text:
- Research article
- Open Access
Alcohol use disorders and associated factors among people living with HIV who are attending services in south west Ethiopia
© Soboka et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2014
- Received: 23 November 2013
- Accepted: 11 November 2014
- Published: 24 November 2014
Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) in high-income countries have been associated with poor adherence to antiretroviral medications and worse HIV-related outcomes. Little is known about AUDs among people attending HIV services in sub-Saharan Africa.
Across-sectional study was carried out among PLHIV who attended HIV services at Jimma University Specialized Hospital in September 2012. The World Health Organization's Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Tool (AUDIT) was used to measure probable hazardous, harmful and dependent use of alcohol ('alcohol use disorders'). Associations between AUDs and other variables were explored using logistic regression analysis. All variables associated with AUDs with a p value <0.25 were included in the final multivariable model.
The overall prevalence of AUDs was 32.6%, with hazardous use, harmful use and alcohol dependence accounting for 24.7%, 2.8% and 5.1% of the total, respectively. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of AUDs in persons receiving antiretroviral treatment compared to those who were antiretroviral therapy naïve (32.6% vs. 38.6%). AUDs were identified in 26.0% and 44.1% of females and males, respectively. Male gender, smoking cigarettes and psychological distress were positively associated independently with AUDs.
The high prevalence of AUDs detected in our facility-based survey of PLHIV in Ethiopia highlights the need to integrate delivery of effective and feasible interventions for AUDs into HIV care.
- Alcohol use disorders
- Hazardous alcohol use
- Harmful alcohol use
- Alcohol dependence
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Mental health
- Depression
Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) contribute to 3.8% of the overall global burden of disease [1, 2]. The number of deaths attributed to alcohol worldwide is greater than the combined number of deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), violence and tuberculosis [3]. AUDs can be categorized as harmful use, hazardous use or dependence [4, 5]. Harmful alcohol use is characterized by an alcohol consumption pattern that is within the individual's control but which is causing physical or mental problems and may also have social consequences [4, 5]. Hazardous use of alcohol considers both the increased risk of harmful physical, mental or social consequences for the user and harm to others. Dependent alcohol drinking is characterized by alcohol use that takes over a person's life to the extent that they have a physiological or psychological need to continue drinking. Dependence is the most severe end of the AUD spectrum and is invariably associated with many social, psychological and physical health problems [1, 4, 5].
The prevalence of alcohol use disorders appears to be high among people living with HIV (PLHIV) compared to the general population [6]. AUDs are associated with premature mortality in PLHIV [7–9], thought to occur due to alcohol enhancing the toxicity of antiretroviral treatment (ART), increasing liver damage from concurrent infection with hepatitis C virus, and increasing the risk of opportunistic infection due to decreased effectiveness of ART and exacerbation of immune suppression [10–15]. Hazardous levels of alcohol use have also been associated with non-adherence to ART medication [3, 16–19], late presentation to HIV/AIDS care [20], higher viral load during the course of HIV treatment [15, 18], accelerated decline of CD4 cells in HIV infected persons, faster disease progression and development of resistant strains of HIV [3, 15–18]. Furthermore, alcohol use has been associated with increased HIV risk behaviors, including unprotected sex, multiple sexual partners and high-risk injection behaviors [9, 21–23]. In the USA (Veterans Aging Cohort Study), any alcohol consumption was shown to decrease overall survival in PLHIV by more than two years if the frequency of consumption was once per week or greater, and by 6.4 years with daily consumption [24]. Other studies have shown that most PLHIV fear the interaction between their medication and alcohol and, therefore, skip medication while drinking alcohol [16, 25]. Research suggests that alcohol consumption accelerates HIV/AIDS disease progression even if medications are taken correctly, by adversely impacting drug absorption and metabolism [25].
In HIV services in African hospital settings, the prevalence of AUDs has been found to vary from 12% in a teaching hospital in Nigeria [26], 15% in a Ugandan university teaching hospital [27], and 39.4% in a specialist hospital in Nigeria [28]. Factors found to be associated with AUDs in these settings include male gender, psychological morbidity, smoking cigarettes, Christian religion, lower education, peer pressure, parental modeling and drinking in order to assist social interactions [26, 28–32].
In Ethiopia, people who self-report drinking alcohol most of the time are more likely to default from ART and present late to HIV/AIDS care [20, 33]. An association between alcohol consumption and unprotected sexual behavior in Ethiopian commercial sex workers and school-age youth has also been reported [34, 35]. However, there is no information about the magnitude of specific AUDs and the associated factors in PLHIV who are in contact with HIV services in Ethiopia [36]. Such information is important in order to identify PLHIV who are at greatest risk of AUDs and to inform the development of interventions and services to meet the specific needs of people in each category of AUDs. The objective of this study was, therefore, to assess the prevalence of hazardous, harmful and dependent AUDs, and the associated factors, in PLHIV attending HIV services in Ethiopia.
This study was conducted in Jimma University Specialized Hospital ('Jimma hospital') which is located in the south western part of Ethiopia. Jimma hospital is one of the oldest hospitals in the country and provides services for approximately 9,000 inpatient and 80,000 outpatient attendances per year, serving a catchment population of about 15 million people [37, 38]. Out-patient treatment services for HIV were established in 2005 and now provide care for a total of 6,561patients: 3,524 receiving ART and 3,037 under pre-ART follow-up. In this study, data were collected from adult people living with HIV attending the Jimma hospital clinic for follow up care during September 2012.
Study design
A facility-based, cross-sectional survey.
Sample size assumptions and sampling procedure
The sample size was determined by assuming a prevalence of alcohol use disorders of 50%, with any particular outcome to be with 5% margin of error and 95% confidence interval of certainty (alpha =0.05). Based on this assumption, the actual sample size for the study was computed using a one-sample population proportion formula. The total sample size was 401.
Sampling procedure
- 1.
Outcome: Alcohol Use Disorders
A structured questionnaire, the WHO's Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) was used to measure AUDs [4]. The AUDIT has been evaluated over a period of two decades, and provides an accurate measure of risk of AUDs across gender, age and cultures. A multi-country validation of AUDIT in people attending primary health care in Norway, Australia, Kenya, Bulgaria, Mexico and the United States of America found that, at a cut-off score of eight or more, the sensitivity and specificity of AUDIT for AUDs were 0.90 and 0.80, respectively [4]. For this study, the AUDIT was translated into both Amharic and Afan Oromo languages, the main languages spoken in the study site. Back-translation into English was undertaken for both languages and the final versions obtained through expert consensus. The cultural appropriateness of the AUDIT was improved by modifying the 'standard drink', referred to in questions two and three, so as to be more understandable to participants. Local alcohol drinks, for example 'arake' (distilled from fermented barley or maize combined with 'gesho'[Rhamnusprinioides]), 'tela' (a beer-like drink fermented from barley and Rhamnusprinioides) and 'teji' (honey wine) were first converted from local measurements to milliliters based on previous studies in Ethiopia that investigated the ethanol content of local beverages [39]. Then the measured alcohol was converted into a standard drink by calculating the mass and volume of the alcohol. Similarly, local beer (bottles and glasses) and wine were converted to standard drinks based on their alcohol content. Since Ethiopia has no alcohol policy defining standard alcohol drinks, the South African standard drink (containing 12 g of alcohol) was used [40]. Locally, different receptacles, including 'malekia', 'tassa' and 'birille' are used when drinking Arake, Tella and Teji respectively. Therefore, we measured the volume of each of these receptacles and converted the drinks to milliliters in order to obtain a standard drink that is comparable internationally.
In accordance with the recommended scoring, a total AUDIT score of eight or more was used to define probable 'alcohol use disorder' (AUD). A total AUDIT score of 1–7 indicated social drinking, a score of 8–15 indicated "hazardous drinking" a score of 16-19indicated "harmful drinking" and a score of 20 or above indicated probable alcohol dependence. Harmful drinking and alcohol dependence are both indicative of severe AUD. The total AUDIT score, alcohol consumption level, signs of dependence, and markers of present harm should all play a role in determining how to manage a patient with AUD [4].
- 2.
Potential explanatory variables for AUDs
The following variables were assessed:
Socio-demographic variables: age, gender, educational level, marital status, living conditions, ethnicity, religion and frequency of attending a place of worship
Socioeconomic status: employment status, yearly income, and social support
Illness-specific characteristics: WHO stage of HIV status classification and CD4 count. Self-report questions were used to assess whether the patient took ART regularly or not.
Mental distress: The Kessler 6-item scale (Kessler 6) was used to measure mental distress (depressive, anxiety and somatic symptoms) [41]. The Kessler 6 has been adapted and validated in Ethiopia previously, demonstrated to have a sensitivity and specificity of 84.2% and 82.7%, respectively, at a cut-off point of 4/5 to screen for symptoms of common mental disorders [42].
Impaired functioning: The 12-item WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS) was used to assess functional impairment [43].
Other factors: family history of alcohol use disorders (AUDs), cigarette smoking and use of khat (amphetamine-like psychostimulant).
- 3.
Reasons for initiation of drinking alcohol: people who reported drinking alcohol were asked about the main reasons for starting drinking. The following response categories were recorded: easy availability of alcohol, parental modeling, peer pressure to drink, lack of somebody to provide support, drinking to increase self-confidence, drinking to alleviate fear of socializing, drinking to forget financial difficulties, longstanding life stressors, longstanding marital disharmony and family history of alcohol use disorders.
Data collection procedures
Data were collected by seven health professionals with nursing qualifications (four of degree level and three with diploma) after three days of training to familiarize them with the instruments. Data collection was carried out after the questionnaires were pretested on a sample of (5% of the total sample) people living with HIV attending the ART clinic at Agaro health center which is 45 km away from Jimma town. The data collection was supervised by a degree level health officer. The supervisor monitored data quality and checked all questionnaires for completeness. Incomplete and unclear questionnaires were returned to the data collectors for correction.
Data analysis
After double data entry, data were exported from EpiData and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS, version 16). Data were then cleaned. The outcome and explanatory variables were entered into a bivariate logistic regression analysis, one at a time, in order to estimate the strength of association using Odds Ratios (OR). All variables associated with AUDs in the bivariate logistic regression with a p-value less than 0.25 were entered together into a multivariate logistic regression in order to control for potential confounders.
Ethical considerations
Ethical clearance was obtained from the Ethical Review Board of Jimma University. Written informed consent was obtained from each of the participants prior to participation. Information obtained was kept confidential and anonymous during all stages of the study.
Participant characteristics
A total of 401 PLHIV were approached for enrolment in the study. Of these, 389 (97.0%) agreed to participate and 12 (3.0%) refused (seven females and five males).
Socio-demographic characteristics of people living with HIV attending services at Jimma University Specialized Hospital in September 2012 (n = 389)
Frequency (%)
143 (36.8)
246 (63.2)
Age (years)
23 (5.9)
174 (44.7)
117 (30.1)
52 (13.4)
55 and above
23 (5.9)
182 (46.8)
105 (27.0)
10 (2.6)
30 (7.7)
17 (4.4)
45 (11.6)
Religious affiliation
Orthodox Christian
200 (51.4)
125 (32.1)
Protestant Christian
58 (14.9)
6 (1.5)
Educational level
71 (18.3)
Read and write only
11 (2.8)
Primary (grades 1–8)
172 (44.2)
Secondary (grades 9–12)
102 (26.2)
Tertiary (grades 12 or more)
33 (8.5)
Marital status
48 (12.3)
193 (49.6)
92 (23.7)
15 (3.9)
41 (10.5)
97 (24.9)
Daily laborer
99 (25.4)
55 (14.1)
9 (2.3)
63 (16.2)
3 (0.8)
11 (2.8)
52 (13.4)
Living circumstances
Living alone
84 (21.6)
Living with close family(father, mother, brother, sister, husband/wife, children)
279 (71.7)
Living with other relatives (aunt, uncle, cousins, nieces or nephew)
22 (5.7)
Living with non-relatives
4 (1.0)4
Prevalence of alcohol use disorders
Nearly two thirds of participants (64%; n = 249) reported that they had drunk alcohol at some point in their life. Out of the total participants, 31.4% (n = 122) were identified as social drinkers (AUDIT score 1–7). The overall prevalence of alcohol use disorder (defined as an AUDIT score ≥8) was 32.6% (n = 127). Hazardous drinking, harmful drinking and alcohol dependence were found in 24.7% (n = 96), 2.8% (n = 11) and 5.1% (n = 20) of the participants, respectively. The internal consistency of AUDIT was within the accepted range (Cronbach's α = 0.79).
Amongst patients who were taking ART, 31.6% (n = 105) were identified as having an alcohol use disorder. Of these, 24.7% (n = 82) were hazardous drinkers, 2.7% (n = 9) were harmful drinkers and 4.2% (n = 14) had probable alcohol dependence. The prevalence of AUDs in persons not on ART was 38.6% (n = 22).
Mental distress, as defined by a score of five or greater on Kessler 6, was found in 45.2% (n = 176) of the total sample. In patients with mental distress, 40.3% (n = 71) had an AUD, with 26.7% (n = 47), 4.0% (n = 7) and 9.7% (n = 17) having hazardous drinking, harmful drinking and alcohol dependence, respectively.
Amongst patients who missed doses of ART medication, 44.0% (n = 11) were identified as having an alcohol use disorder: 28.0% (n = 7) with hazardous use, 8.0% with harmful use (n = 2) and 8.0% (n = 2) with probable alcohol dependence. Amongst patients categorized as being in WHO's stage two of HIV/AIDS classification, 40.6% (n = 52) had alcohol use disorders, with 30.8% (n = 53) in people with stage one and 26.6% (n = 17) WHO's stage three. Only 21.1% (n = 4) of patients classified as stage four HIV/AIDS classification were found to have alcohol use disorders. AUD was more prevalent among patients with CD4 ≥ 200 cells/mm3compared to patients with CD4 < 200 cells/mm3 (36.7% vs. 10.3%). In patients with AUDs, 30.8% (n = 12) were functionally impaired for more than 15 days in the preceding month.
Reasons given for initiation of alcohol use
Environmental and psychological factors associated with initiation of alcohol use disorders among people living with HIV attending services at Jimma University Specialized hospital
Easily availability of alcohol
Parental modeling
Peer pressure to drink
Lack of somebody who provide support
To increase self confidence
To alleviate fear of socializing
To forget financial difficulties
Due to long-standing life stressors
Due to long-standing marital disharmony
Like the way alcohol makes me feel happy
Family history of AUDs
Generally, 34.8% (n = 39) of participants with AUDs preferred bottled beer, followed by the home brewed beer 'tella' (30.4%, n = 34), teji (honey wine) 15.2% (n = 17) and arake 4.5% (n = 5).
Factors associated with AUDs
AUDs were present in 26% (n = 64) of females and 44.1% (n = 63) of males (crude odds ratio (COR) 2.24, 95% CI = 1.45 to 3.46). Males were more often identified as hazardous drinkers compared to females (30.1% (n = 43) vs. 21.5% (n = 53), p = 0.001). Males were also more likely to be dependent on alcohol than females (9.1% (n = 13) vs. 2.8% (n = 7), p = 0.001).
Socio-demographic factors associated with alcohol use disorders (AUDs) among people living with HIV attending services at Jimma University specialized hospital (n = 389)
No AUD
Crude odds ratio
63 (44.1)
80 (55.9)
64 (26.0)
182 (74.0)
Age (years)
9 (39.1)
14 (60.9)
54 (31.0)
120 (69.0)
43 (36.8)
74 (63.2)
13 (25)
39 (75.0)
55 and above
8 (34.8)
15 (65.2)
46 (25.3)
136 (74.7)
37 (35.2)
68 (64.8)
44 (43.1)
58 (56.9)
78 (37.9)
128 (62.1)
29 (23.2)
96 (76.8)
20 (34.5)
38 (65.5)
Frequency of attending worship
Daily/2–3 weekly
48 (28.6)
120 (71.4)
67 (35.3)
123 (64.7)
Less than a week
8 (38.1)
13 (61.9)
4 (40.0)
6 (60.0)
No formal education
28 (34.15)
54 (65.85)
63 (36.6)
109 (63.4)
36 (26.7)
99 (73.3)
30 (30.9)
67 (69.1)
Daily laborer
29 (29.3)
70 (70.7)
21 (32.8)
43 (67.2)
20 (31.7)
43 (68.3)
27 (40.9)
39 (59.1)
Marital status
17 (35.4)
31 (64.6)
63 (32.6)
130 (67.4)
Separated/Divorced /Widowed
47 (31.8)
101 (68.2)
Living condition
26 (31.0)
58 (69.0)
With family
92 (33.0)
187 (67.0)
9 (34.6)
17 (65.4)
Association of mental distress and use of other substances with AUDs among people living with HIV attending services at Jimma University specialized hospital ART clinic 2012 (n = 389)
No AUD
P value
Crude odds ratio
Smoking cigarettes
23 (63.9)
13 (36.1)
104 (29.5)
249 (70.5)
Chewing khat
42 (45.2)
51 (54.8)
85 (28.7)
211 (71.3)
Mental distress
71 (40.3)
105 (59.7)
56 (26.3)
157 (73.7)
There was no association between AUDs and cannabis use, living conditions, frequency of attending a place of worship, educational status, occupation, functional impairment, marital status, missing ART medication and WHO HIV/AIDS clinical stages (See Tables 3 and 4).
Multivariate logistic regression of factors associated independently with AUDs among people living with HIV attending services at Jimma University specialized hospital (n = 389)
Adjusted OR
55 and above
Frequency of attending worship place
Daily/2-3 weekly
Less than weekly
Mental distress
Smoking cigarettes
Khat chewing
In this cross-sectional survey of alcohol use disorders in persons with HIV, nearly one third had a probable AUD. The overall prevalence of AUDs (32.6%), defined by an AUDIT score ≥8,was substantially higher than that found in community-based studies carried out in Addis Ababa and Butajira, Ethiopia (3.7% and 2.7%, respectively) [29, 30]. This may be due to the difference between tools used in this study (AUDIT vs. CAGE), as the CAGE is designed to detect more severe AUDs (alcohol dependence rather than harmful or hazardous drinking). Also, the prevalence of AUDs would be expected to be lower in community based studies. However, the prevalence of AUDs found in this study was similar to estimates from a case control study of factors associated with late presentation to HIV/AIDS care among PLHIV in South Wollo Hospital, Ethiopia, (33.8%) and a previous study from Jimma Hospital, Ethiopia, on defaulters from antiretroviral treatment among PLHIV (36.5%) [20, 33], although neither of these studies used a standardized questionnaire to define AUDs. Other studies from Africa also show a similar prevalence of AUDs in PLHIV. In Nigeria the prevalence of AUDs in PLHIV was 39.4% [28].
Prevalence of AUDs
The prevalence of alcohol dependence found in our study was higher than the result from a review of substance use in Ethiopia (1.5%) [36]. This is in keeping with other studies indicating higher levels of AUDs in PLHIV compared to the general population [6]. The prevalence was less than the report from a study done on sexual workers living with HIV in India (46%) [44]. The reason for this difference may be due to the difference in the tools used to screen AUDs.
In this study, harmful alcohol use was found in 2.8% of the total participants, which differs substantially from a similar study carried out in Nigeria in which the prevalence was 28.8% [28]. In the Nigeria study, a lower AUDIT cut-off point than the recommended cut-off was employed [4].
In this study, hazardous alcohol drinking was found in 24.7% of participants. This is higher than the prevalence of hazardous drinking found in similar studies from Uganda (15.4%) [27] and Nigeria (10.6%) [28], as well as from the review of substance use in Ethiopia (3.0%) [36].
Socio-demographic factors associated with AUDs
Alcohol use disorders among patients 25–34 age group (31.0%) were less prevalent than in the same age group in the Nigeria study (46%) [28]. Additionally, this study found AUDs to be higher among single participants than among married participants which was in agreement with the report from Nigerian study done on similar group. However, the AUD prevalence we found among single participants was lower than that in the Nigeria study (35.4% vs. 66.7%, respectively).
In this study, male gender was associated with increased odds of all categories of alcohol use disorder, which is in agreement with previous study done in different countries [26, 28].
Socio-economic factors associated with AUDs
In this study, earning annual income of 2,400-5,399 Ethiopian birr and annual income of 5,400-10,800 Ethiopian birr were significantly associated with alcohol use disorder (OR 0.22, 95% CI = 0.12,0.41 and OR 0.05, 95% CI = 0.02,0.10) compared to annual income of less than 2400 Ethiopian birr. This indicated that, as income of the individual increased the probability to have alcohol use disorder decreases.
HIV-related factors and AUDs
In this study, the prevalence of AUDs in the ART-naïve group was 38.6% which was higher than the prevalence of AUDs among those who had taken ART (31.6%). The potential effect of pre-ART counseling offered by the ART clinic health professionals might explain the observed difference. The prevalence of AUDs among ART naïve patients (38.6%) was lower than the result from similar study done in Nigeria (57%) [26]. The prevalence of hazardous drinking among PLHIV who has taken ART was 24% which was higher than a similar study carried out in south west Uganda (15.4%) [27]. However, it was less than that found in a similar study from Nigeria (42%) [26].
AUD was higher among patients who did not take their ART medication as prescribed compared to patients who were taking their ART drugs appropriately (44% (n = 11) vs. 30.6% (n = 94)). It is possible that patients who missed taking doses of ART drugs so that they could continue to drink alcohol. It also indicates that when working to improve adherence to ART, it is important to consider AUD as one factor.
Participants categorized as being in WHO's stage two of HIV/AIDS classification were more often identified to have higher AUDs than those who were categorized as being in stage four (40.6% vs. 21.1%). Since stage four of HIV/AIDS classification is a worse HIV stage, people who are in this stage may drink less as they are too ill. Similarly patients with CD4 ≥ 200 cells/mm3 were identified to have higher AUDs than patients with CD4 < 200 cells/mm3 (36.7% vs. 10.3%).
Substance use, mental distress and AUDs
AUD prevalence among mentally distressed participants was higher than those who had low levels of mental distress (40.3% vs. 26.3%). It is possible that patients with mental distress use alcohol as a self-treatment, but AUDs are also associated with increased risk of developing mental distress. A cause-effect relationship could not be established because our study employed a cross-sectional study design.
This study used AUDIT to determine the presence of probable AUD. AUDIT is a screening tool and may not give an accurate estimate of alcohol use disorders. Furthermore, AUDIT was not validated in our population even though it has been shown to be useful in screening for AUDs cross-culturally. The absence of a validated cut-off point for persons living with HIV is a further limitation. Social desirability bias could be an important limitation as persons who use alcohol and other substances tend to under-report or deny their use when questionnaires are administered by interview. Although we went to extensive efforts to adapt the concept of a 'standard drink' to the Ethiopian setting, the absence of a policy defining the standard alcohol drink in Ethiopia was a limitation. Lastly, we relied upon self-report of adherence to ART which is likely to underestimate non-adherence.
The high prevalence of hazardous and dependent alcohol use disorders found in this study of PLHIV in Ethiopia highlights a need to improve detection and treatment of alcohol use disorders as an integrated part of HIV services. Our study shows that AUDs go hand-in-hand with mental distress and use of other substances, which are likely to have cumulative effects on prognosis and quality of life in PLHIV.
We are grateful to all the participants of the study for kindly giving their time to participate in this study. Additionally, we are thankful to Jimma University for providing financial support. We also like to acknowledge Center for International Health Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich Germany for their technical support throughout the process of the research activities.
Authors' Affiliations
- Mathers C, Ayuso-Mateos JL: Global Burden of Alcohol Use Disorders in the Year 2000: Summary of Methods and Data Sources. 2000, Geneva Switzerland: Global Burden of DiseaseGoogle Scholar
- Global Burden of Disease 2010: Understanding Disease, Injury, and Risk. 2012, Available at www.thelancet.com Vol 380 December 15, 2012
- WHO: The World Health Report; Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health. 2011, Geneva SwitzerlandGoogle Scholar
- Babor TF, Higgins-Biddle JC, Saunders JB, Monteiro MG: AUDIT: The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. Guidelines for Use in Primary Care. 2001, Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, Department of Mental Health and Substance DependenceGoogle Scholar
- Lexicon of Alcohol and Drug Terms Published by the World Health Organization. Available at http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/terminology/who_lexicon/en/Accessed on 10/06/2012
- Selnes OA: Impact of HIV infection and alcohol on cognition: a review. Neurobehav Hiv Med. 2010, 2: 85-94. Dove pressView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Bryant KJ, Nelson S, Braithwaite S, Roach D: Integrating HIV/AIDS and alcohol research. Alcohol Res Health. 2010, 33 (3): 165-255.Google Scholar
- Alcohol and HIV/AIDS. Available at http://alcoholism.about.com/library/blnaa57.htm Accessed on 10/06/2012
- Achola J, Ghee AE, Kihara AN: High HIV prevalence, low condom use and gender differences in sexual behavior among patients with STD-related complaints at a Nairobi primary health care clinic. Int J STD AIDS. 1997, 8: 506-514. 10.1258/0956462971920668.View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Meyerhoff DJ: Effects of alcohol and HIV infection on the Central Nervous System. Alcohol Res Health. 2001, 25 (4): 288-296.PubMedGoogle Scholar
- Petry NM: Alcohol use in HIV patients: what we don't know may hurt us: reviewed article. Int J STD AIDS. 1999, 10: 561-570. 10.1258/0956462991914654.PubMedView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Alcohol and HIV: mix you can avoid. Available at http://www.health.ny.gov/publications/9609.pdf Accessed on 03//07/2012
- Braithwaite RS, Bryant KJ: Influence of alcohol consumption on adherence to and toxicity of antiretroviral therapy and survival. Alcohol Res Health. 2010, 33 (3): 280-286.PubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
- Samet JH, Horton NJ, Traphagen ET, Lyon SM, Freedberg KA: Alcohol consumption and HIV disease progression: are they related?. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2003, 27 (5): 862-867. 10.1097/01.ALC.0000065438.80967.56.PubMedView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Kumar R, Perez-Casanova AE, Tirado G, Noel RJ, Torres C, Rodriguez I, Martinez M, Staprans S, Kraiselburd E, Yamamura Y, Higley D, Kumar A: Increased viral replication in simian immunodeficiency virus/simian-HIV–infected macaques with self-administering model of chronic alcohol consumption. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2005, 39 (4): 386-390. 10.1097/01.qai.0000164517.01293.84.PubMedView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Neuman MG, Schneider M, Nanau RM, Parry C: Alcohol consumption, progression of disease and other co morbidities, and responses to antiretroviral medication in people living with HIV: reviewed article. AIDS Res Treat. 2012, 2012: 2-11.Google Scholar
- Wilcox RD: Alcohol and HIV: a serious cocktail for transmission and medication adherence: a peer reviewed article. Delta Region AIDS Education & Training Center. 2009, 21 (1): 1-4.Google Scholar
- Baum MK, Rafie C, Lai S, Sales S, Page JB, Campa A: Alcohol use accelerates HIV disease progression. AIDS Res Hum Retrovir. 2010, 26 (5): 511-516. 10.1089/aid.2009.0211.PubMedPubMed CentralView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Chander G, Lau B, Moore RD: Hazardous alcohol use: a risk factor for non-adherence and lack of suppression in HIV infection. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2006, 43 (4): 411-417. 10.1097/01.qai.0000243121.44659.a4.PubMedPubMed CentralView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Abaynew Y, Deribew A, Deribe K: Factors associated with late presentation to HIV/AIDS care in South Wollo Zone Ethiopia: a case–control study. AIDS Res Ther. 2011, 8 (8): 1-6.Google Scholar
- Pandrea I, Happel KI, Amedee AM, Bagby GJ, Nelson S: Alcohol's role in HIV transmission and disease progression. Alcohol Res Health. 2010, 33 (3): 203-218.PubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
- Krupitsky EM, Horton NJ, Williams EC, Lioznov D, Kuznetsova M, Zvartau E, Samet JH: Alcohol use and HIV risk behaviors among HIV-infected hospitalized patients in St. Petersburg, Russia. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2005, 79 (2): 251-256. 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2005.01.015.PubMedPubMed CentralView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Kalichman SC, Simbayi LC, Kaufman M, Cain D, Jooste S: Alcohol use and sexual risks for HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa: systematic review of empirical findings. Prev Sci. 2007, 8: 141-151. 10.1007/s11121-006-0061-2.PubMedView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Braithwailte RS, Conigliaro J, Roberts MS, Shechter S, Schaefer A, Mcginnis K, Rodriguez MC, Rabeneck L, Bryant K, Justice AC: Estimating the impact of alcohol consumption on survival for HIV individuals. AIDS Care. 2007, 19 (4): 459-466. 10.1080/09540120601095734.View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Hormes JM, Gerhardstein KR, Griffin PT: Brief screening for alcohol use disorders in HIV primary care: a peer reviewed article, HIV Clinician. Delta Region AIDS Education & Training Center. 2011, 23 (4): 8-13.Google Scholar
- Farly J, Miller E, Zamani A, Tepper V, Morris C, Oyegunle M, Lin Eng M, Charurat M, Blattner W: Screening for hazardous alcohol use and depressive symptomatology among HIV-infected Patients in Nigeria: prevalence, predictors, and association with adherence. J Int Assoc Physicians AIDS Care (Chic). 2010, 9 (4): 218-226. 10.1177/1545109710371133.View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Martinez P, Andia I, Emenyonu N, Hahn JA, Hauff E, Pepper L, Bangsberg DR: Alcohol use, depressive symptoms and the receipt of antiretroviral therapy in Southwest Uganda. AIDS Behav. 2008, 12: 605-612. 10.1007/s10461-007-9312-x.PubMedPubMed CentralView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Goar SG, Audu MD, Agbir MT, Dochalson E: Prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of alcohol use disorder among HIV patients. Afr J Drug Alcohol Stud. 2011, 10 (1): 42-47.Google Scholar
- Alem A, Kebede D, Kullgren G: The epidemiology of problem drinking in Butajira, Ethiopia. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. 1999, 100: 77-83.View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Kebede D, Alem A: The epidemiology of alcohol dependence and problem drinking in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. 1999, 100: 30-34.View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Pengpid S, Pelzer K, Van der Heever H: Prevalence of alcohol use and associated factors in urban Hospital outpatients in South Africa. Int J Environ Res. 2011, 8: 2629-2639.Google Scholar
- Sher KJ, Grekin ER, Williams NA: The development of alcohol use disorders. Annu Rev Clin Psychol. 2005, 1: 493-523. 10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.1.102803.144107.PubMedView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Deribe K, Hailekiros F, Biadgilign S, Amberbir A, Beyene BK: Defaulters from antiretroviral treatment in Jimma University Specialized Hospital, Southwest Ethiopia. Trop Med Int Health. 2008, 13 (3): 328-333. 10.1111/j.1365-3156.2008.02006.x.PubMedView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Alem A, Kebede D, Mitike G, Enquselassie F, Lemma W: Unprotected sex, sexually transmitted infections and problem drinking among female sex workers in Ethiopia. Ethiop J Health Dev. 2006, 20 (2): 93-98.Google Scholar
- Kebede D, Alem A, Mitike G, Enquselassie F, Berhane F, Abebe Y, Ayele R, Lemma W, Assefa T, Gebremichael T: Khat and alcohol use and risky sex behaviour among in-school and out-of-school youth in Ethiopia. BMC Public Health. 2005, 5: 109-10.1186/1471-2458-5-109.PubMedPubMed CentralView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Fekadu A, Alem A, Hanlon C: Alcohol and drug abuse in Ethiopia: past, present and future. Afr J Drug Alcohol Stud. 2007, 6 (1): 40-53.Google Scholar
- Jimma University specialized services on Jimma University official website: http://www.ju.edu.et/node/94 Accessed on 06/05/2012
- Jimma University specialized services on Jimma University specialized hospital website: http://www.ju.edu.et/existing-medical-services-ju-specialized-hospital Accessed on 06/05/2012
- Debebe G: Determination of Ethanol Level in Beverages. 2006, Addis Ababa University, http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/303 accessed on 06/05/2012Google Scholar
- Standard drinks: Available at http://www.icap.org/PolicyTools/ICAPBlueBook/BlueBookModules/20StandardDrinks/tabid/161/Default.aspx accessed on 25/12/2012
- Kessler 6 questionnaire: Available at https://www.gem-measures.org/public/DownloadMeasure.aspx?mid=35 Accessed on 06/05/2012
- Tesfaye M, Hanlon C, Wondimagegn D, Alem A: Detecting postnatal common mental disorders in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: validation of the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale and Kessler scales. J Affect Disord. 2010, 122: 102-108. 10.1016/j.jad.2009.06.020.PubMedView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II: Available at http://www.unescap.org/stat/disability/census-ws/WHODAS-English.pdf Accessed on 21/12/2012
- Samet JH, Pace CA, Cheng DM, Coleman S, Bridden C, Pardesi M, Saggurti N, Raj A: Alcohol use and sex risk behaviors among HIV-infected female sex workers and HIV-infected male. AIDS Behav. 2010, 14: S74-S83. 10.1007/s10461-010-9723-y.PubMedPubMed CentralView ArticleGoogle Scholar
This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.


text:
'It was mind blowing': Fireball mystery in French skies enthralls Twitter
A glowing orb was seen shooting across the sky in the south-east of the country by more than 200 people Wednesday. Some questioned if their eyes were deceiving them, or whether they had mistaken fireworks for cosmic activity.
"Fire fell over Grenoble at around 6pm or I dreamt it? #Metéorite or fireworks?"
Un truc est tombé vers 18h au dessus du #campus de #grenoble ou j'ai rêvé?! #météorite ou feu d'artifice? #isere— Kevin Froment (@FromentK) February 17, 2016
Others appeared to be worried that something had exploded mid-air.
"I think I just seen a meteorite or something explode in the sky," one person posted on Twitter.
JE CROIS QUE JE VIENS DE VOIR UNE MÉTÉORITE OU JE NE SAIS QUOI EXPLOSER DANS LE CIEL.— yéléna (@hspilots) February 17, 2016
The local government department for the area, Isére, tweeted that no aircraft had been reported missing and stated that what people were seeing was most likely part of a meteorite shower.
A 19h30 aucun aéronef signalé disparu. Phénomène probable de pluie de météorite au dessus de l'Isère.— Préfet de l'Isère (@Prefet38) February 17, 2016
Video footage of rugby training in the Alps, obtained by French publication Ledauphine.com, appears to back the meteorite argument:
[VIDEO] Une boule de feu, probablement une météorite, filmée dans le ciel du Sud Est de la France hier (Val Thorens) pic.twitter.com/EFeeBnoLk7— Djamel Mazi (@djamel_mazi) February 18, 2016
One witness tweeted her apprehension upon witnessing the phenomenon, saying: "Okay I saw meteorite 20 minutes ago, [do] I have to worry?"
Ok j'ai vue une météorite il y a 20minutes je dois m'inquiéter ?😑— ~Johanna~ (@LeMondeAjojo) February 17, 2016
"You're never going to believe me but I saw a meteorite, something on fire falling from the sky! F**king hell I'm shocked."
Vous n'allez jamais me croire j'ai vu une météorite, un truc en feu tomber du ciel! Qui c'est désagrégé ! BORDEL DE MERDE JE SUIS CHOQUÉ— CASIPERY (@Qcastelas) February 17, 2016
"A meteorite over Grenoble! It was mind blowing," another excited stargazer tweeted.
Une météorite sur Grenoble ! C'était hallucinant 😱😁💫— Brooke Dαvis (@Polarii_Purdey) February 17, 2016
This online map shows the 100-plus locations across France from which the white light could be seen:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Our newborn sleeps a lot better with us than she does in her own crib. I don't want her to cry in there for hours. Why are doctors so down on co-sleeping?
Our Daddy MD Guide's reply: Many newborns and infants enjoy sleeping with a parent. Until recently, it wasn't clear that this was a problem. Newer studies, however, show that co-sleeping substantially increases infants' risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related infant deaths.
Ideally, you'd put your baby to bed drowsy but awake each time, so she learns to comfort herself. You can start by soothing her every five to ten minutes and then gradually lengthening the time you wait until you pick her up. Remember that many infants need to cry for a few minutes to transition from a wakeful to a sleeping state, and that this crying will not harm them.
—David L. Hill, MD, a father of three children, a pediatrician in private practice in North Carolina, and the author of the upcoming book, Dad to Dad: Parenting Like a Pro
Q&A by Wyatt Myers


text:
Friday, 9 September 2011
Review: Kokorico from Jean-Paul Gaultier (2011)
14 comments:
I am looking forward to polish release. :):) I want belive it will be before Christmas.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous9 September 2011 at 11:24
Great review!ReplyDelete
This is possibly the most anticipated release of the year so I'm glad that you have given it a mostly positive review.
- Anonymous9 September 2011 at 11:33
Is the world turning topsy turvy?! First a CK One flanker--a CK One FLANKER!!!--gets a thumbs-up and now this?!ReplyDelete
Marcin, czesc, nice to see you on these pages.ReplyDelete
From what I've read, it looks as though Kokorico (Kukuryku?) will take some time to reach certain parts of the world, which is a shame, but I'm sure you'll get to smell it before too long.
Candyperfumebiy, thanks very much indeed. Most anticipated? Do you think so? Well, I wouldn't buy it for myself, but it's much better than a lot of the new stuff out there.ReplyDelete
Anon, I absolutely would not give the new CK One feminine flanker a thumbs up; I think it's a very bad joke (I haven't properly tried the masculine yet).ReplyDelete
As for JPG, the house's perfume track record is actually pretty respectable, so perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that this new creation isn't a disaster.
- Anonymous9 September 2011 at 23:01
Wonderful review, but my husband and teenage sons are envious of you....ReplyDelete
Marla, thank you... and tell them that being a perfume critic opens up all sorts of unexpected avenues in life...ReplyDelete
- Anonymous10 September 2011 at 20:15
Excellent review.ReplyDelete
Madame Persolaise obviously a woman in a million and not phased by this sort of thing.
Anon, thanks very much, and yes, Madame P is very special indeed.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous12 September 2011 at 16:01
RE: CK One flanker thumbs-up, I was referring to the ones already given by Octavian and Brian Pera. I hope you'll be able to weigh in too, soon! Have always looked forward to reading what you think :)ReplyDelete
Anon, thanks very much, that's very sweet of you. I hadn't realised Brian had given it a thumbs up.ReplyDelete
I've been giving it some attention over the last few days... but will I review it? I'm not sure yet. It's not something I'd rush out to buy.
- Anonymous3 January 2013 at 16:10
I got it today for my husband, and it´s really marvellous..!ReplyDeleteReplies
Anon, I hope he enjoys wearing it.Delete
Thanks very much for reading my site and taking the time to leave a comment.
Please note that whilst the full range of views is welcome on Persolaise.com, comments containing expletives and/or abusive language may not be published.
If you're using Safari on an Apple device, you may experience some difficulties with submitting comments. Please consider using Google's Chrome browser on your Apple device; this may make it easier to leave your comment.


text:
Contra: Shattered Soldier (PS2)
Original Release: October 22, 2002
Developed by: Konami TYO
Bargain Binned: Around $13 used at most stores, much, much cheaper at others. Check eBay and Half.com.
It might just be the beer talking, but it seems as though much of BBL is spent glorifying ridiculously hard games and belittling those who complain of their difficulty. This is gonna be one of them. Though nobody's going to stumble into a series like Contra with any notion of their demanding and unforgiving play style and expect, y'know, Big Bird's Hide-and-Speek or somesuch, it's worth noting that this is one of the more ruthless Contra titles ever made. The original title was beatable, even without the infamous up-up-down-down on your side, but I'm almost convinced that Shattered Soldier is practically unconquerable-- what? Oh, the speedrun I put up there?
Well, yeah, some people can whip these games. But they're mutants, did you know that? Mutants with nine arms and several brains with which to foresee the onslaught of bullets and aliens on jetscooters looking to hand you your ass.
Alright, I admit it -- I have yet to beat Shattered Soldier, mostly because I was too stupid to even imagine that it might have a 30 Extra Lives code similar to the one that was immortalized by the original Contra. It does. I've been almost too ashamed to return to Soldier with the code firmly tucked under my arm, because I had worked so bloody hard to get good enough to actually put some levels away without dying. With enough play, the game will reward you with some extra lives at your disposal, similar to Konami's blisteringly-hard Gradius V, but it'll put you through the ringers before giving you a single inch of forgiveness.
So, like many other games I've covered for Bargain Bin Laden, you may hate Shattered Soldier initially. And, with enough cheap deaths along the way to stir a Buddhist monk to a murderous rage, you might continue to hate it. It is, however, a similar sort of hatred expressed at most of these games -- controller-chucking fury, sure. But a need to return and improve, refine your playstyle and eventually conquer the holy Goddamn hell out of the game, as well -- that's what Shattered Soldier offers.
Unlike the blasphemous C: The Contra Adventure, Contra: Legacy of War, and Neo Contra (all of which suck, mind you), Shattered Soldier is a return to the two-planes-of-movement paradise established by the original and the immortal Contra III: The Alien Wars, brought up to speed with 3D graphics without sacrificing the standard 2D gameplay. Shattered Soldier is also another step in the ongoing progression of the series' main storyline -- wait, it has a storyline? Who gives a crap, it's Contra! Let's slay some aliens!
As previously mentioned, Shattered Soldier is a throwback to the classic side-scrolling romps of yore, with a few key differences. The first major difference you'll notice in Soldier is the absence of those buzzing orbs o' powerups that rained like gifts from some benevolent deity on high. Instead, a selection of three main weapons, selectable with the L1 and R1 buttons, is offered to the player, including a standard automatic assault rifle, a flame thrower, and a grenade launcher -- think Gunstar Heroes without the sexy combination bits. All three of these weapons have their appropriate applications to various alien-splattering situations, and you'll need to figure out what those are if you expect to survive the game's seven levels. Alternatively, holding down the circle button powers up a charge-shot, which itself is different for all three weapons. Charging the machine gun fires a small drone that shoots in a circular pattern, where the flame thrower and grenade launcher fire off high-energy lasers and homing rockets, respectively. There's a need for every one of 'em, too -- well, except the drone charge-up attack. That thing is friggin' useless.
Holding the R2 button provides avid run-and-gun shooter fans with the option of keeping your character stationary while aiming which offers a whole new brand of liberty in your ass-kickin' that was heretofore unavailable in most games within the genre. This is something else you'll need to get the hang of if you want to save yourself from the slaughter that is Shattered Soldier.
Also new to the series is a Hit Rate counter, an ever-present meter glaring at you from the upper-middle portion of the screen, always available to let you know how much you're sucking. The player's hit rate is a calculation of how many of the enemies in a given level have been slaughtered -- the higher your hit rate, the higher your rank at the end of the level. Beating particular levels with particularly insane ranks net you bonus material, so you'll be coming back again and again if you're the sort of bloke/lass that fancies pounding 100% of a game into the dirt.
The graphics are pretty impressive but nothing that'll stand up next to current-gen efforts and some of the shinier piles of pretty on the PS2. It is, however, pretty in that wow, classic gameplay with awesome graphics kind of way, same as Gradius V, also rendered in glorious 3D. The sound is, uh, really terrible buttrock. Not so terrible as buttrock you're likely to hear in Prince of Persia: The Warrior Within, but buttrock nonetheless. You'll tune it out after enduring five or six minutes.
This wicked-hard iteration in the series includes the standard lineup of bizarre and ultimately unexplained baddos that come at you in waves -- you might run across a big monster turtle with a human face, but only after you've snowboarded down a hill while taking out enemy soldiers and a giant sandworm-lookin' thing -- and that's just the first level. Admittedly, a lot of your playtime will be spent memorizing enemy appearance points and bullet patterns, making this particular Contra strangely akin to a game like R-Type -- rest assured, however, that once you get the hang of things, improvisation will carry you far. Shattered Soldier is a fast-paced brawl that demands some keen instinct, but with enough time invested in sharpening your skills, it's like a Goddamn action movie with you at the helm.
Contra is a hell of a lot of fun for twelve bucks, and if it manages to hook you as it has others, you'll be spending quite a lot of time besting it. I sincerely hope none of you, in the heat of your anger towards a particularly cheap death in level 4, come hunting for me 'cos I suggested the game to you -- just play it cool, keep coming back for more, and you'll be mopping the floor with aliens in no time. Scared? Tough, Nancy! Lace up them boots and buy this game!


text:
List of Homes for Sale - Feature Sheets
Below you will find other Residential Freehold Detached Properties in Elliot Lake for Sale which are categorized by price from Lowest to Highest.
I can show you any properties on Elliot Lake or Nearby listed in the Market.
Properties under $50,000 | 50,000 to 100,000 | +100,000


text:
|Modi's responsive governance policy to aid 'Common Man'
Jehlum Post News Network/New Delhi /Mar 25, 2015/Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday launched his ambitious multi-purpose and multi-modal platform, PRAGATI, which is aimed at addressing the common man's grievances and monitoring important programmes and projects. Speaking on the occasion, Modi said the step is to ensure that governance in India becomes more efficient and responsive as the whole world is now observing India keenly. PRAGATI, or Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation,
is a unique integrative and interactive platform. During the first PRAGATI interaction today, the Prime Minister discussed issues related to unseasonal rain and relief to farmers, public grievances, project implementation, Swachh Bharat and 'ease of doing business'. Among the issues discussed were two sets of public grievances of more than 20 people relating to the payment of Employees Provident Fund of private sector and Income Tax refunds, a PMO statement said. It was noted that all the grievances had been redressed. Also, the intervention through PRAGATI is leading to system improvement so that such grievances do not arise, it said. Two issues flagged by Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra regarding National Highways and clearance for Navi Mumbai airport, respectively, were also discussed. Six central government projects involving more than a dozen Union ministries and 13 states were also discussed. It was noted that various actions and permissions relating to the projects were pending for several years. A review was also undertaken about progress of school toilet programme and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The Prime Minister gave directions for redressal of grievances and compliance on the projects and programmes and motivated all officers to work in coordinated manner for outcome, the PMO statement said.A built-in feature of PRAGATI is that these directions will remain in the system for further follow up and review till the finality of the matter. The PRAGATI platform uniquely bundles three latest technologies: Digital data management, video-conferencing and geo-spatial technology. It also offers a unique combination in the direction of cooperative federalism since it brings on one stage the Secretaries of Government of India and the Chief Secretaries of the States, the statement said.
With this, the Prime Minister is able to discuss the issues with the concerned Central and State officials with full information and latest visuals of the ground level situation, it said, adding it is also an innovative project in e-governance and good governance. Immediately after assuming office, the Prime Minister had shown his keenness to design a credible mechanism for redressal of public grievances, it noted. He was equally keen to see that programmes and projects launched by the central and state governments are monitored properly for timely implementation and desired outcome. With that spirit and for holistic development of the country, it was also felt necessary to facilitate from the Union government level the projects of the states. Accordingly, with the three objectives of grievance redressal, programme implementation and project monitoring, an IT-based redressal and monitoring system has been designed. It will combine data management and analysis, geo-spatial applications as well as video-conferencing. The application will be accessible to the Secretaries of the central government and the state Chief Secretaries. As the name suggests, PRAGATI is aimed at starting a culture of "pro-active governance and timely implementation", the statement said, adding "it is also a robust system for bringing e-transparency and e-accountability with real-time presence and exchange among the key stakeholders". Key features of the PRAGATI application include that it is a three-tier system (PMO, Union Government Secretaries, and Chief Secretaries of the States. The Prime Minister will hold a monthly programme where he will interact with the central government Secretaries and Chief Secretaries through video-conferencing enabled by data and geo-informatics visuals. While the first interaction was held today, it will be held once every month on Fourth Wednesday - to be known as PRAGATI Day. Issues to be flagged before the PM are picked up from the available database regarding public grievances, on-going programmes and pending projects. The system will ride on, strengthen and re-engineer the data bases of the CPGRAMS for grievances, Project Monitoring Group (PMG) and the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. PRAGATI provides an interface and platform for all these three aspects. It will also take into consideration various correspondences to PM's office by the common people or from high dignitaries of states and/or developers of public projects. Union government Secretaries and Chief Secretaries will be able to see the issues pertaining to their Department/State;Union government Secretaries and Chief Secretaries have to put their comments and updates about the flagged issues within three days (by next Monday).Agency


text:
Black King kong LED Display:Cabinet size is 960mmx960mm,the seams are reduced more than 50% and smoothness increases by leaps and bounds.Simplify the installation and maintenance: If familiar with one, you should master the whole. This can reduce the difficulty of marketing, engineering, training, maintenance and can reduce the workload.Standard production in a faster and more flexible way is possible because we have reserved standard general cabinets and the shipment can also be made rapidly.
Ventilation LED Display:Ventilated & Light-proof, Energy Saving≥50%,4 Types Standardlized LED Module, Excellent Display Effect,IP67, Fast Installation and Maintenance,Firm, Flat and Backup Solution.
2017 Australian International Professional Audio-visual Exhibition, Chipshow Returns with Harvest Orders!
On the day of August 31rd 2017, the Australian International Professional Audio-visual exhibition (INTEGRATE 2017) was successfully concluded. Chipshow has again attracted many buyers from different countries.
As the biggest and most professional audio-visual integrated equipment and technology exhibition in Australia, INTEGRATE 2017 was jointly hosted by professional audio-visual and ICT industry InfoComm International®, CEDIA association and Australian famous exhibition company Diversified Exhibitions Australia. It is a high-quality professional audio-visual trading platform.
The exhibition lasted for three days. As the site staff revealed, there're more than thousands of visitors at the booth of Chipshow. After viewing our products, many visitors showed a strong interest in our products, and they were highly appreciative of our products. All data is sufficient to prove that our products are welcomed by customers!
There're 6 exhibits: P3.91 Net Series indoor rental led display, P3.91 Net Series outdoor rental led display, P1.583 Leopard indoor HD led display, smart modules, P10 Front Service led display and transparent display.
INTEGRATE 2017 is just like a window, through which more and more people know better of Chipshow and get closer to Chipshow!


text:
Set to Bach's Sarabande from Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007 performed by Yo-Yo Ma, this video was nominated as "Most Creative Video 2nd Annual YouTube Awards",
Phillip Scott Johnson uses 90 portraits of women from famous painters to seamlessly show their changing features as time elapsed. It was created using Abrosoft Fantamorph
- For a complete list of artists and paintings visit http://www.maysstuff.com/womenid.htm
- High resolution version: http://www.vimeo.com/1456037
- Creator's contact information: philipscottjohnson(at)gmail.com


text: On top of Richard Lloyd and Tom Verlaine's guitar extravaganza, Verlaine delivers a haunted vocal. This a quite phenomenal stuff and it is easy to hear the spirit of Television roaming in much newer indie music, not least their fellow New Yorkers from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. I can't believe I haven't bought this album yet, but I promise to fix that shortly!


text:
Credit cards and the small print
When it comes to the small print of your credit card agreement, it can be tempting to skim over it – or not bother reading it at all. It's important to take the time to familiarise yourself with the finer points so you can get the most from your new product.
Looking at the finer detail
The small print will contain a lot of information, including details of fees and rewards. The most common fees to look out for when using a card include application and processing charges, late payment fees, transaction fees, balance transfer fees and charges for exceeding your credit card limit – checking the small print terms and conditions can help you to work out how much certain actions will cost you, and so plan accordingly. Many credit cards come with benefits, too – from introductory interest rates and bonus rewards to extended warranty coverage and insurance. Emergency card replacement may also be available, and it's worth knowing whether your provider offers it in case your card is lost, stolen or damaged.
Some credit cards even offer entertainment benefits, such as two-for-one offers on attractions, or preferred seating at music or comedy gigs.
What to expect
Whichever card you choose, it's worth remembering that a breach of your contract – such as a late payment or going over your agreed credit limit – could mean you are charged. It's important to ensure you have a good knowledge of your credit card, so you can manage your money accordingly.
If you're concerned about costs, reading your card's credit agreement should clear up any doubts. For instance, if you decide to take out a credit card with a 0% interest rate on balance transfers, reading the fine print will explain all the conditions, so you can stay in control.
Keep in the know
Thoroughly reading anything you receive from your credit card lender will help you to stay informed. Statements, for example, will alert you to important changes – such as an increased interest rate following a 0% introductory period – so don't put off reading what could be important information. If you don't understand anything written in the terms and conditions, contact your credit card lender and ask them to explain it.


text:
USA.gov for Science
USA.gov for Science searches across 30 databases and more than 1,700 science web sites for government science information. It accesses 47 million science web pages.
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service provides weather, climate forecasts, and warnings for the United States. A local forecast can be found by city and state on the site.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Information about wildlife, science, hunting, and conservation.
Threatened and Endangered Wildlife and Plants
Locate information about threatened or endangered wildlife and plants in your state.
U.S. Geologic Survey
From the home page of the USGS, it is possible to locate USGS information by state.
EPA: United States Environmental Protection Agency
Locate information about human health and the natural environment.
Climate Change
Information from the EPA on the issue of climate change.
EPA – Office of Pesticide Programs
Provides valuable information for consumers in the form of Consumer Alerts, fact sheets, and information information about pesticide registration, antimicrobial pesticides, and biopesticides.
NASA Homepage
Want to explore space, find out about the stars, the moon, and space science? This is the place to start.
NASA's History Office
Need biographical information about NASA personnel or astronauts, then look here.
Scientific Classification
Integrated Taxonomic Information System
You can retrieve information from the ITIS Database by performing a query using either the scientific name, vernacular name, or the TSN (Taxonomic Serial Number).
Plants Database
A single source of standardized information about plants. Includes names, checklists, automated tools, identification information, species abstracts, crop information, and plant growth data as well as other plant information.
See Also:
- United States Government
- Government Publications – Businesses
- Government Publications – Consumers
- Government Publications – Country and Travel
- Government Publications – Demographics
- Government Publications – Departments and Agencies
- Government Publications – Finding Tools
- Government Publications – Forms
- Government Publications – Kids
- Government Publications – Legal
- Government Publications – Occupations
- Government Publications – Science
- Government Publications – Statistics


text:
Early Years
In Nursery and Reception we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum (EYFS).
The starting point in planning exciting and relevant learning experiences within the Foundation Stage lies in close observation of children. Profile books are kept on all children which outlines how each child is achieving and the progress that they are making in each area, based upon observational assessment.
Much of the learning is through play both inside and outside the classroom. This is also balanced with specific and targeted adult directed activities.
Children are assessed against the 16 'Early Learning Goals' of the EYFS at the end of their year in Reception, before moving on to the Key Stage 1 curriculum.


text:
Excited to start the day! And is anyone else noticing that although there is still lots of complaining that surrounds us on virtually all topics, there is a growing "new breed" of optimists…more and more people seem to be understanding just how empowering it can be to identify the possible within the impossible. Isn't it often those aggravating obstacles (and even those "irritating people" and "overwhelming challenges") that inspire us to more clarity and action? Our diversity as a species and our desire to improve our world is our strength…SO glad to see more people appreciating it! Savor this day, all! It is the only time that we will live it!
Category Archives: Positive Psychology
Once Upon Our Time…..
To my dear darling sweet planet…. I am not part of your beginning and I am not part of your end (if there is indeed such a thing), but thank you for allowing me the glimpse at the perfection that we call life~~~ wow, how short and sweet a mere hundred years can seem when there is a planet brimming with such beauty, such insight and such love… each moment stands still when basking in the brilliance of even the most trivial of your realities… so let there be life and let there be imagination for in our imagination grows the seeds of eternity…kiss me with your sunsets and push me forward with my "defeats" … bless me with the ability to grow…and in my growth, let me understand that change is the wonder from which all infinity blossoms… and in the meantime, I watch the turtle persevere to the next pond. I watch the roses unfold into their full bloom. I listen to my children navigate to new frontiers with glee and exquisite confidence. I listen to my own heart dance and play at the possibilities. This is life. This is bliss. THIS, my dear ones, is a look into the soul of our most eternal and sacred being-ness. This is the opportunity to throw the acorns back up to the sky. This is the opportunity to smile with the pure unadulterated smile of the "can be". This is about beauty and wisdom and about all that we can't perhaps yet explain. This is about the silence and the awe that we feel under the moon and the stars when all of the rest of the world is trying to make us believe that this magnificent planet is somehow broken…. This is about the unfinished and about the exquisitely unfolding… This is about pure life—pure breath—and ultimately about pure and sublime NOW….. Being wholly and fully ALIVE could not possibly hold any more rich meaning than the gift of each reverent breath of evolution…..Dive in and revel in the opportunity to mold your own clay of dreams….the lusciousness of existence simply waits for your decision to harvest it….
And so, dear world, as I force myself to say goodnight to another day of promise and adventure, I gaze at your moon….I taste your breeze….and I inhale the awe of how much beauty has come before me and how much mystery is yet to come….Life is not about the "must do's"…. Life is about the forgotten moments that shape all that we are yet to become… Life is our own personal fairy tale…and OH! To behold the magic!!!!!
Financial abundance– the ultimate love/hate relationship?
If money is the "root of all evil" then why do we chase it and/or lament it so? We give it so much power and responsibility…so much credit…so much fear….what if we could gently shift and explore prosperity in a new empowering way…. what if today, we could wake up and proclaim:
Today, dear world, will be the day when we SEE OUR ABUNDANCE! Today will bring that powerful shift where we step further into our total loving embrace of this planet and all that it is and all that it offers to be. Today we see the evidence—"the answer to our prayers". Today we feel the "whoosh"—the undeniable arrival– of our financial abundance!
Today, dear world, we commit to letting go! Today, we let money "off the hook"~~ "off the hook" for all of the wrongs that have been done in its name~~ "off the hook" for all of the "evil" that we have given it credit for ~~ "off the hook" for its apparent "absence" or "abuse" ~~ "off the hook" for padding the pockets of those whose choices or actions would not be our own ~~ "off the hook" for seeming to be the "yang" to the "yin" of spirituality ~~ "off the hook" for simply not being there when we "needed" it or for being there for others when we thought that it should also be ours~~
Yes, today, we will stop trying to figure it all out ~~today, we will forgive ourselves for not yet being the "Master of Financial Abundance" ~~ today, we will forgive ourselves our credit scores and all our bills ~ we will forgive our lack of savings and lack of retirement fund ~~ today, we forgive all of those "financial mistakes" and we even forgive ourselves for focusing on lack when there is so much abundance to be had ~~ TODAY IS THAT DELICIOUS AND LONG AWAITED SHIFT where we each allow the abundance of money to simply BE!!!
And HOW SWEET THE SHIFT FEELS!! Now, we embrace money simply and majestically as another marvellous resource of our planet and of our life experience ~~ we allow money to be our teacher ~~ in fact, dear money, today we invite you to become our friend ~~ yes, if we can resist judging you based on beliefs that no longer serve us, we see that you are like the oxygen that gives our global economy life. To criticize you is like criticizing the air – because even our life-giving air carries germs and viruses.
Yes, today is about turning over a new leaf and welcoming you into our powerful circle of creation ~~ today is about revisiting the dream. Today we laugh ~~~today we marvel at the crazy yet delicious irony of life. Today, we giggle at the sense of humour of our vibrant Universe that inspired our species to have created you! If the pursuit of "love" and "joy" weren't enough to challenge our species, we then chose to add you, dear money, into the mix! You are perhaps our wild child—our unruly offspring, brimming over with potential but defying control— Yes, dear creation, pursuing you can sometimes feel like we have fallen into the deep end—way over our heads, gasping for air— attempting to doggy paddle our way out of a shark tank .
So today, dear prosperity, we celebrate our shift! We breathe in the feeling of ease and allow money to FLOW! Like oxygen flowing into our lungs and blood flowing in our veins, money now serves us as yet another powerful potential nutrient ~~ a life giving force ready to energize and expand us to new dimensions of health and being.
Today money becomes the paint on our giant canvas—a beckoning palate of colors and creativity. Today we dare to say "what if….?" What if we can become a new generation~~? A generation that aligns with money to create great masterpieces? A generation whose vision includes the ease of health in all aspects of our experience—physical, mental, spiritual, global AND financial? Suppose that our children view money with joyous enthusiasm—revelling in its abundance and its flow like dolphins frolicking in a great sea? Imagine the day when we are all so at one with money that its presence becomes like a heartbeat— ever present and strong, but quiet and steadfastly assured~~!
And so, as we turn to welcome in our abundance, let us be as parents welcoming into our embrace one of the most creative yet sometimes precocious of our children. There will be stories—wild tales of dragons and great adventures – there will be memories from the day and hopes for tomorrow, but there will be the security and the gentle knowing that we are one— loving and thriving unconditionally. Today, we relax into feeling the purity of our rekindled love for this sometimes "unruly" child of abundance. We may still stare upon this little creation of our great species knowing that it has pushed us often way beyond our comfort level ~~ but today we now bask and celebrate knowing that thanks to its push, we are now more of all that we are ~~ or more importantly all that we dream of becoming. Yes, dear abundance. You stretch us and you bend us, but together we create a richer planet (double entendre intended). So welcome home ~~ it is time! In fact, it is finally OUR time! Today, we walk arm in arm with abundance and know that life just keeps on getting better for us! YES, today, a new era is launched! So thank you, world, for yet another day of empowering creations! Thank you for the ease and the success of this great "allowing"! I am refreshed and ready to dance upon the glorious wings of this magnificent day!!!
Celebrate the Genius of this Uncompleted Journey!
Hello, hello dear wonderful friends! Wow, can you imagine a more phenomenal Sunday? The brilliant blue sky and poofy white clouds are so fresh and alive that it almost feels like the first day on Earth! The air is vibrant… the breeze caresses and teases… it is a day of promise and potential… it is the start to more "becoming"…more blossoming… more understanding…. the opportunity to be yet more of all that we are and all that we are yet to BE….
So, today, as we behold our surroundings with the eyes of a new day, let's take a deep luxurious breath….soak in the moment….celebrate not only the luscious components of our "now", but let's look back with our "ener-joy" eyes and appreciate how truly far, far, far we each have come!
We began as babes….raw potential….little balls of hope, joy, enthusiasm and imagination….as we grew and observed, as we experienced the peaks and the plunges of our experience, we developed beliefs about the world….beliefs about our "progress"…. beliefs about everything from our own worthiness to our own "reality". Perhaps in an intent to "protect" us or an intent to "point us in the right direction", we were given guidelines for what constituted "success"… we were often lead to believe that "how far we have yet to go" far outweighs "how far we have come"… we have been trained to seek those peak moments in order to feel true self-worth… moments when we can proudly display the perfect credit rating, the perfectly decorated home, the Olympic gold medal, the ultimate promotion…the perfect this…the perfect that….a focus on the destination that can inadvertently rob us of the joy in the process….the beauty of the journey… the awe of our unfolding…..and the MAGNIFICENCE of this human being (YOU) who has created this wonderful work in progress….!
Yes, it can be true…our "well trained" minds can lead us along a path that can make us feel flawed…like the glass half empty….all too often when we think about how far we have come, we think about the steps along the way that "we should have done differently"….the dreams that still haven't come to pass…in this fleeting moment of potential, rather than revel in our great leaps forward (and they are AMAZING LEAPS if you look at them), we can sometimes obsess instead with HOW MUCH FURTHER we "have" to go before we can "finally" allow ourselves license to be happy… all too often our minds can become the theater that plays the same saga on infinite repeat… a broken record reliving all those most intense times that we have endured, the betrayals, the disillusionments, the heartache, the "failures"…..
Yes, we can get on a mental roll that doesn't lend power to our day, BUT……before we beat ourselves up TOO much for that silly ingrained habit, let's rejoice in the fact that even this "non-serving" behavior is part of the miracle of our own creative process…!
Isn't it true that when we REALLY fuss, we REALLY look for a way to find that happiness that we think that we are missing? We may yell and kick and scream and feel sorry for ourselves, but eventually, we start looking for solutions. Somehow these yucky feelings point the way and we start moving again…we start thinking…we start questing… we start opening up to new possibilities in our world….
Wasn't it someone's impatience with travel that lead to the genius strides forward in our transportation? Wasn't it someone's vision of a better way to access information that has given birth to these computers that we now access? Wasn't it someone's appreciation for generosity and greatness that lead to the creation of the Nobel Prize?
So, yes, dear friends, today let's not only celebrate how far we have come, and the unequaled BEAUTY of where we ARE but let's celebrate the genius of the "uncompleted journey"! As I sit here at my desk with the sound of my sweetheart listening to the news, I am in awe of the beauty of this journey. Here I sit with my world so different than what it was even one tiny year ago. The weeks fly by…new ideas…new wishes…new wonders…new things to reach for….with each challenge comes a possibility….Sometimes I confess I yearn for a bit more ease…sometimes more clarity… sometimes the things that I think that I want seem so far away…almost impossible to reach…. sometimes I feel fear and frustration… and yet, often…as I glide through those tumultuous oceans, I find the light house…the idea that guides me through my inner storm…I grow and I create and I BECOME something even bigger than I had been a moment before….
We are joyously AND PERFECTLY works in progress! That joyous enthusiasm….that breathless sense of invincibility that we experienced as a child…. that sense of thrill and "all-is-well-ness" that pours through us in those moments of success….ALL are waiting in the wings for us to access at any moment…! True, we are not who we were when we were young: WE ARE MORE! We are MORE knowledge, MORE wisdom, MORE aware of our loves and our preferences, MORE stimulated to BE who we have the potential to be, MORE packed with potential—thanks to ALL of the life that we have oh-so-deeply LIVED.
YES, there has been sublime joy! (Remember it!) Yes, there have been moments of anguish, but those are the rocket power to your desire to grow. Today, I urge you to join with me in celebrating the "small stuff"….the wonderful joy that I always feel in the morning when I am the recipient of the happy dance from my pups…. the strength in my body…the growth in my soul…. the PERFECT time of year when the weather is just so right… the sparkle in my lover's eye…the memory of a compliment or a special joke…the feeling of family…. the exhilaration as I master a descent…the calmness when I used to panic…the faith that comes out of nowhere…the sweet feeling of success when I totally achieve….
Yes, let's remember to revel in the power of celebration! Let's give ourselves the license to laugh more, dance more, play more and bask in the feeling of bliss! Let's remember to focus on the moment without the distraction of the destination…. Let's smile at ourselves in the midst of our becoming and savor and enjoy…. We are "NOT DONE" yet, but "OH, THE PLACES WE WILL GO!" (Thank you, Dr. Suess!)
So….. tuck away that GPS for now, and dive deliciously and whole-heartedly into your journey knowing that you have your own INNER COMPASS and it is steering you WELL! Go forth and explore! Today is a frontier worth claiming as YOUR OWN! Happy Sunday, dear friends!!!
To Infinity and Beyond….!
Well, dear friends! Greetings from the delicious whirlwind! Isn't it amazing to be able to feel so exquisitely alive? With every breath and yes, even in the midst of those blasted "challenges" that fine tune the machine, we are moving/flowing/blossoming into an even richer brilliance! Can you feel the pulse of this amazing planet? Can you feel the goodness and the promise that is taking hold? How lucky are our children to be born now when our beliefs truly seem to be shifting? How lucky are we to have the chance to ask and to dream and to choose to move forward?! I do believe that the odds are stacked in our favor and it's hard not to become positively giddy when the world grants us a quick sneak peek of the greatness that is yet to become. If we look at all of the dazzling brilliant minds and spirits that have created such amazing things on our planet, it becomes truly awe inspiring….so imagine how this level of "awesomeness" will only increase as more and more of us learn to discard the beliefs that no longer serve us and replace them with ideas that destine us to thrive and "blissify"…! Yes, tonight I am grateful to be part of this amazing dance called life.
…. And so, my dear friends, as I listen to the frogs crooning their love songs to the moon…as my three furry friends congratulate themselves on having domesticated me into such a perfect pet…as my children dream of making their mark on the world…as I write the pages of my life into my grand story book, I rejoice at the honor of being able to simply explore my "ME-ness"…. And isn't it a luscious revelation that as we each discover our own "ME-ness" that we begin to understand that we can freely allow others to manifest their own "ME-ness" —and that this eternal "Easter Egg" hunt for our infinite collection of inner light is precisely the ingredient that gives our species its mightiest treasure…???!
As we twist and turn sometimes in joy, sometimes in challenge, we create and create and create….and that is what in my opinion transforms life from a black and white experience to pure blue ray 3D high def technicolor! Yowie! Zowie! I'm not "there" yet (wherever "there" might be), but I am grateful for this opportunity to live and love and explore (and even occasionally panic) and savour….thank you dear friends for being the positive souls that you are….thank you for spreading the bliss and the hope and the spiritual curiosity…it is a wonderful time to be alive…we are indeed blessed yet I can't help but feel like the best is yet to come…. So venture on…run, dance, play and even stumble, but venture on and on and on….for THIS is still the world that we saw through the eyes of our childhood… a mighty planet waiting to move forward together as one into eternity…..!
You had me at "Mambo"!
Hello dear wonderful friends!!! Today let's stand in awe of the powerful momentum behind Life! Today, let's revel and appreciate Life's desire to wrap us in the arms of eternity and whisk us onto this magnificent dance floor! It is no wonder that our planet is in this infinite orbit! Our energy is HUGE!
Wherever we look, Nature is moving….! The earth is spinning… the waves are caressing the shores… even the wind is creating new masterpieces among the mountainous sculptures around the globe with its persistent gales. The healthiest waters come from the moving streams…. with motion, we THRIVE! And YES, we are MOVING!!! Onward we go…onward, we FLOW!
Our world is not about the walls. It is about the doorways! It is the windows….the nooks…the crannies…the tunnels toward the light….life is about the secret pathways that we create in and amongst the impossibilities. Life is about learning to believe yes when we think that "reality" says no. Life tickles…Life teases…Life coaxes and teaches….begging us forward…asking us to dance….Life is our Mother…Life is our Father…Life is our inner child…and yes, Life is the ultimate lover, mentor and "with you to the last breath" soul mate….
This is not a world that is intended to stand still. Our world is round like a ball so that it can always move forward.
…So YES…. let us not be content to seek consistency…let us not fear change or worry about the power of the wind at our back…we are born believing that "we can"… we are born with a joie de vivre and a spirit of carpe diem…. let us reclaim our momentum and dive into the glory of the biggest dream that our imaginations can muster!
Let us pack away the beliefs that no longer serve us….let us move beyond the limitations that had us temporarily fooled…. let us greet our day with new words of success…or as they say in Swahili, "Mambo!" Yes, THAT is their hello…so why not herald your own new days with a resounding call to motion?
Kick up your heels! Let loose! Leap as far as you dare–and then leap perhaps a wee bit further! Live, laugh, dance! Burst through those stagnating boundaries and focus your own creative genius into your own blissful Life-resounding quest!
Life can be AMAZING in its ability to teach us subtle truths. Life can also have a spectacular sense of humor when we least expect it. And sometimes, we can gain insight into the pursuit of happiness just by those simple words that we weave innocently into our languages….
So grab your keys, embrace your quirky but wonderful humanity and above all, get out there into that crazy spinning world and show them your never ending desire to–YES—-MAMBO, dear world!!!! Life is short…so fill up that dance card!
Lessons from an eternal planet….
Hello, dear global friends! How is it possible for one tiny planet to humble me so…? Today the wild flowers that grew on the side of the road were so purple and perfect that they should have stopped traffic. The clouds were so buoyant and full as they nestled against the perfect blue sky that the planet seemed to suspend its orbit in order to support the vastness of its beauty. A cluster of four young calves nestled in the cool grass with an air of excitement and newness that almost took my breath away. A European couple asked me to take their photo and it was as if we had known each other for years almost instantly. This is a world that gives me an infinite array of berries (and that has inspired humanity to invent blenders so that I can turn those berries into a succulent array of smoothies)…grocery stores brimming with foods for all tastes and preferences…colors, textures, sights and sounds… this is a world where I can play in spin class at the age of 51 or dance to Shakira when no one is looking~~ this is a world of waterfalls, mountains, oceans and even coffee shops~~ This is a world where I can fall in love when a moment earlier, I was feeling swallowed up in solitude~~~ what a crazy blissful and DELICIOUS mixture! This is a world where we get to experience all variations of joy and, yes, heartache (which often then pushes us closer to "better" love). This is a world of eternal discovery and invention. This is a world where true smiles always seem to give us butterflies. It's a world where thousands of strangers can unite to cheer on a sports team. It's a world where someone who moments earlier truly doubted their own worth can be inspired to heroism and to charity when the moment of need calls. It's a world where the smile of a baby or the wag of a tail from one's family dog can make all of the stresses of the world seem suddenly trivial and totally surmountable. It's a world where we are given the privilege of discovering who we are and in the process we perhaps discover who we wish to become. It's a world of magic where coincidences and serendipity encourage us to spread our wings and to "believe" in the impossible. It's a world that kindly encourages us to grow and to design and to create. On one tiny planet we evolve into something that surpasses anything that could previously have been imagined. So, my prayer for this planet, is that we revel in the genius of this playground. Like an itch that must be scratched, with each problem that we perceive is birthed this delicious calling to move further and to create! My prayer is that we rejoice in the perfection of this planet. My prayer is that we delight in the possibility of all that we have yet to create! My prayer is that in spite of the challenges that are so publicized that we will see the magnificence of our Mother Earth. We are so blessed and if we relax our eyes into appreciating the beauty of each day, we suddenly see even the tiny spider webs that are woven between the blades of grass with each mornings' dew. And in this perfection, there is suddenly nothing that isn't possible on such a magnificent planet…..! What a gift it is to be a part of this unfolding….! Wishing you the gift of beholding your own exquisiteness, my friends!
Living Life as a Champion!
Hello dear wonderful world! Hello my dear wonderful friends of the planet! Let today be about learning to be a champion~~ champion to one's loved ones~~ champions to one's colleagues ~~ champions to our planet and champions to our own souls~~ champions to the "strangers" we pass on the street~~ let us delight in showering them with random aren't-you-magnificent smiles and watch them sparkle! Let us delight as they then sprinkle that joyous fairy dust of unconditional, "unearned" love to other "strangers" along their voyage.
Like a galaxy of dandelion seedlings, let us spread our joy and love and positive belief across our magical little planet so that they may take hold and bloom. We may be wildflowers, but beautiful and hearty are we! Courageous and ever blooming—unconditional in our choice of soil, be it garden or roadway~~ ever and always heading upward toward the sun and the Heavens.
My belief is that before those who we consider the mightiest discovered their own strength, SOMEONE believed in them~~~ someone was their champion. Someone helped them to unearth all that they could be—no matter the number of stumbles. The belief and KNOWING of this champion was so complete that before long the mighty one began to see and BELIEVE their own mightiness~~ and in believing in their own mightiness, they soared and soared AND SOARED~~ and in their soaring, they inspired more "mere mortals" to new heights and the world grew and grew and GREW.
So let us all be champions for each other and for ourselves. And as we thrive in our believing, imagine the GREAT HEIGHTS of humanity that we will see~~ all the "miracles" that we can evoke! As we draw out the best in ourselves and in each other~ as we learn to expect from our planet all that we would have it be, surely we will find that we indeed are walking the fields of heaven ~~ complete blissful harmony between humanity and Mother Earth ~~ that is my dream ~~ that is my wish ~~ that is my focus. How joyous to think that this vision begins with just one~~ let us each be that one champion that starts the unfolding! Happy Spring, dear ones!
"Shine On You Crazy Diamond"
Hello my dear, dear global friends~~ savor this sweet, sweet moment in all of our lives ~~ we are vibrant, we are alive and we are questing ~~ we are all that life is about ~~ we are each and every molecule! In our challenges, in our frustrations, we are the Universal heartbeat. We are magnificence at its most radiant and supreme. Life is not about "getting it right", but rather about letting its life-giving energy pulse through our hearts, pulse through our veins, pulse through our dreams ~~ WE CREATE ETERNITY simply by the fact that we will never let "it" end. We yearn, we desire, we plead, we even cry…. but were it not for these tears, there would be no need for tomorrow. Were it not for our ideas and creativity, there would be no future….We are on a magnificent voyage together ~~ we are artists ~~ we are dancers ~~ we are great explorers ~~ we shape the future as we savor our way through the present ~~ we are anything but alone ~~ we are human and THAT is the greatest gift that we can have inherited ~~ to see the world not through the eyes of perfection, but through the eyes of possibility, that is not only my dream, but my vision ~~ This is our moment and oh, is it ever worth the birthing!!!" Be kind to yourself. Be kind to your soul. And love this planet because there is genius in even the most frustrating of moments. We are jewels in a magnificent crown ~~ so bask in your beauty and let your sparkle shine! And shine and shine and shine! We truly already live in "Heaven"— even if we fondly call this little planet simply Earth~~ xxxxx
(title courtesy of Pink Floyd…. wink!)
Take the Plunge!!!!
Hello dear wonderful friends! Wow! What a phenomenal weekend…ok…I know…by now that was days ago and yet….! I am still breathless!
The sky was PERFECT….big beautiful poofy clouds…the type of breeze that makes your skin tingle….it was one of those blissful mornings when my heart could barely keep pace with all of the delight that I was feeling….! YES!!!! Life was exquisite, but even more exquisite was that life was about to break through some boundaries, wrap me in adventure and take me on a journey….! And I had NO IDEA what I was in for!
In this case, Life's mystic "guru" was called Ridgeline…. I know…it's sounds unassuming enough but don't let that fool you… this was THE TRAIL….the one that I had vowed that I would never attempt… I was secure in myself…no need to prove any absurd level of courageousness…I had "nothing to prove"… I was content in my own skin…. all true…..
I suppose that the little ripples of change began with the trail called the "Abyss"….yes, that sounds a bit more daunting, doesn't it..ha ha, you have NO IDEA!!!… I rode into the Abyss like I have many times before…a bit nervous…sweaty palms….music discreetly pumping out of my pack….focused and "ready" for the obstacles that lay ahead….I had made a slight adjustment in the height of my seat and I was feeling the new alignment and harmony… balance…a feeling of a strong center….and my mind was alive with "deliberate intent"…..
The start of the trail is actually interesting and in some ways, it's the part of the trail that gives me the most jolt of my nerves…it is nerve-wrackingly narrow (with a "lovely ravine"—gulp– to the right), bumpy…strewn with boulders, roots, twists, dips and climbs…. none of the "OMG hold on for dear life" drops…. just those subtle constant jolts of stress… yes, if the drops are the jawbreakers in this candy store, these would be the sour ball "Warheads" that make even your tiniest cells feel like they are puckering!
On this morning, however, there was FLOW…. that magical "weeeee" sort of energy (ha ha…in some cultures, they call it chi or ki….. I call it my "weeeeeeeee" factor…. and when there is "weeeeeee", there is always oneness…wink…..double entendre DEFINITELY intended….)….down I sailed into the Abyss….noticing the rocks and the boulders, but feeling the charge of exhilaration! It was the perfect genius moment of harmony between human, nature and "machine"…..
In total elation, I thrust forward up the first incline…crested the top, sharp turn (watch out for that TREEEEE) then SAILED DOWN…..over the roots, over the rocks, more roots, more rocks…terrific speed…then up, up UP the incline….eyes alert….looking forward… marking the path between (are you kidding???) MORE OMINOUS looking roots (and boulders, and rocks….hee hee…pant…wheeze…such is the life of a mountain biker)….pedal, pedal, PEDAL…..!!!….YES!!!…..soaring to the top with pure and definite WEEEEEEEE! Sailing through nature…so in sync with the energy….whooping and crowing, "I love this trail! I love this bike! I love this life!"….and yes, it was time for a very loud WEEEEEEEEE! (Although the other bikers must think I'm nuts, it is a very functional way to keep the alligators at bay….I hope….! Wink!)
A clean ride through North Abyss!!! I finished the trail!
…And oddly enough, it had been exhilarating and tough, but I felt suddenly a strong sense of PURE EASE. I felt GOOOOOOODDDDD! And in that moment, the "me" that I had been as I started that trail changed….. I became a bit "more" and that "more" inspired me to desire (yes….REALLY?? ARE YOU SURE—says my logical brain…) to face the always feared and previously ogreish Ridgeline trail…..
It was time…. not because I had to, but because I sensed that now it would bring me joy… it would guide me to new frontiers within myself that I was now ready to allow and to embrace… I was ready to expand……terrified (said my logical brain) but confident (said my soul….)…
Into the dreaded Ridgeline trail, I rode…and yes, my heart was pumping…. the unfamiliar hills seemed definitely higher and the drops were HOLY MOLEY NOT QUITE WEEEEE BUT I'M DOING IT….Wow!…. no place for the old me who claimed that vertigo was an issue…..just ride…. no time to wonder if I could do it….just KNOW that you can…. KNOW that you are ready….. up….down….over….and around….on…and…on…AND ON… the challenges seem to go….and then…..suddenly…..MADE IT….here come's the "weeeeeeeeeee"! So alive….panting….but so empowered…….!
And as I stood there….worn but blissful, this dear park smiled at me and whispered and said, "so it is with Life, dear one….the bliss is in the journey…it is the boulders, the roots and the drops that create the thrill of the ride, so remember to sit back, focus, relax and savor the adventure. TAKE THE PLUNGE! That's where the true 'weeeeeeeee' lies……"
Wishing you all a marvelous day of sweet "wweeeeeeeeeeee"…… May the boulders and drops in your path create the most sublime of adventures! Are you ready to feel that wind in your face???


text:
New Blog Design/
Yay! My new blog design is halfway there! I still need to add buttons and a few more pages. I'm so excited! Even closer to being a "real" blogger! =)
What do you guys think? Be honest. I did it myself, so I know it's not the best. But it's a big jump from what I had before! =)
Be blessed!


text:
Officer Full-time Job1 year ago - Others - Nepalgunj - 428 views
Job Details
About us:
Bhargav Bikash Bank limited (BBBL) is the one of the regional level Development Bank of Mid western region of Nepal established formally in the year 2064 which commenced operation on 13th Bhadra, 2064. The Bank has been established solely with the aim of getting exclusive confidence of Nepalese market by rendering global standards of services through professional & quality management. BBBL has been promoted as a dedicated bank with a primary focus in the development of industries, trades, services and agricultures sector in mid western regional of Nepal.
BBBL is committed to provide superior banking products and financial to its customers through efficient and cost-effective service delivery; offering of new innovative products and friendly customer service; and at the same time maintaining confidentially, professionalism & good governance. It consistently upgrades its processing systems and technology support besides broadening its scope, range and quality of services.
We are looking for:
Job Title: Officer
Job Level : Officer Level
No of Vacancy : 9
Salary : As per Bank Rules
Job Location : Banke, Nepalgunj
Job Specifications :
- Must have completed Bachelor degree from recognized University
- Must be able to work and contribute in a team & be flexible.
- Must have at least 2 years (Jr. Officer), 3 years (Officer) & more than 4 years (for Sr. Officer) of working experience in related field
- Performance shall be given to the candidates having sound knowledge of credit and branch operation
Job Descriptions :
- Regular and predictable attendance and punctuality
- Open and close the branch, as needed
- Perform all CSR and New Account Representative duties
- Supervise CSR staff, ensuring adherence to bank policies, procedures and standards
- Schedule shifts, lunches, breaks and time off for optimum customer service
- Assist in training new employees
- Provide staff with on-going training through staff meetings
- Delegate duties to staff and review work for accuracy and understanding
- All the candidates must have computer knowledge & office application along with excellent Communication skills
- Salary & benefit will be as per the rules of bank
- Those candidates who have already banking experience can apply only one post higher from existing
- Only short-listed candidates shall be contacted for interview and/or further selection process
To Apply:
Interested candidates who fulfil above requirements for the positions are invited to mail their detailed & updated CV with an application letter and recent photographs within 15 days at email@example.com