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Posts Tagged 'Aurora Cannabis Delaware'
Cannabis Extract | Pros & Cons of Cannabis Extract in Delaware
Pro's & Con's of Cannabis Extract in DelawareThe F.D.A. approved the first prescription fish oil product a few years ago. Now called Lovaza, it contains high amounts of omega 3s. The manufacturer also says that it is contaminant free. In other words, it is similar to some of the quality over-the -counter products available on the Internet. The difference is price.The better over-the-counter supplements will hardly put a dent in your credit card. Depending on your taste in furniture, Lovaza will cost you a down payment on a set of living room couches and chairs. In this article, I will try to explain how to get the exact same health benefits as Lovaza offers so you will not have to sit on the floor.Fish oil has been a staple in diets ever since we learned how to catch fish. In the past 40 years, various research groups have studied people who live by coastal areas throughout the planet. They speak different languages, have different customs but their seafood diets are loaded in omega 3 fatty acids. They also share two other traits.1] Western diseases such as clinical depression, heart problems, arthritis and out of balance immune systems are statistically very small.2] Prescription drugs are used very sparingly.There are two specific omega 3s in fish oil that are given credit for the benefits I just mentioned - EPA and DHA. An omega 3 fish oil product has EPA and DHA in it. Some over-the-counter [OTC] supplements will add another omega 3 called ALA. It is derived from flax seed and is not needed. ALA is also not used in the prescription fish oil product.By the way, Lovaza used to be called Omacor. They are the same and currently the only prescription fish oil drug. There are, however, several high quality OTC supplements that are just as pure as Lovaza and can prove it with independent lab reports. Go to their websites. Look for a Certificate of Analysis [COA]. It will tell you exactly what is in the product but what is not - ocean toxins, chemical additives etc.Aside from the price differential, you may be wondering if there is any difference at all? There is one thing - dosage. Lovaza has over 800mg of EPA/DHA per capsule. Most of the better OTC brands have around 450mg. per capsule. That is the difference.The American F.D.A. does not classify omega 3s as medications. They are nutritional supplements. Consumers do not need to get food from a drug manufacturer. If you go out to dinner, is there an F.D.A. approved special on the menu? Has the chef been trained by a drug company?Back to price for a moment. Two capsules of my OTC product gives me a little more EPA and DHA more than one of the prescription fish oil. They are exactly the same natural omega 3s and they are just as toxin free if not more so. I can find other uses for the $150 per month that I am not sending to the drug companies.
The Addictive Society and Cannabis
Medical marijuana has now become legal in fourteen US states including Delaware. A synthetic form of the drug consisting of THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the active chemical ingredient contained in marijuana, a derivative of plant cannabis. The stems, seeds and leaves are all utilized and are usually brown or green in color.There are pros and cons for the legalization of medical marijuana and disagreement over using it rather than the natural plant. One of the arguments against it is that it takes more money to process it into a synthetic liquid or pill form while simple marijuana is easy to use via smoking or baking into foods and ingesting. Health conditions typically treated with medical cannabis include HIV/AIDS, cancer, stroke, glaucoma, nausea, asthma and seizures.
It has also been shown to be helpful in alleviating pain associated with muscular sclerosis and certain spasticity disorders. Many countries around the world have legalized the drug for certain medical conditions. Research is still continuing in the U.S. and around the globe in order to further refine the understanding of THC efficacy.
Some of the comparisons of smoking it directly rather than taking it in processed pill or liquid form include:1.It takes longer for the it to be absorbed by the body. This absorption can take up to one hour whereas smoking the substance will cause an immediate reaction.2. Because smoking allows an immediate physical reaction, a user can easily monitor his intake in order to achieve appropriate results.
Effects Cannabis Extract – Delaware
If a person has to wait an hour to feel the effect of a liquid or pill, there are higher chances of overdose.3. It has been reported to be more intense and include psychedelic side effects.4.
Smoking cannabis is much less expensive than the liquid or pill form.5. The liquid form of the drug is said to cause nausea so severe that many people can't tolerate it and vomit before absorbing the THC. This is an unfortunate side effect since many are trying to control nausea in the first place.Side effects from the synthetic liquid or pill THC include anxiety, confusion, memory loss, unusual thought patterns, depression, restlessness, rapid heartbeat, skin rash and seizures. There may also be problems when combining this drug with other prescription medications.
Effects of Marijuana Use on Human BodyThe holistic approach to cancer is to boost a person's energy and immune system, to adopt an alkaline (and not acidic) diet, boost our intake of nutrition through food and supplements, to greatly reduce stress and negativity and negative thinking (because this depletes energy and damages the immune system), to ensure cells have adequate oxygen (through deep breathing and hydration), to cut out refined sugars and starches and even natural sugar, harmful fats and processed and junk foods from the diet and to greatly reduce consumption of meat and dairy products. This will greatly reduce your consumption of sugar- which feeds cancer cells.Cancer cells feed on a low oxygen, acidic body/ph level and on sugar (especially refined sugar and starches). So, the holistic approach is to avoid or greatly reduce sugar consumption, make the body/ph level alkaline and boost the body's oxygen level. Drink water with baking soda and fresh lemon to make your body more alkaline.Engage in deep breathing and drink a lot of pure filtered or spring water - at least 10, 8 ounce glasses per day. Meditate and go into nature often to boost your oxygen level.Use an ozone machine to boost the oxygen in your water. Eat an alkaline diet (primarily whole fresh organic and raw vegetables with a lot of green, leafy vegetables) and use ionic foot baths to make your pH level more alkaline.The holistic approach also advocates to greatly reduce exposure to toxins in the air, food and water, and that we use natural products and filter our drinking water. Toxins damage the immune system and compromise its ability to prevent cancer. Iodine deficiency may result from toxicity and iodine helps to de-toxify the body. So, look into iodine supplements. Also, look into the consumption of seaweed and kelp that contain iodine.De-toxify your body with the high nutrient diet below and a lot of filtered water with fresh lemon and lime along with milk thistle and dandelion supplements, clinatro and liver, kidney and colon herbal cleanse supplements and water with apple cider vinegar. For detoxification, eat primarily green leafy vegetables such as fresh organic spinach, kale and collard greens along with fresh, chlorella, avocado, cilantro and parsley (drink a tea that is steeped in a bunch of clantro and parsely). Drink warm water with Himalayan salt and lemon and take colloidal trace mineral supplements. Himalayan salt is fully mineralized. Minerals help cleanse the cells of stored toxins. Also, drink water with one or two teaspoons of bentonite clay or diotomaceous earth for de-toxification. Take activated coal supplements and colloidal trace minerals.The holistic approach is intended to be used in combination with conventional medicine and not in lieu of conventional medicine. With respect to any disease and its treatment, consult a physician.Holistic-oriented research indicates that toxins in the air, food and water and in other products we ingest or put on our bodies and acidic foods damage the body' cells and immune system and other bodily systems and permit cancer cells to proliferate. It is also clear from the holistic research that poor diet and nutrition and lack of exercise damage the immune system too. Stress and negativity drain a person's energy and damage his or her immune system. All this leads to a sick body that cannot fight the proliferation of cancer cells in it.The holistic approach helps you achieve and maintain balance, inner peace, peace of mind and high vibrations. The holistic approach involves daily meditation and prayer, expressing gratitude, positive affirmations, deep breathing techniques, exercise stretching, nutrition and energy body healing through Reiki and other types of energy healing. The holistic approach requires you to get plenty of rest and sleep. All of this will help you relax deeply and raise your vibrations at the same time- this is the state needed for healing.Stop smoking. Stop drinking alcohol. To keep your immune system strong, stay warm and drink warm and hot water and not cold water. Work with your dental professionals to make sure there are no infections in your gums and teeth. If there are any infections, treat them. These types of infections can drain your energy and immune system. Natural antibiotics include large doses of vitamin C, oregano oil, clove oil and colloidal silverOrient your beliefs and thoughts toward the positive. This can be done with positive affirmations. Know that you are whole and complete and that you will be healed and be well. Expel fears and worries because fears and worries harm the immune system. Focus on feeling good, vibrant and happy. This will strengthen the immune system. A strong immune system is important to prevent and heal disease.It is important to keep the energy body (aura, chakras, meridians) clean and vibrant, removing energy blockages and attachments so that energy levels are high and life force energy flows freely through the body. This is done through Reiki and energy healing and emotional release techniques along with meditation and visualization techniques and positive thinking techniques. Yoga, stretching and exercise also help get energy flowing freely through the body for good health.It is important to let go of the painful past and any stored anger, fear, worry, resentment, regrets and guilt. It is important to achieve and maintain peace of mind and balance and an ongoing feeling of inner peace and joy and cultivate positive thoughts and emotions (I.e., the ongoing flow of unconditional love felt in the heart and body leads to inner peace). This is done through meditation and being fully focused in the moment. This is also done through emotional release visualizations, deep breathing techniques, meditation and yoga.It is important to maintain a healthy weight and to end obesity and smoking. It is important to reduce body fat (measured as BMI) to acceptable levels. The holistic approach to achieve this is through diet, exercise, stress reduction and natural supplements.Many holistic health authors write that sugar (including high fructose corn syrup) and an acidic body from foods feed cancer cells. Sugar and acid come primarily from processed foods, meat and dairy and other food products that contain saturated fats and trans fats. You want to adopt a diet that starves cancer cells. In addition, you want a diet that contains a lot of vitamins, minerals and anti oxidants to build up the body's immune system and energy level to fight the cancer cells.As a result, it is important to consume a high nutrient, alkaline diet - a healthy plant-based diet diet that consists of whole, fresh vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds with some whole grains. While healing, it is best to eliminate fruit (other than berries and perhaps a few grapes) because of the high sugar content of fruit. In any case whole, plant-based foods boost the energy level and the immune system, so the body can naturally fight disease and heal. These whole foods are alkaline (not acidic), do not contain refined sugar and provide the vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants the body needs for good health.An acidic body and sugar feed cancer. So, check your PH balance and alkalize your body through the food you eat and avoid sugar. Raw, organic whole vegetables are best. They are filled with what your body needs- vitamins and minerals. Use them to make fresh salads and juices. Fresh vegetable salads and juices are best with lots of greens - and this diet will help to alkalize your body. However, you can also lightly cook and steam vegetables. Green leafy vegetables (like spinach, kale and collards) should form the base of your food pyramid and then comes other vegetables, especially beets, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage,mushrooms and asparagus. All of these vegetables are filled with vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. Eat fresh garlic, onion, turmeric, ginger and coconut/coconut oil on a regular basis. A daily drink of water, aluminum-free baking soda and fresh lemon will helpalkalize your body. Drink a lot of oure filtered water and avoid coffee to keep your boy in an alkaline state.Avoid processed, refined and junk foods, refined sugar and starch andand fats (other than olive oil, coconut oil, avocado and other natural plant based fats such as coconut, avocado, nuts and seeds - fish oil is fine especially from wild salmon) and even natural sugar (often found in fruit). Processed, refined and junk foods do not contain vitamins, minerals or anti-oxidants. Also, these foods are acidic and not alkaline and they raise blood sugar levels. Avoid or greatly reduce dairy and meat (dairy contains a lot of sugar and saturated fat- and saturated fat from dairy and fatty meats raise blood sugar levels). Sugar and acid feed cancer cells. So, acidic foods and sugar and fat should be avoided. Grains tend to be acidic. So, avoid or greatly reduce your consumption of grains and gluten. However, some believe that it is acceptable to eat a little red meat to boost your energy so long as it is organic and grass fed and so long as you keep your body in an alkaline state.According to holistic research, sugar, a lack of oxygen, toxicity and acidity feed cancer. An alkaline, high nutrient plant-based diet, exercise, deep breathing and energy body cleansing and healing will hep reverse these factors.The diet discussed above should help the body stay alkaline (as opposed to acidic). It will eliminate refined sugars, fat and starches that are in processed foods and substantially reduce meat that all keep the body acidic. The holistic research indicates that an alkaline body is best for cancer.It is important to boost your intake of vitamins and minerals and anti-oxidant and anti-inflammation supplements. These supplements will boost your immune system and energy level to prevent and help reverse cancer. Take good sized doses of vitamins and trace minerals - a, b complex, c, d3, e, k1 and k2 and co q 10 or Ubiquinol, fish oil, flaxseed oil, turmeric or curcumin, astragalus, liquid, colloidal trace mineral supplements (especially liquid, collodial trace minerals), alpha lipoic acid, ginseng, astragalus and resveratrol along with bee pollen and bee propolis.Super foods such as, chlorella, spirulina, wheatgrass, ginger, garlic and onion, along with reishi, shiataki, miatake, chaga, corpyceps and other mushrooms, turmeic, aloe vera, kelp, nori, kombu and cannabis oil will all help boost the immune system to destroy cancer cells. They can be eaten fresh or taken as supplements.The holistic approach to cancer is to boost the immune system and energy level so the body can fight cancer naturally.Holistic research indicates the benefits of the following to desroy cancer cells: turmeric (or curcumin), soursop, pau' d arco, bitter melon, dandelion root, goji berries, acai berries, blueberries, noni, dragonfruit, laetrile (B 17, apricot kernels), essiac tea, water and aluminum free baking soda, paw paw, hydrazine sulfate, haelan, enzyme therapy, pomegranate, black cumin seeds, aloe vera, cayenne pepper, olive leaft extract, Asian mushroom supplements, mistle toe extract and cannabis oil with respect to cancer along with the topical use of frankincense, clove and oregano essential oils (they have great anti inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties) and cannabis oil along with intravenous high dose Vitamin C. Holistic research also indicates the benefits of bromelain, coconut, quercetin, papya leaf extract, thunder god vine (lei gong teng) and grape seed extract and grapefruit and grapefruit seed extract to destroy cancer cells. Bromelain is a natural enzyme that is derived from pineapple and is sold as a supplement. Some recommend high frequency generators and oxygen and ozone therapy.Consume Vitamin B 17. Fruit seeds are a great source of Vitamin B 17 and natural cyanide. The best source of Vitamin B 17 is apricot kernels. But, it is also found in apple seeds, grape seeds, watermelon seeds, the small seeds of berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries), the kernels of cherries, peaches and plums and other fruit along with almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts alfalfa sprouts and mung beans.Due to toxicity and poor diet, many people are iodine deficient. Holistic research indicates the need to normalize iodine levels. You can raise iodine levels through the high nutrient diet discussed in this article along with iodine supplements. Also, seaweed and kelp are a good source of iodine.Supplements that help boost energy and the immune system include co-q10 or Ubiquinol, PPQ, L-Carnitine, Asian mushrooms and Asian mushroom supplements (reishi, shitake, mitaki, chaga, cordyceps and others), Turkey Tail Mushrooms, Astragalus, Resveratrol, Asian, American and Siberian Gensing, Eleutero, Rhodiolo, Ashwghanda, DHEA, NADH, cat's claw, vitamins c, d3 and b complex vitamins, b 17, mistletoe extract, bee propolis, ormus/monoatomic gold colloidal gold and silver and green tea extract supplements.Also, holistic research indicates the benefits of N-acetly cysteine (NAC) to help replenish cellular glutathione to fight disease along with food grade hydrogen peroxide diluted with water.Holistic research indicates the benefits of eating the apple seeds along with the apples you eat. But, while healing, it is best to avoid fruit (other than berries and red grapes) because of the high sugar content in fruit. According to the research, the seeds are rich in vitamin B17 and natural cyanide that kills cancer cells.This is true for apricot kernels and apple seeds too (they contain vitamin B 17) and arttimisinin (especially when artimisnin is combined with iron supplements). Other good sources of vitamin B 17 includes the seeds of cherries, prunes, nectarines, apples and grapes.Holistic research also indicates the benefits of CBD oil and ormus/monoatomic gold,colloidal gold and silver to destroy cancer cells (including the use of tiny particles of gold and iron oxide with infrared light).Holistic research indicates the benefits of ozone/oxygen therapy combined with the other holistic techniques.Some recommend the use of high frequency generators for cancer treatment. Some recommend the use of baking soda and maple syrup for cancer treatment.For skin cancer, holistic research indicates the benefits of BEC and BEC 5 (extract derived from eggplant) along with the topical application of pure organic olive oil with a few drops of grape-seed oil, oregano oil, frankincense oil, CBD oil, black cumin seed oil, ground turmeric/curcumin, Himalayan salt, aloe vera, vitamin E and tea tree oil and terpinin -4- ol. These nutrients have strong anti-oxidant and anit-inflammation properties.Holistic research also indicates the benefits of bloodroot salve and oil for skin cancer.Detoxify your body with chlorella and sprulina along with a drink composed of Himalayan salt, lemon and water, a tea made of cilantro and parsley (eat the boiled cilantro and parsley), beets, bentonite clay and with a raw, organic plant-based diet (with a lot of fresh greens - spinach, kale, arugala, etc.) and coffee enemas.Try alkaline water or put baking soda or baking powder (make sure it does not have aluminum in it) in your filtered water to help keep your body alkaline and reduce acid. Add fresh lemon to it the mix to alkalize your body. Drink water and green tea with fresh lemon or lime.Exercise is important. Do daily cardio exercises and lift weights. This will help reduce blood sugar and boost energy and the immune system. It will help get oxygen and energy flowing. Do yoga and stretching. This will also help get oxygen and energy flowing.Get outdoors and expose your skin to moderate amounts of sunshine each day, especially on your face and arms. This will help your body produce vitamin D3 for good health. Breathe deeply, center yourself and maintain good posture to improve the flow of oxygen and energy in your body. Get into nature often- around trees, running water and the ocean. The air in these locations has more oxygen in it. Also, put a lot of plants in your home and keep it well ventilated to improve the oxygen in your home.Greatly reduce stress in your life because stress drains energy and damages the immune system, so needed to prevent and fight cancer. Avoid conflict and drama and negative and toxic people, situations and environments. Get the body to be in a relaxed state as much as possible.Most stress comes from our thoughts and emotions. Choose positive thoughts and emotions over negative ones and reduce stress factors in your life to conserve and boost your energy. Focus on being and feeling happy.Meditation and deep breathing techniques are important to get the mind and body to relax and get us out of a state of stress and negativity. This along with emotional release visualizations, meditation and yoga will help release energy/emotional blockages that interfere with the free flow of energy in the body. When energy/emotional blockages are released and the body is relaxed, energy flows through it freely for good health and wellness.Reiki and energy healing are also important with respect to cancer. They help remove energy/emotional blockages to get energy to flow freely through the body for good health.Please see my articles on the holistic approach to Type 2 Diabetes and Depression on EzineArticles.com for additional holistic techniques that will help with respect to Cancer too.The foregoing is not intended to be medical advice. It is information based on holistic health research. It is a holistic approach intended to be used in combination with conventional medicine. Consult your physician for medical advice.September, 2012
A Holistic Approach to PTSD and Depression for VeteransYes marijuana is good for your health. Medical marijuana that is. Today there is increasing interest in the use of medical marijuana for treating everything from cancer to menstrual cramps and migraine headaches. People who wouldn't be caught dead using marijuana are now interested in medical marijuana because it may be able to save their lives.Medical professionals worldwide have used marijuana for millennia to treat a variety of ailments. Modern medicine men are begrudgingly beginning to acknowledge medical marijuana can aid in the treatment and cure of many diseases.Earliest UsageMarijuana, or more properly Cannabis Sativa, has been used for its medicinal properties for over 5,000 years. Its earliest documented use is in China. In the 28th Century B.C. the Chinese Emperor Shen-Nung prescribed marijuana for gout, beriberi, constipation, 'female weakness', rheumatism and malaria among other ailments. In 2,000 B.C. physicians in Egypt were prescribing marijuana for eye problems. In India in 1,000 B.C. marijuana was being used as an anesthetic and an anti-phlegmatic and Hoa-Tho, a 2nd Century A.D. Chinese physician is reported to have used marijuana as an analgesic during surgery.Modern UsageToday in many parts of India and especially in Ayer Vedic medicine marijuana is used to treat a wide range of ailments. It is also used as a sedative, an analgesic, an anti-hemorrhoidal and an antispasmodic.One might infer marijuana is only used in 'backward' Asian countries with no knowledge of modern medical practices, But one would be wrong. Napoleon's army used it to treat burns, as a sedative and as a pain reliever. In the United States in 1961 the National Institute of Mental Health did a study that indicated marijuana could be used for epilepsy, infant convulsions, treatment of tetanus, convulsions of rabies, treatment of depression, as a sedative and hypnotic in relieving anxiety and has antibiotic properties.Today physicians prescribe medicinal marijuana to stimulate the appetite of AIDS patients, treat glaucoma and multiple sclerosis and reduce nausea for cancer patients. The British House of Lords in a 2001 report stated marijuana could be used to treat migraine headaches, schizophrenia, asthma, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and general pain. Doctors also acknowledge it can help to treat high blood pressure.Medical Marijuana MovementThere is a major movement, particularly in California, to make medicinal marijuana readily available to patients through medicinal marijuana stores. California medicinal marijuana dispensaries and medicinal marijuana clinics, many of which are run by medicinal marijuana collectives and marijuana doctors, seek to make medicinal marijuana available to patients with medical weed cards that legally allow them to receive medical marijuana strains to treat a variety of illnesses. Medical marijuana is truly becoming a herb for the healing of the nation.
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Wee Read Baby-Toddler Storytime (0-36 months)
Join us for Wee Read, our Baby/Toddler storytime, with stories, songs, movement, and fun! Wee Read is a language-rich educational program for children ages 0-36 months, and accompanying parents and caregivers. The librarian uses fun, engaging techniques and activities to develop positive feelings in babies and toddlers toward books and reading. These activities provide an environment for babies and toddlers to exercise important motor skills and practice using their vocabulary, and are the beginning steps toward literacy and educational success. Siblings welcome. Free! Children build language and literacy skills through the five practices of early literacy: talking, singing, reading, writing and playing.
- Date:
- Tuesday, December 11, 2018
- Time:
- 11:30am - 12:00pm
- Location:
- Sebastopol | Forum Room
- Campus:
- Sebastopol Regional Library
- Categories:
- - Kids - - Kids - > Ages 0-5 : Event > Class/Workshop/Training :: Language Learning :: Storytime

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For years, SportsArt's reputation was that of building high-quality, dependable, but largely unexciting products (in fact, SportsArt was presented the 2001 Health and Fitness Business Excellence in Commercial Customer Service Award). All that changed in late 2001 when it introduced its breakthrough 8300 total body elliptical trainer. This product embodies a commitment to innovation as it features patented adjustable stride — an industry first! This feature has been hugely popular with facility directors and users alike as it allows every user the ability to custom fit the stride length to fit their individual gait. Another patented feature is the electronic controls built right into the handle — the ability to change stride length and/or resistance level is at your fingertips! You couldn't ask for two better features to enhance the user's experience.
While the 8300 was busy shaking up the industry (and setting sales records), the engineers at SportsArt were hard at work developing equally impressive innovations for its new line of commercial treadmills. Introduced in late 2002, the 6300 Series features not only industry-leading specs, values and features, but also two breakthroughs — the FlowTec™ System and the CardioAdvisor™.
FlowTec™ is an integrated venting, turbine fan, and filtering system that keeps the motor and electronic circuitry clean and cool. A filter placed ahead of the front roller catches debris and larger particles coming off of the belt and keeps them from entering the motor compartment. The integrated side vents, combined with the turbine fan, facilitate significant air exchange to aid in cooling and the evacuation of particulates too fine to be captured by the filtering system. A cooler running motor can deliver power more efficiently and it's vital internal parts last longer, which are essentially the same benefits that are derived by having cooler, cleaner electronics.
CardioAdvisor™ is an innovative approach to heart rate training. Once the user has entered his or her age, the top three CardioAdvisor™ LED windows will automatically show the weight loss target goal (65 percent), the cardio training target (80 percent), and the mid-point heart rate (72 ½ percent). The fourth window shows the real time heart rate, either by using the contact grips or by telemetry. The high, low and mid targets are on display during your entire workout so at any time you can gauge your actual heart rate vs. your various goals. What a great way to eliminate guesswork and maximize the efficiency of your heart rate training!
To find out more about SportsArt's complete line of innovative club cardio products, call 1-800-709-1400 or visit us at www.sportsartamerica.com.


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On-line version ISSN 2309-8392
Print version ISSN 0018-229X
JANSEN VAN RENSBURG, Fanie (N.S.). Protest by Potchefstroom native location's residents against dominance, 1904 to 1950. Historia [online]. 2012, vol.57, n.1, pp.22-41. ISSN 2309-8392.
This article indicates the importance of a thorough study of local sources on protest action by township residents in Makweteng (earlier known as Potchefstroom's native location) against oppressive laws and policies in South Africa. Although the term 'grassroots support' only became a common one much later in South Africa's history, the study of local documents indicates the protracted broad swell of dissatisfaction among black South African citizens against legalised segregation and later apartheid. In the case of some individuals and local organisations these views articulated with protests on a national level. This article covers the period 1904 to 1950 and looks at the strenuous efforts by white authorities to dominate this township on a municipal level; the limited influence of the native advisory bodies and localised national organisations in resisting this control; and the singular abilities and contributions of Lazarus R. Muthle and James Z. Mdatyulwa in Potchefstroom's protests. It also indicates how this protest gradually helped to build the basis for encompassing resistance, including resistance of an intellectual nature, in the 1970s and 1980s.
Keywords : Potchefstroom; native location; advisory board; apartheid; protest; Muthle; Mdatyulwa.


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Grow VC necesitaba un nuevo diseño de página web y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 23 diseños de 4 diseñadores freelance.
Grow VC - Grow Venture Community - GrowVC.com
We are building Grow Venture Community, a online service to maximize the support for the revolution of enabling more startups around the globe.
Grow VC is a global online community of entrepreneurs, investors and related industry actors around the world. The service provides tools for connecting and engaging with growing startups and opportunities such as work investment, community funding and angel investment.
The core concept of the service is that all paying members also become micro VC's, as a considerable part of their membership fee is allocated as their budget via our community fund. This allows paying members to make micro level investment decisions to those startups that they believe are the very best ones from the thousands of startups around the world. Grow VC enables the effective use of small capital to crowdfund and crowdsource the most interesting startups, while investment opportunities can be found for those looking to make actual investments using our service, without any commission fees.
We are also always open for new entrepreneurial people to join our global team (yes it could be you). If you are interested, check out: http://www.growvc.com/blog/2010/11/…f-history/
Primary target group: Entrepreneurs, angel investors, incubators, VC's, local ecosystems, networks (etc) from around the world. Specially those that can see new ways needed to enable entrepreneurship and startups.
Secondary target group: Common people. At the same time we also want to attract more common people to join enable new ventures by crowdfunding.
Our values are:
* global
* transparent
* open
* collaborative
* efficient
The most important thing for each page is to be able to quickly cater for the need of the visitor in each situation (more details below). Also as the concept and service itself is complex enough - simplicity is highly appreciated.
Whatever is available in the site and provided materials at the moment, please feel free to design suggestions for new & additional items, functions or content for the pages as you see fit from your creative perspective for the audience in question.
We are looking for full width design style that goes from left to right and a design where the bottom of the page (footer) is used for the maximum benefit/navigation.
Via attachments, we are sharing some of the feedback we have got for our existing pages/site via various sources. These may not all be up to date or relevant, but there are still valuable content to think about. There are also our current style guide, but feel free to go as creative as you like for new redesign.
As the competition progresses, we will actively collect internal and external feedback from the proposals and communicate it here.
The pages we are looking to get the redesigned are:
1. the landing page (http://www.growvc.com) this is mainly for new and occasional visitors. People that are new to Grow VC and for those that are some how related to what we do, but not active inside the service. It's important to have information and navigation to quickly understand and find relevant information. And naturally to register for the service. This page will also include a one minute video that explains the service (video is not yet available).
- would like to see version where video is given prime location. Maybe also to use videos first still frame as part of the design or to display some other relevant image
- would like to see login buttons including: facebook, twitter and linkedin
Facebook login button: http://developers.facebook.com/docs…ins/login/
Linkedin login button: http://developers.linkedin.com/docs/DOC-1251
twitter login button: http://dev.twitter.com/pages/sign_i…th_twitter
- And also how the facebook social plugin would fit the best. facebook social plugin is importnat as that displayes who of the visitors friend are already liking the service. One idea could be to use it as a massive element, but thats just an idea.
maybe like:
2. Dashboard, this is the home page for the actual users of our service. Ie. main page for the logged in users. important to find information about "what going on in the service", action points, new discovery, etc.
3. Generic page design for style that is used for informative main pages (like about, people, etc.), blog, tour, etc. - For example of this page design you can make a visual from Blog page or from "subscribe" page. It's important that the page include generic design that is consistent with other main pages, have generic content area are logical areas for additional information items to promote other content.
Current landing page
(you need to register / log-in to see the page for authentic experience)
Samples of generic page
http://sendgrid.com/ - nothing to do about what our service is, but like the site for it's simplicity of explaining their service and specially for their overall style, landing page and pricing page.
http://www.personal.com/ & http://www.ubuntu.com/ - could also include these type of "slide" element that is these page ( - for different roles / personas) but must consider the video also.


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(AP) A Libyan security official says nearly 50 inmates have fled a prison in an oasis city in the country's southern desert, and authorities shot one dead during the escape.
The security official said the inmates broke out of the prison in Sabha early Tuesday. He said prison guards fired warning shots to stop them, which resulted in the death of one. Two others were injured.
The official said nine inmates were arrested while authorities continue the search for 36 others. The official said the prisoners were rioting against what they said were bad prison conditions, setting fire to their cells, and breaking up doors. He said they jumped over the prison wall. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
libya tv.


text:
Laura Dewe Mathews' £245,000 urban infill dwelling in London has won this year's AJ Small Projects Award
The subtly executed Box House - the new build redevelopment of an 1880s box factory in Hackney - was commended by judges for its 'clever use of volumes and daylight.'
The judging panel, chaired by AJ editor Christine Murray and featuring sustainability editor Hattie Hartman Alison Brookes, Cathedral Group's Martyn Evans, John Boxall of Jackson Coles and Paul Reed from competition sponsor Marley Eternit, were impressed by the architect's 'sensitive, witty and new' approach to a type of urban development which is becoming 'very standard.'
Built for the architect and her family, the cross laminated timber structure is located within an existing brickwork perimeter on a constricted site.
The house is a sensitive, witty and new approach to urban development
Dubbed the 'gingerbread house' by its neighbours, the project features rounded cedar shingle cladding and galvanised steel gutters.
Dewe Mathews' took home the £1,500 top prize for the project which she described as her first ever realised scheme.
A commendation went to Scottish practice Gras for its £2,800 'Transient Gallery' pavilion for the Venice architecture biennale made from polystyrene. Judges were impressed by the temporary structure which can be erected in 16 minutes and is planned for future appearances in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
The £1,000 AJ Small Projects Sustainability Prize was meanwhile awarded to Kilburn Nightingale Architects for its £37,145 visitor centre in the Ruwenzori Mountains of Uganda.
The project was praised by judges for its use of local materials which included ucalyptus poles and bricks and cement made from cowdung and mud.
Described as 'formally inventive', the 150m² visitor centre and washroom facility was celebrated for its 'simple elegance' and 'interesting internal spaces'.
Studio Myerscough was commended in the sustainability award project for its £90,000 pop up gallery and events space in Greenwich which was built to welcome visitors to Olympic equestrian events.
Featuring extracts from 'tweet-a-day' poems by Lemn Sissay, the structure praised by judges for its 'fearlessness' and 'exuberant' response the site.
The AJ Small Projects Awards has been sponsored by Marley Eternit for three year's running. An exhibition of all the 24 shortlisted schemes will take place at the NLA Building Centre in London until 28 February 2013.
All 229 entries to the awards can be seen in the AJ Buildings Library, complete with photographs, drawings and details.
Description of Laura Dewe Mathews' Box House
The site was originally part of the garden of an early Victorian end of terrace house in Hackney
It was first built on in the 1880s, to provide Alfred Chinn (the then resident of the end of terrace house) with space for his box factory, making wooden boxes for perfumes and jewellery.
The site changed hands and uses a number of times over the following 100 years, then in 2008 I purchased it, and, in discovering the history of the site, was drawn to assemble yet another box inside the original envelope of the factory.
The one bed, new-build house was recently completed using a cross-laminated timber super structure, placed inside the existing perimeter brickwork walls and rising up out of them. The timber structure has been left exposed internally. Externally the palette of materials is limited to the original brickwork, round 'ancy-butt' western red cedar shingles and galvanised steel flashings, window frames and window reveals. The soft shape of the shingles contrasting with the crisp edges of the galvanized steel.
Source: Chloe Dewe Mathews
The form of the proposal was a response to the constricted site, with neighbours' rights to sunlight, daylight and privacy all to be respected. Consequently the only elevation that could have any windows was the north facing, pavement fronted elevation, so the proposal countered this with large south facing roof-lights, added to this, light is brought into the main living spaces via a new private yard.
The result is a small yet generously proportioned house. At ground floor level it retains the openness of the original workshop while feeling a sense of separation from the street immediately adjacent.
Full list of previous year's winners
- 1996 Anthony Grimshaw, Garden Gazebo (£60,000)
- 1997/1998 Chris Wilkinson, Princes Club Ski Tow Pavilion (£60,000)
- 1999 Wilkinson King, Glover Flat (£43,000)
- 2000 Hawkins\Brown, 10 Market Stalls (£144,000)
- 2001 Boyarsky Murphy Architects, Holland Park (£120,000)
- 2002 Simon Conder Associates, London House (£98,500)
- 2003 Studio BAAD, TFL international (£217,000)
- 2004 Lucy Begg and Robie Gay, Ola Mae Porch (£3,600)
- 2005 NORD Architects, Bell-Simpson House (£80,000)
- 2006 Paterson Architects, Three Seton Mains (£200,000)
- 2007 Paul Archer, Wallace Road (£250,000)
- 2008 Mole Architects, Japanese Tea House (£7,000)
- 2009 Mitchell Taylor Workshop, Moonshine (£150,000)
- 2010 Haworth Tompkins, The Dovecote Studio (£155,000)
- 2011 Köbberling & Kaltwasser, Jellyfish Theatre (£17,000)
- 2012 Jack Woolley, Old Workshop (£232,000)
'Gingerbread House' wins AJ Small Projects 2013 Award
As deadline looms Derwent boss signs up to judge Small Projects
Small Projects Award exhibition arrives in Belfast
AJ Footprint's pick of the greenest Small Projects
'Gingerbread House' wins AJ Small Projects 2013 Award
Small Projects tour arrives in Bristol
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text:
Deep purple: Station goes 'members' only
American Dumpster
January 16
"I think he's playing your theme song." She leaned in and spoke the words with a sly grin. I could barely hear her through the muffled music coming from the adjacent room.
I sat back in my chair a bit as if the change in position would help me hear the words coming from the singer any more clearly.
"What's he saying? I can't tell over that cello... is he saying 'penis'?" I replied.
Doing that little conductor thing with her finger she mimicked the tune, "I have a puny penis."
"Ha, very funny," I retorted. "If I wasn't comfortable with our marriage, that joke could've been damaging to my entire sense of self-worth." I made the comment sliding off the bar stool into very manly stance. Walking around the corner of the room to the adjacent area where the band played, I saw two interesting-looking souls chorusing over an awkwardly staccato cello lick. I leaned in closer and heard the truth: "I have a purple penis."
This wasn't my theme song.
Forgive my vulgarity, but I have to say that "purple penis" could have been the theme for the evening. Only because any encounter (whether you are male or female) with a purple penis would be the most random out-of-this-world encounter you could have in your life.
As I sat there and took in the sounds and images of American Dumpster as they began to play (after the cello dude), I felt as if I had walked into a parallel universe Charlottesville where rules of commonality and tabooism were skewed and obfuscated. I mean, I thought rockabilly music died out decades ago, yet here I was in a service station turned restaurant/music venue listening to rockabilly/zydeco sipping Irish coffee watching the first snow.
American Dumpster's lead singer was witty and ripe with dry humor as he led his ensemble through an Elvis cover, (what I believe was) a John Prine tune, and an insanely jubilant arrangement of "Viva Las Vegas." Even if the execution of the song wasn't completely flawless, there was never a lack of energy from the six players on stage. Lemme see... the lineup went something like drummer on a three-piece, lead guitar, bass, washboard percussion, rhythm guitar, and keys/accordion. I was loving the fact that the lead singer's guitar was so well maintained and quite pristine, but ironically plugged into an amp that looked handmade and painted by blind three-year olds with spray cans.
Of the 20 people in the room, at least 10 of the them were dancing for the majority of the performance. Most interestingly was a tall slender man with bloody elbows and busted eye. He was wasted and had obviously lost a fight earlier in the evening. But even he wasn't a sore thumb in a room that also included a painted-faced guy wearing striped purple pants.
To tell you the truth, I really can't find anything to complain about. The energy from the band was absolutely infectious. There was almost more love than I could handle. When my wife and I got home, we laughed about how much fun we had. We warmed up snuggling on the couch listening to a 12" of Marvin Gaye for a little late-night theme music.
American Dumpster


text: Find out how he or she stacks up during these volatile times. By Kimberly Lankford, Contributing Editor October 27, 2008 Like everyone else, my investments have lost a lot of money recently. I work with a financial planner, and I'm wondering how much of it is his fault and how much is happening across the market. How can I find out if my financial planner has really been doing his job through all of this?This is a great time to assess the help you've been getting from your financial planner. Everyone's been losing money, so you shouldn't be unnecessarily harsh on your planner just for having a negative return. But some planners may use the widespread downturn to hide big mistakes. Here are some key questions to help you determine how your financial planner really stacks up during these volatile times. Sponsored Content 1. How have my investments actually performed? It's scary to watch the Dow drop by more than 700 points in one day. But how does that compare with your own investments? "To some extent, everyone is seeing market losses right now," says John Gannon, senior vice president of investor education for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). "But it's really an important time to open your account statements and take a look at them and benchmark your performance." Ask your financial adviser to compare the performance of your investments to relevant indexes or to other funds with similar investing strategies -- focusing on the past few months and years, not the day-to-day gyrations. If your investments are doing much worse than those benchmarks, then your adviser may have made some bad choices. If they're doing a lot better, is it because the adviser made some good decisions or lucked out on some risky investments? Ask for a detailed explanation. You can compare your investments to benchmarks and similar funds in the Investing section of Kiplinger.com. Advertisement Also ask about the performance of your overall portfolio, focusing on the past one, three and five years. "I really feel that no financial-planning client or investment advisory client should be doing as badly as the markets; that is, if the broad market is down 25%, then they should be down no more than 20% and probably less," says Bob Veres, publisher of Inside Information, a well-respected newsletter for financial planners. "The best advisers always make sure their clients keep enough cash and ultra-safe bonds on hand that nobody has to sell stocks into the teeth of a bear for two years." Your adviser also should have ensured your portfolio was diversified. If not, it would be a "a reliable sign of incompetence," Veres says. 2. How do my investments match my time frame and goals? One of the biggest benefits of working with a financial planner is that he or she should pick investments within the context of your overall financial plan -- dividing your savings into several sections and selecting the investments for each based on your time frame and goals. That way, you can keep your long-term money primarily in stocks and stock funds for future growth but don't need to sell when they're down to cover your bills. "You never have the money you need for this year exposed to any risk," says Mark Johannessen, a certified financial planner in McLean, Va., and president of the Financial Planning Association. Ask the adviser how he or she decided how much of an emergency fund you should have, where it's invested and how liquid it is. And ask about the adviser's strategy for meeting your medium-term goals. "Our retired clients have five to eight years' worth of certainty in their portfolios" with investments such as Treasury bonds, municipal bonds, diversified bond portfolios, bond ETFs and CDs, Johannessen says. "You always want your retired clients to sleep at night and not worry about getting up in the morning and turning on CNBC." Advertisement 3. What adjustments are you making because of this market? "A good adviser will have put a plan in place that expects horrible times in the markets," says Daniel Moisand, a certified financial planner in Melbourne, Fla., and chairman of the Certified Financial Planner Board's disciplinary and ethics commission. "If you found yourself clueless that your portfolio could drop, you have to consider whether you were well prepped by your adviser in the first place or whether he or she failed to fulfill a promise." The adviser shouldn't make rash decisions during a market downturn, especially if you've been well-diversified and your investments match your time frame and goals. "Any adviser who says you should sell everything during the capitulation period of a bear market is not somebody I would want to work with," Veres says. But the adviser should be making some changes to take advantage of the situation. "What you're looking for is an advisor who sees opportunities to offset capital gains with losses, provides better diversification and advises against making wholesale changes until the market has regained its stability. I would look for an adviser who recommends cautious additions to your equity exposure during this downturn," he says. Veres recommends asking advisers about other downturns they've experienced in their careers and what they learned from them. "The only right answer is that the market always recovers, always unexpectedly, and it's always better to raise equity exposure at times when your gut is telling you to do just the opposite," he says. "The downturns are always different, never predictable ... and in the end they make it possible for professional and wise investors to buy stocks at prices that normally would not be available." 4. How much am I paying for guarantees? Some "advisers" may offer to eliminate future worries by selling a product promising big guarantees. "I would be highly skeptical of any product pitches that purport to have severed the relationship between risk and reward," says Moisand. "You'll see a lot of advertising for bonus CDs, annuities and indexed annuities in particular. Most of these things are safer from a market volatility perspective but come at significant prices people don't understand and wouldn't pay if they were not under duress from the market losses." Advertisement In some cases, the adviser may be preying on your fear of losing money just to earn a big commission on a product that might not be appropriate for you. Ask how the product works, how much it costs per year, how much access you have to the money, and how much the adviser receives in commission. Read FINRA's Investor Alerts for more information about these types of investments. 5. How do you plan to keep me updated and answer questions? You can learn a lot about your financial planner during this crisis -- not just how he or she manages your investments, but how well the adviser explains the situation and what action you should take, answers your questions and makes you feel more comfortable. "This is probably the time when you need your financial professional more than at any other time," says Gannon. And your adviser should be giving you the attention you deserve now. "The very best advisers cannot help but feel an empathetic connection with their clients, cannot help but feel your sense of loss and anxiety, and will not be able to help wanting to address and alleviate it," Veres says. "In many cases, they will also tell you that they, too, are anxious and concerned, and that they -- like the rest of us -- don't yet know how it's all going to turn out, but they're monitoring it on your behalf and will do your worrying for you." If you haven't been satisfied with your planner's performance, see In Search of Good Advice for help finding a new one. Got a question? Ask Kim at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
We are one of the largest whitewater clubs in the East, and despite our name, serve
New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut as well as New York, where we formed in
1959. KCCNY features a whitewater paddling program with novice, intermediate, or
expert trips planned for each weekend of the paddling season, though the die hards
paddle year round! We run rivers from Canada to the Carolinas, with most trips within
a three-hour drive of New York City.
KCCNY offers instructional opportunities for everyone from the beginner through
advanced paddlers. The winter pool sessions are an excellent time for boaters to
begin learning or sharpening up their Eskimo roll and strokes, which definitely
makes whitewater safer and more fun.
To join, renew or learn more about membership please go to our membership page.
Joining or renewing after September 1st is good through the following year.
KCCNY members can subscribe to our email blog, which is constantly updated with
interesting articles, click on the KCCNY Blog item in the menu on the left.
For more information about our club, click on the About
menu item above.


text:
You are using the Mega as a USB MIDI device? It sounds like you are and if so the channel the midi is on is irrelevant as each device have 16 channels. Do yo have a separate midi interface using the standard 'old' 5 pin din?
This is what you would use if you wanted then all on the same device i.e the midi interface. That's what midi 'thru' was for to pass channel information onto the next device.
Sound like you a bit confused as to how midi works.
Look at the end of this project for changing the name of a USB devicehttp://www.thebox.myzen.co.uk/Hardware/Mini_Monome.html
.VendorID = 0x03EB, .ProductID = 0x2048, .ReleaseNumber = VERSION_BCD(00.01), .ManufacturerStrIndex = 0x01, .ProductStrIndex = 0x02,
/** Product descriptor string. This is a Unicode string containing the product's details in human readable form, * and is read out upon request by the host when the appropriate string ID is requested, listed in the Device * Descriptor. */USB_Descriptor_String_t PROGMEM ProductString ={ .Header = {.Size = USB_STRING_LEN(8), .Type = DTYPE_String}, .UnicodeString = L"HIDUINO"};
Nantonos, So in your last post are you suggesting that I upload Descriptors.c into my code?
Descriptors.c looks editable, but where would you type in what you would like to name the device? Next to .UnicodeString maybe?
.ProductID = 0x2048, .UnicodeString = L"HIDUINO"
.ProductID = 0x2049, .UnicodeString = L"NICK001"


text:
Welcome to Tronitel!
mobile phones, cellular phones, electronics, refurbished mobiles, refurbished electronics, accessories for mobiles Tronitel also own a top quality Italian lighting fixtures manufacturer whose aim is to become one of the most important online players in the lighting fixtures market. This B2B/B2C portal was designed to sell online lighting fixtures directly from the factories of its own group and a selection of electrical and electronics of its qualified suppliers.


text:
Last November the nation watched as California voters decided whether to decriminalize marijuana entirely. The issue was significant because decriminalization would be a shot across the bow of federal authority.
A little history is important here. When Congress created the Food and Drug Administration decades ago, the legislation empowered the agency to protect the nation from dangerous drugs. Marijuana was (and remains) among the drugs declared illegal by the FDA. Lest anyone wonder whether the FDA has exceeded its authority, the U.S. Supreme Court on several occasions has upheld the right of the FDA to carry out its mission. That's why the outcome of Proposition 19, the initiative that would decriminalize marijuana, seemed so important.
Seemed important!
U.S. & World
Unbeknownst to most of us at the time, the state legislature passed and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a new law that reduced the penalties for possession of an ounce or less of marijuana to an infraction and a fine of no more than $100.
That means no police record, no jail time, no worries (other than a hundred buck fine).
The result is that California has become the most liberal state in the union with respect to marijuana use. More significantly, the state has all but flicked the ashes of a joint in the face of the Feds. After all, it's still illegal to possess marijuana in California, leaving the state technically in compliance with national law; it's just a slightly inconvenient punishment if a law enforcement officer decides to issue the citation.
It remains to be seen whether the Justice Department will turn its head away from the new law or challenge it for flaunting federal authority. Inasmuch as Attorney General Eric Holder has already said that the federal government has better things to do than chase after marijuana users, a challenge seems unlikely. In addition, the Feds have already looked the other way from the 15 states that permit "medical" marijuana. So for Holder to come after California now may be a fight with little upside and major downside in the form of criticism for using national resources to attack a weak law.
Meanwhile, things seem a little brighter for marijuana users in California. And given a miserable economy, that may be something of a worthy consolation prize. From their perspective, maybe the legislature's finally done something right.


text:
On 8 March, we will celebrate International Women's Day around the world on the theme "Equality for women is progress for all" and on 10 March the 58th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) starts, with its priority theme on "Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls".
The gender team at the OECD Development Centre co-organises a side event at the CSW with DFID and ODI on the need for social norm indicators to be included in the post-2015 development framework. At the event, we will present key transformative indicators on gender based on the SIGI, new research on time use, and the results of a recent online discussion on "Data Gaps on Gender Equality".
The Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) was introduced on 8 March 2009, International Women's Day. The SIGI "is a new composite measure of gender equality, based on the OECD Development Centre's" GID-DB. It complements and improves existing measures in several ways. While conventional indicators of gender equality capture inequality outcomes, the SIGI focuses on the underlying causes of gender inequality. It is being updated and launched in October 2014.
The Development Centre launched the web platform Wikigender to share knowledge and data on gender equality and women's empowerment on 8 March 2008, on the occasion of International Women's Day. Wikigender is the OECD's first wiki and established itself as a leading hub on gender equality for gender experts, development practitioners, policy makers and interested citizens.
The OECD Multi-Dimensional Country Reviews are a new tool adapted to the realities of developing economies. They will look at how a country is performing with regards to meeting the multiple objectives of growth, sustainability and equity, looking not just at the absolute levels which a country has achieved but also at how the underlying dynamics of a country's development process affects these objectives. Later this year, the Development Centre will publish the first volume of the Multi-Dimensional Country Review of Uruguay.
On 24 February, the OECD, ECLAC and the Ministry of Economy and Finance organised a workshop in Montevideo to present the first findings of the Multi-Dimensional Country Review of Uruguay.
The workshop, a closed-door event, gathered a reduced group of experts, government officials and private sector representatives to discuss the main findings of the first phase of the review and potential topics to be developed in the second phase of the report. The discussion focused on the growth perspectives and structural trends of the Uruguayan economy, as well as inequality and well-being performance.
For more information on the Multi-Dimensional Country Reviews, please visit our website.
The OECD Development Centre jointly with the Global Relations Secretariat (GRS) held the first information meeting catering for members of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) on 28 February in Paris.
The discussion moderated by Portugal's Ambassador to the OECD, H.E. Mr Paulo Vizeu Pinheiro, sought to exchange views on the Centre´s tools combining sectoral approaches into national development strategies by looking primarily at the African Economic Outlook (AEO), the Multi-Dimensional Country Review (MDCR) and Global Value Chains (GVCs).
In a broad way, the session served to clarify the role of the OECD in working with developing countries through its several Global Fora and Regional Networks as spaces allowing countries to discuss issues of common interest, but also where instruments and guidelines are conceived.
The Development Centre celebrates International Women's Day
Multi-dimensional Country Review of Uruguay
Strengthening partnerships with lusophone countries
• New York, 13/03/2014 UN Commission on the Status of Women. "Tackling discriminatory social norms to empower girls and women: Lessons for a post-2015 framework"
• Paris, 30/06/2014VI International Economic Forum Latin America and the Caribbean
• Paris, 30/06/2014DEV – EU-LAC Foundation joint meeting "New EU development cooperation strategies in Latin America & the Caribbean"
• Paris, 1/07/20142nd Development Centre High Level Meeting
• Paris, 2/07/20146th Global Forum on Development
… the OECD Development Centre provides more background information on publications and Working Papers on our Facebook.
… You can keep up to date on development by following us on Twitter @OECD_Centre
Deutsche Welle
Keine Jobs in Afrika trotz Wirtschaftsboom
El País
El capital sale de Latinoamérica
You're receiving this newsletter because you signed up at MyOECD / registered to receive newsletters at one of our events. Subscribe/Unsubscribe
© OECD. All rights reserved
Related Documents


text:
Conveyancing Cranbourne East North South and Cranbourne West
Conveyancing with a local touch
Servicing Cranbourne East North South and Cranbourne West property buyers and sellers, Right Choice Conveyancing are the local experts in all facets of conveyancing. Offering a quality service with a thorough knowledge of the area our highly qualified team of Conveyancers will help you deal with all aspects of your property sale or purchase.
This is Cranbourne East North South and Cranbourne West property conveyancing with a difference – end to end first class service that takes the hassle out of property settlement for all our clients.
Beginning with your Vendors Statement (also known as the Section 32 Statement) and ending with final settlement, Right Choice Conveyancing are the obvious choice for your property settlement.
With expertise in Professional Indemnity Insurance and a keen understanding of the Sale of Land Act 1962, Right Choice Conveyancing offers a service above all others.
As real estate prices continue to boom in Cranbourne East North South and Cranbourne West it is essential property title transfers are completed professionally – and without any hassle for our clients. You won't need to worry about a thing – rest assured your settlement will happen just the way you need it to.
When choosing to work with Right Choice Conveyancing you will receive expert local advice and conveyancing that ensures your Cranbourne East North South and Cranbourne West property legalities are dealt with professionally and as seamlessly as possible. We guarantee there are no hidden fees or extras with our work.
Call Right Choice Conveyancing on 9772 8000 to discuss all your needs and get your property sale or purchase on the right track straight away.


text:
Culture clash
In a place inhabited by spirits, different rules apply and inexplicable forces take over. All over the world, people travel to such places in the hope of tapping into their energy.
Spirits at the Summit
They're everywhere: The Native Americans have sacred sites all over the U.S. southwest, including the Sunset Crater volcano, home to the Hopi's kachina spirits.
Cult Rock Site
Germany's sandstone rock formation Externsteine resembles fingers pointing toward the sky. Esoteric groups consider this a supernatural sign and gather there every April 30 for Walpurgis Night.
Circuitous Route To Serenity
The 53-kilometer trail around Mount Kailash in Tibet draws both Buddhist and Hindu pilgrims. According to Buddhist lore, immediate enlightenment awaits those who make the journey 108 times.


text:
prep time
Cook Time
For the Lamb Chops, mix sugar, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon and ginger in small bowl. Brush lamb chops with oil. Coat with garlic, then spice mixture. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight
For the Vanilla Sauce, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in large skillet on medium heat. Add mushrooms; cook and stir 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from skillet. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet on medium heat. Add shallots; cook and stir 2 minutes or until softened. Stir in balsamic vinegar and chicken broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 15 minutes or until sauce is reduced by half and slightly thickened. Stir in cream, vanilla and mushrooms. Simmer until heated through
Meanwhile, season lamb chops with sea salt and pepper. Grill over medium-high heat 8 to 10 minutes or until desired doneness, turning once. Serve lamb chops with Vanilla Sauce


text:
By Joe Guillen
Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr, in the face of a new lawsuit that challenges the City Council's ability to hold session, has told the council to continue meeting as usual even though it cannot take any official action without his approval.
The council met Tuesday as scheduled -- with Orr's blessing -- the day after labor activist Robert Davis filed a lawsuit in Wayne County Circuit Court, asking a judge to stop the body from meeting. Davis said an emergency manager appointment removes authority from the council to meet, deliberate or spend city funds.
But Orr spokesman Bill Nowling said Tuesday that the state's emergency manager law, which is the subject of a separate legal challenge, does not prevent council sessions.
"The law is quite specific about what actions have to be approved by City Council, but it does not say that they cannot meet," Nowling said at an impromptu news briefing at city hall. "It's Kevyn Orr's position that council can continue to meet."
Orr's response to Davis' lawsuit shed some light on the council's role under the emergency manager, but the body's exact responsibilities have yet to be fully defined.
Orr, a Washington, D.C., bankruptcy lawyer who started on the job March 25, already has decided to maintain the council's pay and benefits for the time being to show that he will work collaboratively with the city's elected leaders. But Orr can approve city contracts and make other decisions without the council's approval.
"Any action they take as a body ... would require the approval of the emergency manager," Nowling said.
Council President Charles Pugh said the council should still be relied upon to parse through public contracts and monitor other aspects of city government.
"These are still public dollars that have to be accounted for," Pugh said.
Pugh said he expects the council's role to be formalized in the next few weeks. He said he hopes the council will play a meaningful role in the budget process, which will begin to unfold when Mayor Dave Bing presents his budget to the panel April 12. The budget will be subject to Orr's approval.
The council will continue voting on legal settlements, contracts and other matters in the meantime. But all their decisions will be advisory, Nowling said.
Council President Pro Tem Gary Brown said Orr's arrival has not changed his approach to the job.
"Everything I've been doing the last three years, I'll continue to do the same thing," Brown said. "What the emergency manager does, I can't control. For me, it's business as usual."
An April 17 hearing has been set in Davis' lawsuit to prevent the council from meeting. Pugh said Orr told him to continue meeting despite the lawsuit.
Davis, who works for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, has filed several legal challenges to the application of emergency managers in Detroit and the Highland Park Schools, lawsuits frequently rebuffed in appellate courts.
He is the subject of a federal investigation and was indicted last year on charges he pocketed more than $125,000 from the Highland Park district by submitting false invoices for advertising.
(c)2013 Detroit Free Press


text:
Here's how it'll work:
I'm going to pack up a box with science books I no longer need or use. Some of them are duplicates of books I have, some of them are books I've never found use for despite teaching the topic covered in the book , some of them have just found their way into my collection for unknown reasons.
|Some of the objects I'm considering including in the box. No final decisions have been made - and I won't share the final cut with anyone. That way it'll be a surprise for the first recipient.
I'll send the box to the first person on the list. That person can remove as many books from the box as they wish to keep. But, each book they remove from the box must be replaced with a science book that they no longer need in their collection.
The books can be used (I expect they would be) and worn, but they should still be usable. When choosing your replacement items, please make sure your items are in a condition that you would be willing to receive. Please do not include photo copies.
The box will be repacked and sent to the next person on the list, and will continue on until it makes its way back to me at the end of the swap.
The cost of participating will be the cost of mailing a medium-sized Priority Mail flat-rate box - $10.95 if you go to the post office, $10.50 if you purchase your postage online.
We'll go with the Priority Mail option, because it will keep the cost the same for everyone and it will keep the box moving faster than the other options.
If you find one or two books that are helpful to you, you should come out ahead!
Participation is open to as many people as are interested - if the list of interested people starts to get too long, I'll start additional boxes so you're not waiting several months to get your turn!
If you're interested in participating, send me an email in the next week, and we'll get the box(es) going as soon as possible!
*Swap objects are not limited to books (though I suspect most of them will be books). Other appropriate objects include science DVDs, small games, etc. Remember the objects all need to fit in the box, along with the other objects that remain.


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Revenue at U.S. commercial health clubs reached $21.4 billion and memberships totaled 51.4 million in 2011, the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) reported in a survey released Monday. The revenue represented a 5 percent increase from $20.3 billion in 2010 while membership numbers grew 2.4 percent from 2010 when membership was 50.2 million. The total number of commercial health clubs remained flat, increasing from 29,890 to 29,960.
The total number of U.S. health club consumers, which includes members and nonmembers who visit a commercial club, grew from 58 million in 2010 to 59 million in 2011. The number of nonmember consumers remained consistent at 7.8 million. Overall, roughly 20.8 percent of Americans ages 6 and older were health club consumers. For-profit club membership penetration (members who are 6 and older) reached an all-time high of 18.1 percent.
"The health club industry continues to attract new members and is engaging them with innovative programs that are driving up frequency of club visits," Jay Ablondi, IHRSA's executive vice president of global products, said in a release. "Operationally, the industry is doing a better job at balancing new member acquisition with member retention and customer service."
Member usage increased from 97.5 days in 2010 to 102.5 days in 2011, an all-time high. Increased usage often denotes member engagement, Ablondi said. Non-dues spending and increased usage are the key drivers in revenue growth as frequent usage is typically associated with increased spending in ancillary services.
"More Americans are making exercise part of their weekly routines, which is encouraging since research clearly demonstrates that regular physical activity has numerous health benefits," Ablondi said.


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Image: Suspected Peeping Tom wanted in Winston-Salem
Police have released surveillance images of a man suspected of being a Peeping Tom at a Winston-Salem woman's house multiple times over the past few months.
The home is located in a neighborhood off Carver School Road. Cameras outside the home captured the suspect on Jan. 28, Feb. 15 and April 4, Winston-Salem police said.
Each of the camera sightings took place around 7 p.m. The images seen in this story came from the April 4 sighting and were the best ones captured, police said.
The woman had the cameras set up at her house after the first sighting in early January, police said.
Police described the suspect as a light-skinned black man between 17 and 25 years old, standing 5' to 5'4" tall and weighing 120-140 pounds.
Anyone with information on the incidents or a possible suspect is asked to call Winston-Salem Crime Stoppers at (336) 727-2800.


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Saturday Morning Special Brew Tour
- Varighet: 4 Timer (ca.)
- Lokasjon: Duluth, MN
The Saturday Morning Special Brew Tour is the best way to connect with the breweries that are elevating the local craft beer scene by crafting unique perspectives on classic beer styles. You'll go behind-the-scenes for VIP craft brew sampling at three local breweries - Fitger's Brewhouse, Hoops Brewing, and Blacklist Brewing Company - where you'll explore a variety of beer styles and experience the inspiration driving the innovation that has earned the Twin Ports its well-deserved reputation as the region's top craft beer destination.
Your Saturday Morning Special Brewery Tour includes:
Your Saturday Morning Special Brewery Tour includes:
- Engaging interpretive tour with fun, expert guides
- Transportation on our comfortable & clean brew bus
- Behind-the-scenes VIP access at three Twin Ports breweries
- Four 5-ounce craft beer samples at each brewery
- Catered lunch provided by Toasty's Downtown
- Souvenir sample glass for each guest
- Complimentary snacks and water aboard the brew bus
- Lots of great photo opportunities
*Please note that this tour is designed for adults 21+ years of age. Guests must have a valid and current ID to participate.


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GSA Suspends Enron and Arthur Andersen and Former Officials
March 15, 2002
March 15, 2002
Contact: Bill Bearden 202-501-1231
Washington, DC — The General Services Administration today suspended Enron Corp., related Enron corporate entities, several former Enron officials, Arthur Andersen, LLP, and a former Andersen official, from conducting new business with the Federal government. The suspension is for a period of 12 months for all parties except for Andersen, whose suspension is for the duration of the indictment. GSA's review of other Enron subsidiaries, and other Enron and Andersen officials continues.
Regarding Enron's suspension, GSA took this action based on a finding of adequate evidence that the Enron parties had engaged in misconduct and committed internal control irregularities that seriously affect their suitability to receive Government contracts. Under law and regulation the Government may award contracts only to responsible contractors. To qualify as a responsible contractor, a company or individual must have a satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics and must possess the necessary organization, accounting and operational controls.
Regarding Andersen's suspension, GSA took this action based upon an indictment released yesterday. The indictment alleges that Andersen, at numerous locations throughout the world, knowingly, intentionally, and corruptly destroyed documents and other information relating to Andersen's work for Enron, and that these actions were taken to impair official proceedings. Under federal law, an indictment for such a criminal offense is adequate evidence of misconduct to support suspension of a government contractor.
The names of the entities and individuals suspended are published in the List of Parties Excluded From Federal Procurement and Non Procurement Programs. This publication contains the names of contractors debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, or declared ineligible by any agency of the Federal Government. The suspension is effective throughout the executive branch of the Federal Government and applies to all new business with the Federal government. The suspended entities and individuals are:
Enron Corp.
Arthur Andersen, LLP
Enron North America Corp.
Portland General Electric Company
Williard, Inc.
Enron Energy Services Operations, Inc.
Clinton Energy Management Services, Inc.
Enron Energy Services, Inc.
The Bentley Company
Richard B. Buy, former Enron Senior Vice President and Chief Risk Officer
Richard A. Causey, former Enron Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer
David B. Duncan, Arthur Andersen's Chief Auditor for the Enron engagement
Andrew S. Fastow, former Enron Chief Financial Officer
Ben F. Glisan, Jr., former Enron Treasurer
Michael J. Kopper, former Managing Director of Enron's Global Equity Markets Group
Kenneth L. Lay, former Enron President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of the Board
Jeffrey K. Skilling, former Enron President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Operating Officer
In late January, the Office of Management and Budget asked GSA to determine whether the business performance of Andersen and Enron Corp. met the standards required to do business with the government in the future and to consider whether it would be appropriate to initiate suspension or debarment proceedings. All federal agencies with Andersen and Enron contracts were asked to ensure existing contracts are being performed in accordance with contract terms and proper business practices.
"GSA is continuing the review of Andersen and Enron officials to determine whether their business practices meet the standards required to do business with the government in the future," said Raymond J. McKenna, GSA's General Counsel. "At this time, it is inappropriate to comment further about this continuing review."
Reasons for GSA's Suspension Action
GSA has suspended Enron Corp., all of its related corporate entities doing business with the Federal government, several former Enron corporate officials, Arthur Andersen, LLP (Enron's former accounting firm) and a former official of Andersen, GSA's inquiry regarding other Enron and Andersen officials is continuing.
Under law and regulation the Government may award contracts only to responsible contractors. To qualify as a responsible contractor, a company or individual must have "a satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics" and must possess the necessary organization, accounting and operational controls.
A contractor or prospective contractor who is not responsible may be barred or temporarily suspended from receipt of future Government business. The purpose of suspension is not to punish a contractor or an individual, but to protect the government from contractors that do not have a satisfactory record of business ethics and integrity. Suspension from Government procurements is appropriate where adequate evidence shows that a company or person has committed misconduct related to business ethics and integrity, or other irregularities relevant to their present responsibility, and where a pending investigation or legal proceeding is examining those questionable activities.
The suspensions implemented today are supported by adequate evidence of present non-responsibility of the parties. Enron, its subsidiaries, certain former corporate officials, and one former Andersen official, have engaged in misconduct and caused internal control irregularities that seriously impact their suitability to receive Government contracts. Andersen has been indicted under one criminal count of destruction of documents. The Government relies upon its contractors to have adequate and appropriate internal controls to oversee corporate affairs, to ensure that the work being performed for the government is in accordance with contractual requirements, and to ensure that the government is only billed for work that is actually performed for the government under the contract. A contractor that does not have adequate internal controls cannot provide such assurances to the government, and should not receive government contracts.
Enron itself admits to organizational failures, a lack of accounting and operational controls, and a collapse of their internal control structure. These organizational, accounting, and operational deficiencies have had very real - and deleterious - consequences that directly affect their present responsibility as Government contractors. These deficiencies have caused a host of irregularities, which in turn have given rise to several pending criminal and civil investigations and legal proceedings. Matters under current investigation include securities fraud, falsification and destruction of records, making false statements, and other serious offenses. The available evidence indicates a lack of business integrity and business honesty that directly and seriously affects the present responsibility of Enron and its subsidiaries as Government contractors or subcontractors.
The indictment of the Andersen firm for obstructing ongoing official proceedings relating to their audit work clearly supports a suspension from federal contracting. The government employs private accounting firms to perform important financial control work in accordance with the highest professional standards. Unlawful destruction of documents to obstruct federal investigations is contrary to these standards, and establishes Andersen's nonresponsibility for future federal contracts. GSA has also suspended David Duncan, former engagement partner for Arthur Andersen at Enron, based on his involvement, knowledge of, or complicity in the admitted destruction or deletion of Enron-related documents and records at Andersen, in the face of imminent Government investigations and potential litigation.
GSA also has suspended several former Enron officials on the basis of their direct personal involvement in, or knowledge of, the corporate misconduct under investigation. Those individuals are Kenneth Lay, Jeffrey Skilling, Andrew Fastow, Michael Kopper, Richard Causey, Richard Buy, and Ben Glisan.
Additional Suspension Process Information
GSA has the responsibility to ensure that the government is doing business with responsible contractors only and GSA has the authority to debar contractors from government contracting. The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) sets the procedures for suspension. Suspension is the exclusion from federal contracting, subcontracting, and participation in federal benefit programs, for a temporary period.
Firms seeking to do business with the government must establish that they have satisfactory records of business ethics and integrity. The purpose of suspension proceedings is to provide the contractor with due process when the government has evidence that demonstrates that the contractor does not have a satisfactory record of business ethics and integrity.
Suspension may occur when the government has adequate evidence to believe that the contractor has committed fraud, anti trust violations, embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery; making false statements, tax evasion or similar offenses; commission of any other offense indicating a lack of business integrity or honesty that seriously and directly affects the present responsibility of a government contractor; a violation of the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988; or any other cause so serious or compelling that it affects the present responsibility of a government contractor or subcontractor. The contractor remains suspended for a period of time of up to 18 months, or if criminal or civil litigation has been commenced by the government, until the conclusion of the legal proceedings. A contractor suspended based upon an indictment will remain suspended until the conclusion of the criminal proceedings related to the indictment. The suspension does not have any impact on current federal contracts with the contractor.
If it is determined that one or more of the above causes exist and the government's interests require protection, the agency implements the following procedures:
A Notice of Suspension to the contractor is issued. It informs the contractor of the reasons for the proposed action. Contractors who are suspended will be listed in the GSA publication, List of Parties Excluded from Federal Procurement and Nonprocurement Programs. The consequences of being listed are that the contractor is excluded from receiving contracts, and agencies cannot solicit offers from, award contracts to or consent to subcontracts with them. Existing contracts are not automatically terminated. All federal agencies are required to review this list, prior to the award of a federal contract.
The contractor is afforded an opportunity to submit, in writing or in person, information and argument in opposition to the suspension. This occurs within 30 days of receipt of the notice from GSA.


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sanddbox wrote:msbachman wrote:My suggestions:
1) An exploits section, where people can post their own 0days and be rewarded with points like they now are with articles.
2) Hidden, easter egg challenges hidden around the site itself. It would be something to the effect of realistic 17(?) and would reward people that go beyond the bounds of strictly delineated challenges.
3) I think a more crucial suggestion would be to restructure the points system to reflect the sum of contribution and skill together. This could be done by providing more points for site contributions of all kinds.
-- Sun Jun 20, 2010 6:46 pm --
4) "thanks system": where people can gain like a point or something when they are thanked by another forum member for a helpful response.
5) challenge: a moderated challenge where people can bet other members can't solve a given problem. For instance, someone posts a 'realistic'-like challenge, and it's checked by a mod to see if it's fair or not. Then, for every person who attempts the challenge, the author of the challenge receives one point (or 10, 20, etc.) from the challenger. For every person who completes the challenge, the author loses a set number of points. The proper bet:reward ratios could be found from data collected from the challenges that already exist!
I like the first three and the last. However, the thanks system sounds too much like reputation, which often ends up with people rep bombing eachother and people posting "please +rep" after every post.
As to the fifth one, I like it, but what if someone makes a challenge intentionally hard just to get points?
I think that with the fifth one it would have to have an approval system- sort of like the articles. That way a mod/developer would be able to make sure it was okay.


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The Really Incompleat Bob Tucker
Wikidot is dying. This site has moved to http://fancyclopedia.org
A 60-page collection of fan writing by Bob Tucker. It was published in October 1974 by Dave Locke to raise money for The Tucker Bag fan fund.
|This is a fanzine page. Please extend it by adding information about when and by whom it was published, how many issues it has had, (including adding a partial or complete checklist), its contents (including perhaps a ToC listing), its size and repro method, regular columnists, its impact on fandom, or by adding scans or links to scans.
Wikidot is dying. This site has moved to http://fancyclopedia.org
page revision: 5, last edited: 15 Dec 2016 16:20


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Lemon Oil
What: The lemon tree is thought to have originated in Asia, first cultivated in Europe in Genoa in the middle of the 15th century, and introduced to Americas in 1493 when Christopher Columbus brought lemon seeds along on his voyages (Wiki). Lemon oil contains antiseptic, astringent and detoxifying properties and is effective in treating acne and oily skin, as well as brightening dull skin.
Origin: Lemon rinds are cold-pressed to extract the lemon oil. It takes approximately three thousand lemon rinds to extract one kilo of oil(Herbs 2000).
Products Found In: Shampoo, body wash, acne treatments, facial wash, facial masks and treatments, facial toners.
Alternative Names: Citrus Limon (Lemon) Essential Oil; Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Essential Oil; Citrus Medica Limonum Essential Oil; Lemon Essential Oil; Citrus Medica Limonum Oil.
Toxicity: Lemon Oil (Citrus Medica Limonum) is generally classified as non-toxic or harmful (EWG).


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AlignLife is on a mission to educate communities on how to properly provide the body with the nutrients it needs. We specialize in teaching people how to improve dietary choices with our exclusive nutrition program. Combined with our high grade supplementation program, enhanced health is only the beginning of what can be accomplished. We partner with Aceva, a pharmaceutical-grade supplementation line, to provide the highest quality nutrition possible.
Short doctor's visits with long waits, just to get a drug prescription that only treats a symptom is an unacceptable option. Treating the root cause of the problem will provide effective results that will last. Nowadays people are eager to learn about how nutritional deficiencies, hormone imbalances, and lifestyle stresses are impacting overall health and wellness. Solutions are needed, not temporary relief.
Doctors at AlignLife provide advanced evaluations and laboratory testing to uncover the cause of problems. Once the cause is understood, we schedule a follow up consultation to explain not only the problem, but also the detailed path to correction. AlignLife utilizes all of the data gathered in evaluations to create a customized plan for each individual patient to ensure they are able to achieve optimal health.


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Cambridge, MA, Friday, March 30, 2012— Activists, journalists, and a variety of academics are gathered today at The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University to examine and discuss the role of women in the uprisings and democratization efforts that have dominated the Arab world for over a year. "Women Making Democracy" will examine and analyze women's experiences of the Arab revolutions—and compare them to those of women in similar moments in history, from Eastern Europe to South Africa and Latin American.
Live Streaming begins at 8:45 a.m. You can follow the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #RadCon.
On Monday, Harvard's Center for Middle Eastern Studies hosted a Live Demonstration of Calligraffiti with Tunisian Street Artist eL Seed, integrating Arabic calligraphic traditions and themes of political change.
Throughout the week, and still on exhibit through 5:00 p.m. today is Roaming Revolution: Unfolding the Narratives of a Square, depicting the transformation of Tahrir Square into a civic space for political expression, resistance and organization, and artistic endeavors. The iconic symbol of the revolution is represented by a model of Tahrir. Read more here, and enjoy these images from the exhibit's walls:


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|Still Writing
Kay Kenyon
Photo copyright Nomi S. Burstein.
Think of all the things a piece of fiction must have. Who can ever get it all right? For example, we're told to excel at plot, character, setting, point of view, dialogue, backstory, conflict, and style. If it's science fiction, add cool science ideas and scope. This list is long and demanding, and no author gets them all right. But which ones are worth your utmost effort?
Before I go on, let me set the ground rules. I assume you know at least the basics of writing and storytelling. Books, magazines, and the internet abound with advice.To get a sense of the craft, read, read! (See Holiday Books, below, e.g.) So on to the Big Four.
Originality. Publishers look for an exciting premise. It doesn't have to be brilliant, but it does have to shine! Don't short change your writing with a weak or warmed-over concept. Keep digging untill you find an intriguing premise. Think Diana Gabaldon, Outlander series; Kathleen Goonen, Queen City Jazz. Toby Bishop in Airs Beneath the Moon. Not every premise can be as original as: "Dinasaur DNA retrieved from amber." But don't settle for plain.
Vivid Environment. One of the worst mistakes beginners make is a bland setting. This is a real crime in science fiction, of course, but true for every story. We lead modest, safe lives, most of us! For heaven's sake, take us somewhere interesting--such as the offices of a high-powered law firm or a small town in the 1950s. In science fiction especially, a sense of wonder--grounded in vivid detail--is a sure win. It's fun, too. I plan about 60% of a world, and let the next 40% surprise me as I write. Some recent favs in speculative fiction: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell; River of Gods; Brasyl.
Strong Lead Character. We've head this a million times. Give your lead an abiding strength and a nagging handicap. Too much strength and we've got a cardboard character. Too much weakness and the personality lacks charisma. A little of both, please. If you don't give them a special ability, give them a driving desire. For a lovely balance of strength and weakness see Justina Robson's Lila in Keeping it Real.
Conflict or Tension on Every Page. Focus your story around a problem. Out of problems arise conflict. To deepen the conflict sufficiently, make sure something terribly important is at stake. Interest in your story will be in direct proportion to the degree of tension on the page. You don't need meaningless action to tart up scenes, but you do at least need sustained and escalating tension. That's a high bar. Aim high.
A novel doesn't have to have everything right. Remember Randall Jarrell's wonderful line: "A novel is a narrative of a certain length with something wrong with it." Even so, readers will love a novel with two great strengths. Give them four and you're playing with aces.
Science Fiction and Fantasy:
No fair skipping this article. I know this isn't a glamorous topic. But if you're not getting writing done, I can almost guarantee that you have No Schedule.
If you're waiting for a free hour or two to write, you're on a course for failure. The world won't beg you to write. In fact, the world with its mundane (and critical) demands will always expand to fill 24 hours every day. And please don't wait for inspiration to strike before sitting down to write. Inspiration almost never shows up ahead of time; rather it arises from the act of writing. Carve out the hours you can for writing.
The picture above is me at my keyboard during my scheduled writing time. All right, me and my cat. But I'm not going to tell you my schedule, because for you, it's irrelevant. I can't tell you the best schedule to have, because it's got to suit your unique circumstances and preferences.
So carve out a tailored writing time and stick with it. If you're just starting out as a writer, it may help write in a paper notebook. It's often easier to give yourself permission to write draft material if it isn't on a computer screen. If you feel empty, write lists of topics. Or journal. Talk to yourself about recent books you've read, and what you loved about them. If you've started a piece of fiction, write the next scene, warming up to it with a quick edit of the last one.
Be flexible, too. If you've made some progress, let yourself quit early. If you haven't, stick with your commitment to those hours. Keep distractions at bay. No phones, no household chores, no email. Remember that it may take you a long time to warm up to your writing session. Don't give up because you are doodling for the first fifteen minutes. Don't chastise yourself because you got nowhere. The next session could well produce a startling insight or piece of writing.
Your success as a writer depends on being faithful to a work schedule. Isn't that sort of a relief, that it isn't about raw talent?
These are my winter thoughts about writing fiction. Thanks for letting me know some of the things you want discussed--I'll work them in. Meanwhile, how about a New Year's resolution to set a writing schedule?
email: firstname.lastname@example.com