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Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
Lenten Mission
Moscow Conference
Ask Father
Yes, No, Maybe So
by Christopher A. Ferrara
Octover 9, 2015
In my last column I noted that the Vatican Press Office dismissed as insignificant the Pope’s meeting with Kim Davis at the Vatican embassy in Washington, with Father Lombardi noting: “The only real audience granted by the Pope at the Nunciature was with one of his former students and his family.”
The only “real audience” happened the day before when the Pope’s “former student,” a 67-year-old homosexual named Yayo Grassi and his “boyfriend,” who looked to be half his age, received hugs and kisses on the cheek from Francis. It was all captured on a video later broadcast by CNN.
This was no perfunctory encounter but rather, as CNN reports, was “arranged personally with the Pope via email in the weeks ahead.” Moreover, as Grassi told the press — without contradiction by Father Lombardi — “Three weeks before the trip, he [Francis] called me on the phone and said he would love to give me a hug.” And so he did. And a kiss on the cheek. And a hug and a kiss for the “boyfriend” as well.
Looking at the nightmarish tableau on the video, one might be tempted to think that Francis could not have known whom he was embracing and what that embrace would signify to the world. And one would be wrong: “Grassi said the Pope has long known that he is gay, but has never condemned his sexuality or his same-sex relationship. ‘He has never been judgmental,’ Grassi said. ‘He has never said anything negative.’” Moreover, as CNN notes: “In the video, Francis says he recalls meeting Grassi's boyfriend in Rome.”
Does this mean Francis — the very Vicar of Christ — is demonstrating his acceptance of “homosexual unions” and “valuing” the homosexual “orientation” as recommended by the midterm report of Phony Synod 2014, a document he approved and ordered published to the world? The answer — thematic of the entire pontificate — is Yes, No, Maybe So. Francis has consistently said one thing and then another, or said one thing and then done another, or done one thing and then done another.
In this case, as National Geographicreports, Grassi complained by email to the future Pope back in 2010 when Cardinal Bergoglio reportedly told some Carmelite nuns in a private letter that “gay marriage” is “the work of the devil.” Wrote Grassi to his beloved progressive friend: “You have been my guide, continuously moving my horizons — you have shaped the most progressive aspects of my worldview. And to hear this from you is so disappointing.”
Bergoglio hastened to reply by email (dispatched by one of his assistants as he is not tech savvy). As National Geographic notes, he “began by saying that he had taken Grassi’s words to heart. The Catholic Church’s position on the subject of marriage was what it was. Still, it pained Bergoglio to know that he had upset his student. Grassi’s former maestrillo [teacher] assured him that the media had badly misconstrued his position. Above all, said the future pope in his reply, in his pastoral work, there was no place for homophobia.” What is that supposed to mean? Who knows?
So, in one letter Bergoglio told the sisters that “gay-marriage” is the work of the devil — or more accurately “a ‘move’ of the father of lies” — but in another letter to his “gay” friend and former student he said that his statement to the sisters had been “misconstrued” by the press and that he is no “homophobe.” How exactly did the press “misconstrue” the phrase “a move of the father of lies”? It didn’t, of course. The Cardinal was merely issuing a politician-style disclaimer of his own words.
By the same token, Francis met with Kim Davis, courageous opponent of “gay marriage,” but only after having already met with two “gay partners,” hugging and kissing them both as part of a long relationship with one of them during which Francis had never even intimated that sodomy and “homosexual unions” are gravely immoral. And the meeting with Davis was minimized as merely a brief, friendly encounter in no way to be taken as a sign of opposition to “gay marriage.”
This much, however, is clear: the Pope warmly greeted, embraced and kissed on the cheeks a homosexual and his “partner.” The Pope treats these perverse relationships as if there were nothing wrong with them (having previously warmly embraced a woman who had herself surgically mutilated and her “fiancée,” personally invited to the Vatican by Francis for one of his hugs). Thus, every other member of the hierarchy — indeed, every Catholic — will be expected to behave likewise, no matter what Francis might have said before or might say later by way of purely verbal opposition to “gay marriage.”
And so it goes. On and on, round and round, left and right, stop and go, forward and back, as the Vatican Press Offices issues one useless “clarification” after another. I am reminded of the assessment by a fellow Argentinian within hours of Cardinal Bergoglio’s election to the papacy — an assessment as accurate at it was harsh:
Famous for his inconsistency (at times, for the unintelligibility of his addresses and homilies), accustomed to the use of coarse, demagogical, and ambiguous expressions, it cannot be said that his magisterium is heterodox, but rather non-existent for how confusing it is….
May God help His Church. One can never dismiss, as humanly hard as it may seem, the possibility of a conversion... and, nonetheless, the future terrifies us.
I was appalled by these remarks at the time, when I had nothing but praise for Francis. But now, to my own amazement, and with the morally seditious Synod of Doom underway — a ghost ship filled with awful cargo and Francis at the helm — I am forced to conclude that this early critic of the pontificate was putting it rather mildly. | {
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Città del Messico, Distretto Federale, Messico: ARCHIVO: Design For New Building in Mexico City by Zeller & Moye
The new home for Latin America’s first design collection designed by Zeller & Moye in collaboration with FR-EE adds to Mexico City ’s flourishing contemporary design scene and gives the collection a stronger presence in the city.
Located in the heart of Mexico City, the new cultural complex is made up of spaces for temporary exhibitions, a permanent collection of designer pieces, as well as a space for educational and community activities, social events and commercial use.
‘Archivo’ will attract both local visitors and first timers, bringing new life and regenerating energy in this undiscovered area in the center of the metropolis. the building is designed as a rough exoskeleton that opens to the surrounding jungle vegetation.
Like a tree, the open structure consists of vertical pillars and horizontal slabs that offer terraces at different levels with views of the park and the city. Its six levels, oriented according to the irregular layout of the city, can be explored through the generous spiral path that unfolds along the perimeter of the building and wanders through various functions at each level.
Each function is partially located inside, with a section situated under an unusual semi-open covered terrace, which can be used annually thanks to Mexico City ’s moderate climate. the terraces are connected through long open stairs, creating a continuous open area that can be appropriated by its users for exhibitions, social events or meetings. These activities, clearly visible from the street and from the park, enliven the different floors of the building.
The purist structure is completed with glass facades away from the edge of the slabs to provide shade and privacy, while the more public functions occur along the activated perimeter. This results in a truly transparent and vibrant building that emanates into the town around it. ‘Archivo Design and Architecture’ is an exclusive and vast collection of design objects to be exhibited in open galleries bounded only by glass, in clear opposition to the traditionally walled exhibition space.
This open condition allows visitors to enjoy views of the exhibition from a distance when approaching the building or passing by via the nearby public route. As a final destination, the “Terrace of the City,” a publicly accessible exhibition on the history and future of the City of Mexico, located on the top level, enjoys a backdrop of panoramic views.
The broad spectrum of community life is an integral part of the project. This new multi-functional building provides space for workshops, dance classes, socialization, as well as outdoor areas for urban agriculture, and serves as a new destination for the local community. Scheduled to break ground in late 2014. | {
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Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Dare to Dream Part 3...
DISCOVER – What Are God’s Dreams?
“. . . God gives his children tasks to complete. Even in Eden he assigned the first man and woman the job of tending a garden,” says Judith Couchman in her book, Designing a Woman’s Life. “But understanding our significance before we attempt accomplishment anchors the soul in an order uncommon to this world,” says Couchman. “First, we embrace our innate worth, then we pursue our unique purpose. After this, we tackle our work.”
Many of us have reversed this process. We decide our own path, quickly follow the flow of life, then we wonder why we feel insignificant. We despair when we look back at our day and realize that though we jumped through all the necessary hoops, we shared no piece of ourselves or our originality. The easiest way to tell if we are missing our unique purpose is to consider the things that bring joy to our lives. Things that are uniquely us. It may be singing, baking, or even landscaping. Many of us need to ask, “If I could be doing anything for God’s kingdom what would it be?” and “Do I ‘thrive’ in my daily duties and feel God’s pleasure, or do I simply ‘survive’ as I try to keep up with the world’s ideas?” The answers may surprise you, and they also may stir your heart toward God’s true desires for your life.
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About Me
Tricia Goyer is the author of thirty books including Songbird Under a German Moon, The Swiss Courier, and the mommy memoir, Blue Like Play Dough. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. Tricia's book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like MomSense and Thriving Family. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home in Little Rock, Arkansas where they are part of the ministry of FamilyLife. | {
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News
| January 7, 2014
Hydraulic Fracturing Gives Rise To New Water-Treatment Technologies
Innovative companies are developing better ways to clean and recycle drilling water on site, as well as manufacturing “greener” drilling solutions that have fewer harmful chemicals.
There is no doubt that hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas in shale deposits is a controversial technology — especially when it comes to impacts to water resources. Protecting water is the biggest environmental issue facing the hydraulic fracturing industry today.
“Fracking” consumes vast amounts of water — typically millions of gallons for every well drilled. This can have a huge impact on groundwater resources, especially in arid regions in the western United States, and heavily populated areas in the eastern half of the nation that are already dealing with water issues, including depleted aquifers.
Oil and gas companies also add chemicals to the water they pump down the hole, including lubricants and biocides to kill bacteria. Then there is “flowback water” — naturally occurring water that is contained in the deep rocks below and flows back up to the surface under geologic pressure. This water is often brackish and contains high levels of salts, heavy metals, and sometimes naturally occurring radioactive compounds.
On-Site Treatment
Instead of cleaning up the water on site, most oil and gas companies truck the contaminated water off-site and pump it down disposal wells, or take it to water-treatment facilities. Some companies, however, are now investing millions of dollars in new technologies that treat water on site — not just for environmental reasons or to boost their public image, but also to improve their bottom line.
Trucking water over long distances for disposal is expensive and time-consuming. If the water can be cleaned and re-used on site, less water needs to be taken from nearby resources for drilling, and less water needs to be hauled away — reducing truck traffic, fleet expenses, and fuel costs.
As a result, innovative companies are developing better ways to clean and recycle drilling water on site, as well as manufacturing “greener” drilling solutions that have fewer harmful chemicals. For example, Halliburton is now offering a down-hole drilling solution whose active ingredients are all sourced from the food industry.
New Technologies
Some companies are using ultraviolet light or ozone to kill bacteria in the water, eliminating the need for biocides and other chemicals that eliminate scale build-up. “Our patented Ozonix (oxidation) technology has been used to treat over three billion gallons of water in the U.S. hydraulic fracturing industry since 2008,” states George Chapas, director of new business development for Ecosphere, a water-engineering firm. This has eliminated the need for more than 1.7 million gallons of harmful chemicals in about 600 drilling projects over the last five years.
Advanced desalination technologies are also being designed to treat contaminated drilling water. GE is developing a technology called membrane distillation to separate pure water vapor from salt water. Once commercialized, this process could reduce water treatment costs by 50 percent. Other companies are using electricity to isolate and remove pollutants. Halliburton’s CleanWave system delivers an electrical charge that concentrates pollutants in the water, which then either sink to the bottom to be collected, or float to the surface where they are removed with a surface skimmer. The treated water is then clean enough to be re-used in drilling and production operations.
With the explosion of hydraulic fracturing in the U.S., oil and gas companies are anxious to prove their commitment to the environment by investing in new technologies to protect water resources. These new, cutting-edge approaches to water management will also prove valuable to other water-cleaning projects. | {
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Hustle While You Wait
“Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.”
-Thomas Edison
The Chinese stock market has been closed all week for the Chinese New Year – the Year of The Ox. Leaders born in the Year of the Ox are patient, speak little, and inspire confidence in people. The glory days of the reactive crackberry data point managers are waning. Obama should think twice about promoting that perceived risk management device. It can polarize your thoughts.
I always tell my team that sometimes the best decision they can make in their stocks is to do nothing. This certainly doesn’t imply that they should work less hard. It most definitely suggests that they should focus on working smarter. Thomas Edison’s process and track record speaks for itself – you can indeed hustle while you wait.
I sold into CNBC’s crackberry “breaking news rally” on Wednesday because it was based on hope. Hope is not an investment process – particularly when driven by a producer/preacher who is paid to be perpetually bullish. Fortunately, I took the Cash position up in our Asset Allocation model to 82% on that move, and now I own the liquidity I need to take advantage of this manic media’s colossal misinterpretation of an “event” that has yet to occur.
On weakness I’ll be a buyer, but a patient one. The US Dollar continues to rise this morning and this will continue to pressure commodities and US stocks alike. Remember, without a breakdown in their dollars, Americans will be paid to save them, rather than invest them – as the bond market breaks down, yields on cash savings continue to climb. I invested 3% of that cash yesterday in Brazilian equities. Now I have a 79% position in cash, which on a day like yesterday helped me close up on the day – during an Illiquidity Crisis, cash remains king.
Not all cash is the same however – ask Europe’s levered long wanna be power broker, Vladdy Putin, what’s in his wallet? The Ruble is getting pounded this week, and falling to its lowest level in 11 years. The Russian Trading System Index, meanwhile, continues to wallow in concert with the world’s ‘no more KGB boy’ in my portfolio vote, trading down again this morning to 529. This is the only major stock market in the world that is trading below its October/November Liquidity Crisis lows. What we have now folks, is a failure to communicate – for those having their own Illiquidity Crisis that is… marking your levered long positioning to market is a nasty de-leveraging process. That’s the ruble; that’s Blackstone; that was Lehman Brothers.
Those investors who bought into the idea that the “Bad Bank Bailout” was going to warm the hearts and minds of those group-thinking financial czars in the Swiss Alps have to think that through now, all weekend long… and yes, that’s going to be a painful mental exercise. Hustling to buy the futures on Wednesday didn’t pay. Since the US market trades on price momentum, forced buyers turned forced sellers will be forced to do the required reading on what actually happened to 747 US banking thrifts between 1 (they went to zero).
We don’t need “no drama” Obama to remind us that some people in our business behaved “shamefully.” C’mon Man, this isn’t new. Some people on Wall Street have always behaved without responsibility. The only difference between now and then are that the rules of the game are changing – transparency and accountability will rule as we re-regulate those who need to be regulated. If you are someone, as the frenchie goalie in Paul Newman’s “Slapshot” said, “gets de penalty… and has to go to de box for 2 mee-nutes… and feel shame.” Guess what? You are finally going take that long overdue time off in the sin bin.
The #1 story on Bloomberg this morning is titled “Wall Street Bonuses May Go By The Way of The Dodo.” The WSJ is breaking news that both Morgan Stanley and Goldman are getting ready for another round of job cuts. I have the Street firing out their resumes into my system faster than NYC reporters chased Madoff back into his apartment. This is The New Reality. Wall Street is going to be rebuilt. Everything starts with a handshake and trust.
Corporate Executives of America, who aren’t yet working for state government enterprises, my advice to you is this: stop trading your expense line for your personal compensation structure – just stop. Take a step back before you make your next round of job cuts and think. If you didn’t think when you decided to build capacity at a cyclical top, or God forbid buy back your stock at the same time – now is your time to not make the same mistake twice. Just stop. Think about what you are doing. Proactively manage your business. If you don’t, my research team will You Tube you.
Companies that fit the bill on the fiduciary mismanagement of their shareholder’s capital and livelihood of their workers beware. In the past few weeks I have added Caterpillar, Coach, and Target to the list of those that should feel shame on this score – these guys all bought the top and are now selling the bottom. This isn’t just about Wall Street – this is about America. Wall Street has taken their turn with the flashlights in their eyes. Corporate America - you are next.
If the SP500 breaks the 839 level, I have 804 as next support. Be patient, and wait for your opportunities. That’s what winners do. This is purely a Darwinian exercise at this stage of the game. The strong will get stronger – and remember, “everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.”
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A gay married couple beaten close to death in Germany’s refugee camp
A Serbian gay couple was living in Germany’s refugee camp and recently has barely survived a vicious homophobic attack, whereas they tried to hide the fact they were gay.
Javid Nabiyev, a member of the Queer Refugees Pride, has revealed the incident in a Facebook post. The Queer Refugees Pride team decided to post not only a report on the event, but video of the men’s injuries. The thing is that men “were almost dead” when they arrived to hospital: they were all covered with blood and one of them will need a surgery for his injuries. “How many people should face this kind of attack, to make all of you believe, to convince all of you, that our situation is urgent? What happened yesterday is happening all over the place. If this person was a German citizen would police react the same way?” Nabiyev asked in the video.
But the most shocking thing is that Javid Nabiyev had made several efforts to have the men moved to a more tolerant refugee camp but was denied. They were told they need to have a “good reason” to be moved. The names and location of the men were kept private for their safety. But also because authorities have said the men will have to return to the refugee where they were attacked. Probably, the fact that a person has barely survived a vicious attack is a good enough reason for the authorities of Germany.
About Us
Gay News Europe is an International LGBT news resource.
Here you can find fresh news in different blocks: traveling, entertainment, celebrities, politics family,
love and marriage. We have a big and creative team working for us and bring you interesting and fresh news
from all over the world.
Will be glad to see all of you as the subscribers of our site.
Be the first with us who knows what is happening around! | {
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I almost sent the GH5 back and I'm glad I didn't. Features as simple as tilt or articulating screen, and silent shooting affects my versatility. Another maybe underestimated feature is connecting phone to camera through app. Panasonic's implementation to make spontaneous in camera changes is like still being able to hold the camera in hand.
Real Scenario:
I set up my 4 to 5 cameras, go hide inside, use the mentioned app to see while I lay on the bed and fire all my cameras remotely based on seeing the birds approach on the phone app = improves efficiency in regards to patience/waiting for action.
Technology matters too. If camera can shoot silent and you need to shoot fast fps then the camera will need a strong processor to process the scanned image data from mirrorless shooting (electronic shutter). To me there is a correlation between video prowess and fast mirrorless shooting.
Thanks, I've been tweaking my technique for several years to include financial investment into equipment.
Disclaimer:
I'm a Pentaxian by heart and I hope the new Pentax camera has the feature set I need. I started with Pentax bodies, migrated to Sony Rx10 iii, then Olympus, and now my go to Beast of action camera is the GH5 (dont tell anyone, let'em think its only good for video). For the close range shooting I do I have to have the fps (i can shoot 30 or 60 fps with Oly and Pany). In my experience the way I shoot any fps less than 10 is not different than shooting single shot in regards to how fast close range birds pass across the frame - i use what equipment i need regardless of brand to accomplish a task, the task that led you to take time to appreciate. Gear does matter.
I agree. I posted a 1 in a million picture of two birds fighting mirroring each other and get minimal response. I make a mistake and everybody wants to know me. No biggie. I can show better than I can tell.
Although the Pentax is said to extend to 250mm focal length, it does not (I've been told its focus breathing). From my tests its about 200 to 210MM. I have not tested the wide end. Im waiting on my adapter to be able to take some test shots. | {
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Tuesday, February 12, 2013
An idea equals a business
Well I had an idea what I could do to bring in some money possibly. I figured that since crocheting baby items are quick and easy, why not create a website for baby stuff only and start selling them this way. This is a big project for me and working on the website at the moment. I also added some of the baby stuff on Pinterest as well as other things too such as coasters and and slippers. | {
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I want to lose at least 50 pounds before summer.
Don’t say it’s impossible, please.
It’s not so much that I want to lose weight,
I just really need to get rid of my body fat.
I’m 15.
What are some excersizes to help me with my stomach fat & legs?
How can I make my face skinnier?
& What foods should I eat?
I want it to be free, no pills or acai berry.
Thanks! 🙂 | {
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Grading the Student Assessments
This screen is used to enter the teacher's grade for the assessment made
by the student during the submission and assessment phase of the assignment. A relatively
simple grading is used, the score out of 20. The teacher can decide what is
being graded and the relative scores from the instructions given to the students
before the assignment started. For example, at a higher level the students may be
required to give critical comments, at an intermediate level the students may be
required to point out strengths and weaknesses, and at a lower level the students
may be simply pointing out errors and inaccuracies.
If available the Teacher's own assessment is shown before that of the
student so an easy comparison can be made. The teacher's own
comments can act as a kind of benchmark.
The grade for the assessment is
saved by clicking on the appropriate button at the foot of the page. There is a
chance to repeat the grading within the "editing" period. Once that
time has elapsed the teacher's comment is made available to the student. The
"grading grade", however, is not revealed to the student until the
final grades are made available. (The reason for this is the likely confusion
between the grade for the piece of work and the grade for the ASSESSMENT
of that work, at an early stage of an assignment the distinction will not be
clear to students.) | {
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You are here
Facilitator Network CPD - Taking Your Action Learning Skills Further
Tuesday, January 20, 201510:00to16:00
An interactive one day workshop for those already trained and practised in action learning facilitator skills.
Run as an action learning set, the day will give participants the opportunity to reflect on their developing facilitation skills, whilst experiencing and working on issues to extend their practice with peers.
The day will include two alternative action learning formats for use in different situations when time is limited and when there is a commonly held issue.
Taking a day out for reflection and review will deepen the learning of facilitators, increasing confidence and motivation, address issues of good practice and contribute to building a culture of action learning within the NHS. | {
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Reports criticize Utah courts over your right to a lawyer2015-10-26http://fox13now.com/2015/10/26/reports-slam-utah-courts-over-your-right-to-a-lawyer/A pair of reports leveled some harsh criticism over how the Utah court system deals with your constitutional right to an attorney.Ben Winslow | {
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Chiefs History
1990's
The foundation for the club's formidable offensive line of the '90s gathered two key ingredients when C Tim Grunhard (Notre Dame) and G Dave Szott (Penn State) were acquired in the draft. Construction began on the club's indoor practice facility at the Truman Sports Complex, giving the Chiefs an 80-yard indoor field and weight room facilities upon its completion. DT Buck Buchanan was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 4th. The Chiefs made their initial overseas appearance, losing a 19-3 American Bowl decision vs. the L.A. Rams at Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany (8/11). Schottenheimer's club got out of the starting gate quickly, winning three of their first four games. The club then struggled, splitting its next six contests.
Free agent RB Barry Word produced a team-record 200-yard rushing outburst in a 43-24 victory vs. Detroit (10/14). Kansas City led the NFL with a franchise-record 60.0 sacks, including a team-record 20.0 by LB Derrick Thomas. Thomas established an NFL single-game record with 7.0 sacks in an inspiring Veterans Day performance vs. Seattle (11/11), a game the Seahawks miraculously won, 17-16, on a last-second, 25-yard TD pass to WR Paul Skansi by future Chiefs QB Dave Krieg. That loss brought on the furious stretch run which saw the club record victories in six of its last seven outings. Behind DeBerg's offensive leadership (23 TD passes with just four INTs) Kansas City finished the year with a franchise-best +26 turnover differential. The Chiefs clinched their first postseason berth since '86 with a 24-21 win at San Diego (12/23) and finished the year at 11-5, marking the franchise's best finish since '69.
1991
The Chiefs suffered a heart-breaking, 17-16 loss at Miami (1/5) in an AFC Wild Card Game as K Nick Lowery's potential game-winning 52-yard FG fell short with 0:56 remaining. On July 27th, K Jan Stenerud became the first pure placekicker to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Chiefs became members of Wisconsin's "Cheese League," moving their training camp to the University of Wisconsin - River Falls after spending the previous 28 summers at William Jewell College in Liberty, MO. The club's 14-3 win vs. Atlanta (9/1) on Opening Day initiated the 109-game sellout streak at Arrowhead that carried into the 2004 campaign. The Chiefs were featured on Monday Night Football three times, including a 33-6 victory over the defending AFC Champion Buffalo Bills before a raucous crowd at Arrowhead (10/7), marking the club's first home MNF contest in eight years. The club finished the regular season at 10-6, marking the first time since '68-69 that the franchise had qualified for the playoffs in consecutive seasons. A 27-21 victory at the L.A. Raiders (12/22) in the regular season finale gave the Chiefs the right to host the Silver and Black just six days later in the inaugural postseason game in Arrowhead's history. Thanks to six Los Angeles turnovers, the Chiefs registered their first postseason victory since Super Bowl IV with a 10-6 win in an AFC Wild Card Game (12/28).
1992
The Chiefs lost a 37-14 decision at Buffalo (1/5) in an AFC Divisional Playoff matchup as the Bills dynamic offense proved to be too much for the Chiefs. A longtime nemesis with Seattle, "Plan B" free agent QB Dave Krieg was signed as the club's starter on March 19th. A melancholy off-season awaited the Chiefs, who mourned the passing of Player Personnel Director Whitey Dovell on May 22nd and Hall of Fame DT Buck Buchanan on July 16th. Both Dovell and Buchanan lost courageous battles with cancer. Six-time Pro Bowl S Deron Cherry who originally joined the club as a free agent punter, announced his retirement in July after registering 50 interceptions in 11 seasons with the franchise. The Chiefs retired the jerseys of Buchanan (86), LB Willie Lanier (63) and K Jan Stenerud (3) in a ceremony prior to a preseason contest vs. Buffalo (8/24).
First-round draft pick CB Dale Carter (Tennessee) won the Bert Bell trophy as the NFL's Rookie of the Year. The very first time Carter touched the ball in an NFL contest, he registered a 46-yard punt return TD in a 24-10 win at San Diego (9/6). RB Christian Okoye surpassed Ed Podolak as the all-time leading rusher in team history vs. Seattle (9/13). Injuries eventually made the '92 campaign Okoye's last with the Chiefs after he compiled 4,897 rushing yards with the franchise. The club got off to a 3-1 start, but was faced with a 4-4 record at the season's midpoint. Despite four consecutive victories, the club's postseason hopes still came down to the season's final contest. Owning a 9-6 record and needing one more victory to secure a playoff berth, the Chiefs defense tallied three TDs, while Krieg tossed a pair of scoring passes as Kansas City claimed a 42-20 win vs. Denver (12/27) to finish the season at 10-6.
1993
The Chiefs made a quick exit from the playoffs as Krieg was sacked 7.0 times in a 17-0 AFC Wild Card loss at San Diego (1/2). The Chiefs spent the off-season installing the "West Coast" offense under the direction of new offensive coordinator Paul Hackett, who at one time served as QBs coach to Joe Montana in San Francisco. On April 20th, the Chiefs traded for Montana, who directed the 49ers to four Super Bowl victories. G Will Shields (Nebraska) was selected with the club's third-round draft choice, rounding out the "law firm" of Grunhard, Szott and Shields which anchored the interior of Chiefs offensive line for most of the decade. On June 9th the club signed another future Canton enshrinee, inking unrestricted free agent RB Marcus Allen, who had spent 11 seasons tormenting the Chiefs as a member of the Raiders. Montana and Allen made their debuts in a 27-3 win at Tampa Bay (9/5), marking Montana's first Opening Day appearance since '90. Shields initiated a franchise-record streak of 175 consecutive starts the following week at Houston (9/12). Thanks to a pair of Monday Night Football wins at Arrowhead, the club owned a 6-2 midseason mark. Before taking the field in a Sunday night contest at Minnesota (12/26), the team learned it had clinched its first AFC West title since '71 thanks to a Raiders loss earlier in the day. The team finished the season with an 11-5 regular season record, marking the club's fourth consecutive year with a double-digit victory tally. LB Derrick Thomas was named the NFL's Man of the Year following the season. Thomas, who founded "The Third and Long Foundation," received the honor in large part due to his efforts in promoting children's literacy.
1994
Kansas City got its first true taste of "Montana Magic" as the Hall of Fame passer engineered a brilliant comeback in a 27-24 OT win in an AFC Wild Card thriller vs. Pittsburgh (1/8). Next up was a red-hot Oilers squad that had won 11 straight games to conclude the regular season. Heavily-favored Houston opened up a 13-7 lead in the fourth quarter, but once again, Montana had a comeback in mind, guiding the club to a 28-20 victory at Houston (1/16). The Chiefs playoff journey ended as the club made its initial AFC Championship Game appearance at Buffalo (1/23). Montana was knocked out of the contest early in the second half as Buffalo claimed its fourth straight AFC title by a score of 30-13.
While the previous off-season saw the Chiefs stockpile several key free agents, a number of familiar faces departed following the '93 season, most notably CBs Albert Lewis (Raiders) and Kevin Ross (Falcons), as well as K Nick Lowery (Jets). QB Steve Bono was acquired in a trade with San Francisco on May 2nd to serve as Montana's backup. The most dramatic change in Arrowhead's appearance occurred as a grass playing field was also installed, replacing the previous AstroTurf surface. The club made its second American Bowl appearance, meeting Minnesota in Tokyo, Japan (8/7).
The Chiefs home opener was one of the most-ballyhooed regular season contests in team history as Montana made his only career appearance vs. San Francisco (9/11). The Chiefs prevailed over the 49ers and Montana's replacement, QB Steve Young, by a 24-17 count before a crowd of 79,907, the second-largest "in-house" attendance in Arrowhead history. After starting the season 3-0, the Chiefs dropped back-to-back games before snapping an 11-game losing streak at Denver's Mile High Stadium (10/17) in a memorable Monday night contest. Montana orchestrated a masterful comeback, connecting with WR Willie Davis for a five-yard TD with 0:08 remaining to give the Chiefs a 31-28 triumph. A late-season, three-game losing skid put the club's playoff hopes in jeopardy. The Chiefs found themselves at 8-7 faced with a do-or-die regular season finale vs. the L.A. Raiders (12/24) in the final NFL contest ever played at the L.A. Coliseum. Allen had his finest game in a Chiefs uniform, rushing 33 times for 132 yards en route to a 19-9 win. At 9-7, Kansas City qualified for the playoffs for a fifth straight season. However, the Chiefs made a rapid departure from the playoffs in Montana's final professional contest at Miami (12/31). Montana and Dolphins QB Dan Marino conducted a masterful first-half duel that ended deadlocked at 17-17, but Miami eventually prevailed by a 27-17 count.
1995
Montana announced his retirement from football after 16 years in the NFL on April 18th and Bono was promoted to the starting job. Immediately, so-called media experts predicted much gloom and doom for the '95 Chiefs, leading Schottenheimer to quip during training camp that his club had been picked "sixth in a five-team division." Led by Bono, who merited a Pro Bowl berth, Kansas City posted an NFL-best 13-3 record with unblemished 8-0 marks in the AFC West and at Arrowhead. The Chiefs led the NFL in rushing offense (138.9 ypg), scoring defense (15.1 ppg) and turnover ratio (+12). A 24-3 win at Arizona (10/1) featured a surreal, 76-yard TD run on a bootleg by Bono as the Chiefs initiated a seven-game winning streak, the franchise's longest since '69. In a Monday Night Football classic vs. San Diego (10/9), WR Tamarick Vanover returned a punt for an 86-yard TD to provide the winning points in a 29-23 victory, the team's third straight home win in overtime. The club's defense began to flex its muscle, beginning with a 21-7 win at Denver (10/22). The contest, played in a Rocky Mountain snowstorm, featured the 100th rushing TD of Marcus Allen's career. The Chiefs won a home game for the third time on a last-second return score that concluded in Arrowhead's West end zone when CB Mark Collins scooped up a fumble for a 20-13 win vs. Houston (11/19). Kansas City clinched a division title with a 29-23 victory at Oakland (12/3) en route to a franchise-best 13-3 regular season record and a team-record sixth consecutive postseason berth. The Chiefs were represented by seven players in the Pro Bowl, more than any other AFC team.
1996
The Chiefs dropped an AFC Divisional Playoff Game vs. Indianapolis (1/7) on a blustery afternoon with the temperature at 11 degrees and a wind chill of -9. Three INTs and a trio of missed FGs contributed to the 10-7 loss at Arrowhead. The Chiefs entered the '96 campaign with essentially the same lineup as the club boasted in '95 and were featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated along with Green Bay as preseason Super Bowl favorites. Kansas City made its third American Bowl appearance, this time vs. Dallas in Monterrey, Mexico (8/5). The club started the season with a 4-0 record for the first time in team history, but the season's lofty expectations came crashing down as the squad lost three of its next four games. A three-game winning streak, including a victory over the eventual Super Bowl champion Packers, put the club back in postseason contention at 8-3.
That rosy picture quickly crumbled in a 28-14 loss vs. San Diego (11/24) as Bono was relieved in the second half by QB Rich Gannon. Gannon assumed the starting reins for a 28-24 win in a Thanksgiving Day game at Detroit (11/28) as Allen registered his 111th career rushing TD to surpass Walter Payton as the NFL's all-time leader in that department, a mark that was later broken by Emmitt Smith. Needing just one more win to qualify for the playoffs, the Chiefs dropped their next two games as an injury-hampered Gannon was sidelined for good in the second quarter of a 24-19 loss vs. Indianapolis (12/15). Faced with a must-win situation in a frigid regular season finale at Buffalo (12/22), the club's postseason hopes hinged on Bono. Despite a 20-9 loss to the Bills, the Chiefs still had a shot to slip into the playoffs if Atlanta could secure a win at Jacksonville. However, Atlanta K Morten Andersen's 30-yard FG attempt went wide left with 0:04 remaining, preserving a 19-17 win and the AFC's final Wild Card spot for the Jaguars, who won a tiebreaker with Kansas City. The Chiefs finished with a 9-7 record, missing the postseason for the first time since '89.
1997
Kansas City dramatically retooled its roster in '97, beginning with free agent QB Elvis Grbac, who signed with the club on March 17th. In addition to Grbac, the Chiefs lineup featured 11 new starters, including WR Andre Rison, who won team MVP honors after becoming the club's first Pro Bowl receiver in a decade. On defense, the club's top four picks from the '96 Draft, S Jerome Woods, S Reggie Tongue, DE John Browning and LB Donnie Edwards, all emerged as starters. T John Alt announced his retirement at training camp in River Falls, WI on July 21st. All the new faces quickly formed a cohesive unit as the Chiefs posted a 13-3 record, an 8-0 Arrowhead mark and their second AFC West title in three years. The club engineered several dramatic finishes, the first of which came in a Monday Night Football thriller at Oakland (9/8) when Grbac connected with Rison on an improbable 32-yard TD pass with just 0:03 remaining to cap a 28-27 win. Six days later, Kansas City's defense produced a remarkable goal-line stand to preserve a 22-16 victory at Arrowhead vs. Buffalo (9/14).
After posting a 6-2 record during the season's first half, Kansas City's good fortune appeared to run out vs. Pittsburgh (11/3) when Grbac suffered a broken clavicle. However, Gannon led the team to a 5-1 mark in their next six outings.
K Pete Stoyanovich provided one of the year's most memorable moments, connecting on a line-drive 54-yard FG as time expired to give Kansas City a 24-22 win vs. Denver (11/16). San Francisco entered Arrowhead boasting an 11-game winning streak and departed after suffering a 44-9 defeat (11/30), while the Chiefs vaunted defensive unit pitched a 30-0 shutout vs. Oakland (12/7). The Chiefs led the NFL in scoring defense, allowing a mere 14.5 points per game. The 232 total points permitted by the Chiefs in '97 were the lowest tally ever allowed in a 16-game season in team history. Kansas City also broke a 63-year-old mark owned by the '34 Detroit Lions by not permitting a second-half TD in 10 consecutive games. Grbac returned for the regular season finale vs. New Orleans (12/21) as the squad finished the year with six consecutive victories, a first in team history.
1998
The two teams with the AFC's top records squared off when Denver (12-4) visited Kansas City (13-3) for an AFC Divisional Playoff Game (1/4). Grbac started the contest for Kansas City and despite holding an edge in total yardage, the Chiefs could not convert on several key scoring opportunities, dropping a 14-10 decision to their division foe. On April 9th, RB Marcus Allen announced his retirement, concluding a brilliant 16-year NFL career. A whirlwind preseason saw the Chiefs play another American Bowl contest, this time vs. Green Bay in Tokyo, Japan (8/1), as well as a preseason game vs. Tampa Bay in Norman, Oklahoma (8/8).
A '98 campaign which began with much promise had its high hopes dashed as the Chiefs suffered several major injuries beginning in a season-opening victory vs. Oakland (9/6) that featured 6.0 sacks from LB Derrick Thomas. Grbac was lost for four games due to a shoulder injury, while All-Pro G Dave Szott's year came to an end with a biceps tear. In total, 11 different starters missed a total of 45 games due to injuries. Gannon led the team to a 4-1 start that included a water-logged, 17-6 Sunday night win vs. Seattle (10/4), a contest that was delayed for 54 minutes due to torrential rains. However, the club would never recover from an ensuing six-game losing streak, the longest of Schottenheimer's tenure. The low point of that stretch came in a penalty-marred 30-7 loss vs. Denver (11/16) on Monday Night Football. The club was hampered by crucial penalties throughout the season, setting dubious NFL records for penalties (158) and penalty yardage (1,304). Despite registering wins in three of the season's final five games, the club finished the year at 7-9, snapping a string of nine consecutive winning seasons.
Gun's Run, A Fallen Hero & A New Era
1999
On January 11th, head coach Marty Schottenheimer announced his retirement after 10 seasons of distinguished service with the club. His 101-58-1 (.634) record gave him the best winning percentage of any coach in franchise history. During his tenure, the Chiefs captured three AFC West titles and qualified for the playoffs seven times. Schottenheimer also produced a remarkable 18-3 (.857) record against the Raiders. Gunther Cunningham was appointed the eighth head coach in franchise history on January 22nd. During his four seasons ('95-98) as the Chiefs defensive coordinator, Kansas City's defense allowed a league-low 16.4 points per game. The club responded to their new leader's high-energy style as Cunningham produced a 9-7 record in his initial season at the club's helm, the best record of any rookie head coach in franchise history and the best mark of any first-year head coach in the NFL that season. The club became the sixth team in NFL history to record 100 regular season wins in a decade with a 16-10 triumph at Denver (12/5). Only Buffalo (103-57) finished the '90s with a better record than Kansas City's 102-58 mark. Under Cunningham, Kansas City led the NFL with a +21 turnover ratio and won the NFL's turnover triple crown in the '90s with a remarkable +128 turnover ratio, a league-high 365 takeaways and an NFL-low 237 giveaways. The Chiefs also recorded 11 return TDs on the season, including a franchise-best nine on defense. The Chiefs ran the ball more times (521) than any other team in the league and ranked fourth in the NFL in rushing (130.1 ypg). After a three-game mid-season losing streak put the club at 5-5 and on the brink of playoff elimination, the team rallied for a four-game winning string, setting up a make-or-break game in the regular season finale vs. Oakland. | {
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Labs
About Mozilla Labs
Laboratories are where science and creativity meet to develop, research, and explore new ideas. Mozilla Labs embraces this great tradition - a virtual lab where people come together to create, experiment, and play with new Web innovations and technologies.
Anything goes here. Crazy ideas and inspirations are encouraged as we all explore and experiment with brand new ideas in whole new ways. Mozilla Labs is about inspiring and harnessing the intelligence, wisdom, and energy of the Mozilla community; let’s imagine the future of the Web, and then let’s build it together. | {
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Author: Harry Chase Brearley
Title: Fifty years of a civilizing force; an historical and a critical study of the work of the National Board of Fire Underwriters
Publisher: New York : Stokes
Subject (keywords, tags): National Board of Fire Underwriters; Fire prevention -- United States; Insurance, Fire -- United Sta
Contributor: University of California Libraries
Format: txt
Size: 187 kb | {
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Few hotels was being shortlisted before we went for holiday in Lombok and finally we chose Sudamala Suites based on good recommendation from sites.
Enjoy our holiday in Lombok, very relaxing place and if you are looking for happening place and party, you should stay a nite or two at Gili Trawangan but you need to take a boat to go back to Lombok town or Senggigi. We stayed 4 days 3 nights at Sudamala and had no complain because everything was perfect.
Red F from Malaysia
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This resort is located in Senggigi (Senggigi Beach - Mangsit), where regional attractions include Bangsal Harbor, Gili …More
The hotel is beautifully designed, with very friendly staff.
The 3 infinity pools are well maintained and situated aptly to take a swim and look directly into the sea.... Good for a relaxing beach holiday..
daphne from kuala lumpur
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Located on the beach, this villa is in Senggigi, within the vicinity of Bangsal Harbor. Regional attractions also include …More
This is a very comfortable and quiet hotel in a superb location - on the beach with views out to the Gilli Islands.
What makes it so special though is the staff - always so courteous and nothing is too much trouble for them.
Quality of the food and the accommodation exceptionally good.
Martyn from Singapore
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Within easy reach of Bangsal Harbor, this Tanjung hotel is located by the ocean and offers direct access to the beach. Area …More
We are an older couple and had a 5 night stay at the Vamana Hotel.There are a lot of young backpackers visiting and initially we were worried at first it could be a noisy island. However the hotel is at the quiet end of town and we had no problems at all. The hotel is across from a nice beach with comfortable lounges. It was lovely having breakfast in the restaurant on the beach. You could easily see turtles there when snorkeling.The management and staff were very nice -very friendly and efficient.
Ron from Australia
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This Gili Trawangan hotel is located by the sea, offering direct access to the beach and only short distance from Meno Wall …More
Hotel Brand
Lombok Hotel Guide
Expedia.com offers a selection of 110 hotels in Lombok. You are sure to find cheap deals and discount rates among them with our Best Price Guarantee. No matter what type of hotel strikes your fancy, we will let you search for your preferred one to accommodate your travel needs.
Expedia.com will not only save you time, but also money when booking your stay at a hotel in Lombok. Making reservations so you can stay within your budget is easy with us.
Expedia.com even provides you with a map so you may find hotels in the Lombok neighborhood you prefer.
Travel to & Explore Lombok
*For these packages, package savings is at least equal to the cost of the flight or hotel if booked separately. Note: For packages including flights, you will be charged by the airline for the flight, but your savings on the package will equal the cost of the flight. | {
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Near-term consumption of groundwater for irrigated agriculture in the High Plains Aquifer supports a dynamic bio-socio-economic system, all parts of which will be impacted by a future transition to sustainable usage that ...
During the last century low back pain has been emerged as a widespread disease often caused by intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). IDD in turn is a complex problem, in which a variety of causes play a crucial role. As ...
Ceramic membranes become continuously attractive for separation applications with fluids at increased temperatures, at high or low pH levels and in contact with critical chemical species as solvents or other organic ...
The objective of this study was to characterize biochar produced from rice hulls and wood chips in a top-lit updraft gasifier. Biochar from four airflows (8, 12, 16, or 20 L min-1) and two insulation conditions (not insulated ...
The optical and physical properties of hexagonal boron nitride single crystals grown from a molten metal solution are reported. The hBN crystals were grown by precipitation from a nickel-chromium flux with a boron nitride ...
Three big bluestem ecotypes from central Kansas (Cedar Bluffs and Webster populations), eastern Kansas (Konza and Top of the World populations), and Illinois (12Mile and Fults populations), as well as the Kaw cultivar, ...
Recently, the need to increase the strength of reinforced concrete members has become a subject that civil engineers are interested in tackling. Of the many proposed solutions, fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) materials have ...
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the oceans is one of the largest dynamic reservoirs of carbon on earth, comparable in size to the atmospheric reservoir of carbon (as CO2) in the atmosphere, or to the amount of carbon in ...
Concentration and retention of a rod-shaped virus during tangential flow ultrafiltration (UF) was assessed to evaluate the potential of membrane-based downstream methods with advantages such as easy scale-up for industrial ...
We have recently introduced an immobilization protocol for preparations of enzymes on fumed silica for catalysis in organic solvents. The observation of a maximum in apparent catalytic activity at intermediate surface ...
Two different sugar yield definitions (cellulose-based and biomass-based) were used in reported studies investigating the relationship between biomass particle size and enzymatic hydrolysis sugar yield. It is noticed that ...
In-plane frost growth on chilled hydrophobic surfaces is an inter-droplet phenomenon, where frozen droplets harvest water from neighboring supercooled liquid droplets to grow ice bridges that propagate across the surface ... | {
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Goblin Hill Villas at San San (Resort), Port Antonio (Jamaica) Deals
Resort
Goblin Hill Villas at San San
This is a Preferred Partner property. It's committed to giving guests a positive experience with its excellent service and great value. This property might pay Booking.com a little more to be in this Program.Airport shuttle. Airport shuttle available at an additional charge. You can request this in the next step.Airport shuttle
I'm originally from this part of Jamaica so I know Jamaican food. The food was great! The views and the flora were heavenly. The staff made us feel like family.
Esther,
United States of America
The location is great. It is peaceful, the view is amazing, Frencman's Cove is quite close (we chose to walk there). We ate one of the best soups of our lives (pumpkin with coconut) - the housekeeper really did a good job preparing everything. She was very nice to us.
The swimming pool is also great, some of the sunbeds are always in the shade.
Other reviews mention bad wifi - it wasn't the best, but it still worked all the time. During our stay they were improving it, so it is supposed to be even better.
The jet of water from the shower was a bit weak on the last day, but that didn't bother us much.
Long story short: we were very pleased with Goblin Hill villas!
Eva,
Slovenia
the housekeeper was a dream. discreet but helpful. beautiful property
Paula,
Jamaica
ambience and warm friendly staff. Rooms were very clean
Kay,
Jamaica
The view was spectacular, and customer service was amazing.
Nichola,
United States of America
The room was excellent. The view was perfect. The staff was great
Racquida,
Jamaica
The villas are nestled in a peaceful, lush area, surrounded by natural forestry embedded with soothing bird lullabies whose tunes change as the day moves from dawn to dusk to dawn and a wonderful view of the coastline that is awe inspiring. Perfect location for exploring the Blue Lagoon (walking distance), Frenchman's cove (not too far either)... and other attractions such as Sommerset falls and even Reach falls are reasonable drives away. We rented a car and drove, but I believe the villa will arrange excursions for you. The staff is exceptionally pleasant and our housekeeper/cook, Raquel shopped for ingredients on our behalf and prepared perfect local breakfast meals per request (ackee, callaloo, mackerel rundown, fry and boil dumplings, green banana). Di ting tun up!
Nez,
United States of America
Our housekeeper was exceptional! Our first experience having someone cook and clean for us. What an absolute treat! Our Wendy made some of the best meals we ever had in Jamaica (over 50 visits!) We went shopping with Wendy the second morning and she was a very impressive shopper! She looked for freshness, value and price! She was the best part of our stay~
Cindy,
United States of America
The views are gorgeous and our personal chef/housekeeper was wonderful
Amerika,
United States of America
Personal cooker for dinner and breakfast. Arranged everything for us in our balcony. We had to provide the meals thoug but it was fine
“I'm originally from this part of Jamaica so I know Jamaican food. The food was great! The views and the flora were heavenly. The staff made us feel like family.”
Esther
United States of America
“The location is great. It is peaceful, the view is amazing, Frencman's Cove is quite close (we chose to walk there). ”
Eva
Slovenia
“the housekeeper was a dream. discreet but helpful. beautiful property”
Paula
Jamaica
“ambience and warm friendly staff. Rooms were very clean”
Kay
Jamaica
“The view was spectacular, and customer service was amazing.”
Nichola
United States of America
“The room was excellent. The view was perfect. The staff was great”
Racquida
Jamaica
“The villas are nestled in a peaceful, lush area, surrounded by natural forestry embedded with soothing bird lullabies whose tunes change as the day moves from dawn to dusk to dawn and a wonderful view...”
Nez
United States of America
“Our housekeeper was exceptional! Our first experience having someone cook and clean for us. What an absolute treat! ”
Cindy
United States of America
“The views are gorgeous and our personal chef/housekeeper was wonderful”
Amerika
United States of America
“Personal cooker for dinner and breakfast. Arranged everything for us in our balcony. We had to provide the meals thoug but it was fine”
Hugo
Panama
One of our top picks in Port Antonio.Goblin Hill Villas at San San is located 1.2 mi from Frenchman’s Cove Beach and features an outdoor swimming pool, an extensive garden and tennis courts. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout.
The air-conditioned villas feature tropical décor and garden or sea views. Each villa offers a seating area, a bathroom with a bath or shower and a kitchen with a stove, microwave, fridge and dining area. Internet TV is available on request with access to an in-home multimedia library with movies, documentaries, music and cartoons.
Each villa comes with a personal helper who can prepare meals free of charge and arrange grocery shopping on request. You can also find restaurants and bars within 10 minutes’ drive.
This property has an on-site library, and staff at reception can help you arrange tours and excursions to the main beaches in the surrounding area. Each villa comes with a personal helper who can prepare meals free of charge and arrange grocery shopping on request, please contact the property before arriving.
Goblin Hill Villas at San San is 20 minutes’ flight from Kingston and 40 minutes’ flight from Montego Bay. Norman Manley International Airport is 2 hours and 30 minutes’ drive away.
This property also has one of the top-rated locations in Port Antonio! Guests are happier about it compared to other properties in the area.
Couples in particular like the location – they rated it 8.7 for a two-person trip.
We speak your language!
Goblin Hill Villas at San San has been welcoming Booking.com guests since May 10, 2013
Overlooking the gardens, this air-conditioned villa offers free Wi-Fi, a fan and a seating area. Cable TV is available on request. The bathroom comes with a bath or shower and the kitchen includes a stove, microwave, fridge and dining area.
Villa Facilities:
• Shower
• Air conditioning
• Balcony
• Refrigerator
• Desk
• Ironing facilities
• Sitting area
• Free toiletries
• Fan
• Toilet
• Microwave
• Private Bathroom
• Kitchen
• Bathtub or shower
• Private entrance
• Sofa
• Tile/Marble floor
• View
• Wake-up service
• Dining area
• Kitchenware
• Mosquito net
• Wardrobe or closet
• Oven
• Stovetop
• Toaster
• Garden view
• Pool view
• Coffee machine
• Terrace
• Towels
• Linens
• Dining table
• High chair
• Upper floors accessible by stairs only
• Clothes rack
• Fold-up bed
• Toilet paper
• Board games/puzzles
Select everything you want to know more about
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Featuring ocean views, this air-conditioned villa offers free Wi-Fi, a fan and a seating area. The bathroom comes with a bath or shower and the kitchen includes a stove, microwave, fridge and dining area. Cable tv available in Library in central facility.
Villa Facilities:
• Shower
• Air conditioning
• Balcony
• Refrigerator
• Desk
• Ironing facilities
• Sitting area
• Free toiletries
• Fan
• Toilet
• Microwave
• Private Bathroom
• Kitchen
• Bathtub or shower
• Private entrance
• Sofa
• Tile/Marble floor
• View
• Wake-up service
• Dining area
• Kitchenware
• Mosquito net
• Wardrobe or closet
• Oven
• Stovetop
• Toaster
• Ocean view
• Coffee machine
• Terrace
• Towels
• Linens
• Dining table
• High chair
• Entire unit located on ground floor
• Upper floors accessible by stairs only
• Clothes rack
• Fold-up bed
• Toilet paper
• Board games/puzzles
Select everything you want to know more about
(Your response helps provide better info for travelers)
Beds
Bathroom
Kitchen
Breakfast
Room capacity
Room view
Room facilities
Parking
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Other
What do you want to know about the options you selected?
Enter your feedback
Featuring ocean views, this air-conditioned villa offers free Wi-Fi, a fan and a seating area. The bathroom comes with a bath or shower and the kitchen includes a stove, microwave, fridge and dining area. Cable tv available in Library in central facility.
Villa Facilities:
• Shower
• Air conditioning
• Refrigerator
• Desk
• Ironing facilities
• Sitting area
• Free toiletries
• Fan
• Toilet
• Microwave
• Patio
• Private Bathroom
• Walk-in closet
• Kitchen
• Bathtub or shower
• Guest bathroom
• Private entrance
• Sofa
• Tile/Marble floor
• View
• Wake-up service
• Dining area
• Kitchenware
• Mosquito net
• Wardrobe or closet
• Oven
• Stovetop
• Toaster
• Ocean view
• Pool view
• Additional bathroom
• Coffee machine
• Terrace
• Towels
• Linens
• Dining table
• High chair
• Outdoor furniture
• Outdoor dining area
• Upper floors accessible by stairs only
• Clothes rack
• Fold-up bed
• Toilet paper
• Board games/puzzles
Select everything you want to know more about
(Your response helps provide better info for travelers)
Beds
Bathroom
Kitchen
Breakfast
Room capacity
Room view
Room facilities
Parking
Smoking
Other
What do you want to know about the options you selected?
Enter your feedback
Overlooking the gardens, this air-conditioned villa offers free Wi-Fi, a fan and a seating area. The bathroom comes with a bath or shower and the kitchen includes a stove, microwave, fridge and dining area. Cable tv available in Library in central facility
Villa Facilities:
• Shower
• Air conditioning
• Refrigerator
• Desk
• Ironing facilities
• Sitting area
• Free toiletries
• Fan
• Toilet
• Microwave
• Patio
• Private Bathroom
• Walk-in closet
• Kitchen
• Bathtub or shower
• Guest bathroom
• Private entrance
• Sofa
• Tile/Marble floor
• View
• Wake-up service
• Dining area
• Kitchenware
• Mosquito net
• Wardrobe or closet
• Oven
• Stovetop
• Toaster
• Garden view
• Pool view
• Additional bathroom
• Coffee machine
• Terrace
• Towels
• Linens
• Dining table
• High chair
• Outdoor furniture
• Outdoor dining area
• Upper floors accessible by stairs only
• Clothes rack
• Fold-up bed
• Toilet paper
• Board games/puzzles
Select everything you want to know more about
(Your response helps provide better info for travelers)
Beds
Bathroom
Kitchen
Breakfast
Room capacity
Room view
Room facilities
Parking
Smoking
Other
What do you want to know about the options you selected?
Enter your feedback
• Deposits must be made within two days of a reservation
• Reservations made more than 30 days before arrival require a 50% deposit to hold the villa. This will hold the villa until 30 days prior to arrival, when the balance is due to confirm the booking.
• Bookings made within 30 days of arrival must be paid in full to confirm the reservation.
• Cancelations must be emailed.
• Cancelations 30 days or more prior to arrival are fully refundable, less an administrative charge of US$35 per villa.
• Cancelations 7-30 days prior to arrival are 50% refundable, less the administrative charge of US$35 per villa. You may alternatively apply your payment to another stay at no penalty, one time, on a space-available basis outside of blackout periods.
• Cancelations 7 days or less to arrival are nonrefundable, as are no-shows on day of arrival, late check-ins, and early checkouts.
Holidays:
• Jamaican public holiday weekends require a 2-night minimum stay.
• Holiday Season (December 20-January 5): 3-night minimum stay. Balance due 45 days before arrival.
• Cancelations less than 21 days prior to the Holiday Season (Dec. 20-Jan.5) are nonrefundable, as are no-shows on day of arrival, late check-ins, and early checkouts.
Guests are required to show a photo ID and credit card upon check-in. Please note that all Special Requests are subject to availability and additional charges may apply.
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What guests loved the most:
“I'm originally from this part of Jamaica so I know Jamaican food. The food was great! The views and the flora were heavenly. The staff made us feel like family.”
EstherUnited States of America
“The location is great. It is peaceful, the view is amazing, Frencman's Cove is quite close (we chose to walk there). We ate one of the best soups of our lives (pumpkin with coconut) - the housekeeper really did a good job preparing everything. She was very nice to us.
The swimming pool is also great, some of the sunbeds are always in the shade.
Other reviews mention bad wifi - it wasn't the best, but it still worked all the time. During our stay they were improving it, so it is supposed to be even better.
The jet of water from the shower was a bit weak on the last day, but that didn't bother us much.
Long story short: we were very pleased with Goblin Hill villas!”
EvaSlovenia
“the housekeeper was a dream. discreet but helpful. beautiful property”
PaulaJamaica
“ambience and warm friendly staff. Rooms were very clean”
KayJamaica
“The view was spectacular, and customer service was amazing.”
NicholaUnited States of America
“The room was excellent. The view was perfect. The staff was great”
RacquidaJamaica
“The villas are nestled in a peaceful, lush area, surrounded by natural forestry embedded with soothing bird lullabies whose tunes change as the day moves from dawn to dusk to dawn and a wonderful view of the coastline that is awe inspiring. Perfect location for exploring the Blue Lagoon (walking distance), Frenchman's cove (not too far either)... and other attractions such as Sommerset falls and even Reach falls are reasonable drives away. We rented a car and drove, but I believe the villa will arrange excursions for you. The staff is exceptionally pleasant and our housekeeper/cook, Raquel shopped for ingredients on our behalf and prepared perfect local breakfast meals per request (ackee, callaloo, mackerel rundown, fry and boil dumplings, green banana). Di ting tun up!”
NezUnited States of America
“Our housekeeper was exceptional! Our first experience having someone cook and clean for us. What an absolute treat! Our Wendy made some of the best meals we ever had in Jamaica (over 50 visits!) We went shopping with Wendy the second morning and she was a very impressive shopper! She looked for freshness, value and price! She was the best part of our stay~”
CindyUnited States of America
“The views are gorgeous and our personal chef/housekeeper was wonderful”
AmerikaUnited States of America
“Personal cooker for dinner and breakfast. Arranged everything for us in our balcony. We had to provide the meals thoug but it was fine”
The only thing goblin Hills could improve on was the kitchen facilities.. We had a broken toaster which proved difficult but that's so small and easily fixable. Literally the only thing we didn't like which is pretty good.
Everything else! The villa is soo tranquil, amazing place to relax with perfect views of San San Beach and monkey Island. You can't beat it! Also such a lovely restaurant on site and great bar. The reception team was so helpful and friendly.. Derron was just awesome the whole time! Then having a personalised maid who offers to cook anything you want is just incredible! Michelle was super. So sweet and great cook! Then the security staff (Arville) were super, helping us with baggage, giving us recommendations... All in all,if we are ever in Port Antonio again then we will be coming back to visit all over again! Thank you the Goblin team!
Stayed in December 2018
Reviewed: December 6, 2018
Tricia
Jamaica
8.8
Excellent
• Leisure trip
• Family with young children
• One-Bedroom Villa with Garden View
• Stayed 1 night
• Submitted from a mobile device
The cable did not work. Was unable to watch the news nor any channel. Kept reloading then went down.
The grounds are beautiful and the view was great. It was walking distance to Blue Lagoon. The rooms were nice and bright and airy.
Stayed in December 2018
Reviewed: November 29, 2018
Esther
United States of America
8.8
Excellent
• Leisure trip
• Group of friends
• One-Bedroom Villa with Ocean View
• Stayed 3 nights
The interior could do with some upgrades. While my party didn't need it, the property needs disability access.
I'm originally from this part of Jamaica so I know Jamaican food. The food was great! The views and the flora were heavenly. The staff made us feel like family.
Stayed in November 2018
Reviewed: November 14, 2018
Anonymous
Canada
8.3
“Tranquility & Ambiance at its Best
”
• Leisure trip
• Group of friends
• Two-Bedroom Villa with Garden View
• Stayed 3 nights
• Submitted from a mobile device
Not having access to San San Beach without extra costs, There should be a complimentary pass for guests staying at Goblinhill. Also the steps leading down to the beach area require proper railings starting at the top of the steps to the ground level for older guests who fear falling on the drop side. Was told further down there are railings but none at the beginning of the steps. A complimentary shuttle down to the beach would be an excellent alternative for guests wanting to go to the beach.
The safe in villas need to be p/w accessible. We didn't have the use of ours as the previous guests left with the keys.
Wondered why there are no phones in the villas🤔? or access to the front desk without physically walking down there.
The Villas were bright, airy, & clean. Staff amazing. Special mention to our housekeepers - Carol, Elaine, and Michelle. The property was well maintained & the views were amazing. I would recommend this property in a heartbeat.
Stayed in October 2018
Reviewed: November 12, 2018
Anonymous
United States of America
9.2
Awesome
• Leisure trip
• Couple
• One-Bedroom Villa with Garden View
• Stayed 4 nights
• Submitted from a mobile device
Only thing that was a little inconvenient was there was never really any additional food or snacks on hand so you had to be prepared but I think that’s normal for the area we are in. Everything is fresh and made to order. Also the showers never got hot
My boyfriend and I loved staying here for a week! We went during the low season so there weren’t many others around and we had this incredible property all to ourselves. It truly is breath taking and the staff is super nice and accommodating. You have tons of amazing places to visit very close byblike the blue lagoon and Frenchman’s cove. Most other places are a taxi away and they have car services that they can arrange for you whenever you need.
We told our house keeper what meals we wanted prepared in the villa and she went grocery shopping and made us delicious home cooked meals.
Stayed in November 2018
Reviewed: November 7, 2018
Samuel
Jamaica
2.5
Very Poor
• Couple
• One-Bedroom Villa with Garden View
• Stayed 2 nights
• Submitted from a mobile device
I wrote to them and i didn’t have an answer.
The could not change my booking.
Stayed in November 2018
Reviewed: November 7, 2018
Eva
Slovenia
10
Exceptional
• Leisure trip
• Group of friends
• One-Bedroom Villa with Garden View
• Stayed 3 nights
• Submitted from a mobile device
The location is great. It is peaceful, the view is amazing, Frencman's Cove is quite close (we chose to walk there). We ate one of the best soups of our lives (pumpkin with coconut) - the housekeeper really did a good job preparing everything. She was very nice to us.
The swimming pool is also great, some of the sunbeds are always in the shade.
Other reviews mention bad wifi - it wasn't the best, but it still worked all the time. During our stay they were improving it, so it is supposed to be even better.
The jet of water from the shower was a bit weak on the last day, but that didn't bother us much.
Long story short: we were very pleased with Goblin Hill villas!
Stayed in November 2018
Reviewed: October 24, 2018
Jacqueline
United States of America
9.2
“Wonderful”
• Leisure trip
• Solo traveler
• One-Bedroom Villa with Garden View
• Stayed 4 nights
• Submitted from a mobile device
A/C only in bedroom
Private cook option
Stayed in October 2018
Reviewed: October 15, 2018
Paula
Jamaica
8.8
“pleasant enough but dont think i'll be back”
• Leisure trip
• Group of friends
• Two-Bedroom Villa with Ocean View
• Stayed 1 night
when i called to reconfirm my booking they told me they didn't see it. i mentioned that i did it online and they found it. when i got there i mentioned that i had requested, online, and received confirmation for, a late checkout. they assured me it was okay. yet almost two hours before i am due to checkout i have someone knocking on the door to inquire what was happening and whether i had requested a late checkout. not cool and very offensive
the housekeeper was a dream. discreet but helpful. beautiful property
Stayed in October 2018
Reviewed: October 15, 2018
Kay
Jamaica
7.9
“Absolutely magical without the mosquitoes”
• Leisure trip
• Couple
• Deluxe Villa
• Stayed 1 night
• Submitted from a mobile device
Mosquito galore. Bad roads to property
ambience and warm friendly staff. Rooms were very clean
Stayed in October 2018
Reviewed: September 10, 2018
La
Jamaica
1 helpful vote
9.6
“Pleasant”
• Business trip
• Group of friends
• Two-Bedroom Villa with Ocean View
• Stayed 1 night
• Submitted from a mobile device
Food on property a little too expensive for local visitors.
Friendly staff, great property.
Stayed in September 2018
Reviewed: August 23, 2018
Anonymous
Norway
7.5
“Nice overpriced place”
• Leisure trip
• Family with young children
• Two-Bedroom Villa with Garden View
• Stayed 2 nights
• Submitted from a mobile device
Despite sending 3 messages with same content regarding prebooking of dinner, we were served their standard jerk chicken. Do not use nearest san-san beach unless you enjoy having broken glass lying on the ground and a building site next door.
Beds are comfortable, the views all around the property are gorgeous . If you like tranquil beauty, this is the place for you. The resort is in close proximity to everything worth seeing and experiencing in Portland.
Stayed in August 2018
Reviewed: August 10, 2018
Ingrid
United States of America
10
“Awesome!”
• Leisure trip
• Group of friends
• One-Bedroom Villa with Ocean View
• Stayed 3 nights
• Submitted from a mobile device
Everything!
Stayed in August 2018
Reviewed: August 2, 2018
Carlos
Jamaica
7.5
Good
• Leisure trip
• Group of friends
• Two-Bedroom Villa with Ocean View
• Stayed 2 nights
• Submitted from a mobile device
Low water pressures
Stayed in July 2018
The Best of Port Antonio
Click here to see more properties near popular landmarks in Port Antonio | {
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There’s one for a gun that can shoot a whale, One for a train on metallic rails, One for a balance tipped by a spring, One for a carriage fit for a king, One from a duke and one from a queen, One for a magnificent flying machine, One for a High Level Bridge o’er the Tyne, And one for the praise that should have been mine.
You’ve been kind to lend an ear, sir; Buy this pamphlet if you please: To keep the wolves at bay, sir; And melt winter’s cruel freeze.
Some have judged me mockingly; There is laughter in their eyes: But I am genuinely honoured, sir; For these medals tell no lies.
There’s one for curing wood of its dry rot thirst, One to show my fan ventilator was first, One for a prophet and critic also, One for a poet and his natural flow, One for canals cut with flawless ease, And one for a unique mind, if you please; One for putting out fires at sea, And one for the staggering genius in me.
But does a man need medals like a jockey needs a horse, Like a mountain needs foundations, like a river needs its course, Like a planet needs an orbit, like a lion needs its pride, Or does it simply signify there’s nothing left inside?
For there’s more to searching than searching alone, More to a king than a crown or throne, More to a dog than chasing a bone, And more to me than these medals alone.
There’s one for the left breast, one for the right, One for my wisdom’s guiding light, One of silver and one of gold, One for each philosophy told, One for each step of progress made, One for ideas that never made the grade, One for the learning by which snakes shall fall, For I am the wisest man of them all.
In his latter years, throughout the 1840s, William was a very conspicuous figure on the streets of Newcastle, where he would parade continually, dressed in an eccentric and peculiar manner, hawking his various pamphlets to passers-by.
William Bell Scott, poet, artist and master of the School of Design in Newcastle, described a chance meeting with William Martin, on the streets of Newcastle in the 1840's. William, at the time in his 70's, was nearing the end of an extraordinary career which had seen him budding as a philosopher, a poet and an inventor. As Bell Scott testifies, William was wearing on his head a tortoise shell and the breast of his overcoat was festooned with a great many 'military' medals, most of them apparently presented to him as a joke by Newcastle's Quayside clerks and regarded by William as genuine. In fact, William had become the subject of great ridicule. Who indeed would have believed that a quiet and innocent place such as Tow-house, near Bardon Mill, Northumberland, could have spawned one of Tyneside's greatest characters?
Notes
'Mad Martins' depicts the extraordinary lives and times of the Martin brothers, William (self-proclaimed “natural philosopher and philosophical conquerer of all nations”), Jonathan (incendiary of York Minster) and John (eminent painter, engraver, town-planner and host), who were born in the late eighteenth century in the South Tyne area of Northumberland. | {
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Month: June 2017
I have been sick lately, not with anything life threatening but sick enough that for the last two weekends I have been stuck at home in bed and laying really low. I had to see the doctor more than a few times and we had to try a couple of different treatments but not I am back on my feet!
For me, this is just another reminder of how much your physical health is tangled up in your general disposition in the world. I am one of the lucky ones, I have health insurance, I have access to doctors/clinics, and I have the means to pay for the treatment I need. Unfortunately, this is not the case for many people in Mali. You get national insurance when you work for a company that pays their taxes and is registered with the government. In a country with incredibly high unemployment rates, many people work under the table – and so, have no insurance. Your community might have a community health center but it is not always equipped to deal with complicated health situations. If you have a complicated health issues (for example are sick with two things at the same time), you have to head to a city center and that costs money and you have to hope that some sort of transport is available to take you to that next location. Even if you arrive at the hospital you are faced with consultation fees, test fees, treatment fees – the costs can get pretty expensive, pretty quickly. If you are working under the table the chances that you can pay for the breadth of treatment available to you are pretty slim.
Amartya Sen, an Economist and Philosopher, draws attention to this in his theory about people’s potential. In humanitarian contexts, it is not unusual for organizations to distribute the same quantities of goods/services to every person. For example, each person will receive 10 kilos of rice per week, 5 kilos of beans etc. It’s done in the name of fairness and equality. But what if someone has a health concern like a parasite that is fighting your body for the nutrients that 10 kilos of rice and 5 kilos of beans can give. Comparative to someone who is fine health, you would under perform in terms of energy levels, you’d probably be lethargic and therefore less likely to take advantage of programs or socializing.
In Mali, health concerns, like broken bones, parasites, or things that get deteriorate over time, can be the economic ruin of a family as they struggle to balance their care and their household expenses. It is heart breaking to see small curable incidences cause financial stress or deteriorate to more serious illnesses because of lack of care. I know, that I am one of the lucky ones who does not face this reality. But it is because of this reality for others that I am committed to trying to help others whose situations are very different from my own. | {
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Differences between vitamins K1 and K2
Almost 90% of all vitamin K in the human diet occurs in the form of K1, and modern technology has allowed its quantification in food for several decades. However, only 11 years ago it became possible to also accurately analyse foods for their K2 content. The data were published by Schurgers et al [1] and this table is still used worldwide to estimate human vitamin K2 intake in study cohorts.
The first study cohort in which vitamin K intake was differentiated into K1 and K2 was the Rotterdam Study, a group of 4,500 elderly men and women (> 55 years old) whose dietary habits were repeatedly analysed by taking food frequency questionnaires with health monitoring during a follow-up period of over 10 years. The results were stunning: whereas dietary vitamin K1 intake had no effect on cardiovascular health, there was a strong inverse association between K2 intake and the extent of aortic calcification, the occurrence of myocardial infarction, and cardiovascular mortality (50% lower in those consuming 45 µg/day of K2 or more). Also all-cause mortality was reduced by 25% in this group [2]. By that time, the mechanism underlying these outcomes was not understood, and there was disbelief in the scientific community. Therefore, the study was repeated by a different research group, in an independent and much larger cohort known as the Prospect study. The total number of subjects was over 16,000 and again the observation period was 10 years or more. And – like in the Rotterdam Study – no effect on cardiovascular health of K1 was observed and a major effect of K2. By the much larger power than in the Rotterdam study, the researchers were even able to calculate that each extra intake of 10 µg/day of K2 resulted in a 9% decreased risk for cardiovascular mortality [3].
Differences between K1 and K2 did not remain restricted to cardiovascular disease prevention: in 2008 and 2009 two important papers were published showing that high dietary intake of K2 has a strong protective effect against prostate cancer [4] and all other major forms of cancer except breast cancer [5]. Also in this case there was no effect of K1 and – like for cardiovascular disease – the effective dose of K2 was reported to be around 45 µg/day. Of course it is intriguing why K2, forming only 10% of our total dietary vitamin K intake, can have such dramatic effects. First, we have to realize that K1 is of plant origin, where it is tightly bound to the chloroplasts; hence dietary sources of K1 are green, leafy vegetables. Chloroplasts are poorly digested, however, so that only 5-10% of the ingested K1 enters the circulation and becomes available for the body. K2, on the other hand, is produced by bacteria and occurs in the fat fraction of foods like cheese, curd, eel, and flat fish. In eel and flat fish the K2 originates from their food: decaying organic material at the bottom of the sea. K2 is taken up from the digestive tract rapidly and completely [6]. From these data it may be calculated that there is a comparable influx of K1 and K2 in our system.
A second difference between both K vitamins becomes clear when we look at the transport following intestinal absorption. Both are fat-soluble vitamins and need a transport vehicle that brings them from the gut to the liver. This is accomplished by the triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins (for short: triglycerides). In a second step K2, being the most lipophylic of the K-vitamins, is incorporated into low density lipoproteins (LDL) which bring it to other tissues including bone, vessel wall, prostate, lungs, etc. K1, on the other hand, is hardly found in LDL (see figure) [7]. The different transport mechanisms for K1 and K2 is the reason why in the extra-hepatic tissues health effects of K2 are much more prominent than those of K1. A third major difference between K1 and K2 is their half-life time in the circulation: whereas K1 has a half-life time of about 1.5 hour, that of the predominant dietary forms of K2 is 3 days or longer [8]. This is probably related to the long half-life time of its carrier LDL, and means that K2 is much longer available for uptake by extra-hepatic tissues than K1.
Whereas large population-based studies have demonstrated significant health effect for K2 at intakes of 45 µg/day and higher, we also have to conclude that this intake level is not met by 75% of the healthy adult population. It must also be realised that in the western diet, K2 is almost inevitably found in the saturated fat fraction, which is regarded as unhealthy.
Therefore, I recommend daily consumption of the Japanese food natto, which is a low-fat product extremely rich in K2. In case this is not available or appreciated (natto has a very strong taste and smell), supplements or fortified foods containing extracts from natto food or from its K2 producing bacteria Bacillus subtilis natto are a healthy alternative.
Presently, a 3-year placebo-controlled clinical trial in healthy volunteers is in progress at VitaK, Maastricht University. In this trial we investigate potential health effects of MenaQ7, NattoPharma's brand name for K2. Clinical endpoints in this trial are bone health and vascular health. The outcomes are expected by the end of 2011.
Postprandial uptake of K vitamins in the circulation. Twelve volunteers received a single oral dose of synthetic K1, synthetic K2 (MK-4) and natural K2 (MK-7). MK-4 is structurally very similar to K1 and has comparable lipophylicity, whereas MK-7 has a much higher fat solubility. The three K vitamins were given as a mixture (1 mg of each) solubilized in sunflower seed oil. Blood was taken by venipuncture at the indicated time points and analysed for its vitamin K content. It is clear that within 8 hours most of the K1 and MK-4 had disappeared from the triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, and after 24 hours also little MK-7 was left in this fraction (left panel). The major difference in pharmacokinetic behaviour, however, was found at the level of LDL: whereas little K1 and MK-4 were found in this fraction during the first hours following intake, MK-7 was abundantly present in the LDL fraction with a half-life time of at least several days.
The statements on this web site have not been approved by the Food & Drug Administration. Our products are not intended to prevent, cure, treat, or
diagnose any disease. Absolutely none of the statements on this web site should be construed as medical advice. We recommend all people consult a licensed health care professional before starting any dietary or exercise program. | {
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About Us
Good building is measured by the outcome. After all the resources and the manpower consumed in it, the client should be able to appreciate the value of his/her money spent in the endeavor. If the client doesn’t feel satisfied, then the contractor must have failed him/her. We are a contractor company based in Los Angeles and we believe in the power of good building. We like it when our clients come to us with gratitude and not complaints. Whether it’s a restoration or a new home project, we can handle that according to your budget and style needs.
Natural construction
A perfect building should appear naturally fit. It’s the attempts to defy nature that lead to friction between the contractor and their clients. We are a team that brings things of the table and solve them in advance even before we start building. We ensure that materials used are locally available and of standard. We also don’t hire builders who have failed before. We pick only the best elements as the clients would love. That explains why our clients have support in us. Furthermore, we know that natural building technologies are the best ever. With these applied with professionalism, they determine the difference between a beautiful comfortable home, without water damages like mold, and one you don’t like living in. We focus on the elegance and the connection to nature through stylish designs that use natural lighting and adequate spacing. We also create an amazing outdoor area where people will talk about as they pass by. We can make new your old home built in the 1800s.
Our operation
We don’t adopt a routine operation model. Instead, we treat each project differently. It’s the best way to ensure that all clients are served according to their specific needs. Once you call us to work on your project, we discuss on the features you would like fixed in your new home. We will analyze all your needs according to our rich experience in the industry and determine proper estimates regarding budget. After all the arrangements are made and the contract is signed, the workload is now ours. We believe that all the stakeholders should enjoy in the process. We prepare a project plan and a project schedule to determine cash flows and deadline date of completion after a close evaluation of the project needs.
Tasks are then shared among the team members in advance to ensure that work flows as planned staying on cost and time limits. In the process of building we ensure clear communication, proper decision making and in advance problem solving for any issues arising. Our process is effective and super-efficient. It has delivered many other previous projects on time and within the budget margins. We have skilled engineers coordinating the team and creating a conducive environment for all to work to the highest output.
You can rest assured that someone is working on your new home; one you will love. Being quality oriented, we believe that we are second to none around Los Angeles. Come to us and we will show you why. | {
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Marsy's Law or Proposition 9, was passed by California voters in November 2008 and includes provisions to prevent disclosure of victim information to defendants and their counsel.
Prosecutors for the El Dorado County district attorney had also previously objected to a motion by suspect Phillip Garrido to have contact with the daughters he fathered with Dugard.
Garrido and his wife Nancy Garrido face 29 charges of kidnapping, imprisonment, rape, and lewd and lascivious behavior. Dugard was abducted from her South Lake Tahoe neighborhood in June 1991. She was discovered to be alive last August, apparently living in the backyard of the Garridos' Antioch home with her two daughters.
In the documents filed April 5, Dugard's private counsel Shawn Chapman Holley also objected to the disclosure of information about her client and her daughters to the Garridos or anyone representing them.
Holley also objected to a court decision in February to appoint separate lawyers for Dugard's daughters. The judge gave the girls their own lawyers because Phillip Garrido's attorney has sought access to interviews they gave authorities.
Garrido's court-appointed attorney has previously filed an objection to the prosecution's request for a protective order for Dugard.
The Garridos' next court hearing has been scheduled for April 15 in El Dorado County Superior Court. Both defendants remain jailed with bail set at $30 million for Phillip Garrido and $20 million for Nancy Garrido. | {
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Police are appealing for information to help find the next of kin for a Scunthorpe man.
Humberside Police are asking for the public's help to track down the relatives of Franco Bosco, 64, who died on Thursday, December 14 last year.
A statement from the force said: "Can you help us find the next of kin of 64-year-old Franco Bosco of Helston Walk, Scunthorpe, who sadly died at Scunthorpe General Hospital on Thursday, December 14 2017. | {
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PakistanCriminalRecords.com is a free research resource being provided free of charge by managed by Background Check Pvt Ltd, one of the Asia's largest screening firms, to public for the awareness about the serious and organized crime in Pakistan.
Human traffickers arrested in Gwadar
Human traffickers arrested in Gwadar
QUETTA: At least eight local agents involved in human trafficking were rounded up from different areas of Gwadardistrict on Saturday. Gwadar Deputy Commissioner SuhailurRehmanBaloch told DailyTimes that he raided various places in Gwadar with the district policeofficer and TehsildarBalaachGichki, arresting eight main local agents involved in human trafficking in Balochistan. Baloch said that the agents arrested were involved in the ShooliJambazaar incident where 18 people were killed and two injured.
The deputy commissioner said that the agents were in policecustody and were being questioned regarding their involvement in humantrafficking. He confirmed that the accused would be handed over to the FIA for further investigation. Baloch said that the culprits were the main facilitators to the humantraffickers handling operations in Gwadar and Kechdistricts. He said that without the help of the arrested, other human traffickers could not transport the human cargo from the Dashtarea into Iran. Balochistan Chief MinisterAslamRaisani ordered a crackdown on humantraffickers and their local agents from different areas of Balochistan. Sources told DailyTimes that the police and administration officials had carried out raids at various places in the district. They confirmed that most of the agents caught were residents of Dasht plain. | {
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場所案内
By Bus
The government enterprise, Transportation Company Limited operates daily buses between Bangkok-Phang Nga. The bus departs from the southen Bus Terminal on Borom Ratchoni Road (Pinklao Nakornchaisri). The buses are of 2 standards, standard 1 has air conditioning and standard 2 doesn't.
場所案内
By Bus
The government enterprise, Transportation Company Limited operates daily buses between Bangkok-Phang Nga. The bus departs from the southen Bus Terminal on Borom Ratchoni Road (Pinklao Nakornchaisri). The buses are of 2 standards, standard 1 has air conditioning and standard 2 doesn't. | {
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Is NSA Domestic Spying Only The Tip Of The Iceberg?
The Guardian's Bombshell Revelation About NSA Domestic Spying Is Only The Tip Of The Iceberg -- Michael Kelley, Business Insider
Last night Glenn Greenwald revealed that the National Security Agency (NSA) is using the so-called "business records" provision of the Patriot Act to secretly collect telephone records of millions of Americans.
Although the revelation doesn't surprise privacy advocates, the fact that Greenwald obtained a top secret court order compelling Verizon to give the NSA information on all telephone calls in its systems is the first concrete piece of evidence exposing dragnet domestic surveillance.
But, unfortunately for U.S. citizens who don't want their government routinely spying on them, that's just the beginning. | {
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Our Dark Starsby Audrey Grey
Princess Talia Starchaser has it all. Wealth. Status. Adoring citizens. But on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, she’s forced to publicly betray her best friend, a companion mock she’s had since birth, setting events into motion that lead to the destruction of the humans, and the princess floating through space, a remnant of a time when humans ruled over droids.
One hundred years later, half-mock captain Will Perrault and his ragtag crew discover a device floating in space. When a very human Talia emerges from its depths, Will suspects she’s the key to buying his way back into the regiment he once commanded against the last remaining rebel humans—and the ruling mock queen’s good graces.
Both Talia and Will would rather get space-tossed than trust one another, but with the queen’s forces chasing them across the galaxy and the fate of both worlds hanging in the balance, they’ll forge the unlikeliest of alliances to survive.
Read Books Online is in no way intended to support illegal activity. We uses Search API to find the overview of books over the internet, but we don't host any files. All document files are the property of their respective owners, please respect the publisher and the author for their copyrighted creations. If you find documents that should not be here please report them. Read our DMCA Policies and Disclaimer for more details. | {
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Saturday, September 29, 2012
In a master stroke of double-edged legislative slight of hand, Governor Brown vetoed a bill that would've given injured workers a fighting chance when faced with wrongful denial of treatment.
In his veto message, the Governor said "The recently enacted landmark comprehensive workers' compensation reform legislation makes this measure unnecessary. These reforms -- backed by both Democrats and Republicans -- reduce costs to businesses and protect workers. Further, they will help to avert an imminent crisis of skyrocketing rates that would have hurt both injured workers and businesses."
Yeah, right! There's a line about this kind of reasoning in The King and I when the beleagured king says he doesn't know whether or not to make an alliance with a stronger country. The weaker countries, he says, can't really help him. By contrast the larger and stronger countries may protect him out of everything he has. That's the situation injured workers will face when SB 863 becomes effective on 1 Jan 2013. They'll be "protected" out of some benefits they currently have in return for some benefits many will never get.
The recently enacted reform legislation to which the Governor refers is SB 863 which creates a secret panel of Independent Medical Review (IMR) doctors who will replace the current Utilization Review system (UR). Currently, utilization review doctors can be challenged in court for incorrect decisions. Under the new system the IMR doctors can only be challenged for bias, fraud, or conflict of interest. Trouble is that SB 863 also contains a provision which protects and conceals the names of the IMR doctors.
SB 863 increases permanent disability (PD) in one section of the legislation while another part of the bill disqualifies conditions that currently qualify for PD such as dyssomnia from chronic pain and sexual dysfunction from spinal injuries.
On the other hand, Paul Fong's legislation, AB 1687, would have required denials of care to be made in plain language so that obfuscations and wrongful denials of treatment dished out to injured workers could be stopped dead in their perfidious tracks. Now that that bill has been vetoed, injured workers have lost their last chance at fair play.
We have witnessed a sleek lesson in political maneuvering. First, the Governor personally worked for passage of SB 863 with its provision for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and keeping secret the names of Independent Medical Review (IMR) doctors. One would think the unions would have opposed the bill because of the ADR provision alone. One might even have expected principled opposition from the California Medical Association (CMA) because of the secrecy provisions that would be bestowed on an entire cadre of doctor-judges including doctors unlicensed to practice in California. In fact, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Southern California District Council, California Teamsters Public Affairs Council, SEIU 121, and the United Firefighters of Los Angeles did oppose SB 863. But the California Labor Federation which helped create the bill with the assistance of big business including Grimmway Farms got support from other unions including the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and from the California Medical Association (CMA).
One of the same unions that supported AB 1687, the California Labor Federation, was simultaneously involved in writing SB 863 with provisions that would eventually doom AB 1687, e.g., the secrecy provisions protecting the non-California licensed doctors. It's logical that if the Governor supported SB 863 he would veto AB 1687 since enforcement of AB 1687 would put a legal crimp into the secrecy provisions of SB 863. The California Labor Federation's support for AB 1687 came before SB 863 was completely written. In short, CLF was engaged in the composition of SB 863 even while CLF was ostensibly supporting AB 1687. AB 1687 passed the legislature before SB 863 was finalized. Fong's bill turned out to be an inconvenience to Gov. Brown and to the California Labor Federation and was doomed for failure once SB 863 passed. When SB 863 got signed by the Governor, the fate of AB 1687 was sealed.
The Open Government website reports that Assemblyman Fong voted for SB 863 which turns out to have been equivalent to voting against his own bill. The irony is that Paul Fong was obliged to stand by while SB 863 got signed into law and his own bill got vetoed.
Score: Governor Brown goes 2 for 2, Fong is 1 for 2, while the injured worker community goes scoreless, again.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Once in a while we get to review medical-legal blunders with the same gusto ordinarily reserved for football blunders like the Packers-Seahawks officiating error of Monday night, 9/24/12
We'll spare readers the details of the officiating blunder that led to the Seahawks 14-12 declared win last night. We're confident that it'll be subject to review for years to come. We're also confident that SB 863 will be reviewed as the fiasco that it is, i.e., a method that conceals the names of Independent Medical Review (IMR) doctors while at the same time rendering them practically immune from legal appeals from even the most egregiously wrong decisions, much akin to the NFL standing by the blunders of its replacement referees.
As matters stand now, the IMR doctors who'll replace the current Utilization Review system can only be challenged based on bias, fraud, or conflict of interest. That's the genius of the California Labor Federation, Grimmway, and Governor Brown, all of whom must have skimmed this part of the bill with about as much insight as the NFL replacement referees used last night. They seem to have overlooked how difficult it is to accuse someone of bias, fraud, or conflict of interest without knowing the name of the alleged perpetrator.
If a spirited appeal is to be mounted against SB 863, it should start with repeal of the IMR section of SB 863 or with a restraining order against it.
Then we can test other sections of SB 863, for instance, to what extent were the new lien processes or the Medicare RBRVS improperly composed as intentional encumbrances to the legitimate rights of injured workers.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
SB 863 provides for an Independent Medical Review system to replace the current Utilization Review (UR) system. Under the current system, wrong and harmful decisions can be appealed in court. Under the new system, the IMR doctors will have their names protected so that attorneys won't know the names of the doctors who will now enjoy even more power than their UR predecessors. The IMR doctors will only be able to be challenged based on allegations of bias, fraud, or conflict of interest. Trouble is that it's nearly impossible to assert bias, fraud, or conflict of interest without a name. It appears that the new law will enable IMR doctors to participate in bias, fraud, and conflict of interest. Was this legislative slight-of-hand an accident of sloppy bill-writing or something worse?
In France, prior to the Revolution in 1789, the nobility had the power to issue "lettres de cachet" which enabled accused persons to be tossed into The Bastille without a trial and without knowing the names of their accusers. We should not accept a system in California that relies on ghost-doctors whose names are kept secret from applicant and defense attorneys.
Keep in mind that UR doctors are not required to be licensed in California. Neither will IMR doctors be required to be licensed in California. Non-California licensed doctors who render IMR decisions that control the treating doctors will not be responsible to the Medical Board of California whereas the actual treating doctors will be. Is that equitable?
Although the UR and IMR doctors are responsible to their own state boards, those boards don't have jurisdiction in California. A similar issue arose in Texas and was cured when Texas passed legislation to require Texas medical licensure of doctors doing utilization review in Texas. As matters stand now, Texas doctors without California licenses can practice utilization review in California even though the Medical Board of California has stated that doing utilization review constitutes the practice of medicine. But if California doctors want to do utilization review in Texas they're obliged to be licensed in Texas.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
SB 863 provided one of the most drama-laden lobbying and advocacy campaigns in years and ended in a personal victory for Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. Because of intense work chiefly by the California Society of Industrial Medicine and Surgery (CSIMS), the bill was nearly defeated. On the Thursday before the end-of-session Friday, the Senate Democratic caucus opted for putting the vote off until next year's legislative session. That's when Governor Brown, backed into a corner, showed his teeth and claws. He got out of his comfortable gubernatorial chair and visited the senators in their own offices. He personally worked the bill. He didn't leave it to aides. The technique worked. We don't know about all the promises he issued, but we do know that his persuasion was powerful and successful. Various organizations were allowed to visit the Governor's office and discuss the bill. A report from The Union of American Physicians and Dentists said that the Governor's spokespersons refuted all points presented in opposition to the bill. At showdown time on Friday, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) supported the bill despite a provision to allow "carve outs" or "alternative dispute resolution" techniques that could have adverse impact on state and county employees and despite the fact that the bill continues a practice that AFSCME itself voted against at its 37th International Convention (see last two paragraphs below).
The handwriting was on the wall when the California Medical Association, having helped get some small but positive amendments, joined in support of the bill. The California Orthopedic Association, previously opposed to the bill, went neutral at the last minute. Major support all along came from the California Labor Federation which teamed up with big business organizations such as Grimmway Farms to write the bill. Eventually, the California Chamber of Commerce announced support which allowed reluctant Republicans to vote for it. With Governor Brown's supreme effort, this coalition prevailed. It was a superb job of rescue-lobbying, pulling a burnt bill outa' the fire and getting it signed into law. The proponents deserve credit for doing their job well.
Strong opposition came from CSIMS which provided repeated technical analyses of the bill, not that rhyme or reason had all that much to do with the final vote. Opposition came from The International Longshore & Warehouse Union, Southern California District Council, Voters Injured at Work, California Teamsters Public Affairs Council, SEIU Local 121, LatinoComp, The California Neurology Society, California Applicants Attorneys Association, California Hospital Association, and the United Firefighters of Los Angeles. Some of the opponents provided testimony at hearings, others wrote letters, most did what they felt they could. In the end, their combined opposition was overwhelmed when on the last day the Governor personally intervened. The opponent group still earns credit for their stalwart and principled fight on behalf of injured workers.
ISSUES NOT RESOLVED THAT MAY REQUIRE CLEAN-UP LEGISLATION OR RULINGS FROM THE OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE LAW
SB 863 replaces the current Utilization Review system with an Independent Medical Review (IMR) system where only the Medical Director will be required to be licensed in California. IMR companies, just as did the UR companies, will be free to retain non-California licensed doctors who will not be responsible to the Medical Board of California (MBC) or even to their own state medical boards since the latter don't have jurisdiction in California. This lapse wasn't an oversight. It is one of the ploys desired by big business and perhaps unwittingly supported by the California Labor Federation.
The ability to appeal even egregiously wrong decisions by Utilization Review doctors, now to be known as IMR doctors, has been severely curtailed. That a medical review decision may be wrong will not suffice to file an appeal in court. An example of what will be required will be accusations of fraud or bias. As long as there's no fraud or bias, an incorrect decision, even a harmful one, may stand. This oversight, if that is what it was, will discourage many potential treating doctors from becoming involved with difficult cases. The Brown administration, in its press release of 9/18/12, boasted that SB 863 would "reduce litigation, claims adjustment costs, and other frictional costs." In short, it'll reduce the ability of injured workers who've been denied access to treatment and other benefits from filing legal appeals. An Associated Press story from 9/19/12 bought the Governor's facile interpretation hook, line, and sinker. The AP story stated that "the measure also aims to prevent lawsuits by establishing a binding independent review system to resolve medical disputes and shortens the timeline for approval of treatment from two years to three months." In a nutshell, this provision cuts the legs out from under injured workers who're denied access to the treatment recommended by their doctors.
Rules and Regulations are the next step. So is clean-up legislation and involvement of the OAL (Office of Administrative Law). The first step should be to require that all doctors who do IMR work in California be licensed in California. We should put a stop to carpet-bagger medical reviews. The IMR doctors should shoulder the same public policy responsibilities as the treating doctors they're judging. That means licensure in the state in which they work especially since the MBC has already stated that utilization review constitutes the practice of medicine. Two governors, Schwarzenegger and Brown, have ignored this advice. Nonetheless, this requirement was adopted in Chicago in 2006 by AFSCME at the 37th International Convention. Here's the resolve:
"Therefore be it resolved that this convention declare that physicians working for utilization review companies reviewing the claims of injured workers be licensed in the states in which their decisions are used and where their decisions may influence the provision or denial of medical care to injured workers."
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Writing in Neurology Today, Vol. 3 (8), August 2003, Dawn Antoline writes "Robert L. Weinmann, MD, has never been one to shy away from controversy. Whether he is writing muckraking editorials about HMOs that deny physician claims or ... billing practices ... he has committed himself to a life of activism. At the heart of his advocacy is a passionate regard for his patients -- and the ability of physicians to provide unfettered optimal care." | {
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What is this with people accusing someone of doing something cruel to an animal just because it nodded its head? My cat does that - heck, *I* do it! It's called "SLEEPY" - and this is funny, wish I'd caught MY cat! (please, no one catch me at work!)
I think that this is very cute. I doubt anyone would go to so much trouble as to drug the cat, just to get this footage, and post it on this site. Get over the idea the cat has been drugged and accept the cat is just REALLY tired! My cat does this all the time, heck, he sleeps with his head upside down and almost half of him hanging of the edge of the kitchen table!
I agree. I think its really stupid how people accuse the people of doing this and sound so confident that they did drug the cat. How do you know if they drugged the cat? Did they specifically say it? Why are people like that, its a video and its funny. Just enjoy what you see. Don't think everyone is cruel except for you.
To those who think the people drugged the cats just to get this video; veterinary sedatives are highly regulated (even moreso than human sedatives). So, it leaves me to believe that, if, they are in fact drugged, it is likely after a vet visit (IE after surgery, being altered, etc)
In my opinion at least in this case, the cat is just very, very sleepy.
While I have to admit I find this video cute, drugging cats is all too common, and could be an issue here. Since there's no proof, and so far no reason to suspect since it may just be narcoleptic (yes, it is possible!), I intend to enjoy it and hope that you can as well. A bump that small won't hurt it - if it did, it would sleep on a couch.
you people really need to find something more productive to complain about instead of accusing someone of drugging an animal. there are sedatives for a reason, and they are used on animals all the time. safely.
THE CAT IS NOT DRUGGED! IT WOULDN'T WAKE UP, OR MOVE IT'S HEAD UP EITHER. THERE IS NO PROOF, BUT WHO WOULD GO THROUGHT SOOOOO MUCH TROUBLE TO POST ON A SITE. ON THE OTHER HAND, IT IS HEAD SMAKING HILAROUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Tuesday, August 28, 2007
"Lord Don't Move My Mountain, But Give Me the Strength to Climb"
The same day I read the story about Mother Teresa's little... dry patch, I received an email from a longtime reader who is experiencing a similar Dark Night, although it hasn't yet lasted 50 years. He is asking for feedback, so I thought I'd throw it out to the wider Transdimensional Order of the Friendly Sons & Daughters of the Cosmic Raccoons, and see if we can't put on our collective coonskin thinking caps and come up with something useful, or at least not completely useless. I'd like to offer some meditations on the topic, but I have a feeling that you-know-who is going to wake up any minute, so it may have to wait until later in the week for a more fulsome evasion.
I'm going to change the name -- let's call her Otis -- and some of the details to protect anonymity of this sin-drenched rascal. And don't even try to guess who it is, because you'll be wrong.
Otis begins by conceding that "I haven't read OneCosmos for a while, which happens to be a symptom of why I'm writing you now."
Ahem. I think we've identified the problem: insufficient bobtizement in the daily weird.
"For the past year or so I've been spiraling down the Rabbit Hole.... I feel like my mind is embroiled in a battle of psycho-spiritual attrition. I feel immobilized on every front -- spiritually, creatively, socially, financially... everything. Nearly every practical effort of my rational mind triggers a rabid, debilitating tantrum by counter-protesting, well organized mind-parasites (who might as well be funded by George Soros). And I mean every action. Something as benign as returning a phone call from a friend, mustering the energy to get to the gym, taking the basic steps to finding work."
Now first of all, raise your hand if you've been in this situation. One, two, three.... I see that many of you can relate. Naturally, the first question is to determine what plane this is arising from, broadly speaking: physical, bio-psychological, mental or spiritual. Naturally you want to first rule out any medical issues, anything from diet to allergies to an underactive thyroid. Usually it's not that, but still, you want to begin with a clean bill of health.
And before considering the question of mind parasites, you want to determine if this is more of a biochemical dysregulation issue as opposed to a purely psychological or spiritual one. Superficially this sounds like depression, but depressive symptoms are only the "final common pathway" of a host of possible causal factors, from the purely biological to the purely psychological to the existential to the spiritual, i.e., activated kundalini (although the psychological naturally causes chemical changes, and vice versa, so it's never completely clearcut). For the same outward symptoms, there are times that medication such as an SSRI can be a "magic bullet," other times that it will have no effect at all. (I should probably add the disclaimer that I am not attempting to diagnose or treat here, just offering up some general advice that would essentially apply to anyone.)
"Mind parasites" is essentially my colorful term for unconscious complexes. We all have them and can't avoid having them. It's just one of the prices of being human. The idea is to "contain" them, rather than them containing you. More on this later.
Ms. Otis continues:
"I'm in a constant state of stress and anxiety. Perhaps the worst part is that I can't even take the solace I once did in spiritual matters. It's as if I've exhausted my thirst for knowledge, since it seems the abstractions no longer digest. I don't want to say I know it all (if I did believe that I obviously wouldn't be writing this). However, I do feel that my rational mind has a good enough grasp of the abstract ways of the world. Still, all such 'knowledge' or 'understanding' is pretty worthless if I can't apply it to my own life. So this frustration has lead to a visceral aversion to deep spiritual writings (Sadly, this includes OneCosmos, The Bible, the other sacred texts). I think I'm become terrified of genuine knowledge (K). Perhaps the power and responsibility intimidates me."
It's difficult to give an opinion on this without some wider autobiographical context. In short, it's hard to say whether this is a deviation from the spiritual process, or a part of it. This is something I will get into in more detail later in the week, since Future Leader is now officially awake. But with regard to both psychological and spiritual growth, pain is involved. The question is whether it is productive pain (e.g., "burning off old karma") or useless pain.
I remember Dennis Prager once throwing out a similar question to his radio audience, essentially asking, "what do you do when God withdraws?" For him, this was one of the appeals of Judaism, since it consists of so many concrete actions that are intrinsic to the religion. Jewish religious paractice may be somewhat unique in emphasizing the primacy of doing over being: the being follows from the doing, rather than vice versa. I was just reading about this the other day in a passage by Steinsaltz.... Now that I'm looking for the passage, I see another relevant one, where he quotes an eminent rabbi, who wrote that "There is nothing more whole and complete than a broken heart," which obviously resonates with Christ's paradoxable about the poor in spirit inheriting the earth -- it is the cracks that allow the light in.
Let's continue with the letter, in which Otis discusses practical steps he has already taken: "I've tried many times to develop a routine practice, based on insights shared by you and others. Meditation has been a struggle. Following all sorts of advice on breathing exercises, yoga, mind games, visualization, creative immersion, and onward. I suppose I've always looked for/expected revelation from everything -- books, films, conversation, travels -- and now I'm waking up to the blunt truth that knowledge alone will not save me. It's going to take more commitment, responsibility, intuitive, maturity, and a strong will to break through. But I'm, ultimately, still a child. And that stubborn child isn't willing to give up it's hope for an easy way, a short cut."
Yes, superficially this sounds like a bit of a cafeteria approach, when for most people, the best way is to immerse yourself in a single tradition. One of the reasons for this is the grace such a tradition affords -- not to mention the "spiritual protection" -- again, more on which later.
Interestingly, there are hints that Otis is in the twilit realm between one world and another, between death and rebirth:
"Still, my escapes and crutches are all cut off. Spending time with friends, losing myself in casual conversation, music, film, following sports or politics, just sitting back and enjoying a fine day. Over the years my body has gradually come to reject all of my old vices. Drugs are a bust, mere alcohol no longer moves me at all, eating is now mostly utilitarian. I have difficulty relating to people. "
This can be a difficult and disorienting phase, for the simple reason that we rely upon what gives pleasure to provide us with a sort of instantaneous meaning and orientation. To the extent that previously pleasurable activities fail us, we can feel adrift, with nothing yet to replace those old reliable "pointers."
"I'm not living up to my commitments.... One of my concerns in looking for work is that while I can always sell myself -- I make a powerful first impression -- I'm not confident that I'll live up to my potential.... Of course I can -- but my track-record shows that I don't, no matter how good my intentions. What makes this so frustrating and confusing is that this aversion is not limited to droll obligations like getting a job or paying rent. It extends to taking advantage of opportunities that are wholly positive..."
This sounds more personal/psychological to me; however the "in between" phase can lead to a sense that reality is completely absurd, so that nothing is really worth the effort. Reminds me of this essay by Van der Leun the other day. Sometimes the realization that I just can't do it anymore is the most honest thing you can say about your present life.
"I've lost my fire, my passion, my will. I'm a stove clicking, waiting on a match. Again, I know I need to suck it up and do what must be done. But when the time comes I get dizzy, disoriented, and overcome with anxiety.... As my various delusions of stumbling into some road to Damascus moment melt away, I'm left wondering how one develops The Will to overcome these forces. Is this a normal phase of spiritual development? Are there simple methods to ease into a practice? My mind is too cluttered to activate my imagination, or, perhaps I've become too frightened to let go and connect with the vertical or non-local. Still, through it all I've been blessed beyond reason; repeatedly, often inexplicably, rescued from dire circumstances of my own doing. In a way this increases my frustration, since my squandering of such gifts can only be seen as a slap in the face to God."
*****
I really haven't had time to address the writer's concerns in much depth, but before I do so, I would be very curious to know what others think. Again, these are generally universal issues, and to a certain extent, the way you deal with them depends upon the tradition you're in. For example, in Volume III of Sri Aurobindo's Letters to disciples, he has a whole section dedicated to Difficulties of the Path, and a related one entitled Opposition of the Hostile Forces.
The former chapter begins with a letter that reads, "All who enter the spiritual path have to face the difficulties and ordeals of the path, those which rise from their own nature and those which come in from the outside. The difficulties in the nature always rise again and again till you overcome them; they must be faced with strength and patience. But the vital [emotional] part is prone to depression when ordeals and difficulties rise. This is not particular to you, but comes to all sadhaks [practitioners of yoga]."
In another letter he speaks of "the resistance of the Universal Nature which does not want the being to escape from the Ignorance into the Light. This may take the form of a vehement insistence in the continuation of the old movements, waves of them thrown on the mind and vital and body so that old ideas, impulses, desires, feelings, responses continue even after they are thrown out and rejected, and can return like an invading army from the outside..." (By the way, one encounters the same sort of "internal saboteurs" in psychotherapy, only from a different level.)
Anyway, let's hear some honest and creative responses to this dilemma, and perhaps some testimonials as to how you made it through your own Time of Darkness. Feel free to post anonymously if it's too personal.
67 comments:
Anonymous
said...
My God! I await what other think, because I am in the similar process for the last 1 year or so, really intensifying last 3 months. All I keep on thinking about is quitting my job and lying in bed for hours. Everything pleasurable and tasteful is boring and tasteless. It's like I am rotting into the horizontal being so that vertical being may emerge.
"and perhaps some testimonials as to how you made it through the dark times."
You could also say making it through the dark times. Is it possible this feeling or sense of wandering is going on with many people of similar make-ups? It sure has been a rough summer for a lot of people I know, including myself. I wouldn't say it was horrible and still managed to squeak out some fun but emotionally it was tough.
It's even worse when you have the spirit of a back-up singer trapped in the body of out-of-tune, crackly- voiced human. Otis should use her/his God given talents and go for it. Of course, there is always the option of changing one's mind but it is a little more difficult to change one's heart. Trying to remember that everything is cyclical or spiral is very crucial. How can you hit those amazing highs without a few gut-wrenching lows?
Speaking of God-given talents, Joss Stone was extraordinary last night. Talk about not fair, this 21 year old with the voice of a sultry angel is also beyond gorgeous to boot. Seriously, if I could love a woman, she would be the one!!! Listening to her songs, it's clear that everyone has hard times and boy troubles (so to speak)! But I always have to remember that Life is not fair and everyone has problems. It's how you deal with them that defines who you are. Maybe a change of scenery will be inspiring? Good luck, Otis...
Some of the Jewish masters were very suspicious of the subjective feeling of being "in touch" with the Creator, and in at least one case that I remember, for example, a visionary prayed that his special "siddhis" be withdrawn, so that he would not be distracted by them, and could go about the much more serious business of just being a good Jew in the world, without the distraction of visions of supernal worlds, clairvoyance, or the vivid experience of being in touch with God. Perhaps this is like first there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is. If there is a difference between the mountain as it was before, and the mountain as it is, after you go through the no-mountain period.
If you read Blaise Pascal's memorandum, you can sense that he went through an intense spiritual experience in which he felt the reality of a Divine presence as vividly and corporeally as you want, but it is also apparent, I think, that he did not have such experiences regularly, and perhaps never did again.
I've found something that has helped me ... in addition to Zoloft, Bob, and having some babysitting help. Sri Aurobindo and The Mother talk about the Sunlit Path. That's the relatively easier path of yoga where you give yourself over to The Mother's Grace and let her do the heavy lifting. I'm not the best at explaining these things, but this is my understanding of it.
The Mother gives the example of the difference between the baby monkey and the baby kitten. The baby monkey grabs onto his mother and holds on with his tight grip as she carries him. The baby kitten goes limp and lets the mother grab it by the scruff of the neck and carry it around. When I made the conscious choice to see if I could try the way of the baby kitten, it was a very hard road at first. I was very controlling and it was incredibly hard for me to even try to turn my life over to God in this way...so completely. It took at least a month of feeling very awkward about it until I felt like I could do it with conviction. I just didn't get the whole idea of not feeling in charge of my life in big ways and small. It was almost like I was being irresponsible.
One other thing I've found very helpful is when I'm feeling at a real low point and very desperate, I throw myself at The Mother's feet, basically and beg for help. It helps to feel very desperate, in my experience, because I know that I don't have the answers or the power to help myself, so it feels completely honest to ask for help in this way.
i hope this makes sense...thanks Otis for the wonderful letter and to Bob for the great post. One last thing...knowing that other people are praying for you can be very powerful. We're all doing that...I hope it helps,Mrs. G
I have a couple of thoughts here; being a professional housewife with a painting degree, please take them for what they're worth, and feel free to correct me if I'm way off base.
"...And I mean every action. Something as benign as returning a phone call from a friend, mustering the energy to get to the gym, taking the basic steps to finding work."
I'm very familiar with those particular beasties, the ones who throw a tantrum to rival any three-year-old at the thought of actually doing anything that is useful or in your best interest, and are also great at manufacturing trouble where none actually exists. When they were at their loudest in my head, several years ago now, a friend recommended taking a daily b-complex vitamin supplement. I've been taking it ever since, and while they never go away completely, it did help to quiet them down so I could get things done; the b-vitamins made me feel normal again. And while I realize it could be the placebo effect, it was very effective for me. If they're not helpful for you, at least there is no harm in taking them.
"I'm in a constant state of stress and anxiety. Perhaps the worst part is that I can't even take the solace I once did in spiritual matters"
Last week in the comments I had an analogy about being able to see spiritual depth, in that it is like looking at a magic eye picture. One of the interesting things about those pictures is that often, even though you've seen the image before, you can lose your focus so that the 3d image disappears. The cause could be many things - eyestrain from looking too long or too hard, an exterior distraction that snaps you out of the image, or not focusing hard enough. It can be very difficult to get your eyes to see it again when this happens.
One of the biggest and most natural mistakes to make at that point is to try too hard to regain the image, in part at least because you know for a certainty that it is there. Having lost it, you become frustrated, you squint your eyes every which way, you hold it close and pull it away; depending on your temperament, you may eventually fling it away from yourself or even tear it up in frustration. You get angry at the picture for withholding its secret from you, or angry at yourself for being unable to do what once came (in hindsight, it seems) so easily and naturally.
Oftentimes, the best thing you can do in this situation is to take a deep breath, set the picture down, and just walk away from it for a little while. At times like these, the harder you struggle, the more likely you are to fail; your resources are exhausted, your mood is anything but focused, even though it may feel like your mind is a laser beam. You want so desperately to get back to where you were that your efforts become exaggerated, cartoonish, and even couterproductive. But you can't see it, because you're essentially in an anger or panic mode. This is when it's best to just stop trying. Not forever, just long enough to regain your bearings.
If you can, you need to step outside yourself. Look at yourself dispassionately, and find what the root of your troubles is (easier said than done, I know - especially if it is a medical problem, and not a particular event or situation in your life). Identify the main problem or problems, and make a plan to come to terms with it - fix it if you can, and live with it (and possibly learn from it) if you can't. Depending on what it is, you may feel immediate relief at having a path to follow, when before you've been running around in undirected circles. Or, it may make you feel worse, especially if there is some particular "demon" you must face before you can move forward. But even then, knowing what you must do can be extremely helpful.
As to spirituality, try going back to something very simple. When you wake up, ask for guidance through the course of the day. Then, just try to handle one thing at a time. Don't ask for specifics, because chances are you won't get what you think you want. Listen, but don't strain to hear (because then all you get is the tinnitus of your humming brain cells, and again the frustration and anger of no apparent response). The tricky things is, oftentimes when it seems like you're going precisely nowhere (or worse), you are in fact exactly where you need to be.
I hope some part of this is helpful, Otis. I won't offer any platitudes, because I know right now they will seem empty. I hope for you, unknown friend.
This has been one of the hardest years of my life. On the surface it has been easy. I'm lucky that I have a job which is not too demanding, and I've finished grad school. I've been able to get away with being a slacker. I used to be very proud of my work ethic. I am the person people go to when they need to get things done, but lately the best I've been able to do only what absolutely needs to get done. I just can't summon the energy or motivation to do more. Its like I'm under a mandatory slack rule. Self-improvement has fallen completely by the way side. I barely make it to the gym much less Church or meditation.
On the one hand I'm depressed and frustrated that I can't seem to meet the goals I've set for myself. On the other hand I'm beginning to see that most of my goals and self-improvement projects are self-centered and mostly ego driven. I'm building myself rather then growing. Those who have read our Unknown Friend will understand what I mean. God has a plan for me , and I don't think it is anything that I've planned for myself. I have to trust and have faith that God knows what he is doing with me better then I know myself. Its scary, but that is what faith is for. All my life I've kept busy to avoid having to deal with life. Now all of that has collapsed and I only have slack and faith. I think Otis's problem is similar to mine. She has grown out of the life she as tried to construct for herself, and she hasn't figured out how to live the life that God has set out for her.
Everything I've been feeling in my life resonates very closely with what your troubled dark night of the soul reader describes. I recall that when I was initially drawn on an inward exploration towards God, I was filled with energy, meaning and motivation. All those things that motivated me now seem so shallow and life in so many ways just seems to be a bunch of insanely bizarre events that we must go through. I don't suffer much though since I've also lost my ability to worry about things since its obviously a pointless thing to do, but my God I do see tremendous suffering (usually self inflicted) out in our materially oriented world. I also see so many people so ignorantly putting this suffering on themselves by setting up stupid self centered goals. Sometimes I feel like so much of our society has become geared towards servicing our dumb neurotic wants that I feel like just quiting.At the same time I have felt the light coming through the cracks and I do know that existence is beyond weird and is all there is and ever will be and is all that I am possibly looking for. Just don't know how to cope with my apparent detachment from the "normal" world of society.
My dark night lasted for about 3 years. I experienced many of the symptoms you've described in your letter. Fear, anxiety, paralyzation. My ordeal was also accompanied by a debilitating fear of my own mortality.
Simple pleasures no longer felt simple or pleasurable. Ordinary tasks felt like insurmountable burdens. There were times when I was so overcome by a sense of isolation and dread that all I could do was scream out and ask God, "WHERE ARE YOU?!!!" But God would not answer. I would hear only from death as he counted down every passing minute of my futile life. And I would shudder and cringe and cry and pace and yell until I was so exhausted that I could no longer curse the day that I was born.
There were times that I thought this state of sickness would never end - that I had been condemned to live in this wretched state of misery for the rest of my life.
I tried a number of psychotherapeutic and spiritual approaches to alleviate this condition. I made some very slow progress with these tools, but I could never really cured it.
And then something happened that seemed very small at the time but made all the difference. I had always known that "letting go" somehow held the key to unlocking the mystery of Me. But this was always a very vague concept, and I didn't even know what I was supposed to let go of, let alone how to do it.
But gradually, as I reviewed my life, rebuilt damaged relationships, contemplated myself, studied metaphysics and psychology, and cultivated a realtionship with God, something just clicked, and my worldview was profoundly changed forever.
Psychologically, I let go of the world and the power it held over my emotionally self. Cognitively, I let go of the idea that I was captain of my ship and accepted that I am merely a sail (or maybe a rudder?). And spiritually, I let go of myself (with a little "m"), giving Myself (with a capital "M") back to its rightful owner.
As my perspective shifted, I gradually learned to be in the world but not of the world. To strive for The Perfect, while accepting imperfection. To live with my humanity, to live with paradox, to tolerate ambiguity and change. To embrace the infintite and often painful search for the completeness which is always already there.
And as my dark night continues to give way to ever brighter daylight, I clearly see that I am better off for having suffered.
In this age of fallen men, suffering is our medium of growth and return. Where there is suffering there is potential for transcendence.
My best wishes to you, Otis, that you may transcend yourself and your own dark night.
And if my experience can be used as a crude measure, I would venture to say that you're heading that way.
I have personally come out of a period of darkness myself. Julie is spot on about the Vitamin B complex. It helps... won't fix anything but it helps. As to everything else the best advice I can give it just to quit trying. I believe these spells are for people who needs a spiritual time out. Who have learned alot and went at it full boar and sprained their spiritual muscles. Sometimes it's perfectly appropriate to *opt out* of being a *human doing* and work on being a *human being*. Only do the minimal and don't worry about squandering Gods gifts. He'll let you know when it's time to put those to use. At least he did for me. Quit trying to figure out what he wants for you... just rest up and wait for him to tell you where he wants you to go. It's amazing to how sometimes doing absolutely nothing.. not slacking ... just flat out nothing can be a beautiful blissful thing. Don't meditate, don't pray, just find a porch, park bench, lakeshore, balcony, quiet room, etc. and just sit and be nothing. My boyfriend and I spent about 2 weeks this summer out on my back porch, not talking or thinking, for hours and hours at a time, being nothing. Before that I was madly spinning my wheels trying to go who knows where. After those weeks everything started lining up again... the darkness I'd been under since January was gone. Hope that helps some. It's all I've got.
I had this similar problem, uh, off and on for a long time (I tend to be moody) but what I always found it came from was trying to work things out. My method is to strategize; to try to analyze and synthesize all available data. Needless to say, I set myself into many times of grief trying to understand and justify the economy of the world. Eventually I just had to let go of all egotistical knowledge; and tasks I was doing that were egotistical. I recall Christ saying to cut off your Right Hand or Right Eye if it were to send you into hell. And for me, that was where they were putting me. It doesn't mean that I entered a state of ignorance, but rather, one of reality, not pretending to know what I didn't really know.
Now, because I am a thinking man, this may be the reason why it manifested in this way. But I found that 'passions' means more than just you know, 'passionate'. It also means the strivings to feel good.
The Friar who taught last Monday said this:
Without God, the spirit is dead. But unlike the body, the soul does not depart. But the spirit rots, and seeks solace from its pain in the body.
That was when I realized that what I suspected was indeed true; the implicit part of the Western path - pain, the Dark Night, becoming still - had to become explicit for me.
Nobody save God can truly explain this, but there will be a point when you recognize your self-hatred and can actually dispose of it and any of the host who use it, and really understand the meaning of it.
I think, it starts with knowledge, which is to know about the self-hatred (in this case) then understanding, which is to begin to understand what it means in your situation, and then the experience of it finally brings home the complete reality of what must be done.
I used self-hatred in my case, because it is a struggle for me. But one eventually I think understands the process of actually setting aside feelings (as before the cross) and walking by the grace of God.
It doesn't necessarily take going to China on a mission trip - such a thing may fool you as the struggle of such a trip may contrast too sharply with what your real life is to be like - so don't use a huge challenge or wait for one - a mountaintop experience - to grow. I can't really explain it so that you can experience it.
I was just reflecting on my 2 weeks on the porch. What really changed things for me was such a simple thing. The fireflies starting coming up one night and I don't know why but I wanted to catch one. 3 - 4 nights in a row I'm running around like a kid trying to catch a firefly while my boyfriend is laughing along *with* me. Finally I caught one.. I had it cupped in both hands and when I lifted the top hand she didn't immediately fly away... she sat in my palm and blinked a bunch of times... then she left and I was so happy in that moment. The whole thing was just beautiful... I got all veklempt and went back to the porch and held my boyfriend's hand and I just knew that the darkness was leaving. That I was were I was supposed to be.
Otis reaching out like you have has, in my experience always been the biggest, hardest and yet the fastest step to regaining a sense of equilibrium. You're not alone. We've all had our small little boats tossed about on some rough seas. Some have recommended finding a safe harbour and putting ashore for a while, which I agree with. Then when you're strengthened and are ready and able to set a new course, keep looking for the lighthouses with your name on them. One of mine said: 'You're perfect just the way you are, barnacles and all.'
No one can really beat Aurobindo's letters coupled with western psychology, but as for my part, i would ask these questions to myself.
Where does it hurt?
That is, where does the majority of the "disorientation" and "anxiety" come from. For example, I've never felt anxiety in my head, only a lack of flow and understanding. Rather, most of that stuff comes from the heart and gut, any lower would be archaic. Anxiety is constraction aginst the impingment of horizontal forces (horizontal doesn't equal evil, rather horizontal is evil in proportion that it makes itself absolute, and to the extent that it forgets that it's doing so), which basically means that your running out of room (space) and if you don't do the right thing (open to the vertical), then you'll start creating time (the drama of ignorance (projection emotional and mental)).
Here's a good analogy about plants and pots and great chains, and we'll just concern ourselves with body and mind.
In the "body world" all the plants have a body sized pot, say five inchs, and the light that lifts them up is infinite, therefore their need is for the infinite. Like any jungle, the plants that can get to the top first are the ones that get to the light, at least in body world. So, there is inevitable suppression, and as the plants all go through the body world the majority get root clot; the momentum of the need has to go somewhere, so it just knots up. Well in this story they all get to the mind world (a blessing and a curse in one loving package), and their pot size now is 5in ^2. There's way more room here, but their in the same situation, just a different plane. And the story goes on...
Root clot (pathology) can't solve it's own problem. In fact, i would say that the spirit trapped in those places actually like it there. Even if the clot gets room to grow by surrender and grace, it still may take years--depending on how beat up they are--to unwind. The body grows very slowly, and metabolizing these things takes time, even more so when you have to suffer daily.
The next question I guess would be, what are the causes, or the particular details of the impingements. That takes personal work. A good understanding of object relations, projective-identification, and shadow work are pretty basic.
And lastly, how do I eliminate the cause. This of course depends on the particulars and also takes personal work. There's really too many factors to give any real answer. Are you holding top down or organizing bottom up? Or are you at the polor shift? What's your temperment. Etc. I don't know.
This is just a generalized formula from my own battle, not that i'm done yet. Hell goes on...
What has worked for me has been to look for opportunities to reach out and help others during these dry periods. Not that I remember to do that enough but as long as we are around others we are being presented continually with opportunities to serve and there is something about serving that helps light up a darkened soul, IMHExperience.
"I feel like my mind is embroiled in a battle of psycho-spiritual attrition. I feel immobilized on every front -- spiritually, creatively, socially, financially... everything."
Ooh! Ooh! Mr. Kotter! Note my hand waving way up high!
"Nearly every practical effort of my rational mind triggers a rabid, debilitating tantrum by counter-protesting, well organized mind-parasites (who might as well be funded by George Soros). And I mean every action. Something as benign as returning a phone call from a friend, mustering the energy to get to the gym, taking the basic steps to finding work."
Or having to stand and put a HotPocket in the microwave and tap in 2:30. Too much. Fist comes down on the table Wham
"I've lost my fire, my passion, my will. I'm a stove clicking, waiting on a match. Again, I know I need to suck it up and do what must be done. But when the time comes I get dizzy, disoriented, and overcome with anxiety.... As my various delusions of stumbling into some road to Damascus moment melt away, I'm left wondering how one develops The Will to overcome these forces."
Oh, been there done that to the 'T'. Wish I could say it's entirely in the past-tense. Somewhat, but not all, no way.
Isn't this a problem which 'those who know' are particularly susceptible to? We set up our knowledge of how things are, of knowing why the world operates as it does, and we just expect ourknowing to metabolically transform into doing. Hamlet, anyone? Thoughts, no matter how grand, no matter how well understood, if they are so far removed from our actual actions - nothing follows. One low level example is that any pro athlete knows exactly how they should respond in nearly any situation, but if they don't practice daily and extensively, they begin to fall apart. There is some correlation there between proceedural and moral knowing, and what we are physically doing - if they aren't in tandem, they won't play out smooth and graceful in our daily behavior. Mind and body need to be well practiced in working together.
"I've tried many times to develop a routine practice..."and Annonymous said "As to everything else the best advice I can give it just to quit trying."
For me it wasn't to quit trying, but to quit trying what I little 'w' wanted, which was in conflict with what I was big 'W' willing to do. Oh man can the mystic goal setting method to [insert Anthony Robbins voice]'Excellence!' tear your guts out and make you pass them as kidney stones! You make your list 'Task 1 3x daily, Task 2 follows the results gained from Task 1..." 1x of Task 1 doesn't happen, Task 2 doesn't work, you double and redouble your efforts! What? Didn't help? Quadruple!!! and... insert explosive meltdown here. This isn't limited to business matters by any means, "I'm going to stop and smell the roses today... woops, missed that one, I'll smell the nex... uh-oh, well the next rose bush I pass I'll stop and sm... Argh!['One Adam 12, see the lady, reports a crazed person seen ripping rose bushes out by the roots and assaulting passers by with the thorns']
At that point getting up to shower takes a metaphysical mental wrestling match to even get out of bed.
My worst 4 years came in the transition from single musician, to married salesmen. Adultolescent to Father. A mix of the most satisfied I'd ever been, and the most dark, self loathing imaginable.
One problem is we don't usually pay that close of attention to what we really seek, and instead try to force ourselves to do what we've convinced ourselves we want. Do any of us like being TOLD what to do? Does it make any difference whether the person doing the telling is standing before us or in the mirror? I don't think so.
Even if you manage to acheive that kind of 'success', as the latest successful actor in the headlines who apparently tried to off himself... it never comes to you. It's got to flow from out of our choices and actions, or drudgery follows, sucking the technicolor from life, and leaving all shades of grey.
For me, it took letting go of what I thought I should want to be, and seek for what I was happy being. For me it took starting out small to get back on track. And I mean small. Flossing. I had a meltdown "I can't even manage to floss my teeth, much less do X!"[all the hygenists cringe]. Took a while, but I finally got that habit to be a habit, then another... .
Still though, if you're ever around when I'm doing any plumbing, do like my family does, RUN!
It's a little difficult for me to comment on Otis' dilemma, except that, Bob asked for opinions. So, these were my thoughts as I read today's post:
You have my sympathies, Otis! Any sort of creative block, or Dark Night, is very uncomfortable!
Sounds like you've already tried the ten thousand things, so "more new techniques" is not likely what will address your need. As far as "different approaches" go, I would say you could follow Mrs. G's suggestion to "make like a kitten", and what Alan, Nomo, and others suggested re seeking out opportunities to help others; these are usually about all you need if you actually do them, and can be carried very far.
I noticed as I read that you described your predicament in detail, and that it seems to permeate your perceptions right now. But as I read, I wondered, "What does Otis expect?" I don't mean that flippantly, at all.
When I have gotten tangled up in my own web in the past, at some point I have noticed that underneath the discomfort are expectations that are being frustrated. Such as? Well, Walt often expects:- to get my way;- that 'comfort' should be my natural state;- that "more spiritual" will somehow equal "feels better";- that "trying harder" will actually work;- that the "me" that (finally) meets God will be a "Me +" i.e. a "Perfected ME"
Now, where exactly are those things written? Nowhere exactly, yet sometimes such things run me! Cue the chorus:
"It don't really happen that way at all...."
To "Come Home" from the entanglement almost always involves some form of the following, in the following order:
- Be quiet;- Come to my senses, and remember to breathe;- Aim forward and up;- Ask for Help;(and repeat as necessary.)
As Bob's Jewish benefactor suggested, if this seems difficult, pretend to do it.
Finally, I am reminded by your letter of a saying of a former teacher of mine, who said "Enlightenment consists of learning to enjoy the confusion." Oh, how I hated those words at the time, and yet....
Wow! So much wisdom is flowing through the OC today!Treasure everywhere I look.
At the moment, all I can add is to expound on what Walt said.
Gratitude. To be grateful, even if you have to "fake" it.
It is often true in my own life that it is far easier to recognize all the pain and what brings the pain I have inside, and which assaults from without, than to count my blessings.
And have you ever tried being thankful for that "thorn" in your side?Yeah. Are you kiddin' me? That's crazy talk.
And yet, crazy as it seems, gratefullness; giving gratefullness priority over the multitude of "stuff that friggin' hurts like hell", will profoundly change your attitude and your heart.Especially when you thank God for the "stuff that friggin' hurts like hell."
It's pretty much self evident as to why one (me) would hesitate to go that far.
I mean, it's tough but doable to be grateful for blessings.And the more I do that, the easier it is to see my blessings.
So are the Dark Nights, Dark Weeks, Dark Months, Dark Years of the soul blessings? Is unimaginable, excruciating pain a good thing?
That depends. Are you grateful for it? Do you dare thank God for the desert, knowing He may "give" or "allow" more of it?
That's why I'm kinda jumpy when I sail into those waters. I'm inclined to just pass through that fog as fast as I can.
Dropping the grateful anchor is perhaps the most difficult "thing"that I can do, because damnit! I deserve some sympathy! I like to wallow in self pity every now and then. Somebody help me!
Droppin' that grateful anchor is usually the last resort, when you're sick n' tired of bein' sick n' tired.
Bein' grateful requires a top down motivation from within. Fortitude or just plain craziness.You decide.
All I can say is, it works for me, but it's definitely not somethin' I constantly practice.Maybe after I lose the rest of my mind...
I was sent a list of books recently, and because of today's discussion, noticed that on it was Dark Night of the Soul, by Thomas Moore. Amazon lists 50 used ones, from $.98 up. Moore is one of those writers described as "accessible," but his books do cover a lot of territory on the subjects he writes about.
This is a VERY interesting one. But, of course “Otis” is Bob or perhaps Walt, no wait maybe Lisa or probably all of us, but most likely me. Since it sounds like most everyone has “been there – done that” or “am there – doin that” all the insights have been very helpful, at least for me.
I find this same thing happening to me periodically – all my initiative, creativity, joie de vivre… dries up and all I can do is make it through the day, then sit around in the evenings reading trashy novels, and sleeping a lot. Not even interested in a look at One Cosmos…
Experience says it’s a readjustment period (Although the B vitamins help a lot by keeping me emotionally even). Y’know how it is when you are totally focused on something, working as hard as you can in one area, maybe getting pretty good at it. . . but suppose that you have gone as far as you “should” in one direction… maybe God has something next in mind for you that’s different from what you’ve been doing… And to be able to change direction, you must come to a full stop… It’s a chance to absorb all you have been through.
A nondescript, “unmarketable” crop is being grown in a fallow field, but it’s refreshing and reinvigorating the soil for the next productive crop.
My personal remedy- Relax, try (but not too hard) to percieve what you are supposed to be learning. Stay alert for signs to where your path might be heading, and “Be still, and know that I AM God” (Ps. 46:10).
And by the way, a quote from yesterday's post fits in here rather well too (just substitute Popular self-motivational program gives You Secrets for Success! for 'Political Program':
"But if you have even a modicum of personal insight, you know bloody well that no political program could ever cure you, you sick bastard, any more than socialized medicine could make Michael Moore just put down the freaking fork, okay?"
(of course no offense against unwell people of questionable parentage intended)
Speaking of Unknown Friends:Excerpts beginning on the bottom of page 413 of Meditations on the Tarot:Our Unknown Friend refers to Origen and St John of the Cross, describes one reaching a “mature spiritual age”. St John says, “(when) they are weak and tender, no door is closed to them… God now leaves them in such darkness…He leaves them in such dryness that they fail to receive satisfaction and pleasure from their spiritual exercises…find them distasteful and bitter. …when God sees that you have grown a little he weans them from the sweet breast so that they might be strengthened… and grow accustomed to walking by themselves.
When I read this recently and still it seems like a hopeful thing. Of course it would.
Holy cow!I haven't posted much of anything all summer. Too damn tired. And I'm not quite sure what to say here, except:
*gosh- me too*Warning- I'm gonna' vent.
Last week my wife wanted me to go to some gathering or other. Artists! Musicians! People who want to talk about Art! Music! Philosophy! Life, the universe and everything!Yeah. Like I want to sit around with a bunch of fuckin' moonbats talking about art. Art seems like an utterly trivial and foolish waste of time. And don't even get me going on artists. I'd rather have another root canal.This, mind you, is coming from someone who thought nothing of working a five year burn, seven days a week, six hours per day and more cranking out one stone carving after another, doing the gallery, and art show thing, and all that crap.I used to pour heart and soul into creating beauty. It defined my existence. Now it just seems stupid. Now I feel a greater sense of satisfaction from pouring and finishing a slab of concrete.
So I talk to my neighbor a while back, and we got on the subject of Bible study, and he tells another neighbor who is all in to Calvary Chapel, and that neighbor (kindly) shares some Greg Laurie, "Do we really get to see our loved ones in heaven?"*ack*And of course my wife shows up with some "touching" subtitled Czech movie about a lovable old guy...
And my mother sits in the living room in the same spot she has occupied for the last fifteen years staring at the Discovery Sickness, Disease, Deformity, and Death Channel: "Gee, they removed a sixteen pound tumor form some siamese twins' rectum, and showed the whole operation! Next hour- tropical parasites, and the maiming and crippling diseases they cause!"
I can't get no Satisfaction, it seems. I'm damn near always irritable inside. It takes a huge effort not to let it loose on my wife, or my mother (who is driving me stark starin' nuts!)
The only things that seem real or enjoyable to me are work, and my slow jouney through the Old Testament. (I'm in the middle of Joshua)In a lot of ways I feel like I don't even know me anymore. And yet.I am glad to be alive. Last year at this time I couldn't walk around the block. This year at this time I'm moving furniture, pouring concrete, and digging out sprinkler lines. I cherish every drop of sweat and mud. The sense of holiness still suffuses any task I lay my hands to. Is digging a ditch the best use of my talents? I don't care. I like it. I'd rather hang with the maintenance crew than the faculty any day.I don't know where I'm going with this."Do you want to carry the fire?"The questions still rings in my gut, and I still answer, "yes".But look at all the stuff that has burned away! And what is being tempered in the flame?Enough. I gotta' go eat.
Susan Lee said "I find this same thing happening to me periodically – all my initiative, creativity, joie de vivre… dries up and all I can do is make it through the day... A nondescript, “unmarketable” crop is being grown in a fallow field, but it’s refreshing and reinvigorating the soil for the next productive crop."
This is true, and I think somewhat normal, isn't it? For me, some form of this happens fairly regularly, and I often find myself able to take a somewhat perspectivised view of 'Oh look, a mild depression is passing through again. Interesting. Wonder what's for dinner'. Of course 'often find myself able' and 'perspectivised' should be mentioned along with my wifes term for the onset,
'Van's Menstrial SinDrone', or VMS.
And for advice,
"My personal remedy- Relax, try (but not too hard) to percieve what you are supposed to be learning. Stay alert for signs to where your path might be heading, and “Be still, and know that I AM God” (Ps. 46:10). "
I do not comment frequently here, but Ms. Otis' words resonated most powerfully with me. I can't help but wonder if the similar experiences reported by so many are not indicative of something more than personal in the present time.
I wish I had something more profound to add, but Alan mentioned the following: "What has worked for me has been to look for opportunities to reach out and help others during these dry periods."
Recently a woman with whom I work, and am reasonably good friends became gravely ill. She ended up in the hospital for nearly 3 weeks. Although she lives alone, being divorced, and her children grown; she has a large circle of friends, and her parents live near by. She was never at risk of not being well cared for.
While she was in the hospital, her freinds visited her constantly, sent flowers, and cards, and generally did everything they could to keep her spirits up.
I moved into her house, to take care of her beloved Australian Shepard, at the request of her mother. My contribution, permitted my friend's mom to avoid twice daily trips to her daughter's house, to feed and walk the dog. Her time was much better spent tending to the more serious needs of her daughter.
This was not a chore for me at all. She lives only about a mile from me, and frankly, her house is nicer than mine. I also happen to like her dog quite a bit anyway.
My friend is fully recoverd now, and in thanks she cooked me dinner two weekends ago. During dinner, she told me that of all the things anyone did for her while she was sick, taking care of her 'baby' was the most important to her. I had not made any sacrifice at all to my mind, but the sincerity of her gratitude was overwhelming.
That was the best I have felt about myself in some time. (A little embarrassed - in a good way - actually.) I guess my point is that a small effort to take care of someone else's needs, can often be vastly more rewarding than a great effort to take care of your own.
Forgive me for being blunt, but it seems to me that what Otis is hungering and thirsting for are the sacraments, primarily Confession to be liberated from the oppressive weight of sin and thereby restore full friendship with God, and the Eucharist in order to be directly nourished by the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Strengthened by these, the performance of acts of mercy are called for (visiting the sick in a nursing home, for example).
Of course, the sacraments are not a magic wand that are guaranteed to put you in happy-happy land, but being without them is certainly no picnic. And as far as I've experienced there really is no substitute.
Just two-cents worth from a mystical Catholic guy, who converted to the Church after reading Meditations on the Tarot about ten years ago...
Corrie Ten Boom said this: “When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”
Love that quote.
"I have to trust and have faith that God knows what he is doing with me better then I know myself."
We've finally gotten to the other side of an extended tough time. It was hard for both of us, but a tougher time for my spouse than for me; & helplessly watching someone else in pain is also painful.
I can affirm with full confidence that God does know what he is doing! One thing that kept going through my mind was Peter's experience of stepping out of the boat onto some very scary water...and the reocurring thought that if I just kept my eyes fixed on Jesus instead of the waves, I would not sink! "When I am afraid, I will trust in you."
The reason I don't watch TV or even read much news anymore is because I'm sick and tired of my own auto-judge soundtrack that gets plugged in and repeats and repeats: "stupid, idiots, fucked up, assholes, jerks, dorks". Tuning out and tuning in to Reality and Truth and Beauty and Goodness which is everywhere is such a huge turn-on as is being a Stephen Minister. It suits my introverted nature. No leading seminars or Sunday School classes for me. Give me uno en uno. It's so easy to care when you have faith in He Who Cures.
My recent Dark Night came with endless droning on their part & a clenched stomach with nausea that made it impossible to eat. Not good. So Otis, if you can, keep an eye on meeting your body's nutritional & fuel needs, even if you have to choke stuff down, as I did.
Also featured was a sudden complete shutdown of interest in anything, an inability to bear things I'd always loved: not now, go away, stop it, shut up, leave me alone. Only the cats & Beaky did not make me more nuts, as tho any kind of human input via the 5 senses was too much. Just wanted to cocoon on the couch or found myself repeatedly wandering aimlessly from room to room.
Forget doing useful/positive anything. Frankly my dear, I didn't give a crap; besides, it was pointless. Only when the neighbor's pounding music drove me outside & away from the house for long walks did I find a bit of relief. Spent hours in a park, sitting under an oak tree, watching the river flow by, not doing anything 'useful' or 'productive'. That really helped.
Looking back, I'd spent decades stuffing more stuff into my head, cramming more & more in, filling it to bursting - which it finally did! Like an overworked muscle, one day it quit working & swelled up with fluid, so it could not be worked any more. A forced rest, if you will.
My walks took me past a storefront where 12step meetings were taking place & many of the cars had stickers adorning them. Some of the sayings struck a chord & gave me something to ponder while sitting under the oak.
Musing here, on how AA bumper sticker slogans apply to getting thru dark periods, since substance abuse results in similar conditions & is, at heart, a spiritual problem. Other comments today are littered with them.
Let go & let GodOne day at a timeFirst thing firstEasy does itBut for the Grace of GodKeep it simpleBring the body and the mind will followIf you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhereLook after the little thingsI came -I came to - I came to believeChange is a process, not an eventTake what you can use and leave the restIf I serve, I will be servedWe give it away to keep itTrust god.........clean house........help others It's a pity we can't forget our troubles the same way we forget our blessingsReligion is for those who fear god.........spirituality is for those who have been to hell and back
My version of '90 meeting in 90 days' was to go out for those walks & make time for that oak. What do you do when all the old things don't work anymore? What do you do with your hands when you quit smoking? Trying to come up with something on the plus-side was difficult at first, so I did gut-checks to tag the non-starters. By a process of elimination I was able to identify what was left standing. That was a start.
I've come to the conclusion that these phases are some kind of necessary clean-sweep on the way to Unknowing, where all the stuff gets moved out, the surfaces get scubbed & a new color goes on, before selected pieces go back in a new arrangement. With the new set-up, ya-Gno-what-ya-Gno & don't need or want all the crap that filled it before.
Another note:Thank you Bob, and double thanks to you, anonymous Otis for kicking off this topic. And thank you to all my fellow Raccoons for opening up and sharing this stuff.The narcissist in me always wants to feel like I am just so tragically damn unique- that no one in the history of the universe could possibly be so...
Sorry JWM.
Not only are you not tragically unique, you're actually in some pretty darn good company. And that ain't so bad.
I think Mrs. Godwin had a good responese with the baby kitten versus the baby monkey approach. One must relax when in the mouth of God. Let the bad times take you, release, relax, focus on clean air and water, good food, and eight hours of sleep, plus moderate excercise. Never let the physical being become obtunded if you can help it.
I went through the bleak months and years when I transitioned from the fast life (roving around the Caribbean, copious cocaine and sex, high-stakes risky business deals, dangerous thrill-seeking in various motorized boats, motorcycles, cars, etc.) which far from being glamorous (although superficially it may have appeared that way) eventually drove me to the point where I was--if not actually suicidial--certainly crushed, drained, defiled and in daily blunt pain.
I still have many, many days where spiritual happiness seems elusive. Often it seems like I'm lost down below somewhere while the raccoons and other spiritual travellers are up beyond, right over the next ridge that I can never quite find...
However it doesn't take much to pull me back from despair. My aunt once told me that even when God's door is shut before us, it opens again with the merest light touch and that glorious golden light comes through once more. I believe that touch for me is in the form of gratitude. Gratitude for living a prosperous and healthy life when I should probably be dead by now, gratitude for having God in my life now, and above all gratitude for my simple existence.
In June I was walking in a Boston park and had an epiphany--the natural landscape, the sunshine, the birds, bees, smells--everything was just so quintessentially right and beautiful that in that moment I realized that just that one single experience of the Divine--that few seconds--makes the entirety of my life worthwhile.
Smoov said:"In June I was walking in a Boston park and had an epiphany--the natural landscape, the sunshine, the birds, bees, smells--everything was just so quintessentially right and beautiful that in that moment I realized that just that one single experience of the Divine--that few seconds--makes the entirety of my life worthwhile."
That was most profound to me, Smoov.What you say reminds me of the following Psalm:
Psalm 631 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
Ximeze said:"I've come to the conclusion that these phases are some kind of necessary clean-sweep on the way to Unknowing, where all the stuff gets moved out, the surfaces get scubbed & a new color goes on, before selected pieces go back in a new arrangement. With the new set-up, ya-Gno-what-ya-Gno & don't need or want all the crap that filled it before."
Mizz E said:"One of mine said: 'You're perfect just the way you are, barnacles and all.'"
You certainly are, Mizz E! One of the hardest things to do is to see ourselves as God sees us, and to forgive ourself. No good comes out of draggin' regrets, guilt and shame around that belongs to a crucified "old man".
Mrs. G said:"One other thing I've found very helpful is when I'm feeling at a real low point and very desperate, I throw myself at The Mother's feet, basically and beg for help. It helps to feel very desperate, in my experience, because I know that I don't have the answers or the power to help myself, so it feels completely honest to ask for help in this way."
So much profoundery, and so little time.I have a new (gnew?) appreciation for kittens, Mrs. G!For I am one. Well, maybe a tiger kitten. They look pretty cool. :^)
Job was restored when he prayed for his friends (= irritants & enemies).
Resort to John of the Cross' Dark Night of the Soul, technically-advanced mysticism for contemplatives, may be less helpful and relevant than monastic remedies for accidie ("spiritual weariness or distress of heart") -- which prescribe contentment (assisted by gratitude), and the work of one's own hands.
Also, with no waiting in line or other delay, if Ms. Otis is so inclined, (s)he may submit the vivid poetry of regret and indictment with which we-the-highly-verbal explain, enchant, and enchain ourselves -- I'm a stove clicking, waiting on a match / Squandering of such gifts can only be seen as a slap in the face to God / I'[ve] become terrified of genuine knowledge -- to The Work of Byron Katie, the most reliable way I know to extend the horizon and extract the gold/platinum/uranium/aluminum/iron[y] or other useful mettle from the ether-ore.
Once again, a fool for luck and blessedness:having had a wise teacher explain the Purgative Way, which ya'll have described to a Tthe hill, plateau and valley cycle of spiritual growthand the Dark Nightearly on my adult spiritual life.
Understanding what's happening can be cold comfort at the time you're doing the actual suffering, but gives you the incentive to hang on 'til it's over.
What Dilys said. Especially The Work. It's like spraying for the mind parasites.
When battle is raging in the darkest of night these are the things that have truly helped:Ruiz's 4 agreements, Byron Katie's 4 questions and turn around, B vitamins (triple dose recommended on bottle), increase protein intake, decrease processed carbohydrate intake, increase water intake, light incense and offer it as a blessing to the besieging forces, putting water on the body (shower or swim), easy walking cruising for 20 to 30 minutes consciously putting focused attention on objects outside the body. 23rd psalms as a mantra (especially the part about the SHADOW of death). But when in the midst of battle it is difficult to remember these things.
Spiraling down that rabbit hole of despair finds me holding on and remembering that I will not be forever in this state, that things always change. Usually what chop wood and carry wateris the best advice and always I remember "not my will but thine be done." When I am still and breathing sometimes the tears come identifying and moving the energy. Thank you Otis for so bravely reaching out. Blessings on you all
I am currently undergoing such a time as previously described. I am tired- physically, emotionally, psychologically. I have lost interest in my daily spiritual routine & am in a constant state of dizziness (if i could put a name to it). I have found a key to gaining some type of motivation in these dark times- do it. Do it because you're worth it. Do it because you have more to live for. Do it because you feel like you can't. It is a conscious decision. It was one of the hardest. Someone commented earlier that it started for them with flossing. yes! i decided to put my tennis shoes on. the next day i put them on and went on a walk. somedays you won't keep up, somedays you will. In these dark valleys you cannot look down upon yourself for not accomplishing certain things. Acknowledging the situation, the issues, your emotions, that is a step in the right direction! You have already taken a step toward recovery and healing. Keep all of your positive steps written down. I have written down things I have gained from my experience in this desert & no longer dwell on what has been lost. I remind myself that I am not who I was, a joyful reminder that God is moving me through this desert.I don't know if any of this helps, but please know you were never alone.
I don't usually post here but I have to add my 2 cents about the vitamin B12 solution that a few people have mentioned. For the past year I have taken various supplements and they have helped my mental state enormously. I take 750 mg of omega 3 fish oil, a B multivitamin tablet, coenzyme Q10, a general multivitimin with selenium and zinc, Pycnogenol, alpha lipoic acid and Acetyl-l-carnitine. I literally feel 10 years younger and am sometimes bursting with energy in a manner I have not felt since I was a teenager 30 years ago. A very interesting side effect is that I have not gotten a cold in about a year, whereas before I would catch a cold every couple of months. Hope this helps, good luck Otis.
As a intellectual simpleton who has nevertheless been through this I have to point out that it doesn't have to be nearly this involved, but I guess we have our individual karmic baggage although the way we handle it makes a difference.
So I guess my words will probably be less than helpful, but I think the best I can offer is to point out that it's simply a matter of perspective. I know I don't matter. But I don't operate based on that motivation anymore, which is a clear difference from what I can see. Now the interesting thing is as a simpleton I am not as high functioning as my intellectually superior counterparts, yet when it comes to this process it is no longer an issue which may make me more functional even if it's not in such an intellectually stimulating way. So clearly the baggage is the hinderance, but you don't need to hear that from someone like me I'm sure. As dull as I am I do know responsibility doesn't lie in some imagined identity, though - and maybe recognition of that allows us to get on with it.
Look, this may not sound nice but it's the bottom line: On 'this side' there is no interest in 'helping you' to do or be whatever it is you think ... whatever you've thought up. I never gave this much thought to my process, I just let it burn through me. You can either resist kicking and screaming in an articulate way, perhaps with a good dose of rationalization and/or avoidance or you can let it happen.
For depression: exercise, every day. Do it even if you don't want to, even if you don't have the initiative, even if you have to make a pact with a friend to do it with you. Exercise outdoors, to get the sunlight in addition.
Plenty of studies (you can find them online) second the efficacy of this suggestion. It worked, and continues to work, for me. And it's drugless.
For the spiritual journey: patience. Frustration, extreme frustration, is normal.
Ms. Otis wrote, "and now I'm waking up to the blunt truth that knowledge alone will not save me. It's going to take more commitment, responsibility, intuitive, maturity, and a strong will to break through."
She's right about the knowledge part. But the second sentence is the opposite of what's needed. I'd suggest surrender. Of course, easier said than done.
What About Bob?
Who spirals down the celestial firepole on wings of slack, seizes the wheel of the cosmic bus, and embarks upin a bewilderness adventure of higher nondoodling? Who, haloed be his gnome, loiters on the threshold of the transdimensional doorway, looking for handouts from Petey? Who, with his doppelgägster and testy snideprick, Cousin Dupree, wields the pliers and blowtorch of fine insultainment for the ridicure of assouls? Who is the gentleman loaffeur who yoinks the sword from the stoned philosopher and shoves it in the breadbasket of metaphysical ignorance and tenure? Whose New Testavus for the Restavus blows the locked doors of the empyrean off their rusty old hinges and sheds a beam of intense darkness on the world enigma? Who is the Biggest Fakir of the Vertical Church of God Knows What, channeling the roaring torrent of 〇 into the feeble stream of cyberspace? Who is the masked pandit who lobs the first water balloon out the motel window at the annual Raccoon convention? Who is your nonlocal partner in disorganized crimethink? Shut your mouth! But I'm talkin' about bʘb! Then we can dig it!
Goround ZerO:
Search and Ye Never Knows What Ye Might Find:
The Cosmic Area Rug:
The empty center is Beyond-Being. The circles are dimensions of Being. Your life is a path for the Spirit to pass from periphery to center. Thoughts and choices -- truth and virtue -- are the paving stones.
Only Error is Transmitted:
Buck Mulligan, Official Mascot
Official Sponsor of the Kosmic Kit Scouts, Laniakea Supercluster Chapter
Fuck You: War
Late last night, in search of light, I watched a ball of fire streak across the midnight sky. I watched it glow, then grow, then shrink, then sink into the silhouette of morning. As I watched it die, I said, ‘Hey, I’ve got a lot in common with that light.’ That’s right. I’m alive with the fire of my life, which streaks across my span of time and is seen by those who lift their eyes in search of light to help them though the long, dark night. --Nilsson
We see that yesterday is our birthday, today is our life, and tomorrow we are gone. So we have just one day to learn all we need to know, and that day is today. --Petey | {
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Apparently, rumors that Zack Snyder might direct the first Star Wars movie, post Disney purchase, weren't entirely unfounded. He's not directing Episode VII, but according to Vulture, he is developing a different Star Wars movie set in the same universe, but outside of the chronology.
It will be an as-yet-untitled Jedi epic loosely based on Akira Kurosawa's 1954 classic Seven Samurai, with the ronin and katana being replaced by the Force-wielding knights and their iconic lightsabers ... It's not clear just where Snyder's untitled Jedi film would fall within the Star Wars chronology, but one insider expects it will not be considered part of the "numbered" episodes, but rather a stand-alone film set sometime post-Episode VI events, meaning the next phase of the franchise development is much broader than previously thought.
The Snyder film, however, would not go into development until afterEpisode VII. Got that? Expect lots of stylized Jedi-fighting and absolutely zero substance.
In other words; Disney is going to be milking its new toy for all its worth. You can look forward to a future where there's a new Star Wars film -- inside and outside of the existing chronology -- damn near annually. Probably also Jabba the Hut vs. Alien vs. Predator by 2025. | {
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Nikotin
I love this capture taken in my studio. It’s only one shot with some small tweaks on contrast. Just a long exposure with very low ambient light. Probably a two or three second shutter with two flashes fired manually and a green torch lighting the guitar. Great to experiment with these guys. If your reading Nikotin… it’d be great to do some more! Check out http://www.reverbnation.com/nikotinmusic | {
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at last the game between R Frape & J McIlroy has been played with rab winning 75-31
that now sets up a final between jathro's winner Baba and Rab Frape date to be confirmed
it was put to me that it may be an idea for the semi-final and final to be played on the same day at a chosen venue so there is no delay in getting the final played ,we may go for this next season maybe a sunday like the levenmouth pool league does,with all the players in the final putting there chosen venue in a hat and the final being drawn from there selections. they may all vote for the same venue but it would be secret till drawn or if they all agree on a venue then play it there
_________________When were good they never remember, when were bad they never forget
baba started with a 36 break and after the good start it was very difficult for frape to get back into it.with 1 shot of the break all the breaks baba had early on seemed to be potting a baw,frape when he had the break missed.baba had another sizable break and after that the game was as good as over.
_________________When were good they never remember, when were bad they never forget
ok chaps a couple of players have asked about this competition so i was thinking maybe starting it some time in march a couple of weeks to play a match , any one interested get your name down £5 each we need this before the start if possible , some players still have to pay their jathro's league feas aswell so we need them in as well
what about these dates no sure how many will be entered ,last year we had 32 if there is 32 or anything more than 16 then thats 8 weeks 4 rounds i think
the final is decided by the finalists when to play they have from 10 May 16 May to decide when to play it
the draw will be made next thursday 11-3-10 the first round will start 15th you have 2 weeks to play each match, we have 19 names at the moment, we had 32 last year, so if you want in get your name down
_________________When were good they never remember, when were bad they never forget
played bundy on sunday. terry-61 bundy-75. wid just like to say well played bundy u deserved it in the end. thanks for offering to call it off halfway through due to my unforseen circumstance. your a gent. best o luck in the rest o the tournament. | {
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Thursday, June 3, 2010
Peas!!!
stopped by my parent's yesterday and found these pea pods just waiting to be picked. the flowers on these sugar snaps are white, and there were already about a dozen or so pods hanging on the vines. i completely missed them last week. i promptly picked them and ate them in the car before i got home. | {
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Lately, sheltered and innocent Cassidy Banks can't stop thinking about having her tight, little pussy stretched to the limit with a big cock. When her boyfriend's away, she invites confirmed hung stud Robby Echo over for some no-strings sex to finally fulfill all her wildest fantasies. Robby's big cock makes Cassidy cum harder than she could ever have imagined, and after experiencing the feel of that slick dick between her big tits and stretching her pussy, Cassidy discovers that she's nowhere near her limits yet. | {
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MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: I'm very happy. I felt like I went out there and, you know, executed my game plan and, you know, played with a lot of energy and of course, you know, she's a player that I have so much respect for. I think she's 3 in the world right now. So I'm feeling very excited right now.
Q. What went right for you today? What was the difference today?
MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: You know, I feel like I served really well. I don't think she had one breakpoint the whole match, which is a very good stat for me. An also, I felt like I was hitting my backhand down the line very well, which was opening up the points, and coming into the net to finish the points quite a bit.
Overall, I think I played a pretty solid match.
Q. I covered the match when you beat, I guess, Venus.
MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Uh‑hmm.
Q. When she was No. 2 here in 2003 I believe.
MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Yep.
Q. How does this one today compare to that?
MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: It's different. I mean, they were both pretty special matches. This one is very special because I've been struggling lately, and haven't been playing my best tennis. So to go out and play a match like that against Justine, it means a lot to me and I'm hoping to use this to really gain some confidence and start playing really well.
Q. This was your best match in how long, to give perspective?
MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Probably a couple years. I mean, it's, you know ‑‑ it's not often you beat a player like that. So it's been a while.
Q. What's happened in the past couple years? You said you've been struggling.
MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: You know, I'm 26 now. I've been on the tour for 10 years. There's always ups and downs in careers. I've just had a little bit of a bad patch the last couple years. I think that I can use this match to really start turning things around.
Q. Your plans after this?
MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: From here I'm going to go to Amelia Island and then Charleston, go home for a couple weeks and start in Europe on the clay.
Q. Did you hear about Andre Agassi pulling out.
MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: No. What's going on?
Q. He had a big press conference and said with all his injuries, he wants to take some time off.
MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Uh‑hmm.
Q. Perhaps a very long time off to try to get better. He still thinks he can play, but he can't win now.
MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Uh‑hmm.
Q. That was all going on, I guess, while you were playing.
MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Yeah.
Q. A lot of people here. I don't know if you know him at all or...
MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Yeah.
Q. Any comment on that?
MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Well, I think, you know, Andre will definitely know his body and knows when he needs some time off to get stronger. I think if he believes he can still play, I mean, it's obvious that he can so, you know, he's gonna do it the way that he needs to do it.
Q. Is he a player that most other players, men and women, respect?
MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Oh, definitely. I mean, he's achieved so much. He's a great person. I mean, I have so much respect for him.
Q. Do you feel like your opponent today had any injury problems or was struggling?
MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: I know she had her knee wrapped up. I know she's been feeling something going on in her knee, but I don't know much more about it than that.
Q. You said in 2003, after you had defeated Venus, "I love for these times." Does that still hold true, when you get a big upset?
MEGHANN SHAUGHNESSY: Oh, definitely. I mean, you know, to go out in a tournament like this on center court, playing against a top 5 player, it's just so much energy out there. You know, that's what all the hard work and all the training, those are the times that I play for. I think most players do. It's so exciting, you know, with all the public. It's a great feeling. | {
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Friday, December 12, 2008
Advent
Sometimes we forget Advent. Every year, you might think that Christmas starts the day after Thanksgiving and by the time we reach December 24th, we're exhausted and Christmas-ed out. I'll admit I rarely get to church these days for one reason or another, but one thing that keeps me coming back is our Rector, Bill Tully and his fabulous sermons. He sends out a weekly message called Crossroads and I wanted to share this week's, all about the season of Advent. Even if Christmas is just a secular celebration for you of family and the season, I think his message offers a great perspective.
Is Advent taking hold?
Is it my wishful thinking, or is Advent a little less frenzied this year? Is the Spirit taking rueful advantage of recession and touching us all in that place where we self-regulate a little--maybe even get a bit contemplative?
Small and compact, Advent as a season on the sacred calendar has always been counter-cultural. In its earliest form it was six weeks not four, and it deliberately served for Christmas the same penitential purpose as Lent does for Easter. Counter to the theme of "coming" in the sense of Christ coming by birth into the world, its themes focused on last things, the "second coming" agenda of Heaven, Hell, Death, and Judgement.
So if our usual over-indulgence and hurry are muted by the genuinely tough times, is that so bad? That's not the same as asking if God is sending bad things to punish us. Such a theology assumes God is puppeteer pulling every little string of our lives, a surprising way of seeing God that otherwise thoughtful people often fall into. A different but perfectly traditional, even orthodox, way of seeing things is that God does NOT pinpoint every action or occurrence in history or our lives. Instead, God gives us the ability to respond to what happens, and even to work with God to redeem the times.
That's what I think we're seeing this Advent. I'm actually hearing more and more people struggling to find meaning in what we're going through. Some even turn to the riches of our tradition to see how our practice might change lives, ours, and others.
That's more enlightened theology, of course, but it's more than that. You CAN slow down, care for yourself, make loving and proportionate decisions about how to live and celebrate, and reach out in love to at least one other human being.
The New York Times is taking reader comments this week on the question, How do you celebrate the holidays when your loved ones are away? I was struck by one melancholy reply: "I'm usually depressed... I go to church where people say "may peace be with you" and then ignore me."
Wouldn't the world be different-- and a little closer to the love Jesus lived and died for-- if each of us could turn that unhappy moment around, and pay attention to someone who needs that love? If Advent is touching you in this hard year, you'll know what to do.
Want to find out what Leenya would do?
About Me
Leenya was born in Montana and grew up in Colorado. She now lives in Manhattan with her husband, actor Ted Koch, and her dog Maya. Her Broadway theater credits include Cabaret, Company, Cyrano de Bergerac, and War Horse. She is a member of the Country-Western/Comedy Improv trio "the Chalks" and a singer songwriter. Her debut album, "phoenix", is available on iTunes. | {
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Enuka Okuma is a Canadian television drama actress who also appears on the big screen. She predominately performs in the drama series. Enuka Okuma is the best known for her character Traci Nash in the ‘Rookie Blue’ an ABC police drama. For terrific acting performance, she has been nominated for Canadian Screen Award and Gemini Award.
Enuka Okuma Early Life:
Enuka Okuma was born on September 20, 1976, in British Columbia, Canada. The actress Okuma is a Nigerian decent and her name means ‘gift from Heaven’. She studied at Simon Fraser University just east of Vancouver. Okuma was affectionate about media industry from early childhood.
Enuka Career:
Okuma kicks off the journey in the media arena with a television series ‘Hillside’. At the earlier, she played supporting in the several television films throughout the 1990s. Okuma made her feature film debut with a supporting role in ‘Double Jeopardy’. In 1995, Enuka showed off a superb performance in ‘Madison’ and won the Gemini Award nomination. Okuma acted in the movie ‘Daydrift’ in 1999 where she portrayed the character, Lucy.
She appeared in several hit television series including Dark Angel, Odyssey 5, and NCIS: Los Angeles. In 2009, she appeared in the seventh season of the Fox series 24 for the character Marika Donoso. In 2010, Okuma showed off her terrific acting quality on the television series ‘Rookie Blue’ and got a nomination for the Canadian Screen Award.
Enuka Okuma kicks off the journey in the directorial world with the short film Cookie in 2011.
Personal Life:
The Nigerian decent actress married a musician Joe Gasparik on July 2, 2011. | {
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Finding an Oncologist
Carolyn Vachani, RN, MSN, AOCN
Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
Last Modified: September 21, 2016
One of the first surprises that many cancer patients learn is that they are really choosing a whole team of people, not just one oncologist. There may be a surgical oncologist (specializes in the surgical resection of cancers), medical oncologist (specializes in the use of chemotherapy and other medications in the treatment of cancer), and radiation oncologist (specializes in the treatment of cancer using radiation therapy) all intimately involved in an individual's cancer care. There are also a slew of nurses, nurse practitioners, technicians, dietitians, social workers, and other support staff that are all important members of the team.
This may make the task of choosing the right team for your care seem daunting. However, many cancer teams are already assembled, especially at institutions that treat cancer on a regular basis. Physicians who work well together will usually treat the same patients and refer patients to each other. Also, these physicians tend to put together a team with a "personality" similar to their own. You need to think of your physician as the quarterback; the leader of the team, but not more important than any of the other positions on the field. Quarterbacks try to surround themselves with good players, so everything runs smoothly and correctly. The quarterback also needs to choose players that he can trust to do the job correctly so the entire team works efficiently. Fortunately, this decision process may not be as difficult as it seems if you follow some basic guidelines.
You are in control. The final decisions are yours. You are the most important part of your health care team and you should feel comfortable with the team you choose.
Chose your quarterback, the rest will usually fall into place. Ask your primary care physician for a recommendation- your primary care physician has sent numerous patients to oncologists. They will typically know the oncologist on a professional level. They will have also had reports from the patients they have sent in the past on the quality of care that they received.
Comprehensive Cancer Centers typically have a team approach to the treatment of malignancies. You may consider a consultation at such a facility, and ask to meet an entire team of physicians there. This is sometimes called an "interdisciplinary team."
You may want to speak with people that have a similar diagnosis and have already gone through treatment, and then ask them for a recommendation. Be careful of recommendations or input from people who "know someone who had this problem". They often do not have the story straight and may end up unintentionally scaring you rather than helping you.
Contact your local American Cancer Society (ACS). Your local ACS will have a list of the cancer centers and facilities in the area that deal with your diagnosis.
Nurses can be a great resource. Most have contacts with other nurses who may work with oncologists. They can typically give you the "inside scoop" on what a physician is really like.
Support groups- Sometimes local support groups can be helpful. You may find people who have already experienced a similar cancer diagnosis.
Internet- The Internet can be a great resource to obtain information and locate facilities in your area. Just remember, many excellent private practice oncologists do not have their own website, so this resource should be used in conjunction with the previous recommendations. In addition, anyone can post anything on the Internet, so use caution with claims on websites. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. | {
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“Yesterday was a bit of an anomaly because of the bad weather. We’ve been a little spoiled over the last few weeks. The weather has gotten mild and the roads are all down to pavement again. It probably caught some people by surprise,” said RCMP Superintendent Howard Eaton.
A 44-year-old man died in a crash along Highway 881 at kilometre marker 159 on Sunday just after noon.
The 44-year-old driver of the SUV, who is from the Calgary-area, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The 61-year-old driver of the semi was taken to Lac La Biche Hospital where he was treated and released with minor injuries.
A 53-year-old man also died after a head-on collision on Highway 63 north of Wandering River on Sunday.
Boyle RCMP were called to the collision on Highway 63, 30 kilometres north of Wandering River, at approximately 12:30 p.m.
Police say a southbound pickup truck had lost control and veered sideways into the path of a northbound car.
The pickup truck rolled onto its side and sent the car into a ditch.
The 53-year-old driver of the pickup truck was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the car was air-lifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Two people died after a crash on Highway 44 approximately two kilometres south of Villeneuve, just after 1 p.m. Sunday.
RCMP say a northbound van lost control due to poor road conditions and collided with a southbound SUV.
A person in their late 90s and another in their mid-70s died in that crash.
Two other people were taken to hospital with injuries.
All three crashes shut down the highways for several hours on Sunday.
At one point RCMP say all northern routes were closed going into Fort McMurray.
And while poor road conditions were factors in the crashes, police say driver error is also to blame.
“In a number of these incidents that we saw on the weekend, they were driving too fast and lost control of their vehicles. I’m not saying they were speeding, but they were driving too fast for the conditions,” Eaton said.
“Ninety-nine point nine per cent of all collisions and crashes are the result of driver action and not the road surface, the road conditions, the road build or even vehicle condition it’s generally driver action that causes collisions.”
“The snow was a little bit wet on Sunday and you were getting freeze thaw,” Szarko said.
Szarko says motorists hitting the highways should plan for the worst.
“You could be travelling half an hour down the road and encounter entirely different weather conditions and that’s just the nature of Alberta and the nature of the storms,” Szarko said.
“We talk to people about adjusting their speed but really it’s about when to pass, when not to pass, even negotiating hills. We’re noticing more and more that people are losing control of their vehicles because of how they apply their brakes when they’re coming down a steep slope.”
With files from Brenna Rose
Photos
One man is dead after a collision on Highway 63 north of Wandering River Sunday. The crash was one of three fatal highway crashes on Sunday.
A 44-year-old man is dead after a crash along Highway 881 at kilometre marker 159 on Sunday. The crash was one of three fatal highway crashes on Sunday. | {
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NABIS in the News
Border Force And NCA Operation Nets Firearms
3rd May 2018
Nine firearms, including two AK47-style machine guns, have been seized following a joint operation by Border Force and the National Crime Agency at the port of Dover.
The weapons were discovered late on Friday 27 April when officers stopped a Polish-registered lorry arriving at Dover's Eastern Docks.
The vehicle was searched and officers discovered the firearms within the load of soft furnishings and clothing. Around 10 kilos of ammunition, several hundred rounds, were also found and the investigation was passed to the NCA.
A Polish national was arrested on suspicion of being involved in the importation of a firearm and later released under investigation while enquiries continue.
Mark Harding from the NCA said: "I've no doubt this haul of weapons was destined for the criminal marketplace. Stopping them reaching that marketplace has protected the public.
"The weapons, which included a loaded Skorpion sub-machine gun and two AK47-type rifles, will now be sent for further forensic analysis. Our investigation continues."
Paul Morgan, Director of Border Force South East and Europe said: "We are determined to prevent potentially deadly weapons such as these from reaching the UK's streets.
"As well as making physical checks on arriving vehicles and cargo, Border Force works with their fellow law enforcement partners, like the National Crime Agency (NCA), to detect and stop dangerous weapons at the border.
"Our work led to the seizure of more than 10,000 offensive weapons last year." | {
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How to Help Students Flourish in Faith: A Letter to Parents
Hi. My name is Brittany. We’ve never met before, but I spend a lot of time with your college student. Actually, I probably spend more time with them than you do during the school year.
No, I’m not their roommate . . . or a stalker. I work with InterVarsity, a Christian organization on campus that your student is involved with. It’s my job to nurture them in a way that develops their leadership skills and deepens their faith.
I know from small group that your son has a genuine desire to know who Jesus is. He comes to our discipleship meetings willing to share his struggles. He has an energy and passion for his generation that you and I could learn a lot from. When I look at him, I see someone who is going to change the world.
I’m writing, though, because I’m a little frustrated. At our last meeting, I asked your son if he would consider spending a month of his summer in Michigan at our leadership development training program. When I did the program as a student, the experience transformed my life. I want him to have that same profound opportunity to grow in his relationship with God in a way that will prepare him to lead a diverse group of people inside and outside the church.
When I mentioned it a few weeks ago, he seemed really excited about the possibility of going. But today, he told me that when he asked for your permission, you said no, insisting that he needs to work the whole summer.
The same scene played out when I asked him if he had made a decision about becoming a small group leader next year. He told me that when he asked you, you recommended that he turn down the position.
I know these opportunities involve sacrifices from you and him. But imagine all the ways he could grow in faith and courage as a result. Not only would he be gaining leadership skills that he’ll use for the rest of his life, but he’d be allowing God to use him to make an impact on campus!
Consider as well what you’re modeling by saying no to the things he feels God calling him to. It’s a model your son is likely to follow, both in his own life and in the lives of your future grandchildren—the future of our world.
I love students and desire only the best for them. I don’t ask them to consider leadership positions or attend $1,200 month-long training programs for my own benefit—I ask out of a longing to see them connect with the God of the universe in a way that will leave an imprint on their soul and motivate them to change the world.
I know you love your son deeply. Will you trust him to Jesus? And will you trust Jesus to provide what you all need for these opportunities to become a reality?
We both know your son is smart and capable of making his own choices. But he wants your advice and weights it accordingly—I know because he tells me.
He also wants to follow God, though. Help me push him toward trusting God. Even when he asks to spend $1,200 and a month away from you this summer. Even when he asks you about the new leadership position he’s been offered. Even when he wants to go halfway around the world to tell others about Jesus.
You and I are on the same team. Let’s help your student trust God—together.
For Christ and the university,
Brittany Small
Brittany Small is an InterVarsity Campus Staff Member at her alma mater, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she graduated with a journalism and communications degree. She blogs on ministry at missbrizz88.wordpress.com. | {
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Buzz it out, will not be hard.+5 to 220 resistor as 1 lead, Gnd as 2nd lead.Connect + to a pin, touch gnd to all other pins, see if you can find 8 that light up.When you do, that + will be a common anode.If a grounded pin does not light up, that pin is also an anode.
More than likely it will be similar to this:http://www.futurlec.com/LED/LEDM88G.shtml | {
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Saturday, September 4, 2010
St. Gregory of Nyssa on Emulating the Fortuitous Birth of Moses
In the first sections of the second book of his Life of Moses, St. Gregory of Nyssa instructs that Christians are to "emulate the fortuitous birth of Moses"—but how can this be done? Is not birth outside the realm of a person’s control? In examining the manner in which St. Gregory exposes "birth" as the constant making of choices by the free human creature, we discover the rich manner in which the saint finds spiritual significance in the historical moments of Scripture. | {
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"Netflix Inc. the world's largest video-subscription service, said customer growth will slow after posting first-quarter gains that met analysts' estimates. The stock fell as much as 16 percent in extended trading.
Netflix, based in Los Gatos, California, added 1.74 million new U.S. online subscribers to reach 23.4 million, the company said today on its website. That matched the average of nine analysts' estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Second-quarter growth will slow by at least half and probably more.
Chief Executive Officer Reed Hastings, presiding over the first loss since early 2005, cited higher seasonal customer turnover for the slowdown. The company is racing to add viewers to confront competition from Comcast Corp.'s StreamPix and Verizon Communication Inc. (VZ)'s online venture with Coinstar Inc. (CSTR)'s Redbox. While Netflix may post a second-quarter profit, investors are focused on subscriber additions.
"They guided to subscriber growth dropping a ton quarter- over-quarter, and some people think as soon as growth stops, this thing's over," said Michael Pachter, a Wedbush Securities Inc. analyst in Los Angeles who has an underperform or sell rating on the stock. "They are saying, 'We're not going to grow very much and instead we're going to focus on making money. "
"The year is 1847 and Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix (NFLX), is out in California mining gold. It oozes to the surface and efficiently he picks up the nuggets, re-investing profits into new mining equipment. Wiping the sweat off his brow, he looks around the valley below on this hot day. It's virtually untouched, as few understand what he does, and how much wealth there is hidden in these hills.
Fast forward s few years later, the Valley is now called Silicon, and huge titans of the industry are moving in. Amazon (AMZN), Google (GOOG), Apple (AAPL), Verizon (VZ), Coinstar (CSTR), Time Warner (TWX), Comcast (CMCSA), and Walmart (WMT) all want a piece of Netflix's profits. Reed Hastings has a dilemma on his hands. Suddenly machinery (content) is costing a tremendous amount more as rivals are bidding up the prices of a seemingly limited amount of the tools needed to extract gold. " | {
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LOOKING FOR SOMETHING?
Effective And Free: Japanese Method For Weight Loss
Japanese have numerous weight loss methods, and all of them are simple but offer great results. Modern living leaves us no enough time for a diet regimen of regular workout, so we accumulate weight, and we our appetite rises with the pounds.
At this stage, in the lack of time and energy, we resort to magical pills and potions that will burn our fat for us. Or, we simply dream of a magic trick that will help us lose weight without t any efforts.
Apparently, a Japanese doctor, Dr Fukucudzi, has found the clue for the latter. After helping people battling with their weight for over a decade, Dr Fukucudzi has come up with a weight loss method that requires no dieting, vigorous exercise or money, you just need to lie down and do nothing. Unbelievable, isn’t it?
You will need:
Flat surface.
A large cloth ( or a towel)
A good strap.
5 minutes a day.
Instructions:
First, roll the cloth (towel) in the following parameters – 40cm long and 7-10cm thick, and strap secure it from unwrapping with the strap.
Then, lie down on a flat surface – the floor or the bed, and put the towel under your low back, just below your navel. | {
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'Rooney wasn't going to shine at Euros'
Sir Alex Ferguson has said he was not surprised that Wayne Rooney failed to shine at Euro 2012, saying the forward's weeks without competitive football before the game against Ukraine had been too much.
Rooney was suspended for the first two group games of the tournament in Poland and Ukraine, meaning he had not played competitively for more than a month.
Ferguson said that made it impossible for the Manchester United forward to produce his best form, adding that he thought Rooney starring in the Euros would be "a difficult ask".
"We know him better than anybody, and he needs a lot of football," the United manager said.
"Wayne's a stocky lad. If he misses couple of games it takes him three or four to come back, and he didn't play competitively from his last game [for United] on May 13 until the third game of the Euros more than a month later."
He admitted that Rooney "didn't look as sharp as normal" against Ukraine or in the quarter-final against Italy, adding: "It is very hard to play two big games in four days."
Ferguson also urged Danny Welbeck to maintain his progress after the old Trafford forward impressed at the Euros, scoring a superb flicked winner against Sweden.
The 21-year-old hit 12 goals in all competitions for United last season, but his manager said: "Danny can be a top player, but obviously he will have to improve his goalscoring.
"He got nine goals last season [in the Premier League] - but if you are going to be a top striker you have to get 20 or above. I think he will do that." | {
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Watch Running Man Episode 424 Online Free
Note: Now you are watching kdrama running man ep 424 with sub. Online split videos are hosted on third party sites (youtube , yahoo and dailymotion etc).
We don.t guarantee they are always available, but the downloadable videos (not split, with DVD quality, avi,mp4 or wmv format) are always available for our premium members.
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Gaksital is a famous manhwa set in the 1930s, during the Japanese occupation. The hero, Lee Kang-to, is known as ‘Gaksital’ because he wears a mask to hide his face — one of those traditional play masks, specifically the rosy-cheeked one reserved for the female role, aka the bride. He’s an unassuming young man in real life, but when he dons his superhero mask, he fights injustice and rights wrongs during one of ......
This bubbly, Sex and the City-esque drama tells the story of the love lives, careers, and families of a group of twenty-and-thirty-something friends. Jo Yeo Jung is In Young, an independent, lovable woman struggling to survive in modern-day society. In this endeavor, which she tackles with confidence and grace, she's helped by friends Seo Yeon (Choi Yeon Jin) and Hyun Joo (Choi Song-hyun). ......
Seok-ho Kang (Kim Soo Ro) is a lawyer and former bike gang member. He then takes a position to revive a third rate high school named "Byeong-Mun High School". To revive the school, Seok-ho Kang needs his students to become accepted into prestigious universities. Because of this, Seok-ho Kang starts a special class and becomes the teacher for that class. Seok-ho Kang takes students, who have bad scores, and guides them t......
This drama is about the daily-life and romance of a single woman and a murder case occurs in her neighborhood.
Lee Soo Kyung (Lee Soo Kyung) is a 33-year-old single woman. She divorced when she was in her 20′s and now lives alone. She always wants to carry herself with dignity, but she loses self-control when she is near gourmet foods.
The story of two people who fall in love with each other due to a “cupid” possessing magical pollen.
Oh Soo (Lee Jong Hyun) is a man in his 20’s and works as a promising engineer in the IT field, a cafe owner and a barista. He is smart and handsome. He plays cupid for you men and women by using a mysterious pollen. Due to the pollen, he falls in love with Seo Yoo Ri (Kim So Eun). She is also in her ......
Want to marry a millionaire? Add one 'Average Joe', be one of eight women selected, and money from the television network station and you can.Han Eun-young works as a clerk at a bank, trying to pay off the debts her step-mother and sister have piled on her. Kim Young-hoon is your regular, 'Average Joe', worker. He provides for his father, his older brother and his wife, as well as his younger brother.One day, PD Yoo Jin...... | {
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Combine and toss all ingredients in a shallow baking dish. Roast in 425 degree oven for 20 – 25 minutes until artichokes are tender. Serves 4, unless you’re eating with me, in which case you’ll be lucky to get any. | {
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Today, I’d like to share something even more personal than clothes, make-up or a toothbrush: bookmarks. We all have our favorite sites or tools to make blogging easier… here are mine: a collection of links to online tools, great blogs and generators for the geeks impaired.
Note that all these tools are free and none of these links are sponsored!
Monetizing a blog takes time. First, you have to build good content. Yes, just signing up for a blog isn’t enough. These two days old blogs full of ads but still with the default “welcome” message always makes me laugh. Yeah, I wish it was that easy.…! You also have to somehow master the basic of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to be found on search engines. And finally, you have to investigate the best ways to make money on your blog.
A fun part of blogging is tweaking and customizing your blog. Not only you will be able to transform a default template/ theme into a unique piece of artwork, but you will also get a chance to catch readers’ eyes. And that’s priceless!
We’ve already covered what you needed to put on your blog, and for WordPress users, what were the best plugins. Now, let’s have a lot at what you can do to tweak and customize your blog.
What most people (including me when I first started) don’t realize, is no matter how great your blog is, chances are that if you don’t promote it, people won’t find it. There are apparently over 50–60 millions blogs worldwide and your blog could be lost in a dark corner of the internet forever if you don’t “hunt” for readers.
Do you have a blog? Yes? Good. Cause I’m a pretty curious woman (some would say it’s an euphemism…) and I love to browse blogs. Chances are that if you ever left a comment at my blog, ever sent me an email or just showed up here, I visited you. I have plenty of feed in my RSS Reader and I’m pretty quick to click on the magic “subscribe” button. But I’m human too — not all blogs attract me.
In my first few months as a WordPress user, I was a victim of the well-known “download’em all” syndrom — that’s how you end of with 50 plugins, half of them being broken or not in use. Took me a while to downsize my impressive plugin list and keep all the best, but I think I got it now.
When I’ll take the oath of citizenship, I’ll have to swear that “I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second”. Yes… even though Canada is a sovereign country, it is a constitutional monarchy with Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, as head of state, and a parliamentary democracy with a federal system. Sounds complicated, doesn’t it?
Canada has now adopted some of the Inuit culture as a national identity: symbols are used (such as the inukshuk for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games), Inuit and First Nations’ art is displayed in the best galleries throughout the country and organizations promote and defend Aboriginals’ rights. The culture is still alive… and vib
Don’t ever mistake a Canadian for an American. I mean, seriously! It’s the best way to get a snowball thrown at you. The truth is, despite being influenced by American culture, Canada has a true distinct society.
Historically speaking, Canada has been influenced by European culture, especially British and French. Later on, it also incorporated Aboriginal culture into mainstream Canadian society. Various immigration waves shaped the country as well.
Granted, these pictures mostly depict Chinatown… well, we all have our favorite neighborhood, right? But the country is truly diverse: traditional Chinatowns and Little Italy area can be found close by Ukrainian, Russian, South-East Asian, Latino and Indian neighborhoods, and I bet you could find a community newspaper in almost every language on earth in Canada.
Granted, when it comes to dangerous and weird animals, Australia is probably number one (I will never forget driving at dusk in Alice Spring… bloody kangaroos!). But Canada, with its huge land mass and small population density, also has a great wildlife.
Yes, Canadian treats. Good. Sweet stuffs to help us survive harsh winter. Just have a look at that!
Beaver tails that are also a typical piece of Canadian-ism, although popular everywhere in North America : it’s a piece of fried dough, usually with some sweet spread on top (yes, maple syrup is of course a favorite!). Mostly eaten at festivals and during outdoor activities, it’s a winter favorite. | {
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Will Cynthia Nixon run as a progressive challenger to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo? The former Sex and the City actress and activist is reportedly having “serious conversations” about doing so, news that Politico reports has caught Cuomo’s team by surprise.
“Many concerned New Yorkers have been encouraging Cynthia to run for office, and as she has said previously, she will continue to explore it,” Nixon’s publicist Rebecca Capellan said in a statement emailed to Jezebel and other media outlets. “If and when such a decision is made, Cynthia will be sure to make her plans public.”
Although the Democratic governor legalized gay marriage in 2011 and has made increasingly progressive gestures since Zephyr Teachout’s primary challenge in 2014, Andrew Cuomo—who reportedly has his eye on 2020—has historically behaved more like a business-friendly centrist. He has allowed the New York City subway system to descend into rot, entered into insane personal spats with the New York City mayor, empowered a group of Democrats in the Democrat-led New York State Senate to essentially relinquish Democratic control by caucusing with Republicans (a move that helps Cuomo shrug off the blame when initiatives like the Child Victims Act fail), and has seen very, very close associates arrested on corruption charges.
In other words, were she to enter the 2018 gubernatorial primary, Cynthia Nixon has a pretty solid campaign message. And there’s a growing appetite for change across the state, according to Teachout.
“What we saw was with a weird name and basically no money or name recognition, almost immediately when I started running, people came out of the woodwork in various communities saying they felt betrayed, he wasn’t supporting Democrats or addressing the real issues,” Teachout—who lost the 2014 primary to Cuomo but did snag over a third of the vote—told Politico on Tuesday. “The core dissatisfaction has not only remained, but it’s grown.” | {
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Cliff Barackman has reviewed the book When Roger Met Patty written by Bill Munn and he has some very interesting things to say. He believes that it decisively proves with out a doubt that the Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot film is real and could not have been hoaxed. Munn is a professional in field of special effects and creature creator for Hollywood giving him some unique qualifications for the science of his book and was very transparent in his approach according to Cliff. He adds that the forensics done to prove that the Patterson Gimlin Bigfoot footage is real and that Bigfoot is real is definitely worth the time it takes to read the book. The book has received other solid reviews and should be a pretty solid read for those who not only believe in Bigfoot and the Patty film but skeptics alike.
The Patterson-Gimlin Film, the Hominid seen in it, the remarkably intense debate it has provoked, and the solution to the mystery. This book offers a truly unique analysis of the famous Patterson-Gimlin Film (the “Bigfoot” film, as it is also known), addressing the question of hoax or fraud from the perspective of a professional makeup and creature effects designer, as well as the perspective of a vintage filmmaker. The film itself is truly the best evidence, far superior to any testimony, recollections and similar descriptive accounts, and this analysis relies upon that best evidence only, for the definitive analysis in the 47 year history of this mysterious piece of film footage. This book is primarily written for the people who have not made up their minds, people who are simply curious about this mysterious film and have not yet formed an opinion as to its authenticity. Hopefully as well, this book will be of value to scholarly people who are willing to evaluate this film with an academic and factual approach. The film is a remarkable mystery, and the controversy surrounding it is a fascinating commentary on human nature. The truth of the Patterson-Gimlin Film is quite an extraordinary story.
About the Author
William “Bill” Munns brings over 45 years of career experience and knowledge to this topic. He loves challenges and mysteries, and the Patterson-Gimlin Film’s solution is both. He lives in the mountain community of Lake Arrowhead, CA. | {
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South Sudan: Part 2 - “There was this one boy left who had empty beds around him”
Katherine Franklin is a medical doctor from Melbourne who recently returned from her second placement with Médecins Sans Frontières, where she spent four months in Wau, South Sudan. Katherine describes two patients she met who made an impact on her.
“We had this awful couple of days when the isolation tent was full of patients with measles. Unfortunately, there were some children who were infected with measles before the mass vaccination campaign and struggled with the disease for a long time before passing away. There was this one 18-month-old boy who was very, very sick. As well as measles, he had awful pneumonia. The severity of his measles meant that his skin also peeled off like a burn. He was so sick, everyday I went into the tent and was scared he would have died overnight. People called him the little Khawaja (white person) because as he recovered, his healing skin was white. The boy next to him died from exactly the same thing. We admitted a girl on the other side of him and she died within an hour of coming in. Then another child in the tent just opposite him died, all within 15 hours. There was this one boy left who had empty beds around him. Each day when I walked in, his mother would point at the empty beds and then at her son – it was her way of asking if the same thing would happen to her son. I didn’t think he would live.
"At 11 months old she weighed in at 3.2 kilograms, which is the weight of a newborn baby"
One morning I walked in and I found him curled up in the bed with a little packet of Plumpy’Nut (therapeutic food) in his hands, like how you would hold a teddy bear. He was finally hungry and was eating. That was the morning I hoped he might actually get better, and he did. Little tiny bit by tiny bit he would eat. Then he started to sit up, then he made it outside with his mum and his mum finally started to smile. She usually had this face of the mothers who know they are going to be taking home their children’s bodies. But he survived. His brothers and sisters came and took the boy home. He has been there a total of 21 days.
Another patient I recall was a 12-month-old girl, Victoria* who was admitted for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition. As well as the malnutrition, Victoria had laryngeal tuberculosis (TB). I’ll never forget the sound she made as she struggled to breathe. She was very sick. We could not feed her. We could not do anything to help her breathing, just treat her TB and hope. At 11 months old she weighed in at 3.2 kilograms, which is the weight of a newborn baby. We had a nasogastric tube in to feed her because her breathing was so bad. She kept pulling it out, so we had to bandage her hands. She lay in the intensive care unit on oxygen for three weeks before she was slightly better. Victoria’s father spent every day in the hospital feeding her little bit by little bit with her nasogastric tube. She started to get better and one day sat up - with a lot of blankets for support! She got better, which was so unlikely. She began to put on weight and her breathing improved. She stayed with us for 28 days. The last thing she did as she left was put her hand up and wave goodbye. She is a strong girl with eyes that look right into you. I will never forget her.” | {
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Behind the lens and the pen with Rita Jacques Inspiring author and photographer
Category: photography tips
The Rule of Thirds is something my husband and daughter spoke of after taking a photography course together. I wrongly assumed it just meant dividing a photo into thirds. I never realized it meant to visualize four lines dividing the photo into 9 squares, then positioning the focal point near a point of intersection. On… Continue reading Photography Tips for Beginners! | {
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Scholarship Spotlight: Students Embody Professionalism
Treating patients and colleagues with integrity, respect and sensitivity are also a big part of the job.
As recipients of this year’s Professionalism Scholarship, established by Alumni and Friends of RSDM, fourth-year students Michael DePaolo and Benjamin Paulussen were selected as early adapters when it comes to forging successful careers.
When asked how they define professionalism, they shared experiences treating patients.
During his first in the clinic, Paulussen, who graduated from Ramapo College, discovered that communication is key. “I had a patient who thanked me for always telling her what was going on. She was happy that I let her know what I was doing every step of the way,’’ said Paulussen, who’s from Washington Township, NJ.
He also learned the importance of avoiding the kind of dental terminology that can mystify patients. “One patient joked that for years, when she went to the dentist and they mentioned ‘calculus’ she thought, ‘why are you bringing up math?” he said with a laugh.
DePaolo described a treatment plan that taught him the value of interdisciplinary care. “I had a complex case where I needed to work with the patient’s physician, an oral surgery resident and a resident in the Department of Periodontics,’’ he said. Treatment was a success, thanks to close collaboration, added DePaolo, a Rutgers New-Brunswick alumnus who grew up in Westfield NJ.
Like many RSDM students, Paulussen and DePaolo have learned that dentistry demands a cross section of skills no other profession can match.
“There’s a saying,’’ explained Paulussen. “A dentist is a doctor, an artist and an engineer.’’ | {
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MCON‑P02 Macro Converter
If you like to take pictures of flowers, insects or stamps ‑ or anything small ‑ then this converter is right for you. Using your existing lens or lenses, you can extend the field of view to take stunning macro‑ style pictures with impressive detail and interesting perspectives. Use the macro converter with the Macro Arm Light (MAL‑1) for perfectly controlled lighting of your macro shots. | {
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NEW! TEK Big Oval Brush with Nylon and Wild Boar Bristles
TEK Big Oval Brush with Nylon and Wild Boar Bristles is fantastic for creating volume in thinner hair! Made of ash wood, the handle is treated with linseed oil and beeswax.
The nylon and wild boar bristles are applied on a pure rubber cushion. This brush is ideal for fine hair because it gives volume to the hair. It is also ideal to create different hairstyles, such as ponytails!
Related Items
NEW! TEK Travel Brush & Comb Set
$55.99
Notify me when this product is available:
Limited Quantities Only!
This new TEK Pink Brush Set is composed of:
A Small Comb with wide teeth
A Small Brush
Natural Ecru Cotton Bag
The small comb is made of two sections of wood with opposite veining in order to use the comb also with wet hair without damaging the comb's structure. The handle is made of ash wood and treated with linseed oil and beeswax for a comfortable grip you will love holding! The small brush contains regular pins in hornbeam wood with a pure white rubber cushion.
The twin set is perfect for all hair types and small enough to carry in your everyday bag! | {
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The research – based around a series of parliamentary questions to government ministers – has been triggered by backbench concern about the dependence of Whitehall on advice from the Big Four firms.
So far questions to eight departments show that since 2000/01 government departments have spent £37m on PricewaterhouseCoopers, £25m on Ernst and Young, £41m on Deloitte and just over £10m with KPMG.
Ironically, the figures reveal the Treasury is responsible for spending more than £7m alone on E&Y – the very firm targeted by the department because of its marketing of aggressive tax avoidance schemes.
Indeed it is the government’s current examination and concern with tax avoidance schemes, along with its impending decision on whether to provide more auditor protection through a liability cap, that has prompted concern among MPs.
Jim Cousins, the Labour backbencher who is tabling the questions, said: ‘I am concerned about the degree to which government has become dependent on the Big Four for advice and the extent to which that sets up possible conflicts that might affect decisions on issues like tax avoidance schemes and auditors’ liability.’
A spokesperson for the Cabinet Office said there was no cross-government policy on the Big Four and that it was up to individual departments.
KPMG said work was won from central government on a competitive basis.
Deloitte said: ‘We do not believe that there is undue influence exerted on central government.’ PwC said all its work was carried out under the proper procurement rules. Ernst & Young was unavailable for comment. | {
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Telephone Counselling & Coaching
If you are too far away to be able to make the trip to my office for a face-to-face consultation or if you are unable to take the necessary time off work or family commitments during office hours or you simply prefer the convenience and privacy of using the phone, then do consider working with me via this medium. To find out more about how this works, why not give me a call on 0419 331 457 or contact me via email at belinda.hulstrom@gmail.com
Whether you are feeling sad, anxious, depressed, confused, frustrated or somehow "stuck" in some aspect of your life, it's never too late (or too early) to get some help...
Belinda offers face to face appointments in Williamstown, Melbourne, Victoria and also telephone and online counselling and coaching consultations.
For a confidential obligation-free chat with Belinda, please call 0419 331 457 or send her an email at belinda.hulstrom@gmail.com with your telephone contact details and a good time for her to call you. You can also click on the "Contact" button which will take you to a simple form to complete so that she can then contact you.
Stress Management
I believe that all counselling and coaching involves stress management and I have developed a particular focus in this area as I have yet to meet anyone for whom the treatment of stress is unneeded or inappropriate. When we identify the cause(s) of our stress and review some of our actions and reactions using techniques such as mindfulness and visualisation we can often arrive at a different "take" on our situation and feel more confident and more willing to make some changes.
Mindfulness consists of paying attention to an experience from moment to moment without drifting into thoughts of the past or concerns about the future. It is a very simple technique to learn and practise and can produce extremely beneficial and potentially life-changing outcomes whereby experiences of tension and anxiety (which can manifest as a sense of constant urgency, irritability, frustration and anger) give way to an overall inner calm and equilibrium. Mindfulness is not only a very powerful stress reduction technique but can also provide an enlightening gateway to self-reflection and self-knowledge.
I also make frequent use of a computer-aided Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback monitor which can be a useful way to measure how we are responding physiologically to our thoughts and feelings and how changes that we make are helping us to manage our stress better. Research indicates that regular use of some very easy-to-learn and quick-to-practise techniques can significantly reduce stress and that this has wide-ranging benefits for our emotional, mental and physical health.
Emotional Intelligence
Traditional approaches to stress management often focus primarily on cognitive areas such as time management and decision making and these are very important skills. There is, however, a growing body of research and media publications which point to the development of EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE as the key to managing stress well. It is our unmanaged emotions which create stress and negative emotions such as frustration, fear and anger can and do interfere with our ability to think optimally. My approach focuses on helping you to manage your emotions in positive and empowering ways and most people find that an improvement in their cognitive abilities seems to flow almost automatically from this enhanced emotional awareness.
Whilst there is no universal definition of Emotional Intelligence (often referred to as EQ or EI), psychologist Dr John. D Mayer is probably the person most worthy of credit for doing the original thinking on the concept of EQ. Please follow the link below to Dr Mayer's website which offers a wealth of information about the research into EQ and how it can be developed and measured.
Here is what some other eminent authors and researchers have had to say about the importance of handling our emotions effectively:
"Emotional Intelligence is a way of recognizing, understanding, and choosing how we think, feel, and act. It shapes our interactions with others and our understanding of ourselves. It defines how and what we learn; it allows us to set priorities; it determines the majority of our daily actions. Research suggests it is responsible for as much as 80% of the success in our lives." (Freedman et al., Handle With Care: Emotional Intelligence Activity Book).
"If we lack emotional intelligence, whenever stress rises the human brain switches to autopilot and has an inherent tendency to do more of the same, only harder. Which, more often than not, is precisely the wrong approach in todays world." (Dr. Robert K. Cooper, Executive EQ: Emotional Intelligence in Leadership and Organizations)
I am a keen follower of the research related to stress being carried out by the HeartMath Institute in the USA. The ground-breaking research they have been conducting since 1991 provides compelling evidence of the pivotal role our emotions play in all aspects of our health and well being. Please follow the links below for more information. | {
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Connecting to the Future at the Mobile World Congress 2016
On 27 February – 2 March, DataArt exhibited with Canonical at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. More than 2,000 exhibitors and 100,000 attendees gathered in an arena bursting with networking opportunities to present and absorb the latest technological developments and next generation services of the mobile industry.
The big trends this year were the Internet of Things, Big Data, Cloud, VR and 5G. Almost every booth had an IoT demo stand. Cars, refrigerators, smart home solutions, low energy sensors, and the list goes on. Overcrowding of IoT booths made it evident that this year IoT is finally reaching the end users. Notably, the cloud technology becomes the new IoT standard. Almost every IoT solution enables your device data to be sent straight to the cloud. Why? Because from that point you can do whatever you want with your solution: scale it, use big data, do machine learning, etc. The sky’s the limit.
But does it mean the main IoT problems are already solved? Security? Device management? Low-energy devices sending data? The answer is still “no” somehow, unfortunately. Most exhibitors avoid talking about security. Proprietary solutions they show are about cloud and comfortable UX, not about managing networks of devices. I’m glad to say that finally there were prototypes of low-energy long-distance devices and protocols, but we are yet to see their performance in real life.
DataArt demoed enterprise predictive maintenance. How did it differ from all other demos? When we build our solutions, we do our best to address all the abovementioned issues. And we bring top open-source cutting edge technologies to the table, which evolve faster and more organically than proprietary ones.
The exhibiting halls were swirling, the rhythm was crazy, business cards exchanged in the blink of an eye. Companies did all sorts of tricks to get attention: dancers, robots, flashing lights, lotteries, promoters, free food, parties after exhibiting hours. We know it was business, but it felt like a party. | {
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moroccofossils
Morocco fossils Own by driss karaoui in Rissani city with name FABRIQUE EXPOSITION DES FOSSILES, to sell all things make from fossils stone : For examples : - Fossils candles holders (can take defrent form with defrent c ... | {
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Yet another funky eye-brow sporting kid who spews forth whatever. Ok i must admit i didn’t listen to the track and while i like davido, wiz kid and co, i really really long for an era where music from the mouth of men is mostly easy on the ears (and music videos on the eyes) and means something more than club banging booty-bouncing rhythm and lousy lyrics. Yes, before i get jumped for commenting before listening, the pimp chair, bling and brows tell it all. Sometimes i wish there were a quota… (and not just for naija music industry) My personal yearnings aside, God bless your hustle and lead to you a life of cool cash, champagne, endorsements, hot rides and ah… beautiful women. Ok, i’m assuming this is what he wishes for o! But if it isnt, well good luck all the same.
Is it me..? or does this sound wiz kid ish..if I just heard this with no name to it and have to guess who? no doubt I will say Wiz Kid feat Tiwa def. He needs his own identity..something different. Heard this sound before.
I find it funny when people involve God in their less biblical events.. Tonight you gon shayo, and turn it up, but Baba God help bless it all the same. loool. I dont know how i feel about him yet. I need to listen to 2 or 3more songs.
A good attempt. Although it’s not mind blowing (considering what usually comes out of the Nigerian music landscape). He could have used more meaningful words and displayed more vocal ability. All the same, not bad. Expecting more from him. | {
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Zuccarello jumping up to reach Boyle was a hoot last game. That line could work in my eyes. It's a tough call to break Z with Stepan and Wolski but Cally should be on the top 3 lines and Dubinsky should slot in place of Avery on the Gaborik line. Hopefully 2nite!!!!!
If so I call Avery, Newbury, Drury getting one 2nite.
to me it's obvious Torts likes Newbury and moving EC at the deadline makes alot of sense given he does'nt fit as a 4th line C. I know he has chemistry with Gaborik and is good in Shootouts but I think he is moved. | {
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Houston, TX– Kennston Entertainment launches the official site of Betty Black onto their Kennston Network of sites.
Betty Black is following in the footsteps of her idol/mentor Michelle Austin, the co-owner of Kennston Entertainment. There hasn’t been a BBW tgirl to hit the scene since Michelle’s debut on Shemale Yum seven years ago. Betty is a Los Angeles girl, with tattoos. She loves doing scenes with trans women and men, cis men and women. She debuted this year on Grooby’s Femout site and later on Buddy Wood’s TS Casting Couch. With her new site she plans to show fans, more of what she loves and having control of her brand. Her site opens with fifteen videos, and features a hardcore scene with Michelle Austin. She plans to do exclusive cam shows on her site for members and updating weekly.
Kennston Entertainment is a trans owned and run company, helping trans men and women to build their brands with their own sites. TSBettyBlack.com is the third tgirl site to be added to their network, along with TSMichelle.xxx and MichaAngela.com. They have plans for a few more solo site launches later this year.
“Eddie Wood had told me about Betty, I knew I wanted to help her with her career. After winning my TEA Award in 2014, I said on stage I wanted to help trans men and women in this business. I have been mentoring the guys and this is the first time I get to mentor a girl. She is following in what I have done in this business as breaking barriers over body image. I know she will be a star and the fans will love what she brings on her website.” –Michelle Austin co-owner of Kennston Entertainment.
“I had been looking at different options of how to launch a website. When I had first heard about the Kennston Network I didn’t think they did girls. It wasn’t until I shot a couple Of scenes with star Eddie Wood and director Roald Blunt that I learned Michelle was looking to add girls to the network. It still took me a month to get the courage up to email her. Some people may not know this but I would never have even thought about getting into porn if it wasn’t for Michelle’s work. Michelle was the first time I had ever seen myself represented on screen. So you can see why I was nervous. But I finally did reach out to her and within her first email I was ready to join. Fans can expect to see lots of hot tgirl action on my site. I work with a diverse group of performers and do scenes with both men & women. Updated weekly with new photo sets and videos.” – Betty Black | {
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This Week’s Classic Mystery Photo
Written by Tony Piff
“Time to stuff myself with berries!” — from the commenter “Irrelevant”
The monthly Mystery Photo has been an SCM tradition for 25 years. Each week, we’ll share one of our “greatest hits” photos from the past and give you a chance to provide a new witty and provocative caption. Each week’s winner will be announced in the Newsletter. Share your caption for this week’s photo in the comments below. Subscribe to SCM and enjoy a brand new Mystery Photo contest each month.
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Tony has long trumpeted the virtues of collecting Japanese cars. His daily driver is a 1970 Toyota Hilux — the one with the turn signals on top of the fenders. His popular “Rising Sun” column keeps a pulse on the J-tin market. | {
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Directions
About Brandon Regional Hospital
Revolutionizing Care in a Community We Call Home
The Greater Brandon Area holds us in high regard for upholding time-honored, family-centric values. As Brandon has grown, so have we—in capacity, in capabilities, and in support for the people who made us who we are. We measure our success in terms of the impact our services and attitude have on Brandon businesses, families, churches, and charities. We’re proud to be a major factor in local employment and a reliable investment in our community’s future. And there’s more growth to come!
Situated approximately midway between Tampa and Plant City, Brandon offers a rewarding residential lifestyle that has attracted a steady stream of local businesses over the past few decades. "Brandonians" love the mild subtropical climate as well as the hearty Southeastern cuisine and hometown establishments in the vicinity. Besides the essentials, you'll find Brandon has quite a bit to offer in terms of entertainment—the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds, Florida Academy for the Performing Arts at Music Showcase, and Westfield Shoppingtown are just a few area attractions to check out. Whether you're looking for a safe place to raise your kids, a diverse array of attractions, oodles of natural beauty, or all of the above, Brandon has it all! | {
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Both of these ladies are truly hot. Loved the contrasting pallid and sunburn skin tones inbetween Allie n Marry and the thicker breasts of Allie as well. Would've loved to seen more act inbetween the two of them tho | {
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Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Simon Greco: Perspective
My research has shown me that Michael Aviano covers Perspective in Art in Lesson 3, but here is a book by contributer, Simon Greco, and it is at a lesson length of 48 pages. So far all the books published in the late 60's by contributer have been around this length with the exception of Mr. Gasser's, but his book is 6 x 4 inches. Why do I have the suspicion that if that book were printed 8.5 x 11 it's 160 pages would come out to about 48? | {
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Determine the probability that for a positive base ten integer N drawn at random between 2 and 201 inclusively, the number N3 - 1 is expressible in the form p*q*r, where p, q and r are three distinct positive integers such that p, q and r (in this order) corresponds to three consecutive terms of an arithmetic progression. | {
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Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Animal Collective - Peacebone - Pantha Du Prince remix
Animal Collective are a group of friends from Baltimore, MD who are currently taking their experimental take on rock music to new levels from their New York bunker. They count Panda Bear amongst their members who released the spell-binding Person Pitch, which sounds like the best collaborative album that Brian Eno, Kevin Shiells and Brian Wilson never recorded. It is an album that works as a whole much in the way that Lucky Pierre's Hypnogogia does. It is one of those records where individual tracks don't make as much sense as the album as a whole. I can't really fault it in all truth. Animal Collective make some of the most interesting music around and if you haven't already fallen for their many charms then I'd suggest you seek their work out.
Anyway, I'm digressing. I've chosen Peacebone remixed by Pantha Du Prince aka Hendrik Weber who I know very little about beyond his album The Bliss, which was a bit hit and miss but on this remix he has taken the best out of the track and added a minimal groove that makes it one of the best tracks from the genre that I have heard in a long time. As per usual I'm advocating for you to play this loud.
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About Me
I'm a Cape Town boy who has been around the world and back and still hasn't found a place that I truly want to settle. I've written for numerous publications about all sorts of elements of popular culture. I'm a recordhound constantly on the search for "the perfect beat" and have come close a few times. I have far too many pairs of shoes and not enough pairs of pants unfortunately.
If you own any of these tracks and want me to remove them or you just want to get in contact for whatever reason then e-mail me at marc.kets[at]kumo-music.com. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
You are here
A faster one stage process for running competitions using the service - due to a key change in the way that Dynamic Purchasing systems (DPS), the procurement mechanism under which the Telephony Purchasing Service operates - is implemented.
A wider member base - in addition to HE, FE and Research, the Telephony Purchasing Service also enables Local Authority and schools' members to purchase telephony services and equipment from OJEU compliant suppliers that have resilient 1Gbits connectivity to Janet.
Jisc members who have connectivity to the Janet network can take advantage of the significant cost reductions associated with retiring ISDN lines and using Janet connectivity to route their telephone calls.
The DPS rules were changed in 2015; one of the biggest changes is the removal of the Simplified Notice process and the associated two week timeframe. This means that Jisc members can start the procurement process, and depending on the equipment/service being purchased, a procurement can be completed in less than four weeks.
For how long does the service run?
The service was set up initially to run for 2 years, from 4 Jan 2016 to 3 Jan 2018, with options to extend if required. The service has been extended to run until 3 Jan 2020.
How to purchase telephony products and services
Depending on your requirements, there 3 ways to procure:
1) Larger/complex purchases: if you have complex requirements e.g. requiring connectivity, etc. you should issue an Invitation to Tender (ITT) outlining your requirements and invite suppliers to respond. Jisc has created an ITT template which customers can chose to use. It can be adapted to suit your own requirements.
2) Smaller purchases: those wishing to make smaller purchases e.g. handsets or mobile phones can do so by requesting simple quotes. Jisc has created a simplified ITT template which customers can chose to use for obtaining quotes.
3) Quick quote: if you provide us with a description of your requirements, we can obtain quotes quickly from the suppliers participating in the Telephony Purchasing Service. This method doesn't provide any of the protection provided when using the buyers' ITT templates at 1 and 2 above.
In order to be accepted onto the Telephony Purchasing Service, each supplier satisfied a list of elements listed in the Prequalification Questionaire for the service. The list of elements can be found at this link.
For all purchasing methods, it’s important that you let us know whether you’ve made a purchase and if so, which supplier you’ve chosen. That way we can notify suppliers of the outcome – feedback is always useful and ensures that they’ll respond promptly to future requests for quotes/tenders. We’ll also need to know the value of the purchase/contract to ensure OJEU compliance – we need to report the values to them.
We have a few invitations to tender (ITT) for the Telephony Purchasing Service (TPS) that can be shared with our members. Requirements' examples include the purchasing of a phone system along with SIP connectivity. Another example is for purchasing SIP connectivity only. These are available on request - email to telephony@jisc.ac.uk
In the last 2 years over 45 Jisc members have purchased in excess of £4m worth of telephony services and equipment through the Telephony Purchasing Service, we estimate that so far they've saved in excess of £1m. | {
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Study: Better Diabetes Control Pays Off Over Decades
New research shows that more intensive control of type 1 diabetes—as opposed to the one or two daily insulin injections that had been advised for decades—pays off. People who aim for—and achieve—such intensive glucose control are much less likely to lose their vision, have kidney failure, develop heart disease, or need an amputation than those who don’t, according to a study published Monday in Archives of Internal Medicine. What’s more, the research shows that people with type 1 diabetes, fare much better nowadays than they did 25 years ago.
Health.com
July 27, 2009
(Getty Images)
By Denise MannMONDAY, July 27, 2009 (Health.com) — Regina Regazzi, a 38-year-old New Yorker, is one of the lucky ones. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a child, she has remained relatively free of complications and continues to lead a healthy, active lifestyle. In fact, this executive recruiter has even run several marathons.
She tests her blood sugar six times a day (sometimes more) and uses an insulin pump to administer the hormone all day long, which keeps her blood sugar as close to normal as possible.
Now, research shows that this fairly new approach to controlling type 1 diabetes—as opposed to the one or two daily insulin injections that had been advised for decades—pays off. People who aim for—and achieve—such intensive glucose control are much less likely to lose their vision, have kidney failure, develop heart disease, or need an amputation than those who don’t, according to a study published Monday in Archives of Internal Medicine. What’s more, the research shows that people with type 1 diabetes, including Regazzi, fare much better nowadays than they did 25 years ago.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body attacks the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, leaving people with no way to control their blood sugar, or blood glucose. About 10% of people with diabetes have type 1, which often occurs in children or young adults. (Most people with diabetes have type 2, which tends to develop later in life.) People with type 1 diabetes need insulin injections to survive, and like all people with diabetes, are at risk for complications such as heart disease, blindness, nerve damage, and kidney damage due to high levels of blood sugar. A normal blood sugar is between 90 and 130 mg/dl before meals, and less than 180 mg/dl after meals for diabetics.
In the new study, a research team led by David M. Nathan, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston, looked at results from three large, long-term studies: the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT); its follow-up study, the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC); and the Pittsburgh Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications (EDC) study.
People in the DCCT who kept their glucose levels as close to normal as possible were 50% less likely to develop retinopathy, an eye disease that can cause blindness, than their counterparts who did not. Those in the intensive glucose control group were also less likely to develop kidney problems and heart disease, when compared to those with conventional glucose control. Fewer than 1% of people in the intensive group went blind, had a limb amputated, or needed a kidney transplant as a result of their diabetes during the study.
In people who had diabetes for about 30 years, the rates of diabetes-related eye damage and kidney problems were much lower in those who practiced tight control, compared to their counterparts who had the disease before intensive therapy was common. In those who did not practice intensive control, the rates of eye, kidney, and heart problems were 50%, 25%, and 14%, respectively, compared with 21%, 9%, and 9% in those who practiced tight control.
“This is great news,” says Dr. Nathan. “Intensive therapy improves the long-term outlook for people with type 1 diabetes, and if they are able to achieve and maintain glucose levels that are as close to a normal person as possible, they have a much lower chance of suffering from the devastating complications that have historically affected people with diabetes.
“What was considered intensive therapy when the study began is now standard diabetes therapy,” he explains.
Overall, the outlook for people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes is much better than it has ever been, according to Dr. Nathan. “Physicians and patients can now have a clear idea of what their prospects are over a long period of diabetes,” he says. “They had a bad outlook—a chance of developing amputation, kidney failure, and blindness. But with modern-day therapy, their outlook is much brighter than it has ever been.”
Modern therapy includes insulin pumps, such as the one Regazzi uses; a greater variety of insulin products, including man-made versions of the hormone; and better treatments for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other illness that tend to occur in people with diabetes.
The advancements are a boon for patients, according to Randall J. Urban, MD, a professor and the chair of the department of internal medicine at the University of Texas Medial Branch, in Galveston. “It really shows that for type 1 diabetes, very intense glucose therapy reduces the risk of complications."
However, for some patients, intensive therapy may be easier said than done. “I see a lot of teenagers in my practice, and during the time when they transition into adulthood, there is not good control," he says. "But as you move into adulthood, a lot of type 1 diabetics do maintain excellent control.... Tight control is the best chance to limit the incidence of complications."
Regazzi, for one, intends to stay the course. “Seeing people with some of the side effects, such as someone who develops a foot ulcer and then it turns into gangrene and leads to amputation, makes me stop and evaluate what I am doing,” she says. “I would never want to become a burden on family or society because I couldn't control my diabetes.”
Regazzi sees a diabetes specialist as well as an eye doctor who's an expert in retinopathy.
“My [diabetes] doctor and I analyze blood sugars over periods of time and make proper adjustments,” she says. It isn’t always an exact science and there are bumps in the road, she admits. "[But] I want to live as long and healthy a life as possible."
All study participants who received conventional treatment as part of the DCCT study were offered intensive therapy after this trial ended in 1993, and researchers followed up with them in the EDIC study.
When the DCCT study began, conventional treatment for type 1 diabetes involved one or two insulin injections a day with daily urine or blood glucose testing. Intensive therapy includes keeping glucose levels as close to normal as possible by targeting hemoglobin A1C readings of 6% or less with at least three insulin injections a day (or an insulin pump). A1C readings provide a snapshot of average blood glucose levels over the past two to three months to give an idea of how well diabetes therapy is working. | {
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Rover's Panorama of Entrance to 'Murray Buttes' on Mars
Rover's Panorama of Entrance to 'Murray Buttes' on Mars
360° View:Use the arrows in the top left, or click (or touch) and drag your cursor or mouse, to move the view up/down and right/left.Important note ›
Not all browsers support viewing 360 videos/images. YouTube supports uploading and playback of 360 degree videos/images on computers using Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera browsers. Use the YouTube app to view it on a smartphone at: https://youtu.be/UUweNrpFTwA
This 360-degree panorama was acquired by the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover as the rover neared features called "Murray Buttes" on lower Mount Sharp.
The view combines more than 130 images taken on Aug. 5, 2016, during the afternoon of the mission's 1,421st sol, or Martian day, by Mastcam's left-eye camera. This date also was the fourth anniversary of Curiosity's landing.
The dark, flat-topped mesa seen to the left of Curiosity's robotic arm is about 300 feet (about 90 meters) from the rover's position. It stands about 50 feet (about 15 meters) high. The horizontal ledge near the top of the mesa is about 200 feet (about 60 meters) across. An upper portion of Mount Sharp appears on the distant horizon to the left of this mesa.
The relatively flat foreground is part of a geological layer called the Murray formation, which formed from lakebed mud deposits. The buttes and mesas rising above this surface are eroded remnants of ancient sandstone that originated when winds deposited sand after lower Mount Sharp had formed. Curiosity closely examined that layer -- the Stimson formation -- during the first half of 2016 while crossing a feature called "Naukluft Plateau" between two exposures of the Murray formation.
The buttes and mesas of Murray Buttes are capped by material that is relatively resistant to erosion, just as is the case with many similarly shaped buttes and mesas on Earth. The informal naming honors Bruce Murray (1931-2013), a Caltech planetary scientist and director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.
The scene is presented with a color adjustment that approximates white balancing, to resemble how the rocks and sand would appear under daytime lighting conditions on Earth.
The rover's location when its Mastcam acquired the component images of this scene was the site it reached in its Sol 1417 drive can be seen here.
Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built and operates Mastcam. JPL, a division of Caltech, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, and built the project's Curiosity rover. For more information about Curiosity, visit here | {
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http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/_/id/8158283/dallas-mavericks-acquire-darren-collison-indiana-pacers (http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/_/id/8158283/dallas-mavericks-acquire-darren-collison-indiana-pacers&service=bit.ly&source=espn)The Dallas Mavericks continued their recovery from disappointment in the Deron Williams sweepstakes, reaching terms on a trade with the Indiana Pacers to acquire point guard Darren Collison. | {
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Today at Computex 2018, Nick Parker, Corporate Vice President, Consumer and Device Sales – along with executives from Microsoft’s engineering, marketing, and research teams – shared more about our vision for the future of computing and the opportunity it represents for our device partners.
Here are some of the highlights:
“The opportunity to leverage AI, ubiquitous computing, Microsoft 365, multi-device and multi-sense experiences has never been greater. Together we can create new, compelling devices and experiences in the era of the intelligent edge and intelligent cloud.
To accelerate innovation in this new era we invite all our partners to join our intelligent edge partner community. The community will help partners connect with one another to identify opportunities to collaborate on technology innovation and achieve shared business goals. In addition, community members will be able to participate in trainings and community events and can participate in early adopter programs that provide access to documentation, specs, OS builds and certification details.To sign up, simply head to this page.
Today, in Taipei, we announced a new category of teamwork devices; Windows Collaboration Displays. These large interactive displays will let people experience Microsoft 365 collaboration tools: Office, Teams, and Whiteboard at room scale, and include built-in sensors that can connect to Azure IoT spatial intelligence capabilities. This incredible technology will allow facility managers to utilize environmental data to make real-time decisions. A variety of collaboration displays, from Sharp and Avocor will be available later this year.
We also announced Windows 10 IoT Core Services. This new service offering enables partners to commercialize a secure IoT device backed by industry-leading support. It provides device makers the ability to manage updates for the OS, apps, settings, and OEM-specific files, and is backed by 10 years of support.
Using Microsoft’s programs, platforms and suite of services, our partners are bringing to life a breadth of devices at the Intelligent Edge that delight customers and empower them to do more. Microsoft 365 enables people and organizations to embrace the modern culture of work: to be more creative, work together more effectively, and have a more productive experience – without sacrificing protection and security. This platform opens the door for new experiences brought to life by great hardware innovations from our partner ecosystem – that helps users fluidly go from mouse to keyboard to touch to ink – and beyond, to multi-sense scenarios like voice and vision.
Every part of our lives, every industry, and every sector of our economy is being digitally transformed. There are limitless opportunities for Microsoft partners – from the largest Azure servers to the smallest devices using Azure Sphere and everything in between.” | {
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HTC posts revenue down nearly third from year ago
December 6, 2012 - 18:00 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer HTC posted revenue of NT$21 billion, or $729.4 million, in November, down nearly a third from a year ago. It marks the 13th consecutive month of declining revenue, as the company struggles to get out of a slump that's lasted more than a year, CNET reports.
November did improve upon the October month, when revenue was NT$17.2 billion, or $591.8 million.
The results illustrate the continued struggles facing HTC, one of several handset manufacturers battered by the competition that has left Apple and Samsung Electronics as the only truly successful players in the smartphone business. Despite slashing its product line-up and focusing on a few higher quality devices, the company has yet to see a financial turnaround.
The company, however, is hopeful that will come soon. HTC President Jason MacKenzie said last month that he believes the lineup that it currently offers will help drive that turnaround. The products have all gotten support from outside partners, whether its Microsoft or Verizon Wireless.
Over the last few months, HTC has introduced an upgraded version of its flagship One X, the One X+. It has also released the Windows Phone 8X and Windows Phone 8S, which Microsoft considers its flagship devices for the new platform. Most recently, it has released the Droid DNA, which is the flagship smartphone for Verizon this holiday.
Whether the products will translate to better results in December is another question. But with sales trending down in October and November, it's likely that the fourth-quarter results will similarly see a decline in sales, CNET says. | {
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The paper entitled "Limits of Risk Predictability in a Cascading Alternating Renewal Process Model," by Xin Lin, Alaa Moussawi, Gyorgy Korniss, Jonathan Z. Bakdash, and Boleslaw K. Szymanski was published by Scientific Reports7:6699, 2017. Most risk analysis models systematically underestimate the probability and impact of catastrophic events (e.g., economic crises, natural disasters, and terrorism) by not taking into account interconnectivity and interdependence of risks. To address this weakness, the paper propose the Cascading Alternating Renewal Process (CARP) to forecast networked risks. However, assessments of the model’s prediction precision are limited by lack of sufficient ground truth data. The paper establishes prediction precision as a function of input data size by using alternative long ground truth data generated by simulations of the CARP model with known parameters. The approach is simulated on a model of fires in artificial cities assembled from basic city blocks with diverse housing. The results confirm that parameter recovery variance exhibits power law decay as a function of the length of available ground truth data. The paper demonstrates limits of prediction using another dataset with dependencies: real-world prediction precision for the global risk model based on the World Economic Forum Global Risk Report. Thus, the paper demonstrates that the CARP model is an efficient method for predicting catastrophic cascading events with potential applications to emerging local and global interconnected risks. | {
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457 Non-governmental Plans
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Non-governmental plans can now be set up by non-profit organizations in addition to their 403(b) plans. They may either be "eligible" plans set up under section 457(b) or "ineligible" plans set up under section 457(f). ERISA legislation has said that non-governmental plans must be limited to some group of higher compensation employees. The level of compensation required is not specified by ERISA, but it must be according to some ascertainable standard that the employer sets. The same highly compensated limit ($100,000 a year for 2006) in place for 401(k) discrimination testing would likely be acceptable, as would restricting the plan to some class of employees such as directors or officers. Because of this limitation to higher-compensation employees, 457b plans are often referred to as "top hat" plans.
Non-governmental 457 plans have a number of restrictions that governmental ones do not. Money deferred into non-governmental 457 plans may not be rolled into any other type of tax-deferred retirement plan. It may only be rolled into another non-governmental 457 plan. Also, money deferred into non-governmental plans is not set aside in a trust for the exclusive benefit of the employee making the deferral. The Internal Revenue Code requires that money in a non-governmental 457 plan remains the property of the employer and is thus available to general creditors of the employer in legal or bankruptcy proceedings.
HELP!! WHAT DOES THE LAST SENTENCE IN THE PARAGRAPH ABOVE MEAN? Thanks, Tom
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A tax-exempt entity can only establish a 457(b) plan to cover a select group of top management employees (a top hat plan). The assets in that plan can NOT be placed into a protected trust, but MUST remain assets of the employer (until such time that the amounts can be paid out).
Govermental 457(b) plans and tax-exempt 457(b) plans have a large number of other differences, here are a few, the first answer is for Gov 457(b) and the second is for Tax Exempt 457(b): | {
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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOTV) – Help to support Flint children affected by the ongoing water crisis. Take part in the “Fish Slap Challenge.” The Gilmore Collection and 97 LAV-FM are coming together to launch the “Fish Slap Challenge” event.
Remember the infamous “Ice Bucket Challenge” This is similar. People are encouraged to post videos to social media with the hashtag #FishSlapChallenge challenge their friends, family, and co-workers while getting slapped across the face with a fish. That person then either accepts the challenge by posting their video getting slapped with a fish and challenging someone else next—or they can pay $25 to the cause.
The social media challenge will be followed by the “Fish Slap Challenge” event at The B.O.B. on March 19 from 4-7 p.m. with Tony Gates and Michelle McKormick from the Tony Gates Morning Show. Fish will be provided with a $10 donation and every participant will receive a 20% off coupon to use for restaurant dining at The B.O.B. that day.
This is a unique way to get involved and help the Flint Water Crisis. To view the videos and get more information, visit thebob.com | {
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Nike Air Feather High WNS
We are happy to tell every consumer that Nike Air Feather High shoes are available in our store now. The various colors will satisfy the need of most people. The fashional looking will make you more beautiful. They can keep your feet warm in the cold winter. Ther featured comfort and durable. You will become focus wearing them in the street. | {
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Ernie (Franjo: A Journeyman Story – Ep93)
We’re coming to a point now where I’m going to have to make a decision. I’ve already decided that I’m not going to leave Santos in the Summer unless I’m presented with an offer I can’t refuse, as I genuinely think that the only thing this club needs to be relatively big hitters is a change in attitude and a bit more quality. I’ve said a couple of times though that Philani Cele is probably not going to remain my captain beyond the end of the season if he stays at the club and vice-captain Moe will almost certainly be sold as soon as the window opens. Issouf Paro and Dino Visser have also worn the armband this season but the former’s shinbone is in more pieces than an exploded lego factory, leaving him in limbo in terms of how well he recovers and whether he’ll be a part of my plans, and the latter is consistently being kept out of the team by young Komo. So I need to choose who’s going to be our captain going forwards. I’m uncomfortable with the idea of giving the armband to a new signing until they’ve spent a while integrating into the team, so in the Summer I’ll most likely be choosing somebody that’s already on our books.
We’re playing Thanda Royal Zulu today, who are managed by former Charlton Athletic and South Africa striker Shaun Bartlett. I’m going to give someone new a chance to lead us out against Bartlett’s boys and I’m sure it won’t surprise you to learn that that someone is 19 year old Cameroonian prodigy Joseph Ekwalla.
If that’s not enough of a breath of fresh air for this stagnating team, I’m also handing a full debut to 17 year old Ernil Mobara, who’ll lead the line in place of Carl Lark, who went off the boil quite a while ago, 22 year old centre back Gary Havenga is back in for Moe with Gertse shifting across to right back and on the bench we have 15 year old playmaker Luke Fanteni, one of our latest batch of youth recruits.
12 minutes in we’re dominating TRZ and when Japhta’s corner is headed clear we win possession straight back through Diale. He plays a smart one-two with Japhta on the right wing and then whips in a cross for Ryan Moon, who powers a header past the keeper to put us ahead.
Instead of sitting back content with the lead, the team seems to smell blood. It’s no coincidence that within a minute of the goal, Captain Joe’s the man leading by example by driving forwards in search of a second. He lays the ball off for Japhta, who smashes it from the edge of the box and it cracks against the angle between post and bar before flying up into the air. Ernil Mobara leaps for the rebound but Mtebule gets there ahead of him and heads it clear. I like what I see though.
10 minutes later, we’re still in control. And what’s better is that we’re playing some nice football. Thoahlane receives the ball during one such move and plays a long ball into the Thanda box. The keeper comes out to claim the ball but he’s beaten to it by Sello Japhta, who sends a looping header into the unguarded net for 2-0.
This time, Thanda Royal Zulu come straight back at us less than a minute after kick off, breaking up one of our moves and starting a counter attack through Ngcepe, who brings the ball into our half. Sensing that their chance has finally arrived, the TRZ players all bomb up the field desperately, but that proves to be their undoing when Diale nicks the ball from Ngcepe and boots it over the defence for Mobara, who’s about 10 yards clear of the centre backs but is being played onside by their left back. The debutant Mobara brings the ball down, takes it into the box and chips it past the poor onrushing goalkeeper and into the top corner.
I’ve kept a respectful poker face so far so as not to rub it in for my opposite number, but that goal breaks my resolve. I leap to my feet grinning like a madman and punch the air in triumph as Ernil sprints away from goal, pointing both hands up to the sky. He runs straight over to the dugout and I give him a high five, before he’s mobbed by the other players, both playing and benched, in a flurry of hair ruffling and back patting. He’s off the mark on his full debut, and I couldn’t be more bloody proud.
The best part of it is that Ernil’s clearly not content with 1 goal. When we win a free kick 20 yards out a couple of minutes later he sends Japhta and Moon away and takes it himself, hitting it powerfully over the wall but against the post.
The last action in the first half comes just after the half hour mark when Captain Joe slides the ball behind the defence for Ryan Moon, who cuts it across from the right wing for Mobara, but even I can see that he’s 2 feet offside when he smashes in what he thinks is his 2nd debut goal. Sadly the score stays at 3-0.
My half time team talk gives itself. We’ve played probably the best half of football I’ve seen us play and I just tell them to keep it going. Evidently though, Shaun Bartlett makes a more convincing argument to his players because they come out the better team in the second half. Just after the hour mark, Matlokosi crosses well from the left byline and Bunting meets it at the far post, cushioning it down for Ngcepe, who hits it and forces an excellent reflex save from Komo. From the resulting corner, Samodien’s cross is met by Matlokosi and he heads it against the outside of the post and wide. I respond by implementing Project: Foxy Mk II to try and be a bit more solid.
A few minutes later though, TRZ threaten a comeback when Ngcepe slots the ball through for the danger-man Matlokosi, who places it in Komo’s top corner from 8 yards to pull one back.
It doesn’t last long though. With 13 minutes to play an extremely controlled and patient passing move from Santos culminates with Sello Japhta playing a through ball for Mobara, who slams the ball into the bottom corner to make it 4-1. As well as being incredibly happy for him though, I’m suddenly gutted that he was stood offside the 2nd time he stuck the ball in the net. He would’ve had a professional debut hat trick if not for that!
I bring on defensive midfielder Junaid Mobara, left winger Manqoba Cele and attacking midfielder Luke Fanteni for the last 10 minutes in place of Diale, Japhta and Sinbad. It’s a nice luxury to be able to give these youngsters a bit of time and not one that I’m allowed very often, so I enjoy watching them play. We nearly make it 5-1 in the 89th minute when Ekwalla plays a one-two with Ernil Mobara before striking the ball from the edge of the box and hitting the bar. The ref blows to signal full time and we’ve been on the right end of a drubbing for once. It feels bloody great.
That’s what we need. That’s exactly the kind of pick-me-up we’ve been crying out for. We just have a couple of bits of admin to take of before we take this swagger into the next match against Bloem Celtic. First of all, to save me the headache, I’m going to refer to Ernil Mobara our debutant goalscorer as “Ernie” and Junaid Mobara, the promising defensive midfielder as “Juno”.
Secondly, after young Luke made a cameo debut, he’s set a Santos FC record as the youngest ever played to wear our shirt in a professional match, clocking in at 15 years and 356 days. He’s got potential, that lad.
And finally, Komo’s now played 20 games for us, which means he’s getting a bit of a wage bump. Well in, Komo.
Unfortunately we’ll be the victims of his success as we host Bloem Celtic though, because he’s been called up to South Africa’s U20 squad again and will miss our match. Nevertheless we’ll get by without him and it’ll be worth it in the long run for him to get the experience and confidence boost that comes with an International youth team call up. Dino Visser will replace him in our lineup and will take the armband so that I can have another look at how it fits him.
The first half is not much of a spectacle. The 2 teams square up and patiently test each other. It’s about 7 minutes after half time when things get interesting, kicked off by a comedy of errors from the Santos defence. First Zulu strays way away from his designated position, then Thoahlane covers for him, getting the ball from the left back position and dwelling on it for far too long. Nyondo sees this and immediately nips in to steal the ball away on our right wing. He crosses the ball into the centre for Chapman, who’s in acres of space after strolling casually away from his marker Havenga, and puts it past Visser easily from close range. I am displeased.
With half an hour to go I withdraw Zulu and Ernie, replacing them with Jenniker and Lark, and with 17 to play I complete my substitutions with the introduction of Gugu Gogotya in place of Diale.
With 10 minutes to go we finally kick into gear. Ekwalla springs Moon with a good ball through the defence. Moon shoots first time but Msibi parries the ball away. Japhta gets to the rebound though and slots it into the mostly empty net to equalise.
We barely have time to celebrate though. With 5 minutes to play, Zuma finds Nyondo on the right wing and he chips a cross into the centre once more. This time, Mathosi powers a header past Visser to regain his side the lead, and indeed the win.
I’d love some consistency and I’d love to have a run of games between the frustration headaches instead of them being a core part of my Saturday night routine. Nevertheless, winning felt really good however temporary the feeling might’ve been and Ernie’s given me some food for thought for the future, as too have Juno, Fanteni and potential future Santos captain Joseph Ekwalla. | {
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Archive for the ‘speed’ Category
Tuesday, May 10th, 2011
It’s not a new “feature,” but speed and reliability are a key component of the appeal of a site. A few weeks ago we reported on a new server configuration that cut page-generation times in half (see LibraryThing is Faster). Now we’re reporting on some database tweaks that have made the process of finding, adding and editing data faster.
Like all large database-driven sites, LibraryThing can’t rely on a single database. Instead, we have a single “master” database which replicates its changes to a number of “slave” databases. (See Wikipedia: Database Replication.) Because sites “read” a lot more than they write, scalability is achieved doing most “reads” from the slave machines, which can be multiplied almost indefinitely to deal with increased traffic. Unfortunately, writes still need to move from the master to the slave, which necessarily involves a slight lag. If the lag becomes too great you get stale data or processes that pause (and pile up!) waiting for fresh information to pass from the master to the slaves. You also get bugs. And annoyances, like Talk posts not appearing right away. Replication lag also degrades query speed and therefore site speed generally.
As a heavy database-driven site running on relatively cheap hardware we’ve sometimes struggled to keep replication delay down. The problem is particularly acute on our weaker slaves. Fortunately, our ongoing review of performance issues has disclosed series of code and “schema” changes that have substantially improved replication speed. Here’s a chart of the average replication delay on one of our database servers over the last ten days. As you can see, two changes have made a big difference!
We’re excited about the progress we’ve made so far. It exceeded our expectations. Our performance review is continuing. We won’t stop until LibraryThing is as fast and reliable as it is powerful, rich in data and fun to use!
Wednesday, April 20th, 2011
I’m happy to report that LibraryThing’s servers have undergone a considerable improvement. LibraryThing’s server administrator, John Dalton (member Felius), carried through an ambitious restructuring of how LibraryThing’s considerable traffic was distributed across our web servers. And the restructuring worked out.
Across the site “pages” have been sped up by about 100%, dropping from a median of about 1 second to about 0.5 seconds. Catalog, or “Your books,” pages have dropped from a median of 1.6 seconds to 0.8 seconds. Response has also become more predictable, with much a lower standard deviation of response times.
Good, but not everything. While server-rendering speed is important, it isn’t the only factor in perceived speed–the other two being transfer and rendering by the web browser. Server improvements also hide the fact that rendering times also include database actions, which were not improved by this change. The truly bothersome pages on LibraryThing are hindered by this, not by web server load per se. So, this change hasn’t done much to improve response time on catalogs with thousands or tens of thousands of books, hit for the first time that day, or on work-combination requests that require recalculating thousands of items of data. Basically, the improvement speeds up every page by an average of 0.5 seconds, but a 10 second page still takes 9.5 seconds.
Here are some graphs of the effect on different page types. The white band is a period for which we don’t have numbers.
All pages (includes widgets)
Catalog. Savings have been dramatic but, as noted above, mostly on the vast majority of “normal” requests, not on the rare but painful ones.
Talk topic pages. These have gotten much faster, because the data is easy to get from the database but also very copious, so it took a lot of server work to render it. This improvement has a perverse side-effect, however–the faster the page is made the more the Talk page can get ahead of master-slave replication. This issue will be addressed in an upcoming improvement.
Work pages haven’t improved because they were already well-distributed across our servers.
Tuesday, June 10th, 2008
If you haven’t recently, take another look at Connection News. I’ve given it a few new features and much faster.
Connection News has been the best feature nobody uses. It was good in theory, but it was slow. It’s much faster now. As SilentInAWayput it:
“… [T]his afternoon, it took about a minute and a half to load this page for my interesting libraries. With this speed-up, it took several seconds to load the page the first time that I invoked it; for all subsequent loads, however, it has taken about a second. Wow!”
Connection News now tracks “newness”—putting a little “NEW” marker next to books, reviews and ratings if they’re new since the last time you looked at Connection News. To discuss the feature and suggest improvements, check out Talk. | {
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Focuses on literacy components of the elementary and the middle school reading program. Special emphasis is given to the development of literacy skills in writing, listening, speaking, media literacy, and presenting and viewing as a part of a holistic view of language and communication. Prerequisites: ED 3202 for Elementary Education licensure candidates. | {
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Connacht beaten by Munster in Thomond
2 years ago
CKelleher
Guinness PRO12
Munster 50-14 Connacht
Connacht finished their Guinness PRO12 campaign with a defeat to Munster at Thomond Park ahead of the Champions Cup play-off semi-final against either Northampton Saints or Gloucester in two weeks (date to be confirmed).
The loss confirmed an eighth-placed finish for Connacht but Champions Cup qualification is still within reach and they will face the seventh placed Premiership finishers, Northampton, or Gloucester, if the Kingsholm outfit can beat Stade Francais in next week’s Challenge Cup decider.
Cian Kelleher and replacement Naulia Dawai were the Connacht try-scorers in Limerick as an in-form Munster side ran out deserving winners.
Most of the damage was done in the first half as Connacht turned around trailing 24-0. The Westerners were able to stem the tide somewhat after the interval however, and showed good heart to battle back in the second 40.
The hosts made the better start and opened the scoring on six minutes as Ian Keatley put Dan Goggin through a gap with Keith Earls touching down under the posts.
Tom Farrell, who impressed throughout, looked the most threatening for Connacht with Danie Poolman and Tiernan O’Halloran making forays down the flanks but the Munster defence scrambled well.
Jack Carty very nearly set up Poolman with a crossfield kick but the winger couldn’t hold onto the ball.
Having been unable to get any points on the board after a good spell, Connacht were clinically punished as Man of the Match Keatley added to his earlier conversion with the game’s first penalty on 24 minutes.
Four minutes later, Jack O’Donoghue barged over in the left corner and Keatley’s touchline conversion made it 17-0.
An outstanding Kieran Marmion tackle on Conor Oliver prevented another Munster five-pointer but the hosts scored a third try before the break after winning a turnover in the Connacht half as Conway dived over in the right corner.
Facing into the second half 22-0 down, Connacht had to dig in and the cause wasn’t helped on 43 minutes as James Cronin burrowed his way over.
The visitors were off the mark thanks to a superb score with less than half an hour to go as Carty’s perfectly-weighted crossfield kick found Kelleher to score in the right corner.
Craig Ronaldson added the conversion superbly but Munster hit back moments later as Conway touched down in the left corner and Keatley made it 38-7 with his fourth conversion.
Connacht refused to give in and scored a second try through Naulia Dawai after a rolling maul in the left corner with Ronaldson again on the money to bring the scoreboard to 38-14.
Munster finished with a flourish, however, as Saili capitalised on an error to score under the posts before Conor Oliver went over in the right corner on the final whistle. | {
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Category: Pictorial Weirdness
Sometimes, weird things show up in the midst of your nice, normal day. These weird things make life worth living...and allow you to have something to put on your Instagram besides selfies and your dinner. Without further ado: Here are 10 funny/weird things that I have seen. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ These hand sanitization products that speak truth.… Continue reading 10 Funny/Weird Things That I’ve Seen | {
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Posts: 6
Topic: This Star wars Cartoon ??
Star Wars cartoon... to me doesn't seem to give it ..Justice at all But then out comes the Game of Star Wars .. with a Warrior.. in Darth Varder trainingWhy couldn't they do the Film like the Game Video to me is a far better version of what I would like to seein Star Wars,,they don't look so ..Childish ..even I will go to say could equal to the Star wars Films. bats
Re: This Star wars Cartoon ??
revan07, don't be such a hypocrite if you can't understand the way bats writes.
as for me, i think the tv show is doing fine, and The Force Unleashed is such an awesome game. the live action tv show set to air next year takes place in the same time period as TFU, in the 20 years between RotS and ANH. so there is a possibility of some parts of the game being put into the show, i read that the voice actor for whom Codename Starkiller was based on was interested in playing a cameo role.
Re: This Star wars Cartoon ??
Not everyone on the boards speaks English as their first language, so please be respectful to those who don't but still give it their best. Bats has always gotten her points across fine on here. Just think of how you'd feel if you were on some other foreign website and getting hassled by the people on there just because you can't type fluently in their language. Be mindful of others feelings, please. Thank you.
--Sadriel Fett (BFFC Moderator)"I'm just a simple Fan, trying to make my way in the universe."
Re: This Star wars Cartoon ??
Bats is Austrilian and last I knew they spoke english down there. I have always had trouble understanding her and rarely go into her threads. I seem to remember we asked Bats once why she types the way she does and she said she does it on purpose cause it's a poetry format.
Reality doesn't care if you believe in it.[url]http://www.townparkradio.com[/url] - Video Game Remix Music | {
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Tribewanted.com analysis
We analyzed tribewanted.com and discovered that it has a low Alexa rank which suggests that this site is not yet very popular and gets a poor traffic, at the same time, its Google PR has a proper value which most likely identifies a sufficient number of relevant sites linking to Tribewanted. Its reputation is unidentified as its safety factors are not yet rated by users.
Our goal at Tribewanted Monestevole is to show that it is possible to live sustainably, not just in remote locations and developing countries, but also in our own back yard. We want to provide a repli... | {
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Goals:lose weight, go on a date, gradute from high school, go to college, get a nice job that i like that pays well, have a family, and just be happy, to look in the mirror and say i look okay, not good but okay
Wants:a boyfriend, someone who will wrap their arms around me and not ask me to wrap mine around them, a car, someone to say they like me and mean it, to not be played and to for once have a man that doesn't do shit and says he's gonna do the right thing, but also do it
Accomplishments:i went to Austraila, an accomplishment for me because it started my traveling to the countries i wanted to co to, i got a few great friends, when i used to have none | {
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Taishan
Taishan (tĪˈshänˈ) [key] or Tai tĪ, peak, 5,069 ft (1,545 m) high, W Shandong prov., E China. Located in the homeland of Confucius, it is China's most sacred mountain. In ancient times it was believed that Taishan controlled the earthly fate of humanity. The peak is revered by Buddhists and Taoists and has long been the goal of pilgrimages; it has many temples and shrines. Taishan is also called Dongyue [eastern peak]. | {
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Mother may speak of killing son before sentencing
CONCORD, N.H. — A Texas woman who suffocated her 6-year-old son in a New Hampshire motel room and left his body by a road in Maine may shed light on her motives Friday, before being sentenced to 45 years in prison.
The mother of 42-year-old Julianne McCrery told The Associated Press her daughter has prepared a statement.
Lu Rae McCrery, who visited her daughter in jail Wednesday, said she believes her daughter will read the statement rather than have someone else read it.
Julianne McCrery pleaded guilty in November to kneeling atop 6-year-old Camden Hughes as he laid face-down on their motel room floor. She told investigators she covered his mouth with her hand as he flailed for several minutes.
Story continues below advertisement.
McCrery told prosecutors she had planned to kill herself and no one else was fit to raise Camden. But prosecutors in November said they have evidence she felt Camden was an inconvenience.
“She set out on a journey with her son across the country while contemplating how she would kill him,” Senior Assistant Attorney General Susan Morrell said during the plea hearing.
McCrery was arrested at a Massachusetts truck stop four days after Camden’s body was discovered. A motorist who happened by the remote area where Camden’s body was found was able to describe a pickup truck she had seen with its doors open and a Navy insignia on its window.
When she was questioned at the truck stop, McCrery identified herself and told police she had killed her son at a Hampton motel and left his body under a green blanket by the side of the road.
During her plea hearing in November, McCrery answered the judge’s questions about her plea and her guilt in her son’s death, but did not elaborate on the killing or her motives.
Lu Rae McCrery says she and family members have been in contact with Julianne McCrery by phone, but have not been able to talk with her or her attorneys about the circumstances surrounding Camden’s death.
“In retrospect, I think we would have all healed much faster if we could have,” Lu Rae McCrery said Thursday.
McCrery’s lawyers did not return calls seeking comment.
Lu Rae McCrery said she arrived from Nebraska and visited with her daughter at the Rockingham County House of Corrections. The two were separated by a glass partition.
“It was surreal,” Lu Rae McCrery said. “We still can’t talk about the case until after Friday.”
Lu Rae McCrery said Julianne’s son —who is on leave from the Navy— will attend the hearing along with her father and brother. All three visited McCrery at the jail Thursday, she said. | {
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Our Attorneys
OB&S lawyers come from diverse backgrounds and experience to bring real-world solutions to complex problems. We have experience in state and federal courts throughout Louisiana and beyond. Acknowledged by our peers and clients as thoughtful, talented, and resourceful, OB&S lawyers pride themselves on building lasting relationships with clients.
Marta-Ann Schnabel is a past president of both the New Orleans Bar Association and the Louisiana State Bar Association and is poised to take the reins as President of the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel in June 2014. She has been recognized by Super Lawyers as one of the Louisiana’s Top 25 Women Litigators.
Kevin O’Bryon is a seasoned litigator whose success has been recognized both by Super Lawyers and an AV rating in Martindale. He advises corporate and insurance clients on business and litigation matters. A past president of the New Orleans Association of Defense Counsel, he is a frequent lecturer on insurance coverage, professional malpractice, and toxic tort issues. He is the chair of the LSBA Legal Malpractice Insurance Committee.
Jean Melançon became of counsel to O'Bryon & Schnabel in July of 2012, bringing his vast experience in maritime and tort litigation, as well as real property development law to the firm. He is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association and the Maritime Law Association of the United States.
Kathleen E. Simon joined O’Bryon & Schnabel in October of 2015 and brings to the firm almost 30 years of experience in litigation practice in the areas of personal injury, casualty, and insurance coverage defense, including arson and fraud claims; pre-suit evaluations, negotiations, medical fraud and prescription drug issues. Her knowledge of the Louisiana attorney discipline system and ethics issues is also extensive.
Janell M. McFarland-Forges joined our law firm in 2018, and her work focuses on litigating matters in the areas of casualty and personal injury, products liability, premises liability, and commercial litigation. With experience in handling matters from their inception through the appellate process, her focus is on assessing and recommending the best and most practical approach to achieve the client’s desired result.
After twenty eight years of representing the State of Louisiana, Sherry Watters returned to private practice in 2013 and joined OB&S. Before and during her state service, she practiced in criminal, civil and juvenile courts, with a particular emphasis in appellate practice.
Material presented on this website is for informational purposes only. It is not intended as professional advice and should not be construed as such. Some links within this website may lead to other sites. O’Bryon & Schnabel, PLC does not necessarily sponsor, endorse, or otherwise approve of the materials appearing on such sites. | {
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Caramoor International Music Festival
Date/Time
Jun 21, 2014 to Aug 3, 2014
12:00 PM
Description
A star-studded line-up appears at this Italian-style villa, with performances taking place at multiple locations (including the 1,700-seat Venetian Theater, the outdoor Spanish Courtyard, and the picturesque Sunken Garden). | {
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Landcadia Holdings, Inc. is a blank check company, which seeks to enter into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization, or other similar business combination with one or more target businesses. The firm intends to focus on investment opportunities in the dining, hospitality, entertainment, and gaming industries. The company was founded on November 19, 2008 and is headquartered in Houston, TX. | {
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Help? I am not normal.... (TMI)
I often have no interest in sex. Don't get me wrong my husband is GREAT. I enjoy it when we do have sex, but we only do it maybe once a month... if that. What can I do to bring my sex drive back. I see women on here that say they do it everyday!!! We did too when we first got together 8 years ago. Now, I am kinda like ok if we do, we do, if we don't we don't. I miss the intimacy and the love making that has completely dissipated. Please help me figure out what I should do.... Thank You.
Stress can play a big part of not wanting to be intimate. Do you have a lot going on? Also, it's normal to have sex every day when you're first together. Now you have an adult life with adult stress and responsibility. And I think sex is important but a relationship does not revolve around it. (I have read those stories too and I personally can't imagine having time for it every day. But maybe that is because we have tons going on here at home then we have other people pulling at us too so we're just discovering how to connect again and push everyone else away for a while.) If you can, have someone watch your children for a while and go out with your husband. Sometimes that in itself is amazing and makes you want to have sex just because you got to reconnect. We love to do that and get DH's mother to babysit for us at least once a month. Good luck to you.
LOL, you probably don't want this answer. Just make love and forget about the sex. :)
Answer by
Anonymous
at 11:50 AM on Apr. 29, 2010
Go back 8 years and see what is missing. Look at your love making sessions as a reconnection, anticipate, plan, this is what most moms with kids will do. Think of it as a distresser of the day, your time to unwind and enjoy. A lot of times we think we don't want it, but when you are there you enjoy it, so you need to work on getting there, so plan, anticipate, reconnect. You will be a better mom for it.
There's a lot of things that play into loss of sexual drive. You can try to spice things up in the bedroom. Find out what turns you on, what makes you feel sexy and in the mood. Change up your personal style, so that you feel more attractive if that's the case. If it's stress or a change in schedule/habit then figure out what changed and change it back.
OP-Well there are many different changes in our lives... I weigh 60 lbs more than I did when we got together, We have 4 kids now, We are a struggling family of 6 on one small income, he has an interfering ex-wife and 3 other kids (which of course is not new but adds to the stress), he works from sun up till sun down to support us and his other kids which leaves us very little time together.... but there is no way to avoid that!
Answer by
Anonymous
at 12:19 PM on Apr. 29, 2010
I found that the more often I made myself have sex, the more I wanted it. Sometimes you just have to do it. That was what made my sex drive return
i often find my desire for sex fluctuates not only with hormones but with my stress level and satisfaction with my marriage. i can get overly caught up in minutae and forget to just enjoy things (like sex). or if i have a problem with the hubby i'm not being vocal about, that tends to put a damper on it. address things that might be distracting you... on occasion i have told my husband i need him to seduce me to help me out of the funk. men love a challenge :-) | {
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I would be - HRH The Princess Daenerys Targaryen, Khaleesi of the Dothraki..
and later..
HM Queen Daenerys I of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, First of Her Name, Queen of Meereen, Queen of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Protector of the Realm, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea
__________________Ś i vethed...nā i onnad. Minlū pedich nin i aur hen telitha. - Arwen & Aragorn, The Lord of the Rings(English translation: "This is not the end... it is the beginning. You told me once, this day would come.")
Well, I dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood for Halloween when I was 5 years old, and I liked that in the movie The 10th Kingdom there was a character named 'Queen Riding Hood III of the 2nd Kingdom' (and the House of Red). Highly fictious of course! If I'm going for real-life, I'd probably choose something Prussian or German from the area of my ancestors. I'd have the title, some jewels and a schloss, but none of the hinderances that come from being a member of a ruling family. | {
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