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Compliance Notice – Seattle Paid Leave Law
Employees working in Seattle? This post is for you. If you have at least one employee working at least 240 hours in a calendar year, you will have to begin complying with the City of Seattle's new leave law. The law takes effect on September 1st.
Here are a few highlights:
- All employers with Seattle employees – regardless of company location – need to comply
- Employers with all-inclusive PTO plans don't have to provide additional leave. (although plans without carryover options might need to adjust)
- Employers need to post a notice to employees of their rights under the law (a poster should be available prior to Sept, check the Seattle site)
Here is the accrual rate chart. If your PTO plan already offers at least this much time, you won't need to change your accruals.
|Employer Size
|Accrual Rate Based on Hours Worked within Seattle, Beginning on First Day Worked
|Maximum Hours
|5-49 full-time employees
|1 hour leave for every 40 hours worked
|50-249 full-time employees
|1 hour leave for every 40 hours worked
|250+ full-time employees
|1 hour leave for every 30 hours worked
Our Resource page has links to both the Regulations and the FAQ sheets. The FAQ also includes contact information for questions regarding implementation.
Jackson Lewis LLP wrote an excellent article about the law on their blog here.
Entry filed under: Uncategorized. Tags: compensation, compliance, discrimination, education, employees, employer, equality, human resources, leave, legal, management, pay, seattle, tools.


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Go away for a month and this is what happens when you return…
Tag Archives: daddy blogger
Who says the movies aren't real life?
Just so-so…
Heroic Girls – Part 2
Last week I posted a sketch that was inspired by John Marcotte's website, Heroic Girls. John has kindly give "The Art of Dad" a shout out on his site and I invite you to have a look at the great work he's doing if you haven't seen it already! Thanks John, keep it up!
Getting old…
The pains of puberty and school forms
This form came home from school and, being an art kind of guy, I was immediately hit by the accompanying illustration. Stock art. Generic. Meaningless. Creepy.
If I was a kid, not only would the content of the form freak me out, so would the picture. Why a family? Why are they all swimming? Why are they all smiling except the little girl? Nope, no good. So, I came up with three better ideas that I'd love to see accompany a future form. Check them out:

subset: commoncrawl


text: Chicken recipes are always enjoyed in our house. The kids loved this honey ginger chicken I made the other night, enhanced with garlic, oyster sauce and fish sauce. A sweet and savory combination that required no marinating. Brushing the sauce on during cooking did the trick. And since we busy parents don't always have time to marinate meat before we cook it, it's the perfect quick meal to make after a busy day.


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In case you didn't know, it was Chinese New Year on the 3rd of February 2011. It's the year of the Rabbit but I don't know how to make rabbit shaped cookies so I made these instead. They were supposed to be puppies but I think they look more like bears. I also tried some with 'cornflake ears' to give it a slightly more doll like appearance. The cookies themselves are extremely more-ish. The Horlicks flavour brings back childhood memories. They smell amazing too! I love how they each have their own character. It was time consuming to make but really good fun and everyone definitely enjoyed eating them.
Makes ~ 40
180g butter
100g Horlicks
200g flour
25g cornflour
50g sugar
Weetos cereal or cornflakes
Chocolate chips
Chocolate strands
- Preheat oven to 140C.
- Cream the butter and Horlicks for about 3 minutes at a low speed with an electric mixer.
- Add in the flour, cornflour and sugar and beat for a further minute.
- Divide the dough into balls.
- Insert 2 pieces of Weetos for the ears, chocolate strands for the eyes and a chocolate chip for the nose.
- Bake for about 25 minutes.


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# Install the following packages (or verify you have them already):
#Install and compile MeteoIO libraries.
This will include to install the Developers tools, Homebrew and other required libraries. See instructions here
#Check if you have git, otherwise install
brew install git
#Install libraries
brew install pkg-config
brew install boost
# download GEOtop
git clone https://code.google.com/p/geotop/
If you do not have installed before, from CMake website. When you start it a window as the one below appears:
Please, observe that, on top the path to source code has been specified, and just below, the path to binaries. click the Configure button to configure the Cmake. If not already present, add the path to MeteoIO libraires: /usr/local. After configuration, the screen should appear as below:
# make the project
In terminal cd to the directories were binaries will be created anc check if the Makefile is present. Issue the command:
$ make
# copy either using Finder Window or Terminal commands the binaries files generated to a standard place.
I chose "/usr/local/GEOtop".
This directory is actually not a standard one, However, I placed a symbolic link into /usr/local/bin, which is a directory usually already present in the Terminal path.
$cd /usr/local/bin
$ln -s ../GEOtop/geotop geotop
#try geotop example. Due to previous operation
cd to the directory (folder) tests/test_sample_run/small_example (for instance this, among the others)
$ geotop ./
If you did it well and the goddess of programmers assisted you, it should work, as it did for me.


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Veteran's War Wounds Cut Deep Into Family
Caregiving wife exhausted by the strain of caring for everyone but herself.
Marine 1st Lt. Chris Ayres nearly bled to death from a leg wound and twice went into cardiac arrest the day his amphibious assault vehicle was ambushed in a rocket grenade attack in Fallujah, Iraq.
Military doctors in Germany and Texas patched the then 34-year-old back together after the April 2004 attack, but along the way, it was clear something had been overlooked: a change in his personality.
"The man I married died the day he was hurt," says wife Renée Ayres. "I was prepared that I'd never see him again when he left for war, but it never crossed my mind that I'd have to take care of him, and I never fathomed he'd come home changed."
Renée was 34 and seven months pregnant with their second child when she rushed to her husband's side at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, and stayed every day until the birth of their second daughter, Faith. Although Renée delivered seven weeks prematurely because of preeclampsia — dangerously high blood pressure or hypertension during pregnancy that often requires bed rest — she was back at Chris' bedside three days after childbirth.
Renée split her days between Faith's neonatal intensive care unit and Chris' rehab hospital about 45 minutes apart. At home, Renée's mother looked after 5-year-old Lauren, their eldest, who was born with Down syndrome. When baby Faith was discharged, Renée brought her to Chris' bedside where they spent the next seven weeks together.
Trained as a respiratory therapist, Renée had spent plenty of time caring for patients in hospitals. She was prepared to nurse her children, and maybe even care for her mother someday. But she wasn't prepared to nurse a husband her own age.
"We always joked that we'd grow old and end up wiping each other's butts, but I never thought I'd do it in my thirties," she says.
PTSD Brings Conflict Home
The blast in Fallujah ripped through Chris Ayres. He had severe chronic leg pain, and doctors once contemplated amputation. He showed signs of cognitive decline, agitation, and depression. He lost significant vision in one eye. Doctors learned two years after the blast that Chris had torn his retina. Three years after the blast and with increasing pain in his teeth and mouth, they realized that the compression of the blast had cracked 18 teeth.
After Chris came home, Renée was progressively on the receiving end of Chris' anger and frustration over being separated from his Marines. Early on, she monitored his rehab and his medications, bathed him, and helped him use the toilet. All this while taking care of their two daughters full time.
Less obvious but more serious were his traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), causing increasingly aggressive and distant behavior toward Renée and the kids. Prior to his injury, he was, "happy all the time, best friends with our older daughter — the kind of guy kids gravitated toward," says Renée.
But the accident changed him. He withdrew from any decision making and most of the family caretaking. "It fried my mind beyond all belief. The fear that I experienced scared the living crap out of me. It really started to toy with my mind," says Chris.
Renée tried to manage her family but was then pregnant with their third child, and suffered from extreme nausea and vomiting from hyperemesis. By the time their third daughter, Sarah, was born, Chris' behavior was out of control.
"Chris actually tried to kill me," Renée recalls of the incident in 2008.
He was drinking and depressed. Home life was chaotic.
"I was tired of walking on egg shells. We were fighting, the baby was crying, and he said he was leaving me," says Renée. "He grabbed me by the neck and was choking me, and I was thinking 'This is it,' but through my faith I managed to say, 'It's not your fault.' "
Chris says the incident felt out of his control.
"I snapped and grabbed her by the neck. I just zoned out," explains Chris. "Her face was crystal clear but everything else was a blur. I was going to eliminate the threat. I had that much rage and anger. My brain was trying to process that she isn't a threat, she's my wife. It was a combination of the PTSD and the TBI."
Chris loosened his grip. Later that evening he was arrested, but was released into Renée's custody the next day. Renée spoke to the district attorney and made a plea that Chris was in desperate need of help. Within a week, he was sent to the Pathway Home, an inpatient program in California for veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan with PTSD and traumatic brain injuries.
In the quiet after he left, Renée realized how the stress of caring for Chris and their three daughters had exacted a toll on her health.
"I've got this child with Down syndrome who goes to the doctor two to three times a month. I had some problems of my own with depression and low self-esteem. I stopped taking care of myself, started gaining weight, and refused to get help," says Renée, who became dependent on sleeping pills. By the time Chris returned 111 days later, Renée was overwhelmed, exhausted, and depressed. "He saw the state I was in and realized that I needed serious help, too."
Chris researched the best place for Renée to get help and found an inpatient program called the Meadows that specialized in trauma, depression, and post-traumatic stress. Unfortunately, it was in Arizona and required that she leave her children. She left their home in Texas for 90 days. Her treatment and Chris' were funded by a combination of their own money, their insurance and the non-profit organizations, the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund and the Bob Woodruff Foundation. (The latter foundation was co-founded by television reporter Bob Woodruff after he sustained serious injuries while covering the Iraq war in 2006.) Their home was built by a local chapter of Operation FINALLY HOME, a non-profit organization that provides mortgage free homes to wounded and disabled veterans and their families.
"Without the help of the American public, our family would have fallen apart," says Renée.
Making Peace With a Different Husband
"Thankfully, battlefield medicine is allowing individuals to survive, but there's an increased burden on caregivers," says psychologist Michael DeFalco, director of the Military Wellness Program at Holliswood Hospital in Jamaica, N.Y., and an expert in the treatment of PTSD. "There are so many losses they also have to deal with while keeping things moving forward." Depression, burnout and displaced anger are common among caregivers.
Renée and Chris continue to struggle. Chris retired from the Marines in 2007, after 11 and a half years of service. He works as a project manager for Northrop Grumman, a defense contractor that recruits and trains Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. He has chronic leg pain and struggles with PTSD every day.
"He's forgetful. He used to be a great speller and writer, and now he writes like a third-grader. He can't manage money," says Renée. "It's not like I have to care for him like he's in a wheelchair anymore, but I'm a buffer for him. I know he's capable of functioning, but I always have to worry about his judgment. I'm always on edge."
Chris says he wishes he had more energy for his family, but at the end of the day he's physically and mentally exhausted and feels overloaded. "It's one of those things you don't expect when you're still in your early forties", he says. "I love my family, but since Iraq, I just don't have the energy."
Doctors still aren't certain if Chris' brain injury was from the blasts or from oxygen deprivation during the cardiac arrests brought on by the blood loss.
Renée says she is scared that his brain injuries also put him at higher risk for Alzheimer's disease.
"I don't leave the kids with him for a long period because it wears him out," says Renée. "I trust him, but as a mother and a caregiver, it's about making sure that my family is being successful."
Renée struggles with weight, sleep apnea, migraines, and depression, and continues to juggle her family responsibilities. Her daughter Lauren is now 13, but requires extra care and health visits. Once a month, Renée gets help with Lauren so she and the other two girls can spend time together.
"I was raised to take care of other people, and I really had to help my mom run our home. I would never do things for myself, and never spent money on myself, especially after the kids came."
"As a spouse of an active-duty service member, the mission is first," explains Dr. DeFalco. "And given changing roles and deployment cycles, the military family is always in a state of crisis, but they manage the crisis surrounded by a community who takes care of one another."
But when a soldier is injured and leaves active duty, it's a huge transition for the whole family, he says. "They lose a community, and the caregiver is often the last priority."
Taking Care of the Caregiver
When she married Chris, Renée pictured a future with a handsome and strong Marine, but now she doesn't look too far down the road.
"I understood when my daughter was born with Down syndrome that I had to prepare for a different kind of future as a parent, but I never thought I'd have to take care of my husband," says Renée. "I took my vows seriously, but I always told myself that I'd never stay with someone who touched me" violently, she adds. Renée had to decide whether to fight for her marriage, and whether she could live her husband's PTSD.
Marines are trained to think "you're 10 feet tall and bullet proof," says Chris. "But what screwed with me was how vulnerable I was." Looking back, he says, "Renée was navigating this unknown path just like I was, and she needed help, too."
"It was hard after being his caregiver, his mom and his nurse to fall in love again," says Renée. "I had to really get to know this guy, forgive him and move on. But I can honestly say I'm back in love with Chris today."
Chris says that he has learned how much he truly loves and appreciates Renée, "even though I don't show her or express it as much as I'd like to." He said he believes a family has to create a new normal, and allow themselves to make mistakes. "People have a picture of what marriage is going to be. We paint this fairy tale picture ... but people get injured, and hell, if you've got an injury it changes things."
Renée's mother and stepfather live nearby and have been a great help to her over the years. She has also become more diligent about taking a little time each day to care for herself.
"I take baths, I get occasional pedicures, and I lock myself in the bathroom sometimes to play Family Feud on my phone," confides Renée. She tries to make new friends, she went back to church, and recently she signed up for a race called the Gritty Goddess Mud Run with a friend whose husband was killed on 9/11. "Chris is so excited for me, and it's a way for us to bond," says Renée.
Renée finds comfort sharing her story on Operation Homefront's Wounded Warrior Wives Facebook page, and she reaches out to other families who have children with Down syndrome on Circle 21 Facebook page. She started a private Facebook page for wives with husbands who are suffering from PTSD and brain injuries. The women share intimate details of their struggles without judgment, says Renée.
Renée also speaks directly to veterans and their families through Holliswood Hospital's Family Reintegration Program. In partnership with the non-profit organization, Hope for the Warriors, the reintegration program brings military families from across the country to a four-day workshop that focuses on family communication, recovery, and resiliency. Caregivers learn how to understand and manage PTSD, TBI, and substance misuse problems that often coincide. And, they are counseled on their own health risks, including depression and suicide.
"Caregivers are taught how to be mindful to care for themselves, to find people they can trust to talk to, and to take a respite from their caregiving role," says DeFalco. They are also counseled on how to reestablish their role in the family and the marriage.
"It may be rediscovering romance in their marriage and finding a new balance in the family, but being a caretaker isn't their whole identity," he says.
"I think one of the best things someone said to me about caregiving is that on a plane they tell you to put the mask on yourself first, because if you don't put that mask on then you're no good to anybody," says Renée. "I've retrained my thinking process. I tell myself every day to caretake for yourself."
TELL US: What caregiver challenges do you struggle with in your family? Let us know in the comments. (Note: Mobile users won't be able to comment.)


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HM Department of Vague Paranoia
...In an effort to worry the public and convince them to vote for us again next year, and because George Bush asked us to, this website includes the common sense advice found in the Preparing for Emergencies booklet, and information on what the government is doing to protect the country as a whole. (Hint: we're praying really, really hard.) National editions of the booklet will be available here when we can be arsed to get translators to put them into your crazy moon languages.
From 2nd August, translations of the booklet into 16 languages will be available on this website. They will be in : Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, English, Farsi, French, Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Kurdish, Punjabi, Somali, Turkish, Urdu, Vietnamese and Welsh. In the meantime, just assume that we don't care about you...
A great parody, with a genuine response from the UK Government...
"Public safety is the Government's number
oneten priority (the top three are reelection, kissing George Bush's arse, and stopping Gordon Brown becoming PM). We must be prepared to deal with any emergency, whatever it is or wherever it comes from. And that includes zombie attacks! And zombie pirate attacks! And killer robots! And both at the same time! Are YOU ready?"


text:
All Cold Sandwiches are served with French fries, potato chips or cole slaw & pickles! Onion rings or sweet potato fries add $1.00
Chicken Salad - All white meat chicken, lettuce, tomato & mayonnaise $7.49
Tuna Salad - All white Albacore tuna, lettuce, tomato & mayonnaise $7.49
Turkey Club "The Triple Decker" - Sliced turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato & mayonnaise $8.49
B.L.T. - Bacon, lettuce, tomato & mayonnaise $6.99
All Signature Sandwiches are served with French fries or potato chips & pickles! Onion rings or sweet potato fries add $1.00
Chicken Cutlet Parm - Tender cutlet cooked golden brown, topped with cheese & marinara sauce. Served on fresh Italian bread. $8.99
Keith's "Old Fashioned Chicken Barb" - Finely shredded chicken "piled high" on a fresh grilled bulky with lettuce & mayonnaise. $8.49
Chicken Cordon Blue - grilled chicken and ham with Swiss cheese. 8.99
Chicken Tenders - Crispy tenders served with a dipping sauce. $7.99
Buffalo Tenders - Spicy hot tenders served with bleu-cheese dressing, celery & Carrot sticks. $8.99
French Fries $3.49
Onion Rings $3.99
Sweep Potato Fries $3.99
Cole Slaw $1.99
Potato Salad (Seasonal) $1.99
Soup of the day Cup $3.99 Bowl $4.99
Creamed soup of the day Cup $3.99 Bowl $5.99
Strawberry Shortcake $3.95
Vanilla Ice Cream w/strawberries or choc syrup w/whipped cream $3.45
All Hot Sandwiches are served with French fries or potato chips & pickles! Onion rings or sweet potato fries add $1.00
Chicken Finger Sub - Served with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. $8.99
Grilled Reuben - Sliced Corned Beef & Sauerkraut served on marble rye with Swiss cheese & Thousand Island dressing. Grilled to perfection! $8.99
Pulled -- Chicken BBQ - Slow roasted in a mild chipotle sauce. Served on a bulky roll. $7.99
Grilled Cheese Sandwich served with your choice of bread $5.99
Tuna Melt - All white tuna, topped with melted cheese served with your choice of bread $6.79
Grilled Chicken Sandwich - Marinated grilled chicken on grilled bulky with lettuce & tomato $7.99
Grilled hot dogs - 2 grilled hot dogs with beans and cole slaw $7.99
All burgers are made with half pound "Certified Black Angus Beef" are served with French fries or potato chips or cole slaw & pickles! Onion rings or sweet potato fries add $1.00
Patty Melt - Served on marble rye w/Swiss cheese & grilled onion $8.99
The Classic Burger - Served with lettuce and tomato on a bulky roll. $8.49
Cheese Burger - Served with lettuce and tomato, your choice of cheese on a bulky roll $8.99 add bacon $1.75
Side Salad $3.99
Classic Garden Salad - Crisp fresh greens topped with tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, seasoned croutons & shredded cheddar cheese. Choice of dressing. $6.99
Caesar Salad - Crisp romaine lettuce, romano cheese, seasoned croutons, served with savory creamy Caesar dressing. $7.49
Greek Salad - Crisp fresh greens with tomatoes, red onion, & topped with Feta cheese, olives, peppercorns & Greek dressing. $8.49
Cobb Salad - Mixed fresh greens with rows of red onion, tomatoes, bacon, cucumber, Monterey Jack cheese, garnished with sliced, hard-boiled eggs & choice of dressing. $9.49
Crispy chicken salad - garden salad with fried chicken or buffalo tenders on top $8.99
Salad Add Ons
Fresh Albacore Tuna $2.99
Chicken Salad $2.99
Grilled Marinated Chicken $3.99
Dressing Choices: House, Italian, Ranch, Thousand Island, Greek, Creamy Caesar & Baslamic Vinaigrette.
All Wrap-Ups are served with French fries or potato chips or cole slaw & pickles! Onion rings or sweet potato fries add $1.00
Turkey Wrap - Sliced turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato & mayonnaise $7.99
BBQ Chicken - Grilled BBG chicken, bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato. $8.99
Crispy Chicken - Crispy chicken tenders, lettuce, tomato, bacon, cheddar cheese & mayonnaise. $8.99
Buffalo Crispy Chicken Wrap - crispy buffalo chicken tenders, tomato and blue cheese. $8.99
The "Veggie" Wrap - Sauteed onion, mushroom, broccoli, spinach & melted cheese. $8.99
Steak and Cheese Wrap - Grilled with pepper, onion, mushroom, provolone & mayonnaise. $9.49
Wraps are served on a floured soft tortilla (choice of white or wheat).
Kids 4oz Angus Burger w/FF $6.99
Chicken Fingers w/FF $6.99
Grilled cheese w/FF $4.99
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich w/FF $4.99
Hot Dogs w/FF 5.99
*Children under 10 years of age. Please!
Small drinks included "no refills"
Milk SM $1.99 LG $2.29
Chocolate Milk SM $2.29 LG $2.79
Juice - Choices: Orange, Apple, Cranberry, Tomato and Grapefruit. SM $1.99 Lg $2.29
Soda (FREE Refills - Choices: Pepsi, Diet Papsi, Mountain Dew, Root Beer, Orange, Lemonade, Sierra Mist, Raspberry Ice Tea. LG $2.49
Coffee (Bottomless) $1.99
Tea (bottomless) $1.99
Hot Chocolate $1.99
Iced Coffee lg $2.29
Ice Tea Sweetened $2.49
Coffee to Go (No Refills) SM $1.95 LG $2.25
Green Tea $1.99
Unsweetened Tea $2.29
Bottled Water $1.59
Coffee to go (no refills) lg $2.29
Seasonal Coffees $2.29
Bottled water $1,59
Bottled Soda $1.99
Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness.


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The is a view from Akumal Beach at night. What else is there to say.??!! It's gorgeous 🙂
My lovely friend P., the photographer, took this beautiful shot 😀
Have a great weekend everyone.! I'm sure we all deserve it.!!
It was my birthday the other day.!! Yay me 😀 Birthdays are funny. Some years you welcome them, some years you want to hide from them, and some years you meet them in full party mode.! This year, my birthday was pretty tranquil. My father is in the hospital still, so not much partying going on there. I missed the birthday lunch I have with him. Hell I missed him saying happy birthday to me too. He still has limited vocal capacity. And yes I know, he wishes me happy birthday from his heart…low key. See what I mean.?
Also, many of my good friends are out of town, so I have to wait to see them in order to celebrate. My birthday buddy will be in town for the 4th of July so we're holding off on our regular birthday bash until then. But I have to say the amount of emails, texts, calls, and Facebook messages was astronomical. Even fellow bloggers wished me "a happy birthday". I definitely felt special. And of course, I went out with several friends for a round of birthday lunches and dinners. Maybe a few cocktails too 🙂
But all in all, very low key. Next year's birthday is a huge milestone; therefore, I've decided to have a big birthday blowout.! Yes, I know from one extreme to the other. jajajaja… I think I might actually go to Croatia.! I'm thinking about it. And you know what they say, you go where your eyes go.! See you tomorrow for another beautiful photo of Playa del Carmen.!
Feliz lunes.!! Happy Monday.!! I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend with their special father whether it was your dad, grandpa, spouse, or significant other.!! My dad is still not home, so I visited him at the rehab hospital. Unfortunately, we didn't get to eat our favorite weekend lunch of chicken wings and pizza, but spending time with him was still special. My dad still can't talk full sentences as his throat is healing from the respirator. He has managed to say my name and a few other words, but that's it. I miss talking to him 😦
Every year on Father's Day when I wish him "Happy Father's Day". He always says, "Thank YOU for making me a father.!" I'm the oldest 🙂 I definitely missed him saying that to me this year. Tomorrow is also my birthday and I'm not sure he will be able to wish me happy birthday either. But I remind myself, he is still around and he is getting stronger and better every day.! And next year this time, I will get to hear his voice saying my favorite words 🙂
Corona is taking a break this week, so that we can honor my dad with a Canadian Club commercial. My dad was a huge rebel, macho man, and a breaker of the rules, so this commercial seems very timely. I'm sure if he was around during Prohibition, he would have been smuggling whiskey himself.! He was known to make moonshine back in the day.! I tried it once and almost died.!! jajaja… I hope everyone enjoys their week. See you in a few days for more of Mexico.! Until then, enjoy.! Y salud.!!
Beautiful picture of the beach in Playa 🙂
Also…Happy Father's Day.!! Feliz Día del Padre.!! I'm going to go hang out with my dad now – I will tell you all about it tomorrow.!!
Feliz martes a todos.!! Happy Tuesday everyone.!! It's been a crazy week.! Really it's just been a crazy year.!! But it was a good one nonetheless 🙂
How do you know when circumstances have gone from horrible to way better.? You visit your dad in the hospital and he swings one leg over the bed, grabs your arm, and says, "Ruža, idemo (Rose, let's go)". I was relieved and amused.! Welcome back dad.!! I have sorely missed you… Unfortunately, he still has a lot of healing to do before he can go home. But so much better than those early dark days of May.
I've been under so much stress that I've been fantasizing about the beach again.! Didn't I just go.!?! jajaja… This week's Corona commercial is awesome. It's just a guy, a girl, the beach, and some beer. What more could you ask for.? Ok…don't answer that. Lol.. I've got a few things I could still ask for.!! Enjoy.! Y salud.!!
I promised when I first started this blog that I would talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of living in Mexico. Most of the time, I forget to talk about the ugly because I'm usually a positive person and I like to leave bad memories, bad incidents, and bad people in the past. But recently one of my friends who still lives in Mexico posted the above statistics on minimum wage.
While, one of the reasons I left Mexico was to be closer to my family especially my father. He is getting on in years and has been sick before. And as recent events have shown with my dad, I'm really glad I was close by during his most recent illness.
But I also left Mexico because I couldn't make enough money. For a foreigner, I had a decent salary. I made about $1,000 USD plus tips. But I didn't make enough to save. After paying the rent, groceries, utilities, transportation to work…sometimes I made enough to buy shoes or a purse for work use. But that's about it. I never made enough to save. And that's important because emergencies happen or you need a plane ticket to go home 🙂
It makes me sad to see that many residents of Mexico still do not not make enough to enjoy a secure living. Of course, there are people in Mexico who make good money. But so many more, especially in the service industry do not. And that includes police officers as well. According to Huffington Report – "a report by the government's National Public Safety System says the average wage for state police in Mexico is 9,250 pesos, which is equal to about $670 per month or about $8,000 annually." (Sep 25, 2011)
I doubt wages have gone up much since 2011. Anyways, there you have it. I know money can't buy happiness.! Don't I know it.! But I also know money erases a lot of stress, helps pay doctor's bills, helps you buy fresh food, and gives you peace of mind. Here's wishing for peace of mind for everyone 🙂 And back to 'the good' posts with Corona in the next blog post.!


text: Mustache Balloons April 18, 2016itsmypartydyer Leave a comment I "mustache" you a question, what is cuter than a mustache theme for your baby shower? NOTHING! This theme is perfect to celebrate the new little man in your life. Mustache arch Mustache Balloon Column Mustache Balloon Columns for Entrance Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:Like Loading... Related


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Something you would not want to do if the lights went out!
As I was driving through the city, you can see that the snow storm has receed, thanks to the rain. It will be distance memory in the past as the days go by. I have learned one thing about this snow storm, the cities around here are not prepared for a storm of this magnitude and I do not think they will ever be. I live up in the hill about 700 to 800 feet above sea level and the city here plowed the roads, but as i went into the city there were no streets plowed. That would make you wonder if any of the cities were capable of taking care itself from the display I seen, I would say not. Now that the beautyof snow is gone, there is a lot of clean up to be done. This had damage the street and trees everywhere. I have seen big tree taken down because of the snow that was on it and branches that were 6 inches or more in diameter broken off. There was one branch that if was not being supported by other parts of the tree it would have taken out three fiber lined for the street and would take hours to fix. There was at one time 310, 000 people without electricity for more then 6 days. This is good example of always being prepared for anything that happens.
This is a good comic, for the people that do not know how to put into words, how much they enjoy the gift they got.
This is my kitty cat, she use to come by me and sleep on my desk, when i was there. Unfortunately we had to put her to sleep because she had diabetes and we did not get treated in time. She died on November 25, 2006. Here is a video of her and some pictures.
I was doing some work at friend house and she has this cat that like me. Everytime I come over he come to wants me to pet him. I is very cute way he does it too, he walk up and put his paws on my legs, it looks like he going to climb up me like a tree, but he does not do that.
To go with the job I have i though this would was funny.
I was out driving around for my job in Tualatin, Oregon and though i would share some of the scenes from there.
 This last picture was from the Les Schwab Tires in King City, Oregon. They are boxes of tire chains that they went through the last week in a half because of the snow storm. They went through so many their supplier was out of stock on everything. There were more boxes, but i could not get into the picture.
Here are to videos of people who have or lost control of thier vehicles.
I have my home page set to the daily garfield comic, i though this was funny.


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|Jafar says: Read my lips and come to grips with the reality!
This article is a stub and is in need of expansion. You can help Villains Wiki by expanding it.
The Vortex Queen is the main antagonist of Ecco the Dolphin and was the leader of a vastly powerful alien species known as the "Vortex".
In the original Ecco and his pod are swimming in their home bay. The Foe podmate challenges him to see how high into the air he can jump. When he is in the air, a waterspout storm forms and sucks up all marine life in the bay except Ecco, leaving him alone in the bay. Upon leaving the bay to search for his pod, he contacts several dolphins from other pods, who tell him the entire sea is in chaos, and that all marine creatures had felt the storm. After talking to an orca, Ecco travels to the Arctic to find a blue whale named The Big Blue. The Big Blue tells him such storms had been occurring every 500 years and directs him to the Asterite, the oldest creature on Earth. He leaves the Arctic and travels to a deep cavern where he finds the Asterite. Although it has the power to aid him, one of its globes is missing, and needs it returned. However, this can only be achieved by traveling back in time using a machine built by the ancient Atlanteans.
Ecco travels to the sunken city of Atlantis, where he discovers the time machine and an ancient library. He learns the cause of the storm; it was a harvest of Earth's waters that was conducted every 500 years by an alien species known as the Vortex. The Vortex had lost their ability to make their own food, and so every 500 years, they would harvest from the waters of Earth. Learning this, he activates the time machine and travels 55 million years into Earth's past. Ecco locates the Asterite in the past but is immediately attacked by it. Forced into battle, he manages to dislodge a globe from it.
This opens a time portal and he is sent back into the present. After receiving the globe, the Asterite grants him the power to turn his sonar into a deadly weapon against the Vortex, as well as the abilities to breathe underwater and to slowly regenerate lost health. The Asterite instructs him to use the time machine to travel back in time to the hour of the harvest. This time he manages to be sucked into the waterspout with his pod. Once inside the waterspout, Ecco makes his way towards the Vortex Queen, the leader of the Vortex race. Eventually, the Vortex Queen is destroyed and Ecco rescues his pod.
However in the sequel "The Tides of Time" Ecco discovers that the Vortex Queen was far from vanquished, and had, in fact, followed Ecco to Earth to build a new hive for herself. Ecco loses his powers from the Asterite early in the game, and soon after meets a dolphin with unusually long fins. She is his descendant, Trellia, and takes him to the distant future. In the future, dolphins are shown to have evolved helium sacs, and can therefore fly; they also display limited telekinetic powers. The ocean is said to have developed its own mind, as well as waterways that float through the skies (called the Sky Tides) apparently connecting all the oceans of the Earth. After exploring the future for a while, Ecco finds the Asterite.
The Asterite tells Ecco that when Ecco used the time machine to save his pod, he split the stream of time in two. One possible future for Earth is this bright, happy future of flying dolphins; the other is a dead, mechanical world, sucked dry by the Vortex. The Asterite refers to Ecco as "the stone that split the stream of time in two". The Asterite itself had been 'killed' in the past by the Vortex Queen; how it is able to talk to Ecco is not explained until later. The Asterite returns Ecco to his own time after their conversation.
Back in his own time, Ecco must piece the Asterite back together by bringing the globes that make up the creature back together. The final pair of globes have been taken by the Vortex to their future; Ecco must therefore go there and retrieve them so that the Asterite can help him defeat the Vortex once and for all. The Atlantean time machine is not an option as it only allows travel into the past. Ecco makes his way to the "Lunar Bay", which the Vortex have claimed as their own. Two Vortex drones then capture Ecco and take him to their future.
The Vortex future is shown to be full of strange machines, reminiscent of the final levels of Ecco the Dolphin. Ecco eventually locates the Asterite's last two globes held in a chamber called the Globe Holder. After freeing the globes from a bubble-chained holding device, another time portal returns Ecco to the present.
With the Asterite complete again, it is able to bestow upon Ecco the same powers that it had previously given him — breathing underwater and a song that can destroy the Vortex. It also calls all of Ecco's fellow Singers to help in the fight against the Vortex in the now-transformed Lunar Bay. Ecco himself fights the Vortex Queen after fighting his way through another crushing Vortex Machine; however, she again escapes, reverting to a larval state and bolting for the Atlantean time machine. The Asterite tells Ecco to destroy the time machine to prevent the stream of time from ever being split again. The Vortex Queen, arriving in ancient Earth after using the time machine, finds creatures she cannot rule over, and through the aeons, the Vortex are forced to simply integrate into the ecosystems of Earth as exopods and arthropods (ants, scorpions, roaches, crabs, lobster, spiders, etc). Ecco, instead of destroying the time machine, uses it and disappears into the Tides of Time.


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Go just about anywhere these days and you are sure to see some form of chalkboard art. From trendy inspirational wall plaques, plates and canvases for the home, to retro sandwich board café ads on the street. I've even seen chalkboard jewelry!
If you've tried your hand at creating a chalkboard piece, you know that it's a little more complicated than it appears on Pinterest. (I've have had some successes and a couple of abject failures, too!) Not only is chalkboard paint challenging to work with, it is also time-consuming, since the painting, drying and curing time take away from the drawing time (the fun part, for me!).
One of the fastest and easiest ways to give your home instant "Fixer Upper" chalkboard style, however, is by using chalkboard labels. You can affix them to glass canisters in the kitchen, use them on storage bins in the pantry, place them on hooks and racks to show kids exactly where to hang their coats… just about anything that needs a label, needs a chalkboard version!
And, this multi-size set of chalkboard labels by Sacar Stationery is definitely the place to start. The package includes 112 labels in 14 unique shapes, plus eight complete chalkboard sheets, so that you can create your own custom sizes and shapes.
The labels peel right off. They work equally well with actual sticks of traditional chalk (or colored sidewalk chalk), as well as liquid chalkboard pens. But, unlike chalkboard paint, they are easy to wipe completely clean and are reusable because they are actually made of top quality black PVC with non-toxic glue. Genius! I just used a wet paper towel and the writing came right off.
And, unlike chalkboard paint, these labels are also dishwasher and refrigerator safe. So everything from sippy cups to travel coffee thermoses can all have that charming chalkboard look. They are even great for parties – no more guessing whose drink is whose or what is under the chaffing dish lid.
The set retails for $19.95 on Amazon… and I can't wait to start labeling everything in my house!
Your guide to a life filled with STYLE! Susan Conforte McNeill is a wife, mother, author, entrepreneur, Harper's BAZAAR Style Ambassador and Cover Girl Ambassador. Susan Said…WHAT?! was named one of the Top 50 Beauty Blogs in the World by RebateZone.com in 2015. Susan is also the co-founder of the literacy organization Success Won't Wait! Read more about her in Family Circle Magazine.
PHOTOS: Used with permission by Sacar Stationery.
DISCLAIMER: No financial compensation was received in exchange for this post. I did, however, receive a promotional sample set of the Sacar Stationery chalkboard labels mentioned above in order to fully evaluate the product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers.


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Last week, I gave you a peek into the Fit&Happier Pantry. The following are a few original recipes my husband and I have developed over the years using some of our pantry staples. Where appropriate, I've offered ingredient substitution suggestions so you can tailor recipes to your family's tastes.
Base Recipes
Roasted Vegetables: I love roasting vegetables because the process caramelizes the produce bringing out their natural sweetness, making them so much tastier than steaming, yet healthier than sautéing because you can use a fraction of the oil. My favorites: beets*, cauliflower, butternut squash, bell peppers, red onion, asparagus, fennel, carrots, parsnip, rutabaga, turnip, brussels sprouts, sweet potato
Preheat oven to 400 degrees (*450 degrees for beets)
- Wash, peel (if necessary) & cut veggies into similar sized pieces for even roasting. Dense, hard vegetables such as butternut squash or sweet potato should be cut into one-inch cubes. Asparagus (delicate & quick-cooking) need only have the woody ends trimmed off, keeping the rest of the spears intact. (Tomatoes & bell peppers are easier to peel after roasting.)
- {*Beets: Place washed, unpeeled beets on baking sheet, place in 450 degree oven for 1 hr. No oil necessary. Cool beets for about 5 minutes, then peel and cut as directed in your recipe. Use gloves for peeling and cutting to avoid stained fingers.}
- In large bowl, toss veggies with just enough canola or olive oil to evenly coat. Add only a little oil at a time to avoid over-dressing
- Line a large baking sheet with foil, spray with canola/olive oil non-stick cooking spray
- Spread veggies out on pan in single layer. Sprinkle evenly with fresh ground black pepper & sea salt
- Roast in the oven until golden brown. Examples: Asparagus=10 mins, Butternut Squash=25 mins
Balsamic Vinaigrette: I make this in large batches to have handy when needed. For easy and precise dispensing, I recommend storing in a glass dressing bottle with spout. You can also make other vinaigrettes using this same recipe, simply substitute your favorite vinegar or citrus juice (acid) and oil at a 1:3 ratio respectively.
- Ingredients: 1/4 c balsamic vinegar, 3/4 c extra virgin olive oil, 1 tsp honey, dash each of garlic powder, fresh ground black pepper, sea salt
- Place all ingredients in medium-sized bowl and whisk vigorously to emulsify into a thick dressing
- Pour into glass container, cover and store in a cool, dry place. Shake before dispensing.
Hearty Breakfast
Banana Pancakes: I won a Reader Recipe contest in Cooking Light Magazine (Nov 2004) with an older version of this recipe. I've since revamped it several times and am pleased with this final version. I use a mix of grains to give the pancakes a nutty flavor and crunchy exterior. And I substitute an over-ripe banana for the oil, making these pancakes low in fat yet filling.
Mix the following dry ingredients in a large bowl: 1 c whole wheat flour, 1/4 c all purpose flour, 1/3 c farina (ie Cream of Wheat), 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt
- Mix the following wet ingredients in a separate, medium bowl: 1 1/2 c fat free milk, 1 lg beaten egg, 1/3 c firmly packed light brown sugar, l lg mashed over-ripe banana
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just until fully incorporated
- Optional stir-in additions: 1/2 c semi-sweet mini chocolate chips (adding kid-friendly antioxidants) or 1/2 c chopped raw nuts (adds protein & healthy omega 3 fatty acids) or 1/2 c golden raisins (boosting fiber, potassium & iron)
- Cook as you would any pancakes.
- Serving suggestion: Opt for 100% maple syrup over the fake stuff but you can reduce the amount of syrup needed by serving fresh berries or canned crushed pineapple (drained well) over the pancakes. Serving size: 2 pancakes
Make Ahead Meatless Lunch
Quinoa Roasted Beet Salad: Best to make this over the weekend and spoon out servings into re-useable containers to pack quick lunches during the week. The following includes ingredients I love to mix together but this can be tweaked to include your favorite grains, vegetables, nuts, cheeses and vinaigrettes.
Prepare quinoa according to package instructions, cool completely
- Roast 1 bunch (1 lb) beets; cool, peel and dice (recipe above)
- In large bowl, mix cooled quinoa and diced beets with the following: 1/4 c chopped scallions, 1/4 c finely diced celery, 1/4 c toasted pine nuts, 1/2 c crumbled goat cheese, pinch of salt & pepper
- Add approx 1/2 c balsamic dressing (recipe above), mix thoroughly, cover & chill completely
- Serving size: 1 cup
- Substitution suggestions: for quinoa: faro or barley; for pine nuts: toasted almonds or pumpkin seeds; for goat cheese: crumbled gorgonzola or feta
Guilt-Free Burgers & Fries for Dinner
Grilled Turkey Burgers with Cilantro Garlic Mayo: My husband, Matt, gets all the credit for this recipe. Though I'll take a few kudos for providing the fresh cilantro from our backyard. Trust me, you won't miss the beef in these burgers. Serve tossed salad alongside your burger & fries for a complete, filling, veggie-packed meal.
Cilantro Garlic Mayo: in small bowl, combine 1/2 c canola oil mayonnaise, 1-2 tsp garlic powder (to taste) and 1/4 c finely chopped fresh cilantro. Set aside.
- In large bowl combine 1 lb lean (97%) ground turkey, 1 sm onion diced & lightly sautéed in olive oil, and 1/2 c canola oil mayonnaise
- Form into 4 burger patties and lightly salt & pepper each side
- Spray cold grill rack with Pam Grilling/High Heat cooking spray, heat grill to 500 degrees
- Sear burgers for 2 mins at 500, reduce heat to 450, cook for 5 mins. Flip burgers, increase heat to 500 to sear for 2 mins, reduce heat to 450 and cook for 5 mins.
- Serve burgers on whole grain buns with 1/2 Tblsp cilantro garlic mayo, sliced fresh avocado, bibb lettuce and sliced tomato
Roasted Baby Red Potato "Fries": The key to these potatoes is the smoked paprika, so don't omit it. Roasting on high heat for 50 minutes renders a golden, crispy exterior and soft, creamy interior – just like a traditional french fry.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Wash & cut 1 lb of baby red potatoes into similar-sized wedges: quarter large ones, halve small ones
- In large zip-top plastic bag put: 1 tsp each of salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder & onion herb blend (such as Mrs Dash) and 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- Place cut potatoes into bag and add 2-3 Tblsp of olive or canola oil
- Close bag tightly, shake and massage bag to evenly coat potatoes with oil and seasonings
- Line 13X9 baking pan/dish with foil and coat with canola/olive oil cooking spray. Empty bag of potatoes into baking dish and spread out evenly into single layer.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes or until crispy on outside and tender inside
Satisfying Snack
Fruit Smoothie: We let bananas turn over-ripe just for these smoothies. When you take an over-ripe banana and freeze it for 15-30 minutes, an amazing thing happens. It adds creaminess, sweetness and hearty texture to anything you mix it with. The result in this smoothie is a richness that seems more like a shake. Substitute whichever frozen fruit you prefer.
Peel and freeze an over-ripe banana for 15-30 minutes
- In blender, combine: 1 c fat-free milk, 1 c 100% fruit juice (such as Juicy Juice or Apple & Eve), 1/4 c plain Greek yogurt, 1/3 c each of frozen blueberries, peaches & strawberries, 1 frozen banana & pinch of salt
- Blend on high until smooth and pourable.
- Makes 4 servings, serve immediately
Dessert Bonus
Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Banana Shake: Using the same concept as the fruit smoothie you can make lower calorie, lower fat shakes for dessert.
Peel and freeze an over-ripe banana for 15-30 minutes
- In blender, combine: 1 1/2 c fat-free milk, 1 c 1/3 reduced fat chocolate ice cream (such as Edy's), 1/2 c peanut butter, 1 frozen banana
- Blend on high until smooth and pourable
- Makes 4 servings, serve immediately
Enjoy your Fit&Happier food and let me know what you think.
Author's Note: I am an exercise professional, not a nutrition professional. My food recommendations are based on the most current science-backed information provided by nutrition professionals in the fitness industry publications I receive and my personal experience. Mine are general recommendations that are in line with the guidelines published by the US Dept of Health and Human Services for apparently healthy individuals. If you have a health condition that requires dietary restrictions, I recommend consulting a medical doctor or registered dietician before making any changes to your diet.


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Happy Valentine's Day my loves! I hope you all are getting showered with hugs and kisses from all your loved ones today!
My honey and I tend to celebrate Valentine's Day not on the actual day. We love doing the gorgeous pre-fix menus with wine pairing meals but sometimes it's nice to go out a few days later and have the place to ourselves. This year, we're celebrating our 5th Valentine's Day together later this weekend (plans still a little TBD). I wanted to give you all a little sneak peek of my what I'll be wearing!
The Diane von Furstenberg and Andy Warhol Collaboration is so colorful and amazing! It basically spoke to me! Now isn't that a good enough excuse to purchase? It's a perfect nice but not over the top look.
Dress: Diane von Furstenberg (sold out but check out the rest of the collaboration here), Ring: Samantha Wills (Similar here), Heels: Proenza Schouler (Similar here & here)


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How do I add a new team member?
This page is now deprecated. For the latest version, please click here.From the dashboard, just go here: https://www.crashlytics.com/settings/organizations, select your organization and click on "Invite". Add the email addresses you want to invite and select the apps they should have access to see. After that, hit "Send Invite" :)


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Well we've had another fantastic day at NEMUA today! Firstly we looked after a bride and her family making sure she looked even more stunning for her big day. It was a lovely gesture from her mum to hand me a bottle of wine when I finished, very touched. Definitely a career to give you a great deal of happiness and job satisfaction. From that, it was off to the academy to begin the 'Celebrity Makeup Application Workshop'. I worked on a fantastic group of girls teaching them how to create a flawless base using 3 shades of foundation to highlight and contour their features, very high end right now! I then showed them how to create contoured eye, flick eyeliner, smokey winged out eye and blush and lip techniques. We threw some cupcakes, buck fizz and proseccos in too, creating a wonderful, girly afternoon for them with lots of laughs. The courses for this makeup application are on an afternoon so that you can go home, get your dress on and show your makeup off. What I find from all the feedback is that not only to my clients create a look for an evening, you'll also pick up so many hints and tips that will improve your day to day makeup too! I would definitely recommend our workshops to anyone considering a career in the makeup industry. Even though you'll be learning to apply your own makeup, it's a great introduction to our Pro courses. Fantastic day with a lovely group of girls. Lisa xx
Celebrity Makeup Workshops
by Lisa | Apr 2, 2014 | Uncategorized | 0 comments


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Bashar on the New Millennium and Major Earth Changes
Bashar is a multi-dimensional being who speaks through channel Darryl Anka from what we perceive as the future. Here he shares his views of the coming times….
Bashar speaks of our approaching "critical mass", a time of significant change lasting for at least the first decade of the New Millennium… For Global Psychics' visions, see The Intervention, a Time of Tribulation Before Ascension or Transmigration
A Message of Hope – and a Warning!
Bashar channeled by Darryl Anka
Excerpts from: "The New Millennium"
Q: Bashar, why you are communicating with us at this time?
Bashar: We represent ourselves as what you would call an extraterrestrial consciousness. We are a different civilization from your own, but we understand many of the same or similar things that you do…the idea of living life through joy…of expressing creativity…of connection to the Infinite Creation. And our purpose and our reason for this transmission, this contact, this communication, is to provide each and every one of you individually, and all of you collectively, an opportunity to examine and to explore…new perspectives…new reflections…new ideas…new ways of examining your reality and of deciding whether or not you are living the lives you wish to live. To expand both your reality and thus, conversely, our reality. For anyone we interact with is for us a reflection of ourselves, and whatever changes you decide to make will also allow us to experience creation in that many more perspectives, that many more ways. So, we are a civilization similar to your own who wishes to answer your invitation to explore new levels of consciousness with you, to interact with you in whatever way you see fit and to examine together, in what ways we can both in the future, perhaps, interact more broadly. We are giving you an opportunity to understand that you are the Creators of your reality and to understand pragmatically how to go about applying this knowledge to your world so that you can gain the results that many of you say you want, but perhaps have not necessarily been taught or trained to understand how to acquire. We can explain, in a sense, delineate and define the specific apparatus by which your consciousness does create the reality it already experiences and by that examination, perhaps, illuminate how you can transform and change that mechanism to allow it to work for you in a more harmonious way… a more creative way…according to your own wishes and desires. This, as you say in your language, in a nutshell is who we are and why we are communicating with your civilization at this time.
Q: Bashar, can you describe how you communicate with us through Darryl Anka?
Bashar: It is described by a simple analogy, at least in this particular case. It is what we call "resonant identification" or a "telempathic bond". In other words, similar to the concept of what you call two tuning forks that are tuned to each other, the channel has been trained to allow his brainwaves to accelerate to a certain pitch or frequency. We change our brainwave frequency, where we are in our location, downward to match his frequency. He moves upward…we move downward…because we are on a higher vibratory plane. Somewhere in the middle our frequencies meet, synchronize and lock. Thus, similar to the tuning fork analogy when you start one tuning fork vibrating, if the other one is tuned to it, it will also vibrate, in what you would call a type of sympathetic harmonization. This is a fundamental description of the basic mechanism. Once our brainwaves are synchronized, our thoughts thus then are simply immediately and automatically translated through the channel's mind. I am not actually there with you, but what you are getting is a model of my consciousness made out of the channel's energy on your planet.
Q: Is there actually any significance to the beginning of our new millennium, the year 2000 and will anything tremendous happen at that time?
Bashar: 2001 is actually the beginning of your new millennium, not the year 2000. Yes, there is significance even though it may not always be interpreted correctly, so to speak. The reason why there is so much recognition of this idea is because there is an innate sensing that your civilization, evolutionarily, is coming to a head. It is arriving at a point which you call "critical mass" in its consciousness where it really is crossing a threshold of understanding in awareness that can make a very large difference — not necessarily right at the year 2001– but it has been changing for a little while and accelerate it will. Somewhere in between your now time and what you would call your year of 2013, you will find that some of the most significant changes will be represented in your society based on the changes going on in your collective consciousness at this time…because you have reached critical mass and are beginning to understand some very important things such as "You create your reality". The more individuals that really begin to understand this and apply this, then the more it will cause a critical mass acceleration that actually will profoundly change your society in relatively short order, historically speaking. So since it all centers around this general upcoming shift in millennial time, it is simply lumped into the beginning year of the millennium, which in your counting is 2001.
Q: Can you tell us more about this critical mass acceleration and the threshold we are crossing?
Bashar: The acceleration which is going on and has been going on for awhile, but which in a sense starts to culminate in and around the first couple of decades of your upcoming new millennium…is the crossing of a threshold that is similar to the concept of, in your technology, crossing the sound barrier or approaching the idea of the speed of light. You are arriving at that threshold and you are about to cross it, so everything must accelerate to bring all your energy to bear as a society …so you can bring all that energy and momentum up to speed and match the frequency of your Ultimate Self…and then begin to cross that threshold to create the new society that you are laying the foundations for now. By seeing what is going on on your planet, with the acceleration of new information and also with what you may term "the negative things" that seem to be accelerating on your planet…you're getting everything up out of your system and out onto the table. This allows you to examine every portion of your creation…every portion of your culture and society…to examine what it is you want to keep and what it is you want to change in order to bring all that energy and consciousness and intention to bear…allowing you to step across the threshold into the new reality that you are all together co-creating. So, there will be much, much more acceleration…you haven't, as you say in your language…seen anything yet. Get ready for the roller coaster ride of your life!
Q: Along with this shift in critical mass comes increasingly strong opposition to these ideas by the chemical-industrial complex which controls most of the legislation that dominates our world.
Bashar: Yes, but that is all part and parcel of everything coming to a head. In other words, many times many things that seem dire may also seem to be becoming more prevalent, but only because you are now willing to get everything out of your system and onto the table. So certain things will appear, in your terms "worse", while other things will appear better. In other words, you'll see a great amount of polarity and that is the indicator that everything is coming to a head…because what you're actually doing in getting everything out on the table is ultimately deciding what you want your world truly to be based upon. And as soon as you really decide that and cross the critical mass threshold, then in an accelerated way, the old structure that no longer belongs to the new decision will collapse very rapidly in due order.
Q: It appears that there is a race against time whether this critical mass of positive energy will overcome the manifestation of our own Armageddon.
Bashar: I will put it to you this way: there are an infinite number of probable Earths. Every single possible scenario will play out, and more precisely, is playing out now since all time is actually simultaneous. However, whatever each individual's vibratory frequency is, that is the determining factor for what probable-future-reality-Earth they will experience.
In that our civilization is communicating to this probable-reality-Earth…in other words, in that we are capable of having this conversation with you…then that is an indication that you are part and parcel of the probable-reality-Earth that will allow the positive energy, shall we say, to over-balance the negative…otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation. And all the probable-reality-Earths that do decide to let the negative dominate in their future…we are not having conversations with in the same way at all.
Q: Bashar, is the Y2K issue going to be a severe problem for our world as predicted?
Bashar: In some cases it will be severe, in other areas it will not be felt at all. It will depend upon the infrastructure that has been laid down in certain areas on your planet since there is much diversity in your world and many different approaches to different things. Different areas will likewise experience the result and consequences in different ways. The basic thing to understand is that when individuals begin to lay down other systems, alternate systems, new ideas and put them into place, then it will not really matter if the old systems crumble or collapse for new ones will be there ready and willing to take their place and take up what you call "the slack". Now at the same time, sometimes what you would call a break from the old paradigm may be a welcome thing and give individuals a chance to rethink how they go about setting up certain systems, to allow them in the future to become far more flexible, less rigid…and this is a metaphor for how you really need to live your lives as well. So, I would simply overall suggest that you don't really worry about it, for I will tell you this with absolute certainty…the more you worry about it being a problem, the more you magnetically will draw yourself into a circumstance where you will experience it as a problem. Instead I would suggest that you allow yourself to treat it as an amazing opportunity to allow systems to shift and change very rapidly and that you position yourself by your energy and your own certainty — so that you will know that you will be where you need to be, when you need to be there, and so that you will experience, no matter what any else's experience — you will personally experience only a beneficial result from such a consequence instead of a negative one.
Q: What about the many predictions of global natural disasters that have come from other channeled beings and other sources?
Bashar: Many of you have spoken of the idea of the transformation seeming to have to take place through the idea of catastrophes: earthquakes, flood, famine, axis shifts, and much more of the like. Recognize that this energy potential does exist, but only as a potential. It may have a great deal of momentum behind it; it may have a great degree of backing behind it from your civilization simply because that is the way your civilization has always assumed that changes must occur…with strife and struggle. But recognize — not that you are being lied to, for you are not — but recognize that you are being given an opportunity to decide whether what they say is true for you in terms of what you believe you need to experience in the transformation taking place on your planet right now. When you hear something that does not strike a vibratory chord within you, recognize that you are being given an opportunity to understand and reflect upon what you know to be true for you — then you can utilize the situation as an equal, and not continue to feel that what you are being given as information is any more powerful then the information you have within yourselves, with regard to reality and a world which is, after all, yours.
Q: Will there be noticeable physical effects of this transformation on the planet?
Bashar: Are there not already? Do you not see around your planet many different changes in the weather, many different geological changes? Now, all of the ones that have been predicted don't have to come to pass. You have already transformed many of them into other forms of energy expression, such as sociological change or political change or financial change. They do not have to be experienced in any particular way. There will still be some acceleration in what you call the geological or weather pattern or electromagnetic field changes, but again, the basic bottom line really is: what is your energy all about? It is your frequency that will determine where you are, when you are there, and how you will experience the transformation…for "like attracts like" and the energy of fear will only attract an individual into the centers that experience the transformation in a cataclysmic way whereas the energy of joy and unconditional love of self will attract the individual to experience the transformation, even if they are standing in the middle and all around them is a cataclysm…they will never experience it in anything but a smooth and creative manner. That's the key. So, do not so much be concerned about exactly what's going to happen…be focused on the idea of what you decide you are all about…because only your wavelength will determine what you are attracted to experience in the transition…what portion or what methodology or what style of the transition you are capable of experiencing because it can be experienced in many different ways because it's holographic…there are any number of ways to experience it that co-exist simultaneously and what frequency you are on, like your television set…what channel you are on determines the program you get…even though all the other programs might be there on the airwaves, you only see the one your television set is tuned to. This is physics, this is how it works.
Q: As part of these Earth changes will there be a major earthquake in Southern California in the next few years, as predicted?
Bashar: The likelihood of the kind of quake you are talking about in Southern California does not really reach an approximation of occurrence until around 2010 — and even then it is not certain. And, as we have said before and you can apply this if you'll remember, the idea is that the more you change yourselves then the less likely it will be that you will have to create circumstances to shake yourselves awake. You can transform the energy — it is your reality. While it is true that some individuals will believe that they must go through a trial-by-fire in order to change, not everyone has to. The idea is that the more you allow yourself to be yourself, the less likely it will be that you need any kind of catastrophic reminder and you can make the transitions relatively smoothly. Even if you find yourself in the mist of great physical change, if you are centered within your own being…there can be chaos all around you and you will remain untouched.
Q: Can people's thoughts and feelings of a negative nature have an effect on whether we have earthquakes?
Bashar: Yes, we have been saying that for years and that is why we say when you are centered within your vibration of belief…a belief that is aligned and harmonious with your joy…then you will actually be capable of transforming the way changes occur. They need not occur in catastrophic terms…and even if they do and even if you are in the midst of it…your vibration will determine what you experience. One individual who may experience full terror and even injury and death can be standing right next to another individual who will remain untouched. It depends upon the vibration and how you will translate your reality because each and every one of you is a different reality — you share some ideas — but the idea of the changes fundamentally are neutral and the effect of how you experience them is completely determined by the vibrational state in which you decide you exist..
Q: Is it true that many other civilizations are watching and are interested in what is happening on our planet at this time?
Bashar: Absolutely. It is a high point of conjunction — the different kinds of coming together of consciousness and integration that are taking place on your world at this time. It is not that this kind of thing has never happened or will never happen again, but in terms of linear time, it is relatively rare and in that sense a special moment because it is literally the leap into the awakening of your own God-hood. Thus it is, linearly speaking, an expansion of Creation…most profoundly so.
Q: Can you tell us a specific time frame for the general and public acceptance and understanding of the UFO phenomenon?
Bashar: Well, absolutely, no later than 2037 AD. Now, there will be many things that will begin to come up before that. There will be certain revelations in and around your year of 2005 to 2007, and remember this is, as we sense the collective energy of your planet, as it stands now. So, there will begin to be more information that is released and understood and known in between the window of your year of 2005 to 2007. You will find that by your year of 2012…2013, there will be actually quite a lot of information. By your year of 2029 you will find that there will generally be almost no one on your planet who is not aware of the idea of the existence of extraterrestrials. And by your year of 2037, your planet, in general, will most likely be at a level of vibrational resonance where it will become a part of what we call the Association of Worlds.
Q: Can you tell us any more about the information that will soon be revealed?
Bashar: There is a chamber about to be opened near the paw of the Sphinx, underneath…about fifteen feet underground. Agreements are now being made, discussions are now being had. Most likely this will happen within the next two to three years of your time. There are other chambers under the Sphinx that also contain information about your past…that isn't the only one. In some of the chambers there is the opportunity to find records of more detail of your true history of planet Earth, including such things as records of Atlantis and what you would call early extraterrestrial interactions and also the idea of information that can allow you to create many such devices that can tap into etheric and electromagnetic energy and so on and so forth.
Thus, you will find, when you create among yourselves the appropriate timing to enter these chambers under the Sphinx, it will contain information … to sum it up, a kind of hall of records…that will leave absolutely no uncertainty about the idea of what you would call past histories, the ancientness of your civilization, and interactions with other levels of consciousness. There will be artifacts, symbols, signs and information that can easily be deciphered by those who understand and that will relate to your origins on Earth, to the idea of a multitude of civilizations that have existed there upon, to the idea of your birthright as beings of consciousness and many principles of the fundamental ideas of the formation of your reality and the creation of life. In that sense, it will be a verification of many of the things that you now desire to believe about reality and it will change many aspects of what you call history, sociology, religion, anthropology and so forth. It is likely, though again we can not say with absolute certainty…because this is your call, because it is your planet…it is likely that these chambers will be opened before your year of 2001. But that depends on all of you.
©1984-1998, Darryl Anka. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted with permission.
http://www.bashar.org/, Bashar channeled by Darryl Anka Excerpts from: "The New Millennium" .Bashar explores a wide-range of subjects with great insight, humor and a profound understanding of how reality creation occur.


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Update: Last week, we told you about a fatal hit-and-run near 48th and Clarkson and the discovery of a truck thought to have led to a man's death.
Johnnie Duran, eighteen, subsequently surrendered in relation to the crime -- and the victim has been revealed to be Duran's uncle. Photos and details below.
Duran's Facebook page includes plenty of portraits, including this one....
...and this one.... ...as well as several ultrasound photos dating from last August and September. Here's one example: Meanwhile, several family members are sharing photos of Eugene Guerra, the 58-year-old who died in the incident, which one describes as a "freak accident." What happened? According to Denver Police Department reps who spoke with Fox31, Guerra was protecting a scrapyard when Duran drove up and started loading metal into the back of a Ford pickup. Witnesses said an argument ensued, after which Duran climbed into the truck and took off -- but when he did so, he allegedly struck Guerra and caused metal to fall on him.
Guerra was pronounced dead at the scene, while Duran split, only to turn himself later that same day.
Our sincere condolences to Guerra's loved ones. Look below to see Duran's booking photo, followed by our earlier reporting on this tragic story.
Continue for our previous coverage of the 48th and Clarkson hit-and-run, including more photos. Update, 1:14 p.m. June 6: Earlier today, we told you about a fatal hit-and-run that took place in a scrapyard near 48th and Clarkson; our previous coverage is below.
The Denver Police Department put out an alert for the suspect driver's vehicle: a white 1980s-vintage Chevrolet pickup. Now, the DPD believes they've found the truck in question, as seen in the photo above. At this writing, the driver hasn't been taken into custody, but presumably, the vehicle ID should give investigators a very good idea who he is and where to start looking for him. For more details, continue to see our original post.
Original post, 5:27 a.m.: As you drive into work today, you're likely to see signs like the one seen above: an alert for a white Chevrolet pickup, 1980s vintage, with a license plate thought to include the letters "IFQ."
The vehicle is being sought because its driver hit and killed a man last night, then fled the scene. More details and photos below.
The first message about the incident came from the Denver Police Department about seven hours ago at this writing:
#HeadsUp Auto/Pedestrian @48th and Clarkson one pronounced at the scene. no road closures at this time & will update new info #Denver
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) June 6, 2014
Here's an interactive graphic showing the area near 48th and Clarkson. If you have problems seeing the image, click "View Larger Map."
View Larger Map
As you can see, this is an industrial stretch, and 7News is reporting that the man hit and killed may have been trying to prevent metal thieves from making off with items from a scrapyard when he was struck and killed.
Subsequent DPD tweets added details about the suspects. Here's one example....
UPDATE Headsup Suspect vehicle Late 80's 2dr white Chevy P/U w/partial plate IFQ. 2 occup. Driver Hispanic male, early 20's,short hair,
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) June 6, 2014
...and another:
UPDATE Headsup CONT last seen N/B on Washington from 52nd
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice) June 6, 2014
The victim of the hit-and-run has yet to be identified -- but if the driver and his companion were actually committed a crime when the man tried to stop them, charges could go beyond offenses such as leaving the scene of an accident.
In the meantime, the search for the truck is a high-priority for law enforcers, as witnessed by this tweet from 9News' Noel Brennan:
Can't miss the signs on I-25 this a.m. Police looking for white Chevy pickup involved in fatal hit & run #9news pic.twitter.com/UXdjxzmloc
— Noel Brennan (@Noeltbrennan) June 6, 2014
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Contact the Denver Police Department with any information about the latest in a string of hit-and-runs to afflict the community.
Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.
More from our Colorado Crimes archive circa April 14: "Four hit-and-run crashes in 24 hours, two deaths: See where they happened."


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Jewish World Review May 23, 2006 / 25 Iyar,
Thomas Sowell
Bordering on fraud
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | The immigration bill before Congress has some of the most serious consequences for the future of this country. Yet it is not being discussed seriously by most politicians or most of the media. Instead, it is being discussed in a series of glib talking points that insult our intelligence.
The reverse twist on this argument is that suddenly taking 12 million people out of the labor force would disrupt the economy. No one has ever said or probably even dreamed that we could suddenly find all 12 million illegal immigrants at once and send them all home immediately. This is another straw man argument.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and in the media consider "must reading." Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment on JWR contributor Thomas Sowell's column by clicking here.


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Events[edit | edit source]
Klingon Empire[edit | edit source]
- In 2404 the Klingons reinforced their claim to the Hromi Cluster, which was under Federation control. They demanded that all Federation assets, settlements and people be removed from the cluster within three months.
- J'mpok informs the Federation that he is invoking ancient claims to the Archanis Sector, and that all Federation citizens must leave.
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Christopher Piatt
November 22, 2007
Asking fringe maestro Sean Graney to direct at a gentleman's theater like the Court is like walking into the first act of a Chekhov play and handing somebody—even a stagehand—a loaded pistol. You know that by the final curtain, things will be hitting the fan. And, true to Anton's maxim, it's the final third of this artistic blind date that slides headlong into total nonsense. In particular, the last 20 minutes or so might be the most dangerous and inventive on an Equity Chicago stage this year. If the preceding two hours sacrifice a minimal degree of requisite coherence, it's in service of an experiment that pays off enough to warrant our attention and admiration.
Graney's a lot like the late Brit trickster Joe Orton. Both allowed themselves to be embraced by theater scenes that believed themselves to be bawdy and broad-minded; all the while, the artists extend middle fingers behind the bourgeois backs they're hugging. Orton's sex farce about a shrink who tries to take advantage of a naïve secretarial applicant preyed on the sex mores of the British middle-class; Graney's production takes on the stodginess of the American theatrical middle-class. A gorgeous set and professional resources are utterly desecrated by his rutting direction. (A medal, by the way, goes to distinguished actor Mary Beth Fisher. Her smashingly game participation gives the affair a dignity for Graney to piss on.)
And plenty of his newball comedy approach fails. Butler gallops blindly through what should be savored comic bits and hangs languidly on mournful moments that should be brisk. But the sly, Austin Powers–level execution of genitalia concealment is there to tickle your fancy and whet your palate. The final pigsty orgy is there to kill your appetite and dare you to walk out. In this delightfully disobedient world, one means nothing without the other. We think Orton would've dug it.


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*Packaging may vary
Gabbiano Toscana Alleanza
Proprietary / Other Blend /14% ABV / Tuscany, Italy
- Category
- Proprietary / Other Blend
- Region
- Tuscany, Italy
- 14%
Product description
The wine is obtained from the best grapes of the castle vineyards, which have recently been renewed (2000 and 2001). During the alcoholic fermentation process, techniques are applied that make it possible to obtain the best extraction in the most natural way. The crushing of the skins is protracted. The malolactic fermentation is carried out in new French oak barriques: during this long phase, the lees are stirred manually.View all products by GabbianoCalifornia Residents: Click here for Proposition 65 WARNING


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Over the past 27 years, a surging pro-life movement has helped force the closure of 75 percent of surgical abortion businesses in America. But the work is not done. Nearly 500 abortion facilities still exist in the United States.
That's where you come in.
As a sidewalk counselor, you can bring hope and clarity to women and men facing an unplanned or crisis pregnancy by connecting with them and empowering them to choose life. To do this work faithfully and effectively, however, you should familiarize yourself with your rights.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and 40 Days for Life created this manual to educate you about your legal rights when engaging in sidewalk counseling. We pray this resource will help you be better equipped to serve the women and men entering abortion clinics every day.


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I was watching Don't Tell My Mother which featured Philippines and I was quite happy that the host has managed to get a sneak peak of the downside of Manila while seeing the fun side of it. While watching, I can't help by really think of bad things about our country's capital city. Since this is our capital city, it could actually reflect badly about the whole image of the country. Since Manila is dirty, a visitor could easily say that Philippines is dirty.
The population of the Philippines is BOOMING! I did hope that only our economy would boom. Well, we can say that side by side with poverty is people with no jobs who just thought of having sex as their past time. I hate seeing poor families having lots and lots of children. How can they even sustain these kids if they can't even take care of themselves? And not they are asking help from the government? Who do they think they are? They are just adding problems to the government. Instead of just lazing around, they should have just looked for jobs or signed up on those workshops run by the NGO.
The slum area is one problem of the government… of THE PEOPLE IN THE PHILIPPINES! It is such an eyesore. I don't understand how people managed to end up on those slum areas. Some are born there already. Unfortunately, many people living in these places are those who have lots of children, kept on gambling and drinking and doesn't have any plans with their lives. They are like the palamunin of the government.