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Government key projects
Prime Minister Juha Sipilä's Government's objectives were to bring the Finnish economy onto a path of sustainable growth and higher employment and to safeguard sufficient financial resources for public services and social protection.
With its five strategic priorities in the Government Programme, Sipilä's Government was taking steps to follow through with essential reforms. The strategic objectives were materialised in the form of 26 key projects. Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry were partly responsible for bioeconomy and clean solutions.
Bioeconomy and clean solutions
- Towards carbon-free, clean and renewable energy cost-efficiently
- Wood on the move and new products from forests
- Breakthrough of a circular economy, getting waters into good condition
- Finnish food production will be profitable, trade balance on the rise
- Nature policy based on trust and fair means

subset: commoncrawl


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|Key Figures
|Population 2021
|Change since 2016
|Employees 2021
|Change since 2016
|Trade Tax
|Property Tax A
|Property Tax B
The Trebur community with the districts of Hessenaue, Astheim and Geinsheim (Kornsand) is located directly at the Rhine. A close working relationship between agriculture and trade is characteristic of the town. Trebur made it its goal to, on the one hand, further its economic development with the merger of local commercial enterprises, and, on the other hand, provide serenity, nature, and work located nearby for people who consciously decide to live in a rural community. The emergence and expansion of commercial areas, company settlements, and company mentoring – these are the tasks that Wirtschaftberatung Trebur (WBT) has taken on. It operates on a volunteer basis and stands side-by-side with companies.
In 2007, the company Atotech purchased the local company Kunz GmbH and then came to Trebur-Geinsheim. Four years later, Atotech expanded and erected a new TechCenter. The company has developed the location into a global competence center for corrosion protection. Today, approx. 70 employees, including chemists, engineers, material scientists, laboratory assistants, and product managers, are working on the development of new, environmentally friendly surface-coating methods. Atotech is one of the world's leading providers of specialty chemicals and systems for the circuit board, chip carrier, and semiconductor industries, as well as decorative and functional surface finishing. The company earns 1.2 billion dollars per year (2017) and employs approx. 4000 workers in over 40 countries around the world. In 2022 Atotech became a part of MKS Instruments.
"Through the good connection to the Frankfurt/Main hub, our existing as well as potential customers can come to us at any time whenever necessary and learn about new products or seek our advice when faced with challenges."
Werner Mailinger, Site Manager
Trebur Atotech Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG
FLC Flowcastings GmbH manufactures complex turbine blades for low-emission industrial turbines and aircraft engines. The technology used is a globally unique, patented ceramic and wax fabrication of casting molds. This reduces the usual production time for conventional precision casting of more than a year down to eight weeks. The implementation takes place digitally, whereby the preliminary ceramic and wax products can be manufactured just as quickly as with 3D printing.


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We all strive for harmony…but does a harmonous life mean we will never have challenges?
Can you imagine how boring that would be? Life is always full of challenges, yeah, I know some of those challenges we can do without. Challenges help us grow, learn, and give us courage.
As women of a certain age, we become wise, and wisdom is something to cherish, it helps us to work through the challenges and not let them overwhelm us.
Working through the challenges, we learn to embrace and better understand life.
When you embrace the challenges and indulge with Bubbleaux, you find harmony in everything that comes your way.
My harmony blend is comforting, soothing, warm, inviting, and sure to please just about everyone on your list. Soak in a nice blend of warm milk and honey and enjoy a glass of wine. My Bubbleaux blend does not leave an oily residue so you don't have to worry about cleaning up after you relax and enjoy time with your sage.
Made with: Baking Soda, Citric Acid, Tapioca Starch, Buttermilk Powder, Coconut derived Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Jojoba Oil, Mango Butter, Cocoa Butter, Distilled Water, Isopropyl Alcohol, Fragrance Oil, and Mineral Color.
Customer Reviews
It was a day. I won't bore you with the details, but as a "sandwich generation" gal, I get it from both sides. When I slipped into my Courage Bubbleaux bath that night, the day truly seemed to slip away.
Harmony Bubbleaux
Bubbleaux is the best! Smells amazing, softens my hard water, and give a relaxing bath. My son and I fight over who gets to use it, it's that good! Pamper yourself and your family with Bubbleaux!
This was a huge hit with my grandson. He has sensitive skin and most bubble baths and bath fizzies aggravate his issues. Not Bubbleaux! He loves the bubbles and my daughter loves how soft his skin is after bath time


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The Ness of Brodgar excavations, managed by the UHI Archaeology Institute in conjunction with the Ness of Brodgar Trust, has been selected for a 2019 Shanghai Archaeology Forum Field Discovery Award.
The archaeological project was nominated for the award by members of the German Archaeological Institute and the University of Cambridge.
Founded in 2013, Shanghai Archaeology Forum is a global initiative dedicated to promoting the investigation, protection and utilization of the world's archaeological resources and heritage.
The biennial SAF Awards "recognize individuals and organizations that have achieved distinction through innovative, creative, and rigorous works relating to our human past, and have generated new knowledge that has particular relevance to the contemporary world and our common future.
It aims to promote excellence and innovation in archaeological research, advance public awareness and appreciation of archaeology, foster the protection and conservation of the world's archaeological resources and heritage, and encourage international collaboration and partnerships between scholars and others from different countries".
The Discovery Award, in particular, is made for archaeological excavations or surveys that have yielded major discoveries significantly furthering or even altering our knowledge of the human past, locally and/or globally.
This year a total of 141 nominations were received from the advisory members from every corner of the globe.
This number was whittled down to a shortlist of 40 projects. A total of 34 invited members from 18 different countries joined the selection committee to cast votes in the selection of 20 finalists, ten for each category (Field Discovery and Research Awards).
The site director Nick Card has received a fully funded invitation to the Forum in Shanghai, in December, to deliver a presentation and accept the award.
Commenting on the award, Nick said: "This is a huge accolade to the Ness and Orkney on the world stage. Congratulations to everyone involved: the students, volunteers, specialists and staff who have all contributed to this success – they deserve it!".


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More good student news! Nancy Perkins, director of Bakersfield College's Radiologic Technology program, emailed about Jason Haffner, who has done what no Bakersfield College student has done before: placed first in the Student Challenge at the Annual Conference of the Association of Collegiate Educators in Radiologic Technology. Nancy, tell us about it:
I am very pleased to announce that Jason Haffner, a sophomore student in the Associate in Science Radiologic Technology Program at Bakersfield College was the 1st place winner of the Student Challenge at the 39th Annual Conference of the Association of Collegiate Educators in Radiologic Technology (ACERT).
ACERT is an educational organization dedicated to improving the quality of education at the collegiate level in radiologic technology. ACERT held its annual meeting on February 5-7, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The annual meeting provides a forum for the exchange of ideas and information related to collegiate radiologic science education and health professions. As part of each annual meeting ACERT holds a Student Challenge which is a planned sample mock registry exam to prepare students for the licensure certification exam for the American Registry of Radiologic Technologist (ARRT). This year there were 387 students in attendance representing 43 community colleges and universities from across the United States. Nine radiologic technology second-year students and four faculty members represented Bakersfield College at the conference.
Jason was awarded a certificate of recognition as well as a monetary award for his superb efforts in the student challenge! Well done Jason! He began the Radiologic Technology Program in June 2012 and is scheduled to graduate in May 2014 with his Associate in Science Degree. Jason has excelled both academically in his program courses as well as learning and practicing the profession during his clinical education courses. Jason has applied himself to his academic preparation and in each course and comes well prepared by his studious attention to detail and learning the "right way" to work with patients effectively, compassionately and competently. Jason has been part of the cohort of radiography students participating in the Central California Community Colleges Committed to Change (C6) consortium grant that enhances student success through effective changes in teaching and learning within the radiography program. Following graduation, Jason will be taking his ARRT licensure examination and will be seeking employment within Kern County. His future plans include pursuing education in either computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Jason has also been dedicated to Bakersfield College with the BC archives project. Jason first worked with the archives project beginning in January 2009 as a student worker. He has since been promoted to the position of archives assistant helping our college celebrate and record the wonderful achievements of our 100 year-old institution.
Tagged: Bakersfield College, Jason Haffner, Nancy Perkins, Rad Tech, radiologic technology


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Eve's Art Shop - Dogs > People stickerRegular price $4.00 Save $-4.00
Dogs > people sticker These vinyl stickers can be put on a water bottle, mug, laptop, car- or anything you can think of! They are waterproof + weatherproof stickers are dishwasher safe! These stickers are 2.5 inches
Meet The Maker:
My name is Eve and I am a grad student, military wife, and fur mom to 2 dogs and a cat. I love binge-watching TV shows, going on hikes, and reading a good book.
I started my Etsy shop at the end of 2017 and I am so happy and humbled to be able to make personalized treasures for people. One of my greatest passions is making beautiful things through sculpting, painting, and graphic design. Every piece I make is so special to me, and it still amazes me that people across the world have something that I made for them in their houses!
Every day I think of new things for the future, & I cannot wait to see where it goes from here!


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Whenever anyone tells me that the ending to Steven Spielberg's 2001 science-fiction film A.I. Artificial Intelligence is a cop-out, or that it slaps a happy face on the harsher story that the project's originator, Stanley Kubrick, would've told, I think of Teddy. In the last 15 minutes of A.I., a super-advanced robot named David (played by Haley Joel Osment) asks a colony of even-more-advanced robots to create a cloned version of the woman who once took care of him, Monica (Frances O'Connor), and to program that clone with her personality and memories. David is told that this "Mommy" clone will only live a day, so the two of them have one perfect day together. Then, as Monica fades, David chooses to deactivate himself, freezing the moment forever. Beautiful? Sure. Sappy? Undoubtedly. But happy? Not really. If nothing else, the sentiment of that final shot of David and Monica is undercut by what enters into the frame right at the end: Teddy, David's semi-sentient toy bear, completely forgotten, and now permanently abandoned by his companion of the last 2000 years.
When A.I. was released in 2001, it drew a mixed critical response and middling box office (at least in the U.S.; it did very well overseas). Even now, the common complaint about A.I. is that Spielberg's sunny California sensibility is a mismatch for Kubrick's chilly cynicism, satisfying neither highbrow science-fiction fans, nor mainstream audiences. But the truth about what A.I. was meant to be—and what it actually is—doesn't separate so neatly.
Kubrick first began trying to adapt Brian Aldiss' 1969 short story "Super-Toys Last All Summer Long" in the 1970s, first with Aldiss as his writer, and then with Ian Watson. Kubrick reportedly kept delaying the film because he didn't think special-effects technology had advanced enough, but then he saw Jurassic Park in 1993, and decided that not only was the time right for A.I., but that Spielberg should be the one to make it. When Kubrick died unexpectedly in 1999 after making Eyes Wide Shut, Spielberg embarked on A.I. as a tribute to his friend, writing his own screenplay for the first time in decades, from the Watson treatment that Kubrick had previously approved. Spielberg has always waved off the argument that he scuttled Kubrick's original plans for A.I., noting that every major story beat—the ending included—came from Kubrick and Watson.
That said, A.I. does feel much more like a Spielberg film than one of Kubrick's. Spielberg has a few visual signatures—he does so love his shafts of light and shallow depths of field, for example—but there's also a busy rhythm to his work, dating back to his earliest studio films. Movies like Jaws and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind use overlapping dialogue as well as any non-Robert Altman 1970s Hollywood picture, creating an illusion of unstructured naturalism. The bustle of Spielberg's films differs from the spare precision of Kubrick, whose work is so controlled that the actors in his movies often come off as wooden. Spielberg seems to be consciously balancing his skills as a technician with elements that make his movies feel more lived-in and likable. He does this with the best of intentions: to make viewers feel more at ease. But as he's matured as a filmmaker, Spielberg has learned to take advantage of his welcoming vibe to deliver some unexpected jolts.
A.I. is one of Spielberg's joltiest movies. Some of the critics who panned it on first release assumed that this must've been a mistake, writing that film's jaggedness was surely the result of Spielberg trying and failing to smooth out Kubrick. On closer examination, though, there's no way A.I. couldn't have been exactly as shiny and serrated as it is.
A.I. is set in the future, in the wake of an ecological disaster that's forced the government to grant licenses to couples who want to have kids. When Monica's son Martin comes down with a crippling disease and lapses into a coma, her husband Henry tries to cheer her up by volunteering them to try out David, a new kind of "mecha" companion developed by his colleagues at Cybertronics. Monica slowly warms to David, but when Martin's health improves, David becomes an afterthought, tormented by Martin, who eventually goads David into misbehavior so severe that Monica abandons her robo-boy in the woods. David then begins a journey to become "real" that brings him into contact with a robot-torturing carny (Brendan Gleeson); a mecha-gigolo (Jude Law); his own creator, Professor Hobby (William Hurt); and eventually, after waiting through another ice age, his robot descendants (the leader of whom is voiced by Ben Kingsley, A.I.'s narrator).
Because A.I. is David's story, and because David was been programmed to be a wide-eyed innocent, Spielberg seems to have injected a sour story with sap, making it all about a naïve kid's quest for love—which David hopes he can find by locating the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio. But the film is studded with troubling moments that shake the fantasy. Throughout the film, David is far more creepy than cute, laughing too loud, "loving" too intensely, and trotting out his electronic tricks at inappropriate times—such as when he turns himself into a speaker for Monica's phone, right when she's getting the call that Martin has awakened. When David finally finds Professor Hobby, their reunion is waylaid when David wanders into an ominous room full of boxed-up "David" models. Even David's "happy ending" has a brief moment of discord, when he's recounting his adventures to Monica, and she gets a horrified expression that neither David nor the robot narrator acknowledge. These aren't examples of Spielberg losing control of the tone of A.I. This is the tone of A.I.
In short: A.I. wasn't the typical Steven Spielberg science-fiction/fantasy movie, made to warm hearts and move merchandise. Aside from the film itself, there was really only ever one A.I. product: a single, inexplicable toy.
I don't know whose bright idea it was to make a "Super Toy Teddy" doll. In an article published in Entertainment Weekly a week after A.I.'s release, producer Kathleen Kennedy explains that the studio marketing experts purposefully ruled out a line of A.I. action figures and playsets, because they didn't want the public to think the movie was for kids. Kennedy also talks up the Super Toy Teddy—"It's a very sophisticated robot"—that Hasbro was planning to release in October, months after the film's opening. A few days before the EW piece, USA Today ran a feature about Jack Angel, the voice of Teddy, who describes how he recorded all his lines for the film without being allowed to read any other part of the script, and how he was told to try and sound like Winnie The Pooh's Eeyore. ("But don't make him sound dumb.") He also mentions that during his recording sessions, he laid down the tracks for the toy Teddy.
Neither Angel nor Kennedy explains the reasoning behind making a toy aimed at preschoolers in conjunction with a PG-13 movie. Teddy is a memorable character in the movie, but he's hardly the kind of lovable scamp that kids would want to take home. He's something of a forlorn figure, Teddy: repairing himself because nobody else is going to; futilely warning David, "You will break," when David tries too hard to be human; and moving over the course of the film from the bottom of a box of unused toys to an underwater vehicle where he sits for thousands of years with a determined David. ("We are in a cage," Teddy mutters matter-of-factly, as their long wait begins.)
The Super Toy Teddy toy doesn't offer any such advice or sage comments. Press Teddy's tummy, and he utters various inanities, mostly having to do with being grumpy, being giggly, wanting to play, not wanting to play, and needing a hug. He also tells jokes. None of this—seriously, none—is adorable. It's all super-disturbing.
Maybe Super Toy Teddy never was meant for kids. Maybe the toy was always bound for the collectors' market. Today, they're so rare that I could't even find one for sale on eBay the last time I checked. Amazon has a few available from some of its retailing partners, ranging in price from $200 to $350. A page on Showbiz Shop offers a mint-in-box Teddy for nearly $800.
My own Super Toy Teddy didn't cost anywhere near that much. As I recall, it cost me around $50, back in 2001. I remember being stunned when I happened across one in a department store while I was out Christmas shopping, and I gave it to my wife Donna almost as a gag gift. We were still relatively young then: both in our early-to-mid-30s, married for five years, homeowners for two, and parents of a 3-month-old baby boy. We were still at a point in our lives where it didn't seem completely idiotic to throw away half a C-note on something kitschy and "cool." We were still at an age where that was pretty much our design aesthetic—setting up toys, posters, and games haphazardly around the house, as signifiers of what we liked.
I bought Super Toy Teddy as a joke, because A.I.—and the Teddy scene at the end—hit Donna and me pretty hard. She was about six months pregnant when we saw A.I., and the movie spoke to all our fears about having a kid. A.I. ticks the boxes of all the common parental anxieties. Monica isn't entirely sure what's safe or unsafe for David to do, or how to handle it when he malfunctions. She doesn't know how to answer when David asks if she's going to die someday, since she knows that thing she's programmed to bond with her will likely outlive her by centuries, and then what's he supposed to do? The "imprinting" process between Monica and David is so quick and half-considered—not unlike the moment of conception for many parents.
By the time Donna and I added a daughter to the family in 2004, most of our toys and games that once were mostly decorative had become just ordinary toys and games, to be played with by our kids for a while, then given away. Meanwhile, most of our posters had been taken down, and a good-sized chunk of my more collectible media sold off to help pay for unexpected home repairs and tax bills. We've always held on to Super Toy Teddy, though, and have never handed him down to either of our children. He's been up on a shelf in our master bedroom since 2001, getting dustier by the year.
This might be a reach, but I've come to think of A.I. as Spielberg "getting rid of his toys." The movie slips in sly visual and thematic references to past Spielberg blockbusters: There's an E.T. moon hanging in the background of more than one scene, multiple Close Encounters silhouettes, and a Jurassic Park-like debate about the moral responsibilities of scientists. Also, at one point, David listens to Monica read a story to Martin while partially blocking a piece of art so only the words "because I could" are visible—another callback to Jurassic Park, perhaps. Spielberg made several "mature" films before A.I., but this one at times seems almost like a direct indictment of his earlier inclinations toward juvenilia.
Spielberg did have a remarkably creative and productive half-decade following A.I. Aside from The Terminal (an interesting failure), every movie he made in the first five years of the 2000s is essential viewing. A.I., Minority Report, Catch Me If You Can, War Of The Worlds, and Munich—all are great in my book. Spielberg only hit a serious roadblock when he revisited his youth with his old friend George Lucas for Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. He's recovered well since then with three consecutive good films (The Adventures Of Tintin, War Horse, and Lincoln), but I don't think any of those are on the same level as his early-2000s work.
A.I. in particular still strikes me as a masterpiece. I thought it might be back in 2001; now I'm certain of it. But it isn't any easier to watch in 2014 than it was before my first child was born. Like a lot of Spielberg's films—even the earlier crowd-pleasers—A.I. is a pointed critique of human selfishness, and our tendency to assert our will and make bold, world-changing moves, with only passing regard for the long-term consequences. Spielberg carries this theme of misguided self-absorption to child-rearing, implying that parents program their kids to be cute love machines, unable to cope with the harshness of the real world. He also questions whether humankind is nothing but flesh-based technology, which emerged from the primordial ooze (represented in the opening shot of A.I. by a roiling ocean), and has been trained over millennia to respond to stimuli in socially appropriate ways. A.I. blurs the lines between human and mecha frequently, from an early shot of Monica that makes her look exactly like one of Professor Hobby's creations, to the way Martin walks, thanks to mechanical legs.
This notion of humans as machines resonates with me because my son is on the autistic spectrum. We had no idea back when we watched A.I. in 2001 that part of our parenting duties would one day involve making our child understand what certain facial expressions mean. Privately, my wife and I call our son "Robot Boy," referencing both a Guided By Voices song and A.I. But I'm not sure that raising an autistic child makes us any more attuned than most mothers and fathers to how much parenting is like programming—and how inadequate that programming can be. It's brutal to watch A.I. and see Monica feed fairy tales to David before cutting him loose with a feeble, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the world." It's even more painful to know that if David needs a model for what life might be like on his own, he can look to Teddy, who's self-sufficient, but lonely. The harshest lesson of A.I.—and one Spielberg doesn't flinch from—is that inevitably, the Davids and Teddys are left to fend for themselves, armed with whatever half-considered advice and parables adults have thrown at them over the years. And that's the hell of it.
Next month: The Lego Movie Cloud Cuckoo Palace Lego set.


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Starz Working on New Netflix Deal
I have mixed feelings when I read a piece like that. Glass half empty says that prices will go up and Starz will try to corner Netflix into paying a lot. But here's an interesting quote that I'm sure isn't missed by the smart folks at Starz–subscriptions have actually gone UP. Go figure, when people see the GOOD programming that […]Read more


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Candice Breitz: Working Class Hero (A Portrait of John Lennon)10 October 2006 – 28 January 2007
10 October 2006 - 27 January 2007
During a recent residency at BALTIC, artist Candice Breitz invited a diverse community of dedicated John Lennon fans to pay tribute to their hero in a recording studio in Newcastle upon Tyne. Each fan was given the opportunity to re-perform Lennon's first solo album Plastic Ono Band (1970), from beginning to end. The resulting video installation, with a looping duration of 39 minutes and 55 seconds (matching the length of the original album), will be displayed on 25 plasma screens that are staggered spirally around BALTIC's seven-story-high public stairway. Each 42" plasma screen is dedicated to one fan's idiosyncratic re-performance of the howling and cathartic songs on Plastic Ono Band, an album that explores the traumas of Lennon's childhood (isolation, abandonment and death), and which was made parallel to Lennon and Yoko Ono undergoing intense Primal Therapy with Dr. Arthur Janov.


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Mckenna requested sunglasses from her BFF for her Birthday, well they couldn't find any, but got her some fashion glasses that she LOVES.
They actually are pretty stinkin' cute on her!
This lovely get-up is brought to you by Mckenna. Nothing says "I'm ready to lounge around the house" like a sweatshirt, bloomers, knee high socks and slipper boots.
Mckenna's preschool had the fire department out. Can you spot Mckenna?
Snuggles in bed with daddy are the BEST!
Some friends of ours got Mckenna a kit where you watch caterpillars become butterflies. We sit looking at the caterpillars a lot...although Mckenna is starting to get eager for them to be butterflies.
We went to a Halloween-themed hot air balloon fair over the week. Mckenna didn't come with us, but tinkerbell did ;-)
Daddy and Tinkerbell
Mckenna...I mean Tinkerbell was as excited and happy as she looks in this picture!
Family shot
Family shot with the hot air balloons, and a stranger...or 3.


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Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Citi Prestige Card
For first timers in Argentina's capital, it's often love at first sight. There is a reason Buenos Aires has been called the Paris of South America, after all. The melting pot of immigrants inspired the city's wide range of architecture, from downtown's Spanish colonial-style former Jesuit mission, Manzana de las Luces, to the Art Deco Kavanagh building, Latin America's tallest skyscraper when it was built back in 1936.
The sprawling city spans 78 square miles and is home to 38 barrios, or neighborhoods, from cobblestoned San Telmo, one of the oldest that's known for its tango and arts scene, to the newer Puerto Madero along the canal, with warehouses that have been converted into hip bars and restaurants. With a favorable exchange rate of $1 to 15.1 Pesos, and the elimination of the $160 visa fee, it's a great time to plan a trip to the capital city. Here's a guide on how to use your points and miles for your next trip to Buenos Aires.
Getting There
Buenos Aires is home to two airports: Jorge Newbery Airport (AEP), serving many domestic flights and neighboring countries, and Ministro Pistarini International Airport (EZE), catering to the majority of international and long-haul flights. American Airlines operates nonstop flights to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Miami (MIA) New York (JFK), and Oneworld partners like LATAM Airlines also offer service from MIA. Round-trip flights in economy range from 40,000-60,000 miles, while round-trip in business class requires 115,000 miles.
Delta offers a daily nonstop flight from Atlanta (ATL) to Buenos Aires with award travel starting at 30,000 miles one-way in economy, or 75,000 one-way in business. On United, travelers can book nonstop flights to EZE from Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), with round-trip in economy starting at 60,000 miles and business-class seats starting at 110,000.
For the ins and outs of booking tickets to Buenos Aires using miles, see How to Book Award Travel to Buenos Aires.
Getting Around
From Ministro Pistarini International Airport, it takes about 50 minutes to reach the center of Buenos Aires, depending on traffic (which is notoriously bad in the evenings). Tienda León operates a bus service that runs from the airport to Puerto Madero and costs about $13 each way. You can purchase tickets online or at the airport.
From Terminal C, you can hop on the ArBus shuttle that heads into the Palermo neighborhood, leaving every 30 minutes from 6:30am until midnight. One-way tickets are about $2 and can be purchased in the Arrivals terminal at the airport or online.
There's also the option of a taxi, which you can order at one of the white Taxi Ezeiza stands inside the airport. A taxi ride costs about $30.
Once you're in Buenos Aires, you can explore the city a number of ways. With over 80 miles of bike paths and 90 free bike rental stations spread across town, cycling is one option (although if you're not familiar with the roads and traffic, this may be a bit intimidating at times).
Neighborhoods like Telmo, Palermo Viejo and Soho, Recoleta and Balvanera, as well as the central downtown area, are easy to explore by foot thanks to the increasing number of pedestrianized streets. One of the quickest ways to jet across town is the Subte, or underground train network, one of Latin America's oldest. Buy a rechargeable SUBE card at post offices, kioskos (or corner shops), or at one of eight Tourist Assistance Centers. Trains run every 10 minutes, and trips are only 4.5 Pesos (or $0.30). SUBE cards can also be used on the ArBus shuttle from the airport.
Where to Stay
IHG features a number of properties for all styles and budgets spread throughout the city and even near the airport. The 114-room Holiday Inn Buenos Aires Ezeiza Airport is just 10 minutes from the airport and offers a comfortable, upscale stay with gourmet grilled fare at its traditional Argentinean eatery, El Mangrullo. Rates start at $126 or 20,000 points per night. In historic Monserrat, meanwhile, you'll find the regal InterContinental Buenos Aires, a five-star hotel with 309 rooms, two restaurants and a health club with an indoor pool and spa. Rates are from $220 or 30,000 points per night. If you're in need of IHG points, you could sign up for the IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card and earn 60,000 points after you spend $1,000 in the first three months. This card has a $49 fee that's waived the first year.
Park Tower, A Luxury Collection Hotel is another five-star spot in the city center, located near many of the museums and theaters, with 181 rooms showing off sweeping views of the river or skyline. Rates are from $368 or 16,000 Starpoints per night. To boost your SPG balance, you might consider the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express(with a $95 annual fee that's waived the first year), which is currently offering a sign-up bonus of 25,000 points after you spend $3,000 in the first three months. You can also transfer points from Marriott at a 3:1 ratio.
If you're able to find a decent cash rate at one of these hotels or another property in Buenos Aires, it could be worth paying with the Citi Prestige Card ($450 annual fee), which is currently offering a sign-up bonus of 40,000 points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months. With this card, you'll get a fourth night free when you book your stay through the Citi concierge.
What to Do
Dinner and a Show — One of the highlights of a trip to Argentina is tango, best served alongside local wine and steak. Take a seat in a restored 19th-century home that's been converted into restaurant and performance venue El Querandi, located in the city's Old Town. The show makes its way through tango's five historical moments from the late-19th-century immigrant arrival to the modernism of the 1950s, performed to the beat of Ado Falasco's orchestra.
Bike Around Town — Hop on a bike and tour a more off-beat side of Buenos Aires on Biking Buenos Aires' Hidden Graffiti & Urban Art Tour, which crisscrosses through the neighborhoods of San Telmo, Monserrat, La Boca and Barracas for a look at why the city is considered one of the world capitals of street art. When you wrap up the tour, head back to the bike center for a speakeasy-style wine pairing with local cheese and homemade treats.
Cook Like a Local — While some cooking courses can be cheesy, The Argentine Experience takes on a more Latin American approach, teaching the class in dinner party form. While sipping on Malbec, you'll learn how to prep local faves like empanadas and alfajores cookies with the help of a team of chefs who'll show a few tricks and tips on perfecting these classics.
For more trip ideas, see Destination of the Week: Buenos Aires, Argentina.
What are some of your favorite things to see and do in Buenos Aires? Share with us in the comments below.


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ST. PAUL, MN – This week, two bills aimed at supporting the agriculture industry, as it faces increased regulation by the Dayton administration, were approved by the Minnesota House Agriculture Policy Committee. Both pieces of legislation are authored by Representative Jeff Backer (R-Browns Valley).
"Governor Dayton and his administration have proven time and again that they are no friends of farmers and the agriculture industry with their seemingly constant pursuit of unnecessary and burdensome regulations," said Rep. Backer. "Rural Minnesotans understand the crucial role agriculture plays not only in the economic vitality of our region, but also its cultural importance. The industry at large is already facing financial challenges with low commodity prices and the rising costs of inputs. These regulations only serve to make farmers' jobs more difficult, when many are already struggling."
House File 3441 prevents the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) from enforcing excessively punitive "fugitive dust emission rules" on temporary grain storage bins at commodity facilities, which are used to hold excess grain during the peak of harvest season.
House File 2887 prevents the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) from adopting mandatory rules, or "water resource protection requirements," for nitrogen fertilizer unless the proposed requirements are specifically ratified, by law, by the House and Senate.
"I look forward to continuing my work with farmers and other stakeholder to ensure that farming remains strong and prosperous in Minnesota," said Backer.


text: From: firstname.lastname@example.com (Bart Bobbitt) Subject: Re: Location of the gas port. Organization: Hewlett-Packard Fort Collins Site Accuracy tests with M1 rifles in the 1960s proved the gas port should be in the groove if accuracy is the first objective. When the port is on a land, the flash caused by drilling the hole tends to scrape off bullet jacket material thereby further unbalancing the bullet. Bullets ride the lands, or bore diameter. Top-quality barrel makers have known this for many years. The lands need to be very uniform in both shape, bore diameter (top of one land across the bore to the top of the opposite land, or that same plane in 3 or 5 groove barrels) for minimum bullet deformation or unbalance. Groove diameter is a tad less important, but still needs to be very uniform. When a tiny flaw, such as the near microscopic flash from drilling a gas port, is in the groove, the amount of bullet jacket tear is virtually zero. The bullet is not unbalanced enough to be detected. If the gas port is drilled in such a way in the groove that its inside edge is too rough, then enough bullet jacket material will be scraped off and the bullet will not shoot accurately. This tends to be the cause of inaccuracy in many rebarreled gas-operated service rifles; both M1s and M14/1As. Properly set up on a relief-grooved mandrel, the barrel is held in a drill press or vertical mill aligning the groove to the drill bit. After the initial hole is drilled, it is reamed or redrilled to the required diameter. With tood tooling, no additional smoothing of the hole in the land need be done. BB


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There are several versions of The Women's Health Protocol Story depending on where you were at the time of its development. There are many perspectives…
How It Started…
A Request in Class
While Missy Grace Oleaga and I were co-teaching a Clinical Acupressure 2: Meridians Class with Susan Grant in Wilmington, North Carolina, in a hospital, which sponsored the program for its nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists and massage therapists, a student came to Missy Grace asking for acupoints applicable for women's breast health as she had to teach a segment on breast health the next evening at a hospital. The student showed up for her class on women's breast health and discovered that it was really on Women's Health. Missy Grace got an intuitive hit that we needed to pursue this request and need.
We all started to make suggestions, "the Spleen acupoints for blood"…and such. I opened the question to the Soul Lightening Community for input. Alvina wrote to Dr. Aminah Raheem (the originator of Soul Lightening Acupressure) , Leah Matalon, Angelique Priscilla and Betsey Baker, senior teachers, and others who gave their ideas of which acupoints would be beneficial to woman's health.
So, we started with a question. Gathered some data. Arrived with books. A lot of books!!! Yet we didn't need a one. Not a one. As you will hear.
Travel Ensued
Several months later, Alvina Quatrano, Missy Grace Oleaga and Cathy Miller met one weekend at St. Micheals, MD, a sleepy fishing village on the Chesapeake Bay, Eastern Shore of Maryland near to where Cathy Miller (former President of Soul Lightening International) lived. We arrived to a quiet motel situated by the Bay at the turn of spring. The back of the car was piled with texts. Each woman carried her sworn texts on the subject — there were piles of books — no two alike. We thought we'd be hunkered down all weekend delving through those books, pouring through, discovering secrets of the ultimate healing potion for women's health.
That's not what happened.
Alvina had left her Ocean Grove, N.J. home to pick up Grace in PA on the way to meet Cathy in St Michaels, MD. Grace and Alvina met Cathy and they all trundled their books into the motel room. After the long trip in the car Alvina used the bathroom ("the loo" British friends say, "the head" the sailors say) and when she came out of the bathroom Cathy was on the massage table set up between the beds, surrounded by piles of books and Missy Grace was moving around her. "Are you guys???"… and they never stopped.
I (Alvina) grabbed a pad and pen and started writing but Missy Grace said, "We remember it." They moved easily from one set of points to another as though spiritually guided. They were spiritually guided. We all tapped into the spiritual guidance, checking in to our experience of how the points felt and adding suggestions along the way. And, before we knew it it was done. The Women's Health Acupressure Protocol.
Forty minutes after arriving to St. Michaels, MD for a studious weekend we had finished the protocol. We were annoyed, elated, shocked, a little confused, grateful and happy. We now had vacation time in this beautiful location, not indoor study time as we had anticipated.
We practiced the protocol to be sure and we were sure.
And Then…
After the weekend, we brought the protocol to our teachers Dr. Aminah Raheem, the originator of Soul Lightening Acupressure and Susan Grant, the developer of The Clinical Acupressure Program. They tested The Women's Health Protocol and made decisions about what we gave them.
It was/is a very powerful protocol. Aminah wasn't ready to let us teach it yet, for a long time. She wasn't ready to grant the whole community to teach it but we developers could teach it if we wanted. And so we taught The Women's Health Protocol for many years on our own as a one-day class (8 hours).
Finally, 20 years later Cathy Miller who was by now the President of Soul Lightening Int'l and also the Graphics Designer, was redesigning the Clinical Acupressure Manual, which has 75 protocols in it, asked Dr. Raheem if she could add the Women's Health Protocol to it. And she said yes!
In 2021 there were several versions of the WHP. Alvina and Grace like to use the original. Since that original time, Cathy Miller has developed Clinical Acupressure 3: Extraordinary Vessels — Lineage Material (which many say should actually have been CA 1 because it's what the work is based upon — what goes around comes around) and she realized that the Master Points for the Chong Mai Meridian work well to support the original WHP, and so, that sequence was added as an option to the beginning of the protocol. Subsequently, the manual size and style changed, so, several versions of the Women's Health Protocol exist as it has been explored over the years.
Join us as we present the new Self-Care Version of the Women's Health Protocol that we created for us to present on Zoom during the COVID19 Pandemic. We also teach a longer version for Soul Lightening International Acupressure Certified Practitioners to offer for others.


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Death Note is a complex series that has been written about…a few times here. For those who know nothing of the series, here's brief summary: Shinigami or "gods of death" have journals called death notes. When a person's name is written in the book, they die. There are more rules than that about the book's use, but that is the basic premise. In the original series, a teenage boy obtains a book from a Shinigami (Ryuk) and decides to use it to create his own world order. The original series follows the rise and fall of "Kira."
This one-shot picks up in the same world that the last series left off. Ryuk has come back to earth looking for apples. He drops his Death Note on a new, smart teenager named Minoru Tanaka, who immediately comes up with a plan on what to do with it. He asks Ryuk to return a few years later to implement his plan.
Upon Ryuk's return, Tanaka says he is going to sell the power of Kira with Ryuk's help. The one-shot then follows the attempted sale, how the people (and their governments) respond to this, and how it impacts everyday life.
The story is jam packed with fascinating moments from both old and new characters. It keeps you going page after page just to see what will happen next. There's even a sub-plot where the second L is trying to find this new "Kira" who's selling off the power. Seeing them again and how they respond is fascinating to behold.
While similar to the original Kira, in many other ways Tanaka is nothing him. The biggest divergence comes as he clearly does not want to kill. He does not care about changing the world; he seems to just want to survive. Selling the death note is a simple way to do so. Yet, the morality of such a powerful object in the hands of the highest bidder is incredibly questionable. Tanaka does not seem to care, merely using it as a tool for survival without even truly using said tool.
The story's rises and falls are fascinating to behold and worth checking out. If you like the original, this is a must read. However, if you never read the original series, I'd avoid it. The previous series (manga or anime) is required reading as without the knowledge of the world setting and previous characters, you are likely to quickly become lost in this setting.
The original team behind Death Note comes back for a one-shot set in the same world. The chapter raises new questions about the morality of selling the ultimate weapon. Fans of the original Death Note series should absolutely check it out. Those who are unfamiliar with the source material should not, as it requires a full knowledge of the original series in order to enjoy it.
Overall Rating: A
Art: A — Excellent artwork. Ryuk is as horrific as I remember him from the original series and the character designs are, as with the original, just utterly cool.
Characters: A — The old characters are true to form and the new characters are fascinating to meet. Also, some real world leaders were included in the story—watching them react to the concept/power of the death note is so interesting.
Continuity: A — This story picks up where the original left off in a good way. It does not in any way conflict with the original series, only expanding upon it. However, new readers who know nothing of Death Note would be better off avoiding this altogether.
Story: A+ — The story is where this shines. I loved every moment of it as it takes on the real world ramifications of what would happen if an ultimate weapon was sold at auction. The reactions of world leaders and the average people on the street felt genuine and accurate. I truly enjoyed this story. However, as I noted a few time already, those who are not already knowledgeable about the original series may not enjoy this as much.
Death Note (2020) one-shot can be read at Shonen Jump.
- A Farewell to Dr. STONE - 03.07.2022
- Newman's Nook: Bakuman and Women - 01.28.2022
- Manga Review: Fist of the North Star, Volume 2 - 11.23.2021


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Twitter Suspends Fake Boston Marathon Account Promising Donations To Victims
(CBS13) - First responders were not the only ones to quickly act Monday after the tragic explosions at the annual Boston Marathon -- scammers were as well.
Twitter has suspended a fake Boston Marathon account (@_BostonMarathon) asking for re-tweets. And in exchange, it says it would make a $1 donation to the victims of Monday's explosions. The real Boston Marathon account is @BostonMarathon.
The fake account received more than 50,000 re-tweets and was favored more than 800 times before the microblogging website suspended the account.
Around 2:50 p.m., two bombs exploded near the finish line of the famous race, killing several people and hurting more than 100 others.
CBS13 reached out to Twitter for comment but did not receive a response.
Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.
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Cayman has a decent selection of electronic stores, and has always been a fabulous destination for purchasing cameras.
Cayman has been keeping up with the technological advancements and most products can be sourced right on Islands.
The stores in Cayman offer top quality electronics and camera. They are also authorised dealers for popular brands, such as Bang & Olufsen, Sonos, Apple and Savant.
The benefit of purchasing on Islands is that you are protected by your warranty if anything happens.
Home Automation
Find electronics stores in Cayman, including home entertainment, home automation, theatre systems and much more from these Cayman Islands retailers!
Cameras & Photographic Equipment
Capture all your favourite moments. List of companies in the Cayman Islands that sell a range of cameras and photographic equipment.
Computers & Peripherals
List of companies in the Cayman Islands that sell a range of computers & peripherals. Brands available include HP, Lenovo, Apple and much more.
Office Supplies & Equipment
Find office supplies and equipment companies in Grand Cayman that sell Apple products, laptops, printers, toners, printer cartridges and offer IT services.


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Silent Hill: Origins was originally released on the Playstation Portable, before later being released on the Playstation 2, and is one of the best horror titles on the PSP device.
A prequel to the original Silent Hill, released on the Playstation in 1999, Silent Hill: Origins takes place several years before the events of the first game. The player takes on the role of Travis Grady, a truck driver with a troubled past who suffers from nightmares, as he searches through the eponymous town looking for information about a girl that he rescues from a burning house.
Using the third person perspective and fixed camera angles that are a staple of the series, Silent Hill: Origins follows many of the conventions and gameplay of the past games, though it manages to introduce some new and interesting features.
The set-up for Silent Hill: Origins does feel somewhat lacking to begin with. Unlike previous protagonists, such as James Sunderland or Heather Mason, Travis doesn't have a personal reason to come to Silent Hill. There's nothing driving him towards the town. He simply passes by in his role as a truck driver.
Thankfully the story does develop from what could be considered a weak beginning to become quite involved with the overarching narrative. Going on to interact with Alessa Gilespie, her mother Dahlia Gilespie, Michael Kaufmann, and Lisa Garland, Travis plays an important role in the series mythology, collecting together pieces of an ancient artefact, the Flauros, that allows Alessa to split her soul and manifest that half of her spirit into a newborn baby. As fans of the series will realise, this baby would go on to become Cheryl, the daughter of Harry Mason, the protagonist for the first game.
Perhaps it's this connection to the larger mythology that makes makes Silent Hill: Origins one of the more successful newer entries. Whilst other games such as Homecoming and Downpour were set in and around Silent Hill, they felt like more separate and contained stories; ones that didn't really make up part of the overall narrative, which is something that Silent Hill: Origins manages to do well.
The game also included many new additions to the gameplay, one that worked well to craft a new Silent Hill experience, whilst still staying true to the spirit of the franchise. The game moved away from the combat heavy focus of the initial design, which was poorly received by critics, and shifted to include more puzzles and exploration.
With the new puzzles requiring players to explore all the areas carefully (including the ghastly otherworld), the game forced you to slow down and take your time; a choice that increased the tension. Silent Hill: Origins also allowed players to shift between the real world and the otherworld at will, simply by touching mirrors placed around the environments. This was the first time the series allowed players to do this. Rather than removing fear of the otherworld, it actually forced players to travel to the nightmarish landscape in order to progress the story.
Origins also introduced a limited-use melee weapon system, allowing the player to pick up a huge variety of weapons from around the environments, including hospital drip stands and televisions. Where previous games in the franchise allowed you to use melee weapons indefinitely, here they would wear down and break over time, with some only giving you a single use before they were damaged beyond repair. This forced you to scavenge for weapons and resources, and to plan your combat before jumping in, weighing up your options carefully. Instead of making the game frustrating, this made the survival element of the survival horror genre all the more prominent. There was always the fear that you could run out of weapons at any point during an enemy encounter, especially against bosses, that meant that even the weakest opponent could pose a threat.
Silent Hill: Origins is one of the last good entries into the series; one that focused on the mythology of the series and introduced some new elements to the gameplay that forced players to deal with the game in a new way. A great addition to the Silent Hill franchise, and one of the best horror games on the PSP.


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ABP World Group is a Global Security and Child Recovery Organization
About Our Services:
ABP World Group provides a wide range of services. Our staff has experience from law enforcement, intelligence, police, healthcare as well as from the security industry. All personnel working for ABP are thoroughly screened prior to employment.


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France, Partyka Shine in Singles at Para-Table Tennis Euros26 Oct 2011 By IPC
While Poland's Natalia Partyka concluded the Para-Table Tennis European Championships without losing a single game, it was the French delegation that walked away with the most gold medals in the single competition on Monday (24 October) in Split, Croatia.
France's Thu Kamkasomphou beat Germany's Julian Wolf in straight games in the finals to secure gold in the women's Class 8.
"Being the favourite is not as easy as it may seem, being world No. 1, everybody expected a lot from me," Kamkasomphou told the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
"That's why I think that strong mindedness was key to this success."
France picked up its other three golds on the men's side, where Maxime Thomas edged teammate Emeric Martin in the Class 3 finals, Stephane Molliens won Class 2 and Nicolas Savant Aira came out on top in Class 5.
Meanwhile, Partyka's predicted domination took place in the women's Class 10, as she beat Turkey's Umran Eertis in a one-way final.
Sweden clinched three gold medals, as Anne-Carin Alquist (women's Class 3), Ingela Lundback (women's Class 4-5) and Emil Andersson (men's Class 8) all won their respective divisions.
In the men's Class 7, Great Britain's Will Bailey won the crown after edging the world's top-ranked Ukranian Mykaylo Popov.
Yuliya Klymenko won an all-Ukranian encounter in the women's Class 6 finals, defeating teammate Antonina Khodzynska for the gold.
The Championships will now resume Wednesday with the team competition.


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Demi Lovato gave fans a surprise sneak peek at the new music she's been working on.
In a short Instagram Story clip, Demi sits in a car while grooving to one of her brand-new songs off her upcoming seventh studio album.
We hear her singing lyrics that seem taken straight from her own experiences with relationships and sobriety: "I know I made it hard for you/And I owe my part, I'll tell the truth/You said that it'd be over/If I didn't get sober/ Sober."
Demi used a GIF of a teapot in the Story, indicating she was giving fans some tea. She captioned the video "#D7."
Demi's new album, the follow-up to 2017's Tell Me You Love Me, has yet to be officially announced. It will be her first collection of new music since her near-fatal overdose in 2018.
By Andrea Tuccillo
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Demi Lovato showed a preview of a new song #D7
— Demi Lovato Charts (@chartdlovato) August 11, 2020


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We've got another year before The Amazing Spider-Man comes to movie theaters, but the first trailer has just appeared on the Web.
The Amazing Spider-Man has been one of those reboots that a lot of fans haven't been too sure about, especially after the mess of Spider-Man 3. However, the first teaser trailer for the film is now out, and it certainly looks promising, though it features an awful lot of Peter Parker moping about and not very much of Spider-Man being Spider-Man, doing whatever a spider can.
Based on the lengthy teaser-trailer, this is going to be a much darker and more "realistic"-looking film than Sam Raimi's trilogy was. It also seems to be downplaying Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) as a sensitive super nerd and instead focuses on how he's a lonely outcast who just wants to be loved by Gwen Stacy (played by Emma Stone). Oh, and apparently when he gets his powers he starts spinning webs out of the back of his neck or something (wait… what?). Other than that, there's really not much else, but we do get some glimpses of Aunt May and Uncle Ben, as well as Kurt Conners (AKA The Lizard). At the very end of the trailer, we get to see some first-person perspective of Spidey in action, which is probably going to appear in the movie to make the 3D experience all the more intense.
Actually, this doesn't look too bad so far. The art style looks pretty decent, the cast of actors certainly seems great, and Marc Webb's 500 Days of Summer was an excellent movie. The only thing I'm worried about right now is if EA is going to sue Sony for ripping off Mirror's Edge so blatantly in that last segment.


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Lima, Cusco, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu
Welcome to Lima.
Upon arrival you will be assisted at the Lima airport and then transferred to your hotel.
You will have free time to rest.
Accommodation at selected hotel in Lima.
Meals included: None.
Lima City Tour: Historical Center, Santo Domingo Convent and Larco Museum (Half-day tour)
You will visit the modern and colonial parts of Lima, known as The City of Kings, starting at the districts of Miraflores and San Isidro, and passing along a "huaca" or sacred pre-Inca site, before heading to the Historic Center. There, you will walk along some of the most historically important streets of the city, leading to the Plaza de Armas, where you will have some time to take pictures of the amazing colonial architecture that surrounds it. You will also have the chance to take a peek into an iconic building, that has served Lima's citizens for centuries and continues to be an important landmark. Then you will visit the impressive Convent of Santo Domingo, an astonishing building with colonial style. After exploring the Historical Center, you will head towards the Larco Museum, which houses the incomparable Treasures of Ancient Peru private collection.
** La Casa de La Literatura closed on Mondays: visit to be replaced
Accommodation at selected hotel in Lima.
Meals included: Breakfast.
Welcome to Cusco.
Upon arrival you will be assisted at the Cusco airport and then transferred to your hotel.
***recommended flight that arrives before 11am to Cusco.
You will have the morning free to rest.
13:00 Cusco City Tour: San Pedro market, Korikancha Temple, Cathedral, Sacsayhuamán, Kenko
You will visit the city of Cusco, known as the Imperial City and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Here you will start your tour at the iconic San Pedro market, a local market where you can explore the colors, flavors and traditions of modern Cusco. The visit continues with the Koricancha Temple, an ancient Inca palace and cult center of the Sun God, above which the order of the Dominicans built a church, which remains standing to this day. You will continue ascending to the Fortress of Sacsayhuaman, an impressive example of Inca military architecture. Afterwards, you will explore Q'enqo archeological site, where important Inca ceremonies took place. Finally, you will arrive to the Plaza de Armas (main square), where you will visit the Cathedral, the most important temple in the city.
Accommodation at selected hotel in Cusco.
Meals included: Breakfast.
Essence of the Sacred Valley: Chinchero, Textile Session and Ollantaytambo (Full-day tour)
You will visit Chinchero, a small and picturesque town that houses an important Inca archaeological center built at the end of the 15th century, as well as a beautiful and traditional church. Then you will visit the home of a local family where you can appreciate how they have preserved the traditional Andean spinning and weaving techniques and where they will also show you how they get the bright colors for their looms naturally. Then, on the way to Ollantaytambo, you will stop at the Racchi viewpoint, where you will have some of the best views of the Sacred Valley. Afterwards, lunch will be served at a local restaurant. Continue to Ollantaytambo, one of the most representative architectural complexes of the ancient Inca Empire and one of the few places where the Spanish conquerors lost an important battle. Well known for its platforms, Ollantaytambo was a very effective fortress that also served as a temple. Finally, continue to the town of Ollantaytambo, known as "the only living Inca city"; It is the best existing example of Inca urban planning, with stone streets that have been inhabited since the 12th century.
Accommodation at selected hotel in the Sacred Valley.
Meals included: Breakfast and Lunch.
Machu Picchu Tour with Voyager or Expedition Train round-trip (Full-day tour)
Early in the morning you will be transferred to the train station. You will visit one of the world's most famous landmarks: the citadel of Machu Picchu. The excursion begins on board the train. Upon your arrival in Aguas Calientes, you will begin your ascent to Machu Picchu, where, surely, you will live one of the most unforgettable experiences. Once there, you can walk through every corner of one of the Seven Wonders of the world, accompanied by an expert guide, and enjoy free time to explore the area. At the appropriate time, you will descend to the town of Aguas Calientes and later board the return train to Cusco, via the Ollantaytambo station. Upon your arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel.
Accommodation at selected hotel in Cusco.
Meals included: Breakfast and Lunch.
At the scheduled time, you will be transferred to the Lima airport to board your flight.
Meals included: Breakfast.


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Education is a matter of building bridges. Tell me, how are you educating people about your organization? Wouldn't it be great to build bridges, which lead to paving the road for financial success? It can happen. And, you know your organization better than anyone else. Teach people what you know. Then, connect them with your mission and bridge the gap.
When you think back to your days in school you may not remember the techniques your teachers used. Personally, I don't. The thing I do remember is this, and I paraphrase, "Knowledge is not needing to know everything, it's knowing where to look to find the things you need."
Google found the following steps on how to teach others. I've added the definitions:
- Exposure – Share your message with others by adding it into friendly conversation
- Application – Offer opportunities
- Feedback – Accept what people say and see things from their perspective. Their feedback allows for #4
- Correction – Respect your program and appreciate the need for adjustments/course corrections to make it better
- Repeat steps 2-4 until…
- Mastery!
Upon reaching mastery you have built a bridge with the people you have shared your program with or exposed it to. They are now involved as a builder. You've accepted their participation level and now, it is time to respect and thank them. In the end the program will SOAR because it is built in. Can you see how BOLDLY you can stand out above the rest? Have fun teaching and bridging the gap.


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By now many, if not all of you have heard the news about Warrior Dash.
If you haven't its probably because you live under a rock or off the grid. Which if that's the case you probably won't be reading this op ed anyway.
To recap as of Tuesday, July 30th at 5 pm CST Warrior Dash ceased to exist. It has gone to the big mud pit in the sky where it can frolic and play with Battle Frog. To say the OCR community was blindsided is an understatement. While you tend to hear the occasional chatter about a company possibly going under or one company buying another, it all ends up for the most part being chatter.
We here at Mud Run Guide began hearing chatter about Warrior Dash early Wednesday morning. While my cohorts and I balanced our full-time jobs while frantically tracking down and verifying credible sources to get the story out to the community quickly and accurately, I began to ask myself the following: How did this happen? How did we get here? How did a beloved race company like Warrior Dash, t
hat has been around since the dawn of time and forged from Valerian steel sustain the last ten years all of a sudden go belly up? I know for a fact it wasn't due to the extra large turkey legs.
I think the easy way to look at this is through the corporate lens. Profit and losses, price points, TPS reports, participation, blah blah blah. However, I'm not one to take the easy road. That's why we do OCR right? Because it symbolizes all of life's challenges am I right? No, just me…?
I began to think, how can we as athletes support our own community?
As I was scrolling through the Facespace newsfeed I stumbled upon Robb McCoy's diatribe on the matter. For those who don't know Robb, he is the Owner/Mohawk Aficionado/Race Director of F.I.T Challenge in RI. Robb posted the following
Warrior Dash closing up shop is NOT good for the OCR industry. It was my first and I know many peoples first OCR experience. I was having a chat with a good friend about the state of the OCR industry two days ago and this event certainly and sadly cements my thoughts about it.
What can be done?
Simple…SUPPORT FROM YOU!
The events that are here (and I'm referring to local events now) are here and aren't going anywhere. These are the smart ones, the ones that grew organically, conservatively and intelligently and have absolutely killer products. The bubble, meaning the get rich quick, we are the greatest event ever nonsense, has burst, and that's over.
But what are we left with?
A couple big dogs and a STRONG and solid core of local events and a few excellent regional type events. But, without YOU these will go away.
Support them. Volunteer and help. Register early when it's cheap, bring a friend, share their event, comment on social media, just SUPPORT them.
We went to one OCR event per year for logistical reasons pertaining mainly to our venue and the time of year really sucking for me being in the fall.
I assure you, we ain't going ANYWHERE anytime soon!
If you made a "bucket list" for 2020…and let's say had…
For locals…
-FIT Challenge
-Indian Mud Run
-BoldrDash Race
-Viking Obstacle Race at Sunny Hill Resort & Golf Course
-Goliathon Obstacle Challenge
-EPIC Series
-Green Beret Challenge
Throw in…
-Savage Race
that have multiple locations
Your championship events…
-North American Obstacle Course Racing Championships
-OCR World Championships
And then of course a big box Spartan, Tough Mudder or Rugged Maniac, trifecta, arooing, team building etc etc
I know I missed some great other local events (SORRY) but…YOU get the point…SUPPORT them
my friends…WE All Need YOU!!!
The man has a point. We see a lot of "Shop Local" and "Small Business Saturday" events on the weekend and around the holiday season. I think that mentality could easily be applied here. I'm not saying we as a community don't already do it. We do. In fact, on Wednesday the 31st, F.I.T Challenge experienced its largest sales day in race history.
We can be better at it. If you want to travel for a race, maybe instead of traveling for garden variety Spartan/TM race travel to a Conquer the Gauntlet or to Indian Mud Run. I've heard great things about both.
I completely understand people need to do this sport on a budget, myself included. Apparently, money does not grow on trees. However to Robb's point there are ways around it. Volunteer! Especially if you are someone who rags on the volunteers being terrible, go put your money where your mouth is and volunteer for a race. Sign up for early bird pricing. Carpool with friends and fellow racers, split AirBnB's. My point is if you are someone who travels for races consider traveling to local races.
I won't go as far to say that the large race companies will always be around because my crystal ball broke and the extra wasn't prime eligible on Amazon. Even these race companies started out small, just like every major corporation. What keeps them around though is the consumers. It's easy to forget that we as the consumer, as the athletes we have the power of the purse strings to put our hard earned money where we want. So if you want to race the larger race companies, go for it. I'm not here to judge, as we all have our reasons.
Our sport is only as strong as its community. The success of the sport and race companies stand on the shoulders of the weekend warriors who showed up ten years ago and continue to show up. Let's do everything we can to honor that work to build a stronger, more supportive community. When you drop a pebble into the water it has a ripple effect. I know my pebble will be to #racelocal whenever I can. What will yours be?
Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints and official policies of Mud Run Guide LLC, or their staff. The comments posted on this Website are solely the opinions of the posters.


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As the fall trees change and the brisk winds blow my favorite soup is the potato. I thought this poblano potato soup was just what was needed on a rainy day. I am so happy I had the idea, now it is one of my favorites. I know it will be your new go-to potato soup.
Makes 6 Servings
Carbs 35.0g Protein 18.2g
2 poblano peppers
2 lbs yukon potatoes
2 1/2 cups chicken bone broth
3 oz leek (about a 3rd of a leek)
2 tbsp grass-fed butter
1 cup half and half
2 cup mexican blend cheese
Roast Poblano peppers so that the skin is charred but not the flesh. Let cool and remove skin. Trim top seeds and pith of peppers. Chop peppers and place in a soup pot. Peel and chop potatoes. Clean and chop leek. Place potatoes, leeks, bone broth, and butter in the soup pot. Stir. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on the pot. Making sure that potatoes are tender. In a blender place a half and half. Add two ladles of broth and most of the peppers and leeks to the half and half. Add cheese to the blender. Blend until smooth pour back into soup and stir. Serve warm.


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This year's Aiteo Cup final will be between Kano Pillars and Enugu Rangers after two dramatic semifinals in Lagos and Kano on Wednesday.
Pillars beat Northwest rivals Katsina United 4-1 on penalties after fulltime scores stood at 2-2 at the Agege Stadium in Lagos.
Rangers, on the other hand, had to come back from two goals down to outscore Nasarawa United 4-2.
READ ALSO Iwobi dazzles, mobbed in Uyo
The cup final is scheduled for Asaba later this month with the overall winners representing the country in next year's CAF Confederation Cup.
Pillars were cruising to a 2-0 win before Katsina United fought back to draw level with goals from central defenders Timothy Danladi and Chinedu Ajanah.
Incidentally, striker Junior Lokosa's shot was deflected into goal by CHAN Eagles defender Danladi.
Nzube Anaezemba then scored a super goal from distance in the second half to put Pillars two goals up only for Katsina United to stage a remarkable comeback.
However, in the resultant penalty shootout, both Destiny Ashadi and Dabladi could not beat the Pillars goalkeeper with only Obinna Eleje converting his spot kick.
Rangers showed great character in Kano to come back from two goals down and win 4-2 to reach their first cup final since 2007.


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Homewood Suites By Hilton San Diego Airport Liberty Station, San Diego
Homewood Suites By Hilton San Diego Airport Liberty Station2576 Laning Road
Visit the Hilton Family's newest hotel in San Diego - Homewood Suites San Diego Airport-Liberty Station. We are the perfect place to stay while you experience sunny San Diego. Located along the waterfront in the heart of Liberty Station-an urban village created from the re-development of the NTC the Historic Naval Training Center that was originally built in 1921.Activities are abundant at the Homewood Suites San Diego Airport-Liberty Station California hotel, from the USS Recruit Museum and Sail Ho Golf Course to shopping, water sports, dance, yoga classes and much more. Sea World, San Diego Zoo, Seaport Village and Balboa Park are within minutes and airport transportation is complimentary. Enjoy our pristine views of San Diego Bay, Coronado Island, Harbor Island and the skyline of Downtown San Diego.Make yourself at home at the Homewood Suites San Diego Airport-Liberty Station California hotel in the comforts of our spacious studio, one and two bedroom suites with fully equipped kitchens and complimentary in suite high-speed Internet access. At the Homewood Suites you will enjoy our daily complimentary 'Suite Start' hot breakfast and our Welcome Home reception, featuring a complimentary light meal and beverages Monday -Thursday evenings. We look forward to having you as our guest and making you feel right at home at our hotel.At the Homewood Suites San Diego Airport-Liberty Station California hotel, experience a modern, hip destination combined with the rich history of our nation.Make Yourself at Home.


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If you want to buy some golfing accessories, you should be very careful about what you use your money on. The game of golf allows you to spend huge amounts of money on things you don't really need. You will see this in every aspect of the game, from the golf clubs to the golf course membership. People can waste huge amounts of money on deluxe golf clubs that they don't really need, or memberships that they don't really use. However, if you carefully choose what you buy then you can spend your money efficiently and enjoy the game to the maximum. This includes buying clubs that fit with your skill level, and buying accessories that will actually enhance the game. Here you will find some of the top accessories, and probably the most useful ones that are available.Organization is an important part of the golf game. If you tend to keep all of your golf clubs in a scattered mess, you will not be able to find the right one when the time comes to use it. Therefore if you do not already have a deluxe carrying case for your clubs, this should be your top priority. The nicest carrying cases should be easily accessible for your golf clubs, and give you a clear indication of which ones are which. It is also nice to have other pockets and spaces for storage of the things that you would like to take along in your golf games. Golf bags should also protect your clubs to some extent, and in the event that weight should be put on the bag you should be confident that your expensive clubs aren't damaged. This is particularly true if you plan to travel with your golf clubs.
Motorized golf caddies are some of the top golf accessories on the market. They carry your golf bag for you wherever you go. If you see golf as more of a relaxing sport than anything else, you should definitely look into getting one of these. It will take a great load off of your back and allow you to simply walk and enjoy the scenery, having your clubs with you all the while. If you add up the long-term costs, it is definitely cheaper than hiring a human caddy. These can be bought in some club shops, but if you want a large selection and a few different choices then you will have to look online. There are many web sites that offer these, but shipping may be fairly expensive since they will have to transport the full, heavy item.
You may also look into getting some home equipment that will allow you to practice your golfing technique. There are many different machines and systems that attempt to do this, but just a few have been received with a generally positive reaction from the public. If you want to buy one of these, you should definitely do your research and see what kind of reviews that particular device received. They are generally fairly pricey because of the advanced electronic components contained within, but have a good resale value on the secondary market once you perfect your stroke (which should happen pretty fast due to the efficient help of the item).
If you go looking for golfing accessories, you may quickly find that much of the market is filled up with completely useless items that you will never have any use for. If you are looking to seriously improve your game and enjoyment of the experience, you should stick with some of the items that have actual practical value in the game. The ones outlined here are some of the best to start with, unless you have a very specific idea in mind. If you stick with useful items, you can spend your money well and enjoy the game even more than you already are.


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"All right let's try it one last time. I'm not gonna help you. You guys are doing great, but I still need to see more smiles, all right?"
A few kids move their attention back to the mirror the small Academy of Chinese Performing studio on De Anza Boulevard, rented out by the Mona Khan Company for this class. Bollywood music blares in the background as the 17 tiny kids, separated into two rows, sway their hips back and forth.
Junior Anu Varshneya, in her oversized sweatshirt and tights, travels to the back of the room. She is not much taller than
the five- to eight-year-old students in the 6 to 7 p.m. class. The tallest one in the room is actually her eighth grade assistant instructor, Anya Mathur. Despite being the only high school student instructor in the company and that height difference, Varshneya carries a clear aura of authority as she watches the energetic, bouncing kids continue the routine.
After the first 40 seconds of the song, Varshneya pauses the music and addresses the parents in the doorway, who are invited to watch the last ten minutes of each class. The kids continue to mindlessly spin around while Varshneya reminds the adults that the kids need sneakers and water bottles. The children finally run to their parents, who congratulate them on their dancing.
A long-time dancer of the Mona Khan Company, Varshneya started in the Junior Performing Company with Naach when she was five. Two and a half years ago, she decided to stop taking lessons and put on the instructor hat, teaching kids twice a week on Mondays and Wednesday and cleaning up her own technique at instructor trainings on Tuesdays for two and a half hours.
As the teacher, Varshneya picks the songs she will teach, creates the entire choreography and presents it to others in the company for approval before the class quarter starts. This past fall quarter, Varshneya taught a basic level class a disco medley and an intermediate level class a star-themed dance, complete with gold stars worn on their hands. Both classes performed last year with all the other students in the company for the bi-annual show.
"They don't get tech rehearsal so the kids had no idea what they were doing on stage," Varshneya says while chuckling. "They were really confused and scared but they had fun, I got good feedback!"
In the past, Varshneya has even taught adults, which proved to be much more awkward than any of her other classes.
"These are all people I would [see] at parties and call aunties and uncles … I would be called beti, [for daughter,] in class! [That was] hard but with the five to eight-year olds it is so much more fun because there is so much energy."
That energy from the kids has required Varshneya to develop her teaching skills over the years. She, like Mathur, started out as an assistant of class of 2011 alumna Aneesha Amarnath for a couple of quarters.
"She is actually really good with kids so it was easy to pick up," Varshneya said. She explains that teaching dance to children requires patience and concise communication skills.
"It's easier to give instructions if they look up to you. Getting the information out in a way that it's easy to absorb and understand is a lot harder than it sounds, especially when the kids are so young."
-Junior Anu Varshneya said
"If you say, 'Have your hands like this', they don't know what 'this' is. You have to say, 'Make sure your fingers are completely spread out and completely straight.'"
But being clear to the kids is not the most important aspect of being a dance instructor.
"When you are teaching five- to eight-year-olds, you are dealing with the parents more than you are dealing with the kids."
Although many parents are sweet, according to Varshneya, some are picky about where their child should stand while others are concerned with how young Varshneya is. Her first quarter, six or seven kids were pulled out because their parents thought she was too young.
As time passed though, Varshneya has received more and more positive feedback about her teaching. Mathur explains that she has a fun and outgoing teaching manner while parents are impressed with her ability to teach the kids as if they were her friends.
"It's easier to give instructions if they look up to you," Varshneya said. "Getting the information out in a way that it's easy to absorb and understand is a lot harder than it sounds, especially when the kids are so young. You can't use difficult words. You can't say 90 degree angle because they don't know what that is."
Despite all these difficulties, Varshneya adores how much love, action and fun the kids have when they enter the dance studio. She mentions that a lot of that attitude is because they enjoy being there so much — something that very much resonates with her.
"It's definitely kind of nostalgic because I remember being on stage," Varshneya said "[Mathur] and I were cracking up the entire time [back stage]. It's just a lot of fun — seeing these kids."


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Mom brought home this great bag yesterday and I've been inside it pretty much since it appeared. Sisfur Mia is upset because I'm not sharing. Hey, I'm the senior kitty, I should get first dibs right? Happy Lazy Sunday pals!
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Mom!!!! CJ won't share!
Labels: fun in a bag, Silly Kitty
6 comments:
Well, possession is nine-tenths of the law, CJ!ReplyDelete
Looks like you need another bag, Mia!ReplyDelete
Yep, looks like your mom needs to bring another one home for you, Mia!ReplyDelete
I love seeing your little paw sticking out of the bag CJ! I think Mom needs to bring home another one so you both have a bag to hide in! #BagsRock!ReplyDelete
- Replies
Doh! Why didn't I think of that???Delete
xoxo Mia
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By Grady
(Grade B)
(Grade B)
Living and having served my mission in the United States, it can be tempting to see missionaries as just 18 year old boys in a shirt and tie. Freetown reminds us that these "boys" are servants of God and where they go, miracles follow and faith increases.
Caught in the middle of a brutal civil war, six Liberian missionaries in Monrovia flee the widespread violence in their native country. Their destination: Freetown, Sierra Leone. With the help of local church member Phillip Abubakar (Henry Adofo), the missionaries make the difficult journey, only to have their troubles compounded by a rebel fighter bent on killing one of their own. Based on incredible true events, Freetown is a thrilling and inspiring story of hope and survival.


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Meet ReNewed Hope Food Pantry
Get to know your local food pantry
Providing food, meals and hope through our food pantry
ReNewed Hope Food Pantry was brought to the community by the New Haven Seventh-day Adventist Church with the desire that no person in our community go hungry. In addition to food, we are working to bring hope and encouragement to those facing food insecurity in Johnson County and throughout Kansas City.
Our mission is to feed the hungry and help our neighbors as God asked us in Isaiah 58. (Who is our neighbor?) As part of a world-wide church with over 15 million members, we are passionate about the Bible as the only basis of our faith. Our fundamental beliefs reflect what we read in the Bible. We encourage everyone to find hope through the Word of God. (Featuring Bible Study Guides from Amazing Facts and Revelation and Prophecy series by Dwight Nelson.).


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The Viñales Valley is made up of limestone mounds, known as mogotes, that are covered with shaggy vegetation, rising from the flat floor of the valley.
This photogenic landscape is surrounded by Royal Palms, oxen tilling fields, tobacco fields, and tobacco leaf drying huts. The views here are simply sublime – especially on blue-sky days.
At the heart of the valley is the small town of Viñales, now the tourist capital of western Cuba.
From here – and its vast number of excellent B&Bs – travelers can explore the caves, the mogotes, the tobacco, and the great food.
The Viñales Valley National Park is crisscrossed with trekking routes.
The Visitors' Center, close to the Los Jazmines Hotel, has tons of information and a booking service. If you're planning a trek here, make sure you bring an official guide.
Riders can hire horses and guides through many B&Bs in town; this also gets you into the neighboring valleys.
The horse ride to the Palmarito Valley will lead you past tobacco leaf-drying huts to the Palmarito Cave, where you can swim.
On the edge of the Palmarito Valley, at Loma del Fortín, there's a new zipline canopy tour. With four lines and eight platforms, it's a great way to get a bird's eye view of the valley as you fly through the air.
Climbers can come to grips with the mogotes and climb more than 250 routes offered here.
Spelunking or caving fans should head to the Santo Tomás Caves to explore some of the 28 miles of subterranean stalagmites and stalactites. Guides and headlights are provided for your safety.
If you're staying in Viñales Valley, here are a few attractions you can visit. These are all accessible either by a bit of walking, a taxi, or by the hop-on hop-off Viñales BusTour, which takes an hour to circuit the sites and departs 8 times a day.
To the north of town, inside a mogote, is the Cueva de San Miguel cave, where you can see a reconstruction of a runaway slave settlement. Don't miss a meal at El Palenque de los Cimarrones restaurant while you're here for some delicious local fare.
North of here is the popular Cueva del Indio, where a boat ride powers visitors through the cave.
West of town is the shockingly lurid Mural of Prehistory defacing a mogote wall, which was designed in 1961 by a Cuban muralist. Shield your eyes and walk beyond here into the valley to a new mirador for drinks and fantastic views.
South of town, up the valley side, is the small La Casa del Veguero. In this small tobacco farm, you can witness cigar-rolling, but you're better off with the real deal in Vuelta Abajo.
At the top of the hill, the viewing terrace of the Hotel Los Jazmines offers outstanding valley views.
Close by, sip a mojito at the cute Balcón del Valle restaurant in the trees with its winning mogote views.
After shooting the breeze with the owners of your B&B while sitting on the terrace rocking chairs, mojito in hand, explore some of the activities in the town center.
The Jardín Botánico (Botanical Garden) was set up by two sisters, Carmen and Caridad. Today, the tangle of plants and flowers is still flourishing, and visitors are welcome to wander the grounds and dine in the small restaurant.
Those with bigger appetites should head up the hill for the farm-to-table feast at outstanding organic Finca Wilfredo's, with its pretty wooden house and awesome panoramic mogote views.
Feasting should be followed by dancing. Look out for the band Sol del Valle at the Patio del Decimista, and salsa bands at Patio de Polo Montañez, as well as disco and live band nights at Cueva San Miguel.
Put down the cigars and step out of the vintage cars! Explore historical sites of revolution, taste peso food, or go diving among vibrant marine life.
Outdoor adventures in Eastern Cuba are aplenty. Here's how to climb Cuba's highest peak, dive among shipwrecks, and find the best waterfalls.
If you're in Cuba's far east, make sure you drop by Holguin. From Guardalavaca beach to the Loma de la Cruz, here are the top things to do while you're there.
You can buy at home or while traveling, and claim online from anywhere in the world. With 150+ adventure activities covered and 24/7 emergency assistance.Get a quote


text: "Battle for New Japan" explodes with another pulse-pounding chapter by New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (THE VALIANT, Mind MGMT) and featuring fully painted artwork by superstar artist Clayton Crain (X-Force)! Romance threatens to destroy a necessary peace between Raddies and robots as Rai builds his army for the final assault on Father! Plus: a glimpse of Earth 4001 and the secret weapon hiding out on the planet's surface that could be the key to taking back New Japan!


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By Shazia Arif
Bath & Body
Quran Recitation
The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said:
Bath & Body
Imagine you fell into a puddle of mud. Your skin is dirty right down to the pores, you cannot see the original colour of your clothes anymore. You stink. The first thing any person would do in this situation is, take a bath, but not just an ordinary bath, rather one with an amazing smelling body wash, and then after the shower they would still put on scented body lotion to make sure they do not smell like the dirt, and then they would put on a fresh clean pair of clothes to feel the cleanliness. Similar is the case with our souls,all year round we are constantly dirtying it with sins, sins and more sins. But alhamdulilah, Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala has not left us to live with the filth; He has given us the blessed month of Ramadan wherein we can bathe from our sins. But is bathing enough? Or does one also need to make their soul smell good and clothe it nicely after being soiled with filth for an entire year? How does one go about doing that?
When one bathes their soul in Ramadan, it is by doing the basic 'I will fast, pray 5 times a day, and read some Quran'. But to give it a pleasing scent you need to go the extra mile. And how do you do that? What to do in that extra mile? There's no better way to learn (that) than from the pious predecessors, the Salaf, who followed the way of the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam diligently.
Quran Recitation
Recite the Quran excessively throughout the month. The Quran is a huge blessing for the entirety of the Muslim Ummah, it is a manual on how to lead one's life. This blessed book was revealed in the month of Ramadan, and Jibrael would visit the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam in this month to review and recite the Quran with him. If the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam had to review it every Ramadan, then what about us? Now reciting it for a few minutes, every other day won't get your soul that beautiful scent. Rather reciting it every day, will!
"Verily! We have sent it (this Qur'an) down in the Night of al-Qadr."
(Surah Qadr:1)
(Surah Qadr:1)
During this month the Salaf also read the Quran profusely. But how were their ways of reciting it?
- Uthman bin Affan radia Allaahu 'anhu used to finish reciting the Qur'an once every day.
- Imam ash Shafii' used to recite the whole Qur'an 60 times, in other than his prayers.
- When Ramadan would begin, az-Zuhri used to run away from reading books of hadith and (didn't) stopped attending the gatherings of scholars. Instead he used to engage himself in reciting the Qur'an from the Mushaf.
- Sufiyan ath-Thawri used to leave all (voluntary) acts of worship and engaged himself in reciting the Qur'an.
- Al-Aswad used to recite the whole Qur'an every two nights of Ramadan.
- Qatadah used to recite the whole Qur'an every 7 nights and in Ramadan every three nights, and every night in the last ten nights of Ramadan.
Note: Although it is disliked to finish reading the Quran in less than 3 days, it is of the opinion of many Imams such as Ahmed and Ishaq that: Ibn Rajab said: "It is prohibited to recite the whole Qur'an in less than three days continuously [through the whole year] but in blessed times and places such as Ramadan or Makkah, for those who enter it from other than its people, it is preferable to recite the Qur'an profusely taking advantage of the blessing of the time and place."
Qiyam refers to two things - taraweeh prayer, and tahajjud prayer in the third part of the night before Fajr. In Qiyam one stands for a long while reciting the Quran either in jama' (congregation) or alone. The act of performing Qiyam in Ramadan is very virtuous. The Qiyam is not mandatory of course, however if you do want that pleasing scent on your soul to remain, this is definitely something we must strive to do.
The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said:
"Whoever establishes (nawafil, voluntary) prayers during the night of Ramadan, faithfully, out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah Rewards, all his past sins will be forgiven."
(Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book 2, Hadith no. 36)
Of course, our amazing Salaf were not behind in wanting to attain this amazing barakah either. In fact they would even involve their families in this act, so that they could gain the reward themselves. Want for your brother what you want for yourself!
- Umar bin al-Khattab Radia-Allaahu 'anhu used to offer the late night prayer till (the) midnight; then he used to awaken his family to offer the prayer, and he would tell them,"the prayer, the prayer,"
- Narrated Alqamah bin Qais: "I spent one night with Abdullah bin Masud Radia-Allaahu 'anhu (in his house). He (Ibn Masud) woke up in the early portion of the night and offered the late night prayer. He used to recite the same recitation of an Imam (slowly with the Telawah) till a little before dusk (before dawn), then offered the Witr parayer."
- Narrated as-Saa'ib bin Zaid: "The Imam used to recite hundreds of verses in the late night prayer, such that we were supporting ourselves with sticks, out of long standing (in prayer), and they used to leave at dawn."
SubhanAllah, as always the Salaf went not one extra mile but two! Why? They understood the importance of cleansing the soul during this month and this is the reason why they were the Salaf.
Giving something to someone else from your own wealth is a very noble act to do especially in Ramadan. Why? Well first, everyone LOVES their wealth. They put in so much time and effort in acquiring it, that they become very careful in how they spend it, sometimes to the point where they become stingy, and that is going to an extreme. But Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala has told us that when we give money for the sake of Allah, our wealth will not decrease! But remember wealth is not only money; it is also feeding others, spending your time and energy, as well in the way of Allah subhaanahu wa ta'aala. With that being said, let us relate to how it will beautify our souls
- Once we get in the habit of giving, we won't have that stingy feeling in our heart.
- If we start giving in Ramadan, we will start giving outside of Ramadan as well.
- When you give, you'll notice more room in your heart for others.
The Salaf preferred the act of feeding others, whether it was a hungry person or a righteous person (example iftar) over many other acts.
- Abu as-Siwar al-Adwi said: "The men of Bani Adi tribe used to pray in the Masjid. Never one of them breaks his fast alone. If he finds someone to eat with him, he will eat, otherwise he takes his food to the Masjid and eats it with the people and the people eat with him (i.e. share his food with the people.)
I'tikaf is when one leaves all the worldly distractions and busies himself in the worship of Allah subhaana wa ta'aala for a certain number of days, in our discussion during the last 10 days of Ramadan. I'tikaf is observed in the mosques. We can see many examples of this from the life of the Prophet Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam. When one engages himself in constant worship and remembrance of Allah subhaana wa ta'aala, they are adding more and more perfume to their soul.
Narrated Abu Hurairah (Radia-Allaahu 'anhu):
"The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam used to perform Itekaf every year in the month of Ramadan for ten days, and when it was the year of his death , he stayed in Itekaf for twenty days."
(Sahih Al-Bukari, Book 33, Hadith no. 260)
Of course this act is not mandatory, and it should be done with the approval of his/her family members. It is of the opinion of many of the Salaf that I'tikaf is mustahab (preferred) while fasting.
Searching for Layla'tul Qadr
What to do during these nights?
Layla'tul Qadr is the night in which the Quran was revealed, it is the night in which the decree is written for the entire year! Yup ... the ENTIRE YEAR! One is to look for this night in the last 10 nights, especially the odd ones: 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, and 29th. This is that golden opportunity to make sure the perfume you have been spraying on yourself for the entire month remains throughout the year, and this can only be done with your duas.
What to do during these nights?
- Aisha (Radia-Allaahu 'anha): I said, "O Allah's Messenger, tell me, if I know which night Lailatul-Qadr is, what supplication should I say on it?" He said:"Say,"Allahumma Innaka 'Afowwon Tuhibul-'Afwa fa'fou 'Anni ('O Allah, you are forgiving and love forgiveness, so forgive me')" (At-Tirmdhi, Book 48, Hadith no. 3435).
- The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam used to keep his family awake for the salat (prayer) in order to get the blessing of Laylatul-qadar (Sahih Bukhari, Book 32, Hadith no. 241).
- The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam used to pray harder and earnestly in the last ten nights of Ramadan than he did in other nights of this month. (Multiple hadith in Sahih Bukhari and Muslim).
Now imagine, after putting in so much effort to get rid of the mud, would someone consciously step into a muddle puddle again? So after putting in so much effort to clean your soul and beautify it, will you let all your efforts to go to vain? Here are some practical tips on how to keep a clean soul even after Ramadan
- Make it a goal to give something in charity every Juma'.
- Wake up 10-15 minutes before the time of Fajr starts and pray two rakah Tahajjud.
- Fast every Monday and Thursday as it was the Sunnah of the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam.
- After Isha sit in your room and have some alone time with Allah, and think about His blessings upon you; show your gratitude.
- Always, always, always repent from your sins, every single one of them; be it big or small, a sin is a sin.