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VITIS vinifera GRAPE VINE Vroege Van Der Laan 3L
A well established, very hardy and easy to grow white grape variety. Will do well in all areas of the UK – particularly if placed in a sheltered sunny position. A great choice for amateur grape enthusiasts due to its reliability. Good all-purpose fruit, equally well suited to wine making or eating as a dessert grape. Eventual height 4-8m (13-26ft). Eventual spread: 2-3m (6.5-10ft). Cropping season: August/September. Self fertile.
This plant is supplied in a 3L pot.
Water thoroughly or stand in a container of water for an hour before planting. Plant in a hole large enough to avoid disturbing the root ball. Plant 6 inches (15cm) away from a wall, preferably south facing, in a hole 4-6 inches (10-15cm) deep. Leave 4-5 feet between plants. Good drainage is vital. Tie lightly to a stake for the first month before attaching it to the wall/fence it is to be trained up.
After Care:
In the first Spring after planting, choose one shoot to be the leader and train. Any lateral produced from the leading shoot, should be stopped at 5 or 6 leaves, and any flowers or tendrils should be removed. Mulch yearly with well rotted compost of manure to retain moisture and suppress weeds. Water regularly until established. Apply a general fertiliser.


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Porto, Portugal.
Multi-skilled Designer & Illustrator. 7+ years of experience. Porto. firstname.lastname@example.com
animation, branding, digital, graphic design, illustration, maxon cinema 4d, ui, videography, web design
Clon — Logo for the new Estela Oliva's project Clon. "Resident of Studio 48, Estela Oliva's work is inspired by the impact of technology and the Internet in human behaviour, society and our surroundings. She creates hybrid environments in which the physical and the virtual blend, unfolding narratives and cerebral experiences. These projects come to life in experimental formats as exhibitions, program...
Marks & Spencer #FollowTheFairies Campaign — (...) The Two Fairies was a campaign to bring the world of Marks & Spencer's Christmas ad to life and deliver real life magic to the nation – and before anyone knew what it was all about, or who was behind it… Working with Unity PR, we established a feed called @TheTwoFairies on Twitter, which was to be the focal point of the campaign – a social media and real-world campaign to bring magic...
Social Vend — Designed Social Vend's brand and marketing, which includes the Social Vend brand identity, website, animations, social, ads, etc. Socially activated vending machines with a small footprint for marketing campaigns, in store sampling and promotional giveaways. Here is a bit of ui/ux and animation work.
6Tribes — 6Tribes (now DriveTribe) is a new social network that cuts out the noise and connects you with people who are into the same things as you. 6Tribes uses your photos, music, posts and location to connect you with tribes for you. Whether you're attending the same event or love the same music, 6Tribes will connect you with people who share your passions and interests. www.6tribes.com
Paradise Garage — What if the famous Paradise Garage asked me for a new logo? "The Paradise Garage, also known as "the Garage" or the "Gay-rage", was a discotheque in New York City notable in the history of modern dance and pop music, as well as LGBT and nightclub cultures. It was founded by Michael Brody (its sole proprietor) and was located at 84 King Street, in the Hudson Square neighborhood. It operated fro...
Homeskategoods — Home is a consequence of the will to create something different in skateboarding or at least, create something with value to a certain group of people. We don't have enough resources, help or investment to give a proper "push" to this big baby that is growing in our hands when compared to other brands and institutions. We do it because we love skateboarding and we love people that skate in gene...
Deka — The skateboard culture emerge from the street space, which simultaneously influences artists, designers, illustrators, musicians, writers, filmmakers and creatives. The Deka project focuses on this relationship between the urban culture of skateboarding and illustration and the expressions that this relationship trigger. To this research, various activities were structured throughout 2013, such...
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subset: commoncrawl


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Good news, audio lovers, because Book 6 in the Scottish Werebears series is out now on Audible! About Scottish Werebear: A Second Chance Journalist Charlie McAllister watches the New Alliance reveal itself on live TV and can't believe her eyes; one of the shifters looks so familiar… Could that really be her friend James, whom she grew up next door to? The same James she had the biggest crush on, but who disappeared on her after they shared their first and only kiss? The void he left be...More
Out Now – Scottish Werebear: A Painful Dilemma Audiobook
I'm super excited to announce the release of Book 5 in the Scottish Werebears series, Scottish Werebear: A Painful Dilemma, in audio. It has been narrated by the wonderful Patrick Blackthorne, who also brought the rest of the books to life. About Scottish Werebear: A Painful Dilemma Henry Weston is a good man, and a good Alliance agent. But when he is ordered to spy on his own people, he knows he must rebel. He finds the perfect partner in Gail McPherson when they connect in a way only...More
Out Now – Alexander's Blood Bride Audiobook
Alexander's Blood Bride (Vampires of London Book 1) is now available in audio format! I think it's turned out amazing; while reviewing the final files I simply adored how the narrator, Gethyn Edwards, brought the various characters to life. But don't take my word for it, just listen to the sample above and you'll know what I'm talking about... About Alexander's Blood Bride: When Cat ends up at a Halloween party hosted by the mysteriously handsome and super rich Alexander Broderick, the l...More


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Digital Mailroom
If your organization has a need for processing incoming documents like applications, annual registrations, survey cards, license renewals or other types of information, our mailroom services may be the perfect fit. Not only can we alleviate the need for manual-based processes, we can also ensure fast and accurate document processing. Our mailroom services include receiving the paperwork, imaging and entering the information, processing and collating checks or fees, and providing secure storage and transmittal of the information.
- Document Intake – Incoming documents can be received via email or mail. Each item is sorted and prepared for scanning.
- Digital Conversion – Items are electronically scanned for high-speed document processing.
- Data Extraction – Advanced optical character recognition (OCR) software indexes the digital documents and extracts the data needed for processing.
- Integration – Several options are available for integrating the captured data for document workflow processing, including secure FTP and cloud-based access.
- Archiving and Back Up – After the conversion process, all digital documents can be archived and retained for document retention policies and disaster recovery.
Remittance Processing / Lockbox
Wish you could streamline your receivables process, expedite access to incoming funds and reduce your payment processing costs, all at the same time? It's possible with Remittance Processing from KeyMark. Here's how it works. All of your organization's incoming checks are funneled to your organization's designated lockbox. Once received, our processing team will sort the checks as needed and send them through high-speed scanners. While being scanned, the payment information is extracted from each check, and the data, along with images of the check, is compiled and transmitted to you electronically for easy integration into your accounting system. Once verified, your financial institution will receive an electric deposit, and the funds will become available.
Custom Mailroom Services
Our mailroom experts will consult with your organization and review your document management requirements to determine the most efficient and productive processes to elevate the efficiency of your organization. Then we'll custom-craft a mailroom solution that meets your needs.


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Seeking financial counseling services
It happens. You open your mailbox one day and realize that somehow, over a period of time, you've accumulated a lot of bills that have now got you concerned about paying them off. If you find yourself in this situation, it may be time to seek professional financial counseling.
Financial counseling services are offered by a variety of non-profit groups, credit organizations, financial institutions, including credit unions, as well as military family service centers and religious organizations. Generally, these services require you to list all your debt and income before it recommends debt management options or payment plans.
Some agencies provide educational programs on money management while others may negotiate lower payments with your creditors and make the payments using money you send them each month.
Here are some things to considering when selecting a financial counselor, according to the USA.gov website:
Type of services: Look for an organization that offers budget counseling, money management classes and a debt-management plan. Ask what debts can be included in a plan and what type of regular reports will you receive about your accounts. Also ask if the counselor can persuade creditors to lower or eliminate interest and fees.
Fees and free information: A typical set-up fee is around $10. Beware of agencies that charge large up-front fees. Avoid ones that charge for information or make you provide a lot of details about your problem first. If a counselor won't help you because you can't afford to pay, go elsewhere. Be sure to ask for a contract and insist all verbal promises be put in writing before you pay.
Counselor qualification and reputation: Legitimate credit counseling firms are affiliated with the Association of Credit Counseling Professionals, Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies or the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. You can check with your local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed about the counseling service you're considering.
Visit Savvy Money Visit BALANCE


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The Headland Hotel and Spa in Newquay is absolutely thrilled to have been awarded a gold award for customer service at the 2018 South West Tourism Awards.
Following their gold win at the recent Cornwall Tourism Awards the hotel this time triumphed over competition from tourism businesses across the whole region, from as far away as Wiltshire and Dorset.
This year's awards ceremony was held in the Riviera Centre, Torquay with over 450 of the region's top tourism professionals in attendance and was hosted by BBS Spotlight's Victoria Graham.
Headland Hotel Managing Director Darryl Reburn said, "We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded this gold award. The fact that it recognises our high standards of customer service is particularly thrilling as it's something as a team we always strive to offer at the highest possible standard. I'd like to thank the exceptional Front of House team, and indeed the whole team at The Headland for making this win possible."
This award adds to an incredible 12 months for the Front of House Team at the hotel who were also finalists in the recent prestigious Hotel Catey's.


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Game of Thrones season 8 : behind the scenes of the ride to the dragons revealed and… this is ridiculous
Game of Thrones-season 8 : the behind the scenes of the ride to the dragons revealed and… this is ridiculous
On the occasion of episode 1 of season 8 of Game of Thrones, Jon Snow has had the right to a ballad on the back of dragons. Stylish ? The screen, yes, but this was not really the case on the shooting, as revealed by Kit Harington in a making-of ! Attention spoilers.
That has not vibrated in front of the incredible sequence of episode 1 of season 8 of Game of Thrones, which saw Jon Snow fly for the first time solo on the back of a dragon ? Despite the clumsiness of the hero in the beginning, the series has provided us with a scene of flight bluffing with the aid of special effects, successful, beautiful scenery and staging controlled and inventive.
Behind-the-scenes… ridiculous and painful
However, what you don't know, is that behind the scenes of this scene is far less sexy and epic. In a video unveiled by HBO. (see our slide show from 14:00), one discovers there, in fact the actual conditions (and ridiculous) for the filming. The program ? Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington were in fact playing on the robotic machines, pretending to be impressed by their escape, all in front of the green funds and fans the giants. What to do to pass the contest of "rodeo mechanical" for an activity styled.
But this is not all, where Jon Snow appeared as a hero badass and cool at the screen, Kit Harington was living the worst moment of her life on the plateaus. The reason for this ? He thought that he was saying goodbye to his progeny. Always in the video, the actor unveiled with humor : "The dragon was shaking violently and my right testicles is stuck. I had not the time to say 'STOP' and I was balanced on all sides. In my head I was thinking 'This is how it ends, on this machine, shaken, and hung by my testicles".
This is the karma. That will teach him to kill the respect by pretending to be disgusted after you kissed Emilia Clarke. Nope but oh !


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ADVANCE Hispanic Women in STEM – Puerto Rico Conference Part 2 – March 2014
We are pleased to announce the registration for our ADVANCE Hispanic Women in STEM conference is now online. Invited faculty and guests are receiving their invitations to register. All invitees should refer to their email messages for additional details. Please click the orange button below to register. All participants, speakers, and staff members should register.
This is the second workshop of the ADVANCE Hispanic Women in STEM project. This 2nd NETWORKing Workshop to Address Academic Advancement of Hispanic Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) is organized by Universidad Metropolitana (UMET) in collaboration with the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) as a continuation of the first workshop held in 2012. The primary goal of this project is to provide a forum that will lay the groundwork for scientifically documenting the issues and concerns the advancement of Hispanic women in the STEM academic pipeline and to establish the networks that can address these concerns on a broader national level. This conference will include women faculty in STEM fields in Puerto Rico, deans, university presidents, and other administrators, representing institutions from the Ana G. Mendez University System (Sistema Universitario Ana G. Mendez), the University of Puerto Rico System (Universidad de Puerto Rico), and the InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico System (Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico (UIPR)).
Conference Venue:
Sheraton Convention Center Hotel
200 Convention Boulevard
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00907
Phone: (787) 993-3500


text: We're are happy to report that the concert in Mathare last Saturday couldn't have gone better. The kids were thrilled to have organized such a fun and well-attended event –guest performances, dancing (as always), eating contests, sports, a big stage, and very loud speakers! Thanks to those who joined us and helped make it possible. Here are just a few photos from the day:


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Councilmember Todd Presents Ceremonial Resolution Honoring Ernest Green, Member of the "Little Rock Nine"
At Tuesday's legislative meeting, Councilmember Todd was delighted to present a Ceremonial Resolution honoring and recognizing Ward 4 and Shepherd Park resident Ernest Green. Mr. Green is a member of the "Little Rock Nine," a group of nine African-American students who bravely desegregated Little Rock Central High School in the face of hatred, opposition, and violence. He is a civil rights trailblazer, and this recognition serves as an expression of our appreciation for his legendary contributions to American society. Councilmember Todd extends his sincere thanks and congratulations to Mr. Green, his wife, ANC 4A01 Commissioner Phyllis Green who represents Shepherd Park, North Portal Estates, and Colonial Village, and his daughter, Mackenzie. You make us all #Ward4Proud!


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Helen Chuang (BS '03) Receives Women of Color in Technology's Technical Innovation - Government Award
Helen Chuang (BS '03) received an award at the 17th annual Women of Color in Technology (WoCT) STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Conference in Dallas in October.
The conference recognizes outstanding women in the STEM fields and provides opportunities for professional development, networking and recruiting.
Chuang is a systems engineer in Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems sector, working on the analysis of radiometric data from the Space-Based Infrared Systems. Prior to joining Northrop Grumman, Chuang pursued a successful career in biomedicine where she published a host of technical papers, presented at numerous professional conferences, and participated in two patents and four grant proposals.
Chuang is a strong proponent for the incubation of STEM interest among students, serving as a mentor at both the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),and as a director for MIT's nationwide engineering outreach program. Chuang earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Caltech and a doctorate in chemical engineering from MIT with a minor in finance and management.


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Health, Beauty & Medical
How Haarshop Upgraded to Enterprise Commerce
Haarshop needed the flexibility and scalability of an enterprise commerce solution.
For the Dutch hair and beauty retailer Haarshop, business was booming. Yet the company still operated under the guise of a startup. Their online offering had grown to over 14,000 hair and beauty products, and they were processing hundreds of orders a day – but they needed to think bigger.
Their beauty eCommerce website was built and managed by an in-house developer, and when he went on vacation, so did their eCommerce platforms. The brand had ambitious business goals for product partnerships, foreign ventures, and B2B sales.
Haarshop needed to upgrade. They needed a more accessible and flexible enterprise commerce platform to support their enterprise level growth. Thanks to Magento Solution Partner MediaCT, they found Magento Commerce. With Magento, Haarshop would have the scalability they needed to meet evolving business goals.
We chose Magento because it has the standard functionalities out-of-box and it's being developed for a wide-range of eCommerce businesses. As a result, we have a stable solution that will grow with our business.Daan Jolink
Financial Manager, Haarshop
Magento enterprise commerce gave Haarshop a simple, fast checkout experience.
With Magento enterprise commerce, Haarshop found the flexibility they needed. Frustrated with the poor search functionalities of their previous eCommerce site, the team set about simplifying the customer experience.
By building a new filtering system, customers can quickly find products and product information. A 'My Account' option allows customers to save their shopping cart and purchase history for their next visit, reducing lost sales. A simplified checkout guides customers through the purchasing process with ease. And finally, a blog refresh helped to increase customer traffic to the site.
With Magento extensions, Haarshop customized their functionality seamlessly. They are using tools like Hotjar and Google Analytics to analyze their customers' behavior. They also integrated Mailplus for email marketing, and Exact Globe to manage their ERP and CRM solutions. The result was an online store built for growth and enterprise commerce.
Traffic doubled. Conversion rates grew 20 percent.
The new Haarshop enterprise commerce ready store launched in May 2016. Straight away, Haarshop was impressed with the improved website performance and flexibility. With product information easier to find, they found their customer service team received fewer questions about product use. Overall, the online business was running smoothly. "Instead of constantly getting rebuffed in our ambitions, I get the feeling everything happens ten times faster. We are now active in Belgium and investigating expanding to Germany," says Daan Jolink, the Financial Manager at Haarshop.
Since the launch, backorders have been reduced by 50 percent. The subscription database is growing, blog traffic has doubled, and conversion rates have grown 20 percent. Combined with better customer insights and analytics, Haarshop is now scoring a five percent conversion rate on average with over 2000 B2C orders each week. 75 percent of visitors make purchases during their first site visit. For Haarshop there is no limit to their future success in enterprise commerce.
With Magento, we were able to grow harder than before. If we want to do something, it is easily achievable thanks to MediaCT's efforts and the thousands of extensions and integrations that are available to us.Daan Jolink
Financial Manager, Haarshop


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Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball
Export date: Sun Jul 21 14:57:38 2019 / +0000 GMT
18 Days to Iowa: Presidential Demolition Derby Revs Up
What is there to add about Donald Trump that has not already been said? The political world has moved from disbelieving that he would even follow through and become a candidate, to expecting him to wither on the vine as more conventional choices gained steam, to accepting his nomination as a distinct possibility, to speculating that he will go all the way and defeat Hillary Clinton in November.
It's Trump, Trump, Trump with all of us who focus on elections. Sam Wang of Princeton University studied recent primary polling 1 and argued that Trump seems like a clear frontrunner by the standards set in recent nomination battles. Alex Castellanos, an unaffiliated veteran Republican pollster, wrote over the weekend that he could see Trump winning the primary and the general 2. Longtime political analyst Norm Ornstein took a deep dive and tracked the roots of Trumpism 3, while National Journal's Ron Brownstein noted a "Trump gap 4," whereupon Trump's image among Republicans is improving even while he remains deeply unpopular with non-Republicans. Charlie Cook of the Cook Political Report suggests that maybe political observers, particularly those on television, are exaggerating Trump's chances 5.
The Crystal Ball completely concedes that when the history of 2016 is written, the Trump phenomenon will dominate the story, almost regardless of the name of the eventual winner. And like our journalistic and analytical brethren, we underestimated Trump's ability to fit the moment and shrewdly play politics with the best of them. However, we haven't yet embraced the "Trump inevitability" theories for either the GOP nomination or the White House. Here is why we are such persistent stick-in-the-muds and party poopers:
-- We still do not know the actual size of the Trump army. National polls suggest that 35% or more of Republicans back Trump. If that's true, he's well-positioned to win at least some states. Yet his levels of support in Iowa, especially, and New Hampshire are noticeably weaker, averaging between 25% and 30%. If he can't improve on that in the contests following the initial states, as many candidates drop out, the Trump bubble could burst.
-- Trump also needs to prove that he can turn out his supporters. This is especially an issue in caucus states like Iowa, where a recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist Poll found that Trump led by two percentage points in the potential GOP electorate but trailed Ted Cruz by four points among likely caucus-goers. Whether Trump can get his supporters to actually show up to a complex electioneering event on a cold winter's night is a question we cannot answer until the voting begins. It perhaps should be noted that chilly climes haven't stopped 6 thousands from waiting for hours in long lines to see Trump. But can he actualize that support? The New York Times took a look 7 at Trump's ground operation in Iowa and found it lacking.
-- Iowa is not a strong leadoff state for Trump because it has a heavily evangelical, socially conservative electorate. Cruz, who stresses the issues that appeal most to evangelicals, has a profile similar to many past winners. The Texan's continued strength in Iowa explains why Trump has been questioning Cruz's constitutional eligibility for the presidency (Cruz was born in Canada to an American mother). The new Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Iowa Poll 8 shows Cruz still leading Trump, but down six points from the survey's December 2015 findings. One has to wonder whether Trump's attack on Cruz's eligibility to be president -- an unfounded charge rejected by most constitutional experts -- is hurting Cruz's numbers. With that said, 83% of respondents in the Iowa Poll said they weren't bothered by the fact Cruz was born outside of the United States. Cruz's opposition to Iowa's precious ethanol subsidy may be more damaging to him.
-- Despite surveys that show Trump's supporters will stick with him to a greater degree than some other contenders' backers, we suspect that a large portion of the primary electorate across the country is still quite fluid. After all, Iowa and New Hampshire polls show, to varying degrees, that many voters could still change their minds about whom they support, and they're much closer to Election Day than most states. Moreover, while it is unlikely at this point, we also can't rule out the possibility that someone other than Cruz or Trump will win Iowa. Marco Rubio and his allies, for instance, are unleashing a massive ad barrage in the Hawkeye State 9 that could help him post an impressive showing.
-- New Hampshire is better for Trump, and he is the substantial favorite there at the moment. While he's only polling at around 30% in most polls, there is a glut of establishment-preferred candidates there who are Stuck in Granite, so to speak. Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, and John Kasich are all at about 10% in most polls as they try to replicate John McCain and Mitt Romney's path to the nomination. Rubio, increasingly lumped in with that group despite a less insider-flavored history, gets another 10%+ of support. So does Cruz: His evangelical fervor does not play as well in a state that's much more secular than Iowa, but a victory in the Hawkeye State could give him a decent lift in New Hampshire. Should Trump fail to win Iowa, it's difficult to say how that might impact the race. Such a result could weaken him in New Hampshire, boosting others in his stead. As Crystal Ball friend Al Tuchfarber recently reminded us, Trump tends to be weaker on the "second choice" question than some of his competitors. The latest NBC/Wall Street Journal/Marist and Monmouth 10 surveys in the Granite State showed Trump is the backup option for 8% of likely voters. A Trump loss in Iowa might move some Trump backers elsewhere, perhaps to Cruz, who was the leading No. 2 choice in the Monmouth poll. Given where Cruz is in the polls, though, Trump could lose voters to him and still capture New Hampshire's primary. But an Iowa loss could lower the threshold it takes for a more establishment-flavored candidate to have a shot at edging the real estate mogul in the first-in-the-nation primary.
-- As such, even if Trump wins New Hampshire, the person who eventually wins the nomination may be either Cruz or the establishment candidate that finishes closest to Trump and ahead of the several others in that category. After Iowa and New Hampshire, this 12-person field could and should be reduced to three or four contenders, allowing an anti-Trump (and anti-Cruz) to emerge. As of this writing, Rubio seems the likeliest person to take on both of those mantles, but it could be someone else, which is what Bush, Christie, and Kasich are banking on. In a sign of things to come over the next few weeks, a new ad from Right to Rise, a Super PAC allied with Bush, slams the Florida senator for being akin to a political weather vane 11.
-- Trump and Cruz will invariably have to deal with electability questions: Most (including us) believe that they have a smaller chance of winning the White House in the fall than some of their rivals. We also subscribe to the conventional wisdom that if Trump sweeps both Iowa and New Hampshire, he will be the clear favorite to win the nomination. But let's remember history: In modern (post-1970) presidential nomination politics, no non-incumbent Republican has ever won both Iowa and New Hampshire. The Granite State has acted as a brake on Iowa, choosing one of the candidates that lost the Hawkeye caucuses. Partly, it's because New Hampshire wants to put its own stamp on the selection, but it's also a legitimate attempt to slow down the nominating process, to force the candidates to slog through a couple dozen more states before the whistle is blown. For more on the Iowa-New Hampshire dynamic, see the companion piece 12 in this week's Crystal Ball.
One of the key moments will come when the so-called "establishment wing" (party leaders and mainstream conservatives) finally decides to back only one of the following: Rubio, Christie, Bush, or Kasich. Will they consolidate their money and resources, can they nudge or force the other candidates to withdraw, and could they do all this quickly enough to stop Trump and Cruz?
Speaking of party leaders, they are in many ways sitting on their hands. Less than two-fifths of GOP House members and less than a quarter of senators have endorsed 13 a candidate so far, as Republican consultant Bruce Mehlman recently pointed out to us. And their support is badly splintered. The party insiders have not coalesced around anyone yet, and by the time they do, it might be too late for their choice to succeed. Behind the scenes, national GOP officeholders are overwhelmingly opposed to both Trump and Cruz, but many have been intimidated by the strength these candidates have shown with the party base. Leaders are supposed to lead, but that isn't happening in the GOP this year. We get it: When the peasants are in full revolt, there usually isn't a rush among the elites to line up for the guillotine.
The Republican establishment's indecision brings to mind an excellent presentation the Crystal Ball attended over the weekend at the Southern Political Science Association's conference. Wayne Steger of DePaul University argued that party leaders only coalesce around a candidate when they believe that candidate is a likely nomination winner. This explains why many elected Democrats have endorsed Hillary Clinton but so few Republicans have picked a candidate: No Republican has emerged to vacuum up establishment support. That could have been Bush, but he failed in this aspect of the so-called "invisible primary," which takes place behind closed doors before the caucuses and primaries begin. The invisible primary is ending, to be replaced by the real primary.
The future of the Republican Party might well hang in the balance. A Trump GOP would be very different than the party we've known since Ronald Reagan. It would be more populist, blue-collar oriented, less responsive to Wall Street, and more driven by toughness toward immigrants and foreign adversaries. As for a Cruz presidency, it would arguably be the most conservative, by far, in the modern era, but it could also redefine Republicanism in other ways. Cruz, for instance, does not seem to share the same enthusiasm for nation-building as did George W. Bush.
Of course, in the case of Trump, one does wonder where he would go ideologically in the general election. He's unlikely to backtrack on top promises such as immigration or his pledge to bomb ISIS back to the Stone Age 14. Yet Trump has been very flexible -- that is, he's changed positions -- on loads of issues over the years. We could see him move to the center or shift considerably on troublesome topics. Trump's sole objective would be to win.
Table 1: Crystal Ball rankings of 2016 Republican presidential candidates
The Democrats
Take a deep breath and a step back: Hillary Clinton, supposedly the nominee-presumptive with an arm's length political and governmental resume stretching back decades, is essentially tied in Iowa and trails in New Hampshire versus a 74-year old socialist who joined the Democratic Party a few months ago. (You may exhale now.) Of course, this is due in part to Democrats' support for Bernie Sanders' issues, from income inequality to dislike of Wall Street and the big banks. Yet Clinton herself is the other half of her problem. There is unease among activists about "shoes yet to drop" concerning the Clintons and a certain weariness with this famous family's travails. It's worth pondering whether Trump's widely-covered attacks on Bill Clinton's extramarital affairs have contributed to Hillary Clinton's bad week of polling in Iowa and New Hampshire. Just as most Republicans have decided to turn the page on the Bushes, some Democrats may be itching to finish off the Clinton chapter. As we all know, winning candidates need to project a better future, not offer a rerun of the past.
All along 15, it's been fairly clear that Sanders was going to be a threat to Hillary Clinton in both Iowa and New Hampshire. Iowa Democrats are quite liberal, and they rejected Clinton in 2008 -- pushing her into third place in the caucuses and wounding her enough to deprive her (barely) of the Democratic nomination. In that same year, the Granite State temporarily rescued her and forced Barack Obama to fight all the way to June for the presidential party crown. Yet this time, Sanders has the enormous advantage of being from neighboring Vermont; he is very well known and liked in the border counties between the two states. Historically, regionalism can be a powerful force. New Hampshire has often been inclined to back both Democratic and Republican primary candidates from the Northeast, including six presidential contenders from neighboring Massachusetts: John F. Kennedy (D-1960), Henry Cabot Lodge (R-1964), Michael Dukakis (D-1988), Paul Tsongas (D-1992), John Kerry (D-2004), and Mitt Romney (R-2012). One might even include Clinton in 2008, when she was a U.S. senator from New York. But Sanders is the regional "favorite son" this time around, and while he is a substantial underdog to Clinton in terms of national party support, he has raised an impressive amount of money, to the extent that Sanders has actually been running more ads than Clinton for at least the past two months 16, according to an analysis by the Center for Public Integrity's Michael Beckel.
Iowa and New Hampshire are still competitive at this point, and Clinton can pull one or both out of the hat by Election Day. If she wins the two, her nomination is assured, and it will happen fairly painlessly. Even if she loses both, she's still the likely nominee thanks to her establishment support and the backing of nonwhites, who remain cool to Sanders and play a much bigger role in the contests held after Iowa and New Hampshire. But in that event, Clinton is in for a potentially prolonged battle that will push her further to the left and deprive her of advantages she hoped to have: extra months and money to plan for a difficult general election campaign. Expect also a period of turmoil when, inevitably, calls will be heard for Vice President Joe Biden to reconsider a candidacy. Meanwhile, GOP candidates will continue to pounce on Clinton and her husband, occasionally drawing blood. One must always add the caveat, too, that Clinton could eventually face serious legal trouble over her private emails, with uncharted consequences.
Table 2: Crystal Ball rankings of 2016 Democratic presidential candidates
The general election
It's too early to start handicapping November with any great degree of confidence, but we'll say this much: As polarized as our country was prior to this campaign, it has become even more polarized during it, and promises to be fully polarized by the fall. Practically, that means any GOP or Democratic nominee probably has a solid base of 45% or so. Barry Goldwater and George McGovern's 38% mark is exceedingly unlikely for any major-party candidate today -- barring the introduction of significant independents or third-party nominees.
While Clinton's candidacy may look different by the fall, to this point she's underscored how she lost the 2008 contest to Barack Obama. Though she is good overall in debates, Clinton doesn't connect well in many other settings, and her persona is often cold and unapproachable. Perhaps more important, while trying for the Democrats' third consecutive White House term that can be difficult to achieve, she has decades of baggage to carry -- her own, her husband's, and Obama's. There are legitimate reasons for Democrats to worry that Clinton, even with Obama's help, will prove unable to motivate the party's already-unreliable voter base to show up in November.
Despite all the turmoil and splits on the Republican side, our current expectation is for a highly competitive contest in November. That could be true even if Cruz or Trump is the GOP nominee. While we believe the Republicans have stronger general election candidates -- Rubio is the clearest example, but Christie, Kasich, or Bush might also qualify -- one has to allow for the possibility that national conditions will generically favor a Republican candidate in the fall. A summer recession or a terrorist attack on American soil could do considerable political harm to the current White House party, the Democrats.
Maybe the dark clouds we are conjuring up for Democrats will never appear, or will dissipate by November, and a majority of an increasingly diverse electorate will look at an angry Republican party and its avenging nominee and say, "No thanks, you're overwrought, so we'll stick with the devil we know." However, if the nation is unhappy enough, and ready enough for change, a broadly acceptable Republican nominee will be favored to carry the day. We'll let you, dear reader, define "broadly acceptable."
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For your weekend read, check out this wonderful article about Plovdiv by The New York Times' travel columnist Sebastian Modak ✈
We are happy and grateful to be recognized for our commitment to supporting Bulgaria's socially conscious future leaders
Last week AUBG hosted the Media Literacy Summer Camp, jointly organized by Асоциация на европейските журналисти - България (AEJ) and Fulbright Bulgaria, in partnership with the U.S. Embassy Sofia. Here's our recap of the project that brought together Bulgaria's aspiring journalists and media professionals from around the globe.
Congratulations to Yana Velkova ('08) for being accepted to one of the most prestigious MBA programs in the world: the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University! Yana's studies will be supported by AUBG through the Tchaprachikoff scholarship, a scholarship opportunity for Bulgarian alumni who get accepted to a top U.S. graduate school. Read our short interview with Yana, where she reflects upon her professional and academic endeavours.


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BIHA to Meet
Baranof Island Housing Authority Board of Commissioners will meet 5 p.m. Nov. 19 at 245 Katlian Street. The public is invited to attend.
Chamber Plans
Pirate Pub Crawl
The first Sitka Chamber Pirate Pub Crawl will be held Saturday, Nov. 16.
All are invited to ''pull out yer best pirate clothin' and get ready for some swashbuckling fun.''
The event is free.
To win treasures, pick up a map at any participating pub – Westmark Sitka lounge, Pioneer Bar, Victoria's Pour House, Ernie's Old Time Saloon, Homeport Eatery and Bayview Pub – and have it stamped for a chance to win.
The Pirate Pub Crawl will kick off at Baranof Island Brewing Company – the evening's bonus stop – at 7 p.m. with a group pirate photo!
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Alaska Arts Southeast. Visit the website at www.sitkachamber.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SitkaChamber for more details.
Pioneers Home
Auxiliary Meets
The Sitka Pioneers Home Auxiliary will hold its annual meeting following lunch Nov. 16 in the first floor dining room.
Members are invited to dine with the residents prior to the meeting. The public may attend. Those interested in membership may contact Kathryn Snelling at 747-8825.
To Meet Sunday
Sitka Kaagwaantaan will meet 3 p.m. Sunday for monthly song practice and planning for Celebration 2014 in Room 114 at Blatchley Middle School.
Call Roby at 738-4004 for more information.
Van Kirk Concert
Set for Nov. 30
The Greater Sitka Arts Council and Sitka Folk will present singer/songwriter Kray Van Kirk in concert at The Loft 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30.
Space is limited and 45 tickets will be sold for $15 each, available at Old Harbor Books.
A workshop is also scheduled. Call Ted at 747-5482 to reserve a space.
Open Mic Set
Sitka Folk and the Greater Sitka Arts Council will host a benefit Open Mic at the Larkspur Cafe Nov. 24.
Sign up starts at 6:30 p.m. and the show begins at 7. Those with questions may call Ted Howard at 747-5482.
White E Shop
Takes Donations
The Sitka White Elephant will again be accepting clean, quality donations starting Nov. 16 with its noon-3 p.m. opening.
The shop does not accept large TVs, large microwaves or other non-working electronics, or anything that holds a baby/infant, such as swings, high chairs, car seats, cribs, baby tubs and toilet training aids.
Lutherans Plan
Business Meet
Members and friends of Sitka Lutheran Church are being encouraged to take part in its annual congregational meeting on Sunday, Nov. 17, to elect members of its leadership council, adopt a mission spending plan for 2014, and continue review of its mutual ministry of pastor and people.
All are welcome to worship with Holy Communion at 10:30 a.m., followed by a potluck luncheon and the business meeting at noon. For more information, call the church office at 747-3338 or Elaine at 747-3469.
Alzheimer's is Topic
Of Videoconference
A two-part videoconference related to issues of Alzheimer's will be offered at Kettleson Memorial Library Nov. 16.
"When Does Forgetting Become a Disease" will be 2-3 p.m. Marilyn McKay with Alzheimer's Resource of Alaska will explain the difference between everyday forgetfulness, dementia and Alzheimer's disease, and what a person can do about it.
From 3:30-4:30 p.m., "Caring for Aging Parents" will cover caring for aging parents living with physical, cognitive or mental frailties. McKay will have a discussion on managing changing roles and responsibilities with practical knowledge and decision-making.
Videoconferences are interactive, so audience members can pose questions for the presenter.
Program to Focus
On Food Storage
The Sitka Food Hub project working group from the 2013 Sitka Health Summit has refined its focus based on a survey of group interests.
The project will continue to focus on community food security through food education and a commercial kitchen facility. The working group said that a second sub-group will be devoted to increasing local capacity to develop a food storage system for emergency preparedness.
Groups will meet individually to begin planning and re-convene in December to report back to one another and push the project forward. Ultimately the two projects will be combined as the project grows.
The community kitchen group will meet 6:30 p.m. Nov. 19, and the food storage group will gather at noon on Nov. 20, both at Centennial Hall. The two sub-groups were created to help tighten the focus of the main project and make it easier to improve Sitka's food security.
The shared-use community kitchen will be a place where families and individuals may take classes, rent space to preserve and can their own food, and small-scale local food producers can rent it to create their own value-added food products. The other group will focus on increasing food storage options, since local hunger groups need more storage in order to expand.
SCH Auxiliary
Meets Nov. 19
Sitka Community Hospital Auxiliary will meet noon Nov. 19 in the lower level classroom of the hospital. Lunch is available from the Basement Bistro.
Hugh Hallgren, CEO, will be featured speaker. He will talk about the new and more inclusive services being done at the hospital. All are invited


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Paris Saint-Germain Thiago Silva has reacted to the heavy criticism that he has received from the fans and media in recent weeks. The Brazilian has told Le Foot that he was fed up and struggling to cope with the pressure he has been under.
He said: "I respect all opinions, but when you are attacked personally, it starts to get hard. I am especially sad when it impacts my family and my loved ones.
"Critics, it's impossible not to hear them. But it's not a newspaper or a journalist who will tell me who I am. I know who I am. That's why I continue as I have always done."
Silva also revealed he he plans to leave PSG soon, adding: "I have to keep working to help my teammates. Competition is always present in football. There, I'm 33 years old, still two years of contract and after that I'll have to hand over."
The Brazil captain was one of the first stars to sign for PSG at the start of their project in 2012 and has been at the heart of their success ever since, winning Ligue 1 in five of his six seasons at the club.
However, the media in France and PSG supporters have treated him as something of a scapegoat recently, in particular questioning his leadership qualities after being knocked out of the Champions League in the last 16 in successive seasons.
PSG recently won the Coupe de la Ligue and also booked their spot in the final of the Coupe de France on Wednesday, with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice and Christopher Nkunku adding a late third to secure a 3-1 win against Caen.


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Tell us what you need and we will try and help! (Click Here) Or call us on (44) 01527 870110
Bea Technologies products are made to conform to International Standards, including VSR-M-S, ASME, ADMK and EN1345 with quality standards to ISO 9001-2000 and CERT-00190-94-AQ-MIL-SINCERT.
BEA Filters cover the range of compressed air filtration with the 'RB' grade filter reducing oil in air content to 0.1 part per million and the 'RA' grade removing oil content to as little as 0.01 part per million. The 'CA' grade removes vapour and oil content to 0.003 parts per million so is an effective oudour removal filter element.
The complete filters are easy to fit - either using the wall kits (XAS kits) or the wedge kits (XAK) or simply joining together using a siutable threaded nipple.
The 'RB' and 'RA' elements are normally changed every 12 months unless the compressed air is very oily when a differential pressure of 0.6 bar will indicate a change. 'CA' carbon activated filters are normally changed ever 6 months.
The standard drain most commonly used is a XAD-251 float drain that is normally set to operate automatically as long as there is more than 0.6 bar in the filter - with less than 0.6 bar the unit fully opens to release any moisture trapped. This can be altered to semi-automatic so the drain does not open below 0.6 bar and to manual to force a discharge.
Tell us what you need and we will try and help! (Click Here) Or call us on (44) 01527 870110


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USS Arizona Plastic Model Kit
- Brand: Revell
This proud ship remains synonymous with America's entry into World War II. On December 7, 1941, 1,177 men went down with her. Build one in remembrance of the tragedy at Pearl Harbor with USS Arizona Plastic Model Kit. This kit features positionable guns and turrets.
- Scale: 1:426
- Skill Level: 2
- Length: 17"
- Parts: 133
Recommended for ages 10 and old. Requires paint and glue (not included).
Item not available in Hobby Lobby Stores.
Check your local store for availability.
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Worshipping the Fire means woshipping the Inner Light. Worshipping the Fire burns Karma. It is spiritual purification.
Friday, February 27, 2009
When you plan for things to go your way...
Be peaceful, be soft, be aware that your own follies, your own backward way of thinking lead you into the pits of worry and depression. Climb out of them and make a resolve, "I will let nothing turn me away from peace. I will accept all as His will, His grace, His plan. I will not resist that I will always be aware that I am in His hands and I am His." That is peace!
-Sai Baba
Balance in socializing and private contemplation
Laughing and having a good time aren't in opposition to Dharma. The more we leave behind attachment, anger, jealousy, and pride, the more we'll enjoy whatever we're doing. Our hearts will open to others and we can laugh and smile with ease. The holy beings I've been fortunate to meet have a wonderful sense of humor and are very friendly.
In Buddhist groups, it's important for people to get to know each other and have a sense of fellowship. We can share experiences with our Dharma friends and encourage each other on the path. Buddhism isn't an isolated path, and it's important for Buddhists to cultivate group unity and companionship.
It's not beneficial to retreat inside ourselves, thinking, "Every time I talk to someone I'm motivated by attachment. Therefore I'll concentrate on meditation and chanting and won't socialize with others." One of the fundamental principles of Buddhism is care and compassion for others. Although at times we may need to distance ourselves from others in order to settle our own minds, whenever possible we should actively develop genuine love for others. To do this, we must be aware of what's happening in others' lives, care about them as we do ourselves, and offer help whenever possible. Our ability to act with love develops with time and practice, and it has to be balanced with our need for private contemplation.
-from Taming the Mind by Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron
If there's no wound on the hand, poison won't penetrate
Poison won't penetrate
where there's no wound.
There's no evil
for those who don't do it.
-Buddha, Dhammapada, 9
This self-awareness leads to self-control
-Lama Thubten Yeshe
Narcotics - Agni Yoga
-Agni Yoga
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Prosperity and Abundance
Spiritual abundance must be possessed first in order to use our material abundance constructively. Christ knew about this. He said "First seek the Kingdom of God, and everything else will be given to you." The Kingdom of God is spiritual abundance. If we have spiritual abundance, all that we have will work for our eternal interests.If we do not have spiritual richness or prosperity, all that we accumulate as material prosperity will work against our own interests and eventually knock us down. This is what we are seeing in our contemporary life. There are three kinds of people and three kinds of richness:
- people who want to have, to collect
- people who want action, work and labor
- people who want to be
- meditation, which includes affirmation and visualization
- sacrificial service
- joy and ecstasy
- actualising the virtues and visions contacted through meditation
- sharing
- expansion of the field of knowledge
- perseverance
You can build karma of abundance by organising your life in such a way that you always give. Give your wisdom, your guidance, you love, your serenity, your money, your labour, your energy and Mother Nature will give back to you with high interest. This is what karma is. Christ said,"To those who give will be given. Those who do not give, the things that they have will be taken from them." The Great Universal Computer never fails to record any act of giving, even it was a cup of water given to a thirsty man.
Our needs are various, and the answers are subtle and various. Impressions and thoughts come to you, if you really need them. People meet you to help your need. Your Soul extends its hand when you are really in need. Sometimes your need is answered by taking away things you have and by making you lose things to which you are attached. If you are in greater need, greater help will come to you. If you need to guard a tree, you need one man; if you need to guard a forest, you need one hundred men. According to your real need, according to the world's need, things are given. Greed is the state of consciousness in which you want more than you need. Often if it is given to you, you will not be able to contain it or use it, but you crave it because of some sort of mysterious sickness which is called "psychic hunger." Abundance can be enjoyed only if one has:
a healthy body, a pure heart, an open heart, positive emotions, a well-cultivated mind, right motives, right plan, honest living, generosity, harmonious relationships.
-Torkom Saraydarian
"Ora et labora"
Thanks to prayer, light is shed on what we have to do, allowing us to use our energies for the benefit of all. Some people claim that work is prayer. Yes, that is true in one respect, but all the same it is better to pray before working.
-Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov
Time and space are an illusion only when...
However, when the teachers with whom you have been working speak of relativity as being within the confines of consecutive time and an illusion, from their perspective, it is quite true. Their point of view is valid because time exists for them also, but not in the same consecutive fashion that it does for humanity.
If you firmly believe in the free-flowingness and the liberation of consciousness, then that is what you will experience I your life, which will in turn reinforce your belief. If you firmly believe, as most do, in the binding nature of life, then that binding nature will create all of the validation and proof that you need for believing that. That is the gift that the Creator has given to you.
(Mahatma, 278)
If it is sensuality that dominates in love
-Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The beggar and the monk
The monk – who was almost reaching the point of perfect harmony with the spiritual world – did not answer.
'I need to eat', insisted the beggar.
'Go to the town and ask someone else. Can't you see that you are bothering me? I am trying to communicate with the angels".
'God placed himself lower than men, washed their feet, gave His life, and no-one recognized Him', the beggar replied. 'He who says he loves God – who does not see – and forgets his brother - who does – is lying'.
And the beggar turned into an angel.
'What a pity, you almost made it', he remarked before leaving.
Self-discipline is not self-torture - Yogananda
-Paramahansa Yogananda
Freedom lies in submitting to God's plans
The freedom we must seek is not on the material plane but on the plane of consciousness. If we accept what God, master of all destinies, sends us, and if we wish to work for him, he will allow us to go through our trials as sources of spiritual enrichment, and in this way we will truly begin the apprenticeship of our freedom."
-Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov
The more you are personal, the more you are grief-stricken
-Swami Krishnananda
The best way to get rid of weakness
Don't you say, "my mind", "my hand", just as you say, "my book", "my umbrella"? Who is this 'I' that calls all these "mine"? That is the real 'you'. It was there when you were born, when you were sleeping forgetful of all else, forgetful even of your body with all its equipment, internal and external. That 'I' cannot be harmed; it does not change, it knows no death or birth. Learn the discipline that makes you aware of this truth and you will be ever free and bold. That is real Vidya (knowledge), the Atma Vidya (knowledge of the Self).
-Sai Baba
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Think of the light more than you think of anything else
Think of the light more than you think of anything else in your life, for the extreme subtlety of its vibrations takes us closer to the world of the spirit. For at least a few minutes each day, think only of light and nothing else. It will be like a beam of pure particles passing through you. This beam will become so powerful it will touch all creatures on earth and awaken their divine nature.
-Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov
Natural calamities, Nature recycles
The recycling of the Nature means massive earthquakes, submergence of continents, and widespread natural calamities.
People think that Nature recycles only the material universe. It is interesting to know that Nature also recycles the pollution of our emotional, mental and moral emanations and gives us a new chance to proceed on the path of our evolution. This recycling of the emotional, mental and moral pollutions or forces is not done without payment. Man pays for all that he does against nature through his pain, suffering, ignorance and delay on the Path to Home.
-Earthquakes and Disasters, Torkom Saraydarian
The more you become yourself, the more you will feel responsible for the world - Osho
The more you become yourself, the more you will feel responsible for the world because the more you are becoming part of the world — you are not separate from it.
Your being authentically yourself means a tremendous responsibility, but it is not a burden. It is a rejoicing that you can do something for existence.
Existence has done so much for you, there is no way to pay it back. But we can do something. It will be very small compared to what existence has done for us, but it will show our gratitude. It is not a question of whether it is big or small; the question is that it is our prayer, our gratitude, and our totality is involved in it. Yes, it will happen: the more you become yourself, the more you will start feeling responsibilities which you had never felt before.
I am reminded.... In the life of Mahavira, the most important Jaina philosopher.... He is going from one village to another village with his close disciple, Goshalak. And this is the question they are discussing: Mahavira is insisting, "Your responsibility towards existence shows how much you have attained to your authentic reality. We cannot see your authentic reality but we can see your responsibility."
As they are walking, they come across a small plant. And Goshalak is a logician — he pulls the plant and throws it away. It was a small plant with small roots. Mahavira said, "This is irresponsibility. But you cannot do anything against existence. You can try, but it is going to backfire."
Goshalak said, "What can existence do to me? I have pulled this plant; now existence cannot bring it to life again."
Mahavira laughed. They went into the town, they were going to beg for their food. After taking food, they were coming back, and they were surprised: the plant was rooted again. While they were in the town it had started raining, and the roots of the plant, finding the support of the rain, went back into the soil. They were small roots, it was windy, and the wind helped the plant to stand up again. By the time they had come back, the plant was back to its normal position. Mahavira said, "Look at the plant. I told you you cannot do anything against existence. You can try, but that will turn against you, because that will go on separating you from existence. It will not bring you closer.
"Just see that plant. Nobody could have imagined that this will happen, that the rain and the wind together will manage that small plant back, rooted into the earth. It is going to live its life. It seems to us a small plant but it is part of a vast universe, a vast existence, of the greatest power there is." And Mahavira said to Goshalak, "From this point our paths separate. I cannot allow a man to live with me who is against existence and feels no responsibility."
Mahavira's whole philosophy of non-violence can be better expressed as the philosophy of reverence for existence. Non-violence is simply a part of it.
It will go on happening: the more you find yourself, the more you will find yourself responsible for many things you have never cared about.
Let that be a criterion: the more you find yourself responsible for people, things, existence, the more you can be at ease that you are on the right track.
Educating spiritual children
I say this to help you understand that however elevated the spirit living in a body may be, a child or an adolescent needs adults around him who can awaken this spirit. Later on a child may manifest intellectual and moral qualities superior to those of his parents and the adults who educated him.
A disciple may become superior to his Master as well, but in the same way that the child needs parents and educators, so too have the greatest sons of God, the greatest initiates, always needed parents and educators to help awaken them to the spiritual world.
-Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov
As desires grow, disappointments and troubles also increase
Nature has prescribed limits for everything - for the temperature of the body, the capacity of the eye to tolerate light or for the ear to listen to sound. When these limits are crossed, harm is caused to the organs concerned. All actions in life should be governed by the limits applicable to each of them. When desires are controlled, genuine happiness is experienced.
-Sai Baba
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Psychic disorders and astral entities
It is true that chemical elements are at play, but these chemical elements are the result, the actualization of the presence of harmful spirits that human beings have themselves attracted. These entities proliferate in the astral world and if human beings open themselves up to them, through their weaknesses and their transgressions, these entities come in and cause a great deal of harm.
These facts are very well described in all the holy Scriptures, which explains why initiates believe purity and exercises of purification to be of such importance. However, instead of reading these writings and understanding their profundity in order to then educate people accordingly, medicine looks for chemical products to camouflage the problems created by a disordered life. Why does it not see that by not treating the causes, it sinks people deeper into illness and misery?
-Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov
Osho - Vegetarianism
Now there are ways to judge whether a certain species of animal is vegetarian or non-vegetarian: it depends on the intestine, the length of the intestine. Non-vegetarian animals have a very small intestine. Tigers, lions — they have a very small intestine, because meat is already a digested food. It does not need a long intestine to digest it. The work of digestion has been done by the animal. Now you are eating the animal's meat. It is already digested — no long intestine is needed. Man has one of the longest intestines: that means man is a vegetarian. A long digestion is needed, and much excreta will be there which has to be thrown out.
If man is not a non-vegetarian and he goes on eating meat, the body is burdened. In the East, all the great meditators — Buddha, Mahavir — have emphasized the fact. Not because of any concept of nonviolence — that is a secondary thing — but because if you really want to move in deep meditation your body needs to be weightless, natural, flowing. Your body needs to be unloaded; and a non-vegetarian's body is very loaded.
Just watch what happens when you eat meat: when you kill an animal what happens to the animal when he is killed? Of course, nobody wants to be killed. Life wants to prolong itself; the animal is not dying willingly. If somebody kills you, you will not die willingly. If a lion jumps on you and kills you, what will happen to your mind? The same happens when you kill a lion. Agony, fear, death, anguish, anxiety, anger, violence, sadness — all these things happen to the animal. All over his body violence, anguish, agony spreads. The whole body becomes full of toxins, poisons. All the body glands release poisons because the animal is dying very unwillingly. And then you eat the meat; that meat carries all the poisons that the animal has released. The whole energy is poisonous. Then those poisons are carried in your body.
That meat which you are eating belonged to an animal body. It had a specific purpose there. A specific type of consciousness existed in the animal's body. You are on a higher plane than the animal's consciousness, and when you eat the animal's meat your body goes to the lowest plane, to the lower plane of the animal. Then there exists a gap between your consciousness and your body, and a tension arises and anxiety arises.
One should eat things which are natural, natural for you. Fruits, nuts, vegetables — eat as much as you can. The beauty is that you cannot eat more of these things than is needed. Whatsoever is natural always gives you a satisfaction, because it satiates your body, saturates you. You feel fulfilled. If some thing is unnatural it never gives you a feeling of fulfillment. Go on eating ice cream: you never feel that you are satiated. In fact the more you eat, the more you feel like eating. It is not a food. Your mind is being tricked. Now you are not eating according to the body need; you are eating just to taste it. The tongue has become the controller.
The tongue should not be the controller. It does not know anything about the stomach. It does not know anything about the body. The tongue has a specific purpose to fulfill: to taste food. Naturally, the tongue has to judge, that is the only thing, which food is for the body, for my body and which food is not for my body. It is just a watchman on the door; it is not the master, and if the watchman on the door becomes the master, then everything will be confused.
Now advertisers know well that the tongue can be tricked, the nose can be tricked. And they are not the masters. You may not be aware: much food research goes on in the world, and they say if your nose is closed completely, and your eyes closed, and then you are given an onion to eat, you cannot tell what you are eating. You cannot tell onion from apple if the nose is closed completely because half of the taste comes from the smell, is decided by the nose, and half is decided by the tongue. These two have become the controllers. Now they know: whether ice cream is nutritious or not is not the point. It can carry a flavor, it can carry some chemicals which fulfill the tongue but are not needed for the body.
Man is confused, more confused than buffaloes. You cannot convince buffaloes to eat ice cream. Try!
A natural food...and when I say natural I mean that which your body needs. The need of a tiger is different; he has to be very violent. If you eat the meat of a tiger you will be violent, but where will your violence be expressed? You have to live in human society, not in a jungle. Then you will have to suppress the violence. Then a vicious circle starts.
When you suppress violence, what happens? When you feel angry, violent, a certain poisonous energy is released, because that poison creates a situation where you can be really violent and kill somebody. The energy moves towards your hands; the energy moves towards your teeth. These are the two places from where animals become violent. Man is part of the animal kingdom.
When you are angry, energy is released — it comes to the hands and to the teeth, to the jaw — but you live in a human society and it is not always profitable to be angry. You live in a civilized world and you cannot behave like an animal. If you behave like an animal, you will have to pay too much for it — and you are not ready to pay that much. Then what do you do? You suppress the anger in the hand; you suppress the anger in your teeth — you go on smiling a false smile, and your teeth go on accumulating anger.
I have rarely come to see people with a natural jaw. It is not natural — blocked, stiff — because there is too much anger. If you press the jaw of a person, the anger can be released. Hands become ugly. They lose grace, they lose flexibility, because too much anger is suppressed there. People who have been working on deep massage, they have come to know that when you touch the hands deeply, massage the hands, the person starts becoming angry. There is no reason. You are massaging the man and suddenly he starts feeling angry. If you press the jaw, persons become angry again. They carry accumulated anger. These are the impurities in the body: they have to be released. If you don't release them the body will remain heavy.
He who gives himself up to vanity...
and does not give himself to meditation,
forgetting the real aim of life and grasping for pleasure,
will in due time envy him who has exerted himself in meditation.
-The Buddha
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
The restless horse-mind
Such is the restless horse-mind also. If you turn it towards atman (self) it will be peaceful. If you turn it towards maya (delusion) it will jump and dance.
'Let the dead bury their own dead'
Jesus said, 'Follow me and let the dead bury their own dead.' If we interpret these words in a broad sense, we will make interesting discoveries. Why are there so many problems between men and women? It is because they 'follow the dead'. Yes, their lower nature is to be classified with the dead, and if they always try to satisfy this nature and its whims, they too will end by dying.
Jesus was not talking of the dead in the cemeteries; they are where they are supposed to be - besides, their souls are still alive. The dead that Jesus was talking about are people who have no spiritual life; it is they who are the real dead, and we must not give in to their demands.
-Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov
Looking outward is the characteristic of animals
The inner world is not as easily accessible as the outer world is. Perhaps only one among many, one in a million, does contact and win this inner Atmic reality through inward vision. That person is the wise one (jnani).
- Sutra Vahini by Bhagavan Sathya Sai Baba
Rather than waiting for others to show you signs of trust, respect, friendship and love...
So at every opportunity, endeavour to comfort, encourage and enlighten others, and you will notice that a higher power will come and support you. If you need love and light, try first to give them to those who need them even more than you do, and God himself will come to love and enlighten you.
-Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
In order to have sacred thoughts
Do not waste food, money, time and energy.
-Sai Baba
If you really want to find love, then love, and stop looking for it
Yes, as soon as you stop looking for love and decide to give it instead, it will appear. The more you look for it, the more remote it will become. It is as if you were chasing your own shadow; it runs in front of you and you cannot catch up with it. When you look for love from others, you concentrate on something outside yourself; you distance yourself from the treasure within you and eventually lose it.
This is how it works. Instead of looking for love, give it, constantly renew it in yourself and you will always feel its presence within you. It will always be there smiling at you, gazing on you kindly.
-Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov
Connecting to spirits
There seems to be little regard for who the being is; this can be a dangerous practice. People are much more careful about choosing a business partner or a roommate than they seem to be about choosing a non-physical being for a guide or guardian.
--from Healing with Form, Energy and Light: The Five Elements in Tibetan Shamanism, Tantra and Dzogchen by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
Turn your attention to the stars
Stop making everything revolve around you, your partner, your children, your friends and neighbours. Do you think the stars are interested in your family life or your social life? It's up to you to turn your attention to the stars, and everyone will feel better for it. "
-Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov
Sufi Story
Monday, February 16, 2009
Drugs cannot feed the soul
Indeed the fact that more and more men and women resort to taking drugs is a warning sign. It is a sign that the soul is not able to make itself understood, it is suffocating, it wants to travel in infinite spaces and find the celestial regions. But drugs cannot satisfy the soul, and what is more, they destroy the body. And human beings, poor creatures that they are, do not know how to interpret the language of the soul.
Drugs will never be a solution, because it is something given to the physical body, and it is not the body that is wanting to escape. The need to escape comes from the soul. It is therefore the soul that finally needs to be fed.
-Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov
Friday, February 13, 2009
The desire to abandon earth
Some people, once they have decided to pray and meditate, run the risk of giving way to laziness or even mental confusion, for they come to the point where they can no longer distinguish between what's real and what's imaginary. That should be avoided at all costs. Even moments of ecstasy, which are the most desirable states for a mystic, are very detrimental to health if they are not experienced in moderation, with caution and wisdom. It is said that God is a devouring fire, and the physical body is not built to endure this fire for any length of time.
-Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov
Two kinds of suffering
-Ajahn Chah
Relationships from past incarnations
If a man and a woman feel a sexual attraction for each other in this life, it may well be that they will come back to love each other as parent and child. Once again they will kiss each other, but their kisses will be those of mother (or father) and child. And it may also be that, in a previous incarnation, people who harmed others must now welcome these very same persons into their family as their children so that they may make amends. Be they parents, children, brothers or sisters, the reasons for a certain group of people to be together as one family in this life are infinite and each case has its own individual explanation.
-Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov
Happiness is in giving love
-Letters Of Helena Roerich I, 21 August 1931
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Illusional expectations from spiritual methods
Just because we are living in the light does not mean we are sheltered from physical harm. Light is one thing, health and longevity are another. Light is even willing to remove you from the earth and take you to its own region on high. To those who cling desperately to the earth, it says: 'But why do you insist on staying so long in this dark place? Come and live with me.' In the meantime, we must work with all the means a spiritual teaching gives to us.
-Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov
As your attachment to the body increases, your suffering also increases
The body is the temple of God. Think that this is not your body but the temple of God. The body is sacred as God resides in it. It is God's gift to man. Hence, use the body for performing sacred deeds and attaining bliss therefrom. When you share bliss with others, you will experience Divinity.
Continue your spiritual practices. But remain always suffused with the feeling that God is in you, above you, below you, around you. Never think that God is away from you. "I am not alone. God is with me." Strengthen this feeling in you and shape your life accordingly. Lead your life with love.
-Sai Baba
Divine Discourse, May 26, 2002
An advice for overcoming psychiatric disorders, by T. Saraydarian
When one develops his mental senses, he can also control his astral senses, if they were developed under the supervision of a highly developed mind.
Sometimes people come and say, "I am continuously hearing people talking, day and night. What can I do to stop it?" They have no control over what they are hearing. The medical profession puts chemicals into their bodies and makes the talking stop. But there is a better method: Create conditions in which the person faces problems and tries to solve them, or he faces questions and tries to answer them. Urge him to study science, chemistry, physics, arithmetic, biology, etc., to polarize his consciousness on the mental plane. Once his consciousness shifts from the astral to mental plane, his astral problems will begin to vanish. Those who have astral problems must not meditate and follow abstract teachings, but rather study science and engage in physical labor. Once they shift their consciousness to the mental plane, they will develop control upon the astral senses.
-Torkom Saraydarian
As the food, so the mind
-Sai Baba
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
All of humanity's difficulties are caused by a lack of light
But the consequences of being without light are actually very serious: all of humanity's difficulties and tribulations are caused by a lack of light. Those who are without light are not likely to find what they are looking for, or, if they find it, they are not likely to keep it. Do you imagine that without light you can have love, justice or peace for long?
-Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov
What is a disciple
A disciple is able to think, to speak, and to act independently without serving the interests of separate parties. He is also able to keep silent, to renounce, and to disappear. He is often recognised by what he does not do and by what he does not say or even think. He is able not to follow associative suggestions and bribery; he keeps his mind clear.
Challenge for Discipleship
by Torkom Saraydarian
Seclusion is the price of greatness
-Paramahansa Yogananda
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Recognition of what it lacks
-Laurens van der Post
Good thoughts, the best purifier
From these lines you can judge how important it is that the participants in these sendings be harmoniously attuned and really full of good will. For thought can be beautiful, but if it is not spiritualized by the fire of the heart, it will remain dead. It is good to listen to music before sending such messages.
-Letters of Helena Roerich vol II p 285
Boredom in relationships
The boredom that inhabits so many people on earth and that drives them into dead ends stems from the fact that they do not know how to renew the life within them. They meet, and after a few moments of excitement they become bored with one another. So if you want to be loved and do not want to bore others, be alive!
-Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov
Do not take sides - Torkom Saraydarian
-Torkom Saraydarian,
Teaching the Ageless Wisdom, p. 20.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Suicides among adolescents
The transition from childhood to adolescence is marked not only by great physiological changes but by psychological and spiritual ones as well; and as adolescents do not know how to channel their energies, just when life begins to manifest itself the most forcefully in them, they are in danger of dying. It is here that parents have such great responsibilities. In recalling their own adolescent experiences, they must think years in advance about the period of crisis their children will inevitably pass through, so they will be in a position to give them the elements for surmounting it.
Otherwise, what happens? When the time comes, the parents, completely overwhelmed by what is happening, let things go, telling themselves that after a difficult period everything will turn out fine. They do exactly what animals do: after a certain period of time, they turn their young loose in the wilds: whether they will survive or not remains to be seen. Indeed, they shall see what they shall see.
-Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov
Necromancy, mediumism, materialization, channeling, automatic writing
Mediums are in contact with shells or, as they are called in esoteric science, corpses, the "spirits" left on the astral plane.
What is an astral corpse? It is the astral body which the human soul leaves behind after he passes into the mental plane, or it is a mental corpse which the human soul leaves behind when he passes into higher mental realms.
All those corpses that last for a long time in the subtle plane have a tendency to be attracted by the sphere of earth due to existing substances in them of hatred, anger, fear, jealousy, revenge, malice, slander, etc., and due to the existence of ego, vanity, separatism, illusion, greed, revenge, and so on.
Mediums are those who give such corpses energy to come closer to human life and thus reactivate them.
The subconscious mind and sometimes the conscious mind of the medium put the corpse in action and draw the "answers" that the medium needs or messages that he expects, thus making him think that he is in contact with a departed soul.
It is possible that an advanced psychic may come in contact with living Teachers existing in Their etheric or physical bodies on the planet. This is very possible and such an advanced psychic can bring a great amount of wisdom from such Teachers.
It is also possible that some advanced psychics may come in contact with higher Hierarchies existing on sacred planets, for example, on Venus, where the source of the science of our planet is found. But to be able to contact Masters on Venus, one must have the purest heart possible for a human being.
Some mental corpses are identified with large amounts of scientific knowledge as well as other specialized knowledge. But that knowledge is not any more advanced than knowledge that had already registered in their mind while they were on earth. So these mediums who contact them gain nothing special. Mediums who do not have knowledge of contemporary science, for example, may think these corpses are giving something special!
What are the dangers of communicating with corpses?
Those communities who tolerate mediumism eventually pay a high price for it in various way.
- Continuous efforts with rigorous courses of study
- Meditation
- Harmlessness
- Purity
- Sacrificial service
- Earthbound urges and drives such as excessive food, alcohol, drugs, sex, and attachment to property.
- Negative emotions such as fear, anger, hatred, jealousy, revenge, cruelty, slander, malice, glamor.
- Dense thoughtforms such as greed, vanity, ego, separatism, fanaticism, insincerity, wounds, and scars collected upon our subtle bodies through harmful thoughts, words, and actions taken against others.
The most precious "substance" of course is the psychic energy, which not only protects the human soul from various attacks but also opens the gates, so to say, on the Path and makes the human soul enjoy the bliss of freedom.
This is a very interesting phenomena. As the corpse begins to disintegrate, its memory becomes more confused, stupid, and foggy.
Mediums and others who call down the spirits of the dead are in grave danger. Here are some reasons:
- The vices and subtle sicknesses of the corpse may take root in the medium's nature.
- The elementals of the corpse may penetrate into the medium's aura, creating very complicated psychological disorders.
- The corpses may disintegrate in the medium's home and environment, causing malodors and even burning the medium's skin.
- The corpses can retard the medium's spiritual evolution, infecting his body with inertia, apathy, and degeneration.
- The corpses can also sap all the vital energy of the person and kill the immune system.
The inhabitants of this plane are:
Also, how will we be able to see the motivating power behind such a revealed knowledge?
So we have many sources from which a medium can receive messages. The are
- Do not force yourself to be a psychic until your powers flourish naturally.
- Never manipulate your centers and never concentrate upon them.
- Find a wise Teacher when you feel that you are ready for instruction.
- Never use your powers to satisfy the curious or selfish interests of others.
- Study the Upanishads, The Bhagavad Gita, The New Testament, the works of H.P. Blavatsky, Alice A. Bailey, Helena Roerich, and other such literature.
- Learn how to meditate.
- Observe your moral life and do not be trapped in sex, vanity, greed, hatred, and fear. Such elements destroy the communication line between you and your Solar Angel.
- Try to live in the light of your Solar Angel.
- Do not talk about your own spiritual striving and discoveries with average people.
- Any psychic experience must be reported to your Teacher and no one else.
- Any psychic order revealed from the subjective realms must not be obeyed until your Teacher's advice is sought.
Messages from the invisible world
Instead of consulting cards, crystal balls and so forth, we must be vigilant and studious in our attempts to verify or refute the messages we find everywhere in nature, especially in ourselves. As a result, we gradually begin to see them clearly. But if we are to attain this clarity some day, we must carry out a great work of purification in ourselves.
-Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov
Saturday, February 07, 2009
A socially great man is not a really great man
- Swami Krishnananda
Spiritual education of children
Obviously there are certain forms of religious education which oppress the spirit, which render people narrow-minded and lead them to intolerance and even fanaticism, and we must be wary of them. But do we take away children's freedom when we make them aware of the world of the soul and spirit? No, and children who have received a spiritual education are better equipped for life than those who have received none. They will face the same difficulties, the same obstacles as everyone else, but because they have learned to enter into contact with the divine world, when conditions are such that others become weak and discouraged or follow tortuous paths, they, on the contrary, will advance and improve themselves. They will become a support and a light for those around them.
Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov
Friday, February 06, 2009
Pain and pleasure are of the same nature
Feelings of suffering change into those of happiness. Feelings of happiness change into suffering. Both arise in dependence upon internal and external causes which change. For example, we see food as pleasurable, but if we eat too much, then it causes suffering. When we are young, we see our bodies as a source of pleasure. As we become older, the same body becomes a source of suffering.
Just as a wave is always changing, so the nature of suffering is always to change. It may be experienced as pleasure or as suffering, but it arises from the same source. Pleasure arises from suffering. Seeing pleasure as happiness constitutes suffering.
...Pain and pleasure are of the same nature. Although they look different at different times, they both arise from the same sea of delusion and karmic action. Pleasure or pain, one or the other, arises and then falls back into the ocean. Thus we can conclude that pleasure and pain within the ocean of samsara are basically suffering, and dissolve into suffering.
This becomes evident in the wide variety of sudden changes of experience depicted in films. Love and hatred, happiness and family strife, peace and war, follow each other in rapid succession. The continuous change, although exaggerated in films, is characteristic of life in general.
-Ven. Gen Lobsang Gyatso
Looking for the soul-mate
Teacher : Silent for few seconds, then he answered, well; it's a pretty hard and easy question.
Student : (Thinking hard) Huh???
Teacher : Look that way, there's a lot of grass there, why don't you walk there, but please never walk backward, just walk straight ahead. On your way, try to find a beautiful blade of grass and pick it up, then give it to me. But just ONE blade of grass!
Student : Well, ok then.. wait for me.. walked straight ahead on the grass field.
A few minutes later..
Student : I'm back. Teacher : Erm, well I don't see any beautiful blade of grass in your hand.
Student : On my journey, I found a few beautiful blades of grass, but each time I thought that I would find a better one, so I didn't pick it up. But I didn't realize that I'm at the end of the field, and I hadn't picked up any. 'Cause you told me not to go back, so I didn't go back.
Teacher : That's what happens in real life..
What is the message of this story..? In looking for your soul mate, please don't always compare and hope that there will be a better one. By doing that, you'll waste your lifetime, because remember Time Never Goes Back.
It applies similarly in finding your ideal life partner, your suitable, career or business opportunity. Therefore the morale is : LOVE & GRAB HOLD of the opportunity that you have. Don't waste time now.
The need to deify someone
Is it really so bad to live with illusions about other human beings? Oh no, it is often our illusions which enable us to live! Until people can understand that God, the Creator of all worlds, is the one Being they can count on absolutely, they conduct happy and unhappy experiments, thanks to which they learn."
-Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov
Creating a 'pranically-viable' home
There are too many dysfunctional families in the world today. What is a dysfunctional family? A dysfunctional family is a discouraged family, a family that has no home. True, they may have a million-dollar house, but it would take a lot of constant, magnetic love and kinship to turn that house into a home. Many million-dollar homes are just houses, totally impersonal.
The guests are not God in those homes; guests are seen as business potentials and social obligations. The father works late in his profession so he can avoid his wife and family. When he comes home, he sits down in front of the television while eating his dinner. The kids are running here and there; the mother comes home tired from her equally demanding profession and begins yelling at them. Verbal abuse becomes a way of life. The youngsters come and go unchaperoned. Nobody knows what anybody else is doing. Girls are getting pregnant out of wedlock. Boys are swearing, getting involved in gangs and experimenting with drugs. That is the hotel lobby home of a definitely dysfunctional family, a discouraged family.
No wonder that in discouraged families teens want to leave home as quickly as possible--as soon they're able to get a job and rent an apartment. That is not quality living, is it? Sorry to say, but most dual-professionals' homes, where husband and wife both have high-paying jobs, are more like a hotel lobby with a snack bar than like a home with a hearth, which is home with a heart. Think about your home. Is the guest God? Is your house a home? What kind of astral vibration does it actually have? Be honest with yourself. Evaluate!
The astral pranas or energies radiating out from the hotel lobby kind of home make the occupants frustrated people. They make people around them uncomfortable, because they live in an uncomfortable place. Yes, the pranas that emanate from an empty house make one an empty person. All Hindus in the world should reverse this situation for a stable, well-adjusted community for the new and coming generations of Hindus in the West, as well as in the East. This is the next step which those of the diaspora have to heartfully take. It is only intelligence that can reverse a negative situation and turn it into a positive, encouraging situation.
It is important for the mother to be mother, and for the father to allow her to be mother, so that together they can nurture the astral atmosphere within the house and make it vibrate with spiritual energies into a real home. To make the house into a home is the next step. You will know if it is a home when you want to hurry back to it. You won't want to stay away too long, and you will find it difficult to leave. That's because you enjoy the vibration that you have created from your soul body. And your focus for whatever you are doing will be exquisite. It won't get divided.
It is a slow process for a mother and a father to turn a house into a home. They have to be spiritually present in the home. The auras of the mother and father and each of the children have to permeate the walls of the house. The Gods and guardian devas and ancestors have to be worshiped and invoked in the home. That turns a house into a really pranically viable home, building up the vibration so that you never want to leave.
LESSON 151 from Living with Siva


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Unexpected :: New Sermon Series
The early church was led by uneducated fisherman. But leaders in major cities wanted them to get out of town because they were "turning the whole world upside-down." To say this community and this turn of events was unexpected would be an understatement.
What made the early church tick? What were the values that they held dear? What was the source of their unexpected love and power? How did they embrace diversity while also empowering everyone to find their place in God's plan?
Starting in April we are going to be exploring these questions and more as we look at the life of the early church. Our goal is to glean from their experiences and learn how to see our city through the loving eyes of Jesus. Everyone is welcome to join us on Sunday mornings at 10am at Beyond Dance. Click here to learn more about our Sunday gatherings and to RSVP for families!


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Conductor: Michael Bell
Michael Bell was born in Neath. After graduating at Cardiff University Michael formed Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra and has conducted the orchestra since CPO's inaugural concert in June 1982.
With Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra Michael has conducted a wide range of works most notably Mahler's Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection", Richard Strauss's "An Alpine Symphony",Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring", Elgar's Symphony No. 1 and Rachmaninov's Symphony No. 2. Michael is also a great enthusiast of film music and each year since 1994 has conducted CPO in an annual series of "A Night at the Movies" at venues throughout South Wales.
In addition to conducting Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra, Michael has written reviews and articles for the Western Mail and given talks at St David's Hall and to Cardiff Recorded Music Society.
In February 2010 Michael was invited to conduct the Brecknock Sinfonia at Brecon Cathedral. With the orchestra he has conducted symphonies by Mendelssohn, Brahms, Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert, and is delighted to have been appointed the orchestra's regular conductor.