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The Ballast in Bereavement- A Reflection on Family
Sj's Cardamom Bliss Balls
I've been saying for months I would share one of my Bliss Ball Recipes. Sure you can troll the internet and find a recipe or two but if you're looking for a protein power ball that can see you through a nausea time in your pregnancy, long labor, or long breastfeeding session, this one is one of my favorites from the Salt Spring Experience. The Cardamom aids nausea, and after babe it is helpful for digestion and elimination. The Tahini is high in vitamin E and Calcium and the Chocolate…well, we all need a sugar spike sometimes.
From my Kitchen to yours- I give you
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp cardamom
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup grated coconut
1. Grind the almonds fine in a food processor
2. Add the raisins and grind until they're chopped up
3. Add the tahini, honey, cinnamon, and cardamom, and blend until everything is well mixed.
4. Empty the mixture into a mixing bowl, and hand mix the chocolate chips in.
5. Put the coconut into a shallow bowl or a plate.
6. Form balls form the mixture, roll them in the coconut, and arrange them on a platter.
7. Keep them refrigerated.
Bon Appetit, Bon Birthing and Bon B-Feeding
Triaged Toe and Togetherness- A Photoshoot and Gathering of some 2013/14 Families
This morning I experienced something I likely should have started three years ago when I first ventured out in labor support….a gathering of the families I have had the honor and privilege to work for and with.
It happens, we labor support people meet the families, get to know them, join them start to finish for one of the most intense day (or days) of their life…and then we leave. We may have one to two visits with you to see how the family unit is getting on, assist with breastfeeding, but…then we do the sad job of leaving you to become your own family.
We are trained in letting go, leaving you to flourish as parents. But we think of you. We think of a moment we might have shared with you that is forever etched on our life's template. Like when you look at us and say something like " I just want to see the series of Breaking Bad before I have this baby," or when you look at us and say " Holy S*it, I'm a mum, what's up with that?" For me, it's those memories that make me chuckle in the aisle of the grocery store. You're like a high school boyfriend that makes me smile for no reason….just at the thought.
So, I couldn't in good faith let another year pass without seeing your breath-taking babies and you again. You, parents, need to know that you are what makes my work thrive. I believe I was meant to work with each family that chooses me. Because you chose me, my life is richer; because you choose me I don't scowl at my phone when it rings in the night…instead I smile and think " Here's another woman, or family I'm gonna love even more after the next 24 hours passes, I'm about to get a lot more connected to what loving your purpose and work is."
And so I asked all of my 2013-2014 families to join me for a morning of lemonade, bliss balls and a group photo.
As the cars rolled into the parking lot at Gyro Beach at 10am this morning, I just kept thinking, " Have they even had a chance to have coffee?" " Have I interrupted baby's morning nap?"…I had a niggling feeling of guilt for having made the families come all this way just so I could ogle them and get a group photo. But you emerged from your vehicles all smiles, ready to connect with other families, maybe with a babe born the same month as yours.
Me? I just stood there and had a Grinch moment; you know that scene where his heart grows exponentially bigger every time he sees an act of kindness? Every hug I had, every baby who just smiled up at me four, five even ten-month's later. When I left most of these babies they were barely holding their head's up. Now, they're smiling, charming, chunky little people. I have a terrible memory but I remember vividly the moment each of them came into the world.
Last night I planned what I would say to everyone who came. I'd tell them that meeting them and being a part of their birth experience has been the fulfillment in my life I never thought I could get from my work. I'd tell them that each of them had taught me so much about what makes a solid relationship between two people or between a mother and their child. I'd tell them that just by showing up on a sunny Sunday morning when there was a World Cup game fixin to start, just warmed my heart to bits. I'd finish by letting them know that I can look at each and every one of them and relay a heartfelt moment we had shared on " Birth Day" and how that solidifies my view that we are all meant to share these moments with each other as human beings in our life time. Instead, I felt myself overcome with emotion and felt I might burst into tears and be the "loser doula" who lost it in front of a bunch of smiling, gurgling babies. So, I kept it simple, which is just as well as I'd opened up my left toe a few minutes before on something menacing in the sand. I needed to get it looked at by one of my nurse clients who knew how to doula the doula
What I will now say is true, authentic, raw honesty comes forth from a woman and their partner on the day a child is born. And, then we all surface and move on with our lives. Thank you for letting me be there and support you through your first or third time at the "true- authentic-honest rodeo".
Today, I just wanted the opportunity to let you know I hold you all in my thoughts long after my service is done with you. You may never really know the joy that radiates throughout my whole body when I see you on the street or in gatherings like today. You affirm that I'm on my chosen path even if my parents likely think I need to go back to a "real job." You are my real job!
Once this toe heals up I'll be up in the night to serve more families, but client's past… you'll all be etched in this "Grinch" Doula's heart.
Entering the spiritual dimension of birth
'Spiritual birth recognizes that each and every birth is the birth of the Christ child. The Birth support person's job is to do her best to bring both the mother and child through their passage alive and well and to see that the sacrament of birth is kept holy," writes the great American midwife Ina May Gaskin. When I visited Gaskin's Farm in Summertown Tennessee earlier this year it was to further my training as a doula – a birth support person.
My first birth experience after my training with Gaskin was with a woman who had an older child and was preparing for her second. This woman remembers loud noises, and being directed what to do when she had her first birth experience. She recalls being tense all over which, she says, made labor pains worse. She had a fear of that same experience with her second child. Being mindful of this I made sure to allow her the space she required as she found her ritual of walking in circles, stepping in only when she needed to be guided physically.
She paused every few steps and we'd rock back and forth together as she hummed and swayed. She was somewhere else right now. A deep and spiritual place, it seemed.
She was completely at one with herself to the point that I knew that even if an intervention needed to happen in her labor, she would stay in this sanctuary she'd stepped into. She continued to hum and rock to the beat of her own internal rhythm
An intervention never came.
This got me thinking…there is something ritual about labouring and something ceremonious in carrying a child from the great unknown into reality.
In her book "Spiritual Midwifery," Ina May Gaskin extols that if a woman allows herself to enter a spiritual realm in labor her pain will be felt less, she will reach a new high, and she will cross over from one part of her life into a new dimension.
I have to say reading those things before I had a child seemed wildly presumptuous. But, as I attended more and more births as a Doula, I began seeing these crossing over's more often. There seems to be a marked point in labour where if a woman has enough of a connection to her spirit, she goes inward to an ethereal place.
Almost all religions have some sort of ritual whether it's the ceremonial and symbolic drinking of wine, chanting, reciting, or singing. It's that ritual that keeps the follower of a select religion coming back. It represents something meaningful… comforting.
Labor is an intimidating and scary ceremony to step into, but this mother I speak of hummed her baby into the world. When the baby was born she just stared straight ahead, breathing, with a fixed gaze. After what felt like an eternity to me, she just readjusted her eyes and looked at her baby with a smile that took up her whole face. She had come out of her spirit den as it were.
There are instances where the laboring woman can go to a place of divinity. It takes faith, support and the desire to know one's spirit better, trust it, and let it lead you.
When her labor was over, there she was, back in this world with her newborn child feeling as though she'd rushed toward the center of her spirit for 12 hours and back again, reborn with a newborn. What a blessing it was to witness.
Sarah-Jane Steele is a Journalist, Mother, trained Doula and Yoga Teacher. She hails from Halifax and now lives in Victoria with her family. You can contact her regarding any of the above at email@example.com.
*This article was published in the print and online edition of the Times Colonist Faith Forum page.
You can read more articles on the interfaith blog Spiritually Speaking HERE
Stop! And Smell the Poses – Originally featured in the Times Colonist Newspaper
They look statuesque. Some look difficult. Some look impossible. Some look absurd. None of them look particularly spiritual.
Postures. One of the biggest challenges of the new yoga student is the physical practice of yoga. They come to yoga seeking fitness and if spiritual awakening happens as a by-product then…bonus. I'm sure you've all seen the adept yoga poser on the mat next to you, though you know you should keep your eyes on your own mat….you find yourself staring, thinking to yourself " I wish I had core stability like that…I wish I could look that good while standing on one foot."
In that moment you've already lost the point, and I bet you've lost your balance and fallen out of the posture.
What if that person you're comparing yourself to isn't thinking about their core, what if they're just at one with the posture, and its meaning?…it's deeper meaning.
Let's use the pose warrior two as an example. It's one many would recognize so seems fitting to use it as the archetypal yoga posture. Often on yoga posters at studios-the picture of the warrior features the thriving, determined face of the yogi delegate. It's the pose that symbolises being alive and vibrant. The form it takes can be beautiful, but its function is the real essence.
Warrior two or Virabhadrasana (veer-ah-bah-DRAHS-anna) ) the name of a fierce warrior who was an incarnation of Shiva (One of three Hindu gods believed to be the deity of dance, and destroyer of the universe…in a good way). Shiva is described as having a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, and a thousand feet, wielding a thousand clubs, and wearing a tiger's skin. Maybe you feel you are the embodiment of all that when you're in warrior 2, or maybe you just feel a thousand muscles burning.
With the front knee bent, the yogi sinks their hips, which causes both legs to become active. Eventually they get a nice butt from the butt work and toned quads from the legwork. But the bottom half of the warrior, your legs, also symbolises a base, ground, a foundation (here comes the real legwork). Above the base the yogi is spreading their arms outward from their shoulders and expanding and opening their chest valiantly. The yogi lifts through the crown of their head to lengthen the spine. But through this expansion, in the words of Yogarupa Rod Stryker "The pose ultimately becomes an invitation to fully and completely expand both the body and the mind and thereby enliven the essential qualities that inspire us to grow, thrive and evolve."
Bam, there it is. Evolving means being our best self. Performing a pose means squat (no yoga pun intended) if we don't know what its higher function is. So, we know warrior two works our legs and bum, opens our chest, lengthens and strengthens the spine. But we're also creating a duality of base (foundation and solidity) paired with lightness (expansion).
It's great to feel strong and solid in a yoga pose. But, if we can find a lightness in some part of our postures we can feel an expansion in our physical body that radiates out to others. This in turn, fights the fighter in all of us- the one who needs to always be right, the one who can't let their guard down for even one moment, the one who fights to move out of places of discomfort before they've even hung up curtains.
It's good to be a warrior in life. We often need to be a foundation for others, and ourselves. We also need to be able to fight in times of hardship for others and ourselves. The Warrior is said to help us combat our own ignorance and ego in doing the former, not others. No one's saying that is easy, but it is a facet of the spiritual practice of yoga; doing it does bring us closer to our own divine spirit.
Warrior pose offers you the chance to ponder how you can be more grounded while maintaining a sense of open lightness. This coupled with breath and the other observations, or the limbs of yoga offers us the ability to be free beings, unclouded and awake in our postures and in our life. Food for thought for your next practice. You wouldn't just wolf down a gourmet prepared meal without first savouring it or asking how it was prepared and what makes it special, why treat your poses any differently…..or do you?
Sarah-Jane Steele is a Journalist, Mother, trained Doula and Yoga Teacher. She hails from Halifax and now lives in Victoria with her family. You can contact her regarding any of the above at, email@example.com.
You can read more posts from Spiritually Speaking HERE


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subset: commoncrawl


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Browser + Mobile enhancements are one of the Top 3 Reasons to Upgrade to SharePoint 2013
One of the big reasons I'm happiest when working on SharePoint 2013 has a lot to do with the huge improvements in browser support for basic things like multi file upload and working with data in a grid style view. Replacing so much that previously was done in ActiveX with HTML5 compliant client based solutions with backward compatibility is huge.
In an attempt to tell the story of why I think the user experience is so much better for the life of a Mac user, the mobile user, the non IE user I put together this chart that speaks to the user experience. I feel like MS has done such a better job with this release in terms of supporting these other non MS worlds that this story alone is one why companies should consider upgrading to SharePoint 2013. There are 3 simple stories to me on why people should consider upgrade to SP2013 now, and this is story of mobile support + browser support is at the top of the list.
I was putting this story together for an upcoming webinar I'm doing on Improving the SharePoint Experience with SharePoint Analytics on May 22 1PM EDT where I'll explore this in much more detail.
The Browser User Experience Report Card
A: Best Experience
B: Some Functionality Missing
C: Not A Great Experience, but fine for browsing and limited editing
D: Poor/Frustrating Experience
(Minus and pluses used to differentiate the experience and used for comparison reasons)
This report was compiled based on my own testing, experience, and revisiting the TechNet content and getting frustrated. For more details see the following…
- TechNet: Plan browser support SharePoint 2007
- TechNet: Plan browser support SharePoint 2010
- TechNet: Plan browser support in SharePoint 2013
- Joel's SharePoint 2010 SharePoint Browser Support Matrix
- Microsoft Releases Office, SharePoint SP1, Offers Chrome Support
- Beware Internet Explorer 10 with SharePoint
SharePoint 2013…. the browser story
The ActiveX controls have been minimized a lot. The Silverlight dependencies have been minimized and attempted to only be utilized where it can be leveraged around video compatibility. Drag and Drop and Multi File upload support has made the Firefox and Chrome experience tons better. There are still a few office integration scenarios, but now those are primarily for power users, so the average user will find a good experience with Firefox and Chrome for the first time.
64 bit
The 64 bit experience is a second class experience if you're use to IE, so please avoid it. Windows 8 mode is also a disappointment due to lack of 64 bit support for a few of the ActiveX controls and again if you're use to IE 32 bit mode, you will be disappointed. Just use desktop mode and pin IE 32 bit.
Mac OS
Mac users will be very pleased to see support for multi file upload in Safari and Firefox. While 2010 was better than 2007, this leap is even a better one. Office integration is hopeful to get even better when the Office 2014 release happens.
Huge leap in the mobile experience. We go from a text by default experience to a rich experience that is more easily toggled, and controlled. While I wish it was responsive by default, the iPad and Android Tablet experience really isn't that bad.


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Rudely Interrupted are heading to Russia?!
'Calculus & Tea' Taken from the bands latest mini album 'Love You Till I Die' Rudely Interrupted's smashing NEW single is an ultimate indie earworm. It's very much a modern day song of hope and coming together, but the song had strange beginnings.
Coming from an awful experience when the group was approached by a start up to sign a worldwide deal, "we were almost wooed to dance with the devil in the corporate world, but walked away from a very exploitative experience. The rest is for the book!
Hear Josh's chat with Rudely Interrupted below!


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THE MASSACRE of children is the low hanging fruit of outrage. Pictures of babies struggling for air, not understanding why halting breaths will be their last before seeing the face of God, bring easy rage. The sight of a father cradling his dying daughter with an otherworldly expression - as if he were already with her in heaven - brings us to our knees. The film of bombs crashing down upon the heads of first responders makes our own heads explode with equal potency.
There is nothing like this to make us hate our fellow, beastly, predatory humans.
And yet, even though it is an easy sort of outrage, it is a necessary one. It is necessary because if we don't feel the sharp edges of it in our guts and in our souls, we have lost that eternal part of ourselves, as Shakespeare would say. If we can look at dying children writhing in pain on the ground without feeling a homicidal sort of anger, we are moral zombies.
I wrote about that sort of anger last year, after Aleppo. I said: "The flames are engulfing its streets, the bullets are tearing through the bodies of its remaining inhabitants, the earth is groaning under the weight of its new corpses, the air is filled with the screams of its dying."
Some readers thanked me for the reminder, and some threw up their hands, writing "it's not our problem, it can't be our problem, we have our own heavy burdens and these are not our brothers."
Then the women started crocheting little pink hats, and the racists started painting swastikas on synagogues, and the college students started terrorizing those with whom they disagreed, and the television pundits continued to serve us up the version of news we could most easily digest.
And we forgot about Aleppo, just as we forgot about Cambodia, and Rwanda, and Srebrenica, and Syria, in 2013.
We started worrying about whether the Russians had stolen the election from Hillary (probably) and whether Bill O'Reilly was a sexual predator (probably) and whether Susan Rice was a liar (probably).
But then it was Wednesday, and again we were dealing with a massacre, again in Syria, almost a hundred dead at last count, many of them children. Once again we find ourselves at the edge of this abyss, looking down into its ugly depths and seeing the reflection of our worst selves. We are not Bashar Assad with his demonic thirst for absolute power, or the ISIS soldiers fueled by hatred for the infidel. We are not the ones who have used these innocent children as pawns in a deadly game of geopolitical chess, and we are not to be blamed for the tiny chests collapsing and the eyes burning and the mouths contorted in a pain they cannot comprehend. We are not the reason their toys will go untouched, and their musical voices will be forever stilled, and their feet will be bound and buried before they ever have a chance to dance.
We did not do this, because Americans do not do this. Of all the sins we commit against innocence, and all the trespasses of which we are capable, raining poison upon the heads of babies is not one of them.
But every time we look away and interest ourselves in something other than the horror of this moment, we are committing another sin. We are compartmentalizing our humanity, and doing it under the guise of pragmatism.
At this point you might be saying, Christine, this is just another useless rant. Babies die, dictators survive, and the cowards in our own governments, Republican and Democrat alike, will prattle on about this tragedy for the length of time it takes to secure an election win. Then, they will move on to more important things, like blocking a Supreme Court nominee, or caring about what bathroom is available to the confused.
Perhaps it is useless. Words do not have the force of weapons, like the ones we should have used the first time around when President Obama drew that erasable line in the sand. Words are incapable of protecting children from a shower of poison, and they are self-serving platitudes when they emerge from the mouths of most politicians.
But every now and then, they can summon the memory of avenging angels, like the words used by Nikki Haley at the United Nations: "The gas that fell out of the sky yesterday was more deadly, leaving men, women, the elderly and children gasping for their very last breaths. And as first responders, doctors and nurses rushed to help the victims, a second round of bombs rained down. They died in the same slow, horrendous manner as the civilians they were trying to save ... The truth is that Assad, Russia and Iran have no interest in peace. The illegitimate Syrian government led by a man with no conscience has committed untold atrocities against his people for over six years . . . Iran has reinforced Assad's military, and Russia has shielded Assad from UN sanctions . . . How many more children have to die before Russia cares?"
The massacre of children is the low-hanging fruit of outrage. Grasp it, and use it.
Email: email@example.com
Twitter: @flowerlady61


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Environmental Stewardship: Preserving, Educating, and Restoring Hawaiʻi's ecosystem and biodiversity.
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text: God said about these people that they were neither hot nor cold. And they said they they were rich. That means that they did not need God. Well, it is like this, some people's motives are not right. We need to set our motives upon serving God or Satan. God will not have it both ways. You cannot serve both. Since, the latter sentence says that you cannot serve both, God will spew you out of his mouth, which means that God will not take you into his kingdom if your motives are serving both. So, you need to decide immediately who you will have your heart set on. I hope that you choose God. Now, you may fall (Don't do it on purpose.), but God will pick you up. The Laocidean spirit also says that I have all that I need. Well, do you remember that Jesus only ate with sinners and tax-collecters who trusted their lives to Him! People who say or act as they could do without Him will not receive Him or His goodness. This spirit is also the spirit of religion. It is when you do all sorts of practice but the Lord is not running the service. This is when the practices become legalism. We need the Lord and Satan will try to distract us from receiving the Lord. We can't let Him. We need to let the Lord rule and let Him take charge of our lives, because if we don't, we lose out.


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The Sudarshan Kriya sessions as well as the cooking class and satsang will be held as usual on the weekend of September 1 (Saturday) and September 2 (Sunday), contrary to what was previously announced.
Seva Weekend!
August 31 to September 3 at the International Centre in Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc
Fun, peace, laughter, service, relaxation! Why not spend a weekend at the International Art of Living Centre and give a helping hand where needed. Your help will be greatly appreciated.
Also on the menu: Rudram meditation, long Kriya, evening satsang and, of course, delicious vegetarian meals.
The World Meditates
September 9
Come be a part of a worldwide meditation, bringing thousands of people together around the world to meditate for peace.
Montreal: 12:45 pm
Montreal Art of Living Centre
5369 Saint-Laurent, Suite 240, Code 701
438-380-9642 | email@example.com
West Island: 6:30 pm
46 Sainte-Anne, Pointe-Claire
Contact: Antoine Tinawi at
514-475-9074 | firstname.lastname@example.com
Art of Knowledge
Knowledge prepares us to dive into devotion. Only Divine love brings fulfillment.
Bhagavad Gita Series - Starting September 16
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's commentary on the profound conversation between Krishna and Arjuna, considered one of the most famous dialogs in history.
Time: Sunday evenings, 7:00 pm
Fee: $50
Register: email@example.com
Pre-TTC/Volunteer Training Course
Starting October 12
The Pre-TTC/Volunteer Training Course equips Art of Living volunteers with the skills needed to organize and facilitate introductory workshops.
This course is now a prerequisite for anyone wishing to attend the Art of Living Teacher Training Course. It is also designed for those who want to become a stronger organizer and volunteer for the Foundation.
All applicants must have a recommendation from a local teacher who will also act as a mentor for the Pre-TTC participant after the course.
The course offers a unique opportunity for you to develop your potential as well as inspire others and share the knowledge with skill, strength and confidence.
October 12: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
October 13, 14, 20, 21: 6.30 am to 9:30 pm
Unique 5-Day Sri Sri Yoga Course
September 5 to 9
Weekdays: 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Weekend: 10:00 am to 12:30 pm
Fee: $150
Location: Montreal Centre
5337 St-Laurent, suite 430 (Laurier metro) (nouvelle adresse: 5369, local 240)
Contact: 438-380-YOGA (9642)
Art of Meditation Course
September 14 to 16
Friday: 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm
Saturday/Sunday: 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Location: Centre Holistique Om West
46 Ste-Anne, Pointe-Claire
Fee: $150
Contact: Antoine Tinawi at 514-475-9074
Art of Living Course
Breathe. Meditate. Live.
Fee: $250
Montreal Centre
September 12-16 in French
October 3-7 in EnglishRegister online
West Island
October 18-21 in EnglishRegister online
YES!+ Course
Back to school
Start the new school year, or just the fall, right by joining us for YES!+, the youth empowerment program for ages 18-30.
Weekdays: 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm
Weekend: 10:00 am to 4:30 pm
Register online.
Get details at YES!+ Canada Web Site!
YES!+ Volunteering Opportunities
We are organizing opportunities to be of service in the community. For information, contact Anna:
Weekly Yoga Classes
Learn classical yoga at your convenience.
Montreal Art of Living Centre
Attend as many classes as you wish.
West Island
Fees: On donation basis for Care for Children
Satsang and Vegetarian Potluck at Om West
Date: Friday, September 28, at 7:00 pm.
Bring one your favorite dishes, along with a smile!
Location: West Island
Centre Holistique Om West
46 Ste-Anne, Pointe-Claire


text: Tool belt (1 ratings) £18.50 Quantity: at £18.50 each Add To Basket Tool Belt including tools Home improvement! With this colourful tool belt little craftsmen are best prepared. Including ruler, screwdriver, hammer, jaw spanner, three screws and five nuts made of solid wood with colourful lacquering. The adjustable belt can have a length between 41 and 103 cm. The click buckles of the strong nylon belt can be opened and closed quickly. Easy to use, tools improves the pincer grip to aid future pencil control. Brightly coloured pieces along with natural wood to ensure sensory play and colour recognition. See what they create with their imagination. Not suitable for children under 3 years old.


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Medical devices such as smart insulin pumps, pacemakers, defibrillators and MRI scanners have revolutionized healthcare in recent decades, and the sector is increasingly reliant on such IT products. A 2012 Economist article reported that half the medical devices sold in America, the world's largest healthcare market, rely on software. As such technology becomes commonplace, onlookers have warned of security risks from both intentional and unintentional sources, and researchers have undertaken projects to ensure a higher standard of coding.
Widespread safety concerns
Researchers have documented widespread flaws with medical device software, the Economist reported. A study from Greece's University of Patras found that one-third of all software-based medical devices sold in America between 1999 and 2005 had been recalled for software failures, while University of Massachusetts computer science professor Kevin Fu has estimated that there have been 1.5 million device recalls since 2002.
Unintentional errors resulting from embedded software malfunctions in drug-infusion pumps led to nearly 20,000 injuries and more than 700 deaths from 2005 to 2009, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Additionally, many devices may be vulnerable to hackers. The Economist noted that studies have found ways to maliciously disrupt devices such as insulin pumps and implantable defibrillators.
In August 2012, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) responded to these research findings by releasing a report that advised the FDA to adopt a plan focused on information security risks. The report highlighted the shortcomings of the FDA approval process for a flawed insulin pump and defibrillator, specifically. In these instances, the FDA did not consider intentional risks, and it also overlooked the unintentional risks in four of the eight information security control areas identified by the GAO. The GAO also noted that postmarket flaw reporting procedures were more focused on device malfunctions than on identifying software security issues.
"To ensure the safety and effectiveness of active implantable medical devices as technology evolves, FDA concurs with GAO that the agency continuously develop and implement new strategies designed to assist the agency in its medical device premarket review and post-market surveillance efforts relative to information security," FDA spokeswoman Michelle Bolek told Modern Healthcare.
Building more secure devices
According to the Economist, one of the challenges facing the validation of medical device software safety is that the development process remains largely closed and proprietary. While the FDA could demand to see the source code for every device it approves, it generally leaves the responsibility of performing thorough analysis to the manufacturer. Vendors are advised to use static analysis tools to ensure FDA compliance, although the adoption of such products remains limited.
In response to a perceived lack of transparency on the part of medical device manufacturers, a number of open source development initiatives have taken on the project of developing products such as insulin pumps. The hope is that using an open source platform will allow manufacturers to build safer products from the outset, the Economist reported. However, many of these projects struggle to obtain FDA approval since they lack the type of rigorous documentation of the development process the agency requires.
Initiatives are underway to develop a more collaborative, interoperable environment among devices, and some analysts have expressed hope that medical devices might someday evolve into a collection of accessories drawing on the same secure, open source computing framework, the Economist noted. Regardless of the approach used, such devices are due for more thorough security procedures such as the use of source code analysis tools, according to experts.
"When a plane falls out of the sky, people notice," Fu told the Economist, noting that action toward safer code was needed as soon as possible. "But when one or two people are hurt by a medical device, or even if hundreds are hurt in different parts of the country, nobody notices."
Software news brought to you by Klocwork Inc., dedicated to helping software developers create better code with every keystroke.


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He'll sit here and he'll say, "Do this! Do that!" And nothing will happen.—HARRY S TRUMAN, ON PRESIDENTIAL POWER[1]
Assuming that he has the disciplined, experienced architects and that there are many implementers, how shall the manager ensure that everyone hears, understands, and implements the architects' decisions? How can a group of 10 architects maintain the conceptual integrity of a system which 1000 men are building? A whole technology for doing this was worked out for the System/360 hardware design effort, and it is equally applicable to software projects.
The manual, or written specification, is a necessary tool, though not a sufficient one. The manual is the external ...
No credit card required


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The first of these two speeches is an extract from Nelson Mandela's lengthy speech in his defence at his trial for sabotage and attempting violent overthrow of the Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), the armed wing of the political party, the African National Congress. The ANC had been banned for its opposition to the South African government's system of apartheid, a strict policy of racial segregation that repressed the black South African majority. In his defence, Mandela spoke both as an experienced lawyer and a political activist. He and his co-accused Umkhonto we Sizwe members received life sentences and Mandela was imprisoned from 1964 to 1990.
Nelson Mandela was born in 1918, the eldest son of a Xhosa-speaking Tempu chief in the Transkei. He attended Methodist Missionary School and later gained a law degree at Witwaterstrand university, the only black student at the law school. In 1952, he opened the first black law firm in Johannesburg with Oliver Tambo, later leader of the African National Congress in exile. In 1944, Mandela helped found the ANC Youth League.
During the 1970s and 1980s, world protest against apartheid grew, with increased demands for Mandela's release. In 1989, newly elected President F.W. de Klrk accelerated the dismantling of apartheid. In 1990, the ban on the ANC was lifted and Mandela was released unconditionally. He was greeted rapturously by black and white South Africans and people throughout the world.
I am the First Accused.
I hold a Bachelor's Degree in Arts and practiced as an attorney in Johannesburg for a number of years in partnership with Oliver Tambo. I am a convicted prisoner serving five years for leaving the country without a permit and for inciting people to go on strike at the end of May 1961.
…The lack of human dignity experienced by Africans is the direct result of the policy of white supremacy. White supremacy implies black inferiority.
Legislation designed to preserve wbite supremacy entrencbes this notion. Menial tasks in South Africa are invariably performed by Africans. Wben any; bas to he carried Or cleaned the Wbite man Will look around for an African to do it for bim, wbetber tbe African is emploYed by bim or not. Because of this sort of attitude, wbites tend to regard Africans as a separate hreed. They do not look, upon tbem as people With families of tbeir own; tbey do not realize that tbey, bave emotions – that they fall in lave like Wbite people do; tbat tbey want to be
Africans Want to be paid a liVing Wage.
with their wives and children like white people want to be with theirs, that they want to earn enought to support their families properly, to feed and clothe them and send them to school. And what 'house-boy' or 'gardeen-boy' or labourer can ever hope to do this?
Pass laws, which to the Africans are among the most hated bits of legislation in South Africa, render any African liable to police surveillance at any time. I doubt wbetber there is a single African male in South Africa who has not at some stage had a brush with th police over his pass. Hundreds and thousands of Africans are thrown into jail each year under pass laws. Even worse than this is the fact that pass laws keep husband and wife apart and lead to the breakdown of family life.
Poverty and tbe breakdown of family life have secondary e{fects. Children Wander about the streets of the townships because tbey bave no scbools to go te, or no money to enable them to go to scbool, or no parents at bome to see tbat they go to scbool, because botb parents (if tbere be two) bave to Work to keep th, family alive. This leads to a breakdown in moral standards, to an alarming rise in illegitimacy, abd to growing violence which erupts not only politically, but everywhere. Life in the townships is dangerous. there is not a day that goes by without somebody being stabbed or assaulted. And violence is carried out of the townships in the white living areas. People are afraid to walk alone in the streets after dark. Housebreakings and robberies are increasing despite the fact that the death sentence can now be impose for such offences. Death sentences cannot cure the festering sore.
Africans want to be paid a living wage. Africans want to perform work wbicb tbey are capable of doing, and not work wbicb the Government declares tbem te be capable of. Africans want to be allowed to live wbere tbey obtain work, and not be endorsed out of an area because they were not born there. Africans want to be allowed to own land in places where they work, and not to be obliged to live in rented houses which they can never call their own. Africans want to be part of the general population, and not confined to living in their own ghettoes. African men want to have their wives and children to live with them where they work, and not be forced into an unnatural existence in men's hostels. African women want to be with their menfolk and not be left permanently widowed in the Reserves. Africans want to be allowed out after eleven o'clock at night and not to be confined to their rooms like little children. Africans want to be allowed to travel in their own country and to seek work where they want to and not where the Labour Bureau tells them to. Africans want a just share in the whole of South Africaj they want security and a stake in society.
Above all, we want equal political rights, because without them our disabilities will be permanent. I know this sounds revolutionary to the whites in this country, because the majority of voters will be Africans. This makes the white man fear democracy.
But this fear cannot be allowed to stand in the way of the only solution which will guarantee racial harmony and freedom for all. It is not true that the enfranchisement of all will result in racial domination. Political division, based on colour, is entirely artificial and, when it disappears, so will the domination of one colour group by another. The ANC has spent half a century fighting against racialism. When it triumphs it will not change that policy.
It is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.
This then is what the ANC is fighting. Their struggle is a truly national one. It is a struggle of the African people, inspired by their own suffering and their own experience. It is a struggle for the right to live.
During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.
In 1991 Mandela succeeded Oliver Tambo as President of the ANC. He travelled widely to maintain international support for the total abolition of apartheid and in 1993 he and de Klerk won the Nobel Peace Prize for their reforming work. After elections in May 1994 the ANC were victorious and Nelson Mandela became President. The speech he gave on the evening of his victory is characteristic of his easy, mature political style.
In 1996, at the age of 81, Nelson Mandela stood down as President. He has been awarded honorary degrees from over 80 universities and numerous peace prizes. In 2004 his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, became a bestseller.
This is indeed a joyous night. Although not yet final, we have received the provisional results of the election, and are delighted by the overwhelming support for the African National Congress.
To all those in the African National Congress and the democratic movement who worked so hard these last few days and through these many decades, I thank you and honour you. To the people of South Africa and the world who are watching: this is a joyous night for the human spirit. This is your victory too. You helped end apartheid, you stood with us through the transition.
I watched, along with all of you, as the tens of thousands of our people stood patiently in long queues for many hours. Some sleeping on the open ground overnight waiting to cast this momentous vote.
South Africa's heroes are legend across the generations. But it is you, the people, who are our true heroes.
This is one of the most important moments in the life of our country. I stand here before you filled with deep pride and joy: pride in the ordinary, humble people of this country ….
I stand before you humbled by your courage, with a heart full of love for all of you. I regard it as the highest honour to lead the ANC at this moment in our history, and that we have been chosen to lead our country into the new century.
I pledge to use all my strength and ability to live up to your expectations of me as well as of the ANC.
I am personally indebted and pay tribute to some of South Africa's greatest leaders including John Dube, Josiah Gumede, GM Naicker, Dr Abdurahman, Chief Luthuli, Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Yusuf Dadoo, Moses Kotane, Chris Hani and Oliver Tambo. They should have been here to celebrate with us, for this is their achievement too.
Tomorrow, the entire ANC leadership and I will be back at our desks. We are rolling up our sleeves to begin tackling the problems our country faces. We ask you all to join us – go back to your jobs in the morning. Let's get South Africa working.
For we must, together and without delay, begin to build a better life for all South Africans. This means creating jobs, building houses, providing education and bringing peace and security for all.
The calm and tolerant atmosphere that prevailed during the elections depicts the type of South Africa we can build. It set the tone for the future. We might have our differences, but we are one people with a common destiny in our rich variety of culture, race and tradition.
People have voted for the party of their choice and we respect that. This is democracy.
I hold out a hand of friendship to the leaders of all parties and their members, and ask all of them to join us in working together to tackle the problems we face as a nation. An ANC government will serve all the people of South Africa, not just ANC members.
We also commend the security forces for the sterling work done. This has laid a solid foundation for a truly professional security force, committed to the service of the people and loyalty to the new constitution.
Now is the time for celebration, for South Africans to join together to celebrate the birth of democracy. I raise a glass to you all for working so hard to achieve what can only be called a small miracle. Let our celebrations be in keeping with the mood set in the elections, peaceful, respectful and disciplined, showing we are a people ready to assume the responsibilities of government.
I promise that I will do my best to be worthy of the faith and confidence you have placed in me and my organisation, the African National Congress. Let us build the future together, and toast a better life for all South Africans.


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Petaluma Flower Tee (Black) + Petaluma CD + Petaluma Pop Socket Bundle
$32.99 – $34.99
More Information
This bundle includes:
– This Wild Life – Petaluma CD
– This Wild Life Petaluma Pop Socket
A This Wild Life Pop Socket, featuring the flower seal design from the 'Petaluma' album.
– This Wild Life Petaluma Flower Tee (Black)
The This Wild Life Petaluma design, featuring text and the floral insignia from the Petaluma album, screen printed on the front and back of a comfortable, standard-fitting black tee. – Screen Print – 100% Cotton – Standard-Fitting, Premium Quality Tee – Machine wash cool, tumble dry low
Track List:
- Figure It Out
- Headfirst
- Catie Rae
- Positively Negative
- Westside
- Hold You Here
- Come Back Down
- College Kids
- Never Believe
- No Need For Novocaine
This purchase includes a digital download of the album. You will be emailed a link to access your download shortly after purchase.


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New Zealand Broadband Update
February 1, 2010
With the deadline for submissions expired, Crown Fibre Holdings will on Tuesday 2nd of February announce the list of companies who have made submissions to participate in the broadband roll out across New Zealand. All submissions will be evaluated before a report is prepared for the Communications and Information Technology Minister Steven Joyce.
Meanwhile two companies who are competing for a contract to supply Auckland have divulged details of their own submissions are listed electricity company Vector and Telecom.
Vector says its bid to roll out ultra-fast broadband across Auckland will result in newer and faster technology than Telecom is offering to provide, while Telecom says it can roll out broadband across the country more cheaply and efficiently using its existing fibre network.
Chief Executive Simon Mackenzie of Vector says they will build a fibre network to 133,000 Auckland premises, including 18,000 businesses, within two years, connect 255 Auckland schools and 57 medical facilities within three years and pass 57% of businesses within four years.
Telecom has submitted two proposals. The first complies with the Government's preferred commercial model, which was to have up to 33 local fibre companies creating the network separately. However Telecom's preferred model, is to build on the existing fibre network that its network business Chorus is rolling out to roadside cabinets.
Meanwhile, a group of 19 companies have formed a consortium, called the New Zealand Regional Fibre Group (NZRFG), to deliver broadband to people's homes and businesses across about 80% of the country and it was proposing to extend out beyond the 33 main centres highlighted by the government.
The consortium proposals are from Waikato-based WEL Networks (the combination of WEL, Waipa and Velocity Networks and Hamilton Fibre Network), plus the Otago and Southland joint venture partnership of Flute Network (Dunedin and Central Otago's Aurora Energy, along with Southland's Electricity Invercargill and The Power Company).
Aurora Energy and the management company representing the other two Flute partners, PowerNet, are NZRFG members.
However, all other South Island NZRFG members – Enable Networks, Network Tasman, Electricity Ashburton, Alpine Energy, Network Waitaki and Westpower – were willing to work together.
Northpower has also submitted a bid for the Northland region.
The North Island trio of Unison, Horizon Energy and Eastland Group have all expressed interest in rolling out the initiative across their geographic areas.
CityLink and Electra have pitched further proposals to establish fibre networks in the Government's preferred candidate areas in the lower North Island.
New Zealand Broadband One Step Closer
November 18, 2009
About 30 local groups and several international telecommunication giants have expressed interest in a partnership in a Local Fibre Company with the government to facilitate the broadband roll out.
Stephen Joyce, the Communications Minister declined to name the parties that had indicated an interest in the project, stating that this was commercially sensitive. It is not clear if Telecom or Vodafone have indicated any interest.
Stephen Joyce said the level of interest expressed showed that the private sector was as excited about the investment as the government is.
"We are now getting very close to identifying the private sector partners who will build the infrastructure and get the roll-out underway."
"From my perspective the right partners will share in the government's vision of the transformative ability of ultra-fast broadband. They will have the credibility to step-up and deliver this critical piece of infrastructure in a cost-effective manner, and they will be patient and realistic investors."
"In the Crown, they will find a highly motivated partner: one that is prepared to do the hard yards, to shoulder its fair share of the risks, and to see this ambitious project through," Mr Joyce said.
The 38 groups now have until 29 January 2010 to lodge their full proposals
Horizontal Directional Drilling Qualification
November 18, 2009
Infratrain New Zealand, the industry training organisation for the infrastructure industries, has in conjunction with the New Zealand trenchless industry developed a new qualification for HDD operations.
The National Certificate in Civil Construction Works (HDD) is a Level 3 qualification and recognises the specislist skills and knowledge required by contractors working in HDD.
For further details contact:
Infratrain New Zealand on 0800 486 626
Broadband Infrastructure Investment Invitation
October 26, 2009
The New Zealand Government has formally announced its invitation for private investors to co-invest and match the governments $1.5 billion investment in the planned broadband infrastructure roll out, with a partnership in a Local Fibre Company. Expressions of interest are to be lodged by the 13th of November with a final formal proposal by the 29th of January 2010. Undoubtedly running well behind the governments own original schedule and while there is much debate around the final estimated project cost, which some estimate to be as high as $6 billion, the New Zealand trenchless industry remains poised to boom on the back of a large amount of underground fibre work.
New Zealand Broadband All Go
September 17, 2009
Despite some experts warning that the plan is under funded and real costs could escalate to as much as $5 billion, the New Zealand government announced on the 16th of September that it would proceed with the planned NZ$1.5 billion investment to build a national broadband network together with the private sector, while rejecting counterproposals by Telecom Corp. of New Zealand Limited and Vodafone New Zealand, a unit of Vodafone Group PLC.
The new network would be established through a new government company, Crown Fibre Holdings, that will be operational next month. The government will select 33 regional and national operational partners – to be known as Local Fibre Companies – that will build commercial, open access, dark fiber networks, with the goal of connecting 75% of homes within 10 years. Priority would be given during the first six years to connecting schools, hospitals, health service providers and homes in new sub-divisions.
The fibre networks would cover cities and towns that are projected to have the largest population by 2021. These now include the towns of Masterton, Levin and Kapiti. Queenstown and Greymouth, which would have been excluded under criteria the Government issued in March but which now qualify.
Communications Minister Stephen Joyce said he expects that Crown Fibre Holdings will receive proposals from the Local Fibre Companies by mid 2010 and that the final deal will allow investment in any number of the LFCs by any one entity or consortium..
A number of companies have already shown interest in the government's broadband initiative and "Now it's time to get on with finding the right partners to build these networks." Joyce says.
Telecom, New Zealand's biggest telco by revenue and subscriber numbers stated that the government's high-speed broadband plan appears to preclude its involvement.
"Telecom is disappointed the benefits of our national approach to going faster and further have been overlooked," Telecom Chief Executive Paul Reynolds said in a statement.
Joyce said relative to indications from other potential partners, Telecom's proposal covered fewer homes and businesses, only provided ducts and not the fiber itself, and did not clearly result in significant additional private sector expenditure above normal business levels.
Vodafone's proposal to establish a cooperative fiber company with the country's major telecom operators owning a quarter of the shares, was also rejected.
A Vodafone spokesperson said, however, it is positive the government is looking at working with private companies and "we now need to spend some time now looking at the details to decide if we'll be able to be involved in some way."
As in the draft outlined earlier this year, the final plan will not allow participation by telecom service retailers, suggesting Telecom would have to fully split its network company, Chorus, from its retail arm in order to participate.
On Wednesday Telecom noted that "in the context of Telecom's undertakings on operational separation and associated investment, today's announcement also raises the issue of the relevance of those undertakings."
Telecom said it looked forward to further clarification on the regulatory, competitive and operational issues raised by the announcement and added that it remained open to discussion.
Telecom, through Chorus, is in the process of building a national NZ$1.3 billion fiber-to-the-node network.
Joyce said Telecom was welcome to become a potential partner if it can meet the tender criteria, and national proposals would be considered as well as regional ones.
"The government is also clear that potential partners who already own fiber assets can table options that involve those fiber assets being vended into any new fiber companies," said Joyce.
Steven Joyce, this morning confirmed on television a delay of at least 2 months to the broadband plans. Mr Joyce stated that the government needed to take the extra time to review the proposals tabled by the various parties, including sligthly 'left field' proposals from Telecom and Vodafone. He confirmed that funds of $1.5b remain set in concrete for the 10 year project.
Broadband Report to New Zealand Government Delayed
June 23, 2009
The New Zealand Government has received more than 100 submissions on its plan to spend up to $1.5 billion over the next 10 years, which will be topped up to $3 billion by private-sector investment, to run fibre to the doorsteps of schools, hospitals, businesses and private homes.
The Government today reported that it did not now expect a report back to Cabinet on the submissions and implementation details for another few weeks, a month after the original timeline set.
Telecom is to table two options with the Government: a national network of ducts available to all operators deploying fibre or extending its current fibre roll-out.
Telecom reports that both proposals will focus on connecting 2000 schools and all hospitals to the fibre network within two years of work starting, while the remaining 600 schools would be connected within the following six months.
Vodafone having initially supported the Government plan, has also now come up with its own version of how the broadband roll out should take place, suggesting that telcos and infrastructure companies club together to invest in a single, ultra-fast broadband network.
Meanwhile Electricty Lines companies and local fibre operators, including Vector, Northpower and WEL Networks, who all have existing infrastructure and expertise to support fibre roll out, have joined forces to form the Regional Fibre Group to support the Government plan.
Vodafone has suggested a co-investment model for ultra fast broadband in New Zealand, saying it was not a secret plan as suggested by some. Its co-investment model involves multiple firms co-operating by investing in a Fibreco company, as outlined in the governments Investment Initiative Paper and in which the government could also invest.
Vodafone did not name potential shareholders but said that they would likely involve existing operators.
The government is due to appoint its Crown Fibre Investment Company in mid June, which in turn will appoint local Fibreco companies.
New Zealand Broadband Upgrades
May 20, 2009
Submissions on the Governments published Broadband Investment Initiative closed on the the 27th April and a report back to Cabinet is due at the end of this month, May.
Key dates after that are:
Mid June 2009 – Appointment of Crown Fibre Investment Co. (CFIC)
Mid August 2009 – RFP issued by the CFIC
Mid October 2009 – Proposals due on RFP
January 2010 – Initial decisons on roll out due to be released by CFIC
You can download a copyof the document from the web or let me know and I am happy to email a copy. TerraMacs is in contact with government with regard to the proposal and we will keep you updated as we learn more.


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This listing is for one (1) beautiful Green Turbo shell (RK5B7a)
Gorgeous light and dark green colors
Great as a display or decorative piece.
STOCK PHOTOS– Shells will vary in size and patterning as these are natural shells.
AVERAGE MEASURE of shells is approx. 2-2.5"– sizes will vary for each shell.


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They were insistent about the color. It had to be that shade, in particular, and no other. A silk gown the color of the dress the ingenue wore on stage at the Gilded Cage in a production of "A Marriage Proposal" several seasons back, a dusty rose. The dress itself, however, was not the object of the clients' desire.
Amelia would provide the garment as odd a request as it was becoming. The pay was not excessive, but it was generous and generosity was rarely forthcoming in London these days.
+ a bit of writing elsewheres


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There are lots of various kinds of garden outdoor dining tables designs, backyard garden dining tables and chairs come in a wide more of shapes styles, sizes, and classic design which is suitable you can buy. Local garden furniture shop in available different designs, wicker furniture has a cheap and immortal life of furniture backyard Dining table for try to buy large table means you can seat at a time whole family member. Dining chair with smooth outside soft cushions for lengthy comfort, if you want to move every time so when you buy furniture that time buy low weight table. You know when it's good for take a male enjoy in eco friendly environment, A few backyard dining tables are ideal suitable to very warm environments and don't last long in cold winter seasons. See the below some interesting design of garden Dining table.
via source: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7


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If you are planning your trip but you are finding it difficult due to limited resources then apply for an unsecured loan which will get deducted from your pay. Unsecured loans are common in big cities where the medium and the lower income group plans their travelogues according to their pay packets and are comfortable with this type of financing option. These loans are also known as cash advances which you can get to meet the financial needs on your trip. Legislation of unsecured loans varies from country to country.
To avoid excessive rates of interest, some country jurisdictions restrict the limit of annual percentage rates which is applicable to any lender inclusive of unsecured lender. Hence, you should first get the complete information about the unsecured loans before applying for it.
Get the loans instantly by applying online
The best thing about the unsecured loans is that the borrower can get the loan instantly. They don't have to wait for anything to get the loan amount credited in their bank account. These are much faster than the instant personal loans offered by the banks. If you are applying for the unsecured loan for your travel needs then you will be getting the loans quickly. You also don't have to give an explanation about where you are going to spend the loan amount which you are taking. You may say that unsecured loans are more like the unsecured personal loans.
Loan to meet all the types of the booking needs
With the help of the unsecured loan, you will be able to make all types of bookings. This is the best way to get the finance for various types of ticket bookings. Right from your flight tickets to luxury accommodation bookings, unsecured loan amount is sufficient for you. If you want to provide the luxury accommodation to your family members or the beloved but the accommodation is costing you high then an unsecured loan is the solution. This saves you from worrying about your budget for travelling as you will have to repay the loan on your next payday.
Pay your visa application or visa extension fees with unsecured loan
If you are travelling abroad and you need to apply for the visa or want to extend your visa then you will have to pay certain fees. Utilizing your savings in payment of visa fees can affect your budget for travelling. Hence, you should apply for the unsecured loan to instantly get the amount for visa fees payment. This is the best way to meet the urgent need of money without affecting your travelling budget.
Apply for the unsecured for the medical needs
There are many people who travel for the medical reasons. They either want to get the cheap treatments or the right treatments which are not available in their own country. Thus, depending upon your travelling needs on the medical basis, you can get the unsecured loans. This type of loan is easily available online and you will be able to meet the medical travelling needs without any worry. When you don't find any source for obtaining finance without security then you should get the unsecured loan for medical travelling needs.


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Cotton Net Grocery Bag
Cotton Net Grocery Bag
Originally made for fisherman, these net bags have been used in French markets for decades. The open weave creates a sturdy, flexible, lightweight bag perfect for a day at the farmer's market, beach or travel. One bag stretches to hold as much as a standard grocery bag.
Add To Cart


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On location and behind the scenes - Floral wedding inspiration in Omakau.
Being involved in this stunning shoot in Omakau in the South Island was a no brainer. The team collaborating on this super pretty shoot are incredibly talented so I always knew it was going to look beautiful. What was even better with this shoot is that we had not 1, but 2 talented photographers capturing all the special moments and details of the day.
This post is all about the behind the scenes of the shoot. We love working with wedding professionals to provide our brides with inspiration and styling advice but there is a lot of work that goes into these shoots and I just wanted to share some of the amazing people and intricate details that were captured by Ruth from Fluidphoto. I can't wait to share the rest of the photos so make sure you keep your eyes on our blog and facebook!
Venue: The Woolshed - Omakau
Grooms Clothing: Structure For Men - Wanaka
Bride's dress: Astra Bridal
Wedding Jewellery: Orbis
Jewellery: Aspiring Jewellers
Celebrant: Janine Byars
Flowers: Crimson Wedding Flowers by Tracey Morrow
Catering: Wanaka Catering
Cake: Cakes of Wanaka
Hair and Makeup: Road To Beauty
Linen Hire: Pacific Linen
Party Hire: Wanaka Marquee and Party Hire
Photographers: Fluid Photo and Stillwaters Photography
Bride - Lydia and Groom - Jack :)


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- About Us
- Membership
- Professional Development
- Services
- Resources
- Annual Conference
|Professional Screening Services
The Program
The New Jersey Association of School Business Officials will provide an adequate amount of consultants to assist a district in the selection process of a School Business Administrator.
As a professional organization, concerned about improving school business administration, we have a vested interest in the individuals who are responsible for these functions.
Scope of Services
Since NJASBO represents the vast majority of school business officials statewide, we have the capacity to attract a wide spectrum of candidates. Knowing a district's needs and identifying individuals who match these specific requirements is one of the most important aspects of our screening services.
All consultants involved in the screening process shall possess the following qualifications.
Fee Schedule
A minimum fee of $2,000 will be charged.*
Simply contact the offices of NJASBO at (Phone: 609-689-3870 Fax 609-689-3167) for further details. Please be assured that your inquiry will be treated in prompt, confidential and professional manner.
9 hours agoLegislative Update Governor Signs Bills
13 hours agoLEGISLATIVE REMINDER!
Negotiations - Start to Finish


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Pfizer's Vacine Prevenar 13 receives approval from the European Comission for wider use
July 10 2013 | By Márcio Barra
Pfizer's Prevenar 13, a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine already in use in infants, young children and adolescents between ages of 6 weeks and 17 years and adults of 50 years and over, received approval today by European Comission to be used in a wider age group – adults aged 18 to 49 years for active immunization for the prevention of invasive disease caused by vaccine-type Streptococcus pneumoniae.
The European Commission's decision to approve this label expansion for Prevenar 13 followed the submission and review of data from an open-label Phase 3 trial of the vaccine in healthy adults aged 18 to 49 years. The study showed that Prevenar 13 is at least as immunogenic in this age group as it is in adults 60 to 64 years of age, as measured one month after vaccination. Moreover, Prevenar 13 showed a favorable safety profile and was generally well tolerated.
This makes Prevenar 13, already one of Pfizer's biggest franchises – $3.72 billion in 2012 revenue, Pfizer's fourth-biggest seller – the only pneumococcal vaccine in the EU that offers protection against invasive disease from infancy through adulthood.
Prevenar 13, or Prevnar 13 in the US, is used to prevent infections from 13 strains of the Streptococcus pneumoniae bacterium. The vaccine originally was part of Wyeth's vaccine portfolio, becoming property of Pfizer when it bought Wyeth in 2009.


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There you are, losing sleep, worrying about your next vacation.
It can seem like a hassle, but it doesn't have to. This article will give you a few traveling techniques that will decrease the stress involved with traveling.
When going to a foreign country, use ATMs to withdraw money. Many times a bank will get a better exchange rate than what an individual has access to. This can save you a substantial amount of money over time.
Do not display your personal information on a public computer. There may be malware that takes your information
Always keep a picture of your child on you. Losing a child is traumatic for any parent.
The fact remains, however, that it is not unheard of. If you have a picture of your child on hand, it can really help to locate him or her in a crowd more quickly.
In order to keep your trip price down, you should book it far ahead of schedule. While there are many ways to spend money when traveling, they are virtually all less expensive the sooner you buy them. If you have less last minute expenses you can use that money to have a more pleasurable vacation.
If you absolutely cannot leave "Fluffy" at home, find a vacation that will let you bring her! Vacations that are pet-friendly are becoming more commonplace, with a lot of hotels offering promotions for travelers with pets. You may find cat spas, doggy day-care facilities and cruises that welcome pets. Never be afraid to investigate travel options that are receptive to your pets.
Always keep your essential items close to you when traveling. Carry your handbag tucked securely under your arm. Avoid the use bags with zippers that will provide easy access to nearby theives that could easily take your valuables. When buying a travel bag, keep this in mind.
Remain calm and don't drown in stress. Avoid wasting time looking all over the house for plug adapters, travel-size toiletries, and travel pillows. A plastic bin can hold all of the stuff that you need. The storage boxes designed to slide under a bed will work, and they will keep you ready to go on a moment's notice.
Be sure to put identification information inside your luggage in addition to the normal luggage tag. Outside tags are easily ripped off. Should it be that your bags go missing and no tag is attached, airline employees will look for identification you have placed inside so that they can get your bags to you.
When making hotel reservations, be certain to ask about any renovation work or nearby construction. Nothing ruins a vacation faster than being woken up with the noise of loud construction equipment. There really isn't much a hotel can do for you during the times they renovate, so you are probably better off choosing another hotel during those dates.
Knowing what you know now, you can see how you can make your travels hassle-free. Put the information you've learned here to use and watch the stress evaporate around you. Stop stressing out and get yourself prepared for your trip.


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I am an atheist. But I didn't always refer to myself this way. And even today, in order to do it, I have to define the word differently than the way most people use it. I define it as "not being a theist".
This entire post is my tear down of belief and non belief. Primarily I look at practice. Do I live my life as if there is an all-powerful super being whose words are transmitted through revelation to certain fallable humans during the Iron Age (or even before)?
There was a solid point in my life after I graduated from college and I was becoming my own man. I took a hard look at my own practices and I had to admit that I really didn't act like I believed in any God. I didn't go to church. I didn't pray.
And I had a special challenge, much as anyone does, to figure out what I was going to say about what I believe when family members ask why I'm not going to church or why I can't be someone's godparent in any kind of traditional sense because I would find it deeply unethical to raise a child in Catholicism.
Some might say that talking about it can be avoided. Because it's best to avoid talking about religion, money, and politics altogether... these are dangerous topics that will threaten any relationship.
But I think that core human values are enjoyable to contemplate and are worthy of discussion. I love ethics. Talking about ideas and values with other people helps me to feel a student of the world... and, to feel like a steward of my own life. Like I really own it and it is mine to craft according to my own vision.
And so, we begin where I started. I reverse-engineer the question of "what do I believe" by looking at what I do and inferring. I think there are four broad places a person can land and I define that in the next section.
Stages of Religious/Secular Practice
This scale of measurement asks two questions... - Does the person claim they believe in God? - Does the person act in accordance with religious or secular principles (or both)
By secular principles, I refer to any principle not derived from religion. Secular principles are defined here specifically to exclude any knowledge from religious sources that cannot be validated by reason. If some idea is merely transmitted by religion but can be validated by reason, I consider this to be secular.
Please observe also that there are many secular notions that are fallacious ideas that seem like they are reasonable but include an inappropriate switch of context or a comparison of unlike kind which leads to a contradiction. That a notion has arrived from a non-religious source does not make it automatically more likely to be true or valid. The measure of truth as always is whether a principle is in accord with observable fact, which can only be established by a process of reason.
- Believer with consistent practice of religious values
- Believer with a mixed practice of religious and secular values
- Non Believer with a mixed practice of religious and secular values
- Non Believer with consistent practice of secular values
The top half, I label as "Theist". The bottom half I label as "Non Theist". Interestingly, Athiest should mean the same thing as "Non Theist" but because of its usage in the USA, it carries some additional meaning when you factor for how vocal they are in categorically denying the existence of any possible supernatural being or revelation.
Misunderstanding the nature of a claim of existence, they claim the non-existence... which can never be proven as proof rests upon and is implied by existence, a fundamental precondition to go from the evidence of one's senses to a syllogism.
"So hey... there's this all-powerful superbeing in another realty that wants you to obey it according to some bloke named Muhammad... are you in or out?"
This is a claim of existence. And as with any such claim, it is not incumbent on the person evaluating it to disprove it. We don't have to furnish prove that Allah doesn't exist or that the text is wrong. The burden of proof falls on the person that makes a claim of existence. Either the evidence is strong enough to support the claim, ruling out other possibilities, or it is not.
Stages of Affinity/Antagonism toward Religion/Secularism/Knowing
This scale of measurement asks more than two questions... - Does the person believe in a religion? - ...further Does the person believe that knowledge of any kind is possible? - Does the person try to argue/persuade others about to challenge their beliefs or expound the reasons for the validity of their own?
This is an interesting way to measure things because people tend to equate the degree and depth of a person's belief with whether they would get on a soap box and scream it out to the world. I don't think this is true... but it is a perception that exists in the world.
It's also a useful taxonomy particularly to new Non Theists since there is generally a problem which I call "classic over-correction". People who have switched recently from half-hearted Theist to Non Theist often act out in unexpected and repellant ways. Often this is just temporary.
I can name three flavors of non believer when measured based on whether and how they argue with others. They are:
- Those who categorically deny the existence of a god - Those who reject claims of the existence of God (and revelation) based on insufficient grounds - Those who think knowledge of any kind is impossible
Most people label the first category as Atheist, but I label it as "Caricature Atheist"; the second, Rational Atheist, and the third has no clear label so I have labeled it "cynical skeptic". The Caricature Atheist and the Cynical Skeptic tend to be the loudest and most embarrassing of the Non Theists.
I present to you this spectrum involving more than two axes:
- (One True Faith) Believer and Vocal... Open judgment for anyone who believes other than own religion
- (Many Religions, All True somehow) Believer and Vocal... Judgment only for people who have no faith... Any religion is better than no religion
- Believer and Vocal
- Believer and Non Vocal
- Non Believer and Non Vocal
- Non Believer and Vocal about skepticism
- (Caricature Atheist) Non Believer and Vocal... Open judgment for anyone who doesn't deny any possible existence of any supernatural being
- (Cynical Skeptic) Non Believer and Vocal... Open judgment for anyone who claims they can know anything about anything
These really deserve a 3D space but as I am dealing with the written page, I'll have to sketch something up in the future.
Looking at the three types of Non Believer I identified above. One might argue that there is a fourth which exists somewhere between the Rational Atheist and the Cynical Skeptic.
Measured by practice, the Agnostic is very similar to the Rational Atheist. However, an agnostic attempts to side-step the question of whether they accept or reject the claims of the existence of a God and the truth of revelation.
As such, the Agnostic straddles the position between Rational Atheist and Cynical Skeptic claiming that no one can know whether God exists or not. (Incidentally, this is also true about knowledge of anything non-existent... e.g. the existence of Ducks on Mars.). When confronted with a claim that must be evaluated consciously, the Agnostic chooses non-consciousness and non-acknowedgement.
The Agnostic turns out to be a mild sort of coward that prefers to remain in the closet than to take a position that others might judge.
It takes a measure of courage to recognize that your actions say that you don't believe in the claims of the existence of God. It takes a measure of courage to break ranks with your family and friends. In some societies, apostasy may mean ostracism or physical harm.
Even though we are in a country which has a separation of church and state, the vestiges of more than 10 centuries of terror remain in the psyche a people long after the threat of terror has ceased.
It is my position that the more courageous position is that of the Rational Atheist... who has consciously weighed the evidence and finds no grounds upon which to organize her life around the existence and words of an all powerful super-being. I don't think taking an Agnostic position helps a person to feel like an owner of their selves and their lives. I think it is a way of saying that other people are more important than your beliefs or the truth.
How much better to have some integrity about what you really believe and let the chips fall where they may?
For the Future
I've talked a lot about my ideas on how I identify different substrata of religious belief in reference to practice and in reference to vocal affinity/antagonism.
I haven't talked a lot about options for ethical systems but I think I might like to do that in a future post. People often try to substitute Society in the place of God and I think that is a mistake as well. (Just imagine trying to do so in Nazy Germany or the Europe of the middle ages). Destructive ideas can go into currency.
So there is a lot to talk about in a future post.
If you found this interesting or that there's something that you disagree with and you have ideas on how you would structure and identify things, drop me a line either in the comments below or reach out to me on Twitter @francisluong.
See you next time.


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Live the Andalucian dream! For the lifestyle change you have always dreamed of with over 320 days of sunshine and clear blue skies every year. Your own place in the sun.
This lovely old Spanish finca sits on a substantial plot of thirty-five acres planted with productive almond and olive trees, within the Montes de Malaga National Park. There are stunning views over the mountains, and the property has a remote and very peaceful feel to it, although it is only five minutes from the main road and fifteen minutes to two charming and typical small Andalucian towns with all the amenities one would need.
The main old finca has three good-size bedrooms, on two different levels. The master bedroom, with its en-suite bathroom, has a small roof terrace overlooking the pool with far-reaching views to distant mountains. There are two bathrooms, kitchen, large living room with a corner fireplace and a wonderful veranda running the width of the house, where you would probably choose to spend most of your time during the summer. There are naturally cool terracotta tiles throughout and original beamed ceilings.
On one side of the house is a large garage and utility area and on the other side is an adjoining barn that is completely self contained with its own private terrace, kitchen area and bathroom. This would be ideal for holiday accommodation or as a studio or workshop.
The front of the house is approached through a large gateway with stables and workshops to either side which form a courtyard with the house. These too could be converted to holiday accommodation.
The ancient vine, planted for good luck near the front door, is pruned annually and grows vigorously in the spring and summer. There is also a large old Mediterranean oak and a mimosa tree in the courtyard, providing shade.
The terraced gardens lead down to a large swimming pool, with a pool house built into one of the terrace walls.
Beyond the house, a track leads down to a single story farm building which would make a gloriously isolated and romantic holiday cottage among the olive trees. This building is in need of total renovation.
The property has electricity. There are two self-draining septic tanks and two natural wells and a 'deposito' which provide a plentiful supply of natural water all year.
The building is structurally sound but needs internally fitting out with Kitchens and bathrooms.
This is a wonderful opportunity to buy your own piece of paradise. It is rare to find such a property in a position as ideal as this. It is completely private yet only thirty minutes from Malaga airport and the vibrant city of Malaga, forty minutes from some beautiful and secluded beaches, and fifteen minutes to the lovely old whitewashed towns of Colmenar and Casabermeja.
Offers invited in the region of 500,000 Euros


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I solve problems through design
I solve problems through design
Hello, I'm Nicole! I'm a multi-disciplinary graphic designer based in Wellington, New Zealand. Growing up I've always had an eye for detail, which naturally lead me down the path of being a Graphic Designer. I see beauty in simplicity in which every communication piece from a website to a invitation should function effortlessly and be inspired by a unique story.
I have a passion to create and solve any design problem thrown my way. I have experience in producing creative work across different mediums and am constantly building on this knowledge.
My skill set spans a wide variety of disciplines, including branding, videography, photography, social media, web and product design.
Say Hello
Also find me on social media:
Bachelor of Visual Communication Design (Honours)
Massey University
Diploma of Digital Media Design
Yoobee School of Design
Diploma of Graphic Design
Yoobee School of Design


text: It's pretty much all done! Spent today cutting and placing the rafters. I used a Kreg Jig to make pocket holes and then screwed the rafters in from the bottom. The Hurricane Clips were not going to work because I couldn't find galvanized screws small enough. I just need to sand and then add some corner brackets to sure it up. Once the wood dries out I'll stain it to match my future fence.


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Sharing committee chair duties for the second consecutive year is Phil Lowles, better known online as theMountainGoat. Phil works for Macmillan Publishers as a Web Developer for Nature Magazine and related titles such as the British Journal of Cancer. His web skills were put to good use creating this website for TitanCon. If you need further proof of Phil's geek-cred he worked at the Games Workshop Design Studio in Nottingham as an Assistant Games Designer for 10 months back in 1995.
Phil has been lurking around the Westeros forum for almost ten years and started getting involved with BWB events after going to Worldcon 2008 in Denver. At Worldcon 2009 in Montreal he organised the first BWB AWESOME Book Raffle Prize Draw Thing which raised CA $204 for Children's literacy charity Teachers & Writers Collaborative (www.twc.org). In Melbourne Australia at Worldcon 2010 the raffle raised a staggering AUS $1144 thanks to the incredible generosity of authors who donated great prizes including rare and valuable books.
Phil organised another of these book raffles at the first Belfast Moot in 2009 raising £175 ($288). Phil took on chief organising duties for Belfast Moot 2 in 2010, this time the raffle raised another £377 which was split between charities TWC and Action Cancer Belfast. Please see our About TitanCon page for more details on the Moots.
Phil runs a youth group in Basingstoke, England which involves organising, planning and budgeting events and trips. All useful transferable skills for being involved in the organisation of TitanCon.
Amongst Phil's many website projects is a Flash based Animated Timeline Map for A Song of Ice and Fire which attempts to show the where and when of characters and events during the series. This huge project is a long way from being finished but has great potential to be an invaluable resource for fans.
Stepping up to take on Co-chair duties for TitanCon 2012 is Silverjaime. In 2011 Silverjaime was the committee secretary and worked extremely hard organising the Game of Thrones Coach Tour and medieval feast.
Silverjaime is a well known contributor to Game of Thrones fansite Winter is Coming and while she has only been actively involved with the BWB for a short time Silverjaime was instrumental in arranging the venue for Belfast Moot 2 in 2010 - putting up with all kinds of hassle from Phil in the process.
Silverjaime says she is a mother of three brilliant boys who's mad about ASOIAF, GoT and all things Whedon. Silverjaime has a wealth of experience in organising events and has participated in a large number of Joss Whedon/James Marsters conventions since 2002.
Silverjaime works as an Accounting Manager in a well known NI organisation and brings those outsanding administration and organisational skills to TitanCon.
Ian has considerable experience with organising SF/F conventions and was involved with three MECONs and was the 2008 Chair. Ian runs the Belfast City Council's Learning and Development Centre were he has worked for 6 years. Ian has also spoken at several Disability events for both the Belfast City Council and Disability Action. In his spare time Ian runs The Other Ones, a Belfast science fiction and fantasy society.
Ian was co-chair of TitanCon 2011 and for 2012 has taken on the role of committee secretary. Ian has been instrumental in securing our venue at the Europa Hotel, Belfast.
Logan Bruce (although everyone calls him Bruce) is the chairman of Studio NI and a member of The Other Ones. Like Ian, Bruce was also involved with the running of MECON for several years.
As Studio NI moderator, Bruce runs annual events such as the Belfast writing workshops for NiNoWriMo (Northern Ireland Novel Writing Month). During NiNoWriMo every year Bruce undertakes the challenge of writing his own novel. His recently published book Blood of Thrones is a historical fiction novel set in in and around the year 1066 and delivers thrills, excitement and adventure as ancient bloodlines battle for the thrones of Britannia. Blood of Thrones is available on Amazon and 20% of all sales are donated to Action Cancer Charity. Logan Bruce is a long time supporter of Action Cancer and has a donate page set up on Just Giving.
Although Bruce has taken on the role of Treasurer for TitanCon 2011 his work on the convention far exceeded that and he was also involved with guest booking, advertising, programming and organisation. At TitanCon 2012 Bruce will again be involved with putting together the workshop programming along with advertising and press duties.
Since 1999 Bruce has also produced Northern Ireland's premiere Speculative Fiction e-zine, ORBzine, with updates available on email, Livejournal, Twitter and Facebook. All important announcements about TitanCon will be included in the 'zine.