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Eating local. What does that mean? The 100 mile diet, only food from your own garden, city, province or country? To everyone it means a different thing. And if you ask me (I know you didn't) I would say it doesn't matter. My personal belief is that if you have even bothered to think the phrase you are probably doing more for the planet, your environment and your health than a lot of people.
Now most of you know I can get a bit on my high horse about avoiding prepackaged food and chemicals. But trust me, even I fall of the wagon sometimes (no comments from the peanut gallery please). So when I saw an email from Growing Chefs BC talking about a fundraising drive called the Growing Chefs Eat Local Challenge I thought, perfect. What a great way to remind myself and (hopefully) inspire others to "eat local".
For those of you who don't know Growing Chefs, it is a wonderful organization that goes into classrooms and teaches them about urban food gardening. This past spring I was lucky enough to get to volunteer in one of their grade three/four growing classrooms. Kids learned how to grow peas, lettuces, radishes and beans. They got to learn about composting, knife skills and recipe reading. Throughout the program we had snacks and meals we made from the food we had grown.
Now I have a garden and live in Vancouver so it is pretty easy for me to eat locally. My downfalls are things like lemons, salt, pepper, olive oil, fancy vinegars, cheese and booze. So for one week I am committing to eating local. For me this means I will be eating food produced locally, sustainably and ethically. Fruits, vegetables, fish and meat will all come from my garden and various local BC producers. I do have two confessions … first that on day one of the challenge I'm at a wedding, I can't predict that meal and number two, I will be using salt, olive oil, vinegar, lemons and drinking coffee. They aren't local. I know… but a girl has to have her vices.
I admit I had a bit of a question of conscience, wondering if it was weird to have my first blog post in ages a request for support and donations. But, after a bit of conversation with others I realized no. Eating healthy food close to the source and teaching young people about growing and eating real food is important to me. I'm making the assumption that if you read my blog it is probably important to you too. If you would like to make a small donation you can go here. If you can't spare a penny or two I totally understand (especially if it's because you spent them at your local farmers market!), but even $5 helps. Donation or not, I challenge you to see if for a week you and your families can be inspired to eat, if not totally local, a little closer to the source.
Happy eating!


text: Metro's newest electric trolley bus is made by Gillig, which built the bus less propulsion. Metro removed the Rand Tronics DC chopper propulsion from the AM General trolley buses and shipped them to Alstom for rebuilding. Metro then installed the rebuilt electric propulsion in the new Gillig trolley bus. This fleet also features Kiepe current collection equipment and new, very readable, LED destination signs.

subset: commoncrawl


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Today I am thrilled to introduce our first "Ask a…" guest of the year: Greg Boyd.
Greg is an internationally recognized theologian, preacher, teacher, apologist and author, who has authored or co-authored more than 18 books and numerous academic articles (among them Letters From a Skeptic, The Myth of a Christian Nation, and Repenting of Religion). Greg is the co-founder of Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, Minnesota where he serves as Senior Pastor, speaking to thousands each week. He has been featured in The New York Times, The Charlie Rose Show, CNN, National Public Radio, the BBC and numerous other television and radio venues. Greg blogs at ReKnew.org.
I interviewed Greg last year about his most recent book, Benefit of the Doubt, but today I want to invite you to engage Greg around one of his most interesting (and controversial) beliefs—that of "open theism."
For those unfamiliar with the term, here's how Greg describes Open Theism:
If I had to define "Open Theism" in one sentence, I would say that it as the view that the future is partly comprised of possibilities and is therefore known by God as partly comprised of possibilities. (By the way, I prefer to refer to this view as "the open view of the future," since the most distinctive aspect of Open Theism is not its understanding of the nature of God, but its understanding of the nature of the future).
To expound a bit on this definition, the open view of the future holds that God chose to create a cosmos that is populated with free agents – at least humans and angels (though some hold that there is a degree of freedom, however small, in all sentient beings). To have free will means that one has the ability to transition several possible courses of action into one actual course of action. This is precisely why Open Theists hold that the future is partly comprised of possibilities. While God can decide to pre-settle whatever aspects of the future he wishes, to the degree that he has given agents freedom, God has chosen to leave the future open, as a domain of possibilities, for agents to resolve with their free choices. This view obviously conflicts with the understanding of the future that has been espoused by classical theologians, for the traditional view is that God foreknows from all eternity the future exclusively as a domain of exhaustively definite facts.
I figured you might have questions about this! If you do, leave your question for Greg in the comment section. Please take advantage of the "like" feature so we know which questions are of most interest to readers. At the end of the day, I'll choose 6-7 questions to send to Greg for response. You can look for the follow-up with his responses in about a week.
Check out the other interviews in our "Ask a…" series here.
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The Perfect Beet and Citrus Pie
During the winter, Zaza needs to keep up her strength. What for? Biking. And dancing. This pizza recipe combines roasted beets, tangy citrus (oranges here) and savory, crunchy fennel with a little tangy feta cheese. It will keep you biking and dancing all winter long.
Zaza has drawn out all the ingredients you will need. She's a bit of an artist, that Zaza.
Here's what you need:
The Process:
Heat your oven to 400° F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
Peel the raw beets and cut them into small cubes, no thicker than ¼" and no longer than ½".
Next, slice the ends off the oranges, so they are flat. Stand the orange up on one end and cut it lengthwise in half. Repeat, cutting each half lengthwise again, so you have 4 long pieces of orange. Slice each of these into 1/4-inch-thick pizza-slice-shaped pieces.
Place all the fruits and veggies on the parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil on top and season well with salt, pepper and fresh thyme. Toss with your hands to coat all the pieces in oil, seasonings and herbs.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast, stirring with a spatula about every 10 minutes. The vegetables close to the edge of the pan will cook more quickly than those in the center, so move them around to get an even bake. Continue roasting until the beets and oranges are tender and the outer edges are beginning to caramelize, 25 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
Increase the heat of your oven to 500°F. If using a pizza stone, allow the stone to heat in the oven for 30 minutes before baking on it.
Stretch out one of the pizza dough balls to an 8-10" round onto a pizza peel dusted with flour, or onto a cookie sheet (if not using a pizza stone).
Scatter the roasted beets and oranges along the top of the dough. Place some pieces of thinly sliced fennel on top of the roasted veggies and distribute some Feta cheese in between.
Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with a pinch of sea salt.
Slide the topped pizza into the oven to bake for about 8-10 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling.
Remove from the oven, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve immediately!


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A cake Smash & Splash session is a great and unique way to remember your little ones first birthday. The first half of the session sees the cake get demolished and messy, then we get cleaned up in a vintage bathtub with lots of bubbles. The whole session lasts approximately 90 minutes.
You can hold the shoot on the birthday itself or a couple of weeks before and then use the images for thank you cards or to print and display at the birthday party.
You can see a selection of shots below. In a typical gallery you can expect around 75+ images.
Prices for a Cake Smash & Splash session are just £200 and include ALL of the images supplied in high-resolution digital format, copyright free, supplied via an online gallery set to music. This means you can print as many as you like at no extra cost.
The location of the shoot will be in my studio in Bathgate. The address will be supplied at the time of booking.
Gift vouchers
A photo session makes a perfect present for anyone. Get yours now by using the link below.


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Overcoming the 7 Roadblocks to Maintaining Weight Loss
1. Become aware of what you are eating.
Before I started my diet, I was an "unconscious eater". I was not aware of anything I put in my mouth. I ate because it tasted good, I was depressed, I was bored, I was stressed, or any number of other reasons which were not related to my body's nutritional needs.
It would not be unusual to have candy around and find empty wrappers and not remember eating it. Until I dieted and started reading labels, being aware of the contents of the food, and becoming a "conscious eater" I was eating all the wrong foods for all the wrong reasons. By being aware and reading labels, I now make choices. Do I really want to put all that sugar in my body? Wouldn't a piece of fruit satisfy that craving for something sweet? Make it fun. Become aware of what you are eating. Make informed choices. Pay attention!
2. Find an exercise that you enjoy.
You already are aware of the need to exercise to maintain your weight loss. Are you doing an exercise that bores you or you approach with a sense of dread? Find something that is fun for you. Do you like to dance, or swim? Have you always wanted to learn to play tennis? How about flying a kite? Think out of the box and go for it. Find a friend that enjoys the same activities and make a commitment to each other and support each other when one of you is not so motivated. You can use the internet or the local paper to find activity partners. Be brave, take up ballroom dancing! Have fun. Make creative decisions. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk those few blocks instead of driving.
The benefits of exercise cannot be overemphasized. You can reduce back pain by improving flexibility. Many diseases are linked to obesity.
3. Don't rely on the scales. How your clothes fit is a better indicator. It is important to keep track of how much you weigh, but another indicator that cannot be ignored is how your clothes fit. Haven't you noticed that the scales can indicate that you weigh the same, but your jeans are getting pretty tight? Pay close attention. You may be consuming too much salt and are retaining water. Be aware and make the necessary dietary changes to get those jeans fitting comfortably. It is too easy to ignore the signs and rely on the scales and begin to gain your weight back.
4. Tune into your feelings.
What did it feel like when you first lost weight? Remember all the compliments you received? How your self-esteem soared? It has been a while now and no one is giving you feedback. Go back in your mind and reconnect with those feelings of how proud you felt for your accomplishment. Dig out those old "fat" clothes and try them on to remind you of how far you have come. Buy some new clothes that you would not have dared wear when you were overweight. Become your best cheerleader. Honor your efforts and accomplishments.
5. Splurge once in a while.
The key to this is to make it once in a while. You will find that you can splurge successfully. The danger here is to fool yourself into thinking that you can do it all the time. You can justify it by telling yourself that you had that pie with ice cream 2 nights in a row and you did not gain anything. It is too easy to fall into the habits that created the weight gain in the first place. Instead of going ahead with that rich desert, stop and ask yourself what you really want. Are you eating because of stress, or depression, or some other emotional need? Ask yourself what you would gain by eating that and if you are willing to take the consequences. It goes back to being a "conscious eater". Make wise choices to splurge. You will appreciate the occasional splurge much more anyway.
6. Find the healthy choice foods that you love and keep them on hand.
Many times you will eat the wrong foods because you are too hungry. You go out to do errands and run late and don't keep healthy snacks in your car and end up pulling into the nearest fast food restaurant. Many wrong choices are based on not having the right foods on hand when hunger strikes. If you love low fat yogurt or carrot sticks, make sure you always have them on hand. Take health bars with you in your car. Find the foods that satisfy you and make sure you have them at home and at work. It is just too easy to get off track because you did not plan ahead.
7. Remember to celebrate yourself.
There are so many creative ways to sustain your momentum. Use all the money you are saving by bringing your healthy lunch to work to save for a vacation. Buy new clothes once in a while that flatter your figure. Compliment your gorgeous self when you look in the mirror. Honor the fact that you were disciplined enough to lose the weight that you did. You know how difficult it was to get started on your weight loss program and the times when you did not think you could do it any longer.
Get out that swimsuit and go to the beach! You look great!!
Nancy Heimstra, Life Coach
The Mental Game Of Weight Loss
Many of us have tried losing weight in the past only to have it all find it's way back to us and then we notice it brought a few friends along.Then there's nothing left to do but feel frustrated, and suffer with our weight problem for another several months or years until we get sick and tired again of bering sick and tired and try once again to lose that unsightly weight.
Weighing-In On Low Carb Diets
With all of the conflicting studies and fuzzy interpretation of information, it's no wonder that confusion reigns when it comes to the value and safety of low-carb diets. It seems like heated debates are raging everywhere! Whether it's Atkins, the South Beach or some other low-carb plan, as many as 30 million Americans are following a low-carb diet.
The Best Diet/Way To Lose Weight
The diet that worked for meI have had a lot of issues and problems with my weight. It has had a major effect on my life, it knocked my confidence and I had an all round low self-esteem.
Top 10 Questions and Answers on Atkins Diet
1. What is Atkins Diet? Dr.
Fast Weight Loss - The Importance of Low Body-fat Levels!
My name is Greg Ryan and I am a high profile fitness expert. In twenty years of being a personal trainer and health club consultant, I am frightened at how fast the health of Americans is deteriorating.
Weight Loss with NO Dieting! The Five Mindsets for Success
Any dietary plan on the market has some portion of it that works, but the basic principle of any good eating program, no matter how sugarcoated, centers around calories IN- calories OUT. Most diets are just too unrealistic for a person's lifestyle.
Anger: The Unexpected Emotion After Gastric Bypass Surgery
The words I read made me furious. There it was, in black and white, the story of a fussy baby who was spoon fed ice cream to keep her quiet.
Eating Tips
Make sure that no more than a quarter of your calories come from fat.Cook your own meals at home and avoid eating at restaurants as much as possible.
Fad Diets, And Why Theyre Bad For Your Weight Loss And Long Term Health
If you're serious about losing weight and getting fit, you probably can't go a week without hearing about the latest fad diet, and why you should drop what you're doing to buy the book. Each new diet gives us proof that fad diets aren't all that they're cracked up to be.
The Jiggle Effect on Faster Weight Loss
Exercise Physiologists who study the effects of exercise on weight loss, have determined that the "jiggling" or shaking of excess body fat when someone walks fast or jogs, in combination with the muscle contractions invlovled in that activity, causes weight loss. I call it the "jiggle effect".
Seven Pitfalls That Cripple Weight Loss
Do you struggle to maintain or lose weight? If so, you are certainly not alone. Obesity is on the rise and becoming an epidemic in our society.
Calcium - The Key To Quick Weight Loss
Are you dieting your way to bone loss?Are you aware that the diet you follow may be depleting your bones of essential nutrients and increasing your chances of developing osteoporosis? Popular diets may promise quick weight loss, but calcium and other important nutrients are often missing from the menu, which can lead to bone loss.And women who consistently limit what they eat to avoid gaining weight may undermine the health of their bones, according to a study by ARS researchers in California.
A Revolutionary Product Called Hoodia Part 2
The rediscovery of the wealth of the wonder drug Hoodia was a chance occurrence. While scientists were busy searching a cure for HIV/AIDS they found it and the test conducted revealed that the expedition turned out worthwhile.
Tenuate: Should A Diet Pill Be Part Of Your Weight Loss Checklist?
Maybe your doctor suggested it. Maybe your favorite outfit doesn't fit you just the way you like, or maybe you've just decided that you want to be the healthiest you that you can be.
Summer Dieting Tips
Cut the Calories, Bring Out the BikiniSummer's almost here and you want to get into the swim of things, but the B word - bikini - has been blindsided once again by that C word - calories.What can you do to get in shape at the last minute?Adam Shafran, co-author of the new book "You Can't Lose Weight Alone The Partner Power Weight Loss Program," says it's never too late to start losing weight.
What is Your Healthy Body Weight
Everywhere we look in the western world we are inundated with pictures, images, icons and inferences of the 'perfect' female shape! The truth is that many of these images are altered or enhanced in some way and do not depict the typical female form. The pressure to lose weight is immense when we are bombarded every day with media selling products based on slimness, sex appeal and fashion.
Weight Loss Problems at Their Worst -America is on the Path of Delusion, Depression, and Destruction
Am I missing something here? If I am, someone please email me and tell me. But, the shape of you and every person in America tells me I am not missing the boat at all.
How To Look Thinner
There is no need to worry too much if your weight loss programme is going along slowly. That is often the case.
How to Burn Pure Fat and Lose Weight More Quickly
If you're trying lose weight, maintain your weight, or sculpt your body, than you're probably trying to discover how to burn pure fat. You want to know what you can do to make your body burn fat faster and more efficiently.
Diet Scams : How to Avoid Getting Ripped Off
Have you ever received those tempting ads that seem to arrive regularly in the post - seductive brochures describing diet pills, patches and potions promising miracles? They show you "proof". They have the endorsements by medical and scientific "experts".
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Hi guys, sorry you haven't received any new post from me in a while, but I'm back!!! Minus the full body allergic reaction to a new softener I bought (yay!!!), which delayed my testing out of these gorgeous products for you.
Now if you haven't heard of Zoella, that's okay...you just haven't been around YouTube for as long as I have...circa 2008:
Zoella a.k.a. Zoe Sugg, started off as a beauty guru/fashion guru (endearing term given to people making beauty/fashion videos on YouTube). I think I started following her...about 5 years ago, certainly, I remember looking forward to coming home from Uni and going straight on to YouTube and catching up on all the makeup tutorials/hauls out there (I also loved Elle Fowler, Fleur DeForce, Pixiwoo and Tanya Burr's tutorials...hands up who remembers the epic Edward Cullen tutorial on Jim?!!).
Yes guys, you heard correctly; there was a time when Zoe had yet to introduce us to her brother (Joe Sugg), met Alfie, or even started ombré-ing her hair (shock horror...I know!!! #ZoellaSignatureLook #KateRimmel107 hadn't happened yet either!). But since then she has expanded her work greatly; her video content has broadened (she has 10 million subscribers for good reason!), she has written books (destined for young teens which sadly now that I've reached a quarter of a century, I'm old...sniffles..., are not really my cup of tea) and launched a beauty line!
Zoella's "Sweet Inspirations" is the third official scent from Zoe's beauty line which also includes her original scent the "Classic" (launched September 2014) and last year's summer scent "Tutti Fruity". All of which can be found at Superdrug.
If you follow Zoe's channel, you'll know that she's not a fan of sweet scents; when she said that she didn't like "The Comforter" from Lush, I think I died a little inside (16 minutes in here). So when she announced that she was coming out with a sweet scented line; I've got to be honest, my first feeling was trepidation. You'll know from my perfume post that I'm a big fan/obsessed with sweet sugary scents (if it smells edible - I'm more than likely going to love it!). But I needn't have worried, as Zoe's sweet tooth prevailed and she based this new scent on the soft sweet almond smell of French macarons...yummy!!!
Zoella LIFE IS SWEET: Beauty Bag
This sweet little bag is in a gorgeous light periwinkle blue - think Essie's Saltwater Happy (yes, I do relate all my colours to nail polish).
While I do like the scalloped edging, the actual size of this bag is not that useful (for me anyway) when it comes to holding makeup (I've expanded too much since my schooldays of carrying just powder, lipgloss, mascara and a nail file kit).
Yes, technically it's a coin purse...but I have a wallet to hold my coins. And who honestly has time, whilst at a till, to take out several wallets to put away their change? Without simultaneously holding up the queue that is?! (Good in theory but not so much in practice). However, I've found the perfect use for this bag; holding the unused cubes from Le Fizz bar once you've opened the packaging (I go into more detail about that below).
Zoella Le Fizz: Fragrance Bath Fizzer
This product is the one that most intrigued me from Zoe's beauty line as Lush doesn't really have an equivalent. And when you're going to compare bath product you can't not mention Lush.
While I was hoping this would give off way more fizz, and last longer (a bit like taking a bath in fizzy water for 5 minutes...wouldn't that be fun?!) expectation didn't quite match reality. It gives a little fizzle (not quite the power of a typical bath bomb) but by the time you get in the bath i.e. when it's run (Le Fizz is recommended to be used under warm running water) there is no fizz left... #Fail. But it does give a pleasant soft scent to your bath water, so I will give it that.
My issue with this product however, is the recommended dosage. Why recommend 4 cubes of product when you've clearly designed it to be broken off in 3s (see pictures above)? Instead of neatly snapping off the end (with 3 cubes) each time you want a bath and sliding the rest back in the paper packaging (like chocolate...oh I do like that design!) you have to try and break off a single cube without crumbling the others next to it, and for one of your baths you'll be left with only 2 cubes. This creates a messy "trying to put it back in the packet/I give up and put it in the Life Is Sweet bag instead" scenario.
Overall, just break this product in 3s and don't expect much fizziness. The soft scent that Le Fizz gives your bath is what makes this product worth it.
Zoella Bath Latte: Bath & Shower Milk
I've gotta say, this is my favourite packaging from the Sweet Inspirations line, well done Zoe! And you might be fooled, like me at first, but it's NOT ACTUALLY GLASS!!! So no worries, you're not going to end up accidently re-enacting a Saw movie if the bottle drops in your bath.
I've used this product in all three ways: to pour into your bath as your water is running, to wash with in the bath, and to wash with in the shower (you wouldn't think there would be much of a difference for the last two; but gravity is a fickle thing).
The consistency of this product is what surprised me most: it isn't as liquid-y as you would think, in fact it's a bit more gel-like (like a hybrid between a cream and a jelly maybe?) either way, when pouring it under running water, it's quite easy to control. As the consistency is thicker, when you lift the bottle it stops pouring relatively easily and doesn't dribble, same when washing with it in the bath. However, when showering, the gel-like consistency has a tendency to slide off your arm before you have the chance to lather it and the quantity that come out is a bit harder to control (yay, gravity!). Ideally, had there been an added flat nozzle (a bit like the Bioderma one) so that you could still have the milk bottle imitation screw on cap (aesthetically pleasing) and more control when pouring (smaller circumference), this product would be much easier and less wasteful to use.
Now the product itself is gorgeous! When used to pour in the bath (my favourite way to use it), it adds the sweet macaron scent from this line without being too powerful (Le Fizz is quite faint in comparison though). It also leaves your water hydrating without being oily or leaving an oily residue all over your bath which is just asking for trouble (yes...butterbear I'm looking at you!); no bubbles though. All in all, a great product! Plus, the scent does manage to linger for a good 7 hours after you've dried yourself off (without cheating and using the Body Cream to extend its life).
Zoella Double Créme: Body Cream
This product is by far my favourite one from the Zoella Sweet Inspirations line. Not only does it smell incredible, like the rest of the line, but it doesn't give me spots!!! As you'll know from my Winter Saviours' post, I can only use The Body Shop's Body Butter on my legs as it causes spots if I put it anywhere near my décolleté area. This Double Créme however (yes as a French speaker, it does hurt me a little that they couldn't get the accent right...wrong direction people! Please tell me that it was at least purposeful and not because someone didn't bother to check), I can slather it on as much as I want...and no spots, which is a big deal!!!
I did notice that the product does take some time to fully soak in...especially after taking a hot bath and your still technically sweating a little; then the cream does act a bit like a sun screen i.e. it leaves white areas where the cream isn't properly rubbed in/absorbed, but I'm putting this down to its thickness (which also means it's super hydrating). Definitely not a cream I would use in the summer months though because of this issue, but come winter...gimmy gimmy!!! Packaging-wise I have zero issue with this one, and would not see any way to improve it, perfect as is!
So there you have it, my thoughts on the new Zoella Sweet Inspirations line (and there are a couple more products that I didn't pick up but you can see here). I feel like I've been rather negative in this review but I really do like the products...promise! I'm just a perfectionist, and when I see a way to improve a product, why not mention it?
Certainly, for someone who doesn't like sweet smelling things; Zoe has nailed this scent and if anything, I urge you to go sniff it for yourself! Plus, all her product are super affordable so what's not to love.
What do you think of Zoella's Sweet Inspirations line?
Do you remember what your first Zoella video was? I'm pretty sure mine was this one :)
Who were/are your favourite YouTube beauty gurus? New discoveries would be awesome!


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Avocado and frozen berry #smoothiebowl
This recipe feels like a bit of a cheat really, as it's made up and is so simple. I am all for keeping things fast and easy in the kitchen, as life is so busy at the moment. So anything that fits in with the daily routine and saves time and is healthy is a win, win, win. I never really ever follow recipes for smoothies or juices and I don't have much time when I am working from home so this is a healthy option for me for breakfast after I've done the school run or for lunch.
I've been seeing smoothie bowls on my instagram feed for a while and didn't really get them until I made a smoothie in my NutriNinja and it was too thick so I poured it into a bowl and it was delicious – I didn't realise how good it would taste especially with the toppings – I used fruit, coconut flakes and local bee pollen. And of course it looks so pretty and the possibilities are endless – the only limitation being your imagination and of course, your tastebuds!
I will post some info about the nutrition info soon, but just need to get this posted for #WakeuptoOrganic events happening in independent retailers on 15th June.
Avocado and frozen berry Smoothie bowl
Makes: 2 smoothie bowls
Prep time: 10 minutes tops
You will need…
1 Avocado peeled chopped
120g frozen berries
300ml coconut water
1-2 tablespoons of chia seeds
1 tablespoon of bee pollen
1 dessert spoon of spirulina, wheatgrass or chlorella
1 lemon peeled and chopped
1 carrot peeled, top and tailed and chopped
1 beetroot bulb, top and tailed and chopped (if you're using a high powered blender)
How to…
Blend together with a normal blender or high powered blender, put in bowls and decorate with toppings of your choice.


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Ok now for something a little different.
What are the two missing links between Nene Valley Railway and an American Indian Tribe.
Answers in pencil please on the back of used fivers, or failing that give your answer by a comment to this posting.
Answer on Friday if nobody gets it.


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*** I don't like goodbyes. Oh that is so cliche. Is there a person who likes goodbyes? I can't think of one. I've said goodbye lately to something very big.
So here I am. I'm open about it on facebook (the part of the internet we love to hate). I've been more open to a very select few. And I wrote the most recent personal essay about religion. Now for more specifics:
I have left.
I am no longer Mormon.
Next step is having my name removed, which I will do.
We are going to the UU church, mainly for our children to have a support system.
For myself, both terms fit, Agnosticism address knowledge.
Do I KNOW there is a god? No I do not.
Do I KNOW there is not a god? No I do not.
Agnostic: one who lacks knowledge.
Theism addresses belief.
I do not have any therefore I am an atheist.
If I believed there was NO god. I would be an antitheist. I am not that.
Some days I'm apatheist. Just don't overtly care. But other days I'm borderline obsessed with learning more about science, philosophy, basis for morality, and other venues of thought I never before explored while spending time in religion. I have learned SO much and am really loving the journey of exploration at this stage. I could bend your ear about Neil deGrasse Tyson. I have a nerdy crush on him.
So I am an agnostic/atheist post-mormon, soon to be exmormon. whew, wipes forehead... that's a lot of labels. But just one more... If you are wondering about morals, that gives me one more label:
- Beliefs need to be tested instead of being accepted solely on faith.
- Reason, evidence, and the scientific method are the best methods of finding solutions to problems and answers to questions.
- Fulfillment, growth, and creativity are emphasized for both the individual and mankind in general.
- A constant search for objective truth, with an understanding that new knowledge and experience constantly alter our perceptions of it, and that scientific ideas should constantly change to better describe the real world.
- An emphasis on making this life the best it can be for everyone, since humanists (especially those who include the word "secular") tend to believe that this life is the only one a person gets.
- A search for a good system of individual, social, and political ethics.
- An ultimate goal of building a better world for ourselves and our descendents by working together.
*** this post sat in the unpublished nether-space of the internet for a looooong, loooooong time, me being too stubborn, embarrassed, fearful, worried to hit "Publish" then this post hit the cyberwaves today and gave me courage and chutzpah. It is such a good post I have with permission posted it here - the rest can be found at one of the best blogs I have come across in a long time: Rational Faiths, Three brothers and guest bloggers hammer out some of the idiosyncrasies of Mormonism.
- You must love them. This may sound like a "no-brainer", but the majority of people that are in the middle of a faith crisis are afraid of losing friends and family if they discuss with them their doubts and concerns.
- You must love them. Didn't I say that already? Ya, I did. You get the idea now. This cannot be the superficial, smiling in the hallway at church, kind of thing. It must be a real love. If you don't possess that, your friends and family will see right through you.
- Do not assume that they have been sinning or want to sin and are just looking for excuses to leave the Church.
- You must realize that doubt is not a sin.
- Do not assume that the reason for their doubts is because they've stopped reading the scriptures and praying. They most likely have been doing those things for a long time and are still wrestling with doubts.
- You must realize that there is a good chance they will leave the Church. That is a tough one, but it is a reality.
- Realize that for some, either because of the need to maintain their own healthy mental well being, or for reasons of integrity, it is better for them to leave the Church.
- If your friend or family member leaves the Church, you must honor that decision.
- If this is your spouse, do not threaten to leave them. Family is more important.
- Understand that most Mormons that leave the Church either become agnostic or atheist.
- Do not accuse them of reading "anti-Mormon" literature (although this may be true). People have left the Church after reading a scholarly history, such as Richard Bushman's Rough Stone Rolling.
- Understand that if your friend or family member leaves the Church, they will still be morally good people.
- They must understand that if they leave the Church, you will still love them and not think less of them.
- Do not say something idiotic like, "The Devil has deceived you." Your roll is not to call them to repentance or to preach to them. If you do this, they will probably stop talking to you.
- Shut up and listen. Within Mormonism, we often think we have the answers to everything – when we don't. Many times our friends and family aren't looking for answers to questions, they are just looking for someone that will listen to them.
- You must validate their concerns. Just because you have not experienced what they are experiencing, doesn't make their story any less valid.
- Realize that if they have gotten up the courage to talk to you, that they have spent months, if not years, thinking and worrying.
- If they do want answers to questions, only answer them if you have a plausible answer. Don't make crap up.
- Understand that your family member or friend has been "trying to make it work" for a long time and has probably been in a lot of pain while trying to work things out.
- If they do want answers to questions, realize that they have been thinking, reading, and studying about this harder and for a longer period of time than you have. If you want to help you need to study and read A LOT before you start spilling out crappy answers.
- If you are reading and studying more in an attempt to help, the reading must be outside the correlated dribble that we get in our Sunday School classes and the "white-washed" dribble Deseret Book produces.
- Realize that they are going to be hurt and angry and are going to say things that might offend you.
- Realize that a crisis won't be averted through just one or two discussions with you. Be patient. It could take months or even years for the person to go through this transition and they probably won't be the same afterward. Most either end up with a more mature, nuanced faith, or leave the Church.
- Be discrete. They have told you about their doubts and concerns in confidence.
- Realize that all of these suggestions can be difficult to do. Do not take this on unless you are committed to all of the above.


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I'd hurry and grab it at this price if you want it as Amazon might increase it in the blink of an eye!
**Prices and availability subject to change. Make sure you confirm the price prior to purchase.


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Gummy Smile Makeover
Click on the images below to enlarge
Pay close attention to the elimination of the gummy smile and the natural results that were achieved by replacing her old porcelain veneers with proportional and natural looking restorations.
Note how the alignment and the angulations of the veneers built out the corners of the smile eliminating the dark triangles.
Had I had this smile I would not have been the runner up…
Use the links above to view more Before & After Cases
or go here to view all the photos.


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By Euan Rocha and Ransdell Pierson
TORONTO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc (VRX.TO) moved to reassure investors on Thursday after being accused of using specialty pharmacies to inflate revenue, and said it would refute them in detail on a conference call with investors.
Valeant shares have lost more than 25 percent of their value since influential short-seller Citron Research made the allegations on Wednesday. The company had already issued statements denying the claims.
Valeant said at least 10 of its executives and board members would participate in a call on Monday, including Chief Executive Michael Pearson, its current and former chief financial officers, and board member Robert Hale, who represents key shareholder ValueAct Capital.
"We look forward to our call on Monday where we will address and refute recent allegations," Pearson said.
Citron's allegations have heaped pressure on Valeant, which is already under scrutiny for extreme price hikes on drugs that it has acquired over the years, including investigations launched by federal prosecutors in New York and Massachusetts.
Valeant has built a reputation for rapidly acquiring drugmakers and scaling up sales of their medicines, in some cases through steep price increases.
The company has said a growing amount of its revenue comes through its specialty pharmacy partners, which will fill patient prescriptions even before they have secured reimbursement from their health insurers. Citron alleged that the pharmacies allow Valeant to create phantom accounts that boost its revenue.
Valeant maintains it only books revenue once a drug is received by a patient.
On Thursday, some of the company's greatest champions on Wall Street began to express doubt about its prospects, and a securities regulator in Quebec said it was keeping a close eye on developments regarding its pharmacy ties.
Alex Arfaei, an analyst with BMO Capital Markets who had long held a "buy" rating on Valeant, downgraded the company on Thursday to "market perform." He questioned disclosures that suggest Valeant had operational control of one of its specialty pharmacies, whereas other drugmakers consider their affiliated specialty pharmacies fully independent.
"Valeant's structure may not be illegal, but we find it aggressive and questionable," Arfaei said in a research note. He added that concerns over Valeant's handling of the business would linger unless resolved by an investigation.
Valeant's swoon this week has hurt major shareholders, including billionaire William Ackman whose Pershing Square Capital Management hedge fund lost about $500 million alone in Wednesday's rout. Rival specialty drugmakers including Horizon Pharma Plc (HZNP.O) and Endo International (ENDP.O) also fell sharply.
Valeant's secondary loan price fell for a second day on Thursday in volatile trading, pulling down trading levels for a range of other drugmaker loans, according to Thomson Reuters Loan Pricing Corp.
Valeant's five-year credit default swaps have blown out 44 percent, or 195 basis points, to 637.5 basis points, according to Markit data. That means the cost of insuring $10 million of Valeant bonds against default has become $195,000 more expensive. The company's swaps are relatively new, however, and therefore not very liquid.
But the company has also seen signs of support. Ackman bought additional Valeant shares during Wednesday's rout. Standard & Poor's also said it is sticking by its ratings on Valeant, saying speculation about potential fraud was unfounded.
Specialty pharmacies typically are used to deliver drugs that require special handling, or for patients with complex medical conditions like multiple sclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis. A New York Times story early this week said Valeant was using its ties with a pharmacy called Philidor to sell more conventional medications to get past health insurer barriers to reimbursement.
Citron wrote that Valeant was also using Philidor accounts to inflate its revenue. Valeant has categorically denied the allegations, saying it only books revenue once its drugs reach patients. But Pearson surprised investors earlier in the week by disclosing the company had an option to acquire Philidor.
On Thursday, the Autorité Des Marchés Financiers (AMF), which regulates companies based in Quebec including Valeant, said it does not have an active probe into the drugmaker.
The regulator is "watching very seriously the evolution of the situation," said Sylvain Théberge a spokesman for the AMF in an email, adding that the AMF is in communication with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission about the matter.
"Regardless of the accuracy of allegations, we don't see a quick end to unquantifiable headline risk," Susquehanna analyst Andrew Finkelstein said in a note.
The brokerage firm suspended its ratings and estimates on the company, noting that a battle with short sellers means Valeant's shares are not likely to trade on fundamentals in the near-term.
Yet Pearson also had some social media backing from Martin Shkreli, the CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, a start-up drug firm, which sparked outrage by raising the price on a decades old drug by 5,000 percent.
Valeant "is not overreporting revenue. Give me a break," Shkreli posted on Twitter, noting that the company's sales are in line with prescription drug data from independent research firm IMS Health. Shkreli said he has bought shares of Valeant.
(Additional reporting by Ransdell Pierson, Carmel Crimmins and Bill Berkrot in New York; Editing by Michele Gershberg, Nick Zimienski and Bernard Orr)


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Swedish American Chamber of Commerce Green Summit: From Farm to Fork/
Just last week Marcus was in conversation with other Swedish restauranteurs at the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce Green Summit - from Farm to Fork. Growing up in Sweden, Marcus has profound memories eating fresh fish and local foods that were the backbone of his diet as a child. Growing up in that environment allowed him to nurture his curiosity for the world around him and discover the multitude of connections between the environment and his family's kitchen. Today, as a chef and restauranteur, Marcus uses his knowledge and awareness of the webbed supply chain in order to elevate the conversation around sustainability.
As a chef, Marcus has devoted so much of his energies toward growing sustainable models inside his restaurants in order to support the local communities where his restaurants reside. Whether he is in Stockholm, Bermuda or Harlem, Marcus says that each place has its own questions of sustainable practices and faces unique challenges based on the local markets and supply chain. "We need to activate the farmers markets and hire from within the community in order to create sustainable practices," says Marcus. Red Rooster has been doing this since its inception and Marcus can recall the success that it has had in doing so. "Buying from the farmers market and purchasing ingredients that are relevant to the community is something chefs can do to activate the local economy. I see it when we create menu items at Red Rooster based on the availability of ingredients at the market," Marcus said in response to a question about local practices from Gail Simmons, cookbook author and TV personality.
Other panelists agreed that chefs have a responsibility to link the produce from the market to the restaurant and broadcast that narrative for the larger public. Marcus was speaking at the Green Summit with Amanda Cohen, Fredrik Berselius, Emma Bengtsson and the conversation was facilitated by Gail Simmons.


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What is a Healer Coach?
"...works with the whole person mind/body so you reconnect with your heart held values."
Who Can Benefit From Healer Coaching?
"...any individual or group ready to take the reins of leadership. Individuals who accept the responsibility for creating their own happiness.
How Does Healer Coaching Differ From Other Forms of Coaching?
"...we incorporate eastern and western healing methods so you can easily recognize and resolve destructive mental states hindering your goal to be happy.
Head & Heart Are One.
Why Work with Rhona Post?
"...gets results faster..."
For More Complete Answers to these and other Frequently Asked Questions watch the videos on this page.
To get answers to specific questions not covered here fill out the form on the Contact page. The Healer Coach would love to hear from you!
Why Healer Coaching?
Healer Coaching is designed for people interested in being free of the chronic stress their internal dialogues produce.
Our methods are designed to empower you. As a result you feel more competent and confident to take responsibility for your happiness. You can't change what you don't know!
Who Works With The Healer Coach?
Coaching clients include business owners, leaders and their teams, to adults grappling with constant change, at work or at home. What these individuals have in common is a desire to be at peace in themselves, and more at ease with others.
Clients Include:
Entrepreneurs who wish to balance work & family.
Leaders & teams who want to play well together.
Employers who want to improve the morale in the workplace so customers report greater satisfaction.
High performing individuals inside/outside organizations who wish to foster collaborative work environments.
Coaches, therapists, and alternative healing practitioners who want to confidently communicate the value and benefits of their services.


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After a few conversations with a baker friend of mine, Luke, the owner of Culprit Cafe and Bakery, I have a new appreciation for the art or rather the craft of Baking. Luke takes each new pastry as seriously as I take any piece of furniture, trying something new and discarding it for its imperfections, learning from mistakes and perfecting. As we talked he expressed some discontentment with one of his primary tools, his pin. It is a French style rolling pin however the tapers were inconsistent and the pin as a whole could use some improvements. So over a few drinks at Bench we discussed what a better Pin would be.
We've decided to offer this 24" (or custom width) hardwood pin with only a slight taper on the ends for handling. Each pin is hand turned from domestic hardwoods and treated with all natural, food safe finishes. These Pins will be available at Culprit in custom widths or with our matching hardwood cutting boards in our store.


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This episode of KTG Talks is a long time coming! Conrad Benner is a Philly kid who fell in love with street art at a very young age and has been documenting the incredible street art and graffiti Philly has to offer on his blog, Streets Dept (https://streetsdept.com). But Conrad isn't limited to art documentation, his blog is a "purpose driven" one and his belief that art can motivate and effect social and political change is obvious. That's enough from me though, you can listen to the episode! My conversation with Conrad was recorded a while back but his thoughts on politics, art, and Philadelphia we found important to hear. So here it is!
One note: Conrad was a total pro during this interview. I got a new dog who loved Conrad and couldn't stop telling everyone, plus the wood shop was in full gear.
Don't miss one of Conrad's tours: https://streetsdept.com/tours/
Thank you Louise ORourke (Producer) for all her hard work.


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- Enter IPADCASE to get the Vans iPad Case
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This offer is on while stocks last! Don't miss out on it!


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'The Right and The Need to Touch': the Queerness of Collecting
LMA's monthly LGBT History Club welcomes back Sean Curran for a talk and discussion event.
Wednesday 6th March 2013
18:00 – 19:30
PhD researcher Sean Curran shares his findings from his recent research about the nature of collecting (and specifically personal collections) and the results of a recent survey he conducted amongst LGBTQ collectors. What implications might these results have for museums, archives and libraries collecting material of LGBTQ interest?
London Metropolitan Archives
40 Northampton Rd, London EC1R 0HB
It would be great if you could come! I will be sharing some of my findings from the survey I mentioned previously on this blog, hoping a lively discussion will follow!
(image credit: Backstage at the Royal Holborn Music Hall, from George Sims (ed.), Living London: its work and its play, its humour and its pathos, its sights and its scenes, Vol. 2, p.288 (Cassell, London, 1903) Available at Guildhall Library.)


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Steveston Festival of Trees
The Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society and Steveston Merchants Association present Steveston's annual Festival of Trees, from December 1st to 31st, inside the Gulf of Georgia Cannery National Historic Site. Local merchants and community groups will show off their creative talents by decorating their own festive trees, which will be on display inside the historic cannery, for a friendly competition to earn your votes*! The winning tree will be announced on December 17th at the Cannery Farmers' Market.
Admission is free for Canada 150!
Holiday Hours:
Open daily 10am to 5pm
Dec. 24 & 31 Open 10am to 2pm
Closed Dec. 25& 26, Jan. 1
*Bring a donation for the Richmond Food Bank to vote for your favourite tree.
This year's participating groups are as follows:
Balloon Place
Enable Occupational Therapy
Girl Guides of Canada Club
Gulf of Georgia Cannery Society
London Heritage Farm Society
Penta Builders
Pretty Things
Richmond Lions Club
Sinfully the Best
Sockeye City Grill
Steveston Community Centre Society
Steveston Historical Society and Richmond Arts Coalition
Steveston Museum and Interurban Tram
Steveston Rotary Club


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Leandro Glossman, Software engineer
Leandro's journey to software development began when he was a teenager and his grandmother gifted him a computer which, among the first things he did with it, was to completely disassemble and reassemble. He was fascinated by the Operating System's inner workings and particularly Linux. Given the poor state of desktop environments at the time, that got him frustrated, and it caught his eye on the UX field. Simultaneously, the World Wide Web was becoming mainstream so he started doing some freelance work as a web developer to pay for his expenses.
After finishing high school, Leandro started working as a fulltime Java developer for corporations doing server side development until the rise of mobile technologies and Android when he then realized it was his chance to integrate his experience with Java, Operating Systems, UX and server side development.
When Leandro is not working, he is a healthy lifestyle advocate and loves going out for runs side by side with his dog. He also enjoys picnics in the nearby parks. Leandro is also a martial arts and contact sports practitioner.


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Dolphins are just as bad!!!
funny review by Nick Napier in Books, 2014-02-08
Unicorns Are Jerks: a coloring book exposing the cold, hard, sparkly truth I art work in this is hilarious. It's current, and not too "over -the -top" to where it becomes inappropriate for the kids. My 10 year old loved it. more
lol reviews - funnyest amazon reviews © amazon and the original reviewers


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shon mondragon, BS
master's student in counseling
supervised by sean blackburn, lpc
Shon's interest in understanding the foundations of our human experience began with his research in cognitive psychology while completing his Bachelor of Science at the University of Houston. His respect for the unconscious functions of the mind, and the healing its understanding can bring, has led him to pursue a Master of Arts in Counseling with a specialization in Depth Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute.
Shon primarily utilizes a person-centered approach with a psychodynamic perspective to assist in approaching the material of interest for a client while incorporating Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to accomplish therapeutic goals. Some of his practice interests include identity development, Sand Play Therapy, anxiety, depression, and social justice challenges. Along with these clinical interests, Shon has also found the practice of Dream Tending powerfully useful in illuminating the insight and meaning offered through the symbolic language of dreams.
His expanding work finds motivation in igniting curiosity toward greater perspective and understanding. Shon deeply respects the authentic experience of each individual and is honored to assist his clients in their journey through counseling.
Shon works out of ROCC's Richardson office. To schedule an appointment with him, please call 469-619-7622 or email ROCC's Richardson office at email@example.com.


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Becoming a Yogi Pt. 3: Happy Hatha
Mundane Monday Morning. Mondays don't have to feel rubbish, but sometimes that slightly damp feeling you get come Monday morning just rains on your Sunday parade.
That's how I felt today, anyway, but instead of wallowing all day I went to Yoga Open at 1:00pm.
The class was led by the gracious and inviting Meredith Gunderson, and as I left the studio, having finished the class, my whole spirits had been lifted.
"Rise up to the day!" Meredith chanted as we moved through different asanas – even in the first 2 minutes, I could feel myself exhaling that mellow mundane feeling, and inhaling a feeling of brightness, a feeling of excitement about the week ahead and the opportunites there are to take.
Different postures were peacefully introduced to us, whilst that 'mini yogi posture checklist' was ticked off with the help of the gentle reminders to keep tailbones down, sternums up to see the sun.
The Yoga Open class follows a classic Hatha style of yoga, which allows all ages and abilities to come, pop their leggings on and de-stress – yogi style! Teachers vary, so all classes will be a little different, but generally Hatha yoga is like a warming mug of hot chocolate: it's calming and feels wonderful (unlike hot chocolate, it doesn't contain chocolate but you can grab a cacao smoothie on the way out if you're feeling frisky)!
So come, de-stress, rid of those unwelcome feelings and get your Hatha on. You can view the class schedule here


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Your wedding may have been one of the most important days of your life and renewing the promises you made together is a wonderful way to look back at the years you've shared with each other.
Some couples renew their vows to:
- celebrate a significant anniversary such as their 1st, 10th or their 25th
- have family and friends present who couldn't make the original ceremony
Your ceremony
You can renew your vows at the Register Office, Town Hall Ceremony rooms, an approved venue or in your own home.
A 'celebrant' will conduct your ceremony but will not be acting in any official capacity. Celebrants are trained and experienced at conducting many different ceremonies so do ask their advice on anything you are unsure about.
Booking fee
Please note there will be a non-refundable booking fee of £30 to secure a date and time (this is additional to any other fees).
Town Hall ceremony rooms and other venues including your home:
- Monday to Saturday: £150 + VAT (£180)
- Sunday and Bank Holidays: £170 + VAT (£204)
An extra non-refundable booking fee of £25 is required to secure the date and time.
Your certificate
A souvenir certificate is signed during the ceremony by the couple and two witnesses.


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METAL cold forming with 28 years of experience
We manufacture end structures, such as tanks ends, dished ends, and cone and convex ends. All tailored to our client's requirements.
We also deliver precision thin sheet products, such as profile parts. The output of our deep drawing press allows serial production of even large components.
Read more here: EsitePaatytuoteenglanti.pdf
We are ISO 9001 certified by Ab DNV GL Business Assurance Finland Oy.


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Champions Quotes
Zach is a talented player who has worked hard over the years to make the Fire a better team. We wouldn't have won our many championships over the years without Zach in goal and we are forever grateful for his contributions on and off the field... We respect Zach's decision and wish him continued success in his career. - Peter Wilt
You've got to go in with the mentality that you're going to need some stops to keep moving forward. Yeah, there are some great offenses playing at this level. But I guess I'm a little bit old school. I still think you win championships with defense. And when you look at who's left [in the playoffs], the teams still playing, they can all play some defense. - Marcus Washington
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It smells of wet dogs outside, and I'm utterly exhausted. My eyes are dry as sand, and my head wants to fall off my shoulders, and my sleep has thinned to nervous dozing that gets interrupted by every noise, be it a bark, a honk, or the insistent gurgle of my bladder.
These last few weeks I have expended my energy on other things besides writing, and I'm paying for it dearly. I'm judging a writing contest on Wattpad (for 13-19 year olds, so of course I agreed) and I'm overseeing the production of The Badlings audiobook (Yay! A blog post about it here.) and the kids are here (Royce's Wyatt and Josey with their wacky summer schedules, and my Peter, and my Anna who came to visit with her beau) and we're doing dinners and playing Settlers of Catan, and I went to see fellow writers at Molly Moon's Ice Cream (which was fantastic) and to listen to John Scalzi read at the library, and every day the energy I spent on writing was nibbled away by these harmless and no doubt precious activities, and so now my body is telling me:
It's strange how I haven't noticed this as acutely before. I used to write to very loud music and with that induced in myself a semi-delirious state that could be called "drugged." I suppose that's why some writers drink while they write. As soon as I switched to silence, I began wanting more and more of it, and every interaction, every effort to open my mouth and talk has robbed me of my solitude.
And my solitude is everything. It gives me tools I need to create with, and I don't need anything extra. My crutches are falling off. My fears are dying. And with that all that's left is me, and I don't embarrass myself anymore, I'm not ashamed of me. I love being me. I want to be me more and more, and the only way to do it is to be alone.
There is so much peace in this feeling, I cannot adequately relay it.
Writers must have known this secret for millennia and sought solitude for this precise reason. No wonder there are so many wiring retreats. Many of us can't afford silence. Hell, even when it is silent, it bloody isn't. Some asshole will honk in the street, someone will yell. Some cat will decide to caterwaul in protection of his territory, or sing long mating songs, or annoy the neighborhood dog, and the idiot canine will announce to high heaven its distress in a volley of yowls.
I once came across a study by acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton who recorded silence. He was in search of a place where there were no disturbances brought to you by our interminably capering civilization. He found it in the forest, deep in the woods, absolute silence.
Think about it. We're bombarded by information 24/7, and then we wonder why we're tired and blocked and can't write shit. Of course we can't. Whatever daily energy we had stored up by sleep in the morning gets squandered the moment we wake. The fucking alarm starts it all. Then the phone. The ping-ping-ping of emails. Breakfast (which means taking to people). News (which means watching people talking at you or to each other). Traffic (which means yelling at people or being yelling at). Christ, by the time you're at work your nerves are shot. And if you're lucky and can write full-time without having a job on the side? Same shit. Maybe not to the nth degree, but as awful. Enter Internet, the biggest sucker for energy of them all.
I figure, you have about 100% of creative energy or emotional capacity or whatever you want to call it each morning. That is, if you're lucky and you slept well. To write your need to feel extreme emotions. I'm not talking getting pissed here. No. I'm talking getting pissed to the point of killing a character. The resources such act consumes are enormous. Well, where the hell will you get them if you're already depleted?
I'm watching my minutes like a hawk now, I tell you. I'm not kidding. Seconds. I know that if I spend more than 2 hours talking to people, be it online or in person, my writing suffers. I can only produce 1K words or so, as opposed to 1.6K or even 2K. Granted, this is the second draft and I'm thinking more than when I write the first draft, but the pattern has slapped me in the face. Man, it hurt. It hurt bad.
I did the math. If I lose every day about 500 words, that's 182,500 words lost a year. Holy fucking mother of God! That's like two fucking novels! As soon as I saw this number, my poor old eyes bugged out. You bet I'm watching my time like a hawk after this.
Ans that is the cost of the loss of solitude. That is what eats away at you day after day without you ever noticing it.
If only it were easy to practice. Got small kids? Impossible. Teenagers? Even worse. Old parents? Pets? A job? Several jobs? Now add to this the necessity to let the world know about your books (interaction again), especially if you're self-publishing. What's left? Not much.
How do you get solitude, then? Fight for it with your teeth. Every day cut out quiet time, your time, and even if you produce squat in that time, keep at it. It's for your sanity. Once your stress has time to dissolve, you will start producing. It's inevitable. Your energy will return because you will stop squandering it left and right.
As to complete silence...if you're lucky and can arrange it, do it. You're one of the few. I'll be lucky again come September. The school will start, and I'll have guaranteed quiet from morning till about 3 p.m., by which time I'm usually done writing anyway.
Until then, I'll snatch it away everywhere I can, even if it means hiding out on the balcony and smelling wet dogs and drinking cold coffee because there are people in the kitchen and I don't want to come in so as not to disturb my inner silence.


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Bon Voyage y en ucraniano Щасливої подорожі (Ščaslyvoji podoroži) Slideshow works only in Firefox click here to download
Monthly Archives: July 2010
Tchiki Tchiki…
by holly
3 comments
July 24, 2010 - 9:11 pm - HERMOSA!
July 27, 2010 - 4:40 am - Wooow.. what a beautiful compilation of a family story.. lovely!
August 1, 2010 - 5:25 pm - Really nice. Slideshow works great in Safari!
el rio y la coroza….
Here are a few images from a project I'm working on…. Check out those GIANT worms Chebo has on his neck! …and here's the group of girls for this visits pictures!
by holly
1 comment
July 22, 2010 - 11:28 am - Outstanding! Each necklace is so beautiful! As is each of the children!
rosa amazona…
by holly
1 comment
July 16, 2010 - 12:27 pm - love love love this Holly!
colibrí textiles in antigua…
After spending a couple of days with some friends working on a project they are starting importing fair trade coffee, I found myself back in Antigua. Before meeting my Dad for lunch though, I decided to stop by in one of my favorite shops, el Colibrí, which is on the way out of town. I […]
big sticky bug…
I'm back in Guatemala for a week, near the border with Mexico in a small coffee town called San Rafael and yesterday we all came across this big beautiful large sticky bug….what it is I don't know…do you?
by holly
2 comments
July 14, 2010 - 11:58 pm - Holly! I see the little Michael-Jackson-impersonator in the picture too! :D
July 15, 2010 - 9:23 am - What does it look like from the other side?
tobias & vero
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." Lao Tzu Last week-end Vero and Tobias got married out at Las Trancas, a beautiful hacienda in Dolores Hidalgo not far from San Miguel de Allende. Every time I go back to the hacienda I'm excited for the wedding I'll […]


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Adventures of the MaMu - 2: Kick Start
After MaMu's 1st tryst with Namma Bengaluru's traffic, she had decided that she would never ever step out into the traffic on any kind of 2-wheeler again. But it's an unwritten rule in MaMu's book of life that whatever she says she won't ever do in her life again, she has to do the very same thing almost immediately. Accordingly, that fateful night till date, she has had to commute to and fro on her maroon Lady Bird. Cycling on the steep slopes of the Bangalore roads is no mean feat. One has to wade through innumerable potholes that lie eveywhere on every single road and by-lane. Finding that thin strip of asphalt that authorities claim to be the road, especially on a day it rains cats and dogs, is, well, simply put, impossible. Also, the physical exersion of a cycle ride on such a road is unthinkable - hit the breaks everytime a pothole or speed breaker makes itself visible; or a huge BMTC bus decides it needs the entire stretch of road to make a turn, or when an extremely excited 2-wheeler driver thinks its his right to take a left when his 2-wheeler indicates it was a right he was originally planning to take; or when equally excited mongrels and stray cats run amok on the road - MaMu's hands ache more than her feet! That's why she finds it quite a task to cycle 4 kms daily. Never-the-less, she persists in her efforts. And therefore, it was with no little joy that MaMu accepted her dearest friend Bastet's offer to teach her to ride the Scooty (I still fail to understand what made Bastet volunteer her very dear Scooty ES to be the sacrificial goat). One fine afternoon, Bastet took MaMu to a lonely stretch of road on the IISc campus for her 1st scooty lesson. (Personally I think, that was for the sole purpose of hiding her identity as MaMu's scooty teacher than any damage MaMu was liable to cause the IISc life(?) and property :P) Well anyway, there they were. Bastet showed MaMu how to turn the ignition key to the 'on', 'off' n 'lock' modes and how to use the self-starter switch. MaMu, sincere student that she is, turned the key as told, held down the choke, pressed both the breaks and then pressed hard on the self-starter. Voila! The self-starter switch took a huge leap and fell out of it's socket! The rest of Lesson#1 was spent in trying to figure out which way to put it back in, and having failed, on taking a nice little joy ride to a Malleswaram scooter repair shop, and having failed there too, to the TVS Scooty garage where it was put forth to them in very lucid terms that the entire scooty 'head' would have to be dismantled and dissected to put that teeny-weeny switch back in again! And all this while, Bastet had had to kick start her dear injured scooty at every signal, with a series of kicks and a whole lot of irate vehicles honking behind her :( Even after enduring so much, Bastet has promised to resume MaMu's scooty classes from the day after! Way to go! Oh what dedication! What commitment! What sheer guts! And not to forget, what a wonderful 'kick start' to MaMu's scooty classes! :D Love ya Bastet! :)


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Why You Can't Trust A Sales Person - Lessons From Emmi's Shopping Adventure Part 1
Last night's shopping trip with a client led to several men's style "pearls of wisdom" I have to separate the experience into sections. He was generous enough to let me take some photos of him sporting men's common fashion mistakes. Note that he did this in the interest of improving the lot of his fellow man, a truly noble motivation, and would normally not be caught dead looking like this.
Let's look closely at the photo above. Hideous eh? The pleated pants, worn too high above the natural waist are also an inch too short, as a public service, if you are reading this and work in any of what are commonly viewed as "highly technical" professions, I must ask you to look down to make sure you don't have something similar going on. If you are similarly attired to be comfortable in high water then it is likely that people have been laughing at you. The good news is that it is not too late to get help.
Now back to our ensemble of "no". The ill-fitting pants play second fiddle to the rust - colored plaid tablecloth, um, shirt. What may not be evident in the photo is the shirt (okay perhaps tablecloth was too harsh, it could also pass as excess drapery fabric from your grandmother's house) is made of 100% silk, appropriate perhaps for the limited category of metro sexual lumber jack. Please excuse the slight blurr of the photo, as I failed in my attempts to control my convulsive laughter. To top off what is an obvious fashion atrocity, this shirt retails for $128.00. If you have the desire to splurge on an extravagant item of clothing while maintaining that KMart Blue Light Special aura then this is definitely the shirt for you.
The real magic happened when the store's sales person entered the fitting room as I was snapping photos. Our eyes met and I opened my mouth to explain to her that this was a fashion "don't" photo shoot for my blog but my words were lost in giggles. My inability to offer an intelligible sentence gave the sales associate time to render her opinion on the outfit. "Wow." she said. Now my client and I thought for certain the words following that would be along the lines of courteous attempts to steer him off the path of certain social ostracism. Perhaps a polite "Interesting choice, let me find you something that doesn't deplete your manhood just by touching your skin." But, no, not even close. With a straight face and an extra ooze of sincerity she looked at my client and said "Wow, that's a great shirt on you! I love the pattern and the color! You should DEFINITELY get that shirt!." As she left the fitting room she yelled out a final "DEFINITELY!". Slack jawed my client and I starred at each other amazed to realize that there was not even a hint of sarcasm in her tone.
Next time you go shopping solo and a sales associate tells you everything you try on looks great, take a step back and assess the motivation of that sales person. Recognize that it is the job of a sales associate to sell more clothing; it may be directly adverse to that interest to acknowledge there isn't much in that particular store that is appropriate for you. Most sales people do not get paid to make sure you look your best and are getting value. Now before a horde of retail associates show up with torches and pitchforks at my front door there is something I must first tell you - - I have dogs. The second thing is that obviously there are exceptions to the rule, there exist sales people whose first priority is the client, and not their corporate headquarters, but those noble souls are in the minority. So when it comes to listening to the sales staff about whether or not you should buy their goods, stop and think- and take another real good look in the mirror and above all, always remember the first rule of survival for a spy, trust no one.


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This is the example of top panel. Text tip consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo du et ea rebum magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptuao dolores et ea rebum. Below is example of litebox.
Friday, 06 October 2006 21:27 administrator
The FTP Layer allows file operations (such as installing Extensions or updating the main configuration file) without having to make all the folders and files writable. This has been an issue on Linux and other Unix based platforms in respect of file permissions. This makes the site admin's life a lot easier and increases security of the site.
You can check the write status of relevent folders by going to ''Help->System Info" and then in the sub-menu to "Directory Permissions". With the FTP Layer enabled even if all directories are red, Joomla! will operate smoothly.
NOTE: the FTP layer is not required on a Windows host/server.


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Comparing External RAID Housings
Page 1:Backing Up Data To A Hard Drive
Page 2:The Perfect Backup Plan Isn't Possible
Page 3:NAS, DAS, Or What?
Page 4:Fantom Drives G-Force Megadisk MDE1000
Page 5:SansDigital Mobilestor MS2UTN+
Page 6:Superbox / Jou Jye ST-2320S/UES
Page 7:Test System
Page 8:Benchmarks: RAID 1 Via eSATA And USB
Page 9:Benchmarks: RAID 0 Via eSATA And USB
Page 10:Benchmarks: SPAN Via eSATA And USB
Page 11:Results: Fantom Drive Fast, Sans Digital Limping Behind
In times of increasing memory capacities, backing up your data isn't quite as easy as it was a few years ago. Optical media is totally unsuited for saving the volumes of data that are generated today. Well, what could be easier than backing up your data by simply copying the contents of an internal drive to an external one?
Hard drives are available at low prices, around 10 cents per gigabyte, and there are two primary ways of connecting an external drive to a computer: USB 2.0 and eSATA. We have already introduced some of the adapters that make connecting an external hard drive to a PC easier in this story on storage accessories.
Connecting via USB 2.0 or eSATA?
Connecting via USB 2.0 works without problems on the vast majority of computers. eSATA drives can also be connected to and disconnected from the computer without needing to restart the operating system, just like a USB memory stick. When using eSATA to connect, you must ensure that the controller is capable of AHCI mode—only then is it possible to connect/disconnect devices without restarting. The only thing missing with eSATA is an icon in the task bar which enables you to safely remove devices.
In order to be able to operate the external drives in an appropriate manner, it also makes sense to acquire a drive housing. It is now possible to purchase units that can support more than one drive. This article investigates what can be expected from a housing designed for multiple drives.
- Backing Up Data To A Hard Drive
- The Perfect Backup Plan Isn't Possible
- NAS, DAS, Or What?
- Fantom Drives G-Force Megadisk MDE1000
- SansDigital Mobilestor MS2UTN+
- Superbox / Jou Jye ST-2320S/UES
- Test System
- Benchmarks: RAID 1 Via eSATA And USB
- Benchmarks: RAID 0 Via eSATA And USB
- Benchmarks: SPAN Via eSATA And USB
- Results: Fantom Drive Fast, Sans Digital Limping Behind
rockbyterdid i miss the part about heat and noise?
AragornDid anyone else think that the thumbnails of the charts were utterly useless. Why don't we get nicely sized images in THG reports anymore?
Discussion about external desktop storage and no mention whatsoever of Firewire? *yawn* call me when you have a serious storage article. Firewire is the defacto standard in the pro desktop market, and also of course with all Apple systems. It's faster than USB 2.0 in every benchmark. It's more flexible and mature than eSata. And with Firewire 3.2 Gb/s coming later this year, it's about to get reeeeally fast. I have five external disks (including 2 raid arrays) and all are Firewire 800 connected.
hawlerI wish firewire would just die with the upcoming release of USB 3.0 which will be fast 4GB/s and more common. It really is annoying to have both of these on a computer when you could simply have just one of them. Id rather have 10 USB slots then 8 USB and two firewire on my computer. I knwo this isn't goign to happen but there simply is no need to have both, I realize currently it is faster but it won't be soon, and when it was first made they should have tried to make it a new version of USB so that there wouldn't be 2 standards.
Thats just my opinion on it, im sure people who use a lot of firewire products (i only use it for my ext HDDs but) might disagree but the idea of having just one I/O choice to me is better...its like display port for monitors...why oh why didn't they just leave it with DVI/HDMI
@ hawler: USB is NOT a replacement for firewire! There's a reason that ALL pro audio equipment uses Firewire instead of USB. There's a reason that ALL camcorders can stream video only over Firewire and not USB.
It's called "Isochronous transfers". Critical when you're dealing with real-time audio or video. USB doesn't provide that. Also makes bulk data transfer (like backups, for instance) perform more consistently.
USB was never designed for bulk data transfer. That's why it sucks so badly at it. Ever wondered why a 480 Mbit USB2 connection (That's 60 MB/s) can barely achieve between 35 MB/s in real world transfers? That's because the protocol sucks at bulk data transfer. USB was designed for keyboards and mice. To replace low-speed serial ports. Not for high speed bulk data transfer. The USB protocol is inherently deficient in this regard.
Firewire, on the other hand, was designed *specifically* for bulk data transfers. It's obvious when you look at its efficiency at these kinds of tasks. Firewire 400 (that's 50 MB/s) achieves around 42 to 45 MB/s in real world performance. Far FAR more efficient than USB at moving data.
My vote would be for ALL external data storage, audio, and video devices to be firewire only. Make everything else USB.
njalterioFor those of you asking about firewire, many companies do not like to use firewire because of security issues. Firewire devices communicate through direct memory access. There is no operating system intervention. This is why many companies will have their IT staff remove firewire expansion cards or disable them.
@ njalterio: Companies? IT departments? What kind of company IT department directs their employees to backup the PC's individually using external disks??
Firewire does indeed use DMA. That's another advantage it has over USB, at least in terms of performance. Everyone knows from back in the PATA disk days, that DMA transfers are way faster than non-DMA transfers.
But for professional audio/video, there is only one option and that's Firewire. No such thing as pro a/v products that use USB. They just don't exist. So when you say that "companies disable fw interfaces" I suppose it depends on what sort of company you're talking about. Not a production studio that's for sure!!
xxsk8er101xxThere is this program called Hotswap 4.0.1 i think it is. or maybe 4.1.1. I forget. But it's called Hotswap and it allows you to have that add/remove icon for harddrives. It works for cd-roms, ide drives, fixed drives ... it's an amazing program and best of all - it's free!
Again it's hotswap! 4.'something ... http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS-Enhancements/HotSwap.shtml it's an amazing tool and it works very well. Solves the problem listed on page 1 about no add/remove icon.
GreenPowerAll my applications are installed on the C drive, which is a 500GB $79 WD unit. I buy a second identical drive and hook it up to an extra 18" sata cable and power right at the edge of the pc case chassis.
I use Acronis True Image disk utility to make and exact copy when the system half way reboots. Then I turn off the power and swap disks. A few applications like Photoshop can still detect they have been copied. But besides this its a 5 minute replacement if my HD ever gets corrupted.
Otherwise it takes about 4 LONG days to rebuild the system from scratch.
Five minutes vs four days. Go figure!
GreenPowerAlways run the long format and surface scan any new disk to check for bad sectors. Then re-scan it after its been copied and re-booted with. Only then can you state that you backup is worthy.
@ GreenPower: No need for all that if you're using ZFS. ZFS has built-in CRC checking! No more need to worry about bad sectors or data corruption.
LusciousI tried backing up a laptop one time with a measly 80GB drive using USB2.0 and it took me hours.
All laptops should have an eSata port, especially if you've got a 200GB or bigger drive, otherwise you'll be waiting HOURS for a full system backup to complete.
Of course, it all depends on HOW MUCH data you need to get backed up.
Hard drives simply suck at backup, they are slow when it comes to transferring their full capacity and just as useless when it comes to having a backup that is durable/removable. Tapes are still the best way to go, they stream fast but have limited capacity and the drives are very expensive.
Tapes need to come is 1TB capacities, they should cost no more than $100 a pop and the drives should be selling for no more than $600. I would not pay anything more for a tape system for home use. The problem is tapes are still targeted at businesses, which can easily pay the $2000+ price for the best drives.
Wow, it's been awhile since I've ran into a firewire evangelist. Let's hope they have better luck getting the next generation of fw on whatever they can because it seems to be largely only used for direct connections to equipment and that's about it.
We've been using Express card or internal sata/esata on most of our macs in house and use them for the direct hard drive connections or even being used as a boot drive on the laptops. So far we noticed better sustained reading and writing performance with ESATA and the increase in the amount of enclosures and drops in prices have helped quite a bit also.
Personally USB 2.0 is only an emergency connector. Only for a last resort. I've been known to take drives out of enclosures just to connect them internally then deal with USB.
If any other connectors get more of a hold on the dv camera/audio equipment then firewire could be rather pointless. They have a nice connector but that's all I can really say in their defence when it comes to esata which is still rather fragile in my opinion.
Either way, it's always nice to see what happens with the newer technologies. Optical connectors on usb3 is intersting, 10Gb ethernet way down the line and who knows, maybe the next firewire will be amazing. Competition is nice for our pocketbooks sometimes.
kenyeetimmah: if you've ever tried backing up to a hard drive w/ usb 2.0 and firewire, you'd know why I'm also a firewire fan though it sounds like you've tried backing up on usb 2.0 ;-)
That said, esata is faster than firewire/400 (though only slightly faster than firewire/800 which most motherboards seem to lack)...
Another huge benefit of Firewire over USB is its power providing abilities. A firewire port provides roughly THREE times the power for external devices. You can run the latest, fastest, 7200 rpm drives bus-powered on a Firewire connection (several drives even!) but you definitely can't do that on USB. Heck, My HP laptop can't even power up a 5400 rpm 2.5" USB drive I have.
GreenPowerZFS is for Linux. I use Acronis True Image for creating an exact image on a second hard drive for Vista64.
A second motherboard backup strategy is necessary because of Windows anti-copy protection. PLAN to buy a SECOND identical motherboard. Only make your decision to actually buy it when its being discontinued. If the MB goes bad then your main HD backup is only of limited value. But if you put in an identical MB then you should be good to go!
Hard Disks get corrupted and motherboards wear out. Plan ahead for these two major failures. Its just a matter of time.
itadakimasui suggested using an external sata solution for backups and was immediately shot down at work despite the cost and ease of data recovery vs tapes....
the last time i need to restore something off the tapes, i needed to restore the server that the tape drives are located on and to do that I needed the tape software which had been lost, spent over 6 hours trying to re-install the backup exec software (alot of time due to it being an ancient machine w\ 10 minute restarts required periodically)
badboy4deeFor home use yeah HD backup makes sense as long as you have more than one backup. Rule is have more than just one HD backup and do it offsite, encrypted etc... . I know you guys must have heard of tapeless backups right?
You go "anonymous guy" YOUR KUNG-FU IS GOOD.
The Silent Majority
badboy4deeGreenPower, I like using Winddows in a Virtual environment like VMware and the like and keep Micro$oft in it's place. Other option is to us Linux/wine/crossover and run Window appz on dat!
The Silent Majority
badboy4deeCobian or Comodo both are free backups if you need the software
The Silent Majority
xxsk8er101xxsure give me a -1 but when you're trying to remove a sata drive and sick and tired of turning off your computer all the time to do it you'll thank me later! You can even use hotswap to hotswap ide drives. You just can't hotswap your OS drive.
And btw esata is better than firewire for hard drives and esata is so easy to install. All you need is the $2.99 bracket to convert the sata port to esata. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812226006
neosoulProfessional studios use another form of direct attached consumer storage than another and it's better somehow?
Restoring from an external disk is better than tape - what?!?!
If that external disk is corrupt, I assure you it's much more expensive. Yes, firewire is faster, but is it better? Well, since the extreme majority of systems have USB and not firewire - I'm saying no.
On a production system, data should be shot to a SAN then off to tape backups for storage. How the hell can you irresponsibly recommend a form of consumer storage over another.
dark41I can't see using USB to backup anything anymore as it's too slow.
Image backups are a good idea too, but we don't keep our data on the same partition as the operating systems, and frankly restoring an image with 1tb of data takes 10 times as long as copying the files over via E-SATA.
We use firewire 800 for uploading from our video camera.
We use E-SATA for backing up our systems for our home and small business.
Our external hard drive bays are always connected with their own power. We simply turn off the power button on the external drive case when not being used, eliminating the need for a "safely remove hardware" button.
We're quite happy with E-SATA for what it does and firewire for what it does, but I'd never use firewire for backing up my data. I've found E-SATA to be much faster and more flexible.
E-SATA is more portable than firewire because it'll plug into any drive that has a SATA controller, which is standard on every computer now, although it won't be hot swapable without E-SATA. Firewire requires a computer with firewire.
I can't believe anyone wrote an article about external RAID devices and didn't even mention the Synology DS207+. Anyone looking for an excellent backup solutions needs to look into it.


text: I've been a little absent this week, except for the Q & A. Every year we have one family tradition that is one of my favorites--we spend a few days on Lake Powell, a huge lake in southern Utah. We're on Powell now, and it's been fabulous! I'll tell you more about this favorite family reunion when I get back on Monday, but I just wanted you to know where I was--and why I wasn't posting.


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LLBM V8 Supercar Championship:
The Australians have made the v8 supercar championship one of the best known and most competitive racing series' on the planet to date. So LLBM decided to create our own v8 supercar championship. The ultimate battle between Holden and Ford should prove to be one of our most competitive and tightest series ever! The Holden Commodore and the Ford Falcon are the cars to do battle in this series and it should be an absolute doozey!


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GameCrush: Pay to Play Video Games With Potentially Hot Girls
GameCrush, a Website created for dudes to pay to play video games with dudettes, was released in private beta back in March. The site has been released into the wild and is now available for the public. Besides being a way for guys to get their kicks by having a sexy companion to play video games with, ladies, or "PlayDates," can also make up to $20 an hour by playing the games.
Before we get any comments on the GameCrush being sexist, the site is open to both men and women to be both PlayDates and Players. That being said, I checked out the site, and there seems to be an overwhelmingly large number of young women listed as PlayDates. I only spotted maybe a handful of guys.
Anyone can sign up for a free profile, and ladies can play for free. Men have to purchase credits to actually play with the women. The going rate is $0.60 a minute, but it's free to browse the PlayDates and chat live.
According to a press release, "GameCrush now supports any game in a Player or PlayDate's online multiplayer library, including open-ended games, co-op games and competitive games. Players and PlayDates also have access to GameCrush's own online Web-based casual games."
At the end of each session, the Player rates the PlayDate on looks, gaming skills, and flintiness. Of course, the site has a minimum age requirement of 18 years.
Check out GameCrush.com for more info, but beware, some of the profile pics are NSFW. [Photo Credit: Downloadsquad.com.]


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The following digital collections are intended to provide access to unique resources that support my work with different organizations. All collections are intended to connect learners to resources that will move their work forward. All are welcome to use these collections.
School Library Journal: Build a Great Makerspace
The Triassociation 36th Annual Educators Conference
- Using the Design Process to Maximize Learning with Technology
- Classroom By Design: Rethinking the Student Learning Experience
Communicating with Contemporary Digital Media | ISACS
Classroom Makeovers: Hack, Prototype and Design
Mashup and Remix Project Sequence
Reimagining the Spaces in Which We Learn
Towards the Design of Contemporary Library Spaces
Classroom Makeover: Hack, Prototype and Design