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Personal Trainer & Rehab Therapist; Nutritional Consultant
Happy birthday and may God bless you today!
Bob's Red Mill Products And Msg
GFJan replied to HawkFire's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & MedicationsFree glutamate is NOT the same as MSG. The particular form of glutamate that is MSG is processed differently in the brain because of the sodium ion channels. If you're concerned you can always take the amino acid taurine and make sure you get plenty of B6 when you consume products with pea protein. Free glutamates occur naturally in many foods and is even found in measurable levels in breast milk. Because I have a genetic sodium ion channel disorder I am exquisitely sensitive to MSG, but I tolerate many foods high in free glutamates like parmesan cheese, whey or ripe tomatoes with no problem. Whey protein is a treatment for children with ADD/autism and would certainly not have the positive effects we're seeing if the glutamates were overstimulating the nerves in the brain. Cooking and processing tend to break the glutamate naturally in foods away from the protein molecule that stabilizes it. The great taste of the drippings from roasted meat is due to the free glutamates. I really wouldn't worry too much about the pea protein unless you specifically notice an MSG-type response when you eat it. If so you may have a lower threshhold for glutamic acid in foods, possibly a genetic base. But glutamic acid is essential for learning and memory...it's when we get too much, whether from certain foods or from our own body creating it that we get into trouble. I have looked at the amino acid profile for good quality pea protein and it is balanced and not what I would consider high in glutamates. I wouldn't go postal on Kinnikinnik just because they're using it as an ingredient. Jan
Generic Drug For Prilosec
GFJan replied to dairy queen's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & MedicationsI'm going to try Zegerid powder (comes in packets) which is just omeprazole and sodium bicarbonate. I'm very allergic to dyes, fillers, artificial sweeteners, etc. It's good to make friends with a pharmacist who wil use special handling with your prescriptions. I have had severe reactions from prescriptions that went through pill counters because of residue left in the counter from other drugs. Also if they use a tray to count out pills they are SUPPOSED to clean the tray between each prescription with alcohol to remove residue, but of course they don't. I try whenever possible to get the medication in original packaging so that it doesn't have to be handled at all. Jan
Feeling Like Crap
GFJan replied to pnltbox27's topic in Coping with Celiac DiseaseAbout Lay's Potato Chips... I just started the gluten-free diet last week, but I have always eaten a lot of Lay's chips in the past, usually the reduced fat, but none of the plain chips bothered me. Then last summer I suddenly started having violent reactions to their chips. I have no idea what changed, but every few weeks I would try again and would be doubled over or lying in a fetal position in bed with D for a few days. I was totally baffled by the reaction. I know that they have gone to all sunflower oil now, but I use it all the time for cooking without any problems and the type they use is supposed to be non-GMO. All I can figure is that they changed their processing. Thanks for maybe solving a mystery for me...I get my potato fix with Ore-Ida fries now (although they only guarantee that some of their line is produced on gluten-free lines so you have to check their website for UPC codes). Jan
Negative Tests, But Severe Anemia
GFJan replied to GFJan's topic in Coping with Celiac DiseaseThanks - I know it will be a long haul and am willing to give it time, but I'm hoping it won't take too many weeks for the hemoglobin to start rising so I can avoid the transfusions. The lowest it has been is 4.3...that's considered critical and my doctors don't know how I can even walk around. Last summer I tried all kinds of iron supplements and got severe gastritis which still hasn't completely healed. I can't do iron IVs or shots, so transfusions are my only other recourse and I hate to risk exposure to anything else. I know they say the blood supply is much safer, but I've had friends who contracted HepC, HIV and herpes infections from supposedly safe blood. You give me hope that I may have some energy again some day - it's worth the wait! Jan
Neg Blood Test
GFJan replied to woolwhippet's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & SymptomsMy gastroenterologist is a huge gluten-free diet fan. He's been to seminars all over and has seen so many cases where everything seems normal including blood tests, biopsies, etc and yet the patient responded to the diet. He feels that's the only reliable "test" and believes that someday the science will catch up with what they're observing. Jan
Negative Tests, But Severe Anemia
GFJan posted a topic in Coping with Celiac DiseaseMy gastroenterologist has been after me for over a year to try a gluten-free diet. I have always been a big wheat-eater (grind my own flour, etc) and seemed to do fine with it, but have had bouts with unexplained anemia off an on all my life. Four years ago I contracted West Nile Virus and my immune system seemed to go haywire after that. My hemoglobin kept dropping until it got down below 5 and all my doctors were freaking out. It looks like plain old iron deficiency anemia, but iron supplements and a diet high in iron don't help. I'm now to the point where I need transfusions so I decided to give the diet a try. My blood tests were all negative, DNA showed positive for DQ8. I haven't had a biopsy because of high risk of anesthesia reaction (I have three other rare genetic diseases that complicate things). I'm very allergic to rice and soy and react to corn and tapioca if I eat them often. That doesn't leave a whole lot in terms of carbohydrates and I need 400 grams a day. I actually got through the first week with no wheat cravings and no weight loss. I can't say that I feel any differently and my hemoglobin is still the same. For those of you who have had anemia, how long did it take for you to start seeing a change in your lab results? Jan


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SPECIAL NOTE: OmniLink provides "On-Demand" service to River Run Senior Apartments, Elm Farm Mobile Home Park, the Ferlazzo Building, commuter parking lots and Virginia Railway Express stations. These stops are noted on route maps with a triangle symbol. Just tell the driver, where you are going when you board the bus. For trips originating from an on-demand stop, just call OmniLink Customer Service at (703) 730-6664 and the next available bus will be rerouted to pick you up. The off-route surcharge will apply.
First trip 12:25 PM
Last trip 7:10 PM

subset: commoncrawl


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European Union leaders deadlocked over the bloc's next seven-year budget, adding to the quarrels between rich and poor countries that have stymied the response to the euro debt crisis.
France defended farm subsidies, Britain clung to a rebate and Denmark demanded its own cash-back guarantee, while eastern and southern countries said reduced financing for public-works projects would condemn them to lag behind the wealthier north.
The conflicts at a Brussels summit offered a 27-nation re-enactment of the fury and acrimony that has marked the fiscal crisis in the 17-nation euro region, and predictions abounded that it would take another summit next year to clinch a deal.
"The positions are still quite far apart," German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters as the meeting resumed today. "And if we need a second stage, then we will take the time for it."
At stake is a spending plan for the years 2014-2020 that would total about 1 percent of EU-wide gross domestic product. While that sum is paltry compared to the average 50 percent of GDP that each country spends inside its borders, the political resonance is far larger.
Wealthier countries such as Germany, the U.K., Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands have banded together to cut what they pay in to the budget, pounding away at the original proposal of 1.033 trillion euros ($1.3 trillion) that came out in mid-2011.
By the time the summit started yesterday, the figure on the table was 973 billion euros. Overnight talks shaved the number to the neighborhood of 950 billion euros and triggered a battle to allocate the cuts among the host of subsidy programs.
Merkel, Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker and Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann floated the prospect of another summit in January or February to nail down a deal. In the absence of an accord by late 2013, the EU would roll over its annual budget.
"We are really not there yet," Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said. "There are huge differences."
The euro was little changed, trading at $1.2899 at 1:15 p.m. in Brussels, compared to $1.2880 late yesterday. Greek bonds declined, snapping 10 days of gains, while debt of Portugal, Spain and Ireland slipped. The Euro Stoxx 50 index dropped 0.1 percent to 2,531.59.
New Proposal
Leaders met in shifting configurations with each country determined to pay less in or get more out. EU President Herman Van Rompuy was set to release a new proposal this afternoon and gauge reactions in the evening.
Led by Poland, defenders of EU financing pointed out that spending at the European level goes further than money that stays within national borders, since EU subsidies back international projects like pipelines, bridges and airports.
European Parliament President Martin Schulz countered the wealthier countries' insistence on paying less with the contention that it is cheaper for them to promote European projects, since contracts in Latvia or Slovenia go to companies in places like Germany and Sweden.
"Every euro invested by the EU attracts an average of between 2 and 4 euros in additional investment," Schulz told the leaders. "The EU budget is not a zero-sum game in which one country wins what another loses. Synergies are generated which benefit the net contributors as well.
At a time of austerity at home, that argument failed to sway leaders like U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron. Cameron zeroed in on the salaries of the EU's more than 50,000 civil servants, and said a discussion of a rebate won by Margaret Thatcher in 1984 is off-limits.
"It isn't the time for moving money from one part of the budget to another," Cameron said. Cuts are "what's happening at home and that's what needs to happen here."
Using language out of the postwar era, when food shortages led to the setup of programs to promote beef, cereal and dairy production, French President Francois Hollande defended farm aid as a guarantor of "food security."
Farm subsidies make up over a third of the budget. French farmers picked up 9.5 billion euros in European subsidies in 2011, the biggest single share. Spain, Greece, Italy, Ireland and Poland also number among the defenders of farm support.
"The reduction is still too large," Hollande said of a new proposal that would restore 8 billion euros of a proposed 25 billion-euro farm-aid cut. He countered Britain's refund claims, saying "they can't ask for a smaller budget and a larger rebate."
Bloomberg News


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Welcome to Lincoln Rent-All & Sales Inc.
Here at Lincoln Rent-All & Sales, Inc., we take great pride in our commitment to providing you, our customer, with the highest level of customer service. As one of the most complete rental, retail, and service establishments in the Rockford area, we proudly carry a wide array of products from top-quality manufacturers. Couple this with our trained staff and we are sure we can continue to meet your demands on time, every time. So the next time you need equipment for a job, whether you are a homeowner or a professional, first-time customer or long-time patron, stop in at either of our two locations, send us an email, or simply give us a call and let our staff show you how we can meet all of your equipment and service needs!


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UFC® 163 Weigh-In Gallery
August 02, 2013
64 Photos
UFC 163 Weigh-In at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Friday, August 2, 2013. (Photos by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Getty Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this image or clip. If you violate our intellectual property you may be liable for: actual damages, loss of income, and profits you derive from the use of this image or clip, and, where appropriate, the costs of collection and/or statutory damages up to $150,000 (USD).


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Today in Nagoya at the Convention on Biological Diversity's Tenth Conference of the Parties (CBD COP10) a deal was signed outlining the strategic plan for IUCN's next World Conservation Congress. This will be held in Jeju Island, Korea in September 2012.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by IUCN's Director General Julia Marton-Lefèvre, the Republic of Korea's Minister for the Environment Maanee Lee and the Governor of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Keun Min Woo.
Held every four years, the IUCN Congress is the world's most important international conservation event. The 2012 Congress aims to put nature and conservation at the top of the global agenda.
"We intend that the world will pay more attention than ever before to the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Korea in 2012," said Minister Lee. "We are now ready with the signing of this MoU to work on the more detailed aspects of our agreement, working together with trust respect and confidence."
The World Conservation Congress will take place from 6 to 15 September 2012. The Congress will be held in the International Convention Centre (ICC) in the Jungmun Resort Complex in Jeju, an island south of the mainland. This state-of-the-art facility is set in a well-preserved natural environment and has committed to the "Green Convention Practice" by adopting renewable energy, electronic banners and recycled materials.
"Here we are in 2010 in this very important setting at CBD COP10," said IUCN Director General Julia Marton-Lefèvre. "During 2011 we will continue to plan for the 2012 IUCN World Conservation Congress in a thoughtful and careful way."
Joined on the podium by Jeju Governor Keun Min Woo he outlined his commitment to the IUCN World Conservation Congress: "Even though I have been in office for barely 100 days I promise you the determination and passion of the people of Jeju Island to realize the success of the IUCN World Conservation Congress in 2012."
Dr Enrique Lahmann is Director of IUCN's Constituency Support Group and responsible for managing the next World Conservation Congress. He explained the substance of the deal that was signed in Nagoya.
Youngbae Sue is President of IUCN's National Committee. He explained why the IUCN World Conservation Congress is so important in Korea.


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The persistent data store can contain, among other information, message files that are being temporarily stored. Since these messages may contain proprietary information, it is important to secure the data store against unauthorized access. This section describes how to secure data in a JDBC-based data store.
A broker using JDBC-based persistence writes persistent data to a JDBC-compliant database. For a database managed by a database server (such as Oracle), it is recommended that you create a user name and password to access the Message Queue database tables (tables whose names start with MQ). If the database does not allow individual tables to be protected, create a dedicated database to be used only by Message Queue brokers. See the documentation provided by your database vendor for information on how to create user name/password access.
The user name and password required to open a database connection by a broker can be provided as broker configuration properties. However it is more secure to provide them as command line options when starting up the broker, using the imqbrokerd command's -dbuserand -dbpassword options (see Broker Utility).
For an embedded database that is accessed directly by the broker by means of the database's JDBC driver, security is usually provided by setting file permissions on the directory where the persistent data will be stored, as described above under Securing a File-Based Data Store To ensure that the database is readable and writable by both the broker and the Database Manager utility, however, both should be run by the same user.


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MLB Weekly Report: Magic Johnson Buys Dodgers for $2 Billion
The sale of a storied franchise and injuries to key players led the news of the past week in spring training. Here's this week's Major League Baseball report:
Magic Johnson-led Group Buys Dodgers
NBA Hall of Fame member and former Los Angeles Laker Magic Johnson is part of a group buying the Los Angeles Dodgers for a reported $2 billion. The team was auctioned as part of former owner Frank McCourt's bankruptcy settlement. McCourt purchased the team in 2004 for $420 million. The new ownership of an iconic franchise in a large market should have an impact on free agency from this point forward. With manager Don Mattingly and young stars like Matt Kemp and Andre Eithier, the Dodgers could be headed back to National League prominence.
Veterans Headed To The Disabled List
Several contending teams absorbed news that they must open their seasons without key players. Longtime Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones' knee injury will keep him out for Opening Day of what will be his final MLB season. Phillies second baseman Chase Utley announced that his chronic knee problems will cause him to be on the disabled list for Opening Day, as well. Cardinals' ace Chris Carpenter will miss the team's opener with nerve irritation in his pitching shoulder.
Upcoming Game to Watch: Tampa Bay vs. Pittsburgh
Few question the Rays' talent, but Tampa (8-15) has not been able to win many games this spring. By Friday's game with the Pirates in Bradenton, manager Joe Maddon would like to be able to get his team to start looking like it's ready for the games to count.
Play of the Week: Freddy Galvis, Philadelphia Phillies
With all-star second baseman Chase Utley headed for the disabled list, the Phillies have reason to worry about second base. Enter minor league sensation Freddy Galvis, who looks like he's up to the challenge on defense in this video clip:
Best Reason To See A Game in TEXAS This Week: The Champion Dog
American League champions in both 2011 and 2012, the Texas Rangers have mastered the art of the repeat. Let's hope the same doesn't hold true for their concession chefs, who will prepare the two-foot-long, one-pound Champion Dog at Rangers Ballpark in 2012. The $26 hot dog is topped with onions, cheese, jalapenos and chili and served with a side of French fries. Antacids not included.
Fantasy League Pick-up: Zack Greinke, Milwaukee Brewers
We don't know of any spring training fantasy leagues, but we're sure that fantasy junkies would consider starting one if this preseason goes much longer. Pitchers are always an injury risk, but one hurler who has been dominant this spring is Zack Greinke of the Milwaukee Brewers. In 12.1 innings, Greinke has 20 strikeouts a 0.81 WHIP and batters are hitting just .196 against him. The Brewers may not be as formidable on offense in 2012, but their ace looks even better than 2011.
Fantasy League Drop: Ryan Madson, Cincinnati Reds
After nearly re-signing with the Phillies, Ryan Madson signed a one-year, $8.5 million deal to be the Reds closer. Last week, Madson was diagnosed with a torn ligament in his right elbow before he was able to pitch a single inning for Cincinnati. He is expected to miss all of the 2012 season and perhaps longer. Either Sean Marshall or Aroldis Chapman could be used to replace him at the back end of the Reds' bullpen.
Manager Under Pressure: Mike Matheny, St. Louis Cardinals
With Albert Pujols gone to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and starter Chris Carpenter headed for the disabled list, new manager Mike Matheny has worries that his predecessor, Tony La Russa, did not have when he led St. Louis to the 2011 World Series title. Matheny must get his team to manufacture runs and use his deep bullpen in expert fashion or fans of the defending champs may be in for a long season.
Best. Fan. Ever: Woman Attending Phillies-Orioles Game
It's been said a zillion times that any time you watch an entire baseball game, you may see something you've never seen before. For instance: the way this woman's quick reflexes allow her to snare a flying baseball bat. Watch the video to be amazed.
Numbers Game: Edwin Jackson, Washington Nationals
Given his stabilizing presence on the world champion-Cardinals last fall, former all-star pitcher Edwin Jackson signed with Washington late in the free agent period. Jackson's 12-9 record and 3.58 ERA in 2011 should have been more attractive to teams, but few showed interest. Perhaps they knew something. This spring, Jackson has been terrible. He is 1-3 with a 6.88 ERA in five starts, including allowing 10 runs and 11 hits in 3 2/3 innings in a loss to the Orioles on Saturday. If Jackson doesn't find his rhythm, the Nationals may need a backup plan to bolster their rotation.


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The corporate payments market is at a critical juncture in today's banking landscape. Improved customer experience in the retail payments segment—driven by mobility, cashless transactions, easy accessibility and cost-effectiveness—has increased expectations in the corporate payments system considerably. For example, it takes a few minutes to browse, select and purchase grocery items through an online app, whereas it takes days, or even weeks, and loads of paperwork to procure stationery items for the office through the traditional corporate payments system. In such a scenario, there is a growing demand to usher in substantial change in the corporate payments landscape on both sides of the bank-client relationship.
To achieve these objectives, the corporate payments sector has to first overcome several challenges, such as fragmented banking products and relationships, rigid and paper-based processes, lack of transparency in payments, costs of complying with new regulations and problems related to cross-border transactions.
Accenture is helping banks to seize the growth opportunity in corporate payments by encouraging them to invest in technological innovations, define new operating models by becoming "trusted advisors" and collaborate with financial technology (Fintech) start-ups instead of competing with them.
Transforming corporate payments for the digital age
Our report highlights six key findings and analysis about how market changes and trends are impacting and reshaping the corporate payments sector globally:
Virtual account solution can automate collections and reconciliation by providing 100 percent accurate identification of the payer and invoice details.
Mobile delivery and real-time services enable banks to provide status updates on immediate payments and account balances through multiple channels such as SMS, e-mail, WhatsApp and alerts on corporate portals.
Standardization of connectivity between corporate customers and banks facilitates banks and third-party vendors to move closer to their corporate customers and integrate themselves into their value chains.
Availability of banking information through APIs enable corporate customers to manage all their payments and cash management from a single portal across multiple banks.
Regulatory changes have allowed banks to use digitized images, scans or photographs of checks for processing, rather than the original paper document.
Usage of new technologies such as distributed consensus ledger and bitcoin will have an impact on efficiency, trust and transparency in payments.
With the banking landscape becoming highly competitive due to innovative corporate payments solutions, banks need to focus on three key priorities to sustain corporate relationships and achieve higher revenue growth:
Play a consultative role. Instead of selling corporate payments products, corporate customers expect banks to be trusted advisors, partnering with them to develop deep insights into the challenges they face, advising them on optimal solutions and customizing their services to deliver a differentiated experience.
Collaborate instead of competing with Fintech. Banks can leverage Fintech companies' disruptive innovation capabilities and their effectiveness with digital technology, while Fintech companies can tap into banks' core expertise in banking and the associated risks.
Adopt digital to stay relevant. Smaller banks need to leverage innovation and digital capabilities to compete with global banks while serving large corporates and multi-national corporations.


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'Survivor: One World' Cast — Crush of the Day [PICTURES]
'Survivor: One World' starts on CBS on Wednesday, February 15th at 8pm. Normally, we couldn't give two puka shells, but a coworker that is a huge fan of the show made mention of how gorgeous the female contestants are this time around. As a long time viewer, he said this is one of the hotter casts he has ever seen. Well, now we HAVE to go look.
We can't argue because this is a phenomenal looking cast. We especially can't argue because we didn't watch the other eighty seasons so we really can't speak intelligently on the matter. Not that speaking intelligently ever stopped us from talking before on any topic. The female contestants include the wife of a former NFL quarterback, a medical sales rep and a couple teachers. These are only some of the ladies competing and we are already sold on this season.
Wait, they spend like 99% of the show in bikinis right? Yeah, we are just going to wait in front of our televisions until February 15th. Please send beer and Funyons.


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By Russ Campbell
Sometimes you know that you just can't win.
I had a lot of empathy for school administrators across the Front Range last week when they had to make decisions about whether schools should be open during the frigid temperatures. All the school districts in the area closed schools Tuesday, and only Denver opened its schools Wednesday.
My dad used to bring my mother, sister and me a little something on Valentine's Day, not my brother. Love in the '50s was a bit stilted, but Steve's exclusion did make me feel a bit special about being a girl.
Campaigning door to door yields some interesting conversations. One day, as I was walking up to a house, I heard a voice from the back of the garage yell, "Who are you and what do you want?"
"My name is Rob Witwer, and I'm your state representative," I replied. "I'm running for re-election."
"Oh yeah?" the voice snarled, this time with more of a bite. "How much money do you guys make?"
"About $30,000 a year," I said.
There is a mental health crisis in this country, but politics isn't going to address it. No system of financial management, be it insurance, single payer, Medicare or Medicaid, by itself, will make Americans cognitively healthier.
The tenor and tone of the beginning of the administration of Gov. John Hickenlooper and the first session of the 68th Colorado General Assembly have been decidedly positive and should give Colorado citizens a good feeling about how business will be conducted over the next couple of years.
I don't always see eye to eye with U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, but I've never doubted his sincerity. Last week, he floated a simple but potentially revolutionary idea to change the partisan tenor of the annual State of the Union address. Rather than have Republicans and Democrats separated by party affiliation, Udall suggested, why not mix things up and let political adversaries sit next to one another?
Senator Udall, that's a terrific idea.
The demands on our eyes changed dramatically in the previous decade. Stress came from reading with backlighting online as opposed to reading books where light is reflected off the page. Talking with Dr. Marisa Kruger of Evergreen, I learned a lot about Vision Transformation, her behavioral optometry practice.
Your Colorado legislature convenes today for the first regular session of the 68th General Assembly. Legislators will join new Gov. John Hickenlooper to do the public's business and must complete their work by May 11 to comply with the 120 days voters have provided them to do their work.
The year 2011 is here, and with it comes a new slate. What's past is past, and here's hoping that our elected leaders both in Denver and Washington will seize the opportunity to put aside election year hostilities and work together for a greater good.
Copyright © 2019
Canyon Courier is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Evergreen, Colo, and the surrounding area.


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Eatonton, Ga. – With a third round team score of 312 (+32), the Coker Golf Team fell back to 15th place in the final round of the Bobcat Invitational at Cuscowilla on Lake Oconee Tuesday afternoon. Leading the field were host Georgia College & state, followed by Columbus State and Nova Southeastern.
The Cobra golfers were led by John LaDow (Pottstown, PA) with a third round 78 and a 222 (+12) total, followed by Chris Marsh (Georgetown, SC) with a third round 76 and a 232 (+22) total. Jimmy Gillam (Tyrone, PA) shot a 85 in the final round and a 235 (+25) total for the three rounds, while Diego Polo (Guatemala City, Guatemala) shot a 77 and a 235 (+25) total. Rounding out the field for Coker was Jared Crane (Greenville, SC) with a third round 81 and a 238 (+28) total.
The Cobras will now prepare for their final regular season tournament of the year, the Carolina Sands Intercollegiate hosted by UNC-Pembroke on April 4-5.


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We can now make these panties in really big custom sizes! (tell us your Waist and Hips size when (or after) ordering.


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Luke Bryan Throws Tailgate Party to Celebrate 'Tailgates and Tanlines' Going Platinum
So how exactly do you celebrate the success of a million copies sold of an album titled 'Tailgates and Tanlines'? Well if you're Luke Bryan, you throw a tailgate party, of course.
Bryan, along with his family, friends, industry peers and a few lucky contest winners, were able to hang out at Nashville's LP Field parking lot last Tuesday to celebrate the singer's third studio album being newly-certified platinum. 'Tailgates and Tanlines' is Bryan's first record to reach such a status.
The private event was complete with a display of Chevrolet trucks backed into a line on each side of the large stage set up in the middle of the football stadium's parking lot. As party-goers made their way into the roped-off part of the lot, they were able to enjoy the various food trucks on hand, as well as Miller Lite — a tailgate staple!
"It's an amazing day to celebrate [the album] being platinum," Bryan told Taste of Country prior to the party getting underway. "It's kind of like a college degree … when you get one, no one can take it from you. When you get to say for the rest of your life that you've got a platinum album, that really means something. It was a lot of hard work, a lot of effort and a lot of people that have worked hard to make this stuff happen, [including] a lot of sacrifices. Today is a day we all celebrate, and it's pretty amazing stuff. I'm very excited."
After the plaques were handed out to Bryan and those who have helped launch him into a new level of stardom in recent years, the singer took the stage with his full band for a live performance. During his set, Bryan performed six songs, including the chart-topping 'Rain Is a Good Thing,' his latest single 'Drunk on You' and a special medley of his debut single 'All My Friends Say' and the classic 'Enter Sandman.'


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North Korea got itself in a fist-clenching, foot-stomping twist Wednesday after the U.N. again expanded sanctions against the country.
This recent resolution comes as a direct response to Pyongyang's "successful" long-range rocket launch late last year.
Following the vote, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice told reporters, "This resolution demonstrates to North Korea that there are unanimous and significant consequences for its flagrant violation of its obligations under previous resolutions."
North Korea responded by saying it was full steam ahead on further missile and nuclear development that would now specifically target the United States. Here's the statement translated by Reuters' David Chance:
"We are not disguising the fact that the various satellites and long-range rockets that we will fire and the high-level nuclear test we will carry out are targeted at the United States," the country's top military body said.
One successful rocket launch after decades of failures and now Pyongyang is claiming a nuclear program that will actively target the U.S. It's an absurd threat, and here are just a few reasons why.
That missile it managed to get into orbit last year, likely with a great degree of help from Iran, was propelled by liquid fuel.
Assuming the North's rocket is similar to the Viking liquid fueled rocket used by the U.S. during the cold war, it's reasonable to expect travel speed of about 4,000 mph.
But using liquid fuel means that in addition to hauling the rocket to its launch pad, Pyongyang then has the tactical problem of topping off two tanks for the 5,000 mile flight to the nearest U.S. target in Hawaii. Every minute an opportunity for the U.S. to blow it up where it sits.
If the missile were to launch and show a U.S. based path, the Navy has 16 Aegis equipped ships in the Pacific theater with perhaps 20 SM-3 anti-ballistic interceptors each to bring the North Korean missile down. The Aegis system has been successful in taking down missiles for more than 10 years and the most recent SM-3 configuration is very accurate, and very reliable.
Then there are the PAC-3 anti-missile systems in South Korea, likely Japan, U.S. bases in Guam and Hawaii. PAC-3 is also a well-proven missile defense built on the Patriot platform with a long record of successful tests.
Finally, assuming the North's liquid fueled rocket is still zipping toward Hawaii, there is the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system Robert Gates deployed to Hawaii in 2009 to guard against this exact threat.
The Lockheed THAAD system also has a long track record of taking down multiple ballistic missiles and each battery holds six launchers.
Add to that additional anti-ballistic missile options the military has with modified F-16 AIM-9X rockets that can take out medium range missiles and any unknown submarine options and the idea of Pyongyang getting anywhere near U.S. territory is delusional.
But more than its missile technology, delusion is what North Korea has become best known for. The idea that its begun to believe its own propoganda is scarier than any nuclear threat to the U.S.


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...and as the title of this post suggests, we are introducing some changes here and there in the Photo Page. We are changing the Best of feature to like and adding new counters to the Photo details section of the Photo Page.
We have found that Best of was not really defining the concept behind it. Ideally Best of should apply for a unique situation for a very small subset of the photos. However, we discovered that several users use the Best of flag to mark many photos that they like. So we have decided to re-brand Best of as like. To make it more useful, Like not only comes with a nicer icon right under the photo, but we included the total number of likes in the Photo details section. Have you changed your mind? You don't like a photo anymore? No problem. You can revoke your previous likes any time in the future.
But wait! There are more changes in the Photo details section.
We know that numbers and statistics are important for you. Previously we used to show only one counter, the number of views on Panoramio for each photo. We are happy to announce that today, we are adding three more numbers for each photo:
views on Google Earth: This number shows the number of times a bubble has been opened in Google Earth with your photo. We have looked back for a year, and initialized all these counters based on those bubble openings. Note, that this counter is only updated daily.
favorites: This number shows how many members of the Panoramio Community selected your photo as favorite by clicking the star icon above the photo.
likes: As described earlier, this counter shows how many people decided to like your photo.
Please check the help content for more info about the counters.
Feel free to discuss the new photo details and the like feature in the Panoramio forum as we are thinking in more numbers to show you and more regarding your photos.


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Sunday, October 24, 2010
Blue at British Museum
I wore my favorite 50s dress that works nicely for both day and evening wear. Wore a light blue cardigan to keep me warm and brogues for a day of walking. Victory rolls and a snood for hair. Thought I'd make an outfit post a little more interesting than usual by having my pictures taken at the British Museum.
Dress - 1950s vintage (via Ebay, coffee_colored_cadillac)
Sweater - Dorothy Perkins
Handbag - 1950s vintage (via Tampere Vintage)
Shoes - River Island
Stockings - What Katie Did (fully fashioned)
Hair snood - Arthelia's Attic
Earrings - Gift from my sweetheart
12 comments:
I like the sweater. And it looks like it still would be almost summer there...ReplyDelete
Thanks, Ina. It is quite chilly here but gets a bit warm when the sun is shining.ReplyDelete
Ah I love the British Museum. What a fun day out!ReplyDelete
lovely outfit...and dramatic photo backdrops! Awesome!ReplyDelete
Pretty pretty :) I like when your paparazzi is in town, love seeing new outfit posts! hehe!ReplyDelete
Very nice picture: the British Museum is a really nice background!!ReplyDelete
I also love your hair and the snood.
love it! i have yet to see the british museum!ReplyDelete
Hurrah. So glad you had a perfect weekend. =D You look perfect, too. Love blue on you. =DReplyDelete
-Andi x
Penny Dreadful - Me too! It is so lovely to explore. I could easily spend a week or two there.ReplyDelete
BaronessVonVintage - Thank you!
Mycah - Hee, thanks!
Bunny - Thank you. It makes a lovely background, doesn't it!
Kendra - Ooh, you have to go! It is MASSIVE but so much fun.
Andi - Thanks, lovely! We did indeed have the perfect weekend. :)
Looks like you're having a fab time, and am rocking that cardi. Defo up for meeting up and exploring. Always good to meet lovely folk and find bits of London I didn't know about :DReplyDelete
G x
Gemima - Thank you, darling! I will be sending you an email once I have a moment and we'll talk more about meeting up. :)ReplyDelete
The British Museum is one of my favorite museums in the world. The textile collection is amazing. If you didn't check it out, you should go back & see it.ReplyDelete


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Michael Boskin, writing in this morning's Wall Street Journal calls "Obamanomics" a "recipe for recession." Obama's tax policies are extreme to a degree we have not seen in this country in a long time:
The top 35% marginal income tax rate rises to 39.6%; adding the state income tax, the Medicare tax, the effect of the deduction phase-out and Mr. Obama's new Social Security tax (of up to 12.4%) increases the total combined marginal tax rate on additional labor earnings (or small business income) from 44.6% to a whopping 62.8%. People respond to what they get to keep after tax, which the Obama plan reduces from 55.4 cents on the dollar to 37.2 cents — a reduction of one-third in the after-tax wage!
This chart shows the details; click to enlarge:
As Boskin points out, with a Democratic Congress writing tax legislation things could get even worse:
On economic policy, the president proposes and Congress disposes, so presidents often wind up getting the favorite policy of powerful senators or congressmen. Thus, while Mr. Obama also proposes an alternative minimum tax (AMT) patch, he could instead wind up with the permanent abolition plan for the AMT proposed by the Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel (D., N.Y.) — a 4.6% additional hike in the marginal rate with no deductibility of state income taxes. Marginal tax rates would then approach 70%, levels not seen since the 1970s and among the highest in the world. The after-tax return to work — the take-home wage for more time or effort — would be cut by more than 40%.
That would, obviously, devastate the economy. Worse, it is unfair. It is simply immoral for the state to confiscate 70% of anyone's income. It would be deeply ironic if, at a time when the rest of the world is moving toward greater freedom in the form of lower tax rates, the United States were to regress to the stultifying statism of the 1970s. Yet that is exactly what Barack Obama promises.
To comment on this post, go here.


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The networks and the Associated Press have called both Ohio and the presidential race for Barack Obama, but Mitt Romney's campaign isn't buying it.
Romney is disputing the call earlier Tuesday night that Obama won the critical battleground of Ohio, the state that put the Democratic incumbent over the top in electoral votes.
If the call for Obama in Ohio turns out to be wrong, eyes would turn to Virginia and Florida, two other swing states that haven't been called.
However, Obama would still win even if he loses Ohio's 18 votes. He is now at 290 electoral votes, according to the AP tally. So even if he would lose Ohio's votes, he'd have 272 votes, two more than the 270 needed to win.
Obama's bailout of the auto industry was popular in Ohio, and polls showed him leading there late in the campaign.
— Robert Schroeder


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Hermann Nitsch
Eclectics & Heteroclites 1
This text constitutes the author's afterword to the fall of jerusalem. This pamphlet offprint of 500 copies was produced to coincide with the first comprehensive exhibition of the works of Hermann Nitsch in the UK (at the 30 Underwood Street gallery in Shoreditch, London) and with the publication of the full text of the fall of jerusalem in an English translation by Atlas Press.
Site contents Copyright © Atlas Press 1999-2019
BCM Atlas Press, 27 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3XX, UK


text:
Marvel vs. Capcom Origins
PlayStation 3
What do you need help on?Cancel X
If you're stuck in Marvel vs. Capcom Origins, ask your fellow GameFAQs members for help.
MARVEL VS. CAPCOM ORIGINS offers both the one-on-one gameplay of Marvel Super Heroes with its unique Infinity Gem system and the two-on-two carnage of the original Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, featuring a tag system, assists, and the wild Duo Team Attack. Bringing forth a host of features never before seen in these games, MARVEL VS. CAPCOM ORIGINS features GGPO-enhanced online play with 8-player lobbies and spectator mode, HD graphical upgrades, dynamic challenges and replay saving.
Popular Recent Questions
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An opaque, black case for the arduinome, a DIY version of the monome (monom.org). Designed for SparkFun 64 SparkFun buttons and arduino Diecimila.Read More
Arduinome BLACK Acrylic Case Kit
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This pulse generator has quadrature outputs, and is contained in a beautifully machined solid billet of aluminum. Only 4 available.Read More
Hand Crank Pulse Generator in Aluminum Case
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Course on Bitcoin, Blockchain, Decentralization
Our new course on Bitcoin, Blockchain and Decentralized technology gives a crash course on Bitcoin and many other blockchain projects, like Ethereum, MakerDao, IPFS, SlockIt, the DAO, Zerocash, and more. There are demos on how to acquire, store and use Bitcoin, including web, hardware and paper wallets. Some of the latest topics in Bitcoin are also covered, like soft vs hard forks, segregated witRead More
The Essence of How Bitcoin Works
A brief intro to the main ideas behind How Bitcoin Works, including how money is transferred, who keeps track of it, and how the whole thing is secured.Read More
SMT Stencil Review, including BGA Reballing
A review of SMT stencils from BEST, Inc. 10% off coupon: 'Curious'Read More
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RPi Spectrum Analyzer Display with LED Strip
A python-based real-time spectrum analyzer. Plays MP3s and does FFTs in real time using code from the LightShow Pi project and Numpy. Full code and instructions at instructables.Read More


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COSTA MESA — After sweeping the competition statewide, Costa Mesa High School's Business Academy will compete in New York City in March for a national title.
Mesa's two Virtual Enterprise companies, the Great Park Wildlife Center and Abeille, finished first and second, respectively, at the California State Business and Trade Fair earlier this month in Bakersfield — the first school to ever take both awards in the same year.
"It was a very emotional moment. It was probably the first time I cried of happiness," said Cesar Chavez, 17, who served as the Great Park Wildlife Center chief executive in the competition. "I just couldn't believe that it actually happened."
Virtual Enterprise is a senior-level class that allows students to wet their feet in the world of business by creating and running a mock company.
At Mesa, it is the culmination of a three-class pathway, although students who haven't taken the other classes can still join.
The Great Park Wildlife Center, a petting zoo in Irvine's Great Park, uses only second-chance rescue animals and incorporates an educational component for local schoolchildren, Cesar said.
Abeille, which is French for bee, is an organic and humane beekeeping and pollination service company that lends out bees to farms in need and sells honey and wax wholesale, said its chief executive, Raquel Friedmann, 17.
Social responsibility has been a theme.
Advisor Mike Sciacca said he doesn't have a formula for making successful companies, but figured out that it's important to teach kids that business is more than making money.
"I think that's the whole reason we have buy in," he said about why students take the class so seriously. "It feels less like work and more like a passion."
The students also had big shoes to fill.
One of Mesa's student companies nabbed first place at nationals last year with Sanatorius, a pollution-offset company that installs compost toilets in developing countries.
The goal this year was for both teams to make it to nationals, and now they have to tweak their business plans and raise the money to go.
"It's going to be really exciting and really amazing," Raquel said. "I think it's just going to be exciting to share our ideas."
Twitter: @britneyjbarnes
How To Help
A portion of the proceeds from Costa Mesa High School's Food Truck Nights, from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, and Jan. 3 and 10, will help the business teams raise the $16,500 to $22,000 it needs to send 11 teammates to New York City. The food trucks meet the first and third Tuesdays of the month in front of the gym, 2650 Fairview Road.


text:
Expert Hardwood Floor Refinishing Services For All Styles Of Flooring
Considering Floor Refinishing? We Can Make Sure You Get The Best Results.
Over time, even the best hardwood floors can becomes dinged, faded, and dull. While one of your first thoughts might be replacing the flooring, hardwood floor refinishing is a even better alternative to a full replacement. By stripping off and sanding down the old finish and polyurethane, you can reveal the fresher wood underneath, allowing for it to be completely refinished with new stain and protective coats. It is one of the best way to breath new life into old hardwood flooring. At King Floor Refinishing, our floor refinishers specialize in refinishing all kinds of wood flooring, ranging from the very common maple or oak flooring to more exotic types of wood, like mahogany and black cherry. Refinishing hardwood floors is a very challenging process requiring large amount of specialized equipment. At first, there are several layers of sanding that help remove the old finish, then the floors must be cleaned and prepped for new stain. After that, you should be able to start staining and finishing the floor. All in all, wood floor refinishing is best left to a floor refinishing company you can trust to get the job done right. Whether you're looking for residential or commercial services, our floor refinishers can help. If you would like some assistance with a floor refinishing projects, please complete our quick online form with all the details of your job. We'll be happy to get back to you with a quote.


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WASHINGTON (AP) � Manager Clint Hurdle's Pittsburgh Pirates began the game 0 for 12 with runners in scoring position before coming through in the clutch late.
They fell behind 4-0 against the Washington Nationals while committing three errors in the first inning. Then the Pirates trailed 7-3 heading into the ninth inning, before rallying to tie the game.
And it all meant nothing in the end, because Bryce Harper hit a game-ending, two-run homer off reliever Bryan Morris with two outs in the ninth to give Washington a 9-7 victory on Thursday.
"Unfortunately, you know, it's kind of sometimes like pickup basketball," Hurdle said. "They had the ball last."
He and Nationals manager Davey Johnson both were ejected on a wild afternoon.
The Pirates had won four games in a row, but they couldn't finish off a sweep of the Nationals.
One problem was trying to overcome what Hurdle called "our worst inning on the field this season."
Briefly breaking out of a slump that had seen it score a total of 13 runs while going 0-6 since the All-Star break, Washington batted around to go ahead 4-0 against A.J. Burnett after one inning. First baseman Gaby Sanchez, second baseman Jordy Mercer and third baseman Pedro Alvarez each committed an error, meaning only one run was earned.
After Burnett hit Harper with a pitch, Steve Lombardozzi followed with a bunt single. Harper strayed too far off second, getting caught in a rundown. But shortstop Clint Barmes' throw got past Alvarez, who was charged with an error. That allowed Harper to come all the way around to score, and Lombardozzi wound up on second. Ryan Zimmerman's opposite-field single made it 2-0.
Two outs later, Ian Desmond, who missed Wednesday's game because of a burst blister on his left palm, singled. And Denard Span, struggling so much he was dropped from the leadoff spot to No. 7 in the batting order, singled to right. Two runs scored on the play, making it 4-0, because of Sanchez's throwing error.
The next batter, Kurt Suzuki, reached on Mercer's fielding mistake, making it the first time since July 4, 2011, against Houston, that the Pirates made three errors in an inning.
Took that kind of sloppiness for the Nationals' slumbering offense to wake up.
Still, the Pirates made a game of it despite twice trailing by four runs. In the ninth, Nationals closer Rafael Soriano was charged with four runs while getting only one out. Soriano walked the first two batters, then gave up Mercer's run-scoring double and Russell Martin's RBI single, Pittsburgh's first hits of the day with runners in scoring position.
Nationals bench coach Randy Knorr, who took over after Johnson was tossed in the fifth, then lifted Soriano and turned to rookie Ian Krol (1-0). A walk loaded the bases, and Josh Harrison � who homered earlier � tied the game with a two-run single.
But in the ninth, Harper delivered the first game-ending homer of his career, putting a pitch from Morris (4-4) over the wall just to the left of straightaway center.
"I was attacking him with it, and he put a good swing on it," Morris said, "and he hit to the deepest part of the park."
Harper raised his right fist overhead as he rounded first base and was mobbed by a bouncing pack of teammates as he reached home plate.
It was his 14th homer of the season, and first since July 1, the day he came off the disabled list after missing time with a left knee injury.
"Great to get the 'W' today. We really needed it," said Harper, who sat out Wednesday because of the bothersome knee. "Hopefully this one will carry on into tomorrow and the next day."
Johnson left the game when he came out of the dugout while Desmond was arguing a called third strike. Hurdle got ejected in the seventh after Alvarez was thrown out at first while veering too far toward second base after a single.
It was that kind of game.
"It looked, for me, like he was looking to check the ball � if it was going to go through, into the outfield. Once he didn't see it go through, stay in the infield ... he squared right up and ran through the bag," Hurdle said. "So that was argument."
NOTES: Burnett wound up going seven innings, allowing only one earned run. ... Pirates RHP Vic Black made his major league debut, entering with two outs in the eighth. ... Gonzalez's 11 strikeouts equaled his career high. ... The Pirates open a three-game series at Miami on Friday, with Pittsburgh LHP Jeff Locke (9-2, 2.11) starting against RHP Henderson Alvarez (0-1, 3.28).


text: ABMS: Lead Auditor BS 10500 After having successfully implemented an Anti-bribery Management System (ABMS), based on BS 10500, organizations want to make sure that their best-practice framework is diligently monitored, reviewed and improved. With a rigorous audit process, you can consistently evaluate your organizations ABMS to continually improve its performance in the area of risk and due diligence. Led by an experienced BSI tutor, this five day course, will help you develop your knowledge and skills to lead a system assessment / audit of an ABMS. By engaging in practical exercises, group activities and classroom discussions, you will go through the entire auditing process. You'll learn the principles and practices to consider when auditing and how to apply them based on the requirements of BS 10500. You'll learn more about how suppliers and subcontractors work with your ABMS and you'll also learn how second and third party audits would operate. Who should attend? Those responsible for anti-bribery management, ethical behaviour, corporate governance, risk and compliance, management systems, anti-bribery measures, human resources, procurement and those managing/selecting business associates especially if operating in high risk bribery environments. Suggested job roles include: Human resource managers Internal legal team managers Risk and compliance managers Internal affairs and investigation team managers Internal and external management systems auditors who are new to ABMS Procurement managers Private data and records administration team managers Learning objectives How to interpret the requirements of BS 10500 in the context of an audit What is the purpose of: an ABMS, of the ABMS standard, of a management system audit and of third party certification What is the role of an auditor to plan, conduct, report and follow up an ABMS audit How to plan, conduct, report and follow up an ABMS audit to check conformance with BS 10500 Course Benefits Your company will be able to establish the effectiveness of its ABMS Your business will be able to show to all interested parties, specifically your customers that it is committed to managing the risks associated with an effective ABMS Your organization will have someone who is able to manage an ABMS audit team Your company will be better placed to prepare for second and third party ABMS audits Your business will have in-house skills in conducting second and third party ABMS audits Your organization will have in-house expertise in leading audits, specifically when dealing with ABMS Pre-requisites Knowledge of BS 10500 and management system auditing Knowledge of Anti-bribery management which can include: anti-bribery policy, due diligence, associated persons, role of the compliance manager, education and training, communicating the ABMS, gifts and hospitality and monitoring and review Request an in-house training quote


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Patriarch Attends Divine Liturgy at St. Nicholas Cathedral of Brooklyn, NY
His Beatitude, IGNATIUS IV, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East presided at the Divine Liturgy at St. Nicholas Cathedral of Brooklyn, NY on October 21, 2012. This was the highlight of his short visit to the United States. The Patriarch, accompanied by His Eminence, Metropolitan PHILIP and His Grace, Bishop NICHOLAS (who celebrated the liturgy), arrived about 10 am on a warm autumn day as the church bells filled the streets around the Cathedral. The Cathedral Dean and Vicar-General of the Archdiocese, Archpriest Thomas Zain, greeted the Patriarch at the door of the vestibule and presented the Patriarch with the Gospel book to venerate. As His Beatitude made his way down the center aisle of the Cathedral, scores of people reached out to him for his blessing as the chanters, led by seminarian Rassem El-Massih, chanted the 9th ode of the Palm Sunday Canon, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord . . . . " After blessing the faithful, the Patriarch ascended the throne, the priests took his blessing and vested for the liturgy as Orthros continued with the Patriarch leading the chanting of the Katavasias.
Before the reading of the Epistle, Fr. Thomas intoned the Patriarchal Phimi, "IGNATIUS the most devout and most holy father, chosen by God, Patriarch of Antioch, the great city of God . . . . . May God grant him many years!" The Phimi was then chanted in Arabic by Metropolitan PHILIP and the chanters. After the reading of the Gospel, His Eminence, Metropolitan PHILIP welcomed the Patriarch and the delegation from the University of Balamand who accompanied him on the trip and other members of the Archdiocese Board of Trustees who were in town especially for the visit of the Patriarch, including Vice-Chairman, Mr. Fawaz El-Khoury. At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the Patriarch addressed the faithful and then gave the final blessing as Rassem chanted the Polychonion of the Patriarch.
A special collection was taken from the Brooklyn community of both St. Nicholas Cathedral and St. Mary Church of Bay Ridge Brooklyn to help the Patriarch minister to the victims of the ongoing civil war in Syria. More than $15,000 was raised in the special collection and will be given to the Patriarch. This was indeed a special day as we welcomed the head of our Antiochian Patriarchate and Church. May God continue to give him strength and grant him many years!


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Photos: Earthquake and tsunami hit Japan
A 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami hit the northeast coast of Japan on Friday, March 11, 2011. The two natural disasters have likely killed well more than 10,000 people and has left hundreds of thousands homeless. Adding to the tragedy, the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant suffered extreme damage and has put the country of Japan on high alert for a potential nuclear catastrophe.
Copyright © 2019, Chicago Tribune


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|It's super old and cool inside.
|A good Anatolian woman.
|Seriously cool.
Büyük, güzel, ve temiz. One of my friends is studying from the same beginning Turkish book I started with, and at first, everything is büyük, güzel, ve temiz.
"Nasıl bir restoran?" (How is the restaurant?)
"Büyük bir restoran." (It's a big restaurant.)
"Temiz mi?" (Is it clean?)
"Evet, çok temiz." (Yes, it's very clean.)
Then you get a little more advanced.
"Restoran güzel mi? (Is the restaurant nice?)
"Evet, çok güzel." (Yes, it's very nice.)
"Büyük mü?" (Is it big?)
"Çok büyük değil. Ama çok temiz." (It's not very big. But it's clean.)
Seriously, it wasn't until like Unit 25 anything started being small or dirty or ugly. Which, as much as Istanbul has to offer, left me with a serious handicap for describing my surroundings.
But, Istanbul. Best stay-cation city ever. After the hamam we went to the Kapalı Çarşı to find the guy selling really nice peştemal that I'd found with my folks a couple of weeks ago.
|Makes me want to buy stuff.
and across Galata Bridge...
... to Pera where we caught the old funicular to Tünel and kept walking.
|A very old sage plant. I ate some and it was yummy and sweet.
|A very nice church. I broke down and lit a candle for my cousin's family.
|A very sad saint.
|Some very cool stuff.
Rounded off by one more tea on top of the Goethe Institute (too dark by then for photos of the almost redundantly breathtaking view of the place we'd just left), and a big fat dinner at a place that takes Setcards.
Really, does a regular day get much better?
Not often enough, I'd say.


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"How long have you been here?" a young man asked on our last night in Leningrad. (This unusual fellow—without ever having left Russia-spoke perfect idiomatic English, had a sound track of Saturday Night Fever, was reading Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and talked me out of my last issue of MOTHER EARTH NEWS.)
"Three weeks," I replied.
"Ah, three weeks!" the youthful cynic exclaimed. "Just enough time to understand ... exactly ... nothing!"
He, of course, was right. No one can learn to "understand" Russia—a vastly beautiful, culturally varied nation—in just three weeks. But 21 days is a sufficient period of time in which to gather a bunch of surprising and delightful impressions of Soviet life. Here are a few of mine:
Nature in the Cities
There is an abundance of trees in the cities, and you're never more than a short walk from flower-filled parks lovingly tended by husky women gardeners. Over one-third of Moscow, for example, is devoted to "green space." In Sukhumi—the "garden city" on the Black Sea—each street is lined with a different species of tree, and in the Persian-seeming, Caspian Sea city of Baku—in addition to miles of parks and trees—grapevines leap up from balcony to balcony and building to building, providing shade and fruit for apartment dwellers.
Everywhere, you'll see people carrying bouquets of blossoms bought at the colorful flower stalls in city markets. And often during our tour of Russia, we were presented with gifts of flowers.
Food that Fills
Breads, pastries, and ice cream in the U.S.S.R. are some of the best you'll find anywhere. (No wonder those ladies are so husky!) Russians eat tons of ice cream even in the (brrr!) winter. And after just one taste you, too, will become a devotee.
Fresh herbs (parsley, tarragon, etc.) are consumed in large quantities and almost as a substitute for salads, particularly in and around the Caucasus. Since herbs figure strongly in the diets of the "long dwellers" (the U.S.S.R.'s famed centenarians) we—feeling a bit rabbitlike—dutifully munched away on the pungent plants and soon came to enjoy and expect herbs with our meals.
Generally speaking—if you like cheese, cucumbers, yogurt, potatoes, borsch, cheese blintzes, chicken Kiev, and great slabs of tender, red meat—you'll enjoy many of your meals in the Soviet Union. (Vegetarians can be accommodated, too.)
Friendly Drinks
Yes, the people of the U.S.S.R. do drink their share of vodka. (Practice up on long, flowery toasts and apologize to your stomach in advance.) And yes, they really do expect you to knock off that shot with a single gulp.
Drinking is, if anything, even easier in the Socialist Republic of Georgia (surely one of the world's most hospitable spots!). Here, they toast you (frequently!) in their native brew: a very decent champagne. (And no one's insulted if you don't gulp champagne!)
Selective Cleanliness
No, you can't drink the water, especially not in Leningrad. And except in first-class hotels (where we'll be staying), no one in this egalitarian society seems to like to clean toilets ... at least not often.
On the other hand, most of the city streets in the U.S.S.R. are so immaculate you could almost eat off them, and one thinks twice before tossing aside a cigarette butt. (In fact, I saw Muscovites tuck them into their matchboxes when no ashtrays were handy.)
Public buildings positively sparkle, and it's really nice to observe the devoted care that goes into restoring and preserving Russia's dazzling old palaces and churches.
Which brings to mind ...
Religious Rites
Despite word to the contrary and official "discouragement of superstition," religion is still very much alive in the U.S.S.R. At the large Russian Orthodox cathedral we visited one Sunday in Moscow, the wall-to-wall worshipers who were packed shoulder-to-shoulder inside actually spilled out into the street.
These services were not an isolated occurrence. Stopping one weekday afternoon in Mtskheta, an ancient town in the Caucasus, we found a service being held in the side chapel of an old cathedral.
"It's considered quite fashionable now to go to church," a Georgian atheist told us apologetically, as—on yet another occasion—we watched young women light candles under the icons of their favorite saints in a downtown church in Tbilisi.
Police Power
Moscow—the powerful heart of this gigantic country—does have its share of police and soldiers, particularly in and around the Kremlin. In other parts of the country, though, the police keep a very low profile. And when you do see them they seldom wear guns. Yet you'll feel remarkably safe on city streets, day and night.
If anyone ever "follows" you, it's because he wants to buy your jeans ... but don't be tempted by that huge sum of rubles he'll offer you. Dealing with the black market is a definite "no-no"!
Russians in Love
The evening we arrived in Pyatigorsk (a picturesque health resort once popular with the czarist nobility and the setting for Mikhail Lermontov's romantic tale, A Hero of our Time) there was an impromptu party and dance going on in our hotel's restaurant.
Nick, the young manager of a local grocery, insisted on plying us with wine and chocolate (a not uncommon combination in Russia), and soon became understandably enamored of the youngest member of our group: a lovely, 22-year-old blonde.
Four delightful days later, as we left Pyatigorsk and headed for the high mountains, a taxi passed our bus some distance out of town and the car's driver honked and waved for us to pull over. We were then all astounded and very impressed to see Nick jump out of the cab with an armload of roses and an expensive, chased-copper plaque as a farewell gift to his blushing American friend.
But that wasn't the end of it. Imagine our further astonishment some ten days later, when we stopped to take pictures on the River Neva and found that same young man waiting for us, this time with carnations and a friendship ring!
In order to get one last look at his pretty blonde, Nick had called in too (love?) sick to work and had hopped a plane to Leningrad. This incident alone forced us to alter our concepts of the Russians' freedom to move about their country, and also to acknowledge that the citizens of the U.S.S.R. are as romantic as ever.
(You, too, will be perfectly free to go off exploring on your own while we're in Russia. In U.S.S.R. cities—even the small ones—public transportation is fast, clean, frequent, and cheap. For 7¢ or less in most places, you can see the sights and meet some very nice people along the way.)
Train Games
People-meeting is the best part of any train trip, and in Russia, overnight journeys are particularly friendly. (The barriers seem to come down when everyone's in his or her pajamas.) Just meander through the corridors from one car to another and someone is sure to try to engage you in conversation, a game of cards, or chess.
On such an excursion during our last journey through the U.S.S.R., one of our group handed a small boy a tiny American flag. And, an hour or so later when we came back through the cars, the child was waiting with a candy for each of us. (Exchange is the name of the game in the U.S.S.R.; chewing gum is often better for barter than rubles are for buying!) So comradely were our train companions that night, in fact, that the mighty lady conductor finally had enough. "Go to bed! Go to bed!" she scolded.
Cheap Flights
People who paint the Soviet Union in blacks and grays with unsmiling faces and heavy vibrations obviously never left the airports while in the country! Because it's at the airfields that soldiers guard the planes and everyone seems very serious. (You're not even allowed to disembark until the crew leaves the aircraft.)
And if the flights are cheap, so is the service. (A glass of warm mineral water was our sole refreshment on a three-hour flight from Sukhumi to Leningrad.) But what can you expect when the state-owned company, Aeroflot, has a monopoly on all domestic flights?
Adventures by Bus
A seemingly well-run bus system blankets the country, and pretty mosaic-tiled bus shelters are scattered along many of the country roads. We used modern and comfortable Intourist buses, and the drivers (with a couple of exceptions) were some of the best I've ever ridden with.
The ride from the airport into Baku, for instance—with a laughing, dark-eyed Azeri at the wheel—was (at best) a thrill of terror! But the dramatic crossing of the Caucasian Mountains (a route described by Strabo, the Greek geographer, and Pliny, the Roman historian)—with its one-way narrows, 7,000-foot precipices, and great herds of fat, woolly sheep—was a picnic thanks to our driver's 25 years of experience with those formidable mountain passes.
Met the "Enemy"
Besides the usual "please," "thank you," "hello," and "goodbye," anyone wandering around the U.S.S.R. should learn to understand and answer the stock question: "Where are you from?" just to see the expression of surprise on the questioner's face.
As an American, you'll be a rarity outside of Moscow and Leningrad and, after the look of shock and disbelief passes, there is a quick mental reevaluation ("I've met the 'enemy' ... and he's just like me!"). Next will come a flood of questions: "Are you happy living under a capitalist system?" "Do you have servants?" "What about the neutron bomb?" "Can I show you my city?" "Would you like to come to my house for dinner?"
And you're always left with enthusiastic handshakes, pledges of peace and friendship, and—sometimes—kisses.
The Trip in a Nutshell
I could go on and on, but why not leave some surprises for you to discover yourself? The fact is, you'll gain enough new knowledge on MOTHER EARTH NEWS' upcoming, nearly 4,000-mile trip within the Soviet Union to fill a book.
You're going to visit health spas, mineral baths, curative mud clinics, apiaries, farms, and health resorts. You'll talk with leading doctors and specialists on nutrition and aging, meet some of the happy, handsome centenarians of the Transcaucasian Republics, and learn much about the lifestyles and eating habits of these remarkable "long dwellers."
Aside from all that, you'll go on hikes and hunt for herbs; enjoy Russia's famous ballets, operas, and folk dancers; visit some of the world's most impressive museums; and much, much more!
Maybe we can even squeeze in a trip to Lake Baikal, the oldest lake in the world. (Lake Baikal is over 400 miles long, the whole of the Baltic Sea could easily be contained in its basin, and its fresh waters are so crystal clear that a white sheet can be seen 90 to 120 feet down. There are 1,200 different species of aquatic life in its 5,200-foot depths, and in the deep green forests that surround those shining blue waters, you can find almost 500 plants that grow nowhere else in the world.)
Get Your Front Row Seat!
This exciting 21-day Health and Nutrition Tour of the U.S.S.R. will run from May 27 through June 16, 1979. It will cost $1,900, which covers all air fares (including New York to Moscow and back), all land transportation, double occupancy in first-class hotels, all meals in the Soviet Union, transfers, scheduled professional and sightseeing trips, gratuities, and the Citizens Exchange Corps registration fee.
(Can you imagine how much fun it's going to be to run around Russia with a bunch of MOTHER EARTH NEWS readers? I can hardly wait!)


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Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness
IntroductionThe United States Congress designated the Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness (map) in 1984 and it now has a total of 50,216 acres. All of this wilderness is located in Utah and is managed by the Forest Service.
DescriptionA mountain island surrounded by desert, Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness preserves numerous lush meadows (up to 50 acres in size) and a beautiful forest of Engelmann spruce in the south, and spruce mixed with fir, pine, and large stands of aspen in the north. The Pine Valley Mountains rise through the entire center of the area and provide habitat for chipmunks, marmots, red squirrels, and a large herd of deer in summer. Elevations rise to a high point at 10,365 feet on Signal Peak in the southern portion. On a clear day at this site, you can see Zion National Park across Interstate 15 to the west, and some of Arizona's highest mountains to the south. Several springs fill numerous perennial creeks. Snow falls October through March, followed by a relatively dry and pleasant period that ends with a season marked by typically violent storms from July through September. The Summit Trail follows the crest of the Pine Valley Mountains in their north-south ramble for a distance of about 18 miles, and at least eight other trails climb the mountains to join the crest, including the easily accessible Whipple Trail (six miles). The Wilderness, Utah's second largest, lies within a much larger undesignated wild and free recreation area, bringing the total mileage of maintained trails to more than 151.
Planning to Visit the Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness?
- Print a fact sheet
- General things to consider when visiting any wilderness
- Regulations
- Contact the Forest Service
Leave No TraceHow to follow the seven standard Leave No Trace principles differs in different parts of the country (desert vs. Rocky Mountains). Click on any of the principles listed below to learn more about how they apply in the Pine Valley Mountain Wilderness.
- Plan Ahead and Prepare
- Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
- Dispose of Waste Properly
- Leave What You Find
- Minimize Campfire Impacts
- Respect Wildlife
- Be Considerate of Other Visitors


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ESSEX JUNCTION — Among this year's inductees into the 11th annual Vermont Agriculture Hall of Fame are Addison County resident Sam Cutting III, of Dakin Farm in Ferrisburgh, and former Addison County resident John Deere, who was inducted posthumously. The awards will be presented at the Champlain Valley Fair in August.
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MIDDLEBURY — Amy and Kyle Buxton enjoy spending time together. Sometimes they take it to the extreme.
For example, the Middlebury couple are training for an "extreme" sporting event — the New England Tough Mudder challenge — in which they will participate on Aug. 10. It will be the second year in a row that Amy, 36, and Kyle, 38, take on the challenging 10-12 mile obstacle course that is run up and down Mount Snow in West Dover.
CROWN POINT, N.Y./ADDISON, VT. — With the Lake Champlain Bridge landscape restoration project on the verge of completion, Chimney Point State Historic Site and Crown Point State Historic Site will together host a unique New York/Vermont afternoon of learning about preservation and restoration.
ORWELL — Mount Independence State Historic Site in Orwell is offering two outdoor programs on the weekend of Aug. 3 and 4.
First, on Saturday, Aug. 3, naturalist Sue Wetmore will lead a fun afternoon for children and their "adults" exploring nature on the Mount. The program starts at 1 p.m. Attendees will meet at the Mount Independence State Historic Site museum.
ST. ALBANS BAY — When one's passion for Lake Champlain is high as the Benjamins', sometimes the best way to share it is to build a business around it.
Curt and Jerri Benjamin, along with their son, Jordan, and his wife, Erin, have taken their longtime love for the lake to a new level with Northshore Kite-Sail-Surf LLC; its headquarters is Curt and Jerri's St. Albans Bay residence (Curt and Jerri Benjamin were long-time residents of Middlebury; Jordan and Erin still reside in Middlebury).
SALISBURY — Twenty-two-year-old Dustin Weigle of Middlebury and 56-year-old Donna Smyers of Adamant won the men's and women's divisions, respectively, of the second Vermont Sun Triathlon of the season on July 21. The triathlon was the second in the four-event series for the summer. The race, which started and finished at Branbury State Park in Salisbury, consisted of 600 yards of swimming, 14 miles of biking and a 3.1-mile run.
VERGENNES — The Friends of the Vergennes Opera House board of directors has accepted a slate of eight new directors from Vergennes, New Haven, Panton, West Addison and Ferrisburgh. This new group will join the existing six board members making for a total of 14 directors to head up the next phase of the VOH organization.
VERMONT — The Vermont Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association has chosen Middlebury College sophomore tennis player Lok Sze Leung, Essex High School senior tennis player David Ro, and Champlain Valley Union junior track and field standout Autumn Eastman as its May Athletes of the Month.
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BioShock: Infinite took home a ridiculous 75 awards from E3, including the annual Game Critics Awards Best of Show -- and that was without anyone actually laying a hand on the game. See why below courtesy of Spike TV's GameTrailers:
And we could be way off on this one, but it seems to us the previous gameplay demo Irrational released for the game way back in September 2010 serves as the perfect Part II, particularly with Booker stating, "That thing took Elizabeth. I've got to find her." Watch it below:
BioShock: Infinite is being developed for Windows PCs, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the Wii U. The game is scheduled for release sometime in 2012. Get our detailed thoughts on the above demo via our Interrogation Room feature on Bioshock: Infinite.
Sharkey says: There are so many different elements to the demo that make it so impressive: the unique Columbia environment, the clash of ideals, the mix of shooting and plasmid powers, the verticality of combat via the Sky Lines, Elizabeth's co-op assistance and the choices they offer... the list goes on. Bottom line: BioShock: Infinite looks amazing.


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Public Speaking: 25 Tips to Calm Your Nerves
Public speaking training
1. Prepare: The more you prepare and the better handle you have on the material you are presenting, the better it will go.
2. Practice: Once you have prepared, you MUST practice, early and often. Rumor has it that Churchill practiced for one hour per one minute of speech content he was delivering. 5 minute presentation = 5 hours practice. How long are you practicing?
3. Check out the Room: Familiarity breeds comfort. Surprise s the day of a presentation are not fun and ratchet up anxiety tenfold. Is there a podium? What technology are you using and does it work?
4. Read the Room: While not always an option, when you have the opportunity to meet a few audience members beforehand, take it! Arrive ten minutes early and introduce yourself to a few people. If you are presenting mid-day, arrive before a key break to meet a few folks.
5. "Seed" the Audience: Ask friends, associates or colleagues come to your presentation. Talk to the conference organizers when you arrive. Locate them before you take the stage, if possible. Identify where friendly faces are sitting. The purpose – to have friendly faces to focus on if the anxiety starts to build.
6. Remember the audience is on your side: 9 times out of 10, the audienceis rooting for you to succeed, not waiting for you to fall flat.
7. Breathing: My three favorite breathing techniques – 3 Deep Belly Breathes, Ujaia breathing, and the Alternate Nostril technique – these techniques are explained in further detail at the end
8. Listen to Music: Watch a boxing or MMA competition or an NFL or NBA pre-game show and you will see world class athletes entering the locker room listening to music, getting in the zone, eliminating distraction and chasing away anxiety and negative thoughts. It works prior to public speaking as well; An iPod can be a presenter's best friend.
9. Visualization: It works. Professional boxers, when shadow boxing, do not throw random punches — they are visualizing an opponent and quite literally sparring with that visualization. Ballplayers do the same thing before approaching the plate. Elite athletes, musicians, actors and dancers utilize visualization regularly — Todd Hargrove has an excellent article on visualization in athletics here. Visualization, if done properly, works for speakers and presenters as well.
10. Body Movement: A few minutes before "taking the stage" – "Waggle" (lateral movement) your jaw; bend forward and dangle your arms and let them shake; shake your hands over your head; utilize simple stretches and isometric stretches (more on that later) — all of these movements, when incorporated with proper breathing, warm the body, relax the mind and calm your nerves.
11. Body Movement, Pt. II: As a former amateur boxer, nothing prepares me to speak better than light shadow boxing a few minutes before I have to speak. I know a CEO who (literally) does 20 pushups prior to every earning's call. Focused movement helps even more than just generic movement because it tends to take your thought process in a different direction.
12. Do Sit-Ups: There is a school of thought that suggest that constricting the abdominal wall prevents the production of epinephrine, a hormone associated with fight or flight response. The most effective way to utilize this approach prior to speaking is to "crunch" and release the abdominal muscles while standing ( lying down and doing sit ups is probably not optimal!)
13. Put the Pressure Elsewhere: The more interactive your presentation, the less pressure you will feel, as the presentation becomes a true conversation, and most people are much more comfortable in a conversation than delivering a presentation.
14. Caffeine Free: I always avoid copious amounts of caffeine (due to the epinephrine effect), and salty foods (to avoid drying out my mouth) on presentation day. I also tend to eat lighter on performance day as this keeps me sharp and "light."
15. Utilize Props: A properly placed water bottle and well-timed break in the presentation to take a sip not only gives the presenter a break for a few seconds, it draws attention back to the presenter, and can be effective to "reset" the audience.
16. Work on your Open: The first minute of the presentation is usually when your tension will peak; having a well prepared, effective, engaging open will lessen anxiety dramatically. You can find some ideas on how to open effectively here.
17. The Restroom: Don't laugh, on presentation day the restroom is your ally. Ten or fifteen minutes before presenting, head into the restroom to allow yourself the opportunity to breathe, listen to a last minute song or inspirational music, close your eyes and get into your zone. If called upon to do a last minute presentation, you will always be able to steal five minutes in the restroom – use it to pull yourself, and your thoughts, together.
18. Anxiety…Interrupted: When the anxiety is building and you are less than five minutes from taking the stage, your heart is starting to pound, heat is building and you keep telling yourself to calm down my favorite technique is to pick a random number – 1,795 and start counting backwards….by another random number – 7s, 9s, 11s, etc. It is not easy and allows for thought interruption, essentially plateauing the building anxiety
19. Anxiety…Distracted: Maybe you are a math wizard, or the number technique is not effective for you. Start reciting the alphabet backward (mentally). Again, more thought process disruption.
20. Remember the reality: I have worked with thousands of speakers over the years and have to come to the conclusion that you are always more nervous than you appear.
21. Remember the reality, Pt. II: In most cases, your presentation is infinitely more important to you than to your audience members – it is your job to peak their collective interest. The reality is that 99.9999…% of the time, the nightmare scenarios you envision will not come true.
22. Breathing Exercise # 1: Three Deep Belly Breaths – Sounds like what it is. Slowly inhale through the nose for a count of 5-15 (15 is optimal). Keep one hand on your diaphragm and feel it enlarge as you inhale. Hold for 5-10 seconds, and then exhale through your mouth slowly, again for a count of 5-15 seconds (15 is optimal). Repeat three times. This is awesome to do for the few minutes before you are actually going to be speaking.
23. Breathing Exercise #2: Ujjaiy Breathing – Also known as Oceanic or Victorious Breathing – it is remarkable. It is a yogic breathing technique I first learned from struggling through Vinyasa yoga classes. Similar to deep belly breathing, however this time the mouth stays closed the entire time.
24. Breathing Exercise #3: Alternate Nostril Breathing Technique (my favorite) – All you need for this is your thumb, your pinkie finger, and your nose. To begin, simply cover your left nostril with your left thumb, and slowly and deeply inhale for 5 seconds to start (10 is optimal). Then immediately cover your right nostril with your left pinkie finger, while keeping your left nostril pressed closed – at all times your mouth is closed as well, so at this point you are essentially holding your breathe. Again, hold for 5 seconds (10 is optimal). Then remove your left thumb from your left nostril and slowly exhale for a 10 count. Wait two seconds and repeat the same technique, inhaling through your left nostril as your right nostril is still closed, etc.
25. Use Notes: Memorization + anxiety = poor performance. An index card with key bullet points, just to keep you on track, will help free your mind to stay in the moment, rather than allowing the pressure to remember to add to the anxiety you are already feeling on presentation day.
There are other effective tactics and strategies including taking advantage of great programs that allow you to practice presenting in front of likeminded professionals (Toastmasters), seeking professional help to develop individual techniques to deal with a specific anxiety or aspect of presenting and in extreme cases seeking the expertise of a therapist.
One last technique is one I frequently suggest to people who have had a traumatic public speaking experience in the past, and the technique is scaling. After a traumatic experience your memory tends to exaggerate how poorly the event went, and the more time that goes by without that thought pattern being interrupted, the "bigger" the event feels, and the more anxious you feel prior to the next presentation. In this case it is critical to break this pattern, and that is done through scaling – finding low stakes…..
Public speaking training
The next time you are about to present, do yourself a favor and take a deep breath. Picture Winston Churchill or Abraham Lincoln. Two of the greatest orators ever, both suffering from a fear of public speaking. Think about major Hollywood actors and actresses, many of who also suffer from glossophobia. You are not alone, and I can promise that if you institute much of what you just read, your next presentation will be better.


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How Technology Decreases the Stigma Surrounding STDs
By Candace Y.A. Montague
March 7, 2014
Mitchell Kapor once said "Getting information off the Internet is like drinking from a fire hydrant." When you want to know more about a topic, there are so many user-friendly options. There was a time when sexually transmitted diseases were mysterious to the general public. People would discover something unusual on their body, get a diagnosis and medication from a physician, and then go home with just a pamphlet or two about their "disease." There wasn't much concern about whether or not the patient had follow up questions or wanted to talk to someone who had been through the same experience. Most of all, their diagnosis was kept uber quiet for fear of isolation.
Thanks to education, medical advances, and new media we no longer have to sit alone with our questions and fears. There are a plethora of mediums available to get more information. Most of it is free. All are easily accessible. And best of all it helps take the mystery out of sexually transmitted diseases like HIV. Here are a few examples.
Once a person has sought live medical attention from a reputable physician, he or she can find out more about their condition and ways to stay healthy on their own. If you have been diagnosed with an STD, HIV or both there many, many web pages available to increase your understanding. Not only can you raise your consciousness but also you can help educate others who may not understand much about your disease (i.e., potential sex partners). TheBody.com is a prime resource for practically everything you want to know about HIV.
Text Messages
Need to know where to get an HIV test? Want to be updated on the latest info about prevention? People can now get the information they seek as close as their mobile device these days. Real Talk DC, a subsidiary of Metro Teen AIDS in DC, will help anyone find places to get tested and where to get free condoms through text messages if they text the word "Help" to 61827.
Social Media
When someone is facing an HIV or STD diagnosis, it can be pretty lonely in some places. The stigma of an STD creates silence among the general population. They may find themselves thinking "where are all the other people who have this disease?" Social media helps people connect with one another and it has become the go-to space for people who are infected with an STD to "meet." PositiveSingles.com is one such website that helps people with similar STDs find love and companionship. It is the number one dating website for people with STDs. Using sites like Positive Singles can help alleviate the pressure of having "the talk" with a potential partner.
The age of the Internet has not only made information more accessible but also has made people's thoughts more accessible. This kind of window helps people with STDs feel like they are not alone in their thoughts and emotions. It also helps professionals like counselors and psychologists develop ways to help people who need assistance with coping. Have you ever heard of Mark S. King? He is the creator of My Fabulous Disease, a blog and website devoted to his ups and downs with HIV, news, and advocacy.
A webinar is an internet-based conference that people attend from wherever they are. Anyone with access to technology can host these conferences to share information and gather ideas and feedback. Most of the time they are presented live and recorded simultaneously so that people who missed it can see it at their convenience. For people who are diagnosed with HIV or an STD and want to move into an advocate role, webinars are an excellent start. AIDS.gov has a list of notable webinars that help advocates, health care professionals, policy makers, and others get a better look at the disease from a more global perspective.
HIV and STDs no longer have to be explained on a generic tri-fold brochure. Any information one seeks can be made available and customized to suit their needs. Let's use these avenues to tear down walls and build better lines of communication and understanding. Just another way to do away with stigma.
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Comment by: Fenicia Rosario (South Carolina) Mon., Apr. 7, 2014 at 2:59 pm UTC
This is my first time reading RISE magazine and I enjoy the articles. It's very informative and I will definitely let others I know about this site.
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D.C. HIV/AIDS Examiner
Candace Y.A. Montague
Candace Y.A. Montague has been learning about HIV since 1988 (and she has the certificates from the American Red Cross to prove it). Health is a high priority to Candace because she believes that nothing can come of your life if you're not healthy enough to enjoy it. One of her two master's degrees is in Community Health Promotion and Education. Candace was inspired to act against HIV after seeing a documentary in 2008 about African-American women and HIV. She knew that writing was the best way for her to make a difference and help inform others. Candace is a native Washingtonian and covers HIV news all around D.C. She has covered fundraisers, motorcycle rides, town hall meetings, house balls, Capitol Hill press conferences, election campaigns and protests for The DC Examiner.com and emPower News Magazine.
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Recent Posts:
September 8, 2014 - ADAP Advocacy Association Launches Directory: A Blog Entry by Candace Y.A. Montague
May 6, 2014 - Artist Luke James Discusses the Importance of Health and Love: A Blog Entry by Candace Y.A. Montague
April 18, 2014 - Three Things You Still Need to Know About Sexually Transmitted Diseases: A Blog Entry by Candace Y.A. Montague
March 7, 2014 - How Technology Decreases the Stigma Surrounding STDs: A Blog Entry by Candace Y.A. Montague
January 21, 2014 - Safer Sex Advice From Dr. Rachael Ross: A Blog Entry by Candace Y.A. Montague
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