text:
OpenCL 2.0 Feedback Series:
- OpenCL Standardization Issues
- My OpenCL Vision and Philosophy
- OpenCL 1.3: My Proposal For a Final 1.x Release
- OpenCL 2.0: SPIR Feedback and Vision (this article)
The SPIR 1.2 provisional specification is critical to the success of OpenCL because it provides freedom to the software community to explore new device languages. Personally, I have my own ideas for new device languages and abstractions but I have been unable to explore them due to inflexibility within the OpenCL standard. Although SPIR 1.2 is close to what I want, it isn't quite good enough. In this article I am going to outline what I want SPIR to be, so that I can stop complaining and start developing software.
What is Wrong with OpenCL?
OpenCL provides some motivation for its existence within the standard:
"OpenCL supports a wide range of applications, ranging from embedded and consumer software to HPC solutions, through a low-level, high-performance, portable abstraction. By creating an efficient, close-to-the-metal programming interface, OpenCL will form the foundation layer of a parallel computing ecosystem of platform-independent tools, middleware and applications." [1]
Tim Mattson (Principal Engineer, Intel Corp.) also provides a quote which outlines the motivation for OpenCL.
"OpenCL, however, is an unusually complex parallel programming standard. It has to be. I am aware of no other parallel programming model that addresses such a wide array of systems: GPUs, CPUs, FPGAs, embedded processors, and combinations of these systems. OpenCL is also complicated by the goals of its creators. You see, in creating OpenCL, we decided the best way to impact the industry would be to create a programming model for the performance-oriented programmer wanting full access to the details of the system. Our reasoning was that, over time, high-level models would be created to map onto OpenCL. By creating a common low-level target for these higher level models, we'd enable a rich marketplace of ideas and programmers would win. OpenCL, therefore, doesn't give you many abstractions to make your programming job easier. You have to do all that work yourself." [2]
I completely agree with these goals and objectives, but OpenCL is certainly not achieving them today. The problem is that OpenCL has not really provided a low-level standard, instead it is bundled with abstractions and machine models that are continuously tweaked. This is happening because OpenCL has not defined a clear software-hardware interface that separates hardware and software developer concerns. OpenCL has become incredibly complicated, with full and embedded profiles, custom devices, function deprecations, and continuous adjustments to the standard manifested in new versions. The fundamental problem is that OpenCL is attempting to do everything.
If OpenCL is to succeed, it is going to have to reduce its scope and allow a software ecosystem to develop. Don't get me wrong, I really love OpenCL, but I am frustrated by my inability to experiment with new abstractions and models. OpenCL does not expose close-to-the-metal features that are not easily mapped to the philosophy of OpenCL C such as 24-bit integers, or new memory features like the AMD global data share. Instead, OpenCL provides an abstraction for programmers that hardware vendors map to their unique devices. This is a great approach if we knew that our abstractions were correct and sufficiently general but we don't!
Is there any abstraction in OpenCL that I actually like? The execution model, buffers or the device model? No, and it's not because I'm pessimistic. I do not believe that OpenCL should provide software abstractions directly, instead OpenCL should be a thin layer above the physical hardware as outlined in the quotes above. OpenCL should expose low-level interfaces to the hardware, and abstractions such as the current OpenCL 1.2 specification should be built on top of those. OpenCL should not include a compiler, or even a view of memory. Instead, OpenCL should provide the bare interfaces required to query and control hardware, leaving the rest to software tools. What is unique about OpenCL is the agreement of hardware vendors to build a portable software interface to their devices. The abstractions and programming models should be left to software developers.
What Does SPIR Fix?
SPIR provides a low-level representation of a program to run on a device. I have been careful to not mention kernels or OpenCL C in that last sentence for a good reason. SPIR has enormous potential to provide me with a low-level target for my own compiler and tools, so that I can stop complaining about OpenCL and start programming. Theoretically, if I can generate SPIR instructions that represent a program and load them onto a device, then I'm ready to start working on new tools and technology. But the problem is that SPIR still has too many dependencies on OpenCL C, and the memory and execution models of OpenCL. So, SPIR is still too far away from the hardware. I have to take my new abstractions and translate them to SPIR using OpenCL abstractions, before I can directly reach the hardware. Unique hardware features such as the global data store are not going to be visible to me in SPIR due to its dependency on OpenCL C.
The problem is that SPIR and OpenCL C cannot exist in a vacuum. You cannot write software without a concept of memory, and without some form of execution. OpenCL C and SPIR are representations of programs that have been built based on execution and memory models within the OpenCL standard. These models are abstractions that have already changed over time despite the fact that the underlying hardware has remained the same. The goal of SPIR should be expose the unchanging low-level capabilities of the physical hardware, and to allow high-level abstractions to decide which functionality to use. In particular, OpenCL C should be compiled to this low-level version of SPIR based on the capabilities of the device and structure of the C program. We have to recognize that there is not a useful and common subset of hardware features in heterogeneous computing. The OpenCL standard already provides the inelegant embedded profile and custom device to address differences in hardware features. We have to embrace a flexible model in which hardware exports services that describe what it can do, and leaves the rest to software. I have made an argument for something like this in this article.
I would be happy if SPIR provided a low-level representation of a program to run on a device, where the execution and memory models could be dependent upon the particular device. Although I believe in the power of abstraction to unify disparate devices, I do not believe that SPIR is the place for this to occur. Abstractions should be provided at a higher level. By default, SPIR should be capable of doing nothing, and a mechanism should be provided to query the fine-grained capabilities of the device. I view the memory and execution models as capabilities, along with support for things such as 24-bit integers, global data stores, and half-precision types. If this is done, then SPIR is so low-level that it appears almost useless and you might wonder if I would be happier to abandon OpenCL and directly use the device ISA. You certainly should be asking me why I think such an approach has any elegance whatsoever!
The elegance in this approach is that there is a clearly defined software-hardware interface. The hardware vendor has to provide me with SPIR, and expose the capabilities of the device in a library. That's it. My job is to figure out how to map high-level languages and abstractions to your device based on the properties that make it unique. This is not the ISA directly, because we have these fine-grained capabilities that hardware vendors still agree upon for particular feature subsets. For instance, if your device supports 32-bit atomic operations as a capability, all vendors have agreed upon a standard representation of that feature within SPIR. In a more complicated situation, hardware transactional memory can become a feature that is exposed via SPIR without major changes to the entire OpenCL memory model! If SPIR was this flexible, then hardware vendors and software vendors have clearly defined roles and applications are actually more portable.
How is it that applications can be more portable if SPIR was this flexible? Suppose that SPIR programs are written in such a way that I can easily figure out where each capability is used. For the sake of argument, suppose that we are five years in the future and we have an application in SPIR based on OpenCL 1.2. Hardware has changed in the future so that the previous notion of global, local, and private memory regions are now obsolete. We have a new memory abstraction, and a shiny new piece of hardware but we need to run this old OpenCL 1.2 program. What do we do? We rely upon the software ecosystem to produce a tool that can translate SPIR code based on the old memory model to the new one. The translated legacy program might not use hardware features optimally, but it runs on new hardware which might be faster anyway. The software that translated memory models was only possible because the OpenCL standard anticipated that its own programs will eventually become obsolete due to the introduction of new hardware features and software abstractions.
Flexible SPIR Permits Hardware Secrecy
It has been brought to my attention that hardware vendors love secrecy, which might explain part of the apparent dysfunction of the standardization process. Hardware vendors need to expose software support for their new product lines, but they want to keep those upcoming products secret until they are announced. If vendors prematurely release software support they provide competitors with an opportunity to understand their new product line. I am not going to ask that hardware vendors change their culture, but by understanding this need we can design around it. If hardware vendors agreed upon fine-grained capabilities in secret within Khronos, and did not release the specification for those capabilities until the last minute, everybody is happy. Software developers simply see a new capability which they can use or ignore, and hardware vendors are not forcing software to be refactored to work with a new OpenCL version. In fact, the capability model I proposed along with SPIR provide an opportunity for OpenCL versions to be eliminated altogether!
Flexible SPIR for Innovative Hardware
Suppose that you are a hardware manufacturer that has just developed a new device, and you want OpenCL applications to be able to use it. What do you do? Today, you have to implement OpenCL C and the host API. There are open source implementations, but you still have quite a bit of work to do. If a flexible version of SPIR was provided which adopted my proposal for capabilities, then all you have to do is provide implementations of the fine-grained capabilities that you actually support, and something to load SPIR code onto your device. Everything else is an abstraction provided by high-level libraries and middleware. Your job as a hardware vendor is to expose access to your hardware in a standard manner. By enumerating the capabilities of your device, my application can immediately start to use your device without any adjustment to software. The role of middleware is to assemble these low-level device capabilities into high-level concepts that are exposed in a useful way to applications.
OpenCL Extensions
SPIR 1.2 provides support for extensions, and you might wonder if this is sufficient. It isn't. The problem with extensions is that they do not allow replacement of core things like the memory or execution models. The best that OpenCL can do with an extension mechanism is generate something like the lava flow anti-pattern. Capabilities are designed to be cleanly separated, though it might help to consider my proposal as shifting all functionality into extensions, and the core standard is empty.
The Image Problem
In my opinion, direct support for images in OpenCL is a mistake. OpenCL should be a very low-level layer that defers most functionality to high-level libraries, and that includes image support. Why are images so special that they should be a core consideration of the standard? Why can't images be implemented as a library on top of buffers? What does this have to do with SPIR? Images are a very interesting mistake because they demonstrate something fundamental about heterogeneous computing!
You cannot write image support as a library (so far) because images may use special hardware on a GPU. OpenCL C must know that the user is performing image operations to compile efficient code for the device. The opaque image types and image functions communicate user intent to the compiler so that it can generate efficient device code for image manipulation. As an intermediate between OpenCL C and the device, SPIR must support images so that the device can generate efficient code. Essentially, images represent a high-level operation that can be efficiently implemented at a low-level, but only if the high-level intent is communicated all the way down to the lowest level of the software stack. So images are not special per se, but they are an example of something general that is missing from OpenCL.
Suppose that my suggestion for a capability model is accepted and that SPIR is extended with a sparse matrix opaque type along with a fixed set of associated functions. High-level languages can expose the sparse matrix capability to developers, and generate SPIR code that expresses program logic using opaque sparse matrix types and accessor functions. There are now two situations, either a device is available with direct support for sparse matrices or it isn't. If a device supports sparse matrices, it may have an efficient mapping from SPIR to its ISA, or it might provide direct hardware support. Alternatively, if no device has direct support for sparse matrices from the hardware vendor, I can write middleware that will examine the capabilities of a device and translate the incoming SPIR with sparse matrices into SPIR for that specific device. Hardware vendors can develop new devices that accelerate popular capabilities and existing programs can directly benefit when the new device is released.
Whether or not you agree with my solution, SPIR must acknowledge the image problem.
The OpenCL Software-Hardware Interface: SPIR
If my proposals are adopted then the high-level interface of OpenCL will change to match the following diagram:
Applications will be built on top of libraries that use device capabilities to provide new abstractions. OpenCL becomes a low-level standard that defers most functionality to high-level software, which aligns with the stated vision for the specification. The capability interface permits hardware and software to change independently, which is absolutely critical due to the state of industry flux introduced by parallel programming and heterogeneous computing. The capability model also provides a stable binary interface akin to a kernel system call.
SPIR must be decoupled from OpenCL C so that new languages can be developed. At this time, the SPIR specification references functions provided by OpenCL C and in my opinion this introduces a bad dependency. Instead, an OpenCL C compiler should be implemented using SPIR as a target, and rely upon opaque types and capabilities for special functionality. SPIR should be very simple, and OpenCL C built-in functions should be implemented through capabilities or SPIR code. I view the reference of built-in functions within the SPIR specification as a conceptual flaw within OpenCL.
SPIR is also important to permit the linking of multiple source files written in different programming languages. SPIR should be the ISA of a conceptual machine which by default does nothing, until capabilities are added one-by-one that describe what this machine can actually do. The following diagram demonstrates the ideal situation for OpenCL applications:
There is another critical point to note, just in case you haven't notice it yet. If SPIR is decoupled from OpenCL C, then hardware vendors can concentrate exclusively on SPIR implementations and leave OpenCL C to be developed by the open source community. In particular, there is no reason why hardware vendors could not cooperatively develop an open source OpenCL C compiler. This will benefit the entire community because it will provide a very stable toolchain for developers, while freeing resources for hardware vendors to concentrate on useful optimizations within SPIR.
Is OpenCL Still Useful?
You might wonder whether or not I have "missed the point" of OpenCL. The OpenCL specification provides OpenCL C, memory and execution models, and abstractions so that I don't have to care about the underlying hardware. I propose that OpenCL and SPIR should become something more general, and potentially more complicated for developers to actually write applications. Isn't this a bad thing?
I understand the desire for OpenCL to be useful "out of the box". However, OpenCL has stated that one of its objectives is to enable an ecosystem of portable middleware and software, and in my opinion OpenCL has failed at this objective. I am itching to do some really neat things with OpenCL, but I am shackled by the specification to use abstractions that I actually don't find useful. I really want the OpenCL specification to provide an escape hatch for developers like myself who want to build cool new technology. My goal is to start a software company that uses OpenCL as a low-level platform that exposes hardware hardware functionality, and permits me to develop my own innovations for parallel programming.
I also see that my suggestions require relatively minor adjustment to the standard now, and can provide enormous benefits by providing a clear software-hardware interface. Right now, the OpenCL standard is interfering with my ability to write amazing software due to the unclear boundaries between software and hardware concerns. OpenCL has really demonstrated its utility and unified hardware vendors, but I am asking for more flexibility so that I can make inroads into the software marketplace. People will buy software products from me that really unleash OpenCL.
What About Fragmentation?
So let's say all of my wishes come true, and I get my flexible version of SPIR and a capability model. What happens if everybody starts to develop abstractions on top of OpenCL, and the software marketplace becomes fragmented with incompatible abstractions? Good! This means that OpenCL has lived up to its promise, and the software community has an increased probability of finding the abstractions that really work. This in turn benefits the hardware vendors, because OpenCL is helping you sell devices. I assure you that software developers are quite familiar with the situation in which there are many ways to solve a problem. Although we love to fight over which abstraction we should use in which situation, we are actually happiest when we have a diverse set of abstractions from which to choose. Different projects will require different abstractions, but we can handle that as developers. The role of the hardware vendor is to allow the software community to create these abstractions and debate them, and the best mechanism for that is adjustment of OpenCL.
Why Don't I Just Do This Myself?
If this is such a great idea, why don't I just go out there and develop my own abstractions on top of OpenCL? I wish that I could, but there are a couple problems. First, OpenCL is unique in that it combines a host API with a programming language. If OpenCL was only a host API, I probably could develop a decent capability interface. The problem is that I can't really touch OpenCL C unless I write my own compiler, and this is a major undertaking. It is also a waste of my time, because rather than working on abstractions and delivering software to customers, I am expending a considerable about of time "fixing" the OpenCL standard without support from the standards body. Second, I have no idea how OpenCL is going to change. I would have to partition the OpenCL standards into capabilities myself, and there is no guarantee that my partitions will align with future plans for OpenCL. So, even if I develop my own OpenCL compiler and host API with capability support, changes to the standard might mess up how I divided capabilities. The only option I have is to make capabilities so fine-grained as to be useless.
I do strongly believe in the need for a capability interface, and so I am starting to partition the OpenCL standards into capabilities myself. However, without support from Khronos I will waste a lot of my time attempting to provide abstractions for a moving target. Hardware vendors also do not get the benefit of developing capabilities themselves in secret and providing them when they are ready. I do not think that my suggestion for capability support should be so controversial, because with the number of versions of OpenCL, the embedded and full profiles, the custom device and so on, it already does provide capabilities just not in a nice way!
Please let me know what you think. I have carefully considered this topic, so if something isn't clear please just ask for clarification in the comment section! Just say hello if you'd like, since writing these articles takes a considerable amount of my time.
[1] Khronos OpenCL Working Group. The OpenCL 1.2 Specification, revision 15. Web.
[2] Gaster, Benedict R. et al. Heterogeneous Computing with OpenCL, Second Edition. Morgan Kaufmann 2012. Print.


text:
Garage Door Repair Specials
At Great Garage Door Company, we're constantly offering great deals to our customers. Please see our current specials below! We look forward to providing you with a FREE Garage Door Quote!
$99 Garage Door Tune-Up & Double Spring Replacement $219 (See Details Below)
New 16x7 Raised Panel or Carriage House Doors from $780 Installed (Windows and Removal/Recycling additional).
- Raised Panel or Carriage House Door: If you need durable, well-built garage doors but have an uninsulated or detached garage, this is the way to go. Package includes all new heavy commercial 14-gauge hardware, new springs, track, rollers, and cables for the low price of $780. Includes Wind Code reinforcement.
- Premium Quality 2" Thick Steel Front/Steel Back Door: This fully-insulated door with an R-Value of up to 10.23. The steel sandwich construction gives you the rigidity and durability you want in a premium quality door. At only $995 for a 16x7 door, this includes all new tracks, rollers, hardware, and installation. Includes Wind Code reinforcement.
- Insulated 2" Thick Steel Front/Vinyl Back Door: At only $890 for a 16x7 garage door installed, this is an outstanding value. New tracks, rollers, hardware and installation is included in this price. Includes Wind Code reinforcement.
- Custom Designs, Wood Doors, and Special Sizes: If you need a 5'x6' or a 32' x 24' door, we can do it. Need an ultra modern glass door? No problem. A specially designed custom overlay? Of course! Special installation requirements or situations are no problems. See our Wood & Custom Doors page.
Call us now for a free on-site consultation!
(763) 767-3000 • (651) 486-0000 • (952) 895-7300 • (612) 338-1262
or Check out all our options under Residential Doors
Tune-Up Specials
Depending on your garage door needs, we're offering two incredible tune-up specials!
$99 Tune-Up & Safety Inspection (Save $20!)
This is our 20-point Safety Inspection and Adjustment of critical door components. It includes the lubrication of rollers, hinges, bearings, springs, alignment of tracks, and balancing of your door.
$199 Tune-Up & Safety Inspection PLUS (Save $126!)
This tune-up includes the replacement of all your rollers with super-quiet nylon ball-bearing rollers. (If you have replaced the tires on your car more recently than you've replaced your garage door rollers, it's time to consider this.) It also includes the replacement of both cables with 1/8" aircraft-grade galvanized cables. Finally, we conduct our 20-point Safety Inspection & Adjustment of critical door components, including lubrication of rollers, hinges, bearings, and springs, alignment of tracks, and balancing of your door.
Two Long-Life Springs for $219.00
Replace your worn-out, broken springs with new long-life springs for only $219 installed. Service includes a 20-point inspection, lubrication of rollers, bearings, and hinges, alignment of tracks, and balancing of the door. Price includes tax, materials, labor and the service call, and we guarantee installation by the end of the next business day!
LiftMaster 8165 1/2hp Chain Drive Opener $319.00
Includes: Interior Wall Button, 1 Handheld Remote & Safety Eyes
This heavy duty chain drive opener includes a 4 year motor warranty and a 1 year parts and labor.
Includes Tax, Material And Labor for a 7' tall door (taller doors require a longer rail which is slightly more expensive.
Limited Quantities - While supply lasts.
$359 Garage Door Rebuild
For only $359 – less than 1/3 the cost of the average new double-wide garage door – our rebuild package is a good option for the home owner who wants to refresh a tired door or to prevent costly emergency repairs. Service includes new springs, cables, end bearings, rollers, vertical track, and 20-point tune up!
Free Estimates
Same Day Service
forever pledge
we will always be there for you
the best warranties available
|Lifetime warranty on door sections
Lifetime spring warranty
5 year applied hardware warranty
1 year labor warranty
|We build the quality into all of our products and stand behind them with award winning service since 1985

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Russell Mulcahy Biography & Movies
Born: June 23, 1954
RUSSELL MULCAHY Date of Birth: June 23, 1954 Australian film director Russell Mulcahy began his career directing music videos for artists such as Elton John, Bonnie Tyler, Queen and Billy Joel. He has the distinction of having directed the first music video MTV ever aired: "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles. Mulcahy made his feature film directorial debut with the British comedy Derek and Clive Get the Horn (1979), starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. His next film,... See All


text:
Donkey Kong 64 is a 3D platforming adventure game in which the player, as Donkey Kong and his friends, explores an island and collects items to progress through minigames and puzzles.The game follows a traditional storyline in which K. Rool and his Kremlings invade Donkey Kong's idyllic island and kidnap his friends. After a tutorial, the player embarks as Donkey Kong to rescue them.
Now on Startselect!
Now available at Startselect: Donkey Kong 64. At Startselect you can purchase your digital games and gift cards anywhere and anytime. All of our products are fully authorized and supported by the publisher or developer.
Do you want to purchase this product? Just pick one of the payment methods, check out and you will receive your digital code almost immediately in your mailbox. If you run into any problems or if you have a question, our support team is standing by. We want to give you the easiest shopping experience, so you can use your product straight away!
Happy with your choice? Be sure to check out all the other products available at Startselect!About this game
Who doesn't like adventure? Exactly, that's what we thought. Adventure games are usually full of excitement, mystery, exploration and multiple objectives. Games which also have a lot of action going on are called action-adventure, but there also some pretty good survival horrors out there to grab… if you dare!
Platform games are almost as old as the arcades, but still one of the most beloved genres. Often set in a 2D environment, your character needs to overcome some pretty crazy obstacles like enemies, cliffs or walls by using superhuman abilities. In other words, platform games make you feel like superman!


text:
Posts Tagged 'sea'
Jyväskylä to Jakobstad
We part at a car park. Now I'm on my own again. As with anything, too much of a good thing is taking its toll. I think I am having a hangover after a monthly overdose of family and friends. In other words, I'm feeling lonely.
The landscape is pretty much unchangeable – the red wooden buildings are scattered in between trees, expands of water in between forests. I wonder whether it's possible to name all that – the water systems seems to be one and many – everything is interlinked, flows in and out of each other. Just look at the map!
Closer to the sea landscape changes to less ever greenery and more leaves. Lakes have the wooden mini piers for… I don't actually know if they are for anything else but swimming but they have benches so I have my lunch on one. Interesting how Finns use wood and man made structures looks elemental, close to the nature.
I can hardly see any people. Even in towns and villages streets are empty. Maybe it's a wrong time of the day or just a massive exodus to some place in southern Spain or some equivalent. Or, one might suggest, there's just not many people in rural Finland.
Jakobstad greets me with hotness, beautiful sunlight and annoying teenagers on cars and scooters. Everyone who has some half decent two or more wheels seems to think that everyone enjoys hearing their tires scream when going around corners and the sound of exhaust should be used in a national anthem.
I am thinking about the crowd of people doing aerobics outside of the hotel in Jyvaskyla.
I unpack in the hostel and go to explore the town. The park bit at the west part of town looks particularly appealing as it goes out to the sea. I take a wrong turn and end up going through a cemetery, how inappropriate my coffee feels in this place…
Wooden houses and gravel roads. I peek into someone's window.
Liepāja to Jūrmala
Dragging all this out of my memory is more fun than taking it out in one piece. Use it straight away and you get a brand new, shiny, sterile story… Leave it in there and it will mature, get covered in moss, crack and the cracks will get filled with other memories and influences. Try to untangle that and you'll have a fuller, rounder memory. The crust of 'beautiful' and 'nice' gets softer so one can break through to see what's inside…
In the morning I collect the bike from the car park. Antoha, the guard talks to me about his life and… well, he had a fight with someone, after which the guy 'got a little bit dead', so Antoha spent the last 5 years in jail. But now he's on the right track again. 'Let me help you', he says and wipes the dirt off my number plate and lights, 'you never know with police'.
Dace's gift is a light grey rock with a hole in it. She found it on the beach and those are hard to find.
Liepaja reminded me of Rostock. Different to put one's finger on it but it does have a similar feel to it. Or, maybe, it's just me being able to connect to it in a different manner than to other places.
The abandoned, falling apart buildings on the sea shore. They were left from the soviet times and the sea was slowly claiming the land back, just as it happened in Kolobrzeg. Gordon Matta-Clark would've had an orgasmic fit if he saw those. The boy sitting on one of the pieces, drawing something. He lifted his head when he noticed me but only for a couple of seconds. Staircases, gaps of windows, bricks and concrete, straight lines and curved ones, the sea is digesting it all. It will take a while before everything will turn into a selection of rocks similar to the one that Dace gave me but they are well on the way.
I stop in Ventspills for lunch and walk the streets until I find a bakery. The road after is long and very straight… until it turns into no road at all. Roadworks seem to be taking over most of the way along the coast and I'm slowing down. Sand and gravel. In the evening I noticed that a stone chipped my helmet, right above the visor. I did remember a knock but didn't think it was that bad.
Kolka is worth all the non-roads. The spit of land, where the waves from the Gulf of Riga and the Baltic sea meet, creating a line and I'm thinking of the Turtle beach in Dalaman, Turkey. Some bricks are piled up on the shore but otherwise it's only dead trees and gorgeous sand. A small cafe surrounded by pine trees where I managed to get a coffee just before the lady called it a day. Earlier, because of the wind and lack of customers. 'No wonder', I say, 'The road is completely taken apart almost all the way from Ventspills'. Lunch is on the shore, watching a couple of people wandering about… After them there's no one else around.
When I get to Jurmala, the sun is setting and covering the tall pine trees in orange light.
Anita says that most of famous musicians came from Liepaja – she likes that town too. She has a great sense of colour and interior design. Nearly everything in Anita's kitchen is pale green and orange. I am offered a massive room on the second floor, it's in blue tones.
After a lovely dinner of potatoes, pork and sauerkraut I'm off for an hour to wander the streets of Jurmala. Or a street rather – the excitement is the pedestrian street with everything included. It's totally empty because it's Monday.
Kaliningrad to Liepaja
'There's no hot water on Mondays,' says Dace, 'You better take a shower today.' She has a beautifully done up flat in a 9 story soviet estate, the staircase reminds me of my childhood. The elevator squeaks and shudders as we get to our floor, the light is yellow and dim. I got to Liepaja quite late – rain and the Lithuanian border and the ferry in Klaipeda slowed me down quite a lot.
Tanya's gift was a 'The Simpsons' poster. Vadim is very much into them, socks and all. I gratefully accept and set off for Liepaja after breakfast.
My way goes through Kurshskaya kosa (Curonian Spit), that narrow bit of land that goes between the lagoon and the sea and it's a natural reserve.
Quiet road. Another rainy and miserable day. The rain isn't strong but it's the one that just runs along with you, all the way. Probably, just as annoying as 'are we there yet?'.
The sea shore is almost as melancholic as the weather, it's difficult to imagine it with a blue sky and warm sea. I finally find a coffee sign and stop. This is Efa heights, with two viewing platforms overseeing the dunes and the lagoon side of the spit.
This is where Kin-Dza-Dza was filmed, an iconic Soviet movie, we grew up with it.
Dima, Yulya and Sasha at the Efa heights. We have a nice chat about everything. I leave a few coins as souvenirs and Yulya adds me as a friend on Vkontakte, I promise to confirm when I get to wi-fi.
Borders with Lithuania. I have to pay for entering the Lithuanian bit of the Curonian Spit. 'Why' I say 'I've just been through a half of it already and didn't pay there. How much?' '200 roubles' 'I'm on a motorbike and I'm not sure how many roubles I've got left' 'Ok, a hundred' she smiles and teaches me how to say 'thank you' and 'bye' in Lithuanian.
I carry on and so does the rain. Eventually, I stop at some petrol station to put some more clothes on because it's getting pretty unbearable. Some miles down the road the wet misery is taking over again and I give up, deciding to stop anywhere I can to have dinner and get warm. And I am so happy to see a guest house by the road. Birutes Uostas, between Sventoji and Latvian border. A couple of people standing outside, smoking, they look like they are working here. I try Russian 'Can I get some dinner here?' 'Sure, we'll cook whatever you want for you – meat, fish?' 'I don't know, what can you make?' 'Tell you what – we have a beautiful cod, was caught today. The whole fish, we'll do it for you – go inside'. I walk up a few stairs, Igor, the owner, meets me at the entrance and showing to a table. 'I'm all wet' I say, pointing at the water dripping all over their carpets and feeling apologetic. 'It's ok, it's only water' 'I think I've just spoken to your cook – she recommended cod. I'd love some tea to warm up first too'. So I'm sitting there feeling mellow, sipping tea and waiting for the promised cod. Which looks awesome when it arrives. I leave after about half an hour, shake hands with Igor and apologise again about the wet sofa. He tells me about the area, how special the landscape is and that he was sailing for 27 years before he decided to build his own ship – that guest house.
Border with Latvia is nothing but potholes and an abandoned post. But the road afterwards is ok.
The guy at the car park, his granddaughter is studying in London. He calls his wife trying to find out where but I don't know the name of the street he tells me.
The empty, almost abandoned city, traffic lights flashing, almost no people or traffic, the sun is almost set. The fog is descending and happens often, says Dace. She is a prominent art savvy and is organising a music event for the end of August. She also tells me about the Latvian version of Glastonbury, for which people flood the town, putting up their tents where ever they can. Locals get amused, especially in the mornings.
From my window I can see the block opposite. Window lights scattered across the building. The halo. The fog.


text:
Hi Sirs,
We have a script creating PDF, DXF and STP files attached for Items released. It seems like, sometimes, pdf version is not updated, while for DXF and STP file version is changed, for PDF file is not.
Someone has experienced something similar???
For now we are trying to delete files when item is set to WIP from RELEASED.
Pictures after change item state twice.
Hallo Tomás,
what exactly is not increasing? Is the actual file version not increasing or is the file increasing and you mean the item link is not pointing to a newer version?
Vault will not increase the file version if the new file is identical to the current latest version of the file. I guess that is what is happening with your PDFs. I made some tests with DXF and they seem to be slightly differently, even when created of the same file.
Hi Thomas
"actual file version is not increasing"... may be you are right, dxf dehavior seems to be different.
Now we are deleting neutlar formats, may be is better because historical is not needed.


text:
The Quite Continental Charm School
29/01/2012 § 5 Comments
The Quite Continental Charm School
A modern guide to creating a charmed life
"A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous."
Coco Chanel
I am pleased to announce the founding of the Quite Continental Charm School. Every year in the month of February, guided by the wise words of Coco Chanel, I will bring you a daily tip to generate more class and fabulousness in your everyday life, spanning the topics of fashion, travel, beauty, etiquette, relationships, and whatnot. Most important is the "whatnot," bien sûr...
Formerly called my "28 Days of Classy & Fabulous Things," the new name reflects two epiphanies. First, it is a leap year this year and there are 29 days in February. I hear this kind of thing happens every 4 years or so. Second, when I discovered pictures of young ladies at charm schools in the 1940s and 1950s, I found myself wishing we still had them today, but that they would offer the modern girl of today a bit more substance than how to balance a book on your head. Perhaps I am wrong, but to me the charm schools of yesteryear seem especially focused on outward presentation, with an emphasis on catching a mate. Of course, looking great and having a satisfying relationship remain important to a lot of people — but that is not the end-all, be-all for most of us these days. So let's take the idea and make it better, shall we?
Enter, the Quite Continental Charm School: a modern guide to creating a charmed life, where you will learn classy and fabulous things to do, to see, to think about, to taste, to buy, to read, to listen to, and to experience. And as I definitely don't claim to have a monopoly on such knowledge, you'll have lovely guest instructors, chosen for their class and fabulousity.
While it is my earnest hope that we'll be a coeducational establishment, some boys might like to supplement their studies with a look at Valet's Handbook, an excellent collection of tips and tricks that was one of the original inspiration sources for this feature.
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
Reach me via email at firstname.lastname@example.com
To be continued…
Day 12: Perfect Your Signature
Day 27: How to Stock a Proper Bar
Moppets Charm School, taken by Arthur Rickerby for LIFE Magazine.
Images via the LIFE Archive.
The Quite Continental Charm School
A modern guide to creating a charmed life
§ 5 Responses to The Quite Continental Charm School
this i love!
Hi! Do you have any info in the picture posted? Like info on where/when/etc. the photo was taken? Thanks!


text:
Recently discharged veterans and federal employees can apply for unemployment insurance benefits over the phone in the latest improvement to modernize the unemployment insurance program, the Illinois Department of Employment Security said today.
Previously, military and federal employees were required to apply for unemployment insurance in person with paperwork to accommodate the way the federal government confirmed a person's identity, wages and reason for separation. Recent technology enhancements eliminated the need for this paper-driven process for military and federal employees. IDES still is exploring ways to allow military and federal employees to apply for benefits using the Internet.
"I am grateful to be able to remove a barrier faced only by the men and women who protect our country and look forward to the day they also will be able to file on the internet," IDES Director Jay Rowell said.
Military and federal employees can apply for unemployment insurance at (800) 244-5631.
As the state's employment agency, IDES knows military service carves a special bond among fellow veterans. That is why IDES employees who are veterans are assigned to help their military brethren. The American Legion and Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve lead the organizations that have recognized IDES' work to place veterans in civilian employment.
Programs specifically designed incentivize veteran hiring include:
- Tax Credits: A $5,000 state tax credit is available to employers who hire a qualified veteran.
- Illinoisjoblink.com: Employers can search for veterans on the state's help wanted hiring job board operated by IDES. More than 150,000 help wanted ads and 60,000 resumes are available.
- Priority of service: Hiring events emphasize veterans to potential employers and open early to veterans and their spouses.
- Illinois Hires Heroes Consortium: These veteran-friendly employers recognize the value veterans bring to the workplace. They work with IDES and the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs to implement veteran recruitment training and retention practices. In return, the employer receives best practices advice, materials that advertise their veteran-friendly status and veteran employees who are selfless and committed to helping the company grown.


text:
Lady Talk: Should You Invest in A Lunette Menstrual Cup?
I'd like to preface this post by stating that there's nothing awesome about shoving a chemically bleached, pointy wad of cotton up your vadge to collect Aunt Flo's messy sitch. Bleach aside, tampons harbor bacteria (which can lead to toxic shock syndrome!) and they are often culprits of embarrassing leaks and funkadelic odors.
I'm proud to say that I've been officially tampon-free/a die-hard menstrual cup-wearer for almost 5 years now. And I gotta tell ya, if you've never tried cups, they are game changers! They're medical-grade silicone receptacles that you insert into your hoo-ha to collect your monthliness and they kick ass for so many reasons.
Menstrual Cup Benefits
- They are easy to use – You just squeeze the cup flat then fold it in half so that the rim makes a 'C' shape and insert; you won't even feel it once it's in place.
- They're hygienic and safe – These cups don't absorb moisture nor do they encourage bacteria to party it up in your nether region.
- They'll save you mad chedda, yo – The average woman spends between $50-100 per year on disposable tampons and pads. Wouldn't you rather spend that $$ on weekly vegan donuts and hot cocoa? Thought so.
- They are eco-friendly – A single cup will last you for decades!
- They can be worn for up to 12 hours – That's such a huge chunk of time, you can just pretend that you're not even on your period!
- You won't smell like tuna—ever, because your flo only stanks when the blood gets oxygenated. So… since that never happens (the goo stays inside the cup inside your body), you won't smell like a fish factory. Amen!
There are so many brands of cups to choose from… how do you decide which one to invest in?
Well, I have a few favs, and I will eventually do a comprehensive roundup, but I gotta showcase Lunette, which was my very first menstrual cup evah. They offer two sizes: model 1 & 2 – model 2, which is the firmer of the two, is for heavier flows and women who have given birth. Model 1 is softer and squishier (and easier to use, imho), making it ideal for women with lower sensitive cervix's or sensitive bladders. I actually use both sizes depending on where I'm at in my cycle. They have been consistently leak-free, comfortable to wear, and hella convenient. I always stash a cup in my purse. Always.
Only potential setback:
They're $40 a pop… but when you consider ALL the monies you're saving each year not having to buy wasteful tamps and pads, it's a steal. 😉
Do you use menstrual cups? Would you ever try them? What's your favorite brand?
Samples were provided for review. Opinions are my own. Post contains affiliate links.
About Sunny (Sunny's Profile)Longtime vegan, hardcore compassionate beauty junkie, serious cake aficionado, and lover of all things floofy and sparkly! If there's something in particular you'd like me to review, drop me a line at firstname.lastname@example.com. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Google +.
Filed in: vegan personal items


text:
The toll from twin bombings targeting Shiite pilgrims in the centre of Damascus has risen to 74 dead, a monitor said on Sunday
Among the victims of Saturday's blasts were 43 Iraqi pilgrims who had come to the Syrian capital to visit Shiite shrines in Damascus's famed Old City, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The Britain-based monitor said that 11 bystanders and eight children were among those killed, as well as 20 members of pro-government security forces.
Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP that a roadside bomb detonated as a bus carrying pilgrims made its way through the Bab al-Saghir area of the Old City before a suicide bomber blew himself up.
Syrian state television on Saturday gave a toll of 40 killed and 120 wounded by "two bombs detonated by terrorists". Iraq's foreign ministry said around 40 of its nationals had died. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
Shiite shrines are a frequent target for Sunni extremists of Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group (IS), not only in Syria but also in neighbouring Iraq.
The Sayyida Zeinab mausoleum to the south of Damascus, Syria's most visited Shiite pilgrimage site, has been hit by several deadly bombings during the war.
Twin suicide bombings in the high-security Kafr Sousa district of the capital in January killed 10 people, eight of them soldiers. That attack was claimed by former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front.


text:
I just finished a two day institute on Math, Science, Technology and Engineering at the MathScience Innovation Center in Richmond, Virginia. Emily Morgan and Karen Ansberry were presenters at this conference. They are the authors of these books...
1- Picture Pefect Science
2- More Picture Perfect Science
3- Teaching Science through Trade Books
I had an opportunity to look through all the books and they are all amazing! I even purchased two of them and I don't even teach science! I teach Social Studies to two classes and my partner teaches the science. But as you know, I love to integrate childrens literature into my lessons, so this is a great way for me to reinforce our science standards through my reading lessons. They give you a lower and upper elementary book option (or use them both), a detailed lesson plan, and the cutest reproducibles!
They actually modeled a few of their lessons during the keynote address and their breakout sessions. The first activity they did was called Loco Beans. It used the book Lucas and His Loco Beans and we completed an investigation with Mexican Jumping Beans. Then they did a lesson on magnets with That Magnetic Dog. The lesson called Turtle Hurdles was the best. They used the books Turtle Bay and Turtle, Turtle Watch Out. They incorporated reading strategies during the read aloud (questioning, synthesizing), then we played a turtle survival game, we identified natural and human events that harm and help turtles.
My partner (the one who actually teachings science) bought the Picture Perfect Science book and I bought the other two. If I had to recommend just one book, it would be... Teaching Science with Trade Books. It comes with 50 lessons on how to use 100 childrens books to teach 1- Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science 2- Physical Science 3- Life Science 4- Earth and Space Science. You may be able to find these books cheaper on Amazon or other various sites.
So... what's your favorite book to teach science with?
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
Organization: Teacher Supply Toolbox
Another Pinterest inspired idea... I got the directions from Mrs. Rojas's blog. She lays out step by step directions for making a toolbox for yourself. This one is for a teammate who I love dearly (she's always cooking me up something good!) but needs a little help with organization. I gave it to her yesterday and she was THRILLED. You buy the 22 drawer Stack-On organizers in Lowe's for about $17. I found some scrapbook paper in my collection that I thought matched the toolbox. I created the supply names in a word document using CK Retro Block. I cut out the labels and glued them to the pieces of scrapbook paper. To create your own labels you would need 14 labels that are H 1.38" x W 2.00" and 8 labels that are H 2.12" x W 4.25". Then attached the pieces of scrapbook paper to the inside of the drawer using Scotch Double Stick Tape.
I ended up going back to buy another one for myself but I bought some black spray paint that you can use on plastic. I found some cute green/pink/black scrapbook paper at Hobby Lobby for my labels. When it's finished I'll be sure to post pictures. If you want more ideas you can google "teacher toolbox lowes" and look at the images. There are some real cute ones out there.
So do you think you'll make one for yourself?
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Five More Days!
Talk about a rough week... it took every ounce of strength in my body to make it through school last week! We still have 5 more days. It's not so much the children, it's the constant dissention in my workplace that's not sitting right in my spirit. As I worked in the nursery today at church I turned on the intercom so I could hear what was going on in the sanctuary. I heard our praise team singing this song and truly blessed my soul. I thought I'd share it and hopefully it'll bless you to!
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
On May 25th, barely 2 days after the High Court verdict which went against ISKCON Bangalore, ISKCON Bureau sent a resolution to ISKCON Bangalore. The resolution reads as follows in the beginning, with pertinent observations.
"In the light of the explanation provided at the end of this proposal it is resolved that
- "Bureau, in pursuance of the power vested in it by Section VII. I of the "Rules and Regulations" of ISKCON Reg. in Mumbai in 1971 (F-2179), hereby constitutes a supervisory committee (hereinafter referred to as the said Supervisory Committee) consisting of Sri Dayaram Dasa aka Dinesh Vinayak Kocharekar (the Chairman), Sri Varadakrishna Dasa, Srimati Radhapriya Devi Dasi aka Srimati S P Rajeshwari, Sri Muralishyam Dasa aka Muthuramalingam & Sri Rajendra Kamatgoudar, in respect of Bangalore Temple / branch situated at Hare Krishna Hill, Chord Road, Rajaji Nagar, Bangalore with the following responsibilities:
|Sri Dinesh Vinayak Kocharekar, Temple President, Kolkata, seen roaming in the corridors of the Supreme Court of India. Notice the lack of shikha & growth of hair.
- To check the system & standard of Deity worship followed by the Bangalore branch…"
Observation 1:
The supervisory committee is chaired by Sri Dayaram Dasa aka Dinesh Vinayak Kocharekar. One would have expected more from the Bureau. This man is supposed to be the Temple President of Kolkata temple. There are certain minimum standards one would expect from a temple president. Sri Dinesh Vinayak Kocharekar, unfortunately, doesn't seem to measure upto the standards. In fact, he doesn't even sport a sikha! (please see snaps below). How the Bureau is encouraging this for a Temple President, is surprising. And to make a man who doesn't even follow the basic directions of Srila Prabhupada, Chairman of a Supervisory Committee to look into matters of Deity Worship, is even more astonishing.
A few quotes from Srila Prabhupada on the importance of sikha:
I beg to inform you that every Krishna conscious person must be clean shaved, must have Tilakas on the forehead and other eleven places and must have the Sikha on the top of the head besides beads on the neck as usual. Letter to Brahmananda, 11 Oct, 1967
…we must have always our tilak and sikha and there is no compromise for this purpose. Letter to Brahmananda, 6 Oct, 1968 Vaisnava must have sikha. Letter to Govinda, 20 Nov 1971
Regarding what is a Vaisnava, Vaisnava means that when others see him, they will also chant Hare Krsna. So why not give them the chance of seeing by wearing the beads, tilaka, and sikha? You are not paramahamsa that you can do whatever you like. So my advice to you is that you remain ideal Vaisnava internally and externally, and everyone will respect you. Letter to Sudama, 10 Dec 1973
Sri Dinesh Vinayak Kocharekar is also undeniably involved in various personal businesses. Below is a snap of one of the personal businesses he is engaged in –
building apartments and selling them in Sridham Mayapur. So the Bureau has virtually stuck its foot in its mouth – putting a man with personal businesses worth Crores of Rupees to supervise a Temple President who has declared in a court of law that his personal assets are almost nil! And a Temple President, whose following of spiritual standards and sadhana is impeccable to date – which even many of the self appointed gurus will find difficult to match, let alone Sri Dinesh Kocharekar aka Dayaram Das.
Where this man got so much money to start such flourishing businesses, will definitely be interesting to know, considering that Sri Dinesh Kocharekar has not inherited this as a family business! (Grapevine has it that this man, being unaccountable for all the money spent by the GBC to create all the legal tangles in Bangalore, has siphoned off huge sums of money from this. He is said to have pumped all the ill gotten wealth he has amassed thus into his family businesses).
Surely, the Bureau was expected to do much better than this! Obviously, from this we can see, that the Bureau's idea in putting Sri Dinesh Kocharekar as Chairman of the Supervisory Committee is not based on any spiritual standard or achievement of this gentleman but simply on other unconstitutional grounds. As they say, if the head is rotten, then the whole body obviously must be rotten. If the Chairman of the Supervisory Committee (of businessmen) is of such low standards, then we can only imagine the standard of the rest of the members of the committee!
Observation 2:
The members of the Supervisory Committee (of businessmen) include Sri Varadakrishna Dasa and Srimati Radhapriya Devi Dasi aka Srimati S P Rajeshwari. It is interesting to note that these 2 persons are married husband and wife. This man Sri Varadakrishna Das has been hopping mad all over the media that the ISKCON Bangalore Society is controlled by Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa's family – though, as is usual with all his allegations, this is a totally baseless and untruthful allegation. For the record, ISKCON Bangalore is governed by a Governing Body consisting of 10 members, who are from different parts of India and are not even remotely related to any other of the members, save and except two of the members – Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa and Sri Chanchalapathi Dasa.
However, the interesting point is that the Bureau has appointed a Supervisory Committee of family members, purportedly since the Bangalore Society is governed by family members! What an irony! Or is it diplomacy? Or is it plain blind sightedness? Choose whichever you would like! So, it turns out that this Supervisory Committee is one of family members and businessmen.
Observation 3:
The Supervisory Committee of family members and businessmen has been entrusted with a number of "responsibilities" by the Bureau. Considering the constant harping in the media by Sri Dinesh Kocharekar aka Dayaram Das and Sri Varadakrishna Das that there has been large scale misappropriation of funds and fraud at ISKCON Bangalore, one would expect that that is what the Supervisory Committee of family members and businessmen would primarily be burdened with. But the actual reason for all this fight and legal battle is given away by the fact that the first responsibility of the Supervisory Committee of family members and businessmen is to "check the system & standard of Deity worship followed by the Bangalore branch".
This is a dead give away!
This shows what is top on their minds – CHANGE THE SYSTEM OF GURU WORSHIP! Remove Srila Prabhupada from the center of this magnificent temple and replace him with their self appointed gurus! Their unbearable envy towards Srila Prabhupada occupying the center of this crest jewel of a temple has resulted in the Bureau blurting out their intentions. Otherwise, when there are more pressing matters (so called), why take up Deity Worship first, of all things, when Deity Worship was never questioned all along anywhere by the Bureau or Sri Dinesh Kocharekar or Sri Varadakrishna Das in any of their media rantings.
So that shows where the rot is – it is right in the head, at the Bureau and the GBC level. THEY ARE ENVIOUS OF SRILA PRABHUPADA'S BEING THE CYNOSURE OF THE OPULENT BANGALORE TEMPLE. That rot has spread naturally to the Chairman of this Supervisory Committee of family members and businessmen, who doesn't even sport a sikha and runs his personal businesses worth millions.
It is sad that the Bureau has appointed a Supervisory Committee of family members and businessmen to supervise devotees! On 3 counts at least, this Supervisory Committee of family members and businessmen is unconstitutional, uncalled for and has been made with the sole hidden agenda of replacing Srila Prabhupada at the center of the temple. If anyone still can't see it, he must really be super blind.
It is sad that the Bureau has appointed a Supervisory Committee of family members and businessmen to supervise devotees! On 3 counts at least, this Supervisory Committee of family members and businessmen is unconstitutional, uncalled for and has been made with the sole hidden agenda of replacing Srila Prabhupada at the center of the temple. If anyone still can't see it, he must really be super blind.
- To check the system & standard of Deity worship followed by the Bangalore branch…"


text:
Written by a contributing writer
One of the best ways to boost your confidence and improve your personal or professional life is by enhancing your appearance. Yet in many cases, individuals lack the knowledge necessary to make changes that will improve their look. If this is one of your dilemmas, no worries. You can implement some or all of the suggestions outlined below to start enhancing your appearance immediately:
1. Start Exercising.
If you're really serious about improving your appearance, put regular exercise at the top of your to-do list. Taking this step will enhance your look by helping you lose weight while also giving you more youthful-looking skin. There are many forms of physical activity that you can engage in to start attaining these wonderful outcomes. Some of them include cycling, swimming, weight-lifting, yoga, pilates, and kickboxing. If you feel that you lack knowledge regarding how to exercise effectively, consider the value of attaining assistance in a gym setting. You might also want to think about whether hiring a personal trainer would be right for you.
2. Get A Facial.
One of the best ways to improve your appearance is by obtaining a monthly facial. This technique works because it empowers you to enhance the luminosity and texture of the most visible region of the body-your face. Another big benefit of obtaining a monthly facial is that doing so enables the aesthetician to address your unique skin issues. This could include anything from hyperpigmentation to acne to undereye circles. Be sure to do a bit of internet research before selecting any aesthetician to ensure that you are selecting the most qualified professional on the block.
3. Focus On Your Eyes.
The face is the most visible region of the body, and the eyes are one of the most appealing elements of this bodily region. As such, playing up your eyes is always a good idea. Luckily, there are many beauty techniques that you can use to make it happen. One of them is obtaining professional eyelash services. Use online resources such as www.sugarlashpro.com to learn more about the eyelash industry and what types of products might take the appearance of your lashes from average to excellent.
Once you realize that you could benefit from enhancing your appearance, it's time to devise an actionable plan. Utilize some or all of the strategies outlined in this article to begin the process of optimizing your look now!


text:
Proudly Serving You
Reflections on agriculture's contribution to the world
Last month I attended the 2012 IDEAg Interconnectivity Conference in Altoona, IA. The conference brought together the entire interconnected agriculture sector — including large grain and livestock producers — for three days of cutting-edge education, exhibits and networking.
The opening presentation featured Kip Tom, managing member of Tom Farms LLC, based in Leesburg, IN. Tom Farms is a global production, sales and service operation, specializing in corn and soybeans, that operates over 16,000 acres in Indiana and another 4,000 acres in Argentina.
Kip began by sharing a little about his family's farming background. Then he brought up an important concern he admitted to thinking about almost daily: the task of feeding 9.3 billion people in 2050.
He went on to note the average person's caloric intake in the western hemisphere is 3,500 calories/day. In America, it's more like 3,800 calories/day, when all we need is 1,800 to sustain ourselves. That statistic really caught my ear. What does this tell us? We are already producing enough food for this world, which is evident by the record U.S. obesity rate.
I never thought of famers as food manufacturers, but now it absolutely makes sense. Today there are some 5,000 producers who take raw resources to make a product that creates 30% of our food supply.
But still, so many people don't understand how food is produced. They stand on the sideline and let us do it for them. Kip urged us in the crowed to get involved; to educate today's consumers about where their food comes from.
After listening to Kip, it made me a little proud of the knowledge and experience I gained from my farming background. That's why I enjoy working in this industry. It keeps me in touch with the good folks who work together to feed this world. All of us are experts about the part of the food chain we touch, and should be proud of our involvement in agriculture.


text:
As I drank in the cool wet goodness, it occurred to me, I had just a moment before thrown out the cup from the Big Gulp, correction Super Big Gulp Mountain Dew I had been nursing all night long.
What struck me was the way that one good swallow of pure water did far more to quench my thirst than an entire 44 ounces of the sugar filled, sodium laden, caffeine charged Mountain Dew had. And immediately the Father took it a little deeper with me.
He made me look face to face at the struggles I've been having over the last few weeks with my weight. I've gained ten horrible pounds, and my heart has been weighed down with every ounce of them.
It's been a heavy weight on my heart (no pun intended) not only because of the gigantic steps in the wrong direction on my desire to be healthy and strong, but also because it comes so quickly after such a huge victory when I was able to fast for 4 whole days during the week of prayer and fasting at my church.
Now mind you, that fasting was not at all about a diet, or losing weight, but it absolutely was about the ability to overcome the flesh and rely on the spirit by abiding in the Holy Spirit. When I fasted that week, I know that I know that I know I was only able to do it because God helped me and equipped me. And now for the life of me, I have not been able to stop stuffing my face, all the while, knowing the consequences, knowing the harm, knowing even my own disappointment in myself. Still I feed a hunger that isn't even really there.
Or is it?
That's what occurred to me as I took that drink of cool water. My body thirsted, and instead of giving it what would satisfy, I gave it something false, something that isn't even meant to quench my thirst at all. Despite Coca Cola's claim to being the "Real Thing," I would be willing to bet that although sodas and the like may momentarily satisfy thirst, it's the sodium and other ingredients in it that make us long for more. And we keep drinking in and never find ourselves fully satisfied.
As I set the bottle of water back down and walked into my bathroom, I stood in front of my full length mirror, and I could see the ten pounds. It's not enough to be noticed by everyone, but I see it, and I feel it when I try to pull on my pants. I feel the sense of tightness inside of me as I continue to eat even when I'm not really hungry.
The Lord quickened my heart in that moment, that my hunger I've been feeding has indeed been real, the only problem is, I have been feeding a spiritual hunger with a physical answer. The food I have stuffed into the point of discomfort has been to satisfy something that food is incapable of satisfying.
How often do we do that in our lives?
Have you ever had a really big meal, the kind that you can just barely push yourself away from the table after? Maybe on Thanksgiving or at some other celebration? In that moment you think you may never be hungry again. I don't know why I'm always surprised to wake up the next morning to a growling stomach. I think what happens is that we have stretched our stomach's capacity and the stretched out space is empty and hunger comes. If we keep feeding it, we keep gaining weight and we set down an unhealthy path.
I think that week I spent really seeking God and abiding in Him, I stretched out my spiritual stomach. I increased my capacity for wanting more of Him. But unlike feeding a stretched out physical stomach and risking weight gain and such, increasing your hunger for God is a good thing.
It is good to hunger and thirst for the Lord.
My problem is this, instead of reaching for the bread of life, and living water to satisfy those cravings, I have been settling for cupcakes and Mountain Dew. And because of it, my physical stomach satiates sickly, and my spiritual hunger remains unsatisfied, and every time I make the wrong choice, I weaken my starving spirit, and I push myself into a place of discouragement and dissatisfaction that then keeps me from reaching out for what I truly need.
Maybe it isn't food for you and the parallel is harder to see. But are you stuffing your spiritual hunger and thirst for God with other things? Whatever it may be, substances, relationships, activities - it's all just Mountain Dew and ding dongs for your spiritual hunger. It won't satisfy, and it may do damage that you have to work hard to undo.
So stop, ponder your yearning inside. We all have the spiritual hunger and thirst inside, I know because God placed it there, because He yearns for us too. He wants our all, our whole hearts, minds souls and strengths - these are His desires, His longings, for our good and His glory. But we must seek Him to find the true satisfaction, and then we must eat and drink deeply, for the Lord will satisfy.
John 4:14
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!Psalm 34:8
And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
John 6:35


text:
Deion Branch has treated every training camp of his career as a tryout. "Every year is competition," the wide receiver said. "Every year. It never changes."
Deion Branch has treated every training camp of his career as a tryout.
"Every year is competition," the wide receiver said. "Every year. It never changes."
In this, his 11th NFL season, Branch is in the midst of a pretty stiff contest to lock down a roster spot, and he's hoping he made a statement with his performance in Monday night's preseason game against the Eagles.
"I hope I did," Branch said. "You'll have to ask Coach (Bill Belichick) if I made enough of a statement. I just control what I can do. My job is to come in and play ball and help the team."
The 33-year-old Branch started, played into the fourth quarter, led the Patriots with three receptions for 51 yards and even lined up to field a couple of punts.
"I thought he competed well," Belichick said during yesterday's conference call. "He had three big catches in tight coverage and traffic, and that's always good to see. He's worked hard in camp."
Tom Brady didn't play against the Eagles, so Branch caught balls from Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer. Mallett's 20-yard completion to Branch over the middle set up the Patriots' only touchdown of the game.
"Whoever's in the game at quarterback, we just have to do our job to get open for the guys," Branch said.
Early in camp, Branch practiced on a limited basis and did not play in the preseason opener against the Saints ("Coach's decision," Branch said), with his inactivity seemingly slipping him down the depth chart behind Jabar Gaffney and Donte Stallworth in the battle for third receiver. It is unlikely the Patriots would keep all three veterans.
Gaffney, who suffered an apparent hamstring injury in last Wednesday's practice, did not play against the Eagles. Stallworth was targeted six times and finished with one catch for 20 yards. As Belichick recently noted, Stallworth still has speed, but the 31-year old dropped a number of passes in practice last week.
Branch has resumed full participation in practice and has worked with all three units.
"Coach made it clear — 'You guys are going to be with different groups of guys,' " Branch said. "He wants to see guys work. It's not about what group you're in, just go out there and get your job done."
Branch returned to the Patriots early in the 2010 season after having played four years in Seattle. Branch was a second-round draft pick of the Patriots in 2002 and was memorably named MVP of Super Bowl XXXIX, when he hauled in 11 receptions for 133 yards in the Pats' win over the Eagles.
Branch obviously isn't the same player he was early in his career, but, as one of Brady's all-time favorite targets, he still contributed to the Patriots' awesome passing attack last year with 51 receptions for 702 yards and five touchdowns.
Belichick told Branch to be ready to play 60 minutes Monday night.
"That's what I did," Branch said.
Few inside Gillette Stadium expected to see Branch getting ready to field a pair of punts late in the game, though he never got the chance to return one.
"One time the guy hit it pretty good and the next one he kicked away from me," Branch said with a laugh. "Don't know why. I haven't been back there in years. Should've just kicked it to me and given me a chance."
Branch last returned a punt in a game in 2004. He averaged 24 yards on 36 kick returns to rank sixth in the AFC his rookie season.
Nothing is for certain, but one thing is clear — Branch is going to do whatever he can to make the Patriots' 2012 roster.
"Every year, man," he said, "I'm going to come out here — and that's the fun part about the game —– you get to come out here and compete against your teammates, score against the defense and also do some things with the guys you're in the same room with. Overall, I love it, man. I love it."
The Patriots released three players —defensive lineman Jonathan Fanene, offensive lineman Kyle Hill and former UMass kicker Chris Koepplin. The Patriots signed Fanene, who played the last seven years in Cincinnati, in the offseason with hopes he could bolster the defense up front, but he missed most of training camp with a knee injury. "It just didn't work out," Belichick said. … Belichick had no update on Patrick Chung, who suffered a shoulder injury in the first quarter Monday night. … The Patriots left yesterday for Tampa, where they will practice today and tomorrow with the Bucs.


text:
Advanced Search |
Search Tips
A single orchid designed in a contemporary style best suited for offices, modern homes and boutiques.
We promise to never spam you, and just use your email address to identify you as a valid customer.
This product hasn't received any reviews yet. Be the first to review this product!
All prices are in USD.
Copyright 2020 Blushing Blooms by Brennen.
Sitemap |
Shopping Cart Software by BigCommerce


text:
I'm developing a Python Kodi addon that utilizes a client/server model. The addon works under Windows but when I install it on my Raspberry Pi (LE 8.2.1), I get the following error:"tcp connection refused Error 10061". I ran netstat and could see that my socket was Listening on the port I assigned.
To eliminate anything with Kodi, I wrote a set of simple client/server scripts in Python clientServerTest.zip. I got the same error when I ran the server code from the command line on the RPi and tried to connect to it using the client script on an external computer. Again, netstat showed the port I used being listened to.
My question is how can I enable the tcp port I have chosen so that I can access my server? Any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.


text:
"We will help you find the best financial aid solution for your unique situation"
Academy of Learning Career College is here to help you in every way possible and you may be wondering how you are going to pay for your college education. Our trained and professional Student Services staff are on hand to answer all your questions. Below you will find a description of most options available to assist you. In addition to this list, there may be other programs where Financial assistance may be available for those who qualify, so be sure to ask our Financial Aid Officer about ALL your financial aid options when you come to visit.
Payment Plan
Flexible payment plans can be arranged to suit your needs. Setting up a payment plan is an easy, effective and interest free way to pay for your education while you are in school. For those students who qualify, we may be able to extend your monthly payments beyond the completion date of your program. More information is available by visiting a Student Services representative at the college.
Several banks offer programs that enable eligible students to borrow money to cover their tuition, books and living expenses. Each bank has its own set of criteria that may result in you receiving funding to assist you in attending the college program of your choice and Academy of Learning Career College. Visit your local branch today for details.
Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP)
OSAP is a program funded by the provincial and federal governments. OSAP provides eligible Ontario residents with financial assistance to help pay for their education-related costs such as tuition, books, lab supplies, living costs, transportation and additional support may be available to accommodate the needs of people with special needs and dependent children. Financial aid can come in many forms, including loans, grants, bursaries, repayment assistance and debt reduction. For more information and to apply on-line, just log onto the OSAP website at www.ontario.ca/osap and complete the web application. Contact our Academy of Learning Career College Financial Aid Administrators for more information.
Employment Ontario
Second Careers is administered by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) which helps laid-off workers train for a new career. If you were laid off any time after January 01, 2005, you are eligible to apply, even if you have taken an interim job to make ends meet. If you qualify, funding is available to support the cost of tuition, books, daycare, transportation and a basic living allowance. To learn more, contact one of the following Employment Ontario agencies serving the greater Kingston area:
KEYS Job Centre is a community-based centre with expertise in employment and employment related services.
ACFOMI is a non profit organization funded by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU). ACFOMI provides excellent employment services for the job seeker and employers in both official languages.
ReStart's mission is to help people prepare for, find and keep employment.
St. Lawrence employment Centres
St. Lawrence College Employment Service offers a variety of employment services to both job seekers and employers.
Injured Workers
Academy of Learning Career College's Integrated Learning System works exceptionally well for people transitioning into a new career as a result of personal injury. Working around important medical appointments and ergonomic accommodations are just a couple of benefits you will receive. Depending on your circumstances, there are programs available to assist Injured Workers with funding to participate in occupationally focused educational programs. Please contact one of our Admissions Representatives for further details.
Lifelong Learning Plan
The Lifelong Leaning Plan (LLP) allows you to withdraw money from your RRSPs to finance your education or that of your spouse or common law partner. You can withdraw up to $10,000 per year, up to a total maximum of $20,000. More information is available at http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/goc/llp.shtml
Registered Education Savings Plans
A student who is named under a family's Registered Education Savings Plan may use these funds to cover the costs of education at an eligible post-secondary institution such as Academy of Learning College. Detailed information is available at http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/tpcs/resp-reee/menu-eng.html
Aboriginal/First Nations
If you are a registered Status Indian or Inuit (residing on or off the reserve) and plan on going back to school, you may be eligible for funding for your post-secondary studies. For more information visit http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/edu/ep/pse1-eng.asp#elc Also, information is available through local community agencies, like Kagita Mikam:
SISIP Financial Services handles the delivery of term life and long term disability insurance and vocational rehabilitation for the Canadian Forces. SISIP FS also provides other products and services such as financial planning, free financial counselling and access to loans and grants from the Canadian Forces Personnel Assistance Fund, among others. You can visit them at:
Can Vet VR Services
In most cases, the Rehabilitation Program will be provided to you through a network of local experts. Services can be used alone or together, depending on what you need. Your Veterans Affairs Canada Case Manager will work with you and your family to help you determine what you need and how to access the services.
Are you an International Student?
Here is a link to a site if you are coming to Ontario: http://settlement.org/sys/faqs_detail.asp?faq_id=4001160
Payment Methods Accepted by Academy of Learning College
Cheque, money order and cash


text:
This was my personal challenge in 1999!
I have had some requests to produce the cabinet in the form of an instruction book but some of the birds from the cabinet have been included in my books already. However, if there is sufficient interest I would be prepared to do a limited edition. Please let me know if you would be interested in such a book!
You can email me at
to register your interest.
Back to Top


text:
Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997)
Zimmer, Paul Edwin
(1943-1997) US writer, brother of Marion Zimmer Bradley, with whom he wrote his first novels, a pair of sf adventures. A fantasy series by PEZ alone is often known as Dark Border from the single volume entitled «The Dark Border», split for publication into the two volumes of The Carcosa Cycle – The Lost Prince (1982) and King Chondos' Ride (1982) – about two brothers tussling for their inheritance in a magical kingdom. A Gathering of Heroes (1987) and Ingulf the Mad (1989), are both set in Dark Border country (the second preceding the first) but have little further connection. All these are enlivened by the author's detailed knowledge of swordsmanship. Other fantasy singletons are Woman of the Elfmounds (dated 1979 but 1980) and Blood of the Colyn Muir (1988), with Jon DeCles. [JC/DP]
Paul Edwin Zimmer
This entry is taken from the Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997) edited by John Clute and John Grant. It is provided as a reference and resource for users of the SF Encyclopedia, but apart from possible small corrections has not been updated.


text:
Sandy Weatherall has worked in various areas of the photography industry since graduating from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology over 25 years ago. She enjoys photographing her favourite things in life such as pets and sports but her greatest passion is Food Photography. Sandy has been published in food magazines and over 30 cookbooks. She also shoots restaurant menus, product labelling and marketing material for major food companies.
I have been working on a series of healthy cookbooks. This tasty Cinnamon Cardamom Breakfast Quinoa is part of a quinoa cookbook. Who knew quinoa could be used in so many different ways?
To continue a series of healthy cookbooks, this Creamy Guacamole with Baked Tortilla Chips - part of Healthy Family Recipes cookbook - is a lower fat, lower sodium combination with a ton of essential fatty acids, calcium and magnesium.
This Berry Pie was photographed out of season for a summer publication. A challenge in Alberta Canada! I made the cloth by staining with berry and beet juice. I love collaborating with food stylists who say. "Can you do this?" It's teamwork that I love.
As a Canadian photographer working in Central Alberta, there are some challenges working in the winter. we are often shooting for summer publications in the winter. There are short days if we want to use window light(so I often have to make it look outdoors with studio lighting and sets), the quality of light is different and finding ingredients can be very challenging. No to mention not wanting to get out of a warm bed when it's minus 30 degrees outside! (and yes, we use metric in Canada!). This Strawberry Chocolate Semifreddo was just shot in December 2015 for a Summer Entertaining cookbook.
Alberta, Canada is a province that has a lot of cowboys. This recipe for Tex-Mex Hamburger Soup was taken for "The Canadian Cowboy Cookbook" The negative space is very important for many of my cookbook photographs as to the text for the recipe often is printed in that space.


text:
Should You Cash In Your Old Savings Bonds?
The right answer depends on just two things
It may be time to turn those old U.S. Savings Bonds in your desk drawer into cash. Then again, it may not be. It's smart to continue holding bonds that are earning a higher rate of return than other safe investments today.
Follow these six steps, courtesy of the U.S. Treasury, to make the right decision.
Related: How to Find Lost Savings Bonds, Bank Accounts and Other Assets
Get the facts on interest and maturity
Go to the Treasury's online Savings Bond Calculator. Enter the series (such as EE, I or HH), serial number, denomination and issue date of your bond, all of which you can find on its face. The calculator will tell you how much you paid for the bond, how much interest it has earned, its current interest rate, when it will next earn interest, its redemption value and its final maturity date.
Know when to hold 'em or fold 'em
If a bond has matured and is no longer earning interest, the decision is a no-brainer. All E and H bonds are more than 30 years old and have matured, so you should redeem them. The same is true of some EE and I bonds.
HH bonds issued from 1980 through August 2004 earn interest for up to 20 years, so some may still be earning money.
To decide if you should redeem or keep a bond that hasn't yet matured, check its current interest rate. The rates some older issues are paying may pleasantly surprise you. Series EE bonds issued before May 1995, for example, earn a guaranteed rate of at least 4 percent, which is more than two percentage points higher than what most bank certificates of deposit (CDs) pay today. If you don't need cash immediately, you should continue to hold bonds whose rates remain competitive.
Related: 7 Costly Money Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Redeem at the right time
You can cash in series E and I bonds after 12 months, but if you do so before a bond is five years old, you'll lose the last three months of interest payments.
The holding period was only six months for H bonds, and all are more than five years old, so you can redeem any H bonds you hold without penalty.
Don't redeem a bond just before it's set to accrue interest. If you cash in a bond even one day before a scheduled interest posting, you can forfeit as much as six months of interest. To determine when a bond will next earn interest, check the column labeled "Next Accrual" on the Savings Bond Calculator.
Safeguard bonds you continue to hold
Don't toss your bonds back into the desk drawer where you found them. Keep paper savings bonds in a bank safe-deposit box. Before you take them to your bank, photocopy them or record their serial numbers to store in your files at home.
Better yet, simplify your financial life by converting your paper series E and I bonds into electronic holdings. Start by opening a TreasuryDirect account on the Treasury's website.
Choose how to cash in
It's easy to redeem bonds you hold electronically. You can even direct the Treasury to deposit the proceeds into your bank account.
If you hold paper bonds, however, brace yourself for some potential hassles. Not all banks cash savings bonds, and some will do so only for customers. Call your bank in advance. If it will redeem your bonds, ask if it has a dollar limit on redemptions and what type of identification you should bring with you.
If you don't want to cash in bonds at a bank, or if you hold H bonds, which banks don't redeem, you can mail paper bonds to the Treasury Retail Securities Site (P.O. Box 214, Minneapolis, MN 55480-0214).
You'll still have to trek to a bank, however, because a bank officer must certify your signature in the request for payment line on the back of each bond. Only then can you mail your bonds to the Treasury.
Give Uncle Sam his cut
The good news is that your earnings are exempt from state and local taxes. However, you will owe federal income tax on the difference between a bond's issue price and redemption amount.
You may be able to avoid federal tax on your earnings, however, if you redeem EE or I bonds issued after 1989 and use the money to pay certain higher education expenses.
Related: Education Tax Breaks Parents of College Students Should Know About
Like this article? Share it with friends by clicking the Facebook or Twitter button below. And don't forget to visit our Facebook page!


text:
I spent an enjoyable evening in Bolivar Hall close to Warren street underground station listening to Peruvian music performed by the small but talented group of Andean troubadours. Vocalist, Sofia Butchuck from Cuzco led the evening singing in Spanish and Quechua. She sang beautiful ballads referencing the sacred properties of the coca leaf, the indigenous people's god Pachamama and the natural world of mountains and the flying condor. She was accompanied by Santiago on guitar and Paloma on charango, a small 10 string guitar like instrument. She also sang songs with a political message focusing on internal struggles on mining concessions in Bagua and elsewhere.
Sofia's musical performance was followed by the that of Jose Navarro. Jose performs a ritualistic dance of scissors and is a puppeteer an mime artist. The scissor dance is an acrobatic and, as can be, seen highly costumed performance.
The theme for the evening held some irony since the recent bicentennial independence celebrations in south America pay scant attention to the 500 years of oppression of it's indigenous communities. Unfortunately the event was not well attended but this was more than compensated by its quality and ambiance.
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Sofia and friends in London
Posted by malarkey at 18:44
No comments:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Giasou! Welcome!
Maria Benardis of Greekalicious has instructed at many venues both in Australia and the USA. These include the Intuitive Well in Sydney, Australia. The Brooklyn Kitchen, The Natural Gourmet Institute, Cozymeal, Cocusocial, and Haven's Kitchen in NYC.
She also conducts cooking classes online. You can take these classes from the comfort of your own home or workplace.
Maria adopts and intuitive approach to cooking. Letting the senses and the soul guide every step of the cooking process and using only certified organic ingredients wherever possible. Health and Wellness Tips are also shared!
You can book Maria by contacting her on our contacts page.
Maria also conducts private intimate intuitive cooking class that get you to the heart of authentic Greek food ingredients, techniques, history, wisdom and flavours.
Sit back, relax, enjoy the journey and immersion therapy.
The Greekalicious cooking classes are authentic with modern Greek food ensured to spark your appetite and inspire your cooking.
Everyone is invited to participate in the cooking class and afterwards you'll taste each sensational dish by sitting down to a casual Greek food feast. Let me say this is a full sit-down meal and you won't feel hungry after a Greekalicious cooking class.
You can book Maria by contacting her on our contacts page.
At Greekalicious we care about you and your health.
We cook with ingredients that are respectful and loving to you and the environment.
We use seasonal certified organic ingredients wherever possible and ingredients that are GMO-free.
We use certified Greek organic extra virgin olive oil from Greece the origins of olive oil making in all our cooking and not the unhealthy cotton seed, canola, soy and vegetable oils that many other eating establishments use.
We strive to be and to provide the best cooking classes when it comes to the use of quality ingredients, good energy and service.
Above all we practice an Ancient Greek tradition of cooking with "agapi" (Unconditional Love) and harmony. We cook all our dishes adopting the healing Ancient Greek wisdoms and philosophies that lead to harmonious health and longevity.
Menus subject to change. Please advise us of any dietary requirements so that we can accommodate. Many of our dishes can be accommodated to be vegetarian, vegan friendly and gluten free.


text:
Buy Whole Chicken, Cut It Up Yourself- Save BIG!Posted: November 17, 2012 Filed under: Food and it's Impact on Our Health Leave a comment
I found a great new website today, A Life In Food, and wanted to share both the site and a way to SAVE A LOT OF MONEY on chicken. Most people I know do not know how to cut up a whole chicken, or feel it's too much of a hassle. But the money you can save is substantial! I can buy a whole organic chicken for 12.00 to 14>00 (on sale for less if you watch for them!). Buying two organic chicken breasts is usually about 8.00! Yikes! PLUS, when I buy the whole bird, I get fat to cook with, bones to make stocks and innards to either use in stocks or fry..or to feed my cat.
How to Portion a Whole Chicken in FIVE Minutes with Scissors!
You can portion a whole chicken in 5 minutes using just a pair of kitchen scissors (poultry shears are unnecessary unless you're crunching through bones, which you don't need to do).
Here's a picture guide:
This is a great way to save money on buying individual portions, and if you ever find that there are only whole chickens left in the store, this way you can still get the portions you need for a recipe.


text:
Get Updated with Latest Events in UAE
The 2nd BYA Talent hunt & Victory day celebration was held at the Ibn Seena School Sharjah, U.A.E.
This annual event became our second succesive show for us which was also followed by a Dinner party for all the BYA participants.
The 1st BYA talent hunt & Victory day celebration in Dhow Palace Hotel in Dubai, U.A. E This was a great stepping stone for BYA as people appreciatied the show which was also followed by a Dinner party for all the BYA participants.
BYA got great reviews as they became a part of the Bangla Mela 2009 . This was held at the Sudanese Club,Dubai, U.A.E. BYA (Bangla Youth Project) performers Sajjad & Habib rocked the crowed with 2 Exclusive tracks from their upcoming Music Album Bangla Youth project (BYP).
BYA also had its own dedicated Stall in the Mela where they Distributed Calenders & Bangladeshi Flags.
Bangla Youth attends the Channel I Performance Award in August 2008 to support music Producer and DJ AKS (a BYA Committe membor) perform with Mehreen (Pop Singer).
For the first time ever in the history of UAE, BYA introduced a RALLY that promoted our country in the UAE by organising a Rally on 16 DEC Victory Day all over UAE.
BYA members gets into full action by volunteering at the Channel I Performance awards 2007.
BYA supports the SIDR Charity show in Abudhabi Bangladesh School.
BYA members volunteers during a a visit by Nobel prize winner - Dr. Yunus during his visit in U.A.E at the Dubai Men's College.
it was a great experienced to welcome the novel prize winner.....
A social event witnessing the launch of Swades magazine with BYA members
Bangla Youth Associations was formed in 2005 with few initial members.
BYA celebrates Bangladesh Victory Day at the Preston University with Deshi Msshti -Rasgulla.
Bya performance in pcl
bangla boishaki @ AJman by BYA