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I have been working on some new articles for this blog, and researching the animals in Brigidine lore but have been unable to do a great deal of typing lately due to an injury. Today I just want to share something emotional, rather than academic.
In our culture we often expect instant gratification. We expect to see immediate results, and I think one of the hardest things to adjust to when approaching a new faith or a new spirit is that it takes time for you to really develop a connection with them, just as a friendship or relationship with another human takes time, or at least it should.
When I first found myself called to Bride, it was through a story. I am a writer, so stories are my bread and butter. Once I made this discovery and found myself fascinated with Her, I immediately set out to learn as much as I could, and to set up the most beautiful shrine I could make. I gave offerings and made Her central to my daily rituals. I currently say four to six prayers a day to Bride. Some mornings I wake up and the silly little part of me wants to turn on my computer and check my emails first, rather than taking the time to light Her candle and say my morning prayers, but I still do it, before anything else, even opening the curtains.
Gradually, over the past year and a quarter, I have been able to sense Her presence more and more. Certain things become clear to me, that no book could have told me, like the way she seems to prefer me to sing her praise than speak it. That I should invite her to bless my food whenever I light the stove, and thank her when I turn it off. That when I don't bring her fresh flowers, or go a long time between offerings – it is noticed.
Around the beginning of February I joined a flame keeping order. It took me a year to get to that point, partially because I needed to find an order with a CR/Gaelic Polytheist focus, and partially because I take such a commitment very seriously. I did not intend to promise to do this, dedicate one day in twenty to Her, if didn't feel I could keep it up. I'm glad I did because it has been amazingly rewarding and I've met some lovely dedicated people, but I'm also glad I waited because if I'd jumped right in and then failed, I would have felt the consequences.
Now, when I stand in front of my little hearth shrine, light the candle, say the words I've memorised from repetition, I do feel something. I feel a light and a warmth that can bring tears to my eyes if I am particularly sensitive that day. I stand in darkness, in the little circle of brightness cast by her flame and feel as if a mantle of pure light is wrapped around me. I'm not meditating or visualising this, It is a presence that I feel because I am there, and I have invited Bride in to my home with the best hospitality I can offer, and it is real. It has taken me a year to get to this point, and I know I still have so much to learn.
I suppose what I'm trying to say is; don't jump in and expect to suddenly have miracles occur. Don't lose heart when you try to connect with a Deity or your Ancestors and feel nothing. Don't give up flame keeping because you had a dull shift or didn't get what you'd hoped for from it. The most precious things in our spiritual life are those we work for, not those which are handed to us with an instruction booklet. You do not need to make big gestures or dedication rituals or buy expensive shrines to prove yourself to the Gods. What you need to do is turn up, again and again. Offer what you can, over and over. Say your prayers when you're tired. Do your rituals when you can't be bothered. Make your offerings when it feels pointless. Pay attention, and in time you will begin to really understand and experience their presence in your life. It takes time, but it's worth it.
To those in the Northern hemisphere, I hope you had a wonderful Lá Fhéile Bríde, Imbolc or St Bride's Day, however you chose to celebrate. I too decided to celebrate on this day, although I am in the Southern hemisphere in a part of the world where the seasons are out of alignment with all of the Gaelic festivals. It is an issue I've been struggling with for many years, for celebrating Lá Lúnasa at the moment seems just as out of place, given that Summer is only just beginning. So, I asked Bride to give me some sign if she wished me to honour her feast on the eve of February 1st, and she obliged by unexpectedly getting everyone out of the house so I was free to honour her in privacy.
It was too hot to bake, so I gave offerings of milk and some very nice shortbread, as well as a new beeswax candle. I sained the house, each corner of each room with silvered water, inviting the blessings of Bride on our house, and made a simple bed for the small wooden doll of Bride that resides on my hearth-shrine year round. Next year I would like to weave a proper bed for her and perhaps a cros too, if I can get a hold of some decent material.
I have an open fireplace, but do not burn wood in it so in place of ashes I sieved some flour on the black hearth for divination in the morning. Last thing before bed I went to the front door and invited Bride in, whispering in to the night with my hands on the door jambs.
When I woke in the morning I took the offerings outside, bathed my hands and feet in the tiny amount of dew that had collected on the lawn, and returned to the hearth to look for signs of Bride's visit. Sadly, there were no marks from her staff or feet, by I did find a single, golden hair curled in a perfect ringlet on top of the flour. Perhaps she did visit after all?
How did you celebrate Bride's feast?
** When I wrote this I forgot to mention that I celebrated not on February 1st/2nd but a week before on the Gaelic New Moon (first crescent) which is tied, in my tradition, with the beginning of a new month.
I am older than Brigit of the Mantle,
I put songs and music on the wind
Before ever the bells of the chapels
Were rung in the West
Or heard in the East.
I am Brighid-nam-Bratta:
Brigit of the Mantle,
I am also Brighid-Muirghin-na-tuinne:
Brigit, Conception of the Waves,
And Brighid-sluagh,
Brigit of the Faery Host,
Brigit of the Slim Faery Folk,
Brigit the Melodious Mouthed
Of the Tribe of the Green Mantles.
And I am older than Aone (Friday)
And as old as Luan (Monday)
And in Tir-na-h'oige my name is
Suibhal: Mountain Traveler,
And in Tir-fo-thuinn, Country of the Waves,
It is Cu-gorm: Gray Hound,
And in Tir-na-h'oise,
Country of Ancient Years,
It is Sireadh-thall: Seek Beyond.
And I have been a breath in your heart,
And the day has its feet to it
That will see me coming
Into the hearts of men and women
Like a flame upon dry grass,
Like a flame of wind in a great wood.
Fiona MacLeod / William Sharp
I have a rather strange relationship with music. I don't listen to it for leisure very often and tend to feel that, like tobacco, it is overused in our culture to a point where it's significance is lost. In the not too distant past, music was not something you could acquire in abundance or carry in your pocket. It was something that required skill and learning and was always live. It drew communities together, preserved ancient lore and had a powerful emotional, physical and spiritual effect on people. I realise there were plenty of rowdy bar songs too! Yet still I feel that by overexposure to music we become insensitive to it these days, and that is a great loss. Of course I'm probably in the minority with this opinion.
This song is an adaptation of Gabhain Molta Bhride, which I have posted previously, and includes lyrics sung in both Irish and English by the group Triniti. I think it is a beautiful and moving adaptation and I even appreciate the new English lyrics which complement the Gaelic ones.
While I don't agree with a lot of this slideshow information (or the appropriation of other's artwork without credit) I'm posting this particular version because of a quote by the poster of the video:
"On the 19th of May 2011 Queen Elizabeth II visited Kildare.
Locals were shocked when the Royal party stopped at the
Shrine to Saint Brighid (Brigid), and THE
Big thank you to Breda Murphy (native of Kildare) for the information."
I would dearly love to find more reports of the Queen's visit to the Cathedral, but while I can confirm she was in Kildare at that time, I can't find anything about her visiting the Cathedral or paying homage to Bride. Please share if you can confirm this information!
Interestingly, while trying to find out about the Queen's visit, I discovered that the Dalai Lama visited Kildare this year as well. I wonder if he visited her Cathedral too?
Many who honour Bride choose do so by burning a flame in her name; whether it is the fire on the hearth, the cooking stove or a candle on the shrine or altar. There are many Brigidines who are part of flame keeping orders, and this means burning a flame continually on a day set aside for reverence and prayer.
We often choose candles for our devotions, as they create less mess and smoke than a wood fire or brazier, and are easy to light and incorporate in to simple daily practices. However I think it is important to consider the type of candle you're using, and whether it is really the best one for honouring Bride and for your own health.
Most of the candles we buy in shops are made from paraffin wax, a toxic bi-product of the petroleum industry that is then bleached with further chemicals and gives off harmful fumes when burnt.
A recent alternative to this are the popular Soy or Palm oil candles, which are cheap and burn for longer than paraffin. Unfortunately, they are not so good for the environment, as land all over south east Asia is currently being cleared to grow the plants that produce these oils.
From a Re-constructionist perspective, neither Paraffin nor Soy candles are historically accurate. The oil most commonly burned in European history would have been tallow, or animal fat, with Beeswax reserved for those who could afford it. Now, Beeswax candles, while still the most expensive on the market, are much more affordable to most of us and I believe they are the best choice in any spiritual practise, and as an offering to Bride are ideal.
- Beeswax candles actually help purify the air in the rooms they are burnt through ionisation
- Beeswax burns with a slight honey scent, surely a better offering than burnt petrol?
- Beeswax burns longer than any other wax and is ideal for flamekeeping and vigils
- Beeswax burns with a more golden flame than other waxes
- Beeswax candles were traditionally brought to church to be blessed on Candlemas day
- The higher cost of Beeswax makes it a more valuable offering than cheap paraffin
- By buying locally made Beeswax you are incorporating something of the land in to your offering
- You can safely make Beeswax candles yourself and show your devotion through crafting them especially for this purpose
- While Bride herself may or may not be associated with Bees, she is associated with the flowers they make the wax from, the process of purification, the golden colour and traditions of Candlemas day, which falls the day after her own feast
I invite you to try burning a pure beeswax candle for your next vigil, or to honour Bride on a festival day. You will be surprised at the difference and may find it hard to go back!
To explore the colour symbolism of a deity, we must put aside a few modern biases and assumptions. I have had the opinion expressed to me before that the colours of Bride, described as her white skin and golden hair are superficial and unimportant. I can understand this from a modern perspective, where we associate such things with vanity or even racism, but I do believe that anything important enough to be preserved in lore and prayers for centuries is worth looking at and likely to be significant on a symbolic level.
Bríde, being a Goddess primarily associated with fire is often linked in modern thought to the colour Red. In fact many modern artists give her Red hair too, which is further linked to her Irish dominion. However this is something I've begun to question in my studies and work with her. To begin with, is red really the colour of fire? It is only one of the colours in fact, with shades of gold, blue, purple and white also present in flames. In fact the hottest flames are white. I do wonder if our idea that red is the primary colour of fire could be a fairly modern one, and the ancestors may have considered yellow/gold or white to be it's true colour.
The reason I consider this, is because of the little recorded lore we have of Bríde, albiet after her assimilation with the saint of the same name, she is linked with the colours Gold and White repeatedly.
Carmina Gadelica Vol 3. Page 365 Night Shielding Verse "And Brigit, the fair and tender, Her hue like cotton-grass, Rich-tressed maiden, Of ringlets of gold."
The above phrase appears again in a House Blessing chant in The Sun Dances Prayers and Blessings from the Gaelic, Alexander Carmichael, which I have previously posted on this blog.
Carmina Gadelica Vol 1. Page 277 Herding Blessing
"And of the milkmaid of the soft palms,
Bride of the clustering hair golden brown,
And of the milkmaid of the soft palms,
Bride of the clustering hair golden brown."
In less scholarly sources, Bride is described as having golden-brown hair in The Coming of Angus and Bride (1917) by Donald Alexander MacKenzie, and as having long golden hair in Abbie Farwell Brown's The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts (1900)
Additionally, the flower for which we have the most evidence of connection to Bríde is the Dandelion, which turns from gold to white. The foods given to Bríde include milk (white) and butter (gold) due to her connections with cattle and the dairy. In the sources we have describing the Brideog it is often dressed in white cloth, and the reeds woven in to the cros Bride are golden when dried. The more one looks, the more connections one finds between these colours and the Goddess/Saint.
Conversely, I have found no great connections in the lore between Bride and the colour red. The only one that has been pointed out to me is the Oystercatcher, Bride's bird, which is Black, White and Red in colour.
Of other interest is the colour of Bride's mantle, which I have yet to find any description of in lore, other than being 'bright.' John Duncan paints it white, but it is also often represented as blue or green, both in modern Pagan and Christian iconic art. This article is a fascinating exploration of the possible colours of Bride's mantle.
Why is this of any significance? Because it allows us to evaluate other connections and associations to Bride in a different light. One might be more inclined to research the connection between Bride and a certain tree, flower or animal if it reflected the colours associated with her. Likewise one can meditate on the symbolism of these colours to uncover further mysteries of Bride, our bright lady of the white palms and golden hair.
There is a sentence I keep coming across in articles and mentions of Bride, it is this:
"Brigid possessed an apple orchard in the Otherworld; bees traveled there to obtain magical nectar."
If you google 'Brigid apple orchard' you will find this copy and pasted on countless websites, with some slight variations. However for the life of me I can not find a source for it anywhere. Although many of these web sites state that it is mentioned in a Gaelic folk song, I have found no such song as of yet.
The only connection I've dug up is this tiny mention of Bride's feast in Ireland:
"St Brigid's Eve was the time to save apples for the last night of January when old fashioned griddle apple cake was made. In some places this was known as St Brigid's tea." source
There is a lot of lore attached to Bride in modern times that has actually been borrowed from the myths of other, less popular Goddesses and spirits so it is no surprise to find something like this floating around. One of my favourite such attributions is that white trefoils spring up in Bride's footprints, which is actually taken from the Mabinogion where this attribute is given to Olwen.
This idea that both Bees and Apple Trees could be connected to Bride is a very interesting one, although at present I remain sceptical of it's origins. Apple Trees have a huge body of lore in Celtic myth and Bees come with their own powerful folklore. The reason I am so curious is a bit of UPG about a goddess in an orchard, which has been with me a long time now, far before my connection to Bride was born. I would love to hear anyone who knows a legitimate source for Bride's bee-beloved Apple Orchard!
The Rites of Brigid: Goddess & Saint by Sean O'Duinn
I really loved this book. As an overview of the traditions and rites associated with St. Bride in Ireland, and speculation of their pre-Christian origins in the cult of the Goddess this exceeded my expectations.
Friar O'Duinn who lives at Glenstal Abbey in Ireland gives an academic and unbiased description. He compares the various components of the rites on St. Brigid's day in Ireland to the cults and festivals of other saints to show what was quite normal in the veneration of a saint, and what was clearly influenced by other beliefs. I particularly liked his assertion that both the Brideog procession and the Threshold rites on St. Brigid's day symbolise Bride's return from the Otherworld, something not generally appropriate for Saints who tended to remain in Heaven. I see this as a very good argument for their being derived from earlier traditions.
Of perhaps the greatest value are the many first person descriptions of the rites he has collected from various Irish sources and translated in to English for the reader. These pieces show how the rites varied by locality and are worth the price of the book alone, whether or not you get value from O'Duinn's speculations.
One of my few peeves with this work is the occasional reference to a Goddess as 'the fertility goddess' or 'the mother goddess' without specifying which one is meant, as the Celts clearly had several. However references of this kind were few and far between, so it's certainly readable despite this.
I also took issue with some of his speculation, such as his comparing the symbolism of the Cros Bride with the lozenge and dot found on some 'goddess' figures in central Europe. Likewise, while I support his pet theory, that the Celts had a 'Purusha' type creation myth, I think he goes too far by suggesting that the rushes used to form the Brideog then being pulled apart to make Cros Bride is a form of mythic dismemberment.
Overall this is an excellent work and I would definitely recommend it to anyone as a solid source book for the traditions and rites surrounding La Fheile Bride and Bride's wells in Ireland. It is useful in a practical sense for those wishing to reconstruct the rites and as a starting point for meditations on the symbolism of the many aspects of our beloved Bride.
In my previous post I mentioned Fiona Macleod's assertion that another name for the Dandelion (Bride's flower) was Dealan De. Well, I quite accidentally found a version of an Irish song, Deirín dé, which is about the very same thing.
From O'Sullivan, "Songs of the Irish":
Deirín dé, deirín dé,
Tá'n gabhairín oíche amuigh san bhfraoch,
Deirín dé, deirín dé,
Tá'n bunán donn a' labhairt san bhféith.
Deirín dé, deirín dé,
Geóidh ba siar le héirí an lae,
Deirín dé, deirín dé,
Is raghaidh mo leanbh 'á bhfeighilt ar féar.
Deirín dé, deirín dé,
Eireóidh gealach is raghaidh grian fé,
Deirín dé, deirín dé,
Tiocfaidh ba aniar le deireadh an lae.
Deirín dé, deirín dé,
Leogfad mo leanbh a' pioca sméar,
Deirín dé, deirín dé,
–Ach codail go sámh go fáinne an lae!
I. The nightjar [lit. little goat of the night!] is abroad in the heather, The brown bittern speaks in the reeds.
II. Cows will go west at dawn of day, And my child will go to mind them in the pasture.
III. The moon will rise and the sun will set, Cows will return at close of day.
IV. I shall let my child go picking blackberries – but sleep soundly till daybreak!
Singable translation by Donal O'Sullivan:
Derreen day, derreen day,
The nightjar calls upon the heath.
Derreen day, derreen day,
The bittern booms the reeds beneath.
…Cows will go west at dawn of day, …
My darling will watch them lest they stray.
…The new moon greets the setting sun's ray, …
Homeward the cows will wend their way.
…I'll let my darling go gathering may, …
If he sleeps soundly till dawn of day.
Link to further notes and translations
Inspired by this enchanting song, I went off to do a little more research and found the following passage in the Carmina Gadelica:
"Dealan-De, butterfly, golden butterfly; lit, fire of God–'dealan,' fire, flame, lightning; and 'De,' God.
The golden butterfly is held sacred. It is said to be the angel of God come to bear the souls of the dead to heaven. If it beseen in or near the house where a person is dead or dying, the omen is good, and the friends rejoice. If it be not seen, a substitute is made by rapidly twirling a fire-pointed stick, moving the while from the dead or dying person towards the door or window. This is called 'dearban De,' 'dealan De.'
The ancient Egyptians represented the soul leaving the body as a butterfly emerging from the chrysalis, sometimes from the mouth of the dead."
Whether there is any link to Dandelions and Bride or not, this is quite fascinating in itself.
There are many plants and animals associated with Bride both as Goddess and Saint. However a distinction needs to be made between those traditionally associated with her, and more modern suggestions. I will attempt to describe the possible origins and symbolism behind these connections, whether new or old. Today I will look at trees and flowers often mentioned in connection with Bride.
The bearnan Bride is traditionally one of the floral symbols of Bride, having a Gaelic name connecting it with her. Bearnan is the plural form of Bearn, which means a notch, gap or crevice. Presumably this indicates the toothed shape of the Dandelion's leaves, which are also said to give it the English name, meaning 'lion's tooth.' I have heard two explanations of it's connection to Bride, that the yellow flower resembles the sun (Bride being considered a Solar goddess by some sources) and that the milky sap and presence of the flower in fields links it to St. Bride's connection to the dairy and cows.
Fiona MacLeod (William Sharp) calles the Dandelion – am dealan Dhé (flame of god) in his essay, St. Briget of the Shores. This is the only reference I've found thus far to that name for the flower, but interestingly Norman MacLeod's dictionary gives us this meaning of Dealan Dé: The appearance produced by shaking a burning stick to and fro, or by whirling it around. It is also a yellow butterfly.
The Dandelion as a herb, is one well respected by healers for it's diuretic and tonic properties. It purifies the body via the urinary system, and as a salad green is highly nutritious. In this it may be linked to Bride's healing aspect as well as the purifying nature of her fires.
The Scots Gaelic names for the Snowdrop are bláth shneachdaidh (snowy blossom) and gealag láir (white mare or white earth?) Neither of these bears an obvious connection to Bride, so I assume the association comes from the time they bloom, as some of the first flowers of spring, around Bride's feast day in early february. In Alexander MacKenzie's story, The Coming of Angus and Bride, the 'princess' Bride is given a bunch of snowdrops by Father Winter which she shows to the Cailleach, telling the winter hag that her reign is at an end. It is however, believed that the Snowdrop is an introduced species in Scotland.
Symbolically, the Snowdrop is interesting because it has six tepals (not petals) three larger external tepals and three small internal ones. Three is perhaps the most significant number in Celtic religious belief, and is connected with Bride in her description as a triple goddess of crafts (smithing, poetry and healing.. not mother/maiden/crone.)
Other early spring flowers
Bearing in mind Bride's connection with the first signs of life in early spring, we can imagine that Bride may be connected in some way to other flowers that bloom first in Scotland and Ireland. Among these are the primrose, who's English name means first-rose, indicating it's early blossoming. Also possible is the daisy, which can flower as early as January in the Western Isles. The name of this flower is from the Old English 'day's eye' and it's Middle Latin equivalent is 'sun's eye.' Clearly there is a solar connection in this flower's symbolism.
Oak is often listed as a tree sacred to Bride. I believe this stems primarily from Kildare, the abbey of St. Bride in Ireland, which is believed by some to also be a site of pre-christian worship to her. Kildare comes from Cill Darre, or Cell of the Oak. Cill in Irish place names usually indicates the presence of a church, no doubt the abbey founded by St. Bride. There is believed to have been a significant Oak tree in the area, after which the community took it's name. Oaks are certainly important in Celtic religious belief, but we can only speculate as to the connection of the Kildare oak to Bride's cult.
Another tree associated with Bride in modern times is the Birch. Popularly considered to represent beginnings and early growth, this may be due to the fact that the birch is one of the first species to repopulate land that has been cleared or burnt by fire. The name is believed to derive from the IE root bherəg, "white, bright; to shine." The only reference to Bride and the Birch that I have yet to find is Carmichael's description of the wand or staff that is placed with the Brideog. He says:
"This wand is variously called 'slatag Bride,' the little rod of Bride, 'slachdan Bride,' the little wand of Bride, and 'barrag Bride,' the birch of Bride. The wand is generally of birch, broom, bramble, white willow, or other sacred wood, 'crossed' or banned wood being carefully avoided."
As far as my research has uncovered, there is no direct link between the Rowan tree and Bride. Despite this I often see it listed beside her with the explanation that it's red berries represent her flame. However there seems to be very little lore to even suggest the colour red was associated with Bride, her flame is more often described as 'gold' at least in the Gaelic prayers that mention her. That said, Rowan was clearly a very important tree to the Gaelic peoples, and was popular in Scotland as a protective wood to ward off Witches and Fairies. Crosses were made from Rowan and Red thread and branches of it were brought inside the house at certain times of the year.
Lady's Mantle
This article suggests the herb Lady's Mantle may have originally been connected to Brigid before it was associated with Mary. While this is just speculation, it is certainly a plant which grows in Britain and Ireland and has some interesting features such as it's collection of dew, something the brat Bride would also have done when laid out on Lá Fhéile Bríde.
On my small Hearth-shrine I have a linen cloth which I've embroidered with floral motifs in each corner: a dandelion, snowdrops, an acorn and oak leaves and a bunch of early spring flowers (primrose, daisy, violet.) In the centre is a cros Bride woven from thread. I also keep a tiny glass vase filled with flowers or greenery, whatever is in season, and both of these serve to remind me of Bride's role in the seasonal changes, and those woods and wildflowers she loves best.
References: A Modern Herbal: Dandelion. Western Isles Wildflowers, Other references linked within text.


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Bumble & Bumble Sunday Shampoo...
8 comments:
I need this... I just didn't know if I could justify the £15 but now I think I can.... you enabler!! hahaReplyDelete
I've used the boots one and on the odd occassion washing up liquid! This would be nice for a little treat though! :-) xReplyDelete
- Anonymous15 June 2012 at 15:23
I have to wash my hair everyday and I hate it! I've tried the boots one but it didn't make much different, I'm now considering this one - thank you for helping me spend my money :) haha xxReplyDelete
I use a detox shampoo too, I use the naked one but they are bathroom essentials regardless of the brand!ReplyDelete
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This looks lovely but it does seem really quite expensive for a shampoo! xxReplyDelete
Ahh this looks so good! Its a shame its a tad expensive, but I guess you get your moneys worth! xxxReplyDelete
I've actually just ordered this shampoo, I do have coloured hair but I'm not really that brothered so I'm excited to try it out :-)ReplyDelete

subset: commoncrawl


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On Scuttlebutt there's a lively discussion on the complexity of the rules. Comments left and right about the average sailor who does not understand what is written, let alone use it to his or her advantage on the water.
As a judge and rules freak I'm biased. I like the rules and find enjoyment in the use of them. But I spend a great deal of time on them and even for me there are grey areas.
MAST (Broad Reach Marketing - www.broadreachmarketing.net) has published a set of rules which enables a beginning sailor to enjoy a race, without having to spend to much time on learning the rules. THE BASIC SAILBOAT RACING RULES ALL RACERS SHOULD KNOW.
It's a little longer then the set ISAF published last year: Introductory Racing Rules, and a few small flaws have crept in, but basically it's a good start.
If you want people to enjoy racing without having to explain the intricacies of rule 18, give them the link or print a set out for them.
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
BASIC RULES from MAST
1 comment:
- Anonymous17 March 2009 at 17:17
Very nice....but there is really no reason to have such a prominent error regarding penalty turns (i.e. two full turns, when the rules only call for two tacks and two gybes in the same direction). Same for the comments on hitting the mark ("one full turn"). Omitting the correct remendy is likely to cause heated discussions on the course and perhaps even a protest.ReplyDelete
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Studio: BrazzersCWMH
Approximate Running Time: 03:52:14
Released: 2018
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Anal Glory - AJ is in the changing room talking to a friend about how badly she wants anal. It's when a hard dicked stranger sticks his cock through the hole in the wall that she finds out "it's how you use it" works both ways because AJ will never go back.
Inspector Ass - Kelsi Monroe loves fitness and fucking, so it's just her luck when an injury in the gym leads into a hot massage followed by a dick in her big butt. Anal is a tough workout, but this girl can handle it.
Scrub That Trunk - Valentina is one hot maid, but she sucks at her job. Her boss Xander leaves her a list of extra chores to do but all she sees is a list of sexual instructions. Sean can't help but spy on the maid's bizarre behavior through his neighbor's window. It's clear that Valentina isn't interested in cleaning, she just wants to get dirty!
She's Not What He Expected - After a fun and wholesome date, Jessy drops Luna off at her place. But as he's heading back to his car he gets a text from her saying she changed her mind. Jessy lets himself in and is shocked to find Luna decked out in dominatrix gear. This is definitely not what he was expecting . . .
Lay Her Over - Kyle is facing a last-minute layover, and Lena wants to make up for it. She offers to show him to his hotel room, he figures the juicy stewardess want sto go the extra mile . . . and although this is no mile-high club, Lena's secretly dying for a good fuck on the ground.
Categories: Hd Movies -> Streaming Video Anal -> M On F Gonzo -> Anal Gonzo -> Sex Appearance -> Natural Look Awards -> 2019 AVN Award Nominees


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Kyle Thomas sings in a great, distinctive voice. Its weird and nasal, but still kind of tough; to try and approximate it, one would be advised to imitate, simultaneously, Milo Aukerman and Marc Bolan. Thomas has applied his singular voice to an impressive array of genres: psych-folk in Feathers, stoner rock in Witch, bedroom glam-rock as King Tuff. On Happy Birthdays debut LP, this voice meets perhaps its ideal application: simulated adolescence.
Take the albums first song, its undeniably catchy single Girls FM, which sounds like it was engineered by and for some really adept teenagers. Its verses have a brilliant stop-start tempo, and a perfect power-pop synth floats over the chorus; then the songs interrupted by a totally stupid slow-down break with everyone in the band saying Girls. Girls. Girl FFFFMMMM. GGGGirls, exactly the way a too-smart kid would try to make a straightforward song quirky. And the songs subject? Duh, its Thomas singing about how everyones looking like a girl to me, almost a parody of teenage-hood.
The theme pervades the album. Too Shy describes walking home, alone, wishing he were someone else, all to a Pavement-psych guitar sound. On the lovely Subliminal Message, Thomas and drummer-vocalist Ruth Garbus sing, call and response-style, the dopey lyrics Im sending you a subliminal message / To your heart, and one can almost see an ask-her-to-dance teen movie scene playing out before your eyes. For pitys sake, the albums stomping yowler is called Zit.
Sonically, weve got a pastiche of historically catchy musical styles, with a Lou Reed touch here, a Superchunk riff there, a 10cc harmony under it all. A lot of the songs have an extraneous part a solo or instrument or second bridge. Though Girls FM will probably get picked up by the internet, the album works as an entity. It functions like a real rock album from the days when people listened to such things, with all their imperfections: theres the rager, the slow-jam, the throwaway goofy track with Beach Boys harmony vox.
Happy Birthday got their Sub Pop record deal after playing about three shows. They sound sufficiently similar to the wildly successful Girls to ponder this pouncing with some cynicism. But then, each individual member has a moderately successful career: Ruth Garbus is a member of Feathers and released an excellent solo LP, Rendezvous With Rama earlier this year, and guitarist/bassist Chris Weisman collaborates with Greg Davis. The songs played here seem to emerge by and large from the same brain that produced King Tuff, and one wonders if the band would seem a little less derivative if Garbus and Weinberger contributed more actively to the songwriting.
That said, the albums timed well for the onset of warm weather; there are few things more teenage than blasting a pop record in the park.
By Talya Cooper


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SMITE is getting a small patch this week and with it brings the brand new "Dark Whisperer" skin for Ah Muzen Cab. The Dark Whisperer skin is a complete graphical and FX overhaul for the character is Hi Rez's take on the legendary HP Lovecraft character, Cthulhu. It comes with a custom voice pack as well and they are both incredible and continue the amazing streak of skins that Hi Rez has released in the past few months.
Also included with the patch is a custom voice pack for the Blind Vengeance Nemesis skin. I listened to a preview of the voice pack on the weekly patch notes stream for SMITE and it's pretty amazing.
Finally, in some sad news, the Night Prowler Bastet skin is being removed from the game for the time being. If you bought the skin you will be refunded for the purchase.
Here is the official statement from the patch notes...
Night Prowler Bastet has been removed from the game while aspects of the skin are reworked. Our sincere apologies for this inconvenience. Everyone that purchased Night Prowler will be refunded the gems from the purchase.
If I had to guess, I would assume that Hi Rez got a lovely cease and desist letter from DC Comics.
For the full list of patch notes, be sure to check out their official forums.


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TCB Publications
The group's papers have been cited so far over 56,000 times (ISI, August 2015), and according to Google Scholar over 160,000 times (as of July 2017). See highly cited publications. Our group's papers have made a few journal covers.
|Recent Publications
P. Mahinthichaichan, D. M. Morris, Y. Wang, G. J. Jensen, and E. Tajkhorshid. (2018) Selective permeability of carboxysome shell pores to anionic molecules. Journal of Physical Chemistry B (web version; page numbers forthcoming).
C. Martens, M. Shekhar, A. Borysik, A. Lau, E. Reading, E. Tajkhorshid, P. J. Booth, and A. Politis. (2018) Direct protein-lipid interactions shape the conformational landscape of secondary transporters. Nature Communications, 9:4151.
D. T. Infield, K. Matulef, J. D. Galpin, K. Lam, E. Tajkhorshid, C. A. Ahern, and F. I. Valiyaveetil. (2018) Main-chain mutagenesis reveals intrahelical coupling in an ion channel voltage-sensor. Nature Communications, In Press.
Y. Wang, M. Shekhar, D. Thifault, C. J Williams, R. Mcgreevy, J. Richardson, A. Singharoy, and E. Tajkhorshid. (2018) Constructing atomic structural models into Cryo-EM densities using molecular dynamics - pros and cons. Journal of Structural Biology, 204:319-328.
A. Chakravarti, K. Selvadurai, R. Shahoei, H. Lee, S. Fatma, E.Tajkhorshid, and R. H. Huang. (2018) Reconstitution and substrate specificity for isopentenyl pyrophosphate of the antiviral radical SAM enzyme viperin. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 293:14122-14133.
P.-C. Wen, J. M. Vanegas, S. B. Rempe, and E. Tajkhorshid. (2018) Probing key elements of teixobactin-lipid II interactions in membrane. Chemical Science, 9:6997-7008.
J. V. Vermaas, S. B. Rempe, and E. Tajkhorshid. (2018) Electrostatic lock in the transport cycle of the multi-drug resistance transporter EmrE. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 115:E7502-E7511.
E. Tajkhorshid. (2018) Molecular insight into drug exporters within the cellular membrane. Pharmacological Research, 133:328.
P.-C. Wen, P. Mahinthichaichan, N. Trebesch, T. Jiang, Z. Zhao, E.Shinn, M. Shekhar, Y. Wang, K.Kapoor, C. K. Chan, and E. Tajkhorshid. (2018) Microscopic view of lipids and their diverse biological functions. Current Opinion in Structural Biology, 51:177-186.
D. Kerr, G. T. Tietjen, Z. Gong, E. Tajkhorshid, E.J Adams, and K. Y. C. Lee. (2018) Sensitivity of peripheral membrane proteins to the membrane context: A case study of phosphatidylserine and the TIM proteins. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Biomembranes, 1860:2126-2133.
P. Mahinthichaichan, R. B. Gennis, and E. Tajkhorshid. (2018) Bacterial denitrifying nitric oxide reductases and aerobic respiratory terminal oxidases use similar delivery pathways for their molecular substrates. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Bioenergetics, 1859:712-724.
C K. Cassidy, B. A. Himes, Z.Luthey-Schulten, and P. Zhang. (2018) CryoEM-based hybrid modeling approaches for structure determination. Current Opinion in Microbiology, 43:14-23.
C. R. Benson, C. Maffeo, E. M. Fatila, Y. Liu, E. G. Sheetz, A. Aksimentiev, A. Singharoy, and A. H. Flood. (2018) Inchworm movement of two rings switching onto a thread by biased Brownian diffusion represent a three-body problem. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 115:9391-9396.
J. A. Hadden, J. R. Perilla, C. J. Schlicksup, B. Venkatakrishnan, A. Zlotnick, and K. Schulten. (2018) All-atom molecular dynamics of the HBV capsid reveals insights into biological function and cryo-EM resolution limits. eLife, 7:e32478.
T. E. Speltz, C. G. Mayne, S. W. Fanning, Z. Siddiqui, E. Tajkhorshid, G. L. Greene, and T. W. Moore. (2018) A "cross-stitched" peptide with improved helicity and proteolytic stability. Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry, 16:3702-3706.
J. A. Katzenellenbogen, C. G. Mayne, B. S. Katzenellenbogen, G. L. Greene, and S. Chandarlapaty. (2018) Structural underpinnings of oestrogen receptor mutations in endocrine therapy resistance. Nature Reviews Cancer, 18:377-388.
L. F. Milles, K. Schulten, H. E. Gaub, and R. C. Bernardi. (2018) Molecular mechanism of extreme mechanostability in a pathogen adhesin. Science, 359:1527-1533.
M. Melo, R. Bernardi, T. Rudack, M. Scheurer, C. Riplinger, J. Phillips, J. Maia, G. Rocha, J. Ribeiro, J. Stone, F. Nesse, K. Schulten, and Z. Luthey-Schulten. (2018) NAMD goes quantum: An integrative suite for QM/MM simulations. Nature Methods, 15:351-354.
C. Sun, S. Benlekbir, P. Venkatakrishnan, Y. Wang, E. Tajkhorshid, J. L. Rubinstein, and R. B. Gennis. (2018) Structure of the alternative complex III in a supercomplex with cytochrome oxidase. Nature, 557:123-126.
P. Mahinthichaichan, R. B. Gennis, and E. Tajkhorshid. (2018) Cytochrome aa3 oxygen reductase utilizes the tunnel observed in the crystal structures to deliver O2 for catalysis. Biochemistry, 57:2150-2161.
Q. Guo, C. Lehmer, A. Martínez-Sánchez, T. Rudack, F. Beck, H. Hartmann, M. Pérez-Berlanga, F. Frottin, M. S. Hipp, F. U. Hartl, D. Edbauer, W. Baumeister, and R. Fernández-Busnadiego. (2018) In situ structure of neuronal C9orf72 poly-GA aggregates reveals proteasome recruitment. Cell, 172:696-705.
T. Earnest, J. Cole, and Z. Luthey-Schulten. (2018) Simulating biological processes: Stochastic physics from whole cells to colonies. Reports on Progress in Physics, 81:052601.
M. Scheurer, P. Rodenkirch, M. Siggel, R. C. Bernardi, K. Schulten, E. Tajkhorshid, and T. Rudack. (2018) PyContact: Rapid, customizable and visual analysis of non-covalent interactions in MD simulations. Biophysical Journal, 114:577-583.
S. Barrick, J. Li, X. Kong, A. Ray, E. Tajkhorshid, and D. Leckband. (2018) Salt bridges gate α-catenin activation at intercellular junction. Molecular Biology of the Cell, 29:111-122.
T. Jiang, K. Yu, H. C. Hartzell, and E. Tajkhorshid (2017) Lipids and Ions Traverse the Membrane by the Same Physical Pathway in the nhTMEM16 Scramblase. eLife, 6: e28671.
T. Verdorfer, R. C. Bernardi, A. Meinhold, W. Ott, Z. Luthey-Schulten, M. A. Nash and H. E. Gaub (2017) Combining in Vitro and in Silico Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy to Characterize and Tune Cellulosomal Scaffoldin Mechanics. JACS, 139, 17841-17852. (Cover Article)
G. G. Gutierrez*, Y. Wang*, G. Cymes, E. Tajkhorshid, and C. Grosman (2017) Chasing the open-state structure of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels. Journal of General Physiology, 149, 1119-1138. (Cover Article)
M. P. Muller, Y. Wang, J. H. Morrissey, and E. Tajkhorshid (2017) Lipid Specificity of the Membrane Binding Domain of Coagulation Factor X. J. Thromb. Haemost. 15(10), 2005-2016. (Cover Article)
S. Chen, Y, Zhao, Y. Wang, M. Shekhar, E. Tajkhorshid and E. Gouaux (2017) Activation and desensitization mechanism of AMPA receptor-TARP complex by cryo-EM Cell, 170(6), 1234-1246
X. Yu, G. Yang, C. Yan, J. L. Baylon, J. Jiang, H. Fan, G. Lu, K. Hasegawa, H. Okumura, T. Wang, E. Tajkhorshid, S. Li, and N. Yan (2017) Dimeric structure of the uracil:proton symporter UraA provides mechanistic insights into the SLC4/23/26 transporters. Cell Research, 27:1020-1033.
J. H. Leung, P. Mahinthichaichan, E. Tajkhorshid, A. Ishchenko, V. Cherezov, M. Soltis, B. J. Jackson, C. D. Stout, R. B. Gennis, Q. Zhang, and P. S. Padayatti (2017) Critical role of water molecules in proton translocation by the membrane-bound transhydrogenase. Structure, 25(7), 1111-1119.
F. J. D. Alvarez, S. He, J. R. Perilla, S. Jang, K. Schulten, A. N. Engelman, S. H. W. Scheres, and P. Zhang (2017) CryoEM structure of MxB reveals a novel oligomerization interface critical for HIV restriction Science Advances, 3:e1701264
G. T. Tietjen, J. L. Baylon, D. Kerr, Z. Gong, J. M. Henderson, C. T. R. Heffern, M. Meron, B. Lin, M. L. Schlossman, E. J. Adams, E. Tajkhorshid, and Ka Yee C. Lee (2017) Coupling X-ray reflectivity and in silico binding to yield dynamics of membrane recognition by Tim1. Biophysical Journal, 113:1505-1519
J. R. Perilla & K. Schulten (2017) Physical properties of the HIV-1 capsid from all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. Nature Communications, 8: 15959
M. J. Arcario, C. G. Mayne, and E. Tajkhorshid (2017) A membrane-embedded pathway delivers general anesthetics to two interacting binding sites in the Gloeobacter violaceus Ion Channel. J. Biol. Chem., 292(23), 9480-9492. (Cover Article)
B. Verhalen, R. Dastvan, S. Thangapandian, Y. Peskova, H. A. Koteiche, R. K. Nakamoto, E. Tajkhorshid, and H. S. Mchaourab (2017) Energy Transduction and Alternating Access of the mammalian ABC Transporter P-glycoprotein. Nature, 543: 738-741.
F. Zeng, Y. Chen, J. Remis, M. S. Shekhar, J. C. Phillips, E. Tajkhorshid, and H. Jin (2017) Structural Basis of Co-translational Quality Control by ArfA and RF2 Binding to Ribosome. Nature, 541, 554-557.
J. V. Vermaas and E. Tajkhorshid (2017) Differential Membrane Binding Mechanics of Synaptotagmin Isoforms Observed at Atomic Detail. Biochemistry, 56: 281-293.
D. A. Weisz, H. Liu, H. Zhang, S. Thangapandian, E. Tajkhorshid, M. L. Gross, and H. B. Pakrasi (2017) Structural analysis of Photosystem II: Mass spectrometry-based cross-linking study show that the Psb28 protein binds to cytochrome b559. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 114: 2224-2229.
L. G. Lippert, T. Dadosh, J. A. Hadden, B. T. Diroll, C. B. Murray, E. L.F. Holzbaur, K. Schulten, S. L. Reck-Peterson, and Y. E. Goldman (2017) Angular measurements of the dynein ring reveal a stepping mechanism dependent on a flexible stalk. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, In Press.
J. Seppälä, R. C. Bernardi, T. J. K. Haataja, M. Hellman, O. T. Pentikäinen, K. Schulten, P. Permi, J. Ylänne, and U. Pentikäinen (2017) Skeletal dysplasia mutations effect on human filamins' structure and mechanosensing. Scientific Reports, 7:4218.
E. Tajkhorshid and C. Chipot (2017) Tribute to Klaus Schulten. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, Klaus Schulten Memorial Issue, 121: 3203-5.
H. Qiu, A. Sarathy, K. Schulten, and J. P. Leburton (2017) Detection and mapping of DNA methylation with 2D material nanopores. npj 2D Materials and Applications, 1:3.
S. Maji, R. Shahoei, K. Schulten, and J. Frank (2017) Quantitative characterization of domain motions in molecular machines. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 121: 3747-3756.
J. V. Vermaas, T. V. Pogorelov, and E. Tajkhorshid (2017) Extension of the Highly Mobile Membrane Mimetic to Transmembrane Systems through Customized in Silico Solvents. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 121: 3764-3776.
A. K. S. Camara, Y. Zhou, P.-C. Wen, E. Tajkhorshid and W.-M. Kwok (2017) Mitochondrial VDAC1: A Key Gatekeeper as Potential Therapeutic Target. Frontiers in Physiology, 8: 640.
M. Wehmer, T. Rudack, F. Beck, A. Aufderheide, G. Pfeifer, J. M. Plitzko, F. Förster, K. Schulten, W. Baumeister, and E. Sakata (2017) Structural insights into the functional cycle of the ATPase module of the 26S proteasome. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 114:1305-1310.
V. G. Poosarla, T. Li, B. C. Goh, K. Schulten, T. K. Wood, and C. D. Maranas (2017) Computational de novo design of antibodies binding to a peptide with high affinity. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 114:1331-1342.
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Jimmy Lee and JC Coen are 2 brothers who, after customizing bikes for friends and themselves during 18 years, have made the big jump into the world of Pro Custom Building. And although most would consider that these last years were the less favorable to get started in the industry, their shop Three-Two Choppers in Fort Worth Texas, TX is slowly imposing its own style and gets no problem attracting new clients. Three-Two Choppers? An unexpected name that you will easily remember and whose origin comes from the fact that both the numbers 3 and 2, separately and together, don't stop showing up in Jimmy and JC lives… Ask them all the stories when you meet in a rally or bike show.
The Coen Brothers are not looking after fads to duplicate what has already been proven as design success. Their ideas are relatively simple, but executed such a way that their bikes end up acquiring their own personalities. This custom called "Rufino II" is a good example of what could have been only another chopper, but in fact incorporates details making it different, noticeable in the street and at the bike show. It was ordered by Miguel Salinas, a customer already owning 2 custom bikes built by the brothers. Inspiration came from extra ideas not incorporated in the former builds.
Seldom do builders get the chance to have full reign on design and finishes for a customer, and this was one of those times. Due to the owner-to-be- small size, the bike had to be relatively compact with no exaggerated wheel base, have a low center of gravity, keep a light weight, be quick to respond when leaning and turning . Giving its unique stance to "Rufino II" is the frame – designed in house and fabricated by Coen's friends at Dirty South Choppers – with a very small rake of 25-degree combined with a drop seat and set up for a modest size 18 x 4" rear wheel. Power comes from the new 80" Shovelhead engine from S&S Cycles with their Super E carburetor. Front end was built by Jeri at Jeri Springer, holding a 21 x 2.15 wheel and getting its direction from one-off bars (no risers) built at the chop and positioning hands lower than the frame neck.
Gas tank is quite interesting, built from scratch, rubber mounted and installed on a unique three rail system. The brothers used one of their points/ignition covers and mounted it on the left side of the tank for a nice contrast. For fuel delivery to the S&S E carb, they used a Pingel's remote fuel valve and utilized the shop built motor mount to hang the valve. Under the bottom and to the rear of the tank are two fuel outlets, one on each side of the tunnel. Due to the extreme angle of the tank and the fact that the fuel level lowers parallel to the ground you end up with a pocket of fuel on the opposite side the valve is flowing from. This allows for a nice reserve if and when you run out. ..
Giving character to the bike is the Moon-Eyes oil tank mounted outside the frame and the exhaust pipes running inside it (coated in mirror silver finish by Jet Hot). An original Harley FX 19" front fender went through massaging at the English Wheel and is now used as the rear fender. An Afco 4" coil over spring is bringing suspension to the seat pan upholstered by Duane Ballard after he hand tooled the shop skull logo. A machined in house sweet LED billet taillight adds to the other nice touches on Rufino II. Three Two Choppers (photography copyright Roman Pena at Rap Photo Company courtesy to Cyril Huze)
Build time: 4 months. Ignition: Dyna S Dual Fire. Transmission: Rev Tech 5 in a 4 kick only. Primary: Primo Brute IV with Primo Clutch. Wheels, model Raven Star by Thomason Performance. Tires model Avon Cobra. Hand Controls by Jay Brake. Grips by Avon. Headlight: 4.5" Tribar. Painter: "OSC" Other Side Customs. Graphics: OSC.


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President Bashar al-Assad "needs to be removed" if evidence is found that he launched chemical attacks on the Syrian people, Kate Osamor has said.
The Shadow International Development Secretary said "intervention must take place" in Syria before she added that the President should be ousted.
A suspected chemical attack on the rebel-held enclave of Douma in Eastern Ghouta in which 40 people, including children, were killed has sparked widespread outrage from world leaders.
It is thought the Syrian regime, which is supported by Russia and Iran, is responsible for the attack.
Theresa May is expected to announce the UK will support US-led airstrikes in retaliation for the attack.
Osamor's words came, however, as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called for Theresa May to offer Parliament a vote on action before pressing ahead.
In an interview with the House magazine, Osamor appeared to be pro-intervention.
She said: "That person [Assad] needs to be removed. I mean, intervention must take place if evidence comes back that the PM or the president or whoever the leader is, is gassing his own people. Get them out.
"But I suppose what we've seen is it's not as easy as that. And I think that's where Jeremy's position comes from. It's not as easy as just removing someone.
"I think that's what needs to happen. They always seem to abscond, end up in another country. This world is messed up. It's not easy. But if a leader is killing their own they need to be removed. We don't keep them there. They need to go. He needs to be removed.
"But how do you remove someone? I'm saying this almost as a layman, but I know politically you can't just remove somebody who is elected."
Osamor also said her boss should decline to make statements on foreign policy and instead should rely on other party spokespeople.
Asked about Corbyn commenting on violence in Gaza, while Labour attributed a statement on Syria to a 'spokesperson', she said: "First and foremost, he should allow the spokesperson for that department really to respond. It's not that he shouldn't have said it [Corbyn's statement on Gaza]. But if that's what he's being assessed on - that's what he's being judged on - then he should just let his spokesperson speak because it seems that whatever he says is not good enough - it's too strong or it's not strong enough.
"When actually, he's the leader. So, it should be Emily or me, whoever, should be responding. And maybe that's what he should do."
She added: "It's much more serious than whether or not Jeremy has made a statement or not. It's about the fact that this has taken place and what are the government doing.
"We don't want this to be about the British media and Jeremy, which it has become, as opposed to that people are being gassed, people are being shot or whatever and the Government has decided this is what they need to do.
"And it takes the Government off the hook because the media then talk about Jeremy's response when is he is the leader of the Opposition. And even if he was unequivocal 'he actually is not the prime minister or he's not the foreign secretary' or whatever."
The Shadow International Development Secretary was also questioned about whether Labour could support a boycott of Israel.
She said: "I think we need to open up the debate before we start saying what we should be doing. Unfortunately, a lot of people are not really educated on illegal settlements, people don't understand what's really going on, and it's gone over their head. 'It's BDS, who cares, what's that got to do with anything?'
"But I think we need to get to a place where we start educating everybody and make a decision based on that and then say, 'this could be an alternative, this could be an option'.
"I would not say at this point in opposition we should be planning around boycotting without educating a whole generation that have missed out on that and don't understand what's going on.
"There's a level of education that needs to take place first and I would more be an advocate of that than actually worrying about BDS or not because a lot of people aren't educated and haven't made a decision based on that.
"That's not the biggest issue for me. The biggest issue for me is educating people around conflict across the globe and finding a place where we can get some resolution for people."
Source: huffingtonpost


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The Burnt Ones "You'll Never Walk Alone" (Burger Records, 2013)
A big wave of new age alternative rock`n rollers in the world is on the way for almost a decade. Many new bands, bunch of singles and so many of self-released LPs with big hopes of gaining success… Well, The Burnt Ones are surely the part of the wave with big chances to get heard worldwide. Their second LP "You`ll never walk alone" is colored by melancholy and loneliness. Well as many bands in this genre, they have the same illness – too much overproduction (you know, it doesn`t always need to sound so fuzzy, alternatively and trippy in order to be psychedelic or just unique)... Although songs like "Fountain of youth", "I Care – I don`t care" and advising poem "Move on" surely have a lot of potential to leave their mark in the future. "Freak in the Fog" also has that "60s body" and great psychedelic melody. This LP brings fresh air to garage rock scene, not by its revolutionary production or sounding, as with the songs themselves.
Review made by Andrija Babovic/2013
© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2013


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Affiliate marketing is selling other people's products and services for commissions. This is not a get rich quick scheme therefore it requires time and proper planning. The idea is to generate huge amounts of traffic to a website and get a cut from whatever money they spend.
Many affiliate marketers have blogs or websites where they publish content to attract potential customers in their targeted niche. Forget what you've been told, becoming a successful affiliate marketer doesn't necessarily require you to have a website or a blog.
Online marketers have become successful in affiliate marketing without blogs or websites through smart strategies and different free online platforms. The key thing is choosing products or services you like. This way, you will always have fresh information to offer your audience with minimal chances of getting bored and quitting.
Beginners can have a hard time landing even a single sale for months but once you get the basics it becomes doodling easy. You can learn how to start affiliate marketing without a website if you use the right tools. Remember, the idea is to have killer campaigns therefore your marketing strategy needs to be solid and well directed. Making the information you pass viral is an added advantage…
If you are serious about making real money online, we are able to point you in the right direction. Take a look at our #1 recommendation and start building your FREE online business today.
The Way of the Mouth: Social Media
Maybe you under estimate the power of social media, be warned, it's at your own peril. Social media is one tool that can literally take you to all corners of the world in just a few seconds. If there is technology you can be sure there is smart gadgets and where there is smart gadgets there's definitely social media, and that is where you need to be.
Some of the top social media sites are now operating on a global scale so your reach is greatly expanded. You can use captivating social media status updates to lure potential customers to your products or services. The affiliate link can be customized using tools like Owly or Bitly and then posted with an interesting update (facts, jokes, stories or news related to your products and services).
This increases the click through rate. Social media also gives you the power to interact and interact deeply. This is on a personal level. I'm not talking about leaving messages that will be read later, I'm talking about real time chat.
The capability to video chat through social media makes things even greater. What good content can do for you on a website or blog, you can do better when demonstrating your products or explaining the services you're selling directly to your customers.
Websites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Whatsapp and Twitter have apps for smartphone users to chat through text, video or share images from anywhere in the world, anytime. In fact, all top social sites around the world do!
That is where you need to take your business; that is where everyone is! Social media can also allow you to share product photos, banner ads, e-flyers and studio produced videos with your customers.
The possibilities here are virtually endless!
You can create or join pages, groups and follow relevant entities in your target niche to always be ahead of the game. Get yourself well positioned in social media and you might just have a shot at affiliate marketing. You can use this channel to distribute your affiliate link without the need for a website. Meetup and pass a link!
Piggy Backing: The Blogging Business
You can do a lot of blogging without a blog. How? Guest posting, commenting on other relevant posts, buying ad spaces for banner ads and more.
There are countless top niche websites and blogs that want good content and they are looking for you. Become a good story teller and educate people in your niche about things they don't know and they will listen to you.
Niche customers are a keen lot. They know what they are looking for and they are looking for the best thing out there. Your work is to package that into an insightful article and sell it to them. Everything you can do with blogging can be summarized as follows. The main idea here is to make your followers feel like they want to learn more from you…
- Write captivating and informative guest posts related to your products and services for niche bloggers and websites. Most of them will allow you to include a link with your post therefore you can place your affiliate link there. The least they can do is give you credit by including your name and contacts. This is still good as it helps potential clients build trust in you. When you look like you know your business then people will want to buy from you.
- Comment on other people's posts. Find niche blogs and websites talking about your products and services then join the discussion in the comments by adding new information or answering a few fact based questions. This zone is more "link friendly" so you can throw in your affiliate link in there. It is always good etiquette to ask the owners first if adding links is okay (same with writing guest blogs).
- Buy ad space from top niche blogs and place an attractive banner ad with your affiliate link there. This is very tricky and you will need to know exactly where to position yourself or where to buy the ad spaces that give you a high ROI. Banner ads are worthless if no one is seeing them. Same goes for videos and pretty much anything else that can be posted as an ad. There a few tools out there such as AdGooroo and WhatRunsWhere that can help you ease the hassle. These tools can help you track how your ads are doing as well your competitors. They can also give you detailed reports when you need to make important decisions on where or how to place display ads. You might want to invest in good graphic design work for this one.
What's Trending? Join a Forum
Get yourself into an online forum and see what people are talking about. Asking and answering questions is a great way of interacting with people especially when you are in the affiliate marketing business.
Join a discussion in your target niche and pass out a word of knowledge then post your affiliate link while you're at it. There are many online forums on the internet today and some are targeted to a particular niche. Find your spot and dive in and sell!
Don't Do This!
Some people may lie to you, PPC campaigns are NOT recommended for affiliate marketing beginners. Organic traffic is always the best when you're into affiliate marketing.
Knowing your customers on a more personalized level helps in getting referrals from willing and satisfied customers which is extra marketing for you! You are not here to spend money, you are here to make money instead.
Take time to find the best product, find your way around your niche and be smart about your affiliate link distribution. Find a good affiliate partner and sell, sell, sell! Now you know how to start affiliate marketing without a website…


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The challenge
Robotics is interested in situations with interactions between artificial systems and their physical environment, which may also include human operators. Our research takes the perspective of the artificial system, seeking to fit it out with mechanisms for perception, cognition, collaboration and action to enable optimal operation in a complex environment, which could be everyday situations as well as enterprises or production floors. Our services dedicated to large data volumes are supported by the competencies of 150 experts.
Optimise operation, generate income
Thanks to analytics, research and marketing firms are able to compare product design and manufacturing data with those from its actual functioning and analyse the resulting costs in order to optimise the life cycle and fuel the company's innovation strategy.
Thus, for instance, analytics optimises operational efficiency,generates new ideas and proposals and opens new doors, with a view towards growth in turnover.
Another feature of analytics is that, unlike simulation – which is based on scientific reasoning, with a great deal of mathematical equations and physics concepts – analytics falls more under empirical reasoning. In other words, this marks a major step forward in data management and processing methods, taking uncertainty into account.
Research project
Test engineers spend a significant portion of their time "juggling" between test data from physical sensors, analysers and digital simulators. While specialised solutions in data acquisition, analysis and management are in fact available, practically none of these covers the entire testing life cycle, from logging to evaluation and application of the test findings.
Leaving notes on a post-it, poster, sign or board is one of the more simple and direct methods that people use to communicate. Indeed, team meetings often need to use a white board to collect and organise ideas. Meetings of this kind often take place simultaneously, at sites separated by significant distances.
- François CalvignacIoT & Big Data Solution Manager
+33 (0)5 34 46 90 15
François CalvignacIoT & Big Data Solution Manager
+33 (0)5 34 46 90 15
- Philippe RavixInnovation Director
+33 (0)5 34 46 93 16
Philippe RavixInnovation Director
+33 (0)5 34 46 93 16
After completing his engineering degree, Philippe Ravix started his career in 1993 in the field of information systems. For 15 years he served in various capacities in Information Systems Management before shifting his focus towards architecture, his favourite field.
In 2002, he joined the Sogeti Group as technical director, a position he held until 2006, when he became Manager of Enterprise Architecture Operations.
He co-authored a book on service-oriented architectures entitled "SOA for Profit", a manager's guide for successful service-oriented architectures.
Download the book.
Philippe Ravix joined Sogeti High Tech as Director of Innovation in January of 2010, where he created and developed the HighTechLabs R&D department around three main objectives:
- Develop our own IP by cultivating solutions.
- Deploy a culture of innovation in the organisation.
- Execute co-innovation projects with the R&D authors.


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Do you and your spouse have different parenting styles or discipline techniques/beliefs? My wife and I strongly feel a united front is always best – even if we don't agree with what the other already said to or daughter(s), we discuss it later – not in front of the kids.
Do you find each stage of your child's life offers new challenges and issues to address? We sure do! And our two daughters are rather different from each other, so what we dealt with when Julia was a young toddler is much different then the things we are going through now with Stella…
At any rate, when I came across this on-line article from Parents.Com, I found it very helpful and insightful as I am guilty of some of the Too Harsh and Too Whimpy replies, but at the same time I can say we did some of the "Just Right" answers as well. Whew, to live is to learn and in my household there's a lot of living and learning always going on!
Just-Right Discipline
By KJ Dell'Antonia
You've said no — it's too close to dinnertime for a sweet. In fact, you've said no more than once. But when you come back into the kitchen, you find your preschooler hanging precariously off the freezer door with a box of Popsicles clutched in her hand.
Do you explode? Or give in and let her have the pop? Either reaction would be normal because your brain tends to operate on autopilot in stressful situations. "But if you respond in an overly harsh or wimpy way, you miss the opportunity to teach your child the skills she needs to do the right thing in the future," says Becky Bailey, Ph.D., author of Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline. It's tough to keep your cool, but it'll be easier to discipline thoughtfully if you've already considered smart responses like the ones for the following situations.
When crossing the street, your 4-year-old won't hold your hand.
- Too Harsh "If you can't hold on, I'll pick you up and carry you!"
- Too Wimpy "Fine. But please stay really close to me, okay?"
- Just Right "When we get to the light, we will hold hands."
Holding hands when you cross the street is one of those non-negotiable safety issues. "This shouldn't be a debate. If she refuses, just take her hand," says Lynne Reeves Griffin, author of Negotiation Generation. Even when you threaten to carry her, you still make it sound like she has a choice.
When she won't share
Your 2-year-old snatches a toy train away from his friend who came over to play.
- Too Harsh "Bad boy! Give that back!"
- Too Wimpy "Come on… please say that you're sorry."
- Just Right "You really want a turn, and you're going to get a turn. You and Mommy can play with blocks together, and after we stack up ten blocks, it will be your turn to have the train."
Sharing doesn't come naturally for toddlers — especially at their own house. Don't let your disappointment over your child's "selfish" behavior (or worries about what the other parent will think) interfere with your ability to reinforce the concept of taking turns, no matter how many times you feel like you've covered this ground before, says Parents advisor Sal Severe, Ph.D., author of How to Behave So Your Preschooler Will, Too! Remind him that his friend is only playing with the train for a little while, and use terms he can understand to explain how long he'll have to wait. When you're alone later, you can practice sharing, to help him appreciate the fact that taking turns doesn't mean losing a toy forever.
You're at the store and your 5-year-old keeps putting sugary cereals and candy in your cart.
- Too Harsh "Pull one more thing off the shelves and we leave with nothing!"
- Too Wimpy "Okay, we can buy that, but only this once."
- Just Right "These are the two cereals we can buy. You can choose which one you'd like. If you put anything else in the cart, you have to put it back."
"It's natural for young kids to want these foods — after all, the packaging is designed to attract their curiosity," says Dr. Severe. Since you're focused on your list, your child may be tossing items into the cart in order to get your attention — or to sneak in treats because you're distracted. Keep her engaged from the start by allowing her to make choices about items on the list (yellow or red apples? chocolate or vanilla pudding?) and let her put things you're buying into the cart for you.
When he won't go to bed
Your preschooler is out of bed again asking for his third drink of water of the night.
- Too Harsh "I'm going to lock this door so you can't come out again!"
- Too Wimpy "Daddy will lie down with you until you fall asleep."
- Just Right "Let's have one final hug and get tucked in. It's time for sleep."
As frustrating as this is, try not to let your child see that you're annoyed. When he pops out, calmly walk him back to bed — and don't give him any snacks or read an extra book unless you want to be doing this every night. He probably imagines that all sorts of exciting things are happening after he goes to sleep; when you make his repeat appearances boring and repetitive, they'll eventually stop.
Your toddler is having a tantrum because you turned off the TV, and she kicks you in the shins.
- Too Harsh "That's it. This time you've gone too far. You can forget about watching television — ever!"
- Too Wimpy "I know you're upset, but how would you feel if I kicked you?"
- Just Right "You hurt Mommy. Let me know when you have calmed down, and we can talk about why you're upset."
"The right response is probably the opposite of what your instincts are telling you," says Betsy Brown Braun, a child-development and behavior specialist and author of Just Tell Me What to Say. Rather than punishing her for kicking, just walk away (and take the remote with you). Separating yourself is a powerful strategy; you won't stay with her if she hurts you, but you won't let her distract you from the original issue. Later on, remind her that no matter what she's feeling, it's never okay to hurt another person. If you get mad and yell at her instead, there's a good chance you'll feel guilty afterward and may even turn the TV back on.
It's time for you to go home from a playdate, and your 4-year-old decides to throw a fit.
- Too Harsh "Stop that right now or we're never coming back."
- Too Wimpy "We'll stay a little longer."
- Just Right "We'll leave in five minutes. Our next stop is the supermarket — do you want to ride in a shopping cart, or push a little cart on your own?"
No child likes to end a fun playdate, so give a warning and change the subject to the next activity. "Offering two choices about what to do next will give him some control over what's going on," says Dr. Bailey. Time is a tough concept for kids, so it's helpful to use a visual cue: Hold your hands out far apart to indicate a five-minute warning, then move them closer when there are two minutes left, and put them together when it's time to go.
Your kids are screaming at each other and you can't take it.
- Too Harsh "That's enough! Both of you go to your room this minute!"
- Too Wimpy "Come and tell me what's wrong, and I'll figure out a solution."
- Just Right "I don't know what's going on, and I don't want to know, but if you can't work it out quietly, you both need to leave the room."
This is about the noise, not the arguing (at least they're using their words). "Your goal is not to get involved and not to assign any blame," says Braun. "You simply need to remind them to use their indoor voices or take the screaming outside."
When he won't listen to you
Your 18-month-old keeps standing up in his high chair while he's eating dinner.
- Too Harsh "That's all — you're done! No more supper for you."
- Too Wimpy "Be careful! Come on, sit down now. Look, here comes the airplane spoon flying to your mouth!"
- Just Right "We sit when we eat. I'll help you sit back down."
"Parents sometimes think it's better to just distract their toddler or ignore unwanted behavior, but 1-year-olds are old enough to follow simple rules," says Griffin. In fact, your child is probably watching to see your reaction when he demonstrates his new high-chair maneuver. Calmly let him know that sitting is always required at mealtime. If he doesn't get a rise out of you (or a free trip onto your lap for the rest of the meal), he'll take a seat and be less likely to stand up during the next meal.
You ask your 6-year-old to hang up her jacket and she says, "I'm busy. Hang it up yourself!"
- Too Harsh "Don't you talk to me that way, young lady. Go to your room right now!"
- Too Wimpy "Okay, I'll do it this time."
- Just Right "In this house, you'll have to lose that attitude. I don't speak to you that way, and you may not speak to me that way. I asked you to hang up your jacket, and I expect you to do it."
There are two issues here — the back talk and the jacket. "If you respond in a tone that shows you mean it, most kids will hang up the jacket," says Braun. "She probably heard another kid talk like this, and she's seeing if she can get away with it." The most important thing to do is take a deep breath, and focus on the good behavior you want to teach her.
Originally published in the June 2009 issue of Parentsmagazine.
http://www.parents.comBringing together the power of respected magazine brands including American Baby and Parents, the Parents Network is your go-to destination for parenting information. From first kicks to first steps and on to the first day of school, we are here to help you celebrate the joys and navigate the challenges of parenthood.
Related Articles
- Teach Your Preschooler Good Behavior Through Games! (declutterorganizerepurpose.wordpress.com)
- Why toddlers throw temper tantrums (cnn.com)
- Preschoolers: Tips for Discipline and Manners (webmd.com)
- Toddler Discipline: Effective and Appropriate Tactics (webmd.com)
- Chores for Children? YES! (declutterorganizerepurpose.wordpress.com)
- The Power of Positive Discipline (everydayhealth.com)
- How to Help Preschoolers Learn to Tell the Truth (webmd.com)


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"Immediate breast reconstruction" is performed at the same time as the mastectomy and typically provides the most natural results with the least amount of scarring. Unfortunately, for many women this simply isn't an option....
For starters, 70% of women facing mastectomy aren't even told that reconstruction may be an option for them. They undergo surgery only to find out some time later that they could have woken up from their mastectomy with new breasts instead of having to experience a flat chest.
Of the women that are informed, some may not have access to a reconstructive plastic surgeon where they live and have to travel for reconstruction.
Other women are not candidates for immediate reconstruction because unfortunately the disease is too advanced at the time of diagnosis.
Sometimes radiation therapy is recommended as part of the breast cancer treatment. Most plastic surgeons prefer to hold off on reconstruction until the patient is several months out from her last radiation therapy. This allows the tissues to recover and soften up as much as possible to improve the results of the subsequent reconstruction.
As you can see, there are several reasons why a women wanting breast reconstruction may not be able to have it straight away, ideally at the same time as the mastectomy.
Whatever the reason for delay may be, it is important to remember there is no time limit when it comes to breast reconstruction - it can be performed at any time, even years after mastectomy.
Like immediate reconstruction, delayed breast reconstruction is also covered by insurance regardless of how many years have passed since the breast cancer diagnosis.
Dr C
PRMA Plastic Surgery specializes in advanced breast reconstruction including DIEP flap, SIEA flap, GAP flap, TUG flap and Alloderm One-Step. In-Network for most US insurance plans. Patients routinely welcomed from across the USA. Please call (800) 692-5565 or email firstname.lastname@example.com to learn more about your breast reconstruction options. Connect with other breast cancer reconstruction patients at www.facebook.com/PRMAplasticsurgery.*****


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Our Grand Fan Flower fabric panels are now available online in sumi black, olive and seaglass and are handprinted on beautiful latte coloured linen. I just thought I would let you know because this is one sexy piece of fabric!
Each panel is $65 and substantial enough to make a beautiful skirt right up to a curvy size 16.
If you aren't one to whip up a skirt then we are making them too- they are on the way.
Grand Hearts (you may have spotted a chair or two having been covered in this recently) are coming as panels and skirts too I will post when they are ready.


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Public Statement on Street Check Review – Wednesday, July 12, 2017.
The Edmonton Police Commission has agreed to support a third party review of EPS street checks. The purpose of the review is to determine if the current practice is respectful of all the people served by the Edmonton Police Service. The review will also examine prevailing literature and compare practices across Canada and the Commonwealth with respect to regular police contacts with the community.
In addition, the Commission will review all data gathered since the new street check procedure was implemented in August 2016. This will help measure accuracy and determine if the current state data collection is in line with the existing policy.
I want to recognize Chief Knecht and members of the Edmonton Police Service for the significant steps taken toward establishing fairness and accuracy of street checks to date. They have undertaken numerous activities to streamline and enhance the street check process over the past couple of years.
However, the Commission also recognizes the growth of this issue. We want to ensure EPS policies and procedures are fair and equitable to all Edmontonians, and we believe this will be accomplished through a comprehensive independent review. We are at a very early stage in the process and therefore do not have all of the details established. Our first step is to develop a terms of reference that will provide direction as we move forward.
The Commission is committed to the safety of all Edmontonians. We want Edmonton to be the safest major city in Canada, and for all residents and guests to feel safe and welcome… and to be safe and welcome. For that to happen, we must ensure our police service has the tools to do their jobs, but are respectful of individual rights and freedoms at the same time.


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The governement is set to ramp up measures to deter drivers from texting at the wheel.
Fines and points for drivers using mobile phones will double next year; anyone caught texting will get six points on their licence and will also have to pay a £200 fine.
Read more: Seat and Cosmopolitan magazine have designed a special lady car for ladies
A newly-qualified driver could be forced to re-take their driving test if they are spotted using a handheld phone.
Experienced drivers could end up in court for breaching the rules twice, meaning they could be slapped with fines of up to £1,000 and could get a six-month driving ban.
The RAC recently reported that illegal use of phones while driving has reached "epidemic proportions", with 11 million drivers saying they have made or received a call while driving in the last year.
Read more: Guess who's been given a six-month driving ban for speeding
The automotive services company said:
Attitudes towards handheld mobile use have become worryingly relaxed over the last two years.
And it is not just attitudes that are shifting – actual behaviours are changing significantly too with the percentage of drivers who admit to having used a handheld mobile phone while driving having shot up.
The percentage of people who think it is fine to answer a phone call has doubled from seven per cent in 2014 to 14 per cent this year, the RAC said. The proportion of people who admit to having used a mobile while driving has jumped to 31 per cent compared to just eight per cent two years ago.


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New blog
As anyone looking at this blog will quickly be able to tell, it hasn't received much love in a long while. Now my website has a blog and all future posts will appear there. I intend to be more active with that blog than I have been with this one in recent times. Many thanks for stopping by.


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Sunday, March 26, 2017
Endless doppelgangers in the multiverse
What would it mean if we could seize hold of the understanding that we are living, right now, in one of many worlds with endless doppelgangers in all the others - and might be on a convergence or collision path with some of them? A physicist and a fantasy writer introduce the theme. It is active dreamers who will contribute most to understanding how we can confirm and apply this model of reality on experiential, not merely speculative, levels.
Physicist Brian Greene's book The Hidden Reality delivers a scientific model for the idea that we may all have "endless doppelgangers" leading parallel lives in parallel universes. When we develop the skills of Active Dreaming, we are able to explore this experientially - and to learn how to bring gifts and lessons from a parallel world into this one.
Greene makes frequent use of the term "multiverse." It's worth noting that this term was used - and probably coined - a century ago by the great American philosopher, psychologist and psychic researcher William James. James wrote:
The cosmos is not a closed and harmonious system; it is a battleground of cross-currents and conflicting purposes; it shows itself, with pathetic obviousness, as not a uni- but a multi-verse.
Enter the brilliant and prolific fantasy writer Michael Moorcock, who dropped the hyphen and brough the term "multiverse" into popular usage.In his second Eternal Champion novel, The Sundered Worlds, Moorcock used the word "to describe the idea of the near infinity of co-existing space-time continua each fractionally different, in which certain struggles and stories are played out through eternity, on a vast number of planes of existence." (I am quoting his introduction to the 1996 omnibus edition of the Eternal Champions series).
In the very first novel in the series, Moorcock referred to "Ghost Worlds" rather than to the multiverse. Later in his writing career, Moorcock described the original Eternal Champion novel as "the shout of a young man who finds the world a more complicated place and feels, therefore, betrayed." He also pronounces it "central" to his work, the jumping-off point for many books that followed.
Despite the flaws in this early work, it has one feature that will appeal to dream travelers. The Eternal Champion opens in the liminal state between waking and sleeping, when "we have most of us had the illusion of hearing voices."
In a cold winter bed looking through the window at the moon, the protagonist John Daker, starts hearing a repeated word that sounds like gibberish: Erekosë, Erekosë, Erekosë. Each night he increases his effort to concentrate on this mystery word, his "hallucinations" grow stronger, and then "it seemed I broke free of my body altogether." As he hangs in darkness, many other names stream through his mind, and the original strange word becomes part of a call: "Erekosë the Champion, where are you?"
As the adventure unfolds, we come to understand that the hero has received a call from across time and dimensions, to play his part in a drama in the multiverse. The way that the call comes in the twilight state of hypnagogia will ring true for conscious dreamers.
In the sixth novel in Moorcock's Elric series, Elric: Swords and Roses, the hero risks losing his mind in the complexity of competing timelines:
Now Elric was caught up in a kind of intradimensional hurricane, in which a thousand reverses occurred within his brain at once and he became a thousand other creatures for an instant, and where he lived through more than ten other lives; a fate only minimally different from the one that was familiar to him; and so vast did the multiverse become, so unthinkable, that he began to go mad as he attempted to make sense of just a fraction of what laid siege to his sanity.
But the vision of a seer reassures him, and us, that awakening to the nature of the multiverse can also be the source of great power for the good:
It is our firm belief that we shall one day learn the plan of the entire multiverse and travel at will from Sphere to Sphere, from realm to realm, from world to world, travel through the great clouds of shifting, multicolored stars, the tumbling planets in all their millions, through galaxies that swarm like gnats in a summer garden, and rivers of light--glory beyond glory--pathways of moonbeams between the roaming stars.
Want to know more? Read Brian Greene to satisfy that science-oriented skeptic and speculative thinker inside you. Read Moorcock to enter a fictive multiverse of possibilities. Read my chapter "Soul in the Multiverse" in Dreaming the Soul Back Home for a human model of what it means to live in the many worlds and how dreams can provide first-hand evidence that we are leading continuous lives in other realities. Above all, go dreaming and spend more time - conscious and dreaming - in the twilight zone between sleep and awake, by the techniques you'll find explained in my book Dreamgates.
Image: The Eternal Champion of Michael Moorcock's multiverse, by Gerald Brom.
Posted by Robert Moss at 6:43 PM
Labels: Active Dreaming, Brian Greene, Eternal Champion, hypnagogia, lucid dreaming, Michael Moorcock, multiverse, parallel lives, parallel universes
1 comment:
- best thesis writing service said...
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- March 29, 2017 at 11:46 AM
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My Journey Through the Novitiate Year of Formation
I came to America from my home in Kenya in 2013 to answer God's call to be a Glenmary missioner. I had already completed my philosophy studies and first two years of theology. For my first year in this country, I lived at Glenmary's House of Studies in St. Meinrad, Ind., and went to St. Meinrad Seminary to complete my third year of theology.
Things were new and a bit complicated for me. But Father Bruce Brylinski, the house director, and the American seminarians really helped me adapt to American education and culture.
At the end of that year, I was accepted into Glenmary's three-phase novitiate program with Richard Toboso. To me, the novitiate is about entering into Glenmarians' way of life and ministry to enable me to understand them well.
The program directors, Fathers Dan Dorsey and Tom Kirkendoll, inspired me with their simplicity, brotherliness and teamwork. In the first two-month phase (July-August 2014), they introduced us to Glenmary's charism and spirituality. We also learned about the society's constitution and theology of ministry and prayer. And we learned the story behind Father Bishop's founding of Glenmary.
Then came the second phase (September 2014-January 2015), when I went to a mission area for five months to experience how missioners do their apostolate. I was assigned to missions in two Tennessee counties. From being part of the mission team (Father Steve Pawelk, Brothers Craig Digmann and Joe Steen, and me), I learned about the importance of Glenmary community and the qualities of good missioners. In the missions, I learned more about the U.S. and Southern cultures and about ministry to the growing Latino communities.
And I also learned to be really present to the people I served. In Pope Francis' words, I needed to "smell like the sheep." I was involved with several ministries and sites such as adult day care, faith formation, homebound ministry, Head Start, a Christian residential group home for at-risk children and youth, and nursing homes.
During that time, I gained an understanding of the importance of ministry of presence and life witness. A missioner needs to do ordinary things in extraordinary ways.
Our third and current novitiate phase (February-May 2015) is mostly study and contemplation. We are studying the Glenmary Oath, through which each Glenmarian promises to commit himself to Glenmary's mission and special practices of poverty, chastity, obedience and prayer. Before making First Oath, a novice has to meet with Glenmary's Executive Council to show his sincere desire to follow Christ according to the society's way of life. This phase is the time for choosing to say yes to the Lord.
Once a man professes his First Oath in the spring at the end of his novitiate, he becomes a temporary Glenmary member and begins on his path toward Final Oath. This is my dream and what I am looking forward to.
This article first appeared in the Spring 2015 Home Mission News newsletter.