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"The things I want to know are in books;
my best friend is the man who'll get me a book I ain't read."
- Abraham Lincoln
With both Hanukkah and Christmas right around the corner and coming at us faster than Santa's sleigh with a tailwind, it is time to start thinking about gifts for friends, family and, more specifically, the food-lovers on your list.
And what better gift for a food-lover than a book? Cookbooks traditional or traditionally inspired, exotic, ethnic or all-American -- what matters in a cookbook is that it is uncomplicated, personal and as delightful to read as enjoyable to cook or bake from. I want to be inspired by a cookbook author to prepare the recipes offered and yearn to travel where the author invites me.
Each of these cookbook -- and food-related memoir -- discoveries of 2013 is all of that combined and more : a joy to sit over and read and a delight to cook or bake from time and time again.
"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed,
and some few are to be chewed and digested."
- Francis Bacon
I offer you my own list of Top 10 recommendations for the perfect gift:
1) Kneadlessly Simple: The perfect bread-baking book, even for beginners. Especially for beginners!
Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day: Zoë François and Jeff Hertzberg have done it again! Zoë (of the fabulous zoebakes.com) and Jeff's three Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a Day books (the original, Pizza and Flatbread, Healthy Bread) were so popular that they have completely revised and updated their first book on simple, no-knead breads, adding 30 new fully-tested recipes, including such recipes as Pretzel Buns, Oatmeal Pumpkin Bread, Apple-Stuffed French Toast and gluten-free Cheesy Breadsticks, Pizza, Baguette and Sweet Brioche. I make their Challah recipes over and over again !
2) Gloriously Italian: For the vegetarian, the Italophile or just anyone who loves great food
The Glorious Vegetables of Italy: After The Glorious Pasta of Italy and The Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy, Domenica Marchetti has presented us with another glorious cookbook: The Glorious Vegetables of Italy. Former journalist turned cookbook author (this is her 5th) and food writer, Domenica has become the go-to expert for all things Abruzzo and incredible, authentic and accessible Italian food for every day. A book for home cooks of all levels, Domenica's beautiful book offers recipes for vegetable pizzas, pastas, risottos, sauces, and soups, main dishes, sides and desserts, each recipe more glorious than the next! Discover a sample of her writing and her recipes on domenicacooks.com
3) Cookies, Sensational Cookies! A sensational gift for your Cookie Monster
Simply Sensational Cookies by Nancy Baggett: With all of the hundreds of cookbooks about cookies, brownies and bars available, how does one choose the best? Well, Simply Sensational Cookies is indeed the ultimate cookie and bar cookbook, the best and the only one anyone will ever need. Best-selling cookbook author Nancy Baggett has put together an incredible collection of cookies and bars, from the comfort-food classics to elegant treats for dinner parties to surprises for the more adventurous or curious baker. For the cookie, brownie and bar lover, the novice (loads of tips, advice and information) or the more experienced baker, Simply Sensational Cookies is, well, a simply sensational gift! Gone-to-Heaven Gooey Caramel Nut Bar, Blue & Cheddar Cheese Wafers, Mocha-Hazelnut Biscotti-in-a-Jar Mix, Go With Joe Chocolate Chunk Espresso Crisps, and so many more!
4) Olé! Olé! For your adventurous street eater and Latin lover
Latin American Street Food: The Best Flavors of Markets, Beaches, and Roadside Stands from Mexico to Argentina: Sandra Gutierrez takes the reader and home cook on a culinary road trip through 20 Latin American countries and introduces us to the best of each country's street foods in 150 fun, authentic and delicious recipes. From the popular and well know street food of Mexico, Guatamala, Cuba, down through Peru and Brazil, Sandra shares fascinating personal stories and cultural histories of the foods she will have you preparing as soon as you open the book. Tacos yes, but also food in bowls, on sticks, wrapped in tortillas, dough and sandwiches... as well as condiments and desserts.
5) Mon Petit Choux: For the passionate baker, the Francophile and the romantic
The French Cook: Cream Puffs & Eclairs by Holly Herrick: Most of us think of the chocolate éclair and the cream puff as delightful little French pastries to pick up from the corner bakery on a trip to Paris but much too fussy to make in our own kitchens. Holly Herrick's newest cookbook is an exploration deep into the world of choux and quickly debunks the myth that this best-known French pastry is something too complicated for the home baker. She walks us through the art of making choux and then gives us recipes for every filling imaginable, both sweet (fried beignets with fresh raspberry sauce, salted caramel macadamia ice cream-filled profiterole, cream puffs with Nutella and coffee pastry cream) and savory (3-cheese gougères, petit éclair filled with avocado mousse layered with bacon and tomatoes, small puffs with goat cheese, honey and roasted garlic purée). Une délice!
6) For the culinary voyager and everyone who loves Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, India or Korean food
The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook: Home Cooking from Asian American Kitchens: Patricia Tanumihardja takes us on a delightful and irresistible culinary voyage through six Asian cuisines with 130 authentic recipes that she gathered from Asian grandmothers, each willing to share her own home recipes. The book is a wealth of fascinating personal profiles and stories, information and mouthwatering recipes from the kitchens of China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, India and Korea.
7) A Story Served up Warm and Comforting: For the loved one who loves a deliciously happy ending
Poor Man's Feast: A Love Story of Comfort, Desire, and the Art of Simple Cooking by Elissa Altman. Falling in that elusive category of food memoir, Poor Man's Feast is a beautifully written story of love, family and food, intertwining witty, emotional tales of Altman's relationship with her mother and father with those of her future spouse, Susan, usually sitting at a restaurant table or standing in a kitchen cooking, and her favorite recipes.
8) Bon Appétit: For the Francophile, French food lover and armchair traveler
Mastering the Art of French Eating: Lessons in Food and Love from a Year in Paris: Writer Ann Mah takes us on a culinary voyage around France and into bistro and restaurant kitchens, butchers' and pastry shops, French homes and more and as she recounts the fascinating history of so many traditional French foods and dishes from the different regions of this most gastronomic of countries. A blend of memoir and instruction, Mastering the Art of French Eating is a charming, intriguing book on French food and Mah's adjustment to her new life in this most romantic of countries.
9) Food & Laughter is the Best Medicine: The best little stocking stuffer for a best friend, mom or daughter
Heartbreak Recovery Kitchen: Recipes and Remedies for Mending and Moving On by Jeanne Ambrose & Lindsey Ambrose is an endearing, funny cookbook, written by the dynamic mother-daughter duo of Jeanne (the mom) and Lindsey (the daughter). HRK is like a fun Saturday night with your best girlfriends, sharing those stories of heartbreak and laughing at each other's tales, foibles and adventures as together you cook and eat away the blues. Heartbreak Recovery Kitchen's recipes will satisfy every craving, whether savory or sweet, lemony, boozy, chocolaty or down-home comfort food. (read my full review here)
10) Something Old, Something New: For the food lover, the historian, the health-conscious and anyone who loves Mediterranean food
Ancient Grains for Modern Meals: Food writer Maria Speck's award-winning, critically acclaimed cookbook took the food world by storm and has created a veritable whirlwind of new found interest in the most humble of food staples. Maria Speck's passion for Old World grains will change your way of thinking about these "health food" basics forever. From polenta, barley and farro to wheat berries and kamut, each rustic yet elegant dish brings these ancient grains deliciously into the modern world. Maria proves that grains are not only for the health-conscious home cook but for the lover of great food as well. She gives a contemporary twist to classics, turns the simple into something glamorous and shows how versatile, flavorful and sophisticated grains can be, from breakfast and brunch, soups and salads to mains, sides and desserts, both savory and sweet.
Jamie Schler lives, eats and writes in France. To read more of her work visit Life's a Feast.


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Author - Darcia Helle
Title - Enemies and Playmates
Stars - 4
Enemies and Playmates:
Lauren's family preserves a grand pretence that contradicts their actual lives. Alex, Lauren's father, keeps a tight rein on his family through physical abuse, manipulation, and fanatical control. Because of this, Lauren doesn't believe she could ever trust a man, much less fall in love with one.

subset: commoncrawl


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The options of transport links to Glenmore Lodge are numerous and varied.
City of Derry Airport is 45 minutes drive and may be flown to from London Stanstead with Ryanair: website
Donegal Airport is 50-60 minutes drive: website
Belfast International Airport is 90 minutes drive: website
George Best Belfast City Airport is two hours drive: website
Dublin Port and Dublin Airport are 3 hours drive and Larne Port is two-hours away.
Note: Most of our packages include transfers from the Airports:
Directions by road:
From Londonderry: Click here
From Belfast: Click here
From Dublin: Click here


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Highly Zen
Cannabis Wellness For Women
*LGBTQA embraced & Welcome*
About Us
Highly Zen was born in 2015 and once the footing was re-found in early 2019, Josie has been bringing it back to life. She's a one-woman show so bear with her as she learns to grow this little seedling into something beautiful.
Founder Josie is a 700-LMT, 200-RYT and Cannabis Advocate. Her dream is to create a space where women of all sizes and colors can come together, empower one another while loving and healing themselves.
What Highly Zen Will Provide
For now, Highly Zen will be educational. Highly Zen does not have plans of being a typical platform for Wellness so until we have the funds and a space, we will be limited on what we're able to provide.
…You can find us online at instagram.com/highlyzen and at facebook.com/HighlyZen for updates and coming soon we'll have a meetup group and a facebook group for classes and events. Keep an eye out!
Reach Out
Highly Zen
Portland, OR
(971) 236-2029
Send Us a Message
Copyright Highly Zen 2019 – All rights reserved


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What is good for the simulation and the machine learning is, as it turns out, also good for the database. The performance and thermal limits of traditional CPUs have made GPUs the go-to accelerator for these workloads at extreme scale, and now databases, which are thread monsters in their own right, are also turning to GPUs to get a performance and scale boost.
Commercializing GPU databases takes time, and Kinetica, formerly known as GPUdb, is making a bit of a splash ahead of the Strata+Hadoop World conference next week as it brags about the performance and scale of the parallel database management system that it initially created for the US Army and has commercialized with the US Postal Service.
Kinetica joins MapD, which we profiled recently, and Sqream Technologies, which you can find out more about here, in using GPUs to execute the parallel functions of SQL queries to massively speed up the processing of queries against databases. Each of these GPU databases has come into being through a unique path, just like the pillars of the relational database world – Oracle's eponymous database, IBM DB2, Microsoft SQL Server (and its Sybase forbear), MySQL, and PostgreSQL – did decades ago. And as these GPU databases mature and develop, the race will be on to scale them up and out to handle ever larger datasets and perform queries faster and faster at the same time.
The GPUdb database was developed by Amit Vij, CEO of GIS Federal, and his long-time partner Nima Negahban, chief technology officer at the geospatial information systems and data analytics firm that, as the name suggests, does a lot of work with the US Federal government. Negahban was the original developer of the GPUdb database that is now being commercialized by a separate company, called Kinetica, which is also the name of the database now.
The database that is now called Kinetica was created from scratch, Negahban tells The Next Platform, with its own SQL engine and distributed processing framework and it does not rely on any open source projects. GIS Federal was commissioned by the US Army Intelligence and Security Command at Fort Belvoir outside of Washington, DC, to create the GPUdb database in 2010 after coming to the conclusion that the existing relational, NoSQL, and NewSQL options were not going to be able to handle the data flows and query complexity and volume that searching for terrorist activity required.
"The Army was trying to create a data lake, although that term was not really used at the time, and consume over 200 different data feeds," explains Negahban. "They wanted to bring this data into a common compute capability and give one single API to a community of analysts and developers so they could work together and iterate queries in an agile fashion against real-time data."
GIS Federal looked at the HBase database layer for Hadoop (created by Facebook), the Cassandra alternative to the Hadoop Distributed File System (also created by Facebook), and the MongoDB NoSQL database as possible platforms on which to build this data lake for the Army. While testing these platforms out, Negahban says the same patterns happened again and again: The query inventories were extremely limited, and developers had to go back and create more and more indexes for these databases.
"The cycle kept repeating itself, and in the end, whether it was HBase, Cassandra, or MongoDB, the hardware fan-out grew exponentially as query demand grew, and to have more query flexibility they needed more elaborate indexes, and as every record came in, it had to be indexed in a multitude of ways and therefore the staleness of the queries grew and grew. Initially, as the new data came in, the results were an hour late. And as more indexes had to be built, the delay went to 24 hours. And finally it grew to a week. There was no way the Army was going to get to its real-time goal."
So Negahban and Vij cooked up GPUdb, which was at the heart of the GAIA system created for the Army's INSCOM agency to take in massive amounts of data to help the Army move troops around theatres of operation as safely as possible as threats come and go. The initial Army system running the first GPUdb implementation, which was installed after two years of development in 2012, was a four-rack UV2000 shared memory system with 2,048 processor cores and a 10 TB in-memory database that was accelerated by sixteen Nvidia Tesla K20X GPUs; this system ran Hadoop and HBase was used as the database layer, with offloading of SQL functions to GPUdb.
Two years later, GPUdb had its initial commercial installation when the US Postal Service used a more modern version of the database to track its fleet of vehicles and its employee base in real time, and by then, the database was increasingly resident on the GPUs themselves. The Postal Service used one of the famous enterprise databases (it can't say which one) , and wanted to put all of this streaming geospatial data into that relational database, but it was crazy expensive, according to Negahban. Last year, the USPS delivered 150 billion pieces of mail, and the routing software that used the GPUdb as its data store tracked every truck and every piece of mail, mashed it up with environmental and seasonal data, and helped the organization drive 70 million fewer miles than it did in 2015 and save 7 million gallons of fuel.
The amazing thing is that all of this was done on a fifteen-node hybrid CPU-GPU cluster. (Well, to be more precise, it was done on a cluster with five-way replication and a total of 72 nodes.) Over 200,000 devices are streaming data into this cluster once every minute, and over 15,000 sessions running queries off this system can be handled simultaneously.
GPUdb and now Kinetica are not open source, and it is not clear they will ever be. The new name suggests that the company is positioning itself to run on any massively parallel device, not just GPUs, but this is not a new idea, but a return to its original plan.
Negahban says that Nvidia's GPUs – in their various incarnations and not always Tesla compute engines, either – are the preferred motors for its database. Any Nvidia GPU that has a Fermi or later generation of GPU (basically from 2009 forward) and that supports the CUDA programming environment can run the GPUdb/Kinetica database.
Technically, any device that supports OpenCL could also run it. (The early editions of the GPUdb software could be deployed on AMD GPUs as well.) But Negahban points out that in the past couple of years Kinetica has done a lot of work optimizing for Nvidia GPUs, and adds that for many customers, double precision floating point math matters for their analytics – actually, it is the format of data that they have that drives this – so the appropriate Tesla accelerators like the K40, the K80, and now the P100 are usually recommended.
"With the Power systems from IBM and NVLink connecting them to the Tesla P100s, we are going to be able to have much greater throughput to the GPU, and beyond the higher memory bandwidth of the Tesla P100, the Pascal GPUs are just faster processors than other Teslas, too," says Negahban. "We have a unique capability with the Power platform for sure, but we are excited about the P100 on both Power and Xeon platforms."
As far as we know, MapD and Sqream do not yet support Power processors, but there is no reason they could not. GIS Federal is a member of the OpenPower Foundation and was a beta tester for the Pascal Teslas, so Kinetica has been looking forward to this day when NVLink was available. (IBM just started shipping systems that support NVLink.) Kinetica has also been working on integrating flash devices with the hybrid Power8-Tesla compute complex through the Power8 chip's Coherent Accelerator Processor Interface (CAPI) ports, and we could see a day when disks are replaced with flash and the whole shebang moves that much faster.
Kinetica hosts the data that drives analytics in both disks in a traditional row format and in CPU memory in a compressed columnar format like other in-memory databases. The secret sauce in all of this is the memory management as data moves from disk to memory and back. The authoritative copy of the database lives in the server host memory, and interestingly, the GDDR or HBM memory of the GPU is used as a scratch pad for data as the GPU chews it. The datasets are so big that Kinetica is dealing with that cramming it into the 4 GB to 24 GB of GPU memory was not going to work; they demand terabytes of memory per node, not gigabytes, and ganging up multiple GPUs is too costly. The memory to compute ratio is not good, so in effect, the CPU RAM is a memory offload to the GPU processing as far as Kinetica is concerned. (Funny, that.) The point is, these customers need billions to hundreds of billions to even trillions of rows of data, and that is not going to fit in GDDR or HBM memory, and even if it did, it would be too costly to scale out the GPUs.
Kinetica has about a dozen customers in production, with the largest one (unnamed) having a cluster with 60 nodes. The architecture is designed to scale out to hundreds of nodes, and with the combination of Power8 and Pascal Teslas with CAPI flash storage, an extremely brawny node could be made and then clustered. (Think of the "Minsky" Power Systems LC machine IBM just launched or Nvidia's DGX-1 machine running this GPU-accelerated database.)
Not that you need big iron to run the Kinetica database. A two-node Supermicro cluster, with each server having two 12-core Xeon E5-2690 processors running at 2.6 GHz plus two Tesla K80s, 512 GB of main memory, and a 3 TB SSD in each node can query a database of 15 billion Tweets and render a visualization of that data in under 1 second. That will run you about $50,000, not including the Kinetica software.
Here is how a 30 node cluster of Xeon CPUs and tesla K80 GPUs running Kinetica 5.2 against a data warehouse made up of more than 100 nodes of SAP's HANA in memory database:
You can't even see the lag with the Kinetica database. It is well under sub-second response time. And without being specific about pricing – which is done on the basis of the capacity of the database, not the compute power behind it – Kinetica says that the performance is orders of magnitude better than HANA or MemSQL and orders of magnitude less costly at the system level.
One important consideration for enterprises that are knee deep in SQL queries is that the Kinetica 6.0 database release, which will be coming out later this year, will have full compliance with the ANSI SQL-92 standard, which means it speaks the same SQL that traditional relational databases have for a long time. The prior GPUdb 5.2 release, which came out in May and which was used by the USPS in its cluster, was about 70 percent compliant with the SQL-92 standard, which is about as good as some Hadoop overlays do but it is not the same as an enterprise-grade relational database management system with full compatibility.
"Simple SQL queries are easy to do, and even moderate ones are not that hard to be compliant with," says Negahban. "But we want to get to the point where you can take a large, complex 500 line query and paste it in and run it without any problems. Even though we have native APIs with a lot of languages, at the end of the day, SQL is still is the gold standard in OLAP processing and reporting. So it is mission critical for us to get that full compliance."
That is precisely what $7 million in first round venture funding, which Kinetica scored in April, is for.


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DOWNLOAD Proceedings of PiE-2018 (5.6MB)
6th Particles in Europe Conference
14-17 October, 2018
Abstract Deadline 31 August, 2018
Final Program (Updated 11 October 2018)
To go to the Final Conference Program, click here.
[What are PiE Conferences? Click here.]
Following successful PiE conferences at Bologna (Italy), Ville Franche (France), Barcelona (Spain), Esbjerg (Denmark), and Budapest (Hungary), the 6th conference will be held in Lisbon, Portugal. Ana Santos of Instituto Hidrografico, Marinha in Lisbon will be the local host. Conference co-chairs will be Yogi Agrawal and Wayne Slade of Sequoia Scientific, and Ana Santos and Anabela Oliveira of Instituto Hidrografico, Lisbon.
What is PiE 2018?
Particle in Europe, or PiE, is a bi-annual conference on the measurement, monitoring, impact, and managing of in situ particle size and concentration in the aquatic environment. The meeting is sponsored by Sequoia Scientific, Inc. of USA and the Instituto Hidrografico Marinha of Lisbon, Portugal. Specialists from many fields but with a common interest in particles in water attend in an intimate, informal environment and exchange ideas on phenomena, dynamics, and technologies.
Who should attend?
PiE brings together some of the world's experts in studies on particles in water. The presentations cover dynamics, measurement, monitoring, and impact of particles in oceans, ports, coasts, rivers, lakes, streams, and sedimentation in reservoirs. Researchers, students, environmental officials, and monitoring agencies should attend the meeting. Broadly, examples of topics of interest are:
- Marine and hydrological sediment transport
- River and Reservoir Sedimentation
- Biological studies
- Sediments in Dredging
- Particle Measurement technologies
- Optics/Acoustics and remote sensing of Particles and Flocs.
Invited Speakers
Dr. Cesar Andrade, Portugal
Dr. Claire Chassagne, Netherlands
Dr. Helmut Habersack, Austria.
Dr. Piers Larcombe, Australia
Dr. Luis Quaresma, Portugal
Dr. Paula Freire, Portugal – a special guest to speak on the boat cruise, 16 Oct. Her subject: The Tagus Estuary
The meeting dates are Monday-Wednesday 15-17 October 2018, with an icebreaker the evening before, i.e. on Sunday evening, the 14th October 2018.
PiE-2018 will be held at the Instituto Hidrografico, Marinha in Lisbon, Portugal. The Sunday evening ice-breaker will also be held here.
Lisbon is the capital of Portugal and its legendary charm invites millions of tourists each year. With a metropolitan population of 0.5 million and a history steeped in exploration, conquests and assimilation, the city offers unlimited opportunities for tourism and pleasure. The river Tejo flows through Lisbon as a wide estuary. Monuments and museums to the age of Discovery line its banks along with many modern architectural triumphs. Lisbon has an international airport connected directly to major European gateway airports. The city is economical, diverse, and friendly.
The recommended hotels are listed below. Attendees should make their own arrangements. Room rates vary from 60 Euros and up. Please double-check, prices always change in these times.
[This list was updated 26 July, 2018]
Empire Lisbon Hotel 3* (City center, public transport to IH, excellent location; 85€ Single; 90€ double)
Castilho House Cais (local, walking distance to IH, 85€ Single, 90€ double)
York House Hotel 4* (5 minute walk to IH A high end hotel. Double 155€)
Casa do Patio by Shiadu (boutique guest house, 10 min. walk, new trendy, Double from 115€)
HF Fenix Garden 3* (City center, Marquês de Pombal square, 20-30 minute walk to IH, all available public transportation on site; Double from 112€)
Hotel Expo Astória 3* (city center, 20-30 min. walk to IH, public transportation. Art Deco; Double from 120€)
Hotel Dom Carlos Park 3* (city center, 20-30 min. walk to IH, public transportation.Double from 120€)
Turim Av. Da Liberdade 4* (In the city center, 20-30 min. walk to IH, public transportation, Double from 97€)
SANA Capitol Hotel 3* (City center, must take public transportation to IH, excellent location, Double from 158€)
As Janelas Verdes 4* (4 star, high end, Double from 224€ .)
Scientific Program:
Click here to view the PiE-2018 Conference Program (updated 10-Oct-2018)
October 14, Evening: 6:30 p.m….Ice-breaker; Convento das Trinas – Instituto Hidrografico.
October 15: Paper presentations, Convento das Trinas – Instituto Hidrografico
October 16: Field visit, and Conference dinner –
Boat Cruise on the "NTM Ópera". [Included for registrants; guests pay extra]
Conference Dinner at the Museu de Marinha (Belém, Lisbon) [included with registration; guests pay extra]
October 17: Paper presentations, conference closing, Convento das Trinas – Instituto Hidrografico
Limited space will be available for up to 10 companies interested in exhibiting their equipment and software. Each Exhibitor will be given the opportunity to introduce their products to the full gathering in a 3 minute presentation before lunch break on days 1 and 3. Exhibitor fee: €500 (includes one Registration). Accompanying spouses of Exhibitors will pay €100, and will be entitled to ice-breaker, boat cruise and conference dinner.
To reserve space, please contact Exhibits Coordinator, Jim Decker.
Registration begins 31 March, 2018. After 15 Sept., late registration fee applies.
Conference registration dues are €250 Euros or US$300 before 15 Sept. 2018. Late or on-site registration at the Conference will cost €300/$350. Registration includes ice-breaker, conference, cruise, and conference dinner. Accompanying spouses/guests pay €100/$120. These dues also include daily coffee and snacks, courtesy lunch.
For cancellations after 07 October, no refunds will be made.
Dues can be paid on-line and via credit card only. To register and pay, please click here.
Target Dates
Abstract Due Date: 31 August, 2018; Abstract Acceptance Notice: 15 Sept. 2018
Conference Pre-registration: 01 March 2018 till 15 Sept. 2018; €250 or US$300.
Late or On-site Registration in Lisbon: €300. Payment by credit card only.
Persons intending to present their research at the conference should submit an extended abstract of maximum six A4 sized pages plus figures, tables and references in Word format to firstname.lastname@example.com, no later than 31st August 2018. For the extended abstract the settings should be as follows: margins must be 1″ (25 mm) on all four sides, font must be Times New Roman 12 pt, line spacing must be 1.5 lines throughout, spacing after paragraphs must be 10 pt, abstract title must be centered, 18 pt and bold, author names and author affiliations (in 10 pt) must be centered below the abstract title, text body must be left and right justified. Abstract notifications will be sent out no later than 15th September. Abstracts are due 31 August 2018.
For more information, please contact: In US – Yogi Agrawal ; in Europe – Ana Santos (in Lisbon).
Organizing Committee
Convenors: Yogesh (Yogi) Agrawal and Wayne Slade (in US);
Co-convenors: Anabela Oliveira, Ana Santos (in Europe)
Sandor Baranya ( Hungary), (host at Hungary, co-chair).
Ole Aarup Mikkelsen (Denmark), (Convenor past PiE conferences, co-chair)
Jim Decker (Sequoia Sci. Inc.), (US), Exhibits Coordinator
Alex Nimmo-Smith (United Kingdom)
Katarina Holubova (Slovakia)
Massimo Guerrero
Michael Fettweis (Belgium)
Nils Ruther (Norway)
Piers Larcombe (Australia)
Romaric Verney (France)
Sagan Slowomir (Poland)
Stefan Haun (Germany)
PiE conferences are sponsored by Sequoia Scientific, Inc., USA. PiE-2018 is co-sponsored by Instituto Hidrografico, Lisbon, Portugal.


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This is my 16th year teaching and I still love every day. I have taught preschool, kindergarten, first grade, a combined third/fourth grade class, and currently teach first grade.
My classroom is a mix of inquiry based education, the Reggio Emilia approach, PBL, Montessori, and best teaching practices. I truly love what I do and try to make every lesson as engaging as possible.
Graduated from Elmira College in 2003
Please visit my blog for more ideas!! http://www.adayinfirstgrade.com
PreK, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, Homeschool
English Language Arts, Balanced Literacy, Reading, Grammar, Spelling, Vocabulary, Specialty, Math, Arithmetic, Basic Operations, Geometry, Measurement, Numbers, Science, Astronomy, Basic Principles, Earth Sciences, Social Studies - History, Ancient History, Native Americans, Computer Science - Technology, EFL - ESL - ELD, Health, Other (Specialty), Religion, For All Subject Areas, Literature, Classroom Management, Character Education, Word Problems, Physical Science, Problem Solving, Short Stories, Writing, Asian Studies, Oral Communication, Child Care, Reading Strategies, Holidays/Seasonal, Back to School, Thanksgiving, Christmas/ Chanukah/ Kwanzaa, Autumn, Mental Math, Halloween, Winter, Valentine's Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents' Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Spring, Earth Day, Summer, Informational Text, Occupational Therapy, Handwriting, End of Year, Phonics


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Tutorial To Browsing Muscle development Supplements
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If you expertise head pain every moment you ingest necessary protein powder snow, you might have an allergy to whey necessary protein. Numerous people have trouble putting about muscle size. Norwegian press workout is certainly single of the ideal standard exercises that you will see various people perform on the gym. GNC has created a good general lines of goods to supplementation your routines and support you increase lean muscle. Squats-these are the master (or perhaps king!) of lower human body workout routines! You see, when muscle confusion, proper nutrition, supplementation, and 8 hours of sleep are included in your transformation strategy, you see outcomes that last for a lifetime.


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Nearly 130,000 bodies are currently caged in for-profit or privately managed "correctional" facilities in the United States, a figure that accounts for 16.4% of federal and 6.8% of state populations.
Since 2000, moreover, the number of extant for-profit and privately contracted penal institutions has skyrocketed by approximately 120% during a time in which the population of "public" federal and state facilities has grown four times as slowly. And although federal and state expenditures on prisons have mushroomed by72% over the last decade and now cost taxpayers $74 billion per annum, the two largest private prison companies, Corrections Corporation of America and GEO Group (formerly Wackenhut Corrections Corporation), have together "earned" over $2.9 billion in profits since 2000.
While in recent years much public attention has rightly been devoted to illuminating the "industrial" operations associated with the proliferation of private prison facilities—from the tumesced pocketbooks of private prison operators to the profits generated by telecommunications companies by way of no-bid phone contracts—surprisingly scant attention has been paid to the private financiers of "public" prison projects who earn a profit each time a prison is built. And unlike those who collect revenue on prison operations, firms that purchase bonds for prison construction needn't have a personal stake in the eventual utility or solvency of any given facility. Their coffers will grow whether or not prison beds are occupied.
But a two-decade long declension in public support for prison expansion has thwarted traditional options for financing new prison construction and has resulted (as it usually does) in new opportunities for cadres of investment bankers, building contractors, and consultants to realize indulgent returns-on-investment with abidingly anti-democratic financing schemes. I call it "leasing through the back-door."
Even a cursory review of prison, jail, and detention expansion initiatives demonstrates that federal, state, and municipal governments are using "back door" financing instruments that allow them to borrow billions of dollars to build facilities that the public does not want nor can afford. The State of California provides a superlative case study for the examination of "back door" prison financing.
Simply stated, California voters have overwhelmingly rejected the issuance of prison construction bonds the last two times the issue went to referendum. And according to a 2011 poll jointly commissioned by the University of Southern California and Los Angeles Times, nearly three-out-of-four California voters currently oppose tax increases for the purpose of building new prisons. Perhaps the recent voter disinclination for prison construction is a result of the passage of California's AB900 in 2007. AB900 allows the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to authorize $7.8 billion in lease-revenue bonds to fund the addition of 53,000 new prison and jail beds while bypassing the electorate. To date, the CDCR has packaged and sold $2.1 billion in lease-revenue bonds. Approximately $900 million of that debt was sold in 2011 alone.
Many anti-prison activists have cogently argued that AB900 was drafted to circumvent the "will of the people" who previously defeated two propositions placed on the ballot by the state legislature to appropriate money from general obligation bonds to pay for more prisons. When voters began rejecting general obligation bonds for prison construction, state treasurers, corporate lawyers, and investment bankers began underwriting lease-revenue bonds for the purpose of avoiding constitutional and statutory restrictions on such debt guarded by voter approved bonds.Of course, prison finance policy is far from immutable and often reflects political-economic trends, exigencies, and anxieties. In fact, prior to the mid-1980s, prisons were generally financed in one of two ways. State officials either adopted a "pay-as-you-go" approach by funding new construction out of general revenues or they borrowed money through the sale of general obligation bonds. A general obligation bond is simply a repayment pledge that is guaranteed by the "full faith and credit" – including the taxing power – of the issuer, in this case, the state. Failure to pay debt service on a general obligation is exceedingly rare among large government entities and typically only occurs under conditions of bankruptcy. Most crucially, the issuance of general obligation bonds requires approval by taxpayers in the form of a bond referendum.
As correctional populations and costs mounted in the 1980s and 1990s, however, California and other states found it increasingly difficult 1) to fund prison expansion vis-à-vis annual operating budgets and 2) to secure public approval for new debt. Through the collusion of the public and private sectors (scarcely distinguishable these days…) state officials responded by issuing another type of debt to finance prison construction: lease revenue bonds. Elected officials can circumvent citizen lead socio-political obstacles by issuing lease-revenue bonds, a type of debt that allows agencies created by the government to finance a prison facility by issuing tax-exempt bonds and then leasing the right to use the facility back to the state. The state, which generally gains ownership of the project at the end of the lease period, uses funds appropriated by the legislature (and the governor, typically) to make lease payments. Lease-revenue bonds do not require voter approval.
Lease-revenue bonds are often extraordinarily costly because they carry high interest rates resulting from the lease agreement that guarantees the loan. Even by the CDCR's own admission, "from a standpoint of costs alone, general obligation bonds are preferable to lease-revenue bonds."
Wait, what?
They continue, "General obligation bonds typically carry an interest rate 0.2 to 0.5 percentage points below the interest rate on lease-revenue bonds. [General obligation bonds issued by the state of California carry an average interest rate of 5.5% and a service life of 25 years.] In addition, lease-revenue bonds have slightly higher issuance costs (due to the need to purchase commercial insurance) than do general obligation bonds and require a higher value of bonds to be issued to produce the same net proceeds generated by general obligation bonds."
The higher risk and cost associated with lease-revenue bonds doesn't seem to concern Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley – three of the largest six U.S. financial institutions—that have underwritten and purchased over $2 billion in lease-revenue bonds for prison construction in California from 1991-2007. The public must be made to know that although financial institutions like Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley do not profit directly by exploiting prison labor or by operating private penal facilities, they nonetheless realize exorbitant annual revenues by propping up a "prison industrial complex" by way of "leasing through the back door." And to paraphrase 16th century Dutch polymath Balthazar Gerbier, too many back doors make thieves.
California residents interested in eradicating the "prison industrial complex" and restoring socially responsible, sustainable, and humane budget priorities are encouraged to join CURB (Californians United for a Responsible Budget). More information is available at http://curbprisonspending.org/


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Talia expands Mena services on Arabsat
Riyadh, March 13, 2013
Talia, a top-tier provider of data communications and voice services in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, has announced the launch of its broadcast playout services on the Arabsat fleet.
Headquartered in UK, Talia operates its own teleport and datacenter facility in Germany, and has support and sales offices in the UAE, Nigeria and Iraq.
Located at 26 degrees East, the Arabsat broadcast hotspot offers more than 600 channels of satellite television and radio stations.
As an established data communications, network, and satellite solutions provider, Talia will offer a complete solution to channels so that they can maximize their exposure while minimizing their expense, said a senior official.
'This is the perfect opportunity for channels to cover the Mena region and Europe all on one broadcast,' remarked Travis Mooney, the chief operations officer of Talia.
"The BADR position is unique and captures the Mena and Europe audience. With the flexibility to provide any piece, or a complete bespoke broadcast solution, we are uniquely positioned to deliver the right services, increase coverage, and offer world-wide distribution to our partners," he stated.
The company said broadcasting with Arabsat marks the expansion of its media division and allows Talia to offer a complete solution to their existing broadcast customers, as well as offer new partners any solution they require.
Talia now offers, separately or as a bundle: contribution links, teleport services, satellite broadcast playout, as well as IPTV solutions.
Nabil Shanti, the chief commercial officer at Arabsat said Talia had been a great partner and very successful in their data communications business.
"We were there at the start of their data communications business, and we are pleased to add them to our list of Media Access Points and be partners in their expansion into broadcast services," he added.-TradeArabia News Service


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Aqaba: Jordan's Red Sea resort destination
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Aqaba is Jordan's best known resort destination, located on the Red Sea within the southern tip of the country. With its crystal-clear sea, underwater marine life and all year-round sunshine it has a lot to offer its visitors. It has various entertainment and activities, including world class facilities and luxury hotels. The Gulf of Aqaba water are considered one of the world's best diving spots and great for all water sport enthusiast will it be for snorkelling, water skiing, windsurfing or fishing. It is also a historic city dating back to many millennia and the unique Aqaba Museum is a perfect way to discover everything about its past. Aqaba has become today one of the major tourist attractions in Jordan best known as a seaside and diving resort, for its warm water and rich marine life as well as home for Jordan's mega projects.
CC music by Weightless – track Bellydance Musik
HD travel documentary film created by Mat Siems


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Export 3 results:Author Title Type [ Year]
Filters: Author is Ankudowich, E [Clear All Filters]
Changes in the correlation between spatial and temporal source memory performance and BOLD activity across the adult lifespan.. Cortex. 91:234-249.. 2017.
Family history and APOE4 risk for Alzheimer's disease impact the neural correlates of episodic memory by early midlife.. Neuroimage Clin. 14:760-774.. 2017.


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602 S. King St. Suite 302
Leesburg, VA 20175
Dr. Jose Loza, practicing in the Leesburg, VA area, can provide you with the highest quality dental crowns available, and restore your smile. Using state-of-the-art materials and cutting-edge techniques, Dr. Loza can make your smile look healthy and natural again.
Leesburg Dental offers designated handicap parking spaces for the exclusive use of vehicles displaying handicap hangtags or disabled license plates. Conveniently located in the Leesburg, Virginia area, Dr. Jose Loza provides tooth whitening and offers fully accessible facilities.
If you're looking for a more pleasing, silver-free smile, you'll want Leesburg area dentist Dr. Jose Loza to replace your amalgam fillings with natural-looking composite fillings. Tooth-colored fillings are thought to be safer and more attractive than older silver amalgam fillings. Dr. Loza will precisely match your new tooth-colored composite fillings with the natural color of your teeth, providing you with virtually invisible fillings.
Leesburg Dental practices the highest infection control standards to protect our patients and ourselves. In the Leesburg, VA area, Dr. Jose Loza and his staff strictly observe all Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines. All instruments are cleaned, disinfected and routinely sterilized as recommended by the American Dental Association and the Centers for Disease Control. Whenever possible, disposable, single-use items are used to ensure your safety.
We understand you have a busy life, and "going to the dentist" is one more task you need to check off your ever-growing "to-do" list. That's why here at Leesburg Dental, located in the Leesburg, VA area, we offer people hours, not office hours. Dr. Loza and his staff put your needs first by providing flexible scheduling options to ensure you obtain an appointment that is convenient and workable for you.
2111 Richmond Highway Suite # 1 South
Arlington, VA 22202
Dr. Amir Zamani at his Arlington area dental implants practice offers extensive experience restoring your dental implant crown.
Our dedicated team uses state-of-the-art materials and techniques for stability and longevity. You'll enjoy the comfort and confidence of natural-looking teeth.
If you're looking for clear braces in the Arlington area, our team at Advance Dental Care Center, PLLC provides them. We'll be happy to discuss your situation and create your individual treatment plan for invisible dental braces.
We have extensive knowledge about the different kinds of orthodontic treatments available today. We're committed to creating the straight teeth and happy smile you're looking for.
Amir Zamani, D.D.S. is happy to be your Arlington area braces dentist for invisible braces. Advance Dental Care Center, PLLC offers individualized plans designed for your unique dental needs.
Our friendly team will discuss available options to straighten crooked teeth, close gaps between teeth, or correct bite problems. You'll be able to enjoy good oral health along with bright, straight teeth.
Arlington area Invisalign® dentist Amir Zamani, D.D.S. is happy to provide your new clear braces. At Advance Dental Care Center, PLLC, we want you to have the straight teeth and beautiful smile you desire.
We're happy to assess your needs create your individual treatment plan for braces. You may be able to have your new Invisalign® aligners sooner than you think!
Advance Dental Care Center, PLLC is a trusted Arlington area dental implants practice providing natural-looking, comfortable tooth replacement. We make it our mission to use a gentle touch during the process.
We hold ourselves to the highest standards to replace missing teeth and provide you with natural-looking results. Our goal is to restore your confidence and your bright, healthy smile.
8503 Greenbelt Rd, Suite T4
Greenbelt, MD 20770
Greenbelt area restorative dentistry at Zebrowski Dental Care can produce natural-looking results. If you have a damaged or missing tooth, we can help.
Our highly skilled team will assess your need for a crown, bridge, implant or other procedure to restore or improve your smile. Our goal is to provide quality dental care for your life-long oral health.
Greenbelt area Invisalign® dentist Robert Zebrowski, D.D.S. is happy to provide your new clear braces. At Zebrowski Dental Care, we want you to have the straight teeth and beautiful smile you desire.
We're happy to assess your needs create your individual treatment plan for braces. You may be able to have your new Invisalign® aligners sooner than you think!
Would you like a whiter smile right now? In the Greenbelt, MD area, Zebrowski Dental Care offers in-office tooth whitening for quick results. Dr. Robert Zebrowski applies a bleaching solution to your teeth which is then accelerated by a high-intensity light. Teeth can often be whitening in one or two one-hour sessions - perfect if you're looking for a quick and easy way to brighten up your smile.
For comfortable dental hygiene treatment in the Greenbelt, Maryland area, Dr. Robert Zebrowski is known for having a gentle touch. The friendly team at Zebrowski Dental Care provides teeth cleaning for a whiter smile.
Maintaining good dental hygiene is the foundation for healthy teeth and gums. We're committed to helping you have a lifetime of oral health.
Removable braces are almost invisible and you can take them out to eat and brush your teeth. If you want braces that are effective, but can be conveniently taken out for certain occasions, Greenbelt area braces dentist Dr. lastname may suggest that removable braces are the best option for you.
Harris, Paul D.D.S.
4231 Markham St # 214
Annandale, VA, 22003-3023
Dr Sonia E Francioni , D.D.S. DMD PC
7611 Little River Tpke
Annandale, VA, 22003
(703) 256-2307
Dr Lan P Le , D.D.S. DMD PC
6922 Little River Tpke, Ste A
Annandale, VA, 22003
Steven R Johnson & Assoc
4322 Ravensworth Rd
Annandale, VA, 22003-5630
White teeth are always in style. Unfortunately, our teeth naturally darken as we get older. Smoking and coffee can lead to yellow teeth. Over time, the bright smile of youth may fade.
That's where teeth whitening comes to the rescue! A smile makeover can improve self-confidence and give you a new lease on life. It doesn't have to be an extreme dental makeover that costs tens of thousands of dollars and takes months to complete. Instant whitening can be done in your dentist's office in about an hour.
Laser whitening uses a dental laser to activate the bleach the dentist applies to your teeth. You can also get professional teeth whitening that uses a strong teeth whitener without laser light. Your teeth can be lightened by a number of shades in a single appointment. If you have stubborn deep-down stains on your teeth, you may need more than one teeth bleaching session to get the whitest teeth possible.
You can also whiten your teeth at home. Your dentist can give you a tooth whitening kit that will give you a brighter smile in a matter of weeks. Or you can buy tooth whiteners at the store; though they're not as strong as what your dentist can provide, they can help you maintain whiter teeth after teeth whitening treatment.
How would you feel if your smile was a bit brighter than it is right now? Whiter teeth not only look sensational, they build the kind of inner confidence that really gives a smile its electricity. And you might be surprised what simple, affordable teeth whitening systems are available these days.
You may have seen TV advertising for toothpastes that whiten your teeth. The results can't match what a dentist can do for you. Professional tooth whitening products used by your dentist effectively lighten brown and yellow enamel discoloration caused by smoking, cola, coffee or tea, and sometimes by childhood antibiotics use. A special gel is placed inside a custom-made tray that covers your teeth. The process takes place under a dentist's supervision to insure that it's safe for your teeth and gums.
The best candidates for professional teeth whitening are people with otherwise healthy teeth, minimal enamel loss, and stains that are on the surface of their teeth (from coffee, for instance) rather than inside.
Typically, improvement is seen in the first few days but maximum results occur when the process is continued for 10 to 14 days. Some patients may choose to return for periodic touch-ups to maintain their pretty smile.
If the color of your teeth concerns you, professional teeth bleaching may be the answer. Call your dentist and schedule a personal consultation.


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What's the Best Android Phone for Verizon Right Now? Droid X
With new Google Android handsets hitting the scene on what feels like a weekly basis, it's difficult for phone makers and carriers to differentiate between the various devices. Motorola has tried to stand out with hardware nuances like the odd-folding BackFlip and with software such as Motoblur. Both approaches gave it the "good college try," but fell far short of the sales enjoyed by the first Android 2.0 phone, the Motorola Droid. For the first time however, Motorola has exceeded the original Droid with its successor, the Motorola Droid X, available on the Verizon Wireless network.
As the current owner of a Google Nexus One, I feared that Droid X and its 4.3-inch display would be too large for my small hands. I'm glad that Motorola proved me wrong — even with my small 5'5″ frame, the Droid X turns out to be quite comfortable to use and carry. The main reason is the width of the device. Even though this is a large phone in comparison to most competitors, it's relatively narrow — perhaps 2 millimeters wider than my wife's iPhone 3GS and is mostly thinner than my Nexus One as shown in the image gallery below. Yet the 854×480 resolution on the larger screen makes it joy to surf the web, watch videos or read e-books, even when outside in full sunlight.
|Motorola Droid X Highlights and Specs
|4.3″ touchscreen with 854×480 (WVGA) resolution
|1 GHz CPU plus dedicated graphics processor
|720p HD video recording, 8 megapixel camera, 2 LED flash
|512 MB of RAM, 8 GB internal memory, 16 GB microsSD card
|802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, BT 2.1, GPS, CDMA, EVDO Rev. A
|2.6″ x 5.0″ x 0.4″, weight of 5.4 ounces
Running Android 2.1, Droid X has plenty of horsepower to take advantage of the large LCD screen. Like similar high-end Android phones currently available, Motorola (s mot) chose a 1 GHz processor, but opted for a Texas Instruments (s txn) chip over one from Qualcomm (s qcom) — a brand commonly used in HTC handsets like my Nexus One or the Sprint EVO 4G (s s). (Related: our EVO vs Droid X head-to-head battle) A PowerVR SGX530 graphics chip does the heavy video lifting — between that and the CPU, Droid X is peppy overall and excels when handling video. For the benchmark geeks out there, I recommend this excellent AndroidCentral video comparing Droid X with the EVO and Nexus One — the video frame-rate tests are of particular note, showing how smooth and fluid video can be on Droid X.
Speaking of video, Droid X can capture plenty of it at a high quality. The phone has 8 GB of internal memory and includes a 16 GB removable microSD card. The 8 megapixel camera sensor is supported by two LED flash bulbs and can take still images or 720p high-def movies. The camera application is simple to use — as is the dedicated camera button on the side of Droid X — and offers more photography options than most average consumers could use, ranging from scene modes to an outstanding panoramic mode that stitches six images together for a super-wide view.
Motorola made it easy to get such images and videos to the big screen by adding a mini-HDMI jack to connect Droid X to an HDTV. Unfortunately, Droid X doesn't include such a cable with the phone, so that's an additional expense for those who want it. And that HDMI output is only useful for certain activities — you can't pipe content from the included Blockbuster application or YouTube from handset to HDTV, for example. Motorola does include both a DLNA and Media Share application for media transfer and control, however.
The Blockbuster movie rental software is one of only a few pre-loaded applications. Unlike many other phones, Verizon didn't load up the device with carrier-specific applications, which is a plus. And the software that is included or was created by Motorola is another benefit. Droid X accepts voice input natively with Android, but also works with a Nuance-powered (s nuan) voice control applications. The FM Radio software pulls in signals by using a connected headset and Skype Mobile — currently a Verizon exclusive — is pre-installed. And even though you won't notice it upon first glance, Motoblur is there, but in a far more subtle manner.
Instead of the "in your face" social networking updates present on other Motoblur devices, Motorola opted to tame the experience with custom widgets that can be installed or ignored. Unless you configure them, the phone won't use them. While this is a positive step, I ended up turning off the Motorola widgets after a day or two because third-party apps often provide more functionality or more information on a single display, and are often more customizable in terms of alerts. Motorola's social widget for Twitter, for example, shows one tweet at a time — to see more, you tap it and then swipe along tweet by tweet.
One piece of software that impresses is the 3G Mobile Hotspot function. The service costs $20 per month for 2 GB of data, but turns the Droid X into a portable hotspot, able to share the 3G connection with five Wi-Fi devices. The software supports WEP, WPA and WPA2 encryption for security and works fantastic. I've used it to surf the web on my iPad Wi-Fi (s aapl)and saw average speeds around 1.5 Mbps — plenty fast enough for browsing on a mobile device.
Of course, a mobile device is only as good as its input system and here's where the combination of a large display and good software really shine. I've found it difficult to go back to my Nexus One from the Droid X because I can type so much faster on the bigger screen. The little bit of extra display makes a huge difference. And for those that struggle with an on-screen QWERTY keyboard, the Droid X includes Swype. This software allows you to trace words on the virtual keyboard — you only lift a finger between words. Swype says you can approach speeds of 50 wpm and although I can't quite hit that mark, the software does make text entry very easy. Overall, navigation is better on the big screen too, helped by the physical buttons under the display — I like these better than the touch sensitive ones on my Nexus One.
At the end of the day, Droid X can't just be a pocketable computer that plays media, takes pictures and surfs the web. After all, it's a phone too, so voice quality and battery life are important. Droid X is a stellar phone, thanks in part to three different microphones that help reduce or even eliminate background noise. The speakerphone on the backside of Droid X is more than adequate too — when I put callers on the speakerphone, they were hard pressed to tell the difference. And battery life is quite good as well. The replaceable 1500 mAh battery should see all but the heaviest power-users through a full day. Keeping the display on or using the mobile hotspot often will drain the battery faster, of course. But Motorola has three customizable power-saving themes to help keep Droid X running.
Right now, I think the Droid X is the best Android handset available through Verizon Wireless, mainly because the display is larger and a higher resolution than the Droid Incredible (which is having supply issues). With Android, there's always another hot new handset around the corner — like the Droid 2 or Samsung Galaxy S, for example — but if I was looking for an Android phone on Verizon, Droid X would be at the top of my list. Verizon says that Droid X will see an update to Android 2.2 by end of summer — bringing faster speeds and Adobe Flash support — which will make the device even more appealing.
Verizon is currently selling the Droid X for $299 with a new 2-year contract, but there is a $100 mail-in rebate bringing the net hardware cost down to $199. And although this won't help current Droid owners, any Verizon customer with a contract expiring by the end of 2010 is eligible for this pricing. I answered initial Droid X questions last week, but will have the evaluation unit for a bit yet, so don't hesitate to ask specific questions in the comments so I can try to address them.
Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub. req'd):


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I am often reminded how important it is to develop a well thought out business plan. I speak with numerous clients each day, each having a passion to promote their service, information or product and yet although they may be experts in their field, they do not have the expertise or foresight on how to market the site. Often times the website is destined to stay in the closet and never get the online exposure they need and are hoping for. And often times the client lacks an objective perspective, sort of being amongst trees in a forest and not being able to see to whole picture.
The internet audience has matured and become more sophisticated in its expectations and delivery of information. No longer can one just throw up a site and expect to immediately generate business. Website readiness for online marketing can take many forms. In this and the articles that follow in the next few weeks, we will examine the building blocks to successful web marketing. We will look at:
- How to work your marketing budget and timelines
- How to work a realistic marketing business
- Pitfalls of optimization
- Most common mistakes
- Optimization complete, now what?
- Tiers for small -med -large business, how we customize them
Making informed decisions now will set the stage for easier transitions on future initiatives and this can help minimize your costly investments of time, labour and money. Your website should be viewed as a dynamic entity and it requires your consistent attention and nurturing. This is a cardinal rule.
The Building Blocks….
The following checklist is an excellent strategy for achieving superb organic visibility and stable placement in the search engines. It will also help increase visitor retention and conversion. This information is portable; it does not matter whether you are in the planning phases of starting an online business, already have an existing website or are in need to redesign your presence. Although many of these stages (phases) can run concurrently the list below is presented as what should be implemented first, prior to moving into the next phase.
- Marketing budget and timeline development
- Market research
- Website design
- Competitor analysis
- Keyword research
- Content creation
- Content management system and or shopping cart creation
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Link building
- Blogs, newsletters, articles
- Social media
- Website analytics
- Pay-per-click marketing (PPC)
Of course, your marketing strategy will be determined on whether you will be intimately involved or delegating stuff in-house or out of house. Do you have the time, energy, expertise for any, some or all of these important tasks? Will you go the consulting route and implement their recommendations? Is your service or product time sensitive? Does it need to be sold by a certain date? Your strategy, timetable and budget will vacillate accordingly.
Perhaps the best actionable word I can offer is to "Focus". Focus on what it is you are all about and what sets you apart from your competitors. This may sound simple enough, however, try writing down in one sentence what one message you want visitors to receive when they come to your website. Surprisingly, many site owners I speak with have not or cannot do this. Determining such clarity before starting anything else can pay dividends. For example, organic visibility and placement in the search engines largely has been considered a game of inches; will you take advantage of this opportunity and create a keyword enriched domain name?
Market research offers data rich and timely information on what your competitors are doing. This can be approached from two angles and really, it is about how you define your "competition". Perhaps you are aware of competitor sites from within your industry and want to learn more about how they got to where they are in the search engine result pages. Odd as this may seem, this method for selecting which competitor sites to analyze may not be the most effective route to analyze your competition. These competitors may not be well placed in the search engines and may not be targeting the same keyword phrases that you are. Should this be true, why bother analyzing them. On the other hand, if you have already determined one of your site's primary keyword phrases you can type it into a search engine and review the resulting index page and choose from the list. The difference here is an important one to consider. Here you select your keyword phrase target and see who is competing for that term. It is not necessarily important who that company is or even what industry they are in. The important consideration is who is on top of the list for the keyword phrase you are shooting for and you are looking for any ammunition you can get to leap frog over their position in the search engine results page.
Market research will produce a blueprint for your web marketing direction.
- Competitor analysis reveals information about their keyword targets and how they are positioned in Google, Yahoo and MSN. In looking at several competitor sites one can construct a universe of keyword phrases that have proven successful in the search engines. Understanding this helps determine your keyword phrases and aid in the creation of textual content for your site.
- Links can be analyzed for their reputation and their popularity. Where are they coming from and are they paid links or from a link farm? Knowing who is linking to your competitor can make your task an easier one when developing your own link building campaign.
- An index saturation analysis will show how many pages a website has indexed in a search engine in comparison to the number of pages actually existing within the website. The purpose of the saturation analysis is to evaluate the various design elements that may be affecting indexing efficiency and to ultimately determine whether saturation is playing a noteworthy role in the website's (your competitor's) ranking.
- Optimization analysis will determine what (if any) particular optimization techniques are overwhelmingly influencing rankings for internal review pages of each site.
Click the link for more information on Competitive Research Tools.
Not everyone has the budget or expertise for this in depth type of data mining. A more economical approach may be to conduct keyword analysis. Quite possibly developing a realistic set of achievable primary and secondary keyword targets is the most overlooked aspect to any successful web marketing presence. This component will be looked at in the next article.
StepForth Web Marketing Inc.


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Yen Lam Pottery
Traditional Pottery for Vietnamese
Hoang Giang Ceramics was established in July 2009, we specialize in handcraft pottery for both decorative purpose and household use, as well as ceramic construction material. Yen Lam Pottery is our trademarked brand name.
Our products are handcrafted, we promote traditional values and constantly put effort in improving, learning new experience and knowledge from and our predecessor and from the world. Each of our items are thrown on pottery wheel or shaped from molds, then go through firing at high heat from 1.180 degrees to 1.250 degrees. The glaze we use are made from metal oxide, we do not to use lead (Pb) in any stage of production.
The difference in handcraft pottery
Our products are mainly crafted in 2 workshops. The largest one located in Giang Cao hamlet of Bat Trang pottery village. Here we produce items that are shaped from molds, with hand drawn patterns and designs. This workshop has two 6m³ gas kilns, one 0.5m³ gas kiln for sample making with 30 artisans.
The second located in Thuan An, Binh Duong Provine, 15 km far away from HCM city. This workshop focus on wheel throwing & hand building pottery. These workshops focus on purely handcrafted pottery, which are hand thrown and made with many traditional techniques that required seasoned artisans with high skills and experience, such as slab building, pierce carving, sprigging, incision, underglaze inlay.
Numerous brands and establishments have chosen Yen Lam Pottery, our products can be seen in many resorts, restaurants, café in Vietnam and even a few restaurants in Japan and Germany. While embracing traditional values, we still find inspiration from contemporary and daily life in order to bring a touch of fresh air into a long established craft.Buy it


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Click here to read Part I of Perfumer & Flavorist's exclusive interview with Shawn Houser.
How do you launch delectable confections while balancing consumer needs and unique flavor combinations? For Shawn Houser, Hershey's product development director and the 2015 gala honoree for the Women in Flavor and Fragrance Commerce (WFFC), it's all about combining chemistry with flavor trends to continue Hershey's legacy as the leader in the confectionery and snack industry. The 33rd annual WFFC gala will be on Wednesday, October 7, 2015 at Westmount Country Club in Woodland Park,New Jersey.
Houser's curiosity for taste and aroma began in the fourth grade, planting the sweet seed that has grown into an innovative, exciting and successful career in flavor compounding, creation and development for the Campbell Soup Company and The Hershey Company. Combining her chemistry background with her passion for flavor, Houser is responsible for launching delectable confectioneries and snacks, including Caramel filled Hershey's Kisses and Brookside Dark Chocolate Fruit & Nut bars.
As an organization dedicated to the empowerment, education and engagement of women in the flavor and fragrance industry, WFFC lauds Houser's professional accomplishments and contributions for both the industry and professional women worldwide. Perfumer & Flavorist magazine spoke with Houser in an exclusive three-part interview on her leadership, innovation, creativity, and passion as a flavor scientist and enthusiast.
Perfumer & Flavorist: How would you compare product development for the U.S. market to that of international markets, namely your work with the Asian sector in China and the Philippines?
Shawn Houser: Different regions of the world have different preferences for taste or texture of foods. The process of developing products is the same around the world. Generating ideas based on consumers' needs or desire is typically where it starts. Product developers bring it to life through prototypes which are given to consumers to react to. Sometimes that means consumer testing before going to market and other times, it means launching new products and learning while in market. Either way, the technical side is the same.
Prototypes are made in the kitchens and then scaled-up to larger production volumes. As the product is scaled-up from 10 to millions and using a continuous process versus a batch process, slight formula and process changes are required. As scientists and engineers, we are tasked with understanding how to ensure quality and consistency when one product is made or thousands are made. Formulating products around the world requires product developers to adapt the flavor profile to meet the local taste preferences of the people in the region. For example, Asian consumers prefer chocolates that are less sweet than those found in the U.S. or Europe. Formulating product in the U.S. for India is a challenge. Product developers and formulators need to be [familiar] with consumers in the region. Sensory can help to try to standardize the language consumers use around the world for formulating, but it is always important to be listening and working closely with the target consumer, either in the U.S. or Asia.
What also makes formulating products around the world [challenging] is the inconsistency in government regulations. Each country has different regulations and standards, so adaptation is needed quite often to meet the regional requirements. An additional challenge is that the price of food varies around the world, and developing products that meet the local needs of the people is important, whether it's the nutritional value, the taste or the cost.
PF: You wear many hats for Hershey, diving into ingredient research, marketing and product development, and you have a background in chemistry. How do you combine all of these disciplines to create something unique for consumers?
SH: The combination of a technical background in science and chemistry, coupled with business is powerful. It allows me to be able to communicate and influence across the business, because I have knowledge and experience on both sides of the business, technical/operational and commercial. Knowing the business needs and what the technology can deliver or what new technology is needed allows us to create unique and competitively advantaged products. The idea of a technical person really understanding what consumers need is so important as they go back to the lab, kitchen or pilot plant to make a new product.
PF: How are consumer needs/desires changing? What keeps current consumers coming back to Hershey and what's driving new consumer engagement?
SH: Consumers expect so much more from companies today. They want to know how products are made, where the ingredients came from. Consumers know they can trust Hershey for quality and safety. We have a great reputation for making great-tasting products that people can enjoy every day. People know they can count on Hershey to deliver great taste and they are excited to see how we can extend our taste expertise into new categories.
Click here to read Part III of Perfumer & Flavorist's exclusive interview with Shawn Houser.


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By EMMA IANNI
Labor leaders and ILR alumni spoke about fighting to end discrimination against LGBTQ workers, earning backpay for workers and working to give a voice to those workers who don't have one at the 11th Annual Industrial and Labor Relations Labor Roundtable Friday.
At the event, 17 labor leaders — including research analysts, executive directors and lawyers — shared their experiences working for labor and social movements.
Some of the guests were alumni who recently graduated from ILR, including Alison Lupico '11, research associate for AFT, an association for educators, school-related personnel and healthcare professionals; Robin Raynor '13, organizer for UAW, an organization that represents workers in the auto industry as well as aircraft manufacture and other industries.
Because jobs in labor often demand that people travel frequently, money cannot be the only motivation for pursuing a career in the field, said Ashley Jenkins, an organizer for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees — a major trade union.
Even then, the rewards are worth the challenges, according to Jenkins.
"When I started to work for AFSCME in 2008, right after college, I was working in Philadelphia at the Obama campaign. The night he won was the most amazing moment; I was really a part of it," she said.
Whereas some of the event's panelists became involved in labor rights by chance — including Jenkins herself, who found out about the labor movement during a college career fair — other speakers said they always knew they wanted to be activists.
Repole '06, an ILR alumnus who was a member of both the Cornell Civil Liberties Union and the Cornell Organization for Labor Action during his undergraduate years, said although he worked as a paralegal at a law firm after law school, he always knew "that was not my path."
Now, Repole is a lawyer for the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, where he represents broadcast television and radio workers in a range of workplace disputes with employers.
Some of the leaders who spoke at the event are involved with major labor campaigns. Jonathan Cartagena, a labor organizer and one of the founding members of the Retail Action Project — an organization dedicated to improving opportunities and workplace standards in the retail industry — began working at Yellow Rat Bastard, a clothing company in New York City, when he was 17 years old.
"At that time, [the company] was actually paying workers below than minimal wages and keeping them over time. There was also a lot of discrimination, especially with LGBTQ workers," Cartagena said.
With the help of the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union, Cartagena and many fellow Yellow Rate Bastard workers won a lawsuit against the store. The suit resulted in the restoration of more than $1.4 million in back pay for the employees, according to Cartagena.
Kate Bronfenbrenner, senior lecturer for the Department of Industrial and Labor Relations , said the goal of the event was to portray a view of organized labor that may not be represented in the media.
"We love this event because there are very few chances on campus and in your lives where you as students get to learn about labor and social justice organizations. We have people from all across campus, and a lot of you are freshmen and sophomores," she said.


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Wednesday, 15 August 2012
How to turn time spent living abroad into creative success
This form of dual acculturation breeds creative and professional success, the new findings suggest, because it encourages a sophisticated style of thought. Juggling the conflicts and complexities of a dual-identity fosters an ability to register multiple perspectives and to understand the conceptual relations between them ("a habitual tool for making sense of the world", in the researchers' words).
Carmit Tadmor and her colleagues began by studying 78 MBA students of 26 different nationalities at a European Business School. All had spent time living in one of 31 different foreign countries. Factors such as personality and age were taken into account through all the study analyses.
Those students who'd assumed a bicultural perspective (as opposed to those identifying steadfastly with their original culture only, or those who'd gone entirely native and rejected their home identity) performed better on a lab test of creativity - coming up with new uses for a brick. Moreover, this advantage was mediated by their scores on "integrative complexity" - the thinking style mentioned earlier, in which multiple perspectives are appreciated and linked.
A second study involved 54 MBA students at a business school in the USA, all of whom had spent time living abroad. This time the biculturals were found to have been more innovative in real life (in terms of setting up new businesses; inventing new products and services). Again, this creative advantage was mediated by the "integrative complexity" of their thinking.
Finally, the researchers surveyed 100 Israeli professionals, most of them working in Silicon Valley. Their average time in the States was 9 years. The biculturals in this sample had enjoyed more promotions and had superior professional reputations (based on the judgment of one of their peers), compared with the participants who identified only with their Israeli heritage or only with their adopted American culture. Again, this professional advantage was mediated by the biculturals' "integrative complexity" in their thinking.
Tadmor and her team acknowledge that their results are limited by being cross-sectional - it's possible that professional success encourages a complex thinking style; that a complex thinking style provokes a bicultural approach to life, and so on. But they pointed to past longitudinal research that showed biculturals' thinking became more integratively complex over time, as compared with the thinking of mono-cultural individuals - so it's certainly plausible that acquiring a bicultural perspective plays a causal role. The researchers also admitted that a bicultural perspective could have other positive benefits besides encouraging complex thought - for example, by catalysing better relations with colleagues. There could be downsides too. The process of becoming bicultural is likely a stressful demanding experience.
If you're planning to live abroad for creative benefit, there are clear lessons to take away from this research, but we still don't know how much it's possible to choose to adopt a bicultural perspective. More research will be needed to look into this. Another detail worth noting is that participants in this study who rejected both their original home identity and their new adopted identity (known as "marginals"), also showed greater integrative complexity and more creative success, though not to the same extent as biculturals. Perhaps, the researchers surmised, being culturally independent also fosters a complex style that aids creative thought.
Tadmor CT, Galinsky AD, & Maddux WW (2012). Getting the Most Out of Living Abroad: Biculturalism and Integrative Complexity as Key Drivers of Creative and Professional Success. Journal of personality and social psychology PMID: 22823287
--Further reading--
Living abroad linked with enhanced creativity
The Cure for Creative Blocks? Leave Your Desk.
Post written by Christian Jarrett for the BPS Research Digest.
2 comments:
A rather obvious conclusion I would have thought. The "ability to identity with your new home, but all the while continuing to connect with your native country too" is what expats do! Some may find it easier than others, but it is often more to do with learning the language, embracing new cultures and avoiding expat enclaves than anything else. Still, I guess another research grant or Masters/Doctoral degree was gained from the new jargon.
- 4:33 pm
Anonymous, I agree with you. It falls into the same category as a research study conducted a few years ago that shocked everyone with the discovery that ancient human ancestors wore clothes in the winter because they were cold. I cannot recall the details right now, as it was a while ago... but I remember it being past the hairy stage. Isn't it great to know where these research grants are going? Instead of wasting time with the obvious, why not direct research into more critical issues? For instance, an investigation on how various social structures affect individuals and groups who identify as bicultural, monocultural, anticultural, omnicultural... or entirely uncultured. What is most effective for a given context, what is not... research that truly affects and changes. Of course, who am I kidding. This kind of research is too intensive for many candidates who like to have a social life and party. Ah well.
- 1:08 am


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If data could talk, it would say, 'physician, heal thyself'
When it comes to physicians and the way they're reimbursed by Medicare, there's plenty to debate – even among physicians. A recent survey reveals that physicians agree that the reimbursement system definitely needs to be fixed, while at the same time revealing that the physicians can't find much consensus on how it should be fixed.
So it was interesting to read this Wall Street Journal article, which points out that apparently, the government has a ton of information that reveals how the system has already been fixed (and not in the good way) by physicians. The information's in a database that has data on 5 percent of Medicare beneficiaries and their claims paid by Medicare.
It reveals frightening stuff – like the fact that the government loses $70 billion to $120 billion a year in Medicare and Medicare fraud. Where's the money going? The Wall Street Journal gives us a clue, citing data for one unnamed family-practice doctor who billed more than $2 million in 2008.
The Wall Street Journal has sued to have the database opened to the general public so that media can shine a spotlight on other physicians with suspicious billing practices. If the data is ever made public, unnamed doctors would get named.
It sounds like a decent idea to us, too, but so far, the American Medical Association has stymied similar efforts to open the records, citing physicians' right to privacy. We'd like to see that wall come down, but in the mean time, we're just happy to see that someone's crunching the numbers and striking fear into the hearts of physicians who need to heed the advice, "Physician, heal thyself."
[Edit: in late 2011, the Wall Street Journal reported that HHS was making the Medicare claims database more available to the public than it had been in the past, but access was still restricted to "community groups comprising doctors, health insurers, businesses, consumers and government that work to improve health care at the local level." Then in 2013, a federal judge lifted the 33 year-old ban on public access to the Medicare claims database. By 2014, media outlets were reporting on the amounts that various physicians were receiving from Medicare, and the NY Times had created a tool that readers could use to see how much their doctor received from Medicare.]


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Toronto is a city worthy of a visit longer than just a few days. It's a pity I had less than 72 hours, but I packed in as much as I could. Continue reading
Category Archives: Consume and Quaff
Eat, Drink and Be Merry.
Searching for Suds in Singapore
As far as signature drinks are concerned, Singapore has an alliterative gem with the Singapore Sling. However, I'd heard about the emerging craft beer scene in Singapore and I was eager to sample the suds on this shiny city offers. After a morning of wandering around town, I headed to Brewerkz Riverside Point. Situated on … Continue reading
Now THAT'S Bologna: Crunching and Crushing at Beaver Creek's Food & Wine Weekend
I'll admit it–I'm spoiled and incredibly lucky. By virtue of some very generous and well-connected friends, I often get to take part in events that I would normally not be able to attend. This past Saturday's Grand Tasting, the culminating event of Beaver Creek's Food & Wine Weekend, was one of those events. I won't go … Continue reading
New Year's Means Cornbread and Peas
On this first day of 2013, I'm thinking of traditions: what we eat, what we plan and what we remember. I'm Southern, born and bred (even when we lived in Italy, it was in southern Italy). I've realized that by being Southern, I do certain things without necessarily thinking about it. I say "yes m'am" … Continue reading
Traveling for Taverns Guest Post: Forget Brennivin, Pass Me a Beer
Prohibition started in 1920 and ended in the United States on this day in 1933. Prohibition in Iceland went into effect in 1915 and lasted, to some extent, until March 1, 1989 (since celebrated as "Beer Day"). That's quite a long time without a cold one to end the day. Luckily, Icelanders have embraced beer and its quickly becoming the … Continue reading
Cookout with Kelly: Sowing Seeds Fundraiser with Chef Kelly Liken
A few weeks ago, I attended a fundraiser for Sowing Seeds, an educational project started by Chef Kelly Liken here in Eagle County to teach kids how to grow food while learning about nutrition. Taking place in local schools, the veggies grown by the kids in the greenhouse are used in the cafeteria and scraps are … Continue reading
It's No Myth: Discover Yak & Yeti
The name grabbed me first: Yak and Yeti conjured images of Tibet and the Himalayas and I'm a sucker for alliteration. The "Brewbpub" part clinched the deal. Located in a "haunted" Victorian mansion, Yak and Yeti retains the feel of an old house, but is lacking a bit in atmosphere. The decor is jumbled and … Continue reading


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Don't Mistake This Aftermarket iPhone 5 Shell as the Next 'iPhone 6C' [PICS]
Rumours of a new 4-inch iPhone have been partly silenced yesterday by well-connected KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi Kuo's note to investors. However, such rumours just won't die, particularly if someone wants their share of the blogosphere's attention.
A French site has shared (via iPhoneNote) a few images of what they claim to show the forthcoming 4-inch iPhone 6c's real shell — rumours stating this could be an iPhone 5s repackaged into a plastic shell.
What immediately raised doubts over the alleged leak are two things: (1) the missing Apple logo and (2) the ugly finish around the camera hole. Of course, the French blog is claiming exclusivity for this leak, and if we take into account previous rumours of a pill-shaped flash coming to the alleged iPhone 6c, we could believe them.
What they omitted to report is that "Google is your best friend": meaning the credibility of the site quickly drops to minus 100 when you start searching Google with an image, instead of text. The first link reveals that the guys from the French site simply took the images of an Aliexpress seller, which offers a replacement back cover that will "change from 5G 5GS to iPhone 6 middle from[?] cover housing" (original text).


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Naturally increase your motivation and start to approach life with an effortless energy, drive, buzz and ambition like never before.
- Do you struggle to stay motivated in your business or personal life?
- Do you start tasks excited, and motivated only to find you lose motivation soon after?
- Does your lack of motivation hold you back in life?
- Do you want to increase your motivation to achieve your full potential in life?
Do you know people who are really enthusiastic and motivated in everything they do, and wished you could be as motivated as them?
They have an energy, a buzz, they are enthusiastic and they stay excited and driven. For you, this kind of motivation is more of an effort, you have to keep boosting yourself, and sometimes even just struggle through - even worse, doing something you don't want to do can be a real slog.
It might baffle you how some people are just naturally proactive and motivated, but it doesn't have to!
The only difference between you and these hyper motivated people is down to mindset. The bottom line is that being highly motivated is a habit that you can acquire too. If you can acquire the same mindset as them, then you too will be more naturally motivated and driven at all times too - it's that simple.
And this is how our meditation session helps - to get under your skin, to shake things up inside your mind, and to help you to acquire this "naturally motivated mindset" too.
Using this guided meditation will help you to:
- Acquire the motivation mindset. Motivation won't be a struggle for you, it will start to come more naturally. You won't have to energize and prep your mind to get things done, you will just find you are motivated and productive more naturally.
- Keep high levels of motivation in everything you do. Your motivation won't slip away, it will stay solid, and infiltrate into all areas of your life - you work life, your home life, your social life - you will just be more productive and pro-active and get things done consistently.
- Increase your desires in life. You will find yourself setting goals, pushing yourself higher and working towards your ambitions. You will be aiming higher than ever before.. higher than anyone else and you will achieve more because of it.
- Take action immediately to achieve your goals. When you are motivated and highly charged you will find that you take action immediately to start the process of achieving your goals.
- Enjoy the process of getting things done. You will find when you have a high level of motivation you will start to enjoy the challenge of completing tasks and getting things done.
- Get noticed. You will get known for having higher motivation. People will see you getting things done, and you will get a positive reputation as an action taker. This will help you in all areas of your life, and especially in your career as you get seen for someone one the road for success, given more responsibility and find yourself first in line for promotions and new opportunities.
- Achieve your full potential in life. Ultimately, increasing your motivation means you stop sabotaging your own success. Your energy and drive stays throughout each project, you complete your tasks and become more and more successful. You achieve all you are really capable of!
Imagine how different your life would be if you were highly motivated in every area of your life, just think what you could achieve.
Your success in life starts with a desire to be successful, you then have to take action, and then stay motivated to keep going when others around find their motivation waning. You will become successful and achieve your desires and reach your full potential!
What to Expect
You will be given a complete mind and body relaxation session in the first stage of this journey. This will help to calm you, and decrease the amount of chatter going on in your mind.
You will then be taken to the top of a mountain overlooking a beautiful green woodland area. It is here you will meet a wise man whom you will have a life changing conversation with.
The final stage will see you meeting someone amazing, the surprise will shock you but will help you become highly motivated in life.
Short Term
After a few times of listening to this album you will notice yourself stopping complaining, stopping the negative internal chatter in your head.
You will see a change in your outlook on life early on. You will become more positive and pro-active, and you will just start getting things done and ticking things off your to-do list much more naturally.
Long Term
After a few sessions, your motivation levels will increase consistently and you will find yourself changing in bigger and bigger ways - you will be getting things done, your friends, family and colleagues will notice the change in you too now, and you will be really seeing how much more you can achieve and what your true potential could be.
You will start to turn into a different person - a more driven, positive, motivated version of yourself and you will be setting (and hitting) bigger goals than ever before.
Take the first step into a more motivated, ambitions and driven version of yourself with help from this guided meditation session and achieve your true potential!