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As I sit to write this blog, after months of total writer's block, I can't help at laugh at the irony of my topic. I have struggled lately to focus my attention long enough to write anything of merit, so ironically today I choose to write about the power of attention. Recently I became aware of a disheartening statistic: the average American only has an average 20 second attention span. That means that at this point in my blog, the majority of people reading will already be off doing or searching something else. Quite disheartening to this former journalism and communications major.
But since I tend to be someone who challenges norms and attempts to change people's common habits and perspectives, hang with me a little longer. Let's dive deeper into this sorry state of Attention Deficit Disorder, a somewhat new (in the past 20 years) diagnosable disorder that has continued to see an upward spike in cases. As society moves to a faster and more immediate need for gratification, we should step back and explore the immense power of the mind.
Our mind is created, according to Ayurveda, of three main energetic qualities; sattva, rajas, and tamas. Sattva, the purest form of creation brings us the qualities of stability, harmony, and virtue of being. Sattva gives us the experience of being content, and is the underlying principle behind our intelligence. Rajas, the second guna of the mind, gives us the quality of distraction, turbulence and activity. It it the energy behind our self-motivation and is the principle of energy. It can create pain and suffering when overly stimulated. Tamas, the third guna, gives the quality of dullness, darkness and inertia. This is the heavy and obstructing energy that contributes to decay and death. Tamas causes illusion and is the principle of materiality. By learning to observe the subtle nuances of our mind, we can then begin to shift from living a life of illusion to one of pure potentiality. We begin to notice how our thoughts take us through an emotional roller-coaster. However, by practicing the art of mind-control and manipulation, we can create the qualities of self-contentment.
Our mind imitates its environment. As people become more accustomed to the speed and frequency of life through technology and instant communication, the mind struggles to keep up with this need for speed. Our mind needs space – visual, inner and cultivated – to give the Self the sense of true freedom. What is true freedom? It is experiencing life as the master of your own power of attention. If you don't claim your own power, someone else will for you. We experience this daily with our media. They decide what is important (well, corporate interests decide, pundits repeat, people listen, and judgement is made. But that is a rant for a different day.), and our mind clings to those opinions and ideas. The instant reporting of "world" events almost never have anything truly relevant to our current life situation, yet they have an incredible power to create a deep sense of fear. Suddenly we find ourself living a rushed life, competing with time, making decisions based on fear, and forgetting how to live peacefully.
So how do we cultivate a steady peace of mind? First and foremost, by connecting back with nature. Go outside. Take a walk without your phone. Disconnect for one hour a day, or better yet, one day a week. Choose your friends wisely, and only surround yourself with people of pure heart and intention, whenever possible. If someone exudes negativity in your life, or literally sucks the energy out of you, quietly send positive energy back to them and walk away. Turn off the TV. Don't engage in negative and visceral gossip or "news". Choose your words carefully, and listen more. Most importantly, never give up your independence of judgement. Cultivate your own inner voice and as my esteemed teacher, David Frawley says, "never let someone else's thoughts, judgements or perception into your ind who you wouldn't let into your home."
As we teach ourselves, and most importantly our children, how to slow down and cultivate kindness, we may find that our self-fulfilling prophecy of attention deficit disorder is created by our lifestyle, not our genetics. If we slow down, find gratitude in everything, and give our mind the space it needs to just be, without creating a story with our thoughts, we may find our mind to be like a peaceful and placid lake, where even the largest rock thrown only creates a temporary ripple. And then maybe, just maybe, we might read to the end of the story!
Peace and Namaste… ps….looking for a peaceful all-levels yoga, ayurveda, live music beach retreat? Join me Feb. 27 -March 5 at Maya Tulum Spa and Resort in the beautiful Yucatan Peninsula. Easy flights to Cancun with a shuttle 90 minutes south to Mayan Paradise. Check out my events page on my website or email more for more info. I have a few cabanas still available!!! Photo below is from a local artist from Tulum….
I'll be honest – I don't really think anyone wants to read yet another article about New Year's Resolutions. But I feel I have an obligation to share with you what I learned years ago that has proven time and again to truly work.
Many of us experience plenty of stressful emotions during the holidays for myriad of reasons. We may feel overwhelmed and stressed from travel, company, or excessive shopping; we are nostalgic or depressed for those we may have lost or miss; we feel exhausted and guilty from excessive imbibing and/or the breaking of our routines. Therefore, the chance to redeem ourselves as we turn the calendar to another year gives us hope, and stamina, for a healthier and happier future.
But how many past "resolutions" do you remember making? How many of them did you actually fulfill? The one resolution in my past that I actually remember, and that I have followed through with to this day, was in 1992 when I resolved to quit drinking soda. I was never a huge soda drinker, but living in Atlanta, home to Coca Cola, with an abundance of those adorable little chilled glass bottles in the fridge, I am sure I drank my fare share. I remember my reason for giving up soda was stated something like, "drink more water to improve my health". My then-recent diagnoses of Crohn's disease the previous year had already seriously taken its toll on my health and I was open to whatever I could do to have the upper-hand in my well-being. I believe the success of that resolution came in the way I thought about it and spoke of it – in both the positive and in the present tense. Instead of saying, "I am going to quit soda", I instead stated that "I drink only what nourishes my body and keeps me healthy." Does this mean I never fell off the wagon? Nope. But it did slowly sink in to my sub-conscious, and in a short time, and to this day, I stopped liking the taste of soda.
Positive intentions create a positive reality. A summary of Lao Tzu's teachings stated that "our thoughts become our words; our words become our actions; our actions become our habits; our habits become our character; and our character leads to our destiny." Let that sink in for a moment.
So how do we create true positive intentions that ultimately create our destiny? We use words that are positive, present-tensed, and personal. Instead of pushing our desires into the future, state them as if they are happening now, even if it sounds silly. Do so with a positive spin vs negative. For example, instead of saying "I'm going to stop eating junk food and lose 15 pounds"; rephrase this to say "I will maintain an optimum weight for me by eating only healthy and nourishing foods." See the difference? Keep it personal by stating, for example, "I live in peace by surrounding myself with positive and peaceful people within my environment". This replaces a vague wish for world peace, or a desire to stop being negative all the time. These semantical differences have a large impact on our psyche, which eventually sinks deep into our conscious and creates real change.
Over the years I have practiced and lived by these principles. My life has not unfolded simply or easily, but the dreams and aspirations that I have held close to my heart have come to fruition in more beautiful ways than I could have ever planned or dreamed. I believe we can all use more personal, positive and present-minded thoughts and intentions in our lives. You can't change the past, but you can change the direction of your future. Why not start creating the life you truly want to live now?
ps…If you would like to create a positive vibe through the use of a beautiful universal mantra for peace, join us for Shanti 108. This is a community event practiced in the sanctuary of your own space. A 108 day practice for peace realization. 10 minutes each day consisting of chanting the Om Asatoma Shanti Mantra 8 times and then 8 minutes of stillness as you receive and give the powerful vibratory affect of this mantra in silence.
Click here to hear it chanted by Deva Premal and Miten:
Om Asatoma Sadgamaya – In realization of our infinite peace and connection, I am led from the unreal to the real.
Tamasoma Jyotirgamaya – From the darkness to the light.
Mrutyoma Amritamgamaya – From the poisoin to the nectar.
Om Shanti Shanti Shantihi – Om Peace Peace Peace
The last line repeats the word peace three times to deepen and expand our experience of peace from heart to heaven and everything in between. Peace in your heart, peace in your relationships and community and realization of the universal peace that never ends.
This is a beautiful experience of present, positive and personal intentions for peace. Thanks to Stephanie Adams of Flow Yoga, our community in the Gorge and throughout the world is beginning this today, 1/8/15. You can start anytime!
I love yoga. I love to practice yoga, I really love to teach yoga, and I love how yoga has changed my life. There is no shortage of articles written all over the internet singing the praises of yoga, or, as I lately read in the online publication Elephant Journal, dissing yoga. The most recent controversial article that I read was titled something like "Why I Left Yoga", and it was written by a native of India living in the US. In this dismissive essay the writer takes issue with the Americanization of the ancient practices of Yoga. She makes some valid points (the $100 LuLu Lemon yoga pants…which I have honestly never worn or owned), but most of her reasons focused on what she refers to as the trend of white upper-middle-class women practicing yoga as a trendy entitlement rather than a true holistically beneficial practice. I immediately questioned this classification – what is wrong with people of financial means to feel a deep connection to the ancient and time-tested truths of yoga? Who really cares if a person is so moved by their practice or experience that they choose to have a sanskrit tattoo imprinted on parts of their body? It's not my thing, but I hardly feel the need to judge others' choices. What difference does it make if someone has felt such a resonating truth from the lessons of self-realization that they choose to spend their money on a trip to an ashram in India? We live in a free country, thankfully, and it is one's own prerogative how they choose to live, believe or spend their money.
I do think that yoga in America can feel hip or trendy, and that many studios have become "a scene" like a new club in Brooklyn might be "a scene". But that is what makes America so diverse and interesting. Just as the sub-continent of India is home to an incredible variety of beliefs, religions, and languages, so too is this country. Just because people with financial means are flocking to their local studio, or planning their next vacation to a yoga retreat, doesn't mean that their practice, or their journey, is any less meaningful or justified as the single mom on a limited income wage. In actuality, many communities have studios, gyms, churches and outreach programs that offer yoga for free, or for donation, to those who want to learn the art of stress-relief and mind-mastery through the practice of yoga. Do all studios follow the principle of seva, or service? Of course not. This isn't a perfect world and not everyone is in the business for altruistic purposes. However, from my experience, most yoga instructors (myself included) teach because they want to help people find a better way to manage their stress, improve their health and live their lives more fully. I don't know many teachers who teach yoga only for financial gain.
So why do I love yoga? I love yoga because it is a practice that anybody can experience anywhere. There are no necessary tools or equipment (a mat and loose fitting clothes are helpful). You only need your intention and your will-power to enter the world of yoga. Of course, there is a learning curve that starts with letting go of a piece of your ego so that you can walk into that first class. Wearing designer clothes, having an understanding of Sanskrit, or bowing down to the archetypes of Krishna, Shiva or the energy of Kundalini are absolutely not required. You just need an open mind, a willing body (ok, maybe only partially willing), and a beginner's attitude. Although I have been practicing for over 16 years and teaching for eight, it still require a willingness, desire, and discipline to stay with it. That doesn't mean that every single day I practice for hours – I don't. It doesn't mean that I expect others to practice specific dietary restrictions or suddenly take a vow of austerity. I don't. I love yoga because ultimately YOU are your best teacher. Only YOU have your life experiences that formed your psyche and your body. Only YOU truly decide what you need and want out of this life.
Practicing yoga requires a letting go of pre-conceived ideas about what poses should look like and how they should feel. It changes day to day, and even from pose to pose, within one session. It's tuning into your inner knowing, that felt-sense of how your body and mind, and most interestingly your breath, responds to challenges. Do you become restrictive and inflexible when things are difficult or out of reach? Or can you allow the tightness, the discomfort, or the heaviness to move through you without clinging to reaction and discomfort? Yoga teaches us to pay attention and to be the witness to how we respond in all situations of life. It is the ultimate metaphor of learning how to navigate life with grace and ease.
Right here, right now, I am loving this. This is my mantra. This is my prayer. This is my song.
This mantra was given to me by my teacher, friend and soul brother, Tom Kelly of Soul of Yoga in Encinitas. He taught me years ago, and continues to this day, that each and every moment is a gift. If you live in the past or constantly worry about the future, you are completely missing the point of life. Yes, we have all heard this before, but how often do you stop the voice in your head and correct the incessant commentary by exclaiming (out loud if you need to), RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW, I AM LOVING THIS!!!! Try it.
Books have explained, ever since the written word, the need to live in the moment and to cherish each and every experience as it comes. However, we humans feel the need to add commentary to everything in order to give ourselves the illusion of control. In his book The Untethered Soul, Michael Singer calls this voice our inner room-mate. He/she is always there with you stating the obvious, the absurd, or the fabulous little experiences in life. Your room-mate never seems to respect silence, always filling your mind with different emotional states such as guilt, anger, lust, desire, frustration or disappointment. What if you could silence that voice? How would you determine your feelings? Well, you would just feel them. No judgement, no words, no reruns of past experiences, good or bad, filling your head. You would just simply feel the experience. That's it. No more, no less. It can feel terrible, raw and painful; but then it is over. It can feel ecstatic, incredible, and delicious; but then it's over.
Our need to hold on to and constantly label our inner emotions creates a conflict with our perceived reality and the actual reality that we are experiencing at any moment. This does not mean that what we feel isn't real, but often the severity of our negative emotions negatively affects our body's response. If the majority of your thoughts are not of love but instead of anger, hatred, jealousy, frustration, and sadness, your physical body reverts back to our evolutionary protective mechanism known as flight or fight. A perceived or real event sends a signal to the brain which, in short, puts our body on high alert to protect itself. The hypothalamus, or command center in the brain, sends signals to the adrenal glands and our involuntary body functions go into action. Adrenaline pumps through our bloodstream, our heart beats faster, small airways in our lungs expand to take in more oxygen, thus increasing our breath count. Our blood pressure spikes, our pulse increases, and the heightened levels of adrenaline triggers a release of blood sugar and fats into our blood stream from their stored locations. We stay at this high alert level until the perceived (or real) danger has passed and our para-sympathetic nervous system tells the body to take a break and return to "normal". Over 50% of Americans live in this stressed state most of their lives. Living like this is the antithesis of drinking from the Holy Grail, or finding the Fountain of Youth.
How do you overcome this constant stream of consciousness disguised as your inner room-mate? First, stop and take three deep breaths. Then maybe take a few more. Focus like a laser on the place in your body your feel the stress or the pain originating. Breath into that space and let the feeling pass through you.
So I ask you, can you find a place within yourself to find peace with what IS. Right here, right now, I am loving this.
Ahhh…the sounds of the waves breaking on the beach just outside my window always bring complete santosha (sanskrit for contentment) to me. The almost primal exaltation from that initial moist ocean air on my bare skin gives a sense of stability to my being.
The incredible fragrance of the salt-water air mixed with the aroma of Mayan culinary delicacies tickles my taste buds. And the colors of the rising sun over the Atlantic ocean lighting up the water and sand always inspires my spirit.
Our five senses are our windows to the mind and soul. How we choose to stimulate ourselves using these senses has a direct correlation on our state of mind and well-being. Compare the real scenario I wrote about above (from where I just returned from teaching for a week in Tulum, Mexico, on the far reaches of the Yucatan peninsula,) to the impressions that you absorb on an average daily basis. Of course, our lives are hectic, the weather is volatile, and constant technical chatter overwhelming. You don't necessarily have to fly to a yoga retreat in order to withdraw from the cacophony of life, however I do hope you will consider joining me next March for an uplifting and restorative week of bliss.
So how do you retreat without leaving your home, office or car? You stop, close the computer, turn off all sounds and visual stimulation around you, put your phone on silent, and sit. Now relax your shoulders and belly, smooth out the lines on your face, unclench your teeth and tongue, and find your breath. Just observe the inhale and the exhale as they naturally occur. Try and follow the breath as you take it in through your nostrils and visualize it as a vapor (you can even add color if that helps) moving down into the lungs, expanding your rib-cage and filling your belly. If it feels as if it gets stuck somewhere between the throat and the sternum, relax the muscles in your body again and focus on the area of resistance. Close your eyes.
As your mind fights you for space and time, gently release attachments to those thoughts. Right here, right now, they don't matter. They will still be there later, as will the emails, texts, laundry, shopping, etc… Taking these few precious minutes for yourself any time, any place under any mood or emotion is a gift that nothing else can replace. Yes, this is easier while sitting in a beach hammock, listening to the birds sing and the iguanas cluck, while the waves break on shore. But if you formulate this habit now and practice it everyday, you likely will find that you have more time and energy to do the things that you truly love and that really matter. Maybe you will manifest the vision of yourself experiencing an Ayurvedic Yoga retreat with me in the magical Mayan Riviera! Namaste….
So often we begin the new year with aspirations and resolutions. We play hard during the holidays, or we languish in sadness and stress, with true plans to start fresh in January. The time constraint that we place upon ourselves, along with sometimes unrealistic expectations, can cause even more stress or imbalance if we set ourselves up for failure. Instead of concentrating on the purity of creating a healthier life for ourselves, we make to-do lists full of things we are going to stop and start "doing". Sound familiar?
Many of us have healthy habits that we have implemented in our lives. Maybe these include eating healthier, invoking a more active lifestyle, or reducing the amount of stimulants and/or depressants in our daily routines. But how many of us truly focus our attention on the personal betterment of our mind and body? How much time do you spend incorporating mind/body practices such as yoga and meditation into your life? I often hear people say that they plan on starting yoga, or that they wish they could meditate, but they just can't find the time. Many people tell me they try and make good food choices, and they try to get plenty of exercise, but they are too busy. Nourishing ourselves has become equated with luxury, not necessity, which is counter-intuitive to our evolutionary history.
We are what we eat, what we digest and what we think. We do create our reality by the thoughts that loop through our minds, by the stories we tell and re-tell, and by our opinions that have been shaped and formed by our experiences. True inner-growth can only blossom through stepping outside of our comfort zone of thoughts, opinions and habits and looking at our lives and the world around us with fresh eyes. Today, much energy and time is spent trying to have a younger looking body, but how much time and energy is spent keeping the mind young and flexible? What limits have you set for your own self, in terms of physical and mental flexibility? Can you over-ride your pre-conceptions of what you can or can't accomplish in this life? Can your search deep within your own self and find your inner bliss?
There is a constant bombardment of information around us that reminds us of how toxic our environment is today. That is true, but we also have the tools to reduce and to cleanse that toxicity out of our mind and body. Our five senses (sound, touch, sight, taste and smell) are our personal windows to the outside world. What we choose to take in through those windows is mostly up to us. What we listen to and watch on the news, or in the form of movies, tv shows and video games, creates a reality within our mind that shapes our opinions subconsciously. What we eat creates the cells that form our organs and feed our brain. Who we spend our time with shapes our behavior and sometimes our thoughts. What we put on our skin, our largest organ and our most obvious representative to what is happening on the inside of our bodies, can create either a cancer-rich or a cancer-fighting environment within us. So I say again, you are what you eat, what you digest, and what you think. Since we have so much to offer our body and our mind, why not keep it pure, clean and positive? Your future body depends on the choices you make now.
Instead of resolutions each new year, I focus on a word. My word for 2014 is Rejuvenation, also known as Soma in the world of Ayurveda. Imagine the eternal search for the nectar of life, the fountain of youth, the Holy Grail; all of these are symbols of the universal human search for immortality and youthfulness. Soma is, according to David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri) in his newest book Soma in Yoga and Ayurveda, "the symbol of a deeper knowledge and awareness and of the spiritual quest overall….[it] also means 'bliss', and reflects our lifelong seeking for happiness, which is intimately related to our seeking of immortality as the hightest form of happiness."
January 31 was the beginning of the Chinese New Year. It is the Year of the Yang Wood Horse and symbolizes new beginnings, optimism and purposeful action. How exciting is that! Gone are the unsettling years of darkness, negativity and degeneration. We are now in a cycle of recovery and inspiration, so create some space in your life and in your mind, sit in stillness and silence whenever you can, and unlock the door deep within yourself to follow your intuitive path to bliss!
Every year it seems I have such good intentions for the holidays. My first intention always involves creating a delicious feast for friends and family to enjoy while we share precious time together. Then I move into the more crafty and creative realm with my ideas for home-made gifts and decor. My inner dialogue runs commentary of all the things I am thankful for, and I plan to share with my guests an inspirational tribute to all those gathered of how much they mean to me, and how blessed and thankful I am for having so much abundance in my life.
But then the week of Thanksgiving presents itself, in the midst of the everyday tasks and commitments in real life, and suddenly I find myself feeling more stressed and anxious than peaceful and grateful. In short, life happens. Suddenly, it seems the whirlwind of the kickoff to Christmas is over, our family and friends have all returned back to their homes, the fridge needs refilling, and the laundry is piled up high again. Kids go back to school, work schedules return to normal, and the days continue to get shorter and shorter. My inner dialogue of gratitude, along with some well-earned exhaustion, returns to the front of my awareness.
Gratitude is such a powerful tool for healing. The mind/body connection can either be detrimental to our health, or it can be a positive catalyst for change. If we get stuck in negative thought patterns, revisiting the same old sad stories over and over, our body aligns with this cynical diatribe and creates imbalance, inflammation and dis-ease. When we take time to pause, breath, and truly review our list of abundance in our lives, our body aligns with inner harmony, balance, and clarity. Things brings us back to a state of equilibrium wherein our body and mind is in balance with our true nature, our unique spirit.
So what are you thankful for right now? I bet you if you started a written list and you truly reflected on all that you have to be grateful for at this moment, you would spend the rest of the day writing. First of course are our physical needs such as food, water, shelter. Then we move to the emotional needs such as love, friendship, and independence. In this day and age most people can add those extra conveniences such as hot water, heat and air-conditioning, automobiles, cell phones, computers…. the list goes on and on. Once we start this list it is easy to forget the things that just don't seem to be working out right now. Focus on the positive, set your intentions high, verbalize what you are grateful for, and experience profound peace in you heart and in your life.
As a token of gratitude to the simple and nutritious delights in life, I've included a recipe that I prepared yesterday to lighten our family's sense of heaviness. Since many people likely experienced copious amounts of food and drink this past week, switching to fresh juices and lighter meals might seem appropriate. Here is a recipe for home-made granola with nuts, seeds and dried fruit. I have adapted it from a wonderful cookbook called Green Market Baking Book by Laura C. Martin. It is a fantastic collection of recipes that highlights natural sweeteners other than sugar in baked goods. This recipe can be altered to include whatever you may have on hand in your pantry. It makes for a delicious snack with yogurt or milk, or just on its own for a quick energy bite while enjoying the great outdoors.
Coconut Flax Granola
4 1/2 cups rolled oats (not quick). For Gluten free use Certified GF Oats
1 cup Hemp seeds (usually in health food store and now at Costco)
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1/2 cup raw almonds chopped or whole (or other nuts)
1 ts salt
1 1/2 ts cinnamon
1 ts ground ginger
1 ts anise seed (optional)
1/3 plus 1 TB of organic unrefined Coconut oil
1/4 cup maple syrup plus 1/4 cup raw honey (or 1/2 cup either if only using one sweetener)
1 1/2 ts vanilla extract
1/2cup boiling water
1/2 cup or more dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, ginger, etc)
1. Preheat oven to 300 F. In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, hemp seeds, coconut, flax, pumpkin seeds, nuts, cinnamon and salt.
2. In small bowl combine the coconut oil, honey/syrup, vanilla, and water. Whisk until the ingredients are well blended.
3. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry mixture and combine until all ingredients are thoroughly blended and coated. Spread the mixture on one large (or more if small) rimmed baking sheet(s) and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so until the mixture is golden.
Store at room temperature in airtight container.
Ayurveda teaches that our bodies are a representation of the environment around us. What we ingest through our five senses, and how we filter that information, creates our thoughts, perceptions and realities that become the substance of our inner and outer lives. We choose to either energize or deplete ourselves through our interpretations of the world around us. Our personal and collective reality is based on the choices we make based on those perceptions. So I ask you this, what would your ideal scenario of the world look like? What can you do to help co-create that outer world so that you experience limitless peace, balance and vitality in your life?
I am in love with nature. I am in awe of the giant trees, majestic snow-capped mountains, crisp glacial rivers, wide-winged birds, fields of flowers, and most importantly, rich nutrient-dense soil. Our lives depend on the healthy existence of nature and its symbiotic relationship with our life-giving sun, which not only keeps our earth at just the right temperature for life, but gives our food the actual energy it needs to nourish and sustain all living creatures. Treating the earth and ourselves with respect and adoration is essential.
(note: the following is a recent letter I wrote to the editor in our local newspapers)
As I was sitting in my yard in White Salmon this past weekend enjoying the warm sun and the crisp fall air, my attention was diverted to the sound of the train as it blasted it's horn through Bingen. Although this is a common occurrence for residents of the gorge, the future effects of the increased train traffic are impossible to ignore.
We live in paradise here in the Columbia River Gorge. Our precious natural resources of clean air, water and soil are incredible gifts only dreamed of by millions of people throughout the world. The citizens of this area, along with those along the Columbia River east to Wyoming will receive no benefit from increased train traffic filled with open cars of coal traversing our lands day after day after day.
I spent a majority of my life living in Kentucky and the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia and Georgia. I have seen the ashy, drab grey that covers bridges, buildings and homes.
I have heard the "romantic" horn of the train all day and night to the point in which silence becomes a distant memory. And I have smelled the acrid dust-filled air that fills our lungs with every breath.
My husband and I used to dream of living in a place with clean air and water. Years ago when our children were born in Louisville, Ky., our pediatrician encouraged us to move west for clean air due to our young son's severe asthma and environmental allergies.
Every day we would read news stories about the negative impact of coal dust on the communities throughout Kentucky: asthma and serious allergies at all-time high levels due to the the air-borne dust from the coal trains, the waste from the burning of the coal, and finally the acid rain filled with minutecarcinogenic particles that fall from the clouds.
Now more than ever our community needs to join together and speak up, act out and stop the impending environmental disaster that will occur if we allow coal to be dug from our precious land in Wyoming and transported to China through this beautiful paradise we call home.
Once this project gets under way, it will be next to impossible to stop the constant noise, air and water pollution that will forever stain our land a bleak, drab grey.
Change is never easy. We are conditioned in our habits, whether we are consciously aware of it or not. We find solace in the regularity of our lives. When something comes along to disrupt this regularity, we may experience obvious, or subtle, forms of stress. Travel, illness, house-guests, weather, and countless other examples can take us out of our "normal" sense of being. But change is a normal and natural cycle of life. The days change to night, the seasons change from summer to fall, our bodies change as they age. How we accept these changes, or invite them into our lives, can have profound effects on our health and vitality.
Ayurveda, which means "wisdom of life", is an ancient system of health and healing that provides us with information to understand our connection to the natural world. All too often in our busy technology-driven world we forget that we all are a part of nature, made of the same elements that comprise mountains, oceans, trees, and stars. The same forces of energy that govern our lives also govern all living systems . When we are living harmoniously within the laws of nature, we feel energized, healthy and rejuvenated. When we fall out of balance with nature, we feel depleted, ungrounded, and stressed.
As summer transitions to the cooler temperatures of autumn, our body simultaneously undergoes similar changes. The cooler temperatures can contribute to feelings of fatigue and deficiency due to our blood flow becoming more constricted to preserve our inner core of heat. We may experience dry skin, constipation, and a "run-down" feeling with the weather change and the typical busy October schedules. Our ne
rvous system needs nourishing, grounding and warming foods to counter the cool, dry and mobile tendencies around us.
Have you noticed that butternut squash, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, apples, and pears seem to be overflowing at the market? These foods, along with delicious warm spices such as cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and nutmeg nourish our bodies and minds while increasing circulation and improving our digestion. We start craving hearty soups, warm chai, and delicious apple crisps because these are the foods Mother Nature intended to keep us in rhythm with the cycles of energy that surround us.
So if you are feeling tired, worn out, frazzled, chilled to the bone (even though it hasn't dropped below 50 degrees yet), consider applying warm, organic sesame oil to your entire body before your bath or shower, prepare yourself a delicious mug of spiced chai (recipe to follow), and curl up with a great book (might I suggest Perfect Health by Dr. Deepak Chopra) to learn how you can take control of your body, mind and soul through simple daily routines, healthy food, and a desire to live well.
Warm Spiced Chai
This recipe can be altered to be caffeine-free using loose herbal tea or with green tea.
16 oz. cold filtered water
1 – 2 inchs of fresh ginger sliced into coins or chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1 ts. black or pink peppercorns
10 cardamom pods (or 1 ts. cardamom seeds)
3 – 5 whole cloves
1 ts. fennel seeds
1 TB orange peel (optional)
1 vanilla bean pod (optional)
3 ts. loose-leaf organic black, green or herbal tea (or 3-4 tea bags)
Sweetener – raw sugar, maple sugar, honey or jaggery
16 oz. organic milk (preferably raw) OR Almond milk, Hemp milk, etc..
Place water and spices (through vanilla) in wide-bottomed sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and add the tea. Steep for 5 – 8 minutes then strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl. Add sweetener (if using honey, wait until the mixture has cooled to just above room temperature). At this point, I like to put the tea in mason jars if I am storing for later use. If you are making this to drink now, you can add the tea mixture back to the saucepan and add milk in a 1:1 ratio. Heat until warm and enjoy! Serves 4
And speaking of changes…. I've had my own experience with change lately. Just this week my new business partner, Dave Martin and I opened Trinity Natural Medicine in Hood River, Oregon. Our mission is to serve the community through education, counseling, Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, and lots of love and support. Visit us at http://www.trinitynaturalmedicine.org and/or http://www.joannematsonyoga.com.
Summer is beginning to wane as the sun sets at an earlier time and the extreme heat of the afternoon seems to lessen in severity. School supply lists arrive by mail, kids begin complaining about the upcoming school year, while adults lament the end of summer. But me, I love this time of year for the palpable changes in the air and the "permission" to slow down as the days come to a gentle, glowing close.
Gratitude gives peace to the soul. Just as stopping to focus on one's breath can center and ground even the most scattered mind, adding a heightened level of thankfulness to that breath gives us a deeper sense of calm. The most challenging events in our life, especially the most disappointing ones, give us an opportunity to truly connect with a sense of appreciation for what life has given, or thrown, at us.
Recently I was trudging up the small mountain near our home with my dog Zen. I caught myself deeply immersed in my thoughts, possibly to the extent of talking to myself, when I realized how much I was not "in the moment" of our walk. The hot sun had parched my throat to the point of discomfort. I slowed down my upward march, connected back with my breath, and relaxed my gaze. Suddenly my senses were awakened to a delicious fragrance – blackberries! I laughed out loud at the gift of nature before me and dove into the thorns to fill myself with these sweet delectable berries. My thirst abated, my energy replenished, and my attitude greatly improved. Talk about gratitude!!!
Of course I return to the blackberry patches daily now that they are at the peak of flavor. This amazing berry is full of anti-oxidants which help to strengthen our immune system. In Ayurvedic teachings, blackberries are classified as sweet, mildly sour, and cooling in energy. Blackberries are thirst quenching and a beneficial aid in the building of blood in our body. They are full of macro-nutrients which helps support a balanced diet. They also have a good amount of fiber, carbohydrates and polyunsaturated fats. Add to this the abundance of Vitamins A and C, along with calcium and potassium, and you have one of Mother Nature's finest heart healthy sweet treats.
Blackberries can be added to fruit smoothies or sorbets, made into a healthy and delicious fruit crisp, or eaten straight up like candy. Tonight I will be co-teaching a Holistic Cooking Class here in White Salmon and we will be highlighting these beauties in a quinoa salad with thinly sliced fennel, cucumbers, cashews and goat cheese tossed with a light citrus lemon dressing. Bon Appetit!


text:
In Fear and Faith
In Fear and Faith
Your World On Fire
Rise Records
The screamo-hardcore boys from San Diego are back with their second album release Your World On Fire. Now signed to Rise Records along side great bands like Devil Wears Prada and Attack Attack!, this six pack of testosterone filled small dancers are ready to take over the hardcore world. With a new lead singer and a new record label, I'd say they're on there way to the top. The new album features guest vocals from Craig Owens of Chiodos and Jeremy from A Day To Remember. By the time you read this, the band will have just finished touring the states but I expect them to hit the road again in the near future. This should be your first must-have CD of 2009.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
It's one thing to produce the amazing digital label and package printers, but the game changer is how your labels get finished for these presses. Custom die cut your labels, laminate them, and best of all, do it all in the same production run.
There's a finishing system for each of Muratec's digital label presses.
Take your packaging from plain to plain amazing.
Avg Speed: 10 feet/minute
Roll length: 500 ft (recommended)
Dimensions: 31" x 22" x 21"
Weight: 185 lbs
Cutter: pivoting carbide tip
Avg Speed: 30 feet/minute
Roll length: 1250 ft (recommended)
Dimensions: 58" x 59" x 32"
Weight: 450 lbs
Cutter: pivoting carbide tip
Avg Speed: Up to 59 feet/minute
Dimensions: 5.25' x 7.78' x 4.76'
Weight: 2,425 lbs
Avg Speed: 29.5 or 59 feet/minute
Roll length: 1250 ft (recommended)
Dimensions: 9.52' x 5.36' x 3.47'
Weight: 2,645 lbs
Cutter: semi-rotary magnetic cylinder
Do you have questions, or are you looking to purchase? Contact us today, and we can connect you with an authorized Muratec dealer.


text:
A big thank you to all the 6.000 individuals who used our campaign website to send an online letter to the EU Heads of State and Governments on the occasion of the extraordinary summit 22-23 November 2012.
Unfortunately, the Member States failed to reach a conclusion about the global EU budget 2014-2020 at the summit due to the many diverging demands and interests.
The EU leaders will meet again in the beginning of 2013 and when they meet we need to be ready to make a second strong push for our demands on the next multiannual EU budget! Stand by and get ready to act in connection with the next EU summit – it is crucial that our message does not get lost in the urgency of finding a compromise on the budget!
You'll find more info here about upcoming actions as soon as we know the dates for the next summit – once again thank you for your support!


text:
Our Commitment to Transparency
At Janssen, our core ambition is to bring innovative treatments to patients who need them.
Today's medical challenges are far more complex than ever before. That's why we never limit the search for new medicines to our own four walls. We look at the world as our lab, seeking innovative ideas wherever they occur. We believe in connecting our own expertise and capabilities with those of others, seeking the most creative minds in every field. Together, we can solve problems and find transformational solutions. At Janssen, we collaborate with the world for the health of everyone in it.
Yet it's not just about finding new treatments. We look at these medical challenges in a broader context. We go beyond the medicine – ensuring people have the information, education and support to access the treatments they need and use them correctly for the best possible results. Helping people live full and happy lives inspires us. And promising new science and technology spur us on.
Collaborating with healthcare professionals and organisations is essential to achieving this ambition. We regularly work with healthcare professionals and healthcare organisations, for example inviting them to speak at medical educational events or seeking their advice and expertise on our services to patients and the healthcare community. Individuals may sometimes be compensated for providing these services to the industry and these payments are referred to as Transfers of Value. It can also include, for example, sponsoring an individual to attend an important medical congress by meeting their registration and reasonable travel and accommodation costs. Organisations may be provided with funding to help with education for healthcare professionals.
We are proud of these relationships and are encouraging all of our healthcare partners to join us in being fully transparent and disclosing the details of any payments we have made to them.
The requirement to disclose Transfers of Value on an individual basis is part of the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) code of practice and the information is published by the ABPI annually at the end of June.
Further information about the disclosure of these payments can be found on the ABPI website: www.abpi.org.uk
If you are a UK healthcare professional or healthcare organisation, further information can be found at: www.janssenmedicalcloud.co.uk/
Further information about our commitment to transparency in clinical trials can be found here
If you are a UK healthcare professional or healthcare organisation, further information can be found at : www.janssenmedicalcloud.co.uk/


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Building? How to avoid neighbourly disputes over a dividing wall
There is no user manual for all aspects of homeownership, from moving, to taking occupation and to maintaining and understanding common and uncommon defects. Albert van Wyk has more than 38 years' worth of building experience and has put all he has learned into a concise, easy-to-use reference book entitled, The Proud Home Owner. He has granted HomeTimes exclusive access to republish portions of his book to help homeowners make better decisions around buying and selling, as well as maintaining their properties.
Balustrade and hand rails
Please note that glass balustrades on stairs, balconies, bridges or swimming pools should be designed by a glass competent person or an engineer. A certificate should be issued stating that it was installed according to his design.
A handrail or a wall must be provided next to any flight of stairs with three or more risers.
The minimum width of a tread is 200mm (make it 300mm if possible). This is a comfortable size to walk on; the maximum height of a riser is 200mm (make it 170mm which is a practical height).
Make sure that the walls are dry enough before the painting is started. The paint will trap the moisture in the plaster if it has not dried sufficiently and this will affect the paint later. Try to use standard colours of paint as it will be easier to match in the future. Remember that paint will fade.
Metal window frames should prior to glazing be painted with an anti-corrosive primer. Wooden door and window frames must be treated with either one coat of pink wood primer, or an oil-based wood preservative product before they are installed. Ensure that these products are also applied where the frame touches the brickwork.
Albert says: "Mix 'Plasterkey' with cement to a paste form and use that to repair chip marks in the walls and corners, instead of any other fillers."
You should appoint a reputable, specialist waterproofing contractor to waterproof the top of a concrete roof slab. He must provide a guarantee of at least five years for workmanship and material. Boundary walls, retaining walls and parapet walls should also be waterproofed on top to prevent water ingress.
Boundary walls
Make sure where the stand's boundary pegs are. These are 12mm round steel rods which were installed by a land surveyor and marked with paint.
A boundary wall must be built next to the surveyor's peg, and the peg should never be removed. The wall should be constructed on the stand which is developed first. You cannot build the wall on the neighbour's stand.
The wall should also not be built on both stands, with the peg in the middle of the wall even if costs are shared.
How disputes arise
There is a wire fence between the stands and owner B refuses to contribute to the cost of a new wall.
Owner A builds a wall on his side of the peg at his cost. He is not obliged to plaster or paint the wall on the side of owner B, but it must be neat and clean. Owner B is not entitled to remove the wire fence without permission of owner A, who is co-owner of the fence.
Owner B may only plaster or paint his side of the wall with permission of Owner A because he is not a co-owner of the new boundary wall.
Do not fill up the ground against a boundary wall, unless it is designed as a retaining wall. Also warn your neighbour not to do this.
The boundary wall should not be tied into a wall of the house. There should be a joint because they will move differently: One is carrying weight and the other one is not.
Do not plaster the wall level at the top, but plaster it with a slight angle in order for the water to run off onto your property, or even better, install a coping tile on the top. In that way it will also waterproof the wall.
Show the below detail of the expansion joint to the contractor, and insist that the walls are built that way.
The ultimate, if you have the funds, is to waterproof the bottom 1m of the wall to protect it against water from the irrigation sprayers.
Provide enough drain holes in the wall to allow stormwater to drain away. You and the neighbour should ensure that there is no build-up of storm water on either side, because the wall could collapse. Determine the position of the drain holes after consultation with the neighbour. You are expected by law to accept stormwater from a higher stand than yours, or to allow it to cross your property to a lower stand.
There are always exceptions to the law. You do not have to accept ALL the stormwater from the neighbour, especially if he has deliberately changed the natural ground level to divert all the water to your stand.
Next time: How to properly construct retaining walls
For more, and to order your copy of The Proud Home Owner, click here, or visit Gauteng Home Inspections if you're building, buying or doing maintenance


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"Do one thing every day that scares you." Eleanor Roosevelt
I think I've been quite open on here about what scares me in relation to training for this marathon, but I think it's important in life to do something that pushes you out of your comfort zone, something that scares you.
I ended up running the NY marathon because I wanted a challenge, but initially I was looking for something a little easier, e.g. a trek in Peru. But there is no guarantee that would have been any easier – I might have found trekking every day too arduous, at least with a marathon it was all over in 4 hours and 41 very long minutes.
These 100 mile cycling treks also sound like much too much hard work to me too. But I suppose it's what you're used to.
This time my personal demon is running alone as you will no doubt have gathered by now. The distance doesn't freak me out quite so much as it did last time.
I don't know about Eleanor Roosevelt's idea, but I think every once in a while it's healthy to push yourself past the limits that you know – whether it be physical or mental, or both.
What challenge are you going to take up?


text:
Teenager was off with Meg for her birthday on Saturday so we hit Bristol and the Soma Gallery in Clifton to learn to make funky tape measure rosettes
with Harriet and Rosie from Tatty Devine. Needless to say I was beside myself with excitement.
Although I was a bit less dexterous at making the rosette than I would have liked I seemed to muddle through and produce something more or less ok! Mr M made one too and his was perfect of course..
Soma Gallery is really cool. We got free Earl Grey and Lemon Drizzle cake while we waited for the session before us to finish so we got a good chance for a mooch around. Obviously I had to pick up a copy of the ladies new book How to Make Jewellery with Tatty Devine and get it signed – not cool I know but who cares!
Mr M liked the posters by Andy Smith especially this one…
and we also picked up a new copy of the absolutely fab kids magazine Anorak and got to check out the Amelias Magazine in the flesh rather than just on the, admittedly lovely, blog.
Right opposite Soma was the Clifton Arcade
complete with Gorilla which is jam-packed with great shops including a lovely yarn shop, a vintage and vintage homeware shop and a really lovely crafty shop called I love Crafty which had handmade things from lots of local artists and craftspeople. We also had the most fantastic tea and cake
in the Lahloo Pantry round the corner and brought home some very lovely Chai mix to boot.


text:
The Dwyer Group Surpasses $2.3 Million in Discounts to Military Veterans
Awarded a Franchise Through VetFran Program
November 06, 2014 // Franchising.com // WACO, Texas – The Dwyer Group, one of the world's largest franchising companies of trade service brands, has surpassed $2.3 million in discounts to military veterans who have been awarded a franchise through the VetFran program.
Established after the Gulf War by the late Don Dwyer Sr., founder of The Dwyer Group, the VetFran program gives U.S. military veterans a discount towards the purchase of a franchise. Dwyer recognized that veterans' abilities, core values and training were perfectly translated to franchise ownership. To-date, The Dwyer Group has awarded franchises to 326 veterans since the relaunch of the program in 2002.
"As we honor our brave military men and women this coming Veterans Day, we should continue to extend special opportunities to transition to civilian life after their service is done," said Mike Bidwell, CEO and President of The Dwyer Group and a U.S. military veteran. "Providing a pathway to business ownership through VetFran remains a win-win for the positive growth of our franchise networks by assisting these veterans in leveraging their outstanding leadership to build local service businesses."
This Veterans Day, The Dwyer Group is highlighting many of those franchise owners in a new video discussing why "I'm Proud to be a Veteran." Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5PHep0ziHA.
After originating the program, The Dwyer Group received the endorsement of VetFran from the International Franchise Association in Washington D.C., the world's largest advocacy group for franchising as a business format. Today, the IFA is the official sponsor of VetFran and now includes 645 franchisors that offer a financial incentive to veterans who wish to own their own business.
More than 5,600 veterans have been awarded a franchise through the VetFran program.
About The Dwyer Group, Inc.®
The Dwyer Group, Inc., based in Waco, Texas, is a holding company of seven franchise businesses, each selling and supporting a different franchise under the following service marks: Aire Serv®, Glass Doctor®, The Grounds Guys®, Mr. Appliance®, Mr. Electric®, Mr. Rooter® (Drain Doctor® in the UK and Portugal), and Rainbow International®. Collectively, these independent franchise concepts offer customers worldwide a broad base of residential and commercial services. In addition, The Dwyer Group® operates glass shops in New England under the Portland Glass® brand name. The Dwyer Group is a portfolio company of The Riverside Company®, a global private equity firm. The firm's international portfolio includes more than 75 companies. More information on The Dwyer Group, or its franchise concepts, is available at www.dwyergroup.com.
The Dwyer Group is also on Twitter at @DwyerGroup.
SOURCE The Dwyer Group, Inc.®
Media Contact:
Monica Feid
BizCom Associates
(972) 490-8053


text:
Boston Capital
Paying a giant's price
By Steven Syre Globe Columnist / February 13, 2009
Text size – +
Credit unions are the dull populists of the financial industry, serving millions of individual members with plain-vanilla products. They're not leveraged to the eyeballs, and they don't take many risks. (Full article: 734 words)
This article is available in our archives:
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text:
Recent Developments in Analytical Science - NMR Spectroscopy
Education Article
- Published: Jul 18, 2016
- Channels: Ion Chromatography / Electrophoresis / Proteomics & Genomics / Gas Chromatography / HPLC / Atomic / X-ray Spectrometry / MRI Spectroscopy / Infrared Spectroscopy / Raman / Base Peak / Proteomics / NMR Knowledge Base
NMR spectroscopy is a versatile, non-destructive technique that is often used to complement structural information gleaned by mass spectrometry and other techniques, as well as operating in its own right. It has the flexibility to analyse gases, liquids and solids and new advances are constantly being introduced to steer it forward.
2D NMR is one of the many operating modes, the addition of the second dimension simplifying complex spectra such as those from proteins which display many overlapping signals. Both homonuclear and heteronuclear spectra can be recorded, following one or more nuclei, respectively. The homonuclear experiments can be operated in different forms. 2D Correlation spectroscopy (COSY) determines the correlations between coupled spins whereas 2D total correlation spectroscopy (TOCSY) measures correlations between all spins in the molecule. Nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY) measures resonances between nuclei that are close to each other rather than bonded together. The three types have all been used to determine the structure of a fungal plant pathogen.32
Two modes applied in heteronuclear studies are heteronuclear single quantum correlation (HSQC) and heteronuclear multiple-bond correlation spectroscopy (HMBC). The former measures the correlations between protons and atoms such as 13C and 15N to which they are directly bonded. This is especially important for protein structural studies.33 HMBC measures long-range correlations between protons and carbon atoms that are generally 2-3 bonds apart.
The majority of 2D NMR experiments have exploited proton resonances because they provide greater sensitivity but instrument improvements mean that carbon is becoming more competitive.34 Better probes, higher field magnets and greater computer memory and storage are all contributing to its resurgence.
A technique called comprehensive multiphase NMR has also been developed that will allow the components in solution, the gel phase and the solid state of one sample to be analysed together in situ. It combines the characteristics of low-power probes with the properties of solid-state probes, eliminating the need for time-consuming exchange and calibration of individual probes. The performance was evaluated on intact Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings and stems to reveal cell wall metabolites.35
NMR has been employed in metabolomics studies of plants or biological fluids where it is often compared to mass spectrometry. Its principal advantages are that sample preparation is simpler, derivatisation is not required, and the technique is quantitative. However, it fails to reach the sensitivity of mass spectrometry, despite recent innovations in scanning techniques and hardware.36 The same deficiency has been noted for other biomolecules and a number of potential improvements have been considered. They included the optimisation of pulse sequences, better probes and coils, stronger magnetic fields and amended spin alignment modes.37
In that vein, a new superconducting magnet has been designed with a field of 1020 MHz (24.0 T), the highest magnetic field available in high resolution NMR superconducting magnets. The temporal field stability and spatial field homogeneity proved to be adequate for both solid-state and solution NMR.38 However, small magnets are also in demand so that the move towards benchtop NMR spectrometers can be supported. Rare earth magnets can provide sufficient resolution and sensitivity for many applications and the benchtop systems offer 1D and 2D measurements on a number of nuclei.
NMR has been coupled with different separation and analytical techniques to provide more comprehensive analyses in a shorter time. HPLC coupled directly to NMR is limited by low sensitivity and shorter available times for spectral acquisition. So, more intricate systems such as HPLC-UV-MS-SPE-NMR have been developed which split the HPLC fractions for analysis by mass spectrometry and collection by SPE for subsequent NMR study. Combined techniques like this will accelerate plant and human metabolomics studies.39
Electrochemistry-NMR was devised to study reactions such as oxidation and reduction and can be deployed in online and in situ modes. A number of different cell and electrode designs have been successful and future developments may include coupling an HPLC column to prevent signal overlap. More complex NMR sequences and ultrafast 2D NMR which can be coupled with LC-NMR experiments will allow different nuclei to be studied.40
Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, better known as MRI, was born out of NMR spectroscopy and has become firmly established in the clinical arena for disease detection, diagnosis and treatment. Examining patients in vivo, it exploits the proton resonances from water molecules in the body to provide detailed anatomical images. Diffusion MRI and the recently developed diffusion tensor imaging follow the diffusion of water through the tissue whereas functional MRI measures blood flow in the brain and other organs. MRI is non-invasive although some patients feel claustrophobic within the machine.
High-field MRI systems have been developed for research and they might provide the ability to visualise changes at the cellular level. They would be able to assist in drug development studies and reveal the composition of living tissue in greater detail. MRI performance will be improved by the development of cell-specific contrast agents that will improve sensitivity at local levels.
Technological advances and an increasingly aging population will help to increase the global MRI system market from USD 5.61 billion in 2016 to USD 7.19 billion by 2021.
<<< Back to Contents
Next Section (X-ray Spectroscopy) >>>


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In a move to start developing for portrait 6 Sheet screens promotional videos were required to pitch to potential clients.
Fluffina is an imaginary 'new toy brand' based upon a libary model which comes with Poser7. As the target audience was Saudi Arabia a suitable cross English Arabic name and translations were researched.


text:
FBI chokes on backlog
of untranslated Arabic
Reams of key material pile up as bureau
faces shortage of linguists, loyalty issues
WASHINGTON – A shortage of Arabic translators is not
only hurting intelligence-gathering efforts in Iraq,
where troops are hunting Saddam Hussein and armed
resistors, but also at home, where FBI agents are
trying to ferret out al-Qaida terrorist cells before
Osama bin Laden can activate them for another attack
Al-Qaida has trained up to 120,000 terrorists around
the world, and some of them are inside the U.S.,
according to the recently declassified 9-11 report.
The bureau is having a hard time recruiting fluent
American-born translators, because the Arabic language
is rarely studied in American colleges, FBI officials
say. So it's having to hire translators born in the
Middle East, who require longer background checks.
"It's very problematic," said FBI spokesman Ed
Cogswell, although he says the bureau has made recent
strides in recruiting.
The shortage has caused a backlog of untranslated
Arabic materials collected from electronic
surveillances of suspected Islamic terrorists
conducted in the U.S., and from interrogations of
suspected terrorists conducted abroad, mostly at
prisoner camps in Afghanistan and Cuba. The backlog
also includes reams of documents in Arabic and other
tongues recovered in Afghanistan and other countries.
According to the General Accounting Office, the lack
of home-grown qualified linguists has resulted in
thousands of hours of tape-recordings and pages of
documents that have not been translated or studied –
though Cogswell says the backlog recently has been
It's also created loyalty issues.
Former FBI counterterrorism agents warn that the
shortage may be leading to inaccuracies in wiretap
information obtained through federal courts under the
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA.
Donald Lavey, who worked in counterterrorism for 20
years at the FBI, said wiretap translations by
Mideast-born agents should have a "second opinion,"
because their backgrounds may "prejudice" their
interpretation and analysis.
"We are at war, and we need more than one translator
for each subject under electronic surveillance," he
said. "We are relying too heavily on single Arab
translators for significant information, and worse
yet, investigative guidance."
He says translators will often leave out large
sections of conversation in surveillance logs, because
they deem it irrelevant to the investigation.
"It's noted as 'personal' or 'family' information with
a comment by the translator that there is no
substantive investigative information. It is viewed as
immaterial to the case," Lavey said.
"But this is often inaccurate," he added. "Very
easily, and too often, something like, 'I am picking
up my brother at the station,' is overlooked and never
made note of, but it may be very significant."
Cogswell responded that case supervisors "try to vet
[logs] through two people, if they can."
Lavey recalls a problem with a former Arab translator
in the FBI's Detroit office who tried to back out of
secretly recording a fellow Muslim suspected of
terrorism by claiming the subject had threatened his
"I know of one case where a translator claimed to have
heard the subject speaking about him and making
threats against him," Lavey said. "Three other
translators listened and did not hear any of that
He also cites the more recent case of Gamal
Abdel-Hafiz, an immigrant Muslim, who twice refused on
religious grounds to tape-record Muslim terrorist
suspects, hindering investigations of a bin Laden
family-financed bank in New Jersey and Florida
professor Sami Al-Arian, recently indicted for his
ties to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group.
A fellow FBI agent, Robert Wright, said Abdel-Hafiz
finally explained to him that "a Muslim does not
record another Muslim," after first claiming he feared
for his life. Other agents said he contacted Arab
subjects under investigation without disclosing the
contacts to the agents running the cases.
Despite his divided loyalties, the FBI subsequently
promoted Abdel-Hafiz by assigning him to the U.S.
Embassy in Saudi Arabia, a critical post for
intelligence-gathering. Three-fourths of the Sept. 11
hijackers were Saudis. After Wright and another agent
blew the whistle in the media, he was put on
administrative leave.
Then there's the case of Jan Dickerson, a Turkish
translator hired by the FBI last November.
In screening her for a clearance, the FBI missed her
ties to a Turkish organization under investigation by
the FBI's own counter-intelligence unit, according to
a CBS News report. The bureau even let her translate the
tapes of conversations with a Turkish intelligence
officer stationed in Washington who was the target of
the probe.
A co-worker who reviewed Dickerson's translations told
CBS News that she left out information crucial to the
investigation, such as discussion of methods to obtain
U.S. military and intelligence secrets. She had marked
it as "not important to be translated."
Dickerson recently left the FBI and now lives
Lavey argues for stricter background checks on
translators from the Middle East.
"Care needs to be taken at this point in time as to
their religious background and political views," he
Cogswell confirmed that most of the Arabic translators
the bureau hires are from the Middle East.
He told WorldNetDaily that they nonetheless aren't
scrubbed any more than other agents.
"They go through the same background check as everyone
else – full field background investigations,"
Cogswell said, though he says their checks take "a
little longer" because investigators have to travel to
their home countries to ask questions.
Lavey and other agents worry that the religious bonds
of Muslim agents may trump their oath to protect and
serve America.
In a moment of candor, Ihsan Bagby, a black convert to
Islam who has taught at American universities,
revealed what many skeptics say is the true sentiment
of devout Muslims in America.
"Ultimately we can never be full citizens of this
country," he said, "because there is no way we can be
fully committed to the institutions and ideologies of
this country."
Muslim group leaders here in Washington are on record
saying they hope the U.S. Constitution will one day be
replaced by Koranic law.
Yet the FBI has assigned some of its Muslim agents to
educate other agents about Islam.
At the FBI's New York field office, just blocks from
Ground Zero, a Muslim agent from Pakistan has been
lecturing agents about Islamic customs as part of a bureau-wide
Muslim sensitivity-training program ordered by FBI
Director Robert Mueller.
1980s backlog
Lavey says that at some FBI field offices, wiretap
conversations of Arab terrorist suspects recorded as
far back as the '80s have only "very recently" been
translated into English. He notes that key discussions
by plotters of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing
were caught on tape months before the attack, but
weren't translated from Arabic to English until well
after the bombing.
That any backlog still exists two years after the
Sept. 11, 2001, attacks is outrageous, he says.
"The bureau can no longer tolerate that situation in a
war," Lavey said.
Cogswell, while not excusing the backlog, explains
that the FBI does not have a large pool from which to
recruit translators to clear the backlog. He fairly
notes that the Arabic language is a difficult and
demanding one to learn, and few Americans are fluent
in it.
But Lavey says the FBI was advised years ago to send
more agents to learn Arabic at the bureau's language
school. It was also told to lengthen the course.
"It was pointed out to headquarters that agents
leaving language school after one intensive year of
Arabic were ill-prepared to use the language
effectively , and that, at a minimum, another half
year was needed to learn a dialect conversationally,"
he said. "This information was ignored."
Related offer:
Wonder why Osama bin Laden is still on the loose as we
near the second anniversary of 9-11? Paul Sperry's
explosive new book, "CRUDE
POLITICS: How Bush's Oil Cronies Hijacked the War on
Terrorism," answers that disturbing
question and more. Order
your copy now in WorldNetDaily's online store,
Previous stories:
FBI invites Muslim clerics to preach to agents
Imam tied to hijackers weighing Saudi job offer


text:
I hadn't really planned to do it but I ended up at Best Buy this Black Friday afternoon.
I went in to buy the new iPad Air which was on sale for $449. Regular $499. I can sell my iPad 3 for around $300 and only have paid a difference of $150. It's worth it for that.
I wandered by a bunch of 65 inch Samsung TVs priced at $999. I had not done any research on the model and features but decided I would buy it anyway. What's $1000 when it comes to happy time entertainment. It was too large to fit in my Prius obviously so I came back with the help of a neighbor's truck to pick it up.
It turns out it is not a top-of-the-line TV but I didn't expect it for that price. Still it has all the basic features I need and with a little calibration has a quite nice picture. I think I can live with it for another 5-10 years. It isn't a "smart tv" but then I would never use those features anyway. My DVD player and WDTV Live have all that stuff already.
Now I have to figure out what to do with my old 60 inch Sony rear projection monster. It's almost too big for my mom or sister. Maybe with a little rearrangement. It's still a great TV.
Get my calibration tips here.


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DionUS singer-songerwriter, blends doo-wop, pop rock & R&B. Born 18 July 1939
Dion Biography (Wikipedia)
Dion Francis DiMucci (born July 18, 1939), better known mononymously as Dion, is an American singer and songwriter whose work has incorporated elements of doo-wop, rock and R&B styles—and, most recently, straight blues. Initially as lead singer of Dion and the Belmonts and then in his solo career, he was one of the most popular American rock and roll performers of the pre-British Invasion era. He had 39 Top 40 hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s as a solo performer, with the Belmonts or with the Del Satins. He is best remembered for the singles "Runaround Sue", "The Wanderer", "Ruby Baby" and "Lovers Who Wander", among his other hits.
Dion's popularity waned in the mid-1960s. Toward the end of the decade, he shifted his style and produced songs with a more mature, contemplative feeling, such as "Abraham, Martin and John." He became popular again in the late 1960s and into the mid-1970s, and he has continued making music ever since. Critics who had dismissed his early work, pegging him as merely a teen idol, praised his later work, and noted the influence he has had on other musicians.
Dion Tracks
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Long Established and Leading Clarice Cliff & Art Deco Ceramics Specialists
CLARICE CLIFF, ........a sensational and rare SUMMERHOUSE pattern shape 196 vase, approx six inches tall, with remarkable blue and yellow banding and superb large decoration too.
No discolouration or wear...the paintwork is as fresh and vibrant as the day it was decorated by one of the 'bizarre girls' all those years ago in the 1930's!
In excellent and original condition, the paintwork is superb, just the most insignificant small star which is inside near the base and totally not seen outside, and almost impossible to detect inside on the honey glaze too....but only fair to mention.
This is one of the very best small vases, along with the Applique Idyll vase that we have also just listed that we have had for an age...amazing that two spectacular pieces come along at the same time...totally fresh to the market too!
£899Make enquiryAdd to basket
Click the button above to pay using PayPal, you don't have to have a PayPal account to be able to use this secure facility.
Postage is charged at cost, we use Royal Mail Special Delivery next day service.
For postage costs please call 01634 364539.


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They kept the Browns guessing for as long as possible.
The Redskins have announced that Kirk Cousins will start at quarterback on Sunday.
The Redskins had been sending mixed signals all week regarding whether Cousins or Robert Griffin III would get the start. Griffin suffered a Grade 1 LCL sprain to his right knee on a hit that looked like it created much more damage than that.
Griffin practiced all week on a limited basis, but Cousins took the first-team reps. Multiple players have expressed confidence in Cousins, who finished the drive on which Griffin was injured, throwing a touchdown pass and running in a two-point conversion to force overtime against the Ravens. The Redskins won the game via a long punt return that put Washington in field-goal range.
It's unclear whether and to what extent the Browns spent time preparing for Cousins. The Redskins surely hope the answer is "not much."
UPDATE 9:32 p.m. ET: While the text message from team P.R. said that Cousins "is starting," the official entry on the team's Twitter page is that Cousins "is expected" to start. Expectations, like plans, can change. In theory.


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Resources on Aboriginal Economic Development
"At the Wabano Centre in Ottawa, caring and professional staff are helping to build community among Ottawa's urban Aboriginal population through traditional healing methods and holistic health care. See how this modern medical facility prescribes culture for those feeling lost in the country's capital."
"Nunavut Sivuniksavut (NS) is a unique eight-month college program based in Ottawa. See how, in combination with traditional and cultural teachings, the NS program provides students with an opportunity to learn about Inuit history, organizations, land claims and other issues relevant to their future careers in Nunavut."
Site developed by the Electronic Text Centre, University of New Brunswick.


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'Left' in the Bible
After this, Cain left the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
He wiped out every living thing that was on the surface of the ground, from mankind to livestock, to creatures that crawl, to the birds of the sky, and they were wiped off the earth. Only Noah was left, and those that were with him in the ark.
So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran.
And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they left for the land of Canaan. They entered the land of Canaan.
He left from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to Yahweh and called on the name of Yahweh.
Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
The Lord said to Abram after Lot had left him, Lift up now your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward;
And the valley of Siddim is full of bitumen-pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah flee, and fall there, and those left have fled to the mountain.
The conquerors captured all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah, including their entire food supply, and then left.
They also took Abram's nephew Lot and his possessions when they left, for Lot was living in Sodom.
And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
But he hesitated, so because of the Lord's compassion for him, the men grabbed his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters. And they brought him out and left him outside the city.
Then the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man left in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth.
Early in the morning Abraham got up, took bread and a waterskin, [put them] on Hagar's shoulders, and sent her and the boy away. She left and wandered in the Wilderness of Beer-sheba.
When the water in the skin was gone, she left the boy under one of the bushes.
After they had made a covenant at Beer-sheba, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, left and returned to the land of the Philistines.
Then Abraham's servant took ten camels from his master's herd of camels and left on his journey with all kinds of gifts from his master's inventory. Eventually, he traveled as far as Aram-naharaim, Nahor's home town.
And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren.
And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.
Then Rebekah and her young women got up, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.
Everything he owned Abraham left to his son Isaac.
And Ishmael lived 137 years; then his spirit left him, and he died and was gathered to his kindred.
Then Jacob gave Esau some of his food, along with some boiled stew. So Esau ate, drank, got up, and left, after having belittled his own birthright.
So Isaac left there, camped in the valley of Gerar, and lived there.
Then he left that area and dug still another well. Because they did not quarrel over that one, Isaac named it Rehoboth, because he used to say, "The LORD has enlarged the territory for us. We will prosper in the land."
Later on, he left there and went to Beer-sheba,
They got up early in the morning and swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace.
As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob and Jacob had left the presence of his father Isaac, his brother Esau arrived from the hunt.
Isaac replied to Esau, "Look! I have made him lord over you. I have made all his relatives his servants and provided him with grain and new wine. What is left that I can do for you, my son?"
Rebekah also told herself, "Heth's daughters are making me tired of living. If Jacob marries one of Heth's daughters, and she turns out to be just like these other local women, what kind of life would there be left for me?"
Jacob obeyed his father and mother and left for Paddan Aram.
Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran.
And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.
When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife.
And he set [a distance of] three days' journey between himself and Jacob; and Jacob was then left in care of the rest of Laban's flock.
Then Rachel and Leah asked him, "Do we have anything left of inheritance remaining in our father's house?
He left with all he owned. He quickly crossed the Euphrates River and headed for the hill country of Gilead.
Three days later, somebody reported to Laban that Jacob had left,
"I left secretly because I was afraid!" Jacob replied to Laban. "I thought you might take your daughters away from me by force.
So Laban went into Jacob's tent, then Leah's tent, and then the tents of the two female slaves, but he found nothing. Then he left Leah's tent and entered Rachel's.
Laban got up early in the morning, kissed his grandchildren and daughters, and blessed them. Then Laban left to return home.
And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.
And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
After he left Paddan Aram, Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped near the city.
They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with their swords, took back Dinah from Shechem's house, and left.
seizing all of their flocks, herds, donkeys, and whatever else was in the city or had been left out in the field.
Some time later, his brothers left to tend their father's flock in Shechem.
"They've already left," the man answered. "I heard them saying that they were headed to Dothan." So Joseph followed his brothers to Dothan and found them there.
At that time Judah left his brothers and settled near an Adullamite named Hirah.
After this, Judah told his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Go live as a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up." But he was really thinking, ""otherwise, Shelah might die like his brothers." So Tamar left and lived in her father's house.
After some time Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah was consoled, he left for Timnah to visit his sheepshearers, along with his friend Hirah the Adullamite.
She got up and left, then removed her veil and put her widow's clothes back on.
When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get back the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her.
And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.
And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.
And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth,
And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out.
So she left his garment beside her until his master came home.
And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out.
Joseph was 30 years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph left Pharaoh's presence and traveled throughout the land of Egypt.
And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.
So ten of Joseph's brothers left to buy grain from Egypt.
They loaded the grain on their donkeys and left there.
And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
When they had left the city and were not yet far away, Joseph said to his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, Why have you rewarded evil for good? [Why have you stolen the silver cup?]
And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.
And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him.
and we say unto my lord, The youth is not able to leave his father, when he hath left his father, then he hath died;
One left-I said that he must have been torn to pieces-and I have never seen him again.
And he wept and sobbed aloud, and the Egyptians [who had just left him] heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard about it.
That's because this famine has been going on for two years now in this region, and there are still five years left, during which there won't be any plowing or harvesting.
I'll provide for you there, since there are still five years of famine left to go, and you, your households, and everything you own would have otherwise become impoverished.
Then Joseph sent his brothers away, and they left for home. As they were leaving, Joseph admonished them, "Don't quarrel on the way back!"
So Joseph's brothers left Egypt and returned to the land of Canaan and to their father Jacob,
Jacob left Beer-sheba. The sons of Israel took their father Jacob in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry him, along with their children and their wives.
Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and then left the throne room.
And when the money was exhausted in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, Give us food! Why should we die before your very eyes? For we have no money left.
When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:
And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him.
And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.
And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen.
"Before he died, your father left some instructions. He told us, "Tell Joseph, "Please forgive your brothers' offenses. I beg you, forgive their sins, because they wronged you."' So please forgive the transgression of the servants of your father's God."
And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.
Moses left and returned to his father-in-law Jethro. Moses told him, "Please let me go and return to my own people in Egypt so I can see whether they're still alive." Jethro told Moses, "Go in peace."
And he left him alone. At that time she said, "A bridegroom of blood," because of the circumcision.
When they left Pharaoh, they confronted Moses and Aaron, who stood [waiting] to meet them.
Moses said to Pharaoh, "The honor is yours to tell me: when shall I entreat for you and your servants and your people, that the frogs be destroyed from you and your houses, that they may be left only in the Nile?"
"The frogs will depart from you and your houses and your servants and your people; they will be left only in the Nile."
Then Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh's presence, and Moses cried out to the LORD about the frogs which he had sent on Pharaoh.
Then Moses left Pharaoh's presence and appealed to the Lord.
The Lord did as Moses had said: He removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, his officials, and his people; not one was left.
And he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field.
Moses said to him, "When I have left the city, I will extend my hands to the Lord. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know the earth is the Lord's.
So Moses left Pharaoh, went out of the city, and spread out his hands to the Lord, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain stopped pouring on the earth.
They will cover the surface of the land so that no one will be able to see the land. They will eat the remainder left to you that escaped the hail; they will eat every tree you have growing in the fields.
They will fill your houses, all your officials' houses, and the houses of all the Egyptians-something your fathers and ancestors never saw since the time they occupied the land until today." Then he turned and left Pharaoh's presence.
And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left.
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A Winnipeg man is recovering in a hospital in the Dominican Republic after being shot and beaten by armed robbers, then fighting through his injuries to protect a group of high school students from his assailants.
Les Lehmann, 64, had been living a "semi-retired" life in the Dominican Republic for years, managing an apartment complex with his wife, when he was attacked early in the morning of Jan. 30, said Eugenia Lehmann, his daughter-in-law.
It was about 1 a.m. and Les Lehmann heard a noise outside, she said. He looked out the window and saw two armed men. Concerned, he grabbed a machete and tried to chase them off the property. But the men shot at him, then dragged him into a bedroom and beat him, Eugenia Lehmann said.
A graphic video published by media in the Dominican Republic shows what happened next. The armed men made their way to another unit in the complex, where Eugenia Lehmann said a group of high school students were staying. The students, in town from Manitoba to help out at a nearby orphanage, had just arrived the day before, she said.
In the video, which was taken from a surveillance camera, two figures dart in and out of the frame, guns in hand. A third figure, Les Lehmann, appears, wielding a bat. He strikes one of the men and a struggle ensues. Lehmann is shot. Eventually, one of the men pulls the other away, out of the frame. They have not been caught, Eugenia Lehmann said.
The video continues, showing Lehmann, bleeding and obviously struggling. He eventually got up and checked to make sure the students and their chaperones were safe before he was rushed to hospital, Eugenia Lehmann said.
"We didn't really fully understand how much of a hero he was . . . because we didn't know the full story until we came across the video days later," she said.
"We all think of our loved ones as special and important people. We never ever anticipate something like this would happen to them."
At the hospital, Les Lehmann was rushed to surgery. He had been shot nine times and both his knee and arm were broken, Eugenia Lehmann said. He's recovering, she added, but now his family wants to bring the proud father and grandfather home to Winnipeg to heal.
Doing so is expensive, however. The family has been paying out of pocket for his Dominican hospital bills, and it's likely there's still a long way to go before Les is fully recovered, Eugenia Lehmann said.
To help out, the family has started a website where people can donate or leave best wishes.
The response has been astounding, Eugenia Lehmann said.
"People want to help. They hear the story and they realize what a sacrifice he gave to those families."


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The 12 Days of Christmas 2013 edition – Day 4
We have one very happy elf at home today! He has been waiting for this day for so long! Yes, even older boys count down the days until their birthday. This one boy got up very early because he was so excited to open a present before leaving for school. And, no, you don't get to stay home from school on your birthday, you still need to go… So this Mrs Claus here and her faithful little helper Ludovic are busy getting things ready for a birthday celebration, so we won't be spending too much time online, our services are needed in the kitchen. A cake has to be baked, and a special treat for the lunch box as well as a favorite dinner meal has to be planned.
But we're not leaving until we share with you a little present as well 🙂 You will also be able to count the days until your birthday (yes, grown ups do it too!) with this 8X10 Photo Calendar template. It's a .psd file and you can customize the colors easily. Circle the important dates if you wish, and it makes a nice present for the family…
Get your calendar HERE
5 Comments on The 12 Days of Christmas 2013 edition – Day 4
Thanks very much Mrs. Claus and Ludovic. Your boys are getting so big and my birthday was yesterday!
Happy Birthday young man, have a wonderful day!
Linda K.
Thank you Isabelle and happy birthday to your son!
My birthday is in the summer so I got to stay home. 😉 Thank you!
awwww HAPPY BIRTHDAY to your little man xoxo


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Quality Counts
In this digital age, you can find information about physicians, hospitals, and just about anything, online.
We feel that access to information about your local hospital's quality is critical. The more information you have about a hospital's performance, the more informed you will be when making health care decisions.
To read more about how the hospitals of Meridian Health measure up, and to visit several trusted resources for hospital quality information, visit Meridian's Quality section. Through these reports, you can see how Meridian's hospitals perform in key clinical areas that reflect a hospital's overall quality.


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Rick Weaver - 'Black Medicine' OST c44 (MORE Records)
"If there ever was a vaudeville of noise, Weaver is it. Through a variety of guises and collaborative projects (see Form a Log, Dinner Music, the Ruined Frame, or New Flesh for starters), Rick Weaver has been at the epicenter of some of the most eccentric and oddball sounds in the experimental scene. From lo-fi junkyard symphonies and free jazz-leaning psychoses to freewheeling acoustic balladry, Weaver has more than dabbled in a number of disconnected and disjointed sounds. Now returning under his own name and on seminal left-field electronic label More Records, Weaver has created an original soundtrack entitled Black Medicine to accompany his own film of the same name (due out in 2014). Sections... evoke stream of consciousness ramblings, acid-induced segues of rambling tribalism, Casio cold wave, and haunted free noise." -Bobby Power
Human Host - 'Creature Mountain' reissue c32 (OKTO MEDIA)
AX and BLADE inc
as played by
The Sonic Youth Boys
also feat. Westwood Murray, Judith Sanders, King, Sigourney Weaver, Blue Boy, and Zack Kouns
"The ham unravels like an onion, reveals a glowing gummy yin yang at its center" -The Boss


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From its launch in 2010 to its acquisition by Facebook in 2012 and its 600 million-user milestone, Instagram has grown into a social media phenomenon.
WebsiteBuilder.org, which helps people figure out which website builder to use, created an infographic that highlights 139 facts and stats about the photo-sharing platform.
The infographic shows the top emojis used on Instagram (the heart is number one), the top filters (Clarendon wins), the top Instagram accounts (surprise... the most popular account isn't a celebrity!), and much more.
It dives into demographics, gives tips on how to use the platform for marketing, and breaks down the accounts with the most followers in sports and politics.


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NLP LifeSets – My Light Radio
NLP LifeSets – My Light Radio For Personal and Business Solutions
NLP LifeSets is a radio segment exclusively airing on My Light Radio, the multi-awarded personal and professional development radio program. Listeners will be able to design their targeted goals for remedial action. Hosted by one of the main contributor's to the development of Neuro Linguistic Programming, NLP Master Trainer; Terrence McClendon MA, alongside the My Light Radio co-founders Cannon Lee and Triz Garcia
What Does NLP LifeSets Mean?
What you do, how you think, how you believe, and how you make decisions are dictated by your beliefs, values, education, and your personal experience. These factors create the model of your world and your definition of reality. You are in charge of your story.
NLP LifeSets Is Meant For Education
- Improve your performance.
- Determine suitability for both your career and life.
- Change history to change outcomes.
- Re-structure beliefs, values and decisions that you choose in your life.
- Create a well-balanced viewpoint of your purpose in life.
- Understand who you are and why you do what you do.
Listen and Download For FREE
Let us assist you in shaping a bright future and outlook in life from within by modeling excellence to achieve your goals. We encourage you to download NLP LifeSets – My Light Radio for your listening pleasure!
These MP3's are absolutely FREE! Look and see which topics interest you, then click 'download now'.
NLP LifeSets – How To Bring Back Your Drive In Life