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This was a pure Soul experience. So grounded. So honest. So real.
No guru headlining, no know-it-all.
Just a real desire to bring people into authentic connection with their own Soul.
(all genders and non genders welcome)
Soul Saturation is an intimate, dynamic, and radically real experience of your Soul within a group setting. Using creative meditation, spontaneous ritual, intuitive journaling, provocative dialogue, and organic movement, we will allow our Souls to guide us towards authentic experiences and expressions of Life and Love. After all, when you saturate in your Soul, you don't just believe, you know, in every cell of your magnificent body, that you are the one you've been looking for all along… and then your real Service on this planet begins.
*Each Soul Saturation retreat is unique and dependent upon the Souls and human consciousness present.
Soul Saturations take place at yoga studios, churches, retreat centers and private homes.
If you have questions or would like to host a Soul Saturation, please contact email@example.com.
Soul Saturation Testimonials
"What I loved most about the Soul Saturation experience was how individual and personal yet Universal it was. From reading Sera's book, I knew the day would be a life-changing experience. What I didn't expect was how sweet and loving it was. Watching Sera gently guide each person to connect with their Soul...to see their faces as they made the connection...that was a very powerful moment for me. I especially loved how Sera simply asked questions. She didn't "tell" the person to do anything specific. Rather she guided them to use their own intuition and knowing to find the Truth. It was quietly magnificent.
Because of this experience, I've reconnected with the power of MY Soul and what S/He and I do, especially as it relates to my work with clients and with people in general. Knowing S/He is on my side as MY guide has helped me relax (surrender)? I realize now I See when people connect with the Truth inside them.
This was a pure Soul experience. So grounded. So honest. So real. No guru headlining, no "know it all." Just a real desire to bring people into authentic connection with their own Soul."
"I have been staring at my screen for way too long, trying to find the right words to describe my weekend with Sera, in so many ways it is beyond description. I went into the weekend not really knowing what to expect, I had read her book and loved her writing, her intelligence, her humility and excellent wit.
Within 30 minutes into the seminar, I was in love. Sera is the real deal. Her ability to deeply connect with each and every individual in the room is uncanny. She is steeped in the most loving truth, and within minutes can shift your perspective, your limitations, your most vulnerable "stuff" comes up, is right there and yet somehow without trauma or fear, she is so loving and understanding and human in her own self, you just kinda melt. It was beautiful. She guides with such humility and honesty, you want to dig deeper into your own soul work, but also reminds you to be loving and take care of yourself, of your own beautiful soul. She emanates a mother's love, truthful, unconditional, and encouraging growth in the highest form.
In the months following our weekend, I find myself more grateful, more in awe of the miracle of life, and naturally inspired to take better care of myself, to take time for myself. I cannot recommend Sera enough!"
"I had the honor of being with Sera at a Network Wellness retreat, in Charlotte, NC, over the summer. I didn't know what to expect, but my expectations were high as I had already read 'Red, Hot, and Holy'. Sera blew my expectations out of the water.
I wasn't aware that I had disconnected myself from my soul, but this became clear during our time together. I was gracefully led to the time that I had done so. When I found her, I had the opportunity to feel the pain of what this had done, but I also had the pleasure of feeling her unconditional love of wanting nothing more than to be with me.
Sere also led me to a greater awareness of when my soul is speaking to me vs. other energies. I am more easily able to access the true knowing in my heart. While I still notice times where I have disconnected, I now notice and can invite her back. It's no longer scary because I don't have the fear of her rejecting me. I know she is ALWAYS ready for the invitation.
These words don't do justice what Sera has made available to me, and I cannot wait until our paths cross again!"
"My Soul Saturation with Sera Beak was a direct initiation to the Divine Feminine in all of her glorious forms. I was challenged, devastated, inspired, supported, and held in electric, holy, red Love. Sera's ability to be present, and to truly see and commune with another's soul is a rare gift... filled with softness, grace, and power. Truly a blessed invitation to grow."
"The Soul Saturation day with Sera Beak was extremely humbling and exhausting, and I can honestly say that two months later I'm still reeling from the effects. I would even go as far as to say that the experience has changed me forever--however corny that may sound.
Twelve hours in a room with a hundred+ souls bouncing and squirming and interacting was unbelievably amazing. I read Sera's book Red Hot & Holy to prepare for the event, but nothing could have prepared me for what was to unfold.
The most intimidating, gut-wrenching and raw experience was sitting in a circle with Sera while she spoke directly, patiently, and intimately with every participant one-by-one. No one was rushed. No one was judged. No one could hide. This discourse lasted several hours and I was in awe of Sera's sustaining focus and passion. I've never given much thought to my Soul and to have someone ask me in a room full of people 'what does your soul mean to you?' My response still haunts me….
I must admit that I entered the Soul Saturation not so much as a skeptic, but as someone who just couldn't believe she was in this kind of setting. It all seemed so 'woo-woo'. And at times I simply wanted to run from the room and hide. But the next day when I regained my footing, things were different. My interactions with people were different. My thoughts were different. My comprehension of songs was different. And to this day, I find myself talking to my Soul and asking it to stay with me, to make me strong, to make me calm. Sounds corny, but it's absolutely true. Sera, thank you for a wonderful day and a wonderful gift.
"Wow, that one Saturday Sera rocked my world with a Soul Saturation...it was truly amazing and life changing. It was true, authentic, raw, soul realness and absolutely moved me to tears. A deeply touching and beautiful experience. As Sera and her soul spent time with each of us and our souls, we learned, supported, loved, grew, and opened to new levels. For the first time, I learned how to truly sit with my soul. To feel, sense, and listen to her. And to watch Sera truly embody her soul...wow! What an amazing and angelic presence she is. Sera helped my soul with some of it's uncertainties/weaknesses/fears. As a result, I feel more courageous and stronger than ever. I am so grateful for the time we shared and the gifts of each moment. I can now, at any moment, choose to embody and live from my soul. WHAT A GIFT!"
"The morning of the Soul Saturation retreat, even before meeting Sera, I unexplainably wept from a deep holy place for hours. It was gentle and sweet, a remembrance, a letting go, a coming home, an end of a journey of searching, and crossing over into a sacred place of embodiment. Her integrity, intentionality, honesty, and bad ass Holy self creates such a powerful container for transformation that my journey with her began even before I arrived at the retreat. Being with Sera ignited a deep remembrance and connection with my Soul and our sacred Service that I had buried and hidden from over the years. I am forever transformed by such a powerful, holy, and sacred experience. To be with another human who embodies Love in such an authentic way as Sera does is life changing."
"I recently attend a Soul Saturation with Sera Beak and the English language does not contain strong enough words to convey the awesomeness and the bigness of the experience I had that day and continue to have. But I will try.
In essence, we met our souls that day. Some of us for the first time (me) and some of us it was a deepening, a further coming home. The experience for me was a lot of things and some of them opposites at the same time. It was joyful, sensuous, strong and intense. There was sadness and compassion and a sense of FINALLY!!
Other spiritual events I've attended often aim to help people transcend our bodies and this life. The Soul Saturation was quite the opposite. It was about finally coming home to ourselves and embodying who we are absolutely fully without any filters or walls. I didn't think I was entirely capable but my soul helped me along with utter complete love that I have never felt before. It's about getting all the juiciness and more out of this life. No holding back, no excuses, being fully soul and fully human.
I also want to say a few words about Sera's presence as a teacher, guide, and facilitator of this experience. She came to us fully present with her soul at the forefront and showed us all of who she was. When she was working with us soul to soul, I have rarely experienced the level of presence and focus that she brought. Her Beingness allowed all of us to Be completely there in that moment with our souls dancing and playing and being free.
Since the Soul Saturation with Sera, I have continued to deepen my own relationship with my soul and I am acutely aware of when I am trying to live from a non-soul led place. Life has become an amazingly fun guided, trusting journey that I am on with my soul. Can't wait to find out what's next."
"Oh, the luxury of a day wholly focused on loving attentiveness for the radiance of your core. It felt so respectful to sink in, soak up, and learn to listen with more discriminating ears to your own internal calls. Such a beautiful experience. Thank you, Sera."
"I went to this Soul Saturation knowing it would be something special but I was also very nervous and maybe even afraid. I'm not a big fan of feeling vulnerable and exposed! But I had my protective veil with me, my two amazing daughters! I would be safe hiding behind being "mom". I was right, for a minute.
The energy in the room was like nothing I've ever felt before. Powerful. I tried to put labels on what I was feeling but I couldn't. I felt my veil slipping away. NOT GOOD! So I chose to hold on tighter and do what came naturally to me. To witness with an open heart and find peace in the healing going on around me.
For hours I watched and listened and felt. Watched, listened, felt. People were opening, discovering, celebrating… I felt relief for them and especially for my oldest daughter. I have watched her battle with herself for too many years. "I'm not good enough", "if I were only…" and on and on. I saw a shift. A discovery of something within her. Beyond her body. Like an awakening. I saw this over and over during this Soul Saturation! It was so beautiful, kind of overwhelming, and as I said earlier I felt relief and I couldn't really explain why. There was something else though, it was a little painful for me personally (under my veil). Maybe that was my ego wishing for that same joyful discovery of my soul that I was witnessing all around me. But then I thought, I saw my first born child really seeing herself in all of her perfect pure beauty and that was all I needed! What a gift! And talk about relief!
Throughout this day I had these little inklings of peace, calm, and knowing without really knowing why. At one point Sera gave us the opportunity to share what we were experiencing and then guided us in listening… really listening to what our Soul was telling us. This was towards the end of the day, but for me it was the beginning. What I FELT was sadness that I hadn't had this blissful discovery of my soul. What I HEARD, and continue to hear is this… She had never left. I actually heard her laugh, (seriously, I really did!) like a playful little girl. Innocent and full of love and joy. "I've been waiting right here silly…"
I thought that watching my beautiful daughters have this experience was gift enough. Little did I know the gift that was waiting for me. I said hello to my soul. My lovely, bright, playful, beautiful soul and she said "I missed you, come play…" so I continue every day to do the work (and it is work!). To pay attention, listen, feel and love. (oh, and not hide under my veil!)
Sera Beak… You are a gift to every one of us. Thank you for being so brave and sharing your beautiful red heart and soul. We are blessed."
"I feel more connected to my soul through Soul Saturation. The process went deeper than I had imagined. Sera made it clear from the beginning we needed to connect to our heart and not our head. Dropping down into my heart focused my emotions into what I was really feeling. I focused on my true self – my heart self – not what my head tells me is my "true" self. Processing after the weekend took much longer. I needed to be alone with my soul. The Lady really worked me over. I needed to look deep inside my heart to process the concepts Sera brought to my attention about myself. My soul relationship is stronger. I am more in my body than ever before. Normally I don't remember dreams. Now when I wake up I remember more. Some are strange. Some are fun. Some are messages from my soul nudging me to focus on a certain aspect of my life. My Soul Saturation experience was enlightening. I feel more connected today with my soul than ever before. I am grateful to Sera for going soul to soul with me."
"Sera's Soul Saturation Retreat was filled with incomparable healing and grace for me. At the retreat, I began writing the first chapter of my own love story with my soul. I never really fully felt the concept that my soul is my ultimate lover until my work with Sera. With Sera's workshop I felt like I started to fall in love with my soul. It felt and still feels crazy, vulnerable, messy, confusing, scary, but also completely wonderful all at the same time.
Sera helped illuminate times where I have shut down parts of myself. Those are the parts of me that if I'm being honest I really would do almost anything not to have to face. Through Sera's work she helped me to start to embrace all parts of myself …including the tough stuff. This soul road that Sera helped guide us on is not an easy journey but it is a journey that for me has been completely life altering. She has helped me come home to my own soul, the one who's been waiting for me all this time. I am filled with such gratitude for her bravery, presence, and amazing leadership."
"Sera's explanation of the difference between soul and spirit was the best I have come across, particularly how she expanded on the space between the two, which gave me a better understanding of the word nous. Physically, I went to a yin yoga class right after the Soul Saturation weekend - and after a 6-hour flight - and came up from the mat realizing it was the most embodied I had ever felt, specifically because Sera had directed me to a better sense of soul. Sera's clarity and inspired compelling voice in her book, Red Hot and Holy helped me identify what had been shut off or atrophied inside for so long. Her Soul Saturation workshop was a wonderful complement to her extraordinary book, one that helps ground the experience with practice."
"I did a Soul Saturation with Sera Beak a few months ago and it was life changing. My soul is still singing loudly with joy. Sera's bold honoring of her own Red Lady, her grace, her gentleness and her fierceness created a profoundly healing and transformative space for my own unique gifts to fully emerge. I am so grateful for Sera and her heartfelt work."
"Sera Beak is a game changer on the planet right now. Amidst a time in the world of mass exploration, one may even call it obsessiveness and/or addiction, of Spirit & Oneness, Sera reminds us to also wake up to our Soul & Uniqueness. She is what I call 'the real deal'- raw, grounded, sincere, funny, steady, fierce and sweet all at once. Her love and yearning for connection with Soul is palpable in her presence. She is a profoundly selfless giver of what she Knows from her very intimate journey with her Soul, and is the biggest cheerleader for others to dive in just as deep, or even deeper, with theirs. Her yearning for others to do this is rich and thick, as she knows it is also imminent. She walks her Truth, she shares her Truth, she breathes her Truth and we are blessed she is alive and sharing her gifts with us in the way She does. She is an incredible space holder and with great love and patient, yet precise, encouragement, she will walk you into your Soul, if you are willing. Say yes to Sera Beak and say yes to being saturated with your soul and launched into the greatest love affair of your life!"


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Just after Lady Gaga debuted her single "Telephone" featuring Beyonce, Beyonce debuted her single, "Video Phone," featuring Lady Gaga because that's not confusing. You can preview the track below:
I'm not entirely positive what this song is about, but I find it as confusing as that time when Beyonce starred in a commercial for Direct TV's Upgrade services and I thought it was an actual music video. After listening to "Video Phone," I'm wondering if this is a jingle for a new phone… Do I want a video phone…?

subset: commoncrawl


text: FRTB: Moving Towards a Practical Implementation Re-cap 14 Mar 2018 FRTB is set to revolutionise current market risk practices, placing emphasis on the coordination of operational, risk and data management processes as well as systems and technology. To best respond to these new demands, banks need to make the right strategic and technology decisions and assess the impact on operations and processes across risk, front office, finance and IT. Webinar co-hosted by Quantifi & Monocle Solutions Agenda The business case for SA versus IMA Classification Rules Framework - Banking Book and Trading Book IMA eligibility test Implications of FRTB on the size / structure of trading desks SA & IMA calculation and performance challenges Technology considerations Download Related Whitepaper Speakers Dmitry Pugachevsky, Director, Research, Quantifi David Buckham, CEO, Monocle Solutions Date & Time 14th March, 2018 2pm GMT / 3pm CET / 10am EST Tags Basel Committee data management front office FRTB market risk risk management technology


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Meeting someone for the first time is usually memorable occasion, whether you like the person, or not. If you think about all your non blood-related relatives, friends or colleagues I think it's quite normal to remember where you were, what you said to each other and possibly even what you were both wearing at your first meeting. After all, first impressions count and they often provide us with an image and a certain opinion of our new acquaintance.
But, what about when you meet someone for the first time and sparks fly, you feel physically drawn to them and you just 'know' that they were meant to be in your life?
Now THAT is memorable!
I have wanted to write about this subject for a while, but somehow have never found the right words! I have this 'thing' you see, a connections-type thing. It usually involves all of the above feelings and happenings and it makes me feel good and alive, it makes me feel like there was a reason my meeting with that person had to happen, and it makes me feel momentarily well, quite magical!
Now I'm not talking about a sexual attraction, or even an attraction at all. I'm talking about a connection. A real, deep connection to a person. Knowing what they feel or think instinctively and understanding what they say, perfectly.
It's somebody you don't know, most likely that you've just met. It's like the pull of a very strong magnet towards them both physically and emotionally. If you've experienced this then you'll understand what I mean and if you haven't, then perhaps you might wonder what on earth I'm talking about.
I'll explain…
In my adult life this connection-type experience has happened to me on just six occasions and interestingly, out of those six occasions, three of the people involved only stayed in my life for less than an hour!
The people have been both male and female, and of differing ages. There has been no similarities of the type of person they seemed to be the only pattern has been the feeling I've had when I've been next to them, like an intense need and an extreme happiness to be in their company.
I'm not going to share with you the details of the six people and the circumstances, because I want to keep them special and to myself. But, I will attempt to describe one of them..
It was Glastonbury 2005. I was stood watching a Fatboy Slim DJ set, it was still light and my friend and I were stood together. It's important to note here that I love Fatboy Slim, and had been looking forward to seeing him for months, so I was focusing all my energy on watching the stage, dancing and enjoying myself.
Suddenly a girl appeared and asked me if I had a lighter and we started chatting, nothing special, just general chit-chat about the Festival. She was with her friends and Boyfriend, just stood behind us. Immediately, I felt drawn to her, I felt like I knew her already, and that we were really close friends. There was so much energy and a spark between us, even though we were discussing something quite mundane.
I felt a real need to ask my her if she felt it too, but struggled for a few moments, wondering if it was entirely appropriate. But, I didn't need to. After about five minutes, she told me herself. She said she felt like she'd been drawn to me and although had asked for a lighter, she actually had not needed one. Yes we were at a festival, but It wasn't a drunken, 'I love you sooo much' moment, in fact we were pretty sober, nor was it entirely the most appropriate time to be chatting to someone new, especially due to the noise and the fact that we were both with other company!
We immediately swapped telephone numbers and pledged to keep in touch, then off she went. Looking back, I find it quite bizarre that I did that, I am quite stand-off ish with new people and the fact that I missed the whole gig talking to her still amazes me. I just felt like I could not help it. I had to be near her and talk to her.
We exchanged a few texts and even a few phone calls. She quite lived far away from me, and realistically it was doubtful we were going to meet up. So we went our separate ways. We both agreed to keep what happened quite amazing and carried on with our lives. I often wonder what happened to her and how she is. It's like I miss the friendship we never had, which sounds ridiculous, but I do!
In some ways I wish social media could have been part of the story, would we have become good friends? Or wasn't that meant to be? She has stayed with me though, but it baffles me as to why, and I often wonder what it was that created that encounter.
When I have had these experiences in my life, I liken it to a feeling of intuition, it's like recognising someone you already know, but not by their looks or by previous knowledge of them. But by just, knowing them and needing to be near them.
So how can this be? How can I feel so strongly about a person straight away?
How can I miss someone I have never really known?
And how can I feel so drawn to someone, who lets face it, may irritate me for all I know?
I don't know the answers. Perhaps it's spiritual connection, like a uniting of souls. Maybe it's a set synchronised feelings that have been pressed together, creating the sparks?
Whatever it is, it is an intense feeling. I really hope experience it again, because writing it down just does isn't the same, that feeling a togetherness and a shared sense of familiarity really is wonderful.
Have you ever felt a real connection with someone you just met?
Do we have a selection of soul mates in life or is this something else? Tell me I'm not alone!


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text: Japfest 2 once again took place at Donington Park in July 2013, with a huge variety of modified Jap cars on display. A new feature for this event compared to previous years was the open pit lane sessions running throughout the morning and afternoon. Not wanting to kill my car, I took part in a 15 minute session around Donington, which went well until a small spin towards the end of the session. The whole lot is captured on video which can be found under the Youtube link at the top of my website.


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Woo! It's here! The Beautiful Serato x Thudrumble production of Weapons of Wax number 1 of 4! Side A: Serato control tone and Side B: analog skipless skratch sounds!!! Intended for the pro Djs only! (Not responsible if you're an amateur and the needle skips!)
⭐(Insert Kung fu movie music) ⭐ Equip your fists of faders w the elegant #weaponsofwax now ⭐ before they're all raided! Arm yourself with this Spike shaped ninja wax weapon for your record sheath! ⭐ Aah, feels so good! ⭐ Roundhouse your own sounds on the @serato side and back flip it over to the "Don't skratch these Ill samples (but you will anyway) Thud Rumble analog side!" ⭐ Flying Guillotines for the serious student skratchers all the way to the Grand Masters of mix martial arts! Shuriken heal or hurt... ⭐ choose your path wisely! Invent and unlock whole new dimensions of infinite sonic chop technics, and add a new universe to your drum skratching punchy ⭐ kicks ⭐ Hands down ⭐ the flyest wax ever made in the Buddha Palm of your fists!!! ⭐ The only records you'd want to take to a deserted island or Han's! ⭐ These records are strictly made for smooth mixers, illusionists, ninjas and to make your 5 fingers of death strike fear in opponents with your striking pose ⭐ Just ask Chuck Norris... Limited Edition records. 1st 2 shapes of 4 available now, Collect them all! ⭐ May the #weaponsofwax protect you ⭐ (Gong Sound)
Warning: ⭐ Made for mixing and looking like stars! ⭐ Do not Skratch with these unless you are a smooth pro black belt drive dj ⭐ cuz your needle will K.O. if you're not like water my friend! ⭐ We're not responsible if you don't train hard and break something! ⭐ .
Forged by Serato x thudrumble ⭐ (Smoke bombs not included) ⭐


text:
Well, dear reader, here's an interesting little something… a report on our dainty little town, as viewed through the eyes of a visitor from afar.
RE: Herne Bay Pier Pavilion
Dear Sir/Madam,
We recently visited Herne Bay for the first time and on the whole enjoyed our day in the town. However, we were both rather horrified and aghast at the sight of the 1976 Pier Pavilion.
After recovering from our disbelief we decided that while a building so municipal, imposing and downright ugly may have made sense on an industrial estate on the outskirts of Milton Keynes, as the focal point of a 'Victorian' coastal resort it was akin to seeing the Queen making a public appearance with chocolate spread smeared on her cheek.
We understand it comes from a period of history when architects and town planners were realising that they could make or save a lot of money by dispensing with beauty, care, aesthetics and consideration and that function very much took priority over form, but I have never seen such an ugly building having such an inappropriate impact on its surroundings: Nothing short of traumatic.
No passing of time, changing of fashion or understanding of irony could ever make the Pier Pavilion 'fit' in its present surroundings.
One or two Monty Python sketches come to mind, luckily never actually put into practice, but the most pertinent would have to be the famous image of the oversized, naked foot descending and crushing a collection of otherwise harmonious and innocent 'bystanders' accompanied by the sound of someone blowing a raspberry.
PLEASE dismantle the Pier Pavilion if only as a kindness and a lifeline to the rest of the seafront and the businesses that depend on it, and we, and others, may consider visiting Herne Bay again.
We feel sure it could be removed even more quickly and 'carelessly' than it was put there 35 years ago. Please do let me know if there are any plans to this effect.
Yours sincerely,
P.S. This photo appears on a website of shocking, humorous and mind-boggling pictures…
Perhaps it has been a major tourist attraction in some ironic way. Maybe the people of Herne Bay have grown to love it. Or does it serve to keep the nasty tourists away. Perhaps roller hockey is more popular than I first thought?!
Other than the Pier Pavilion which I have to admit is a bit of a talking point, I should say that we did have a lovely day and would definitely choose Herne Bay over Whitstable on most counts on our next escapade from London.


text: Effing Meteors - the game RegisterHomeNewsDirectory Games 2xFlash ActionStrategyAdventureSportsMotor sportsFunMultiplayer gamesStressOld games Effing Meteors7 February 2011 10:57      Hold the mouse button down to build up huge meteors. Direct your ball of destruction at those on Earth, ending the dinosaurs and some aliens. A sequel to Effing Hail by Jacob Grahn and Greg Wohlwend.Submitted by jpTranslated by jp GamesLatest messages No messages. :( You must be logged in and registered to post here.


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- Strika is a Vehicon from the Beast Machines portion of the Generation One continuity family.
Strika is one of the greatest generals in Cybertron's history, and the consort of Obsidian. She had her spark removed by Megatron, only to later have it replaced within a Vehicon body. She joined the ranks of the Vehicon generals, taking the place of Tankor as commander of heavy artillery.
While she was pretending to have all the brains of a calculator watch, her activation code (and, indeed, her entire vocabulary) was "terminate". She dropped the word when the ruse was over.
Beast Machines
- Voice actor: Patricia Drake (English), Rikako Aikawa (Japanese)
Like Obsidian, Strika wasn't given an alternate personality, as the previous Vehicon generals had. However, her primary directive was to protect Cybertron, but since Megatron was Cybertron now, her loyalty was misplaced.
Strika was not only a tactical genius, but she was also a technological expert as well. She was able to reverse the effects of a gadget created by Rattrap which cloaked the Maximals from their scanners. Although she was transformed into a merciless killer, Strika also has a love for beauty, as Rattrap proved when he plugged her into a hologram vision of Cybertron.
When Megatron was seemingly destroyed, she and Obsidian were lost because their purpose was now unclear. Therefore, they joined the Maximals, only to betray them shortly after when Megatron returned. However, it brought up the question about where their true loyalties lay: with Cybertron, or with Megatron. In the final battle with the Maximals Obsidian and Strika were tricked into standing on an antigravity unit by Cheetor, who launched the pair into orbit, where they were last seen drifting helplessly.
Universe Featuring the Wreckers
I want to tell you about the Transformers!
This character article is a stub and is missing information on their fictional appearances. You can help Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki by expanding it.
Beast Machines
- Strika (Deluxe, 2000)
- Accessories: 2 missiles
- A Deluxe-price point toy in the Beast Machines line, Strika transforms into a six-wheeled assault tank. Two pressure-launch missiles are mounted on top, and pressing the figure's spark crystal causes them to move back and forth as if they were firing.
- This mold was retooled and redecoed into Universe Nemesis Strika
Beast Wars Returns
- Strika (Deluxe, 2005)
- Accessories: 2 missiles
- In 2005 the toy was redecoed and released as part of the Japanese Toys 'R' Us exclusive Beast Wars Returns series, the Japanese name for Beast Machines. Having been produced several years after the cartoon was, this version had a deco somewhat more show-accurate than the original, but still not quite there, physical differences between the mold and show model regardless. The figure retained the mold changes used for the Universe release.
- Story editor Bob Skir wanted to depict Obsidian and Strika's to return Cybertron after the reformatting wave hit in the last episode, making them the only two purely mechanical beings remaining. However, this never made it into the series.
- The name Strika is possibly derived from "Stryker", a type of eight-wheeled all-wheel-drive armored combat vehicle.
- Unlike Blackarachnia, Airazor, and Botanica, Strika doesn't have an apparent feminine look.


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LED Drivers
LED drivers are used to transform 230V household voltage down to 12V or 24V to power LEDs. These are not usually required in the caravan or motorhome unless you are looking to run the LEDs direct from the hook-up 230V.


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First Look: Office 2007 Public Beta
Today's Best Tech Deals
Picked by PCWorld's Editors
Top Deals On Great Products
Picked by Techconnect's Editors
Microsoft Office 2007 beta
A revamped interface and new default XML file formats make Microsoft Office 2007, formerly called Office 12, the most dramatic reworking of the best-selling productivity suite in more than a decade. Microsoft knows such big changes can be both a blessing and a curse. Unfortunately, with today's release of the first public beta version (see Microsoft's site for instructions on how to get your copy), important questions about the new version's ability to integrate seamlessly with--and migrate from--earlier releases remain unanswered. Until Microsoft releases the Office 2007 compatibility pack, there's simply no way to know whether the new version will work well with its predecessors.
In our look at the private Office 2007 beta released last January, we noted the startling new look and feel of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook. All five applications replace most drop-down menus and toolbars with a context-sensitive "ribbon," an interactive strip across the top of the screen that displays the various functions relevant to the currently selected tab. (Outlook retains the previous interface in windows other than those used to compose e-mail, however.)
Microsoft explains that most Office users accessed only 8 to 10 percent of the functions on the many toolbars and menus in previous versions of the apps, because most of the programs' features were buried in layers of menus and submenus. In response, the company reasoned that by placing the functions on a single, changeable ribbon it could make them more visible, and thus more likely to be used.
Anybody who uses existing versions of Office will be confused initially by the relocation of their favorite features, but before long they'll be won over by how easy the ribbon makes accessing needed functions. Likewise, they'll be wowed by the live preview function, which lets them see in advance how their document will look when they hover the cursor over any of the ribbon's design elements, such as fonts in Word or charts in Excel.
The new beta adds some context-sensitive menus not found in the previous release. For example, highlighting text in Word or cells in Excel and then right-clicking brings up a shadow menu that comes "alive" only when you drag your cursor into it.
Another improvement in this beta is the inclusion of a View tab, whose ribbon provides single-click access to screen views (Web, outline, and others), split screens, multiple-page views, and instant switching between multiple open documents. In the previous Office 2007 beta, these functions required menu hunting, arcane key combinations, and multiple steps.
For more information on the individual applications in Office 2007, see Lincoln Spector's look at Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Migration Tool Is MIA
The price you pay for the ribbon's fast access to features is a more cramped work area. You can't resize the ribbon, although it disappears when you shrink the window beyond a preset size. Still, anyone working on a screen measuring 17 inches or smaller will want to think seriously about a monitor upgrade. And users with smaller notebook screens beware--the ribbon will cramp your view even more.
However, the screen-size issues are dwarfed by concerns surrounding the new programs' compatibility with previous Office versions, questions primarily due to the switch to XML file formats as the defaults in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Office 2007 apps can open and work on files created in previous releases back to Office 97, and you can create files in all existing Office formats. However, to take full advantage of the smaller file sizes and other benefits of Office 2007, you must use its new XML formats: .docx in Word, .xlsx in Excel, and .pptx in PowerPoint. In fact, saving files in older Office formats isn't possible in the 'Save as' dialog box; instead, you must choose Convert from the new Office button, and Convert appears on the resulting drop-down menu only when a non-XML file is open.
What happens when you try to open an Office 2007 file in an earlier version of an Office app? You'll be prompted to download a compatibility pack from Microsoft. Although the download prompt currently points to a Windows File Association page on Microsoft's site, the company promises that the pack will be available when the suite is released, now scheduled for next January. How seamlessly the pack will work is yet to be seen, but until then several questions linger:
- Will it be possible to convert the legions of legacy Office files to the new XML formats?
- If so, will users have to convert the files one by one?
- What will happen to Excel 2007's million-cell worksheets when they're opened in older versions of the program, which can handle only as many as 64,000 cells?
- Which features will be lost when files that have been converted to the XML formats go back to legacy versions?
- How much will the file conversions cost individuals and companies in terms of productivity and document integrity?
While the benefits of Office 2007's XML document formats--in both file size and compatibility with computer systems outside the Office universe--are apparent, until we can test how easy it is to migrate between and integrate the new and the old formats, the jury remains out.
Office 2007 Public BetaBeta; not rated
The new interface promises to improve productivity after an adjustment period, but questions remain about compatibility with previous Office releases.
Microsoft Office 2007 beta
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Hello Crafters,
It is the first of the month and the second month of winter! So to keep our hands warm during these cooler season we have a colour challenge for you.
Inspired by an image on Pinterest – we have a winter warming, with the coolness of blue, plus the warm tones of chocolate. (Who doesn't love a nice hot chocolate on a winters day! 🙂
Let's Stay Warm
There's a $30 coupon* to spend in store up for grabs!
Simply use the sketch provided here, and upload to the Anna's Gallery here or to our Facebook Community album here by midnight July 31st AEST for your chance to win!
The winner will be announced in our newsletter so subscribe here if you haven't already.
Here are the girls DT layouts to help inspire you.
Good Luck! We cannot wait to see your take on the Colour Challenge ????
*Coupon cannot be combined with any other discount offer. Only one coupon code can be used per order. Discount / coupon offers do not apply to clearance or sale priced items.


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R.S. Grey's next romantic comedy, HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS, is available today! Find out more below and grab your copy now! About HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS I've spent eight years wishing I'd fall out of love with Derek Knightley. Blowing out birthday candles, chasing after shooting stars, making it rain spare change into mall fountains—every time it's… Continue reading review | his royal highness by r.s. grey
Tag: romcom
review | coldhearted boss by r.s. grey
R.S. Grey's next romantic comedy, COLDHEARTED BOSS, is available now - be sure to grab your copy today! About COLDHEARTED BOSS I'm desperate and destitute when Lockwood Construction rolls into my small town with an offer too good to pass up: high wages to any able-bodied man willing to join their crew. Say no more.… Continue reading review | coldhearted boss by r.s. grey
review | make me bad by r.s. grey
R.S. Grey's newest romantic comedy, MAKE ME BAD, is available now! Find out more about it below and pick up your copy today! About MAKE ME BAD I was issued a warning: stay away from Ben Rosenberg. As Clifton Cove's resident "king", he thinks he's entitled to anyone and anything. The trouble is, I've… Continue reading review | make me bad by r.s. grey


text: For the last couple of weeks, I have gotten up in the morning to find that something is eating my cactus plant, which is out on our deck for the summer. I can't say it is eating it, but it is nipping off all the branches and there was a large pile of them yesterday morning. I moved the plant away from the bannister and just found a few braches on the floor this morning. Can you tell me what is going on? Almost all of the plant is trimmed down. Our deck is covered by an awning.


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From Militarytimes.com
Editor's note: The following is an opinion piece. The writer is not employed by Military Times and the views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Military Times or its editorial staff.
Every one to three years, a significant number of military families are ordered to a new location. One of the main questions that comes to mind for military spouses at this time is, "Will I be able to work?"For those of us who work in fields requiring a certification or license, this can be a difficult question to answer.
The relicensing process can take, on average, anywhere from three to six months. Some states have reciprocity or will allow previously licensed professionals to work with a temporary license, but others allow neither.
More than half of the military spouses surveyed in a report published in 2014 by the Institute for Veterans and Military Families said their careers require some sort of state certification. More than 72 percent of those requiring a license stated that they must be relicensed after a permanent change-of-station move…and nearly 8 in 10 respondents had moved within the past five years.
For families like mine that have relocated three times within the past three years, the cost in relicensing fees alone is discouraging. Our families move, we apply to be relicensed, pay hundreds of dollars in fees, wait three to six months, have a job for about a year, and start the cycle over in the next location.
A nurse, for example, could have hundreds of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses over three years just to transfer her license from state to state and remain eligible for jobs within her field.
Teachers, occupational therapists and other state-licensed workers face similar financial burdens, on top of other requirements that could include additional classes or background checks, even if spouses were just working in their former state.
Military spouses may get some relief from such expenses under the Lift the Relocation Burden from Military Spouses Act, proposed in July by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. It would reimburse military spouses up to $500 for relicensing fees incurred by PCS moves across state lines as well as direct the military to work with states on expedited portability.
That means spouses all over the country could get back up to 100 percent of what is spent for fingerprinting, exams and application fees required to work in a new location.
If passed, the act may help to close the pay gap military spouses experience and improve our unemployment rate. We would be eligible for more time-based pay raises by getting to work sooner and remaining in the job longer, and we would be less discouraged by the out-of-pocket costs many of us face to even apply for work.
Even if you're not part of a dual-income military family, there's reason for concern. A recent Blue Star Families study estimated the challenges to military spouse employment has a societal cost of $710 million to $1.07 billion per year in unemployment benefits, health care and lost income tax.
For a small investment in licensing assistance, more spouses may be able to pay income taxes and fewer families would need to depend on unemployment.
Lower stress thanks to simplified license portability and reduced out-of-pocket expenses — not to mention possible employer benefits — could even reduce health care costs.
Spouses asking, "Will I be able to work?" deserve a simple answer: Yes. By backing Stefanik's proposal, and by working to make state licenses and certifications for those spouses more portable and less costly, we can help spouses continue their careers and benefit the greater military community.
Read more at militarytimes.com.
Amanda Roberts is a graduate student in the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work at the University of Southern California. She is married to an active-duty Navy submariner.


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Baja Consulting - Office 365 Upgrade
- Posted in:
- Office 365
- SharePoint 2013
Baja Consulting is now live on SharePoint 2013 on Office 365. After waiting months for our old tenant to be upgraded, we decided to simply cancel the current subscription and sign-up again. Because of that, everything is brand new (including blog), so we apologize for anyone that got a bad link from a search engine.
For anyone that chooses this approach also, the only major thing that we ran into was Lync Federation. Others on Office 365 federated immediately (or pretty close), then after about 12 hours customer federation started working and finally Skype and MS Messenger contacts started working after about 36 hours.


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Blogging Questions & Answers 30
Some cool questions this Friday. Also, we just have one more Questions & Answers left in 2008! If you want to ask a question just leave a comment below.
1. Satish asks:
Why have you removed trackback links from your blog? There would be no problem with spamy sites linking to you, as you can always moderat the linkbacks.
I removed the trackbacks section for two reasons mainly. First of all it makes the comments section cleaner. When I used to have comments mixed with trackbacks it was a complete mess and difficult to follow the conversation. Even when I separated them I still didn't like the look of the trackbacks section.
The second reason as you mentioned is related to the spam trackbacks. Many splogers use this technique to generate links and traffic to their blogs (some would even do it unconsciously by not removing the credit link I use on the bottom of my RSS feeds…). So instead of wasting time moderating those I just removed them altogether.
2. Rajasekharan asks:
I have noticed a trend in people replying/commenting through the email ID that you use for your Feedburner feed delivery. Being that the case, people should do that with your email newsletter too! Even I felt sort of commenting on your first newsletter but kept myself back knowing it would be humanly impossible if all of your newsletter subscribers start replying to your newsletters. Already being busy jumping between blogs, isn't that a sort of dragging yourself with such mails? How are you going to tackle it, especially when your newsletter comes from your personal mail ID? Isn't it a good idea opening up a separate forum for comments/discussions on your newsletter that would also increase your traffic and page views and lessen your burden of replying such mails?
Yeah that happens quite often. On Daily Writing Tips, for example, we get anywhere from 2 up to 10 email replied for every post we publish. I guess that is related to the big number of email subscribers we have there (close to 8,000).
Usually I am fine with it though. If a subscriber takes the time to ask us something or make a suggestion, we sure take the time to answer or at least read it.
The same is valid for the newsletter. One of the reasons that motivated me to start it was that it represents a more private channel for conversations. Feel free therefore to answer to my emails with your comments and or questions.
Finally, setting up a forum or a place where we could discuss such matters would be cool, but would take a lot of work, and I am not so sure how many people would end up using it, so for now there are no plans for that.
3. Pink Ink asks:
Daniel, do you know of a Blogger widget that can be inserted at the bottom of each post inviting readers to subscribe via RSS or email (other than cutting and pasting the sentence each time)?
WordPress seems to have a lot more goodies, but I am not about to switch over…yet. 🙂
Also, at some point in your early blogging career, did you comment on every comment, and at what point did you answer just ones that you thought needed to be answered?? And did your readers care?
I don't any any Blogger widget that would do that for you. But why don't you just edit the template to include that instead of adding it manually below every post?
Interesting questions about replying to comments. On the very early days I would reply to most comments, and the readers appreciated it. As the time went by, more of them started coming everyday, more tasks started being on my plate everyday, so I was forced to stop that.
Today I reply only to the comments that ask me something. But I do put an effort to make sure that no question goes unanswered on the comments section.
I wish I could answer personally to each and every comment though. I might try one of these days. Daily Blog Tips gets an average of 30 comments per day if I am not wrong, so if I took 30 seconds to answer to each I would need to spend 15 minutes per day, which is manageable.
Might be something to try on 2009, stay tuned.
4. Arun Basil asks:
I am a blogger at the above blog and I earn about $10 per month from adsense. I know that cofee money, but do you think that placing ads are distracting readers..? Will any reader cease to comeback because of the ads..?
No one likes ads. Some people are neutral to them, but most would rather not have them around. So yeah if you run ads on your blog website there is always a chance that some visitors will get annoyed, and some might not return in the future because of that.
There are several factors that need to be considered to evaluate how big that risk really is.
First of all, is your content unique and valuable? If it is, there are good chances that people will bear with the ads. They would be getting value out of your content, after all, so a small annoyance would not be enough to make them go away and never return.
Secondly, does your site is established and seen as an authority? If the answer is yes, then you probably could get away with more ads on your site. That is why big brands like Men's Health or The Washington Post can get away with many ads, some of them being very intrusive like pop-up ads.
Finally, how many ads you run and how intrusive are them? The higher the number of ads you run, the higher the chances of losing visitors. Similarly, the more intrusive the ads, the higher the chance of losing visitors.
Ads on the sidebar or at the bottom of the content, for example, are not intrusive since they don't get in middle of the reading experience. Most people would not be bothered by those. Animated flash ads, pop-ups and AdSense blended with the content, on the other hand, have higher chances of annoying people.
The answer, therefore, is finding a balance and testing.
5. Alex Fraiser asks:
I have a blog with what I and a few other people (based on reviews) think is unique content in a niche that has barely been touched. My question is how would I go about promoting the blog? I have read countless articles telling me to go and advertise on blogs, forums, etc. in the niche, but as I had said before, there are no other sites in my niche that I can find. On top of all that, there is just nothing SEO wise I can think of to do, or any keywords to really rank good for.
I have been told to use Social bookmarking, but I have not gotten very good results. I have also been told to get a press release written too, but I am not even sure how to get one! Any insight would be much appreciated!
You mentioned that there are no keywords to really rank for in your niche. Well, if that is the case, you don't have a niche at all!
If you are writing on a topic that some people would be interested to read about, they sure might search for that information somehow, right? Search engines are the most used way for finding information these days, so it is likely that people will use them in one way or another to find about topics in your niche.
If you are positive people don't search for the keywords and terms related to your niche, then indeed there is no such a niche. Yet! Who said you can't create it, though? Perhaps people would love to read your content, but they don't know such content exists yet. Icanhascheezburger.com practically created the niche for funny pictures with cats and captions on them. Before it people wouldn't know about those pictures, and they wouldn't even think about searching for them on Google, right?
It is harder to create a niche, but it can be done. You would need to tap into other channels and promote your content extensively until it gets enough exposure and people start searching and talking about it spontaneously.
You might start working on parallel niches too. For example when Icanhascheezburger started you didn't have people looking around for funny pics of cats with captions, but you had people looking for funny pics in general, so they leveraged those parallel niches to attract people to their own.
Finally, as you mentioned, social media can be a good place to tackle too. Don't limit yourself to social bookmarking sites like Digg and Stumble, but also try social network ones like MySpace, Twitter and Facebook.
6. Melissa Donovan asks:
Do you think that leaving comments is still a good way to get visitors? When I launched my first blogs, all I had to do to get comments and subscribers during the first couple of weeks was visit other blogs and leave interesting comments.
I'm trying that with a blog I've launched recently and I'm seeing a few subscribers but people aren't reciprocating comments. Since it worked well with my other blogs, I have a feeling it's not the writing or my style. Is comment reciprocation a thing of the past?
Your first question is: Do you think that leaving comments is still a good way to get visitors? Yes I do. That strategy still works, especially because today you have more blogs on every niche, those blogs have higher traffic, and overall more people read blogs.
Obviously if you leave 5 comments per day you shouldn't expect to see a large traffic coming from it, if at all. I have seen people out there that leave over 100 comments per day on 100 different blogs, day after day. Now that is what I call traffic generation via blog comments.
Then you ask: Since it worked well with my other blogs, I have a feeling it's not the writing or my style. Is comment reciprocation a thing of the past?
I agree that in the past people were more willing to reciprocate links and comments because the blogosphere was a smaller place. I remember when I started my first blog that I had a very close relationship with the other bloggers on my niche. We were not real life friends, but you knew everyone was reading the blog of everyone else and interacting when possible.
Sadly, but perhaps naturally, we lost that touch along the way. I say naturally because it might be a result of the exponential growth rate that the blogosphere suffered. With hundreds if not thousands of blogs on each and every niche, it is difficult to track closely the blog of some people and reciprocate the comments on your own.
Regardless of that, I still think it is worth to reciprocate comments and links if you think the blog of that person is interesting. The only problem is the time constraint.
Browse all articles on the Q & A category
21 Responses to "Blogging Questions & Answers 30"
1) Is Google supposed to index an entire site at once or does it do so incrementally?
My blog (on my own domain) appears to be getting indexed incrementally, to the point where it's taken a month to index all 30+ of my pages. Most of those pages were present before I manually submitted my URL to Google. I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong or not doing something I should be doing. Does this have anything to do with my blog being new, or having no external links pointing to it?
2) Does Google eventually drop noindex and 404 pages?
I have archive pages that got indexed but I have since added to them. I also deleted an empty category that Google now gets a 404 on. Will Google eventually remove those pages as it re-crawls my site?
Daniel, I have a question
As a blogger when did you realize that you got popular ? And were there any moments when you felt that Blogging is not your cup of tea ?
I am hoping to get the answer soon …
I also removed track back links for the same reason. It becomes a royal pain to keep them moderated and still they don't have a clean intergration.
wow,i just read it, this is a nice post, thanks for sharing this.
How frequent should we change the wordpress theme that we use for our blog?
Kurt Avish
@Pink Ink: I wrote about a little tweak for adding a feedburner subscription form below each of your posts in blogspot some time ago. Here is the link. Hope it helps 🙂
Associate Money
Shucks, it never occurs to me that blog commenting has to be in the region of 100 comments per day to see a noticeable inflow of traffic.
I usually stop after 10, the most I did in a day was 30 and I am already exhausted.
I was also wondering if commenting on blogs was the right way, but now Daniel stated so clear that you have to comment very much, it is very logic. I have to do it more!
Mairo Vergara
Obviously if you leave 5 comments per day you shouldn't expect to see a large traffic coming from it, if at all. I have seen people out there that leave over 100 comments per day on 100 different blogs, day after day. Now that is what I call traffic generation via blog comments.
Wow! 100 comments per day seems hard-work!
Hi Daniel, Can you say that you have monetized this blog to its full potential? I know this blog is not intended to be an income earner but I just want to know what are the other monetization tactics that might have crossed your mind. 😉
Commenting on other blogs is definitely a benefit. I'm still getting a few hits a month from 1 comment I left on a blog over 6 months ago. It blows my mind every month when I check stats and see hits from that blog.
Sarah Jo
I found your advertising advice really helpful. Still trying to find the right amount on my blog, but with some trial and error, I'll get a formula nailed down. Thanks!
Melissa Donovan, Copywriter
Hi Daniel, Thanks for answering my question about comments. It's great to hear another blogger's perspective on this. I make it a point to try and reciprocate just about every comment and most linkbacks, but I find that lots of bloggers aren't reciprocating anymore. I think this may also have do with the subject matter because my creative writing blog (Writing Forward) gets lots of comments and reciprocation. Thanks again for your feedback!
mike dibenedetto
Hi Daniel,
Do you still comment on other blogs or do you mostly focus on maintaining the community around your blog?
I always wondered that about A list bloggers.
Pink Ink
Thank you, Daniel for answering my questions.
On #5, I have often found through sites I frequent blogger network buttons on the sidebar that have been a great way to reach readers. Forums can also be a great way to get exposure. One that I've enjoyed (granted, might not apply to all of your readers) is
On #6, I used to comment all over the place, but have since cut back considerably, been more selective. And I actually enjoy that interaction better. And now that I'm on "blog-holiday", I'm definitely MORE selective than ever 🙂
Rick Regan
My prior comment should have said "I have since added NOINDEX to them" (the html in my comment was removed). Sorry.
Rick Regan
I have a two-part question about how Google indexes sites:
1) Is Google supposed to index an entire site at once or does it do so incrementally?
My blog (on my own domain) appears to be getting indexed incrementally, to the point where it's taken a month to index all 30+ of my pages. Most of those pages were present before I manually submitted my URL to Google. I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong or not doing something I should be doing. Does this have anything to do with my blog being new, or having no external links pointing to it?
2) Does Google eventually drop noindex and 404 pages?
I have archive pages that got indexed but I have since added to them. I also deleted an empty category that Google now gets a 404 on. Will Google eventually remove those pages as it re-crawls my site?
Rajasekharan – Transcriptionist
Thanks Daniel for that answer.
Since it was pertaining to the newsletter of yours, here is another question for this week, something in relation to the one above:
As any other blogger out there on the blogosphere, you too seem to be unable to stick to any particular schedule of your email newsletters! Furthermore, I notice that the posting frequency too is not "daily" on your other dailies! Any comments?
Arun Basil Lal
Thanks for the answer to my question. I would do some reader review and do some testing out to decide the best advertising spots with minimal annoyance. Thanks for that
I got another question,
This week my Alexa rank fell from 7 lacks to 30 lacks but i had the same traffic as of the other weeks. When I checked the ranks of some other sites, those sites had even lower traffic but had higher alexa ranks.
And today, suddenly the rank jumped back to 6 lacks! Why do Alexa ranks vary like that..?
Farrhad A
Great questions and answers 🙂
What would you pick: Write an amazing guest post on a really popular blog or write it for your own blog and see if it does well?
Make Money Tips
this is really a great idea to answer users question,
i had the same Question as No.4 but i don't have much ads and have less visitors but adsense income is as low as 20-30$ a month for one site,its a niche blog, so can u tell me some tips to increase some income and get more visitors,if u can give me some of your post related to that would be also great
Comments are closed.


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You guys may think I'm crazy, but I'm not actually mad at any of these. Well, perhaps at you, Richard E. Grant, you burnished scamp. And Zosia's jumpsuit and I are going through some strained times. Okay, so things aren't as rosy as I thought, but doesn't Lena look good?
[Photos: Getty]


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Moda Rectangular Table Large
Large sized table. Featuring a powder coated steel frame and a solid, waterproof vacuum moulded top. The table folds down compactly for easy storage and transport. Ideal for couples and groups camping, caravanning or for use in the garden.
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|80 kg
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Never Say Never
Ten years ago, I cut up my credit cards and paid off all my debt.
I have been debt free ever since.
I have felt free ever since.
Dave Ramsey taught me so much about living a simplified financial life based on cash. I love him.
I have since taught this and discussed this lifestyle with hundreds of people.
About six months ago, I taught a Rowdy class and one of the students argued that she always pays off her cards and only uses them for the points.
I argued that even when we pay off our cards, there are studies showing we still spend 20% more when we use a credit card vs cash.
I also argued that it's important to evaluate and know who we are doing business with and to make conscious decisions about the companies we let into our wallets and our lives.
Since that conversation, my Wells Fargo Debit card decided to discontinue their points program. My argument has always been that debit cards give points too-so who needs a credit card? What's the reason?
Since that conversation, my friend Angie traveled Upper Class on Virgin to Tuscany with her family of four-all paid with miles.
My friend, Lisa, who seems to pay for everything with points, just booked a week-long vacation in San Diego.
Blog after blog I read on travel talks about doing it for free with miles and points.
Now that I'm going to be traveling for the entire next year of my life, I've decided to reconsider.
Chris Guillebeau was the final straw. His blog (awesome by the way) is filled with "travel hacking" strategies that include flying for free (around the whole wide world) by taking advantage of credit cards, always paying them off and staying debt free.
So, at the risk of losing my status as Dave Ramsey's biggest fan, I'm going to get a credit card. Maybe ten.
I am going to put all large charges on the card and make an automatic payment to the card on that same day. (My attempt to make it like a debit card.)
I am only working with cards I know and have researched. I will not be carrying a balance. Ever.
I'm going to do this for six months and then evaluate if it's serving me and my family. I will see if all the points and miles are worth the added complexity to my simple and very sweet financial life. I will let you know…
For the last ten years I have said, "I will never have another credit card for as long as I live."
I stand corrected.
Never say never.
Unless you do.
And then you can still change your mind.


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Sandhill View Suites and Cottages are located on the water in Stanley Bridge (2 miles from Cavendish Beach). The extended-stay apartments have a fully equipped kitchen with full-size appliances. An open-concept living and dining area has a double pull-out sofa bed. A separate bedroom has a queen bed and room for a roll-away cot. All units have Wi-Fi, air conditioning and great views of the marina. For the convenience of our guests, we have coin operated laundromat, propane barbecues and complimentary National Park passes. Our rural setting is a perfect place to unwind. Relax on our covered veranda, enjoy feeding our horses in the field or perhaps have a picnic overlooking the "sandhills". We do have one standard motel unit which has two double beds with a deck out front. There is a small bar fridge, microwave, toaster, kettle and electric heat for off season rentals.Rates:
Cottage (2.5 stars): 1 hsk unit. 1B&S. Daily $149-249(1-2) – 3-night minimum stay. Weekly $575-950(1-2), $49 add'l person.
HMR Apartment (3 stars): 1 o/n, 4 hsk units. 6B&S. Daily $89-179(1-2), $10 add'l person. Prices include off-season rates.
|Social Links:
|Main Phone:
|Toll Free:
|Winter Phone:
|25 Weeks Driveway, Stanley Bridge
|Stanley Bridge


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We're used to seeing them in wraparound dresses and war armour, but on Sunday the Game Of Thrones cast was donning normal clothes, appealing for support and awareness of the millions of displaced refugees escaping war, famine and destruction.
Partnering with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the HBO fantasy series launched the "Rescue Without Boundaries" campaign calling for donations and support for the real life victims of the Syrian refugee crisis.
Led by Lena Headey who plays Cersei Lannister, the cast of the hotly anticipated sixth series highlight the plight of the situation across Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Serbia and Greece.
"In Syria alone, after five years of war, half of the population has fled their homes," Headey said.
The IRC is providing relief for over 3 million people across the region, helping thousands of families who have been offered safe haven in the United States to start over and rebuild their lives.
"Refugees, families, children struggling to stay alive, real people, now on the most dangerous journey of all."
"This is no fiction, no fantasy," the cast said in the video.
The cast invites viewers to "rise up and stand with us" to help bring the thousands of families to safety.
The campaign will run through the series' upcoming sixth season, beginning April 24, with the goal of raising $1 million.
For more information visit rescue.org.


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Sayana has a BSc in International Studies which she completed while working full time at a large IT Support provider in Edinburgh. She has previously worked in training and delivering fundraising campaigns across Scotland for a variety of well-known charities. She has worked as a volunteer in South America supporting programmes focused on sustainable social development.
Before joining the Equate team, she worked in the third sector, delivering training and coaching sessions to promote equality and inclusion, and to increase the career opportunities of disabled people.


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CJC > CJC > Highlights > Open House 2018
Open House 2018
Ignite. Illuminate. Inspire.
Discover the CJC family spirit and a world of possibilities with us on 13 Jan 2018. Join us on this day to learn about the journey that our students undertake when they enter CJC to Ignite, Illuminate, Inspire!
'Ignite': Identify your strengths and purpose at CJC.
'Illuminate': Grow as a person at CJC.
'Inspire': Move on to inspire and influence others in CJC and beyond.
Our student ushers will be waiting for you at the lobby to hand you a Welcome Pack and take you on a guided tour around our campus.
Learn more about our Ignite Programme, niche subjects such as English Language and Linguistics (ELL) and the full range of subjects we offer at the auditorium. Our teachers and alumni will be there to speak to you and help you make the choice that is right for you. You can even attend micro-lessons and experience the seminar-style learning and higher order thinking we practise here in CJC.
Want more from your education? Students will be ready to share their experience on their overseas service learning trips, leadership expeditions and the character programmes we offer; they embody what it means to be a Thinker with a Mission, Leader with a Heart. And, what is a day in CJC without the CJC family spirit? Our various houses and CCAs will add sound and spectacle to our campus. Watch our Drama students perform, savor the symphony of our award-winning Choir or just bask in the warmth and vibrancy of the CJC community at the Piazza.
Join CJC, where our students ignite, illuminate, inspire!
Open House Programme
Shuttle Bus Services
Regular Shuttle Bus Services will be available at Caldecott MRT Station (Exit B), in 20 mins intervals.
Getting here
Our campus at 129 Whitley Road is located right along the Pan-Island Expressway.
Bus services 105, 151, 153, 154, 156, 186, 966, 985 stop right outside our campus.
The closest MRT stations are Toa Payoh Station (Bus services 105 and 153) on the North-South Line, Caldecott Station (Bus services 132, 156 on Thomson Rd) and Botanic Gardens Station (Bus services 151, 153, 154, 156 on Dunearn Rd) on the Circle Line, and Stevens Station (Bus services 105 and 132 from Opp Stevens Ct) on Downtown Line.


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Downtown - Duluth
St. Cloud
Miller Hill - Duluth
Anyone who's been to the mall during the holidays or school season knows how badly beer is part of the deal! At 7 West, we can help you relax after a hectic day by offering you a craft favorite and one of our famous BeerBurgers!
View Our Menu
© 2010 - 2020 7 West Taphouse
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Whats the name of that law again?
Godwin's law is it?
Then again, I dont see why they bother. Since when have the government listened to actual scientists or other interested and informed members of the public when making policy decisions? They seem to prefer making mistakes and then blaming someone else.
See also: the classification of marijuana as a Class B drug, the Home Office/BT/Phorm mixup, the ID card scheme, the massive government surveillance database, etc etc.


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by Elizabeth Cudilo M.D., Paul Lynch M.D., and Tory McJunkin M.D.
A stellate ganglion block has both diagnostic and therapeutic value. It has a wide array of therapeutic indications including the following.
Pain Syndromes
- Sympathetically-maintained pain syndromes
- Complex regional pain syndromes Type 1 and 2
- Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
- Shoulder/hand syndrome
- Causalgia (nerve injury)
- Phantom limb pain
- Intractable angina
- Herpetic neuralgia from herpes zoster (shingles)
Vascular Insufficiency in Upper Extremities
- Arterial insufficiency
- Raynaud's phenomenon
- Scleroderma
- Hyperhidrosis (excessive perspiration) of the face and upper extremities
- Hot flushes and sleep dysfunction related to hot flashes
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
AnatomyThe stellate ganglion refers to the ganglion formed by the fusion of the inferior cervical and the first thoracic ganglion as they meet anterior to the vertebral body of C7. It lies anterior to the prevertebral fasci and anterolateral to the longus colli muscle. Its alar fascial plane may communicate with the brachial plexus and the vertebral artery, and it is in close proximity to the carotid sheath, phrenic nerve, and recurrent laryngeal nerve.
The stellate ganglion block can be performed in many ways. One of the most common ways to perform the stellate ganglion block is to perform it at the C6 level. Relatively large volumes (5-20ml) are injected 2mm superficial to the C6 tubercle. This is done to spread the solution downward to reach the stellate and upper thoracic ganglia.
The stellate ganglion block can also be approached from at C7 with administration of a smaller volume; however, this approach increases the risk of vertebral artery injection and collapsed lung (pneumothorax).
Another possible approach to this block is the posterior paravertebral approach. With this method the needle is walked off the upper thoracic lamina until correct needle placement is confirmed with fluoroscopy and contrast dye. Some physicians may also use ultra-sound guidance to decrease the chance of injury to vascular and soft tissue structures that are adjacent to the stellate ganglion.
You will be asked to lie down on your back with your neck slightly extended, your head rotated slightly to the side opposite of the block, with your mouth open. Your neck will be prepped and draped in a sterile manner before local anesthesia is administered at the point of entry of the needle into the skin. After your skin is anesthetized your physician will retract your sternocleidomastoid muscle and carotid artery as his or her index and middle fingers palpate your Chassignac's tubercle. Your skin and subcutaneous tissue will be pressed firmly onto the tubercle to reduce the distance between the skin surface and bone. This is done to reduce the chance of pneumothorax (collapsed lung) occurring. This may be mildly uncomfortable.
Upon palpating these anatomical landmarks, the needle is then advanced under fluoroscopy guidance until correct needle placement is obtained. Correct placement is also confirmed by administration of contrast dye. Once position is confirmed local anesthetic is administered.
A successful block is marked by profound pain relief and improved vascular flow to ipsilateral upper extremity. Local anesthetic is usually administered for diagnostic stellate ganglion block. For patients who have a documented response to administration of local anesthetic onto the stellate ganglion, a therapeutic block can be performed with administration of a neurolytic agent, like phenol.
Radioablation of the stellate ganglion is also another treatment modality for longer-lasting pain relief.
Some patients may experience a constellation of symptoms known as Horner's Syndrome (drooping of the upper eyelid, pupil constriction, and decreased sweating on the side that the block was preformed). This is normal and symptoms usually subside when the anesthetic wears of (usually within four to six hours after the block is performed). The procedure usually takes less than 15 minutes. Sometimes your physician will recommend intravenous sedation to make the procedure more comfortable. Your physician will monitor your pain and vital signs (pulse, blood pressure, temperature) after the procedure and place you in a sitting position to facilitate the spread of the anesthetic.
Stellate ganglion block is a short, minimally-invasive procedure that can effectively treat a wide array of conditions that have failed optimal medical management. These include providing relief for sympathetic-related pain in face, chest, and upper extremities, improving circulation in upper extremities and face, decreasing perspiration in upper extremities and face, decreasing hot flashes and associated sleep disturbances, and showing promise as a novel treatment for PTSD.
RiskThe risks for the procedure are typically low, but can include misplacement of the needle resulting in bleeding, nerve injury, pneumothorax (collapsed lung), or esophageal perforation. Risks secondary to the spread of the anesthetic include drug allergy, seizure (if the medication is injected into a blood vessel), brachial plexus block (numb arm on side of block that lasts as long as the life of the anesthetic injected), spinal or epidural block (transient weakness and/or numbness from neck down as long as the life of the anesthetic injected), hoarseness (from anesthetizing recurrent laryngeal nerve), and shortness of breath (from anesthetizing phrenic nerve). Lastly, with any penetration of skin and soft tissues the risk of infection always exists. The most common side effects related to the procedure are drooping of the upper eyelid, pupil constriction, and decreased sweating on the side that the block was done on, as well as voice becoming more hoarse. These side effects usually subside after the anesthetic wears off.
After the block is performed, one of three things may occur:
- Your pain is gone or greatly improved and stays that way for longer than the life of the anesthetic. This shows your physician that the block has therapeutic value for you, and he or she can come up with a treatment plan that maximizes your pain control.
- Your pain is unchanged, but there is evidence of a sympathetic blockade. This is of diagnostic value to your physician and tells him or her that your pain is not responsive to a sympathetic block and he or she can try other treatment modalities to treat your pain.
- Your pain is unchanged but there is no evidence of a sympathetic blockade. This indicates that the block was a technical failure.
In conditions where there is decreased blood flow to the upper extremities, from causes such as arterial insufficiency, Raynaud's phenomena, and/or scleraderma, the stellate ganglion block has been documented to significantly increase blood flow, decrease the number of Raynaud attacks and ultimately provide symptom improvement.2,4,5
Another therapeutic indication is intractable angina for patients where maximal medical and surgical intervention (including optimal revascularization) have failed to provide pain relief.1,10,13 The stellate ganglion block can provide these patients relief as they cope with their advanced cardiovascular disease.
A recent study, Lipov et al. (2008) suggests that the stellate ganglion block, with minimal if any side effects, can provide relief from hot flashes and associated sleep dysfunction in breast cancer survivors. This study highlights that the long-term relief of symptoms obtained from the stellate ganglion block has the potential to not only improve quality of life, but also compliance with the anti-estrogen medications.8 These same authors have also found that some success can be achieved with treatment of PTSD with the stellate ganglion block as well.6,7
The benefits of stellate ganglion block can be temporary for some people and the amount and duration of pain relief vary from person to person. Some tend to have relief for weeks where others can benefit from the block for years. Fortunately, the procedure is a low-risk, non-surgical treatment that, if successful the first time, will most likely continue to provide pain relief with repeat treatments. If you are suffering with pain, contact Arizona Pain Specialists today to see if you can benefit from a stellate ganglion block. We are happy to offer this exciting treatment option to patients in Scottsdale, Glendale, and the Phoenix metro area. Call today.
Journal Articles
- Chester M, Hammond C, Leach A. Long-term benefits of stellate ganglion block in severe chronic refractory angina. Pain. 2000 Jul;87(1):103-5.
- Elias M. Continuous cervico-thoracic sympathetic ganglion block: therapeutic modality for arterial insufficiency of the arm of a neonate. Middle East J Anesthesiol. 2001 Oct;16(3):359-63.
- Gofeld M, Bhatia A, Abbas S, Ganapathy S, Johnson M. Development and validation of a new technique for ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion block. Reg Anesth Pain Med. 2009 Sep-Oct;34(5):475-9.
- Klyscz T, Jünger M, Meyer H, Rassner G. Improvement of acral circulation in a patient with systemic sclerosis with stellate blocks. Vasa. 1998 Feb;27(1):39-42.
- Lagade M, Poppers PJ: Stellate ganglion block: A therapeutic modality for arterial insufficiency of the arm in premature infants. Anesthesiology. 1984;61:203-204.
- Lipov EG, Joshi JR, Sanders S, Slavin KV. Lipov EG, Joshi JR, Sanders S, Slavin KV. A unifying theory linking the prolonged efficacy of the stellate ganglion block for the treatment of chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS), hot flashes, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Med Hypotheses. 2009 Jun;72(6):657-61. Epub 2009 Feb 23.
- Lipov EG, Joshi JR, Lipov S, Sanders SE, Siroko MK. Cervical sympathetic blockade in a patient with post-traumatic stress disorder: a case report. Ann Clin Psychiatry. 2008 Oct-Dec;20(4):227-8.
- Lipov EG, Joshi JR, Sanders S, Wilcox K, Lipov S, Xie H, Maganini R, Slavin K. Effectsof stellate-ganglion block on hot flushes and night awakenings in survivors of breast cancer: a pilot study. Lancet Oncol. 2008 Jun;9(6):523-32. Epub 2008 May 15.
- Marples, IL, Atkin RE. Stellate ganglion block. Pain Rev 2001; 8: 3-11.
- Moore R, Groves D, Hammond C, Leach A, Chester MR. Temporary sympathectomy in the treatment of chronic refractory angina. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2005 Aug;30(2):183-91.
- Narouze S, Vydyanathan A, Patel N. Pain Physician. Ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion block successfully prevented esophageal puncture. Pain Physician. 2007 Nov;10(6):747-52.
- Shibata Y, Fujiwara Y, Komatsu T. A new approach of ultrasound-guided stellate ganglion block. Anesth Analg. 2007 Aug;105(2):550-1.
- Stanik-Hutt JA. Management options for angina refractory to maximal medical and surgical interventions. AACN Clin Issues. 2005 Jul-Sep;16(3):320-32.


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About Definitions¶
A definition is code that is reused across recipes, similar to a compile-time macro. A definition is created using arbitrary code wrapped around built-in chef-client resources—file, execute, template, and so on—by declaring those resources into the definition as if they were declared in a recipe. A definition is then used in one (or more) recipes as if it were a resource.
Though a definition behaves like a resource, some key differences exist. A definition:
- Is not a resource or a custom resource
- Is defined from within the /definitions directory of a cookbook
- Is loaded before resources during the chef-client run; this ensures the definition is available to all of the resources that may need it
- May not notify resources in the resource collection because a definition is loaded before the resource collection itself is created; however, a resource in a definition may notify a resource that exists within the same definition
- Automatically supports why-run mode, unlike custom resources
Use a defintion when repeating patterns exist across resources and/or when a simple, direct approach is desired. There is no limit to the number of resources that may be included in a definition: use as many built-in chef-client resources as necessary.
A definition has four components:
- A resource name
- Zero or more arguments that define parameters their default values; if a default value is not specified, it is assumed to be nil
- A hash that can be used within a definition's body to provide access to parameters and their values
- The body of the definition
The basic syntax of a definition is:
define :resource_name do
More commonly, the usage incorporates arguments to the definition:
define :resource_name, :parameter => :argument, :parameter => :argument do
body (likely referencing the params hash)
The following simplistic example shows a definition with no arguments (a parameterless macro in the truest sense):
define :prime_myfile do
file '/etc/myfile' do
content 'some content'
An example showing the use of parameters, with a parameter named port that defaults to 4000 rendered into a template resource, would look like:
define :prime_myfile, port: 4000 do template '/etc/myfile' do source 'myfile.erb' variables({ port: params[:port], }) end end
Or the following definition, which looks like a resource when used in a recipe, but also contains resources—directory and file—that are repeated, but with slightly different parameters:
define :host_porter, :port => 4000, :hostname => nil do
params[:hostname] ||= params[:name]
directory '/etc/#{params[:hostname]}' do
recursive true
file '/etc/#{params[:hostname]}/#{params[:port]}' do
content 'some content'
which is then used in a recipe like this:
host_porter node['hostname'] do
port 4000
host_porter 'www1' do
port 4001
The following examples show how to use cookbook definitions.
Simplify Repeating Patterns¶
A definition file is similar to a macro; use a definition to define reusable code. For example, the following definition defines a common installation scenario, in this case installing Splunk on multiple machines:
define :splunk_installer, :url => nil do
cache_dir = Chef::Config[:file_cache_path]
package_file = splunk_file(params[:url])
cached_package = ::File.join(cache_dir, package_file)
remote_file cached_package do
source params[:url]
action :create_if_missing
if %w{omnios}.include?(node['platform'])
pkgopts = [
'-a #{cache_dir}/#{params[:name]}-nocheck',
'-r #{cache_dir}/splunk-response'
execute 'uncompress #{cached_package}' do
not_if { File.exist?("#{cache_dir}/#{package_file.gsub(/\.Z/, '')}") }
cookbook_file '#{cache_dir}/#{params[:name]}-nocheck' do
source 'splunk-nocheck'
file '#{cache_dir}/splunk-response' do
content 'BASEDIR=/opt'
package params[:name] do
source cached_package.gsub(/\.Z/, '')
case node['platform_family']
when 'rhel'
provider Chef::Provider::Package::Rpm
when 'debian'
provider Chef::Provider::Package::Dpkg
when 'omnios'
provider Chef::Provider::Package::Solaris
options pkgopts.join(' ')
Once created, this definition is used just like a resource:
splunk_installer 'use #1' do
url node['splunk']['server']['url']
and then another recipe:
splunk_installer 'use #2' do
url node['splunk']['forwarder']['url']
and so on.
Create a Resource¶
A definition file can be used to create an object that the chef-client can then use like a resource. For example:
apache_site Definition
define :apache_site, :enable => true do
include_recipe 'apache2'
if params[:enable]
execute 'a2ensite #{params[:name]}' do
command '/usr/sbin/a2ensite #{params[:name]}'
notifies :restart, resources(:service => 'apache2')
not_if do
::File.symlink?('#{node[:apache][:dir]}/sites-enabled/#{params[:name]}') or
only_if do ::File.exist?('#{node[:apache][:dir]}/sites-available/#{params[:name]}') end
execute 'a2dissite #{params[:name]}' do
command '/usr/sbin/a2dissite #{params[:name]}'
notifies :restart, resources(:service => 'apache2')
only_if do ::File.symlink?('#{node[:apache][:dir]}/sites-enabled/#{params[:name]}') end
Once created, the definition can be used by placing it in a recipe:
apache_site resource
# Enable my_site.conf
apache_site 'my_site.conf' do
enable true
# Disable my_site.conf
apache_site 'my_site.conf' do
enable false
The attributes of the new apache_site object are made accessible with the params hash. Within the context of a chef-client run, the definition will be replaced by all the resources that are specified within the definition. For example, in the enabled case, the definition will be expanded to:
execute 'a2ensite my_site.conf' do
command '/usr/sbin/a2ensite my_site.conf'
notifies :restart, resources(:service => 'apache2')
not_if do
::File.symlink?('/etc/apache2/sites-enabled/my_site.conf') or
Many Recipes, One Definition¶
Data can be passed to a definition from more than one recipe. Use a definition to create a compile-time macro that can be referenced by resources during the converge phase. For example, when both /etc/aliases and /etc/sudoers require updates from multiple recipes during a single chef-client run.
A definition that reopens resources would look something like:
define :email_alias, :recipients => [] do
name = params[:name]
recipients = params[:recipients]
find_resource(:execute, 'newaliases') do
action :nothing
t = find_resource(template: '/etc/aliases') do
source 'aliases.erb'
cookbook 'aliases'
variables({:aliases => {} })
notifies :run, 'execute[newaliases]'
aliases = t.variables[:aliases]
if !aliases.has_key?(name)
aliases[name] = []
Virtual Hosts¶
Two applications need to be deployed and run on a single node under the same domain and sub-domain. A Ruby on Rails application will reside as the main application at example.com and a WordPress application will reside at blog.example.com. The domain is running Apache2 as the web server. The domain is expected to grow, but for now only two run_list resources are created, with the appropriate roles added to them. At some point in the future, when a new sub-domain is required, a new run_list resource would also be created.
The virtual host on the Apache2 server is only one per node, which can create challenges when a node requires updates. Using a definition helps get around this issue. For example, the web_app definition exists in the apache2 cookbook, and can be used like this:
web_app 'blog_site' do
server_name 'blog'
server_aliases [ "blog.#{node['domain']}", node['fqdn'] ]
docroot '/srv/www/blog_site'
When the chef-client processes a recipe that contains this definition, it will find the web_app resource and will attempt to recognize it as a resource. Assuming that the apache2 cookbook is available, the resources contained within that cookbook will be found and loaded, replacing the definition.


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I'm curious about excise tax. Why does Massachusetts have this? This "extra" tax is supposed to go to our roads here in the Commonwealth, but does it really? Roads in our cities and towns are a disgrace and we're paying an extra excise tax on top of what we're already paying in outrageous property taxes. If we are going to continue to allow cities and towns the ability to charge excise why can't it be mandated that this money be allocated for roadway improvements only? – Jim
Ah…the excise tax. The yearly bill you pay on the value of your car. Why does Mass. have it? To raise money of course.
But Jim has it wrong. The excise tax isn't "supposed" to go for road repairs. It goes into the general fund of each city and town that collects the tax. I asked the state's Dept. of Revenue about this and here's what they say:
"Motor Vehicle Excise tax revenue goes to a community's general fund for the support of the general operating budget. Use of this revenue is unrestricted."
So it's not earmarked. Of course a community could decide to spend it on road repairs…there would be a good connection there…you know…cars…roads. But I suppose that would be like robbing Peter to pay Paul and would create a hole in another part of municipal budgets.
One thing about the excise tax- If there's anything to like about a tax…I kind of like this one because I know that when I grit my teeth and write that check the money goes to my town rather than to the state. So at least I'm supporting my own community.
By the way, the cost is $25 per each $1000 valuation. And I sure agree with Jim about the conditions of many of our roads…nasty.
What's your opinion? Should the excise tax be used just for roadwork?
REALLY NOW, and all these years we as tax payers where lead to believe that the excise tax was t be used to repairs roads, wow, so its a tax to pay SOMEONE, SOMETHING, SOMEWHERE, hhmmm intersting since so many towns dont repair the roads, have stopped all park and recreation upkeeps, schools have been loosing a lot of money, they have turned of street lights to save money, signs get damaged by plows, cars, hoodliums, or what ever. Plowing has to be done by homeoowners to clear sidewalks and hydrants, what next tree prunning around wires cause the tree department cant do it , oh wait sorry they already deligated that to the utlity companies., well in the last few decades all I can say is get use to it, and dont expect your tax dollars to GO TOWARD what it was ment to.. Yet they keep raising the amounts and we have little choice but pay it. how wonderfull life is. NOT
You say you feel somewhat better because the excise tax supports the local community, not the state. Really, have you been involved in local town politics lately? Do you think just because it is local that it is any better? Not a chance! A town'r general fund is a deep dark hole just like the state!! It is what it is: an extra tax.
blackbear1, I also got a little chuckle out that statement as well. The towns are hurting for funds becuase of the lack of local aid from the STATE.
I do feel worse for the locals, especially smaller towns. The medical, retirement, teachers, unions…..it's just too much for them to keep up.
The problem with repairing the roads, is the cost. I thought I had read at one point it was 25K per mile. That's extreme.
Next time you pay your excise tax, put a note in the memo you want your money to go to roads, the school system, the parks and rec departments.
see what sort of response you get.
Yeh…$25.00 per $1000.00…. But guess who gets to do the VALUATION…..!!!!The same people that VALUE the car you paid $2500.00 for as $8000.00 and rap you for the difference.
@response, you WISH the cost to maintain Massachusetts roads was only $25,000 per mile per year……but it's $800,000!! Somehow New Hampshire manages to get the job done for about 1/9th of what we pay, or $88,000 per mile.
I can finally afford to buy a newer car and my rate goes from $38 to $175! So by pulling myself up by the bootstraps, I am now forced to give more blood…thanks, state government!
I can almost understand having to pay the excise tax, once, but every year!? I believe that in this day and age paying excise tax once and done would be enough. Similar to the sales tax on automobiles, if the auto was bought previously in MA and the sales tax was paid on it, if the car gets resold in MA then they collect sales tax on it again when someone else buys it. Excise taxes never go to what they were originally proposed for and like everything else involving state/local government, once enacted, never taken away.