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Doli Armaanon Ki 21st November 2014 Written Episode Update
Doli Armaanon Ki 21st November 2014 Written Episode, Written Update on TellyUpdates.com
Scene 1:
Location: Sushma's residence
In his inebriated state, Samrat arrives at sushma's residence, while urmi is fast asleep. He eyes the closed door, and tries to open it, but it doesnt open. He gets frustrated and then finds the window, in his semiconscious state. He is able to open it, but then finds a grill, covering it. He slides a log of wood, and then tries to get the door to open, and is able to successfully. Throwing the log aside, he gets inside the house, stealthily, and then shuts it back, and also bolts it from inside. He then walks through the house, trying to search for urmi, in each of the rooms, one by one. In that, by mistake, a vase falls on the floor, causing a sound, that gets urmi to wake up in tension. she walks out to check, while samrat too
The next morning, sushma and her husband keep trying ishaan's number, but find that he didnt pick up. They get tensed wondering as to what caused this behaviour, and wonders whether samrat's scare got into him, and he retreated from helping urmi. but her husband thinks that there's definitely some other reason. While shaurya irritates urmi, saying that he doesnt need any vaccination, she tries hard to get him to agree to this last one. Sushma asks him to not irritate his mother and agree to what urmi says. Sushma's husband promises shaurya cartoons, if he gets the vaccination. He agrees and gets ready. Sushma hesitatingly brings up ishaan's topic, asking if she had a talk with him. She denies. Sushma tries to force her into trying and looking for ishaan's help in her case. she stoically replies that she doesnt need his help. they are tensed.
Scene 2:
Location: Samrat's residence
The next morning, all wait for samrat at the dining table, as its getting late. The new maid, Radha tells them that he isnt in the room, and nowhere else too, as she broomed the entire house, and didnt find him anywhere. kanchan asks shashi not to worry, as samrat must have gone out for some work. Some people come for meeting samrat, who had promised them to come and collect the check. Diwaker asks them to check in office. the people say that samrat had made an appointment at home only. all are baffled, that he isnt in the office and not at home too. Diwaker tries his number, but finds it switched off. All get tensed. diwaker apologises to them, and asks them to come tomorrow to the office. They get upset at samrat's unprofessional behaviour, and that their reputation shall be tarnished due to this. diwaker tries to comfort, but they are beyond consolation and leaves. diwaker is angry that due to his rash behaviour, he has to listen all the time. all are confused as to whats going on, rudra says that he has no attention on anyone else other than urmi. kanchan too favours him.
Scene 3:
Location: Samrat's office
As diwaker comes for the meeting, he is shocked to find samrat, who never misses the accounts' meeting, absent and then the employees and other investors, start pointing out that he has been very lax lately. Diwaker wonders what to tell them, and where's samrat and whats occupying his mind these days.
Scene 4:
Location: In a slum locality
Samrat arrives in a dingy locality, and climbs up the stairs, to the room, of some dangerous hooligans and mafia people. He asks them for what he had ordered. They give him a pistol, branding it as A-one. He eyes the pistol, with much sadistic pleasure, as he is asked of the reason why he needs a desi pistol, instead of the licensed ones that they can afford. He shuts him, warning him to keep to his own work. samrat shuts him with a bundle of notes, saying that it wont be needed. He stuffs in the pistol in his back pocket, and leaves.
Scene 5:
Location: In the hospital and on the road
As urmi arrives with shaurya, he finds ishaan badly hurt and being taken on a stretcher. He rushes after him, and is shocked to see him like that. as urmi catches up with shaurya, running after him, she is shocked to find ishaan, hurt like that. She asks the nurse, and she says that she doesnt know, but thinks that he was in a fight, and they managed to barely save him last night, when he was brought here, in a critical condition. She asks urmi if she knows him, as the hospital is doing charity treatment. She says that she knows him very well. she wonders how did this happen and who would do this to ishaan. She is super tensed.
When ishaan regains consciousness, he asks howcome they all are here, as he finds urmi and sushma and her family with him. shaurya takes the credit for getting it all here. Sushma's husband asks him to stay outside. Once he is gone, urmi and Tiwari Ji ask him who did this to him, and he remembers Samrat's men, but doesnt say anything. she asks how can he not know, or if he doesnt want to say anything. he says that somebody took out his revenge on him. They are tensed, while urmi asks him to swear on her and say if samrat made this attack happen. he is left speechless, and then doesnt have any other option but to tell the truth, that samrat sent goons to kill him. urmi is shattered, and sushma and her husband are shocked. Urmi is enraged, while ishaan keeps asking to let it go, as he doesnt expect anything else from samrat, as his thinking nd ego have made him an uncontrollable animal, and his ego is so bruised, that he isnt able to tolerate this all, and hence was concerned for her. sushma wonders how can a man be like this. As he is being taken away for X-ray, he asks urmi to remain calm as she doednt need to say anything to anyone. she is stunned. ishaan leaves. She gets a call from samrat, and excuses herself. She takes the call, and samrat says that one thing is sure, that they have separated and soon would be divorced, hence he wants to meet her one last time. urmi says that she too wants to meet him, and one more thing, she has to talk a lot. he asks her to meet her rightnow. She too says that she cant wait. He gives her an address where he is waiting for her. She cancels the call. samrat says that he would set an exmaple, out of her, and sunb her infidelity and that she was still samrat's wife and still became ishaan's child's mother. He decides to teach her a lesson.
when ishaan wakes up, he finds everyone around, but not urmi. He asks about her, and sushma says that she just went out. He is tensed.
Scene 6:
Location: On the road
Samrat is amused when urmi comes in, storming, and venting out her frustration, as to how he could do this to ishaan. He however sarcastically comments that ishaan is still alive, as he was meant to be killed. She is shocked. Samrat taunts her that he doesnt know if she would have behaved like a widow, but would have been very sad, as she couldnt see the plight and pain of her lover, and that she felt the pain of his wounds. She, unable to take it any longer, says that she does feel for ishaan, as she isnt a devil like him, but a human. Samrat confronts urmi and reprimands her, that she branded him as character less, asking if she isnt ashamed, and where was her character, when she was sleeping and spending the night, with ishaan. He frustratedly bad mouths her, and she asks him to stop his motor mouth, and asks him to remember that she isnt his property that wherever he wishes, he maligns her, and asks him to stay in his limits, as if she gets down to insulting, he wouldnt be able to show his face anywhere. She warns him not to drag ishaan in the middle, and not harm in anyway, for her. He says that he is already inside them both, as they both became explicitly involved in a physical relationship. She is shocked at what he is insinuating, when he says that she is due to give birth to ishaan's child. He says that he wont let ishaan's child develop in his wife's womb and that the child would have to die. she is shocked, and he asks if she wonders how does he know, as sin cant hide for long. He points a pistol at her belly, saying that he would erase this sin, and she is dazed and shocked. She says that he has gone mad, and that he cant do this, and he says that he has gone amd, and that the pistol is out, and so shall be the bullet, as she would have to die along with ishaan's child. She starts retreating her steps, oblivious that she is nearing the edge of the pool, asking samrat, in feeble sounds, not to. The sound of the gun shot, reverberates everyone, while urmi stands speechless. The screen freezes on her face.
Precap: Urmi falls in the pool, and blood splashes all over underneath her body, as it colours the entire pool red, while samrat watches in shock, venom and rage.
Update Credit to: Rimjhim


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If you're thinking that I am crazy for posting a burger recipe the day AFTER Labor Day – after the official end of summer and one of the biggest grilling weekends of the year – you may be right… But let's just say I'm a risk taker like that.
Here's the thing… I think that the best time of year for grilling is right around the corner. I'm not much of a summer girl. Instead, I prefer the crisp air of autumn and don't even get me started on pumpkins. I would much rather be cooking outside in the fall than sweltering by the grill in the heat of summer.
So, when I received a package of condiments from Saucy Mama to develop a recipe for their "I am a Saucy Mama" recipe contest (I want a t-shirt that says that on it if I win, by the way), my mind immediately drifted toward grilling. I thought it would be fun to try to incorporate not one, but two of the products, so as I was looking through my options the Chipotle Mustard and Lime Chipotle Marinade caught my eye. When working on a dish, I love to pick ingredients that repeat a key flavor to really drive the idea home, so I knew the two would pair beautifully together. I decided to make chipotle beef burgers topped with a spicy chipotle mayonnaise sauce and fresh avocado slices. These burgers are easy to make and would be great for entertaining.
Saucy Mama Product Giveaway!
Today, I am not only sharing my recipe for Saucy Chipotle Burgers, but I am also giving you the opportunity to win the Saucy Mama products that I used to create the recipe. Plus, I'm throwing in a few other surprise products for you to develop a few recipes of your own!
If you read my blog regularly, you are probably familiar with the fact that I am pretty picky about the products that I use and I do much of my cooking from scratch. Just like many of you, though, there are days where I just don't have the time and energy to deal with dinner. So, I do keep a few convenience items in my pantry. After trying the Saucy Mama products that I was sent, I can say that they are products that I would keep in my pantry for emergency situations (though I may not use them on a regular basis). The products I have used (and the ones I will be giving away) are all free of high fructose corn syrup and monosodium glutamate (MSG) – two ingredients that are deal breakers for me.
To be entered to win a sampling of the Saucy Mama products, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me about your favorite burger toppings! I will be announcing the winner on Monday, September 13th, so your entry must be in by Sunday, September 12th at 10:00pm (Eastern). Since I will be shipping the products myself, I will also have to limit this giveaway to those of you who live in the US or Canada.
Saucy Chipotle Burgers
(Makes 4 regularly sized burgers, or 12 slider sized burgers, which I prefer for entertaining!)
For the sauce:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup Saucy Mama Chipotle Mustard
- 1 lime, zest and juice
For the burgers:
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup Saucy Mama Lime Chipotle Marinade
- 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
- 4 hamburger rolls
(or 12 slider-sized rolls)
- Lettuce
- Avocado Slices
To prepare the sauce, whisk together the mayonnaise, chipotle mustard, lime zest, and lime juice in a small bowl. Refrigerate while preparing the burgers.
Preheat the grill (or a grill pan) to medium heat. Combine the ground beef, egg, lime chipotle marinade, and bread crumbs in a large mixing bowl using your fingers until just mixed. Don't overwork the meat. Divide the mixture into 4 portions for regularly sized burgers or 12 portions for slider sized burgers. Shape into patties and place on the grill. Cook for a few minutes on each side, until the burger has reached your desired temperature (I prefer medium-well, which is about 160°F).
To serve the burgers, top each roll with lettuce and a burger (I like to put the lettuce on the bottom to make the burger a bit more stable!). Finish each burger with the chipotle mayonnaise and avocado slices.
My Kitchen Addiction Product Review Policy and Disclosure– I received this product (Saucy Mama Products) at no cost from the manufacturer (or a representative PR firm) for the purpose of testing and reviewing the product. Unless specified otherwise, I do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. I only review products that I have personally tested and used in my kitchen/home, and all opinions expressed are my own.
Please Note – Comments are now closed because the giveaway is over.

subset: commoncrawl


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The %~dp0 (that's a zero) variable when referenced within a Windows batch file will expand to the drive letter and path of that batch file.
The variables %0-%9 refer to the command line parameters of the batch file. %1-%9 refer to command line arguments after the batch file name. %0 refers to the batch file itself.
If you follow the percent character (%) with a tilde character (~), you can insert a modifier(s) before the parameter number to alter the way the variable is expanded. The d modifier expands to the drive letter and the p modifier expands to the path of the parameter.
Example: Let's say you have a directory on C: called bat_files, and in that directory is a file called example.bat. In this case, %~dp0 (combining the d and p modifiers) will expand to C:\bat_files\.
Check out this Microsoft article for a full explanation.
Also, check out this forum thread.


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Screen Gems and Lakeshore Entertainment have issued a start-of-production press release for the upcoming fourth "Underworld" feature currently shooting in Vancouver.
Kate Beckinsale returns as vampire warrioress Selene who "escapes imprisonment to find herself in a world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans, and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species."
Two further actors amongst the cast have been revealed. "The Secret Life of an American Teenager" star India Eisley will play a character called Eve, while "Barbershop" star Michael Ealy has been cast as Detective Sebastian.
Swedish directors Mans Marlind & Bjorn Stein ("Shelter") helm the project from a script by Len Wiseman, John Hlavin and Allison Burnett. The project is also the first film in the franchise to shoot in 3D, and will hit theaters January 2012..


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Update: Richard Sherman explains passionate outburst to "those who would call me a thug or worse"
The Seattle Seahawks advanced to the Super Bowl with an emotional, physical, exhausting victory over the San Francisco 49ers and no one was more heated after the win than Richard Sherman.
The Seahawks cornerback tipped a Colin Kaepernick pass intended for Michael Crabtree in the end zone into the arms of Malcolm Smith, a turnover that secured the 23-17 win. He and Crabtree jawed after the play and Sherman was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct as he appeared to make a choking gesture. Moments afterward, he continued to express himself in a quick postgame interview with a nonplussed Erin Andrew of Fox Sports.
Here's a transcript:
"I'm the best corner in the game! When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree, that's the result you're going to get. Don't you ever talk about me." When Andrews asked who was talking about him, he replied, "Crabtree. Don't you open your mouth about the best, or I'll shut it for you real quick. LOB [Legion of Boom]!"
After the confetti dropped, Sherman was more composed in an interview with the Fox commentators. Michael Strahan said he "about scared Erin Andrews to death" and asked him to explain the emotional outburst.
"I'm a competitor. I don't like people saying negative things about me," Sherman said. "I don't like people running their mouth, so I told him, 'Good game and good try, but I'm the best corner in the league.'"
In one postgame interview, he elaborated, calling Crabtree "a mediocre receiver" and saying "I would never let him catch a game winner on me." Sherman accused Crabtree of saying something personal to him as they trained in the offseason in Arizona and said that "he knows what he said."
Crabtree had a partial rebuttal on Twitter:
It's not the first time Sherman has tangled with an opponent. He scuffled with Trent Williams of the Washington Redskins after last year's playoff game, took on Skip Bayless on ESPN, and taunted Tom Brady. But there's more to Sherman, a Stanford communications major, than that, as Lee Jenkins wrote last July. From Jenkins:
Such is the blustery persona that he's concocted—in your face, all day long—which plays well on the Internet and on the sports talk shows, with footage of Sherman riding his personal watercraft to watch rookie camp at the Seahawks' Lake Washington facility, or quizzing fans on Bourbon Street about whether he's better than Darrelle Revis. The image of the showboat, the braggart, the outlaw, has helped make him the most famous fifth-round draft pick in the league. Like any caricature, though, it's based only partly on reality.
One former NFL player came to his defense immediately:
And so did the reigning Heisman Trophy winner:
Andrews's take?
This much is certain: He isn't going to back down against Peyton Manning and, on Super Bowl Media Day, he's going to draw a crowd. Will he be able to stop Manning, he was asked.
"We'll find out soon enough, won't we?"


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Happy New Year!
2010 has the potential to start the new decade off in truly game changing style. The highlights for me will be:
- Will we see a much-feared 'double dip' recession?
- Can Gordon Brown make the most unlikely political comeback of all time?
- Will Barack Obama emerge as the great leader the world hopes?
- Is it possible for the Western allies to succeed in the Middle East?
- Who will win the World Cup?!
So, have a great 2010 and let's see how it unfolds!


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Hanuman is considered the foremost devotee of Lord Rama. Whenever the story of Rama is narrated, Hanuman would be present.
Whoever recites the Hanuman Chalisa (40 stanzas in Hindi praising Hanuman), written by Tulsidas, for 40 mornings, will realise health, wealth, happiness, courage, valour and wisdom. Devotees reciting this chalisa 108 times will overcome all obstacles.
Whenever someone is in distress, if they recite the Hanuman Chalisa, they would be protected from all enemies.
Here is the Hanuman Chalisa sung by MS Subbulakshmi.
Shree Guru Charan Saroj Raj, Nij Man Mukar Sudhari,
Barnau Raghuvar Bimal Jasu, Jo dayaku Phal Chari
After cleansing the mirror of my mind with the pollen dust of holy Guru's Lotus feet. I Profess the pure, untainted glory of Rama which bestows the four-fold fruits of life (truth, wealth, pleasure and liberation).
Budhi heen Tanu Janike, Sumirow, Pavan Kumar,
Bal Buddhi Vidya Dehu Mohi, Harahu Kalesh Bikaar
Fully aware of the deficiency of my intelligence, I concentrate my attention on the Son of Wind and humbly ask for strength, intelligence and true knowledge to relieve me of all blemishes, causing pain.
Jai Hanuman Gyan Guna Sagar
Jai Kapis Tihun Lok Ujgaar
Victory to thee, O Hanuman! Ocean of Wisdom, Hail the fountainhead of power, wisdom and Shiva-Shakti, You illuminate the entire cosmos with your glory.
Ramdoot Atulit Bal Dhamaa,
Anjani Putra Pavansut naamaa
You, the Divine messager of Ram and repository of immeasurable strength, are also known as the Son of Anjani and Son of Wind
Mahebeer Bikram Bajrangi,
Kumati Nivaar Sumati Ke Sangi
You are valiant and brave, with a body like lightening. You are the dispeller of darkness of evil thoughts and companion of good sense and wisdom.
Kanchan Baran Biraaj Subesaa,
Kanan kundal kunchit kesa
Your body is golden coloured. Your garment is beautiful, rings on your ears, hair long and curly.
Hath Bajra Aur Dhvaja Birjai,
Kandhe Moonj Janeu saage
You hold in one hand a lighting bolt and in the other a banner with the sacred thread across your shoulder.
Shankar Suvna Kesari Nandan,
Tej Pratap Maha Jag Vandan
As a descendant of Shiva, you are a comfort and pride of Kesari. With the lustre of your vast sway, you are propitiated all over the universe.
Vidyavaan Guni Ati Chatur,
Ram Kaj Karibe Ko Atur
You are the repository of learning, virtuous, very wise and very keen to do the work of Rama.
Prabhu Charittra Sunibe Ko Rasiya,
Ram Lakhan Sita man basyia
You are an ardent listener, always so keen to listen to the narration of Shri Ram's Life Stories. Your heart is filled with what Rama stands for. You therefore always dwell in the hearts of Rama, Lakshman and Sita.
Sukshma roop Dhari Siyahi Dikhwana,
Bikat roop Dhari Lank Jarawa
You appeared before Sita in a diminutive form and spoke to her, while you assumed an awesome form and struck terror by setting Lanka on fire.
Bhim roop Dhari Asur Sanhare,
Ramchandra Ke kaaj Savare
You, with a terrible form, killed demons in Lanka and performed all the work of lustrous Rama.
Laye Sajivan Lakhan Jiyaye,
Shri Raghubir harashi ur laye
When you brought life to Lakshman after bringing the Sanjivni herb, Rama took you in his deep embrace, his heart full of joy.
Raghupati Kinhi Bahut Badaai,
Tum Mama Priya Bharat Sam Bahi
Rama joyously extolled you excellence and remarked: "You are as dear to me as my own brother Bharat"
Sahastra Badan Tumharo Jas Gaave,
Asa kahi Shripati Kanth Laagave
Rama embraced you saying: "Let the thousand-tongued the cosmic serpent sing your glories"
Sankadik Brahmadi Muneesa,
Narad Sarad Sahit Aheesa
Sanak and the sages and saints, Lord Brahma, the great hermits Narada and Goddess Saraswati, along with the cosmic serpent, all fail to sing your glories adequately.
Jam Kuber Digpal Jahan Te,
Kabi Kabid Kahin Sake Kahan Te
Let alone the denizens of earth like poets and scholars, even gods like Yamraj, Kuber, and Digpal fail to sing adequately in praise of your greatness.
Tum Upkar Sugrivahi Keenha,
Ram Miali Rajpad Deenha
You rendered a great service for Sugriva, It was you who united him with Rama and installed him on the royal throne.
Tumharo Mantro Bibhishan Maana,
Lankeshwar Bhaye Sab Jag Jaana
By heeding your advice. Vibhishan became Lord of Lanka, which is known all over the universe.
Juug Sahastra Jojan Par Bhaanu,
Leelyo Taahi Madhur Phal Jaanu
You gulped the sun from a distance of sixteen thousand miles considering it to be a sweet fruit.
Prabhu Mudrika Meli Mukha Maaheen,
Jaladhi Langhi Gaye Acharaj Naheen
Carrying the Lord's ring in your mouth, you went across the ocean. There is no wonder in that.
Durgam Kaaj Jagat Ke Jeete,
Sugam Anugrah Tumhre Te Te
All the difficult tasks in the world are rendered easiest by your grace.
Ram Duware Tum Rakhavare,
Hot Na Aagya Bin Paisare
You are the sentry at the door of Rama's divine Abode.No one can enter it without your permission.
Sab Sukh Lahen Tumhari Sarna,
Tum Rakshak Kaahu Ko Darnaa
By your grace one can enjoy all happiness and one need not have any fear under your protection.
Aapan Tej Samharo Aapei,
Tanau Lok Hank Te Kanpei
When you roar all the three worlds tremble and only you can control your might.
Bhoot Pisaach Nikat Nahi Avei,
Mahabir Jab Naam Sunavei
Oh brave one! Your name keeps all the ghosts, demons and evils spirits away from your devotees.
Nasei Rog Hare Sab Peera,
Japat Niranter Hanumant Beera
On reciting Hanuman's holy name regularly all the maladies perish, all pain disappears.
Sankat Te Hanuman Chhudavei,
Man Kram Bachan Dhyan Jo Lavei
Those who rembember Hanuman in thought, word and deed are well guarded against their odds in life.
Sab Par Ram Tapasvee Raaja,
Tinke Kaaj Sakal Tum Saaja
You are the caretaker of even Rama, who has been hailed as the supreme Lord and the monarch among all those devoted in penances.
Aur Manorath Jo Koi Lave,
Soi Amit Jivan Phal Pave
You fulfill the desires of those who come to you and bestow the eternal nectar, the highest fruit of life.
Charo Juung Partap Tumhara,
Hai Parsiddha Jagat Ujiyara
Your magnificent glory is acclaimed far and wide all through the four ages and your fame is radiant all over the cosmos.
Sadho Sant Ke Tum Rakhvare,
Asur Nikandan Ram Dulare
You are the saviour and the guardian angel of saints and sages and destroy all the demons, you are the seraphic darling of Rama.
Ashta Siddhi Nau Nidhi Ke Data,
Asa Bar Din Janki Mata
You have been blessed with mother Janaki to grant to any one any yogic power of eight sidhis and nine nidhis as per choice.
Ram Rasayan Tumhare Pasa,
Sadaa Raho Raghupati Ke Dasa
You hold the essence of devotion to Rama, always at his service.
Tumhare Bhajan Ramko Pavei.
Janam Janam Ke Dukh Bisravei
Through devotion to you, one comes to Rama and becomes free from suffering of life after fife.
Anta Kaal Raghubar Pur Jai,
Jahan Janma Hari Bhakta Kahai
When the end came, you entered the eternal abode of Rama and remain his devotee, whenever you take a new birth on earth.
Aur Devata Chitt Na Dharai,
Hanumant Sei Sarva Sukh Karai
One need not hold any other deity in mind. Hanuman alone will give all happiness.
Sankat Kate Mitey Sab Peera,
Jo Sumirei Hanumant Balbeera
Oh powerful Hanuman! You end sufferings and remove all the pain of those who remember you.
Jai Jai Jai Hanuman Gosain
Kripa Karahu Gurudev Ki Naiee
Hail, Hail, Hail the Chief, Hanuman! I beseech you to bless me as my supreme Guru.
Jo Sat Baar Paath Kar Koi,
Chhutahi Bandi Maha Sukh Hoi
One who recites this Hanuman Chalisa one hundred times daily for one hundred days becomes free from the bondage of life and death and enjoys the highest bliss at last.
Jo Yah Padhe Hanuman Chalisa,
Hoy Siddhi Sakhi Gaurisa
Shiva is the witness, all those who recite Hanuman Chalisa regularly are sure to be receive benediction.
Tulsidas Sada Hari Chera,
Keeje Nath Hriday Mah Dera
Tulsidas, always the servant of the Lord, prays: "Oh my Lord! Be enshrined within my heart!
Pavan Tanay Sankat Haran, Mangal Murti Roop
Ram Lakhan Sita Sahit, Hriday Basahu Sur Bhoop
O Hanuman, Son of Wind, Saviour, embodiment of blessings, reside in my heart together with Rama, Laxman and Sita.
Here's the Hanuman Chalisa from the animated film The Adventures of Hanuman.


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For forty long years God endured Israel's perpetual complaints in the wilderness. Instead of remembering how God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt, and instead of eagerly anticipating the land of milk and honey God had promised them, they kept grousing about their trials along the way.
In all this they betrayed both their ingratitude and lack of faith in their benevolent Provider.
We're supposed to learn something from them: how not to be.
"Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. Nor grumble as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction . . ." (1 Corinthians 10:9-11).
"Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world . . ." (Philippians 2:14-15).
Ode to a Grouch
Grumble, murmur, whine, complain.
Air your grievance; don't refrain.
"Woe is me!"–yes, sing that song.
Sing it loud and sing it long.
And to make it even worse,
Sing the same song, second verse.
Let them know that you're upset.
Just make sure they don't forget.
Keep on griping–don't be shy.
Bellyache until you die.
But after all is done and said,
Will they miss you when you're dead?
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB: http://www.lockman.org/
Please share this post!


text:
- Bill Information >>
- Bill Search >>
Bill Text
Bill Information
Bill Start
|Assembly Bill No. 1838
An act to add Section 2084.5 to the Business and Professions Code, relating to healing arts.
[ Approved by Governor July 18, 2014. Filed with Secretary of State July 18, 2014. ]
AB 1838, Bonilla. Healing arts: medical school accreditation.
Existing law, the Medical Practice Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of physicians and surgeons by the Medical Board of California. Existing law requires each applicant for a physician's and surgeon's certificate to show by official transcript or other official evidence satisfactory to the Division of Licensing that he or she has successfully completed a specified medical curriculum that meets certain clinical instruction requirements extending over a period of at least 4 academic years, or 32 months of actual instruction, in a medical school, as specified.
This bill, notwithstanding any other law, would provide that a medical school or medical school program accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools, or the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation is deemed to meet the requirements described above.


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Which means today, my post will be shorter and less prepared. I first saw Sunday in the Park with George when I was in high school. I love musical theater, and this is one of my favorites. It's a story of art and obsession, a love story, a moment of history. George Seurat was a pointilist in Paris during the explosion of Impressionist art. He created massive paintings by using tiny dots of color. The eye blends them into figures and structures -- turning red and blue into black and white and orange into light. Sondheim captures this in his music.
My reason for sharing this today is because in the play, one of the reasons George's girlfriend leaves him is because he has to "finish the hat". He works all the time. On these tiny little structures, hoping that the combination will make the finished work perfect.
Writers are like that (though hopefully not to the point of shutting out our loved ones). Each word, each phrase, each image, each paragraph has to be placed just so in order to complete the whole. I'm working on a revision right now and spent all of yesterday on one scene.
Isn't writing amazing when you can lose yourself in "finishing the hat?"


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College Assistance Migrant Program
"A Home Away From Home"
CAMP is a federally funded program designed to help students from migrant and seasonal farm worker backgrounds succeed at Sacramento State. CAMP facilitates transition from high school to college and offers first-year support services to develop the skills necessary to persist and graduate from college. CAMP strives to be "a home away from home" for its students.
Mentorship is a crucial component of the success of college students. Effective mentorship relationships help to establish short-term and long-term goals, uncover passions, and share knowledge and skills for growth.
Tutoring is an effective means by which students can stay on track with their academics and even advance in their studies. Tutoring encourages higher levels of thinking, increases motivation to learn, increases a student's ability to manage their own learning and study strategies, and increases subject specific and related general knowledge.


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Thanksgiving: 1-2
2014 Season: 79-80
Washington Redskins (3-8) AT Indianapolis Colts (7-4) – Colts by 10
Prediction: Colts, 27-14. Indianapolis continues to get tomato can opponents late in the season. Washington going back to Colt McCoy likely signaled the end of RG3's career there. Too bad it won't make much of a difference for the Redskins against a far superior Indianapolis roster.
Tennessee Titans (2-9) AT Houston Texans (5-6) – Texans by 7
Prediction: Texans, 20-17. Houston's Ryan Mallett is banged up but expected to play. Meanwhile, first overall pick Jadeveon Clowney continues to miss time with a knee injury. If Houston is to keep their thin playoff hopes alive, a win against the lowly Titans is a necessity. I doubt the Texans have what it takes offensively to blow out Tennessee. But, JJ Watt and their defense should be up for the task.
Cleveland Browns (7-4) AT Buffalo Bills (6-5) – Bills by 3.5
Prediction: Bills, 24-20. This Rust Belt battle is critical to both team's playoff hopes. If Buffalo wins, they could put themselves in fine position for a late postseason run. Cleveland has taken things down-to-the-wire over the last few weeks, and this affair should be no different. The emotional lift of returning home to play in front of their home town crowd should be enough to carry the Bills to victory.
San Diego Chargers (7-4) AT Baltimore Ravens (7-4) – Ravens by 6.5
Prediction: Ravens, 23-20. The Chargers are one of those teams that continuously underwhelms when it matters most. I feel like they should be an easy cover here against an inconsistent Ravens team. But, the Chargers' offense has not shown the consistency necessary to win tough road games. I'll take the Ravens to squeak by.
New York Giants (3-8) AT Jacksonville Jaguars (1-10) – Giants by 3.5
Prediction: Giants, 28-20. It seems like ages ago that the Giants were 3-3 and everyone was buying into the hype. Now, five consecutive losses later, the Giants find their first winnable game in awhile. Whether or not they actually win will depend on Eli Manning's ball security. But, Tom Coughlin doesn't want his career to end with eight straight losses. I've got to think that the Giants will win one of these days.
Cincinnati Bengals (7-3-1) AT Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-9) – Bengals by 4
Prediction: Bengals, 34-17. Every week, there's one spread that just doesn't make sense. This week, the playoff contending Bengals are barely favored against a Buccaneers team that is breaking new boundaries of futility. Andy Dalton may not be Mr. Clutch. But, road games in Tampa Bay are his specialty. No pressure, no hype, no problems for the Bengals.
Oakland Raiders (1-10) AT St. Louis Rams (4-7) – Rams by 6.5
Prediction: Rams, 20-10. In a matchup of two former (and perhaps future) inhabitants of Los Angeles, the Rams should have no problem with the Raiders. Even if the latter is coming off their first victory of the season. St. Louis saw their young receivers improve during last week's loss to San Diego. Expect Shaun Hill to come up with just enough to overcome Derek Carr at home.
New Orleans Saints (4-7) AT Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4) – Steelers by 5
Prediction: Steelers, 26-23. The Steelers are one of those teams that tends to play up or down to their competition. Their losses to New York and Tampa Bay this season are examples of that. Meanwhile, the Saints remain somehow right in the thick of things in the NFC South. I'd think that Pittsburgh's run game is the difference in this matchup. But, that they'll keep the Saints in it until the very end.
Carolina Panthers (3-7-1) AT Minnesota Vikings (4-7) – Vikings by 2.5
Prediction: Vikings, 26-24. The Carolina Panthers are just a mesmerizing team. They still have the core of a defense that ranked up near the top last year. But, that unit is now teetering near the bottom of the NFL. Cam Newton, meanwhile, has no weapons to work with outside of Kelvin Benjamin and the injuries are beginning to mount up. Minnesota isn't looking much better. But, the HFA factor should be enough to give them a narrow win in this clunker.
Arizona Cardinals (9-2) AT Atlanta Falcons (4-7) – Cardinals by 2.5
Prediction: Cardinals, 17-13. Hammer the under on this one. Arizona can't seem to get out of their own way offensively with Drew Stanton under center. Meanwhile, the Falcons are 0-7 outside of the NFC South. Arizona's defense is still stout, and I would never bet on Matt Ryan to dissect a unit this profound.
New England Patriots (9-2) AT Green Bay Packers (8-3) – Packers by 3
Prediction: Packers, 28-19. Boston's overconfidence this weekend is another example of classic Patriot fans. As their fanbase charts their Super Bowl parade, the New England Patriots face their stiffest competition yet. Something tells me they'll be calling for Brady's head like they were two weeks ago when New England gets flattened by the buzzsaw that is the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau.
Denver Broncos (8-3) AT Kansas City Chiefs (7-4) – Broncos by 1.5
Prediction: Chiefs, 27-24. I've gone back-and-forth on this one for awhile. Kansas City is a tough out at home, and they have to be fuming following their Thursday night loss to Oakland. Denver, meanwhile, has looked incredibly beatable over the last few weeks. This is the Chiefs' chance to put themselves in position for a division title. Something tells me that's exactly what they'll do.
Miami Dolphins (6-5) AT New York Jets (2-9) – Dolphins by 7
Prediction: Dolphins, 28-13. The Geno Smith experiment resumes, as the 2nd year QB replaces Michael Vick under center for the Jets. That's unlikely to help New York very much down the stretch, as the Rex Ryan farewell tour returns to New Jersey for a primetime matchup with Miami. Ryan Tannehill and Co. blew a golden opportunity last weekend against Denver. They won't have much of a problem with the lowly Jets.


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With the generic name of Isotreonin and the brand names: Amnesteem, Claravis and Sotret; Accutane is a discontinued drug, used to treat and prevent severe acne.
It has been established countless times that severe acne causes scarring in the skin and it is mainly caused by inflammation due to excessive secretion of sebum by the sebaceous glands in the skin. On its mechanism of action (which is currently unknown, but it's related to DNA transcription) Accutane may reduce the secretion of these glands resulting on less inflammation and keratinization, which also means less scars. However its usage is strictly to treat severe acne that's resistant to more conservative treatments such as creams, drying agents, and topical or oral antibiotics.
It is forbidden to use of this medicine during pregnancy or suspicion of it. Accutane could be fatal for the fetus or cause severe, life-threatening birth defects if the mother takes this medication during the period of pregnancy. Its effects on the child are so severe that even one dose may result in major birth defects of the baby's features and brain. It is advisable not to take Accutane if you are pregnant.
As a precaution, you must have a negative pregnancy test, at least 30 days before you start taking Accutane. A pregnancy test is also required before each prescription is refilled, right after you take your last dose of Accutane. You might as well, agree into using two specific forms of birth control, starting a month before you begin the consumption of Accutane and ending 30 days after you stop taking it. Both a primary and a secondary form of birth control are suggested to be used together.
However, while breastfeeding It is currently unknown if the medicine passes through breast milk. Nonetheless don't take Accutane without consulting your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
Always tell your doctors about all the medication you use. There are some drugs that pose serious side-effects, when they are mixed with Accutane. Some of them are:
seizure medication
Tetracycline antibiotics like: demeclocycline, doxycycline, minocycline or tetracycline.
The list of drugs that interact with Acutane is not exhaustable. There are other drugs both OTC and prescription drugs that are also not recommended while taking Accutane.
Some people may be allergic to this drug and there has to be special care for patients with dermatitis and other skin conditions. Always check with your doctor.
Common side effects:
Bone or joint pain
Signs of inflammation on eyes and lips
Difficulty moving
Skin infection
difficulty speaking
difficulty swallowing
double vision
Irregular heartbeat or pulse
unusual weight gain or loss
unusual bleeding or bruising
severe diarrhea
sores or ulcers on the lips, tongue or inside the mouth
redness, soreness, or itching skin
Please note that only a specialist can determine the exact dose you need, in order to start treatment. However, we provide some guides on these regards.
Recommended dosage range for Accutane is 0.5 to 1.0 mg/kg/day given in two doses with food for some weeks, it needs to be taken with food to assure better absorption. If there's an improvement on the reduction of nodule count prior to completing 15 to 20 weeks of treatment, the medicine should be discontinued.
Please, do not take this drug for a longer period of time or try to increase dosage without your doctor's direction because some side effects and complications are dosage related. Also, there's evidence showing that all dosages provide initial clearing of disease, but within time there is a greater need for retreatment with lower doses.
For such reason, during treatment, the dose may need to be adjusted, according to the patient's response and other clinical side effects that may apply. Nevertheless before these adjustments are made, patients should provide information about other treatments and food habits, to establish the correct dose.
Another interesting fact: Once daily dosing is NOT recommended.
Skip it and take the medicine at your next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up for the missed dose.
Seek medical attention immediately. Some overdose symptoms may include:
sudden loss of coordination
warmth under the skin


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Several Banner Health nurses, enrolled in advanced degrees in nursing, have received the Anthony J. Jannetti/Marriott Nursing Scholarship.
Regina Esparza of Banner Ironwood Medical Center in San Tan Valley received the Excellence Award, a $2,500 scholarship offered to a nurse who demonstrates outstanding vision and passion for the nursing profession and wishes to advance his or her education goals.
The annual scholarship honors Anthony Jannetti, long-time Banner Health Foundation board member, and his commitment to support the nursing profession, according to a press release.
More than 166 Banner Health nurses have benefited from the scholarship.
The Queen Creek Independent publishes a daily newsletter and website. A print edition is mailed each month to 24,000 homes.


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An online community fighting to improve the health of all Californians
Today, Governor Brown signed into law SB 1139 (Lara), which will prevent medical degree and healing arts training program programs from discriminating against students on the basis of immigration status and will open up state loan repayment and scholarships to undocumented individuals.
CPEHN is proud to have co-sponsored the bill with Pre-Health Dreamers and to have Senator Ricardo Lara champion this measure.
Right now, bright, qualified Californians are ready and willing to care for our most medically-underserved populations. Today's signature clears a path for our communities' aspiring health professionals to pursue their dreams and help meet the cultural and linguistic needs of our state.
We can't thank enough Pre-Health Dreamers and MedDreamers for their incredible leadership and enthusiasm. Together, we were able to highlight the passionate young Californians willing to pursue a healthcare career to meet our state's provider shortages and show the incredible support our aspiring undocumented students have from those practicing in the medical field.
Thank you to everyone who supported the bill!
On Sunday, Governor Brown signed Assembly Bill 1726, the AHEAD Act, into law. This new policy will provide California's Department of Public Health with more granular data on the diverse Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) populations it serves. Better data on the different needs of our communities translates to more effective public health strategies that save lives.
We applaud the Governor for furthering California's leadership in AANHPI data disaggregation. In 2011, Assemblymember Mike Eng's legislation, AB 1088, was signed into law, requiring the Department of Fair Employment and Housing and Department of Industrial Relations to collect data on additional AANHPI subgroups. AB 1726 expands this by including the Department of Public Health, and empowering previously invisible communities, like Hmong and Tongan, with the tools they need to advocate for their own good health. We look forward to working together with the Department of Public Health to implement the law. We also extend our deep appreciation to Assemblymember Rob Bonta for championing this issue as the author of this bill.
We also commend the University of California and the California State University systems, which have agreed to voluntarily implement expanded data disaggregation and reporting that were previously included under AB 1726. We are committed to working with the California Community Colleges and Department of Health Care Services to collect and report disaggregated data for those entities. We also maintain our dedication to comprehensive data disaggregation at all public institutions and agencies. We look forward to working with policymakers to ensure visibility, equity, and justice for our communities.
Our biennial conference Voices for Change: Seizing the Momentum for Health Equity is a month away! The speakers and workshops are set, and CPEHN is busy preparing for a fantastic day of dynamic discussions with our friends, colleagues and allies. We see our statewide conference as the time for us to step back and reflect on our unified goals for the health of our communities across California. As a conference attendee, you will be the first to receive a copy of our report called, The Landscape of Opportunity - Cultivating Health Equity in California. This labor of love is published every three years and we are excited to share our third edition of the report with you!
The Landscape of Opportunity uses current data and research to examine health across a broad spectrum of factors and social conditions. Inequities in socioeconomic status, education, the physical environment and access to resources can limit our ability to achieve optimal health. Throughout the report, we describe the complex relationship between structural factors and health outcomes. Building on CPEHN's 25 years of advocacy, the Landscape of Opportunity proposes a policy framework for health equity focused on creating just systems and structures for better health.
Today is a special day for me. It marks my 2-year anniversary as CPEHN's Executive Director. And even more, it marks an important turning point in my leadership journey. When colleagues and friends ask me, "How does it feel?" or "How is it going?" I can't help but compare my leadership trajectory to Max's development, my three-year-old son. When I was hired as a brand new ED, Max was 10 months old. He wasn't talking or walking. He would point and grunt when we saw something he liked or wanted. He was standing up but couldn't take steps on his own. I often felt like that in my early days. I didn't know exactly what to say and at times stood a little sheepishly, and even needed the company of others in important meetings. Over the course of two years, he and I have learned how to talk and walk together. For Max, he has literally learned to talk, my husband and I often stare at each other in amazement at some of the things he says. And he is now walking, mostly running around, like a whirling dervish, especially on Friday nights after a long week.
The latest issue of our Health Equity Forum newsletter came out today and it includes several great articles and dozens of resources.
CPEHN's Executive Director, Sarah de Guia, opens the newsletter reflecting on her two years as CPEHN's Executive Director!
Our Ethnic Partner Spotlight features an article from the The California Rural Indian Health Board (CRIHB) on an upcoming child passenger safety course designed to reduce injuries. This programis a part of CRIHB's dedication to provide safety and injury prevention services to California's rural Indians.


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Denver Art Museum Honors DAM Trustee Cathey McClain Finlon at Collectors' Choice 34
The Denver Art Museum (DAM) announced today that it will celebrate Cathey McClain Finlon's four decades of outstanding leadership and dedicated service to the Denver Art Museum at its 34th annual Collectors' Choice fundraising gala on December 11, 2014. The elegant event is one of the museum's largest fundraisers. This year's funds will support the museum's fall exhibition, Brilliant: Cartier in the 20th Century.
As one of Denver's most visionary thinkers, Cathey McClain Finlon has brought great insight to the Denver Art Museum Board of Trustees for the past 20 years, most recently leading the charge to unite the museum's campus with a transformative new administrative building. Cathey's relationship with the museum started when she served as its first development director. She proceeded to build one of the top 50 advertising agencies in the country and returned as the museum's president from 2009 to 2013 to guide a successful leadership transition.
Cathey and her husband Dick care deeply for the museum and have generously contributed to its endowment campaign. The Finlons also support the museum's exhibitions and programs through the Annual Fund Leadership Campaign and through fundraising events, which often carry Cathey's discerning and tasteful concepts.
Cathey's philanthropy extends beyond the museum to many community organizations where she has served on leadership boards, including Children's Hospital Colorado, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Denver Public Schools Foundation, Junior Achievement, University of Denver Daniels College of Business, Colorado Outward Bound School and American Association of Advertising Agencies. In recognition of her tremendous contributions to the Denver community and business sectors, Cathey was inducted into the Colorado Business Hall of Fame and received the prestigious Leader Award from the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts.
With a brilliant mind for business and an energetic passion for art, Cathey's commitment has elevated the Denver Art Museum to new heights.
Event co-chairs are Jane and Fred Hamilton and Ann and Kevin Reidy. Gala tables start at $10,000 and pairs of seats start at $2,500. Interested parties should contact Gravely Wilson at email@example.com or 720-913-0034.
The Denver Art Museum is an educational, non-profit resource that sparks creative thinking and expression through transformative experiences with art. Its holdings reflect the city and region—and provide invaluable ways for the community to learn about cultures from around the world. Denver metro citizens support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), a unique funding source serving hundreds of metro Denver arts, culture and scientific organizations. For museum information, call 720-865-5000 or visit www.denverartmuseum.org.
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SplitIndex consists of a LaTeX package, splitidx, and a small program, splitindex. The package may be used to produce one index or several indexes. Without splitindex (for example, using the index package), the number of indexes is limited by the number of TeX's output streams. But using the program you may use even more than 16 indexes: splitidx outputs only a single file \jobname.idx and the program splits that file into several raw index files and calls your favorite index processor for each of the files.
The author is Markus Kohm. The package is Copyright © 2002-2009 Markus Kohm.
License: lppl Version: 1.1a Catalogued: 2009-03-30
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When you settle for a lesser punishment to get out of something, usually if you snitch, or back down.
If you tell someone you are going to beat them down and they say, "I ain't even tryin to fight you man.", they are taking the cop.
by Denisha April 30, 2006
buy the domain for your recipe vlog


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The view from Olaf's office. His office has a balcony (which does not belong to him but to the many pigeons that have chosen to make it their home). The view is of Ramada traffic signals, so-called because there is a Ramada Hotel on the corner. It is however, more commonly known as cholesterol corner due to the large number of fast food restaurants in the area. It is a perfect place to direct people to when they need to meet with you in your office as it is central and everyone knows the area. Just don't step out onto the balcony!
Doha – A View From Above12 Jan
House Updates and…Being Left Behind8 Jan
Each house has its own feel, personality and needs (even expat rental houses). Our new house is a lot bigger than our last, we have a total of 6 bathrooms in this one whereas we had half that before. However, our resolution to keep all decor cheap and cheerful remains unchanged. We have no intention of spending vast amounts of money on a house that is not ours. We would like to stay in Qatar for at least 5 years BUT we also know that anything can happen and moving on may be forced upon or chosen by us at any point in time, so we ain't decorating for life here. We need to make this house feel like a family home as we spend much of our time in it. We are happy to spend some money on making it so but not too much.
This is the family room. It is on your left, through an open archway (so to speak) as you enter the front door. It's where we hangout most of the time. It's also attached to the kitchen in an open-plan sort of way, which we love. It's a good cooking, eating, slouching around watching TV kind of room.
I took these photo's the first time we saw the house.
Obviously we went with the furnished option, as most expats do, and getting our own furniture shipped over makes no sense to our current lifestyle.
We moved on to this a week or two later.
We unpacked the boxes, took a while to find a place for everything but eventually we got to a state of sub-normality.
I'm dying to paint but the thought of repainting before we leave one day puts me off doing anything too severe. So I've left the walls 'practical-expat-cream' and rather added some art. Maybe art is too strong a word, it's more of a collection of memories, photos and things we like. All home-made, all cost absolutely nothing as we had everything already, I just needed to find it, sort it out and put it all together – the fun part. The 'collection' includes some art that Luka made, mementos from events we've attended like the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, things from places we've visited like stones from a beach in the south of France and even a map of good old Riyadh including the area we lived in there.
I added some Chinese paper lanterns I had lying in a cupboard for colour. And no I would probably not use paper lanterns in my real house and rather keep them for the garden but there you go. Improvisation.
I had to get rid of the curtains. There was nothing wrong with them in terms of quality but they were heavy, not my style and the red swags just killed me. I quickly whipped up a really simple set of tab top curtains in the course of a Friday morning from a large piece of cheap calico I've been carrying around and slowly cutting pieces off for various projects over the last few years. They are like a breath of fresh air although I'm thinking of dyeing them a very pale grey-blue to add some contrast to the cream walls.
So with a few changes and a bit of effort our family room feels a bit more like home. And the only thing we bought was the table lamp which we got on a sale. Everything else we already owned/were given/found at the dump. I am refining my
cheap and nasty economical style of decorating with every new country we move to.
On a completely unrelated and probably more interesting note. Olaf and, our 3-year-old, Luka will be leaving the country tomorrow. In a bizarre twist of visa related events, my temporary visa was extended and Luka's not. It's complicated and I shall not bore you with the details but Luka needs to exit and then re-enter Qatar in order to get a new visa as his will no longer be valid within the next 2 days. Olaf is the only one of the two of us who can take him so the boys will fly to Dubai for dinner tomorrow. A few hours after dinner they will jump back on a plane and fly the hour back so that Luka can have his passport stamped with a new visa. It should be a fun father/son bonding session. Obviously, I am absolutely devastated at being left behind. I have already booked to have my hair cut, nails done etc while I have all those hours to MYSELF.
Oh the joys of expat living!
While we were away…2 Jan
Relocation logistics have kept me away for a while. No residence permit means no internet, no bank account, no phone line. You're barely allowed to breathe the Qatari air AND there never seems to be much of a rush to get the residence permit completed so you just have to sit tight and wait it out! But we are up and running again now in our own house with our own internet connection so there should be no more issues going forward.
Here's a quick recap of what we've been up to lately.
First up was getting these driven over from Saudi and unpacked (AGAIN)
And when we needed a break from the chaos, of a house in the middle of unpacking, we went discovering new places to play (whilst it's winter and the weather makes being outdoors an absolute necessity)
We discovered a great new jogging path near our house, designed and built especially to encourage people to get out and exercise. I don't think it's used very much.
It winds its way around the Khalifa stadium and other world-class sporting facilities situated in the area and is known as The Aspire Zone. It's awesome!
Whilst we were in the area we dropped in to watch some international handball at the Arab Games 2011. It's not a sport I know very much about as it's not played much in South Africa but it's easy enough to understand and is fun to watch. Luka now insists on playing handball at least once a day.
Then there was the small matter of Christmas. It was our first in The Land of Sand as we usually travel over the festive season. It was also the first time we have put up a Christmas tree in about 7 years as we have either lived in a country that doesn't allow then to be sold or we have simply not been home and so not bothered to buy one.
We cooked and baked a bit,
continued the German tradition of making and decorating a gingerbread house a few days before Christmas
and relived some of our childhood memories on Christmas Eve whilst Luka opened his gifts (before finally closing his eyes to sleep at 11:30!).
We skipped the big Christmas buffets offered at the hotels and opted for a wonderful meal at a fabulous Turkish restaurant alongside the sea on Christmas Day
and completed the meal with coffee and a decadent cupcake from Red Velvet Cupcakery. Not your traditional Christmas meal but very memorable for all of us.
Over the last few days we've been doing a little painting
one of us using imaginary paint and the other the real stuff.
This looks set to continue and the results shared soon.
I now have no excuse not to post regular updates of life in the 'new' Land of Sand so I will be back again soon. Thanks for your patience.
Inspired at Aspire29 Nov
Whilst people who live in countries that receive a fair amount of rainfall may not fully appreciate a public park or green spaces within the city, most of the expat desert-dwelling community remain besotted with them. We live for the greenery that a holiday will bring. One of the MOST impressive things about the desert country of Qatar is the greenery that continues to spread across the city of Doha. This is the main road, Al Waab Street, that runs past our compound. I find the well-maintained, grass-covered centre island and sidewalks wonderful. It instantly lifts my spirits and makes me very happy to be here when I drive down this road, in the fast lane, taking photographs through the window and chatting to Luka all at the same time!
After being housebound for the last few days, cleaning, sorting and generally trying to make our house feel like a home, Luka and I headed out for a spot of grocery shopping and some adventure this morning. We found Aspire Park, part of the world-class Aspire sport facilities and stadia, a mere 10 minute drive from our house. The Aspire Tower served as part of the sporting facility for the Asian Games in 2006 and has subsequently been converted into a hotel.
This park was not yet built when we lived here 4 years ago and had me smiling like a Cheshire cat all morning. It feels a lot like the parks you find in European cities and reminds me a little of Hyde Park in London, just not quite as many trees.
The ducks are real. The sound of birds chirping in the trees: playing through the speakers located throughout the park – uh, not so much!
It is a spotless, well-policed park and a great place for a run, bike ride or long walk during the cooler months. We played some football and Luka used the opportunity to ride his scooter whilst I sat on the grass with a recipe book completing my shopping list before hitting the supermarket just next door.
I think that the winter months will find us spending lots of time here. It's just perfect for quenching our thirst for all things green.
Merry and Bright!17 Nov
In the build up to Valentines day in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, there is a city-wide ban on the sale of red flowers, especially red roses. The muttawah (religious police) make regular checks on florists and flower sellers around this time and confiscate any contraband they may find. Valentines Day is not recognised in Islam and I think that the authorities also believe that it may encourage men and women to mix in situations where they are not permitted to. My opinion though, not something that I know to be absolutely true and correct.
I relate this piece of information regarding Valentines Day festivities not because I wish to find fault with Saudi Arabia. Anyone who reads this blog regularly will know that our time there holds a very special place in my heart, it was a great experience for me. The reason I bring the matter up is simply to try to help my readers to understand how completely gobsmacked I was when we discovered this 2 nights ago…
christmas trees lining the pavement in front of a store! We had heard that there existed a shop that sold Christmas paraphanalia and were keen to see what they might have. We certainly didn't expect…wait for it…an entire store dedicated to Christmas.
Row upon row of wreaths, tinsel, nativity scenes, wrapping paper, Santa's and even pillar candles with pictures of Jesus. We have just left a country that would probably lock you up if you were found in public with so much as a Christmas bauble in your handbag whereas in Qatar we find ourselves walking freely amongst revolving plastic Christmas trees.
A new kind of 'normal'14 Nov
When we first moved away from South Africa 6 years ago, I remember how very strange this new country of Qatar felt to me. From the moment I got off the plane I was struck with how different everything and everyone looked, how bizarre the guttral-sounding Arabic language sounded even though I come from a country that has 11 official languages. I can recognise the smell of an airport in the Middle East immediately without knowing where I have landed. My senses were completely overwhelmed by this new land. I remember so well the exact moments where, waiting in my car at a traffic light watching people crossing the road, I would be struck with how bizarre it was that I was living HERE, in this of all places in the world. It was not a negative, "I don't want to be here' feeling just an amazement that my path had brought me here.
The wonderful thing about being human though is that we adapt to new situations faster than we realise. Before you know it, your sense of normal has shifted. The fact that I can hop into a car in any country in the world and drive no matter what side of the road I need to use without any fear or apprehension is now normal. Our 3-year-old thinks it is normal to fly halfway across the world a few times a year. For a few years in my life it was normal to make my own beer and wine in the kitchen and leave it to ferment in the pantry.
Living in Saudi Arabia really challenges your ideas of normal, so much so that you can begin to lose touch with your roots. To a certain degree you can forget what it is that you enjoyed doing, seeing, watching, listening to as you have little or no access to those things in such a restrictive country.
Now that we are back in Qatar, my perspective of the country is a little different. We have only been back 4 days so this may be a little premature but I find the place so much prettier than I did before. I am in awe of grassy parks with rolling green lawns, the sea, well-maintained curbs, beautiful wide new roads to drive on, and opportunities to enjoy the outdoors outside of compound walls. On Saturday we went for a stroll on the corniche (Doha's waterfront). It was quiet and peaceful, the sea was like glass. We passed joggers, kids on bikes, fishermen, couples strolling, activities that are not easy to partake in, in Saudi Arabia. You take your life into your hands trying to jog in an abaya. I have tripped too many times just walking along a pavement to even attempt to run. How my ideas of normal have shifted!
Here's the corniche on a quiet Saturday morning. It's pure bliss…
The New Digs12 Nov
One of the first important undertakings when moving to a new country is to find a place to call home. People working for the large oil and natural gas companies in Qatar often move into compounds owned or rented by the company as soon as they arrive. We, like many other expats living here, are in a different line of work so finding a place to live often falls within our own responsibility. With 6 years of expat experience behind us, we have learnt that the most effective way of finding a place to live is to research as much as you can before you arrive, make contact with good property agents or compound managers and 'befriend them for all your worth' until eventually they give in and you secure a house. This is all left to Olaf as I am a hopeless negotiator and flirt.
Four years ago when we last lived in Qatar housing was in short supply and very expensive. The situation seems to have changed a bit since then with compounds, apartment blocks and free-standing houses springing up everywhere at a rapid rate easing the demand somewhat. This country is developing and growing FAST.
Having lived here before we had a good idea of the areas we thought would work for us and the type of housing that would suit our family and lifestyle. During the 5 weeks that Olaf has been living here before us, he did all the leg-work, meeting an agent, looking at houses and securing us a home before Luka and I arrived. He did an excellent job and I couldn't happier with the choice he made. We had the freedom of choosing a free-standing house, an apartment or a house in a compound. We opted for compound living again as we like living in a small community, feeling secure and being able to use shared facilities like a gym and pools without having to maintain them ourselves.
I snapped a few (bad) pics yesterday when we went over to see the house for the first time. It has all the usual basics like furniture and white goods but obviously needs some love and lots of personal touches to turn it into a home. I am more than happy to oblige!
I'm really excited about having our own outdoor space for Luka to play without me worrying about him falling into a pool or going walkabout, a place to barbeque with friends and just generally hangout undisturbed.
The house has 4 double en-suite bedrooms upstairs, some with little balconies of their own. It's more space than our little family of 3 really require but these houses only come in one size. We have plans to change one of the bedrooms into a craft/playroom and will keep the other as a guest bedroom. Now that we no longer live in Saudi Arabia, people suddenly want to visit us again! We look forward to having all our family and friends to stay.
We are currently staying in a hotel/serviced apartment and are due to move into our house later this week. However, we are still waiting for our household goods from Saudi to arrive so we may have to delay the move until they arrive. It would probably be more comfortable to sleep on sheets and have a kettle to boil water than not!


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Sony's confused music marketing strategy
A couple of days ago Engadget reported on the new Sony Ericsson W800 Walkman phone which comes with MP3 and AAC support. Copyfighter Derek Slater points out that this means that Sony markets a device that is incompatible with its own Connect online music store—Connect offers downloads in Sony's proprietary ATRAC3 format wrapped in OpenMG DRM, which does not allow conversion to MP3 or AAC.
In fact, the situation is even worse; remember this news of a couple of weeks ago?
Sony BMG expects that by year's end a substantial number of its U.S. releases will employ either Sunncomm's newly enhanced MediaMax or First4Internet's XCP to address piracy concerns.
This basically means that all Sony music for the U.S. market will soon be incompatible with Sony's own W800.
Note that the situation in Japan (where the W800 is not available) is quite different. Sony Music Entertainment Japan does not produce CCCDs any longer and Sony Ericsson cell phones with MP3+AAC support do not exist; the only devices that come close to the 'cell phone+music player' model are DoCoMo's Music Porter and AU's recently announced W31S, both of which support ATRAC3. (Note: the W31S also supports aacPlus.)


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Training in stuff I know
Last Thursday, October 8th, I went to a training day organised by the Scottish Chapter of ISACA, the international body representing IT governance, control, security and audit professionals. The event was entitled "Audit and Control of Agile Projects". It was presented by Christopher Wright, who has over thirty years experience in IT audit and risk management.
This is a topic about which I am already very well informed but I was keen to go along for a mixture of reasons. When discussing auditing and the expectations of auditors we are not dealing with absolutes. There is no hard and fast right answer. We can't say "this interpretation is correct and that one is wrong". Well, we could, but that ignores the possibility that others might disagree, and they might be auditors who are conducting audits on a basis that we believe to be flawed.
It is therefore important to think deeply about, and understand, the approach that we believe to be appropriate, but also to consider alternative opinions, who holds them and why. Consultants offering advice in this area have to know the job, but they must also be able to advise clients about other approaches. We have to stay in touch with what other people are saying and doing, regardless of whether we agree with them.
I was keen to hear what Christopher Wright had to say, and also to talk to other attendees, who work for a wide range of employers. Happily the event was free to members, which made the decision to attend even easier!
As it transpired I didn't hear anything from Christopher that was really new to me, but that was reassuring. His message was very much aligned with the advice I've been pushing over the last few years to clients, in my writing and in training tutorials. What was also reassuring was that the attendees were receptive to Christopher's message and there was no sign of lingering attachment to older, traditional ways of working.
I don't want to cover everything Christopher said. I will just focus on a few points that I thought were key. I will split them into two posts. I will try to make it clear when I am offering my own opinion rather than reporting Christopher's views.
Agile is potentially an appropriate response to the problems of software development
Firstly, and crucially, agile can be entirely consistent with good governance. The "can be" is an important qualification. You can do agile well or badly. It is not a cop out by organisations that couldn't make traditional methods work. In many situations it is the most appropriate response. Christopher ran through a quick discussion of the factors involved in making a decision whether to go with an agile or a traditional, waterfall approach. His views were orthodox, current software development thinking rather than a grudging auditor's acceptance of what has been happening in development circles.
Put simply, Christopher argued that a waterfall approach is fine when the problem is stable and the solution is well understood and predictable. If we know at the outset, with justified confidence, what we are going to do then there's no problem with waterfall, indeed we might as well use it because it is simpler to manage. We are dealing with a well defined problem and we are not going to be swamped by a succession of changes late in the project. I would argue that that is usually not the case when we are developing new software intended to provide a new solution to a problem.
If the problem is not trivial then it is unlikely that we can understand it fully at the start of the project, and we can only build our understand once the project is well underway. Agile is appropriate in these circumstances. We need to learn what is needed through a process of iteration, experimentation and discovery.
We had a brief discussion about predictable solutions. I would happily have spent much longer mulling over the idea of predictability. My view is that software development has been plagued throughout its history by a yearning for unattainable predictability. That has been damaging because we have pretended that we could predict solutions and project outcomes when the reality has been that we didn't know, and couldn't have known at the time. The paradox is that if we try to define a predictable outcome too early that pushes back the point when we truly can predict with confidence what is required and possible. Mary Poppendieck made the point very well back in 2003 with an excellent article "Lean Development and the Predictability Paradox" (PDF, opens in new window).
Agile is scary for auditors
Christopher argued some important points about why many traditional auditors are suspicious of agile, and I was very much in agreement with him. There are many agile methods, and none of them are rigidly defined or standardised. Auditors can't march into a project with a checklist and say "you've not produced a burndown chart in the form prescribed by… ".
The auditors have to base their work on the Agile Manifesto, but they need to read and understand it carefully. It is not a matter of choosing either working software or comprehensive documentation, but valuing the former over the latter. Auditors have to satisfy themselves that an appropriate balance is being struck, and this requires judgment and experience. The Agile Manifesto can guide them to ask useful questions, but it can't provide them with answers.
Crucially, auditors have to ask open questions when they are auditing an agile project. This is one of my hobby horses, and I have often written and spoken about it. Auditors must have highly developed questioning skills. They need the soft skills that will allow them to draw out the information they need from auditees. They must not rely on checklists that encourage them to ask simplistic questions that invite simple, binary answers; yes or no.
Christopher told a sadly plausible story of an audit team that reviewed an agile project and produced a report listing 50 detailed problems. The auditors did not have experience with agile and had conducted the audit using a Prince2 checklist that was designed for waterfall projects.
This might seem a ludicrously extreme example, but I've seen similar appallingly unprofessional and incompetent behaviour by auditors. I believe that when this happens the best outcome is that the auditors have wasted everyone's time, failed to do anything useful and trashed their credibility.
What is far more damaging, in my opinion, is a situation where the auditors have real power, regardless of their competence, and auditees start to tailor their work to fit the prejudices and assumptions of the auditors. Managers start to do things they know are wrong, wasteful and damaging because they fear criticism from auditors. Clients become infuriated because the supplier staff are ignoring their needs and focusing on appeasing the auditors.
In this scenario the auditors are taking commercial decisions, but are not accountable for the consequences. They are probably not even aware that this is what they are doing. They lack the experience, knowledge and insight to understand the damage they are doing.
I therefore agree with Christopher that auditing IT projects is no job for the inexperienced. Closed questions are dangerous, and should be used only to confirm information that has already been elicited. The auditor must not ask "do you have a detailed stage plan?", but ask "can you show me how you plan the work?". The former question might simply produce a "no". The latter question will allow the auditor to see, and assess, how the planning is being performed. Auditees are naturally suspicious of auditors and many people will offer as little information as they can. Allowing them to answer with a curt yes or no helps nobody.
Of course, the problem for inexperienced auditors is that if they ask open ended questions they have to understand and interpret the answers then vary their follow up depending on what they are told. That can be difficult. Well, tough. Auditing isn't meant to be easy. Like testing it should offer valuable information, and redefining the job to make it easy but pointless is deeply unprofessional.
And in part two…
I am splitting this article into two parts and will post the second one as soon as possible. You could easily write a book about this topic, as indeed Christopher has already done. It's called "Agile Governance and Audit".
In part two I cover how auditors can work constructively with audit teams, and also discuss testing. I wanted to set the scene in part one before moving on to testing. I don't think it's worth treating testing in isolation, and it's useful to understand first where modern auditors are coming from. The way they should approach testing follows on naturally from the way that they engage with agile in general.


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List of Danish Stocks on U.S. Exchanges
The companies on this list are headquartered in Denmark and listed on major U.S. exchanges. The most common means of listing is through American Depository Receipts (ADRs). Examples of some of the larger companies on this list based on market capitalization include:
A list of ETFs focusing on companies from Denmark can be accessed through the link below:
Select the company's link to access charts, news links and company website and social media information.
Biotech and Pharma
Ascendis Pharma (ASND) (Biopharmaceutical company: growth hormone deficiency, pulmonary arterial hypertension)
Forward Pharma (FWP) (Immunomodulatory compound dimethyl fumarate and derivatives used to treat immune disorders including multiple sclerosis and psoriasis)
Novo Nordisk (NVO) (Diabetes and other serious chronic conditions)
Zealand Pharma A/S (ZEAL) (IPO August 9, 2017; biotechnology company: gastrointestinal and metabolic diseases)
Filtration Companies
LiqTech International, Inc. (LIQT) (Ceramic silicon carbide filters)
Related Links:
Foreign Stocks on U.S. Exchanges


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Energy-Efficient Windows For The Milwaukee Area
HomeSealed Installs Very Energy-Efficient Windows
& It Saves Homeowners Money Every Month For A Lifetime
A lot of homeowners don't understand just how much money can leak out their windows every month in the form of wasted energy. Simply put, windows are the #1-way heating and cooling escapes your home.
If you make the right window replacement decision now, you will save yourself money each and every month for the life of your home. And, unfortunately, the reverse is also true: you'll be reminded of a bad replacement windows decision every month when your energy bill arrives.
Of course, energy-efficient windows take on even more importance in a climate of often extreme temperatures that we are subject to in the Milwaukee area.
So, what do you need to know about energy-efficient windows?
Your Quick Guide To Energy Efficient Windows In Milwaukee
There are a few key ratings and qualities that you should understand:
Air-Sealed Rating (CFM)
At HomeSealed, we often talk about how our windows are 2,000% more airtight compared to the average competitor's window. But you might wonder what the facts are behind that claim.
To understand why we say that, you first need to know that every window on the market is assigned an air-sealed rating based on independent lab testing. The rating is expressed in CFMs, or cubic feet of air per minute, which is really just a fancy scientific way to say how much air infiltration any given window allows.
The key point for homeowners is this: the lower the rating, the more air-tight a window is. And the more air-tight a window, the less drafty and more energy-efficient it is.
Here are the details and facts about specific CFM ratings. The worst air-seal rating a window can get and still legally be sold is .3 CFM. Homeowners should avoid any replacement window with a CFM that high – period.
The next step up is .2 CFM. That's the rating of a window from one of our typical competitors – even some very well-known brands that are considered quality choices. From there, CFM ratings keep going all the way down to the very best rating of point ZERO one – a window actually can't be rated at absolute zero, because the difference between .01 and actual zero is too small to be measured.
HomeSealed windows are rated .01. If you calculate the difference between a typical competitor window with a .2 CFM and a HomeSealed window with a .01 rating, that comes out to 2000% more air-tight. There is literally not a window in the world with a better air-sealed rating than our windows.
Besides CFM, there's one other rating that is important to for understanding energy-efficiency, and that's U-Value. This rating is especially important for our cold Wisconsin winters.
The simplest way to put it is this: the lower the U-Value, the more energy-efficient your windows.
Here's why: a lower U-Value means a window that is more resistant to heat flow. And it's important to minimize heat flow because the higher it is, the more energy and dollars are escaping out your windows.
So, what specific U-Value should you look for?
If you want to get through a Milwaukee area winter with lower energy costs, you want a MINIMUM of a .27 U-Factor (Energy Star), and we strongly recommend something in the .14 to .26 range, with triple pane glass (.14 – .20) being the ideal performance for this frigid area. Remember: Lower is Better!
A Terrible Way To Lower Your U-Value
We do want to warn homeowners about a way to lower U-Values that we strongly disagree with. Many replacement window companies will tell you they will sell you multiple coats of Low E to improve their U-Factor. Don't get us wrong – Low E is good. But using too many coats to artificially lower a U-Factor is a very bad idea. It will make for darker replacement windows that are often less efficient because they block TOO much heat.
Always stick with a window that is manufactured with a great U-Value to begin with; that's what will keep you comfortable without darkening your windows.
A Note About EnergyStar
We think having EnergyStar standards are a good starting place. At least homeowners are getting some independent standard to measure whether a window is of decent quality.
That said, we think some homeowners are lulled into thinking they are getting a very energy-efficient window just because it has the EnergyStar sticker. Our opinion is that should be the absolute minimum standard, and that in most cases homeowners should look for windows that far exceed EnergyStar standards.
No-Risk Way To Learn More About Energy-Efficient Windows For Milwaukee Area Homes
When you call HomeSealed for a free consultation and quote, we promise we won't come out and bombard you with a high-pressure sales presentation. That's not our style at all. We enjoy educating homeowners and letting them make their own decisions.
If you want to know more about energy-efficient windows, our free consultation and quote process is a great way to do it.


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February 12, 2018
SOLIDWORKS Installation Roadmap
When installing SOLIDWORKS for the first-time or updating to a new software version, there are several things to consider to ensure your installation goes smoothly. We're here to help you along the way.Read more
May 03, 2016
SOLIDWORKS: Installation Manager Cannot Find Required Source Files
A common hurdle to a repair or update of the SOLIDWORKS application is a failure of the Installation manager to locate the source files that were used to install the application.Read more
January 22, 2016
Moving Your SOLIDWORKS Network License Manager to a New Server
A common support topic that comes up this time of year is "How do I move my SOLIDWORKS License manager to a new server?" and "How can we keep user downtime to a minimum?"Read more
July 07, 2015
How to Activate DraftSight
Activate DraftSight quickly with this step-by-step guide.Read more
January 08, 2015
Which SOLIDWORKS Products Do I Have Installed?
Sometimes you just want to know what exactly you have installed on a given computer. SOLIDWORKS 2015 includes new a little gem of a tool called "My Products" that simply lists all of the possibilities, and shows you what is installed.Read more


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[Reminder: All through the month of November I will be accepting 'corrected' fitspo pictures for my #CHANGEOURFITSPIRATION contest! Email me your pic at [email protected] for a chance to win an amazing prize and be featured on my blog sidebar!! Check HERE and HERE for more details!]
Before I dive into the food frenzy that WIAW brings, I wanted to address a post I read last week that really rubbed me the wrong way. I have nothing against the blogger behind this post as I am not an avid reader of her blog, but when it came across my Twitter feed and I saw the praise it was getting I couldn't help but take a look for myself. What I read shocked me….but maybe it shouldn't have.
The post outlined a list of "health" foods that maybe should be considered "unhealthy"…a few that made the list:
-dried fruit
-real food bars (YOU KNOW how I like my bars people!)
And host of other foods that I would consider to be perfectly healthy! It's one thing to make a list of foods that make false health claims (i.e. sugar filled cereals that claim to be 'made with whole grains' or reduced fat peanut butter <—what the what?!)…but another entirely to make a list of PERFECTLY HEALTHY WHOLE FOODS and highlight why it's important to limit these foods. It made me really upset actually.
[now we're stressing about healthy foods!!]
I agree that going overboard on anything can be a bad thing…whether that's oreos or kale! But the message I felt the post conveyed was one of restriction and obsession. It mostly focused on how these foods have more calories/fat/carbs than comparable foods and how portions of them should be monitored.
The fact is, we NEED calories to survive. And calories coming from these foods are good for us! If we start monitoring every little thing that goes into our bodies, soon enough everything will seem to warrant restriction and stringent guidelines on how much or how little we should eat of it. It's one thing to be mindful and another to start labeling foods as good and bad. It's lists like these that instill guilt in people and create 'fear foods'. I can just imagine an impressionable person reading a list like this and thinking to themselves "gosh, I love eating avocado/squash/insert healthy food here…but maybe I shouldn't be eating as much as I am?". Monitoring your squash intake should be the least of your worries, people! Honestly, with all the nutritionally deficient foods out there on the market, eating a whole food from the earth should not cause you any guilt or emotion in general…unless that emotion is utter delight (cause that's how I feel while I'm eating kabocha! 🙂 ).
Similar to attacks on fruit I've seen, posts that start to nitpick at healthy foods lead people (who maybe have disordered tendencies as it is) to more disordered eating habits and poor relationships with food. Soon enough, everything will be off-limits. Anyone up for the air diet?! But wait, we mustn't breathe too much! Wouldn't want to overdo it!!!
[is this what we're moving towards?]
Okay, that last part was a little facetious. But you get my point. Strictly analyzing your consumption of healthy foods should be the least of your worries. I don't necessarily mind lists that offer healthier alternatives or advocate ways you can ADD healthy foods to your diet, but ones that discuss removing, limiting, or watching consumption are not my favorite.
And now with all this serious talk about food…how about we show some actual food!! It is WIAW after all!!!
[pear with laughing cow and cinnamon]
[red cabbage and shredded chicken salad, tortillas with banana and peanut butter] [mac and cheese with kale, pea, mushrooms, and penne, roasted veggies, Japanese sweet potato and peanut butter] [seitan-kale saute salad, toast and corn muffins with feta]
[casher carrot fig Thunderbird Energetica bar]
[ugly food prep from the weekend: curried eggplant and baked beans]
[sprouted lentil salad, crackers with peanut butter and banana]
[seitan-feta kale chips, roasted veggies, roasted kabocha]
[homemade pesto with penne and roasted red peppers] [mint chocolate protein muffins with orange slices]
[kelp noodle mac and cheese with steamed veggies]
[enjoying some tortilla bubbles pre topping….one of my #strangebutgood habits]
[garbanzo bean crust pizza, roasted kabocha]
How do you feel about labeling certain healthy foods as good or bad?
Do you find your eating habits being influenced when people suggest reducing or increasing intake of certain foods?
Subscribe on the side. Follow me on Twitter. Ask me on Formspring. Follow me on Pinterest. Like me on Facebook.Follow me on Instagram.
Todays's Healthy Help: Donated some money to the Philippine aid efforts!!
Never too late to start Lending a {Healthy} Hand for this weeks round-up! Tell me what you've done to help someone else lately!


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Here you'll find a collection of current forms being used at Westgate for various purposes. They are listed in alphabetical order.
Check Request or Reimbursement Form for submission to the Bookkeeper.
Christmas Flowers for making a donation to the Flower Fund for Christmas decorations.
Easter Flowers for making a donation to the Flower Fund for Easter flowers.
Office Information Form to provide us with your household and contact information (household names, street address, email address, phone numbers and ages/grades of children). We will include your contact information in our next Directory of Members and Regular Attenders if you would like.
Permission Slip for Junior and Senior High activities.
Proxy for Special Meeting on June 9, 2019
Sandy Island Registration Form to register for the annual all church retreat.
VBS Registration Form to register children for Vacation Bible School.


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The SOTEAG oil spill response maps were originally produced under the auspices of SOTEAG over 10 years ago for inclusion in the Sullom Voe Harbour Oil Spill Plan (SVHOSP) and the Shetland Marine Pollution Contingency Plan. The maps are now updated annually to ensure they are fit for purpose.
The purpose of the maps is to identify areas that are sensitive in the event of an oil spill and how best to protect them, the maps refer to Shetland only. The maps can only be used to inform oil spill response and SOTEAG reserves copyright and database rights for all datasets apart from: fishing (dredging, trawling , creeling) owned by NAFC Marine Centre and archaeology owned by Shetland Amenity Trust.
The maps were created by Marine Atlas Ltd who worked closely with a working group made of:
- Sullom Voe Port Authority
- Marine Scotland
- Maritime and Coastguard Agency
- Shetland Islands Council
- Scottish Environment Protection Agency
- Shetland Islands Council
- Scottish Natural Heritage
- Shetland Amenity Trust
Download the oil spill sensitivity maps
The oil spill sensitivity maps are available in three formats; layerabale PDFs (for paper use), GIS files and Google Earth files. In order to have access to the maps you must agree to the terms and conditions of the 'End User Licence'. Once you have agreed to the terms you will be provided will password to download the maps.
SOTEAG Oil Spill Sensitivity Maps – End User Licence 2016-2017
Please sign and return the End User Licence to the SOTEAG Engagement Officer (electronic signatures are acceptable).


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Sunday, June 18, 2006, 08:13 PM - Mobile, Mobile Banking, Business Innovation, Channel Management, Design - (UX), Brands, , , Retail Experience
American Apparel are opening a new store in Second Life, a virtual retail space.
Springwise report that the store, set on a private island within Second Life, was designed by Aimee Weber, a Second Life resident and designer, in conjunction with American Apparel's own architect. The store will sell 20 familiar American Apparel items for avatars, including the women's jersey polo dress. The company will charge a token sum of about USD 1 per item. It's (surprisingly!) the first 'real world' retailer to set up shop in Second Life.
Friday, June 16, 2006, 08:09 PM - Mobile, Service Design, Design - (UX), Technology, ,
Toyota production lines churning out houses? Well they have since 1975 but it is growing steadily. An article in the Toronto Star reports that Toyota is doing homes that are mass produced like Toyota cars. About 85 per cent of the work on the metal-frame cubicles is finished at the plant. The prefabricated cubicles, made to order for the customer, are stacked like toy blocks with a huge crane in just six hours.
Toyota is using technogy and production know-how gained from car making and applying it to houses. A 'smart key' similar to the car key you don't need to take out of your pocket to unlock your Toyota opens and closes the front door. A mechanism for reducing engine noise and tremors is installed under the floor to quiet upstairs shakes. Car paint-job skills deliver even scratch-resistant coating on walls. Imagine how they could apply the Prius technology.
I think they could do with some focus on the design, see Toyota Housing
Saturday, June 10, 2006, 07:13 PM - Mobile, Mobile Banking, Business Innovation, Customer Experience, Design - (UX), Brands, , , Cross Channel Marketing, Retail Experience, Technology,
David Polinchock, in his blog The Experience Economist on a story run by NBC station in New York on how banks are changing to create a better in branch experience. The article points out that the driver behind these kinder, gentler banks is fierce competition. Radical new design of branches and services create new levels of experience and relationship with the banks customers. Amenities like childrenís play areas, cafÈís, more open spaces, and free standing tables for interacting with bank staff etc. They appear to be proving some value, the manager gave a compelling argument for the need to create better experiences:
An average bank in the suburbs will do about $1.5 million a month is deposits. In the first 25 weeks with our new branch, we've done $1 million a week. This roughtly translates to, the traditional branch doing about $9.4 million over 25 weeks, versus the $25 million they've done in the new branch.
See the whole article here
Also see an article in BAI , by the Bank of Smithtowns Executive Vice President and Chief Retail Officer John Romanoextract: ìYou have to find a way to differentiate yourself, and for us, that was through branch design.î
CScouts reports on Deutsche Banks new pilot branch, named Q110. Finally somebody thought about banking of the future and how to present financial services in a more innovative and customer friendly way. In addition to regular bank operations, this distinctive complex houses an exhibition space, a trend shop, a reading corner, childrens play area, and a cafe.
For full details click here and link through to images
Thursday, May 11, 2006, 06:31 PM - Business Innovation, Customer Experience, Design - (UX), Cross Channel Marketing, Retail Experience, Technology, Consumer Insights
A lot of consumer experiences are mediated through ambient technologies. This article (link below) from UIGarden.net covers some interesting information on the development processes required for the shift from information worlds to experience worlds.
link to article
This raises some interesting questions about the importance of the psychology of space when information technology is involved. Design approaches to need to consider the activities of the space, and create clear context for the use of the space inorder to create a complete user experience. see earlier weblog on ideo.
see the IDEO article.
Thursday, May 4, 2006, 06:07 PM - Business Innovation, Channel Management, Service Design, Design - (UX), , Smart Space, , Cross Channel Marketing, Retail Experience, Technology, Consumer Insights
Dwell time, or experience information on the run. Giant digital touchscreen technolgy taking off at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Revolutionary for out-of-home advertising and also for inter-office collaboration.
For more info - link here, to Accenture media release
Sunday, April 23, 2006, 05:56 PM - Mobile, Mobile Banking, Business Innovation, Design - (UX), Cross Channel Marketing,link to PDF of NY Times article
The New York Times Sunday Business reports on IDEO's approach to spacial and enviromental design and the 'Smart Space' group. They take on projects ranging from hotels, office space to redevelopment of urban space and take an innovative approach.
They start with a 'deep dive'; a process involving Smart Space designers, anthroplogists and researchers to build understanding of what users really think and what really underlies their motivations and actions.
They design for activity as much as for space. This is the really valuable angle that IDEO are bringing. There processes are drawing out insights to create informed strategy and concepts that can be prototyped and tested. They can then take the most appropriate design direction for the projects and work with architects and designers to get it implemented.
It's a good process and current reports indicate the results speak for themselves - see the article.