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It's true. Before last week, I never took a bus by myself. In any city, for that matter, but this specific bus was taken in a big city with a thriving mass transit system.
Having decided to spend a month in Seattle, where a number of my close friends live, I felt at ease with the awareness that I wouldn't have my own wheels while in this town. While my friends have their own cars, they do far more walking than anyone I know, in my home town of Greensboro. And these Seattle friends take busses fairly often, too. Our town just isn't set up that way. People rarely walk far, unless it's for a destination-less jaunt on a pretty day, or specifically for exercise. And most of my friends don't ride busses to their destinations, either.
Here, city busses are so familiar that it's commonplace to hear such sentences as "Well you'll just take the 17 then switch to the 2 and it'll drop you right there!" and "Well after dinner, I'll just drop you off at the bus stop before I go home; you can jump on the 18, which will take you right to their corner." What's that? The Two? The Eighteen??? What are you people talking about???
What are they talking about, indeed?! Turns out there's this carefully-crafted, intricately connected systems of busses that will, in fact, take you to all corners of the city on a steady basis, following an established and widely-published schedule. As each bus approaches, you'll immediately see a digital number, clearly marking its route.
And so I did it. In fact, I've now taken several different busses. Sometimes I've walked to the stop, other times I've been dropped there by friends headed elsewhere. I've done a transfer alone, and learned the importance of knowing exactly which direction you're headed - since turns out the east-bound 2 and the west-bound 2 will not yield the same results. (And here's where I give a shout-out to the lovely older gentleman driving the bus I'd waited for, in the rain with not a few sketchy-looking people, for nearly a half hour. You're very kind. We appreciate you. Really we do.)
Let's talk about that "sketchy people" assertion now, shall we?
I'll be the first to tell you that while I like to believe myself open-minded and I find all manner of people fascinating and worthy, sometimes people who sort of leer as they look me up and down, or who stand in one place while their bodies do this jittery little dance and they mumble incoherently... sometimes these people make me uncomfortable. A lot uncomfortable. And, standing on that street, in the rain, while the sun sunk lower and lower and I tried to read my book and allow the time to pass as efficiently as possible, I questioned myself. I questioned my protective little bubble of privelege and affluence. Maybe when your eyes move around in a very specific way and you have less teeth in your mouth than I do, it doesn't mean you're strung out. Maybe, instead, you're stressed out and you just don't have a very good dental record.
It's "questioning myself" that I'm doing a lot of as I intentionally put myself into new situations. I want to be careful and cautious and not place myself into circumstances in which I'll be at risk. And, too, I want to embrace the awareness of all of humanity's inherent differences. As with most aspects of life, there's balance to be achieved. How much of my naïveté has to be shed in order to become a confident world-traveler one day? How much of my prejudice? Where does one leave off being generous by nature and begin being a target?
While waiting at bus stops, and riding those vehicles once they arrived, I observed some people who truly did make me feel nervous. And? I encountered like-minded generosity of the kind I have come to expect in life, as well. One guy stood back and insisted I board first. A lady, whom I later learned was living in a different halfway house from before, and who was happy to tell me where the best pancakes around are, even though it's not the pancake house where she works, welcomed me to share her seat. Yet another offered her experience as a non-native Seattlite. Many other riders did what I did and immersed themselves in their books, or listened to their iPods.
Solo bus treks still make me a smidge uneasy, but mostly this is because I don't yet know the lines and their stops, and I'm always a tad uncomfortable with thoughts of what will happen if I fail to request the driver to stop at my intended destination, and he or she doesn't do so automatically. Will I find myself far away, having to hoof it back through unknown streets at night? Will another bus headed in the opposite direction come along soon enough to help me retrace my steps?
As with other lessons in life, I'm reminded that these kinds of "what ifs" are often far too responsible for unneeded anxiety. Probably nobody's going to try to grab my bag and I'm not going to miss my stop. Probably, just as with these first explorative rides, I'm going to get off where I should, walk a block to my friends' house, or the meet-up location, and life will proceed just as it always has. Only with new sights in my memory, and stories of the interesting people who shared my ride...
But for the record? If you're an iPhone user who relies heavily on your Google Map app, and you're planning to be out and about for hours on end, maybe being sure you pack a charger in your bag for the day will be a good idea. Either that or have a map in your bag, along with your friends' phone numbers, written on actual pieces of paper, all old-fashioned like. Which isn't all that bad advice, anyway, since as one who's anticipating a day when I'll travel abroad, chances are I won't be all hooked up with the technology in every one of my future destinations, anyway. Lessons: they usually come in layers, no?


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Don't Miss
Latest News
Must Read
Nathan Fillion (Serenity) and Katee Sackhoff have signed up to appear in White Noise 2: The Light.
Last year's White Noise starred Michael Keaton as an architect who used a form of communication known as Electronic Voice Phenomenon to contact his dead wife.
The follow-up, written by Matt Verne and directed by Patrick Lussier, features a lead character who can tell when people are about to die.

subset: commoncrawl


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Hi Guys its Barry in DR. After the last group left I have a few days to get caught up and ready for next week's new people. It's a typical easy going sunny day here in Cabrera and I decided to spend a bit of time with one of my friends. He's is currently here for a week and getting used to his new place. So far he loves it and all that surrounds him. Seems to be the same with everyone who is open minded enough and takes the time for the tour. Once here they all experience the subject from a different view thus creating clarity out of what was once a distorted view.
Had the chance to view a YouTube that I posted at the bottom of the article. This level of production took a fair amount of time to assemble. It shows in the quality of production. An excellent job for sure. I really hope it motivates more to pay attention and start preparing to the best of their abilities for what certainly lies ahead. I would like to bring your attention to the following few point of interest after viewing this fine production.
Throughout the video notice what is constantly being cited. The need to rely on yourself and be prepared by having what you need before you require it. Food, Water, Meds, guns, ammo, cash, silver gold and the list goes on. So here are a few questions to ponder on. After viewing this along with all the many other similar videos of the zombie unprepared populations do you feel any better or safer in where you currently are? Is there a good feeling that the systems currently in place will be there when needed? Can you even begin to imagine what it would be like when it's food and water that people are competing for?
Numbers don't lie and it's apparent that if almost half of the current food stamp recipients have a job the mechanism has already failed.The following is an excellent quote from Jim Sinclair. "When the mechanism fails you don't repair it you replace it." By the way he too is among the few shrewd ones leaving all of his past illusions of security and vacating America. It's mentioned again in one of his posts from last week.
Do you really have any faith left that this is going to work out well? If so I'd like to share this with you. Someone once told me "faith means not wanting to know what's true" I never forgot those words and I agree. Listen closely to what's being said in the YouTube linked below. It's what I've been saying all along since the very start. FOOD,WATER and: IF YOU HAVE THE CHANCE MOVE NOW! Until next time this is Barry in DR and I'm out.
The Madness of a Lost Society 3
By SGT


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By: Beau Daniels
Here's a new technique for fishing. Fishing with a drone. Who needs a boat when you can tie some line and a hook to a drone, that's what David Freiheit did. "Truthfully, I did not expect anything to happen because I had tried a few times before, and just sputtered around until my battery went dead, but this time, on Lake Champlain, not only did I succeed, but I hooked the biggest smallmouth bass of my life.
Not sure if this is lazy sport, but drone fishing means no casting and reeling,just kick back with a cold drink on the shore and fly the fish back to your spot, "After I hooked it and managed to land it, I ran it to my wife for a quick photo op, and then ran it back to the water to release it." UPI has video.
"Like" Beau on Facebook, Follow Beau on Twitter & Instagram
"Like" us on Facebook & Follow us on Twitter


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Privacy Policy
Privacy Policy
Effective September 25, 2015
The Oakland/Berkeley Association of REALTORS® (OBAR) has created this Privacy Policy to demonstrate our firm commitment to privacy and so that you, as a visitor to the OBAR web site, will be aware of the uses made of information that may be generated as a result of you using the website.
What information is generated when you visit the OBAR web site?
Depending on how you use our website, certain types of personal and non-personal information may be generated and collected. For example, you may give us your name or e-mail address when you complete a registration screen, respond to a questionnaire or submit an e-mail to us. We will use any personal information that you provide to us by us primarily to fulfill the stated objective for which the information was requested or collected (e.g. if information is provided as a result of you e-mailing us, we will use the information provided, such as e-mail address, to respond to you).
Directors and Committee Members
For use by the members of OBAR, we make available on the website the names of members who are serving as directors or committee members of OBAR.
Links to Other Sites
In many areas of our website, we have included links to other websites, which we feel add to or improve the quality of our website. While we hope you find these links helpful, we cannot assume responsibility for the privacy practices or the content of any linked site. Therefore, we encourage you to investigate and determine the privacy policy and practices of any linked site prior to providing information to the linked site.
E-Newsletter Service
OBAR currently offers as a free service to our members an online version of our newsletter. Contact us to be added to or removed from this newsletter.
We may from time to time create and use surveys on our website. Most surveys will be simple "click box" surveys where you click a box on the screen to indicate your response. However, we may from time to time ask you for your name, email address or demographic information. If a survey does ask you this information, we will use the information to complete the survey, compile statistics and update member records.
OBAR sells sponsorship space on our web site in the form of an electronic "sponsorship banner." A sponsorship banner is a graphic that links to the sponsor's website. While we hope you will find our sponsors' products helpful, we cannot assume any responsibility for the privacy practices of our sponsors. Therefore, like any other website you may visit, we encourage you to become knowledgeable of the privacy policies and practices of our advertisers prior to providing information on their sites.
Required by Law
We may disclose information provided by you if we are legally required to do so, such as by court order or subpoena.
OBAR has adopted what we consider to be reasonable security measures to protect against the loss, theft, misuse and alteration of information collected through our website. However, if you are concerned about the security of the Internet or our web site, we suggest that you not provide this information.
Children's Guidelines
OBAR's website does not currently attempt to collect or solicit information from persons who are under the age of eighteen. However, given the anonymous nature of the Internet, it is possible that someone under the age of eighteen may access our website and provide us with personal information. If this situation occurs and it is brought to our attention, we will not use the information in any way without prior parental consent and we will take all reasonable steps to prevent it from occurring again.
"Contact Us" Feature
Like most sites on the Internet, our web site contains a feature that allows you to contact us with your comments or questions. Not surprisingly, we call this feature "Contact Us." To use this feature, there is an icon at the bottom and top of each web page which you can click onto. When you do click this icon, an e-mail message screen will appear for your use to provide OBAR with comments, concerns or suggestions. The information collected through the "Contact Us" feature is used to investigate and respond to your inquiries. If you are a member, we may also use the information you provide to update our membership records.
Contact Us/Corrections/Updates
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, the practices and dealings of our website, or if you have personal information on our website which needs to be corrected or updated, please feel free to email us or write to us at 2855 Telegraph Ave., Suite 600, Berkeley, CA 94705.


text: Hey guys, Started using my DSi again and i've noticed when using the browser, at random points the entire system will just lockup and not respond to anything. Leaving me to have to remove the battery, when i turn the system back on, its fine. At first i thought it was Nintendo's sneaky way of seeing if i had a flashcart inserted, so i removed it and still got the lockups HOWEVER not as often as i did with the flashcart in. Coincidence? Anyone got any ideas/theories as to why im getting these lockups? They havent happened when im using other DSiWare or when im using my flashcart so i dont know whats goin on. Possibly some bug/glitch perhaps? DSi Firmware is: 1.4.3E Any info is appreciated. -Thanks.


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America (The Book)
- type
- Book
- Current Status
- In Season
- publisher
- Warner Books
- genre
- Nonfiction
We gave it an A
Jon Stewart and his Daily Show squad free themselves from the shackles of current events to plumb the very heart of American absurdity. Their vessel, brilliantly chosen, is a mock civics textbook, detailing the country's foibles — from its starry-eyed, slave-lovin' beginnings to the current presidential derby — with a style that might be called Twainian, if Twain had employed colorful info-graphics, Devo references, and the word poontang. Offering insights into governance ("While anarchy can often turn a humdrum weekend into something unforgettable, eventually the mob must be kept from stealing the conch and killing Piggy") and the AARP's secret agenda ("That cocoon is out there in someone's pool, and by Christ, we are going to find it!"), America (The Book) is, without a doubt, the most ecumenical, evenhanded, and hilarious political satire since The Onion's Our Dumb Century. I'd recommend it be taught in schools, even though some teachers may feel uncomfortable contextualizing the photo of a presidential candidate tea-bagging a hooker.


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CargoHub launches marketplace for cargo industry products and services
As from today CargoHub Marketplace is open for industry products and services. Companies are offered a free ads package immediately after registering their account allowing them to place a large number of ads on this new website.
Sign up is free and includes the possibility to for companies to setup their own business shop. All products and services will be promoted within the CargoHub network.
For questions or support setting up your account please contact CargoHub support team.
Beechavenue 54 – 80
1119 PW Schiphol
Tel : 0031-(0)20-6586220
Email : email@example.com


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How to Rock Twitter
Connect With Me
Top Posts & Pages
Recent Posts
Monthly Archives: December 2011
Adwords Case Study – Cost Reduction – 47% Savings
Background This was an unusual assignment. The French client imposed some interesting restrictions on us. We could not change the keywords they were using We could not add any negative keywords We could not change the account structure – no … Continue reading
Posted in Google Adwords, Growing your business Tagged Adwords 1 Comment
The Perils of the Google Display Network
What is the Google Display Network? The Google Display Network Thousands of web sites where text, image, video, or rich media ads are targeted based on themes in your keyword list, rather than specific keywords. You can target web sites … Continue reading
Why is it so Important to be on Page One on Google?
Netcraft has released their latest December 2011 survey of web servers and concluded that there are about 555,482,744 websites in the world today – a rise of 29.5 million (5.6%) since last month. Interestingly, the number of active websites is … Continue reading
Posted in Google Adwords, Latest news Tagged Adwords, Google Adwords, Page One on Google, SEO Leave a comment
Why Display URLs in PPC Ads are Important?
When creating a pay-per-click ad (PPC), it is easy to overlook the importance of the display URL. This post summarises the results of an eye tracking study and reviews the findings of two other tests of display URLs conducted by … Continue reading
Posted in Google Adwords, Latest news Tagged Display URL, Google, Google Adwords Leave a comment
The Most Expensive Google Adwords Keywords
Those little text ads you see next to most of your search results? They make up a large chunk of advertising on Google, which is responsible for 97 percent of the search giant's revenue over the past year. The company is making … Continue reading
Posted in Google Adwords, Latest news Tagged Adwords, Expensive Keywords, Google Adwords, Keywords Leave a comment
Understanding and Improving Quality Score
Introduction Google Adwords is a monster with so many options that you can easily get information overload often leading to paralysis by analysis. This post focus on probably the most important measurement on how well your Google Adwords are optimised. … Continue reading
Posted in Google Adwords, Latest news Tagged Google Adwords, QS, Quality Score 2 Comments


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Raja Ampat Indonesia: Feb. 8 - 25, 2018
|This trip is full. Please contact us if you have questions or to be put on a wait list.
are excited to announce a return trip to Indonesia with the S/Y Indo Siren
luxury liveaboard. Same
boat (and likely the same crew) as our last trip, but this time we are
diving Raja Ampat. Raja Ampat currently offers what most think to be the
best tropical diving in Indonesia - maybe the world.
Raja Ampat is all about diversity, not only of marine species but also of dive sites. Recently declared a marine sanctuary the 46,000 square km park gives you wildly different dive experiences. From pelagic drift dives to magical dark sand muck dives (and even some habitats that are special to Raja Ampat such as clear water mangroves with corals growing right next to them) there are thousands of potential dive sites in Raja Ampat. Exploration is still continuing and on every trip there are chances for new and amazing discoveries.
first stop will be Siladen Resort and Spa on the lush tropical island of
Palau Siladen. Siladen is located in the heart of the Bunaken National
Marine Park (in the North Sulawesi Sea), a protected ocean area known worldwide for the richness of
its waters and epicentre of global marine biodiversity. The property is
located on the western side of the island on a 300 meters long stretch of
white coral reef beach facing the Manado Tua volcano. Guests enjoy
breathtaking sunsets all year round.
Siladen Resort & Spa is a 5 Star PADI Resort with their own PADI diving center located on the Resort's premises. Thanks to their strategic location in the heart of the Marine Park, over 50 premium dive sites are within easy reach of the Resort.
After four nights at Siladen, we will depart for a flight to Sorong to board the S/Y Indo Siren luxury liveaboard. Launched in April 2011, she hosts a maximum of 16 guests. The outdoor dining area is very comfortable offering a great setting for all your meals. The dive deck is perhaps the most spacious and comfortable you would have experienced. Offering designated areas for charging and preparation of your camera and video equipment, the S/Y Indo Siren truly sets out to be the pros choice for underwater photography and videography.
Built on the Indonesian Island of Sulawesi, the S/Y Indo Siren is a traditional "gaft rigged Phinisi" handcrafted from ironwood and teak. You will find few other dive liveaboards as beautiful, and being that she was built by divers for divers you can rest assured every need has been thought of and is being implemented.
|Features of the S/Y Indo Siren liveaboard include:
|Not included in the package:
|Please note the following:
|Dates: Feb. 8 - 25, 2018
Trip Cost: $8250*
* We are far enough away from departure to possibly see a small fluctuation in pricing. Any change is expected to be minor.
All rates quoted by Scuba Center include a 2% discount for cash/check payments.
|Credit cards not accepted for airline ticket payments.
Reservations / Deposit Information:
|Registration: An application for this trip must be completed by each traveler at the time of registration. You may pick up a trip application at either store or print out our Scuba Center Trip Application. Complete the application and fax, mail or drop off in person with a $500 non-refundable deposit per person.
|For more information, contact: Tom Pederson (651) 283-7983


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NYRA's pick four pool is guaranteed. Hitting it isn't.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Nothing says "I love you" like cold, hard cash, so horseplayers looking to score points with their Valentines may want to forgo the candy and flowers in favor of Saturday's late pick four at Aqueduct, which ushers in a weekly guaranteed pool of $250,000.
The guarantee doesn't provide any tangible value (unless the pool falls short of the minimum), but there is enough potential value in pick fours to begin with. Consider the early pick four at the Big A last Friday, when Putin ($4.40), See More Spirit ($19), First Communion ($11.60), and Exclusive Scheme ($8.70) linked for a $2 payoff of $4,309, a bonus of more than 400 percent over the win parlay.
The key to such a financial stimulus was See More Spirit's upset in the second leg over the entry of Targe and Almighty Silver, which at 4-5 represented the shortest price in the sequence. The windfall also provided a resounding demonstration that you need not be a wise-guy contrarian in every race. Putin was a potential single. First Communion was third choice, and Exclusive Scheme was one of four closely grouped contenders between 5-2 and 3-1. What's so hard about that?
Ah, if only it were that easy. But as regular pick-four bettors will tell you, playing on a shoestring with any degree of success is exceptionally difficult.
Those tempted to dive into the pool Saturday face 9,072 potential combinations, with a pair of 12-horse maiden claimers book-ending the deal.
Race 6: Right away you're faced with a critical decision regarding morning-line favorite Charming Officer, who is stuck in post 11 dropping from maiden special-weights. She's been first out of the gate in all seven starts, but early speed hasn't held any significant edge on the inner track this winter, and she figures to be overemphasized in all pools with money-magnet Ramon Dominguez aboard.
Small tickets looking to skate through with a three-spot will also gravitate to Eastern Prime, beaten at about 7-5 in two sprints at the meet, and drop-down Winning Punch.
The Valentine's Day hunch play at 50-1 on the morning line is Wild in Love, a 5-year-old second-time starter returning with a trainer change, a Lasix-and-blinkers makeover, and a switch to Orlando Bocachica, whose eight winners this winter include four that paid $51 or more.
Race 7: The lukewarm morning-line favorites are Callmetony and Morine's Victory, a pair of remarkable 8-year-old geldings returning from layoffs.
Callmetony recorded a 107 Beyer Speed Figure in his 51st start, and if there's another horse who has run that fast with as much mileage on the odometer, his name escapes me. Morine's Victory, 18 for 41 lifetime, has been absent since trading decisions with Callmetony late in 2007.
It's tough to commit to either or both of the veteran comebackers on the blind, so I'd be inclined to cast a wide net and also use First Degree, who has been idle eight weeks but won twice off workouts last year; Chief Export, who boasts sharp recent form; and Bill Place, the 2007 Bay Shore winner, who has been claimed seven times since last March.
Race 8: Icabad Crane might have been second in last year's Preakness with some better luck, and his two races at the end of the year indicate he has recovered from the rigors of a demanding four-race stretch last spring. By the numbers, his return out of the chute matched his Preakness effort; and the Alex M. Robb had a first quarter in 24.91 seconds and a fourth quarter in 24.38 - a slow-fast "race shape" that worked to the advantage of pace-pressing winner R Clear Victory, and made it tough for Icabad Crane to generate any serious late momentum.
Temporary Saint was forced to go around four horses late on the far turn in a third-level optional claimer last out. He basically has held good form for the past year, and also rates serious consideration.
Race 9: The road to $250,000 concludes with a classic conundrum of winter racing in New York. Masterofthehouse and My Boy J J have the best figures, but they are 5-year-old maidens who are a combined 0 for 45. A similar situation occurred in Wednesday's nightcap, however, as Nolite Timere rolled past the leaders to win his maiden by open lengths on the 24th try.
I'm also using Special Trip, who showed some ability in his only start at Calder last summer; Mr. Bogart, whose best race puts him in the hunt; and Dognapper, a stranger out of special-weight races at Suffolk Downs and Finger Lakes.


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Motivational Weight Loss Quotes to Inspire You
PC. Luis Quiroz Ravines
If you want to lose weight, you will need to make some changes in your lifestyle, this involves changing eating habits, exercise more, sleep properly or sacrifice some things.
I have created my own recipe to lose weight and if you want to know more about my Peruvian recipe to lose weight fast, you can visit the link at the end of the article.
It is difficult to make a change and resist repeatedly, but perhaps a profound quotation will motivate you to stop the excuses and flood your mind positive ideas that push you to take the first step and start acting
The following "quotes" will inspire you to make the necessary changes and start to lose weight and get the figure with which always dreamed of.
1. Socrates
Weight loss quote
"No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable."
2. Henry Rollins
Weight loss quote
"Keep your blood clean, your body lean and your mind sharp"
3. Marcus Aurelius
Weight loss quote
"A man's worth is no greater than his ambitions."
4. Arnold Schwarzenegger
Weight loss quote
"What we face may look insurmountable. But I learned something from all those years of training and competing. I learned something from all those sets and reps when I didn't think I could lift another ounce of weight. What I learned is that we are always stronger than we know."
5. Ronda Rousey
Weight loss quote
"No one is ever going to give you anything of value. You have to work for it, sweat for it, fight for it. But there is far greater value in accomplishments you earn than in accolades that are merely given to you. When you earn something, you never have to worry about justifying that you truly deserve it."
6. Bob Harper
Weight loss quote
"Even though you really don't feel like you're motivated to go to the gym, remember how good you felt after the last time you went. Keep that in the forefront of your brain."
7. John Wooden
Weight loss quote
"We can have no progress without change, whether it be basketball or anything else."
8. Barack Obama
Weight loss quote
"If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress."
9. Serena Williams
Weight loss quote
"I love who I am, and I encourage other people to love and embrace who they are. But it definitely wasn't easy — it took me a while."
10. Dwayne Johnson
Weight loss quote
"Be the person that when your feet touch the floor in the morning the devil says, "aww shit.. they're up…"
NOTE: Luis Quiroz Ravines is a Peruvian journalist specializing in natural health, author of an effective treatment to lose weight naturally. Learn MORE at: Weight Loss Peruvian Recipe


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On Air Now
Early Breakfast with Jenni Falconer 4am - 6am
Ed Balls & Katya Jones Jive to 'Great Balls of Fire' by Jerry Lee Lewis - Strictly 2016: Blackpool
This year's season of Strictly Come Dancing has flown by...and we can't believe Ed Balls is still in the competition!
Every year on Strictly Come Dancing there's always one contestant the public doesn't expect to get too far into the competition.
In 2010, it was politician Ann Widdecombe and this year the so called 'novelty' contestant is former MP Ed Balls who has now made it through to week 10 of the competition!
This is thanks to his surprisingly incredible performance on Saturday with partner Katya Jones to 'Great Balls Of Fire' by Jerry Lee Lewis.
The most recent episode was set at the prestigious Blackpool Tower Ballroom and 49-year-old Ed lit up the floor so much that he beat Olympian Greg Rutherford to make it through to the next round of the competition.
Picture: BBC
His performance saw him descend down onto the dance floor whilst playing a flaming piano and then a group of girls, including dance partner Katya, appeared to fight over him before he burst into an energetic jive.
In an interview with the Mail Online, the toughest judge of the bunch, Craig Revel-Horwood spoke glowingly of him and said 'Ed Balls is waving a flag for all the couch potatoes at home who sit on their bottoms doing nothing'.
Picture: BBC
The odds of Ed Balls winning Strictly Come Dancing this year have now been slashed to 7/1 - incrEDible!


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10 May #MMMay16 Maker Profile: Taylor McVay
Posted at 11:00h in #memademay2016, Projects 0 Comments
We are celebrating Me Made May all month long! Each week Kate Herron, JPK&S sewing and embroidery teacher, will interview one of our sewing teachers about their Me Made May makes. This week we check in with Taylor McVay, founder of the indie pattern company, Blueprints for Sewing.
See HERE for more info about Me Made May and ways YOU can join in the fun.
How did you start making your own clothes?
As a tween, I was generally pretty uninterested in what was available at the mall. I often shopped at thrift stores and funky boutiques. When I got a sewing machine on my 13th birthday, that was the turning point. I have made many of my own clothes, in varying styles, since.
What is your personal challenge for Me Made May 2016?
I feel like this year I want to really explore the nuances of my style and create more of a 'uniform'. I've been cataloging this pursuit on my blog, blueprintsforsewing.com as the 'Shapes & Shades" project, because I'm focusing on colors and silhouettes I like and creating outfits with them.
Why is it important to you to make/alter/upcycle your wardrobe?
I love making clothes, but I also feel pretty strongly about the problems with the garment industry (and, honestly, manufacturing and labor rights in general).
It's important to make clothes because everyone's body is unique and many folks don't know that clothing can fit them until they make something themselves. It can be very empowering, not only in terms of self confidence, but also as a creative outlet for the many folks out there who don't get to do other creative things in their life. I also believe that making some of the things we usually purchase and use helps us be smarter and more thoughtful consumers.
It's important to alter & repair things because the clothing industry's standard sizes will never fit everyone (and, honestly, it's impossible to fit nearly anybody perfectly) and for many people, knowing how to alter their clothing can provide them with things that finally fit. Your clothes should fit you, you should not feel pressured to fit into clothes. The system is inherently flawed but it often makes us feel like we're the problem.
[Taylor in her Me Made wardrobe]
It's important to upcycle clothing because there is honestly too much of it in the world. So much goes to waste. There have been traditions of up cycling clothing all around the world for many generations before the advent of fast-fashion. It was a way of life and a necessity. Arguably, there are merits to the increased affordability and accessibility of clothing and other goods (for example: being able to buy a blazer the day of a job interview at a price you can afford). Unfortunately, the system that makes this possible also creates a culture in which clothing is seen as disposible. And it's actually not, which creates a problem.
How do you create time and space to make/alter/upcycle your wardrobe?
Time can be a very scarce resource and even as a person running my own business, I still have much more of it than other folks probably do. But in the way you make time for things you love, I try to make time for my own projects outside of what I create for Blueprints or in prep for teaching classes. The good news is, I don't need that much clothing at this point, so I try to take my time with projects and not feel stressed about producing new outfits all the time.
Altering/mending/upcycling can be a great short term 'sewing fix'. Quick projects that put items back into rotation always feel satisfying and don't take too much time.
What indie patterns or fabrics inspire you the most and why? Do you have a favorite pattern you like to make over and over?
I am a big fan of Seamwork magazine: specifically its lovely, thoughtful articles and its accessibility.
I am also a big fan of Closet Case Files and her two jeans patterns! Jeans are like the holy grail of sewing your own clothes. I literally didn't wear jeans for about 10 years because I couldn't find any that fit me and didn't feel up to the task of sewing them (or sourcing the right fabric, or even having the time to do so) but Heather makes it so easy.
I'm pretty keen on all of the indie patterns I encounter.
As far as fabrics go, I love everything Carolyn Friedlander creates and appreciate her style. She has a great sense of pattern and texture. Seeing her fabric makes me want to make things.
As far as a favorite pattern, my wardrobe is nearly entirely made up of my own patterns…primarily since I need to test & develop them, but also because I created them with my own wardrobe in mind and I can sew them without thinking.
My go to summer outfit is a linen A-Frame skirt and a Cabin or Saltbox top.
What is the next technique, pattern, or challenge you hope to learn?
I am constantly learning and striving to figure out a way to make better patterns every day. I don't feel like I have too much ahead of me in the way of sewing challenges, but I feel like learning the nuances of patternmaking and fit will take me a lifetime. And I'm so happy to do it.
What sewing classes can we find you teaching at the shop?
I often teach the Learn To Sew Crash Course, so if you want to get into sewing, come join me! I promise it's not scary!
I also teach some more advanced classes, like creating a custom fit dress pattern and sewing with knits. I'm currently teaching a jeans making class!


text:
The last decade has led to a polarisation of rich and poor, as well as a dramatic shift in house building from detached houses to flats, research by Savills for The Daily Telegraph shows.
These factors risk being exacerbated by a "relative sobriety" in mortgage lending as banks recover from the financial crisis and the mortgage market faces stricter regulation, such as the abolition of self-certified mortgages.
According to the upmarket estate agent, while inflation-adjusted house prices grew 68pc in the Noughties, prices will grow just 40pc in the next decade. This compares with -14pc in the 1990s, 43pc in the 1980s and 49pc in the 1970s.
"The Noughties will be remembered as a decade of polarisation – its legacy a residential market split, possibly irrevocable, between the equity haves and have-nots," Lucian Cook, director, Savills residential research, said.
The complications left by the last decade have emerged from the largest growth in house prices on record.
Pembrokeshire in Wales enjoyed the largest gain of 212pc during the Noughties, with the South East surprisingly lagging behind. In London, only Newham, one of the capital's poorest areas, featured in the top 10 risers.
The geographical variations were primarily for two reasons: first, some regions were playing catch-up on price rises in the South East during the late 1990s, and, second, the rise of the second-home buyers drove price growth in costal and popular holiday destinations.
Overall, the gains in the market were driven by low interest rates and strong wage growth up to 2005, and the increasing availability of mortgages in the run-up to 2007.
However, the substantial growth and impact of the financial crisis on mortgage lending, means that accessibility to home-ownership has been eroded.
Savills data shows that the deposit for a first-time buyer has risen from roughly 20pc of income in 2000 to almost 100pc by the end of 2009 – putting the equity-rich and prime regions in position to lead the market ahead of areas with high unemployment.
"A highly localised market recovery is now inevitable with a ripple effect rolling out from the prime markets of London and the South East," said Mr Cook.
A further burden is the masses of flats left by the Noughties. Changes in planning rules, the rise of buy-to-let, and the search for swifter returns from housebuilders mean the last 10 years were characterised by a rise in the number of flats being built at the expense of detached and semi-detached homes.
"The buy-to-let boom was driven by the bubble in easy and cheap credit," Liam Bailey of Knight Frank says. "It unfortunately led to the rise of the speculator led urban development and all those tiny one and two bedroom flats."
From 2000 to 2008 the proportion of newly-built homes that were flats rose from just over 15pc to almost 50pc. In contrast, detached housing fell from 45pc to less than 15pc.
This trend increased the supply of new homes and meant that over the last 10 years, old houses grew in value more than new houses.
For the new decade, the consequences could be more severe, with new buy-to-let mortgages stamped out by lenders following financial crisis and therefore a key source of demand removed. Mr Cook believes this could lead to a rise in the private rental sector as cash-rich institutions snap up the flats in bulk and potential homebuyers are forced to consider renting because of problems securing finance.
He added: "There is likely to be an increasing investment market driven by cash rich portfolio investors who diversify into build to let, shared ownership and niche residential sectors, the first wave of which has been student housing."


text:
Budget Cuts Won't Derail Pay Bump For NY Judges
Trial judges in the Empire State will see their salaries increase over three years from about $137,000 to $174,000, according to Brooklyn Assemblyman Joseph R. Lentol, who co-chairs the state's Public Protection Budget Conference Committee along with State Sen. Stephen Saland of Poughkeepsie.
"I expect...
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text:
Vigitron VI2216
16 Port MaxiiPower POE+ Midspan, 10/100/1000BaseT
Availability date:
Offers and Prices
- 8 or 16 port of IEEE 802.3 at compliant POE for 10/100 Base-T networks
- Delivers up to 37W per port simultaneously on all ports, no Power Management required
- LED Indicators provide power on each port
- Provide high data rate and high power for long distance, ideal for Mega-pixel cameras
- 19", 1U rack or wall mountable
- Fully transparent to Ethernet networks and higher layer protocols
- Easy set up with Windows GUI or plug and play option
- No IP address programming or other networking setup required
- Limited lifetime warranty
The MaxiiPower™ Vi2208 and Vi2216 are 8 and 16 port high power POE midspans compatible with 10/100 BaseT and Gigabit Ethernet networks.
They meet IEEE 802.3at standard and deliver up to 37W per port simultaneously on all ports without the need power management. The POE function can be set up with Windows GUI or plug and play option while its extender circuit does not require any programming. These midspans are equipped with LEDs to provide power status. No IP setting or configurations are required and it is completely
transparent to the corporate IP network and higher layer protocols.
The MaxiiPower midspans are 1 U in size and can be easily installed in 19" racks. They are ideal for a wide range of CCTV or IT applications that require high power such as IP cameras, wireless access points, or VOIP to be connected to a central LAN switching fabric with ease.
Ports & interfaces
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Operational conditions
Technical details
Data Source: IceCat


text:
Law Blog Category: Regulation D
SEC Modernizes Intrastate Crowdfunding; Amending Rules 147 And 504; Creating New Rule 147A
November 29, 2016 in Crowdfunding, Intrastate Crowdfunding, Intrastate Offering, Regulation D, Rule 147, Rule 504, SEC, Section 3(a)(11)
On October 26, 2016, the SEC passed new rules to modernize intrastate and regional securities offerings. The final new rules amend Rule 147 to reform the rules and allow companies to continue to offer securities under Section 3(a)(11) of the Securities Act of 1933 ("Securities Act"). In addition, the SEC has created a new Rule Read the full article…
Changes In India's Laws Related To Foreign Direct Investments- A U.S. Opportunity; Brief Overview For Foreign Private Issuers
November 08, 2016 in NASDAQ, OTC Market, OTC Markets Listing Requirements, OTCQX, OTCQX Listing Requirements, Regulation D, Regulation FD, Rule 144, SEC
Make Laura Anthony's Blog Site #1 Click Icon Below and Vote NOW In June 2016, the Indian government announced new rules allowing for foreign direct investments into Indian owned and domiciled companies. The new rules continue a trend in laws supporting India as an open world economy. A large portion of the U.S. public marketplace Read the full article…
SEC Study On Unregistered Offerings
February 09, 2016 in Form D, Private Investment in Public Equity (PIPE), Private Placement, Regulation D, Regulation D Offerings, Rule 504, Rule 505, Uncategorized, Unregistered Offerings
SEC Issues Report On Accredited Investor Definition
January 12, 2016 in Accredited Investors, Regulation D, Regulation D Offerings, Rule 505, Rule 506, SEC, SEC Advisory Committee, Uncategorized
SEC Issues Guidance On General Solicitation And Advertising In Regulation D Offerings
September 01, 2015 in JOBS ACT, JOBS ACT and Crowdfunding, Regulation D, Regulation D Offerings, Rule 144A, Rule 506, Uncategorized
Intrastate Crowdfunding Legislation Has Passed in Florida
July 28, 2015 in Florida Corporate Statutes, Intrastate Crowdfunding, Intrastate Offering, JOBS ACT, JOBS ACT and Crowdfunding, Regulation D, Rule 147, SEC, Uncategorized
SEC Division of Corporation Finance Issues Guidance On Bad Actor Waivers
April 21, 2015 in Bad Actor Rules, Bad Actors, C&DI, Regulation A, Regulation D, Uncategorized
Understanding The NSMIA And Navigating State Blue Sky Laws- Part II
February 03, 2015 in Blue Sky Laws, Regulation D, Rule 504, Section 18, Section 4(a)(4), Uncategorized
First Issuer Completes NASAA Coordinated Review For Regulation A Offering
December 30, 2014 in Form D, JOBS ACT, NASAA, Regulation A, Regulation A+, Regulation D, Rule 144, Uncategorized
Concurrent Public and Private Offerings
April 08, 2014 in Concurrent Private and Public Offerings, Corporate Law, Gun Jumping, Private Placement, Regulation D, Rule 144, S-1 Registration Statement, Safe Harbors, Section 4(2), Section 4(a)(2), Securities Attorneys, Uncategorized


text:
Don't Let What Happens To You Make You Bitter, Let It Make You Better.
In the summer of my 16th birthday a boy that I was in a relationship with raped me. Before the rape, I was this laid back girl who loved everyone, cared about everyone, and could always put a smile on someone's face. I trusted this boy with everything I had and I cared about him so much.
After I got raped, I kept it inside. All I wanted was love to help me get through it but I never had anyone to talk to my whole life. My mom was never home & neither was my dad. My mom, all she would do was give us money. She never gave us love at all. She never listened when we tried to talk to her. She was so caught up in work.
I lost my friends and I quit going to school. I stayed home & did nothing at all except get into drugs real bad because that was the only thing I could lean on from my pain. I turned into this completely different person. I didn't care about anyone and I hated the world.
After 5 months of going through this real bad depression & doing drugs (the last drug I did was crack cocaine) I got sent to a drug school where they had therapy and I found a wonderful therapist.
When I went to this school my whole life changed. All the teachers & my therapist cared about me so much & showed me love. I finally felt like someone actually loved me. It was the best feeling in the world.
I quit doing crack all by myself. My teachers & therapist gave me the strength to quit, just by loving me & believing in me.
8 months after the rape, which I was still dealing with, my sister got sent up. I have 2 sisters, which are my life. We took care of each other. We were always together. We had never been apart. It was really hard on me.
My mom, all she did was talk about getting her baby girl back. She didn't realize that she had two other kids. She never realized that. I began to hate her after my rape because I was hurting so bad & she didn't care or even help. I had to do it all alone.
Then, after that, my cousin moved away w/ her kids, which were my life. You don't understand, I took care of these kids since I was 14. I love them with all my soul. Their mom never gave them attention or showed them love just like my mom. I was there to give them love & attention because I didn't want them to feel so alone like I did so that hurt me even more.
I tried so hard to stay in school & get good grades, plus stay clean from drugs, plus try to deal w/ my sister being gone, plus deal with my baby cousins leaving me, plus deal with my depression from my rape, and also I tried even harder to stay strong & not give up.
You know how hard it is to do all that when you hurt so bad inside? I wanted to give up so many times but I never did. I had so much stress on me. I stayed strong though. I kept telling myself that I could do it, that everything was going to get better.
I found this AMAZING boy that showed me what it was like to be in love. He was there for me through all my stuff I was going through. I was mean to him because I was hurting so bad & he still, to this day, is sticking by my side.
I was too scared to get close to him because of what my last relationship did. For a while I couldn't. Then finally I realized that he wasn't like my ex. I realized that he actually loved me.
It's now been 11 months since I was raped. I'm still going through all of this stuff but at least now I have help. I love going to school, actually feel like I have a home and finally learned to express my feelings.
Since my mom never talked to us, I kept everything inside. At the drug school they taught me to talk about how I feel. They were there for me all the time. They showed me love & that is what's keeping me going. All I wanted all my life was for someone to love me. Thank god I got sent there or I probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for them.
My point of this is that I'm a 16-year-old girl that has been through so much & I'm still going strong. Never give up, things will get better; they have to get worst to get better.
Also from all this it's made me a better & stronger person. I'm back to my old self caring about everyone & loving everyone. I have a really big heart and I just thank god every day that I have a heart and that I love everyone.
Stay strong people, I promise you it may feel like your whole world has fallen apart & there's no reason to live but there is. I love you all.
Written in 2007 by TJC --- West Virginia


text: Well, since FF 1 through 6 are on the GBA/DS and FF12 on the DS (which isn't really a true FF), why not bring in FF7... I know it would be difficult, since FF7 was on a Sony Platform, but imagine the sales of the game on the DS. There have been no signs of a FF7 remake and it would be good if they do port it to the DS. (FF7 FPS was disappointing..) Opinions?


text:
Beautiful work in a high energy environment at the Tanja Penders Masterclass
We have just finished a 3 day clinic with Tanja Penders from Light Hands Equitation in Germany who flew in to teach us.
Tanja is excellent at reading and understanding horses. For every horse & rider, she put a lot of thought into teaching them the exact ideas and movements that would help the most in their journey – which was specific to each horse & rider. She really cared about how she could help everyone as much as she could over the weekend.
She also has a gift as a natural teacher. She makes learning really easy, relaxed and enjoyable for both horse & rider.
During the clinic there were a few riders who were trying to figure out various 'schemes' on how to keep her in Ireland for longer!
There were many highlights from the clinic, and I'll followup with my more detailed report on Oz. But I have to talk about the weather conditions and how the horses felt over the weekend.
If you ask Steve Halfpenny what is one of the most important factors in horsemanship, he will say 'relaxation'.
Without a relaxed horse, you're not going to be able to achieve much of value.
With a relaxed horse, everything is possible.
Day 1: The weather was awful. Rainy, wet, a bit windy, basically ugh. We were doing private lessons all day up in the middle of the field. Traditionally day 1 of clinics is where the horses might be a little anxious. They are away from home, its a new place, and now they were away from the other horses and there was wet & windy weather, and often you can get high energy & emotions.
This clinic was different. Every horse here was mellow and relaxed on day 1. It was wonderful to see. The horses were listening, happy, chilled and enjoying their time with their rider & Tanja. A lot of this work comes back to the riders, many who have been to a few of these Light Hands clinics and have improved so much – even since our last clinic with Tanja back in the spring. The riders with Tanja's guidance & help were able to create a situation in challenging conditions where their horses felt safe and relaxed.
That is wonderful horsemanship in my book. Tanja remarked that she was really impressed with all horses and riders and how they performed with the weather.
Day 2: Saturday was a nice sunny day, and everyone did a great job in good weather. At the end of the day, we got everyone out again to practise their homework. A few things were really special… Everyone helped everyone.
If you needed a gate opened, someone to hold your horse, a chat, a rest & a piece of cake, there was always someone ready to help you. Being with a group of people on the same journey as you, who are kind & totally supportive makes learning much easier and more fun. Thank you to everyone for your generosity & kindness.
Day 3: We had a hurricane!! It was crazy windy. We were nearly all blown away. As the day progressed the wind got stronger. Again all the horses were worked in the middle of a large field, away from other horses, in high winds. Yet again every single horse was relaxed and mellow and felt safe with their riders. It was beautiful to watch.
There was more lovely work done today, from the beginning of HQs in, short serpentines, cantering, softness, circles with lovely bend and no reins, relaxation… just really nice work from all partnerships and every horse was a very relaxed and happy horse. This lightness, softness and relaxation is just not what you normally see at events – the ones I end up at anyway.
Huge thanks to Tanja who was so generous with her time & knowledge this weekend.
Coming next – the writeup of how I got on with Ozzie each day – its got a lot of stuff in it so stay tuned!
First I wrote a little of what Mandy & Hamish were doing on day 1 & 2.
DAY 1 Groundwork:
Circle in walk and ask Hamish to step his inside hind under, then walk across the middle of the circle and change direction. Watch out that Hamish doesn't do a HQ yield when you ask hi to step his inside fore towards the middle of the circle.
DAY 1 Riding:
When Hamish is walking a circle on the right rein, he looks out. So shorten the inside rein and ask the inside hind leg to step under, and keep forwards. Keep moving.
On the left rein on a circle, Hamish can fall in sometimes. Shorten the inside rein and push him out to make the circle a little bigger again.
If a horse is heavy, don't pull or push him to the outside. Instead you need to change his balance. Ask each front foot individually (in time with the footfall) to step out.
Hamish can tend to stop, you need to keep him moving.
DAY 2 Riding:
Mandy (like me) has to relax her upper body, don't lean forward and be effective as homework. Hamish was working on bending to a stop. Count how many steps this takes. Today it was 2 or 3 steps. Tanja remarked that Hamish is very nice. He has nice softeness in his neck, and that Hamish has good balance.
Next up is what I was doing on the 3 days of the clinic with Ozzie
DAY 1 Groundwork:
We worked on softness on a circle. I had the lead rope not too long & I had a bamboo. On the circle I asked Ozs inside hind foot to step under. Then I asked the inside fore to step towards the middle of the circle. I had to remember that Oz had to keep moving forwards and not slow down, and also that the inside front did move in BUT the hindquarters were not to disengage! Oz got a bit more stuck on the left rein. The goal is a brilliant follow the feel. So on a circle, get the inside hind to step under, ask for the inside fore to take a step or two in, then ask the inside fore to go back out on the circle, and Oz has to keep the same rhythm. Also on a circle, get the inside hind to step under, ask for the inside fore to take a step to the middle of the circle, walk past me and then go back out on the circle in the other direction. This was great fun to play with, but tricky to keep the forwards & not blow out the HQ! Great homework.
When Oz decides he wants to bite the lead rope (in groundwork) I just annoy him a little by tapping his neck with the end of a stick until he drops it. Problem solved. We agreed that Oz was really smart, really sensitive, always talking and asking questions (which we expects me to answer) and has an emotional side. 100% spot on.
DAY 1 Riding:
On a circle, again ask Oz to step under with his inside hind. Then ask inside fore to step towards the middle of the circle, do NOT slow down, do NOT blow out the hind, walk across centre of circle, change bend & seat weight & out again on circle in the other direction. My posture needs longer reins, flat back, hands touching the front of the saddle approx, and to stop tipping forwards.
DAY 1 Nice to know:
During our groundwork, Tanja remarked that Oz was very patient. HUGE compliment!
At the mounting block, Oz repositioned himself so he was in the perfect place. Tanja remarked that Oz was really trying to help me.
Today when riding we were on our own, in the middle of a field, with a few horses doing high energy stuff in paddocks and with machinery & commotion going on nearby. It was wet & windy. Traditionally on days like this Oz is really emotional. It can feel like I'm trying to ride a bomb (not good). Today I was so focused on listening to Tanja and working on our exercises, that it wasn't until Tanja remarked that Oz was being really good, with all of the distractions, and that many other horses would be jumping about, that I realised how far Oz & I have come. Oz was a little distracted, but he wasn't at all emotional at all. Just relaxed & interested. I was so happy with this 🙂
DAY 1 More groundwork:
Tanja wanted to work on higher energy things with Oz, as this is one thing we have to get better at. Higher energy can cause Oz to get emotional, stop listening and take & take over. If I can get Oz more relaxed with high energy we will have a lot more available to us.
Tanja was so cool – she started off doing in hand walk to canter transitions with Oz. So walk in hand, one stride of canter, back to walk again. Oz was getting really focused and really connected to her energy. Tanja though wasn't going faster to get the higher energy, she was at the same speed just with more energy. That's hard to wrap my mind around. I took over and we worked on walk to trot transitions, in hand with my hand on the knot under the rope halter. I had the bamboo. We were looking for nice (immediate) walk to trot transitions and i had to raise my energy BUT not walk any faster! Walk a few steps, trot a few, walk a few, etc.
Two things to improve… if Oz does a head shakes from walk to trot, just bring my hand to my body a little do he doesn't get a release for it. Then also from trot to walk we don't want Oz to hollow his back when he gets back to walk. Doing just a few steps (2-3 in each gait) showed improvements in both.
For me, to ask Oz to trot is also follow a feel. I can stretch my hand out to the front a little to ask him to move on. If he started to lean I need to address it. If he is moving in the wanted gait, then I am moving with him with a short and slack rope.
Once transitions are going good, add in a leg yield while trotting. I also have to stop trying so hard, tensing up my body and stop thinking as much. I just have to walk along and just kind of assume Oz will come along beside me, without me trying too much to micromanage the whole situation and creating tension in my body as my brain whirls…
DAY 2 Groundwork:
We started off doing the circle, hind under, inside leg moving towards the middle of the circle. Much better today, better forwards and the HQ were not blowing out as much.
Then we moved onto in hand trot transitions. Ask Oz to move from halt to trot. I am to step forwards and walk straight, NOT to walk sideways into him. If Oz pushes into me, I am to have the stick ready to block him.
This is tricky on the right rein, Oz is more emotional.
I have to smile & relax!! I am not to cluck like a chicken! 😀
I am also to walk slowly with my energy up. Trot a few steps, then I say 'WHOA'. Then I close my fingers, Oz to stop, backup and move the weight from his forequarters to his hindquarters.
If Oz rushes in trot, I have to ask him to halt and backup again.
So a few steps trot, backup, a few steps trot, backup. This was getting better. After halt, his first step forward with a front leg was at walk, but the next step with his front leg was in trot.
If Oz decides he has to jump around in trot, I am not to react, just pretend it didn't happen and gently ask him to continue on trotting like I normally would. This was really good as I was doing too much.
During the day I did 2 x 10 min homework sessions with Oz while the other lessons were going on. I worked on in hand trots, especially on Oz emotional side. Both sessions saw good improvements. One thing was really interesting. 1/10 times, when I let Oz go he will be a bit hyper and may gallop off after 30 seconds of being loose (it's not an immediate thing). So I didn't do something right as you are really supposed to release when the horse is mentally and physically relaxed, so I had released when he was mentally not relaxed (as he waited for a minute then took off at a gallop). But it can be hard as Oz can do everything I ask, and make the effort to hold it together while we are working but need to let off some steam after. I asked Tanja about it. When we are done, from looking at Oz I can tell if he will chilled after I let him go, or if he will take off. Tanja said that if it looked like he had emotional / mental tension, instead I am to just walk him around for a few minutes untiI can tell that he is more emotionally relaxed, before I take off the halter. This is small thing but really important so its on my todo list from now on.
DAY 2 Groundwork cont:
I have to be more relaxed and smile. Our in-hand backup to trots are much more relaxed on both reins after the little homework sessions I did with Oz. I am not to walk fast. My first step is not to be large or fast. Oz is not head shaking any more, and the emotions are much reduced on the tricky rein. Oz is pushing a little. When Tanja works wiht Oz I can see him pushing from a distance. But I find it tricker to see the push when I am working with him. But he is pushing! This is why sideways is a little tricky because the forwards push is blocking it. I have to think of Oz looking like a Spanish horse with weight on his hindquarters.
DAY 2 Riding:
In our riding, Oz was like a slow moving train. In walk we were ok, in trot there was so much pushing, and no option for lightness or trotting. Tanja rode him and she said 'interesting' a few times!! However, he wasn't at all emotional so that was very good.
Anyway, no point trying much light or softness mvts in trot today as he was a lump, so it was back to walk and time to fix stuff, and encourage him to stop being heavy. He did this on the last day of Steve's clinic too. We played with lots of stuff… 10-9-8 forwards & backwards, walk the line, HQ yields, inside hind under, turns, light backups on a loose rein, our forwards & backwards got really good… Oz began to listen to me more and tune back in. Tanja was working with someone else at this stage as I pottered away with Oz in the background. Tanja was keeping an eye on me from a distance and said we did some really nice work! Definite improvement anyway. We got some nice trots and I have to remember my posture.
DAY 3 Riding:
Walk, relax my lower back and aim for a really forwards walk. The difference between a normal walk and a forwards walk, is whether my lower back is tense or not. If its not tense and I think about the barrel swinging, we get this huge walk from Oz.
We did circles, asking the hind to step under and the inside shoulder not to push in. Reins in 1 hand, and if Oz is ignoring my asks (inside hind / inside fire) use a stick to back up instead of using more leg and me tensing up.
If Oz wants to look out on the circle, if he gets as far as actually looking out its too late. Instead, as he is thinking of looking out (I can feel the arc in his body changing), I close the fingers on my inside hand and then he doesn't look out, and then soften the fingers when he relaxed again. Then ask Os to leg yield out, nicely and backup with energy (as little as possible) form the stick if it is needed.
Keep the forwards walk (AKA keep my lower back relaxed so Oz can walk out properly).
Today was really funny – we had a hurricane just about blowing through. Oz was as mellow and relaxed as the day was long. Also – very funny – it has been tricky to get Oz to trot but he's much better now. However – now that my lower back is relaxed and Oz is doing this huge 18h horse stride out walk, he is also breaking into trot nearly every few steps. So cool. I was the issue obviously not Oz! Very happy.
My homework is to ride with a high energy walk, on a loose rein, WITH NO PUSH, and do all of our lateral exercises with an emotional free Oz. When this is great, then repeat the same in trot and canter, loose rein, WITH NO PUSH, and do all of our lateral exercises with an emotional free Oz. HUGE GOALS just there.
DAY 3 Groundwork:
Really high winds now and Oz was fine in hand in walk and trot. But in canter he was doing a lot of jumping around, bouncing, leaping, getting all emotional (weather + speed +energy), reared up & generally found all the energy hard to handle. Tanja & I had a chat so while Oz was doing all of this stuff the most important ting to work on right now, was to stop Oz getting closer to the person handling him so no one would be kicked etc.
So we went back to a walk, Oz chilled out again (still a hurricane going through!) and Tanja showed me what she wanted me to do.
– Oz to walk in a circle around me. Correct bend. Follow a feel. Head nearest to me, shoulders a little further away & HQ the furthest away was the goal. If all was fine just keep on the circle.
– If Oz shook his head OR took one step towards me with his shoulder OR looks out, I was then to:
– Turn and walk backwards with him (he is still walking around the circle)
– Swing the end of my rope around with energy to ask him to step out
– Keep my arm near Oz straight to stop me getting too close to Oz
– I cannot cluck like a chicken any more
– I have to smile and relax
– If he can't step out as he is pushing forwards too much, swing rope behind me to block forwards mvt
– If the HQ doesn't move it, use rope to also ask it to move out
– Once Oz had stepped out with his whole body & was not pushing & on the correct bend again, I turn and walk forwards again
– Oz stays going the same direction the whole time
I was so bad at this to start with. Coordination had completely disappeared. I definitely looked like I had 2 left feet. It was all a bit tricky to do as Tanja had done! Beginning of this = really messy but I suspect fun to watch 🙂
But by the end I had half got my coordination sorted and could both fix things and see when I had to fix things. Progress. A great exercise to do to keep the lightness and softness in Oz.
We end up in a great place. Happy horse & rider. When Oz was down in the paddock, given all the wind he was galloping about a bit bothered. Up here once we started this circle work, he completely mellowed out. Any time we took a break, Oz stood beside me, in a hurricane, head low, not trying to eat any grass and eyes half closed, just mellow. Tanja said that 'You know, Oz is more relaxed with you than when he is by himself in the paddock'.
That's pretty huge.
Two things come to mind after writing this HUGE report:
1. I love my horse 🙂
2. I cannot believe we got through so much work with Tanja… this has been a massive writeup and I have a lot of homework to do.
Thanks to Tanja for coming over & helping us all so much, and thanks to everyone who came. Without great riders who recognise that education is never ending, these clinics couldn't happen. If you'd like to ride at a future clinic, you can join our email list.


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Bobby Miller & The Virginia Dare Devils
|Highland Brewing Tasting Room
Saturday, April 1 from 3:00pm to 5:00pm
|Tasting Room Hours:
|Open: 2:00-9:00pm; Music: 7:00-9:00pm(FREE)
|Music Style:
|Food Truck:
|Grateful Roots / Appalachian Smoke
The creation of innovative and original music is an ever elusive goal in this day and age. The Virginia Dare Devils' primary mission to do just that is most certainly well under way. From its humble beginnings three years ago in the acoustic music hotbed of Asheville, NC, this group of seasoned acoustic music veterans has come together to create an organic musical tradition rooted in traditional melody and tone, layered with improvisational solos and textured rhythms reminiscent of 40's Bluegrass and 80's Newgrass. With a tip of the hat to Swing, Old Time, 60's Psychedelic Rock, the result is a musical garment with individual style and utilitarian purpose.


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Pages 541-542
Journal of the House of Commons: Volume 9, 1667-1687. Originally published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1802.
This free content was digitised by double rekeying. All rights reserved.
In this section
Lunæ, 18 die Novembris, 1678.
Bedloe to attend.
ORDERED, That Mr. Bedloe be forthwith sent for, to attend at the Bar of this House.
Papers to be returned.
Ordered, That Mr. Coleman's original Papers, which have been already perused by this House, be returned back to the Clerk of the Council, now in waiting.
Mistranslation of Gazette.
Serjeant Seis reports from the Committee appointed to examine concerning the Translating, Printing, and Publishing the Gazette in French, That the Committee had taken the Particulars thereof; and put the same into Writing, which he delivered in at the Clerk's Table.
Resolved, &c. That the further Consideration of this Report be adjourned till To-morrow Morning.
Popish Plot.
Mr. Bedloe, being called in, delivered a further Information in Writing, touching the Plot and Conspiracy now under Examination.
Resolved, &c. That my Lord Chief Justice be desired immediately to repair to this House: And that Mr. Solicitor General and Mr. Williams do acquaint him with the Desire of the House.
Mr. Solicitor General acquaints the House, That Mr. Williams and himself had, according to the Order of the House, acquainted my Lord Chief Justice with the Desire of the House: And that my Lord Chief Justice, according to his wonted Readiness, was come along with them; and was at the Door.
My Lord Chief Justice being called in, Mr. Speaker acquainted him with the Occasion that this House had sent for him.
After which his Lordship withdrew into Mr. Speaker's Chamber.
Address for raising the Militia.
Resolved, &c. That an humble Address be made to his Majesty, to desire his Majesty to give Orders to the Lord Lieutenants of the several Counties, to raise a Third Part of the Militia for a Fortnight, to secure the Peace of the Kingdom; and that the Sheriffs may be ready, with the Posse Comitatus, to assist, in case of any Insurrection.
And it is referred to Mr. Powle, Sir Gilbert Gerrard, Sir Robert Sawyer, Mr. Sachaverell, Sir Tho. Littleton, Sir Eliab Harvy, Mr. Vaughan, Sir Tho. Meeres, Sir John Trevor, Colonel Titus, Sir Adam Browne, Sir Ric. Wiseman, Sir Tho. Lee, Sir Fr. Russell, Sir Hen. Capell, Sir Nicholas Carew, Colonel Birch, Sir Wm. Coventry; or any Three of them: And they are to meet at Four of the Clock this Afternoon, in the Speaker's Chamber.
Ordered, That the said Committee do bring in a Bill or Bills, to make the Militia more useful in this Time of Danger.
Commissions to Papists.
The House being informed, that there were several Commissions granted to Popish Recusants, and Warrants also, that they would be mustered, and receive Pay, notwithstanding they have not taken the Oaths, and subscribed the Declaration according to the Act of Parliament; and that they were signed by Mr. Secretary Williamson;
Mr. Sec. Williamson sent to the Tower.
Resolved, &c. That Mr. Secretary Williamson be immediately sent to the Tower, for signing Warrants for Popish Officers to be mustered, and receive Pay, contrary to the Act for preventing Dangers which may happen from Popish Recusants.
Persons to attend.
Ordered, That Mr. Lock, Mr. Henry Howard, Sir Cecill Howard, and Mr. Kingdon, be summoned to attend at the Bar of this House To-morrow Morning.
Address for removing the Duke of York.
Resolved, &c. That the adjourned Debate for an Address to be presented to his Majesty, That his Royal Highness may withdraw himself from his Majesty's Person and Councils, be further adjourned till Thursday Morning.
And then the House adjourned till To-morrow Morning, Eight of the Clock.


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Fans have been freaking out over this picture all morning.
Last night Justin Timberlake, Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, and Chris Kirkpatrick all showed up to celebrate JC Chasez's 40th birthday party. This is the first time all 5 members of 'NSYNC have been together in who knows how long.
There was speculation about a rift between members because they weren't all at JT's wedding a few years back, but Justin said they didn't want an N'SYNC reunion to overshadow his day with his bride.
And OMG how is JC FORTY??
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Even the youngest child can have a deep and abiding faith. It is unfortunate when adults dismiss the sincerity of a young people's faith, or their passionate ideas for serving God, simply because of their age. Thankfully Paul did not succumb to this error.
Timothy was a young believer when he became acquainted with Paul. Timothy's name means "one who honors God," and he spent his life trying to do just that.
We first meet Timothy in the Bible in Acts 16:1-3. We learn from this that his mother was a Christian but his father was not. Later, in 2 Timothy 1:5, we learn that Timothy's mother's name was Eunice, and that his grandmother Lois was also a believer.
Timothy was such a steady companion of Paul's throughout the years that his name appears as co-author of six of the New Testament letters (2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, both letters to the Thessalonians, and Philemon).
Ultimately Timothy become a leader in the Church at Ephesus, and two of the books of the New Testament (1 Timothy and 2 Timothy) are letters Paul wrote to him.
In his first letter to Timothy, Paul encouraged him: "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." (1 Timothy 4:12, NIV)
It is important for children to know that God does not look at their size, or their age, or their hair color, or anything else external about them. He looks at their heart. God knew Timothy's heart was with Him.


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The election commission in Bangladesh has said that they would strictly go by the rules and regulations of the Elections and no exceptions would be accepted.
Sakhawat Hossain , one of the Election Commissioners said this at Gazipur, near Dhaka while exchanging views on election. He said that even if the candidates are contesting election under any coalition, they should use their own party symbol.


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In an economy of "knowledge transfer", with businesses and industry looking to cash in on creativity in ever more immaterial forms, the artist's workplace – the place where knowledge is put into practice – has become harder to locate. As the crisis in the global financial markets is prolonged and funding for artistic initiatives is being drastically reduced, the community within which artists network and demonstrate their skills may be disappearing before our eyes.
Yet there may be more opportunities to put knowledge into practice than meets the eye. Trans Artists, an internationally accessible centre for artist-in-residence schemes, provides such a resource. More than just providing want-ads for artists-in-residence, their website is becoming a hub of up-to-date, reliable information on where to find and how to apply for artists' residency positions worldwide.
Rather than directly supporting those who wish to work "for art's sake," those who find work through Trans Artists currently provide useful feedback on their experiences, ranging from work in North America and Europe to the Caucuses, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific. Working from the Netherlands, this web-based centre is also instrumental in getting arts projects set up, helping procure funds and matching artists' needs to residency programs.
Groups and individuals who are offering and looking for studio space are already taking advantage of this knowledge base. Thus, the project is becoming an actual place of contact for various artists, regardless of their practice or persuasions. Some of the stories produced through the exchanges fostered by Trans Artists reflect this diversity.
Featured projects like those of the Chiayi Railway Warehouse in Taiwan, show that many have seized the chance to engage with the otherwise overlooked potential of everyday life. After venturing out on a 3 ½ hour train ride from Taipei, one former resident Jane Ingram Allen recorded her experience conducting an art workshop which drew in volunteers from the local community.
Another project at SSamzie Space in Seoul, South Korea, focuses more on the transience of residency than its lasting environmental impacts. Dutch artist Heidi Vogel's account of her three month stay gives week-by-week examples of the changes in alternative studio space since the economic crash of 1997. And so, the artists' reflections on the situations in which they have become immersed are as valuable to the project as the work that they are doing.
Since its launch in 1998, Trans Artists continues not only to offer a launch pad for residencies but also for numerous fringe projects and sources of productivity. As well as promoting research grants in art and education, their international workshops take in literary seminars, glass making and craft training. Moreover, their direct funding programmes allow new residencies to be started all the time in Asia, Africa, Europe and the rest of the world. In addition, Trans Artists has run research seminars on the value of residencies and published reports on their findings.
Related Posts:
- Is globalisation of the art market slowing down?- The Economist reports – June 2010 – news update on potential slump in the art economy
- Leading non-profit institutions gathered by Tate Modern for art event: Art Radar Asia lists Asian participants – July 2010 – independent art spaces from Asia mark Tate Modern's 10th Birthday in London, UK
- Myanmar artists access international art community, Art Radar speaks to Aye Ko about + ROAD – July 2010 – an interview with director of Cemeti Road House about young art from Indonesia
- Artpartment a Hong Kong space for experimental art-video – September 2010 – a summary of production at Hong Kong studio and gallery dedicated to experimental art
- International contemporary artists produce unique works for Istanbul – October 2010 – Turkish festival hosts artists from around the world
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