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Staying ahead and servicing your boiler can save you a lot of money in the long run. Give yourself peace of mind by choosing a trusted professional plumber to service your boiler. The boiler is one of the most important pieces of equipment in your house – make sure you look after it.
Boiler Service for £50 + VAT
We would recommend that you service your boiler every year to ensure it is working at its best and is completely fault-free. We offer a boiler service for £50+VAT.
Boiler servicing involves several different types of checks, including pressure checks, flue checks to check for any unsafe emissions, and a thorough visual inspection. We will also work with you to ensure that you know how to safely use your boiler, especially if you have recently changed to a different model that you may not be familiar with.
If you're not sure whether you're using the most efficient boiler for you, we'd be happy to advise you on other options too. Having the right central heating system for you is massively important, and if chosen correctly, will be financially beneficial.
Need your central heating, boiler or radiators repaired or replaced in Northamptonshire? Take a look at our Central Heating page. We service Northampton, Wellingborough, Kettering, and surrounding areas.

subset: commoncrawl


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Loxone, a leader in home automation, makes "autopilot living" a reality. The company, based in the small town of Kollerschlag in Upper Austria, provides over 150 integrated products to build a smart home from start to finish. Its founders, Martin Öller and Thomas Moder have been building the company from a small three man - team in 2009 to a company with 260 employees today.
Loxone has been increasing its global reach and its exports and is particularly invested in the United States, where the company has just constructed a new 7,500 square-foot U.S. headquarter in Media, a suburb of Philadelphia, PA. In Media, the company has also built a new "360 Degree Smart Home" to showcase what it calls "autopilot living." The system includes some 160 individual devices dealing with everything from climate control to security, blinds, music and energy management, as well as access systems or pool upkeep - components that become intelligently automated and thereby saving a person some 50,000 tasks.
In addition to its latest showcase in Media, PA, Loxone has already completed smart homes across the continent. To see more examples, please visit https://www.loxone.com/enus .
Video: "Welcome to Autopilot Living:"


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Aug 09, 2011 | ISBN 9780763623791 | All
Most of the selections aren't more than a few stanzas long, but each one hits you with a bright burst of humor that's like a sip of a fizzy drink on a hot day. . . . Hawkes's pencil and acrylic illustrations highlight the humor and the whimsy of the nonsense verses, but they also underscore the poems' innocence and childlike dignity when called for, and the artist gets the mix exactly right.
—The Horn Book (starred review)
The quaint poems have liberal helpings of both wit and whimsy and an occasional sprinkling of mild potty humor. . . . The whole has an uncluttered and inviting effect. Likely to become a classic, this is a great addition to any picture-book collection.
—School Library Journal (starred review)


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[The articles contained in this volume and their authors are listed at the end of this review.]
The volume here reviewed is the fourth in a series that began in 2004. Each volume contains essays on a particular topic in Plato and its elaboration in the Platonic tradition, a "Bulletin Platonicien" containing reviews of works on the topic in that year, and a "Bibliographie Platonicienne" that aims to record all the publications on Plato and the Platonic tradition in that year. The first volume was a rather eclectic collection of essays on Plato; the second focused on Plato's Timaeus and the lengthy and complex history of reading that dialogue; the third volume, like the fourth, focuses broadly on issues relating to Plato's account of the soul, both human and cosmic. Plotinus, uncharacteristically, grumbled that Plato sometimes spoke "enigmatically" about the soul. No student of the dialogues will have any reason to doubt this. As we learn in the rich first section of this book, the ancient Greek term for soul, psychê, was used prior to Plato loosely for whatever it was that differentiated something living from its dead successor. To be ensouled was to be alive. Philosophical difficulties (but also religious and legal difficulties) begin when we ask about the relation between soul, thus considered, and persons or human beings. If the person is just the ensouled body or living animal, then its demise is equivalent to the destruction of the property of being alive. A religious doctrine of reincarnation, however, whatever its provenance may be, seems to require that soul possesses some entitative status of its own such that it can be that which reanimates another body. For, if soul were just a property, there would be no reason at all to maintain that it is reincarnated, as opposed to simply acknowledging the generation of a new and different living animal. Apart from the religious doctrine of reincarnation, the simple model of a person as a living animal eventually has to confront the tension between conflicting criteria for personal identity, that is, in terms of body or in terms of "soul" construed as the locus of cognitional, affective, or moral attributes. If it should turn out that bodily criteria are different from "psychic" or "mental" criteria, and if a priority is assigned to the latter, then there is potentially at least one way of explaining how reincarnation is supposed to work. Plato's dialogues are as much about these issues as about anything else. It is not possible in a review of reasonable length to give details of the many complex and textually based arguments contained in this volume. I shall limit myself to discussing most of the papers in the two sections of the volume concerned with cosmic, individual, and demiurgic psychic identity.
Francisco Lisi begins his paper by noting the common scholarly opinion that there is no unified psychic doctrine in Plato. That is, there is in the dialogues no single account of the soul that explains the individual soul, the "soul of the universe" and (at least on one standard interpretation) the soul of the Demiurge. Lisi's concise strategy for unifying the various claims made across the dialogues consists in (a) focusing on the Idea of the Good as the principle of unification and (b) suggesting that in fact the Idea of the Good and the Demiurge are to be identified. Lisi can thus argue that different kinds of soul (cosmic, divine, human, and animal) are all produced by the Demiurge in imitation of itself. The various souls are hierarchically ordered with respect to their proximity to the first principle of all.
Lisi's position seems to respond to the Middle Platonic conundrum regarding the relation among the first principle of all, intellect, and soul. If the first principle of all is the Demiurge and the Demiurge is an intellect, and, as in the Timaeus, the immortal soul of human beings seems to be just intellect, why should we not infer the psychic nature of the first principle? And yet, if the Demiurge creates soul, must it not be intellect and nothing more? The real problem here is that if there is reason to distinguish soul and intellect, there is also reason to distinguish intellect and the first principle. What Lisi wants to do is to make that first principle an intellect, thereby undercutting the idea that the ultimate good for an individual soul is entirely impersonal. But there is no evidence that Plato ascribed to the Idea of Good what Lisi calls "a noetic nature".
Christopher Gill briefly reprises a theme of earlier works in which he argued that the conception of the self in Plato's Alcibiades I is to be distinguished sharply from a modern or contemporary conception; the former is "objective-participative" and the latter is "subjective-individualist". Gill argues that in the Alcibiades I the questions of self-knowledge and of the nature of the self are distinct. Accordingly, self-knowledge interpreted as self-reflexivity is not a part of the concept of the self. And with the severing of self-reflexivity from self, the subjective-individualist conception of the self becomes irrelevant. The key phrase is at 129b1 where Socrates asks Alcibiades the question, "how can we discover what the self itself (auto to auto is (cf. 130d4)". Gill translates the puzzling Greek phrase as "the itself itself" which certainly suggests that the discovery of the nature of the self would be the discovery of something objective, that is, something the knowledge of which would not be limited to the subject. This objective conception of the self illuminates the Platonic ideas of assimilation to the divine and achievement of the Good as themselves objective, that is, non-idiosyncratic. This sort of interpretation is more in line with an impersonal Good, first principle of all, than is Lisi's.
I think Gill is right to insist that the Alcibiades I provides no support for the subjective-individualist conception of the self, at least as this has come to be understood in modern philosophy. Yet I am not convinced that we do not see beginning in that dialogue self-knowledge construed as self-reflexivity, that is, as the awareness by a subject of its own cognitive states. Since for Plato the human ideal is the achievement of a cognitive state, the self-reflexivity of that state does not allow us to reduce the self to something that is completely objective. Thus, if knowledge, the highest form of cognition, is self-reflexive, knowledge is subjective in the sense that it is first-person, not third-person or objective, and not directly transmittable. Knowledge of the self could not be, for Plato, something like scientific knowledge, communicable among selves.
Filip Karfik offers an analysis of the cognitive activity of the Demiurge in Plato's Timaeus. The trick here for any interpreter is to include all the parts of the story in a way that is both coherent in itself and at least takes account of Plato's treatment of these elsewhere. These parts are: the Forms (or: the Living Animal), The Good, numbers, the Receptacle, the inchoate constituents of the Receptacle, the soul of the universe, and, of course, the nature of the Demiurge himself. All of these are obviously intended by Plato to be understood together. Karfik makes an impressive attempt to do just that. Appealing to the Republic, he argues that the Demiurge achieves his good in thinking the Forms. (Karfik could have also appealed to the Symposium, I believe.) Appealing to the Phaedo, and ultimately to Plato's interpretation of Anaxagoras in the Phaedo, he sees in the Demiurgic intellect Plato's insistence on connecting theoretical activity with its practical expression. Thus, the desire for the Good among intellects is achieved in thought and action is the natural expression of that achievement. This is the doctrine that Plotinus expressed in Aristotelian language as the doctrine of internal and external energeiai.
The intellectual activity of the Demiurge, Karfik rightly insists, is not psychic activity; the immortal part of the soul of human beings (their intellects) is in the Timaeus only an image of the pure Demiurgic intellect. The Demiurge imposes on the Receptacle and its "contents" a mathematical order, the elements of which are the mathematical intermediaries, representations of the intelligible content of the Living Animal with which the Demiurge is eternally cognitively identical. This makes the intermediaries, such as the World Soul, the product of the Demiurge, and begins to illuminate the puzzling Old Academic doctrine of the soul as a moving number.
I would disagree, however, with Karfik's further claim that the quasi-qualities of the Receptacle prior to the imposition of mathematical order by the Demiurge are themselves "traces" of the Forms rather than traces of their current, cosmic versions. Thus, say, precosmic fire is sort of like cosmic fire without the mathematical arrangement of it. We do not need to assume a Form of Fire to be other than an ideal mathematical ratio. But why should one pure mathematical ratio be Fire and another one Water? That is, why should one qualitative array be matched up with one ratio and another with another? The need for an answer to this question is, as Karfik sees, precisely why the Demiurge's Goodlike intellect is needed. He imposes his mathematical order in the best possible way.
Gwenaëlle Aubry provides an analysis of one example of the way that Plotinus systematizes Platonic doctrine. In the Alcibiades I and in the Charmides, we seem to get two different views of the nature of self-knowledge; the first pertaining to psychic self-knowledge and the second to intellectual self-knowledge. As Aubry shows, Plotinus presents a sort of projective model, wherein the diverse accounts are mapped onto a hierarchical metaphysics: psychic self-knowledge in Ennead 1.1 and intellectual self-knowledge in 5.3. What links these two accounts for Plotinus is their commensurability in terms of relative proximity to the Good, the first principle of all. The self-knowledge of the soul is a stage on the way to the self-knowledge of intellect which, in its ultimate achievement, is constituted by an intellectual vision of all that is intelligible in the Good.
In 1.1, for example, we find the tripartite division soul/body/composite, which Plotinus interprets as separate soul/embodied soul/animate body, in part because Plotinus accepts the Aristotelian point that an inanimate body is not a body except equivocally. This is not exactly what Plato says, but if one's goal is to articulate a philosophical position (call it "Platonism") that one believes is revealed in part through Plato's dialogues, then one will not hesitate to draw on other dialogues, where Plato comes much closer to giving Plotinus' tripartite division or at least implying it, and drawing upon Aristotle's insights as well as a means of expressing that philosophical position.
If, as Plato seems to maintain, the immortal soul is an intellect, and its immortality has some relevance to me, then my self-knowledge is intellectual or self-reflexive, in contrast to the embodied psychic self-knowledge of the Alcibiades. I myself, insofar as I am embodied, and insofar as I am ideally that separated intellect, am the link between the two accounts of self-knowledge. The transformation of the self in achieving self-knowledge at the intellectual "level" is exactly what achievement of one's own good amounts to. According to Plotinus, Plato taught that philosophy is the practice of the self-transformation that is the achievement of self-awareness. As Aubry points out, this Platonic approach to self-knowledge does not easily fit in with a supposed tradition of first-person primacy or subjectivity. The so-called autonomy of the self is denied implicitly by Plotinus in the denial of its self-sufficiency; if the self were self-sufficient it would be, counterfactually, the Good.
Olivier Renault addresses the issue of the tripartition of the soul in the Republic. He faces squarely and with a good deal of subtlety two problems that have been raised for Plato's doctrine. The first is that the tripartition of the soul in Book IV does not seem to cohere with the triparititioning assumed in Book VIII and IX. The second is that the conflict that supposedly "generates" tripartition seems to imply that each of the three parts is itself sufficiently rational to engage in conflict with the other parts. Renault wants to resolve both problems in the same way. He distinguishes a subjective and an objective point of view. According to the first, the rational self observes the appetites or emotions that occur within it and adjudicates among them. This adjudication requires the rationalization of the appetites and emotions and the application of reasons to decide on whether or not to satisfy them. In this way, there is no need to postulate reason quarreling with, say, appetites, that provide their own reasons; rather, the single rational self reasons with itself. The parts of the soul are in fact psychic functions of a particular type of soul, namely, a rational one. According to the second, objective point of view, the conflict described in Book IV is a metaphorical representation that needs to be unpacked according to various conceptions of the Good and of proximity to it. Thus, identifying one's own good as an appetitive good as opposed to an exclusively rational good is a psychic defect. It is a defect because the particularity or idiosyncratic nature of the appetites is further removed from the Good that is the exercise of universal reason. The grades of proximity to the Good are given a typology in Books VIII and IX. Psychic conflict represents a hierarchy of types of life. This allows us to see the different types of life as metaphorically represented by the different psychic selves that are constructed in action.
Anne Merker, in a lengthy and complex study, addresses some of the same issues as Renault. She argues that the appetitive part of the embodied soul (to epithumêtikon) does not exhaust the sources of desire, according to Plato. For this reason, the real dualism for Plato is not between soul and body (since all the "bodily" desires are in reality those of an embodied psyche), but rather between the disembodied immortal soul and the mortal soul, which is inseparable from a body. This distinction is explicit in the Timaeus and it is an important feature of Merker's study that she sees this in the Republic as well.
The correct account of Platonic dualism, therefore, enables us to see the unity of embodied desire. This unity is in turn both determined and articulated by the unity of the Good which embodied persons seek. The lack that is the fundamental property of desire is a manifestation of the general incompleteness of all becoming that is oriented in the direction of being (ousia). All desire of whatever sort is desire for real being, but only the intellect can attain this. Intellectual attainment--knowing--is the attainment of the Good. Whereas philosophical dialectic is the process whereby the Good is attained, for the embodied person politics is the process which both makes philosophy possible and provides for the possibility of the attainment of as much of the Good as an embodied person can aspire to possess.
Since knowing that which is good for oneself is identical with knowing the Good, and since knowing the Good is a necessary and sufficient condition for desiring it, the Socratic paradox that no one does wrong willingly is only paradoxical for the conflicted embodied person who supposes that his good is determinable from an examination of his own embodied desires. Such a one is not in fact desiring what he wills. Accordingly, it is perfectly consistent for Plato to maintain both that no one does wrong willingly and that people are capable of acting incontinently, that is, acting against their own interests, even as they conceive of it. On the one hand, to conceive of one's interests as the satisfaction of embodied desire is to commit an intellectual mistake; on the other, to conceive of one's interests exclusively as attainment of the good is to become virtuous, which is to say, impervious to incontinence. The difference between authentic politics and its sophistic counterpart is simply that the first recognizes this and the second does not.
There are many other pieces in this collection well worth reading. Any Plato specialist should seriously consider an ongoing subscription to this series.


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In March the San Diego food community took time to raise awareness about a subject near and dear to the hearts of many San Diegans, the sustainability of our oceans. Events like the Sustainable Seafood Gala and Sustainable Seafood Week create awareness and promote sustainable fishing practices to chefs, distributors, seafood lovers and fisherman alike. However the issue extends beyond the task of learning to make smarter choices about what we pull from our oceans. A recent study conducted by Oceana brought to light widespread fraud in the mislabeling of seafood in restaurants, supermarkets and distributors. One local restaurant Harney Sushi is taking a stand against just this issue and has been working closely with NOAA and Scripps Institute of Oceanography to develop new standards in sustainability. Recently Harney Sushi in Oceanside invited students from The Ocean Discovery Institute for a Q&A with Executive Sushi Chef Robert Ruiz.
Chef Ruiz took students on a tour of the restaurant and fielded questions about efforts being made to help ensure sustainable seafood practices at Harney Sushi. Chef Ruiz explained how at Harney all fish are purchased whole and inspected by him personally so he can confirm the type of fish received is indeed what they purchased. He also explained to the students how to test for fish freshness by inspecting the body appearance, clarity of the eyes, smell and feel of the fish received.
He also discussed the restaurants innovative new QR code program. When plating sushi each fish is labeled with a QR code printed on edible rice paper. This code can be scanned by diners and will provide information about the sustainability of the fish being consumed.
At the conclusion of the event students left with samples of fish being served at Harney that day. The samples will be taken back to the Ocean Discovery lab and tested by the students in order to confirm the DNA of the fish is accurate.
Programs such as Ocean Discovery not only provide valuable education for our community's youth but as demonstrated by this event play an important role in furthering San Diego's efforts to promote sustainable seafood practices protecting both consumers and our precious oceans.


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It's no secret we love 002 Magazine and the people that work there, especially their dear Editor-in-Chief Carla - our bohoSister from another mister. We also loved this February 2012 cover. Beautiful couple don't you think? :)
But just when we thought we couldn't love them any more, they start giving away food and booze!!! In celebration of their 15th anniversary and the August Food + Drink issue, every day 002 is giving out a new prize to a different winner. Yes there are only 11 days left, we contemplated not sharing in hopes of increasing our chances of winning. But yesterday they gave away a dinner for two to Flemings ($150 value) and we decided to share share share!
Some of the other prizes are free cookies for a year from Michaels Cookie Jar, pizza party for 12 at Frank's Pizza and a SkinnyGirl Vodka gift bag to wash down all those well worth it calories!
You can register by clicking here >>-------> http://woobox.com/psitn4
Or by going to their facebook page here >>------> www.facebook.com/002houston
If you win, we wanna know!!!!! And if you get free cookies for a year, we REALLY wanna know!
The BRC giveaway already came and went, but look at that damn burger anyways.....YUM!!!
Check it out and good luck!!
Also, you can read the 2012 article featuring bohoJacy & her bohoBoyfriend HERE!
And Carla's personal blog HERE.
Also, you can read the 2012 article featuring bohoJacy & her bohoBoyfriend HERE!
And Carla's personal blog HERE.
Carla & Paz
hungrily yours,


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I've just received my certificate from SFEDI, the UK Sector Skills Body for Enterprise. The first certificate I've had in many years. Many thousands of others have now received their own as well, having successfully completed 'An Introduction to Enterprise Mentoring' as part of the mentoring scheme promoted by government and supported by industry.
I signed up for the scheme through 'Get Mentoring', which is 'an initiative to unlock, train and support a community of enterprise mentors across the UK. The aim is to recruit and train thousands of mentors from the micro, small and medium-sized business community'.
During my training, I met with a number of others who feel the same way. Their backgrounds and specialisms were very different to mine, but they all wanted to contribute, through mentoring other business owners and managers, too. The excellent half-day training I attended was run by John Sunderland-Wright of the NFE Group – he's a facilitator and mentor, as well as a successful entrepreneur himself.
The service doesn't stop with training. The 'MentorsMe' web portal offers to connect companies with mentoring organisations that can support and guide their growth. If you are a business that needs support or a business professional who can offer support, they can help you connect with each other. Both voluntary and commercial mentoring support is offered.
With David Cameron telling would-be entrepreneurs "now is the time" to launch their business to get Britain back on its feet economically, there is a growing need for the type of support that mentors can provide to guide people through the start-up and growth process. While not a panacea, mentoring can provide the fledgling business with the help it needs to keep focused, energised and striving to succeed.
So, you're an experienced business owner or manager. Can you help someone else achieve their business goals? If you think you can, then have a look at these schemes.


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Hour One
Karen Roy
Karen Roy shares her inspiring story of life in a wheelchair after being shot during a robbery in 1987. She was 19 years old at the time and has since lived a full life. She received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Louisiana State University and is the mother of three children.
Rick Manning
Manning is the President of Americans for Limited Government and joined the show to defend Michael Flynn and discuss why he thinks Flynn was done wrong. Manning also served as the Public Affairs Chief of Staff during the administration for George W. Bush.
Hour Two
General Russel Honore
General Russel Honore is known for being a hero during Hurricane Katrina. He served as commander of Joint Task Force Katrina and coordinating military relief efforts during Katrina. He graduated from Southern University in Baton Rouge.


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Flying Solo | Kevin Murphy
Last Saturday night I stayed in Chicago in an amazing condo in the middle of the city that my friend Lauren hooked us up with. Early the next day we sipped our coffee while taking in this incredible rooftop view of the city and cherished the morning light before my flight left for Vegas. Dressing for a plane ride can be a little tricky. For instance, I left perfect August weather in Chicago knowing that I'd be landing in 100+ degree weather in the desert, but I didn't want to be freezing on the plane like I usually am. So I layered a bit and opted more for warmth by keeping my toes closed in my Converse sneaks paired with summery jeans. Although I was satisfied with the laid-back vibes I was giving off I was still a teeny tiny bit cold on the flight (if you know me you know that I'm ALWAYS cold) and I was most definitely sweating while standing in line for the taxi to my hotel when I landed. You win some you lose some I guess.
Another tricky thing about travel and always being on the go is keeping your hair nice and fresh. I hate washing my hair right before a flight because I always feel so grimy after I get off the plane that I usually just clean up again anyway (not worth it to put in all that work twice)! I swear by Kevin Murphy's dry shampoo in situations like this. Sunday morning I just sprayed a generous amount to the crown of my head and teased my hair a bit and just like that I look and feel fresh! I suppose this is where the "win" aspect comes into play ;) Keep an eye out for some snapshots and insider scoop on the Magic Tradeshow later this week on KN - maybe even tomorrow if I'm feeling motivated!
That morning light thought ^^^ ♥


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This review is for the 2003 release of "Live At Brixton". I will use a gauge for which all live Motorhead albums will be measured, "No Sleep Till Hammersmith". The first thing that makes this album better than Hammersmith is the luxury of having many more years of great music to choose tracks from. They have 25 years of the most face melting rock and roll ever to be played by anyone. This release is also superior in the fact that it is two discs. Sometimes when bands put out double disc releases, such as live and best of comps, there tends to be several filler songs. That's because a lot of bands don't have enough quality songs to fill two discs. With Motorhead you could fill five discs and still probably think of a couple that you left off. That's not to say that I am totally happy with every song that they chose to do in this set. I would say one area where Hammersmith is superior is that it have a couple of old songs that I would have liked to see on this release. Most noticeably is the omission of the song "Motorhead". The hyper version on Hammersmith is more superior than even the original. The other point where this one lacks is the sound quality. Don't get me wrong here as far as live albums are concerned this one kills many others in sound and mix. But with regards to Hammersmith it does not have the power that release has. The music sounds a little thinner and the vocals are a little bit too up front in the mix. But hey, it is live! Most all of the classics that you know and love are here with some between songs banter with Lemmy. Including an almost never ending seven minute version of Overkill.
The bottom line is that this is a quality release from a band that deserves all the respect it gets. Regardless of the few minor complaints I had, you could do a lot worse by picking up someone else's live record instead. This release is a good sampling of songs from 25 years of Motorhead. I give this album 90% rating and I feel that Hammersmith deserves a slightly higher rating of 95%. So either one you choose to get you will, as with most Motorhead albums, be picking up a quality release.


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Resilience Tip- Focusing on Desired vs. Undesired/
Resilience is the ability to cope well with difficulties and to bounce back from setbacks.
While some people are naturally more resilient than others, resiliency can also be intentionally developed.
Focusing on Desired vs. Undesired
Humans seem naturally inclined to focus on what is not good, on what to fix or change, on what to stop doing, on what we do not want. We seem less naturally inclined to focus on what is going well, on what to keep doing, on what we want. There was likely evolutionary adaptive-ness to this, and there remain times when this way of thinking is critically important. And, we may have developed a "limp" in our thinking, where focusing on what to change and what we do not want leads to an underdevelopment of our focusing on what to continue and on what we do want.
One area where this particularly stands out is in goal-setting. Clients often tell me what they do not want: I want to stop working so hard. I want to stop eating so many sweets. I want to stop arguing with my spouse so much. These are great starting points in the identification of goals, but what is critical is that goal identification does not stop at this point. It is great to zero in on the area we want different. Next, how do we want it to be?
Want to stop working so hard? Great. What do you want instead? More time with family? More time for recreational activities? More time for community work? More time for sitting quietly and re-charging your battery? By asking these more specific questions, you clarify where you want to get to, and so clarify what TO focus on, and so can start to productively work toward the goal.
If you are telling yourself all day, "not to work so hard", "not to work so hard" – where is your focus all day? On potentially nebulous thoughts about "working so hard", which is potentially exhausting in itself! Suppose you have identified your desired goal as more time with family. Your thoughts begin to focus on "more time with family", which can lead to thoughts of actual actions to be taken, which in itself can be more motivating to finish work faster and/or more efficiently. Want more time to re-charge your battery? Focusing on this can help clarify what that actually means for you, and so how you might practically achieve your goal. We want our thoughts to be where we want our energy to be directed. Similarly, if you are frustrated with poor results from dieting when you are working so hard all day to avoid sweets, consider that this is not surprising when all day long you are focused on sweets! Rather, think about what you want to be eating.
Easier said than done? Of course it is. And, that is no reason not to begin to develop the muscle of focusing on the desired vs. the undesired. This, in turn, can lead you to re-discover qualities you have that may have atrophied from dis-use. Think back to times when you were not working so hard, when you were eating less sweets (or, eating more healthy, or sitting on the couch less), when you were arguing less with your spouse (or, had a calmer, or more harmonious relationship). What was there then, that you might strengthen now?
Clarifying your desired goal can lead you to thoughts and actions that will forward you toward that goal.
Carolyn S. Tal, PhD
Psychologist and Consultant - working with individuals, couples, and business partners
052-825-8585, ]]


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Q. Name and what you do for the company?
A. Rachel Meador – Medical Bill Review for Mitchell International
Q. Describe what your health and fitness was like before starting the onsite corporate fitness program?
A. I was into running, training for a marathon, but not doing as much cross training.
Q. Why did you decide to participate in the onsite fitness program with Get You In Shape?
A. My company developed a wellness program to incorporate exercise classes 3 times a week. I needed more strength exercises in my routine. I also wanted a trainer to challenge me.
Q. How would you say the Get You in Shape program is different or unique to other fitness program you may have tried in the past?
A. GYIS offers a wide variety of exercises and fitness events throughout the year, not just scheduled classes. There are 5ks, charity workouts like for Taylors Gift and Special Olympics. GYIS is big in the Coppell community and you will see their trainers around town.
Q. What results and benefits have you experienced with the Onsite Get You In Shape wellness Program? Or How has the onsite Get You In Shape program helped your life?
A. Having GYIS onsite has helped me be more accountable and structured. I schedule other things around my group training, making sure I get in my exercise.
Q. What would you say to Mitchell for offering Get You In Shape services?
A. Thank you so much for bringing them on board! It's has enriched my life working here and I've made some good friends since.
Interested in learning more about Get You in Shape's Corporate Fitness Services, click on the picture below.
If you live or work in Coppell, Valley Ranch, Irving, Lewisville, Las Colinas, Carrollton, Flower Mound, Grapevine, Addison, Corinth, Highland Village, Dallas, and Famers Branch, the Coppell Group Personal Training is just minutes away from you. Get You In Shape's programs include the Get You In Shape Group Personal Training, 24 Day Challenge, sports specific training, weight loss programs, Corporate wellness plans, nutrition plans, core fitness training, strength training, toning and more. Clients include athletes (golf, basketball, tennis, football, track, baseball, baseball, volleyball, and softball) corporate executives, professionals, weekend warriors, cheerleaders, dancers, models, stay at home moms, and anyone looking for results.
Owner Brad Linder, has been featured in numerous newspapers and even as the fitness expert on the news 8 (ABC). Get You In Shape was also featured on The Doctor's TV show as one of the top Fitness Companies in Texas. He continues to use the gifts that he has been given to help serve the needs others have when it come to being healthy, losing weight, sports, toning up, and overall fitness.


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ageing bath time best friend birthday books brushing teeth celebration child play fashion fear fighting with each other goldfish growing up hair happy with looks health holiday how children copy kumon learning new words living with guilt love mealtime with kids morning with kids music play date reading school silly talk with kids sisters sleep habits snow sorry swimming with kids teasers therapy thumb sucking weekend working from home
> iTunes on fire!
> Panda Victory
> Jump rope Stunt
> Death & Dying Fear
> Mozart, Bach or Brahms today?
> Lego comes of age
> Lip gloss affair
> Sisterly Love
> Ear pulling works!
> Cruising islands & streets
> Sit down to pee please!
> My twin sister
> Sorry but these are not for sale
> Boo boo
> When Kat met dog...
> Expression of love
> Puny is in
> Chewing gum & Stones
> Pain in the neck
> Kumon Sisters
> Is there a Gruffalo?
> Mission accomplished
> Sacrifice to God
> I spy...
> Don't ruin my life
> Thumb sucking - Yours or mine?
> Why?
> Stomach Elly
> Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...
> Who is Baby #1?
> Apple of my eye
> Rocking with Sunglasses
> The 19th Wife and Weight Watchers!
So yesterday when Kat when to the library, she very excitedly came back with an audio book The Lightning Thief and decided to play it on her computer while sketching. Unfortunately I wasnt home so excerpts of my conversation with her when she called me on my cell in panic:
Kat: Mummy, when I put the audio book CD in, it comes up with an error message!
Me (thinking it has something to do with the Dell guy who tinkered with the system the day before): Just press Cancel if it asks you to do anything. Wait for me.
Kat (really panicking now): But it has no Cancel. Only OK button
Me (hating putting you in the corner situations like this): Right. Just read the error message to me
Kat: It says its trying to open iTunes and some files for CD burning software are missing from registry.
Me (phew! Not that bad): Just OK it and see
Kat: Yes it works! Thanks mummy and
Me: Yes? Quick. Hurry
Kat (whispering in the phone): Its not going to burn iTunes, is it?
Me: What? (Then finally realising that children take words for their literal meaning so very easily) Burn means to copy. No, nothing will burn (hopefully!)
Kat was relieved then and I came back home to find her glued to the desk happily sketching with the unscathed iTunes playing the CD in the background


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Lorin and Mitchell are lovely human beings.
A few weeks ago, we got to spend the morning in Toronoto documenting their relationship—first at the Toronto Distillery District, followed by a ferrie to Toronto Island. It was a tremendous joy. I can't wait until their 2019 wedding at Earth to Table: The Farm.
Wedding engagement photographs at the Toronto Distillery District and Toronto Island are a must!


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Shannon to Kinsale
Travel to Kinsale via Limerick City, Blarney and Cork City with optional detours to the Tipperary towns of Cahir & Cashel and Cobh in Cork. Among the most interesting attractions in Limerick are King John's Castle and The Hunt Museum. From there, the direct route to the small coastal town of Kinsale will allow you to 'Kiss the Blarney Stone' at Blarney Castle and visit the Cobh Heritage centre near Cork. Cobh, situated on one of the world's largest natural harbours, was the last port of call for the ill-fated Titanic in 1912 and was the closest port to the site of the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915. The Heritage centre also recounts the story of those Irish who left Ireland during 'The Famine'. An optional detour includes visits to 'The Rock of Cashel' and 'Cahir Castle', both in Tipperary and both are amongst Ireland's premiere historic attractions. Kinsale is a delightful harbour town that has retained its old world charm and has a myriad of old Irish pubs and excellent restaurants as well history laden attractions such as the Desmond Castle Museum and the star shaped 'Charles Fort' from the 17th century.
Kinsale to Kenmare
Today you will travel the scenic coastal route which includes visits to Mizen Head, the southernmost point in Ireland, as well as Bantry House and Gardens and the French Armada Centre, also in Bantry. From Bantry, you will be heading north to Killarney via the Healy Pass. Have your camera's at the ready for some breathtaking scenery across the Caha Mountains that divide Cork from Kerry. After the mountain pass, you come to the town of Kenmare. The town was founded in 1670 by Sir William Petty and has a history of lace making, demonstrations of which can be seen at the town's Heritage Centre.
Kenmare to Dingle
We travel to the fishing town of Dingle today as well as the dramatic Dingle Peninsula. The Dingle Peninsula has more interesting antiquities, historic sites and varied mountain scenery than any other part of Ireland. Dingle is the most westerly town in Europe and attracts large numbers of visitors each year, many of whom come to learn the Irish language in the surrounding 'A Flor-Gaeltacht' – Irish speaking district. On route stop in the village of Annascaul, the birth place of Jerome Connor, the famous sculptor, and Tom Crean, a local hero who accompanied Scott and Shackleton on three Antarctic expeditions, including Scott's doomed attempt to reach the South Pole. On his return to Annascaul Crean opened the "South Pole Inn", which is still in business today. Minard Castle is also well worth a visit. The castle is said to have been built by the Knight of Kerry and is the largest fortress on the peninsula. Continue on past Dingle and visit Dunbeag Promontory Fort. What makes it one of the most dramatic archaeological sites on the peninsula is that results show that it was begun in the late Bronze Age, 800 BC. Continue on to Slea Head and here you will see Dun An Oir (Fort of Gold. Here in 1580, after three days siege, over 600 Irish and Spanish soldiers surrendered to Lord Grey only to be massacred by his troops. Nearby is the Gallarus Oratory, one of the best preserved early Christian church buildings in Ireland. Back to Dingle for the evening. Here you will find among other great pubs and restaurants, Dick Macks, possibly Dingle's most famous pub, which is half a leather shop and half a pub so you can buy a pint and a purse at the same time! Foxy John's is a hardware store and pub combined – an unusual arrangement to say the least.
Day Trip to Killarney from Dingle
The journey from Dingle to Killarney can take as little as 90 minutes without stops. However, we suggest the following route and stops. If you decide to get an early start and forego stops at some of the initial locations, then you will be able to commence the Ring of Kerry section of the tour instead of heading straight to Killarney. First stop is the village of Annascaul. This small village is the birth place of Jerome Connor, the famous sculptor, and Tom Crean, a local hero who accompanied Scott and Shackleton on three Antarctic expeditions, including Scott's doomed attempt to reach the South Pole. On his return to Annascaul, Crean opened the "South Pole Inn", which is still in business today. Close by is Inch Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in Ireland. The Ring of Kerry is a journey through some of the country's most outstanding scenery around the Iveragh Peninsula. Stunning mountain and coastal scenery combined with colourful towns and villages will make this one of the highlights of your tour. For those who wish to take a break from driving we can arrange a bus tour through this route. Following the peninsula drive, you then arrive at Muckross House. Muckross House is a magnificent Victorian mansion completed in 1843 for Henry Arthur Herbert. The location of the House is spectacular, close to the eastern shore of Muckross Lake and set beneath the impressive backdrop of Torc and Mangerton Mountains. As an alternative to the Ring of Kerry tour you may prefer to take a wonderful tour by pony and trap that takes you through the Black Valley in the Gap of Dunloe. After a snack at Lord Brandon's Cottage, you will return to Killarney by boat via the beautiful lakes of Killarney.
Dingle to Clare
After an early breakfast depart Dingle in the direction of Brandon to drive over the renowned Conor Pass, Ireland's highest mountain pass. At the summit Brandon and Tralee Bays can be seen to the north, with the sandy Castlegregory peninsula separating them and to the south lies Dingle Bay. Continue to Tralee and Tarbert where you will take a ferry crossing on the Shannon Estuary to County Clare. Continue north to the Cliffs of Moher. The majestic Cliffs of Moher are without doubt one of Ireland's most spectacular sights and overlook the Atlantic Ocean on the coast of West Clare. You then arrive at the village of Doolin. Doolin is world-famous for its wealth of Irish folk music and in recent years has been attracting crowds to spontaneous sessions in any one of its excellent pubs. Just north of the Cliffs you then have the lunar like Burren region and the ancient Poulnabrone Dolmen Tombs as well as the Aillwee Caves.
Doolin to Connemara
From there travel west of Galway to the hauntingly beautiful Connemara Region. Situated on the most western seaboard of Europe, this unspoilt region boasts breathtaking scenery. The characteristic features of Connemara include its rugged, unpolluted coastline, dramatic mountains, numerous lakes and rivers and woodlands and the renowned Connemara National Park. Visit Kylemore Abbey and the Lough Inagh Valley as well as the spectacular Sky Road near the town of Clifden. You can also visit the fishing village of Roundstone and see how a 'Bodhran' (traditional Irish Drum) is made. Alternatively, you may prefer to take the ferry to the Aran Islands. Aran will take you back to an Ireland of Celts and Early Christians. Take a pony and trap, or a guided tour from the pier up the island to the stone fort of Dun Aengus. Dún Aengus fort is located on top of a 300ft high sea cliff and is one of the finest prehistoric monuments in Western Europe.
Connemara to Westport
Touring north from Connemara, you will also be able to walk along the fjord at Killary harbour or indeed take the catamaran cruise through Ireland's only fjord. From there travel just south of Westport to see Croagh Patrick, otherwise known as Ireland's 'Holy Mountain' upon which St. Patrick (according to Irish folklore) spent 40 days fasting. The area around Croagh Patrick is rich in archaeological remains which provide an interesting insight into life in times past. Findings date back to 200 B.C. Just north of the town of Westport in the county of Mayo is Ireland's least populated region where you can walk the open countryside for miles with no company other than the local sheep. The amazing geology, archaeology, botany and wildlife of this region of North Mayo is interpreted for us at The Céide Fields Visitors' Centre with the aid of an audio-visual presentation and exhibitions. You may also wish to visit Westport House - Designed by the famous architects Richard Cassels and James Wyatt in the 18th century, Westport House is located west of the Shannon and is one of Irelands' most historic homes open to the public.
Day Trip from Westport to Galway City
Heading south from Westport, you reach Galway, the 'City of the Tribes' also known as Ireland's Cultural and festival capital. With its street entertainers and traditional pubs with great music, Galway and in particular, the Quays area of the city centre will enthrall you particularly in the evening time. Other sites in Galway include Ireland's largest medieval parish church, the Collegiate Church of St Nicholas of Myra dating back to 1320. Christopher Columbus reputedly worshipped in this church in 1477. Also nearby are Galway Cathedral, the Spanish Arch and Eyre Square.
Mayo to Donegal
On route to Donegal you will travel by Ireland's most visited pilgrimage location, the Shrine at Knock. Shortly after this, you can take a slight detour to the Coleman Irish Music Centre is a celebration of Irish Music, Culture and Heritage as expressed in the South Sligo style of music played by Michael Coleman and other musicians of his time. Southwest of Sligo Town you will find the Ancient Tombs of Carrowmore. Over 60 tombs have been located by archaeologists to date. Dating back to nearly 5,000 B.C. and centuries older than the Pyramids of Egypt, Carrowmore is Ireland's largest megalithic cemetery and is considered to be one of the most important in Europe. Shortly after leaving Sligo on route to County Donegal you will arrive at Drumcliff Churchyard, perhaps the most visited graveyard in Ireland. William Butler Yeats is buried here under the epitaph that he penned, "Cast a Cold Eye on Life, on Death. Horsemen, pass by!". The Churchyard stands in the shadow of the magnificent Benbulben. Continue north until you reach Belleek home to Belleek Pottery, where there is an excellent visitor centre that is open from April to October. Set up in 1857, the factory is famous worldwide for its ornate fine Parian China. Other major touring attractions in Donegal include the Railway Heritage Centre, Donegal castle and Donegal Craft Village in Donegal town. Heading west from Donegal Town, on the edge of the Atlantic is Ireland's premier fishing port of Killybegs. Nearby are the magnificent Slieve League Cliffs which at over 1,000 ft (300 metres) the cliffs are the highest marine cliffs in Europe. Next stop along this route is the Gaelic speaking village of Glencolumbcille where you can take the opportunity to relive local rural life as experienced in 18th, 19th and 20th century Ireland.
Donegal to Derry
Today travel to the ancient territory of the Inishowen Peninsula is the most northerly part of Ireland. Monuments of an earlier age seem to grow from the landscape as castles, towers and ancient churches shimmer in the sunshine. Your tour begins at Grianan an Aileach, the ancient Temple of the Sun that was Christianized by St. Patrick. Founded by the Druids, this ring fort dates back to some 2,000 years B.C. On to Dunree Head and Fort Dunree, constructed in 1798 by the English as a defensive measure against Napoleonic invasion. At the top of the Inishowen Peninsula is Ireland's most northerly point, Malin Head. The area is steeped in history and folklore. Continuing around the peninsula, you arrive at the pretty village of Culduff with its stone circle. Deep in the heart of County Donegal is Glenveagh National Park and is considered by many to be Ireland's finest national park. At the core of the park is the Glenveagh Estate, originally the home of the notorious landlord John George Adair, much despised for his eviction of Irish tenant farmers in the 1860s. In the south of the county, you will find the magnificent Slieve League Cliffs. At over 1,000 ft (300 metres) the cliffs are the highest marine cliffs in Europe. You will find touring around the city of Derry to be a multi-layered experience that takes in all periods of its tumultuous history and vibrant present. The fortified walls of the city are among the best preserved city fortifications in the Western World. They rise to a height of 26ft (8m) and in places are 30ft (9m) wide. Completed in 1618 to defend the Plantation City, the walls have never been breached in three major sieges - even during the 105 day siege of 1689 when 7,000 of the 30,000 population died of starvation.
Day Trip to The North Antrim Coast
The major attractions in this area include The Giants Causeway, Bushmill's Distillery, Dunluce Castle and the Carrick-a-rede rope bridge. Many of these sites are located close to each other which means minimal between each location. The fact that the Causeway was formed 70,000,000 years ago by massive volcanic activity is contradicted only by local legend that claims the causeway was created by a fabled giant. The Old Bushmills Distillery is the world's oldest licensed Whiskey Distillery. King James I granted the original licence to distil 'Acqua Vitae' in April 1608, and since then Bushmills has been making the finest Irish Malt Whiskey for almost four hundred years. Dunluce Castle was shaped when the sea cut deep into the land, exploiting cracks in either side of the rock. The early Christians and the Vikings were drawn to this romantic place and an early Irish fort once stood here. Further along the coast near the harbour of Ballintoy the stunning Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge spans a gaping chasm between the coast and a small island used by fishermen. The terrifying eighty foot drop can be crossed via the swinging bridge - not for the faint hearted!
Derry to Dublin for your departure flight
Time to travel south to Dublin. However, if you wish to prolong the return to big city life, a slight detour by way of Ireland's most visited attraction, the megalithic tombs in Newgrange. One of the great wonders of the ancient world, Newgrange is older than Stonehenge, Mycenae or even the Pyramids of Egypt. Also in this historic county of Meath, you will find the seat of the ancient kings of Ireland at the Hill of Tara as well as the splendid Trim Castle, just north of Dublin. The quandary that you will be faced with when you reach Dublin is, not what you should see but that you should leave out. Knee-deep in history and with it's own unique sense of humour and wit, Dublin is an invigorating city. Take the opportunity to visit some of Ireland's most history laden locations, including Trinity College and the Book of Kells, Dublin Castle, Kilmainham Gaol, The National History Museum and not forgetting The Guinness Brewery, St. Patrick's Cathedral & why not finish up the day in Dublin's Temple Bar section and enjoy the wonderful pubs and music it is famous for.
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Customer Testimonial
Hi Tina,
We enjoyed our trip to Ireland immensely. The hotel accommodations were all very nice, including the breakfasts. The locations worked out well, allowing us to walk to some destinations in each town.
One suggestion regarding the car rental: Driving in Ireland was very nerve-wracking, mostly due to the narrow roads (not to mention driving on the "other side" and the roundabouts). We purchased extra insurance, which was a very good idea as I put a large scratch on the side of the car, running into a wall on the Ring of Kerry. We lost the deductible (250 Euros) but it would have been much worse had we not purchased the extra insurance. I would recommend adding that into the car rental cost and giving the customer the option to decline - that way they are at least alerted to the possibility of incurring damage and what it will cost if they do. I am glad that we considered the possibility, but I think others may not. Also, I think the car rental companies should put strip of molding on the doors so that repairing something like a scratch could be done more cheaply. They told us the body work would be expensive as the scratch went across the two doors - but if there had been molding on the door, it would have been much easier and cheaper to repair.
The GPS was very useful. However we were not able to enter the coordinates, which was used for most of the hotel locations. We asked someone at a hotel for help and he wasn't able to enter the coordinates, either. Full addresses for the hotels should be included with the vouchers. We ended up finding the hotels by "trial and error" once in the towns.
I think that's about it for the "ugly". Most of the trip was beautiful and I would recommend your service to others traveling to Ireland.
Attached is a picture of me with the dancers statue in front of the Bru Boru Cultural Centre, near the Rock of Cashel.
Feel free to use it on your website - and let me know if you do.
All the best...Anne Stratton
Anne Stratton, Bethesda, MD, USA
Read more of what our customers have to say...


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Estate Planning For The Rest of Us/
In 2016 only estates of individuals worth more than $5,450,000 are taxed ($10,900,000 for a married couple). People with estates approaching or exceeding those amounts use various creative methods to avoid paying the tax including a GRAT (grantor retained annuity trust), a CRUT (charitable remainder unitrust), and an FLP (family limited partnership), to name a few. It is estimated that only 2 out of 1,000 estates actually owe tax. Does that mean that the other 99.8% of us can ignore estate planning entirely? Sadly, no. You can still make crucial mistakes that can cause taxes and severe problems for your heirs. First, let's look at how the estate tax and transfers at death work.
Some Estate Basics
The Big Picture – The estate tax and how it is applied has changed drastically over the last 40 years. The table below shows how much you can pass tax free (the exemption amount), the maximum tax rate and the allowance of portability (keep reading) since 1976.
When an unmarried individual dies, all of his assets go into his "gross estate". This includes insurance proceeds on the deceased person's life (unless held in a special trust), retirement accounts, real estate, investment accounts, business interests, jewelry, cash, etc. If the gross estate is less than the exemption amount, no estate tax is due. If the gross estate is more than the exemption, tax is due on the excess within nine months of death.
For married couples, the estate tax can be trickier to calculate. Using the "unlimited marital deduction", the first spouse to die can leave all of his or her assets to the surviving spouse with no tax. However, prior to 2011 when "portability" came into the law, the first spouse to die could lose their exemption amount if the marital deduction was used. Frequently, estate tax would be due at the death of the surviving spouse. To avoid this result, most wills created a bypass trust at the first spouse's death in order to use the exemption amount for that spouse. The surviving spouse received income from the trust, but did not own or control the trust assets.
Using a bypass trust required complicated wills, trust documents and trust tax returns. Those items created a lot of cost that, for most people, was a waste. Congress came to the rescue (hard to believe, I know) and changed the estate tax laws to allow portability of the exemption. Starting in 2011, any unused exemption of the first spouse to die can be used by the surviving spouse's estate. No trusts to worry about, no extra tax returns to file and no added costs. For most married couples, the first spouse to die can leave all assets outright to the surviving spouse and no estate tax is due at either death.
Who gets What? – A will is normally used to instruct your executor after your death how your assets should be distributed. Many assets, though, are not subject to the provisions of your will. Retirement accounts (IRAs, 401Ks, pension plans) use a beneficiary designation to determine who inherits your accounts. Life insurance also has a beneficiary designation. Payable on death bank accounts instruct the bank who to pay on your death. Property you own with your spouse as joint tenants passes immediately to your spouse at your death. So, if you and your husband's only assets consist of a house owned together, joint bank accounts, some IRAs and life insurance, a will is irrelevant regarding who ends up with your assets. (There may be other important issues that a will might address including guardians for your children, who gets your stamp collection, and burial instructions.) Many people, however, also have bank accounts, businesses, brokerage accounts, etc. in their individual names. Upon death, a will is important for determining ownership of those assets.
Avoid These Costly Mistakes
As mentioned above, even after the increased exemption amount and portability rules, there are still mistakes that you should avoid.
I Don't Have a Will – you might be one of those people described above who does not have any assets that will pass under the will and you think a will would be a waste of time. Aside from non-financial issues, are you sure you do not have a business interest or bank account or brokerage account or jewelry that is in your name alone? What happens if you and your spouse die together and neither has a will? In Tennessee, if you die without a will, your assets go to your closet relatives under the "intestate succession" laws. You might be surprised how those laws work. Below is from the nolo.com website.
If you do not have a will, Get One! Call an attorney or go online, but get a will!
Forgot to Fill in the Blank - When you open an IRA account, you are asked to designate a beneficiary. This person inherits your account upon your death. What happens if:
- You forget to provide that information?
- You no longer want the original beneficiary to inherit your IRA?
- You divorced the beneficiary or they passed away?
The answer for each question is different, but the common denominator is that your current wishes will not be carried out. Here are three items to resolve:
- To make sure that your beneficiary designation is correct, simply ask your IRA custodian or broker to send you a copy of the designation on file.
- Make sure you also designate a contingent beneficiary. This person would inherit your IRA if your primary beneficiary passes before you do (tragic accident where both you and your spouse are killed).
- In almost all cases your beneficiary should be a person as opposed to a trust. If a trust is listed as your beneficiary, see an attorney and seriously consider changing your beneficiary to a person.
My Will is a Relic – If your will was drafted before 2011, it probably does not have language that follows the new portability rules. As a result, you could put all of your assets in a trust for your spouse unintentionally. Remember that prior to 2011 most wills created a bypass trust at the death of the first spouse to hold assets so that the exemption amount could be utilized. The trust provision mandated that estate assets up to the maximum amount of estate exemption amount be placed in trust. Today that maximum amount is $5,450,000. If your will still contains that provision and your estate is less than $5,450,000, all of your assets could go into a trust. Many times the trust provision of a will limits what a spouse can do with trust assets plus a tax return would have to be filed for the trust each year. Your spouse would probably not be happy with this result.
If your will was drafted more than five years ago, have it updated!
The costly mistakes above are easily resolved, but also really easily put off to that mythical time called "Someday". Here is a sure way to make sure you deal with any of these mistakes you may have – every day until you resolve these issues, go to YouTube and force yourself to watch both complete acceptance speeches from the major candidates for President. (No fast forwarding allowed.)
Estates and wills can be very confusing. Feel free to call or email me to discuss your situation. I am not an expert, but I can help point you in the right direction.


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by mervat
If i am a Jordanian with a permit and live in Oman. Do i need a visa to go to Dubai city by Air? As i know i do not need one by land and how much will it cost me for a short visit of one week?
Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Dubai Visit Visa.


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Cherry Valley, California. You can view Cherry Valley venues that host many Cherry Valley CA events every year.
You can find a ton of properties for sale if you search the Cherry Valley page on Zillow. Currently Cherry Valley has an average listing price for homes for sale on the market of $405,208. More real estate facts about Cherry Valley: The number of properties currently for sale in Cherry Valley is 12,771. The median homes for sale listing price is $247,483. This is broken down with the number of three bedroom houses in Cherry Valley consisting of 4,875 with an average listing price for these house of $364,578. Out of the 3,327 houses that are four bedroom the average listing price for Cherry Valley is $503,737. Interest rates for Cherry Valley are at historic lows as well.
Cherry Valley California has a latitude of 33.952499389648 and a longitude of -116.97399902344. View the full profile
On Yahoo, Yelp, SuperPages, AmericanTowns and 25 other directories!
Add your social media links and bio and promote your discounts, menus, events.
Be sure your listing is up on all the key local directories with all your important content (social links and product info).


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CNN has suspended contributor Roland S. Martin for a homophobic series of tweets during the Super Bowl.
The Chicago-based radio host has been under fire since Sunday and the target of an social media action by GLAAD and the National Black Justice Coalition. CNN has been quiet until now when it released this statement:
Roland Martin's tweets were regrettable and offensive. Language that demeans is inconsistent with the values and culture of our organization, and is not tolerated. We have been giving careful consideration to this matter, and Roland will not be appearing on our air for the time being."
CNN took its time, but it clearly reached a strong decision here. What Martin had tweeted — advocating beatings for men who'd enjoyed the David Beckham underwear ad shown during the Super Bowl plus the same for a New England Patriot clad in a pink suit — was the equivalent of cheerleading for violence against gays.
"CNN today took a strong stand against anti-LGBT violence and language that demeans any community," said GLAAD spokesperson Rich Ferraro. "Yesterday, Martin also spoke out against anti-LGBT violence. We look forward to hearing from CNN and Roland Martin to discuss how we can work together as allies and achieve our common goal of reducing such violence as well as the language that contributes to it."
Roland Martin's homophobic comments should come as no surprise to R20 readers. Martin has previously compared gays to alcoholics, defended Tracy Morgan's violent homophobic comedy skit and slammed "gay blogs" for "savagely attacking" anti-gay Miss California Carrie Prejean.
More recently: Actor Boris Kodjoe criticized Roland Martin for describing homosexuality as a choice or "gay lifestyle."
Martin has a major platform across Black media—radio, television and magazines—and his words are particularly harmful to Black LGBTs. Despite his well-documented homophobic track record, a number of Black gay voices have defended Martin and attacked GLAAD and other activists. Rev. Kevin E. Taylor, the New Jersey-based pastor, gay activist, author and producer dissects this in an excellent op-ed at RollingOut.com:
Martin is the "crazy uncle" who we are used to coming into the room and saying stupid things. ... We are used to the Rolands of our world ranting about stuff in off-handed ways. [So] many Black gay men have learned to absorb the shock of these comments and keep it moving "cuz that's just how he is."
We are often still so ensconced in our Black community ... because we still find more sanctuary in Blackness than in gayness. We would rather take off-the-chin remarks from the family "we know loves us" because we have at least had great memories of family gatherings that just happened to include the crazy uncles and the Bible-toting aunts who say they love us but not "that lifestyle." I am pissed off and disappointed at members of my own community because while I completely understand the need to be close to the family and stay close to home, we've got to be willing to grow up.
It's an excellent op-ed. Read it HERE.
Martin's "jokes" about homophobic violence were delivered at the same time a young Black gay man was viciously attacked by a gang in Atlanta. The video-taped gay-bashing has gone viral. The FBI has has joined the police investigation.
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We live in a politically polarized country, so it is not a surprise that those who oppose the health care law — dubbed Obamacare — immediately called for the law's repeal. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor promises a vote on July 11, when the House returns from recess. And House Majority Leader John Boehner is almost apoplectic in arguing that the only reasonable course is for the law to be "ripped out by its roots."
While it's far from perfect — can anything designed by committee be even close to perfect? — the Affordable Care Act is a positive step forward in successfully addressing the major health-care issue this country faces: access to health insurance. And it attempts to limit the rising cost of health care.
I think we need to give it a chance to work and then improve it. And I felt compelled to say so to my Republican Senator and Representative:
Congress passed the law. The President signed it. The Supreme Court upheld it.
Now let us see how it works and then make improvements based upon experience – not hypothetical concerns or political ideology.
To state that you want to repeal the law without offering a specific, comprehensive alternative is irresponsible, in my opinion. The Affordable Care Act, despite its shortcomings, provides a means for Americans to have health insurance without denied coverage due to preexisting conditions and the risk of rescission, with serious illness. To help address the increasing cost of medical care, the law contains several provisions, including emphasizing preventative care and limiting the amount insurance companies can spend on administration and marketing.
Rather than hurting economic growth, I believe ready access to health care that is not tied to employment will actually stimulate entrepreneurial activity, new business creation, and job growth.
It's a travesty that America is the only developed nation without universal access to health insurance. I believe we have a moral obligation as a country to solve that problem – which the free market has been unable to do on its own.
So let's suspend the rhetoric and give the law a fair chance to work.Read the Supreme Court's full ruling here.


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KhmerBird has been online since 2008. My main goal for building this website is to update what's happening in the country.
There are a lot of people imagine about Cambodia in a wrong way. They heard about Cambodia in the news only when the country has trouble. The situation has been improved in the last few years because of social media.
People now can get accurate updated news from the local people who used mainly Facebook to share information. However, we don't find enough websites about Cambodia travel.
And it becomes our mission now to provide accurate and latest updated information about the country. We focus mainly on the first time visitors who need to know more about Cambodia.
We try to make you understand quickly about our history. Then we recommend best hotels, good restaurants, and places.
Our commitment is to keep updating our recommendation. We are very open to the suggestion and curious to know what we can do better to serve you as an insider.
You can follow my favorite social channel which is Twitter.
Santel Phin
What others say about us
Meet Santel. He runs a social media blog about Cambodia and always knows what's going on in his country. If it happened, more than likely it's on his blog. He's smart, talented, determined and loves his country! – Tyan Y
Santel Phin is a well-educated, modern Cambodian with a deep love of his country and traditional Cambodian culture. – Rob Schneider
Santel has quickly made a name for himself as one of Cambodia's first bloggers, inspiring many others to follow suit. – Marissa Carruthers
khmerbird.com have been selected amount the top 5 blogs to read by The Phnom Penh Post.
We have been featured and interviewed in many places, amount them are:


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When the legislature convenes next week for its 2018 session, all indications are that we're in for a tough, adversarial year that will be highlighted by split control, election-year posturing and the specter of several unresolved sexual harassment claims.
John Newkirk
New Year's resolutions for 2018 are coming soon. Bah humbug. I'd rather recommend resolutions for other folks to make. Resolutions to change not just big stuff, but everyday annoyances. And this doesn't even pertain to people in the world's scariest spots like the Middle East. North Korea. The White House.
After voters elected Democrat Doug Jones to the United States Senate in what had been considered to be reliably Republican Alabama last week, several national pundits argued that if a Democrat could win in Alabama, that Democrats will win across the board in 2018 and that Jones' victory is effectively a death knell for the Republican Party.
Dr. Jason Glass, Jeffco Public Schools
Aretha Franklin said it … R E S P E C T.
By the time you read this article, I would bet that more men will stand accused of improper treatment or even sexual abuse of women. The steady stream of this type of behavior is truly amazing. Most Americans seem to be saying, it's about time these unwanted acts are exposed and the perpetrators held accountable. I certainly agree with this sentiment. The common denominator seems to be the arrogant belief by powerful men that their status gives them the right to sexual favors.
One of the most attractive benefits of government employment is often a pension that used to be the norm among benefits from all employers. That has become increasingly rare as times have changed, and people are less likely to spend their entire careers working for the same employer.
Joe Webb
Copyright © 2019
Columbine Courier is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in South Jefferson County, Colo., and the surrounding area.


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Google Analytics, eh? It certainly looks to have some interesting features. It also seems to be geared more towards bigger sites (what with all the marketing speak in the feature descriptions, etc.), but I'm sure it'll be fun for us little guys. Glad to see Google putting Urchin to good use.
I, for one, welcome our Google overlords.


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One of my favorite quotes since I've been in China I heard from a middle-aged woman who told my girlfriend "in China we don't trust the legal system, if we need something taken care of we just hire some thugs." I thought it very well summarized the very well justified distrust the Chinese have for the legal system, and the nasty consequences it has for business at the bottom level (and political stability in general).
The government is trying to change this attitude, most recently by passing a comprehensive tort law. It will take the place of some patchwork legislation, which obviously wasn't working very efficiently:
Tort cases dominate the civil litigation system, but compensation is usually low. Damages in China are severely limited, mostly due to established thinking, not because of the laws themselves: Chinese courts just don't view the loss of a hand as being worth that much, says another US lawyer who asked not to be named.
It's hard to think of this in principle being a bad thing, but color me suspicious, it's hard to believe that this is a strong step towards establishing rule of law in the country.
Better than goons
I have been told, by actual lawyers, that you can sue in China, and it's generally a better first recourse for resolving problems than thugs (or contacting the local embassy), but the reasons why people would be suspicious are fairly obvious:
1. In a one party state an independent judiciary is impossible. The FT essentially acknowledges this in its piece, stating "In China, politicians decide which disputes get into court. A new law alone cannot change that." Without an independent judiciary the new laws can and will be used to enforce corporate favoritism. I find it completely reasonable to expect that certain companies will be off-limits (companies that build schools in Sichuan, etc.).
2. We've been down this road before, the anti-monopoly law, which was referenced in the FT story, and was thought to be a first step in defending private enterprises from state-owned enterprises, but did nothing of the sort. Instead it attacked microsoft.
3. Civil courts and criminal courts are obviously separate, but the fact that criminal courts have a 99% conviction rate doesn't give one confidence in the fairness of the system.
The last point is a fairly big deal. The best thing that could come of this law is that Chinese people begin to see legal recourse for their day to day interactions with questionable business practices, and irresponsible people. Things such as getting kicked out of the house they are renting because the landlord wants to hand it over to his friend, getting hit by a car, or just general breaking of contracts, needs to be punishable in court. If the average Chinese person started seeing enforcement of law not as something up to the whims of local police officers of questionable morality, then it could make a large impact on general savings – buying a flat would be less necessary, SMEs would require less rainy day money, and savings for health care could even be effected. We could dream that it would make Chinese SMEs more responsible regarding pollution, safety, and honest advertising.
Besides that a burgeoning rule of law culture could help put into effect the Economist magazine's recent suggestion, that the world, instead of pushing China to meet international legal norms, could simply push it to follow its own laws. As the article points out, the majority of China's problems come less from a lack of regulations than a lack of enforcement.
China's human rights would improve overnight if the authorities paid more heed to their own laws: whether environmental rules, worker protections, or laws designed to safeguard against abuse by corrupt local officials. If lawyers were allowed to signal legal abuses, or police were held to account for brutality, life would improve for thousands of Chinese. Local entrepreneurs as well as foreign companies would benefit from better intellectual-property protection (piracy has killed off many Chinese software firms).
I'm sure to some liberal leaning members of China's political elite, the new legal flurry has the specific intention of strengthening rule of law in the country, so even the government is held responsible, but in practice, the laws are only enforceable at the governments discretion. If the first few big cases reenforce a positive image of the law among Chinese people, then it might fulfill its goals. But until then there is plenty of room for pessimism.


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DIY Gift for Him: (25) Reasons Why I Love You
Monday I talked about Will's birthday (which was last Friday) and how we celebrated it. He turned 25, or how I like to think of it, he's been alive now for a quarter of a century! I'm the sentimental type and those dear to me tend to be as well. I always mull over gift ideas for weeks before holidays because I do really like to give things that have meaning. Because of this I tend to be a gift maker. I even handmade every single gift I gifted last Christmas! Handmade things just pack so much meaning, personality, and creativeness into a gift. Plus they are great for people, like me, who are on a tight budget but still want to show someone some love.
Ideally, if I had the cash to blow, I would have bought a whole slew of new backpacking gear for Will for his birthday. I know he loved my homemade things though. I thought it would also be a great idea to do a little booklet of sorts instead of a card. Since he was turning 25, I titled it 25 Reason Why I Love You. See below how I created this simple little booklet for him.
How to Make a Card Booklet
What you'll need: To create a booklet similar to mine you'll need some card-stock paper, cardboard (or another sturdy material) for the cover, foam stamps, paint, a paint brush, small letter stamps, ink, various pens and markers, other embellishments (stickers, die-cuts, etc) optional, a hole punch, and twine.
- Begin by creating the cover for your booklet. I chose a thin cardboard like material that was already cut to a small size. Create the title for your booklet. I decided on {25} Reasons Why I Love You because it was Will's 25th birthday. I used foam stamps for the 25 (apply paint using a paint brush and stamp onto your surface) and regular letter stamps to write the title and then used some stickers as accents. I distressed the edges by rubbing them on the ink pad.
- Measure the size of the cover and cut pieces of card-stock into smaller pieces that will fit into your booklet. My cover measured 4.5 square inches, so I cut each page in to 4.25 inch squares. Cut as many pages as you need, and number them by stamping them with the same foam stamps you used on the cover.
- Allow any paint to dry and then make sure all pages of your booklet align. I rounded the corners of my pages to match the cover. This is not necessary, just an extra little touch. Punch holes in each of the pages and the cover to ensure you will be able to bind your booklet together. A good way to make sure all of your hole punches line up: Begin by marking where you want the holes to go on the front cover and punch them out. Then align different pages, one or two at a time, (centered) with the top of the front cover and punch through the holes you have already made.
- Go through and personalize each page of your booklet. Do this before binding it together! If you make a mistake you can make a new page without having to unbind everything. Get create with each page, writing and stamping with different fonts. Add pictures, stickers, different embellishments, or print out everything and adhere it to your pages. I chose to keep it pretty simple. Then bind your booklet together by feeding twine through the holes.
The design/concept is simple for this little booklet, but you could make it so many different ways. Some other ideas for little personal booklets:
- An anniversary gift, using the number of years you've been together to share things you love about that person.
- Highlights from the year (maybe one for each month), including pictures and things you did.
- A trip highlight, including your favorite stories and places visited.
- A collection of instagram photos printed out. How cute would this be?!
- A booklet featuring highlights and monthly pictures from the first year of a baby's life.
Happy memory keeping!


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Scorpions Officially Cancel Their Retirement
|Not QUITE the Final Sting
As of a new interview in Classic Rock magazine, it looks like even the limited capacity could be in jeopardy. It seems that the band has been totally reinvigorated by the reception to their last album.
Frontman Klaus Meine told the publication "As the emotion built, it [not retiring] became a gradual decision. It's one thing to say, 'This is going to be the end of the Scorpions' and another to do it. Our Sting In The Tail album was such a success that a whole new generation of fans joined the party. It was amazing. And you know that with all the best parties it's sometimes hard to find the door?"
Upcoming is an album of older material from the 80's which will be followed by a new album.
"I don't want to say too much right now but I can reassure you there is still life in those bloody old Scorpions. We'll just have to see what's realistic. We're working on a documentary movie about the band's history. We filmed the tour's big finale in Munich which was very emotional."
As it looks, the Scorpions will be Rockin' Like a Hurricane for a number of more years to come.


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We're delighted to announce that NYT bestselling novelist Caroline Leavitt will be coming to Unbound next year!
Caroline is the award-winning author of eleven novels, including the New York Times Bestsellers Pictures of You and Is This Tomorrow. Her essays and stories have been included in New York magazine, Psychology Today, More, Parenting, Redbook, and Salon. She's a book critic for People, The Boston Globe and the San Francisco Chronicle. She has been a judge in both the Writers' Voice Fiction Awards in New York City and the Midatlantic Arts Grants in Fiction, and she teaches writing online at Stanford and UCLA, as well as working with private clients.
Caroline has appeared on the Today Show, Diane Rehm, Canadian TV, Weekend Edition, and more. She lives in Hoboken, New Jersey, New York City's unofficial sixth borough, with her husband, the writer Jeff Tamarkin, and has an acting student son, Max.
Her new novel, Cruel Beautiful World comes out in early October, and we can't wait to read it - and to hear her talk about it next April. Welcome, Caroline!


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Digital art, retouching, 3D visualisation, icon design.
We use leading software Modo to model and render projects ranging from presentation concepts, virtual product photography to the purely illustrative. Product manufacturing has long lead times and may delay essential product photography. We can create highly realistic rendered images that can be both an invaluable aid to the design and approval process as well as speeding up production of key marketing materials.