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This spicy seasonal blend of apples, cinnamon, and ginger is finished with a hint of caramel.
We've teamed up with our pals at local chocolate maker Chocosol to blend this freshly ground, seasonal chai with freshly roasted cacao shells.
Notes of caramel, maple sugar, and pine smoke interwine in this rooibos and black tea blend. Memories of campfires and sugar shacks… a truly Canadian blend.
The heady, spicy citrus aroma of natural Bergamot oil is balanced by a deep, malty, high grown Sri Lankan black tea. Bright and coppery in the cup. A prized selection for the Earl Grey devotee.
This popular version of our traditional Earl Grey features a delectably soft, creamy finish. A hint of vanilla adds a subtle sweetness to this twist on the classic.
Dried Nova Scotia cranberries add an unexpected twist to this premium traditional Chai made with an organic Assam black tea, that also features whole cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, and black peppercorns.
A bright, robust, and well – balanced premium Organic English Breakfast tea. The perfect balance of briskness and malty sweetness.
This high grown luxury loose leaf black tea is blended with dried ripe peaches and apricots grown in Niagara, Ontario. Soft and fruity… chill for an enchanting iced tea.
A very special blend of premium organic high grown black and golden teas provide an exceptional orange pekoe flavour.
Transport yourself to a wood – fired sugar shack with this Ontario maple syrup infused, slightly smoky tea. Add a splash of steamed chocolate milk for a sippable s'more.
This tea is a celebration of the flavours found in Toronto's original Chinatown. Fruit-forward with notes of lychee, lemongrass, ginger, and coconut – this tea is low in caffeine but big on flavour. Served over ice, Spadina Blend makes a superb iced tea.
Warming, soothing and fruity with a hint of cinnamon. This dried apple tea has been layered with premium green tea and just the right amount of spice for a flavourful but sophisticated tea, hot or cold.
Green Yerba Mate meets sun drenched strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and sunflowers in this energizing infusion.
This organic green tea boasts a delicate but full green tea flavour. Vegetal and sweet with mild astringency.
A superb example of Chinese jasmine tea from Fujian Province, featuring May picked blossoms and a beguiling floral bouquet. This premium tea boasts a perfectly balanced jasmine flavour and whole dried blossoms.
Popped and toasted rice kernels, blended with premium high grown sencha tea. Toasty, malty, umami, with a slightly sweet finish. Pairs well with Asian dishes and is a classic with sushi. Enjoy hot, or over ice.
Floral and grassy, with a hint of ginger. Sun drenched lavender grown and dried in Prince Edward County Ontario features in this signature Pluck tea. Delicious hot, or served over ice with a drizzle of honey and a lemon wedge.
Select mild and grassy green Sencha leaves provide the perfect flavour foundation for the natural essence of dried strawberries and pineapple. This green tea is high in antioxidants and big on flavour.
Inspired by classic Morroccan Mint tea, this pan-fired organic green tea is layered with peppermint leaves, cornflowers, safflowers, and sunflowers.
Our premium first flush matcha features deep umami flavour, light grassy notes, and a brilliant green colour. Directly sourced in the springtime from the tea fields of Japan, this matcha is ground fresh to order for Pluck Tea.
Named in honour of our founder's favourite apres-dinner treat, After Dinner Mint is a decadent, caffeine-free chocolate mint rooibos blend featuring roasted cacao nibs from Toronto based Chocosol.
Real maple syrup makes this tea a naturally sweet infusion for any time of day. Delicious hot or iced.
This organic rooibos blend features bio dynamic Cabernet franc grape skins from Southbrook vineyards in Niagara, lavender, blueberries, rose and cornflower petals.
A citrus and ginger rooibos blend that steeps to the same colour as the signature red brick of Corktown. Delicious hot or iced, caffeine-free.
This caffeine – free tisane is the natural choice for Earl Grey tea lovers who are avoiding caffeine. Features notes of bergamot, vanilla bean, and a soft, creamy finish. Delicious hot or iced.
Layered with notes of wild raspberry and blueberry, this caffeine-free rooibos tea was inspired by our founder's early childhood foraging adventures on the Canadian Shield. Delicious hot or iced.
Tart Granny Smith apples, cinnamon, and hibiscus feature in this bright and flavourful fruit tea.
A soothing, fragrant, organic whole flower head chamomile with a slightly sweet finish and brilliant yellow liquor.
Hit the reset button – with this refreshing lemon and ginger infusion featuring Nova Scotia cranberries. Caffeine-free and delicious hot or iced, this tisane packs a lot of flavour.
Simple is good! This premium sun-dried ginger root infusion is both soothing and spicy. Steep for a couple of minutes for a light brew, or for longer to experience a more powerful flavour.
A bold organic peppermint infusion blended with both the mint leaf and flower. Picked in late August, this is a premium, and prized late harvest peppermint tea. Enjoy hot, or over ice. Caffeine-free.
This caffeine-free blend is an international infusion of holy basil, citrus, ginger, cardamom, and pink peppercorns. Bright, spicy, and uplifting with an incredibly refreshing aroma. Delicious hot, and makes a sophisticated iced tea.
A blend of dried grape skins from Niagara's Organic and Biodynamic Southbrook Vinyards, layered with hibiscus and berries for a delicious fruit tea. Enjoy hot or iced.
A refreshing, relaxing, caffeine-free organic infusion. Peppermint, hibiscus, chamomile, and rose notes intertwine. A symphony of flavours with a clean finish.
Butterfly pea flowers release a beautiful blue pigment into this citrus ginger infusion. Add a generous squeeze of lemon and watch the colour change! Delicious hot or over ice.
Superfine ground turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger make this a perfect caffeine – free latte blend.
Superfine ground beets, turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger make this a perfect caffeine -free latte blend.
This delicious sticky honey chai is blended with honey from Toronto Bee Rescue, freshly ground whole spices, and directly traded premium black tea leaves from Emrok Estates in Kenya. Perfect for tea lattes, hot or cold.
A spicy and delicious premium Chai, ground from whole spices daily. The black tea version features Gold Medal award – winning tea from Emrok Estates in Kenya. The cacao version features cacao shells from local Chocosol Traders.
Available in right and left – handed versions, this beautiful, modern glass mug with integrated filter (designed in Canada) is easy to clean and wonderful to steep in. Dishwasher safe.
Two sizes available: 310ML and 440ML.
Available in right and left – handed versions, this beautiful, modern glass mug with integrated filter (designed in Canada) is easy to clean and wonderful to steep in. Dishwasher safe.
Two sizes available: 310ML and 440ML.


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subset: commoncrawl


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With my favorite holiday, Halloween, coming down the pike in a little under two weeks, It's made me reflect on my Halloween experiences from my youth. I'm a child of the Seventies, which means that I grew up during an interesting cultural transition time. Things will never be the same, naturally, but a lot of what made up the memories of my youth have not merely morphed into something else, but disappeared all together. Some for the better… some, not. The ability to sew, comes to mind.
One of my favorite family traditions took place every year, right about this time. I would have gotten into my Mom's powder blue, 1971 Pontiac, and we would have driven to the mill store to pick out a pattern and fabric. It was time to get the costume all worked out. The two of us would find a seat in the little alcove filled with monstrously thick books and then pour over them, looking for just the right one for Trick or Treating. The only real limiting factor was that, living in northern New England, I had to be able to fit a winter parka underneath it.
Eventually, I'd pick the design and then the two of us would set off and search the piles of colorful fabric bolts, looking for the best matches. Purchases in hand, we'd go home and start putting it together. I say "we", but in truth, it was mostly Mom who did the work. That's not to say I wouldn't help if I could, but like most children who offer to "help" Mom or Dad, I tended to make things go slower, rather then faster. My end of the project usually involved standing on a stool and worrying about being stuck with straight pins.
Every year, my mother would create some amazing costume out of nothing but some bundles of cloth, a tissue paper pattern and her Singer, electric sewing machine. Over the years, I had been successfully been kitted out as a ghost, a mouse, a vampire (at least twice), a shark, the Headless Horseman and no doubt a few others that escape me, but those are the fabric based costumes that I can recall.
A few costumes however, required more than ability with sewing. It required cardboard.
The first of these rigid costumes that I remember was the year I went as Pac Man. That wasn't too hard to work out. Two large pieces of heavy yellow card stock cut into circles, minus a wedge for the mouth and attach it all at the edge. Holes for arms and a few to spy out of and there you go! Hardly the most involved costume, but hey, we're talking Pac Man during the early eighties, here! I thought it was awesome and I was not alone.
The next idea was a lot harder and drew heavily on her bulletin board construction skills. Luckily, as a Junior High teacher, she had a lot to draw upon.
I wanted to be a tree.
A TREE! Where did I come up with these ideas? A lot of rolled cardboard, construction paper and Sharpie markers later, I was the spitting image of a maple tree in full foliage. That is, as long as all the maple trees you had seen were about five feet tall and made of cardboard and construction paper. I remember walking down the road at a tight legged shuffle, dropping leaves as I went and trying to spot them through the slot I peeked out of and skooching down to pick up my wayward, leafy appendages. Now I knew how a tree must feel as they shed their hard made mantle each autumn.
Eventually, of course, I stopped going out Trick or Treating and moved my efforts to scaring the beegeebees out of the kids who came to our house, begging for candy. Nothing too over the top… but fun. Then, like life does, things got busy and with a move to an apartment with my then girlfriend/now wife, we simply didn't get Trick or Treaters or didn't participate. After a few years and a succession of moves, we wound up on our little island where Halloween is once again something to revel in. All my creative costume juices, having long since dried up and turned to powder, were reconstituted by the flood of scary fun and enjoyment that is the norm out here. I was back in the scary business!
The first year, I simply dressed up as a Mad Scientist. White lab coat, spiky hair wig, goggles and high black gloves completed the look. It was believable and easy to assemble. I took on the roll with great enjoyment and did my best to scare kids a bit. Times have changed since the 70's though, and kids simply don't spook as easily. Next year, I'd do better. Much better. I was into this now.
The next year I threw my self into this project. With the materials and equipment at hand, I set aside the time to craft a huge skull… thing. Made out of clay, I patterned the basic shape on a horse's skull. With the addition of sharp, tyrannosaur-like teeth and a more menacing brow, no lower jaw and a black robe that draped over the entire shebang and I had created a large and freaky looking monster wraith. I named him Tony.
I put the robed skull on two hinged, five-foot poles, one pole in front and the other in the back of the skull. What this meant was that Tony, when worn by me, could be moved like he was on a long neck. Held straight up, I was easily nine feet tall. If I wanted to go get close to someone, all that was needed was to swing Tony forward and I could be in your face in a split second. Add some glowing eyes and I had an instant kid magnet and/or repeller.
As I wandered around the neighborhood, I noticed that I was almost irresistible specifically to young boys. They were terrified of the giant monster but couldn't resist getting a closer look. At one point, a nine-year-old pirate decided that he needed to exhibit his bravado to me and the others in the area. As I floated along down the road, he followed at what he thought was a safe distance calling, "I'm not afraid of you! You can't scare me!"
In one fluid motion, I swung the head around and down to within a few inches of the pirate and scraped my vocal cords to emit the best, "Depth of Hell" sound I could muster. It was hard to see out from behind the black cloth that covered me but I could just make out his ragged pirate butt as he ran in full-screaming flight, down the street. On the sidewalk, now standing alone, was his father. For a brief second, I thought I was going to be in deep trouble. Then, with both hands cupped around his mouth, the man yelled to his fleeing son, "Run, Forrest! Run!" Hey, we live on an island. How far can he go?
This year, it's Short Stacks turn to go out and collect candy. It's his first real Halloween experience. We didn't know if he would quite understand the idea behind a costume, but we asked him for his pick. With out hesitation, he made his pick. We've asked him several other times, just to be sure. He is.
He wants to be a dump truck.
It seems that so far as costume ideas go, the apple does not fall to far from the cardboard tree. At least the dump trucks don't. Dear Lord. I better not bring up the idea of a Dump truck Tree. He'd want that instead. Now where's my utility knife and duct tape?
Filed under: 70's, family, Helpful People, home, Humor, Kids, Nostalgia, What the..?, Writing | Tagged: all hallows eve, costumes, family, ghosts, halloween, holidays, Kids, monsters, patterns, sewing, son, traditions, trick or treat, vampires | 3 Comments »


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Super Typhoon Sanba [1] has a striking eye and it's headed for Okinawa, [2] with sustained winds of about 132 mph and gusts to about 161 expected, according to NOAA [3].
Check out this image [4], which is too big to post here.
And here's a NASA image [5] from Sept. 13, 2012:


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It's just more than two weeks and Valentine's Day is coming. Of course, most of you girls with partners are going out to celebrate the Romantic Day, right? Okay, so Are You Hot? This Valentines is Dress For You…
This Red Dress will pull out the hidden hotness in you! Elegant and simple, it's perfect for Valentine's Day. Match it with Black and Diamonds Style Sandal Stilettos, paired it with black hair, red lipstick, charcoal eyes effect, and perfect!
Are You Hot? This Valentines Dress is For You
Hot Dress for Hot Mommas out there, seductive look without the effort… All guys will be drooling, and head will spin as you walk the road runway… 😀
Lyndsay is the mind behind this fashion blog, she also blogs about her travels on Discount Travel Blogger giving tips on how to explore the world as cheap as possible. She has earned units in Masters in Psychology, designs websites and graphics, online marketer, YouTuberand a singer by heart.


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Are you a worrier?
Do you have a hard time turning it off?
Or, are you afraid to stop worrying for fear that you will miss something important?
If so, this post is for you – well it is really for anyone with a pre-frontal cortex and that would be all of us!
Why a prefrontal cortex? The prefrontal cortex is the most recently developed part of our brain and, as humans, it is much larger and more highly developed than most other mammals.
The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that allows us to think and reason. It allows us to see all of the various aspects of a situation and to reflect on the past, as well as plan for the future.
Do you see how having a more highly developed prefrontal cortex would make us susceptible to worrying?
Let's compare what happens when an animal has a close call with death to what happens for us in a similar situation.
Most of us have seen, at least on television, an animal barely escaping death by a predator.
Think back to that wildlife program on television where the zebra or some other poor creature just barely escapes the lion's jaws. What happens next? Typically the animal shakes off the stress and then goes about its day grazing or resting.
What would happen if a human narrowly escapes death? Would we give ourselves a good body shake and then move on as if nothing had happened? Most likely not.
Most of us would be replaying the situation over and over in our heads.
We would be thinking about what a close call that had been and we would almost certainly be thinking about how we could avoid it happening again in the future.
It would be like a dark cloud following us everywhere we go.
All of that thinking and planning is work of the prefrontal cortex. It helps us to be prepared and to learn from our experiences in a way that is not possible for other mammals.
Learning from our experiences and being prepared, based on those experiences, is extremely useful to our survival.
The downside of that is that we can spend much of our time
replaying stressful situations in our minds or
anticipating future dangers
all while we are safe and sound sitting on our couches with our families enjoying what could be a relaxing evening.
Unfortunately, besides ruining a relaxing evening, every time we replay that horrifying experience or imagine a horrifying event about to happen, our body responds as if the event is actually happening.
Stress hormones rise and the brain records the event to help us be more prepared to face it in the future – when in many cases it has never happened in the first place!!
Our brain/body doesn't differentiate between what is actually happening and what we are vividly imagining.
This is why imagery is so effective. If you are imagining sitting by the ocean on the beach and feeling relaxed, your body will experience this relaxation.
If you are imagining some horrible thing happening to you, your body will respond as if what you are imagining is happening right now. It doesn't matter that you are actually safe and sound at home.
So here is the tricky part. It is helpful to be prepared. That is one of the advantages of having such a highly advanced frontal cortex.
However there is a difference between planning and worrying. Ineffective worrying increases our stress levels and fears about the future. It can also lead to anxiety.
This is where learning how to worry, effectively, comes into play.
I would like to share with you a tool that many of my clients have found helpful in learning to be more effective with their worrying.
To understand why this tool is effective it is helpful to think of a scared child. Parents are much further ahead if they acknowledge a child's fear than if they simply try to ignore the child or tell the child they will be fine without really listening to why the child is afraid.
If a child is afraid there is a monster in the closet, responding with "no there isn't, go back to bed" probably isn't going to be very effective, right?
It is pretty similar with our emotional brain.
The tool consists of two questions, with the most important part of each question being "in this moment".
Here is the tool:
Click here if you would like to download a copy.
So, let me give you an example. This is the example that I most often use with clients. Most of the time it generates a chuckle because people get the absurdity of my continuing to either ruminate on it or take action on it while I am with them in session.
In the example, I share with my clients that my car was making a funny noise as I drove to the office that morning. I let them know that I keep worrying about whether it will start when I leave to go for lunch. I share my worries that I will be stuck, etc.
I then give them an example of using the tool.
I ask myself the first question. "Is there anything that I could do about it in this moment?"
Well yes, I could say to my client, "excuse me, but I need to run out to my car and make sure it will start." Or I could say, "Excuse me, but I want to call someone to be sure they will be available in case my car won't start at lunch."
Most times, clients are already chuckling at the absurdity of this.
Then I ask myself the second question. "In this moment, do I want to do that?"
And, of course, the answer is no. I would not want to interrupt my session to run out to the car or to call a friend!
I have now effectively addressed the worry. I have done all that I could and would want to do about it. That does not mean that the worry will always just go away. Sometimes it will and other times it will continue to circulate.
So, think again about a child who is worried, one reassurance may not be enough. A parent may need to both reassure and redirect, saying something like, "remember we already took care of that – let's do this right now" – whatever the "this" might be.
That is where those mindfulness skills come in. If you are unfamiliar with mindfulness, check out my previous post.
Once you have done all you can and want to do about a worry and that worry is simply recycling the next step is to remind yourself that you have already dealt with that concern and that you can safely return your attention to whatever it is that you are doing in that moment.
This is important because what we attend to is what we experience and so once you have answered the questions it is important to bring your attention back to the present moment and the task at hand. Continuing to focus on a worry that has already been dealt with will only increase your anxiety.
Take a moment to, once again, to think about a child who is afraid. Once a parent has helped the child to feel secure that they have done all that can be done the parent is certainly not going to encourage the child to sit and worry about it. Make sense?
The worries still may circulate and the task is to deal with them and then use our mindfulness and attention skills to allow them to be in the background without triggering a stress response.
Let me give you another example of using this tool.
One of the reasons this tool is so effective is that it allows you to feel reassured that you will keep yourself safe – if there is immediate danger you will notice and act and if there is an impending danger, you will be prepared.
Let's imagine that I am heading out into the woods in bear country.
If I notice that I am worrying about bears in the woods, saying something like "Oh, I'm not there yet, I will just deal with them if I see them" probably doesn't make much sense, right?
It is unlikely to quiet my worries or keep me safe.
If I notice myself worrying, asking myself the two questions would be much more helpful.
Is there something I could do? Well yes, I could get some bear spray and learn how to use and carry it. Do I want to do that – of course.
Once I have done that I am as prepared as I can be at this moment, right? Well, I could use my imagination to practice effectively using the bear spray and surviving.
When I have done all that I can and want to do, I need to use my mindfulness skills to notice when the worry has resurfaced, reassure myself and redirect my attention.
If, instead, I spend hours worrying about bears that I might encounter and whether I will be safe, what is likely to happen?
I will probably be too anxious to go and if I do go, I will most likely either be paralyzed or extremely anxious. Neither of which is a very effective place to be if in fact I do encounter a bear.
Worries can help you be safe and prepared or they can easily lead to anxiety which can be paralyzing.
This tool has the potential to help you deal more effectively with worries so that they don't spin into anxiety. It can also help you to feel secure that will keep yourself safe.
When it comes to tools, finding the ones that are the most helpful for you is important. I would suggest you give these questions a try and see if this might be a tool that you add to your toolbox for help with worrying.
I hope that you have found this post helpful.
Sometimes we are just too far in the stress response to be very effective with our worrying. Stay tuned as I plan to write about suggestions for dealing with what I call the "desperate" state.
If you would like to receive notifications when new posts are published, simply sign up to the right and up top.


text: By enlisting Chuck Bauer Sales Training & Business Consulting, some of our clients have seen tremendous success increasing sales, higher conversion rates and more money overall. Joe Munoz has been a long standing client who has seen exponential growth by implementing monthly techniques with both his sales team as well as his executive team. Heidi Kiss and Jeffrey Matthews, small business owners, have continued to increase sales with training for their company from a management and ownership standpoint all while continually increasing sales and volume. Raul Cabaza, President of a large Insurance company, enjoy leading a sales team that with the Chuck Bauer training, continue to grow and improve overall sales. All of these teams have learned to efficiently use their precious resource—time—and continue to implement Chuck's techniques to work smarter, make more money, and take more quality time off!


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JFB: The fact that you have put your life story in print probably had a big impact in many ways. Can you share some of that?
TSR: One of the biggest impacts that my book has had is that it lets people know there is always HOPE and to never give up on yourself or others. So many mothers have come to me and thanked me for renewing their faith for their children. At times, they've wanted to give up on their kids.
JFB: Did you decide on the title for your book? If not, how did that develop?
TSR: The title of the book came about, first because I was sold to the things in the world, and secondly, because I was sold to the Highest Bidder of all, Jesus Christ. He paid the highest price for me - a price no human man could ever pay.
JFB: I totally agree with you, Teresa, and how fortunate for us Christ was the propitiation for our sins.
JFB: "Through My Eyes" by Quarterback Tim Tebow has been called a Christian memoir book. Is that how you categorize "Sold to the Highest Bidder"?
TSR: Yes and no. My book tells my story about me coming to Christ, but my book also reaches the
secular readers as well. It will grip your heart.
JFB: You've been at a myriad of functions since the book debuted, including the 700 Club and Seeds TV. Can you give our readers an introduction to your work and tell us more about other places where you've spoken?
TSR: I have spoken to inmates at the prison and shared to women that are in women's shelter and homes. I have also spoken at Texas Tech University and several Christian universities, as well. I will share to 5 women or 500 women …wherever God opens a door.
JFB: In another interview I read, you stated, 'you couldn't keep up with the game your life was playing'. That's pretty tough words. What exactly did it mean?
TSR: The true reference is to the lies that I was living. The fantasyland I had created was
not real life. The drugs and alcohol was a way to stay numb to what my life had
JFB: Well praise the Lord, because looking at you today, that is so hard to visualize.
JFB: In your words, it took several years to 'totally sell out to God'. How did that finally come about?
TSR: I had to be completely broken and understand I could not do it by myself; I needed a higher power (God) to help me.
JFB: Also being a Christian and a believer, I know what it means to live under grace every day. Your journey presents such inspiration to so many. It was a tremendous challenge to turn your life around as your have done. Please share how it happened.
TSR: I was not an overnight success. It took a couple of years for me to turn my life around, even after I accepted Jesus as my Savior. I had to fight every single day to choose to do the right thing. I kept going to church. Then, I got a couple of accountability partners who would hold me accountable. I learned scriptures from the Bible and would say them aloud. I had to start believing God's word over
mine, or my friends, that His word was the truth about me.
JFB: The axiom "write what you know" seems to hold true here. What complex barriers were encountered while traveling back through such a dark and traumatic past?
TSR: I realized how lost and broken I really was. I would take time out from writing and actually cry out to God thanking Him for rescuing me. It reminded me of what I had come though and that God's grace and mercy was always there for me.
JFB: Obviously, you've acquired a considerable, loyal 'fan base'. So many appreciate and admire this dynamic testimony. Other than God, who has been the greatest champion to facilitate the publishing of your work?
TSR: Desert Coyote, because I had no clue how to get my book out there or set things up. Don A. Martinez has been wonderful with all his help.
JFB: Yes ma'am, all of us as DCP authors are indebted to Don, as well as his wife, Stacey. They both are amazingly talented in their own respects.
JFB: There's quite a lot of scripture quoted among the pages, but I'm curious as to which verses had the most influence as a lifeline to bring you to the place you are today?
TSR: II Timothy: "I do not have a spirit of fear, but power, love, and a sound mind." I live on this scripture, even today.
JFB:I agree, those are prodigious words for all us to draw from.
JFB: Teresa, thank you for giving us some insight to your life's horrific ordeal and your journey through to God's love and light. Is there anything further you'd like to share?
TRS: That if you have faith, just the size of a mustard seed. God can, and will, take that little seed and make a mighty tree! Never lose hope. I encourage you to read my story, "Sold to the Highest Bidder!" You can get it at Amazon books, and or Ebooks, Barnes & Noble, and of course on Kindle and Nook.
It is also available on my website: www.teresarichenberger.com
Ask for it at your favorite bookstores because they can also order it for you.
Also, you can find me on Goodreads.com or Facebook as Teresa Richenberger.
Sold to the Highest
Bidder is on CBN.com,
CBN online, and YouTube.
If you are wrangling with life and its
difficulties, I encourage everyone to check out this great novel, as well as
keep up with this fantastic author because she is definitely going places
sharing her story and the Good News of


text:
Below Figure is a representative sketch of the JDBC architecture. This can be used in Java applications,applets, servlets or any other program where Java codes used. Java codes only interact with theJDBC Application-Program Interface (API). The JDBC API is a simple SQL-Level interface,which allows execution of SQL statements through Java.
The API consists of a set of interfaces and classes designed to perform actions on a database. The JDBC API class DriverManager, which is used to establish the connection to the database, is responsible for managing the different JDBC drivers. Other classes of JDBC API are useful when the programmer wishes to develop specific drivers of her own. The JDBC-ODBC bridge performs translations of JDBC calls to an ODBC-compatible format. This bridge is required to maintain compatibility with non-JDBC databases.
The JDBC API is defined in java.sql package and it consists of the following interfaces:
• The interface java.sqI.Environment, which allows the creation of new database connections.
• java.sql.Connection, which permits connecting to the database.
• java.sql.Statement, which is the container class for embedded SQL statements.
• java.sql.ResultSet, which allows accessing the results of a statement.
The different classes found in the JDBC API are listed below:
• Driver • SqlException • Date
• Driver Manager • SqlWarning • Time
• DriverPropertyInfo • ResultSet • Timestamp
• Connection • ResultSetMetaData • Types
• Statement • DatabaseMetaData • DataTruncation
• PreparedStatement
• CallableSatement
The implementation classes for the interfaces shown in italic, in the above list, are
database- vendor-specific.
Database vendors can provide drivers of various types. Sun Microsystems have specified four types of driver:
Type l-Bridge Drivers These drivers use bridge technology like ODBC to connect to the database. The JDBC-ODBC Bridge Driver is the most commonly used driver.
Type 2-Part-Java Drivers This type wraps a thin layer of Java code over the native code libraries to implement JDBC.
Type 3-Network All-Java Drivers This type consists of a Java code which connects to middleware to access a database via a network protocol. Generally this type of driver is not used for data access.
Type4-Direct All-Java Drivers This type provides a pure Java JDBC implementation, which can be accessed directly and provides services to networking middleware. This is used mainly for internet applications.
Dinesh Thakur holds an B.C.A, MCSE, MCDBA, CCNA, CCNP, A+, SCJP certifications. Dinesh authors the hugely popular Computer Notes blog. Where he writes how-to guides around Computer fundamental , computer software, Computer programming, and web apps. For any type of query or something that you think is missing, please feel free to Contact us.
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|on_reflecting (37610)
On Reflecting...
|Lincoln Park, Michigan, United States
|Hi! I'm Rakshi. I write RPS and Fandom slash. I post all my stories here. Please feel free to 'friend' my LJ if you would like to read them. Please be aware! Material posted in my LJ may be of a sexually explicit nature. It may also contain homoerotic stories and images. My LJ is for adults only! If you're not 18.. stay away!
I also frequently post pictures of both Sean Astin and Elijah Wood. Lord of the Rings is my main fandom, and much that goes on in my LJ of a fandom nature centers on that magnificent work.
Also.. should LJ go belly up again, you can find me also at my Greatest Journal site.
My stories are all in My Memories.
For LJ staff: My contact information is in a private post on January 1, 2002.
Please visit SANET!
You'll find pictures, videos, news.. Sean E-Cards, Jeremiah pictures, pictures and videos from '24'.. and much more. Everything you ever wanted in a Sean site is here.
In making my icons, I accessed these fine websites and people for textures, text, gradients, and tutorials.
Icon Tutorials
Fluffy Monster
Obsessive Icons
Gender - Great Textures
Icon Tutorial memories
Icon Tutorials on LJ
Fan Art
Brushes by Celestial Star
Save The World - One Click At A Time!
On each of these websites, you can click a button to support the cause -- each click creates funding, and costs you nothing! Bookmark these sites, and click once a day!
Click here to post this on your page or 'blog
Sam and Frodo banners by the lovely annwyn55.
Sam is Harthad Uluithiad ~ Hope Unquenchable
Frodo is Bronwe athan Harthad ~ Endurance beyond Hope
|2 entries
|44: astrology, camping, dwarfs, elijah, elijah and sean, elijah wood, elves, fantasy, fellowship of the ring, frodo, frodo baggins, hobbits, lord of the rings, lotr, lotr rps, lotr slash, michael drout, middle-earth, reading, return of the king, sam, sam and frodo, sam gamgee, samwise, sanet, sean, sean and elijah, sean astin, silmarillion, slash, spirituality, tarot, the hobbit, the one ring, the two towers, tolkien, traveling, trees, video games, west wing, weta, wii, writing, xbox
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Lessons Learned
1. Analysis of gender and power relations, and understanding and addressing discriminatory systems and structures, is critical to progress
Gender inequalities cannot be considered independently from the broader systems of discrimination or disadvantage in which they occur.
The 'Do No Harm' research from the State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Program at the Australian National University has concluded that achieving women's economic empowerment is contingent not only on women having access to economic resources but also on the removal of the impediments to freedoms that disempower women. Pacific Women activities that can demonstrate the most positive changes are grounded in strong gender analysis and have strategies to address the gendered power relations that sustain high levels of discrimination and violence against women.
UN Women's Markets for Change (M4C) program has shown that to make marketplaces safer for women vendors, it is also necessary to undertake interventions aimed at reducing cumbersome and discriminatory local and municipal government systems and regulations.
The Connecting Technical and Vocational Education and Training in Vanuatu project identified that their education and training activities need to link with interventions that aim to expand employment opportunities for women and support gender equitable workplace policies, such as provision for maternity leave.
There are several initiatives Pacific Women stakeholders will progress to understand better the systemic and structural barriers to gender equality; and where possible, develop or create links to interventions that address these barriers. The Pacific Women Support Unit will investigate how best to include gender and power analyses in future program designs. Implementing partners will be supported to monitor outcomes using gender analysis frameworks (such as that used in the M4C program) to build the information base and the evidence about the connections between gender relations and program outcomes.
2. Community awareness projects on violence against women are not sufficient on their own to cause lasting change in attitudes and behaviours that will prevent violence against women from occurring
Global evidence on ending violence against women demonstrates that sustainable, effective prevention programming requires not only a focus on raising awareness about the inappropriateness of violence, but also involves supporting strategies that are aimed at achieving community-wide endorsement of more positive, gender equitable social norms and community-led actions that can facilitate women's empowerment.
Pacific Women is funding an increasing number of prevention activities that aim to end violence against women. Given this, the program needs to ensure these activities are based on a strong understanding of knowledge, attitudes and values at individual, family and community levels and that they work at multiple levels to achieve longer-term and transformative changes.
3. Better monitoring and evaluation of projects aimed at ending violence against women is crucial to show that change has taken place
Activities supported by Pacific Women that focus on ending violence against women differ in approach, scale and possibly, impact. However, program reporting has shown there is a significant variation in the way that these projects are monitored and evaluated. This makes it difficult to draw conclusions on effective strategies and impact, both individually and collectively of Pacific Women's efforts to end violence against women in the Pacific.
Pacific Women is working with selected partners implementing prevention activities to monitor and evaluate against some common inquiry questions. An example of this is supporting selected partners to answer the question, what are effective approaches for changing social norms, attitudes and behaviours in relation to violence against women. Through focusing on a common inquiry question, Pacific Women hopes to be able to draw conclusions about effective approaches in different contexts.
4. Training activities need to be practical and contextually sensitive to be effective
Projects supported by Pacific Women that use simple and practical methods to reinforce women's and men's understanding of rights and responsibilities have been shown to be successful in bringing about change. For example, the UN Women M4C program that is implemented in Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu partnered with local women's organisations to reach women market vendors with practical and contextually relevant training about their rights. Delivered through a partnership with FemLINKPACIFIC in Fiji, Vanuatu Women's Centre in Vanuatu and Women's Rights Action Movement in Solomon Islands, UN Women was able to introduce complex ideas – including on equality – which normally remain out of reach for women market vendors.
5. There is considerable Pacific gender research being produced, but support is needed to improve its quality, accessibility, and its links to policy-making
The Pacific Gender Research Scoping Study supported by Pacific Women assessed and reported on the status of gender research in the region. The associated symposium and workshop, Advancing Gender Research in the Pacific, reflected on the study findings which indicated that although there has been a steady increase of gender research publications on the Pacific, most of the research has been undertaken by researchers based outside the Pacific. The study also concluded that research is of varying quality, with limited accessibility and weak connections to development policy and practice in the region. Within the Pacific, expertise and resources to support accessible, relevant and high quality gender research is limited.
A Pacific Women Advisory Group on Research has been established to guide the implementation of Pacific Women's Research Strategy. The aim of the Strategy is to support high-quality, locally appropriate and sustainable research that addresses and informs responses to gender inequality in the Pacific region. Pacific Women will support a minimum of two research projects a year, with the aim of directly influencing and informing Pacific Women programming.
6. Tracking of activity impact and contribution of Pacific Women
A key question asked by many implementing partners and DFAT is to what extent are observed results due to the program, rather than other external factors? These questions of cause and effect are critical to verifying a program's theory of change and in understanding what works and what does not in different contexts. Due to the complex nature of gender equality programming, progress and results are almost always about contribution, rather than attribution.
To acknowledge this complexity, Pacific Women is working to support and encourage partners to think about their contribution to results, rather than feeling pressured to identify attribution. One way Pacific Women is doing this is through support for country reflection workshops. These workshops provide a critical space to bring implementing partners together to reflect on their work, to test innovation and to synthesize evidence using contribution analysis.
7. The process of establishing coalitions
There is mounting evidence through partner reports that there is tangible benefit in investing in the 'process' of coalitions building, meaning that sufficient time is spent defining boundaries and building rapport and trust amongst coalitions or individuals acting collectively.
Pacific Women has integrated these lessons into the first revision of the program's Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Framework by including an inquiry question that aims to track what support and capacity coalition's need to advocate effectively. The program has also learnt to be realistic in terms of understanding the time it takes for coalitions or individuals acting collectively to build a common agenda and approach and achieve desired results.
8. Faith-based coalitions
Pacific Women has moved to increase its partnerships with Faith Based Organisations' (FBOs) over the life of the program. A common thread across activities is the increased momentum to address structural barriers that exist within these ecumenical organisations and churches. Focusing on transformation of these typically conservative structures is seeing some encouraging results. This confirms that FBOs are important partners but that work must begin with addressing structural barriers within these organisations and churches before effective community violence prevention interventions can take place.
9. Supporting evaluative thinking
There is the need to enhance evaluative thinking within activity reports to provide a greater emphasis on the identification of outcomes (both intended and unintended), challenges encountered and lessons learned during implementation. This entails a change in orientation from profiling the positive results to becoming more critical; feeling safe to highlight both what worked, and what did not; barriers encountered and suggestions for ways forward. It is not uncommon for implementing organisations to favour profiling good results for fear that negative results may impact on ongoing funding. The challenge for Pacific Women is to enable partners to safely identify both successes and failures without fear that this will impinge negatively upon funding decisions.
The evaluative thinking component to reporting will help strategic reflection in program planning and implementation and support ongoing program improvement. Approaches for emphasising strategic and evaluative thinking in Pacific Women include ongoing capacity building strategies that will be exercised by M&E personnel working directly with projects. Over time it is anticipated that the level and degree of evaluative thinking will translate into improved reporting by partners.


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It's the start of a new year and I'm excited to get going. This will be my 8th year at Barton, 19th in the district. Boy, am I getting old! I live in Inver Grove Heights with my husband, Clarence and my sons, Jake (a 2nd grader) and Trevor (a kindergartener) and our two guinea pigs, Cinnamon and Tanto. Life is pretty busy so I'm not always punctual with emails but I try. It's the best way to get a hold of me. Feel free to call school or send a note. I'll go through the whole year at parent information night. If you have a question before then, please let me know.
I started working at Barton in 2004 in grades 1 and 2. I started my teaching career at Bancroft Elementary in 1993 in Media. After 11 years at Bancroft I was excessed and ended up at Barton. I am thrilled to be here.
I went to the U of MN for my undergraduate degree and completed my Masters degree through St. Mary's University.
I am a Responsive Classroom facilitator in the summer. When I was in my masters program I took my first Responsive Classroom training and really knew this was the best thing for myself and students. Since 2000 I have taken more training and am now a facilitator.
4237 Colfax Ave S., Minneapolis, MN 55409
Telephone: 612.668.3580 | Fax:612.668.3590
School Hours: 8:40 a.m.-3:10 p.m.
Office Hours: 8:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.


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Gotty's gone missing, something about Black Helicopters. I found this picture he had stolen from Bunker Street dropped on his floor, I think it was something he was going to work on next, looks like the Cyclops Clan have had a change of plan with their next Poster Campaign.
Saturday, 3 April 2010
|Twat Rating:
6 comments:
- PJH said...
Is it just me, or has the Brown Gorgon lost weight?
- 3 April 2010 at 19:50
- Old Holborn said...
congrats on your wikio rating
- 3 April 2010 at 19:58
- Woodsterman (Odie) said...
Great Likeness ...
- 3 April 2010 at 20:20
Mmmm...I could go for him myself.
- 3 April 2010 at 20:47
WTF's going on? - First Gotty gets "Outed", then he's Not Worthy. Now he's been abducted by a Black Helicopter.
Must have been all those Cream Eggs....
- 3 April 2010 at 21:26
- banned said...
Only caught this story briefly on the radio, Daves a twat of course but he sounded good in his response to Labour portraying him as Gene thingey fron Life On Mars.
- 3 April 2010 at 22:28
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Chris Harris gets full access and takes us with him to the press conference for ...
Chris Harris gets full access and takes us with him to the press conference for the McLaren 570S, fortunately he doesn't make us sit through the discussion of how the body is different and the car is cheaper, instead we get an inside look at the car and even get to watch him test drive the car! The McLaren 570S is a great car with eye catching style and power that puts it up there with some of the finest super cars. to experience the full review of this fine car click the video below! It may just be the car you buy this new year!Legendary Speed is dedicated to bringing you the very best Videos about Automobiles and Cool stuff.
Check out our other amazing pages LegendarySpeed, LegendaryFinds, Legendary Motorcycle, Amazing Rides, follow us on Instagram and Youtube.
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That was nuts. Wait until you see the next video below.


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This "Super Duper" 4 Kid play tent is so large that 2 Moms and 3 kids have room to play inside.
Ties on front door allows for easy opening and closing.
Vibrant blue, red and green multi-color design.
Two tunnel ports
Cleans easily with damp cloth and MILD soap.
70 Denier, 190T Polyester Taffeta w/P.U. coating.
Flame retardant meets CPAI-84 & ASTM F963 safety standards.
Sturdy P.U. shock corded poles are safe and easy to use, making set up effortless.
Durable, easy to clean up waterproof polyethylene floor.
Tent Size: 58" x 58" x 46" Tall
Storage bag included.
Manufacturer: Pacific Play Tents
Question? Contact us via email at email@example.com.
©1995-2016 Tinker Tots Inc. All Rights Reserved.
No part of this site may be reproduced without expressed written consent.


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RIALTO >> The school district has no immediate plans to begin searching for a permanent replacement to ousted Superintendent Harold Cebrun.
After six months out on administrative leave, Cebrun and the Rialto Unified school board agreed to let him retire at the end of March. A few days after announcing that decision, the board appointed Associate Superintendent of Business Services Mohammad Z. Islam to fill Cebrun's shoes as interim superintendent.
And that situation doesn't seem likely to change any time soon.
"We have too many issues to be worked on right now, so that is not a priority right now," school board President Joanne Gilbert said Friday.
She would not speculate on when the board might begin a search for a new superintendent or what form that search might take.
School board Vice President Joe Ayala sees nothing unusual about the school board's pace.
"The board is united in finding the most qualified person to lead our district," he said Saturday in a text message. "In this respect we are no different than any other district by following a process that will provide us with a candidate that will best suit the needs of our Educational Community."
At least one board member at least initially opposed Islam holding the job. Joseph Martinez was the lone dissenter in the March 12 vote that appointed Islam, citing his lack of a teaching credential. Martinez could not be reached for comment on Friday.
Cebrun, who took over the job in February 2009, was selected with the help of executive search firm RJ Associates.
His resignation at the end of March saved the district nearly $360,900: the 18 months of salary he'd be owed if the board had fired him, under the terms of his October 2012 contract.
Cebrun and Deputy Superintendent James Wallace were placed on administrative leave on Sept. 12, in apparent connection with the arrest of former district accountant Judith Oakes, who's accused of embezzling $1.8 million from the district over an eight-year period. Cebrun and Oakes had a personal relationship, although he maintains the two are just friends. Cebrun is not a suspect in the embezzlement case, according to Rialto police.
Cebrun also faced indirect criticism from two reviews from the state's Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, which helps public school districts with their finances. (Both reviews were requested of FCMAT in summer 2013, prior to Oakes' initial arrest in August.)
On Jan. 6, FCMAT's review of the district's contract and purchasing processes found that "the highest level of administration" did not follow proper purchasing procedures and that contracts were sometimes approved by Cebrun or his office without proper oversight.
On Jan. 14, FCMAT's review of the district's special education programs found "a systematic lack of focus on instruction and lack of guidance from the highest level of leadership," along with more than $1 million in unnecessary expenses.
The school board hired a new head of special education at its May 28 meeting.
Wallace still has his job, sort of. He remains on leave and the school board voted earlier in May not to renew his contract after it ends in June.


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April 10, 2014
Small, Wireless Monitor Provides Long-Term Remote Monitoring to Help Physicians Diagnose and Monitor Irregular Heartbeats
WEST HILLS, CA — Three area residents with heart problems are walking on their own with a newfound peace of mind today, thanks to a new, state-of-the-art monitoring device they each had inserted at West Hills Hospital & Medical Center yesterday, April 9, 2014. The device is the Medtronic Reveal LINQ Insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM) System—the smallest implantable cardiac monitoring device available.
This procedure is a first in Los Angeles County and the San Fernando Valley, performed successfully by Dr. Aamer Jamali, an Interventional Cardiologist on staff at West Hills Hospital. It has the potential to bring immediate quality of life to these three patients: Richard J. McDougall of Agoura Hills, 71; Argelia Hernandez-Rivera of Canoga Park, 74; and Ronald Poniewaz of Simi Valley, 44.
The Reveal LINQ ICM is part of a powerful system that allows physicians to continuously and wirelessly monitor a patient's heart activity for up to three years from virtually any location. The device is placed just beneath the skin in the upper left chest, needing a 1-centimeter incision. Dr. Jamali believes that the procedure will take less than 10 minutes to complete once it becomes more common.
"Thanks to its smaller size, the implant process time is significantly shorter and less invasive," said Dr. Jamali. "Once activated, the device allows patients to transmit their EKGs straight to my office from anywhere in the world with the click of a button. It has the potential to make diagnosing difficult-to-detect cardiac issues much more efficient, as well as provide patients freedom from the tethers of diagnostic equipment."
The system provides remote monitoring through the Carelink® Network, alerting physicians to cardiac events in their patients immediately, as well as providing their offices with EKG downloads every 31 days. The Reveal LINQ ICM is intended for patients who experience symptoms such as dizziness, palpitation, syncope (fainting) and chest pain that may suggest a cardiac arrhythmia, and for patients at increased risk for cardiac arrhythmias. It may also help physicians determine how to treat patients with no known causes for their stroke incidents.
About West Hills Hospital & Medical Center
West Hills Hospital & Medical Center, a full-service acute care facility located in West Hills, CA, has served the West San Fernando Valley for more than 50 years. With 450 expert physicians and a staff of 900 that brings outstanding service to every bedside, the Hospital offers a full complement of advanced technology, compassion and responsive care for the improvement of human life. West Hills Hospital was the first Accredited Chest Pain Center in Los Angeles County, and also provides specialized care in the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit, Outpatient Services, Cardiac Catheterization Labs and The Grossman Burn Center. For more information on Quality Care, Close to Home, visit www.WestHillsHospital.com.


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Transportation is one of the most inefficient energy use sectors in the U.S., wasting 80% of energy as heat, and releasing millions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. Vehicle owners can directly reduce this waste and carbon footprint by driving electric, rather than gas-powered cars. At EV Support, we seek to make that happen as soon as possible.
The advantages of electric vehicles over the traditional cumbustion engine ‒ and even hybrid vehicles ‒ is clear:
Improvements in battery technology has increased the range of the average electric car from 80-100 miles with greater ranges looming large on the EV horizon; while the charging station infrastructure has exploded across the nation making re-charging your electric vehicle away from home easier every day ‒ there are some 400 charging stations in the Greater Seattle Area aone!
What is more, the US Federal government provides an income tax credit of up to USD 7,500 when you purchase an electric vehicle.


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Organza Love Ornament, Christmas Ornament, Embroidered Ornament - IPFG-000238
Organza Love Christmas Ornament is created on Gold Organza and with gold colored thread then backed with felt.
1-3 business days
Just contact me within: 7 days of delivery
Ship items back to me within: 30 days of delivery
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
Because of the nature of these items, unless they arrive damaged or defective, I can't accept returns for:
Buyers are responsible for return shipping costs. If the item is not returned in its original condition, the buyer is responsible for any loss in value.


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On an otherwise nondescript street in Wynwood, a two-story building seems to be breathing fire in the middle of NW 36 Street between Second and Third Avenues. This is the home of Hell Bound City Tattoo. As soon as you walk in, you quickly realize this isn't South Beach. When have you seen devotion to something other than the almighty dollar when visiting the highly overrated, overpriced Tattoos by Lou?
Hell Bound has a picture of what looks like Hemingway on its wall. We ask Esteban Dalpra, the shop's Argentinian proprietor, "Who's the old man?" "Oh,
that's Sailor Jerry," he explains, considered the God of tattoos. Born in 1911, Sailor Jerry was an unofficial pirate who
mentored the likes of the ubiquitous Ed Hardy and pretty much created
the foundation for modern tattoo culture.
After this brief history lesson, we spoke to Esteban about the tattoos he refuses to do, why inking in Wynwood is better than inking in South Beach, and the lasting impact of Miami Ink.
Esteban prefers tattooing Wynwood's clientele. There are no
drunken frat boys stumbling in from Ocean Drive. Esteban says that
Hell Bound customers "are more educated. They do research on the design
and on the artists. They know what they want. They have thought about
it." Most of Hell Bound's clientele want traditional (pin-ups, '50s,
sailor-style designs) or Japanese art. Due to the urban demographic in
Wynwood, lots of customers also want black and gray gangsta-style
There are some tattoos he refuses to do. When he talks about his work, you can see he takes tattoo art very seriously. He isn't one to jump at the chance to take $400 from a drunken tourist who wants a tramp stamp of a careening dolphin to take back to Minnesota. In fact, he once gave a deposit back to a customer when he found out the dragon tattoo the customer wanted wasn't a Japanese-style dragon, but a cheesy medieval dragon with equally tacky adornments.
On his inspirations: Esteban practically glows when he speaks about the artists he has been influenced by and still admires, like Mike Wilson, Bob Roberts, and Horiyoshi, and the contemporary, legend-in-the-making tattoo artist, Frederico Ferroni. "He makes new styles and totally surpasses the artists I was influenced by, like in a flash, in no time."
How Miami Ink changed the industry: Esteban says the Miami Ink phenomenon has done both good and bad for the industry. The show made tattoos more acceptable to a society that previously considered tattooed flesh the mark of criminals and sailors. Miami Ink made it okay for suburbanites to get tatted up, "When the show started, they would focus on the story behind the tattoo. Some girl lost her cat, and she came in for a tattoo of the cat. Understanding the reasons behind the tattoos made it more acceptable in society."
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The problem that resulted is that 20 tattoo shops sprouted up in South Beach, when previously there had been only one or two. With so many shops, artists became more like salespeople, trying to get that one sale before the customer walked half a block to another shop and a better sales pitch. With that much competition, customers could become scarce. "How many people can you tattoo?" asks Esteban.
Hell Bound artists spend a lot of time fixing other's tattoo fails. Unfortunately, lots of potential customers don't educate themselves and end up with bad tatts they got at the flea market or the Beach, which is why Hell Bound makes a lot of its business from cover-ups. Although he rather do more original work, it makes Esteban happy when he can turn someone's bad tattoo into something they can be proud of. "Sometimes it changes their life." See the below before and afters:
If there was ever any doubt that Hell Bound is about the art of tattoos, we dismissed it after watching one of the employees, George, drawing new designs for a book while Social Distortion plays in the background:
Lucky enough to be there when someone came in for a tattoo of a
phoenix, we got to see Esteban in action. As soon as his client was
ready, Esteban turned up the music and put needle to skin. This time,
the soundtrack was Number Nines:


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Next up on the #cif19 agenda is the Camberley Carnival on Saturday 22 June. If you would like to take part in the parade through town, please get in touch
Here are the details for the day itself. We are once again running the drop in art workshop at the theatre from 10:30am if you would like to make something to wave as the parade heads through town.


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The BMX has been around for decades now but the design has remained pretty much unchanged, with this in mind we take a look at the Rooster No Mercy to see it's own interpretation of this classic design.
Rooster have been topping the bestseller lists with their range of affordable BMX bikes in recent years and the Rooster No Mercy is no exception. The fact that one of these can be picked up for under £150 from most retailers and comes with all the basics required for stunts and tricks, it's no wonder why the No Mercy is so popular.
Click here for Rooster No Mercy Customer Reviews
Bike Assembly
The Rooster No Mercy is pretty simple to assemble because it comes partially assembled from amazon and the only components that need attention are the pedals, saddle and front wheel, all of which are simple to attach to the bike.
Rooster No Mercy – Features
As mentioned previously the No Mercy, like most BMX bikes is all about fun, and comes equipped with the must-have component for any potential BMX master – the stunt peg. The pegs on the No Mercy are smaller than average but this is after all a shorter bike aimed at kids 6 years and up. (the Rooster Big Daddy is a BMX bike aimed at kids 7 years and older)
The frame is sturdy and made from hi-tensile steel so will withstand any rough treatment that kids can throw at it. The wheels are deep rimmed, making them stronger than normal with a set of 48 spokes.
The brakes are standard alloy front and rear U brakes which will be suitable for the vast majority of situations. Just make sure to check that the brakes are configured correctly after assembly and check the brake pads regularly.
The saddle has quite a good range on it so can take kids of different heights and should last a good few years before they eventually grow out of it.
Summary of the Rooster No Mercy BMX
Looking at the other customer reviews and the price of this bike it seems to give pretty good value for money and has all the parts required for some fun BMX riding.
Check out the latest price for the Rooster No Mercy 2011 BMX Bike – White/Blue, 20 Inch on amazon.co.uk


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Movement-focused classes cover a wide range of fundamental skills used in classical dance forms like modern, ballet, and jazz. You'll learn core physical literacy skills and improvisation techniques to help you explore your creativity while growing a solid base in the classical forms.
Sharpen your skills and hone your technique in modern, contemporary, ballet, jazz, and improvisation. Every technique class follows a detailed syllabus designed to complement the form and needs of the dancer. These classes also feature a deep-dive into the history and master's techniques for each form. Last, but not least, you'll be sure to sweat!
Select classes focus on the creative processes in choreography and dance as mediums of communication and expression. Working in a creative process team, you'll design, build, and execute a project over the course of a semester.


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The Patient Practical Guide to Radiology
So I had this great idea to writeup all these practical tips for patients, not just medical professionals, but the devil's always in the details. (The details being that I forgot to actually write them.) Better late than never.
Radiology. This is most "imaging" you get: x-rays, CT (aka CAT) scans, MRI scans, ultrasounds. All that jazz. Most radiologists don't see patients, unless they're doing some sort of procedure (swallowing contrast or barium, putting contrast or barium up your butt, etc.); there are interventional radiologists, who see patients, but that's more specialized.
- There are many different imaging studies, and they're good for different things, so don't get too concerned if you "only" get an ultrasound to look at your gallbladder.
- I think the main concern most people have about radiology is the radiation they get from a test. While high doses of radiation can be concerning for the risks of new cancers (breast, thyroid, and blood cancers come to mind), your average CT scan or x-ray is a relatively low dose of radiation (and ultrasound and MRIs don't use radiation, they use sound and magnets, respectively). The fact is (sit down, take a deep breath), you're getting radiation every day. Seriously! About 360 millirem per year. Do the math, and that's about 1 mrem per day. A chest x-ray is about 2-4 days' worth more of radiation (here's a full list). So that's 364 mrem per year instead of 360. While there's no "safe" radiation dosage, as all radiation breaks up DNA and creates free radicals, everything in medicine is a risk-benefit ratio. Everything has a risk, everything has a benefit. The equivalent of getting an abdominal x-ray is like traveling 2500 miles by car (pdf) if you compare risk activities. And if you're getting an x-ray or scan, we're concerned you probably have something far more painful or life-threatening going on inside your body, something that's much more likely to hurt you than the radiation will.
- I should also clear up some confusion about the effects of radiation. There's two types of effects: linear and threshold. Linear is the cancer–the more radiation you get, the more likely you are to develop cancer. Threshold means that below a certain dose of radiation, you don't have any side effects, and above it, you start to have effects. These threshold effects are the skin damage, GI tract damage, hair falling out, etc.
I hope that clears things up about radiology, or at least some of the fears and concerns. If you really want a primer on radiation, try this.
sumer sethi:
try Information for the patients at http://www.radiologyinformation .blogspot.com for more patient info in radiology…
sumer sethi:
http://www.radiologyinformation.blogspot.com for info..
Michelle Francl:
Graham…MRIs _do_ use radiation, the magnet alone does not do it! The radiation is just of lower (much lower) energy than that used for X-ray, but of the same form! Technically, X-rays are "ionizing radiation" and the radiowaves used in MRI are "non-ionizing radiation". The magnets make the spin states of the nuclei in your body have different energies, the radiation is used to make the spin states change. MRIs measure (among other things) how fast the spin states change back to their "normal" state. So the radiation is necessary – the magnets alone would not do it.
You do make a good point, any indiviudal X-ray is not much considering how much you get from natural sources (mostly potassium).


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We spent a sunny, but quiet afternoon watching Super Bowl 45. I made meatballs, the latest "sell" from the Trader Joe's tasting booth. My boys loved em. We also had mini tacos, chips, guac, celery and carrot sticks. Not too unhealthy finger foods for what is usually such a fattening day.
Bogie planted himself right in Mr. Dunbar's lap.
Bogie didn't really care either way, he was playing his own games.
Can you see him shifting? Exhibit A.
He's still rocking and rolling as I type this. Crazy to think that he could be here any day, I thought he'd show up super early, but perhaps he'll be like his biggest brother and want to bake for a week longer than expected. Either way, it'll be fine. (Just pray my water doesn't break all over my wood floors, and my friend Erin made a good point of sitting on a towel in my new car…) I've never had to really worry about this at the very end as the older two ended up being scheduled and induced.
The boys managed to stay like this until almost half time. We stayed in to watch the show, which I thought was spectacular, then I had to take the boys out to ride their bikes. Who knew that while the Super Bowl was on, not one car would drive down our street. It was fabulous.
Okay, do share what'd you do for Super Bowl. Or your water breaking stories, I'm curious.
~mrs. dunbar


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Not too bad! There are a couple more that could go on here but I haven't had time to edit the photos/post about them yet.
And on to my goals for this month. Most of these are not old projects (except the Riley Blake Halloween Quilt, which is my oldest WIP). In fact, a majority of them were started last week, but still a goal is a goal...
- Make a baby quilt from the kit I bought on clearance at JoAnn's-nothing too special, but it should be a quick finish and make room on my shelf.
- Finish nursing covers-I'm trying to get everything ready for Little Miss's arrival. These most likely would have already been done if I could find boning anywhere.
- Receiving Blankets-these have already been cut to the proper size, they just need seams on the edges.
- Family Tree Baby Blanket-top is pieced, just need to buy the backing, basted, quilt and bind.
- Boo Crew Quilt-Just needs binding.
- Headbands-they each just need one, little seam to be completed.
- Riley Blake Halloween Quilt-my oldest WIP and the second quilt I ever started. I need to finish piecing the back, then just baste, quilt and bind!
- New Wedding Quilt (not to be confused with the Dreaded Wedding Quilt)-again, this quilt isn't really my style, but at least the design is so much simpler than the previous one! The top is almost complete...a trip to the fabric store and we should be good to go :)
Don't you just love how all of my pictures are of the folded up project and you can't actually see anything?! I wanted to keep everyone guessing (no, not really, I just didn't want to have to refold everything after I was done).
Not a terrible list if you think that nearly all of them are almost done or are very small projects. Of course I hope to actually accomplish a LOT more, but I'll start with this!
In other exciting news, I did pick up all of the nursery fabrics on Saturday and am ready to get started cutting, and I ordered fusible thread off of Amazon to use for future bindings!
Linking up with Let's Get Acquainted, Anything Goes, and Fresh Sewing Day.


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Green waste collections restart
AS SPRING approaches, Copeland Council is about to restart its garden waste collection service.
The service, suspended during the winter months, will begin again in the week beginning Monday March 19.
The fortnightly collections are for grass, leaves, clippings and small branches. Residents can get a full list of what can and can't be put in their garden bin at www.copeland.gov.uk [1]. They will also find their waste collection calendar there, telling them what date their collection is due on.
Copeland's garden waste material is sent to a local composting firm.
Coun Mark Holliday, Copeland's portfolio holder for customers and communities, said: "Gardeners who do not have the need or room to compost at home can do the next best thing by putting it our for collection in their brown bin.
"It's important though to only put garden waste in. If a bin is contaminated by other materials - for example rubble, plant pots or even household waste - it can't be composted and sometimes the entire load goes to waste."
Residents can find out about home composting and discounted food digesters at www.copeland.gov.uk [1].


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We tend not to think of flies as being beautiful, even though we know they're essential, but perhaps that's because of the context we associate them with? Have a look at these fellows and see what you think…
Tag Archives: beautiful nature pictures
Nature Close-Ups: Dandelions
I'm happiest when I'm outside, exploring. The weather has been extraordinarily wet here recently, but I still make sure I get out for at least a part of every day to immerse myself in the wonders of the natural world.
I love to nose around, looking at things close-up, imagining what it might be like to live as a tiny bug, a bird, or flower. With this in mind, I thought I'd do some simple posts to give you a snapshot of some of the things growing in my neck of the woods. Let's start with this dandelion, its yellow petals now transformed into a miniature snow-ball.
When I was small, we used to play the game with old flower heads like this one, blowing them to see what the time was (however many puffs it took to blow off all the seeds, that would tell you time!).
Another variant, when we got older, was "She loves me! She loves me not!" After each phrase we'd blow at the seeds. If the last seeds blew away on "She loves me!" all was well in our romantic endeavours, but if they blew away on "She loves me not"….well, I don't suppose we took much notice! (Of course, it was easy to rig this game, giving an extra-strong puff when we wanted to!)
I don't think I've ever stopped to examine a dandelion-head really closely until now. Have a look at this. The umbrellas at the end of each seed-stalk look a bit like amoebas…
Or should that be brain cells?
Or universes?
"As above, so below…"
In the flowers where some of the seeds have already blown away, you can see how amazingly each one is constructed, with their miniature parachutes on the outside…
And their barbed seed-heads sticking to the pin-cushion at the centre.
The barbs are for catching onto passers-by, so that the plant does not rely solely on the wind to disperse its seeds.
With this combination of aerodynamic design and adhesive seed-heads, it is not surprising that the fields and hedgerows around here are simply filled with dandelions!
The leaves of the dandelion make wonderful food for rabbits and the root can be ground into a powder for use in a decoction that will help urinary infection. A word of caution, though. If you are going to pick the flowers, wear gloves. The juices are very astringent and can cause a nasty rash!
If you like exploring nature, I think you'll enjoy my book Watchers, which is the first in a series for both children (12+) and adults. Have a look at some of the 5-star reviews on amazon and see what you think!
Paperback amazon.co.uk Paperback amazon.com
Kindle: amazon.co.uk Kindle: amazon.com
Until next time,
Best wishes, Essi.
The Answer to the Riddle…
In my last post I asked you to identify this creature, which I saw feeding on the catkins of a Willow last week:
The correct answer was…
…a Peacock Butterfly!
I watched it for some time as it moved from catkin…
…to catkin.
Then it flew to the ground at my feet and perched on an old oak leaf in the grass, sunning itself for a while before flying away again.
Congratulations (and a signed copy of Tilly) go to Peapod Pixie, who was first to correctly identify it!


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Hi guys. In this time, I will set up the gRPC server and try requesting it.
By the way, it seems that the gRPC server with PHP is spoken by ↓, but it seems that is no plan now.(2018 / February) groups.google.com
So this time, I will set up a gRPC server with Go and I will try requesting it with PHP.
- Define proto
- Generate code for Go
- Create a Go gRPC server with generated code
- Generate code for PHP
- Create a PHP client with the generated code
- Set up a gRPC server and request it with PHP client
Define proto
Prepare the following proto.Simply to accept the string and just return it.
syntax = "proto3"; package ping; service Ping { rpc Hello (HelloReqest) returns (HelloResponse) { } } message HelloReqest { string toMessage = 1; } message HelloResponse { string resMessage = 1; }
Generate code for Go
The official is here
What is necessary for generation is as follows.
- google.golang.org/grpc - github.com/golang/protobuf/protoc-gen-go // plugin for generating gRPC go code from proto - protoc // protoc compiler
google.golang.org / grpc,
you can
go get
go get -u google.golang.org/grpc go get -u github.com/golang/protobuf/protoc-gen-go
You can download
protoc that fitting your platform from below, And place it in /bin or the like.
So I use mac, I've downloaded
The code generation command for Go is as follows
// For protos/*.proto, The code generated for gRPC is under. /go protoc - go_out = plugins = grpc: ./ go protos / *. proto
The actual generated code will look like this.
come-on-proto/ping.pb.go at master · ogataka50/come-on-proto · GitHub
Create a Go gRPC server with generated code
I prepare a gRPC server with Go based on the generated code.
This time I've taken the following article quite nicely and I just made a reference as it is! Thank you! ^^
The actual code is here
Generate code for PHP
Next, I will generate code for PHP for requesting the gRPC server.
What we need to generate is below
- grpc-extension - protobuf-extension - protoc // same as installing it at the time of Go - grpc_php_plugin // plugin for generating gRPC PHP code from proto
protobuf-extension can be installed with pecl, brew etc.
brew install php71-grpc brew install php71-protobuf pecl install grpc pecl install protobuf
grpc_php_plugin can be created by cloning the repo of grpc and
make grpc_php_plugin
git clone -b v1.9.x https://github.com/grpc/grpc cd grpc && git submodule update --init && make grpc_php_plugin
The code generation command for PHP is as follows
// For protos/*.proto, The code generated for gRPC is under. /php protoc --proto_path = protos / \ - php_out = php \ --grpc_out = php \ --plugin = protoc-gen-grpc =. / grpc_php_plugin \ ./protos /*.proto
The actual generated code will look like this.
come-on-proto/PingClient.php at master · ogataka50/come-on-proto · GitHub
Create a PHP client with the generated code
Next, we will create a PHP code to request using generated code.
Almost all of the following are just
new request() and set to generated
This time we specified
wait () to do
UnaryCall (once requesting and receiving a response once).
Set up a gRPC server and request it with PHP client
Preparation is done, so I will actually check it.
Build GogRPC Server and run
go build -o bin/server server.go go build -o bin/client client.go - you can use `make build` too. ./bin/server
Request with PHP client
Go back to
gRPC-client-PHP and request it with
php ./bin/console helloGRPC.
$ php ./bin/console helloGRPC object (stdClass) # 52 (3) { ["metadata"] => array (0) { } ["code"] => int (0) ["details"] => string (0) "" } string (24) "I hear hogeeeeeeeeeeeeee"
If you can successfully request, it should be output as above. It seems like it is done!
In this time, I set up a gRPC server with Go and requested it with PHP.
At first, there were some confused things, but I was able to check simple operation.
Next time, I'd like to try
Streaming RPC etc. I also care about performance.
I can use in multiple languages based on common proto, I realized that
micro-services certainly seems to be compatible! ^^
The repo used this time will be below. thanks.


text:
Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten printables for your classroom.
Are you looking for printables to use in your preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten classroom? If so, you're in the right place!
Teaching is one of the most difficult jobs around! You will find many printables here designed to make your job a little easier.
There are more than 300 free printables at Pre-K Pages just waiting for you!
Premium printable packets are also available for a-la-carte purchase and immediate download.


text:
By Color
By Pattern
By Construction
Jewel Collection
Jewel Rectangular Counter Height Dining Table
Height: 36 inWidth: 62 inDepth: 44 in
Sleek, modern origami inspired look with angular and sculpted folds and smaller in scale, this collection is perfect for more compact urban outdoor spaces. The weave has a soft chalk white finish that is mingled with platinum gray highlights and is juxtaposed against a sleek chrome finish on the powder-coated aluminum base.
Choose from a variety of exclusive fabrics and finishes to create your own outdoor oasis.
Finish Options
No fabrics were found for this color and pattern combination.
Hemingway Florentine Round Dining Table
Hemingway Collection
Hemingway Florentine Rectangular Dining Table
Hemingway Cay Round Dining Table
Hemingway Cay Collection
Hemingway Cay Rectangular Dining Table
Hemingway Plantation 45" Square Dining Table
Hemingway Plantation Collection
Hemingway Plantation Rectangular Dining Table
Essentials Dining Round Dining Table with Glass Top
Essentials Dining Collection
Essentials Dining Round Dining Table with Embossed Alumininum Top
Essentials Dining Round Dining Table with Teak Top
Essentials Dining Rectangular Dining Table with Glass Top
Essentials Dining Rectangular Dining Table with Embossed Aluminum Top
Essentials Dining Rectangular Dining Table with Teak Top
Mimi by Celerie Kemble 45" Square Dining Table
Mimi by Celerie Kemble Collection
Mimi by Celerie Kemble Rectangular Dining Table
Winterthur Estate 48" Round Pedestal Dining Table
Winterthur Estate Collection
Winterthur Estate Oval Double Pedestal Dining Table
Raleigh 50" Round Dining Table
Raleigh Collection
Raleigh Rectangular Dining Table
Edgewood 48" Round Dining Table
Edgewood Collection
Edgewood 63" Round Dining Table
Edgewood Rectangular Extension Dining Table
Saranac Rectangular Cocktail Table
Saranac Collection
Saranac Square Dining Table
Saranac Rectangular Extension Dining Table
Cote d'Azur 50" Round Dining Table
Cote d'Azur Collection
Cote d'Azur Rectangular Dining Table
Moraya Bay 48" Round Dining Table
Moraya Bay Collection
Moraya Bay Rectangular Dining Table
Requisite 52" Round Dining Table
Requisite Collection
Requisite Rectangular Dining Table
Jewel Square End Table
Jewel 36" Round Bistro Table
Jewel 48" Round Dining Table
Oasis 48" Round Dining Table
Oasis Collection
Oasis Rectangular Dining Table
Leeward 54" Square Dining Table
Leeward Collection
Leeward Rectangular Dining Table
South Hampton Round Dining Table with Composite Top
South Hampton Collection
South Hampton Round Dining Table with Woven Top
South Hampton Double Pedestal Dining Table with Woven Top
Langham 48" Round Dining Table
Langham Collection
Langham Rectangular Dining Table
Biscayne Bay Round Dining Table
Biscayne Bay Collection
Biscayne Bay Rectangular Dining Table
Sonoma Square Dining Table
Sonoma Collection
Sonoma Rectangular Dining Table
Calistoga 48" Round Dining Table
Calistoga Collection
Calistoga 60" Round Dining Table
Mystic Harbor 48" Round Dining Table
Mystic Harbor Collection
Mystic Harbor Rectangular Dining Table
Craftsman Square Square Dining Table
Craftsman Square Collection
Craftsman Square Square High Dining Bar Table
Craftsman Round Round Dining Table
Craftsman Round Collection
Craftsman Round Round High Dining Bar Table
Craftsman Round Oval Dining Table
Artisan Square Dining Table
Artisan Collection
Horizon Round Dining Table
Horizon Collection
Cast Weave Round Dining Table
Cast Weave Collection
Cast Weave Round High Dining BarTable
Contempo Round Dining Table- Aluminum Top
Contempo Collection
Contempo Round Dining Table-Glass Top
Santa Rosa Square Dining Table
Santa Rosa Collection