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Thoughts on the Seattle Seahawks' 28-24 loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Week 8:
What it means: The Seahawks fell to 4-4 with their second consecutive road defeat after their defense faltered late in the game. Seattle got what it needed in the fourth quarter from rookie quarterback Russell Wilson, who led a 12-play, 87-yard drive for the go-ahead touchdown. That was a positive and something the Seahawks can build upon. However, letting this game get away puts pressure on Seattle to win its five remaining home games to finish with a winning record.
What I liked: Wilson and the offense converted on third-and-10 and fourth-and-short during the go-ahead scoring drive in the fourth quarter. Receiver Sidney Rice and tight end Zach Miller caught scoring passes. Marshawn Lynch's 77-yard touchdown run was the Seahawks' longest since Shaun Alexander had an 88-yarder at Arizona. The run allowed Lynch to top 100 yards rushing even though the ground game wasn't consistently strong for Seattle, a bit of a surprise. Seattle shut out Calvin Johnson in the first half and prevented him from emerging as a dominant threat. Jackson couldn't handle the potential go-ahead scoring pass in the final minutes. Earl Thomas picked off a pass deep in Seahawks territory to ward off a Lions scoring chance.
What I didn't like: The Seahawks' defense gave up a season-high four touchdowns while struggling to defend third-and-long situations. That has been a problem at times, particularly on the road. The team sought to upgrade its pass rush in an effort to win those situations more frequently. The Lions converted 12 times in 16 third-down chances. Matthew Stafford topped 300 yards passing, joining Tom Brady in racking up yards against Seattle. The Seahawks, geared up to face Johnson, couldn't stop Titus Young, who caught nine passes for 100 yards and two scores, including the game winner in the final minute.
What's next: The Seahawks face the Minnesota Vikings at CenturyLink Field in Week 9.


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Christmas is tomorrow and what better way is there to countdown to the big event than to feature a cookie recipe each day? Think of it as a cookie recipe advent calendar. And to fill that advent calendar I'm featuring twenty five of my favorite holiday cookie recipes that are sure to fill your holidays with cheer. Bake them to fill your cookie trays, bring them to a cookie swap or eat them yourself; they are guaranteed to bring about holiday joy. And if you love baking as much as I do, making them is a fun filled gift unto itself. Enjoy!
What is fast to bake and delicious to eat? Biscotti. I love all kinds of biscotti but this pumpkin version from King Arthur Flour has fast become one of my favorite holiday treats. (OK, I seem to love all holiday treats but this one is right up there on the top of my list). Try them for yourself and I'm sure you'll agree.
1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup pumpkin purée
2 cups all purpose flour
Colored sugar for sprinkling (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, beat the softened butter, sugar, spices, baking powder, and salt until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Beat in the egg and pumpkin purée.
- At low speed of your mixer, add the flour, stirring until smooth; the dough will be sticky.
- Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Divide it in half, and shape it into two 10″ x 2 1/2″ logs. Pat the logs into long rectangles, and smooth their tops and sides.
- Sprinkle with the decorative sugar if desired, pressing it in gently.
- Bake the dough for 25 minutes. Remove it from the oven.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
- Wait 5 minutes, then use a sharp chef's knife or serrated knife to cut the log crosswise into 1/2″ to 3/4″ slices. Or cut the biscotti on the diagonal, for fewer, longer biscotti.
- Set the biscotti on edge on the prepared baking sheet. Return the biscotti to the oven, and bake them for 40 to 45 minutes, until they're starting to turn golden brown around the edges. Turn off the oven, crack the door open a couple of inches, and let the biscotti cool right in the oven.
- Remove the biscotti from the oven when they're completely cool. Store airtight at room temperature for several days.
Yield: 30 to 40 biscotti

subset: commoncrawl


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Italia Ricci & Katie Stevens Go Glam for Just Jared's Wonderland Party with Ever After High!
Italia Ricci is all smiles while posing for a photo inside the venue while attending Just Jared's Way Too Wonderland Party presented by Ever After High on Thursday (August 27) at Greystone Manor in Los Angeles.
The 28-year-old Chasing Life actress was joined at the event by Katie Stevens and Francia Raisa.
Also in attendance at the party were Devious Maids' Edy Ganem and Dania Ramirez, The Fosters' Cierra Ramirez, Every Witch Way's Melissa Carcache, The Goldbergs' Hayley Orrantia, AJ Michalka, Sharni Vinson, Madeline Zima, Alicia Sanz, Jacqueline Wood, and Susie Abromeit.
The party celebrated Ever After High's new Way Too Wonderland series, which is currently available to stream on Netflix. A couple of the episodes played throughout the party on the big screen behind the DJ booth!
FYI: Alicia is wearing a BOSSA top and pants with a Milli Millu clutch. Katie is carrying a Nancy Gonzalez clutch.
Posted to: 2015 Just Jared Wonderland Party, AJ Michalka, Alicia Sanz, Cierra Ramirez, Dania Ramirez, Edy Ganem, Francia Raisa, Hayley Orrantia, Italia Ricci, Jacqueline Wood, Katie Stevens, Madeline Zima, Melissa Carcache, Sharni Vinson, Susie Abromeit


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While refugees still trickle over the border from Burma (Myanmar) into the town of Nansan in Yunnan, the Los Angeles Times looks at how the exodus will affect China-Myanmar relations:
In the past, Beijing has downplayed political, social and human rights problems raised by the West, arguing that these were internal Myanmar issues that didn't affect regional stability or China's national interest. This stance may be harder to maintain now that the problem has washed over into Chinese territory.
[…] Northern Myanmar is better off financially than many other parts of the impoverished nation because of smuggling, Chinese investment, trade and other factors. So an attack on the Kokang, the weakest of several armed groups in the area, could win points among voters farther south who envy the area for its relative prosperity.
The attack on a group that is ethnically and linguistically Chinese also may be a way to send a signal to Beijing that Myanmar doesn't want to be pushed around.
Although this risks awakening the sleeping giant, Myanmar also knows that China's Communist Party doesn't want trouble before the nation's politically sensitive 60th anniversary of party rule.
Furthermore, China recently staked $1 billion on an oil pipeline project through Myanmar, which will likely make Beijing think twice about applying too much pressure on its neighbor.
Al Jazeera reports that ethnic fighters who were involved in clashes with Myanmar government troops are now entering China as well:
The clusters of men, weary and sometimes clutching a few belongings, told the Reuters news agency that fighting continued on Sunday in the Kokang area of northeast Myanmar's Shan state.
The violence erupted after government troops moved into the enclave, seeking to dislodge local rulers and their militia who have long controlled this mountainous terrain next to China.
Myanmar's offensive has thrown into question the future of the free-wheeling Kokang buffer zone, which is largely ethnic Chinese and where drug trafficking and gambling have long underpinned the economy.
According to China Daily, the fighting crossed borders when a bomb thrown into China killed one person, while Xinhua reports that refugees are beginning to return to Myanmar:
Myanmar had apologized for Chinese casualties in the incident, thanked the Chinese government for its friendly treatment of Myanmar residents, and promised to protect the safety and legal rights of Chinese citizens in Myanmar, according to the official.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Friday that China hoped Myanmar could properly solve its domestic issues and safeguard the stability of its border with China.
See also a Reuters report:
See an earlier report from the town of Nansan, where the refugees are camping out.


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Dial-A-Dog-Wash (Brighton)
A dog wash with a difference - treat your beloved and beautiful canine companion to a doorstep pampering service that they'll love, from the UK's largest and most successful mobile dog grooming company.
Based in Brighton, Dial A Dog Wash provides all of the services that you would expect from a traditional grooming service with far more convenience - together with a host of additional benefits, including:
All grooming is carried out to your door in one of Dial A Dog Wash's specially converted mobile grooming parlours.
Your dog will be groomed on a one-to-one basis and not surrounded by other dogs which will create less stress and anxiety for your pet.
All dogs are hand-dried and not cage dried.
If your dog is timid or especially apprehensive when it comes to bath time and it would make you feel more comfortable to be with them, that's not a problem - Dial A Dog Wash are happy for you to be with your dog during the grooming process.
All Dial A Dog Wash products are natural and contain essential oils to ensure that your dog's skin is protected and without irritation and that their coat is shiny and healthy looking.
Leave a review:
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The Nebraska Liquor Control Commission modernized a tedious paper-based process.
Take one part government communication, one part online capability and one part liquor license, then blend well and serve to the state of Nebraska.
The Nebraska Liquor Control Commission is serving this metaphorical cocktail as a new option for liquor license renewals; the process now can be done online.
Since February, the state's nearly 5,000 liquor licensees (including its out-of-state licensees) have been able to choose online renewal of forms and Web-based fee payment.
Before, customers were only able to renew licenses by filling out paper forms and either mailing them in or by physically taking them to city clerk offices, said Hobert Rupe, executive director of the state's Liquor Control Commission.
"We were able to work with Nebraska.gov to come up with a way to do basically as much as we can to do one-stop shopping," Rupe said.
Like most states, establishments in Nebraska that serve alcohol must acquire a liquor license to comply with the state's Liquor Control Act. Liquor licenses must be renewed annually. Nearly half of licensees in Nebraska renew in October via Class C licenses that permit sales of beer, wine and spirits. All other license classifications are renewed in April.
Rupe said for the April renewal deadline, more than 1,000 of its 2,500 renewals were done with the new online capability. The commission is expecting 1,800 of the other 2,500 renewals to be done online. Rupe hopes that within the next two years 90 percent of licensees will be renewed online.
Historically the renewal process has been lengthy, Rupe said.
Once a license was renewed by the state, a notice was sent to the city to ensure that it didn't object to the establishment's renewal information. From there, the licensees finished the process by paying a mandatory "occupation tax," which was received by the city clerk's offices. (This manual renewal process is still available in Nebraska.)
At this point, counties and city clerks have the option to participate in the new online licensure system. It's not mandatory.
Rupe said as renewal deadlines approached, this process wasn't ideal due to the increased demand and workload to complete the process on time. So to streamline the process and reduce potential human errors, renewals were made available online. Rupe said because the online process can be accessed anytime from anywhere, the capability is creating needed flexibility for licensees.
"Unfortunately with bar owners, their hours — they don't go to bed until 3 in the morning and then don't wake up until 2 the next day," Rupe said. "So they [are now] able to renew at any time."
Nebraska partnered with NIC for implementation of the new service on Nebraska.gov. No additional costs were incurred for the online capability since its development occurred through Nebraska's existing e-government partnership with NIC, said Nebraska.gov General Manager Brent Hoffman.
Hoffman said because Nebraska is a "license state," it could build an online system and connect with the lower levels of government without mandates creating roadblocks.
Since Nebraska is a license state, it can license alcohol to sell at all three tiers: producers, distributers and retailers. By contrast, 19 states are identified as "control states," which gives those states total control of wholesaling and retailing.
Alabama, which also partnered with NIC, is categorized as a control state, but provides online renewal of liquor licenses.
Looking for the latest gov tech news as it happens? Subscribe to GT newsletters.


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It's April; do you know when your ICD-10 deadline is?
This was supposed to be a post about what to do in the last six months we had before the Oct. 1 ICD-10 compliance deadline.
But on Tuesday, President Barack Obama signed the "Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014" — which pushes the ICD-10 compliance deadline to Oct. 1, 2015.
That pretty much throws the healthcare IT industry in turmoil. There are timetables and contracts that will have to be rethought. But let's focus on what's next.
What is next
Either the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) or the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) will issue a statement. It might be vague and full of boilerplate text. But it will address the delay in some way.
Next, DHHS needs to issue a rule. That means it must be written and submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The rule will spell out exactly what will happen regarding to ICD-10 implementation. It's going to take a couple weeks.
This is what happens when laws are passed. The law must be made into a rule that defines how the law will be applied.
Note there is a slight chance that there won't be a final rule at first. DHHS could propose a rule with a commenting period. That means DHHS sees some wiggle room in the wording of the law that gives it some discretion in ICD-10 implementation. I don't know if that's possible. But the healthcare policy wonks may see an opportunity.
If that's the case, the DHHS will want to solicit comments on the idea. Trouble is that any attempt to have some sort of 2014 deadline is running out of time. Commenting periods take up months. Then the DHHS will need to catalog and consider the comments.
A commenting period is unlikely. DHHS will want to move as swiftly as a federal agency can to give everyone clarity. There really isn't time to do something fancy.
Until we get some statements and a final rule is issued, we won't know for sure what's going to happen Oct. 1. But the simplest, most straightforward option is most likely.
ICD-10 implementation will happen Oct. 1, 2015.


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LTS - Library Collections
Assistant Director for Discovery Services
What does "Discovery Services" mean? It's about making library collections accessible through efficient acquisitions and resource sharing (interlibrary loan), organizing the collections through cataloging/metadata creation in adherence to current standards and best practices, and maintenance of e-resource management and library systems. My role is to oversee these services, so that Wellesley College students, faculty, and researchers can search and discover all of the books and media in the library stacks, all of our licensed e-resources, and, through resource sharing, the wealth of materials in library collections beyond Wellesley.
One of my specialized roles is cataloging the Music Library's CDs, videos, and
scores. I also assist in reference and circulation services at the Music Library,
where I enjoy working with all the smart, dedicated, and talented students who
staff the front desk.
My professional memberships include the American Library Association and the
Music Library Association.


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John Cena appeared on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live last night to promote the new "Bumblebee" Transformers spin-off movie, which hits theaters this weekend. Cena will return to late night TV tonight with an appearance on NBC's Late Night with Seth Myers program. Cena will return to NBC's "Today" show on Thursday morning as a co-host, then he will help light up the Empire State Building in New York City tomorrow night, turning the building yellow for Bumblebee and to "celebrate the commitment of brightening kids' lives" with Make-A-Wish.
Above is video of Cena talking to Kimmel about his new hair style. Kimmel said he heard some fans don't like the change but Cena indicated it's been a little more than just a few fans.
"So here's the deal, I've been playing a character in WWE for 15 years now, and I've looked the exact same," Cena said. "Then I left to go to China for about 6 months and I came back with this, and literally it has caused a title wave of emotional upheaval. I've literally ruined people's childhoods. I know you do 'Mean Tweets' and every day it's just a barrage of 'change back, you look ridiculous, you ruined my life!' I'm just trying to figure my life out, i don't know what the hell's going on."
Cena first got the haircut for the Project X-traction movie with Jackie Chan but he has no plans on getting a cut before the WWE ring return. Cena is looking forward to the reaction he receives.
"No," Cena said when asked if he will get a cut before MSG. "Because the thing I like about the WWE is they're very vocal, and very excited. So when I go to Madison Square Garden looking like an accountant, not so much a thin one, they're going to raise hell. So it's going to be great, I just want to see what happens. ... I don't know what they're going to do."
Cena also revealed that he plans on spending time with family for Christmas from December 22 through December 25. He will return to the ring for WWE on December 26 at the Madison Square Garden live event. Cena talked about getting rough with his four brothers and what it was like growing up.
"At the Cena household, any given day you could win or you could lose," Cena said. "We're all so close in age that we always fought and it was never a lock. I really thank my brothers and I love them to death, and we talk about this often when we reminisce. They taught me how to lose a fight, they taught me humility, they taught me failure, and they taught me how to cuss. So I'm very grateful for that."
Below are videos of Cena talking to Kimmel about his "Elbow Grease" book for kids, working at Gold's Gym years ago, the new Bumblebee movie, and more. The second video also includes a clip of Cena in the Transformers spin-off that hits theaters this weekend.


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Listening to Advent Readings, we hear rumblings about the end of the world, threats of judgment, and impassioned pleas for conversion. We hear talk of repentance, reform and forgiveness. We are warned to be ready, to be waiting, to be prepared. But the central message of our Advent is that the Lord has already come, He has put an end to our fears, He has taken away the curse of our sins, He has baptized us in the Holy Spirit, He has comforted us. He has come like a good shepherd to gather the lambs in His arms.
We are not waiting for God's promise of redemption to be fulfilled. Rather, we are supposed to be living as people who have experienced the incredible goodness of God... people who have been baptized into Jesus Christ and share His life... and as people who walk toward him - not in fear - but with joyful faith. Miracles continue to take place around us because of our faith, because of our common commitment to Jesus and His Gospel.
Through us, our brothers and sisters are able to put away fear, to move from darkness to light, to begin to hear again the words of life. We can reach out to support those whose hands are feeble, whose knees are weak. Because of Christ-within-us, so many who were crippled by doubt and despair are able to leap again with courage and energy and new life.
The challenging, prophetic voice of John the Baptist echoes across the centuries to be proclaimed as our catchword for this Third Week of Advent: "Make straight His way." Our God is the God of life, abundance, deliverance and joy. That's the Good News that consoles us, challenges us, gives meaning to our celebration of Christmas and purpose to every single day we live and serve as followers of Jesus the Christ.
We gather as people of faith in a holy season of hope, preparing for another year of liberation. So the voice of fear is drowned out for us by the voice at Isaiah the Prophet: "Be strong, fear not! Here is your God; he comes with vindication!" The voice of John the Baptist cries out in the desert, reminding us that we, too, are to prepare His way. And finally, it is the life of Jesus that reassures us: the brokenhearted are healed, liberty is brought to the captives and prisoners are set free.
The Lord, our God, a mighty Savior, is in our midst. That is the one reality that answers all our needs and dispels all our fears. But we have to believe! We have to make ourselves aware of that presence all the time. When and if we accept the fact that "the Lord is in our midst", then everything changes - for the better. We see and feel His presence in all of the ordinary events and circumstances of every day.
Our presence in the world must be the same kind of sign. Our lives must proclaim the same miracles of love, of healing, of reconciliation. Our goodness and compassion must touch those who are blind and deaf to the Lord. Our mercy and acts of service must free those who are crippled by pride and hate.
The Scriptures are meant to be experiential. Everything we read about in the Old and New Testament and all that it symbolized in belonging to God's people and sharing in the divine life is bestowed, not just as information, but as experience. If we stop at mere instruction, we have missed the main event. The lessons and symbols of God's Word reveal the graces that are being offered for the healing and enhancement of every level of our being.
The kind of openness that we bring to this Advent season is the key to understanding the Christmas/Epiphany mystery and to receiving it. And the message is this: We belong to the universe and to the God who created it. We belong to the God who is within us. We belong to the human family in which God lives and manifests Himself.
The spirit of Advent is the realization that we cannot be happy without a relationship with this immense Mystery - which transcends all things and yet which deals with us in an incredibly personal way. The grace of Advent penetrates the inadequacy of all appearances, and we come to realize that there is nothing we can do, except to wait and to offer our longing, too deep for words, to God's infinite compassion.
Advent is not just waiting for a feast. It is waiting for God, waiting to be reborn, waiting to be transformed.


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How to Become Licensed to Do Weddings
Weddings are happy events, but they're also legal affairs to be performed by a licensed officiant. As a wedding official, you can start your own wedding business or freelance with local wedding chapels. If you've decided to become a licensed wedding official, you'll find receiving your license is simple in most states. Like almost any license, you'll need to renew the license annually and observe all state laws concerning marriage rituals to keep your small business in good standing.
Review your state's marriage officiant license requirements by visiting the state's secretary of state website. Some states require you to file a license in multiple jurisdictions like the county and the state. Other states, such as Alabama, do not require filing a license.
Apply for ordination through a local church or an online ministry. Some ministries require you to undergo a special class before the ordination ceremony.
Pay the ordination fees and receive your license. Some ministries send the license through the mail.
Take your ministry license to the local courthouse, if necessary, and register the license. Pay any registry fees required. Inquire if state registration is required if you are unsure.
Apply for a Letter of Good Standing through the secretary of state's office if you wish to practice in New York City, Virginia, Ohio, Nevada or Hawaii.
Photo Credits
- Michael Turek/Photodisc/Getty Images


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Guns, Mental Health, and Fascism
1. If you went on the Facebook to try and politicize the stabbing of kids in Pennsylvania, using it as a springboard for a "debate" about gun control, implicitly mocking and defaming the 20 1st grader victims of Sandy Hook – you're doing everything wrong.
One of the goals of gun control advocates is to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill; like kids who go on stabbing sprees or shooting sprees. There's a big difference between the two – in Pennsylvania, no one died.
2. Many people are calling for better mental health services in this country in the wake of the Pennsylvania stabbing, the Sandy Hook shooting, and the Fort Hood shooting. That would be fantastic – oftentimes the first thing that state and municipal governments cut and shrink to balance their budgets are the very costly mental health services offered to people who desperately need – yet can't afford – them. When services are cut and facilities closed, where do you think they go? How do you think they function in society? The mentally ill are, furthermore, often uniquely unable or unwilling to stand up for themselves, their medical needs, and their rights.
I think it's a great goal for society to better serve our most vulnerable. It's sort of the point of programs like SNAP and WIC, and mental health services need to be taken more seriously. Of course, this costs money. So, let's agree to expand mental health services while simultaneously not complaining about the cost of doing so, or denigrating the mentally ill recipients of these services because we resent them receiving them.
Furthermore, mental health services should be available to anyone who needs them, on demand and for life. The best way to accomplish this is to expand mental health coverage throughout the health insurance spectrum.
3. At Fort Hood, a troubled soldier shot three people and injured 16 others. The right wing – locally led by the increasingly shrill and dangerous operations director at WBEN (see below) – has recommended that soldiers at the facility be allowed to carry sidearms at all times to protect themselves against a deranged shooter. Is that a good way to run a society – by encouraging shootouts? Have we not progressed at all since the post-civil war frontier times? These men and women have signed up to serve our country. We can't trust our servicemen and women to not shoot at each other? Nowhere is 100% safe all of the time, and it's ridiculous to live your life waiting to fend off an attack. Everybody's Chuck Norris, all of a sudden. Just relax. You don't need a gun all the time.
4. Kathy Weppner changed her campaign website yesterday and touted it on Facebook and Twitter. It looks like a 12 year old was let loose on a Livejournal account. Weppner is going to run against Obamacare, which is interesting since it's expanded health insurance so that the number of uninsured is at its lowest point in years. It's also interesting since more people with health insurance means more patients for her husband to treat.
The next report will be on the economy, jobs and Obamacare job loss. This landmark legislation has been changed 40 times. The chaos, uncertainty and cost of this massive piece of legislation and last minute changes has resulted in thousands of job cuts, reduction in fulltime employment, and employer fear of hiring. The cumulative impact of Obamacare, on top of the highest corporate taxes in the world, and constant Washington interference is devastating to our small business job creators. Obamacare, as it impacts the medical care you receive, will appear as a separate report.
And you thought she was just a benign kook. She has no idea what she's talking about, and is simply vomiting up Fox News/Rush Limbaugh talking points.
5. Back to that Operations Manager at WBEN. Regard:
I LOVE what a Marine does to deal with this ass of a protester! http://t.co/0oAk6hM8Bh @NewsRadio930
— Tim Wenger (@TimWBEN) April 3, 2014
That protester didn't do a damn thing to those Marines. He didn't attack them or disrespect them (an upside-down flag is a distress signal, (36 USC §176(a)), not a sign of disrespect to the flag or to those who fight under her). Furthermore, whatever that protester was doing is protected political speech. What that Marine did to the protester is simple assault & battery; also, larceny. Robbery, possibly. That sort of intimidation and assault of someone with whom you disagree is straight up fascism.
I haven't received a reply to this yet:
.@TimWBEN So, you'd think it was cool if I ripped this guy's flag off his porch? @NewsRadio930 pic.twitter.com/iRkEsU73A6
— Alan Bedenko (@buffalopundit) April 9, 2014


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A search procedure based on a least-squares method including a regularization scheme constructed from numerical filtering is presented. This method, with the addition of a nephelometer, can be used to determine the particle-size distributions of various scattering media (aerosols, fogs, rocket exhausts, motor plumes) from angular static light-scattering measurements. For retrieval of the distribution function, the experimental data are matched with theoretical patterns derived from Mie theory. The method is numerically investigated with simulated data, and the performance of the inverse procedure is evaluated. The results show that the retrieved distribution function is quite reliable, even for strong levels of noise.
© 2000 Optical Society of AmericaFull Article | PDF Article
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FleetOnlineSolutions is Goodyear's Internet-based fleet management system for FleetFirst customers. It stores all tyre-related information on your bus or truck fleet and provides KPIs and management reporting to suit your requirements. Secure and accessible around the clock, FleetOnlineSolutions helps making your business more productive and profitable.
The FleetOnlineSolutions database covers each customer's vehicles, locations, tyre policy and agreed terms – from roadside assistance and vehicle inspection to retread and warranty. This means that should the unexpected happen, a Goodyear service provider has a full range of information to start work instantly, minimising any vehicle downtime.
The advantages are numerous: more efficient tyre management, reduced paperwork, simpler invoicing and faster service at agreed prices. And because FleetOnlineSolutions is a universal, web-based service, any work undertaken will meet the customer's exact requirements and stringent Goodyear standards – even if the service provider is another country with a different language.


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Monster Shop - Online
Getting your online game...
Have you tried the full version of Halloween Chronicles: Evil Behind a Mask Collector's Edition?
Try before you buy: Play FREE for 1 hour.
Enjoy better graphics and more levels.
100% Safe and Secure. No ads. No viruses. Ever!
Help run a spooky Monster Shop in this exciting Time Management game! Keep the treats up to prevent any disastrous tricks!


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Perhaps the most famous Formula One race in the world is staffed by the most professional marshals in the industry. Monaco is known for it's intense training program and very selective process which includes a language test (must be fluent in French) and a physical. There is also an age restriction.
Flag & Track marshal in Orange with Black stripe.
Click here to see more International Marshal Spotter Guides.
More information will be updated as it becomes available.


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Working at home, or telecommuting, has been growing 15% every year since 1990. When something grows a certain percentage each year, it is growing exponentially.
And anybody who has read the Singularity FAQ for Dummies, knows what the implications of exponential acceleration are.
Does this mean that working at home, or W@H as some people like to call it, is the new standard of the future?
Most likely, yeah.
Working at home already is pretty popular right now. It has started a boom in 2004, and it is accelerating in 2005. There is definately a trend going on here. In this post, I'll analyze why telecommuting should and will become the standard of the future.
Why Telecommuting Is The Standard Of Tomorrow
We know that:
- Telecommuting is driven by our society's connectivity, which is basically the enabling technology behind working at home.
- People have the desire to make use of telecommuting, because of the many advantages (scroll down for a list) of working at home over working at the office.
- Our connectivity is increasing exponentially in bandwidth, and thus in quality and possibilities.
At some point in time, we will get to the level of connectivity where we will be able to routinely meet each other in a virtual environment that is audio-visually very compelling. Think about live, high quality videostreams and 3D-sound positioning technologies here. In an era where mobile computing is the new standard, we will be viewing these videostreams not with a clunky monitor, but with retina goggles that project images directly onto our retina's. Later on, we'll probably be using contact lenses to achieve this. You won't necessarily see the real person over the videostream, though. It may as well be a virtual avatar… a better looking version of the person you're communicating with.
Contrary to popular belief, you do not need many speakers (such as 7.1 setups) to achieve realistic 3D-sound. 3D-sound positioning can be done with a mere two speakers, or earplugs. After all… we humans have only two ears, and yet we can hear audio come from anywhere around us.
Virtual environments like these, that are audiovisually very immersive, will not allow for touch, taste, or smell. But people that work with computers for a living, are usually not that close to each other, anyway.
Therefore, we can safely conclude that working at home will be the standard of tomorrow… for officeworkers, at least.
Advantages Of Working At Home For The Employee
- You've got your own computersystem, which is often way faster than the average office system, which was bought on a budget.
- You've got your own monitor, which is often bigger than the average office monitor, which was bought on a budget.
- You've got your own tea, coffee, and other beverages.
- You've got the possibility to bake an egg, or toast some bread, and eat it warm.
- You've got your own radiostation. No more battles over the one station that everybody has to listen to.
- You've got your own chair and desk. Since you handpicked these, they are more likely to be suited to your personal ergonomic needs than the setup at the office.
- You've got your own toilet. Who doesn't hate to walk into a toilet with somebody else's stink in it, right? I always dread walking into a public toilet myself. Will it be bearable, or won't it? If not, you'll have to come back 15 minutes later. Will it then be bearable? Or has somebody else come along ahead of you to stink it up again? When walking into a public restroom, the suspension is always breath-taking. You never know what you'll encounter.
- No distractions.
- Your own working schedule. Better balance between your life and your work. Instead of taking a day off to visit your dentist or your doctor, you can simply plan around it.
- You'll lose no more energy by travelling big distances.
- You'll lose no more time by travelling big distances.
- As a result of the last three items in the list: You've got more time to spend on your own hobbies, which in turn leads to greater happiness, which in turn leads to a reduced chance of stress related psychological complaints, which in turn leads to a more efficiency, etc.
- The possibility of playing a videogame, grab the guitar and play for 15 minutes, or lift some weights when you're on a break. None of those things are available in the office, yet they are so mind-emptying. Very useful when you've got an information overloaded brain.
- The possibility to do your exercise in the morning. Everybody has the right to make investments in their own health, right? Why should anybody have to put up with declining health as a result of a 40-hour workweek?
Addendum for the exercise-argument:
Instead of going to the gym at the end of your day, when you're already exhausted and you've already had your diner, you can do your workout in the morning. Working out in the morning is a good idea because:
You won't have to spend the first 30 minutes kickstarting your fatburning mechanisms, and then exercise another 30 minutes to actually burn fat. When you work out on an empty stomach, you start burning fat instantly, and 30 minutes will be enough. This saves time.
If you're smart, you're morning workout is basically jogging outside. Having a workout outside contributes to yet more fatburning. Jogging outside is so much more of a strain on your body than running on a machine inside the gym is.
So basically, when you do morning jog-sessions, you:
- do your exercise when you've still have the energy for it.
- do your exercise efficiently, because of how human fatburning mechanisms work.
- have had your exercise for the day.
- have had your half hour of fresh air for the day.
- have had your bath for the day.
- have still got plenty of energy for rest of the working day.
- start your day with a ventilated brain full of fresh oxygen, which greatly enhances your efficiency.
- can look forward to a truly free evening for yourself.
- are investing in a healthier and happier future for yourself. Your employer will probably also be happy with your increased attention span and productivity, and your decreased absenteeism due to illness.
In other words: exercise is simply begging us to indulge in it in the early morning.
Does our current 9-to-5 system allow for this?
Should it?
Hell yeah!!!!
Advantages Of Working At Home For The Employer
From www.prairiepublic.org:
- Reduced absenteeism costs.
- Reduced real estate costs.
- Reduced office space costs.
Advantages Of Working At Home For Society
- Less congestion.
- Less petroleum use. This is important in the light of rising gas prices and the current peak oil doomsday scenario hype.
- Less pollution.
Advantages Of Working At Home For Both Employer And Employee
- Increased employability. From the wikipedia site:
Telecommuting options increase the employability of marginalised groups, such as mothers with small children, the handicapped and people living in remote areas. The set up also offers possibilities for increased service and internationalisation (telecommuters in different time zones can ensure that a company is virtually open for business around the clock).
Imagine that an employee could work for any company in the world, regardless of its physical location. The total collection of companies that an officeworker can choose from would be orders of magnitude bigger than it is now. After all, there's only a handful of companies within your acceptable-travelling-radius. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have such a freedom in picking your future employer? Shouldn't this already be the norm in our semi-advanced society?
This argument also works the other way. Imagine that you own a company, and you are in dire need of some serious talent, but you can't find any in the small acceptable-travelling-radius around your physical location. In a society where telecommuting is the standard, you've got access to a whole world of talented people. You're bound to find your talent at least a lot faster.
- Research shows that telecommuters are 25% more productive.
- Reduced employee-fuel costs.
Reasons Why Working At Home Isn't Happening Way More Often Than It Should
Things need time to grow. You can't realistically expect that every company will let all their employers work at home, just because I've got a blogpost that explains why that's how it should be.
When an employer tells you the company is not ready for telecommuting… what he's actually trying to say, is that he is not ready for telecommuting.
Change is gradual. And I don't mean just mental changes. It will take a change in infrastructure before working at home becomes the norm. Companies can't and won't massively sell off their office buildings, after reading this and realizing I'm right. Nor is it feasible to set up telecommuting-Internet-connections instantaneously. These things take time. But they will happen.
More Information
Some people are actually actively helping the future of working at home. Just take a look at www.telecommute.org.
There's a big report available about the Transportation Implications of Telecommuting. The report lists a number of benefits that are more or less converging with the list I came up by myself:
- Potential Employee Benefits
- Decreased Commuting Time, Work Expenses and Stress
- Increased Flexibility of Schedules
- Improved Work Environment
- Greater Job Responsibility and Autonomy
- Stronger Family Ties
The report also lists some concerns and doubts. Just thought I'd mention it, because I don't want to come off as biased and blind to all the bad stuff.
All in all, I think it's pretty safe to conclude that the advantages of working at home by far outweigh the disadvantages of it.
And that is why I think that working at home will be the standard of the future.


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Dramatically improve your profitability by improving productivity
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So your business might be profitable, but is it profitable enough? What does that mean and why is it important? In business the end game is vitally important and that means selling your business and making sufficient profit that makes the effort, energies and risks of being in business worthwhile. From a prospective purchaser's viewpoint…Read more »
Leadership-The foundation to build a successful business
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Five secrets to success for a start-up business
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Poster Designing is rocket science for some and for some simple as sending a picture on Snapchat. After my recent article How To Make A Simple Poster For Your Short Film in 5 Minutes (Without Photoshop), I received a couple of messages saying that the posters they designed were disliked by the audience and they received much negative feedback. I reverted back to all the messages and some of them responded back. Upon inspecting the posters, I concluded that just a designing tool cannot help you make a poster but you need the design sense to make a poster which pleases the audience.
Some may not have the necessary skill to make a good poster but if they focus on the right element, they might be able to create a good poster.
When I identified the issue behind bad poster designs, I decided to update my previous article but later decided to keep it like that and write an article with tips to keep in mind while designing a poster.
Here are 5 poster designing tips for filmmakers
- Identify the main element
Most common mistake made by indie filmmakers when designing a poster is using the wrong elements. By elements I mean, images and text. Choose a couple of images which you think is the unique selling point of your film, try not to give away too much about the film. Out of these images, select one or two. Always try to use fewer images, we are not making a collage here, collages are confusing and your audience might not get what you are trying to say.
- Every element must count
Sometimes you might want to add extra text or graphics but keep in mind that too many elements can be distracting and might take away the attention from the important element.
- Size and resolution matter
It's up to you to decide whether you want your poster vertical or horizontal. But I recommend making it vertical. Film festivals design their brochure keeping vertical posters in mind, your horizontal poster might not make into the brochure if your poster is the only one which is horizontal among all other vertical posters.
Different region has different poster sizes, but the most commonly used is A4 size.
- Make the title large and clear
The title of your movie is the most important element in the poster as it is the identifying element, so it should be large and clear. The title should be readable from any size. When sending your poster to a festival, they might print it in their brochure by reducing the size to fit other posters. If your film name is not visible once it's scaled-down, the whole point of a poster fails.
- Choose a color palate
One of the posters I received had every possible color in it. Avoid this, professional designers if not required always stick to 2-3 colors while designing anything. A quick search on Google will help you find many tools which will help you choose colors. My personal favourite is coolors.com.
- Look for inspirations
There are millions of posters out there, go through some of them and you'll get a fair idea what will work and what will not. I'm not saying to copy the exact poster, just see what kind of design will work for your film genre.
If you find any amazing posters share them using the comment box. Also, if you want to share some poster design tips let me know through the comment section.


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- The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
- Source: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Volume 92, Issue 1, 7 Jan 2015, p. 145 - 147
f Neuritis and Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage in Scrub Typhus Patients
A 78-year-old woman with scrub typhus exhibited gastric hemorrhage with multiple gastric ulcers. This is the first report to confirm pathologically the presence of not only vasculitis but also, neuritis. The results suggest the necessity of studies confirming neuritis as the cause of gastric ulcer and bleeding in scrub typhus.
© The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
- 01 Aug 2014
- 12 Sep 2014
- 07 Jan 2015


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*Spoilers ahead*
The Chalet, also known by its French title, Le Chalet, is a suspense and horror Netflix mini-series about a group of friends gathering at a chalet in the quaint village of Valmoline to celebrate an upcoming wedding, only for strange mishaps to take place as, one by one, some of them are killed off. The mystery of whodunnit appears to be resolved in the first scene in the first episode, where a man named Sébastien is being interrogated by a psychiatrist about the acts he committed at the chalet; however, is this actually a case of an innocent man being blamed for things he didn't do or a cold-blooded murderer who is lying through his teeth? The flashbacks tell two stories: One is of a group of friends, which Sébastien is part of, who are all gathering at the chalet prior to a wedding and the build-up to a string of odd occurrences as they are seemingly hunted down by who they believe is a serial killer; and the second paints a picture of a family of four who moved into the chalet twenty-years ago before mysteriously leaving out of the blue one day.
The visual of the title sequence and the vocals of the theme song have a haunting and almost playful quality about them (in a spine-tingling way). Of course, it helps that the person singing the tune is a child. Now that's extra creepy. The trailer for The Chalet reminds me of The Cabin in the Woods, a film that has a similar premise of a group of people going to a remote location for vacation and getting trapped there as they are killed off.
Without giving major spoilers, I suppose I can say that what happened twenty years ago in Valmoline is the catalyst for what happens twenty years later. By the time the truth was revealed, I felt duped (in a good way) because some facts were hidden in plain sight except I didn't know to look at it from that angle or to question the validity of some of the stuff that the characters were saying. Knowing what I know now about the series' story, it was well-played for certain characters to almost fade into the background with how unassuming or bland they seemed. My only comment about this is, well, you know how people say you should watch out for the quiet ones? You definitely should in this series, at least.
Because The Chalet has such a large cast and a lot of subplots happening at once, it did feel overwhelming at times to keep up with everything. I was actually pretty confused at first by the format of the out-of-order flashbacks, which keep jumping from twenty years ago at the chalet, twenty years later at the chalet, and then to present day with Sébastien and the psychiatrist. There was also no on-screen differentiation of the time periods that some shows might do, where it'll say something like "Six months later" for one scene and then "Six months earlier" for another scene, so it's up to the viewer to pay attention to the given context and dialogue. Being that Sébastien is the first character to be introduced on-screen, I unconsciously associated him as the main protagonist/hero of the series. And, in a way, he is at first because he gets to tell his perspective on what he experienced, but some of his interpretations make him an unreliable narrator. There is what he believes happened, and there is what really happened.
Now for the characters… Oh boy. Be prepared to be utterly lost because a ton of people are introduced in the first episode. I couldn't keep up with the names (at first) so I made up corny nicknames for them in my head. It was interesting to have initial impressions of the characters before I got to know them better. Sébastien's girlfriend Maude comes across as a stereotypical hot girl, but she becomes more of a three-dimensional character as more of her sweet personality is seen, such as when she becomes friends with Alice's boyfriend Fabio, which, thankfully, does not veer into the overused trope of a girl-guy friendship turning sexual for plot/drama reasons. Insert an eye-roll from me!
The casting choices for adolescent Alice and adult Alice are remarkable, and I could see a plausible real-life age progression between the two Alices. Alice has a kind of unassuming quiet confidence about herself that I like. Alice's childhood best friend Manu is very consistent throughout the series as the "good guy" archetype, and he gives off that vibe right from the get-go. I'm not sure if I am disappointed or not. I was almost expecting him, like some of the people around him, to have deep dark secrets in relation to the plot. Adolescent Sébastien has sandy-blonde hair, but it is a jarring contrast to how shorn his hair is as an adult, which made me feel unsettled every time I saw him on-screen. I wonder if that was a deliberate thing that the actor had to do for his character as a subtle hint to the true extent of his personality.
Pacing-wise, some parts of certain episodes did feel like filler to me, partially if they involved characters who were introduced but had very little time on-screen. This was forgivable as a minor infraction since the series was only 6 episodes in total. Thierry and Laurent are entirely forgettable as Sébastien's childhood lackeys, and they didn't do much for me either when I saw them as adults. They were like minor side characters I wasn't invested in, and they were only important after I grasped the full reason as to why they and everyone else was targeted by the killer. Besides the main mystery of the killer's identity, I enjoyed the other mini enigmas that were unraveled as the story unfolded. Such as, why does Alice dislike Sébastien so much? Why does Manu's girlfriend Adèle seem mentally unstable?
I loved the setting of this series. Valmoline really does seem like the type of sleepy and rustic getaway I would visit to flee from most of civilization. I felt envious seeing the characters take solitary walks with such stillness around them. My feelings matched something a character says to one of the Valmoline residents, "Many people would envy you for this life. The mountains, clear air, a beautiful village." As the tension of the plot started to amp up, my mood towards that isolation shifted as well, during which I began to dread seeing a character walking alone even in daylight. My heart would pound in anticipation as I kept expecting something bad to happen.
Visually, I appreciated the simple style of the characters' clothes. It reminded me of clothes I might wear too if I were in their situation, and in that sense, this made the characters feel like real, relatable people to me. The flashiest clothes probably came from Maude, but they attracted enough of my attention without distracting me from her actual character. My two favorite type of scene was the non-verbal kind where the emphasis was on the music, which set the tone of what the character's expression was conveying. The dialogue was enjoyable to follow along with to get the context of people's feelings. I liked seeing their reactions change and shift, and I liked trying to work out in my own mind why they responded that way.
At the surface level, the series is about life and death, but it's also a fascinating look into the depths of people's motives and the extent people will go to obtain, reclaim, or do away with what they want. Take the character of Jean-Louis, the patriarch of the Rodier family, who appears in the twenty-years-ago flashbacks. He's unfaithful to his wife, and then, to my chagrin, he becomes even more of a b*stard when he is shown to give zero actual f*cks about his mistress, Muriel, and only uses her for his own selfishness. That was one moment in the series that honestly shocked me because I never thought I could ever feel sympathy for a supposed homewrecker. And Muriel… oh, what a complex character. I gave her the benefit of the doubt when Jean-Louis not-so-subtly starts giving her attention and showing interest in her. I hoped she would do the right thing and not indulge him since she knew he was married, but she goes for him anyway. She has an almost child-like quality in how strongly she feels love and pursues love without hesitation, which was almost admirable. But just as easily as she could love, she went "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" pretty quickly, only to regress out of that just as fast because of her own miserable regret. I like that there were multiple ways to interpret a person's actions. To me, Muriel was reckless with her emotions and decisions, but someone else might view her in a different perspective.
The last thing I want to comment on is the depictions of violence. Obviously, since it's a genre that involves horror and suspense, it was not a question that it would be there, but it depends on what you as the viewer is comfortable seeing. I was all right with watching most of it, though two scenes, in particular, were disturbing and a bit graphic (for me, at least). The first scene had a character whose death was staged as a suicide by another character, but the way it was done was quite twisted and made me think of 13 Reasons Why. I can't elaborate without spoiling 13 Reasons Why, though those who watched that series may have an inkling of what I mean. The second scene I found hard to watch in a kind of "I just got slapped out of nowhere" way was an implication of rape, but the fact it was indirectly hinted (in the next scene after this one) that it did happen is what made me feel sick to my gut.
Overall, I would recommend this series and rate it as 4 out of 5 stars. The reason I knocked off a star is because of the ending, which was too neatly tied up as a "let's walk off into the sunset with a clean slate" type of moment as to conclude the flashbacks after so much death, including both the intended and unintended casualties of the killer's bloodlust. With the fate Sébastien meets in the actual present-day ending, I really can't decide if he deserved what he gets or not. However, my judgments about what I found good or bad about the series don't mean they'll be the same for everyone else who watches it, too. If you like a show with a mystery that unravels piece by piece, go for it and see if you like it.


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We've all been in the position where we want to land that dream job or even a temporary job to see you through until that perfect permanent position arises. Which means, we all know that very important first step…send over your CV.
While all CVs are different, which is a good thing; you would be surprised at the number of people making the same mistakes. By simply correcting these, you will stand yourself in a much stronger position for that all important "stand out CV" the recruiter is looking for. Don't just take our word for it, we've caught up with our clients to give you the top 10 "turn offs" and how to correct them.
1) DON'T open your CV with a generic statement Example: "I am a well organised, hardworking and highly motivated individual" That's great that you are, but say something that highlights your personality and work ethic then always bring it back to how it benefits the role you are applying for. Don't forget to give examples, we love examples.
2) DON'T have short stints in roles. Okay… easier said than done! We know it happens, many of us can hold our hands up to moving around jobs in a short space of time in order to know what it is we want and sometimes things just aren't what you expected. Just be sure to have valid reasons for why the short stints occurred, what you gained from each role and emphasise that you know what you're looking for now and this particular opportunity is just that. Even as a contractor it's good to show some longevity in a role and be able to demonstrate the impact you have had there.
3) DON'T forget good grammar Proof read, walk away, come back and proof read again. Make sure you're using spell check but DO NOT rely on it. If you have put the wrong word in but have spelt it write (see what I did there) it won't pick it up. Ask someone else to read over your CV, a fresh pair of eyes always helps. Remember, although grammar may have nothing to do with your ability to do a job well, do it wrong and it really makes a strong (bad) first impression.
4) DON'T forget end dates Put the dates on! It's so important that companies can feel like they have a solid understanding of the time you've spent in different roles and any time you may have been out of work. If you don't put the dates on they will think the worst!
5) DON'T be inconsistent Again, proof read! Highlight the whole of your CV and check the font and sizing matches, take pride in making it presentable, after all it is the first impression someone is going to get of you!
6) DON'T list skills you haven't got Have a specific section for skills you're interested in learning. For a tech skill mention why you have an interest in it and what you're doing to learn more about it, e.g. going to meet-ups, reading in your own time, projects in your own time… Github contributions are always great! Make sure it's clear what you've worked with and what you want to work with.
7) DON'T use one short line to describe your most current roles Don't get me wrong, you don't want an essay for every role you've had, but you do need to mention your top duties so the person reading it understands what you did on a day to day basis. For bonus points adapt this to each position you apply to so you can highlight anything you've done in previous roles that is relevant to the role you want.
8) DON'T talk about yourself in the third person Please, just don't! To some people this can come across as pompous, to others just flat out weird! But ultimately, it will always come across as you sounding really removed from the person being spoken about. Your CV should give the person reading it an understanding of your skills but also of you as a person, make it personal! Just 'I', 'my' and 'me' please!
9) DON'T have a super long CV Pages, pages and more pages! It's great that you've thought to list every role you've ever had but no one is going to go through 10 pages of CV! Make sure the last few roles are detailed and prior to that list your companies and just write one paragraph that summarises the experience and skills you've taken from those positions. I recommend 3 pages as a maximum for anyone, but ideally a 2 page CV.
10) DON'T leave gaps in employment unexplained A lot of people will have gaps in employment at some point, whether it's for travelling, education, illness or anything else life may unexpectedly throw at them. That's fine, but explain it! Companies will want to hear why there's been a break in employment and, if applicable, what was gained from that time away. If not, they will assume you have done nothing and have no good reason for doing so.


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To really do justice to this dish, you need to find an Asian market that has as many of the ingredients listed here as possible (don't worry about the mushrooms, which are easier to find). That holds true especially true for the inaka miso—a key to the rich flavor of this signature Tohoku hot pot. This dish would traditionally contain mountain yam, which is native to Japan, but in this recipe we used the more readily available Chinese yam.
Travel to the outer regions of Japan to learn more about this dish.
2000s Recipes + Menus
Mountain-Yam Hot Pot
- Active time:35 min
- Start to finish:45 min
December 2008
- 6 oz Chinese yam (naga imo)
- 3 tablespoons Japanese potato starch (katakuriko)
- 3 oz burdock root (16 inches long)
- 7 oz konnyaku or shirataki noodles
- 7 oz fresh shimeji or white beech mushrooms, trimmed
- 7 oz fresh enoki mushrooms, trimmed
- 7 oz fresh maitake or oyster mushrooms, trimmed
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 6 oz very thinly sliced pork belly, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 4 cups water
- 3 tablespoons inaka miso (coarsely ground red miso)
- 2 Tokyo leeks (3/4 lb total; white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced and washed (see Tips)
- 4 oz shungiku (chrysanthemum greens), mitsuba (trefoil), or seri (water dropwort), chopped
Peel and finely grate mountain yam. Whisk together with potato starch until combined well and let dumpling mixture stand at least 10 minutes.
Scrape skin off burdock root with back of a knife, then thinly slice diagonally. Cover with water in a bowl.
Cut noodles into 3- to 4-inch pieces and put in a colander, then rinse with about 2 cups boiling-hot water.
Tear mushrooms into smaller pieces.
Heat oil in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over medium heat until it shimmers. Cook pork belly and burdock root (drained), stirring occasionally, until meat is no longer pink and root is softened, about 5 minutes. Add noodles and water (4 cups) and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam. Whisk in miso, then reduce heat to bring broth to a brisk simmer. Drop tablespoons of dumpling mixture into simmering broth, then cook, uncovered, turning once, until dumplings are set, about 2 minutes.
Carefully add leeks, chrysanthemum greens, and mushrooms, arranging each ingredient in a different part of pot. Simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt.
- Keywords
- harris salat,
- web-exclusive recipes,
- asian,
- japanese,
- pork


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Pigtown Scratchings is an occasional multidisciplinary event in Limerick, created by science and music collaboration Softday. Last week I headed down for Lyric's Culture File, to speak to some of the multidisciplinary artists featured in this years event.
Featuring: performance poet Roger Gregg, musician and sonic artist Günter Berkus, contemporary dance artist Angie Smalis, storyteller Steve Lally, and audiovisual artist Leon McCarthy.
Download: 'Pigtown Scratchings'


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Mink Eyelashes
Regular price
Mink Eyelashes
Here's what you need for bright and attractive eyes. It is fashionable, Vivid and shiny, Great for many occasions like parties and your daily use.
This wispy mink lash is the most famous fake lashes. It was preferred by so many customers all over the world. The 3D style mink lashes look radiant and natural, which can add a dramatic look to your eye makeup and boom your appearance instantly.
One of the best fake lashes on the market from a very reputable brand.
- Give You a beautiful, glamorous look for special occasions or daily use
- Make You look more attractive and Charming like a movie star
- Add a dramatic look to Your eye makeup and boom your appearance instantly
- Made of 100% high-quality Siberian mink fur, like human natural lashes, soft and lightweight. The invisible band is super soft. No burden and more comfortable to wear.
- A perfect 3D layered effect, providing seamlessly blended results with your natural lashes for a flirty, full finish and can keep the fantastic curl all the time.
- The unique design of interlacing 'V' shaped clusters creates the dramatic lash look and can add enviable volume and depth to your lash look. Suitable for some special occasions such as party or wedding, photo shoot, night out use and so on
- Invisible Band: super soft, no burden and more comfortable to wear. Natural look, suitable for the nude makeup and daily use.
- Black Band: Keep the perfect curls all the time. With eyeliner effect, can enlarge your eyes automatically. Suitable for daily use and some special occasions.
- The lash bands are engineered specifically for each lash style to ensure the best shape, design and fit for your eye. It will blend very well with your natural lashes to get a gorgeous look.
- Remove lashes gently from the tray with your hands or a tweezer, do not tug on the fur, only handle from the band.
- Compare false eyelashes with your eye line length, trim to suitable length and width if necessary.
- Add glue along the false eyelash root with a cotton bud and leave for a few seconds.
- Hold the eyelash to the root of your natural lashes with pressure and leave to dry for a few seconds.
- If necessary, apply eye shadow or eyeliner to make your eye line look more natural.
Ø EASY TO USE: With a thick, flexible and hypoallergenic band, it is super easy to install and won't hurt your eyes. Besides, fake eyelashes are reusable if being used and removed correctly.
Ø SUPERIOR QUALITY AND CHEAP PRICE: This Hand-made 3D Black eyelash can be reused 15 times or more with excellent care, made of 100% Safe material, just as soft as your natural lashes, make you look more attractive, Each pair of our 3D lashes are hand-made by our workers. It is sold at a pocket-friendly price.
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NEWARK – U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) announced yesterday that he has launched an investigation into the cancellation of the nation's largest infrastructure project. The investigation seeks to determine the circumstances, actions and motivations that led to the largest loss of federal transportation resources in New Jersey history.
Following a preliminary report that will be released before the end of this year, a final report will be delivered to the public within six months that will catalog all details and include recommendations to prevent such a loss of federal revenue in the future.
"The cancellation of the ARC tunnel project will have repercussions for our state for decades and could harm the ability of New Jersey to secure transportation resources in the future," said Lautenberg.
"It is critical that the public know what happened and how we can prevent this from happening in the future. While I'm working in Congress to secure the federal funding our state needs to create jobs and improve the quality of life for New Jersey families, there has to be some assurance that large-scale projects are being handled properly at home. This investigation will root out the falsehoods and potential conflicts of interest surrounding the ARC Tunnel and identify the motivations and factors that led to the project's demise."
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Taiwan Cycling by Land, Sand and Sky As I rounded the nineteenth corner of the road for that day on my rickety bicycle in one hundred degree heat, I was sure I wouldn't make it. Each stretch went on for eternity, with an ever so slight incline that was just enough...read more
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Archive for In the News
Tantrum Downs AirplanePosted by: | Comments
Two weeks ago, a 5 year old tantruming about apple juice forced an emergency landing of a flight headed for North Carolina out of NYC. See details here:
» http://www.nbc10.com/news/13575254/detail.html
Okay, this is where I have both compassion, and shock.
It is likely that this child was so far out of control…that no one felt that they knew what to do. I have been there…and see kids turning white and parents afraid they will pass out. You and I have both seen embarrassed parents who just don't know how to handle their tantruming child!
The good news is that this was the "Grand Performance" that occurred after many dress rehearsals.
In other words, this child has tantrumed many, many times before and mom and dad just haven't handled it well. The "dress rehearsals" have happened at home, at the grocery store, the park, and maybe even at pre-school.
When behavior is extreme, it can be scary…but it doesn't change the approach. Some of you have worked through such difficult challenges with your children by using solid approaches that really work. It would be great to share with other parents the sense of optimism (AND RELIEF) that comes from discovering that things do get better with a change in strategy!
Randy Cale, PhD
Weeds and Seeds ReflectionsPosted by: | Comments
Here I was, in the autumn of my life, at the point where I could see the light at the end of the tunnel of raising my 3 kids (teenagers) when one fall almost 4 years ago, I found myself expecting! I have heard a variety of comments and advice (not all good) so I decided early on to take a very positive attitude. Since I had been a parent for over 20 years now- I have the benefit of knowing some of the mistakes I made in focusing on some of the wrong things ("weeds" as Dr Cale would say). I definately treasure this time even more as I carry my little one up to bed, I recall carrying my son to bed for the last time when he was 6 now that he's 20 and almost 6ft tall! One of the coolest benefits, is that I get to "re-teach" my older kids what I wish I had said or done with them when they were younger.
Alec Baldwin, and Powerless Parenting TacticsPosted by: | Comments
Why a Powerless Parent, Like Alec Baldwin, Reacts with Anger!
(And How Children Learn To "Tune-out" Powerless Parents.)
In a research article published in the journal, Child Development, the authors explored the ways in which children learn how to respond when parents behave in powerless ways. In this article, I will explain the specific implications of these findings for parenting, and for the recent fiasco between Alec Baldwin and his daughter.
These findings serve to highlight and support a conclusion that I have observed for years with parents:
When parents feel they have lost control, they compensate with controlling, power driven strategies that only serve to make the situation worse.
Powerless Parents Use Exaggerated Tactics


text: A cut above the rest - Don't be square! 13 June 2016 Administrator (0) Die cutting is a print finishing technique to add a special effect to a brochure, flyer or business card, Die cutting is where a printed item is cut out in a unique shape rather than just a simple rectangle. Square corners are square! Give your business card or your corporate stationary rounded corners and it will stand out as different and individual. This is where a pre-printed letterhead or comp slip posted out scores over an email. The shape can be part of the item's function such as the hanger design in the photo above. For direct marketing, a specific shape adds a novelty value, and makes the mail piece more eyecatching and memorable. When you need to stand out from other items that fall through the letterbox a different shape will put you top of the pile and improve response rates to your communication message. If you don't have your own graphic designers we also offer a graphic design service to make your brand and message stand out from your competitors. So if you want your marketing materials to be a cut above the rest, why not think about a design that is shaped to your advantage?


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SD organizers of Rock 'n' Roll Marathon series sold
Competitor Group, a San Diego company that organizers Rock 'n' Roll Marathons, has been acquired by private equity firm Calera Capital.
The price was not disclosed by the parties. Sports Business Journal reported Competitor Group went for close to $250 million, citing unnamed sources familiar with the transaction.
Calera, with offices in Boston and San Francisco, purchased the company from Falconhead Capital, which acquired three San Diego endurance sports firms in 2007 and rolled them up into Competitor Group.
Scott Dickey, chief executive of Competitor Group, said Falconhead established a formal process over the past nine months to sell Competitor Group, including a formal auction. Perella Weinberg Partners served as financial adviser to Falconhead Capital.
No changes are expected at the 245-employee firm, said Dickey. He and Chief Operating Officer Steve Gintowt will continue to lead the firm.
"We have a new partner with a long-term horizon," said Dickey. "They are very optimistic and supportive of the company's growth strategy."
Competitor Group owns and operates 83 running, cycling and triathlon events worldwide. The company publishes Competitor, Velo, Women's Running and Triathlete magazines and sells a online registration software platform for races and other events. Revenue was expected to reach $126 million this year, according an executive summary sent out earlier this year Perella Weinberg and obtained by Sports Business Journal.
Calera Capital Managing Partner James Farrell and Managing Director David Lorsch led Calera's investment in Competitor Group and will join its board.
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Module code: LLBP 3027
Module description
Employment Law will affect almost everyone, because at some time most people are likely to be in some form of employment. In recent years the world of work has changed and we now have a more flexible labour market, with many different ways of working. This flexibility has had an impact on employment law rights.
The module begins by exploring how the law determines whether a person is an employee or an independent contractor and why this is an important distinction. The focus then moves on to the contract of employment. We consider the sources and content of the different terms of the employment contract and consider how the contract may be varied.
The protection the law offers against discrimination - both contractual and non-contractual - on the grounds of sex, marital status, race, religion, sexual orientation, age or disability within the employment field is explored in some detail. The legislation on equal pay and the gender pay gap is also considered.
Finally, the module ends with an examination of the protection from both the common law and legislation against dismissal.
Contact hours per student per year
The module is assessed by two pieces of coursework (word limit 2,500 for each answer), each worth 50% of the module mark.
Additional costs: No extra costs other than purchase of books
At DMU there is always something to do or see, check out our events for yourself.
DMU is a dynamic university, read about what we have been up to in our latest news section.
Read about our mission and vision and how these create a supportive and exciting learning environment.


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July 21, 2016 – Singapore – Helmi Hakim, an author and financial consultant with NTUC Income Cooperative Ltd has recently launched two new proprietary frameworks called 'Unlock Your Money' and 'Your Financial M.A.P. Model' that will revolutionize the way Muslim families in Singapore save and grow their money, the Shariah Compliant way.
In 'Unlock Your Money' session Helmi shares his time tested and powerful strategies that will teach Singaporean Muslim how to create a monthly cashflow in Singapore. The other model, 'Your Financial M.A.P. Model' teaches how one can save and grow money while fully complying with shariah. Specifically created for Muslims in Singapore, the model operates within the purview of Shariah principles, and the best part is that it's 100% free.
"Using 'Your Financial M.A.P. Model', you will uncover blindspots that Wall Street professionals, financial "experts" of the highest eminence has committed. You will also understand how your current loans work and uncover strategies how you can reduce, pay off your riba based loans gradually. When that happens, you can look forward to a future built in financial bliss for you and your family. All the financial problems you have, financial problems you are currently facing now, you can throw them out of the window forever," says Helmi Hakim.
When asked why this offer is for free, Helmi replied, "It's because I feel a certain sense of responsibility to share what I know and help as many our Muslim brothers and sisters as possible. I have seen too many of us, struggling financially. Struggling to pay bills, not enough money to pay for milk powder for your baby, barely surviving, and scraping through life. As a seasoned financial consultant with tonnes of experiences under my belt, I find it an obligation to offer my hands of assistance and give back to our Muslim community. I see the small help I am giving as Fardu Kifayah. We, Muslims should stand tall and proud, and the only way to do so, is we are able to empower ourselves financially, and shatter the chains of riba from our daily lives."
Specifically, some of the key features of 'Your Financial M.A.P. Model' are:
• A standard step by step guide to grow your money and wipe off all your loans with Riba
• Calculate your net worth in less than 10 minutes
• Bulletproof strategies on how you can increase your savings by 20%
• 8 financial ratios that acts as a financial compass
• A Quick way to save up money for emergencies
For more information, and to avail this offer, simply visit: http://takaful.sg/
About Helmi Hakim
Featured on 'Demi Cinta', 'Today Newspaper', and Interviewed in Suria on MUIS fatwa on revocable nomination, Helmi Hakim is one of the premier Shariah-Compliant Financial Consultants familiar with Islamic Finance in Singapore's context. He is the author of the book, "Discover The Simple, Effective & Halal Way To Create a Positive Monthly Cashflow And Calculate Your Net Worth", and Bronze Award recipient, for Bachelor Of Science, (Hons), Banking and Wealth Management, UK. He has studied Islamic Banking and Finance module during his degree and has recently attained Islamic Finance Certification with Australia Islamic Finance Centre (AUCIF). Helmi Hakim is available for interviews and media appearances.
Media Contact
Company Name: HelmiHakim.com
Contact Person: Helmi Hakim
Email: Send Email
Phone: +65 96520134
Country: Singapore
Website: http://www.helmihakim.com/
Source: www.abnewswire.com


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Using the VE.Direct to Bluetooth Smart dongle allows you to display your BMV or MPPT information on iOS and Android devices by using the VictronConnect app. View information wirelessly such as battery status and solar panel power, plus other useful data.
The dongle is able to read data from all products with a VE.Direct port, such as the BMV-700 Battery Monitor. This product makes reading and making changes to the Victron Monitor easy!


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Saturday, December 7, 2013
While I was away...
To be fair, we've had many challenges in the last couple of years unrelated to our equine friends with a couple more deaths, surgeries, stress and etc., etc., etc.. If I seem a little casual about these horrific things, it's because we've been a bit beaten down and ...
On the bright side ... we've endured... and ... pause for dramatic affect ... we truly are closer than ever as a family and man have we learned a lot about ourselves and been tested to the extreme.
As soon as we start wondering, "why us?", feeling sorry for ourselves for what we've been through or proud of ourselves for what we've been able to endure, we look closer at the people around us (feel free to do the same .. no really). If we think about almost everybody we know really well, they're all surviving and enduring something. Whether it be for illness, anxiety, drugs, family woes, financial challenges, car repairs or anything else, we've realized that all of us are always fighting our way through something.
The beauty of challenge is surviving. The beauty of surviving is we're still here. The challenge of surviving is the fear of what's next. The fight endures and like Winston Churchill, "We never give in"
3 comments:
Welcome back!ReplyDelete
I'm sorry it's been a rough go, but glad to see you fighting back :)
Hi there,ReplyDelete
I am an equestrian novelist soon to release my new racing romance, Share and Share Alike, and was hoping you might consider reviewing it on your site. Drop me a message if you're interested.
Best wishes,
Hannah Hooton
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A weekly Sunday service will no longer be compulsory for churches after a vote to change a 400-year-old law was passed by the Church of England's ruling body.
The General Synod voted to end the law – dating back to 1603 – which required priests to hold a Sunday service in every church they looked after.
The Bishop of Willesden, who proposed the change, called it "out of date".
Meanwhile, the General Synod has introduced six "pastoral principles" to improve the treatment of LGBT people.
- 'Let us pay' – churches try contactless
- First female bishop takes new role
- Church service to mark gender transition
Decades of falling church attendances has left some priests looking after up to 20 rural churches.
Previously, a rural priest would need to apply for permission from a bishop to not hold a Sunday service in each church.
The Bishop of Willesden – the Right Reverend Pete Broadbent – chairs the Simplification Task Force formed in 2014 to improve the process of the Church of England.
He said changing the law reflected the current practice of priests who look after multiple churches.
Following the vote, he said: "You're meant to get a dispensation from the bishop – this just changes the rules to make it easier for people to do what they're already doing. It stops the bureaucracy."
He added: "This was just one (amendment) where we said, 'out of date, doesn't work, we're operating differently in the countryside now, therefore lets find a way of making it work'."
When asked if the decision will affect elderly churchgoers in rural locations, who may have to travel further to attend a service, Rev Broadbent said: "No, because at the moment this is already regularised and it's already happening."
At the meeting of the General Synod on Thursday, a document outlining six principles to help improve the treatment of LGBT people was released.
It said the Church had been "found wanting in its welcome and treatment of LGBTI+ people".
The "pastoral principles" aim to encourage churches to see "difference as a gift rather than a problem", and build "trust" and "generosity".
The principles encourage people to acknowledge their prejudice, make churches places of welcome, conduct theological discussions with respect, "cast out" fear, extend courtesy and kindness to all and refuse to exploit power over others.
The document added that adopting the six principles "could be transformative for the Church" but would "require a change of culture in terms of the quality of our relationships".


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Uncover your impurities
This article consists of 6 chapters
- Introduction: uncover your impurities
- Avidya: ignorance
- Asmita: I feeling – the ego
- Raga: attachment to pleasure
- Dwesha: aversion
- Abhinivesah: fear of death + conclusion
Today you can read part 4:
Raga: Attachment to pleasure
YS 2.7 Raga is the liking accompanying pleasure
In his book, 'Four chapters of freedom', Swami Satyananda Saraswati writes: ' Whenever there is an object of pleasure and the mind runs after it, wishing to have the pleasurable experience again and again, this is called Raga. This is not very difficult to eliminate; one can eliminate it from ones personality with a little jerk, given either by nature or created by ones own self'
Attachment is all about desire. Whether it's a partner, a friend, a practice, an object, a pet, a food or a thought. Raga is excessive attachment to pleasurable things and is based on the assumption that I this pleasure will contribute to your (everlasting) happiness. Life experiences teach us in the end this is an illusion. Don't get me wrong. It's good to need or want things but whenever you feel your desire has become an affliction it creates suffering. A healthy 'need' or 'want' is one that gives happiness, inspires you and has lightness to it. 🙂
Exercise 1
An exercise that helps me defining what I really need is examining my desire. For example: I want a new bike and I have doubt to buy it. Whenever I remark there is doubt; it usually helps me to make a list of reasons why yes and why no. As we are talking right now about a material object, a bike, I can make the following lists:
I want a new bike because:
- I want a new bike because I want to cycle from the Netherlands to Paris
- A good bike with enough gears will help me to climb the hills easily.
Then I make another list. I don't want this bike because:
- It cost a lot of money
- I may be able to borrow one from a friend.
Then I take a moment to take a look at both lists. When my anti-desire drops, I know I have to follow my heart and feed my desire. When my anti desire doesn't drop, I know I don't really want and need it.
Hormones and neutransmitters to boost a positive feeling
Once you know something gives you pleasure, our brain wants to repeat that experience over and over. I found an interesting article on the internet, written by Dr Suzan Biali in which she presents five of the main hormones and neurotransmitters, plus ways to boost them.[1] This information can be interesting for you to know how you can feed or diminish your pleasures.
This neurotransmitter drives your brain's reward system. If you are praised at work for doing a good job, you'll get a delicious dopamine-hit resulting in feelings of well-being. Dopamine also drives pleasure-seeking behavior. You can boost it by setting realistic goals of activities that have a positive impact on your life and achieving them. Examples of these can be very simple. Example ' this afternoon I clean my room or this morning I am going to prepare a proper breakfast'. Would you like to make these activities even more nice? Put your favorite music on. In 2011 study, published in Nature Neuroscience – McGill University researchers reported that listening to music you love creates a boost of feel good dopamine.
This mood-boosting neurotranmitter was made famous by SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) antidepressants, which increase the brain serotonin level. Most effective and natural way to boost serotonin is by exercising daily. Also carbohydrates increase serotonin levels; so eating healthy high fiber sources of carbs such as dence whole grain bread or quinoa can help you to boost your serotonin level up!
Often this hormone is called the " love hormone" because is has both a neurotransmitter and a hormone. Spending time with loved ones, hug your friend, cuddling with your partner, kids or your pet and being kind to others in general stimulates oxytocin.
This hormone protects you form irritability and anxiety; it keeps your mood steady. Estrogen decreases with menopause, and lifestyle factors such as smoking and extreme exercise. The estrogen/progesterone imbalance in menopause can also negatively affect the mood. Stress relieving activities such as yoga, meditation, taking a hot bath or taking a massage or whatever works for you- can balance them.
This hormone helps you to sleep and prevents anxiety, irritability and mood swings. Keep progesterone levels at optimum levels by eating well and avoiding saturated fat and sugar. Further avoid stress and get regular physicals.
Attachment to a person
I care a lot about other people. If they are not well, it's sometimes not easy to let my worries go. Example:
Yesterday I was having a beautiful dinner with friends, when I heard the sound of a whatsapp message on my phone. The message came from the boyfriend of a good friend in the Netherlands. He told me my friend has had a traumatic accident with her bike and has a skull fracture and brain blooding. On the moment she is in the hospital and it's not clear if there's any brain damage. When I read the message I remarked the happy and relax feeling I had, flew down from me at ones and got replaced for sadness and a state of being worried.
Being conscious about the change of my emotional state, I decided to close my eyes and observe my breath for a moment. After a while I felt positive energy flowing into my body again. Then I repeated the mantra 'Loka samastah sukinoh bhavantu' three times for myself. This mantra means: 'may all human being be happy and free from suffering'. I wrote the boyfriend of my friend back. I told him that I felt sorry and that I'll send positive vibrations to my friend and her boyfriend in my meditations. Afterwards I joined my friends again and, to my surprise, I was actually able to enjoy the evening again.
Now, when I'm writing this, again a feeling of sadness is coming over me. And that's ok. It can be there. I accept that I cannot change the situation of my friend. I'm in India now so I can't personally visit her. The only thing I can do now is continue to take good care of myself and sending her and her loved ones my love.
Actually; this exercise you can do for yourself as well. Whenever you feel attached to a partner, a friend, a practice, an object, a pet, a food a feeling or a thought and you want to come over it, just take a moment to connect with yourself. Close your eyes, observe your breath. Allow yourself to feel. Now. Put one hand on the heart area and one hand on the lower belly. Concentrate on your breath. On every exhale you send the breath in direction of your lower belly and concentrate on letting go the attachment. Every inhale you move the attention towards the heart center and refresh yourself with new air, new prana, new life energy. Get in touch with your eternal Self by stripping away the things in mind that are bothering you. 🙂
' The chemistry of happiness' oktober 2014 www.besthealthmag.ca
Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Four chapters on freedom, Yoga publication trust – Bihar. India.
Picture 1: www.omkarrayoga.com
Picture 2:Painting by Sophie Nusselder
[1] ' The chemistry of happiness' oktober 2014 www.besthealthmag.ca
Address: Parimukti Yoga Center, Kanira Homes,
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Goa, India
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