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A 100-mile walk around a huge mountain that straddles the borders of Italy and Switzerland, this Alpine trail deserves to be better known, says Alex Roddie This article was first published in TGO Magazine, July 2016 There’s something beguiling about Monte Rosa. The name sounds graceful, but the mountain is not – it’s a complex behemoth of glacier and rock straddling the Swiss/Italian border, and one of the highest peaks in the Alps at 4,634m. I’ve long been fascinated by this mountain. Years earlier, when climbing Castor or Pollux, I’d looked up at the impossibly bright snowfields and longed to be one of those ant-like figures crawling towards the summit. Over in France, the famous Tour du Mont Blanc is a backpacking trail encircling the Mont Blanc massif. When I heard of a similar 100-mile route offering a 360° tour of Monte Rosa, I knew this was the trail for me. I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect when I started my hike one sunny morning from Zermatt, but I soon discovered that the Tour of Monte Rosa is full of surprises. The first came in the form of a big, scary sign warning of rockfall on the trail. The Europaweg, a high-level path from Zermatt to Grächen, has a gnarly reputation – but I just shrugged and asked myself ‘how bad can it be?’. The views down through unspoiled forests of larch and pine to the valley far below were stupendous, and every few minutes I’d turn around to gape in awe at the Matterhorn’s pinnacle thrusting up through the clouds and dominating the scenery in every direction. But after Täschalp things became more dicey. The weather closed in, and I found myself climbing ever higher into a wasteland of boulders and shattered gullies where nothing grew. The trail was exposed to stonefall for long stretches and it was unnerving to hear rocks crash and tumble through the mists, sometimes out of sight, sometimes shockingly close to hand. Not swing! Then came the next surprise: a diversion to avoid a wrecked bridge across a gully. 750m back down, almost to the valley floor, then steeply back up again to the Europa Hut at 2,265m. I was quickly learning that a key feature of the TMR is its relentless gradient profile. The Europaweg Hut was full, so I pressed on in the hope of reaching Grächen before dark. But my progress slowed as the trail became even sketchier underfoot. I found myself benighted and looking for somewhere flat to camp, eventually choosing marginal perch on the edge of another gully that rumbled and rattled with landslides all night. I enjoyed myself a little more after completing the Europaweg. The small town of Grächen is set amongst some of the most beautiful alpine forest I have ever seen. Golden eagles swooped overhead and called to each other on the warm summer breeze, and a passing hiker even claimed to have seen a lynx. Soon I’d turned the great prow of the Mischabel – one of Monte Rosa’s enormous satellite chains – and was hiking south along the Balfrin Höhenweg. That’s when I started to see ibex. I spotted the first leaping expertly from rock to rock down the side of a cliff, but an hour later I was treated to the spectacle of two bucks battling it out only a short distance away. The clash of their horns echoed through the forest. It was a special moment. Traffic buzzed along the road a thousand metres below, and nothing moved in the sterile world of ice and rock above; but here, surrounded by the colours of late summer, everything felt just right. A visitor at dusk Ups and downs So far, Monte Rosa itself had been conspicuously invisible. I’d hiked deeper into Switzerland, then back towards Italy; soon I’d cross the border. When would I finally catch a glimpse of the mountain this trail was supposed to be all about? The Monte Moro Pass, an ancient trade route between Switzerland and Italy, proved to be the key. The Monte Moro Pass reaches 2,853m and is the hiker’s first taste of being amongst the bigger mountains. Early in the summer there’s a good chance snow might lie on the route, but it’s never especially steep and is a popular hike. On the day I crossed, I stepped on snow only once and was so preoccupied with the view back along the Saastal that I hardly noticed the new vista unfolding in front of me – until, that is, I reached the top, and the tremendous East Face of Monte Rosa was visible in all its splendour. Did you know that I send out weekly newsletters on adventure, writing, and adventure writing? Subscribe here to receive my Pinnacle Newsletter. This must surely be one of the best moments of any alpine backpacking route. The East Face is like a Himalayan wall plucked from its homeland and dumped in the middle of Europe. All around, the slopes of lower mountains rise from deep valleys, passing through shades of emerald green before merging to the slate greys of the summits. But Monte Rosa burned with that white-hot intensity I remembered – a jagged monster of a mountain, all complex cirques and hard angles but not without beauty. And that’s where the trail changed. For the next sixty miles I had col after col to cross, in a relentless game of up and down that had my knees screaming for mercy. I’d studied the map beforehand so had a good idea what to expect, but the reality of climbing and descending up to 2,000m every day was absolutely exhausting – even though the scenery was worth the effort, most of the time. I used the Tarptent Notch on this trek. It performed well, but the inner was not necessary The TMR became a little less defined in Italy. Suddenly I was faced with choices. Go left down the valley and climb this col, or go right and climb that one? It was a balancing act between total ascent and quality of scenery, and I didn’t always get it right. The Colle del Turlo, following ancient Roman pathways out of the forests of the Vallee Quarazza, was a wonderful section and I enjoyed every moment. But after dropping down to the village of Alagna Valsesia, I started climbing up to the Col d’Olen and got lost in overgrown and abandoned farmland without a path to be seen. ‘Maybe I should have bought the guidebook after all,’ I muttered after losing the path for the fiftieth time. I’d been looking for a suitable target for a fly-by peak-bagging mission on my way back towards Switzerland. My map presented plenty of options, but most either required technical mountaineering equipment or were insignificant-looking bumps on satellite ridges. I wanted something better. One option stood out. Testa Grigia, a 3,315m mountain standing between Val de Gressoney and Val d’Ayas, is said to command unrivalled views of the entire Monte Rosa chain. There’s even a Club Alpino Italiano (CAI) bivouac cabin near the top. The official Tour of Monte Rosa passes to the north, over the lower and easier Comba de Fourcare, but I decided the diversion would be worth it. A monster day of over 2,200m of ascent saw me climb from the other side of the Col d’Olen down to Gressoney, then back up to the Colle Pinter before making a final loose climb to the Lateltin bivouac hut at 3,132m in the dark. I was exhausted, and it had begun to snow outside, but the cabin had everything I needed: a stove, warm bedding, even food supplies. I settled down for the night and set my alarm for an early start. I woke at dawn. Ice and a dusting of fresh snow glazed the rocks, and I wondered if the climb would be feasible without winter gear. But when I stepped outside the cabin and witnessed one of the most stunning temperature inversions I’d ever seen, I knew it had to be worth a shot. Cloud boiled a thousand metres below me, and shafts of sunlight cut through the mists to paint delicate pastel colours on the upper slopes of the mountain. Even with a little black ice here and there, the scrambly ascent was safe in my trail shoes and the early morning sun melted off the snow soon enough. When I reached the summit at 3,315m, the vista over the Monte Rosa chain was everything I had hoped it would be: a grandstand view of one of the highest and best mountain massifs in the Alps, seen at the best time of day and from the best angle. Every summit stood proud and clear against the bluest of skies. Glaciers tumbled in chaos from the snowfields where they formed to the moraine where they melted and metamorphosed into rivers. It was a complete picture of mountain beauty, and the high point of my Tour of Monte Rosa experience. Tip-toeing back to Switzerland It wasn’t exactly all downhill after the ascent of Testa Grigia, but I’d broken the back of it. One final pass to go; one final chance to climb up into the mountains before the long descent to Zermatt. The Theodul Pass is the highest point on the official TMR at 3,295m, and the only place where you have to set foot on a glacier. Until you get to the Cervinia ski complex, the walk up to the glaciated col is a delight: scenic paths through semi-managed woodland, followed by grassed-over ancient moraine that strongly reminded me of the Scottish Highlands. I took my time wandering through this mountain playground before finally camping beside the blue waters of the Grand Lac at 2,806m. I’d been worrying about the glacier crossing. There’s only a short section of ice before a romp down the ski piste, but I’d heard conflicting reports about how steep the top section might be. Unwilling to carry ice axe and crampons over a hundred miles of hard trail just for one short glacier crossing, I hadn’t packed winter gear. A freezing wind was blasting over the col as I stepped from rock onto hard-packed ice. The surface hadn’t melted as I’d hoped, and I prodded at it with the tips of my poles to gain purchase. Some other hikers were also about to make the short descent to the ski piste and we chatted about our adventures as they got out their ice axes. ‘We’re just returning from the Tour of the Matterhorn,’ they told me. ‘This is the first time we could have done with having crampons!’ Like me, they had chosen to save weight rather than pack spikes. We zig-zagged down the glazed surface in single file, kicking and clawing with the edges of our shoes to get some bite, leaning on both poles for support. I would have been happier with some Microspikes – or just a slushy surface to allow me to kick steps – but in a few minutes we were off the slope and onto the well-groomed surface of the piste where the walking was easy. The views on the walk back down to Zermatt were superb. Beyond the peak of the Riffelhorn, at the head of a distant glacier, lay Monte Rosa once again. I’d now seen this iconic massif from every angle, come to appreciate its different moods. But the variety of Monte Rosa extends far beyond its contrasting faces. Every valley I had crossed on my journey could trace the source of its rivers to the ice of Monte Rosa. Every pass straddled one of its satellite ranges, like the limbs of an octopus. To see the whole mountain, to truly understand it, you have to do more than climb from the bottom to the top – you have to stay out a little longer. I used the Fujifilm X30 fixed-lens compact camera for this trip. Despite its small sensor, the camera performed well in a variety of conditions and the excellent zoom lens was a real benefit. I did not, however, attempt any night-time photography – it would have been impractical. The broken ice axe of O.G. Jones, recovered from beneath the Dent Blanche after his death in 1899. These relics can be seen today in the Zermatt Museum Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Happiest on a mountain. Writer, story-wrangler, digital and film photographer. Editor of Sidetracked magazine (I make the words come out good). Your email address Please check your inbox and click the link to confirm your subscription. An error occurred, please try again later. Comments Related Posts Paid Members Public Last months in Lincolnshire I have learned more about my relationship with mountains by 11 years living in Lincolnshire than I ever did when I lived in the mountains. Paid Members Public Personal connections, a season for repairs, and my grandfather's watch As an antidote to Black Friday, here's a look at a few items of personal and family significance that have stood the test of time – and which I'll continue to repair and maintain. We make true connections with very few items in our lives. Is this the most important aspect of sustainability? Paid Members Public Attitudes and Altitude: a new Sidetracked project, and a journey across the Alps I'll be spending much of the rest of the summer in the Alps, trekking and a bit of running from Ventimiglia to Zermatt. It's going to be an incredible adventure. I can't wait to begin.	13,161
"The happiest experiences are the ones like yesterday, when the boys voluntarily decided to come back on Saturday afternoon, the best time for soccer." - Interview with Claudia Hummel Claudia Hummel was the head of the children’s and youth programme aushecken. She studied art pedagogy and conceptual art, and has worked for many years as an independent artist in an artists’ collective. It was the basic idea of aushecken to make documenta accessible to children and young people. Ms Hummel, what did you do before? Did you have any previous experience with outreach and education programmes with art, or with similar projects for children and young people? I have never worked in a museum. My own artistic work, however, was always on the border between art and society. And aushecken is also working between art and parts of society. Another important experience for me was my work for the Theater an der Parkaue in Berlin-Lichtenberg last year, where I curated the winter academy. In this academy, artists and school children together develop an artistic production within a week. I learnt a lot there: how children and young people react to artists and artistic ideas, how enthusiastically they work at developing topics for which there is no space in the everyday routine of school. What is aushecken? Could you briefly outline the concept? Aushecken means to stay in hiding, and to explore and try out things from the hiding place. Two large outside working spaces were available to us – the baroque Heckenkabinett of the Orangerie and the lawn behind it, where we put up three trailers. The idea behind that was to open up and make accessible the space of the Heckenkabinett with performative methods. Another idea was to fill the potential space with what aushecken might mean, with the children’s own ideas. These strategies for appropriating space, these movements of thought, were then applied to the exhibition with its themes and works. Aushecken, therefore, had a lot to do with recognising and trying out possibilities, and not just for the children and teenagers participating, but also for the entire aushecken team. Different formats were offered for this. From Friday to Sunday, there were programmes for the children of day visitors that lasted three hours and were geared to the ages from six to twelve and twelve to sixteen. There were similar programmes for children and youth groups from Kassel and the surrounding area, which, in terms of content, were sometimes adjusted to accommodate the institutional and social context of the group. And a third offer, the school project days, was aimed at school groups. What were these different formats like? Could you be more precise? In the case of the programmes for the children of day visitors, and for groups of children or young people, the idea was basically to take a performative approach. At the beginning, there were two performative formats developed jointly by the aushecken conceptual team and the outreach staff of documenta 12. For example, they were asked to slip through the hedges, to measure the Heckenkabinett without any aids, or to develop movement choreographies for it in order to devise narrative paths between the works of the exhibition. In the course of the 100 days, the format – because of the high motivation of the team – kept being changed and adjusted, and special formats were developed. Some of the documenta 12 artists, after I had invited them, came up with projects for aushecken. In this way, aushecken became an evolutionary process, just like the activity of the advisory board and the entire outreach programme at documenta 12. With the programmes for school classes, on the other hand, the idea was that the students should learn to see documenta as a system, machine, or organism, where many many people work, with professions that are not so apparent, such as gardeners, the people who make the curtains or those who set the lighting, or photographers who document the exhibition. This format always included an interview with a member of the documenta team. The look behind the scenes was supposed to give an insight, and to show that such a large exhibition is not something mystical but has an everyday life. For example, we asked a school group, how, in which way and why works of art might get damaged at documenta. The task was to draw a comic strip about such situations within an hour. At the end, a restorer spoke with the group, in an interview, about the material qualities of works of art, about the problem that the sweat on hands damages the surface of artworks, etc. In this way, we used the question of materiality to reach the content of the works. Could you describe a special format and give us an example? Yes, for example, the format Tricksen, conceived by the artist Annette Krauss. There we explored how to interact with exhibition visitors by intervening in their everyday life. Looking for possible ways to do so, one young man crawled on the floor under the chairs of people in a restaurant, and another lost an imaginary contact lens and soon had many people helping him to look for it. Through such created situations, the young people interacted with strangers. Such actions were prepared for with a sensitisation for everyday conventions and people's habits, observations of how one usually moves and behaves at certain places. Just like the art, sometimes the education programmes also confront people. And that is a means and method to help children and young people gain self-confidence and to open up a potential space for an emancipatory process: To observe carefully, to have the courage to pose questions, to test and extend your sphere of activity. After such actions, the group went into the exhibition, where the young people looked for works of art themselves that have a potential for trickery, where artists break the rules of their everyday lives. And in so doing, they were quite easily able to decode the method of artists such as Lotty Rosenfeld or Jiří Kovanda. What was well received, and what less well? What worked well, and what would you do differently next time? I had an interesting experience yesterday. In a photography workshop with the documenta 12 artist Lidwien van de Ven, the young participants were invited to visit various religious sites in Kassel and photograph them. Afterwards, we invited them into the exhibition. The degree of curiosity, but also the understanding with which the young people approached the art works, which they had gained through their own photography, was simply unbelievable, with the result that they couldn’t get enough and came back again on Saturday. That shows that an engagement with contemporary art works better if it is tied in with your own actions and interests. The outreach and education formats of aushecken were most successful when we didn’t proceed with a specific pedagogical goal in mind, from A to B. It was important, especially with the children of day visitors, that a group could be formed and that everybody found his or her place in that group, a space to articulate their own thoughts and ideas. Our educational offers were most effective when we concentrated less on creating a product that the children could take home, and more on experiencing a process. What would I change? In future, a programme for children and young people at documenta such as aushecken should take place at two levels. That is to say, next time I would offer programmes for children and young people, but integrate adults, such as educators, care-givers, professional pedagogues, and even parents. In this way, approaches could be tested together and passions could be awakened that would then be continued later, thus creating an extended sphere of action for all concerned. Aushecken was the first programme ever for children and young people at a documenta. Did that set up a new standard as far as later events are concerned, but also for other museum and exhibition projects? Yes, it was the first time that there was a project for children and young people, and it was certainly a necessity at this documenta with its high goals for outreach and education. But I can only hope that documenta 13 will also offer a space to children and young people where they can engage with contemporary art. Generally speaking, in many ways it is necessary to offer programmes for children and young people at the various institutions for contemporary art. One should take art as an occasion, as a source of stimulation to experience something together, to think and speak together. In this way, art education can lead to a kind of democratic culture of conversation, it can contribute to exploring and negotiating social cooperation. All that can happen just as well with children and young people as with adults. But that was in fact the vision. What do you take with you from your work in terms of personal experience? Personal experiences – well, there are lots. It was a great experience to engage with the art through my work with the children and young people. I encountered so many different perspectives, and I saw things that I would have overlooked without the children. I really enjoyed working with the outreach and education team here, and with the artists. And the happiest experiences are the ones like yesterday, the 95th day of documenta, when the boys from Bettenhausen, who had never before been to an art exhibition, voluntarily decided to come back, on Saturday afternoon, the best time for soccer. Of course, we also looked at Harun Farocki’s work on the World Cup final game. The interview was conducted by Claudia Jentzsch. OK Es handelt sich um eine historische Website. Hier erhalten Sie jeweils Details zum Impressum, Datenschutz und weitere Informationen.	9,861
“Often good things break apart thus most readily useful one thing can be fall along with her.” “Sometimes it requires a great heartbreak to move all of us awake allow us to come across we’re well worth a whole lot more than simply we’re compromising for.” “Often who you fall for isn’t willing to connect your.” “The best way to mend a cracked cardio are time and girlfriends.” After you feel like the globe are failing quotes? “Once you feel like the entire globe is falling aside, here is the start of it becoming put right back together, the way it is allowed to be to begin with.” So why do I’m such as for example I am probably cry right through the day? Whether or not you may have an anxiety disorder otherwise have a problem with nervousness when you look at the general, nervousness can cause you to shout. Apparent symptoms of nervousness may include that have a feeling of impending possibilities, perception worried, or having problems controlling care and attention. New work from whining might be a release of new generate-right up out-of in earlier times said periods. What direction to go after you are unable to do anything any more? Roll with it. Sometimes, refusing accomplish one thing can be your attention and body is method out of asking for some slack. Go through your emotions. Get in touch with a pal. Was certain easy errands. Check in with your needs. Carry out I’ve a mental illness or are I simply lazy? Getting sluggish actually a crime. Nonetheless polyamorydate online it shouldn’t be mistaken for really serious mental disease either. Even though you feel for example unmotivated someday to get out regarding bed, visit classification or performs, and create what exactly is expected people doesn’t mean you’re disheartened. The likelihood is simply a demise matter of the latest “blahs.” So why do I not require to talk to people? Or even, you will be the person who knows the reason why you don’t want to talk so you’re able to some one. It means you happen to be that have certain peace and quiet so you can yourself, which you you would like and revel in. This means you prefer time for you consider things that is in your thoughts. It means we need to take a nap without being disrupted. Is-it okay not to ever communicate with individuals? It is totally normal. We experience a phase in life in which we just need to be by yourself and you may hushed. It’s entirely okay if you don’t feel conversing with individuals. But if you need to know if it’s bad otherwise maybe not, then chances are you have to analize the reason why getting this. What to say once you never feel just like speaking? Tell them you’re going thanks to anything, instead of mentioning they if you don’t must. Let them know you desire a little while by yourself in order to kinds it out. Ask them never to love you, and if they’ll, since you to make sure you’ll end up great. To make sure her or him you’re getting back into him or her once yiu’ve resolved the situation. Could it possibly be match to not ever talk? Often, one to otherwise each other couples is actually active otherwise tired or simply try not to feel like speaking, which is completely Okay. A healthy and balanced, long-name matchmaking will have its fair share away from safe silences. That said, you don’t want a totally quiet dating, and several style of quiet is also laws higher factors. Can it be normal never to keep in touch with anyone all day? It really is pretty normal not want to speak with somebody for some time. ( is to own a complete date, may be each week ) Sometimes we wish to possess a touch of solitude, while the occasionally some slack gets a necessity and now we you want to revitalize our selves . However, choose from the reasoning(s) that produces you withdrawn.	3,810
You'll Remember This for the Rest of Your Life \| The Coaching Sketchnote Book with Dr. Stephanie Affinito Lead with Literature You'll Remember This for the Rest of Your Life in gratitude, intention, joy, by Stephanie This past year, my son’s baseball team made it to the World Series. As you might imagine, we were a proud and excited family very much looking forward to the event. As we shared our news with friends and family, everyone gave my son their own individual pearls of baseball wisdom: stay focused, swing early and hard, don’t let any ball go by you and hustle. Yet, without fail, every single person also shared the same sentiment of savoring the moment and my son consistently heard this phrase over and over again from anyone he told about his upcoming event: You will remember this for the rest of your life. This was such a monumental occasion and I was also convinced that he would remember it for the rest of his life, but hearing those words said to him over and over again made me pause to consider why. Was it was because it was such a major event? Was it because he had yet to experience anything like it? Was it because it was considered a prestigious opportunities that few children get to experience? As I listened to the well-wishers, I couldn’t help but think of all of the other moments in his baseball life that were worth remembering too: the hundreds of hours of practice batting and fielding, the many wins and losses that brought his team to this moment, the many coaching lessons to perfect his skill and the trials and tribulations that brought these boys together as a team. Weren’t those worth remembering too? Weren’t they just as important? I realized that, all too often, we tend to remember the big, culminating events of our lives, but the smaller everyday moment that have brought us where we are often go unremembered. But they shouldn’t. As I sat in the stands watching my son play in the World Series, I couldn’t help but remember all of the smaller moments that brought him to this event: the hours together in the front yard playing catch, the conversations in the car as we traveled to yet another tournament and the shenanigans in the hotel pool as we enjoyed some down time together as a family. These are the events that are near and dear to my heart and fill my heart with just as much joy as watching him play at the biggest event of his life did. This same thinking can be applied to our work in the classroom. We might tend to savor the moments when reading and writing feels big and magical; those large moments of accomplishment when our work as readers and writers paid off. But we must remember that it was a series of smaller, culminating events that brought our readers and writers to that very point: the hours spent reading and writing, the skilled instruction in small groups, the shared discussions and problem-solving and yes, all of the approximations along the way. We must cherish those everyday, often overlooked moments as it is in those moments that true readers and writers are born, building habits, routines and dispositions that remain long after a momentous occasion. Take the time to celebrate the small routines, habits and accomplishments in your students’ lives and make learning in your classroom an enjoyable journey that is just as worth remembering as their graduation from it. While my son’s team did not win the World Series, I’m proud to say that he walked away knowing he earned his place there because of his hard work leading up to it, a lesson he will remember for the rest of his life. Andrea October 10, 2017 at 8:22 AM This was such a great post; the perfect connection between your life outside and inside the classroom. I often feel like I gloss over the small victories that get us to the big ones, but your post is a good reminder to remember all of it, because it is all important. ReplyDelete Replies Stephanie October 10, 2017 at 2:35 PM Thank you for your reply, Andrea! I appreciate you taking the time to read my post. I am also guilty of letting the little accomplishments slip by while I anticipate something bigger later on, but am working on it and slowly getting better! =) Delete Replies Maureen October 10, 2017 at 1:52 PM Welcome to slicing! You hit a homerun with your first slice! :-) Love the connection you made to teaching - all those small steps that lead to our final accomplishment. For years, I've wrestled with how to share the process - the work, the development, the many steps - rather than simply the final product. It is so important that we remind our students of all those essential yet small parts. Thank you for this! ReplyDelete Replies Stephanie October 10, 2017 at 2:37 PM Thank you, Maureen! I am so glad you enjoyed my piece....and I love the homerun analogy! =) I think we wrestle with the process because the process is messy and it can be hard to celebrate messy. But 'half the fun is getting there' and if students do not see the messy along the way, and celebrate the small steps, then perhaps they will not even aim for later accomplishments. Thank you for reading my post! Delete Replies Unknown October 10, 2017 at 10:21 PM Welcome to Slice of Life! I recently joined this community of writers too and have really enjoyed it. It has helped me to continue to work on my own writing and connected me with so many like-minded peers. I love your reminder that "we must remember that it was a series of smaller, culminating events that brought our readers and writers to that very point". This is so very true and speaks to the fact that all the hard work we put in can pay off. Thanks for sharing! ReplyDelete Replies Stephanie October 11, 2017 at 7:56 AM Thank you, Alida! I am glad you enjoyed my writing and the reminder to remember the little things. I look forward to next week! Delete Replies Michelle October 10, 2017 at 11:07 PM Stephanie! I was surprised to learn that you are not yet apart of this warm community of writers! So happy to have you join in. I agree, this was the perfect first slice. Love the connections you made between your son's experiences and the classroom ... and it really is about all the little steps -- and celebrations -- along the way! Thanks for sharing and welcome! ReplyDelete Replies Stephanie October 11, 2017 at 7:56 AM Thank you, Michelle! I have been a content reader of posts and finally decided to jump in. I am glad I did and I look forward to next week! =)	6,726
A B-1B Lancer takes off from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., March 27, 2011, on a mission in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Marc I. Lane) Five years ago, a phone rang in the 28th Bomb Wing vice commander’s office and made history. Less than 72 hours later, on March 27, 2011, more than 1,100 maintenance personnel launched four B-1B Lancer bombers from the Ellsworth Air Force Base flightline in blizzard conditions to support Operation Odyssey Dawn. It was the first time the aircraft had ever launched from a continental U.S. location in support of combat operations. Two B-1s and their eight-person crew would continue on and strike targets in Libya; however, the mission required communication and personnel working round-the-clock to be executed. “I was about halfway through the planning process (of a training sortie), and rumors were making their way around about base leadership convening at the command post,” said Maj. Matthew, a weapons system officer for the operation’s lead B-1. “At about 1 p.m., I was called to the command post with a pilot in my squadron. We were both qualified mission commanders, which clued me in that whatever was going on was likely a real-world event.” Matthew and many aviators within the 34th and 37th bomb squadrons, as well as maintenance and munitions personnel, were briefed that preparations were underway to organize a strike mission more than 6,000 miles away in Libya. In less than 20 hours, the conventional munitions element built approximately 145 munitions, enough to load seven B-1s. On the aviation side of the base, aircrews were preparing for takeoff. “We had the pre-brief, and flew a practice profile in the simulator as well to make sure everyone on the crew had the opportunity to practice the bomb runs,” said Maj. Christopher, co-pilot for the operation’s lead B-1. “The biggest thing going through my mind was trying to absorb every bit of information so that we didn’t mess it up.” This specific weapons build was the first time many had ever built bombs that would leave a CONUS location to bomb targets. “Seeing these guys doing their job for real, I was proud of them. I couldn’t have asked for a better crew at the time,” said Master Sgt. Matthew, the 28th Munitions Squadron munitions control section chief. Maintenance personnel and aircrew were executing their duties in the worst imaginable weather. It was roughly 35 degrees outside with heavy fog and pilots on the runway could only see ahead one hash-mark. Maj. Brian, a weapons system officer for the operation’s lead B-1, confessed to slipping multiple times on his way to transportation vehicles, while Maj. Matthew added the most memorable part of the mission was takeoff. Brian said it was an honor to be selected as one of the crew members, and that he felt it was his duty to reward the faith previous commanders put in him by executing the mission to a weapons officer level. B-1s arrived in the Libya area of operations 12 hours after takeoff and the crews checked in with command and control. Many aspects had changed between pre-brief and check-in, but the crews divvied up targets and went in for their first strike. “The mission was the deepest strike made into Libya during OOD, which kept us in hostile airspace for over an hour and a half,” Maj. Matthew said. “(Previous missile strikes) alerted the enemy to our presence, and we immediately saw anti-aircraft artillery fire coming from the ground. It was the first time any of us had seen AAA.” Poorly aimed artillery fire didn’t concern the aviators, who hit their marks and recovered at a forward operating location. Twenty-four hours later, the second launch began. Nearly 100 targets were hit during the two days. At only 72 hours, the mission marked a significant milestone, not only for Ellsworth AFB, but also for the B-1 fleet as a whole. Maj. Matthew added the mission solidified the B-1 and its aircrew members’ role as a flexible, rapidly-deployable strategic asset. Brian agreed that it showed the skill, dedication and professionalism of the 28th Maintenance Group. “The fact they were able to generate five green jets, build 145 munitions, all while in the middle of a snow storm on only two days’ notice still amazes me to this day,” Brian said. “We train every day to do precisely that, but the maintainers and weapons troops can’t simulate extreme weather and harsh temperatures. They were the MVPs of Odyssey Dawn in my opinion.” Master Sgt. Matthew, who led the munitions crew, added the lessons learned from the operation are always an example he brings up when training his fellow munitions Airmen. “It’s hard to overstate how important the ground support teams were to our success,” Maj. Matthew said. “Without all of the support agencies, from maintenance to airfield operations, transportation, etc., we wouldn’t have been nearly as successful.” According to mission planners, the B-1 was the only aircraft that could meet the demands of the mission, such as the timeframe and the number of weapons required to hit that many targets. “Executing the strike proved the aircraft is capable of holding any target in the world at risk, at any time,” said Maj. Donavon, commander of the operation’s lead B-1. Editor’s note: Last names were removed due to security concerns. RELATED Hazing is the second biggest killer of Russian troops The number one killer of Russian troops these days is Ukrainians. Before that, and still likely in second place, is...	5,560
Lynn Bishop is a non-smoker who developed a cough and runny nose that left her feeling miserable and prompted a visit to the doctor. Her illness was treated as bronchitis but when the medicines didn’t help, further investigation led to a devastating diagnosis. Lynn learned she had an interstitial lung disease called Systemic Scleroderma and was told that she had 2 to 5 years to live. The cardinal feature of scleroderma is the thickening of the skin, but it can also affect the organs, especially the lungs, as it does in Lynn’s case. Lynn’s battle took a turn for the better when she became the patient of Dr. Kristin Highland, a leading expert in developing therapeutics in lung disease and the Director of the Rheumatic Lung Disease Program at the Cleveland Clinic. There are currently no reviews for Lynn’s Story –Share on Twitter –Share on Facebook –Share on Reddit –Share via Email Medical Stories is produced by Inventi Media Group, LLC, a fully integrated multimedia entertainment company and are leading the way in the creation, production, distribution, and marketing of all forms of digital media content.	1,173
i.e. formed into long strings which are wrapped around plants or, as in this case, the pump for the fountain. Happy spring, everybody. Post author By Harry Post date 21 March 2012 3 Comments on Happy spring, everybody. There has been plenty of evidence of spring for a few weeks now — crocuses, bumblebees, birdsong, hay fever — but yesterday was the vernal equinox, which is the cue for lots of people to say that it’s ‘officially’ the first day of spring. I don’t really see why astronomy should get to trump biology; the self-importance of the mathematical sciences, probably. Though actually, if you must fit messy old nature into tidy human boxes, it’s not a bad approximation for when spring gets properly underway. The first spring migrants have just started arriving in the past few days: yay wheatears. Meanwhile the pond has been full of toads gettin’ jiggy with it. Except that suggests something lively and maybe even fun, whereas toad sex appears to be a grim, attritional feat of endurance. The males clamp onto the females for days at a time; often you find two or three attached to the same female. And sometimes the females drown under the weight, so you find several males clasped implacably to a corpse. Romantic! In other garden wildlife news, we have this exciting bundle of feathers: Exciting because it used to be a woodcock, which is a really unexpected addition to the garden list… except that it can’t actually go on the list because it’s just some feathers. Still, a nice meal for one of the local foxes. Or possibly a cat? Not one of our cats, partly because they’re shut in at night but mainly because they definitely would have brought it into the house. Which is what Oscar did with this (you can see the shadow of his ears at the top): It’s a big beetle grub; I’m pretty sure it’s a stag beetle, although they normally live underground so I don’t know where he found it. I went along to the north Kent marshes a couple of days ago. More signs of spring: a comma (the butterfly, not the punctuation) and a lizard, plus I saw a few wheatears, which would be one of my favourite birds even if it wasn’t the first spring migrant every year. Plenty of the winter visitors were still there, though; brent geese, godwits, plovers, and most pleasingly a short-eared owl. I also saw peregrine, marsh harrier, buzzard, and had great views of a group of four bearded tits, which was bird of the day. But I don’t have photos of any of those, so I’ll leave you with this highland cow which was more willing to pose for pictures. Post author By Harry Post date 15 June 2007 It just occurred to me a couple of days ago that since my digital camera has a video mode, I could try digiscoping some video. I thought it came out fairly well, considering. I just hold the camera up to the telescope, so it’s a bit wobbly, and the audio is dominated by aeroplane noise, and the YouTube conversion hasn’t improved it, but I’ll certainly consider doing it again next time I’m doing proper birding. This is a greenfinch, btw. I wish I’d thought of it when I was in Crete, when there was a Little Crake walking backwards and forwards past the same spot over and over again but because of the difficulty of timing the shot, I mainly got lots of pictures like this: And while I’m on garden wildlife, look what was in the basement light well. His price for being rescued was having his photograph taken with flash. There are lots of frogs and newts, but it’s a very long time since I’ve seen a toad here.	3,692
TheLiteralKingofEngland wrote: ↑Nov 17th, 2021, 5:12 pm lol, so it's perfectly acceptable to double-cross gay citizens. "We're accepting of gay people.......oh but you should read the fine print that stipulates we're not accepting at all and will try to convert you in a process that will probably lead to you committing suicide." Conversion therapy is banned, so no risk of suicide from illegal harmful "therapy". Why don't you dress up like a Muslim and then try and join Christianity while refusing to remove your ceremonial outfit? Then cry discrimination when the church tries to convert you to their way of teaching. Nobody is forcing anyone to join a church. It's not an essential service. Übergod Joined: Jun 14th, 2016, 12:56 pm Re: Lake Country Church: Not gay accepting? Post by youjustcomplain » Nov 18th, 2021, 8:48 am Sparki55 wrote: Because something is offered a tax break it must change it's beliefs to accommodate everything, even if goes against the religions beliefs? Yeah, not buying it. How about don't join a church that doesn't accept your own beliefs. Maybe you should try joining a mosque and reading the bible there and then whine when they send you literature on the Quran. Noone said anything about tax break meaning change of belief. Thats not the issue. Noone is attacking Christianity specifically. mosque's are just as much in the firing line. Please don't think that the Christian faith is the only group in the spotlight. All monotheistic faith groups seem to be on spectrum of intolerance towards beliefs outside of their own. The issue isn't that Christians think homosexuality is a sin. The issue is that they walk a fine line between spreading hate and intolerance towards groups of people in society, while getting benefits directly from government. This means that government supports the church when it does awful things to people. That is the issue. I have no issue with Christians believing anything. Christians can continue to believe a wide variety of awfulness form the bible. There is no reason why anyone should care about what I think when it comes to their faith. Just as I don't care what Christians think about my lack of faith. There is a truce there. :) But I don't get funded or supported by government. I don't have a government supported safe place where I can spread my hate and intolerance towards others in society. All that said, I used harsh language. I'm under no misconceptions around the good that churches do in society. I fully recognize that churches/mosque's do have a positive affect on communities too; It's not all bad. But as long as they're taking government hand-outs, I think they need to be accountable to those who are giving the handout; tax payers. As a tax payer, I don't want to see my tax dollars supporting churches IF they are permitted to be intolerant and uninclusive. Übergod Joined: Jun 14th, 2016, 12:56 pm Re: Lake Country Church: Not gay accepting? Post by youjustcomplain » Nov 18th, 2021, 9:03 am AtlantisKelowna post wrote: The only thing that truly needs to go is the attitudes of people who are overly concerned with someone's religious choice. It's none of your business. Disagree. Religious beliefs are protected and for good reason. It would be thought police to treat this differently. However, this only goes so far. I can't have a child bride because it's my religious choice. I can't have slaves just because of my religious choice. The religious are free to believe in those things, and many others, (mostly good probably), but not all choices made are protected by religious freedoms. There may come a day when the intolerance and unacceptance of homosexuality will be treated as hate speech and be illegal. We're not there yet, but we slowly outgrow a lot of the awful things once supported and taught in Churches, (and in society as a whole) AtlantisKelowna post wrote: If you do not believe that's fine if you do that's fine as well. Who are you to dictate people's religious choices or beliefs? As long as a church is getting government support through tax breaks, all tax payers have every right to criticize what goes on in those institutions. Not with individuals beliefs, but the actual acts that take place. If churches want more impunity to public scrutiny, then they need to stop accepting tax breaks. AtlantisKelowna post wrote: I could make a similar argument in regard to the LGBTQ community demanding you conform to their belief or be ostracized as there are many instances of this happening. Just because you choose to live a certain way does not mean others need to agree with you. Focus on your own life, worry about your own problems and use what time you have to enjoy life. Simple Sorry, can you elaborate? what beliefs do the LGBTQ community share? Keep in mind, the LGBTQ community consists of everyone who identifies as being LGBTQ. There is no pope. No reference text such as a bible telling them what to believe. No weekly gatherings with a leader. They aren't a flock. They don't share a common belief system. What they do have is a common problem; Unacceptance in society as a whole, and that is typically more clear/obvious in right wing, conservative, religious regions. Nobody is asking you to agree with anyone in the LGBTQ community. If they "choose" to live a lifestyle you don't agree with, they don't care. But what they seem to want from you is more in line with apathy, than what they get now which is contempt. Übergod Joined: Jun 14th, 2016, 12:56 pm Re: Lake Country Church: Not gay accepting? Post by youjustcomplain » Nov 18th, 2021, 9:09 am Sparki55 wrote: The church believes being gay isn't following the word of god, that's a belief. I'm not saying gay people choose to be gay. But how is is not gods intention if the person isn't choosing to be gay? If we are to accept that gay people are that way irrespective of their choice, then they were made that way. Doesn't god take some responsibility for making people gay? If god made them straight and they choose to be gay, (this is no longer widely believed thankfully), then I understand why believers would be so against homosexuality. However most believers, like you Sparki, don't seem to believe that gay people are choosing to be gay. Did god make them the way they are or not? Banned Joined: May 2nd, 2020, 3:45 pm Re: Lake Country Church: Not gay accepting? Post by barianqueen » Nov 18th, 2021, 9:42 am Sparki55 wrote: ↑Nov 17th, 2021, 4:48 pm I'm not saying gay people choose to be gay. I'm confused. Then why did you type this part? Sparki55 wrote: ↑Nov 17th, 2021, 4:39 pm If someone reaches out to join a church that has a history of not agreeing with a certain beliefs, why is it the churches fault that you try and force your beliefs on them? If being gay isn't a choice or belief then what belief is this lady attempting to force on the church? Is this some sort of pretzel situation where being gay isn't a choice but living a gay life is a choice or something? Last edited by barianqueen on Nov 18th, 2021, 9:44 am, edited 1 time in total. Joined: Feb 24th, 2013, 1:38 pm Re: Lake Country Church: Not gay accepting? Post by Sparki55 » Nov 18th, 2021, 11:30 am youjustcomplain wrote: ↑Nov 18th, 2021, 9:09 am But how is is not gods intention if the person isn't choosing to be gay? If we are to accept that gay people are that way irrespective of their choice, then they were made that way. Doesn't god take some responsibility for making people gay? If god made them straight and they choose to be gay, (this is no longer widely believed thankfully), then I understand why believers would be so against homosexuality. However most believers, like you Sparki, don't seem to believe that gay people are choosing to be gay. Did god make them the way they are or not? I'm not religious, I have no idea. Just baffles me that someone would want to join a group that doesn't support their lifestyle. Joined: Feb 24th, 2013, 1:38 pm Re: Lake Country Church: Not gay accepting? Post by Sparki55 » Nov 18th, 2021, 11:33 am barianqueen wrote: ↑Nov 18th, 2021, 9:42 am If being gay isn't a choice or belief then what belief is this lady attempting to force on the church? Is this some sort of pretzel situation where being gay isn't a choice but living a gay life is a choice or something? Being gay isn't a choice, that's been agreed upon in our society. The church's belief is that nobody should act out their gay behavior as it is somehow a sin. Anyone is free to believe anything they want. What they aren't allowed to do is seek out and harass people. Joined: Feb 24th, 2013, 1:38 pm Re: Lake Country Church: Not gay accepting? Post by Sparki55 » Nov 18th, 2021, 12:09 pm TheLiteralKingofEngland wrote: ↑Nov 18th, 2021, 11:51 am Being gay isn’t a lifestyle and as noted numerous times, the woman specifically asked the church if it was accepting of homosexuality. So in fact, she did not want to join a group disapproving of her right to exist as a gay person. She never sought to enforce her belief systems on a church either. I don’t know why these facts are being ignored in favour of suggesting it’s acceptable for a church to flat-out lie. Why don't you apply for a role in a movie that is requesting race "y" and you are race "x". No matter what you do you will not get the role. That's not discriminatory and completely legal. So why join a church that doesn't want gay people? Clearly their mission is to follow the bible. Joined: Feb 24th, 2013, 1:38 pm Re: Lake Country Church: Not gay accepting? Post by Sparki55 » Nov 18th, 2021, 1:45 pm TheLiteralKingofEngland wrote: ↑Nov 18th, 2021, 12:11 pm She was told the church was accepting of gay people. I don’t know why this fact is so difficult to comprehend. I mean, it's right at the top of the article Was she not allowed to join the church? Could the church believe she is being loved by them preaching their interpretation of god to her and sending her handouts to "find the lord" or whatever? She's free to leave and try another church, this is such a non-issue. Joined: Feb 24th, 2013, 1:38 pm Re: Lake Country Church: Not gay accepting? Post by Sparki55 » Nov 18th, 2021, 3:00 pm TheLiteralKingofEngland wrote: ↑Nov 18th, 2021, 2:19 pm We clearly don’t agree but I admit I’m very perplexed why you appear to be making excuses for blatant lying. It’s kind of like a club declaring that all races are welcome then the next day changing course and saying blacks aren’t allowed. You think it's lying. I think it's a misunderstanding. She is welcome. She can continue to attend this church. They aren't banning her. They accept who she is right now. Next is the conversion to their beliefs which goes against her choice of who to love. I'm extending here, but I imagine this church would allow her to continue to attend but will also continue to try and stop what they see as sinning. Accepting gays and saying "you will be loved here" does not mean they are tolerant of what they deem a sin. The truth is she is welcome to attend. You think this also means they fully accept her being gay. Joined: Feb 24th, 2013, 1:38 pm Re: Lake Country Church: Not gay accepting? Post by Sparki55 » Nov 18th, 2021, 3:28 pm TheLiteralKingofEngland wrote: ↑Nov 18th, 2021, 3:17 pm Except being gay isn't a choice which I thought was already established and agreed here, but again with the word 'choice....' Being gay isn't a choice according to our laws and societal consensus. The earth is also round. People are free to form groups where they discuss and practice that the earth isn't round and being gay is a sin. You think the church should bend to your/ her preference and I'm saying she should try another church. Joined: Feb 24th, 2013, 1:38 pm Re: Lake Country Church: Not gay accepting? Post by Sparki55 » Nov 18th, 2021, 3:41 pm TheLiteralKingofEngland wrote: ↑Nov 18th, 2021, 3:33 pm I think you missed my point entirely.... I've said churches shouldn't lie to people's faces, sucker in minority groups, and then try to change them with conversion therapy and hate literature. I hear your point. You think the church mislead her by saying she would be welcome to attend and then handed her a bunch of information on how being gay is a sin. I am saying you are mistaken in your assumption. The church only told her she was welcome to attend, that she would be loved. They let her attend and likely in their opinion being loved involves helping people follow the word of their god and explain what is a sin. They didn't lie to her face. They said she would be accepted and loved. She was accepted and then was given information on what is considered a sin by the church. They didn't all of a sudden decide when she showed up that she wasn't allowed in anymore and proceed to slam the door in her face. Banned Joined: May 2nd, 2020, 3:45 pm Re: Lake Country Church: Not gay accepting? Post by barianqueen » Nov 18th, 2021, 3:52 pm In what kind of twisted world does You Will Be Loved translate to: We vehemently disagree with your existence as a homosexual woman and want you to undergo reparation therapy to change your sexual proclivities. Are members of varying races, occupations, and genders being told to undero reparation therapy or only teh gays? Board Meister Joined: Feb 20th, 2019, 3:49 pm Re: Lake Country Church: Not gay accepting? AtlantisKelowna post wrote: If you do not believe that's fine if you do that's fine as well. Who are you to dictate people's religious choices or beliefs? youjustcomplain wrote: ↑Nov 18th, 2021, 9:03 am As long as a church is getting government support through tax breaks, all tax payers have every right to criticize what goes on in those institutions. Not with individuals beliefs, but the actual acts that take place. If churches want more impunity to public scrutiny, then they need to stop accepting tax breaks. In this case when a congregation member took it upon themselves to send information to this lady how is it the church's responsibility? The church isn't responsible for what people do unless they are employed by them and in this case, the person was not. Corporations, non-profits and charities all benefit from tax breaks much like churches and many of them share questionable practices, engage in fraudulent activity and have executive boards making ridiculous 6 figure salaries. I feel as though these are much bigger issues than a religion following its beliefs and being shamed for doing so. The best part about religion is that you can choose to be religious or not, it is not mandatory but if you choose to follow one, then expect to share the beliefs and not have them changed to suit your needs. Pretty simple concept. AtlantisKelowna post wrote: I could make a similar argument in regard to the LGBTQ community demanding you conform to their belief or be ostracized as there are many instances of this happening. Just because you choose to live a certain way does not mean others need to agree with you. Focus on your own life, worry about your own problems and use what time you have to enjoy life. Simple youjustcomplain wrote: ↑Nov 18th, 2021, 9:03 am Sorry, can you elaborate? what beliefs do the LGBTQ community share? Keep in mind, the LGBTQ community consists of everyone who identifies as being LGBTQ. There is no pope. No reference text such as a bible telling them what to believe. No weekly gatherings with a leader. They aren't a flock. They don't share a common belief system. What they do have is a common problem; Unacceptance in society as a whole, and that is typically more clear/obvious in right wing, conservative, religious regions. Let me ask you this if I was to attend an LGBTQ event and decided to share my own belief of sexual orientation, would I be welcomed? Chances are I would be run out of the place by an angry mob for not sharing their beliefs. Some may not agree with that lifestyle and that's perfectly fine. Just because someone doesn't agree with your sexual preference does not mean they don't accept you as a person. People, who base their judgement of a person on this matter rather than their character are generally people anyway so why care what they think? Your sexual orientation is a personal matter and doesn't need to be flaunted all over the place. Keep private matters to you and your circle because no matter what opinion is forced upon society some will agree, some won't and some don't really give a If you can't handle opposing views then don't put yourself out there and then play victim if some disagree. At the end of the day, the rest of society doesn't really matter. Surround yourself with those you love and stop worrying about what everyone else thinks. Joined: Feb 24th, 2013, 1:38 pm Re: Lake Country Church: Not gay accepting? Post by Sparki55 » Nov 18th, 2021, 4:37 pm barianqueen wrote: ↑Nov 18th, 2021, 3:52 pm In what kind of twisted world does You Will Be Loved translate to: We vehemently disagree with your existence as a homosexual woman and want you to undergo reparation therapy to change your sexual proclivities. Are members of varying races, occupations, and genders being told to undero reparation therapy or only teh gays? There is a meat-eater looking to join a vegan club in Kelowna. He finds a vegan club that says "meat-eaters welcome". When he reaches out they say he will be accepted into the club. When he shows up a fellow vegan hands him a pamphlet with animals being sent to a slaughterhouse and a bunch of information on why eating meat is a terrible thing to do. They vehemently disagree with his existence as a meat-eater and want him to undergo training to change his diet. Then the meat-eater contacts the news and complains he was not accepted into the group, they tried to convert him! He agreed that animals should be treated better and wanted to be part of a group that fights for it, but didn't want to follow their beliefs exactly. He feels excluded and that the club shouldn't attack his personal diet choice.	18,472
This was my first bike. Banana seat for doubling friends (especially girls) to school , forks, stick shift,and handlebars from the Easy Rider movie. It was my freedom my escape from home, my way to see the world. Funny how things in your childhood can have such an impression. It still is my freedom, excitement and way to see the world today Leave a Reply. I am a fire captain and cancer survivor. I have now cycled around the earth by bicycle for cancer charity, but my journey is not over. I followed the rules of Guinness global 0circumnavigation. Same bike, same direction, cross two antipodal points, the equator and cover at least 29,000 km. My final legs were crossing Australia north to south and east to west across the deserts bringing the total countries crossed to fifteen and a distance of 29,000 km over 10 years. The journey now continues to the most desolate and highest points of the earth. email:	939
Like it or not, admit it or not, indeed, believe it or not, our relationship with money is absolutely critical to our success in life. I say “relationship with” deliberately, meaning three aspects – what we think when we here the word, what we perceive money to be, and of course how much money we have at any one time. I remember walking out of a well paid job and career to start on my present journey. Looking back it was one of the craziest decisions I ever made – never having been out of the corporate world before, and having a house and family to “support.” However, while I would never recommend anyone does this now – I always suggest people prepare for an entrepreneurial life before they give up what they have – it did put me in an interesting position. One in which I simply had to make money. If I had been single with no commitments I am not sure to this day whether I would have had the same urgency, or success, that I have. Rosalind and I sat down and worked out how much we “had” to earn each month – our absolute minimum. And very soon that was the amount we were making, and we continued to make, until we chose a different attitude to money. That choice came during a conversation with a successful entrepreneur, who shared her thoughts to me about money. I remember saying, “well of course, money is not important” and she said, “Anyone who has ever said that has never had to live without any.” And so my attitude changed, as I realised that money is simply an energy that we human beings have invented to demonstrate value between us. Since that conversation we have had months where we have done “well” with that energy, and others where we have done “badly.” Indeed, we have known what it is like to have no money and been up against it, and I am now convinced that if we had not experienced that, we would never experience the opposite. A very good friend of mine, Richard Parks Cordock, has interviewed stunning list of successful entrepreneurs to find out their “secrets” to success and has published these as a CD set of his interviews – check it out at (Stephen, please put in a link from us to this as we had it on the shop that makes us money – Richard’s site is http://www.millionairemba.com but we want the link that makes money for us) Now, Richard has published the source of his own adventure, a conversation with Sir Richard Branson – (Stephen, please put in an Amazon link from naked leader to Millionaire Upgrade book by Richard so we get earnings for every book that people buy from this link) What is your relationship with money? It goes something like this. At an entrepreneurial seminar, a fellow delegate said to the speaker after the event – “I wish I could do what you do” – to which the speaker replied – “Why don’t you, then?” And then the words came out – one on top of the other: “I’d love to but I couldn’t because I have a well paid job and a lovely family and I’d lose my earnings and my career and my family and our house and be divorced and I’d be alone and then I’d be on the street and then I’d be desperate and have nothing to live for.” It’s always around fifty words depending on how low the low point – I call it the “I’d be” paragraph of destruction – fifteen seconds from dream to despair while standing on the same spot. With love – in whatever currency you will accept it X Filed Under: Naked Leader Week ← Uniting Beyond Nations – please send on to those whose lives you touch Uniting Beyond Nations – please send on to those whose lives you touch → Leave a reply Cancel reply Sign up here to receive David Taylor's nlweekly RT @thenakedleader: The fastest selling business book in the world! Authored by David Taylor -founding Naked Leader the company and @nakedl…over a year ago RT @thenakedleader: The fastest selling business book in the world! Authored by David Taylor -founding Naked Leader the company and @nakedl…over a year ago	4,103
Chronic ear infections had created a barrier in your speech development and your mom and I took the initiative to address this before you began kindergarten. Even though the two of us could understand most of what you were saying, sometimes other kids and grown ups could not, and we sensed it frustrated you at times if you had to repeat yourself, and even more, if then, after repeating yourself, the other person still could not understand you; and, too, that we wanted you to know that we were listening, always, to what you said to us, and not just nodding our head feigning we knew what you were expressing verbally. For two years around noon, I left my desk at work and drove over to LaLa’s the first year, then pre-school the second, to pick you up and take you to speech therapy at the local elementary school. The first year I found myself perpetually in a rush. Such is the mad dash and impeding anxiety of juggling work with family responsibilities. Even as I told myself it was not an inconvenience, mentally I still treated it as one, even though I enjoyed our precious time together. With certain demands in my profession, I found myself running through thoughts of work as I buckled you in your car seat, as we drove to the elementary school, as I waited in the lobby for speech therapy to end—any and every little thing I had to do as soon as I returned to my desk at work. If we were running behind because of a late start in therapy or traffic congestion, I found myself routinely anxious: what if someone had called a conference meeting and I wasn’t able to join in time, how was I ever going to finish this (or that) project by x time, et cetera et cetera et cetera. This is how I used to live my life, and at times, still do, if I don’t catch myself before the trickle of anxiety and disquietude turns into a near uncontrollable flood of incessant worries. At your young age of five, it is very clear that your mind operates in much the same way. Life is often learning as you go. If I could offer one bit of advice to speed along a particular lesson, it is this: slow down and breathe. To the outside world, you may not appear influx, but inside, up here, I know what you are going through. Ask yourself, then, what is water. The second year of speech therapy, about a month in, is when I slowed down to see it for what it was, our time together, just you and me, even if brief, only an hour in the middle of the day, two days a week, in my car to and from speech. I wished I had slowed down sooner—to be more present, to be more mindful. Regardless, I’m glad I did when I did, even if prolonged. On our rides to and from speech, whenever you’d ask me “what are you looking at” as I glanced at you in the rearview mirror, I was looking at my beautiful, intelligent, little girl grow even more beautiful and intelligent (and silly) and bigger before my very eyes. The last day as we drove from speech back to pre-school, my heart began to grow tender. I knew this time together, ours, was coming to an end. As I looked back at you in the rearview mirror to the backseat where you sat, you didn’t know what I was thinking. I’d like to share that with you now: I will miss our special time together, in the middle of the day, two days a week, just you and me, daughter and dad. I will miss our secret pit stops to Dunkin Donuts on the return trip to pre-school to get frosted strawberry dream donuts with sprinkles—and, I’ll miss our special song we made up just for the occasion: Also, my apologies if this caused your two cavities. I love you and I am proud of you for working so hard on your speech, though I’d be fibbing if I said I don’t miss the youthful mispronunciations you once had. And, I still can’t bring myself to correct your mispronouncing the dog’s name. This post is part of Love Letters to My Children, which you can read more of by selecting the aforementioned hyperlink. What love letter would you write your child? Start a conversation about it on Facebook or share it in the comments section below. If you enjoyed reading this, share it with others so they can read it too. Get updates of new posts by email. Photo: Jeffrey Pillow. “Speech Homework.” Licensed under CC-BY-SA Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) You may also like Tags ear infection, letters, letters to my children, love letter, parenting, speech impediment, speech therapy By Jeffrey Pillow Jeffrey Pillow is an American short story writer, memoirist, and poet. He is the author of The Lady Next Door. His writing has been published in Urge Magazine, The Nervous Breakdown, 16 Blocks, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, TheBody.com, New York Times, Washington Post, and Richmond Times-Dispatch. He grew up in the small town of Phenix, Virginia, population: 200, and now lives in Charlottesville with his wife, two kids, and a dog named Mozzarella Cheese. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia where he was a Rainey Scholar. This is his blog. February 1, 2017 at 3:27 pm Beautiful, yet sad, reminder to me of the moments you have with your children. Mine are now 14, 16, and 18. I enjoy your posts. Take care	5,598
1 When men began to multiply on the surface of the ground, and daughters were born to them, 2God’s sons saw that men’s daughters were beautiful, and they took any that they wanted for themselves as wives. 3The LORD said, “My Spirit will not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; so his days will be one hundred and twenty years.” 4The Nephilim#6:4 or, giants were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when God’s sons came in to men’s daughters and had children with them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. 5 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was continually only evil. 6The LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart. 7The LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the surface of the ground—man, along with animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky—for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8But Noah found favour in the Lord’s eyes. 9 This is the history of the generations of Noah: Noah was a righteous man, blameless amongst the people of his time. Noah walked with God. 10Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12God saw the earth, and saw that it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 God said to Noah, “I will bring an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them and the earth. 14Make a ship of gopher wood. You shall make rooms in the ship, and shall seal it inside and outside with pitch. 15This is how you shall make it. The length of the ship shall be three hundred cubits,#6:15 A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimetres. its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16You shall make a roof in the ship, and you shall finish it to a cubit upward. You shall set the door of the ship in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third levels. 17I, even I, will bring the flood of waters on this earth, to destroy all flesh having the breath of life from under the sky. Everything that is in the earth will die. 18But I will establish my covenant with you. You shall come into the ship, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19Of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ship, to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. 20Of the birds after their kind, of the livestock after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort will come to you, to keep them alive. 21Take with you some of all food that is eaten, and gather it to yourself; and it will be for food for you, and for them.” 22Thus Noah did. He did all that God commanded him. PUBLIC DOMAIN. "World English Bible" is trademark of eBible.org. There were big, strong fighting men 1The people on the earth kept on having lots of kids, and those kids grew up and kept on having more kids, so after some time there were lots of people on the earth. And some people had very pretty daughters. 2There were some men that everyone called the Sons of God. They looked at the pretty young women, then they picked out the women they wanted, and they married them. 3God looked at everything that was happening. He said, “I gave people their breath, but I will not let it stay in them for ever. They are just people. They will live for only 120 years.” 4Those men that were called the Sons of God, they slept with the pretty women, like men usually sleep with their wives, and then those women had kids called Nefalim. Those Nefalim kids grew up to be big, strong fighting men. They were the great fighters in the stories from a long time ago.#Numbers 13:33 People kept on doing bad things 5God looked at the people on the earth, and he saw them doing lots of bad things. He knew the way they were thinking. They were thinking bad things all the time. God saw that the people were very bad. 6So God was feeling sad. He really felt no good inside. He thought to himself, “I should not have made all these people.” 7And God said, “These people keep on doing bad things, and that makes me really sad. I’m sorry that I made them. I’m sorry I made everything on the earth. I want to finish up everything. I want to kill all the people I made, and I want to kill all the animals on earth, the big animals, and the little animals, and even the animals that crawl around on the ground, and I want to kill all the birds that fly in the sky.” 8But God looked at the man called Noah, and Noah made God happy. The story about Noah 9This is the story about Noah and his family. Noah was a good man. He didn’t do anything wrong. He was God’s friend, and he spent a lot of time with God.#2 Peter 2:5 10He had 3 sons. Their names were Shem, Ham, and Jafeth. 11-12Everyone on the earth kept on doing bad things. They were doing wrong to each other, and fighting and hurting each other. God looked down and saw all the bad things that were going on. The people were always doing things that were really bad. 13So God said to Noah, “Look, everyone is doing bad things and hurting each other. I’m going to kill everyone, and I will finish up everything on the earth.” God told Noah to build a big boat 14Then God said to Noah, “Make a really big boat for yourself. Make it out of that strong wood called cypress. Make some rooms in the boat. And get some tar, and paint the inside of the boat, and paint the outside too. That will keep the water out of the boat. 15Listen, this is how big I want you to make the boat. It has to be 140 metres long, and 23 metres wide, and 13½ metres high. 16I want you to make a roof for that boat, but leave ½ a metre between the top of the walls and the roof, all around the top of the boat. And put a door in the side of the boat. And make 3 floors in the boat, one floor on the bottom and the other 2 floors upstairs. 17You see, soon I will bring a lot of flood water, and it will cover the earth, and everything that is on the earth will die. Everything that breathes air will die, wherever they live. 18But don’t worry. I’m making a strong promise to you, that I will look after you. I will look after you, and your wife, and all your kids, and their wives too. You all have to go into that boat.#1 Peter 3:20 19And you have to bring lots of animals into that boat too. Every sort of animal that is on the earth has to go into that boat, so that they will stay alive in the big flood. Get one male and one female of each sort of those animals, and take them into the boat with you. You see, you have to keep those animals alive. 20And you have to do the same thing for all those different sorts of birds. Get one male and one female of all of those birds. And you have to do the same thing for all those animals that crawl around on the ground. You have to get one male and one female of all those animals too. I will get 2 of every sort of animal to come to you, so you can keep them alive. 21And you have to gather up lots of food, all the sorts of food that people eat, and all the things that animals eat too. You have to put it all in the boat, so that you will all have enough food.” 22Then Noah did all of that. He did everything that God told him to do.#Hebrews 11:7 It looks like you want to use a bookmark. Great! Bookmarks help you keep track of verses you want to memorize, share, or mark as favorites. Sign in or create an account below, and get started!	7,766
The HBRA Annual Awards will be held on December 11th. Use the form below to submit your nomination. If you have any questions please contact the HBRA at [email protected] or call the office at (203) 335-7008. For a full list of current PWB members please click here. “Woman of the Year” Award The Woman of the Year Award is presented to a woman for her contributions to the HBRA and the industry as a whole. The criteria used in the selection process include: devotion to the betterment of the association and the PWB; the advancement of the industry; and the person’s professional reputation as a businesswoman. Fill Out the Nomination Form Below The Home Builders & Remodelers Association (“HBRA”) of Fairfield County is a not for profit sexxuria.comassociation of members engaged in single family and multifamily residential new construction, remodeling, land development activities and light commercial construction covering Fairfield County.	958
Jessica strode through the ranks of her former army, or anyone who dared come near her. She was following her gut which was telling her she was needed close by. She wondered what she was doing helping the Jedi in this battle, but the answer came quickly to her mind. One part of her rationalized it was revenge for those trying to rebel against her, the second, she was doing this for one small Jedi. She had to know what happened to her. Making her way into the compound she continued on where she had a feeling she was needed, and hoped her gut was right in the direction she went. Another lightsaber blocked her path, which she quickly dispatched, not caring who stood in her way. Her current attacker was a former Sith, his red lightsaber crossed with hers. She moved quickly dispatching him before continuing on. She was in full Darth Rizon mode even as she moved further on. She noticed that several were now aware that not only was she on the battlefield, but they had lost their command ship. The ship she had programmed the command ship to plow into held the backup commander. It was satisfying to know she had taken out both easily. She had easily sabotaged the ship, rigging it to plow into another ship. She didn’t care about the crews anymore, they were not loyal to her at all. She learned how Tyi had manipulated the others against her. Those who dared to stand in her way appeared fearful, yet still challenged her. It was a testament to her failure, one she wanted to wipe away forever. The next man who blocked her path quickly found himself on the ground from a quick slash as she continued on her way. She felt she was near where she wanted to be but could not explain it, only that she was pulled in a certain direction. Turning the corner she looked around in the next room seeing that there had been a battle here, several people lying on the ground but one form caught her attention. Running across the room she crouched down feeling an unexpected pain from the sight in front of her as she saw the person she wanted to see. With shaking hand she turned the body over to find the truth. Gaia had been struck in the chest as she fingers brushed the blonde’s cheek. She mentally noted that the skin was still warm to the touch even as he became aware of others entering the room. “My lord,” a voice said causing her to look up to see a group of Sith warriors standing there looking confused. “There is no commander, and the remaining ships have either left or are engaged. What should we do?” Raged filled her as she struck out not caring who was in her way. The soldiers in front of her were caught off guard as her raged crashed over her, completely unaware of what she was going, only the pain and emotion overwhelming her. She proved unstoppable to the group in front of her. Too soon she had finished off the last of the group and was left standing in the middle of the room. The battle had done nothing to ease her emotions before moving back to the blonde’s side. Brushing her fingers across the lips she saw them part slightly. Hope flared through her body. Gaia was alive, but needed help now! Luke relaxed a bit, with the new information that the Republic fleet had arrived, and the way the enemy fleet fled after the destruction of two of their ships, the ground forces had become disorganized. They used that to counter attack and now fighting was only in a few areas. He had felt the wash of almost pure Dark Side energy which surprised him. he hadn’t felt something like that in a long time as Kyle made his way over to where he was. “I think we should be careful,” Luke suggested. “Right, I haven’t felt such raw power in a long time,” Kyle stated. “I haven’t since the Emperor was killed,” Luke said and even then he wasn’t sure as he never really knew how powerful the Emperor was, or how his own power might compare. They approached the corridor which he had seen the dark-haired woman go only to see Master Fie-Tel walk up to them as well, wielding his own lightsaber. “Things are winding down,” he said to Luke. “Good,” Luke replied as they look on to see a figure making its way down the corridor and into the open. All three were waiting for anything until Luke noticed that not only was it the woman he had seen earlier, but she was carrying someone. It took a few seconds until he realized she was carrying Gaia who appeared to have been injured. The dark-haired woman continued forward without any worry approaching them. “Where are your healers?” she asked, direct and in charge looking at all three of them. “This way,” Fie-Tel said. Luke watched warily as Fie-Tel led the woman off before turning back to Kyle. “Any idea what just happened?” Kyle asked. “No idea,” Luke said. “But I think I should follow and see what is going on.” “I’ll go and check on the others, make sure the battle is really over, look for any pockets of resistance,” Kyle said. “Good idea,” Luke said, knowing that they were cleaning out pockets of resistance for weeks after the last attack. He watched Kyle head off before moving around and looking at the wounded, checking on a few others while slowly making his way to the med-lab. He felt nothing from the Force, which meant things had probably settled down a bit, even as he walked into the med lab, seeing the doctor, Fie-Tel and the mysterious woman. The doctor saw him and made his way over giving him a report of the injuries. At last he came to Gaia, and he looked over at the patient and the dark-haired woman before looking aback at Luke. “I’m afraid its not good news, she’s suffered severe trauma to her system. We’ve done all we can, but we’re still losing her. She just doesn’t have the energy to heal,” the doctor said. Nonsense,” a new voice said causing everyone to look over to see a newcomer. Luke recognized the man as he had spoken to him earlier in the mysterious visit not long ago but had never gotten his name. “I’m a doctor, I know my job sir,” the doctor said in a miffed voice. “For a normal human, and perhaps even for Jedi, but she is more than that,” the man said looking around at the others in the room before his gaze came to rest on the dark-haired woman. “Ah, and there she is, her savior,” he said taking almost everyone by surprise. Luke exchanged a glance with Fie-Tel who was as confused, but worried about Gaia as well. The man approached the woman and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. “You want her to live?” he asked her, looking her in the eyes. “Yes,” the woman said, looking at him and then back at Gaia. “Then lie down with her, hold her, believe in her,” the man said. The idea seemed obscure to everyone, but the woman hesitated as she looked down at the bed and then back at the man. “She needs your help, do it and it will give her the best opportunity to heal,” he said to her. Luke watched as the woman did as the man said but still seemed skeptical of why she was doing this. “You two have a special bond, you know what I speak of. Doing this will trigger what is known as a healing sleep among us,” he said to her. “And this will help her?” the woman asked/ “Yes, she is using all of her energy to remain alive, but its not enough to heal. The healing sleep combines your energy with hers,’ he said. “Trust me on this one.” “All right, but if she dies so do you,” she said. Luke noticed that the man seemed merely amused by the threat as she took off her cap and then carefully took hold of Gaia trying not to hurt her. It was an odd mix for Luke, seeing the gentle way she moved around before the man waved them to leave the room. Luke walked out watching as the doctor rounded on the stranger. “Now, what is going on?” the doctor said. “As I said, a healing sleep, its complicated,” he said back to him. “Who are you?” Luke asked. “My name is Trona, and those two woman have something special that I know about,” the said to them. “Special?” Luke asked. “Yes, it is something few have, fewer speak of it, and we hide what we are,” Trona said. “Their special bond will allow one to help the other heal if they are hurt, we call it a healing sleep.” “And this helps?” the doctor asked. “Yes, in this case, the Jedi, Gaia, requires more energy than her body can deliver to remain alive and heal. In this case the other woman can help provide the energy she needs to remain alive and heal,” he said to them. “They will be hungry and thirsty when they wake up.” “You spoke with me earlier,” Luke said confronting him. “Yes, I had to give you some information, but I cannot say more without endangering my people. We are oddities and at one time hunted for what we have,” the man replied. “I understand,” Luke said as Kyle walked up to him. “The compound is clear,” he said to Luke. “Good, its been a long day and hopefully things will return to normal for a while,” Luke said. “No kidding,’ Kyle said before looking towards the med lab. “So, any idea as to who our mysterious visitor is?” “Nope, but I think we’ll find that part out later,” Luke replied. Things had been hectic for a while, and he hoped things might settle down. Gaia felt herself pulled into reality from a warm and comfortable place that she had been in. Even as she became aware of what was going on around her she felt the warm not leaving but continued to surround her. It felt wonderful to her and with some reluctance she opened her eyes recalling everything which had gone on. To her surprise she was on a bed in the med lab. It took her a few seconds to realize there was a pair of arms holding onto her. She wasn’t sure what was going on but slightly turned to see a sight she was sure she’d never see again. There in front of her eyes was the Sith Lord, Rizon. The same Sith Lord who had her captured, then tried to seduce her, and then helped free her. Somewhere along the way she realized she had fallen in love with her and wanted to know her better. Gaia realized this line of thinking was way too complex for having been shot and was now recovering. “Its good to see you’re awake,” Rizon said as Gaia looked up into blue eyes. “Am I dead? After all, you’re here,” Gaia finally asked. “No,” Rizon replied, as Gaia felt teas come to her eyes. She felt the arms tighten around her in gentle comfort. “So, how are you feeling?” Gaia took a moment to go over her condition and despite everything felt all right. She hurt where she had been shot, but that was to be expected and told Rizon so. “I bet you’re hungry?” “And thirsty,” Gaia replied realizing that she was hungry and thirsty as another thought came to her. “Did the academy fall?” “No.” “I think this all requires a long explanation,” Gaia finally said. “But first, what is your name?” That caused a slight chuckle before the reply. “Its Jessica.” “Jessica, sounds so much better,” Gaia replied. “I think I better go inform the others you’re awake, and I’m sure your masters have a few questions for me,” Jessica said. “Go easy on them, they are nice people,” Gaia said. She watched Jessica smile a bit, before slipping out and rearranging the pillows so she’d be comfortable before heading out of the room. Gaia couldn’t wait for the explanation of what had happened, but wasn’t disappointed that Jessica had come back. Continued in part 31 Categories: Fanfiction, Star Wars, Xena/Uber Xena Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Currently you have JavaScript disabled. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Recent Posts Ad Fanfiction Archives Select Month November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 June 2020 September 2019 August 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015	12,711
The blockage of the Suez Canal by a container ship has led to a maritime traffic jam of over 200 container ships. This 21st century Suez Canal crisis is a reminder of the vulnerability of global supply chains and the importance of maritime choke points Adnan Khan28th March 20215 min The blockage of the Suez Canal by a container ship on Tuesday 23rd March has led to a maritime traffic jam of over 200 container ships. The Evergreen mega container ship became wedged as it travelled through the narrow canal, forcing other ships to make the longer trip around Africa. Egyptian officials have said they hope to free the ship within days, but oil prices have now increased and Lloyd’s List estimates daily losses could exceed $9 billion from the delayed cargo. This 21st century Suez Canal crisis is a reminder of the vulnerability of global supply chains and the importance of maritime choke points. The idea of finding a shorter route from the east to the west via the Red Sea is something that has been around since ancient history, but the technology and resources required were always a major challenge that could not be overcome. With the rise of the West and their maritime colonial journeys around the world the challenge took on importance as their ships were forced to take the long journey around Africa to travel from the Far East and India to the Mediterranean. By the 19th century Britain dominated the sea routes of most of the world and especially the route that connected the British Isles with India, via the Horn of Africa. In 1854 the French consul to Cairo, Ferdinand de Lesseps, obtained a concession from the Khedive of Egypt and Sudan, to create a company to construct a 100-mile long canal across the Isthmus of Suez for ships. The concession included the Suez Canal Company operating the canal for 99 years after completion of the work. Construction of the canal began in 1859 and it was expected to take six years. It took ten years in the end. The excavation began with digging done by hand with picks and shovels and with forced labour. Over 30,000 people worked on the canal at any given period, and it is believed around 120,000 people died building the canal and the cholera epidemic. When the canal eventually opened in 1869 it had a big impact on global trade as it allowed ships to travel much quicker from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean, not having to go around Africa. Further improvements were made especially on the parts where the depth was not very deep. Britain took over Egypt in 1888 after she fell into debt, the French and British shareholders who owned the concessionary company continued to operate the canal. This was until Gamal Abdul Nasser nationalised it in 1956. Britain and France along with Israel invaded Egypt in the Suez War of 1956, the intervention of the Soviet Union and USA forced these countries to withdraw and ever since the canal has been operated by the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) of Egypt. After several enlargements, the canal is today 120 miles long and 24 metres deep. It is however a very narrow canal and on many places on its route it is only 300 metres wide. This narrowness results in many ships being only around 150 meters of either bank. Due to this, the traffic on the canal can only travel in one direction on large stretches of the canal. Ships are sent through in three regularly scheduled convoys daily (two southbound and one northbound) at set times. Typically, it takes a ship 12 to 16 hours to transit the canal. But this narrowness of the canal has created a security situation with a number of ships coming under attack. Egypt has been facing an insurgency in the Sinai for over a decade and the small width at many places makes it an easy target. The SCA reported that 19,000 vessels—averaging to 52 a day—had sailed through its waters in 2020. Over a 900 million tonnes of cargo travel through the canal today, which is double from just a decade ago. This includes consumer goods, dry-bulk cargo such as grain and minerals, and oil products. What makes the Suez Canal an important choke point is the purpose for which it was created and that was to make the journey shorter and quicker from the east to west and not having to go around Africa. This is what makes it a key maritime choke point well over a century from when it was constructed. The Suez Canal is also the second-most important seaborne energy choke point for oil and liquefied natural gas headed to Europe and North America after the Strait of Hormuz. This heavy flow of cargo means even a temporary blockage of the canal could significantly impact global trade. The Suez Canal handles 10% of global trade, but 30% of the daily global container traffic. Prof Rocky Weitz, director of the Fletcher Maritime Studies Program at The Fletcher School at Tufts University explained: “the Cape of Good Hope route adds approximately 3,000 nautical miles to the Suez Canal route from the Indian Ocean to the North Atlantic, depending on the specific route taken by a commercial vessel.” This reduces the journey by nearly 8-10 days. The cost implications can also be huge. An oil tanker could add up to 300 hours to the journey, while a comparatively fast container ship could add up to 150 hours. The extra costs of sailing via the Cape of Good Hope are also large. Anoop Singh, of the Singapore-based head of tanker analysis at Braemar ACM, highlighted the detour can add $450,000 in costs to a typical journey. Until new forms of transport for global trade are invented, global trade will rely on shipping, and ships rely upon the maritime routes to make the journey from one side of the world to the other. This geography will continue to keep the Suez Canal an important global maritime choke point. previous next 2 comments 28th March 2021 at 6:02 pm Where do you read that the losses could exceed $9bn? Adnan Khan 31st March 2021 at 10:54 am Hi, the losses are what has been declared by Lloyds the insurers, that sentence is hyperlinked, but you can find many links over the internet on the losses.	6,215
My body's sore from yesterday's intense cardio and boxing session and I seriously don't know how I'll get up from bed tomorrow, let alone go to work, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. I spent the whole day alternating between watching movies and How I Met Your Mother's fifth season and transferring files from my netbook to my new office computer. Robyn has started conking out on me and I need to make sure all my personal and work files are securely backed up before I bring her to the Samsung Service Center. I also took advantage of the last day of Zalora's 3-Day Sale and got myself these Veronicas from Vida for Rica's wedding. It will go so well with my bridesmaid dress and it's so Krissyfied! Two birds in one stone - score! And since I was bedridden almost the whole day, it got me thinking of all the other things I want to spend my money on. Sigh, I seriously need to exercise more to prevent days like this in the future. Guys and gals, I present to you my newest [edible and non-edible] cravings: Renewal of my Yoga+ membership. I need to get back on the mat ASAP! I find that practicing yoga has lessened my craving for unhealthy foods tremendously and improved my well-being in general. I promise to go back before Christmas. These Leona Sandals from Gold Dot. I can't decide between the blue or cream one yet but I am really crushing on this style right now. If I didn't get a pair of bridesmaid shoes, this would've made my shopping list for the month. Whimsical, dainty pieces from Le Caprice. One of my favorite style bloggers, pretty girl, and all-around nice person Bestie has reopened her shop and I couldn't be happier for her! Please don't buy the pieces I want, huhu. Anyhoo, Bestie is also holding a giveaway for Le Caprice's first customers! Check out the mechanics in her blog here. Sinfully sweet and devilishly delectable goodies from 1017 cupCAkes. Aside from my sore body, I am also feeling hormonal right now and seeing these photos of cupcakes, cakes, and cookies made by my friend Barbie isn't helping! Goodies from The Body Shop. Few more weeks left until Christmas! Save yourself from holiday stress and avoid the hassle of last minute shopping by taking advantage of The Body Shop's nationwide pre-holiday sale that started last September 27. I've featured The Body Shop several times in my blog now and you know it's one of my favorite personal care brands hinthintwinkwinknudgenudge ;) Ombre lips. I never thought I would need to learn how to do ombre lips, but the moment I saw that photo it's all I could think about! Learn how to do that makeup technique and many other different things when you sign up to Glamourbox's Advanced Makeup Workshop with Au Mauricio. Check out Glamourbox's Facebook page for more details. My highschool barkada. We haven't had a proper get-together ever since Dianne left the country and it's so sad how everyone's so busy with other things these days. I only get to see Niel because we carpool together to work every day, but for the rest, we don't even know if they still remember we exist. (,) And that ends my list for now! Back to my cave where I hope I can be nurtured back to my 100% for tomorrow's workday. But yeah, Alvin is right: it hurts but it's the I'm-glad-I-did-it kind of hurt. It'll be another busy day because of all the month-end reports I have to finish so wish me luck! read more 28 September 2013 Because it's not enough for my friends to kick my ass in badminton, they had to kick my ass in boxing, too. Today - and I still don't know what got into me, all I know is that Mike offered to pay for my first session - I agreed to go boxing with my friends Mike, Ralph, and Sheila. I thought I was just going to punch things! Nobody said anything about undergoing circuit training! We jogged, mountain climbed, jumped ropes, and did lots of other tiring stuff that I thought I was going to pass out. I asked to be excused when we were already stretching as I felt like I was going to puke, and I remember cursing after realizing the comfort room is too far from the exercise area LOL. Oh the things I let my friends make me go through. And yeah, even with all my apprehensions, I gotta admit it was fun. Every jab and straight punch released my stress and got my heart pumping in a very good way - it was the most alive I felt all week! And of course, everything becomes more fun when you do it with friends. d=(´)=b Today was another proof that I reeeally need to be mindful of my body. I am 97lbs of fluff! The last intense cardio I've done was over a month ago and my yoga membership has already expired as well. I need to get myself a yoga mat so I can practice even at home. After that extreme workout, it was time to feast on Japanese food! Hee we ate at Karate Kid. The next thing you know, these guys will ask me to go bungee jumping with them. Yikes. Bungee jumping looks fun, though... Next time, we are taking the boys to practice yoga with us and we won't take no for an answer! (´`) If anyone needs me, I'll be in my room watching movies or marathon-ing How I Met Your Mother Season 5. Or sleeping. Yeah, probably sleeping. Ktnxbai. read more 26 September 2013 I've always wanted a pin-up girl lipstick. You know, that true red that makes lips look like juicy and ripe strawberries? Glamorous, bold, and dramatic red? That red. I've always put off getting one though because I feel like it's too harsh for my personality skin tone. Next best solution? Look for something a little more subtle and not too "look at me!" red. A couple of weeks ago, The Body Shop sent me some of their newest products to try. This red lipstick from the new Colour Crush line jumped out at me - The Body Shop Colour Crush Lipstick in Red Siren. I refused to let myself be intimidated by a tube of lipstick so I tried it on after taking some photos... ... and fell in love. What I didn't like: - I'm not sure if it's just the lipstick I tried, but it tastes and smells very slightly like roses. I don't mind it at all but I understand it can put some people off. - The sticker at the bottom of the tube tells only the shade number and not the name, which is on the sticker label that is removed when you take it off its plastic packaging. - Some branches might not carry all 18 shades so it's best to call and check first. What I loved: - Excellent pigmentation. The color stayed put for more than three hours even without the swipe-blot-swipe-blot-pat with powder technique. - Better formulation than the Colourglide line that it replaced. I found this lipstick to be more pigmented and more moisturizing than the other Colourglide lipsticks I've tried. - The packaging makes it easy for me to know what color family the lipstick belongs to: reds, pinks, or nudes. - As with all other The Body Shop products, we are guaranteed these are 100% Cruelty Free and contribute to the Community Fair Trade. - Affordable at only P695 a pop. Real value for money, too, as the color payoff is really great and lasts a long time. To show you just how attention-grabbing this lipstick is, let me show you some outfit photos from last week taken by my friend/ officemate Gerick. Please note that I applied the lipstick on before attending a lunch event while the photos were taken at almost 3 PM. Not quite right... Not quite right... See how bright and amplified the color remained? Do my lips look like juicy and ripe strawberries to you? Because they sure look like it to me. LOL. I'd like to try the other colors, too! It is now my go-to red lipstick because it's great for casual shirt-and-jeans days yet can be dressed up a little bit more for more formal occasions. My pin-up girl lipstick. Disclosure: The product was sent to me for free by The Body Shop but all opinions are my own. read more The beginning of the end for Ted and me. 23 September 2013 Sooo... This is it guys. It's happening. In a few hours, the first episode of the last season of How I Met Your Mother - my favorite TV show in all the world - will be shown, and then I would have to start saying goodbye to Ted, Marshall, Lily, Robin, and Barney. As with other imminent sadness, I don't think I'm ready yet. I don't think I'll ever be ready. But yes, as with everything in life, all good things must come to an end. Better to leave on a high note than do a Sex and the City 2, right? The Mother was finally revealed to us in the last episode of Season 8. Like a lot of people, I was baffled by how she resembled Lily. After reading her interviews, I warmed up to her and saw what the producers might have seen during her audition. Also, Ted loves her, so she must be amazing. I almost never wanted to meet her, but Ted deserves to be happy. Now I see this and I think: perfect I love them already. I've followed a lot of TV shows, I've watched a lot of movies, and I've read a helluva lot of books, but no other fictional characters have struck a chord in me as the MacLaren's gang has. They're funny, clever, good-natured, complement one another so well, and they look out for each and everyone. I've also declared multiple times about how I feel I am a female Ted Mosby. Plus, being the complete and utter dork that I am, I get a kick out of the show's non-linear way of story-telling. I am always amazed by stories and shared experiences, and so to have a TV show that features those week after week makes me want to shout out a huge thank you(!!!) to the universe. One of the show's fans (as told by Ted/ Josh Radnor during this year's Comic Con) said it best: the concept of the show forces him to strive to make his life better because this is it, this is his life, and someday when he's old these will be the stories he will tell so he'd have to make the most out of it. The blue French horn, the ducky tie, the red cowboy boots, and (of course) the yellow umbrella. I can't tell you how much I'm going to miss these things. "An affirmation of hopefulness and optimism... A valentine to things like friendship and love." No sweeter words from the creators could have been spoken. Thank you, Carter and Craig. I think I need someone to hold my hand while watching. Photos from the HIMYM feature in the Sept. 6, 2013 issue of Entertainment Weekly. read more "You look like a protagonist. You look like the person who wins in the end." I started reading Eleanor & Park last Monday night and I gobbled it up right away. Work has been really stressful lately and I wanted something light to distract me from the mountain of reports I have to finish. After I did, I couldn't stop thinking about it, and even when I was busy with other things it still didn't leave my mind. Last Thursday, I stayed up until 1 am the next day just reading; I didn't plan on getting any sleep at all (very irresponsible, Krissy. Very. Irresponsible.) just so I can continue reading, until my father checked why I still had the light on and caught me red-handed. Good thing he didn't confiscate my Kindle LOL. I couldn't wait until I could get some me-time again so that I could finally finish it, but at the same time I didn't want the story to end. I stayed all afternoon in my little corner just so I could finish it today. No regrets. The story is set over the course of 1986 - the year I was born - and tells of how two star-crossed misfits from two opposite sides of the tracks met, discovered they belonged to one another, and fell in love. I love how it's sarcastic, geeky, sweet, and has lost of mushy and gooey parts that wouldn't make you want to retch. "I miss you, Eleanor. I want to be with you all the time. You're the smartest girl I've ever met, and the funniest, and everything you do surprises me. And I wish I could say that those are the reasons I like you, because that would make me sound like a really evolved human being... But I think it's got as much to do with your hair being red and your hands being soft... and the fact that you smell like homemade birthday cake." How do you reconcile feelings between someone who has always had a sheltered and comfortable upbringing and someone who has always had to deal with family problems, financial constraints, and constant bullying in school? "He tried again to remember what he'd thought the first time he saw her. He tried to remember how this happened - how she went from someone he'd never met to the only one who mattered." I guess most love stories start at the most unlikely circumstances. I guess it's nice that it's an "in spite of" kind of love and not just "because of". "What are the chances you'd ever meet someone like that? He wondered. Someone you could love forever, someone who would forever love you back? And what did you do when that person was born half a world away?" I want that, you know? Most books and movies with the he said-she said format I've read and seen (like Flipped), I loved. Eleanor & Park is no exception. I love their personalities and the unique voice Rainbow has given them, and most of their lines will definitely stay with me long after today has passed. SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ BEYOND THIS POINT IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS! The book ends in a bittersweet note, and although a little part of you wants them to have a Hollywood-trademarked happy ending, you know it is more realistic for them not to end up together. For now. Because even though their story ends for now doesn't mean it's for good. That's the way some first loves work, right? After all, Rainbow has already hinted at a possible sequel years from now... "He'd stopped trying to bring her back. She only came back when she felt like it anyway, in dreams and lies and broken-down deja vu." I wonder where my first love is and whether he still remembers me. read more 22 September 2013 Yesterday was a night of firsts: first time to eat in Balboa in Shangri-La, first time to see my first bridesmaid dress (it's beautiful!), first time to go to Lancaster Hotel in Shaw Boulevard, first time to meet some of my friend/ officemate Rica's other friends who are also part of her wedding entourage, and first time to attend a bridal shower. Yes, you read that right. Except for Neil, none of my closest friends have gotten married yet (although a couple have eloped) so we haven't had the need to throw a bridal shower for anyone. In the days leading up to it, some people had to back out because of other commitments. (I almost backed out as well because of a family thing but thankfully I was able to push it back to this morning instead.) Rica's best friends Kristel and Nikki organized everything with the rest of Rica's entourage and we're so happy with how it all turned out. The theme of the bridal shower? Prim, proper, and private parts. (Umm, I had to use a euphemism for the last p-word as krissyfied.com is for general patronage LOL). We were asked to come in our high tea-outfits so I wore my dessert dress. Wine and vodka in tea pots and tea cups, finger sandwiches, Danish cookies, flowers, doily, and naughty fondant toppers on cupcakes. Very classy. Jomel is a very skilled baker and cake decorator! Check out his Instagram and ooh and aah over his creations! He also makes custom cakes for different occasions. Check out his website here. I don't remember what time I got up the couch to sleep on one of the rooms upstairs, I just know that I must have looked odd, not even telling them good night and that I'm going to bed. Or maybe they were too drunk and/ or sleepy to have noticed heh. I woke up this morning to this view. When Nikki and Tish woke up, we went to the hotel lobby for the breakfast buffet. More than anything else, I appreciate that we got to do this so that we can be introduced completely and be more at ease with one another before Eric and Erica's wedding which is happening less than a month from now! I am terribly shy and awfully awkward so it took a while before I was able to let loose last night, and even then I knew I still couldn't keep myself from holding back. I gave Rica a pair of Alice Blue candles: one that smells like the Yang Room in Yoga+ and another that smells like a Bohemian wedding - which is her wedding's theme. We all went home with goodie bags containing facial masks and other ahem* more adult stuff. Everyone's happy, and the most important thing? We made it a night to remember for the bride-to-be. I'd like to pat everyone on the back for a job very well done. So, Eric and Erica, let's go get you married. read more 20 September 2013 These days, being connected has already become a necessity. We rely on our gadgets to listen to music, surf the Internet, update our Twitter followers and Facebook friends as to what we're up to, take photos, and sometimes, even in the most menial of chores like taking note of things to include in the weekly grocery run. We rely on our smartphones for almost everything we need on a daily basis that losing battery juice in the middle of something important can be a nightmare to most people - my friend/ officemate Gerick is living proof. I myself use at least four different kinds of handheld devices every day and I always see to it that I have at least 50% power in them all the time. My work can get really demanding at times and it is essential that I have my phones with me in case a client or my boss calls. If in case I lose battery juice, though, I wouldn't have to worry because now I have JuiceBoxx. Lost in the middle of nowhere with no one to ask directions from except Google Maps? Very important phone call that can make or break a career/ relationship? Emergency? Or just plain ol' bored? JuiceBoxx said they've got me covered. JuiceBoxx is a revolutionary portable power bank from Canada that promises up to three times as much charging power as a traditional unit. It gives 4,000 mAh of power, giving your devices 200 additional hours of usage. It is compatible with many devices such as Blackberry, Samsung, iPhone, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, and other cellphone units. It can also be used to charge tablets, iPods, digital cameras, and portable DVD players. It comes in two variants: regular and solar. I got a solar unit in white while my friend Mike got one in black. The set contains the unit, outputs, and a user manual. I love how its solar panels can recharge it even without plugging it in! How very clever! The green LED indicators signify when a gadget is being charged. JuiceBoxx was launched in an intimate event in M Cafe earlier today. DJ Tony Toni and Luis Manzano were both really good interviewees and shared a lot of fun social media anecdotes with the press. I'm not really a fan of local show biz but I just had to have a photo with Luis. ^_^ I attended the event with my travel/ breakfast buddy Mike. He works for AXN and I figured the event would be an excellent venue to practice our networking skillz. JuiceBoxx is now available in over 85 branches of S 'n R and Puregold for a special introductory price of P999 for the regular unit and P1,999 for the solar unit. This really couldn't have come at a better time! I suggest you get yours now. This would make a perfect gift for your friends, too. Just between you and me, they said they'll come up with more colors for both the regular and solar units. ;) Nomophobia = an abbreviation for "no-mobile-phone phobia", it's irrational fear of being out of mobile phone contact. read more Too busy right meow. 19 September 2013 Yesterday was a big feat for ARC Public Relations, Inc. We launched the two new endorsers of Watsons Switch and Save - Iya Villania and Mikael Daez - at a big press event in Aracama in Fort, and I am super glad and mightily proud that even with the time constraint and multiple other challenges, we survived it! The best thing about it? As per the big bosses of Watsons, we did a great job! I've written before that even though it looks like it, a career in PR is not all glitz and glam. It takes a helluva lot of hard work, coordination, and team effort to make sure everything runs smoothly and hitches are lessened, if not completely eradicated. I'm just happy that I feel very secure in my current career and despite the many things I need to do and the level of stress that accompanies it, I am still able to manage. See, I am still able to post here two to three times a week. Friendly reminder to please check on me if I don't publish anything in two weeks, though. ;) For my outfit, I wanted something fun and youthful but not too casual. I wore my new dress that I've been saving up for a special occasion and one of the sneakers I got last Monday. I liked the contrast of the sneakers (doesn't it remind you of a Stabilo highlighter? Heehee) with the gray dress. Meanwhile... I used glittery purple and a hint of green on my shadows and my Maybelline Amethyst Ablaze on my lips. What do you think? Also, I'm glad the DIY hair dye I used three months ago still looks great. Good job, Lolane! Here are some photos with my lovely officemates. Aside from helping put the event together, we also assisted with the press kits and gifts. Bringing 80 heavy goodie bags from the 9th floor down to basement parking (in a dress, no less!) is no joke, I tell ya. I manned the registration area with Far while Rica made sure the program, spiels, and segments are queued correctly. Great job, us! On to the next one! BRB bracing myself for more events and reports. PS: We have opened slots for internships. If you're a college student who needs to do OJT for school credits and you want to experience working in a PR firm, you may email your résumé and cover letter to info[at]arcarpopr[dot]com. Thank you! read more Sneaked up on me 16 September 2013 I recently got some shopping monies so I did just like what any girl in her right mind would do: shopped for shoes. My Zalora wishlist has gotten so long already and I figured it's high time I bid its call. LOL. That being said, would you believe that it was my first time to shop at Zalora? I know, right? I mean, when it comes to impulsive shopping, I am queen. Remember the time I bought a waffle maker and fondue maker just because I craved for, yes, waffles and chocolate fondue? After five days of agonized waiting (I placed my order last Wednesday, and then weekend came), my package arrived on the guaranteed third business day. And it didn't disappoint. Oh hai durr! So, what did it contain? I thought I have maaany different kinds of flats, wedges, and heels, but only one trusted pair of sneakers. So I got something (more like three things, heh) to wear alternately with my Iron Man/ Gryffindor Hush Puppies. I am letting my sister choose a pair as my gift to her. Thank god we have the same size so we can borrow one another's shoes if needed. ;) Together with a CAVA wallet that I haven't taken a photo of yet, everything amounted to P2,863.25 only! I consider that a bargain already as I originally wanted to get a pair of red sneaks from Taylor Swift's collaboration with Keds that costs P2,995. In the end I decided against it as I am not a fan of Taylor's attitude LOL. As with other cases when I have acquired something recently, I've already built several outfits around these choices of footwear. Can't wait to wear these on casual days out! I think the first one I'll wear is the lime green pair for an event we'll have on Wednesday. Wheee! PS: I am a girly girl so never in my wildest dreams have I imagined getting excited over shoes that are considered "sporty", so please forgive my enthusiasm hee. read more I really need a day between Saturday and Sunday. 15 September 2013 Insert long and winding introduction here. These are the things that made my week. This was sent to me by The Body Shop last week but I'm including it in this list because this is what I used every day. Full review to be posted soon but for now, can I just say how I LOVE its color and how it moisturizes my lips? The How I Met Your Mother cast in the cover of Entertainment Weekly I made an internal big WHOOP! when I finally got my copy from Fully Booked in Greenbelt as I've been wanting one ever since I saw the cover online. I love How I Met Your Mother and I feel like watching its last season beginning September 23 will feel like breaking up with a long-time partner. I'm preparing the tissues as early as now. Robyn's new home After more than a year, I finally got my Samsung NC110 a case so she'll be safe and secure whenever I lug her to and from the office! This was a commissioned piece by Meream, whose handmade works I am a huge fan of. I love the "tiny town" fabric and the itty bitty purple buttons. Fresh from a Shiseido Ibuki facial and makeover I attended the Shiseido Ibuki event last Thursday and it was definitely a one-of-a-kind experience! I will share more information about what happened at the event in a future post. New skincare regimen I can't wait to try, mostly after seeing how Sophie swears by it! New shoes Yep, always a worthy addition to a "what made my week" list. Ralph plus Mike doing what he does best: make fun of me. That pose is kind of a private joke that has already become public. Last Friday, Mike and I went to Fort to have breakfast in the Toast Box branch at Ralph's office building. I love the smell of toast and tea or coffee in the morning. And even though these two always make fun of me (in a good-natured way, not in a mean way), I really appreciate how close we've become in the past few months. :) See? Mike loves making fun of me. Come lunchtime, I was also able to drag Gerick and Rica to Cafe Juanita with us. I love when my friends from different fields come together and become friends, too. One of the most awesome news I've heard this month! VIP tickets that include Meet and Greet passes(!!!) have been sold out already so I'll just sit in my corner for a while and cry (Д`)I am willing to forego watching Sugar Ray (and miss out on seeing my sixth grade self's crush Mark McGrath in the flesh) and Matchbox Twenty just to have enough monies for Tegan and Sara huhu. Thanks, Lorraine, for introducing me to their music! Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Call me the biggest loser in the land, but yesterday was my first time to watch this 2009 movie. LOVED IT. Flint Lockwood speaks to my soul. Well... If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Photo taken during the despedida party we had for Tita Tits last night. She will be migrating to the US soon, thus leaving our carpool service. She's always been nice to me so I'm going to miss greeting her good morning every work-day, but I wish her all the best. Having nothing better to do this lazy rainy afternoon, I decided to give my brushes the TLC they badly needed. My foundation and concealer brushes are the ones who've gotten the most abuse so I made sure to give them a good dose of deep cleaning. While waiting for the brushes to dry, I whipped out some of my latest makeup and did product shots for future reviews. I love this palette because the colors and micro-glitters are so pretty! Very inexpensive, too! Will reveal the brand when I post my review. Aaand that's it. Wish you all a bright and sunny week ahead! read more Subscribe to: Posts (Atom) Alliterations are amusing. Chandeliers, cheesecakes, and charm bracelets make me happy. My blog aims to spread pink, positive thoughts and pretty little things. Send me some love and kisses via [email protected]. Happy year-ender post! In just a little less than three(!) hours, clocks in my side of the world will strike 12 and we will officially say goodbye to a decade and ... I am at the stage of my life when I do not want to complicate things anymore, so I look for simple, easy, no-frills products to use while st... Book review: Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn If you're looking for a book that will keep you up until very late at night that it's early , you should read Sharp Objects by Gil...	28,727
Hundreds of people without medical insurance get free dental services from volunteer dentists and dental technicians in 2010 at the Remote Area Medical clinic inside the Los Angeles Sports Arena in Los Angeles. Damian Dovarganes/AP With multiple “Medicare for All” proposals now circulating in Congress, opportunities arise to fix past mistakes that have segregated care for our mouths and teeth from the rest of our bodies. Polling shows that today’s universal coverage efforts are driven largely by public outcry that people can’t afford the health care they need to be happy, healthy, and successful. As this robust discussion continues, it’s time to include comprehensive dental care as a standard part of health coverage. No plan can fully address consumers’ concerns without it. Regardless of income or insurer, people report more significant financial barriers to accessing dental care than any other aspect of health care — even though oral health is a crucial part of overall well-being. Untreated dental disease is linked to a variety of health issues. It can raise the risk for heart disease, make diabetes more difficult to manage, and may be linked to pregnancy complications such as premature birth. In childhood, tooth decay can harm healthy development and lead to lower grades, limiting students’ potential. In adulthood, poor oral health can impede job prospects and earnings, particularly for women. Parents’ oral health and ability to access care affects their child’s health in other ways, too. If a mother has untreated dental disease, her child is three times more likely to suffer tooth decay. And when parents lose health coverage, it jeopardizes their child’s access to care. Ensuring that all Americans have the opportunity to achieve good oral health can help families stay healthy and boost prosperity for all. Seizing the opportunity to break the silo between dental and medical coverage is not only good for kids and families, but it’s essential to reining in health care costs. The U.S. spends about $2 billion a year in dental-related visits to emergency rooms. Children in families without support to help them avoid tooth decay can end up on hospital operating tables, which can cost upwards of $15,000. Many of these expenses could be avoided by securing access to oral health coverage and preventive care for everyone in the family. Related: Watch: Episode 9: Why can’t teeth heal themselves? Despite this evidence, dental coverage for adults is not guaranteed by any federal health program. In Medicare, the basis for many universal coverage bills, seniors’ oral health care is conspicuously absent. There are efforts underway to remedy this barrier to care by adding comprehensive dental coverage to Medicare Part B. But several proposals to let younger adults buy into Medicare are based on its current set of as-yet-incomplete benefits. In Medicaid, whether low-wage adults and pregnant women have oral health benefits varies by state: Tennessee’s Medicaid program does not offer any dental coverage for adults; in Arizona, it’s limited to emergency care; Ohio and North Carolina, in contrast, offer relatively robust care. Individuals’ health should not depend on where they live. Some Medicare buy-in measures look to coverage standards set by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but they also have limitations. Oral health for kids through age 18 is baked into the benefit structure of plans adhering to ACA rules as an essential health benefit. But that coverage is often sold separately from medical plans. There’s no requirement for marketplace plans to offer any dental benefits to adults. A public coverage option based on the ACA will likely fall short for families unless new policies compel major changes, such as integrating oral health into private health insurance and expanding the ACA’s 10 essential health benefits to include dental coverage for adults. Policymakers have, over time, strengthened children’s oral health coverage in Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and private insurance. For the past two decades, kids’ coverage has steadily increased and rates of untreated tooth decay have declined. As of 2015, 9 in 10 children had comprehensive dental coverage. This is incredible progress. Related: It’s time to break down the wall between dentistry and medicine At the same time, we have much to do to protect these gains and help all children stay cavity free: 2017 was the first time in 10 years that children’s access to health coverage lost ground. And harmful disparities in oral health exist based on race, income, geography, and other factors. Improving national policies around oral health coverage and care for the whole family could help address these challenges to support every child’s health and success. Although it may be too early for one coverage expansion proposal to take root, every effort can steer the U.S. health system toward a plan that better meets the needs of all people. Especially with proposals that rely on a program as influential as Medicare, it’s essential to ensure that any universal coverage strategy doesn’t further entrench a flawed model — one that walls off one part of the body from another, or dices up coverage between children, parents, and other adults on whom kids count to help them learn and grow. Rather than replicate today’s painful, costly, and piecemeal approaches to dental and medical coverage, we should build a better future by ensuring that oral health is an integral part of future health insurance plans. Meg Booth is executive director at the Children’s Dental Health Project, a think tank based in Washington, D.C., that creates and advances policy solutions to protect children from tooth decay. About the Author Reprints insurance FDA approves first fecal microbiome drug, setting stage for others ‘Microdosing’ is touted by ’shroomers and Reddit users. Science… ‘Microdosing’ is touted by ’shroomers and Reddit users. Science is starting to test their claims —… Recommended Congress: Close the gap between funding for nutrition research… Congress: Close the gap between funding for nutrition research and the toll diet-related disease takes on… The U.S. doesn’t need a new ‘essential hospital’ designation The U.S. doesn’t need a new ‘essential hospital’ designation Comment by tenaz g on February 16, 2020 at 9:21 pm Thank you for this information. Honestly, it’s shameful that there is not better dental coverage in this country. I take care of my teeth very well (brush, floss, blah, blah), and I STILL have problems. I believe that a lot has to do with your DNA. if you are lucky enough to have Smylen in your city (I know it is in nyc for sure), it is definitely the best way to get low cost dental. I have used it for a few fillings and root canals + crowns, and have saved a few thousand bucks for sure. I have no dental insurance so it’s always been really hard. I know that most folks probably would be too nervous to negotiate a price with a dentist, so this basically does that for you. David S says: Comment by David S on November 12, 2019 at 5:13 am Why is he ACA excludig dental care then? Is it all about money, or the elitist hope of further victimizingthe working middleclass, elderly and most vulnerable. Why cant we all accep everyone as valuable hum adddnbeing? Equal opportunity is a lie, it does not exist. Comment by Isabelle on May 23, 2019 at 5:57 am I think Boulevard dental group provides the most qualified and professional dentists in California. Visit there website for more details https://dentistpalmdale.com/ Comment by Dr. Bhutani Dental Clinic on April 23, 2019 at 5:38 am Thanks for the information. Yeah! It is mandatory to brush and floss your teeth on a regular basis to stay away from Oral diseases. Read some tips to maintain your dental health and hygiene here:- http://www.drbhutanidentalclinic.com/blog/important-tips-on-dental-health-and-hygiene/ Comment by Catherine Dunn on April 14, 2019 at 3:57 pm The significance of oral hygiene is as important as any serious health care protocol. Our overall health issues begin and end with our access to the dental profession. Our entire body, is a reflection on the way that we care for our oral health. Comment by Deborah A Fuller on April 11, 2019 at 6:46 pm I am paying about $17 a month for dental ins. with Humana Medicare. I still can’t go to the dentist because I can’t afford the copayment. After paying my Bill’s each month I don’t have any money left over to pay to have my teeth fixed. I was told several years ago that I have gum disease and need extensive cleaning. I also have about 4 teeth that have the fillings fallen out of and I get toothaches all the time. My front tooth is a porcelain crown that has a crack in it. It hurts when I brush it and at other times. I hate my smile and it makes my self image worse. I already suffer from bipolar b and this doesn’t help. I have something wrong with my heart. I used to have to take antibiotics every time I had dental work but they changed the rules. I’m afraid the gum disease is going to give me a heart attack. I already had an abscess once from one of my bad teeth. I was able to get some amoxcillian at a Mexican drug store and the abscess went away. I wish Medicare would pay for dental. They don’t care if we die or not. Deborah Fuller P.S. I’m going to cancel my ins. because it is a joke the amount they pay. Comment by Kimberly Wasylina on April 12, 2019 at 9:42 pm I know exactly how you feel and it’s so disgusting to me that our government has let this go on for so long. Teeth are apart of our bodies and to exclude them from health insurance is the most asinine thing ever. How did this ever happen, who is the idiot that excluded teeth/dental from health insurance in the first place? What makes me so irate is the fact that people on Medicaid/Welfare have dental coverage for their children and probably for themselves too and some of these recipients have never worked a day in their lives! Even illegal immigrants get free dental care, hell they get free everything that’s why they keep coming over here in droves. I have paid into medicare for over 40 years and I don’t understand why I am paying 140./mo. for coverage? Yes, I too can’t even go to a damn doctor because I can’t afford the co-pays. These idiots that are in charge of Medicare don’t have a clue that 30.00 to 80.00 co-pays are out of the question when the only income you have is SS or SSD because that is just pocket change to them. I have suffered, for going on 10 years without the urgent dental care that I need. I’ve tweeted about this very issue too, many times, wondering why the hell teeth are not included in overall health insurance, they act like any dental work is all cosmetic or something. You can bet your bottom dollar that government employees have full dental coverage on top of voting to give themselves raises all the time while we suffer. I don’t want a separate dental ins. policy/rider or any damn discount plan, I want full dental coverage included right in my health insurance policy because teeth are apart of our bodies/health, enough of this nonsense. I pray to God this bill is passed and enacted ASAP! Comment by Kimberly Clark Wasylina on April 11, 2019 at 2:34 pm I have for years been questioning what is the asinine sense of keeping dental separate from health care coverage! We don’t have to seek out separate coverage for our hearts, kidneys, or any other organ/body parts. Also, why is it that some states cover full dental coverage for Medicaid recipients who a lot of them have never worked a day in their lives for whatever reason that may be. Here, if you live in Ohio or some other state they get full dental coverage opposed to living in other states. The people who HAVE actually worked all of their lives and are on SS or SSD have NO dental coverage. NO one knows how seriously irate this makes me. Children of Medicaid recipients get full dental coverage, full orthodontic care – FREE braces on their teeth whereas I had to pay 10k for my child’s because I was a hard working responsible person who actually contributed to society and paid taxes in which paid for these people’s free dental care. Now here I am at 60 yrs old and disabled after working all my life and have to suffer every single day because I cannot afford to see a dentist to get the care that is needed, like NOW. Thank you so very much to the idiots who allow this to happen and keep happening. Comment by Deborah A Fuller on April 11, 2019 at 6:49 pm Amen to that! Rand Bl says: Comment by Rand Bl on April 11, 2019 at 10:28 am Also, even the excellent VA health insurance, here in Socal, omits covering dental care. Why? My husband regularly visits the Jerry Pettis VA Hospital in Loma Linda. He’s had several surgeries and has regular check ups every 6 months with the same Dr. He also has NO TEETH! I order antibiotics online to fight infections. It makes no sense to me! Dental health is critical to overall health! Comment by Kimberly Wasylina on April 12, 2019 at 10:03 pm How shameful of our government to not even give our veterans dental insurance, my God, can it seriously get any more pathetic than this? These people who sacrificed so much for our freedom and put their lives on the line and we can’t even give them dental insurance? I swear this country is getting worse and worse, we take better care of illegal immigrants than we do our own veterans who served our country! We have some of our own citizens sleeping on the streets going hungry yet we can give illegal immigrants rent free homes/apts., food, and full dental and health care! Some of these people who are homeless work but they cannot afford to pay rent due to the lack of a living wage and lack of affordable housing. You want to know why we have such a shortage or affordable housing? Illegal immigrants. There needs to be some kind of uprising in our country and put our feet down because what is going on is absolutely disgusting and totally asinine. The damn liberals and the elite 1% talk of how inhumane it is to keep illegals out and all this other crap, because it does not affect them in the least. I am sick and tired of these idiots looking out for illegals but could care less about our own mentally ill homeless people going w/o everything! These people are draining us, draining our affordable housing, draining our social services/welfare systems, etc., whereas the money spent on them should be for our own citizens. This is why they keep coming here, because it’s all FREE for them and the money they earn from working gets sent back to where they came from to their other family members. I worked at a mfg. co. for years and there were a lot of Mexican men who worked there and they were married with children, the women were getting welfare, free health ins. and food stamps because they would tell the welfare that the husband ran off, they were living better than us. Comment by Karla Gierer on April 11, 2019 at 6:05 am I am on Medicare Disability which I received due to 3 County workers were drunk while driving and working. However I was in Sales and also working and was hit by these individuals. In 1999 that I finally got my Medicare Disability yet for the last 10 years I have been suffering with dental problems and infections and very I’ll and have no money to to get help. I have tried everything. Either you have to be dirt poor to get help, or have no insurance at all, or be on a 2 to 5 year waiting list, or if you make maybe $50.00 over the income limit you can’t get help. I will probably die of infection that will go to my heart and die. My whole month over the years is bad and I can’t hardly eat. Yet as the CDC regulates everything now we live in pain and they don’t want people to have to many antibiotics so pretty much they want people to die!! What’s wrong with Our Country and Government and all the Wealthy non caring people that have had something happen by no fault of their own??? Rand Bl says: Comment by Rand Bl on April 11, 2019 at 10:41 am Try Fish Mox. It’s amoxicillin. Affordable too. My daughter, years ago, worked at a pet store. She told me that several customers bought the antibiotics for themselves, not their pets. When my husband started having dental problems, I borrowed some amoxcillin from my daughter. I remembered her telling me about the amox for pets. I ordered some online from a pet med supplier, about $35, and imagine my surprise when the capsules were IDENTICAL to the pharmacy ones my daughter had given me! Please order some! I always have them on hand now for my husband. Seriously!! Comments are closed. Congress: Close the gap between funding for nutrition research and the toll diet-related disease takes on Americans	17,526
The House Select Committee on the January 6 attacks got underway in July, when members of the Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police force in Washington, D.C., testified in vivid detail about what they endured as an angry mob fought its way into the Capitol. Here was Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gunnell. AQUILINO GUNNELL: For the first time, I was more afraid to work at the Capitol in my entire deployment to Iraq. CHANG: Now, there have been other public hearings since then, and various details have spilled out occasionally, like when the House voted to hold former White House adviser Steve Bannon in criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena. But for the most part, the committee's work has largely unfolded behind closed doors, and it's hard for Americans to get a full appreciation for what lawmakers are learning. Democratic Congressman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi chairs the committee, and he joins us now. BENNIE THOMPSON: Thank you for having me. CHANG: All right. So the ultimate goal of your committee is to get to the bottom of what happened on January 6, so to understand why and how it happened, and I assume it's to keep it from happening again. But are you confident at this point that you can fully understand the why and the how? THOMPSON: Well, again, thank you for having me. Let me say that we are fully committed to getting to the facts and circumstances that brought January 6 about. We have a fully staffed operation. We are issuing subpoenas, requests for documents and doing everything humanly and physically possible to get to the bottom of the facts. So we're working hard. CHANG: That said, your committee has encountered a lot of resistance from people that you have called to testify. I mentioned Steve Bannon already, but former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows was supposed to testify earlier this month, as well as Kash Patel, who's a former Department of Defense official. Tell me, are you getting any closer to getting them to show up and answer your questions? THOMPSON: Well, we are negotiating with those three individuals you named along with others. We have depositions scheduled for a number of people over the next two months. And we are doing our work. No one said it would be easy. And let me tell you, this is the work that we've been tasked to do. We are doing it. But believe me, for those individuals who tried to stop our democracy from doing constitutionally what they are required to do, this is hard work. CHANG: Well, how many - let me ask you, Congressman, how many actual depositions has your committee been able to take so far? Any? THOMPSON: Yes. We have taken a number of depositions. We have a number of depositions scheduled. We are on a weekly basis issuing additional subpoenas for documents as well as individuals to come before the committee. This is what we will probably be doing for the better part of this year and into next year, conceivably, to get the work done. CHANG: Well, let's talk about another potential witness. You have said that nobody is off limits, including former President Trump. Has your committee decided on whether you will subpoena former President Trump? THOMPSON: No, we have not at this point. But that statement that I made is absolutely true. Members of Congress, the former president of the United States - if, in fact, there's evidence that we feel is germane to our body of work, we will absolutely bring those individuals before our committee, either by a subpoena, in a hearing or a deposition to get the circumstances. THOMPSON: What we've seen the develop is a combination of activities by a number of people that we think contributed to what's called the Big Lie. And in order to make this an accurate statement and body of work, it's requiring a lot of in-depth review. CHANG: Right. And meanwhile, the former president has filed a lawsuit against your committee and the National Archives. You've been personally named as a defendant in that lawsuit. They want to block the release of any records from the Trump administration relating to the Capitol insurrection. Can you talk about - in just the last 30 seconds that we have left, I'm so sorry, Congressman - how is that lawsuit impacting your work right now? THOMPSON: Well, it's typical Donald Trump strategy. We will defend the lawsuit. We are in good standing in the lawsuit. The law is on our side. We'll have our day in court. So will former President Trump. And it will be up to the judge. But we feel very good. Thank you very much for joining us today. THOMPSON: Thank you for having me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. Ailsa Chang is an award-winning journalist who hosts All Things Considered along with Ari Shapiro, Audie Cornish, and Mary Louise Kelly. She landed in public radio after practicing law for a few years. See stories by Ailsa Chang Sam Gringlas is a journalist at NPR's All Things Considered. In 2020, he helped cover the presidential election with NPR's Washington Desk and has also reported for NPR's business desk covering the workforce. He's produced and reported with NPR from across the country, as well as China and Mexico, covering topics like politics, trade, the environment, immigration and breaking news. He started as an intern at All Things Considered after graduating with a public policy degree from the University of Michigan, where he was the managing news editor at The Michigan Daily. He's a native Michigander. See stories by Sam Gringlas Courtney Dorning has been a Senior Editor for NPR's All Things Considered since November 2018. In that role, she's the lead editor for the daily show. Dorning is responsible for newsmaker interviews, lead news segments and the small, quirky features that are a hallmark of the network's flagship afternoon magazine program.	6,026
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When Dennis Cote, the capable and caring Director of Emergency Services for 1-800-BoardUp, arrives at the scene of any disaster, you can guarantee that his focus is on the safety and well-being of those victims whose lives have been turned upside-down. Through his twenty-eight years as a firefighter—most as Chief Fire Officer—and through his calm and compassionate demeanor, Dennis has provided countless victims with the strength and guidance needed in order to reclaim their lives. BoardUp is a nationally renowned victim assistance and disaster recovery business, where empathy blends seamlessly with experience. Throughout the years, Dennis has established solid relationships with community firefighters and first responders. “When I show up on scene, everyone knows that the victims—those men, women, and families affected by a disaster—will be taken care of and never taken advantage of.” In one instance, a fire that caused extensive smoke damage in an apartment complex, the Red Cross had not shown up by the time Dennis arrived. With one phone call, Dennis had secured fourteen rooms at a local hotel, obtained a firefighter to accompany the victims into their apartments to collect any overnight belongings that were salvageable, and met the victims at the hotel to offer any further 1-800-BoardUp assistance. “Money was never part of this equation…this was simply BoardUp at its finest. And to add yet another bright layer to this compelling story, Insurcomm had the tenets back into clean and deodorized apartments within three days!” Through 1-800-BoardUp, Dennis has assisted innumerable families, including veterans and their service dogs. In one such case, Dennis and the good people at Insurcomm even went as far as to contact the Easter Seals Military Veterans Programs to reclaim citations, medals, medications, and even a flag that had been lost in a fire. “It’s an honor to help restore the life and well-being of someone who has served our country.” In other instances—quite common in disaster relief—1-800-BoardUp prevented secondary damage, which insurance companies welcome and value, by winterizing pipes; securing tarps overheating units, windows, doors, and rooftops; pumping water out from foundations; and removing trees. “Regardless of your insurance or your ability to pay, we want to take care of you as if you were a member of our family.” Most recently, 1-800-BoardUp and Insurcomm have teamed up to help raise money for the Seacoast Fire Chief’s Association Golf Tournament, which takes place on Friday, June 2, at the renowned Pease Country Club. All proceeds from this tournament will help ensure that firefighters in over forty communities have the necessary funds to provide the best of educational programs and training. “This is a fun and important event where all money raised ultimately benefits the citizens of this great state.” If you need the best and most comprehensive of victim services; if you need board up; if you need emergency power; if you need shoring and stabilization; if you need temporary fencing; or if you need a simple toothbrush and great advice on how to put the pieces of your life back together after any type of disaster, then 1-800-BoardUp is your first and final phone call. Allow Dennis Cote, and his extraordinary wealth of knowledge, to assist you in your time of need. Posted on January 1, 2018 at 1:38 pm. The American Dream of owning a home or owning a business has certain unpleasant realities that lurk in its shadow—such as fire, water, storm, and mold damage—and such realities are exactly why we exist. Insurcomm is New England’s Leading Restoration Company. From start to finish, we are your one point of contact, as we have an experienced and certified staff of employees to serve your every need. We also have a brand new, state-of-the-art building—located in Portsmouth, NH from which to conduct operations. From fire, water, storm, mold, biohazard, and asbestos cleanup and repair to contents cleaning, deodorizing, and storage, Insurcomm works hard to keep your American Dream alive and well. At Insurcomm, we pride ourselves on being your first and final phone call when catastrophe strikes. Fire damage cleanup is oftentimes more extensive than one realizes, as flames can char walls and ceilings and floors, and the heat from flames can melt furniture and fixtures from thirty feet away. Smoke from a fire can blacken personal items such as appliances, rugs, and pictures, and the odor from a fire can permeate the entire structure. When your local and brave firefighters leave the scene, Insurcomm remains with you— and works together with you and your insurance company—until your home, and those personal belongings that were salvageable, is restored back to its original, if not better, condition. A trusted Insurcomm team of certified experts will set a remediation and restoration plan in motion that includes working with your insurance company on your behalf, removing all debris, storing and cleaning all salvageable furnishings and personal items, and providing in-house and highly skilled tradesmen to complete your carpentry, roofing, plumbing, and electric needs. From start to finish, Insurcomm is your one point of contact. Water damage due to storms, burst pipes, faulty sewer lines, foundation cracks, or leaky roofs and windows can wreak havoc on your home, and Insurcomm’s cleanup and repair teams are second to none. We have the knowledge and the equipment to clean and repair carpets, wood floors, baseboards, walls, ceilings, and personal items, and our experts are on call and at your service 24/7. At Insurcomm, we understand that every water damage situation requires a rapid response in order to stabilize the loss, as well as the latest in diagnostic tools, water extraction methodology, and drying equipment. For over twenty years, we have helped customers like you solve any and all water related problems. What separates us from our competition is that we have an experience base of over two decades; we have a solid reputation as a caring, trusted, and professional organization; and we provide a one-point-of-contact experience. From the moment we are on the scene, Insurcomm provides all service necessary—from cleanup to restoration—to ensure that you are completely satisfied with a job well done! At Insurcomm, we know all too well that mold is a four-letter word, and we offer the best, most thorough, and most advanced mold remediation service in all of New England. Mold growth due to moisture buildup or water and flood damage can spread throughout walls, ceilings, attics, and basements at a rapid pace, causing structural damage to your home or commercial building. For the home or business owner, mold can cause sickness and serious allergic reactions. If you see or smell mold, you must act quickly in order to prevent further damage to your health and your home by calling 844-ICI-MOLD at any time of the day or night. Using the latest technology—including HEPA vacuums, biocide detergents, negative air pressure, and mold-inhibiting protective coatings—our certified specialists will enact a proven plan of containment, removal, storage, and cleaning. For your peace of mind, we also provide an experienced team of in-house reconstruction craftsmen, and we offer the replacement of affected utilities and appliances. When mold rears its ugly face, Insurcomm is your trusted one point of contact! Water, mold damage, and a wide array of serious repair and cleanup conditions can easily be the result of nature’s wrath, so when a storm causes destruction to your home or commercial building, Insurcomm is just a quick phone call away. We have the best cleanup, repair, storage, and restoration services in New England and have proudly helped property owners for 20+ years. Our certified disaster preparedness teams work with your insurance company on your behalf to handle any and all situations—from tree, roof, window, siding, or chimney repair, all the way to the complete destruction of a structure, we get the job done right and we work to eliminate your worry. Insurcomm provides emergency board up of doors and windows, roof and siding tarps, removal of fallen trees and debris, generators, content cleanup and storage, and reconstruction and restoration services. But what truly distinguishes us from our competitors is that we also provide our customers with anything from a toothbrush to meal certificates to sound advice from experts in the field, because we know that small and personal gestures go a long way when disaster strikes. At Insurcomm, we care deeply for those we serve, and we always aim to please. Many home or building disasters require the vital services of Insurcomm’s 1-800-BoardUp experts. These seasoned and respected emergency responders, who work out of our newly constructed Portsmouth facility, are at your service to provide victim support such as temporary housing, loner cell phones, hygiene and PPE kits, pet services, and educational literature. They also work to secure your property while communicating and coordinating seamlessly with other Insurcomm divisions to ensure your complete peace of mind. 1-800-BoardUp is a nationally recognized company that has provided the very best emergency support for victims of disasters, and we are proud to provide this A+ Rated (by the Better Business Bureau) service to our valued customers. The goal during any traumatic occurrence is to provide families and/or business owners with helpful, capable, timely, and professional service by offering resources and recommendations that will assist in support and recovery. At Insurcomm, your every need is our concern, and we work diligently and tirelessly to restore what was once whole and help put the pieces of a productive and healthy life back together again. When fire, water, mold, or storm damage occurs, Insurcomm not only provides the most efficient, thorough, caring, and professional cleanup and restoration services, but we also have the best contents restoration and storage system in the northeast. In essence, your personal belongings must be taken care of in a professional and secure manner, and we go to great lengths to ensure such an experience. Using our ultramodern Ultrasonic Cleaning Station, we clean and restore your belongings to the highest of standards, even hand washing items when necessary. Rugs and carpets are cleaned, deodorized, and dried in yet another of our state-of-the-art machines. Once our technicians finish cleaning and drying your belongings, they bubble wrap and place them perfectly in white boxes, which are then positioned inside our clean and secured storage vaults, also housed on-site in our climate controlled facility. If a total Pack Out is required, we inventory all of your belongings and house them under 24/7 video surveillance. The bottom line is that when you call Insurcomm during difficult times, you can rest comfortably knowing that everything—from cleanup to construction to contents—is handled perfectly, professionally, and securely by a business that cares. There are many unfortunate and serious situations that require the attention of certified biohazard experts, and Insurcomm has the experience, the equipment, and the personal to handle any such circumstance. According to the Center for Disease Control, there are four levels of biohazards that begin with agents that pose a minimal threat to humans and the environment, and end with pathogens that pose a high risk of life-threatening disease. At Insurcomm, your safety is our concern and we pride ourselves on protecting our clients and our employees throughout the entire cleanup and restoration process. Biohazard environments include blood and bodily fluid spills from laboratories, crime scenes, suicide scenes, and automobile accidents, and we have the proven protocols—that are in accordance with OSHA and EPA regulations—to remove, clean, and restore any setting back to its original condition. Perhaps the greatest words we have received came from a client whose relative had passed and gone unnoticed in their home for nearly a week: “I was saddened and overwhelmed at the untimely death of my father, and I was so thankful for the compassion, respect, and professionalism that the Insurcomm team provided.” These are the sentiments we at Insurcomm strive for when working for you in your time of need. Asbestos was once thought to be the miracle fiber, and it was used for everything from fire and sound proofing to insulating homes. Siding and roofing products, heating and air conditioning ducts, hot water tanks, pipe insulation, stucco and plaster…asbestos can be found everywhere. By the 1960’s, serious diseases were being caused by asbestos, and by 1990 the EPA banned most uses of asbestos. The good news is that Insurcomm has an in-house staff of certified personnel who possess the depth of experience required to assess and remove this microscopic and dangerous substance. Once recognized, our protocol for asbestos remediation includes quarantining the affected area off, filing the appropriate paperwork with the state and the EPA, and securing all necessary permits for remediation. To avoid any conflict of interest, a third party is hired to conduct all testing and to write the abatement plan, a plan we then follow to standard. The proper handling of asbestos requires knowledge, skill, and resources, and Insurcomm is prepared, and available around the clock, to solve your asbestos problem. Specializing in fire, water, and storm damage cleanup and restoration, mold and asbestos remediation, biohazard cleanup, contents restoration and storage, remodeling, and reconstruction—and possessing an experienced, certified, and professional staff of employees—Insurcomm is quickly becoming New England’s leading, and one point of contact, restoration contractor. The Insurcomm Difference centers on complete customer satisfaction, and this begins with the initial phone call for service and ends with peace of mind and a job well done! We make sure that your every need is met during troubling times by a staff that genuinely cares about you and the work they provide. Your home, your family, your building, your business—your American Dream—is alive and well, and in good hands, when Insurcomm is on the job. How Did You Hear About Us?* Insurance Other Comments This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Δ Recent Posts September Is National Preparedness Month Continuing Education Class Schedule For 2022 Community Insurance Continuing Education Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars by our customers Proud Member of CORE Elite We are the ONLY restoration company in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine to be recognized as a member of CORE Elite: The property restoration industry’s most exclusive membership offering. PLUS, we work with ALL insurance companies and regarded as New England's leading restoration contractor, possessing a variety of key in-house services. Education Insurcomm presents an ongoing and dynamic curriculum of educational programs for insurance adjusters, agents, property managers, and owners. Insurcomm, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Insurcomm offers competitive pay, advancement opportunities, medical and dental coverage, 401K, vacation, paid holidays, and a wonderful work environment. We’re making headlines and we want to tell you all about it. Enjoy articles about the progress, challenges, and triumphs that face our Insurcomm team and this fascinating industry.	16,327
At Aspen Beauty Academy of Laurel, we are committed to providing a quality education in a hands-on, supportive and motivating environment that prepares our graduates for licensure with the skills necessary to excel and prosper in the field of cosmetology. Population: 55 Tuition: $15,400 Housing: $0 Other Colleges in Maryland Rate your dorm at Aspen Beauty Academy of Laurel Did you stay in the best dorm at Aspen Beauty Academy of Laurel? Leave a review to help other students figure out where they should live. Let everyone know why they should live in the best dorm at your school!	598
Hello! My name is Paula and I blog over at The Geeky Shopaholic. I write about all the things that I enjoy and find interesting. And one of my favorite things in life is shopping! Obviously, it's in my blog title after all! Because I love clothes so much, I read a lot of style books. I've learned so much from them, even if I feel like they're written for people with a different lifestyle than me. I'm just an average girl, and most style books seem to be written for people who live fancy lives. Over many years, I've learned a lot about style from trial and error. And so I want to share some of that with you, and hopefully, it will make your fashion journey a little easier. The first thing that you need to do is be realistic about the clothes you actually wear. We all have this fantasy version of ourselves. Maybe you see yourself as edgy or bohemian, but when you purchase those kinds of items, you never wear them. I always saw myself wearing cute stiletto heels, and well-cut blazers with my jeans, when in reality I'm more ballet flats and cardigans. So, all those heels and blazers I bought? They just sat in the closet never worn. Just because you love a certain look, doesn't mean you'll actually wear it. So think about the clothes that you actually wear. The ones you go to over and over again. How would you describe them? Feminine? Tomboyish? Classic? Modern? Think about these adjectives when you're shopping. If a piece doesn't fit those terms, maybe it isn't for you. I think peasant tops are so pretty, but I would buy them and never wear them. And it was because they weren't really me! Building your perfect wardrobe is a journey! And on my own journey, I learned that the pieces that are me are simple, casual, classic pieces with a hint of nerd. Second, consider the events you regularly attend? For me, it's things like church, weddings, showers, and girl's nights out. So, I keep items in my wardrobe that I know will be appropriate for those occasions. I have no need for formal wear, but maybe you attend several formal events a year, so it would be worth it to you to have a few pieces in your wardrobe. This is one reason that all style books suggest owning a Little Black Dress! Third, consider where you live. I love all these cute layered looks that I see a lot of style bloggers wear in Spring and Summer, but I live in Tennessee. It's way too hot for that! I've learned that if I have to layer something I won't wear it because it just feels too hot and complicated. Now, let go of fantasy style and be honest with yourself, that's when you can start to build your perfect wardrobe. Don't expect it to happen overnight. It's a process! And if you allow it, it can be a fun one! Here are a few more tips to help you along your journey. There's a lot of wisdom in the advice to not buy a piece of clothing unless you can think of at least three pieces already in your wardrobe that it will go with. If you have to buy a top to go with that skirt, is it really a good piece for your wardrobe? Sometimes the answer might be yes, but most often it will be no. Consider a work uniform. I actually have to wear a uniform to work. And you know what? I love it! It makes getting ready for work a breeze. And there's actually a lot of research that shows that having a uniform helps reduce decision fatigue. So, consider having some go-to looks for work. Maybe you won't wear that uniform every day, but you can use it on the days you need to conserve your decision making energy. Find pieces that make you feel hot! I love skinny jeans! When I wear them I feel cute, stylish, and hot! Every woman needs that piece that makes her feel wonderful! For you, maybe it's cute shoes or a certain style of blouse. If you don't have it yet, keep looking for that item that makes you feel like your best self. Learn what works for you. I use to think that having clothes in a lot of different colors meant having a more complete wardrobe. But I've since learned that this isn't true! I would end up ignoring the colors that I didn't truly love in favor of the ones I do. Now that I have a smaller color palette, I'm actually wearing more of my clothes! I love pinks, corals, navy, and plums. And if there is a color that you love, but you feel looks horrible on you, try using that color in an accessory. I love yellow, but most shades of it wash me out, so I buy yellow purses and shoes to get my fix! I've also learned what patterns I'm drawn to - I love polka dots, stripes, plaids, and florals. Patterns like paisleys, abstracts, even most animal prints aren't for me. So, don't just think about the patterns you love, consider the ones you don't. This will help you narrow down which ones work for you. Don't skimp on the key pieces. There are two items that you shouldn't skimp on - shoes and bras! Why? Because these are two areas that need the most support! I'm not going to tell you how much to spend, but always get the best that you can afford. You also should get a professional bra fitting. Every stylebook says so! But how many of us actually listen to this advice? I know I didn't for years! Last year, I finally went for my first bra fitting. For the first time I feel like I'm wearing a bra that truly supports me, and it is the best thing ever! On those days that you just want to lounge around the house, what are you wearing? Is it something that you'd be embarrassed to open the door in? Does it make you feel frumpy? I use to lounge in clothes like that too. But I hated how they made me feel. Even though I'm just laying around the house doesn't mean I want to feel like a slob. So, I started investing in cuter loungewear. Just simple t-shirts, yoga/sweat pants, and tanks tops, but they're cute, and stain/hole free. And they make me feel good! After all this, is my wardrobe perfect now? No, because I still make mistakes. Like I said earlier, this is a journey. And with every step, my wardrobe has become a better reflection of who I am, which is what we all truly want from our wardrobes. So what about you? Tell me about your style journey? What have you learned along the way? About the Author: Paula is a geeky writer who loves to blog, read, shop, travel, and obsess about SuperWhoLock. She enjoys cuddling with her boyfriend, being Mom to her Chihuahua, and Netflix marathons. Paula would most likely be sorted into Hufflepuff. Kristan July 19, 2016 at 12:24 PM This is a great post! Definitely pinning it to my style and capsule wardrobe boards. Love all these tps!! ReplyDelete Replies Paula@The Geeky Shopaholic July 19, 2016 at 8:05 PM Thank you! I'm glad that you enjoyed it! Delete Replies Lindsay July 19, 2016 at 12:38 PM LOVE this post! Every single one of these tips really work. I did a major wardrobe edit earlier in the year and I considered everything you mentioned here. ReplyDelete Replies Paula@The Geeky Shopaholic July 19, 2016 at 8:05 PM Delete Replies Renee Alexis July 19, 2016 at 8:24 PM I am an engineer, too, and shopping for clothes is one of my stress reliever. This is a good read, thanks for sharing your thoughts! ReplyDelete Replies Paula@The Geeky Shopaholic July 20, 2016 at 12:01 PM Thanks! And shopping is one of my stress relievers too! Delete Replies Unknown July 20, 2016 at 7:26 AM ReplyDelete Replies Paula@The Geeky Shopaholic July 20, 2016 at 12:01 PM Delete Replies ConciergeLibrarian July 20, 2016 at 7:30 AM These suggestions make perfect sense. Also these are suggestions that can easily be put into place. ReplyDelete Replies Paula@The Geeky Shopaholic July 20, 2016 at 12:02 PM I'm glad that you found them helpful! :) Delete Replies Laura July 20, 2016 at 9:02 AM I just bought a bunch of new underwear because it really is important to have nice stuff, you have to wear it everyday! Also totally agree it's important to invest in clothes that work for your environment. Laura \| Laura Aime Vous ReplyDelete Replies Paula@The Geeky Shopaholic July 20, 2016 at 12:03 PM Yes! Definitely gotta have good underwear! It's the foundation of your wardrobe! :) Delete Replies Jenn@KreativeKouple July 20, 2016 at 9:55 AM Thanks for the great advice! I grew up with two sisters whose complexions are completely different than mine. I thought I could wear the same colors and styles as them and wondered why I didn't look as good. A few years ago, I found a program called Dressing Your Truth that helped my identify my best colors and styles. I have never been happier with my wardrobe choices, but it took me years to figure it out. Thank you for providing this type of information to those out there who may be in a similar situation. :) ReplyDelete Replies Paula@The Geeky Shopaholic July 20, 2016 at 12:05 PM Thank you! My sister and I have completely different complexions as well. And completely different taste in clothes! Delete Replies Shani Ogden July 20, 2016 at 6:30 PM Great advice! I am still trying to figure out the balance between what I wish I could wear and what is realistic, but I'm getting closer! ReplyDelete Replies Paula@The Geeky Shopaholic July 22, 2016 at 9:19 AM I'm definitely doing better about this, but it sure took a while! Delete Replies Unknown July 20, 2016 at 10:16 PM Definitely great tips. I hate wearing a uniform to work! haha. And you are SO right about shoes and bras. Totally worth the extra buck for good ones. ReplyDelete Replies Paula@The Geeky Shopaholic July 22, 2016 at 9:19 AM Yes they are! Thank you! Delete Replies Mica July 21, 2016 at 2:09 AM Such great advice! :) I find it so interesting when I look up on the blog to see when I last wore something - as often I'm not wearing pieces as frequently as I think! Making sure I'm buying things I will wear right away has made a big difference, as I'm not just buying pretty but impractical things just because I like them. ReplyDelete Replies Paula@The Geeky Shopaholic July 22, 2016 at 9:20 AM This is something that I've struggles with too! But I'm learning! Delete Replies Leah @ Everyday Love July 21, 2016 at 7:39 AM These are great tips, I need to be better about mixing and matching pieces! ReplyDelete Replies Paula@The Geeky Shopaholic July 22, 2016 at 9:21 AM It definitely takes your wardrobe to a whole new level when you do! Delete Replies A-blog-for-thoughts July 21, 2016 at 11:24 AM This is amazing ! The 'Be realistic' tip would have worked wonders for me 3 years ago when I had a short pixie cut, and thought I'd dress girly but never actually wore the clothes that I bought ! -Aby ReplyDelete Replies Paula@The Geeky Shopaholic July 22, 2016 at 9:22 AM Lol That's me with with my peasant style clothes! Thank you! Delete Replies Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom ) 20-something Civil Engineer who can talk about pretty much anything. I love Jesus, turtles, pretending to work out, and breakfast for dinner. Inspiring others since 2015. Let's Get Social columbus dating favorites fitness food goals health life lifestyle music organization review social media travel	11,543
For the reason that I just feel like drawing plants for this project, I was torn between doing fantasy and activism because while I wanted to do a fantasy, plants are very easily associated with topics of sustainability. I then thought, why not create an activist’s fantasy? Or… not so much an activist but just an avid plant potter. With my indecisiveness, I created two user personas. Thankfully I made a decision in the end, going with the second one (Jazzy). Again, being indecisive, I created a few mood boards to see which styles would be more fitting for my ideas. After going through my thumbnail sketches, I am most likely going with a tarot card style with a hint of Alice in Wonderland surrealism. However, I still plan to take inspirations in different parts of the first three mood boards, like colour scheme from the first, art style from the second, and composition from the third. Please don’t @ me if I change my mind. THUMBNAIL SKETCHES The general concept that runs across most if not all my thumbnails is simply the story of my mother who has been trying very hard and failing to propagate some Peace Lily plants, because they keep burning in this Singapore weather. Her fantasy would hence be a world where Peace Lilies would grow in this hot sun. These were the three selected thumbnails to work on. The first one had the strongest concept, while the other two were more visually appealing. If you look at the potted Peace Lily upright, it would show that the flowers are dying, but as a whole image with the pot upside down, the dead flowers are actually rising up towards the sun. A small figure in a giant Peace Lily forest. Third: This entry was posted in My Work, Process and tagged activism, fantasy, illustration, peace lilies, plants on March 2, 2020 by dion.	1,893
WantedDesign is a platform dedicated to promoting design and fostering the local and international creative community throughout the year. How Tarkett is Setting New Industry Standards with Human-Conscious Design July 19, 2021 How Tarkett is Setting New Industry Standards with Human-Conscious Design July 19, 2021 WantedDesign interviews Roxane Spears, VP Sustainability North America at Tarkett, for insights into how companies can commit to the circular economy With sustainability becoming an essential part of doing business, how do design companies incorporate the principles of the circular economy and social responsibility into their overall planning as well as day-to-day practices? Tarkett, our fantastic partner for the 2021 “Neo-Nature” Design Schools Workshop, has been setting industry standards for years. We spoke with Roxane Spears, Vice President Sustainability North America for Tarkett, to learn more about the international flooring company’s sustainability initiatives. WantedDesign: You lead sustainability initiatives at Tarkett. Can you share the priorities and most important actions/steps that a company like Tarkett can take? Roxane Spears: As an international flooring manufacture, we have made sustainability a high priority. Tarkett’s commitment to sustainability focuses around 3 initiatives: Health & Wellness, Climate & Circular Resources and Social Responsibility. I think as a company you need to make a holistic commitment to make an impact for change. As we set goals for each initiative, we look at the impact on both people and planet. This is important to Tarkett as we want to not only reduce our impact but have a positive impact for future generations. We have made a global commitment to sustainability through our own initiatives and through the United Nations Global Compact. Tarkett was an early signatory, 2010, for the United Nations Global Compact. Being a signatory meant we committed ourselves to helping to achieve the UN Sustainability Development Goals and reporting on how we were advancing our commitment to these goals. We reached the UN Global Compact’s Advanced level in 2012. Only 11% of the organizations participating have reached this level. To reach this level, we must report on our continued improvement and advancement in achieving the goals of the UN. Photo credit: Tarkett Do you have any key facts or specific Tarkett initiatives you would like to share? Tarkett has focused on our 3 initiatives for many years. One example of how initiatives turn into action is how we have been utilizing the Cradle to Cradle design philosophy to help us analyze and optimize our raw materials. By following these guidelines, we were able to optimize our raw materials to eliminate ortho-phthalates from our products. We started removing phthalates in 2010, long before there was a voiced concern for phthalates. We are the only flooring manufacturer to have 100% of our products phthalate-free. This means less negative impact on both the health and wellness of people and planet. At Tarkett we also feel it’s important to have sustainability attributes applied equally across all price points in our product lines. We want to ensure that all projects, regardless of price point, have the ability to provide safe materials for the people in the space. This is why we addressed the removal of phthalates from all product lines, not just a few. We see equity in sustainability and the built environment as an area that we all need to be concerned with. It’s great to see this becoming a focus for many developers and cities as Tarkett has been focused on this for a number of years. Photo credit: Tarkett We have also made a commitment to low carbon products and production facilities. We set goals and objectives to reduce energy use, move to renewable energy, increase recycle content in our products and then offset what we can’t reduce. But, we don’t want to just design a low carbon product without considering the VOC levels, healthy materials and high performance of the product. Focusing on healthy materials, low carbon and high performance is truly creating a sustainable product. Photo credit: Tarkett Rubber Tile Have you noticed in recent years a shift with your clients when it comes to sustainability? Has the question of using materials in more responsible ways come up as a vital part or even at the center of projects? We have seen a positive, impressive shift in the last few years. We now find many design firms have set standard guidelines in-house that they follow for high performance and low carbon buildings and a healthy material selection process. They are no longer thinking of one or two projects that will be following sustainability guidelines, they are looking to have their full portfolio be sustainable. “As a company you need to make a holistic commitment to make an impact for change.” End users and owners are now asking more questions and looking at projects through a sustainable lens. They are looking at their facilities differently. They want employees to feel safe and healthy in the spaces, provide spaces where everyone can work both individually and collaboratively. We have had a recycling/take back program for installed material since 1994. In the last few years we have had a substantial increase in the number of request made to take back old installed flooring material as it is replaced with new. Customers want to avoid sending flooring materials to the landfill. They want material recycled or reused. This is a great shift in the market to start following and developing better processes to have a circular economy. Photo credit: Tarkett Tarkett was the partner for the Wanted Design Online “Neo-Nature” Design Schools Workshop. How do you feel the next generation of designers is embracing the notions of sustainability? Are they well-informed and prepared? Watching the student presentations and learning about their thought process for the Design School Workshop was inspiring. They want to make a difference, they are looking at different materials, processes and impact on community. They are looking at sustainability as more than just a product or a design idea. They are looking at how can they change the impact of products, change how we look at communities and how we can create better processes for all to have a safer, healthier environment. They understand these changes are not optional, that we need to change to reduce climate change, to reduce the negative health effects on people. Neo-Nature Design Schools Workshop, supported by Tarkett Thank you to Roxane Spears, Vice President Sustainability North America at Tarkett, for sharing. Tarkett has been a committed and engaged partner for WantedDesign talks, workshops and more over the years. We’re grateful for the generous way Tarkett shares their initiatives and materials with students, as young designers benefit so much from working with established companies and designers. During the 2021 “Neo-Nature” Design Schools Workshop, Roxane spoke about the important role everyone along the chain plays, from young designers starting projects and choosing materials, to established companies with many complex processes. It’s great to see a large, international company like Tarkett working hard to be sustainable, and working hand-in-hand with young designers to achieve shared goals. Read more about how Tarkett is setting new industry standards for flooring design with a full carbon neutral portfolio, renewable energy resources, robust recycling program and more. On Instagram, follow @TarkettContract	7,675
In late October of 2018 I was sent a text message to join Initiative Q program with just my name and email address. After logging into my invite link and looking around I joined almost immediately. The reason was simple, I only had to give up my name and give them one of my throw away email accounts so I had nothing to lose. When I joined on October 26, 2018, I was immediately given a large amount of Q currencey in my account. Now mind you that the value of these coins is zero even today. But that's OK because I would rather have something that could be worth a lot of money in the near future than have nothing at all. They have my name , an email address and possibly an IP address; that's it. I started to research the founder, Saar Wilf, and was impressed with his background and credibility. He developed a security system for PayPal and ended up selling it to them for one thing. He is publically known world wide for his Poker Tournament skills and that is another plus for him. If he besmirches his credibility in anyway it will have a huge negative affect on his future activities. So I was immediately given the opportunity to bring in 5 people and I did and I got more rewards in Q coins. I was then given the opportunity to bring in 10 more people and I did and got more Q coins rewards. After that I was allowed to bring in 15 more people but this time I did not receive any rewards. Instead I was rewarded for encouraging my sign-ups to bring others in. I was rewarded for all my sign-ups bringing in up to 120 new members. My rewards started at sign-up #41 and ended with sign-up #120. And all that combined netted me with a collective total of 620,000 Q Coins. ALL FOR SIGNING UP WITH JUST MY NAME AND EMAIL and with following a few more challenges of helping others to sign-up. So I am maxed out until they launch at some future date. But I am not stopping there. I am continuing my research and will help others find invite links and present facts so each and everyone can make a good decision and join. Here is some good advice. Don't over think this and look for reasons not to join. Join! It is that simple. And in the future if you are asked to give up some personal information other than your name then you can cross that bridge when you come to it. You can contact me at anytime at [email protected] Best regards, I have been earning income from the internet since 1995. Now that I am retired from the professional offline brick & mortar establishments I am ramping up my presence online. I invite one and all to join me in this Initiative Q Digital Currency Venture. The company started in June, 2018 and I joined on October 26, 2018. By November 11, 2018 I maxed out on my free rewards with my reserve Q coins totaling over 620,000. Educating with facts and research on this blog is my new goal. More posts like these here... Powered by profitfromfreeads.com If You want to make sales, you need to put lots of eyeballs on Your Site. You can do that daily. Post to 1.4 Million Fast growing mailer to proven buyers Mail Daily This is a new mailer that works in conjunction with other very large mailers to give you a huge responsive audience for your sites New Simple System Creates Wealth Online. Affordable one time payment. No Experience Needed. Easy as pie to Use. 50% Commission.	3,535
An American Designer, George Nelson was born in 1908 in Connecticut. After Architecture studies at Yale, he gets a scholarship to study at the American Academy in Rome from 1932 to 1934. He takes the opportunity to travel throughout Europe where he interviews famous modern architects such as Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius, Gio Ponti or Mies van der Rohe. In 1935, George Nelson joins the editorial staff of the Architectural Forum magazine and then founds his own architecture firm in New York the following year, which will close during World War II. In those troubled times, Georges Nelson continues his journalistic work and teaches at Columbia University. In 1945, he created the Storagewall, the first modular wall storage and a forerunner for furniture systems. Published in the press, he makes a sensation in the industry. George Nelson catches the attention of D.J De Pree, at the head of the Herman Miller company, who visits him in New York. George Nelson is appointed director of design in 1947, a position he will keep until 1972. Alongside Alexander Girard, Ray and Charles Eames, and Isamu Noguchi, he manages to convince to work with him at Herman Miller. George designs himself pieces for the company, of which he is a pillar of its international renown. In parallel, and from 1946 on, George Nelson also directs his own design agency, dedicated to architecture, exhibition scenography but also furniture in collaboration with Herman Miller. George Nelson thus created objects that became modern icons such as the L shaped desk, forerunner of modern workstations, the Pedestal dining table, the Coconut Chari or the Marshmallow Sofa along with its 18 multicolor pillows supported by a steel structure. George Nelson died in New York in 1986. Read more There are no products on the category. shipping Secure payment of the products guaranteed Specialist twentieth century design. GALERIE 44 offers authentic pieces restored with passion by craftsmen and deliverable in France & Europe by our transport partners. We welcome you by appointment in our warehouse of 200m2 or on www.galerie44.com Don't be the last to know ! Subscribe to our newsletter and stay informed about our news and keep an eye on our monthly arrivals.	2,353
‘Do consumers really care about saving the world?’ Posed in a purposefully obtuse manner by a member of the audience, it nevertheless managed to generate an animated response from the panel that we were asked to join at the annual FUTR Summit earlier in the year. Reading the recently-released Waitrose Food & Drink Report, it’s At Piper, we are constantly looking to work with founders to grow brands that help consumers look after the world around them. We recognise the need for trade-offs and compromises in balancing sustainability and consumer expectations, as well as ensuring prices stay competitive. Bloom & Wild receives £75m investment Read more Community power – our latest virtual Geekmeet with 100 brands Read more Our £7m investment into multi-award winning villa brand, The Thinking Traveller Read more Mindful Chef finds new home with Nestle after 5x growth Read more Piper PE LLP (partnership number OC325898) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority	1,032
Here are out choices for the best farm house B&Bs in Donostia, Euskadi, Spain in 2022! All come with instant online booking & lowest price guaranteed via Booking.com. Category: B&B Farm Stays, Family Friendly Farm Stays, and Pet Friendly Farm Stays Spain This child friendly & pet friendly farm stay near San Sebastian in the Basque Country, has a range of comfortable, clean rooms in a classic Basque hillside farmhouse on its working sheep farm which also has a variety of other animals too. The Accommodation: All the rooms in their traditional style Basque farmhouse come with private bathroom, flat screen TV and WiFi throughout. There is also a shared TV lounge and a spacious shared kitchen where you are free to cook for yourselves, and the owners can also cook you a nice breakfast each morning for a few euros extra. It’s very much child friendly too; they have a play area well stocked with toys and plenty of games and other entertainment to keep them occupied. The Farm: The farmstay has a large working sheep farm that has over 400 sheep as well as a variety of other animals, ponies, which children can ride, some cows, horses, geese and even an emu. The Location: The location is super convenient for visitors to the lively, sophisticated, city of San Sebastian, and though it’s just 15 minutes drive from the city centre but is still a quiet rural area of typically Basque green hills, small farms and forests. It is a lovely place for countryside walks and hikes around the hills, especially down towards the coast and Monte Igeldo, which has spectacular views over San Sebastian and the Bay of La Concha (Kontxako Badia). You can organize guided horse riding trips around the area too from the farmstay. San Sebastian city, as mentioned previously is just 15 minutes away and if the countryside gets too much for you you can spend the day there at its beautiful beaches and busy town centre where you can sample some of what is considered the Basque Country’s, and Spain’s, best food. A special mention too of course for its pintxos, the regions own version of tapas, which is served in almost every one of its lively bars. WHAT OTHER GUESTS SAY: “The place was very cosy and everyone in the staff was great, treating us with a lovely warmth! There were also a lot to do READ MORE	2,462
For many people, when hearing the buying price of the Laptop, they possess the definite solution on the caliber of the product. In the actual book the small Prince, adults would rather judge through the price. Actually, it isn’t true for many cases. Here brings in two kinds of Laptop s which has cheap price but nonetheless popular one of the users. The first is the Laptop created for kids. The first is for the actual students. Regarding the Laptop with regard to students, the brand and also the model would be the key factors. You ought to be cautious about the price because some are extremely cheap. In this instance, you should think hard before you send your cash. For college students, the dependence on the settings is relatively lower. One of the best ways is to visit pickcheaplaptops.com for some cheap laptops for students. There’s another technique of a few cunning sales staff. A few products possess serious flaws like damaged Laptop air conditioning adapters, system errors and so forth. Those difficulties are possible. For a few domestic customers, it is really a wise choice to pick this sort. It is actually cheaper as well as sufficient about the performance. Because of the less perform, kids- Laptop is actually cheaper compared to standard Laptop Ute. But this kind of Laptop s is fixed to restrict group- the children. No wonder it’s so inexpensive. Otherwise, few people are able it. Form two kinds of Laptop, so as to the second-hand Laptop is really a nice option. Unlike the actual refurbished item, second-hand Laptop s might be brand new or aged. It depends upon the previous owner from the Laptop. For a lot of, they wish to try brand new model. Then your former Laptop cannot be used anymore. Chances such as this been captured is actually lucky. Some are in brand new situation, and the dog owner are in a rush to obtain a new 1. If you’ve the oversight as well as abundant experience about the Laptop, you’re going to get the really worth one. Low cost doesn’t imply inferior high quality. And the actual Laptop accessories are in the exact same situation. By the way, you should also consider some 2-in-1 laptops. They are also very popular these days. best2in1laptops.com has a lot of laptops that you can consider before buying one for yourself. Previous articleHow much capitol do you need to start trading ETFs in Asia? I am Ellis Yolanda. I'm a technology journalist and writer who has written many articles about Technology. I have been writing for over 6 years now, and it is my passion to share the latest in this fast-paced industry with everyone!	2,715
Prince William Sound is the part of the Gulf of Alaska located to the East of the Kenai Peninsula. It is home to several ports, Valdez, Tidal glacier sit near the rocky beaches of Blackstone Bay in the Prince William Sound Cordova, and Whittier, as well as Native Alaskan villages. Most of the land surrounding the Sound is the Chugach National Forest, and the steep coastline is dotted with glaciers, fjords, and flowing with countless waterfalls during the warmer months. Over 3,000 miles of coastline are there for you to explore. Valdez is the largest port in Prince William Sound. The 1964 Good Friday earthquake all but destroyed Valdez. In 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground on a reef in the Sound, spilling oil which killed thousands of animals. Simultaneously, the eco system was devastated. The delicate marine environment never fully recovered, but wildlife has returned. 220 species of birds, including bald eagles, are within view, as well as 30 varieties of land mammals, among them black and brown bears, moose, and mountain goats. In the water you can find several species of whales, seals, sea otters, and sea lions. During the salmon runs, the rivers run red with spawning fish, but fishermen aren’t the only ones interested in catching a tasty treat. It’s feeding time for bears as well, so fishermen need to be alert as to who they’re sharing the stream and bank with. Bears don’t like to share food or fishing secrets, so give them a wide berth, especially sows with cubs in training. The Prince William Sound was only made accessible by car from the Anchorage area in 2000 when the Whittier Tunnel opened. The tunnel provides one lane access to train and car traffic going in each direction, so pay attention to timing if you have a tour that starts in Whittier. The timetable is available online http://www.tunnel.alaska.gov/schedule.shtml and can help ease the wait time. This river, filled with Salmon, outlets into the sound A couple enjoys a brief moment of sunshine in the sound on their sea kayaking tour Sitka and Spruce forests that line the shore sometimes skirt by established hiking trails Connect with your Surroundings Scour the rocky beaches of the coasts alongside bald eagles or enjoy one of the many ways to explore by water: sea kayak, charter boats, boat tours, or jet-ski tours. It all depends on how you want to take in this temperate rainforest. This coast is typically explored beneath heavy clouds and consistent rain. Bring your raingear, meet the wildlife, explore ancient forests, and get to know the vibrant life in the sound. Exposure Alaska Tours have been operating since 1999, featuring the best multi-day outdoor sports packages available. In The Prince William Sound, they feature kayaking trips that range from one day to a week. Lazy Otter Charters have some of the best watercraft in the harbor. Offering transportation, tours, and top of the line equipment, Lazy Otter gets you around Prince William Sound in style	3,068
Universal aspirations, especially when impeded and suppressed in their free manifestation, die out but to return with tenfold power. They are cyclic, like every other natural phenomenon, whether mental or cosmic, universal or national. Dam a river in one place, and the water will work its way into another, and break out through it like a torrent. One of such universal aspirations, the strongest perhaps in man's nature, is the longing to seek for the unknown; an ineradicable desire to penetrate below the surface of things, a thirst for the knowledge of that which is hidden from others. Nine children out of ten will break their toys to see what there is inside. It is an innate feeling and is Protean in form. It rises from the ridiculous (or perhaps rather from the reprehensible) to the sublime, for it is limited to indiscreet inquisitiveness, prying into neighbours' secrets, in the uneducated, and it expands in the cultured into that love for knowledge which ends in leading them to the summits of science, and fills the Academies and the Royal Institutions with learned men. But this pertains to the world of the objective. The man in whom the metaphysical element is stronger than the physical, is propelled by this natural aspiration towards the mystical, to that which the materialist is pleased to call a "superstitious belief in the supernatural." The Church, while encouraging our aspirations after the holy – on strictly theological and orthodox lines, of course – condemns at the same time the human craving after the same, whenever the practical search after it departs from its own lines. The memory of the thousands of illiterate "witches," and the hundreds of learned alchemists, philosophers and other heretics, tortured, burnt, and otherwise put to death during the Middle Ages, remains as an ever-present witness to that arbitrary and despotic interference. In the present age both Church and Science, the blindly-believing and the all-denying, are arrayed against the Secret Sciences, though both Church and Science believed in and practised them – especially the Kabalah 1 – at a not very distant period of history. One says now, "It is of the devil!" the other that "the devil is a creation of the Church, and a disgraceful superstition"; in short, that there is neither devil nor occult sciences. The first one forgets that it has publicly proclaimed, hardly 400 years ago, the Jewish Kabalah as the greatest witness to the truths of Christianity; 2 the second, that the most illustrious men of science were all alchemists, astrologers and magicians, witness Paracelsus, Van Helmont, Roger Bacon, etc. But consistency has never been a virtue of Modern Science. It has religiously believed in all which it now denies, and it has denied all that it now believes in, from the circulation of the blood up to steam and electric power. This sudden change of attitude in both powers cannot prevent events from taking their natural course. The last quarter of our century is witnessing an extraordinary outbreak of occult studies, and magic dashes once more its powerful waves against the rocks of Church and Science, which it is slowly but as surely undermining. Any one whose natural mysticism impels him to seek for sympathetic contact with other minds, is astonished to find how large a number of persons are not only interested in Mysticism generally, but are actually themselves Kabalists. The river dammed during the Middle Ages has flowed since noiselessly underground, and has now burst up as an irrepressible torrent. Hundreds today study the Kabalah, where scarcely one or two could have been found some fifty years ago, when fear of the Church was still a powerful factor in men's lives. But the long-pent-up torrent has now diverged into two streams – Eastern Occultism and the Jewish Kabalah; the traditions of the Wisdom-Religion of the races that preceded the Adam of the "Fall"; and the system of the ancient Levites of Israel, who most ingeniously veiled a portion of that religion of the Pantheists under the mask of monotheism. Unfortunately many are called but few chosen. The two systems threaten the world of the mystics with a speedy conflict, which, instead of increasing the spread of the One Universal Truth, will necessarily only weaken and impede its progress. Yet, the question is not, once more, which is the one truth. For both are founded upon the eternal verities of prehistoric knowledge, as both, in the present age and the state of mental transition through which humanity is now passing, can give out only a certain portion of these verities. It is simply a question: "Which of the two systems contains most unadulterated facts; and, most important of all – which of the two presents its teachings in the most Catholic (i.e., unsectarian) and impartial manner?" One the Eastern system – has veiled for ages its profound pantheistic unitarianism with the exuberance of an exoteric polytheism; the other – as said above with the screen of exoteric monotheism. Both are but masks to hide the sacred truth from the profane; for neither the Âryan nor the semitic philosophers have ever accepted either the anthropomorphism of the many Gods, or the personality of the one God, as a philosophical proposition. But it is impossible within the limits we have at our disposal, to attempt to enter upon a minute discussion of this question. We must be content with a simpler task. The rites and ceremonies of the Jewish law seem to be an abyss, which long generations of Christian Fathers, and especially of Protestant Reformers, have vainly sought to fill in with their far-fetched interpretations. Yet all the early Christians, Paul and the Gnostics, regarded and proclaimed the Jewish law as essentially distinct from the new Christian law. St. Paul called the former an allegory, and St. Stephen told the Jews an hour before being stoned that they had not even kept the law that they had received from the angels (the æons), and as to the Holy Ghost (the impersonal Logos or Christos, as taught at Initiation) they had resisted and rejected it as their fathers had done (Acts vii.). This was virtually telling them that their law was inferior to the later one. Notwithstanding that the Mosaic Books which we think we have in the Old Testament, cannot be more than two or three centuries older than Christianity, the Protestants have nevertheless made of them their Sacred Canon, on a par with, if not higher than, the Gospels. But when the Pentateuch was written, or rather rewritten after Ezdras, i.e.,after the Rabbis had settled upon a new departure, a number of additions were made which were taken bodily from Persian and Babylonian doctrines; and this at a period subsequent to the colonization of Judea under the authority of the kings of Persia. This reëditing was of course done in the same way as with all such Scriptures. They were originally written in a secret key, or cipher, known only to the Initiates. But instead of adapting the contents to the highest spiritual truths as taught in the third,the highest, degree of Initiation, and expressed in symbolic language – as may be seen even in the exoteric Purânas of India – the writers of the Pentateuch,revised and corrected, they who cared but for earthly and national glory, adapted only to astro-physiological symbols the supposed events of the Abrahams, Jacobs, and Solomons, and the fantastic history of their little race. Thus they produced, under the mask of monotheism, a religion of sexual and phallic worship, one that concealed an adoration of the Gods, or the lower aeons. No one would maintain that anything like the dualism and the angelolatry of Persia, brought by the Jews from the captivity, could ever be found in the real Law, or Books of Moses. For how, in such case, could the Sadducees, who reverenced the Law, reject angels, as well as the soul and its immortality? And yet angels, if not the soul's immortal nature, are distinctly asserted to exist in the Old Testament,and are found in the Jewish modern scrolls. 3 This fact of the successive and widely differing redactions of that which we loosely term the Books of Moses, and of their triple adaptation to the first (lowest), second, and third, or highest, degree of Sodalian initiation, and that still more puzzling fact of the diametrically opposite beliefs of the Sadducees and the other Jewish sects, all accepting, nevertheless, the same Revelation – can be made comprehensible only in the light of our Esoteric explanation. It also shows the reason why, when Moses and the Prophets belonged to the Sodalities (the great Mysteries), the latter yet seem so often to fulminate against the abominations of the Sodales and their "Sod." For had the Old Canon been translated literally, as-is claimed, instead of being adapted to a monotheism absent from it, and to the spirit of each sect, as the differences in the Septuagint and Vulgate prove, the following contradictory sentences would be added to the hundreds of other inconsistencies in "Holy Writ." "Sod Ihoh, the mysteries of Johoh, or Jehovah are for those who fear him," says Psalm xxv. 14, mistranslated "the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him." Again "Al El is terrible in the great Sod of the Kadeshim" is rendered as – "God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints" (Psalm lxxxix. 7). The title of Kadeshim (Kadosh sing.) means in reality something quite different from saints, though it is generally explained as "priests," the "holy" and the "Initiated"; for the Kadeshim were simply the galli of the abominable mysteries (Sod) of the exoteric rites. They were, in short, the male Nautches of the temples, during whose initiations the arcanum, the Sod (from which "Sodom," perchance) of physiological and sexual evolution, were divulged. These rites all belonged to the first degree of the Mysteries, so protected and beloved by David – the "friend of God." They must have been very ancient with the Jews, and were ever abominated by the true Initiates; thus we find the dying Jacob's prayer is that his soul should not come into the secret (Sod, in the original) of Simeon and Levi (the priestly caste) and into their assembly during which they "slew a man" (Genesis xlix. 5, 6). 4 And yet Moses is claimed by the Kabalists as chief of the Sodales! Reject the explanation of the Secret Doctrine and the whole Pentateuch becomes the abomination of abominations. Therefore, do we find Jehovah, the anthropomorphic God, everywhere in the Bible,but of AIN SOPH not one word is said. And therefore, also, was the Jewish metrology quite different from the numeral methods of other people. Instead of serving as an adjunct to other prearranged methods, to penetrate therewith as with a key into the hidden or implied meaning contained within the literal sentences – as the initiated Brahmins do to this day, when reading their sacred books – the numeral system with the Jews is, as the author of Hebrew Metrology tells us, the Holy Writ itself: "That very thing, in esse, on which, and out of which, and by the continuous interweaving use of which, the very text of the Bible has been made to result, as its enunciation, from the beginning word of Genesis to the closing word of Deuteronomy." So true is this, indeed, that the authors of the New Testament who had to blend their system with both the Jewish and the Pagan, had to borrow their most metaphysical symbols not from the Pentateuch, or even the Kabalah, but from the Âryan astro-symbology. One instance will suffice. Whence the dual meaning of the First-born, the Lamb, the Unborn, and the Eternal – all relating to the Logos or Christos? We say from the Sanskrit Aja, a world the meanings of which are: (a) the Ram, or the Lamb, the first sign of the Zodiac, called in astronomy Mesha; (b) the Unborn a title of the first Logos, or Brahma, the self-existent cause of all, described and so referred to in the Upanishads. The Hebrew Kabalistic Gematra Notaricon, and T'mura are very ingenious methods, giving the key to the secret meaning of Jewish symbology, one that applied the relations of their sacred imagery only to one side of Nature – namely, the physical side. Their myths and the names and the events attributed to their Biblical personages were made to correspond with astronomical revolutions and sexual evolution, and had nought to do with the spiritual states of man; hence no such correspondences are to be found in the reading of their sacred canon. The real Mosaic Jews of the Sodales, whose direct heirs on the line of initiation were the Sadducees, had no spirituality in them, nor did they feel any need for it apparently. The reader, whose ideas of Initiation and Adeptship are intimately blended with the mysteries of the after life and soul survival, will now see the reason for the great yet natural inconsistencies found on almost every page of the Bible. Thus, in the Book of Job, a Kabalistic treatise on Egypto-Arabic Initiation, the symbolism of which conceals the highest spiritual mysteries, one finds yet this significant and purely materialistic verse: "Man born of a woman is . . . like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not" (xiv. 1, 2). But Job speaks here of the personality, and he is right; for no Initiate would say that the personality long survived the death of the physical body; the spirit alone is immortal. But this sentence in Job, the oldest document in the Bible, makes only the more brutally materialistic that in Ecclesiastes, iii, 19, et seq., one of the latest records. The writer, who speaks in the name of Solomon, and says that "that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts, even . . . as the one dieth, so dieth the other . . . so that a man hath no preëminence above a beast," is quite on a par with the modern Hæckels, and expresses only that which he thinks. Therefore, no knowledge of Kabalistic methods can help one in finding that in the Old Testament which has never been there since the Book of the Law was re-written (rather than found) by Hilkiah. Nor can the reading of the Egyptian symbols be much helped by the mediæval Kabalistic systems. Indeed, it is but the blindness of a pious illusion that can lead anyone to discover any spiritual and metaphysical correspondences or meaning in the Jewish purely astro-physiological symbology. On the other hand, the ancient pagan religious systems, so-called, are all built upon abstracts spiritual speculations, their gross external forms being, perhaps, the most secure veil to hide their inner meaning. It can be demonstrated, on the authority of the most learned Kabalists of our day that the Zohar, and almost all the Kabalistic works, have passed through Christian hands. Hence, that they cannot be considered any longer as universal, but have become simply sectarian. This is well shown by Pico della Mirandola's thesis upon the proposition that "no Science yield greater proof of the divinity of Christ than magic and the Kabalah." This is true of the divinity of the Logos, or of the Christos of the Gnostics; because that Christos remains the same WORD of the ever-unmanifested Deity, whether we call it Parabrahm or Ain-Soph – by whatever name he himself is called – Krishna, Buddha, or Ormazd. But this Christos is neither the Christ of the Churches, yet the Jesus of the Gospels; it is only an impesonal Principle. Nevertheless the Latin Church made capital of this thesis; the result of which was, that as in the last century, so it is now in Europe and America. Almost every Kabalist is now a believer in a personal God, in the very teeth of the original impersonal Ain Soph, and is, moreover, a more or less heterodox, but still a, Christian. This is due entirely to the ignorance of most people (a) that the Kabalah (the Zohar especially) we have, is not the original Book of Splendour, written down from the oral teachings of Simon Ben Jochai; and (b) that the latter, being indeed an exposition of the hidden sense of writings of Moses (so-called) was as equally good an exponent of the Esoteric meaning contained under the shell of the literal sense in the Scriptures of any Pagan religion. Nor do the modern Kabalists seem to be aware of the fact, that the Kabalah as it now stands, with its more than revised texts, its additions made to apply to the New as much as to the Old Testament, its numerical language recomposed so as to apply to both, and its crafty veiling, is no longer able now to furnish all the ancient and primitive meanings. In short that no Kabalistic work now extant among the Western nations can display any greater mysteries of nature, than those which Ezra and Co., and the later co-workers of Moses de Leon, desired to unfold; the Kabalah contains no more than the Syrian and Chaldean Christians and ex-Gnostics of the thirteenth century wanted those works to reveal. And what they do reveal hardly repays the trouble of passing one's life in studying it. For if they may, and do, present a field of immense interest to the Mason and mathematician, they can teach scarcely anything to the student hungering after spiritual mysteries. The use of all the seven keys to unlock the mysteries of Being in this life, and the lives to come, as in those which have gone by, show that the Chaldean Book of Numbers, and the Upanishads undeniably conceal the most divine philosophy – as it is that of the Universal Wisdom Religion. But the Zohar, now so mutilated, can show nothing of the kind. Besides which, who of the Western philosophers or students has all those keys at his command? These are now entrusted only to the highest Initiates in Gupta Vidya, to great Adepts; and, surely it is no self-taught tyro, not even an isolated mystic, however great his genius and natural powers, who can hope to unravel in one life more than one or two of the lost keys. 5 The key to the Jewish metrology has been undeniably unravelled, and a very important key it is. But as we may infer from the words of the discoverer himself in the footnote just quoted – though that key (concealed in the "Sacred Metrology") discloses the fact that "Holy Writ" contains "a rational science of sober and great worth,"yet it helps to unveil no higher spiritual truth than that which all astrologers have insisted upon in every age; i.e.,the close relation between the sidereal and all the terrestrial bodies – human beings included. The history of our globe and its humanities is prototyped in the astronomical heavens from first to last, though the Royal Society of Physicists may not become aware of it for ages yet to come. By the showing of the said discoverer himself, "the burden of this secret doctrine, this Cabbalah, is of pure truth and right reason, for it is geometry with applied proper numbers, of astronomy and of a system of measures, viz., the Masonic inch, the twenty-four inch gauge (or the double foot), the yard, and the mile. These were claimed to be of divine revelation and impartation, by the possession and use of which, it could be said of Abram: 'Blessed of the Most High God, Abram, measure of heaven and earth'" – the "creative law of measure." And is this all that the primitive Kabalah contained? No; for the author remarks elsewhere: "What the originally and intended right reading was [in the Pentateuch who can tell?" Thus allowing the reader to infer that the meanings implied in the exoteric, or dead letter of the Hebrew texts, are by no means only those revealed by metrology. Therefore are we justified in saying that the Jewish Kabalah, with its numerical methods, is now only one of the keys to the ancient mysteries, and that the Eastern or Âryan systems alone can supply the rest, and unveil the whole truth of Creation. 6 What this numeral system is, we leave its discoverer to explain himself. According to him: Like all other human productions of the kind, the Hebrew text of the Bible was in characters which could serve as sound signs for syllable utterance, or for this purpose what are called letters. Now in the first place, these original character signs were also pictures, each one of them; and these pictures of themselves stood for ideas which could be communicated, much like the original Chinese letters. Gustav Seyffarth shows that the Egyptian hieroglyphics numbered over 600 picture characters, which embraced the modified use, syllabically, of the original number of letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The characters of the Hebrew text of the sacred scroll were divided into classes, in which the characters of each class were interchangeable; whereby one form might be exchanged for another to carry a modified signification, both by letter, and picture, and number. Seyffarth shows the modified form of the very ancient Hebrew alphabet in the old Coptic by this law of interchange of characters. 7 This law of permitted interchange of letters is to be found quite fully set forth in the Hebrew dictionaries. . . . Though recognized . . . it is very perplexing and hard to understand, because we have lost the specific use and power of such interchange. [Just so! In the second place these characters stood for numbers – to be used for numbers as we use specific number signs – though also there is very much to prove that the old Hebrews were in possession of the so-called Arabic numerals, as we have them, from the straight line I to the zero character, together making 1 + 9 = 10. . . . In the third place, it is said, and it seems to be proved, that these characters stood for musical notes; so that, for instance, the arrangement of the letters in the first chapter of Genesis, can be rendered musically or by song. 8 Another law of the Hebrew characters was that only the consonantal signs were characterized – the vowels were not characterized, but were supplied. If one will try it he will find that a consonant of itself cannot be made vocal without the help of a vowel; 9 therefore . . . the consonants made the framework of a word, but to give it life or utterance into the air, so as to impart the thought of the mind, and the feelings of the heart, the vowels were supplied. Now, even if we suppose, for argument's sake, that the "framework," i.e., the consonants of the Pentateuch are the same as in the days of Moses, what changes must have been effected with those scrolls – written in such a poor language as the Hebrew, with its less than two dozens of letters – when rewritten time after time, and its vowels and points supplied in ever-new combinations! No two minds are alike, and the feelings of the heart change. What could remain, we ask, of the original writings of Moses, if such ever existed, when they had been lost for nearly 800 years and then found when every remembrance of them must have disappeared from the minds of the most learned, and Hilkiah has them rewritten by Shaphan, the scribe? When lost again, they are rewritten again by Ezra; lost once more in 168 B.C. the volume or scrolls were again destroyed; and when finally they reappear, we find them dressed in their Massoretic disguise! We may know something of Ben Chajim, who published the Massorah of the scrolls in the fifteenth century; we can know nothing of Moses, this is certain, unless we become – Initiates of the Eastern School. Ahrens, when speaking of the letters so arranged in the Hebrew sacred scrolls – that they were of themselves musical notes – had probably never studied Âryan Hindû music. In the Sanskrit language there is no need to so arrange letters in the sacred ollas that they should become musical. For the whole Sanskrit alphabet and the Vedas, from the first word to the last, are musical notations reduced to writing, and the two are inseparable. 10 As Homer distinguished between the "language of Gods" and the language of men, 11 so did the Hindus. The Devanâgarî – the Sanskrit character – is the "Speech of the Gods" and Sanskrit the divine language. 12 As to the Hebrew let the modern Isaiahs cry "Woe is me!" and confess that which "the newly-discovered mode of language (Hebrew metrology) veiled under the words of the sacred Text" has now clearly shown. Read the Source of Measures,read all the other able treatises on the subject by the same author. And then the reader will find that with the utmost good-will and incessant efforts covering many years of study, that laborious scholar, having penetrated under the mask of the system, can find in it little more than pure anthropomorphism. In man, and on man, alone, rests the whole scheme of the Kabalah, and to man and his functions, on however enlarged a scale, everything in it is made to apply. Man, as the Archetypal Man or Adam, is made to contain the whole Kabalistic system. He is the great symbol and shadow, thrown by the manifested Kosmos, itself the reflection of the impersonal and ever incomprehensible principle; and this shadow furnishes by its construction – the personal grown out of the impersonal – a kind of objective and tangible symbol of everything visible and invisible in the Universe. "As the First Cause was utterly unknown and unnameable, such names as were adopted as most sacred (in Bible and Kabalah) and commonly made applicable to the Divine Being, were after all not so," but were mere manifestations of the unknowable, such In a cosmic or natural sense, as could become known to man. Hence these names were not so sacred as commonly held,inasmuch as with all created things they were themselves but names or enunciations of things known. As to metrology, instead of a valuable adjunct to the Biblical system . . . the entire text of the Holy Writ in the Mosaic books is not only replete with it as a system, but the system itself is that very thing, in esse, from the first to the last word. For instance, the narratives of the first day, of the six days, of the seventh day, of the making of Adam, male and female, of Adam in the Garden, of the formation of the woman out of the man, of . . . the genealogy of Ararat, of the ark, of Noah with his dove and raven, . . . of Abram's travel from Ur . . . into Egypt before Pharaoh, of Abram's life, of the three covenants, . . . of the construction of the tabernacle and the dwelling of Jehovah, of the famous 603,550 as the number of men capable of bearing arms, . . . the exodus out of Egypt, and the like – all are but so many modes of enunciation of this system of geometry, of applied number ratios, of measures and their various applications. And the author of Hebrew Metrology ends by saying: Whatever may have been the Jewish mode of complete interpretation of these books, the Christian Church has taken them for what they show on their first face – and that only. The Christian Church has never attributed to these books any property beyond this; and herein has existed its great error. But the Western European Kabalists, and many of the American (though luckily not all), claim to correct this error of their Church. How far do they succeed and where is the evidence of their success? Read all the volumes published on the Kabalah in the course of this century; and if we except a few volumes issued recently in America, it will be found that not a single Kabalist has penetrated even skin deep below the surface of that "first face." Their digests are pure speculation and hypotheses and – no more. One bases his glosses upon Ragon's Masonic revelations; another takes Fabre d'Olivet for his prophet – this writer having never been a Kabalist, though he was a genius of wonderful, almost miraculous, erudition, and a polyglot linguist greater than whom there was since his day none, even among the philologists of the French Academy, which refused to take notice of his work. Others, again, believe that no greater Kabalist was born among the sons of men than the late Éliphas Lévi – a charming and witty writer, who, however, has more mystified than taught in his many volumes on Magic. Let not the reader conclude from these statements that real, learned Kabalists are not to be found in the Old and New Worlds. There are initiated Occultists, who are Kabalists, scattered hither and thither, most undeniably, especially in Germany and Poland. But these will not publish what they know,nor will they call themselves Kabalists. The "Sodalian oath" of the third degree holds good now as ever. But there are those who are pledged to no secrecy. Those writers are the only ones on whose information the Kabalists ought to rely, however incomplete their statements from the standpoint of a full revelation, i.e.,of the sevenfold Esoteric meaning. It is they who care least for those secrets after which alone the modern Hermetist and Kabalist is now hungering – such as the transmutation into gold, and the Elixir of Life, or the Philosopher's Stone – for physical purposes. For all the chief secrets of the Occult teachings are concerned with the highest spiritual knowledge. They deal with mental states, not with physical processes and their transformations. In a word, the real, genuine Kabalah, the only original copy of which is contained in the Chaldean Book of Numbers, pertains to, and teaches about, the realm of spirit, not that of matter. What, then, is the Kabalah, in reality, and does it afford a revelation of such higher spiritual mysteries? The writer answers most emphatically NO. What the Kabalistic keys and methods were, in the origin of the Pentateuch and other sacred scrolls and documents of the Jews now no longer extant, is one thing; what they are now is quite another. The Kabalah is a manifold language; moreover, one whose reading is determined by the dead-letter face text of the record to be deciphered. It teaches and helps one to read the Esoteric real meaning hidden under the mask of that dead letter; it cannot create a text or make one find in the document under study that which has never been in it from the beginning. The Kabalah – such as we have it now – is inseparable from the text of the Old Testament,as remodelled by Ezra and others. And as the Hebrew Scriptures, or their contents, have been repeatedly altered – notwithstanding the ancient boast that not one letter in the Sacred Scroll, not an iota, has ever been changed – so no Kabalistic methods can help us by reading in it anything besides what there is in it. He who does it is no Kabalist, but a dreamer. Lastly, the profane reader should learn the difference between the Kabalah and the Kabalistic works, before he is made to face other arguments. For the Kabalah is no special volume, nor is it even a system. It consists of seven different systems applied to seven different interpretations of any given Esoteric work or subject. These systems were always transmitted orally by one generation of Initiates to another, under the pledge of the Sodalian oath, and they have never been recorded in writing by any one. Those who speak of translating the Kabalah into this or another tongue may as well talk of translating the wordless signal-chants of the Bedouin brigands into some particular language. Kabalah, as a word, is derived from the root Kbl (Kebel)"to hand over," or "to receive" orally. It is erroneous to say, as Kenneth Mackenzie does in his Royal Masonic Cyclopædia,that "the doctrine of the Kabalah refers to the system handed down by oral transmission, and is nearly allied to tradition"; for in this sentence the first proposition only is true, while the second is not. It is not allied to "tradition" but to the seven veils or the seven truths, orally revealed at Initiation. Of these methods, pertaining to the universal pictorial languages – meaning by "pictorial" any cipher, number, symbol, or other glyph that can be represented, whether objectively or subjectively (mentally) – three only exist at present in the Jewish system. 13 Thus, if Kabalah as a word is Hebrew, the system itself is no more Jewish than is sunlight; it is universal. On the other hand, the Jews can claim the Zohar, Sepher Yetzirah (Book of Creation), Sepher Dzeniuta,and a few others, as their own undeniable property and as Kabalistic works. 1 The spelling of the word is various; some write Cabbalah, others Kabbalah. The latest writers have introduced a new spelling as more consonant with the Hebrew manner of writing the word and make it Qabalah. This is more grammatical, perhaps, but as no Englishman will ever pronounce a foreign name or word but in an Englishified way, to write the term simply Kabalah seems less pretentious and answers as well. back to text 2 This is demonstrated by what we know of the life of John Picus de Mirandola. Ginsburg and others have stated the following facts, namely, that after having studied the Kabalah Mirandola "found that there is more Christianity than Judaism in the Kabalah; he discovered in it proofs for the doctrine of the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Divinity of Christ, the heavenly Jerusalem, the fall of the Angels," and so on. "In 1486, when only twenty-four years old, he published 900 theses which were placarded in Rome (not without the consent or knowledge surely of the Pope and his Government?), and which he undertook to defend in the presence of all European scholars, whom he invited to the Eternal City, promising to defray their travelling expenses. Among the theses was the following: 'No science yields greater proof of the Divinity of Christ than magic and the Cabbalah'." The reason why will be shown in the present article. back to text 3 This is just what the Gnostics had always maintained quite independently of Christians. In their doctrines the Jewish God, the "Elohim," was a hierarchy of low terrestrial angels – an Ildabaoth, spiteful and jealous. back to text 4 To "slay a man"meant, in the symbolism of the Lesser Mysteries, the rite during which crimes against nature were committed, for which purpose the Kadeshim were set aside. Thus Cain "slays" his brother Abel, who, esoterically, is a female character and represents the first human woman in the Third Race after the separation of sexes. See also the Source of Measures, pp. 253, 283, etc. back to text 5 The writer in the Masonic Review is thus, quite justified in saying as he does, that "the Kabalistic field is that in which astrologers, necromancers, black and white magicians, fortune-tellers, chiromancers, and all the like, revel and make claims to super-naturalism ad nauseam"; and he adds: "The Christian quarrying into its mass of mysticism, claims its support and authority for that most perplexing of all problems, the Holy Trinity, and the portrayed character of Christ. With equal assurance, but more effrontery, the knave, in the name of Cabbalah, will sell amulets and charms, tell fortunes, draw horoscopes, and just as readily give specific rules. . . . for raising the dead, and actually – the devil. . . . Discovery has yet to be made of what Cabbalah really consists, before any weight or authority can be given to the name. On that discovery will rest the question whether the name should be received as related to matters worthy of rational acknowledgement." "The writer claims that such a discovery has been made, and that the same embraces rational science of sober and great worth." "The Cabbalah," from the Masonic Review for September, 1885, by Brother J. Ralston Skinner (McMillian Lodge, No. 141). back to text 6 Even as it stands now, the Kabalah, with its several methods, can only puzzle by being several versions; it can never divulge the whole truth. The readings of even the first sentence of Genesis are several. To quote the author: "It is made to read 'B'rashith barâ Elohim,' etc., 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,' wherein Elohim is a plural nominative to a verb in the third person singular. Nachminedes called attention to the fact that the text might suffer the reading, 'B'rash ithbarâ Elohim,' etc., 'In the head (source or beginning) created itself (or developed) gods, the heavens and the earth,'really a more grammatical rendering." (Ibid.)And yet we are forced to believe the Jewish monotheism! back to text 7 Before Seyffarth can hope to have his hypothesis accepted, however, he will have to prove that (a)the Israelites had an alphabet of their own when the ancient Egyptians or Copts had as yet none; and (b) that the Hebrew of the later scrolls is the Hebrew, or "mystery language" of Moses, which the Secret Doctrine denies. back to text 8 Not the Hebrew helped by the Massoretic signs, at all events. See further on, however. back to text 9 And therefore as the vowels were furnished ad libitum by the Massorets they could make of a word what they liked! back to text back to text back to text 12 The Sanskrit letters are three times as numerous as the poor twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. They are all musical and are read, or rather chanted, according to a system given in very old Tantrika works (see Tantra Shâstras); and are called Devanâgarî, "the speech or language ofthe Gods." And since each answers to a numeral, a d has therefore a far larger scope for expression and meaning, it must necessarily be far more perfect and far older than the Hebrew, which followed the system, but could apply it only in a very limited way. If either of the two languages were taught to humanity by the Gods, surely it is rather Sanskrit – the perfect of the most perfect languages on Earth – than Hebrew, the roughest and the poorest. For once we believe in a language of divine origin, we can hardly believe at the same time that angels or Gods or any divine messenger should have selected the inferior in preference to the superior. back to text 13 Of these three not one can be made to apply to purely spiritual metaphysics. One divulges the relations of the sidereal bodies to the terrestrial, especially the human; the other relates to the evolution of the human races and the sexes; the third to Kosmo-theogony and is metrological. back to text Theosophy, in its abstract meaning, is Divine Wisdom, or the aggregate of the knowledge and wisdom that underlie the Universe - the homogeneity of eternal GOOD; and in its concrete sense it is the sum total of the same as allotted to man by nature, on this earth, and no more. Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved. Theosophy Trust thanks all of its friends who generously contributed with financial support and labor to the redesign of this site.	38,667
Over the many years that I've been engaged in the field of narcissistic abuse recovery I have discovered something remarkable; narcissists far and wide seem to be operating from the same playbook. I don't know who wrote it, when it was written or where a copy could be found, but it must exist because evidence shows time and time again that narcissists are the most unoriginal beings on the planet. They all do and say the same things. Narcissists may appear human, may even act human, but they actually have more in common with undomesticated animals and insects than they do humankind. Like creatures of the wild they live their lives in survival mode; predators with no empathy on a perpetual hunt for vulnerable prey. And just as a lion on the prowl the execution of victim capturing may vary in detail, but the method of devouring the prey is always the same. The survivors' stories told to me are outrageous; believable only by those who have experienced the like. Survivors justifiably believe their experience is unique and that their abusers are more deviant than most. The word "malignant" is often used to preface the word "narcissist" because narcissism alone doesn't seem to adequately describe the horror they've experienced. Any experience had as a victim of narcissistic abuse is truly horrific. And while malignant narcissism does exist, it is rarely applicable to the average situation. Narcissists destroy their targets through mind-games. Malignant narcissists maim and murder. It doesn't get any worse than that. Victims of malignant narcissists rarely survive to tell their story. The patterns of narcissistic abuse, whether parental, spousal, romantic, work related or otherwise are so predictable I could tell everyone's story before they tell me, though I don't because that is not what survivors want or need from me. They desperately need to be heard, validated and supported--often for the first time ever. And they need a road map for recovery. As horrendous and outrageous the stories are, as brilliant and powerful each narcissist is perceived, they are all versions of the same and all seemingly out of the same playbook. They are brilliant in the sense that they can calculate a complex campaign of abuse stretching out days, weeks, months and years in milliseconds. And they are powerful in their ability to intimidate and control, though that power is only effective with those who are under their spell. Once the veil is lifted and they are exposed for who they are they become powerless. It doesn't seem that way because losing control over an emotional hostage incites a merciless vengeance that knows no bounds. There are no depths in which a vengeful narcissist will not stoop. But the pattern of vengeance seemingly follows a playbook as well. Again, largely unoriginal. Narcissists are the most destructive beings on the planet. They seek to destroy every life they intimately touch. Survivors of this abuse have much to overcome in returning their upside down reality back to a healthy functioning one. Given the proper support and guidance, full recovery is absolutely possible. It may seem that narcissists move on in life with nary a scratch while survivors are left to pick up the shattered remains of their nearly decimated lives. But like every other aspect of narcissistic abuse, that perception is illusory. Narcissists exist in a tormented, perpetual purgatory of their own doing from which they can never escape. Survivors have the ability to heal, become even better versions of themselves, and move on to live happy lives. The power transfers once survivors gain access to the narcissist's playbook. The playbook is elementary; anyone can learn it. The most difficult aspect of this education, one that feels totally unnatural to tenderhearted survivors, is the development of the shrewd, discerning character required to take their personal power back. Once done the rest is child's play. Randi Fine is an internationally renowned narcissistic abuse expert and coach, and the author of the groundbreaking book Close Encounters of the Worst Kind: The Narcissistic Abuse Survivor’s Guide to Healing, the most comprehensive, most well researched, and most up-to-date book on this subject. In addition to helping survivors recognize their abuse and heal from it, this book teaches mental health professionals how to recognize and properly treat the associated abuse syndrome. She is also the author of Cliffedge Road: A Memoir, the first and only book to characterize the life-long progression of complications caused by narcissistic child abuse. 2 views0 comments Post not marked as liked Recent Posts Post not marked as liked Post not marked as liked Post not marked as liked Allow me to support and guide you through the complex healing process of narcissistic abuse, into recovery, and ultimately to the freedom and happiness you deserve.	5,109
Your family's safety and health are paramount. No matter what else, people should be entitled to safe food and water supply. As time has gone on, water purifiers have become more and more popular, both inside and out of homes. With the ease of access, a large number of people have looked into buying home appliances to ensure their family’s water is safe. However, because there are so many different kinds of water purifiers for sale, it can be difficult to know which is the proper investment. This guide to water purifiers will help you understand the ins and outs of the process. Besides, if you are looking to change your old one, or in search of buying a new water purifier, this guide can help you to get ahead in the right direction. Types of Water Filters There are numerous kinds of filters, some of which work better than others. This model is a pitcher with a filter fitted to the top. To use it, water is poured in at the top and left to drain through the filter. This model is small and inexpensive, and works great for one or two people; however, a family of four would find difficulty, as it would need to be refilled multiple times per day. The average carafe filter costs around Tk 600. Pros: It doesn’t take up much space, and removes chloroform and lead. Inexpensive. Cons: Takes a while to filter, and doesn’t hold much clean water. Requires multiple refillings to be used constantly. Faucet-Mounted Filter This filter attaches directly to a water faucet, filtering water as it flows through. To replace, it’s a simple matter of unscrewing the old one and putting a new one on. The model also allows for unfiltered water flow. A faucet-mounted filter tends to cost around Tk 650. Pros: Inexpensive and easy to use. Cons: Reduces water flow, and doesn’t always fit on all faucets. These are similar to carafe filters in size but attach directly to a faucet. While these models allow you to filter more water quickly, their inherent size means they can clutter countertops. The standard price for a countertop filter is around Tk 1,500. Pros: Allows for a lot of filtered water, works quickly. Cons: Can clutter countertop, doesn’t always fit all faucets. These models are some of the most effective kinds, but require professional installation, which leads to their costs being a bit outside many people’s price range. They fit underneath the sink, allowing the user to store a large amount of filter water. The average under-sink filter costs around Tk 14,000. Pros: Works quickly and efficiently while storing a lot of water. Cons: Expensive modification is required to the kitchen. These filters are some of the most effective options available. They work by using the household water pressure to cause water to pass through a membrane that removes a large number of contaminants. These filters are the only way to remove arsenic from the water supply. However, there is a downside – they require cleaning with bleach on a regular basis, and the membrane itself requires replacement. The average reverse osmosis filter costs around Tk 42,000. Pros: Very effective, and not as expensive as they could be. Cons: Take an extremely long time to filter, and wastes a lot of excess water in the filtering process. Whole-house filters These filters do just what it sounds like they do: filter water through the entire home. This means that when you turn on your faucets, clean water comes out. However, this requires changes to the plumbing that a professional must perform. Pros: Convenient, and relatively inexpensive. Long filter life. Added Features of Water Filters While water filters tend to be pretty straightforward, there are additional devices that can be purchased and added on to make filtering water easier. These include an electronic indicator to tell you when to change the filter, as well as connections. When you’re’ trying to make the plumbing changes yourself, having an easy way to screw and unscrew plumbing connections can make all the difference in the world, and make your job much easier. The electronic indicator will change color when the filter is no longer effective, alerting you to change it. Besides, maintain all the precautions to keep your kitchen safe and sound in all the ways. What Water Filters Actually Remove? Most filters are designed to remove mineral contaminants such as lead, chlorine, and other harmful substances. This is the problem with water in many places; however, few filters are meant to remove another hidden danger: bacteria and viruses. Bacteria and viruses are microscopic, meaning they slip through the membrane filter very easily, getting into your family’s water and leading to sickness. Bacteria such as giardia, cryptosporidium, and helminths are common and lead to diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and more. The only real way to purify them is to get an expensive UV light treatment option or to boil the water before drinking. Boiling it is the easiest option; after the water has been boiled, it can be cooled through refrigeration. While it does add additional time to the filtering process, it is worth it for the assurance of safety. Which Water Purifier brand to buy? The brand isn’t as important when dealing with water filters are their overall effectiveness. Brands exist because many companies specialize in just a single type of water filter, and have built their business model around that. It’s not like clothing – water filters work whether they are brand name or not. When shopping for filters, look for the effectiveness rating. You can even buy used water filters and apply the best usage of hole appliances rule, but a word of caution: ensure that it works properly before purchasing, and buy your own filters. Used water filters are a health hazard, because if the filter itself has become contaminated, nothing it filters will be safe. New filters are less expensive than an entire filtering system, and can often be bought in bulk. When you purchase the filter, store it somewhere that it will remain clean and dry until it is needed. Your family’s safety and health are paramount. No matter what else, people should be entitled to safe food and water supply. This means taking whatever steps are necessary to ensure that happens. While water filters are not always cheap, they are always a good investment. Removing harmful chemicals from water ensures that your children are consuming nothing that can hurt them. Once you have a water filter, maintenance is easy. The majority of filters are rated for 300 gallons of water, so keep track of how much you use on a daily basis, and replace your filter after a set amount of time. If you do not, the filter itself becomes dirty and discolored, and water takes longer to pass through. Replacement filters are inexpensive and can help keep your family safe, so stay on top of the maintenance. Whether you want a carafe, a faucet-mounted filter, or a more thorough option like a whole-house filter, they are all effective and useful. Even if the filter you have doesn’t remove everything, it’s a step in the right direction.	7,236
Gab Board Politics Comedy Stop Health Issues My cookies do not keep my accounts for me Posted By: Patti on 2006-05-11 In Reply to: I give sweets and baked goods.....sm - back in 1997......... Gee thanks a lot, guess it is my cookies that do my 35,000 to 40,000 lines per month for my accounts. All I do is that if they respond to my brochure, express interest or talk with me I swing by with a plate of cookies to say "thank you" or if it is an account I really would like I swing by with a plate of cookies with a brochure and more times than not at least the brochure will make it to the manager's desk. It is the same as giving out pens with your business name on it. Again I stress, if I did not do a decent job I could not have stayed in this business as a MTSO for 18 years, support myself, own a home and have a half way personal retirement fund set up. Guess I will put on my tombstone, "I owe my success to my cookies". And really my flyer is a brochure. I hear such mixed thoughts regarding getting accounts by going door-to-door soliciting yourself. - sm Getting new accounts - How I did it All of my clients are from "word of mouth". If I had to solicit sm - MTSO25 I'm not a very "outgoing" person and I find extremely difficult to sell myself. So the ide - KYMT That was very helpful information - and sweet of you to post it. sm Excellent! Good for you! - NM It's how I got my private accounts....sm - back in 1997......... I love reading stories like this! - SM I'm happy my post helped you....sm - back in 1997......... Excellent points! (sm) - Geek To each their own - Patti I give sweets and baked goods.....sm - back in 1997......... My cookies do not keep my accounts for me - Patti and some of us have been doing it....N/M - for 30 yrs without baking l GREAT post. Thank you. - nm I like your approach sm - Passing through Thank you for this. I will be on my own some day. - NM The messages you are viewing are archived/old. Other related messages found in our database how bout sharing them around here LOL...heck at this point, I'll take the ones that don't have any shape. Sounds good! Thanks for the info. Will try the chilling, as I am not at a high altitude. Sure would like to make some pretty sugar cookies and gingerbread men! Gee, does your doctor bake you cookies when you make an appointment with him? What about your attorney, your accountant, your plumber, and your carpenter? Baking cookies, to me, is so totally unprofessional. I would NEVER do that. It's almost comical, as a matter of fact. I received cookies I received cookies from an MT company I know longer work for and of course nothing from the ones I do work for!! Not sure what you are looking for. Deleting cookies should take about 30 seconds. Did you clear your cookies? nm cleared the cookies call me when the cookies are ready She wasn't asking how to delete cookies, she was going to be instructing people on how to do it. Cookies! Uhm, well, now I do have some cookie dough in the fridge! Perhaps I should dollop a few out and bake'em and eat'em while they are hot with some cold milk before bed?!?! Then, I can fall asleep as my blood sugar plummets to new lows! ROFL No, don't read those posts. It's irritating! Who wants to be irritated?! NOT ME!! LOL Be sure to keep the temp files and cookies cleaned Just got back from a booth sale for GS Cookies - sm been doing that for the last 3 Saturdays....working some now....will do the rest tomorrown. Have an easy weekend as I only took on about 40 minutes of dictation and my own acct. did not upload any work Friday though I will pay for that on Monday. Plan to clean out my older daughter's closet tomorrow and organize their close (i.e. remove all the stuff too small from one kid and give to the other while removing some of hers as well)...very time consuming and desperately needs doing. My daughter's Brownie Troop is sending GS Cookies - sm A few people in the troop know people in Iraq and the soldiers they know said they don't care if any melt.....of course we are not sending all mints, or all chocolate ones but a mixture. Needless to say I am sure they will all be gone in 10 minutes! Homemade cookies? A nice potted plant? What do they like? Do they have a hobby, or collect anything? Once you get to internet options from TOOLS at the top of your browser, you have a radio button to delete cookies, one to delete history, one to delete online files and then offline files - that is how you delete the cookies AND the cache/memory/history. Is that what you need to know? Hope that helped!! Now I cant see the different broads again. Everytime I clean out my cookies and offline files I cant get in the different boards. Any suggestions. They are gone again. How about zillions of accounts. MQ has these accounts so overloaded even the new hires dont have any work. I would love to read some of these reports and then they expect perfect QA and no blanks. Did they lose their minds completely. BBQ chicken, baked beans and garlic toast with M&M cookies for dessert! nm Does anyone send Christmas cookies or presents TO your office, if you are a remote employee? sm Just wondering if that's a weird thing to do or not. My sister makes Clipper Ship Chocolate Chip Cookies! Milk chocolate chips, sometimes toasted pecans, and varies between Grand Marnier or sometimes Amaretto in them! Oooooooooo!!!! Large cookies, and fresh baked with a glass of super cold milk! Now my mouth is watering! LOL The accounts are old and she keeps her accounts TRUSTING she hired the right MTs who if in doubt will ask questions regarding reports. No one can find all mistakes in all reports and that is human to have a report with perhaps a typo. You think anyone reads through all the reports of a national company before they get to the hospital? Not a chance. Some random QA is supposed to correct all mistakes? Not hardly. Doctors/dictators make mistakes too. We all do. So do QA people. So the thing is this person hires good people who are trustworthy, the hospital likes the way she does their account and life goes on quite nicely w/o hovering editors/QA people. BTW, who QAs the QA people on your accounts. Ever wonder? Not all accounts are good accounts. One That should not be the case. Sounds like you need new accountant with strong knowledge of IC deduction. We save a several thousand on what we pay in taxes based on what I can deduct as at home IC, $2000 off the top for what I pay my child to help with office chores, as an example. The measly 7.xx% I pay that an employer would pay is well worth my independence in being my own boss. How many accounts? My national employer has 19 accounts in my queue, though I rarely work in all of them in a week or a month. Still its too many. I'll often work 5 or 6 accounts in a single shift, despite the promise of a limit of 2 or 3. This is a terrible business practice. If you are a dedicated MT, it requires extensive time to review account-specific instructions, not to mention being unfamiliar with place and people names associated with the different regions. It is unfair to "quality patient care" to bounce MTs into unfamiliar territory. After all, how quickly and accurately can one transcribe a record when you are overwhelmed with studying your fifth or sixth different set of instructions in less than 4 hours? I believe the substantial amount of MT shuffling is to slow us down--they have overstaffed and its to their benefit to force familiarity with odd accounts so they can do it again next time. They do phase people out of primaries and secondaries and even tertiary accounts once they become proficient. We hear the work is low due to summer slow down, yet they keep sending their "please welcome our newest recruits" memos. And, yes, I will definitely be searching for a new company very soon. I have 8 accounts and seriously, they do run out of work, but I change my work hours. I know if I get on at 6:30 a.m., I will get a decent amount of lines done in about 2 hours time with the normal interruptions of kids. I usually do get back on in the afternoon to try to finish up and there usually is work for me at that time too. I was transferred to Amherst when our office closed. I have been with MQ for 4 years. It just stresses me out that people complain so much about Medquist and it is always the same people. Why not get another job????? Why do they continue to come here and complain about the same thing over and over and over again????? It is the most annoying thing I have ever seen. I agree that we all need to vent, I do too. But why remain at MQ if you are all so unhappy? Maybe finding another job with a different company will make you happy, although it seems like people from every other company are complaining, as well. Yes, but it is important that we post this information. I believe, or at least I hope, that the people at the top need to hear this. The people at the top management levels read this board regularly. They are concerned about the bottom line. Three things affect the bottom line: production, TAT, and quality. If you have 2-3 accounts, you will have much higher production, much better quality and TAT will be better controlled. You will make more money because you are not wasting time jumping from account to account. I believe the problem is in middle management. They are the ones putting us on 15 accounts at a time. (I actually had a supervisor who told me she had asked the manager while she was throwing me at every problem account and her answer was...."Tough S---" Unbelievable. These are only for MT's/accounts that are on DQS If your account has never been switched to DQS, I don't believe you would receive a check. This somehow pertains to DQS. It appears that the longer your account has been on DQS, the larger your check would be. But this is all a mystery to us MT's. It may also pertain to certain accounts/clients that MQ had misbilled, per the law suits against them. At this point, MQ upper mgmt is keeping very quiet about this check, so can't help but think that it pertains to the overbilling that they had done to some MQ clients -- possibly we were the MT's who were worked on those accounts. BUT YOUR GUESS IS AS GOOD AS MINE about the purpose of the check, other than they had to pay back some monies FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER. Will we MT's ever know ???? Don't forget to call Human Resources and follow up with a written Employee Complaint with ALL these complaints. They think the complaining is only from an isolated few and won't even take things seriously until the written complaints start to mount up. Try for your own accounts - How did Those of you that have your own accounts, what's the best way of getting your own accounts? I have one small local account that I got from a newspaper services ad eight years ago. If I had two or three more like this one, I'd be a happy camper. I've mailed postcards and made cold calls with no luck whatsoever. I've even done intro letters with business cards to new providers on the city business license list and in response to help wanted ads. No nibbles there either. It doesn't even necessarily have to be a local account. It could even be Internet based or via mail/UPS. One guy used to priority mail tapes to me from New York back when I had my virtual assistant/secretarial business. Any positive suggestions are welcome. Thank you. It is like selling a house or anything, it takes a large volume of people to get one buyer. Even if I am not looking hard, I send out flyers every year or so to keep my name out there -- have a lot of people that are willing to subcontract for me. I also hit the smaller ones sometimes and do the rounds in the medical office buildings by the hospitals. Send flyers out to smaller cities/towns if you are set up for digital as those are the ones that are sometimes looking. Do networking with other MTSO's in your area. I know many in mine and we all network together. A lot of it is being at the right place at the right time as they often just throw our flyers out and that is why you have to keep sending them out. Offer something unique -- I cut apart chart notes and that helped with a couple of accounts. Stupid but they love it. Also accounts that use transcription services -- take them a flyer personally with some cookies -- it does work to get it to the manager's/doctor's desk it really does. I have also offered my own accounts a "finder's fee" if I get an account. Anything works. I have gotten a few through the yellow pages. But it takes time and persistence. One mailing does not usually do it as there are a lot that start up and stop so if they see it once or twice, they remember it. Good luck. Keep your prices fair and offer a good service. Patti Do 7 different accounts in my job, 2 programs, and another job with another program. different hospital. Once you get used to an account and work on it regularly, I have found it does not slow me uip to switch from account to account, keeps me in work. Also, no problem with doing way over 1000 lines in 8 hours. But that is just me. I have been at this 21 years. I hear others do have problems and sympathize with them. As far as QA and their accounts, sm this company has the best I have worked with. I have no idea what the QA rate is, but they do have the best QA IMHO, so I am assuming they are paid well. Ihave 4 clinics -- one with two Internal Medicine, one with two surgical oncologist, one with a plastic surgeon and hand surgeon and then my psych. Total in all accounts is about 25 hours per week and gives me about $3000 per month. I work 12 to 20 hours additional at a clinic as an employee doing EMR work and that pays me per hour with benefits. Going digital I hope within the next 2-3 months. No health problems yet. Have had accounts from 5 to 18 years. If you have your own accounts and do you feel obligated to share whatever work there is with them, even if it's really only enough for you? In my case they have other work that can do but they make more from my work, so they are anxious for any work I have available. It's overflow, so sometimes there is work and sometimes there's not. The amount of work available right now I could easily do myself. Usually I share whatever I have with them, but right now I have so many bills and really need to do the work/keep the money myself. But I feel bad about doing that. Should I feel bad? My husband says no. He thinks of it strictly in a business sense. I believe it with your own accounts. most MTs do not have their own accounts and have to deal with the company's line counting system as well as being paid a very low rate. Then again, I could never work 60 hours a week (my body just wouldn't allow it) even with my own accounts so this income is definitely not the norm, but having your own account I feel can really put you in control of your income potential. You go girl or guy, don't know.:) Do a search on this as we extensively discussed this about a week ago. You have to be ready to do all types of accounts using all types of equipment. The more money sounds good but there is a lot of work to it, no relief for time off, a lot of non billable time. You have to realize that if it is just you will be be seeking out either a one to two doctor clinic as that is about all you could handle at first. Most of these smaller clinics use tapes, you print, pick up and deliver. But if you are going to limit yourself to digital only then you need to expore setting up your own FTP site, know how to transfer back and forth and it is usually a larger clinic which would be hard for one person to handle. I think you need to do a little more investigation and there is no "book" to buy it is through a lot of hard work, sweat, tears and perservence that you keep doing your own accounts. Like I said you are sick, no one to do your work and often times the office understands the first time but when you are new, a second time and they look elsewhere. They have a hard time understanding sick children, relatives, power outages, disc failures, etc. until you have built a reputation and rapport with them. Has taken me 20 years to so do. Good luck, use your own common sense and brains and do a flyer, brochure, letter introducing yourself and send them out. It can be done but it take a while to get started and keep going. Well how did this office contact you? I would get this one under your belt and use them as a stepping stone and a reference and go from there. It works the same in this field as in any other field you want business, you go out and advertise, do flyers, make phone calls, etc. Most will not come to you unless you have been established for years or have an ad in the yellow pages, etc. So start with this one since they have contacted you and go from there. Hi, I would like some info on where to start in getting my own accounts as in what kind of equipment required, where to begin, etc. Also, what do you charge, etc. I have 17+ years of transcription experience working for others, want to try something different. Have had several contacts to me regarding own accounts. I don't mind sharing general information, etc.but please do not ask me for samples of my brochures, flyers, business cards, etc. and ask for a step by step procedure to go through for obtaining your own accounts. I am not a consultant you pay for those fees. If you have been in the business even working for someone else for many years, then you should have a basic idea what is needed with regards to equipment, etc. No one can know you have a service unless you go out and advertise it. Get your name out there and let them know you are available. I am not being mean but I had to do a lot of learning along the as well as time spent in research and development and if you want to do this there is no easy way. Guess I could write a book and sell it. As for rates, if you are working for a small MTSO in your area add on 25 to 35% of what your rate is currently. To me, I would rather start out low and raise in a year or so to get the account, the experience of doing my own clients, etc. Patti Talk to your hospital medical staff coordinator and ask if you can sponsor doughnuts for the doctors lounge on a certain day. You get an estimate of how many dozens you need, pick them up, deliver them to the lounge and then the hospital puts up a board saying the doughnuts are compliments of "XYZ Transcription Service." You leave a stack of brochures and business cards on the table so they get into the hands of the doctors and not the office managers. You'll get business quicker by impressing a doctor than you ever will by impressing an office manager. The accounts I currently have are sm small and I use a call-in system for them. This account would be quite large. My first thought was to get the account and use a call-in system and switch to something less expensive later on. I find it strange also that they expect the vendor to provide the paper but that is what it says. In regards to what someone else posted, am I allowed to request a copy of the prior bid? I work as an employee, but have a friend in another state who developed her business by going in person to Dr.'s offices, introducing herself as someone who will do overflow work when their regular Transcriptionist gets behind or goes on vacation, and leaving a business card/flyer. That way she is nice, polite, and doesn't come off as cutthroat. When she does get the call, her work is so professional that many switch to her permanently. Surgical oncology -- 28 minutes = 568 lines -- 65 minutes with proofing and printing. 3 Psych consults -- each is over 30 minutes, 400 to 450 lines per consult, 1 to 1.5 hours for each report. Depends on how may tests are done. With pick up and delivery I put in 8 hours today. Maybe she has other accounts you know nothing -sm about and she would have given you one of them. You cannot ask her that is for sure. As for telling her where you went, not sure that is a good idea since it was her client. I hope you are an employee for them and not an IC. She may think your filched her account if she finds out. Also read the find print in your contract with her if you have one, there ususally is a clause about taking work from one of her clients directly yourself (non-compete clause), if so you may have a big can of worms on your hands; I don't think it matters that they approached you when it comes to a non-compete clause. Good luck. Own accounts have been doing them for 5+years. Lots of saved phrases. Will be doing psych this afternoon and will do probably 1000 to 1200 in 2 to 2 1/2 hours if the reports are 10 to 12 pages each. Just gotta go out there and get your own small office accounts. I have TNR 12, TNR bold 12, Arial 12 and Arial 14, and Tahoma 12. There's no standard as far as I am concerned. The oft-quoted 65-character line is based on Courier 12 point, so if anything were the standard, that would be it, IMO. What do ICs with own accounts do...sm When they need a day off? I know my hospital has another girl that works when I can't but I am running into times when she can't and I have something where I can't work. Is it the hospital's responsibility or is it mine? Well, since I have several big accounts in... Massachusetts, I wonder what part of the state has no MT jobs. Perhaps you mean you cannot get the work from individual practices? My accounts including several multi-physician offices as well as some bigger, well-known hospitals. Maybe you need to contract with a company if you are trying to go it alone. The MT work is definitely still "out there" in abundance including in Massachusetts. there are no transcription jobs in medical offices in this part of massachusetts Where are you located? I have been going through the same issues and I just got a phone call today from someone who worked for a national company for 10 years, got fed up and is experiencing the same thing also. If you hear of any pointers that work, please let me know. Anyone with their or Rad accounts?sm What is the general turn-around time on radiology and what is the average line rate charge? I have my own accounts and I have one that has been a great account for me (10 years) which is a mixture of hospital and radiology. I can't really say I worked part time because I average about 5-6 hours a day but some days total work time only adds up to about 3-4 hours but takes all day waiting for radiology for a certain doctor and they generally like the reports back as soon as he is finished which could be anywhere from noon to 4 o'clock because he stops and starts so much. Sorry for the venting, but I have other accounts now I could be working instead of sitting around waiting for him to decide to get off the phone. I hate going back and forth to accounts for hook up reasons. What I need to know is the average turn-around time for radiology, thinking that I will just start another account for an hour or two before starting back up with this radiology account.	24,198
The performance of “La traviata” while booking tickets for Munich opera festival was not an intentional choice – my prime target was another Verdi gem – “Les Vêpres siciliennes” on Sunday, and as interim event on Saturday I put it in the booking. Somehow I did not pay too much attention on the planned cast, […] by antrazalite La Boheme, Munich Opera Festival, July 3rd, 2016 La Boheme was the third performance on this year’s Munich Opera Festival visit, and the main driver for the choice was Sonya Yoncheva as Mimi. I have seen and heard her previously live in London, singing Marguerite in “Faust”, where she saved ROH after Anna Netrebko pulled out from the role. Somehow her Mimi has […] by antrazalite Despair wrapped in poetry. “Werther” by Jules Massenet, Bayerisches Staatsoper, October 31, 2015 Werther as the character of most famous suicidal poet is probably known by everyone who have read Goethe’s novel Die Leiden des jungen Werther (The Sorrows of Young Werther) in their youth, for most of us – as part of compulsory program in foreign literature class. Even if many years have passed since graduation, the […]	1,151
As Venus and Mars both transit through Libra and the Sun through Scorpio leading up to an extra Venusean Full Moon on Friday the 3rd, I have a sort of confession to make. It is relative to topics recently circulating about mistreatment by men toward women. I’m not denying the very real abuse that occurs but rather wish to make a special statement of gratitude toward certain men and certain types of men in general. There are many men in my life who have made a huge impact on my overall growth and I would like to say thank you, wherever you are. I’d also like to share a bit of my story with women, just because it seems relevant to the times we’re in. First, don’t get me wrong and think this is some sort of sappy “I love men” post. This is no way ignores the betrayal, minimization, and violations that women have experienced on this earth. Also, I’ve had my share of all-out verbal brawls with asshole alpha males and told creepy men to back off in no uncertain terms on multiple occasions. Truth be told, when I look at the overall picture of where I’ve been, it is men who have helped me through the hardest of times. I simply wouldn’t be who and where I am today without all these magnificent and gifted men. Most of my mentors, healers, teachers, protectors, allies and benefactors in this lifetime have been men. This was not at all what I looked for or expected but has been a huge contradiction to my childhood impression of men being big scary monsters rather than humans with caring hearts. Maybe that’s why they have showed up for me in such amazing ways, to slowly dissolve the overwhelming feeling of disdain and distrust I had toward them. Even the jerks in my path have taught me extremely valuable lessons that have made me stronger in every way. ancient carving of Amazon warriors found in Eurasia Women who have been abused by men, I totally hear you and feel that pain. During a high school phase I thought was a feminist because I didn’t care for guys in general but dreamt of being like Xena warrior princess. Then I realized I wasn’t truly feminist because most women annoyed me to fucking bits and I just hated people, period. My growing hatred toward humanity as a whole is part of what made me sick to near-death. The anger and disgust I felt became immobilizing to my body, not for a few days but for a few years. Throughout the years I’ve seen some women use and abuse men as their work/money or sex slaves and manipulate them in other horrible ways. Objectification swings either direction (and children are treated even worse) but that’s not something we are comfortable talking about in our PC culture. It’s a god awful thing to behold, as awful as any other type of domestic or relationship abuse. What a hell of a world we live in. Although each of us has both feminine and masculine qualities, the more we as women can appreciate, respect and adore the masculine qualities of men the more they can appreciate, adore and respect our feminine qualities and support us in general. Part of enabling this to happen is to allow men to be imperfect (all within reason – not talking about psychopathic disorders here) while also recognizing our own imperfections and working toward improvement. Instead of victimization or violence, conversation may arise. Effective relating to others in general is a type of skill that takes practice. For instance, rather than attacking a man for what I perceive as a huge character flaw I personally have to ask myself, do I contribute to this flaw in some way, and if not, how can I quiet this reactivity within myself that perhaps stems from prior abuse, so that rather than conflicts a new level of understanding may arise? Self-defense against attack is another matter, but the first step is to avoid any attacks to begin with. In situations where one is being taken for granted in a relationship, it is equally important to know when to walk away – when to stop giving and giving for nothing but heartache in return. As we cultivate greater self-respect, the idiots begin to fall away or lessen in numbers. Those true and graceful men who are willing to show up or step up will do so. The more we authentic we are with each other, the more space is allowed for our best qualities to shine. Then a true healing between the sexes can begin. Forecasts Miscellaneous Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.	4,632
Sign up and be the first to hear about events, program updates, volunteer opportunities, holiday programs, and stories of success. Address Communications Interested In News/Updates Special Events This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Childhaven Featured in Seattle Times Fund for Those in Need 29 November 2021, 11:01 AM PT Healing childhood trauma in the Seattle area with arms around the whole family Photo credits to Daniel Kim Seattle Times photographer Carneisha Grace, 34, was going to take care of her special-needs son and his two brothers on her own, no matter what. She thought self-sufficiency was the mark of a good mother. But when the end of a long-term relationship left her homeless, and her son Shawn was still not walking or talking, she struggled. Childhaven reached out to her, and she was finally ready to accept support. Now, with help from the agency, one of the 13 nonprofits that benefits from readers’ donations to The Seattle Times Fund for Those in Need, Grace is stably housed and her children are flourishing. "We're not meant to do it alone," she said during a recent visit to Childhaven's branch in Auburn. "Don't be afraid to ask for help and don't be afraid to take it. We all need it. Learning that changed everything for us." The tangible assistance with day care, education, therapy and housing that Childhaven and its partners throughout the community provided were critical, she said. But so were the thousands of little lessons she’s learned along the way: how to play with her kids, practice patience when it’s running thin, communicate clearly when frustration is high and take a few minutes for herself when needed. Her youngest son, Samari, 5, is doing well in school at Childhaven, where he's enrolled in the Wraparound with Intensive Services program that allows the agency to keep its connection with the whole family. WISe (Wraparound with Intensive Services) parent partner Barbie Jo Wagner, right, plays with Samari, center, and Josiah at Childhaven in Auburn. (Daniel Kim / The Seattle Times) Josiah, 12, is at Rainier Middle School, where he recently shot a game-winning basket. Shawn, 9, is now able to walk and communicate. He is fond of calling the family’s friend and facilitator at Childhaven, Barbie Jo Wagner, and asking her, “What’s going on?” Wagner was Shawn’s first teacher at the agency. She later became the family’s case manager and a parent partner, which is what Childhaven calls staff members who have experienced and overcome many of the same struggles their clients face. "Sometimes people ask if seeing all the need can get you down," Wagner said. "But when I see Shawn lighting up and playing and see how resilient mom is and how well the other kiddos are doing, it's wonderful and so worth it. I love seeing them thrive and grow." Each year, The Seattle Times Fund for Those in Need raises money for charities that help children, families and senior citizens. Throughout the season, we’re telling the stories of people and organizations who make a difference in the lives of thousands, and the impact donors can have. Founded more than 100 years ago as a day nursery, Childhaven was the first on the West Coast to implement the federal Head Start child development program to provide a year-round preschool program to help prepare young children for school. Childhaven works to address the childhood trauma and adversity that are the root causes of the most urgent and costly problems that plague children, families and communities. Over two-thirds of children in the United States are exposed to some form of toxic stress from multiple possible causes, including domestic violence, abuse, neglect, racism, illness, indifference and bullying, according to the agency. Children who experience early adversity carry the impact long into adulthood with studies now showing links to crime, drug abuse, suicide, homelessness, mental health issues and even cancer and diabetes. Grace was in foster care most of her childhood. A little hellion, according to her own description, she was not adopted even after her picture and profile were featured as a child needing a forever home in The Seattle Times. She had fun running the streets for a while, she said, but when she became pregnant, she vowed she would parent better than she'd been parented. When her second son was born with Dravet syndrome, a rare form of intractable epilepsy that causes seizures and developmental delays, she was told he would probably not live past 5. "I didn't know what to do. I didn't know there was help for parents with special-needs kids. I just curled up into a ball," she said. "Let me tell you this: Depression is real." After the dissolution of a relationship forced her and the children into a Seattle-area shelter, she learned about Childhaven and the ways they could help. She was not eager at first - past experiences with social agencies made her feel like she was being lectured at, criticized and not heard, she said. But Childhaven recently underwent a complete “paradigm shift,” to avoid that, said Mark Fadool, the agency’s Chief Programs and Operations Officer. “We’ve gone from the mindset of thinking that we are the experts to understanding instead that they are the experts. It’s a major overhaul.” Josiah, 12, plays with his brother Samari, 5, at Childhaven. (Daniel Kim / The Seattle Times) The agency’s new flexibility followed a period of “listening deeply” to families and communities, Childhaven’s CEO Jon Botten said in a recent interview. Parents know their needs and their children’s needs better than anyone, he said. Healing happens when people feel safe and supported, the agency says, so Childhaven takes the time to build trust-based, face-to-face relationships with parents and children. Recent mergers with Art with Heart and Renton Area Youth and Family Services as well as partnerships with other community-based organizations, such as the Renton Innovation Zone Partnership, Renton School District and the Skyway Coalition, are helping the agency expand its reach and broaden its impact, agency officials said. Childhaven now has a cornucopia of offerings, such as Kaleidoscope Play and Learn, Healthy Start and the pioneering Family Navigation program that together aim to provide families with one-stop, comprehensive assistance. The breadth of offerings allows Childhaven and all its new partners to meet people in their homes, schools, community centers and shelters. The agency’s first priority is meeting people where they are with what they need, making services convenient and developing more continuum of care, Botten said. Another top priority is expanding the number of people helped each year. Last year the agency served more than 2,000 children, youth and families with therapeutic services including early learning and child and family counseling. Carneisha Grace stands outside with her children Josiah, top right, Samari, right, and Shawn at Childhaven’s Auburn branch. “I feel like we are doing great,” Grace said. (Daniel Kim / The Seattle Times) In explaining the intense focus on mental health assistance, the agency’s communication director Knox Duncan said, “We believe early childhood mental health has the potential to change the world and our community.” A network of supportive adult connections early in a child's life buffers the effects of trauma and adversity, builds resilience, and lays the foundation for optimal and lifelong health and well-being, he said. “I feel like we are doing great,” Grace said. “I have my own car, my own home and I pay my own bills. I’ve got everyone on a schedule and we are doing better than ever.” “I have to say, the resources are out there if you want them,” she said. “But it’s up to you to take them. Don’t lose out on an opportunity to better parent and a better person overall. Don’t be scared, don’t be ashamed. There is help, really good, life-changing help, out there.”	8,200
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" Self-care is the ongoing practice of putting myself and my needs first. It means believing that I am worthy of rest, care and attention, and putting that belief into practice. When that self-belief sinks in, it’s such a powerful feeling. " Natalia is a copywriter, content creator and serial coffee drinker based in Dublin. She has a blog, What Now, Nat? , where she writes about all things mindset, planning and personal development. On her Instagram @whatnownat, she shares photos of her travels, book recommendations and her everyday life as a copywriter. If you are looking for the best copywriter, check out her website Storylign. What does self-care mean to you? Self-care is the ongoing practice of putting myself and my needs first. It means believing that I am worthy of rest, care and attention, and putting that belief into practice. When that self-belief sinks in, it’s such a powerful feeling. Over the years, I’ve come to realise that I am at my best when I take time to practice self-care every day. It doesn’t have to be time-consuming or complicated — it can be as small as enjoying a cup of coffee and reading a few pages of a book. Has your perception of self-care changed, particularly with the events of last year? I used to think self-care meant having a pamper day on a weekend. Now, I realise that it’s so much more than that. Last year, I launched my copywriting business, Storylign, in the middle of the pandemic. I threw myself completely into work and developed some really unhealthy habits. Towards the end of the year, I basically had no sleeping routine, and hardly went outside during the week! Honestly, it didn’t end well — I ended up feeling burned out, and both my physical and mental health suffered because of it. This year, I’m prioritising balance over hustle. I’ve learned to treat every day as an opportunity to start over. Self-care has made the biggest difference to my work-life balance, because it encourages me to be kind to myself, and look out for myself just like I would with a friend or a loved one. What are some of the misconceptions around self-care? There seems to be a misconception that self-care is selfish — especially if you lead a busy life. But putting yourself first really means filling your own cup before you give your time and energy away to others. And as any pretty Instagram quote will tell you, you can’t pour from an empty cup. Taking time every day to look after yourself allows you to be more present with your family and friends, and makes sure that you’re not depleting your own resources. What are some of your favourite self-caring activities/self-care routine or affirmations? Some days, self-care means Netflix, other days it means meditation. I don’t have a set self-care routine, but I do enjoy doing at least one thing for my mind, and one thing for my body each and every day. Journalling is one of my favourite self-care activities because it allows me to connect with my inner voice and check in with how I’m feeling. Sometimes I like to follow prompts to explore specific emotions, or topics such as growth and goals. Most of the time, I free write and let my thoughts spill out onto the page. It’s so therapeutic! I also like to incorporate some movement into every day, whether that means going for a walk, practicing yoga, or having a dance party alone in my flat. Even if I really don’t want to exercise, I always feel better afterwards. How do you make sure you’re regularly prioritising self-care? I used to wait for the perfect moment to squeeze in self-care — the weekend, a quiet evening, or a day off. But the perfect moment never comes unless we actively reach for it. These days, I see self-care as a non-negotiable part of my daily schedule, so I make time for it. I make sure to do at least one thing I enjoy before I start work in the morning, and after I finish for the day. On extra busy weeks, I actually block out time for self-care in my calendar to make sure that me-time is sacred. Why is it so important to keep going even when you’re feeling better in yourself? A regular self-care practice sends a powerful message: that you’ll always be there for yourself, no matter what. When your mental health dips or you find yourself stuck in a rut, it can be really difficult to find the motivation to pick yourself up. But with a solid foundation of self-care habits to rely on, looking after yourself and showing yourself kindness will already be second nature. Finding your way back to a healthy and positive mindset won’t be quite so hard. Shop our collection of Eco-friendly Self-care Essentials Share Share on Facebook ABOUT US Terms of Service Subscribe to our newsletter for 10% off your first order, self-care tips, new product sneak peeks and exclusive discounts.	4,963
Hey Bananimals! I want you in my squad. Come play Call of Duty with me, 1 on 1, for 30 minutes. Ask me anything! I love meeting my fans more than anything so come hang with me. I can only meet a few fans a week, so book your boy Bananas now and let's get crazy! Rating Being real here, I was a little skeptical of how my experience would actually be when I had paid to play with Johnny Bananas through campaign tv, but it ended up being a great experience! I was able to go back and forth with David (the founder of campaign tv) and he was very down to earth and easy to talk to. He made it easy to figure out a time that would work best for both me and Johnny and, once everything was worked out, I received my game invite as we had talked about! When I got the invite, it was actually from Johnny himself too, so there was no middle man during the experience, which was more than I had expected, tbh. And, of course, the game time was so fun and just raw! Thank you again campaign tv!	1,012
Listen to this blog as a similar podcast: Does it bother you when you watch a new movie about Jesus’ life (or, even an old one) and the movie just falls flat when it comes to the resurrection appearances of Jesus? Sometimes, they are skipped altogether, other times portrayed as some kind of “voice heard only” type of thing. With all the phenomenal capability of Hollywood special effects, it seems that filmmakers could do (and would want to do) a fantastic job of portraying Jesus in his resurrected body and his real interactions with all those real people (500+) for 40 days (1 Cor. 15:3-8). Come on. This culture is… read more You May Also Like July 9, 2019 October 7, 2015 September 16, 2021 March 23, 2018 / 0 Comments Are you overwhelmed by failure, discouragement, and insecurity resulting from your attempts to live as a Christian by your inadequate human effort? Did someone promise you that your life would be a whole lot better if you just got saved, but you aren’t seeing any difference? Do you keep trying to live “a Christian life,” but your woefully inadequate human efforts leave you feeling defeated? You might be like many Christians who have a lack of understanding of two vital truths: (1) Christ’s finished work on the cross to secure your complete acceptance before God, and (2) “Christ in you” as the reality of daily Christian living. You may have… read more You May Also Like January 12, 2022 October 9, 2018 March 11, 2019 Recent Posts A Cross at Christmas Even my Christmas Chicken is Sideways How to Choose a Bible Study for a Group Archives Select Month December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 August 22	4,298
We value your partnership! As we continue to grow and innovate our services, we appreciate working with you to deliver delicious dishes to amazing customers - wherever they are. Learn more about our partnership and frequently asked service questions below. We prioritize customer service! Whether we’re helping customers, communicating with our drivers or working with our partners, our support team is ready and available to provide top-notch service—no matter what time or what the issue may be. Our drivers are dedicated to a high level of customer service and professionalism. It’s our goal to represent your brand with the utmost intentionality, and our drivers are the face of that standard of service. Quality Equipment We’ve invested in quality equipment to transport your food safely. Our hot bags are sturdy and well-insulated to make sure food arrives at the same temperature it was when it left the restaurant. With that, we are careful to deliver orders within a certain radius of the restaurant to keep the dishes fresh and warm! Frequently Asked Questions Operations How does ASAP know when to pick up the food? When you receive a new order, you will be prompted to enter a prep time. We suggest that you overestimate your prep time by about 10 minutes. (Customers don’t typically complain about food being early.) Is there training for the iPad? Of course! Located on the home screen of your iPad is a training folder. This folder includes training for both the restaurant employees and managers. If there are any issues at any time, contact our Partner Support Team. Will ASAP market my business? Our success depends on yours, so absolutely. Our mission is to bring you new customers. We provide you with marketing materials (door stickers, table tents, push cards, etc.), and our media kit (logos, social media posts, etc.) for you to promote yourself on ASAP. When can I start receiving orders? Once signed up, you can start taking orders within 3 days! We'll ship you an iPad, build your menu, and confirm with you that everything looks good. How does pricing work? We work with our partners to tailor a rate that best fits their business needs. Please fill out our more information form if you need to speak directly to a rep regarding rates. How often will I get paid? ASAP may utilize Hyperwallet payment services to deliver payments to you. Such payment services are subject to the Hyperwallet Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. ASAP may batch payments through Hyperwallet on the following: Daily Payments: Monday - Friday at 6:30PM CDT/5:30PM CST Weekly Payments: Thursday at 6:30PM CDT/5:30PM CST Bi-Weekly Payments: The (1st) and (15th) of the month at 6:30PM CDT/5:30PM CST Monthly Payments: The (1st) of the month at 6:30PM CDT/5:30PM CST *Please note if these days should fall on the weekend or holiday the payment will come on the business day that follows the provided dates.	2,957
My daughter was in preschool at Calvary, I was asked to volunteer at a chapel to lead worship with the preschoolers. The rest is history! I have been at Calvary for 10 years. What is your educational background and training? I studied Early Childhood Education. I was called into ministry with children beginning at 16 years old. My experience has ranged from Sunday school, to high school youth groups, to working as a school aged childcare director for 10 years, leading children’s outreaches with our local homeless community, and to being a mom myself. I have learned so much and enjoyed every opportunity the Lord has given me. Where were you born and raised? I was born in Fullerton, California. What is your favorite memory from your time at Calvary Christian School? My favorite memory is ongoing. Preschool children have given me the gift of seeing like a child, helping me to trust God and believe He really loves me as I am. Children have given me the greatest understanding of what Jesus meant in Matthew 18 more than any sermon, book or adult has! Watching preschoolers worship will full faith and trust, watching them absorb the simple truths of Jesus’ love for them, and seeing them learn that we can trust Him has been a gift to me. Who have been the biggest spiritual influences in your life? There are too many to list… I will pick the most recent pastor who went to be with Jesus in 2017. Gene Molway. He simplified the Gospel and our response to it. He led by example to truly give our life away to a good, powerful, loving wonderful Father. We are called to be bondservants of Jesus and to love others as He has loved us. Gene encouraged my husband and I to keep pursuing God and His call on our lives in starting and continuing to lead those experiencing homelessness around us and those that were on the fringe in society. To those who feel like outcasts and unwanted. He taught us that we are ALL outcasts because of our sin, yet Jesus made us His own! We miss him and we grieve but thankfully we grieve with HOPE! I live in Orange with my husband Terry, our two children, and our two dogs. We love culture (my husband is originally from Taiwan), food, laughing, friends, food shows, mysteries, interesting facts, and each other.	2,294
As a passionate soul, I’m inspired each day more and more by those in the stand up paddle community, and their desire to not only paddle but to live out a purpose. As I travel the globe with BiC SUP, I continue to be amazed by the men and women I come across with passions far beyond just getting on the water. This is a story of one woman I recently came across who passionately paddles her waters… with scissors. Meet “Maui Miranda”. Better known as Miranda Camp… A vivacious and bubbly woman who lives for adventure on the beautiful south shores of Maui, Hawaii. This tiny wahine and mom of two kids in their twenties (though you wouldn’t know it by looking at her petite svelte body – guess that’s what the salty Hawaiian air does for you) moved to Maui 17 years ago out of her sheer love for water and the island. This passionate Maui adventure seeker began her trek all across the island and found her purpose in sharing her love of hikes, nature, snorkeling, and stand up paddling with those visiting the island. At first, she would freely give of herself and her time showing people all the hidden gems of Maui, apart from just the Luaus. Eventually, a friend would help her develop her guide business known as Maui Mana Adventures and Miranda was in the business of fun and teaching people how to have it! Upon my trek to Maui, I had a dream. A dream to paddle with whales. I had seen it done, and had paddled with everything underwater but a whale. Dolphins, sea turtles, seals, sea lions, and even 50+ jellyfish had been under my board at one time, but never a whale. My internet detective work led me to Maui Mana Adventures and I inquired of her about making my dream of paddling with whales come true. She was honest but fair, and told me that since it was almost May, the whales were mostly gone at this point, but on the rare occasion we could see one. I would take my chances. On just another day in sunny tropical paradise, I met Miranda at the South Shores of Kihei, Maui and immediately I could feel her energy was contagious as the water was blue…deep blue. We saddled up the SUPs complete with snorkels (and scissors, more on that later) and headed out into an expansive bay. As we paddled out on top of crystal clear waters, with endless reefs beneath us, my endorphins shot up, and I could feel energy scourging through my veins, even with only one cup of coffee that morning. This was not artificial energy, this was the feeling that something big was about to happen. I could feel it. Miranda and I paddled out for awhile chatting about all things SUP and nature, and learned each other’s ins and outs, and talking of whales and dolphins, my two favorite animals, as any true mermaid would vouch. Miranda, also a mermaid (unbeknownst to her until I informed her) had seen and experienced her fair share of whale encounters in Maui, and astounded me with her knowledge of where we would find them, how they interact, and what they like from us. As we chatted, we scanned the horizon in hopes of making my dream come true. Then it happened. I spotted something. “Dolphins!” I shouted to Miranda, and pointed. We made our way towards them in excitement. “We don’t always see them here,” Miranda exclaimed. “They must have known you were coming.” My uncle who lives in Florida used to tell me, “Dolphins are your power animal. I never see them until you come around.” After a while we noticed they were still far off and moving away from us and we stopped paddling for a moment and watched. Suddenly Miranda’s voice became high and excited, “Jodelle, one of those is not a dolphin.” I knew what she meant, and my energy wanted to bust through my veins.” “Paddle, Jodelle, you are gonna see a whale!” We stroked mightily and headed towards them. As we neared them, with only half a football field away, they disappeared beneath the surface. We stood still for a moment, now 2 miles out to sea and watched the calm waters in search of a fin, a ripple, a wave, anything that indicated life. Nothing. Just stillness. “Let’s sit and meditate here,” I beckoned Miranda. “I feel meditation really resonates with animals.” So we sat for just a moment, before Miranda pondered out loud, “I wonder where they went?” Suddenly within 15 feet of Maui Miranda’s SUP, the nose of a baby humpback whale erupted through the surface of the water, and our screams of excitement erupted as well. From there, we watched as the mother surfaced with her baby and began to crest her beautiful black body across the water in elegant and quite spiritual movements. Here is the video: Tears stung my eyes, as these blue eyes took in the dream come true of being next to one of the most amazing creatures on the planet. What a rare and unique experience to be a part of! As a woman pursuing newborn adoption, and anxious to become a mother, this divine encounter was confirmation that my Creator was showing me that my time will come when I too will travel gracefully through the waters of life with my baby by my side. Miranda beamed and encouraged me to keep paddling as we followed the dolphins and the whales for a while longer. My amazement and excitement became hers as well, as she knew how special this moment was for me. Following the pod of dolphins kept us within close proximity to the whales even when they seemed to disappear. At one point, we jumped in the water with our snorkels to see the dolphins dance and play beneath the surface and I actually heard the song of the whale in the distance. At another moment, we sat still and quiet on our SUPs and listened to the complete calm in the air, with only the occasional “poof ” of a whale’s spout around us, creating the most blissful sound to ever grace my ears. Finally after a couple hours of following these majestic creatures, we headed back in towards shore. On our way, Miranda shared with me the many astonishing encounters she had observed with whales, and other sea creatures. As an Environmental Educator for the Hawaii Nature Center and a Naturalist for the Maui Ocean Center, this woman truly had a heart for the sea and all the life that lived it in. Notably, sea turtles. For Miranda never sets out on her SUP without scissors in her yellow, zippered pouch. These scissors, I found out, are destined to be life-saving devices for sea turtles who are tangled with fishing line. Line entanglement around flippers, head or neck is the greatest threat to these endangered beings. If left tangled, the fishing line can amputate the flipper of the turtle, or even cause death. On many, awe-inspiring occasions, Maui Miranda has come across tangled up turtles, pulled out her scissors, and gently freed them. The girl who stand up paddles with scissors saves the day. That’s not all she saves though. At one point, I dropped my earring which ironically looks like a seashell, and Miranda tossed on her mask and snorkel and within 30 seconds, recovered my earring back into my hand. I stood amazed once again. I learned more of her vast sea life knowledge as we paddled to an enormous reef and sank below the surface with snorkels, swimming like mermaids and enjoying the deep. We saw the Hawaii state fish, the “Humuhumunukunukuapua’a” (say that 5 time fast), a porcupine puffer fish, sea urchins, and I learned of Miranda’s vast knowledge of each one as we encountered them. This girl has certainly done her homework. Eventually we meandered back to shore, and I hugged my new friend and drove away, but with each day since then I can’t help but feel forever connected to her for the experience we shared together. Yet this experience is not just for me. You can have it too. Maui is saturated with adventure just waiting to be discovered whether in the water or on land, and if you are seeking it, Miranda of Maui Mana Adventures will help you find it. Whether you are a gentle soul looking for a leisurely Stand up paddle session, or a thrill-seeker looking for a treacherous hike to a gorgeous view, Miranda will take you places you have never been, but always wanted to go. If my SUP dream come true wasn’t enough to convince you, just read the reviews on her website and find out what everyone is saying about her. Bring your camera, or not, because she will have hers. Bring your snorkel or not, because she will have one for you. Bring your own SUP, or not, as she has that too. And bring your own scissors, or don’t, because I know she won’t be forgetting those either. The gal has a passion, a purpose, and creates pleasure for a living and for the living. A trip to Maui is not complete without Maui Miranda. [box type=”note”] Special Note: Thank you, Miranda for making my wildest SUP dream come true. I will forever treasure the memory that you helped co-create of paddling next to a whale. Your enthusiasm and sheer, contagious happiness infected my soul and made for an experience of a lifetime. Your love for the undersea world is immense and heartfelt and I admire that in you. Thank you for caring for our friends, the sea turtles like you do, and may you blessed for all the many turtle lives you have saved. And finally, You are “Whally” cool. Just had to add that pun.[/box] With Love as big as the sea, [author image=”http://standupjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Jodelle-Fitzwater1.jpg”>Jodelle Fitzwater “Jodelle Fitzwater is the Midwest Ambassador for BiC SUP and Certified Fitness Trainer for SUP TV. She is also a self-proclaimed mermaid because she has no fear of depth and a great fear of shallow living. Find her instructional fitness videos by visiting SUP TV on YouTube and by visiting www.getfitwithjodelle.com “liking” on Get Fit With Jodelle on Facebook.” [/author] Standup Journal is the world's first and highest quality sup publication that is passionately following and writing about this special lifestyle, the culture, and the adventure and lifelong friendships we share!	10,345
Maybe it was his upbringing - a military brat, born in Nova Scotia, but, like toilet seats, raised everywhere. Ridley's music incorporates elements of rock and, perhaps more interestingly, hip-hop, with a Western sound. Honestly, when was the last time you heard a country/hip hop song? Funny thing is - it works, it really, really works! It works so well they gave it a name - Hick-Hop! Ridley picked up a guitar young, while a teenager in Alberta. His early influences were bands like the Beastie Boys, Sublime, and Rage Against the Machine. In 2000 he found himself in Vancouver where he connected with that city's Alternative Country scene and his music moved in that direction but not without lingering traces of his past. In 2002 he released Blam, a genre-bending collection of songs written over the five previous years. "...such Americana authors as Louis l'Amour and John Steinbeck. These authors greatly influenced his writing style -- character-driven story lines with such strong narrative themes as drugs, desperation, ambition, love, racing, unrequited love, and murder, all told with dark humor, skilled rhyming, and a novelist's feel for plot twists and unexpected sentiment." In 2007 Ridley released the critically acclaimed Buckles and Boots, which definitely had more twang yet still retained a lot of 'get up offa that thang'. Reviewers made comparisons to Hank Williams, George Jones, and Tom T. Hall. Listen carefully to the lyrics of Nine Inch Nails, a truly wry piece of songwriting, and you'll hear references to many of Ridley's musical influencers. 2008 saw Ridley find his way to Winnipeg in classic fashion - for Love. Not long after arriving he hooked up with guitar slinger Chris Dunn and has since established himself as a premier show in town. That collaboration was behind 2010's Rabbit On my Wheel and 2014's Wildcard. Trudy and I first heard Ridley and band in 2012 when friends invited us to a backyard concert on Kingston Row. There, on a deck over looking the Red River with a pseudo Mexican Cantina as a backdrop, we were treated to a fun and fine evening of inventive music - at one and the same time familiar and new. Wits End and The Park Theatre are hosting Ridley & the Killer Tumbleweeds (Chris Dunn, Joanna Miller, Gilles Fournier, and Ken Campbell) on Thursday, June 16 at The Park Theatre. Tickets are available through Eventbrite or directly though me at [email protected] We really hope you can join us and be part of what surely will be a kick-ass show! 10 views0 comments Post not marked as liked Recent Posts She is a lady of many personalities. Playground for many; workplace for some; wind-whipped demon for the unfortunate. She is Lake Winnipeg. Underestimate her short-fuse temper and wrath at your own	2,826
What comes to mind when I say the words "Baking Accident"? You think blistering burns, fires, flames and smoke shooting out of the oven while the fire alarm freaks out... you think sizzling hot boiling sugar spilling onto some toes or a hand... you think maybe the Cuisinart caught some part of a person while pulsing with the dough blade... you think maybe the dog wandered in while one was moving quickly across the kitchen and a fall ensued... you even think maybe there was cutting and bleeding while slicing up some baked goods?? Hmm what happened here? (my pile of freshly folded aprons and towels!) Those horrors are what come to my mind too. The above isn't exactly the "Baking Accident" crime scene you'd envision, right? So fortunately, no one was really harmed as a result of this here, accident. But it was still pretty funny. I was mixing up Mom's molasses wheat bread yesterday and slowly sprinkling a cup of flour into the mixer as the dough hook was running on low. Somehow the cup caught on the hook and it was thrown ACROSS the room, sprinkling flour all along it's path. BUT - not before it first hit me in the forehead along its flight. Now we know what I'll look like in 30 years? At least it's sort of a cool look... Lucca helpfully "vacuumed" the floor while I wiped the counters... what a team. Posted by Lisa is Bossy at 1:11 AM 7 comments: D April 9, 2009 at 9:14 AM Hah! I've had something similar happen, but never been clocked in the head with a measuring cup. :) ReplyDelete Replies Tracey Lee Davis April 9, 2009 at 9:21 AM Perhaps you should start wearing protective eye wear? Very funny! ReplyDelete Replies Anonymous April 9, 2009 at 10:10 AM i LOVE your wonderful sense of humility in your posting this and laughing at yourself. you're a gem, lise! ReplyDelete Replies ricecake April 9, 2009 at 4:46 PM in addition to protective eye wear, how about protective hair covers too? ;) ReplyDelete Replies Lisa April 10, 2009 at 11:30 PM ROTFLMAO! OMG, that pic is priceless! So glad you're ok, though! I once had a frozen chicken fall on my eye..no lie. I'll have to blog about it soon..it's insane how it happened!	2,200
Yesterday, Rabbi Joe Black, to whom I have the honor of being related, posted a really cute video which reminds us of something worth noting: I doubt whether this timely reminder stopped many Jews who saw it from participating in various Valentine’s Day rituals. Those forces of convention and commercialism are awfully hard to resist. But his video did make me think: Hey, maybe I should take this opportunity to talk a little bit about love and courtship back in shtetl days--and specifically to ask, was there any love involved in courtship? That is, exactly how antithetical is Valentine’s Day to Eastern European Jewish tradition? As usual, the test case for shtetl image vs. shtetl reality is Fiddler On The Roof. That's particularly so in this instance: the question of how young people manage to pass from single to married, and what that means for society, is a running theme in Fiddler ... just as it is in Sholem Aleikhem's Tevye stories, the basis for the musical … and just as it is in the works of Jane Austen ... which I only mention because some people have actually put about the delightful theory that Aleikhem based his stories on Austen's novels, or have at least noted the similarities between the two. Somebody even did this: Jane Austen aside … and to make a long musical short: In Fiddler On The Roof, the power of "tradition" keeps getting weaker as the power of new-fangled, Western-style love (Valentine's-Day-style love) grows stronger. If tradition finally makes a stand in refusing to accommodate intermarriage ... still, you have to say that, overall, the West has won. So: Is the picture of tradition that Fiddler paints accurate? Here's what Hayyim Schauss says, in The Lifetime Of A Jew: "Falling in love was considered an extraordinary and abnormal phenomenon, a sort of mental disease occurring once in a great while among the very wealthy or the very poor, the only groups who dared to flout the conventions of social decency." Well, well, well. Score one for Fiddler On The Roof: Marriage really didn't have much to do with love. Rather, it was in part a business arrangement, and in part a way of perpetuating a culture that prized, above all else, learning. The most sought-after grooms were scholars. The better the scholar, the bigger the dowry. Not only that: dowry arrangements included provisions for the support of the newlyweds, room, board, and more, sometimes for years, in order to enable the scholarly young bridegroom to continue to do nothing but study (and perhaps also make little scholars.) Do you remember the ethnographic survey I mentioned last time, the one carried out from 1912-1914 by S. Ansky? If you're in any doubt about the massive importance of the dowry in Eastern European Jewish life, check out these questions the survey asks: "Do feuds often break out on account of dowries?" "Do you know of any cases in which the groom did not go through with the marriage until the entire dowry was delivered to him?" "What living expenses are generally included in this?" "Are clothes included?" "What kind of guarantee do people give for this? Is a Jewish contract enough, or do people require a legal promissory note or notarized document?" Not exactly the stuff of Valentine's Day dreams. Something else that left little chance for romance: in many cases, bride and groom came from different towns, and were barely acquainted before the wedding. This is where matchmakers came into the picture. But here, those points we awarded to Fiddler On The Roof are going have to come off the board. If I'm not mistaken, in most people’s minds the archetypal matchmaker is Yente (as played by Molly Picon, who was last seen pretending to be both a man and a violinist in Yidl Mitn Fidl.) But the truth is, most matchmakers were men. What sort of men? According to Hayyim Schauss: "Matchmaking required a special aptitude. A professional shadchon had to have an air of importance and dignity in order to arouse confidence. He usually wore good clothes and carried a cane. He led up to the subject very cautiously and made every proposal in a tortuous and indirect manner. He was skilled in hiding and distorting facts, especially when the bride and groom were from two different localities." This skill was made fun of in one of Sigmund Freud’s favorite Jewish jokes: "The young man was most disagreeably surprised when the proposed bride was introduced to him, and drew aside the shadkhen—the marriage broker—to whisper his objections: 'Why have you brought me here?' he asked reproachfully. 'She's ugly and old, she squints, and has bad teeth …' 'You needn't lower your voice,' interrupted the broker, 'she's deaf as well.' (Quoted in Ruth Wisse's No Joke) There was one respect in which shtetl romances did resemble today’s. After the engagement, bride and groom sent each other love notes. As Schauss relates, "They also wrote letters to one another. These letters were distinctive in character, consisting of high-sounding, stereotyped phrases. In most cases, the betrothed couple did not write their own letters, but delegated the task to a man in the town who had a beautiful handwriting and the ability to use pompous language. He used the same phraseology and the identical expressions in most of the letters which he wrote ..." The Cyranos of the shtetl … or maybe just the Hallmarks. Update: I meant to include a fun tidbit illustrating the very false impressions these letter-writers could sometimes create, just the way that Cyrano did. A story by nineteenth-century writer A. S. Friedberg includes two such characters "who penned letters in very elegant German in the names of a bride and a groom. Each betrothed was convinced that the other was fluent in German, while the truth was that both the groom and bride-to-be were entirely ignorant of that language." Your comment will be posted after it is approved. Leave a Reply. Author Sasha Margolis is author of The Tsimbalist (the novel and the blog) and violinist, singer, and storyteller for the band Big Galut(e)	6,148
The Browns are looking forward to the draft now. They have three picks within the top 51. They have two first round picks. Those first round picks will be key in rebuilding the team. COuld they find the next Thompson this year? Browns coach is an offensive mind so he loves to stock pile the talent on offense. If he can out score you and the defense can force a few stops is his game plan. With letting a few players leave in free agency the draft is key. The Browns are looking to pair a youn... by towns9 \| 2 years ago \| 0 Comments Browns vs Saints The Browns defeated the Saints over the weekend. The Browns ended the season better than they started. Baker seem to have found his groove again. He had a good night throwing for 200 yards and a score. He did have a turnover. Thompson ed the run gamewtih 90 yards and a score. Odell who has been silent most of the year had 40 yards and te lone touchdown reception. The young linebacker Hudson had seven tackles and a force fumble. We are lookung for big things from him next year. <... by towns9 \| 2 years ago \| 0 Comments Redskins Recap (Week 12) vs Giants #15 The Skins come into this divisional game tied for first. This is a big game for both teams. The Giants score first to take a 7-0 lead. It didn't stop there. They scored twice more and took a 21-0 lead into half time. The Skins came out of half time and looked much better. They scored twice to cut the lead to 21-14. The Giants settled down and got a score to stretch the lead back to 2 scores. They added a field goal to end the game at 31-14. by ragjobe \| 2 years ago \| 0 Comments The Browns won a big division game against the Bengals. The Browns won this game by relying all on Thompson. It twas basically the Thompson show. He had four touchdowns total on the day. Thompson rusheed for over 100 yards and three scores. He caught four ppasses for 30 yards and another score. He was in the zon today and the Browns fed him. With the Browns up big the Bengals were forced t pass the ball. The Browns were able to get consistent pressure all day. Garrett was able to get two s... by towns9 \| 2 years ago \| 0 Comments The Browns pulled off a tough win against the Falcons. A 27-14 win is big for the Browns at the end of the season. Baker had a solid night throwing for 170 and a score. Thompson added 60 on the ground and a score. Thompson has continued to show he is a reliable back. Callaway caught the only throwing touchdown of the game. It was a long one with his lone reception was a 40 yard catch. The defense was big this game. The defense was able to force the Falcons to three interceptions. The Brown...	2,753
This month's BIg Idea comes from Bill Doherty (right) and Reuben Orr, President and Vice President, respectively, of Security Install Solutions. Do not discout what you know because it's easy for you; what you know has real value. Figure out what you love to do, what are passionate about, and then go do it! T'S PRETTY EASY to like Reuben Orr and Bill Doherty. They are young and full of pep, and are the co-owners of Denver-based Security Install Solutions (SIS), a full-service integrator that launched in 2008. It's easy to see why customers would like them. They are also the firm's leadership tandem. And, yes, they are making money and doing quite well. They also seem to get along really well, and that's why I selected the pair for this month's column. Doherty serves as SIS' president adn general manager; Orr is the vice president and sales manager. While they were sitting at the desk shown in the photo, above, I posed the same question to each regarding their "great idea to share with the industry" and told them to write their answer on a s piece of paper. I wanted to compare their thinking, to see if I could gain insight as to why they were so successful. "Do not discount what you know because it's easy for you; what you know has real value," Doherty wrote. Orr's response: "Figure out what you love to do, what you are passionate about, and then go do it!" It took me several weeks to think through what I wanted to say about the partners' thoughts. Since this is SSI"s ISC West show issue, I started thinking about how their perspectives could apply to perusing the myriad displays and booths at a typical ISC show. As you are walking the show floor, know what you know and seek advice on what you don't know. Then look at the products, and keep in mind what you are passionate about. This is probably going to be the biggest ISC exhibit ever. And if my estimation is correct, we will look back at this period as being pivotal in the direction of the industry. For those of you entrenched in the residential sector, big decisions are looming. Not just products and product decisions, but also what going forward in the residential realm means. Traditional security providers are in competition with cable and telephone companies, do-it-yourself marketers, etc., vying for customers at what is seemingly the lowest dollar amount. A good friend, and someone I trust who also runs a fairly large operating company, recently said to me, "It's getting more and more difficult to earn decent margins on residential sales. In fact, we are moving out of that sector, and focusing our attention 100% on the commercial sector." The owners of SIS made that decision many years ago whey they started. They were going to be commercial integrators, which seemed to provide not only the best margins for their company but, going back to their quotes, the best environment for potential success. Doing "what you know has real value" and figuring out "what you are passionate about" seem to be pretty good guidelines for operating a business, and if SIS' success is any indication that end users in markets they serve agree. In a short time the firm has established itself as a leading provider of solutions and services in four main areas: commercial, government, national industrial and health care. i suppose another conclusion could be drawn from talking to Doherty and Orr. If you're going to have a business partner, make sure it is someone whose philosophy of life is one that you could agree with. This industry is tough enough without having to constantly debate — or argue — the justification of certain business decisions. These guys operate with a singular purpose, and I suspect they more than likely could finish each other's sentences. DId I mention that they also have each others' backs? That was fully apparent in the conversations we had, during which both Doherty and Orr made sure it was understood that they were in complete agreement as to operating statements. I don't know how much press recognition SIS has garnered, but the firm that Doherty and Orr have built should be considered a model for partner-driven businesses in the security industry. Not only do these company leaders have their act together, they also have a long-range plan that helps guide them through their day-to-day activities. And they don't have to waste a lot of time wondering what the other thinks, because they likely already know. Picture a successful entrepreneur times two, and you've got SIS. Ron Davis is Security Sales & Integration's "What's the Big Idea?" columnist and contributing market analyst. He is president of Davis Group, a full-service consulting firm serving the security industry, which also includes GraybeardsRus. He has 35 years of industry experience, including founding Security Associates International in the 1980s.	4,976
One was the runner-up for the Hart Trophy last season. One is tied for the league lead in scoring. One is the NHL’s reigning first star of the week. And together, Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog have formed one of the league’s best lines. Author: Publish date: Oct 23, 2018 There was very little debate last season that the Boston Bruins’ unit of Patrice Bergeron between Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak was the most effective top line in the NHL. In Bergeron, Boston’s first line was centered by inarguably the best two-way center in the game. In Marchand, the Bruins were able to throw an agitator over the boards who could lay a licking on opponents in the corners, on the scoresheet and sometimes, much to the league’s chagrin, in a literal sense. And Pastrnak was the perfect third for the unit. A sharpshooting speedster with more creativity than a Bob Ross painting session, he further established himself as a force last season. So, with the line back together to start the season as the no-doubt, go-to guys for Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, any and all debate about which line would be the most fearsome in the NHL throughout the 2018-19 campaign usually began or ended with mention of Boston’s first unit. They drove the Bruins’ offense for much of last season, finishing first through third in team scoring, and were dominant at both ends of the ice. But as we approach the completion of the third week of the new season, Bergeron, Marchand and Pastrnak look like they’ve got some early competition for the title of the NHL’s best line in the form of the Colorado Avalanche’s top trio. Waking up Tuesday morning, you don’t need to look all that far to find Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog in the headlines. Monday evening in Philadelphia, MacKinnon and Rantanen stamped their names on scoresheet in the Avalanche’s 4-1 victory over the Flyers, both picking up two goals and three points between them. Meanwhile, Landeskog, who was fresh off of being named the NHL’s First Star of the Week, kept the hot hand with a one-goal, two-point performance, his early third period marker putting Philadelphia away for good. It’s not just a one-game performance that has made the MacKinnon, Rantanen and Landeskog line stand out, however. It’s not even a pair of games or a three-game run. Rather, it’s the trio’s play over the past five games, a span of 10 days, in which the unit has basically been the Colorado attack that has made them impossible to ignore. Consider that across the past five games, over which the Avalanche have a 3-0-2 record and earned eight of a possible 10 points, Colorado has scored 16 goals. And while a conservative estimate might be that the top line has contributed something like half of those tallies, the actual offensive impact of the line is eye-popping. One or more of MacKinnon, Rantanen and Landeskog have factored in on 13 of the 16 goals the Avalanche have scored over that span. Even a cursory glance at the NHL’s scoring leaders, too, would be enough for one to consider the MacKinnon, Rantanen and Landeskog line as the league’s best. When Rantanen is tied for first with 16 points in nine games and MacKinnon is sitting third in the league with 15 points, it’s hard not to sit up and take notice. There’s far more to Colorado’s top line than this nine-game segment, which could be argued is far too small of a sample to matter all that much in the larger debate about the NHL’s best line. The dominance of the trio really began last season. According to Corsica, no line has skated more minutes together at 5-on-5 than the Avalanche’s top unit (857 minutes) since the start of the 2017-18 campaign, and of the 29 lines with at least 400 minutes together at five-a-side, the trio of MacKinnon, Rantanen and Landeskog ranks first in goals for (56), fourth in goals for per 60 minutes (3.9) and seventh in goals for percentage (65.6). The unit is all the more formidable at all strengths. Again, among lines with at least 400 minutes together, the Avalanche’s top line is first in goals for (111), while also sitting fifth in goals for per 60 minutes (5.8) and second in goals for percentage (74.0). The chemistry between the three players is off the charts, and that’s reflected in the way they’ve produced. The argument that scoring isn’t the be all and end all in terms of making a line effective isn’t without merit, of course, and it could be said that there are facets of the game where MacKinnon, Rantanen and Landeskog struggle. The line’s possession rate is the seventh worst (50.3 Corsi for percentage) at 5-on-5 among the 400-minute lines since the start of 2017-18 despite a middling zone start ratio. Their expected goals for percentage is also the sixth lowest (50.9) and they have the 12th-worst goals against per 60 minutes (2.0). When taking those into account, maybe it is the Bruins’ top unit that remains the best. Maybe the Toronto Maple Leafs’ line of John Tavares, Mitch Marner and Zach Hyman gets the nod. Or maybe it’s the Dallas Stars’ unit of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Alex Radulov. Any way you try to slice it, though, the MacKinnon, Rantanen and Landeskog line has become undeniable. They’re in the conversation for the top trio in the NHL, a candidate for the best line in the game. And if pure offensive firepower is what you’re after, Colorado’s top line may very well be the best thing going right now. By Adam Proteau gives his thoughts on three topics, including the streaky St. Louis Blues on another losing skid and the injuries affecting the Colorado Avalanche. By Adam Proteau Dec 6, 2022 Mitch Marner, Jason Robertson, Kirill Kaprizov and Steven Stamkos are all on long point streaks. Carol Schram breaks down their streaks and other neat numbers. By Carol Schram Dec 6, 2022 NHL teams resort to signing players on cheap deals to fit under the salary cap. Jacob Stoller lists five players playing well for under $1 million. By Jacob Stoller Dec 6, 2022 Not a subscriber? Sign up today to get the best features and analysis from the NHL and beyond. If you’re already a subscriber, click on the My Account button to sign into your account to renew your subscription, make a payment, redeem a gift, update your payment method and much more...	6,545
The World Cup is being played in the Middle East for the first time. Qatar, a tiny country with an outsize role in the region, was a controversial choice as host. Our co-host Leila Fadel spoke to NPR's Middle East reporter Aya Batrawy. So, Aya, you've been covering Qatar for years. Let's take a step back before we get into the controversies of today and the games. How did Qatar end up being the host of the World Cup in the first place? AYA BATRAWY, BYLINE: Well, Qatar is a very small but very wealthy country. It has vast gas reserves. And it's really used that money to project its power and itself onto the global stage. And so this has been a huge moment of national pride for this country of just 300,000 citizens. They have spent $200 billion over the last decade on infrastructure, most of it for the games - highways, a new airport, hotels, beautiful new stadiums. So for this small country where 10 times as many foreigners live there than actual citizens, it's a very big moment. And most of those foreigners are there to really build this infrastructure, migrant workers. So it's a chance to showcase Qatar, a chance for people to look at Qatar and to look at it differently in a way that doesn't have to do with Mideast politics, oil and gas, its relationship with Iran and all the other issues in the region. FADEL: So you mentioned migrant workers, and that's actually been a huge topic in the lead-up because they've built the stadiums, but there's a lot of concern about the human rights situation for migrant workers. If you could just talk about where all the criticisms are coming from - because a lot of people don't want the tournament in Qatar at all. BATRAWY: You're absolutely right. Migrant workers have built this infrastructure that you see in Qatar today. And they've worked in really harsh, difficult conditions in extreme heat. BATRAWY: So this is a country where migrant workers for many years didn't really have rights. They were tied to their employers. They couldn't switch jobs or quit or even leave the country without a permission from their employer. A lot of that has been dismantled over the years, especially with scrutiny and attention on Qatar since they've won the bid to host the World Cup. But there still remain a lot of challenges with being paid on time and severance and, of course, just the extreme, harsh conditions that they work in. BATRAWY: But there are wider concerns about human rights in Qatar. This is an insular country where the amir inherited the throne from his father and a country where there is very limited political freedoms and speech. Homosexuality is criminalized. But Qataris are saying, look. We are welcoming everybody without discrimination. But there are concerns around that, of course. And that's something that people have raised. FADEL: And then if you could just explain the reason that Qatar has such an outsized role in the region. BATRAWY: Right. First of all, it hosts a massive U.S. airbase. It's a close U.S. ally. This airbase has been used to launch operations against extremists in Syria and Iraq and Afghanistan. It played a huge critical role in helping the U.S. during that chaotic evacuation out of Afghanistan last year through that air base and through its relationships with the Taliban and other groups. It's used its money to back Islamist groups like that short-lived Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt, Syrian opposition fighters and others. That has caused tensions and, actually, a whole diplomatic fallout with its neighbors, like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, for years. But really, the crown jewel in the way that Qatar continues to project its power and its soft power is through the Al Jazeera news network, which is based in Qatar and was founded by the amir's father. FADEL: NPR's Aya Batrawy, thank you so much for your time. BATRAWY: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. Leila Fadel is a national correspondent for NPR based in Los Angeles, covering issues of culture, diversity, and race.	4,130
"The first obligation of any government is to protect the inhabitants of its country. In the case of epidemics, this goes hand in hand with protecting people far away" stated the Health Minister of Norway, Bent Høie at the World Health Assembly (WHA) side-event titled "Development of new technologies to prevent future health crises: The role of CEPI“. The event was hosted by Norway together with Germany and Rwanda. Discussions and presentations evolved around the place of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) in the broader context of health crises preparedness and prevention, as well as CEPI’s mission, opportunities and challenges. In the course of the WHA, two panel discussions were held with participants from governments, CEPI, WHO, the Norwegian Research Council, Wellcome Trust, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank, Gavi, Medecins sans Frontieres and GlaxoSmithKline. CEPI comes as a result of the Ebola outbreak in 2014, which costed more than 11,000 lives. The outbreak exposed fundamental gaps in the world’s ability to respond to global health crises. Several analyses of the Ebola response have identified specific gaps in global health preparedness that must urgently be addressed. Although the global response was considerable, immense human suffering and grave negative economic impact could have been minimized through better preparedness. The importance of dealing with the conflict of interest, given that CEPI is a public-private partnership, was underlined at the event. Also the importance of avoiding duplication was expressed by WHO, and the distinctive role played by WHO in capacity of their normative role was expressed. Medicins sans Frontieres stated that MSF decided to be part of this initiative to prevent history from repeating itself, and to ensure we have the needed tools available for the next possible epidemic. Tim Evans from the World Bank stated that the investment case for preparedness is overwhelming. Although CEPI has shown promising progress already, a wider global engagement is needed in order to address the challenges at hand. By organizing this side event at the World Health Assembly, Norway wishes to contribute to ensuring global health preparedness continues to receive the sustained attention it warrants. Read the Norwegian Minister of Health and Care, Mr Bent Høie´s full statement below: Preventing future health crises must be a priority for all countries. Epidemics have the potential to threaten our lives and our societies. They can devastate human lives and societies on a scale only matched by wars and environmental disasters. The first obligation of any government is to protect the inhabitants of its country. In the case of epidemics, this goes hand in hand with protecting people far away. During the Ebola outbreak, the virus travelled from a 2-year-old boy in a small village in rural Guinea to many other countries. Epidemic outbreaks are strong reminders of how interlinked we all are. They affect all of us and don’t stop at national borders. They can emerge anywhere and they can travel fast over long distances. Recent outbreaks like SARS, Ebola and Zika have demonstrated this. The solution to prevent health crises caused by epidemics must be found through international collaboration. It cannot be done by one country alone. Collaboration between countries, public, private and civil society organizations is needed in order to succeed. We know epidemic outbreaks are going to occur, and we cannot rely on luck or ad hoc solutions when facing them. We need to be properly prepared. Developing new vaccines against emerging epidemic diseases that can be deployed early in an outbreak, is part of the insurance policy we need. Norway is proud to be a founder of and one of the first investors in CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. It is impressive to see how fast this coalition has managed to establish itself and get up and running. I am here today to confirm that Norway stands by its commitments to CEPI and to global health. A common criticism has been that rich countries don't act before they themselves feel threatened by epidemics. In my opinion, the commitment to CEPI shows that this is not the case. I am happy to see other countries and organizations’ support to CEPI. Many of you are here today. I am looking forward to seeing the coalition grow and become stronger. Additional engagement and investments are however needed in order to deliver on CEPI’s vision: Developing new vaccines to prevent future epidemics, and making the world safer for all of us. Permanent Missions to the UN and WTO/EFTA in Geneva The Permanent Mission of Norway would like to inform you that our offices are open from 8:30am to 5pm. Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs This website uses cookies. By continuing to browse this webpage or closing this notice, you consent to our usage policy.	5,194
Ensuring a level playing field in the Single Market and closing existing regulatory gaps were the Commission’s declared goal when presenting the proposed Regulation on foreign subsidies, which are distorting the Single Market. A political compromise between Council and EU Parliament has now been reached. The initial assessment has been mixed. The fact that the European institutions (Parliament, Council, Commission) have recognised the problematic nature of financial contributions by non-EU governments to companies engaging in an economic activity in the EU, has to be regarded as positive. Hence, the present Regulation is a right step towards a “level playing field“ for all companies being active in the EU Single Market. With regard to non-EU governments, there are currently virtually no checks in respect of subsidies granted to companies engaging in an economic activity in the EU. This makes competing on an equal footing more challenging, which has a negative impact on European companies and employees. Corner stones of Regulation and assessment The Regulation on foreign subsidies in particular concerns subsidised concentration and the award of public procurement contracts to subsidised bidders. On reaching specific threshold values in these areas, notification and investigation obligations have to be met in advance. For all other market situations and sectors below these threshold values, provided the subsidies are relevant to the Single Market, subsequent investigations have been provided for. Notification thresholds for notification and investigation obligations are very high Due to the high threshold values, unfortunately only very large cases are being investigated in advance. Foreign concentrations are only then subject to a notification obligation and ex-ante investigation by the EU Commission, when the turnover of the target company in the previous year has exceeded 500 million Euro, and the participating companies have received foreign subsidies of more than 50 million Euro in the last three years prior to the notification. In respect of public procurement contracts and franchises, an ex-ante notification and investigation obligation is only then required when the contract value exceeds 250 million Euro and when in addition foreign subsidies of at least 4 million Euro per third country have been granted within the last 3 years prior to the notification. Implementation lies exclusively with the EU Commission – Investigation criteria is limited to competition aspect The implementation of the Regulation lies exclusively with the Commission, which has comprehensive powers, such as sending information requests to companies, conducting fact-finding missions and inspections and launching market investigations into certain sectors. The Commission may also rely on market information submitted by Member States, by any natural or legal persons or association. The fines imposed by the Commission on breaching these obligations may be up to 10 % of a company’s aggravated turnover and finally, the Commission can approve a subsidised concentration or the award of a public procurement contract to the subsidised bidder subject to certain conditions (e.g. repayment obligation, disposal of certain assets, reduction of capacities, foregoing certain investments); alternatively, it can prohibit the subsidised concentration or the award of a public procurement contract in procurement procedures. However, from AK’s point of view, the fact that the Commission’s investigation criterion exclusively concerns the competition aspect by foreign subsidised companies, is falling short of what is required. Employment and supply security aspects, technological independence as well as industrial policy objectives of the bidder, as requested by AK, are not proven investigation factors. The Commission exclusively investigates financial contributions to companies by non-EU governments. However, competitive distortion can also exist when third countries are not taking action against minimum standard violations (e.g. failing to comply with international minimum labour standards and environmental standards). A broader definition of “foreign subsidies” as requested by the employees’ side, has not been taken up in the political process. Is the glass now half full or half empty? In view of the fact that until now foreign subsidies had been unchecked in respect of competition, the Regulation is an important milestone towards a fairer level playing field in the Single Market. Unfortunately, the Regulation cannot meet the expectations created at the start of the process, on the one hand because due to the high threshold values only a few large cases are subject to an ex-ante investigation, and on the other hand, because important aspects, such as non-financial subsidies remain excluded and the investigation criterion only focusses on the presence of market distortion. The question whether the glass is now half full or half empty can only be answered in practice, in particular whether it will be possible to prevent likely bypasses. To achieve this, the Commission needs to speedily prepare guidelines and provide clarifications. European Commission: Foreign Subsidies – Commission welcomes political agreement on Regulation on distortive foreign subsidies	5,459
A former Daily Monitor and Eagle Online Journalist Arafat Nduga was on Monday April 9, 2018 charged with impersonation, obtaining money by false pretence and elecrtonic fraud by Buganda Road Magistrates Court. Prosecution alleges that Nduga on several occasions conned people using the names of Eng. Irene Muloni, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources through a Facebook account and fake e-mail accounts. The suspect was arrested after Ms Muloni alerted then Security minister Henry Tumukunde about the crime. Eng. Muloni said she learnt of being impersonated after the executive director of the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, Mr Ernest Rubondo received an e-mail purportedly from the minister but thought it to be rather suspicious and decided to call her for confirmation. Energy minister Irene Muloni’s name was used in the scam. The Minister then asked Mr Rubondo to send her a copy of the email and asked Gen Tumukunde to follow up the matter. She further told investigators that more suspicious e-mails kept coming in and innocent Ugandans were defrauded. Nduga allegedly conned Ugandans who sought jobs in the oil and gas sector promising to get them jobs easily since he was ‘in charge’ as ‘Minister.’ Williams Musinguzi one of the names Nduga used in one of his fake minister’s Facebook accounts conned 1.2m from a one Sam Watasa purportedly meant to buy cement for the Minister’s site in Ntinda. Court also learnt that in another fake Facebook account still in the names of Muloni, Nduga conned a one Kanyamugara of Shs90,000. Nduga is said to be a student at Makerere University. It is said that Nduga also hacked Minister of State and Minerals, Dr Peter Lokeris’ mobile phone and requested for large sums of money. Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Energy, Robert Kasande and Board Chairman National Drug Authority(NDA) Dr. Medard Bitekyerezo were some of the victims. Ms.Esther Nahirya, the Grade One Magistrate set April 24, 2018 for hearing of the case after prosecution told court that all investigations were complete. Nduga at police Related Get real time update about this post categories directly on your device, subscribe now. The PML Daily, published via www.pmldaily.com is a publication of Post Media Ltd, a professional Digital/New Media company in Uganda.	2,381
Oli’s meeting with Samant Goel could be aimed at mending the strained ties between Nepal and India, say observers, while party leaders disapprove of it saying it goes against diplomatic norms. facebook twitter Published at : October 22, 2020 Updated at : October 22, 2020 19:42 Last week, when Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli effected a minor Cabinet rejig, one event that starkly stood out was his decision to remove Ishwar Pokhrel as the defence minister. Oli took the defence portfolio with himself, leaving Pokhrel as deputy prime minister to “take care of” the Prime Minister’s Office. Conjectures were that the Nepal Army chief was not happy with Pokhrel for some of his statements regarding the national defence force. Pokhrel was vocally critical of the Indian Army chief over the latter’s one statement in which he had said Nepal was taking umbrage at India at the behest of China. Oli’s move of appointing some ministers had also sowed the seeds of discord in the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP), with Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the other chair, expressing dissatisfaction at the prime minister’s “unilateral move”. The conflict in the ruling party further deepened after about a dozen and a half members of the provincial assembly in Karnali filed a no-confidence motion against Chief Minister Mahendra Bahadur Shahi. Of those who tried to remove Shahi, 15 are from the former CPN-UML, and of them at least eight represent the Oli faction. Amid all these goings-on, India’s intelligence chief made a dash for Kathmandu, creating ripples among Nepali analysts, academia and intelligentsia. Samant Kumar Goel, chief of India’s Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), during his less than 24-hour stay in Kathmandu, met with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. Confirming the meeting, Surya Thapa, Oli’s press adviser, said that Goel “paid a courtesy call on the prime minister on Wednesday evening”. Thapa refused to provide the details. But there was no official representation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the meeting between Oli and Goel, said a Foreign Ministry official. A senior security official said Oli was alone while two officials accompanied Goel. According to sources, the Oli-Goel meeting took place right after a meeting of the National Security Council, which ended at around 9:30pm. Former prime ministers Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal on Thursday morning refuted reports suggesting their meetings with Goel. Since there has been no official word–neither from New Delhi nor from Kathmandu, the motive behind the sudden visit of the chief of Indian intelligence agency remains a mystery. Analysts and some ruling party leaders, however, say Goel’s brief visit to Kathmandu was part of a move choreographed by both the countries. “As we know there are some misunderstandings between Nepal and India, Goel’s visit may be aimed at breaking the stalemate and bringing the bilateral ties back on track,” Bijaya Kant Lal Karna, a former ambassador, told the Post. “I think both sides want to engage at the top level and Goel’s visit could be the starting point.” This, however, is not the first visit by Goel to Kathmandu during Oli’s tenure as the prime minister. Goel had landed in Kathmandu last year in July as well, at the invitation of the chief of the National Intelligence Department, the R&AW’s counterpart in Nepal. Goel had met with Oli then too. But many wonder why New Delhi would send an intelligence chief to Kathmandu to resume bilateral dialogue. Former deputy prime minister and minister for defense and home Bhim Rawal questioned the timing of the visit and the way Goel met with the prime minister. Nepal’s Foreign Ministry expressed its ignorance about Goel’s visit to Kathmandu, even though a request to allow the Indian Air Force plane, on which the Indian official arrived in Kathmandu, was made through the ministry. Flights between Nepal and India currently remain suspended due to the pandemic. The Oli administration is yet to respond to India’s request to resume flights. During a meeting between Tourism Minister Yogesh Bhattarai and Indian Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra a few weeks ago, they had also discussed, among other things, resumption of flights. Analysts say apart from closely observing the ruling party’s internal issues, Delhi has been keeping a close eye on Beijing's growing influence in Nepal. Of late, Beijing's moves in Kathmandu, without making any attempt to keep them clandestine, have become a cause for concern for Delhi. Chinese Ambassador Hou Yanqi earlier this year conducted a whirlwind of meetings with various leaders of the ruling party including Oli on two different occasions. The ruling party was facing a serious crisis at that time, with a factional feud threatening a split of the ruling party. Besides discussing internal political situations of the ruling party, both Oli and Goel also discussed improving bilateral ties between Nepal and India, according to a top government official who spoke on condition of anonymity. “The visit is aimed at improving bilateral relations,” said the official. Another senior official familiar with the visit and discussions between Oli and Goel said that both sides are planning high-level exchanges immediately after Indian Army chief Manoj Mukund Narvane’s visit to Nepal. Armies of Nepal and India share brotherly ties. During his visit to Kathmandu, Naravane will be conferred upon the honorary title of the chief of the Nepal Army as per a long-standing tradition between the two countries. Officials said after Naravane’s visit to Kathmandu next month, both countries are planning a meeting at the foreign secretary level, largely focusing on issues related to the boundary. Therefore, Goel’s visit is setting the tone for upcoming talks, according to the officials. However, the Indian intelligence chief’s visit and his meetings in Kathmandu have not gone down well with some members of the ruling party itself. Bishnu Rijal, deputy chief of the foreign affairs department of the ruling party, said politicians should not overstep in matters related to diplomacy. “Diplomacy should be handled by diplomats—not politicians,” he said. “The present confusion over the visit of the R&AW chief is the result of the handling of diplomacy by politicians.” Standing Committee member Bhim Rawal was more forthright in his views. “The way the meeting of the chief of Indian intelligence R&AW with Nepal’s prime minister was conducted and the timing and manner of the visit, which is contrary to Nepal’s foreign policy, sovereignty and independence as guided by the constitution and the thought, policy and declaration of the NCP that is leading the government, is objectionable. It is against diplomatic norms.” Rawal wrote on Twitter. Karna, the former ambassador, said Indian officials’ meetings with Nepali leaders, even top ones and the prime ministers, are not surprising, as such things have been practised long enough to become a tradition. “One thing, however, has become apparent now—Oli’s nationalistic credentials are now under question,” Karna told the Post. Anil Giri is a reporter covering diplomacy, international relations and national politics for The Kathmandu Post. Giri has been working as a journalist for a decade-and-a-half, contributing to numerous national and international media outlets.	7,384
He felt like the new love failed to introduce a dispute interesting since there was not a reporting relationship between the two – Debbie Gross Specialized Training Events Type and hit enter to search Developer October 25, 2022 He felt like the new love failed to introduce a dispute interesting since there was not a reporting relationship between the two He felt like the new love failed to introduce a dispute interesting since there was not a reporting relationship between the two Tinder funziona? La mia onesta commento successivamente al di la coppia anni di uso Oct 25, 2022 Oct 25, 2022 He felt like the new love failed to introduce a dispute interesting since there was not a reporting relationship between the two They old getting next to a year and you can was able to support the wonders one entire go out. “I really don’t envision people ever before know,” she says. Becca feels like the fresh new privacy in the course of time broke her or him right up. “I didn’t feel just like it was a bona-fide relationships; it was almost like life a double lifetime.” She even felt a little treated if this finished. “I did not consider I will do it to have longer. She wasn’t out to the girl family members, and in addition we decided not to thought exactly how that would ever before functions.” Case study #3: When it does not work away Jordan Lu (names and lots of info had been changed) decrease to possess his coworker, Susan, once they’d started in one money lender for less than three months. “We had not become collaborating you to definitely long. She’d entered the business before me personally.” In my opinion while hiding a work dating – regardless if you are homosexual otherwise straight – it does think that method “Though I happened to be officially elder so you can their when it comes to steps -she try an analyst and i is actually a part – she failed to report to me and i was not in assigning her works, controlling otherwise researching her,” the guy teaches you. “We performed both work together as an element of a massive cluster however, had been never on a single cluster when we was in fact dating.” This is the very first time Jordan got actually already been inside romantically which have some body at the job and he claims he had been “really naive” and don’t consider the dangers. “Really don’t consider sometimes people believed that far ahead so you’re able to tell the truth. I brand of happened towards the relationships.” Because it is informal at first, they did not want to share with people. But once they got much more serious it felt like it actually was too late. “It simply seemed weird to raise at that point, several months inside the,” he says. “She was being believed having a publicity, so we did not want [the fresh new revelation] to help you possibly impact one to process.” Both got a pal at the office – someone Michael jordan had noted for sometime and you will Susan’s roommate – exactly who understood concerning the relationships. “These people were each other individuals i respected to help you a premier training.” In the course of time, although not, the relationship fizzled and also the pair split up. “That has been the absolute most awkward section of all of it,” Jason states. “We ended up having to work more closely toward different projects, and you can, though it are always polite ranging from united states, there can be naturally a great level of pressure and you will simmering anger,” according to him. “Even though it was never ever visible to someone else, it was not charming.” The problem lead to his departure about organization. “It was thus shameful, and i also felt like the two of us required space.” Know the organization’s principles Many companies exclude group out-of relationships coworkers, companies, users, or services, or require particular disclosures, so make sure you read the earlier a love. “Stick to the rules and attempt to see the factors they are into the place,” Baker says. “You skip them at your danger.” If you’ve already violated a policy, she means you “already been brush early” since “the extended your persist, the brand new bad the effects could well be.” Markman says that he’s seen businesses “training people statutes nowadays one another since they’re hard to demand and additionally they haven’t changed conclusion.” To have him, this really is an optimistic. “The guidelines need certainly to recognize the facts worldwide and you can, with regards to workplace dating, you want to instruct individuals values for making a beneficial, mature decisions, not instasext com to legislate owing to abuse.” Legislation also are growing of the #MeToo path. For example, on Fb and Google, you can only ask an effective coworker out after, whenever the individual states zero or offers an uncertain reaction (“Disappointed, I am active”) you aren’t allowed to query once again. For folks who break up Without a doubt, not every relationship are working out of course you or their spouse propose to prevent anything, it is best to prepare yourself. There is absolutely no reasoning so you’re able to mince terminology: “It’s going to be extremely dull,” states Baker, however, “you nevertheless still need getting discover concerning separation.” Markman agrees: ““If you were advising people about the relationship, have them current toward fact that you happen to be no more together with her.” And try to are nevertheless once the elite that one may. “Somebody who may have previously experienced a relationship states some thing shorter than simply sympathetic regarding an old boyfriend,” claims Markman, “but you should be municipal since if little actually ever ran incorrect and you may hope that other individual will do an equivalent.” If you find it too awkward and painful to carry on doing work with the individual, you may need to envision making the task or perhaps moving to some other department. No matter how the relationship turns out, it’s well worth pursuing the a few of Baker’s most simple suggestions: “The faster drama, the higher.” When you find yourself Becca and you may Meryl are nevertheless family relations, Becca claims your entire experience makes their should stay away away from which have some other matchmaking in the office It decided to continue their relationships a key. “It was complicated because she was not out from the pantry,” Becca demonstrates to you. “She actually is of a country in which getting homosexual is largely unlawful.” While the secrecy made “something way more fascinating you might say, a great deal more close and you will special,” additionally caused many anxiety. Becca wouldn’t share with the lady household members – in the office or outside it – what she was starting most of the big date. “It had been unusual one to no one understood the partnership lived. It felt like the past on the cupboard. ”	7,082
“Looking for things, analyzing them, trying to figure out the world”: Professional expertise and authority in the TV police procedural \| In Media Res Register Log in Username or email address * You may login with either your assigned username or your e-mail address. The password field is case sensitive. Current Calls Monday, March 8, 2010 “Looking for things, analyzing them, trying to figure out the world”: Professional expertise and authority in the TV police procedural by The final chapter of my book, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, concludes with the exchange between Gil Grissom (William Peterson) and the homeless woman Cassie in “The Hunger Artist,” which I have excerpted here. My point in the book is that their dialogue compares them as fellow outsiders analyzing the world. Talking with Cassie enables Grissom to justify his isolation—which is to say that the dialogue, like the series as a whole during the Grissom years, is deeply invested in the scientist’s professional expertise but also in his activity as an intellectual, with regard to his motivation, distance, thinking, and morality. The scene following this exchange then literally embodies the scientist’s isolation in his hereditary illness, which will challenge his ability to continue in his profession by compromising his ability to analyze evidence. At the same time, this coda challenges the authority which the series otherwise appears to grant to science: “I don’t have the answer,” the doctor replies to Grissom, and the episode, along with the second season of CSI, concludes on this uncertain note. I chose this excerpt for my post today to call attention to an investigator who is coded as authoritative because of his professional expertise and intellectual agility. CSI stands out to me in this regard as a worthy successor to the Ben Stone era of Law and Order when, in contrast to other law shows and its own “ripped from the headlines” rebranding later on, the second half of each episode usually foregrounded questions arising from the lawyers’ reading of the law as a text. Granting narrative authority to an intellectual because his or her training and expertise has honed his or her intellectual acumen is as rare an event in the history of the US TV police procedural genre as it is in American culture at large. The spin-offs of CSI are standard cop shows which exploit their brand by transforming the scientists into cops with guns and reducing the science to displays of technological gadgets. More recently, a sort of post-post 9-11 twist on the genre is evident in the return of the amateur detective on shows such as The Mentalist and Castle and a few of those crime dramas which have welcomed character back to the USA cable network. I am not yet sure what to make of this pattern in which, during the past decade, the scientific and intellectual activity that comprised the narrativity of CSI was sublimated in its spinoffs and imitators and then succeeded by the amateur cop who may have a certain intellectual panache and flair for deduction but lacks professional training and credentials (and, it turns out on The Mentalist, moral as well as legal discipline)—yet these series give their amateurs free access to official crime solving. Would amateur doctors be so easily welcomed on medical procedurals? procedurals Comments Representations of Authority Monday, March 8, 2010 — 6:53 pm Great scene to choose, Steven. In writing my own book on CSI, I appreciated your analysis of the episode, and your book as a whole, as a thoughtful consideration of how the series structures its very epistemology. Authority is granted and challenged in both conventional and susprising ways in CSI (at least through most of its run; the last three seasons haven't got that sensibility down as well as before). One of the interesting things about Grissom's narrative authority is how it arises both out of his training (as you indicate) and his embodiment of familiar codes of the "intellectual detective." While he is not as eccentric as Holmes, Poirot, or Columbo, Grissom's very slight misanthropy is enough to locate him in that company, i.e., as a sharp, but slightly "off" personality. That said, the series' explicit grounding in bureaucracy (i.e., the Metro Las Vegas Police Department), and consistent world of intellectual work insures a kind of grounding that most similar characters never get. Grissom and all his team must display and reaffirm their earned credentials. In contrast, Adrian Monk is just "brilliant," apparently; that's not enough to cut it on CSI. As you point out, it's intriguing that more recent series have just focused on the surface attributes of such characters without attempting to ground them. However, given the varied tones of these later series (from light comedy to supernatural horror), it does raise the question of appropriate narrative authority: when do credentials/training matter? Log in or register to reply to this comment Wednesday, March 10, 2010 — 2:38 pm You have offered so much to think about here! One could write a whole book on just these ideas alone... :-) But I'm going to just focus on a couple of points -- one having to do with the television investigator/intellectual and the other having to do with the ways in which Grissom harnesses sensorial experiences as part of his intellectual work. First, though I utterly agree with the representation of Grissom as intellectual, I think that we might take this character (and the reading it enables) to look across other series in the same light, not so much as a stark contrast to what we see on CSI but as complementary representations. So, for instance, I'm interested in what you say about Ben Stone and the reading of "the law as text." While that is a highly professionalized form of intellectual work, it still demonstrates intellectual work on television. Moreover, I think Stone's replacement, Jack McCoy, is a terrific public intellectual -- linking the law to broader social concerns. In fact, there's an interesting difference between him and Grissom in that respect -- Grissom is more the philosopher while McCoy is more the social advocate -- but both are known for savvy intellect. I'm also really interested in Grissom's description of how sensory powers work -- how hearing allows for one to detect nuance and intonation in a person's voice, so that we have, in effect, a connection between "form" and "content" (a connection neatly demonstrated in the visual/sonic details of the clip you offer here). This seems to me one of the most impressive elements of his intellectual work here, as he ties sensory experience and emotional resonance to his detective work. As an aside, I wonder what folks think about the fact that the philosophizing woman (with whom Grissom relates, of course, but also with whom he is contrasted) is schizophrenic (if I remember the specifics of her disorder correctly). What does that say about intellectual work? And about the gendered dynamics of intellectual work? Log in or register to reply to this comment Grissom and women Wednesday, March 10, 2010 — 3:21 pm I really enjoyed your piece. I've been thinking about Grissom and women as I work on a piece about the Miniature Killer story arc, female criminality, and "amateur" criminologist Frances Glessner Lee. In that research, I've been going back and looking at Grissom's interaction with women (victims and perpetrators) in the series. Your clip made me think of how he expresses particular affinity with damaged (for lack of a better word) people, particularly women. Unlike the more hard-boiled lead detectives of classic procedural, it seems like the show feminizes Grissom specifically because of his intellectual approach to investigation. While his approach subjects his leadership ability to critique by "higher-ups", it's an approach that elevates his status for viewers because his ability to examine behaviors and desires without judgement and with the support of material evidence that is key to his success and his extension of empathy to a variety of characters (a courtesy that the bureaucrats won't extend). Though I must say, the show's creators are careful to make sure that even Grissom's empathy has its limits. Such single-minded focus on detail is something Grissom shares with Brennan on Bones; however, her relationships with people are decided more stunted, perhaps in an effort to cast her intellectual gifts as more "masculine". Certainly, part of Grissom's interest in the crime's subjects is constructed as part and parcel of his "scientific" interest (and emotional detachment) in all kinds of phenomena. But in the shows where women bear particular emotional/mental scars -- like Cassie, like Natalie (spolier alert the miniature killer), Lady Heather, to name a few -- Grissom's investment in their stories and their well-being exceeds his duties as an investigator, but does it exceed his role as a scientist? I've not fully concretized these ideas but they are representative of what your post spurred in my thought process. Thanks! Log in or register to reply to this comment our Grissom, ourselves Wednesday, March 10, 2010 — 3:30 pm I just want to dwell for a moment on the notion raised by Jules that the "feminizing" quality of Grissom is his intellectual acumen. A lovely idea! However, I would add to it that his intellectualism is highly emotional -- which might even more account for his "feminine" characteristics. The similarity and contrast with Brennan ("Bones") is then really fascinating -- for her scientific process seems dependent in part on her affectless while the success of her findings are dependent on the emotional analyses provided all around her. (That particular series, too, is full of intellectuals; the lab as "brain" -- as Jules puts it -- is a space for collaborative thinking above all.) Log in or register to reply to this comment Log in or register to add a comment. “Looking for things, analyzing them, trying to figure out the world”: Professional expertise and authority in the TV police procedural Monday, March 8, 2010 4 comments “Science is no country for storytellers, baby.”: Bones as Forensic Procedural. Wednesday, March 10, 2010 8 comments Wednesday, March 10, 2010 5 comments "There are eight million stories in the naked city; this has been one of them": Procedurality and The Naked City	11,037
Our values-driven culture, commitment to real-world studying experiences, and deep experience with today’s increasingly unpredictable business dynamics will ready you for long-term profession success. ’ and as a world business college, our mission is to research, educate and exchange knowledge for the benefit of society. To achieve this, our academics are engaged in consultancy and analysis, advising governments, public our bodies and businesses – from SMES to massive international corporates. At Strathclyde Business School, we seek to develop long-term collaborations with companions who share our values and the place we will achieve mutual profit. Where one covered entity purchases a well being plan product or other insurance coverage, for example, reinsurance, from an insurer. Each entity is acting on its own behalf when the covered entity purchases the insurance coverage advantages, and when the lined entity submits a declare to the insurer and the insurer pays the declare. 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The new restaurant opens for business this Saturday, 12th June. 10/03/2022 by reyhan Business News You may also like... 4 reasons why you need to have insurance Next Kurzgesagt Shop Previous Business Playing Cards Recent Posts Archives Select Month December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 about advice automotive business change college companies drive education essential estate faculty fashion health house improve improvement information institute later learn leisure minnesota money newest online really reasons right secret services simple small start steps strategies success technology these thing things travel using world yourself	5,419
No amendment is more contested or attacked than the Second Amendment to the Constitution. While the language seems straightforward, some interpret the simplest of sentences so distinctly from the rest of the document. Amid the jargon of academics and activist judges, rights are diminished to those of sportsmen rather than citizens. Or to the collective, rather than the individual. The right to keep and bear arms is infringed upon every day, sometimes by an Act of Congress, but mostly by a Progressive agenda that diminishes the power of the individual. It’s no coincidence that the protection of the people’s right to keep and bear arms follows the First Amendment, which lays out what’s often called the “Five Freedoms.” I believe the Republican Party Platform summarizes this best when it states, “Without the right to own and bear arms to serve as an individual’s hedge against government overreach and as a means for self-defense in our home, on our property, and of our person, none of our rights and freedoms can be guaranteed.” The interpretation of the language most often centers on a few key phrases. The key language that’s most often misinterpreted is “the right of the people.” This language seems self-explanatory, but to many in the academic community and other “Constitutional scholars,” they interpret the right of the people as a collective of the public, rather than the rights of an individual citizen. However, you will also find this phrase repeated in the First, Fourth, Ninth, and Tenth Amendments in the very same Bill of Rights. Either the Left chooses to view the Second Amendment as an exception to individual rights, proving their own biases, or they hold no appreciation for the principle of individual liberties at all. Such logic is inconsistent with American values of personal responsibility or freedom and allows a worldview that makes rights government-ordained rather than God-ordained. Secondly, many of these so-called scholars focus on that qualifying phrase, “a well-regulated militia.” The Progressive argument holds the idea that the right to bear arms refers to the upkeep of a civilian militia or of a police force, but the decision of the Court in District of Columbia v. Heller, better known as the Heller case, stated that the militia clause of the Amendment cannot limit the operative clause of “shall not be infringed.” The Founders understood that limiting gun ownership only to the military would create the very state-sanctioned force which the Amendment was designed to protect against. The Heller case affirmed the founding principle of individual means of defense by stating that laws that ban handguns are an infringement upon the Second Amendment. Most comical among the arguments of the Left is the sportsman defense. “You don’t need an AR-15 to go hunting,” they say. Well, maybe we don’t. Any Arkansas deer hunter can explain that the typical .223 round is not near as effective in the woods as the .270, the .308, or the .300 Winchester Magnum, a few favorites around here. But the Second Amendment has absolutely nothing to do with my desire to hunt, shoot clay pigeons, or visit a gun range. The Amendment’s very purpose is the use of deadly force as a deterrent to the loss of life, liberty, or property. Each tragic shooting at a school or public event serves as a reminder of the necessity of law-abiding gun owners to prevent the loss of innocent life at the hands of criminal actors. Displayed as a visceral hatred for those “who cling to their religion and their guns,” as former President Barack Obama liked to put it, the Left often searches for any reason to attack the Second Amendment. Whether it’s the interpretation of our stated rights within the Constitution itself, taking advantage of tragedy, or attacking the intelligence of the average gun owner, the battle exists over a simple worldview difference. We know that the role of our government is not to create our rights, but only to protect those rights which God has ordained and entrusted to us. The personal right to own and bear arms has nothing to do with entertainment, sport, or ego; but, it has everything to do with the power of the American citizen to protect themselves, whether from a home invader or from the government itself. So regardless of the names we’re called or the attacks upon life and liberty, you can rest assured that we will be clinging to our religion and our guns. Well apparently its not the only one because The right has already caved on most of them. They pass laws and just nullify what the constitution says. Now in my understanding thats now quite how to amend the constitution. Ive been watching congress for a long long time and they are all corrupt. Dont think I beleive a one of them anymore. If they do something wrong....they have the power to just erase it from the internet. I agree with Carol Fryer on the judgement call about the politicians being corrupt. I don't know about all of them but the percentage has to be in the 95+% of them. The argument about the AR-15s for hunting can be dispelled by the average farmer being invaded by the farrow hog. They run in herds and very rarely do you see one by itself. Typically there are over ten to a herd and some herds may be up to thirty hogs. Just on Fort Chaffee alone, there were over 200 eradicated during one weekend. This was done to prevent them from destroying training equipment used to train Arkansas National Guard Soldiers or graves on one of the over 24 cemeteries located on Fort Chaffee. While hunting farrow hogs, a weapon with a large capacity clip will allow the shooter to engage more targets before they retreat into the brush and out of sight. There are a number of farmers that have crops being destroyed by the farrow hogs and the AR-15 (not to be mistaken for the AR-14) is a great tool for the farmer to use to ensure the future of his farm. I also agree that the second amendment was written to address freedoms and the protection of those freedoms, so to have anyone associate the second amendment with hunting only shows their ignorance or loyalty to big government and the desire to enslave the American people to that government. Leave a Reply. December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021	6,532
Abstract body painting is a type of painting that does not depict a specific object or scene. Instead, it uses the human body as the canvas, and the paint is applied in a free and expressive manner. This type of painting can be used to create a wide variety of different looks, depending on the painter’s style and preferences. One of the great things about abstract body painting is that it is very versatile. It can be used to create both simple and complex designs, and it can be used to create a wide variety of different looks. In addition, it is a very expressive form of art, and it can be used to communicate a wide range of emotions and ideas. Abstract body painting is also a very tactile form of art. The paint is applied to the body in a very physical manner, and the textures and patterns can be felt by the viewer. This can create a very immersive experience, and it can help to create a strong connection between the viewer and the artwork. Overall, abstract body painting is a very unique and expressive form of art that can be used to create a wide range of different looks. If you are interested in exploring this type of painting, be sure to experiment with different styles and techniques to find the one that best suits you. 1 Can you paint body with acrylic? 2 How do you start an abstract for acrylic painting? 4 How do you add body to acrylic paint? 5 What type of paint is best for body painting? 6 What is the best paint for body art? 7 What are the 6 elements of abstract art? Can you paint body with acrylic? Yes, you can paint your body with acrylic paint. Acrylic paint is a water-based paint that is usually used for painting on canvas or paper. However, it can also be used to paint other surfaces, including skin. When painting your body with acrylic paint, it is important to take into account the type of paint and the type of surface you are using. For example, some acrylic paints are made for use on skin, while others are not. In addition, the surface you are painting on can also affect the outcome of the paint. For example, if you are painting on a oily surface, the paint may not adhere well. If you are going to paint your body with acrylic paint, it is important to take into account the following: -The type of paint-Some paints are made for use on skin, while others are not. -The surface you are painting on-The paint may not adhere well to a oily surface. To get the best results when painting your body with acrylic paint, it is recommended that you use a paint that is specifically designed for use on skin. In addition, it is important to make sure that the surface you are painting on is clean and dry. How do you start an abstract for acrylic painting? Abstract painting is a form of art that does not depict objects or scenes in the real world. It is an opportunity for artists to express their ideas and emotions through color and texture. When starting an abstract painting, it is important to begin with a strong concept or idea. This will help you to focus your painting and create a cohesive piece. One of the best ways to start an abstract painting is to begin with a strong color palette. Choose colors that you are drawn to and that inspire you. Next, experiment with different textures and techniques. This can include brushstrokes, mark-making, and splattering. Be creative and have fun with it! Once you have a basic idea of your painting, it’s time to start adding details. Be sure to focus on the overall composition of your piece and make sure the elements are working together. Don’t forget to experiment and to let your intuition guide you. The best abstract paintings are the ones that are the most personal and expressive. The short answer is yes, acrylic paint is a great medium for abstract art. However, it’s important to use the right type of acrylic paint for the desired effect. Acrylic paint is water-based, so it dries quickly and is easy to clean up. It also comes in a wide range of colors and textures, making it a versatile medium for creating abstract art. However, not all acrylic paints are created equal. For a smooth, glossy finish, you’ll need to use an acrylic paint that is specifically labeled “gloss.” For a more textured look, try using an acrylic paint that is labeled “matt.” To create a wash, mix the paint with water until it reaches the desired consistency. You can also add other media, such as pastels or charcoal, to create interesting textures and effects. Overall, acrylic paint is a great medium for creating abstract art. With a little experimentation, you can create a wide range of textures and effects that will help you express your creativity. How do you add body to acrylic paint? Adding body to acrylic paint is a process that can be used to thicken the paint and give it more of a solid form. This can be useful for paintings that require a lot of detail, or for creating textures on the canvas. There are a few different ways to add body to acrylic paint, and each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. One way to add body to acrylic paint is to use a paint extender. Paint extenders are products that are designed to add thickness and body to acrylic paint. They can be used to create a variety of textures, and they are also non-toxic and water-soluble. There are a number of different paint extenders on the market, and each one has its own unique properties. Another way to add body to acrylic paint is to use polymer mediums. Polymer mediums are products that are used to create a variety of textures and finishes. They are made from polymers, which are long chains of molecules that are used to create a variety of textures. Polymer mediums are water-soluble, and they can be used to create a variety of finishes, including gloss, satin, and matte. One disadvantage of using paint extenders or polymer mediums is that they can be expensive. Another disadvantage is that they can be difficult to work with, and they can also be toxic. A third way to add body to acrylic paint is to use a gesso. Gesso is a product that is used to create a surface for painting. It is made from a mixture of chalk, white glue, and water. Gesso is non-toxic and water-soluble. One advantage of using gesso is that it is affordable. Another advantage is that it is easy to use, and it is also non-toxic. A disadvantage of using gesso is that it can be thick and difficult to work with. What type of paint is best for body painting? Body paint can come in a variety of different colors and styles. When it comes to what type of paint is best for body painting, you have a few different options to choose from. One type of paint that is commonly used for body painting is acrylic paint. Acrylic paint is a water-based paint that is non toxic and easy to clean up. It is also available in a variety of different colors. Another type of paint that can be used for body painting is oil paint. Oil paint is a type of paint that is made with oil and pigment. It is a bit more difficult to clean up than acrylic paint, but it has a longer shelf life. Oil paint is available in a variety of different colors as well. If you are looking for a type of paint that is easy to clean up and is available in a variety of colors, acrylic paint is a good option. If you are looking for a paint that has a longer shelf life and is available in a variety of colors, oil paint is a good option. What is the best paint for body art? When it comes to body paint, there are a lot of considerations to make. Not only do you need to think about the color and design of the paint, but you also need to think about the type of paint that will be most effective for your body art. There are a few different types of body paints available on the market, and each type has its own benefits and drawbacks. Here is a look at the three most common types of body paint: Water-based paints are the most common type of body paint. They are easy to apply and remove, and they are also non-toxic and safe to use. However, water-based paints can be prone to smudging, and they may not last as long as other types of paint. Oil-based paints are more durable than water-based paints, and they also tend to be less smudgy. However, they are not as safe as water-based paints, and they can be toxic if swallowed. Airbrush paints are a type of paint that is usually used for tattooing. They are very durable, and they can last for several days without smudging. However, they are also the most expensive type of body paint. So, what is the best paint for body art? Ultimately, the best paint for body art will depend on your needs and preferences. If you are looking for a paint that is easy to apply and remove, then water-based paints are a good option. If you are looking for a more durable paint, then oil-based or airbrush paints may be a better choice. What are the 6 elements of abstract art? Abstract art is an art form that does not depict objects in the real world, but instead focuses on the artist’s feelings or ideas. There are six elements that are commonly used in abstract art: color, form, line, texture, value, and space. Color is one of the most important elements of abstract art. It can be used to express the artist’s feelings or ideas, and can also be used to create moods and atmospheres. Color can be used to create contrast and to add interest to a painting. Form is another important element of abstract art. It refers to the shapes that are used in a painting, and can be used to create balance and unity in a painting. Line is another important element of abstract art. It can be used to create texture, to add interest to a painting, and to create movement. Texture is the feel or appearance of a surface. It can be used to create interest and to add realism to a painting. Value is the lightness or darkness of a color. It can be used to create moods and atmospheres, and to add interest to a painting. Space is the area around and between objects. It can be used to create depth and to add interest to a painting. Jim Miller is an experienced graphic designer and writer who has been designing professionally since 2000. He has been writing for us since its inception in 2017, and his work has helped us become one of the most popular design resources on the web. When he's not working on new design projects, Jim enjoys spending time with his wife and kids.	10,774
Fitting in Is FUNdamental– There are few points worse than investing cash on a costly penis pump only to find out it won’t fit. This Series comes in many different sizes that it’s virtually difficult not to find a good one. Bitch Better Have My Cash– If you just so occur to purchase the wrong size penis pump from the 5-part HydroXtreme Collection, or you discover that the device isn’t working as anticipated, you have 60 days to obtain your refund completely. Broke as a Joke– On the occasion that your device breaks or breakdowns in the initial 2 years you own it, the supplier provides a warranty for that. You’ll have to read the fine print to find out what all is covered; I have not made it that much. Rough and Tumble– The way these tools are made, with medical-grade, tempered materials, it’s challenging to damage their stability (even if you just toss your tool in a dirty drawer like I do). Gim me Some Skin– Speaking of the materials, you’re always going to pay more and also get even more with the medical-grade, skin-safe things. The HydoXtreme Series is no exception. Damp and also Wild– Since it uses the natural power of water to create a distinctively powerful vacuum cleaner inside the chamber, plus it makes use of no digital elements, this series is the most water-friendly device on the market. Minds and Energy– The innovative performance of the collection is clever as well as effective, developing an incredibly strong suction action each time without fail. Feel Like a Natural Female– Because none of the devices in the HydroXtreme Collection use electrical power, batteries, or motors of any type of kind, ownership is much easier as well as extra budget friendly than many. Quiet however Deadly– These gadgets make zero noise when in use and I, for one, really value that example. Tidy as well as Clear– As a whole, the collection is straightforward to preserve with few detachable components. It absolutely does not hurt that the manufacturer consists of a brand cleansing remedy as well as some sponges, eh? The Third Degree– You don’t require a degree in engineering (with a bachelor’s in perseverance) to run a HydroXtreme gadget. The systems are pretty standard and also the guidelines are really clear. It Works If You Work It– This isn’t a 12-step program; it’s just a short routine you require to add into your day for optimum results which, incidentally, are definitely noticeable. Locked Down– Each device features a custom-made equipped protection lock so, you know, there isn’t an unfavorable crash. The More the Merrier– In between the protection lock, comfort insert pad, cleaning sponges, and also measuring scale, I feel like a straight-up penis pump pimp. Mo’ Money, Mo’ Issues– Like every little thing else that deserves its weight, the devices in this Bathmate brand name series may put a tiny dent in your checking account, just sayin’. Man, Where’s My Customer care?– I had a question for the producer’s customer support team but it was difficult to contact anybody. I actually can not stand that spunk. It makes me feel like I’m being ripped off. Waterboarding– The HydroXtreme pump will work just great in the open air, however it has a tendency to do a far better task in water. That generally pressures you to take a bath/shower/or swim three times a day. Bigger Is (Almost) Constantly Better– The dimensions of the tools are terrific, but that storage space instance. For the love of whatever divine, I’m still attempting to find out exactly how to obtain all my little components and items back inside that point. I’ll maintain you posted if I ever before do well. Muscle Mass Male– Among the most glaring failures of the design is the reality that it’s 100% by hand powered. I suggest doing some stretches before tackling the arm-numbing exercise that is each session. Overall, the Bathmate brand’s HydroXtreme Collection (which, by the way, used to pass the name “HydroMax Extreme”) is a strong competitor in the penis pump arena. The price tag might be somewhat hard to swallow and also the gizmo could need you to place a little effort into your penis enhancement regimen, but it’s definitely one of the most efficient systems on the marketplace. You do not require to tell you that you obtain what you spend for, do you? It hasn’t been simple to set up sufficient bath/shower time for this thing, so I’ve learned to appreciate its outdoor capability instead of ending up being a strolling fish. Keeping that technique, I experienced obvious outcomes within the initial pair sessions, as well as things just improved from there up until I plateaued (and you will certainly as well, incidentally). With the affordable warranty and money-back guarantee at my disposal, I can manage to claim the HydroXtreme Series is a smart buy. The Bathmate Hydroxtreme is a preferred water-based penis pump that is claimed to provide a number of advantages, consisting of boosted penis size, enhanced sex-related performance, and a lot more. Does it truly function? In this Bathmate Hydroxtreme testimonial, we’ll take a look at the science behind the Bathmate Hydroxtreme as well as give you our truthful point of view on whether it’s worth your cash. What is the Bathmate Hydroxtreme?. Hydroxtreme pumps are brand-new and improved versions of Bathmate pumps. Produced by John Oaks in 2006. They became an instantaneous hit with men from around the globe. They are additionally known as Bathmate Hydro pumps because they collaborate with water in the bathroom or shower. The Bathmate Hydroxtreme is a hydrotherapy device that is used to deal with a range of conditions, including impotence and early climaxing. It is a water-based pump that develops a vacuum cleaner around the penis, which assists to raise blood circulation to the area and also improve sex-related function. The Hydroxtreme is an FDA-approved device as well as is one of one of the most popular hydrotherapy gadgets on the market. The Bathmate Hydroxtreme is a penis pump that makes use of water to develop suction. It is said to be a lot more efficient than standard air pumps and also can assist to increase dimension of your penis as well as improve erections. The Hydroxtreme can also be used for various other purposes such as easing muscular tension as well as relieving pain from Peyronie’s Disease. Several of the cases made by the business include:. Enhance your erection quality. Flaccid (soft) and Put up (hard) gains. Outcomes are directly after pumping. 100% safe to make use of. How does the Bathmate Hydroxtreme Work?. So exactly how does the Bathmate Hydroxtreme penis pumps function? When used in the bath or shower, the user fills up the gadget with water and after that inserts their penis right into the pump. The pump then utilizes the water stress to produce a vacuum around the penis, which helps to increase blood flow to the location and also pull the penis far from the body. The outcome is a larger, longer-lasting erection. Bathmate Hydroxtreme is a tool that uses water to develop a vacuum around your penis. This vacuum increases the blood flow to your penis, which consequently assists to enhance the dimension of your penis. The tool is easy to use and is created to be used in the bathroom or shower. Bathmate Hydroxtreme is a safe as well as reliable means to boost the dimension of your penis. The device is backed by a money-back guarantee, so you can be sure that you will certainly be pleased with the results. The Bathmate Hydroxtreme is a water-based penis pump that is stated to provide a number of advantages. According to the maker, the Hydroxtreme can aid to enhance the size of your penis, enhance erection high quality, as well as give longer-lasting erections. In addition, the Hydroxtreme is claimed to be safe as well as easy to use. The Bathmate Hydroxtreme is a hydrotherapy gadget that can be used to treat a selection of problems. The device utilizes water to massage and also stimulates the muscle mass, which can aid to relieve discomfort, improve circulation, and also lower swelling. The Hydroxtreme can likewise be used to boost adaptability as well as series of motion. There are many benefits to making use of the Bathmate Hydroxtreme pump, consisting of:. Relief from pain: The massaging action of the water can aid to eliminate discomfort and tension in the muscular tissues. Boosted circulation: The Hydroxtreme can help to enhance circulation by boosting blood flow to the muscles. Minimized swelling: The Hydroxtreme can assist to reduce swelling by draining pipes liquid from the cells. Increased flexibility: The Hydroxtreme can assist to increase adaptability by extending. That is the Bathmate Hydroxtreme for? The Bathmate Hydroxtreme is a water-based penis pump that is made for guys of any ages as well as sizes. The Hydroxtreme is various than various other penis pumps on the market because it makes use of water to produce suction. This suggests that it is a lot more comfortable to utilize as well as is less likely to create wounding or various other damages to the penis. The Hydroxtreme is additionally unique because it can be used in the bath or shower. This makes it the ideal pump for males that want to utilize it in the personal privacy of their very own houses. So that is the Bathmate Hydroxtreme for? Any guy that wants to improve his sexual performance and also boost his penis dimension. Whether you are trying to find a temporary solution or an irreversible one, the Hydroxtreme can aid you attain your objectives. The male penis is one organ that has attracted males and females for generations. It is utilized for satisfaction along with procreation. Nevertheless, most guys, unhappy with the dimension of their penis have attempted to enhance their size with numerous approaches. A few of these penis enlargement approaches consist of use of pills, surgical procedures, penis enlargement lotions along with non-traditional methods. The good news is, Penomet, the water penis pump is back in stores, as well as it guarantees to assist you get your preferred size every time. What is Penomet? This is among the most preferred penis augmentation tools worldwide. It was invented by professionals who, together have over 100 years of experience in penis enlargement sector. You can utilize this penis enlargement pump in the restroom or bathtub to assist you acquire the penis size that you have actually always desired for. The Penomet is made from extremely sturdy components. It comes with a lifetime warranty as well as a promissory note that if you are not pleased within the very first year of use, then you can take it back and also assert your cash back. >> > Go here to Visit Penomet Authorities Site<<<. Just how can Penomet help you expand your penis? Penomet functions by increasing the size of both the penis' girth and length with time. It comes with an interchangeable gaiter that permits you to accomplish any type of size you desire. In a feeling, it does not restrict you to any dimension. The bigger your penis expands, the even more strength you will certainly need to keep it growing and also strong. This is implemented by the pump's 5 gaiters, which provide the strength you require to expand your penis. Bruise Ed Despite having a solitary use, this pump can help your penis grow bigger. After your very first usage (usually 15 mins before sex), you may notice that a growth of approximately 1 inch in your penis' length and density. While an inch from the initial use seems excellent, many males, after utilizing this pump for some time, have a tendency to witness a development of up to 3 inches in length with a development width of as much as 50%! penomet evaluation. You will certainly likewise see tougher and also stronger erections after utilizing this penis enlargement pump. This it accomplishes by attracting new blood to your penis by its solid suction power generated by the warm water. This equates into stronger and also firmer erections for you and also your sex partner to take pleasure in gradually. Typically, penis dimension often tends to reduce when it is drooping. However, after making use of Penomet, you will certainly observe that your drooping penis will expand in length, size and weight. You might discover your penis, when flaccid, increasing in size after utilizing this gadget. Penis head is usually the most delicate area, giving males with lots of pleasure during sex. It is likewise the most concentrated on part of the penis throughout intercourse along with in adult movies. Thanks to Penomet, you can accomplish a larger, larger and rounder penis head. Everyone hates nutting also quickly. It leaves the man humiliated and the woman dissatisfied in bed. You can kiss goodbye to this issue. Penomet can aid you regulate your ejaculation as well as last much longer in bed, which will certainly be terrific information for you as well as your partner. This device can aid your penis obtain comfy as well as familiar with high pressure excitement, which suggests that you will certainly have the ability to last much longer during sex. This, consequently, will certainly be great information to your spouse as she will be the one begging for more sex. penomet before and also after. You have actually probably had that moment when you and your companion were completed, yet both of you were ready to go for one more round, but you couldn't simply get your penis back up no matter the quantity of excitement as well as resolution. Thanks to Penomet, that too can be background. This pump can really bring back your erection right away after a climaxing. Hence, rather than surrendering for the night, you can consider pumping it back up for yet an additional round. Penomet can pump back your penis to a huge, firm erection in five mins or much less. If your penis has a substantial curve to it, are afraid no more. You can make use of Penomet to remedy penile curvatures. With repeat use, you can it can bring your penis to a straight position. As well as there is no pain entailed. It attains this by delicately making use of the suction force to straighten the erectile tissue. The curvature can be completed corrected by using this tool for a long period of time. You can additionally use this pump to deal with as well as deal with Peyronie's disease which results from routine bumps on the penis. penomet before as well as after. Bruise Ed Many males do not have actually perfectly formed penises. It is not uncommon to locate an unequal penis when it involves size. Some penises often tend to be also thick at the top, base or perhaps middle instead of being also throughout the girth. Penomet can assist you repair this. Its suction power guarantees that blood flows evenly throughout the whole penis size therefore providing an even size inside out. Most guys take satisfaction in their "nice" organs. Nonetheless, they do not have the power levels they require to please their ladies. That also can be dealt with. Penomet not just makes your penis bigger in every possible method, however it likewise assists workout to release even more climaxing; not just that, however it likewise allows you shoot additional distance therefore providing your female with more powerful climaxes. All these sound perfect; yet, just how does Penomet function? Penomet works as a penis weight training device. It works to by working out as well as enhancing your penis and also pelvic muscles. Utilizing its different gaiters, it uses pressure to make best use of results. It makes use of water to produce the stress which works out your penis, instead of an external pump that you have to run by hand by hand. Just like with any type of other type of exercise devices, you require to be committed if you are to understand any kind of outcome using Penomet. To understand a long-term big penis dimension as well as see a modification in your sex life, you require to exercise your penis on a weekly basis using either the, "advanced" or "quick" regimen. Before any workout session, you require to start by extending to prevent injuries; and your penis is no exception. When you inspect via the handbook, or web site, you will see a section committed to showing you how to extend your penis and also obtain put up utilizing your hands before introducing this pump. You can utilize this pump while dry. A lot of people like using it in water due to the fact that of the excellent pressure it applies. penomet-reviews. The instructions in the pump's web site or manual are really straightforward, making it very easy to use this gadget. Each gaiter is labeled for every week, as well as you can select to work out from 15-- half an hour for the very first 6 weeks. The adhering to page has it prepared for the following 6 weeks utilizing greater gaiters, and you can opt to work out for 20-30 mins. Bruise Ed After exercising utilizing the graph on the manual or internet site, you ought to be free to utilize the gaiter of your option to help you continue attaining the very best erections. The manual also explains what you need to do when the suction is as well strong, or if you really feel discomfort while exercising. In recap, Penomet functions by pressure, extending and also determination in addition to real workouts to help you accomplish more powerful penis and pelvic muscular tissues. penomet reviews. Does that make Penomet the most effective penis augmentation option? You have actually probably seen thousands of commercials claiming that they have the very best penis enlargement items out there. You have, possibly, likewise seen advertisements concerning the very best penis pumps you can access "John Doe's Grownup Shop". Bear in mind that there are also surgical procedures that you can undergo to enlarge your penis. Possibilities are you have actually heard of those unique penis enlargement methods in Arabic countries, Asia as well as Africa. Still, opportunities are, you bear in mind the Extenze commercial with an extremely fired up Bob together with other filthy commercials that pleased you as opposed to obtain you to buy their pills. Or the numerous spam emails that assured economical penis enhancement. Bruise Ed penomet outcomes. A lot of these products have been evaluated by reliable scientists, with outcomes revealing that they are not effective in any way. Instead, most penis enhancement tablets have actually been found to be damaging, generally transmitting pesticides, creating year infections, mold consumption, E. Coli, as well as also intake of heavy metals like lead. Besides, a lot of these medications have a tendency to be extremely expensive. Next, you might need to know a thing or two concerning penis pumps that you can buy online or from the regional sex shop. The benefit of these pumps is that they can assist you obtain a couple of inches. They are low expense, and if made use of over time, can produce long-term results. Nonetheless, the majority of these pumps do not included any type of inbuilt safety measures, which make them a little bit dangerous to use in your home. As an example, they can cause sores as well as rupture the blood vessels on your penis. Testicles have likewise been reported to be drawn throughout pumping sessions causing extreme discomfort. HYDOMAX--. One month of trying to go hunk in the penis department with the X30. Feat CockJoanne was delighted when she was called by the guys over at Bathmate asking if we were interested in evaluating their latest production, the Hydromax X30 Wide Boy Penis Enlarger. She enjoys tossing me (her Stunt Penis) in at the deep end, so she certainly said yes, I then was given the job of examining it for her. Well, she does lack something in the pre-requisite trouser content department I presume. " A modest vacuum functions well for me, and also I obtain extremely tough erections when using the X30. Watch out for bruising or swelling especially around the foreskin (if you have one) during use, as this location is prone to swelling in a vacuum and that can be awkward.". Stunt Cock. Every person has wished for a bigger penis at some point in his life, and in the past, I have been really sceptical about the worth and effectiveness of some of the systems available. Nevertheless, I have always heard good ideas about Bathmate so I eagerly anticipated trying and seeing whether or not it might raise the size of my "pleased man" as Joanne calls it. Bathmate sent us a Hydromax X30 Wideboy designer cost free in exchange for a fair and also straightforward testimonial. Delivery. The X30 (I am mosting likely to call it that as Hydromax X30 Wide Child just takes also lengthy to kind, careless I know) showed up quickly under very simple product packaging. As you would expect, I am happy to report that they normally take client discernment extremely seriously. I'm likewise thrilled to report that bathmatedirect.com deal totally free around the world delivery which is pretty remarkable and not common in any way. Bruise Ed What do you get? The Bathmate x30 Wide Boy gets here in a good appealing retail boxThe X30 arrives in an appealing retail display screen box containing a photo of the three colour options on the front and a brief run-through of exactly how it works in several languages on the side. One thing that is highlighted on the packaging is the Bathmate 2 years makers guarantee - that goes over. You require to register for the guarantee online though, and the information of that can be discovered on the back of the user's manual consisting of the serial number of your X30. Inside package, you will locate the X30 itself together with an insightful multi-language individual handbook as well as an advertising sachet of the Bathmate Max Out Jelqing lotion. This is a lotion that you massage therapy into a semi-erect penis to stimulate blood circulation as well as growth. Fundamentally, you massage therapy it in while moving the blood around within your penis, stroking it 100 times. Now I have to hold my hand up to enjoying this procedure but having only one sachet it is tough to tell if it functioned or not. You obtain the x30 Wide Kid, a collection of directions as well as a sample sachet of Bathmate Max Out Jelqing product. You get the x30 Wide Young boy, a set of directions and a sample sachet of Bathmate Max Out Jelqing product. Just how does the X30 job? It makes use of a vacuum cleaner to increase the flow of blood right into your penis. The penis is constructed generally of a spongy form of tissue called "Corpora Cavernosa" & "Corpus Spongiosum" (thanks, Wikipedia). This tissue is flooded with blood when you get an erection, and also it is this blood that pumps up the penis like a balloon by filling this cells creating the erection. Photo portraying erection caused by blood loading cells. Resource CC BY 3.0 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erection. Photo portraying erection triggered by blood filling up penile cells. Source CC BY 3.0 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erection. This cells can be extended and educated but it takes some time to do so. Bathmate pumps are designed to utilize a vacuum cleaner to boost the flow of blood to these cells locations triggering them to swell. Over time the cells will certainly extend and expand to extend both the girth and also size of the penis. The vacuum cleaner is brought on by the really solid rubber bellows at the base of the X30, the X30 is loaded with cozy water, and after that this water is used to move the vacuum to your penis in the form of adverse hydraulic stress. The Bathmate x30 Wide Boy is really broad as its name recommends. Bruise Ed The X30 Wide Young boy variety of enlargers was designed to boost the area around the penis to ensure that it doesn't relax against television wall surfaces, for that reason, ensuring equal vacuum all over the penis. This is important if your penis is already quite wide as if it expanded to come into contact with the body of the X30 after that no further augmentation can happen. Our 2nd Choice: PENOMET Suitable in Is Essential– There are couple of things even worse than investing money on a costly penis pump just to find out it won’t fit. This Collection comes in a lot of different dimensions that it’s virtually impossible not to find a good one. Bitch Better Have My Money– If you just so happen to purchase the wrong size penis pump from the 5-part HydroXtreme Collection, or you locate that the tool isn’t working as expected, you have 60 days to obtain your refund in full. Broke as a Joke– In the event that your tool breaks or malfunctions in the first 2 years you possess it, the maker uses a service warranty for that. You’ll need to read the fine print to learn what all is covered; I haven’t made it that much yet. Rough and Tumble– The means these devices are made, with medical-grade, tempered products, it’s tough to harm their stability (even if you simply toss your gadget in an unclean cabinet like I do). Gim me Some Skin– Speaking of the products, you’re always mosting likely to pay even more and also obtain more with the medical-grade, skin-safe things. The HydoXtreme Series is no exception. Wet and Wild– Given that it takes advantage of the natural power of water to produce an uniquely effective vacuum cleaner inside the chamber, plus it utilizes no electronic parts, this series is the most water-friendly gadget on the marketplace. Minds and Brawn– The cutting-edge functionality of the series is smart and also reliable, producing a super solid suction action each time without fail. Feel Like an All-natural Female– Due to the fact that none of the devices in the HydroXtreme Series use electrical power, batteries, or motors of any kind, possession is easier and extra budget friendly than many. Quiet however Deadly– These gadgets make zero noise when in use and I, for one, actually value that kind of thing. Tidy and Clear– All at once, the collection is simple to preserve with couple of removable parts. It absolutely doesn’t hurt that the maker consists of a brand name cleaning service and some sponges, eh? The Third Degree– You don’t require a degree in engineering (with a bachelor’s in patience) to run a HydroXtreme device. The devices are quite standard and the directions are very clear. It Functions If You Function It– This isn’t a 12-step program; it’s just a short routine you require to include into your day for optimum outcomes which, incidentally, are most definitely recognizable. Locked Down– Each gadget includes a custom fitted safety and security lock so, you recognize, there isn’t an unfortunate crash. The Even more the Merrier– In between the security lock, comfort insert pad, cleaning up sponges, as well as determining scale, I feel like a straight-up penis pump pander. Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems– Like every little thing else that’s worth its weight, the gadgets in this Bathmate brand name series may place a little damage in your checking account, simply sayin’. Guy, Where’s My Customer support?– I had a concern for the supplier’s client service group yet it was hard to contact any person. I truly can not stand that crap. It makes me feel like I’m being scammed. Waterboarding– The HydroXtreme pump will certainly function simply fine al fresco, however it often tends to do a better job in water. Sadly, that generally forces you to take a bath/shower/or swim three times a day. Bigger Is (Nearly) ALWAYS Better– The sizes of the devices are wonderful, yet that storage space instance. For the love of every little thing divine, I’m still trying to find out exactly how to get all my little parts and pieces back inside that thing. I’ll keep you posted if I ever before prosper. Muscle Mass Male– Among the most glaring downfalls of the design is the reality that it’s 100% by hand powered. I suggest doing some stretches prior to tackling the arm-numbing workout that is each session. Altogether, the Bathmate brand name’s HydroXtreme Series (which, by the way, utilized to go by the name “HydroMax Extreme”) is a strong contender in the penis pump field. The price tag may be rather far-fetched and also the contraption might need you to put a little initiative into your penis enhancement regimen, but it’s absolutely one of the most effective systems on the market. You do not require to inform you that you obtain what you pay for, do you? It hasn’t been very easy to schedule appropriate bath/shower time for this thing, so I have actually found out to appreciate its open-air capacity as opposed to becoming a walking fish. Keeping that method, I experienced obvious outcomes within the very first pair sessions, and points just boosted from there until I plateaued (and you will certainly also, by the way). With the practical service warranty as well as money-back warranty at my disposal, I can manage to claim the HydroXtreme Series is a clever buy. The Bathmate Hydroxtreme is a preferred water-based penis pump that is claimed to use a number of advantages, consisting of enhanced penis size, improved sexual performance, as well as much more. Does it really function? In this Bathmate Hydroxtreme evaluation, we’ll take a look at the scientific research behind the Bathmate Hydroxtreme and provide you our straightforward opinion on whether or not it’s worth your cash. What is the Bathmate Hydroxtreme?. Hydroxtreme pumps are brand-new and enhanced variations of Bathmate pumps. Produced by John Oaks in 2006. They came to be an instantaneous hit with guys from all over the globe. They are additionally known as Bathmate Hydro pumps due to the fact that they work with water in the shower room or shower. The Bathmate Hydroxtreme is a hydrotherapy gadget that is made use of to deal with a selection of conditions, including erectile dysfunction as well as premature climaxing. It is a water-based pump that creates a vacuum cleaner around the penis, which assists to boost blood circulation to the location and boost sexual function. The Hydroxtreme is an FDA-approved gadget and also is among the most popular hydrotherapy tools on the marketplace. The Bathmate Hydroxtreme is a penis pump that utilizes water to create suction. It is claimed to be extra effective than traditional air pumps and also can assist to enhance dimension of your penis and boost erections. The Hydroxtreme can likewise be used for various other functions such as alleviating muscle stress and also easing discomfort from Peyronie’s Disease. Some of the insurance claims made by the firm consist of:. Improve your erection quality. Drooping (soft) and also Put up (tough) gains. Results are directly after pumping. How does the Bathmate Hydroxtreme Work?. Just how does the Bathmate Hydroxtreme penis pumps work? When utilized in the bath or shower, the individual loads the device with water and afterwards inserts their penis into the pump. The pump then utilizes the water pressure to develop a vacuum around the penis, which assists to enhance blood circulation to the area and pull the penis far from the body. The outcome is a bigger, longer-lasting erection. Bathmate Hydroxtreme is a tool that uses water to produce a vacuum cleaner around your penis. This vacuum cleaner raises the blood flow to your penis, which subsequently assists to boost the size of your penis. The gadget is easy to use and is designed to be made use of in the bath or shower. Bathmate Hydroxtreme is a risk-free and also reliable way to enhance the size of your penis. The device is backed by a money-back guarantee, so you can be sure that you will certainly be pleased with the outcomes. The Bathmate Hydroxtreme is a water-based penis pump that is stated to offer a number of benefits. According to the producer, the Hydroxtreme can assist to increase the dimension of your penis, boost erection quality, and supply longer-lasting erections. In addition, the Hydroxtreme is stated to be safe and also easy to use. The Bathmate Hydroxtreme is a hydrotherapy tool that can be made use of to treat a variety of problems. The device makes use of water to massage therapy and promotes the muscle mass, which can help to relieve pain, boost circulation, and also reduce swelling. The Hydroxtreme can also be utilized to increase versatility as well as range of movement. There are several advantages to making use of the Bathmate Hydroxtreme pump, consisting of:. Remedy for discomfort: The massaging action of the water can help to eliminate pain and stress in the muscular tissues. Improved circulation: The Hydroxtreme can help to boost circulation by enhancing blood circulation to the muscle mass. Minimized swelling: The Hydroxtreme can assist to reduce swelling by draining pipes fluid from the cells. Increased versatility: The Hydroxtreme can aid to enhance adaptability by extending. Who is the Bathmate Hydroxtreme for? The Bathmate Hydroxtreme is a water-based penis pump that is made for males of every ages and also dimensions. The Hydroxtreme is various than other penis pumps on the marketplace since it makes use of water to create suction. This implies that it is much more comfortable to use as well as is less likely to cause wounding or various other damages to the penis. The Hydroxtreme is additionally distinct since it can be made use of in the bathroom or shower. This makes it the perfect pump for guys who wish to use it in the personal privacy of their very own houses. So who is the Bathmate Hydroxtreme for? Any kind of male that wishes to enhance his sex-related efficiency as well as enhance his penis dimension. Whether you are trying to find a short-lived solution or a long-term one, the Hydroxtreme can aid you attain your objectives. The male penis is one organ that has actually attracted men and women for generations. It is utilized for pleasure in addition to procreation. Nevertheless, most males, unhappy with the dimension of their penis have actually attempted to raise their size through many techniques. A few of these penis augmentation approaches consist of use pills, surgical treatments, penis enlargement lotions along with non-traditional techniques. However fortunately, Penomet, the water penis pump is back in stores, and it assures to help you obtain your wanted size every time. So what is Penomet? This is just one of the most prominent penis enlargement gadgets worldwide. It was designed by professionals that, together have more than 100 years of experience in penis enlargement sector. You can use this penis enlargement pump in the bathroom or bath tub to help you acquire the penis size that you have constantly dreamed of. The Penomet is made from very resilient components. Besides, it comes with a life time guarantee along with a cosigned promissory note that if you are not pleased within the very first year of use, after that you can take it back as well as claim your cash back. >> > Visit this site to Check Out Penomet Official Site<<<. Exactly how can Penomet aid you expand your penis? Penomet functions by expanding both the penis' girth and length over time. It comes with an interchangeable gaiter that allows you to attain any dimension you want. In a sense, it does not restrict you to any kind of dimension. The bigger your penis grows, the more intensity you will certainly require to keep it expanding and solid. This is made possible by the pump's five gaiters, which provide the strength you require to grow your penis. Bruise Ed Despite having a single usage, this pump can assist your penis grow larger. After your initial use (normally 15 minutes before sex), you may see that a development of up to 1 inch in your penis' size and also thickness. While an inch from the very first usage seems fantastic, a lot of guys, after utilizing this pump for a while, tend to witness a development of as much as 3 inches in length with an expansion size of up to 50%! penomet review. You will certainly likewise discover tougher and stronger erections after utilizing this penis enlargement pump. This it accomplishes by drawing fresh blood to your penis by its solid suction power created by the lukewarm water. This equates into more powerful as well as firmer erections for you and also your sex partner to delight in in time. Typically, penis dimension often tends to minimize when it is flaccid. After using Penomet, you will certainly notice that your drooping penis will expand in size, size and weight. You may discover your penis, when drooping, doubling in size after using this gadget. Penis head is typically one of the most sensitive area, supplying males with great deals of satisfaction during sex. It is also the most focused on part of the penis during intercourse as well as in adult movies. Thanks to Penomet, you can achieve a larger, bigger as well as rounder penis head. Everybody despises nutting as well quick. It leaves the man humiliated as well as the lady disappointed in bed. You can kiss goodbye to this problem. Penomet can aid you regulate your climaxing as well as last longer in bed, which will certainly be remarkable news for you and also your partner. This device can help your penis get comfy and familiar with high pressure stimulation, which means that you will be able to last much longer during sex. This, subsequently, will be good information to your spouse as she will be the one asking for more sex. penomet prior to as well as after. You have actually most likely had that minute when you as well as your partner were ended up, yet both of you prepared to go with an additional round, however you couldn't simply obtain your penis back up despite the quantity of excitement and also decision. Thanks to Penomet, that as well can be background. This pump can in fact revive your erection immediately after an ejaculation. Thus, as opposed to rolling over for the evening, you can take into consideration pumping it back up for yet another round. Penomet can pump back your penis to a large, strong erection in five minutes or less. If your penis has a significant contour to it, fear no more. You can use Penomet to remedy penile curvatures. With repeat usage, you can it can bring your penis to a straight position. And there is no discomfort included. It accomplishes this by carefully using the suction force to align the erectile tissue. The curvature can be completed fixed by utilizing this device for a long period of time. You can additionally use this pump to deal with and fix Peyronie's disease which arises from routine bumps on the penis. penomet before and also after. Bruise Ed The majority of men do not have flawlessly formed penises. It is not unusual to find an irregular penis when it comes to size. Some penises tend to be too thick on top, base and even center instead of being also throughout the girth. Penomet can aid you fix this. Its suction power makes sure that blood flows uniformly throughout the whole penis size hence giving an also size inside out. The majority of guys take pride in their "great" organs. They do not have the power degrees they need to please their ladies. That also can be repaired. Penomet not just makes your penis bigger in every possible way, yet it likewise helps workout to release more ejaculation; not only that, yet it likewise allows you fire further range therefore providing your woman with stronger orgasms. All these sound perfect; yet, exactly how does Penomet function? Penomet serves as a penis weightlifting device. It functions to by working out as well as strengthening your penis as well as pelvic muscular tissues. Using its different gaiters, it applies stress to take full advantage of outcomes. It uses water to develop the pressure which exercises your penis, rather than an outside pump that you have to run by hand by hand. Just like with any type of other type of workout devices, you need to be dedicated if you are to recognize any result utilizing Penomet. To recognize a long-term large penis size and also see an adjustment in your sex life, you need to exercise your penis on an once a week basis making use of either the, "advanced" or "fast" routine. Prior to any type of exercise session, you need to start by stretching to avoid injuries; and your penis is no exception. When you examine through the handbook, or site, you will certainly see a section committed to instructing you exactly how to stretch your penis and obtain set up using your hands prior to presenting this pump. You can utilize this pump while completely dry. Most individuals like using it in water because of the excellent pressure it uses. penomet-reviews. The directions in the pump's internet site or handbook are very simple, making it very easy to use this device. Each gaiter is identified for each and every week, as well as you can select to exercise from 15-- half an hour for the first 6 weeks. The adhering to page has it planned for the adhering to 6 weeks making use of greater gaiters, and also you can choose to exercise for 20-30 minutes. Bruise Ed After exercising making use of the graph on the manual or internet site, you must be free to make use of the gaiter of your choice to assist you proceed accomplishing the best erections. The manual additionally describes what you ought to do when the suction is as well strong, or if you really feel discomfort while working out. In recap, Penomet functions by stress, stretching and also determination along with real workouts to assist you accomplish more powerful penis and also pelvic muscular tissues. penomet reviews. Does that make Penomet the best penis augmentation service? You have possibly seen numerous commercials claiming that they have the most effective penis enlargement items in the market. You have, possibly, likewise seen advertisements about the best penis pumps you can get at "John Doe's Grownup Shop". Bear in mind that there are also surgeries that you can undergo to enlarge your penis. Possibilities are you have actually listened to of those unique penis enlargement methods in Arabic countries, Asia as well as Africa. Still, possibilities are, you bear in mind the Extenze commercial with a very excited Bob along with various other unclean commercials that pleased you instead of obtain you to get their tablets. Or the hundreds of spam e-mails that guaranteed low-cost penis enhancement. Bruise Ed penomet outcomes. Most of these products have been evaluated by respectable scientists, with results revealing that they are ineffective in all. Instead, many penis improvement pills have been discovered to be harmful, normally transmitting chemicals, causing year infections, mold and mildew consumption, E. Coli, and also even ingestion of heavy metals like lead. Besides, most of these medicines tend to be very expensive. Next, you may wish to know a point or more concerning penis pumps that you can purchase online or from the neighborhood sex store. The advantage of these pumps is that they can assist you obtain a few inches. They are reduced price, as well as if used over time, can produce irreversible outcomes. However, most of these pumps do not included any type of inbuilt precaution, that make them a little bit dangerous to make use of in your home. For example, they can cause blisters as well as rupture the blood vessels on your penis. Testicles have actually likewise been reported to be drawn throughout pumping sessions leading to extreme discomfort. HYDOMAX--. One month of trying to go hulk in the penis department with the X30. Stunt CockJoanne was delighted when she was spoken to by the men over at Bathmate asking if we had an interest in assessing their latest creation, the Hydromax X30 Wide Boy Penis Enlarger. She loves throwing me (her Stunt Cock) in at the deep end, so she obviously said yes, I then was offered the task of evaluating it for her. Well, she does absence something in the pre-requisite trouser material division I think. " A modest vacuum cleaner works well for me, as well as I obtain really difficult erections when using the X30. Keep an eye out for wounding or swelling particularly around the foreskin (if you have one) throughout use, as this area is prone to swelling in a vacuum cleaner and that can be uneasy.". Stunt Penis. Every guy has longed for a bigger penis at some point in his life, as well as in the past, I have actually been very skeptical about the worth and also performance of some of the systems out there. However, I have actually always heard good ideas concerning Bathmate so I eagerly anticipated giving it a go and seeing whether or not it could enhance the dimension of my "delighted man" as Joanne calls it. Bathmate sent us a Hydromax X30 Wideboy programmer free of charge for a reasonable and also honest evaluation. Distribution. The X30 (I am going to call it that as Hydromax X30 Wide Young boy just takes also lengthy to kind, lazy I know) got here promptly under very ordinary packaging. As you would expect, I enjoy to report that they normally take customer discernment very seriously. I'm additionally delighted to report that bathmatedirect.com deal free around the world delivery and that is rather excellent and not usual whatsoever. Bruise Ed What do you get? The Bathmate x30 Wide Boy arrives in a great appealing retail boxThe X30 arrives in an appealing retail display box containing a picture of the 3 colour alternatives on the front as well as a quick run-through of how it works in multiple languages on the side. One thing that is highlighted on the product packaging is the Bathmate 2 years manufacturers warranty - that goes over. You need to sign up for the guarantee online though, and also the details of that can be discovered on the back of the user's manual consisting of the serial number of your X30. Inside package, you will discover the X30 itself together with an informative multi-language individual guidebook and also a marketing sachet of the Bathmate Max Out Jelqing lotion. This is a product that you massage into a semi-erect penis to promote blood circulation as well as growth. In essence, you massage it in while relocating the blood around within your penis, rubbing it 100 times. Now I must hold my hand up to enjoying this process yet having just one sachet it is difficult to tell if it worked or otherwise. You get the x30 Wide Young boy, a collection of directions and an example sachet of Bathmate Max Out Jelqing product. You get the x30 Wide Young boy, a set of instructions and also an example sachet of Bathmate Max Out Jelqing lotion. Just how does the X30 job? It makes use of a vacuum cleaner to enhance the circulation of blood into your penis. The penis is built mainly of a spongy form of tissue called "Corpora Cavernosa" & "Corpus Spongiosum" (thanks, Wikipedia). This cells is flooded with blood when you obtain an erection, as well as it is this blood that inflates the penis like a balloon by filling this tissue triggering the erection. Picture portraying erection caused by blood loading cells. Resource CC BY 3.0 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erection. Photo illustrating erection triggered by blood filling up penile cells. Source CC BY 3.0 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erection. This tissue can be extended and also trained but it takes time to do so. Bathmate pumps are made to use a vacuum to increase the circulation of blood to these cells locations triggering them to swell. With time the cells will certainly extend and also expand to expand both the girth as well as size of the penis. The vacuum cleaner is caused by the really solid rubber bellows at the base of the X30, the X30 is full of cozy water, and then this water is utilized to move the vacuum to your penis in the form of adverse hydraulic stress. The Bathmate x30 Wide Child is really wide as its name recommends. Bruise Ed The X30 Wide Child range of enlargers was created to boost the location around the penis so that it doesn't rest against the tube wall surfaces, for that reason, making sure equivalent vacuum around the penis. This is important if your penis is already fairly broad as if it broadened to find right into contact with the body of the X30 then no further enhancement can take place. Are Erections Best An Do Flow That Increase Reddit Out of thousands of hrs of research ... We've created the absolute most effective penis pumps that in fact WORK and Don't lose your time. Below is the top penis pump we advise based upon our research: Affiliate Disclaimer: The owners of this website may receive compensation for any products recommended and purchased by website viewers. This helps maintain website and server costs.	49,393
It’s a tired cliché, but a fitting one. Tired, like my starving body and withered soul. And far more fitting than the baggy clothing I drown myself in, hiding my gradual deterioration from an outside world in which I strive to occupy less and less space. Sometimes I sense it eating away at me, attacking with the same voracious appetite I felt when I first began starving myself: The nothingness. I don’t feel the hunger anymore—that deep, insatiable ache, the craving for sustenance. My body no longer yearns for nourishment; my stomach no longer rumbles with self-imposed deprivation; my soul no longer echoes back the pain of being hollow. It’s ironic, really, the way you can fill yourself with emptiness. You are what you eat. Sometimes I’m a few minuscule crumbs, like the tiny morsels I permit myself to consume in a day. Sometimes I am small, insignificant, and fragmented. Sometimes I am unable to hold myself together, crumbling into shattered remnants of the person I once was. Sometimes I’m unrecognizable. Sometimes I’m broken. And I am never, ever enough. Sometimes I’m garbage, like the fistfuls of food I cram into my mouth in my occasional moments of “weakness.” Sometimes I am chewed up and spit out, nothing but the aftertaste of guilt and regret left in my wake. Sometimes I’m hidden—folded in a napkin, tucked in a granola bar wrapper, tossed in the nearest waste receptacle. Sometimes I trash the world around me. Sometimes I discard myself. Sometimes I find myself disgusting. Sometimes I’m insubstantial, like the ounces upon ounces of water I gulp in my quest to disappear, to wither away and become the corporeal manifestation of the nothingness I feel inside. Sometimes I’m merely a space-filler. Sometimes I’m transparent. Sometimes I slosh about the world around me, refusing to make room for anything of substance to sneak its way in. Sometimes I’m darkness, black as the coffee I drink when my body demands energy, and I turn to caffeine. Sometimes I’m a filler, a stand-in for natural vitality, natural life. Sometimes I feel fake, my personhood disintegrating as quickly as the granules of non-caloric artificial sweetener I stir into my mug. Sometimes I burn the people around me. Sometimes I’m bitter. Sometimes I can feel the darkness percolating, dripping steadily and staining my soul. Sometimes I’m bile, like the acrid liquid that churns in the pit of my stomach, one of the few things I permit myself to swallow because doing so serves as a reminder: I am foul. I am rotten. I am only getting what I deserve. Sometimes I try to escape only to be forced back down. Sometimes I’m sickening. Sometimes I’m corrosive. I slowly burn myself away from the inside out. Sometimes, many times, I’m all of these things. And the more time I spend being them—the more time I devote to the gradual atrophy of my body and soul—the more I can feel myself becoming something else. I am becoming nothing. Trapped in a never-ending cycle of starvation, I’ve become a self-fulfilling (ironically unfulfilling) prophesy: You are what you eat. And I choose to be nothing. I won’t always embrace the nothingness. I won’t always allow myself to disappear within this disease. There will be days when I choke down meals for the sake of my kids because I know they deserve a mom who is present, energized, and ALIVE. There will be days when I laugh with my husband as I reach over to steal a huge bite of his Starbucks muffin, forcing myself to ignore the demon inside me telling me I don’t deserve it. There will be days when I decide that maybe I am worth more than the zero I’ve turned myself into—physically and emotionally. There will be days when I take back control of my own life. Recovery is a journey, not a destination. It’s a long road, and sometimes there are detours. Sometimes there are speed bumps. Sometimes there are accidents. Sometimes I have to navigate through construction zones. And sometimes I have to stop and ask for directions. But I know that if I fight—if I commit, if I choose to keep my eyes on the road, if I allow myself to look beyond the wreckage—I can escape the nothingness. And I can heal. Because in the absence of nothing, there is always something. There is always hope. About the Author Samantha Wassel is a Stay-At-Home Mama to the cutest twin toddlers in the history of all Toddlerdom. When she's not running her borderline-offensive mouth, she's running masochistically long distances, often with the aforementioned toddlers in tow. She enjoys reading, writing, baking, marathoning, complaining, photographing, playgrounding, and Ghirardelli Midnight Reverie chocolate bars. You can find her on , , Mamalode, and .	4,713
The fundamental claim promoted by the New York Times’ 1619 Project — that the Revolutionary War was fought to preserve slavery — simply does not correspond with the facts. This false history will do more damage than its proponents realize. The data are in: The New York Times’ 1619 Project is founded on empirical sand. The fundamental claim that the Revolutionary War was fought to preserve slavery simply does not correspond with the facts, too conclusively for the point to be dismissed as mere hair-splitting. The issue is not differing interpretations of history, but an outright misinterpretation of it. Yet the project lives on. Its spearheaders blithely dismiss the charges of inaccuracy as mere natterings that at least verge on racism, while school districts nationwide eagerly received pedagogical materials based on the idea of offering students a fresh, revealing take on American history. We must ask: Is there some broader aspect of the 1619 Project that justifies a certain slippage between its claims and actual fact? Just what does this project have to teach students? What does it have to teach us? And if the answer to those questions is “nothing much,” then how is it that brilliant, high-placed people can be so serenely unruffled in promulgating this material to innocent young minds? In the end, the 1619 Project is more than a history lesson. It is founded on three basic principles, none expounded with a great deal of clarity, but all of them pernicious to a truly constructive black American identity. One takeaway from the Times’ rhetoric is that the American experiment offers nothing to celebrate, definitionally polluted by its dependence for so long on unpaid labor by black people. Our red-blooded celebration of 1776 as a political and even moral and intellectual victory is, under this analysis, callow and backward. In their minds, 1776 was a culmination of a grisly beginning 157 years before, of a kind no one could dream of feteing with fireworks and barbecues. For all of its emotional resonance, this assertion is so simplistic and anti-intellectual that both rationality and morality require dismissing it. For example, one corollary of this viewpoint is a discomfort with seeing America’s Founding Fathers feted as heroes and pioneers. We are taught that, because these men either owned slaves or let pass that others did, we are to see them as morally repugnant. In a recent radio interview, a black journalist discussed a book she has written documenting the racist aspects of all of the U.S. presidents. She argued that we must be “honest” about these figures instead of settling for a sanitized vision of what these men did and tolerated. The host, a black woman, very civilly asked her for what purpose we should keep these things about these men in mind. The historian only repeated her point about “honesty” a few times; she seemed a tad thrown by the angle of the question. One sensed that she was refraining from saying directly that we are not to think of George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln or even Franklin D. Roosevelt as heroes, that musicals such as “1776,” films such as “Lincoln,” and the endless stream of august biographies celebrating such men, are inappropriate. The protean musical “Hamilton” actually has been critiqued in this vein for not holding front and center that slaves were keeping the New York he knew afloat, and that Alexander Hamilton was not sufficiently committed to arguing against slavery. This way of thinking calls for pretty much any white figure before now to wear scarlet letters on their heads. The letter today presumably would be R for “racist.” Everyone knew Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Hester Prynne was a kind person in many ways, but Hawthorne portrayed a society whose morality decreed that her adultery be treated as a defining trait relegating all else about her to triviality. Almost all of us, including many very religious people, today look upon this as benighted; the book is used in schools as an object lesson in how censorious obsessions of the moment can lead to unthinking cruelty. However, the 1619 Project puts forth that this kind of moral absolutism is correct in the case of American slavery. That slavery was almost universally condoned at the time, an ordinary feature of life that one grew up immersed in unquestioned, and at a time when much less was known about science or the wider world, is considered irrelevant. We are to think of the sin of slavery as overriding all considerations of context, of what it is to be a human being, of, in a word, complexity. Here, then, is the problem: The 1619 kind of perspective, for all of its elaborate terminology and moral passion vented in serious media organs and entertained by people with PhDs, demands that we abjure complexity. It is a call for dumbing ourselves down in the name of a moral crusade. America has always been an experiment, ever imperfect, always in rehearsal. That its beginnings 400 years ago were founded in casual bondage of other humans is appalling from our viewpoint, but should surprise no one given what was ordinary in all human societies worldwide at the time. That in this nation, slavery gradually was abolished, via a movement in which white people vigorously and crucially participated, was a kind of miracle in itself. It demonstrated that the rehearsal was a progressive one, moving ever towards justice even if never achieving its quintessence. The 1619 adherent rolls their eyes to hear that, as if some larger and obvious point is being missed. However, they have failed to communicate any such point that stands up to basic scrutiny and, meanwhile, it is they who miss a larger point: what social history actually is. Frankly, the 1619 vision, in pretending that the roiling, complex history of the United States can be reduced to the fate of one group of people within it, abused, oppressed, and dismissed though they were for so very long, is lazy. Constitutional history matters only in that slaves were counted as three-fifths of a person. Feminism matters only in that white feminists were racists by our standards. Economic history matters only in relation to the yield from plantations. Geopolitics matters only in terms of whether the British would have abolished slavery in America. Technology matters only in terms of the cotton gin. The entire business absolves one of the responsibility to engage the vast spectrum of human affairs that history constitutes, with the methods of inquiry and engagement long established as its modus operandi. To engage history openly and thoroughly becomes almost disloyal, inauthentic. History itself does not interest these people as much as something more local, personal, even. Thought experiment: Imagine the 1619 crowd’s response to a version of American history stressing the fate of white women, asserting that the patriarchy always has and continues to deny women’s humanity and that this is the guiding force of American history, having made the rise of the republic possible. Immediately, our 1619-ers would grasp that as grievous as the history of women in America (and worldwide) is, a vision of this kind is reductive, appealing largely to a small group most would see as highly ideological. Yet the 1619 idea is similar. Slavery was hideous in endless ways, but it was still, in the grand scheme of things — and there was one — just one of a great many things going on. And if all of those things can be cleverly traced to the black people toiling in fields, sheds and pantries, then so can they be traced to the women often doing similar things and undergoing different kinds of abuse, including what women historians today convincingly limn as denials of their humanity. And never mind how often people of the 1619 mindset get even their history wrong. Their guiding idea is that to closely engage all of this “white” history, and certainly to see anything in it to praise, is as if one were doing all of this while a slave was being whipped just beyond the corner of one’s eye. Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation doesn’t matter because he also for a while thought slaves, once freed, should be transported back to Africa. Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society must be remembered as the product of a man who had gleefully referred to “niggers” in private and made nice with open segregationists. Black women who love Hillary Clinton must ever recall that she once referred to certain black gang members as “superpredators.” We are to keep ever at the forefront of our minds that all of these blights and torts are the spawn of something conclusively revolting that eliminates any reason to seriously consider anything else about these people in evaluating them as human figures or, by extension, America as an accomplishment. America’s very foundation, the heart of what America has ever been, is a denial of black people’s humanity. As such, we must conceive of all of these white big names with big Rs on their foreheads — and of course, all modern whites must wear big Ps for “privilege” on theirs. A smart 10-year-old could see through the willful cluelessness on which this supposedly enlightened conception of social history is based. Who seriously condemns persons of the past for being unable to see beyond the confines of their time, when the ability to do this is precisely what we otherwise consider one of the quintessences of greatness? Or to anticipate a likely objection, who thinks the ability to see beyond the confines of one’s time is the very definition of greatness, such that we must disqualify the Founding Fathers because whatever else they did that might seem to court greatness, they could not see beyond their time enough to grasp the full humanity of black people and therefore fell conclusively short? The illogic here is plain to anyone. Only a certain etiquette today makes enough non-blacks refrain from acknowledging that the types who promulgate tropes such as the 1619 Project are able to do so with so little self-questioning and such impatience with critique. This is a way of looking at the past familiar from Marxist ideology, training adherents Zen-style to carefully stanch reasonable disbelief in favor of slogans, to tamp down a desire to explore, discover and reason with a commitment to broad-stroked evangelism. If the 1619 Project has a defensible justification, this perspective on history is not one of them. Or, suppose it is? One might understand that 1619-style history is propaganda masquerading as thought, while supposing that to wink and let it pass is worthwhile in view of a larger agenda. Take the evangelism I referred to above — is the 1619 perspective geared towards achieving a result beyond the historiographical, that will uplift black America in such a way that we might hearken to John Ford’s call to “print the legend” when it serves a worthy purpose? One purpose the 1619 idea could serve is to reanimate the idea that black Americans are owed reparations for the salary denied their slave ancestors. Nikole Hannah-Jones has stated that this is the ultimate goal of the proposal she has been central in spearheading, for example. However, we must ask why Hannah-Jones has only stated this in an almost parenthetical fashion. If the point is intended to get black people reparational payments, then we would expect that this would have been headlined front and center, rather than the idea being largely presented as a mere history lesson. America has always been an experiment, ever imperfect, always in rehearsal. That its beginnings 400 years ago were founded in casual bondage of other humans is appalling from our viewpoint, but should surprise no one given what was ordinary in all human societies worldwide at the time. A charitable explanation for why the reparations aim has been backgrounded so by 1619 proponents is a sense among them that the reparations argument is so poorly received in so many quarters — including many black ones — that it is most effectively presented in a back-door manner. After all, the initial national discussion of the idea in the 1970s went nowhere, and its revival in the late 1990s also was longer on heat than result, leaving Congressman John Conyers, Jr. quietly entering his reparations bill year after year in what became a kind of quiet gesture of protest rather than a plan of action. When Ta-Nehisi Coates’ noteworthy article reignited the idea, after all of the attention paid, it would be hard to say that the idea has gotten any further, beyond the stirring but empty symbolism of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates paying lip service to it in line with current “woke” expectations. Possibly, then, reparations is best put over via stealth, in the way that an evangelist might try to bring someone into their fold by first asking their interlocutor whether they sense a lack of direction in their lives, whether they believe in something larger, etc. Here, we learn that the American experiment actually begins with black people brought to these shores in bondage (actually, they apparently were indentured servants, not slaves). So generations of black people after this worked without pay under brutal conditions, and then after Emancipation their descendants were treated little better, in many quarters until as late as the 1960s. It might seem to naturally follow that modern black people are owed some money. Note, however, that the last sentence above feels a touch hasty to most readers beyond those already converted to the reparations idea. The entire argument always has been a fragile one in countless dimensions, with this having as much to do with the resistance to it as racism and indifference. For one, the very notion that today’s problems in black America trace to what happened in 1619 is more a Rube Goldberg-style mental stunt than actual social history, vastly oversimplifying a much more complex, and in many ways more heartening, story; Coleman Hughes has outlined this[1] [BF2] quite usefully. Then, Yale University law professor Boris Bittker’s book on reparations, now 48 years old, politely but comprehensively filetted the whole idea so conclusively that it continues to stand as the last word on the matter. Those under the impression that Coates’ article in The Atlantic has superseded it would feel otherwise if they read Bittker’s book — unless they operate under the indefensible conceit that a book on reparations is logically and morally valid only if written by someone black. Both Coates’ article and Randall Robinson’s “The Debt” of 2000, as eagerly and widely discussed just 20 years ago as Coates’ article has been, are largely eloquent cris de coeur in the place of pragmatic analysis. Coates brings in some information about redlining; Robinson was more concerned with Africa. Both, however, largely punt on specifics. In general, then, if the 1619 idea is an indirect way of calling for reparations for slavery, there are two problems. One is that this call has failed to bear real fruit for longer than most black people now have been alive. It renders the 1619 proposal old wine in what is now a battered and half-empty bottle. Second is that the proponents of the 1619 idea apparently lack the confidence in their reparational aims to even present them directly — or at best, are under an impression that hints, implications, and parentheticals can be an effective way of swaying a vast and diverse populace regarding a radical, controversial proposal. This is not only old wine in an old bottle, but to borrow another alcohol-related metaphor that Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) used in reference to something else during the Democratic debates of summer 2019, this is “all foam and no beer.” The 1619 analysis is also designed to serve as an explanation for disparities between black and white achievement. The lesson, sometimes openly stated, is that all such deficits trace to the disadvantage that black people were saddled with by being brought to America in chains. This grows from a basic tenet among perhaps most black academics in the humanities and social sciences, as well as other black people of the “woke” mindset. That tenet is that America must understand that there is “nothing wrong with” black people. These people fairly ache to see Americans master the mental trick, the moral generosity, to look upon black-white disparities and understand that the reason for these is black people’s lack of “agency,” as sociologists put it. We must understand that tomatoes are fruits, that gravity means that people in the Southern Hemisphere do not fall off the earth, that mountains wear down to create sand — and that black problems are “not our fault.” And to be sure, in terms of how these disparities began, they are not “our fault.” If black people had come to America on their own steam, and somehow not been processed by whites here as animals, we can be quite sure there would not be the disproportion of black people in urban inner-city neighborhoods, the subpar scholastic achievement (if anyone doubts that, consult studies that documented sky-high IQs among plenty of black students in Chicago in the 1930s), and so much else. The pathway from 1619 to 2020 is vastly more tortuous than we are being taught to believe — i.e., today we would not find that kind of IQ performance among those very students’ great-grandchildren, for reasons that trace to “racism” only in ways the 1619 crowd would find inconvenient; consult Stuart Buck’s “Acting White: The Ironic Legacy of Desegregation.” However, in the grand scheme of things, it is indeed not “our fault.” Too seldom asked, however, is why it is so important what white people think of us. To precisely what end must white people master a complex, nuanced social history lesson when it comes to black people? What are the chances that this ever will, or even could, happen, given that very few people are historians or professors? Of course, we must battle the kind of acrid contempt that leads to violence and murder. However, when it comes to matters of whites’ quieter dismissive attitudes and misimpressions, the black intelligentsia’s Ahab-like commitment to transforming their mentality has always perplexed me. Under what conception of human strength do we teach a group of people to obsess over how they are seen in the eyes of others? More specifically, how is this Black Power? The idea seems to be that for black people — and only us — it is a kind of human strength to obsess with Talmudic intensity over whether white people like us, value us, truly see us equals, and in just which ways. For black people, the cry of powerlessness is somehow a form of strength, and even racial authenticity. However, actual defenses of that idea seem not to exist. The detractor objects that no one has said that whites’ attitudes were so important — but the fact that the 1619 Project is founded upon exactly such a concern neatly deep-sixes this objection. And the fact remains that this obsession with white people understanding that it “isn’t our fault” goes against the basics of what we consider healthy tutelage to any human being. “Who cares what he thinks about you?” we tell our child. The psychologist treats minimization of obstacles, an almost willful denial, as a healthy kind of coping strategy for busy humans grappling with the challenges of life. But our wise ones tell us that when it comes to black people, things are different. Authentic blackness means refraining from any natural inclination to minimization. Our entire self-conception as a race is supposed to be founded on the fact that whites see us as inferior, upon a wariness of how whites feel about us, and even a sense of fellowship as people communally “oppressed” by the fact that whites don’t quite see us with the dignity and precision we would prefer. My intent here is not to encourage the reader to simply dismiss people such as the 1619 advocates as “crazy.” We must attempt to get at the heart of what these intelligent, morally concerned people suppose. Here, it is reasonable to surmise that they think this focus on whether it’s “our fault” has some kind of benefit that makes it worth it to battle minimization, that makes it somehow advanced, progressive, to obsess with obstacles, rather than seek to get around them. For example, one might suppose that if more people understood that “it isn’t our fault,” then societal changes that would elevate black America would happen faster. That vision is easy to accommodate from a distant, vague perspective. However, we must ask: What is the evidence that this is true? In what other human society did the ruling class’s understanding that “it isn’t their fault” condition a change in an oppressed group’s fortunes? Note that the only real example is this very society, where exactly this happened with black people during the civil rights revolution of the 1950s and 1960s. It seems that today’s warriors suppose that further, deeper understanding of this kind could fashion even more change. However, the simple question is: Who are the people who, if they underwent a grand realization that “It isn’t their fault” beyond the basic “root causes” wisdom, now entrenched among the educated for 50 years, would fashion impactful changes in legislation on health, drugs, education, or housing? Which officials, in which positions? What exactly are we thinking they would do? “I finally understood that the problems in black communities trace back to injustices that began in the 17th century, and that is what finally made me _______.” With what would the 1619 people fill in that blank? A common riposte here will be that what makes the “It’s not their fault” argument especially important is that the black experience is defined by experiencing racism not just as a passing attitude but in the form of violence at the hands of the police. We will leave aside that the universality of this experience among black people is vastly exaggerated — as Ellis Cose, likely in favor of the 1619 position, has stated[3] [JM4] , “Most middle-class blacks know that they are not very likely to find themselves on the wrong side of a policeman’s baton.” However, in general, after the room is done clapping and amen-ing and snapping their fingers, to bring the cops into this is more something someone would think of as a defense than an actual argument. Via what strategy are we hoping to teach the typical cop the lesson “It isn’t their fault,” and most importantly, how would that relate to whether or not they hurt or killed a black person in the heat of the moment? The 1619 advocate is caught in a bind here, dedicated to pointing out how ineradicably racism is imprinted in the white soul while also preparing to claim that some articles in the New York Times Magazine are going to transform that white soul’s psyche. If the point is intended to get black people reparational payments, then we would expect that this would have been headlined front and center, rather than the idea being largely presented as a mere history lesson. Countless human groups have succeeded amidst dismissive attitudes, and in societies in which no one cared the slightest about the intricacies of how social history held them back. The modern black intelligentsia’s claim is that for some reason, in the late 20th century in the United States there emerged a situation in which one particular oppressed class, the descendants of African slaves, could only fitfully succeed unless the ruling class underwent a profound transformation not just in how it ran things, but in how it thought, down all the way to its basal, precortical impulses. Gone are the days when a true civil rights leader such as Bayard Rustin could, in his renowned Commentary article in 1965, carefully outline just how black people could succeed despite the challenges of automation and what the ruling culture would need to provide, in the concrete rather than psychological sense, to allow this to be so. Nowhere are we taught why today’s psychological focus is a preferable approach, rather than a mere fashion. And perplexingly, nowhere in these people’s writings and talks do we see any hint of the shame that you would expect someone to feel in lustily proclaiming their own people as uniquely incapable of coping with a challenging reality. To the extent that answers to the questions raised here either dance around or dismiss them, we understand that the entire 1619 edifice is founded on something other than pragmatism. To accept the implication of the 1619 ideology that heroic figures should be dismissed for not fully understanding the horrors of slavery, and that the American story is defined by nothing except the treatment of black people, would be to disrespect them as infantile minds. As such, we must evaluate the project on what it portends for forging socio-political change. Sadly, here the project would seem to yield nothing. A revivification of the reparations argument is longer on theatre than politics. The concern with whites understanding that “It isn’t our fault” may seem a form of political engagement but in fact is quite irrelevant to change in actual lives. Rather, the 1619 message is, alone, the action in itself. To many black thinkers today, they sense that the Cassandra role is what makes black thought most interesting. It also makes a black thinker feel important, like they matter. There is an insecurity being assuaged here, an understandable product of a race subjected to such dismissal for centuries. Black America is still working that out, despite the new freedoms afforded us 50 years ago, and among the black intelligentsia, this also explains the hypersensitivity about whether whites “understand.” That kind of hypersensitivity is a product of self-doubt. A people who truly like themselves don’t give a damn whether other people like them, and take pride in the very act of succeeding regardless. But what this means is that, evaluated honestly, the 1619 Project is a kind of performance art. Facts, therefore, are less important than attitude. Hannah-Jones has predictably dismissed serious and comprehensive empirical critiques, as if for black thinkers, truth is somehow ranked second to fierceness and battle poses. For many, questioning the 1619 Project elicits irritation, of a kind that suggests personal insult rather than difference of opinion. This is because the 1619 Project is indeed all about personality, a certain persona that smart black people are encouraged to adopt as a modern version of being a civil rights warrior. For this 2.0 version of civil rights warrior, authentic blackness, significant blackness, requires eternal opposition, bitter indignation, and claims of being owed. Whether all of this is rooted in reality in a way that can create change for actual human beings is of less concern than whether all of this is expressed, on a regular basis. It keeps The Struggle going, we are told. How sad that the wandering socio-historical trajectory that got us from 1619 to here can create a caste among the oppressed who, in all sincerity, mistake performance for activism. If we really want to get anywhere, the tragedy is that today we must take a deep breath and forge a new Struggle against them and their influence. Ironically, we must understand, despite the performers’ tongue-clucking and nasty tweets and GIFs, that it will be those engaged in this new Struggle who will qualify, in a truly proactive sense, as authentically black. John H. McWhorter is an associate professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University, and a Philadelphia native. Professor McWhorter teaches courses on language change, language in society, and the history of the English language, as well as on music history. This article was originally published by 1776 Unites; read the original piece here. To continue to receive great content such as this, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! January 17, 2022 February 11, 2022 February 17, 2022 Nick Deiuliis: Understanding today’s Left through the two concepts of liberty Pingback: The Dogma Lives Loudly in Everyone, Including Democrats – Freedom's Back Will says: June 8, 2021 at 10:03 am What do you mean you “can’t allow it”? What ever happened to free speech? August 27, 2021 at 11:32 am Nowhere did Mr. McWhorter say that we can’t allow the 1619 Project to be written, read, and discussed. He said we can’t allow it to dumb down America in the name of a crusade. In other words, we musn’t allow its premise, assumptions and historical inaccuracies to be swallowed whole without challenge. Mr. McWhorter’s entire article was written for precisely that purpose; i.e., to present his opinions and ideas and to refute the 1619 Project through reasoned arguments. He encourages us to do the same. The good news is that you and I and everybody else with an opinion is free to disagree and argue back. That’s the definition of free speech, not the rejection of it.	29,678
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We were deliberately left out of Syria’s constitutional process, Kurdish official tells MEMO – Middle East Monitor / UN Nuclear Chief says Iran ties need to get back on track / Iran oil cargo previously seized by US unloads in Syria / Israel court convicts Palestinian accused of murdering Israeli man in 2015 / Finland: Artists strike against museum ties to Zionist arms dealer / Israel settlers steal bee hives, olive harvesting equipment in Palestine village / Assad regime attack in north-western Syria kills 3 civilians / Israel far-right politician gibes 'peace without concession' in meeting with UAE Ambassador / German football sinks deep in crisis after another shock World Cup exit / US 'closer than ever' to viewing situation in West Bank as apartheid / Libya to pay outstanding debts to Tunisia We were deliberately left out of Syria's constitutional process, Kurdish official tells MEMO December 2, 2019 at 9:37 am Although launched by the UN, the idea of the Syrian Constitutional Committee was originally put forward by Russia which, along with Turkey and Iran, is part of the Astana trio, an alternative peace process to that of the international organisation. Yet the second round of constitutional talks ended on Friday because delegates backed by the Syrian government couldn't reach an agreement with the opposition on the agenda. "We have been trying to reach consensus but, as I said, we are not there yet," UN Special Envoy Geir Pederson told reporters in Geneva, where the committee gathered for a week of negotiations. The 150-member committee is mandated by the UN with amending the constitution, regarded as vital for a political solution to the eight-year conflict. Within this committee there is a sub-committee of 45 members split equally between the Syrian government, opposition groups and civil society; it is tasked with preparing a draft of the new constitution. US: Assad regime delay work of constitutional committee The opposition blames the representatives of the government for the lack of progress, accusing them of stalling and not being willing to discuss issues related to the constitution by bringing up other topics such as fighting terrorism, lifting sanctions and the Turkish offensive. Sources close to the government, meanwhile, stress the importance of an agenda based on "national standards" before any discussion of constitutional reform, suggesting that the opposition is receiving foreign instruction not in the interests of the people of Syria. One notable group was not included in the committee at UN Headquarters in Geneva: the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC). "We are not participating in everything you mentioned," confirmed the President of the SDC Executive Committee, Ilham Ahmed, when asked about the Council's involvement in the Geneva talks or Astana processes. "We have been deliberately excluded," she said, apparently to appease Ankara, which lists the Kurdish PKK and its Syrian offshoot, the YPG (which forms the core of the SDC's military wing, the SDF or "Syrian Democratic Forces") as a terrorist organisation. Although no one has told the SDC explicitly that it is to be excluded — "Everybody tells us 'we want you to be at the negotiating table'," she pointed out to me through a translator —the "Turkish veto" does not allow that to happen. There is virtually no Syrian-Kurdish representation on the Constitutional Committee, despite accounting for some 20 per cent of the population. Ahmed explained that the SDC was established in 2015, following an agreement between various political parties, blocs and individuals from a plethora of ethnic backgrounds with the ultimate aim of founding a "decentralised and democratic Syria". READ: Turkey, Russia complete 12th joint patrol in North Syria Indeed, the SDC was set up not long after its armed wing, the SDF, led as it were by the Kurdish forces in north-east Syria. In fact, the US suggested that the PKK/YPG should rebrand itself as the "Syrian Democratic Forces" so as to provide a legitimate and lawful means of supplying it with arms; this was admitted in 2017 by General Raymond Thomas, commander of the US Special Operations Command. Contrary to the assumption that the SDC envisages an independent Syrian Kurdistan or semi-autonomy state like Iraqi Kurdistan, "The political system we want to achieve is neither sectarian nor ethnic," maintained Ahmed. "No single language will dominate the administration… [and] there will be no primary culture… All cultures are primary for the people of the region." The SDC, she argued, seeks a decentralisation based on geography rather than ethnicities and sects. Reports that the Council and its affiliates want to carve out a Kurdistan are not true, she insisted. "It is propaganda against our project, which is to build a democratic Syria." Nevertheless, if the Kurdish forces in Syria do not seek a separate state based on the territories where the Kurds are most concentrated, why is it that the SDF controls such large swathes of the country, almost the entire state beyond the east of the River Euphrates (at least prior to the Syrian armed forces crossing over following the US withdrawal and subsequent Turkish offensive)? "It was the areas abandoned by the regime for Daesh and other jihadist groups to occupy." The SDF was on the front line against such aggressors, and her organisation wants a comprehensive political solution for the entire country, with each area having its own administration, in relation to the centre in Damascus. EU: PKK found to be active in drug-trafficking throughout Europe What about the SDC's rekindled relationship with the Syrian government and the Russians? This is important given US President Donald Trump's decision in October to basically abandon the Kurds by withdrawing American forces from the area, providing a green light for Turkey to carry out Operation Peace Spring to push back armed Kurdish groups from a "safe zone" for refugees near the border. The SDF had to seek protection from Damascus, which in turn welcomed the opportunity to reclaim Syrian sovereign territory. Russian delegates are seen at the 10th high-level Astana-format international meeting on Syria on 31 July, 2018 in Sochi, Russia [Ekaterina Lyzlova/Anadolu Agency] "Since the beginning [of the conflict] we have been trying to resolve the Syrian crisis democratically and via dialogue with the central government in Damascus," continued Ahmed. The lack of openness from Damascus in trying to find a peaceful solution led to the difficulties being exacerbated, leading to the militarisation of the opposition and the emergence of Daesh. She maintains that the SDF was established for defensive purposes only. "In the wake of the Turkish offensive, we asked the Russians and the regime to deploy troops to the border area between us and Turkey," she said. It is doubtful that the Syrian government would risk sending its armed forces to protect the Kurds without any concessions or incentives, though. "The agreement was truly military based," Ahmed insisted. However, the next step will be more negotiations; she agreed with me that the Syrian government would naturally do what it can to reclaim its territory. READ: Kurdish YPG seeks Israel's help against Turkey When pressed on the issue of future relations with neighbours and, in particular, with Israel, Ahmed claimed that the democratic country they aim to achieve will discuss the idea of having normal, peaceful relations with neighbouring states. "We support the peaceful solution of all the outstanding issues between the Arab Palestinians and the Israelis." According to Ahmed, the SDC is committed to gender equality and equality among all ethnicities in Syria. However, it has been argued by many, including Syrian minority groups, that the Assad government is the best option for guaranteeing their security against persecution by Daesh and so-called moderate opposition groups infiltrated by jihadists. "Obviously in relation to the regime and these radical Islamist groups, people would say that the regime is the best," she conceded. Once the people understand the SDC's "democratic project", though, they will realise that it is, in fact, the best alternative for providing rights to all minorities. READ: Russia: Syria Kurds must abide by agreement with Turkey In pragmatic terms of a roadmap towards peace and stability, the SDC needs to be a part of the discussions with the government and opposition, despite its connections with the YPG, purely because, as Foreign Policy noted, the Kurds "are the only indigenous group that Assad will take seriously because their fighters still control a large swath of territory in north-eastern Syria" and that in July 2018, Ilham Ahmed travelled to Damascus for negotiations with the Syrian government. There, she met with Ali Mamlouk, one of Bashar Al-Assad's most trusted advisors and "a far more senior Syrian government representative than any of the Assad-backed delegates who have travelled to Geneva." After all, in a recent interview, President Assad stated that his government is not even directly part of the negotiations in Geneva; there are, instead, delegates "who have the support of the government." Finally, when asked about a future Syria and how the SDC intends to make progress given the participation of so many powerful regional actors in the country, Ahmed noted that, obviously, it is a very complicated situation. "However, we believe that by uniting all Syrians, we will be able to resolve this issue." She added that, "With the help of the international community we will be able to achieve democratic change in the country." In particular, Ahmed stressed, the West needs to review its policies on Syria as previous calculations were completely wrong. "They should not be in the interests of the Syrian regime nor the armed groups. We really do hope that there will be future support for the democratic changes in Syria." READ: The Kurds may well have 'no friends but the mountains', but they do have Israel Unless otherwise stated in the article above, this work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. If the image(s) bear our credit, this license also applies to them. What does that mean? For other permissions, please contact us.	11,051
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Exact photographs can now be taken which allows for the integration of a dxf file to lay on top of a stone image. Multiple slabs of the material may be used in this layout process. Then the countertop assembly is Vanity Tops installed on the job site by professionals. Commonly, initial countertop fabrication takes place at or near the quarry of origin, with blocks being sawn to the thickness of granite and then machined into standard widths (600mm and upwards), before being surface Vanity Tops polished and edged. This method removes the need to ship waste material and reduces the time needed to prepare client orders. This practice of granite fabrication is called “cut to size” A wide range of details may be pre-machined by the fabricator, allowing for installation of Vanity Tops in different sinks and cooker designs. A common drawback to natural stone is the need for sealing to prevent harboring of bacteria and/or fluids that may cause staining. In recent years oleophobic impregnators have been introduced as an alternative to surface sealers. With the advent of impregnators, the frequency of Vanity Tops sealing has been cut down to once every five to ten years on most materials. Kitchen Granite Countertops Rowlett Tx Recent Posts No comments to show. No archives to show. Copyright © 2022 Stone Age Granite Countertops EastTX & North Texas \| Powered by springlinehosting.com	6,764
The family is sitting at the dinner table. My Dad sits at the end of the table near the screened doorway, his back to it. My sister, Susan, and I sit on the sides facing each other. My Mom is at the other end of the table. It is still light outside the screen door, and it is still warm. The doorway goes out onto a landing, three cement steps up. There is a railing made of piping, probably done by my Grandfather Doucette, who had a plumbing business. Our place was a side entrance behind his glassed engraved business front. A cement walkway comes up from the gate in the chain link fence that fences off our yard from Main Street. The grass grows around the stoop and continues to the backyard, where it mostly dies, into clumps poking out of dirt. We are eating when the day turning into dusk is broken by a woman screaming. The scream becomes louder as the woman runs into our yard, over the grass on the other side of the landing. A man is chasing her, and reaches her just as she reaches this spot beyond our door. The man takes the woman down onto the ground. She is still screaming. It has only been seconds since we heard her before she became flesh and blood reality in our world. My dad, who has had his back to the door, whirls about, pushes out the screen door, vaults over the pipe railing, lands on top of the guy on top of the woman, yanks him off, and has him in a Hammerlock which the guy cannot break. He does this in less time than it takes me to write these words and for you to read them. I am five years old. My eyes are wide. It is the first time I have seen my dad in action. I realized, as I grew older, that I’d want to assess a situation, make sure what the right course of action was, make sure I should be involved, and then act. If something was going down, he took immediate action, and his philosophy was, get it done, get it done quickly, get it done without getting hurt, or with the least hurt to yourself, and let everything sort itself out afterwards. Back when I was younger I saw him in action a number of times. Some day maybe I’ll write about those times. But those are other stories. There’s always another story. Life is a series of stories, and when you put them together, and if you do it with care and insight, maybe it captures a little of that singular life. But I will write one other story about my Dad. When I got my first allowance of a dime, at five years old, I bought my first comic, a Hopalong Cassidy comic. I don’t recall a time I couldn’t read. I wanted to read the comics. My dad came home and asked me what I’d done with my dime. I excitedly showed him my treasure. His eyes did not suggest I’d found the El Dorado. The next week I got another dime. It must have been the week the next issue of Hoppy came out, and without hesitation, there went the dime, and when Dad came home, he asked me what I’d done with my dime. Dad wasn’t thrilled that I’d taken my entire allowance and spent it on another comic. He said, “No son of mine is going to read comics.” Which he never enforced, because I always had comics. And when I was older, I’d joke with Dad: “So, what are you going to do now, Dad? I’m writing comics.” But now, back to 1951, where my Mom says something to me, like, “Comics aren’t worth a dime.” This is how that statement translates in my five or six year old brain. Well, if one comic isn’t worth a dime, then certainly two comics must be a worth a dime. And so while I perused the issues behind the candy counter, I smuggled one comic inside another, paid my dime, and had two comics. Certainly no one could say that wasn’t worth ten cents. Even though my Mom is a worrier, this is a different time period. Even at 6, I get sent up to the store, to buy something for Mom and Dad. I take a lot of time, because I have to go behind the candy counter and go through the comics. And make my choice of two comics for one. I am walking back home, past the huge Mill that the town had originally been built around. There is tall, wheat colored grass to my side, Main Street on the other side of me. I am reading one of the comics as I walk. Further down, toward where I live, trees will grow thickly, and the embankment will drop steeply down to the Mill River my Mom is always afraid I will drown in or drink from and poison myself. She is right to be worried about all these things. I am engrossed in the comic, as I walk. I somehow manage to glimpse over the top of the comics. My dad is heading up the sidewalk toward me! I’m not supposed to have comics, just whatever I was sent to get, and more to the point, where did I get the money for these comics? Quickly, I side-toss the comics into the tall grass, my heart beating fast. Did Dad see? I don’t know. Dad reaches me and asks me what took me so long. I don’t know what I mumble in reply, but we start walking toward home. I got away with it! He talks amiably to me all the way home. We go through the gate in the chain link fence. We walk up the cement walkway. We climb the three steps. I open the screen door. And then Dad gently puts his hand on the screen door and pushed it closed, and looks down at me and says, with perfect timing, “Now let’s go see what you threw into the grass back there!” I can’t believe it. Dick Tracy was right. Crime does not pay! Dad had waited, baited me, let me think I gotten away with it, talking nonchalantly to me until we made it to the house, and now I had to make the long walk back, a dead kid walking, knowing I had no excuses except Mom had told me comics weren’t worth a dime. And even at six, now caught, now faced with reality, I know that however I had convinced myself in my head of that, how in thought it seemed justified, now, with Dad, this was not going to fly. I think back on how exquisitely Dad did this. God, he’s been gone too many years. For years, I couldn’t talk in depth about him without the emotion overwhelming me. I still hear his voice. I miss you, Dad. I’ll miss you until my last breath. My Dad and Mom together in the 1940's 1951 - Susie and I in yard off Main Street Dad and I with Grandma Doucette at Camp My Dad, Francis McGregor and I, on the day Marsha and I were married The family is sitting at the dinner table. My Dad sits at the end of the table near the screened doorway, his back to it. My sister, Susan, and I sit on the sides facing each other. My Mom is at the other end of the table. It is still light outside the screen door, and it is still warm. The doorway goes out onto a landing, three cement steps up. There is a railing made of piping, probably done by my Grandfather Doucette, who had a plumbing business. Our place was a side entrance behind his glassed engraved business front. A cement walkway comes up from the gate in the chain link fence that fences off our yard from Main Street. The grass grows around the stoop and continues to the backyard, where it mostly dies, into clumps poking out of dirt.	7,077
When you go to a spa you, as a client, will want to know that the person treating you is a top esthetician and professional in their field. So, what are the characteristics of an esthetician that is not only proficient, but also professional and compassionate? Here at Face Emergency Skin Care we believe that a good esthetician needs to be communicative, needs to stay up-to-date with the latest treatments and technologies, and also needs to find their niche within the esthetic community. Initiating dialogue is key to creating a relationship with you client as well as ensuring that you know exactly what your client hopes to achieve from coming to see you. Start with a consultation, and ensure that you listen to your client rather than moving on to a treatment that you think is right. Ask them what they want to get out of your session, and provide helpful answers if they are unsure. If they want to learn how to look after their skin, tailor your treatment to them by explaining the process as you work through it in a way that provides them with the information they need without having to actively respond to you. On the other hand, if your client comes to you wanting to unwind and relax, make sure to ask them about their day and focus on their emotions and responses more than the technicalities of the treatment you are providing. By listening to your client, you will be able to notice if they have had a stressful day and simply want to relax and be quiet. However, a good esthetician must remember that professionalism is integral, even in a relaxed environment. Clients rely on estheticians to create and maintain certain professional boundaries while still being friendly and communicative so that they can relax and fully enjoy their treatments. A good esthetician will not stop learning as soon as they finish college. Instead, they will work hard to stay abreast of the latest advancement in skin care treatments as well as the development of new products that may be beneficial to their clients. Staying up-to-date with the times and being open to learning new techniques is one of the qualities of an esthetician that care for their clients and is interested in their trade. Many people who graduate esthetics school do not go on to practice in the field for very long, often because they are unable to find the job that suits them best. At school, estheticians learn many different treatments and services that they can provide to a wide range of clients. However, not every esthetician enjoys every aspect of esthetics, and many are passionate about certain parts of the job. Successful estheticians find treatments and services that they are passionate about and work hard to become experts in those areas. Consequently, a good esthetician may not be able to provide a client with a wide array of services, but the services they do provide will be consistently excellent. Moreover, when an esthetician finds their niche and what they are passionate about, they will be able to care for their clients more aptly and provide specialized treatments that they are confident about. Luckily, Sharon Morejon is incredibly passionate about what she does, and enjoys creating treatments tailored to her clients in order to boost their confidence and transform their lives. Whether you are having a skin emergency or not, Sharon is here to help with all of your esthetic needs. Posted in Day Spa Email (will not be published) Δ We specialize in providing a premium spa experience at affordable prices - tailored to your specific needs.	3,653
I think it is very important in these times to share learnings, feelings, and things I have experienced – no matter how small. My admissions are that I am an Ambivert, Cancerian, and I have not watched network news for 15 years. An ambivert is someone that can be the life of the party (extrovert) and then disappear into their world (Introvert) in a matter of seconds. Born July 9 puts me squarely in the middle of being a Cancerian. Like my Cancerian Crab symbol, I have a tough shell, and I tend to go sideways more than straight ahead. News-free for all this time a friend categorizes me as “enlightened” because I have no opinion and no point of view outside of my sphere of control. And yes, I am a control freak. On top of that, I am married to an entrepreneurial quantum scientist who formulates our products, is a writer, author, and creator of a future television series. Is that weird? I also happen to care a lot about our customers and their happiness. Sounds complex? Not really, it is just who I am and a bunch more. Sometimes I stop and think that I should write down what I think, see and feel. Now is one of those times because, like everyone, my world has changed. In this case, it is for the better and makes me much happier. How I Shop Has Forever Changed knowledge of C-19 began for me quite a few months ago, but it was about seven weeks ago that I went into lockdown. We chose to ride out the storm in the high desert of New Mexico. Partially because it is where Bob and I met and partly because there are not a ton of people here. Social distancing is relatively healthy here because everything is so far apart. Funny as it may seem, the one thing about C-19 that I enjoy is not shopping. I hate to grocery shop, so Bob does it most of the time. He hates shopping as well and has been an online buyer since the first eCommerce stores began in the ’90s. He was one of the first subscribers to eBay and Amazon knows him by his first name. With the stay at home orders, it was the impetus for me to embrace online grocery shopping. InstaCart, Sprouts, and Wal-Mart have facilitated this change in a good way. Initially, I was a bit skeptical and maybe even a little frightened of the idea of letting someone pick out my groceries-especially produce. So, I let me, traditional shopper, Bob, take a stab at ordering through InstaCart from Sprouts. Bob sat down with his iPad, and we started to add things. Some things were clearly out of stock, but we expected this due to our initial order just after the national lockdown was announced. So, we put together our list, and in a moment, we were checking out, and the order was off. Literally, a few minutes later, we were picked up by an InstaCart shopper named Rose. About a half-hour later, she was in the store and texting Bob questions. “Can I replace this or that?” We received a notice that she was done and checking out. A few minutes later, we received the final bill and notice that she was driving our way. Fifteen minutes later, she was dropping off the groceries into the designated space, we upped her tip online, and we were done. I grabbed each bag and rinsed off the groceries with a soap mixture the way my mother used to do it even in regular times. Very painless, and we learned a lot that I want to share. We learned a lot and now on our sixth order from Sprouts using InstaCart. So, here are some bullet points about what we learned. Order a couple of days before you schedule delivery so you can make changes and add things you forgot Schedule your pickup and delivery for early morning mid-week because the store will have fresh stock Set your tip amount to be 15% at the start, and if you get great service, consider using it after you receive the order. We made the mistake of setting the tip at 20%, and a guy bid on the pickup and delivery. He rushed through the order process and made numerous mistakes. Luckily, InstaCart covered his mistakes. We still had soy-based whipping cream instead of the real thing-terrible for Keto people Manually set your replacement items. The way the system works is that as you check out online, things that are typically out of stock show suggestions for a replacement. If what they suggest is okay, then accept it, but replacing Mozzarella cheese with sharp cheddar does not work for me. Be prepared to say “no replacement” accepted for items you do not want replacements for. You can start working on your next order right away Realize that InstaCart keeps your things in the cart indefinitely, so you can start adding to your next order even before the current one is picked and delivered. It is vital first to understand that there is extreme competition amongst the grocery giants. Kroger, Wal-Mart, Whole Foods, Costco, Sams, are all locked in mortal combat. Therefore, the consumer is the beneficiary of this competition. We are members of the industry and subscribe to Winsight, a marketing consultancy for the grocery industry. So, we have been honestly impressed with the improvements Wal-Mart has made. Their produce, organic meats, and specialty items have stepped up in the last year. So, we gave them a try for their curbside pickup service. Just like Sprouts, we went online to our local store and shopped item by item. Their systems are slightly different from Sprouts/InstaCart but easy to follow and add items before your pickup. Like Sprouts, we gave ourselves a couple of days buffer to add items. We received an email that said our order was ready to be picked up a little early than the time window we specified. We pulled up to the loading area, called into the phone number on the sign, gave them our location number, and within 5 minutes, a masked, gloved Wal-Mart employee was there and loaded the groceries into the trunk. He then asked if it was okay for him to sign for us, and we were off. Wal-Mart does not allow tipping for the curbside team, so it was a 15%-20% savings over InstaCart because of the tip. So, Bob and I have been on the Keto Diet for over a year and a half. Bob even wrote a book about Keto titled “Keto Plus” on Amazon we liked it so much. My weight is down, body fat levels at an all-time low, and my muscle levels are exceptional. Further, our friend, Dr. Rhonda Patrick, says that the Keto diet is a help with C-19 for a ton of reason I won’t go into here. But, it is a big plus for me. When I shop online, I can analyze everything I am buying and avoid temptations that don’t fit into my diet. Keto is a diet that promotes, 70% good fats, 20% protein, and ~10% carbs. Bob’s book also encourages intermittent fasting and getting off all sugar. Walking through the grocery is tough to analyze food content and still keep your distance from others. Buying online eliminates the need to examine in real-time. It also allows you to avoid that big display of homemade pecan brownies. I wanted to share my experience of online grocery shopping and recommend it highly to everyone. It has helped me to eliminate the part of a chore that I hated from an early age of negative memories. No complaints and big Kudos to Sprouts, InstaCart, and Wal-Mart.	7,273
It is the ‘summer holiday’ season. It intrigues me how one can get so obsessed and look forward to a holiday. More so now perhaps since we have been in lockdown but maybe we should stop to wonder – where actually are we going? What are we seeking? 🤔 Is it ultimately satisfying? Or is it possible that we are been taken for a ‘ride’, another marketing gimmick of Samsara? 🤥 If that is so, then why do we keep hopping on this bus? What makes us keep taking it? Is it because we can’t see an alternative? Is there an alternative? Or are we to be just helpless victims? What if we did see this? What if we did see that a happiness dependent on the sense world is ultimately unstatisfactory? It does not last. It cannot completely satisfy us. Do we have the wisdom – and the compassion for ourselves to then move away from something so unreliable, from that which won’t completely satisfy us? Will we begin to look elsewhere? Do we have it within us to do this? What if we did do it? We did stop looking out there? What will we be left with? And if it is not out there, where else will it be? Is it then right here? Is it ultimately within me? Where I am? Is that where I will find a more reliable holiday? Is it possible for me to then experience a true holiday, wherever I happen to be – both on ‘holiday’ and in my everyday mundane existence? Structure to the day The day will start with an optional early morning sitting meditation. You can start joining us at 6am and the morning puja and meditation will be from 6.30-7.30am Then we will have a break for breakfast and restart the main programme for the day at 9.25am which will start with a short orientation talk at 9.35 am. The day finishes at 4.30pm. The day includes periods of guided and silent meditation practice with a break around midday, followed by reflections on the theme and Q & A. You can download the programme from here Those new to Buddhism or to this tradition are welcome. Booking is required for online Days of Practice during these times of social distancing. We will email you an online registration form few days before the day. Please let us know your email address if you would like to receive it, [email protected].	2,281
This July, PPIR will be the home of the Rocky Mountain Autocross Showdown. This multi-day event will award top drivers a total of $15,000 in prize money. The pro autocross […] Rocky Mountain Mustang Roundup – June 17-18, 2021 The annual Rocky Mountain Mustang Roundup comes to PPIR for the very first time. The full event schedule includes mountain tours, drag racing, track events, and a car show. The […]	418
Illuminations: The UFO Experience as a Parapsychological Event - Author Interview Written by Sue Demeter-St Clair Title: Illuminations: The UFO Experience as a Parapsychological Event Author: Eric Ouellet, Foreword by Jenny Randles Publisher: Anomalist Books What other researchers are saying: “Parapsychological approaches in this field are rare: your contribution is precious, and it is very timely.” —Jacques Vallée, author of The Invisible College “As a sociologist and a UFO witness, plus, importantly, a parapsychological researcher, Eric Ouellet ticks all the boxes to appreciate the bagatelle of curiosities that I have encountered in the field during 40 years of UFO investigation.” — Jenny Randles, author of Mind Monsters "A truly thought provocative book, that is destined to become a classic" - Sue Demeter St.Clair It was a pleasure for me to work on this book with the author, who is a dear personal friend and a longtime colleague. I am, therefore very happy to present this interview I conducted with Eric which will help readers of the book and the PSICAN website get a better idea of where Eric is coming from with his ideas. Enjoy! Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background? I am a professor with the Royal Military College of Canada, and Head of the Department of Defence Studies in Toronto. I am sociologist, and got my Ph.D. in that discipline from York University. I am also a professional member of the Parapsychological Association, and I am the liaison officer for Canada. I have in interest in the paranormal, and UFO in particular, since my childhood, but I have been researching the topic actively for over 10 years now. I am originally from Quebec City, and French is my first language. What initially sparked your interest in UFOs and the paranormal in general? My interest about UFOs and the paranormal has emerged mostly because of my personal experiences. As a kid, although I did not see a UFO, I witnessed my family members going frantic about observing one. Then, I had many experiences that people would qualify as paranormal, such as precognition, telepathy, psychokinesis with electronic equipment, remote viewing, and much later in life observing a UFO. Can you explain to us what Parasociology is about? Parasociology is term that I developed to represent the type of research I do. It is inspired from the concept of “parapsychology,” which is a particular sub-field of psychology interested in an anomalous individual experiences. I take a similar approach, focussing on anomalous experiences, but I apply the research at the level of societies, and larger collective of people, rather than at the individual level. One of my tool is to use the concept of psi from parapsychology, and integrate it into sociological research. For instance, I looked at some large scale Marian apparitions that occurred in Egypt in the late 1960s, witnessed numerous times by thousands of people, and analyzed them as some sort of large scale recurrent spontaneous psychokinesis event, using models and concepts borrowed from parapsychology. Who do you consider to be the greatest influences on your thoughts when it comes to UFOs and Parasociology? And why? When it comes to UFOs the real pioneers that I find the most inspiring are Jacques Vallée and John Keel. They were the early voices who could see that UFO events are very much of a paranormal nature and that large social issues seem to be in part at the source of such phenomena. For the larger field of Parasociology, Carl Jung who brought so many key foundational concepts to understand what we call the paranormal, and Walter von Lucadou, a German parapsychologist who developed the most advanced models and concepts to study psi phenomena to this day. What inspired you to write Illuminations? After spending several years writing on my blog Parasociology, I decided that some of my ideas were getting mature enough to be published into a book. I was also quite frustrated by the sorry state of ufology. The serious study of the UFO phenomenon reached an all-time low, where no one is really trying to push for news ideas. Many of those interested in UFO just gave it up after nearly two decades (1980s and 1990s) of hysterical writings about conspiracies, leading to nowhere. Those still interested in UFO from the point of view of the Extra-Terrestrial Hypothesis (ETH), still have nothing to show for, and they have more or less stopped doing research, waiting that “the government” will reveal anything (as if “they” know anything more than us). It was time to get a fresh look at the topic, and rescue the good work done before the conspiracy theorists took over. Which case in the book intrigues you the most, and why? The Belgian UFO wave of 1989-1991 is the one I find the most intriguing. It was well documented, probably the best documented UFO event ever in my opinion, by both UFO researchers and the authorities, and it remains a real mystery in many aspects. Yet, the wave happened at the very same time that the very powerful institutions created by the Cold War were quickly falling apart in Eastern Europe. It was quite an interesting coincidence, to say the least. What's your assessment of the current state of UFO studies and research? What is right with the study of UFO today? And what is wrong? The field of UFO research has shrunk quite a lot, and it is in some respects in a state similar to the late 1960s and early 1970s, where only a few people were doing serious research. The dust from the conspiracy theory era is settling down, but the damage is extensive in terms of general loss of interest and reduced legitimacy for the topic. There is still an “invisible college,” so to speak, but it is hiding not from the authorities. It is not visible because these people are absolutely not interested in engaging in fruitless discussions with the remnants of the conspiracy theorists and the mindless believers in the ETH. The focus of research is now broader than in the past. Although the physical aspects of UFO remain an important part of the research, the interest in the cultural and sociological dimensions is more prevalent than in the past. The field of parapsychology, however, has not budged much on its lack of interest about the UFO phenomenon. It is very unfortunate because the study of UFO events through the lenses of parapsychology would benefit both ufology and parapsychology. Our readers may be familiar with the Parapsychological Assoc. (P.A) and that you are the Canadian liaison. What is the one thing that excites you within Parapsychology today? The field of parapsychology is evolving slowly, but with the increase influx of social scientists and historians interested in studying anomalous phenomena on their own term, many new possibilities are now opening to go much beyond the strictly psychological aspects of the paranormal. It allows new and very different approaches and methodologies to be used to study the paranormal. In the book you state that UFOlogy and Parapsychology have been like "oil and water" in popular sentiment. Is this still the case in your opinion, and if so do you believe it will change? Most parapsychologists with a training in individual psychology have difficulties to see why the study of UFOs might be beneficial to the discipline. Yet, those with training in social sciences and humanities can clearly see that the social aspects are actually critical to understand anomalous phenomena, and UFOs, given their persistence, are a good object of study to address the social dimensions of the paranormal. The main problem resides in the perceived danger of being assimilated to the “wackos” of the ufology. As long as ufology is still perceived as a preserve of conspiracy theorists and “true believers” in the ETH, then the reluctance of parapsychologists to engage on UFOs will remain. As a professional academic has your work in these topics ever created any challenges? No. I never encountered any issues because of my interests and publications related to the paranormal. Do you have any advice or suggestions for young scholars who may want to study UFOs or other highly controversial subjects? The main problem of these types of research is that they do not lead to developing a strong academic profile. My advice is to become very good at some more traditional types of research, build an institutional profile, publications, and network, but continue to work on your paranormal research on the side. Once you have established yourself as an academic in a traditional topic, then you start switching emphasis and do more of what you really like to research. It is all about patience and hard work. What current author aside from yourself do you consider a must-read for information on these topics? I definitely recommend to read George Hanson’s The Trickster and the Paranormal, as well as the works of Jeffery Kripal. They both bring a lot of fresh ideas about the study of anomalous events. The parapsychologist Dean Radin has also a lot of useful books to understand the state of parapsychology. What are you working on now? I am working on developing analytical tools to understand smaller scale UFO observations, if compared to a UFO wave, by investigating the research done to this point on apparitions. I think that many UFO experiences are subjective events of an apparitional nature and hence are sorts of hallucination. Yet, some of those hallucinations’ content appear to be objective and acquired through extra-sensory perceptions. Where can we purchase your book or see your research? My book can be purchased online through Amazon and Barnes and Nobles, both in paper and electronic format. You can also connect through the publisher Anomalist Books. I continue to publish new emerging ideas and research, although at a slower pace, on my blog at parasociology.blogspot.com Tell us what you like to do when you aren't working on your research? Well, to start with, I have three kids at home who keep me quite busy. Then, there is the rest of my work that is not involving research, such as teaching and running the Department of Defence Studies. On my free time, I like to watch political thrillers and espionage movies, and play board games. I enjoy also doing bike rides. Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven't included? I would like to thank PSICAN, and especially Sue Demeter, for the support, encouragement, and exchange of views they provided over the years. Research on the paranormal is really no different than research in other fields, it is a collective effort where rubbing news ideas is a critical to progress.	11,054
Pamela Anderson dumps soccer star boyfriend Adil Rami, accuses him of cheating, abuse - Best Star News Home » Celebrities » Pamela Anderson dumps soccer star boyfriend Adil Rami, accuses him of cheating, abuse Pamela Anderson dumps soccer star boyfriend Adil Rami, accuses him of cheating, abuse Sources tell Page Six that actress Pamela Anderson has broken it off with her FIFA World Cup Champion boyfriend, Adil Rami. Pamela Anderson dumped her boyfriend of more than two years, French soccer star Adil Rami, accused him of cheating on her and alluded that he may have been abusive during their relationship. The "Baywatch" beauty posted a picture with her now-ex on Instagram Tuesday, writing, "It’s hard to accept. The last (more than) 2.years of my life have been a big lie. I was scammed, led to believe … we were in big love. I’m devastated to find out in the last few days that he was living a double life. He used to joke about other players who had girlfriends down the street in apartments close to their wives. He called those men monsters. But this is worse. He lied to all. How is it possible to control 2 women’s hearts and minds like this – I’m sure there were others. He is the monster. How could I have helped so many people @ndvhofficial and not be wise enough or able to help myself?" Anderson, 51, tagged the National Domestic Violence Hotline's official Instagram account in her post. She went on to detail more allegations against the Marseilles-based soccer player, saying she spoke to his ex-girlfriend, Sidonie Biémont, with whom he shares twins Zayn and Madi, born in 2016, and hinted that Rami and Biémont's relationship wasn't actually over when she dated him. "He lied to her about all too. She’s also in shock and is very sad," Anderson lamented. "It’s the evidence I needed to move on. He can’t hurt us more. He warned me that all the tabloids in France are his and his sisters friends? They control all — So my last note is here on Instagram." The "Barb Wire" actress claimed that Rami, 33, would never leave her side unless she went away to work and that he frequently questioned her whereabouts and who she was spending time with, saying she initially believed it was because he loved her so much, but that she now believes it's because he was insecure, controlling and distrustful. Anderson also accused Rami of alienating her from her close friends and loved ones, including photographer David LaChappelle, who she said warned her that Rami was a "liar" and "not to be trusted." She also slammed Rami's activism for domestic violence prevention and aid, accusing him of doing so only for positive publicity, accusing him of "physical and emotional torture." Pamela Anderson and Adil Rami attend Amber Lounge 2019 Fashion Show on May 24, 2019 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. The couple, who dated for two years, recently split and Anderson accused the soccer star of cheating and "physical and emotional torture" during their relationship. "He should not be the face of protecting women from domestic violence. Or protecting women at all. He did this to improve image- only," she wrote. "He has no respect for any woman but his mother. And he lies to her too – they all lie. It’s very painful. I’m so so sad. I will feel my feelings and move on." "Every time he chased me to say he’d die without me," she continued. "He’d go to therapy. He wouldn’t hurt me again. He wanted us to live in Malibu one day. I even emailed my friend who owns LA team for him for next year. Like he asked me to." Anderson, who's resided with Rami in France since their relationship began, said she is leaving the country and rebuffing his efforts to win her back. Marseille’s defender Adil Rami and actress Pamela Anderson arrive to take part in a TV show on May 19, 2019 in Paris, as part of the 28th edition of the UNFP (French National Professional Football players Union) trophy ceremony. They split a month later. "I will leave France now," she concluded. "He has tried all - He has sent flowers letters - I did not accept. He showed up to my hotel. Security took him away. I have a bodyguard because he scares me. He has hurt me and threatened me many times." A source told Fox News that none of Anderson's friends liked her with Rami and that many were rooting for her to reunite with ex-husband Rick Salomon. An insider also confirmed that Anderson had been courted by billionaire Evgeny Lebedev. Rami is not the first of Anderson's exes to be accused of domestic violence. The pinup's first husband, Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, served six months for spousal battery for a 1998 assault that reportedly left the blond bombshell bruised and with a torn fingernail. Anderson was holding their then-infant son, Dylan, at the time of the assault. Reps for Rami and Anderson did not immediately return Fox News' requests for comment. Source: Read Full Article « I toured a $16 million condo in the country's richest ZIP code, a private island off the coast of Miami. Take a look inside the luxury residence, which is only accessible by boat. Shaquille O’Neal’s mom told him to stop posting about how rich he was » Recent Posts Meghan Markle is pregnant with daughter Lili in new Netflix trailer British Independent Film Awards 2022: Florence Pugh looks glam at bash	5,687
Dear Friends and music lovers. Welcome to the musical life section. I’d like to remind you that frequently, we record a Cd or a DVD and it appears the following year on the market. Also, I am often working on several projects at different stages of completion. They don’t always move in a linear manner and do tend to overlap each other, so I hope you won’t find this new format confusing: to the contrary we hope it’s simpler and perhaps more entertaining. Thanks for visiting! John McLaughlin No Recordings were made in 2016, but we had a marvelous tour of Australasia which included the major cities in Australia, the island of Bali, Bangkok , Japan, South Corea and finally India. I also had the great pleasure to perform at the White House for the International Jazz Day on 30th of April. 2017 began with a Spring tour of Northern Europe which included Paris, Budapest, Prague, Berlin where we were part of the performances celebrating the opening of the Akademia which is directed by one of my true inspirations in music and life, Daniel Barenboim. We eventually ended the tour in London at one of the world’s greatest clubs, Ronnie Scott’s. I’d asked my agent to book us specifically in Ronnie’s, since Ronnie himself was instrumental in my obtaining a visa to come to the US in January 1969, and it was a kind of homage/thank you to his memory. During the two nights we played there we recorded the performances which were released on the last CD of the 4D, “Live at Ronnie Scott’s” which came out earlier this year. In June, to my great surprise, the Berklee College awarded me with an Honorary Doctorate in music. I went to Valencia to receive the award, and had the great pleasure of performing with some of the students at the Berklee College Europe. The level of playing was astonishing, and to my even greater surprise, I found students from all over the world including musicians from India. This musical year ended in a marvelous tour of the US with the 4D band and the band of Jimmy Herring known as the Invisible Whip. It was my personal farewell tour of the US, and to bring everything full circle, there was a third set every night during which Jimmy and his band and the 4D brought to life a program from the music of The Mahavishnu Orchestras 1 and 2. It was a thrill for me to have the musicians from both bands on stage playing this music. And as important, there was a presence of the spirit on stage which gave the music a passion and depth so necessary to bring this music to life. It was just before the beginning of the final Shakti tour which began in October-November 2013. Much has happened since that time, and not all of it pleasant. I’d spoken to Paco de Lucia in late January of 2014 about a recording we were planning, just a few days before he left for Latin America, and we lost him forever February 25th… Shortly after this I began a project with singer Shankar Mahadevan which we will eventually release as a CD. I am personally thrilled about this project which is a completely different « fusion » for want of a better word, of the magic of Shankar’s voice with orchestra and guitar. The 4th Dimension (4D) toured the East coast of the U.S. in June 2014 during which we recorded at the Berklee Performance center in Boston, and came out with « The Boston Record » a few months later. Shortly after this I had an opportunity to record with one of my most favorite musicians, Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Gonzalo has been making marvelous music for many, many years, and is a great source of inspiration. On September 19th we lost another brother musician in U. Mandolin Shrinivas, and Shakti took a terrible blow with the loss which we have still not recovered from. The 4th Dimension toured Europe in the fall of 2014, it was a marvelous experience. I had already began writing music for the album « Black Light » which is being prepared for release just now. In the meantime I was invited to record a track with drummer Cindy Blackman and my old comrade, bassist Matt Garrison. I’ve known Cindy for years, and we’ve jammed together a couple of times, but this was the first time we got to record, she’s amazing, and those two together are dynamite! 4D will begin a tour of Australia and Asia starting in October this year, so I’m busy preparing programs that include new pieces from Black Light, and I can’t wait to start playing with the gentlemen! This year’s events began with my 70th birthday which was produced and directed by one of my oldest and dearest friends, Zakir Hussain. It was held in Mumbai India on January 4th and I’ll never forget it. He put on a show to end all shows with dancers, singers, a Qawwali group that was just outstanding, and most important of all, surrounded by my family and friends from all over the world. A month later, I came back to make a tour of India by the group Shakti. Every couple of years or so, Shakti tours India and it’s always a thrill. On St. Valentine’s day February 14th we played a charity concert in Ramallah for Al-Mada who are doing music therapy with traumatized children. In June the 4th Dimension flew to Ukraine to headline a great Festival held in Lviv. A month later Shakti got back together for a short tour of Russia. We appeared in different festivals in Krasnoyarsk, one of the largest cities in Siberia, in Perm which is in the Urals, and Moscow. It was very interesting to be able to visit these places that years ago were hidden behind the ‘iron curtain’. The people of Russia are so friendly. The 4th Dimension will return to Russia this fall during its European tour which begins in France late October and finishes at the end of November. This is just in time for tabla maestro Zakir Hussain to join me for a charity performance in Prague on November 28th. The new recording by the 4th Dimension, is being released as I write, and I am very happy with this recording. The group has never sounded better no images were found In 2004 I had received an invitation from a French cultural association to play a couple of concerts in La Reunion, a tropical island off the coast of Africa near Madagascar. I’d been having thoughts about a quartet prior to this invitation, and since they gave me carte blanche, I decided to form a quartet with Gary Husband, drummer Mark Mondesir and his brother Michael on bass. The experience was exhilarating, and I knew I had to find a way to keep working in this direction. However, I had begun writing new music that was subsequently released on the album ‘Industrial Zen’ which was a multi-artist recording. Gary Husband and Mark Mondesir appeared on several pieces. It was after the release of this Cd that the group ‘The 4th Dimension’ emerged as a ‘real’ band, and started touring. Since then, we recorded ‘to the One’ and released a live DVD from a concert in Belgrade. In the autumn of 2011, we toured Europe with drummer Ranjit Barot who had replaced Mark Mondesir, and in December of 2011, the band went into the studio to record ‘Now Here This’. Ranjit is an outstanding drummer who accompanied me on the recording ‘Floating Point’ which was recorded in 2007. This was the year I spent 6 months in Chennai, India and it was a very creative time. We not only recorded Floating Point, but also filmed the entire process of making the recording. It was released later under the title, ‘Meeting of the Minds’. In addition, an educational DVD was made with percussionist and Shakti member, Selvaganesh Vinayakram. The DVD was subsequently released under the title ‘The Gateway to Rhythm’. It shows the way to mastering rhythm through the Indian system called Konokol. Now while this system was created in India, the ramifications are universal and can be applied in any form of rhythmic music. no images were found Floating Point In 2003 I began re-writing a piece for guitar and chamber orchestra that began life under the name ‘Europa’. I gave it this name primarily because the principal influences behind this piece are European in nature. However, by the third movement, the piece has crossed the Atlantic ocean and comes under the influence of the great music of the 20th century, jazz. I wanted to re-orchestrate for a full symphony, and in addition add 4 more soloists. Fortunately I had the expertise of one of my oldest students, Yan Maresz, who is now one of the leading composers in the world of contemporary music, and while I wrote the music, the orchestrations are his. The soloists are all outstanding musicians: Violinist Viktoria Mullova, clarinetist Paul Meyer, cellist Matt Heimovitz and guitarist Philippe Loli. The piece was renamed ‘Thieves & Poets’ and finally came out under that name with a great Italian orchestra, Pomeriggi Musicali di Milano under the direction of Renato Rivolta. However, the piece with the original orchestration by Yan, continues to be performed by other guitarists and orchestras. In 2004 we began work on what ended up as a major project. It came out 18 months later as an educational DVD box set called ‘This is the way I do it’. It is the most comprehensive work I’ve ever done as far as integrating into a coherent system, everything I’ve learned that has shed light upon the way music can be taught in general, and improvisation in particular. no images were found This is the Way I Do It In 1997 I was invited by Zakir Hussain to help him reform the original Shakti group, but we were unable to pull it off. What we did do was get percussionist T.H. Vinayakram and flautist Hari Prasad Chaurasia together and we toured the UK recording a live concert during the tour. By the time the tour was over Zakir and I really wanted to continue and develop Shakti music where we left off in 1978, 20 years previously! Once again we were not able to reform the original, so we decided to invite ‘Mandolin’ Shrinivas, and Vikku’s son Selvaganesh to make it a quartet again. It’s such a great band. However, in 1999 I start looking for a vocalist to join us and find singer Shankar Mahadevan. He joins Zakir and me in a festival we played in Bombay in 2000, and he’s been in the band ever since. This is some band and what a history! no images were found Even though I just toured and recorded with Paco and Al, I’m very quickly back into electric mode and form another band. ‘The Heart of Things’. Dennis Chambers is back with me with tenor man Gary Thomas, Matt Garrison on bass, Jim Beard and Otmaro Ruiz, (two different recordings). One is a studio album recorded in Milan, and the second is live in Paris released in 2000. What a band! no images were found The Promise’ is yet another multi-artist recording with once again many dear friends and musicians. I finally get to record with one of the all-time greatest players, Michael Brecker on tenor. There are many more great players on this album, the guitar trio with Paco and Al, to mention another, Dave Sanborn, Zakir, Trilok , this list is long and beautiful. no images were found The Guitar Trio By this time Trilok is moving more away from the trio, and it’s basically impossible to replace him, so by 1993-94 the trio ends. Personally, I am also moving towards the electric guitar again and with drummer Dennis Chambers and Hammond Organist Joey DeFrancesco, I form the trio ‘The Free Spirits’. This is one great band and two beautiful human beings. We tour the world once again, and during a stint at the Blue Note Tokyo, we record a live album. Around this time I’d been thinking of asking Elvin Jones to record with me and Joey DeFrancesco, which is the After the Rain recording. We also played some concerts in Europe together, but unfortunately never in the US. no images were found After playing some duo concerts with bassist Jonas Hellborg, I invite percussionist Trilok Gurtu to join us to form a trio, but by the time the trio is formed Jonas has been replaced by bassist Jeff Berlin. Oddly, Jeff stays with the trio for only 6 months and he in turn is replaced by bassist Kai Eckhardt. This is the trio that is featured on the live recording ‘Live at the Royal Festival Hall’. The brazilian and hispanic influences that were so prominent with the guitar trio and The Translators, are still here, but they are now fused with the masterly percussion of Trilok who brings in once again, the lovely Indian influence that has been so much part of my life. By this time technology has given me a guitar synth that works with the acoustic guitar, and this is a great combination. Kind of ‘antique and modern’. You can hear this on the two recordings we made ‘Royal Festival Hall’ live, and a studio recording with bassist Dominique di Piazza called ‘Que Alegria’. no images were found My leaning towards the acoustic guitar coincided with my hearing guitarist Paco de Lucia on French radio one day. I managed to find his number and called him to propose playing/working together. He was up for it so I called an old friend and great guitar player Larry Coryell, and the guitar trio was born. From the first it was an amazing success. However, by the end of 1980, Larry had left and Al di Meola came in and replaced him. The guitar trio went from success to success. Of course, this was a time when there was no Internet and no pirating, and record sales were great. Over the years we’ve recorded another album and toured the world. This is a fine recording, and satisfying musically. During this period I move towards another kind of jazz fusion with another quite short lived group known loosely as the Translators. We recorded two albums for Warner Bros: ‘Belo Horizonte’ and ‘Music spoken Here’. I was going though a musically transitional period, and the music on these recordings reflect this movement. That said, I’m still today very happy with these two recordings. no images were found My shortest lived band was the One Truth Band. It was formed in ’79 and while it was a great band which included L. Shankar, I was gravitating more and more towards the acoustic guitar. I hope that the Montreux Festival in Switzerland will release a DVD of a concert this band played there because it’s a real document. There is a Cd ‘Electric Dreams’, a recording that featured a different rhythm section, drummer Tony Smith and assist Fernando Saunders. The original was drummer Sonship, and bassist T.M. Stevens. Now while these two rhythm sections are radically different, they are both outstanding and well worth a listen. no images were found By this time is was clear to me that India and its culture, musical and philosophical, had become a part of my life, and it remains so to this day. In 1972 and primarily under the influence of the great South Indian vina player Balachander, I was studying vina under master Ramanathan at Wesleyan College Connecticut. Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain and I had become friends already in 1969, and having met violinist L. Shankar who was teaching also at Wesleyan, by 1973-4 Shakti was born. By the end of 1975 mridangam player Ramnad Raghavan had been replaced by T.H. Vikku Vinayakram whose speciality was Ghatam, but not before CBS had recorded a live concert we played at NYU in Southampton Long Island. This was the first Shakti recording. From 1976 until the end of 1978 Shakti toured the world. One of my fondest memories is the time Shakti spent playing concerts opposite Weather Report. This was a hot combination at this time. By 1978 Vikku had to return to Madras to take over the school for percussion his father had founded some years before. no images were found A Handful of Beauty After a club date in Boston in 1970 with Miles, he tells me it’s time to form my own band. By this time Miles’ recordings are definitely jazz fusion or jazz rock. His recording ‘Bitches Brew’ confirmed this in no uncertain terms. My work and writing with Tony was more and more rock, r ‘n b and funk influenced. Also I was increasingly influenced by the philosophical and musical ideas coming out of India at that time. These influences can be seen in that another name ‘Mahavishnu’ was given to me by my guru Sri Chinmoy, and the sophisticated rhythmical concepts integrated in Indian classical music, both north and south which directly influenced the compositions i was writing for The Mahavishnu Orchestra. The M.O. became really popular over a short period of time, maybe too successful since by 1973 the atmosphere in the band had become untenable for me and we ended it at the end of the year. The 2nd Mahavishnu was quite different but a wonderful band all the same, with drummer Michael Narada Walden, Jean-Luc Ponty and Ralphe Armstrong, that band was kicking! We had a great experience recording with the London Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas, and the entire production under the great George Martin. At the same time in Indian influence was having its effect and by 1973-4 Shakti was a kind of underground band that played small concerts in churches and schools, while I continued with Mahavishnu. By the end of 1975, Shakti had become increasingly important to me, and by the end of the year, it became my only band. After a jam with drummer Jack DeJohnette and bassist Dave Holland in Ronnie Scott’s club in London, Jack plays a recording of it to Tony Williams and he gets me the gig with Tony and Lifetime. Rounding off the trio is Khaled Yaseen (Larry Young) on Hammond Organ. This is a real thrill for me. I’ve been listening to Tony with Miles since 1964 and he’s the greatest. He and Elvin Jones were the two most revolutionary drummers of the 20th century. By this time I’ve had the experience of having my own band, but I’ve been mainly a sideman with a number of fine musicians in the UK, but living from playing in R ‘n B and funk bands such as Georgie Fame, Graham Bond, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker. Even though I was under the musical and spiritual influence of Miles Davis and John Coltrane, I was happy to be playing R ‘n B. by this time (mid to late 1960’s) most musicians were being influenced by the Beatles, the Motown group of musicians and Jimi Hendrix, especially guitar players. By the time I arrive in New York, I’d just passed my 27th birthday, and playing with Tony and Khalid was one of the greatest experiences of my life. The times were pretty wild at the end of the 1960’s and the music followed the times. My good luck didn’t end there as I found myself in the studio with Miles a day after my arrival in New York for the recording of ‘In a Silent Way’. Miles’ influence on me went into hyperdrive from that point, and I had the best of all possible musical worlds: playing and recording with Tony and Lifetime, and Miles Davis. I was already under the influence of Indian music and thought, which one can see reflected in the LP ‘My Goal’s Beyond’. It’s also a reflection of my affection for the acoustic guitar. no images were found ‘Love Devotion Surrender’. This recording was made in between two Mahavishnu tours, and was a great experience. I’d met Carlos Santana in 1971 and we’d become good friends. We recorded this album and went on to tour but only in the USA. It was an all-star lineup with drummer Billy Cobham, Dougie Rauch on bass, Armando Peraza percussion and the late great Larry Young (Khalid Yasin) on Hammond organ. Since then Carlos and I have played many times together, and last year we celebrated 40 years of friendship with a concert in Switzerland. Perhaps it will be released on DVD one day. ‘Electric Guitarist’. This was the first multi-artist recording that I made, and though it was a lot of work, I listen to this recording with a smile on my face. Many friends came: Tony Williams, Jack Bruce, Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Sanborn, Carlos and many more. Great experience! ‘Mahavishnu’ and ‘Adventures in Radioland’ These two albums were recorded with a band that carried the name ‘Mahavishnu’ but for the last time. It was a great band with Bill Evans on tenor, Mitch Foreman keyboards and Jonas Hellborg on bass. I had a Synclavier guitar during this period which in spite of its limitations, was a real instrument that could be played live with no glitches. We toured the US and Europe and recorded a show at the Montreux Jazz festival that came out on DVD with a video recording of the 2nd Mahavishnu a few years back. Bill played tenor and soprano with Miles when Miles made his comeback, and we had a lot of laughs with the stories we both have with him. I got a commission from the Los Angeles Symphony to write a piece for guitar and orchestra. Miles comes to the premier and I’m thrilled. Fast forward a couple of years and I’ve recorded the piece with the London Symphony directed by my old friend conductor Michael Tilson Thomas. I’m in Edinburgh and run into Miles and we hang out after the concert and I give him an audio tape of the recording. We sit in his hotel room while he listens to the whole piece. At the end he turns to me and says, » John, now you can die »… Time Remembered was first and foremost a homage to pianist Bill Evans who has been a continual inspiration throughout my life. Secondly it was a homage to the guitar. I always believed it was possible to capture Bill’s poetic melancholy with the acoustic guitar, and though this recording was a true labor of love, in the end the result is lovely. For this project I invited a quartet of guitarists known as the Aighetta Quartet, and my old friend and ex-student Yan Maresz to play acoustic bass guitar. I also mention this recording above. It was another dream come true to play and record with Elvin the album ‘After the Rain’. What a beautiful human being… With us was the amazing Joey DeFrancesco on Hammond Organ. Those two together… Chick Corea calls me up during a six month stay in India with a great idea: the project came out as 5 Peace Band, and what a band. Wonderful players, Kenny Garrett, Christian McBride and Vinnie Colaiuta, and later on the amazing Brian Blade. To play with a musician like Chick is just a marvelous experience. I just marvel when he plays… We made a live record, toured the world, and won a Grammy!. Carlos Santana and I play a ‘birthday’ concert in Switzerland to celebrate 40 years of friendship. The performance was recorded in audio and video, but has not been released yet. It’s not the end, but in ending these writings, I have to offer my deepest thanks to all the musicians I’ve mentioned in these notes. They have contributed immensely not only to my musical evolution, but my spiritual evolution also.	24,320
I am the kind of person who never looks down … at my shoes. As a result I always forget to polish them in the morning. It never really bothered me, until I realized how much it worried others in the office. One day last week a comrade from the office invited me to go for a walk with him at lunchtime. We were heading towards the big Johannesburg Sun Hotel. Aha, I thought. I am going to be treated to a great big lunch! But just opposite the entrance of this grand hotel, I was sat down in a chair — outside! The next thing I realised my feet were raised and my shoes were being inspected. “Mr Shoes is my name and shining is my game”, said the man with the sunshine smile who began to polish my shoes with lightning fast hands. I soon forgot about my hungry stomach and instead I sat and relaxed in the warm sun. Mr Shoes, whose real name is Johannes Mhlambi, began to tell us more about his work. “A lot of people have dirty shoes and many of them don’t even notice it. We always notice dirty shoes — it’s part of our work. “I’ve been shining shoes for just over two years. Before that I worked for a construction company as an assistant welder. We were retrenched because business then was not going very well. “I was unemployed for nine months and then I saw an advert in the newspaper for shoeshiners. So I phoned the Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC) and spoke to someone there. We talked about this and that. He saw I was an honest, serious and tidy kind of guy. So he gave me the tools to start off with. I set up shop here in front of the hotel, and I’ve been here ever since.” Johannes, who is 32 years old, told us he lives south of Johannesburg, in Sebokeng. “I travel by train everyday to the city centre. I am here from Mondays to Saturdays until 5.00 pm — everyday except public holidays and stayaways. “When I started, I was charging 50c per shine. Now we charge R2.50 for men and R2 for women per shine. Women’s shoes are usually much smaller than men’s—that’s why we charge them less. “My busiest days are Fridays and Saturdays because this is when most people come to town. Also business flourishes over the last week of the month. For the rest of the month things are quite slow. A busy day usually gets me R75 — R80. And a quiet day about R35 — R40.” We asked Johannes about the people who come and have their shoes shined: “Many different kinds of people come here. Because we are next to the Supreme Court we get lawyers and judges coming to have their shoes shined. “But my best customers are tourists from America. They really like this shoeshine business and I think they are used to having this service at hand. They also give good tips and they find my prices much cheaper than they pay back home. “I also get regular customers from the hotel. Many of the people that come to have their shoes shined are from all different parts of the world — Zaire, Brazil, Zambia. They always ask me what this country is like to live in.” With a big, proud smile Johannes told us about the famous people who have visited him. “We have met professional boxers like Mike Weaver, Henry Hearns, James Pritchard and James Broad, soccer supremos Jomo Sono and Kaizer Motaung and other big names like Brenda Fassie, Ray Phiri and Mara Louw. They have all had their shoes done here.” “For a long time I just used to clean shoes — but my job changed one day when an old white lady came to me and wanted her heels repaired. I told her I only shine shoes and she said: “No man, you’re losing out.” So it gave me an idea — a week later I got a hammer, heels and nails. And I started repairing women’s shoes. I taught myself bit by bit. “Some people choose to take their shoes to shoe shops for repairs. And then some of them come to us afterwards and ask us to re-do their shoes. They say that these shops are too expensive and that they were overcharged or that the job was not well done. “I usually repair women’s shoes an charge about R2.50. Ladies often like to change the colour of their shoes. They come to me and say: ‘I wanted white shoes and now I want them pink’ or ‘I am going to a wedding and I need the colour changed’.” Johannes showed us some of the shoes he had repaired. There were stacks of them and they all looked brand new — some with new heels or tips and others with new soles. He also showed us the many shoes he had dyed — there was every colour under the sun. “But a lot of people who bring their shoes for repairs don’t always come back to collect them. So I am forced to sell some. I give six weeks allowance. And if they come and report that they do not have enough money, I give them an extra three weeks’ grace.” While we were chatting a young man walked up to us. Johannes introduced him in a professional manner: “This is Mr Laces, he is my assistant”. Mr Laces’ real name is Richard Motaung. He is from Pimville in Soweto. “If I am busy dyeing shoes, Richard does the shining,” Johannes explained. “On a busy day there are always lots of people walking around and then I know I will need help. It all depends on how many people are wearing dirty shoes.” Richard explained how he started working with Mr Shoes: “We met at Orlando Stadium. Johannes was sitting next to me and we were cheering for the same team — Orlando Pirates. On the Monday when I came to town I recognised him and we chatted. Johannes said he needed help and I needed a job. This was a year and four months ago.” We asked Johannes if anyone ever harassed them and he told us:” A woman gave us hassles once — but the security guard told her that our shoeshine service was needed. We get more help than hassles. For instance, the porters from the hotel help by sending down many customers. They also let us store our things in the back of the hotel so when we come in the morning we know everything will be in order. “But there are always tsotsis to beware of. I remember early one morning three drunk tsotsis came to me. They wanted to take my brushes. They just grabbed them and instead of having a big fight I managed to sweet-talk them out of it. “Luckily, problems like these don’t happen everyday. In fact, most of the time the people are friendly… and always interesting. On the streets, we see all sorts of people. We see punks, drunks, handbag snatchers — just like the busy streets of New York. And we also see many prisoners coming to the back of the Supreme Court in police vans, singing and chanting…” Mr Shoes has a good business, but he knows there is still room for improvement. “Now I want to improve my work so I’m organising a kiosk from the African Council of Hawkers and Informal Business (ACHIB). After I get a kiosk I’ll try to get a sewing machine to stitch shoes. At the moment I don’t do any stitching because I don’t have a machine.” “This place is good to me — never mind the problems that surround us all in this country. I am happy. But I don’t want to die before I see New York. I want to go there to learn better skills in my trade.” It was long past our lunch hour so it was time to say our goodbyes. But before we left Mr Shoes and Mr Laces, they said we should visit their friends, Doctor Nugget and Mr Nugget, down the road. So off we went, in our sparkling shoes, to the Stock Exchange and there, under some colourful umbrellas, were the two experts. They were both very busy and we noticed from all the warm greetings that these men were very well known to all those who work in the area. They took one look at our shining shoes and knew we were not there for business! Mr Nugget, whose real name is Isiah Hlatshwayo, and Derrik Makhubule, otherwise known as Dr Nugget, have both been in this spot for three years. The story of how they started out is much the same as Mr Shoes’. But their problems are different. Mr Nugget explained: “When we do repairs we usually give our customers about four weeks to fetch their shoes — I can’t give them much longer because I have a big problem with storage space.” Dr Nugget explained why storage is such a problem. “I keep my stuff inside a packing room in a building nearby. I used to keep my chairs chained to a cement block right here. But the security guards cut the chains off my chairs and threw them away. These security guards are inhumane. They do not want blacks to make any money at all.” Mr Nugget has also had problems with these security guards. “Two security guards once took all my shoes and threw them away. We drew up a petition and got a lot of support from the people who work in the Stock Exchange. In the petition we complained about the security manager. In the end they were the ones who lost their jobs,” says Mr Nugget. “But afterwards I had to pay out about R600 because the shoes had been thrown away. The managing director of the building, who lives in Durban, gave me R50 to help me out,” he added. But Dr Nugget was quick to add that despite these problems they were both very happy here. “We look after ourselves and we are able to support our wives and children. We don’t have any boss — we are our own bosses.” All the shoeshiners we spoke to had the same message for our readers: “People must carry on reading Learn and Teach because there is a lot to learn from it.” And of course, they had a special message for the thousands of people with dirty shoes: “Come have your shoes shined!.” We walked back to the office smiling and to this day nobody has complained about my shoes — they are now always sparkling clean! And next week think I’ll have my old green shoes dyed bright pink! NEW WORDS business flourishes — business is doing well, booming dye — change the colour, for example of shoes, clothes or hair inhumane — without feelings for other people Interesting people Community • If you would like to print or save this article as a PDF, press ctrl + p on your keyboard (cmd + p on mac).	10,145
This morning I ran a 14-mile trail race at Little River Regional Park in Durham. Running is one of the primary ways I connect with my body and is a huge resource for me. Trail running, though, requires an entirely different set of tactics. Sure, running is the common denominator, but you use different shoes, different muscles, a different gait, and a different mindset as you’re constantly negotiating rocks and tree roots and mud. These obstacles are often cleverly hidden under a carpet of leaves and pine needles. There are switchbacks and river crossings. You might fall. You probably will fall. You will most certainly get dirty. Which brings me here. To how I’m feeling about creativity at this point in 2019. I’m on the trail. And I’m loving it. When I’m running I don’t compare. I run my own race. Simply showing up and finishing is a victory. If other people ran faster or slower, that’s irrelevant to me. I’m also not comparing present-moment me with any other version of me. Am I in better or worse shape than I was last year? Irrelevant. I’m here today and I’m doing this thing. This serves as a good reminder for my creativity when I notice other people putting their work out into the world. Art is not a competition. Other people’s success is not my failure. I can cheer them on — and I can cheer myself on — without comparison. About halfway through today’s race, the crowd had thinned so much that I couldn’t see any runners in front of me or behind me. I’m not a seasoned trail runner, and at times the path was very difficult to discern. In those moments, a voice came into my head. It said, “Slow down. Take the next obvious step.” In my creative pursuits, I often feel out of my depth with no clear path forward. Then Anxious Brain shows up and wants to skip to the inevitable embarrassing disaster at the end (not inevitable, but Anxious Brain hasn’t learned that). Today though, I was in the middle of the literal woods with absolutely no idea where I was. But I didn’t panic. I wasn’t lost. There was a path. Faint as it may have been. All it took was a moment of shifting my awareness… and I was back at it. Taking the next obvious step and the step after that and on and on until the finish line. I’ll remember that when I’m feeling overwhelmed by the task in front of me. Break it down and just focus on the next step. Those miles spent running by myself also made me think of the solitary nature of creativity. Whether it’s writing, doing research, practicing music, or learning lines, much of my creative work is done in solitude. Even though I am often by myself, I know I’m never alone. We’re fortunate to have such a supportive creative community here in the Triangle. If I need some encouragement, it’s always close at hand. Just like the person on the trail today who emanated seemingly from nowhere to play music on a plastic recorder as a way of supporting the runners. He gave me a boost when I needed one. Bonus points for being random and delightfully weird. A few months ago, I shared my latest battle with my creative frenemy, perfectionism. At that time, my approach to writing felt like using tweezers to build a sandcastle when I thought I should be slopping around buckets of sand. At that time, that’s what I was working with and my only way forward was to accept it and keep showing up anyway. Today, I drove home covered in actual mud with a smile on my face. This is the energy I want to carry into my creative pursuits this year. So many things are coming up that I look forward to sharing with you over the next few months. I can honestly say I have no idea how any of it will go, but I’m embracing that. I’m on the trail. *Mara has a website! marathomas.com Hear Mara on Bonus Episode 002, Episode 017 and Episode 001 of the Artist Soapbox podcast. Mara Thomas is a Durham-based playwright, actor, musician and teaching artist. Her original theatre piece, YES TO NOTHING, was commissioned by Little Green Pig Theatrical Concern and played to raving crowds at music venues in Raleigh, Chapel Hill and Durham in fall 2017. Mara is working on YEAR OF THE MONKEY, a new play. Blog posts and podcast episode about the Creative Accountability Group: Take your work seriously: put Creative Resistance on notice! Better together. A Creative Accountability Group debrief with Mara and Tamara Ask WHY to create opportunities for compassion Blog posts about creativity resources: Nourish your creative self: Give your creative self a lift with something beautiful The importance of physical practice: Get out of your head and into your body Blog posts about creative obstructions that present themselves when you’re on your creative path. Imposter Syndrome: Who do I think I am? Why even try? Perfectionism: I’m so afraid that my creation will not be perfect that I never actually do it. And another one about perfectionism! Comparison: I’ll never be as good as that person. I should probably quit. Distraction: I’ve convinced myself that all these other things have priority over my creativity. ← New workshop announcement! Functional Feedback for Artists! 063: “More than sheer entertainment.” Filmmaker Aby Rao aims to tell realistic stories of immigrants. → Artist Soapbox is a platform for original scripted audio fiction and an opportunity for artists to discuss their creative work in their own voices. We do this through our interview podcast, our blog, and original audio dramas. Artist Soapbox is an anti-racist organization. We believe Black Lives Matter. In addition, as a podcast production company, ASBX has signed the Equality in Audio Pact on Broccoli Content. Artist Soapbox is more than just a podcast. We lead writers groups, accountability support, workshops, and events. We produce and create audio dramas too! Listen to the Master Builder, The New Colossus Audio Drama, Jesus Pancake, Declaration of Love, and ASBX Shorts. Stay tuned to hear about more projects written by the Soapbox Audio Collective Writers’ Group. Jesus Pancake Jesus Pancake is the newest scripted audio fiction series from Artist Soapbox. Nine episodes of zany dark comedy. This audio drama was adapted from Tamara’s 2018 stage play produced by Little Green Pig Theatrical Concern and inspired by Henrick Ibsen’s classic, The Master Builder published in 1892. Co-producers Aurelia Belfield and Tamara Kissane of Artist Soapbox commissioned eleven NC playwrights to craft short audio scenes based on the prompt “Declaration of Love.” ASBX Shorts ASBX Shorts are six short audio fiction pieces created and produced by North Carolina artists. Artist Soapbox Shorts were specifically contributed by the artists to aid in fundraising and to get everyone excited about Jesus Pancake, our new audio fiction series in development.	7,086
''E. Coli'' bacteria are able to communicate together by producing molecules that can penetrate their cell membrane. These molecules are called quorum sensing molecules. In our project Mosai''coli'', every cell colony on the grid is able to sense these molecules coming from the two colonies above it, and to produce a molecule for the next colonies below it. ''E. coli'' bacteria are able to communicate by producing molecules that can cross their cell membrane by simple diffusion. These molecules are called quorum sensing molecules. In our project Mosai''coli'', every cell colony on the grid is able to sense these molecules coming from the two colonies above it, and to produce a molecule for the next colonies below it. Revision as of 02:13, 18 October 2014 E. coli bacteria are able to communicate by producing molecules that can cross their cell membrane by simple diffusion. These molecules are called quorum sensing molecules. In our project Mosaicoli, every cell colony on the grid is able to sense these molecules coming from the two colonies above it, and to produce a molecule for the next colonies below it. In order to make a pattern appear on our grid, we need to tell every cell on this grid: to sense the signals coming from the 2 cells above. if it senses only one signal, to produce a fluorescent protein and a signal towards the cells below to produce nothing if it senses both signals, or if it doesn't sense any signal. In synthetic biology, you can tell the cell to compute this algorithm by inserting genes into it. This is how we did it: For sensing the signals coming from above, we added in every cell two genes (luxR and lasR) that produce two proteins (LuxR and LasR) that will bind respectively the blue and the red quorum sensing molecules. The blue and red complexes created this way trigger the production of other proteins called integrases (Bxb1 and ΦC31). A gene sequence is placed that blocks expression of the fluorescent protein (see the large, black T in the animation above). You can see in the animation that if an integrase is present, it can remove this blocking sequence (turn the black T upside down). However if both integrases are present, this sequence is flipped twice and it blocks production of fluorescence again. When the fluorescent protein is produced, an enzyme is also produced which triggers the production of a quorum sensing molecule sent to the cells below. If you want to know more about quorum sensing and integrases, you can read the article Biological tools in our Background page.	2,589
In what started off as an exciting fight between Jermell Charlo and Brian Castano, the fight ended up in a draw. Where does Brian Castano rank now after the draw? Also, we rank the best Super Welterweights / Light Middleweights in July By Fan Rankings \| July 18, 2021 - 06:28 PM *For current and up to date rankings go to Top 10 Super Welterweight Boxers - World Rankings is an undefeated Boxer from the USA, who has a record of 17 wins and 1 draw. Though he doesn't make our list, he does deserve an honorable mention. He is also ranked as the 9th best super middleweight boxer in the world by The Ring. is a British Boxer with a record of 29 wins, 3 losses, and 1 draw. He is also the former WBO light-middleweight champion and is ranked number nine among active Super Welterweight boxers by BoxRec. Magomed Kurbanov is a professional boxer from Russia. He has an undefeated professional record of 22 wins and no losses. Though he hasn't won a world title yet, he is a two-time WBO International light middleweight champion and has also held the WBO Intercontinental light middleweight title. As an amateur, he won a gold medal at the 2008 Youth World Championships. His last fight was against Liam Smith which he won via UD, and his next fight has not been announced yet Michel Soro is a French professional boxer, with a record of 35 wins, 2 losses, and 1 draw. Over the course of his career, he has challenged for multiple world titles, but couldn't win He challenged Zaurbek Baysangurov in 2012 for the WBO and IBO titles, but lost via UD. At the regional level, he has held the WBO European junior middleweight title twice, the EBU European middleweight title, and the WBA International super welterweight title as well. He won his last fight against Cédric Vitu and his next fight has not been announced yet. The next boxer on our list is from Australia. Tim Tszyu is an undefeated professional fighter with a record of 19 wins and no losses. Most notably, he has held the Australian light-middleweight title. In his most recent fight, he defeated Steve Spark to Retain his WBO Global light-middleweight title and win the vacant Commonwealth light-middleweight title as well. His next fight has not been announced yet. Tony Harrison is an excellent fighter from the US, he has a professional record of 28 wins, 3 losses, and 1 draw. Harrison is a former WBC light middleweight champion, and he held the title from 2018 to 2019. He was also challenged for the IBF light middleweight title in 2017 but lost. In his most recent fight, he faced Bryant Perrella, the fight was ruled as a draw. His next fight has not been announced yet. Williams is an American professional boxer, with a record of 27 wins, 2 losses, 1 draw, and 1 no contest. Julian Williams is also a former Unified world champion. He defeated Jarrett Hurd in 2019 and won the WBA (Super), IBF, and IBO light middleweight titles. He held the titles since his last fight when he lost them to Jeison Rosario. His next fight has not been announced yet. The next boxer on our list is also from the US, Erickson Lubin is a boxer with a professional record of 24 wins and 1 loss. Most notably, Lubin challenged Jermell Charlo for the WBC super welterweight title in 2017 but lost the fight. Lubin is the current WBC Silver super welterweight champion, and in his most recent fight, he defended the title against Jeison Rosario Lubin's next fight has not been announced yet. A post shared by Fan Rankings (@fanrankings) Swipe for Super Welterweight Fan Rankings and follow @fanrankings to stay up to date Title(s): WBO Champion Brian Castaño is an incredible boxer from Argentina. He has an undefeated professional record with 17 wins and 2 draws. Castaño is the current WBO light middleweight and has held the title since February. Furthermore, he has also held the WBA interim light middleweight title between 2016 and 2018, and the WBA (Regular) light middleweight title between 2018 and 2019. This past weekend Castaño had a shot to unify all four major belts. His WBO title along with Jermell Charlo’s WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, and The Ring light middleweight titles. Castaño put in a lot of work and controlled many of the rounds with is pressure. He was even able to hurt Charlo with a left hook early. Unfortunately he didn’t win but he didn’t lose either. This exciting fight ended in a draw. A rematch between the two will hopefully be next to unify the titles. Title(s): WBA Regular Champion Lara is a Cuban-American boxer with a professional record of 28 wins, 3 losses, and 3 draws. Erislandy Lara is a two-weight world champion. He is the current unified, IBO, and WBA (Regular) light middleweight champion. And in his most recent fight, he also won the vacant WBA (Regular) middleweight title Lara’s next fight hasn't been announced yet. At number 2, we have Jarrett Hurd. The American Professional Boxer has a record of 24 wins and 2 losses. Hurd is a former unified super welterweight world champion. He defeated Tony Harrison in 2017 to win the vacant BF light middleweight title, after defending it one, he fought Erislandy Lara and won the WBA (Super) and IBO light middleweight titles as well. He lost his most recent fight, which was against Luis Arias, and there is no official announcement about his next fight. Title(s): WBA Super, WBC, IBF, The Ring Champion On the top of the list, we have Jermell Charlo. The American professional boxer has a record of 34 wins and one loss and he is the current unified light middleweight world champion. He currently holds the WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, and The Ring light middleweight titles and he just fought Brian Castaño for his WBO light-middleweight title to unify all the belts to become the undisputed world champion. In the fight, Charlo hurt Castano with a counter left in the 2nd round. He was also keeping him at bay with his jab and straights piercing through Castano's guard. Jermell Charlo’s most favorable rounds were late in the fight where he displayed his power hurting Castano multiple times. Unfortunately, like I said earlier he didn’t win but he didn’t lose either. The fight ended in a draw. Hopefully a rematch is next for both fighters. How would you rank these Super Welterweights / Junior Middleweights? Rank below to be added in the Power Rankings and to have a chance to win a gift card to LAZADA, Amazon, Fanatics.com, or more that is specific to you. Your Fan Rankings will be added to our Power Rankings as well. Join the contest by ranking below.	6,751
There was a time when romantic comedies were the shining crown jewel in the British film industry. Thanks to hits such as Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) and Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001), the Brits found a way of being uniquely funny – mainly by awkward conversations and embarrassing situations. But soon, gross-out humour and predictable American rom-coms like Knocked Up (2009) and Bridesmaids (2011) seemed to take over and the British romantic comedy appeared to have died. Now, the collaborative partner of Sacha Baron Cohen is attempting to revitalise the Brit rom-com…by effectively making an ‘anti-romance’ romantic comedy. I Give It A Year is the directorial debut of Dan Mazer, where the ambitious Nat (Rose Byrne) and chilled-out Josh (Rafe Spall) get married after a short time dating, convincing skeptical friends and family that they won’t last a year. In the months that follow, Josh’s ex Chloe (Anna Faris) and Guy, Nat’s dashing American client (Simon Baker), do not help with their attempts at marital bliss. This is going to get ranty so you have been warned: There is something very wrong with I Give It A Year – it is trying to be something it isn’t . Writer and director Dan Mazer may have the idea of a more modern British romantic comedy but by using several international cast members (Aussies Baker and Byrne, American Faris), it is like their characters are there to translate British sense of humour for overseas audiences. Spall and notably Stephen Merchant, who plays Josh’s tactless best man, seem to have the funniest bits on paper and essentially work their jokes to the bone. Unfortunately, I don’t want to laugh at them – as so much as punch them in the face, so either they have effectively gotten the supposed humour from their lines and that jokes considered funny ten years ago are still funny now. (Hint – when it comes to what they do in the film, it’s REALLY not funny). Mazer reportedly used real-life experiences from friends and family to influence his script and the family encounters featured are the film’s saving grace. These get-togethers, thanks to Nat’s sister and brother-in-law (Minnie Driver and Jason Flemying respectively), are giggle worthy due to their constant putdowns at each other. It is these bitchings – plus Anna Faris’ quite sweet Chloe, who comically ends up on the wrong end of a threesome – are the only small blips of colour in an otherwise land of blah and pretty people trying to be funny with occasional success. I Give It A Year essentially plays on the idiosyncrasies of long-term relationships, giving the idea that even though you’ve made a commitment to someone, it’s okay to keep looking – which, to me, says it’s cool to cheat if you like that other person. FYI, this is all ways of wrong. It may be all smiles in the end but the whole premise goes against the very idea of a traditional romantic comedy, which doesn’t give you that warm fuzzy feeling inside that you normally get by the time the credits start rolling. Only occasionally funny but mainly awkward with its boyish humour, I Give It A Year doesn’t deliver the new style of British romantic comedy that we were waiting for. I have been slightly generous with the 1.5 stars – feel free to disagree. Thanks for reading. guitargalchina February 4, 2013 February 7, 2013 ali g, anna faris, bridget jones' diary, dan mazer, four weddings and a funeral, i give it a year, jason flemyng, minnie driver, rafe spall, rom-com, romantic comedy, rose byrne, simon baker, stephen merchant, working title films 2 thoughts on “I Give It A Year – 1.5/5 stars” February 9, 2013 at 1:59 pm 1 and a half stars out of five. Phwoar. that’s a little harsh, if only for its good cast. Then again, I enjoyed it more than your good self. February 9, 2013 at 2:08 pm I am one of the very few who didn’t enjoy it and even after running it through in my head, it was hard to find anything I found enjoyable. Didn’t like the jokes, characters, how it is modelled to be a romantic-comedy even though it goes the wrong way round it and I didn’t like how simple it is to break up with someone to go with someone else.	4,239
Klamath Basin has been plagued by drought and lack of water for years. Last year the region faced one of the worst droughts on record, and this year Governor Kate Brown declared a drought emergency in Klamath County for the third year in a row. Related: Conversations of 2021: Drought in Klamath Basin The effects are far-reaching for tribes, ranchers, farmers, waterfowl defenders, and people who rely on residential wells. OPB spoke to locals to find out how they are coping as they face another dry year. Yurok tribe sees salmon population increase, but numbers remain low Barry McCovey, director of the Yurok Tribe’s fisheries department, stands at the tribe’s fishing pier where the Klamath River meets the Pacific Ocean in 2021. Last year, the Yurok Tribe in northern California faced catastrophic fish kills. The losses will affect salmon populations for years to come. But this year, the number of salmon is doing better. Barry McCovey is the Director of the Yurok Tribe Fisheries Department. Although the numbers have improved, he says it’s important to recognize that salmon populations remain low. “We are still in a very bad state,” he said. “Last year was so disastrous that it makes this year beautiful. But this year, without any stretch of the imagination, is good. This year is also terrible. McCovey said he hopes the funding can help the salmon. Habitat restoration will play a major role in improving the health of the Klamath River, but he says the region has a long way to go to recover. The tribe also remains focused on removing dams in the area. Listen to the conversation: Your browser does not support the audio element. Klamath County remains in emergency mode as wells continue to dry up Oregon Governor Kate Brown signs a 2018 drought emergency declaration in Klamath Falls. Klamath County is facing another year of drought emergency, leaving residents with wells that have dried up. The county received state assistance to truck in water. Kelley Minty Morris is Chair of the Klamath County Board of Commissioners. She says the county remains in dire straits, even with some rainfall from earlier in the year. “What’s disheartening is that we’re still not out of the emergency response,” she said. “So not only did we continue to have wells not recharging, but in 2022 we had a significant number of new complaints. So we’ve been in emergency response mode since July of last year. » State emergency relief funding will continue through the end of 2023. As residents work to deepen their wells, resources remain limited and the process has been slow. Listen to the conversation: Your browser does not support the audio element. Populations of koptu, or shortnose suckers, have declined sharply due to habitat loss. The Klamath tribes claim that federal agencies are not doing enough to protect endangered fish and have therefore sued the federal government over the C’waam and Koptu, also known as the Lost River and snout suckers short. These fish are considered important subsistence and heritage fish for the tribes. Clayton Dumont is the president of the Klamath Tribes. He says they are one disastrous event away from losing the fish. “Our people have a long memory and we think of the things our ancestors worked on and achieved all the time,” he said. “Being the board that is in place when these fish go missing would be a really, really tough thing to deal with. We are right there. The Klamath Tribes are also working on habitat restoration with willing landowners in the area. Dumont says the tribes have been in frequent contact with the Yurok tribe to discuss ways to heal the basin. Listen to the conversation: Your browser does not support the audio element. Southern Oregon ranchers are dealing with droughts and the aftermath of wildfires. Some southern Oregon farmers and ranchers are considering their future as water shortages continue to plague the region. Becky Hyde is a rancher in southern Oregon and east of Bend. She says both regions have had to deal with the prolonged impact of the drought. “I would say it’s been quite a stressful year, but not just for our family,” she said. “If you think about what’s happening on a large scale over Klamath Lake, but also in all these places of extreme drought, on the east side of Oregon, especially southeast Oregon. It’s been quite intense. Hyde says the different stakeholders in the region need to come together, learn to adapt and work on solutions. She says it’s important to remember that while some places in Oregon are flooded with water, other places remain parched. “What we are facing is exceptional drought, climate change, political problems.” Hyde says she reminds herself every day to stop whining and be a warrior: “It’s just my way of being, ‘OK, you gotta keep getting up in the morning and taking care of your communities , your family and your pets.’” Listen to the conversation: Your browser does not support the audio element. Agriculture and waterfowl groups join forces to manage water Wildlife refuges in the Klamath Basin often feature a mixture of commercial agriculture and what remains of historic wetlands. Multiple stakeholders continue to compete for limited resources. There is also a lot of disagreement across the basin over whether and how to collaborate. And some don’t see extreme and increasing droughts as the biggest problem. “There is no water shortage problem,” said Moss Driscoll, director of water policy for the Klamath Water Users Association. “There’s a deep problem with people getting along.” The Klamath Water Users Association is an organization that represents farmers and ranchers in the region. Ducks Unlimited works to conserve wetlands and focuses on beneficial habitats for waterfowl. And now the groups have teamed up on a project to recycle water. “The Klamath Basin is one of the most important areas of the Pacific Flyway for waterfowl,” said Jeff McCreary of Ducks Unlimited. “How do we achieve multi-benefit solutions and use that drop of water in a way that it has maximum benefit for fish, maximum benefit for agriculture, maximum benefit for wetlands and waterfowl? » The groups worked on a proposal to receive funding under the federal infrastructure program passed last year. The region, McCreary said, should take a holistic approach to water management. Listen to the conversation: Your browser does not support the audio element. Related posts: 32 pelicans maimed along southern California coast in past eight months – East Bay Times Parsons Recognized for Excellence in Fish Engineering No permit required in Ohio Saturday and Sunday Fisheries department stores 4 Lakh carp fish seeds in Dul Hasti reservoir – India Education \| Latest Education News \| Global education news	6,932
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Barely six months ago, as we were coming to grips with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we warned of uncertain times ahead, with risks tilted very much to the downside. Sad to say, many of those risks have materialized. Global inflation has turned out to be higher and more persistent than expected, prompting a cost-of-living squeeze for most households and a general tightening of monetary policies worldwide. In addition, global prices for key commodities are increasingly volatile, while the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to weigh on economic activity. In this context, I would like to draw on our latest assessment and take a moment to… As we mentioned in April, the region showed some welcome signs of recovery toward the end of 2021 as the worst of the pandemic eased. But that recovery has been interrupted. We expect growth to slow sharply this year from 4.7 percent in 2021 to 3.6 percent—as a worldwide slowdown, tighter global financial conditions, and volatile commodity prices spill into a region already weary from a prolonged pandemic. Looking ahead, growth is expected to remain subdued next year, averaging only 3.7 percent in 2023. Unsurprisingly, however, this outlook differs significantly across countries. Oil exporters in particular stand to gain from higher oil prices and will grow by 3.3 percent this year, up from 3.0 percent last year. Other-resource intensive economies, on the other hand, will only grow by 3.1 percent in 2022, down from 5.1 percent last year. Non-resource-intensive countries, which enjoy a more diverse economic structure, will continue to be among the region’s most dynamic economies. But in line with a worsening in their terms of trade, they will only grow by 4.6 percent in 2022, down from 6.4 percent last year. Against this backdrop, and with limited options, many countries find themselves pushed closer to the edge. The most recent turmoil is just the latest in a series of shocks over the past few years, all of which have taken a toll on the region’s policy space. Rising food and energy prices are striking at the region most vulnerable. Public debt has reached almost 60 percent of GDP, leaving the region with debt levels last seen in the early 2000s. In fact, 19 of the region’s 35 low-income countries are now in debt distress or at high risk of distress. And inflation rates are in double digits for 40 percent of the region’s economies. For authorities, this is the most challenging policy environment in years. Policymakers in sub-Saharan Africa will need to deal immediately with economic and humanitarian crises as they emerge, while also building buffers and reducing vulnerability to future shocks as best they can. In addition, the region’s prosperity will require high-quality growth, so policies must also set the stage for a sustainable recovery. With these goals in mind, the October Regional Outlook emphasizes four policy priorities: The first priority is to tackle food insecurity—protecting the most vulnerable with a focus on channeling scarce resources to those who need them most. Next, authorities will need to continue consolidating public finances amid more difficult funding conditions. This will require: continued revenue mobilization; a tighter focus on critical spending priorities; increased efficiency; and prudent debt management within credible medium-term fiscal frameworks. Also, authorities should take steps to contain inflation, by cautiously and gradually increasing interest rates, without jeopardizing the economic recovery or undermining longer-term credibility. Lastly, policymakers should continue setting the stage for high-quality growth, in a context of accelerating climate change. Investment in resilient and green infrastructure is critical, not least to take advantage of the region’s formidable endowment of renewable energy resources. As a final comment, I would like to stress the critical importance of international assistance. Budget support—including official development financing and humanitarian assistance—has been declining over the past two decades while the region’s immediate and longer-term development needs have been rising, particularly in areas such as food security and climate change. More is needed. And as we look forward to the forthcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Egypt (COP-27), it should be noted that increased support—including more concessional finance—is necessary for sub-Saharan Africa to pursue a low-carbon and climate-resilient growth path. The IMF is helping catalyze new capital inflows by boosting local capacity on climate strategy issues while flexibly expanding its lending facilities with our Resilience and Sustainability Trust to provide affordable financing to address longer-term structural challenges, including climate change—I’d note in this regard that we have recently come to a Staff Level Agreement with Rwanda on a potential arrangement under this facility. Most recently, we have launched a new food shock window under our emergency lending facilities, which will help qualifying members mitigate the impact of the current emergency. We have also provided close to $50 billion in financial support to sub-Saharan Africa since the beginning of the pandemic. With help, sub-Saharan Africa will be poised to fulfill the promise of the African century, contributing to a more prosperous, greener future for the region and the world. Director, IMF African Department. This article has been read 196 times Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. The African Executive is the market leader in opinion on Africa's socio- political and economic development.	5,816
I want to challenge each of you to join us by planting a tree for Arbor Day! Use the hashtag #WorldMissionsTreePlan and we will share the trees you plant around the world! Together we ARE making a difference! World Missions Outreach Students, Emerson, is ready to plant another Coconut Tree in your honor! Can't plant a tree? Let us do it for you! To celebrate Arbor Day you can donate to purchase a tree and World Missions Outreach Students will plant it in your honor! We will share each tree planted in your name!	516
Billboards, print advertisements, and TV commercials have certainly had their time to shine as the go-to marketing methods for law firms. In this digital day and age, though, there’s nothing like a... read more FocusWorks Founder Amanda Sexton was named a Top Enterprising Woman by Commerce & Industry by focusworks \| Aug 16, 2022 \| FocusWorks News Amanda Sexton, Founder and Principle of FocusWorks Marketing, was named a 2022 Top Enterprising Woman by the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey’s (CIANJ) COMMERCE Magazine. Sexton... read more by caroline \| Feb 22, 2022 \| FocusWorks News From inception, FocusWorks founder Amanda Sexton had a clear vision for FocusWorks even before she started her business—the name, the teal that has become our main brand color, and the mission. The... read more Paid Ads and Social for Lawyers by caroline \| Feb 17, 2022 \| Marketing How paid social can help you grow your practice In today's digital-first world, more and more of your ideal clients now find their attorneys (you guessed it) online. And while you may feel some... read more Website Copywriting for Law Firms by caroline \| Feb 7, 2022 \| Copywriting Let’s go ahead and acknowledge two of the worst-kept secrets in the industry: lawyers are busy, and filling your website with interesting, growth-driving content is hard. Maybe you want to tell your...	1,416
Doctoral Students' Study Alters the Way Those Who Take and Share Selfies are Viewed \| Texas Tech Today \| TTU Doctoral Students' Study Alters the Way Those Who Take and Share Selfies are Viewed February 10, 2017 The research reveals three categories of selfie takers and dispels the notion that they are inherently narcissistic. Don't count Harper Anderson, Steven Holiday or any of their fellow doctoral students as someone who likes to shine the spotlight on themselves. Even though their recent study into the motivations behind taking selfies has received immense media attention around the world, they didn't do the study to promote themselves. In fact, it kind of emerged as a way to fill time during the summer. "All of us in our group come from this diverse background of things we like to research," said Holiday, a doctoral student in the College of Media & Communication at Texas Tech University. "We were all reading different research and things in modern media that pointed out to us that selfies just keep coming up in everything we are doing. It was just a matter of time before we started talking about doing this research and it all just came together." Selfies have emerged as a tremendous phenomenon in the culture of people around the world, and this group of friends is constantly intrigued with researching aspects of what is not only popular but what has become ingrained into the fabric of everyday lives. What they focused on for this research was the motivation behind taking and sharing selfies, and what they found was somewhat surprising. Those in society who do not frequently take and share selfies are thought to look at those who do as having a strong narcissistic personality. But Anderson, Holiday and the other three researchers, Matthew J. Lewis, Rachel Nielsen and Maureen Elinzano, all of whom earned their master's degrees from Brigham Young University, found otherwise. While they found narcissistic qualities in pretty much all those who take and share selfies, they discovered that narcissism really doesn't play as big a role for people taking selfies as one might think. "We never said they are narcissists and would never say that," Anderson said. "People may see a correlation there but that is not the causation. A lot of what we are finding is just the beginning of new research." What they also found is there are three distinct categories of those who take and share selfies, each one with characteristics that might overlap the others but that also give a clear picture into the motivation behind the selfie-taker. Finding and defining According to Holiday and Anderson, in the research they found, the first self-photograph was taken in 1839 by photographer Robert Cornelius. But it has been only since the advent of both digital photography and social media that the selfie has gained popularity. Technological advances like smartphones with front-facing cameras paired with social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have led to a generation that frequently posts its life online, whether it's showing themselves in front of a beautiful sunset, at a ball game or concert, or just hanging out with friends. Documenting one's life and where it's lived has become the new norm of society. But, as the researchers discovered, there are different motivations for doing so. Those motivations place selfie-takers in one of three categories. Communicators take and share selfies for the purpose of conversation with others, to start a back-and-forth dialogue in order to communicate and memorialize the events happening in their lives. Self-publicists have the same basic goal as communicators, but with the desire to have the focus of the picture on themselves to where it controls their public image. The images they share on social media are meant for one-way communication only. Lastly, autobiographers take and share selfies to chronicle their life and everything in it, regardless of who sees it or reacts to it. Their motivation is not in focusing on themselves but on ensuring history is recorded for posterity. Those who have read the research and posted comments to various media articles have been able to identify themselves and their motivations into one of the three categories that emerged, researchers said. "Now, within those three categories, certainly there are common characteristics in each personality," Anderson said. And that is where the researchers had to make sure they were not only asking the right questions but asking enough questions. To ensure both a quantitative and qualitative approach to the research, the team employed a Q-sort method. That is where researchers choose an exhaustive list of statements on a topic that participants will rank in order according to their personal views. Researchers for this project developed a list of 48 statements that answered the question behind the motivation for taking and sharing selfies. They culled the statements from anything they could find on social media, applicable threads on Reddit and from general interest articles on the subject. They meticulously refined all of the statements they found by removing any repetitive statements to arrive at the final list. The way a Q-sort works is after they develop the statements, the researchers gather on participant fewer than the number of statements. The 47 participants in this particular study then took a stack of cards with one of the 48 statements on each card and were told to rank all the cards from "most like I believe" to "least like I believe," continually negotiating the order with themselves and ending up with a unique sorting combination that represented their motivations for taking and sharing selfies. Afterward, the participants were interviewed by the researchers regarding why they organized the cards the way they did. All this is placed into statistical analysis software to identify what characteristics participants shared and group them together into like categories. Anderson and Holiday said they had no preconceived notions of how many groups they wanted to come out of the research, whether it was five or three or whatever. The statistical analysis just produced the number of groups that fit the data best, and the researchers qualitatively reviewed the groups to identify their unique characteristics, producing the names of the three groups – communicators, self-publicists and autobiographers. "There were participants who came back to us after the study, some of them who had read through the research," Holiday said. "They were able to identify which group they had been classified into from the description of the findings and agreed with the results. Yes, self-publicist does sound a lot like someone who would be narcissistic, and there are some qualities of narcissism in a self-publicist. But both Holiday and Anderson said it's important to note the distinction, and Anderson used his sister as an example. Asked by his family if anyone in the family is a self-publicist, he was quick to point out one of his sisters, who likes to post pictures of her and her dog when they go on hikes. "That's her self-publicist motivation wanting to say, " This is why I am this person, I love being outside and hiking and being with my dogs and I want everyone to see,'" Anderson said. That does not, however, make her narcissistic. She just likes showing everyone what she enjoys doing and is branding herself in a particular way. The issue comes, the researchers said, when a selfie shared on social media can be taken two different ways because there is no context to give that picture meaning. "A couple of reporters and people we talked to have asked us to give them some pictures or examples of someone who is a self-publicist or an example of some celebrity who is a communicator," Holiday said. "You can't. It all comes from their internal motivation." Anderson added that is where the sharing aspect comes into play and what a person is trying to communicate when sharing a selfie. That motivation is key because many of the statements participants were asked to rank can be found in all three categories, and quite a few of them between the communicator and the self-publicist, which Anderson and Holiday are closest in similarity between the three groups. Autobiographers, meanwhile, hold on to the memorialization function of selfies stronger than the other two categories, and their desire to record history is their driving motivation more than publicizing what's going on or communicating it to others. Holiday said he was surprised to find the desire for preservation of history or moments was still as strong as it is considering the art of taking a photo, printing it and putting it in a shoebox or photo album for posterity is all but gone from today's society. Why bother? They're all right there on your phone or in the cloud. "We still have this need to preserve something," Holiday said. "And the autobiographers were definitely the ones who held onto that the strongest. It was also cool to see there are people like autobiographers who really don't care about the feedback. They want other people to see their selfies but they don't necessarily want any feedback from it. They just want you to see what the world looks like so that it can inspire you and be remembered." For Anderson, his biggest surprise was how some re-evaluated themselves after being somewhat shocked as to what category they fall into. "That's why people got caught up with thinking it was bad to be a self-publicist, and it certainly is not," Anderson said. "But for whatever reason, our research made people feel like they were being implicated in something terrible. You can be a self-publicist without feeling like you're just looking for attention." Just like there are varying degrees to how much of a communicator, self-publicist or autobiographer a person who takes and shares selfies can be, Anderson and Holiday tend to disagree as to just how the future of selfies is going to shape up and possibly how much it will affect each of the three categories of selfie-takers. Anderson feels selfies as we know them are still just a fad and will eventually be replaced by the next technological advancement. Things like Facebook Live, where people can now share live video on their smartphones, could lead to the next breakthrough. "Selfies will still exist, but I don't think they'll be as big," Anderson said. "Maybe we will think of a way to develop the selfie stick to where it is more prominent in our culture and society and becomes a lot more normal." Holiday, though, disagrees, saying the selfie is so ingrained into society today that it has become as much of a permanent resident as the smartphone itself. "For the moment, Facebook Live is returning us to some new kind of traditional photography where I have to show the world what is going on and I'm not in that picture," Holiday said. "Personally, I think it's just because we haven't thought long and hard enough about how to put ourselves into the picture. I think people are going to start turning the camera around just like they would if they were at a parade, or the inauguration. People have this certain type of need to have themselves in that picture to show they were there." Both agreed, however, this should serve as just the exploratory research for others going forward, and there are so many other avenues to explore. For example, this research covered just those who take and share selfies, while ignoring those who don't feel the need to turn the camera on themselves. Why are those people motivated to stay out of the picture when they take and share photos? Other aspects to investigate could include how the platforms themselves contributed to the rise of selfies and the profiles of the people who use them, and how motivations change between platforms. Holiday feels the autobiographer category may eventually disappear and that the communication function will become more and more prevalent as different social media platforms like Snapchat, which focus on the communication purposes of selfies, continue to become more popular. One thing is for certain. Two Texas Tech doctoral students and their friends from BYU have given the academic and pop culture communities something to think about when it comes to the motivations behind taking and sharing selfies. Holiday said part of the reason he chose Texas Tech to pursue his doctorate was the College of Media & Communication's reputation of research productivity and energy that fosters and encourages its students and faculty to seek out fascinating research such as this that advances theory and the understanding of the world around us. "We are so much more complex than just being narcissists," Holiday said. "And research like this helps give dimension to who we all are." The fact that their research caught a moment of the world's attention is fine by them. "The only reason we researched this is because we were excited in the first place and wanted to study it and find out about it," Anderson said. "So when people say you did something that really strikes me as interesting, I think it's great, fantastic. To be able to contribute to society in that regard is a really good feeling." tags: Academics, College of Media and Communication, Feature Stories, Provost, Stories, Students College of Media & Communication at Texas Tech offers undergraduate degrees in various communications-related disciplines including: Advertising The College also offers graduate degrees in communications to prepare students for careers in the communications industry, communications research and academia. Linked In Office of Research and Innovation The Office of Research and Innovation is tasked with facilitating excellence in research, scholarship and creative activity for Texas Tech students, faculty and staff. The office promotes an academic environment embracing creativity, curiosity, innovation, diversity, ethics and integrity. Among other programs, the OR&I supports responsible and safe conduct of research, faculty development and recognition, interdisciplinary collaborations, externally sponsored research, partnerships with industry and community stakeholders, international research collaboration and the application of research for the benefit of society. The OR&I promotes a culture of creative expression, discovery, innovation and collaboration with the goal of advancing Texas Tech's status as an elite national research university.	15,017
Companion care is primarily emotional support and companionship for seniors who are generally healthy and who want to remain independent at home. However, it can also include a range of non-medical services that help make a senior's life more manageable. These services can include light housekeeping, assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), medication reminders and more.The role of a senior companion is to maintain the link between the senior and the rest of society. They work in such as way as to provide emotional companionship and in some cases, they provide physical care while lifting the burdens that come with getting older, loss of mobility and mental decline. Get in Touch Professional. Reliable. Qualified Nurses By definition, a skilled nursing facility is a healthcare institution that has at least one full-time registered nurse (many facilities have much more than this on staff at any given time) as well as a doctor, provides nursing care 24 hours a day, and has a place to store and dispense medication. These services can be necessary over the short term for rehabilitation from an illness or injury, or they may be required over the long term for patients who need care on a frequent or around-the-clock basis due to a chronic medical condition. Utilizing a home health care provider enables an individual to receive highly effective medical treatment, while remaining as independent as possible in the comfort of their own home. Get in Touch An area of expertise for our caregivers. These disorders are life-changing for the one suffering, as well as loved ones. Let us help navigate the ever-changing needs of those you love with a personalized approach to their care. Our extensive knowledge of national and community resources fosters long-term, supportive connections for your loved one as well as the entire family. Using advanced techniques, our coordinated nursing and caregivers help your loved one and you navigate everyday challenges like medication management, proper diet and safety with functional mobility.	2,123
Building a successful business and minimizing risk may seem like opposite strategies, but typically, they go hand in hand. Once a business matures past the early, sometimes chaotic stages of development, business owners often turn toward actions that can protect them from the unexpected. Common examples of risk mitigation include purchasing life insurance on owners’ lives and insuring any assets crucial to business success. These are valid ways to minimize risk, but rarely are they enough to protect owners and their businesses as they approach their business exits. As you consider how to best protect yourself and your business from risks to your business exit, consider three often overloo... Read More Monday, December 03, 2018 Many business owners believe that they want to sell their businesses to a third party when they first start considering their business exits. Owners who want to start planning for a third-party sale sometimes fear that tight-fisted buyers will be the primary enemy in the way of a successful business exit. However, experience shows that it is business owners who are their own worst enemy when pursuing third-party sales, because they succumb to two common Deal Killers. Briefly, a Deal Killer is a negative aspect of the business or its owner that can kill a deal with a third party if it isn’t resolved before the buyer learns about it. There are several Deal Killers, but two common ones are:... Read More Pass the Turkey Monday, November 19, 2018 By Jayne Kielman As you gather around the table this Thanksgiving, consider the idea that for some families this can be a very positive holiday experience and for others it is laced with stressors that may be close to the boiling point. Cue an episode of “Jerry Springer” or Dr. Phil’s voice asking, “how is that working for you?”. Family businesses are different. Most owners and employees get to go home and remove themselves from the stress of the day. Family businesses are often intertwined and the lines blur between work and home. The positives of putting family together and running a business can result in dedication and focus to the business that is unmatched by any other... Read More Tuesday, November 13, 2018 First things first, I know what ESOP stands for, but don’t ask me about Chapter 8 or 409 (h) details. The point of my message here is to simply put some myths to bed surrounding ESOPS. At the same time, I’d like to shamelessly plug the free webinar we are doing this Wednesday with Kreg Tool (an Iowa ESOP company) and BCC Advisers (and Iowa ESOP consulting firm) We’ll be discussing Kreg’s journey through succession planning and how an ESOP became the right fit for them. Greg Weber of BCC Advisors will also be on hand to talk through the process and benefits of how an ESOP might work for your firm. You can register here Myth #1 //ESOPs are expensive Yes, they are. They do c... Read More Monday, October 29, 2018 Many business owners believe that they want to sell their businesses to a third party when they first start considering their business exits. Owners who want to start planning for a third-party sale sometimes fear that tight-fisted buyers will be the primary enemy in the way of a successful business exit. However, experience shows that it is business owners who are their own worst enemy when pursuing third-party sales, because they succumb to two common Deal Killers. Briefly, a Deal Killer is a negative aspect of the business or its owner that can kill a deal with a third party if it isn’t resolved before the buyer learns about it. There are several Deal Killers, but two common ones are:... Read More Monday, October 29, 2018 Building a successful business and minimizing risk may seem like opposite strategies, but typically, they go hand in hand. Once a business matures past the early, sometimes chaotic stages of development, business owners often turn toward actions that can protect them from the unexpected. Common examples of risk mitigation include purchasing life insurance on owners’ lives and insuring any assets crucial to business success. These are valid ways to minimize risk, but rarely are they enough to protect owners and their businesses as they approach their business exits. As you consider how to best protect yourself and your business from risks to your business exit, consider three often overloo... Read More Tuesday, October 23, 2018 “ Vernon is one of less than 30 firms in the United States that is over 100 years old, has been continuously owned/managed by the same family without interruption and is in the same line of business as during its founding in 1902. Less than 3% of family businesses survive past the third generation and under 1% survive past 4 generations.” – Norman Cohn, Chairman, ASI Publications Founded in 1902, The Vernon Company markets promotional advertising based solutions for corporate identity needs, including promoting new products or services, improving market share, increasing sales, building customer loyalty, improving safety and morale, thanking customers and employees. According to... Read More Wednesday, October 03, 2018 Imagine building your business over several decades, beginning to plan your business exit, then dying unexpectedly before you can implement your plans. Business owners rarely think about how an unexpected death or permanent incapacitation can derail even the most carefully created plans. And it makes sense: If you were always worried about what could go wrong, chances are you’d have never started your business in the first place. But as you approach your business exit, you’ll likely want to take steps that minimize the kinds of outside effects that can cause your planning to fail. One way to do that is to install Business Continuity Instructions. Business Continuity Instructions are a for... Read More Friday, September 21, 2018 Many business owners take pride in the businesses they’ve built. Some of those owners are so proud and dedicated to their businesses that they’d be happy dying at their desks, doing what they love. They believe that they can wait until they’re ready to begin thinking about what happens when they exit the business, either by choice or otherwise. A few believe that they don’t have to plan for their exits at all. They figure that since they are willing to die in the business, there’s no point in planning for their exits. This might be a flawed mind-set. You may be asking yourself, “If I don’t plan on leaving my business, why would I need Exit Planning?” Many business owners ask us that very... Read More Thursday, September 20, 2018 Across Iowa, we are experiencing a ‘silver tsunami’ of aging baby boomers. One area of our economy we know this will affect is the changing of ownership in family-owned companies. It is well documented that only about 30 percent of family firms make it to Generation 2 (G2) and a tiny 12 percent make it to Generation 3 (G3). These transitions must be planned carefully and proactively to ensure the firm survives. So how do we do that? Let’s consider a simplified five-step approach to help organize what can be a very challenging process: 1 Communicate Objectives/Goals/Timelines The focus here is on “Communicate”. Existing ownership and the next generation must take the time... Read More	7,669
FILE – Kenyan athletes train together just after dawn on a dusty track in Kaptagat Forest in western Kenya, on Jan. 30, 2016. The threat of an imminent… FILE – Kenyan athletes train together just after dawn on a dusty track in Kaptagat Forest in western Kenya, on Jan. 30, 2016. The threat of an imminent ban by track and field governing body World Athletics, which would likely have repercussions for a number of medal contenders at next year’s world championships and the 2024 Paris Olympics was conceded by the Kenyan sports ministry in a statement issued on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File) Kenya faces threat of athletics ban for doping ‘crisis’ by: GERALD IMRAY, Associated Press Posted: Nov 25, 2022 / 04:13 AM CST Updated: Nov 25, 2022 / 09:16 AM CST FILE – Kenyan athletes train together just after dawn on a dusty track in Kaptagat Forest in western Kenya, on Jan. 30, 2016. The threat of an imminent… FILE – Kenyan athletes train together just after dawn on a dusty track in Kaptagat Forest in western Kenya, on Jan. 30, 2016. The threat of an imminent ban by track and field governing body World Athletics, which would likely have repercussions for a number of medal contenders at next year’s world championships and the 2024 Paris Olympics was conceded by the Kenyan sports ministry in a statement issued on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File) by: GERALD IMRAY, Associated Press Posted: Nov 25, 2022 / 04:13 AM CST Updated: Nov 25, 2022 / 09:16 AM CST DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Kenya faces the prospect of being banned from international athletics because of doping problems that have now reached “crisis” levels, according to authorities in the country. The threat of an imminent ban by track and field governing body World Athletics, which would have repercussions for a number of medal contenders at next year’s world championships and the 2024 Paris Olympics, was conceded by the country’s sports ministry in a statement issued on Thursday. In it, the ministry said there was a “doping crisis” in the East African nation and said that sports minister Ababu Namwamba, who was in Qatar for the soccer World Cup, had written to World Athletics president Sebastian Coe and “urged” the governing body “not to ban Kenya.” Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. “Government is taking firm measures to protect and uphold the integrity of athletics,” the Kenyan sports ministry said. The Kenyan government was “treating it as a matter of top strategic national interest,” the ministry said. The ministry gave assurances that it was working to solve the doping problems in an apparent effort to stave off a ban. World Athletics is due to hold a meeting of its decision-making Council in Rome next week, when the issue of Kenya is reportedly due to be discussed. A ban might force Kenya into a Russia-type situation, where the sanction is applied to the national track federation and athletes are forced to apply to compete as neutrals and not under their nation’s flag at major championships. Russia’s track federation has been suspended since 2015 because of a massive, state-sponsored doping scandal. Previous action against Kenya has focused on problems at the national anti-doping agency and hasn’t affected athletes competing. Kenya won 10 medals in athletics at the Tokyo Olympics last year; four golds, four silvers and two bronzes. Only the United States won more medals in athletics. Kenya collected another 10 medals at this year’s world championships in Eugene, Oregon. Again, only the U.S. won more. A sanction on the Kenyan federation would affect the likes of marathon world-record holder and two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge, who is among the greatest long distance runners ever. Kipchoge has indicated that he will go for a third straight marathon gold at the Paris Games. Numerous other star runners would be impacted, like current Olympic and world 800-meter champion Emmanuel Korir, former 1,500 world champion Timothy Cheruiyot, two-time Olympic 1,500 champion Faith Kipyegon and two-time 5,000 world champion Hellen Obiri. There are also many Kenyans who regularly win races on the Diamond League track circuit and the major marathon series. Kenya’s doping problems have been documented for at least a decade and its national anti-doping program, which was shown to be ineffective and was accused of being corrupt, was given a major overhaul in 2016 when the new Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) was established. The national track federation has also been implicated in doping-related corruption. Authorities have largely blamed the issues on small groups of what they refer to as “criminal elements” making money off selling banned performance-enhancing substances to Kenyan runners. Kenya has moved to make doping a criminal offense. But the reality is that the Kenyan anti-doping and athletics bodies have failed after years of warnings to rein in doping, which is often centered in the country’s remote high-altitude running towns far away from authorities, and where controls are poor. At least 45 Kenyan athletes have been sanctioned for doping this year, either by the Athletics Integrity Unit or Kenya’s ADAK. It’s the highest number in Kenya for years. Another 20 doping cases involving Kenyans are currently being investigated. “Cases have increased and, of course, no one is happy with what is happening in the country at the moment,” Julius Yego, the former javelin world champion, said in an interview for Kenya’s Star newspaper last month. “We have serious issues with many Kenyan athletes being linked to doping scandals that continue day by day.” Cases have mainly involved lesser-known runners but some big names have been banned. They include former Olympic and three-time world champion Asbel Kiprop and Rita Jeptoo, who was the leading female marathon runner in the world. Associated Press writer Mutwiri Mutuota in Nairobi, Kenya, contributed to this report. More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.	6,275
Nestled within Tomorrowland, inside Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, lies a true piece of American history fused with all the care and attention that only Walt Disney himself could have dreamed of. The Carousel of Progress marries the two loves of Walt Disney's vision, family and progress; then turns them into an experience that has weathered the years. The classic ride first made its appearance during the New York World's Fair in 1964, where it began telling it's story of . Disney wanted to give the Nuclear family a glimpse of how the American family had changed over the years and how progress helped to create those changes. The Carousel of Progress eventually found it's home at Disneyland on July 2, 1967 but would move once more to its current and more permanent residence at Walt Disney World in 1975. Even beyond Walt Disney's vision, the Carousel of Progress holds the singular distinction of holding the record for the longest running stage show in the history of American theater. This is no small feat in and of itself, but when you pair it with the fact that there isn't a single human actor (being all audio-animatronic) it takes on a whole new dimension of visionary progress. Another important fact is that the Carousel of Progress can boast to being one of the oldest attractions still in use at WDW with no plans to see it stop anytime soon. The theater is unique in that stage stays in place and the audience, seated in 240 seat sections, revolve around six sets on the stage. Two of the stages offer loading and unloading, with four sets each depicting and American using the major technological advances of the 20th century in 1904, 1920, 1940, and (presumably) the modern age. Beyond the historical significance and the overall enjoyment of this attraction, there is a smaller more subtle reason why any visitor should take the time to visit the Carousel of Progress; relaxation. It is no surprise that during the summer, in the heat of the hot Florida sun, a nice day at the park can turn into overheating of both the body, the mind, and sometimes emotions. So for all those folks who need a few minutes to relax, gather their strength, and cool off, the Carousel of Progress is the perfect attraction to relax on. The attraction itself is completely enclosed within its own, temperature controlled building with comfy seating and a soothing 20 minute ride time. This gives the park goer the perfect opportunity to not only get out of the blazing sun and crowds but also lets them see a slice of true Americana that they may not have chosen over Space Mountain or Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. Thanks so much to Erik H. for this fantastic guest post, as well as Dave & Margie Hill / Kleerup for their images through Creative Commons. Are you a fan of Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress? Leave a Comment and let us know what your favorite part is! In: Stage Linda F wrote on Wed, 07/10/2013 - 15:17: Thank you for this post on my all-time favorite WDW attraction! I first saw it in 1976, and have seen it countless times since then (it's not unheard of for me to see it five times in a row. Don't judge me, LOL). My biggest fear is that they'll get rid of it one day, since there are never long lines at this attraction, and it's not "sexy" enough for many younger park visitors. But I do my part to keep it going, every time we visit WDW! KarenTaz wrote on Wed, 07/10/2013 - 16:36: Absolutely! I loved that ride even when I was a kid! I had a gap in time where I hadn't been to Disney between 2000 and 2011, I knew a lot of changes had been done, but I was so happy to see that Carousel of Progress was still there! M wrote on Sat, 07/13/2013 - 05:07: The COP is excellent for the precise purpose the article mentions--relief in the sunny afternoon. It doesn't crack my top ten for the park, but there is something special about it (again, everything the article mentioned). Between this golden oldie and the Tiki Birds, this one wins in a landslide. Do they still only have this operational during the busy seasons, though? The future of the Carousel? My guess is it will quietly celebrate its 50th birthday next year with zero fanfare. And I'll say there's only a 50/50 chance it will make it to its 50th anniversary in WDW (2025). I hope it makes it, but all shows eventually have to close their curtain permanently; I'm afraid its time is drawing near. Here's another question...what time frame is the next-to-last stage? I can't seem to remember, nor can anyone in my family. If it's not something like the 80s, I hope they change it to that to help bridge the time gap. I think the young crowd might appreciate things like incredibly deep rear-projection bad tvs, vcrs, cassette boom boxes, huge movie cameras and the like. Kristen K. wrote on Sat, 07/13/2013 - 12:37: Hi M! The next to last stage has gone through several updates over the years to try and keep the scene relevant. The official year (from the WDW Website) simply says "Act 4: Winter, The Present" M wrote on Sun, 07/14/2013 - 06:45: Oops. I saw the 6 stages statement and thought it was saying there were 6 time periods, which I didn't think was the case. It isn't! I bounced right over the sentence that indicated the four eras. From the 1940s to the 2000s is a huge jump! Too bad there can't be anything in between. The first three stages are all great, so I can't imagine messing with those. Hmm. I think it actually might be more interesting to make the winter "present" something like the 80s. After all, we all know what we have right now. Besides, I think the current one is easily the worst of the group. Just a thought. JoAnn C wrote on Sun, 07/14/2013 - 11:55: I do like CoP. I've seen it 3 out of my 5 visits to the World. My mom will be with me this year, so it is on the list so she can see how it's changed from her last visit over 30 years ago. pregom wrote on Sun, 07/14/2013 - 13:35: I first rode the Carousel at the 1964-65 nyWorldsFair… I was 4 yrs old… 2010 was my first time to WDW… I just had to see it… I was bummed that A small world was closed, even though it is not the original, I have memories of that too, along with the Magic Skyway built for Ford by Walt… I am a big NYWF buff… when I rode the CoP in Disney, it stalled on us a couple of times… i do hope this remains a permanent fixture.. History is so hard to replace.. Planning a solo trip in May of 2014, can't wait!! Kristen K. wrote on Sun, 07/14/2013 - 13:46: M - I totally agree that is would be nice to have a midpoint era added to help close the gap between 1940 and the present day. Perhaps the dawn of the internet, or wireless technology could be the focal point, 1980/90? I wonder if there is room on the stages to convert of of the loading stages to a scene, or if the stages that have actual sets take up too much space behind the curtain. Chad P. wrote on Fri, 03/27/2015 - 02:03: My family absolutely loves Carousel of Progress. We've visited Disney World five times over the past six years. My wife and I both visited as kids ourselves and I remember CoP and the other song they used to sing. I have three kids aged nine to thirteen and they always ask to ride CoP and then ask to ride again! They love it just as much as I do, if not more so. My oldest son knew "It's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" before I did! Carousel of Progress is a fitting tribute to Walt Disney and his vision of always advancing, never staying stagnant. That said, it could use some updating and cleaning. New carpet and new seating would be a nice update. They also need to fix the hand pump in the first scene. You can hear the air cylinder pumping air but nothing happens. No pump movement and no water. The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly. If you have a Gravatar account associated with the e-mail address you provide, it will be used to display your avatar. Comment: * We're a website dedicated to adults who visit Disney World because they love it, not just because their kids love it. Join in the discussion on our forums or find us here: Has this site been abandoned? more ‘Star Wars’ News Round-up: New Teaser Trailer for ‘The Last Jedi,’ More Details about ‘Star Wars’ Land, and More	8,771
Raipur, March 24, 2011: President of India Pratibha Devisingh Patil today conferred Padma Shree to Dr Pukhraj Bafna of Chhattisgarh. Bafna is an eminent physician of Rajnandgaon district in Chhattisgarh. The Padma Shree award was not only a great achievement to Rajnandgaon but also to that of entire Chhattisgarh, in a statement Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh said. All Related News \| Mail \| Print \| Write to Editor Chhattisgarh 4th state to get National Quality Standard for its Sub Health Centres Raipur, November 27, 2022: Chhattisgarh has becomes fourth state in the country to get National Quality Assurance Standard (NQAS) for its sub health Centre, official sources s read more Fearing defeat Congress levelling serious allegation: BJP Raipur, November 26, 2022: Sensing defeat leaders from the ruling Congress have been levelling all kind of allegations against the BJP and its Bhanupratappur assembly by-elect	918
It’s 2020 and Cuebey has officially lauched! In reflecting on how far we’ve come, it dawned on me that the origin story of this enterprise is important and needs to be shared. So here we go. The year was 2017, and I was sitting at my desk in my office, having transitioned back to working full time after having my first child. I was pregnant with my second child, planning an under-the-sea themed birthday party on lunch breaks and between meetings and phone calls, and, frankly, I was exhausted. As my due date approached, I was doubly stressed because my job offered no, (you read that right, ZERO) paid maternity leave. Having used all of my vacation time on cross-country trips to visit family (my father was recovering from a massive stroke), trips to the pediatrician, and prenatal doctors’ appointments, I was faced with the imminent reality that I would soon be taking several months of unpaid leave to nurture my newborn. Like so many women before me, I was stretched in too many directions, and I simply wasn’t feeling that often discussed but ever-elusive work-life balance. It seemed that everywhere I looked the work that women do was grossly undervalued, and throughly under-compensated. So there I was, in my ‘30s, an engineer, and an attorney, and somehow that all seemed to be pushed aside to accommodate my new roles as a mother and caretaker. At the same time, I watched as my mother, across the country, was thrust back into a care taking role to manage my father’s recovery along with the health and well-being of her aging parents while also working as a full-time professional. It seemed that everywhere I looked the work that women do was grossly undervalued, and throughly under-compensated. Then it dawned on me. I know a few things about the value of work, and ideas. I’m not just an engineer and an attorney. I am a patent attorney. My entire educational and professional background is built upon the value of ideas. What are they worth? What kinds of ideas hold value? How do you secure that value? How do you exploit it? Thoughts. Experiments. Inventions. Discoveries. Disclosures (a legal term that essentially means sharing your knowledge). These are my areas of expertise. And everywhere I looked, I saw women creating them. I saw women sharing them. What I did not see was women profiting from them. What do I mean by that? Here’s an example. As I planned the under-the sea birthday party, I decided to make balloon sea animals to swim in the giant ball pit in my living room. Now, where could I go for a tutorial on how to make ballon octopi, lobsters and fishies? Obviously, I went directly to YouTube. And at no cost to me, I watched a few useful tutorials for sea animals that I could emulate. The final results were a huge hit with the kids. I also needed beautiful and cost-effective place cards. Having no calligraphy skills, I simply copied the handiwork of a hand-lettering expert YouTuber, and voilá! This quick, inexpensive party was looking pretty professional. And for those disclosures (see what I did there?) I paid exactly nothing. The ladies who invested in producing, filming, editing and uploading those videos received exactly nothing. But that year, YouTube, as an aggregator of all of these free disclosures, somehow made billions of dollars out of all this nothing. That’s a pretty nice sleight-of-hand trick. And therein, I saw opportunity. I would have happily paid for access to those video tutorials. But YouTube does not facilitate that kind of transaction. It also doesn’t provide for any follow ups or extra tips and tricks specific to me as a would-be purchaser of those tutorials. It’s simply not designed for content creators to do much more than share free videos. Clearly, there was a need for something new, not just for me, but for the internet economy. And thus, Cuebey was born. Put simply, Cuebey shifts the balance and puts the value of knowledge and information back in the hands of creators and individuals. And whether you’re a content creator seeking to earn fair compensation for the skills you’ve invested in both learning and sharing, a podcaster who wants to genuinely engage with and learn from your listeners, or an individual who just wants to convene a small group of your closest friends for an online book club, internet wisdom consistently reminds all of us that: “If you’re not the customer, you’re the product.” The most popular tools and social networks tell us that they’re free to use, and yet we’re inundated with ads on every square inch of our devices and tracked by third parties seeking to exploit every click, spying on us in an effort to sell any and every thing. And don’t get me started on those opaque algorithms that use every bit of information about us to funnel us in predestined directions. By allowing the user to become the customer instead of the product, Cuebey puts the control back into our hands. And that is a very valuable thing. Welcome to Cuebey So, here we are, freshly launched and open for business. For some, Cuebey will be just a simple place to hang out, learn new things and meet awesome people ad-free and without concern about who we’ll sell your data to (spoiler alert: we don’t sell data. Period). For others, it will be a platform to launch a digital products, classes and more. But for all of us, I hope it represents an evolution in what we can expect from online service providers. Today, women wear so many hats. We’re spouses, parents, children, loved-ones, friends, care-takers, professionals of all stripes and so many other things. Our versatility is a strength. But we must never forget to assert our worth. I started Cuebey for one reason – to create space. I wanted to create space for people to share knowledge, information, skills and communities in a way that honors what we are worth and allows us to demand it. I hope you all enjoy it. There is much more work to do, but this is our start. Welcome. Open your digital content shop on Cuebey and turn your content into commerce now! Like what you see? Great! Share it and follow us. Cuebey Published on Jan 20, 2020 © 2020 Cuebey, LLC Cuebey Affiliate Program Employment opportunities Terms of service Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.	6,610
A hire purchase (HP),[1] also known as an installment plan, is an arrangement whereby a customer agrees to a contract to acquire an asset by paying an initial installment (e.g., 40% of the total) and repaying the balance of the price of the asset plus interest over a period of time. Other analogous practices are described as closed-end leasing or rent to own. The hire purchase agreement was developed in the United Kingdom in the 19th century to allow customers with a cash shortage to make an expensive purchase they otherwise would have to delay or forgo. For example, in cases where a buyer cannot afford to pay the asked price for an item of property as a lump sum but can afford to pay a percentage as a deposit, a hire-purchase contract allows the buyer to hire the goods for a monthly rent. When a sum equal to the original full price plus interest has been paid in equal installments, the buyer may then exercise an option to buy the goods at a predetermined price (usually a nominal sum) or return the goods to the owner. If the buyer defaults in paying the installments, the owner may repossess the goods, a vendor protection not available with unsecured-consumer-credit systems. HP is frequently advantageous to consumers because it spreads the cost of expensive items over an extended time period. Business consumers may find the different balance sheet and taxation treatment of hire-purchased goods beneficial to their taxable income. The need for HP is reduced when consumers have collateral or other forms of credit readily available, such as credit cards. These contracts are most commonly used for items such as automobiles and high-value electrical goods where the purchasers are unable to pay for the goods directly. To be valid, HP agreements must be in writing and signed by both parties. They must clearly lay out the following information in a print that all can read without effort: the cash price for the goods the HP price (i.e., the total sum that must be paid to hire and then purchase the goods) the monthly installments (most states require that the applicable interest rate is disclosed and regulate the rates and charges that can be applied in HP transactions) a reasonably comprehensive statement of the parties' rights (sometimes including the right to cancel the agreement during a "cooling-off" period) The right of the hirer to terminate the contract when he feels like doing so with a valid reason The seller and the owner If the seller has the resources and the legal right to sell the goods on credit (which usually depends on a licensing system in most countries), the seller and the owner will be the same person. But most sellers prefer to receive a cash payment immediately. To achieve this, the seller transfers ownership of the goods to a Finance Company, usually at a discounted price, and it is this company that hires and sells the goods to the buyer. This introduction of a third party complicates the transaction. Suppose that the seller makes false claims as to the quality and reliability of the goods that induce the buyer to "buy". In a conventional contract of sale, the seller will be liable to the buyer if these representations prove false. But in this instance, the seller who makes the representation is not the owner who sells the goods to the buyer only after all the installments have been paid. To combat this, some jurisdictions, including Ireland, make the seller and the finance house jointly and severally liable to answer for breaches of the purchase contract. Implied warranties and conditions to protect the hirer The extent to which buyers are protected varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but the following are usually present: the hirer will be allowed to enjoy quiet possession of the goods, i.e. no-one will interfere with the hirer's possession during the term of this contract the owner will be able to pass title to, or ownership of, the goods when the contract requires it that the goods are of merchantable quality and fit for their purpose, save that exclusion clauses may, to a greater or lesser extent, limit the Finance Company's liability where the goods are let by reference to a description or to a sample, what is actually supplied must correspond with the description and the sample. The hirer's rights The hirer usually has the following rights: To buy the goods at any time by giving notice to the owner and paying the balance of the HP price less a rebate To return the goods to the owner With the consent of the owner, to assign both the benefit and the burden of the contract to a third person. The owner cannot unreasonably refuse consent where the nominated third party has good credit rating. Where the owner wrongfully repossesses the goods, either to recover the goods plus damages for loss of quiet possession or to damages representing the value of the goods lost. Each jurisdiction has a different formula for calculating the amount of the rebate. Generally, returning the goods is subject to the payment of a penalty to reflect the owner's loss of profit but subject to a maximum specified in each jurisdiction's law to strike a balance between the need for the buyer to minimize liability and the fact that the owner now has possession of an obsolescent asset of reduced value. The hirer usually has the following obligations: to pay the hire installment to take reasonable care of the goods (if the hirer damages the goods by using them in a non-standard way, he or she must continue to pay the installments and if appropriate, recompense the owner for any loss in asset value) to inform the owner where the goods will be kept. A hirer can sell the products if, and only if, he/she has purchased the goods finally or else not to any other third party. The owner's rights The owner usually has the right to terminate the agreement where the hirer defaults in paying the installments or breaches any of the other terms in the agreement. This entitles the owner: to retain the installments already paid and recover the balance due to repossess the goods (which may have to be by application to a Court depending on the nature of the goods and the percentage of the total price paid) to claim damages for any loss suffered In Australia Hire purchases are commonly used by businesses (including companies, partnerships and sole traders) in Australia to fund the purchase of cars, commercial vehicles and other business equipment. Under Australian Taxation Office rules, businesses who account for GST on an accruals basis are entitled to claim an Input Tax Credit for all of the GST contained in the purchase price of the goods on their next Business Activity Statement. Hire purchase is also commonly known as commercial hire purchase and corporate hire purchase (both abbreviated to CHP) in Australia.Hire Purchase was brought to Australia in the early 1960s by Les Meteyard and his business partner (currently unknown). Hire purchases agreement are commonly known as H.P agreement in Malaysia and it is used by financial institutions in Malaysia to fund the purchase of consumer goods, vehicles and other business equipment and industrial machinery. In Malaysia, the legislation governing hire purchase transactions is the Hire Purchase Act 1967, which came into force on 11 April 1968 after hire purchase became popular in the acquisition of expensive consumer goods such as cars, business equipment and industrial machinery. Purchasing cars is the most common type of hire purchase agreement in Malaysia and the repayment could take up to 9 years from the date of agreement been executed. See also Buy now, pay later Closed-end leasing Personal contract purchase Rent-to-own Vehicle leasing External links This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Hire purchase".	8,279
Home drug test kits have become widely available from both online stores and in-person stores alike. Their rise in popularity is due to many different factors, one of which is the ability of businesses to quickly drug test their employees. The convenience and price are something that everyone can get behind and use. These home drug test kits can have some questions attached to them and Preferred Med Supply wants to clear some of the confusion. One of the biggest questions that often comes up is “how accurate are these home drug test kits?”. With these tests being done at home versus in a laboratory, people will think that the results aren’t correct or at least misleading. Home drug test kits all claim to be extremely accurate with up to 99.9% accuracy, but just how true is it? How Accuracy Can Vary? Almost every home drug test kit will claim to be almost perfectly accurate, and this is accurate. Home testing kits mostly share the same kind of drug detection technology and have been proven to work. What many people don’t realize is the different number of factors that play into the drug kit’s results. Depending on the type of drug and the amount of time you wait before testing, the results can vary. A few of the common factors to look out for include: Was the test performed correctly What did the person eat or drink prior to the test Since these factors exist, it is why no home drug test kit can ever claim 100% accuracy. One way you can always ensure if a test is correct is to have a lab re-test the sample. Labs are able to 100% accurately give results since they can see everything that has entered the body’s system. A false positive can occur for multiple reasons. If you’ve taken a prescribed drub it can often interfere with the results of the drug test. They can also occur from a test being expired, improperly stored, or conducting the test either too late or too early. How Accurate Are Lab Tests Versus Home Test Kits No matter which home test kit it is, if they claim that it is “as accurate as a lab test”, they’re wrong. A lab test requires the usage of multiple different tools and measurements. They produce far fewer false positives and provide an exact breakdown of what is in the body’s system. It will even display exactly which substances are in someone. The lone advantage the home test kit has over the lab test is the price and convenience. No waiting 1-2 days for results and no waiting at a doctor’s office to get seen. Home test kits can be a great way to test someone or yourself for a certain substance. While they will never be 100% accurate, they are still extremely accurate. Make sure to follow the steps that came with your home test kit to ensure the best results. If you’re looking for affordable and accurate home test kits, visit our online store to find exactly what you’re looking for.	3,010
Products available shall generally be dispatched as quickly as possible. Indicatively delivery terms are as follows: in Italy, within 3 working days of receipt by FFW S.r.l.. of full payment; in EU countries other than Italy and in other countries, within 5 working days of receipt by FFW S.r.l. of full payment. Delivery shall be made from Monday to Friday during working hours, by specialized courier in specific packaging/packing prepared by FFW S.r.l.. Delivery is made to the addressee specified by the Customer. The above delivery terms refer to Products present in the warehouses and must be intended as non-binding for FFW S.r.l.. FFW S.r.l. may therefore subsequently confirm or alter said terms, according to their requirements. Products are delivered suitably packaged and/or packed by courier chosen by FFW S.r.l.. Products are delivered to the addressee address specified by the Customer upon submission of the purchase order. Upon receipt of the Products, the addressee must ensure that the Products comply in quantity and description to those ordered. This is without prejudice to the fact that should the Products delivered differ from those ordered, the Customer may exercise his right to withdraw. Transport costs will be calculated according to the weight of the goods, or according to the weight/volume ratio and on the basis of the place of Product delivery. This shall be according to the agreements drawn up with the courier in charge of delivery and as clearly stated to the Customer both at the time of Product purchase and in subsequent confirmation messages. Clients are asked to inspect the package carefully before signing for the delivery. If for any reason, the package looks tampered with, either sign for the package with reservations or refuse the package. In the event, that the package has been signed for with an unauthorized signature or there is evidence that the package has been tampered, contact the courier. If the package is not successfully delivered to the Client's address due to a lack of cooperation from the client (wrong telephone number, wrong address, absent at address, non-compliance with import regulations) as per the FFW S.r.l. commercial agreement, the package may risk being sent back to Italy at the Client's expense including any import fees that may be assessed upon re-entry to Italy. These fees will be deducted from any eventual reimbursement. FFW S.r.l. shipments are insured against theft and accidental damage at no additional cost to the Client. Once the shipment reaches the destination, the goods are no longer insured. my account Reserved area may we help you? facebook * By submitting this form I declare that I have read the privacy policy and I agree the processing of my personal data.	2,966
Modern slot machines come in a wide variety thanks to technological advancements. It’s because software developers get looking for novel methods to amuse users. It indicates that the selection of online slots has significantly grown in recent years. The สล็อตแตกง่าย website has all kinds of slot machines to try. Here are some examples of the various slot games kinds you might play: The original fruit machine games played in arcades around the globe are the inspiration for this kind of slot game. These online slot machines are the most basic type. They are simple to grasp on สล็อตแตกง่าย. A window has three rows of symbols in three columns. The machine can contain up to nine pay lines, with the central line acting as the primary pay line. The player will wager before the reels get spun. The player will be awarded the corresponding sum of money for that combination if the symbols on the pay line match one of the winning combinations in the pay table. Video slots and five-reel slots both have five reels. This kind of position is more complicated. It can feature up to 100 pay lines instead of just one, which increases the likelihood that players will win on each spin. This slot game offers a more paytable because it contains several reels and pays lines – a player’s chances of winning increase by unique features like wilds and scatter symbols. In 3D slots, the same rules, gameplay, and paylines apply as they do in 5-reel slots. The sole distinction is the inclusion of various 3D animated characters interacting with players to activate bonuses and other game mechanics. The sole difference is that it includes a variety of 3D animated characters who interact with the players to earn bonuses and other rewards. Each 3D slot offers a different scene and plot, which gives the game a narrative-driven vibe. Players get a distinctive experience thanks to its visual and auditory effects and various themes. The physical version of these slots allowed players to contribute to a bigger pot until one player was fortunate enough to win the jackpot. These are now also available on mobile devices users on a site can contribute to a shared for one type of game until the winner hits the jackpot and wins big. A different experience from the physical machine is undoubtedly just as fun for many. While not strictly speaking a type of slot machine on its own, these slots can be any of the above or not mentioned by introducing a theme. For instance, all sorts of slot machines might use Christmas slots to get people in the holiday spirit, slots featuring illustrious persons from the past or present, or any other themes. by The online casino bonus is a chance to get money and other benefits. However, it can be quite a challenge to make the right choice of which online casino bonus players should get. To help you out, below are some helpful tips on the different bonuses you can find at an online casino. Double or triple your bet; this means that your winnings are doubled or tripled and that you can win even more than your original deposit. Match bonus this bonus is based on your first deposit. Some of the top bonuses you will find at the casino for playing the games. Bonus attracts the most players towards the casino for playing the games. When you refer a friend they makes their first deposit, you make money from that friend, but the extra bonuses are also yours. It’s not automatic, though. Instead, you should get the bonus in writing. This bonus is considered one of the best bonuses, and it will also help you to have more money from the casino as a reward for adding members to the online casino. Players can get a welcome bonus. This is a great way to start an account with an online casino. The welcome bonus is available at all the casinos, and you can also have the benefit of playing the games. You can use the bonus amount without any restriction for placing a bet on the game. Players also have the liberty to withdraw the bonus amount at any time. This is a great bonus to take advantage of because it lets you try out new games with ฝากถอนไม่มีขั้นต่ำ amount, and this will also help you to place a bet on the games. With free spins, players can win and have fun at the same time. This bonus applies to the first deposits and can be a bit higher than the others; it is not fixed. This is another bonus that can be pretty lucrative. A game that is not available to the general public will have many benefits. Whether it is a signup bonus, a no deposit bonus, or an online casino bonus, these extras mean big wins to players. No deposit bonus, this bonus work predominantly the same but is not available in every online casino. Players can play with this type of bonus without having to make a deposit without a deposit. This is a great way to get cash or other bonuses. This special offer works as an exchange between you and the casino. You may win part of your original deposit in return for giving the casino part of your deposit. This deposit bonus is given to the first person who signs up at the online casino. This deposit bonus works just like the deposit match, but it doubles the number of winnings you get. With increasing the amount the bets at the online casino, there are many different promotions available, and they can include additional bonuses that different games can win. How Can You Become Rich From Online Sports Betting? by When the players start placing a bet on sports, their main goal is to get at least some profits. However, in the long term, earning money with sports betting is not an easy way. The way of becoming rich from sports betting is by spending more time on site and learning new strategies and betting tips, which helps you to gain more experience regarding the sports you are betting on. Therefore, betting on sports and becoming rich from it has a long journey with a lot of time and money. If you are a new player on the viva88 site, then the essential thing is to learn more about the strategies and tips that work in the long term. Also, understand how the dealers generate the odds, the basic rules of sports, and the real probability of an outcome. Never rush to understand these; it always takes more time. It is normal that you make mistakes in betting costs at the beginning. But learning the rules costs from your mistakes is the best method for you. Arbitrage betting is one of the basic strategies to get experience in online sports betting while making decent profits. If the players feel more comfortable placing arbitrage bets with a less number of mistakes, then you can start match betting. Moreover, sometimes many dealers make a mistake and offer you overpriced odds. Therefore, this strategy makes an excellent or risk-free opportunity to take the next step to bet, so you get more profits. Make more money by matched betting Matched betting is also known as bonus hunting which is the best way to boost your profits while arbitrage betting. Also, grow your bank which helps you to get faster betting goals. This is the best strategy to cover every market outcome using multiple sites. Moreover, the players also complete the bonus rollover without any risk of losing money. Value betting is the next step for the players to become rich. This type of betting needs more experience and has a bigger risk than placing arbitrage bets. But the big risk comes with the higher rewards. This is mainly for professional players to move forward at value betting. Also, value betting is the most popular strategy which can make you a billionaire. It needs smaller betting stakes, which helps you to increase your chance of winning. This means you are placing a bet on odds higher than the possibility of winnings. It also offers you a decent amount of income every month. Using many betting accounts The players need to create an account on a different betting site that provides you winning a lot of money. Making new accounts is important for being rich and earning good money from online sports betting. It also helps you to compare your odds at a different betting sites, so you can increase the chance of winning. by The internet has created a whole new universe of options when it comes to casino games. You don’t need to get dressed up or leave your house to enjoy your favourite casino games because you can now relax with a drink of your choice and play without being distracted by the crowds, noisy slot machines, or long lines for the tables. However, this does not preclude you from taking in the excitement and ambience of a hokiwin live game simply because you are not at a conventional casino. You can participate in a live casino game or play a traditional casino game by using the information in this guide to help you comprehend the differences. Online and live casinos have different features. The table games typically find at brick-and-mortar casinos online versions games. Additionally, we’ve discovered majority game designers strive to create realistic visuals and graphics in their creations in hokiwin. Some have even gone so far as to release First Person variations to give the illusion that you’re playing the game in real life, albeit from the security and comfort of your home. Live casino games are a little different since they together the fun of playing at an online casino with the thrill of playing at a physical casino. In essence, live casino games use actual dealers who transmit to you from cutting-edge facilities all around the world. You place your wagers online and through your casino while the dealers continue to play the game as usual. There many games available on both types of websites, but they each provide a different gaming experience. In other words, online casinos provide players with games that allow for solitary play. It indicates that each participant will be the main focus of the games. On the other hand, there live casino games allow for multiplayer gaming. That’s because a single can accommodate numerous players at once. Additionally, human dealers are present in live casino games. RNGs are a feature of online casino games. Due to the live broadcasts that make this possible, you will watch the dealer in the first case. As each session is history, computers can examine the game’s history well. Additionally, with live casino games, players have more betting options and, if they like, direct communication with the dealer. Minimum stakes One of their drawbacks is that the best live casinos consistently demand higher bets. The technology required for a steady flow of online casino releases is expensive to purchase and maintain. As a result, minimum wagers for games in live casinos are typically higher. Online casino’s RNG software the best if you have never played table games. The lower bets and ability play one’s own pace beneficial new players. by The number of online gambling sites has increased significantly over the past few years. Although there are many gambling venues that can be found on land, there is no doubt that the popularity of online casinos will not be affected. Online casinos are becoming more popular every day. Online gambling is also available to many beginners. Online casino has many perks that are unique to it. There are many online casinos that offer welcome bonuses and promotions that are available to all new players. All reliable and trustworthy casinos offer different types of welcome bonuses to make new players feel safe and comfortable in their online casino. The following paragraphs will explain why online casinos are becoming increasingly popular. You will have access to many benefits if you choose the right online casino. These include no deposit bonuses, free play, bonus spins, bonus minimums and matching bonuses. surfsidepolzeath.com is one of the most popular online casinos. Here you can play your favorite casino games according to your preferences. In the past, you had to travel to any physical casino if you wanted to gamble. Online casino is now a popular choice for many people. They don’t need to spend money on travel, food, or drinks. Online gambling is now more accessible and affordable than ever. You must ensure that you choose the right operator and register your gambling account. Once you have registered your account, you will be able play any type of gambling game from anywhere and at any time. You will need to adhere to the various laws if you play an online casino game. The best section in the games Online casinos offer a wide range of games. Many reputable sites also offer games by licensed gambling developers. Many people avoid visiting offline casinos as they have limited access to certain games. For a few games, such as blackjack or craps, you had to wait in line. Online gambling platforms have many advantages. You need to ensure that you choose the right platform for gambling. It will provide the best gaming experience, safety, convenience, and many other perks. by It is market that CBD products are natural, inexpensive, and safe. They promoted treatments sleep disorders, stress, mental problems, and physical condition. CBD has used … What can online casinos do to help gamblers become more financially secure? by The internet has opened up many new avenues for making money. The best and easiest way to make money online is through the online casino. Online casinos not only let you make money, but they also offer entertainment. Some players don’t have enough knowledge to guide you correctly. You need to be aware of the winning percentage of your wagers on online casinos. Win a Jackpot You can make a lot of money on the gambling platform by checking out progressive jackpots. If you don’t know anything about progressive jackpots, it is played primarily on the slot machines by players. The jackpot amount increases with each increase in stake. It is difficult to win this type of game because it requires a lot of knowledge. However, once you are familiar with the game it will be easy for players to win large amounts of money. This makes the situation more stable. You can try your luck at the lottery If you are looking to make a quick buck, then you can try your luck at the lottery. Some games offer the possibility of playing the lottery depending on your gaming style. The best thing about the lottery system? You can win money whenever you want, and the stake amount is always lower than the winning amount. Every player in gambling can afford to play the lottery to make their money. There are also many lottery winners. To learn more about the process and to make a substantial amount of money playing casino lottery games, you can ask them for their suggestions. Some games require ฝากถอนไม่มีขั้นต่ำ in the gambling account to make money. To make more money at online casinos, you can also participate in online poker tournaments to increase your chances of winning. To win at online casino tournaments, you will need to be a professional gambler. You should play in tournaments if you enjoy poker on the online casino platform. To play these tournaments, you will need an account. They want new players to join the tournament. To clear up any doubts about the online casino games, you can view the poker videos. by It is a fun and entertaining experience to play เว็บสล็อต. With a massive growth in online casinos, it has become a center of attraction, especially for players dedicated to slot games. A question that has popped up more and more often but has been around since the inception of slot games is how players can earn money by playing the slots. Although it is possible to earn money from playing online slot games. It is a game of luck, and nobody can be sure about their chances of winning. However, it may be tough to earn money from these games. Therefore, there are some aspects that every player should know before playing so as not to lose money. Take benefit of bonuses Any new player is offered a welcome bonus in an online casino. These bonuses are free, and only new players can use them. These bonuses encourage new bettors to try out various games on their website. Remember, there are always wagering requirements associated with these bonuses, and a few can be tough to calculate. The bonus will generally come in free spins or no deposit bonus. Free spins and no deposit bonuses ensure that none of your money is used up. As far as any form of gambling is concerned, it is crucial to have the proper budget to not lose too much money. While making a gambling budget, players should choose the amount of money they can easily spend. It should be the amount that won’t affect daily lives and players can afford to lose. When making a budget for playing เว็บสล็อต games, it is vital to decide the purpose of playing. It is for making money or for enjoyment and fun. A player who wants a larger jackpot will need more money to play online slots. However, high volatility slots are relatively cheap to play. The return is frequent and tiny in amounts, permitting the bettors to play for the long term. The way this variation is spread is through the jackpots. Not all bettors can’t win the jackpots, but if you win, you can place a big bet which makes a huge profit. However, the bet depends on the size of the jackpots. When it comes to house edge and statistics, jackpots still line up, but it doesn’t mean you can’t be that player who breaks out statistical norms and make it rich! Online slots’ RTP percentage is a statistic, notifying you what amount of money you invest in the game and how much it pays you. If players put money into the game, they should know how much profit they obtain. Perhaps they are gaining or losing, so choosing a high RTP percentage slot machine is crucial. Some operator takes less percentage of RTP; for example, if a player earns some money, 92% of the money is given to the player called RTP, and the operator will grip 8%. Many games give 90% or less RTP, but playing at less RTP does not make sense. How to make more money online gambling by Online gambling is more than just entertainment. It is also a great way to make quick money without having to do anything. Online gambling is now much more lucrative for gamblers. The casino owners want to provide some benefits and create new themes and thrills. The casino also offers tips and strategies for players to help them make more money. These strategies will help players make more money online. Online gambling is dominated by slot machines. The slot machines allow players to invite other players to play, but there is a small risk. While it is possible for players to lose their money, in this game the operators introduced the house edge at the wagers which can give you the potential profits. The Judi Online game allows players to try their luck. Also, the odds of winning are set at a very slight. If you win, the largest portion of your winnings will be sent. Slot games are more lucrative because players can make more money and learn betting strategies. The biggest benefit of making money quicker for players is the jackpot. Online gambling does not inform you when you will win or when your jackpot will be paid. If the gamblers win the jackpot prize, they can bet any time on casino games. Professional players place their bets at the maximum level to make money. They will win the most money if they reach the max level. Beginners can take advantage of the inherent odds. Jackpots have high risk, but also offer high rewards in casino games. Online gambling is the best way for you to make big money from the larger jackpots. Card counting Card counting is one of the most lucrative games for players. It is often used in table games such as blackjack and roulette. It is easy to learn how to count cards if you want to win blackjack. Once you are proficient at counting cards, you can master blackjack and start making small fortunes. You will also win more if you are skilled at counting cards. Online gambling is very appealing because you can win money. You can find many strategies and tips. The websites also provide the best ratings and reviews of casino games. The skill-based games are the best way to make money. Players also have the option to gamble, but they should stick with the game that requires more skill. What are the benefits of playing the Pokdeng Card Games? by The card game is the most common, and the player like to spend a few hours on the pokdeng online. The pokdeng card games have sun and the possibility of learning something different. The players think they require less ability than the other game because the other games require the physical and have a limited seat, but the card games don’t need to go anywhere; they play in your house. Most players don’t know the advantages of playing card games. So, here we explain plenty of the benefits and advantages of playing the pokdeng card games. The researchers of the gaming manufacturers have seen that card games can make players smarter by developing the brain’s processing speed and problem-solving skills. Also, some of the things that card games are also known as brain training games. If the players can play the right card games, then it will keep your brain more active. Improve your social skills Most people have difficulty communicating with others. So it is an effective way if the players can play the card games because in the game sometime you have to communicate with our team partner which you don’t know properly. So the pokdeng online can break our shyness and awkwardness, so you easily make conversation with the others and also provides you to focus on the game. Playing the pokdeng card games will be a great way to laugh, relax, and connect with the other players. When the players play the ป๊อกเด้งออนไลน์, then they mainly focus on the rules, cards in your hand, and also the other player’s actions. So, the players have no space in their brains to think about other things. So playing card games provided a healthy mind from common stress. Increases memory skills The researchers also noticed that playing card games would help boost your memory skills without even knowing about it. If the players concentrate more on the winnings, they will always concentrate on remembering which card has been used in the game. You can also remember the actions of the opponent players and comments, and then you will remember the entire thing in the future. Improves our mathematical and logical thinking If you are playing card games, then it will include mental mathematics and also logical thinking. An excellent way to test our minds is by playing card games with the cognitive enhancer. For example, when the player has picked up one card, they need to count at the end of the game; they will have to calculate all the numbers of their cards. When anyone wins the card game, it will definitely involve counting their cards and points. Many card games have involved logical thinking in advance of the game. Also, the players have to pay attention and think about their next move. So the entire card game involves mathematics and logical thinking; calculating in the game is very important.	23,906
We drove in heavy traffic for more than 45 minutes, slaloming between cars, before we could turn East and follow the road up the mountains. The heat and the fumes of the claustrophobic highway were gradually replaced by fresh, clean, air; the temperature dropped a few degrees and the views of the valley and the sea opened in front of us. Our final destination: Lake Chouwan in the Kesrouan District. While riding the bike to places I don’t know how to get to I use Google maps with my AirPods to get voice directions. For some reason there was no sound and we had to stop several times to look at the map until Marina fixed the problem. After a very enjoyable ride through narrow, winding roads that crossed small villages with stone houses and churches, we arrived to the Chouwan entrance of the Jabal Moussa Biosphere Reserve (JMBR). We parked the bike next to the church, Marina changed into shorts while I purchased the tickets to enter the reserve, and we started our hike to the lake. It was my second time there; I did the same hike in pre-COVID times with Natalia. Those were different days, I was living a very different life. On this occasion, with Marina, we stopped mid-way at a viewpoint where you can see the lake in all its splendor. The shallow, Turkoise waters can make you think you are in the Bahamas or in Turks and Caicos but for the steep mountains and dense vegetation. We reached the lake after a 35 min walk. Marina complained it was too short not taking into account the return was going to be uphill. We sat on the sand for a while debating about the wisdom of going for a swim. The water in the lake is aways cold, not matter the time of the year, and even after the hike we were not feeling particularly hot. At the end I had the courage; in and out in a few seconds. It was painful but refreshing. Marina went next and she was able to stay a bit longer. To our surprise, a guy holding in his left hand a bottle of white wine that was almost finished was drifting downstream. “Stay in for five minutes,” he yelled at us, “then you wont’ feel anything.” We didn’t try. We were not sure if the wine or the fact that he was a bit overweight explained his resilience to freezing water. Instead we started the walk up the trail, Marina wondering this time how long it would take. The ride back to Beirut was even more enjoyable because there was little traffic. Our only worry was being able to fill the fuel tank. These days there are gasoline shortages in Lebanon and several of the gas stations on our way were closed. In this bike, with a full tank you can ride 40-50 miles (70-80 Kilometers). The distance between the apartment and the lake is 29 miles. We were lucky to find a gas station that was open and where there were no lines. Once in the apartment we took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner. We had a long discussions about how in a country that is sinking, and where there is no government trying to fix things, you really don’t “see” or “feel” the effects of the economic crisis (other than the gasoline shortages these days). The restaurants and bars are full again and you can’t find a hotel to go to the beach or the mountains; everything is booked. The fact is that an elite, many Lebanese living abroad who come back on vacation and enjoy the favorable exchange rate, is still living in the past. That is not the majority of the population and we are, perversely, disconnected from the reality they are living in. After dinner we joined Natalia (who had a girls-day-out) and her friends at the apartment for a nightcap. As always, that was a very bad idea, particularly when, inspired by the conversation with Marina, I started to talk about whether people working for international organizations, living a life of privilege, are giving back to society more than what they receive in salaries and benefits…. Related Next postBeirut: Anise reopens; Middle Eastern, Italian, and Armenian cuisines; sail blogs, and the Singular Story of Paul Ceglia	4,141
If you’re looking for a quick and sexy small town romance, this is a solid pick. It’s kinda predictable with a few clichés that I rolled my eyes at (a protective sheriff who has “rules” for his dating life and likes a lot of dirty talk that involves what a “bad girl” his woman has been), but the writing is good overall. I personally think that the first two books in the series of interconnected standalones were stronger, but it wasn’t a bad way to spend my day. If you haven’t read the first two books, you won’t have any trouble following along, but fans of the series will appreciate the small town connections. It’s an easy, steamy read, and I enjoyed it overall. The story follows Aidan and Megan, two strangers who meet when Megan is in a car accident. Newly divorced, Megan is supposed to be passing through town when her car is damaged, and now she needs to stick around while the considerable repairs are made. As a sheriff’s deputy, Aidan has a protective steak, and he can’t seem to stay away from the sexy stranger who is so clearly in need of a helping hand. Aidan reluctantly opens up his home to Megan, and it’s not long before his heart begins to open up to her as well. But Megan is just passing through town, and neither one is looking for a relationship – so the chemistry that sparks between is more trouble than anything. I liked both of these characters quite a bit, and I never mind the strong, silent type of hero. Aidan may be reserved and reluctant about falling in love, but he’s got a sweet side that made him easy to like. I do wish that this felt more original; the first two books in the series had more interesting and unique storylines, while this one didn’t hold many surprises. I’ve definitely read many books like this one before, but sometimes that’s just what you’re craving. Ultimately, this sits somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me, but I liked the majority of it. I received an early copy and am voluntarily leaving a review of this strangers to lovers romance. Life was simple. Until she wrecked his heart. Aidan Reynolds has enough to handle being interim sheriff in the small tourist town of Madison Ridge. With a woefully understaffed force and the busy season approaching, he doesn’t have time to babysit a big city stranger who literally crashes into his life. When Megan Gentry wrecks her car passing through town, he’s just doing his job making sure her vehicle gets towed, the town doc stitches her up, and she has a roof over her head for the night. But peak tourist season means no vacancies and while he’s a broody bastard preferring an orderly life, his job is to protect and serve. And that includes the captivating Megan. But every moment together makes it harder to keep his distance. If he’s not careful, she’ll break more than just his rules. When it comes time for her to leave, will he stop her? Or will he let her go and wreck his heart in the process? Author’s Note: A steamy opposites attract, small town romance with a charmingly messy heroine, broody, protective hero, and a new perspective on caramel syrup. Start the series today! I’ve enjoyed all three books in this series of interconnected standalones. They’re all sexy, emotional stories set in a small town. Links to Amazon About the Author: Eliza Peake is an international bestselling author of sexy, swoon-worthy contemporary romance. She writes stories with smart, sassy heroines, charming, swoony heroes who love their women in all the right ways, and happily ever afters with all the feels. She also co-hosts The Misfits Guide to Writing Indie Romance podcast. In her downtime, she reads all the panty-melting romances she can get her hands on, drinks gallons of coffee, and tries to wrangle her addiction to Mexican food. She currently resides in North Georgia with her family and dreams of retiring to the beach someday where she will continue writing steamy romance stories to her heart’s content.	4,110
I manage redmine, but not the SMTP server: I have only one email adress, no aliases, so I'd like to set the admin account and my personnal account to the same email adress. Villain users could register other users email just to avoid them to register. Spammer could try to register every email they can. When they can't, they know that they've got a valid email. Bad thing. Related issues Duplicated by Redmine - Feature #7599: Allow for multiple useraccounts with same email address Closed 2011-02-10 Related to Duplicates Duplicated by Blocks Blocked by Precedes Follows Copied to Copied from Issue # Delay: days Cancel #1 Updated by Jean-Philippe Lang almost 15 years ago I agree with you but I see one little problem: how to identify a user how submits a ticket via email if the address is assigned to 2 users ? (ticket submission via email will be added in the future). #2 Updated by Thomas Lecavelier almost 15 years ago Damn, I hadn't thought about that issue... The only way to avoid this kind of problem should be to add a user preference saying that this account can submit a ticket via email: in that case, the uniqness condition should be "email" + "can submit via mail". This could be a good solution, since people who will want to submit via email are people that don't want to login in redmine, so they barely can't want to have two accounts. Sound good? #3 Updated by Jean-Philippe Lang over 14 years ago Oh, I've just though about it, it would cause a big security issue in the password reminder since it asks for your email only. I won't go into the details but if the password reminder was left as-is, anyone could be able to change anyone else password using the password reminder. Of course, we could ask for the username in the password reminder, rather than the email, but I think it's not a good solution since you may not remember your username as well (for myself, I usually don't remember it when I have to use password reminder). #4 Updated by Thomas Lecavelier over 14 years ago Status changed from New to Closed There's still something that annoy me, but it's now most the password reminder than the "same email for multiple accounts" thing. So I prefere close this feature request and play with the reminder later, to forge myself a global opinion. Thank you for your points. #5 Updated by Szabolcs Szasz about 14 years ago Status changed from Closed to Reopened (Sorry about reopening this, but I guess it's better to follow-up this than opening a new thread-of-thoughts alont these same lines.) The unique email requirement has also annoyed me from the beginning. But Jean-Philippe's points, however, convinced me... Well, but then my itches have shifted to this design issue: if there's already a unique identifier, which is the email, why, oh why, to maintain a seemingly completely pointless, redundant internal identifier in addition to that? (I guess the email "non-shareability" was probably discovered only after using the other ID.) (E.g. in our system, all members have mails in the same domain, so all our user IDs are just the emails... Well, almost, because that did not work due to another restriction: on user IDs lengths, so they only have the "local part" before the @ as their IDs. Unfortunately, another unnecessary Redmine restriction (on valid chars in the IDs) also did not allow us to use the existing Drupal account IDs either... :-/ ) Why not using the (anyway required) name in all UI rendering, and why not using the (anyway required and perfectly unique) email as the internal ID? I have just realized that this ID-ambiguity is, where that "discomfort" about the forbidden emails actually stems from. So, to really end this problem, we need to solve the underlying problem behind these non-shareable email addresses: their falsely implied apparent shareability should be removed. Using the email as the internal ID should do that. Thanks, #6 Updated by Gerrit Kaiser almost 14 years ago Why not using the (anyway required) name in all UI rendering, and why not using the (anyway required and perfectly unique) email as the internal ID? +1 to not require a “login” for every user. #7 Updated by Ben Blanco almost 14 years ago Why not using the (anyway required) name in all UI rendering, and why not using the (anyway required and perfectly unique) email as the internal ID? +1 as well! and also: Well, almost, because that did not work due to another restriction: on user IDs lengths We have the same problem - we've standardized the platform so that logins are User emails. Unless Logins can be replaced by emails, it would be great if this field's max length could be increased, say to 50 chars or more (I believe current limit is 30). #8 Updated by Ken Sands almost 14 years ago Jean-Philippe Lang wrote: Oh, I've just though about it, it would cause a big security issue in the password reminder since it asks for your email only. I won't go into the details but if the password reminder was left as-is, anyone could be able to change anyone else password using the password reminder. I don't understand how this is a problem, if i'm both the administrator and a developer, I'd like both to go to my email address, how would it allow anyone else to change my password any different to when just one account is assigned to the email address? #9 Updated by Jean-Philippe Lang almost 14 years ago Well, forget about it. #10 Updated by Ken Sands almost 14 years ago Jean-Philippe Lang wrote: Well, forget about it. I'll have a go at making this work in my copy, if I work out what the issue is I'll see if I can come up with a solution and a patch. #11 Updated by Ken Sands over 12 years ago There was no problem, it works fine. I added a field to state which user would be used for issue updates via email, besides that it's just a case of commenting out the validates_uniqueness bit. Maybe there is some deeper issue that I'm missing but for me this now works a treat, I get all the updates through destined for Admin and yet can send updates and receive specific updates as a developer all to the same email. I'm likely to be the only one with 2 accounts on one email it was simply for the admin account. #12 Updated by Al McNicoll over 10 years ago OK, so it's an old ticket, but on the off-chance that Ken is still using Redmine: Would you mind sharing your patch? This multiple-email-address issue is causing innumerable headaches on a system I'm administering because each redmine user has to map 1-1 with external-system users that may share email addresses. #13 Updated by Alberto Cennini almost 8 years ago Even if it's an old issue, have I any chance to have a patch to solve it ? Thanks #14 Updated by Daniel Zabaljauregui over 6 years ago Ken Sands wrote: There was no problem, it works fine. I added a field to state which user would be used for issue updates via email, besides that it's just a case of commenting out the validates_uniqueness bit. Maybe there is some deeper issue that I'm missing but for me this now works a treat, I get all the updates through destined for Admin and yet can send updates and receive specific updates as a developer all to the same email. I'm likely to be the only one with 2 accounts on one email it was simply for the admin account. I too get that this issue is quite old and lacks current activity or interest, but even so I´d greatly appreciate if Ken or somebody else could please share a patch to implement it (just the functionality that Ken mentioned). Thanks in advance!	7,501
This year's first Alaskan edition of 'Red Flag' took place in the last two weeks of April. For the very first time Dutch 'Vipers' landed at Eielson Air Force Base to participate in the exercise. Frank Visser visited the detachment to report for Combat Aircraft magazine. A multi-disciplinary exercise organized by the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), 'Red Flag Alaska' sees participation by American and foreign units, with editions taking place up to four times a year. In addition to Eielson, the exercise also makes use of Elmendorf AFB. 'Red Flag Alaska' originates in Exercise 'Cope Thunder, which took place at Clark AFB in the Philippines from 1976. However, the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991 forced Americans to look for another location. Alaska was examined and eventually chosen for several reasons. The vast training area of the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex measures over 67,000 square miles. In comparison, the ranges of Nellis AFB, where 'Red Flag' is also held, offer some 15,000 square miles. Another major advantage is that the area is sparsely populated and had high-altitude training areas that include various military facilities, such as airfields and surface-to-air missile sites. Thus, the 'Last Frontier' has become the stage for 'Red Flag Alaska'. The goal of the exercise has remained unchanged since 'Cope Thunder', namely to provide each aircrew with their first, vital training to increase their chances of survival in the first 10 combat missions. An F-16CG of the 35th FS/ 8th FW from Kunsan AB take-off for it's 'Red Flag Alaska' mission. RF Alaska 11-01 The planning of 'Red Flag Alaska' is similar to that of 'Red Flag' at Nellis and consists of two major components: the Red defensive forces and the Blue offensive forces. In addition, there is a third party: the White forces, representing a neutral controlling agency. For 'Red Flag Alaska' the Red defensive forces are provided by the F-16C/Ds of the 18th AGRS. Red Air also has at its disposal KC-135Rs for aerial refueling and an E-3C for airborne early warning. As well as Red Air assets, the defensive forces have control of ground-control intercept (GCI) and surface-to-air forces to simulate threats similar to those of potentially hostile countries such as China and North Korea. The Aggressors of the 18th AGRS fly in three different color shemes. RNLAF F-16 pilots and Intell officers planning their next "Red Flag Alaska' mission. Lt Col Bert 'Vidal' de Smit inspects the inert GBU-12 loaded on his F-16AM. A RNLAF F-16AM just left his shelter to depart for another mission. Clearly visible is the inert The first "Red Flag Alaska' was held in April. At that time the Winter in Alaska come to an end. Still temperatures can drop below zero. This F-16CG of the 35th FS/ 8th FW is ready for take-off. Offensive forces for the exercise comprised the 11 F-16AMs drawn from various RNLAF squadrons, 12 F-16CG/DGs of the 35th FS and the 80th FS from the 8th FW from Kunsan AB in South Korea, and 12 F-15C/Ds of the 44th FS and 67th FS from the 18th FW at Kadena AB, Okinawa. For AEW, the Red and the Blue forces each had at their disposal an E-3C, provided respectively by the 961st AACS at Kadena AB and the 962nd AACS at Elmendorf AFB. One of the F-15Cs of 67th FS/18th FW from Kadena AB lifts off from Eielson AFB. Alaska's Aggressors Aggressors are the mainstay of both 'Red Flag' exercises. 'Red Flag' at Nellis employ two Aggressor Squadrons, the 64th AGRS equipped with F-16C/Ds and 65th AGRS with F-15C/Ds. 'Red Flag Alaska' utilizes the 18th AGRS, which is part of PACAF. Aggressor pilots of the 18th AGRS at their briefing. Contrary to the two squadrons stationed at Nellis, the Alaskan Aggressors specialize in the tactics of nations around the Pacific Ocean, such as North Korea and China, and simulate aircraft including the Su-30 and J-10. For this role, the F-16C/D Block 30s are equipped with AN/ALQ-188 jamming pods. According to Lt Col Andrew 'Popeye' Hansen, commander of the 18th AGRS the sole purpose of the Aggressors is to improve the performance of the combat forces. 105 views0 comments Post not marked as liked Recent Posts 2011 NATO E-3s during Operation Unified Protector Post not marked as liked 2011 Still going strong Post not marked as liked 2011 The Dutch F-16s are back at Tucson IAP Post not marked as liked © Northern Skies Aviation ©Northernskiesaviation.com all rights reserved. All content on this site is the property of Northern Skies Aviation and is protected by U.S., Dutch and other foreign copyright and trademark laws.	4,720
Kidney Care UK Policy Director Fiona Loud reflects on the last two years and the impact of Covid-19 on the lives of everyone who is affected by kidney disease. It is two years since the first Covid-19 lockdown was announced and shielding was brought in for those of us with kidney disease who were most vulnerable to a Covid-19 infection. We should acknowledge that this has been an exceptionally challenging time. I remember reflecting in March 2020 that if there’s one thing that people with kidney disease are good at, it is being strong. I don’t mean physically strong, I mean that we have had to go through the hardest of times with kidney failure and somehow live with it. In sorrow, we acknowledge that in the last two years we lost our charity chair, Professor Donal O’Donoghue, and our Engagement and Inclusion Lead, Amjid Ali, to Covid-19. Likewise we should take a moment to remember all those with kidney disease and their families as well as our healthcare professionals who have died during this time. Every single life lost to Covid-19 has been and continues to be a tragedy, and when I look at data I know every single one of those numbers represents a person, and a grieving family, a life, dreams and plans all lost to this cruel disease. Kidney patients and Covid-19: the figures and the future The UK Renal Registry tells us the story how many of you have had Covid (figures up to 16 February 2022) which really shows the impact on those of you on dialysis, who could not fully shield. We should however remember that the vast majority of people with kidney disease who have caught Covid have recovered well. Turning it around the other way, this data also shows that many of you did not have Covid-19. And we are now in a much better place to be protected and treated, although it is by no means perfect. We have reasons to be hopeful and lessons to be learned. The arrival of the Covid-19 vaccinations gave us great hope at the end of 2020, and the significance of the first person to receive an Astra Zeneca vaccine in the UK being Brian Pinker, a person on dialysis, was not lost on us. The rollout of the first two doses to those on dialysis and with transplants went well. We learned that, while they do provide protection, vaccines did not work as well for us as for the general population and so further doses were needed and the communications, IT and delivery of the next doses was not done as well as it should have been. Keeping you informed throughout the pandemic After updating our website at least 250 times, running nine Covid-19 Question Time webinars and three experience surveys, plus many ‘engagements’ with policy makers (some much more productive than others), it is very clear that communication should have been far better throughout the pandemic. Clear, understandable information is paramount and that is a message we will continue to repeat. Covid-19 is still very much around and with new variants and uncertainty it’s not easy, but the new Covid antiviral and antibody treatments are most welcome. Recently we were both encouraged by the approval of Evusheld, a long acting antibody treatment against Covid-19 to be given as a protection, though discouraged by the fact that it is not yet available in the UK. If there are any lessons to share about living in a pandemic, the first would be the importance of communications – direct and targeted at people affected by kidney disease. A clear communications strategy would mean that new advice would be easier to link to appropriate employment, research and tests guidance. It would also foster public understanding and help us feel less forgotten. Taken together with other groups at highest risk of Covid-19, 1.3 million of us are clinically extremely vulnerable in the UK. The second lesson would be to acknowledge that bad admin has let us down. Whether people affected by kidney disease were trying to receive third, fourth or subsequent vaccinations or antiviral or antibody treatments (especially at the weekend), in some places the processes did not work well. This caused unnecessary anxiety and meant that some people have not had all the vaccinations available to them or have missed out on antibody treatments. Thanks to all of you for the support, the questions and the involvement. By telling us your stories we can speak up more strongly and at Kidney Care UK we are always here to help with free advice, counselling, information and financial grants and support. Latest blogs Making the most of the cost of living payment The government is issuing a £650 cost of living payment to some people on certain benefits. Kidney patient Sa… The increasing cost of living has been on many people’s minds this year. For the 3,000,000 people living with… Kidney healthcare: 70 years of progress Author Kidney Care UK Policy Director Fiona Loud has been policy director of Kidney Care UK since 2013 and was previously Director of the Kidney Alliance. She is involved with numerous other groups, working to improve standards of care for kidney patients. She set up and chairs the UK Renal Registry patient council and has contributed as a lay representative to many of the kidney guidelines produced by NICE. Fiona spent 5 years on dialysis after her kidneys failed, before receiving a transplant from her husband in late 2006. Coronavirus (Covid-19) guidance for people with k… The latest news and information about Covid-19 for people living with kidney disease. Read more For news, information and ways to get involved Email Address A charitable company limited by guarantee. Registered in England and Wales (1228114). A charity registered in England and Wales (270288) and Scotland (SCO48198).	6,010

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