First Ladies through interviews and surveys from over a dozen spouses of state leaders.
As demonstrated by women across the globe, when used effectively, a First Lady's platform can be a key force in combatting challenges at home and abroad.
Natalie Gonnella-Platts serves as the Director of the Women's Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute. In this role, Natalie is responsible for research and programmatic efforts that empower women worldwide to lead in their communities and countries. This includes the work of the First Ladies Initiative, which aims to enable and support First Ladies from around the world in effectively using their platforms to empower women and children in their countries. Additionally, she is the host of the Bush Institute's award nominated podcast, Ladies, First; the co-author of a first-of-its kind analysis on global first ladies, A Role Without a Rulebook; and served as a project lead on the development of the Bush Institute's 2018 special exhibit, First Ladies: Style of Influence.
Natalie studied Communications and International Studies (Peace and Conflict) at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Fredonia. She earned an MA in War, Violence and Security studies from the University of Sussex in Brighton, United Kingdom. Prior to joining the Bush Institute, she held roles in New York City at American International Group (AIG), and in London at ConservativeHome USA, the Legatum Institute, and BBC Worldwide. She is a member of Akola Project's Advisory Council; a co-founder of Each Inc., a non-profit that seeks to provide innovative technology tools to organizations that care for and protect orphans and vulnerable children; and has previously served as a project strategy advisor to Stop the Traffik's Finance Against Trafficking initiative.Full Bio
Related Articles:
Policy Recommendations: Investing in our Future
Advancing the rights of youth around the world
Global Leadership: A Look Back at 2018
As we look back on 2018, we celebrate some of the top moments from the Bush Institute's work in global leadership.
Partnerships based on trust get results, and Namibia is proof
This week, PEPFAR was officially reauthorized and signed into law. A "dream big" effort, PEPFAR was built on partnerships and results – a forward-thinking and collaborative approach to foreign assistance by the United States.


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Tagged: MARKETS
Market haul – Gucci Vintage Bootleg Sweatshirt $60, Missoni Knit Top $20, Iro Jeans $10, OneTeaspoon Denim Skirt $10
Gucci Vintage Bootleg Sweatshirt – bought at Manly Markets from Queen Justine Vintage | OneTeaspoon Denim Skirt – bought from Kirribilli Markets | Guess Boots – bought from EbayAU | Hiking Shoe Laces – bought from EbayAU
There's nothing like cracking open a freshly delivered Aus Post parcel and featuring your fresh new purchase on your Insta story. I'm using this analogy because I am 100% an online shopping person. Anything I can do from my bed in my jim jams is A OK with me and who doesn't love being able to accomplish a task bra-less and in trackies.
So as I paint the dream in my head of a life spent online shopping, in reality, life just gets more expensive. Every month it's bills bills bills and then all of a sudden I'm Destiny's Child wishing someone would just pay my bills so maybe I could chill/shop…
So how do you get your fix while keeping most of your bank account intact? Second hand or vintage, my friends. The only down sides are wading through a bunch of crap at markets and Vinnies stores and feeling bad when you try to haggle prices down when they're already pretty cheap. But hey, if I'm putting pants and a bra on to go to an actual shop, I better be bagging myself a bargain.
The other weekend I went to Kirribilli General Market on Saturday and the Manly Markets on Sunday, finishing up the weekend strong with a great haul of mostly designer digs for $100. The key is obviously finding the right stalls and digging for those golden gooses, and I'm not talking about the sneakers, or maybe the sneakers? You never know. Someone's trash is another bargain hunters treasure.
Usually my strategy is to weave through the market stalls with an eye out for labels, the more well known or designer labels a stall has, the higher the probability of finding gold is. Who said maths wasn't useful after high school. My other strategy is to keep an eye out for a rack of old Levi's jeans, skirts or denim jackets. This is usually a slightly more expensive stall because it's not just someone getting rid of their last seasons wardrobe. It's a proper vintage shop where you're more than likely to find a gold mine of old Harley Davidson Tees, Hilfiger, Guess, anything 80's and 90's really. It's a sign of a seller that knows what the consumer wants; Vintage shit you could've saved money on if your mum had just KEPT ALL HER CLOTHES, but now you have cough up top dollar because this old shit is cool again. Yes mum, I'm talking to YOU.
Lastly, West Coast Customise your shit up. Cut the sleeves off to turn your top into a muscle tank, buy some new shoe laces to vamp up a pair of boots, fashion yourself a crop top out of an oversized men's tee, chop a step hem in a pair of vintage jeans and chuck them in the wash for a frayed look.
You don't have to spend a fortune to have the outfits you want, just a $100 in your pocket, a pair of scissors, the courage to hack into your new old clothes and the musty, second hand world of vintage fashion is your oyster.
Awesome online Vintage Stores
This customise rule doesn't just apply to second hand. Here's a photo for your enjoyment of me wearing a pair of Kmart men's jeans. I bought the smallest size I could find, yanked them up Steve Urkel style to sit around my waist and chopped off the hem at my ankles. 15 buckaroos for these bad boys.
Get your Urkel on here
What do you get when you pack a whole bunch of different Asian cuisines, a fine selection of alcohol and some loud, LED lit entertainment into Hyde Park? A really busy, loud, slightly overwhelming event during Good Food Month called the Night Noodle Markets.
During a couple of weeks in the Month of October, Hyde park was turned into a hustling bustling hawker centre of Asian delights. Supplying patrons with tastes of the Orient along with bars, music and entertainment. With up to 50 food stalls it can be slightly overwhelming, especially when trying to navigate through the throngs of hungry people, when you yourself are hungry enough to eat your own hand. With a rumbling stomach, comes rash decision making, which in turn, usually leads to disappointment and worst of all, food envy.
With this in mind, before going to the event, I strongly suggest reading up about the stalls, checking out some food blogs and seeing what people are raving about and ragging on. The last thing you want is a plate of overly oily, bland noodles when the person next to you is chomping on a Ramen Burger or a Woofy's Asian Dog.
We had a plan. With our eyes set on the infamous Ramen Burger, we entered the arena armed with only the inkling of hunger setting in, cash money in our pockets and a positive attitude. That quickly dissipated into annoyance when we saw a line of no less than 80-100 people all with the same plan. All of a sudden that hint of hunger escalated into full blown starvation and irritation levels began to rise. I was officially hangry. Symptoms include irrational behaviour, bouts of yelling (usually at loved ones), foot stamping and pouting. Yes, I turn into a 5 year old when I get hungry, who doesn't.
Luckily there were a few of us, so we left one in the queue for Ramen burgers and we went to gather extra food supplies. A quick trip to the Let's Do Yum Cha truck and a tent nearby to get some crispy golden squid and I returned to normal, functioning adult behaviour.
I've got to say that the Ramen Burger was ok, albeit a bit of a gimmick and personally, give me a brioche bun any day. The fried ramen "buns" gave an interesting texture to the burger and the beef pattie was flavoursome but not overly exciting. We also had the rice burger with slow cooked sticky pork, which was also alright.
In general the Noodle Markets are a fun place to go with a group of friends as long as you're not fussed about getting split up, can handle long queues and are happy to sit on any floor space you can find. With all negatives aside, they are a nice way to mix things up and try a whole bunch of different things all in one place.
Or if you're a stickler for convenience like me, you could just go to your favourite local Chinese restaurant for dinner with your own bottle of wine and be in and out in a quarter of the time. To each their own.


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Talking on hands free cellphone adds 5metres to drivers" braking distancesDecember 4th, 2008 - 1:08 pm ICT by ANI
Washington, Dec 4 (ANI): Talking on mobile phones while driving can impair drivers" visual attention to such a degree that it can add over 5 metres to the braking distance of a car travelling at 60 miles an hour, according to a new study.
Moreover, they cause almost twice as many errors as drivers driving without the distraction of a mobile phone conversation.
In the study led by Dr Melina Kunar, from the University of Warwicks Department of Psychology, and Dr Todd Horowitz, from Harvard Medical School, the participants were asked to pay attention and respond (by pressing one of two keys on a keyboard) to a series of discs moving around a computer screen.
Some of the participants carried out the task with no distraction. Others carried out the task while also using speaker phones to simultaneously engage in a normal phone conversation, discussing things such as their hobbies and interests.
The researchers found that on average the reaction times of those engaging in the hands free telephone conversation were 212 milliseconds slower than those who undertook the task without the simultaneous telephone conversation.
A car travelling at 60 miles an hour would travel 5.7 metres (18.7 feet) in that time so the distracting conversation would obviously increase any braking distance at that speed by the same amount.
The participants distracted by a phone conversation also made 83pct more errors in the task than those not in phone conversations.
"Our research shows that simply using phones hands free is not enough to eliminate significant impacts on a drivers visual attention, said Kunar.
Generating responses for a conversation competes for the brains resources with other activities which simply cannot run in parallel.
This leads to a cognitive "bottleneck" developing in the brain, particularly with the more complicated task of word generation," he added.
The study suggests that hands free telephone conversations which require people to carefully consider the information they hear and then to make complex cognitive choices based on that information (a business decision for instance) have a particularly significant negative impact on a drivers ability to process and act on the visual information that is critical to their driving performance.
The study has been published in the Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 2008. (ANI)
Tags: bottleneck, braking distance, braking distances, department of psychology, distraction, dr todd, free cellphone, free telephone, harvard medical school, hobbies and interests, horowitz, kunar, melina, milliseconds, mobile phones while driving, phone conversation, phone conversations, speaker phones, telephone conversation, visual attention


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Welcome to the best gambling blog – the Gambling Star!
I think you can guess the topic of our blog 😉 We are talking about online casino gambling as well as land-based casinos, winning strategies, tips and trick of popular casino games. We are a progressive gambling community.
So, become a part of us! Join us, read us!


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Steve Davis gives us his reaction following 3-2 defeat at Gigg LaneCrewe Alexandra boss Steve Davis was hugely disappointed after the Railwaymen exited the League Cup at Gigg Lane. The Crewe gave themselves a late lifeline via the penalty spot but couldn't find an equaliser to force extra time.
Steve told the club's official web-site: "It was a bad night because no disrespect to Bury but we should be coming to Bury and getting a result. I thought that we would be going to win comfortably after the first 15 minutes or so because we scored and created two or three decent chances. It could have been wrapped up but our ill discipline has cost us. We didn't deal with the second phase and mark properly again. We know what the problems are and we will work on it.
"We have gifted them a penalty and from then on it has changed the game. We struggled for the last 10 minutes of the second half but got in at half-time and thought we would sort things out, but then we have come out and conceded a tap in from a corner because we didn't mark properly. We worked all week on the second phases of play and we have been done on it again.
"We have to mark better, anticipate better and deal with situations better. It is hard to find positives but we made a good start and had a go in the second half but we have conceded six goals in two goals, five of them from set plays and that is concern."


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You are here: Welcome TRISI - Trauma & Resilience Informed Solutions Institute
TRISI @TRISI_SA Brian Rogers @TraumaActivist
"While health isn't everything, without health, nothing else matters".
CC Pollen Co-founder Royden Brown
Solutions to South Africa's Psycho-Social Challenges
Trauma and Resilience-Informed Capability
The Challenge - Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi, the 2012 National Health Summit
Primary Health, Mental Health, Poverty, Violence, Substance Abuse, HIV/Aids and Customer Centricity
"At the 2012 National Health Summit, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi called for greater awareness, better planning and a move away from a "Hospicentric approach" to the treatment of Mental Illness. He described South Africa's Mental Health Services as fragmented, unfairly distributed and inadequately resourced. "We know that there continues to be over-reliance on Psychiatric Hospitals as the mode to care, treatment and rehabilitation" Motsoaledi said. South Africa has continued to follow the colonial, "Hospicentric approach", and in doing so have neglected critical aspects of Primary Health Care. He said that it is an offence against human rights and the country's constitution to neglect the worse off in society.
Minister Motsoaledi voiced the need to scale up investment in South Africa's Community-Based Mental Health services and reverse the trend of institutionalised care: "We must examine how Mental Health can be integrated into General Health Care and particularly into Primary Health Care". "Because of their condition, Mental Health Care users are often 'voiceless', and it is critical that we both give this group the space to voice their needs and then respond appropriately through including Mental Health in all health plans and programmes" he stated."
SA Federation for Mental Health Making Mental Health A South African Priority - July 2015 Awareness Campaign
Regrettably the Minister's challenge cannot be met by South Africa's Mental Health resources alone. An analysis of the historic and present academic and organisational capabilities in South Africa shows that they are probably too inwardly focused (too siloed) and too independent, to make an urgent collective impact on a solution to these expressed national needs alone.
"We need to replenish our imagination.
We have to reimagine the desirable society we wanted, before it is too late."
Prof Kopano Ratele
Prof Kopano Ratele Why I am against 'transformation'; Sunday Tribune, September 21, 2014
Please download all sections of proposal here - http://www.ptgrr.com/contents/get-involved/trisi-content
What is at stake?
We must urgently interrupt the South African 150 year cycle of interpersonal, inter community and inter cultural abuse. This proposal clearly demonstrates such abuse invokes negative, high-impact Behavioral and Primary Health Traumatic responses – poor Traumatic Health. There is a negative, direct and sustainable influence on Substance Abuse, Violence, HIV/Aids and Poverty. The cost to the SA Economy is at let 2.2% of GDP. (Section 6) Unless we create solutions to the now obvious problems, the social capital required to sustain the nation will decline to an irreparable deficit. (Sections 12, 13, 14)
Children: (Sections 5, 11, 14)
Education – Adverse Traumatic experiences in childhood lead to disrupted neuro-development affecting growth, structuring and development of the brain leading to inability to cope with leaning pressures;
Primary Health – Bio-physiology impairment leading to short and long term Primary Health risks;
Mental Health – Half of all diagnosable mental illness begins by age 14 and 75% by age 24. Childhood Trauma is by far the most significant determinant of poor Mental Health;
Behavioral Health – Poor conflict management skills, poor social skills, impulsivity, attention deficit, difficult temperament, delinquency, adolescent substance abuse and violence;
Adults: (Sections 5-19)
In addition to adult traumatic experiences, social, emotional and cognitive impairmentin childhood manifests in adults:
Employment – Unresolved Trauma regulates difficulties in pursuing continuous employment, habitual high absenteeism and employment negative behaviors (Section 6.);
Primary Health – Unresolved Trauma leads to adult disease, disabilityand early death (Sections 5, 6, 10, 11);
Mental Health (Sections 10, 11)
Trauma is both the cause and the consequence of Mental Health;
Poor Mental Health in early adulthood creates high epigenetic transfer risks in child rearing couples;
Suppression and masking of Traumatic experiences in early adulthood results in delayed Mental Illness onset displaying during primary economic contribution age (40-50);
Behavioral Health – (Sections 10, 11, 17)
Repetitive "learned", and genetically transferred, negative intergenerational Behavior
Substance Abuse – Trauma triggers and sustains an ever increasing spiral of substance abuse;
Violence – Unresolved Trauma is the fuel for the cycle of violence in our country;
HIV/Aids – Trauma, as opposed to symptomatic risky behaviors, is the root cause of adult sexual delinquency leading directly to HIV/Aids and other social sexual diseases.
Poverty – Unresolved Trauma impairs the individual's ability to cope, be self-sustaining and socially interactive trapping the individual in poverty
Please Note: This proposal took three years of research and was entirely self-funded. All information is available freely. Should you wish to quote from this document please use the reference as indicated at the top of the page. If you find use for any of the material in this document, it would be sincerely appreciated if you made, of your own free will, a donation to PTG-RR: Post Traumatic Growth - Response and Resources; Trust No. IT002468/2013 NPO No. 135-315 ;
Bank details:
Nedbank Current Account
Branch Rondebosch: 104809
Current Account: 1068754982
Should you wish to quote from this document please use the following reference:
Reference: Brian Rogers. Trauma & Resilience-Informed Solutions Institute of Southern Africa – Proposal of a Trauma-Activist; PTG-RR; Sep 2015
Follow @TRISI_SA


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As a native English speaker and teacher living in Spain I am often told that we English speakers say ¨please¨ and ¨thank you¨ too much. I answer by saying that it is better to say these things too much than not at all. I often point out that I find it so disappointing and frankly,maddening, when I hear how children usually make requests here in Spain. The ¨requests¨ can often begin with an ¨Oye¨ ,which means ¨hey¨. This ¨hey¨is normally accompanied by a very loud or even screechy voice. This alone instantaneously makes my skin crawl because my name is not ¨hey¨and I hate shouting. (If you don´t respond immediately, the voice just gets louder) .The ¨hey¨is usually followed by the phrase ¨I want ……¨ And that is that. The other way children make known that they want something is by making statements. For example, Paco does not have a pencil so he comes up to me and says, ¨I don´t have a pencil¨and he will expect me to give it to him. Conversation over. When I give people these examples of what I can only call blatant rudeness, I am often told that these are cultural differences. That is where I draw the line. No!! That is not possible because I married a Spanish man and he does not speak this way nor does his family or do his friends. It seems to me that the generation of adults having children today have lost sight of the importance of good manners. I am not saying all of them, but yes, many. I work in a school that is focused on the children learning English as well as Spanish. Parents have this dream of their children becoming bilingual (though most don´t know much English or have any real desire to learn it themselves) and spend a good amount of money for this to be achieved. They want their children to be well rounded and ready for the future that awaits them. But unfortunately, good manners seem to be disregarded as a means of educating a person fully. I do what I can to teach the children that politeness and kindness is fundamental in my classroom. One day I asked my students, who are only 6 and 7, ¨Which is more important, learning English or learning how to be a good and kind person?¨The students answered that English is more important. I told them that although English is important, being a good and kind person is more important because no matter what language you speak, if you are cruel, rude or unkind, nobody will want to be your friend. The students were shocked that I told them that but it made a difference in their attitude towards each other. The trend is for children to learn so much and yes, their opportunities have increased in many ways, but since when did good manners become unnecessary?
Natascha's Palace
I am a Canadian with a German Irish background living in Madrid. I have been married to a Spanish Superman for nearly four years now! Time flies! I am a first and second grade English teacher that loves learning new things, especially cooking. I have started this blog as a way of sharing some things I am learning as well as a hobby. Thank you for taking the time to look at my blog! Xxxxx Natascha
16 thoughts on "Can good manners ¨run out of style"?"
Add yours
Keep up the good work! That's a valuable lesson for those of us influencing children everywhere.
Thanks a million Sadie It is so nice to read that! xxxxxxxxx
This is really interesting that you should write this, as, I have had numerous experiences where I have found Spanish teenagers and tourists extremely rude, but I put this down to as you say 'cultural differences'. They conduct extremely loud conversations on the metro, shouting across people who are trying to read (usually books! YES they do still exist ad are alive and kicking in Paris), which I just thought was normal for them in their country, so accept this. But other examples have been on a guided tour, where information was given in French, English, German and Spanish – all the other nationals were quiet whilst the guide spoke in the other languages, except the Spaniards, who listened to the Spanish they didn't give two hoots if the rest of us could hear or not, but the worse was the total lack of respect in religious places (which shocked and surprised me) notably in the wondrous 'Saint Chapel' where silence is requested to allow visitors to appreciate the very special atmosphere and respect that this is a place of worship where they blatantly talked, laughed, took (forbidden) photographs and just spoilt what should have been a very spiritual experience. On all occasions I have given them the benefit of the doubt, but tis has thrown a different light on things. Thanks for posting.
Thanks so much for your comment. Unfortunately, everything you described is completely normal here in Spain. Honetly, I can´t stand the hollering either! I often tell my students, ¨Why are you shouting at me? I am right next to you! Use a simple indoor voice when you want me to listen to you.¨ They always appear shocked because nobody ever tells them that. You are right in giving people the benefit of the doubt but I am sorry to say that the rudeness you are describing is often the norm. I know that patience is a virtue but it is sometimes hard to practice haha 🙂
Thanks so much for the post, it is well appreciated, even here in stodgy old New England, USA! I always associated 'yelling' with people from "the city" (NYC) or perhaps it's immediate suburbs. But I see, hear and witness 'demanding' youth more and more everyday. I think your most key point here about being 'good and kind' and that being a revelation for these children speaks volumes and reaches far beyond Spain's youth. I think many children, in fact all ages, are really so unaware much their behavior can affect their own and the greater world. Whether the question is about having friends or making the world a better place, it really can and does begin with individuals small acts of kindness, small steps in sharing and small group movements. Brava! for making a difference in their lives!
Thank you so much. I agree with you. So many parents don't bother to teach their kids these things because it is hard, don't have the time or even think it is not so important because they are not "academic". At the end of the day though, educating the heart counts for just as much as educating the mind. Thanks for reading 😘😘😘😘😘😘😘
It is first taught in the home (and they're obviously not being taught)…so you can only do what you can to instill it with the young ones at your school. Keep up your good influence! Even if only one learns to be more polite and kind you are doing good. 🙂
Thank you, Linda. You really rock 😘😘😘😘😘😘😘
LOL – just raised my four boys to be gentlemen! 🙂
Three cheers for a mom who rocks! Seriously? 4? Wow you must be a saint hahahaha!
Lots of testosterone in this house! Two have graduated college and now have careers, one is headed to his second year in September and one will graduate high school next June…Here's looking forward to the next step (empty nest syndrome!) Haha 🙂
Wow that IS impressive! You must be so proud of them!! The next step will have its positive side too..like less laundry for example! 😂
Too True!
Wow! This is great! Thank you so much! I will check it out! Happy new year! 😘😘😘


text: The Erb Memorial Union (EMU) building at the University of Oregon is undergoing renovation after serving over 60 years as a campus hub for students. When the project is completed, most will only notice the beautiful new building at the heart of campus. But what happens beneath the surface is also a crucial part of this renovation. Lease Crutcher Lewis, the general contractor on the project, hired Matterport Service Partner, ToPa 3D to capture the underground tunnel system. The 3D model was used to share design options with other remote project teams and to document progress. Because the tunnels are underground with small crawlspaces that are difficult to access, using Matterport as a remote-viewer was a rapid and cost-effective solution to visualize this space.


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SAP leads in enterprise CPM, study says
The corporate performance management market varies greatly thanks to rapidly changing dynamics, but a recent study breaks down the leading vendors.
A recent Bloor Research study finds that software carrying the corporate performance management (CPM) moniker can vary greatly, because the market is rapidly changing.
Historically, CPM tools have focused on finance, according to study author Gerry Brown, senior analyst with Towcester, U.K.-based Bloor Research International Ltd. But that's changing as a result of regulatory compliance, competitive pressures and organizational demands for democratization of information. Many organizations want to deploy CPM broadly to many employees, but traditional finance CPM tools don't have the functionality required for organization-wide deployments, Brown said in an interview. Bloor's report divides CPM systems into three new subcategories: enterprise CPM, finance CPM, and visualization and information delivery tools, which provide a presentation layer for CPM systems. According to Brown, though, organizations should consider more than just CPM when choosing technology.
The current convergence of CPM and business intelligence (BI) platforms is a logical evolution -- and should play a part in buying decisions, Brown said. Both require a foundation of integrated, accurate data and are "variations on a theme." CPM will be much more pervasive than BI, Brown believes, and he strongly recommends that buyers consider vendors that provide both capabilities.
"Having BI and CPM in one platform gives you the breadth and depth of functionality in one place," Brown said. "It also enables you to negotiate better deals with suppliers and minimize the degree of systems integration required, which reduces the cost of ownership."
A combined system is also easier for users, he said, because it provides a single place to "pull" information -- as in BI query tools -- and "push" information out to people -- as in CPM dashboards or scorecards. Brown recommends that CPM evaluators begin by looking at the eight vendors that made both Bloor's recent BI report and the CPM report: Actuate Corp., Business Objects S.A., Cognos Inc., Hyperion Solutions Corp., Microsoft Corp., Oracle Corp., SAP AG and SAS Institute.
In the new CPM report, Bloor rates 21 vendors for geographic coverage, maturity, stability and risk, ease of implementation, fitness for purpose, performance, architecture, support and coverage, and value for money. The top-rated overall vendors were Hyperion, SAP and Cognos. The report placed most emphasis on the three subcategories, however, naming one "gold" vendor and three "one to watch" contenders for enterprise CPM, finance CPM, and visualization and information delivery.
Enterprise, finance and visualization vendor rankings
Enterprise CPM vendors address broad deployment requirements, the report states, with a strong platform for data integration, the ability to link CPM with business processes for executing top-down strategies, and strong ties with management methodologies such as the balanced scorecard. SAP took the gold in this category, with Cognos, Oracle and SAS designated ones-to-watch. The report anticipated questions about Santa Clara, Calif.-based Hyperion Solutions Corp.'s failure to make this category and stated that the performance management giant "has stayed solidly within its comfort zone of finance and has shown little inclination to attack the wider Enterprise CPM marketplace."
Of the vendors focused on planning, budgeting, forecasting and advanced financial functions, Hyperion took the gold. Cartesis SA, Extensity (recently acquired by Infor Global Solutions) and OutlookSoft Corp. were the ones-to-watch. Hyperion has differentiated its platform through the acquisition of Razza for master data management, which enables synchronized metadata and enterprise data across multiple applications. This year, Hyperion also acquired Upstream for financial data management. According to the report, Hyperion wants to move toward assisting financial business process management.
The visualization and information delivery category included products that provide a presentation layer and user interface as part of a wider CPM system. Microsoft was awarded the gold, while ones-to-watch included Actuate, Applix Inc. and Sage Software Inc. Microsoft's ability to reduce price points and drive user adoption is unrivaled, and its acquisition of analytics vendor ProClarity and subsequent announcement of PerformancePoint 2007, due out in June 2007, has positioned it to step up to the finance CPM category next year. It will target finance first, the report said, by wrapping Excel with PerformancePoint 2007.
Buyer beware
CPM is an evolving market, and between product updates, acquisitions and user experiences, much could change in the next year, Brown noted. He recommends taking ample time to ask important questions about internal strategy while becoming familiar with vendors -- particularly those offering combined BI-CPM platforms. He suggested some starting questions: Who will be your advocates and evangelists who will sell this concept? How are you going to embed performance within your organization? How are you going to build a culture that accepts performance management?
This strategy development will take at least six to 12 months, meaning that by the time internal requirements are clear, tools and platforms will have also matured -- putting organizations in the optimal position to make the right choice for their own requirements.
This article originally appeared on SearchDataManagement.com


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Trial record 1 of 1 for: NCT00285012
Previous Study | Return to List | Next Study
Smoking Cessation in Subjects With Mild-to-moderate Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00285012
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : February 1, 2006
Results First Posted : December 3, 2009
Last Update Posted : April 20, 2010
Information provided by:
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- Study Results
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Tracking Information
|First Submitted Date ICMJE
|January 30, 2006
|First Posted Date ICMJE
|February 1, 2006
|Results First Submitted Date ICMJE
|October 30, 2009
|Results First Posted Date ICMJE
|December 3, 2009
|Last Update Posted Date
|April 20, 2010
|Study Start Date ICMJE
|May 2006
|Actual Primary Completion Date
|July 2008 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Current Primary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Number of Subjects With Four Week Continuous Quit Rate (CQR) [ Time Frame: Week 9 through Week 12 ]
Number of subjects who reported no smoking and no use of other nicotine-containing products since the last study visit (on the Nicotine Use Inventory [NUI]) and with end-expiratory exhaled carbon monoxide (CO) measurement less than or equal to 10 parts per million (ppm) for weeks 9 through 12 (inclusive).
|Original Primary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|The 4-week continuous quit rate for Weeks 9-12 with end-expiratory exhaled CO measurements â ¤10ppm, for the planned last 4 weeks of treatment.
|Change History
|Complete list of historical versions of study NCT00285012 on ClinicalTrials.gov Archive Site
|Current Secondary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Original Secondary Outcome Measures ICMJE
|Continuous abstinence from Week 9 through Week 52 and long-term quit rate through Week 52.
|Current Other Pre-specified Outcome Measures
|Not Provided
|Original Other Pre-specified Outcome Measures
|Not Provided
|Descriptive Information
|Brief Title ICMJE
|Smoking Cessation in Subjects With Mild-to-moderate Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
|Official Title ICMJE
|A 12-Week, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Multicenter Trial With 40-Week Follow-Up Evaluating The Safety And Efficacy Of Varenicline Tartrate For Smoking Cessation In Patients With Mild-To-Moderate Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
|Brief Summary
|This study is to be conducted in subjects with mild-to-moderate COPD who are cigarette smokers with the intent of demonstrating differences in smoking cessation between varenicline and placebo.
|Detailed Description
|Not Provided
|Study Type ICMJE
|Study Phase ICMJE
|Phase 3
|Study Design ICMJE
|Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Triple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Condition ICMJE
|Smoking Cessation
|Intervention ICMJE
|Study Arms ICMJE
|Publications *
* Includes publications given by the data provider as well as publications identified by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number) in Medline.
|Recruitment Information
|Recruitment Status ICMJE
|Actual Enrollment ICMJE
|Original Enrollment ICMJE
|Actual Study Completion Date ICMJE
|April 2009
|Actual Primary Completion Date
|July 2008 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Eligibility Criteria ICMJE
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
|Sex/Gender ICMJE
|Ages ICMJE
|35 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers ICMJE
|Contacts ICMJE
|Contact information is only displayed when the study is recruiting subjects
|Listed Location Countries ICMJE
|France, Italy, Spain, United States
|Removed Location Countries
|Administrative Information
|NCT Number ICMJE
|Other Study ID Numbers ICMJE
|Has Data Monitoring Committee
|U.S. FDA-regulated Product
|Not Provided
|IPD Sharing Statement ICMJE
|Not Provided
|Responsible Party
|Director, Clinical Trial Disclosure Group, Pfizer
|Study Sponsor ICMJE
|Collaborators ICMJE
|Not Provided
|Investigators ICMJE
|PRS Account
|Verification Date
|April 2010
ICMJE Data element required by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and the World Health Organization ICTRP


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Saturday, March 12, 2005
Grrrrr Pt.
Turns out that the great computer crash isn't entirely my fault. Some kind of killer worm was eating its binary guts out. We won't talk about where the worm came from, a gentleman doesn't kiss and blog.
Posted by Coelecanth at 1:35 p.m.
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Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Home computer is in the shop, and it was my fault it ended up there. Not comfortable blogging at work. May I say grrrrrrr?
Posted by Coelecanth at 6:25 a.m.
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These PTSD Signs Are Commonly Overlooked In Children
Parents often fail to recognize post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) in young children, a new British study says.
"When people talk about PTSD they often think about soldiers returning from war zones. But children who experience traumatic events such as car accidents, assaults and natural disasters are also at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder," said lead researcher Richard Meiser-Stedman, from Norwich Medical School at the University of East Anglia.
"Symptoms can include traumatic memories and nightmares, avoiding reminders of the trauma, and feeling like the world is very unsafe," he explained in a university news release.
Researchers followed more than 100 children aged 2 to 10 who had been in a road collision involving a car crash, or being hit while walking, or getting knocked off their bicycle. All had been taken to the hospital with injuries such as bruising, fractures or loss of consciousness.
They were assessed for PTSD two to four weeks after the incident, and again at six months and then three years later.


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Ignition Casino review
Ignitioncasino is a new Brand of Bovada Poker, started in september 2016. Room, in fact, is improved and renamed Bovada.
Ignitincasino (Bovada) company has about 20 years of experience in gaming industry, offering its services in casino, sports betting and poker. Ignition is a powerful legitimate brand with the best online poker lineups. The company makes successful investments in attracting new recreational players.
The room ranks third among all of the online poker brands and boasts huge daily traffic within its products and services. The games are played in USD and the peak times fall on evenings EST. The regs/recreational players ratio dates back to the online poker of good old 2000s, and the distinctiveness of the game to a large reminds of live poker games. There is no problem finding 4 NL1k tables on a weekend with at most 1 more regular player.
The main action takes place at NLHE mid-stakes. The peak times boast about 20 tables of up to NL100, 20–30 tables of NL100–NL600 and up to 6–7 tables of NL1K–NL2K. There is also fast poker, named Zone, with action up to NL100 and sometimes at NL200.HU games are popular either, you can get action at all of the stakes up to a maximum, which is NL400 for Heads Up. Besides, Room offers Zone Poker (fast poker) with daily action up to NL200.
As to Omaha, there are about 10 6-max tables up to PLO100+ stakes. Also in the evening time there's a game at PL1000+. The room offers action in unpopular kinds of poker, such as FL Holdem, HU and SNG 6-max, that is hard to find in our days.
Ignitioncasino owns rather specific software. The lobby and tables have little difference from any other poker-room, but there's a limitation of 4 cash-tables simultaneously observed or played. This is the way the room chose to hedge itself from the regulars stranglehold. Apart from 4 cash-tables you can open up tp 4 SNG tables or infinite number of МТТs.
The "buy more chips" button serves as an auto-rebuy. The table disappears from the lobby as soon as it's full, so there are no wait-lists that has a positive effect on the room's ecosystem.
Since all games are anonymous, classic trackers and converters are not supported. Nevertheless, we offer a hand converter for our players, so they can easily use a HUD during their game.
The deposits are processed via credit cards and Bitcoins. BTC is the most useful and popular option for Northamerican players. Besides, Ignition stimulates BTC players by issuing regular reload-bonuses for BTC deposits.
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Games at Ignitioncasino say it all. You can hardly find lineups such as Ignition's in any room nowadays in 2016.
Low rake, huge number of recreational players on NL600 - NL2000 and HU action make this room a must among mid and high stakes grinders.
This offer is only available to player residing in United States.


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The image of ourselves.
You know that each person sees themselves differently from the people around them. I think this is something we should all agree on. I see myself differently from how my friends see me. But I also have the idea of what I should look like to the people around me as well, that is not particularly where I am at in life yet.
For example. I think I'm fat, huge, bulbous. My friends don't. This helps me get out of my box also. I keep reminding myself, that even though I think I'm fat, and I shouldn't go do something, the people around me don't necessarily see my like that. So why should I be afraid to do something where I think everyone is going to think, "Oh gross, look at that fat girl" when in reality this is not what MOST people are thinking. I generally don't care what people think about me, or I at least try not to, but this is where it REALLY helps me flip what people may be thinking to help inspire me to get out and do new things!
Another thing, I have this image of myself that I am a pretty normal person, and my friends think otherwise. I have also come to discover the fact I am pretty crafty. I like to do thinks like postcards and letters to friends.
I enjoy crocheting!! And I actually want to find a community crochet club to learn and be with people who like to do the same things as myself. But on the flip side, I really like going to the gym, doing work out classes, and being active.
Then another side of me REALLY enjoys the nerdy side of life. I like to listen to music from my favourite sci-fi's. I enjoy watching reruns of Star Trek and Stargate. I like to play Munchkin with friends, and have nerd-nights with friends. I get super excited every time I watch the new Star Trek movie, anytime I see Transformers I have a surge of energy when Optimus Prime is whooping some Decepticon a$$.
Then there is this nursing side of me that I didn't even know existed until I started nursing school. It's crazy how I was, in fact, made to be a nurse. Anytime I am in the clinical setting I get such a sense of rightness, like I am supposed to do this the rest of my life. I also feel that I am good at nursing…. though I will ALWAYS tease I am not. 🙂 The human body is such a fascinating piece of art. My first major in school was studio arts, and I don't believe there is a better work of art than the human body. Big or small, we all function pretty much the same. The physiology of the human is also something that just baffles me. There is so much we don't understand about human function to this day! The constant discovering and learning is amazing. I can't wait to be a nurse and work with tons of people all over the world.
I have been thinking about my future. About when I graduate. A lot of girls in my cohort have focuses they want to go into. I have decided I don't want to focus on any one thing yet. I want to learn about all functions of the body before I settle on a focus. I have a feeling I am definitely going to be working medsurg as a float nurse or in the ER for many years of my life. And I feel that this is where I should be for a while. This broad base of knowledge will really help my career as a nurse in Africa too. I can't close myself off in a box, otherwise I won't be useful. I am not that person who can do just ONE thing though. But I can that person who can be really good at multiple things and if there is a need for someone who specializes in ONE thing, I know how to ask for assistance.
I guess this little piece was just a blog about me and how I see myself. Oh well. 🙁 Sorry if it was lame! Enjoy, I must get to doing homework again.


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1. Slice the spring onions, gherkins, beetroot, potato and onions, and reserve.
2. Heat the oil or butter in a large saucepan, add the beef and season well. Brown the beef all over. Add the vegetables and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about an hour.
3. Cool for a few minutes, then puree in the pan with a hand-held blender until quite smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
4. Chop the dill and divide the soup between four bowls.
5. Top with a spoonful of sour cream and the dill. Serve with rye bread.
Recipe courtesy of Kenwood's Around the World in 80 Plates


text: The "share-structure reform" currently underway in China's stock market aims to resolve the so-called "split-equity structure," wherein the Chinese securities regulator prohibits two-thirds of shares technically listed on the market from actually trading. This Note examines the historical roots of the split-equity structure, explains the mechanics of the share-structure reform, and assesses shareholders' claims that the reform deprives them of their property in violation of the Chinese Constitution. It argues that Deng Xiaoping's practical and experimental approach to economic development, which continues to shape Chinese domestic economic policy, handicaps the reform. The share-structure reform is a workable solution with short-term benefits, but it lacks the substantive legal framework necessary to instill the level of trust and certainty that is imperative to a well-functioning stock market.


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Hands On: Mobile Firefox Hits Nokia Handhelds
Ready for some Mozilla-based goodness on your handheld device?
If you're the owner of a Nokia N800 or N810, you're in luck: An alpha version of the mobile Firefox browser, code-named Fennec (after the big-eared, three-pound desert fox found in the Sahara), is ready for download.
Getting Fennec is easy if you're running the latest version of Nokia's Linux-based Maemo operating system, OS 2008. I updated it just last week, which gave me a clean N810 for installing Fennec directly from the Mozilla Web site.
Since it's an alpha release, Fennec is as buggy as a summer picnic, with slow load times, re-draw issues on some Web pages, and the occasional crash. The promise, however, is already visible, especially if you like Firefox tabs and the Awesome bar on your desktop.
First thing you see when Fennec loads is a welcome screen with instructions. Swipe the touch screen to the right with the stylus, and you get a tab interface on the left. Each tab is represented by a thumbnail of the page.
Swipe left to get bookmarks and back/forward button controls on the right. How this will work on devices without touch screens remains to be seen. Without the swipes, all you see is the address bar at the top, along with the bookmarks button. Tap that, the bookmarks overlay the screen in a list from which you can pick.
Bookmarks are saved by clicking the star icon. You can assign a bookmark to a folder, and give it tags. Bookmarks launch in the current tab, so launch a new one (swipe right) to avoid losing your current page. I found launching too many tabs caused a memory error--I got to four when that happened.
The Awesome bar works much the same as on the desktop, providing quick suggestions of sites as you type, with the matches you've visited recently at the top.


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Classes will be cancelled this weekend. Living Sword is heading to Nashville for the NAGA Grappling Tournament with seven students competing. Keep a watch on the Living Sword Facebook Page for videos and results throughout the day on Saturday. We'll be posting photos, videos and match/division results as they happen so you won't wan't to miss an update.
Best wishes to our competitors. We are proud of your courage and determination!


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If you're dreaming of colorful buildings glittering with hand-painted tiles, a marketplace full of rugs and spices, and desert-scapes dotted with camels, don't come to Fez. You're thinking of Marrakesh (and so was I). What initially started as a bit of shock and disappointment (where are the beautiful buildings? Where can I find the big market?) turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Fez, unlike it's sister city to the south, doesn't orient itself around the needs of its visitors. It nods its head at tourism, without bowing down to it. Ochre buildings arranged in an actual maze of over 10,000 streets spread out in an intricate weaving. It becomes abundantly clear that this is no place for the casual tourist; unless you're willing to get fully lost or else throw yourself upon the mercy of the locals (or a paid guide) you will find yourself anxious and discouraged. If, however, you embrace the labyrinth and lose your colorful expectations, Fez will be a remarkably interesting city to visit.
As per Islamic tradition, the buildings in Fez focus their beauty on the inside, rather than the outside. This has created a rather homogenous city of plaster and sandstone alleys. However, what is missing on the exterior is not lacking on the interior. Elaborate tile and carved wooden arches are abundant inside many of the buildings in Fez. Colorful courtyards with fountains and orange trees, embroidered cushions and sequined pillows, and beautiful mosaics are commonplace. The trick is finding buildings that you can actually enter. In our case, we only saw the interior of our own Riad and a few restaurants, but if you're able to visit other Riads and traditional stores, I recommend it.
The list of highlights in Fez is centered around visiting famous madrasas (schools) including the oldest university in the world, a few palaces, the medina, and the leather tannery. We took a three hour guided tour of the medina which led us past some of the well-known madrasas and mosques, but we did not enter any of them. We spent much of our time exploring the medina, which prior to our arrival, I had envisioned as an amalgamation of Istanbul and Cairo's famous souks. If you, like me, expected colorful lanterns, loud music, and tourist shops, you will be disappointed. The medina is clearly focused on meeting the needs of the locals. Most of the "shops" are carts in the street, or very small rooms with a counter facing the street. The goods are primarily foods and housewares, most of which aren't gifts you'd send home to mom and dad. In fact, we buy a magnet in every country we visit for Phil's mom (she's collected them for a very long time), and we didn't see a single shop in the medina with magnets or any items of the like. However, this meant more interesting people-watching (and photos!).
Possibly the most famous (at least on Instagram) destination we visited in Fez was the leather tannery. This is the largest leather tannery in Africa, and produces a good amount of the leather exported worldwide. It is a series of vats of natural chemical compounds and dyes, used to soften and dye the leather. The chemicals used are made from liquified pigeon droppings, which works wonders to create silky-soft leather. However, this results in an incredibly foul stench famous for making visitors gag and even become sick. I myself was anxious prior to entering; would the smell make me sick? Would I faint or vomit or have to leave? With so many horror stories online I could only imagine the worst. I was pleasantly surprised to find the smell quite tolerable, even without the sprig of mint they hand you to hold under your nose. It smelled no worse to me than the piles of garbage that filled the streets outside my home in Cairo (no offense, Cairo).
Fez was our first stop in Morocco, so we experienced all of our Moroccan "firsts" there. Going in, we knew that they speak Arabic and French, and we assumed Arabic would be the dominant language. Phil speaks French from growing up in Switzerland, and I speak [very rusty] Arabic after living in Egypt. When we got to our hotel, our host took us to the courtyard to fill out paperwork and tell us about the city. I spoke a few niceties in Arabic with him and immediately he said "Ah! That sounds like Egyptian!" to which I blushed and said "yes, it is." He said "You know, the interesting thing is that Moroccan Arabic is so unique, but we can understand all the other forms of Arabic. But none of the other Arabic countries can understand us!" And he was correct. Try as I might, I could hardly understand any of the words spoken by passerby's in the street or at the restaurants or shops we visited. Moroccan Arabic sounds like Arabic spoken in a French accent, but it also seemed to use a lot of unique words (and some that were French just sprinkled in!). As it turned out, everyone spoke French, and it was pretty standard sounding. Phil did almost all of the communicating on the trip, and I was too embarrassed to try using my Egyptian Arabic again.
Possibly the most surprising thing about Fez is how peaceful it is. The majority of old Fez is pedestrian only; the streets aren't wide enough for cars and no one seemed to use motorbikes. We didn't notice music playing from houses or stores anywhere in the city, and there wasn't an abundance of people out in the streets either. This resulted in a charming experience in which the dominant sounds are birds chirping and children playing in the streets. The people we encountered were gracious and not pushy; nothing like the experience we've had in all the other North African/Middle Eastern countries we've visited. Nobody followed us or made us feel intimidated. Nobody yelled at us or made inappropriate comments. Every person we met was simply lovely and helpful; even the strangers who walked us to-and-from different places in the city (we used three different forms of maps and still got lost!) asked politely for a tip at the end of our interaction but didn't push us for more money. What Fez lacks in beautiful buildings it certainly makes up for in beautiful people.
To say Fez didn't meet my expectations would be an understatement; but that's not to say that it was a negative experience whatsoever! My disappointment quickly metamorphosed into curiosity and landed somewhere in the realm of pleasantly surprised. Phil and I truly enjoyed our time, and would recommend visiting yourself if you're able.
My recommendations for visiting Fez, Morocco:
- Hire a tour guide at least your first time exploring the city, and be prepared to get lost on your own.
- Stay at a locally owned Riad; they are true to the local culture and beautiful to stay in.
- Practice your French as everyone we encountered spoke it. Modern Arabic is too different from Moroccan Arabic to be of much help. Many people spoke a bit of English but French is the easiest language to use.
- Don't bother eating at any restaurants; have your Riad cook all your meals. All of the best cooks work in the Riads, not the restaurants! (we learned this the hard way)
- Fez has many locally owned co-ops for artisan goods; rather than buy tourist trinkets to take back home, consider investing in the local economy at one of these co-ops (we bought a rug from a women's rug co-op!)
- Bring your camera and a sense of adventure!
Have you visited Fez before? How did your experience compare?


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Key Lime Cheesecake with Coconut Cream Topping
This is a luscious dessert recipe I adapted slightly from AllisonEats.com and is a completely dairy-free, no-bake cheesecake that's a favorite on my website and was also featured in the Spring edition of "Go Gluten-Free" Magazine.
- 1 cup 1 cup 1 cup Almonds, for the crust
- 4 pieces 4 pieces 4 pieces Dates (Medjool), for the crust (large, entire date, pitted)
- 6 Tbsp 6 Tbsp 6 Tbsp Organic Coconut Oil, for the filling
- 2 tsp 2 tsp 2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract, for the topping
- 0.12 tsp 0.12 tsp 0.12 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt, for the crust
- 1.5 cup 1.5 cup 1.5 cup raw Macadamia Nuts, for the filling
- 0.5 cup 0.5 cup 0.5 cup Almond Milk, for the filling
- 0.5 cup 0.5 cup 0.5 cup Lime Juice, for the filling
- 6 Tbsp 6 Tbsp 6 Tbsp Pure Maple Syrup, for the filling
- 13.5 fl oz 13.5 fl oz 13.5 fl oz Coconut Milk, for the topping (full-fat, 13.5 oz can)
- 2 Tbsp 2 Tbsp 2 Tbsp Coconut Palm Sugar, for the topping
Note, these instructions are written assuming the standard serving size, since you have modified the number of servings, these steps may need to be modified for best results
- Prepare the crust: Put all the crust ingredients into a food processor and process until it's a sticky coarse meal.
- Prepare the crust: Scoop out 1 - 2 tablespoons and put in the bottom of the cheesecake pan and press down firmly.
- Prepare the crust: Set in the freezer to harden while you prepare the filling.
- Prepare the filling: Put all the filling ingredients into a Vitamix and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Prepare the filling: Remove the cheesecake pan from the freezer and pour the filling on top of the crust.
- Prepare the filling: Return the cheesecake pan back to the freezer for approximately 2 - 3 hours or until hard and firm.
- Prepare the topping: Refrigerate can of coconut milk overnight in the refrigerator.
- Prepare the topping: When you remove the can, there will be a layer of thick cream on the top and coconut water on the bottom. Scoop out the thick cream and put it in an electric mixer bowl.
- Prepare the topping: Add the vanilla extract and sweetener of your choice.
- Prepare the topping: Mix on high setting with the "whisk" attachment until it becomes thick.
- Assembly: Garnish the tops with homemade coconut creme, crushed walnuts, shredded coconut, lemon zest or lime wedges.
- Assembly: Remove the cheesecake from the freezer after it's hardened and set at room temperature for 5 - 10 minutes to thaw slightly, but not too long because it will become too soft if left out at room temperature.
1. If you choose to make the coconut cream topping, the can of coconut milk needs to be refrigerated overnight before using it. 2. To make a chocolate crust: add 2 tablespoons of raw cacao to the crust mixture. 2. Optional toppings: Shredded coconut flakes, crushed walnuts, cacao nibs/chocolate chips. 3. This recipe will make (4) large individual cheesecakes using a Norpro Mini-Cheesecake pan (you will have extra/leftover coconut cream which can be stored in an air-tight glass container in the refrigerator and is a perfect topping for fresh fruit).
Our recipes are created using Paleo, Primal and Gluten-free guidelines. Learn more about our diet and lifestyle at www.primalpalate.com.
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About This RecipeDairy Free Egg Free Nightshade Free Other Pescetarian Shellfish Free
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