text:
NEW YORK– In a shocking about face, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick has dropped out of President Trump's business advisory council.
Kalanick said he was not participating because of the president's immigration order in a memo to employees.
"Earlier today I spoke briefly with the president about the immigration executive order and its issues for our community," Kalanick said in the memo obtained by CNN. "I also let him know that I would not be able to participate on his economic council. Joining the group was not meant to be an endorsement of the president or his agenda but unfortunately it has been misinterpreted to be exactly that."
Kalanick was one of 19 business leaders on the council, which was scheduled to have its first meeting on Friday.
Last Friday, Trump issued a sweeping executive order, which imposed a temporary travel ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries.
Tech companies were outraged at the order, especially as many companies were founded by immigrants.
"There are many ways we will continue to advocate for just change on immigration but staying on the council was going to get in the way of that," Kalanick said in the memo. "The executive order is hurting many people in communities all across America. Families are being separated, people are stranded overseas and there's a growing fear the U.S. is no longer a place that welcomes immigrants."
Kalanick has previously defended his working relationship with Trump, telling employees that it is necessary to execute on Uber's mission. On Inauguration Day, protesters stood in front of Uber's San Francisco office holding a sign that read: "Uber collaborates with Trump."
A rallying cry, in the form of a hashtag, may have forced Uber's hand.
Over the weekend, #DeleteUber was trending in response to a company tweet. The New York City Taxi Worker's Alliance announced a stoppage from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday. At 7:30 p.m., Uber tweeted that it had turned off its surge pricing, which people interpreted as trying to break the strike. By Sunday, Uber tweeted an apology, saying it was meant to ensure that protesters had means to transportation.
Many pointed out the stark contrast between Uber and Lyft's reaction. Lyft was quick to pledge $1 million to the ACLU over the next four years to help "defend our Constitution."
Uber's move received widespread praise,
"We are heartened that Uber has listened to the drivers and the community on this important issue that is so integral to the promise of the American dream," said Jim Conigliaro, Jr., founder of The Independent Drivers Guild, in a statement. "This is an important show of solidarity with the immigrant drivers who helped build Uber and number over 40,000 in New York City alone."
"Membership on this council is an endorsement of bigotry, period. Thanks to the thousands of activists who protested and made their voice heard, Kalanick and Uber woke up to this reality," Farhana Khera, executive director of Muslim Advocates, said in a statement. "However, the 18 other CEOs on this business council are still trying to have it both ways."
Trump's advisory council, dubbed the Strategic and Policy Forum, includes JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and former GE CEO Jack Welch. The group is expected to have a direct line to Trump and be tasked with giving him nonpartisan views on how government policy impacts the economy and jobs.
Other members include Elon Musk of Tesla, Mary Barra of General Motors, Larry Fink of Blackrock and Jim McNerney of Boeing.
Sara O'Brien contributed reporting.


text:
Tumor Cell Seeding During Surgery—Possible Contribution to Metastasis Formations
Department of Experimental Hematology and Oncology, Clinic for Internal Medicine II, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena D-07747, Germany
Cancers 2011, 3(2), 2540-2553; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers3022540
Received: 1 April 2011 / Revised: 23 May 2011 / Accepted: 26 May 2011 / Published: 8 June 2011
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surgery Induced Tumorigenesis in Breast and Other Cancers: An Inconvenient Truth?)
In spite of optimal local control in breast cancer, distant metastases can develop as a systemic part of this disease. Surgery is suspected to contribute to metastasis formation activating dormant tumor cells. Here we add data that seeding of cells during surgery may add to the risk of metastasis formation. The change in circulating epithelial tumor cells (CETC) was monitored in 66 breast cancer patients operated on with breast conserving surgery or mastectomy and during the further course of the disease, analyzing CETC from unseparated white blood cells stained with FITC-anti-EpCAM. An increase in cell numbers lasting until the start of chemotherapy was observed in about one third of patients. It was more preeminent in patients with low numbers of CETC before surgery and, surprisingly, in patients without involved lymph nodes. Patients with the previously reported behavior—Reincrease in cell numbers during adjuvant chemotherapy and subsequent further increase during maintenance therapy—were at increased risk of relapse. In addition to tumor cells already released during growth of the tumor, cell seeding during surgery may contribute to the early peak of relapses observed after removal of the primary tumor and chemotherapy may only marginally postpone relapse in patients with aggressively growing tumors. View Full-Text
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License
MDPI and ACS Style
Katharina, P. Tumor Cell Seeding During Surgery—Possible Contribution to Metastasis Formations. Cancers 2011, 3, 2540-2553.
AMA StyleShow more citation formats Show less citations formats
Katharina P. Tumor Cell Seeding During Surgery—Possible Contribution to Metastasis Formations. Cancers. 2011; 3(2):2540-2553.Chicago/Turabian Style
Katharina, Pachmann. 2011. "Tumor Cell Seeding During Surgery—Possible Contribution to Metastasis Formations." Cancers 3, no. 2: 2540-2553.
Find Other Styles
Article Access StatisticsFor more information on the journal statistics, click here.
Multiple requests from the same IP address are counted as one view.
Search more from Scilit
Zoom | Orient | As Lines | As Sticks | As Cartoon | As Surface | Previous Scene | Next Scene

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Featured @ NM State Library
Coronavirus Update 3/15/20
All Department of Cultural Affairs libraries, museums and historic sites, including this facility, are temporarily closed to the public as a public health precaution due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus). These closures are part of the larger effort by state government to minimize public exposure. Please continue to visit this website for updates and to explore online resources and collections.
The New Mexico State Library is closed for in-person services until further notice.
We are, however, continuing to provide reference service by telephone and email, and continuing our state-wide interlibrary loan services while minimizing face-to-face contact as directed by Governor Lujan Grisham. The rural bookmobile service will not be operating. Books by Mail and the Library for the Blind and Print Disabled are continuing services at a reduced staffing level. If you need to reach library staff, please call the number below and leave a message.
Telephone: 505-476-9700
Find FREE WiFi at a public library near you
Libraries are closed, but WIFI is still available from the parking lots of many New Mexico public libraries.
When visiting these libraries, please stay in your vehicle and observe guidelines to keep a distance of at least 6 feet away from your fellow New Mexicans. Also, follow local governments' rules and directions restricting travel and outdoor activities.
You can see the interactive map here.
COVID-19/Coronavirus Information and Resources
Are you looking for information and resources for COVID-19/coronavirus? Please see our LibGuide COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
TumbleBooks Now Available FREE for everyone!
New Mexico State Library is now offering TumbleBooks free for all New Mexicans, no library card needed! Access is available through August 31, 2020.
TumbleBooks' databases are easy to use, and feature unlimited access from home! You can read as many books as you want, when you want, and on any device. There are no check-outs, holds, or bulky downloads. Books are available instantly.
We are offering 5 different options, for different ages and interests.


text:
Teri Darnell's Berlin 'Cabaret of the Nameless' series is influenced by the works of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Rembrandt, and Georges de La Tour.
La Tour, a French painter of the 17th century, composed startling geometric simplifications of the human form, and created theatrical interior scenes lit only by the glare of candles. Like these painters, her images focus on dramatic situations and subjects, and a high contrast of light and dark (chiaroscuro).
Cabaret of the Nameless is not about the glorification of the 1920's, but about the dream, the excess, and the intoxication which one would like to surrender to today, with all its consequences, without thinking of the morning.
The interplay of this retrospective counter-world of sinful beauties and forbidden oddities was conceived in 2012 by the dazzling art figure Le Pustra. Le Pustra reinvented Elow's original concept by offering a voyeuristic and fresh view of Berlin from the 1920's. His vision draws inspiration from sources about the wicked nightlife of this time, with its cashmere, brothels, cabarets, and theaters.
Teri Darnell is an artist who uses her camera to connect to places that few people explore. Her use of vibrant colors and evocative imagery enables viewers to engage in worlds that they might not otherwise encounter.
Teri serves on the Board of Directors of Atlanta Celebrates Photography. She served six years in the U.S. Air Force, notably in Berlin during the cold war. In 2015, she retired after twenty-five years of service with a Fortune 50 company as a Multi-Media Development Manager to pursue her passion in photography.
In 2017, Teri's images were selected for the Songzhuang International Photo Biennale, Czech China Contemporary Museum, Beijing, China; the Decatur Arts Alliance, Dalton Gallery, Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia; Puppy Love, Hathaway Contemporary Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia; the Museum of Contemporary Art Georgia; and Atlanta Celebrates Photography's highly acclaimed annual art auction.
Teri was selected as a finalist for the 8th Julia Margaret Cameron Award. Several of her images were exhibited at the 2016 Berlin Foto Biennale.


text:
Direct from DURO, here's Origami Cad Bane …. folded by a Super-Folder who calls himself: Yoda 5447.
SuperFolder Yoda 5447's Origami Cad Bane! #starwars #origami
10 Comments»
Wow, awesome!
I know him!
I don't realy know anyone named Logan
Nice job!
Hey, I just realized, if you fold the top of his head down and color his skin gray and the rest of him black; it's the Emperor!
thanks for the nice coments
there's just one thing thats mising, his hat. well i guess you could just fold his hat and tape it on.


text:
Post all your travelogues here so that you can look back at your trips many many years down the line!
1st Jul 2020, 08:41
Sticky Threads
Normal Threads
Use this control to limit the display of threads to those newer than the specified time frame.
Allows you to choose the data by which the thread list will be sorted.
Order threads in...
Note: when sorting by date, 'descending order' will show the newest results first.
Forum Rules


text:
"It's truly wonderful to moor out amongst the frozen reed-beds in the wide open spaces of Friesland; a log burning stove, as well as full central heating, makes sure that we stay nice and cozy," Keith Wren emails to me.
I debate over what I could say back that would sound remotely as poetic. My space heater is keeping me pretty toasty at work. And it sure is nice to be greeted by the frozen whiteness outside my window. Oh, wait, that's pigeon poop…
Needless to say, being privy to the excitement that Keith and his wife, Ann, are accustomed to as I corresponded with them over their story regularly had me turning green with envy.
For the Wrens, life is not the usual since facing the prospect of retirement led to a big decision in 1999: they decided to buckle down and commit to what they had always been talking about—going abroad to explore mainland Europe by houseboat.
Wandering the continent had long fascinated the Wrens—the hundreds of miles of interconnected waterways that spiral out from Germany and Holland in the north down through Belgium and France to the Mediterranean coast in the south and the Black Sea in the east offer ample opportunity. They always had the vision, they now had the time—the only thing they were missing was the right houseboat.
Two more years of looking all over Europe, the advice of "Watersteps Through France" authors Bill and Laurel Cooper, and the aid of a former commercial barge skipper went into finally finding their future houseboat: a lovely classic barge of 93 feet by 16 feet, christened Virunga.
This barge was unusual for many reasons, including having been shortened by about 32 feet and being relatively young for her riveted construction barge type—she was only built in 1960 as opposed to the early 1900's. The hull had also been re-built for a stiffer under-water section; instead of the minimum required steel plate-thickness of .28 inches, it measured a whopping .47 inches with .63 inches on the chines. Virunga had also been fully certified for use on the mighty River Rhine, meaning she met the highest of European safety standards for inland waterways.
"We have maintained that certification; very few private barges have that standard," Keith explains.
The Wrens took their new barge to Friesland in northern Holland to strip her down to an empty shell, re-paint the inside, and convert her into an elegant and well-equipped cruising houseboat—including enabling her to carry 3,400 gallons of water in the under-floor tanks. (This translates to mooring in the open countryside for considerable time between marina visits, and the luxury of several showers a day during particularly hot summers).
The renovation work took a big hit when the majority of the Dutch shipyard where the houseboat was being re-fitted was razed by fire. By a stroke of luck, Virunga had been temporarily taken out of the water for grit blasting and spray-painting in another shipyard.
"Equally fortunately, we had been upgrading her insurance premium when individual project tasks were completed—and we had only just done that three days before the fire!" Keith says. Unfortunately, the new mahogany wheelhouse, hatches, skylights, and other features were lost with the shipwrights' shop where they had been stored before the fire broke out.
Despite the setbacks, the work was finally complete and Virunga was ready to launch. Hot water and central heating were now provided by an "on demand" diesel combi-boiler, and the houseboat was all electric; a high capacity semi-traction battery-bank plus power inverter provides Virunga's primary power-circuit of 230 volts—which means the Wrens could carry a full fit-out of fridges and freezer to tumble-drier and dishwasher.
"Laundry can be done whenever it's convenient regardless of the weather or where the boat is moored," Keith says. "Consequently, there's no searching (often in vain) for a convenient launderette, no humping bags of clothes across town and then spending half the afternoon keeping machines company."
As far as re-christening goes, the Wrens decided against changing the name.
"Her name is original and, because we liked it, we just kept it," Keith explains. "Virunga is the mountainous national park area in central Africa made famous by that brave American anthropologist, Dian Fossey."
After a run of acceptance and shake-down trials followed by cruising much of Friesland, the Wrens finally set sail with an elderly mother-in-law in May of 2009.
"At long last, we were heading south to the sun," Keith grins.
Because there are now no border controls of any sort in continental Europe thanks to the "open-borders" treaty, the Wrens found European inland cruising to be exceptionally easy.
"Moving around from country to country, with neither suitcases to pack nor airport queues to test our patience, is bliss," Keith smiles.
"We picked up visitors from the USA at Chateau Thierry," Keith says. "My friend Arthur and myself then made a 'duty trip' to the WWI American military cemetery at Belleau Wood on the hills above the Marne; we walked the Belleau Wood battlefield, which is unusual in that not only are several of the original trenches still visible but also rusting artillery pieces can still be seen in the undergrowth—a very poignant visit which left us both deep in thought."
They explored Champagne-producing areas, delved into the Brie cheese country-side, and stopped in the town of Meaux where all their guests touched down on land again to catch the Eurostar train, which runs through the tunnel under the English Channel to London. The Wrens continued their cruise to the River Seine and Paris. After touring many cities, they met the first leaves of fall just as they entered the Burgundy wine-producing area at Santanay.
"It was here that we got out our wicker baskets and wandered the bank-side collecting supplies of wild walnuts ready for Christmas," Keith remembers. "Onwards onto the River Saone at Chalon-sur-Saone to take on fuel—and scare the hell out of the motor-cruiser fraternity in that little marina."
They had to enter backwards so the fuel hose could reach Virunga's filling point on the after-deck, and as many houseboaters know, most large power-vessels tend to be willful when driving astern.
"Little did those motor-boaters realize, when they saw the stern of Virunga thrashing backwards towards them, that she is so maneuverable!" Keith laughs. "With a single propeller lying between two semi-balanced rudders capable of turning almost 90 degrees to each side, supplemented by a powerful, engine-driven, hydraulic bow-thruster, she is incredibly easy to maneuver, even in strong winds. We knew that—and they didn't, and the sight of alarmed heads popping out of hatches as we rumbled close past them meant that we had to work hard not to burst out laughing."
They then continued upstream on the River Saone to St. Jean de Losne, the crossroads of the central rivers and canal system. Near here, six routes converge and in the summertime it becomes the meeting ground for many barges like Virunga for Americans, English, Welsh, Irish, Scottish, Australians, French, Belgian, New Zealanders and Canadians alike.
"It is said that whenever two barges meet it's an excuse for a party—and it is here that friendships are renewed, tales are told and plans are made," Keith says.
The Wrens then wound past the city of Dijon to arrive in their over-wintering port of Pont d'Ouch in the heart of the Burgundy vineyards.
"Once we were ensconced we just changed mode from cruiser to houseboat and settled down for a snowy but comfortable winter," Keith says. Thanks to the nine radiators, a superb solid fuel stove in the after-saloon, and double-glazing in the skylights and windows, a wonderfully cozy winter it was.
After celebrating the New Year, the Wrens began exploring River Saone, where they had a hilarious experience due to language barriers.
"Despite the fact that I'd spent some time learning the principles of the French language, there were many of the nuances that I still had to master," Keith explains. "This was brought home to us when a conversation with the driver of the little local bus which took us into town went a little askew."
A pleasant man, the driver was interested in Virunga and often asked the Wrens questions as he drove them to the local market. Keith decided to invite him onboard for a look around.
"It's just as well that it was a warm spring day that he came, because all of the regular passengers on that bus also turned up!" Keith laughs. "Fortunately, they all also brought food and drink gifts, so after a quick scramble to rig tables on the bank-side (complete with the crisp white tablecloths that the French always use) we were soon 'rigged for party'—a party that became full of noise and laughter and went on well into the evening."
Looking back over the happy scene, Keith contentedly says, "Such is this wonderful houseboating lifestyle."
This exact sentiment is something that resonates with all houseboaters. But if you want to see for yourself how things are done on the uncrowded waterways, take a look at the Wren's collection of pictures on their flickr page. I'll race you to it. After all, coming in from the cold outside and sitting down to an email like, "We're now back onboard after visiting England for a few days," my hands just naturally reach over to pull out my desk calendar and start planning my own retirement some four decades from now.
Photography by Keith Wren
Like what you read?
Want to know when we have important news, updates or interviews?
Join our newsletter today!
Send to your friends!


text:
Top Market Strategist Sees 35%-40% Drop in Stocks in Next Bear Market
Jim Stack says a downturn isn't imminent, but with the bull market entering its seventh year caution is warranted.
Jim Stack watches Wall Street like a hawk—from 2,200 miles away, on the shores of Montana's stunning Whitefish Lake. Stack, president of InvesTech Research, a market analysis firm, and Stack Financial Management, its asset management business, maintains more than a century's worth of market data that helps him forge a "safety-first" strategy. With the bull market turning 6 years old on March 9, Stack was already wary. The market's swoon on March 6 following another stellar jobs report seemed to confirm his recent warnings about how good news on the economy can be bad news for stocks.
Kiplinger: You've become increasingly nervous about the stock market—why?
Stack: Every economic recovery and every bull market start out with widespread fears and doubt in the early years. But as the economic recovery and bull market mature, that doubt dissipates and those fears turn into optimism or even complacency. We're starting to see that today, characterized by the parabolic rise in margin debt (money borrowed to buy stocks) and the very low level of bearish investment advisers. One has to remember that by definition, bull markets peak when optimism is highest.
You recently wrote that "boom" is the best word in an economic expansion, but the most dangerous for stock investors. Why should an economic boom worry investors?
Headlines about an economic boom represent the danger that this recovery is reaching a mature stage. "Boom" is a word that characteristically appears in the final stages of a bull market. It was prevalent in late 1968, before the '69-'70 bear market, it appeared in 1973 right at the start of the large '73-'74 bear market. In February of 2000, just before one of the biggest market tops ever, Business Week magazine basically made its whole cover into the word "BOOM."
So it's not the economic growth itself that signals the peak, it's the optimism that it engenders?
Optimism, or extreme valuations, have never caused a bear market, yet they do increase the risk of potential negative surprises. As a recovery matures, imbalances develop that can cause sudden, unexpected shifts in inflation and interest rates that inevitably cause the peak in a bull market and subsequently lead to the next bear market and possibly a recession. The higher the degree of optimism, and likewise, valuation, the greater the downside risk in the bear market
Is the bear looming? We don't have those warning flags that appeared back in 2007 before the market top or in the late '90s during the tech bubble. That's the good news. The bad news is that by historical comparisons, we are most likely in the latter third of this bull market. On March 9 it turns six years old. That makes it the fourth longest bull market in 85 years. And stock prices have tripled since the bottom. In terms of gains, it's the fourth largest bull market ever.
What are some of the warning signs that will tell you when things are changing? Generally you want to look at three important areas. One is monetary conditions. Monetary conditions today are universally favorable. You've got a strong dollar, you've got long-term bond yields recently near multi-generational lows and you have the Federal Reserve not even having announced when it's going to start bringing up short-term interest rates. All three of those factors could change over the balance of 2015, and if they do, that would provide significant headwinds to this bull market. With the Fed, the risk is not the first quarter-point rate hike or two; the risk is whether those hikes come faster and more continually than widely expected. A second area that we are watching closely is economic evidence, primarily relating to consumer confidence. If we see an unexpected drop in consumer confidence at some point in the next 12 to 18 months, we will be treating it as a warning flag.
What's the third area? Those internal technical warning flags from the market itself. One is the breadth of the advance. If you have fewer and fewer stocks participating, it's a classic warning flag of a deteriorating market. As an example, in the final two years of the tech bubble, fewer than 20% of the stocks in Standard & Poor's 500-stock index contributed to 80% of the gain. We also watch bellwether stocks—leading stocks in those sectors that tend to peak ahead of the broader market. The only bellwether divergence we see today is that while the S&P, Nasdaq, and the Russell 2000 indexes are all hitting new highs, the Dow Jones Utility index is down 13% from its peak. But that, in itself, is not enough to turn bearish.
Are stocks overpriced? It's very difficult to find attractive values out there. The 87-year average price-earnings multiple for the S&P, based on the previous 12 months of earnings, is 17. The current trailing P/E on the S&P is nearly 20, which means we're roughly 17% overvalued. But if you look at the median P/E—the point at which half the stocks trade above and half below—for all the stocks on the New York and American stock exchanges and Nasdaq, the P/E is at the highest level in history. If interest rates are factored into the equation, then the market is still undervalued, but only slightly. And the dependence on low interest rates to justify current valuations may make this one of the most interest rate-sensitive markets ever.
As nervous as you are, you're still positive on the market. You have nearly 80% invested in stocks. We just reduced our allocation to 76%. That's our lowest allocation since the start of the bull market, and down from our peak of 96% in 2009. Why have we reduced our allocation when the economy is hitting on all cylinders? And in the absence of any definitive bear-market warning flags? The answer is simply that you shouldn't have the same investment strategy going into the seventh year of a bull market as you do in the early years. Still, the latter third of a bull market can provide good profits for investors—50% or more in a third of the markets going back to 1950. I doubt that kind of potential remains in this bull market, though.
What's the best strategy now? There are two ways to manage risk in one's portfolio—with the overall allocation to stocks, and by adjusting sector holdings. Stocks that perform well in the final third of the bull market typically include technology, health care, industrial and energy stocks. Going back to 1972, energy stocks have been at the top of that list. Of course, you have an unusual situation today, but this isn't the time to abandon energy holdings. I would stay away from the exploration companies and move more toward the integrated companies.
Does the kind of bull market we're in give us any clues about the bear market to follow? Every bear market except the 1956-57 bear market has taken back roughly 50% or more of the previous bull market's gain. The next bear market would probably be larger than a minimal 20%. My guess is that losses will be between 35% and 40%. It won't be the once-in-a-generation 2007-09 bear market, but it certainly will not be mild.
Talk about timing. How long can this final stage of the bull market last? I would say the likelihood of the bull market extending into 2016 would be perhaps one in three.
So, you're bullish, but maybe not for long. That would probably be the best way to call it. I don't try to second-guess the end of a bull market, but at the same time, as a market historian with 40 years in the business I feel the end is coming. I've just learned to trust that gut feel.


text:
Title: A Girl Like You (Henrietta and Inspector Howard 1)
Author: Michelle Cox
Publisher: She Writes Press
Publication Date: 2016
Book Summary:
Following the stock market crash of 1929, Henrietta Von Harmon's father committed suicide, leaving Henrietta to help her mother care for seven younger siblings. Working as a twenty-six girl in the evenings at a local pub owned by Mr. Hennessey helps bring in some money, but Henrietta can't seem to hold down a job during the day. Working as waitress at various restaurants never seems to last for Henrietta; she is fired countless times for slapping an owner or telling off a cook when they tried to get a bit friendly. With money as tight as it is, Henrietta finally agrees to her friend Polly's suggestion to become a taxi dancer. Men play to dance with girls at the Promenade. As the money is much better than she makes from Mr. Hennessey, Henrietta agrees to the job and keeps it a secret from her mother.
Dancing at the Promenade turns out to be enjoyable. Henrietta gets to dress nice and be admired by the guests. Mama Leone runs a very tight ship and her girls are treated with respect. One evening, a dashing man dances with Henrietta, full of questions about Mama Leone and her operation. Later, Mama Leone is found murdered and Henrietta is shocked to learn that the dashing man she danced with, was an inspector with the Chicago police department. Inspector Howard knows that there much more behind Mama Leone's murder than meets the eye, and he is convinced that having Henrietta work undercover will help the police gain access and evidence.
Henrietta is quick to agree for both the money and the excitement, but she soon realizes that this endeavor will take her into the gritty and dark underworld of Chicago. Struggling to thwart the attentions of a love-struck neighborhood boy, searching for a missing friend, and working as an usherette at the shady Marlowe, it quickly becomes apparent that Henrietta is in way over her head and her naivety threatens to interfere with finding the killer. As the victims start to pile up, Henrietta and Inspector Howard must fight to make sure they are not thrown on the top.
Book Commentary:
Chicago, 1930's, gangsters. What is not to love!? A great start to a new series. Henrietta combines spunk with innocence and a good heart with a physical maturity beyond her years. I liked her and I found myself rooting for her, but at the same time, I wanted to lock her in her room and make her grow up! Inspector Howard is a great contrast to her, both in age and maturity, but he also has past demons of his own.
I loved the references to Marshall Fields, the Water Tower, and other iconic Chicago landmarks; they made me homesick!
The story-line for what is presented as a romantic historical mystery is actually quite dark and rather disturbing. Readers should be aware that the subject matter, though unfortunately not false, is seedy and representative of a time in history when the struggle to survive can outweigh morality. That being said, it was a good book and I am hopeful the author will write more.
Who might like this book:
I picked up this book because two of my favorite authors – Anna Lee Huber and Tasha Alexander – provided author endorsements. I admire both of these authors' abilities to blend memorable and enduring characters with complex and engaging plot lines; author Michelle Cox seems to be following their lead with this book


text:
"Protection of the environment" has become a moral issue in the minds of an increasing number of people. But what, specifically, is the environment, what actions are good or bad for it and what moral issues apply to it? I will discuss this by thinking of the environment as the entire planet, or as the home of Earths sentient beingsa, or as the home of Homo sapiens.
Morality concerns what people should do and not do according to some religious or secular principles. Such principles may include an explicit or implicit duty of custodianship for the environment, and more specifically, compassion towards some or all species. This discussion will consider what might be justified as the right, or moral, thing to do concerning the environment, noting differing individual beliefsb about morality and about the significance of our actions on the environment. But first it will be useful to look at some relevant aspects about the workings of the environment.
Interactions and Consequences
All life on Earth needs close limits of conditions, such as temperature, availability of a specific range of substances, absence or avoidance of a specific range of substances, and continual presence of other organisms including other members of their own species. All life, in its processes of existing, continually alters its immediate environment. Billions of years ago, organisms called cyanobacteria excreted oxygen into the atmosphere, eventually causing the extinction of many other species of that era. However, this new chemically reactive environment pushed evolution onto a much more dynamic course.
This was just the operation of natural processes, and one key element happened to be a particular species of living organism. But it shows that from a early stage the Earths surface, including its climate, has been continually and significantly affected by its inhabitants. Some later effects were: covering the land with plants; increased concentration of oxygen; production of calcium carbonate; and the decomposition of rock by bacteria, plants and fungi.
These effects were produced in conjunction with inorganic factors: fluctuations in the strength of the suns radiation; continual movement of the earths crust; the impact of large objects and radiation from outer space; gravitational effects of the sun and the moon; and the rotation and revolution of Earth around the sun. Together these caused great extinctions, generated new kinds of organisms and affected the form, temperature and behaviour of the land, seas and atmosphere.
Human activity has had its own specific effects, starting with hunting and grazing of animals, then agriculture and use of fire. Now, thousands of years later, with the immense power of modern technologies, and the huge increase in human populations and their appetites, the impact is very significant.
Continued human action, it has been suggested, could lead to the extinction of humanity itself. Would this be a good or a bad thing? We might think it bad, but from the point of view of many other species the extinction of humanity could be a good thing. Pre-human extinctions cleared the way for our present existence, so our possible demise might be thought of as just part of an ongoing process.
I think it is unlikely that humanity would be completely extinguished by its effects on the environment. We are too widespread around the earth; too resourceful and resilient; too diverse in culture and belief; and our gene pool is diverse enough to survive the likely adverse environments. But some real possibilities that are short of extinction are still very direc.
What are We Actually Doing to the Environment?
Humanity is seriously harming the environment in many ways - using up resources; poisoning the air, water and land; destroying the habitats of other species; and warming the surface of the earth and the atmosphere.
The increasing human population and its demand for ever higher "standards of living" are using up many essential resources: fresh water, arable land, food species (notably fish), plants and carbon-based fuelsd. Most are vital not only for humanity but also for other species Many species have already been extinguished, and many others are being threatened.
Depletion of resources is being caused by:
Thousands of recently developed substances have already been introduced into the water, air and land, and more are continually being added. Many of them have been shown to be noxious to humans and other species. The full effects of most of them are still not known. Some are slow-acting, so that their effects are not discovered until years or decades after contact or ingestion. Some are benign in themselves but have been shown to be dangerous in combination with others. These substances are created by:
Damage to habitats of people and other species is caused by:
Human-induced global warming is caused by direct or indirect emission and release of "greenhouse gases", notably carbon dioxide and methane, from:
It is most unlikely that we will avoid severe and widespread consequences of global warming, but immediate drastic action would delay and reduce the damage. Warming itself may not be the most dangerous threat to humanity, but it increases the spread of disease and the depletion of resources and habitat.
Is This Just Doomsday Scare-Mongering?
Some people dismiss the need for any action on environmental issues, saying that they:
There are several issues here:
But we also have clear, measurable, warnings shortage of potable water, disappearance of glaciers, melting of Antarctic, Arctic and Greenland ice, increases in ocean temperatures that global warming is more advanced than the models predict. Further, there is the disappearance or endangerment of food species, and the increasing acidification of the oceans (with CO2), that things are going wrong. Meanwhile, populations and personal consumption continue to increase.
There are indeed other serious problems that need immediate attention, such as war, private use of increasingly powerful weaponry, and poverty. These should not be ignored, but neither should the environment, and most of them make the environmental problems more severe, and vice versa.
The hope, or expectation, of continued economic development has been fostered by progress in science, the industrial revolution and the success of capitalism. Wherever it is kindled it is driven by well-known human traits. Governments like it: it pleases voters and increases international influence. So, although it generally worsens the environment in many ways, development usually gets priority over environmental issues. More efficient and sustainable technologies will be likely to reduce the adverse impacts of development, but are not likely to be sufficient by themselves.
Equalisation of distribution of goods and services, ie., "bringing the poorer nations to a higher standard of living", is often said to make further economic development essential. But, contrary to this argument, new technology and development usually benefit the rich much more than the poor. What is really needed is better sharing of resources, not greater exploitation.
Increasing the wealth of the poor while curtailing the consumption of the rich seems like an impossible hope. None of the major religions has had any success in achieving it. But happiness brought by wealth is only transitory. Any long term happiness or feeling of wellbeing depends on temperament, on engaging in satisfying activities, and having hope of reaching goals.
New technologies often produce effective substitutes for depleting resources - such as for energy, or minerals with specific applications - and may continue to do so for many of our needs. Nuclear fusion, or more likely capture of sunlight, may become our primary energy source, for example, and hydroponics might substitute for arable land. Such solutions are generally only partial substitutes, and new technical capabilities often have unexpected serious side effects. Similarly, careful husbandry of agricultural land and forests could greatly increase their productivity. But we can no longer sustain another "green revolution" similar to the previous one, which required vastly increased amounts of water and fertiliser, and caused depletion of land and destructive run-off into waterways.
It is likely that some serious problems can be fixed, but none that anyone can be sure about. And the longer prosperity and longevity continue, the more serious all the problems will become. Archaeological evidence strongly suggests that earlier civilisations collapsed for environmental reasons but on a smaller scale. Earlier, there was usually somewhere else for the survivors to go. But now there isnt.
Moral Implications
What moral issues arise from these human impacts on the environment? A central issue in most peoples morality is the welfare of human beings - our selves, our family, nation, and, depending on our fears, compassion and generosity, all of humanity. Some of us would extend our morality to the welfare of all sentient organisms, or to Gaia the dynamically interdependent system of the earths crust, oceans and atmosphere or the planet as a whole. So, to the extent that the environment affects the welfare of any of these, the "welfare" of the environment is a moral issue.
But how do we justify human welfare which is not the same as affluence - as a moral objective? The evolutionary process shows no respect for individuals or species - those not equipped to withstand changes to their environment die out. If humanity is the result of an evolutionary process, then the continuation of the evolutionary process may seem a desirable end in itself, even if it results in the extinction of humanity.
If humanity allows its own demise, then thats evolution. Some people think there is some inexorable tendency (perhaps even a planned tendency) towards the evolution of increasingly marvellous species or towards increasing intelligence, with Homo sapiens as the current high point.
The usual assumption is that the next high point will be an enhanced form of humanity. But previous trends in evolution had inherent limits, which were surpassed by new species that arose from different lineages. Perhaps our combination of emotions and intelligence may limit our ability to evolve as organisms although we might enhance ourselves as cyborgs. And, as suggested above, our nature or our actions might lead to our partial or total destruction. But, when we look at how people determinedly survive in all kinds of harsh conditions, it is obvious that there is an inherent human will to survive.
I think almost everyone would regard prevention of the destruction or severe harm to humanity to be an important moral consideration. And, in general, prudence would be regarded as morally preferable to self-indulgence.
So then, where do we apply moral considerations to the environment?
Earths continuation as a planet is dependent on the rest of the universe, not on anything we can yet do.
For as long as Earths condition allows, Gaia will continue to work out its own consequences. In the past this has often been at the expense of many of its species. Gaia has been regarded as a thing of beauty, a place of worship, an entity to worship or just an economic asset. Since Gaias condition is crucial for the existence and wellbeing of all species, including us, its continued operation in a way conducive to our continued (tolerable?) existence must be a moral issue.
The welfare of the various "useful" species is a moral issue because of our interdependence with them. And what about the others? The wellbeing of some other species has been justified as a moral issue because of their ability to feel pain and emotion, which has been amply demonstrated. The rights implied in this are:
This view is, of course, not universally accepted. Most people assume they have a natural or God-given right over other species. The cruelty of the food chain and of droughts, floods, earthquakes, etc., is often referred to as part of the natural order, with the claim that our actions are also merely part of that order. Indeed, predators are essential in maintaining the balance of ecosystems. But a large part of human endeavour is protection against the natural order, and the purpose of morality is to regulate "natural" human tendencies, such as rape and stealing, when they are considered harmful.
It may be argued that we have a right to be able to follow our "natural" lifestyle, unimpeded by consideration of other species which are all less intelligent and less aware of their situation than us. The same is often claimed about people with intellectual impairments. Indeed, people with unimpaired intellects but with lower social status or wealth are often denied the rights expected by people of greater status or wealth. But whatever is concluded about this, it seems very selfish to deny sentient animals at least some moral consideration.
In addition to this, some apparently "useless" species may have an unexpected key role in the ecology that we are dependent on. How far can this be taken? It would be hard to argue for protection of the bacteria that cause diseases, or to such pests as mosquitoes, or various noxious fungi or plants. So judgment and common sense are need in drawing a line on what aspects of the environment to protect.
Possible Environmentally Moral Approaches
It is one thing to have moral objectives and another to know what to do to fulfil them. Even slowing down the damaging effects of our present lifestyles would be a great achievement. The idea of sustainability, that is, consuming no more than the earth can restore, seems out of reach. We would need to change our lifestyles immediately, and just being alive with our present world population puts a strain on the environment. Moving towards previous conditions, such as "Australia before the Europeans arrived", is not an option because some of the changes we have caused are irreversible.
There is no agreement among experts or lay people about what are the most urgent problems to address, nor about what are appropriate or effective ways to tackle them. It is not uncommon for large-scale attempts at resolving problems to be counter-productive or to introduce different problems.
So we cannot expect to have the environment saved by grand projects while we just go on living our lives. While some such schemes might help, history tells us that we should be wary of them. And actions effective to one area will not necessarily work in others. It is only by whole populations taking individual and collective actions to alter lifestyles that the damage to the environment and to humanity can be reduced, or its increase delayed. We might even hope that much of the damage may be reversed.
A Few Specifics
The actions needed to be taken on a global scale if humanity is to avoid or delay environmental disaster are to have:
Certain aspects of lifestyle would need to be addressed, as follows.
Personal attitudes
Personal aspirations and care would need to be directed towards the community and the environment rather than the person or family.
Human compassion should extend to other communities and to other species.
Human population and Wellbeing
Population levels need to decline, so family planning and small families should become universally acceptable and promoted. However, care should be taken in not discriminating against the inevitable larger families.
Excess consumption
It should be immoral to waste or excessively consume resources, including potable water, food and non-renewable energy.
Since a vegetarian diet incurs the use of much less water, land and energy than a carnivorous one, high consumption of meat should become morally questionable. To a lesser extent this applies to milk.
Wherever practicable, we should use our brains and muscles instead of material resources to provide comfort and convenience in our lifestyles, and perhaps learn to prefer self reliance to pampering.
Noxious substances
Industrial, agricultural, pharmaceutical, cleansing and beauty products whose manufacture, packaging, use or disposal releases substances that adversely affect the environment should be identified, phased out by the manufacturers. Benign alternatives should be sought by users.
global warming
It should be regarded as immoral to continue to provide or use energy from sources that emit large amounts of greenhouse gases.
There should be a reduction in other processes that cause emission of greenhouse gases, such as in agriculture, logging etc.
All the above affect the habitats of both human populations and other species. The habitats of both should be restored or replaced wherever possible. Any human intrusion into the habitats of other species should take full regard to their specific needs for wellbeing.
What Are the Chances?
Many of these moral values contradict aspirations, established ideas, entrenched religious principles and cultural traditions. So there would be strong dissent and opposition, probably becoming violent when the inevitable disruption started. Types of employment, transport, accommodation, eating and other aspects of life would need to change. For some time after the changes were begun the environmental effects would continue to worsen. Those in privileged positions, ie., the wealthy, would need convincing that their impact on the environment should decrease to equal the rising impact of the less privileged. This applies to nations as well as to individual people.
A strong sense of community and mutual help would need to be developed within and between societies if there were to be any widespread acceptance of these moral issues.
Actions related to care of the environment will include attending to the desires of some people at the expense of others or of a living generation at the expense future generations. Current examples are the production of noxious waste and the depletion of scarce resources in the course of meeting demands for goods and services. Future generations would probably adjust to, and accept as normal (although perhaps not happily), conditions that we in developed countries would regard as adverse. Many populations around the world do this now, and the ancestors of most of us have done so in the past.
What would need to be done to get the suggested moral principles adopted? Would they then work if they were adopted?
First, a lot of disbelief would need to be overcome. Usually we dont realise what impact our every-day actions have on the environment. And we seldom, if ever, consider the environment in the hundreds of decisions we make each day. So widespread educating would be necessary. But that by itself would not be enough to change habits.
Emotional, not just intellectual, conviction, and willingness to share the short-term disadvantages, would be needed. Since the measures would involve considerable inconvenience, and would often appear to worsen the situation, many people would never be convinced.
The action would work only if it started soon and if a sufficient proportion of the worlds population, particularly of the richer countries, were actively engaged. This will not happen until enough people become very scared about the effects of what is happening to the environment.
When is soon enough, and what proportion of the world would need to be involved? Who knows?


text:
The Dark Knight is a bat-themed superhero who comes out in the midst of the night to whack lawbreakers' ass. I, on the other hand, am a health-orientated guy who insists to slumber at time as the clocks strike 2300GMT.
On Saturday night, I wasn't asleep when it was 2300GMT. Instead, I went out with mates to catch the highly-anticipated The Dark Knight. If my memory don't serve me wrong, this counts as the 4th movies throughout the year. The show starts at 2330GMT, I felt convicted at some point. Adrian's Batmobile(a black Kelisa with stylish wheel rim) arrived 15 minutes late to pick me up…..*cutting all the craps*….. it was a long show so the show ended at 0230GMT. I thought the show was exceptional, all the suspenses and dramatic moments were breathtaking, and the Joker's performance was remarkable. The movie deserves a 10 out of 10 I think, strongly.
After a thrilled night, sad to say, I fell sick on the other day. Minor fever and tremendous headache I had. It lasted until the night. I thought it would be an excellent idea to not to go to school on the next morning. So I DID. =) Here, I'd like to take my hat off to the Steamy Gang, who are a bunch of living night creatures on the earth. Just because they can hang out at the mamak after dinner until midnight and most of the time they are reluctant to go home hence all sort of midnight adventures and explorations will come into the play. I am(used to be) one of them, but at some point of our life we all love to look back at what we had done. I realized I can't afford to go that way, for it's dragging my health down and various other reasons. I learnt to know what is good and what is bad. I'm always going to be a part of Steamy Gang because I am! Why so serious?
***Things are all worst before they are all good***


text:
Digital Photography School has published a review of the Canon 50D.
The Canon 50D is a great mid range camera. Not quite a professional level camera in that it's not using a "full frame" sensor but by no means "entry level" This camera will produce great results for you.
Read Photography Bay's Canon 50D Review.
For the latest news and reviews, check out Photography Bay's Canon 50D Reviews and Resources.


text:
I have accomplished standalone and comparison evaluations on the Arris Motorola SB6183, Arris Motorola SB6141 and Arris Motorola SB6121 cable modems and located that many individuals wanted a cable modem that also has telephony capabilities. Recently, I've revealed a hub in regards to the three mobile service suppliers – Globe, Smart and Sun Mobile cell shopping affords for everybody to take pleasure in using their cellphones and cell phones surfing over Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Friendster, Multiply, Google, Yahoo, Wikipedia, Plurk and extra more web sites.
For many users, cable modem service which piggybacks on the same cable TELEVISION service line that brings your TELEVISION many channels, symbolize both a giant increase in speed from the available with ISDN and a major financial savings in preliminary price and month-to-month costs which your subscription charge covers.
The opposite thing of significance is that it's essential test if fiber internet is offered in your area. Browser : Program aplikasi yang digunakan untuk mengakses menampilkan dan menjelajahi belantara informasi di internet. Tier 2 and decrease level networks buy Internet transit from different suppliers to succeed in not less than some parties on the worldwide Internet, though they could also engage in peering. I'm unable to stream in HD more often than not however I suspect this is mostly as a result of VPN service.
As mentioned in the AUP, the customer is completely chargeable for his Internet service utilization and for the security of any units, wi-fi, or Wi-Fi programs he chooses to make the most of or interconnect to Cogeco's network. As much as that point public internets were BBS access factors for members to dial into which gave them restricted entry to the organizations information archive hosted on the private community. If it is a formal qualification, then there are sites out there that will educate you online and either present a check by way of the internet, or prepare an exam in a public examination room. I've the D-Link DIR-820L which I cannot configure correctly to hook up with the Internet even after consulting D-Link Technical Assist and Maxis Home Fibre Helpline. There are millions of children using the Internet world-wide and this figure is sure to extend dramatically over the following few years. Maxis made an announcement that it is now the exclusive fiber service provider for Astro.
Advertising additionally covers all activities involved in shifting products and services from group to buyer, together with educating customers about services, attract new prospects to a product or service, retain current prospects excited by a product or service, and building and sustaining a customer base for a services or products.


text:
- by Jenna Ford
- in Property Investment
- 01/07/2013
Our newsletter this month covers off on "Investor Mindset and why these two distinctions are important to recognise.
- Passive Not participating readily or actively[1]
- Proactive Tending to initiate change rather than reacting to events[2]
We have written a number of articles this year on "untangling the mess" which focused on the importance of finance structuring to expedite your wealth creation. Along side the importance of finance structuring, it's vital that we explore whether current mindsets as Property Investors helps or hinders us in the wealth creation process.
One of the key mindsets behind successful Property Investors is that they are proactively searching out opportunities, exploring options, researching current market conditions and then taking action versus passively waiting or being reactive for conditions to improve before taking action.
The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) changed the financial landscape for our Property Investors. Whilst in the climate of economic uncertainty, the GFC brought a halt to reliable increases in property capital gain as well as bank credit departments reducing the availability of loans to access equity.
A changed market place inevitably means a change in the way an investor reaps rewards and builds long term passive income streams. Old strategies may need to be updated or abandoned whilst new strategies are planned, reviewed, researched and actioned.
Is your wealth creation increasing or are you currently stalled?
You may have properties in your portfolio that are:
– Long term holds but performing poorly in capital growth and/or rental yield;
– High negative gearing with poor cash flow;
– Impacting your borrowing capacity to increase your portfolio;
– Exhausting or reducing your buffers[3] below a sustainable level;
If any of the above applies, you may feel frustrated and uncertain what options you may have which in turn can create a passive investor mindset.
Below are some key action steps that property investors are taking to move from a passive investor mindset and wealth creation model to a proactive one:
1. Improve cash flow and capital value in your property portfolio:
Add value via cosmetic or structural renovations to attract higher quality tenants, better rent return and improve capital value. This could be simply painting, new carpet or adding an air conditioner. More structural renovations, like adding a bedroom, can also increase rent returns as well as capital value in your property. Consider adding or replacing properties with ones that have the option to add value to them in some way. This type of property is commonly called "with a twist". They can hold unrealised potential to add value and higher returns. You can actively pursue the "add value" properties and in doing so accelerate wealth creation. For example, explore opportunities that allow renovation, adding a second dwelling, realigning a boundary or subdivision and/or developing.
If you have a property that is close to a technical college, university or teaching hospitals, consider renting "room by room". This can increase the rental yield of a property as well as reduce the potential vacancy rates. For example, a 3 bedroom property with single lease may return $280 per week. However, the same property leased "room by room" at $120 per room will have higher rent return ($360 p/w) and varying lease periods. E.g. if the tenant in bedroom 1 vacates, room 2 and 3 are still providing rental income of $240 p/week ensuring a more stable income stream whilst re-leasing bedroom 1.
Take advantage of council regulations which allow for higher density housing and explore adding a granny flat to existing properties or subdivide an existing property to sell part thereof. The sale funds can then be used to reduce debt and build equity in your portfolio or towards adding to your portfolio.
Analyse existing properties and their performance. Explore selling properties that are not performing or cannot be improved. If properties are hard to sell at the price you want, consider providing incentives to buyers. (We have examples of clients who offered vendor finance options to purchasers and successfully marketed "hard to sell" properties for a good returns by helping purchasers with no deposit to acquire a property).
Source properties in growth areas. Check which local councils for areas which have planned infrastructure, business projects increasing, and demographics trending up. It helps more when you ride this trend in its early stages.
2. Becoming an "attractive" borrower:
It's important to ensure that your loan application looks as attractive as possible to lenders for them to consider and say "yes" to a loan application. For example, if you change jobs from a PAYG to a contractor role or into your own business, you may undermine your borrowing capacity for 2 years. Moving from a permanent role to a casual role can also restrict what income a lender will consider when assessing your serviceability. Submitting multiple loan applications to various lenders can also result in an increased number of enquiries on your credit record. A high number of enquiries can trigger a negative credit score and equate to a more restrictive assessment of your loan application.
3. Ongoing education, continual improvement:
To be a successful investor you need to be abreast of the latest strategies and market place information. Choose to attend seminars and webinars that offer information from experts who have a proven track record and are still actively implementing the strategies that they teach. Beware of the educators whose strategies worked in past years but are hard to implement under current market conditions. Align with people and organisations that can provide you the right information specific to your goals.
Proactive investors are doing very well in the current market place by seeking opportunity in places that passive investors fail to notice. Their success comes together with diligent research and number crunching, seeking advice and help from trusted advisors and from a willingness to learn and ask questions.
Chan & Naylor offer Financial Strategic Consultations to review your current portfolio, reenergise property investor mindset and assist in generating proactive action plans to help you achieve the financial results you desire.
It can all begin with a Free 10-15 minute phone consultation with a senior partner of Chan & Naylor – register your details for complimentary call back service.
Book in your Financial Strategic Consultation and "reenergise" your property mindset.
For more information about our range of services contact us today or see more at http://www.chan-naylor.com.au/services/
We can helpy you 'Grow and protect your Wealth'.
Jenna Ford & Lauren Mamaj
Finance Strategists & Partners Chan & Naylor
Disclaimer: The above information is for general knowledge purposes only. Please take advice for your specific situation before investing in property. Every person's personal situation is different and requires a different solution.
[1] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/passive?s=t&ld=1146
[3] Any reserve moneys that protect a person, organisation, or country against financial ruin.


text:
The fourth sister of the year is here again and we're all embracing her in excitement. The year started off slow but now it's moving at a frenzied speed! I hope March brought you all your expectations. Don't worry even if it didn't. All things have their appointed times and seasons. You just have to be patient and trust God.
I had an exciting March. I told you I was marching into March in faith and walking in faith all the way. It's been a beautiful experience of God's faithfulness and I've been walking on air. Remind me someday, to tell y'all why I've been walking on air 😀 . In the meantime, just know that God's faithfulness is forever and as long as you're one of His, you are marked for good things.
The third month of the year started and ended gloriously for me and I hope it's been the same story in your lives. If there's one thing I've learnt in my walk of faith, it is that just like the wind blows and we do not know from where it is coming and to where it is going, so also God's plans for our lives. We know it is there, we can feel it but we are never quite certain exactly how it will pan out but can you just stop worrying and put your faith in God? If you insist on worrying then tell me, how much have you been able to change on your own by worry? If you know nothing else, know that God loves you and has only good plans for you. Stay positive and expect the best.
Now, we're in April, the season for sowing. The soils of your lives have been moistened by the dews of heaven. What are you going to put into this soil? Take time to reflect on this and like they say, it is always better to start early. May the month bring you good news and gladden your heart for all to see.
So, what to look out for this April on Femmetotale! You can be sure as always to find loads of inspirational stuff to keep you merry this month. We kicked off this month with a post about the contemporary Christian young woman in the work place. That's right! It's not enough to say you're a Christian young woman, everybody must know it too. Not just because you rub it in their faces but because your light is so bright that everybody can see you are different. Expect more stuff to inspire you to stand out in your work place this month.
Also, there's a cool new category on Femmetotale – FemmeStar, where we celebrate inspirational women who are doing incredible things that take a great deal of discipline and of course the star factor to achieve. Don't forget to watch out for the To Fan An Old Flame series – a tale of love reawakened and hearts intertwined in a love story where old flames and new flames meet. As the plot thickens, the question is whose love is real and whose flame has been rekindled?
Have a wonderful month and don't forget to keep being complete.
Till this time next month, keep being the complete woman!
This page is static. The new posts are on the recent posts column. Remember to share your thoughts. Shalom!


text:
Trustee Duties & Responsibilities
Many people opt for a living trust when deciding to protect their assets because the document is not required to go through the expensive, public, and lengthy process of probate. Typically, the affairs of a trust can be settled in a fraction of the time of a will that passes through probate (which can take over a year), and the proceedings can also be done so in private. However, what many trustees and other beneficiaries of a trust fail to realize is the document must be administered and managed once the creator of the trust passes away.
Trust administration is the process that takes place after the death of the settlor (creator of the trust) and is done to help the estate distribute its assets, as well as avoid any extra tax liabilities or penalties that may arise during the transfer of property or other assets. While hiring an attorney during the trust administration process is not legally required, doing so is highly recommended, as the process of administering a trust can be complicated and time-consuming (which requires the services of an experienced professional).
How to Start the Trust Administration Process
Trust administration begins with the trustee sending out notices to all beneficiaries and heirs, informing them of the settlor's death. The trustee has 60 days to mail out the notices while the recipients have up to 120 days to file a trust contest. Beneficiaries and heirs forfeit their right to file a trust contest after 120 days. However, if the trustee fails to mail the notices, each heir has a much greater statute of limitations for filing a contest, which can last up to four years in some cases.
This initial step during trust administration is something that often gets overlooked by trustees handling the process without an attorney, and it can cause headaches years later when a relative can file a claim after most people in the family thought the affairs were settled.
Notice Requirements
The notices that are sent out within 60 days of the settlor's passing, under California Probate Code Section 16061.7, can be quite complicated and must include the following:
- Notifications must be served to each of the settlor's heirs and beneficiaries.
- Notifications must be mailed to the last known address or delivered in person.
- Notifications must contain the identity of the settlor of the trust and date of the death.
- Notifications must include the mailing address and telephone number of each trustee.
Notations must state that the recipient is entitled to request a complete copy of the terms of the trust.
Trust administration notices can be a complicated ordeal as they need to follow a detailed set of rules and regulations laid out by the law. A trustee who does not mail out the notifications correctly or makes a mistake when sending them out can be held legally responsible for the errors. When a trust owns real property, which is typically the case in most situations, many steps must be followed to sell, distribute or administer the assets. The key is to complete the process correctly the first time around.
Call Us Today For a FREE Consultation!
Administering a trust is cheaper and faster than being in probate. By completing the task correctly—with the help of a trust administration attorney—will only save your estate time and money. If you are in the process of administering a trust or will be soon, contact us at ✆ 1-800-403-6078 or (855) 353-3752 for a FREE, no-obligation consultation today! Our team will provide you will the best course of action for settling your family's estate and distributing those assets to future generations. We look forward to working with you.
Check out our long list of testimonials to see what our clients are saying.


text:
Johannesburg – It was announced on Tuesday that a group of local comics would be teaming up for a nationwide tour titled, Trending Comics.
The tour is a spin-off of the Johannesburg International Comedy Festival and will see the local funny guys taking on trending topics in live stand-up shows as they tour Mzansi.
In its South African debut, Trending Comics will feature a stellar line-up of our very own comedic talent including Schalk Bezuidenhout, Robby Collins, Loyiso Madinga and Neil Green.
The nationwide tour that will touch down in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg will kick off at the end of October.
As if that wasn't enough firepower comedy in one ensemble, there will be different heavyweight comedians to host the shows in each city. Those hosts include Kurt Schoonraad (Cape Town), Carvin Goldstone (Durban), and Donovan Goliath (Johannesburg).
Cape Town
Cape Town Comedy Club
20, 21 October
031 Comedy Club in Morningside
28, 29 October
The Goliath Comedy Club in Melrose Arch
3, 4 November


text:
Things That Sell Best in a Thrift Store
Selling used items is big business. First Research estimates the resale industry in the U.S. to have annual revenues of approximately $13 billion. Selling the items that people want to buy can make the difference between staying in business and an empty store. Discovering items that sell best in your thrift store will keep you in business and customers coming back.
Clothing is an item that sells best in thrift stores. Accounting for 31.8 percent of industry revenue, clothing is the largest revenue generator in the Thrift Stores industry, according to IBISWorld. Instead of paying higher retail prices, many people are switching to thrift stores for their clothing needs. IBISWorld also reports that women's clothing and shoes accounts for about 60 percent of clothing sales, while the remainder is split evenly between children's and men's clothing.
A survey by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project reveals that 78 percent of Americans ages 16 and older read a book in the past twelve months. Although digital books have made inroads into the market, many still prefer physical books. Offering a good selection of new and used books at affordable prices will attract all types of readers. Pew Research Center also stated that 66 percent of people get their book recommendations from family and friends while 34 percent use online bookstores and websites. Staying current with what people are reading will keep your thrift shop stocked with books that sell.
Used furniture also is popular at thrift stores. Most retail furniture is expensive and available in limited styles and colors that may not suit a buyer's style or budget. To periodically update their homes with a new look, many shoppers search for hidden gems with good craftsmanship that can be used "as is" or redesigned with a new look. Sofas, tables, chairs, dressers and desks are a few of these items that attract buyers looking for new furniture at something less than the normal retail price.
Home Decor
Home decor items also sell well in thrift stores. Shoppers look for unique home decor items not typically found in retail stores, or for inexpensive items they can later alter to reflect their own design standards. Items such as picture frames and lamps can be customized to match their personality and style. With a little bit of creativity, home decor items can be redesigned into new creations that become a great conversation piece among family and friends, and a thrift store can increase the market for these items that by encouraging such actions in its advertising strategy.
Photo Credits
- Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images


text:
Stephen Sumner is on a one-man worldwide humanitarian mission to help amputees recover from the phantom pain in their missing limb with a drug-free solution that involves a simple $10 household item.
As someone who lost a leg in a hit-and-run motorcycle accident 15 years ago while travelling through Italy, he has first-hand knowledge about phantom limb pain syndrome.
"It's the worse pain I've ever experienced," said Sumner, 58, an above-the-knee amputee. "I'm an ex-athlete who's been through a lot. I've broken every bone in my body, but this is by far the worst pain I've experienced. It's very, very real for an amputee."
About 10 years ago, he learned about "mirror therapy," a type of mental reconditioning using a mirror to trick the brain into thinking the missing limb is still intact by reflecting an image of the healthy limb so that the patient sees both limbs.
"Basically, the image tricks your brain to think everything is A-okay again, and that you have a limb again," said Sumner in Vancouver.
He felt fortunate to have broken free from the debilitating pain and decided to share his experience and knowledge with people of Southeast Asia.
Sumner started a charity called Me and My Mirror and over the past eight years has travelled for three or four months every winter. Travelling by bike, he has been to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, as well as Lebanon, Ethiopia and Sri Lanka, where he was put in touch with amputees wounded by war, land mines, or scooter accidents.
Enter Paul Dragan, no stranger to trauma himself. The owner of Reckless Bike Stores survived being shot in the chest outside his Yaletown store in 2014 by a former employee (who pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced to 18 years). He also knows about overcoming adversity.
"A positive thing that happened after that was I have become more compassionate," said Dragan, who has "recovered as much as I'm going to."
Dragan and Sumner had known each other 30 or so years ago, when they cycled and raced in the same circles, but had lost touch. A chance encounter about two years ago led to Dragan contributing to Sumner's mission by donating a cargo bike for his trips.
"When I heard about what he was doing, I knew I wanted to help," said Dragan.
The donated bike allows Sumner to load it up with supplies and ride comfortably from village to village.
"The bicycle gives me access to these places," said Sumner. "I'm this giant white guy on a bicycle with one leg, and it shows them life doesn't stop because you've lost a limb."
Sumner estimates over the years he has distributed as many as 2,500 mirrors, all of which he makes by hand with materials he buys in the country he is travelling in.
"All I can do is show them the treatment and give them the mirror," he said. He instructs them and tells them to do the exercises twice a day for 10 minutes over five weeks, which is what worked for him.
Physiotherapist Linda McLaren of McLaren Amputee Rehab in Vancouver has been treating amputees with mirror therapy for 10 years and has a success rate of 50 to 70 per cent.
"It doesn't help everybody," she said. The best candidates are those who are open-minded enough to engage in the exercises. For those who come in with the attitude that the idea is stupid and it's not going to work, it usually doesn't.
She and Sumner explained the mirroring of the healthy limb helps to change the neuropathways of the brain.
She said what Sumner is doing is "absolutely" helping those without access to care.
Doctors used to call post-amputation phantom limb pain — described as shooting, stabbing, cramping, pins and needles, crushing, throbbing or burning — a psychological problem, "but experts now recognize that these real sensations originate in the spinal cord and brain," according to the Mayo Clinic website.
It says the exact cause is unclear, but MRIs show that portions of the brain once connected to the nerves of the amputated limb are active during phantom pain "explained as a response to mixed signals from the brain."
It says a number of factors can contribute to the pain, "including damaged nerve endings, scar tissue … and the physical memory of pre-amputation pain."
After spending the spring and summer in Vancouver, Sumner plans to travel to Colombia this fall, and next spring throughout the Balkans and Ukraine and Crimea.
The charity work is funded solely through donations. He blogs about his work at meandmymirror.org .
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2019


text:
Putting a DENT in Independent: in one week, Independent publishes outlandish attack on "new atheists" for their being "Islamophobic" and follows this up by giving a free, unedited, unbalanced platform to Andrew Wakefield, utterly discredited and dangerous MMR scare lunatic. Comments not allowed (anymore in either of the articles either.
The Guardian going down the same road, publishing one attack on new atheism after the other and publishing an uncritical "science" piece about a clearly bogus "remote hepatitis C detector".
What is it about left-wing newspapers lately? Is it the humanities graduates running them? Who never learned to think critically? Who think that in every debate there are two, equally worthy, sides? There's no need to suck up to religion, superstition and other woo. Leave it, please.


text:
Creations by Boneyard Bikes
Mike of Boneyard Bikes has sent in a few of his creations
A Kuhl's Custom Chopper, and a dare from his wife to build his vision of it using recycled bike parts, put Mike on a path that would eventually lead to Boneyard Bikes.
What started as a hobby in his garage has turned into a successful business. Building, and selling, an average of 10 bikes per year since that first chopper left the garage, has helped to build, and maintain, an excellent reputation.
For Mike, a successful bike isn't one that will sell well, or even one that will sell at all. When fleshing out a new concept or idea, selling the bike is probably the last thing on his mind. The success comes in the art of the curves and the feel of the ride. The right colors blended in exactly the right way to compliment that one piece of chrome he knew would look great on that bike. Success means satisfaction in completing a beautiful bike.
A fundamental key to his success has been taking that mentality and applying it to the client. Considering their wants and needs and implimenting them in a stylish and functional fashion keeps the Boneyard Bikes reputation intact.


text:
The History of the Moors in Europe: Who Were the Moors?
Umayyad Arabs who had wrested control of the Islamic form of government (called a caliphate) soon after the Prophet Muhammad's death influenced the Arabian Peninsula in 634, and maintained unbroken power ruling first from Mecca, later from Damascus and, over time, converted the Berbers and urban populations to Islam.
Conflict and Movement
After an overthrow by the first Abbasid Caliphate, some 10,000 Moors (black Arab-Berbers of Muslim faith) crossed North Africa and traversed the Straits of Gibraltar into southern Spain in the year 711, taking advantage of the collapse of the Christian Visigoth kingdom—descendants of Germanic nomads. The Muslim usurpers had a stunning conquest against 5 million inhabitants on the Iberian Peninsula and stayed for 800 years.
Hispania/Iberia (Spain and Portugal) became part of the Caliph of Damascus, which was the capital of the Muslim world—the first dynasty of Arab Islamic leaders—and was renamed "Al-Andalus." It included all of the Iberian Peninsula, (except for small Christian strongholds in the north) and began to shape Spain differently from the rest of Europe with a new language, religion, tolerance, culture and enterprise. Every dimension of Western life would be affected by innovation.
Medieval Spain's poets, historians and chroniclers peered through the colored glasses of their own sacred books and beliefs. They established that the emirate of Córdoba lasted until 1031. A Moorish culture developed over eight centuries, leaving a lasting mark on both Spain and Islam. This period would be referred to as Spain's golden age—a time of enlightenment.
Conquest and Adaptation
Medieval Spaniards were tossed by the Muslim conquest into an ocean of clashing religious cultures of Muslims, Christians and Jews, and were utterly ill equipped to pilot such uncharted waters. For 40 years, the Moorish rule was volatile.
In 756, a prince named Abd-ar-Rahman of the deposed Umayyad royal family escaped the Abbasid bloodletting of his family; he refused to recognize the authority of the Abbasid caliph in Damascus, fled to Córdoba, Spain and seized power to become an independent emir. His reign marked a critical turn for Spanish Muslims and he literally transformed the land during his 32-year reign into the "cultural light" of Europe.
In the years of 784-86, he erected the Great Mosque, which was originally a Catholic Christian Church, and rebuilt the fixture to hold the entire Muslim community of the city. His architecture at its height created the most modern city in Europe. As that community grew, so did the mosque, enlarged by several of his successors. In contrast to Muslim Spain's earlier chronic instability, the first four Umayyads ruled for a combined eighty years.
It seemed that Jews, Christians, and other non-Orthodox adherents were offered the independence from Moorish Spain in which to navigate their own future even while cultural and commercial links with the Islamic world held out. Pilgrimages to Mecca eventually allowed access to scholarly advances and business opportunities.
Córdoba at its pinnacle became a centralized city; this was a modern concept and the Muslims fostered laws, banking and civil services. The introduction of paper manufacture by Spaniards now held the Hindu-Arabic numerals—0 through 9—that superseded the Roman number system. Spanish scholars translated what became Europe's standard medical sourcebook.
The transformation took place in infrastructure as well and Córdoba boasted streets that were paved and lit by lamps. Because of the unique navigation of the water systems by their engineers, there were public bathhouses!
Can You Imagine?
What would you think about a world where one person could know everything worth knowing? In 7th century Seville (Spain), an archbishop wrote an encyclopedia of everything worth knowing!
Spain before Islam was a vast land with paltry population. Only a fraction of its inhabitants could read because organized education was nonexistent. They were living in a Dark Age but most did not know it. Europeans in general knew little of the world save the village next door. Nothing much of the past was recorded. Devastating plagues had ravaged much of Europe's population and barbarian hordes strained the original Roman borders and disrupted trade. Peasants scratched out paltry livelihoods just hoping to make it through winter. The outside world was seldom visited and surviving to 40 years of age was an achievement. The people's horizons were as it had been for their parents, bound in by a village and the curse of illiteracy.
Building and Architecture
In addition to the mosque built by Abd-al-Raman, Abd-al-Raman III in the 10th century, built the magnificent palace-city of Caliph Madinat al-Zahra, which translates to The Radiant. Despite the fact that columns in the mosque and palaces were crafted using marble and onyx, ceilings dressed with ornamental tile and elaborate carpets were underfoot, amenities such as roof terraces and courtyards came to adorn even the regular citizen's domestic life.
The palace was erected over a section of the old Roman aqueduct, which was diverted and converted into a main sewer for a highly complex system of small channels carrying away rain and wastewater. Because of this, Spanish agricultural and water terminology studded with Arab word introductions are still in use today, such as acequias (irrigation canals), azudes (sluices or floodgates) and acenas (water mills).
Much later, Al-Hakim (985–1021) built one of the greatest libraries in the Islamic world housing 600,000 manuscripts; and that, with the 27 free schools he founded, soon had scholars throughout Europe coming to Spain for education and an exchange of information and the sciences.
Jealous rivals exiled a one-time slave and talented musician named Ziryab from the caliph's court in Baghdad. In about 822, he reached Córdoba and organized a music conservatory where other artists came to study song, dance and poetry. He became famous for creating the "Córdoba sound" while striking his lute with a pick fashioned from an eagle's talon.
Not only did his music impress but many city dwellers also followed his style, wearing their hair with fashionable bangs, while others imitated his family who wore their hair parted in the middle, the long ends fastened behind the ears.
His other surprising contributions to society were:
- Wild asparagus used as deodorant
- A concoction of primitive bleach (salts, water and garden flowers) to whiten
- Changes of clothing according to the seasons
- Breaking meals into courses
The Moors improved on the Roman irrigation system and although Andalusian farmers always prayed for rain, they learned how to hoard the moisture that fell by abandoning water-thirsty crops like grain and, instead, planted lemons, oranges, apricots, figs, pomegranates and other crops introduced from the Islamic East.
The desert was coaxed into life as well with sugar cane, cotton and rice in addition to cultivating spices such as saffron. Elaborate wheels lifted water from wells, reservoirs and rivers filtered through water clocks, a judicious way to redirect water from one farmer's canals to another to manage the growing season and acreage under cultivation. Soon the cultivated land fed more people and produced surplus along with manufactured crafts, which became the engine of foreign trade.
There were numerous schools and places of learning in Moorish Al-Andalus. Great institutions were located in Córdoba, Seville, Valencia and Granada. Literacy was more widespread than in many other nations in the West. The Umayyads wanted to be seen as intellectual rivals to the Abbasids and consequently, Córdoba had libraries and educational institutions to rival Baghdad's. Many schools were free and universities flourished. Publishing was an enterprise as the Moors translated great works from the ancients, Greeks, Romans, Chinese into Arabic. Spain's Islamic religious scholars, Christians and Jews included penned works that could have only been written in the Golden Age.
- That's Whats Good Media: 15 proofs that The African Moors civilised Europe
- Real History: Ancient Man and His First Civilizations
- Freely, John. Aladdin's Lamp: How Greek Science Came to Europe Through the Islamic World. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2009. Book.
- Lowney, Chris. A Vanished World: Medieval Spain's Golden Age of Enlightenment. New York: Free Press, 2005. Book.


text:
Due to rights restrictions this show is currently unavailable to watch on web, but can be enjoyed on tenplay's apps and platforms.
You can find a full list here
To access Tenplay, you must reside within Australia.If you reside in Australia but can't access content, please contact us at email@example.com
Get exclusive access to this video & more
Become a tenplay member or sign in and enjoy the benefits.
Tue 11 Dec 2018


text:
An image showed up in my Facebook feed this past week, and caught my attention.
It was posted by my friend and colleague, Aviad Stollman, Judaica Collection Curator at the National Library of Israel, via a Facebook page, Jewish Harry Potter.
As it is often the case in sub-culturally-specific domains, the image interlaces two very distinct areas of knowledge: the Harry Potter saga by J. K. Rawlings, and the Hebrew liturgy for the Jewish High Holy Days.
In the image, Hermione Granger shares with Harry Potter a "time turner," a magical objects that allows to travel back in time, as featured in the third volume of the saga, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjPb3ziyYYo]
But in this context, Hermione says to Harry: "I will bring you back in time by 3 minutes, and this time do not forget [to say] 'ha-melekh ha-qadosh [the holy King].'" Jewish Hermione's recommendation requires a more in-depth explanation.
The words, ha-melekh ha-qadosh replace the standard text (ha-el ha-qadosh) of the third benediction of the 'amidah prayer (the central daily prayer in Jewish liturgy, centered around 18—well, really 19—benedictions, which are reduced to 7 on the Sabbath and on certain holidays) only on the High Holy Days. It is such a slight (yet fundamental) textual variation—the standard text says ha-el ha-qadosh—that is easy to forget it. Hence, the magical "time turner" that allows one to go back in time and fix a liturgical "mistake."
The change of wording in the High Holy Days 'amidah prayer is a rather complex feature, which our outdated, yet extremely useful, textbook (Abraham Zvi Idelsohn, Jewish Liturgy and Its Development, 1932), explains while examining the Services for the High Holy Days (chapter XVI):
The services for the High Holydays [sic] may well be considered the climax of Jewish worship. In them the most important Jewish ideals are expressed: The sovereignty of God over all creatures, the brotherhood of the human family, the revelation of the divine spirit to man, the providence of God, the concept of reward and punishment, the restoration of the Jewish people and the sanctuary in Zion where a center for enlightenment for mankind shall be created. In addition to these ideas, the idea of renouncing one's own sins, seeking forgiveness, and vowing to lead a clean life is emphasized on the Day of Atonement. […] For these reason, these days are dedicated entirely to worship and meditation. For this purpose, the service was elaborately built up of laudations and prayers, hymns and poems, meditations and petitions. The Talmud already calls attention to the length of the prayers on these days. […]
In accordance with this outline, several prayers are common for both holidays: New Year and the Day of Atonement; while several others are especially for the one or the other day. […] (p. 205)
Idelsohn then describes the "standard prayers" for the High Holy Days:
The standard prayers are elaborated with special insertions in the Amida and with the blowing of the Shofar [ram's horn]. […]
In its structure, the Amida is similar to that of Sabbath and the Festivals; that is, it has seven beneditions of which the three introductory and the three concluding are the same. It has the following insertions: […]
In the third benediction: The following short paragraphs are inserted:
Qadosh atah — There is only One God and none other.
The passages are important enough to have their translation reproduced:
"Holy art thou, and dreaded is thy name, and there is no God beside thee, as it is written, And the Lord of hosts is exalted in judgment, and the holy God is sanctified in righteousness. Blessed are thou, O Lord, the holy King."
The last paragraph used to be recited daily in the old Palestinian ritual, at least the first sentence; while the Babylonian ritual adopted it for the High Holydays [sic] only.
This benediction concludes with hamelekh haqadosh—"The holy King"—instead of with "The holy God" as in the daily prayers. […]
In the Italian and Yemenite rituals, the first sentence of qadosh atah is missing. This version follows that of Maimonides.
An in-depth analysis of the structure of the prayers that compose the Jewish Prayer Book is by default complex, since the structure itself is extremely complex, containing a number of variants which, as we have just read, depend on specific liturgical occasions as well as on the variety of customs across the Jewish Diaspora. At times, it may feel that liturgy is almost too complex…
Had Monty Python devoted some of their talents to Jewish liturgy, I am sure we would have some additional fine examples of comedy. Along the following lines.[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd8qzqfPfdM]
What fascinates me about the exchange between the Jewish Hermione Granger and the Jewish Harry Potter above is that it takes the quasi-absurd complexity of Jewish liturgy into account. It states how the inner workings of liturgy are not only difficult to analyze, but also extremely difficult to perform, and to commit to memory, by their practitioners. Forgetting what texts to use at a given liturgical time, and trying to remember how to correctly perform them, is part of the liturgical experience itself. By using a time turner, the two characters grant themselves the ability to travel back in time and correct their inevitable mistakes.