text:
Time ripe for asset quality review of NBFCs, says Arvind Subramanian
Arvind Subramanian, former chief economic advisor | Photo: Kamlesh Pednekar
Non-banking finance companies (NBFCs), which are facing liquidity challenges, are in need of an asset quality review (AQR) to know the stress level and to work on solutions for them, said former chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian.
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Subramanian, now a professor at Harvard University in the US, said the AQR for banks (in 2015-16) had an important positive effect as it brought to light the issues and the lenders couldn't hide the problem. If you hide the problem, you also can't galvanise the political will to address it, he said.
An AQR for NBFCs, including housing finance companies (HFCs), is necessary given the uncertainty over non-performing assets (NPAs).
ALSO READ: NBFCs' asset growth to halve to 10% in H2FY19 on liquidity woes: Crisil
"There may be a push back to it AQR. The IL&FS group defaults were representative of what lies beneath. Think of the quality of the oversight that we did not know about the monster," he said in a panel discussion on the launch of his book, "Of Counsel - the challenges of Modi-Jaitley economy". The panel discussion was organised by the Asia Society.
He said that he would like the system, the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to do an AQR for NBFCs. "I think the AQR for the banks had an important positive effect as it brought to light the issues and banks couldn't hide the problem," he added.
ALSO READ: Allow private participation in PSBs to resolve NPA crisis: Subramanian
"If you hide the problem, you also can't galvanise the political will to address the problem. If you can do an AQR for NBFCs... because it is necessary given the uncertainty over non-performing assets and over the NBFCs," he added.
"I had come out with 4Rs -- recognition, resolution, recapitalisation and reform -- for the banking system and had come up with the Subramanian law of non-recognition. That law states that at every point in time, bad assets are 20-30 per cent higher than what you think they are. This (AQR for NBFCs) will require cooperation by all regulators, the government, National Housing Bank and the RBI," he said.
ALSO READ: 'Of Counsel': Arvind Subramanian on how RBI missed 'Draghi moment'
When asked about the scale of such an exercise, given that there are over 2,000 NBFCs and HFCs, with assets under management of over Rs 2-3 billion, Subramanian said, "I think they will have to restrict it to a manageable size. In the short-run, the markets may be affected, but it will help address what they are worried about, which is why we need transparency."
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About Tarot
Five of Wands - Fasten your seat belts...
Sunday, September 27. 2015
it's going to be a bumpy week, to borrow a similar phrase from Bette Davis in
All About Eve
, as the
Five of Wands
has appeared for this week's reading.
For those not familiar with the classic film,
All About Eve
, the story revolves around a young, aspiring actress, Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter), who maneuvers her way into the lives of Broadway star, Margo Channing (Bette Davis), Margo's longtime director/boyfriend, Bill Sampson (Gary Merrill), Margo's best friend, Karen Richards (Celeste Holm), and Karen's husband, Lloyd (Hugh Marlowe), a playwright.
Karen takes pity on Eve, finding her outside the theatre on a cold night after one of Margo's many acclaimed performances. Having been told by Eve that she's widowed and without much hope, Karen takes Eve to meet Margo, who then hires Eve as her assistant. Little does Margo know that Eve has a plan to get in good with her, earn her trust and then become Margo's understudy, after which Eve would manipulate situations to destroy Margo's career, allowing Eve to go on stage in her place, thus becoming Broadway's new star.
full plot summary
provides more details about Eve's machinations and manipulations and shows the true energy behind the
Five of Wands
. This card indicates that there is all kind of nasty talk and backstabbing and verbal arguments ensuing. Just because you're not involved in any of the nastiness doesn't mean that you can't be drawn into it.
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Queen of Wands - Be Excited and Charming
Monday, September 21. 2015
Queen of Wands
is all about excitement and determination, while being gracious and warm. While this card uses the image of a woman, its meaning applies to both men and women. However, if a women is currently playing a prominent role in your Life, this reading could relate to her.
This woman could be a family member, a spouse, someone with whom you work, a boss, or someone in a group outside of family or work environments, such as a book club or a band. Maybe this woman is a teacher, to you or one of your children. Or, perhaps you are thinking about asking a certain woman out, but aren't sure whether you should do so. The
Queen of Wands
is telling you to go ahead. No promises, but this is an action you need to take. Whoever this woman is playing a significant role in your world, the
Queen of Wands
card nudges you to determine what you need to do to ensure that you are relating to this woman in a kind way, helping her with what she needs, being determined to do right by her.
For women reading this blog, you know how it can, at times, be difficult to stand up and speak our minds, as we are often viewed very differently from men when we are strong and assertive. The
Queen of Wands
reminds you that, no matter what societal standards might be in place, you must always speak your truth and stand up for yourself. Just be charming and as nice. If a situation requires a tougher stance this week, you might want to step back for just a bit and see whether it can resolve itself without your intervention. This is not to say that you will never need to be tough when a situation presents itself. It's just not the way to handle a situation this particular week.
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The Hierophant - Don't Rock the Boat
Friday, September 11. 2015
The Hierophant
is considered to be an intercessor between the Divine and the rest of humanity. This card, depending upon the deck, can be called
The Pope
or the
High Priest
. Modern decks sometimes refer to this card as the
. No matter its name, this card has always included a religious or spiritual image on it, be it a mainstream figure, such as a
, or an image of a divine interpreter from ancient times, like a
, or from non-Western religions, a
High Priest
. The definition of a Hierophant is one who describes rites and rituals and sets them in motion or explains the mystical aspects of such rites and rituals.
The Hierophant
has traditionally been associated with a leader of an established religion. Because most established religions are large in size, the energy of
The Hierophant
has also symbolized institutions of all kinds, be they churches, corporation, judicial courts, gyms, social clubs, schools, and more. Many layers of meaning comprise
The Hierophant
. So, while its original interpretation was for one to obtain the advice of a religious leader, a man who could intercede on your behalf with the Divine, over the years this card has taken on meanings that include working with all kinds of institutions, both traditional and non-traditional. The one aspect of
The Hierophant
that has remained consistent is this: when this card appears, you are being advised that now is not the time to do something drastic.
So, if you are dissatisfied with your current job, it would be unwise to voice your opinions at work, or suggest changes. Continue forward with the work assigned to you and do a good job. A few weeks or months from now, determine whether you feel safe speaking your mind. If you don't, then you might want to think about looking for a new job. If you decide to stay with your current job, recognize that, for the foreseeable future, innovation will not be the key to being well-received. You must do what is asked of you and not question.
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Two of Wands - All the world's a stage...
Friday, September 4. 2015
No, we are not going to discuss
and this blog will not be written in iambic pentameter. However, the creativity that inspired Shakespeare to write 37 plays and hundreds of sonnets and poems, along with the planning that it took to complete such a feat, meshes well with the reading this week, as we work with the
Two of Wands
Two of Wands
cards show a man holding a wand in one hand (the second wand is nearby) and a globe in his other hand. The globe indicates that all possibilities are available and possible. Now, perhaps you're not the prolific writer that Shakespeare was, but you have your own dreams to explore. Goals to accomplish. The Two of Wands takes the inspiration found with the Ace of Wands and nudges you to start planning how to complete your goals.
I usually don't include more than one Tarot image in any of my blogs, but when I was going through images to find one for this reading, I found a non-traditional
Two of Wands
that might as well have had a neon sign above it, blinking: Ellen, Look at Me!
I am most partial to water and cats, and I love to open packages. So, I offer up a second
Two of Wands
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I've also always had a bit of an issue with my feet. When major universities were competing to give my basketball star older brother a scholarship, John Erickson, head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers came to our house to recruit him. At the time I was about 5' 4" and had the same size 13 (46 in Europe) feet I have now. He called me "Feets." He ran for the Senate in 1970. It made my first experience casting a ballot that much better to be able to vote against him. (He lost.)
The call for submissions forum on f295 had a Portraits topic one year. I had just taken this photograph of the distinctive tan pattern of my sandals which I thought captured my essence pretty well.
One winter we had a series of thawing and refreezing days and I was impressed by the way the ice cracked under my feet as a I walked to Walgreens to get some film developed.
Some times you need some sort of a scale object to demonstrate the size of something as with this assessment of agricultural progress done on June 30th one year.
My son attended a wedding where they gave a spruce seedling to all the guests. After about a year we finally got around to planting it at Sarah's family farm.
One summer I experienced a very painful episode of gout, the famous medieval affliction, while we were on a getaway weekend in Madison with friends.
Occasionally, ground conditions make it difficult to get a good footograph.
All with the Populist. .15mm pinhole 24mm from 24x36mm frame.


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I'd held a baby only once before when I begged my mother to let me hold my brand new cousin. "First wash your hands, then sit on the sofa," she ordered. She put Laura in my arms and knelt in front of us. "Hold your thighs together so you make a lap. Support her neck, prop up her head, keep your arm under her body, don't breathe in her face. Careful when you kiss her, watch out for her soft spot."
"What's a soft spot?" I asked.
"It's the part of her head that covers her brain. Now lower your voice or you'll startle her."
Laura started to wail. "Here, take her back, babies have too many rules."
I steered clear of babies after that and then it happened again.
"Here, my phone is ringing, hold her for a second," my neighbor Lucy said as she thrust her baby, Kiki, into my arms. I was only five years old, a tiny kid myself, sitting on the stoop and munching on a Snicker's.
I pressed my thighs together to make a lap like I remembered from Laura and, poof, just like that, Kiki flipped out of my arms. I gripped her ankle; her pink rubber pants flashed the whole neighborhood. Clutching her leg, I hoisted her up to eye level. Lucky thing her brain didn't fall out of the soft spot. When I flipped her right-side up, she looked okay. Her face was as bright red as a flaming-hot jawbreaker, but her bonnet was still stuck on her head, and she wasn't bleeding.
"Kiki," I scolded, "you can't just do a somersault whenever you feel like it." Kiki was screaming and not paying attention.
"I don't know why she's crying, maybe she missed you," I lied to Lucy, who hadn't seen her baby bungee-jump from my arms. I was glad Kiki couldn't tell her mother that she was twirling around upside down and almost bounced on the sidewalk.
Over the years, worrying about Kiki's brain caused me many sleepless nights. My brother's friend, Stevie, went to the hospital after he jumped off his garage roof while playing Superman. My brother, who was very smart, said Stevie had a concussion which meant his brain got jiggled in his skull. Even though Kiki hadn't hit the ground, I knew her brain had a good jiggle. Would she grow up to be normal?
"Whatever happened to Stevie after his concussion?" I asked.
"He got in trouble for playing on the roof, and his dad punished him."
"I mean what happened to his brain. Did he like start acting weird?"
"You're weird," my brother sneered, as he rode off on his Schwinn. "Something's wrong with your brain."
So all I could do was spy on Kiki to see if her brain was working right. Every time I'd see Lucy with her in the buggy outside, I'd push the mosquito netting aside and peer at her little bald head.
"How is she today, Lucy? Has she started to talk yet?"
"Oh, Sweetie, she won't be talking for a while. She's still too little."
I wanted to tell Lucy that, thanks to me, Kiki might never talk. I worried that she might get stuck in kindergarten for a couple of years because she had trouble learning then she'd end up like Butchie, down the street. My brother said Butchie was slow because he'd been dropped on his head when he was a baby. Butchie had to repeat second grade twice.
Being on the alert for signs of brain-damage was complicated by the fact that Kiki's family was strange to begin with--I mean, her brother's name was Jujube. Jujube! All the boys in our neighborhood had names like Joey or Junior--no one was named after candy that you bought when you went to the movies. On top of that, Jujube's ears were lopsided, and he kind of looked like he might not make it past fifth grade. To further complicate matters, Kiki and Jujube had different fathers because my brother said Lucy was divorced which meant she traded in her old husband for a new one. So it was going to be hard to know if Kiki was goofed up because of me or her loony tribe. I worried that I was going to have to take the whole blame if Kiki didn't turn out right, if she couldn't spell or add or subtract.
When I was seven, my Nana died and we moved into her old flat six blocks away. Though I didn't change schools, I did lose track of Kiki. I always prayed, though, that she turned out to be normal and that someday I could tell her it was an accident and please forgive me. I dreamed of explaining to Kiki that if she had brain problems it was partly her fault for acting like a kangaroo.
Kiki's caper set me up for a life of chronic worry, but, in fairness to her, I did go to Catholic schools where hijacking cerebellums and embedding neurons of fear was an art form.
At the age of seven, my First Confession, the day before my First Holy Communion, kicked off a deluge of anxiety when I toddled into the black hole of a confessional. A weekly Examination of Conscience required searching out every sin committed in thought, word and/or deed, by acts of commission or omission, intentionally or accidentally, either consciously or unconsciously, in rain, sleet or snow, in sickness or health, pre-conception or postmortem.
"Bless me, Father, for I have sinned..." was my Saturday afternoon mantra, a ritual that was supposed to "...stop God from crying over all the bad things you did during the week," said Sister Perpetua. I thought God must be nuts to cry because I'd rolled my eyeballs at my mother when she told me to dry the dishes. But just after I thought about the possibility of God being cuckoo, I realized the thought was sacrilegious so I'd wait in church all afternoon until the priests changed shifts and the refugee Croation priest, who spoke almost no English, came on duty. No matter what you confessed, he'd say, "Okay, tree r fodders, tree Hey, Marys. Go."
That I accomplished anything in school was astounding seeing that I was so busy dissecting, analyzing and seeking second opinions from my girlfriends on the gravity of my sins.
"Josephine, I know snitching is a sin, but what if I snitched on my brother because I heard him use a swear word? I don't think it's a sin because it did stop him from saying hell."
"Well, you just committed a sin yourself because you said the "H" word," said the pint-sized Elmer Gantry. "Plus snitching is a sin no matter what your brother did."
"Well, you just committed a sin yourself because you said the "H" word," said the pint-sized Elmer Gantry. "Plus snitching is a sin no matter what your brother did."
"Another sin just because I said the "H" word?"
"Yes, but it's just a Venial--you only go to "H" for Mortals," she said.
I ran to Confession, and was relieved when I smelled beer through the little screen which meant Father Alky was on the other side. He probably didn't know what rolling eyeballs were since he too had language limitations. But then I worried that if he didn't understand me, his forgiveness wouldn't count so I added yet another sin by lying that I'd left my prayer book in the pew and fled.
I ran across the vestibule, and got in Father Steve's line. He had escaped the Communists too and his English was not the best, however, he was up on the latest sins. Sometimes you'd be waiting your turn and you'd hear him bellow, "YOU DEED WHAT?" Within minutes you'd see a blubbering eight-year old exit, and run down the aisle with his jacket pulled over his head hoping not to be identified. One time Peter Manzino crashed right into the baptismal font as he tried to make a break for it. Sister Praxeda caught him and dragged him back to the box. Pushing Peter to the front of the line, she made him go in and confess that he'd broken the baptismal watering hole. This time Father Steve's "YOU DEED WHAT?" shook the choir loft. I went in right after Peter, and the kneeler was all wet. I pretended it was holy water.
Over the next few years, my repertoire of sins expanded. Envy, wrath and eavesdropping reared their heads when my brother turned sixteen and got his first part-time job and a paycheck. His tales about the shoplifters, quick-change artists and crazy customers caused me to covet his exciting life.
Then came the day I had long prayed for: a Kiki update. Her mother popped up at my brother's store.
"Ma, remember Lucy, our old neighbor--Jujube's mom? She came shopping today."
My Dumbo ears flapped at the mention of Lucy's name.
"Oh, I haven't seen her in ages. How is she?" my Mom asked.
"She's fine; she has a new husband and another baby."
"How's Kiki?" I blurted. "Is she alive?"
"Well, yeah," he said with a 'you are such a knucklehead' look. "Most people are still alive in fourth grade."
"I meant to say is she normal?"
"Yeah, I guess so," he said, "but they don't call her Kiki anymore—she's Katherine, and Jujube only answers to Jerome. He's studying to be a detective."
"Good for him," my mother said.
"Yeah, it is, but Lucy's really braggy. She said detective like it was a big deal."
"It is a big deal," I chimed in. "She probably thought that with his uneven ears he'd never make it through school. But what did she say about Kiki?"
"Katherine," he corrected me, and turned back to Mom. "Mom, do you ever brag about me?"
"No," she said as she greased a pie pan. "Your father and I don't believe in it. We expect you to do well, and we don't need to advertise."
"I get it, but I'd appreciate a little bragging once in a while."
I agreed. "You could at least say something like my daughter is very intelligent."
"Ma can't say that because she doesn't want to lie," he smirked. And then he dropped a bit of gossip that was intended to make me jealous, but instead took a ton of weight off my heart. "Lucy said Katherine got to be May Crowning Queen because she got straight A's."
"Straight A's?" I screamed, "You're kidding! Kiki, straight A'S—May Crowning Queen--wooohoo!" Bubbles of shock, disbelief, gratitude and relief fizzed in my head. "That's the best! I can't believe it! Go, Kiki, go!"
"Mom, she is psycho," he said, his mouth twisted like he was sucking on a dirty sock. "I'm positive that one day when you weren't looking, someone dropped her on her head."


text:
HARTFORD, CT (WCBS 880) — Connecticut is bracing for a possible invasion of the emerald ash borer, an insect that in numbers, quickly invades Ash trees and kills them.
Dr. Lewis Magnarelli, director of the Connecticut Agriculture Experiment Station, says the Asian insects are lurking just 30 miles from the northwestern border of Connecticut in Socrates, New York.
WCBS 880's Fran Schneidau reports: Millions Of Ash Trees At Risk
He says traps are being set up to catch the insects and alert Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection officials of a possible invasion.
"The emerald ash borer goes into the trap and then we know we have an infestation and if it's an early enough infestation, something might be able to be done in terms of cutting the trees," Magnarelli explained.
He estimates Connecticut has 22 million Ash trees and there's no effective means of killing the bugs.
Are you worried about this buggy invasion? Sound off in our comments section below.


text:
Funkin Strawberry Puree
Funkin 100% natural purees used to create the perfect cocktails. Ambient shelf life of up to 12 months unopened. Up to 7 days refrigerated shelf life once opened. Harvested in Poland and Spain, Funkin's chosen blend of strawberries is a mixture of early season Honeoye and then mid summer Elsanta and some late season Symphony to create a fabulous best of season flavour.
- Type: Cocktail Puree
- Country: England
- Brand name: Funkin Puree
- Bottle size: 1lt
- Code: 19160
- Abv: 0%


text:
I know it isn't everybody's favourite subject, but it is useful to cram both key stringed instrument hypothesis at some factor. The easiest lodge to set in train is next to guitar chord proposition. There is a technique behind the way chords are constructed and the fixed of this piece is to assist you improved realise stringed instrument straight line idea.
To deduce the way chords are reinforced we essential oldest look at the foremost ordered series. Lets cart the C chief extent for example. The proceedings in a C central mount are C D E F G A B. Now that we cognize the transcription of the central clamber we can create the chords involved next to the key of C by stacking thirds.
Stacking thirds is basically stacking all other short letter. To get a C key digit all we need is three report. Starting on C we will go both other entry until we get C E G. These are the cardinal original transcript in the C stellar straight line. C is called the core note, E is named the ordinal an G is titled the 5th. All of your trunk and peanut chords will be comprised of a root, third and ordinal.Post ads:
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Now let's yield this instruction in stringed instrument straight line guess one pace added. We can erect all the chords in the key of C focal by stacking thirds protrusive on all several document of the ascend. If D is our bottom note, next F is the ordinal and A is the 5th. Do this for all the lingering record in the C prima extent and you should end up beside 7 contrary chords all connate to the key of C leading.
You can utilise this instruction in stringed instrument straight line opinion to any extent to get the dissimilar chords associated next to it. There is much more than to learn active stringed instrument chord theory, but for cognise simply construe roughly speaking what you have scholarly and how the chords that you dummy run are 'stacked up'.Post ads:
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text:
Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
Be the first OregonLive.com user to add photos or videos of Absolutely Perfect Hair
Laura does a great job from the head to the toes! I've had coloring, cut, style, & pedicure and it's all been terrific. My husband gets his hair cut here also and there's no better deal in town.
Since 2006, Absolutely Perfect Hair has been providing Beauty Shops from Tillamook.
Absolutely Perfect Hair can be found at 4th St 2103. The following is offered: Salons. The entry is present with us since Sep 9, 2010 and was last updated on Nov 14, 2013. In Tillamook there are 9 other Salons. An overview can be found here.


text:
Nothing makes me quite want to start a riot like leather. Or in this case, pleather. Just the sight of it makes me dream of being a adolescent in the mid 1970s. Oh, what it would be to be punk... Real punk. Part of the youth revolt. None of this diluted, commercialist stuff. I'd throw on my leather dress and ripped fishnet stockings. Have to decide between a pair of creepers or motorcycle boots. Then drape myself in chains. (Maybe even a safety pin through the nose for good measure.)
But (luckily) this isn't 70s and the beginning of punk, so my look is a lot more refined. Less is best. At least that's my fashion philosophy in this moment (I guarantee it will change). Nothing more than a necklace and a few rings. No layering. Just soaking in the smooth leather texture, seeing the way it falls. Appreciating what often goes unappreciated. A flattering, comfortable, simple, skater dress.
Check out my fat fingers muffin top below.
Dress: Ally
Necklace: Boutique
Rings: Asos
Photos by Annisa


text:
Since becoming a Mummy I love Milton products. I first discovered the Milton tablets. They are dissolvable and sterilise after just 15 minutes. I had a steam steriliser up until my baby was 10 months old and I always used half a Milton sterilising tablet in the water at the bottom of the unit.
Now my Daughter is 14 months old I still soak her bottles and her teats in a tub of Milton based water to sterilise them after they have been scrubbed.
We travel a lot and so Milton tablets are packed in my suitcase every time. Because they are not in liquid form I always carry a few in my hand luggage just in case of stray luggage or delays.
There are also other products from the Milton range that I enjoy using. There is a Milton spray. Admittedly the smell of the spray is very strong so I only use it if the kitchen is well ventilated and Olivia is not in the room. However you know it does what you want it to do! I spray over Olivia's highchair and leave to soak up any germs. I also use on the sideboards, and to wipe down cupboards and the fridge.
Then there are the wipes. Not as strong smelling, almost fragrant free. These wipes are great for travelling too. At home I use them to wipe down door handles, light switches, telephones and remote controls! And that is the first thing I do as soon as we check in to a hotel room or holiday accommodation. Imagine all the germs scattered over these everyday used items and utensils that cannot be seen. Urgh. I do not have OCD but I do like a clean house and I like peace of mind that we are not going to get ill on our holidays.
So the reason for this post (and I am mega excited) is to test a new product that Milton has invented for sterilising dummies. It is known as the mini portable soother steriliser.
I have seen them in a range of colours, pink, blue and green.
We decided to keep the pink one for ourselves as it matches our changing bag.
My daughter is constantly dropping her dummy and us mums are all guilty of using our mouths as a steriliser! Well life just got easier and cleaner thanks to the new soother steriliser. It takes just 15 minutes to sterilise the dummy and keeps it sterile for up to 24 hours. In the pack came a pack of mini Milton sterilising tablets. Instructions are easy to follow and there is a sponge inside the round steriliser where the dummy is placed. No mess, no spills.
We love this product and it comes with a Velcro strap attached to the sterilising ball. This means because it is portable we can take it everywhere. I strap ours to the changing bag and now my daughter is getting bigger I sometimes just strap it to my handbag. She does not need so much stuff now when we are out but I never leave the house without our steriliser. It always has a spare dummy stored inside so if she drops one there is a spare handy and ready to be used.
Milton gave us a blue steriliser also for a competition giveaway.
I decided to run the competition on my radio show hosting the mummy mix online at
www.radiodacorum.org.uk weekdays 10-12 midday
The rules were simple. Entrants had to follow myself @rowdyreviewer my radio show @radiodacorum and of course the suppliers of this review @Milton_baby and then request a song to be played. After lots of good entries we chose a winner.
The winner was C Clark a full time mummy from Hertfordshire. She entered the competition for her sister in law who is about to have a baby boy. She said the colour was perfect and posted a picture of her prize to her Facebook twitter feed.
Thank you Milton for allowing us to test your product.
A big thumbs up from us!


text:
There were so many of you that related to the Superwoman Complex part of the post. It was so very hard for me to hit the post button. Blogging is such a strange thing sometimes. As I type on my computer I write to an unknown audience and that serves as an invisibility cloak for me. This false anonymity usually allows to write my heart without pause.
But this post was different. I was very.much.aware. that those who see me in daily life may be reading and that left me extremely open & raw.
Brene Brown recently wrote about her experience speaking at TED a few weeks ago and how vulnerability impacted her. She wrote "Vulnerability is courage in you and inadequacy in me." When I read that this weekend it definitely struck a chord deep within me. Please know that you are not alone and that this is not unique to the Mom who works outside of the home, the Mom who works in the home or the Mom who has dedicated her life to her family and household. We are all impacted by society's expectations and our own self talk in so many aspects of life.
My guess is that many of you checking in today are battling some self talk about being "behind" on this project. {Sidebar: The words "behind" & "caught up" are like nails on a chalkboard to me} The community that has grown around Project Life is amazing & it's wonderful to have so many like minded people participating. However, the other edge of the sword is that there is so much out there to compare & measure yourself against. It is hard not to be tough on yourself when you follow weekly posts of layouts and you have weeks that are yet to be complete in your album.
I believe that Project Life is more than a completed album. I believe that Project Life facilitates living your life with your eyes open and most weeks your heart full. Yes, it is amazing at the end of the year to have a complete album but for me the real benefit & purpose of Project Life is cultivating a good life by simply being aware and showing up.
So, if you've missed a few weeks I say let it go and start fresh with this week. Since I'm not sharing weekly these days I thought I would let you guys see where I'm at in hopes of giving someone encouragement.
Complete & Shared: Weeks 1, 2 & 3
Complete & Not Shared: Weeks 4, 7 & 8
Pictures Printed & Journaling/Inserts in Progress: Weeks 5 & 9
Pictures Printed: Weeks 6 & 10
You can see I'm jumping around a bit and that is OK. I'll be honest, I'm avoiding WK6 because I'm overwhelmed by the volume my Day in Life created in that week. I'm leaning towards working on my main pages without the Day in Life insert so I can get over this hurdle.
If you remember my advice in January was to determine what your base level is and let that define your "success". You can see that my base level is taking pictures and printing them. I can sincerely say that I do not consider myself behind even with 4 out of 10 weeks still in progress because of how I define my base level.
So, as promised, here is a closer look at Week 3 of 2012.
Something I did differently this year was prefill my album with journaling cards from Clementine & Cobalt. I was a little worried about whether or not this random placement would end up working most weeks & I'm happy to report that it has. In fact, I've found it encourages me to keep it simple & just start my journaling. So happy I did this.
I think my favorite page protector this year is Design F. This week I used it to hold all the Instagram pictures from the week and it made it so easy. To keep a cohesive look I pull lined & graph paper from my stash and cut multiple journaling cards from them.
Another favorite page protector is Design G. Love the addition of just a few vertical pictures. I took the kids to the Aquarium on MLK day and loved being able to include our trip in one insert. My focus was truly on the pictures so I simply added one journaling spot for the entire insert.
This year I have embraced my love as labels as journaling spots. Find what works for you & repeat, repeat, repeat. It makes this so much easier. I'm also LOVING these bags from Michelle Wooderson. It is so nice to slip in a journaling tag in the bag for stories that I don't necessarily want the casual viewer to read.
Here is a list of all supplies used:
Becky Higgins Clementine & Cobalt Core Kits *The Cobalt Kit is available
Becky Higgins Design A, F and G Page Protectors *Design G Page Protectors are available
Becky Higgins 3x4 Grid Journaling Cards *Available and one of my FAVORITES
Martha Stewart Home Office Labels
Elle's Studio Lil Snippets: Labeled, Everyday Tags
Mish Mash Chevron Bag
White Tag
Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type
Sassafras Cardstock Stickers
October Afternoon Rocket Age Decal Alpha Stickers
Octoer Afternoon Boarding Pass Alpha Stickers
Studio Calico Stamps & Alpha Stamps
Please let me know if you have any questions. Have a wonderful week!


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Dario Amara is an experienced chief executive officer, director and chairman with business experience and networks gained over some 36 years in Australia and internationally. His experience spans the building, infrastructure & property sectors.
Specifically, Dario has a track record in; establishing and developing businesses, with particular strengths around: strategic planning, project development, project management, business improvement and building high performance teams.
Concurrent with his roles as a CEO, he has served as a Project Director, Project Board Chairman or as a Member of Alliance Teams on large and complex projects, delivered by a variety of delivery models.
Additionally, and over some 14 years, Dario has served as a Non Executive Director or Chairman, on various publicly listed company Boards, including; AUSTAL Limited(ASX:ASB), Mission NewEnergy Limited(ASX:MBT) and Emerson Stewart Limited(now ASX:VRS) which he founded and listed on the ASX 30 months after launching.
His interest in the arts has translated to over 25 years of pro bono service on arts and cultural boards, including, having served as Chairman of the West Australian Opera Company, the Art Gallery of Western Australia and Heritage Perth and as a Board Member of the Perth International Arts Festival, the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra Foundation and the Murdoch University Art Collection Board.
Dario is a graduate from Curtin University with a Bachelor of Engineering – Civil with Distinction,
a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia, a Chartered Professional Engineer, on the National Engineers Register and a Registered Building Practitioner and Building Contractor, Western Australia, since 1984.


text: 20 Apr Spring Tablescape 2017 I was totally fascinated with Spring in the middle of Winter. And of course seeing anything green was on top of everyone's wish list. Visions ofa bold white centerpiece danced in my head and there I was making my Spring centerpiece in the middle of winter. I adhered the small pieces to a plastic flower using my hot glue gun


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The Department of Conventions and Conference Planning (DCCP) would like to inform parishes that the deadline for submitting bids to host the 2023 and 2025 Archdiocese Conventions is February 1, 2019. Parishes interested in bidding or obtaining information about the bidding process can contact the DCCP Co-Chairs, Carol Jazzar or Raed O. Sweiss. The DCCP email is firstname.lastname@example.com [1]. Please visit the Department website for contact and bid information.
It is recommended that no contact be made with the hotels until you contact the DCCP Co-Chairs. No contract or any form of commitment should be made without the approval of the DCCP.


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ClaimedBook - 2011
From the critics
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Book 2 in Dark Protectors series, preceded by Fated and followed by a novella Tempted. Sexy story of Dr. Emma Paulsen, a geneticist with a psychic gift and older sister of Cara and Dage, the king of the vampires who holds untold power and ability to teleport. This is the second book I read in the series and I was hoping for it to get better, but it doesn't. I really hate the chemistry between the characters - the woman is usually strong with a sense of self and then she meets "her mate" and all goes downhill. All he wants to do is dominate and put them in their place and the women do as they are told because the passion is too much. Blah, blah, blah.
Book 2 and I can't get enough of this series!!!!! book 1 was packed with more action...but the sex scenes in this book light the pages with fire. Emma is a strong feisty women who want to live by her own rules... this sassy chick meet her mate powerful, lethal, dominant, vampire King Dage. this vamp is fighting two wars one with the kurjans and one to claimed and dominate is mate...with all that power and tricks in the bed-room she will be claimed, tame and insane with passion!! I LOVE IT!!! If vampire were real I would be the first one in line saying BITE ME! LOL!
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Amazingly we hear people saying Oh do not buy from us as the stuff must be inferior quality and cheaper this statement is usually fuelled by jealous rivals who like taking your money for doing the same work as us.
Well lets kill that MYTH shall we...
When we add a product to our range we do so using exactly the same suppliers as our sensory toy rivals.
We buy exactly the same products and sell exactly the same product its just our profit margin is not as high.
So we dont cut corners on the basis of cost we simply reduce our profit to keep more pounds in your pocket.
We buy goods from all the main suppliers and in many cases sell a product cheaper than the supplier offers a product on there own website such is our commitment to lowering prices for everybody.
All our products meet or exceed required safety standards for toys and equipment sold within the European Union.
All products are tested within a third party independant lab to check the product conforms to required safety standards.
Our website offers thousands of products and it is very difficult for us to say one way or another if that would be suitable for your childrens needs.
Obviously no two children are the same especially when our core business is within the special needs community so whilst we will be able to make suggestions it really does need your input in determing if a product is suitable for your child's needs.
For example if you have a child who is a little rough during play a 89 pence fidget toy may not be the best option in terms of durability and you would need to consider the product usage and imagine your child using a particular product to determine if that may item is suitable.
In some instances it may also be worth speaking to your childs occupational therapist so they can provide a range of items for use in play.
Well heres the good news...
If within 14 days of your goods arriving you have changed your mind and you feel they are not suitable just let us know and you can return the items without any penalty.


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I have had some capsules in my stash for some time now and finally I used them! I found this cute fairies in a Bo Bunny 6x6 paper pad. I punched them out with a circle punch. I glued them to the middle and then I added generous with Glossy Accent.
For my background I used a paper pad 6x6 from Bo Bunny. I also added lace and some cheese cloth.
I wanted to use pastel colors and silver. I used flowes called Planner Flowers Lola from Prima. I also used the cool berry looking thingies from Prima called Silver Cloud.
To get even more textures I used glassfillers from 13arts and caviar beads in silver.
I wanted to add some colors on my beads so I added Color Bloom Soft Teal and pink acrylic paint from Martha Stewart.
To get even more sparkles I also added Ranger Stickles silver randomly and around the edges.
My stickers are from Tim Holtz.


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OpenDNS Enterprise Insights offers straightforward Web-based administration that's easy to configure and maintain.
SAN FRANCISCO (PRWEB) September 12, 2012
OpenDNS, the world's largest Internet-wide security network – making the Internet safer, faster and more reliable for more than 50 million people every day – today announced the San Diego Center for Children is using OpenDNS Enterprise Insights to meet CIPA compliance and gain granular control over its network. The San Diego Center for Children, which is the leader in providing mental health services and education to Southern California children, selected OpenDNS Enterprise Insights for improved flexibility and control over its Web filtering policies across five locations.
Prior to deploying OpenDNS Enterprise Insights, the San Diego Center for Children was using a SonicWALL appliance for Web filtering at its remote sites and a SafeNet eSafe appliance at its main site, but the team was searching for a solution with more flexible controls that wouldn't require another extensive appliance deployment. Additionally, as a non-profit organization focused on investing as much of its resources as possible into programs that directly serve the children in its community, it was important that the solution didn't break the bank.
Additionally, the San Diego Center for Children required a solution that would allow it to apply different policies for various groups within its organization. Building on the functionality of OpenDNS Enterprise, the team selected OpenDNS Enterprise Insights for theis now able to apply access policies that suit individuals and groups within the organization at any of its five locations. "We see nearly zero complaints of false positives now that we're using OpenDNS Enterprise Insights. It just works really well," said Andy Sonon, Systems Administrator for San Diego Center for Children.
The team selected OpenDNS Enterprise Insights because, "OpenDNS services are different than other solutions we see in the marketplace as they don't require complex or burdensome appliance deployments or management, and they're extremely cost-effective," reported Sonon.
In addition to Web filtering that helps the school meet CIPA compliance, Sonon explained, "We see a lot less of the fake 'anti-virus style' malware than we used to." That's because OpenDNS Enterprise Insights not only prevents access to known malicious sites, it also gives the San Diego Center for Children IT team advance insight into how, when and where malware requests take place.
Through a centralized Web-based dashboard, Sonon and his team can quickly and easy set policies across the organization or for groups and individuals. They can access the dashboard remotely through any Internet-connected device, so it's easy to make adjustments on-the-go for any of the organization's five locations. Sonon concluded, "OpenDNS Enterprise Insights offers straightforward Web-based administration that's easy to configure and maintain. We would absolutely recommend it to other organizations.
About OpenDNS
OpenDNS is the world's leading provider of Internet security and DNS services, enabling the world to connect to the Internet with confidence on any device, anywhere, any time. OpenDNS provides millions of businesses, schools and households with a safer, faster and more intelligent Internet experience by protecting them from malicious Web threats and providing them control over how users navigate the Internet, while dramatically increasing the network's overall performance and reliability. For more information about OpenDNS, please visit: http://www.opendns.com.
About San Diego Center for Children
The mission of San Diego Center for Children (SDCC) is to promote the well-being of children, youth, families, and communities by providing an array of proven and effective mental health, educational, and social services. Founded in 1887, SDCC is San Diego's oldest accredited non-profit organization. Today, SDCC has become a leader in providing mental health services to children and families within our community. We offer a variety of programs for children facing behavioral, emotional, social, and educational challenges. SDCC programs support Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and re-establish the learning process while meeting the specific mental health needs of the children and adolescents we serve.


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Ok so pantomime season is behind us, but let's bring your attention to your very own behind. We all would like a firm, lifted bottom. Did you know that a toned backside comes with some major benefits that go way beyond having a shapely bottom. So why are strong glutes so important? And how can classes at The View Studio help you strengthen them?
Definition of your Glute Muscles
You may have heard your instructor mention your "glutes," we're referring to three distinct muscles, as shown on this diagram:
Gluteus Maximus. This is the largest muscle of the three glute muscles and a real workhorse of your glutes. It's the largest muscle for a very good reason—not only does it drive the big moves in class like squatting and jumping, it also helps with more functional moves like standing up out of a chair of even sitting down into a chair.
Gluteus Medius. This important gluteal muscle covers the area on the side and back of your pelvis. It assists with internally and externally rotating your legs and also helps you balance on one leg by stabilising your hips.
Gluteus Minimus. This small gluteal muscle maybe small but boy is it mighty! It also plays an important role. It works together with the Gluteus Medius to help stabilise your hips and rotate the leg inwards.
Why It's Important to Strengthen Your Glutes?
When you have weak glutes, the rest of your body suffers. Your glutes have the important task of balancing and stabilising the entire body. Sedentary work which involves long periods of sitting at your desk or driving in the car cause your bottom muscles to turn off and stop working as efficiently as they should. In fact, we reduce the flow of blood to this muscle group as well when seated. This then creates imbalances in the body, which in turn can cause injuries.
Some typical issues caused by weak glutes include pain in your hips, low back, and knees. Also extremely likely to experience sciatic nerve pain, IT-band syndrome, and more.
When you have strong glutes, they help to support the rest of your body when you're walking, running, getting up out of your chair. Your posture is enhanced, strong glutes help to align your pelvis which in turn makes you stand taller. Wherever you want to go in life, having a strong, balanced behind will help you do it even better.
How do I get strong glutes?
Attend a class at The View Studio. The classes at The View Studio be it, Barre, Pilates or Yoga always feature work on the back body, specifically targeting the glutes and the surrounding muscles from all angles. All our workouts concentrate on building body balance, your glutes are engaged throughout class—during prone in Pilates, Barre work at the Barre and Core Work in Yoga. To put it simply, by the end of any of our classes every part of your back body will have worked.
Less is More. Next time you are working out, take a moment to slow down, focus and really activate your glutes. Whatever move you are doing, if you are not feeling the work in your bottom, more than likely momentum has taken over, which means other muscles are being recruited to perform the action.
Sit Less, Move More. Sitting really is the new smoking. Sitting on your bottom all day really is the worst thing you can do for your glutes, so try to incorporate movement throughout your day. 5 minute walks around the office, some exercises from our Desk Reviver Pilates class or even a quick lunchtime run. Even if time is precious, just standing up and using your desk to do 20 squats will wake up your glutes. By interspersing your day with these frequent bursts of activity will not only remind your bottom muscles that they have a very important job to do, they will also become much stronger as a result.
To sum things up, having a toned, lifted bottom is amazing, however remembering what strong glutes will do for your body is even more incredible.


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walter russell secret of light
Book & DVD Deal-Get Joey's Book for Free!
The official First Edition of Joey's newly revised book, Dowsing: A Path to Enlightenment is available now! Or, better than that, get Joey & Jill's new package deal below for only $40, including:
- Dowsing: A Path to Enlightenment Revised Edition,
- Joey's Lecture DVD: "Divine Wizardry,"
- And Two Audio CDs of radio interviews about Joey's work.
- Includes Shipping within the US (a small extra charge for International shipping)
Get all this for only $40. … Read more here...
Why You Cannot Die! by Lao Russell is Back in Print
I am very pleased to announce that the long-awaited re-release of Lao Russell's book, Why You Cannot Die! Reincarnation Explained is now available. Lao was Walter Russell's wife and was quite the illumined being herself. She wrote several other books, including God Will Work With You but not For You, a long-time favorite of Russell enthusiasts. Just click on the book title below to learn more about her book.… Read more here...
New Revised Edition of Dowsing: A Path To Enlightenment by Joey Korn
We are pleased to announce the new revised edition of Joey's book, Dowsing: A Path to Enlightenment, will be available in December. Order it now, be one of the first to receive it the official First Edition and you'll get free shipping within the US! You'll also get a free gift CD when we mail the book.
About Dowsers.com
For me, dowsing, or "divining", is not just about finding a place to drill or dig a well or about finding anything in the physical world. It's about detecting energy. It's about tapping into our own God-given ability to explore the world of subtle energies that are everywhere within and around us. It's about drawing ever closer to the Divine in our lives. Dowsing for me has become a way to demonstrate that the blessing process works. Not only does it work, but I consider it the most powerful Force in the universe. And everyone has this Force at their disposal. At their beckoned call. But we must call. We must initiate the process to use this Force. It's not enough just to recognize the blessings we have in life and to express gratitude for them, though that is important. We must call on whatever we consider the Divine to bless us if we want, purposefully, to use this Force that is ever-present in our lives.
I help people understand what is going on energetically, behind the scenes in life. With negative thoughts, actions and emotions, we fill and surround ourselves with detrimental, weakening energies. With positive thoughts, actions and emotions, we fill and surround ourselves with beneficial, healing energies. And you can find and experience all these energies with dowsing! By understanding that this is taking place, day in and day out, we can take charge of the process with blessing, especially with what I call "the Simple Blessing Process." Learn the five components of the Simple Blessing Process, see an example of a Simple Blessing, and learn to adapt it to help with any aspect of your life. To learn even more, you can also download an extended article on "Spiritual Dowsing and the Simple Blessing Process.":
I have been passionately on my spiritual path for more than 30 years. You can follow my journey, learn what has inspired me in life, and learn how to improve your own life through many free articles that are posted here at Dowsers.com.
Jill and I are honored that you have been led to our Web site and we hope you'll explore it further. Use the blue blocks on the left and underlined links above and below to navigate through our site.


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The Power Demonstrated With EYLEA—Proven Results Across All Approved Indications1
EYLEA indications are backed by 7 pivotal studies evaluating BCVA,* as measured by ETDRS† letters, in over 3000 patients: VIEW 1 and VIEW 2 (Wet AMD) at 52 and 96 weeks, VISTA and VIVID (DME and DR in Patients with DME) at 52 and 100 weeks, GALILEO and COPERNICUS (MEfCRVO) at 24 weeks, and VIBRANT (MEfBRVO) at 24 weeks.1 When starting a patient on EYLEA, consider the body of evidence demonstrating proven results.1
Empower your EYLEA treatment decisions from the start with RESULTS from the 7 pivotal trials1
- Best-corrected visual acuity
- Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study
- anti-VEGF = anti–vascular endothelial growth factor
- AMD = Age-related Macular Degeneration
- DME = Diabetic Macular Edema
- DR = Diabetic Retinopathy
- RVO = Retinal Vein Occlusion (includes Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion [BRVO] and Central Retinal Vein Occlusion [CRVO])
No Matter What the Approved Indication, EYLEA Has More Than 90% First-Line Coverage Nationally*,2
First-line coverage means direct access to EYLEA—access that supports your treatment choice from the start.2 And, if patients need help paying for treatment, EYLEA4U® can assist in finding support options to help them with the cost.
Individual patient coverage is subject to a patient's specific plan.
Experience what certain retinal diseases can be like in virtual reality
A powerful teaching tool to use with your patients and caregivers, this unique app lets the user experience retinal disease symptoms firsthand in a 360° view. In My Eyes uses virtual reality and augmented reality to show the impact of vision impairment on everyday situations.


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Full Stack Web Developers
Over the past few months, I have really started to admire what I call "Full Stack Web Developers". A full stack web developer is someone that does design, markup, styling, behavior, and programming. Some examples of these types of developers are Jason Tremblay, Geoffrey Grosenbach & Tom Preston-Werner.
Jason Tremblay is a Philadelphia local who I met a little over a year ago. Recently, we started working together on a little project called iSepta where he did all of the user interface design. I was blown away with what he was able to produce as well as the development feedback he gave. I literally could not stop grinning from ear to ear.
Geoffrey Grosenbach is fairly well known in the Ruby on Rails world for the screencast and ebook company he put together called Peepcode. He has done everything for that site from design to development as well as all of the editing and voiceovers. Everything he does looks spectacular but he also has the deep technical knowledge to make most of the screencasts and ebooks.
Tom Preston-Werner has become widely known for such projects as Gravatar where he did all design and development and Github where he did some development but all of the design. He's also known for a project called Fuzed which is a Rails server stack written in Erlang. Yes, Erlang.
About 4-5 years ago, I was in college going for a degree in structural engineering when I decided I had too many ideas not to learn web development. I finished out my structural engineering degree and worked in that field for 2 years before finally going out on my own in July 2007. What that means is while I was learning how to make sure a 60 story condo building was able to withstand an earthquake, I also was trying to learn ruby, rails, html, css, and javascript. That was tough, but I made it through and I think I can finally call myself a developer.
So, where am I going with this? I think I have finally decided that my next professional goal is to learn the last thing to becoming a full stack web developer, design. I am already proficient at everything from the back-end development to javascript, but I have always thrown my hands up in the air when it came to design. I'm not going to do that anymore. I'm going to tackle this like I tackled learning web development over the past few years.
If anybody has any suggestions about how I can go about achieving my new goal, please feel free to speak up! I have a feeling this is going to be quite a bit more difficult than web development since design is so subjective.


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Welcome to OMEX UK
Soil sampling and analysis is a free service to OMEX customers.
Fields are sampled according to industry standards and analysed by PAAG-member laboratories.
Soil sampling can earn money by indicating the correct fertiliser analyses required for crops and identifying yield-limiting deficiencies.
Fertile, well maintained soils are more productive than those with marginal soil indicies and the crops grown use nitrogen efficiently, reducing the risk of environmental pollution.
Soil sampling saves money by indicating where nutrients are not required, particularly phosphate, potash and sodium
Phosphate, potash, magnesium and pH. It is also possible to include boron, sodium, sulphur, copper and zinc analysis. Soil nitrogen testing is also available from OMEX by prior arrangement.
The index system developed by Defra is used by all laboratories when they report results. In order to show whether a result is near the top or bottom of an index, OMEX report to one decimal place.
The soil nutrient status is displayed as colour coded easy-to-interpret horizontal bar graphs. Results are available as printed copies, emailed files or as data for uploading into farm recording software.
There is no charge for soil sampling from OMEX, unless there is no purchase of fertiliser following the testing.
Well managed fields usually only require sampling every four to five years.
In order to follow best management practices it is vital to know the nutritional status of the soil, only possible after regular, quality soil sampling.
Yes it does. Correct soil sampling is fundamental to good agronomy.
The OMEX service ensures that a minimum of 25 cores are taken to provide a truly representative sample of the sampled area.
OMEX follows the Defra guidelines for soil sampling, taking the most accurate sample path across the sampling area.
Contact us for more information


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Bill Introduced in Illinois Legislature
to Organize the County of Van Buren [1]
SECTION 1 Be it enacted by the people of the state of Illinois represented in the General Assembly that all that tract of country lying within the following boundaries, to wit: Begining at the North West corner of Sangamon county on the Illinois river and runing from thence East along the North line of said county to the North East corner of Township No. 20 North of Range No. 5 West. Thence South along the Range line between Ranges four and five to the South East corner of Township No. Eighteen North of Range No. five West. Thence diagonally across Ranges, five, six, and seven West to the South West corner of Township No. Seventeen North of Range No. Seven West. Thence West along the line between Townships No. sixteen and seventeen to the line between Sangamon and Morgan counties. Thence North along the line between Sangamon and Morgan counties to the Sangamon river. Thence along the channel of the said Sangamon river to it's junction with the Illinois river; and thence following the meanders of Illinois river to the place of begining, shall constitute a new county to be called the county of Van Buren [2]
Page 58SEC 2ND. The permanent seat of Justice for said county shall be the village of Petersburg, and the public buildings thereof shall be erected on the public square recorded in the plat of said town as public ground: Provided [3] that unless the proprietors of the said village of Petersburg shall convey to the said county of Van Buren for the purpose of the erection of public buildings, one fourth of all the lots of the said village, the seat of justice of said county shall not be located at the said village of Petersburg; but shall be located by commissioners hereinafter named, at some point not more than one mile and a half from the geographical centre of said county.
SEC 3RD. The county commissioners for said county, when elected under the provisions of this act, shall immediately appoint some suitable person, as agent, whose duty it shall be to call upon the proprietors of said village of Petersburg or their agent, and notify them or him, that he is ready to make the selection of the lots aforesaid, on behalf of the county; and if the said proprietors or their agent agree to said selection, the said agent for the county, shall proceed to make the selection by choosing one lot, and allowing the said proprietors or their agent to choose three, and so proceed till the whole selection is made: Provided that the paying over, by the proprietors of the said village of Petersburg, to the county commissioners of the said new county, one fourth of the proceeds of the sales of the lots already sold shall be deemed a sufficient compliance with the provisions of this act in regard to the lots so sold. [4]
SEC 4 If the said proprietors shall neglect or refuse, for a longer term than ten days after the said agent for the county has notified them that he is ready to make the selection as aforesaid, to convey to the county commissioners for the use of said county the lots selected, or offered to be selected, by said agent, the said county commissioners shall give notice to John Henry of Morgan county, Benjamin Mitchell of Tazewell county, and Samuel Hackelton of Fulton county, that they are appointed commissioners to locate the seat of Justice of said county, whose duty it shall be to meet at the said village of Petersburg on the second monday of August next, and after being duly sworn by some Justice of the Peace, faithfully and impartially to discharge their duties, shall proceed to locate the seat of justice of said county according to the provisions of this act; which location shall be the permanent seal of justice of said county. [5]
Page 59SEC 5 The county commissioners of said county shall allow, out of the county treasury, the sum of three dollars to each of said commissioners for each day they may have been necessarily employed in making said location. [6]
SEC 6 The said new county of Van Buren shall constitute a part of first judicial circuit, and a circuit shall be held for said county at some convenient place in the village of Petersburg until the public buildings shall be erected. The time for holding said courts shall be appointed by the Judge presiding on said circuit. [7]
SEC 7 All Justices of the Peace and constables now commissioned in and for the county of Sangamon that now reside within the boundaries of the aforesaid county of Van Buren shall hold their offices in and for the said new county of Van Buren.
SEC 8 The legal voters of said county shall meet at the several precincts now organized for holding elections within the above boundaries on the first monday in July next, appoint Judges and clerks of elections, and proceed to elect three county commissioners, a Sheriff, a Coroner, a county surveyor and county Recorder for said county; and the returns of said election shall be made by said Judges and clerks to the Justices of the Peace in said new county of Van Buren, any three or more of whom shall meet at the village of Petersburg within seven days after said election and proceed to open said returns and in all things perform the duties required by law of the clerks of county commissioners courts and Justices of the Peace in like cases
SEC. 9 In all elections for officers, except county officers, the county shall vote with the county of Sangamon until the next census; and the returns of the elections shall be made to the county clerk of the new county of Van Buren, by whom a certified abstract of the returns of such election shall be made to the county commissioners clerk of Sangamon county within seven days thereafter.
SEC 10 Be it further enacted that the legal voters of the county of Sangamon shall meet at the several places of holding elections in said county, on the first monday of June next, and if a majority of said voters shall vote in favour of the organization of said new county of Van Buren under this act, then shall the county be organized as is in this act provided for; but if a majority of said voters shall vote against the organization of said new county, then shall this act be void and of none effect.
Page 60SEC 11 It shall be the duty of the Judges and clerks of the several election precincts in and for the county of Sangamon, to meet at the several places of holding elections, on the day prescribed in the tenth section of this act, and then and there proceed to open polls for the purpose contemplated in the said tenth section, and in all respects conduct the voting, and make the returns in the manner prescribed by the general election laws of this state. The official certificate of the clerk of the county commissioner's court of Sangamon county shall be evidence of the result of said voting. [8]
SEC 12 The clerk of the county commissioner's court for Sangamon county shall give notice of said voting in the same manner, and for the same length of time that he is required to do by law, of general elections.
[1] AD, I-Ar. In addition to the engrossed bill, which is in Lincoln's hand but dated and signed by the House clerk on December 24, there are two pages of amendments and two amendments on slips of paper, also in Lincoln's hand. These amendments, reported by Lincoln on December 21 from a select committee, make up more than half of the bill as passed. The original bill, introduced on December 20 by Stephen A. Douglas, representative from Morgan County, from the committee on petitions, was drawn in response to petitions signed by citizens of Morgan and Sangamon counties requesting the formation of a new county out of adjacent portions of the two counties. Remonstrances against the petitions had also been presented, and it was clear that Sangamon voters were by no means unanimously in favor of forming the new county. The bill was tabled by the Senate and failed to become law. (See Lincoln's ``Report,'' February 13, 1837, infra.)
[2] The name of the proposed county had been left blank throughout the original bill and remained so until Lincoln's amendment naming ``Marshall'' was changed on the motion of David Nowlin of Monroe County to read ``Van Buren.'' The insertion of ``Van Buren'' in the title was done by amendment after the bill had been passed by the House.
[3] This proviso was one of Lincoln's amendments.
[4] Section 3 was Lincoln's amendment.
[5] Section 4 was Lincoln's amendment.
[6] Section 5 was Lincoln's amendment.
[7] Sections 6,7,8,9, and 10 were in the original bill.
[8] Sections 11 and 12 were amendments by Lincoln.


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ONUG Spring 2015 will take place at Columbia University's Alfred Lerner Hall. The ONUG Academy, a full day of hands on tutorials will take place on May 12th followed by the two-day ONUG Conference, May 13th and 14th.
ONUG Academy – May 12
The Faculty House, Columbia University
The ONUG Academy is scheduled to take place on May 12th and is a day full of hands on tutorials aimed at operationalizing open networking. It will have a strong emphasis on exposing DevOps, NetOps, SecOps, etc. to the new tools for managing infrastructure. In short, this is the place were you evaluate and learn the next phase of operationalizing and supporting software-defined networks.
- Breakfast Reception – 9:00pm-9:30am
- Morning Tutorial Sessions – 9:30am-12:30pm
- Lunch Break – 12:30pm-1:30pm
- Afternoon Tutorials – 1:30pm-4:30pm
- Cocktail Reception – 5:00pm-7:00pm
- *Subject to change
ONUG Academy half day courses will include:
- Hands on Network Virtualization and Overlays
- Hands on Programmable Networks
- White Box Networking Internals and Orchestration
- OpenStack Networking
- Container Networking
- Hands on SD-WAN
- Open IP Storage 101
- Data Center Security for Cloud Infrastructure
ONUG Conference – May 13 & 14
Alfred Lerner Hall, Columbia University
The goal of the ONUG Conference is to advance open networking and open storage by facilitating a higher level of engagement between IT business leaders, standards and open source organizations, and members of the academic and vendor communities. Join ONUG Spring for:
- Updates from the ONUG Use Case Working Groups
- Keynotes from IT Business Leaders
- Panel Discussions
- The highly regarded Town Hall Meeting
- The ONUG Great Debate
- ONUG Board Fireside Chats
- Real World Case Studies
- Technology Showcase
To register for the event, please visit ONUG Spring 2015


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On the antlers of deer, around growing bone and cartilage, is something called deer velvet. When it is extracted, it can be used for many medicinal purposes, helping people to have more energy and feel better. It can treat certain medical conditions, and also help with learning disabilities by increasing how efficiently the brain is able to process information. However, there are many that claim that this extract can actually help bodybuilders build muscle mass faster than ever before. Let's look at whether or not this is true, and if so, where you can find the best sources for this on the Internet.
How Deer Antler Velvet Works
According to scientific studies, this supreme antler extract contains the female sex hormones estradiol and estrone. It also has certain properties that will allow cells in your body to grow and function much more efficiently. Beyond that, medical science has not been able to determine why it can help with so many different maladies including osteoporosis, arthritis, and also reduce the signs of aging.
Deer Antler Velvet Extract For Bodybuilding
Many supreme antler reviews state the reason that this extract is beneficial for bodybuilders is because it does promote the reproduction of cells, helping them mass-produce at an accelerated pace. Bodybuilders will already be using supplements including whey protein that will provide the body with amino acids, the building blocks of your cells, and deer antler velvet extract can help rebuild muscle tissue even faster. The only concern is that, especially for men, is that the overabundance of female hormones may actually lead to developing female characteristics. However, when used as recommended, it has shown great promise as being one of the best bodybuilding supplements that can be taken.
In conclusion, deer antler velvet extract for bodybuilding is a reality, not just a myth or something promoted on television to make sales. People that take this supplement have seen outstanding results, not only with their health, but in the rebuilding of muscle tissue. It is one of those unique supplements that actually does work, and can help people in so many ways. By using it regularly, as recommended, it can help any bodybuilder build muscle mass faster than ever before.


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This year will have several major fundraisers, as well as other smaller events as well. We will host the popular Scholastic Book Fair in early October. We will also have a catalog fundraiser in late October/early November. Our biggest fundraiser and event of the year is the annual Fun Fair and Silent Auction in March, which takes over 80 volunteers. We also host dinner nights at various restaurants and last year we made over $2000 from Box Tops for Education and grocery loyalty programs at Kroger and Harris Teeter. Look for more details on how to link your store loyalty cards to Woodbrook in the weeks ahead. Thank you in advance for your support!
BOARD MEMBERS for the 2014-2015 school year:
President: Sara Henry firstname.lastname@example.com
Vice President Ways and Means: Beth Daane email@example.com
Vice President Communications: Jacki Harris email@example.com
Treasurer: Pam Atkinson firstname.lastname@example.com
Secretary: Melissa Moran firstname.lastname@example.com
Members at Large: Rachel Cogswell email@example.com and
Sheryl Feggans firstname.lastname@example.com
How can I help?
Ask questions, come to a PTO meeting, volunteer…it ALL helps! Woodbrook families are the BEST!


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These are always the questions that come with "winter" in Southern California.
After a lot of last minute planning and some last second decisions, my parents were kind enough to get me a plane ticket to California, so I could come and visit for a couple weeks over the holidays.
After arriving home from New York, I only had three full days in Virginia before I left again. Some might know that I absolutely hate flying. I'm slightly terrified of airplanes, particularly the landing. This trip was no different.
But I arrived safely in Ontario, CA (after a three-hour layover at Dallas/Ft. Worth…uuug) and was shocked to walk out of the airport into 60 degrees. Talk about warm!
Mom took me out to dinner at Eureka! burger in Redlands, where I had my first hamburger in probably a year (it was excellent). It was nice to visit my mom and people watch with her.
But the time difference was killing me. I was exhausted that night, and was tired all day yesterday. I was also very sore from my Monday's lifting session. After struggling slightly with my lift yesterday, I had to sit in a hot bath for a half-hour in order to relax my muscles.
Today, I have a sprint workout, which will be interesting without a track or gym, because it's raining. Actually, right now, it's not raining. It's beautifully sunny with blue skies. But an hour ago, it was raining and two hours ago it was snowing. I guess I should come to expect this with the Idyllwild weather I had when I lived here.
I am missing my teammates from Lake Placid and my coworkers from Virginia, but it's only two more weeks before I'm back on the East Coast, and less than a month before I'm sliding again!
In an attempt to stay focused on sliding, I've been watching video of the Lake Placid track (shown below), trying to learn the turns better and trying to practice what I've learned. Because I don't have a sled here, it's difficult to practice the actual movements, but I re-create them with my shoulders.
My parents also just got a DVR, which not only opened up a bunch more channels on TV, but the ability to record shows as well! Since we now have UniversalSports, an NBC-affiliated channel that focuses on winter sports, I'm able to record and watch the World Cup skeleton races.
It helps even watching on TV, because I get to focus on elite sliders' form (something I need work on) and their technique. I even get to know a new track slightly after watching run after run!
I haven't gotten my mom to watch with me yet, but it's only a matter of time!
Until then, I'll be trying to stay on top of my training, and getting in as much relaxing as I can before diving headfirst into full-on training in Lake Placid.
Happy holidays, everyone! Keep on sliding forward!


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Health Secretary has too much time on his hands
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says he wants to protect under-18s from 'sexting' by, er, having social media firms look at their photos and block the naughty ones.
Aside from the obvious privacy issues (imagine the Daily Mail headlines: 'NOW FACEBOOK IS SPYING ON YOUR CHILDREN'S NUDE PICS') and the risk of censorship (would the algorithms know a sext from a Botticelli?), Hunt's rationale is a bit suspect.
He told the commons health committee:
"I think social media companies need to step up to the plate and show us how they can be the solution to the issue of mental ill health amongst teenagers, and not the cause of the problem."
If Hunt is so concerned about children's mental health, why is he squeezing funds for mental health services?
A report by the Kings Fund think tank in October found 40 per cent of England's 58 mental health trusts had their budgets slashed in 2015/16 – six of them for the third year in a row.
While overall mental health spending was up 8.4 per cent on the previous year, the Public Accounts Committee in September said that since the extra £1 billion has not been ringfenced, cash-starved providers and commissioners will be forced to 'deprioritise' mental health.
Freedom of Information requests by Labour MP Luciana Berger found 73 out of 128 Clinical Commissioning Groups who responded, or 57 per cent, plan to spend less on mental health in 2016/17.
Just two weeks ago, nine former Health Secretaries signed an open letter to the Times slamming the government's failures on mental health, which said:
"Despite the warm words, one year on we see the same enduring injustice, the massive economic cost and the distress suffered by countless families across the country.
Despite promised increases in funding, mental health trusts are still suffering cuts."
If Jeremy Hunt is really concerned about teenage mental health, perhaps he should spend less time worrying about sexting and more about ensuring mental health services are properly funded.
Adam Barnett is staff writer for Left Foot Forward. Follow him on Twitter @AdamBarnett13
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Parsons Dance
'Swing Shift,' 'Hand Dance,' 'Kind of Blue,' 'Ebben,' 'Caught' and 'In the End'
by Carmel Morgan
February 28, 2009 -- George Mason University, Center for the Arts, Fairfax, Virginia
David Parsons, a former leading dancer with The Paul Taylor Dance Company, founded and serves as Artistic Director of Parsons Dance. The company exhibited exuberant freshness and ingenuity in its performance on February 28, 2009, at George Mason University's Center for the Arts. The spirited choreography by Parsons, however, sometimes sank into sameness. "Kind of Blue" and "In the End," in particular, seemed repetitive.
Both "Kind of Blue" and "In the End" used music as a focal point. In "Kind of Blue," dancers grooved to "So What" from Miles Davis's best-selling jazz album. They bopped to the pop music of the Dave Matthews Band in "In the End." In neither case did the dancers truly let loose and enjoy the distinctive music. Instead, they seemed captive to the constraints of the choreography, which had all of Parson's energetic style and none of the soul of the music. The costumes in both works were also nearly identical – the dancers wore denim and t-shirts in each, as if they were on their way to a 4th of July picnic.
Although costumed differently, the movement in "Swing Shift," performed to the original music of Kenji Bunch, also seemed similar to that of "Kind of Blue" and "In the End" – lots of arms extended into the air, swinging up in signs of surrender, plus numerous rhythmic hops and jumps that turned into quick spins and lifts. The lighting design for "Swing Shift" and "In the End," by Tony Award-winning lighting designer and co-founder of Parsons Dance Howell Binkley, also seemed exasperatingly similar. The vivid colors on the cyc, which kept changing in each piece – blue to purple to orange – distracted from the dancing. In all of the aforementioned works, the women wore their hair down, but despite the relaxed hairstyles, the dancing felt studied and serious.
There were plenty of bright moments scattered throughout the program, however, even among the more similar pieces. For example, in "Swing Shift," the dancing of couples seized one's attention. Men slung women around their waists and folded them upside-down so that they hung like pendulums. Most mesmerizing were the assisted leaps in which the women, light and sharp, bounded up from the balls of their springy feet, their legs slicing the air like scissors as the men steadied their ascents. In addition, Abby Silva's solo work was interesting to watch. In abrupt, mechanical movements, Silva's isolation delivered an emotional impact.
The most enjoyable works on the program were the signature pieces "Hand Dance" and "Caught." These innovative works thrilled the audience. In "Hand Dance," only the hands of the dancers could be seen. Their bodies were enveloped in pitch black. The dancers' hands walked like feet. The hands became swimming fish, or waves, or the wheels of a train. The unison of the dancers dazzled, resulting in tremendous visual fun.
"Caught," choreographed by Parsons in 1982 and performed by Miguel Quinones, is one of modern dance's masterpieces. It would have been terribly disappointing if "Caught" weren't on the program. Yes, the work, danced between flashes of strobe lights, is somewhat gimmicky, but there's no denying the skill and athleticism it takes to execute it and the genius of Parsons in creating it. Quinones performed "Caught" with flair. He traveled from pool of light to pool of light without touching the ground, or so it appeared. The way he flew in circles, covering the entire stage while remaining airborne, was lovely and dizzily disturbing, as was his balancing in the air, his toes frozen far above the stage's surface. "How did he do that?" people whispered with glee.
The newest work, "Ebben," a duet choreographed by Parsons in 2009 and performed to music arranged by the East Village Opera Company, failed to engage. Kevin Ferguson was shirtless, and Abby Silva wore a very short shirt/dress. The duet generated heat, but it was sexy in the way a television soap opera is – overly dramatic. In this case, Silva writhed on the floor, longing for Ferguson's physical attention.
Throughout the performance, folks craned their necks to get a good look at Billy Smith, a Fredericksburg, Virginia native and recent George Mason University dance graduate who made it to the big time. The audience cheered more loudly for Smith than for anyone else when company members took their final bows. Smith grinned broadly. It was definitely a triumphant homecoming for the handsome former academic and talent scholarship recipient.
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April 09, 2011
The Way to Compete With ChinaLike two heavyweight boxers ready to do battle, the US economy appears pitted against the Chinese. And, increasingly America's intellectual elite's have their money on the Chinese. Americans are bombarded by the "new normal" orthodoxy that ours is a nation in decline.But, if we had the political will to do so, we could throw the knock-out punch. America's key to winning is cheap energy. The Congressional Research Service reported that the United State is tops in energy resources.And here's why that's so important. China's advantage is cheap labor. America's is abundant energy. We can out-produce them. Energy accounts for much more of the cost of manufactured goods than labor does. And we have more energy than any other country. Would that a GOP presidential candidate put those facts together. America can have its cake and eat it too: high wage job and economic growth. The United States is doomed to President Obama's "race to the bottom" only if we continue to embrace his energy policies.If the United States maximizes its energy resources we can have cheap gas, high paying jobs and manufacturing supremacy. Oil, specifically, is that important. It far exceeds the cost of labor. Take, for instance, a water bottle. Researchers Peter Gleick and Heather Cooley from the Pacific Institute argue against bottled water because it's oil intensive.In 2007, US consumers purchased more than 33 billion liters of bottled water, or 110 liters (30 gallons) per person. The total energy required to produce 33 billion liters is equivalent to 32-54 million barrels of oil (although not all the energy used comes from oil). Energy to produce bottled water accounts for about one-third of one percent of total US energy consumption.And bottled water is just one example of oil dependence. It's a well known fact that higher gasoline prices almost always foreshadow a recession. Why? Gasoline prices have a disproportionately powerful affect on consumer behavior. On Wall Street and in Washington we'll be told not to worry, since the proportion of a consumer's income spent on energy has be declining in the past decade. But, leave New York and Washington — and their higher than average incomes — and see what's happening in fly-over country. Consumers are cutting back, sentiment is declining. Americans are increasingly fearful — they can't live without gasoline, nor it seems can they afford to live with it. Their helplessness breeds fear. An aggressive energy policy that allowed America to use its resources would reverse these trends. It is intuitively obvious that cheap energy leads to prosperity. Lower pump prices encourage Americans to buy larger, more profitable vehicles. This leads to expanded production, more jobs, and high wages. These workers may also go out and buy a boat. And now, more than ever, political constituencies can be combined to fight the elites and the environmental extremists. Global climate change is a science in disrepute. On cheap energy many union and Tea Party members could find common ground. And even in some liberal corners the current budget cutting can be used to argue against the policies of energy high jacking.A cheap gas focus would also improve our nation's foreign policy. How many Americans would lament buying less oil from the Saudi's and thus help defund Islamic terrorism? Millions of us would welcome a "hands-off" approach to the Middle East. The Chinese however, don't have that luxury. Let them buy from and be beholden to the Saudis. America need not have these problems.It's hard to conceive of a more important issue than cheap energy. Conservatives need to make the argument that it is our moral duty to the world to use our energy resources. It is just and right that Americans bring prosperity and innovation to mankind. How else can we ever hope to improve education and raise health standards, absent a growing economy?America is truly a blessed nation. Those who first settled this land were awed by the beauty and resources. But, America's elites have kidnapped our resources. They are holding the nation hostage. And a few such Al Gores have become billionaires in the process. Now is the time to shake off a decade of government induced economic decline and put our resources to use. We can lower US energy costs, and thus out manufacture and out produce all comers.America has the energy resources to fund a new American Century.But do we have the political will to build the coalitions — conservatives and labor — necessary to win the day?


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I used to be ashamed of who I am, a woman. But not anymore. —Manal al-Sharif
The sun was already scorching the pavement last Wednesday in Cairo, Egypt, as a long line of people stood squinting in the brightness outside an old concrete building.
It was a vision never before seen in Egypt: hundreds of women waiting to cast a vote in the country's first free presidential election. Women have had the right to vote in Egypt since the 1950s — although they are still segregated from men in the voting process — but this occasion was different.
"We are writing history today," a woman told a reporter as she cast her ballot, summarizing the hopes and fears reverberating across Egypt as it took its first step toward democracy.
Women in Egypt — and across the Middle East — played a key role in the uprisings of the Arab Spring that began in Tunisia in January 2011 with the ousting of its ruler of almost 24 years. Now, as countries like Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Morocco are poised to rebuild their political systems in the aftermath of those uprisings, women in those and neighboring nations are equally as involved in shaping their country's future. The political agendas and religious beliefs among the groups of women advocating change are varied, but the message they share is the same: Now is the time to be heard.
"Many countries in the Arab states have never gone through a true democratic process," Mohammad Naciri, deputy director of the Arab States Regional Centre for the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, said from his office in Cairo after the first round of voting ended. "This is the first time in centuries where women are reaching the chance to participate in a true, transparent and genuine democratic process, which I find very exciting."
Universal plight
When tens of thousands of people stormed Cairo's Tahrir Square on Jan. 25, 2011, it was in the name of earning improved rights for everyone — including women.
Women helped organize the initial protests through social media and marched in the uprising with men as equal partners. Images of these predominately Muslim Arab women were captured and broadcast around the world, showing they were not the helpless and diffident people they are often mistaken to be, but vital and valuable instruments in the cause for change.
That is just the beginning of the road, Naciri says. There's still a long way to go.
"We need to look on how can we sustain this participation," Naciri says. "With women, with men, with the country at large, and the government, how can we prove that women's participation is of interest and benefit to the whole society."
Studies show that overlooking women's social, economic and political rights can have a negative impact on society as a whole. Giving women less access to resources limits agricultural productivity, food security and is increasingly linked to poverty, migration and violence, says a 2009 United Nations World Survey.
Laws on domestic violence help decrease violence because fewer people think it is acceptable, according to UN Women. Egypt, Morocco and Jordan have laws that prohibit domestic violence, according to UN Women, but no countries in the region explicitly outlaw marital rape.
Economically, the greater the gender gap between men and women regarding educational attainment, economic participation, health and survival, and political empowerment, the worse the country fares.
"The correlation among competitiveness, income and development and gender gaps is evident," the World Economic Forum's 2011 Gender Gap Report says. "While correlation does not prove causality, it is consistent with the theory and mounting evidence that empowering women means a more efficient use of a nation's human talent endowment and that reducing gender inequality enhances productivity and economic growth."
According to the 2011 Gender Gap Report, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Egypt rank in the bottom 13 out of 135 countries for women's economic opportunities and the bottom seven out of 132 countries for political empowerment.
But although the majority of Arab countries are predominately Muslim, the question of inequality regarding women is not necessarily a religious one, says Merve Kavacki-Islam, a professor of international affairs at George Washington University and former member of the Turkish Parliament.
"To be a woman at this time in any part of the world, be it in the United States of America, be it in Jordan, be it in China — it is not an easy job," Kavacki-Islam says. "By virtue of being a woman, you can be discriminated against … and Muslim women have their own particularities."
The Middle East lacks homogeneity, Kavacki-Islam says, which means discrimination against women occurs in different forms, with different justifications. Each country has different cultures and interpretations of the Quran, which inform their rules of law and permeate all aspects of everyday life. The crossover between culture and religion can sometimes be misleading, she says.
"There is an Islamic way for me to get up from bed and to go to bed, an Islamic way to take a drink of water," Kavacki-Islam says. "You don't know which part comes from Islam and which part comes from local culture. Local cultures might be opposing Islamic tradition."
Rising stars
The video of Manal al-Sharif is dark and shaky, but the picture is clear: She is driving down the street, wearing dark sunglasses and a traditional Islamic headscarf, and she is making left- and right-hand turns and stopping at stop lights.
And it is forbidden.
In Saudi Arabia, where al-Sharif lives, women can be lashed or jailed for driving their own cars, but the 32-year-old mother of two wants that to change. A year ago, after being inspired by the Arab Spring, she started posting online videos of herself driving and encouraging other women to drive as well.
"We were voiceless. We were faceless. And we were nameless. We were just invisible," al-Sharif told an audience at the Oslo Freedom Forum earlier this May. "I used to be ashamed of who I am, a woman. But not anymore."
Al-Sharif is one example of a new generation of women who are pressing for change in Arab countries. The events of the Arab Spring have created room for activists to voice their concerns and encourage others to do the same while the world is watching, Naciri says.
"In some cases it will support a bit of a polarization, but this will entice other women also to stand up and take positions and take initiatives and be seen on the leadership plateau," he says. "It is definitely very, very empowering to women groups in general."
In Egypt, Esraa Abdel-Fataah costarted the initial groundwork for the protest in Tahrir Square through social media. She was arrested and released in 2008 for organizing what is known as the April 6 Facebook Protests among thousands of young people demanding political change.
In Yemen, Tawakel Karman formed a group called "Women Journalists Without Chains" in 2005 to campaign for the right to freedom of expression. In 2011, she played a key role in the Yemeni uprising and became known as the "Mother of the revolution" for organizing youth protests. Later that year, at age 32, she became the first Arab woman, and the second Muslim woman, to win a Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts.
In Saudi Arabia, al-Sharif was briefly arrested for her activism and then released. She was awarded the Havel Prize for Creative Dissent earlier in May, and she has now started a movement called the Saudi Woman's Spring.
The changes al-Sharif seeks mean more to her than getting behind a steering wheel. Like Naciri, she sees a long road of change ahead, and she hopes that in the end it will all be worth it.
"The struggle just began," al-Sharif said in Norway while receiving her award. "I don't know how long it will last, and I don't know when it will end. But for me, the struggle is not about driving a car. It is about being in the driver's seat of our destiny. It is to be free, not only to dream, but also to live."
Email: [email protected]