text:
Blog Tour Day 8: Beyond the Sea by Melissa Bailey With A Guest Post From Melissa
If I came face to face with a mermaid, I will hand her the jar, my heart bottled and stoppered and offered freely. And if she sees how much I love you, perhaps she shall speed me on my way.
I'm so excited I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep tonight.
I wish Mum could come with us.
But I can tell her all about it when she's back.
Freya, grieving widow and mother, packs in her job and returns to the lighthouse-keeper's cottage on the Scottish island where she, her husband and son, Jack and Sam, spent so many happy summers. Her parents and sister are amazed at her decision; after all, it has only been a year since Jack and Sam went missing at sea, presumed drowned. But Freya feels she must be near them, even if they are no longer here, as those of you who have grieved will understand.
However, despite losing the two loves of her life, Freya is not alone for long. Soon enough, her foul-mouthed, fiercely independent sister Marta descends on her, and provides some much needed comic relief from Freya's grief, which has supposedly turned her hair white overnight (flippant as it sounds, this was yet another thing which made me feel sorry for her). Opinionated and straight to the point, she is the perfect foil to our introverted protagonist. One of my favourite moments in the novel occurs when Freya and Marta have just visited Fingal's Cave, one of the trips Sam and his father made and which Sam mentions in the diary Freya discovers. Freya thanks Marta for accompanying her, to which she replies: 'No problem. It's amazing. As Sam said, even the guy who got nits still enjoyed the visit. So it says a lot for the cave.'.
Another foil in the novel comes in the shape of Daniel, the haunted-looking man whom Marta and Freya rescue from his storm-wrecked boat one night. Compared to Pol, the initially gruff but kindly man from the lighthouse board, and Callum, island tour guide who offers Freya a shoulder to cry on (and without whom the novel could have ended very differently), Daniel seems secretive and even offhand at points. I was surprised somewhat at how suddenly his character changed, but arguably, he is the catalyst for Freya to accept that she cannot change the past, but she can, if not embrace, then at least hold the future's little finger.
I underestimated Beyond the Sea initially; I dismissed the writing as too Anita Shreve, a bit 'mid-brow chicklit' (I appreciate that makes me sound like a book snob). For the novel is beautifully researched (I loved discovering how Irish and Scottish folklore intertwine), and captures fictional grief as precisely as Cathy Rentzenbrink captures true grief in The Last Act of Love. What's more, how could I fail to love a story which brings to mind the great J. Alfred Prufrock?
To paraphrase the great Will Shakespeare, 'though [it] be but little, [Beyond the Sea] is fierce'.
Many thanks to Melissa for the review copy and asking me to be part of the blog tour.
And here's a guest post from Melissa – enjoy!
My top five books
I hesitate to say that these are my five favourite books of all time – that choice is perhaps too difficult to make – but they are five of my very favourite books. So on that basis here they are:
- The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. This strange and surreal tale follows the life of everyman Toru Okada, after first his cat, and then his wife, disappear. Okada's mundane world, in which he cooks spaghetti, drinks beer and listens to jazz, is suddenly transformed by a succession of exotic and menacing characters who propel him on a dangerous odyssey of self-discovery. Set in contemporary Japan, still haunted by the brutality of its past, it is a tale of love and war, dreams and reality, of what has been lost and can never be recovered. It is a powerful, philosophical story, told in Murakami's perfectly pared down prose. And I promise, if you read it, you will never look at a well in quite the same way.
- Under the Skin is Michel Faber's first novel and has one of the most exciting opening chapters I've ever read. Isserley, driving through the Highlands of Scotland, in her decrepit little car, is eyeing up hitch-hikers. But not just any old hitch-hiker will do. She wants a buff one, a hunk on legs, as she says. What does she want them for? As the novel takes off, and that question is answered, the reader is taken on a journey they could never have predicted. A twisty turny sci-fi fantasy adventure, it's a wild rip roaring ride.
- The Passion is my favourite of Jeanette Winterson's novels. An eclectic blend of history, fantasy and dark fairy tale, it follows the intertwining paths of Henri, a young French soldier cook, tasked with satisfying Napoleon's immense appetite for chickens and Villanelle, the web footed daughter of a Venetian boatman, who miraculously can walk on water but who has lost her heart to the mysterious Queen of spades. 'Trust me. I'm telling you stories,' is the self-referential refrain the characters repeat. And trust me when I tell you that this story of love, betrayal and passion, exquisitely told in Winterson's spare yet poetical prose will not disappoint.
- The Turn of the Screw by Henry James is one of the best ghost stories ever. At its heart is the governess, despatched to an isolated house in Essex, to care for two young orphans. She soon begins to suspect that the children are being haunted by the ghosts of her predecessor, Miss Jessel and her lover Peter Quint. Written from the perspective of the governess, the novel's brilliance lies in the way it sheds doubt on the reality of the ghosts, questioning instead her sanity. James ratchets up the tension and the book's thrilling denouement still haunts me to this day.
- Owen Meany, small in stature, with a damaged larynx and a permanently high-pitched voice, is the unlikely hero of my favourite John Irving novel (A Prayer for Owen Meany). At the outset of the book, Owen hits a foul ball at a baseball match, which accidentally strikes and kills his best friend's mother. But Owen doesn't believe in accidents. He believes he is God's instrument. A story of faith, fate and friendship, comic and tragic by turns, this is a perfectly plotted novel in which the ending, although foreshadowed throughout, feels not predictable but simply inevitable. Irving himself said, 'I have the last chapters in my mind before I see the first chapters…I usually begin with endings, a sense of aftermath, of dust settling, of epilogue. I love plot, and how can you plot a novel if you don't know the ending first?'


text:
Toyota will join a growing list of automotive manufacturers, including General Motors, Volkswagen, Ford and Fiat Chrysler, making bets on the anticipated explosion in ride-sharing services.
The Japanese giant plans to invest $1 billion in Grab Taxi Holdings Inc., a Singapore-based technology company operating ride-hailing services in places like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. Originally launched as a taxi company, it is now positioning itself as a regional powerhouse after acquiring Uber's Southeast Asian operations earlier this year.
For its part, Toyota was a relative latecomer to emerging mobility services, including ride-sharing and self-driving vehicles. But it has launched a number of investments during the last several years, both in the form of outside alliances and by setting up its own technology subsidiary, the Toyota Research Institute, or TRI.
This marks the largest-ever investment by an automaker in a ride-hailing company, Grab noted Wednesday.
(SoftBank invests $2.25B in GM's autonomous tech. Click Here for the story.)
Founded six years ago, Grab initially positioned itself as a taxi operator, but it has moved into more high-tech operations, notably smartphone-based ride-hailing, with operations in all eight of the countries in the Southeast Asian region.
Toyota is just the latest to pump money into Grab. It has also received investments from Japanese tech fund SoftBank, as well as Didi Chuxing, the Chinese ride-sharing company that bought out Uber's holdings in that country last year.
In the strange-bedfellow world of mobility services, companies often maintain ties to multiple partners and erstwhile competitors. SoftBank, for example, just announced a $2.25 billion investment in General Motors' autonomous vehicle service, Cruise Automation. Cruise, in turn, is developing driverless ride-hailing vehicles that could eventually be fielded by both GM's Maven service, as well as Lyft.
Uber, meanwhile, maintains a 27.5% stake in Grab after the sale of its Southeast Asian operations.
(Click Here for details about Waymo agreeing to purchase 62K Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivans.)
Ride-hailing services are generally operating in the red at the moment, largely due to the cost of expanding their operations. But they are also struggling to find a formula that works long-term, and many analysts and investors anticipate that will only happen once fully driverless vehicles prove safe and effective. That would eliminate the single-largest cost faced by services like Grab and Uber: the driver.
In turn, by slashing prices, ride-hailing companies are expected to significantly expand their business. A study released last December by the Boston Consulting Group estimated that a quarter of the miles Americans travel on the road in 2030 will be in driverless ride-sharing vehicles. Other markets are expected to see similar shifts, especially in crowded areas like China, Japan and Southeast Asia.
But that is expected to cut into retail sales for automakers like Toyota, GM and VW. They appear to be hedging their bets by forming alliances with ride-hailing services that could eventually become their single-largest customers.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles last month announced that it would sell up to 62,000 of its Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans to Waymo. The Google spin-off is setting up its own, self-driving ride-sharing service that will go into commercial operation later this year.
(To see more about Uber rival Didi Chuxing being ready to test autonomous vehicles in California, Click Here.)
Toyota has not yet said if it plans to supply the autonomous vehicles being developed by TRI to Grab.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
From two different blogs, we read of a fascinating criminal case involving a tug of war over evidence. Ultimately, the main points made by both the prosecution and defense missed the mark. A little knowledge could have gone a long way.
We begin by browsing over to Law Professor Susan Brenner CYB3RCRIM3 blog, to a post entitled Encase v. Ghost. Here she describes the case of State v. Dingman, 149 Wash.App. 648, 202 P.3d 388 (Washington Court of Appeals 2009), where a construction contractor specializing in building sunrooms was given a large deposit and money for materials, but who allegedly never finished the job. At trial, Mr. Dingman was convicted of 16 counts of theft and 11 counts of money laundering. He appeals. Why?
Because of the tug of war over evidence residing on his computer. Prior to trial, Dingman requested access to the files on his computers, which were seized by the state and still locked up. The state evidently made Encase images available to the defendant, but that wasn't good enough. Why?
According to testimony, neither the Dingman legal team nor their forensics expert possessed a copy of the EnCase application (they thought) necessary to read the image. And Encase costs over $3,000 and required another $1,500 for training, according to Defendant's expert. The State should, as they had in the past, provide a copy of the hard drive in a non-Encase format. Even better, allow the Defense to use its own tools to image the drives themselves. Ghost was specifically mentioned as the Defense's tool of choice. The State objected. Why?
Evidently, the State believed that the Hard Drives could be damaged should they be released from custody, and that Ghost might produce an inaccurate copy. The States expert noted that he had a copy of Ghost, but did not use the tool for forensics. The State also argued that it didn't need to "conform" its investigation to the "whims" of the defense, and that the Encase images had been happily accepted by all other defendants prior to this case. The trial court denied Defendant's motion, and ordered the Prosecution to provide Encase images to the Defense.
After receiving a continuance to allow Defense the time to examine the drives, the trial court refused to grant a second, despite the Defense's assertion that it had only been partially successful in reviewing the evidence. The Defense and their expert had only been able to access two of the nine drives, and on those two encountered files that it could not open. The trial continued, leading to the conviction of Mr. Dingman on several charges. Of course, we are not done. Why?
On appeal, the higher court cited a Federal district court decision stating that a defense expert should be able to "`utilize his or her hardware or software.'" The prosecution had not established for appropriate restrictions necessary to limit discovery in the manner occurring in the instant case. The Court of Appeals continued by holding that the lower court had "erred by requiring that the State provide only an EnCase mirror image of Dingman's hard drives to the defense." The State Supreme Court declined to review the opinion, and Mr. Dingman gets a new trial, should the state decide to a mulligan.
There is plenty wrong here. A lack of knowledge, and of collaboration, has cost the state a bit of money, time, and perhaps secured the liberty of someone who may not deserve it. Rather than lay it out here, however, I'll direct you to Craig Ball's commentary, where he does a fine job of discussing all of the issues. His post is called Stubborn v. Stupid.


text:
We have just signed a new artist to our hot group Hip Notik
Currently there are no comments related to this article. You have a special honor to be the first commenter. Thanks!
* Your email address will not be published.You may use these HTML tags and attributes:   <acronym title="">
      <q cite=""> <s>
Sizzle Music Group | Designed by Sizzle


text:
Valley Medical Pharmacy
630 Main Street
Brawley, CA 92227
eRx ID#0585957
1 (800) 322-0808 | Toll Free Fax: 1 (855) 322-0808
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Web: www.drugsdepot
Timing: Monday to Friday | 9:00 AM to 5:45 PM
Alive No Iron Added 60 Tab 1 By Nature's Way Item No.:S16805-4
Product Description
Alive Whole Food Energizer (Iron-free) Alive is a Mega Nutrient Whole Food Energizer containing more life-giving nutrients from more sources than any other supplement. Contains: Vitamins, Minerals, Amino Acids, EFA's, Fruits, Vegetables, Green Foods, Myco Nutrients, Antioxidants and other specialty nutrients.
Take three (3) tablets daily.
The following list is for serving size of 3 tablets dailyPrimary Ingredients Amount USRDAAmino Acids 225 mg 0%Beta Carotene 10000 IU 0%Biotin, biotin triurate 300 mcg 100%Boron, amino acid chelate 1 mg 0%Calcium (Citrate/Carbonate) 250 mg 25%Chlorophyll
Copyright - DrugsDepot.com Since 1996.
Information on this site is provided for informational purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professional. You should not use the information contained herein for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication. You should read carefully all correct product packaging and follow the instructions. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, promptly contact your health care provider. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements and many other health conditions on this site have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease and may be for commercial. Image shown for reference only. Actual item you recieve may differ from shown. The information contained in this page is intended for U.S. Customers only. Items listed on these website is just the listing and should not be considered as an advertisement or promotion of the products.


text:
comments, Cord, Danish, DanishCord, DanishModern, L-nails, Questions
I have noticed in my blog stats in the last several weeks many people doing searches on Danish Cord Chairs.
Please if you have questions on Danish Cord Chairs feel free to leave a comment on the blog, or to email me direct at firstname.lastname@example.com, I will be more than happy to help answer questions.
I am planning due to the volume of searches in doing a comprehensive post on Danish Cord/Danish Modern Chairs later this Fall/Early Winter.


text:
- Home
- About
- Membership
- Leader Support Forum
- Events/Programs
- Resources
- Jobs
- Advocacy
|Forgot your Username or Password?
Please type your username or email address below and click "Reset Password." You must provide the email address or username associated with your member profile. Once submitted, an email will be sent to the email address on file and will include a link back to the site to reset your password.
Check your spam box or junk box if you do not receive the email in your inbox.
Still didn't get the reset information? Please contact us directly at email@example.com or by phone at (651) 659-1425.
Upon submitting a valid username or email address, an email will be sent to the address associated with your profile. The email will contain a link back to our website which will allow you to reset your password.
You may need to check your email program's SPAM filter as this "Reset Password" email may be treated as SPAM.
Please Note: Password reset email links expire after 24 hours.


text:
Well you know that I like things different than the mass… For this reason thank you Bentley for providing me my future day to day operation cars with specific Middle East features!
As per autoblog:
Bentley has announced a special run of 50 Continental Flying Spur sedans that will only be available in the Middle East. Called the Flying Spur Arabia and Flying Spur Speed Arabia, these two special editions feature special Arabia badges on their fenders, door sills and ash-tray lid. The non-Speed Flying Spur also gets a new unique 14-spoke wheel design while the higher performance Speed model (above) gets 20-inch, ten-spoke wheels.


text:
This wasn't supposed to happen. When Governor Rick Perry called a special legislative session and, later, tacked abortion onto the agenda, he was effectively declaring that the proposed restrictions, some of the toughest in the country, had enough support to become law. And he was right, in a way. Comfortable majorities of both the House and Senate -- if not of Texas as a whole -- were eager to see them pass.
What Perry misjudged, and misjudged rather badly, was the strength of the grassroots opposition to Republican lawmakers' anti-abortion crusade and, more importantly, Wendy Davis.
Davis didn't get to filibuster for 13 hours, as she had planned on. She'd made it through 11 hours of talking -- no food, water, or bathroom breaks -- when Republicans decided Davis had strayed off topic by discussing a previous session's law requiring abortion seekers to first get a sonogram. They'd decided the same thing earlier in the night when Davis referenced the Planned Parenthood budget, and she was also penalized for getting help from a colleague putting on a back brace. And under the Senate's filibuster rules, it's three strikes, you're out.
Democrats then unleashed some parliamentary trickery of their own. Once Davis was forced to stop talking not long after 10 p.m., her Senate colleagues picked up the slack by making an absurd number of parliamentary inquiries to stall a vote.
This strategy managed to eat up a considerable amount of clock, but then, as the minutes ticked away to the midnight end of the special session, Republicans ended debate and prepared to vote.
Then something crazy happened, crazier than the all-night citizen filibusters and absurd parliamentary tactics and rape-kits-prevent-pregnancy claims that had come before. The Senate gallery, packed tight with orange-clad pro-choice demonstrators, began to cheer. The din was such that Republicans were unable to conduct business and, despite pleas from the Senate president that they stop, they kept at it for a solid 15 or 20 minutes. That was just enough to push the session over the midnight deadline, thereby nullifying the vote senators eventually got around to taking.
Several hours later, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst admitted defeat. He told reporters that the omnibus abortion bill was intended to protect women and babies but was derailed by "an unruly mob using Occupy Wall Street tactics."
"I didn't lose control of what we were doing," he said, according to the Texas Tribune. "We had an unruly mob."
Turn the tables, and he'd be describing them as heroic grassroots activists, but never mind that. In their zeal to pass ever greater restrictions on abortion, Dewhurst and his colleagues have unleashed something it seems that they cannot control.
Part of that is Davis who, already widely considered to be the Democrats' best shot at the Governor's mansion, readily took the national stage the GOP built for her yesterday. Hundreds of thousands of people, maybe more, watched Davis' filibuster live footage online. #standwithwendy was trending on Twitter for most of the day. British comedian Ricky Gervais, who doesn't typically weigh in on Texas politics, decided she deserves a place in the "pantheon of American heroes."
And then there was this:
Something special is happening in Austin tonight: http://t.co/RpbnCbO6zw #StandWithWendy
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 26, 2013
More than that, last night marks a political watershed, the type of thing that can jump start the process of turning a solidly red state purple, if not blue. Whether Texas Dems can take advantage remains to be seen, but the GOP certainly gave them a lot of ammo.
We Believe Local Journalism is Critical to the Life of a City
Engaging with our readers is essential to the Observer's mission. Make a financial contribution or sign up for a newsletter, and help us keep telling Dallas's stories with no paywalls.
Support Our Journalism
"[I feel] tired, but really happy," Davis told reporters after her victory was sealed in the early hours of Wednesday morning. "It does in a sense [feel historic] because of the energy of the people who were here. I'm pleased to know the spotlight is shining on Texas, on the failure of our current leadership, but a spotlight is also shining on how great we are because we are an incredible state made up of incredible, spirited people who step up and make a difference when it's necessary to do that."
She also objected to Dewhurst's characterization of her supporters as an "unruly mob"
"I think that's a disservice to the people who were here," she said, according to The Dallas Morning News. "The people who were here were justifiably upset about an attempt to infringe upon a constitutional right they hold dear, primarily one that would have an impact on women but also on the men who love them."
The fight may not yet be over. Perry could call another special session to address abortion and the two other measures -- transportation funding and juvenile justice -- that didn't get passed in Republicans' eagerness to make Davis filibuster for as long as possible. But will he want to weather the outrage, not to mention the embarrassment, and cede the national stage to Davis once again? That remains to be seen.


text:
We talk a lot about how resolution and bitrate are changing the way that we discuss camera specs.
The vast majority of cameras being released today are expected to shoot in 4k, but this creates a lot of problems for those that are frustrated with advancing technology. Since we're in the capture realm, we have all kinds of reasons to want more resolution out of our cameras (namely, for reframing in post), but we can't forget about the consumer side of things. Who wants to deal with 4k?
Well, it's easy for most people to see at this point that 4k isn't going away, and eventually, it will usurp 1080 in the world's home televisions. Luckily, that curve and trend towards upgrading from HD to UHD is much slower than the curve that we experienced going from SD to HD. This is a great thing for consumers, but it does create another problematic symptom. It means that technology has another opportunity creep in. This time, it's HDR.
More than increased resolution, HDR has the opportunity to really change the way that we deliver content to consumers, and 4K HDR televisions change the way that our consumers, consume that content.
Because of these quickly developing upgrades, it's important that when you're buying a new television or monitor, you're buying for the future. Not just for the, "now."
Techradar.com has put together a list of The Best 4K TV's of 2016. These sets might be out of your price range, but it'll show you what to look for when you're putting together your next entertainment center.
The 10 best 4K TVs of 2016
Via TechRadar:
Even if you're not excited about resolutions, most 4K televisions are now shipping with HDR, which is a stunning new technology that expands the range of brightness your TV is able to display.
The only catch is that just because a TV has a 4K resolution and, perhaps, HDR and wide colour technologies does not automatically mean that it's a brilliant TV. In fact, HDR in particular is proving quite a challenge for TVs to get right. So let's try and make your buying decision at least a bit easier with our pick of the best 10 4K TVs you can buy today.
(Editor's note: If you're looking to purchase a 4K Blu-ray player then be sure to check out our list of the best 4K Blu-ray players, or alternatively check out the Xbox One S, which comes equipped with a 4K Blu-ray player of its own.)
1. Samsung KS9500 range
As well as delivering some of the sharpest 4K pictures yet, the KS9500s also go further than any other TVs to maximise the impact of HDR
65-inch: Samsung UE65KS9500 | 78-inch: Samsung UE75KS9500 | 88-inch: Samsung UE88KS9500
- Jaw-dropping, class-leading HDR pictures
- Unexpectedly good sound
- Curved screen won't suit all
- Some backlight 'blooming' in dark scenes
No TVs in 2016 deliver pictures more downright spectacular than Samsung's KS9500s. Partly because no other commercially released TVs have ever delivered as much brightness, but also because Samsung has used a high-end backlighting system and a proprietary take on Quantum Dot colour technology to ensure that the emphatic brightness is joined by excellent contrast and explosively rich but also gorgeously nuanced colours.
Push all this technology to the max with today's highest quality sources – especially, the incredible images you can get from the new Ultra HD Blu-ray format – and you'll witness pictures the like of which just haven't been seen on a TV before.
The KS9500s aren't perfect; the push for such extreme contrast from an LCD screen can sometimes cause backlight clouding around very bright objects, and the most accurate Movie preset can cause colour striping with UHD Blu-ray. There's no 3D support either. So extraordinary are the KS9500s' pictures at their best, though, that their flaws become seriously easy to forgive.
Read full list at TechRadar "The 10 best 4K TVs of 2016"
|Note: it is our policy to give credit as well as deserved traffic to our news sources – so we don't repost the entire article – sorry, I know you want the juicy bits, but I feel it is only fair that their site get the traffic and besides, you just might make a new friend and find an advertiser that has something you've never seen before
(cover photo credit: snap from TechRadar)


text:
Hotel Indigo Atlanta Midtown
Hotel Indigo Atlanta Midtown
One of the latest entrants into the hip boutique hotel space, Hotel Indigo prides itself on reflecting the city and neighborhood it calls home. And the Hotel Indigo Atlanta Midtown is no different with a quirky lobby dressed up to look like a theater (the Fox theater is across the street), artistically designed rooms (Atlantans are a creative bunch) and a bathroom small enough to wash your hands while you sit on the toilet (Atlantans are nothing if not efficient). Still, the location and vibe draw a sexy crowd and provide a solid hotel for the bachelor party to have its fun.
It may sound kind of evil but book a wheelchair accessible room for a larger bathroom. Trust us on this one, the shot to your karma is worth it.
Price: $$
Best Feature: A self-dispensed wine bar in the lobby
Vibe: A chill Hamptons beach house.
Good Place to Party?: Not really. You're staying here for the staff and location.


text:
A couple years back I used to sporadically watch reseller videos on Youtube, but that stopped completely when I was trying to juggle my own reselling with working outside the home 5 days per week. Since my job situation changed and I am spending the next year focusing on my reselling full-time, I have started watching Youtube videos again. And I am looking for recommendations! Who are your favorite Youtubers?
Bonus points if they are from the PNW (it's fun to see what people are doing in my general area).
Bonus points if they sell things other than just clothing (it seems like all the resellers I watch focus almost exclusively on clothing, which I still like watching, but I personally source many other things).
Double bonus points if you are reading this and have your own Youtube channel. Definitely share that info!
But even if they don't fit the criteria above, I would love to hear any recommendations you have for resellers you enjoy. Thanks in advance!


text:
Along the North Shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, lies a remarkably beautiful scattering of...
Airplanes, waterfalls, cannons – Oh my!
What would you say about a five-day all-expense paid class trip to La Maurice National Park and Parks Canada places in historic Québec City? Probably that it's the coolest school trip you've ever heard of! Well…Canada's Coolest School Trip contest is real, simple to enter, and we're looking for entries! Watch our video below to find out more!
Now that you have an idea of what Canada's Coolest School Trip is all about, make sure to share this video with your friends and family, with teachers, with your neighbor, your bus driver…anyone you can think of!
So what's the catch? Well, there really isn't one other than grade 8/secondary 2 classes must submit a one-minute video telling us which Parks Canada place they think is extraordinary and why (it can literally be any Parks Canada place..Check out the choices here). Contest entries will be accepted online until February 23rd 2015. Easy peasy!
Okay, now you're really into this contest. Maybe you'd like to enter or you know someone who would. Great! But where to start? Check out our Tips and Tricks page for some helpful advice on choosing a topic and making your video.
Follow and like us on Facebook and Twitter for fun facts and other juicy info about this year's Canada's Coolest School Trip contest and the My Parks Pass program.
This awesome trip wouldn't be possible without our great contest partners. A great big thank you to Air Canada and Arm and Hammer!
- tanyar's blog
- Add new comment
- Français
- 0 Votes


text:
On Friday evening, as we settled in for the bank holiday, I watched the weather forecast on BBC South Today. We could have record-breaking bank holiday temperatures, said the weather presenter – followed by the words 'fingers crossed'. This made me angry, because I don't think that climate change is a cause for celebration. (And neither is record-breaking heat: remember 2003?)
I remained angry throughout the weekend, as news broadcasts and weather forecasts followed the same script: everyone enjoying the fabulous spring weather (I challenge you to find one news report that did not use the word 'enjoying'). There's one problem: spring weather in the UK is not supposed to mean temperatures of 28 degrees!
Not one news or weather broadcast mentioned climate change. What we got were the same outdated tropes: families on the beach, eating ice-cream and enjoying the sun. It's time we changed the narrative.
Increasingly, climate change feels like the elephant in the room. A few weeks ago, I was at a masterclass run by Climate Outreach on 'Communicating Climate Change with People of Faith', and one of the main themes was naming – and breaking – the silence around climate change.
I've also been reading the excellent Climate Outreach book Talking Climate, and it makes the same point: there is a socially constructed silence around climate change. It feels as if it's one of those things you don't talk about in polite society.
Partly, it is because people who care about climate change don't realise how many others feel the same: statistically, there are more of us than we think. Partly, it's because the subject has become increasingly – and unnecessarily – polarised politically. It's an issue that affects all of us, not just environmentalists or 'lefties'. And there are many valid social and economic responses that go beyond any specific political viewpoint.
So what is the answer? Partly, as most communicators recognise, it is about 'framing' – presenting an issue in terms that make sense within someone's existing viewpoint. Partly it's about changing the language we use – 'be afraid' isn't going to make people listen. But as Climate Outreach founder George Marshall told us, it's not about the message: it's about the messenger.
Being authentic is important. So are personal testimonies, something that Christians are used to talking about in a church context. And recognising our shared values and identity is key to climate conversations within our faith groups.
We had a fascinating discussion about the views within different faiths: even within the Christian church, people will see things differently depending on their background. As a Methodist, the concept of 'climate justice makes sense to me but for other traditions this, it turns out, could be a turn-off.
But there are many concepts within the Christian church relevant to how we think about climate change: from service and sacrifice to love, hope and redemption. Within other faiths, we heard about harmony, compassion and renewal, and – for all of us – the idea of creation as a gift.
So, apart from complaining to the BBC, where do I go from here? One of my clients is a Christian climate change charity, and I will be thinking carefully about how I frame our communications. But, as George Marshall pointed out, communication is really about people, not what's on your website.
So it's a personal as well as a professional challenge. And I've challenged myself to start having more 'climate conversations'. Yesterday, I was on the phone to my mother and she mentioned that the lily-of-the-valley were coming out earlier. So, with our shared interest in gardening, that opened a conversation. Maybe it won't turn my mum into what Climate Outreach call a 'climate citizen' overnight, but at least it is starting to break the silence.


text: Cardia, alone in a mansion on the outskirts of a 19th century steampunk version of London is a victim of a mysterious affliction that makes her touch lethal. Cardia is pursued by the Royal Guard, kidnapped by the gentleman thief Arsène Lupin, and joined by a myriad of other handsome men from the best of western literature. With her new-found friends (and suitors) Cardia ventures out in the world to unravel the mysteries of her very existence.


text:
Joseline Hernandez Warns Lovely Mimi About TommieMarch 30, 2017
Love and Hip Hop Atlanta Sneak Peek
On this week's episode of Love and Hip Hop the Baddest Puta meets up with the show's newest star Lovely Mimi. On her debut we saw the nail shop owner make friends with Tommie. We all know Tommie and Joseline do not get along. Most recently Tommie served a few days in jail for charges Joseline pressed against her. Miss Mimi is learning very fast it isn't easy to make friends in the Atlanta rap game and you must be cautious of who you trust.


text:
List Categories | List All Articles | List Articles By Title
Discover The Spark That Motivates You In Business and Life
Can There Be Any Other Business Like Your Own Business?
"Whatever you persistently allow to occupy your thoughts will magnify in your life."
Your reason for becoming an entrepreneur or having a business of your own is the first spark that motivates you to do so. A successful business is determined by how often you are motivated and in balancing the various stages of your life. Planning every step that is well thought out is the key to having continuous success in your business.
In order to start a business, it only takes one thought. In order to grow any enterprise, business, or entrepreneurship it requires a series of steps that must be actively and consistently developed. To keep your business successful, it must be given constant thought and attention. Your thoughts can empower you, give you energy, or make you act on your desire. Only you can decide which thoughts you must focus on to guide you toward your success.
When your thoughts are expressed to others, they become a reflection of who you are. They can project themselves onto others. So, take charge of your thoughts. Think about how you feel, and how those emotions affect you and carry you through life. These emotions when joined with your motivations determine your end result.
The manner in which your thoughts are displayed, not only in your business but, in your daily life serve a useful purpose. Therefore, it's important to understand where you direct your thoughts. Focus on good thoughts and keep negative thoughts and feelings under control. Unpleasant thoughts can turn your customers - and friends, away.
What is that special purpose that you find fulfilling? When you know this, you know what motivates you. Your purpose becomes a special commitment, a determination that you're born with, a deep desire that gives you energy, a spark of fire, or a charge that is necessary to produce your ultimate goal. Putting your energy, concentration, and action behind those thoughts will motivate you to accomplish your goals in life.
Once you find what motivates you, then take the next step. Focusing your thoughts and your attention on one step at a time makes it easier to reach your goals. Stay open to all possibilities and ideas. Divine intervention will guide you, making opportunities available where none may have existed before. You may even see new ideas that you never thought were possible. Do not doubt. New ideas will come your way. Be thankful for them. Look at them with a beginner's mind - with alertness and enthusiasm. Then move on to the next step.
Thoughts are the first forms of communication. When you voice your thoughts, you are sending and receiving messages. Your thoughts must be a continuous flow of positive energy. Find some way to communicate this positive energy (enthusiasm) to your customers. This is the lifeline of all businesses. Then figure out a creative way to let consumers know about your business products or services. Effective communication makes a big difference in your success.
First, make sure you are offering the right product or service. When you can say, "I use it myself, and it's great," means you've found the right product or service to offer to consumers. Whenever your business has a new product or service to offer, it must have the power to stick around. Positive, ongoing communication with your customers provides this satisfaction.
Listening and paying attention to your customers is another step to growing your business. Be a forward thinker. It's a business tool that is often overlooked. Be open and willing to accept changes and new ideas. Focusing on quality and not on profits is another way to encourage business growth. Find a way to communicate the benefits of your product or service. Does your merchandise or work reflect the high standard that is expected by the public? If not, be willing to make it the best.
Motivation is the driving force behind your business. Find what motivates you and keep the emotion going. Let it lead you to being unique. After all, there's no business like your own business.
Copyright 2004
About The Author
Gerri D Smith publishes and hosts multiple Gateways to inspire, encourage, and support individuals, small business owners, entrepreneurs. An online business resource giving you more ways to reach your personal and financial goals through articles, ongoing contests for cash prizes, and more in a Free Monthly Newsletter. For details, visit: http://www.distinctivebusinesswomen.com. Or email your correct email address to: firstname.lastname@example.com/?Subject=Subscribe.
Thank You!
How Self-Made Millionaires Overcome Procrastination
Do you want to know how the super successful overcome procrastination?One fascinating hallmark of all highly motivated millionaires is their strongly held conviction that they will succeed. Whatever it takes and despite any challenges that crop up.
The Top Five Great Reasons to Delay Pursuing Your Dream
Wherever you Go - There you Are
Wherever you go, there you are. This is the title of a fantastic book by Jon Kabat Zinn.
Instant Willpower
We've all heard people say "I have a system". Ever since I was a little girl and watched my mother put together a grocery list, I've known -- and used -- the power of systems.
Motivation: 7 More Musings on Motivation
1. "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to that mountain, move from here to there, and it shall be done.
Motivation: How to Get Unstuck
Have you ever felt stuck?You know the feeling - you're not happy with a situation, you know it could be better, you've even tried to make it better. But all of your best efforts still end with the "same old-same old" feeling - STUCK!Well, you are not alone, it's a very big club.
Who are they to say it cant be done?
Doesn't it just burn you up when you have just shared your 'great idea' with someone and not only are they not as enthusiastic as you, they even go as far as to say your idea won't work! Trust me if this has happened to you you're not alone.In such instances we generally have two choices.
Get Things Done: Take 21!
Ever begin doing something that you do for a few days, and then simply stop doing it?For example, let's say you promised yourself that you were going to file papers immediately before they got out of hand, but then something else came up, and the next thing you knew, you had another pile of papers that needed to be filed.Or perhaps, on January 1 you made a vow to yourself to exercise for 20 minutes every day.
Every Passing Minute Is A Chance To Turn It All Around
Every passing minute.When I first heard this line, in the movie Vanilla Sky, it struck a powerful chord in me.
Questions for the Game of Life
"If you could eliminate one day from your past so that you never had to live through it, what day would you erase?""If you could ask a single question of a dead relative, what would it be and of whom would you ask it?"-----These questions come from a little book I've been reading as a way to begin the New Year. If.
Do You Have Staying Power?
"If you are going through hell , keep on going" - Sir Winston ChurchillStaying Power.Some of you may know that record by the late Barry White.
ADHD - Its a Wonderful Life
As I usually do over the Holidays, I watched one of my all-time favorite actors in one of my all time favorite movies and that's Jimmy Stewart in "It's a Wonderful Life". Co-starring Donna Reed and made in the 1940s, the movie was not critically acclaimed at the time, but over the years has become a stable of the Holiday Season.
Even Though
As often happens following one of the Best Year Yet programs I do, a message emerges for Monday Morning Coach. Recently I conducted a BYY workshop and what struck me was how often participants (I include myself in this group, since each time I present it, I am also vicariously examining my own life) stop themselves from taking action because of the underlying belief that they don't have "enough," or aren't enough (smart enough, thin enough, ready enough, etc.
Action vs. Apathy - Feeling Powerless? Get Moving!
How many times have you felt truly defeated by the circumstances in your life? You know, the "I don't know why I bother to keep trying, I'm going back to bed and staying there" feeling. It happens to everyone - housewives, corporate executives, rock stars, actors, world leaders.
Dont Just Hope - Decide!
As the story goes, a single college-age guy went to the airport one day to pick up a friend. As he waited for his friend to come off the plane, he noticed a man hurrying through the crowd, calling to the woman and two children standing next to him.
Choose Your Suffering - Be Willing to Pay the Price for Success!
One day when my friend Todd and I were having lunch, he let me know the best piece of marital advice he ever received. He said "Phil, It's up to you.
Correct Your Mindset and Expel The Fear
The main problem with many of us is we loose our direction in life. We have great aspirations upon leaving school or college but then just loose direction or do not know how to achieve our dreams.
How Poor Are You!
Do you want to know your poverty graph? You are poor if you:- do not have a firm commitment with yourself to succeed- do no set goals and follow them through- do not put your best efforts at work- do not keep yourself updated on new information and technologies- do not adopt a positive attitude and get rid of negative thinking- are not strong enough to accept the challenges of day-to-day life- are not ready to take any risk due to fear of failure- lack self respect and respect for others- discriminate people on the basis of religion, belief, cast, creed, nationality, etc.- do not appreciate the good work done by others- do not apologize to others for your misdeeds- do not help the people in need- do not thank God for all that you haveThe list goes on and on.
Its My Blankey and Im Keeping It!
"Blankey" - as in Security Blankey. OK? All parents know what this is.
What Google Can Teach You About Success
I just finished dinner and the segment was about to start so I went over to the TV.The reporter was interviewing the 2 founders, they showed the company headquarters, and THEN they brought up something where I said BINGO.
home | site map
All articles are copyright to their owners.
Note: this website lists articles, We do not Write Articles !
|© 2006


text: As a function of my hospital work, the focus of my presentation last meetup, I'm looking for good examples of web frameworks using Python 3.x's new Unicode capabilities, in combination with a well-endowed browser. Of course a browser needn't look like a browser, per the XUL model and others -- so picture some medical device front end with your name spelled correctly, in its native Cyrillic alphabet. Maybe it's Gecko under the hood, we don't need to know. A prime examples of what I'm looking for would be: geographic equivalents of my all Latin-1 USA quiz, a simple demo of LAMP using Python 2.x for CGI and a MySQL back end. http://www.4dsolutions.net/ocn/geoquiz.html Imagine something similar all in Chinese, Japanese, Thai or Urdu (or...), with everything "how to" well explained. I realize what I'm looking for is still very not prevalent, because Python 3.0 is still in alpha. Plus I realize it's not strictly necessary to be using Python 3.x to be working in Unicode (wxPython has supported it for years). So yeah, somewhat pie in the sky at this point. Anyway, please keep me in mind, throw me a Unicode bone or two if you find one. Related blog post (just recently filed): http://controlroom.blogspot.com/2007/11/unicode.html Kirby 4Dsolutions.net


text:
God decides to close up shop on Earth -- unless two idealistic angels can make a miracle happen
Welcome to Heaven, Inc., the grossly mismanaged corporation in the sky. For as long as anyone can remember, the founder and CEO (known in some circles as "God") has been phoning it in. Lately, he's been spending most of his time on the golf course. And when he does show up at work, it's not to resolve wars or end famines, but to Google himself and read what humans have… (more)
Rich's gift for comedy is God-given – would that he had a bit of the devil in him too.
Deliciously funny.
A near-perfect work of humor writing — strikingly original, edgy but compassionate, and most importantly, deeply hilarious.
Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books (August 07, 2012)
Parent ISBN: 9780316203326
File size: 620 KB
Language: English


text:
Extended schools - Connect
Connect extended school provision at Grange Park
Our breakfast and after school clubs are run by an external provider 'Connect'.
Connect aim to provide a safe, secure and relaxed environment, offering a range of activities to reflect the interests of the children in their care. Activities included art and craft, construction, a reading area, small world, physical activities and so much more!
The After School Club is open from 3:10 pm until 5:50 pm and the Breakfast Club is open from 7:40 am to 8:45 weekdays, during term time. They also offer holiday care from 8:30 am to 5:50 pm.
Fees per child are as follows:
|After School Club:
|Breakfast Club:
|Holiday Club:
All Connect provision is subject to availability. For further information, please contact Cara Lewis on 07949 083576 or visit the website www.connectclubs.co.uk


text:
Most of the regular Swedish infantry regiments wore blue coats with yellow facings by the 1700s. I will probably paint all of mine this way:
The next 6, I'll do without the white and see what the result is with multiple coats of blue.
I've found that the black base coat really muted the colors. Great for Dark Age stuff but not if you want flamboyant color. Your yellow came out pretty good, I had a lot of trouble with yellow and flesh over black. I had to use yellow ochre first.ReplyDelete
For red, yellow and flesh, I paint an under coat of brown (or recently, lt. cinnamon as the last 2 bottles of dark brown Ceramcoate I purchased were terrible) on top of the black basecoat. For white, I undercoat in a very light grey (not for the lace on the hats though, just for leggings and such (like on my GNW Russians).
Painting the coats with a white undercoat over the black, before painting the blue, looks fine to my eyes (which is what the picture above is of), but painting the coat white adds a bit of time for the improvement. There might be a further improvement by going from white over black, to just a white basecoat, and I'll test that out on another batch of 6 figures.
My biggest resistance to white basecoats, besides the fact that I like a black line between colors on my 1/72 stuff, is that every misses spot, no matter how seemingly microscopic becomes like a glaring sun to me - usually I discover these during a game while taking pictures, when correcting it is inconvenient.


text:
Ms. Macias
Classroom Phone: 269-250-XXXX
School Phone: 269-250-8600
My name is Ms. Macias, I will be your 5th grade teacher this year. I hope you are as excited to start the year as me! This will be my 13 year teaching. I taught for 11 years in Colorado, and this will be my 3rd year in Michigan.
I have 4 boys of my own, two of whom will be attending Comstock Elementary School with us. Some of the things I enjoy doing with my family are fishing, boating, and hiking. My favorite subject in school is reading. I do love to sit and read a good book!
2019-20 Welcome Letter


text:
99 Years of the Housing Question in Sweden
Tryckt bok, I lager
Pris: 393 kr + moms
Snabb leverans
Författare: Movilla Vega Daniel, Hallemar Dan
Tryckt bok, I lager
Snabb leverans
This book presents the history of modern architecture in Swedish housing. It is essential reading, especially at a time when a lack of accommodation is having such a brutal impact on Swedish society. However, this has not always been the case. Decisive public policies implemented during the 20th century led to an exemplary democratisation process of housing, unparalleled in terms of equality and inclusiveness.
Engelsk text
Författare: Movilla Vega Daniel, Hallemar Dan
Art nummer: 6108212
Utgivningsår: 2017
Utgivare: Studentlitteratur
Antal sidor: 325
Kategori: Bostäder


text:
Currently unavailable
Self-descripton of the band: "La Merde combine fact and fiction in an anachronistic collage of the past into a contemporary creation of sound and image."
A friend recommended La Merde from Belgium to me. I was instantly smitten and immediately asked the band if I could offer their debut tape via Opus Abscondi. Their music reminds me of everything that was good about the first generation of so-called "neofolk"-related acts. However, they seem very fresh and new to me. Maybe this is because of their deep sense of satire (of themselves and of the "scene") while being dead serious in their artistic vision. This is a combination I have always been very fond of.
This is their debut on music cassette that was released on 2 November 2018. It is mind-blowing. Definitely a reason to buy a cassette player if you do not own one.
Appolion Spreekt
Au Nom de Dieu
La Danse Macabre
Das Symbol des Menschen
Good Mourning Reverberations
Das Lied des Selbstmörders
A Dieu


text:
The elderly should not be
set aside
called worthless
because they have more history than future
because they have more achievements than dreams
because they have more experience than boundless zeal
because they have more wisdom than recklessness
because they have seen things, "us younger folks" only wish to see
because they have lived a good life instead of only hoping to live a good one
In the end,
what they have
is what we want.
We could carelessly discard the elderly
because knowledge is always easier to destroy than gather.
If we degrade ourselves to only defining
by their physical production,
then we will be fighting,
fighting oh so hard
but fighting for nothing at all except our own destruction.
We must
find recognize the innate value and worth
in each and every person
because otherwise we will have to redefine
because we will have lost the quality
Respect each other
because "head" knowledge
is different from "heart" knowledge
and is also different from "hand" knowledge.
The elderly may need a helping hand
and give them one
because you will then be paying back
what they already gave you
with the life they lived
so that you can live yours.


text:
Thanksgiving is upon us, which means lots of turkey, pumpkin pie, and of course cranberry everything: sauce, stuffing, desserts, and even glassware. That's right, this rose-colored type of glass is named after the holiday fruit, but it actually dates back to the Roman Empire. Surprisingly, the art of making the glass is rather expensive because gold is added to the molten glass to achieve the cranberry color before it is molded or blown into its final shape.
The photograph above pairs a full-size Victorian-style cranberry glass goblet with a variety of fine-scale miniature cranberry glass works by Francis Whittemore. The pieces include diminutive stemware, decanters with functional stoppers, and a punch bowl with cut details that is just big enough to fit an actual cranberry.


text:
Missouri Attorney General Reports Racial Profiling
COLUMBIA - Some African Americans refer to it as DWB -- Driving While Black. However, the common name for this issue is racial profiling. Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster is using numbers to measure the problem of racial profiling is in his state. The most recent statistics actually aren't recent at all, they're from 2008. Regardless, the numbers worry Koster.
The key statistics are the contraband hit rate andthe arrest rate. The contraband hit rate is the fraction of the time members of a certain race have illegal contraband when they are pulled over by police. Arrest percentage is the fraction of the time members of a certain race are arrested when they get pulled over.
White people have a contraband hit rate of about 20 percent compared to 16 and a half percent for black people. However, white people have an arrest rate of nearly six percent, lower than that of black people at eight and a half. Simply put, white people are found to have illegal contraband on them more often than black people when they are pulled over by the police, but they are arrested less frequently when pulled over.
Looking deeper into the numbers, these disparities could be attributed elsewhere, though red flags of racial profiling would still exit. Attorney General Koster also looked at the search rate of drivers who have been pulled over. When white people were pulled over, their cars were searched about 7 percent of the time. Black people that were pulled over had their vehicles searched almost twice as often at nearly twelve percent of the time.
Former sargeant with the Columbia Police Department, John Worden, now works for the Columbia Law Enforcement Training Institute. He isn't hesitant to talk about local issues of race-based traffic stops.
"I'm not going to say racial profiling doesn't happen, even here in mid-Missouri," he said. "I haven't personally seen it in my 20 years, but I would never say it doesn't still happened.
Nathan Stephens, the senior coordinator of Mizzou's Black Culture Center knows too well what it means to be racially profiled.
"I don't want to feel like I'm constantly being harrassed for no reason," Stephens said. "I've been pulled over more than once where I asked the officer what I did and his best response to me was 'this is an area where we get the report of a lot of stolen vehicles.'"
As for discretion, Stephens recalled a terrifying experience from his youth.
"I was walking downtown with my friend, when a white officer stopped his car next to us and pulled a shotgun on us, yelling for us to show our hands. He 'cuffed us and said he was looking for a 40-year-old man who had just robbed the Hardee's. I was a scraggly, skinny 13-year-old kid. How could I possibly be mistaken for a middle-aged man?"
Most local police departments have a specific department dedicated to handling issues of discrimination and human rights.


text:
Contact us with your news. Email firstname.lastname@example.com, or email@example.com or call the GTN News team on 01733 775700
Squire's Garden Centres has bought Heathlands Garden Centre in Wokingham. Previously owned by Wyevale, the garden centre (new entrance pictured right) will now be known as Squire's in Wokingham.
All 33 employees will stay on, including manager Graham Carter, not forgetting Petunia, the resident cat! A clearance sale is now on before the autumn gardening ranges arrive.
Anthony Jones, chief operating officer at WGC, said: "We are delighted to have sold Heathlands Centre to a highly respected operator, and that it will continue to be run as a garden centre. I would like to take the opportunity to thank our colleagues at Heathlands who have been so instrumental in making it the brilliant operation it is today and wish them all the best under new ownership."
Sarah Squire, Squire's chairman, said: "We are delighted to welcome Heathlands to Squire's Garden Centres. As a family business, firmly rooted in south-west London and nearby home counties, Heathlands is an excellent addition to our group and will be known as Squire's in Wokingham. We will be making improvements to the garden centre over time, but we like our garden centres to be different and have their own unique character. We look forward to working with the team at the centre and really getting to know and understand the local community."
Squire's now has 16 centres across Surrey, Sussex, North London and Berkshire.


text:
An Uneven Playing Field
Cato's tax experts, Chris Edwards and Dan Mitchell, have written extensively on international tax competition. Their research shows that countries can help attract investment and spur economic growth by lowering their tax rates.
Could countries employ this same strategy to make their sports teams better?
Real Madrid, one of the most popular and successful soccer teams in the world, recently purchased the rights to two of the sport's top players. They acquired Kaka, who was named the world's best soccer player in 2007, from Italian powerhouse, AC Milan. And they lured Cristiano Ronaldo, the world's top player in 2008, away from Manchester United, the reigning champions of the English Premier League.
There are a number of reasons why Kaka and Ronaldo are moving to Spain, but it's pretty clear that taxes played a significant role. That's because in 2005, Spain passed a tax break for foreign workers, including soccer players. This gives Spanish teams a huge advantage in bidding wars with teams from higher‐tax countries like Italy and England. To make matters worse, England recently raised its top income tax rate.
"The new tax rate in England is going to make things much harder for English clubs," noted Jonathan Barnett, a leading sports agent whose clients include Glen Johnson, Ashley Cole and Peter Crouch. "It will hinder the [English] Premier League and help the Spanish league because Spain has big tax discounts for footballers, so there's an enormous advantage to go there. Someone like Ronaldo could be offered the same money at Real Madrid but be 25% better off."
Similarly, a frustrated executive from AC Milan blames Kaka's departure on the Italian tax system: "I repeat, this is all a matter of different types of taxation. If we were a Spanish club, we would have saved €40 million."
Policymakers and soccer fans alike should take note.


text:
By Hannah Dickison
By Matt Campbell
Connecticut lawmakers have pushed to give assistance to veterans' loved ones, who they call "silent heroes."
Channel 3's Matt Campbell spoke with family members who said once veteran's return home, another battle begins.
When Marine Gulaid Ismail returned from war, his flashbacks of war were as vivid as when he lived them.
"The most difficult part is the anniversary time. Nightmares tend to be more intense," said Ismail.
As Ismaid struggled with PTSD, his wife Davina Ismail struggled with him.
"Most of his friends are in the military and when they get together, he comes back home with that cloud of things that happened which presented itself in seclusion, drinking heavily, reckless behavior at times," said Ismail.
Although they received help from the V.A. hospital, Ismail is her husband's primary care giver.
"The difference between her and a doctor is that I have a intimate relationship with her and I'm more open with her than I would be with a doctor," said Ismail.
Ismail said she's had to adjust her behavior due to her husband's condition.
"You don't wake him up by shaking him, kind of call him. When we go out to a restaurant, I make sure he's facing a door," said Ismail.
Ismail is not alone. She is one of thousands of caregivers who tend to their loved one's wounds, disabilities and emotional struggles of veterans once they return from war.
Senator Richard Blumenthal has proposed the Veteran's First Act, which is aimed to help those caregivers.
"The folks who take care of these veterans are no less heroes than the veterans themselves," said Blumenthal.
If passed, the law will provide tax-free stipends for caregivers as well as improve financial planning, counseling and health insurance available for veterans when they return.
Blumenthal said pre-9/11 veterans are especially in need of help because they're now largely excluded from these benefits.
The bill has received bipartisan support.
Blumenthal is hopeful the bill will pass through Congress by July 4th.
Copyright 2016 WFSB (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
Read more: http://www.wfsb.com/story/32084512/bill-proposed-to-help-veteran-caregivers#ixzz49u060Uh2


text:
Faculty of Physics
New Humboldt Research Award winner at LMU
Munich, 02/20/2013
The latest winner of a Humboldt Research Award to choose LMU as the host for his research sabbatical is theoretical physicist Professor Nigel Cooper from Cambridge University, who has been the guest of LMU's Physics Faculty since the beginning of January.
Cooper studies novel states of matter that arise as a consequence of quantum mechanical effects in interacting many-body systems. Such effects manifest themselves in certain electronic materials, but they can also be investigated in dilute atomic gases held at ultracold temperatures, where they can give rise to unconventional collective phenomena. Cooper is interested in the interface between these two research areas and has made important contributions to both. The Humboldt Research Award now makes it possible for him to work in close cooperation with the experimentalists in Professor Immanuel Bloch's group (Max-Planck- Institute of Quantum Optics and LMU) and the group of theorists headed by Professor Wilhelm Zwerger (TU Munich) on the simulation of topological phases using ultracold atoms subjected to synthetic, tunable fields.
Nigel Cooper obtained his PhD from Oxford University in 1994. Following research stints at Harvard University, the Institut Laue-Langevin in Grenoble and at Cambridge University, he was awarded a research fellowship by the Royal Society and obtained a post as a lecturer at Birmingham University. In 2000, Cooper moved back to Cambridge, where he became Professor of Theoretical Physics in 2007, and now heads a research group in condensed matter physics. He is also affiliated with Pembroke College. In 2007, the Institute of Physics in London awarded the Maxwell Medal and the Maxwell Prize to Cooper for his distinguished contributions to research.
The Humboldt Foundation's programs serve to promote cooperation between excellent German researchers and leading scholars from abroad. Winners of the Humboldt Research Award and holders of Humboldt Research Fellowships are free to choose the German counterparts with whom they wish to collaborate. Hence the number of Humboldt Laureates it hosts is an important measure of the range of an institution's international contacts and its worldwide reputation. göd
Further information on the Humboldt Research Awards.


text:
Otago Museum Shop
Need a birthday present for Mum, a souvenir to send home to friends and family, or the perfect pair of earrings to top off your outfit for the weekend? The Otago Museum Shop is the place to go.
Educational toys and science experiments for kids, handcrafted jewellery or elegant mementos of Otago and New Zealand – there's something for everyone at the Otago Museum Shop.
Located on the ground level, our Shop offers quality gifts and souvenirs to mark your trip to the Museum. You can also purchase your tickets to the Tūhura Otago Community Trust Science Centre and Perpetual Guardian Planetarium here.
Open daily, 9am–5pm
Every purchase helps support your Museum.


text:
HAMPTON — The only reason John Ferelli picked up the sport of wrestling was because he didn't make the seventh grade boys basketball team at Hampton Academy.
HAMPTON — The only reason John Ferelli picked up the sport of wrestling was because he didn't make the seventh grade boys basketball team at Hampton Academy.
It looks like he made the right choice.
Ferelli had a record of 33-9 last season as an eighth grader on the Hampton Academy wrestling team and has kept up his winning ways as a freshman with the Winnacunnet High School varsity team, picking up his 11th and 12th wins of the season on Wednesday in a dual meet against Milford and Souhegan.
Ferelli said his mindset going into a match is to be intense and he certainly brought that intensity on Wednesday, albeit for a short period of time.
Ferelli had the shortest outings of the night as he pinned both his opponents just 14 seconds into the first period.
"It felt good," Ferelli said. "I certainly didn't expect to pin them both that quickly. I've had one match that was really quick, but not two matches in a row like this.
"I thought I would have an average record because I am a freshman and I've been wrestling a lot of older kids," Ferelli continued. "The (varsity competition) has been just about what I thought it was going to be."
Ferelli has set a goal of placing in the top four of the Division II state meet
"He (Ferelli) comes at you hard so the pins didn't surprise me," Winnacunnet coach Eric Larcomb said. "It's good to get him that confidence as a young kid. He has some work to do, but hopefully he can work on his technique and compete for a state placement."
Ferelli has been pinned just once this season which is "fantastic for a freshman," Larcomb said.
"He fights for a full six minutes," Larcomb said. "He's not your typical traditional wrestler, but he works hard. He's an athletic kid and he picked up the sport real quickly. He has a lot of learning to do but I am looking forward to working with him for the next three years."
Warriors split with Milford,
blank shorthanded Souhegan
The Warriors had three pins and two wins by decision in a 51-24 loss to Milford.
"Milford is a strong team," Larcomb said, "but that score really doesn't show how close we were. We were in a lot of those matches."
Winnacunnet sophomore Ryan Boyle, down 15-1 to Milford's Dustin Post, but Boyle quickly turned the tables in his 152-pound match and pinned his opponent in the third period.
"I wasn't being aggressive enough, the match was a little faster paced and he was being more aggressive," Boyle said. "Once I turned him, I thought I could pin him, but yes, I was surprised."
Larcomb said coming back from a 15-1 deficit to pull out a pin doesn't happen very often.
"He (Boyle) saw an opening to reverse the kid and put him in a pinning position and he took it," Larcomb said. "Ryan (Boyle) was out of position for most of the match and the guy couldn't capitalize on it, he got close though. The kid came out of position one time and (Boyle) capitalized on it."
Winnacunnet senior Francis Rosa (103) also pinned his Milford opponent, while Brendon Fortuna (182, 8-3) and Tyler Mallett (132, 2-0, overtime) won their respective matches.
Against Souhegan, Matt Cooney (113, 27 seconds left in first period), Lucas Rosa (138, 59 seconds left in first period) and Jon Carrigan (160, 1:36 left in second period) all pinned their respective opponents, while Mallett earned a 1-0 decision at 132.
Winnacunnet will compete in Saturday's Timberlane Invitational, which is expected to draw 17 teams.
"There's going to be some strong teams there, but we should be able to compete and hopefully finish in the top eight or 10," Larcomb said.


text:
Turkey vs USA: lessons for Venezuela
With a new ban on visas, both governments escalated into a conflict that may shed some light on what could happen in Venezuela
Leer en Español: Película el Inca y su censura en Venezuela
Relations between Turkey and the United States, former strategic partners, have reached a historic low. The United States' government announced that its diplomatic representation in Turkey will no longer issue visas to Turkish citizens, except for those who intend to settle in a US territory, and, in retaliation, the Government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan took a similar stance affirming that the Turkish embassy will no longer issue visas for American citizens. According to experts, this situation rose due to problematic diplomatic relations between Ankara and Moscow, aside from the political clash with Donald Trump who seems to support the Kurds in Syria.
But the tension does not stem solely from these two events. The final and most triggering happening occurred on Wednesday, October 4th when a Turkish employee of the US consulate in Turkey was arrested for alleged links with inciters of the attempted coup of July 2016. The employee is accused of espionage and for working with Fetulá Gülen, a preacher exiled in the United States that the Middle Eastern government considers the brain behind the attempted coup d'état. Also, a second warrant arrest has been issued against another employee of the embassy.
After the failed coup, the American administration refused to hand over Gülen to Turkey creating a source of permanent tension between the two nations.
Due to Erdogan's authoritarian attitude in Turkey, the previous administration of Barack Obama had been reluctant to receive the Turkish leader in Washington. He had even asked the Ankara government to reduce authoritarian indictments in order to give stability to the region.
A similar situation could rise in Venezuela, where both the Obama and the Trump administrations have demanded the restitution of democracy. However, despite the interventions in which Maduro disqualifies the United States' arguments while classifying the nation as imperialist, there haven't been any scandals related to espionage.
However, from Washington, the political pressures that have been placed on the South American country have been mainly economical wishing to hurt the nation on a more direct level. Although Turkey has seen its currency devaluating, it is due to indirect financial mishaps.
For Venezuela, the political relations with United States became worse after a travel ban was placed on several governmental dependencies, as well as lack of visas being issued for the public. This could lead to a similar situation to the one been lived in Turkey due to the lack of political guarantees since both the American Nation and the South American country also have had their shared political misunderstandings.
Latin American Post | Carlos Eduardo Gómez Avella
Copy edited by Susana Cicchetto


text:
- Robot waiters in China never lose patience
- Robot breakdown delays New Zealand mine rescue
- The world's first robot with conscience
- More oil now gushing into Gulf after undersea robot bumps venting system on cap
- Eyes flashing, robot conducts wedding in Tokyo
But in the long run the public interest in robotics and other emerging technologies has decreased. According to Google Trends measuring the search frequency of technology terms the interest in robotics has decreased significantly since 2004. Despite billions of dollar, euro and yen invested in robotics R&D the world's interest in robotics is fading. The Google Trends graph below shows the negative global trend for robotics and biotech.


text:
Photo Layout on a Card
Im keeping it short and sweet with this little card today!
I think incorporating your photos into your cards is a wonderful way to share those special pictures with friends and family. I know receiving a card with photos of my nieces and nephews on it would make my day!
I made this card with my son's grandparents in mind.
First, I cut the little polaroid frame with my Cricut. I also wrote the word "smile" on the frame using my Cricut and a Rushon Petite pen that I fit into the pen holder. I had to test it a few times before I got the pen in just the right spot, but it worked!
For the background, I used a stamp from Prima, added some Ground Espresso Distress Ink to it, and then misted it all over with a mini mister. I stamped the background first on a scrap paper, and then stamped again on the actual card. So the background is actually a second generation stamp image.
Then, I layered my embellishments on top! I fit the photo into the frame, and then layered different bits of scrap papers and a few stickers around it.
Its basically scrapbooking... but on a card!
Leave a Reply.
Pin it!
So glad you found me! This blog is my little space where I can share bits about my life and my latest crafting projects (mostly handmade cards). My goal is to share, inspire, and to be a positive presence in the creative community.
Find me on Instagram!
January 2018
Link Love


text:
-1 #7 2012-03-11 21:26
another defend the base, nice graphics otherwise but too darl or objects to shoot are small. no other sounds as explosions and no upgrades so falls to group total crap, fun for one play.
-1 #6 2012-03-11 17:44
It was very polished graphically, but apart from that it was very generic.
Also, there was no actual option to upload your score that I could see, even though you could enter your name.
+2 #5 2012-03-11 15:23
Made up my mind on this game PRETTY quickly
This game may have some of the smoothest graphics and controls I've ever seen in a flash game. Unfortunately, they're attached to a turd.
Like putting $5,000 worth of tires, rims, and a sound system on a 1993 Toyota Camry (You know who you are).
There is no reason to play this unless your life is terrible and you want to shut it off for a few mins,those of us with shit to do, and better games to find, won't waste our time on this.
+1 for great graphics and smooth controls
2/5 stars
-1 #4 2012-03-11 14:57
Played it once, don't want to play it again. Whilst the play area is a little dark the look of the game is very good but badly let down by the lack of upgrades and options that can be chosen. It seems its 'shoot everything in sight' & sometimes you will get a benefit but usually just points which is pretty useless to most of us. 2/5
-1 #3 2012-03-11 12:02
I'm not terribly fond of real-time shooters, particularly space shooters. But this game is functional, although somewhat simplistic.
Rate: 3/5
-1 #2 2012-03-11 11:49
This game seems like a big advertisement for dungeon king.
This is a short game with no real replay value, nothing interesting in it, no originality what so ever and isn't that fun
-1 #1 2012-03-11 11:38
potentially a good shoot em up game but there is no upgrade ability and the only help available comes in a burst from a selection of 4 possible additions .. time freeze, mines, a power boost and a kill all on screen option - if I remember the blurb correctly


text:
At Prop Zero, we believe in empowering the people. It's what we try to do every day -- give you information on the important issues, so you can make informed decisions to help solve the problems facing California.
But solutions start with you. If you want your voice to matter, today's the day to take action: Get to the voting boot and fill out a ballot. So this is our friendly election-day reminder. Go vote.
Check Live Election Night Results After the Polls Close
U.S. & World
Not sure where to go? We've got you covered. Look on the right-hand side of the page, scroll down past the 'What we're covering' section, and you should see an eVoter form. Fill in your address, click on Go -- and you'll get a customized page with your polling place and sample ballots.
If you don't see the form, click here, then click on 'Voter guide.'
To sign up, click here, then choose 'Prop Zero.'
Follow us on Twitter @PropZero. Join the conversation about the future of California's cash, kids and jobs.


text:
The Taste of Prana
By Madame X (c) 2009
With each feeding, we draw into ourselves bits and pieces of our donors that we instinctively crave. Many pranic feeders lack the fundamental understanding of the energetic composition of what exactly they are partaking in. For many, feeding simply works, it is a process, as natural as eating to satiate hunger. It is important, of course, to keep in mind the potential and ever-so-emphasized risks of feeding, but it is equally important that every feeder, energy and sanguine alike, be aware of the dimensions of what they are drawing upon and incorporating into their own life-force. After all, we are what we eat… so, what are we eating?
Prana is often described as the life-energy that permeates and emanates from every human; then we generally go on to speak of the seven-point chakra system as it conducts energy throughout the body. Here we will leave behind the chakra system, exploring Prana and pranic intake from a slightly different angle. We will instead describe Prana as the energetic interaction between five different sources: Innate Life-force, inner Vitality, molecular Chemistry, inner drive or Spirit, and The astral Dreambody.
Depending on the type and intent of the draw, we can tap into any of these sources to supplement our own. It is important to know not only what we crave and how to access it, but also to understand why we need it, when, what we need to supplement and why. Answers to these questions will help us better understand ourselves and our needs, better manage our feeding sessions and our donors, as well as to better understand and enjoy the taste of prana.
In this article we will leave behind the specific methods of draw, acknowledging that there are various physical, visual, mental, emotive, sympathetic and astral methods to draw from any source. It is not the intent to further subdivide the community of energy feeders but to bring them together to seek out the answers to the questions we all share about the nature of energy, why we crave it and how we can better process it.
It is important to emphasize that there is no concrete division between the realms of body, mind and Spirit. In very much the same way Life-force, Vitality, Chemistry, Spirit, and Dreambody work together being intrinsically interconnected as part of the whole person, one depending on the other. Meaning that a feeder may draw from another's Vitality to supplement his own Vitality in order to recharge his Sprit. While there is less internal alchemy involved in a simple draw to feed exchange, the direction and transformation of the draw depends, of course, on the intent of the pranic feeder; whereas (in general) the effort is to replenish energetic depletion, to sustain a healthful lifestyle, to prevent debility, and to prolong lifespan.
Understanding Prana:
Life-force, Vitality, Chemistry, Spirit and the Dreambody
Life-force also referred to as 'the breath of life'; it is that primordial energy that bursts into all living beings as they are still in their respective embryonic forms. Life-force can best be paralleled to the energy stored in a battery. It begins to dissipate at birth, it is evident in children in their obvious surplus of energy, it is what carries adults thru health crisis, and what is finally depleted shortly before death. It is good practice to try to connect with our inner energy; its center is often located in the heart, solar plexus or diaphragm region like a glowing sphere of energy. This type of energy also moves rapidly along the spinal column and can be literally 'felt' behind the neck beneath the skin as a vibrating current of electricity. Life-force, much like a battery, can be recharged to some degree with specific life-long dietary habits, breathing exercises, as well as directed energy exchange. While many Hollywood vamps claim to sustain their immortal youth by feeding from the ever potent Life-force of virginal victims, drawing from this deep primordial energy source is generally discouraged as it may affect the health or lifespan of the donor while often being incompatible with that of the feeder.
Vitality is the healthful energy producing processes of the body that distribute nourishment and protection to the entire physical body; i.e. the digestive process. Vitality refers not only to the way in which nutrients are processed and absorbed, but also to the healthful energy generated to sustain and enliven the body. Vitality is readily witnessed in dynamic exuberant behavior displayed by strong healthy active adults. Vitality circulates throughout the body; it moves the body, it moves the blood; it moves prana. Its good practice to learn to 'feel' this form of energy in our body; it is akin to a warm smooth flowing fluid that flows immediately below and above the surface of the skin. Vitality is released during exertion, excitement, emotion, orgasm, and other adrenaline bursts, being naturally restored on a daily basis with food intake, hydration, rest and sleep periods. Many energy feeders claim that they are unable to maintain healthy levels of Vitality to function, finding instead that energy draw methods help stabilize their needs. It is generally the Vitality of the donor that is drawn by the emotion feeder, the tantric feeder and the eros-type feeder.
Chemistry is the fluids of the body, each containing its own type of energy. Blood, hormonal secretions, and bodily excretions all contain energy, best denominated as Chemistry. The Chemistry of blood is a potent source of energy, carrying with it highly processed nutrients, as well as red and white blood cells. The Chemistry of hormones is linked with metabolic functions, immunity, aging, virility, and sexuality, encompassing all the secretions of the endocrine system to include semen and sperm. Excretions or waste secretions, like perspiration, urine and menstrual fluids, contain primarily stagnant energy but for some, these can also be a desirable source of energy. Effective Chemistry, dictated by DNA, is the main factor in disease prevention and control, where Chemistry imbalances are debilitating and often life-threatening conditions. Among others, sanguines or blood-feeders, draw upon their donor's Chemistry to supplement their energy needs. Different life-feeders experience this type of draw in different ways; while to some intaking Chemistry may be a soothing, quenching experience, to others it may be a euphoric intoxicating sensation. While it behooves every feeder to be aware of the potential risks associated with pranic draw, it is the Chemistry-feeder who interacts directly with the donor's bodily fluids and because of this, it is also the Chemistry-feeder who needs to pay particular attention to his health and the health of the donor before, during and after the draw, being very safety minded with all feeding practices.
Spirit is our conscious awareness, our will, intent and our ego. It is that inner strength that motivates, that ignites our passions and emboldens our step. Strong Spirit Energy is readily observable in those high-spirited individuals who dare to defy the odds, fighting tooth'n´nail for what they believe in. Spirit energy may be observable in spiritual people, but such is not an effective parallel, as many high-spirited individuals may be disconnected from their spiritual side. Like Vitality, Spirit is particularly attractive to the emotion feeder, the tantric feeder and the eros-type feeder, as spirited individuals often feel their passions more deeply easily relinquishing high levels of dynamic Spirit energy. Spirit energy replenishment happens naturally, but it depends greatly on the healthy balances of Life-force, Vitality and Chemistry. Should any or all these energy sources be somehow weakened, they will in turn also affect and deplete the Spirit. To better understand and connect with this energy source focused meditative methods are recommended. Depending on whether the individual is thinking or feeling motivated, the center of this energy source can be respectively located either in the head or in the heart region very much like a multi-colored, multi-textured orb of light.
Dreambody is our subconscious knowledge, our intuition and our superego. The Dreambody connects us with our higher selves, the astral realms, divinity and through it we can achieve spiritual immortality. Tantic, Taoist and Yogic practices are particularly conducive to perform Dreambody energy cycling between partners. Eastern techniques realize the importance of this energy, encouraging adepts to dedicate their lives to its pursuit by following strict vows of fasting, silence, seclusion, etc. Much like Spirit, Dreambody Energy depends on the healthfull interaction of all energy sources to remain balanced and active. Individuals who regularly use and apply Dreambody energy on their daily lives have heightened centers of it, becoming the best possible sources. Dreambody energy is exercised, cycled and expelled during magical or astral work, meditation, and especially while dreaming. While the center of personal Dreambody energy is generally associated with the pineal and pituitary glands, both located in the head; this type of Dreambody energy can be best equated with an often colorful, diaphanous, glowing vapor rising skyward from the body. This subtle vapor-like energy can become an etheric or astral double acting in concert or independently of the physical body. Whether or not a physical or visual bridge is created, astral-feeders not only feed on Dreambody energy, but they also use Dreambody energy as an etheric bridge to establish the draw.
Some guidelines to maximize pranic intake:
Choose your donors wisely. Every life-feeder needs to be aware of the potential risks associated with pranic draw, selecting only screened, informed, healthy adults as donors. There are many resources available that elaborate in detail the necessary safety precautions that need be considered when choosing and preparing a donor. It is of the utmost importance to confirm the physical, emotional and psychological health of any donor, because any type of pranic draw can potentially transmit whatever is wrong with the donor to the feeder, albeit in a more-or-less temporary fashion. With this in mind, we need to realize that this matter is not an issue of concern only to blood-feeders but to all life-feeders. Furthermore, with the understanding of the different types of pranic sources, we should also be aware of the type of energy we need to replenish and what kind of individual would constitute a better donor to satiate our specific pranic needs by capitalizing on their specific assets; i.e.: an athlete may be a good source of Vitality, while a natural witch may be a better source of Dreambody energy.
Choose appropriate wardrobe. Synthetic fibers, jewelry, watches, glasses or any constrictive clothing like corsets, belts, collars and chokers may be counterproductive to a good pranic intake session. Even if a strong draw is established, constrictive synthetic apparel insulates, distracts and disperses prana. Instead, we may prefer a sky-clad session, or at least to be barefoot or lightly clothed. Wardrobe too can be a tool that may deepen, broaden or otherwise deliberately alter the dimensions of the session. Some may like to include certain apparel, garb and even props to generate a certain atmosphere, therefore a particular type of donor response; i.e.: an enacted fantasy or a BDSM encounter.
Choose the right environment. While an effective pranic draw can happen nearly anywhere, choosing the right place and the right time may just be the difference between an 'ok session' and a 'terrific session' for both exchange partners alike. Maybe a quiet more secluded environment, a more natural setting, or maybe even a cozier more comfortable place. Or, perhaps just the opposite is what is needed to spike-up the flavor of the draw; sometimes a little excitement, fear, discomfort or worry may be just the right spice. Many life-feeders also claim that the witching hours between 3 and 6 am are the best for drawing and processing pranic intake; this may be due to the high concentration of negatively charged ions in the atmosphere at that time. Time, location, level of privacy, environmental factors like temperature, dampness, background noise and lighting, as well as available space and body posturing, are some variables that can certainly be experimented with. It is perfectly acceptable for pranic exchange partners to explore new levels, try different techniques and agree on what is more mutually enjoyable.
Focus your senses. Mental attention is absolutely required to properly command and control the pranic draw. It is therefore important to consciously direct sensory awareness inward focusing on the actual energy exchange rather than on external circumstances. If the mind is distracted during the draw, the drawn prana strays aimlessly, dissipating instead of gathering and circulating with intended purpose. Eyes should be kept unfocused or closed while mentally visualizing the drawing process: the contact, the penetration, the attraction, the inner gathering, the circulation and the final disconnection. Ears should be focused on the internal sounds of mutual breath and heart rather than any external noise; although, some types of music or natural sounds like those of wind and water, may actually deepen the draw.
Establish the palate-throat bridge. This is an essential bridge connecting the mouth and the throat, two energy channels on the roof of the mouth, and activating two salivary ducts under the tongue. To connect these the tongue should be kept firmly pressed, or at best lightly touching, the palate immediately behind the upper front teeth. While some of us may find this to already be a natural subconscious posture during pranic exchanges, it is interesting to know that this bridging is a fundamental part of Yogic, Tantric and Taoist longevity practices.
Breathe. During the draw, proper breathing can assist not only in extraction but also with the guiding and distribution of prana thru the body, eliminating energy pooling or stagnation. Breathing is a basic energy intake tool that greatly influences the body's bioelectric balance. Chee-gung and pranayama exercises can widen the understanding of this vital process, which many take for granted. Besides assimilating and circulating life energy, breathing helps purge toxins from the body, purifying the bloodstream and enhancing immunity. Breathing consists of 4 stages: inhalation, retention, exhalation and pause. To maximize pranic absorption a rotation of all 4 stages in equal duration is recommended.
Filter. Filtering insures that only the desired energy is absorbed. This is particularly important for the more aware feeder who does not only desire to intake 'any' prana but realizes he needs only a certain type of it. Without effective filtering we may find the need to waste time and energy in transforming pranic intake. In addition, we may not only pick up astral cooties and other unwanted energy strings, but we may also need to wastefully ground or even purge unwanted energies after the draw. There are many resources available that detail different filtering methods and exercises. While there are many types of effective filters and visualizations, the very best type of filtering is to know exactly what we desire, then draw only that into ourselves.
Gather prana in the lower abdomen. Located immediately bellow the navel, between the abdomen and the spine, the lower dan-tien is the perfect area to gather and savor prana before sending it coursing thru the body or applying it directly. Storing energy in the lower dan-tien is preferred to pooling it in the head or heart area preventing respective head-rushes and emotional surges during and immediately after the draw. To this end, it is important to keep the mind's eye focused internally on this area of the body, seeking to explore and savor the newly acquired pranic intake.
Apply the body cavity seals. While there are several body cavity seals or diaphragms, two are of particular interest for pranic feeders, these being the glottis or throat seal and the urogenital or anal seal. Applying these two seals during pranic intake especially during breath retention and releasing them during exhalation is of particular interest as these seals help contain and gather drawn prana inside the body. Very much like breathing and the above-mentioned palate-throat bridging, some of us may already be naturally using this technique for sealing prana inside without much conscious processing. However, to consciously apply the throat seal we simply close the throat by contracting its muscles while tucking in the chin. This seals the upper body and prevents an immediate and otherwise unavoidable loss of prana through the upper cavities. Conversely, applying the anal seal, seals the lower body and prevents loss of prana from below. To properly apply the anal seal we must contract both sphincter rings. Applying both cavity seals creates an added focus on feeling, sensing and actually savoring the pranic intake, internalizing it and maximizing its benefits.
Do not over feed. The rule of thumb is to feed until 70-80% full. We are not gluttons, and we should only intake what we need; not to do so would be wasteful. Taking any more will create the added need to ground and might even deplete the donor beyond what they may be able to safely provide. It is important to mention that each draw expands our ability and tolerance to accept prana; therefore unscrupulous undisciplined feeding may not only cause physical, mental, emotional and Spiritual issues, but may also become addictive. So, while regular light feedings from informed screened donors are recommended to maintain an inner balance and avoid loss of control or pandemonium, it is likewise advisable to try to gradually extend the time span between deeper feedings. This method will maximize the understanding, efficiency and flavor of such deeper pranic intakes.
Disconnect from the source. The term 'disconnect' here implies the full severance from the donor or pranic source; meaning that there is a complete break or removal of the established energetic connection. A strong visualization, or a physical movement like stomping, laughter or hand clapping can assist in disconnection. Disconnection is very important, because we do not wish to be permanently connected to our donor. We certainly do not want a reverse flux of energy back into our donor, nor do we want the donor to continue to send us their life-energy as this would of course weaken the donor and send us an unwanted surplus of energy when its no longer needed, and most likely of lesser quality.
Nourish your physical body with living foods. Raw living fruits and vegetables eaten immediately after being cut contain not only their own specific brand of life-energy but also live enzymes that assist in the digestive and metabolic processes. It is recommended that at least 50% of our daily food intake be raw food. Dark red fruits and vegetables like: cabbage, beets, pomegranates, berries and plums can be particularly satisfying. A raw egg blended into fresh-squeezed carrot juice can be a potent tonic as well and may help extend the time between feedings.
Detoxify. To better benefit from pranic intake, it is important to periodically cleanse the bloodstream and intestinal track, as poisonous by-product blockages affect the absorption, regeneration and movement of energy through the body. There are many natural detoxification methods to choose from that include special diets, fasts, teas, colon cleansers, etc, where only you can avail what is right for you.
In closing:
Many life-feeders go thru the act of feeding as if it were a quick fix or a simple act of sustenance, without really taking the time to understand or savor the experience. Effective journaling of facts and feelings alike is always recommended regarding both the actual draw as well as of the time between exchanges. Pranic intake should be a delectable, stimulating and fully satisfying experience that addresses and embraces our specific needs. With each exchange we have the opportunity to learn more about ourselves, about our instincts, our desires, how to better quench our thirst, and how to better enjoy The Taste of Prana.