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Convergence Customer Excellence Award Winner Price Transfer drives ROI through Dynamics GP Innovation.
Price Transfer needed to address the shortcomings of a legacy IT platform in a rapidly growing and changing business environment. The control of their business process was first automated in 1982 with a UNIX based front-office system for operations. This was intended to last only five years. A few years later a Sage product was deployed for financial accounting. However, by 2001, the dramatic expansion of volume and Homeland security requirements revealed that a system created in 1982 could not accommodate current trade security regulations.
After an extended search for a front-end solution, in 2008 Price Transfer launched the project of modernizing their line of business platform. The selection of the Silver Bullet Technologies solutions was contingent on the unique real time integration that Silver Bullet solutions provided with Dynamics GP. The Price team found that they would no longer have to worry about inconsistencies between their operations and accounting platform. With Dynamics GP and Silver Bullet, all information would be consistent across their applications. Price could ultimately take full advantage of their leading edge financial management system from Microsoft. All of the applications used Microsoft SQL Server on Microsoft Windows Servers and Terminal Server taking full advantage of Microsoft Office.
Price has been a true innovator in its industry. It made a bet on Microsoft with a big investment and had a surprisingly fast return. Its peers use a mix of homegrown and commercially available software often on the Unix platform. As a result they have lost a significant amount of market share to Price Transfer in the last year (25%). Price Transfer's push toward innovation and replacing all of their platform and solutions with Microsoft Technology has actually lowered their cost of ownership and put them well on their way to becoming a $100 million dollar enterprise in the next 5 years.
Price Transfer realized all of the benefits targeted in the original ROI analysis. The combined Microsoft/ ISV platform paid for themselves in less than 6 months. In the past 12 months Price Transfer has taken share from the competition. This increased volume has been absorbed without any additional resources confirming the scalability of the software platform. Price has seen what innovation can do and they are addicted. They have re-set the bar and are continuously building on what they have accomplished making it very obvious that they will never fall behind again. Price Transfer is very proud of the sanity that was returned to the workplace and the pride it restored in their company. Now, they can deliver on their promises and the customer doesn't have to hear excuses. Since they went live they haven't once lost a customer to the competition. Automated workflow has given the CSR's the time to devote extra attention to their customers. Managers, who used to work 80 hour weeks, now work 50 hour weeks. Work has become more interesting and although volume is up, not a single person has been added to service that additional volume.
Congratulations Price Transfer on your Innovation Award!


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Cultural IdentitiesActions
Cultural Identities
Last updated Nov 24, 2014
Promote and celebrate the events, beliefs and values that characterize regional identities in order to strengthen roots and the sense of belonging.
Specific objectives: pending
Main Partners:
- Ministry of Culture. www.mincultura.gov.co/
- Ministry of Commerce. www.mincomercio.gov.co/
- Artesanías de Colombia (Arts and crafts of Colombia)www.artesaniasdecolombia.com.co/
- Museums Network
- Caribbean Museums Network
- National Museum www.museonacional.gov.co/
- Expert ONGs on the issue
- Batuta Foundation www.fundacionbatuta.org/
- Salvi Foundation www.fundacionsalvi.com
- Alvaralice Foundation www.alvaralice.org/
Basic symphonic orchestra training program from the Batuta Foundation

subset: commoncrawl


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What may look like a simple office block on the outside often does not convey the complexities and challenges of creating an effective, adaptable work space for tenants. With companies embracing modern methods of working, flexible hours and better work/life balances, office space must be suitable for different needs, yet still improve performance through greater efficiency and workforce interaction.
Our office experience covers new build and refurbishment schemes for a variety of private customers. The challenge is often to overcome the limitations of building-related constraints while finding ways to maximise a building's potential. An effective refurbishment scheme will produce the combined benefits of rental uplift for better-quality space and an increase in lettable floor area.
Our consultative approach is driven by understanding our customers' objectives and creating solutions, often combining our construction and engineering expertise. Our ability to work with consultants to plan and sequence an office construction programme that balances safety and stability with speed of construction is highly valued by our customers when their income is at stake.


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Centuries-old little Landes typical character house awaiting restoration on a plot of 2710 m2 on the border between the Atlantic Pyrenees and the Landes.
Timidly hidden in its green bower, this little farmhouse modestly unveils its pretty southern timber-frame faÁade.
After pushing its beautiful ancestral wooden door, you discover a tiny house composed of a first room (26 m2) with terracotta tiles, an open fireplace and a real old stone sink and of a second room (12 m2) with an authentic bread oven.
The volumes allow the building of a first floor or of a mezzanine.
A building permit has been granted for an extension and plans and quotes have been made to create 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, a toilet and a mezzanine.
A concrete slab of 55 m2 has been built to provide this extension.
The roof is in good condition, the house is serviced with water and electricity.
The property is on the side of a departemental road.
The plot of land is flat with mature trees and shrubs and roses.
The house is located at the edge of a wood in a nest of greenery, in a peaceful place although near the road.
Located at 3,5 kms from the the thermal spa of Eugenie-les-Bains and at 6 kms from Geaune, a beautiful Gascon bastide and at 400 metres from a golf.
The beaches are 1h15 and the ski 1h50.
Pau and its airport are 51 kms.
The price shown for this property is FAI, (Frais d´agence inclus), the agency fees are included in the shown price and paid by the seller. You can review our agency rates and pricing policy via our info pages above or by clicking this link.
BNP Paribas International Buyers is the leading European specialist lender for international buyers of residential properties in France and Italy.
With more than 20 years of experience, BNP Paribas International Buyers is dedicated towards assisting its clients throughout the buying process, from the initial search for the best mortgage solution right up to the payment of the final installment.
BNP Paribas International Buyers can also help you with foreign exchange and international money transfer, home protection etc.
If you need assitance or would like to talk with and agent contact us and we will arrange a consultation with an agent.
Need help getting financial approval for your home. We can help you get the finance you need to seal the deal.
We are always glad to asssit please feel free to give us a ring or drop us an email and we will get back to you.


text: Mahmud Abbas (L) with George Bush, who refuses to talk to President Yasir Arafat But it continued to back the Israeli stance that President Yasir Arafat was not an acceptable counterpart in negotiations to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. White House spokesman Scott McClellan said US officials were reaching out to their Israeli and Palestinian counterparts, and urged all parties to "consider carefully the consequences of their actions" for the US-backed plan known as the road map. "We remain committed to implementation of the road map, working with Israelis, Palestinians, Arab States who seek peace," as well as the diplomatic "quartet" that crafted the peace plan, said McClellan in a statement released hours after Arafat accepted Abbas' resignation. That group includes the European Union, the United Nations, Russia, and the United States, which had made Abbas' appointment a precondition for releasing the blueprint and moving towards the creation of a Palestinian state. "The creation of the office of prime minister was a key turning point for the Palestinian Authority in the development of new institutions to serve all the people, not just a corrupt few tainted by terror," he said. Hopes on Abbas US President George Bush had pinned much of Washington's hopes on Abbas, even welcoming him to the White House on July 25 after steadfastly refusing to sit down with, or even talk to, Arafat. And McClellan insisted the Palestinians had to battle anti-Israeli violence, saying: "The prime minister must be supported by a cabinet committed to fighting terror, political reform, and rooting out corruption." Arafat said Abbas would head up a caretaker government for the next five weeks, after which he would either be asked to form a new government or his replacement will be appointed. Arafat (L) appears to have won a power struggle with Abbas Acknowledging that Abbas' resignation clouded the way forward, US Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge said on the sidelines of an international forum in Cernobbio, Italy that the move "will cause inevitable delays" . "There was great promise there, great hope there," he said. "We will have to see who will succeed him, but for the United States, Arafat is not a partner because he has not participated in the peace process as he should have." EU decision welcomed However, Ridge - a close Bush adviser - said the US leader would not abandon efforts to bring the parties to the negotiating table "to recommence discussions and to respect" the steps laid out by the road map. Separately, US State Department Richard Boucher welcomed a decision by the European Union foreign ministers to blacklist the political wing of the radical Palestinian group Hamas. "This is an important step," he said in a statement. "We look for the EU to carry through with the political decision it reached today and to take action against Hamas on an urgent basis." The EU decision, which Washington had pushed strongly, coincided with a Hamas vow to avenge a failed assassination attempt by Israel against its spiritual leader, Sheikh Ahmad Yassin. SOURCE: AFP


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Teeth Whitening
We believe the best; most comfortable and safest way to bleach your teeth is for us to provide you with a take-home tooth whitening kit.
We take impressions of your top and bottom teeth. Very thin trays are made with soft plastic that are like tiny mouthguards. We provide you with a kit that has the whitening solution. You place the gel inside the trays and wear the trays as instructed.
Depending on the amount of discolouration, you may need to wear the bleaching trays for between one and two weeks.
Whitening your teeth will provide an instant lift to your smile to give you that extra confidence to show them off!
How white will my teeth get?
Clinical studies show that in-surgery whitening procedures deliver up to eight shades lighter and even higher for individuals with darker teeth. Results will vary as the starting points may be different and everyone's teeth respond differently. During the consultation, we will go over what you can expect for your individual situation.
What if I have sensitive teeth?
About 10% of our clients may experience a dull ache following the procedure. Taking an analgesic almost always resolves the discomfort. It is best to avoid hot and cold drinks for the first 24 hours. We will provide you with an information sheet on how we can help you reduce the sensitivity as much as possible.
Does it work with crowns, veneers or bonding?
In-surgery whitening treatment cannot change the colour of your crowns, veneers or bonding. We will recommend the best course of action if we are whitening your teeth and are fitting crowns, veneers or bonding.
How long does it last?
On average, it lasts for 2-3 years, but the long-term results depend primarily on the individual.
Certain habits, such as the use of tobacco products, drinking a lot of coffee, tea, dark soft drinks and infrequent visits to the dentist for regular cleanings etc. can work against the results.
How do I keep my teeth white?
Regular professional care can help maintain the whiteness for years. Some people may prefer to have the whitening procedure carried out every few years to maintain the whiteness or even simply topping up the whitening treatment with a take-home mini whitening kit.


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Our old faithful Bashful Blue has been pulled, so it will no longer be available as of 1 July 2013. I shall be sad to see this baby blue go. This is the card I sent to my downlines who celebrated their birthday in April. I used the Needlepoint TIEF (textured impressions embossing folder) to emboss twice, creating a channel so I could glue a piece of Tea for Two DSP in between. Then I sponged and glued the flowers die cut from the Flower Fusion sizzlet die and added a single flower trim daubed in Island Indigo to match and topped it off with a little pearl. I eyeballed stamping the patterned chevron from Oh, Hello! stamp set and punched a couple of butterflies with the itty bitty butterfly punch.
I hope they liked them!


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Posts tagged 'Stress'
More Welsh Ambulance Service staff off with stress
Almost three times as many staff are signed off for stress as for a cold or flu
A growing number of ambulance service staff are going off sick due to stress, BBC Wales has learned.
Their sickness rate of 7.53% is the highest in the Welsh NHS and almost double that of the police which is 4%.
Since May the service has only once hit the 65% target for reaching life-threatening calls in eight minutes.
Bosses admit that ambulance queues outside A&E could get worse with hospital reorganisation unless more staff are hired.
Common cold
Sickness level figures – calculated as the number of hours lost – were obtained following a Freedom of Information request by the BBC.
In 2011-12 there were 9,667 hours lost because of stress, but in 2012-13 that figure had risen to 11,255 hours.
The figures also show there were almost three times as many staff being signed off for stress as for a common cold or flu.
A paramedic from the ambulance service's central and west region, using the name Tina to protect her identity, said: "I think it was constant pressure of trying to hit targets and be somewhere else when you're already dealing with one patient.
"You're not getting time to clear your head between one patient and another, you just haven't got the time to think, you're just constantly barraged from one job to the next.
"I was getting home and being useless to man nor beast – I could not function as a human being, I was just a shell."
'Patients deteriorating'
Tina also said that waiting outside hospitals to deliver patients was a "frustration".
She added: "You know you can be out there doing something helping people, and all you're doing is basically babysitting patients for the hospital.
"They don't want the patients through their doors because it counts on their figures. Yet we can't leave them.
"We watch patients deteriorating in the back of our ambulances and we still can't get them in."
Unions say the problem is so bad that staff are now putting in personal injury claims for compensation.
"We've had a number of cases over the last 12 months," said Darron Dupre from Unison.
"There's certainly an increase in paramedics and technicians coming to us to ask what legal recourse they can have for the way they feel."
The Welsh NHS is planning to reduce the number of hospitals and centralise services are because of concerns that services are spread too thinly. However, it could mean ambulances face more time on the roads.
With changes ahead, managers accept they will need more resources.
Judith Hardisty from the Welsh Ambulance Service said: "We will need to provide more training and upskill some of our staff so that they can provide the care to patients that they are moving over longer periods of time.
"We have identified that if those services are moving we will need more staff to support those changes."
via BBC News – More Welsh Ambulance Service staff off with stress.
Workplace stress is a serious subject. According to a survey from the American Psychological Association, more than one third of American workers experience chronic work stress — and this is costing American businesses billions of dollars a year in lost work hours and medical bills. More importantly, all this worrying at work can have serious consequences for our quality of life — not only at the office, but everywhere else as well. So how do we regain our sanity and take back our lives?
After 17 years in the working world and another two as a business owner, I've learned a thing or two about workplace stress and burnout — and about the importance of managing stress so it doesn't take over our lives. In honor of Stress Awareness Month, which runs throughout April this year, I want to share with you the formulas I've discovered for managing workplace stress.
As we begin to address workplace stress, I believe we need to start by reminding ourselves that we are not invincible.
Remember when we were teenagers and thought we were invincible? We did stupid things like drive too fast, drink too much, and play with fire (either literally or figuratively). Many of us were lucky to make it out of our teens alive, what with our cavalier attitude toward mortality.
At some point (usually in our late 20s or early 30s), many of us start to realize we aren't actually invincible. People we know die. We stop doing the blatantly stupid stuff and start doing more of the "adult" stuff, such as working long hours, stressing over how great the front yard looks, or lying awake worrying about missing a deadline at work.
But it turns out the "adult" stuff can be just as dangerous as driving too fast. We work 60-plus hours a week as if there are no consequences. We run around creating the perfect household, trying to be the perfect partner, the perfect parent, or the perfect community pillar. We get stretched thin with obligations, deadlines, and trying to prove our worth. In other words, we are still acting as if we're invincible.
The truth of the matter is that we are not invincible. We burn out. We get sick. We are vulnerable. In fact, stress is responsible for 75-90 percent of all doctor's office visits. Stress contributes to heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and autoimmune diseases [1] [2].
In other words, stress shouldn't be ignored. The good news is, coping with stress is actually pretty simple.
To effectively manage stress, we need to address it in at least three areas of our lives: our physical health, our mental health, and our sense of purpose. Below, I've detailed stress-relieving tips for each of these areas.
One: Start By De-Stressing Your Body
In modern life, we spend far more time engaging our bodie's stress responses than we do engaging our relaxation responses. This has serious consequences for our physical health, as too much stress can accelerate the aging process, suppress our immune systems, and leave us feeling fatigued and depressed [3] [4].
Since stress is a physical and hormonal chain reaction, the first place to start is using your body to interrupt the response. Indeed, the foundation for living a stress-free, physically energized life lies in what we eat, how (and how often) we move, and how much we sleep. The following are some of my favorite tips for eradicating stress on a physical level.
Stress-Relieving Tips for the Body
1. Eat whole foods. Processed food can cause us to feel anxious and can evencontribute to ADD. We can prevent these symptoms by eating whole foods, eating more fruits and vegetables (especially green ones), and getting a healthy dose of omega-3 fatty acids from salmon or seeds such as hemp, chia and flax. Nourishing your body will make you better prepared to take on whatever challenges you'll face at work.
2. Exercise regularly. Physical activity releases feel-good, stress-relieving chemicals. Every time you find your stress level on the rise, get up and move. You can stretch, run in place, dance, or walk around the office or building. Doing so gets your blood and endorphins flowing, makes you happy, and turns off your flight or fight stress response. Boost the physical benefits of moving by taking several deep, cleansing breathes that trigger your relaxation stressor.
3. Get enough sleep. Work stressors are magnified when we're sleep-deprived and foggy-brained. Aim for eight hours of sleep each night. Sleeping well can help you solve problems with a clearer mind and even boost your intelligence.
Two: Remember To De-Stress Your Mind
When I ask audiences the question, "What is stress?", I typically receive answers such as "deadlines," "traffic," "over-commitment," "not enough time," and even "having to deal with "stupid" people." These answers suggest that many of us believe stress is something that happens to us. In reality, stress is merely our responseto all those external factors.
The stress response is a function of our autonomic nervous system's flight-or-fight response. Specifically, stress is triggered by a thought or belief that we are in danger — and our body then goes into overdrive producing cortisol and adrenaline to help us get out of danger as fast as possible.
Let's repeat that for emphasis: Stress begins in our minds via a thought or belief. Thus, an important key to neutralizing stress is to fuel our minds with more positive, happy, gratitude-filled thoughts in order to trigger our stress responses less often.
Stress-Relieving Tips for the Mind
1. Cultivate gratitude. Things will go wrong throughout our workday, or at least not according to plan. This is inevitable. We can take the sting out of these negative events by focusing on what's great in our life. Each evening, write down three things you are grateful for. They can be as simple as seeing a gorgeous sunrise or being complimented on your new pair of shoes.
2. Meditate regularly. A consistent meditation practice — even if it's only five minutes a day — may help lower blood pressure, and can help us control the thoughts that can trigger stress. The next time you get stressed because your boss just added another task to your already overflowing to-do list, stop and take a breath. Shake out your body, sit back down and meditate for five minutes.
3. Learn to say "no". Being overbooked, overworked, and overcommitted will lead to stress. We often feel obligated to say "yes" to everything for fear we won't be liked. But the greatest act of stress relief is exercising your right to say no. You can be polite but firm: Explain to others that you are overcommitted and that you must say no. And yes, you can even tell your boss "no"; just explain that one more project will mean the quality of your work will drop. Negotiate priorities.
Three: Don't Lose Sight of Your Purpose
Each of us is more than the work we do. We are creative, in relationships, spiritual, and passionate. Connecting with our whole selves by fueling our sense of purpose is the keystone for less stress and more happiness, both in the office and outside of it.
"What's that?", you say? What is purpose and what does it have to do with stress? AsI've written before, purpose can be thought of as a person's calling in the world — but it's really broader than that. It encompasses everything from meaningful work, to relationships, to the hobbies that brings us joy and meaning. Purpose is the expression of our own unique spirit.
When we starve our purpose — by not engaging with our work, suppressing our creativity, or ignoring our relationships (including the one with ourselves) — we trigger our stress response. When our life is full of nothing but work and obligations, we begin to feel bitter, resentful, depressed, and even angry. The antidote to these feelings is to focus on fueling all facets of our life. Bonus: Doing so will give us even more for which we can be grateful.
Stress-Relieving Tips for Your Purpose
1. Schedule quality social time. When we're working crazy hours, we can find ourselves detached from our relationships. Each week, schedule some time with a loved to just be together, hang out, and laugh. No work talk allowed, and no checking the smartphone. Disengage from work and reengage with those that matter.
2. Get creative. Remember how much fun you had as a kid doing crafts. You might have stopped because your last creation wasn't perfect, or because you didn't have the time. But it's important to carve out some time to be creativeand tap into your inner kid. Creativity can include anything from cooking dinner, handwriting a card to a friend, or creating a vision board. Get out the scissors and glue stick and just play.
3. Get spiritual. Regardless of what "spirituality" means to you, one thing is certain: When we are overworked and chronically stressed, we can forget about our place in the bigger picture. Connecting with your spiritual roots through prayer, meditation, chanting or other rituals is an excellent way to get perspective on what's stressing you and relieve that pressure. Another simple tip? Pull out a world map and reflect on how big the earth is, and where you fit in.
We cannot eliminate or escape stress at the workplace. It is a fact of modern life. Yet we can neutralize stress in all areas of our lives by fueling our lives with meaningful actions, thoughts, and beliefs. We all deserve to live a happy, contented life. It's never too late to start making yours.
Slow down, relax, breathe deeply
Managing stress is easier said than done, but in the fast-paced life we live, it is important to master this skill, writes Meera Murugesan
MANAGE stress and you'll be healthier and happier. Haven't we heard this once too often? And isn't it easier said than done given the "pressure cooker" lives we lead today?
Demanding bosses, back-stabbing co-workers, problematic children and unruly neighbours — the list of "stress triggers" is endless in today's urban environment. But can we still find ways to manage stress and achieve balance in our lives in the midst of all this chaos?
Humans are social creatures. We thrive in our inter-personal relationships, whether at home or at work but these same relationships can either be a source of support or stress, says Dr Daniel Zainal Abdul Rahman, consultant psychiatrist at Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur.
Managing stress he explains, doesn't mean eliminating it from our lives because that would be impossible. Furthermore, we need stress to some extent because it motivates us to perform. But, if we are in perpetual stress mode 24 hours a day we are heading for danger.
Dr Daniel says everyone is "running on fifth gear" these days, so the body's stress response, which is actually intended to help us face an external threat to our safety or survival, is being constantly triggered.
The heart beats fast, breathing becomes shallow and rapid, blood pressure, pulse rate and sugar levels rise. Adrenalin floods the body and muscles tighten. All these come into place to help us either fight or run away in the face of danger and these stress parameters go back to normal once the threat is over. However, in today's environment, this stress response is being triggered all the time, even over small things and the end result is damage to the body and mind.
"It's like starting a car, and keeping the left foot flooring the brake and the right foot flooring the gas. What do you think happens to the engine? How long can it last? It will break down," he says.
Dr Daniel says while stress drives us to perform, each individual has an optimal stress level and when this level has been reached, their performance drops and they suffer a "burn-out". For this reason, we must learn to respect our optimal stress level.
The key to managing stress in daily life is to put in as many "buffers" as possible between us and stress.
Exercise is one such buffer because when we work out, the body releases endorphins or "happy hormones" and all our stress parameters come down. Exercising three to four times a week or more for at least 30-40 minutes doing either brisk walking, cycling, jogging, swimming or aerobics can be beneficial in stress management.
Our diet offers another solution to stress. We need to include as much anti-oxidant rich foods as possible into our meals and much of this can be found very easily in local markets. Red onions, garlic, broccoli, nuts, pomegranates and other brightly coloured fruit and vegetables should be included in our diet together with an adequate intake of water.
"We must keep in mind that if we put rubbish into our bodies, we get rubbish in return," says Dr Daniel.
Dr Daniel says keeping a "stress diary" can also be beneficial as it helps us understand how things affect us and how to improve. Put everything down on paper such as what causes the stress, how it affects you and what you can do to make things better. For example, you can write down all statements you either tell yourself or other people that include the words "should", "should have" or "should not have", statements generally related to anxiety or stress provocation and decide how many of these you can actually do without. You'll realise there are many you can disregard.
"It's like putting everything on the table and examining it from the outside in an objective manner."
People with certain personalities do tend to be more stressed because our personalities determine how we think, feel and behave but there are two sides to every personality, says Dr Daniel.
For example, those who are obsessive are also very meticulous and organised, and shine at work. In relationships however, they fare poorly because of the "my way or highway" approach. A very easy-going person on the other hand may be too laidback and perform poorly. Gender also plays a role in how we deal with stress. Women are more emotionally resilient and introspective compared with men. They are also more expressive, and more likely to come forward and seek help for problems.
Practising deep abdominal breathing is another buffer against stress. Dr Daniel says the body's stress response is to initiate shallow, rapid breathing so the opposite works to relax and calm, and if a person can convert as many of his breaths into deep, abdominal breathing, he will generally be a more relaxed individual.
Meditation should also be an important component in our daily lives as it helps the mind push away anxiety provoking thoughts and promotes relaxation. It even helps us cope better with stressful situations.
"Ancient Eastern philosophies have shown us how to deal with stress but the problem is we're not using them often enough. What's worse is that we always react to a problem when we're supposed to act," he says.
Building and nurturing a supportive network of family and friends at different levels, and cultivating hobbies and interests that help us relax are also crucial in stress management. Even giving ourselves some "down time" and "me time" is important.
But all these coping mechanisms should be made part and parcel of daily life in order for them to be effective, says Dr Daniel.
"There are many things you can do but you need to do them consistently, turn them into the philosophy of your life."
Manage stress
• Acknowledge that you cannot have complete control over your life.
• Set specific but realistic and achievable goals.
• Accept that you cannot change certain things.
• Be flexible and adaptable.
• Aim for moderation in life.
• Break down problems into small components before dealing with them.
• Learn to forgive and let go. Don't hold grudges.
Read more: Slow down, relax, breathe deeply – Health – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/life-times/health/slow-down-relax-breathe-deeply-1.232938#ixzz2O2kFJYbp
Eye therapy to tackle military stress
Sgt Steve Johnson and Staff Sergeant Karen Johnson, with Karen's son
When he returned from his tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2007, Sgt Steve Johnson did not tell his wife Karen that he had already worked out how he was going to kill himself.
But she knew instinctively that he was not the same. Steve, a Royal Military Police sergeant, loved his job but something had changed.
"I'd be sitting watching TV, but be in another place thinking about things that happened to me, things that I had witnessed.
"I started reliving them after my operational tour in Afghanistan, but there were also memories of previous tours in Rwanda, Iraq, Kosovo, and Northern Ireland," he remembers.
The 38-year-old had been part of a "mop-up team" in Iraq, which involved clearing charred and disfigured bodies. He also witnessed the results of genocide in Africa and experienced lengthy firefights in Afghanistan.
"I would have a flashback, where I'd get the taste, the smell, the feelings and start sweating. I was constantly on edge, lying awake at night, reliving events, and I'd get only 40 minutes sleep at night, maximum," he admits.
"It was affecting my life massively. I didn't think I had post-traumatic stress disorder. I just thought I had a problem."
'Going sick'
His wife Karen – a staff sergeant in the Royal Army Medical Corps – finally persuaded her husband to go to the military medical centre.
He was reluctant, as the career soldier did not believe in "going sick". Staff there quickly realised he was in urgent need of help, referring him to the Priory clinic in Woking.
"They said they'd take me somewhere where I was safe, after I told them I had rehearsed how I was going to kill myself."
For several weeks, he was given everything from trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy to art therapy.
But as the only soldier there, the sergeant did not feel able to share what had happened to him with the rest of the group or even share the pictures he had painted of his experiences. He worried that they might upset the other patients.
"But I still needed to tell someone. So I bottled everything up again for weeks, until someone said to me 'we'd like you to do EMDR'. I'd never heard of it before."
Traumatic memories
The therapist described what would happen during the EMDR therapy, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, and was approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in 2005.
The effects of war are a hard thing to get over. You have to be a strong person to admit that to yourself and sort it out, rather than bottling it up"
Sgt Steve Johnson
It works on the theory that traumatic memories have not been properly processed by the brain, but can be reprocessed correctly via therapy involving eye movement, and using sounds or taps to the skin while going through the past traumas.
"The therapist told me that I would relive the events, but that like a computer, the therapy would 'defrag' the memories and put them into some sort of order so that I could deal with them."
During that first session, Steve went back to some of his worst memories, once again experiencing the taste of petrol, and the smell of helicopter fumes and burning.
After a matter of weeks, EMDR began to have an effect, and he was able to share the traumas he had kept locked away for years and return home to Karen and his work.
But a posting to Northern Ireland saw him suffer a setback. So the Army paid for him to continue the EMDR therapy at a nearby private clinic.
"It was fantastic, and after I'd dealt with the events I needed to, I found I could return to work full-time, with the full support of my boss."
Impede career
Not all soldiers will suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – military rates of 4% or so are roughly the same as those of civilians subjected to trauma.
But recent studies show that repeated exposure to combat may raise that rate to 6.9%, according to Dr Susanne McGowan, a consultant clinical psychologist with the MoD who uses EMDR therapy.
Some are still sceptical about the treatment, although studies have shown that it works as well as, if not better than, many other therapies available for dealing with trauma. EMDR therapists now work in every defence community mental health centre.
Dr McGowan says the military's traditional culture of "getting on with the job" means that sometimes servicemen and women hesitate to ask for help or worry that doing so may impede their careers.
"It's a big issue for us to try to get people to recognise that these horrible debilitating symptoms can be helped, and can be resolved," she says.
"Service-people do have this likelihood that they may have had many traumas, but the positive thing is that the population at large is recognising military personnel and the sacrifices they are making and that's an important part of treating them."
Saved life
For Steve's wife Karen, it was tough dealing with a husband who could not talk about what was wrong.
"It had a big impact on me. I'd never dealt with PTSD before and when he came back from Afghanistan he wasn't sleeping, yet he was blaming something else. Deep down I knew and kept pressuring him to go to see someone," she says.
That intervention may have saved her husband's life.
"A couple of months into his stay at the Priory, it was difficult because he'd call me up and say he didn't want to see me. But eventually he started opening up to me," Karen recalls.
Steve is looking forward to his six-month deployment to Helmand later this year, but Karen admits she's worried.
"He's come a long way, but I'm concerned he's going to relapse and go back to the way he was and I don't think I could go through that again.
"He used to sit inside and just shake. At least I am aware now and I know the signs, so if it happened again I'd be able to help him as much as I can – and just be there for him."
Steve and Karen are willing to speak out on an issue many would rather not talk about because they believe others in the military should not suffer in silence.
He has given lectures to his comrades and others on PTSD and the help available in order to raise awareness.
"Guys have come up and spoken to me since then and said 'thanks – I'm now seeing someone'. I think with the exposure in the military to some traumatic things there are going to be problems and it's not a weakness.
"The effects of war are a hard thing to get over. You have to be a strong person to admit that to yourself and sort it out, rather than bottling it up."
Bad news stories 'alter women's stress response'
Are women affected by the news more than men?
Bad news stories, such as those about murder, seem to alter the way women respond to stressful situations, according to a small study.
Women produced more stress hormones in tests if they had read negative newspaper stories.
The study on 60 people, published in the journal PLoS One, showed there was no equivalent effect in men.
Experts said the findings showed "fascinating" differences between the sexes.
Researchers in Canada compiled newspaper clippings of negative stories, including accidents and murders, as well as neutral stories such as film premieres.
Men and women read either negative or neutral stories and then did a scientific stress test. Levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, were measured throughout the study.
One of the researchers, Marie-France Marin, from the University of Montreal, said: "Although the news stories alone did not increase stress levels, they did make the women more reactive, affecting their physiological responses to later stressful situations."
Men's cortisol levels were not affected.
She added: "It's difficult to avoid the news, considering the multitude of news sources out there.
"And what if all that news was bad for us? It certainly looks like that could be the case."
'Gender puzzle'
The scientists suggested that women may be naturally better at identifying threats to their children, which affects the way they respond to stress.
Professor Terrie Moffitt, from the institute of psychiatry at King's College London, said: "According to self-report studies, women say they are more 'stress reactive' on average than men.
"This study adds fascinating new evidence of change in a stress hormone after an experimental… challenge.
"Stress researchers confront a real gender puzzle: As a group, women seem more reactive to stressors, but then they go on to outlive men by quite a few years.
"How do women manage to neutralise the effects of stress on their cardiovascular systems? An answer to that question would improve health for all of us."
Other experts warned that the study was small so the reported effect would need further testing.


text: AVELLANEDA FEATURED IN NEO 2 by Juan Avellaneda. Posted on November 9, 2015 NEO 2, the concept magazine about creativity, featured in one of its November 2015 Issue Editorials some Avellaneda pieces such as the Denim-Style Suede Jacket. 09 Nov JUAN AVELLANEDA INTERVIEWED BY RUDE MAGAZINE AVELLANEDA FEATURED IN RUDE MAGAZINE


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ph: 802-579-0049
Lina grew up in a family of artists and was exposed to multiple traditional and contemporary artistic disciplines. As a teenager, she realized so much culture was being lost with the passing of each Elder and sought to record history and traditions from older culture bearers. She began interviewing Elders, Chiefs, and artists.
Her first documentary "Speaking to the Ancestors" was screened at the Vermont Indigenous Celebration in 2009. The documentary chronicled the growing cycle, history of and usages of traditional tobacco.
Following the success of her first documentary, Lina created a short film series, which is on permanent exhibit at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. She has expanded her cultural documentation to the digital photography median as well. Lina's films & photography have been exhibited in the Mid-Atlantic, New England states, and Canada.
Lina also finger-weaves and twines.
Through film, Lina Longtoe seeks to educate both Native and non-Native people alike through innovative shorts and featured length documentaries. Lina has served as the Elnu Abenaki Tribal Documentarian since she was a teenager.
Much of the Abenaki culture and it's vast traditions are endangered with the passing of each Elder. Lina strives to record our history at every opportunity.
Her Artisan Spotlight Series and Abenaki Short Film Series are on permanent exhibit at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, located in Shelburne, VT. They have also screened at the American Museum of Natural History, Chimney Point State Historic Site, The Fort at No. 4, ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center and other sites across New England and Canada.
Lina is inspired by her grandfather who is a Culture Bearer of generations that were raised to hide and be ashamed of their heritage. She realized the ongoing threat to the continuity of knowledge about their people, crafts, and oral traditions and decided to help preserve her culture.
Email: email@example.com
Website: Askawobi Productions
YouTube: Lina Longtoe Channel
Facebook: facebook.com/askawobi
Twitter: twitter.com/askawobi
Movie Poster


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An Alternate Learning Space – Coming 2019!
Do you know that 65 per cent of young school children will end up in jobs that don't even exist today?*
In this Fourth Industrial Revolution, the world is changing faster than ever in human history – not only the way we live and work, but also the way we relate to one another.
What is certain, is that the world needs individuals with new skill sets to keep up with the fast-paced changes. Critical thinking and complex problem-solving skills, creativity and emotional intelligence are some of them.
Our Activity Centre for kids will focus on helping children cultivate creative confidence and learn essential life-skills. We encourage independence, responsible risk taking and a sense of curiosity in learning and living.
We facilitate their growth by traveling alongside them.
*according to the World Economic Forum's (WEF) The Future of Jobs
- Social-Emotional Learning
- Creative expression – craft, theatre, dance
- Language – current affairs, geography, culture…
- Sports – healthy body, healthy mind
- Free Play/Outdoor trips – All mammals engage in play. (The evolutionary purpose of play is to allow children to learn how to get along with others as well as to tackle and solve real problems.)
Morning sessions
4 to 6 Year-olds
Up to 3 times a week
Afternoon sessions
7 to 12 Year-olds
Up to 2 times a week
For more information, write to us at email@example.com


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My name is Kareem, known to some as KMan.
I'm an Engineer of IT Systems, Computer Networking, Cloud Computing and Software Continuous Deployment. This is currently commonly known as a 'DevOps' Engineer, but could be 'Site Reliability Engineer' (SRE), 'System Administrator' (SysAdmin), 'IT Coordinator' or 'Operations Engineer'. It is a title that has changed over time, and seems to still evolve.
I currently living in Voorburg (Netherlands aka Holland), moved here from Staines in the UK. I was born in Trinidad (West Indies). I enjoy many common contemporary pastimes including PC and console gaming, cooking, home automation, system building, home media center building, and playing Warhammer 40k with my group of friends.
A problem I've had in the past is that I've had a few too many distractions/hobbies and I found that I was losing interest in some of them because I was just involved in so many things, so recently I spent some time whittling down my hobbies to a core few. So I created this blog to focus those distractions to a few, and share so that someone else might benefit also.
The exact purpose of this site I'm still not exactly sure about. This is my first ever 'blog', so I'm still yet to work out exactly what purpose this site will play. It's started off as a place for me to gather news, links and other bits into one place, but I guess over time it will evolve.
If you find something useful in here, why not leave a comment. I try to respond.
I'm contactable:
Email: 'kareem (at) followkman.com'
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kareemstraker
GitHub: https://github.com/KptnKMan
StackOverflow: https://stackoverflow.com/users/2951942/kareem
Twitter: @plonka2000 or @followkman (followkman twitter feed discontinued)
Lastly, remember to give your own SysAdmin a hug occasionally.
It will mean a lot to them.


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Having Rich as part of the ownership means we can offer not just legal advice, but real structured help to companies, individuals and organizations that need context-specific non-legal advice.
UK-based ABS Proelium Law is a multidisciplinary practice that offers legal and business advice to companies, individuals and governmental agencies that seek to operate in complex, high-risk and hostile environments (Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq,…). The firm has two partners, Adrian Powell, who is a lawyer, and Richard Stephens, who is not.
Proelium is a Latin term for conflict, battle or combat. At Proelium Law, we combine legal expertise together with business and other non-legal expertise. My partner Richard and I have extensive experience in complex environments, and our multidisciplinary ABS structure allows us to combine that expertise with my legal expertise. It is an ideal platform for us.
We target clients, UK-based or not, who seek to operate in complex environments, or notably in the areas of security and defense and international development. We offer highly specialized legal as well as business expertise in the areas in which our clients seek to operate: police, intelligence, security, international development, defense industry,…
I was with the Royal Military Police from age 17 to 28. I was deployed extensively during that time: Bosnia three times, the first Gulf War, and Northern Ireland. When I left the army, I went to law school and became a solicitor. I worked as a partner in a criminal defense law firm and later for the Crown Prosecution Service. But my time in Bosnia had whetted my appetite for international work, so then I shifted to an in-house legal advisory role with a defense services company. In that role, I spent a lot of time in Iraq and then, later, in a different role, in Afghanistan. During those times, I learned the commercial aspects of the defense industry — private security companies, logistics companies — I learned how they work and the issues they struggle with. I also learned about the sharper end of counterterrorism and obtained an in-depth understanding of how the law affects overseas operations. That's when I realized there is a real market for helping companies, individuals and governmental agencies in these areas. There is a lot of extraterritorial law today that affects people who are working overseas and that they need to understand — bribery acts, counterterrorist financing, sanctions … the pitfalls that people can fall into if they are not aware and thinking about them.
But I don't have all the answers, which is what makes Richard so valuable. He has significant technical expertise in the areas of surveillance, reconnaissance, and problem solving in complex environments. He has a large and strong network — he served in the Royal Marines for 23 years and he has held senior management positions in companies that work in complex environments.
Let's say, for example, that a client is seeking increased financial backing for its operations, and comes to us to understand how they can make themselves more attractive to potential investors. I can rattle out a list of legal requirements for the client to comply with. But that is not all that needs to be done — someone needs to look at the client's management structures, how the client works in the given environment, and how it will be able to continue to work in the future. That is where Richard comes in. Richard also brings a range of technical skills, like how to track and trace someone who has absconded with a large amount of money.
Richard is not a lawyer and he cannot give legal advice. But, given his huge breadth and depth of experience, it would be naïve to think that he cannot give a legal perspective.
For clients that operate in complex environments, it is easier for them to come to us rather than to a law firm that does not have any particular knowledge or understanding of complex environments or the client's particular industry. A traditional law firm would struggle to provide our unique combined and specialized expertise and services — their solution would probably be to throw people at a problem in order to come up with a solution. In contrast, we understand what the client is trying to achieve, and we understand the realities of the environment they operate in. From the client's perspective, we "get it."
Here is an example — private security companies have a lot of challenges: who they recruit, how they recruit, how they procure their equipment, how they move their equipment overseas, how they account for their equipment, how their companies are set up, what their management structures are, how they grow and merge with other companies,… Other law firms can deal with these things, but we have a better perception than most other firms do of how to deal with them in the specific context of a complex environment.
While for the moment most of our clients are based in the UK, we position ourselves internationally. We anticipate that we will develop clientele in the UAE and, eventually, in the United States, which is of course a big and attractive market.
Theoretically it would be possible for us to work without an ABS license, but that is not the way we wanted to go. We want to be able to offer a full package to our clients, and our ABS license permits us to that. That is, it allows us to work in the reserved areas, and notably in both civil and criminal litigation. So, for example, if a client runs afoul of counterterrorism laws or is subject to sanctions, we can represent them.
There are very few firms in the world that do what we do, the way that we do it and with the range of expertise that we have. The fact that we can offer clients a one-stop-shop is comforting for them. Much more so than clients needing to go to two, three or four places for the same mix of work. At the same time, defense, security and international development are in an enormous industry — that is, we are in an enormous industry.
We found the application process for our ABS license to be beneficial for us. It provided us with a structure to clearly identify and delineate what our objectives as a firm are, what our risks as a firm are, and how we will manage them. It helped us to clearly focus on what we are as a business.
More than that, our ABS structure brings us a great advantage and competitive edge in that it allows us to rely on much more than legal work to earn a living. So, for example, I can provide a 3-month training course on legal aspects of counterterrorism, without needing to get a special dispensation from the SRA or to set up set up my own consultancy with its own separate accounting, etc.
Further, our ABS structure allows us to work in a way that makes us happy. We can do a variety of different forms of work, and we can work outside the context of a traditional law firm. We enjoy working this way, and we don't discount the importance of that.
A lot of other professions and skills are built on many years of studying and practical experience, not just the legal profession. Embracing those skills can only benefit the professions and make it more attractive to clients. Whilst hiring non lawyers as employees is an option, I believe you get better buy in and commitment if someone has a say in the management and leadership processes and feels like they own the process. I acknowledge that my perspective is probably different from a lawyer who has solely worked for law firms, but there is a great utility in taking on different thinking and approaches to business. I asked Rich to partner with me for a few reasons. I enjoyed working with him in the other environments we did. He isn't the same type of personality that I am and we worked well managing staff and getting the best from them. There were strong synergies in our thinking about global business and he brought ideas that I hadn't had, but also I showed him approaches he hadn't thought of, somewhere in the middle we had new ideas and that can only be a good thing. Our combined networks together were strong when we looked at them and it made sense to bring them together. We know we can run large organizations, but both of us enjoy, and wanted, the challenge of creating our own, new organization where we had the final say on its direction — and it combined our years of experience. I believe that partnering with Rich rather than paying him for work as an employee, I will get the best from him. He owns the issues and the success and I think that's a hugely important motivator. That's not to say I am better than him at leadership or management, just that I felt he was better being an owner rather than employee. Remember, the firm isn't offering legal advice on divorces or buying houses, its defense, security and development markets. They aren't brand new legal areas, but having Rich as part of the ownerships means we can offer not just legal advice, but real structured help to companies, individuals and organizations that need context-specific non-legal advice.
Creating a multidisciplinary practice is not a straightforward matter. It took Richard and me some time to make the decision to create Proelium Law and then more time to complete the application process. Creating a multidisciplinary practice requires big picture thinking — thinking from the client's perspective rather than the lawyer's. I have spent many years not just in the legal industry — I believe that has made it easier for me to see the big picture and to understand issues from a client's perspective. I suspect that many lawyers who have spent most of their careers in the legal industry alone struggle with that more than I do.
I understand that in the US there is resistance to ABS-type structures — to multidisciplinary practices and to allowing nonlawyers to own shares of law firms. I think that if lawyers had the experience of ABSs, they would understand their benefits and stop being so afraid of them. Putting it very simply, I think ABSs are a nicer way of doing business than traditional law firms. In the US, I wonder if there is ego involved — does that explain the resistance to ABS? Myself, I don't have the type of ego where I am so protective of being a lawyer that I can't allow myself to partner with a nonlawyer. We all still have to obey the ethical rules, regardless.
In my opinion, the legal profession that needs to think more expansively, and more internationally. It needs to think more about integrating with other professions and skills, lest the profession whither on the vine.
From my perspective, the world today is a very small place. Getting on a plane to the US or to Dubai is nothing for me. Proelium Law is industry facing, but our industry is worldwide.
To download a pdf of this and the other stories, please click below.


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All our services are held on the Myton School site. We meet in the morning at 10.30am in the Lower School and in the evening at 7.00pm in the Church Centre (apart from the second Sunday of the month).
Our Morning gatherings are intergenerational and include creches and Sunday School. Our evening services tend to be more reflective and normally include Bible teaching and Communion. They also give far greater opportunity for participation by members of the congregation. These are held at 7pm in the Church Centre. There is no evening service on the second Sunday of the month.


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|The personal shopper's selection
The sleeveless vest and sleeveless blazer is not something I'd think of but I think it looks really smart and I am definitely going to try it out.
Burgundy has been a very popular Autumnal colour on the high street for a few years now and it is not going anywhere. Topshop presented burgundy jeans, a burgundy hat and burgundy culottes. So if you want some colour in your A/W wardrobe, it looks like it will be burgundy.
They had 3 styles of shoes. Strappy high sandals, ankle boots and knee high boots. They suggested that these are your staple when it comes to winter footwear. Add boots for an edgy/casual look and a sandal for a classier style.
The girls emphasised that the personal shopping is a complimentary service. There is no extra costs. It is a great way if you are wanting a new look or are not sure how to dress for your body shape. I'm tempted to take on this experience after Christmas. I've been buying quite a few pieces of clothes recently so I'm trying to give my bank account a break and then, in theory, I can go on a big shopping splurge. Hooray!
But until I can spend my money in Topshop on their lovely things, the freebee lipstick they gave will have to do.
Little Katie
x x


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18.2 Properties Reference
Returns a string containing the name of the server on which the code is executing.
This code example declares a string variable, assigns the MachineName property value to the string variable, and then sets the text property of the Message label to the value of ServerName:
Sub Page_Load( ) Dim ServerName As String ServerName = Server.MachineName Message.Text = "The name of the server is " & ServerName & ".
" End Sub
This property can be useful for code that needs to be easily portable, but needs to access resources that require the server name.
Returns an integer containing the length, in milliseconds, a request is allowed to run before timing out.
This code example declares an integer variable, sets the ScriptTimeout value to 120 seconds, assigns the ScriptTimeout property value to the variable, and then sets the text property of the Message label to the value of the variable:
Sub Page_Load( ) Dim Timeout As String Server.ScriptTimeout = 120 Timeout = CStr(Server.ScriptTimeout) Message.Text = "The current ScriptTimeout value is " & _ Timeout & ".
" End Sub
You can use this property to extend or reduce the timeout value in order to allow longer-running processes time to complete, or you can use ScriptTimeout to reduce the overhead associated with inefficient processes by terminating them before completion. The default for this value is set to an extremely high number so that a script will not time out by default. This is for backward compatibility with classic ASP.


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Harrisburg City Council voted to pass much of the Harrisburg Strong Plan Monday night which included the sale of the city's biggest cash problem , the incinerator. It was a vote years in the making as they made their decision on key parts of the plan which was designed by the City's receiver to get the Capitol City out of debt. Parts of the plan approved by Council included the sale of the incinerator to the Lancaster Solid Waste Management Authority bringing about $120 million to the city , the extension of the increased earned income tax of 2% , and increase in parking fees from $1.50 an hour to $3 dollars.
After a more than three hour meeting, members of Council spoke passionately about the long road of financial distress the city has been on.
" Does it fall short? I'll admit it does. But it at least gives us an opportunity to start new, " said Susan Brown-Wilson, Harrisburg City Council
City Council won't be voting on the rest of the plan until next month. However, their vote Monday night was enough to show a good faith effort to send the plan to Commonwealth Court on Thursday.


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My Dearest Michael,
You are the most wonderful and loving person I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. We have grown together in many ways over the past seven years. Things have not always been easy for us, but loving you has been; it's the easiest, most natural thing I've ever done.
I appreciate your patience and tenderness; I admire your strength and commitment to us and our future. You have loved me in ways I never knew possible, and I will always love you with a passion that I could never have imagined, until you came into my life.
You have a way of knowing what I think and how I feel, before I say a single word. The way we always "get" each other, like no-one else ever could, gives me comfort and peace. I know I can tell you anything at all; I can share my deepest feelings, greatest fears, craziest dreams, and wildest fantasies. You are kind and gentle, and your love gives me a feeling of security and safety that I never knew before.
You are the love of my life and my very best friend. I dedicate this song to you in celebration of our first month of marriage:


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Rungwe Moravian Vocational Training Centre
Rungwe VTC offers the following courses:
- Motor Vehicle Mechanics
- Domestic Electrical Installation
- Tailoring and Cloth Designing
- Carpentry and Joinery
- Engineering Science
- Mathematics
- Computer Studies
- Technical Drawing
- English
- Communication Skills
- Live Skills
- Entrepreneurship
We are constantly trying to upgrade our infrastructure in order to provide a conducing learning environment. However, there is already a number of facilities that we provide. There is a workshop for our carpentry students, a classroom with sewing machines, a computer lab, a workshop for the motor vehicle mechanics and two dormitories. The girls dormitory and the boys dormitory provide accommodation for 60 and 40 students respectively.
The Rungwe VTC employs 14 teachers that provide training in the different subjects, as well as some non-teaching staff. The administration consists of the following people:
|Vice Principal
|Abraham Mwasambili
|Ephraem Brayson Masebo
Rungwe Vocational Training Centre
P.O. Box 32
Phone: +255 759 655296


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We founded MTA to create an environment where high quality teacher training and language training are prioritised. We are proud of the high standard of our courses; we do more than provide you with the generic materials and training that most leading institutions operate with today.
We provide tailored language development for individuals and small groups, timetabled to suit, with online components, tutorials and a flexible learning environment. At most language schools the students fit into the class; at MTA we create the class to fit the student. Our classes are smaller and we have the expertise to create materials for our students' own specific development. Because of this we are able to meet our students' needs faster and more effectively, leading to excellent results.
We are also passionate about foreign languages and embracing multiculturalism. We speak French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish. Our awareness of how languages work has been gained through teaching across the globe. Our extensive teacher-training experience, both in Australia and overseas, means that we are up-to-date with new methodologies and relevant advice for the 'international' teacher. Our language classes are currently delivered to both skilled migrants as well as new arrivals to Australia seeking asylum in this country.
At MTA we are committed to moving towards paperless education, by using a combination of new technology and new approaches to teaching which focus on the students themselves as a resource.
We are situated in Carlton, at 245 Cardigan St (just south of Grattan St).
We look forward to hearing from you and helping you meet your challenges.


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Don't ya just love when your face is still numb?
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Ry and the dentist
Posted by Heart Mommy at 3:10 PM No comments:
Thanksgiving FHE
Last night for FHE, Ry was in charge. She had made the body of this cute turkey and as a family we came up with what we were thankful for to write on the feathers!!! Gator chose family, Munchie said candy, mommy said health and nice house, Ry is thankful for cars to take us fun places, Daddy said helpfulness of others, and G and G H said jobs and provisions. Well, those things were said maybe not by those exact people but we get the idea! Then our E family brought us these yummy turkey treats!!! Ry also had her piano lesson while daddy and papa made dust working on Gators big boy room in the basement!! I am getting so excited for this baby to get here and for Gators new room and all the goodness we have!!! Just LOVE!!
Posted by Heart Mommy at 3:06 PM No comments:
Monday, November 19, 2012
The power of suggestion
It went like this...
Munchie come get in your seat and get your buckles on...
M-No, I don't want to mommy!!!
G-yeah!!!! you have to otherwise the
police will come get mommy and take her to jail.
Me-yeah and I would miss you guys and I wouldn't be able to be your mommy.
G-you don't get nothin in there, except you could sneak in your phone and call Beehive Bail Bonds and they could get you out!!!
Me- true, I could do that Gator! Hahahaha
Munchie come get in your seat and get your buckles on...
M-No, I don't want to mommy!!!
G-yeah!!!! you have to otherwise the
police will come get mommy and take her to jail.
Me-yeah and I would miss you guys and I wouldn't be able to be your mommy.
G-you don't get nothin in there, except you could sneak in your phone and call Beehive Bail Bonds and they could get you out!!!
Me- true, I could do that Gator! Hahahaha
Posted by Heart Mommy at 1:11 PM 1 comment:
Sunday, November 18, 2012
potty training diaries
Week two is down and Munchie is certainly getting this potty training business down. She loves getting to choose which panties she wants to wear. She also loves that she can sit on her Elmo potty seat. She did have two accidents this week. All due to mommy's lack of asking... She also sustained her first potty ouchie... Notice the fine goose egg on her head... We can blame Auntie Preslee.... Just kidding Pres!!!!!
She has been waking up dry almost every day... She is starting to show signs of night time readiness.... This has been by far the easiest kid to train. Poor Ry, she was right at the end of training when Gator was born and her world turned upside down. Gator had lots of issues trying to regulate himself and with meds that made him go, it was tricky to make it! Each of our kids has trained before 3 years old. If baby girl can train like Munch has then I only have two more years of diapers.... Sigh! Wouldn't that be wonderful? I still love that when we go to public places, Munch cheers loud enough for everyone to hear.... I get a kick out of the gals in the other stalls that giggle at MY potty accomplishments, made known to them by my little cheerleader....
Posted by Heart Mommy at 8:21 PM 1 comment:
First snow of Nov 2012
He begged me to take him sledding. He wanted me to go down the big hill. He asked almost every hour for four hours if it was time to go outside yet. So we found his gear....
They made snow balls and did some sledding on the hill in our yard. Not the big hill.... They are gonna need daddy for that one. I bet that would be pretty awesome to see an eight month pregnant lady going sledding... SWEET!
They played for about 4 1/2 hours while I checked on them... It is hard for me to be outside that long. I think two years ago it would have been hard for Gator to regulate his body temp... We still have to dress him warm and make sure that he takes warm up breaks... But he is doing so amazing.
This is Munchies version of a snow angel. She would just lay there for a few minutes... I tried to explain how it is to be done. She didn't really understand.
Posted by Heart Mommy at 8:07 PM No comments:
Miss Munchie and the camera
She loves to be infront of the camera as long as she can "I See" afterwards. She carries around a baby about 75% of her day. She loves her babies... I am so excited for Christmas because she is getting some accesories for her babies that I think she is going to love. She got a little umbrella stroller last year and has nearly driven it into the ground. So it will be fun for her to have little blankets and diapers and other little things that will help her take care of her babies while I take care of our baby.
Posted by Heart Mommy at 5:36 PM No comments:
Friday, November 9, 2012
It's beginning to look a lot like....
Posted by Heart Mommy at 11:40 AM No comments:
Monday, November 5, 2012
FHE with our friends...
Ry was incharge of our Service FHE... She chose to pick up garbage in our neighborhood park. I was not prepared for the darkness that came at 4 stinking 45... I thought I could predict a little better but day light saving really threw me off. Needless to say, we ended up using flashlights. This actually made it more fun to search for trash. Thanks kids for helping our earth. Service is about doing something that makes someone else happy. We had so much fun doing it with friends and having donuts as our treat after.... Yummy!!!
Posted by Heart Mommy at 10:44 PM 1 comment:
Homework- Diguise the turkey
One of Gator's assignments is to disguise this gobbler so the hunters don't turn him into Thanksgiving dinner. Gator really wanted to make his turkey into Spidey! I help where I can and let him and his imagination do the rest... "It needs an outfit and a mask mom" I am so happy he likes to be in charge of it...
Finished product! this is one awesome turkey. There is no way the hunters will be able to make him into Thanksgiving dinner.
Posted by Heart Mommy at 10:31 PM 1 comment:
Happy Halloween 2012
We love Halloween so much... I already have ideas for next year... Although I cannot convince my children that I would like to theme them.... I was not in the making costume mood this year. All the best costumes are homemade (in my humble opionion, because my folks always made costumes for me that ROCKED!!!) I just couldn't find the energy this year and so I resigned to using something we had or purchasing... Since Gator won't have a brother to pass his little costumes down to, I decided to sell all of his costumes to Kid to Kid.... I thought for sure I was gonna make a killing because I had 5 amazing costumes, I had included a few of Ry's... Nope, 12.00$ was all that I got... That was enough to get Munch this adorable warm monkey costume... turns out it barely fit our growing girl. I had to put leg warmers with it because the legs kept coming up.... But she was darling... We went to the kids school parade. It was first thing in the morning...
Gator wanted to be a real-fighter pilot-zombie-dracula..... He opted for just a fighter pilot for school... he didn't want to scare his friends he said....
Ry is a Monster High girl.... We bought her costume.. The only one I paid for this year... It was a little painful to spend money on, but not terrible... We made this Monster from the make your own doll kit... So even though she isn't one of the regular girls in the show she really is one. We named her Shelly Ton....
The pumkins for the year... I didn't even have to get goopy. Daddy and Ry did the ghosty. Papa H did the other two with the kids!!! I love to carve pumpkins but it sure was a nice break...
Posted by Heart Mommy at 10:04 PM No comments:
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Day with Ave
We love to have our Ave comes to stay with us and do fun things... We went to lunch at Chick-fil-A then went to Gardner Village to see the witches... I got tired, the kids ran around, I got more tired, Ave chased after them, we got a treat, I got even more tired, whew!!! I couldn't figure out why I was so tired... Oh yeah, I am cooking a baby!! We played the game Life. Mostly we enjoyed our auntie!!! Love you Ave!!!
Posted by Heart Mommy at 8:07 PM 1 comment:
Daddy and his bike!!
I am so thrilled daddy found a hobby he loves. I am a little slow at posting. Utah marathon, was down town and very early.... but fun! We are usually one of the few cheer leaders for the bike ride. I have promised him that I will try and be as good as him and hopefully we can do this together next year! We just the kids up and took them in pjs. While we were waiting Miss Munchie fell backwards into a puddle. Her whole bootie was soaked and muddy. Ry was in charge of photos that morning because my cameras battery had died!!! So thanks Ry we have some documentation from her IPod.
Posted by Heart Mommy at 7:58 PM No comments:
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Sparhawk Upper School is not just a school—it's an experience. At Sparhawk, we know learning doesn't happen just sitting in a chair; it happens by exploring, experimenting, discussing and reflecting both in and outside a classroom. You will choose from classes that motivate you, stimulate your curiosity and challenge you to dig deeper. You will have thought-provoking debates and experiences that inspire you. You will push your own boundaries and help your peers to push theirs.
At Sparhawk, you will earn freedom with responsibility as you begin to take on higher levels of thinking that will prepare you for life. Throughout high school, you will build critical and creative thinking skills and the ability to apply these skills to make choices for your future. Our small class sizes enable us to build strong community and encourage collaboration, while respecting and encouraging you to be you!


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Practically everyone is on Facebook these days, and it's a handy way for guys to check girls out. In a perfect world, what does a gent like to see on a lady's Facebook page?
Not long ago, Mark Zuckerberg — the world's youngest potential billionaire, and the world's least awkward performer (if SNL was any indication) — got a letter from Congress, which is concerned with Facebook sharing our data, like phone numbers, to make money. This got me thinking, when I'm creeping girls on Facebook — I'd like to just say "checking girls out," but we all know it's "creeping" — what do I want to see?
1. Sense of Humor
If all your pics are super posey and set up, we notice. I tend to do the most creeping of girls I actually want to get to know, not girls who just look hot in some pictures. I (deep) creep the girls who know what their pics on Facebook are, and aren't afraid to take the risk of looking stupid or being laughed at. And those who can show some wit. These are the people who intrigue me.
2. Adventures
This does not mean that the shot of you on the sailboat, or mountaintop, or camel, does anything for us. Adventure is a state of mind. Whether your pics show you out with your sorority having a great time, or literally on an adventure in the Andes (even with an ex), we want to see pictures that show you have a big world.
3. Boobs and Bums
I know this sounds absolutely ridiculous, but hear me out. We want to see these things, but not in a way where we know you're showing them to us. The beautiful, slightly low-cut LBD. Playing in the waves on vacay with your family. Facebook is all about voyeurism, and that dynamic changes when we know you know we're looking.
4. Limited Engagement
You know what I think when I see a woman with 1200 pictures, and comments under all of them? This person spends way too much time on Facebook. My best friend has an expression: "experience, don't mediate." You know the person who is too busy taking pictures of the band (on their iPhone) to enjoy the actual music or performance? Don't be that person.
5. A Little Mystery
Less is more. We don't want to think you're showing us your whole hand through your Facebook page; keep some cards close to your chest. Feel free to allude to your greatness, your sexiness, your worldliness and your sociality, but leave us wondering.


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UNION — Many towns in Union County saw more than eight inches of snow fall on Monday, and even more overnight into the early morning hours of Wednesday. Forecasters are calling for more snow, with the threat of a possible blizzard on the horizon for this weekend.
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Cure Insomnia Six Steps To Sleep
A recent survey on sleep disorders in the general population indicated rates of 56% in the US, 31%
in Western Europe and 23% in Japan. About 50% of subjects with sleep disorders had never taken any steps to resolve them and the majority of respondents had not spoken to a physician about the problem.29 The implications of insomnia are a reduced quality of life, decreased productivity and increased absenteeism.30,31 These patients experience significantly more limited activity than those without insomnia and are a greater burden on health services: overall, annual costs attributable to insomnia in the US have been estimated between $92.5 billion and $107.5 billion.32,33
As particularly the elderly are affected by sleep disorders, accurate screening and appropriate therapy could improve general health and well-being provided pharmacotherapy is used cautiously and conservatively.34 It is therefore possible for a physician to be asked to treat such disorders with non-conventional methods such as acupuncture. With auricular diagnosis the therapist may identify some recurrent areas of the ear which can be included in the treatment for improving the patient's quality of sleep. According to DSMIV, primary insomnia must be distinguished from mental disorders that include it as an essential or associated factor, such as depressive disorders.
Sleep disorders can manifest in several ways, ranging from insomnia to sleepiness and from disrupted sleep to lack of restful sleep. Measuring sleep disorders is an area of active research and several patient-reported outcome instruments exist for measuring various aspects of sleep dysfunction. In the systematic review by Devine and colleagues, four essential physical domains were included: (i) sleep initiation; (ii) sleep maintenance; (iii) sleep adequacy; and (iv) sleepiness during the daytime.35
For my research, among the instruments measuring these domains, I selected an adapted version of the Basic Nordic Sleep Questionnaire
(BNSQ) used in Scandinavian sleep surveys.
I preferred this questionnaire to, for example, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), because the BNSQ allows the patient to record sleep disorders over the previous 3 months while the PSQI is limited to the previous month.
Of the 11 items proposed by BNSQ, seven concern the first three domains listed above and four measure the various aspects of sleepiness during the daytime; the total scoring ranges from 0 to 44.
I examined 153 consecutive patients from my general practice with an average age of 45.6 years using the BNSQ; 16.1% of them were taking more or less regular medication with benzodiazepines or non-benzodiazepines for inducing sleep.
Since insomnia diminishes the quality of life and interferes with general health, I first made a regression line as with the GHQ and found a moderate positive association between the number of tender points and the BNSQ scoring (Fig. 5.19). Afterwards I attempted to identify those auricular areas that more often seemed to be associated with a poor quality of sleep. Since the literature did not report a cut-off line for scoring better and worse sleepers, I chose an arbitrary level of <21 for the first group and >22 for the second. The comparison between the mean number of points per sector with paired sample t-test showed a significantly higher concentration of points on sectors 1, 2, 5 and 8 for the worse sleepers (Table 5.3).
As regards the identified clusters of points, we can appreciate the importance of the anterior ear lobe (sector 1), the forehead area (sector 2) and the significance of the cluster on the posterior part of the antitragus, extending from the anthelix-antitragus incisure toward the end of the scaphoid groove (sector 8). The central pivot area (sector 5), possibly related to mood disorders, cyclothymic personality and fear traits, also appears to be associated with sleep disorders (Fig. 5.20).
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Who Else Wants To Sleep From Lights Out 'Til Sunrise Without Staring At The Ceiling For Hours Leaving You Feeling Fresh And Ready To Face A New Day You know you should be asleep. You've dedicated the last three hours in the dark to trying to get some sleep. But you're wide awake.


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-Jennifer Cuthbert Lam
This week's Comic of the Week is "Lollipop and the Egyptian Curse, Part 2" from the e-book "Lollipop: Around the World!", which is available for sale from the Lollipop Shop! This comic is one of my favourites, so I hope you enjoy it too! I would like to dedicate it to the newest member of the Lollipop gang, my son Spencer, born on May 9th, 2014! Happy reading!
-Jennifer Cuthbert Lam
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Comic of the Week!
Check back here every Wednesday for a new Comic of the Week starring Lollipop and the gang! All comics 2002-2020 by Jennifer Cuthbert.
March 2020


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Monthly Archives: January 2012
Long live the *entre-manurial* spirit.
I couldn't listen to all the crap she spewed when talking to Tom Sullivan the other night, but you have to listen to her around the 1.51 mark when she accuses President Obama of quashing the *entre-manurial* spirit. Sarah, … Continue reading
Does Sarah Palin Want Obama to be Re-Elected?
Well, I never thought I would agree with John Ziegler…but his analysis of Palin's "endorsement" of Gingrich makes sense to me. "Could someone please tell me what her personal incentive is for President Obama to be defeated? I would suggest … Continue reading
Jan Brewer!
President Obama averts his gaze. And I don't blame him. What a nasty woman. I am officially giving up the sun, wine and cigarettes! And thinking.
This or that – again.
This… Or that… Or maybe even this! What a foolish woman. I don't for a minute believe the boobs were real…but at least she looked healthy back then.
Sarah Palin's Foul Mouth
I mean really. She is talking about Governor Christie's underwear! "Sometimes if your candidate loses in just one step along this path, as was the case when Romney lost to Newt the other night and of course, Romney is Chris … Continue reading
This or that?
This… Computer time "During the week, they can be on the computer, but it has to be for schoolwork. You have to sort of monitor that, because there's Skype and all that, and you sort of lean over and you … Continue reading
Newt Gingrich's big, slobbering mutual love affair with the elite media
"Newt Gingrich hates the media, right? He unloaded on John King at the Charleston debate for raising this issue of his ex-wife's allegations, blasting the 'destructive, vicious, negative nature of much of the news media'. In Myrtle Beach, he slapped … Continue reading


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Last year for my birthday, inspired by my friend Rosie and others, I made a list of 25 things I wanted to do before I turned 26. My birthday is tomorrow (happy debt ceiling default to me! JK GUYS PLEASE NO), so I thought I'd take a look back.
I didn't plan to complete every last item on the list, and I never looked at it in a Type A way. The year flowed naturally, in its own way, making space for many of these hopes, and setting others aside for now (/I forgot or didn't feel moved to do them). For a few, especially some of the more overarching mental ones, it feels like I fall in between. And that's cool, too.
Regardless of the outcome, it was a really fun practice that I'll be doing again this year. So stay tuned!
Continue to write my morning pages.
Be intentional with my time.
Take a photography class. I took one at the National Whitewater Center in April. Really neat day.
Begin building writing and photography portfolios.
Get a library card. Next step: Using it much more!
Read 25 new books. Okay, so I've fully read only 21. But I have 2 that I'm working on (In the Garden of Beasts by Larson and Traveling Mercies by Lamott), one that I'm planning to get this week, and a big old wedding planning book. So let's just go with close enough to 25. Here they are! (* indicates those I highly recommend.)
*On Writing - KingWrite for NaNoWriMo. I didn't finish, but I did write quite a lot! Mainly used it as a jumping off point for free writing.
*The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - Joyce
Proof of Heaven - Alexander
*Major Pettigrew's Last Stand - Simonsen
*Daring Greatly - Brown
*I Was Told There'd Be Cake - Crosley
Shaped By the Word - Mulholland
*A Jane Austen Education - Deresiewicz
The Pig Comes to Dinner - Caldwell
*The Forgotten Affairs of Youth - A. McCall Smith
My Jane Austen Summer - Jones
Downton Abbey Season 1 Scripts - Fellowes
*The Memoir Project - M. Roach Smith
*Still Life - Penny
*A Year of Biblical Womanhood - Evans
Water for Elephants - Gruen
*Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? - Kaling
*Beautiful Ruins - Walter
The Fire of the Word - Webb
A Testament of Devotion - Kelly
Adulting - Brown
Write morning prayers as a devotional practice.
A 3-year-old co-writing/editing project: either complete it, or let it go.
Get an online subscription to The New York Times.
Cultivate deeper self-compassion. (And when I struggle, explore why.) I can't quite explain why, but I feel better here. I think that School of the Spirit, having an accountability partner, emailing my best friend with prayer requests each week, bloggers/mentors like Rosie Molinary & Mara Glatzel, my family and my friends have all helped me work on this, perhaps even when they did not realize it.
Pull out of my ruts of cynicism. (And when I struggle, explore why.)
Redesign my blog. You're looking at it! Such a satisfying venture.
Gain at least one significant mentor for my writing. Several, actually.
Go camping/to the mountains. Yes!
Go on an out-of-town adventure with my boy. Knoxville, Asheville, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Panama City Beach, Seattle, Portland, DC, the mountains...
Begin planning a trip out of the country.
Champion a feasible reunion with my friends from Study Abroad.
Try out new recipes. Sweet potato turnovers, recipes from The Acid Reflux Solution, open-faced turkey sandwiches with sauteed spinach, strawberry shortcake French toast, pasta with yogurt, peas and chile, scrambled eggs with leeks and pasta sauce...
Find and use a dining room table.
Host a dinner party at my house.
Make or find someone to make a youth group t-shirt quilt. My dear friend Kady (from youth group, of course) is working on it, specifically because she saw this on my blog. Please do yourself a favor and go check out her amazing craft blog. She is so talented!
Create 5 original pieces of art.
Walk to work 5 times.
Push myself to swim one mile.
Be aware of my health. Sometimes I'm too aware (like in a Woody Allen hypochondriac kind of way), but overall I think I've done well with this, and made strides in areas that need work.
Accumulate $x in savings. Okay, I wrote this number down somewhere but I'm too lazy to find it right now. Overall, I'm satisfied with how saving is going.
Choose what graduate school degree I'd like to pursue, and begin exploring options. For most of the year, I didn't plan for this one to happen. In fact, I un-planned for it a good bit. But since then, heart and mind and timing (and encouragement!) have aligned, so here I go. I'll share more about this as it (hopefully) falls into place.
In the meantime...
Bring on 26!


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- All text and photos copyrighted by David Tyau and may not be used without prior, express written consent.
Monthly Archives: April 2012
Meet Me In St. Louis – The 2012 St. Louis Rams Cheerleaders Final Auditions
The St. Louis Rams have one of the most impressive cheerleading squads in the NFL. Now I may be a little biased because when I was growing up in Los Angeles, the Rams were my favorite NFL team. I grew … Continue reading
Posted in Featured Articles 2 Comments
2012 Charger Girls Announced!
TOP ROW (L-R) Clarisse, Rachel, Anjelica, Katie, Paige, Alexis Lauren, Kylie, Amanda, Allizon MIDDLE ROW (L-R) Courtney, Nicole, Ariel, Kara, Lauren P., Erin, Andrea, Hope, Meridith, Starkesha BOTTOM ROW (L-R) Kayla, Angela, Marissa, Lauren O., Katelyn, Alexis Ann, Natalie, Tawnie, … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized 2 Comments
Moving On – Former Charger Girls Jennifer and Courtney Make the 2012 49ers Gold Rush
Some news about two of our favorite Charger Girls. Jennifer and Courtney, both originally from Northern California, have made the 2012 San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush. Now for those die hard Charger fans, don't be too hard on the girls. … Continue reading
Posted in News 2 Comments
More Photos From The 2012 Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders Auditions
The 2012 Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders Auditions were held over the course of two days, which amounted to over 8 hours of actual shoot time. That's a lot of shots and for the UltimateCheerleaders.com article, I included a whopping 155 photos. … Continue reading
Posted in Featured Articles