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grade or our teachers approval. If you are writing on a tight deadline, it is even more critical that you let go of the notion of immediate perfection. When youre in a hurry, your notes can double up as an essay plan, killing two birds with one stone. This means you wont have to keep wasting precious time hunting through books to find the information each time you need to refer. I figured out how to not only write a great essay, I learned how to have fun while doing.
This forces your mind to focus on the right kind of task, so you write the essay with this in mind. Youre going to prove to yourself that you can take on this challenge, enjoy it, and write an essay in record time. Prepare your workspace by opening the books youll need to use on relevant pages, or putting Post-It notes in them to mark where relevant information. Dont be afraid to jump around. Reasons for avoiding starting an essay may include: not being sure about what to include in the essay; being unhappy with the marks from previous essays; finding the process of writing stressful. Its a gift, not just something that makes your life more difficult. Get your books ready, getting your books ready in advance can speed things up a lot. How would your life be better if you actively enjoyed writing an essay? Body #1: Most students think writing an essay is tedious because they focus on external rewards. Every once in a while, I would write a really good essay, but mostly I skated by with Bs and A-minuses. I was much the same but I ended up getting firsts on my politics essays at undergrad (all my final year essays were in the 70 range). Perhaps you write best at a certain time of day.


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Parshat Chayyei Sarah: A meditation for new beginnings
The following meditation was written as a love letter for the prospective students of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College for mincha (afternoon prayers) on November 8, 2017, 19 of Marcheshvan 5778. This guided meditation was written to serve as a companion for new beginnings or transitions.
Center yourself in your body, draw your attention to this room. Settle into silence, and remember how your body responds when the words you fill it up each day empty out. Maybe it's too loud in there, or too quiet. Hear my voice!
Each letter of the Torah contains the whole world. And every week, the parsha gifts us medicine and guideposts to track time.
Today you have landed here, in this moment. You have traveled far, or maybe not. You sit in these walls and wonder, what place is there that you might find here? Who might your people be? What Torah might await your uncovering? What sparks will you send flying?
וַיִּהְיוּ֙ חַיֵּ֣י שָׂרָ֔ה מֵאָ֥ה שָׁנָ֛ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה וְשֶׁ֣בַע שָׁנִ֑ים שְׁנֵ֖י חַיֵּ֥י שָׂרָֽה:
23:1 Sarah's lifetime—the span of Sarah's life—came to one hundred and twenty-seven years.
These were the years of Sarah's life. A hundred and twenty seven years of making and remaking, naming and renaming. Laughing and silence. Comforting and separation. Lies and more lies. These were the years of Sarah's life, filled to the brim with blessing.
Sink into blessing. What blessings do you count in this moment?
And so Abraham, just back from the binding of Isaac, perhaps discovering her death before his son staggers home. Abraham wails and laments for his wife, and then hunts for land on which he can bury his be loved wife Sarah. He is vulnerable.
Reflect on your vulnerability. What is tender for you today? Do you feel like a גר תושב, a stranger among residents?
Where do you find stability? Where are places you have made home where you did not have home before? Move down those streets, look at the houses around you, the plants that you know grow there, the holes in the sidewalk you know to avoid. What makes it feel like home? How will you make home in a new place?
וְאַבְרָהָ֣ם זָקֵ֔ן בָּ֖א בַּיָּמִ֑ים וַֽיהוָ֛ה בֵּרַ֥ךְ אֶת־אַבְרָהָ֖ם בַּכֹּֽל׃
24:1 Abraham was now old, advanced in years, and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.
As you sit in this school, look ahead in time to look back. To this moment, to the moments to come from this moment. What will you look back, and God willing, count? What dreams will your long life manifest? Breathe into that dream. Feel it in your bones.
And so Abraham sends his servant Eliezer to seek out a bride for Isaac. Over his prayer that God might grant him luck in this journey hovers a shalshelet, a trope note that appears only 4 times in Torah, marking times of indecision. Why does Eliezer hesitate? Rashi tells us: Eliezer wanted his daughter to marry Abraham's son. Eliezer wanted their families to unite. And so tasked with going out to find someone else, he hesitates.
The sound of shalshelet is the sound of a heart breaking, wishing for chosen family.
Hear the shalshelet, the chain, that connects you to family you have forged from love. Hold them close.
וַיֹּאמַ֓ר ׀ יְהוָ֗ה אֱלֹהֵי֙ אֲדֹנִ֣י אַבְרָהָ֔ם הַקְרֵה־נָ֥א לְפָנַ֖י הַיּ֑וֹם וַעֲשֵׂה־חֶ֕סֶד עִ֖ם אֲדֹנִ֥י אַבְרָהָֽם׃
24:12 And he said, "O LORD, God of my master Abraham, grant me good fortune this day, and deal graciously with my master Abraham:
And Eliezer meets Rebekah. Strong Rebekah who draws water enough for man and camel, who is powerful enough to leave home and follow good instinct. What good instincts have you followed to get to this place?
Stretch into your strength, like Rebekah. What holy power do you manifest in this life?
וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ נִקְרָ֣א לַֽנַּעֲרָ֑ וְנִשְׁאֲלָ֖ה אֶת־פִּֽיהָ׃ וַיִּקְרְא֤וּ לְרִבְקָה֙ וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ אֵלֶ֔יהָ הֲתֵלְכִ֖י עִם־הָאִ֣ישׁ הַזֶּ֑ה וַתֹּ֖אמֶר אֵלֵֽךְ׃
24:57-58 And they said, "Let us call the girl and ask for her reply." They called Rebekah and said to her, "Will you go with this man?" And she said, "I will."
Choosing the path before her, Rebekah took the next right move. Flex your toes, notice your feet, your wheels, what moves you forward. Sit with the power of a young woman who was allowed to choose her next step. Call on Rebekah in this time of discernment, welcome her in her strength to sit beside you.
Trusting that the road would illuminate before him, Eliezer went seeking the next right thing. In this time of decision, welcome Eliezer in his faith to sit beside you.
Blessed with multitudes that would come from their lives, Abraham and Sarah fought tooth and nail. As Torah pours forth from you, as you decipher where to root your Torah, invite Abraham and Sarah, the journeyers, the resident aliens, to sit beside you.
Surrounded by Rebekah, Eliezer, Abraham and Sarah, breathe in and out together, filling your lungs as much as you are able with the blessings of discernment, faith, journeying, and dwelling, notice their presence. Ask of them your questions. Journey this week with them.
Like the light of Shabbes candles, place your hands over your eyes, letting a different world filter through with its light.

subset: commoncrawl


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Stateline Senior Services was founded by Bill McCloskey having a wealth of experience serving over 10,000 senior citizens in Connecticut over the past 35+ years.
Expertise in helping his clients with the Three Pillars of Retirement Planning:
- Protect their wealth and ensure that it lasts.
- Preserve their assets against the risks of retirement, such as stock market and long term care risks.
- Distribute the highest income with the least amount of taxation.
Bill's dedication to the senior community is evident in his 30 years of experience. He has undergone the completion of a 22 part program of study in financial, physical, emotional, and personal issues of aging. This continuing education helps Bill provide relevant and current advice to clients.
Bill graduated from Eastern Connecticut State University with a bachelor degree of science in economics. He lives with his wife Wendy and has four children, Kate, Elizabeth, Billy and Garrett. Bill enjoys spending time with his family and volunteering for the Macie Grace Foundation.
Meet Our Team
We are a team of dedicated professionals, ready to do what ever it takes to meet your insurance needs for the retired and soon to retire
Bill McCloskey
Bill is the founder of Stateline Senior Services. He has a wealth of experience having served over 10,000 senior citizens in Connecticut over the past 35 years. Bill works primarily with our investment clients, handling all financial matters for annuities and investments as well as estate preservation, long-term care, and life insurance.
Bill has four children and one grandchild. He enjoys traveling, snowmobiling, and Misquamicut Beach when he's away from the office.
Mickey Akey
Mickey graduated from Ashford University in 2017 with a degree in Human Resources Management. She has over 30 years experience in customer service, office administration and management. She enjoys creating a positive environment for Stateline clients and strives to bring the best in service while assisting them.
Mickey is married to her husband Shawn and has one son. When away from the office, she is active with a local Fife and Drum Corps playing the fife, traveling, Renaissance fairs, and antiquing.
Michelle Casciano
Michelle has worked at Stateline Senior Services since January of 2006. She handles all financial applications, marketing, licensing, planning, and oversees the operation of the agency day to day. Michelle lives in Somers with her husband Tony and has three children and two grandchildren. She enjoys spending time with the kids, cooking, traveling, and the beach.
Beth Ludwig
Beth studied at Manchester Community College. She has 25 years of experience in the insurance industry with a focus on medical and fraud management. As a Senior agent at Stateline, she brings a wealth of knowledge to the Stateline client base.
Beth is the proud mother of two great children. During her time away from the office, she is an avid cyclist, runner, and hiker.
Billy McCloskey Jr.
Billy has worked at Stateline Senior Services since April of 2018. Billy is finishing his business degree at Springfield Technical Community College where he's also played basketball for two years. Billy is eager to help the business grow and help senior citizens with their insurance and financial needs. In his spare time, he enjoys sports, fitness, and spending time with his family and friends.
Kate McCloskey
Kate earned her bachelor's degree from Charter Oak State College. She's been working at Stateline Senior Services for the last four years. She is one of our licensed Senior Medicare agent and assists with client services.
When Kate isn't working, she enjoys spending time with her son Mason. Teaching people of all ages is something she's very passionate about and brings the outlook and compassion of an educator into her work at Stateline.
Jeff Moser
Jeff is a Navy Veteran who upon returning from service worked for Hallmark Cards, Inc. for 33 years before retiring from his Purchasing Manager role in 2014. He's an active member of the Somers Lions Club, serving as President for 7 of the 15 years he's been involved.
In his spare time, Jeff enjoys traveling and hiking with his wife Barbara as well as golfing and woodworking.
Sam Moser
Sam is a recent graduate of Bryant University where he studied Actuarial Mathematics and Finance. He is currently starting his first year at Stateline Senior Services where he assists in client services as well as being one of our licensed Medicare agents.
During his free time, Sam can be found spending time with his friends, watching his favorite sports teams and staying active.
Christine Olmstead
Christine has worked for Stateline Senior Services since 2016. This year, she's earned her State of CT Producers license and has joined our team of Medicare Agents.
When Christine isn't working, she's practicing and teaching yoga or enjoying free time with her husband and family.


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Another word for perform
To accomplish an action
do, make, achieve, accomplish, fulfill, execute, transact, carry out, carry off, carry through, discharge, effect, enforce, administer, complete, consummate, carry on, conduct, act, operate, function, work, finish, realize, implement, go about, go through with, discharge the duties of, put through, work out, devote oneself to, come through with, be engaged in, see to, bring off, bring about, engage in, concern oneself with, have effect, fall to, do justice to, do one's part, give oneself up to, make a move, put in motion, put in force, follow through, apply oneself to, put across, deal with, carry into execution, take care of, look to, take measures, acquit oneself, act on, make it one's business, dispose of, bring to pass, do what is expected of one, put into effect, occupy oneself with, take action, address oneself to, put in action, deliver, do one's stuff*, lift a finger*, keep one's hand in*, muddle through*, have free play*, go in for*, make short work of*, pull off; see also achieve 1, act 1, operate 2.
To present a performance
give, present, enact, play, offer, impersonate, show, exhibit, display, act out, dramatize, execute, put on the stage, produce, rehearse, act the part of, tread the boards, put on an act, act one's part, go through one's repertoire, go through tricks; see also act 3.
*To behave in a ludicrous manner
perform, sometimes a mere formal equivalent for do, is usually used of an involved, demanding, or established process to perform an experiment, to perform a marriage ceremony; execute implies the putting into effect or completing of something that has been planned or ordered to execute a law; accomplish implies success in carrying out a plan or purpose and may suggest effort and perseverance to accomplish a mission; achieve implies the overcoming of obstacles in accomplishing something of worth or importance to achieve a lasting peace; effect also suggests the conquering of difficulties but emphasizes what has been done to bring about the result his cure was effected by the use of a combination of drugs; fulfill implies the full realization of what is expected or demanded to fulfill a promise
MLA Style
APA Style
Another word for performverb
To begin and carry through to completion:do, execute, prosecute. (Informal) pull off. See do
To react in a specified way:act, behave, function, operate, work. See action
To carry out the functions, requirements, or terms of:discharge, do, execute, exercise, fulfill, implement, keep. Idiom: live up to. See do
To play the part of:act, do, enact, impersonate, play, play-act, portray, represent. See action, performing arts, substitute
To produce on the stage:act (out), do, dramatize, enact, give, present2, put on, stage. See performing arts
To make music:play. See performing arts
MLA Style
APA Style


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|Mustachio Bashio
|RIP - You were a perfect subject!
|Mustachio Bashio
|RIP - You were a perfect subject!
Oh my Joyce I do so remember so many antics when we were raising our five!
I must say the dog is a good sport!! I hope you guys are having a wonderful weekend!
Hugs ♥
not to stare at wild horses...interesting
Guess it works fine, Joyce. I experimented once to measure our dog's IQ's. The toy poodle, Katrin, was supposed to win over the beagle, Adi. I think she did.
The tests (2):
1. In plain sight of the dog, put the its biscut under a styrofom cup and see how long it takes the dog to get it out. Neither was very fast. The beagle was such a 'good' dog that she didn't want to mess with what ever I was playing with. She just looked and drooled.
2. Put a dish towel over the dog and see how long it takes for the dog to figure out how to get out from under it. The beagle won this contest.
We don't really have science fairs in the UK which is a shame because that staring experiment looks like fun! I might just do it and pretend it's for a science fair...
we're just embarking on science fair projects but glad now that we have a dog -- his curly locks may come in handy!
These are great, and totally a riot! I like the "Are you watching me?" project...that's neat. :)
What a fun post. I would love to see the dog's hair used for the fox on your kid's poster.
Fur, really? That is hilarious. You really can't make this stuff up! I think your dog should get an honorary degree.
LOL thanks for the laugh
I stared at a baboon once I really can't repeat what it did it involved something pinky/orange
Have a great week Joyce
Poor pups. I came home one day to find my daughters had dipped Sir Poops if red Jello water.
Hugs and chocolate,
I want to try the staring experiment. LOL!
Ooh. I wouldn't stare at animals either, Joyce!! Thanks for the amusing anecdote of your dog's tail too! Thanks for sharing!
That's a good idea for a school project and now I totally want to take a trip to the zoo and start staring down some of the animals to see how quick they react.
Best not to stare at people in the washroom, either.


text: First nights at camp are always full of excitement, and many campers have trouble falling asleep in their new forest-surroundings. Despite these first-night jitters, campers are already settling into the busy schedule and the Asto Wamah Way. It was a hot and humid day, so everyone was excited to cool off in swimming classes and general swim. Beginning boaters and canoe-ers had their first launch out on the lake, while sailors learned how to properly rig and derig a sunfish sailboat. At sports class, some went off to archery or to play tennis, and others stayed to play Nuke-'um on the field. Campers chose an arts & crafts activity: weaving a basket with Carol, sewing a pillow, decorating flip-flops, weaving gimp, or making friendship bracelets. LTs (Leaders in Training) are also settling into their new role, and are actively helping to teach classes and lead camp songs. At dinner, campers were re-fueled with the hearty cheeseburgers and Colombia farm-fresh lettuce from farmer Chris across the lake. The light rain this afternoon did not slow us down, so we will be playing Capture the Flag for Evening Program. Hope my team wins! -the Birch Blogger


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Jillian Harris' Small Space Secrets
Lifestyle "Love It or List It Vancouver" Co-Host Jillian Harris shares her tips for maximizing your small space and making it feel like home.
Love It or List It Vancouver host Jillian Harris gives new condo owners her tips for making their space feel like home.
Mediaplanet: What are some of your favourite tricks to instantly refresh your home?
Jillian Harris: I'm always swapping out my throw pillows, you can instantly refresh your home by simply changing the covers on your inserts to match the season! I also always have wreaths hanging on my front door, you can purchase reusable wreaths for any season or splurge a bit and purchase some live wreaths ... or make your own using fresh flowers and greenery! I know this sounds boring, but CLEAN AND PURGE! ITS FREE and especially during the spring, we all have residual clutter form the winter that we need to deal with. A good clean and scrub down can make you feel like you have an entirely new home… and while you're at it change some furniture around and add some fresh flowers (Your local grocery store will always have some cost-effective options!).
MP: How can those in a smaller home like a condo maximize their space?
JH: I'm all for a clutter-free space so I totally support multi-functional furniture in a small space, the more functional a home is, the better! I would make sure to have lots of storage, whether that's maximizing your cabinet space or purchasing ottomans that double as storage containers! And again, purge. The less 'stuff' the better!
MP: How can owners make their space feel like home and not just another cookie-cutter condo unit?
JH: That's easy! Paint and decor! Choose colours, prints, patterns, and decor pieces that represent your style and run with them! Also swapping out light fixtures is a big one!
MP: Without a yard, your balcony becomes your outdoor oasis as a condo owner. Do you have any tips for this space?
JH: Invest in some quality (and comfortable) patio furniture so you feel excited to spend time out there and entertain. String lights and candles add a nice ambiance and plants/flowers make the space fresh and inviting! I've also loved putting art, mirrors and wall hangings outside covered areas to really bring the inside out!


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Confused, incompetent JLP Government can't manage, says Phillips
South/Central Bureau
MILE GULLY, Manchester — Claiming that the Andrew Holness-led Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Government is "mired in incompetence and confusion", Opposition leader and People's National Party (PNP) President Peter Phillips has urged Comrades to organise and prepare for a return to political power.
Phillips told a Manchester North Western PNP constituency conference on Saturday night that scandals and other problems afflicting the Government were "creating doubt" in the minds of Jamaicans and various stakeholders, and had set back the country's investment climate.
"It is clear that they just can't manage and now what we have to do is prepare ourselves, get ourselves organised in every constituency across the country. we have to secure and preserve and build the unity in all our constituencies and we have to take the message of our mission to people all across the country …," Phillips said.
The PNP's mission, he said, was to lift the standard of living for all Jamaicans, "not just a minority of the people". Phillips identified quality education for all Jamaica's children, home ownership, and security of land ownership among the priorities of a future PNP Government.
Phillips said Prime Minister Andrew Holness's response to "scandals" afflicting his Government over recent weeks provided evidence of "confusion and incompetence", and that the "prime minister and government just cannot manage".
He identified the failure to name a replacement for former energy, science and technology minister Andrew Wheatley — who resigned two weeks ago — while "the affairs of the ministry are languishing in abeyance" as proof of the administration's incapacity.
Phillips argued that Holness has four ministers at his disposal at Jamaica House yet seemed unable or unwilling to choose any of them as Wheatley's replacement.
"Are they so incompetent?" he asked. "If all the ministers are incompetent, (then) close down the Government, shut it down, and mek a proper Government (take over)," he said to ringing applause.
Phillips also questioned the prime minister's pledge to provide guidance for the boards of directors in charge of public sector agencies in the wake of the recent scandals.
"He says he is taking the time to interview the boards and to tell them what to do, but is that not the job of the minister to be appointed? So if he does it, would the minister to come be expected to do it again?" Phillips said.
In addition, he queried why the board of directors at National Energy Solutions Limited had not been held "accountable for the breaches that have taken place there", and why Holness had remained mostly silent on the issues.
Was the country supposed to wait until the prime minister completed all his discussions, Phillips asked. "The country can't run so. No sensible country can run so," he said.
Saturday night's constituency conference at Mile Gully Primary School provided an opportunity for all six contestants for the four PNP vice-presidential posts to make presentations to party delegates from the same platform, ahead of next month's selection exercise at the party's national conference.
Host Member of Parliament for Manchester North Western, Mikael Phillips, who is the son of the party president and also a contender for vice-presidency, said the invitation to his competitors signalled the sense of unity, comradeship and family within the party.
All six contenders — Phillips, Wykeham McNeill, Angella Brown Burke, Fenton Ferguson, Phillip Paulwell and Damion Crawford— spoke for several minutes each.
Describing the vice-presidential contest as "an important race", Peter Phillips said it was an indication of strong internal democracy. He rejected suggestions that it should have been avoided in order to ensure party unity.
"There are those who said we shouldn't have it …because it going to cause friction. But if we are a party that can't have (internal) election what kind of party would that be? The purpose of a party is to allow different views to contend, and what I see here tonight is that the views can contend and comradeship can remain strong and intact. That is what the PNP has been and what it should be now, and that is what it should always be," he said.
The party president was also at pains to emphasise that while his son was involved in the presidential race, he (Peter Phillips) would remain neutral.
"We have six candidates, six are my comrades, six are my friends, and one is my son, of the flesh… I want you to know, to accept, and to understand — I am for all and I am not partial to any," Phillips told Comrades.
In direct reference to Mikael Phillips, the elder Phillips said: "This race is his race, it is not my race. I am neutral in this race…"
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text:
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Handy Tips on How to Clean a Diamond Ring to Maintain Its Sparkle
Diamond rings lose their sheen as dirt accumulates on the stones. Read on for some tips about cleaning such rings.
Sonia Nair
Last Updated: Jul 21, 2017
Diamonds are highly valued for the looks they offer. It is said that the inner surfaces of these stones refract light and this is the reason behind their sparkling nature. However, accumulation of dirt or other substances like oil, lotion, etc., may affect the sparkle of the stone. So, wearing diamond rings while doing household chores, exposes these precious stones to various materials. With time, the stone will get accumulated with dirt, which can affect its sheen. The stone will no more be sparkling and will look dull. In such cases, you have to clean the ring, so as to bring back that sheen. Regular cleaning will be useful in maintaining the brilliance of your diamond ring.
Tips for Cleaning a Diamond Ring
The most important point to keep in mind about diamonds is that they have to be handled carefully. These expensive stones must be kept away from dirt, harsh chemicals and contact with coarse substances. If you wear a diamond ring daily (as in case of engagement or wedding ring), then it needs to be cleaned regularly. As the diamond is exposed to various materials used in your day-to-day activities, there are chances that they lose sheen due to accumulated dirt.
Cleaning a diamond ring can be done on your own or by the jeweler. If the ring is too expensive or an antique piece, it is always better to approach the jeweler, who has modern techniques to clean these stones. If the ring has other precious stones, along with the diamond, then also, it will be better to approach the jeweler for cleaning the stones. Some of the jewelers provide their customers with a complete diamond cleaning set as well as cleaning instructions. In such cases, all you have to do is to follow the instructions.
Simple diamond rings can be cleaned at home, if you know the right methods. You have to keep in mind not to use harsh chemicals, soap bars or coarse brushes for cleaning diamonds. Knowing the particular diamond ring style may also prove helpful.
- First of all, spread a towel on a flat surface in a location that provides you with plenty of light. This can be your cleaning space. If you are cleaning the ring inside a sink, make sure that the drain is closed properly or else grip the ring tightly.
- Take a bowl and pour a cup of lukewarm water into it. Mix ¼ cup of ammonia in the bowl and keep the ring in the solution for at least three to five minutes.
- If the ring is very dirty, then wait for at least 15 minutes, before you take it out of the solution. Once you take the ring out, rinse it with plain lukewarm water and use a soft toothbrush to clean the stone.
- Otherwise, use a solution of water mixed with a small amount of dish washing liquid for this purpose. You may use a kids toothbrush for cleaning diamonds at home.
- Dry the stone and the ring with a lint-free cloth, after you rinse the ring thoroughly with plain water. Use the cloth to polish the stone, so that it sparkles after cleaning.
- You may skip the step of cleaning diamonds with ammonia. All you have to do is to prepare a solution of one part mild dish washing liquid with plain water and use it for cleaning diamonds.
- In this case too, you have to soak the ring for at least 20 minutes, if it is too dirty. Otherwise, just swirling the ring in the solution and cleaning with a soft toothbrush will be enough. Rinse well before drying the stone.
- Some people use baking soda for cleaning diamond rings that are slightly dirty. A paste made of baking soda and water is used for this purpose. The paste is applied over the stone, which is then cleaned with a soft brush. The ring is then rinsed with plain water and dried with a soft lint-free cloth.
- You might have heard about cleaning diamond rings with vinegar. A mixture of equal parts of white vinegar and water is used for this purpose. The ring is soaked for 10 to 15 minutes, before brushing with a soft brush. Rinse in plain water and dry the stone immediately.
- If you are doubtful about these methods, you may resort to commercial cleaning solutions meant for diamonds. In that case, you need to follow the instructions on the package, so as to clean your diamond ring.
- Whatever may be the method you choose for cleaning a diamond ring, you have to make sure that you dry the ring as well as the stone, as soon as possible. A lint-free cloth is always preferred, as air drying may cause water spots on the stone.
- As mentioned above, jewelers too provide the service of cleaning diamonds (usually free of cost). They usually employ methods like steam cleaning, ultrasound cleaning, etc.
- Even sulfuric acid cleaning is one such method used by jewelers, for cleaning diamonds. This type of cleaning is required for rings that are very dirty. They may charge you for this cleaning method.
It is always better to seek the opinion of the jeweler (from whom you buy the ring) with regard to diamond cleaning methods. If he is providing you with instructions or cleaning solutions, you have to use them only. Otherwise, try the above said methods carefully. You can prevent diamond rings from getting dirty, by removing them before handling chemicals, cosmetics, oil, soil and other such materials. Even cleaning of diamonds should be done, only when it is necessary. Frequent cleaning may also cause the sparkle of these stones to fade away.


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Expression in Japan is never direct or obvious. When a Japanese is sad and wants to weep, he may laugh because he cannot cry. These things are not understandable to you from foreign countries. But never mind. That is good too. It is better not to understand everything. There is excitement and stimulation in not understanding a thing completely. The unknown is fascinating.
We Do Not Work Alone, Kanjiro Kawai


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The Blazers of Birmingham are 3-0 with an opportunity to sew up the division by beating our North Texas Mean Green this Saturday. NT is 2-1 in league play after dominating Southern Miss. The lone loss was to Louisiana Tech in the 29th. Here are the standings: West Standings – Conference record only UAB 3-0… Read more »
Tag: CUSA
North Texas Sweeps the Week 3 CUSA Player of the Week Categories
According to the league, North Texas players have won each of the three categories this week: Offense Mason Fine Defense Nate Brooks Special Teams Keegan Brewer Via press release: North Texas is the first school to win all three weekly football awards since WKU on Sept. 14, 2015. C-USA Football Players of the Week are… Read more »
2017-18 BBall Season: UTEP Preview
Overview North Texas travels to El Paso for their first conference game of the Grant McCasland era. Its a huge opportunity for the Mean Green to set the tone for a solid showing in CUSA play. Thursday, Dec 28 2017 8:00 p.m. CT Don Haskins Center , EL Paso TX TV: CUSA TV Radio: MGRN… Read more »
CUSA Bowl Season 2017
North Texas is not the only team bowling from CUSA. NT was one of 10 league squads that reached bowl eligibility this season. Unlike 2016, when a 5-win North Texas team went to the Heart of Dallas bowl because there were not enough bowl teams available, this year there were too many. There was some… Read more »
2017 CUSA Power Rankings: Week 9
Sitting at the CUSA Media Days, the stories were these: Lane Kiffin, Butch Davis, UAB, and could anyone beat La Tech/WKU? Now? Lane Kiffin, Butch Davis, UAB, and North Texas. #TheReturn has been a great story and is only overshadowed by the Lane Train soaking up the Florida sunshine (and attention). Kiffin was always going… Read more »
CUSA West Division Tie Breaking Scenarios
Officially, the league's only tie breaker is head-to-head and "other tie breaking scenarios will be released at a later date". We do have previously released scenarios that will likely be format this season. From CUSA's wiki page Two-team tie-breaker procedure Highest regular season winning percentage based on overall Conference USA play. If tied, head to… Read more »
2017 CUSA Power Rankings Week 7
CUSA had a memorable week. FAU had a statement win that is bringing (even more) national notice. North Texas got a reailty check. WKU looked vulnerable again. Marshall looked complete, and Charlotte got relief. Let us rank this league: Looking Really Good 1. FAU (5) Destroying the CUSA West leader in dramatically dominant fashion is… Read more »
Reality Check: NT 31 – FAU 69
North Texas played an awful game and FAU took complete advantage. FAU put up 804 yards of offense, including 447 yards on the ground and 357 yards in the air. Their defense intercepted Fine twice, and jumped on one of the two NT fumbles. The game was 41-7 at half. How did the number one… Read more »
2017: FAU Preview
North Texas is the best team in CUSA right now. We can write that confidently knowing that CUSA is a flawed league with some really good talent, coaches, and teams mixed in with the worst of the worst. The very best — NT — are but a season removed from sub .500 seasons and so… Read more »
2017 CUSA Power Rankings Week 7
USA had a moment this week. North Texas and UTSA provided the kind of drama that could be clipped and posted all over the place and it was. CUSA helpfully shrank the video for ease of sharing and all enjoyed the Fine Moment. North Texas have made their way to the top of this week's… Read more »


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The MCCC Business EXCELerator Series is a how-to on best business practices for growth and success. The program curriculum provides small businesses in the commercial and government contracting space information, resources, and relationships that will accelerate their success in the marketplace.
Back to All Events
Earlier Event: May 1Media Relations for Small Business
Later Event: May 2Embracing Blockchain Technology


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|E-liquid filling with convenience
You can directly inject the e-liquid into the elliptic injection hole on the side of the cartridge. It is far simple and convenient for you to operate.
|Smooth air intake
Things do not usually flourish in captivity, however the JVIC has a brilliant ceramic cradle which enhances the performance. It takes a horizontal approach in discovering original and clear flavor as well as large clouds.
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Rotator Cuff Tear Surgery Is Less Enjoyable The 2nd Time Around
It is troublesome to speak of a mean value when it comes to Lasik eye surgery is anxious. Reproduced from JF Sarwark, ed: Essentials of Musculoskeletal Care, ed four. Rosemont, IL, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 2010. Unfortunately, the introduction of anesthetics inspired extra surgery, which inadvertently brought on extra harmful patient post-operative infections.
Generally, the surgeon cannot take away the entire tumor or removing it would trigger too much injury to the physique. Cal services offered by the Division of Surgery are dedicated to the wellness and remedy of adults and children in North Carolina.
Evaluation of older sufferers before elective surgery can accurately predict the patients' recovery trajectories. Inpatient surgery signifies that you do want to remain within the hospital overnight or longer to recuperate after the surgery. The length of your recovery will rely upon the surgical procedures that had been performed, and how effectively you observe your physician's instructions.
Starting within the 1840s, surgery began to vary dramatically in character with the discovery of effective and sensible anaesthetic chemical compounds akin to ether , first utilized by the American surgeon Crawford Lengthy , and chloroform , found by Scottish obstetrician James Young Simpson and later pioneered by John Snow , physician to Queen Victoria 48 In addition to relieving affected person suffering, anaesthesia allowed more intricate operations within the inner regions of the human body.
Populations similar to incarcerated persons , individuals dwelling with dementia , the mentally incompetent, individuals subject to coercion, and other people who find themselves not capable of make selections with the identical authority as a typical affected person have particular needs when making choices about their personal healthcare, together with surgery.


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My Ryde or Die Chick: A Tribute to My Mother/
Although, Mother's Day was a week ago, I wanted to share with the world my love for my mother. My mother is a major part of who I am today. She loves me, supports me, encourages me and more importantly accepts me for who I am.
My mother has taught me to live life like a force of nature: to be bold, honest and unapologetic for being E.B.. Through my lowest times and highest times I know I have a fan, a cheerleader, on my side to dust me off and left me back up. I am thankful to have a mother, who not only knows how but also knows when to be a mom and a friend.
I know many may say this is what a mother is supposed to do; however, my mother's love is a special kind of love. It is a love that sees deep down in my soul and can tell by the slightest facial expression when I am hurt, sad, happy or mad. It is a special type of love, which will never allow me to go missing for more than 8 hours at a time because she is always thinking about me. It is a special type of love, which forgives me even when I am a brat. It is a special type of love, that makes you think you are rich even when you are broke. It is a special type of love; which through many sacrifices never weakens but only grows stronger. It is a special type of love that surpasses your traditional role and my unconventional ways to allow us to meet at a mutual place of understanding and respect. It is a very special love, difficult to put in words. It is the love I feel only from my mother, that special type of love.
Thank You Ma, I love you for loving me so unconditionally and helping me become the woman I am today.


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The Line Magnetic range consists of amplifiers, preamplifiers, CD players, DACs and loudspeakers. Each product has an exceptional quality of manufacture and a very strong personality always in connection with proven patterns and mythical tubes or loudspeakers.
The company LINE MAGNETIC was founded in 2005 by two brothers, both audiophiles who are passionate about tube electronics and notably the legendary American achievements of the 1950s. For many years, the company has become known throughout the world as the specialist in the repair and production of Western Electric, Altec, Jensen and other replicas of loudspeakers and electronics. Today, all drawings and designs are the result of a team of engineers audiophiles and experienced. The company has two factories in which all the products are made up of assemblies point-to-point wiring.
We source Line Magnetic product direct from LM, not third party sellers, selling items of questionable provenance.


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A WEST Midlands MP who used to make her living writing wills has warned the industry attracts "the incompetent, the dishonest and the fly-by-night operator".
Lorely Burt (Lib Dem, Solihull) called for tight regulations to prevent people setting themselves up as professional will writers without proper training.
But she admitted she had drafted wills for customers despite having no legal qualifications before she became an MP in 2005.
Ms Burt said she had received training from a private company, and the wills she helped draft were sent to legal professionals to be checked.
But she warned that many will writers had no training at all.
She added: "Many consumers do not appreciate the difference between a will writer and a solicitor.
"In fact, many assume that a will, being a legal document, can be drafted only by a solicitor."


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AERONAUTICAL apprentices studying at Deeside College turned stock market traders during an enterprise event.
The Stock Market Challenge, organised as part of their Welsh Baccalaureate qualification, began with team-building events in the college.
The following day, the apprentices went to outdoor pursuits centre Plas y Brenin in Conwy where they undertook team-building and problem-solving activities such as raft building, orienteering and treasure hunts.
For the next step, the college's Conference Centre was transformed into a trading floor with specific areas for traders to buy and sell shares.
Following a brief overview and a period of training on how to trade, trading began.
Stock and share values were controlled by an interactive DVD which changed values and had television and radio news flashes which affected the price of shares.
Following two days of heated trading the stock market shut and the stock and share values of each team were calculated.
Airbus UK apprentices Christina Mackinnon, Alex Evans, Chris Chapman and Alex Jones walked away with the top prize.
Darren Collins, employee development adviser for the Modern Skills Diploma Apprenticeship Programme, Airbus UK, said: "The Stock Market Challenge has not only challenged students, but has given them an insight into how we as a company can change dramatically in a short space of time."
Deeside College engineering programme area manager, Sara Williams, added: "The challenge was a very worthwhile experience which added value to the apprentices' overall studies."
Employer engagement senior project manager at Deeside College, Barbara Nicholls, who co-ordinated the event said it captured the imagination of the apprentices.


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If you are a homeowner, you no doubt want your home to be the best that it can possibly be. Everyone that wants this should definitely see to it that all the things in their house are always well maintained. People that discover that the roof over their house is either damaged or destroyed should definitely go ahead and replace it as soon as possible. All people know that the roof is one of the most important parts of every house. It serves as the main barrier between the outdoors and the indoors. That is why if you find that it is damaged, you should go and get roofing services. People that go on ahead and get roofing services will find that there are a ton of advantages that they will certainly enjoy. Someone who has never tried getting roofing services before might be wondering what exactly the benefits of it are. Right now, we are going to have a quick glance at a few of the plentiful advantages that all people who go on ahead and get roofing services for their home will most certainly enjoy when they do so.
Everyone who gets roofing services will discover that the professionals will do a very good job at installing or repairing their roof. People that attempt to repair or install their roof by themselves will certainly find that this is not an easy job to do at all. And when you do it yourself, you might find that you won't get anything done at all. Or worse, you could even damage your roof even more when you try to do it yourself. This is why all people who get the professionals to do the job for them instead are certainly making a very wise choice. Everyone that gets roofing services can enjoy the fact that their roof will no doubt be very well installed or repaired.
When you get roofing services, you can also enjoy the fact that everything will be as safe as possible. People should know that roofing repair or installation is actually a job that is very dangerous to get done. When people want to do something with their roof, they will have to climb very high up to it, and to make things worse, roofs are also almost always slanting downwards. That is why if people are not careful, they can very easily serious hurt themselves if they try to repair or install their roof on their own. That is why you should let the professionals do the job for you. People that get roofing services can be sure that no one will be injured. Everyone should know that the professionals are aware of all the dangers, and are rightly equipped to do this job as safe as possible.
What Has Changed Recently With Businesses?


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Call for Interest
13.11.2018Interested to join on December 13, 2018 our next reflection on How the digital revolution will impact interaction among the Corporate Governance's actors in modern companies?
Date: 13 December 2018 Venue: Avenue des Arts 41, 1040 Brussels – 7th floor (Paris...
19.09.2018Call for Interest
You are a young entrepreneur interested in Corporate Governance? You are familiar with...


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Camera and Locomotive
From the Library of Congress (LOC) comes Camera and Locomotive, an interactive story map that explores how "[t]wo defining technologies of nineteenth-century America - railroads and photography - developed largely in parallel and brought about drastic changes in how people understood time and space." Organized into seven chapters plus an introduction, the story map begins in the 1860s with an...
Unsplash for Education Collections
As all students (and instructors) who have ever given presentations should know, well-chosen images can transform dull, wordy slides into engaging works of art. The website Unsplash has been a reliable source of free high-quality photographs since it was founded in 2013, and in July 2019 Unsplash announced its partnership with Instructures learning management platform Canvas as part of its...
Dartmouth Digital Orozco
Baker-Berry Library at Dartmouth College is one of a small number of public buildings in the US with works by Mexican painter and muralist Jose Clemente Orozco, who specialized in political murals. The Epic of American Civilization mural at Dartmouth, painted between 1932 and 1934, is certainly one of the largest and most complex. The mural features 24 panels representing overarching themes like...
Sponsoring Consortium for Open Access Publishing in Particle Physics (SCOAP3)
Researchers, students, readers with an interest in particle physics, and librarians may appreciate the work of the Sponsoring Consortium for Open Access Publishing in Particle Physics, or SCOAP3 for short. Describing itself as "a one-of-its-kind partnership of over 3,000 libraries, key funding agencies and research centers in 44 countries and 3 intergovernmental organizations," SCOAP3 works with...
e-codices: Virtual Manuscript Library of Switzerland
For those with an interest in medieval manuscripts, the digital library e-codices will be a welcome boon. First launched in 2005, e-codices bills itself as the "Virtual Manuscript Library of Switzerland" and provides visitors with "free online access to medieval and early modern manuscripts from public and church-owned collections as well as from numerous private collections." Here, visitors will...


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"If you don't sacrifice for what you want, what you want becomes the sacrifice. You don't want to look back and know you could've done better."
I normally find examples in my life and I will surely found some but not to be repetitive, I will throw indirects. I want you to read through the lines and identify what you do or don't that in the end make of YOU THE SACRIFICE.
The majority of the people train for health reasons, to be fitter, stronger or look better. No matter the reason why we train for, we all reach that point that in order to get results we need TO SACRIFICE.
Sacrifice takes different forms, waking up earlier to train or to go to train late after work, not having time to socialize or being on social media in order to exercise. It can also be to actually train harder and spend less time on your phone while training or not taking steroids and putting the work!
As you see SACRIFICES TAKE MANY FORMS!
Ultimately, We get what we deserve in form of results. If we have put the work, we have been disciplined and have done the right things, We are happy and fulfilled.
On the other hand if we have taken short cuts and haven't faced the reality, the day we truly look at ourselves in the mirror WE WILL KNOW THAT WE FAILED OURSELVES.
When asked about getting results in fitness and life my answers are and will always be the same. Be disciplined, and put the work, it will obviously be hard but you will get LEGIT results.


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Isis burst on to the scene only two years ago causing a political earthquake in the Middle East, its ripple effects exploding into a new global terrorist threat. Since then, its rapid and deadly advance through Iraq and Syria has confounded regional and world powers.
Terror has been one of the main tools of control in its arsenal. Money has been another.
For several months during 2015, Financial Times reporters investigated the financial dealings of this jihadi off-shoot of Al-Qaeda. The London-based global business newspaper interviewed energy workers in Isis-controlled plants, middlemen, black market traders and "citizens" of its self-proclaimed caliphate to reveal how Isis makes and spends an estimated $900m a year.
Inside Isis Inc. republishes these FT articles to lay bare a meticulous and sophisticated operation that preys on local populations and has no qualms about doing business with its enemies.


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7: Lessons of Illusion
We take a look at Gene Davis' Lemon Look, and explore why humans are so fascinated by illusions, and what we have to learn from them.
Welcome to Accession.
Today, we're at the Worcester Art Museum, and we're going to head back to the modern art section. Follow the knight on the pink horse up the stairs, to the right of King Hamlet, in through the dark doors and past the rocket's red glare. But this time we are going to move beyond the room that is grounded in images that look like things we know to be real. We are going to move into the world of the wholly abstract; Or, rather, the room of the wholly abstract. Go on from here, beyond the human-whale legs and the ringing video, into this next room which is very colorful and very geometric. You should see a giant piece in the back that looks like three orange ovals that have been smooshed together, and the one that we are here to see today. It may just look like a lot of stripes, but I think it has an important lesson to teach us. Today, we're looking at Worcester Art Museum, accession number 1981.344, Gene Davis' Lemon Look.
If you've been anywhere on the internet in the last week you've probably heard this audio clip at least a handful of times.
And, depending on any number of factors, you are currently hearing a robotic voice saying either Yanny or Laurel.
A similar video, though slightly less popular, went around the internet this last week as well, this time of a green glowing rock. In this audio clip it's going to say brainstorm:
And in this audio clip it's going to say green needle:
And in the clip, the same clip I have now played for you twice, it is either going to brainstorm or green needle, depending on which one you are thinking of. Go ahead and choose one, and...
Weird, right? Now I'm sure that you the listener are also familiar with a variety of other optical illusions, like a rabbit that may also be a duck, or a duck that may also be a rabbit, or maybe two faces looking at each other whose inverse forms a vase.
These common illusions have probably come up at some point during either your education as children or during a seminar on teamwork as a metaphor for how we all see things differently and it's all about perspective. Don't get me wrong, it is true that we all see things differently and it is all about perspective. I'm definitely not contesting that. But what I want to dig into the bridge. I don't think illusions, optical or auditory, are designed to teach us that it's all about perspective. At least, that's not the primary lesson of illusion. For that, we have to turn to art.
Now art is full of illusion.
There are the obvious cases, painter's whose main focus is making things that seem to break reality, or metamorphose one thing into another. (Escher and Dali are the chief among these, but we can look also to many others, like Octavio Ocampo or Sandro Del-Prete) But more commonly and less obviously is every piece of art that purports to convey three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional canvas. Our ability to create that feeling of depth and dimension on a flat canvas is one of the greatest illusions that artists have been pulling off for centuries. But we can even look beyond the simple illusion of depth into the more modern fields of photorealism and hyperrealism, with artists like John Baeder or John Pugh, which aim to make the fiction as close to the reality as is technically possible. This kind of illusion doesn't rely on our mind seeing one thing instead of the other; Rather, it relies on the mind knowing one thing to be true about reality, and experiencing the opposite.
But these techniques in art don't break our brains in the same way as illusions do. They don't give us that sensation of an illusion that feels like someone is tickling your brain, but they're intentionally not trying to. They are trying to dull that tickling sensation as much as they can. A piece of art that uses the illusions of depth or realism is trying really hard to hide the fact that they are unreal and flat. It is much easier to feel this tickling when a piece has nothing to hide, when it revels in being both unreal and flat.
Enter abstraction. And, in this case, enter Lemon Look.
I want you to look at all the colors in Lemon Look. The majority of the canvas is yellow and orange alternating stripes, but five stripes in on either side, where the pattern dictates a stripe of orange is a stripe of pink. These are the only colors on the piece, and the existence of these three colors is what I want you to hold in your head as the reality.
Now, align yourself with the center of the painting and take a few steps back, about five feet. If you're looking at the painting on a screen, this will still work, but you'll have to mess around with the distance. Pick a point in the center of the painting, be it yellow or orange, and stare at it for as long as you can without blinking.
If you're doing this right, and your eyes are not moving, or moving very minimally, then the pink stripes should be fading away and being replaced by orange stripes. Some people report that the pink stripes entirely vanish. For me, they sort of phase in and out. And it makes my brain tickle in the most delightful way. And this is precisely the tickling that an illusion can cause us.
But let's take this a step further. As you look at the canvas, as you stare at that center point, try to hold onto one or the other, either the perception or the reality. Even though you do not see the pink stripe, hold onto your belief that the pink stripe exists. Or harder yet, even though you know that the pink stripe is there, try to believe that it does not exist.
Now Lemon Look was painted by Gene Davis, who belonged to a school of painting known as the Washington Color Painters, and who painted many, many striped canvases just like this one. He is a man whose life and ideas deserve much more of our time, and whose work is begging for a much deeper analysis than simply turning it into an optical parlor trick, and we will give him both of these in an audio story that is far down the line but already steeping. However, I don't think we've gone too far astray from how he would have wanted us to view his paintings. If you read the card, it will provide you with this brilliant quote from his 1975 interview with Donald Wall:
We've entered the painting through the yellow in the center, and we've seen its rhythm and echo across the painting as it distorts our known reality and presents us with a new, equally plausible one. But while you're here, take a moment to do this same trick, but with a different color. Pick another spot on the painting, and focus your mind there. I can't promise that lines will start to appear, or disappear, but we can still ask the same questions: What rhythm do you feel? How does the color operate across the painting? What realities, real or imagined, does it present you with?
In a later part of the same interview, when asked about the musical nature of his pieces, Davis responded. "I guess it's awfully hard to accept the idea that my work is abstract. Actually, it's non-representational. The stripes are the subject matter."
And this I think really gets to the heart of my problem with the "perception is the lesson" theory of illusion. To say that the audio says this or that, Laurel or Yanny, or that the image is a rabbit or a duck, is to miss the subject matter of illusion entirely. The subject is not what you perceive it to be; The subject is you, trapped between your perceptions and the reality, able to mold the one by squinting differently or thinking a different word, while the other remains unchanged. And this is where we can begin to realize that the real isn't even the subject matter. The real is abstract. The rabbit duck, or the Laurel Yanny sound bite, these things are only as grounded in their reality as our perceptions contextualize them to be. That image and that audio are just lines and shadows, waveforms on a digital recording, sound and fury, signifying nothing, until we give them something to signify, give them a world to live it, pick a perception to view them through.
I guess it is all about perspective.
Or at least, that's the way I see it.
Is your brain tickled yet?
Quotes in the episode and my research all came from an interview between Gene Davis and Donald Wall, which is published in Gene Davis, edited by Donald Wall. New York, Praeger Publishers, 1975.
Heliotrope from Aeronaut by Blue Dot Sessions
Waterbourne from Algae Fields by Blue Dot Session
In Paler Skies from Aeronaut by Blue Dot Sessions
Special Thanks:
Our special thanks this week goes out to Lauren LaPorto. She has joined the team to help with some of the marketing and social media parts of the show.
Our theme music was performed by Mike Harmon, with recording, editing, and mixing from Casey Dawson. Our show art was made by V Silverman. The script is turned into a transcript by Amanda Borglund. This episode was produced, written, recorded, and edited by T.H. Ponders.


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I have discovered the power of being in the Vortex through the Abraham Hicks videos, and I work on living in the Vortex everyday through affirmations, prayer and dream programming. Being in the Vortex means we are at one with who we really are. It is being connected to our God Source and the Universe. God and the Universe want what we want. We just have to know that we are worthy and deserving of receiving, giving,feeling and trusting love. Here is an awesome affirmation that I created and shared in the Abraham Hicks Vortex Soulmates private Facebook page today.
Now I used the word wealthy. You can instead choose words like blissful, joyful, sexy, loveable, etc. Repeat this affirmation out loud 1/2 to 1 hour a day over and over again every single day. DO NOT SKIP A DAY. It could happen right away or take months for your new soul mate connection to show up. Once you have what I call your SPIRIT DREAM in which your soul and the soul of your next soul mate meet and connect in your dreams, then you know your soul mate is on the way.
Just because we fall in love with a soul mate, it does not mean that he or she is our forever and one and only soul mate in this life time. In my belief about soul mates, there is no such thing as THE ONE. If one believes in that concept that there is only one soul mate, then it might leave them with a feeling of hopelessness. A soul mate relationship can be brief, but leave a major impact on our lives and our hearts NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN AND ALWAYS TO BE REMEMBERED; or a soul mate relationship can last a lifetime. Not all soul mates are meant to be, so if one soul mate connection does not work out, know that WE have the power to manifest a new powerful soul connection through prayer, meditation, dream programming, etc. Just knowing that we are THAT POWERFUL can help us in moving on from a soul mate connection that does not seem to be goiing anywhere.
We must always be true to our hearts. Life is too short not to be our genuine authentic selves and to feel and express love to the person that we love. In that way, we have no regrets. I call it "air flowing through the heart". Feeling, expressing, giving and receiving love helps us to feel alive inside. I went through my 20's, 30's and most of my 40's (I am now in my 60's) not able to FEEL love, so now if I feel it, I say it. Isn't that what life is all about?
I am so excited that I am booked on the Abraham Hicks Vortex Greek Cruise in October, 2018. Can't wait!


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Isn't it the prettiest logo you ever saw? The top one will be the actual colour scheme (and I know those of you who know me will think I pushed the pink and orange, but actually, Himika Apu is just magic) and the bottom one is for whenever we need it black and white.
I know this is far from being the most important thing, and I probably shouldn't admit this, but I keep envisioning the t-shirts!!!


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This is how much of your income you should be saving for tax/
Are you putting a percentage of your earnings from self-employment away to go towards your tax bill? If not, you should be.
After all, once you've filed your tax return, you want to have enough set aside to pay it without stress, right? But how much should you be saving for tax? Today I'm explaining all.
Work out how much tax you'll be paying and save a bit more than that
Depending on your income, you'll probably be paying either 20% or a mixture of 20% and 40% tax on your profits (here's a guide to the different thresholds to help you work it out).
Once you know that number, add 5-10% on to it. Why? Well, you don't just pay tax - you'll probably also pay towards National Insurance Contributions and student loan repayments as well! And if your tax bill is over £1,000, you also have some payments on account to make.
So you ideally want a bit more money put aside than think you'll actually need, just in case the figure to pay is higher than expected.
But on the good side, you'll also have your tax-free Personal Allowance which will bring your tax bill down a bit
Save your income, not your profits
You pay tax on your profit - that's your income minus your allowable business expenses - not your total income. But I advise saving the percentage you decide on from your total income, not your profit. There are a few reasons why.
Firstly, it's easier to calculate the amount to put aside from the amount that you've been paid straight away rather than working out how much your actual profit is on that payment. Secondly, this way you can simply put that amount away before you even have the chance to think about spending it. It's too easy to think "I'll pay it back later" and then forget about it. And thirdly, it's better to have too much saved for tax than not enough.
Where do you put it?
Move the money you're saving for tax into a separate bank account, ideally one that you won't touch often and has a good interest rate. Alternatively, lots of freelancers put their tax money into premium bonds, which are safe and have a chance of winning tax-free prizes every month. The account should be purely for tax and nothing else.
Do you put money aside for tax? What do you do to make sure you're prepared for your tax bill? Let us know in the comments!
Are you ready to swap money stress for financial empowerment?
The Independent Girls Collective is a members-only platform to help smart women like you to take control of their finances and feel good about money.
As a member, you'll get monthly courses, resources, live masterclasses and 1:1 coaching to help you manage your finances and provide the support you need to build a successful, fulfilling business that allows you to live the life you desire, as well as access to our supportive community of creative female entrepreneurs.


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Law enforcement officials are investigating whether the explosion that destroyed three buildings and killed two men in the East Village last week resulted from an attempt to hide the unauthorized siphoning of natural gas for tenants in one of the buildings.
Their working theory is that one or more gas lines were surreptitiously tapped over several months; then the siphoning apparatus was dismantled or hidden on Thursday before Consolidated Edison conducted an inspection. As soon as the utility inspectors left, an attempt to resume the diversion of gas went awry, setting off the explosion, according to two law enforcement sources with knowledge of this working theory.
That version of events is far from proven and is still being pieced together through interviews with utility workers and witnesses, including the owner and the manager of Sushi Park, a restaurant that occupied the ground floor of the building where the explosion took place, 121 Second Avenue, near East Seventh Street. The police interviewed the restaurant owner, Hyeonil Kim, over the weekend and heard his ideas about how gas may have been redirected to the appliances of tenants in the apartments above his restaurant.
Con Edison workers discovered in early August that a gas line for Sushi Park had been tapped to supply fuel to the tenants in that building. That siphoning, which Con Edison inspectors said had created a "hazardous situation," was intended as a stopgap until the utility approved the use of a bigger line that could serve the whole five-story building, law enforcement sources said.
But the investigators now believe that, possibly for more than a year, gas had been redirected from pipes coming into two of the buildings that were destroyed. They are looking into the possibility that the siphoning apparatus had been dismantled or somehow hidden from Con Edison's inspectors on Thursday afternoon, then restored after they left.
New York City officials said that Con Edison's inspectors left 121 Second Avenue around 2:45 p.m., after finding fault with plumbing work in the basement but no signs of leaking gas or other safety concerns. They deemed the building unprepared to receive gas through the bigger pipe, so they left the head of that pipe locked.
Half an hour later, an explosion blew the building apart, killing two men who had been inside Sushi Park and starting a fire that spread to three neighboring buildings.
As part of their theory, investigators are focusing on the possibility that the building's landlord, Maria Hrynenko, or others might have instructed residents on how to respond to questions from Con Edison workers about the gas service.
"That is something that we are looking into," said one senior law enforcement official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss an investigation in progress.
Mr. Kim, the owner of Sushi Park, said on Tuesday that he and the restaurant's manager had met over the weekend with the police, who pressed them for details of the configuration of gas pipes in the basement. Mr. Kim said he told the police that the manager had noticed a black pipe that ran along the ceiling of the basement, then up toward the apartments above.
Mr. Kim even sketched the location of the pipe on a floor plan of the basement for the police, he said, during an interview over coffee next door to a deli he operates on the Upper East Side. The overhead pipe clearly was not connected to the gas pipe that served his restaurant, which was the only pipe through which Con Edison was sending gas to 121 Second Avenue.
He said the manager could not tell where the pipe began because it extended out of a section of the basement that only the landlord had access to. But he said he assumed that it connected to the gas pipe serving the building next door, which was also owned by a company controlled by Ms. Hrynenko.
Otherwise, Mr. Kim wondered aloud, where did the tenants who had moved in upstairs obtain the gas that fueled their water heaters and stoves?
During the interview, Mr. Kim gave a more detailed account of what happened inside his restaurant on Thursday afternoon. He said the manager had seen a general contractor, Dilber Kukic, and some other men head downstairs to the basement from the back of Sushi Park.
A lawyer representing Mr. Kukic, Mark Bederow, said: "It is not in dispute that Mr. Kukic was present at an inspection shortly before the explosion. I urge people not to misinterpret facts and make assumptions about what led to this tragedy."
While working in his office, the manager later noticed the distinct rotten-egg odor of gas and called Ms. Hrynenko. He did not call 911 or Con Edison, Mr. Kim said, because he thought the landlord had men working down below who could address the problem.
Ms. Hrynenko assured the manager that the matter would be resolved, Mr. Kim said. But when the gas odor persisted, the manager called Ms. Hrynenko again and she told him that she would send her son Michael to check it out, Mr. Kim said.
Still, the manager was worried enough about the potential buildup of gas that he walked to the front of the restaurant and opened the door. Just as he did, Mr. Kim said, the blast occurred, flinging the manager out into the street. The manager was injured but was treated at a hospital and released, said Mr. Kim, who was not at the restaurant at the time.
At Con Edison's headquarters near Union Square, company officials said the informed speculation about what led to the explosion tracked closely with the theory that law enforcement investigators are pursuing: that two different pipes were siphoned to supply tenants above. One difference from that theory was Mr. Kim's suspicion that the basement pipe he described was one of the vehicles for the siphoned gas. A Con Ed spokesman, Philip O'Brien, said he could provide no information about the existence of that pipe.
"Any such questions would have to be directed toward the city agencies and law enforcement conducting the investigation," Mr. O'Brien said.


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http://www.ted.com/talks/william_mcdonough_on_cradle_to_cradle_design.htmlRelated: Urbanisme & Architecture • Cradle to Cradle
A Once-Polluted Chinese City Is Turning from Gray to Green by Christina Larson 17 Oct 2011: Report by christina larson Almost every day of his childhood, He Xin remembers the skies in his hometown of Shenyang being gray. "If I wore a white shirt to school, by the end of the day it would be brown," recalls He, who was born in 1974, "and there would be a ring of black soot under the collar." He grew up in Shenyang (population 8 million), the capital of northeastern China's Liaoning province, a city famous for its heavy industry and manufacturing — and soot and pollution.
Our services With the help of Trucost, we have assessed how the price of a common basket of CPG goods might change if it were to reflect the costs of its environmental impact in terms, for example, of carbon emissions and water use that are currently unpriced in most cases. We help our clients understand the economic consequences of natural capital dependency to manage risk from volatile commodity prices and increasing environmental costs - and ultimately build more sustainable business models, products and brands.
Corridor forestier - Studio autoroute Noise Barrier / PAIN The 'Forest Corridor' proposal has won one of the 2nd prizes (Professional Category) in the Open International Competition for Noise Barrier/Enclosure organized by the Hong Kong Government. Designed by BREAD Studio, the project gives an alternative insight to the noise mitigation structure design in the dense urban environment of the city. More images and architects' description after the break. With proximity to public space and residential units, this typical highway structure has 3 distinct conditions needing to be considered. 1: View down from the buildings: People from the residential tower are disturbed by not only noise but also lights from the highway. The climber plants on the barrier hide the barrier and highway. It also block off substantial portion of the vehicles lights and highway lights. 2: View up from the park: People from the park would see the concrete underside of the highway.
The Cato Hypocrisy I have long held that the greatest tragedy, among countless misfortunes that recur in the long and agonizing human story, is not when evil triumphs over good, or when oppression overcomes freedom, or even the wretched loss of ten billion potential might-have-beens. No, the most devastating defect in our character -- a trait that held us down ever since the caves -- is the very same twist in our natures that makes us such fine storytellers. I am talking about our incredible penchant for -- and creativity at -- self delusion and rationalization. The lengths that we all go to, in order to convince ourselves that we are the smart ones, virtuous and right... often in complete denial of blatant evidence to the contrary.
About Worldchanging "Architecture or Revolution. Revolution can be avoided." Le Corbusier, Vers une Architecture, 1923 Le Corbusier had it wrong. One billion people live in abject poverty. Four billion live in fragile but growing economies. New Study: Monsanto's Herbicide Chemical Damages DNA A new peer-reviewed scientific study has found that soybean workers exposed to glyphosate suffer from DNA damage and elevated cell death. Adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T) are the components of nucleic acid that make up DNA, and biotech is making these important parts of our biology a mash-up that no sane person would ever want to experience. Soybean workers in Brazil exposed to fungicides herbicides and insecticides (the main three chemical classifications used extensively by the biotech farming model) experienced an elevated level of cellular apoptosis, as well as remarkable DNA damage according to the Elsevier published, Mutation Research/Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis.
Project Portfolio By Sona Nambiar and Joann Gonchar, AIA The global financial crisis has derailed construction all over the world — even in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates. But certain megaprojects continue to march ahead, though with tighter budgets, more pragmatic goals, and less ambitious schedules. One such project is Masdar City, in Abu Dhabi. In 2007, the government-owned Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company chose a consortium led by London-based Foster + Partners to design the master plan for the 2.3-square-mile development it touted as the world's first zero-carbon city. Originally slated for completion by 2016, plans for Masdar included housing, cultural institutions, educational and research facilities, and space for tenants focused on the development of advanced energy technologies.
The Relevance of Anarcho-syndicalism, Noam Chomsky interviewed by Peter Jay QUESTION: Professor Chomsky, perhaps we should start by trying to define what is not meant by anarchism -- the word anarchy is derived, after all, from the Greek, literally meaning "no government." Now, presumably people who talk about anarchy or anarchism as a system of political philosophy don't just mean that, as it were, as of January 1st next year, government as we now understand it will suddenly cease; there would be no police, no rules of the road, no laws, no tax collectors, no post office, and so forth. Presumably, it means something more complicated than that. CHOMSKY: Well, yes to some of those questions, no to others. They may very well mean no policemen, but I don't think they would mean no rules of the road.
Japanese Precut Timber Construction The traditional wooden construction of Japanese architecture is extremely detailed. Its exacting precision and craftsmanship has stood the test of time for centuries. However, the process of handcrafting each wooden beam with mortises and tenons is quite labor intensive, and with an aging workforce, automation of the production process is key to continuing the tradition. A recent example of this fully automated technology at work is Bakoko's Onjuku Beach House, which was erected in 1 day by a small construction team led by two carpenters. What is truly amazing, besides the ability to assemble a house in one day is, the ease and precision of the construction. It all starts at the factory, where the architectural drawings are turned into shop drawings that the computers can read.
Glyphosate Toxic to Mouth Cells and Damages DNA, Roundup Much Worse ISIS Report 28/03/12 Further evidence of genotoxic and cytotoxic effects – a prelude to cancer, birth defects and reproductive problems Dr Eva Sirinathsinghji A fully referenced version of this articles is posted on ISIS members website and is otherwise available for download here Please circulate widely and repost, but you must give the URL of the original and preserve all the links back to articles on our website New research finds that glyphosate causes cell and DNA damage to epithelial cells derived from the inside of the mouth and throat [1]. It raises concerns over the safety of inhaling glyphosate, one of the most common ways in which people are exposed to the herbicide.
Twisting Acupuncture Tower for Taiwan-Green Architecture Home > 3D Architectures > Twisting Acupuncture Tower for Taiwan-Green Architecture Advertisement Twisting Acupuncture Tower for Taiwan-Green Architecture Design1 architectureholic facility where information on all the needs of home and inspiration on house construction. This is a Twisting Acupuncture Tower for Taiwan-Green Architecture. The Xtremes: Subversive Recipes for Catastrophic Times "In just a few short months, we've witnessed people power in action. From the Middle East to the Midwest, movements have risen up to overturn tired dogma and challenge entrenched power. Many of us were inspired by these events. And many of us were surprised. Perhaps we were growing skeptical that people power could still work. Maybe we had forgotten a vital fact about our world: that bold citizens, united around a common mission, can still come together to create major change against enormous odds." - 350.org (April 7, 2011)


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During the past two weeks, the policy statement issued by the Orthodox Union on the role of women in spiritual leadership in the Orthodox community has generated much discussion and debate. We note in introduction that we have great regard and esteem for the leadership of the OU, its commitment to the Jewish people
RCA and OU
In October 2015, the Rabbinical Council of America issued a resolution (that I sponsored) that its members may not ordain women into the Orthodox rabbinate nor hire a woman
The ubiquitous denigration, demonization and holding Israel to a double standard by those whom Daniel Greenfield calls "tenured academics, progressive journalists and irreligious clergy for whom Jewish values, like American values, mean appeasement and surrender to terrorists," is an ongoing problem, although not a new
The way things are going, it's going to be a long four years.
The election of Donald Trump as 45th president of the United States this past November has launched a virtual civil war across the country that is very real and very uncivil. The displays of hostility, contempt, disgust,
The fear that President Donald Trump might fulfill his campaign promise to relocate the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has caused considerable angst for PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah, who met to discuss what steps can be taken to prevent the move. As expected, Abbas claimed this decision "is more
On January 15, 2017 the French government convened a conference hosted by Jean-Marc Ayrault, French Minister of Foreign Affairs, "to signal… the international community's remobilization in support of peace between the Israelis and Palestinians," according to the French Foreign Ministry.
This past Motzei Shabbat, I told my husband that I think we live in the safest place in the world.
It was right after havdala, and I had just turned on my cell phone and discovered that while we were sitting and enjoying our Friday night dinner with our children, there had been a shooting in the
From the time of the British Mandate in Palestine (September 29, 1922 to November 29, 1947) to the present, numerous British, American and European government commissions and official emissaries have come to the region to investigate the underlying causes of the Palestinian Arab/Israeli dispute. Academics and journalists
On December 23, 2016, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 2334, which "reaffirmed…that Israel's establishment of settlements in Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, had no legal validity, constituting a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the vision
Recently, I attended a conference for Jewish educators in Fort Lee.
Sponsored by Avi Chai and the Schusterman Foundations, we were being trained to help our day school and yeshiva high school students better prepare for college campus issues they might run squarely
The United Nations Security Council resolution condemning "Israel's establishment of settlements in Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem" was one-sided and unfair. That's obvious.
The resolution certainly won't encourage the Palestinians to negotiate, since they see they can get what
President-elect Donald J. Trump's selection of David Friedman, a 57-year-old New York bankruptcy attorney, as US ambassador to Israel has triggered a torrent of vitriolic criticism. Friedman's alleged sins include a lack of diplomatic experience, and having issued inflammatory statements about the right of Jews to


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Week One Monday Dinner Recipe~ marinated chicken breast and ratatouille
Chicken breasts
marinated 2-3 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in Lawry's Caribbean jerk the night before & bake or grill the next day after work) No worries, no work!
Ratatouille: cut up tomatoes in wedges, zucchini in thick (1/2 in) slices, steam in microwave for 5-10 minutes until semi soft, but not overly wilted, add salt, pepper to taste- (Mary Jane's Crazy Mixed Up Salt is my favorite), ¼ c. chopped Vidalia onions or dehydrated minced onion to taste, add shredded cheese (whatever blend you like- I buy the leftover heals from the deli and use whatever they have- it's never come out bad, yet!); spray casserole dish with butter flavored cooking spray, add all ingredients; cover top of casserole with a breadcrumb/melted butter/parmesan cheese/shredded cheese topping. Bake for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Salad- add to lettuce carrots, celery, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. Take the "extra time" (it really takes no extra time-believe it or not) to cut up the vegetables for the week-celery and carrot sticks, chopped carrots and celery.
Garlic bread- slice several pieces off your Italian loaf, butter, sprinkle with garlic salt and parsley, broil on low 3-5 min until golden brown.


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The Topline: Voters give green light on "red flag" gun law
Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo announced this week the House would take up the so-called "red flag" gun safety bill. The move ended months of speculation and growing pressure from outside the building. The proposed legislation would "allow a judge to temporarily seize guns from someone who might pose a danger to themselves and others."
Eight states already have similar laws on the books, and some 20 more are considering them. Since the school shooting in Parkland, Florida in February, Florida itself and Maryland -- like Massachusetts, a blue state with a popular Republican governor -- have passed their own.
As has often been true on other issues in recent years, Massachusetts voters are way ahead of the state legislature. Our March WBUR poll found 89 percent of voters statewide approve of the proposed change. Massachusetts voters also approve of a variety of other tougher gun laws not currently being debated. Majorities also support raising the age to purchase a firearm to 21, banning high capacity magazines, and even banning semi-automatic rifles.
Even so, a red flag law is a significant step, and a break from an all too familiar pattern. After many mass shootings, there is an initial outburst of shock and outrage, but it subsides but before any action is taken. The conversation around guns since Parkland has been a bit more durable, although even this more sustained bump is showing signs of dropping off.
Much of the credit must go to students in the state. The Parkland survivors have drawn attention nationally, but students across Massachusetts have been marching, too. DeLeo gave credit where due, pointing to student protestors as a key force behind the push for the bill and holding the announcement at a school. Students have been walking out of class for months, partly in protest and partly to lobby for the bill. As the Globe reported:
"Over 17 minutes Wednesday morning, students from Somerville High School and other area schools orchestrated an old-fashioned phonebank blitz, flooding DeLeo's office — and that of two other legislative leaders — with calls pushing what supporters call a "red flag" gun-control bill."
None of the other proposals voters favor appear to be under serious consideration. With post-Parkland intensity beginning to fade, a red flag law may be the only change that passes for now. Sadly, given the rate of mass shootings, there is almost certain to be a call for more changes soon.
This has been an eventful week in Massachusetts politics, so much so that we released not one but two Horse Race podcasts this week. First was our regularly scheduled Wednesday programming, an in-depth look at this past weekend's state Republican party convention.
Then on Thursday, Steve and Lauren made an emergency trip to the podcast bunker after former Senate President Stan Rosenberg yielded to pressure and resigned in the wake of the a scathing report about his handling of allegations against his husband.
Last week we did a deep dive on ranked choice voting, and then took a closer look at the money behind the ballot questions campaigns.
The FiveThirtyEight Trump approval tracker, which aggregates presidential approval polls, shows 41 percent approve of President Donald Trump's job performance, and 53 percent disapprove. It has been very stable in this range in recent weeks.
Also from FiveThirtyEight, Democrats hold roughly a 7 point advantage in the generic congressional ballot, a lead which has remained in a fairly stable range.
A Monmouth poll finds just 17 percent approve of the job Congress is doing, continuing a long string of dismal reviews.
Pew finds a majority of Americans have confidence in the President on economic policy.
A new and way-too-early Suffolk University poll on the 2020 New Hampshire primary finds Elizabeth Warren running strongly against other would-be, might-be Democratic contenders. The poll could impact the attention she gets in her Senate race, but says little or nothing about who will be our next President.
A Quinnipiac poll finds that by a 51-37 margin, Republicans are more likely to say the news media is an enemy of the people rather than an important part of democracy. Most Americans (66 percent) disagree.
As the NRA meets in Dallas, Gallup offer ten takeaways from recent polling on guns.
Harry Enten, now at CNN, reviews the midterms polling so far, and says it's been pretty accurate.
Western New England University released a too-rare poll of residents of Springfield. It found residents feeling bullish about the future, especially those that support the new casino opening this summer.
Morning Consult surveyed Americans about their favorite brands. Turns out Republicans and Democrats agree on something: Levis.
--------------------- Nerd Alert Tearline -------------------
It's AAPOR time again next week, and Steve's off to Denver for the nerdiest gathering of survey nerds anywhere. He's got his pocket protector and his graphing calculator.
The official conference tee shirt slogan? "We have good surveys. The best surveys. No one is better at surveys than we are."
Seriously, it's good to be among fellow pollsters, but yeah, it's nerdy. There's even a talent show with titles like "Leveraging a more nuanced understanding of trust in survey research." And the annual "applied probability" tournament -- or poker, for lay people.


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For upcoming seminar announcements, see News & Events.


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I have been watching Olympics nonstop this past week, on NBC, CBC and live on the website. This resulted in a severe lack of sleep. There are of course some incredible moments in this Olympics, starting with the beautiful opening ceremony that is just full of class, elegance and awe - inspiring choreography. Zhang Yi Mou, even though I hated your movies, you did good this time! Of course we also had Michael Phelps getting 8 Gold Medals, Liu Xiang's injury (oh I was heart broken over that. Feel so bad for him!). But those moments were talked about well enough by many many other people. This post is about some of the more obscure and weird stuff I saw this week.
1. Intimidation at the Fencing Strip: Now despite have taken fencing class at school. I Have never really watched any competition on TV. And really no tv station would ever play this. So I was totally surprised to learn that when you think you scored a point in the fencing game, you have to basically scream, grunt and act victorious to the judge even though you may have completely missed.Apparently this is a tradition left over from more simple times when there is no electronic scoring. When the points are too fast for a judge to decide, it is dependent upon the fencer's confidence and aggressiveness in declaring victory to score points. Some of the women fencers are quite scary when they proclaim their awesomeness. Women Fencing Clip
2. Creative writing at 10k Open Water Swim: Now I just saw this today online. This is the marathon of swimming. A new event in the Olympics. There is no lanes in water like the shorter swimming events, basically everyone swim in this river and they all bunch up together jostling for the front spot. It looks terribly exhausting actually. But what I found funny is that since there are no lanes, there is no way to tell who is who very clearly in the water. You can't put a number on their swimsuit because the body is submerged under water. So in order for the cameras and the commentators to be able to distinguish between the athletes, all the swimmers have their number written on their arms and shoulder blades with a black marker lol. So when the camera looks vertically down at the swimmers. all you see is two shoulder blades with a giant black number on it!! How clever ;) The Women's 1-k Swim
3. Going nowhere at Track Cycling: This is actually the first cycling event I saw. I thought it was pretty weird that this sport is done in a indoor cycling track. The track looks like a racing track except it is made of wood and about the size of 2 basketball courts. The cyclist starts at the very top of the rim, slowly goes in a circle around the rim until a bell rings, in which case they zoom down to the very bottom of the track and run furiously in a circle til they cross the finish line. I suppose doing it in a slope eliminates the need of having to push off. But still kinda of a funny event if you ask me. Women's individual Sprint
4. Steeplechase: pretending to be a horse: This is the first time I saw this event in track and field. I fail to see the point of this at all. It is a race with giant unbreakable hurdles and a water puddle you have to jump through. Trusty Wikipedia says that this is derived from the Steeplechase in the Equestrian events. So something that makes perfect sense for a horse just looks kind of silly with humans haha. 3k Men's Steeplechase
5. Sailing: Ok, there is nothing really weird about this sport. I am just cruelly excited about the fact that weather has been horrible in the sailing arena the last couple of days. It was raining furiously and producing waves of 2-4 feet. So the most common occurences during the competitions is sending out the sailors to sea, while they sit in chilling rain, completely soaked waiting for the waves to quiet so they can start. And then 2 hours later, they are called back because the event has to be delayed due to bad weather hahaha. I know, I am mean :D Havoc at Sailing
Anyways, despite my amusements at some of the sports, I think this Olympics has been awesome so far. I am really proud of China for hosting it and making it such a great success and I admire all the athletes that strive for the best they can be.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Hiking Mount Rainier
Last weekend is the last weekend that M's best friend Sun and her hubby from Houston is here with us. I decided they simply must go hike Mount Rainier before they go since the last time Sun was here, we went to Rainier but it was completely covered in clouds so we didn't get to see anything. So I took them to the Skyline Trail in Paradise after the weather reports sunny weather in the afternoon. Last time I went to Skyline Trail with Snoopy and friend and I really enjoyed it. You can see it in my previous album. It has spectacular views as it wounds around the base of Mount Rainier. When we were at visitor center, i made sure that the trail was open. The guide said that there are some place that are still covered with snow but it is totally walkable. So we proceeded with the hike even though I despair of actually seeing the mountain that day since it was still completely cloudy when we were walking up. It turned out to be a really strange and interesting hike since we were basically hiking inside the cloud cover. Too bad we didn't get to see Rainier at all. And we had to turn back half way up as the trail was covered by this "Mountain" of snow that one is suppose to hike up and over to get to the other side. M and Sun decided it is not worth breaking a leg over. As we were driving home tho, the weather finally favored us with some sunshine and the clouds moved away and we were able to see Mount Rainier in its true glory !! M was super excited about it hehe.
Rainier Album
Rainier Album
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Render the hearts of this people insensitive,
Their ears dull,
And their eyes dim,
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
Understand with their hearts,
And return and be healed. (Isa. 6:10)
Also, it is clearly God who is doing the hardening in the parallel passage in John:
"He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their hearts,
so they can neither see with their eyes,
nor understand with their hearts,
nor turnand I would heal them." (Jn 12:4041)
Isaiah then asks "for how long, oh Lord?" and we may also ask how long this judgement would persist.