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5 Snacks to Try to Keep Your Christmas Preparations Less Stressful
Can you believe it's only 31 days before Christmas? While the holiday season is a lot of fun, the days leading to it can be pretty daunting. It's around these days when people lose their chill over Christmas preparations, like prepping for the exams before the break, organizing the barkada party with your pals, or buying Christmas presents! But being stressed before the holidays shouldn't have to be a tradition that you end up dreading every year. To help, we've listed some snacks that can make Christmas planning less taxing and more fun.
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"The paradoxical idea of attaining a happier life and how to withstand these beliefs."
The Revolting Truth About Happiness by Theserenefae
If people ask you about your vision of a happier life we automatically envision ourselves having more money, true love, a better job, Instagram-worthy vacations, etc. But let me break this to you this, According to Dr. Laurie Santos, Professor of Psychology at Yale University and the voice behind The Happiness Lab podcast, "Most of the goals we think would make us happy do not really make us happy." And why is that? Simple, being happy is all in our minds. The human mind ploys us with these lenses on how we envision ourselves and our lives to be happy. The perception of "having" or "gaining" is the exact opposite of what will truly make our lives better. So how can we really be "happy"?
• Seek happiness inside you. This is a quintessential reason for our vision of happiness: misconceptions about having a lot of money would make me happy; owning this and that would make me happy; entering a relationship would make me happy. This is not the case, if you want to be truly happy with your relationship, you have to be already happy on your own. If you want satisfaction from others, you have to be satisfied with yourself. And so on.
• Fill that hole righteously We all have that tiny hole inside our hearts, tampering it with temporary band-aids. Fill this hole with purpose. Have you ever heard about The Three "M's"— Master, Mission, and Mate? Define who will be your Master, is it God? If that's so, your Mission could be following his words and will. Mate would be the last for they will be the best companion to fulfill your mission. Now hear me out, it is important to do this accordingly. We often times jumble it or invert it which can lead to failures.
• Give gifts to others. The wonderful grace in giving. There's nothing like the rush of pure joy when you get a chance to give. However, this may not be something that we're used to. But apparently, openhandedness is our soul's true shape. As Eugene Peterson put it, "Giving is what we do best. It is the air into which we were born." This doesn't necessarily mean we have to give away our stuff but we can also present love, kindness, gratefulness, etc. in our own simplest ways to anyone such as giving time, encouragement, helping hand, or even forgiveness. Try giving and you'll receive inconceivable gifts in return.
• Savor moments. Savoring deeply intensifies our positive emotions while doing something that we love the most by simply stepping outside of the experience to review and appreciate the moment. You can practice this by having a delicious meal, reading a good book, or any activity that you enjoy and love. It can also be enhanced by sharing these experiences with others, appreciating such amazing moments, or staying present the entire time.
• Choose to Love Deeper Today's society relentlessly pressures all of us to have this "perfect" lifestyle such as pursuing careers that drain you, finding value through virtual world and purchases, letting achievements become your whole identity, and yet after all that you still feel empty and failure inside. Consumption is just skin deep—a shallow perception of happiness. Deep life brings the best out of us and others. It is about nourishing what you already have, focusing on the relationships than material wealth, becoming vulnerable at times, and being self-aware.
• Understand that Sufferings and Pain are part of Human Being. Always remember that loneliness and sufferings are inevitable. That is completely how life goes. You may be happy for a moment or a month but sooner or later great tribulation will start to kick in. Combat despair with graciousness. Count all the blessings that you have (and will have in near future, claim it!) by writing it down on a piece of paper or typing on your phone. Viola! an instant boost for happiness. We all know the fact that this superficial happiness won't work, but why do I keep on wanting? I already have all this wisdom about how to be happy for ages, but why can't I apply it to my own life?
First, you have to understand that simply knowing doesn't change your behavior. Care to realize that all the tips that I have mentioned are all verbs? Because at the end of the day, it is all about how you choose to be happy and initiate actions towards success. Know, reflect, visualize, believe, and do something about it. All of these are Actions! This is the secret of all the happiest and most influential people in the world—actions. Furthermore, do know that some of these tips do not work instantly most of the time. It requires a lot of time, motivation, consistency, and effort. I do know it's easier said than done. Take each of them slowly, one step at a time.
If it wasn't for pain, I wouldn't be alive. It may sound contradictory, but it's true. Pain reminds me that I can feel, along with other emotions. Pain reminds me that I can heal, just like how I did in the past. Pain reminds me that I am strong and I can do better. It reminds me that life can be bitter, and it is up to us to make it a little sweeter (or saltier, depending on what the person wants).
With this epiphany, I take pain in a positive light. It's normal that it can break me and make me want to stay in bed all day, but having someone or something remind me that there is hope is enough. It's normal that I cry my heart out, but it's important to remember that there's a calm after the storm. If it wasn't for pain, I wouldn't be who I am now. It has shaped me and how I look at things. It has changed the way I approach circumstances that can challenge me and my beliefs.
Pain, back then, made me cower in the dark. Pain used to be my biggest fear, and I used to do my best to avoid pain. However, I realized that avoiding pain is like avoiding life. Because of how I wanted to protect myself, I closed myself off to people and opportunities. I used to tell myself that "this will end badly", or "this is going to hurt in the end". I always focused on how much pain I might endure in the end that I forgot to enjoy the process.
It's inevitable, you see? Endings, most of the time, may hurt. It's natural for us to grow attached to someone or something, and their disappearance might bring us a lot of pain. However, one should always remember that the pain is a reminder of how close you became, how many memories you had. If it wasn't for pain, life would be pointless. If it wasn't for pain, we would be nothing.
Cancelled vacations, parties, events, meetings and appointments might be the ingredients of someone's anxiousness. I just recently published a blog titled 'Ways to Lessen Anxiety During Quarantine' I hope it could everyone to lessen their worries in these trying times. Here is the link: https://photographsbycess.wordpress.com/2020/07/05/ways-to-lessen-anxiety-during-quarantine/
After months of being on a strict lockdown, we are now finally under GCQ (General Community Quarantine)! At this time, establishments are reopening, offices are resuming, and suspension of public transportations have been lifted.
But of course, we still need to follow protocols for everyone's safety because Ms. Rona (COVID-19) is still around the country. Practicing social distancing, using alcohol everywhere you go, and wearing your face mask are always a must! Numerous studies proved that wearing face masks is compulsory as we shift to the new normal because it serves as our shield against the virus.
From that, fashion designers and online shops started selling stylish masks using high-quality fabrics (which is effective to use in filtration) with prints and attractive colors which I really do love bc I've always been a fan of dressing up. This is perfect for all the girls like me, they can just mix and match their outfits with their stylish and protective face mask!
ps. always wear your face masks!! be fashionably safe xx
19 year old pharmacy student-businesswoman from Pampanga. I, Kimberly Chaile D. Ocampo, started planning my own business back when I was 18 years old. Despite being a student, that did not stop me to work and start up something for me to earn my own money. I was also influenced by my parents who are both hands on when it comes to the marketing world. I have decided to start my own mini restaurant/fast food restaurant recently (Feb 2020) and it was named as "Hungry Hubb". From the word itself which is "Hungry" we thought of something that would give people the biggest hint that we sell food.
Because of the sudden quarantine, every store was forced to close for our own safety that is why there was a sudden decrease on our sales. But Hungry Hubb managed to survive by focusing on online selling and social media promotion. Our best seller would be Shawarma salad which is mediterranean style. We add authentic Garlic sauce to our shawarma (Which is available in Wrap, Salad, & Rice). Every product that we sell are very affordable and delicious. Our starting price is only 50php. (Shawarma Wrap). For Shawarma Salad (70php). We also have Milktea (60php) and Rice meals such as Lechon Kawali, Chicken barbecue, and Pork Barbecue for only 120 pesos.
And of course, I wouldn't make it up this far without the help of my family and friends who have supported be from the very start. This is an open letter and inspirational especially to students that want to earn their own money. Nothing is impossible. You just have to be determined enough to turn your plans into reality.


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(CONTINUED) Twenty-Nine
I fell asleep for a few hours just before dawn and when I awoke the sun was well up but the house was quiet. I lay in bed and listened for awhile, but heard nothing, so I got up and put on some clothes and went downstairs. When I entered the kitchen I was surprised to see both Mary and Julie sitting silently at the table drinking coffee. I could feel the tension in the room. No one said anything as I went to the coffee pot and poured myself a cup. Then there was nothing to do but join them at the table. I pulled out a chair and as soon as I sat down I realized why no one was speaking; there were no words worth saying, nothing that could be easily expressed that would befit our situation. Silence was the only appropriate choice and so I drank my coffee and kept my own council and some of my thoughts were no doubt similar to those of the two women sitting next to me and some necessarily different; none were like any I had known until recently, even though I had written stories full of violence and pain, love and uncertainty, difficult decisions and death. But now that I finally knew the difference between literature and flesh-and-blood life I doubted whether many of the characters I'd created could've survived in the real world for very long. I began to wonder how much of myself was of my own creation and figured that the less that was down to me the better were my own odds of survival.
We each finished our coffee and then Mary finally said that we better get going and we all went out to the garage and Julie and I got in the Jag. Mary waited until I'd backed into the driveway and then she closed the garage door and got into the passenger seat. "Let's go to First National Trust," she said. "It's down by the convention center."
It was a busy Monday morning in downtown Santa Fe. Groups of pedestrians were gathered at the crosswalks and it took us longer than usual to get the few blocks from Canyon Road to W. Marcy Ave. I kept watching for anyone that might be following us, but there were a lot of cars on the road and it was difficult to keep track of them. We drove around the block a few times looking for an empty meter, then gave up and pulled into the municipal lot. I waited in the car while Mary and Julie went inside. I looked around and watched the cars and people and nothing seemed suspicious and everything seemed suspicious. I was driving a car with the wrong plates on it and shotguns in the trunk. I was a fugitive from justice and on my way to Tucson to try to rescue a drug addict from drug dealers. Sitting there in that parking lot, I started to feel nervous.
After a few minutes, Mary and Julie came out of the bank holding a canvas bag. They got back into the car and Mary told me to go to the Bank of America near the interstate exit. Again I watched my mirrors, keeping to the speed limit or slightly below. I didn't notice anything. I waited in the car while they went into the bank. Ten minutes later they came back out with a bag.
We repeated this routine at five more banks. Nobody had an account at the last two—Mary and Julie just went inside and stood in the lobby—but we figured if we were being tailed it would appear like we were rounding up every last penny available. Including the gallery money, we had $31,094.00. Then we went to Julie's apartment so she could pick up some clothes. I was afraid someone might have been to her place over the last two days--they might even still be there--so I went with Julie and Mary stayed in the car. But Julie said her apartment was just as she'd left it and if anyone had been in they hadn't left the slightest trace. She checked her messages, but other than a couple calls from friends wanting to get a drink or dinner there was nothing. She quickly packed an overnight bag and we went back to the car. As we were heading back to Canyon Road I turned off Alameda and noticed a beige Land Rover slow behind me. In my rearview mirror I could see the driver, a man in his mid-thirties with two day's worth of stubble, look at the Jag. He was wearing sunglasses, so I couldn't follow his eyes, but it seemed like he had noticed something. However, he didn't make the turn, but sped up again and continued straight ahead. We might've attracted his attention for several reasons and nothing good could come from most of them. I glanced at Julie and Mary but they were absorbed in their own thoughts and didn't seem aware of much else.
We got back to Mary's and I pulled the Jag into the garage. No one had eaten anything yet and Mary said she'd make us all brunch. I would just as soon have gotten on the road, but we needed something in our stomachs. Mary made us blueberry pancakes and put out a bowl of fruit. Julie only picked at her food but I told her she should eat and so she finished what was on her plate. Afterwards I packed a small bag, put the .50 caliber on top of my clothes, and strapped the 9 mm over my shoulder. Then I put on one of Dane's suit coats that Mary had given me; Dane had been bigger than I and there was no visible bulge from the holster. The .38 was still in the living room where Julie had left it and I picked it up and put it in my bag with the .50 caliber. Then all three of us stood by the garage door for a couple minutes.
"We weren't being followed, were we?" Julie finally asked. "Maybe we should just go to the police."
I thought of that Land Rover but didn't mention it. Instead, I said, "I think it might be risky."
Mary nodded and Julie seemed about to cry again. "Then what are we going to do?" she asked.
"You'll know what to do when you get there," Mary replied. She seemed to mean it.
Mary and Julie embraced and then I thanked Mary and gave her a hug and she wished us luck and told us to call when we could, though she wouldn't expect to hear from us until everything was over. Then she opened the garage door and Julie and I got in the Jag and drove back out into the cloudless blue noon and down Canyon Road. That payphone in Tucson was 600 miles away.
We merged onto I-25 south out of Santa Fe and continued down to Albuquerque on the busiest stretch of road in the state of New Mexico. But it was the middle of the day and traffic was light. Julie looked out the window at the desert passing by--the dry gullies, blown-out trailer homes, and sprawling gas stations--but as we got closer to Albuquerque even the remnants of the desert gave way to strip malls and car dealerships. We made good time through the northern part of the city and picked up I-40 west. Soon Albuquerque was behind us and the desert reared up again as the buildings fell away. The sky loomed turquoise overhead, the sun flashed off semi trailers stacked fifteen and twenty deep in the next lane. We had yet to speak a word.
We'd been on the road for over two hours when I stopped in Sky City to get gas and something to drink. As I pulled off the highway, I noticed a beige Land Rover in the rearview mirror, but it continued west on the interstate. I could not be certain, but I thought it might be the same one I saw in Santa Fe. I began to suspect we were being followed. We wound down the frontage road, the suddenly bumper-to-bumper traffic creeping along. On the left was a massive gas station, the pumps and concrete apron spread out like an airport runway, a couple dozen semis parked along the far side. On the right was a casino, and a constant stream of RV's and pick-up's pulled in and out of the parking lot, which was separated from the road with orange pylons and presided over by an Indian directing vehicles with a pink flag. We had to wait in line to get to the pumps and I asked Julie if she wanted anything. She said that she'd come inside and I figured that was a good sign.
Finally, we got to a pump and I told Julie that I'd lost my credit card and she'd have to pay for the gas. In a way it was true; I'd cut my card up into little pieces back in Santa Fe. Somebody would've been watching for those numbers, I'd felt sure of that. Now I was almost out of cash. She gave me her card and went into the station. A couple minutes later I went in to buy a soda and two ice cream sandwiches. I didn't see Julie inside and figured she was in the restroom. There was a copy of USA Today at the newspaper stand and I thought about picking it up, but didn't. There was nothing I needed to know. I went back out to the car and waited for Julie. I'd finished my ice cream sandwich and was starting to get a little nervous when Julie finally came through the door of the station with a USA Today in her hand. She tossed the paper in the back seat before getting into the car. She had also purchased a bottle of water, but nothing else. I handed her the other ice cream sandwich, which was starting to melt a little. I was surprised when she took it and said, "Thank you"; I hadn't really expected that she'd want it.
"I've always loved ice cream," I said, as I pulled out of the gas station and turned back toward the interstate.
"Me too," she replied. "There's a place in Santa Fe that makes their own and they've got flavors I've never seen anywhere else, like sour apple and grape bubblegum."
And so began an hour-long conversation on ice cream. We talked about our favorite flavors, the best ice cream shops we'd ever been to, and our cone preferences. We discussed consistency and sweetness, texture and cream content. When the conversation lagged we racked our brains to come up with details, no matter how trivial, to keep us talking and keep time moving. We were just west of Gallup when we dropped down a slight rise and I looked in the rearview mirror and saw the beige Land Rover at the top of the hill several cars back. Julie was telling me about some handmade ice cream she'd once had at a festival in Colorado when I interrupted her: "I think we're being followed," I said. She looked at me but didn't turn around. "There's a Land Rover a few cars back. I saw it in Santa Fe this morning and it passed us back at Sky City. Now it's behind us again."
"Are you sure it's the same one?"
"No. But I don't like the idea that someone might be tailing us. Who knows what they have in mind?"
A few minutes later we crossed the New Mexico state line. On the other side of the road was the spot where Ruben's truck had broken down. A sign ahead indicated the turn-off for south U.S. Highway 191. I eased up the exit ramp and the Land Rover dropped back. As I crossed over the bridge that spanned the interstate I saw that the Rover had also exited and was following at a distance behind us. On the other side of the interstate 191 dropped away in front of us, straight as an arrow and nearly flat as a pancake. I didn't see a single car in the twenty-five or thirty miles that was visible up ahead. "See that?" I said, pointing at the ribbon of empty highway in front of us. "That's good. We can't afford to get pulled-over." I knew Julie was frightened, but she didn't ask what I was going to do.
I waited until we were about five miles from the interstate then downshifted and pushed the accelerator to the floor. I could feel the Jag grab the road and in an instant Julie and I were pressed back in our seats. Behind us the Land Rover also began to gain speed. We were in the Painted Cliffs and the landscape was desolate, barren scrub desert on either side as far as the eye could see. Ahead of us, rangeland spread out to the south, broken only by rotten fences and battered windmills. In less than a minute we were doing over 120 mph and the Land Rover was falling behind. Julie gripped the dashboard in front of her and looked straight ahead. We blew past an empty concrete block tavern with Witch Well, AZ painted on the side in huge red letters. There wasn't another building around that wasn't in utter ruin, destroyed by the very land on which it was built. I could still see the Land Rover in the mirror and so I know he could see us. Then the road began to rise and fall a little and after a series of dips I could no longer see anything behind us. We could have picked up Highway 61 at St. John's, but I decided to continue south, to the resort community of Eagar. There we could choose from any number of back roads and, even if the driver of the Rover didn't decide to exit at 61, there was little chance he'd catch us. But I kept the pedal down all the way to St. John's and then hit it again until we were into the mountains outside of Eagar.
It was not warm inside the car, but by the time we were clear of Eagar my shirt was wet and my eyes stung. The gun in its holster felt heavy against my side. Julie turned to look behind us and, since she didn't say anything, I figured she didn't see whoever had been back there. We started to climb higher into the mountains and the scenery was epic. Pine forests dropped away below us at every turn, revealing endless vistas of rock and tree and sun and sky. However, the road would no longer permit us to outrun even the slowest vehicle and I could only hope with everything in me that we wouldn't have another run-in with the Land Rover.
Julie looked out her window, toward the slowly sinking sun in the west, and said, "They're going to know about us now. That guy—whoever he was—is going to tell them what just happened."
"I know," I said. "But I don't think we had much of a choice. We don't know what that guy planned to do. Maybe run us off the road. Or follow us to our motel. Maybe he would've just shot us and taken the money as soon as he had a chance."
Julie was quiet for a moment then said, "But if that's the case, then we don't stand a chance against these people. Jimmy might already be dead."
"I don't think so," I replied. "We've still got the money."
Julie turned from the window and looked at me. "No, we don't. We have some money."
She was right. Maybe we didn't stand a chance.
We followed 191 as it wound its way through the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. We were not making good time and I began to expect the Land Rover around every turn, but as we neared Clifton we were still alone. I took a little detour at Clifton and picked up Highway 75 heading back toward the New Mexico border. It was early evening and I told Julie I didn't want to get to I-10 before dark, when we'd have some cover from our pursuer, who might be scouring the highway for us at that very moment. Yet I was pretty sure I really only wanted to prolong our time in the Peloncillo Mountains, the saguaros creeping up every boulder-strewn mountainside, the tops of the peaks tinged with purple as darkness advanced, before we had to head toward Tucson. In the mountains it seemed impossible to believe that we could ever be in any danger greater than that nature had conjured all on her own, a landscape apparently hostile to every form of life, though it really was not. Out here some things did survive, and this gave me hope that Julie and Jimmy and I could too. Finally, the sky went blue-black and the sun sank behind the cactus-flecked mountains.
It was pitch dark when we doubled-back west on U.S. 70. At Safford we got gas, then dropped straight south on 191 and hit the interstate. Unless the Land Rover had pulled up right next to us, it seemed impossible that he could've identified us at night. I kept the Jag at 80 mph and, while I'd like to have gone faster, I didn't dare risk it. It took us a little over an hour to get to Tucson and by then my adrenaline was gone and I was bleary-eyed and exhausted. We'd been on the road for over 11 hours.
We stopped at a motel just west of town, off the interstate. I guessed we were about fifteen minutes from the payphone. The motel sat at the end of a frontage road and it was ringed by a high fence topped with barbed wire. The bottom of the fence was covered with plastic bags and newspapers and anything else that could catch the desert wind. The parking lot was cut-off from all traffic but that destined for the motel. Julie and I walked into the lobby.
"How long have you guys been on the road?" asked the Mexican girl behind the front desk.
"That obvious?" I replied.
She smiled.
"Something over eleven hours," I said, as Julie signed the credit card receipt. "At least I think so. I kinda lost track."
She smiled again and handed Julie the room key and I went outside and pulled the car up in front of our door. There were pick-up trucks on either side of us and a number more scattered throughout the lot. Some of the plates were Mexican and I imagined that many of the people staying there were contractors, migrant workers, illegal aliens, anyone that needed to keep moving if they were going to survive. Like us.
We went into the room and I put the sack of money on a shelf in the closet and then tried to shut the closet door but it was off its rail and just hung from the ceiling so I let it go. I'd decided to leave the shotguns in the car. Julie put our other bags on the floor and then we each sat on a bed and while I wished I could just go to sleep I couldn't tell whether I was dizzy from fatigue or hunger or fear or some combination. In any case, I didn't feel well. Down the frontage road, within walking distance, was a restaurant. "I need to eat," I told Julie. "And you should eat too." She nodded and we got up and stepped outside. I locked the door and as we started walking my legs felt weak, like rubber. I realized my hands were shaking. I looked to see if Julie had noticed but she'd begun to cry. I put my arm around her and pulled her off to the side of the road. She began to cry harder. I held her. I began to shake harder. I wondered if this would be my last night alive. Suddenly car headlights hit us, huge and blinding. I pulled Julie close to me, believing it would be the Land Rover, but then a male voice yelled, "Get a room!" and there was laughter as the car went on and darkness settled back upon us. Julie looked at me and said, "But we've got a room." She seemed so earnest that I laughed and she sniffed and smiled. I took her hand in mine and we continued on to the restaurant. (CONTINUED)
All photos were taken in the Painted Desert & Petrified Forest, Arizona, USA. And then there were two more posts.

subset: commoncrawl


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Gorgeous Orange Eternity® Roses in our Black Classic Box is the Perfect Arrangement for a spunky modern space.
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FRISCO, Texas - FC Dallas came back from a two-goal deficit at home to draw the San Jose Earthquakes 2-2 in an entertaining match played in front of 14,920 fans at FC Dallas Stadium as both teams missed a chance to make a jump in the race for playoff spots in the Western Conference.
Dallas tied the match on a disputed penalty called by referee Baldomero Toledo after Victor Bernardez made contact with Dallas forward Blas Perez in the box in the 69th minute. Michel surprisingly stepped up to take the penalty kick in place of customary shooters David Ferreira and Blas Perez and the Brazilian calmly chipped a left-footed shot into the left side of the net for his second goal of the year.
The home team enjoyed a man advantage for the final eight minutes, but could not capitalize after San Jose saw Bernardez and Justin Morrow sent off. Morrow, who came off the bench, was shown a straight red card for taking out Dallas sub Ramon Nunez on a breakaway.
Bernardez was ejected along with Dallas forward Kenny Cooper in the 86th minute. Cooper, who had come on for David Ferreira only minutes earlier, took offense to an apparent stomp from the Quakes centerback and Toledo showed a red card to both players for the altercation.
San Jose's night was off to a flying start with two goals inside the first 16 minutes of the match. The Earthquakes opened the scoring in the eighth minute, the earliest goal FC Dallas has given up at home all season. Midfielder Cordell Cato carried the ball all the way through the Dallas 18-yard box and delivered a perfect square ball for onrushing forward Alan Gordon, who knocked a low, hard, first-time shot to beat Dallas goalkeeper Raul Fernandez.
Just eight minutes later, the visitors exposed Dallas again. Quakes midfielder Rafael Baca sent a perfect chip over the top and to the feet of Steven Beitashour who showed a soft touch in calmly volleying home past a helpless Fernandez to give San Jose a commanding lead.
The response from FC Dallas was immediate as Blas Perez got Dallas on the board and back in the game with his 10th goal of the season in the 19th minute. Michel started the sequence with a cross in the run of play that found Je-Vaughn Watson just outside of the San Jose area. The Jamaican headed the ball forward and Perez was able to stretch and poke the ball toward the net just before 'Quakes keeper Jon Busch could get to it.
FC Dallas gets a break after three matches in eight days and next plays on September 7 in an important Western Conference matchup against Vancouver Whitecaps FC at FC Dallas Stadium.


text: Warning expensive gifts might not be covered by your home insurance Aimee Stanton December 7, 2017 In the home It would set you back a staggering £60,000 to insure the world's most expensive handbag, and although the Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse might not be what Santa delivers, it's still worth thinking about insuring your Christmas presents. Even a less expensive designer handbag will set you back in insurance too. According to Money Super Market it would cost £3,235 to insure a Chanel handbag, £1,887 to insure a Gucci handbag and £1,418 to insure a Mulberry handbag, so whether you're thinking about splashing out on a designer handbag, or just an expensive gift for a loved one, it's vital to know if your presents are covered by your insurance policy. Kevin Pratt, consumer affairs expert at Money Super Market explains more, "If you're lucky enough to receive an expensive present, check your content policy's 'single item limit'. "This is usually set at £1,000 or £1,500, depending on the policy, and is the maximum the insurer will pay out on any one item that is not listed separately on the policy. So if you are given a fancy handbag or piece of jewellery worth more than your policy's item limit, contact your insurer so you can add it on." Adding to your policy may result in you being charged an extra premium though, but this might be a small price to pay to have those designer presents. But you don't need to be spending thousands on expensive gifts to think about your insurance policy over Christmas. For example, perishable items, like refrigerated or frozen food, could also be covered in your insurance policy. Kevin explains more, "Most policies will pay out if there is a power cut that leads to your food thawing-out and being spoiled. If your policy doesn't provide all the cover you want, it's usually possible to upgrade, so check with your provider." "Many contents insurance policies include an automatic 'seasonal uplift' for the weeks either side of Christmas. This caters for presents as well as extra food and drink bought-in to fuel the festivities. He adds, "But if insurers are bumping up the cover they provide, it's because they know burglars are particularly active at this time of year. And that's a reminder for all of us to take steps to keep them at bay." So if you're concerned about keeping your gifts protected this Christmas, follow Kevin's top tips and you too will have a very merry (and safe) Christmas: Use your door and window locks and your alarm, if you have one. Make sure the property is secure, even if you're just popping next door for a drink with the neighbours. Don't leave wrapped presents or expensive items where they can be seen through the window. Don't boast about your presents publicly on social media. Lock down your security settings. Don't tell the world via social media when you're out partying and there's no-one at home If you're having a party at home, put fragile and precious items in a safe place. About The AuthorAimee Stanton Let us know what you think comments


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Featuring a cast and crew of 25, Fairfax High presents the play, "Noises Off." Show times are Friday-Saturday, Nov. 30-Dec. 1, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 2, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 at www.fxplayers.org and $15 at the door.
"It's a play about people putting on a play, a British sex comedy called 'Nothing On,'" said Director Wendy Knight. "There are problems between the actors, people don't know their lines and each character has their own quirks that pretty much guarantee the play will be a complete failure. It's considered the funniest farce ever written. There's innuendo, wit, verbal humor and slapstick, so the show appeals to a broad range of comic taste."
Senior Shakil Azizi portrays Selsdon, a 70-year-old actor. "He likes to drink a lot, so he doesn't always remember stuff or come onstage when he's supposed to," said Azizi. "He's really fun to play because I get more freedom in the choices I make to play this character."
AS FOR THE AUDIENCE, he said, "It'll be hard for them not to laugh. The jokes are original and there's a lot of physical comedy, especially in the second half, that they'll really enjoy."
Playing Lloyd, the show's director, is senior Nikolai Benabaye-Harild. "He's frustrated about how things are going," said Benabaye-Harild. "The evening before it opens, actors are still forgetting lines and don't know their blocking. But he still tries to save the show. He's also in a relationship with one of the actresses and the stage manager, at the same time, which also complicates things. He yells at the cast and, at times, can be a jerk."
Benabaye-Harild enjoys his role because it's different from his own personality and he likes playing English characters and using an accent. And, he added, "I really wanted this part because of all the craziness that goes on with the show he's directing."
He said the audience will appreciate the play's humor, innuendos, physical comedy and "all the wild things that go on, over the course of the show."
Junior Kelly Anderson plays Poppy, the stage manager. "She's kind of mousey and intimidated by the actors—who are in charge of everything, instead of the other way around—which is why it's a hot mess," said Anderson. "And she's also having an affair with the director."
Anderson said Poppy worries about the show, takes her position seriously and wants to do a good job. "But the actors are letting their personal lives interfere with their acting," she said. "On the surface, you can make her really boring and nerdy, so it's fun to add some depth to her and make her a person."
Anderson said anyone who's ever been involved in theater—or known someone who has—can relate to this play. "These actors are ridiculous," she said. "And the show's so funny—always seconds away from mass chaos."
Playing young actress Belinda is senior Isabelle Baucum. "She strives to be the most professional of all the actors in the show," said Baucum. "She wants to be the glue that keeps the show together. Her niche is soothing people and helping them get over breakups. She tries to remain rational in the face of stress and has a heightened sense of self-righteousness."
Baucum "absolutely loves" her role. "When I first saw the movie, Belinda was the one I was most interested in because her quirk wasn't as obvious as the other actors' quirks," she said. "She thrives off stress to see how well she can deal with it and remain composed."
"There's something very true about the way every person acts with each other in this show," said Baucum. "The beauty of 'Noises Off' is that, not only is it hysterical and ridiculous at times, but it keeps that farce in line with reality. And the audience will know people like them in real life. It's a work-environment nightmare that most people will be able to relate to; and being based in reality is what makes it funny."
THE STUDENTS have been rehearsing since September, and Knight says her actors are doing very well and are "right on point. We had really talented people audition, and they all have great instincts and comedic timing. They also like creating their characters and making caricatures of them."
She's also proud of the set, which will be massive. "It's the interior of a two-story house, with six functioning doors able to slam, so the walls have to be sound," said Knight. "There's also a window that can be broken and climbed through – and the whole thing revolves 360 degrees."
On top of that, she added, "The script is so much fun; each comic actor has so much to do. The audience should really enjoy this show."


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The workshop "NLP in the Enterprise: Envisioining the next 10 years" (PLN-E) will be held in Valencia (Spain), as a satellite workshop of SEPLN 2010, on September 6-7, 2010.
PLN-E aims to become a meeting point among academic researchers and companies interested on technologies all along Natural Language Processing and other related technologies like text mining, information retrieval, opinion mining, etc.
We aim the submission of works that shows how NLP can help enterprises to solve problems, or develop new products and services. We expect 3 different types of works:
* (Academic/enterprise) Research works at early stages but with a clear orientation to enterprise applications (products/services)
* Works showing how a certain or several NLP technologies have been successfully used to solve a certain problem (such as developing a new product/service)
* Works from companies explaining certain problems that can not be solved with the actual state of the art on NLP.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the next topics:
A) New NLP Technologies with a clear Application in the Enterprise
1. Opinion Mining and Sentiment Analysis
2. Monolingual and Multilingual Information Systems
3. Voice Question-Answering Systems
4. Social Intelligent Systems
5. Plagiarism Detection and Systems for Detecting Confidential Information
6. Recommender Systems
7. Illicit contents/Crimes Detection Systems
B) New Application Domains
1. Social Media
2. Mobile Devices
3. Videoconsoles and TDT
4. Virtual Worlds and Massive Multiplayer Games
C) Business Aspects of NLP
1. New Business Models
2. Unsolved Problems
3. Scalability and Performance of NLP Technologies
4. Production Environments for NLP Systems
5. Real-World Datasets Descriptions
6. Demands and Market Needs
* Deadline [extended]: 28 June 2010
* Acceptance: 15 July 2010
* Camera due: 15 August 2010
* Workshop: 6/7 eptember 2010
* Jose Carlos Cortizo (BrainSins, Universidad Europea de Madrid) - contact person (firstname.lastname@example.com)
* Jose Maria Gomez (Optenet)
* Francisco Manuel Rangel (Corex)
* Victor Peinado (MAVIR)
* Hugo Zaragoza (Yahoo! Research)
* Francisco Manuel Carrero (BrainSins, Universidad Europea de Madrid)
* Rodrigo Agerri (Vicomtech Research Centre)
* Matxalen Alfaro (Sarenet)
* Claudio Baccigalupo (VLEX)
* Sergio Berna (ExperienceOn)
* Enric Castellon (Thera)
* Juan Manuel Cigarran (UNED, Consorcio MAVIR)
* Jesus Contreras (ISOCO)
* Javier Cuervo (Redepyme, EOI)
* Luis Ignacio Diaz (Acciona I+D)
* Jose Gregorio Escalada (Telefonica I+D)
* Diego Exposito (Answare Technologies)
* Angel Faus (VLEX)
* Jorge Garcia Betanzos (Sarenet)
* Ricardo Farreres (Thera)
* Anabel Fraga (UC3M/REUSE)
* Juan Antonio Garrido (i2factory)
* Galo Gimenez (HP)
* Francisco Gomez Molinero (Visual Tools)
* Jose Carlos Gonzalez (Daedalus)
* Carlos Gonzalez (ExperienceOn)
* Alberto Gragera (Tuenti)
* Francesc Grau (Conzentra)
* Carlos Lamas (T-Systems Iberia)
* Didac Lee (Inspirit, Spamina)
* Juan Llorens (UC3M/REUSE)
* Miguel Lucas (Acteo Soluciones)
* Diego Martin (Stratebi Business Solutions)
* Javier Martin (Loogic)
* Juan Carlos Martinez (Corex)
* Daniel Martinez (Indra Software Labs)
* Borja Monsalve (Social Gaming Platform)
* John Paul Moore (ATOS Research)
* Cesar de Pablo (UC3M, Consorcio MAVIR)
* Enrique Puertas (UEM, Consorcio MAVIR)
* Joaquin Rieta (TICSinergies)
* Federico Rodriguez (Stratebi Business Solutions)
* Miguel Angel Rodriguez (Telefonica I+D)
* Antonio Sanchez Valderrabanos (Bitext)
* Estela Saquete (UA, Consorcio MAVIR)
* Isabel Segura (UC3M, Consorcio MAVIR)
* Jim Shur (Strands)
* Jose Luis Suarez (Corex)
* Yaiza Temprado (Telefonica I+D)
* Marc Torrens (Strands)
* Paulo Villegas (Telefonica I+D)
* Pedro Vivancos (Vocali)
* David Zaragoza (Avanzis)
Deadline extension: Workshop NLP in the Enterprise: Envisioning the Next 10 Years
The workshop "NLP in the Enterprise: Envisioining the next 10 years" (PLN-E) will be held in Valencia (Spain), as a satellite workshop of SEPLN 2010, on September 6-7, 2010.


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At the Symphony Center, a palpable sense of relief and joy as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra marked its return to the stage after a bruising seven-week strike.
Several hundred students ditched classes Friday for a march and rally downtown as part of the Youth Climate Strike, a global movement demanding action to address global warming.
Austin Jones, 26, amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on YouTube. But prosecutors say the suburban singer preyed on his underage fans, using his fame to entice them into sending him sexually explicit videos.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker's tax overhaul sails through the Senate. Heavy rains test flood-control fixes. Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot preps for a summer violence spike, and the Cubs prep for division rival St. Louis.


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I've implemented a simple TCP server using the ServerSocket class (code below) to communicate with a client. They should just exchange strings. The client comes off-the-shelf with a sensor I need to use and, although I don't have access to its source code, I know all the commands I can R/W from it. The server starts listening and as soon as the client connects to it, the client is supposed to send a string with 3 initialization commands of the type "command 1\r\n command 2\r\n command 3\r\n". \r\n denotes the end of a command.
The problem is, my server can't seem to read this initial string and then the client has a timeout because the server doesn't reply appropriately. I know the initial string packet is being sent because I can see it with a network sniffer (Wireshark). Does anyone have an idea why my server hasn't been able to read it?
function main import java.net.ServerSocket import java.io.* port = 16544; server = []; s = []; command = []; try % Creates the server socket if port is available fprintf(1, ['Waiting for the client to connect...\n']); server = ServerSocket(port); % Listens on the specified port server.setSoTimeout(0); % Wait forever s = server.accept; % Start listening fprintf(1, 'Server connected\n'); % Socket options s.setKeepAlive(true) % Heartbeat s.setTcpNoDelay(true) % Nable's algorithm off % R/W streams in = BufferedReader(InputStreamReader(s.getInputStream)); out = DataOutputStream(s.getOutputStream); while true % read data command = in.readLine; if ~isempty(command) command end command = char(command); % write data CRLF = [char(13),char(10)]; switch command case 'command 1' out.writeBytes(['reply 1',CRLF]); out.flush; case 'command 2' out.writeBytes(['reply 2',CRLF]); out.flush; end end % clean up server.close s.close return catch exception if ~isempty(server) server.close end if ~isempty(s) s.close end throw(exception) end end


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First week. The first week of the Exercises is a time of reflection on our lives in light of God's boundless love for us. We see that our response to God's love has been hindered by patterns of sin. We face these sins knowing that God wants to free us of everything that gets in the way of our loving response to him. The first week ends with a meditation on Christ's call to follow him.
Second week. The meditations and prayers of the second week teach us how to follow Christ as his disciples. We reflect on Scripture passages: Christ's birth and baptism, his sermon on the mount, his ministry of healing and teaching, his raising Lazarus from the dead. We are brought to decisions to change our lives to do Christ's work in the world and to love him more intimately.
Third week. We meditate on Christ's Last Supper, passion, and death. We see his suffering and the gift of the Eucharist as the ultimate expression of God's love.
Fourth week. We meditate on Jesus' resurrection and his apparitions to his disciples. We walk with the risen Christ and set out to love and serve him in concrete ways in our lives in the world.


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It's no mystery: "Criminal Minds" is definitely better with A.J. Cook and Paget Brewster back, says star Thomas Gibson.
Gibson says the FBI series was relieved to see the full-time return of Special Agents J.J. Jareau (Cook) and Emily Prentiss (Brewster) for Season Seven after various and sundry plot machinations caused their screen time to dwindle down to almost nothing in the previous season.
"One of the great parameters that we have refreshed is that we've got A.J. Cook and Paget Brewster back on the show," Gibson tells PopcornBiz. "They were mystifyingly not present last year, so we're very happy that they're back and we think that we've got the best season yet so far."
U.S. & World
Gibson says it was never quite clear to him why both actresses and their characters were suddenly scaled back in the sixth season. "There was never any rhyme or reason," he admits. "We tried to sort of wrap our heads around this development but it never made any sense. And by the time we realized that it didn't make any sense then somebody came to their senses and brought them back."
And they've returned just in time to help Gibson's Aaron Hotchner with the first round of cases plaguing the Behavioral Analysis Unit. "Right now we're actually trying to find a serial killer in the middle of Tornado Alley in Kansas and there are strange things happening," he says, "because this guy seems to be killing during tornados. And it's up to us to figure out why. And it's also up to us to figure out how twisted this twister killer is."
"Criminal Minds" kicks off its seventh season tonight on CBS at 9 PM ET


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|The Monhegan gang in 2010
|Lisa Evans, founder of Knitting and Yoga Adventures
|Monhegan Island, from our Shoreline booklet shoot, 2010
Every trip has a slightly different flavor depending on the combination of participants but there is always a lot of laughing. Monhegan is extra special because it is an incredibly quaint little island, artist colony and fishing village 10 miles out to sea.
|The Vermont countryside
Visit the Knitting and Yoga Adventures website to learn more about their upcoming trips, and visit their blog to read more from Lisa and her incredible team.


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Pop Dollarz (Cory Gunz Artist / 14-Years-Old) - Who You Know
A Video for Pop Dollarz' Who You Know Directed by Silas LusteR (cory gunz artist)only 14 years old 1/3 of the militia
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
Comments will only be displayed by verified emails. No Spamming or Racism.


text:
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Queensland Lions Football / Soccer Club
Enjoy football? Want to get involved by coaching or lending some extra time to help players hone their skills? There are always ways to lend a helping hand both on and off the field. Whether you are an avid player or just looking for some fun activity there are always opportunities available. These experiences will help you to gain valuable experience and support your local community at the same time. Your dedicated efforts can help the development of Australia's sport clubs. Getting involved with sport can also be a fun activity to share with friends, families or co-workers. Whether you volunteer as a family or individual you will be taking part in a valuable experience that benefits both yourself and your community. Why not join the your local football club?
Check them out and get involved!VISIT THEIR WEBSITE EMAIL THEM
Cnr Workshops & Hunter St
Ph. 07 3420 5866


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Can we leave the trash alone?
A major union, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, has produced an attack ad (watch below) starring a man who says he picks up Gov. Mitt Romney's trash at his "beach house" in La Jolla.
We even get to see the $12 million home - which has become famous for Romney's plans to add space and a car elevator to it. The garbage man, Richard Hayes, argues, without evidence that he's talked with Romney about it, that Romney doesn't care about people with him. But he seems to have made this judgment from the notorious "47 percent" of video in which Romney declared at a fundraiser that 47 percent of the country was dependent on government and couldn't be reached by his campaign.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
An attack on that attitude of Romney is very valid. But this particular ad seems to hit too close to home. Literally.
Garbage men should speak up politically, but there also should be some expectation of discretion from someone who takes out your trash. It would be one thing if La Jolla's garbage man had a particular grievance about how the Romneys treated him, but if there is such a grievance, it's not in this ad. His objection is political, and so the ad, and the attack, seem weird and trivial. I'd understand if Mr. Hayes' supervisors reassigned him to a different route in La Jolla after this.
There's so much to attack Romney for -- his record of weird statements, his difficulties in Massachusetts, his pandering to the right-wing, his rank dishonesty as running as some sort of deficit hawk when his own plans would add to the deficit -- that nonsequiturs from his garbage man seem beside the point.
I also had another reaction to the ad, one probably more common to real estate-obsessed Southern Californias. is that all the house you get for $12 million in La Jolla?


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The Three Pyramids is a collection of three coral bommies on the sheltered western side of Lady Elliot Island. Rising from the sand in depths from 20m, these coral heads attract a great variety of marine life, with each one home to a good population of reef fish and invertebrates. A close look at these coral heads will often reveal many wonderful critters, like octopus, shrimps, crabs, nudibranchs and even leaf scorpionfish. These bommies are also home to turtles, coral trout, batfish, moray eels and tasselled wobbegongs. The largest bommie is also a busy cleaning station, popular with manta rays. However, divers should also inspect the sand between and around the bommies as this is a good place to see stingrays, shovelnose rays, leopard sharks and colonies of garden eels.
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


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I'm learning Chinese characters at the moment since I can speak a little bit of Chinese but can't really read or write it!
I know that there are 1000's of characters to learn so I decided to find the most common Chinese characters as I thought these would be a good starting point. The following blog post runs through the 5 most common characters and there is a 2nd blog post (there may be more later on) that covers the next 5. For anyone else who is just starting out with reading and writing in Mandarin, this might be a useful starting point for you as well.
是 = to be
不 = Not
Common Chinese Characters
Topics related to learning Mandarin Chinese.
1 post • Page 1 of 1
1 post • Page 1 of 1


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Fruity teacake
Nutrition and extra info
- Freezable
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal231
- fat4g
- saturates3g
- carbs48g
- sugars33g
- fibre1g
- protein3g
- salt0.27g
- 300g mixture dried berries and cherries
One of the delights of the summer, cherries are much loved for their succulent texture, flavour…
- 225ml hot tea
- juice 1 orange (about 75ml/2½fl oz) plus zest
One of the best-known citrus fruits, oranges aren't necessarily orange - some varieties are…
- 50g butter
Butter is a dairy product made from separating whole milk or cream into fat and…
- 100g light brown sugar
Honey and syrups made from concentrated fruit juice were the earliest known sweeteners. Today,…
- 1 egg
The ultimate convenience food, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition packed with protein and a…
- 225g self-raising flour
- 4 tbsp demerara sugar
Place the dried fruits in a bowl and pour over the hot tea, orange juice and zest. Cover with cling film, then leave for at least 4 hrs or better still overnight.
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line the base of a 2lb loaf tin. Beat together the butter and sugar until creamy, then beat in the egg followed by the flour. Carefully stir through the fruit mixture. Spoon the mixture into the tin, then smooth over the surface with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle all over with a thick layer of demerara sugar.
Bake for 1 hr or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin, then turn out, cut into slices and serve.


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- Home
- Beds
- Designer Dog Beds
- River Rock Microvelvet Dutchie Dog Bed
River Rock Microvelvet Dutchie Dog Bed
Product Description
This neutral bed is a fantastic addition to any home. The neutral color goes well with any decor, accenting it with its neutral shade. You and your pup will both love this fantastic bed, though it might be for different reasons.
These overstuffed bolsters are amazingly comfortable. They come with zippered covers that are machine washable. you can ever put the cushions in the washing machine! The cushions are quite comfortable. They are made from high memory polyester that forms to the shape of your pooch making nap time even more comfortable.
The bolster must be hand washed to keep the shape. The cushions should also be tufted so the fabric doesn't clump.
The microvelvet covering makes it resilient to pet hair. This bed will repel the pet hair and dirt excreted by the moisture. Just vacuum or shake out the bed to remove the hair. But, if you do decide to wash it, the microvelvet gets softer every wash. This is the perfect bed for your pooch!


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Activity information for conversationsobjectiser Mar 24, 2011 7:45 PM
The activity information that needs to be captured for the conversation based actvity events needs to be indexed on two concepts:
(a) business context
This is termed 'business' context at the moment due to the fact that it refers to using business related information from the message contents of the messages involved in the conversation as the way to link them into a conversation instance - in BPEL terms, this represents the correlation set.
Note: possibly to make this mechanism more general purpose, this should not be called 'business' context - possibly just 'event context'? But for the purpose of discussion we will just call it 'business' context.
If we consider a BPEL process, it is possible that a business context may change through the life of a process - so a process may start by being identified by an Order Id (for example), and later be associated with a Supplier Id. The only thing that needs to occur is that at some point during the process, a message content must contain both the Order Id and the Supplier Id, as a means of linking the two ids with the same process id.
The same concept works with conversation instances - an initial id will be associated with the conversation, but not all messages associated with the conversation need to carry the same id, as long as at some point during the conversation instance the subsequent ids are defined in a message that also contains an id already associated with the conversation.
The main point is that the two or more id values, associated with the conversation instance, are unique - so the same id value cannot identify two different conversation instances.
The other way in which business contexts may be related is as parent and child conversation instances. For example, if a parent conversation is associated with an Order Id, then it may have child conversation instances associated with a composite 'business context' of Order Id:Supplier Id - so for the same Order Id, there may be multiple sub (or child) conversation instances that are associated with the order and a supplier id.
So from a db query perspective, we may want to select all of the activity events within a particular conversation instance keyed on a 'business' context. If the context is the parent context, then it should return all of the events for the parent and sub-conversations. If the query context is the child context, then possibly just return the activity events for the child?
(b) common properties
For example, if we have conversation instances associated with a trading choreography, we may want to be able to identify all of the conversation instances associated with a particular trader.
In this case, the activity events for the conversation would be pre-processed to extract relevant properties from the message content - the trader name in this case, and associated with each activity event.
So on storage in the database, it would be convenient if the property name and value could be used as an index into all of the conversation instances that have atleast one activity event with that property. So rather than being linked to the activity events, it would be nice if they could just be linked to the conversation instances in some way - but if not efficient, then references to the activity events would be next best solution, as long as the conversation instance could be derived from the activity event.
We need to examine the current activity event schema, against these requirements of being able to query based on business context or property name/value, and ensure the set of appropriate activity events (in the case of business context), or conversation ids (in the case of properties) are retrieved efficiently.
As mentioned in the previous para - possibly the best way would be to introduce the concept of a conversation id. So the 'business context' values reference a conversation id (so if more than one business context is associated with the same id), and the conversation id links to the set of activity events. Not sure yet how this would work with the sub-conversations.


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Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Wacky Reference Wednesdays, No. 49
I never really cared for the face I painted on the Mythos: Captain America cover. I wonder why.
Posted by Paolo Rivera at 9:00:00 PM
Labels: Wacky Reference Wednesdays
4 comments:
that reference is awesome! I just got the Mythos hardcover and its amazing Mr.Rivera . Can't wait to see what's coming up for ya.ReplyDelete
I kinda see what your saying. Not enough emotion in the face.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousThursday, March 26, 2009
haha, i think he meant - b/c its his own face!ReplyDelete
Man, I really love your light in the capt America pages . Running to the comic store to find some of your jobs.ReplyDelete
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DURHAM — As U.S. military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan begins its second decade, more than two million children of military families are currently affected by war. New research from a University of New Hampshire social work professor explores the unique grief responses of these children, providing guidelines for military families in different cycles of deployment.
"We've never had a war in our country where soldiers were deployed six, seven, eight times. We're just beginning to learn what implications this has on families and children," says Pablo Arriaza, assistant professor of social work at UNH and the author of "Grief Among Children of Military Families," published recently in the Illinois Child Welfare Journal.
Arriaza and co-author Kerri Cornelissen, who completed her master of social work degree at UNH in 2011, discuss the grief reactions of children in the context of ongoing and frequent deployments. The authors caution that labeling children as resilient in an attempt to normalize grief reactions can lead to suppressing feelings and a delayed grief response.
"When a child has experience three, four, five deployments, that ongoing grief becomes complicated. It's almost disrespectful to call them 'resilient.' We're not allowing them to feel what they need to be feeling," Arriaza says.
The authors also recommend interventions specific to the various stages of deployment: pre-deployment, deployment, and reunion. Drawing on expressive therapies, support systems, and open and genuine communication, interventions should consider the child's unique needs, says Arriaza, yet most research on this subject sees children only in the context of the family.
"How do you explain to a four-year-old that daddy's going to be back in 14 months?" he says.
"The anticipation of welcoming home a deployed parent is often, and quickly, replaced with the expectation that they will soon be deploying again," says Arriaza, calling these repeated deployments unprecedented. "In a sense, children of military parents do not have the opportunity to process and work through the initial grief of a parent's deployment, because that same parent may soon be deploying again."
Arriaza notes that in New Hampshire, where a disproportionately large number of those deployed are in the National Guard, military families face unique challenges. Because those in the National Guard do not live on military bases and hold "civilian" jobs, they may not find ready support for issues of ongoing deployment.
Arriaza spent 16 years as a civilian social worker in the U.S. armed forces working with military families; he's watched the stresses on families and children shift as the demands of our current wars have increased. He continues to work in the summers with children, day care workers, and therapists in military institutions throughout Europe. Before Sept. 11, 2001, he says, his work was preventive. "Now it's more like putting a Band-Aid on a wound that's persistently open. Things are getting more chronic for military families," he says.


text: Following Microsoft's solid price cuts on the Xbox 360, this is a sweetass deal: At Amazon, if you buy an Xbox 360 Elite, you'll get a free $60 gift card. The only catch is that you have to buy the 360 from Amazon.com, and not one of their third-party merchants. It'll get emailed to you by Sept. 30 with the info about redeeming it. That's a free game or like half-way to a Gears of War 2 Lancer to faux grind your little brother into kibbles 'n' bits. [Amazon via Bargainist]


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Wasted Marketing Opportunity
Originally uploaded by Kim Pallister.
This is a pic I snapped in their coffee shop while waiting for my Super Mega Huge coffee after my workout this morning (technically, *during* since lifting Super Mega Huge coffee is part of the workout)
Anyhow, their price list is displayed on two large LCD screens. They are coming down in price, but at the time these were put up, I'm guessing they were a few thousand each.
They are being used as expensive light-boxes, since the text never changes. Meanwhile, 20 feet away is a huge rack of brochures the club tries hard to upsell it's members on a variety of services (tennis lessons, personal trainer, birthday party for the kids, they even do botox injections).
No one is reading the brochures. Everyone is standing for 3-5 minutes waiting for their coffee. The screens are capable of a streaming feed, but just sit static.
Anyone else see the problem here?


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AccuSync® AS222Wi
LCD 22" Commercial Display
|Height Adjust [mm]
|Panel Technology
|Brightness [cd/m²]
|Resolution (optimum)
|1920 x 1080
|Order Code
Price on infomail _at_ nec-displays _dot_ com
NEC AccuSync® AS222Wi – business class quality for entry-level users
The 22" 16:9 wide screen display provides professional quality yet targets entry-level applications. The IPS panel technology delivers perfect readability and excellent colours, even when viewed at the widest angle.
Ensuring the well-being of the user, built-in Low Blue Light technology filters out hazardous blue light emissions whilst Flicker-Free technology eliminates the effect of flickering. The users' eyes are protected whilst the LED backlight panel supports a high display brightness of 250 cd/m² ensuring an excellent visual experience whilst keeping power consumption to a minimum.
The ideal monitor for entry-level and corporate consumers.
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While weather conditions in the upper Midwest have wreaked havoc on Bemidji State University's baseball season, the Beavers have a record of 12-14 through 26 games. BSU was picked to finish seventh in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in a pre-season vote of the league's coaches.
This year's team, under the guidance of eighth-year head coach Tim Bellew, features 36 student-athletes from six states and one Canadian province.
For complete information about Beaver baseball, visit bsubeavers.com.
Members of Bemidji State University's men's baseball team are listed below, by hometown
Bemidji | Cody Jenkins, freshman, business management; second baseman
Bemidji | Matt Hietala, sophomore, sport management; infielder
Bemidji | Mason Bellew, freshman, undeclared; first baseman
Big Lake | Jake Tuholsky , sophomore, physical education; catcher
Big Lake | Ross Stein, sophomore, sports management; right handed pitcher
Blaine | Alex Minkel, freshman, criminal justice; catcher
Brainerd | Jack Hegarty, sophomore, education and mathematics; infielder, pitcher
Cass Lake | Tyler Trosen, sophomore, chemistry; right handed pitcher
Cass Lake | Mike Hanson, sophomore, exercise science; right handed pitcher
Chatfield | Phil Bray, senior, criminal justice; left handed pitcher
Cottage Grove | Jaryd Marks, senior, environmental studies; right handed pitcher, first baseman
Eden Prairie | Miles Campbell, junior, biology; right handed pitcher
Hayfield | Tyler Nelson, sophomore, exercise science; outfielder
Lake Henry | Weston Brinkman, freshman, wildlife management; left handed pitcher
Lakeville | Zach Braun, junior, sport management; catcher, first baseman
Lino Lakes | Ryan Anderson, senior, business management; right handed pitcher
Little Falls | Joey Hanowski, freshman, undecided; infielder/outfielder
Little Falls | Riley Hirsch, senior, sport management; catcher, pitcher
Little Falls | Logan Kalis, senior, accounting and business administration; first baseman, pitcher
Longville | Kevin Murphy, freshman, sports management; catcher, right handed pitcher
Long Prairie | Austin Kaiser, freshman, design technology; center fielder
Milaca | Ryan Van Someren, senior, secondary education; right handed pitcher, outfielder
Mora | Jake Oslin, sophomore, sport management; outfielder
Mountain Iron | Gavin Nichols, freshman, criminal justice; outfielder
Oakdale | Mark Kosmalski, freshman, criminal justice; right handed
Plymouth | Nate Heisick, freshman, business; left handed pitcher
Prior Lake | Cole Bjorge, sophomore, sport management; outfielder
St. Charles | Matt Ellinghuysen, senior, sport management; third baseman
St. Michael | Andrew McCarthy, freshman, mass communications; shortstop, third baseman
St. Paul | Chad Hanson, junior, criminal justice; outfielder
Mesa | Steven Prichard, sophomore, applied engineering; third baseman
Colorado Springs | Lewis Baumann, senior, exercise science; shortstop
Deerfield | Jesse Katz, freshman, sport management; right handed pitcher
Dubuque | Tyler Saeugling, sophomore, secondary education, chemistry; right handed pitcher
Rio Rancho | Trevor Purvis, senior, sport management; outfielder, left handed pitcher


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North Korea's extremity
Related Articles
- POLITICAL OVERVIEW. // North Korea Country Review;2007, p7
The article presents information on the government and political conditions in North Korea.
- ECONOMIC OVERVIEW. // North Korea Country Review;2007, p81
The article presents information on the economy of North Korea.
- North Korea in downward spiral, but maybe not for long. White, Michael // World Trade;Jul96, Vol. 9 Issue 7, p75
Reports that the North Korean economy declined in 1995, according to the Korean Development Institute.
- You can't eat juche. Emerson, Tony; Takayama, Hideko // Bulletin with Newsweek;6/13/95, Vol. 116 Issue 5974, p51
Focuses on the growing food shortage in North Korea. Fall in grain production that caused officials from Pyongyang to seek help from other countries; Guiding principle of `juche' from which the nation was founded by the late Kim Il Sung; North Korea's approach to Japan for help; Rejection of...
- A killer winter. Emerson, Tony // Bulletin with Newsweek;12/19/95, Vol. 116 Issue 6001, p56
Reports on the economic conditions in North Korea. Call for international aid after a spate of flooding; Full access for the Red Cross; Lack of shipping service.
- An opening emerges in North Korea. // Hill;3/26/2012, Vol. 19 Issue 38, p23
The article argues on the North Korea's economic strategy under the influence of information and markets, and the country's engagement on private trading to end the economic crisis.
- Economic Overview. // North Korea Country Review;2010, p94
The article provides information on the economic performance of North Korea from 2002-2009 including the country's chronic food shortage issue, military spending, and infrastructure spending.
- Famine in North Korea. Bake, Guy A. // Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin;Apr-Jun2000, Vol. 26 Issue 2, p15
Examines the causes of the famine in North Korea since 1995. Lack of governmental and political support for agricultural production; Priority of North Korea for military production; Prospective solutions for the North Korean famine.
- NORTH KOREA. // Asia Monitor: China & North East Asia Monitor;Sep2002, Vol. 9 Issue 9, p12
Reports developments on economic and political issues in North Korea as of September 2002. Renewal of the commitment to engage in a talk with South Korea; Introduction of a series of economic changes; Facilitation of contacts for transports and the Kaesong industrial zone.


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Digital citizenship & media literacy beat tracking laws & monitoring
By Larry Magid
As we start the new school year, there are two trends in online child protection that are worthy of scrutiny.
The first is the growing trend towards software and services that monitor what kids are doing online and with their phones. The second are proposed "do not track" laws that would require Internet companies to change the way they present advertising to children. Both have strong appeal but, like any strong medicine, there can be negative side effects. Another option – the one that I prefer in most cases – is to teach digital citizenship and critical thinking, which, together, help children build skills and attitudes that will last a lifetime.
Do we really need to monitor our kids?
The trend towards monitoring is based on the assumption that kids will see and say dangerous or inappropriate things on the web and phones. Until recently the concerns were mostly about pornography and predators but now the focus is mostly on protecting kids from being bullied or becoming bullies as well as from posting content and images that could harm their reputation or get them in trouble. One example is "sexting," the sending of nude or sexually explicit images.
The products, which range from cloud based services that scour the Internet for any content by or about your child to computer software and phone apps that analyze content on the device, are mostly designed to look for clues that the child may be sending or receiving problematic messages or images or visiting inappropriate websites. The software or service notifies parents if something is suspicious, leaving it up to the parents to intervene as necessary.
The advantage is that a parent, armed with information on what his or her child might be up to, is in a position to provide guidance and turn a possible misstep into a "teachable moment." But one concern with this approach is whether the data being sent to parents could trigger a false alarm. Does the software fully understand the context of the words or actions it detects?
Also, kids can find work arounds, by using devices or services that aren't protected by the software or by using phrases or spellings that the software isn't able to pick up. Some programs literally record everything the child does which raises all sorts of issues including violation of the child's privacy and bombarding the parent with too much information.
The software between their ears
Regardless of whether you use parental monitoring tools, the most important child protection "software," is not the application running on the device or in the cloud, but the software running on that very adaptive computer between the child's ears. Monitoring or filtering services can are never a substitute for helping children develop the critical thinking skills they need to protect themselves.
Just as surveillance cameras and plenty of police on the street won't protect adults from all misdeeds, monitoring and filtering programs won't protect kids from all potential problems online. Children need education and guidance to learn to make good decisions on their own, to protect themselves and treat others well.
Some of the leading monitoring programs include SafetyWeb, SocialShield, United Parents Child Protection Service, Trend Micro Online Guardian, Zone Alarm Social Guard and Norton Online Family.
Do not track is a double-edged sword
I'm sympathetic to the motives behind legislation to "protect" children from advertising by passing "do not track" laws that limit information that companies can collect. While such legislation is well intentioned, it may actually backfire.
The proposed laws would limit the ability of sites to place "cookies" on machines that trigger browsers to display targeted ads based on sites you've visited. For example, if a person visits websites dedicated to photography, they're more likely to see ads for cameras. While it might feel creepy to have such ads aimed at you, it's important to realize that these cookies are not reporting your name or other identifying information to companies but simply directing ads to your device. The result is that you are more likely to see ads about products that interest you than you are random ads aimed at the general population.
The major browsers have tools that enable you to notify web operators that you don't want to be tracked and most responsible ad networks have agreed to honor these requests. Users who opt out will still see ads, but they'll be more generic which means that they'll be less relevant. They also bring in less revenue to websites so prohibiting them could affect sites' ability to provide free content, drive them to charge for access or to put up more obtrusive and obnoxious ads.
Some argue that this opt-out approach is fine for adults but that kids should automatically be opted out of any tracking. But before we adopt technology designed to protect children, we need to make sure that it doesn't inadvertently jeopardize their privacy. My main concern about creating special advertising rules for minors is that it might require that the user be identified as a minor which would actually be a more serious invasion of their privacy than the status-quo.
Solution is critical thinking and digital citizenship
Again, the solution is critical thinking and digital citizenship. We need educational campaigns that teach kids how to use whatever controls are built-in to the browsers, how to distinguish between advertising and editorial content and how to evaluate whatever information they come across to be able to make informed choices.
While I'm not a big fan of inundating kids with ads (i.e. the "Saturday morning TV I grew up with), I'm not convinced that shielding them from targeted advertising will necessarily make them better informed. What will protect them against scams, pressure tactics and misleading advertising is the ability to critically evaluate what they see so that they become more resilient consumers or information.
Tools and laws sometimes have their place, but they're never a substitute for parenting, education, awareness and skills that help us and our children enjoy the benefits of the Internet safely and securely.


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(visited by Ross Finlayson)
05-Jun-2014 -- It's rare that a Degree Confluence Point lies directly on a road. You might expect to see this in an urban area, or on a wide open plain (where roads are sometimes laid out to follow lines of latitude and longitude). It's even rarer, however, to find this in an alpine region - which makes this confluence point quite remarkable. Surprisingly, however, despite being trivial to reach, this confluence point has been visited only once before - by Eric and Michelle Lincoln, almost 13 years ago.
Driving north on US 93, I crossed the Salmon River about 5 miles north of the 45 degree latitude line, then backtracked south along the western side of the Salmon River. I then climbed up a long, steep gravel road towards Williams Lake. (This road was wide and smooth, but had no guard rail, despite the sheer drop-off on the left-hand side - so it was somewhat unnerving to drive.)
The Lincolns noted that the best way to reach the confluence point was to wind around the western edge of Williams Lake, thereby approaching the point from the west. From satellite imagery, I noted the junction at [44.999768,-114.026258], so I set this as a waypoint, and my GPS dutifully directed me to this point. (This is about 1 mile from the confluence point.) I then turned onto a smaller dirt road (signed as being towards "Rattlesnake Creek") that was not known to my GPS. This road was narrow, but easily driveable, and it took me directly to the confluence point.
Here is a remote-controlled aerial video
of this confluence point.


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From K.K. Downing's official website:
Dear Friends,
It is with much regret that I will not be with you this summer. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your concerns about my health. Please rest assured that I am O.K.
There has been an ongoing breakdown in working relationship between myself, elements of the band, and the band's management for some time.
Therefore I have decided to step down rather than to tour with negative sentiments as I feel that this would be a deception to you, our cherished fans.
However I would urge you to please support the Priest as I have no doubt that it will be a show not to be missed.
All my love and respect,


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Soldiers with mental illness more often get PTSD
Post date: May 6, 2011 8:59:26 PM
Mon May 2, 2011 5:18pm EDT
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Preexisting mental health problems could be setting soldiers up for post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, when they return from the battlefield, U.S. Navy researchers said Monday.
They found those with depression, panic disorder or another psychiatric illness were more than twice as likely to develop the condition as their mentally stable peers.
"More vulnerable members of the deployed population might be identified and benefit from interventions targeted to prevent or to ensure early identification and treatment of post-deployment PTSD," Dr. Donald Sandweiss of the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego, California, and colleagues write.
Earlier studies have come to different conclusions, but their methods were less reliable than those used in the current one, the researchers add.
Between seven to eight percent of the general population eventually develops PTSD, according to the National Center for PTSD at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The psychological toll -- including flashbacks, "numbing" toward other people, and drug problems -- can be extremely hard to deal with and may destroy relationships or cause trouble on the job.
While PTSD can be treated effectively with talk therapy, the military has also begun focusing on whether the problem might be prevented in the first place -- for instance by identifying those at high risk and preparing them psychologically for conflict.
In the new study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, more than 22,000 soldiers completed a health questionnaire before they were deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, and again after they returned.
Just over three percent had some mental illness, including PTSD, at the outset.
Upon returning, however, eight percent had symptoms of PTSD. Those who had mental illness other than PTSD before deployment had more than twice the odds of developing the condition after they got home.
Physical injuries during deployment were also tied to a higher risk, although much less so than preexisting mental health problems.
SOURCE: bit.ly/m15IWv Archives of General Psychiatry, May 2, 2011.


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Want an eco-friendly option for your bridal necklace? Look no further than the lovely Twice Creations which created lovely recycled jewelry you can feel good about wearing. This piece is hand sculpted and made from an upcycled milk jug. Like diamonds, plastic lasts forever – why not make something lovely from it? By Twice Creations.
Eco-Friendly Bridal Necklace
To buy yours (+ view more) visit their website.


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Louie Spicolli Shoot Interview DVD-R
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Louie Spicolli has been in the business for 9 years. He has been a major competitor in ECW, WWF, UWF, AAA, FMW & more. Louie is very open & candid about all the promotions, wrestlers, bookers & promoters whom he has worked for. Hear about the time Louie almost punched out Shawn Michaels in a bar, his role in the Bodydonnas, the time Sabu got him fired from FMW, his AAA memories, his appearance on Beverly Hills 90210 & a ton more wrestling matches & angles are also inserted as well as questions from callers.
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