text:
How to Do the Yoga-with-Weights Heaven and Earth Exercise
This yoga-with-weights exercise is called Heaven and Earth because you reach to the sky and root to the earth at the same time. It stretches the side of your body and brings oxygen to your back and spine; it helps you warm up and focus on your breathing; and it gets the energy flowing through your body.
Grab your hand weights and follow these steps to reach for the heavens:
Stand with your legs as far apart as your hips and your toes pointing straight ahead, and let the hand weights dangle at your sides with your palms facing inward.
This is the starting position.
Inhaling to a count to four, extend the weight in your right hand forward and then above your right shoulder, following the weight with your eyes.
Stretch out your arm and shoulder as much as possible without lifting your heels off the ground, and press your right foot into the ground as you look to the sky. You should finish inhaling as the weight reaches its peak. Feel your hip and the side of your body stretch as you lift the weight.
If your neck feels too tight, look toward your elbow; in other words, look as high as you comfortably can. If your shoulders are tight, practice this exercise without a weight or raise the weight halfway.
Exhaling to a count of four, lower the weight back to your side and return to the starting position.
Keep your feet squarely on the floor throughout this exercise. Don't throw the weight — gently lift it. Focus on your breathing so that you have smooth transitions as you inhale (when you lift the weight) and exhale (when you lower the weight). Try to time your breathing so that you never hold your breath. Your breathing helps you relax and do the stretching portion of this exercise.
Repeat this exercise six to eight times with each arm, pause to rest, and then do six to eight more repetitions with each arm.


text:
* Your list is public by default.
Alternative Titles
Synonyms: SoltyRei
Japanese: ソルティレイ
Type: TV
Episodes: 24
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Oct 7, 2005 to Mar 31, 2006
Premiered: Fall 2005
Broadcast: Fridays at 02:40 (JST)
Producers: AIC, TV Asahi, Sotsu Music Publishing
Licensors: Funimation
Studios: Gonzo
Source: Original
Genres: Action, Sci-Fi, Super Power
Duration: 23 min. per ep.
Rating: R - 17+ (violence & profanity)
Score: 7.321 (scored by 9,700 users)
1 indicates a weighted score. Please note that 'Not yet aired' titles are excluded.
Ranked: #24662
2 based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity: #2868
Members: 23,272
Favorites: 118

subset: commoncrawl


text:
beginnings IN moss-side MANCHESTER
Allan was born into Moss-side, Manchester, UK, which was then a poor and declining industrial environment that was tree-less and whose rivers were highly polluted - a remnant of Manchester's Industrial Revolution. Later in childhood he moved to Old Trafford close to the Manchester United Football Club where he was to become a life-long member of that tribe. He visited the coast of North Wales on vacations every summer. This allowed him to dream of an alternative environment.
early influences
Between the ages of 13 - 16 he was a member of a mountaineering club where he learned camping craft, rock-climbing, mountaineering and caving. Allan spent all his weekends and school breaks climbing in the Peak District and Lake District in England, Snowdonia Range in Wales and the North Arran Hills on the Isle of Arran in Scotland. These experiences, including encounters with ancient standing stones and stone circles were highly formative and long-lasting influences. They instilled in him an understanding of the primacy of nature as opposed to the primacy of humans. He therefore understood the need for respect for nature.
His general education was extremely poor. By the time he had reached mid-adolescence he'd rejected most formal teaching. However, he moved to Grammar School, aged 16, using considerable guile to disguise his lack of interest or attainment at school. He undertook an A-level in Art & Architecture giving him a grounding in Classical Architecture and had an 8' x 8' painting hung in the school foyer and etchings published in the school magazine. At this stage he had also been painting privately at home.
art college
After Grammar School he attended Rochdale College of Art to undertake a foundation course in Fine Art. He had to employ the same guile for the same reasons to gain his place. His art teacher, Tom Hastings, who he had high regard for, told him that Rochdale College had one of the best Foundation courses in England at the time and one of the best principals in Leopold Solomon. However, Allan rejected all attempts to teach him art but did receive a grounding in Modern Art history.
a world trip
By the age of 20 he had his own studio but by 22 he had decided he needed an alternative education to counter-balance his negative schooling. He decided on undertaking a world trip that would eventually take him to 20 countries on 5 continents. Some of the high-lights were crossing the Southern Iranian desert into Baluchistan, an extremely dangerous journey due to the area being controlled by rebel militia. He travelled down the length of Southern India and onto Sri Lanka. While travelling through the State of Kerala, he witnessed extreme poverty, disease and death on the streets with groups of abandoned children and infants roaming the towns begging. He says this experience has always put his life into perspective ever since. In contrast he described travelling in the Nilgiri Hills as serene and beautiful. He eventually travelled from Malaya to Australia passing the volcanic islands of Krakatoa in the Sundra Strait. Allan spent a year working in Western Australia at the Lucy Creath childrens' home working with children and young people with severe disabilities and terminal illness. He then crossed the Nullabor Plain overland and eventually flew to Peru via Fiji and Tahiti. He lived in Cusco near Machu Pichu for a while and then travelled on through the Andes, which he describes as severe and occasionally foreboding, at other times breath-taking, crossing Lake Titicaca on his way in to Bolivia. He ultimately travelled to Canada via Mexico and lived in Quebec for a period. He later journeyed further through Canada and took the 3000 mile trip from the East through the Great Lakes, the Prairies and the Rocky Mountains. He says the most out-standing and influential experience of the whole trip was meeting Australian Aboriginal peoples. They put him in touch with a sense of himself he was hitherto completely unaware of. This early aboriginal influence has been a potent developmental driver and has over time, facilitated his interest in indigenous peoples and their cultures and provided him with a deeper understanding of their ecological mindsets.
Allan has held many different jobs including taxi driver, chef, carpenter and psychotherapist. He trained in Humanistic Psychotherapy which included 'Expressive Arts' and 'Psychodrama'. He also studied Social Work & Social Policy at the University of Manchester and post-graduate Psychoanalytic Studies of Children at the University of Leeds.
While working as a therapist in very poor areas of East Manchester and North Wales he developed his expertise in inter-generational trauma within children and families. Other areas of skill included Child Protection, Play Therapy, Community Murals, Silk Screen Printing, Circle Work and Therapeutic Play Schemes.
an inner imperative to paint
After a significant death in his life he decided to undertake a painting to address, what he describes as, the mythological forces pressing upon his mind. The painting was done in an art naif style and was named 'Return To The Garden'. He had long known he would assume the role of 'Artist' and describes the experience of completing this painting as 'painting his way out of one life and into another'.
paintings: the graves of uchaf series
Since the age of 22, Allan had been waiting for the inner imperative to bring him fully back to praticing art. At this point in his life he was living in a remote farm-house on the edge of the Cloaenog Forest in North Wales overlooking the Clwydian Hills. It soon became clear that it was nature that would provide the foundations for his artwork. His preoccupation with death, at that time, combined with his sense of being drawn into nature to bring about a series of paintings that are now called 'The Graves of Uchaf Series'. He had chosen to paint on square panels because they symbolised infinite space. He also had an understanding of mandalas and their symbolic implications.These early paintings were accomplished mainly through using floats, various tools and rubbings. These experimental ways of applying paint set the tone for future work. He used his developed psychic ability acquired in his psycho-therapeutic development from such things as a deeper understanding of 'play' to explore unconscious strata and also to begin to attune himself to nature as a painter.
the unconscious landscapes series
The next important series of work was painted while living on the Conwy Estuary in North Wales after a 2 year period living in Roussillon in Southern France. The powerful influence of the estuary environment had a profound effect on his development. He found himself developing a deep attunement to nature and the ancient presence of place. He was connecting to neolithic remnants and beginning to develop a consciousness that allowed psychic connection to core aboriginal identity. This enabled him to perform a dynamic balancing act between deep origins and the present within an ecological mindset. This meant that his 'painting brain' was developing more plasticity and lead to the opening up of possibilities hitherto out of reach.These paintings that became known as 'Unconscious Landscapes' show the ever-changing parallels of the estuary and are structured with geometric layouts and apertures. Allan describes these paintings as 'Parellels' and 'Henges'.
the idris wall series
At the end of a 6 year period living on the estuary a new series emerged. The stand-out feature of these paintings was the appearance of large planes, first described as 'Megaliths' and later, when he moved to Scotland as 'Walls'. They are known as the 'Idris Wall Series' and are essentially large ascending apertures in infinite primordial space. They were inspired by the high cliff walls of Cadair Idris - a mountain at the Southern end of the Snowdonia Range. The larger of these paintings were completed in South East Scotland and have a powerful religious presence. By 2013 Allan had moved to Scotland and put on a debut showing of his work at The Holy Biscuit Gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne. He hung 36 paintings in 2 large spaces. The exhibition ran for two months and was very well received by public and art professionals alike. He was also interviewed by a journalist from the principal newspaper of the region and was given a two page editorial.
the songlands series
After a year in Scotland Allan moved to Canada for two years and had studios first in Kingston on Lake Ontario and then in North Hatley, Quebec on Lake Massawippi. Because of the level of his practice, when he arrived in Canada Allan was able to make a remarkable attunement to the primal essence of the nature and the ancient presence of humans. This facilitated a drawing out of its invisible powers. He exhibited work in a juried exhibition at Queen's Duncan McArthur Gallery in Kingston.
The layout of these Canadian paintings used both parallel planes and apertures. Very significantly the 'Megalith/Wall' apertures became 'story-telling' planes that allowed him to paint what he describes as 'after-images' of his experiences in nature. This work is known as 'The Songland Series'. These paintings enabled him to make an intimate connection with the aboriginal heritage of that land which triggered a huge shift in his ecological consciousness that now forms the core foundation for the conceptualisation of his ongoing work.
the whale-back series
Allan arrived back in Scotland in 2015 and has established a studio on the River Tweed in the Scottish Borderlands. He began his attunement to his new working environment through an encounter with some significant trees that led to a focus on the old Caledonian Wild-Wood that once covered this area after the last Glacial Maximum. This lead to a shift in consciousness that brought his attention to a great 'Whale-back' being - swimming in the landscape it inhabits. After this period of re-attunement he is continuing his remarkable development with a series of paintings called 'The Whale-back Series'. The name is taken from the whale-back profile of the 400 million year old volcano now known as The Cheviot Hill and seen from the land where he built his new studio. The 'Whale-back' is the dominating yet elusive feature of the local landscape and has provided a focal point for Allan's psychic attunement to the place and has consequently become highly significant in the development of this work. This being with its ever-changing form and colour is providing a psychic entry point - a cleft in the visible world that is allowing a psycho-archaeological exploration of the multi-layered and ancient collective unconscious of the place. Allan is producing 'image-stories' that connect us back to our original ecological mind-set and engender respect and a sensuous connection within nature. These paintings provide a connection directly into the present and allow us to see our place in nature with very different eyes.
the artist as contributor
Allan sees his role as contributor to the healthy ecological and psychic development of our species, within the context of us being an integral part of nature amongst all the other-than-human beings living in this world i.e animals, mountains, rivers and sky. His 'image-stories' are providing ecological intelligence that connects directly with the most pressing issue of our present moment as custodians of this earth. He sees the stories emerging from both individual and series of works as having relevance to our need to make significant adjustments to how we treat the world and therefore to how we live and educate our young.
Allan is currently preparing a show that includes work from different series of paintings. This will allow him to present a coherent story of development and illuminate the findings of his psycho-archaeological explorations. His work is available to be shown, locally, nationally and internationally.
allan started his world trip at the age of 22 and visited 20 countries on 5 continents over a 3 year period.
Created by Katrine Rustad on 30th March 2018 from notes taken from conversations with Allan between 2012-2018.
All photography is attributed to Katrine Rustad.


text:
ClearLice at the Right Price
This entry was posted on January 26, 2015 by admin
No one likes to have to deal with the nuisance of having head lice, but it becomes somewhat of a necessary evil when one has school-aged children. In fact, about one in every 100 young children will be sent home with head lice each year and that is because most school districts have a no-nit policy in place because of head lice's fast-spreading nature.
Lice are very non-discriminatory creatures, contrary to popular belief. Many people think that if your child has head lice it means that you are poor or have poor hygiene. But actually, lice attach themselves to virtually any human head they can find, despite socioeconomic standing, gender, race, level of hygiene, etc. They attack anyone with hair, which is why it is better to treat head lice sooner rather than later in order to try to prevent the insects from spreading to everyone else in the school.
Because head lice do not jump or fly, direct contact is necessary for the spreading of head lice. Most head lice are spread from direct head-to-head contact, but it is possible for lice to travel to a human head from an infested blanket or other non-human means. This is much less likely to occur, but it is still possible.
It is important that you, as a parent, are vigilant when it comes to lice and nit treatment. There are many treatment options out there, some better and more effective than others, for you to treat your child's lice problem quickly and effectively. There are over-the-counter, chemically rich treatments and there are also natural treatments available to you. You just have to decide which treatment option is better for you and your child.
Over-the-Counter Treatments
Many parents of children with head lice head out to their local Walgreens, CVS, or Walmart as soon as they discover their child has lice in order to pick up a $20 over-the-counter lice treatment. These over-the-counter treatments are actually laden with chemicals and pesticides. These chemicals could be potentially harmful to your child if used in high doses or often in multiple cases of head lice.
In addition to being dangerous, these treatments are often ineffective. Recent studies have shown that lice have adapted to become immune to the effects of these harmful pesticides. Their ability to adapt rapidly to all potential threats makes head lice some of the most resilient creatures in the world.
But do you really want to risk your child's well-being on a treatment that doesn't even work like it's supposed to?
With many over-the-counter options failing to treat head lice effectively, many companies began researching ways to treat head lice naturally. Treating head lice naturally is safer for anyone who comes into contact with the treatment and it is also less likely to cause head lice to adapt as quickly, which means it could be effective for many years. ClearLice in Boca Raton, FL is one of those companies, and it has created a line of natural lice treatment and prevention products.
ClearLice shampoos and conditioners are SLS and pesticide-free. Instead, they use a unique combination of natural enzymes that work to eliminate head lice and nits and make them easier to remove with a lice comb. These products are peppermint-scented to ensure that your child doesn't become squeamish when doused in it. And the best part about ClearLice shampoos and conditioners is that they are merely about $20 per bottle, and while that may be more expensive than the over-the-counter options, it is worth it when you see the results.
ClearLice is a product that you pay for not only for the phenomenal results it brings, but also because it gives you peace of mind. With ClearLice, you can trust that lice will be eradicated from your child's head in just one day.
In addition to the shampoos and conditioners, ClearLice also has a laundry additive and household spray that works to eliminate the chance of becoming infested by your own home. Each of these bottles is about $20 a bottle as well. You want to make sure that you are attacking head lice on every front because it will give you the best opportunity to get rid of lice from your child quickly and effectively.
When compared to other treatment options, ClearLice is the obvious choice when choosing between it and over-the-counter treatments. ClearLice is effective, fast and mildly priced. With shampoos and conditioners running about $20 per bottle, how can you pass up this offer? ClearLice is affordable, fast, and safe for your child. When considering how best to treat your child's head lice, ask yourself this question, "How well is my $20 being spent?" and that will give you the answer you need.
Try ClearLice today, and be lice-free tomorrow!


text:
We want you and your reactive pooch to have fun social lives too! How would you like to be able to run out their issues and have them learn how to react with other dogs? They can at our Growl Park!
In our Growl Park all the dogs will wear properly fitted muzzles, be able to work our their own energy, and learn how to interact in a positive fashion with those who might become their new best friends. The type of muzzle pictured allows them to drink from our spring fed ponds, bark lots, run hard and pant hard. It only restricts them from wielding their weaponry, and prevents 'actual kissing' or harder stuff.
With all of the dogs in the Growl Park wearing this type of muzzle, they are on an even keel, thus no worry of an inflicted injury. The park allows them to learnto relax and read social situations so much better.
Dogs are segregated by size in two separated Growl Park areas to accommodate small and large dogs. This separation ensures that there is no danger of asmall dog being overrun by a larger one - even accidentally.
Our program gives owners and their dogs the opportunity for education and training. Dogs will have the chance to socialize, while muzzled, and enjoy the company of other dogs in a safe and constructive environment. This program is conducted in a separately contained park area, and is restricted to just muzzled and reactive dogs.
Growl Park is available to the public but please contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com with your name, phone number and e-mail address before you visit.


text:
As I mentioned earlier in the week, my brown goatskin Pitt Minion has served as a mainstay during the past four years. If you had told me in 2008 that this would happen, I would not have believed it. Frankly, I hated the thing at first. Hate is a strong word, but you have to understand, I had such high hopes for the brown Pitt Minion. I'm not a black Bible kind of guy, nor am I a stiff cover kind of guy. So I needed the Pitt Minion to be non-black (check) and soft (uncheck).
While the cover wasn't as stiff as some late nineties calfskin I could mention -- so stiff you could put an edge on it and slice fingers -- the Pitt Minion wasn't soft. It could stand all by itself, which is a great thing if you're a toddler learning to walk. Not so much if you're a high-end Bible.
"Don't think I'm going to treat you special," I told the Pitt Minion. "'Cause you're not special. You're stiff." True to my word, I twisted the cover, bent it, curled it, rolled it up like a newspaper -- and I did all this with white-knuckled intensity becasue I didn't care what happened. If I ripped the cover off, if I tore the binding, none of it mattered.
A great man once said -- was it Bono? -- that karma is getting what you deserve and grace is not getting what you deserve. In the case of the Pitt Minion, I received grace. All this abuse didn't destroy the little Bible. It made the Pitt Minion better. I can't exactly recommend the procedure ... but it worked.
If I had to describe my Pitt Minion's cover today, I'd called it "rubbed." It looks well-handled, because that's exactly what it is. All that twisting -- along with more conventional use -- has resulted in the cover wrapping around the edges somewhat. There's a little pinch at the spine. Near the headband and along the top edge, there are some pale nicks in the leather.
No, the cover didn't turn limp. It still possesses enough of its original rigidity to support the text block in my hand. But I've found I quite like that. Part of the break-in process involved softening the cover. To be more precise, I was bending and stressing the board underneath. Part of the process was also, in some esoteric sense, making this edition my own.
There's a tendency for those of us who appreciate well-made Bibles to consider them as objects to collect and admire rather than use. All bibliophiles are prone to this. Michael Russem writes about the phenomenon in the Fall 2007 issue of The Bonefolder in a piece called "The Failure of Fine Printing." See if this rings a bell:
Because we are so accustomed to mass market productions, the physical elements and processes traditionally chosen for fine press books -- handmade paper, letterpress, and hand bindings -- are foreign to the average reader and thus call too much attention to themselves, over stimulating the senses and spirit. It is impossible to handle them without relishing in the deliciousness of the materials -- though all the while feeling panic over the possibility of damaging these precious items. It is difficult to imagine curling up in bed with a full leather or a delicate paper binding as one would do so readily with a paperback. Because the editions are so luxurious and often unwieldy, it is impractical and terrifying to read these book. People are often afraid to even touch them.
The end result, with apologies to Augustine, is that we take, but we do not read. Ironically, in pampering "fine" books this way, we are giving in to the assumptions that drive mass market consumerism. Equating quality with luxury, perpetuating the idea that some things are too well made to actually use, is what keeps the abismal standards prevalent in the industry alive. And Russem is talking about true fine press books. By his standards, the high-end Bibles we cherish are mass produced.
Above: Note the light dots near the head and where the top layer has flecked away.
When I stopped caring about preserving the Pitt Minion, when I stopped caring even what happened to it, I discovered this little Bible really was made to be used. It hasn't fallen apart. There aren't any missing pages. The ribbon hasn't even frayed significantly. The abuse hasn't ruined this Bible's looks. In fact, to me, it looks much finer than your shiny new ones in their glossy protective boxes.
All it took was a little of this (see above). "I will break you," I said. And the Pitt Minion, channeling Paul Atreides, replied: "I will bend like a reed in the wind."


text:
Need to unlock a windows account with an unknown password and do not have a password reset tool? Look no further.
You will need the following:
- Linux Live CD (Any Flavor)
- Un-Encrypted Computer
How does it work?
This trick works by replacing the accessibility tools with a high level command prompt and using this to change the password of the account.
Use your CD or USB to boot your Linux installation on the computer with the unknown password.
Browse with a terminal or a GUI file manager to
Rename "Magnify.exe" to "Magnify.bak"
Copy "cmd.exe" (this is in the same directory)
Rename the copied "cmd.exe" to "Magnify.exe"
Reboot the computer back into Windows mode.
At the login screen you can click on the accessibility controls or press Win+U
Check the box for magnify and then click apply and you should get a command prompt to pop-up.
In the command prompt type the following.
"net user user_name new_password"
Trying logging in as the user with the password you just set above and you should be ready to rock.
You will most likely want to revert the file changes deleting your copy of command that you renamed to magnify and renaming Magnify.bak back to its original Magnify.exe. If you do not then you are leaving a security hole in that system.
That's nice but you could just replace the utilman.exe and then you get a command prompt straight from your win+U shortcut (ie fewer steps)
That is a really great point. Definitely nice to shave off a few steps!
If you already have a Linux Live CD then why don't you have a password reset tool? Also, if my drive is encrypted, is there any way to change the password?
I have a USB with DSL on it. There is not a build in password reset tool on that distro. For my job I often end up on site with no internet access but need to get into a computer. Plus it is always good to know another way to break in if you needed to.
or you can use konboot cd and boot up from it . All you have to do is press enter for the password to get into that profile.
This will come in quite handy to know... I've come across many instances where people have asked me to reset their password on home systems. At work it's so much easier to do with AD :) If only I could set up my private/residential clients with AD... lol
Want to do Windows password reset? A Windows Password Recovery Tool can help you.


text: Today Christian people use to wear Bold Christian shirts to advertise their religion. Now this trend is getting fame in the world. There are available wide range of shirts, skirts, trousers and dresses for this task. The presence of ties and suits is also reported in the market which contains the tags. It looks very strange to portray a religion or faith with the help of dresses. The arrival of latest Christian shirts helps to acquire multiple goals like portray of faith and fashion trends. The people who love to be a part of fashion can get benefit from latest arrivals in the market. There is no need to wear the traditional and old fashioned shirts to portray the religion. Now a variety of clothing is present in the market to choose from. The key feature of these dresses is that they possess a quote, statement, message and reference for people.Continue reading »


text:
Michelle's dolls drove over to the convention in there shiney red Pippa convertible!
Rockflower Michelle! The Ultimate Groovy Chick! :o) It was totally awesome to finally meet her. Many of you know we had an arguement and found the path back to our friendship. Thank god! If you think she is sweet online..... whoaaa she is just the same way in person. She was the #1 dawnette I needed to meet. I needed to give her dawn hugs in person. I always call Michelle the godmother of my dolls, since I got my first dawn, my namesake Glori from her. Her husband Steve was very nice and a good sport and helped us play some games on friday night.
Wendy's collection was great to look at! She had Cloak and Swagger, Bikini Beach Bunny, Golden Moment, Maxi Mod, Zig Zag Dazzler and a whole lot more. Great Boxes Wendy! Keep it up!
Michelle going through the CD's. "What do we want to hear next? Partridge Family? Brady Bunch? Sonny and Cher? We have it all here"
Jodi..... still wiping away tears of dawn happiness after we gave her our gift.


text:
What you should know
Your contract is with Song Africa -- The Tourism Company, located at 49 KG 412 St. Below are the terms and conditions. Please read them carefully, as the booking and the acceptance of our contract makes it legally binding. Please feel free to contact us with any questions that have not already been answered.
Upon confirmation, 50% of the total cost payable. The balance of 50%, 60 days prior to the commencement of your trip. At the time of confirmation, if your departure date is less than 60 days, then the total cost shall be paid.
Any changes in travel arrangement must be communicated to Songa Africa immediately. We are ready to offer alternatives that may fit your needs or cancel that booking as a whole.we reserve the right to charge cancellation fees that may be incurred by failure to allow us sufficient time to amend the arrangements originally requested. Additional cost for changes of arrangements shall be borne by the client. The cancellation policy below applies to all packages designed & operated by Songa Africa: The Tourism Company. We are not liable to refund you if it does not fall into our guidelines.
- Up to 75 days prior to your arrival, 25% of the total cost will be forfeited as cancellation fees.
- Should cancellation be received in less than 75 days prior to your arrival, 50% of the total cost would be levied as cancellation charge.
- Cancellation received in less than 60 days prior to your arrival would attract 100% of total paid as cancellation fee.
- Payment for Gorilla Permits is non refundable.
Code of Conduct
On the tour that is provided by Songa Africa, you are expected to abide by the law of the land and adhere to the instructions provided by the personnel in charge. The signing of the booking means that you agree with any rules presented before you. If at any point during the trip, the personnel in charge believes your behaviour is detrimental to your safety or well-being or even the well-being of your group, you might be instructed to leave the tour and no refund will be available.
Medical and Preliminary Arrangement
Songa Africa is not subjected to conduct any medical arrangements involved in your travel. This is the responsibility of the traveler. Clients should familiarize themselves with any health requirement applicable to areas they intend to visit. The client is solely responsible for compliance with vaccination and other health requirements of governments in countries visited or transited. Songa Africa is also not responsible for any of the arrangements associated with acquiring a visa (as well as passport) to the chosen destination.
Songa Africa is the provider of adventurous travel, but it is all the risk of the traveler, Songa Africa is not responsible for any unforeseen accidents that happen on the expedition. We encourage all travelers to arrange for travel insurance before departure as no costs will be borne by Songa Africa.
Songa Africa does not accept any consent from an individual below the age of 18 years. We also recommend that before travel, the traveler checks if the activities are age appropriate. For example: Gorilla Trekking is not available for those below the age of 15 years.
Extra Costs
Songa Africa does not include international airfare, excess baggage charges, the cost of visas, vaccinations, medications, gratuities, alcoholic drinks, personal items, phone calls and medical insurance.
Force Majeure
Force Majeur is any unforeseeable circumstances that may interfere with the traveler's trip. These are conditions such as adverse weather, fire at the game reserve, boat unavailability and hotel overbooking. Any decisions (specifically including cancellation) that Songa Africa makes which affects the itinerary of the trip for reasons unrelated to the traveler will make the traveler liable to a refund.
Each traveler's itinerary will indicate what is included in the total cost of the package. We hope that you enjoy your trip and the services that are provided by Songa Africa.


text:
The word Sufi is derived from the Arabic word 'suf' which means ' wool ' and which refers to the coarse woolen robes that were worn by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and by his close companions. The goal of a Sufi is none other than God Himself. There are signs of God everywhere in the universe and in man himself.
The Sufis have pointed out useful things about Iblis. Let's continue with some of their teachings. Let us quote shaykh Fariduddin 'Attar who has written these lines in his "Mosibat Nama"(Book of Adversity), p. 63, for people looking for a Sufi teacher:
Gar to gu'i nist piri aashkaarTo talab kon dar hazaar andar hazaarZe aanke gar piri namaand dar jahaanNa zamin bar jaai maand na zamaanPir ham hast in zamaan penhaan shodaTang-e khalqaan dida dar kholqaan shoda
If you say: There is no pir openly to be seen,Then you should seek another thousand times.For if no pir would remain in the world,Then neither the earth nor time would remain in place.The pir exists even now, but he is hidden.Having seen the narrow-mindedness of the people,He is wearing worn-out clothes.
Shaykh 'Azizuddin Nasafi speaks about the role of Iblis in this respect: "O, dervish! You will not find this wise man or this verifier of thetruth in mosques, preaching from the pulpit or reciting dhikr. You will not find him in the religious schools giving lessons, and you will not find him among the people of high office among the bookish people or among the idol worshippers. You will not find him in the Sufi centre prostrating himself with the people of fantasy and self-worshippers.
Out of these three places for worshipping God, there may be one person out of a thousand working for the sake of God". " O dervish! The wise man and the verifier of the truth, and the men of God are hidden and this hiddenness is their guardian, their club, their fortress, and their weapon. This is the reason why they are clean and pure. He that is not hidden is a plot and a trick of Satan". O, dervish! Their exterior is like the exterior of the common people and their interior is like the interior of the elite. They don't give access to any leader or chief and they have no claim to be a leader…They spend most of their time in retreat and seclusion, and they don't enjoy interaction with this world. They are opposed to company with those of high position. If it is useful, they spend their time in association with the dear ones and the dervishes".
Sufis Serving Love :- The truly virtuous are they who? give food — however great be their want of it — unto the needy, the orphan, and the captive, saying, in their hearts, "We feed you for the sake of God alone: we desire no recompense from you, nor thanks: behold, we stand in awe of our Sustainer…"
One of the traditional roles of the dervish lodge was as community kitchen and hostel, providing food and shelter for the poor and for travelers. Many early Sufis were "sons of the road," wandering during the warm season, and relying on the grace of God and the spontaneous generosity of fellow Sufis for shelter and sustenance. Followers of other faiths also could count on such generosity, with no questions asked about their religion.
One who entertains dervishes will be compensated in paradise. Uthman Haruni
A kitchen in which meals were cooking around the clock was the hallmark of many Sufi saints. The great Chishti Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya was known to entertain large groups of traveling dervishes — even thirty or more — for up to three days at a time. The three-day limit is in keeping with Muhammad's counsel: "Hospitality extends for three days, and anything beyond that is charity." Ibn Batuta enjoyed and documented such hospitality during his travels in the 14th century, as did Evliya Efendi in the 17th century.
The desire to share food was one basis for the development of communities — the Turkish word tekke referred to a refectory or dining hall long before it became exclusively identified with a Sufi establishment. With the development of orders and communities came a greater capacity to serve greater numbers; but no matter what its size, each Sufi center had lodgings reserved for guests, and a place of honor for them at the table.
The Persian word langar was synonymous with a soup kitchen and resting place for travelers, or a Sufi residence. Ahmed Uzgani's largely mythical "History of the Uwaysis," set in East Turkestan around 1600 CE, includes stories of Sufi saints who established langars and spent years in this way of service. Legend has it that the kitchen of one of them, Ghiyath al-Din of Shikarmat, was miraculously granted a limitless supply of fire and water. The many references to holy men and women engaged in such work reflect the great value attached to it, and the widespread presence of langars throughout Central Asia.
Abdul Qadir Gilani, pir of the Qadiri Order, was known as Ghauth al-'Azam, "The Great Helper," and was renowned for his charity. According to the Qadiris, he was 'born of love, lived in a perfect way, and died having achieved the perfection of love." One of his characteristics was generosity, and the tradition which he started of feeding the poor is perpetuated every year by his followers on his urs, the anniversary of his death. On the 11th day of Rabi'al-Thani, at his shrine in Baghdad and throughout the Muslim world, thousands of people gather at meetings and festivals to recite Qur'an, to honor the memory of Abdul Qadir Gilani, and to partake of the large quantities of food cooked and distributed in his honor.
Following the example of their founder, Muinuddin Chishti, Chishti khanqahs have always kept open kitchens and have provided vital services in public emergencies. In 1976, when monsoon floods destroyed many houses in Ajmer, India, the Chishti khanqah there fed and housed many of the homeless. For centuries the Ajmer Langar Khana has cooked and distributed twice daily a barley porridge, itself known as langar. In 1904 the Rajputana District Gazetteer reported:
Two maunds and six seers of grain (178 lbs.) with six seers of salt (13 lbs.) are cooked and distributed to all comers before daybreak in the morning, and the same quantity before five o'clock in the evening… Besides the 1,570 maunds of grain (65 tons) which are thus yearly consumed, 644 maunds (27 tons) are annually distributed to infirm women, widows, and other deserving persons at their own houses.
Rajputana District Gazetteer
From the 15th to the 19th centuries CE, the Ansari caretakers of the shrine of Ali in Balkh (now Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan) offered to all comers a meal of bread and soup every Friday and Monday evening; and when they could afford it, sweets and fruit were set out after Friday and Monday evening prayers. The 16th Century Helveti Shaikh Ibrahim ibn Muhammad Gulshani established a dergah in Cairo which became widely known for its public offerings of food; its staff included a baker, a cook, and a "tablesetter for the poor."
In Ottoman lands, the imaret was a public institution serving travelers, the needy, dervishes, and the keepers of the mosques. The public kitchens of the imarets and many of the Sufi tekkes and zawiyas (all of which had open kitchens) were supported by waqf, charitable foundations established by government, and by wealthy and prominent men and women. Support also came from private donations and from the dervish orders' agricultural activities and industries. (For instance, for centuries the Bektashi Order controlled the most productive salt mines in the Ottoman Empire; the salt from those mines was called Hajji Bektash salt.) In the 16th century, the Istanbul imaret of Sultan Mehmed II Fatih prepared meals for over 1,100 people every day; its guest house accommodated up to 160 visitors at a time. Stores of cheese, cream and honey were earmarked for guests, and those fortunate enough to attend a banquet there were served special rice dishes such as dane and zerde.
Sufis have carried this tradition of service into modern times. Although Kemal Ataturk outlawed the Turkish dervish orders in 1925, in the 1930's Mevlevi Shaikh Suleyman Loras was permitted to open the kitchen of a Mevlevi tekke in order to feed the poor. Three evenings a week the Karagumruk Helveti-Jerrahi dergah, located in a poor section of Istanbul, accommodates 500 or more diners. Many local community residents come for dinner and leave after the meal, to be replaced by others who come to participate in dhikr. The Jerrahi dergah in Spring Valley, New York, serves 125 or more diners every Saturday night, and even more — and more frequently — during the month of Ramadan. Once a month, community members directly distribute cooked meals, person to person, to local families in need.
In Rufai dergahs throughout Turkey, tables are routinely set for 200-250 people. During Muharram, the Tirana, Albania, Bektashi tekke prepares ashura, a pudding of legumes and dried fruits, for 600 people. Throughout the year at the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship in Philadelphia, 50 to 200 people take their evening meal together every night.
In modern Egypt, offerings of food and hospitality are central to Sufi life. The Sufi center or saha offers meals and lodging to guests; some have enormous concrete tables accommodating one hundred of more diners at a sitting. At annual moulid observances honoring the anniversary of the death of Sufi saints, khidamat — hospitality stations — are set up in tents, at nearby buildings, or on simple cloths laid out upon the ground. Guests are offered food and drink, called nafha — a word with the dual meaning of "gift" and "fragrance." Nafha must be accepted, for not only is it a gift of the heart, but it carries with it the baraka of the saint being honored. Poor people partake of nafha for its nourishment; poor and rich alike partake of nafha for its baraka.
Dervish hospitality in the grand manner was described by an American guest of the Shaikh of the Tripoli Mevlevi tekke in the 1920's:
[The Shaikh] shouted welcome in French and Arabic as he came, embraced Dr. Dray like a grizzly bear, shook hands with me, deplored the hot weather, and led us to a terrace where he hoped there would be a little breeze…
We found ourselves[…] sipping a delicious pale-green liquid, mixed from freshly crushed white grapes and lime juice… The luncheon was an Arabian Nights feast of more than twenty courses and lasted for two hours. Whole roasted chickens, and chicken pilaf with rice, almonds, and raisins; lamb on skewers; lamb wrapped in grape leaves and cooked in olive oil, lamb stewed with eggplant; lamb cooked with peppercorns; delicious salads; cucumbers peeled at the table and eaten as we eat fruit; no less than six desserts, beginning with a great pan of custard, running the gamut of pastries with ground-up nuts and honey, to end at last with watermelons cooled in the fountain.
[…] through all the exuberance of his welcome, through the elaborate material luxury of our entertainment and his obvious whole-hearted enjoyment of the delicious food, I sensed continually that there was another side to this man and felt that his abundant physical vitality was not incompatible, perhaps, with powers which might be equally unusual in other directions. I had been told that he was a great mystic, and I was not prepared to doubt it on the superficial evidence.
William Seabrook
Six hundred years earlier, that Shaikh's Pir had written:
Sufis waits for the fulfillment of their desires —
that's why they eat so much!
But the Sufi who takes nourishment from the light of God
is free from the shame of begging.
Such Sufis are one in a thousand,
the rest live under their protection.
Both guest and host stand at the threshold between the known and the unknown worlds, between the mundane and the sacred. Whether the material setting be opulent or simple, the ultimate value of the relationship lies in the degree to which both are willing to reflect the divine qualities. The offering and acceptance of an invitation reflect the willingness of guest and host to render service and honor, to identify with each other, and to acknowledge that, in fact, there is no other. Knocking at the door, opening it in welcome, sharing company at the hearth, breaking bread in fellowship — these actions mirror the inner capacity for unconditional acceptance of the hospitality and sustenance God offers to all creatures. The epitome of such openness was depicted by the Hungarian traveler Arminius Vambery, who in 1862 was a guest in the tent of Allah Nazr, on the plateau to the north of Gomushtepe, Anatolia:
This old Turkoman was beside himself from joy that heaven had sent him guests; the recollection of that scene will never pass from my mind. In spite of our protestations to the contrary, he killed a goat, the only one which he possessed, to contribute to our entertainment. At a second meal, which we partook with him the next day, he found means to procure bread also, an article that had not been seen for weeks in his dwelling. While we attacked the dish of meat, he seated himself opposite to us, and wept, in the exactest sense of the expression, tears of joy. Allah Nazr would not retain any part of the goat he had killed in honor of us. The horns and hoofs, which were burned to ashes, and were to be employed for the galled places on the camels, he gave to Ilias; but the skin, stripped off in one piece, he destined to serve as my water-vessel, and after having well rubbed it with salt, and dried it in the sun, he handed it over to me.
Arminius Vambery
Whether he wore the robes of a Bektashi or not, it is clear that Allah Nazr understood the words of Hajji Bektash:
This is the state of the world: those who come shall pass away. Serve thou also. Lay out the meal. If you need help, seek it in generosity. When the people wanted courage and a miracle from 'Ali, he commanded Kanbar, saying, "Lay on the meal." Let all who would enter the tariqat and wear its dress seek out a traveler and serve him.
Hajji Bektash Veli
The origin and essence of man
Man is the mystery of God. For a mysterious purpose, man was outwardly created of clay and God breathed life into him, and all of the angels were commanded to prostrate themselves before him. As the Qur'an, which we believe is the highest form of revelation, declares:
"And remember when thy Lord said unto the angels: Lo I am creating a mortal out of potter's clay. So when I have made him and shaped him and have breathed into him of My Spirit, do ye fall down prostrating yourself unto him."
Sufism is a mystic tradition of Islam encompassing a diverse range of beliefs and practices dedicated to Allah/God, divine love and sometimes to helping fellow man. Tariqas (Sufi orders) may be associated with Shi'a Islam, Sunni Islam, other currents of Islam, or a combination of multiple traditions. It has been suggested that Sufi thought emerged from the Middle East in the eighth century, but adherents are now found around the world. Some Sufis have also claimed that Sufism pre-dates Islam and some groups operate with only very tenuous links to Islam.
The Qur'anic roots of Sufism
Sufism really has its roots in the Qur'an itself and in the religious experience of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The preliminary signs of revelation were given to the Prophet (pbuh) in the form of visions and the Prophet (pbuh) deliberately sought solitude until the book of his heart, which was pure and unspoiled by schoolmen, was opened and the Divine Pen engraved upon it the revelation, the Qur'an.
The Sufi's knowledge of God comes from the Qur'an directly. And in spite of the Sufi's proximity to God, the undisputed basis of their direct experience of God has always been the Qur'an. The Qur'an contains instructions suitable to man with varying levels of spirituality. It satisfies those who are content with merely exoteric practices, but also contains the deepest and most profound esoteric meaning for those who desire a closer, more mystical relationship with God.
The Qur'anic verses which are the favourites of the Sufis include:
"We [God] are closer to him [man] than his jugular vein." "Say, surely we belong to God and to Him do we return." "He is the First and the Last and the Manifest and the Hidden." "God is the light of the heavens and the earth."
Such verses are limitless in their depth, scope and meaning, and man may draw from them as much mystical meaning as he has the capacity to understand.
God says in the Qur'an that God sent His Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) first and foremost as a Mercy unto all peoples. And men of different levels of spiritual understanding may avail themselves of this Mercy according to their various capacities.
The Prophet (pbuh) and his close associates never stopped at merely observing the minimum requirement in regard to prayer and devotional practices. All through his life, the Prophet (pbuh) kept long night vigils and practised voluntary fasts during most days. He never ate barley bread (the staple food of his day) on three consecutive days, and he never even touched a loaf of wheat bread — which was a luxury. One of his favourite sayings was "Poverty is my pride," and this saying came to be quoted in every manual of Sufi doctrine, making the rule of poverty a basic characteristic of Sufi life.
Basic beliefs
The exact form of the basic beliefs depends on the Sufi School or current in question. While there are significant variations in approach among them, the underlying concepts remain similar.
Sufis believe that love is a projection of the essence of God to the universe.
The central doctrine of Sufism, sometimes called Wahdat or Unity, is the understanding of Tawhid: all phenomena are manifestations of a single reality, or Wujud (being), or al-Haq (Truth, God). The essence of being/Truth/God is devoid of every form and quality, and hence unmanifested, yet it is inseparable from every form and phenomenon either material or spiritual. It is often understood to imply that every phenomenon is an aspect of Truth and at the same time attribution of existence to it is false. The chief aim of all Sufis then is to let go of all notions of duality, therefore the individual self also, and realize the divine unity.
Sufis teach in personal groups, as the interaction of the master is considered necessary for the growth of the pupil. They make extensive use of parable, allegory, and metaphor, and it is held by Sufis that meaning can only be reached through a process of seeking the truth, and knowledge of oneself. Although philosophies vary between different Sufi orders.
The following metaphor, credited to an unknown Sufi scholar, helps describe this line of thought.
There are three ways of knowing a thing. Take for instance a flame. One can be told of the flame, one can see the flame with his own eyes, and finally one can reach out and be burned by it. In this way, we Sufis seek to be burned by God.
A significant part of Persian literature comes from the Sufis, who created great books of poetry (which include for example the Walled Garden of Truth, Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, the Conference of the Birds and the Masnavi), all of which contain teachings of the Sufis.
Sufi Poetry
Sufism has produced a large body of poetry in Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Kurdish, Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, which notably includes the works of Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi, Farid Ud-Din Attar, Abdul Qader Bedil, Bulleh Shah, Amir Khusro, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Sachal Sarmast, Sultan Bahu, as well as numerous traditions of devotional dance, such as Sufi whirling, and music, such as Qawwali.
History of Sufism
The history of Sufism can be divided into the following principal periods:
The history and methodology of Sufism
Sufism is an esoteric doctrine transmitted by word of mouth, and sometimes without even a spoken or written word, by an authorized teacher to a disciple, and from disciple to another disciple, in confidence. These secret instructions are acted upon by a disciple with perfect faith in the teacher. The disciple gives a report of his condition and experience in confidence to his teacher and receives another set of instructions most suitable to his state.
It is only the writings of the Sufi teachers, who speak from within the tradition, that allow an outsider a glimpse of the inner beauty of Sufism. One of the greatest scholars of all times was al-Ghazzali. He lived in the later eleventh and early twelfth centuries. He wrote his famous work The Revival of the Sciences of Religion in Arabic, with an abridged form, The Alchemy of Happiness, in Persian. These works were followed by the other writings and poetry by such Sufi teachers as Abdul-Karim al-Jili, Ibn Arabi, Suhrawardi, the famous Chishti saints, Hafiz, Sadi, Rumi and so many other Sufi poets.
At the same time there was an immense upsurge of open Sufi activity under the auspices of different Sufi orders in all parts of the Islamic world. Each Sufi order constituted a focal point of activity, from which Sufi teachings were carried to the mass of the population by the representatives of the head of the order. The Sufi organizations constituted the social cement of the society in which they lived. Because of the strength of this social cement, Islamic civilization was able not only to withstand the many political upheavals of this period, but it also acted as a civilizing influence on the powers that were responsible for these upheavals.
The conventional view is that the word originates from Suf (صوف), the Arabic word for wool, referring to the simple cloaks the early Muslim ascetics wore. However, not all sufis wear cloaks or clothes of wool. Another etymological theory states that the root word of Sufi is the Arabic word safa (صفا), meaning purity. This places the emphasis of Sufism on purity of heart and soul.
Others suggest the origin is from "Ashab al-Suffa" ("Companions of the Veranda") or "Ahl al-Suffa" ("People of the Veranda"), who were a group of Muslims during the time of the Prophet Muhammad who spent much of their time on the veranda of the Prophet's Masjid devoted to prayer.
Yet another etymology, advanced by the 10th century author Al-Biruni is that the word, as 'Sufiya', is linked with the Greek term for 'Wisdom' – 'Sophia', although for various reasons this derivation is not accepted by many at the present.
The Great masters of Sufism
The Sufis dispersed throughout the Middle East, particularly in the areas previously under Byzantine influence and control. This period was characterised by the practice of an apprentice (murid) placing himself under the spiritual direction of a Master (shaykh or pir).
Schools were developed, concerning themselves with the topics of mystical experience, education of the heart to rid itself of baser instincts, the love of God, and approaching God through progressive stages (maqaam) and states (haal). The schools were formed by reformers who felt their core values and manners had disappeared in a society marked by material prosperity that they saw as eroding the spiritual life.
Uwais al-Qarni, Harrm Bin Hian, Hasan Ul-Basri and Sayid Ibn Ul Mussib are regarded as the first mystics among the "Taabi'een" in Islam. Rabia was a female Sufi and known for her love and passion for God. Junayd was among the first theorist of Sufism; he concerned himself with 'fanaa' and 'baqaa', the state of annihilating the self in the presence of the divine, accompanied by clarity concerning wordly phenomena.
Formalization of philosophies of Sufism
Al Ghazali's treatises, the "Reconstruction of Religious Sciences" and the "Alchemy of Happiness," argued that Sufism originated from the Qur'an making it compatible with mainstream Islamic thought and theology. It was around 1000 CE that the early Sufi literature, in the form of manuals, treatises, discourses and poetry, became the source of Sufi thinking and meditations.
Propagation of Sufism
Sufism, during 1200-1500 CE, experienced an era of increased activity in various parts of the Islamic world. This period is considered as the "Classical Period" or the "Golden Age" of Sufism. Lodges and hospices soon became not only places to house Sufi students, but also places for practising Sufis and other mystics to stay and retreat.
The propagation of Sufism started from its origin in Baghdad, Iraq, and spread to Persia, Pakistan, North Africa, and Muslim Spain. There were tests of conciliation between Sufism and the other Islamic sciences (sharia, fiqh, etc.), as well as the beginning of the Sufi brotherhoods (turuq).
One of the first orders to originate was the Yasawi order, named after Khwajah Ahmed Yesevi in modern Kazakhstan. The Kubrawiya order, originating in Central Asia, was named after Najmeddin Kubra, known as the "saint-producing shaykh" , since a number of his disciples became shaykhs. The most prominent Sufi master of this era is Abdul Qadir Jilani, the founder of the Qadiriyyah order in Iraq. Others included Rumi, founder of the Mevlevi order in Turkey, Sahabuddin Suharwardi in Asia minor, and Moinuddin Chishti in India.
A number of scholars perceive influences on Sufism from pre-Islamic and non-Islamic schools of mysticism and philosophy. Some of these new perspectives originate from the synthesis of Persian civilization with Islam, an emphasis on spiritual aspects of Islam, and the incorporation of ideas and practices from other mysticisms such as Gnosticism, Judaism, and Hinduism into Islam . There are also claims regarding ancient Egyptian roots of Sufism which are not widely accepted.
Sufi concepts
The Six Subtleties
Drawing from Qur'anic verses, virtually all Sufis distinguish Lataif-e-Sitta (The Six Subtleties), Nafs, Qalb, Ruh, Sirr, Khafi & Akhfa. These lataif (singular : latifa) designate various psychospiritual "organs" or, faculties of sensory perception.
Sufic development involves the awakening of these spiritual centers of perception that lie dormant in an individual. Each center is associated with a particular colour and general area of the body, ofttimes with a particular prophet, and varies from Order to Order. The help of a guide is considered necessary to help activate these centers. After undergoing this process, the dervish is said to reach a certain type of "completion."
Man gets acquainted with the lataif one by one by Muraqaba (Sufi Meditation), Dhikr (Remembrance of God) and purification of one's psyche from negative thoughts, emotions, and actions. Loving God and one's fellow, irrespective of his race, religion or nationality, and without consideration for any possible reward, is the key to ascension according to Sufis.
These six "organs" or faculties: Nafs, Qalb, Ruh, Sirr, Khafi & Akhfa, and the purificative activities applied to them, contain the basic orthodox Sufi philosophy. The purification of the elementary passionate nature (Tazkiya-I-Nafs), followed by cleansing of the spiritual heart so that it may acquire a mirror-like purity of reflection (Tazkiya-I-Qalb) and become the receptacle of God's love (Ishq), illumination of the spirit (Tajjali-I-Ruh) fortified by emptying of egoic drives (Taqliyya-I-Sirr) and remembrance of God's attributes (Dhikr), and completion of journey with purification of the last two faculties, Khafi & Akhfa. Through these "organs" or faculties and the transformative results from their activation, the basic Sufi psychology is outlined and bears some resemblance to the schemata of kabbalah and the tantric chakra system.
Sufi cosmology
Although there is no consensus with regard to Sufi cosmology, one can disentangle at least three different cosmographies: Ishraqi visionary universe as expounded by Suhrawardi Maqtul, Neoplatonic view of cosmos cherished by Islamic philosophers like Ibn Sina/Avicenna and Sufis like Ibn al-Arabi, and Hermetic-Ptolemaic spherical geocentric world. All these doctrines (each one of them claiming to be impeccably orthodox) were freely mixed and juxtaposed, frequently with confusing results – a situation one also encounters in other esoteric doctrines.
Sufi practices
Tamarkoz or Muraqaba is the word used by many Sufis when referring to the practice of meditation. The Arabic word literally means observe, guard or control one's thoughts and desires. In some Sufi orders, muraqaba may involve concentrating one's mind on the names of God, on a verse of the Qur'an, or on certain Arabic letters that have special significance. Muraqaba in other orders may involve the Sufi aspirant focusing on his or her murshid, while others (such as the Azeemia order) imagine certain colors to achieve different spiritual states.
Dhikr (Zekr) is the remembrance of God commanded in the Qur'an for all Muslims. To engage in dhikr is to have awareness of God according to Islam. Dhikr as a devotional act includes the repetition of divine names, supplications and aphorisms from hadith literature, and sections of the Qur'an. More generally, any activity in which the Muslim maintains awareness of God is considered dhikr.
It is interesting to note that the practice of Muraqaba and Dhikr have very close resemblence with the practices of the Jewish mystics. Muraqaba is very similar to the Merkavah practice, which is one of the meditations used by Kabbalists to attain higher states of consciousness. Kabbalists also use a practice called Zakhor which in Hebrew literally means remembrance. Zakhor serves the same purpose in Kabbalah as Dhikr serves in Sufism. Another thing to notice here is that there is not only similarity in practice but also a strong similarity in the spelling and sounding of the words in Sufism and Kabbalah. This may imply that the Sufi mystical system has its origins in Judaism and its mystical tradition the Kabbalah.
Some Sufi orders engage in ritualized dhikr ceremonies, the liturgy of which may include recitation, singing, instrumental music, dance, costumes, incense, meditation, ecstasy, and trance. (Touma 1996, p.162).
Hadhra is a dance associated with dhikr practiced primarily in the Arab world. The word Hadhra means Presence in Arabic. Sometimes the sufi songs, or dances are performed as an appeal for the Presence of God, his prophets, and angels.
Qawwali is a form of devotional Sufi music common in Pakistan, North India, Afganistan, Iran and Turkey. It is known for its secular strains. Some of its modern-day masters have included Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and the Sabri Brothers.
SamaSama or Sema' (Arabic "listening") refers to Sufi worship practices involving music and dance (see Sufi whirling). In Uyghur culture, this includes a dance form also originally associated with Sufi ritual. See Qawwali origins and Origin and History of the Qawwali, Adam Nayyar, Lok Virsa Research Centre, Islamabad, 1988.
Khalwa refers to a form of retreat, once widespread but now less common. A khalwa may be prescribed by the shaykh (spiritual advisor) of the murid or talib (student). Muslims believe that most of the prophets, and also Maryam (Mary) the mother of Issa (Jesus), lived in some form of seclusion at some point in their life. Muhammad, for example, used to retreat to the cave where he received his first inspiration – but had been going there for many years prior to his meeting with the angel Gabriel. Similar examples include Moses' going into seclusion for 40 days in a cave in Mt. Sinai. Mary was in seclusion in the Jewish temple for a year, where only Zakariya was permitted to see her.
Orders of Sufism
Traditional orders
The traditional Sufi orders emphasize the role of Sufism within Islam. Therefore the Sharia (traditional Islamic law) and the Sunnah (customs of the Prophet) are seen as crucial for any Sufi aspirant. Among the oldest and most well known of the Sufi orders are the Qadiri, Chisti, Oveyssi, Shadhili, Jerrahi, Naqshbandi, Nimatullahi, Mevlevi and the Ashrafi. One proof traditional orders assert is that almost all the famous Sufi masters of the Islamic Caliphate times were also experts in Sharia and were renowned as people with great Iman (faith) and excellent practice. Many were also Qadis (Sharia law judges) in courts. They held that Sufism was never distinct from Islam and to fully comprehend and live correct with Sufism one must be a practicing Muslim obeying the Sharia.
Non-traditional Sufi groups
In recent decades there has been a growth of non-traditional Sufi movements in the West. Some examples are Universal Sufism movement, the Mevlevi Order of America, the Golden Sufi Center, the Sufi Foundation of America, and Sufism Reoriented.
Universal Sufism
Mainstream Sufism is seen by its scholars and supporters as a part of traditional Islam. However, there is a major line of non-Islamic or offshoot-Islamic Sufi thought that sees Sufism as predating Islam and being a universal philosophy, that is independent of the Qur'an and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad. This view of Sufism has been popular in the Western world, and the terms yogi and sufi are used interchangeably. Universal Sufism tends to be opposed by traditional Sufis, who argue that Sufism has always been practiced from within an Islamic framework and can never be separated from it. Inayat Khan founded Universal Sufism whilst also maintaining his lineage in Chisti sufism, and Idries Shah advocated similar concepts. Irina Tweedie and Abdullah Dougan also taught outside the Islamic context while maintaining the connection to their Naqshbandi heritage.
There is also an attempt to reconsider Sufism in contemporary Muslim thought from within. According to this view, Sufism represents the core sense of Islam that gives insight to God and His creation.
Traditional Islamic schools of thought and Sufism
Islam traditionally consists of a number of groups. The two main divisions are the Sunnis and the Shia. Sunni Islam consists of a number of schools of legal jurisprudence (called Madhabs). Sufis do not define Sufism as a madhhab – what distinguishes a person as a Sufi is practicing Sufism, usually through association with a Sufi order. Belief in Sufism is not sufficient for being recognized as a Sufi. Classic Sufi tariqas insist on adherence to one of the four Madhabs of Fiqh and one of the two orthodox schools of Aqida. In this sense, traditional practicers of Sufism don't see it as an exclusive group but just as a form of training necessary to cultivate spirituality and Ihsan in their lives.
The relationship between traditional Islamic scholars and Sufism is complicated due to the variety of Sufi orders and their history.
According to the followers of Sufism, the founders and early scholars of the schools (madhhabs) had positive attitudes towards Sufism, for example Imam Ibn Hambal used to visit the Sufi master Bishr al Hafi frequently. Later, there were some scholars who considered some aspects of Sufism rank heresy as well as those like Al-Ghazali who defended Sufis as true Muslims. In time, even the controversial words of Al-Hallaj came to be accepted by some scholars.
Today, many Islamic scholars (though not all) hold Tasawwuf, in the sense of Sufi doctrines and philosophies, to be the science of the heart or gnosis (as distinct from other branches of Islamic knowledge which are exoteric in nature) and appreciate Sufis for their extensive contributions to Islamic arts and philosophy. Many Muslims who are not themselves Sufis are influenced by Sufi teachings.
Here are the views of some famous scholars about Sufism.
Imam Abu Hanifa (85 H. – 150 H) "If it were not for two years, I would have perished." He said, "for two years I accompanied Sayyidina Ja'far as-Sadiq and I acquired the spiritual knowledge that made me a gnostic in the Way." [Ad-Durr al-Mukhtar, vol 1. p. 43]
Imam Malik (95 H. – 179 H.) "whoever studies Jurisprudence (tafaqaha) and didn't study Sufism [tasawwafa] will be corrupted; and whoever studied Sufism and didn't study Jurisprudence will become a heretic; and whoever combined both will be reach the Truth." [the scholar'Ali al-Adawi , vol. 2, p 195.)
Imam Shafi'i (150 – 205 AH.) "I accompanied the Sufi people and I received from them three knowledges: … how to speak; .. how to treat people withleniency and a soft heart… and they… guided me in the ways of Sufism." [Kashf al-Khafa, 'Ajluni, vol. 1, p 341.]
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (164 – 241 AH.) "O my son, you have to sit with the People of Sufism, because they are like a fountain of knowledge and they keep the Remembrance of Allah in their hearts. they are the ascetics and they have the most spiritual power." [Tanwir al-Qulub p. 405]
Imam Nawawi (620 – 676 AH.) "The specifications of the Way of the Sufis are … to keep the Presence of Allah in your heart in public and in private; to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (s) … to be happy with what Allah gave you…"[in his Letters, (Maqasid at-tawhid), p. 201]
Ibn Khaldun (733 – 808 AH.) "The way of the Sufis is the way of the Salaf, the preceding Scholars between the Sahaba and Tabi'een of those who followed good guidance…" [Muqaddimat ibn al-Khaldun, p. 328]
Tajuddin as-Subki (727 – 771 AH.) "May Allah praise them [the Sufis] and greet them and may Allah cause us to be with them in Paradise. Too many things havebeen said about them and too many ignorant people have said things which are not related to them. And the truth is that those people left the world and were busy with worship. … They are the People of Allah, whose supplications and player Allah accepts and by means of whom Allah supports human beings" [Mu'eed an-Na'am p. 190, the chapter entitled Tasawwufl
Jalaluddin as-Suyuti (849 – 911 AH.) "At-Tasawwuf in itself is the best and most honorable knowledge. It explains how to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (s) and to put aside innovation." [Ta'yid al-Haqiqat al-'Aiiyya,p 57]
lbn Qayyim (691 – 751 AH.) "We can witness the greatness of the People of Sufism, in the eyes of the earliest generations of Muslims by what has been mentioned by Sufyan ath-Thawri (d. 161 AH), one of the greatest imams of the second century and one of the foremost legal scholars. He said, "If it had not been for Abu Hisham as-Sufi (d. 115) 1 would never have perceived the action of the subtlest forms of hypocrisy in the self… Among the best of people is the Sufi learned in jurisprudence." [Manazil as-Sa'ireen.]
Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab (1115 – 1201 AH.) "My father Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab and I do not deny or criticize the science of Sufism, but on the contrary we support it, because it purifies the external and the internal of the hidden sins, which are related to the heart and to the outward form. Even though the individual might externally be on the right way, internally he might be on the wrong way. Sufism is necessary to correct it." [ad-Dia'at mukathaffa did ash-Shaykh Ibn Abdul Wahhab,p.85 ]
Ibn 'Abidin (1198 – 1252 AH.) "the Seekers in this Sufi Way don't hear except from the Divine Presence and they don't love any but Him. If they remember Him they cry, and if they thank Him they are happy; … May Allah bless them." [Risa'il Ibn'Abidin p. 172 & 173]
Muhammad 'Abduh (1265 – 1323 AH.) "Tasawwuf appeared in the first century of Islam and it received a tremendous honor. It purified the self and straightened the conduct and gave knowledge to people from the Wisdom and Secrets of the Divine Presence." (Majallat al-Muslim, 6th ed. 1378 H, p. 24].
Abul Hasan 'Ali an-Nadawi (1331 AH b.) "These Sufis were initiating people on Oneness and sincerity in following the Sunnah of the Prophet (s) and to repent from theirsins and to be away from every disobedience of Allah 'Azza wa Jail. Their guides were encouraging them to move in the way of perfect Love to Allah 'Azza wa Jail. "…In Calcutta India, everyday more than 1000 people were taking initiation into Sufism. "…by the influence of these Sufi people, thousands and thousands and hundreds of thousands in India found their Lord and reached a state of Perfection through the Islamic religion."[Muslit-ns in India, p. 140-146]
Controversy and criticism of Sufism
Sufism is a somewhat controversial subject today. For didactic convenience, the perspectives on Sufism as a part of Islam will be mentioned first and after that, the non Muslim groups who claim to be Sufi adherents.
Classic position on Sufism
Sufism was traditionally considered the systematisation of the spiritual component of Islam. It dealt with matters of the heart (just as Fiqh dealt with the body and Aqida dealt with the intellect). Many of the greatest Islamic scholars wrote treatises on the subject (eg. Al-Ghazali's ihya ulum-aldeen (····· ···· ·····), Imam Nawawi's Bustan al-Arifeen etc.). Many of the traditional scholars who were part of famous Islamic institutions (eg. Al-Azhar) like Ibn Ata'illah were Sufi masters. Even today, many of the traditional Islamic universities like Al-Azhar endorse Sufism as a part of the religion of Islam. Many of the famous Islamic scholars have praised Sufis and their practices. For a list, please refer to scholars on Sufism.
However, Sufism emphasises non quantifiable matters (like states of the heart). The authors of various Sufi treatises often used allegorical language which couldn't be read by an unknowledgeable person to describe these states (eg. likened some states to intoxication which is forbidden in Islam). This usage of indirect language and the existence of interpretations by people who had no training in Islam or Sufism led to doubts being cast over the validity of Sufism as a part of Islam. Also, some groups emerged that considered themselves above the Sharia and discussed Sufism as a method of bypassing the rules of Islam in order to attain salvation directly. This was disapproved of by traditional scholars. An example of such a deviant sufi was Abu Hilman. One of the most vocal critics of such deviations from the Islamic creed was Ibn Taymiya.
For a detailed essay on the role that Sufism plays in traditional Islam, please refer Place of Tasawwuf in traditional Islam.
Criticism of Sufism
The adherents of the Salafi school form the majority of Muslims opposed to Tasawwuf. They hold that Sufism was always held to be an innovation even by the earliest scholars. Some of their main criticisms are listed below.S
ufi masters have introduced many special prayers and devotional acts into their schools. These are criticised as being reprehensible innovations which are at best unnecessary. The supporters of Sufism defend their position by saying that innovations can be classified into good and bad ones. They hold that the textually transmitted prayers and invocations are superior in all respects to the ones they institute and that the latter only plays a reinforcing role rather than a main one.
Some point to certain practices like singing being inconsistent with the Sharia. Sufis defend their position by quoting prophetic traditions that condone certain forms of non instrumental music (refer links above).
The allegorical and often abstruse language used by Sufis in their texts when interpreted by unqualified people opens avenues for many misunderstandings. eg. The concept of divine unity Wahdat-ul-wujood which critics consider equivalent to pantheism and therefore incompatible with Islam. Sufi masters in many of their introductory texts caution aspirants from reading and interpreting texts by themselves. They hold that the subject can only be taught by a master to a student under strict guidance and supervision owing to its delicate nature.
Islamic positions on non Islamic Sufi groups
The use of the title Sufi by many groups to refer to themselves and their use of traditional Sufi masters (notably Jalaluddin Rumi) as sources of inspiration as well as the existence of interpretations of classical Sufis texts by people who have no grounding in traditional Islamic sciences has created a group of non-Islamic Sufis. These are considered by certain conventional Islamic scholars as "beyond the pale" of the religion. However, Sufis are often encouraged to observe a higher degree of forebearance. Some Sufi Sheikhs, although having been initiated in an Islamic setting themselves, have gone on to teach more widely and to make it clear that students of Sufism need not formally embrace Islam


text:
Dominican Cloistered Nuns Announce Capital Campaign for Needed Monastery Expansion
The Dominican Nuns of the Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary, Summit, New Jersey have launched a $4 million capital campaign called "Making the Light Shine Brighter." The first official kick-off event of the campaign will be held at St. Teresa of Avila Church's Memorial Hall, Summit, on Sunday, May 18th. Rev. Brian G. Plate, pastor of St. Teresa's and honorary chair of the Centennial Committee, will share the nuns' dreams of building a small wing onto their monastic structure. The purpose of the Campaign is to respond to the desire of the Church and the Dominican Order that those dedicated to the contemplative life should share their life of prayer, as well as to meet the needs of the growing community of nuns by a 5,500 square foot addition to the monastery.
The nuns built their monastery in 1939 but due to the Great Depression were never able to complete their monastery.
"Our facilities for welcoming the many people who come to our monastery to seek Christ and to share our life are severely inadequate," said Sr. Judith Miryam, OP, Director of Advancement. "In the past 10 years we have experienced a constant increase in the numbers of people who come to our monastery. Often we have to turn people away because of lack of space. The new wing will enable us to provide people with the ability to experience our life of prayer, listen to the Word of God and be touched by the maternal intercession of the Mother of God."
The new wing will include guest rooms, dining room, parlors and a gift shop which will feature their handmade Seignadou Soaps, Cloister Candles and crafted wood items from St. Joseph's Woodshop as well as religious articles and books.
The lower level of the proposed wing will be for the nuns' needs and include workrooms, offices and an exercise/therapy room. Due to the increasing number of vocations, rooms currently used as workrooms and offices are needed for monastic cells (bedrooms) for the new sisters in the community.
The new wing will be fully handicap-accessible. The chapel vestibule will be renovated to provide handicap accessibility to the chapel.
The driveway will be reconfigured for easier access with increased parking.
"From the very beginning of our foundation in 1919 we have been dependent on the Providence of God and He has never failed to provide for our needs through so many wonderful benefactors," said Sr. Mary Catharine, OP, Vocation Directress. "Trusting in God's constant care for us we are confident that He will open the hearts of many people to help us with this building project. We are looking for generous people who believe in the future of religious life and the importance of monasteries as vital places from which the Light of Christ shines upon our world in a special way."
The nuns will be celebrating the 800th anniversary of the founding of the Order of Preachers by St. Dominic in 2016 and the 100th anniversary of the founding of their monastery in Summit in 2019. They hope to finish the new wing in time for their centennial celebration.
The Dominican Nuns have the privilege of Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and their monastery is open to the public from 6 AM to 7 PM daily. All are welcome to participate in the nuns' life of prayer and experience the love and peace of Christ that can be found by spending time in prayer in their chapel. Daily Mass is at 7:15 AM and Sunday Mass is at 7:30 AM. The nuns' schedule of prayer can be found on their website: www.summitdominicans.org.
For more information about the Dominican Nuns' Capital Campaign go the Nuns' website at www.summitdominicans.org or please contact Sr. Judith Miryam, OP, Director of Advancement at firstname.lastname@example.com .


text: Think of this as our present to you - a whole extra issue of The Simple Things to savour over the holiday period. We're seeing in the new year with old friends, looking the cat's meow in a flapper dress and finding ways to get through all that Stilton. Here's the cover to look out for - subscribers will find issue 18 on their doormats from this weekend. Those who haven't yet signed up can get it at newsagents and supermarkets from 6 December. Happy Holidays! Let us know what you think of the cover at our Facebook page


text:
The secret of confident businesses: selling what customers really value
It's a paradox. Today's customers have more power and choice than ever. But they are less satisfied with the businesses that serve them.
What's going on? Customers have higher expectations, yet many businesses are losing sight of what matters to them. As a result, new, disruptive competitors are taking the business that's left on the table.
Building a strong value proposition is the first step towards re-connecting with your customers. But how do you turn it into a 'golden thread' that runs through your business, so that everything you do is focused on creating and selling what your customers really care about?
In short, how do you transform to become a selling organization?
We are delighted to announce the publication of our new book Selling Your Value Proposition, by Cindy Barnes, Helen Blake and Tamara Howard, which explains how. This practical, user-friendly guide will help business professionals to provide products and services that are of genuine value to their customers. The prize? Engaged customers and employees, solid revenues, a sense of business community and a successful sales process. In summary – a confident business, where everyone knows what they are doing and why.
Refining the techniques and skills developed throughout the authors' distinguished careers, including experience with more than 600 companies worldwide, this book is the essential step-by-step guide to building a value proposition that sells.
"Packed with tried and tested tactics and dozens of examples from real organizations, this is an essential read for execs in large corporates or anyone who wants to be customer-centric (internal or external), innovate and stay ahead of the game." Simon Gale, Procurement Director, Sony Europe
"We are living in the Age of the Customer. Selling Your Value Proposition provides leaders with fresh, insightful advice on how to drive the customer-centric business transformation our new world requires. The time has come for every employee to join the sales team, and Barnes, Blake and Howard provide a blueprint with powerful case studies to arm leaders with what they need to get started tomorrow. A must-read book for the Transformational Leader of the Future." Cate Gutowski, VP Commercial Digital, GE Digital
About the authors: Cindy Barnes is the founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Futurecurve. Her passion for genuine customer-centricity is transforming the operations and perspective of major organizations around the world.
Helen Blake is Chief Executive of Futurecurve. She is a business-winning expert and organizational psychologist who is a passionate advocate for generating better business through actively bringing the customer into business practice.
Tamara Howard helps international teams deliver on business goals. She has led sales teams at IBM, PA Consulting and Capgemini to achieve many successful multimillion pound deals.
About our publisher: Kogan Page is the leading independent global publisher of specialist professional books and content with over 900 titles in print. Its authors come from some of the world's most prestigious academic institutions, international commercial organisations or professional associations in Leadership, Management, Marketing, Branding, Human Resources, Coaching, Logistics, Entrepreneurship and Careers. Follow @KPMktng for information about new books and business insights from author experts.
Selling Your Value Proposition - ISBN: 9780749479916 - is available to purchase now through Kogan Page and on Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com.


text:
I have had the extreme pleasure of working with Kelly Keiser on two projects – my Russian Hill flat and my Pacific Heights office. Kelly's design aesthetic is brilliant. She coordinated and brought together new pieces to complement the existing furniture we had shipped from England. It was no easy task but she pulled it off with grace and confidence. Kelly created a beautiful space for us with high quality pieces on time and on budget. I love her sense of style. Kelly is also very fun to work with because she exudes positivity in the middle of a project and keeps the flow going. More importantly, she has a sense of humor. My new office looks stunning and everyone who comes in loves it. I could not have made the transition to this office without Kelly. I expect we will work together on another project in the future. I give Kelly Keiser my highest recommendation. She is an amazing designer.
- Lindsay Durgan
Kelly was able to produce a beautiful business esthetic with very little direction. She is a joy to work with, knowledgeable and has a wonderful eye for both function and beauty.
- Amy Hunter
Fabulous sense of style!
- Margot K
"Loved it Kelly demonstrated style and creativity in her suggestions and selections----and the ability to listen to a demanding client. That was seven years ago and I would think with her subsequent experience and learning she should rank among the interior design pantheons in SF. J william Grimes"
- Bill G
My wife and I loved working with Kelly Keiser Interior Design & Decoration. She was a valuable resource for us during our renovation, and then afterward when we furnished our house. We're very pleased with the results and we would recommend her to anyone that needs design and decoration help.
- Tthorntonsf
We're having the pleasure to work with Kelly on one of her interior design projects right now. What we love most with Kelly is her ability to understand and express what her client is looking for. She can easily spot five pieces from the hundred artworks on display at Lost Art Salon and sure enough the colors, subjects and the story created mix in total harmony. It helps that Kelly has a great knowledge of art in general and a flair for beauty.
- Lost Art Salon
"Kelly is fantastic! We live in a 3 bedroom/2 bath and we were looking for some help. Kelly came in and walked through every room (including our outside space) and gave us fantastic ideas on new accessories, positioning of furniture, placement of art, addition of bar cart and more. We have already implemented her ideas and our friends and family are raving about the new additions. Kelly just freshened the place up. I wish I had a bigger project for her but alas, we just rent not own, so we're just grateful for her truly unbelievable eye. Her ideas and suggestions have made me fall in love with my home again! I am definitely referring KK to friends and family."
- Tiffany M
I have worked with Kelly on three projects in the last ten years. She is delightful, professional, and most importantly (to me) she is responsive and has a deep respect for her client's time and timeframe. She knows I love to play designer but that I don't have quite the professional eye or free time to do a great job and so I found her to be a really great teammate - someone who works really hard to get inside the client's head and heart and deliver what they'll love. And to that point, she does prioritize function in your space so you don't just get a beautiful result, but a live able one. Love Kelly!
- Malden


text:
As long as there's been an America, Americans have been flocking to Europe on vacation, and it's not difficult to understand why. There is a Europe for every kind of traveler—the culture vulture, the beach lover, the cuisine explorer, and the rustic adventurer.
What is it that captivates us so much about Europe? We want to celebrate some of the things we love best about this continent and provide you with the best glamping vacation rentals to match. Whether you're still planning a last-minute summer vacation or looking ahead to next you, our best European rentals will have you running to book your tickets and pack your bag faster than you can say glamping.
Spain conjures images of atmospheric flamenco bars, narrow café-lined streets, towering cathedrals, and miles of pristine beach. This vacation rental offers glampers the opportunity to experience all of this and more, as this luxury tented cabin is located just seven miles from the major city of Cadiz and one hour from Seville. Glampers do not have to sacrifice the peaceful rolling hills of Andalusia for rich city culture—both can be enjoyed in equal measure on a summer vacation at this unique accommodation.
France encompasses medieval and port cities, rustic villages, Alpine peaks, and Mediterranean beaches—but it is probably the miracle that is French cuisine that we miss most when we return from a French vacation. When it comes to glamping rentals, this romantic medieval watchtower really is the crème de la crème.
Dating back to the 15th Century, this turreted retreat is just a stone's throw from the grand vineyards of Nuits Saint-Georges and Beaune. It lies in the heart of Burgundy, yet this manor is also just two hours from Paris and one hour from Lyon. Everyone would benefit from a few days spent in this French paradise, where wine tasting and long, al fresco lunches that go on into the late afternoon are not one-off activities, but a way of life.
No trip to Europe would be complete without a visit to England. What this small country lacks in size, it more than makes up for in diversity of culture and landscape. The only difficulty in planning a vacation to England is that there is simply too much to explore, from the quintessential sleepy villages and pubs of the Lake District to vibrant nightlife and imposing architecture of London. But we have found the perfect glamping solution.
This retro 1970s vintage campervan can be collected from London, and from there, the sky is the limit. You can explore the beaches of Devon and Cornwall, the vineyards and gardens of Kent, and the beauty and serenity of the English countryside, pitching up wherever you like along the way. Why not be a Rolling Stone for a week and experience the lifestyle of the original 1970s "roadie" with a touch of extra luxury?
Most people don't just take a vacation in Italy—they fall in love with Italy—so prepare yourself for the ultimate summer romance. Located in the beautiful region of Tuscany, this luxury tent not only offers access to the gorgeous Italian coastline, but also the chance to visit some of the most beautiful cities in Italy. From sun-kissed olive groves to irresistible gelato, there is so much to see and to experience in the surrounding areas. However, as the Italian saying goes, "Idleness is a beautiful thing," and finding relaxation and peace of mind is easy at this luxury tented retreat.
This really is just a taste of all that Europe has to offer. If these glamorous offerings were not enough to tempt you yet, take a look at all of our glamping sites in Europe for plenty more summer vacation ideas!


text:
Torn Basil, Heirloom Tomato
and Mozzarella Fresca Salad
6 cups baby arugula washed, spun dry
2 cups of sliced heirloom tomatoes
1/3 cup freshly torn basil leaves
½ small red onion, very thinly sliced
½ lb mozzarella fresca thinly sliced or bocconcini, halved
½ cup EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL* (see below)
2 Tbsp CHAMPAGNE VINEGAR*
2 Tbsp WHITE BALSAMIC* (see below)
1 tsp grainy mustard
½ tsp HIMALAYAN PINK SALT*
freshly ground BLACK PEPPER* to taste
Combine the Champagne and white balsamic in a small bowl and place the red onions in the bowl to quickly "pickle" for 5 minutes or up to 10 minutes. The vinegar will turn a light shade of pink. Remove the onions and reserve. Whisk the mustard and salt into the vinegar. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking briskly and constantly to create a semi-emulsion.
Just before serving dress the baby arugula with just a few drizzles of the vinaigrette. Arrange the dressed arugula in a layer in a shallow, wide bowl or platter. Add the pickled onions, sliced tomatoes, cheese and torn basil leaves over the top. Add a few more drizzles of the vinaigrette and fresh cracked pepper to taste. Serves 4-6.
* Available at The Vintage Olive *
OLIVE OIL IDEAS: Herbes de Provence, Garlic, Lemon, Basil, Tuscan Herb,
Blood Orange, any Traditional Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
WHITE BALSAMIC IDEAS: Sicilian Lemon, Oregano, Alfoos Mango, Jalapeño,
Lemongrass Mint, Honey Ginger, Traditional White.


text:
July 16, 2019
Every Business is a Digital Business
One of the things that is driving the increase in mobile commerce is that every business is now a digital business. It doesn't depend what type of industry you are in. It may be how your customers find you or how they purchase your products or services. It is the combination of a web and mobile-first world that is changing everything. It is more convenient for users to access e-commerce and mobile commerce than it ever has been. At ThreatMetrix, we create an environment of helping you identify and stop fraudsters, while recognizing trusted users and customers.
Let's say it's a username and a password that has been previously leaked. It may be that you've also used it with a credit card company or on a e-commerce website or even a social networking company. It means I can then open credit in your name. It also means I have access to sensitive information. It is important to emphasize that the data is generated from business-to-consumer content. What businesses must be aware of at all times is that when your customers transact, there is a potential area of compromise that can be used against you.
What happens to malware after it gets released? How often is it used? Quite simply, cybercrime is committed in two ways. They either conduct a malware infused data breach or purchase identities elsewhere. Fraudsters buy identities from forum sites on the dark web. Then the cybercriminals use proxies or more recently virtual private networks (VPN) to hide their true identities. Fraudsters also infect users' devices with man-in-the-middle to intercept passwords and other sensitive data. These attacks tend to escalate once you have two-factor authentication where there is sufficient reward for the effort required.
The Fraud Prevention Power of the Digital Identity Network
ThreatMetrix is the largest Digital Identity Network, which essentially means we take anonymized data about transactions, whether someone is logging into a bank or completing a credit card transaction. The actions that happen within our Network over a six-month period account for approximately 6 billion transactions. The data indicates authentication before completing a transaction.
Millions of identities have been breached. The identity is being used by cybercriminals. It is not being used just to apply for credit cards, which is what things like your free credit reports are aimed at helping to protect. There are also mobile applications that have a trick SDK, but it is really gaining information about your device. In their fraud prevention efforts many retailers are needlessly making trusted consumers perform step-up authentication causing frustration and online cart abandonment. ThreatMetrix makes authentication better with less user-friction increasing sales, as a direct result.


text:
It is important that every person understands how and when to call for emergency services, regardless of age. Early childhood settings provide the perfect platform for important educational messages and provide a safe learning environment for children to understand these messages. It is often the case that children are responsible for dialling Zero Zero Zero in an emergency and become solely responsible for directing the ambulance.
As a pre-cursor to the Be an Ambulance Hero: Dial Zero Zero Zero primary school education program, the Ambulance Emergency Helpers Program aims to prepare children between the ages of 3-5 years for emergency situations. This free electronic program includes the following program lessons:
Visits by paramedics to child care facilities and primary schools are undertaken on a limited basis, however, from time to time our staff may volunteer to provide presentations in their local area. Our primary focus is the delivery of emergency pre-hospital health care and transport services.
Listen to the Hooley Dooleys tm 'Zero Zero Zero' Theme SongKids Stuff
Introduction Letter
The teacher resource booklet can be used to deliver the emergency helpers program and contains the following lessons:
Download the booklet [PDF, 1,423,067kB]
For information on how to play the emergency services memory card game download our Tips for role play and games
Download the memory game [PDF, 466,954kB]
Download the faq [PDF, 893,391kB]
Download the personal contact card [PDF, 169,861kB]
Download the emergency helper certificate [PDF, 1,401,421kB]
A set of 12 flashcards (A4 in size) can be used as visual teaching aids to assist teachers explain the difference between ambulance, police and fire. Topics include uniforms, equipment and vehicles.
Download the flashcards [PDF, 1,499,626kB]
A number of innovative community education programs have been implemented to assist identify life threatening conditions, understand what to do in an emergency and the importance of adopting illness prevention strategies.