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Things That Make Me Say Yeay
Friday, October 21, 2011
50 comments:
Haha, love your "theory" on Williams Sonoma, that's awesome! But totally would make sense, I see where you're coming from.
Those roasted pumpkin seeds look yummy! - October 21, 2011 at 6:44 AM
- {The Perfect Palette} said...
I love pumpkin seeds :)
- October 21, 2011 at 6:47 AM
- Unknown said...
Williams Sonoma, Tea Shops, and Frozen yogurt combined into one trip sound like The perfect day. We have two of the cutest tea shops ever in Salt Lake - one is just stuffed with vintage furniture and decor everywhere and the other is very minimal-meets-anthropologie. I wish I could live in either of them!
Tomorrow my Humanities class is canceled so I'm meeting with a friend for lunch, and though I'm trying not to tell too many people, I can hardly contain my excitement -we're going for a ring browsing trip in preparation for when my boyfriend and I go shopping together for our anniversary next month! After seeing this post we might just have to incorporate some fro-yo in between shops. :) - October 21, 2011 at 7:06 AM
- Little City Farm said...
we must add those blue eyes to list. Frozen yogurt,....mmmmmmm.
- October 21, 2011 at 7:23 AM
- ... said...
Froyo! So amazinggggg :) Your little stud is too cute!
- October 21, 2011 at 7:29 AM
- Sarah said...
Those pumpkin seeds look delicious!! Can't wait to make some!! :)
p.s. If you are a coffee drinker, stop by my blog...I'm giving away some Venezuelan coffee! :)
http://sarahydavid.blogspot.com/2011/10/venezuelan-coffee-giveaway.html - October 21, 2011 at 7:34 AM
- Erin said...
I can't wait to bake pumpkin seeds!!
- October 21, 2011 at 7:39 AM
- Gentri said...
Mmmmm... Pumpkin frozen yogurt... I forgot that was on my to-do list for the day... Thanks for reminding me... haha!
- October 21, 2011 at 7:42 AM
- Hilliary Meisner said...
Yummmm, pumpkin pie frozen yogurt! That sounds delicious. I love William Sonoma cookbooks. My mom has a huge selection of them, I love going through and looking at the pictures/recipes! Have a great weekend!
- October 21, 2011 at 7:45 AM
- The Olive Tree Blog said...
love salted & baked seeds!
- October 21, 2011 at 7:50 AM
- Mandee said...
I just baked some pumpkin seeds last night! delicious!
- October 21, 2011 at 8:15 AM
- Anna Elder said...
my goodness, those cheeks are too pinchable! adorbs. pumpkin seeds! yum. i absolutely love a great tomato soup. it's been a staple for me since i was a child. i'll have to check out the WS cookbook! happy friday lady.
- October 21, 2011 at 8:26 AM
- Unknown said...
I won a bottle of Josie Maran Argan Oil for a giveaway and I LOVE it! What do you use yours for?
- October 21, 2011 at 8:56 AM
- Amalia Athanaeleas said...
Little man is so cute I can't stand it!! I looove baked pumpkin seeds and cannot WAIT to do mine this weekend!!
ps - I'm with you on Mr. Sonoma :) - October 21, 2011 at 8:57 AM
- Starsunflower Studio said...
Oooh those baked pumpkin seeds look so yummy! I must be hungry. :)
- October 21, 2011 at 9:09 AM
- Lindsay @ Delighted Momma said...
Tonia- What a great gift to win in a giveaway! I use it on my face. I LOVE it. It makes my skin feel so soft and does not leave you feeling greasy like you think oil would.
- October 21, 2011 at 9:21 AM
- Unknown said...
I would devour those seeds right now!
And I love the Josie Maran skincare line! I've tried her moisturizer, I guess I'll have to buy the Argan Oil next. Thanks for the tip! - October 21, 2011 at 9:36 AM
- Alexa said...
Pumpkin pie frozen yogurt? That sounds delish. Celebrating a couple of birthdays this weekend and just relaxing (thank God)! :)
- October 21, 2011 at 9:45 AM
- jessica // union shore said...
i love pumpkin seeds! can't wait to carve pumpkins this weekend and make some!
- October 21, 2011 at 9:46 AM
- Sarah said...
Wow all of these things make me say "yay" to exceeeept the pumpkin seeds. I have a confession. I've never had them before!!! Can you believe that! I'm going to try some this season though, I promise lol.
- Sarah
http://agirlintransit.blogspot.com - October 21, 2011 at 9:49 AM
- Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table said...
Seeds are a staple in my house right now - butternut, pumpkin, acorn... I'll toast anything! LOL!
Love that tea shop. These jars are great! - October 21, 2011 at 10:03 AM
- Grace (The Stripe) said...
dying to try the argan oil! have a fantastic weekend. :)
- October 21, 2011 at 10:05 AM
- My-cliffnotes said...
OOh they all look lovely. Esp that soup. Yum
- October 21, 2011 at 10:28 AM
- Lindsay said...
I can't wait to roast pumpkin seeds! And how sweet is that last picture. I love the yogurt dripping out of his mouth. Simply adorable!
- October 21, 2011 at 10:39 AM
- Nickie said...
Mmm love frozen yogurt! Have a great weekend.
- October 21, 2011 at 10:40 AM
- Stephanie Shepherd said...
How do you bake your pumpkin seeds? I typically just add salt, but yours...they look extra flavorful!
- October 21, 2011 at 11:05 AM
- Simply LKJ said...
Yum...fresh baked pumpkin seeds! What an adorable pic of your little one.
- October 21, 2011 at 11:47 AM
- Lindsay @ Delighted Momma said...
Stephanie- I used Braggs Kelp Sea Salt seasoning. :)
- October 21, 2011 at 1:34 PM
- Stephanie said...
I wish I had pumpkin seeds to snack on right now!
- October 21, 2011 at 1:44 PM
- Unknown said...
I love pumpkin seeds too. Have a great weekend!
- October 21, 2011 at 1:54 PM
- sherri lynn said...
I want to go to that tea shop! It looks so cute and I love their motto! Please make that Tuscan tomato soup and let us know how it is :) Have a great weekend!
- October 21, 2011 at 2:31 PM
- Tania said...
Never baked pumpkin seeds but they do look good! I've heard great things about argan oil (mainly for hair) but haven't tried it. Have a great weekend xo
- October 21, 2011 at 2:34 PM
- sarah said...
thanks for your sweet comment on my blog today - i LOVE your blog and i LOVE pumpkin seeds - cant wait to make some this coming week!! :) yay for Fall! blessings to you new friend! :)
- October 21, 2011 at 3:21 PM
- Mimi said...
nope, you're not alone on that one. to make matters worse, i had no idea why it's called williams sonoma -- all i know is i love that store. ;)
<3, Mimi
Stages of Beauty Giveaway :) - October 21, 2011 at 4:07 PM
- Gail@Sophisticated Steps said...
I'm not a Williams Sonoma conoisseur, but I'm really glad to know I'm not the only one with a cool "decoration only" cookbook in the kitchen. Oops. Until now. Maybe you've just inspired me to crack that puppy open. ;)
- October 21, 2011 at 4:51 PM
- Domesblissity said...
I think little Max is starting to look a lot like you now Lindsay. (Sorry Ian! LOL) so cute.
Anne xx - October 21, 2011 at 6:52 PM
- Sarah Roads said...
Gonna have to make pumpkin seeds, it's been years. Makes me think of my Mamma ; ) Question on the Argon oil, does it make you oily or break you out ever. I always use oil free products so I'm not sure it would work for me but I've heard great things.
- October 21, 2011 at 7:22 PM
- Unknown said...
I love your style! There isn't one thing that doesn't make me say yeay on this list!!! Those baked pumpkin seeds & pumpkin pie frozen yogurt sound amazing :) have a great weekend! xoxoxo brynn
- October 21, 2011 at 8:59 PM
- Susan said...
Pumpkin pie frozen yogurt? Um yum!!!!!!!!!
- October 21, 2011 at 9:47 PM
- Stephanie @ Blonde Highlights said...
LOVE all of those things... pumpkin pie frozen yogurt (delish!), pumpkins seeds (mmm!), WS tomato soup (okay I'm actually with you on this one!), and that tea store (I want one by my house!!!).
Hope you have a great weekend! XOXO, Stephanie @ Blonde Highlights - October 22, 2011 at 8:02 AM
- CARRIE said...
Those pumpkin seeds look so good! Actually, pumpkin anything sounds pretty good.
- October 22, 2011 at 9:39 AM
- Unknown said...
hi sweets!
i saw the argan oil at sephora and almost picked it up... i'll look into again! :)
adorable photo of your baby!
take care, aimee
diy blog: swellmayde - October 22, 2011 at 11:19 AM
- Rachael said...
Oh man... coconut banana.. droool. I know this sounds really weird but you can put a lot of weird stuff in egg white omelets. They're versatile like pancakes. I used to start off every day with one and I quickly grew bored with the usual cherry tomatoes + mushrooms + onions so I started experimenting. The best... the ABSOLUTE best was putting slices of frozen banana on top of the finished product with some coconut sprinkling (and 5-10 chocolate chips baked in). Like a crepe kinda. Anyways, I'm hoping to make pumpkin seeds this weekend and yours look real good! What spices do you put on it?
- October 22, 2011 at 12:07 PM
- Haylee said...
Pumpkin seeds! Heck to the yes, I'm obsessed with those things. The best is when you roast them with cinnamon sugar. YUM.
Also, your boy is pretty much the most adorable thing ever. Love those cute chubby cheeks! - October 22, 2011 at 7:23 PM
Yum - I can't wait to carve pumpkins so I can bake some pumpkin seeds. I've heard amazing things about Argan Oil and your son is just too adorable.
Thanks for stopping by my blog, as I am so happy to have found yours! I am your newest follower. xo - October 22, 2011 at 8:02 PM
- my thrifty closet said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- October 23, 2011 at 3:14 PM
- my thrifty closet said...
Always enjoy your yay posts, love the last shot, looks like the best advert for the frozen yogurt, and argghh...it's making me hungry on a monday morning.
mythriftycloset.blogspot.com - October 23, 2011 at 3:14 PM
- the Momma Bird said...
We're headed to the pumpkin patch tomorrow! I can't wait to make some yummy pumpkin seeds! And that soup recipe looks great! You'll have to post it up for all of us soon :)
- October 24, 2011 at 12:03 AM
- Traci said...
I've never had baked pumpking seeds. I could definitely go for some tomato soup!! YUM!
- October 24, 2011 at 1:57 PM
- Jennifer @ Delightfully Noted said...
Heck ya! Pumpkin seeds are fantastic!!
- October 24, 2011 at 4:08 PM


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Even Heroes Cry
by Hildie McQueen
Series: Fords of Nashville, #1
Genre: Military Romance
Genre: Military Romance
Release Date: November 11, 2014
"McQueen is an intense and emotional storyteller that will keep your turning the pages all night long." (NYT and USA Today Bestselling author Liliana Hart)
Hildie McQueen's Even Heroes Cry will melt your heart and take your breath away. My new favorite romance author. (USA Today Bestselling author Jamie Lee Scott)Military vet Adam Ford returns to his hometown a damaged hero—the war stole his best friend and left him with severe PTSD. Every day is a challenge as he struggles to reconstruct his life. When a tempting beauty moves in next door, Adam's world is turned upside down and he doesn't appreciate it.
After losing the love of her life in Iraq, Tesha Washington runs away from everything she's ever known and escapes to a small town where she takes on the challenges of restoring an old Victorian house. Out of options, she turns to her reclusive neighbor for help.
As Tesha slowly draws Adam out of the shell that used to be a man, she also learns there really is such a thing as starting over. Together they discover the healing power of love and a bond to last a lifetime.
Just as she pressed her finger onto the doorbell one last time, the door opened and Tesha lost her breath. Her sharp inhale the only sound for a few seconds.
In the doorway stood the most stunning man she'd ever laid eyes on. Never again would she roll her eyes at the mention of the word "breathtaking." His penetrating blue gaze took her in. Didn't just look at her eyes, but dove into them.
He stood about six foot three, but it was not his height alone that made him impressive. It was the massive expanse of his shoulders, the broad muscular chest, thick-corded neck and square jawline. It took a moment to realize they both stood staring at one another without speaking.
He didn't seem discomfited at her silence, but stood like a statue. If not for the barely noticeable lifting and lowering of his chest she'd think him not real. Long lashed grey blue eyes met hers. They darkened to a deeper blue and his nostrils flared just enough to let her know he was attracted. Tesha flushed under the intense scrutiny, and the raw attraction she felt instantly. The haze in her mind somewhat lifted and she held her right hand out to him. "Hello. I'm Tesha Washington. Your new neighbor."
The eyes moved slowly from her face down to her chest and finally to her outstretched hand. His much larger hand swallowed hers.
"Adam Ford." At the touch, her lips parted, but she recovered enough not to gasp again like a Jane Austen character, and shake his hand. When he did not release it, she pulled free of his loose grip.
Once again she remained standing, her brain failing to engage and remember what she'd come over for. Maybe later it would seem odd that she'd not felt any compulsion to escape, to put distance between them like she'd done with every man who looked at her with even remote interest. Since David's death, any man's attention caused her guilt or awkward discomfort. The reason things didn't work out with Cleve. But not this man.
A wonderful aroma of oregano, tomato, and garlic tickled her nose and Tesha sniffed the air. "Something smells amazing."
Adam looked over his shoulder into the house. It was then she noticed a kitchen towel draped across it. "I'm cooking." His eyes slanted to the floor and then up to her. Surely it was not meant as flirtation, but the sweep of his lashes made her stomach flip. He cooked? His throat moved when he swallowed and cleared it. Each one of the handsome man's movements sensual, without meaning to be. Tesha could barely drag her eyes from his throat to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to interrupt whatever you're doing. I can come back another time."
Once again he remained silent, his face stoic except for what she translated as interest when his gaze roamed from her eyes to her lips. He took an awkward step back. "Please, come in."
When he turned to walk, her eyes popped wide at his perfectly formed behind. Now that was what she called booty. Her mouth practically watered wondering what it would feel
like to have that under her palms. He wore loose sweatpants that hung low on his narrow hips, the worn fabric leaving very little to the imagination. When her mind went there, Tesha secretly thanked God he could not see her reaction to his tush. Ashamed at her thoughts, she rubbed a hand over her cheeks and dragged her eyes away to take in the interior of the house.
Amazon bestselling author Hildie McQueen loves action, love and unusual settings. Author of western historical, Highland historical, paranormal and contemporary romance, she writes something every reader can enjoy.
Most days she can be found in her pajamas hiding from deliverymen while drinking tea from her David Gandy coffee mug. In the afternoons she browses the Internet for semi-nude men to post on Facebook.
Hildie's favorite past-times are romance conventions, traveling, shopping and reading.
She resides in beautiful small town Georgia with her super-hero husband Kurt and two unruly boy Chihuahuas and a spoiled rotten girl Chi named Lola.

subset: commoncrawl


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:Tushardhara R/A, Dhaka, Banglades.


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Wed, 01 Jun
|The Den (Leeds)
Music Class - 0-2 years - 2:30pm
Fun music classes with Rattle & Hum
Registration is closed
See other eventsTime & Location
01 Jun 2022, 14:30 – 15:30
The Den (Leeds), Otley Rd, Headingley, Leeds LS6 2UU, UK
About the Event
To book a class, visit: tinyurl.com/46ruc2hn
Using her degree in Music and childcare experience, Jen has designed the classes to help development through music by exploring different instrument and household items. Each week we'll have a different musical instrument as well for the children to hear and have fun with!
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By Mary Annette Pember November 2, 2012
From Indian Country Today
It's difficult to imagine a year without manoomin on the Bad River Reservation in northern Wisconsin. That wild rice—"food that grows on the water"—is so important to the people there that they call their annual summer pow wow the Bad River Manoomin celebration. But for only the second time in memory, the manoomin harvest was cancelled on the reservation this summer. Myron Burns, Bad River tribal member, reports that there was simply no rice to harvest. "There was nothing but empty hulls," he says. (The harvest was also cancelled in 2007 due to extremely low water levels in the rice sloughs, according to Erv Soulier, director of the Bad River Natural Resources Department. He notes, however, that 2008 was a "tremendous year. Hopefully we will see a repeat of that in 2013.")
Manoomin is central to Ojibwe stories and is believed to be the primary reason the tribe migrated west from the St. Lawrence Seaway area centuries ago. They traveled to the place where the food grows on the water, and settling around the Great Lakes. Manoomin is also a long-standing conduit of culture, language and community. The backbreaking harvest brings families together in an ancient labor that offers food for sustenance and spiritual activities. The harvest also provides some with a much-needed boost in income.
This year's manoomin crop throughout the region is nearly a total loss. The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa near Duluth has also cancelled its harvest. According to an article in the Duluth News Tribune, better crops are reported farther west and north, where less rain fell during the crucial spring "floating-leaf" stage of the plant. "It almost brought tears to my eyes to see the sloughs like they are," says Burns.
Since so many factors affect the health of manoomin, it is difficult to pin down a single cause for this year's loss, but Peter David, wildlife biologist at Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC), says climate change appears to be behind many of the factors. Manoomin is designed for a cold northern climate, he explains, while mild winters combined with high spring rainfall are associated with climate change. The 2011 winter was unusually mild, and heavy rains during the spring damaged the young rice plants during their formative floating-leaf stage. He suspects these conditions have also contributed to higher rates of disease for the crop. "It seems that we are having more bad years for rice."
Although climate change is thought to be one of several factors related to the decreasing manoomin harvests, invasive species, excessive use of motorized boats and run off from agricultural fields may also be harming the rice according to authorities from GLIFWC and Bad River Natural Resources Department.
In areas of the northern and western areas of the manoomin growing region were not as severely affected. David speculates that since manoomin favors colder temperatures, the growing zone may be shifting farther north in response to global warming. If the growing zone is, indeed, shifting farther north, it will have a big impact on the various bands of the Ojibwe tribe in the region. "Bad River people are wild rice people. The rice is definitely more than a foodstuff, it is a cultural centerpiece," David says.
Young and old, men and women are all involved with the harvesting, drying, winnowing, sifting and preparing the manoomin. Traditionally, after the rice was parched, youngsters would don new moccasins and "dance" in the barrel of rice in order to separate it from the hulls.
Burns has harvested manoomin for more than 60 years. "I grew up doing that. I danced that rice for my parents and grandparents. Manoomin is the reason we are here," he explains. Although the thought of a fall without the annual manoomin harvest is saddening, Bad River residents mostly agree with the decision to cancel this year's harvest, he says.
Responsible stewardship of the manoomin crop is reflective of the Ojibwe worldview of wise equitable use of natural resources. "We don't have to rice every year. The Creator didn't make that for us to have every single year," Burns says. "Hopefully people will begin to see that we can't just take and take from our rice beds. We have to put something back into them."
This year's crop condition brings home the fact that Indigenous Peoples are on the forefront of climate change notes Jim Zorn, director of GLIFWC. As an example he cites the decline of salmon for the Quinault Indian Nation in Washington. Glaciers that feed local rivers are retreating, threatening the survival of the salmon. "The state of manoomin gives a concrete example of the negative impact of climate change on Indigenous Peoples," he argues.
"I don't think that tribal members want to believe just how fragile our wetlands are. Things are taken for granted that they will always be there and that's just not the case," notes Bad River tribal member Annie Maday.
Burns hates to consider the thought of giving up the yearly harvest. "It's part of my tradition, " he states simply. "We've gotta get that rice back, no matter what it costs. You can't put a price on that."
For a complete explanation of the life cycle of rice, visit the Circle of Blue website: CircleOfBlue.org.


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Reading 1 1 is 60:1-6
Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come,
the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth,
and thick clouds cover the peoples;
but upon you the LORD shines,
and over you appears his glory.
Nations shall walk by your light,
and kings by your shining radiance.
Raise your eyes and look about;
they all gather and come to you:
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.
Then you shall be radiant at what you see,
your heart shall throb and overflow,
for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,
the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
Caravans of camels shall fill you,
dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba shall come
bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king's son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
All kings shall pay him homage,
all nations shall serve him.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Readings 2 EPH 3:2-3a, 5-6
You have heard of the stewardship of God's grace
that was given to me for your benefit,
namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation.
It was not made known to people in other generations
as it has now been revealed
to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:
that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Alleluia mt 2:2
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel MT 2:1-12
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
"Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage."
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel."
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
"Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage."
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.
– – –
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.


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The Past Has Layers
Many people think the past is behind us. Archeologists know it's just below the surface. If you enjoy putting clues together to solve mysteries, and are curious about people and their cultures in other times and places, then archeology just might be for you!
Archeology is a scientific practice which uncovers the ways people lived in the past through the places and artifacts they left behind. From the stories archeologists uncover, they bring a unique perspective to the present time and to choices about the future.


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House of Commons
Session 2014-15
Publications on the internet
The Register of Members' Financial Interests: Part 1
As at 30th March 2015
DONALDSON, Rt Hon Jeffrey (Lagan Valley)
6. Overseas visits
Name of donor: British University in Egypt
Address of donor: El Sherouk City, Suez Desert Road, Cairo 11837; PO Box 43
Amount of donation (or estimate of the probable value): £3,300 to cover flights, accommodation, meals and transport in Egypt.
Destination of visit: Cairo, Egypt
Date of visit: 13-16 June 2014
Purpose of visit: to meet the new President, meet government ministers, religious leaders, British Council, IPU and representatives of civil society in Egypt and discuss developments taking place in the run up to parliamentary elections.
(Registered 7 July 2014)
9. Shareholdings
(a) QUBRIC Ltd; a private company limited by shares, of which I am an unremunerated director, whose purpose is to promote and share the experience of peace-building and conflict resolution in Northern Ireland (now dormant). (Updated 6 May 2014)
11. Miscellaneous
Chairman and director of Causeway Institute for Peace-building and Conflict Resolution (CIPBCR Ltd); a private company limited by guarantee and operating on a not for profit basis, to promote and share the Northern Ireland experience of peace-building and conflict resolution in the UK and overseas. The position requires my involvement for approximately 5-8 hours per week and is non-salaried although expenses may be met for participation in projects. (Registered 31 March 2012)
Director, Centre for Democracy and Peace Building; a company limited by guarantee, based in Northern Ireland. This position is currently unremunerated. (Registered 6 May 2014)


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Barnns Limited Edition Rafferty Handcrafted Alligator Men's Leather Slim Billfold Wallet - Black
Regular price $1,000.00 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 120): Computation results in '-Infinity'%The Rafferty Collection embodies luxury and style in this exotic Handcrafted in Singapore series. The outer panel of this slim billfold wallet is crafted with high quality, tanned in Singapore Alligator leather. This is artfully combined with an inner panel that is crafted with high quality French goat leather to create a sleek and tasteful look. Perfect for all your daily essentials.
- Limited Edition
- 100% handcrafted in Singapore
- High quality alligator leather from world renowned tannery
- High quality French goat leather
- Handsewn with high quality linen thread
- 8 card slots
- 2 side slots
- 2 bill compartments
- Slim look
- Farm-based authentic alligator leather, protected by Washington Convention (CITES)
- Height: 92 mm
- Length: 115 mm
- Width: 20 mm
- Weight: 75 g
Responsible and Sustainable Sourcing of Crocodile and Alligator Leather
At Barnns, we believe in responsible and sustainable sourcing of leather, and do not use endangered species. Our crocodile and alligator leather are sourced from a highly reputable Singapore-based tannery known for its high quality crocodile and alligator leather, and is a valued supplier to many top European luxury brands.
Sustainable and responsible farming practices are strictly upheld to ensure the preservation of crocodiles and alligators as a renewable natural resource, and to ensure animal welfare throughout the life cycle of the animal. Farm worker working conditions and environment protection are also core tenets.
The tannery is compliant with international regulations set by the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and all our crocodile and alligator leather are CITES certified. CITES is an international agreement between governments around the globe to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants do not threaten their continued survival. It is also a member of the Crocodile Specialist Group (CSG), an international non-government organisation committed to the protection and conservation of endangered crocodilian species through sustainable utilisation of natural resources.


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Simple to master
Tidebreak's elegant interface is small and intuitive. The advanced features are presented in ways that are familiar to computer users so that it is easy for new users to master basic capabilities.
Tidebreak's products work equally well on both laptop and mobile devices. And the products work well with virtually any software you use, such as Microsoft Office or Apple Keynote.
Each Tidebreak area has at least one dedicated screen and computer (and sometimes several) on which the team does their work.
Everyone can share important items with the group, such as files, websites and folders. They can even copy and paste text from one device to another.
Our built-in session archive remembers shared content, allowing you to recall it instantly. And the archive can go with you when you leave, so you have a record to refer to later.
Tidebreak's elegant interface is small and intuitive. The advanced features are presented in ways that are familiar to computer users so that it is easy for new users to master basic capabilities.
Most other collaboration solutions really only give you a way to show your own device's screen on the shared screen. This "look but don't touch" approach consumes a lot of network resources, and doesn't help when your group wants to actually work on a document together.
Eliminate bottlenecks by letting everyone in the group use the shared screen at the same time. Just "jump" your mouse to the shared screen. When you're ready to contribute, click your mouse; now you have control of the shared computer.
Instead of sending files to everyone through email, simply drag and drop files, folders and weblinks to instantly transfer copies to the common screen, another person or the entire group. Similarly, group-wide copy/paste allows one to copy from one computer and paste on another.
The session archive captures a real-time record of the information sent between participants. At the end of the meeting, everyone can save the archive to their own laptop for later review.
When you need to, show your own computer's desktop on the common screen via the network, eliminating the need for video cables. By using the "sharing" option, you can allow others to move onto your screen and control the shared desktop in full view of the group.


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Party Tips for the Perfect New Year's Eve
Created by: Lauren Saylor, A Fabulous Fete
Parties can be stressful if you don't plan ahead. I have a few tricks up my sleeve that I always use to keep the holiday stress low while still creating a super fun party. Here are my top five tips for a simple but impactful New Year's Eve celebration!
- Prepare ingredients ahead of time for your signature cocktails. Chop, squeeze and measure the night before so all you have to do is set everything out when guests arrive.
- Have lots of fun props and decorations laying around for pictures and the countdown celebration.
- Prepare festive champagne glasses for the midnight toast by adding sparkling sugar to the rims or rock candy stir sticks.
- Give your guests personalized mini bottles of champagne to take home as favors.
- Ask guests to stick to a color palette (like white, silver and gold) to give everyone a reason to dress up. It'll make your pictures look great!


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There are about 17 gazillion web creation tools out there these days.
There are options for nearly everyone.
- the super simple
- Blogger
- WordPress.com (the WP-hosted version)
- Wix
- Other "plug in some information and it will show up on a page" type tools
- the content management all-in-ones that take a little more know-how
- Joomla
- Weebly
- WordPress.org (the self-hosted version)
- the social media sites
- Tumbler
- etc., etc., etc….
- the build-your-own traditional website tools
- Dreamweaver
- Adobe Muse
- Ummm… there are probably hundreds of tools and software packages out there
This site… surprise… is built on WordPress. WP is, in many ways, the gold standard. It's easy to use. You can build a good-looking website very quickly. There are tons of plugins and themes so you can have a customized look that suits your needs.
But WordPress also has some drawbacks. One of the key ones is that updates to the framework have a habit of breaking plugins. Not cool. Seriously not cool if you have a huge, complex website and what breaks is a key component that is absolutely necessary to keep thousands of paying members happy. That actually happened to Holly Lisle, and she is still working out the long-term fix.
That fix will include getting off WordPress, which has broken for her more than once because of updates and plugin problems.
Personally, I'm not quite at that level of stress with WP yet. But as useful as WP is, I know it could be better, especially for authors.
There are a bunch of special/customized needs that authors have.
- The ability to link to reviews
- The ability to post new books easily along with sales links and images
- The ability to stay connected with readers and fans
- The ability to easily share posts on social media
- The ability to easily share snippets of current writing without jumping through annoying formatting hoops
Lots more that I'm not thinking of just offhand.
The good news… I know of at least two systems that are coming.
The bad news… neither one of them is available yet.
One is called ReadershipPro. It will be an all-inclusive web site hosting service, specifically geared towards the needs of writers.
The other is being developed by Holly Lisle. She doesn't yet have a specific site link for the project, but you can check this post if you're interested.
Both of these are potentially awesome solutions for writers who want a one-stop means of self-promotion. As more information becomes available, I'm sure I'll talk about it again.
Please note: links on this page may be affiliate links, or may confer some other benefit to the author.


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Walton Heath is one of the world's most highly regarded golf clubs, famous for its rich golfing and political history and the quality of its two exceptionally challenging heathland layouts, described by Jack Nicklaus as "wonderfully pure." Both courses feature in the UK and Ireland's Top 50 rankings. The Old has earned its place in the World's Top 100 every year since the inception of the rankings in 1938.
MoreThe Club was founded in 1903. Walton's first Captain happened also to be King Edward VIII. Our first Professional, James Braid, won five Opens and stayed for some forty-five years. Winston Churchill played regularly at Walton Heath. We staged the European Open in the seventies and eighties, the Ryder Cup in 1981, the British Ladies Amateur in 2000, the Senior Open in 2011 and The British Masters in 2018.
MoreThe Club's calendar highlights are the U.S. Open Qualifier and the Walton Heath Trophy (formerly the South of England Open Amateur Championship). Michael Campbell, winner of the U.S. Open in 2005, qualified at Walton. The 2007 SEOAC was won by Danny Willett, evidence that you will see the finest of the world's golfers, current and future, in a relaxed environment, up close, and for free
MoreWalton Heath's Old Course has featured in the World's Top 100 rankings every year since the inception of the rankings in 1938. The course designer, Herbert Fowler, liked to test the extent of the golfer's repertoire of shots. The Old Course has many demands, but its greater length and generally smaller greens mean that more "Scottish shots" are likely to be needed in this Surrey haven.
MoreWalton Heath's New Course shares the same open heathland setting as the Old and is a fine Championship course in its own right. It opened for play in 1907 as a nine hole layout, and extended to eighteen in 1913. The New stretches to 7200 yards off the back tees, 6648 yards off the medals, and has been ranked in the UK and Ireland's Top 50 courses for more than ten years. This is a serious golf course.
MoreThe pro shop at Walton is an attractive blend of tradition and technology, warmth and professionalism. An indoor teaching studio, Trackman, a brand new practice ground for a lesson from Simon or one of his team, and the latest and best quality clothing and golf equipment combine to turn a brief visit into a real pleasure.
MoreAll visitors are welcome, on and off the golf courses, both of which feature in the U.K. and Ireland's top 50. This is the epitome of golf – on open heathland, under a big sky. The same high standards, whether formal or informal, apply in the congenial atmosphere of the clubhouse; this is a day to remember at a place you will never forget.


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- sold outWhat's a Work In Progress/Preview show?
Work In Progress and Preview shows gives established acts a chance to test new material and develop their longer form solo shows for TV appearances, tours and festivals. As an audience member you'll be helping them shape their shows and find out what works and what doesn't as they will be often be trying fresh new material and ideas alongside their best jokes!
Shows are normally free or low cost but you can make a voluntary donation at the end of show if you enjoyed it and wish to contribute to the comics and the venue to support us and live comedy.
Event Luke Toulson: Main Character Syndrome (Work In Progress) - 1 Hour


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YES. In fact, all real estate should be transferred into your Living Trust. Otherwise, upon your death, depending upon how you hold title, there will be a death probate in every state in which you hold real property. When your real property is owned by your Living Trust, there is no probate anywhere.
FAQ Category: Questions about Estate Planning
If I don't create an estate plan, won't the government provide one for me?
YES. But your family may not like it. The government's estate plan is called "Intestate Probate" and guarantees government interference in the disposition of your estate. Documents must be filed and approval must be received from a court to pay your bills, pay your spouse an allowance, and account for your property and it all takes place in the public's view. If you fail to plan your estate, you lose the opportunity to protect your family from an impersonal, complex governmental process that is a burden at best and can be a nightmare.
Then there is the matter of the federal government's death taxes. There is much you can do in planning your estate that will reduce and even eliminate death taxes, but you don't suppose the government's estate plan is designed to save your estate from taxes, do you? While some estate planners favor wills and others prefer a Living Trust as the Estate Plan of Choice, all estate planners agree that dying without an estate plan should be avoided at all costs.
If I set up a Living Trust, can I be my own trustee?
YES. In fact, most Living Trusts have the people who created them acting as their own trustees. If you are married, you and your spouse can act as co-trustees. And you will have absolute and complete control over all of the assets in your trust. In the event of a mentally disabling condition, your hand-picked successor trustee assumes control over your affairs, not the court's appointee.
Is the Living Trust some kind of loophole the government will eventually close down?
NO. The Living Trust has been authorized by the law for centuries. The government really has no interest in making you or your family go through a probate that will only further clog up the legal system. A Living Trust avoids probate so that your estate is settled exactly according to your wishes.
Isn't a Living Trust only for the rich?
NO. A Living Trust can help anyone protect his or her family from unnecessary probate fees, attorney's fees, court costs and federal estate taxes. In fact, if your estate is greater than $100,000, you'll find a Living Trust offers substantial benefits for you and your family.
The possibility of a disabling injury or illness scares me. What would happen if I were mentally disabled and had no estate plan or just a will?
Unfortunately, you would be subject to "living probate," also known as a conservatorship or guardianship proceeding. If you become mentally disabled before you die, the probate court will appoint someone to take control of your assets and personal affairs. These "court-appointed agents" must file a strict accounting of your finances with the court. The process is often expensive, time-consuming and humiliating.
What's the difference between having a will and a Living Trust?
A will is a legal document that describes how you want your assets distributed at death. The actual distribution, however, is controlled by a legal process called probate, which is Latin for "prove the will." Upon your death, the will becomes a public document available for inspection by all comers. And, once your will enters the probate process, it's no longer controlled by your family, but by the court and probate attorneys.
Probate can be cumbersome, time-consuming, expensive, and an emotional trauma in a family's time of grief and vulnerability. Con artists and others with less than pure financial motives have been known to use their knowledge about the contents of a will to prey on survivors.
A Living Trust avoids probate because your property is owned by the trust, so technically there's nothing for the probate courts to administer. Whomever you name as your "successor trustee" gains control of your assets and distributes them exactly according to your instructions.
There is one other crucial difference. A will doesn't take effect until you die, and is therefore no help to you with lifetime planning, an increasingly important consideration now that Americans are living longer. A Living Trust can help you preserve and increase your estate while you're alive, and offers protection should you become mentally disabled.
Why do I need an estate plan?
Most of us spend a considerable amount of time and energy in our lives accumulating wealth. As we do this, there also comes a time to preserve wealth both for our enjoyment and for future generations. A solid, effective estate plan ensures that your hard-earned wealth will pass intact to those you intend to be your beneficiaries, instead of being siphoned off to government processes and bureaucrats.
Will a Living Trust avoid income taxes?
NO. The purpose of creating a Living Trust is to avoid living probate, death probate, and reduce or even eliminate federal estate taxes. It's not a vehicle for reducing income taxes. In fact, if you're the trustee of your Living Trust, you will file your income tax returns exactly as you filed them before the trust existed. There are no new returns to file and no new liabilities are created.
Can any attorney create a Living Trust?
NO. You should choose an attorney whose practice is focused on estate planning. Members of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys receive continuing legal education on the latest changes in any law affecting estate planning, allowing them to provide you with the highest quality estate planning service anywhere.


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Each scanner comes with its own software that is used for operating the scanner. Each software program is slightly different but works basically the same as others. Some include drivers that are used with Photoshop® so that the image can be scanned directly into Photoshop® software.
Descreen: Most scanning programs have a feature called "Descreen". In theory, the descreening feature is supposed to blur or merge dot patterns into a solid set of pixels. In reality, descreening softens and distorts the artwork, avoiding moiré patterns. When you choose descreen in your software, you have a choice of which line screen was used to print the original image, usually 175 lpi, 133 lpi, and 85 lpi. The lower the linescreen amount you choose, the higher amount the blur will be.
Unsharp Masking: "Unsharp Masking" is an increase of tonal contrast in the areas where light and dark tones come together. This increased contrast gives the appearance of a sharper picture with more detail. Use the unsharp masking carefully as too much of this effect can produce an undesirable "glow" around objects. Over sharpening is not always noticeable on the screen, so be sure to test the various sharpening levels with a proofing system. If your scanning software doesn't have an Unsharp Masking or Sharpening option, you can do this in the image editing program after the scan.
Color Controls and Contrast: Most scanning software has controls for adjusting the colors and contrast of the image while you scan. The color and contrast controls are also in the image editing software. As a general rule, adjusting the controls as you scan is better than editing the image later when using image editing software. If you scan with a 30-bit scanner you are working with more color data than the limits of RGB after the scan and you get better results. If, however, your scanner is 24-bit, then it doesn't really matter where you do the editing because the color data is the same. In order to get good results and predictable color, you must calibrate your scanner and your monitor often and use color management software.
Bitmap Mode or Line Art: Bitmap mode means that the image is in black and white only. Another way to describe bitmap is as one-bit, since each pixel is either "on" or "off" (white or black). Images that you would scan as bitmap would be logos, signatures, and line drawings. This type of artwork is also called line art because the images are made of clean lines. Line art should be scanned at the highest resolution possible if outputting on an imagesetter or platesetter to get the best results. If the end result will be printed on an inkjet or laser printer, scan the image at the highest resolution your printer will allow.
Threshold: If you scan an image in bitmap mode that has levels of gray in the image, then the gray colors are converted to either black or white depending on the density of light or darkness in the color. You can set the level at which point the gray color goes to either black or white. The level you set is called the threshold. Lowering the threshold means only the darker grays will convert to black; increasing the threshold means the lighter grays will also convert to black.
Grayscale Mode: Grayscale is an 8-bit mode, meaning there are 254 shades of gray, plus black and white equaling 256 different colors. Other than for photos, you should use the grayscale mode to scan any sketches or pencil drawings that have different shades of gray. Do not scan as grayscale if the images have smooth lines and are just one color, such as signatures. Images that smooth lines and that are one color should be created in bitmap mode. Grayscale mode does not create perfectly smooth lines.
RGB - CMYK Conversion: Most scanners scan the image in RGB, although the high-end scanners can digitize the file directly in CMYK. It is a good idea to work on your image while it is still in RGB mode because RGB files are smaller. They will open and be saved faster than CMYK files. Some filters and effects are only available in RGB mode. In order for the image to be printed on a press, it needs to be converted to CMYK. Before you convert, first save the RGB file, because once you convert it to CMYK, you cannot get back the lost pixels from the original file. Converting back and forth between RGB and CMYK will cause loss of information in the image. Do the RGB to CMYK conversion once, and make it the last step that you do. To convert in Photoshop®, go to the "Image Menu", then to "Mode" and select "CMYK Color". You might want to talk to your printer for any specific settings that they want you to use before converting.
Note: Remember that some colors in RGB cannot be reproduced in CMYK because they are "out of gamut". Programs like Photoshop® let you know if a selected color will not print in CMYK by showing an alert symbol on the color palette.
OCR (Optical Character Recognition): When text is scanned it is recorded as a bitmap image. The scanner does not distinguish text from an illustration. In order to edit the text, it needs to be translated into ASCII characters by an OCR system. The OCR system can also check for accuracy and spelling and then save the text in different formats. The saved text can either be opened in a word processing program or it can be imported into a page layout program. OCR requires at least 200 dpi resolution from the scanner to be able to function and the text being scanned needs to be clear for the highest accuracy.
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text: The Living Roof of the Ortega Branch Library is the seventh San Francisco Public Library branch built to Silver certification standards under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. This living roof with native species plantings reduces the library's carbon footprint by reducing heat island effects and capturing rain water. With creative roofing like this (and exterior paving materials) we reduce the heat island effect of this building (i.e. thermal gradient differences between developed and natural areas, if you want to get technical). It's important to minimize our impact on the micro climate and on wildlife habitat. We selected native and adapted plants that are well-suited to our climate, and require less water than traditional ground covers such as grass..


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November 09, 2017
1 minute read
America's National Parks are the very embodiment of the American Spirit. Each one tells a magnificent story of adventure and accomplishment that has become a part of the collective American identity. And since every National Park trip has something unique to offer that makes it a special place to visit, it's hard to choose just one. But we're going to ask you to vote anyway.
Which National Park would you most like to visit?


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Phoenix Town is located to the northeast of the 3rd Ring Road near the Sanyuan Bridge and the Airport Expressway, giving you easy access to many of Beijing's main destinations and places of interest including the international Airport. It is also near to a major embassy district and to the popular expat area of Lufthansa which contains a large range of restaurants, shopping malls, supermarkets, health centers and international schools
Located near Beijing Sanyuan Bridge, Phoenix City is considered to be China Resources Co., Ltd.'s flagship residential development project. The venture merges international design concepts with global operating standards. The entire enterprise encompasses a floor space of about 250,000 sqm. The area under development reaches nearly 700,000 sqm, with about 200,000 sqm allocated to public buildings and another 400,000 allocated to apartment building complexes. The space includes an internatio... more


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B&C – Unisex Triblend Crew Neck T-Shirt
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Today's post has to do with moral theory. As such, it is a bit longer than most.
In this post, I am going to discuss:
• The permissibility of killing an innocent child
• Preferential treatment (e.g., favoring one's own children)
• Acts and Omissions
• Moral Weight vs. Moral Exceptions
• Moral Dilemmas
In an earlier post on "Killing/Capturing Terrorists", I wrote that no person may kill a neighbor's child even to save his own life or the lives of his entire family. For example, if his only method for preventing their deaths is to drain a neighbor child of blood to extract an enzyme that may save his family, he may not do so.
Yet, I have also argued in discussions that it is permissible to kill an innocent child to prevent a nuclear bomb from going off in a distant city. For this, the scenario I use most often is that of a man with a shotgun seeing a child using a vending machine wired to detonate the distant bomb. Assuming that it is too noisy for the child to hear his shouts, he may shoot the child.
A reader, Eneasz, asked, in effect, where this dividing line is. Is it permissible to kill the child to save 1000 people? What about 1,001?
I conclude that the correct answer is that you may kill an innocent child to save 8,983.6 other lives, provided that at least 0.3 percent of them are physicians. If any physician has a theory on how to cure cancer, he will count for 1,253.3 common individuals. Convicted felons count as 0.03 persons.
Okay, clearly this answer is absurd. More importantly, any moral theory that claims to give answers of this type would thereby reduce itself to an absurdity. Morality simply does not work this way.
Basic Desire Utilitarianism
Desire utilitarianism holds that we use praise, condemnation, reward, and punishment to promote good desires and suppress bad desires. "Good desires" and "bad desires" in turn are desires that tend to fulfill or thwart other desires. The common example that I use says that true beliefs are important to desire fulfillment, so an aversion to deception and intellectual recklessness is a "good desire."
On this theory, a good act is that act that a person with good desires would perform. A vicious (evil) act is an act that a person with good desires would not perform. We assess the act of killing the child on whether it evidences good desires (desire that we have reason to use praise, condemnation, reward, and punishment to promote). So, we praise, condemn, reward, or punish the person who kills the child according to whether we seek to promote or discourage the desires evidenced by his action.
Note that a right action does not actually have to be caused by good desires. It simply needs to be that act that a person with good desires would perform. A person can report a child rapist to the authorities, not because he cares anything about children, but because the child rapist is a business competitor and he wants to rid himself of the competition. Yet, reporting the child rapist is still the right act because it is the act that a person with good desires (an interest in the welfare of children) would perform.
Killing an Innocent Child
So, the moral question is: When will a person with good desires kill an innocent child?
One factor that we must consider in answering this question is: How frequently will this come into play? We have good reason to psychologically mold people into performing the best actions in every-day circumstances more than for exotic scenarios that are never going to happen. We have to consider the question, "How many times will an average person face a situation when he will have to kill a child in order to prevent the detonation of a distant nuclear bomb?" If this is expected to never happen, then we do not need to be devoting a lot of energy into molding the person's desires for those types of situations.
How often can a person save the life of somebody in his family by killing a neighbor's child? If we count the possibility of acquiring useful organs, beliefs (though false, at one time widely held) that a human sacrifice could please the gods, using the neighbor's child as an innocent shield against a would-be attacker, or using him as a guinea pig for medical experiments, the question of when one may kill a neighbor's child is, indeed, an everyday question.
Answering this everyday question brings up the issue of, "If you may kill my child to save the life of somebody in your family, then I may kill your child to save the live of somebody in my family. If I may do so, then I may kill you or your child to prevent you from using the death of my child to save somebody in your family." We end up with a situation with a great deal of desire-thwarting going on.
The rational option is to adopt the position, "We are going to use our tools of praise, condemnation, reward, and punishment to promote an aversion to killing children. We shall seek to make this aversion strong enough to prevent people from killing their neighbor's children in all every-day situations in which it might be useful to do so. Instead, we will create a society of individuals who can accept the fact that the fates themselves get to decide who lives and who dies."
This aversion to killing children will not affect an agent's desires when it comes to saving children in trouble. Even as we use praise, condemnation, reward, and punishment to promote an aversion to killing other children, we allow parents to have a special affection for their own children. This means that a parent, faced with a choice of rescuing his own child or rescuing his neighbor's, can still have a stronger desire to rescue his own children than he has for rescuing his neighbor's, and favor his own children in these circumstances.
Preferential Treatment
This brings up a related issue. Can desire utilitarianism defend the idea that parents can give preferential treatment to their own children?
There are two avenues that we take here.
First, desire utilitarianism is only concerned with malleable desires -- desires that can be molded through praise, condemnation, reward, and punishment. It makes no sense to call for using these tools where they have no effect. Thus, desire utilitarianism has a built-in place for the principle that 'ought' implies 'can' and 'cannot' implies 'it is not the case that one ought'. If parental affection is a natural (evolved) disposition that is not subject to change, then those who display it cannot be subject to moral condemnation.
Second, assigning 'favorites' is a recognized way of promoting the general welfare. A company will assign a vice-president to each of several regions. For example, there might be a Vice President for the Pacific Northwest. Each individual is expected to favor his own district. This Vice President will not be expected to sacrifice $5 in sales to bring about a $10 increase in some other region. He is expected to maximize sales in his own region. He may be prevented from harming sales in other regions, but he need not have a special affection for promoting sales in other regions.
The model for assigning vice presidents to regions can be used to justify assigning specific children to specific adults. "Your job is to take care of this child. Focus your attention on his welfare. Other adults will focus on the welfare of other children." So, we use our tools of praise, condemnation, reward, and punishment to promote this type of favoritism -- this type of special consideration for those things that become the responsibility of the person to whom they are assigned.
A blend of these two considerations is probably closer to the truth. We combine a natural affection that parents have for their own children with the moral benefit of assigning distinct responsibilities to distinct individuals.
On this basis, a President can show a preference for the welfare of the people in his own country. However, this preference comes with moral limits on what he may do to the people of other countries in executing this responsibility -- just as a parent's responsibility for the welfare of his children comes with limits on what he may do to the children of other parents.
Moral Weight and Moral Exceptions
Another set of moral concepts that we will have to take into consideration is the distinction between moral weight and moral exceptions.
An example of moral weight can be found in the case of a father who is out fishing with his child when the kid gets stung by a bee. Imagine the kid having an allergic reaction and the father's car will not start. There is another car nearby. The owner has left his keys in the car. Therefore, the father takes this car to get his kid to the hospital. The father's duty for the welfare of his son outweighs the wrong of taking the car.
An example of a moral exception can be found in the aversion to killing others. In fact, we do not promote a blanket aversion to killing others. Rather, we promote a moral prohibition against killing others except when the person killed is actually threatening significant harm. We are not, in this case, weighing the attacker's right to life against the victim's right to life. Rather, we say that the attacker has sacrificed or given up his own right to life, and may therefore be killed with moral impunity.
In matters of moral weight, the agent is expected to feel regret and remorse over his actions. He is expected to have an attitude comparable to, "I'm sorry, but there was nothing else I could do. If I had not taken your car to get my sick kid to the hospital, he would be dead." However, in the case of moral exception, no apology or residual regret is expected. The person who kills an attacker owes nobody an apology.
To the desire utilitarian, a case of moral weight is one in which two "good" desires come into conflict. A father is expected to have a desire to take care of his child. He is also expected to have an aversion to taking the property of another. In the scenario above, the two desires come into conflict. Desire utilitarianism states that the aversion to borrowing property should be weaker than the desire to save the life of one's child. So, the father may take the car. However, the outweighed aversion still exists -- still should exist, and it leaves an emotional residue. This aversion is the source of the regret and remorse that lingers as a result of his actions.
The case of an exception recognizes the fact that desires can be complex. Desires can be as complex as the propositions that make up their object. As a result, it is possible to promote a desire that, "I not kill anybody who is not aggressively threatening others with immediate harm." This type of desire allows a person to kill in defense of self and others without the slightest twinge of regret or remorse.
Once again, I remind the reader that it makes little sense to design morality for strange and exotic situations. We have enough to do in using praise, condemnation, reward, and punishment to create the desires and aversions that will serve people in average, every-day circumstances. These every-day desires might have strange implications when an agent finds himself in a highly improbable situation. That is simply a fact of life.
Moral Dilemmas
So, let us go back to the case of killing the innocent child to save others.
The principles that I identified above state that we are going to use praise, condemnation, reward, and punishment that will serve people well in average, every-day events. Those desires and aversions will include an aversion to killing others (except when the 'other' is an attacker and the killing is in defense of non-aggressors). The aversion to killing will be stronger than the aversion to letting die. We will expect people, for example, to have a lower aversion to letting their child die than to killing a neighbor's child to save their own.
However, when the number of people that we would be letting die gets exceptionally large, a person with good desires can find himself in a situation where compassion for others outweighs his aversion to killing.
This is certainly a case of weight, not a case of exceptions. The person with good desires who kills an innocent child to prevent a bomb from going off is going to feel absolutely horrible about it. The thwarted aversion to killing a child will cause him to constantly go over the incident and wonder if there was anything else he could have done. The two desires -- the aversion to killing the child and the desire to save lives -- would have tried to find an option that would have fulfilled both desires, and forced a choice only if such an option could not be found.
There is no specific point at which the aversion to letting lots of people die will outweigh the aversion to killing an innocent child. The every-day world in which we live simply does not provide us with an opportunity to fine-tune these considerations. In the everyday world in which we live, we are (or should be) concerned only with promoting an aversion to killing the innocent and promoting a somewhat weaker aversion to letting die that will prevent killing in common everyday circumstances.
Desire utilitarianism holds that moral dilemmas truly exist. They can be found in cases where a person is in a situation where all possible actions will thwart a strong desire that a good agent would have. The parent who has to decide which of her two children she will allow to be killed (otherwise both will be killed), or the person who must kill their own child to save a city from destruction, are instances of moral dilemmas. The good person will be terribly torn over these options. In the case of a true moral dilemma, the conflict will likely be psychologically destructive.
Moral Agony
We can draw one more implication that will further illustrate this system. We have talked about the person who must kill a child to prevent a distant bomb from going off. Let us add the complication that the child he must kill is his own child. Here, we allow that a person should find it easier to kill a stranger's child to prevent the nuclear explosion than to kill his own child. In fact, I suspect that we may even forgive the person who is simply unable to kill his own child. The moral dilemma -- the conflicting desires -- may psychologically destroy him, but he is simply unable to find the will to kill his own child to prevent the detonation of the bomb.
The preference for one's own children will have an effect in the exotic and unlikely circumstances that everyday morality simply does not prepare us to handle. In this case, it means that he must have more lives on the balance to bring himself to kill his own child than it will take to kill a neighbor's child.
Imagine a movie scene where Character1 is in a position where he must kill his own child to prevent a horrible act. He cannot bring himself to do it. However, he is able to stand by and do nothing while Character2 kills his child. He breaks down at the end due to the loss, but he can let this happen.
In the realm of desire utilitarianism, this is a perfectly understandable and moral option. Morality aims at controlling our actions in decisions that we make every day. It yields sometimes extremey unpleasant results in exotic circumstances that we all have reason to hope that we can avoid. There are situations where even the good person -- particularly the good person -- will find it hard to live with the choices he must make.


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ASP.NET MVC Chart plot any type of data in a graph with the help of different chart axes types: numeric, category, date-time, date-time category, and logarithmic axis. And this chart axis elements can be customized further to make an axis more readable.
A date-time axis is used to represent dates in charts and displays dates as axis labels with different formats.
A category axis is used to represent non-numerical data in charts and displays text labels instead of numbers.
A date-time category axis is used to display date values with nonlinear intervals to display business days by skipping holidays.
A logarithmic scale is used to visualize data with both lower orders of magnitude (e.g., 10-6) and higher orders of magnitude (e.g., 106) in graphs.
Plot different types of data against different axes in the same graph with the help of the multiple axes feature.
Use axis crossing for any axis to cross with an associate axis for better visualization of data.
Reverse the axis labels and ticks. This swaps the higher and lower ranges of a chart axis.
When the chart has multiple axes, this feature arranges the axes smartly by moving them to the opposite position from their default positions.
Use multiple panes to show different types of data with multiple chart types and axis, for clear visualization.
Avoids overlapping of chart axis labels by trimming, wrapping, rotating, hiding, or placing them on multiple rows.
Organizes or groups data points in charts based on different categories.
Uses rotation to prevent chart axis labels from overlapping when the space for an axis is small.
Increase the space for rendering data points by moving the chart axis labels inside the plot area.
Adds padding to the start and end ranges of a chart axis to avoid data cropping at the edges.
Draw special attention to any region of the chart or graph with the help of strip lines.
Allows to shadow different ranges in vertical axis with different colors to improve the readability of chart.
Allows to shadow different ranges in for Horizontal axis with different colors to improve the readability of chart.
Allows to shade the range repeatedly in an equal and regular interval.
Allows to shade a region of the chart with respect to segment.


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Seventh-day Adventists look to the coming of Christ as the great culmination of history and an end of all disease, suffering, and death. At the same time, we have been entrusted with the Adventist health message embodied in and expanded upon by the writings of Ellen White, summarizing healthful living through practical and holistic healthy lifestyle behaviors.
We advocate all of these practices to maintain a healthy immune system, and in the pandemic, even more, is needed. Ellen White was not only an inspired conduit of health information much ahead of her time, but she modeled practical prevention in the face of the lethal disease in her era, smallpox, and took the immunization herself, as did those close to her.1 Today, smallpox has been globally eradicated.
We hope that this article will answer questions, allay fears, and resolve some of the prevalent myths and rumors, thereby bringing peace to the hearts of our members as they make health decisions guided by their health-care providers.
There are rumors and conspiracy theories that use the COVID-19 vaccine as an interpretation and/or fulfillment of prophecy. We asked the General Conference Biblical Research Institute for comments in this regard, and the response is as follows:
"The global upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has generated considerable speculations related to end-time events and misinterpretations of the Bible. One recent view, propagated through social media and some internet websites, has put forward the theory that the upcoming vaccines produced to combat COVID-19 belong to a process of control that will lead to the application of the mark of the beast.
It should be noted, however, that Adventists hold to the conviction that the end-time controversy will center on the law of God, and particularly on the fourth commandment (Rev 14:12). Moreover, the third angel's message will warn against the reception of the mark (Rev 14:9–11) and will enlighten humankind as to the issues involved.
For this reason, it should be made clear that Seventh-day Adventists understand the "mark of the beast" to be not a literal mark but a sign of allegiance that identifies the bearer as loyal to the power represented by the beast.
From a distinct perspective, another speculative view argues that vaccines make those who take them unclean because, supposedly, unclean substances are used to produce them. In this regard, it should be clarified that the abiding biblical instructions forbidding the consumption of unclean food and blood (Lev 11:1–20; 17:11–12; Acts 15:20) do not apply to vaccines for the obvious reason that vaccines are produced as medication to save lives, not to serve as food.
Speculations such as these bring the Word of God into disrepute and cause confusion among sincere but less-informed believers. Using the introduction of a vaccine to stir up an eschatological scenario of spiritual and cosmic proportions, or to oppose it on the basis of a faulty interpretation of Scripture, only distracts sincere believers from the real prophetic issues and the Adventist Church's commitment to proclaim the gospel.
Hopefully, an effective vaccine will help to bring the current pandemic to a halt. This will protect the lives of those who still need to know about the gospel, as well as those who have already accepted the gospel and are thus charged with the proclamation of God's infinite love to a suffering world (John 3:16)."2
Adventist Health Ministries is firmly based on the Bible, the instruction of the Spirit of Prophecy through Ellen White, and is consonant with peer-reviewed, evidence-based health science. We rely on these foundations in formulating health approaches and advice. With millions infected, and many dead, and global infections on the increase, a number of vaccines have been developed in record time. There are numerous questions people are asking regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.
As a church, while we support evidence-based public health recommendations, we are also careful not to make pronouncements that may be construed as replacing national and international public health guidelines. For this reason, it is important for our comments to be understood within the framework of our official church position on immunization:
"The Seventh-day Adventist Church places a strong emphasis on health and well-being. The Adventist health emphasis is based on biblical revelation, the inspired writing of E. G. White (co-founder of the Church), and on peer-reviewed scientific literature. As such, we encourage responsible immunization/vaccination and have no religious or faith-based reason not to encourage our adherents to responsibly participate in protective and preventive immunization programs. We value the health and safety of the population, which includes the maintenance of 'herd immunity.'
"We are not the conscience of the individual church member, and recognize individual choices. These are exercised by the individual. The choice not to be immunized is not and should not be seen as the dogma nor the doctrine of the Seventh-day Adventist Church."
There have been efforts to establish a reliable evidence-based approach to the treatment of COVID-19. Additionally, and within record time, vaccines have been produced which are now being used to help bring the pandemic under control. However, people do have concerns and questions regarding COVID-19 vaccines.
Emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine was granted on December 2, 2020, in the United Kingdom, and on December 9 in Canada. In the U.S., the Pfizer vaccine was reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and provisionally authorized on December 11. The Moderna vaccine will follow.
In conversation with the Loma Linda University School of Public Health (LLUSPH), Michael Hogue, dean of the Loma Linda School of Pharmacy, who serves on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Workgroup on COVID-19 Vaccines and on the San Bernardino County COVID-19 Vaccine Taskforce in California, shared the following insights regarding frequently asked questions on the Pfizer/BioNtech and Moderna vaccines. His insights and explanations of common questions appear below.
Questions and Facts about the Vaccine
Question: Does the mRNA (messenger Ribonucleic Acid) vaccine change your DNA?
FACT: Both referenced vaccines are based on mRNA, which is a first for vaccines, but the technology has been used in medical treatments for the past 15 years. The vaccine enters into a cell's cytoplasm (the fluid within the cell), where it stimulates the production of antibodies to fight the SARS-CoV-2's spike protein. Since it does not enter the nucleus of the host cell, it does not change the DNA or genetic structure/function.
Question: Can it be safe and effective, as it was developed so quickly?
FACT: Due to current technology, the SARS-CoV-2 virus was sequenced within days of its being identified, and work on a vaccine was started right away. The sample size for the large study is 40,000 people (the average FDA vaccine study sample size is usually only 27,000). We are two months into a two-year study. Data is being carefully monitored.
The first dose showed 50-percent immune response protection. The second dose reached 95 percent protection! (Only Hepatitis A vaccine is higher, at just about 100 percent protection.) The study was well designed and represented U.S. demographics very closely, with the exception of Native Americans (and the ongoing study is working to rectify that). Efficacy and side effects were similar in all ethnic groups.
Question: Are the ingredients and preservatives in the vaccine dangerous?
FACT: There are no preservatives in these two COVID-19 vaccines, which is why they require deep freeze/freezer facilities for storage and transport. The vaccine is carefully purified.
Question: What are the side effects?
FACT: So far, 10 percent of subjects have reported fever by the second day, and in 24 hours, 50-60 percent reported feeling "achy." There have so far been very few serious side effects with the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine, including three cases of significant allergic reactions (unusually low; probably due to the non-use of preservatives).
Dr. Hogue further commented that if a person has already tested COVID-19 positive in the past, that person can still get the vaccine; it will simply increase the person's antibody levels. He also pointed out that taking the vaccine in the USA is voluntary, not mandatory.
The efficacy of the Pfizer/BioNtech and Moderna vaccines is similar, but they are not interchangeable (if a person starts with one, the second dose has to be from the same brand). For the Pfizer vaccine, there is a 21-day interval between the two doses; it is reported that for the Moderna vaccine, the interval will be 28 days between doses. The vaccine is not authorized for use during pregnancy or in those under 16 years of age.
Immunization, along with sanitation and clean water, has been foundational to the improved longevity seen around the world where these interventions have been applied. Vaccines have long been used by Adventist church members throughout the world. Along with good health practices, they have provided protection against many infections and prevented illness and death.
As we witness the global magnitude of the pandemic, the deaths, disability, and long-term COVID-19 effects that are emerging in all age groups, we are encouraging our members to consider responsible immunization and the promotion and facilitation of the development of what is commonly termed herd immunity (pre-existing community immunity of approximately 80 percent of individuals as a result of the previous infection and/or vaccination).
We reiterate THE DECISION TO BE IMMUNIZED OR NOT IS THE CHOICE OF EACH INDIVIDUAL, AND SHOULD BE TAKEN IN CONSULTATION WITH ONE'S HEALTH-CARE PROVIDER. PERSONAL RESEARCH ON THE SUBJECT IS IMPORTANT. WE ULTIMATELY RELY ON FOLLOWING BIBLICAL HEALTH PRACTICES AND THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY, AND FOLLOWING GOD'S LEADING IN OUR LIVES, WHICH WILL BRING US PEACE AND ASSURANCE IN OUR DECISION-MAKING.
1. Concerning vaccination against smallpox, D. E. Robinson, one of Ellen White's secretaries, under the date of June 12, 1931, wrote as follows concerning Mrs. White's attitude toward vaccination:
"You ask for definite and concise information regarding what Sister White wrote about vaccination and serum.
"This question can be answered very briefly for so far as we have any record, she did not refer to them in any of her writings.
"You will be interested to know, however, that at a time when there was an epidemic of smallpox in the vicinity, she herself was vaccinated and urged her helpers, those connected with her, to be vaccinated. In taking this step, Sister White recognized the fact that it has been proven that vaccination either renders one immune from smallpox or greatly lightens its effects if one does come down with it. She also recognized the danger of their exposing others if they failed to take this precaution. [Signed] D. E. Robinson" (Selected Messages, bk. 2, p. 303).
2. Biblical Research Institute of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, December 2020


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Imagine a chair that comes in the form of a flatpack envelope, that can be sent easily be post, and opens up to provide a sturdy, portable piece of furniture.
Creating practical, foldable, usable furniture was the aim of industrial designers, Douwe Jacobs and Tom Schouten, who set up Flux in 2009. The first result of their inspiration and design ideas is the Flux Chair – a fully flexible folding chair that saves on floor space when it's not in use and is a breeze to move.
The clever design means that it only takes two simple folds to transform a flat envelope with a handle into a designer chair. The Flux chair is waterproof, so it can be used outdoors in your garden, on a beach or in a park, as well as in any room of your home.
The chair itself weighs 4.5kg and it can support weights of up to 160kg.
The Flux chair is available in a selection of colours, including red, white, blue, grey, yellow and dark grey. Various retailers have the Flux chair in stock, in different colours – Oliver Bonas (6 colours currently available, priced at £109), Made in Design (£113, plus they sell Flux cushions too) and Amazon (lots of colours, £109).


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Let MindShare Bring "Mobile DRAM (LPDDRx) Architecture" to Life for You
Ever since Intel introduced DRAM memory, it has evolved in size, density, speed and architecture. It has also evolved in power consumption, most notably with the Low-Power DDRs. MindShare's Mobile DRAM (LPDDRx) Architecture course describes the development of mobile memory systems and covers in-depth today's most advanced DRAM technology. The course ultimately focuses on ultra-dense, high-speed LPDDR3/LPDDR4 technology. Memory cell theory, operation, and key chip architecture differences from LPDDR1 through LPDDR4 are covered. Initialization of a memory channel is described. System design challenges, ranging from signal routing to error handling, are covered. Using waveform examples, state diagrams and truth tables, the commands and correct sequencing of operations are taught. DRAM controller design principles are also discussed.
MindShare Courses On DRAM Architecture:
All of MindShare's classroom and virtual classroom courses can be customized to fit the needs of your group.
Mobile DRAM (LPDDRx) Architecture Course Info
You Will Learn:
Course Length: 2 Days
Who Should Attend?
This course is hardware centric but does describe DRAM memory and DRAM controller initialization. It is suitable for hardware engineers, but software/firmware engineers will benefit. The course is ideal for DRAM controller designers, chipset designers, system board-level design and validation engineers. Course Outline:
Recommended Prerequisites: A basic understanding of digital logic. Training Materials: Students will be provided a softcopy of presentation materials used in class


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The football hold is the breast feeding position that many mothers find the most comfortable. In this position you tuck baby under your arm just like you would hold a football (on the same side that you're nursing from). The football hold lets you hold your baby's head allowing you to help baby latch.
How To:
If nursing on the right side,
-Hold baby with your right arm with baby's feet at your side. You can also place baby on the nursing pillow for more support.
-Roll baby in towards you in the ""tummy to mummy"" fashion, bringing baby as close as possible. Baby's bottom should be near the crook of your arm. Baby's legs should be tucked under your arm.
-Your forearm should be holding baby's back along the spine while your hand should be cradling baby's head and supporting his or her neck. Lift your baby up to your breast so he is able to take your nipple into his mouth and nurse. Allow your baby to latch-on while pulling him or her in close, ""nose to nipple"". Remember to bring your baby to your breast not your breast to your baby!
Who Its Best For:
This position is ideal for women who have had a C-section and want to avoid touching tender incisions and unwanted pressure. It also seems to work better for women who have larger breasts, need a better view to ensure baby is latching on, or those women who have inverted nipples. Mothers of twins often find the football hold the best nursing position because it allows them to feed both babies at one time.
Did this position work for you?
Want more breast feeding positions? Read about the Cradle Hold.


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05 April, 2008
Ladybug Picnic
They started appearing a couple of weeks ago. We've found a score or two in the downstairs unit, but tons and tons of them upstairs. The unit is empty right now. No furniture, nothing. The floors were sanded and everything more or less dusted down. Where are they coming from? Every few days, I go upstairs and sweep up a pile of them. If Maggie's with me, she'll try to eat them, whether they are dead or not.
It's an insect invasion, but I can't work myself up to be upset about ladybugs. But ants, spiders, termites, and cockroaches? When I spot them, they're out of here.
Photo courtesy Wikipedia; I can't seem to get a decent photo of the little critters
One two three
Four five six
Seven eight nine
Ten eleven twelve
Came to the ladybugs' picnic
One two three
Four five six
Seven eight nine
Ten eleven twelve
And they all played games
At the ladybugs' picnic
They had twelve sacks so they ran sack races
They fell on their backs and they fell on their faces
The ladybugs twelve
At the ladybugs' picnic
They played jump rope but the rope it broke
So they just sat around telling knock-knock jokes
The ladybugs twelve
At the ladybugs' picnic
One two three
Four five six
Seven eight nine
Ten eleven twelve
And they chatted away
At the ladybugs' picnic
They talked about the high price of furniture and rugs
And fire insurance for ladybugs
The ladybugs twelve
At the ladybugs' picnic
5 comments:
- Jen said...
I know, they are cute I guess, and they eat other bugs, so they couldn't be all bad.
We had masses of them huddled in the corners of the back bedroom last fall. I just left them there. A couple died and
I swept them up, the rest moved on. - 05 April, 2008 15:30
- Marilyn said...
I feel exactly the same way! I squash spiders with relish, I will hand-carry a ladybug outside. Cleo chews on them for a few seconds and then spits them out. They just look...happy.
- 06 April, 2008 00:21
- Jean Martha said...
What Marilyn said. Yep, me too. I carry them outside.
I moved my blog to wordpress...new url...
I've set up my links on the frontpage and of course...included you!
--Jean - 06 April, 2008 18:14
- Joanne said...
Thanks for the link, Jean! I was thinking of checking out Word Press, too.
Marilyn--I think it's all the children's songs we learned, or picture books we read with ladybugs in them. They're easy to love. - 06 April, 2008 19:55
- Sandy said...
They are the best thing for a garden! I'm with you. Don't like all those other bugs!
- 07 April, 2008 09:28


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A sexually transmitted disease (STD) is a disease or infection that is spread from one person to another through sexual contact. Most STDs are caused by bacteria, parasites or viruses that are transmitted through contact with the genitals, skin, mouth, rectum or bodily fluids. Sexually transmitted diseases can cause problems ranging from mild irritation to severe pain. Left untreated, some STDs can cause illness, cancer and infertility, or harm to a fetus.
There are many different types, including the following, of sexually transmitted diseases:
- Genital herpes
- Gonorrhea
- Chlamydia
- Human papillomavirus (HPV)
- Condyloma
- Syphilis
- Trichomoniasis
- Hepatitis
Different STDs have different causes. Gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia are caused by bacteria; trichomoniasis is caused by a parasite; and HPV, genital herpes and HIV are caused by viruses.
Causes of Sexually Transmitted Diseases
STDs are caused by a bacterial or viral infection that is spread through sexual contact. Anyone who is sexually active risks exposure to a sexually transmitted infection. People who may have a higher risk of contracting an STD include those who:
- Engage in unprotected sex
- Have multiple sexual partners
- Are already infected with an STD
- Abuse drugs or alcohol
- Share needles for drug use or tattoos
Certain sexually transmitted diseases, including chlamydia, HIV and syphilis, can be passed to a fetus during pregnancy or delivery.
Symptoms of Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Most sexually transmitted diseases have no symptoms at all, so people may not know they have been infected. When symptoms develop, they can vary depending on the specific type of STD, and include the following:
- Vaginal or penile discharge
- Pain during intercourse
- Painful urination
- Sores or blisters on the genitals
- Abdominal pain
If an STD is suspected, testing should be performed immediately. Early diagnosis and treatment are important to avoid severe health problems, and the spread of infection.
Diagnosis of Sexually Transmitted Diseases
A sexually transmitted disease is diagnosed through a physical examination and review of symptoms. Additional diagnostic tests include the following:
- Urine tests
- Blood tests
- Fluid samples
Periodic STD testing is recommended for people who are sexually active, especially those with multiple sexual partners. Pregnant women are also routinely screened for STDs, including HIV, hepatitis B, chlamydia and syphilis. This screening often takes place at the first prenatal visit.
Treatment of Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Treatment for a sexually transmitted disease varies depending on the specific type. Some STDs can be treated with antibiotics or antiviral medication. Viral infections can be managed but not always cured. Some medications help to ease the severity of symptoms. There is no cure available for HIV, but it can often be treated with a combination of medications. STDs are serious infections that can cause lifelong or recurring symptoms and side effects.
Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Diseases
The most effective way to avoid sexually transmitted diseases is to abstain from sexual activity. Other recommendations for avoiding STDs include the following:
- Remaining in a long-term monogamous relationship
- Using condoms
- Avoiding intercourse with new partners until after STD testing
HPV vaccinations are recommended for males and females between the ages of 9 and 26 who are not yet sexually active. This vaccination helps to prevent specific strains of HPV, and is administered as three separate injections over the course of six months.
Additional Resources
- MedlinePlus
- National Institutes of Health
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
- U.S. National Library of Medicine
- WebMD
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So... I realized it has been a few months since I have posted
any pants outfits on here. Truthfully, I feel most comfortable
in dresses and skirts. On average I wear them five out of
seven days of the week. BUT... who doesn't love a pair of
perfectly fit blue jeans? I just purchased these at UO. They
are the super strechy skinny jeans and I must say, they
fit like a glove!
Also, I had to throw on these platforms in lieu of the Miu
Miu ones. I am seriously in love with those things. And
this top was actually a dress that I thrifted the other day.
Now its transformed into a flowy top, perfect for summer days.
wearing: UO jeans; thrifted top, bag, blazer; f21 heels.


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U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered more than 1,500 pounds of cocaine hidden in a place where you would least expect it: a shipment of baby wipes.
The narcotics seizure occurred last Friday at the Laredo-Colombia Solidarity International Bridge, according to the agency in a news release. The bridge, located on the U.S.-Mexico border, connects Laredo, Texas over the Rio Grande with the Mexican state of Nuevo León.
Officials say a CBP officer at the Laredo-Colombia Solidarity Bridge stopped a tractor-trailer bringing in a shipment of baby wipes for a secondary inspection.
Following the inspection, drug-sniffing dogs made the discovery of what CBP described as 1,935 packages of cocaine totaling 1,532 pounds.
Colossal, record setting seizure. Largest Cocaine bust in 20 years! The Laredo Port of Entry seizes over 1,500 pounds of cocaine from Transnational Criminal Organizations! Extremely proud of our @CBP employees for keeping our communities safe. pic.twitter.com/WKDAFD4zIm
— Director, Field Operations, Randy Howe (@DFOLaredo) August 29, 2022
The agency says the estimated street value of the seized cocaine totaled more than $11.8 million.
"Officers assigned to CBP cargo facilities ensure effective border security by preventing and countering the flow of suspected narcotics entering the country," said Alberto Flores, the port director for the Laredo Port of Entry, in a news release.
"This seizure is a prime example of border security management and how it helps prevent dangerous narcotics from reaching our communities," he added.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations say special agents are investigating the seizure, according to the release.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.