text:
Let's Forget 9/11
If we have any respect for history or humanity, we should remove 9/11 from our collective consciousness.
Let's bag it.
I'm talking about the tenth anniversary ceremonies for 9/11, and everything that goes with them: the solemn reading of the names of the dead, the tolling of bells, the honouring of first responders, the gathering of presidents, the dedication of the new memorial, the moments of silence. The works.
Let's just can it all. Shut down Ground Zero. Lock out the tourists. Close "Reflecting Absence", the memorial built in the "footprints" of the former towers with its grove of trees, giant pools, and multiple waterfalls… Discontinue work on the underground National September 11 Museum due to open in 2012. Tear down the Freedom Tower (redubbed 1 World Trade Center after our "freedom" wars went awry), 102 stories of "the most expensive skyscraper ever constructed in the United States". (Estimated price tag: $3.3bn.) Eliminate that still-being-constructed, hubris-filled 1,776 feet of building, planned in the heyday of George W. Bush and soaring into the Manhattan sky like a nyaah-nyaah invitation to future terrorists. Dismantle the other three office towers being built there as part of an $11bn government-sponsored construction programme. Let's get rid of it all. If we had wanted a memorial to 9/11, it would have been more appropriate to leave one of the giant shards of broken tower there untouched.
Ask yourself this: ten years into the post-9/11 era, haven't we had enough of ourselves? If we have any respect for history or humanity or decency left, isn't it time to rip the Band-Aid off the wound, to remove 9/11 from our collective consciousness? No more invocations of those attacks to explain otherwise inexplicable wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and our oh-so-global war on terror. No more invocations of 9/11 to keep the Pentagon and the national security state flooded with money. No more invocations of 9/11 to justify every encroachment on liberty, every new step in the surveillance of Americans, every advance in pat-downs and wand-downs and strip downs that keeps fear high and the homeland security state afloat.
The attacks of September 11, 2001 were in every sense abusive, horrific acts. And the saddest thing is that the victims of those suicidal monstrosities have been misused here ever since under the guise of pious remembrance. This country has become dependent on the dead of 9/11 — who have no way of defending themselves against how they have been used — as an all-purpose explanation for our own goodness and the horrors we've visited on others, for the many towers-worth of dead in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere whose blood is on our hands.
Isn't it finally time to go cold turkey? To let go of the dead? Why keep repeating our 9/11 mantra as if it were some kind of old-time religion, when we've proven that we, as a nation, can't handle it — and worse yet, that we don't deserve it?
We would have been better off consigning our memories of 9/11 to oblivion, forgetting it all if only we could. We can't, of course. But we could stop the anniversary remembrances. We could stop invoking 9/11 in every imaginable way so many years later. We could stop using it to make ourselves feel like a far better country than we are. We could, in short, leave the dead in peace and take a good, hard look at ourselves, the living, in the nearest mirror.
Ceremonies of hubris
Within 24 hours of the attacks of September 11, 2001, the first newspaper had already labeled the site in New York as "Ground Zero". If anyone needed a sign that we were about to run off the rails, as a misassessment of what had actually occurred that should have been enough. Previously, the phrase "ground zero" had only one meaning: It was the spot where a nuclear explosion had occurred.
The facts of 9/11 are, in this sense, simple enough. It was not a nuclear attack. It was not apocalyptic. The cloud of smoke where the towers stood was no mushroom cloud. It was not potentially civilisation-ending. It did not endanger the existence of our country — or even of New York City. Spectacular as it looked and staggering as the casualty figures were, the operation was hardly more technologically advanced than the failed attack on a single tower of the World Trade Center in 1993 by Islamists using a rented Ryder truck packed with explosives.
A second irreality went with the first. Almost immediately, key Republicans like Senator John McCain, followed by George W. Bush, top figures in his administration, and soon after, in a drumbeat of agreement, the mainstream media declared that we were "at war". This was, Bush would say only three days after the attacks, "the first war of the twenty-first century".
Only problem: It wasn't. Despite the screaming headlines, Ground Zero wasn't Pearl Harbor. Al-Qaeda wasn't Japan, nor was it Nazi Germany. It wasn't the Soviet Union. It had no army, nor finances to speak of, and possessed no state (though it had the minimalist protection of a hapless government in Afghanistan, one of the most backward, poverty-stricken lands on the planet).
And yet — another sign of where we were heading — anyone who suggested that this wasn't war, that it was a criminal act and some sort of international police action was in order, was simply laughed (or derided or insulted) out of the American room. And so the empire prepared to strike back (just as Osama bin Laden hoped it would) in an apocalyptic, planet-wide "war" for domination that masqueraded as a war for survival.
In the meantime, the populace was mustered through repetitive, nationwide 9/11 rites emphasising that we Americans were the greatest victims, greatest survivors, and greatest dominators on planet Earth. It was in this cause that the dead of 9/11 were turned into potent recruiting agents for a revitalised American way of war.
From all this, in the brief mission-accomplished months after Kabul and then Baghdad fell, American hubris seemed to know no bounds — and it was this moment, not 9/11 itself, from which the true inspiration for the gargantuan "Freedom Tower" and the then-billion-dollar project for a memorial on the site of the New York attacks would materialise. It was this sense of hubris that those gargantuan projects were intended to memorialise.
On the tenth anniversary of 9/11, for an imperial power that is distinctly tattered, visibly in decline, teetering at the edge of financial disaster, and battered by never-ending wars, political paralysis, terrible economic times, disintegrating infrastructure, and weird weather, all of this should be simple and obvious. That it's not tells us much about the kind of shock therapy we still need.
Burying the worst urges in American life
It's commonplace, even today, to speak of Ground Zero as "hallowed ground". How untrue. Ten years later, it is defiled ground and it is we who have defiled it. It could have been different. The 9/11 attacks could have been like the Blitz in London in World War II. Something to remember forever with grim pride, stiff upper lip and all.
And if it were only the reactions of those in New York City that we had to remember, both the dead and the living, the first responders and the last responders, the people who created impromptu memorials to the dead and message centres for the missing in Manhattan, we might recall 9/11 with similar pride. Generally speaking, New Yorkers were respectful, heartfelt, thoughtful, and not vengeful. They didn't have prior plans that, on September 12, 2001, they were ready to rally those nearly 3,000 dead to support. They weren't prepared at the moment of the catastrophe to — as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld so classically said — "Go massive. Sweep it all up. Things related and not."
Unfortunately, they were not the measure of the moment. As a result, the uses of 9/11 in the decade since have added up to a profile in cowardice, not courage, and if we let it be used that way in the next decade, we will go down in history as a nation of cowards.
There is little on this planet of the living more important, or more human, than the burial and remembrance of the dead. Even Neanderthals buried their dead, possibly with flowers, and tens of thousands of years ago, the earliest humans, the Cro-Magnon, were already burying their dead elaborately, in one case in clothing onto which more than 3,000 ivory beads had been sewn, perhaps as objects of reverence and even remembrance. Much of what we know of human prehistory and the earliest eras of our history comes from graves and tombs where the dead were provided for.
And surely it's our duty in this world of loss to remember the dead, those close to us and those more removed who mattered in our national or even planetary lives. Many of those who loved and were close to the victims of 9/11 are undoubtedly attached to the yearly ceremonies that surround their deceased wives, husbands, lovers, children, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters. For the nightmare of 9/11, they deserve a memorial. But we don't.
If September 11 was indeed a nightmare, 9/11 as a memorial and Ground Zero as a "consecrated" place has turned out to be a blank check for the American war state, funding an endless trip to hell. They have helped lead us into fields of carnage that put the dead of 9/11 to shame.
Every dead person will, of course, be forgotten sooner or later, no matter how tightly we clasp their memories or what memorials we build. In my mind, I have a private memorial to my own dead parents. Whenever I leaf through my mother's childhood photo album and recognise just about no one but her among all the faces, however, I'm also aware that there is no one left on this planet to ask about any of them. And when I die, my little memorial to them will go with me.
This will be the fate, sooner or later, of everyone who on September 11, 2001, was murdered in those buildings in New York, in that field in Pennsylvania, and in the Pentagon, as well as those who sacrificed their lives in rescue attempts, or may now be dying as a result. Under such circumstances, who would not want to remember them all in a special way?
It's a terrible thing to ask those still missing the dead of 9/11 to forgo the public spectacle that accompanies their memory, but worse is what we have: repeated solemn ceremonies to the ongoing health of the American war state and the wildest dreams of Osama bin Laden.
Memory is usually so important, but in this case we would have been better off with oblivion. It's time to truly inter not the dead, but the worst urges in American life since 9/11 and the ceremonies which, for a decade, have gone with them. Better to bury all of that at sea with bin Laden and then mourn the dead, each in our own way, in silence and, above all, in peace.


text:
Previous Lesson
Complete and Continue
Help My Communication
Help Me Communicate
Introduction (0:58)
Downloadable resources (including slides, reflection task, core vocabulary board and emotion visual supports)
Communication Development (3:34)
Things we must make sure we do, to promote focus (3:27)
Our use of language to support focus (2:56)
Creating exciting opportunities to gain attention (2:42)
Modeling to support attention (1:36)
Attention to a person (4:38)
Attention in a group (2:24)
Anticipation and listening games (4:52)
Follow the child's lead (5:20)
Play, play, play! (7:45)
Total Communication (3:34)
Give enough time to process (at least 10 seconds!) (2:07)
Supporting understanding with sign (4:03)
Enhancing understanding with objects (4:45)
Aiding understanding with visual supports (5:14)
Modeling to support understanding (1:42)
Expressive communication development: Model in context (2:46)
Functional communication (6:07)
The importance of using positive language (1:43)
Visual supports to develop expressive communication (7:45)
An overview of AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) (4:20)
Learning and feedback (0:21)
Learning and feedback
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
One of the great things about Scala (or any JVM language for that matter) is that you can take advantage of lots of libraries in the Java ecosystem. Today I wanted to parse a CSV file with Scala, and of course the first thing I did was search for scala csv. That yielded some interesting results, including a couple of roll-your-own regex-based implementations. I prefer to lean on established libraries instead of copying and pasting code from teh internet, so my next step was to search for java csv.
The third hit down was opencsv and looked solid, had been updated recently, and was Apache-licensed. All good signs in my book. It's also in the main maven repository, so adding it to my sbt 0.10.x build configuration was easy:
libraryDependencies += "net.sf.opencsv" % "opencsv" % "2.1"
The syntax for sbt 0.7.x is similar, but you should really upgrade:
val opencsv = "net.sf.opencsv" % "opencsv" % "2.1"
Once that configuration change is in place, running sbt update
will let you use opencsv in either your project or the shell via sbt console
There are a couple of simple usage examples on the opencsv site along with a link to javadocs. The javadocs are currently for the development version (2.4) and include an improved iterator interface that would be useful for larger files.
Let's parse some CSV data in Scala. We'll use a CSV version of violations of 14 CFR 91.11, 121.580 & 135.120, affectionately known as the unruly passenger dataset (as seen in the Django book):
You can download the raw data as unruly_passengers.txt
Here's a full example of parsing the unruly passengers data:
import au.com.bytecode.opencsv.CSVReader
import java.io.FileReader
import scala.collection.JavaConversions._
val reader = new CSVReader(new FileReader("unruly_passengers.txt"))
for (row <- reader.readAll) {
println("In " + row(0) + " there were " + row(1) + " unruly passengers.")
This will print out the following:
In Year there were Total unruly passengers.
In 1995 there were 146 unruly passengers.
In 1996 there were 184 unruly passengers.
In 1997 there were 235 unruly passengers.
In 1998 there were 200 unruly passengers.
In 1999 there were 226 unruly passengers.
In 2000 there were 251 unruly passengers.
In 2001 there were 299 unruly passengers.
In 2002 there were 273 unruly passengers.
In 2003 there were 281 unruly passengers.
In 2004 there were 304 unruly passengers.
In 2005 there were 203 unruly passengers.
In 2006 there were 136 unruly passengers.
In 2007 there were 150 unruly passengers.
In 2008 there were 123 unruly passengers.
In 2009 there were 135 unruly passengers.
In 2010 there were 121 unruly passengers.
There are a couple of ways to make sure that the header line isn't included. If you specify the seperator and quote character, you can also tell it to skip any number of lines (one in this case):
val reader = new CSVReader(new FileReader("unruly_passengers.txt"), ",", "\"", 1)
Alternatively you could create a variable that starts true
and is set to false
after skipping the first line.
Also worth mentioning is the JavaConversions
import in the example. This enables explicit conversions between Java datatypes and Scala datatypes and makes working with Java libraries a lot easier. WIthout this import we couldn't use Scala's for loop syntactic sugar. In this case it's implicitly converting a Java.util.List
to a scala.collection.mutable.Buffer
Another thing to be aware of is any cleaning of the raw field output that might need to be done. For example, some CSV files often have leading or training whitespace. A quick and easy way to take care of this is to trim leading and trailing whitespace: row(0).trim
This isn't the first time I've been pleasantly surprised working with a Java library in Scala, and I'm sure it won't be the last. Many thanks to the developers and maintainers of opencsv and to the creators of all of the open source libraries, frameworks, and tools in the Java ecosystem.


text:
About Us
We used to be ACandyStore.com, but we dropped the A! ...
Co-OwnerDark Chocoholic
Childhood Dream: To Fly Like Superman
Tom keeps an eye out for new ways to spread the joy of bulk candy online. Meanwhile, he takes down a whole bar of 86% Cacao Ghirardelli Chocolate a day.
Co-OwnerSkittles Addict
Childhood Dream: NFL Quarterback
Ryan is our resident money-man and spends his day keeping the rest of the candy crew in check. He has been known to polish off jelly beans by the gallon.
Customer Service ExtraordinaireGum Bubble Record Holder
Childhood Dream: Outer Space Explorer
Ginger cracks the whip around here to make sure we're always focused on keeping the customers happy. Personable and professional as can be, she also blows bubbles that put us all to shame.
Social Media ButterflyReese's Pieces Fanatic
Childhood Dream: Ride a Unicorn
Melany is on top of the fast-moving social media craze and keeps our customers up to date on candy trends and coupons. Savvy and smooth, she is a sucker for a Reese's treat every time.
Customer & Media HomegirlSalt Water Taffy Girl
Childhood Dream: NYT Journalist
Nicole is in constant contact with our customers and handles the lovely press people too. Friendly but firm, Nicole loves the Gourmet Salter Water Taffy in Grape.
Bulk Candy QA & PurchasingForeign Candy Fiend
Childhood Dream: To be a Ballerina
Victoria monitors the bulk candy and make sure everything that comes in and goes out is fresh as can be. She has a sadistic addiction to sour bulk candy that is frankly kind of scary. :)
Inventory and Warehouse Willy WonkaChocolate Covered Pretzel-Head
Childhood Dream: Futbol Superstar
Jose keeps the flow of bulk candy steady and the morale in the office sky high. Goofy yet diligent, he has been known to take full advantage of his employee discount.
Warehouse WardenLicorice Junkie
Childhood Dream: Lion Tamer
Carlos keeps the warehouse humming. Heavy lifter and all-around handy bulk candy man, his management skills are tops too. You wouldn't believe how much red licorice a person can fit in their mouth!
More of our team to come soon...
Our humble beginnings..
Hello! Welcome to our online candy store, CandyStore.com. On this page you can learn about our dedicated team of candy fanatics. Yes, that is a pickup truck in a garage. Yes, that's where we started many years ago.
After meeting in college, Ryan and I decided to share our mutual love of candy with the world. What better way to do that than start a far-reaching bulk candy website that was fun and easy to navigate?
We hope you are finding everything alright. If you have any questions please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions page, or feel free to contact us.
Enjoy Your Candy!


text:
By: The School of Life
Alongside a satisfying relationship, a career we love is one of the foremost requirements for a fulfilled life. Unfortunately, it is devilishly hard to understand oneself well enough to know quite where one's energies should be directed. A Job To Love is designed to help us out of some of these impasses. It is a guide to how we can better understand ourselves and locate a job that is right for us.
With compassion and a deeply practical spirit, this book guides us to discover our true talents and to make sense of our confused desires and aspirations before it is too late.
Chapters include:
How we came to desire a job we could love
The 'vocation myth'
The output/input confusion
The dangers of success
Confidence and inner voices
The 'perfectionism trap'
The imposter syndrome
Good enough work


text:
Canadian politician Jagmeet Singh was ejected from the country's parliament for the day after calling another politician a 'racist.'
Singh, who heads the left-leaning New Democratic Party, was booted from the House of Commons for the day Wednesday after making the accusation against Alain Therrien, a member of the Bloc Québécois party.
Therrien had opposed a motion to acknowledge systemic racism in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The motion, according to portions read aloud by Singh, asked for a review of the law enforcement body's budget and release of use-of-force reports. The motion also made mentions of "several Indigenous people have died at the hands of the RCMP in recent months."
Singh said he was shocked by the "no" vote and that he looked back at Therrien when he heard the politician voice his opposition.
"I looked back and saw that MP not only say, 'no' but make eye contact with me and just kind of brush his hand. Dismiss it." Singh told reportersafter he was made to leave. "In that moment, I got angry."
Immediately after the vote Singh clarified for House of Commons leadership that he had called Therrien "a racist and I believe that's so." Singh also said he would not apologize. Speaker Anthony Rota then expelled Singh from the body for the rest of the day.
Singh, who is Sikh and the first racial minority leader of a federal political party, remained unapologetic even after being booted.
"In that gesture, I saw exactly what has happened for so long. People see racism as not a big deal, see systemic racism and the killing of indigenous people as not a big deal, see black people being the subject of violence and being killed as not a big deal, and in the moment I saw the face of racism, " Singh said.
On Thursday, the CBC reports, Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet defended his party member's action, denying that Therrien made the gesture Singh described. Blanchet also demanded that Singh apologize to his party and said Rota should impose a "severe" punishment if Singh refuses.
"He's not a racist. He loves everyone," Blanchet said.
But Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau backed Singh on Thursday.
"It is important that we recognize when the only racialized leader in the House of Commons makes a statement like that, that it comes from a place that yes, will make people uncomfortable, but needs to be dealt with as we move forward as a country," Trudeau told reporters.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
Minimalist Front Pocket Wallet (Bad Mother F*cker) Brown Cowhide Leather
Made from premium full grain cowhide leather, hand dyed, hand stamped, and hand sewn (with heavy-duty waxed cordage)...this wallet should last a lifetime of extreme use.
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Minimalist wallets are used to carry just the minimum needed items when out on the town (DL/ID/Credit-Debit Card/Cash)...normally worn in front pocket it is convenient and light (even when fully loaded).
This model wallet will hold up-to (8) eight credit/debit/ID cards, and up-to (12) twelve folded bills of US paper currency at one time.
Studies have shown that wearing your wallet, in a front pocket, can also to help with relieving lower back pain.
Do yourself a favor and order today!!!


text:
Sunday, July 14, 2024
- Residents in low-lying areas in Tanzania's largest city, Dar es Salaam, are potentially at risk of contracting waterborne diseases as heavy rains, which started last week, continue to pound the city.
Early this month, the Tanzania Meteorological Agency (TMA) announced that Dar es Salaam was among the areas in northern and southern Tanzania that would receive above-average rainfall and strong winds in the coming weeks, and urged residents to take precautions.
Tanzania's eastern Morogoro Region was also affected in January as flash floods displaced over 10,000 people and damaged infrastructure such as roads and houses.
In Jangwani and Kigogo, administrative areas in Dar es Salaam, residents who refused to heed the government's call to vacate the area are being affected by the current downpour.
"I couldn't sleep last night, the rain resulted in a lot of water here," resident Maulid Ali told IPS.
Local residents from Kigogo told IPS that the water had become a serious health hazard because people are emptying their pit latrines into the flooded water, which resulted in human excreta spreading through the area.
"We drink water from the well but when it rains it is difficult to know if it is safe," Riziki Mwenda, a resident of Kigogo, told IPS.
Public health experts have cautioned that residents in disaster-prone areas are potentially vulnerable to epidemic diseases.
Dar es Salaam regional commissioner Said Meck Sadick told IPS that waterborne diseases were endemic to the city because some residents did not observe good hygiene.
"We keep on reminding people in low-lying areas to take precautions and observe health regulations such as boiling water and using toilet facilities," he said.
According to data from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dar es Salaam is among five coastal regions with the highest number of cholera cases with incidents reported almost every year.
But these cases could increase as this East African nation experiences the visible impact of climate change.
A 2011 study by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health stated that risks to cholera increase by 15 to 29 percent with a one degree Celsius temperature increase.
Projections by the TMA show that mean annual temperatures here will increase between 2.1 to four degrees Celsius in northern, central and southern Tanzania by 2100.
The agency's director of Research and Applied Meteorology, Ladislaus Chang'a, told IPS that increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events were likely to continue hitting most parts of the country.
He said that northern and southern Tanzania would experience an increase in rainfall ranging from five to 45 percent, adding that most parts of the country may experience a decrease in rainfall of 10 to 15 percent.
"A rapid increase or decrease of rainfall will hit most parts of the country, causing floods or droughts, which has contributed to malnutrition due to lack of food, increased infectious diseases and scarcity of clean water," he said.
However, Herbert Kashililah, a technical advisor with global charity Water Aid, told IPS that the increasing number of epidemic diseases related to climate change in Dar es Salaam was largely exacerbated by existing policy gaps and lack of citizen accountability.
"The existing gap between policy and practice is attributed to lack of accountability from principal actors and overlap of authority between local governments and central ministry in enforcing existing laws controlling such diseases," he said. Tanzania has no policy on climate change.
Kashililah said that public health enforcement should be taken seriously.
"The government should significantly invest in a clean water supply for every city resident but [should] also ensure waste water is properly managed," he said.
Kashililah said that a majority of households obtain water from boreholes that are contaminated with sewage and sanitation effluents and still did not have access to running water.
The government admitted that communicable diseases still posed a serious public health risk across the country as a whole despite efforts to prevent and control it.
The Minister for Health and Social Welfare Dr. Seif Rashid told IPS that the government was committed to improving the health and well-being of Tanzanians by encouraging the health system to be more responsive to those at risk of contracting waterborne diseases.
"The policy is there and how we implement it very much depends on the funds allocated in the national budget," he said.
Rashid said that the government would continue its public education campaign through community-based programmes so that people understand and take appropriate measures to prevent themselves from contracting diseases.
He added that the government hoped to improve water supply and sanitation services across the country through its donor-funded Water Sector Development Programme.


text:
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We've proudly served Porirua and the surrounding communities since 2005. Owner operated, your best local choice for a comprehensive auto repair facility. We are your dealership alternative, servicing all makes and models using the latest tools and equipment. Our technicians are qualified automotive engineers with WOF certification.
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We hope to help you soon.


text:
Acorn Finial Tips (DSAT) for solid brass door butt hinges by Deltana Enterprises can be installed interchangeably on all Deltana solid brass door hinges. Please refer to the item details to determine matching hinge sizes.
To choose the proper hinge size consider the following:
Number of Hinges per Door - As a general rule you will want to use 1 hinge per every 30" of door or fraction thereof. Referring to door height:
Radius of a Hinge - To determine if you have a 1/4" or 5/8" radius corner hinge, measure the beginning of the curve to where the corner of the hinge would be if it were square.
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View more Architectural & Door Hardware from Deltana Enterprises.
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text:
Empowerment (Skt. abhiṣeka or abhiṣiñca; Tib. དབང་, wang; Wyl. dbang) is the initiation that transmits or awakens primordial wisdom (Tib. ཡེ་ཤེས་, yeshe), the power or realization in the mind of the disciple.
Empowerment is very important, for in order to practice tantra, one must first receive initiation. In the lower categories of tantra, there is only the vase initiation.
Empowerment (Tib.{{BigTibetan|དབང་, Wyl. dbang, wang) refers to the Vajrayāna ritual which awakens the special capacity for primordial wisdom (Tib. yeshe) to arise in the mind of the disciple. It is called 'empowerment' because when we receive it, we are empowered to follow a particular spiritual practice, and so come to master its realization.
It is said:
In the Secret Mantra Vehicle, there can be no accomplishment without empowerment,
For that would be like a boatman without oars.
Without empowerment there's no accomplishment;
You can't get oil from pressing sand.
Empowerments can only be granted by qualified vajra masters and require for the students receiving them to maintain the specific vajrayāna precepts (Skt. samaya), on the basis of the refuge and bodhisattva vows.
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche reminds us of the real meaning of 'empowerment':
"The most common description of abhisheka is that it is a transfer of power during a ceremony to give recipients the authorization to hear, study and practice the teachings of the vajrayana; we therefore "receive an empowerment."
But the problem is that receiving an empowerment suggests someone is giving us a power we previously lacked[...], and is a long way away from the true spirit of tantric initiation.
During an initiation we are introduced to an aspect of ourselves that already exists within us but that we have yet to recognize, and it is the activation of this recognition that we call 'empowerment' or 'initiation'. This is the real meaning of abhisheka.
Oral transmission (Tib. ལུང་, lung; Wyl. lung; Skt. āgama) — It is important to receive an oral transmission (sometimes called 'aural transmission' or 'reading transmission') from a teacher, in order to create an auspicious connection with a particular text or practice. In the case of tantric texts, such as sādhanas or commentaries, this transmission occurs once one has received the relevant empowerment.
The reading transmission is passed down from master to student when the student listens to the teacher reading a text for which he or she holds a transmission, ultimately going back to the author of the text.
In this way, the student receives the blessing of the lineage without which he or she will not be able to understand the text fully in all its depth. Some teachers even consider it inappropriate to look at and read a dharma text for which one has not yet received a transmission.
In the two higher categories of tantra, there are four initiations:
the vase,
wisdom, and
word initiation (or oral empowerment).
From the moment a practitioner has taken the vase initiation, the master bestowing it becomes his or her lama. Within the vase initiation there are several initiations, each related to the five Buddha families: Akshobya, the water initiation; Ratnasambhava, the crown initiation; Amitabha, the vajra initiation; Amoghasiddhi, the bell initiation; and Vairochana, the name initiation.
In addition, there is also the master initiation.
The lama bestowing the initiation is called the vajra-master.
Receiving initiation from a qualified master is a permission to recite the text(s), to meditate on the deity, and to recite the deity's mantra.
Without an initiation the practice of tantra is not only not permitted, but is also considered a cause for accumulation of grave negative karma for both the teacher and the disciple. Receiving the proper initiation gives the practitioner power to practice successfully and gain accomplishments.
As stated in the following verse:
Without initiation there is no spiritual attainment,
Like a butter-lamp of water.
Once the disciple has received initiation, the lama can teach him or her tantric practices and meditations.
Having received initiation into the three lower tantras, the disciple must practice the yoga with signs, which means visualizing the deity and reciting the mantra(s), which are practices for developing a calmly abiding mind.
Once calm-abiding has been attained, the disciple practices the yoga without signs, which is meditation on emptiness, with meditation on the deity to develop special insight. Having received the higher tantric initiations, the disciple is ready to practice the generation and completion stages.
empowerment (jiachi):
Empowerment (Tib.: wang kur): a formal and often complex initiation into a specific practice of deity yoga, using a mandala, and lasting from 1 to 3 days.
What one receives from outer or inner-tantric initiation given by an authentic vajra master.
However, Dorje Chang Buddha III has told us that showing loving-kindness toward all living beings and understanding and believing in the law of cause and effect is better than all types of empowerment. Literally means added support
Tulku Thondup explains that among the different ways of categorizing empowerments:
- empowerments given to disciples who have not been initiated before are called causal empowerment;
- the empowerment given to students for developing their maturation or restoring the broken precepts are classified as empowerment of the path; and
- empowerments given to those who are ready to achieve the final attainment and which cause the disciple to attain the ultimate fruition are classified as empowerments of result because they bring the final result.[1]
See also the four empowerments.
The Function of Empowerment
Empowerment is to ripen or mature our buddha nature.
Even though all beings possess the buddha nature, without receiving empowerment it is not possible to receive blessings and accomplishments through a particular practice, just as it will never be possible to get oil by pressing sand.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama says:
- "When an empowerment is conferred on you, it is the nature of your mind—the buddha nature—that provides a basis upon which the empowerment can ripen you.
Through the empowerment, you are empowered into the essence of the buddhas of the five families.
In particular, you are 'ripened' within that particular family through which it is your personal predisposition to attain buddhahood."
Two Causes & Four Conditions
Two Causes
- The cooperative cause (lhan cig byed pa'i rgyu) is the use of various substances (rdzas) during the empowerment, such as the vase, image cards and so forth.
Four Conditions
- The causal condition (rgyu'i rkyen) is the disciple who has faith and intelligence
- The dominant condition (bdag rkyen) is the teacher who is fully qualified
- The objective condition (dmigs rkyen) is the teacher's knowledge of the empowerment, deities, and mantras, and samadhi
- The immediate condition (de ma thag rkyen) is the previous phase or empowerment, since each phase prepares the student for what follows, and that is why empowerments must be given in the proper sequence[2]
- Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Journey Without Goal, The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa, Volume Four (Boston & London: Shambhala, 2003), Ch. 10 'Abhisheka'.
- Herbert V. Guenther, The Dawn of Tantra, The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa, Volume Four (Boston & London: Shambhala, 2003), Ch. 9 'Empowerment and Initiations'.
- His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Pure Appearance (Halifax: Vajravairochana Translation Committee, 1992, 2002—restricted title), pages 1-14.
- Jamgön Kongtrul, The Treasury of Knowledge, Book Six, Part Four: Systems of Buddhist Tantra, translated by Elio Guarisco and Ingrid McLeod (Ithaca: Snow Lion, 2005), Ch. 12 'Initiation'.
- Padmasambhava & Jamgön Kongtrul, The Light of Wisdom, Vol. Two, translated by Erik Pema Kunsang (Boudhanath: Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 1999), Chapter 16.
- Thinley Norbu, The Small Golden Key (Shambhala Publications, 1999), '12. Empowerment'.
- Tsele Natsok Rangdrol, Empowerment and the Path of Liberation, Rangjung Yeshe Publications, 1993.
- Tulku Thondup, Enlightened Journey: Buddhist Practice as Daily Life (Boston: Shambhala, 1995), 'The Empowerments and Precepts of Esoteric Training', pages 106-133.
See Also
Empowerment (dbang)
The conferring of power or authorization to practice the Vajrayana teachings, the indispensable entrance door to tantric practice.
Empowerment gives control over one's innate vajra body, vajra speech and vajra mind and the authority to regard forms as deity, sounds as mantra and thoughts as wisdom.
A special potential power to attain any of the four Buddha bodies that is received by a Tantric practitioner from his or her Guru, or from other holy beings, by means of Tantric ritual.
The gateway through which we enter Tantra is receiving a Tantric empowerment, which bestows upon us special blessings that heal our mental continuum and awaken our Buddha nature.
When we receive a Tantric empowerment, we are sowing the special seeds of the four bodies of a Buddha upon our mental continuum.
See also 'four empowerments.'
"Various medicines have various types of strength or power.
Water has a power to wet things and clean things.
Fire has a power to burn.
When we put water in a field it helps to grow flowers or crops.
All phenomena have a particular power associated with them.
Through the power of interdependence, when we ask for the blessing, blessing comes as a particular type of power.
One receives that power, the blessing, and one's defilements and obscurations are purified and dispelled."
Initiation, Empowerment or wangkur
A characteristic feature of Vajrayana Buddhism is the requisite ritual for participating in the worship, service and practice (Skt.:
Sadhana of a deity or bodhisattva
This is the process by which a lama with experience in the particular practice confers on others the description, explanation, visualization and order of the practice, along with appropriate offerings and specific mantras.
It is more than the sum of its parts though; it is a lineage transmission of blessing and energy.
The empowerment or initiation grants permission, bestows help with, and gives access to, the benefits of a tantric practice.
It can be short or long, and complex or very simple.
It normally includes the wang (Skt. abisheka) which is the actual
consecration or dedication of the student to the practice-deity]],
the lung which is the oral transmission a recitation of the procedural text or manual (sometimes in a condensed or speedily-read version,) and
the tri or instructions on how to do the practice.
In special cases, a brief ritual-touching of the student with the text, accompanied by recitation of the associated mantra is sufficient.
Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche (d. 1989,) who served for many years as Chief [[Meditation Master]of the Kagyu]], in Gently Whispered (New York: Station Hill, 1994) said:
"Most tantrayana or vajrayana visualization practices and mantra practices require that an initiation and subsequent authorization and instruction be given by a qualified lama before the sadhana, or ritual practice, can begin.
However, a few practices, those that were given publicly by Lord Buddha Shakyamuni, do not fall under such restrictions.
Very definitely, all the practices given in the Sutras have the full blessing of the Buddha and therefore can be practiced if one has the aspiration to do so.
Such practices include those of the noble Chenrezig and of the mother of the buddhas, Green Tara.
Naturally, whenever it is possible for you to take the vajrayana initiation of Chenrezig or Green Tara, you are encouraged to do so.
Right now, however, the practice in which I am giving you instruction can be practiced straight away, due wholly to the blessing of Buddha Shakyamuni.
When you finally do get around to receiving the Chenrezig initiation, it will deepen your practice and strengthen your connection with your tsaway lama and with Yidam Chenrezig."
Gently Whispered contains a complete sadhana of Chenrezig which is possible to practice without an empowerment beforehand, although the practitioner should see to getting one as soon as possible.
What Will Actually Take Place?
A complete Buddhist empowerment is usually divided into [[four parts]
vase empowerment
secret empowerment
knowledge-wisdom empowerment
speech, sound, word or "suchness empowerment
Tom: " . . . the fourth empowerment, although called the "Word Empowerment", is not always given or introduced with "words."
Sometimes an object is displayed that illustrates the clarity and luminosity of mind.
I remember receiving one empowerment when the word empowerment was bestowed in a manner that I cannot rightly describe.
It may have been a word but if so, it went by so quickly that others who were present didn't even notice it happening.
It certainly was a sound, and it was certainly from the lama, but its signification was lost on me, although the shock of hearing such a loud and punctuated sound from one who had previously been quietly chanting was quite remarkable.
Perhaps it was this suddenness that prevented others in the group from even hearing it. Hmmmm. "
Transforming Poison into Nectar
Here is an excerpt from {Khenchen Konchog Gyaltshen Rinpoche's (as yet, unpublished) commentary on Bhante Dharmaraja's Jewel Treasury of Advice: 100 Verses from the Heart.
The Drikung Kagyu master [whose Sanskrit monastic name is transliterated to respect a regional accent as] Bhande Dharmaradza, lived from 1704 to 1754, and is considered a reincarnation of the great Dharmakirti (1595-1659.)
(The Verse)
The ripening four empowerments)] are like a stream of nectar.
They purify the four obscurations and plant the seeds of the four kayas;
they are the root of the path of mantra.
This is my heart's advice.
(The Commentary)
When we have a qualified lama and have kept the samaya, then we can receive Vajrayana teachings.
If you ask for the distinction between the sutra and tantra systems, it is the empowerment ceremony, abhisheka in Sanskrit.
Any practice for which empowerment is required, that is what we call a Vajrayana practice.
If a practice does not need an empowerment first, then it is from the sutra system of practice.
Many masters have different explanations of this point, but this one from Lord Jigten Sumgön [1143-1217] is very clear and precise.
Our ordinary mind is hard, unripened. So, it must be ripened with the empowerments.
In Tibetan, the word for nectar is dutsi, which means a substance that transforms poison into nectar.
It is also called stainless ambrosia or un-afflicted nectar.
So the reference here recalls this quality of transformation, like alchemy.
In alchemy, base metals are transformed into gold.
Our mind is like that base metal, which is transformed into gold by the empowerment ceremony.
While the stream of the nectar is poured into us during the ceremony, we meditate that we transform into the deity state, thereby purifying all our negative thoughts and obscurations.
We manifest our mind as the deity's mind.
Our whole being is transformed into the mandala of the deity.
Through the four empowerments we purify the four obscurations.
By purifying the four obscurations, we plant the seed to achieve the four kayas the future.
These steps are the basic elements of tantra, the root of the Vajrayana system.
Without these ceremonies, we have no authority to practice Vajrayana, so we cherish this so much.
The four empowerments are:
• vase,
• secret,
• wisdom, and
• fourth.
The four obscurations are:
• physical,
• verbal,
• mental, and
• subtle.
The four kayas are:
• Nirmanakaya,
• Sambhogakaya,
• Dharmakaya, and
• Svabhavikakaya.
Through the meditation of the first, the vase empowerment we purify our physical obscurations.
We see ourselves now as ordinary beings of flesh and bone, which is the source of our suffering.
If we see clearly during the empowerment ceremony, we manifest our physical body into an enlightened form. In other words, we transform ourselves into the deity.
By attaining the state of the deity, we plant the seed to achieve the Nirmanakaya.
During the second empowerment, called the secret empowerment, we purify the obscurations caused by our speech.
Our ceaseless chatter and all the negative words that we use are transformed into Buddha's speech.
By purifying our verbal obscurations, we plant the seed to achieve the Sambhogakaya.
By receiving the third, or wisdom empowerment we purify our mental obscurations.
All our delusions are transformed into wisdom nature, and our minds manifest without boundary.
By purifying our mental obscuration, we plant the seed to achieve the Dharmakaya.
The fourth empowerment is sometimes called the precious word empowerment, but usually is called "the fourth."
By receiving this empowerment, we purify the subtle obscurations to enlightenment.
The subtle obscurations of duality are transformed into primordial awareness. By purifying our subtle obscurations, we plant the seed to achieve the Svabhavikakaya.
These four initiations are usually associated with the highest of the four main classes of tantra, such as
Hevajra (Kyedorje),
Chakrasamvara (Demchog),
Vajrayogini (as Dorje Naljorma) or
Kalachakra (Dukhor)
The Kalachakra Initiation given by HH Dalai Lama in Graz, Austria, 2002.
The 10-in-1 Kalachakra symbol.
Getting the Power
According to Kalachakra.Net, the Dalai Lama Manjushri Initiation in NYC in 1998, said:
"If one can engage on the Vajrayana path on the basis of a clear understanding of the tantric path, then it can be truly profound and effective.
Some Tibetan masters of the past have emphasized many of the significances of the Vajrayana teachings by the representation of the vajra and bell.
The Tibetans say that if one utilizes these implements with a full awareness of their significance and a full understanding of the Vajrayana path, then when one rings the bell it will have a profound symbolism and meaning.
But the simple act of playing a bell doesn't really have any profundity.
One can see that even cows have bells around their necks and make loud noises."
An empowerment is only a beginning.
For there to be enduring benefit, proper practice has to follow.
There is a hierarchical progression in tantric practices for which the empowerment is an essential ingredient, and so a wang may belong to the any of the tantra classes.
(The number and kinds of classes depends upon the particular denomination of Buddhism.)
The most frequently given initiations are for deities such as Chenrezi, Green Tara and Amitabha.
Any teaching which is associated with the empowerment means that there is a possibility for practice commitments to be imposed.
The Requirements
Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche taught that one can take an empowerment:
(1) with the intention of simply receiving blessings
(2) with the intention of doing the associated practice at some future time
(3) with the intention of beginning the regular associated practice immediately.
He said that in order for an empowerment to be effective, there must be three conditions:
1. The motive of the teacher is pure and founded in love and compassion. The lama must also have been empowered, and must have experience with the practice him- or herself.
2. The student or disciple must trust, without reservation, the validity of the ritual and the qualification of the lama. The lama is understood as a representative of the Buddha and also, of her- or his own teacher. The personal day-to-day qualities of the lama are not as significant as their role as vajra-guru.
3. Ritual objects such as image, vase (bumpa, tormas and other suitable offerings must also be there.
When a practice is authentic, it is a link in the continuity of four aspects of transmission:
the source is an uninterrupted lineage
the transmission includes the ritual of the empowerment itself
the words forming the text of the ritual are given
the meaning of the words and the imagery is given
a spiritual energy that is characteristic of and inherent in the [[deity practice is passed on.
R.M., a practitioner, called that energy "grace" and likens it to " ... electrical power, invisible and very powerful." He said to the Kagyu email list, that
" ... Buddha, the source of grace, is like a power plant and the lineage that transmits grace is the wire.
As long as the wire is not cut, a bulb can be connected to it at any place, and the bulb is lit.
But if the wire is cut, one may have a power plant at one end and a bulb at the other, but it is impossible to get any light.
If the lineage of transmission has been interrupted ... , it is impossible to receive grace through an empowerment.
The lineage has become entirely sterile."
To participate, a person must have taken Refuge.
Sometimes, the Refuge ceremony will be given immediately beforehand, so that the newer students may participate.
This is especially the case in the West where visits from tantric lamas are few and far between.
A wang involves different consecrations/purifications.
A major empowerment may have four transmissions, blessings or consecrations, and some of those are themselves sub-divided into several separate ritual actions.
A minor wang generally has three consecrations, one each for
the "three doors" through which we act (and create karma).
Actually, from a higher perspective, the three are already purified, though generally we do not realize that.
In fact, it is the goal of tantric practice to purify all actions of Body, Speech and Mind by removing our moral and mental defilements (kleshas) so that our actions become not different from those of a Buddha.
To paraphrase the words of His Holiness Karmapa, Urgyen Trinley: There is happiness when motivation and action are the same.
Receiving an empowerment is like the planting of a seed; later, with the right conditions, this seed will sprout into true Buddhahood.
Therefore, when an empowerment is announced, often there is besides the statement that 'Refuge is required,' the phrase 'commitments may be imposed.'
From posts on the K
"I was always under the impression that one could receive an empowerment anytime."
S. S. responded, "I think that the ... empowerment has to match the karmic conditions.
Some strange things occur in this context:
On one occasion the planned program was to give an explanation on the first day and the empowerment on the second.
I did not particularly want the empowerment, but I was curious to find out about the practice, and so I went on the first day.
To everybody's surprise the empowerment was given on the first day.
This meant that people who were not serious enough to come to listen to the explanation missed the empowerment.
There is another occasion I remember when several of us were doubtful whether to attend a particular empowerment. The lama said that if we were not too keen to go, it was time to go, and if we were eager to go, we should stay away.
I have also been present on an occasion when the ceremony appeared to have ended. Some people, including myself, left. It was only afterwards I found out that the ceremony continued.
My experience has taught me that in all these coincidences regarding empowerments there is a kind of internal logic which we cannot understand. I now just take it easy and do not worry too much about taking a wrong empowerment, because it seems to me that the system itself protects us against mistakes."
The Body Consecration purifies physical defilements so that we may visualize ourselves as the deity.
For example, whether old, young, male or female, we are Chenrezi, with one face, four arms, holding a rosary, a gem, and so on.
The Consecration of Speech purifies the voice and empowers us to be able to recite the appropriate mantra.
The Mind Consecration empowers us to realize the non-duality of our own mind and the mind of the deity, so that the everyday dichotomy of subject and object is transcended.
All three together empower us to do a specific meditation practice in which (among other things) you visualize yourself as the deity, recite the mantra, and allow any thought of a distinction between yourself and the deity to slip away.
These practices help us to achieve the realization that our true nature as not different from Buddhahood.
Since the visualizations performed during major wangs are lengthy and complicated, there may be texts available for preparatory description and explanation. Some people like to bring along a small pad and pen to take notes.
If a wang includes a Vase Consecration then there will be a ritual flask or bumpa with peacock feathers.
The liquid in the flask will have been consecrated before the wang by the lama.
During the ritual, the flask will be placed on your head (usually the congregation will form a line, and go up one at a time to receive these blessings) and you may be given some of the nectar from the flask to drink.
(It will be poured into your cupped hands from which you sip. Any remaining drops are dried upon the crown of the head.)
Getting Ready for an Empowerment
You should prepare yourself as if you were going to receive consecration from the Buddha Himself (as, in a sense, your are).
During the preparation ritual performed by the lama before the wang, he created himself as the deity.
Throughout the wang you should think of the lama as not different from the deity, and visualize him in the form of the deity.
The consecration is more effective if you cultivate a firm belief that you are receiving the wang from the deity.
For example, if you are receiving a Chenrezi empowerment, then you should constantly imagine the lama in the form of Chenrezi, and believe that it is Chenrezi Himself who is conferring the empowerment upon you.
Before entering the area where the wang is to be given ,you should remove your shoes and wash your mouth with water.
There are usually assistants to pour water for this purpose, and to hold the bowl into which you spit it out.
If the lama is already seated, you should make three prostrations toward him or her.
Before each one, touch the slightly cupped palms of your hands together to the forehead, throat and heart.
If for physical or other reasons you cannot make full prostrations then it is sufficient to bow deeply three times in the direction of the lama.
It is best to sit cross-legged, but if you are prevented by physical causes then it is permissible to use a stool or a chair.
If, when sitting cross-legged, your legs or back become tired then change position quietly.
You should not lie on the floor, or sit with your legs stretched out toward the lama.
Before the wang begins, the monk who is assisting the lama will usually give you a small amount of rice, which you should keep handy. This rice is for use in the mandala offering which occurs shortly after the beginning of the wang.
As there are always at least two mandala offerings during a wang (at the beginning and at the end), you may want to save some rice in a heap beside you (or in an accessible pocket) for the final mandala offering.
While waiting for the wang to begin, instead of looking around, you might reflect on your reason for being there.
It is important to cultivate the right attitude, which is as follows:
Sentient beings suffer under conditions of dissatisfaction and sorrow caused by moral defilements (passions) and mental defilements (delusions).
Although you may recognize this condition of universal suffering, you cannot do much about it because you are as bound as everyone else.
Only by attaining the wisdom, compassion and power of the Buddhas can you rescue yourself and others from this condition, and so for the sake of all sentient beings you are receiving this consecration.
(Of course, this is a reminder of the 4 Noble Truths and the Mahayana attitude or bodhisattva vow.) The Introduction
The ceremony may begin with the recitation of Refuge and preliminary prayers.
Then there is a mandala offering to the guru, whom you visualize in the form of the deity, surrounded by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
The monk assisting the lama acts as the model for you; he may make three prostrations and heap rice upon a silver mandala plate.
While he is doing that, the participants perform the mandala mudra (in which the parallel ring fingers together pointing upward symbolize the axis of the cosmos according to ancient Indian cosmology), but this is not essential.
Try, though, to imagine that in offering a bit of rice, you are really offering the universe with its millions of worlds containing all good things.
You are offering all this for a bestowal of empowerment by this generous lama.
As the assistant concludes the chanting of the mandala-offering verses, he will throw rice in the air;
you do the same with a movement of the hand beginning at the heart going out from the body to symbolize the heart-felt motivation of these offerings.
There are then, certain prayers of requesting that the lama will recite in Tibetan.
You repeat them phrase by phrase as best you can. As an expression of devotion, it is customary to place the palms together at the heart when reciting prayers.
During this introductory part or preparation, we recite the Seven-fold or Seven-branch Prayer:
1. We confess all sinful actions performed during countless past lives.
2. We rejoice in all the virtuous deeds performed by the Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas and by all sentient beings.
3. We promise to maintain an attitude of Absolute bodhicitta which is the realization of Ultimate Truth - "emptiness".
4. We take Refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha until we attain Enlightenment.
5. We hold the attitude of Relative bodhicitta - the desire to attain Enlightenment for the sake of rescuing all sentient beings from their sufferings.
6. and also to take all steps necessary for attaining Enlightenment for this purpose.
7. We dedicate the merit produced by all these good actions to the welfare of all sentient beings.
It is usual for the lama to explain the origin of the tantra.
That is, how it came to be practiced, and how it relates to this or her particular teaching lineage.
Throughout the empowerment there are various visualizations/actions to be performed.
They may be introduced beforehand, or explained by the lama just at the appropriate time.
The visualizations during the main part of the wang are more complicated than those of the preparation.
For example, during the main part you may have to visualize deities emerging from space, or from the lama's heart, and Tibetan letters appearing at certain places on the lama's body and/or your own.
You may be asked to visualize lights of various colours issuing from the lama's heart and shining upon yourself and all other sentient beings, that purify defilements.
At some point, you may visualize yourself in the form of the deity, according to the instructions of the lama.
This Body Consecration is made firm as incense is wafted by the assisting person.
During the Voice Consecration you usually have to visualize the mantra of the deity (in Tibetan letters) emerging from the heart of the lama and entering your own heart.
The lama then may recites the mantra, which you repeat after him three times.
During the Mind Consecration, you visualize the seed-syllable of the deity in your heart and by concentrating on this seed-syllable which is the essence of the deity, you try to realize the non-duality of your own mind and that of the deity/lama.
The empowerment ends with various prayers and a final mandala offering of thanks to the guru for bestowing the wang.
The disciples then file past the lama to receive any special blessings, such as the placing of the vajra/flask on top of the head, and sometimes, to receive an image.
If the mandala of the deity has been constructed (present in major wangs) then you should look into it and offer homage to the deity at its center Offerings
It is customary to offer white scarves (Tibetan: khatag) at this time, or at the very end, but this is not strictly necessary.
If a khata is offered (held as in the picture) then it should be placed in front of the lama or at his side.
Often, it will be returned to you (with the help of the assisting monk) as a blessing, but not always.
They may be available for purchase before the ritual, but if you do not have one, you can offer a smile and a bow.
There is often a natural inclination to make offerings to the lama out of recognition for his or her kindness.
Plan to bring an envelope (or two, if you would like to donate something to the translator or other assistant) into which you can put your contributions. It is customary to make these donations at the end of the wang.
You can place this on the lama's lectern or desk with the katha.
Though the value of an empowerment cannot be measured in dollars, that does not mean that money is unsuitable as an offering.
Flowers and fruit are suitable as offerings to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas; lamas who are residents at dharma centres, who help build monasteries and schools, and who travel widely need money.
Each person should offer what he or she feels is appropriate.
Like Planting a Seed
On Receiving Wang (empowerment) by Ngawang Phuntsok
In order to practice Vajrayana Buddhism, one has to receive
Lung and
oral transmission and
instructions) from a qualified Lama (Guru or Master).
The term "Wang" in Tibetan, or "Abhishekha" in Sanskrit, literally means "Empowerment".
It refers to a ceremony in which a qualified Lama places a disciple in touch with a particular Tantric Deity and empowers him to recite the Deity's mantra and meditate on the non-duality between his own mind and the Deity's mind.
Much happens during the Empowerment Ceremony and everything that happens has its special meanings, not just for ceremonial decoration or ritualistic purposes.
What Happens During An Empowerment Ceremony
An Empowerment always involves several different initiations.
A major Empowerment may have four initiations, some of which are sub-divided into several Sub-Initiations.
A minor Empowerment generally has three Initiations - for the body, speech and mind.
These are the "three doors" through which we act and create karmas.
The goal of Tantra is to purify all our karmas of body, speech and mind by removing our afflictions and obstacles to our liberation and omniscience, so that our actions become no difference from those of a Buddha.
Receiving an Empowerment is like planting of a seed.
With the right conditions later, this seed will sprout and grow into Buddhahood.
During the Empowerment, each of these three doors is blessed individually, thus, there is a Body Initiation, a Speech Initiation and a Mind Initiation.
In this way, the defilements of each of the three doors are purified and you are empowered to visualise yourself in the form of the Deity, to recite the Deity's mantra and to meditate on the mind of the Deity.
The Sanskrit term "Guru" refers to a person of great spiritual attainment and authority; it was translated into Tibetan as "Lama". Tibetan monks who do not have any special attainments are not considered as lamas.
Also, a lama need not be a monk. Vajrayana is open to all, and married persons are not barred from receiving or giving any of the Tantric teachings.
Devotion to the Lama who is your Guru is most important, and it is necessary for spiritual attainment.
The purpose of Tantric practices is to realize the Buddha nature in each of us, and you should seek as your Guru, a lama who has himself realised this.
Having found such a lama, you should cultivate devotion towards him so that you can recognise more clearly the Buddha nature as it is manifest in him.
In this way, you are led to realise the pure nature of your mind as the mind of the Buddha also.
What To Do When Attending An Empowerment Ceremony
You should prepare yourself for an Empowerment as if you were going to receive Initiation from the Buddha Himself.
An Empowerment has three stages
the Preparation, the Main Part and the Conclusion.
Preparation Stage
During the Preparation Stage, you should do the following:
1. Wash your mouth before you enter the hall.
2. On entering the hall, make three prostrations towards the Lama and/or the Shrine.
3. Take your seat on the floor. Do not lie down or sit with your legs stretched towards the Lama or Shrine.
4. While waiting for the Empowerment to begin, cultivate the right attitude by reflecting the reason why you want to receive the Empowerment. The right reason should be that you wish to liberate all sentient beings from their sufferings caused by the afflictions of desire, hatred and ignorance.
5. Make a Mandala Offering by imagining that you are offering the universe, containing all the good things, to the Lama.
6. Think and believe that you are receiving the Empowerment from the Deity, represented by the Lama.
7. Recite the Seven-fold Prayer, which is to confess all sins, rejoice all virtues, take refuge in the Triple Gems, promise to hold the Absolute Bodhicitta, to maintain and apply the Relative Bodhicitta and to dedicate the merits produced by these good actions for the welfare of all sentient beings.
Main Part
Usually, the main part of the Empowerment consists of the Body, Speech and
Mind Initiations
Body Initiation
Visualise yourself in the form of the Deity, according to the instructions of the Lama.
This Body Initiation is made firm in you when incense is wafted about by the assistant monk.
Speech Initiation
Visualise the Mantra of the Deity emerging from the heart of the Lama through his mouth and entering your own heart, through your mouth.
The Lama then recites the Mantra 3 times, which you repeat after him.
Mind Initiations
Visualise the Seed-Syllable (a radiant Tibetan letter standing on a moon-disc or sun-disc) of the Deity in your heart.
Concentrate on this Seed-Syllable (which is the Essence of the Deity's Mind) and try to realise the non-duality of your own mind and that of the Lama's or the Deity's.
During the concluding stage of the Empowerment, you do the following:
1) Chant the concluding prayer.
2) Perform the final Mandala Offering to thank the Lama.
3) Queue up to receive any special blessing, such as the placing of the Vase, Torma, Vajra, etc. on top of one's head.
4) If the Mandala of the Deity had been constructed, then you should look into it and pay homage to the Deity at its centre.
5) Make appropriate offerings (within your capability) to the Lama.
6) Dedicate the merits you have accumulated to benefit all sentient beings.
- ↑ Tulku Thondup, Enlightened Journey, Shambala, 1995. p113.
- ↑ Based on Tulku Thondup (1995) pages 115-6 and Khenpo Namdrol, oral teaching January 2012


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Everyone wants to be Set For Life, so why not take the chance and enter. You could be the winner of $20,000 EVERY month for the next 20 Years. Set For Life Numbers will appear right here as soon as they land, every Monday and Thursday evening. Tonight's SET FOR LIFE Lotto Results: 17 June 2022
What would you do with $20,000 per month, every month for the next 20 years!? Check your numbers you might just be set for life.
Friday's SET FOR LIFE Lotto Results: 17 June 2022 – Draw 2507
Set For Life Lotto Results:
03, 24, 33, 39, 41, 42, 44 & 16, 29
Previous Results
For previous results, check out our Lotto Results Page.
When does the draw take place?
- Monday & Wednesday Lotto draw takes place every Monday & Wednesday at about 20:15 AEST (11:15 GMT).
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Disclaimer: Monday & Wednesday Lotto, Oz Lotto, Powerball, Set for Life, Thunderball and TattsLotto numbers are updated via a third party. Please ensure that you check your numbers at the official The Lott website. Australiantimes.co.uk cannot be held responsible for any misprints, typos or inaccuracies that lead to any financial loss or failure to claim winnings.


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On April 19, 1995, a truck bomb was detonated in front of the Alfred P Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. While it was an incredibly powerful bomb that did extensive damage to hundreds of buildings in a 16-block radius, there is one primary reason for the devastating partial collapse of the Murrah building. The front of the building, where the bomb was detonated, used what's called transfer girders on the 3rd floor to support the columns for the upper six floors. They worked great for creating a more open entrance with ground-floor columns spaced at twice the distance of the columns on the 8 stories above, but they also decreased the number of load paths available for supporting the weight of the floors above. Therefore, when the truck bomb was detonated right next to a ground-floor column, shattering it and shearing through the columns on each side of it, 8 of the 10 bays of the building's north facade were now unsupported. From the 3rd floor up, taking away that much support would've required eliminating 7 columns, but at the first 2 levels, it only took the destruction of 3 columns. This was a painful reminder that part of making a resilient building that can survive disasters is having redundancy, the ability to safely redistribute loads through alternate paths in the event of the loss of one load path. It's what a lot of us engineers like to call a "belt and suspenders" design. As a Christian engineer, I have to ask, is my belief in God such that one crisis of doubt will destroy it, or is it more robust than that? I think you know the answer, but let's work through that today.
In reading atheists' stories of their deconversions from the Christian faith they had grown up espousing, I am struck by how precarious their trust (or faith) seems to have been. Atheists like Bart Ehrman, Dan Barker, and Matt Dillahunty have told of surprisingly small things making shipwreck of their souls. Whether it's built on a particular emotional experience, or the teachings of a particular church or pastor, or some very shallow understanding of the Bible, they seem to often have a belief structure resembling a house of cards. Frustration with the hiddenness of God, a personal encounter with suffering, inability to fathom their omniscient Creator's reasons – and the cards come tumbling down. Yet Christianity is anything but a house of cards. The basic belief in God is not built on one make-or-break proposition. Rather, we have a strong cumulative case based on multiple lines of reasoning. Most well-known among these are the Cosmological Argument, the Design Argument, the Moral Argument, and the Ontological Argument, although arguments from consciousness, miracles, religious experiences, beauty, and reason [1], just to name a few, have also been developed over the years in support of the existence of God. Different people often find particular lines of reasoning among these especially persuasive, and others not so much, hence my use of the term "argument" rather than "proof". Proof can be very subjective, as anyone that's ever had to sit through jury deliberations can confirm. But what's fascinating is how many different supports there are for rational belief in God. Of course, like the many columns in a building, no single argument supports the entire "structure" of belief in God, but all of these different lines of reasoning, taken together, interlock well to provide a formidable framework highly resistant to collapse. While skeptics often seem to enjoy sniping at the views of others, the significant challenge for the skeptic is formulating a worldview of their own that explains so much of the world around us as well as Christianity does.
"But", one might say, "you're doing a bait-and-switch between the case for generic theism and the case for Christianity! Christianity has all its eggs in one basket – the Bible. So much for your redundancy!" Here's the thing: while the Bible is conveniently bound in a single volume now, the writings contained therein were the result of multiple witnesses writing independently at different times and places. Though all inspired by God, they are separate historical records. And everything described in the Bible that has ever been able to be compared against archaeological findings has confirmed the truthfulness of the Bible. In particular, Luke, Paul's companion and the author of the gospel according to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, has been proven to be a historian accurate in even the most trivial details. So Christianity encompasses the general case for theism, with its strong philosophical support along several independent lines, as well as having strong historical attestation and archaeological support. In fact, I would say Christianity is the only system that answers so many questions coherently and is so well-grounded.
Now, for the Christian, our trust in Christ isn't simply a matter of intellectual assent, but also a relationship with our living Creator. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, dwells in each Christian, and testifies with our spirit that we are children of God [Ro 8:16]. This should be the single biggest contributor to an unshakeable faith, but we humans are often fickle creatures, prone to worry and doubt, falling far short of what God intends for us. To make matters worse, false religions have claimed similar certainty, such as the Mormon "burning in the bosom" that they genuinely believe to be authentic. Even though the existence of a counterfeit does nothing to refute the existence of the true original, it can still cause us to doubt the Spirit's testimony in our own hearts. But this is where knowing that these different lines of reasoning all converge on the God of the Bible is helpful. While we typically use these apologetics tools to demonstrate to non-Christians the reasonableness of belief in God and trust in Christ alone, they can also help us to remember the truth ourselves in times of doubtful struggle (or encourage a struggling Christian brother or sister). That gives us multiple supports to lean on when we are weakened by attacks, whether from circumstances without or doubts within. Hence, apologetics helps us to build a resilient faith [2].
[1] See The Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology (Blackwell, 1st edition, 2012) for several of these. See C.S. Lewis, Miracles (Macmillan, 2nd edition, 1960), for his argument from miracles, as well as Craig Keener's massive 2-volume work on the subject. Also see Chapter 4 of Lewis' Miracles for his argument from reason, and Ch. 6 in Blackwell for Victor Reppert's detailed defense of Lewis' argument from reason and response to objections. Pascal's "anthropological argument", presented in chapter 10 of Christian Apologetics, by Doug Groothuis, is another contribution with significant explanatory power.
[2] Though not specifically quoted, much of this last paragraph is inspired by the ever-insightful William Lane Craig, and his excellent book Reasonable Faith, 3rd Ed. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008), pp. 43-51 .


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Book Title: Uncharted (The Unexpected Series, #3)
Author: Claudia Burgoa
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: July 21, 2015
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions
Author: Claudia Burgoa
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: July 21, 2015
Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions
As a rule, men don't grow up believing in a happily ever after. We don't believe in meeting the love of our lives; or the white picket fence, and 2.5 children. Every man thinks that those stupid dreams or fantasies are just nonexistent shit until it happens to them. We should have been forewarned.
I wish I was prepared for someone to appear in my life and change all my priorities. I suddenly wanted that fence and children. The part of meeting the love of my life became very real, but I wasn't ready for suddenly losing it all, and my life plummeting into this shithole forever.
The heartbreak of losing your soulmate is one of the worst pains you will ever live with. I should campaign and warn the young people. Vaccinate against love because if you lose it, you could lose yourself for the rest of your life. The burden on your back will forever mark you and wither away your soul, darkening your days and the rest of your natural life.
This isn't false advertisement or a dramatic display of one bitter soul.
I fought by my mother's side until her last breath, and tried to help my father until his last memories dissipated. My sister is the last one standing, but her life is a miracle that can end at any given moment. All my life I've never been alone, but always felt lonely.
Today, my options on how to live my life are endless, yet my heart and my best friend limit them. Stay in Seattle, close to the one person that will never let me inside his world.
The thug, as mom would've called him. A man with a bad boy attitude and a heart bigger than the ocean.
"Can't or won't explain?" Maeve whispers back with an irritating tone. It's ten in the morning, and a sharp edge glides through my chest. Mom must be around. "I'm risking my skin here, Pree. I deserve to know what you're going to be doing those two days."
Risking her skin—as if. Mae has our parents eating out of her hand, but I yield to her drama and approach her in a different way. "Later, I swear. But help me out here. It's just for a couple of days. Without you this won't work. After all, this was your brilliant idea."
Giddiness brews inside me as I envision the moment when we'll discuss Jacob and his sweet, passionate kisses. My Friday night deserves better than a quick chitchat over the phone. It deserves to be told over a pint of ice cream. Agreeing to her demands wouldn't do justice to what I experienced, which I can describe as life-changing and utterly exhilarating. From this moment forward, any guy who kisses me will be measured against his skills.
Ah, Jacob!
A creaky noise forces me to uncover my head and check the source of the disturbance. Dreamy, handsome Jacob approaches the bed sporting that signature cocky smile I'm beginning to really dig. I'm crushing hard. He holds a tray containing some food.
"Hey, sis, I have to go." I don't wait for her to say a thing and end the call.
"Did you clear the weekend?" Jacob asks, lowering the tray on top of the bed. Yummy. Pancakes, blueberries and orange juice. Eagerly I nod. "Good," his face lights up. "I have plans for us. Did you have a good night's sleep?"
"Yeah, where did you sleep?" Around three in the morning we came back downstairs; he handed me a T-shirt, showed me his room, and left for the night.
"With my brother." He slides next to me, gives me a chaste kiss on the lips, and takes one of the glasses. "Yesterday I promised not to cross any lines unless you wanted me to. Wait, I forgot. Is there something specific you'd rather do today?"
I ponder his question. Mae didn't confirm, but I'll risk it and assume she'll cover for me. Today I can do so many things, but...
"Mind if we head to my dorm room? I don't have any clothes with me." I cut a piece of pancake with a fork and take a bite. They don't have syrup, but they taste mapley. "Who cooked?"
"I did. I'm a man of many talents." He downs his juice, grabs his plate from the tray, and begins to eat. But not before giving me a kiss that curls my toes, my fingers, my hair, and my heart. "Yes, we can hit the dorm, pick up your crap, and start our fun weekend. Any requests? Or do you want me to choose today's activities?"
I shrug due to my lack of coherent words. The combination of magnetic eyes, musky scent, firm features, shirtless torso, and that kiss prevents me from putting together a sentence. It's the effort I make to stop myself from drowning in those blue pools.
"Pool." I slam a hand against my mouth. Idiot. "Maybe tomorrow we can head to the pool?" Nice save, Pria.
"You're fucking kidding me!" I hear a scream coming from another part of the apartment. "Where's my freshly squeezed juice? My breakfast?"
"Oh, the owl is grumpy today. Mind if he joins us?" I tilt my head to observe him. "He's great at packing shit."
I roll my eyes as I look around, because if the debris on the floor, along with the dirty and clean clothes hanging from the scant furniture they own is any indication, I could do better without their packing skills.
"Yeah, why not. It'll be fun." I regret those words the moment they leave my mouth. Jacob's fun, but his brother might be the entire opposite.
Meet the Author
Born on the mystical day of October 30th in the not so mystical lands of Mexico City, Claudia grew up with a childhood that resembled a caffeine-injected soap opera. Seventeen years ago she ventured to the lands of her techie husband—a.k.a. the U.S.—with their offspring to start a new adventure.
She now lives in Colorado working as a CFO for a small IT company, managing her household filled with three confused dogs, said nerd husband, two daughters wrought with fandoms and a son who thinks he's the boss of the house. To survive she works continually to find purpose for the voices flitting through her head, plus she consumes high quantities of chocolate to keep the last threads of sanity intact.


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As expected, Microsoft have unveiled the Kinect for Windows Software Development Kit, allowing anyone to create software utilizing Kinect on their PC. The current SDK is a non-commercial beta, and can be download by anyone for free here. Check out the full details below!
The Kinect for Windows SDK beta is a programming toolkit for application developers. It enables the academic and enthusiast communities easy access to the capabilities offered by the Microsoft Kinect device connected to computers running the Windows 7 operating system.
The Kinect for Windows SDK beta includes drivers, rich APIs for raw sensor streams and human motion tracking, installation documents, and resource materials. It provides Kinect capabilities to developers who build applications with C++, C#, or Visual Basic by using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010.
This SDK includes the following features:
- Raw sensor streams - Access to raw data streams from the depth sensor, color camera sensor, and four-element microphone array enables developers to build upon the low-level streams that are generated by the Kinect sensor.
- Skeletal tracking - The capability to track the skeleton image of one or two people moving within the Kinect field of view make it easy to create gesture-driven applications.
- Advanced audio capabilities - Audio processing capabilities include sophisticated acoustic noise suppression and echo cancellation, beam formation to identify the current sound source, and integration with the Windows speech recognition API.
- Sample code and documentation - The SDK includes more than 100 pages of technical documentation. In addition to built-in help files, the documentation includes detailed walkthroughs for most samples provided with the SDK.
- Easy installation - The SDK installs quickly, requires no complex configuration, and the complete installer size is less than 100 MB. Developers can get up and running in just a few minutes with a standard standalone Kinect sensor unit (widely available at retail outlets).


text: The Story of Khaki Depot Woollen Fabric mod.1914 & mod.1939 The decision to start milling our own wool arose from a desire shared among a small group of like-minded First and Second World War enthusiasts to create a truly accurate reproduction of the Greek-made fabric in use at that time. As re-enactors, who recreate instances in the life of the Greek soldiers during the Balkan Wars (1912-13), the Asia Minor Expedition and the 2nd WW, we deemed essential to initiate a reliable supply of the fabric used for the manufacture of Greek military uniforms of the time. Until now other groups of re-enactors, attempting to recreate the uniforms of the times used various kinds and colours of wool, or imported Pakistani- and Indian-made cloth, made for reproducing British uniforms to be used in re-enactments of the time of the Great War. We also tried to replicate our types of fabric abroad but the results did not satisfy our standards. After that and, since no other sources that could meet our need for a high standard of quality were available, we realized that we should take matters into our own hands and find someone able to weave, specifically for us, the two types of wool fabric. We had in mind, first of all, to achieve the closest possible approximation to the original fabric, but also to keep the price of production at a reasonable level and to find a Greek-based weaver for the manufacture. Fortunately, all these requirements were eventually met. By employing the combined knowledge and expertise of a number of experts and knowledgeable individuals, we analyzed several original uniform samples, comparing their material with various runs of wool yarn in order to determine which we should use in our reproductions. We all agreed that the Fabric Specimen 1914, which had been produced circa 1905-19 and that the Fabric Specimen 1939, which had been produced circa 1922-40 – at a time when some sort of standardization of the fabric used for the production of uniforms had been achieved – should be our starting point. After that, we showed a sample of each of those fabrics to a manufacturer. After analyzing the samples, he agreed to weave the fabrics (not really for profit, but for old time's sake). Two years later we presented to our group the yarns that would be used for weaving these particular fabrics and we were happy to give him the green light to start producing them. What we now offer for sale is the product of the combined knowledge and expertise of a handful of historically-conscious friends and of a very capable weaver. We are proud indeed of being able to present to the discerning public these faithful reproductions of the two shades of the Greek "khaki" – a word which in the annals of Modern Greek history came to denote the soldier himself and became a synonym for valour in the battle-field.


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Floating off the coast of Vancouver Island, a 45-minute boat ride to the nearest town, is a sustainable island fortress complete with a dance floor, art gallery and garden. For artists Catherine King and Wayne Adams, this is home: a labor of love 24 years in the making.
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This story is a part of our Human Condition series. Come along and let us connect you to some of the most peculiar, stirring, extraordinary, and distinctive people in the world.
Great Big Story is a video network dedicated to the untold, overlooked & flat-out amazing. Humans are capable of incredible things & we're here to tell their stories. When a rocket lands in your backyard, you get in.


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Here are some pictures from Jaipur in Rajasthan, India. Jaipur is known as the pink city because of the many pink palaces and historical sites. Pink is also considered to be the colour of welcome and hospitality.
There are few places in the world where one can visit a city and stay in a palace instead of a regular hotel - Jaipur is one of those places, and staying at a heritage haveli made our time in Jaipur very special indeed. It has been special for another reason - see, the royal family in ownership of the haveli is in residence along beside us. But let me explain how this is possible... Before the British arrived in India, the country comprised many princely states, and within those there were princely regions/areas. So for example, where there is the King and Queen of all of Rajasthan, there is also the royal family of specific areas within the state. So anyway, this is how it was before the British arrived. And the royals' income would have come primarily from taxes. But when the British came the royals had to give up their royal powers, but were permitted to hold onto their titles. But to make a living (no more tax income!), many have opened up what would have been private palaces to the tourism trade.
So if you are visiting Jaipur, my recommendation is to skip the big 5 star establishments and head for a heritage hotel like this one - it will make for a very memorable stay. http://www.alsisarhaveli.com/
Private courtyard
Dining hall & restaurant
Swimming pool
Swimming pool
After dinner puppet show
Bye for now!
Ladybird x


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The forged Monoblock M wheels shine with an especially distinctive styling: The wheels impress with their exceptional combination of large disc design and effectively placed accents in the form of ten larger and ten smaller openings, which optimize brake venting. The "polished and ceramic-coated" finish highlights the classy looks.
Like all BRABUS wheels, manufactured with outstanding precision in the highest quality (OEM standard), fitted with BRABUS signet and milled "Geschmiedet" ("Forged") seal.
BRABUS alloy wheels are ready for use with the original Mercedes-Benz tire-pressure monitoring systems (TPMS). Vehicles with active TPMS system require the appropriate tire sensors (part number RDK-2016).
Tire Sizes Monoblock M 21″:
9.0J x 21 H2 ET 45, tire size 275/45 R 21 (FA)
10.5J x 21 H2 ET 50, tire size 315/40 R 21 (RA)
Tire Sizes Monoblock M 23″:
11.0 J x 23 H2, tire size 305/35 R 23 (FA)
11.0 J x 23 H2, tire size 305/35 R 23 (RA)
Please note: The purchase and installation of these wheels may require checking for sufficient clearance of the complete tire/wheel combination under all load and operating conditions. The technical work required is subject to an extra charge.


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Select Your Vehicle
We don't carry any products in this category for your 2008 Cadillac Escalade.
Love the added protection of a bed cover with an easy-to-use design the whole family can operate? Then consider a retractable tonneau cover from RealTruck.
We offer a wide selection of retractable tonneau covers across all of the top makes and models, ensuring you'll find the ideal product for your application. If you're having difficulty making the selection, check out our buyer's guide on RealSource!
And for additional assistance, reach out to our knowledgeable sales team, available seven days a week.
With so many bed cover styles available–including roll-up, folding, and one-piece–what are the major benefits of a retractable tonneau cover?
Retractable tonneau covers are highly secure, with most utilizing aluminum or composite slats for a semi-solid construction.
Retractable tonneau covers sit nearly flush with the bed rail, practically disappearing into the profile of your pickup.
Tired of realigning the velcro strips on your roll-up tonneau every time you open and close the cover? Then you'll certainly enjoy the usability of a retractable model. Whether power or manual, retractable tonneau covers slide effortlessly along built-in tracks.


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Timberland 6 In Prem Big Kids Style 12907
Timberland 6 In Prem Big Kids Style 12907
$19- Pay
Never again let the weather inhibit your style in these boys' Timberland 6â Premium Waterproof Boots. A waterproof and durable leather upper combines with a lugged rubber outsole to keep you on your feet in any conditions, from rain to snow stay dry, comfortable, and stylish. Built to be long-lasting and versatile these iconic boots can serve their purpose in any wardrobe.
Leather or nubuck upper are abrasion resistant for wear in tough conditions.
Taslan nylon laces are built for durability and long-lasting wear.
Waterproof exterior keeps your feet dry in any weather.
Padded collar provides support and comfort around the ankle.
A leather-line midsole adds further comfort and soft footbed.


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"Location-Based Services and Privacy", (T. Scassa & Anca Sattler) (2011) 9:2 Canadian Journal of Law and Technology 99-134
The last decade has seen a rapid growth in the number and variety of location-based services that are available to consumers. While some of the older location-based services are tools such as GPS and other navigation systems, more recent innovations include applications that permit users to call up a variety of different information about their current locations, such as the nearest Italian restaurant, or the best deals at a favourite store. Location-based services (LBS) also allow individuals to share their location with friends in a wide range of social networking contexts. Location-based services are already shifting from pull to push applications. Information can now be pushed automatically to users based on their location. The options for such services are virtually limitless, and include mobile-marketing, public transportation applications, information about local points of interest, health care applications connected to remote treatment systems, or tools to find the closest election-day polling booth.
There is no doubt that many location-based services offer real benefits to users. Yet location-based services raise inevitable user privacy concerns. These concerns operate on multiple levels and involve many players. In some applications, privacy issues will arise between individual users, where, for example, applications permit the tracking of movements of family members, co-workers or "friends". Location-based services may also result in the collection of a new layer of personal information about consumers by private sector companies. Information about individuals and their movements has meaningful commercial value, and the potential for the collection, use and disclosure of this information is significant. Location-based services also raise the spectre of state surveillance of individual activity – either concurrent with an individual's movements (tracking), or retrospectively, through searching records of individual patterns of movement. These are just some of the contexts in which privacy issues are raised.
In this paper we describe location-based services, their evolution and their future directions. We then outline privacy issues raised by such services. We consider how current Canadian data protection laws apply to location-based services, and indicate where such laws fall short of addressing the full range of issues raised by location-based services. We also explore some technological methods to address the privacy challenges raised by location-based services. The paper concludes with a series of recommendations.