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It's hard to know at times whether it's more appropriate to laugh or cry over Charlie Sheen's aggressive public self-destruction campaign – but we're getting plenty of opportunity for both.
The "Two and a Half Men" star's ramblings have become an Internet meme, spurring parody videos, websites and even T-shirts. It's all very funny – and even sadder.
The cottage industry seems almost the requisite response these days to celebrity scandal amid the DIY ethos of the Internet where the comedy moves quickly and can come from anywhere. The humor also appears to be rooted in a very human reaction to a disturbing spectacle in which the star of a popular long-running sitcom is melting down before us in multiple media.
The Sheen Family Circus website – in which Sheen rantings like, "It's been a tsumani of media and I've been riding it on a mercury surfboard" are substituted for the captions in the ancient comic strip – is funny. Sheen's sons having to be removed from his own family circus of a home isn't.
The new Live the Sheen Dream website, where users can click on pictures of the actor's head to generate quotes like, "You borrow my brain for five seconds and just be like 'Dude, can't handle it. Unplug this b-----d," is a hoot. Sheen's apparent inability to unplug his own strangely wired brain isn't.
Both sites are booming, and USA Today reports that wacky quotes from the self-proclaimed "warlock" with "Adonis DNA" are being used to fill Facebook status updates and all kinds of gear, via Zazzle. "Duh! Winning!" is said to be a popular slogan making its way to a T-Shirt near you.
In the hands of the comedy pros, the Sheenisms are even more cutting. Funny or Die posted a clever video interspersing footage of Sheen with fellow noted babbler Moammar Gadhafi for a mock "interview."
Jimmy Kimmel had us laughing despite ourselves with a couple of cartoon mash-ups that are getting some YouTube action: Sheen's interview with ABC's Andrea Canning animated as a Charlie Brown visit to Lucy's psychiatry stand, and the actor's bizarre chat with CNN's Piers Morgan re-imagined as an out-of-this-world conversation between George Jetson and Mr. Spacely.
As he's being lampooned online, Sheen is providing more fodder via the Web, spreading his "unemployed winner" philosophy on Twitter – offering new T-Shirt material with every tweet. "My path is now clear... Defeat is not an option..!" he tweeted early Wednesday.
Let's hope that for Sheen the path to victory means getting his act together. All kidding aside, there's nothing funny about the other option.
U.S. & World
Hester is founding director of the award-winning, multi-media NYCity News Service at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. He is the former City Editor of the New York Daily News, where he started as a reporter in 1992. Follow him on Twitter.


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More Islamic tolerance."[T]hey are not allowed to be represented by non-Muslims lawyers."
via Another Christian MyKad case goes to Syariah Court | My Sinchew.
As a last resort another Bumiputera Christian has gone to the Syariah High Court to determine her religious status following the National Registration Department's (NRD) alleged refusal to rectify its error of listing her as a Muslim in her MyKad. This follows another three similar cases also before the Syariah High Court in Sabah.
Juinah binti Paulus @ Zulkifli, a Murut woman from Tenom in the western interior of Sabah, maintains she is a Christian from birth. But the Majlis Ugama Islam Negeri Sabah (Muis) shot back and insisted that her mother had embraced Islam 22 years ago in nearby Keningau, situated in Sabah's oldest interior division in the beautiful valley between the Crocker and Trus Madi ranges.
Like many Bumiputera Christians in Sabah and Sarawak with bin or binti in their names, they are automatically classified as Muslims in their MyKad. The NRD has consistently refused to rectify this and would only do so if the Syariah Court ruled that they are indeed not Muslims. This is despite a recent Cabinet directive to resolve such disputes quickly. A main hurdle faced by such complainants is that they are not allowed to be represented by non-Muslims lawyers. This has come to be known as MyKad 'Islamisation' in East Malaysia.
Juinah, 29, has filed a case with the Keningau Syariah High Court last year citing the Director General of NRD in Putrajaya as respondent and the Chief Registrar of New Converts in Kota Kinabalu as second respondent.
In her sworn statement to her application, she said she has never embraced Islam at any stage of her life and this fact is known to the Chief Registrar of New Converts.
She said her Murut mother, Radong @ Norhayati binti Ampasoh, 53, is a Christian as is her father, Paulus@Zulkifli bin Rambus, 51, is also a Murut Christian. He is a subsistence farmer.
She married Matius bin Mangantig, 34, who is also a Christian of Rungus ethnicity and they have a three-year old son Carl Xavier.
Juinah said she is a full fledged member of Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB) Sabah since 2008 and was baptized 16 years ago by Pastor Minna Berahim and Pastor Raphael Buin of SIB Church in Kuala Ungga.
She said she has suffered greatly due to the mistake made by the NRD in classifying her as a Muslim and wants an order from the court to say that she is a Christian and not a Muslim to enable her to go back to the NRD to get a new MyKad.
She also provided a statement from her ketua kampong of her village confirming that she is a Christian.
Replying on behalf of Muis, Rais bin Japar, from the prosecution division of Jabatan Hal Ehwal Agama Islam Negeri Sabah, denied all claims made by Juinah in her affidavit. He said according to records, Juinah's mother had embraced Islam in 1980 in Keningau and is known by her Muslim name as Norhayati binti Ampasoh. But this did not say how this made Juinah a Muslim. The rest of her four siblings are not tagged as Muslims in their MyKad.
The other three cases still pending were brought by a 53 year-old widow and her two adult daughters and supported by the respective local churches. All three are from the Dusun Banggi tribe.Elsewhere in the region, Bishops expose ploy to convert under-aged students to Islam (Part 1)

subset: commoncrawl


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It's conventional wisdom that science is very different from technology, and that it makes sense to distinguish between pure science and applied science. Largely as a result of thinking about nanotechnology (as I discussed a few years ago here and here), I'm less confident any more that there's such a clean break between science and technology, or, for that matter, pure and applied science.
Historians of science tell us that the origin of the distinction goes back to the ancient Greeks, who distinguished between episteme, which is probably best translated as natural philosophy, and techne, translated as craft. Our word technology derives from techne, but careful scholars remind us that technology actually refers to writing about craft, rather than doing the craft itself. They would prefer to call the actual business of making machines and gadgets technique (in the same way as the Germans call it technik), rather than technology. Of course, for a long time nobody wrote about technique at all, so there was in this literal sense no technology. Craft skills were regarded as secrets, to be handed down in person from master to apprentice, who were from a lower social class than the literate philosophers considering more weighty questions about the nature of reality.
The sixteenth century saw some light being thrown on the mysteries of technique with books (often beautifully illustrated) being published about topic like machines and metal mining. But one could argue that the biggest change came with the development of what was called then experimental philosophy, which we see now as being the beginnings of modern science. The experimental philosophers certainly had to engage with craftsman and instrument makers to do their experiments, but what was perhaps more important was the need to commit the experimental details to writing so that their counterparts and correspondents elsewhere in the country or elsewhere in Europe could reliably replicate the experiments. Complex pieces of scientific apparatus, like Robert Boyle's airpump, certainly were some of the most advanced (and expensive) pieces of technology of the day. And, conversely, it's no accident that James Watt, who more than anyone else made the industrial revolution possible with his improved steam engine, learned his engineering as an instrument maker at the University of Glasgow.
But surely there's a difference between making a piece of experimental apparatus to help unravel the ultimate nature of reality, and making an engine to pump a mine out? In this view, the aim of science is to understand the ultimate fundamental nature of reality, while technology seeks merely to alter the world in some way, with its success being judged simply by whether it does its intended job. In actuality, the aspect of science as natural philosophy, with its claims to deep understanding of reality, has always coexisted with a much more instrumental type of science whose success is judged by the power over nature it gives us (Peter Dear's book The Intelligibility of Nature is a fascinating reflection on the history of this dual character of science). Even the keenest defenders of science's claim to make reliable truth-claims about the ultimate nature of reality – often resort to entirely instrumental arguments – "if you're so sceptical about science", they'll ask a relativist or social constructionist, "why do you fly in airplanes or use antibiotics?"
It's certainly true that different branches of science are, to a different degree, applicable to practical problems. But which science is an applied science and which is a pure science depends as much on what problems society, at a particular time and in a particular place, needs solving, as on the character of the science itself. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries astronomy was a strategic subject of huge importance to the growing naval powers of the time, and was one of the first recipients of large scale state funding. The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were the heyday of chemistry, with new discoveries in explosives, dyes and fertilizers making fortunes and transforming the world only a few years after their discoveries in the laboratory. A contrarian might even be tempted to say "a pure science is an applied science that has outlived its usefulness".
Another way of seeing the problems of a supposed divide between pure science, applied science and technology is to ask what it is that scientists actually do in their working lives. A scientist building a detector for CERN or writing an image analysis program for some radio astronomy data may be doing the purest of pure science in terms of their goals – understanding particle physics or the distant universe – but what they're actually doing day to day will look very similar indeed to their applied scientist counterparts designing medical imaging hardware or software for interpreting CCTV footage for the police. Of course, this is the origin of the argument that we should support pure science for the spin-offs it produces (such as the World Wide Web, as the particle physicists continually remind us). A counter-argument would say, why not simply get these scientists to work on medical imaging (say) in the first place, rather than trying to look for practical applications for the technologies they develop in support of their "pure" science? Possible answers to this might point to the fact that the brightest people are motivated to solve deep problems in a way that might not apply to more immediately practical issues, or that our economic system doesn't provide reliable returns for the most advanced technology developed on a speculative basis.
If it was ever possible to think that pure science could exist as a separate province from the grubby world of application, like Hesse's "The Glass Bead Game", that illusion was shattered in the second world war. The purest of physicists delivered radar and the fission bomb, and in the cold war we emerged into it seemed that the final destiny of the world was going to be decided by the atomic physicists. In the west, the implications of this for science policy was set out by Vannevar Bush. Bush, an engineer and perhaps the pre-eminent science administrator of the war, set out the framework for government funding of science in the USA in his report "Science: the endless frontier".
Bush's report emphasised, not "pure" research, but "basic" research. The distinction between basic research and applied research was not to be understood in terms of whether it was useful or not, but in terms of the motivations of the people doing it. "Basic research is performed without thought of practical ends" – but those practical ends do, nonetheless, follow (albeit unpredictably), and it's the job of applied research to fill in the gaps. It had in the past been possible for a country to make technological progress without generating its own basic science (as the USA did in the 19th century) but, Bush asserted, the modern situation was different, and "A nation which depends upon others for its new basic scientific knowledge will be slow in its industrial progress and weak in its competitive position in world trade".
Bush thus left us with three ideas that form the core of the postwar consensus on science policy. The first was that basic research should be carried out in isolation from thoughts of potential use – that it should result from " the free play of free intellects, working on subjects of their own choice, in the manner dictated by their curiosity for exploration of the unknown". The second was that, even though the scientists who produced this basic knowledge weren't motivated by practical applications, these applications would follow, by a process in which potential applications were picked out and developed by applied scientists, and then converted into new products and processes by engineers and technologists. This one-way flow of ideas from science into application is what innovation theorists call the linear model of innovation. Bush's third assertion was that a country that invested in basic science would recoup that investment through capturing the rewards from new technologies.
All three of these assertions have subsequently been extensively criticised, though the basic picture has a persistent hold on our thinking about science. Perhaps the most influential critique, from the science policy point of view, came in a book by Donald Stokes called Pasteur's quadrant. Stokes argued from history that the separation of basic research from thoughts of potential use often didn't happen; his key example was Louis Pasteur, who created a new field of microbiology in his quest to understand the spoilage of milk and the fermentation of wine. Rather than thinking about a linear continuum between pure and applied research, he thought in terms of two dimensions – the degree to which research was motivated by a quest for fundamental understanding, and the degree to which it was motivated by applications. Some research was driven solely by the quest for understanding, typified by Bohr, while an engineer like Edison typified a search for practical results untainted by any deeper curiosity. But, the example of Pasteur showed us that the two motivations could coexist. He suggested that research in this "Pasteur's quadrant" – use-inspired basic research – should be a priority for public support.
Where are we now? The idea of Pasteur's quadrant underlies the idea of "Grand Challenges" inspired by societal goals as an organising principle for publicly supported science. From innovation theory and science and technology studies come new terms and concepts, like technoscience, and Mode 2 knowledge production. One might imagine that nobody believes in the linear model anymore; it's widely accepted that technology drives science as often as science drives technology. As David Willetts, the UK's Science Minister, put it in a speech in July this year, "A very important stimulus for scientific advance is, quite simply, technology. We talk of scientific discovery enabling technical advance, but the process is much more inter-dependent than that." But the linear model is still deeply ingrained in the way policy makers talk – in phrases like "technology readiness levels", "pull-though to application". From a more fundamental point of view, though, there is still a real difference between finding evidence to support a hypothesis and demonstrating that a gadget works. Intervening in nature is a different goal to understanding nature, even though the processes by which we achieve these goals are very much mixed up.


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The gross turnover of top 100 multinationals is higher than the gross domestic product of a few countries. As it was obvious from the financial crises, organizations employing a few hundred thousand employees can rock the global financial stability. From then on, a lot of discussion is occurring around systemic risks. However, I wonder about the actual momentum in addressing systemic risks.
As per my understanding, an inaccurate perception has formed that governments have the major responsibility to address systemic risks and not the organizations. The picture below depicts the increasing level of risks for human civilization or society as a whole and the increasing level of risks within an organization. Though we do not see linear relationships, they are interconnected. While an organization is a subset of the civilization, their large sizes have also made it a significant component of creating systemic risks.
Another fallacy is that organization's need to track systemic risks at the global level alone. From the financial crises, it was obvious that the Retail Housing Loan departments of US Banks shook the real estate industry. Various CDOs of banks investment divisions were the cause of collapse of major banks. Hence, something as small as the functioning of a department, process or product can destabilize the industry and economy when incorrect practices are followed in multiple organizations.
Moreover, senior management of organizations that have implemented Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) believe that systemic risks are automatically addressed. None of the ERMs is going beyond strategic risks. The focus is mostly on operational and tactical risk coverage. Unless the risk management department has taken concrete measures to identify systemic risks, in all probability they are unmitigated.
Lastly, for most of the systemic risks, the organization by itself can only partly mitigate the risks. Except for taking insurance, they cannot develop and implement full-fledged solutions to treat the risks. Though the impact of systemic risks is huge, the lack of understanding, information and solutions, make organizations negligent about identifying and addressing these risks. Hence, the question is – what should organizations do to manage systemic risks?
1. Global Systemic Risk Monitoring Group
Within the risk management department there should be dedicated resources tracking systemic risks from process to country level and reporting to the global group. In the interconnected world, the risks in one country impact other countries. For instance, consider the attack on Malaysian airplane by rebels in Ukraine. A geo-political risk of one country has brought an organization of another country down. Hence, now the risks have to be viewed from a global perspective. To do this organizations must incorporate the group within the organization structure, deploy funds and resources, use technology to connect and track risks at a global level.
2. Connecting With National Risk Boards
The 2014 World Bank Risk Report suggests formation of National Risk Boards (Same name, could they have got inspired by this blog :)). This will be a huge plus, since risk identification and mitigation will be done at a national level. For instance, if a large country like India were connected at district, state, and national level through risk boards, the level of risk management would improve significantly.
Moreover, this will facilitate in addressing inter-state risks and cross border risks. For example, cyber security threats mitigation requires coordination within the country and significant amount of international collaboration. The national risk boards of countries become the focal point for international cooperation and collaboration for risk mitigation. Developing relationships with the board members and participating in the initiatives will help organizations in dealing with systemic risks.
3. Connecting With Industry Risk Boards
The systemic risk group needs to connect with the industry risk boards and regulators to capture the industry level risks. For instance, Back of England conducts a half-yearly survey to determine systemic risks in UK financial sector and the confidence of the organizations in dealing with it.
If organizations facilitate in formation and management of industry risk boards, they can cooperate with the competitors to mitigate industry level risks. Relationships with international industry boards would be a huge plus in acquiring knowledge and formulating plans.
4. Assessing Preparation at National Level
The World Bank report states that investment in risk mitigation and prevention is low, and most of the expenditure is done during and after a disaster to recover and continue operations. Therefore, the challenge is that risk identification may not result in developing and implementing risk mitigation plans. For example, various cities in India regularly suffer from floods during monsoons. ALthough the government knows the problem and solutions, it has not done much to resolve the issue. There are ongoing battles between city, state, and national level for risk prioritization.
That is, the same risk may have different impact and loss level due to national level preparation. Organizations need to assess the level of preparation of government and local communities to determine the impact and develop risk mitigation plans accordingly.
5. Assessing Impact at Social Level
Previously, organizations were insulated from the society to some extent. The social networks have changed the scenario, and any incident can become an explosive issue. Hence, impact has to be calculated at social level rather than at an incident level. For instance, recently a six-year-old girl in Bangalore was gang-raped in school by her teachers. Last weekend, parents in Bangalore organized marches to demonstrate their anger against the schools lackadaisical attitude towards children security. Police has lodged complaints against the school and politicians are talking about closing the school.
Presently, rape, women, and child security are sensitive topics in India. India is fourth unsafe country in the world for women. Hence, a single incident can close down an organization. Therefore, risk managers need to identify sensitive issues related to systemic risks and extrapolate the impact at city, state, country, and global level to determine impact of various risks.
Closing Thoughts
Systemic risks impact is sometimes more than losses of earthquakes, tsunamis and nuclear disasters, hence they cannot be ignored. Higher level of focus is required within organizations, industry, community, and nations to build processes, institutions, and infrastructure to identify and mitigate systemic risks. Timely investment in this area can save billions of dollars. Hence, risk managers need to put their thinking caps on, develop concept notes, and influence senior managers to deploy funds in managing systemic risks.


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October 3, 2009 from 10:30am to 3pm – The Ship Inn Motorcycle ride to The Ship Inn Millford, NJ. We will meet at the Hulmeville Inn at 10:30 AM. Ride up the Pa. side, Rt 213-413-202-32 (River Rd.). Cross over the Millford bridge into NJ. You`ll see t… Organized by Bill Schools | Type: motorcycle, ride
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Digital Daily's John Paczkowski's Versatile Eyebrow Considers the iPhone
Because we love to scratch each other's backs here at AllThingsD.com, I am going to begin every day posting here and making my usual commentary on our very own John Paczkowski's most enjoyable Digital Daily video.
One of the things I really love about John's videos are his funny openers, for which he has used handmade puppets of tech icons, defaced magazine covers, kooky hand-drawn graphs and many Oscar-worthy facial grimaces.
In today's video, John uses his talented eyebrows, a music snippet from "2001: A Space Odyssey" and a movie snippet from "A Fish Called Wanda" to talk about YouTube's new spot on what some in the Valley call the "JesusPhone," because its coming on June 29 is the most heralded and hyped event ever for a device.
Here is a direct link to today's video, which is also below (we are crosslinking and crossposting fools at AllThingsD.com).
FYI, although it looks like he is flashing one in the video, that's actually a now-banned piece of software called iPhony, a faux iPhone interface, on his Treo.
(John did get to see a real iPhone that Walt is in the middle of testing for a brief moment yesterday, wherein he fell into an Apple fanboy stupor, and we had to pry it out of his hands.)
Here is his text post about it in his Digital Daily column, where he also posts about Google's intensified lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C., (they needed that) and Yahoo's acquisition of Rivals.com (they really needed that).


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Gluten-Free Tuesday: Corn Chowder Recipe
Delicious, no-compromise recipes for those who need to live a gluten-free lifestyle, but don't want it to taste like it.
You know those foods that you just prefer a certain way? I'm like that with chowder. I like my chowder thick but not ultra rich. Sounds like an oxymoron, right? Let me explain.
Often chowder's richness comes from cream. When too much cream is used in the recipes, I find the flavor of the chowder a little blunted. To get around this—and still enjoy a thick consistency—up the amount of flour in the roux to thicken the soup. Instead of a 1:1 ratio of fat to flour, I use a 1:2 ratio and omit the cream altogether. This lends a nicely thick soup without being too rich. If you prefer a thin chowder, add an additional cup of chicken or vegetable broth.
By the way, this chowder has a little spicy kick under the sweetness of the corn. It you'd prefer chowder without the kick, just leave out the hot sauce.
- Yield:4
- Active time: about 15 minutes
- Total time:about one hour
- Rated:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1/4 cup sweet rice flour
- 3 cups milk, warmed
- 2-3 cups homemade chicken stock or store-bought reduced-sodium broth
- 2 cups corn, either fresh cut from the cob or frozen
- 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced (about two cups)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until tender but not brown, about three minutes.
Switch to a whisk and stir in sweet rice flour. The flour will coat the onions and be very dry. Whisking constantly, cook for three minutes. In a slow and steady steam, add milk. Allow the paste to absorb the milk as you add it. This will prevent clumping. At first, add the milk slowly; as you add more milk, you can slightly increase the pouring speed until it's all in. Stir in the chicken stock, corn, potatoes, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Bring the soup to a gentle boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer (look for occasional gentle bubbles) for 45 minutes.
Ladle about two cups of the soup into a blender and blend until smooth. The soup shouldn't fill the blender more than halfway. If you have a small blender, do this in batches.
Return the puréed soup to the pot and stir to combine. Add the hot pepper sauce. If you prefer your chowder thin, add the additional cup of stock. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Simmer over medium heat for five minutes, or until the soup is hot. Serve.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Refusal to Call Charleston Shootings "Terrorism" Again Shows It's a Meaningless Propaganda Term
From The Intercept/ By Glenn Greenwald
In February 2010, a man named Joseph Stack deliberately flew his small airplane into the side of a building that housed a regional IRS office in Austin, Texas, just as 200 agency employees were starting their workday. Along with himself, Stack killed an IRS manager and injured 13 others.
Stack was an anti-tax, anti-government fanatic, and chose his target for exclusively political reasons. He left behind a lengthy manifesto cogently setting forth his largely libertarian political views (along with, as I wrote at the time, some anti-capitalist grievances shared by the left, such as "rage over bailouts, the suffering of America's poor, and the pilfering of the middle class by a corrupt economic elite and their government-servants"; Stack's long note ended: "the communist creed: From each according to his ability, to each according to his need. The capitalist creed: From each according to his gullibility, to each according to his greed"). About Stack's political grievances, his manifesto declared that "violence not only is the answer, it is the only answer.
The attack had all of the elements of iconic terrorism, a model for how it's most commonly understood: down to flying a plane into the side of a building. But Stack was white and non-Muslim. As a result, not only was the word "terrorism" not applied to Stack, but it was explicitly declared inapplicable by media outlets and government officials alike. (more…)


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Pearls and Piggytails
Ellie Ruffle Pants - Cupids Arrow
$ 18.99
- Cotton spandex blend. 95% cotton and 5% spandex
- Machine wash on gentle or hand wash in cold water and lay flat to dry
- Imported
- Relaxed Fit
- High Quality Durable Fabric
To ensure colors stay bright and to prevent bleeding we suggest doing a vinegar soak prior to the first wash.
Please refer to size charts prior to purchasing. All sales are final.


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In his new book on Christian theology, "The Road Back," Wabash author Rick Tolley offers refreshing lessons to draw Christians even closer to God and re-ignite the love that Christians might have lost.
Many today are searching for relevance of the Christian life. In "The Road Back," Tolley challenges those who are wrestling with the Christian life to think outside the box. With a unique look at how the Christian life fits into the world today, he uses stories and analogies that will challenge the readers' thinking. His plain and simple approach challenges them to grow deeper in their walk with God by going outside traditional, religious thinking without compromising God's Word.
This book, however, is not intended to be a substitute for The Word of God, but only to draw readers into the Bible, to see the valuable treasures that are there for them to discover. It's intended to spark a hunger to know God and his plan and purpose for their lives. It will challenge readers to ask themselves the tough questions that come up in traditional Christianity.
Tolley has served as a pastor for over 30 years in a variety of non-traditional settings—from a converted horse barn to a movie theater. He has reached beyond the walls of the traditional church to meet people where they are. He has served as a youth pastor, a mentor, and teacher within the jails and prisons, working with adults as well as juveniles. He is founder of New Foundations Ministries and currently serves as pastor of Wagon Wheel Ministries in Clinton Missouri Where he lives with his wife and two special needs children.


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Which, in my pidgin Latin, translates into "the voice of the people is the pox of god".
One of the weird, seemingly counterintuitive things about Canada is that despite having no official segregation of church and state in our Charter, religion is more or less absent from the larger issues our government deals with. We don't have national fights about crosses at memorials or references to God in our national anthem. References to a deity are more or less absent from our various Throne Speeches (commonwealth readers will understand this phrase – Yankees should think of the State of the Union), and doesn't play a major role in our elections except in the most bizarre ways.
Which is why when a high-ranking federal minister appears in an article about the Vatican, it's always an interesting story: … Continue Reading


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DS-2CE56H1T-ITZ CCTV Camera
The Hikvision DS-2CE56H1T-ITZ camera is an HD Analogue (TVI) Camera up to 5MP CMOS Image Sensor Resolution which comes in a Turret Dome Camera design with a Smart EXIR up to 20m. 5MP Resolution is available at 20fps, and 4MP Resolution at 25fps. The HDTVI dome camera with a fixed wide angle 2.8-12mm lens, which gives an amazing 2592(H)*1944(V) resolution and Enhanced (EXIR) IR of up to 30m which provides an exceptional footage, even in dark conditions.
Wide Dynamic Range
Glare is a very common problem for security cameras. Regardless of the surface or source that's causing the glare, the fix to the problem lies in a particular feature that not all security cameras have This "anti-glare" feature is known as Wide Dynamic Range. WDR combines the images it gets from two different exposure types. It then takes those images and combines them into one. The end result is an image virtually free from any lighting issues.
EXIR Technology
This model is designed with an incorporates Hikvision's EXIR infrared array technology which provides the industries-leading illumination in any low- or zero-light condition. The camera benefits from an advanced and highly efficient light source that provides up to 30% more illumination efficiency in compared to other LEDs. Its revolutionary rectangular lens form uniform scene illumination and seamless HD formatting, The DS-2CE56H1T-ITZ Hikvision's EXIR cameras delivers the most advanced levels of night-time surveillance and this makes it one of the unique cameras available on the market today. With 1 Analog output, capabilities of internal Synchronisation, producing a very bright/sharp quality image, with digital noise reduction, Bad pixel correction etc. The camera casing is IP67 rated which gives it the durability to survive harsh weather condition.
5MP high-performance CMOS (DS-2CE56H1T-ITZ)
Adopts HD TVI technology
2.8-12mm motorized varifocal lens
True day/night
OSD menu
Smart IR
EXIR technology
Up to 30m IR distance
Up the coax telemetry


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West Coast
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West Coast snow report
Check out the current West Coast snow report, updated daily with new snow, base depth, number of lifts/slopes open and weather for West Coast ski resorts. How much snow did West Coast ski resorts get? Find the latest snow reports for West Coast mountains, updated daily throughout the winter season with new snow totals for the last day or three days. See West Coast ski resorts' open/closed operating status, upper mountain and lower mountain base depths, number of open lifts, and total amount of open acreage. Click the weather icon for a detailed weather forecast of any West Coast ski resort or visit a resort's "Full Report" for additional snow report information. Select the blue camera icon to view webcams of today's ski conditions, and click any West Coast resort name for ski area stats and overview. Click Add to Compare to see a side-by-side comparison of up to 10 ski resorts at a time. West Coast snow reports are sourced directly from the ski resorts and are only recorded during the official ski season's opening to closing dates.
Firsthand Reports
Best West Coast Hotels
Photos West Coast
Ski and snowboard enthusiasts from around the world:
We have been proud to provide you with free access to snow reports, resort guides and more, and we are beyond grateful for your readership and contributions to our community over the years.
Unfortunately given the changing media landscape, Mountain News Corporation has experienced financial declines in recent years. With additional economic challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic now facing our business, it is not financially viable to continue operating.
Mountain News Corporation and our OnTheSnow and Skiinfo websites will be shutting down. We will explore the possibility of selling, partnering, or contributing assets to another media outlet if there is an opportunity to allow for a consistent or enhanced online experience. For inquiries about Mountain News Corporation, please email firstname.lastname@example.com.
We want to thank our loyal employees for their tireless work over the years to bring great information to all of you. We take comfort knowing that our collective passion for the sport of skiing and snowboarding will certainly live on.
We'll see you on the mountain.
– Mountain News Corporation


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This stage includes intensive discussions for better understanding users needs and project goals with the aim of encouraging customers to download and use the app. We identify the target audience of the product and outline most common use cases for a particular project. Also at this stage, we obtain an objective understanding of the technical constraints and opportunities for the development in order to identify any possible problems that can arise during the development stage that helps make proper decisions on the early stages.
The research stage helps us building empathy between our team, you and that's more important, between end users. It gives us an understanding of what's best for users and allows us creating delightful user-centered designs.
One of most significant part of the entire app development is building great user experience. We build the core of the entire system - the interaction map, a scheme that outlines each screen in the system and shows the connections between these screens. To avoid any significant changes in the further design and development stage we discuss every detail at this stage in the way so we could easily and quickly make necessary changes. Moving forward, we build an interactive prototype that shows how the system will actually work so we could make sure it works properly. This allows building the flow of the app as simple as possible for users. We blend practical and academic knowledge in design and user experience to make your project simple and intuitive for users. Even if it's huge and complex, we can interpret it through a clear and easy-to-use interface.
Each product should be an aesthetically pleasing, elegant and easy to use. Presented online, it must be distinguishable from possible competitors. We can suggest designing a clean user interface following the platforms design guidelines and trends in the industry. At this stage we work on a design concept, suggesting an overall look & feel of your product, a color palette, and typography, that will be consistently used throughout the interface. In addition to creating beautiful visual design we think over how users interact with the system and outline behaviour for particular elements and describe how users contact with them. We work in iterations until both parties are happy with the suggested design approach. We blend practical and academic knowledge in design and user experience to deliver fresh, modern and usable designs.
Front-end development
Nowadays websites should work properly on every desktop and mobile device. We can suggest developing a fully responsive website for smartphones and tablets. We optimize images for faster loading, using .svg files where it's necessary to achieve great graphic appearance on DH displays. We make sure that your system will look and work exactly like it was outlined during the design phase, as expected.
Our team can create any type of mobile application for all major platforms across the market. Technologies that we use allows creating apps that will run on all iOS, Android or Windows phone devices without sacrificing performance or native platform features. We develop iOS apps writing Swift code, the new native fast language.
Back-end development
Whether you are looking for a high-performance database for your website that will store millions of records, or backend services for a small application that should load its data from the web - we can do that.
Our team takes care of the whole development process starting from general software architecture and database administration to payment integration and API's. Working with databases, we develop them for a system to keep all data securely on remote servers using SSL certificates. Specifically coded web services will allow your app to get access to all the data stored on the remote server and write new data.
For websites, we use Microsoft technologies stack - ASP.NET, MS SQL Server and SignalR.
Icon design
Logo or an app icon is the main visual part of every project that represents the brand on the market and reflects the product idea. We create an engaging and appropriate app icon for your project that will fit the overall interface look-and-feel. To properly interpret your brand we use all the information we gathered at the research stage. Traditionally we start with rough pencil sketches, exploring different design concepts and visual ideas. We discuss it and then choose one that best reflects the idea of the project. Then we continue creating a digital illustration based on the selected concept making sure that users will easily recognize your app on their home screens or browsers.
To make sure that the system we built still meets the users needs and expectations, we organize user testing on different stages of the projects lifetime. Tests show us how quickly users can find the particular information, how easily they can do the certain task within the scenarios described during the research stage. During the development process we constantly send testing builds to our clients, testing and fixing possible issues. We test how intuitive the system works. We see how clear users understand icons that we designed, how readable font we selected, how appropriate imageries we chose. Iteration by iteration, starting with the core functionality, we build an end product with all its creative features and complex performance, and testing is an integral part of this process.
The final stage of working on a project is posting it online when we prepare and deploy the website to target web server and assist in publishing apps to the market. We deploy and set up your product on most popular cloud platforms as well as on regular hosting services or on-premises. We also plug in analytics for your project, so you could measure the success of your product. As for the mobile apps, we'll help you submitting the app to the store, provide keyword optimisation and consult you in setting up all necessary merchant accounts. No worries we'll always be there to support your project.
E-commerce systems these days become more popular covering not only the web area but also mobile devices. We can help you build a system offering goods or services that will be easily maintained and regularly updated. We implement payment integration for websites and in-app purchases for mobile apps. Working with secure transactions, we keep all data safely using SSL Security Certificates. You'll be able to work with your e-commerce system through the beautifully designed and easy-to-use admin panel. Whether you need a small online store or a huge complex booking system with a lot of features, we'll be glad to build it.
Interaction design
Animations in mobile and web apps provide visual and interactive guidance to users. Different kinds of animations indicate the status of a certain design element or provide feedback to users, showing the process and the result of an action.
Starting from micro-animations we also design motions of the whole web pages and app screens to visualize the different types of page changes and show our users when the particular layout is loading. We also include micro animations for UI elements to visualize changes in their states and show how they react to user's actions.
myLocali is an online booking service. It's a centralised platform where establishments can manage various aspects of their business with absolute ease.
We were responsible for the user experience design, visual design, front‑end and back‑end development for this web‑based application. We have also built iOS and Android companion apps and a separated booking widget for myLocali.
UI Design | UX Design | Web app Development | iOS & Android Development
Plug is a music news app we've been involving in recently. The app is a service where you can find all the recent news about music genres you like. You can subscribe to genres you're interested in and set push notifications so you never miss the fresh news.
We helped the Plug team with the user experience design and the UI design for iPhone devices.
UI Design | UX Design
Kamadomii is a cooking app for grill lovers. It'a complex interface where you can create and post recipes. You can browse the community recipes and cook them with an ease. The smart system notifies you when the certain step of the cooking comes by sending the notification to your phone or a watch.
We're still working on the app and if you have any questions about it, please contact us direclty.
UI Design | UX Design | iOS Development | App icon
Kulture is an iOS app – a social network with an extended messenger functionality. With this app you can edit and post different media content like photos and videos and also you can create public and private chat rooms to communicate with your friends.
We provided all the design and development services for the project, creating the app UI & app icon and building the frontend and backend development.
UI Design | UX Design | iOS Development | Motion Design | App icon
"Their work ethic and communication skills are just outstanding."
Karin Meyer, Indiforce
"Maria and Nik have been an absolutely amazing team to work with."
Kevin George, myLocali
"They put even toughest requirement into clean and simple solution."
Victor Vassiltsov, Siberry Technologies
Founded by husband and wife Maria and Nik, Plainwhite is a boutique development studio, where we strongly believe that a great product is a combination of good usability, visual aesthetic and bug-free code. We have built more than 35 web and mobile apps for clients around the world, partnering with entrepreneurs, business owners, product managers and startups. We prefer to work closely with our clients, involving them in the work process and designing unique and engaging web and mobile user experiences.
We always open to collaboration and consider each new opportunity as a step forward.
If you want to apply to a position, please send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com
Online portfolio and a good knowledge of English required
Hello there! We are looking for a talented designer and a good person who would join our small and friendly team. Together we'll be developing products and services for startups and agencies around the world. Additionally, you'll be working on our interesting experimental side projects. If you're open for complex tasks and ready to solve design problems, let's meet then!
- Work closely with Designers and Developers
- Work on 1-2 projects at a time
- Present your work
- Follow an established design direction
- Work on a variety of design tasks and deliverables
- Take design direction from superiors
- Adequately react to criticism
- 2-3 years of experience in a similar position
- A bachelor's degree, or equivalent training in design
- Mastery of Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite
- Strong sense of design principles and practices such as layout, color theory, typography
- Strong visual design aesthetic and conceptual thinking
- Strong handle of web standards, interaction, mobile and responsive design
- Understanding of HTML and CSS fundamentals
- Work iteratively and have an eagerness to learn
- Ability to follow direction and collaborate on design projects
- An online portfolio full of relevant work
- Excellent communication skills
- English language


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TomTom clarifies: £99.99 hardware, application sold separately
"TomTom announces today that the TomTom car kit for the iPhone will have a recommended retail price of £99.99," the company said in a press release. "The TomTom car kit will be available this October and will be sold separately from the TomTom app. It will be compatible with the iPhone 2G, 3G and 3GS. All further details on the car kit will be made available soon."
That conflicts with earlier reports that the kit would include the software as a bundle. It also disputes the Apple Store page, which was listed for a short time Thursday, that explicitly stated the TomTom application would be part of the package.
Not stated in the press release is whether the iPod touch will be compatible with the hardware kit. The windshield mount includes an external GPS receiver that is said to improve the reception of the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.
Unlike those models, first-generation iPhone does not include an internal GPS receiver, but the press release states that the device will work with the hardware. That corrects an apparent error in the previous Apple Store listing, which said that the TomTom software would not work on the first-generation iPhone.
Originally due for release over the summer, the kit was delayed until October. The TomTom application was released in the App Store in August at a price of $99 U.S. No U.S. price for the hardware kit has been made available.


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Wreck-It-Ralph is so much fun, we can hardly stand it. This brand new international trailer is loaded with new footage and scenes of squeaky CG characters being charming. Note how all of the townspeople from Ralph's video game move around in an 8-bit manner. The attention to detail in this film is intense.
Wreck-It-Ralph hits theaters on Nov. 2nd.


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Charlie's Weekly Wine-ings
Here midweek on Cape Cod the temperature has dropped and we had a bit of rain, but the forecast for tomorrow is sunny and back into the 80-90s. The blast of cool air has me thinking about my fall wine selections for guest at our Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast. After the exciting "best bottle" tasting I blogged about last week, I have a renewed interest in both Merlot and Chardonnay.
What a stroke of luck, last Wednesday night's Belfry wine tasting, co-sponsored by Cellar 55 Wine Merchants, was entitled "An Evening of Chardonnays". The tasting presented four wines from various locations in California. Spencer from Horizon Beverage Company was our guide as he communicated how and why four very different styles of wines can be produced from the same grape. As he explained, Chardonnay is a grape that will reflect the region, the "terroir" as the French would say, which literally means the "soil". In addition, the weather during the growing season and harvesting conditions influence each vintage. And finally, the finished wine will reflect the choices made by each winemaker. I always learn something new at these events and of course I get to enjoy some great wine and food pairings.
Valley of the Moon Unoaked Chardonnay. Many consumers may say that the key characteristic of a California Chardonnay is oak. The "big", over the top, heavy oaked Chardonnays are equally praised and criticized for the effects of the oak on the true nature of the grape. Spenser suggested that this wine was similar in style to a White Burgundy, which is a chardonnay grape based wine that sees little new oak, i.e. is less influenced by oak; which helped explain to me why I like this wine. Last week at our best bottle tasting, I was very impressed by a 2001 Chassagne-Montrachet, a great white burgundy. To start with completely unoaked chardonnay was very educational.
The next wine was a 2006 Sonoma Cutrer Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. Sonoma Cutrer is a larger winery and may have more name recognition than Valley of the Moon. Both wines are made from Chardonnay grapes form Sonoma, but one more coastal and other more inland. The Cutrer is also a few years older and spent time in new French oak. So we have two Chardonnays from Sonoma, but two very different wines.
Chalk Hill Chardonnay also near Alexander Valley. Their website speaks to Spenser's earlier point about terroir, …"At Chalk Hill, each vineyard block has been delineated and planted based on the accumulated knowledge of soil profile and chemistry, aspect (orientation to the sun), slope (vertical degree impacting potential for drainage), and overall climate. Terroir divines our plantings, without regard to what may be fashionable today." The winery's name suggests the strong dusty taste of chalk, which is found in each glass of this wonderful wine.
So, we had four California Chardonnays that each gave a unique experience based on the many factors that make winemaking, and thus wine tasting, so fascinating. I have added the Valley of the Moon to my list of wines to be served this fall to guests at our Sandwich inn. I am now in search of a merlot to combine with it as the weather cools. Wish me luck.
Happy wine-ing
Charlie Preus, the Innkeeper's Assistant and Wine Steward at the 1750 Inn at Sandwich Center, Sandwich, Cape Cod, Massachusetts


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Heiruspecs & The Central High School Foundation are proud to announce the:
Third Annual Heiruspecs Scholarship Fundraiser Show
Saturday April 7, 2012
Featuring All Ages and Twenty-One Plus Performances at the Turf Club
All Ages Doors: 5PM
21+ Doors: 9PM
The live hip-hop band Heiruspecs — one of the most successful bands to come out of St. Paul Central High School — joined forces with the Saint Central High School Foundation in 2010 to create a scholarship fund at the school. Since that time the fund has given more than $6,000 in scholarships to Central students pursuing higher education with demonstrated artistic interests. Heiruspecs will stage a benefit to fund the scholarships alongside some of the Twin Cities finest performers.
- Audio Perm
- Bomba De Luz
- STOP! tha Black Sheep
- Meta
- Heiruspecs w/ special guests
- Audio Perm
- The Deaf
- The Thank You Notes
- Heiruspecs w/ special guests
Purchase tickets here: http://www.ticketfly.com/calendar/?q=Heiruspecs
Heiruspecs is pleased to be partnering with the Saint Paul Central High School Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, which will function as the fiscal agent for this scholarship effort. As stated in their materials, one of the Foundation's missions is to provide financial assistance to recent graduates pursuing post-secondary education. The Heiruspecs scholarships will focus on students with demonstrated artistic interests. Donations may be made online at centralhighschoolfoundation.org. Please write "Heiruspecs Scholarship" in the "designate my donation" field. 100% of the profits from the ticket sales will also be donated to the Saint Paul Central High School Foundation.
For the third year Heiruspecs will be hosting a star-studded affair to raise funds for their scholarship fund with some of their closest musical associates. This annual concert is a chance for Heiruspecs, one of the most successful bands to ever come out of St. Paul Central, to give back to the excellent high school where the band formed in 1997.
Since Heiruspecs' beginnings in instructor Red Freeberg's Advanced Recording Program Heiruspecs has toured North America as a headlining act as well as opening for artists such as The White Stripes, Ja Rule, Cake and The Black Eyed Peas. The group was also signed to Razor and Tie, a SONY/BMG subsidiary, and sold over 14,000 records when such things mattered. The group has remained a musical institution in the Twin Cities for their 15-year career, serving routinely as collaborators for artists from all around the Twin Cities scene including Atmosphere, Chastity Brown, Mason Jennings, Doomtree, Adam Levy and more. Heiruspecs has been lucky to have a number of their close friends join them for their scholarship performance. Past surprise guests include Brother Ali, Sims, Lucy Michelle, Mayda and more. Aby Wolf has confirmed a cameo appearance at this year's concert. There will also be a number of unadvertised cameos from some of the Twin Cities' biggest acts.
This is the first year that Heiruspecs will be holding their scholarship concert at the Turf Club and away from St. Paul Central. The group believes that setting the scholarship concert in a nightclub environment with an all ages set will present the best of both worlds for their fans and the larger community to enjoy the event. The group is joined by some of the finest groups for both performances. Bomba De Luz, Stop! Tha Black Sheep, Audio Perm and Meta will be the openers for the all-ages show. The groups all feature Central students or Central alumni in their lineups. Bomba De Luz, who are all current Central High School students, is turning heads left and right in the music scene, including putting in a moving show at the Grand Old Days Battle of the Bands, where Heiruspecs lost mercilessly 13 years ago.
The 21+ show event will feature the legendary production crew Audio Perm performing one of their exciting sets with a cast of local rappers. The group is also pleased to welcome The Thank You Notes, a band chock full of Central alumni, including Heiruspecs guitar player Josh Peterson's younger brother, Jon Peterson. The night will be rounded out by a set from the Deaf, a band that features many of Heiruspecs' fellow classmates from their years at St. Paul Central. Heiruspecs is thankful and proud to announce that all acts are donating 100% of their revenues from performing to the scholarship fund. Heiruspecs would also like to recognize McNally Smith College of Music's sponsorship of this event and their support in covering promotional costs for the event.
The Heiruspecs Scholarship has donated more than $6,000 in its two years of existence. Past winners include Israel Thomas, Ellen Breen, Emma McCartney, Chia Lor, Yang Thao, and Claudina Yang. If any media outlets are interested in interviewing past winners please contact Heiruspecs below and we will put you in contact.
Additionally, Heiruspecs will be performing a promotional performance at 8:00 a.m. on morning of Friday April 6, to return to the first location they ever performed, the atrium at St. Paul Central. The band's first live performance was in the same location in September of 1997. If you are interested in attending or covering that event please use the contact below.
Sean McPherson


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How to add the FJ Tour Logo: To have your FJ Tour Logo embroidered on the collar of your polo, simply choose the size, color and quantity of shirts you'd like to order, then click the "Yes, CUSTOMIZE this item" check box. Select "Add a FJ logo to this item," and we will add the logo to the collar of your shirt(s).
By default, all shirts will have the "FJ" embroidered in white thread, except for white shirts, which will have the "FJ" embroidered in black thread. If you'd like the "FJ" in a different color, please let us know by adding comments during Step 2 of checkout. You can match a stripe in the shirt, an accent color in the collar - the possibilities are endless!
Please note that items with the "FJ" logo added are not eligible for return or exchange.
FootJoy Lisle Classic Stripe Golf Shirts feature moisture wicking technology and a classic stripe design that is both comfortable and timeless.
Constructed with 88% Polyester, 12% Spandex, these FootJoy golf shirts deliver ProDry moisture wicking protection to keep you dry and cool, while double stitched seams guarantee that your golf shirt can handle all the use and abuse that comes with regular play.
These FootJoy golf shirts are designed with a 3-button placket, allover stripe design, and a comfortable self-collar in a great golf style that is simple, but far from plain - perfect for on or off the golf course.
Classic stripe design - stylish on and off the golf course.


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Samsung Galaxy S4 Specs to Feature 1080p 4.99-Inch Super AMOLED Display
The Samsung Galaxy S4 specs might include a 1080p 4.99-inch Super AMOLED display.
Samsung is expected to unveil these new screens at the Consumer Electronics Show set to take place in the beginning of next year.
The company has already begun producing these new displays that have a resolution of 1920 x 1080 with a pixel density of more than 441ppi. This is twice as many pixels as Apple's Retina display found on the iPhone.
Another Samsung Galaxy S4 specs leak revealed that the new device will feature a 13-megapixel camera.
This information derived from a document that surfaced on the internet this week.
A higher amount of megapixels will make it more challenging for Samsung to have the handset perform well in low light conditions, since pixels get smaller and noise gets in easier in those conditions.
This 13-megapixel sensor was originally planned for the Galaxy S3 and second-generation Galaxy Note, but when the time came to release the two devices, Samsung chose to stick with an 8-megapixel sensor for efficiency .
A 13-megapixel shooter would be capable of capturing images with 4208 x 3120 resolution. This camera would require more processing power and extra RAM if Samsung were to include it on the fourth-generation Galaxy S.
The Galaxy S4 is also rumored to feature a quad-core Exynos 5450 chipset that clocks in at 2.0GHz, according to older reports.
This chip is said to be made on a 28nm process and its CPU might be downclocked to at least 1.7GHz, according to YouMobile.org.
A similar chipset is found in Samsung's next Nexus 10 tablet, which is powered by the Exynos 5250 that features two Cortex-A15 cores at 1.7GHz and Mali-604GPU.
No other information on the Galaxy S4 is available at this time. However, the smartphone should be released sometime during 2013.


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Lovely Kids !!
Electrofunk Resistance (Dominance Electricity) - new limited CLEAR vinyl re-issue! (2x12"/CD/MP3/Poster)
- Vinyl
- File
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The blue and black vinyl pressings of
Dominance Electricity's "Electrofunk Resistance"
album sold out within a week after release date...
For all those who didn't get a copy yet, here is a
special limited re-issue on clear RED vinyl!
Also available...
New LUMINOUS Dominance Electricity T-Shirt! saveoursounds.net/en/de-glow-shirt.html
Also available...
New single taken from the "Electrofunk Resistance" album...
FENDAHEADS "Oxygen" and the new ElectroBass bonus track "Break Of Dawn" on clear 12" vinyl!
Here's my review of this vital release:
VA - Electrofunk Resistance - Dominance Electricity DR048
Following Dagobert & Kalson's successful "Astronauten EP" last year, Dominance Electricity returns with another milestone of a release in form of a compilation that demonstrates once again how ahead of its time is the East Germany based Electro music company.
Taking you back forty years ago in a time where P-Funk was emerging, long awaited "Electrofunk Resistance" introduces an homogeneous collection of twelve refine cuts that compliment each other brilliantly, combining the very best from the past music to the current Electro Funk sound.
Within the same quality that characterized Dominance Electricity's "Global Surveyor Vol.3" back in 2010, this off the chain opus offers international electrofunk, bass & breaks ruled by assorted cuts of beats, inspired programming sequences, clear synth lines, almighty vocoder action and heading vocals throughout on a mission to preserve Electrofunk existence. Nice surprises as well as brilliant inaugural contributions from the like of some of today's freshest underground signatures put "Electrofunk Resistance" compilation under the strobe light on this old school flavored release with deep 70's - 80's influences venturing into the musical lands of Funkadelic, Parliament, Egyptian Lover and the West Coast of US, or Midnight Star!
From the funkysized atmosphere of the opening track, "Americhael", an instant winner by French Principles Of Geometry (Tigersushi) made of attractive vocoder lyrics over a relentless melody, the compilation operates a brief curve into the Synthpop New Wave register thanks to Datassette. The UK gifted talent (Ai Records, Shipwrec) has no equal to turn every original he touches into gold. Offering here his fourth and best remix, he serves up an incredible cover of New Order's 83 classic "Blue Monday"! Rush on his website datassette.net for more insane reworks (Grandmaster Flash "The Message", Kate Bush "That There Hill", etc.) including his latest revisited version of Joy Division's "Love Will Tears Us Apart", just a state of art!
Coming next are Casio Social Club vs XS Night (Mullet Records), two fresh artists hailing from England delivering their funky 1984 style song "More Love" while German Sygaire & Defcon feat. Capitol A (Raw Fusion Recordings) introduce "The Latest" (Electro Mix), a purist Oldschool hip hop electro funk mayhem. Maintaining the compilation into the sphere of funk, well known The Artificial Arm (Orson Records) signs a feverish "Get Down (To The Sound)". His robotpop jam is immediately followed by "Oxygen", a great slice of Breakdance/Boogaloo funk, to bring closer to Funkmaster Ozone imprint, hammered out by German Fendaheads (Dominance Records) who inaugurates a series of forthcoming releases on Dominance Electricity.
From the same country comes Dynamik Bass System (International Deejay Gigolo Records, Monotone). Four years after the "Mighty Machine" album, the Robotmachine Records mastermind returns to Dominance Electricity with "Evolution", another future classic combining 808, vocoder and retro synths actions in Thomas Werner famous trademark. Tuneeee!
Netherlander Roko Dragonbreath's (Black Label) contribution sounds like a short yet epic space trip to "Planet Europia" whereas Australian DJ Sing feat. Andre Kaman (Dimensia Recordings) manages to work on multiple audio levels with its "Let's Do It" gem.
"Lost Souls", "Shining Star" & "Neon Parallels", the final tracks respectively written by Diamondback Kid (Binalog>>>Productions, Diamondback Recordings), Reggie Blount (Clone Crown Ltd.), and Biepang (Open Concept Recordings) bring the compilation to a groovy open ending, keeping on the funk pressure till the last stands of the release.
As Retro-Futurism is one of Dominance Electricity main themes since 1996, Japan's legendary sexy robot illustrator Hajime Sorayama has been asked to provide the beautiful record cover-artwork. You'll probably feel like you have received something very special when the collectible release knocks at your door, and you'll be right!!! Absolutely vital!
Electro Funk
2x12", CD, Digital (MP3s/WAVs)
Thanks again, Chris!
Songs from the "Electrofunk Resistance" album will be uploaded on YouTube the next days...
today: DATASSETTE "Blue Monday"
Roko Dragonbreath - Planet Europia
Sygaire & Defcon - The Latest
Principles Of Geometry - Americhael
Dynamik Bass System - Evolution
Diamondback Kid - Lost Souls
More tracks from the Electrofunk Resistance album in the next days!
Guyz, see what I got today ...
Any news on the new Blastromen ep ?
urbanjedi;67478 wrote:Any news on the new Blastromen ep ?
Not yet.
In the news...
Dominance Electricity's "ELECTROFUNK RESISTANCE" featured
in todays issue of the MZ (Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, german daily newspaper).
Bigger image: dominance-electricity.de/releases/dr048/bilder/MZ.jpg
4 years for Electro Funk Resistance? ... Wow that`s long!
Congrats Matt !!!
Album review (5 of 5 points) in the german KREUZER magazin :
More songs from the album now on Dominance Electricity's YouTube channel:
DJ Sing feat. Andre Kaman "Let's Do It"
Fendaheads "Oxygen"
The Artificial Arm "Get Down (To The Sound)"
Great review of the "Electrofunk Resistance" album in the german
BACKSPIN hip hop magazin & webzine! Thanks to Sascha Weigelt!
Read it online at: backspin-media.de/archive/39002
Electrofunk Resistance featured in the serbian URBAN BUG magazin. Thanks to Vladan Cvetkovic!
[click to enlarge]
Now on DTV1: Biepang "Neon Parallels"
Electrofunk Resistance reviewed by the german GROOVE magazin!
Really cool release!
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Earlier this summer, I spent a few days sweltering in Palm Springs, where the weather made our current heat wave seem quite mild.
While eating lunch one day in a cool and comfortable restaurant, I noticed an elderly woman outside carefully sorting through a sidewalk trash can. My heart went out to her struggling in the 112-degree heat, so, as I walked back to my car, I stopped and asked her if she could use a bottle of water or a Coke.
Her response was surprising. She introduced herself as Joan and let me know that at the age of 75, she works seven days a week retrieving cans and bottles to redeem for cash so she does not have to beg for money or food. I wound up spending half an hour with Joan and learned a lot about her life and daily adventures on her nine-mile route pushing a shopping cart around Palm Springs.
After my visit with Joan, I thought about the panhandlers who migrate to Boulder this time of year and how different many of them are from her. Some have given up any pretense of wanting to help themselves. As I walked downtown on Friday, I noticed one sign that read "Need Booze. Please Help" and another that quipped "Good Dope Ain't Cheap." The guy looking for booze was napping, but the one complaining about the price of dope was quite engaging. He got some laughs from my fellow pedestrians and had a pile of cash in his hat.
I am willing to bet that neither of these two guys is from here. Like many others, they came because Boulder has a reputation as an easy place to make money panhandling and to purchase whatever one's drug of choice may be.
Now I am not suggesting that Boulder has no homeless people who are victims of the economy or tragic events in their lives that pushed them to the street. Those folks are here. There are others who struggle with drugs or mental illness and truly want to get back on their feet. These people deserve help and there are some new and exciting ways we can support them in addition to providing basic food and shelter.
Before I get to those, let's start with what not to do.
Every expert on homeless issues I have spoken to agrees that giving money to panhandlers is not a good idea. Ninety percent of the time, the money goes to buy drugs or alcohol and perpetuates a destructive lifestyle. It also reinforces Boulder's image as an easy place to come and indulge that lifestyle. So no matter how creative the message may be, please do not drop money in the hat.
Thanks to Bridge House, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to building bridges from homelessness to self-reliance, there are much better ways to help.
Last winter, they launched the Ready to Work program to provide homeless clients with training and work experience so they can land a permanent job and housing. The program started with a crew of five and has now grown to 10 participants. They work to clean up parks and downtown parking garages as well as do projects for private companies. Since it started six months ago, 20 people have entered the program and five have graduated into permanent jobs in the private sector. Five others have dropped out and there are 10 current crew members. While not perfect, these early results are impressive.
Not content with one success, Bridge House Executive Director Isabel McDevitt is also leading an effort to create a Resource Center in Boulder to serve as a "one stop shop" offering services like training, counseling and job placement to help people get back on their feet. This is not a new idea, but inspired by successful centers in other cities, including Fort Collins. McDevitt is quick to point out that the facility will not be a day shelter for people to hang out. It will be focused strictly on transitional programs for those who want to find a way out of homelessness.
Like Ready to Work, the Resource Center is an innovative and promising concept to help those people like Joan who are determined to help themselves. Our community should embrace and support both of these programs. Check out boulderbridgehouse.org for more information.
As for those folks who come here because they have heard Boulder is a great place to get a free ride, they should get a less generous reception and go back where they came from.
Sean Maher is the executive director of the Downtown Boulder Business Improvement District. The opinions expressed here are his own and do not represent the Business Improvement District or Downtown Boulder Inc. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Gov. Cuomo's Citizen Preparedness Corps Empowers North Country Residents to Respond to DisastersTuesday, April 8th, 2014
More than 250 North Country residents learned how to prepare for disasters at the Citizen Preparedness Corps training hosted at SUNY Canton on Saturday, April 5.
New York State Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo started the trainings with a goal of preparing 100,000 New York residents to protect themselves, their families and their neighbors if an emergency strikes. Members of the state's National Guard presented a variety of ways to help residents to be proactive.
New York State Assemblymember Addie J. Russell said, "This initiative is about teaching New Yorkers what they can do in their own homes and for their neighbors to prepare for and respond to future emergencies. This is a truly visionary approach when you think about it – building a smarter, safer New York from the ground up."
Among the emergencies that attendants learned about included natural, man-made and technological. The National Guard members recommended advanced planning with all family members before an emergency strikes.
"It is important to get the message out that anyone can prepare for emergencies," said Michael J. LeCuyer, St. Lawrence County emergency services director. "Some things will be beyond people's control and they may need assistance from emergency services, but we want to empower people to take care of emergencies on their own. By doing so we can provide better services to those who need it the most."
Additional tips from the two-hour training included stocking up on food and water for at least 7 to 10 days. Typically, residents should save a gallon of water per person per day. Additionally, trainers advised photographing personal items of value and have important documents on hand and safely protected from water and fire.
"The importance of this training is neighbors taking care of neighbors," Said St. Lawrence County Sheriff Kevin M. Wells, who is a 1980 graduate of SUNY Canton. "If we don't help each other, what are we going to do? We are in an isolated part of the state and we need to take care of ourselves."
SUNY Canton has majors in Emergency Management and Homeland Security. It is also home to the North Country Emergency Medical Services Program Agency. The Citizen Preparedness Corps training fits well within the scope of the programs and services offered at the College.
The College is vying to house the State's College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cyber Security through a partnership with Clarkson University, Potsdam. The Colleges would become the first in the nation devoted to homeland security and would establish integrated education, training and research in a comprehensive public-private partnership.
About SUNY Canton
SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier College for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and certificate programs. The College delivers quality hands-on programs in engineering technology, health, management, and public service to students in the North Country, New York State, and beyond. Faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to their academic credentials. SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as eight exclusively online bachelor's degrees. The College's 14 athletic teams compete in state-of-the-art facilities as provisional members of the NCAA Division III and the USCAA.


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No retraction per se, but yes, I had moved on per the later link I provided on p.6 above (my lengthy Literary Source - Dante, post: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1062&p=16260&hilit ... can#p16260), which represents my "mature thinking" on the PMB. Equally important to Bianca's godfather is Sforza's own Augustinian half-brother made Archbishop of Milan, Gabriele, but it is the Franciscan Tertiary movement in Milan that peaked in the 1440s and 1450s - the period when the PMB was produced. The point is all of the monastic orders of course continued to exist in Milan, but the Franciscan was particularly popular, coupled with the new Pope's own interest in regulating the order (an old friend of Filelfo's that Sforza hoped would help keep the Pope at least neutral or arbitrate a peace [which he did] during his war with Venice).mikeh wrote:
You also wrote (viewtopic.php?f=11&t=917&hilit=umiliati&start=120):
Did you retract that, too?
Along with you I was a fervent believer in Moakley's Umiliati hypothesis, but rereading Evelyn Welch's book on the Sforza made realize the error. To reiterate, these facts all underscore the Milanese and Sforza chancellory's interest in the Franciscans at the time the PMB was created:
* Martino della Gazzada, an influential wealthy banker and merchant, became a Franciscan Tertiary after San Bernardino's (I mis-wrote 'Francis') visit to Milan in 1441, with 19 fellow merchants joining the Tertiaries in 1442; by 1447 (the year of the pope's reform of the order) had doubled in size, thus indicating the crescendo of Franciscan appeal in Milan towards the date of the PMB. Under della Gazzada's fashionable patronage, backed by F. Visconti's own doctor, many wealthy Milanese were being buried in Tertiary habits.
* Sforza's own secretary, Cicco Simonetta, is instead inserted as lead deputy of the charity taken over by della Gazzada (Deputati sopra le Provvisioni dei Poveri); Sforza uses the Franciscan dominated charity to eventually build the Ca' Grande hospital (donating Bernarbo Visconti's old palace site in Porta Romana)
* Simonetta's own ducal courtier representative to run the hospital was Giovanni Caimi whose "family had been closely connected to her Franciscan Tertiaries in the 1440s, and in 1446 Giovanni was charged with the administration of the Ospedale deo Poveri in Bianca Maria's dower town of Cremona"(Welch, 141). Two Ciami women donations ensured the commencement of the Ca Grande's construction in 1456.
The alignment of Sforza courtiers with the cause célèbre of the day - hospital reform (particularly after the plague of 1451, in a city already prone to the Franciscan ideal of poverty due to Sforza's own prolonged blockade 1449-1450) - headed by wealthy Milanese of a Franciscan bent, was simply a politically expedient move on Sforza's part. A Tertiary was more universal than a vowed Clare (the latter additionally wore a black wimple over the white veil), as that indicates a member of the general public. Depicting "the Church" in the guise of a Franciscan Tertiary in c. 1451 was only natural, especially in the wake of zealous appeal of San Bernardino. And there simply is no denying the PMB "Papess" is indeed wearing the habit of a Tertiary, thereby inclusively indicating all people of the realm (from the very poor, the proper work of the Franciscans) but also playing on the fashion of the wealthy being buried in this very same garb as part of their guaranteeing of salvation.


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Have a question for Graduate Admissions? Contact us.
Office of Graduate Admissions
P.O. Box 2520
St. Bonaventure University
St. Bonaventure, N.Y. 14778
Phone: (716) 375-2021
Toll-Free: (800) 462-5050
Fax: (716) 375-4015 firstname.lastname@example.com
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
Federal Code # for SBU: 002817
Those filing the FAFSA for graduate study must complete
the form as an independent student Graduate Student Loan Request Form Graduate Cost Sheet Calculator
Scholarships & Grants
The awards listed below cannot be combined, and may not be received by those with SBU tuition remission benefits. These awards are for on campus study only.
AmeriCorps volunteers accrue educational benefits (Segal Education Awards) that may be used for graduate study, up to approximately $5,550 per year of service of full-time service. SBU will match this educational award - the first college in Western New York to do so.
St. Bonaventure will match this award completely for campus-based graduate programs up to 38 hours in length. The University will match 75% of two $5,550 awards for grad programs 39-51 hours in length and will match two awards in full for students in the 60 hour mental health counseling program.
SBU also offers AmeriCorps members and alumni the option of a straight 20% graduate tuition reduction instead of the Segal Award match.
Proof of Segal Education Award eligibility can be provided through a copy of the award certificate or a letter from the applicant's AmeriCorps program manager.
(Go to website)
New York State has recently established grant and loan forgiveness incentives for those working in child welfare settings. Go to this HESC link for more information.
General financial aid info is available from www.hesc.com and studentaid.gov
Application forms, procedures and additional information
There are many ways to experience
St. Bonaventure for yourself
Learn more about the programs that interest you


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Birth of a changing nation
There could well be at least 10 babies born today at St Mary's Hospital in London, of which one boy or girl born will be a future king or queen. They will be among around 373 babies born in London today, and perhaps 2,268 babies born across the United Kingdom. These babies born on 22 July 2013 offer a snapshot of the Britain that the young prince or princess will grow up with, writes Sunder Katwala.


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A guide to Shopping Austin St., Continental Ave., Metropolitan Ave.and the rest of Forest Hills, NY including, restaurants, shopping, real estate, cultural, theatre, concerts and other activities in Queens New York. Queens, one is of the five boroughs of New York City,
Towns in Queens New York.
Guide with entertainment, restaurants, real estate, shopping and services including hospitals, doctors etc...
Austin St. Continental Ave Forest Hills Shopping
A guide to Shopping Austin St., Continental Ave., Metropolitan Ave.and the rest of Forest Hills, NY Shops, Boutiques and Services in Queens.
Discount Shopping Coupons for Austin St. and Forest Hills
Forest Hills, NYC
Forest Hills Gardens viewed through the years:
Station Square in Forest Hills Gardens 1906 as seen in a rendering by the Architects (below). A photograph of the same
buildings in 1920s
. a similar photograph on a
early snowy morning 1997.
Shopping in Queens New York
A guide to Shopping in Queens. Shops, Boutiques and Services in Queens.
Fine dining, and international cuisine at its best. Queens' major resource is its people and their diverse ethnic background, which is nowhere more visible than in its international cuisines.
Liquors and Wines
Real Estate NYC By Town
Houses and Co-ops and Conds for sale by owner
Hair Salons Beauty Spas Tanning Skin Care
lumbing & Heating & Air Conditioning
Painting painters Forest Hills, Rego Park, Glendale, Middle Village Maspeth New York
Lawyers New York By Field of Practice
Lawyers New York By Town
Veterinarians, Veterinary Clinics, Small Animal Vets, , New York
New York City Gun Permits Shooting Ranges & Gun Shops New York
Bars, Night Clubs, Cigar Bars, Smoking Lounges & Entertainment New York and Manhattan
Music and Dancing Bars
Cigar Bars, Smoking Lounges Smoking Bars
Free Queens New York Classifieds
Free classifieds for queens new york forest hills rego park glendale middle village maspeth classifieds kew gardens
Health Care
Health Specialist, Clinics and Hospital services
Queens, NYC Emergency and Hotlines Telephone Numbers
Local Volunteer Ambulance Corps
Cultural Activities & Events Calendar
An Historical Perspective of Various Types of Business
Forest Hills High School Sing competition
Local Chambers of Commerce in Queens, NYC
Kew Gardens
Maspeth, NYC
Rego Park, NYC
Domains for sale
Elected Officials
© 1996-2008
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Service Marks
A guide, including cultural, theatre, concerts, restraurants, shopping, reat estate and other activities in Queens New York. Queens, one of the five bouroughs of New York City, the others are Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx and Staten Island.


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This morning has been tough!
A challenge that only those with anxiety will understand.
My son has a hospital appointment which we have been waiting a few months for. Nothing serious, but important all the same. We have discovered that Nathan may need his tonsils and adenoids removed and today is the day we find out if that is going to happen.
So..... heres me with agoraphobia and separation anxiety. I cannot attend the appointment myself, as its just too far out of my comfort zone. My mum has always been the one who would be taking him today. But as the day as loomed closer, I have found my anxiety rising.
Probably only one reason. What if I panic while he is gone? What if I cant get him home quickly enough to stop the anxiety flooding through my body? What if I lose it? I could freak out, pass out, stop breathing.... and the vicious circle of negative thoughts has continued.
My rational head tells me that my son will always come first. That no matter how uncomfortable I find myself, I will ride it out. I will face the fear, suffer the anxiety, and he will go to his appointment and it will all be ok. Even if I am completely debilitated I will deal with that, as long as Nathan gets to where he is meant to be. Because at the end of the day, this appointment is a step towards him feeling better.\
\Rational thinking can leave pretty quickly when your gripped with panic.
His appointment was at 11.20am and so my plan was that he would stay with My mum the night before. I planned to stay up late watching movies in the hope that I would sleep the morning away. When I woke up, Nathan would be home, or at least ALMOST home. But like plans can often do, it didn't quite work out that way.
I went to sleep at 5am and woke at 9. My anxiety began. My body was tense, hands sweating, mouth dry, heart pounding. Really uncomfortable sensations. And throughout it all I had this internal dialogue making every feeling get stronger. 'I cant do this', 'I need to bring him home', 'I need to cancel this appointment', 'I will get in so much trouble for this'. The thoughts raced through my head and I was trying to think of a way to avoid dealing with any of it. The best way to stop this, was to stop the appointment happening.
But with doing that I would create a whole new anxiety. And that anxiety would be accompanied by crippling guilt. How is my son ever going to grow, live a full, happy, healthy life, If I behave in this way? I am doing wrong by him. I am failing him. Surely to be a good mother you need to not think about your own needs and think of the needs of your children?
So I battled.
I can handle my panic attacks. I can handle the fear, the terror! I can deal with all the horrendous physical and mental activity as long as I can breathe. But this morning my chest was tight and I struggled to get a full breath.
This sensation made it feel impossible for me to cope. I was going to lose it for sure.
I had visions of me running into the street crying for help. Driving to the local doctors. Calling friends and pleading with them to rush over.
Cant Breathe
Its passing
No, No its coming
I cant take this
Do I need a paper bag
How can I get a breath
in through the nose lynn
Be Calm
Its not passing
Many people, when reaching this state of anxiety, will reach for the Xanax (or something similar). Despite the extreme anxiety I have never taken anything like that, but always had some handy 'just in case'. Again, this was another cause of anxiety. The what ifs when taking a new pill. Not knowing if I would have a bad reaction to them. And I've argued with myself so many times, that maybe that little pill would help me in life. Just taking that little tablet will take the edge off and help me to progress? Maybe the fact I haven't even been willing to TRY them has held me back. Maybe I would travel further, take more risks, if I would just take that chance! Fear of the unknown has always stopped me.
What kind of life is this? I live in a bubble or security. Scared to push beyond that and therefore limiting my life and my experiences in so many ways. Im doing myself a huge disservice and for what? To feel ok? So I don't drink.....because I don't want to freak out by the 'drunk' sensation. I want to stay in control. I don't want to suffer panic attacks the next day (which I always did after a night on the wine). I don't take drugs..... because they are bad. But even the recreational ones that obviously DO make some people feel good, well I just wouldn't take the chance. I used to LOVE a night out with the girls. A few drinks and that lovely merry drunken feeling. Talking about random things, laughing till your head hurt. Feeling more confidence, dancing the night away without a care in the world. I am depriving myself of such a simple thing and for what? Fear. Fear of the unknowns and the what ifs. Its bad enough that as an agoraphobic I deprive myself of travelling, seeing the world, experiencing other cultures and living a fuller life. But when its affecting even the way you live your life at home.... well it sucks. I want to go to the local pub and get drunk. I want to be the Lynn I was before. Who just did what she wanted and didn't think about the what ifs. Relax for god sake! Lighten Up! Live a Little. I feel like a bore!! And I was NEVER a bore! I was a fantastic drunk and absolutely hilarious (to my alcohol fuelled self lol)
So I've kind of strayed off the subject a little, but you get what im saying. This uptight control freak behaviour sucks. But it keeps us safe. We know what to expect, and we know what we can handle. But is that living?
An outsider looking at me would probably think I'm quite boring. Straight laced. Sensible. Careful. reserved. But who I really want to be, if I could be anyone, do anything? Id like to be the girl on the beach surrounded by friends, laughing, having fun. Travelling from country to country and meeting new people on my travels. Id like to live abroad, somewhere warm and beautiful, next to the ocean. Id like to have a drink and socialise and eat nice food and share jokes. Id like my son and I to experience the whole world together and for him to grow up with confidence, ambition and drive. All the things I want to be and all the things I want to do are the polar opposite of who I am right now. So am I happy? I guess not. I'm unfulfilled. I'm sad. I'm lonely. And there's no one to blame for that but me. I don't actively fight it the way I used to. I tell myself that ill do those things 'one day' but I don't really make any steps towards achieving it. I stay safe. And I appreciate that within that safety net I have a lot to be grateful for. Ill never forget those years when I couldn't leave my house. I practically couldn't leave one room. I could never be on my own. And so what I have become now HAS taken work, and it has shown strength and ill never take those successes for grated. I know there are people out there who as in a much worse place than me so please don't think of me as ungrateful. I am lucky to be where I am. But there is so much more to life. And I want to live it.
Back on to this morning. The waves of panic were getting quite unbearable and I got to the point when I decided I was stopping the appointment. My parents would be disappointed, my sons future health was hindered. The nursery staff would judge me. I was setting myself up for more unhappiness, stress and anxiety. This appointment wasn't going to go away. Id need to go through this all again at a later date so procrastinating was only leading to more upset. Feel the fear and do it anyway, isn't that what they say?
The panic always passes. It does comes in waves. Some waves are bigger than others. Some take longer to pass, but they DO always pass. And so my rational voice was battling to be heard.
'No. I will not give into this'. 'I will face this and I will deal with whatever comes next. My son is going. And I will not do this anymore.'
As my chest tightened again and I struggled for breath I thought to myself.... 'Fuck this'
I reached into the cabinet and I found the pills that I have never ever relied on before. Why am I allowing myself to suffer like this when I've been told that this little tablet can help me. It can take the edge off all this. It stops the physical symptoms of anxiety apparently. The sweating, the shaking, the heart pounding, but best of all... it stops the shortness of breath and the tightening of the chest. I popped the packet and I took it.
For anyone else this is nothing. Its regular. They pop pills for all sorts of ailments. But that's just not me. So this small thing was actually a massive step for me. I handed that control to something else. My fear was always that id panic (surprise eh), I was scared id take the pill, and then I would freak out. Cause once you've swallowed it there's not much you can do. But as I swallowed I felt relief. A sense of strength, pride even! That I had faced it and gone down a different route.
And here I am. My son is now miles away at his appointment. I'm sitting here anxiety free. No horrendous symptoms. No discomfort. And I don't need to face weeks of guilt and shame for hindering his progress. I could have spent today hating myself and fretting about the future and all the things I cannot control. But instead I tell myself that I faced today with some inner strength and I won. Today has been a good day
Tuesday, 24 June 2014
Riding The Waves
This morning has been tough!
Posted by Lynn at 11:34 6 comments