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Synberc Blog
The best mistake I ever made: How a daunting administrative role became the experience of a lifetime| 05/23/2016
Ten years ago, Jay Keasling asked me to take part in Synberc, and I said no.
At the time, Jay was just emerging as a leader of the new research field called synthetic biology. He had just formed the world's first Synthetic Biology Department at Berkeley Lab, co-organized the Second International Conference on Synthetic Biology (SB2.0), and received a significant grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to create the Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center, or Synberc. I was an administrator at Berkeley Lab and had helped Jay with these and other activities in the early days of this burgeoning field. I distinctly remember the pre-award meeting with NSF at the start of Synberc, and how the NSF went out of its way to impress upon us the crushing administrative and reporting requirements attached to these large and complicated research centers. I felt sorry for the poor sucker who got that job. I told Jay as much, hence my turning down the Synberc opportunity… at least for a day.
Thankfully, I reconsidered, and joining Synberc was the best mistake I ever made. Why? There are three reasons really.
The first is that, as difficult as Synberc was to manage, it exposed me to just about every research administration challenge imaginable. Whether it is reporting, managing subawards, cost sharing, human resources, IT, event planning, government affairs, setting up industry programs, or simply paying bills, NSF Engineering Research Centers like Synberc touch just about every aspect of the university research enterprise. Having run Synberc, I feel have the know-how to administer just about anything in a university setting. And because ERCs are multi-university collaborations, I got to see how other universities approach the same kinds of research administration challenges.
The first year or so, though, I was in something like the fog of war. I had to learn the fundamentals of research administration while simultaneously starting Synberc programs and figuring out how to give NSF all the data it required. As time went on, I built an online data collection and project proposal system to manage the NSF requirements and our internal project selection process. I also learned how best to connect with Synberc investigators, UC Berkeley business offices, and our partner universities. It all began to gel, although the NSF annual reporting was a huge burden that never seemed to get easier.
Meanwhile, Synberc researchers were climbing their own learning curve. In particular, I remember early conversations about whether Synberc ought to take a bottom-up approach (build basic, generally useful biological parts in an open source manner) or a top-down approach (build integrated systems for specific testbed applications). The answer seemed to be something in the middle, and Synberc eventually rallied around projects that would create compelling proofs-of-principle as well as drive the creation of basic parts, tools, and knowledge. It was a fascinating conversation -- one that made me feel like something big was happening.
As the fog of war lifted and the administrative aspects became more routine, I was able to turn my attention elsewhere and take on new challenges. There was a lot to do: The NSF gave us a broad mandate to advance a new field, train a generation of synthetic biologists, and engage diverse groups about the responsible advance of synthetic biology. The opportunities seemed endless. This brings me to the second reason I'm thankful I joined Synberc: with Jay's encouragement, I was able to go beyond the typical role of research administrator and participate in several intriguing Synberc projects.
For example, I found myself working with researchers in what was called the Human Practices group of Synberc. Researchers like Gaymon Bennett (ASU) were interested in the social dimensions of synthetic biology: how it was defined and framed, who benefited from it, and how organizations like ours shaped its development. In exploring these issues, I helped them write a small, successful proposal to create an interactive website conveying their conceptual view of synthetic biology. Later, I worked with Megan Palmer (Stanford) and Samuel Weiss Evans (Harvard) to develop processes that encouraged researchers to think through the broad potential impacts of their work beyond the bench. These experiences have encouraged me to continually explore how, as a research administrator, I can better orient Synberc's organizational and research practices toward a mindset of responsibility and public-mindedness.
In another example, one year the NSF nudged Synberc to improve its diversity numbers. Several of us took it as an opportunity to do something meaningful about diversity and inclusion. We first developed a climate survey that sparked a conversation within the entire Synberc community around themes of implicit bias and inclusivity. Soon after, we appointed our first Synberc Diversity Fellow, Sabriya Rosemond (UC Berkeley). This grew into the Expanding Potential program, which I co-founded with Shaila Kotadia (UC Berkeley) to create a more inclusive STEM environment within and beyond Synberc's borders. Expanding Potential stands as an excellent and effective model program for creating change in diversity and inclusion at many scales. I also helped to create a "Women in Synthetic Biology" resource to encourage gender-balanced conferences in our field that remains in wide use today. All of this taught me a lot about the real issues facing underrepresented students and faculty in STEM and how we might address them.
Here's one last example of being taken in career directions I never expected. As terms like "genetic engineering" become mainstream and the products of engineering biology make their way to the public, synthetic biology has come under scrutiny from skeptics questioning whether researchers are creating dangerous new abilities or playing god. This led me to think about these issues myself and explore how we might better engage the public on questions like: What are the benefits and risks of synthetic biology? Where are the bright red lines we should not cross? How can researchers share their progress and passion for engineering biology without becoming self-interested advocates? And finally, how do we incorporate public input into our national strategy for advancing synthetic biology responsibly and for the greatest public benefit? This led me to develop a public engagement plan and initiate Synberc's "Conversations about Synthetic Biology" series. I gained a deep appreciation of the challenges of communicating across the expert-layperson divide, and learned much about how we can more authentically engage the people we endeavor to serve.
Beyond the professional experiences and achievements is the third and most important reason why Synberc was the best mistake I ever made: I feel as though I have had a front-row seat at this fascinating moment in biotechnology. The feeling that "something big was happening" never left me, and it has been a privilege to work with some of the best minds in science and engineering. Though I'm not a researcher myself, I know that people like me play an important role in supporting and enabling scientific progress. I also feel responsibility as a citizen and non-scientist to bear witness to what's going on, share what I see, and encourage others to consider our fast-changing relationship with biotechnology. With something so important as building the future with biology, all of us should participate in the conversation.
Stepping uncertainly into Synberc a decade ago, I could never have imagined what a long, strange and wonderful trip it would be. Yes, it's like herding cats. Yes, staring at spreadsheets can be a real drag. And yes, every annual report gives me more gray hairs. But if the opportunity arose for ten more years of the same, this time I would jump at it.
co-written with Shaila Kotadia, PhD, Synberc Education, Outreach and Diversity Manager
Too often, scientific meetings consist mainly of male speakers, and synthetic biology is no exception. Recently, a genome engineering conference asked Synberc to become a sponsor. We noticed that the program had an extreme gender imbalance: Only two women at the podium while over 30 men would be speaking. Synberc informed the organizers that we would not support their meeting due in part to the gender inequity. We followed up with a second email detailing our decision and providing practical advice for avoiding a lopsided gender imbalance in the future.
The organizers responded and explained to us the reason for the gender imbalance. In summary, the organizers wanted to bring together leaders in academia and industry that published in Science, Cell and Nature over the past two years to represent the most recent discoveries. They generated a list using these criteria with "no biases" (i.e., no attention to gender, religion, race, and other groups). More females were invited but declined.
While we appreciate the organizers' attempt to remain neutral, such an approach is flawed in that it perpetuates the underlying biases endemic at those publications, as evidenced by the list of speakers generated. Ignoring gender implicitly endorses existing imbalances. (West et al. have shown gender disparities in scholarly authorship are persistent although decreasing.) Therefore, conference organizers must work proactively to right systemic underlying biases. In addition, generating a program based on authors from the most elite journals ignores many important papers from other journals such as PNAS, ACS Synthetic Biology, Nucleic Acids Research, Nature Biotechnology, and others. Unfortunately, there are no good measures for whether a given journal is diversity balanced, and no guarantee that these journals are any less biased.
Many resources exist to help generate a more balanced podium. These include Synberc's women at the podium list, a case study from the American Society for Microbiology, and ten simple rules to achieve gender balance at conferences published in PLoS Computational Biology. We too have observed that females are more likely than males to decline a speaking invitation. When these women decline, we use it as an opportunity to ask them to suggest other well qualified non-male speakers. We are pleased that the conference organizers who approached us have committed to utilizing these resources and strategies in the future.
Speaker bias goes beyond the male-female divide: Many underrepresented groups are not fairly represented at scientific meetings. Moreover, gender is not binary, and other gender identities should be represented at the podium as well. The reasons for gender and racial imbalances at the podium may differ, but awareness and preemptive strategies are essential to solving both problems.
We urge all individuals to carefully consider who they invite to speak at meetings. Highlighting the excellent work of underrepresented people gives support to diverse audiences, ultimately leading to a broader and more diverse talent pool. To create a more diverse community, we must recognize our own unconscious biases, be proactive in our approaches, and change our behaviors to be more inclusive.
Submitted to the Inter Academy Panel on May 23, 2014.
Professor ter Meulen,
We respond on behalf of the Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center, an NSF-supported research consortium. Since 2006, Synberc has helped shape the field of synthetic biology, developed foundational technologies, educated emerging leaders, and promoted the responsible development of the field.
Synberc supports the Inter Academy Panel's recent statement on realizing the potential of synthetic biology. In particular:
1. We endorse IAP recommendations on the relationship between foundational advances and practical applications. Much more foundational research is still needed to understand the biological and genomic underpinnings of synthetic biology that will allow us to address a broad range of challenges. We must continue to develop sound principles for assembling biological systems across different contexts, construct libraries of well-characterized components, and create the tools to design, build and test biological systems. Importantly, we must also develop the tools and technologies to provide policymakers and the public with the information needed to make science-based policy decisions about risk and uncertainty of real-world applications.
2. We agree with the need to systematically prepare researchers to address the full spectrum of effects of synthetic biology. The next generation of biotechnologists will require not only extraordinary technical foundations, but also serious education on ethical, legal, societal and environmental issues, if the field is to develop justly. Synberc's Policy & Practices program is working to that end by putting into practice systems to influence the selection and conduct of projects within Synberc. It also leads efforts with our public agencies and company partners to develop policies on governance and risk. Within Synberc-supported iGEM, the Policy & Practices program is helping to cultivate an ethos of responsibility and care among young synthetic biologists. The lessons learned within these efforts can and should be applied within other, broader contexts.
3. We must expand the international dialogue to include diverse academic and public participants. Directing the research toward tangible social goods will require an active process involving academics across many disciplines, industry practitioners, funding agencies, as well as the workers, consumers, families, and patients who we hope to benefit. The field will develop justly only if practitioners listen carefully and respond to public concerns about improving regulations and sharing benefits. Scientists and non-scientists alike must be clear about the ethical issues created by synthetic biology, as well as the critical human needs that this biotechnology can help to address.
4. We endorse the IAP call for a global policy and framework to support responsible science. Funding for the U.S.-based Synberc consortium is scheduled to come to a close at a time when it's more important than ever to strengthen educational programs, support foundational research, and create inclusive venues on an international scale. We believe now is the time to expand this model into a larger and more inclusive organization to advance scientific and social progress. We would ask the major U.S. funding agencies (NSF, NIH, DOE, DARPA, and others) and their international counterparts to join with existing technologists, industrial partners, and civil society in committing to fund a long-term internationally coordinated program. The organization would serve as the primary conduit to coordinate international efforts and include an iterative roadmapping process to focus on global and topical issues important to and inclusive of both scientists and the public. The exact contours of this organization are to be determined, but models could include the Computing Community Consortium (www.ccc.org), the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (www.itrs.net), and the International Society for Stem Cell Research (http://www.isscr.org/).
We appreciate the IAP's statement on realizing the global potential of synthetic biology. There is an undeniable need for a coordinated ecosystem of people and institutions if we are to responsibly advance this open and distributed technology for maximum public benefit. We look forward to working with members of the IAP and many, many others to sustain, promote and grow that ecosystem.
Jay D. Keasling (Director), UC Berkeley
J. Christopher Anderson, UC Berkeley
Adam Arkin , UC Berkeley
George Church, Harvard Medical School
Tanja Kortemme, UC San Francisco
Natalie Kuldell, MIT
Wendell Lim, UC San Francisco
Susan Marqusee, UC Berkeley
Kenneth Oye, MIT
Megan Palmer, Stanford University
Kristala Jones Prather, MIT
Pamela Silver, Harvard Medical School
Christopher Voigt, MIT
Ron Weiss, MIT
There seems to be a lot of commotion in the synthetic biology community these days about how to organize our research community at the national level. This is definitely true within Synberc, where our Sustainability Project has been critically assessing what is needed to responsibly advance the field.
For all of the hullabaloo, there's very little actual organizing going on at the national level. The field has defaulted into a "communities of practice" mode, where smaller groups of practitioners of a particular interest or expertise naturally come together to share information and experience, and have an opportunity to develop themselves personally and professionally, or to advance a particular agenda.
Here are some specific examples of how the synthetic biology community has self-organized:
- iGEM - The "world's premiere synbio competition" but also an important testbed for educating synthetic biologists, creating a shared database of parts, and for learning how to screen projects for safety/security concerns. Probably the most successful effort to organize the synbio community not just in the US but worldwide.
- SynBioBeta - A recent but highly successful effort led by one organizing dynamo (John Cumbers, Santa Clara University/NASA Ames) that is bringing together small start-up companies and other entrepreneurially minded interests to foster the "synthetic biology start-up ecosystem."
- BioBricks Foundation - An early pioneer in trying to bring together the synthetic biology community in more or less the mode of a professional society. BBF runs the SBX.0 International Conference Series, which is the synbio community's primary conference. BBF has also led a call for technical comments that led to the development of a BioBricks Public Agreement (BPA) to enable easier sharing of biological parts.
- The DIYbio 'movement' is a good example of how citizen scientists and enthusiasts are organizing themselves at the very local levels -- the DIYbio community has not yet developed a strong guild at the national level, but the potential appears to be there.
- Synberc - The US's first and largest single effort to bring together leading researchers and universities to establish the scientific and engineering foundations of synthetic biology. It too was generated at the grassroots level by a group of like-minded researchers, rather than by a national fiat.
One more important way in which the community is organizing itself: A crop of synthetic biology centers has blossomed at individual universities:
- UCSF Systems and Synthetic Biology Center
- Synthetic Biology Center at MIT (SBC@MIT)
- Synthetic Biology Institute at UC Berkeley
- BU Center of Synthetic Biology (new!)
- UW Center for Synthetic Biology
- And others I apologize for not mentioning
The formation of these centers suggest that the community is hungry for organizational entities that last over many years and help researchers from diverse backgrounds come together to pursue shared research aims.
Zooming back out to the national level, the basis set of leaders in synthetic biology are often recombined in different ways to address different problems in different contexts. For example, many of the experts involved in a NAS study on technical roadmaps are likely to be seen at another study on the ethical, legal and social ramifications of synthetic biology. The basis set of leaders is slowing growing outward as the field identifies new opportunities/challenges and becomes aware of and comfortable with others from different research communities. As with any highly multidisciplinary endeavor, the challenge for our community is to enable and encourage diverse practitioners with shared goals to come together to solve problems we cannot solve independently.
In the UK, the scientific community has had better success in organizing itself at the national level, especially through the UK Roadmap process. One might argue about the practical value of the technology and society roadmap that such efforts produce, but the roadmap itself is probably not as important as bringing together new assemblages of scientists, policymakers, funders, and other stakeholders to think about the opportunities and challenges of synthetic biology from many perspectives. The report accompanying the roadmap has a number of important insights (IMHO) and did seem to result in the national synergy in synbio that the UK is now experiencing.
Given the current status of organizing in the US and the need to develop a more coordinated framework, one might consider something like a spoke-and-hub model for getting there. In a sense, this is what Synberc is. The universities are bound together loosely by Synberc. The colleges and their investigators are free to pursue independent projects and even engage in cooperative competition, yet they can leverage Synberc infrastructure for thinking about "problems of the commons". These include strategic roadmapping, responsible innovation, education and workforce development, industry liaison (e.g., creating a one-stop shop for industry members to interact with leaders of the field), addressing intellectual property concerns, metrology and standards, communications & advocacy (enabling the community to speak with a common voice), and simply building community through regular symposia and workshops. Given the proliferation of "communities of practice" across the U.S. in synthetic biology, an elastic organization may be the only kind that can accommodate such a wide range of researchers and organizations.
On July 13, 2013 the U.S. Supreme Court issued their decision in Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc. Naturally, this decision has sparked much discussion amongst the synthetic biology research community. What does this decision mean with regard to the patentability of synthetic constructs created from natural DNA sequences? Does this decision mean that the information contained within DNA sequences is patentable? And, ultimately, how will this decision affect innovation in synthetic biology?
It is important to keep in mind that the court limited their decision to only one inquiry under U.S. patent law: Does isolated DNA or cDNA constitute patentable subject matter under 35 USC 101? The short answer is: NO for isolated DNA based on natural sequences, and MAYBE for cDNA molecules - see end of first paragraph, page 17.
The court specifically expressed no opinion whether cDNA satisfies the other requirements for patentability such as novelty (35 USC 102), non-obviousness (35 USC 103), and enablement/definiteness (35 USC 112) - see footnote 9.
As is typical of U.S. Supreme Court decisions, the full impact will be become more apparent as the lower courts interpret this decision in subsequent cases. While we may not yet have answers to all of our questions, we do have more certainty today than we did before.
What we know for sure is that this decision renders invalid any claim with the structure "isolated DNA having SEQ ID NO: 1"
Synthetic biology is often referred to as "the field of the future," the foundation of a "third industrial revolution" that will change the way we produce fuels, materials, medicines, as well as the way we produce knowledge of biological systems. But while the self-consciously revolutionary language of synthetic biology declares a change of the industrial status quo, the metaphors we rely on are explicit references to the successful revolutions of past industrial technologies.
The term synthetic biology echoes the successes of synthetic chemistry, while the guiding concept of standardization in genetic components is modeled on 19th century standardization of interchangeable parts. Industrial metaphors mix further as we climb the abstraction hierarchy; genetic parts are assembled to fit into a cellular chassis, creating logic gates and circuits that can compute biological information, leading to the control of cellular factories.
These metaphors help us to understand how an industrial revolution might emerge from a biology lab, showing a possible path from ideas to industry. Like the "horseless carriage," perhaps the analogies of living cells to computers give us a sense of familiarity with a technology whose potential we have not yet fully grasped. Industrial metaphors have long played a role in how we understand biology and the human body, from Fritz Kahn's 1927 paintings of "Man as Industrial Palace" to analogies between brains and computers. By referencing the products and methods of previous industrial revolutions, synthetic biology aims not only to aid understanding but also to demonstrate the future potential of the field. These metaphors draw the projected lines of Moore's exponential increase as strands of DNA, imagining analogous and expanding industries based on carbon and sunlight rather than silicon and fossil fuels.
How will this revolutionary transition happen? What conditions are necessary to foster such a change? As synthetic biology is largely still a laboratory rather than industrial enterprise, perhaps Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, can provide a useful framework for understanding the structure of the promised techno-scientific-industrial revolution of synthetic biology. Based on his analysis of the history of chemistry and physics, Kuhn argues that the evolution of scientific knowledge proceeds by punctuated equilibrium — periods of "normal science" interrupted by scientific revolutions, paradigm shifts that change the nature of the questions being asked and the "puzzles" being solved. Paradigms shift after the accumulated weight of unexpected results becomes too large, when facts that don't fit the model begin to open new questions and when the "failure of existing rules is the prelude to a search for new ones."
Some of the failures of modern industry are explicit starting points for synthetic biology projects, like engineered bacteria that can sense or consume industrial pollutants, but norevolution can address all the failures of the paradigms that came before. For scientific revolutions, Kuhn writes, "To be accepted as paradigm, a theory must seem better than its competitors, but it need not, and in fact never does, explain all the facts with which it can be confronted." What problems can synthetic biology solve and what problems are missed, outside of the paradigmatic umbrella of biotechnology? What new problems might arise with a biology-based industrial revolution?
These are difficult and important questions with no clear answer, questions that we ask ourselves when we talk about risk, implications, and outcomes of new technologies. But perhaps there is a deeper question that emerges when we look at synthetic biology through a Kuhnian lens: by working to solve the problems of current industry, replacing or cleaning up after polluting chemical factories with microscopic cellular factories, are we simply replicating the old paradigm with a biological tint? Are we talking revolution while just solving puzzles?
Industrial metaphors for biological systems are being inverted, but the industrial paradigm remains: "Man as Industrial Palace" becomes "Industrial Palace in a Cell." How can a biologically driven industry change these metaphors, change the way we make things and the way we do things that takes biology on its own terms, that changes the paradigm through which we see the world?
Within synthetic biology, programs that I've been involved with such as Synthetic Aesthetics and the Synthetic Biology Leadership Excellence Accelerator Program (LEAP)--sponsored by Synberc's Practices thrust--are efforts to integrate new questions, metaphors, and paradigms into the research goals and visions of synthetic biologists. Synthetic Aesthetics joins artists and designers with scientists and engineers to consider not just implications of the products of synthetic biology but to reconsider what those products might be—the metaphors that we use to understand and design nature. LEAP has different but complementary goals, bringing together scientists and engineers in academia and industry with experts from policy, ethics, economics, and law and providing a space to creatively consider what it would mean for synthetic biology to work in the public interest.
Both programs encourage those involved with synthetic biology to think beyond existing paradigms, both in science and industry. Conversations like these may help us to push beyond the industrial metaphors that we depend on when we talk about the potential of synthetic biology, providing us with new paradigms that can be truly revolutionary.
Tune into Christina's regular blog at Scientific American.
It's a particularly exciting time for synthetic biology and for developments in intellectual property law. Advances in the engineering of biology are deepening our understanding of how biological systems work and leading to new applications that could help promote human health and preserve the environment. At the same time, tremendous advances in patent law are changing the way in which innovators seek protection for their intellectual property rights.
The sweeping reforms to U.S. patent law brought about by the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act have created new opportunities and challenges for the synthetic biology research community. On March 16th of this year the U.S. transitioned to a "first-inventor-to-file" priority system for patents, which is more aligned with the patent laws of other countries and will impact the strategic choices made by synthetic biology researchers seeking patent protection for their inventions.
Other exciting changes to U.S. patent law include crowdsourcing the examination of patent applications as well as broadening public participation in the post-grant review of issued patents. These changes open up new possibilities for the synthetic biology research community to engage with the U.S. patent system and help ensure that patent protection is awarded only for inventions that truly merit a 20-year grant of monopoly rights.
Court decisions affecting the interpretation of patent laws also may impact innovation in synthetic biology. One case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court – Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc. – addresses the patentability of isolated DNA and cDNA molecules. While the Myriad case specifically focuses on DNA derived from human genes, the decision could shed light on the patentability of synthetic DNA derived from natural sources. Oral arguments for the Myriad case are scheduled to take place on April 15th.
Another case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court – Bowman v. Monsanto, Inc. – examines whether patent holders can enforce their patent rights on the products of self-replicating technologies after an authorized sale. The Bowman case is specifically looking at seeds from genetically modified plants, but self-replicating technologies abound in synthetic biology and the decision could impact the commercial development of useful products and constructive applications of synthetic biology. Oral arguments for the Bowman case were held on February 19th and a decision is expected by June.
Here at Synberc, we are focusing on how property rights can best be applied and adapted to promote innovation in synthetic biology. We're conducting a survey of the enabling technologies of synthetic biology so that we and others can systematically investigate the property rights associated with these technologies. We're also developing a portfolio of options that will explore possible legislative changes as well as policy initiatives and community actions to more effectively work within the existing patent-based legal framework. We anticipate these options will not present a complete solution for all the property rights issues encountered in the emerging field of synthetic biology, but instead will serve to inform and contribute to broader discussions about the optimal use of property rights to promote innovation in synthetic biology and biotechnology, more generally.
Linda Kahl, Ph.D., J.D.
Legal Scholar, Synberc
Hello and welcome to our blog! Here you'll find informative opinion pieces about a range of issues in the field of synthetic biolgy, researcher profiles, and helpful resources in the form of both videos and text. Please join us here each week for commentary created by and for members of our community.
Stay tuned for Linda Kahl's blog next week, where she discusses U.S. patent law reform and current U.S. Supreme Court cases that may impact the ways in which DNA might be patented, as well as whether patent holders can enforce their patent rights on the products of self-replicating technologies after an authorized sale.
Also on deck is a blog from Christina Agapakis on the impact of Synberc's Leadership Excellence Accelerator Program.
If you'd like to contribute a posting, please contact Kevin Costa (email@example.com) for submission guidelines. We're looking forward to hearing from all of the voices in our community!
Jay Keasling
Director, Synberc


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Act of Kindness Ideas:
Here are some inspiring Act Of Kindness Ideas:
"The greatest distance is not from here to the moon, it is from one human heart to another. That's the space we really need to cross."
– Sita
In the spirit of "leaving the world a better place than we found it," we apply a "humanistic twist" to this idea in that we try to leave the last person we interacted with, happier than we found them. Not only is it beautifully meaningful to connect at the heart level with others and experience this human exchange of kindness and goodness, it's also inspiring and fun!
For this reason, we recommend that you make a commitment to perform an Act of Kindness each and every day. They should be simple and easy to perform and we do them anonymously whenever possible.
Can you imagine what our world would be like if billions of people did this each and every day? If the idea inspires you, please consider trying this: Do an Act of Kindness each day for 30 days and see how it shifts your own personal energy. We hope you are inspired to join us in contributing to the powerful, positive energy of love, kindness, goodness and beauty in our world.
Below are some examples of Acts of Kindness that are easy to do on a daily basis:
(Some of the ideas involve spending or giving away money – please only choose those ideas if it is not a financial hardship on you to do so):
Leave a greeting card with a handwritten uplifting personal message on a stranger's doorstep or car windshield for them to find when they return (perhaps even tell them what you are doing and why and that you genuinely wish them a happy and wonderful day).
Put some money in a public place for someone to find (this is one of our favorites – it's so fun to do!) Whatever denomination of money you can leave is fine (the amount is not the point).
If you see a person carrying a heavy load, help them with it.
Gather up any jackets and/or blankets you no longer use and distribute them to homeless people you pass by in the winter time.
Pay for the order of the person behind you in a drive-thru line or at another table at a restaurant (this is a great one because three people get to enjoy the energy of this; you, the recipient of your kindness AND the person taking your order – try it and you will see how amazing it feels!)
Help someone load their groceries into their car. Explain to them that you try to perform an Act of Kindness each day and today THEY are your recipient!
If a person appears lost or confused, warmly approach them and ask them if they need some assistance.
Feed someone's expired parking meter so they don't receive a parking ticket.
Genuinely smile (as big a smile as possible) and say a heartfelt "Good Morning!" (afternoon/evening) to a passerby.
Give a flower (or a whole bouquet of flowers) to a stranger (or leave flowers or a small potted plant on someone's doorstep – maybe even with a note that the flowers are simply an Act of Kindness from a stranger who hopes the flowers brighten their day).
If you interact with any strangers (such as a clerk at a grocery store, bank teller, bus driver, doorman, security guard, etc.) start up a conversation with them asking how they are doing. Genuinely listen to them and be positive and upbeat in your conversation while keeping it focused on them (not you). Make them feel special and that someone cares and is listening to them.
Keep individual water bottles and/or energy bars in your car and pass them out to people you encounter on the street who appear to be in need.
If you see a person in need near a restaurant you are going to, buy a meal for them (if you feel so inclined, approach them before you go in, tell them you would like to buy them a meal and ask them what they would like to have).
Tell someone in your life what you sincerely admire about them.
Compliment a complete stranger on their haircut or hair color or an article of clothing they are wearing that you really do like (it's incredible how much this lifts their spirits – most especially because it came "out of the blue" from a stranger).
If someone in line next to you at a convenience store (or anywhere) is a little short in having enough money to pay for their order, generously offer the amount of money needed (it is usually not much at all and makes everyone involved feel great about the Act of Kindness).
If you receive excellent service from someone, take the time to tell their manager (this is one of those Acts that all three people benefit from).
Here are wonderful Acts of Kindness ideas we've received from some of our subscribers. We hope they inspire you as they have us!
Reprinted with the generous permission of www.HelpOthers.org:
"Introduce yourself to new neighbors who have just moved in and welcome them to the neighborhood. Maybe even bring them a small welcome gift."
– Sharon, Los Angeles, CA
"Do something surprising and special for a loved one – like bring their favorite dessert home, tell him or her a quality about them that you appreciate, or just give them a hug and a smile just "for being you."
– E. Beall, Kauai, Hawaii
"Hold the door for someone coming in and out of a building, or elevator door, too. Yield to cars trying to change lanes or merge onto the road, rather than speeding up to fill an open space. Alternately, if someone lets you into an open space, make sure to wave and thank them. Mow the grass in that strip of road or area that no one ever seems to take care of. Pick up that neighbor you see walking from the bus stop and take them home. (I have actually done this a couple of times – there is an older woman I would see walking from a bus stop. I have picked her up a couple of times, especially when the weather is bad). Bring newspapers to someone's doorstep when you see them on the driveway. Pick up trash/litter along the road. Offer the dog (& walker!) some water when they walk by. Make dinner or lunch for a friend or neighbor who just had a baby or is going through a tough time. Many of these are done without anyone ever seeing you do it. And if you have your children join you in these acts of kindness, you will help bring that next generation into the same happiness and fulfillment you get from doing kind things for others – even when they don't realize it."
– Laura, Washington DC
"Clean the lobby or laundry room in your apartment building. Get to the office early with muffins – leave them in the snack room or put them on your co-workers' desks. Put one on your desk, too and act surprised. Check your friends' wish lists on Amazon and buy them something they want, but don't tell them. Give compliments! Tell someone how nice they look, that you like their perfume (if you do) – or aftershave." – Jenny, Los Angeles, CA
"Give someone a compliment on their appearance but only if you mean it. Open the door for people and wait until everyone exits or enters a building. Let someone take your stand-by seat on a flight. Mow your neighbor's lawn or shovel their snow when they aren't home. Bake desserts and bring them to your neighbors."
– K.M., Chicago, IL
"Offer to bring a shopping cart back for someone in the store parking lot to save them the trip. Bring your neighbor's trash can from the curb to the house for them. Shovel someone's walkway when it snows along with yours. Buy extra tissues/paper towels/hand sanitizer/school supplies and give them to a school (they are always in need of these items). Ask your neighbor if they would like to have their dog walked since you are already walking yours. Buy a dozen roses and put them 1 by 1 on people's car windshields. Put an inspiring note, poem, or Bible verse on someone's car."
– Amanda M., Bigfork, MT
"Let someone go ahead of you in line. When you go out to eat, give a BIG tip for great service. Make a point of telling a manager at a restaurant and/or store when you have received good service from an employee. Compliment someone on their dress/shoes/shirt/jewelry. Tell a friend/family member what you appreciate about them the most or what kind of an impact they have had on your life."
– Angie VS., Silver Spring, MD
Here are some wonderful acts of kindness that were performed by several members who wrote in to the inspiring website HelpOthers.org. Each act was submitted by a different person. As you will see, it's really easy to get creative with spreading kindness!
"This lady was walking through my neighborhood on such an extremely hot day, realizing there are no bus stops within 5 miles, I made a u-turn and gave her a ride to her destination…A man held the door for me at a local coffee shop, he was so perky, I bought him a cup of tea…I forwarded a letter that had gone astray and paid the extra postage!…I emptied the house – books, DVDs, etc. Advertised to come and take what you want and leave a donation in the bucket for a local charity…I heard of a competition that I knew I would definitely get a prize so I entered and put down a friend's name and address so that they will get the prize. And it's chocolate!…I encouraged a guy to come out of his love failure. :)…I picked lemons from my mom's lemon tree and gave them away – someone is going to have delicious fresh lemonade for Father's day!…I took a senior citizen grocery shopping; she was not feeling well enough to drive herself…Last night I helped some foreigners exchange some money into my country's currency and then my sister and I led them to a hotel. They were lost and didn't speak the language…I lent out a very expensive canopy to someone in need…I replaced a drummer in a band that needed one! :)…I put a dollar inside a book that I returned to the library-for either the library people or the next reader to find."
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Ages 3-8
Set in Detroit during the Civil Rights Movement, this movie tells the story of a brave 10-year-old African-American girl whose imagination and creativity reinforce her optimism. This movie touches on the national events that happened during the civil rights movement in a story appropriate for younger kids.
Martins Big Words is a video read- aloud of the popular children's book. It is rich with pictures and not too long, perfect for younger kids. It specifically honors the work of Martin Luther King Jr.
This full-length animated movie is a bit dated, but it is a great story about a boy who travels back in time to when Martin Luther King Jr. was alive, and witnesses several historic moments. It is a great way to introduce younger kids to the events of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life.
This Disney movie tells the true story of Ruby Bridges, the African-American girl who helped to integrate the all-white schools of New Orleans. At age 6, she was the only girl to come to an all-white school where she faced a mob of angry white people every day. Her strength and determination in the face of over it racism is an inspirational story of a little girl breaking down racial barriers.
Ages 8-12
Sure, it's a sappy feel-good musical, but it also has a storyline of civil rights as a popular dance show attempts to integrate. There is a beautiful song in the show with a montage of moments of the civil rights movement, and fighting prejudice is a recurring theme in the movie.
Ages 12 and over
Any other movies that you know about that I've missed? If so, link them up in the comments!


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Here is where you will find our course documents like your syllabus, procedures, and other forms that you may need to refer to.
Make sure you read over the entire syllabus. The only part that I need from you is the final page which is the Syllabus Acknowledgement Form, which you will print out, sign, and return to me. Both you and a parent/guardian need to fill out this part of the form for it to be accepted.


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UN chief launches major projects in Kenya
from MARIA MACHARIA in Nairobi, Kenya
NAIROBI – UNITED Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, will be in Kenya to launch some major events in the East African country, his office disclosed.
On Thursday, alongside President Uhuru Kenyatta, he will inaugurate the
first Ministerial Forum on Sustainable Transport in Africa as well as the
pioneering global media campaign to end female genital mutilation.
The former is the largest gathering of African Ministers of Transport and
It will be held at the United Nations Complex in Nairobi.
The UN Environment Programme, in corporation with UN-Habitat and the World Bank, is organising the event the Government will host.
Following the event, Ki-moon will launch a pioneering global media
campaign entitled End Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), accompanied by
Cabinet Secretary for Devolution and Planning, Anne Waiguru.
The campaign recognizes the crucial role of the media in raising awareness
about this issue.
– CAJ News
Short URL: http://cajnewsafrica.com/?p=2232


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Reviewed by Desere
Someone's death is never really our fault but yet sometimes you do blame yourself or another, even though deep down inside you know it not to be true. The real regret comes when having to learn to live with you actions or accusations.
The new Abby Green read shows how two people learn to live with their actions of guilt, despair, anger, hurt and ultimately regret and love found. The read is about Valentina years ago her brothers best friend Gio's actions caused her brother Mario's death and she vowed never to forgive him or to ever let herself love someone that can be ripped away from her in a heartbeat.
However the time comes for her to swallow her pride and ask the wrap-your-legs-around-me-and-I'll-help-you-to-fly Gio for help when she realises she has no one else to turn to.
Gio immediately jumps at the opportunity after all she might hate him for her brothers death but at least he can help in any way he can think of, as for seeing the only woman that has always been the one fuel to his soul but also off limits, in pain and distress is something he cannot stand by and watch.
But very soon a series of revealing secrets open up old wounds from the past and the author shows just how much the past being revealed can possibly destroy a perfect future.
The characters of Gio and Val were both written perfectly and so well it was as if they were going to leap from the pages any minute, I could feel and touch their every emotion, feel their pain and suffer along with their heart ache.
I loved that the characters were both so very different from what the author has given me as reader before Val had a lot and I really mean a lot of pent up anger only she was directing the anger at Gio instead of herself, the author revealing the final mystery as to why completely took me aback and I was in total amazement, I truly did not see the truth coming. Normally we find a heroine that is in touch with her own feelings and accepting them instead of burring them until the point where it comes into perspective for her.
Gio, ah poor, tortured, lost and found Gio was absolutely the perfect hero, but again different from what I have read before, it is not often I find a hero attempting to rid the world of his presence at any and every given opportunity. No usually they want to make themselves known especially to the woman who they simply must have.
The backdrop setting was exquisitely depicted by the author, she let the isolation of of Gio's soul blend in perfectly with the area of Syracuse and his Castello. But the author also gave me as reader the painful moments of heart ache as she took us back in time to a fateful day and also the excitement from the action at the racetrack.
The dialogue was spectacular, the author used her words to really get deep to the heart of the matter at hand and let each and every word draw me deeper and deeper into wanting to learn the truth and get to what lies beneath.
This author's books have always been a favourite of mine but this time she has more than outdone herself, it was if she loaded this book of hers with so much more emotion, passion and a deeper meaning of life into it all, that I found myself not only crying but truly wishing I could step inside the world of Gio and Val and help them reach their happy ending.
And if you know Abby's books you will also know that she laces her sex scenes with blazing red hot passion, and this time around it was no different but even better, the absolutely incredible care taken during Gio and Val's first sexual encounter is guaranteed to bring any woman to her knees and instantly forgive this hero anything, yes ladies the man is that amazing and considerate unlike some hero's from these books that sometimes have no finesse and tend to just go through motions to get to the end and the ultimate satisfaction.
There is also no way I will ever be able to really look at a bike and not think of this book, Abby that bike ride was a gorgeous touch! This is without a doubt the best book ever written by this author.
I highly recommend this read for all fans of Abby Green but also if you have never tried a romance book this is the one that will change your outlook and you will never be able to turn back, you will be as myself begging for the next one to be penned by a truly remarkable, phenomenal author guaranteed to bring you a best seller each and every time.
5/5 star review
"Erasing the quilt of the past one heart soul searing kiss at a time"
Reviewed by Nancy Crocker
I have been a fan of Abby Green's for a number of years and she does not disappoint with her latest release. In A Shadow of Guilt, Giacomo Corretti "Gio" lost his best friend Mario Ferranti seven years ago in a tragic accident when Mario decided to ride Black Star, an out of control horse belonging to Gio
Valentina Ferranti had a crush on Gio from a very young age. And that crush turned to love at the age of seventeen. But after her brother's accident she blamed Gio and her love soon turned to hate. As you read deeper into this gripping novel you soon learn why Valentina feels guilty over the death of her brother, but I do not want to spoil it for readers.
Even though Gio did not force Mario to ride Black Star, Giacomo Corretti has felt the guilt of his best friend's death. My heart just went out for this character. Not feeling like you are worthy enough for love. Imagine losing your best friend but also losing touch with Mario's parents who you had grown to love also.
After seven years these two come face to face at what is supposed to be the wedding of the century. Valentina turns to Gio after his Aunt Carmela slanders her name and her business suffers. Gio soon hires Valentina to cater the Corretti Cup Race, but he also saves her father after he suffers a heart attack.
This story has a little bit of everything including forgiveness, understanding, passion and love. I really loved the first time that Gio and Valentina made love. It was very special.
Here is the complete list for anyone wanting to follow the series.
A Legacy Of Secrets by Carol Marinelli
An Invitation To Sin by Sarah Morgan
A Shadow Of Guilt by Abby Green
An Inheritance Of Shame by Kate Hewitt
A Whisper Of Disgrace by Sharon Kendrick
A Facade To Shatter by Lynn Raye Harris
A Scandal In The Headlines by Caitlin Crews
A Hunger For The Forbidden by Maisey Yates
5/5 Stars
Abby Green's A Shadow of Guilt is the third installment from the fantastically crafted Corretti mini-series.
We meet Gio, the youngest of the Corretti's. Horses were always the center of his world. Gio is haunted by his past. Many years ago his best friend Mario, who had everything to live for, died riding one of his horses. The fault is being laid at his feet by Mario's family, by himself and by Mario's little sister Valentina. Horses eventually become Gio's life and he's now the owner of the racecourse that holds the famous annual Corretti Cup.
Horses have eventually become Gio's life many years after his best friend died as a result of a horse riding accident and a fault that is being laid at his feet by himself and by his best friends little sister Valentina.
7 years later they cross paths again. Both are completely shocked at seeing each other. Valentina still vehemently blames Gio for her brothers death. The pain still feels so real it was as if it all happened yesterday. She's watched Gio grow from strength to strength while her life has slowly fallen apart. Valentina ends up blackening her name with Gio's aunt who refuses to pay her for the catering at Alessandro's failed wedding. Valentina swallows her pride and begs Gio for a job. Gio instantly gives her the job of catering for the Corretti Cup. Being in such close circles opens up a whole world of trouble, a whole world of feelings and emotions and a whole world of pain. All the ingredients that gives me another amazing story from the incredibly talented Abby Green.
I absolutely loved A Shadow of Guilt. I couldn't put it down. It was another Abby Green winner. She is so talented at crafting stories full of emotion with just the right mix of everything! I was completely caught up in Gio's emotional story, I felt Valentina's pain of having no choice in being so close to Gio and the tears welled when Gio and Valentina finally faced the past. I enjoyed the emotional dance of Gio and Valentina and as each revelation about the past is revealed another small barrier is broken and when Gio and Valentina finally decide to make a story of their own their two worlds combust. Gio's point of views aided the story and helped shape who he was. The dialogue was brilliant with not a wasted word and I loved the imperfections Gio had. The imperfections along with the loss of his best friend helped show why he lived in almost isolation. Valentina was a brave soul who is also haunted by her brother death and reemerging in Gio's world has thrown her sideways, there's more about the past that she needs to face than meets the eye.
Delights include the appearance of Sheikh Nadim and his lovely wife Iseult from Breaking the Sheikh's Rules, the appearance of Angelo Corretti from book 4 when he's at the race track betting against Gio's horse and Carmela Corretti getting her just deserts.


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NewHope has a growing congregation reaching out to the Persian community in our region.
We are helping them to know God & to share the new blessed life in Christ, equipping them in the grace & truth of Jesus Christ to reach out to others in Melbourne & overseas by the power of Holy Spirit.
Persian Pastor: Sam Farbod
Persian Worship Service: Sundays 1pm - 3pm
Persian Bible Study group: Tuesdays 7 - 8:30pm
Discipleship Course (translated into Farsi): Sundays 3 - 4:30pm and Thursdays 6:30 - 8pm
To contact us fill out the form or reach us on social media!
Copyright 2017
NewHope Baptist Church
All Rights Reserved.


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An augmented reality (AR) application to help you explore places and DiscovAR™ the unseen.
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In some places the past melds nicely with the present while in many places it is difficult to recognise your location the way it once was. Relish the challenge of merging time and place and explore Dunedin at your own leisure, 24/7:-
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Come visit, play & enjoy!


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Is it genuinely as simplistic as several would have you think? You've detected the regime if you're thin and deprivation to increase weight: Eat six meals a day (preferably spaced not more than 2 to 3 hours apart), hoist "heavy" (preferably bilobate exercises), do weight lifting iii nowadays a week, don't do cardio, shovel fallen mega calories, change place as teensy as thinkable... yadda, yadda, yadda.
For the lean among you: How's that in working condition out? Are you effort big and strong? Or is the torpidity you consciousness from too tons calories merely outweighed (no pun) by the realization that your muscles are motionless short patch your waistline begins expansion? That's not a apposite roadworthy to be on; allow me - I've been at hand and done it.
So what do you condition to bend that around? Well, many favourable guidance supported on physiological distinctions mightiness be a nice arrival. The advice you've been effort is so simplistic you'd consider the "experts" out there are presumptuous you're a Neanderthal. Think in the order of it: Eat more matter... eat valid repeatedly... help actual starchy... have forty winks a lot... kind positive you don't do without workouts - afterwards you'll "gain weight".Post ads:
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First of all, get the opinion out of your boss that you condition to "gain weight" and open driving it den that you stipulation to 'build muscle'. Does this blare look-alike just a comedy on semantics? Not by a extended colorful. The superficial advice stating you inevitability to cart in more calories than you burn off is the direction for fat increase. That's what fat associates (I state a ex one) are inadvertently doing. I don't consideration how underweight you are; decorous fat will not get you more than dates or renown from your married person or monumental new. It won't create you more than emphatic. Nor will it rearrange active knack or your artistry in defensive yourself when actually threatened. Those are all things that are helped by having big, strong, curvy, contoured muscles concerted beside a shrivelled article.
So let's opposition the manoeuvre of acquirement muscle next to acquirement fat by immersion on a squash of largeness you'd impoverishment to add to the perhaps undersized body part of your pectorals. You cognize if you can retributory "gain weight" in your pecs, you'll be larger. So what do you do? Why, a chest elbow grease of class. And you trademark convinced to use big lobate cardiovascular exercise same counter pinch because that's what the experts speak about you will erect magnitude... and weight. You as well guarantee that your striated muscle don't get off undemanding - ambitious yourself next to depth of endeavour that leaves your pectus neighbourhood nearly out of action next to pain for the side by side brace of years.
You cognize it's those central days subsequent to the exertion during which opening out occurs. If you've worked your body part muscles suitably to enthuse adaptation, the contracted body part of the myofibrils will have been destroyed. This tissue is comprised of two protein filaments; simple protein and globulin. When you allow those filaments to fully acquire from the damage, they pull your socks up compensative tissue that's confusable to defect body part on a buffalo hide gash. If you tough grind those muscles any event anterior to that counteractive protein tissue woman constructed, it's somewhat approaching yield rat tissue off a buckskin coiled. And rightful as output a rat off a slash will set subsidise its healing, so will compatible a muscle any event antecedent to its laden and 'adaptation-inclusive' recuperation. This is the counter-productive playscript that's supreme often the cause of workout plateaus.Post ads:
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The stuffed healing of your pecs will issue a specialised magnitude of time, calories, and bodily force. The amount depends on how much overexploit was through with. Yes, it requires a sinewy indefinite quantity of macromolecule and a few calories above your non-bodybuilding maintenance levels. However, it will not income plop any faster lately because you stuffed trailing a 1000 further calories present if all your thing needful was a hundred extramural calories for patch up worldly and strength. In fact, processing overabundance calories can be an debilitating project for your article - potentially robbing it of the critical physical phenomenon it needs for filament mend. Can anyone say "food coma"?
But what does the "bulk-up" group suggest you do? First of all, they update you that you obligation to "gain weight" instead of 'build muscle'. Then they speak about you that in that are active 3500 calories in a smash of "body weight". Then they enlighten you to bear in 500 calories a day preceding your upkeep levels so you can put on a pulverize a period of time. And if you end up not golf shot on this weight, they routinely say it's because you're not consumption sufficient.
Exactly what charitable of "weight" are we chitchat give or take a few here?
Imagine that brick of pectoral contractile organ you're wearisome to add. You've devastated your safe on Monday and you're preparation to hit it over again on Friday. When Friday rolls around, you inadvertently go to the gym beside "myofibril blackleg tissue" a bit than fully recuperated and altered pectoral muscles. You hit your chest next to other elbow grease because you consistency fully unafraid next to the certainty that you're drinking your nonarbitrary 500 or 1000 spare calories per day.
But your dissolved trailing contractile organ body part will increasingly lonesome grab what calories it desires for the painstaking system of convalescence. It doesn't push quicker near the route a short time ago because in attendance are not needed calories grant. Now you've of late set your safe contractor recovery far backwards and your thing has all the joy of processing a thicket of calories that were perchance excess.
And what if those bonus calories get deposited as fat? Well, consequently the "bulk-up experts" will transmit you that you've gained fat weight that was indispensable for golf stroke on the muscle weight. However, if your body part convalescence keeps going in the mistaken direction, you won't increase much muscle weight - if any. You will have succeeded at "gaining weight", but it will be the soft that causes your strongbox to snap when you run toward a final elevator movable barrier or a exploit total admission money at the aerodrome. Anyone who sees my 'before picture' on my website can verbalizer the generous of coffer weight to which I'm referring.
So how come up all 'how to gain weight' piece looks the same? I'm not positive. But I can support you that this one is diametrical than peak.


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This is a guest post by Amy Gutman. Amy is a writer, lawyer and journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, Salon, the Huffington Post, and The New York Law Journal to name a few. She is the author of two suspense novels, Equivocal Death and The Anniversary (Little, Brown & Company) and served as a speechwriter for former dean of Harvard Law School (and now U.S. Supreme Court Justice) Elena Kagan. Among her many eclectic interests, Amy has now added blogger to her resume. Here she eloquently contemplates her next move.
Amy recently contacted us as part of our outreach for 52 Writers for 52 Weeks. A recent blog entry she wrote really hit a chord with the52weeks.com — and we are excited to share it with you. You can read more of Amy's musings at Plan B Nation.net.
Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things. — Peter F. Drucker
This month's Life Experiment has been a total bust. Except that it's also been a total success. Let me explain.
As some readers will recall, I began this month with the idea that I would take at least one photograph each day. I was interested in how this would shift the way I moved through the world and also viewed it as an opportunity to learn to use a recently acquired but languishing digital camera.
All of this made sense in theory. In practice? Not so much. Here's how it played out.
At the end of a harried Day 1, I snapped a hasty photo with my iPhone. (Better than nothing, I told myself.)
Day 2, same thing.
By Day 3 or 4, I'd forgotten about it. Ditto the days that followed. Until at some point over the next week I realized that this wasn't happening.
My first reaction was to get stressed out over my follow-through failure. What was I going to write this month? What would I say to you readers?
But the more I thought about it, the more I saw another possibility. After all, this was billed as an experiment. No, it hadn't gone off as planned, but that was entirely different from saying that it had been a total loss. I decided—as an experiment—to adopt a different perspective, to detach the experience from the goal and ask what it had to teach me.
Here's what I found:
1. I need to reconnect with my core purpose.
When I embarked on monthly Life Experiments at the start of 2012, my goal wasn't to create yet another to-do list. Rather it was to explore how changing one thing in my life might lead to other unexpected shifts. Over time, I've started to lose track of this, and my "experiments" have come to feel more and more like 30-day Challenges. Be more productive! Just do it! That wasn't what I'd been aiming for, but it's where I ended up. Time for some reflection and retuning.
2. I need to do less, not more.
The reason I wasn't taking photos was very simple. I'm really really busy! Over the past six months, I've gone from struggling to fill my days with meaningful activities to a jam-packed schedule, with freelance deadlines, workshop facilitating, friends, exercise, and life maintenance all vying for time. This is in many ways a good thing, but it also has its own challenges, which I need to find ways to address. (Also: I need to take time to appreciate how far I've come!)
3. I need to do more to infuse my life with playfulness.
I recently wrote about an ah-ha recognition that I need more playfulness in my life. During my time in Plan B Nation, I've taken a lot of pride in my ability to simply carry on, to put one foot in front of the other during hard and uncertain times. There have been days—and not a few—when simply getting out of bed felt like a real accomplishment. It seemed like enough that I could say, in the words of 12-step programs everywhere, that I'd managed to "take the next right action."
But I've come to see that, while this approach can be helpful in times of crisis, it's not (for me) the best approach to life over the long haul. Over the long haul, I want to be happy, not simply to endure. Getting things done is certainly part of a happy life, but it's far from sufficient.
Language plays a big role here: The more I think about this issue, the more aware I am of how the words I use shape the quality of my daily experience. Tool kit. Task List. Marching orders. This is the language of command and control. This is the language that, all too often, I use when I talk to myself (when issuing marching orders).
It doesn't have to be this way.
For example, instead of "next right action" how about "breadcrumbs"? Think fairy tales, think Hansel and Gretel and the trail they left to find their way back home. (Okay, so in the story birds eat the bread, but I still like the metaphor.)
Over the past few years, I've thought a lot about what qualities help us thrive while traveling Plan B Nation (and other psychologically harsh terrains), and it seems to me that one of the most important is the quality of openness. By this, I mean the ability to see alternatives and possibility where we might easily see failure.
In a feature story about famous accidental discoveries, the Daily Beast recounts how the discovery of penicillin came about after Scottish bacteriologist Andrew Fleming noticed that mold had started to grow on some cultures he'd left exposed. Years later, he toured a state-of-the-art medical lab, far cleaner than the one where his scientific breakthrough occurred.
"If you had worked here, think of what you could have invented," his guide remarked.
Fleming's cool response: "Not penicillin."
Posted: 04/30/12 9:35 AM


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.. and we're really sad! We've gotten so used to constantly brainstorming on jelly ideas, filling the upturned jelly mould with weird and zanny things, walking back and forth from the fridge, buying jelly ingredients… you get the idea. Its been a pretty harrowing past month, but we've enjoyed every single minute of it! Plus, the fact that its for a fantastic cause – Breast Cancer Awareness – makes the fun all that much sweeter.
So today, for our big finale, we have….. (drumroll, please)…. PANCAKES!
Yes, that's right. We present conical-shaped pancakes today. Its quite a bit of work, but totally, totally worth it for the final effect…
We used my fail-safe pancake recipe, that's been used for everything from good-luck-go-get-em start of the day boosters to fixing midnight best friend emotional breakdowns!
Rachel's Pancakes
2 cup flour, plus 3 tbsps flour
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk (or, as I do, add a tiny layer of vinegar to full fat milk)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1. Mix eggs, add buttermilk, oil, and the rest of the ingredients (or just blend them all in the blender)
2. Cook them on a wide frying pan with lots and lots of butter! Spoon them out in 1/4 cup amounts (or 1/2 cups depending on how big you like your pancakes)
One thing I like to do in between pancakes to ensure that they don't start getting too black with all the residue hot fat is to wipe down the pan between pancakes.
You can practically smell them, can't you?? We couldn't use the first few because we just kept gobbling them down at first!
No stack better than a pancake stack!
Okay, now for the fun bit….
Basically, because we didn't want to stuff the pancakes into the mould like we did with the Tres Leches cake, we decided to cut it down to small individual sizes to fit the jelly mould! Tedious, but look at my face, we're having fun, as always!
Infinity Pancake! Guess what? There's a Pancake Day, where people race against each other whilst flipping pancakes!!
Well I guess that's all, but first we'd like to say some quick words!
Sophia and I had a fantastic two months interning at Royal Selangor as well, with some of the most amazing, warm, creative and fun people to be around – Carolyn, Anne, Shamaine, Syazana and so many, many other people who put up with our kookiness with great sportiness. We just want to thank everyone, including you, for being so supportive of our little project and to head on over to the Get Your Jelly On page to support the other bloggers, Royal Selangor and maybe even buy a jelly mould for Breast Cancer Awareness!
Rachel and Sophia, who are now off to University and a whole new chapter of their lives!


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In the third quarter, Manning completed a 50 yard pass to Hakeem Nicks. After that play the Giants had to waste a valuable timeout because the offense couldn't make it down the field, huddle and snap the ball. There goes a timeout due to not being able to run 50 yards and get the play off before the play clock expired, ugh! And the last Green Bay Drive couldn't have been any easier, the Giants let them march down the field with virtually no resistance. Even the TV announcer mentioned the Giants defense looked "gassed." You figure with the salary of the players and coaches, they might be disciplined enough to hit the gym, rather than nightclubs in NYC.
You can blame the play calling, the injuries, the coaches or the players for the Giants lackluster season thus far, I'm going to add the strength coach to that list. The Giants need to work on their strength and conditioning game if they are going to have a chance at the playoffs.


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nice concept and song. what do you think of my vid?
(Breathe The Beat) Riddim - Wifey
Breathe The Beat Entry
My Name is Paul McCaskill
Ive Been dancing for about a year now and i have been enjoying every minute of it.
Salah has inspired me in so many ways, and his tutorials have given direction to my dancing. I want to meet Salah more than anything in my life right now, But i must earn it by showing you what i can do. I wish the best of luck to all the other competitors, and no matter what happens, Keep Dancing!
i use all 5 tutorials in my dances
I do not own the rights to this song


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dolichopodid green
Originally uploaded by budak
When it's a long-legged fly or dolichopodid, perhaps. Forget those pesky houseflies that buzz around our dining tables. They thrive largely thanks to the garbage that we so thoughtless leave out in the open, festering under the tropical sun into an irresistable nursery for grubby maggots. And sidestep the thought of vectoric mosquitoes, whose larvae wriggle in man-made puddles and swarm in stagnant pools at construction sites a world away from the fresh and flowing streams of friendlier forests.
Be glad that these parts lack the nasty creatures that plague other equatorial regions. In Africa, tsetse flies transmit Trypanosome protozoans as they suck blood, spreading the eternal slumber of sleeping sickness. The neotropics, as Benito Tan recounted earlier this week at the Linnaean Tercenteneray, boast a less fatal but arguably grosser family, the botflies that lay their eggs in the nostrils and skin of mammalian hosts. The grubs borrow under the epidermis, causing painful lesions that have to be removed surgically (read this account of a poor sod with botfly maggots in his scrotum) unless one desires to observe the imago prying its way out of your balls into the glorious open. Now imagine you were a cricket facing a parasitic Tachinid fly.
The few species that plague mankind with disease and blight are but a minute drop in the world of two-winged flyers. The order Diptera, with 130 families and 122,000 known species, cover almost every conceivable ecological niche, from pollination and predation to decomposition and parasiticism. Probably no terrestrial (and many aquatic) plant species in the world is immune to attack from some member of Cecidomyiidae, the gall midges (5,000+ known species) whose feeding larvae cause prominent swellings in the stems and leaves of their host. Fungus gnats (Mycetophilidae) which number 3,300 strong, target mycorrhizal prey but in the Antipodes, insectivorous members of this family have become a tourist trade that draws gawking visitors into caves for the dubious pleasure of seeing glow-in-the-dark grubs (fireflies, though are not flies but beetles).
In toilets adjacent to forested areas, some small and fuzzy moth-like insects can often be seen on the walls. These are moth-flies (Psychodidae) which are related to the sand flies that bother beachcombers. Robber flies (Asilidae, with 5,000 species) compete with dragonflies for mastery of the airspace, capturing in mid-air flying prey that is stabbed and sucked dry. There are flies that look and behave like bees, mimic wasps, appear remarkably beetle-like, as well as resemble and suck blood like lice. One 250-strong family of wingless, spider-like flies, Nycteribiidae, specialises in the blood of bats. The largest flies of all, the mydas flies (Mydidae), mimic spider-hunting wasps and hoverflies, growing up to 6 cm long with larvae that hunt scarab beetle grubs. And the science of evo-devo and genetics (and more lately, climate change) would have been nigh impossible without the raising and razing of generations of Drosophila fruit flies and their grotesque array of hopeful monsters.
As befits their name, flies are consumate aerial artists. They may sound repulsive and warrant it, laying as they do live larvae onto wounds and body cavities, but flesh flies (Sarcophagidae) are being studied for their vision physiology and neurological processing that allows males to pursue mates at a human equivalent of Mach 1.2. The bee-like hoverflies (Syrphidae) are perhaps the most effortless fliers, darting, pausing and zipping at will in midair like precision drones whose aeronautical secrets defy the dreams of flight engineers.
So flee not from the fly, especially those winged jewels such as the Dolichopodids and Micropezids (the stilt-legged fly pictured on top) that find refuge only in the shade and humid embrace of our few remaining forests. Feeding on smaller insects or fruit, these sparkling flyers bear no ill to anyone and cling to existence by tiny streams and muddy shores untouched by the itchy hands of men. Dainty wings will do no good, however, against the determined wheels of progress that relentlessly roll on without heed to the life-sustaining role of ecosystems and the uncounted costs of their destruction. Where then will man fly to, when the earth is mined to madness and bled dry of its green and growing lungs?


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Tips to Make a Man Fall in Love for You
If you are a woman and you need to make a man fall deeply in love for you, you need to beware of the special things to do for him. Catching the attention of a man that you desire will determine on the techniques that you use when you are spending time together. You need to be aware that there is no specific formula for getting the attention of a man.
You also need to ensure that the connection with him is close so that you learn what he loves to do. Your focus should be on the behaviors of the man and know what you are expected to do so that you establish a good relationship, this explains love. The following are the things you need to do to make a man fall for you.
Be Yourself
When you are trying to make a man fall for you, it is important to be yourself. Being yourself means doing thing the usual way without compromising your dignity or exposing any abnormal behavior. Your personality and character should be real because you will not be doing yourself any favor by pretending to be someone else.
On the same note, it feels comfortable to maintain your normal personality so that you can let the man know you better and fall for you. You might not be able to fake your characters for months before the man realizes you are someone else, this will probably lead to a breakup. You will be able to enjoy a long relationship when you are behaving well about who you are.
Show Confidence
The key to making a man fall in love with you is confident about your personality. You do not have to be playing the man of your desires because you will end up helpless. Your confidence and precision will trap that soul that you have desired for a long time. You will be at risk of when you show signs of discomfort when you are with the man that you who you want.
You need to fight your fears and approach the man while you expect him to respond with an incredible impression. When you like yourself and build confidence, you will be able to get a special soul that is worth to love you.
Good Listener
It is a good thing to be a good listener rather than talking so much to a man, and this will make him fall in love with easily because some men think a woman who is a good listener is worth to love. You need to find a way to control your nerves if you are used to talking incessantly.
Everyone deserves to be heard, but you need to be sure when you are supposed to talk too much so that you do not make the man disappointed with you especially when he is not talkative. You should always give him time to express himself to you, and this will make him fall for you more than you expected.


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Educating the Senate: Hearing to give rookies 'world view'
WASHINGTON (AP) — Five-term Sen. John McCain is taking the Senate to school on foreign policy.
The Senate Armed Services Committee chairman opened his first hearing Wednesday with a warning that threats against the U.S. persist, and he brought in former national security advisers Zbigniew Brzezinski and Brent Scowcroft to talk about it.
"In a speech riddled with unrealistic wishful thinking, President Obama told the nation last night that the 'shadow of crisis has passed.' That news came as quite a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention to what has been happening around the world," McCain said, in some of his first comments as chairman.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, talks with Sen.Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015, before President Barack Obama's State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Through the spring, McCain plans to call former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger, Madeleine Albright and James Baker III. And he's expected to lead more fact-finding trips overseas like the one last weekend to the Mideast, in which six senators toured the region to learn more about Iran's nuclear program.
The political climate, a relatively inexperienced Senate and increasing concerns about terrorism make the panel ripe for a reset of world views, McCain has suggested. The November elections bring a Senate in which 46 of 100 members are in their first term, some with little foreign policy experience.
The elections also put McCain in the committee chairmanship and raised the prospect of pushing back against deficit hawks who have prevailed over defense hawks in recent years, ushering in an era of automatic spending cuts. Called sequestration, the cuts are slated to slice $54 billion from the Defense Department's budget in the budget year that begins Oct. 1.
Canceling sequestration would allow the committee to "develop policy that drives the budget rather than have the budget drive the policy," McCain said in a recent interview.
The new Congress also affords McCain a chance to push back against isolationist foreign policy favored in recent years by some conservatives, such as Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. The rise of Islamic State militants, the possible threat of Iran's nuclear program and the political climate in the U.S. could make the Senate receptive to lessons from the 78-year-old Arizona senator, former Vietnam War prisoner of war and 2008 GOP presidential nominee.
"I think the 2014 election was a rejection of isolationism," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a McCain ally who joined the weekend trek to the Mideast. "We have a moral obligation to replace these defense cuts. These gentlemen and wise people can help make that case."
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The Winnetka Park District Administrative office will close at 3:00 pm on Wednesday, November 23 in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday. The office will reopen on Monday, November 28 at 8:30 am.
If you require any assistance between 3:00-5:00 pm on Wednesday, November 23, please contact the A.C. Nielsen Tennis Center at (847) 501-2065.
Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
Have a happy and active Thanksgiving!


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Terry from Lynchburg, VA
Dear God, Though I have walked in darkness all my life and have begged for deliverance while continuing my sinful ways, You have never given up on me. There has never been a time when I have come to You at the end of my rope and asked for forgiveness and help with a situation that You didn't prove that You are there for me and my family. I now beg You for forgiveness for all my sins and for a renewed faith that will lead me out of the darkness and into a life that You would have me lead. Thank You God for my family and all the blessings You have allowed for us. Thank You for the opportunities to prove my faith (even though I have failed You miserably so many times). Thank You for the awakening and another chance to live a faithful life. In the name of Jesus' I pray, Amen.


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Support Worker
A highly rewarding and varied role as a Support Worker has arisen at our service in Tamworth, Staffordshire (England). As a part of this close knit team you will be providing an essential service to people with learning disabilities. Supporting people with a wide variety of everyday tasks, you will enable them to live as independently as possible in a safe and encouraging environment. We provide full training for all of our staff and will help you gain new qualifications through a programme of nationally recognised care courses.
Because of the nature of our work we are incredibly thorough with our application process to ensure we are constantly safe guarding the wellbeing of the individuals we support. So to help you complete our online application form as quickly and easily as possible, we suggest that you have the following information to hand before you start.
- Your full home address and contact details.
- Your complete employment history, with full start and end dates of all jobs.
- Address and contact details for all previous employers, for reference purposes if needed.
- Full dates for any periods you have been claiming state benefits.
- Full dates for any periods of full-time further education you have done since leaving school.
- Full contact details for at least one personal referee
(we require references for the last two years and also for any care jobs you have done before that)
Please ensure that you fill all sections of the application form in full, or add 'none' or N/A where appropriate. All offers of employment will be subject to receipt of references and an Enhanced Disclosure & barring Service Disclosure, which are satisfactory to Walsingham Support. If you require any help filling out this application form please contact email@example.com and we will be happy to help.
Walsingham Support recognises the benefits of having a diverse workforce and therefore welcome applicants from all sections of the community. In addition to this, under the provisions of the Equality Act 2010, Walsingham Support are required to demonstrate that their recruitment process are fair. We would like to ask you to complete this short questionnaire so that we are able to monitor the effectiveness of our Diversity & Equality Policy. All information on this form will be treated as confidential and will be used for statistical monitoring only.
This form will be detached from your application prior to shortlisting.


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April 9th, 2004 . Managing Male Dominance Behavior
We are a new farm and have read much of your
and find it helpful in training our alpacas. Thanks
for the work you
have done and the help you provide to the alpaca
We do have one issue though that we are not sure how
to handle. We
have three juvenile males together and the 8 month
old will
occasionally mount the 5 month old. I know this is
normal "little
boy†behavior, but we are concerned with the effects
this type of
play will have on his fleece. He is entered in
several shows this
spring and we don't want him all matted. These
three boys (other is
a 13 month old who is small and submissive) play
frequently in very
normal ways, neck wrestling, chasing one another,
etc. They have
plenty of room to run, and we are working with them
frequently on
lead in training for the obstacle classes, so I
don't think it is a
confinement issue. I guess they could just be bored
when no one is
out there and they have only each other to amuse
The other issue that concerns us in all this is
whether the "mounteeâ€
will forever feel subordinate and therefore not make
good herdsire
material. He is very nice conformationally at this
young age, and
his fleece is wonderful, so we don't want to have
him learn behavior
that will cause difficulty later. Ditto for the 8
month old, we
don't want to have him aggressively mounting all
other male alpacas
his whole life. Is there anything we can do to stop
this? We don't
want to separate them now, because they will have to
be together
later and I don't want to cause real fighting
later. They are
friends now, and I want to keep it that way. The
behavior itself
seems in the normal range, so it's probably not
really a huge
problem, but I don't want his fleece ruined. You
can already tell
his rump is starting to mat a little. Any ideas?
I am
glad that my work has been helpful to you with your
alpacas. It
is hard to watch animals work things out. Frequently
if not always
when young males are weaned one of them will emerge
as the dominant
animal and can make life miserable for one or
another of the animals
in the group. Leadership is stressful so don't
assume that the top
dog is having an easier time than the underlings!
Bottom line you
can't control the behavior of young males that live
together unless
you plan to relocate to the barn! Your choices are
to allow them to
establish their own order or to separate them into
ever smaller groups
when they begin to act out. In all likelihood when
you take the
aggressive one out of the mix another one will
emerge to take his
place. Maintaining a number of individual paddocks
rapidly becomes a
management issue and it is appropriate for males to
live together. A
wonderful way to avoid to solve this problem is to
make a practice of
weaning young males into a paddock with an older
bigger confident
no-nonsense gelding who will be the automatic leader
of the group a
gelding llama can also be a good herd leader. It is
a wonderful role
for gelding and I think is much better emotionally
for the young
males. An older gelding will maintain order and will
be the leader so
that one of the youngsters does not have to assume
this role at such a
tender age.
Hope this helps.
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How to choose components
There are a number of manufacturers in the market, each claiming to be the best, giving the same warranty and promising same out put . Not all components of solar system are made by the same manufacturer. We need to have an idea how to measure the real worth of the components used in the solar system.
Panels – The panel manufacturers are of three catogeries. Following factors should be taken into account while choosing a maufacturer.
- The solar cells are made, tested by the manufacturer, not by a third party.
- The solar cells are put together in a weather proof aluminium frame, covered with quality glass.
- Top quality silicon sealant used along the borders of the panel avoiding seapage of rain water.
- The efficiency of solar cells are tested by the manufacturer.
- The manufacturer has R & D facility.
- The manufacturer has long standing track record.
- The manufacturer has strong financial back ground, will remain in business till the end of warranty period.
- Auxilliary parts like MC4 connecters are given free along with panel.
- Voltage meters given complimentary.
- the solar panel should have IEC 61215 certification.
- The manufacturer has a local representation.
Most of the solar panel manufacturers in India make panels by assembling solar cells imported from China,Taiwan and Europe.
Inverter – The component that normally fails in solar sytem is inverter. Following factors should be taken into account while choosing a manufacturer.
- The out-put voltage or capacity of the inverter should be higher than the estimated total out-put of solar panels.
- The company has local representation, providing on-site maintenance service.
- The manufacturer provides warranty for a period of five years.
- The manufacturer has a good track record.
Mounting structure – The mounting structure should be cost effective , yet long lasting. The mounting structure made of galvanised metal is ideal for coastal area. Manufacturers provide warranty of 10 years.