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Partner Programme and Affiliate Programme Terms and Conditions
Updated 22/01/2015
(1) These Terms & Conditions apply to participants in the PeopleMaps Ltd Partner Programme and the PeopleMaps Ltd Affiliate Programme (the "Programmes").
(2) In these Terms & Conditions, "Company", "we", "us", and "our" means PeopleMaps Ltd a company registered in England under number 3904001 whose registered office is at 70 West Regent Street, Glasgow, G2 2QZ, United Kingdom.
(3) In these Terms & Conditions, "Partner", "Affiliate", "you" and "your" means the individual or organisation that is applying to become a participant in the Programme and who will accept these Terms & Conditions upon joining the same.
(4) By accepting these Terms & Conditions you agree to be bound by them and shall enter into a binding agreement with us (the "Agreement").
Definitions and Interpretation
In these Terms & Conditions the following terms shall have the following meanings:
"Business Day"
means any day other than Saturday or Sunday that is not a bank or public holiday;
"Cancellations Policy"
means our cancellations policy which can be found at http://www.peoplemaps.com/terms/terms-for-consumers/ and at http://www.peoplemaps.com/terms/terms-for-businesses/ ;
"Commencement Date"
means the date of your acceptance;
"Commission Rate"
means the percentage of commission paid on net sales revenue set out in Sub-clause 11.2;
"Confidential Information"
means all business, technical, financial or other information created or exchanged between the Parties in the course of fulfilling their obligations under the Agreement;
"Current Term"
means the Term that the Parties may be in at any given time;
"Direct Referral"
means a sale of a Service Package to a customer who has been led to our website through your website where that customer can be tracked directly from your site to ours without any further intermediaries;
"Intellectual Property Rights"
means any rights subsisting in a copyright work, trade mark, patent or design and shall be construed in accordance with the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988, Trade Marks Act 1994 and Patents Act 1977;
"Registered Email Address"
means the email address of the Company as provided in the Partner / Affiliate administration area or the email address of the Affiliate as provided in your Registration Data;
"Registration Data"
means the information provided by the PArtner / Affiliate when registering for enrolment in the Programme;
"Service Package"
means a particular set of services available from us through our website as defined in Clause 7; and
means the term of the Agreement, as defined in Clause 17 of these Terms & Conditions, during which you shall participate in the Programme under the terms and conditions set out in the Agreement.
A Tier 2 Affiliate and actual partnership is not implied. Can only be appointed by PeopleMaps and Partners usually have to pay a monthly fee towards, training and demo stock.
Enrolment in the Programme
By enrolling in the Programme you agree that, at the time of registration, you will provide accurate and complete Registration Data and that you shall inform us of any changes in your Registration Data.
Upon your acceptance of these Terms & Conditions, subject to our approval and sub-clause 2.4 below, you will be sent an email confirming your acceptance of these standard terms.
We may, at our sole discretion, review your website following your acceptance of these Terms & Conditions. You will be informed within 30 Business Days of the outcome of your application. Following your acceptance of these Terms & Conditions, you will receive further instructions to allow you to commence marketing our goods and services.
We may, in our sole discretion, choose to reject any application for any reason (and are under no obligation to disclose such reasons). Reasons for which an Application may be rejected include, but are not limited to, content on your website that:
is in any way unlawful, harmful, threatening, obscene, harassing, discriminatory, defamatory or otherwise objectionable;
facilitates or promotes violence, terrorism, or any other criminal activity;
is sexually explicit; or
infringes or assists or encourages the infringement of any intellectual property rights belonging to any party.
Company / Partner and Affiliate Relationship
Nothing in these Terms & Conditions shall constitute, or be deemed to create, a partnership between the Parties; nor, except as expressly provided, shall it designate, or be deemed to designate, any Party the agent of any other Party for any purpose. The "Partner Program" is a product name only.
Subject to any express provisions to the contrary in these Terms & Conditions, you shall have no right or authority to and shall not do any act, enter into any contract, make any representation, give any warranty, incur any liability, assume any obligation, whether express or implied, of any kind on our behalf or bind us in any way.
Website Links
In your Partner / Affiliate administration area will be the requisite materials for a hyperlink to our website. These materials will include the HTML code for the link and a selection of graphic files to which the HTML code should be applied.
The HTML code as it appears in your Partner / Affiliate administration area must be copied exactly and not altered in any way. Failure to comply with this condition may result in your receiving no credit for sales of Service Packages that are generated through your website.
Under no circumstances may any of the graphic files provided by us be modified in any way without our prior written authorisation. You may not use graphic files of your own to link to our site.
All graphic files that we may provide for use as links may be displayed throughout your website as you deem appropriate. We reserve the right to request the alteration or removal of a link from your website.
You are required to assume full responsibility to maintain all links to our website from your website.
Site Maintenance and Content
Each Party shall be exclusively responsible for maintaining and updating its own website. Subject to the provisions of this Clause 5 and Clause 14 below, neither Party shall have any obligations to the other Party in relation to the maintenance or content of their website.
Subject to Sub-clause 5.3 of these Terms & Conditions, neither Party may host any content that:
is in any way unlawful, harmful, threatening, obscene, harassing, discriminatory, defamatory or otherwise objectionable;
facilitates or promotes violence, terrorism, or any other criminal activity;
is sexually explicit; or
infringes or assists or encourages the infringement of any intellectual property rights belonging to any party.
Neither Party shall be under any obligation to pre-screen any content added to their website by third parties; however in the event that either Party receives from the other a written notification of any content that falls within that described in Sub-clause 5.2 of this Agreement, such content must be removed within 30 Business Days of receipt of such notice.
Display of Company Information
As an Partner / Affiliate, you are free to display pricing and other information relating to our Service Packages. It is your responsibility to keep such information up-to-date through your own efforts; we will not provide pricing information updates to you. All up to date pricing is available via the Client Control Room. It is free to create a Client account and have access to a Client Control Room and it is the Partner / Affiliates responsibility to refer to this for up to date pricing.
We reserve the right to alter pricing at any time in accordance with our own policies.
Service Packages
We provide services through our website in packaged form, each package setting out combinations and levels of service, available at different prices. Descriptions of such packages are available within the client Control Room area.
Customer Referral Requirements
Terms & conditions relating to the referral of customers to us via links on your website can be found on our website at http://www.peoplemaps.com/terms/terms-covering-the-peoplemaps-partner-program-and-affiliates/
We reserve the right to alter such terms & conditions at any time and will provide 0 Business Days' written notice to you of any such alteration.
We undertake to use our best and reasonable endeavours to process and fulfil all orders for Service Packages placed by referred customers generated by Partner / affiliates.
We reserve the right to reject any orders that do not comply with the customer referral requirements detailed in Clause 8 of these Terms & Conditions.
It shall be our full responsibility to ensure that all orders are completed and that the provision of services is undertaken in accordance with our Service Level Agreements. We shall be responsible for order entry, payment processing, cancellations and all subsequent customer service. You shall have no further mandatory involvement with the customer or the completion of the transaction and all customers will be made aware of the same.
Partner / Affiliate Sales Reporting
We will track the following elements of all sales:
Service Package selected; and
revenue generated.
Full reports of all sales generated through the links on your website will be available in your Partner/Affiliate Control Room. We reserve the right to alter the form and content of such reports without notice.
Commission and Referral Fees
You will be paid commission at the rates set out below on the net profits of sales generated through your website.
Commission shall be calculated on the following basis:
All sales that result from Direct Referrals will attract a commission of 19%. (Tier 1)
If you are appointed an an official "PeopleMaps Partner" and have received training and authorisation from PeopleMaps, you may also appoint affiliates and enjoy an over-ride commission on all sales resulting from affiliates that you appoint. This will attract a commission of 28.5%. (Tier 2).
Partners may also appoint themselves as affiliates and earn a total commission of 19% for Tier 1 plus 28.5% for Tier 2, to a maximum of 47.5%
In the event that a customer resulting from a Direct Referral renews a Service Package or buys more credits via the same account, upon the initial sale for which you earned Commission, such a renewal will attract a commission of 19% for Tier 1 and 28.5% for Tier 2.
Affiliates are provided with a unique registration form. Affiliates must send their traffic to their unique registration form. Any client registering their account via this unique registration form will be recognised by the system as coming from that specific affiliate. The Cookies and IP logs will identify customers that have previously been referred through your website. In the event that such customers are identified, sales will (unless referred directly from another affiliates website) attract a commission of 19%.
If a prospect visits two affiliates, (A and B), the affiliate the prospect visited immediately prior to actually registering for a PeopleMaps account, will be awarded the commission, not the first affiliate the prospect visited.
Commissions will recur until the Partner / Affiliate ceases to be a Partner / Affiliate or until the associated customer account is closed.
In the event that a customer cannot be tracked, no commission will be paid.
Commission shall be calculated only once we have received payment in full from the customer. Only once payment has been received in full will sales be logged in your Partner / Affiliate administration area and they may be shown as pending for anything between 3 and 30 days after the order has been completed.
Commission shall be paid to you when your total commission earnings reach £50. Commission shall be paid to you 3 to 30 days after the order has been completed this time period reflects the time limit set out in our Cancellations Policy). Commission will not be added to this total until 3 to 30 days after the order has been completed this time period reflects the time limit set out in our Cancellations Policy.
In the event of any refunds issued for any reasons including, but not limited to fraud and where such refunds are not incurred through any fault of ours, you may be contacted to arrange for the repayment of any related commission, OR we may deduct it from your next commission settlement.
Any and all commission paid to you shall be based on sales revenue less any tax due; however you may still be liable to pay tax on your commission. By accepting these Terms & Conditions you hereby acknowledge that you are solely responsible for the payment of tax on any income you may generate through your involvement in the Programme.
We reserve the right to modify our Commission Rates at any time. You will be given 30 Business Days' prior written notice (the "Notice Period") of any such change. You will be given the option to opt out of the Programme within the Notice Period and will, on the exercise of that option, be paid any Commission due to you notwithstanding the total commission earnings requirement set out in Sub-clause 11.6 above.
Trade Marks
Upon your entry into the Programme, we shall grant to you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, royalty free licence to use our trade marks, such trade marks being detailed in Schedule 1 to the Agreement and within your Partner / Affiliate Control Room.
You may use our Trade Marks only to the extent required to establish links and perform your obligations as an Partner / Affiliate under these Terms & Conditions.
In the event that you wish to use our Trade Marks for any purposes outside of these Terms & Conditions you must not do so without prior written consent, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld.
By accepting these Terms & Conditions you hereby agree that:
our Trade Marks shall remain the property of PeopleMaps Ltd unless and until we assign those marks to a third party;
nothing in these Terms & Conditions shall be deemed to confer any ownership rights in our Trade Marks on you; and
you shall not contest the validity of our trade marks.
Intellectual Property
Unless otherwise expressly indicated we are the sole and exclusive owners of all Intellectual Property Rights ("IPRs") in our website including, but not limited to: all code, text, sound, video, graphics, photographs and other images that form a part of the site. We shall also be the sole and exclusive owners of all IPRs which may subsist in any supporting documentation which shall include, but not be limited to, site plans, maps, design sketches and other preparatory material.
We shall be the sole and exclusive owners of all IPRs which may subsist in all future updates, additions and alterations to our website, such material including any supporting documentation.
Partner / Affiliate Warranties and Indemnity
In accepting these Terms & Conditions you hereby warrant and acknowledge that:
Your website does not and will not contain any content that:
is in any way unlawful, harmful, threatening, obscene, harassing, discriminatory, defamatory or otherwise objectionable;
facilitates or promotes violence, terrorism, or any other criminal activity;
is sexually explicit; or
infringes or assists or encourages the infringement of any intellectual property rights belonging to any party.
Your website is and shall remain functional and, subject to the provisions of Clause 19 of these Terms & Conditions, reasonable downtime for maintenance or third-party access restrictions, accessible to all users of the Internet.
All necessary authorities, consents and approvals have been obtained in respect of your obligations under these Terms & Conditions and will remain valid and effective throughout the Term;
Your obligations under these Terms & Conditions shall constitute legal, valid and binding obligations on you. Such obligations shall be direct, unconditional and general obligations; and
You will not refer to us in any way in any unsolicited bulk email campaigns or other spamming practices that you may conduct.
By accepting these Terms & Conditions you agree that you shall indemnify us in full against all liability, loss, damages, costs and expenses (including legal expenses) awarded against or incurred or paid by us as a result of, or in connection with:
breach of any warranty given by you in relation to your website;
any claim that your website infringes the patent, copyright, trade mark or other intellectual property rights of any other person, except to the extent that the claim arises from compliance with any terms stipulated by us; and
any act or omission by you or your employees, agents or sub-contractors in performing your obligations under these Terms & Conditions.
We make no warranty or representation that our website, the Programme, or Service Packages sold through the Programme will meet your requirements or those of your visitors, that they will be of satisfactory quality, that they will be fit for a particular purpose, that they will not infringe the rights of third parties, that they will be compatible with all systems, that they will be secure and that all information provided will be accurate.
We make no guarantee of any specific results from the use of our website or from enrolment in the Programme.
We make no guarantee that our website shall remain functional and accessible to all users of the Internet.
We shall not be liable to you for any indirect or consequential loss that you may suffer even if such loss is reasonably foreseeable or if we have been advised of the possibility of such loss being incurred.
Our entire liability to you in respect of any breach of our contractual obligations, any breach of warranty, any representation, statement or tortuous act or omission including negligence arising under or in connection with these Terms & Conditions or the Agreement shall be limited to £0.
Notwithstanding any other provision in these Terms & Conditions, our liability to you for death or injury resulting from our own negligence or that of our employees, agents or sub-contractors shall not be limited.
Term and Termination
These Terms & Conditions and The Agreement shall come into force and become binding on the Commencement Date and shall continue in force for a period of 12 months from that date (the "Initial Term"). Following the Initial Term, your enrolment in the Programme shall be renewed automatically for successive periods of 12 month (each a "Renewal Term") unless and until terminated in accordance with this Clause 17.
Either Party may terminate the Agreement by giving 30 Business Days' prior written notice to the other:
at any time where the other Party has committed a material breach of these Terms & Conditions or the Agreement and such breach has not been rectified 30 Business Days after receiving written notice of that breach; or
if the other Party enters into liquidation whether compulsory or voluntary (except for the purposes of bona fide reconstruction or amalgamation with the prior written approval of the other Party), or compounds with or makes any arrangement with its creditors or makes a general assignment for the benefit of its creditors, or if it has a receiver, manager, administrative receiver or administrator appointed over the whole or substantially the whole of its undertaking or assets, or if it ceases or threatens to cease to carry on its business, or makes any material change in its business, or if it suffers any analogous process under any foreign law.
Either Party may request the termination of the Agreement at the end of the Current Term for any reason provided that written notice is given at least 30 Business Days before the end of the Current Term.
Upon the termination of the Agreement for any reason, you shall remove the links established under these Terms & Conditions.
Upon the termination of the Agreement for any reason, all licenses granted shall also terminate.
In the event that we terminate the Agreement in accordance with Sub-clause 17.2.1, any Commission owed to you at that time shall be forfeited.
Each Party (a "Receiving Party") shall keep the Confidential Information belonging to the other Party (a "Supplying Party") confidential and secret and shall not use or disclose or make the Confidential Information available, directly or indirectly, to any person other than its officers and employees who need the Confidential Information to enable the Receiving Party to perform its obligations under these Terms & Conditions and provided that such officers and employees are also obliged to keep such Confidential Information confidential and secret. The foregoing obligations shall not apply to any information acquired by the Receiving Party which:
at the time of its acquisition was in the public domain; or
at a later date comes into the public domain through no fault of the Receiving Party.
Each Party hereby agrees and undertakes:
that all Confidential Information shall be and shall remain at all times the sole and exclusive property of the Supplying Party;
that its right to use Confidential Information shall wholly cease upon the termination of the Agreement; and
to return to the Supplying Party on termination of the Agreement all material embodying Confidential Information (including information stored on digital media) or any part thereof and all copies thereof.
Force Majeure
Neither Party to these Terms & Conditions shall be liable for any failure or delay in performing their obligations where such failure or delay results from any cause that is beyond the reasonable control of that Party. Such causes include, but are not limited to, power failure, Internet Service Provider failure, industrial action, civil unrest, fire, flood, storms, earthquakes, acts of terrorism, acts of war, governmental action or any other event that is beyond the control of the Party in question.
The Parties agree that, in the event that one or more of the provisions of these Terms & Conditions is found to be unlawful, invalid, or otherwise unenforceable, that / those provisions shall be deemed severed from the remainder of these Terms & Conditions. The remainder of the Terms & Conditions shall be valid and enforceable.
Unless otherwise stated in these Terms & Conditions, the Parties agree that all notices to be served under the Agreement shall be in writing and may be sent by email to the other Party's Registered Email Address with a hard copy of the same to be sent by first class post to the addresses detailed at the head of these Terms & Conditions or as provided by you during your registration for the Programme within 30 Business Days of the email.
Entire Agreement
These Terms & Conditions shall embody and set forth the entire agreement and understanding between the Parties and shall supersede all prior oral or written agreements, understandings or arrangements relating to the Programme or the relationship between the Parties. Neither Party shall be entitled to rely on any agreement, understanding or arrangement not expressly set forth in these Terms & Conditions, save for any representation made fraudulently.
Unless otherwise expressly provided elsewhere in these Terms & Conditions, the Agreement may be varied only by a document signed by both of the Parties.
No Waiver
The Parties shall agree that no failure by either Party to enforce the performance of any provision in these Terms & Conditions shall constitute a waiver of the right to subsequently enforce that provision or any other provision of these Terms & Conditions. Such failure shall not be deemed to be a waiver of any preceding or subsequent breach and shall not constitute a continuing waiver.
The relationship between the Parties shall be and shall remain non-exclusive. Both parties are free to enter into similar relationships with other parties.
You may assign or sell, any or all of your rights or obligations under these Terms & Conditions or the Agreement to another officially appointed PeopleMaps Partner, providing our prior written consent has been given, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld.
Dispute Resolution (Arbitration)
It shall be agreed that where any dispute or difference relating to the Agreement or these Terms & Conditions arises between the Parties that matter shall be referred to the arbitration of a single arbitrator to be agreed between the Parties.
Law and Jurisdiction
These Terms & Conditions and the Agreement shall be governed by the laws of England and Wales.
Any dispute between the Parties relating to the Agreement shall be fall within the jurisdiction of the courts of Scotland.


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Absolutely beautiful , this amazing elegant custom built home is like right out of a magazine, sitting on 23+/- acres-totally fenced, minutes out of Lawton city limit. Majestic views, tree lined draw through the back of the property, brick entryway with electric gate. Beautiful pond, 60x50(3000 sq ft) barn, 2 overhead doors with automatic opener, 288 sq ft bunk room, 12x24 with 3/4 bath, central heat & air bunk room, 12x12 tack room, four 12x12 horse stalls. Wood burning stove with brick mantel, inground pool with fiber optic lightings, hot tub, safe room, concrete outlined flower beds, aluminum fences with brick columns all around the driveway and backyard, hand chiseled Ada rock & brick exterior. Large entry foyer, study with double french doors. Large collection show closet with custom shelvings, mirror backsplash for reflection. Electric plugs on every table. Separate formal dining. Beautiful hardwood floors throughout including all bedrooms. Beautiful tile floors in hallways, baths, kitchen, breakfast nook, and utility room. High ceilings and crown moldings and custom plantation shutters throughout. Large open living room, impressive custom rock wood burning fireplace. Awesome kitchen, island breakfast bar, tons of custom cabinets with pullouts, 2 lazy susans, corner glass front cabinets and custom accent white cabinets, babel crystal glass doors, adjustable shelving & lights inside cabinets, island has cookbook shelving, built-in trash drawers, under counter lights, built-in double wall oven. Big breakfast nook, pocket doors to utility room. Lots of storage cabinets and counter space, farm sink, above ground saferoom. Texas size secluded master suite, bay window sitting area, door to backyard, high ceilings, crown moldings continue through luxury master bath, double sinks and makeup vanity, TV hookup, built-in medicine cabinets, 2 large walk-in closets, whirlpool tub & large separate walk-in tiled shower with seat, bath has extra heater. 2 Large guest bedrooms, walk-in closets. Built-in curio cabinets w/mirror back. Jack & Jill bath, double sinks, whirlpool tub, beautiful tile tub surroundings to top, one of the closets is cedar lined and cute cat closet. Elegant 1/2 bath powder room. Large bonus/media room upstairs with separate CH&A. Oversized 3 car garage through breezeway, 4th garage 387 sq ft, covered patio overlooking beautiful inground pool. Professionally landscaped yard, this backyard is set up for entertaining, lighted flag pole, and so much more. A must see to appreciate.
|New Value: $599,900

subset: commoncrawl


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Live updates
Kendal hosts Olympic judo team
As the torch leaves the region, the Kendal Dojo Judo Club is now turning its attention to the Games itself. Raymond Ovinou, in red doing circuit training, is from Papua New Guinea and will compete in London 2012. He says the host club has made a big difference to his performance.
Hundreds pour into 'Dojo' Judo Club after the torch exits region through Kendal.
Hundreds pour into the local 'Dojo' Judo Club after the torch makes its final exit from the region through Kendal. The club is hosting the Oceania Olympic team.
- Ryan Dollard
Olympic Judo comes to the Lake District
Sisilia Nasiga is in the Lake District for three months of intensive training. She needs to win the Oceania qualifying tournament in Australia in April in order to represent Fiji at London 2012. Her boot camp at the Kendal Dojo has been an eye opening experience for the 31 year old.
She said: "Back in Fiji my husband is my coach but it is not full time and we really haven't got the same facilities that are available here. All the good players and famous athletes are there. It is a bit like being in Hollywood for me."
Trading the South Pacific for the South Lakes
Sisilia is well set to qualify for the games and says she's in the shape of her life. Training in Kendal has given her to find better sparring partners, a more scientific approach to training and the experience of European Judo. She hopes this will lead to a medal winning performance in London


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the doctrine might be a little off, but it is pretty darn cute!
Merry Christmas to my loved ones all around the world.
communicating across the boundaries of faith & culture
Vegan Food for the Whole Family
for your heart, your head and your hands.
So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts her mouth.
RUNning the race inspiRED by costly GRACE
My experiences on the African continent!
Returning to life in Ghana (West Africa)
Tracking events and trends in Israel, the U.S., Russia and throughout the Epicenter (the Middle East & North Africa)
Creative, Transparent, Joy-Filled Living
"There are two things in life for which we are never truly prepared: twins." -Josh Billings
In it and just staying a float


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indieJourno.com goes in-depth... getting answers about common questions related to the U.S. Attorney General's announcement that he will recuse himself from investigating matters relating to the 2017 Presidential campaign. We look at prior precedents and talk about what we can expect.
When President-elect Donald Trump announced his chief strategist would be Stephen Bannon, many Americans took to social media to voice fears and concerns. According to various sources, "Bannon is the executive chairman of Breitbart News, a far-right American news, opinion, and commentary website noted for its connection to the alt-right." Both Bannon and Breitbart have been criticized for holding white supremacist views. In this post, Paul Matadeen talks to Vanderbilt law professor Carol Swain about those claims.
Photo courtesy: Don Irvine [CC BY-SA 2.0] via Wikimedia Commons
Is Donald Trump using hypnosis?
October 2017


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For anyone interested in sharing the struggles and successes of a writer who won't give up!
Sunday, 26 January 2014
Get Snapping
I recently attended an excellent work shop run by Simon Whaley (pictured above) about how you can make money by taking even the most basic photographs. Magazines such as TAB and That's Life pay good money for just a photograph with very few words, so it's a great market to get into as well as producing pictures to accompany a full length article.
I have had some success in this area and on some occasions have been paid more for the photograph than I have the article. I have a decent camera, though not an expensive SLR, it does have a few features on it that can produce a decent looking photograph. I took the photo above of Simon photographing a random otter on Aberdovey beach last November. It was a pure chance encounter of what is usually a very elusive creature and thank goodness we both had our cameras with us. This has made me realise that it is a good idea to always have a camera to hand even if it is a phone one as you never know when these opportunities are going to present themselves.
Simon's workshop really made me want to try even harder. I love photography but have not pushed myself to develop my skills. For years I have been using the automatic setting on my camera instead of playing around and changing the various settings to get different effects. His book Photography for Writers is an excellent tool to get anyone started on making money from a simple snapshot.
So, now I have read it cover to cover, I have set myself a challenge that I am going to try and send a photograph to somewhere every week and see what happens.
Posted by Diane Perry at 04:52 3 comments:
Monday, 13 January 2014
Blog Chain
I would like to thank Simon Whaley , bestselling Author, Writer and Photographer for making me part of this blog chain and Tracey Fells who started this particular blog chain off. I like the idea of us all having a link in the chain and show what we are doing at a particular time of the year. I always get inspiration from other Writers so this is a great way of sharing what we are up to.
The idea is that we all asked a set of the same questions. So here goes!
1) What am I working on?
At the moment I am writing a series of children's stories. I think the way to go sometimes is to show a publisher that you have more than one book in you, so that is what I am trying to do. I am just about to send the first one off but I have ideas for several stories using the same character.
I am also working on a lot of non-fiction ideas in the magazine market as I enjoy writing articles too.
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I feel that in my fiction writing, I like to write magical stories set in real time and the real world ( though that may change one day) I like to have ordinary characters living a normal life where sometimes magical things happen to them. When I say to people I like to write children's stories I often get the answer ' So are you the next J K Rowling?' Well, as much as I would love to have her success, I know it will not happen as I do not write like her and could not even begin to try. I want to go my own way with my own work and hope that one day, my stories will reach a wider audience.
3)Why do I write what I do?
I am inspired by nature and animals, so that is always the starting point for me. When I am in a particular place, I may see something - an animal, a landscape or perhaps a building, then I work my characters around it to develop a story.
4) How does my writing process work?
This varies from day to day. I would love to say I have a set routine but I haven't. I do always have a notebook to hand and have often had to pull in to a lay by while I have been driving if I have an idea that I don't want to forget. I love to scribble, even it it's one word or a sentence that makes me want to build on it and create a story or an article later on.
Most of the time I start writing notes by hand then transfer them to the computer. Yet with blogging I prefer to get stuck in straight away.
So that is where I pass this blog chain over and I would like to nominate Carrole Anne Carr, a very successful author and writer of Children's stories. This includes 'First Wolf' a wonderful Children's novel which has been a great success http://caroleannecarr.blogspot.co.uk/
Posted by Diane Perry at 06:15 2 comments:
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Archive for the 'Overcoming Obstacles' Category
On Thursday, my physical therapist cleared me for restorative yoga.
This has happened at least three times since the beginning of this year — my hip will start to feel a little better (I've had a hip injury for a year and a half and was diagnosed with a labral tear in my right hip last August), my physical therapist will say I can go to restorative yoga that week, and then before I can make it to a class, my hip will flare up again. So I have to take my PT exercise routine down a notch, slowly add back the more challenging exercises once my hip pain has calmed down, and make sure I'm OK doing those exercises consistently. Only then am I cleared again to go to yoga, at which point my hip flares up before I can make it to class.
On Thursday, my physical therapist said, again, that I could go to restorative yoga.
"Go tomorrow!" he said.
I'd been scanning yoga schedules for restorative classes so I'd be ready when this day came, and picked a Saturday evening class at a studio in Manhattan.
Technically, I haven't been to a yoga class since last spring, when I tried a restorative class after having gotten a cortisone shot. But it feels like it's been a lot longer because that one doesn't even really count. It was labeled as a restorative class but it was pretty active, and focused on hip poses — they very thing I can't do.
When I explained my injury to the teacher before class and said I might need some modifications, she hurriedly brushed me off, saying that I should be taking a private session instead, and she didn't offer help or alternative poses during class. I could hardly do any of the poses, and was in pain afterwards.
I haven't been to a yoga class since. And I haven't been able to practice consistently, and without pain, since I got injured a year and a half ago.
This weekend I had a completely different experience.
Before class, I went up to the teacher and told her I had a labral tear and tendonosis in my right hip. I said that this was my first yoga class in a year, and I may have to modify things.
She told me that she had labral tears in both hips (!), and we talked a bit about this type of injury before class even started.
As opposed to the class I took last year, this restorative class actually was restorative, and involved a lot of props, holding simple poses, and relaxing. Throughout the class the teacher was very attentive, suggesting things I should or shouldn't do, helping set up props to make my hips more stable, and making sure poses felt OK for me.
Being in a dark, candle-lit yoga studio, doing familiar poses, felt…joyful. And peaceful. Slowing down, taking deep breaths, chanting "Om," being quiet and meditative and reflective.
But it was also a little sad. Remembering the way I used to practice yoga, the things I used to be able to do, the way I used to be able to move. And thinking about all the poses, like pigeon (which I loved) and headstand (which I hated), that I might never be able to do again. Being in that room was old and familiar, but also different and new.
Afterwards, I spoke to the teacher more and she was really helpful, sharing her experiences with her injuries and recovery process.
It was the perfect first yoga class for me to go back to — slow-paced and gentle, with a knowledgeable teacher who knew firsthand what I was going through.
Walking out onto the street, my yoga mat slung over my shoulder, I felt great. The class hadn't exacerbated my pain, and it was something I could go back to. To begin my yoga practice again in this new way, that's very different, but also kind of the same.
And an update since my last post in October…
Shortly after I wrote that post, a coworker referred me to a physical therapist who specializes in hip pain whom I've been going to ever since, and building up my strengthening PT exercise routine. I was introduced to the foam roller. And I love it! I bought a giant ice pack.
After a few times, I stopped going to the basics Pilates class in the fall because my hip pain was often flared up. At the beginning of this year I was able to go back to Pilates and can make it to my weekly class pretty consistently now.
I've tried acupuncture which was recommended but it flared up my pain. I got two massages and one was fine and the other flared up my hip. Last September I tried going to a chiropractor who used Active Release Technique which also flared up my pain. So for the moment I'm staying away from soft tissue work and sticking to PT, Pilates, and now restorative yoga, too.
I read in a comment on this blog post that someone with a labral tear cut out wheat and sugar and felt better, and I was vaguely aware of having heard or read that gluten is inflammatory, so it makes sense that not eating it would help. A week ago I started an experiment of cutting back on gluten and sugar to see if that will make a difference.
At the beginning of last week I had two almost pain-free days where I could go through the day without an awareness of my hip. This felt amazing, and light. It reminded me how draining — physically, mentally, and emotionally — chronic pain is, and what a weight is lifted when it's not there.
Towards the end of the week, the pain came back. Right now my hips hurt — I am definitely aware of them — and I still have some degree of pain more often than not. But I'm going to foam roll, do my PT routine, and ice while I watch The Big Bang Theory. This morning I went to my regular Pilates class. And last night I went to my first yoga class in a year.
I Was Misdiagnosed But Now I've Been Correctly Diagnosed and Cleared for Pilates
Posted September 30, 2013on:
Source: Parsley & Dill
In June, after having been diagnosed with hip bursitis earlier in the year, I had completed two months of physical therapy and gotten a cortisone shot, but my pain persisted and I still couldn't do yoga.
What happened after that was, I got the second cortisone shot my doctored recommended, which was really the last one I could get, for awhile at least. And my pain got worse. I started having muscle spasms in both legs and pain in my right calf. Also, aside from bursitis, my physical therapist thought that there might be something wrong with my actual hip joint.
I called my doctor to tell him about my worsening symptoms. He was very friendly and upbeat, assuring me that nothing was wrong.
"Youshouldhaveafinehip," he said.
"What?" I asked. I was taking notes, and didn't want to miss anything important.
"You. Should. Have. A. Fine. Hip," he said, overly enunciating every syllable.
I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach. The way he'd switched on a dime from warm and cheerful to cold and condescending made me feel like a little kid who was getting reprimanded. So I responded how I always do when someone speaks to me harshly and I feel immense discomfort: with excessive cheerfulness.
"Great, thanks!" I squeaked. "Have a great weekend!"
The next step was to get an MRI but in the meantime my doctor prescribed pain medication for me — at the highest possible dose. I'm very sensitive to medication and also have depression and anxiety, so I quickly experienced disturbing side effects. I felt spacey, disconnected, and checked-out, in addition to really sad and extremely anxious to the point of panic.
After a few days on the medication and feeling like I was jumping out of my skin, I had a meltdown at the pharmacy counter late one night asking through tears if I could stop taking it immediately or had to do it gradually.
"Stop!" the pharmacist said, handing me a tissue.
My gut, which felt like it had been punched after my last conversation with my doctor, was telling me to go to a different doctor. But I felt scared and people-please-y.
Maybe I should at least go back for one more visit and get the MRI through him, I thought.
The primary reason I didn't want to go back to him was the way he'd talked to me that one time, which didn't even seem logical. Maybe I was too sensitive or just overreacting.
But then I started to think about how he'd prescribed a pain medication at the highest dose allowed when I'm a fairly petite person who's highly sensitive to medication. And then I started to think about how after four months of treatment including two cortisone shots, my injury wasn't getting any better at all. I still felt nervous about not going to him anymore, though.
If I wasn't trying to please someone else, what would I do? I asked myself.
The answer came loud and clear: Go to a different doctor.
So that's what I did.
My new doctor didn't think I had hip bursitis, the condition I'd been diagnosed and treated for over the past four months. She thought I had a labral tear in my hip, and prescribed an MRI.
Early on in my injury, I thought I had a lip labrum tear based on a conversation with my neighbor who had the same thing — her symptoms sounded exactly like my symptoms. At the beginning of this year, when I was experiencing these symptoms, Lady Gaga had a labrum tear in her hip and had to get surgery. My fear, going into my first doctor's visit in April, had been that I would have a hip labrum tear and would have to get an MRI and surgery, and I was so relieved when I was diagnosed with hip bursitis and did not have to get an MRI.
I'd heard scary stories about MRIs — the enclosed space! The loud noise! — so by the time I got to the hospital for my appointment, I was terrified.
"Are you claustrophobic?" the pre-MRI questionnaire asked. I panicked. I didn't know if I was claustrophobic. I had anxiety that could be pretty severe at times and didn't want to discover I was claustrophobic while I was in there.
My MRI technician put me at ease though, talking to me through headphones throughout the session to let me know what was going on. Pretending I was in Savasana pose, I put one hand on my heart and the other on my belly and breathed. The noise was loud but repetitive and oddly soothing, and I fell into a calm, meditative state. By the time it was over I was almost asleep and totally relaxed.
The results of my MRI confirmed what my new doctor had suspected — I had a labral tear in my hip, and no bursitis at all.
A labral tear never heals, but there are things that can be done to manage or hopefully cease the pain, like stretching and strengthening.
After a very extended yoga hiatus and barely being able to do any physical activity all year, at my appointment where I got my MRI results, my doctor cleared me for Pilates right away (!).
Excited to get back to a class of any kind, I found a small Pilates studio a few blocks from where I live that offers a super-beginner level class. That Sunday, I put on yoga pants and a tank top, and sat down on a mat — similar to my familiar yoga mat — at the studio.
There were only four people in class, and before it started I talked to the instructor about my injury.
"I knew about Jen," the teacher said, standing at the front of the room, "but are there any other injuries I should know about?"
Everyone raised their hands. There was a shoulder injury, a painful lower back, a knee thing.
So this is what it's come to? I thought, laughing to myself. I used to do advanced yoga and now I'm in Pilates for injured people.
Although I stopped going to physical therapy a few months ago when my injury wasn't improving, I'll go back soon and incorporate that into my rehabilitation routine along with Pilates. Hopefully physical therapy will have more of an impact once it's treating the correct condition.
For now, I feel happiness from my new Sunday afternoon Pilates ritual with a wonderful teacher who remembers what my injury is from week to week, tells me when I shouldn't do a pose, and offers adjustments and modifications. And with my new — correct — diagnosis, I'm starting all over from the beginning, taking gentle, mindful baby steps on the slow road to recovery.
When we last left off, I'd just been diagnosed with hip bursitis. Finally knowing what was wrong with me after having been in pain for six months, I felt relieved, hopeful, and optimistic.
This was two months ago. I'd gone to the doctor, he told me I had hip bursitis, and said I had some choices:
1) I could get a cortisone shot right away
2) I could go to physical therapy
3) I could go to physical therapy for a month and if my hip didn't feel better after that, then I could get a cortisone shot
He inserted the caveat that most people aren't responsive to physical therapy for this condition, but it was up to me what I wanted to do. Also, he said that sometimes one cortisone shot completely relieves the pain, but sometimes a second one is necessary. However, two is really the max you can get and if that doesn't work then you're just barking up the wrong tree (pose) and need to start looking into if something else is wrong.
Regardless, it seemed totally possible that through some course of treatment, I would be able to be pain-free, regain my full range of motion which had been severely limited by the bursitis, and go back to yoga, resuming my normal practice.
Not wanting to jump right to the cortisone shot without trying other alternatives, I opted for physical therapy for a month, after which I would evaluate how I felt and decide if I wanted to get a shot.
After not being able to practice yoga consistently for months, the moving and stretching in PT felt great. It started out as very gentle strengthening and stretching exercises. Also, being stretched out by the physical therapist, I discovered that having someone else stretch you is like the greatest thing ever — you get to enjoy the juicy stretching sensation without having to exert any effort whatsoever to hold it there.
I thought it would go on like this forever — a gentle stretch here, an easy bridge pose there — but soon, things got harder. Through PT is was revealed that although I've been doing yoga for 15 years, I have a very weak core. Having a weak core means I can't properly hold myself up, so things compress and put undo pressure on my hip. PT then went from gentle stretching to hardcore core workouts, with long holds in forearm plank becoming a staple of my routine.
But after one month of stretching, strengthening, and core work, my hip was not showing big signs of improvement — some days it felt better, some days it felt worse, but it always felt painful. At my follow-up doctor appointment, I decided to hold off on the cortisone shot for one more month. I figured that it had taken my body a long time to develop this injury, and I wasn't going to fix all my misalignment and build up all that strength in just one month.
After the second month though, I still felt daily pain and decided to give the shot a shot. My doctor cautioned that it might feel worse for one or two days, but then would feel better.
Humph, that was it? I thought when I got home after getting my shot, thinking I was in the clear. It really didn't hurt much at all.
The next morning, I woke up in excruciating pain, worse than any I had ever experienced throughout the entire duration of this injury. Grateful that the doctor had warned me, I knew not to freak out and that I was having a totally normal reaction to it and that this too shall pass.
On Day One, every step I took was painful. Not only was I limping, but I had to hold onto desks, tables, and chairs in order to sit down or stand up, take stairs one at a time, and ask someone to let me sit in a seat on the crowded rush hour subway because it hurt too much to stand.
Day Two was noticeably better but still noticeably painful.
But on Day Three, I felt NO PAIN. For the first time in almost nine months, I was pain-free! Having this injury, I've come to automatically limit my range of motion to avoid painful positions, so I was cautious and didn't try to do anything that I thought might hurt, like sitting cross-legged or bending my right knee in too much. Even with my limited range of motion, I still got the sense that all the pain was gone, which was amazing after having become accustomed to daily pain for so long.
At my final physical therapy session, I reported the exciting news — no pain! — and they gave me program of exercises to continue on my own at home, and a t-shirt as my PT graduation gift.
A week later I started to feel some soreness — not the sharp pain I'd had before, just a little tenderness. It wasn't bad though, and I'd been given the OK to go back to yoga, so I picked a gentle-looking class that was partially restorative that I wanted to take, and eagerly anticipated my return to yoga.
That day I ran into my neighbor who's a massage therapist at a physical therapy facility. I've been giving him updates about my bursitis, and told him about my plan to go back to yoga.
He suggested that I try Pilates instead, and told me about the studio he went to that he loved. A former yogi, after having done Pilates at the studio for a while he said he took a yoga class there that a classmate recommended.
"You know what I thought of it?" he asked. "Barbaric!"
Unrolling my mat for the first time in months at the restorative class that night, I thought that yoga and I would have a joyful reunion, skipping towards each other with open arms. I thought I'd take things slow, pay attention to how I felt, and back off and modify a few poses if they hurt. I thought I'd be able to do almost everything, and possibly even be able to sit in a cross-legged seat at the beginning and end of class.
This was not what happened.
Almost everything hurt. I had to modify a ton, back off a lot, flat-out not even do some poses at all. And this was a restorative class.
Trying to make it through class, feeling sharp, shooting pain if I moved too much this way or bent too much that way, I wanted to cry. I'd hoped that I'd be able to — maybe slowly but eventually — go back to my beloved yoga practice as I knew it. I thought that the cortisone shot would be the solution, would bring the healing that would allow me to return to my pre-pain ways.
Sitting cross-legged with my knees bent up to my chest instead of resting comfortably on the ground, my eyes welled up. Poses that were easy for the rest of the students were impossible for me, and every position was a reminder of things I used to be able to do but couldn't do anymore.
When I got home that night I texted my neighbor, "Took a restorative yoga class tonight: Barbaric."
After two months of physical therapy exercises which were simple, precise, and alignment-focused, yoga, even a restorative class, seemed too fast-paced and full of coarse, all-over-the-place movements. It hurt during class, and left me afterwards with pain I still feel a few days later.
Despite what I'd hoped for, I hadn't found the solution, experienced the fix. I had to go back to the drawing board.
I feel so disappointed that my pain isn't gone, that I can't yet return to life — and yoga — as usual. But I still feel hopeful that one day I will be able to be pain-free; it just might take longer and look different than I'd initially thought.
Even though I graduated from physical therapy last week, I'm going to call to make another appointment this week. I'm going to get the second cortisone shot that I hoped I wouldn't need. I'm going to be as diligent as I can with doing my ongoing physical therapy exercises at home. I'm going to take yoga off the table for the foreseeable future to prioritize healing my hip bursitis. And once this post-yoga class pain in my hip calms down, I'm going to check out that Pilates studio that my neighbor recommended.
It makes me sad to think of giving up yoga, for now at least, as it's brought me so much healing, serenity, and happiness for the past 15 years, and been such a big part of my identity. But being in so much pain, I didn't even enjoy the class I took the other day, and I know that right now, my body needs something else. So for the time being, I just might become NotSoZen PilatesJen.
I've had injuries before where I couldn't do yoga. There was my back pain, my tweaked out arms and neck, and my broken toe. But none of these things seemed that serious, and the most I've ever had to stay away from yoga was a little over a month.
This is worse.
In September, my right hip and leg started hurting after a restorative yoga class. This class consisted of lounging around for long periods of time, propped up on various bolsters and blocks, so it was baffling how I got hurt during it. I meditate daily, and after this class I noticed that it started to hurt to sit cross-legged in meditation, so I took a short break from yoga and mediating, and then went back to both after about a week.
Over the next few months, several things happened to make my injury worse:
- One Saturday night in November, I double booked myself and made two plans. I was tired and cranky and couldn't decide which plan I wanted to do, so I canceled one, and then I changed my mind and canceled the other one, and then I tried to get my first plan back but it was too late. So I wound up home alone with no plans, and in frustration I plunked down hard on my wooden kitchen chair. I felt something snap in my right hip, and it hurt. Then I had canned soup for dinner. That night sucked. The next day the pain was still bad, and I was limping. I was so mad at myself! If only I'd gone out for one of my plans! If only I hadn't been so cranky! If only I hadn't plunked so hard! And I took a break from yoga and meditating again.
- In December, I was showing off — not warmed up at all — how I could touch my toes. I made it half-way there when I felt pain in my right leg, and again, took another yoga/meditation break.
- On New Year's Eve Day I went to yoga. I took precautions. I talked to the teacher before class and told him about my injury. I didn't sit cross-legged at the beginning of class. I sat in Virasana. On a block. But, not wanting to be limited, not wanting to be injured, I tried to do Compass pose. And hobbled out of class.
At this point, I could have gone to a doctor. Except I didn't have health insurance then and having no idea how serious my injury was, I was afraid that walking in a doctor's office would bankrupt me. So I decided to manage it myself by taking a longer break from yoga — six weeks off — and hoping it was just a pulled muscle or something and that that would take care of it.
After six weeks off yoga, a number of things happened to make my injury worse:
- The day before I went back to yoga, I went sledding. Sitting cross-legged on the sled brought back the pain in my leg and hip. And it turned out that I didn't even like sledding, although I did like the hot chocolate afterwards.
- In pigeon pose in yoga class, the teacher adjusted me. Doing hip opening poses like pigeon is excruciating with this injury, but I'd figured out a way to make it not hurt that much by not opening my knee that wide. But on this day, the teacher came over and adjusted me, moving my knee wide and opening my hip way up. I told him I had a hip injury and didn't want to go deep into the pose, but he moved my leg anyway saying that the way I was doing it would injure my knee, and then I'd have an injured knee and hip. This is where I got mad at the teacher, and even madder at myself. Because the teacher was a hot guy and one of those too-cool-for-school yoga teachers, and even though I know better, in the moment when he adjusted me I abandoned myself and let him, whereas if he had been a woman, or a not-so-hot guy, I would have stood my ground.
By this time I had health insurance again, and friends who were encouraging me to stop blowing this off and go to the doctor. So I made a doctor's appointment but the earliest I could get in was in three weeks.
I suspected that my days of yoga were numbered and once I went to the doctor he was going to tell me that I couldn't go anymore, so I just wanted to get in a few more classes. That weekend I went to yoga. I felt sort-of-OK-not-terrible afterwards.
But the next day I was in agonizing pain, and it was constant. I felt it with every step I took. When I stood up. When I sat down. While I was sitting. Walking up stairs. Going down stairs. And even though I'd been all this-is-no-big-deal about my injury for six months, all of a sudden I started to FREAK OUT.
This was my LEG. I need it to STAND ON. And it hurt ALL THE TIME. I was afraid I'd be in pain forever, that I'd never be able to do to yoga again, or to take a step without feeling a sharp pang in my leg.
I worried that I had a torn hip labrum like Lady Gaga (she does yoga, too!), and that I'd need an MRI and surgery, only I wouldn't be able to afford a blinged-out wheelchair like Gaga's.
I was freaking out, and I couldn't do the thing which makes me not freak out, which was go to yoga. I panicked that I'd have to go on anti-anxiety meds, only I'm super-sensitive to medication and the one time I took it for a week I wound up not only not anxious, but sedated.
And then my doctor appointment arrived. I told him my symptoms, and he diagnosed me, which seemed kind of miraculous. That I didn't have to worry and wonder and assume the worst anymore. That I could say, "This is what is wrong," and he could say, "This is what you have."
Which is hip bursitis. Something that does not require an MRI, or surgery, or a secondhand wheelchair. Something that can get better. Something where I can be free of pain, get my full range of motion back, and return to yoga.
I start a month of physical therapy next week and I'm so excited. I like/need to practice yoga about three times a week, and I haven't be able to practice consistently since last fall. I've only gone to yoga a handful of times so far this year, between taking long, long breaks. As a result I often feel tired, achy, listless, foggy — and anxious!
I'm not meditating because sitting in my favorite meditation position is painful. Technically, I could still meditate and sit in any number of other positions, but meditating is kind of Pavlovian for me and I associate sitting cross-legged on a rolled-up blanket with the peace I then feel, so I'm being stubborn and not meditating at all.
Sitting cross-legged is also my favorite lounging around my apartment position, and my favorite watching TV position. Pulling my right leg in and crossing it is my writing position, and my talking on the phone position. I haven't been able to do any of these things in months either.
After having been relatively inactive — and in pain — for so long, I'm excited to move and stretch in physical therapy. I'm excited for gentle exercise, being forced to take it easy and not push myself, which feels like it's going to be really nurturing. I'm excited for healing my body and getting my writing and lounging and meditation positions back. And one day hopefully soon, getting my yoga back.
My Forgotten Super Powers
Posted May 9, 2011on:
I was in yoga class a few weeks ago, uncomfortably situated in Hanumanasana (split pose), when the teacher said of its namesake deity, "Hanuman had super powers. But he forgot that he had them."
Just like me! I thought. And as my hamstrings stretched and strained, I remembered that I, too, have super powers, though I generally live in a state of amnesia about them. The main symptom of this kind of amnesia, is that I experience a large disconnect between who I am and how I feel about myself. I forget things like I'm smart, pretty, funny, a good writer, a kind soul, a feisty spirit. Basically, I forget that I have lots of positive qualities, and sometimes, I don't remember that I have any at all.
Occasionally I find myself in situations where this inner/outer split becomes apparent. I will be caught by surprise by the way someone relates to me as pretty or smart or talented. I will think, for an instant, Is that me they are talking about? And in these moments it is incredibly painful to see how wide and vast the divide is, and I wonder if I will ever be able to bridge that gap, to unite my inner experience with outer reality, to remember that I have super powers, and to get to enjoy using them.
For me, the Kryptonite is disappointments, fears, worries, and wounds. But it can take as little as the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life to dull the shine of radiant super powers.
The story goes that a curse was placed on Hanuman, which caused him to be unable to remember his own ability unless he was reminded by another person. And finally, someone does, saying to him:
You are as powerful as the wind;
You are intelligent, illustrious and an inventor.
There is nothing in this world that's too difficult for you;
Whenever stuck, you are the one who can help.
What forgotten super powers do you possess? May this be a reminder to remember…
I'm Blogging for Psychology Today!
Posted April 26, 2011on:
I'm writing a blog on PsychologyToday.com called Progress Not Perfection and this is my first post!
Please check it out!
A Bad Week Drove Me To Bikram
Posted December 9, 2010on:
I had a bad week last week. Like, it was bad. I was going through stuff. And on top of that, I was getting hit with alternating waves of depression and anxiety. All I wanted to do was have a nurturing, peaceful, quiet couple of days so I could deal with my stuff and heal. I wanted to rest, relax, veg out watching DVDs, and be alone in the soothing sanctuary of my home. But then, my plumbing started to fall apart.
Let me just say, that even when I have no stuff to deal with and I am calm and centered and at my very best, plumbing issues make me very anxious. I find it extremely unsettling when foundational elements of life like plumbing aren't functioning. And then there's my Post Traumatic Plumbing Stress Disorder. Because this happened to my bathtub a few years ago, and the following year this happened to my toilet, and now every time there is the smallest sign of drain blockage or the first drip of a leak, I get flashbacks involving days of cleaning up black sludge, and am instantly filled with dread.
Last week I was not calm, centered, or at my very best when my bathroom sink clogged. The plumber fixed it. I cleaned up the black sludge that was left behind. I felt drained, but also, some sense of relief. Like, OK, this week is bad, my sink clogged, but I dealt with it and it's over.
That night, I turned on my kitchen sink, and it was now clogged. So the plumber came back. I cleaned. I felt stretched too thin, having stuff and clogged plumbing and black sludge to contend with all in the same week, but it was Friday. This week really sucked, but it was behind me. The weekend was here. I could finally rest and relax, and get back to my regular routine on Monday.
On Sunday I went to a wonderful brunch with a good friend. I came home feeling even more relieved. Every thing was fixed. No more clogs. No more messes. No more scheduling plumbers to fix pipes, and days lost to work being done in my apartment and cleaning up. Ahhh….
And then I heard a loud hissing sound coming from my bathroom. I went in to investigate the noise and saw that the heating pipe was leaking water and shooting out steam.
This. Was too much to deal with in one week. And like my plumbing, I fell apart.
On Monday I didn't get back to my regular routine. Plumbers were back at my apartment again, and they fixed the pipe. Then I trudged to the grocery store for the third time to buy more cleaning supplies, feeling like I was trapped in a time warp of never-ending plumbing malfunctions and bathroom cleaning (and let me just say, that I don't enjoy cleaning my bathroom even when I am calm, centered, and at my very best). It was cold and dark and gray out, and I made my annual self-diagnosis of Seasonal Affective Disorder. Things could not continue like this. It was time for drastic measures. It was time for yoga. It was time for Bikram.
I'm a Vinyasa girl, but Bikram yoga got me through a hard time earlier this year and the way things felt like they were piling up on me, I was craving it again. So on Tuesday night, I walked through the cold Brooklyn streets to the Bikram studio in my neighborhood. I stepped into the hot, dark room. I sweat, a lot, and I had a few moments of nausea. But there's something about Bikram that kicks my butt so hard it literally knocks all the thoughts out of my head. Which is helpful, when the thoughts are of the everything-sucks-and-it-will-never-get-better-downward-spiral variety.
After class my face was bright red and my skin was glowing. My mind was empty(ish) and clear. I felt like my body was being flooded with waves of energy, hope, and optimism. I sipped Vita Coco, and reveled in my Bikram bliss. I slept better than I had all week, and the next morning I woke up feeling rested at last, and already craving my next Bikram fix.
I'm not ready to abandon Vinyasa, but I think I might become a seasonal Bikram yogini. Because there's nothing like Bikram to get me through a hard time, a bad week, fucked-up plumbing, and the long, cold, dark New York winter…


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Kylie Jenner Announced New Kyliner Colors
It's another exciting day in the beauty world, with Kylie Jenner's most recent Snapchat announcement. In true Kylie fashion, the youngest Jenner sister took to Snap to announce her newest Kyliner shades, which are beyond perfect for fall. The two newest shades are Bronze, a chestnut brown color (not to be confused with Dark Bronze, which came with Kylie's limited edition birthday release) and Chameleon, a gorgeous metallic plum color. Similar to Kylie's original Kyliner shades, less daring brown and black colors, Bronze and Chameleon will come in full kits with a pencil eyeliner, a gel creme liner and an angled brush. Based on the swatches seen on Snapchat, you'll definitely want to add these two fresh colors to your collection for fall.
Set your alarms and get your credit cards ready, now, because Bronze and Chameleon go on sale on Friday, Sep. 23 at 1 p.m PT. for $36 and similar to previous launches, we expect them to go fast. However, Kylie did mention the possibility of a special giveaway for her app subscribers so stay tuned for that! To see the swatches in full, keep scrolling.


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Don Hill News
Don Hill Foal Announcements: 07-24-17: Congratulations Carrie Gregory of Yelm, WA on the arrival of your new Don Hill filly! Born on July 2nd to Carrie's TB mare Sugar Bee, Carrie says that her new filly is healthy, big and happy. She's charming, Carrie! >>>
NEDA Fall Dressage: Congratulations to Virginia Leary on Don De Lion's (Don Hill-Hawthorne) success at the NEDA Fall Show. "Lion" earned a 3rd place finish with a score of 70.6%. Good boy Lion! >>>
Don Hill Offspring Show At Devon: It is so fun to see Don Hill's first US foal crops out and showing this season. The oldest, Virginia Leary's Don de Lion (Don Hill-Hawthorne), bred by Sheila O'Keefe, showed in the Yearling Colts and Geldings to a 7th place finish. >>>
Dressage at Devon Breed Show: Devon is one of our favorite shows and we always look forward to catching up with other breeders, owners, and friends at this historic show. A large group of horses joined us from Hilltop's Raising Department and Devon Prep Program making this year's Devon especially busy for Team Hilltop. >>>
Maplewood Breed Show I & II: Hilltop handler Quinnten Alston headed up this week for the Maplewood Breed Shows in New York. Hilltop's Denver HTF (Donarweiss-Royal Prince) was 3rd in his class the first show, but improved on the second show to place 2nd. >>>
Two More Foals: We're still in the midst of foaling season here at Hilltop Farm and have two more arrivals to announce. On the afternoon of April 23rd, the first foal for Michelle Ryan's lovely Bahia Breeze (Benetton Dream-Banditentraum) arrived. >>>


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We have an excellent blog post today from Justin Kwong, it's also located over on his blog:
As a wise man once said, knee jerk laws written after one person got away with something they shouldn't have rarely achieve the intended results and often crate even more problems as a result. Missouri's new social media law is just such a mistake.
Rather than rehash all of the details, take a look at this piece today from Huffington Post. It's really rather infuriating that the law so clearly ignores all of the benefits from social media and other communication between teachers and students. And, stop me if I'm wrong, but isn't communicating on a Facebook wall publicly available? I guess if they are sending private messages, but then just make sure the administrators have the account password. Is a law really necessary? Can't schools regulate this themselves?
About Justin Kwong
An attorney in the Twin Cities and adjunct professor at William Mitchell College of Law where I teach a seminar on the law of virtual worlds.
View all posts by Justin Kwong →
Note by Landon Ascheman: Justin writes one of my favorite blogs. It may not be criminal law, but the Virtual Law holds nearly as much fascination, and far more unexplored wonder. Many times these laws get passed through in regards to individual situations. We expect prosecutors to exercise discretion. They don't - and when they don't - someone life is ruined. I would add the following sentences that cause me the most concern.
"No teacher shall establish, maintain, or use a work-related internet site unless such site is available to school administrators and the child's legal custodian, physical custodian, or legal guardian."
"No teacher shall establish, maintain, or use a nonwork-related internet site which allows exclusive access with a current or former student."
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Art By: Jorge Jimenez, Tyler Kirkham, Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Andrew Dalhouse
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: March 18, 2015
Come Together......... Right Now......... Over Apokolips
Welcome to Weird Science DC Comics, the DC Comics site for the common man and woman. We're not high falutin, just a bunch of dummies who love comics just like you...we just spend an insane amount of time working on this site for no pay. I told you...dummies! So, sit a spell and read our Reviews, News and Articles and if you are really brave, listen to the Weird Science DC Comics Podcast. We triple dog dare you!
"Hawkgirl snubs him by calling him a coward. "
I noticed that also and I find it also ironic that around that page they had a section where a person is yelling "Women And Children Only, All Able-Bodied Soldiers Man the Guns."
So in short a female character is calling a male character a coward despite the fact that all the females are being cowards by being exempt from manning the guns and fighting.
The comic is good overall but Daniel H. Wilson put's too much politics in the issues. With the feminism and the gay rights. I read comics to escape all that.
Definitely an improvement in the art (and story), but Val really is a wimp if you can defeat him by ripping the logo off the front of his costume. If something else is happening with that SHRRAK, you can't tell from the art.ReplyDelete


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Search & Read
ShiningWorld Reader
Change the Causal Body
Jason: How do I consciously divert a thought that is controlling my actions on a subconscious level? If the vasana is deeply ingrained in the causal body, where all thought originates, where does the action of sublimation take place? It seems like the hawk guarding the hen house.
In Alcoholics Anonymous they talk about surrendering your will (i.e. thinking) to a higher power. I guess that would be the self. It seems to work fine if you are imagining God to be another Someone/something outside of yourself. But if God is the self and the self is manifesting the causal body… Well, you see the predicament.
If I take God to BE the pleasure I am erroneously seeking in sex/food/social interaction then that seems to point me in the right direction, but it's not happening instantly.
James: You don't do it instantly, Jason. You didn't develop these samskaras instantly. The only way you can change your programming is to introduce a cognitive shift on the intellectual level. You "pretend" that you are the self and you start acting as if you were. You actually are but it doesn't feel like it, so you fake it. Your vasanas are changed by the karma you do. If you don't change the actions, the vasanas won't dissolve but will be recreated with every action. Your will power will diminish with every action and you will start to feel helpless and your self-esteem will suffer. There is no quick fix. You have to see that what the scripture is saying is true and do the actions it recommends. It is a constant battle until sattvic samskaras are in place. Then life starts to flow and you experience a sense of lightness and self-confidence.
Jason: Since our initial conversations I have given up my need for others' approval. Already I notice a difference in my relationships. It feels very good to be free of my ambitions.
James: Good for you. Nobody but you can validate you. The way you validate yourself is to do what is right whether your ego likes it or not.
Jason: But my petty habits are still there. The only difference is that I am disgusted with my own lack of ability to control them. Where I once felt proud of my virility, I now feel ashamed. It's starting to cause a sort of depression. How ironic to know the pleasure is not in the act or object and feel so helpless. It reminds me of the couple of years it took me to quit doing drugs and drinking, knowing I had a problem but feeling helpless to overcome it. It's demoralizing.
James: To your credit you are not in denial about it. You are facing it. There is nothing wrong with pleasure, but it is not something one should pursue. It should be the result of following a righteous way of life.


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HA NOI (VNS) — Viet Nam and India met for their seventh deputy-ministerial level political consultation meeting and the fourth meeting of their strategic dialogue in Ha Noi yesterday.
Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung and his Indian counterpart Anil Wadhwa talked extensively about all possible steps to further facilitate visits, thus laying a firm foundation for more co-operations.
They agreed to elevate two-way trade to US$15 billion by 2020 and increase all-round collaboration, especially in politics, economics, national defence and security, science and technology, culture and education.
Trung reiterated Viet Nam's consistent policy of valuing its traditional friendship and strategic partnership with India, backing India's Act East policy and its connectivity with Southeast Asia.
Wadhwa said India considers Viet Nam a significant pillar in its Act East policy.
Turning attention to regional and global issues of shared concern, both sides vowed mutual support at regional and global forums, especially the UN, the Non-Aligned Movement, the World Trade Organisation, ASEAN and other multilateral forums.
India affirmed it would back Viet Nam's bid for a seat at the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 tenure. Viet Nam also declared its support for India's membership in the UN Security Council for the 2021-2022 tenure and its permanent membership status once the mechanism expands.
On the East Sea issue, the India voiced support for Viet Nam and ASEAN's position on the settlement of disputes by peaceful means in line with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea, towards the early formulation of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea.
The guest committed to continued joint work to tap oil and gas reserves in Viet Nam's waters. — VNS


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Notes: Important
Contains BNF19Z and BNR11XXZ - essential to 'Activate more grip'
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Kits Required: 1
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The ultrasound experience is finally coming to Norway, and what a faculty! Featuring Vicky Noble, ass.prof at Harvard and director of Massachusetts General Hospital's emergency ultrasound program. She has an impressive list of publications on ultrasound, and is also a great clinical teacher.
Great clinical teaching and a love for ultrasound is a common factor for all the faculty, which also includes Matt and Mike of ultrasoundpodcast fame, Joe Wood from the Mayo clinic, Beatrice Hoffman from Harvard and Bret Nelson who co-authored the excellent Manual of Emergency and Critical Care Ultrasound with Vicky Noble. And this is just part of the faculty!
We're willing to bet there's NEVER been a more competent, dedicated and internationally renowned teaching team for any ultrasound course in Norway. Ever. And YOU have the chance to have all these amazing clinical teachers at your disposal!
If you want to learn about Point of Care ultrasound (POCUS) with hands-on teaching and the best inside tips and tricks – this is the course you want to be in. It's a no-brainer for Norwegians, but everyone else is also more than welcome. The course will be in English, and the experience of ultrasound and the spectacular Norwegian fjords is a hard-to-beat combo.
The course is arranged by a group of Norwegian dedicated ultrasound nerds within anaesthesia, general practice and emergency medicine, and the course is partly sponsored by the Norwegian Air Ambulance and the SAFER foundation. All this goes down onboard the Hurtigruten cruise line traveling from the beautiful city of Bergen and up along the Norwegian coast line to Bodø in Northern Norway, providing a spectacular setting for the course. Now, go sign up!


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It is true that attractive men are treated better than the average looking ones. It may seem that this society gives priority to physical looks rather than intelligence or values. Yes, it may seem that good looking guys got a better deal in life. They seem to get better job opportunities, better women, better daily encounters and things just go well for them. You ask yourself again and again why you have to go the extra mile if you want to keep up with the typical gorgeous man on a bad day.
However, is it really important to be genetically blessed with great physical looks? Think about those guys who are exceptions. Have you ever taken a look at those average men that still exudes handsomeness? Is he an anomaly? Or is he just a beam of hope for those who are not gifted?
Let me tell you that it is possible to be handsome without actually being handsome. I know it sounds weird but, if you consider that you were not blessed by nature but still want to live the life of an attractive guy, there is a program specially made for you. 51 Handsome Guy Secrets is a program made by Ryan Margin for the ordinary guy to learn all of the tricks to live a gifted life.
What is the 51 Handsome Guy Secrets Program?
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I found this amazing article on one of my favorite practices, the beautiful art of "taking and giving", Tonglen. This article explains in detail what the practice is and is extremely helpful. Pay close attention to the section entitled "Suggestions For the Practice of Tonglen." This practice is another aspect of loving kindness and helps cultivate bodhicitta - the awakened heart of compassion and wisdom...
All-Embracing Compassion:
The Heart-Practice of Tonglen
The Heart-Practice of Tonglen
Tonglen is a Tibetan word which means sending and taking. This practice originated in India and came to Tibet in the eleventh century. With the practice of Tonglen, we work directly with our habitual tendency to avoid suffering and attach ourselves to pleasure. Using this powerful and highly effective practice, we learn to embrace our life experiences with more openness, compassion, inclusiveness, and understanding, rather than denial, aversion, and resistance. When we encounter fear, pain, hurt, anger, jealousy, loneliness, or suffering, be it our own or others, we breathe in with the desire to completely embrace this experience; to feel it, accept it, and own it, free of any resistance.
In this way of practice, in this way of being, we transform our tendency to close down and shut out life's unpleasant experiences. In accordance with Buddha's First Noble Truth, we acknowledge, touch, and embrace our personal and collective suffering. We do not run away. We do not turn the other way. Touching and understanding suffering is the first step toward true transformation. Rather than avoiding suffering, we develop a more tolerant and compassionate relationship with it. We learn to meet and embrace reality—naked, open, and fearless.
Although the idea of developing a relationship with suffering may sound somewhat morbid, we must remember the teachings of the Second and Third Noble Truths as well: when we touch and embrace suffering, we can finally understand what causes it. When we understand the cause of suffering, we can eliminate it and be liberated. There is an end to suffering, however, we must learn how to meet it in a new way. Tonglen practice can help us accomplish this shift of awareness, this training of the mind.
A New Way to Embrace Our Life Experience
Tonglen effectively reverses our usual pattern of avoiding suffering and seeking pleasure. In this process, we finally liberate ourselves from a very ancient prison of selfishness. With this radical shift of awareness, this new way of embracing our life experience, our heart becomes more tender, open, sensitive, and aware. We naturally feel more alive; more loving and caring, both for ourselves and others. By practicing Tonglen, we connect with a less defended and more open, spacious dimension of our being. The all-embracing compassion of our true nature begins to shine through and we are introduced to a far more intimate and grander view of reality. With this sublime heart of love, liberated from attachment, aversion, and indifference, we gradually recognize and feel the absolute interdependence and preciousness of all living beings. This is true intimacy with life. This is the cultivation of bodhicitta—the awakened heart of compassion and wisdom.
Hearing and Feeling the Cries of the World
The path of the Bodhisattva is to remember our belonging and connection with all of life. When we know in our hearts that we are connected to the insects, animals, trees, the earth, and every living being, we do not cause harm or suffering to any of these parts of ourselves. Rather, we become sensitive and attuned to the cries of the world, and we learn to respond with wisdom and deep compassion. We develop the wish to free all beings from their suffering and its causes; we desire, more than anything, to bring them happiness and peace. Indeed, the practice of Tonglen is an excellent way for us to train our heart and mind so we too can develop universal compassion and help alleviate the suffering of all living beings.
Suggestions for the Practice of Tonglen
Use what seems like poison as medicine. Use your
personal suffering as the path to compassion for all beings.
personal suffering as the path to compassion for all beings.
1) Sit quietly, calm the mind, and center yourself. Reflect on the immense suffering that all beings everywhere experience. Allow their suffering to open your heart and awaken your compassion. You may also choose to invoke the presence of all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and enlightened beings, so that through their inspiration and blessing, compassion may be born in your heart. In this way, you are resting in bodhicitta—the enlightened nature of the mind. Bodhicitta, is an inexhaustible source of purity, generosity, and compassion.
2) Imagine in front of you, as clearly as possible, someone you care for who is suffering. Although this may be more challenging, you may also imagine someone you feel indifferent toward, someone you consider to be an enemy, or those who have hurt you or others. Open yourself to this person's suffering. Allow yourself to feel connected with him or her, aware of their difficulties, pain, and distress. Then, as you feel your heart opening in compassion toward the person, imagine that all of his or her suffering comes out and gathers itself into a mass of hot, black, grimy smoke.
3) Now, visualize breathing in this mass of black smoke, seeing it dissolve into the very core of your self-grasping (ego) at your heart center. There in your heart, it completely destroys all traces of fear and selfishness (self-cherishing) and purifies all of your negative karma.
4) Imagine, now that your fear, self-centeredness and negative karma has been completely destroyed, your enlightened heart (bodhicitta) is fully revealed. As you breathe out, imagine you are sending out the radiance of loving-kindness, compassion, peace, happiness, and well-being to this person. See this brilliant radiance purifying all of their negative karma. Send out any feelings that encourage healing, relaxation, and openness.
5) Continue this "giving and receiving" with each breath for as long as you wish. At the end of your practice, generate a firm inner conviction that this person has been freed of suffering and negative karma and is filled with peace, happiness and well-being. You may also wish to dedicate the merit and virtue of your practice to the benefit of all sentient beings.
Another Excellent Form of Tonglen
Tonglen is a Practice and a Way of Life
Practicing Tonglen on one friend in pain helps us begin the process of gradually widening the circle of our compassion. From there, we can learn to take on the suffering and purify the karma of all beings; giving others our happiness, well-being, joy, and peace of mind. Tonglen practice can extend indefinitely, and gradually, over time, our compassion will expand. We will find that we have a greater ability to be loving and present for ourselves and for others in even the most difficult situations. This is the wonderful goal of Tonglen practice, the path of the compassionate Bodhisattva.


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If your walls could talk, what would they say? Hopefully, they would talk about how well you treat them. If not, now is the perfect time to hire an interior painting service in South King and Pierce Counties, WA to give your walls the love they deserve.
Call All Season Painting at 253-653-4454 to get a free home painting estimate from one of our professional painters.
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