text: SBR1A40SA Green 1.0A SBR® SUPER BARRIER RECTIFIER SMA NEW PRODUCT Features • • • • • • Mechanical Data • • Low Leakage Current Patented Super Barrier Rectifier Technology Soft, Fast Switching Capability 150ºC Operating Junction Temperature Lead Free Finish, RoHS Compliant (Note 1) Green Molding Compound (No Halogen and Antimony) (Note 3) • • • • • • Top View Maximum Ratings Case: SMA Case Material: Molded Plastic, UL Flammability Classification Rating 94V-0 Moisture Sensitivity: Level 1 per J-STD-020D Terminals: Lead Free Plating (Matte Tin Finish.) Solderable per MIL-STD-202, Method 208 Polarity Indicator: Cathode Band Marking Information: See Page 3 Ordering Information: See Page 3 Weight: 0.064 grams (approximate) Bottom View @TA = 25°C unless otherwise specified Single phase, half wave, 60Hz, resistive or inductive load. For capacitance load, derate current by 20%. Characteristic Peak Repetitive Reverse Voltage Working Peak Reverse Voltage DC Blocking Voltage Average Rectified Output Current (See Figure 1) Non-Repetitive Peak Forward Surge Current 8.3ms Single Half Sine-Wave Superimposed on Rated Load Symbol VRRM VRWM VRM IO Value Unit 40 V 1 A IFSM 25 A Symbol RθJA TJ, TSTG Value 116 -65 to +150 Unit ºC/W ºC Thermal Characteristics Characteristic Typical Thermal Resistance, Junction to Ambient (Note 4) Operating and Storage Temperature Range Electrical Characteristics Characteristic @TA = 25°C unless otherwise specified Symbol Min Forward Voltage Drop VF - Leakage Current (Note 2) IR - Notes: Typ - Max 0.5 0.45 Unit - 500 100 μA mA V Test Condition IF = 1.0A, TJ = 25ºC IF = 1.0A, TJ = 125ºC VR = 40V, TJ = 25ºC VR = 40V, TJ = 100ºC 1. EU Directive 2002/95/EC (RoHS). All applicable RoHS exemptions applied. Please visit our website at http://www.diodes.com/products/lead_free.html. 2. Short duration pulse test used to minimize self-heating effect. 3. No purposefully added lead. Halogen and Antimony Free. 4. Device mounted on Polymide substrate, with 1" x 1", 2 oz. Copper, double-sided PCB board. SBR is a registered trademark of Diodes Incorporated. SBR1A40SA Document number: DS31768 Rev. 2 - 2 1 of 4 www.diodes.com July 2009 © Diodes Incorporated SBR1A40SA IF, INSTANTANEOUS FORWARD CURRENT (A) PD, POWER DISSIPATION (W) 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0 1 TA = 150°C TA = 125°C 0.1 0.01 TA = 85°C 0.001 TA = 25°C 0.0001 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 IF(AV), AVERAGE FORWARD CURRENT (A) Fig. 1 Forward Power Dissipation 0 100 200 300 400 500 VF, INSTANTANEOUS FORWARD VOLTAGE (mV) Fig. 2 Typical Forward Characteristics 1,000 100,000 TA = 150°C 10,000 TA = 125°C 1,000 TA = 85°C 100 TA = 25°C 10 0 10 CT, TOTAL CAPACITANCE (pF) IR, INSTANTANEOUS REVERSE CURRENT (µA) 0 100 10 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 VR, INSTANTANEOUS REVERSE VOLTAGE (V) Fig. 3 Typical Reverse Characteristics 0.1 1 10 100 VR, DC REVERSE VOLTAGE (V) Fig. 4 Total Capacitance vs. Reverse Voltage 1.2 150 TA, DERATED AMBIENT TEMPERATURE (°C) IF(AV), AVERAGE FORWARD CURRENT (A) NEW PRODUCT 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0 0 25 50 75 100 125 TL, LEAD TEMPERATURE (°C) Fig. 5 Forward Current Derating Curve 150 SBR is a registered trademark of Diodes Incorporated. SBR1A40SA Document number: DS31768 Rev. 2 - 2 2 of 4 www.diodes.com 125 100 75 50 25 0 0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 VR, DC REVERSE VOLTAGE (V) Fig. 6 Operating Temperature Derating July 2009 © Diodes Incorporated SBR1A40SA Ordering Information (Note 5) Part Number SBR1A40SA-13-F NEW PRODUCT Notes: Case SMA Packaging 5000/Tape & Reel 5. For packaging details, go to our website at http://www.diodes.com/datasheets/ap02007.pdf. Marking Information S D 4 = Product Type Marking Code = Manufacturers' code marking YWW = Date Code Marking Y = Last digit of year (ex: 9 for 2009) WW = Week code 01 to 52 YWW SD4 XX Package Outline Dimensions B A SMA Dim Min Max A 2.29 2.92 B 4.00 4.60 C 1.27 1.63 D 0.15 0.31 E 4.80 5.59 G 0.05 0.20 H 0.76 1.52 J 2.01 2.30 All Dimensions in mm C D J H G E Suggested Pad Layout Dimensions Value (in mm) Z 6.5 G 1.5 X 1.7 Y 2.5 C 4.0 SBR is a registered trademark of Diodes Incorporated. SBR1A40SA Document number: DS31768 Rev. 2 - 2 3 of 4 www.diodes.com July 2009 © Diodes Incorporated SBR1A40SA IMPORTANT NOTICE NEW PRODUCT DIODES INCORPORATED MAKES NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WITH REGARDS TO THIS DOCUMENT, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE (AND THEIR EQUIVALENTS UNDER THE LAWS OF ANY JURISDICTION). Diodes Incorporated and its subsidiaries reserve the right to make modifications, enhancements, improvements, corrections or other changes without further notice to this document and any product described herein. Diodes Incorporated does not assume any liability arising out of the application or use of this document or any product described herein; neither does Diodes Incorporated convey any license under its patent or trademark rights, nor the rights of others. Any Customer or user of this document or products described herein in such applications shall assume all risks of such use and will agree to hold Diodes Incorporated and all the companies whose products are represented on Diodes Incorporated website, harmless against all damages. Diodes Incorporated does not warrant or accept any liability whatsoever in respect of any products purchased through unauthorized sales channel. Should Customers purchase or use Diodes Incorporated products for any unintended or unauthorized application, Customers shall indemnify and hold Diodes Incorporated and its representatives harmless against all claims, damages, expenses, and attorney fees arising out of, directly or indirectly, any claim of personal injury or death associated with such unintended or unauthorized application. Products described herein may be covered by one or more United States, international or foreign patents pending. Product names and markings noted herein may also be covered by one or more United States, international or foreign trademarks. LIFE SUPPORT Diodes Incorporated products are specifically not authorized for use as critical components in life support devices or systems without the express written approval of the Chief Executive Officer of Diodes Incorporated. As used herein: A. Life support devices or systems are devices or systems which: 1. are intended to implant into the body, or 2. support or sustain life and whose failure to perform when properly used in accordance with instructions for use provided in the labeling can be reasonably expected to result in significant injury to the user. B. A critical component is any component in a life support device or system whose failure to perform can be reasonably expected to cause the failure of the life support device or to affect its safety or effectiveness. Customers represent that they have all necessary expertise in the safety and regulatory ramifications of their life support devices or systems, and acknowledge and agree that they are solely responsible for all legal, regulatory and safety-related requirements concerning their products and any use of Diodes Incorporated products in such safety-critical, life support devices or systems, notwithstanding any devices- or systems-related information or support that may be provided by Diodes Incorporated. Further, Customers must fully indemnify Diodes Incorporated and its representatives against any damages arising out of the use of Diodes Incorporated products in such safety-critical, life support devices or systems. Copyright © 2009, Diodes Incorporated www.diodes.com SBR is a registered trademark of Diodes Incorporated. SBR1A40SA Document number: DS31768 Rev. 2 - 2 4 of 4 www.diodes.com July 2009 © Diodes Incorporated


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The Baltimore Ravens on the other hand lost some personnel, but were able keep their bigger names. Cleveland welcomes in a new coach, Eric Mangini, but still must find an answer to the question as to who will be lining up behind center. Houshmandzadeh. So what will 2009 have in store for the occupants of the AFC North? Pittsburgh Steelers: 14 2 (Projected Record) After facing the toughest schedule in the league, issues on the offensive line, injuries to the quarterback, and inconsistencies in the running game, the Pittsburgh Steelers still came away from 2008 with the franchise's sixth Super Bowl Championship.
It's impossible to say if New England can navigate a four month regular season without a loss before gearing up for the playoffs. But Bill Belichick's team, which has won the AFC East a orange football jersey record eight consecutive years, looks well stocked and 40 year old quarterback Tom Brady is set to play an entire season after the Deflategate suspension cost him the first four games in 2016.
Most importantly, Glennon protected the football on every snap, something he failed to do in his first two games and something that the starting quarterback of american football jersey black every run oriented, defense driven team create your own basketball team jerseys must do. The chemistry between Glennon and wide receiver Kendall Wright, basketball jersey designer free who caught all three third down conversions, emerged as a highlight and looms even more significantly in the wake of receiver Cameron Meredith seriously injuring his knee.
Major additions: Jordan Matthews has been acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles to replace Sammy Watkins wholesale authentic nfl jerseys following his trade to the Los Angeles Rams a bold move http://www.blackmambajerseys.com/shoes/ considering Matthews scored only three touchdowns last year. Second round pick Zay Jones looks an intriguing prospect having Kobe Bryant basketball shoes enjoyed a stellar college career with East Carolina, catching 399 passes in four seasons, but it's the Bills defense which has undergone the biggest overhaul, particularly in the secondary. The signing of safety Micah Hyde from Green Bay will give Buffalo much needed stability, while first round pick Tre'Davious White has been tipped to have a stand out rookie season and should form a strong partnership with former Ram EJ Gaines.
Traffic could be a problem it almost always is in LA but the city will be well along multi decade, multibillion dollar transit upgrade by 2028, and those with long memories recall free flowing highways the last time the Olympics came to town, as locals either left the city or heeded warnings to use public transportation or stay home.

subset: commoncrawl


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How To Sync Your Laptop with a Music Device
If you have a portable music player, like an iPod or MP3 music device, you can sync it to your laptop to transfer music files to it. This is a common practice for users who like to add music to their portable music player also.
1Connect a device to your laptop and open Windows Media Player.
Make sure you are connecting the device into the proper port on your laptop.
3Name the device and click Finish. The device is now synced with Windows Media Player and will be automatically updated whenever you connect it to your laptop.
To add items to be synced to a device, with the Sync tab displayed, simply drag items to the right pane. If your device is connected, or the next time you connect it, the items are copied onto the device automatically.
If you want to be sure that the sync is progressing, click the Sync Options button (it's on the far right of the top of the Sync tab and looks like a little box with a check mark in it) and choose View Sync Status.


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How Maker inspire young people for technology
It is explicitly desired to touch and to try out: at LASYS 2018, International Trade Fair for Laser Material Processing, the VDMA will once again promote students in science and technology with hands-on projects.
The German industry is always looking for highly qualified professionals and creative minds to ensure their innovative capacity in the future. The VDMA, professional and conceptual supporter of LASYS, will once again be supporting this year's international trade fair with a special initiative for young talents. In order to attract the next generation of potential young professionals to laser and light technologies, the VDMA together with VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH will show exciting Do-it-Yourself (DIY) optic and photonics exhibits at its booth (4B37). There it is explicitly desired to touch and to try out!
The projects are developed by "Maker", who are creative hobbyists and tinkerer, and supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in the context of the initiatives "Make Light" and "Open Photonics". High school students from all over Baden-Württemberg are invited to experience the physical understanding of lighting technologies in an understandable way by trying out the exhibits; the exchange with "Maker" should also stimulate their creativity.
Looking at the last campaign for young talents, around 300 students invited by the VDMA came to the LASYS 2018. All participants reported a successful visit and event.
The exhibitors at LASYS can look forward to meet the curious young audience, as well. They are invited to receive groups of students on their booths, this gives the opportunity to introduce their company and its innovative developments to the next generation of talents and to promote career opportunities in their company.
Further information on the initiative of the VDMA in cooperation with VDI Technoloiezentrum at LASYS 2018 will follow shortly.
Annika Löffler
VDMA-Forum Photonik
Tel.: +49 69 75 60 81-22
Mail: a.loeffler(at)vdw.de
The Young Talent Initiatives at LASYS is carried out by the VDMA in cooperation with the VDI Technology Centre.


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By completing your order, you understand that the products(s) you are purchasing are U.S. models and may have power / voltage requirements different from that of your country.
Prices shown in currencies other than US Dollars are estimates based on current exchange rates. We will charge your credit card in US Dollars on the day your order is shipped, and the conversion to your local currency will be done at the prevailing rate by your credit card issuer.
PSSL will not mark your parcel as a "gift", declare a value lower than the actual price paid, or otherwise prepare false customs information.
M-Audio's Aries is a professional condenser microphone designed specifically to capture the highest quality live vocals. More often condenser mics are confined to the studio because sonic sensitivity is accompanied by handling sensitivity but the Aries' proprietary internal shock-mounting technology allows it to deliver studio fidelity while minimizing handling noise and standing up to the rigors of the road. The cardioid capsule with 6-micron evaporated gold diaphragm and integral pop filter also rejects background sound for clarity and minimal feedback while handling the high SPLs of concert situations.


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With Direct Commerce's SaaS-based delivery, customers can choose a rapid implementation and reduce costs by making a minimal IT commitment.
Direct Commerce's veteran technology team has created a robust procure-to-pay platform to automate our Fortune 1000 customers' supplier communities.
Our secure, cloud-based suite of tools provides companies such as Home Depot and Eli Lilly with an easy-to-use interface, including electronic invoicing, discount management, dispute resolution, vendor management, high volume EDI services, and more.
Our core infrastructure guarantees performance, reliability, scalability, flexibility and security—all in a controlled, continually audited environment.
We offer a dynamic configuration of applications without requiring any modification of customers' code bases. We built our system knowing that many companies face similar problems while automating their Procure-to-Pay systems and we have created a solution that configures details such as workflow, field validation, document structure and even the look and feel of the platform to accommodate specific company business processes.
All platform components are designed with redundancy and fail-over in mind. Systems and applications are designed to eliminate single points of failure.
We assure secure operation through the use of end-to-end network encryption, hardened security gateways, active threat detection, and authorizations for all system requests. Direct Commerce's customers may also choose the option of adding Client Certificates, SecurID or Biometrics for enhanced security.
The Direct Commerce platform design supports adding capacity in advance of demand. Our components are designed to support expanding the user base and increasing workloads as needs evolve.
Direct Commerce is available 24×7 with advance notice of scheduled maintenance windows. Direct Commerce provides around-the-clock network monitoring, failure notification and escalation.
We continuously log and audit all business and system events to track system activity. Events are easily accessible to users and all information is visible and can't be altered.
Direct Commerce ensures speed and capability through our powerful, high-end platform components. Our system can handle your company's peak operating times with ease and efficiency, through our distributable technologies at every platform tier.
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Direct Commerce's SaaS model allows for rapid implementation and minimal IT investment from our customers. We can customize all of our solutions to meet your company's specific business needs.
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Direct Commerce supports and encourages the use of industry standard technologies. We actively contribute to standards-setting bodies such as Sandia Labs and the ANSI X.12 Committees, and we publish detailed specifications for interfaces into our systems so customers can choose the access methods that meet their needs.
Learn More


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How to Replace a Brake or Tail Light in a Ford Explorer, Expedition, Excursionby Contributor
Changing a tail light or even replacing a broken lens on the rear of your Ford car or SUV is very simple, and you only need a cross tip (Phillips) screwdriver to do the job.
Step 1
Locate and remove the screws holding the tail light in place. In this case, there are 2 screws holding the tail light in. On Ford SUVs, opening the rear door will provide access to the lights; in Ford cars, opening the trunk will provide access.
Step 2
Gently but firmly pull the tail light out of the vehicle. One side is held in by plastic pegs that you don't want to break. Also, you want to avoid tearing any of the wiring loose. All late model Ford autos have plastic pegs holding the lens in so you may have to pull quite firmly to remove it. Just make sure you pull it straight out.
Step 3
Grasp the base of the bulb that is burned out, and twist it loose. It should only take a quarter turn to free the bulb. If replacing the entire lens, remove both bulbs.
Step 4
Pinch the base of the bulb, and pull it from the base. Put the replacement bulb in the base. Place the bulb in its respective place on the lens, and secure it by giving it a quarter turn.
Step 5
Attach the lens to the vehicle, making sure all the wires are neatly tucked in. Secure the side with the plastic pegs first. Then replace the screws.
Check lights, back-up lights, brake lights and turn signals to make sure everything is working properly.
Items you will need
- Replacement bulb
- Phillips screwdriver


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Host a memorable experience and an event that sparks.
Just minutes from the downtown core and with ample parking, TELUS Spark offers an intriguing, unforgettable and versatile venue. We have high capacity rooms, eye-catching design, full service catering and a comprehensive suite of audio/visual facilities. The venue is ideal for a wide range of functions including signature events, cocktail receptions, gala dinners, team builders, intimate meetings, trade shows, and more. Whatever your needs, our events team will ensure memorable experiences and smooth execution.
For more information on rates and spaces, please contact our events team at 403.817.6887 or email us at email@example.com. Our team will be happy to help you navigate specific requests and questions.
Interact with TELUS Spark's Galleries and Exhibits
In addition to our rentable spaces, TELUS Spark boasts unique exhibits and galleries including Open Studio, the Creative Kids Museum, Earth & Sky, Energy & Innovation, Being Human, Calgary's only mind-blowing Dome Theatre and an incredible outdoor park.
Environmentally Sustainable
Built to LEED gold standards (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), TELUS Spark features lighting control systems linked to occupancy sensors, radiant heating panels in the floors and ceilings as well as advanced wastewater control based on storm water capture.


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Lasagna is a good staple food around our house. Everyone loves it! I posted recently about my totally from scratch lasagna. It is pretty fantastic, but I don't always have time to do it this way. This is my easy breezy recipe!
Here is what you need:
9 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 jar pasta sauce
1/4 cup water
16 ounces ricotta cheese
16 ounces mozzarella cheese
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1 pound cooked ground beef (or sausage)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
In the bottom of your pan, pour a couple of spoonfuls of sauce in the bottom. Your noodles have to be moist to cook thoroughly. Lay three noodles across the top.
In a large bowl, mix together your remaining pasta sauce, water, ricotta, mozzarella, meat, garlic and salt
Layer your sauce on top of your noodles. Repeat three times until you have used the last of your noodles.
It is important to make sure that the noodles are completely covered up since you are not pre-cooking them.
Sprinkle your parmesan evenly over the top. Bake on 350 for 45 minutes. Enjoy with some awesome cheesy garlic bread 🙂


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Photo courtesy of Mary Shipman.
Here's the photo prompt for #Friday Fictioneers. Thanks Madison, for starting and continuing this wonderful writing prompt. Please visit her site and check out all the other Friday Fictioneers. Here's my 100 word take on the photo:
They swirl through me, relentless in their quest. Shutting them out is not an option.
They know what I am.
I glance at the gap in the wall. Ten sets of small human bones, and they call me a monster. Sometimes I hate this gig. "Anybody know an Abbey?" A sharp pain in my temple. "Not Abbey, Abigail?"
"Yes, that's my daughter's name. Is she…here?"
"Yes. She says she's sorry she skipped school that day. She loves you."
Closure, now she can move on. I extend my black wings against the light of ascension, the young always go up.
The guard jerks my chain. "None of that Demon. I like to see you burn."
Like I said, I hate this gig.


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One month after my 19th birthday I married the man of my dreams.
Phil was exactly what I wanted. Strong yet tender, godly and good, he exuded charisma and made me feel safe and valued.
I was new to faith but absolutely determined to follow God with abandon. I'd cleaned up my fairly innocent life in order to align myself with every single rule I could ferret out.Phil was way ahead of me, steeped in the wisdom of the Scriptures and unerringly strict in his application of those words to his own life.
I admired him more than any man I'd ever met and loved him with a passion that consumed me.
When we got home from our fairy-tale honeymoon and Phil went back to work, I set about creating a home for the two of us. I cleaned and scrubbed and painted our little house on the corner while soup bubbled on the stove and ruffled curtains let in the fresh California sunshine. At night Phil came home and filled me in on all the comings and goings and conflicts and victories of life as a worship pastor at our church.
So far I'd lived up to my pledge to meet Phil's every need. And though we'd had a struggle or two over hurt feelings and misunderstandings, we'd managed to be nice and make up every time.
Until my hair dryer broke.
One of my favorite ways Phil loved me was when he offered to dry my hair. I'd sit on the floor at his feet while he used the hairdryer and a soft bristled brush to dry my long blond strands to silky perfection. So soothing and so romantic.
Then one day some stray hairs wound around the motor of that hair dryer and all of a sudden Phil saw it spark. We smelled the awful scent of burning before it quit. Permanently. Now what? We had precious little money for much else than groceries and gas and our house payment. Running out to Target to buy a hair dryer was not an option.
Phil, ever the valiant warrior, promised to fix it. I put it out on our shiny-new-never-before-used-wedding-gift workbench so he could.
The next morning, as was his habit, Phil got up just in time to read his Bible and before rushing off to the office, gobble down one of my homemade breakfasts (because every young bride who reads the stacks of books on marriage knows that making breakfast for her man is essential to a good and lasting marriage).
Okay, I reasoned, no worries, he'll fix it tonight. But that night came and with it responsibilities that kept us both out late. The next morning he dashed off in the nick of time to work.
A week went by. I hinted. I mentioned. I suggested.
Phil assured me he'd get to it as soon as he possibly could. He promised. Several times. With a big compelling smile and a compliment on my sun-dried hair.
Inside I was starting to sag. Maybe he didn't love me. Maybe I was just becoming too much trouble. Or maybe it was his problem. Maybe he was a workaholic. Maybe he wasn't doing what every-husband-ought-to-do. Hadn't he promised to love me and cherish me and provide for me, and all that? Wasn't fixing hair dryers part of his job?
Every day I mentioned that hair dryer. At least once. Okay, maybe more than once. A lot. And of course there were the notes…just to remind him…no pressure. And Phil started to get irritated.
Then finally we had a day off. Nothing planned but a bike ride in the sun, maybe a lingering breakfast somewhere close by. Time together to enjoy being newlyweds.
But for that hairdryer on the workbench it would have been a fabulous day.
When Phil never so much as mentioned fixing the hairdryer as we planned out our fun day, my insides sank lower. This was it! He didn't love me at all!
Of course I didn't act hurt. I didn't ask if his neglect of my hairdryer meant he didn't really love me and therefore couldn't be bothered. Instead, in typical female fashion I looked and sounded annoyed. Hands on my hips, scowl on my face, all those flirty womanly ways buried behind a façade of belligerence.
And to my extreme consternation, instead of bowing at my feet, apologizing profusely, and immediately making his way to the workbench to fix my poor hairdryer, Phil got mad right back. And that's when two worn out, strong-willed, misunderstood, hurt people jumped onto the Crazy Cycle.[1
All day long we tried to "resolve" it. And all day long we just kept stepping on each other's toes and causing more hurt. Every single grievance got dredged up and hashed and rehashed. Tears and apologies and more rounds of blaming.
Just ugly, defeating, discouraging meanness.
All these years later I shudder when I remember that sinking feeling of failure I felt. Our love would never, could never be the same. I was sure of it. We were not the perfect couple. Phil was most definitely not my Prince Charming. And I would never be the perfect wife.
The fairy tale was over.
And that, my dear daughters, is the real beginning of when God began to grow me up so that I could learn to love for a lifetime.
The journey has been long and often painful. We've instigated and endured many days of "trying to resolve it". And yet here we are, nearly 35 years later and as I write this Phil brought me a lovely half-caf coffee with just a bit raw sugar stirred in and a dollop of whipped cream on top… just the way I like it. I mean, girls, who does that?
Later we'll talk about conflict and some do's and don'ts I've learned along this bumpy road to real romance. But for now, here are just a few things I think you should know…
1. Rules don't work.
I thought if I followed "the rules" meticulously then my husband would always be happy. But I've learned that there is no one-way to love a man well. Instead we study him, listening carefully, watching for signs of stress or that sigh of distress that signals unspoken need.
2. Books don't tell everything.
I love to read. Books have taught me how to clean my house, how to cook, how to pack for a vacation, how to house break a puppy and toilet train a child. But books will never be able to tell me how to love my husband. Loving a man well over a lifetime is a skill learned by sitting at the feet of the Father who made both of you and asking for wisdom to know how.
3. My husband needs more than me.
I cannot and never will meet all my husband's needs. I am not enough. I'll never be enough. And as hard as that is to swallow, it's freeing too. Being freed from the need to make my husband happy also frees me to lavish him with my love and to honor him as a man.
4. He wants to be your Prince Charming
Phil wanted to fix my hair dryer, he really did. He wanted to prove his valiant conquer-the-world-status to his adoring bride. Your husband longs to be your hero too. He wants to sweep you off your feet and enamor you with his strength. He wants to fix everything for you. But he can't. And that's okay. Some things can only be fixed by that same Father who teaches how to love well. And some things won't be fixed until all this broken world is made right on the day He comes to get His Bride.
I wish… that Phil had just told me that he couldn't fix that hair dryer on the workbench if his life depended on it.
I wish… that I'd just told him I'd take my broken hairdryer to someone who could fix it for me rather than hold his less-than-admirable-fixing skills as a test of his love.
But I'm glad we're both freed now from expecting too much from each other and from ourselves. Because the more we learn to depend on God to meet our needs and fix our brokenness the more we'll be able to love with abandon.
Because, you know girls, He's Not Your Prince Charming…
From my heart,
P.S. Are you learning this lesson too? Is God patiently and persistently teaching you that He is enough? Will you tell us what you're learning? I cherish your stories…
Keep checking back this week… I've got some notes to help you along the way that will be posted in Glimpses.
[1] That's what our friends, Emmerson and Sarah Eggerich's so aptly name what happens to every married couple in their book, Love and Respect. If you haven't already, please read it! It is profoundly insightful and helpful.


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44 on Livingston is a luxurious Guest House. This guest house is well appointed in the north eastern side of the northern suburbs of Johannesburg.
Close to several amenities 3 km to several Golf Courses, Shopping Centres - Eastgate, Rosebank, Killarney, Sandton Pick and Pay Norwood, Gautrain 10 km.
Genesis Suites and Conferencing offers the best of all worlds. Ideal for work, perfect for play. Set in the heart of Johannesburg, Africa's economic hub, Genesis is ideally and centrally located. With easy access to OR Tambo, the CBD and Sandton


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On the third day of Blogger Christmas, my true love sent to me all of Lulu's sweet and savory goodies! Welcome to the annual tradition on Pars Caeli where we celebrate twelve incredible bloggers and show off snippets of their creations. Unflappable in their tenacity, determination, and imagination, these artists return again and again with posts that amaze all around.
Grab your coffee and get your Pin It button ready. Melissa of Lulu the Baker has dozens and dozens of incredible recipes for every occasion. She also has a plethora of holiday projects. I've been so lucky to collaborate with her on a number of projects, and I'm so excited for some of the big happenings for her in 2015 - not to mention the new baby she delivered and new house she built in 2014!
I love making cookies for Santa. I feel like at this point in my life, I should pick something more mature than that, but I just love Christmas cookies. My family always makes the same 4 or 5 kinds of cookies, and it just wouldn't be Christmas without them!
I have some big projects I want to blog about in 2015, mostly stuff around the new house (the basement! the garden! the mudroom! my office!). And I've been working and working and working on a book proposal, and even though I've said this in past years, 2015 is the year I'm gonna make it happen! I've actually made lots of progress on it, and I'm right on the brink of making big things happen--hooray!
Chewy Gingerbread Cookies with Double Chocolate Chunks--I took everyone in my family's favorite Christmas cookie, the Molasses Crinkle, and added two kinds of chocolate chunks. And wow!! It's almost sacrilegious to say this, but they're even better than before!
There are so very many bloggers that I admire. Everybody is so hardworking and generous and just lovely. Right now, I'm particularly enamored of Melanie Blodgett from You Are My Fave because she decided to take time away from blogging.
I think every blogger considers stepping away from blogging when life gets overwhelming, but it is so hard to actually do it! We all worry about losing readers and losing opportunities and back-sliding, and we think that if we take a break, even if it's for a great reason like moving or having a baby or to maintain your sanity, that we'll miss out. So I'm always crazy impressed when a successful blogger takes a big, legitimate break. And Melanie is just so talented, you can't help but love her!
Congratulations Melissa! Can't wait to follow along with all of the house updates over on Better Homes and Gardens, too.
Tomorrow's blogger is my mochi hero. Can you guess?
xoxo, MJ


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Please donate something? Pretty please?
|Blitzkrieg1701, December 20th, 2011, 3:50 am
Yeah, I know we've already seen a lot of the Caligari family this Christmas, but so what? I haven't gotten to draw any of them anywhere NEAR enough this year. I also know I've done the Santa suit gag several Christmases in a row... but now we get to throw Tabitha and Jenna into the mix!
That last part's the most important part, actually. After the previous unpleasantness, I really wanted to have at least one page where Jenna's having a happy Christmas (I'm REALLY not cut out for writing stories where bad things happen to nice people, am I?)
Well, tomorrow's the big day!
|Advertisement, November 17th, 2019, 7:47 pm
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User Comments:
|Seros Senric (Guest), December 24th, 2011, 1:03 am
Christmas Eve.
Also, Avatar in clothes that actually seem to be her size? Amazing!
It is always nice seeing Jenna smiling. But I still think she needs someone to give her a hug.
And I want to mention again that I made a game that when you beat it gives you a Christmas thing, and that the link is in the forums since the comments don't seem to allow links (a good way of reducing spam :P)
|Blitzkrieg1701, December 24th, 2011, 1:41 am
...or you can go check out the Far Out There Facebook page, since I posted the link on the wall there (OH! Look at that subtle plug!)
And yeah, I wanted to include Avatar again, but also wanted to make this a little different from her previous Santa suit. Thus, she'd finally started paying attention to dress sizes.
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Developed by prominent early childhood special education experts Jennifer Grisham-Brown and Kristie Pretti-Frontczak, this book is a natural followup to the bestselling, widely adopted Blended Practices for Teaching Young Children in Inclusive Settings. Future educators of young children will get the research and recommended practices they need to
Guiding future educators through every aspect of skillful assessment, this textbook gives readers vignettes of common dilemmas teachers may encounter, classroom examples featuring diverse children, and practical aids such as assessment checklists and excerpts from select tools.
An essential textbook for all preservice early childhood educators, this book is also a key resource for a wide range of in-service professionals—from principals and consultants to teacher study groups. Educators will learn how to confidently implement high-quality assessment and reap its benefits: inclusive, family-centered programming that improves outcomes for all children.
A featured book in our Successful Screening and Assessment Kit!
"Immediately useful in planning for teaching an assessment class . . . the perfect way to communicate information about current, recommended practices in assessment with an emphasis on utility and authentic assessment."
"A comprehensive and valuable resource for early childhood practitioners . . . addresses both the process and purpose for assessment of all children in inclusive classroom settings".
This section provides specific recommendations for assessing children who
have severe or multiple disabilities, who are from diverse cultural backgrounds, or who are dual- or multilanguage learners. The section provides
specific recommendations regarding what and how information is gathered
across assessment purposes. The recommendations provided will apply to
all of the specified populations of children (children with diverse abilities) unless otherwise specified by one of the following: children with multiple or severe disabilities, children from diverse cultural backgrounds, and children who are dual- or multilanguage learners.
What to Assess
When assessing children with multiple or severe disabilities, teachers need to
gather information about the general effects of the disability on typical development to support their interpretations of test results (i.e., determine
whether a documented delay should be considered an area of need or if the
delay is within the typical trajectory for same-age peers with the same disability). For most children with multiple or severe disabilities, the course
of development is different, not necessarily slower (Ferrell, 1998). For example, research has shown that children with visual impairments learn
things in a different sequence and at a different rate than children who are
typically developing. As a general rule, teachers should avoid
comparisons between children who are typically developing and children
with a disability and should keep in mind that a disability in one area affects a child's abilities or developmental trajectories in other areas.
Gathering information about the child's use of functional skills is
critical when assessing young children with multiple or severe disabilities
(Browder, 2001). As previously mentioned, teachers should examine
function rather than form. For example, an item that measures ability to
get from Point A to Point B is a more appropriate assessment of a child's functioning than an item that focuses on specific locomotor skills, such as
walking or running. Children may demonstrate the function of the skill by
moving around in a wheelchair, crawling, or using a walker. Likewise, an
open-ended item that measures a child's ability to communicate his or her
wants and needs is more functional than focusing on specific verbal communication skills, such as speaking or pointing. Therefore, teachers should
focus on developing comprehensive descriptions of a child's functioning
on tasks or skills considered important to the child's present and future
performance (Meisels & Atkins-Burnett, 2000).
When assessing children from diverse cultural backgrounds or children
who are dual- or multilanguage learners, teachers should gather information about the child's culture and language patterns in the home (Espinosa,
2010; Sandall, Hemmeter, Smith, & McLean, 2005). It would be wise to
collect information about the child's learning style and experience with materials, the family's preferences and child-rearing practices, as well as
what behaviors and ways of approaching adults are culturally appropriate
before conducting screening and assessment (California Department of
Education, 2007). Furthermore, teachers should determine who in the
child's family speaks or understands which languages and for what purposes (e.g., read the newspaper, watch TV, listen to the radio, talk to
friends or socialize). Simply determining the language spoken in the home
is not enough. Parent surveys or as recommended by the American
Speech-Language-Hearing Association (Westby, Burda, & Mehta, 2003),
ethnographic interviewing, can be used for gathering information regarding the language a child is exposed to, how and when they use various languages, and for gaining a better understanding of the family context and
Gathering information about the language patterns in the home can
provide insight about the acculturation of the child and family. The term
acculturation refers to the process in which members of one cultural group
adopt the beliefs, behaviors, language, or cultural traits of another cultural group (Schumann, 1978). Understanding the level of acculturation
is important, given that young children who are dual- or multilanguage
learners are acquiring not just a new language, but a new culture as well.
When children experience culture shock, their academic and social behaviors can appear to mirror those of a student with special needs (Grassi
& Barker, 2010). Consider the preschool child who is not expected to feed
himself at home. At preschool, food is placed in front of the child with the
expectation that he will feed himself. The child might scream, cry, or simply "shut down" out of fear or frustration, not understanding the situation
or not being able to perform the task. During the assessment process,
teachers might interpret the child's behavior as a number of things that
are untrue about the child's abilities (e.g., a fine motor delay, challenging
behavior, sensory processing issue). Box 4.3 outlines further examples of behaviors exhibited by dual- or multilanguage learners experiencing culture shock.
Behaviors exhibited by dual or multilanguage learners experiencing culture shock
Constantly asking to go to the bathroom or the school nurse
Crying or exhibiting signs of depression
Throwing chairs or books across the room
Being unable to stay focused on tasks
Falling asleep during class
Exhibiting outbursts of anger, violence, frustration, or sadness
Getting into fights at recess
Leaving the classroom or asking to go home
Being out sick from school for many days
From Grassi, E., & Baker, H.B. [2010]. Culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional students: Strategies
for teaching and assessment. Copyright © 2003 by SAGE Publications. Reprinted by permission of SAGE
Finally, when assessing the language skills of children who are dual or multilanguage learners, it is critical to gather information about the
child's language acquisition for each language the child speaks and avoid
comparisons with children who are native English speakers (Goodz,
1994). Teachers should determine whether the child who is a dual- or
multilanguage learner has an age-appropriate level of vocabulary and syntax in his or her native language in order to evaluate the child's English
language acquisition. If there is no communication disorder in the child's
native language, then the likelihood is that there is no communication disorder. If possible, another strategy is to compare children who are dual- or
multilanguage learners with same-age peers who are also dual- or multilanguage learners. If the child is acquiring English at the same rate as other
nonnative English speakers of the same age, then chances are there is no
significant communication disorder. In other words, the likelihood of both
children exhibiting a communication disorder at the same rate is small.
That being said, when making comparisons between children, teachers
should consider the length of time each child has been exposed to the new
language because children spend a predictable amount of time in each
stage of the language acquisition process (Haynes, 2006).
How to Assess
The remainder of the section provides recommendations for how transdisciplinary teams should approach the assessment process for children with
diverse abilities (i.e., those who have multiple or severe disabilities, who are
from diverse cultural backgrounds, or who are dual- or multilanguage learners). Teachers need to consider the influences and biases inherent to the assessment process, integrate and use interchangeable cuing systems and
alternative materials, and allow children to provide alternative responses.
Influences and Biases
When assessing young children with diverse abilities, teachers should consider influences and biases created by both the assessment setting or situation and those who are conducting the assessment. Using an authentic
assessment approach (i.e., familiar adults in familiar settings) is critical to
the success of the assessment process. Research has shown that when
conducting assessments of young children who have severe or multiple
disabilities, who are from diverse cultural backgrounds, or who are dual or multilanguage learners in familiar settings, familiar adults are able to
elicit better performance and more elaborate responses (Barkley, 1982;
Copenhaver-Johnson & Katz, 2009; Fuchs & Fuchs, 1984).
When gathering information for a child who is from a diverse cultural
background or who is a dual- or multilanguage learner, teachers should
match the child with an examiner who is knowledgeable about the child's culture and who speaks the same language (McLean, 2000). Furthermore,
the examiner should understand the language acquisition process. It is important the examiner have a firm understanding of the types of grammatical, phonological, and discourse errors that dual- or multilanguage learners
typically make as well as the common errors made in interlanguage (Grassi
& Barker, 2010). The term interlanguage refers to a made-up linguistic system developed by a child who is learning a second language in which the
child uses language transfer, overgeneralization, and simplification to approximate the target language while preserving features of the native language. When conducting the assessment, if it is not possible to find someone
who is knowledgeable about the child's culture, who speaks the same
language, or who understands the language acquisition process, the team
should at the very least, arrange for a one-on-one situation with an interactive adult, caregiver, or teacher. High-context situations, such as a one-on-one interaction, can enhance receptive language abilities as well as increase
the likelihood of expressive speech (Copenhaver-Johnson & Katz, 2009).
Interchangeable Cuing Systems
Teachers should also try to incorporate interchangeable cuing systems
when assessing children with diverse abilities. Assessments should be administered in the mode of communication most commonly used by the child
(Espinosa, 2005). Often, the mode of communication used by children
with diverse abilities is nonverbal. Teachers should incorporate the use of
picture communication systems, augmentative communication devices,
object and tactile cues, and gestures or sign language when appropriate.
Nevertheless, teachers should beware of translating standardized verbal
tests into any alternative mode of communication. For example, sign language is not a precise equivalent of spoken language, so translation can
invalidate the standardization of test procedures (Schum, 2004).
For children who are dual- or multilanguage learners, assessments
should be administered in the child's native language. Keep in mind,
again, that translation is not always an exact science. Sometimes words or
phrases can sound inappropriate and even offensive to another culture
(Fabri & Freidel, 2008). If an English language assessment is translated into
another language, the assessment should be carefully reviewed for linguistic and cultural appropriateness by someone who understands the language and culture and who is well versed in the complex issues of both assessment and translation (National Association for the Education of Young
Children, 2009). When translation is not available, nonverbal cuing systems paired with multiple visual or gestural cues can support the assessment of young children who are dual- or multilanguage learners.
In addition to using interchangeable cuing systems, the manner in
which cues are represented should be adjusted to match the needs of the
child. For example, children with receptive language deficits will benefit
when test questions, instructions, and commands are short, concrete, and repeated (Zentall, 1988). For children with hearing impairments, teachers
should ensure the administration of any auditory information is within the
child's acuity level. Pairing appropriate cues with reinforcement can help
improve motivation and, therefore, test performance for children with behavioral disabilities (Singh, Barto, & Chentanez, 2005). When using reinforcers, teachers should consider the interests and preferences of the child.
For example, for children with autism, repetitive stimulation (e.g., strobe
light, vibration, rocking) can be more motivating than typical primary reinforcers (e.g., food; Freeman, Frankel, & Ritvo, 1976; Margolies, 1977).
Alternative, Flexible Materials
When assessing young children with diverse abilities, teachers also need to
utilize alternative and flexible materials. Choosing materials that are a
match for the child's capabilities and that allow for flexibility in the assessment process will give children with diverse abilities multiple ways of accessing the test content. For example, when children have visual impairments, teachers should choose materials that provide tactile information
or large, contrasting visual displays. For children with behavior disorders,
instruments with more manipulative items and shorter duration of tasks
are an appropriate choice (Shaw, 2008).
Specifically for young children who have diverse cultural backgrounds
or who are dual- or multilanguage learners, teachers should use materials
that align with the child's cultural or linguistic background. The National
Association for the Education of Young Children (2005) recommends a
systematic, observational assessment process incorporating culturally and
linguistically appropriate tools as the primary source of guidance. In other
words, when using multiple assessments, teachers should rely more heavily on those which are 1) observation based and 2) culturally and linguistically appropriate for the child (Espinosa, in press). If the transdisciplinary
team has enlisted the support of a "cultural guide" who knows and understands the child's language and culture, that person can help determine the
appropriateness of assessment tools by examining them for cultural bias.
Alternative Responses
When allowing for alternative responses, teachers should consider the
strengths of the child and attempt to align the response options with the
child's unique set of skills (Neisworth & Bagnato, 2004). For example, instruments that emphasize nonverbal procedures, such as pointing to pictures or signaling choice with an eye gaze are appropriate for children with
communication disorders or who are nonverbal. For children with motor
impairments, teachers should acknowledge and verify movement responses
that are approximations of standard responses and appear to demonstrate intent (Robinson & Fieber, 1988). Sometimes, incorporating materials that
are familiar to the child such as pictures, toys, or objects from the child's
home can encourage children who are from diverse cultural backgrounds
or who are dual- or multilanguage learners to narrate stories or role-play
events to show what they know and can do (Copenhaver-Johnson & Katz,
2009; Hills, 1992). Allowing children to draw their responses is an alternative option. When children produce verbal responses, teachers should focus
on the function or content of the response rather than the form. Finally,
children with diverse abilities should be given the option of using adaptive
equipment, augmentative communication devices, or other supportive
technologies to accommodate their responses during the assessment process.
Alternative Approaches to Assessing Young Children, Second Edition
By Losardo, Angela
LINKing Authentic Assessment and Early Childhood Intervention
By Bagnato, Stephen
Successful Screening & Assessment Kit
By Various Authors
Six Steps to Inclusive Preschool Curriculum
By Horn, Eva
Blended Practices for Teaching Young Children in Inclusive Settings, Second Edition
By Grisham-Brown, Jennifer


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Send your questions for the Chairman to email@example.com the end of the 2013/14 season Barnet FC want to hear from you.
Chairman Tony Kleanthous will subsequently be bringing forward his annual Q&A in order to hear your views ahead of a new season at The Hive.
To ask your question simply send it to Oscar Chamberlain at firstname.lastname@example.com with the subject line 'Chairman's Q&A'.
Answers to the questions sent in will be published over the course of the next few weeks.
The club are extremely proud to work with supporters so whatever your question get in touch now!


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Everyday Icons: The Designer With A Cause
Diana Warner is a 30-something artist and jewelry designer who launched a career directly inspired by her brother's battle with cancer. What she didn't realize along the way is how her experience would launch herself - and thousands of others - into a full, rich personal transformation. Read on to hear the story of sweet, dedicated and tenacious Diana Warner, today's Everyday Icon:
You have a background in art, but are now a successful jewelry designer in New York. Was there a specific moment you recall feeling led to pursue jewelry design, or has your path to DWNY been organic and winding?
I have been making jewelry and small objects my entire life. My great grandparents made miniatures and my grandmother collected jewelry. When I was a kid, playing at Gammy's house (grandma) she would hand me large freezer bags of what seemed to be magical costume jewelry. On the floor of her den I would "set up jewelry stores" and take pieces apart and recreate new ones.
When I went to college, I trained in fine arts, oil painting and drawing. My ability in sculpture and ceramics class was lacking, but somehow I could still make beautifully sought after small pieces of jewelry. I made jewelry as a hobby in school until my professors found my bead box and stacks and stacks of Vogue, Town and Country and Harpers. They actually felt that my "hobby" was taking away from my painting.
I managed to put down the jewelry for a couple weeks and walk away from the fashion magazines, but then I could not escape it - the subject of my paintings became jewelry, fashion, shoes, the women in my fashion magazines.
Nervous to show my first round of these new paintings in the gallery critique, I hung them, sat down and waited for my professor to yell. Instead, artist Michael Brakke, began to clap. The sound of Michael's large, worn hands clapping, gave me permission to exhale, I was not going to be kicked out of art school. Instead, he proclaimed "these paintings are the best you have ever done; these paintings look just like you."
Post-graduation I picked back up the jewelry, and my first client was the Knoxville Museum of Art. Many of the staff had previously purchased my paintings, and now they could purchase what I called "my small quick paintings" - aka my jewelry.
You've been helping your brother fight his battle with leukemia for a few years now. What has been the most difficult part of this journey? What advice can you give to others dealing with health concerns and/or family illness?
My brother, Rob, was diagnosed with ALL at the age of 23. I remember exactly where I was standing when he called and asked me to help him get a hold of Mom and Dad. The hardest moment of my life was watching my brother sign his DNR prior to the start of his first hospitalization. The family lawyer came over with paper work. We all sat at the kitchen table and my heart broke into a million pieces. I remember being more afraid that day then the day of a car accident that my family was in that almost took the lives of so many. I think cancer is so scary; you feel powerless against it. Years earlier, when my family was in the accident, at least I knew how to help, I could bathe and feed someone, I could dress wounds. I could watch a healing process. I knew how to pray. With cancer, I was lost. Very often you won't see cancer until it's really bad or too late. It is a disease that is mind boggling to watch to visual people like me. So with this cancer, I did the only thing I knew I could do - I attempted to support and encourage.
My brother had previously studied in Poland before earning his degree in architecture. There he had made very good friends and one of them was an Italian student named Annalise. When Rob had emailed her about his diagnoses, she emailed back something very simple: "Well, you better fight like the gladiator."
So, what little money I had during the start of my new company (Diana Warner Studio), I had t-shirts printed with the help/donation of time and services from a sweet friend. With the help of staff, friends and supporters we packaged those shirts and sent them out all over the country with a simple request enclosed, "Wear your shirt, take a photo of you in your shirt in your favorite spot and send the photo back to my brother, Rob."
My brother's battle continued, and then reoccurred just a year and a half after he went into remission at the age of 26. By this time my company was located in NYC full time, and one day I answered the phone at my office and two southern (deep southern) voices were on the other end of the line. By now my brother's fight against cancer was pretty well know via social media and the outpouring of support across the world from my clients was unbelievable. Two women called to tell me they had heard about Rob and wanted to encourage me. They said they were both cancer survivors and that he was going to be one too. I don't know if I was crying or smiling honestly during this conversation but I know I was soaking up every single word. They went on to ask me if I would make them a necklace that said "F@#% CANCER and suggested that I make them for other people too.
I paused and asked "Can we say it in French?" I explained to them how angry my dirty mouth made my mother and grandmother and that if we said it in French it would still be "ladylike."
Then the necklace came out, and the orders started coming in and so did the stories. People would come meet me and tearfully tell their stories, or they would come meet me and proudly show their scars. Women fighting cancer would write me and I would send them a necklace. Photos from chemo treatments would surface on the Internet and the woman or man would be holding their Le Cancer Fait Cher necklace up for the camera to see it. Through this project I discovered just how personal every single battle is. How different each story is.
On July 22nd, my brother is going to be turning 31. He has been cancer-free for over 3 years. In this time he attended Yale for his masters in architecture, traveled all over and landed a killer job in NYC. He told me this one-day: "I never thought I was going to die. I did not want to." Instead we began to cry over what it felt like to watch mom and dad during this time. We cried, and cried and my chair broke…. we left the waitress a large tip for putting up with that, ha!
So my advice to another sibling or daughter or friend watching someone suffer is this:
Think positive thoughts.Do what you know how to do (I knew how to make t-shirts and jewelry) to support them. Laugh (make silly drawings of gladiators, or throw parties in hospitals to watch basketball, always steal ice cream when you can from the snack closet, and make sure you prank the nurses station from the bed phone when you feel up to it). Let their struggles be their own (no one should tell someone how they should deal with cancer, how they should seek treatment, how they should feel). Fear not (do your research, ask questions of the doctors, gather your supporters, answer encouraging phone calls from southern women!). Take care of yourself (get educated on the signs and causes of cancer, get early screenings done). Do not waste cancer. Learn, let it motivate you to change your life, let it motivate you to be more selfless, love more and take better care of yourself. Change your diet, workout daily and learn what causes certain cancers. Let it change you (and others) for the better.
You've mentioned that you want your jewelry to be a part of someone's story. Can you share more about this mission?
The best part of my job is being part of someone's life. Through jewelry, I get to "be there." I am in the room when they are getting chemo. I am there when they walk down the aisle or glance at their bridesmaids standing in support of them. I get to be there on anniversaries, graduations, and sometimes as gifts at funerals. I get to be a part of someone's story that helps him or her express or the person giving it to them express something. This, for me, is what making art is all about, expression through the creation. I save all the cards I get from clients. I save the stories, I take the time to blog about them and highlight them and most often my inspiration for new designs comes from my interactions with clients, or parts of their personal story.
You, yourself, have gone through an incredible personal story of health transformation through weight loss and strength training. What has this transformation taught you about yourself and a human's spirit of resilience?
What many of my "newer" friends or clients don't know is that at one point in my life I was 76 pounds overweight. The weight gain started after college when I was injured in a car accident in Africa. During that time I was also starting Diana Warner Studio, and shortly after that I was spending most mealtimes at a hospital with my brother. Taking care of others (family or employees or clients) consumed my life, and taking care of myself took a back seat. After my brother's first diagnosis, I was also involved for nearly three years in a very abusive relationship, afraid and embarrassed to talk about it and get help. I stayed until I could not stay any longer. Within just a few months the first 35 pounds just fell off. Not living in fear anymore felt so light, and I was getting lighter daily.
Eventually my weight loss had really started to taper off. I was still overweight but right around the same time I discovered by the awesome BeachBody staff. They wanted me to do a "test group" for a program called 10 minute trainer, something they thought was perfect for my busy lifestyle.
What I learned during this test group was that I can do anything. Sixty days of discipline and dedication changed my body and it changed my life. I realized I was resilient just like the inspiring children in Africa I had worked with. I was resilient just like my super strong brother who fought cancer, I was resilient just like my clients who had inspired me. All the lies I had heard and believed for years about not being good enough were actually lies. I was good enough to be great. My transformation changed my life, and it changed my career. It taught me to dream big, visualize healthy and to aim for the total life I want, not just the career. It taught me to forgive myself for what I had let my body to become, and what I had let myself believe. In my 30s, I feel the strongest and smartest that I have ever felt.
What are the core values that anchor your days?
I am made perfectly the way that I am, chosen and free.
p.s. Do you feel inspired yet? Go do something great.


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Guatemala 'drug lord' Juan Ortiz Lopez captured by US
Guatemala's most wanted suspected drugs lord, Juan Ortiz Lopez, has been captured by US and Guatemalan agents.
Soldiers and police in helicopters swooped on Mr Ortiz's home in the city of Quetzaltenango.
He is accused of smuggling tonnes of cocaine through Guatemala and Mexico into the US.
The operation is the latest sign of the US's growing involvement in the fight against organised crime in Central America.
"This is the capture of a big fish," Guatemalan interior minister Carlos Menocal told a news conference after Mr Ortiz was flown to Guatemala City and taken to court.
He added that Mr Ortiz would probably be extradited to the US to face trial.
Guatemala is struggling against the growing influence of Mexican drugs cartels in large areas of the country.
Earlier this month US President Barack Obama promised $200m (£125m) in extra funds for the fight against organised crime in Central America during a visit to neighbouring El Salvador.
The UN has also promised more international support for Central America, amid concerns that the region's government's do not have the resources to contain the growing power of the drugs cartels.


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How to Use Effective Title Tags for Better Ranking and Branding with Search Engines
The undisputed headliner of the head section of your Web pages is the Title tag. Although the various search engines out there won't say how important any one element is in their algorithms, most industry experts agree that the Title tag is one of the most critical.
Because the Title tag not only shows up in your browser window but also in the search engine results, it's easy to infer that this tag naturally has some impact in the search engine's ranking algorithms. The following code (and the figure) shows you how a Title tag appears in HTML.
<title>Good Titles Use Keywords like Ford Mustang 1967 specs</title>
Getting this tag right has many benefits — increased ranking, branding, and click-throughs. Getting it wrong severely hinders your page's chances at ranking in the search engine — duplicate Title tags are considered spam and are filtered, poorly written ones won't garner click-throughs, and your branding purposes won't be served. Leaving out the keywords hurts your chances to rank for those words.
The Title tag, although short, tells the search engine what your page is about. The maximum number of characters allotted for the Title tag is 62 to 70, depending upon the search engine. You have just a few words to inform, entice, and reinforce your brand to search engines and their users. In order to get your message through, you need to be specific with keywords. Entice searchers with calls to action and use "research" words like how to and information. The above figure displays a Title tag as seen in Google's search engine results pages.
So what to do about this short, yet critically important piece of content? In order to maximize the effectiveness of your Title tag, you need to make some solid decisions first:
Focus. Your page must have a single explicit subject. Put keywords related to that focus in the Title.
Silo. Your page must support the theme of the page above it and be supported by the pages that link below it. Theme level keywords should appear in the Title.
Branding. Some pages are critical to support branding; others are not. If branding is an issue, include branded keywords in the Title.
After you've decided on your focus, theme, and brand emphasis, you're ready to start writing your tag. Even though the actual length of your Title tag varies depending on your industry standard, you can follow some basic guidelines to get started. The two most important terms to remember are unique and keyword-rich. You need to make sure that you're writing unique, keyword-rich titles for your pages. The title of your page should belong only to that page, and not be used anywhere else on your site. If you're following your focus, theme, and branding guidelines, you should already be using words in a combination that won't be repeated somewhere else. Your title should not be sensational or contain keywords that you don't expect to rank for. Be sure that you have only one Title tag per page. Duplicate Title tags are a severe issue that could lead to filtering of your pages by the search engines, denying them the ability to rank for key terms.
Your title should be fairly short. Google cuts your title off after 70 characters, so you need to get your message right up front. Although Google indexes the whole tag, you want users to see your relevance immediately.
Put the keywords up front, and make them enticing for people to click through. If branding is an issue, put your company name at the end unless that is the main thrust of your SEO strategy. For example, Nike doesn't put running shoes at the front of their title: They put Nike first because their brand is their most important keyword. Notice that in the figure, the words search engine optimization is bolded wherever they appear. Google bolds search query words that appear in the title, which may lead to higher click-throughs. Eye-tracking studies have shown that people are naturally drawn to bold-faced type.


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I don't know about you, but I LOVE hearing about what other people are eating. I'm always on the lookout for new ideas, interesting recipes, different food combinations and ways to reinvent my favourites.
I also know there are lots of people who are still a bit stumped when it comes to a vegetarian diet – I often get asked what I eat, how I get my protein and iron, and how I stop things from getting boring.
So I thought I'd share a bit of a weekly diary of what I eat, if you'd like to have a read – and feel free to ask any questions.
(I am obviously not a food photographer or nutrition specialist – and yes, I know, I need to eat more greens!)
Breakfast – I threw together quick and simple porridge made with rolled oats and soy milk, topped with cinnamon and grated apple.
Lunch – A nice easy salad of baby spinach, pear, chickpeas and almonds, dressed with lemon juice and apple balsamic.
Dinner – My parents gave me a bunch of sweet potatoes from their garden, so I made a spicy soup with sweet potato, carrot, leek, tomatoes and quinoa.
Breakfast – Couscous topped with cinnamon, apple and lactose-free vanilla yoghurt. This is one of my favourite brekkies as it keeps me full for ages.
Lunch – I had an egg leftover from baking so I made corn fritters, and topped them with diced tomatoes, feta, lemon juice and basil.
Dinner – Tonight was a leftover night, so I finished up the spicy sweet potato soup.
Breakfast – I finished up some leftover corn fritters, without the feta this time.
Lunch – I had an impromptu lunch date with the girls at Little Guildford. Their veggie options were kind of mushroom heavy, so instead I opted for the open chicken and Brie sandwich, sans chicken and with added avocado. I love that they're always really accommodating about making menu changes here!
Dinner – My parents garden overflows with tomatoes so each year my mum makes up huge batches of pasta sauce, made with tomatoes and whatever other home-grown veggies are available. I've got jars and jars of this sauce, so my go to quick and easy dinner is pasta with homemade sauce. I added a tin of lentils and some parmesan, and use high protein, low carb pasta.
Breakfast – Last night I made a baked chocolate and peanut butter oatmeal that I ate in the morning. These are so delicious, and relatively healthy – I use this recipe.
Lunch – I got stuck into some camembert from the Yallingup Cheese Company, on light rye sourdough with sliced tomatoes, salt and pepper. I also had half a pear that was sitting in the fridge.
Dinner – This evening I was busy getting ready for a long weekend away with friends, so I had a picky dinner – a tiny bit of leftover pasta, some carrot sticks, Colby cheese on a piece of light sourdough and half an apple.
Breakfast – We were eager to get on the road quickly so it was plain old toast this morning.
Lunch – We got to Margaret River just in time for lunch, and my parents had gourmet rolls waiting for us! Mine had cheese, salad, avocado, basil pesto and onion, which I picked out.
Dinner – The first of my friends arrived in the late afternoon, so we put together a cheese platter to snack of with a glass of wine. We had the Yallingup Cheese Company camembert, Red Leicester and Pecorino, with plum paste, dip, veggie stick and antipasto. Later on the guys cooked up a barbecue, so I had a lentil patty along with potato salad and a quinoa, sweet potato, cranberry and pine nut salad.
Breakfast – The gang had a cooked brekky of bacon and eggs on toast, so I opted for feta and home-grown tomatoes on toast.
Lunch – Today we spent the day exploring wineries, and were absolutely starving by the time we rocked up to Swings and Roundabouts mid-afternoon. We were a little disappointed to discover that they only served pizzas, however they ended up looking pretty good. As I'm not big on melted cheese I ordered the bruschetta. Unfortunately the toast was overcooked and ridiculously crunchy, and it could've done with a little more dressing, but it was a nice big serving.
Dinner – We had another cheese plate when we got back from tasting ALL THE WINE. This was followed by a late pasta dinner – we had Bolognese, basil pesto and mum's tomato sauce, so I stuck with the tomato.
Sunday (my birthday!)
Breakfast – Pancakes! I had a nice fluffy pancake topped with Nutella and bananas, and followed it up with a lactose-free yoghurt, just to keep me full for a bit longer.
Lunch – The gang took me out for a nice birthday lunch today, at Morries in Margaret River. In addition to tapas they offered a really good value lunch special of a meal and a glass of wine/beer for $25. We all opted for this – I had a beetroot gnocchi with fresh ricotta, kale, pine nuts, toasted almonds, mushrooms and roasted tomato, and it was surprisingly really good! I only say surprisingly because I don't normally like beetroot, and I'm not a huge fan of mushroom or kale (I know right?) BUT they all went really well together in this dish and I could easily have eaten more of it!
Dinner – We started off with ANOTHER cheese board, because that's just what you have to do in Margaret River, right? This time it included an incredible triple cream camembert paired with fresh honeycomb – and wow, what a combination! It was amazing! A little later in the night we had a dinner of leftovers to try to empty out the fridge – I had potato salad, quinoa salad and a pasta salad with bocconcini, tomato, basil and balsamic vinegar.
And that was my week in food!
Of course it also included a whole bunch of snacks and, most importantly, a delicious chocolate birthday cake that my guy ordered from the Cowaramup Bakery – which I'll be eating all week!
What have you been eating lately?


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About Us
- Hippo – UK's First Branded disability transportation services
- Built in the interestof disabled people and patients
- Daily commute for healthcare staff (doctors, nurses, physiotherapist)
- Transports pathology samples and documents
- Drivers are trained on First Aid, CPR and disease specific patient transportation
- All the drivers and staff members have extended DBS checked
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The History of Advatech
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Due to his in-depth knowledge and network, he has transformed Advatech Healthcare from an idea in India to an efficient and cost effective business that is in operation in the UK.
Over the past 3 years, Advatech has created a successful ambulance service and training programme in Kolkata and is a leader in providing air and road ambulance services within North-East India, where services have previously been lacking. Advatech has always valued the importance and necessity of high-quality standards of medical care. As a result, their training programmes in India are internationally recognised as they encompass all stages of life-saving training such as First Aid, Basic Life Support, Advanced Life Support, First Responder and Emergency Medical Technician courses. Advatech transport care packages in India include Ambufly (air ambulance), BookMyAmbulance (private booking via the app) and BookMyPathology (transport of medical samples).
Since setting up in the UK Advatech has become part of Department of International Trade (DIT) earlier known UKTI's Entrepreneurs Programme, and launched as part of high-level Indian Prime Minister delegation to the UK November 2015. We have worked hard to successfully bridge the gap between ambulance and taxi services with a resulting revenue stream from medical institutions and healthcare providers to save money and maintain standards.
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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Where Angels Fear to Tread (not about the book) (09/08/11)
- TITLE: Of Spears and Forgiveness
By Lisa Johnson
One of the most violent societies known to anthropologists, the Waodoni tribe lived in the rainforests of Ecuador. Living by the spear, they were known for their deadly violence, against both their own people and any outsiders who entered their territory. A neighboring tribe, the Quechans, called them "Aucas" or "enemies", a derogatory term.
In September 1955, five missionaries began to feel God-directed to make contact with this unreached people group. "Operation Auca" was born, with the hope of evangelizing the Waodoni. With the help of Nate Saint, a pilot with Mission Aviation Fellowship, Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, Ed McCully and Roger Youderian began making regular flights over the Waodoni territory, dropping gifts whenever they found a settlement.
On January 3, 1956, the five men made camp at "Palm Beach," a sandbar on the Curaray River, not far from a Waodoni settlement. They had spent months dropping gifts on this settlement, and had high hopes of being well received, despite warnings about the tribe's fierceness. They were encouraged on January 6, 1956 when they made peaceful contact with three Waodoni from the settlement.
On January 8, 1956, all five men were attacked and speared by a group of Waodoni warriors. There were no survivors. The civilized world was shocked and horrified by the slaughter of these men of God.
No one would have expected it, and many people thought them foolish and misguided, but from the fall of 1958 through the winter of 1959, Elisabeth Elliot, Jim's widow, and Rachel Saint, Nate's sister, returned to the rainforests of Ecuador as missionaries with the Summer Institute of Linguistics. Befriended by a Waodoni woman named Dayuma, they moved into a Waodoni settlement and lived among the people. Sharing God's love and message of forgiveness, Rachel Saint, Elisabeth Elliot and little Valerie Elliot ( who was only ten months old when her father was killed) were not viewed as a threat. This eventually led to the conversion of many of the tribe, including some of those Waodoni who were involved in the killing of the five men.
Steve Saint, Nate's son, was only ten years old in 1961 when he first went to live with the Waodoni. He stayed with them for many summers, and was befriended by a warrior named Mincaye... one of his father's killers. Steve was baptized in the Curaray River by two of the men who had been involved in the killings.
Conversion to Christianity ended a fierce war between quickly shrinking clans of Waodoni, decreasing their homicide rate by over ninety percent. It was a war that had threatened to wipe out the Waodoni all together. Once a tribe feared by all, the Waodoni no longer live by the spear, but by the Spirit of God's love and forgiveness.
If you would like to know more about this story, I highly recommend reading
"Through Gates of Splendor" written in 1957 by Elisabeth Elliot
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As part of Words First Legacy with BBC 1Xtra and the Roundhouse we're attempting to convene as many poetry collectives and spoken word artists as possible in the heart of the country, Birmingham, to assemble 'under the stars' in an inflatable planetarium at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
Join us for POETS UNDER THE STARS on Friday 15th July 2016, 6 - 8pm hosted by Birmingham's first and only young poetry collective Bellows.
You'll have a chance to talk about your work and share innovative practice, a chance to write and collaborate with new networks and an opportunity for sharing.
We're hosting the event 'pot luck' which means bring some biccies or something nice to share with the group.
We're launching a community hashtag #UKPoetry that we hope we can use to start linking up collaborations and conversations so please do tweet us with this.
We have limited travel bursaries to support and ensure no-one is deterred from attending this event. Please email email@example.com for more info!
Location: Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Time and date: 15 July at 18:00–20:00
Book tickets: http://poetsunderthestars.eventbrite.co.uk/


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More than 30 candidates have dropped out of races for State House seats in 2018, including many nominated as "placeholders" to give the two parties time to recruit people who actually want to run.
So far, 23 Republicans and nine Democrats have withdrawn, fewer than in 2016 and 2014. Democrats have found a replacement in House District 111, which includes parts of Madison and the towns of Norridgewock and Solon. The parties face a July 23 deadline to line up candidates for the other races.
Although placeholder withdrawals occur regularly in legislative races, this year is more complicated because Maine Clean Elections Act funding is unavailable for new candidates.
The state ethics commission, which oversees public campaign money, said in a memo to lawmakers Wednesday that the Legislature must fix a typo found in a bill before replacement candidates can get public funding. A partisan standoff has prevented lawmakers from making the fix, and the Legislature is now in recess.
"Nevertheless, because a legislative fix is still possible, replacement candidates may declare their intent to qualify for MCEA funding and begin collecting seed money and qualifying contributions," the memo said.
Clean elections candidates collect $5 donations that qualify them for public matching funds. House candidates need at least 60 donations and Senate candidates must collect 175. The candidates cannot accept private campaign contributions but may become eligible for additional public funds if they turn in more $5 donations. House candidates can be eligible for up to $15,000 in public funds and Senate candidates can receive up to $60,000.
In 2016, 64 percent of legislative candidates ran on public funding. In the House, 60 Republicans ran publicly funded campaigns compared to 115 Democrats. In the Senate, 26 Democrats and 19 Republicans qualified for public funds.
The state spent $3.3 million on campaign financing in 2016 – up from $1.9 million in 2014.
All 35 state Senate seats and 151 seats in the House are up for election this year.
Republicans had nine Senate races without candidates as of Tuesday, while Democrats had candidates for all 35 races. In the House, Republicans lacked candidates in 14 races, compared to eight for Democrats, according to the Maine Secretary of State's Office.
The lopsided numbers prompted Maine Democratic Party Chairman Phil Bartlett to predict that Republicans are bracing for losses in 2018.
"Seeing so many Republican candidates drop out of their races is a very clear sign that those folks weren't confident about their chances in November," Bartlett said in a prepared statement. "The amount of enthusiasm we've seen from Democrats interested in running has been off the charts compared to past election cycles, and that's reflected in the fact that Democrats are fielding competitive candidates in all 35 Senate districts – and those candidates are following through on their commitment to run, unlike what you're seeing from Republicans."
But Republican staffers in the state Senate were quick to point out their nine replacement candidates in 2014 picked up four victories – although one was later reversed on a recount – helping Republicans recapture a Senate majority.
"Senate Republicans have won three of the last four majorities, yet we still hear from Democrats how our success is coming to an end," said Senate President Michael Thibodeau, R-Winterport. "I am not sure why they keep setting themselves up for disappointment in November. They should be reminded of the old saying, 'Don't count your chickens before they hatch.' "
Nina McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Maine Republican Party, dismissed Bartlett's predictions.
"This is a normal part of the process that occurs every year," McLaughlin wrote in an email message to the Portland Press Herald. "Perhaps instead of looking to us, the Democrat Party should be focusing on their own races in light of their recent historic losing streak."
Scott Thistle can be contacted at 713-6720 or at:
Twitter: thisdog
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Chris Bracey's God Save The Queen neon artwork at the Mulberry store
Yesterday marked the start of Hong Kong's first ever Great Week of Creativity hosted by the British Consulate. This week long celebration of British fashion, luxury, design and craftsmanship has meant that countless of British designers have descended upon Hong Kong to celebrate. There is so much going on including the London Showrooms, which I plan to visit tomorrow.
The Brilliant Britain exhibition
But first up was the launch of the Mulberry's Brilliant Britain exhibition, which is being shown for the first time outside the UK at their Harbour City store. Mulberry has always been associated with artistry and craftsmanship – it's one of the few accessory brands whose bags are still made from start to finish at their Somerset factory – so it made sense that they would host this homage to Britain's best artisans.
The making of the Del Rey bag
Don't expect your usual fashion exhibition. Instead Mulberry has selected 12 British artists who excel in their own field. On display are collectable pieces of furniture designed by Simon Hasan made using a cool technique called Cuir Bouilli (boiled leather), as well as the bowler hats invented by London's Lock & Co. I also loved the jewellery by Jaqueline Cullen who uses slabs of rock sourced from the Whitby Cliffs in Northern England. These are then transformed into a range of edgy pendants and earrings punctuated with gold and diamonds.
Bethan Laura wood jewellery
Naturally fashion plays a big part in the display, with a series of prototypes showcasing the step-by-step process behind the making of Mulberry's now iconic Del Rey bag. I also loved the series on Eribe, a Scottish knitwear design house run by a bunch of adorable old ladies that also produce many of Mulberry's knits.
Jacqueline Cullen's amazing jewellery
Alongside each exhibit is an iPad playing a video interview with each artist talking about their inspirations and craft. Customers can also take home the accompanying Brilliant Britain Guide which was edited by Wallpaper journalist Henrietta Thomas (also the curator of the exhibition) detailing the work of these artists and much more.
Brilliant Britain is on until November 18 at Mulberry, Shop G302, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, www.mulberry.com


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I've been tagged by Mariuca and Monica with this We Are The World meme.
Among all the Michael Jackson Song, We Are The World is one of my fav. It was actually composed by MJ together with Lionel Ritchie and was recorded by a supergroup of 45 popular musicians billed as USA for Africa.
Just want to share this video to you guys
simply amazing and inspiring
*Start Copy Here*
You do not have to be tagged to play along. The game is simple and so are the rules.
1. Copy from *Start Copy Here* through *End Copy Here*
2. Add your site(s) to the list. Just be sure to post at each site you add.
3. Tag as many bloggers as you like so the list keeps on growing.
4. Let me know your blog's name and url by leaving me a comment HERE. I will add you to the master list.
5. Come back and copy the master list back to your site, often. This process will allow late-comers to get as much link benefit as the first ones in.
We Are The World Bloggers Master List:
1. Emila Yusof 2. The Other Side of Emila 3. Mariuca 4. Mariuca's Perfume Gallery 5. Meow Diaries 6. Unlisted One 7. Spiff, the Spaceman 8. My Sweet Escape 9. Nota Nurul 10. Life's Tapestry 11. Spontaneous Insignificancy 12. LadyJava 13. Miss Igorota 14. AnnyBoo 15. Yoon See 16. Jia's Life 17. Nessa's Mumblings 18. Also Mommy 19. The Walk of Life 20.Pretty Firefly 21. Monica 22.Breaking the Boundaries 23. Top Five 24. youre next
Im tagging
Angelbaby of Your caring angels
Norms of Sweet Norms
Rej of 20 something+ Sad stories
foongpc of My Very First Blog
Lynn of my so called life
Crisiboy of Jologs na Yuppie
Have fun!!!


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This is the video of a talk including questions and answers about exit polling and the vast discrepancies in 9 Democratic primaries this year. It speaks to the question of whether each of our votes now counts or can be easily stolen. It is tied to the question raised by Hiawatha Bray, the technology reporter at the Boston Globe, here, of whether if the Russians hacked the DNC's grotesque emails, they might hack the election, too. Perhaps that fear will allow the bipartisan consensus, corporate media yelling "American elections are fair, fair"; "the initial exit polls aren't reliable; anybody who thinks otherwise is a conspiracy theorist" (so we don't have to think about evidence and argument). Anybody who thinks Hillary was a clear winner over Bernie or that Bush won the 2004 election should listen to this talk, read my careful piece on this fundamental issue about democracy - Why a Tyrant would dance a jig at American exit "polls" or how can citizens ever know that American elections are fair? the three stories of Joe Lenski here, and provide some answers to the reasonable worries, some clarity about how our votes, without a paper trail even on optical scan machines, are now counted.
People stayed for a long long time asking questions or raising arguments. These, too, are in the video. Once again, see here or
h/t Sean Ray


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Thanks to our partnership with TG Bears and the parents of the support group, Angels4Epilepsy have been able to deliver more bears to children in 2012. The photo above shows some of the children who have received a Hernando. We are very pleased to be able to continue this project and have to thank all those that voted for us in the Pepsi Grant contest.
If you are interested in joining the support group, just click here.


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We are a bunch of mad men fighting about who or what the great Lord really is, fighting about who or what that supreme experience is all about, fighting about who is higher in the rat race to spiritual enlightenment. Isn't it sad that such a sacred path to attainment can go so horribly wrong when we decide to pump in our ego and intellect and greed into it!
It has made me stop and think. I have blogged and blogged for years, I have sat and worshipped for a duration of time (nothing to be proud of really) and I have gone back to the texts to verify the conservative way whether I am doing it right. I realized just how far away we have gone from it.
I have been at this for a while, spent most of my time on it and if you ask me who the great Lord Shiva really is, I still draw a blank. I have enough theory but when it comes to practise I am doing something wrong which is not helping and I don't know what it is. But yes, the only thing I really learned over a period of time is just how much I fell in love with him - The Perfect One. The only one to whom I managed to surrender myself doubtlessly.
This run is costing me good, it's keeping the vigour alive, its keeping the mind active, its keeping me sane in a mad world. But am dejected, a little tired but the perseverance will continue. HE will come, he will reveal and I will not settle for second best.
In this mad world everyone has an impression, everyone has an opinion, but no one has the luck or the grace. It's so sickeningly human to fight ruthlessly despite knowing clearly within our half-baked understanding that we are just a useless mass of flesh if we don't get this right! What's the point in fighting over a bunch of opinions, end of the day its wasted sound waves that could be used better, its wasted energy that has no decent outcome and its wasted emotion that could been spent better of holding on to faith - Bhakti. Yours verses mine, seriously does it help?
Everyone, you and I have potential, we are built that way naturally, and we just need to tap our own resources. We have learned well to steal the natural resources from this earth, now let's apply the same greed on ourselves. I am not your enemy and if we do this together we can achieve the higher realm. They say spiritualism is a lonely path. I agree to some degree but then we can go our separate ways when we are confident that we have found the right path. Meanwhile, let's help each other spiritually.
Love the Lord, read about Him, understand Him, and try to realize Him. He is just a breath away and all we need to do is feel that freedom. That freedom beyond ordered society, that freedom beyond rules, that freedom of the inner self, that freedom towards enlightenment.
Here are a few thoughts from the Shiva Purana that I really thought relevant for us today.
Mental sin is wiped off by meditation
Verbal sin is wiped off by japa
Physical sin/karma is wiped off by emaciation
Sins committed by wealth can be removed by daanam
Sprinkling of water over the head suppresses the idea of committing sins/karma
- Shiva Purana
And its so true. When we meditate we arrest the wavering mind. When we do japa we condition the tongue to speak only sacred syllables, it forgets everything else. When we moderate the food intake, the body is light and manageable, we feel positive energy within us. When we learn the joy of giving, we kill our greed. And when we think of the Lord for those two precious minutes we forget to do the wrong deed!


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Unpacking the Mystery of Forgiveness in the Day After Day After Day Forgiveness. It's always seemed like such a heavy word to me. One that evokes a unique weightiness. Intention. Deliberation. It's what we're commanded to do. What we teach to our kids. What we demand from others. What we give to ourselves, even when we don't realize that we do. What we know is best for us. You don't even have to believe in the God of the Universe… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Relationships
Say WHAT?
How communication, mis-, and lack thereof affects relationships…and practical ways we can enhance and protect them in this dizzying digital age Communication. It's been an issue in relationships since humanity began and Adam told Eve "Oh, no, you didn't." At its worst, it's the bane of many marriages. The final straw of more than one friendship. The ultimate extinguisher of a once-roaring romance. Of course, at its best, it's also the sign he loved in the first place. The reason… Read more »


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You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. 2Cor. 3:2
The above quote was written by the Apostle Paul to the believers in Corinth but I think it has a great application to us today and in particular to married couples who profess to be Christian. Paul's letter was to be read to all the congregants. Paul was saying that the conduct of the people he was writing to would become the testimony by which they would attract or negatively influence non-believers.
That should be the test of our marriages. Do we conduct ourselves in such a way that those who see us, including our children, would conclude that we have something special, something to offer that is better than what the world is offering.
In Ephesians 5:25 husbands are called to love their wives just as Christ loves His bride the Church. We as husbands are to emulate His example. Our marriages are to be a reflection of Christ's relationship to the Church. As husbands we should have a deep abiding love for our wives that permeates everything we do. So much so that those who know us well or just observe us from afar recognize that there is something very special about our relationship.
On the other hand if our marriage is a closed book it means that we have learned all we are going to learn and we have stopped growing. The cover on the book is closed and we see no benefit in reading anything else. This too will be evident particularly by those who know us well. We may put on our Sunday morning persona but as we all know you cannot always tell a book by its cover.
The open letter on the other hand is available for comment, critique and questioning. The authors are vulnerable because their lives are open to scrutiny. They conduct themselves in such a way that their children never feel insecure. Affection is visibly displayed; laughter occurs often; disagreements are resolved calmly in a way that glorifies the Father and it is apparent to every member of the household that God is an integral part of how decisions are made. Prayer is more than just a meal time ritual and the parent's behavior Monday through Saturday is no different than it is on Sunday morning.


text: Find this wine Find this wine Ridge California Santa Cruz Mountain Estate 2007 Delicious and well-balanced Cab blend. Earthy, rich minerals w subtle berries at end. Pin It Tweet 8 years ago by Gabediaz More posts Ridge California Santa Cruz Mountains Estate 2007 Black fruit w/ briery acidity, med. body & notes of delicate tobacco, cola, spice, earth, anise & cassis liqueur/port.89 6 years ago by Zachary A Osness