text:
- About
- Books
- Resources
- News
- Events
- Specials
Ravinder Mamtani, MD and Albert B. Lowenfels, MD, Editors
This is the first book to examine challenges in the healthcare sector in the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries (Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain). These countries experienced remarkably swift transformations from small fishing and pearling communities at the beginning of the twentieth century to wealthy petro-states today. Their healthcare systems, however, are only now beginning to catch up.
Rapid changes to the population and lifestyles of the GCC states have completely changed—and challenged—the region's health profile and infrastructure. While major successes in combatting infectious diseases and improving standards of primary healthcare are reflected in key health indicators, new trends have developed; increasingly "lifestyle" or "wealthy country" diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, have replaced the old maladies. To meet these emerging healthcare needs, GCC states require highly trained and skilled healthcare workers, an environment that supports local training, state-of-the-art diagnostic laboratories and hospitals, research production and dissemination, and knowledge acquisition. They face shortages in most if not all of these areas. This book provides a comprehensive study of the rapidly changing health profile of the region, the existing conditions of healthcare systems, and the challenges posed to healthcare management across the six states of the GCC.
Javaid Sheikh
Ravinder Mamtani and Albert B. Lowenfels
1. A Historical Overview of Healthcare in the Gulf Cooperation Council States
Nabil M. Kronfol
2. The Politics of Healthcare in the Gulf Cooperation Council States
Dionysis Markakis
3. Human Resources for Healthcare in the Gulf Cooperation Council States
Mohamad Alameddine, Nour Kik, Rami Yassoub, and Yara Mourad
4. Mental Health in the Gulf Cooperation Council States
Suhaila Ghuloum and Hassen Al-Amin
5. Substance Abuse in the Gulf Cooperation Council States
Samir Al-Adawi
6. A Chronic Disease Profile of the Gulf Cooperation Council States
Cother Hajat
7. Lifestyle Diseases in the Gulf Cooperation Council States
Albert B. Lowenfels and Ravinder Mamtani
Ravinder Mamtani, Albert B. Lowenfels, and Sohaila Cheema
List of Contributors
"A brilliant mapping of our shared world's health care challenges, sharpened with keen insights from nations most impacted by the tsunami of epidemics of obesity, diabetes and modern lifestyle ills. A considered call for synthesising good science with new thinking in better prevention, better care and better self-care to create a road out of our well-being impasse."—David Reilly, FRCP, MRCGP, DSc, director of TheWEL and WELWorld programmes
"An essential contribution to the literature on healthcare policy in the context of the Gulf Cooperation Council states. Comprehensive and rigorously researched, the contributors shed much light on hitherto understudied topics ranging from mental health to substance abuse in the Arab Gulf states. Editors Ravinder Mamtani and Albert B. Lowenfels should be congratulated for such a sterling effort."—Christopher Davidson, Reader in Middle East Politics, Durham University, School of International Affairs
Samir Al-AdawiHassen Al-AminMohamad AlameddineSohaila CheemaSuhaila GhuloumCother HajatNour KikNabil M. KronfolAlbert B. LowenfelsRavinder MamtaniDionysis MarkakisYara MouradRami Yassoub
Ravinder Mamtani, MD, is professor of healthcare policy and research, professor of integrative medicine, and associate dean for global and public health at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar. He is a specialist in occupational and general preventive medicine, public health, and integrative medicine.
Albert B. Lowenfels, MD, has been associated with New York Medical College as professor of surgery and also as professor of community and preventive medicine.
192 pp., 7 x 10
4 boxes, 24 figures, 14 tables
Jan 2018
192 pp., 7 x 10
4 boxes, 24 figures, 14 tables
Jan 2018
192 pp.
4 boxes, 24 figures, 14 tables
Jan 2018


text:
Okay so I'm officially broke as fuck. I been in NY for a month and a half and still don't have a fucking job. All my money is gone so I'm living off EBT. Pretty much every post on VBE will be an EBT post. I will be reviewing snacks and other corner store garbage that I have never before reverse barfed.
Up this round is Herr's Baby Back Rib Potato Chips. I found these chips for a dollar at the corner store next to Caridad's place. I was surprised to find that they are vegan. I couldn't wait till we got back to the apartment so I opened them on the street. Instantly the scent-farts wafted out like a 6000 year old genie in a bottle. The fart genie granted me three wishes. I should have wished the chips tasted good, instead I wished for peace on earth, animal liberation and a Bangbros password.
These chips taste like someone ate a pile of ribs, shit the bed, then wiped their ass with potato chips. I don't know how they BBQ in Pennsylvania, but they obviously use their butt for everything. I'm positive the BBQ sawze is made of butt, the chips definitely have butt in them and the packaging probably has a few butt flakes in it.
I would not recommend these chips to my worst enemy. Every bag should be thrown in a rocket ship and sent to the moon.
1/5 Plunges

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Late last evening a Cairns Regional Council employee was hit by a car at Manoora, killing the 66-year-old Mooroobool man at the scene.
Walter Robert Greenfield was part of a Council team work undertaking line marking on the roadway in Pease Street, between Anderson Road and Jensen Street just before 11pm.
Cairns Regional Council issued a statement and said it is mourning the loss of a long-time staff member, following the fatal roadwork incident last night.
"The employee was a valued member of the organisation," Council CEO Lyn Russell said. "He has been with Council for more than 23 years. This is a very sad day for many people within our organisation and community."
"I offer my personal support and that of Council to his family and workmates affected by his death."
Russell says they will fully cooperate with Police and Workplace Health and Safety investigations.
Wednesday 8 June 2011
Council worker's death shocks staff after 23 years service
Share |
at Wednesday, June 08, 2011 Posted by Michael P Moore
2 comments:
- nomooremike said...
"The employee was a valued member of the organisation," Council CEO Lyn Russell said.
The employee?
You couldn't use his name?
- Wed Jun 08, 09:34:00 pm
- Chris of Manunda said...
Chris of Manunda said,
Don't worry 'nomooremike' we all know CEO Lyn Russell IS NOT a valued member of the organization......she is the bloody organization and the organization is everything....ask George Orwall
- Thu Jun 09, 03:46:00 pm
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text:
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Friday, April 29, 2005
Reading List: Astérix chez les Helvètes
- Goscinny, René and Albert Uderzo. Astérix chez les Helvètes. Paris: Hachette, [1970] 2004. ISBN 2-01-210016-3.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Reading List: We the Living
- Rand, Ayn. We the Living. New York: Signet, [1936] 1959. ISBN 0-451-18784-9.
- This is Ayn Rand's first novel, which she described to be "as near to an autobiography as I will ever write". It is a dark story of life in the Soviet Union in 1925, a year after the death of Lenin and a year before Ayn Rand's own emigration to the United States from St. Petersburg / Petrograd / Leningrad, the city in which the story is set. Originally published in 1936, this edition was revised by Rand in 1958, shortly after finishing Atlas Shrugged. Somehow, I had never gotten around to reading this novel before, and was surprised to discover that the characters were, in many ways, more complex and believable and the story less preachy than her later work. Despite the supposedly diametrically opposed societies in which they are set and the ideologies of their authors, this story and Upton Sinclair's The Jungle bear remarkable similarities and are worth reading together for an appreciation of how horribly things can go wrong in any society in which, regardless of labels, ideals, and lofty rhetoric, people do not truly own their own lives.
Monday, April 25, 2005
Reading List: The Genius of Science
- Pais, Abraham. The Genius of Science. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-19-850614-7.
- In this volume Abraham Pais, distinguished physicist and author of Subtle Is the Lord, the definitive scientific biography of Einstein, presents a "portrait gallery" of eminent twentieth century physicists, including Bohr, Dirac, Pauli, von Neumann, Rabi, and others. If you skip the introduction, you may be puzzled at some of the omissions: Heisenberg, Fermi, and Feynman, among others. Pais wanted to look behind the physics to the physicist, and thus restricted his biographies to scientists he personally knew; those not included simply didn't cross his career path sufficiently to permit sketching them in adequate detail. Many of the chapters were originally written for publication in other venues and revised for this book; consequently the balance of scientific and personal biography varies substantially among them, as does the length of the pieces: the chapter on Victor Weisskopf, adapted from an honorary degree presentation, is a mere two and half pages, while that on George Eugene Uhlenbeck, based on a lecture from a memorial symposium, is 33 pages long. The scientific focus is very much on quantum theory and particle physics, and the collected biographies provide an excellent view of the extent to which researchers groped in the dark before discovering phenomena which, presented in a modern textbook, seem obvious in retrospect. One wonders whether the mysteries of present-day physics will seem as straightforward a century from now.
Monday, April 18, 2005
Reading List: Les Chevaliers du Subjonctif
- Orsenna, Erik. Les Chevaliers du Subjonctif. Paris: Stock, 2004. ISBN 2-234-05698-5.
- Two years have passed since Jeanne and her brother Thomas were marooned on the enchanted island of words in La grammaire est une chanson douce. In this sequel, Jeanne takes to the air in a glider with a diminutive cartographer to map the Archipelago of Conjugation and search for her brother who has vanished. Jeanne's luck with voyages hasn't changed--the glider crashes on the Island of the Subjunctives, where Jeanne encounters its strange inhabitants, guardians of the verbs which speak of what may be, or may not--the mode of dreams and love (for what is love if not hope and doubt?), the domain of the subjunctive. To employ a subjunctive survival from old French, oft-spoken but rarely thought of as such, « Vive le subjonctif ! ». The author has been a member of the French Conseil d'État since 1985, has written more than a dozen works of fiction and nonfiction, is an accomplished sailor and president of the Centre de la mer, and was elected to l'Académie française in 1998. For additional information, visit his beautiful and creatively designed Web site, where you will find a map of the Archipelago of Conjugation and the first chapter of the book in both text and audio editions. Can you spot the perspective error made by the artist on the front cover? (Hint: the same goof occurs in the opening title sequence of Star Trek: Voyager.)
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Entropic Storm: Spring Goes Sproing!This has been an interesting week. Friday night, April the 8th, the buried electrical cable which feeds power to the house shorted out in a coruscating blaze of vaporised copper and ozone (the latter evident throughout the house, even though the short was about ten metres as the cable runs from the entry to the power panel, and around two right angle bends). Fortunately, the building with the servers has its own independent power substation, so operation of the site wasn't affected, but the house was without power (and, since the oil burner requires electricity, heat and hot water) until Saturday morning, when we ran a "lifeline" cable from an unused 25 amp circuit on the Fourmilab power panel across the driveway to the house. In the picture to the right (click to display an enlargement), that's the grey cable snaking in from the left and disappearing down a grille into the furnace room window, whence it goes down a hallway to connect to the main bus on the power panel. The following Monday, it was time to dig up the driveway again. I say "again" because, if you follow this chronicle, you'll recall that toward the end of January the water pipe burst, requiring an excavation to dig it up and replace the failed section. Since this was done in the dead of winter the excavation, although filled in, could not be paved over until warm, dry weather arrived. As it happens, that occurred two days before the electrical cable shorted out. Now, we didn't have to re-open the water pipe hole--this one was all of two metres to the west of it! Time domain reflectometry had established that the short was about 10 metres from the entry to the house, but there were no drawings anywhere which indicated the precise route of the underground cable. The electricians brought out a gizmo which, I suppose, is kind of a Maxwellian dowsing rod, and after some very ambiguous readings about which I was highly dubious, they made a big X on the pavement and the guy with the jackhammer went at it. Amazingly (to me anyway), the electrical cable was indeed found within one metre of the X (which was in the centre of the rectangular hole at the left of the picture). Finding the cable is not the same as finding the short of course, so the excavation was continued on the arm which goes right to left until a junction box which was about half melted and half charred was discovered near the end of the branch at the right of the picture. We disconnected the cable inside the house and tried to pull the old cable out from either end to no avail whatsoever--it was put into that conduit when the house was built in 1967, and it is determined to stay there until the end of time.
The most straightforward and economical solution, then, was to dig a new arm on the trench (which goes toward the top of the photo) to the exterior wall of the basement room which holds the heating oil cistern, bore a hole through that wall, and route a new cable through that room to the utility panel in the room which adjoins it. In the enlargement of the picture you can see the PVC conduit through which the cable runs into the house. At the left, the dark grey thing shaped like a skinny rugby ball is the junction box in which the new cable is spliced to the existing feed cable, which appeared to be in fine condition. I was amazed to discover that this 25 A 380 V three phase cable is spliced with crimped connections which are insulated by air--the individual wires are cut so the splices are staggered apart and cannot contact one another. But what if water gets into the junction box, you ask? Well, that's probably what brought this circus to town in the first place! Having had the water fail in January and the electricity blow up in April, I remarked to one of the neighbours, "What next? The air?" I didn't have to wait long to learn my guess was wrong. The morning we began to replace the cable, telephone service for the entire village went down! Miraculously, this was due to a failure which was not beneath my driveway, and about 36 hours later, telephone service was restored. Fortunately, mobile phones continued to work during the land line outage, and the leased line which provides Fourmilab's Internet connectivity was not affected. I don't know about you, but events like this leave me a little punchy--whenever I'm about to dig into a project which will take substantial time and concentration, I find myself looking up at the sky to see if any anvils or pianos are on incoming trajectories and muttering "What next?" over and over. After devoting most the past week to electricity and telephone problems, I figured nothing really weird was likely to happen this week-end. Oh well . . . Saturday dawned with weather more like November than April--howling winds, thick fog, and drizzle. Around sunset (not that there was any direct evidence of that event), lightning and thunder arrived in great abundance, along with the usual accompaniment of blinking lights and UPSes reporting momentary outages. Then it started to snow. As I write this, around four on Sunday morning, there's 15 cm of the stuff on the ground (including the roads), and it's continuing to come down as fast as ever. One is tempted to run outside, lift one's countenance to the sky, and shout, "It's the seventeenth of April, for heavens' sake!" While unlikely to make any difference, there may be some satisfaction in registering the protest. More snow is forecast for tomorrow. The photo above was taken at 3:06 local time on April 17th. It is a 30 second exposure at f/4 with a 12 mm lens on a Nikon D70 digital camera illuminated by moonlight scattered through the dense clouds and streetlights diffused by snow and fog. I "painted" the trees in the foreground with an LED flashlight during the exposure to highlight them.
Snow continued through the night and, as I post this update at 15:40 on the 17th, continues to fall. The following pictures were taken around 14:45 local "summer" (Hah!) time.
Friday, April 15, 2005
Reading List: The Jungle
- Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle. Tucson, AZ: See Sharp Press, [1905] 2003. ISBN 1-884365-30-2.
- A century ago, in 1905, the socialist weekly The Appeal to Reason began to run Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle in serial form. The editors of the paper had commissioned the work, giving the author $500 to investigate the Chicago meat packing industry and conditions of its immigrant workers. After lengthy negotiations, Macmillan rejected the novel, and Sinclair took the book to Doubleday, which published it in 1906. The book became an immediate bestseller, has remained in print ever since, spurred the passage of the federal Pure Food and Drug Act in the very year of its publication, and launched Sinclair's career as the foremost American muckraker. The book edition published in 1906 was cut substantially from the original serial in The Appeal to Reason, which remained out of print until 1988 and the 2003 publication of this slightly different version based upon a subsequent serialisation in another socialist periodical. Five chapters and about one third of the text of the original edition presented here were cut in the 1906 Doubleday version, which is considered the canonical text. This volume contains an introduction written by a professor of American Literature at that august institution of higher learning, the Pittsburg State University of Pittsburg, Kansas, which inarticulately thrashes about trying to gin up a conspiracy theory behind the elisions and changes in the book edition. The only problem with this theory is, as is so often the case with postmodern analyses by Literature professors (even those who are not "anti-corporate, feminist" novelists), the facts. It's hard to make a case for "censorship", when the changes to the text were made by the author himself, who insisted over the rest of his long and hugely successful career that the changes were not significant to the message of the book. Given that The Appeal to Reason, which had funded the project, stopped running the novel two thirds of the way through due to reader complaints demanding news instead of fiction, one could argue persuasively that cutting one third was responding to reader feedback from an audience highly receptive to the subject matter. Besides, what does it mean to "censor" a work of fiction, anyway? One often encounters mentions of The Jungle which suggest those making them aren't aware it's a novel as opposed to factual reportage, which probably indicates the writer hasn't read the book, or only encountered excerpts years ago in some college course. While there's no doubt the horrors Sinclair describes are genuine, he uses the story of the protagonist, Jurgis Rudkos, as a Pilgrim's Progress to illustrate them, often with implausible coincidences and other story devices to tell the tale. Chapters 32 through the conclusion are rather jarring. What was up until that point a gritty tale of life on the streets and in the stockyards of Chicago suddenly mutates into a thinly disguised socialist polemic written in highfalutin English which would almost certainly go right past an uneducated immigrant just a few years off the boat; it reminded me of nothing so much as John Galt's speech near the end of Atlas Shrugged. It does, however, provide insight into the utopian socialism of the early 1900s which, notwithstanding many present-day treatments, was directed as much against government corruption as the depredations of big business.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Hello, Dubai?One of the plots I envisioned for a science fiction story in the 1970s and early 80s was an enlightened ruler of a third world country realising that wealth was not the product of natural resources or capital, but rather the consequence of human minds set free to innovate and create what didn't exist before. This never-written story envisioned the king of a small, desperately poor, country declaring the kind of rule of law envisioned in L. Neil Smith's North American Confederacy (comic book edition), and inviting creative people from all over the world to come and do their best, without having 7/8 of the fruits of their labour looted as is the norm in the United States and the so-called European Union. "Destroy it" (the all-powerful kleptocratic state) "and they"--the creators of wealth--"will come". I imagined a small state in sub-Saharan Africa becoming the world's technological hub, with research campuses spreading across the landscape, innovative space launch services undercutting the sclerotic military-legacy systems of the Old World, and free people showing that the human mind need only be unshackled to create unimagined wealth anywhere in the world. I never wrote that story--I had a lot of other things to do in those days, and when I had the free time to scribble, it looked like Singapore had gone a long way to realising the scenario I'd envisioned. Interestingly, it may be happening again in what many people would consider one of the least likely of places, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The Emirates are unusual among Gulf states in that they derive only 1/3 of their GDP from fossil fuel exports and, with limited reserves, are expected to be the first to exhaust them. Dubai has been lucky enough to have two enlightened despots in a row, who have invested oil revenue in positioning the country as a world-scale business and trade hub to provide a sustainable economy after the wells run dry. They have built (and are expanding) one of the most modern airports in the world, and Emirates airlines contends with Singapore's for the most modern and rapidly growing fleet. Douglas Casey, whose 1979 book The International Man first got me thinking about getting out of the U.S., has visited Dubai and was very impressed indeed with what he saw. Certainly there is no shortage of thinking big. The world's tallest building is scheduled for completion there in 2008, and perhaps the most extravagant real estate development ever,The World Islands. And this is not a public debt funded bubble. Public debt is just 18.1% of GDP (compared to 62.4% for the U.S. and Japan's 154.6%) and, at USD20.7 billion is well covered by USD15.8 billion in foreign exchange reserves. GDP growth rate was 5.2% per annum as of 2003. Apart from the oil and banking industries, there are no taxes of any kind. An import duty of 4% is charged, but many items including food, medical supplies, and building materials are exempt, as are all transactions in the free trade zone. Constructing what amounts to a libertarian paradise (but limited to economic freedom) within a traditional Islamic monarchy located in one of the regions of the world generally considered one of the least stable and economically under-performing is, if nothing else, an interesting experiment. If it works, it may be a lesson to other developing countries, even those without the huge head start that Dubai's petroleum wealth provides.
Monday, April 11, 2005
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Reading List: Go Directly to Jail
- Healy, Gene, ed. Go Directly to Jail. Washington: Cato Institute, 2004. ISBN 1-930865-63-5.
- Once upon a time, when somebody in the U.S. got carried away and started blowing something out of proportion, people would chide them, "Don't make a federal case out of it." For most of U.S. history, "federal cases"--criminal prosecutions by the federal government--were a big deal because they were about big things: treason, piracy, counterfeiting, bribery of federal officials, and offences against the law of nations. With the exception of crimes committed in areas of exclusive federal jurisdiction such as the District of Columbia, Indian reservations, territories, and military bases, all other criminal matters were the concern of the states. Well, times have changed. From the 17 original federal crimes defined by Congress in 1790, the list of federal criminal offences has exploded to more than 4,000 today, occupying 27,000 pages of the U.S. Code, the vast majority added since 1960. But it's worse than that--many of these "crimes" consist of violations of federal regulations, which are promulgated by executive agencies without approval by Congress, constantly changing, often vague and conflicting, and sprawling through three hundred thousand or so pages of the Code of Federal Regulations. This creates a legal environment in which the ordinary citizen or, for that matter, even a professional expert in an area of regulation cannot know for certain what is legal and what is not. And since these are criminal penalties and prosecutors have broad discretion in charging violators, running afoul of an obscure regulation can lead not just to a fine but serious downtime at Club Fed, such as the seafood dealers facing eight years in the pen for selling lobster tails which violated no U.S. law. And don't talk back to the Eagle--a maintenance supervisor who refused to plead guilty to having a work crew bury some waste paint cans found himself indicted on 43 federal criminal counts (United States v. Carr, 880 F.2d 1550 (1989)). Stir in enforcement programs which are self-funded by the penalties and asset seizures they generate, and you have a recipe for entrepreneurial prosecution at the expense of liberty. This collection of essays is frightening look at criminalisation run amok, trampling common law principles such as protection against self-incrimination, unlawful search and seizure, and double jeopardy, plus a watering down of the rules of evidence, standard of proof, and need to prove both criminal intent (mens rea) and a criminal act (actus reus). You may also be amazed and appalled at how the traditional discretion accorded trial judges in sentencing has been replaced by what amount to a "spreadsheet of damnation" of 258 cells which, for example, ranks possession of 150 grams of crack cocaine a more serious offence than second-degree murder (p. 137). Each essay concludes with a set of suggestions as to how the trend can be turned around and something resembling the rule of law re-established, but that's not the way to bet. Once the ball of tyranny starts to roll, even in the early stage of the soft tyranny of implied intimidation, it gains momentum all by itself. I suppose we should at be glad they aren't torturing people. Oh, right. . .
Saturday, April 9, 2005
Server Farm StatusI've been writing so much about the server farm recently it's high time I showed a picture of its present state of development. (Click the image for an enlargement in a separate window.) The two boxes at the bottom are the Dell PowerEdge 1850 servers which host the site. Each has dual Intel Xeon 3.6 GHz hyper-threaded processors, which gives each server the equivalent of four CPUs. Each has 8 Gb of ECC RAM, dual 146 Gb 10,000 RPM SCSI drives on an embedded RAID controller, and two Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, which are "bonded" into a single logical interface, with each physical interface connected to one of the two 16 port Dell PowerConnect 2616 Gigabit Ethernet switches at the top of the rack. The interface to switch connections of the two servers are crossed with respect to one another. The two switches are connected together and normally forward packets to one another; each is connected to the DMZ port of one of the two redundant firewalls (which aren't in this rack, but in the communications rack upstairs). Between the servers and switches are two identical Coyote Point Equalizer 350 load balancers run in primary/backup high availability mode. The top load balancer is connected to the top switch and the bottom load balancer to the bottom switch. Hence, they exchange heartbeats through the interconnected switches, so if one switch goes down, whichever load balancer is connected to the remaining switch will become primary, and since each server has an interface connected to both switches, it will continue to be able to communicate to both servers. The rack is 24 units high, and all the components are designed to permit dense packing, but I've spaced them out both because it makes them easier to work on and remove if necessary, and also because additional breathing room can't hurt cooling. It isn't obvious from this picture, but the rack is deep--73.5 cm from front to back rails and just a tad less than one metre for the entire cabinet; the Dell servers are 1U high, but they just keep on coming in the depth dimension. The load balancers are less than 50 cm deep, so I've exploited the unused space by mounting two 15 socket outlet strips on the back rails, one behind each load balancer. These are plugged into independent APC SmartUPS 1500 units which sit on the floor behind the rack, fed from separate dedicated 10 A 230 V circuits with slow-blow thermal fuses. (Never plug a UPS or any other equipment with a big iron-core transformer into a circuit with a fast-trip breaker. The inrush current after even a momentary power blip may pop the breaker and bring your holiday to an unexpected end. This has happened to me.) The servers have dual redundant power supplies and each is plugged into both outlet strips, while the other pairs of components have one of each plugged into each strip. The UPS units are not mounted in the rack due to my earlier surreal adventure with a rack-mounted UPS. The UPS monitoring and control port of each UPS is connected to the serial port of one of the two servers; there is presently no broadcast shutdown, but since each UPS can handle the load of both servers and each server can run on one of its two power supplies, this expedient gets the job done, albeit inelegantly. The servers run the Apcupsd monitoring and control software. The load balancers, which are really FreeBSD machines, also would like to be shut down cleanly before the power goes down, but at the moment that's something which remains on my to-do list.
Valley of the Dells: RAID Firmware UpgradeEver since the Fourmilab server farm was put into production, the only serious problem has been random outages on servers in which all subsequent writes to filesystems fail. This seems to be provoked by conditions of heavy load which generate large volumes of I/O--the first time I encountered it was before the server was put into production (and hence essentially idle) when I tried to copy a 4 Gb archive from one filesystem to another. In production, these crashes occur at random intervals anywhere from a few days to more than a week apart. It is amazing how well a Linux system will run when all filesystem writes return I/O errors! In fact, it runs sufficiently well to fool the load balancer into thinking the system is up, but not well enough to actually service HTTP, FTP, and SMTP traffic. I added a custom "server agent" the load balancer probes which not only returns an exponentially smoothed moving average of the server load, but also verifies that all server-critical filesystems are writable and reports the system down if one or more isn't. This causes a server in the "can't write to disc" failure mode to be removed from the available pool and reported down, but of course doesn't remedy the actual problem which only seems to be cured by a reboot (which will be messy, since filesystems can't be cleanly unmounted if they can't be written). When you're running with ext3 filesystems, the symptom of this failure is "journal write errors". This caused me to originally suspect the problem lay in the ext3 filesystem itself, as I noted here and here. After converting back to ext2, in a fine piece of misdirection, the problem didn't manifest itself for a full ten days, then it struck again--twice within eight hours. Since recovery from the error truncates the log file containing the messages reporting it, and usually the original messages have scrolled off the console window, I'd not actually seen the onset of the the problem until it happened right in front of my eyes yesterday. Here's what it looks like:
12:37:31: megaraid: aborting-227170 cmd=28 <c=1 t=0 l=0>
12:37:31: megaraid abort: 227170:57[255:0], fw owner
12:37:31: megaraid: aborting-227171 cmd=2a <c=1 t=0 l=0>
12:37:31: megaraid abort: 227171:62[255:0], fw owner
12:37:31: megaraid: aborting-227172 cmd=2a <c=1 t=0 l=0>
12:40:31: megaraid abort: 227172[255:0], driver owner
12:40:32: megaraid: aborting-227173 cmd=28 <c=1 t=0 l=0>
12:40:32: megaraid abort: 227173[255:0], driver owner
12:40:32: megaraid: reseting the host...
12:40:32: megaraid: 2 outstanding commands. Max wait 180 sec
12:40:32: megaraid mbox: Wait for 2 commands to complete:180
12:40:32: megaraid mbox: Wait for 2 commands to complete:175
. . . counts down to zero . . .
12:40:32: megaraid mbox: Wait for 2 commands to complete:5
12:40:32: megaraid mbox: Wait for 2 commands to complete:0
12:40:32: megaraid mbox: critical hardware error!
12:40:32: megaraid: reseting the host...
12:40:32: megaraid: hw error, cannot reset
12:40:32: megaraid: reseting the host...
12:40:32: megaraid: hw error, cannot reset
12:40:32: scsi: Device offlined - not ready after error
recovery: host 0 channel 1 id 0 lun 0
12:40:32: scsi: Device offlined - not ready after error
recovery: host 0 channel 1 id 0 lun 0
12:40:32: SCSI error : <0 1 0 0> return code = 0x6000000
12:40:32: end_request: I/O error, dev sda, sector 57443971
12:40:32: SCSI error : <0 1 0 0> return code = 0x6000000
12:40:32: end_request: I/O error, dev sda, sector 270776074
12:40:32: scsi0 (0:0): rejecting I/O to offline device
12:40:32: end_request: I/O error, dev sda, sector 130580362
12:40:32: scsi0 (0:0): rejecting I/O to offline device
12:40:32: SCSI error : <0 1 0 0> return code = 0x6000000
12:40:32: end_request: I/O error, dev sda, sector 57224203
12:40:32: Buffer I/O error on device sda6, logical block 622595
12:40:32: lost page write due to I/O error on sda6
12:40:32 server0 kernel: scsi0 (0:0): rejecting I/O to offline device
12:40:32 server0 last message repeated 14 times
12:40:32: IO error syncing ext2 inode [sda6:0004a3a2]
I have elided the date, "Apr 8", and the identification "server0:kernel" from these messages to make them fit on the page, and wrapped a couple of long ones. Note that this entire train wreck occurs within the space of about one second. It continues in this vein until you reboot. Once in this state, none of the clean shutdown alternatives work--I have to force a reboot from the Remote Access Controller or else power cycle the server.
This log information heightened my suspicion (already expressed by other Dell system administrators on various Dell/Linux discussion fora) that what we are dealing with is an inherent flaw in either the Dell PERC 4e/Si (PowerEdge RAID Controller) or the SCSI adaptor to which the discs it manages are attached. Since numerous other users of Dell PowerEdge 1850 (and its taller sibling, the 2850) reported these I/O hangs under intense load on a variety of operating systems, I was pretty confident the problem was generic to the hardware and not something particular to my machine or configuration.
Searching further based on the log entries, I came upon an announcement of a firmware update to the RAID controller, listed as "Criticality: Urgent" and described as follows:
Increased memory timing margins to address the following potential symptoms: System hangs during operating system installs or other heavy I/O, Windows Blue Screens referencing "Kernel Data Inpage Errors" or Linux Megaraid timeouts/errors.You could hardly ask for a clearer description of the symptoms than that! I downloaded the new firmware, and after some twiddling to permit the firmware upgrade to be installed from the RAM filesystem of the Fedora Core 3 Rescue CD, re-flashed the RAID controller in the backup "pathfinder" server with no problems. After it had run for about 10 hours without incident, I installed the new firmware on the front-line server as well. Will this finally fix the I/O hang under heavy load? We'll see . . . . If all goes well for a week or so, I'll convert the non-root filesystems back to ext3, which I consider exonerated (although perhaps a precipitating cause due to increased I/O traffic), but three decades of system administration counsel against changing more than one thing at a time.
Friday, April 8, 2005
Linux: Fedora X11 6.8.2-1.FC3.13 on Multiprocessor SystemsAs I'm typing this, Swiss television is airing the James Bond film "A View to a Kill"--how appropriate! I recently installed the Fedora Core 3 X11 version 6.8.2-1.FC3.13 packages the on Dell PowerEdge 1850 servers which run this site. The updated X11 server and libraries are not used until you log out and back in, or reboot and log in from the console for the first time after the reboot. What happens then is not pretty; in the process of painting the desktop the mouse freezes, and a few seconds later the Orange Light of Death appears on the front panel. Inquiring with the Remote Access Controller indicates PROC_1 and PROC_2 "Status processor sensor IERR". No form of clean shutdown will work, and forcing a reboot from the RAC may result in the dismaying consequence of /etc/fstab being deleted in the fsck, forcing recovery from the Rescue CD. (Fortunately, the other server in the farm, which continued to run because I hadn't logged out and back in after installing the fatal update on it, has an identical /etc/fstab, so I was able to start the network interface and copy it over to the damaged machine with sftp. From now on I'll keep a current copy of /etc/fstab in /etc/fstab.backup for future disasters of this sort.) Apparently, there is a problem in the Fedora Core 3 X11 6.8.2-1.FC3.13 update which causes it to crash multiprocessor machines. The Fourmilab servers have dual Intel Xeon processors, each of which is "Hyper-Threaded" and hence behaves as a dual processor system itself. Reports of this problem so far on the Fedora Forum differ on whether it affects Hyper-Threaded machines with a single physical CPU. To see if you have this version installed on your system use the command "rpm -aq | grep xorg-x11". If you see lines in the output like "xorg-x11-6.8.2-1.FC3.13" then this version is installed on your machine. This problem can be particularly insidious on multiprocessor servers which are normally run in "headless" mode--with no keyboard, mouse, or monitor. Since the X server doesn't start until you log in from the console, the deadly X version can lie dormant until some other problem causes you to roll over the "crash cart" and hook up the console, whereupon your first attempt to log in will immediately hang the server, giving you another, entirely unrelated, inscrutability to unscrew, with a missing /etc/fstab "to boot" if your luck is like mine. If you have a multiprocessor machine and have this version installed, either your configuration dodges the bullet or you're lucky enough not to have logged in since you installed it. To back out the new version and revert to the previous 6.8.1-12.FC3.21 release, first make a note of all the 6.8.2-1.FC3.13 packages reported by the rpm command above. Go to the Fedora Core 3 Updates archive and download the .rpm files for the 6.8.1-12.FC3.21 version of each package. Once you've downloaded the packages, you can revert your system by running the command "rpm --oldpackage -Uvh xorg-x11-*6.8.1-12.FC3.21.i386.rpm" as super user. Before actually installing the packages, you can check whether you're missing anything or have any conflicts by running the previous command with the "--test" option. This misadventure illustrates why one should always install updates, however apparently innocuous, on a "pathfinder" system first, and then reboot it to see if anything wicked its way comes. Let the pathfinder run in production for a few days before deploying the update to the rest of your servers.
Wednesday, April 6, 2005
Reading List: Old Man's War
- Scalzi, John. Old Man's War. New York: Tor, 2005. ISBN 0-7653-0940-8.
- I don't read a lot of contemporary science fiction, but the review by Glenn Reynolds and those of other bloggers he cited on Instapundit motivated me to do the almost unthinkable--buy a just-out science fiction first novel in hardback--and I'm glad I did. It's been a long time since I last devoured a three hundred page novel in less than 36 hours in three big gulps, but this is that kind of page-turner. It will inevitably be compared to Heinlein's Starship Troopers. Remarkably, it stands up well beside the work of the Master, and also explores the kinds of questions of human identity which run through much of Heinlein's later work. The story is in no way derivative, however; this is a thoroughly original work, and even more significant for being the author's first novel in print. Here's a writer to watch.
Monday, April 4, 2005
Reading List: What Went Wrong?
- Lewis, Bernard. What Went Wrong? New York: Perennial, 2002. ISBN 0-06-051605-4.
- Bernard Lewis is the preeminent Western historian of Islam and the Middle East. In his long career, he has written more than twenty volumes (the list includes those currently in print) on the subject. In this book he discusses the causes of the centuries-long decline of Islamic civilisation from a once preeminent empire and culture to the present day. The hardcover edition was in press when the September 2001 terrorist attacks took place. So thoroughly does Lewis cover the subject matter that a three page Afterword added in October 2002 suffices to discuss their causes and consequences. This is an excellent place for anybody interested in the "clash of civilisations" to discover the historical context of Islam's confrontation with modernity. Lewis writes with a wit which is so dry you can easily miss it if you aren't looking. For example, "Even when the Ottoman Turks were advancing into southeastern Europe, they were always able to buy much needed equipment for their fleets and armies from Christian European suppliers, to recruit European experts, and even to obtain financial cover from Christian European banks. What is nowadays known as 'constructive engagement' has a long history." (p. 13).


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Simon Ortiz
- My oldest sister wears thick glasses
because she can't see very well.
She makes beautifully formed pottery.
That's the thing about making dhyuuni;
it has more to do with a sense of touching
than with seeing because fingers
have to know the texture of clay
and how the pottery is formed from lines
of shale strata and earth movements.
The pottery she makes is thinwalled
and has a fragile but definite balance.
In other words, her pottery has a true ring
when it is tapped with a finger knuckle.
Here, you try it;
you'll know what I mean.
The design that my mother is painting
onto the bowl is done with a yucca stem brush.
My other sister says, "Our mother,
she can always tell when someone else has used
a brush that she is working with," because
she has chewed it and made it into her own way.
She paints with movements whose origin
has only to do with years of knowing
just the right consistency of paint,
the tensile vibrancy of the yucca stem,
and the design that things are supposed to have.
She can always tell.
My mother talks about one time.
"One time, my sister and I
and this one lady - she was
a fat woman - went to roast piñons.
Stuwahmeeskuunaati, over that way."
To the east of Aacqu the mesa cliffs
are red, brown, and white sandstone;
there are piñon trees there.
"We left in the morning
and walked up to the first level,
not on top, where there was a lot
of piñons that year.
We had to get the piñons
in their cones from the trees
and dig a hole and bury them
and then build a fire on top.
It took quite a while
to do that, like it does.
And then we got them out
and let them cool,
and then we gathered them
up and put them on our backs
in sacks. We started back
to Aacqu." It's a long ways
across the valley, sandhills,
grasses, brush, cottonwoods,
gullies, cacti. "When we got
to this one place, the woman said,
`This is where Maashadruwee lives.
You have to holler.'
You're supposed to yell or holler.
We prayed with cornmeal
and the lady said, `Please
Maashadruwee, make Aacqu closer
to us.' And we started again
but before we got to Aacqu
onto the south trail,
it grew dark.
We knew that our relatives
would worry about us.
And sure enough, the woman's husband
was looking and he met us
at the bottom of the trail.
When we got to south of the church,
my father met us - he had come
to look for us too."
My mother chuckles at the memory
of it, when she was a young girl.
"I don't know if my sister
remembers, but I do, very clearly.
But I don't know
what my age was then."
From Woven Stone by Simon Ortiz, Vol. 21, in Sun Tracks an American Indian Literary Series, University of Arizona Press
© 1992 Simon Ortiz
Books by Simon Ortiz
- Woven Stone, Simon Ortiz, Univ. Arizona Press. (Hardcover)
- Men on the Moon : Collected Short Stories, Simon Ortiz, Univ. Arizona Press. (Hardcover)
- After and Before the Lightning , Simon Ortiz, Univ. Arizona Press. (Hardcover)
- Speaking for the Generations : Native Writers on Writing, Simon Ortiz (Editor), Univ. Arizona Press.
- From Sand Creek : Rising in This Heart Which Is Our America, Simon Ortiz, Univ. Arizona Press.
- The People Shall Continue, Simon Ortiz, Children's Book Press. (Library Binding)
Return to Day 7


text:
Avoiding river cruise booking mistakes sounds complicated, but with the help of an experienced travel counselor to help make decisions, will not be. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Every trip is different, but this should help you get started on having a truly remarkable river cruise experience.
Ignoring the Destinations
If you have been on one of the larger ocean cruise ships, you know that there are so many venues on the ship, that going ashore sometimes seems unnecessary. On a river cruise ship, the destinations are the main focus. River ships don't have casinos and grand stage shows. They focus on the towns and cities that have grown up on the river with their history, regional cuisines and culture. They dock mostly in the heart of the town, so you are only a gangplank away from seeing the sites.
Therefore to ensure you'll enjoy the stops, take some time to read through the itineraries offered. Then select one that lines up with your interests and hobbies. Whether you want to take a themed cruise such as wine, golf, history and art, there is a cruise out just made for you.
Even though there are plenty of things to see and do, just relaxing on the ship can be one of the highlights of your trip. You will not be bored, but can pick and choose activities and leisure time.
Skipping an Extension
Many river cruises start and end at spectacular cities, such as Budapest, Vienna, Amsterdam or Paris. To make the most of your trip to Europe, consider arriving a few days early to the port city where your cruise begins — or stay longer at the place where your trip ends. This will give you some unstructured time to explore on your own.
All river cruise companies offer pre- or post-trips that you can easily connect to your cruise (many of these also include transfers to the ship). You can also arrange an extended stay on your own before sailing.
An added bonus: If you arrive a day or two early, you'll have a built-in safeguard. If your initial flight to Europe is delayed and you arrive late, you won't miss the cruise departure.
Avoid Over Packing and Packing the Wrong Gear
To pack the perfect suitcase, start by checking the average temperature for the places where you'll travel. On many cruises, you'll need a sweater or light jacket even during the summer months, as an evening breeze could create a chill on the boat.
River cruises are mostly casual with only one night that might require you to dress up and that's the last night with the Captain's farewell.
Keep in mind that all river cruise ships also have laundries so you can have a clean change of clothes overnight and this will save room in your suitcase for items you will surely bring home.
Since you're likely to get in thousands of steps during the excursions, bring comfortable shoes that you can wear all day. Also pack a raincoat and compact umbrella so unexpected rain showers don't catch you off guard.
As you fill up your suitcase, remind yourself that your cabin will likely be smaller than what you'd find on an ocean cruise ship. The less you bring, the less you'll have to unpack in your space. Picking a main color will also help, since you can mix and match outfits.
To make the most of your clothing, think in layers: You might be able to dress up an outfit with a simple scarf or coat.
Power adapters are a necessity in the electronic age and you can easily find them at most stores such as Target, Walmart and Best Buy. Some even have multiple ports so that you can charge more than one device at a time. Extra batteries are also a great idea. Even if you don't need them, I bet someone on the cruise will and you can save the day.
Not Double-checking Documents
To travel outside the United States you must have a valid passport. Most countries require a passport to be valid for at least six (6) months from the day you depart their country. Also, passports must be in good condition with no rips, tears or other issues. Make copies of your passport and keep them in separate places while you travel, so that if your passport is lost or stolen, it can be easily replaced. You should also leave a copy at home with a relative or friend.
You'll want to make sure you have all your cruise documents in place before heading out. If you have booked your travel with a travel agent, they will have gone over them, but it never hurts to check them yourself.
Bring your driver's license if you plan to rent a car during part of your time in Europe. Also take medical insurance cards, a copy of your prescriptions and a list of the medicines you're taking.
A good idea is to print out an extra copy of your itinerary to leave at home so that if someone needs to contact you, they will have the information to do so. River cruise lines typically print a list of contact points with the documents you receive.
Erring On the Season
The peak cruising season for European rivers generally runs from April through October, but there are cruises on the Danube and Rhine through December for the Christmas Market cruise season.
The shoulder season months can give you the best bargains, but the weather can also be chilly. If you're cruising Europe in April and May or October and November, make sure you pack plenty of warm layers and a rain jacket. Outdoor activities might be less fun than museum visits, so if you're set on biking your way along the Rhine, take your cruise in the summer when you are more likely to have better weather.
Water levels can also fluctuate depending on the time of year. If you're concerned about high water levels which can make it difficult for boats to pass through certain areas, avoid cruising in the springtime. Very low levels can happen in the heat of the summer, in August or September.
Planning for Quiet Days
As noted, river cruise ships dock for the most part in the center of the town or city you will be visiting. This gives you an opportunity to explore on your own. You can take part in a walking tour and then stay in town if you wish to do a little exploring on your own.
Also, most ships have shore excursions of varying activity levels, so you might choose a "gentle walker" shore excursion for the morning and maybe a more active one in the afternoon.
Most ships also carry bicycles so that you can ride around the area if you like. They also have bike tours led by members of the crew if you want company.
If you choose to stay one the ship, there is a library with books and games and you can relax in the lounge or the sun deck. If the weather is warm enough you can also take a dip in the pool or sit in the whirlpool. All the comforts of home.
Overlooking the Fine Print
Just like other cruises, you'll want to read through the details before booking a river cruise.
While most cruise lines offer all-inclusive packages, it's best to find out exactly what is covered — and what is not — in these deals.
Check to see if shore excursions, dinners and drinks, such as wine and beer are included, or if they come a la carte.
To properly plan your trip and budget, look carefully at all costs listed. Make sure the cruise offers features that appeal to you and sights you are longing to see.
After doing your homework, you'll be ready for one of the most engaging ways to tour Europe.
One of the biggest river cruise booking mistakes, and potentially the most costly is not taking out insurance on your trip. There are several ways to protect your trip; the cruise lines have insurance plans that cover all elements you have booked with them. However, if you book a pre-cruise hotel, your own air, etc. those would not be covered.
If you choose a third-party insurance, your pricing will depend on several factors, your age, the cost of your trip and the state you live in. Your travel agent will be able to research this and give you a price.
In these uncertain times it isn't prudent to not have insurance to protect this major investment.
NOW IS NOT TOO SOON to begin taking steps to find your next exciting river cruise. Unique Journeys is a valuable asset to make certain you get the right cruise at the right time and for the right price. Don't go it alone and risk not having the best experience possible. Contact me at Unique Journeys so you can start planning to give you the vacation you deserve.


text:
Specifications: The bed sheet is having traditional Kantha work style of stitching done all over. This gives ethnic and special look to it. It uses 100 % Export Quality. Guaranteed fast & vibrant colors. The product presents a good example of traditional craftsmanship of Rajasthan.These good looking, fluffy bed-sheets are a specialty of Jaipur. Wholesale Lot Of Indian Vintage Handmade Cotton Kantha Quilts. These Quilts made with just three layers of cotton which has been quilted together with little stitches known as kantha. These kantha quilt makes a wonderful gift for weddings, Christmas, birthdays etc. Twin Size - 85 X 55 Inches (215cm X 139cm). Color - Assorted beautiful selected colors will be sent. We have bulk quantity of Indian Kantha Quilts if you need more then please share your requirements. Note- Make sure this product made by vintage used sari so quilt may stains, cuts or patchwork, so please read and understand about this product before making the order. A safest way for you & us both. In case of any problem please tell us..
This item is in the category "Home & Garden\Bedding\Quilts, Bedspreads & Coverlets". The seller is "handicraft-export" and is located in this country: IN. This item can be shipped worldwide.


text:
Hi, I'm Mike Essex, one of the search specialists here at Koozai, and today I'm going to talk to you about the concept of cross linking. You'll already have your website, and no doubt you'll already have some links to it from strong sources. For example, you might have links from an article or a press release. Maybe you'll also have links from a video that you've done or our old favourite, good old-fashioned directories.
What we want to do is we want to ensure that the search engines find these links and also to make them as strong as possible. So we can do that by linking to them from other websites that the search engines already crawl and also ones that will allow us to build up these profiles. A good example is social bookmarking. It will allow you to add a link to any page that you want with any anchor text that you want as well. We can add social bookmarking links to this article. In fact, we can add links from multiple social bookmarking profiles. Again, we could do the same for any of these that we chose. In addition, what we could do is we could have one social bookmarking profile and link that to more than one of these items. We wouldn't do that for all of these items purely because that wouldn't look very natural.
The next step is taking this social bookmarking site and making it even stronger as well. For example, we could write an article about Digg, and we could have a profile on there. In that article we then link to this profile that we've made. As a result, this article passes people on to the bookmarking site and also passes on link juice. That then goes to two sites and gives all the power to our website as well. It's a really good way to get these links indexed and to give them extra value.
In addition, we can use social media to talk about these sites that are talking about us. I could tweet out a link to this video on Twitter. An added benefit is that people who get my Twitter feed may then go to this video, learn more about the company, and then go to the site anyway. We're not just building up the links. We're also building up the brand online.
Again on Facebook, we could announce this press release on our Facebook account. We could announce it on LinkedIn, any website that we've got that would be relevant to the press release. We can use deep linking directories to gain extra links to this article. We could also link to that article on a guest blog post that we wrote somewhere else or a comment or a forum.
The possibilities here are really endless. You just take link sources you've already got that will allow you to have a deep link, and then you use that to push these properties. The one thing to consider is choosing these properties that you're going to promote. You don't want to pick a really weak link because it's going to take so much effort to grow that link. It's really not worth it. So if it's a page rank zero directory, there's no point. Also, if you've already got a link from a really strong place, like the BBC, there would be no reason growing that link either because it's probably as strong as it's going to get. So pick something in between the two that already has some value but the potential for growth, and you'll really see some added benefits to your own website as well. Plus the website owners are going to thank you for linking to them too.
I hope you found this video useful. For more information, visit Koozai.com or check out our Facebook or YouTube profiles as well.
I wonder when the last time anyone left a comment? I wanted to look at some of your older posts. Thanks. This one was interesting.
If I am reading your recommendation correctly, if I have a really powerful mention of my press release and a lesser site linking my press release, I might be better off providing a link to the press release on the site with a lower rank.
That's confusing. Let's just say the top newspaper in town has one press release. The other press release being mentioned is in the local business Journal. Would there be benefit to linking to the mention of my press release in the business Journal over linking back to the more authoritative site from an SEO perspective.
Thanks Mike…Waiting for Mobile SEO videos.
Hi Mike,
I've checked above link which you given, but i couldn't find any video related to mobile seo optimization…
Hi Mike,
I'm looking for mobile seo optimization tips and techniques. Can you please update required information on your site?
thanks Mike keep posting.
Hi Mike,
Nice post, actually some of them tell that link wheel concept is no longer is that true?
Nice post about cross linking and good explanation. I'm already following you Mike.
great post mike i follow your posts regularly, you are really an expert. please come up with video like "10 best possible ways to link building" or good example how a small or new brand could get good rankings
Nice concept, and nicely presented!
Sign up now and get our free monthly email. It's filled with our favourite pieces of the news from the industry, SEO, PPC, Social Media and more. And, don't forget - it's free, so why haven't you signed up already?


text:
When boys struggle at A-level, it's a crisis. When girls do, it's celebrated, by Sian Norris
It's that time of year again, when papers post pictures of jumping girls while middle-aged white male celebrities pompously explain how failing their exams never did them any harm. It's A-level results day!
This year, the Daily Mail greeted the results with a resounding "Let's Hear It For The Boys" headline (it was later updated). For the second year in a row, male students outperformed girls. The Guardian, meanwhile, reported "the proportion of students in England gaining C grades or above in A-levels fell back this year, driven by a relatively weaker performance among girls".
This shift towards improved boys' results has come after a change to A-level courses was introduced. The new structure places more emphasis on final exams, with less coursework and fewer practical assessments. A 2013 study by the Independent Schools Association, as reported by the Telegraph, claimed that "a shift towards more end-of-course exams would […] have a disproportionate impact on girls who appear to favour coursework-style tasks". …
Love Between Black Girls Has the Power to Save in Night Comes On, by Claire Heuchan
Angel is a girl with a mission. On her eighteenth birthday, she's released from juvie after a year's imprisonment. She leaves with two objectives. One: to find a gun. Two: to find out where her father lives. Newcomer Dominique Fishback gives a captivating performance in Night Comes On, the flashes of vulnerability in Angel making it impossible to look away from the devastating story. Angel's mother was murdered by her father, who has been living free while his two daughters were shunted from foster home to foster home.
The driving force behind the film is Angel's need to avenge her mother's death. In her single-minded pursuit of these goals, it becomes clear that Angel is as determined as she is loyal to the memory of her mother. Only one thing has the power to shift Angel's focus from revenge: her ten-year-old sister, Abby. …
The illusion of inclusion, by @wordspinster
Feminists (and other progressive types) talk a lot about 'inclusive language', and it's generally assumed that we're in favour of it. But what exactly is it? What makes a word or an expression 'inclusive'? And are feminists' purposes always best served by inclusive terms?
Back in the 1970s and 1980s, feminists criticising conventional usage rarely talked about 'inclusive' (or its antonym, 'exclusionary') language: we talked much more about 'sexist' and 'non-sexist' language. As the issue became more mainstream, other terms came into use which were seen as less overtly political and thus more palatable to people of moderate liberal opinions. Many included the word 'gender': it became common for institutions to formulate policies and guidelines about 'gender equal', 'gender free' or 'gender fair' language.
The concept of 'inclusive language' has become popular more recently, and it represents a further move away from the original feminist critique of sexism. 'Inclusiveness' is much more general concept: guidelines on 'inclusive language' may address concerns about the linguistic representation not only of women, but also of other marginalised groups like ethnic minorities, disabled people and LGBT people. And while most feminists would probably see this broadening as a good thing in principle, some (myself included) might argue that in defining the problem as 'inclusion versus exclusion' we have both narrowed the scope of the earlier analysis of sexism and lost some of its more radical insights. …
How Pinterest has changed my life (or at least been super useful for work), by @rae_ritchie_
WIN: DFO pulls down 'Starving for Fashion' billboard after protest initiated by 13 year old, by Melinda Tankard Reist
It's so good to be able to share another win with supporters. This one thanks to 13-year-old Melbourne teen Naomi, who spotted this billboard advertising the DFO at Morabbin Airport in Melbourne
Naomi told her mother, long time supporter Gloria Anderson, who texted me the images and her daughter's comments.
"I knew it was wrong because it was promoting anorexia, sending a message that you need to be skinny to be fashionable, which is obviously not true."


text:
RCM ACI-Builder software is a flexible tool gives the structural engineers the ability to design most types of reinforced concrete members according to ACI318M-11 code.The advantage of this software is generating full detailed design output report with full formulas and illustrative figures,Therefore; RCM not only consider as a flexible tool for practical design problems, but also it is suitable for educational purposes since it guides the engineers to learn ACI code in depth.
RCM ACI-Builder Design Platform consists of the following Items:
- A. Design of flexural members (Rectangular and T-Shape Sections):
- A.1-Determine section characteristic under balance case, singly reinforced section & doubly reinforced section.
- A.2-Calculate area of steel according to applied moment.
- A.3-Calculate moment according to provided area of steel.
- B. Design of Shear under following cases:
- B.1– Members subject to shear and flexure only.
- B.2– Members subject to shear and axial compression.
- B.3– Members subject to shear and significant axial tension.
- C. Design of combined shear and torsion under both cases of compatibility and equilibrium torsion.
- D. Design of punching for prestressed and non-prestressed members with all column geometry cases: interior, edge & corner columns.
- E. Control of immediate and long term deflection for beams and slabs.
- F. Design of corbels and brackets.
- G. Control of flexural cracking in beams and one-way slabs.
- H. Design of pile-caps with most general geometry cases: 2,3,4,5 & Strip-Pile Caps.
- I. Design of isolated footings under eccentrically and concentrically case of loading.
RCM.ACI.Builder v220.127.116.11
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Plagiarism Checker – 6 Month | 1 Year | 2 Years | 3 Years | 4 Years | LifeTime$6.00 – $55.00


text:
The Winnipeg Art Gallery's planned Inuit Art Centre has received a $1 million donation.
BMO Financial Group made the contribution on Tuesday, making it the project's largest private donation to date.
"Building on the long-standing relationship between BMO and the WAG, the Inuit Art Centre will inspire Canadians with this vibrant culture and art form like never before," said Dr. Stephen Borys, WAG director and CEO.
Once complete, the centre will house the WAG's extensive Inuit art collection, which boasts more than 13,000 pieces. It will also be home to the nationally recognized studio art and learning program.


text:
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In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15), the Office of Multicultural Student Services seeks to create a collaborative lineup of events that promote the contributions of Hispanic Americans to our society and the diversity of the culture. Events are free and open to the public and are a great way to satisfy your cultural event requirements. Events will run from September 22nd to November 2nd so as each event draws closer, keep an eye on the Honors blog, as we will be posting short blurbs about each event and what you can expect.
The first event, entitled "Hispanic & Latino: History, Race, and Identity," will be a discussion held on Tuesday, September 22nd at 11am in University Center 203 (Founder's Room). Below is a description of what topics this event will cover:
"Labels of identity such as Latin@, Hispanic, Chican@ are often used to describe members of the Hispanic community, join us for a discussion as members share their insights on historical and personal relevance of identifies within the Hispanic community. Confirmed panelists include: Dr. Jessica Cruz, FSU Center for Latin@ Studies; Eduardo Sanchez-Rojas, Grand Rapids Public School; Kaylee Moreno, Ferris Alumna, The Literacy Center of West Michigan; Karla Garza, Hispanic Student Organization; and Natialia Carvalho-Pinto, Health Professions."
For more information about the events and Latin@ Heritage, visit their Facebook page or contact OMSS at (231)591-2617 or by email at .


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Each of my posts so far has expressed a sense of beginning; I suppose this will be the third in a row to do the same. Students in our program began attending classes on Monday. It was a significant and busy week thereafter as we figured out enrollment and credit transfers.
Even as my friends and I are in the same overarching program, we come from different universities and backgrounds. With this, everyone has different academic requirements to fulfill and personal goals to accomplish. SIP students may take classes run by SIP and classes directly run by the university departments, though all are on the campus and accredited.
Enrollment in the SIP courses are simple because the courses are more or less designed to work for foreign students. Enrollment in other department courses are slightly more complicated because students here do not typically take classes across departments. Communication within departments is thus quite strong, sometimes at the expense of inter-departmental arrangements. We did not really have complete course listings or accurate time/room information. Course offerings vary by semester, as they do in US universities. This is another point of consideration for most of us because of specific requirements for our majors.
In this aspect, I am lucky. My degree requirements are effectively complete, and I had the option to graduate last spring. Therefore, I am not obligated to choose classes based on how they would transfer, though I had discussed certain preferred courses with my university advisors.
We attended a number of different classes this week to test out which are at our level, fit our schedules, work with our degrees. I have enjoyed the search actually, even though many of the classes had already had a few sessions before we came. Basic Hindi, Sociocultural Understandings of Food and Nutrition in India, and Development Theory and Community Engagement are ones I will surely take. I had wanted to take a few economics courses but judged that they would not suit me for various reasons. My fourth class, then, will be either immunology or medical anthropology. I liked both and will decide between them officially in the following days.
Outside of academics, it was such a fun and, again, busy week. Last week in the first days at Tagore, our AIFS group met other semester SIP students from Norway, as well as other American students from another provider. There are 18 of us in total. We all met long-term students from classes this week, too, mostly from India.
Everyone I have met is so sweet, and I love being in the company of friends both old (not really, but it often seems so) and new. Throughout the week, we have spent time practicing soccer, basketball, volleyball. I am truly not at all skilled in these, but they have made for mornings and evenings well spent. As summer students' time at the university ended, SIP hosted a little concert featuring re-interpreted use of the violin. One of our AIFS directors is active in local theatre, and we were able to see her performance last night at a cute outdoor arena.
Earlier today, some of us took a long walk to a cool formation known as Mushroom Rock. It was a nice time, of course, and a peaceful afternoon. As far as I can tell, enriching courses and friendships will make up the theme for my last semester as an undergraduate university student.


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As one of the oldest continuously operating self-defense training centers in the United States, Hand to Hand is a supportive and professional environment for learning skills that enable anyone to live more safely. We specialize in practical, comprehensive women's* self defense that relies on effective physical, verbal, and emotional strategies.
In a highly supportive environment, students learn to protect themselves from invasive and dangerous situations including physical assault. They will gain insight into the complexities of violence in our culture and become aware of how we are all impacted by sexism, racism, and gender oppression, regardless of our personal identities. Hand to Hand classes explore the links between personal safety and community wellness because seeing this connection provides an opportunity for healing and encourages every individual to walk fearlessly in their lives.
Explore our upcoming classes:
Please email our director at selfdefense@
handtohandkajukenbo.com for more information.
Hand to Hand Kajukenbo Self-Defense Center | 5680 San Pablo Ave. Oakland, CA 94608 | 510-428-0502


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The SAMPO project was supported by DGXIII under the Telematics Application Program under the EU 4th Framework Program. It carried out an in-depth assessment of both the user needs and the application requirements for ITS-supported Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) in 5 countries (Finland, Sweden, Italy, Belgium and Ireland). It conducted comprehensive user needs and validation assessement, as well as coordinated cross-site evaluation work. A successor project, SAMPLUS (1998-9) deepened the evaluation work with particular emphasis on user attitudes, business development and economic viability.
This document carried out an in-depth assessment of Users and their needs, both for the five individual sites and consolidating the knowledge gained. Four main 'User Groupings' have been established : End-users, Operators, Authorities and Active Destinations. In turn, these User Groupings have been broken down to a further level of 'User Categories', and it is at this level that the SAMPO project reports user needs. The document includes the detailed information from the five sites.
This document presents the main findings from the SAMPO project, covering the user needs, technology validation and demonstration site results, plus an assessment of future prospect and risks/barriers that need to be addressed. It should be noted that this was written at a time when ITS was at the early stages of deployment in DRT. While many of the technology aspects have since been resolved, many of the user need, service requirements and regulatory/administrative/financial aspects remain valid today.


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This is a mix of culture and nature, including your time in old Luang Prabang, treks to traditional villages and more to experiences in the hidden gems of Laos.
A dynamic package with opportunities to see HCM City, cycle the ever-fascinating Mekong Delta and relax on the beautiful Phu Quoc Island.
A trip to visit all the highlights of Vietnam but still having lots of free time to do things on your own.
Immerse yourself in the richness of the culture, history and geography by learning the local foods. Take a chance to explore a great selection of traditional Vietnamese food differs from the North to the South and treat yourself with the finest cuisine of Vietnam.
Eco-adventures Vietnam is an ideal package for travellers, who are active adventure-lovers and wish to experience some Vietnamese culture along the way.


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You are in cattle country, eat beef you bastards!
Pro-beef car sticker
[Australian traits] include a ragged-trowser informality, a laconically expressed desire for independence, an irremovable parochialism, a prolific power to create both euphemisms and also expressions that go beyond normal profanity, and a deeply embedded suspicion of Poms (more recently always called 'Whingeing Poms')
Dr Robert Burchfield, Kiwi
I don't want to keep the bastards honest, I want to get rid of the bastards
Political Party 'One National' Leader, Pauline Hanson, Sydney Morning Herald, 16 February 2001
Soon thereafter, and without any warning, the appellant produced a knife and stabbed the complainant in the stomach. He also slashed the complainant's arm. The attack was very sudden, such that none of the complainant's companions saw it take place. The complainant did not see it coming. He said he initially felt no pain but only realized he had been stabbed when he saw he was bleeding. He ran from the hotel and the appellant followed him, shouting for him to come back and calling him a, "Gutless bastard" or, "Bloody bastard." The appellant then returned inside and recovered his knife but was ejected by security staff. He was apprehended by police at 4.30am next morning when he returned to the hotel to buy beer.
R v Wilson [1997] QCA August 1997
"Gallipoli was a bastard of a place," he said. "I never understood what we were fighting for. All I could think of was that I never wanted to go back to the bloody place."
Albert White, aged 100, Brisbane, Sydney Morning Herald, 17 May 2002
Like mate, the term bastard itself is not distinctly Australian. What is, though, is our tendency to use it with considerably frequency, and to mean different things by it depending on the context. A characteristic distinctive of Australian English is the way we use words and phrases that could possibly be considered to be offensive in an inoffensive or even affectionate way.
|Eastern Goldfields Order of Old Bastards (Inc) - Outback Western Australia
For example, after a hard day's yakka in Toronto putting up tents in 1998, one of the authors waltzed over to a group of hard nosed working class Canadians who were enjoying a few beers of their own. He then asked matter of factly whether or not he could "buy a beer off you bastards". One Canadian in particular responded with a glare that would have caused Ned Kelly to think twice and said very slowly in a thick Newfoundland accent, "Them there are fighting words here in Canada". Luckily the situation was diffused, money changed hands, and beer was consumed. Needless to say, the author was glad to be back in Australia, where, within months of arrival, he was pleased to hear one middle aged bloke spot his mate on the street of a small town, break into a warm grin offer his hand and say loudly, "You've had a hair cut y'old bastard!". Great to be home!
Two elements of Cockney English which were exported directly to Australia were swearing and greetings.
The Story of English, Robert McCrum, 1992
After decades of telling everyone they [ie the Democrats] were there "to keep the bastards honest", they have shown themselves to be as big a bunch of bastards as the major political parties.
Bunch of Bastards, Courier Mail, 24 August 2002
In Australian Paradox, Jeanne MacKenzie relates the story of an American guest at a rural Queensland hotel in the 1950s who was presented at dinner with a plate of cold meat and potatoes. He stared with private disappointment at the offering for a moment, then diffidently enquired whether he might have a little salad with it. 'The waitress', Ms MacKenzie reports, 'looked at him with astonishment and distain and, turning to the other guests, remarked: "The bastard thinks it's Christmas"'.
Bill Bryson, Down Under, 2000
Of course, such conflicts and potential conflicts between Australians and foreigners are not new. As observed by Sidney Baker in 1945 (The Australian Language):
The repetitive nature of Australian vulgarism has had the important effect of robbing many objectionable words - especially the Bs - of their taint of indecency. Offensive they may be, but a good deal depends on the tone of voice in which they are spoken. Bastard and bugger are frequently used as terms of genial or even affectionate address between men. The fact that Australian women also use the four Bs widely is additional evidence that they are becoming innocuous.
And when the Yanks arrived during World War II, a local newspaper warned Australians on their use of indecent language in front of the troops. An American resident was quoted as saying (in terms eerily familiar to the words spoken to the Author some fifty years later):
They're fighting words over our side of the world. It took months before I finished shaping up when some Australian, with all the friendliness in the world, called me a pleasant old so-and-so or a -- old --.
Baker concludes by saying:
This lack of insult in Australian profanity is a point that should be noted, not as an excuse for the continued use of objectionable words, but as evidence that even in his employment of vulgar terms that originated in the Old World the Australian has managed to express something of his own personality.
Bloody oath he has. What ways then may bastard be used now in the Australian Language? The first, poignant example of how the term can be used affectionately can be found from the mouth of the brother of a bloke tragically killed in a game of footy:
"Come on big fella, don't leave me. Don't you bloody leave me, you bastard."
Footy Family's Pain, 3 May 99, Herald Sun
The following are other examples of typical non-aggressive uses:
"I've had a bastard of a day"
"Poor bastard"
"Stupid bastard"
"Unlucky bastard"
"How are ya, you old bastard?"
"Wadda you bastards up to?"
"You reckon we'd be learning Indonesian. After all, there are 200 million of the bastards up there".
And of course the classic, "Ya pommy bastard!". Don't get us wrong, though, the aggressive uses are still alive and well:
"He's a bloody bastard, mate. Fair dinkum".
"He's a miserable bastard, that's for sure".
"That bludging bastard wouldn't know how much a carton costs"
"They're a mob a bastards, bloody oath they are. Real mongrels".
Sam Weller, in his 1976 book Bastards I have Met, points out that "through common usage the word 'bastard' has practically become a verbal nonentity because it mostly relies on the associated adjective to give it meaning". He gives numerous examples of its use, including 'WHINGING Bastard: When he was born, the doctor slapped his arse to make him cry and he hasn't shut up ever since", and "UNLUCKY Bastard: He's got the "Midas Touch" in reverse. Everything he touches turns to shit". The book is all about Bastards he has met throughout his life. And there were a few.
John O'Grady gives this advice to students of strine (Aussie English, 1965):
Until - and if ever - you become familiar with all the shades of meaning given to the word 'bastard', it will be better for you to leave it out of your conversation. Otherwise you will may acquire a reputation as a 'know all bastard', which will mean that you know nothing at all
As stated elsewhere, the beauty of the Australian language and culture is that it is, to a fairly high degree, shared by all members of our society. For example, ex-prime Minister Bob Hawke casually mentions how "some bastard" had stolen his gown in his written memoirs. And as we explained in our page devoted to ex-Prime Minister Gough Whitlam,
Of course, not only was Gough an avid admirer of the amber fluid, the old bastard also spoke Australian fluently despite the fact he occupied the most powerful position in the land (well, second to the Governor General, as it turned out). And no, he wouldn't take offense at me calling him a bastard (well at least that's what he told the ACT Branch of the ALP in 1974):
I don't mind the Liberals, and still less do I mind the Country Party calling me a bastard. In some circumstances, I'm only doing my job if they do. But I hope you won't publicly call me a bastard as some bastards in the Caucus have.
And for the American observers out there, you might already be wondering how a PM could speak like that and still be accepted by the public. Well, try to imagine for a moment what would happen if one of your presidents had pulled out this beauty (1974):
The man is a paranoiac, he's a fanatic, and he's a bigot. What makes it all the more nauseating is, of course, that Bjelke-Peterson is such a Bible-bashing bastard.
In Queensland Parliment the Honourable T. J. Burns, Deputy Premier Minister for Housing and Local Government made good use of the word following the death of a pollie famous for, inter alia, his beer gut (16 July 1991):
I join with the Premier in offering my condolences to the family of Russ Hinze and to give old Russ a send-off. In many ways, he was one of the great characters of this place. Russ and I had many fights, some of them bitter. But I liked the old bastard. I cannot say it any other way. I am sure that he would appreciate my saying it that way
One only has to sit around parliment for a few days to hear strine in action:
a previous case involved a trainer who punched a race official after being called "a silly old bastard"
Hon Mr GRICE MP Broadwater Legislative Assembly 3481 14 July 1993
A farmer, having come into some serious conflict with the local stock inspector drew a pig on his permit and wrote on the bottom, "The stock inspector is a pig." Another of my farmer constituents. wrote on the document, "The stock is inspector is a bastard." Let me say that the farmers to whom I have referred were correct on both counts
Hon. Mr Gilmore MP - Legislative Assembly 7 October 1993
But of course, don't think for a second that just because he got away with it, others can:
Mr LITTLEPROUD: According to officer Foster, that person told him "I had another meeting with Wayne Goss about that bogus fax. He's now using the story that he knows nothing about the bogus fax and he says he shredded it without reading it." There is some sort of similarity there! The statement continued "I was absolutely furious because the lying little bastard knows I told him all about it and handed him a copy"
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Mr LITTLEPROUD: I am sorry; I am quoting.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: The honourable member will resume his seat. That term is unparliamentary. Even though the term came from the mouth of somebody else, under the provisions of the Standing Orders it should be withdrawn. I ask the honourable member to withdraw it.
Mr LITTLEPROUD: I withdraw that comment. It is contained in the documentation that I tabled, so honourable members can read it. I withdraw and apologise for that comment.
Or perhaps more humorously:
MR OSBORNE (6.54): Mr Speaker, it saddens me that I have to rise today as a member of the crossbenches to speak - - -
Mrs Carnell: You bastard!
MR SPEAKER: Order! I am not sure the Chair heard what I thought it heard.
Mrs Carnell: I withdraw.
Mr Whitecross: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: I thought a member referred to another member as a bastard, and I thought that should be withdrawn.
MR SPEAKER: If they did, I would ask that it be withdrawn immediately.
Mrs Carnell: Absolutely withdrawn.
ACT Week 2 Hansard (27 February, 1997) Page 625
I wish you all the luck in the portfolio, it's a bastard of a job, if that's not unparliamentary
My Toyne referring to the new Minister for Education, NT Eighth Assembly First Session 22/02/2000 Parliamentary Record No:21
But perhaps the best use of the word bastard by a politician in power was by the Premier of New South Wales in 1966 (Robin Askin). Robin was giving President Lyndon Johnston a guided tour of the streets of Sydney when a mob of anti-Vietnam protestors spilled out into the street in from of their car. Without blinking an eyelid, Robin leaned over to police escort and growled, "Run the bastards over".
Even the famous Breaker Morant, who was, in great Australian tradition, screwed over by the Poms and sentenced to death, chose these as his last words when facing the British firing squad in 1902:
Shoot straight you bastards. Don't make a mess of it.
And they didn't.
Mr Piagno said he was not overly concerned by the loss of the finger, and didn't need counselling to get over the attack.He is due to fly to England in three days and wants to impress the Poms with his "Mick Dundee" adventures. "You imagine, you're sitting in a pub and some bastard comes in and says what happened to your finger," he said. "And you can say quite seriously, 'Mate, a croc took it.' "
Croc gets a taste for finger food, Courier Mail, 7 October 2004
During the controversial Bodyline series of 1932-33, the English captain Douglas Jardine was said to have visited the Australian dressing room to complain bitterly to his counterpart Bill Woodfull that an Australian player had called him a bastard. Woodfull turned to his team and said: "Which one of you bastards called this bastard a bastard?"
Bastard of an insult hit for six, Marcy 23 2006
For those preoccupied with this world, he wrote his own epitaph, the obvious one: "Here lies Don Chipp. He tried to keep the bastards honest, old bugger. That'll do".
Goodbye, Mr Chipp, political maverick, The Age, August 30, 2006
Take a break from drinking like the author of this article did - Read why and how in his book Between Drinks: Escape the Routine, Take Control and Join the Clear Thinkers


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Flu season is upon us, so it's our responsibility to fight!
Flu season is something we all dread, whether we are athletes trying to stay trim during the winter, or mothers who know that all it takes is one snotty hand to ruin the lives of an entire classroom of children. That being said, even if you get the flu shot every year its important to do everything you can to try and keep yourself, and everyone in your household healthy. Every year, between 5 and 20 percent of the US population comes down with the flu, so chances are that even if you don't contract it, you will have come in contact with it.
First off, you should take care of yourself in general. This means getting enough sleep every night, washing your hands regularly, taking Vitamin D, Zinc, and Vitamin C, and paying attention to your stress levels. Believe it or not, getting stressed out or feeling run down is the easiest way to suppress your immunity.
READ MORE: The Difference Between The Common Cold and Winter Allergies
Aside from that, you should pay special attention to what you eat, and try and eat foods that boost your immunity to give your body the best fighting chance. The following foods are all considered 'healthy', but these specific examples will help your immune system stay in top shape during the coming cold and flu season:
Green tea
Garlic and onions
Yogurt and probiotics
Citrus fruit (oranges, lemons, grapefruit)
Berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)
Seeds (like sunflower and pumpkin seeds)
Bell peppers
Sweet potatoes
Ginger and turmeric
Spinach and broccoli
Oats and barley
Chicken soup
Eating these foods won't protect you completely, but they will insure that your immune system has a fallback plan when it faces all the germs out there this winter.


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"Guard me as the apple of Your eye: Hide me in the shadow of Your wing." (Psalm 17:8 HCSB)
Psalm 17 is a psalm that talks repeatedly of God hearing me, paying attention to me, listening to me, SEEING me. He also answers me, hears what I say, guards and hides me, fills and satisfies me. When I think of God being my "all in all" this psalm echoes that.
I think that the above verse though, was a concept that truly captured my heart as a young Christian. Feeling a bit disenfranchised by my own family, it was thrilling to know that God delighted in me and looked at me as unique and special, within the mass of humanity He loves, and died for. I don't get it. I'm not unique or special compared to anyone else, yet in His eyes, I am. I'm His favorite! But then – so are you! I could feel a bit jealous about this but it's easy to fight that because. . .
None of us deserves that kind of love. The fact that it has been freely offered and I have embraced it, well, that puts me still at the mercy of an amazingly holy God, and I bow my knee in gratitude, only to look up and see a gaze filled, not with the condemnation that I so richly deserve for my sin, but with the love of a favored daughter.
Who wouldn't want to worship a God like that? Who wouldn't want to bend their knee and submit to His protection and leading and give all I have to someone who loves so passionately? So completely?
Interesting too, that when we are followers of Christ, He produces fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace. . . (Gal. 5). Fruit. Character that goes beyond my ability to produce on my own. Apples. He sees me as fruitful.
Remember when Jesus walked by a tree that bore no fruit? He condemned it and it died! (Matt 21:19). Jesus loves fruit! So maybe I'm a bit more of a fruit loop, but as long as I'm fruitful, I'm in the center of His vision and love. If I chose to abandon Him, I may find myself cursed and withering like that fig tree. God doesn't move – I do, and when I do, there are consequences.
The only way to be fruitful is to stay grounded in the deep, deep soil of His truth, God's Word, and tuned into the Holy Spirit. I do this out of deep gratitude for His unfathomable love towards me! I want to be treasured as the apple of God's eye. Guarded as precious fruit to be preserved and sheltered from storms. Not that they won't come and I might sometimes feel bruised, but I will always be special in His eyes. I find that a truth that today lifts my heart in praise and worship of my Mighty King. How about you?
I'm attaching a video of an ooooold song by Benny Hester that thinking on this verse reminded me of. It has a long, beautiful piano intro. Maybe you will find comfort in the words of this song: "Nobody knows me like You." It's true – and that knowledge is because our Creator God – loves YOU and holds You as the apple of His eye.


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Senior Self Defense with Cane Assist (65Y & up)Town Meeting Hall (TMH) 201 Front Street Danville, CA 94526 Organized by TOWN OF DANVILLE
About this event
We'll send your reminder 2 days before this event closes so you don't miss out.
You will no longer receive email alerts about this activity.
This class focuses on teaching seniors important principles of self-defense. It includes ways that a cane can be effectively used for self-defense. Not a martial arts class but will inform you of many ways to protect yourself. Use of a cane for self-defense is not mandatory. Loaner canes are available.
Instructor, Jim Donnelly, is a certified Senior Cane Self Defense instructor and also holds a black belt in Shotokan Karate. He will be assisted by senior level cane self defense practitioners. Wear loose clothing and comfortable shoes.
No class on Oct. 16 and Oct. 23.
Wear loose clothing and comfortable shoes. Limited supply of "short term" loaner canes available for "in-class" use only.
Age Category
TMH at Town Meeting Hall (TMH)
Jim Donnelly
Drop-In Customer
September 11 - December 18, 2023
9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Age and Gender
Town Meeting Hall (TMH)201 Front Street Danville, CA 94526


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