text:
I find myself always fighting the urge to give into the different rhythm my heart beats when someone new enters my life. I often talk myself out of what could be a blessing due to the fear of damaging what used to be a perfectly healthy organ. I can't help but to succumb to this behavior because I let so much toxic blood poison my system. However, I failed to realize that our bodies, my body, is ever so powerful.
I can feel the worst of pain but ultimately, my body, mind, and spirit will heal and I will be a better, wiser, and stronger human being because of it.
I hate that we have to experience negative situations in our lives in order to learn much needed lessons. I almost hate to say that as much as I hate to say that, those experiences are necessary for us to grow and become better people.
The people we love are often the people who tend to hurt us the worse. Primarily because those who love us generally know us very well and act accordingly based off of that sole knowledge. So, when those people bruise us, we have extensive trouble letting others, probably more qualified, people into our sacred space. That space being our hearts.
I feel like our hearts are made up of so many different and unique compartments. Every individual has compartments that are exclusive to their particular heart. For example, one compartment I have in my heart is trust. I may be able to trust certain people with a slew of different things, but I will only trust that one special person with the key to unlock the trust in my heart.
Only one key can open each heart compartment and seemingly only one person has that specific key. That person some people might refer to as your soul mate.
Notice I said soul mate not sole (SOLE) mate. I emphasis this because people think that we are only meant to love or be with one person in this lifetime and I couldn't disagree more. Their are too many beautiful people in this world for me to believe that while I may love someone presently but if that doesn't work out, I will never find that kind of love again…so I settle. NEVER. I refuse to believe that and I am demanding you rebuke that belief as well.
Our hearts are such tough and resilient organs. We can allow experiences to attack at our heart strings in the hopes that we will learn from those experiences and that our strings intertwine again. I am hear to tell you that, you can and they will.
Don't be afraid to take risks when it comes to this life you live and love that spreads throughout it. I can promise you, the pain is only temporary and your heart couldn't be more strong…strong enough to bear the pain and put itself all back together again.
Remember FIERCE FAM, FIERCE IS SHE who forces her hurt to heal a heart unguarded.


text:
The East End has beautiful beaches, great agriculture, vibrant communities and some unwanted pests. Every summer at the Animal Hospitals at Bideawee in Westhampton, we get an abundance of questions about ticks and how to stop these pests from attaching themselves to our pets.
Although ticks aren't the most loveable creatures on the East End, they just might be the hardiest. They've been around a long time, about 100 million years, long before there was an East End as we know it today. It is likely that with all the ticks that have survived they'll still be living on the East End long after humans are extinct.
Ticks are sightless arachnids. They have eight legs and are closely related to scorpions, spiders and mites. Ticks have an evolved although seemingly rudimentary system for movement. They use their claws on the end of their eight legs, sort of like tweezers, to grab onto rough surfaces like trees, grasses and your clothing. When they awaken from their hibernation, hungry and ready to eat, ticks instinctively grab hold to rough surfaces and start climbing upward against the forces of gravity until they can't go any further. [expand]
Sitting happily on the highest point they can reach, ticks wait contentedly, sometimes controlling their hunger for two years, until the sensors in their legs detect carbon dioxide and vibrations. When their sensors go off they know it's time to eat. They aren't picky eaters either. These parasites feed on the blood of their host and they'll suck the blood of animals or humans with equal vigor.
Once they've found their meal ticket, they look for a mate. Male ticks will stay on the host for as long as possible, spending their days and nights alternately feeding and mating. It's typical that after a few romantic interludes the male tick dies. Female ticks feed, procreate, become extremely swollen, and then drop off their food source to lay their 4,000+ eggs. After laying her 4,000+ eggs and continuing the family tree, the exhausted female tick dies.
Ticks come equipped from birth with a built-in spoon, fork and knife. The tick uses its fork and knife to dig a hole in the skin giving the tick access to the blood they need to survive. Once the tick breaks the skin it burrows into its host and inserts its spoon to feed. All the while the host isn't aware of the tick because of the tick's ability to secrete a topical anesthetic that allows the tick to do its dirty work undetected.
Ticks can ingest 200-600 times their weight! Their outer shell expands readily to accommodate the volume. Once it starts sucking blood the tick produces saliva which helps thin out the viscosity of the blood, making the meal flow faster. This blood feeds the tick while providing fuel to the bacteria living inside the tick. The tick continues to produce its blood-thinning saliva; some of the bacteria migrate out of the tick and into the host. This is how disease is spread. Different ticks host different diseases. We are all familiar with Lyme disease carried by the deer tick, but the American Dog Tick can carry Ehrlichia and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Both attack the blood cells of dogs and have been reported to cause disease in humans.
Protecting you and your dog from ticks takes diligence and insecticides! The CDC recommends avoidance (walk in the center of a trail), repellents (check with your vet to apply product safe for your animals), and surveillance (body and clothing checks). Showering and bathing your dog can reduce the risk of being bitten. Ticks are susceptible to desiccation and high heat, so tossing clothing in the dryer can kill any hitchhikers that haven't found thier way to the flesh.
In addition to good tick control, your veterinarian may recommend you vaccinate your dog against Lyme disease.
Robin Brennen, DVM, is Chief of Veterinary Services and VP of Program Operations for Bideawee, www.Bideawee.org. [/expand]

subset: commoncrawl


text:
|Call for Nominations for elections of EUFAPA Board Members in 2018
February 2018
This year the EUFAPA Board of directors will complete their four-year term. At that time, the current President-Elect, Aija Klavina will become EUFAPA President and current president Pedro Ferreira will become EUFAPA past-president. An election will be held in July 2018 during EUCAPA in Worcester (UK) for the positions of:
We invite EUFAPA members' input on identifying competent and motivated nominees for next EUFAPA board as soon as possible but before May 1st, 2018! The guidelines and procedures for making nominations can be found below (Nomination Process). Prior to submission your candidates, please read Articles 9-12 in the EUFAPA Bylaws, which can be found at www.eufapa.eu
Important to know:
Elections will be held during next General Assembly (GA) in 2018, the GA will be held during EUCAPA2018 in Worcester, UK.
Nomination Process: (read before submitting a nomination)
The past president, with the help of the secretary, shall ascertain that all nominees are current EUFAPA members and submit names of nominees to the Board of Directors prior to the close of nominations [May 1st, 2018]. The Past President shall work with the Board of Directors to ensure that the slate of nominees is diverse, especially with regard to including individuals with impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions in physical activity.


text:
This is the second time I've gone kiteboarding at Medbery Park in Montague, Michigan and it's turned out to be one of my favorite spots. This past Thursday the wind was blowing strong out of the south all day. Even though the wind was forecasted to stay strong throughout the evening I was still getting anxious at work and 5:00 couldn't come soon enough 🙂
Medbery Park is located on the north side of the White Lake channel that is shared by Whitehall and Montague. Better known to kiteboarders as "The Honey Hole" it's often times used as a launch point for down winders to Little Sable Point. There are two jetties on the North and South side of the channel. This creates nice smooth waves at Medbery on a south wind and flat water by the north jetty.
Thursday the air temperature was nice and warm yet the water was still cold at around 50 degrees. This along with the slight offshore wind meant we didn't get much in the way of waves. The wind was around 16-20 knots most of the evening and I while I could have used a little more power it was still a great session. The wind was strong enough to have some decent floaty jumps and there were some small waves that created nice kickers for throwing backrolls. I finally brought some cameras and had time to take a little video and some pictures.
Medbery Park Montague Michigan Kiteboarding from Michigan Dawn Patrol on Vimeo.
As much as I like Medbery Park, I've had minor kitemares the last two sessions. During my first session my safety released on accident and my foot got tangled up in kite line, the second session my kite just dropped while jumping and inverted the kite lines. Luckily I didn't have any problems other than trying to get back to shore. Part of the reason why Medbery can be a little difficult if you get in trouble is the fact that a straight south wind is slightly off shore. If you have problems on the water like I did you will have a little more difficulty getting back to the beach.


text:
Governments ENabled with IPv6
GEN6 (Governments ENabled with IPv6) project is settled within Theme 4 of ICT PSP work programme 2011 focusing on "ICT for Innovative Government and Public Services". The reasoning for this call was to support the "Digital Agenda for Europe" by innovating and making government services more effective and fully interoperable.
Project participants are government institutions from Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Greece, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic and Turkey. Within the project, selected e-government IT infrastructure and applications will be made IPv6 enabled within pilots. GEN6 project has four different types of national pilots:
IPv6 upgrade of eGoverment Network Infrastructures, e-Identification, Services and Applications (Germany, Spain, Netherlands and Turkey).
IPv6 upgrade of Secure Cloud Services (Luxembourg).
IPv6 upgrade of Energy Efficiency in School Networks (Greece).
IPv6 upgrade of Emergency Response Environments (Slovenia).
The participants of Turkey pilot are ULAKBİM and TURKSAT. The participants of this pilot are selected to achieve the objective according to their current roles in e-Government service and their previous efforts on IPv6 transition activities in Turkey. The pilot aims the IPv6 support of e-Government Gateway (EGG - www.turkiye.gov.tr ). EGG is an existing service and offers around 200 e-Government services to more than 15 million registered users. Around 50.000 new citizens are subscribing to EGG every day. These numbers point out the public interest on this service and reveal possible wide impact of enabling IPv6 on such a service. The experience to be gained by realization of such a big scale pilot in the scope of the project would derive best practices, guidelines, methodologies and toolkits for the transition of e-Government services all around Europe.


text:
Digital transformation has been disrupting job functions and industries steadily for the last few years. For the maintenance and asset management space, this means connecting every aspect of the business with IoT products providing an explosion of data and analytics in its wake. How are asset-intensive companies addressing this shift? What critical areas of focus are they investing in and where do they see opportunities for success?
The annual SAP-Centric EAM research project took the conference team across North America in a series of focus groups. After meeting with over 100 professionals who operate in maintenance, reliability and asset management, the following top five themes were uncovered as the most impactful in 2018. Familiar topics–master data, planning & scheduling–are still top of mind and perhaps even more essential as maintenance continues to innovate into a digital business function.
Master Data
As technology continues to evolve, the quality of an organization's master data becomes even more integral to its success. Maintenance departments are receiving an increased amount of pressure to run efficient plants and must rely on data to help optimize costs. However, most struggle to trust their master data which often contains manual data entry errors and inaccurate records. Organizations are ultimately looking to create a corporate culture of accountability around master data standards and integrity so that data can be a reliable and strategic tool for the business.
"If they [organizations] don't have the talent and resources to capture the right data, organize it, dissect it, draw actionable insights from it and, finally, deliver those insights in a meaningful way, their data initiatives will fail." Digitalist Mag, Data Analysts And Scientists More Important Than Ever For The Enterprise
Planning & Scheduling
It comes as no surprise why planning & scheduling continues to be a hot topic for maintenance and asset management professionals. Effective and efficient planning & scheduling can improve a company's ROI and help maximize productivity. Hence, why it is more critical now than ever for organizations to develop a clear preventative maintenance plan to drive successful planning & scheduling.
Whether it be in our personal lives or in the workplace, mobility is central to the way we operate. In 2018, organizations are reevaluating how they use mobility and are investigating solutions to incorporate into their overall technology strategy. Maintenance and asset management professionals are also challenged with how information is communicated beyond the plant, and how this impacts their system, user experience and data.
User Experience
User Experience (UX) was quickly identified as one of the top issues. Organizations are seeking ways to improve productivity by creating an intuitive user experience while successfully managing the change in process. Organizations are operating in an ever-changing technology landscape and need to gain fast user adoption while implementing robust training programs. New technologies in this area are fundamentally changing the user's interaction with systems and facilitating collaboration across asset owners.
Internet of Things (IoT) & Predictive Maintenance
The ever-increasing amount of highly actionable data from assets, machines, mobile workers and operational processes creates a new opportunity for the world of asset management. IoT is causing a shift in maintenance from tactical execution and processing work orders towards asset analytics and predictive maintenance. Many organizations are already using sensor data for operations, however, this data isn't always feeding into their asset management systems. The focus on improving the direct connection between asset sensors and the maintenance organization is a key focus for asset-intensive organizations in 2018.
Intel's A Guide to the Internet of Things infographic illustrates the projected growth of connected devices from 2006 to 2020. Most IoT smart devices (40.2%) are currently in businesses and manufacturing creating real-time analytics of supply chains and equipment, robotic machinery.


text:
Dr. Laurie MacDiarmid
Spring 2017, Sophomore Year
- Blog Entries (iglswhimsythoughts)
- 8 Writing Exercises
- 3 Workshop Submissions
- Portfolio (2 revised workshop pieces and a self-reflective essay)
No parameters existed for this other than write something. When I began the class, we were to have a goal for what we wanted to experiment with our writing that semester. I wanted to try out different voices and points of view since I have noticed a trend of loner-girl characters or children in my stories. This idea followed me for a while, but I never allowed myself time to focus on it. The underlying problem is very personal to me as much of the little girl's experiences are my own. I channeled my mother and wrote something similar to what she and I have gone through together. The characters are works of fiction, and the fairy tale is an original I put together. I hope you enjoy it.
Searching for Starlight
I stood by the door with my stomach clenching and groaning as I watched my daughter lay in a hospital bed. She stared blankly at the wall as the nurses milled around her, ignoring the strangers poking and prodding her. To her, this was becoming a common practice. Since she was one year old, she had endured many tests to try to pinpoint what was happening to her. She was now five, and we were still seeking answers.
Checking umpteen machines and wires attached to her, the nurses somehow managed to try to make small talk as they jotted down their notes. But I saw how she was already withdrawing in the silent way my little Maureen always did.
The eggshell white sheets swallowed her small frame, matching the pale pallor of her skin. Her blonde hair hung around her shoulders while she twirled a stray strand. Despite everything, she seemed so calm. As soon as the nurses moved away, I snuck up to her hospital bed and curled up next to her, wrapping my arms around her thin torso. Her little hands gently held my arms against her.
"It's okay to be scared," I whispered in her ear.
Glancing up at me, she relaxed against my stomach. "I can't be scared, Momma. You're scared, so I have to be brave." She smiled up at me. We'd only just watched the Disney movie Brave the other day where she learned the word. "I got this. I'm strong."
Tears pricked my eyes. "I know you're strong, baby."
We were both quiet for a moment, watching the swallows circling outside the window. The river flowed a little off the hospital property. Other medical buildings crowded around the sides of the hospital. Down the street was a flower shop, a McDonald's, and a Dairy Queen. Of course fast food restaurants were near a hospital—if cholesterol or a brewing heart attack became too much of a problem from that Big Mac, at least the hospital was just a walk away.
"Momma?" she asked softly. Her eyes never moved from the birds.
"Yes, Maureen?"
She squeezed my arm. "Will you tell me a story? One with a real ending?"
I kissed the top of her head. "What do you mean by a real ending?"
Tickling the downy hair on my arm, she said, "I know most real stories don't have a happy ending. Like you and your momma."
My eyebrows crinkled. "Baby, I still had a happy ending. I have you, don't I?"
A smile softened her eyes. "Will you tell me a story then?"
Before I can begin, one of the nurses came in. "Hey, sweetie. I need to take a blood sample quick. Then I'll leave you alone until we begin the other stuff. Do you mind?"
Maureen squeezed her eyes before nodding. She leaned against me as the nurse stole some blood from the little catheter in her wrist. When she finished, she patted Maureen's hand and promised to be back in an hour. "You're doing great, sweetie."
"Any specific story or just a story?" I asked her softly as she began to stare blankly at the wall again.
"Just a story," she murmured as she held her stomach.
"Okay then." I pressed the down button of the bed and dragged her tightly against my side. "Once upon a time, there was a beautiful little girl born from moonlight. Her ivory skin and white hair were gifts from the moon. All who met her fell in love because of how special she was."
"Why was she special?" she asked, turning her head upwards to look at me.
"Because she was perfect." I kissed the top of her head. "The moon crafted her delicate features to catch the starlight and reflect its rays back. She brought light everywhere she went. The creatures of the land loved her for it. When she was nearby, she chased away the dark and kept them company so they wouldn't be lonely."
"Why were they lonely?"
"Sometimes people just are. It sort of happens to people, especially when they're sad."
Maureen played with the hair on my arms. "Are you sad, Momma?"
Moving her around so we faced each other, I said, "Sometimes, but not because of you. You're my starlight."
A smile illuminated her face. "I love you, Momma."
I pulled her back into my lap. "I love you too, baby. Should I continue?"
She settled against me, tugging up the thin cotton sheets. "Yes, please."
"So, the sun saw one day that the creatures loved the girl and grew jealous. It didn't like that she made light too so it came up with a plan."
"What did the sun do?"
"It cast a curse on the little girl."
Maureen wiggled out of my arms. "Like Sleeping Beauty? Or Snow White? Or Rapunzel?"
I laughed. Tickling her under her chin, I teased her and said, "You don't like princesses at all."
"Momma! What did the sun do?"
"Well, the sun—"
A knock rapped on the door. We both turned our heads as two female nurses walked into the room. "Hello! We're all set in the operating room. Now we just have to bring Maureen there."
Like a switch was flipped, her bubbling energy was snuffed out. My smile vanished as the ball of nerves returned to plague my innards. "Okay."
"I brought a paper gown and booties for you, Ms. Everett, so you can accompany her into the room. We'll situate her while you put that on."
I took the folded bundle with shaking fingers. Swallowing, I went to the corner of the small space and slipped my arms through the paper sleeves, crunching it under my fingers. When I turned around, Maureen was lying back on the bed, swaddled in blankets with the bed's bars corralling her in. If she had any color before, it was gone now.
"Ready?" a nurse asked.
Together, the nurses wheeled Maureen out of the room. I walked beside them, touching Maureen's hand, which had grown ice cold. "It'll be ok," I murmured, mostly to myself. Nausea bubbled up my throat.
Keep it together, I told myself. If Maureen could be strong, then I sure as hell could too. We stopped as they swiped into a room. Beeping machines and wandering tubes and needles were scattered throughout the room. Burning antiseptic assaulted my nose. They positioned her in the middle of all of it and hit the brakes. I placed both my hands on the bed after the bars dropped. Maureen immediately held my hand.
I watched in a daze as they attached more suction cups and needles against her. Maureen clenched my fingers as they finished "settling" her into the room.
The head doctor walked into the room all smiles and energy. "Hello! Are we ready?"
"Maureen's the perfect patient," one of the nurses stated. Maureen smiled weakly at the compliment.
"Alrighty, then let's get the show moving. Maureen, I'm going to assign you a task, ok?"
"Ok," she said with a pinched voice.
"I'm gonna put this mask over your nose and mouth— it won't hurt you a bit! I want you to count for me for as long as you can. If you fall asleep, that's ok. Don't fight it. Can you do that for me?" he said as he took a seat near the head of the bed. He held a pink, rubber mask in his hand that was attached to a container that looked vaguely like a fire extinguisher.
"Ok," she said, looking at me.
I smiled, fighting back the wobble in my lip and the tears budding in my eyes. "It's okay, baby. You're doing so good."
"That's right, Maureen. You're being a real trooper. Ready?" he said amiably. She nodded as her body trembled. He placed the mask over her face and turned a valve on the container.
She counted. "One, two, three…," her voice grew fainter, more like a mumble as her hand slowly let go of mine. A tear slipped from the corner of her eye as her eyes took on a glassy quality.
"She's out. Ms. Everett, if you'd like to give Maureen a kiss before you leave, you can do so now." He removed the mask and fiddled with some tube.
I leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead, unsettled by her eyes. She was so still and with her eyes staring blankly like that, she looked dead.
"There's a nurse waiting outside to escort you back to her room. We'll have her back to you before you know it."
Somehow, I walked out of that room, haunted by her vacant eyes. A male nurse smiled and began making conversation as I followed him out of the winding hallways. No words penetrated the numbed daze that swept from her eyes into me. He got me back to Maureen's room, said something about letting them know if I needed anything, and left with the close of the sliding door.
I sank into the sofa chair and began to cry. My fingers clenched the roots of my hair as my shoulders shook mercilessly. Choked gasps clogged my chest and airways. After all this time of never-ending tests and "maybe it's this," I still broke down. Each time I watched her undergo all the invasive tests and uncaring scrutiny of doctors and the medical field in general, I felt defeated. Was it my fault she ended up like this? Or was it the man that her birth certificate labeled father? Whoever was to blame, Maureen didn't deserve this.
Once again, I wondered if I should contact Jerry. Five years ago, he had made it clear he had no interest in kids and left me to figure out how to be a parent. He never paid me child support, which was fine because I didn't need him. If our relationship was any indicator, he would have been an awful father for Maureen. Because he was an uncaring, selfish, vain bum, Jerry and I were not destined to be. We met at a bar. I thought he was hot with the blonde cowlick and dashing dimple and wanted something exciting and spontaneous after college. I thought, what the hell? So, I began a fling with him that I knew wasn't going to last. I never meant to become pregnant with Maureen.
Yet, she happened. I had no family to fall back on for help. My mother and I refused to talk to each other after I was kicked out of the house at eighteen. Back then, I was adamant about what I wanted to go into—writing. Mom didn't approve. Dad had tried to follow his unrealistic dream too but with music and that hadn't ended well for us—Dad died young after he was mugged after a small show outside our little town of Letvan. I was only four when he died.
Mom worked at a sweet shop that paid just above minimum wage, but there were no other options for her. Letvan lacked any other jobs with the small population it contained, and Mom dropped out of high school her sophomore year to escape her abusive parents. She had no one to turn to and no money to move us away.
At least that's what I tried to tell myself growing up. Really, Mom was just unhinged. She always claimed to have migraines and could not do a lot of work. She also had no ways to cope with emotions. Any little thing went wrong and she'd be set off. I remember days when I would be just a little too loud playing with my few dolls and she would come storming downstairs to spank me as she screamed at me to be quiet. By middle school, I was fighting back. I excelled in school and stayed behind for as long as possible before heading home. School was my safe place, especially the library. I devoured stories and found solace in the characters' adventures. By high school, I was set on being an author.
We fought all the time about it. Mom never believed in me, so I could never understand why she cared so much about my decision. Then I chose a college with a decent English program that offered creative writing, hundreds of miles away from our little town in Northern Wisconsin. After I told her that I made my choice and paid the security deposit, she flipped and threw me out. Broke everything in my room and tossed what wasn't completely trashed onto the front lawn. Then she told me never to come back.
Halfway through college, when I was an honor student in the English program, I sent her a letter with my high marks and an award I received for some creative prose I wrote. A couple weeks later, the letter found its way back into my school mailbox, unopened. I never bothered to contact her again. I don't even know if she's still alive.
Thankfully, my friend, Jerica, helped me long enough to land a remote job writing synopses for book jackets and being a technical writer. If it hadn't been for her, I might have had to give up Maureen, which would have destroyed me. Raising a child is exhausting but also fascinating. Like a sponge, she picked up on everything I said and devoured every story I spun or read to her. Even her retention amazed me. I loved spending time with her.
And now we were on this awful ride for cloaked answers and daggered theories that never panned out. Just the thought made me cry harder. Maureen never seemed as energetic as other kids her age. She always needed to nap a lot despite sleeping through the nights. Food was always a struggle for her, even when she was in the womb. I gained maybe ten pounds from my pregnancy, and she always spat up more than she actually consumed. Doctors never seemed concerned because she appeared to be gaining the necessary strides in development even if it was always the minimum. She was perfect in their eyes.
Yet, here I was in another hospital, feeling as if I had been cursed by some unforgiving entity. To be helpless in saving your child is the worse fate any parent can imagine. Every test was agonizing to endure.
But I had to endure. Hours stretched out to feel like years. Tears slipped down my cheeks as I waited to have my daughter back. Eventually, I allowed my head to fall back into my hands.
~ ~ ~
Three hours later, a knock sounded on the door before it slid open. "Ms. Everett?" I looked up from my knees. The head doctor from Maureen's procedure stood holding an official looking clipboard.
"Yes. That's me." I wiped my sweaty palms onto my faded jeans.
"The endoscopy went well. We had no complications. They should be bringing your daughter around shortly," he said softly. Gray formed at his temples and crow's feet crinkled the corners of his eyes.
Swallowing, I closed my eyes as I asked my question. "And did you find anything?"
Before he could answer, he moved as the bed came squeaking through the door. Two nurses, a young man and woman, wheeled the bed back toward the quiet machines and flipped the brakes on. Tears pricked my eyes as I looked into Maureen's pale face. Her chest moved slowly up and down with each breath. Slightly parted, her lips looked dry and chapped. At least her eyes were closed this time.
"Ms. Everett?"
My attention bounced back to the doctor. "Yes, sorry. You were saying?"
He nodded his head. "It's alright. As I said, we had no complications. During the endoscopy, I didn't see any abnormalities or concerns, so that's a good sign. We took a few biopsies just to be safe, but I feel optimistic that there won't be anything troublesome."
"And if there are?"
He lifted his hands as if to put the brakes on the thought. "We'll go from there, but I'd rather not speculate anything. Your daughter appears to be in good health. No problems appeared, and we didn't find anything, so again, good signs."
Frustrated tears constricted my throat. "How can you say she's in good health? We're here, aren't we? And not to find anything? She's not faking it, and I wouldn't do this to her if I didn't believe something was going on."
The doctor spoke in a placating tone. "I'm not trying to accuse anyone of anything, but I stand by what we have found, which is nothing. Usually, when I tell parents I didn't find anything, they're ecstatic. Shouldn't you celebrate that?"
I rubbed my face. "I can't celebrate anything until we have answers." I focused on her still face in the room. "She has been sick ever since she was born. She's strong and tries to remain happy, but I can see she's suffering. Something is going on with her. You aren't there twenty-four seven. I am. I watch her go through these weird fatigue episodes and vomiting." The volume of my voice kept increasing, but I couldn't seem to stop it as burning heat crept up my neck and my heart fluttered. "She's seen almost every doctor you can think of. Each tells us she's a beautiful, perfect little girl. Healthy even. Do you understand how frustrating that is? Yes, I am happy that nothing "bad" has been found, but I am terrified of not knowing what she has. Because she has something doctor. My baby girl is not faking it for attention. I am not babying her either."
"Again, I'm not accusing you of anything. Only reporting the facts."
Oh, how I wanted to slap that placating face.
Before I could continue my rant, I heard a soft moan from the hospital bed. I spun around but calmed when I saw that she went back to sleeping, if that was what being under anesthesia is considered.
Sighing, I pulled on my hair, anger dissipating. "Anything else, doctor?"
"The nurse will be by soon to check on her again and tell you about being discharged. She can go home in a couple of hours. If you notice any issues or side effects, don't hesitate to call us and bring her back. Have a nice day." With that, the doctor walked away to placate some other unlucky bastard.
The urge to crumble overwhelmed me. Every test they took, every robbed vial of blood and urine, came back with a green bill of health. Theories would spin across their clipboards and lips, but they never followed through after that blasted, perfect result. Each doctor inspired hope just before dashing it with placating smiles and referrals elsewhere. That is, if they would even refer me anywhere. Some just shook their heads, claimed that it was my bad parenting, and told me she would grow out of it once I stopped babying her.
They didn't see the pasty pallor of a ghost. Maureen was a bright soul in a dimming body. Smiles burned brightly across her face as she exhausted the little energy she mustered in a day. She put a brave front on for every needle, every pin prick of possibilities, but I could see the real drain on her. Waking up in the morning was a triumph for her. And if she threw up, she would take on the responsibility and shove me away with an affectionate, "I got this."
A five-year-old shouldn't be that way.
"Momma?" Maureen called softly.
I swiped at my face to smear any evidence of tears. I turned around and smiled at her groggy eyes. "Hi, baby."
Moving toward the bed, I sat next to her and grabbed her hand. "How are you doing?"
"I feel sleepy," she murmured as her eyes closed again. She scooted over to my lap and snuggled against my leg.
"Then you just rest. There's no rush to get out of here."
I lifted her just enough to place her head on my chest. She nestled against me and held me close. Resting my head back, I closed my eyes too and sighed. Answers were out there. It was just a matter of finding them.
"Momma," Maureen whispered.
"Yes, baby?"
"Will you tell me what the sun did?"
"Just for you, I will," I said as I forced myself to sit up. Maureen lifted her head just enough for me to move before I placed a pillow on my lap for her to rest on. "The sun grew jealous of the little girl and cast a curse on her." I paused as I placed a hand on her head, trying to think of a curse.
"The little girl didn't know or understand the curse, but the creatures stopped following her. She thought it was because they didn't love her. But that wasn't the case. The creatures couldn't see her because the sun turned her into a ghost."
I stroked her hair as she played with a stray strand. "She no longer reflected the starlight, which passed through her like she wasn't there. During the day, she would disappear until night came, forcing her to wander alone through the days. At night, she still couldn't be seen or heard, except for an outline of her body. The little girl became lonely."
"What did she do then?"
"She followed the creatures that used to be her friends. They searched for her but never found her, which made them sad. Sometimes they felt her presence, helping them feel better. The little girl realized this and continued to trail after her friends. Despite the sun's curse, the little girl still tried to reflect the best of the stars: their ability to guide and comfort others. There was only so much she could do for the creatures, but she did her best and that's what matters."
Maureen contemplated that. "Why did she have to turn into a ghost?"
"Sometimes, bad things just happen, but what's important is how people respond to it. It's okay to be sad after a bad thing happens, but after a while, you have to try to move on from it."
"How do you move on, Momma?"
I paused. "I have you so it's more important for me to—because I love you."
She turned so I could see her face. "When can we go home?"
I sighed. "Soon, baby. For now, it's okay if you want to take a nap. I have to wait for the nurse."
She relaxed against me. "I love you too, Momma."
Fresh tears welled up at the back of my throat. I may not have had the best role model, but I was going to do my damnedest to do whatever was needed for Maureen. She deserved far better than this back and forth between hospitals.
I bent down and kissed her head again. If we were to be cursed, at least we were together to try to endure while we figured out how to lift it. We didn't need a prince, but I would take a potion or counter curse any day to make her a whole child.


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"It's not Freudian"
"Desire is an infinite metonymy. It slides from one object to another. In so far as desire's 'natural' state is thus that of melancholy – the awareness that no positive object is 'it', its proper object, that no positive, that no positive object can ever fill its constitutive lack – the ultimate enigma of desire is: how can it be 'set in motion' after all? How can the subject – whose ontological status is that of a void, of a pure gap sustained by endless sliding from one signifier to another – nonetheless get hooked on a particular object which thereby starts to function as the object-cause of desire? How can infinite desire focus on a finite object? – Zizek – The Plague of Fantasies.
Take the statement often used to discount certain perspectives, but one that comes across as a voice and nothing more, that we shall isolate as a statement in and of itself: "It is not Freudian". It comes in as demand, a command, a censorious claim, an attempt at a Master discursive reality from an Othered perspective attempting a knowledge-based Master-Slave dialectic, as an alien acousmatic experience. "It is not Freudian". It is repeated yet the emotions that were present upon hearing it are complex and as an assemblage different each time it is heard, the thoughts that one is preoccupied with each time vary, although there may be affinities were one to analyse them. We can free associate in a line of flight from this obstructive knowledge claim, elude it, and analyse what is 'thought' in the process of fleeing afterwards, and this would be a viable method. But we have options. Gregory Bateson describes a Zen double bind where the Master holds a stick over the students head and says 'Move and I will hit you, stay still and I will hit you'. It seems the answer is to grasp the stick and stand up and peaceably remove it from over one's head. So let's grasp this stick, the mettle of this phrase and analyse the statement itself.
There are different truth claims one can make about Freudian theory. Slightly differing statements might be 'not everything is Freudian', this may well be true, what comes immediately to mind for me are Mathematics and Physics. But other things still might be Freudian. So the next sentence is 'nothing is Freudian', which is untrue because although tautological and quite possible ensconced in its own hermeneutic circle, Freudian theory is Freudian, so something Freudian exists, this is different from whether the truth claim that Freudian theory accurately describes its object of knowledge, (but even Freudian theory would recognise its own limits there) however outside mathematics and physics this may be a problem of knowledge in general, that it does not fully describe its knowledge object, and may well also be true for many other discursive knowledge bases, but such a claim needs to be challenged at the level of knowledge base, not with a censorious denial, so what we can say here is the statement in itself, 'nothing is Freudian', is untrue. There is something that is Freudian and that is Freudian theory. In the article "What is Enlightenment?"Foucault describes 'founders of discursivity'. Such founders "are unique in that they are not just the authors of their own works. They have produced something else: the possibilities and rules for the formation of other texts" (p.114). For Foucault, Freud was one of these founders.
So we are left with the statement 'it is not Freudian'. If we return to the Zizek quote above we note that 'there is no positive object that is 'it''. Is this is declaration that Freudian theory has no positive object? As a statement it signifies something, 'that there is something that is not Freudian' but the word used is 'it'. Zizek claims in the introductory quote, 'it' has not positive object to point to, to signify, because the word 'it' in this context has no reference, other than a claim to what it is not, and therefore it signifies a 'lack'. Perhaps it is saying "nothing, not even Freudian theory, can fill this lack?" However such a statement would be a Freudian statement, there would be little that is more Freudian than the attempt to castrate any attempt to build a Freudian knowledge base, even if ostensibly the statement is true (that there is something not Freudian). It is still possible to say 'we may need Freudian theory plus one (or 'n') to fill this lack". In this sense this acousmatic statement is a an undead partial death wish as Zizek calls them in the Pervert's Guide to the Cinema.
R D Laing described 'elusion' thus: imagine the room one is sitting in a room, one imagines or pretends the room is not a real room, having pretended that the room is an imaginary room, one starts pretending the imaginary room is a real room and not imaginary at all. One ends up pretending that the real room is real, rather than perceiving it as real. One entertains the idea of the realty of the room rather than believing it. With a knowledge of physics one can do this by imagining the room as atoms and then returning to our sense perception as reality. So we return to the 'real' room and carry on. Before we reach enlightenment we must chop wood and fetch water, after enlightenment we must still chop wood and fetch water. Yet even here we are just attempting to remove a stick, which although we treat as a real statement, means we only attain a partial enlightenment from a partial death wish. We are not trying to 'prove it'. Here 'it' also has no reference. We are acknowledging the lack embodied in 'it' and moving on.
It is here we can acknowledge that whilst one may not have read enough psychoanalytical theory yet (if ever), the attempt to deny 'it' is a block to progress, and therefore the attempt acknowledges that progress is being made. One thinks of the Knights of Nee in Monty Python and the Holy Grail and the absurdity required to pass them. An absurdity that Camus, in the Myth of Sisyphus, describes as 'to sin without there being a God'. And thus we remove the stick. One is set in motion again. One continues one's journey.


text: While this may not be exciting news for many members, I have just received notice that the Sun Country charger my wife and I sought to sponsor in 2013 in the Grand Forks area has finally found a home. Good afternoon , I hope you are doing well. I am happy to advise you we have secured a location for your SCH100 Sponsor Charger. Formerly the Lakeview Inn & Suites, recently sold, renovated and rebranded Best Western Harvest Inn. The charger is scheduled to be shipped out from our Ontario office today. We will provide you with installation updates as they are available. We want to apologize again for delay in having this placed. We sincerely appreciate your patience in this process and your contribution to EV infrastructure. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. This now means EV owners in Southern Manitoba and can make the day trip to Grand Forks and Fargo. It also means that we will also be able to bridge the gap into the Supercharger network. I will let you know when it is up and running. We can't wait to have our first Supercharger experience!


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There is still true love out there, people! Today, it comes in the form of the most creative, romantic marriage proposal we have seen in a long, long time.
Portland actor Isaac Lamb wanted to pop the question to his girlfriend Amy Frankel, but simply getting down on one knee and pulling out a ring clearly isn't his style. He asked about 60 of their friends and family to help plot and participate in an elaborate choreographed lip-dub of Bruno Mars' song "Marry You."
The shocked bride-to-be was wearing headphones while sitting in the back of a slow-moving Honda CRV with the hatch open as a live musical unfolded before her eyes. Lamb, clearly a meticulous planner, made sure to outfit the SUV with cameras, capturing Amy's sweet surprised expression as she watches her friends and family dance in and out of the street. At one point, a group of dancers approaches her with open laptops to reveal video of more people, who we assume are other friends who could not be there in person, dancing along to the song.
We were in tears after the first 60 seconds, but we really lost it when Isaac finally emerged from the back of the crowd and walked up to Amy as the SUV rolled to a stop. The crowd surrounded him, visibly excited, as he got down on one knee, said all the right things, and asked her to marry him (she said yes, duh!). Their group of friends and family burst out into cheers and so did we!
The video has gone viral on YouTube with more than five million views in just four days. Scores of well-wishers have commented on the clip, sending their congratulations, and it's easy to see why it has touched so many people after you watch it for yourself.


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All of our schools offer Open House dates for all interested parents to attend. Contact us for our Open House here. We ask that families first attend an Open House, and then choose one campus to which they will apply so we are not duplicating our admissions process. Most families choose to apply to the school based on location in reference to their homes or public transportation. All three Admissions Offices are available to answer your questions when it is time to choose the campus to which they would like to apply.
- After reviewing the information found on our website, please complete your application to the school of your choice and submit the $50.00 application fee, either by filling out the application online (at Step 4) and paying by credit card, or by downloading the pdf version of the application form (at Step 4) and submitting it with the application fee in person. Applications for the following school year are accepted beginning August 1st and will be processed starting the Tuesday after Labor Day. The schools cannot accept an application before this date. You may submit your application online, in person at our school offices, or by mail. Applications for the current school year are accepted based on availability. Please contact the school to inquire about current openings.
- A photograph attached to the application will help us remember your child as we go through the application process.
- Once your application and fee are processed, the Director of Admissions will then contact you to make an appointment for a Parent Tour. There is one tour given per family, so please schedule the tour accordingly.
- Because of space limitations, tours require a reservation and are for parents only.
- If you are applying for an Early Childhood or Toddler place, a school visit will be scheduled for your child after you have toured the school and have indicated that you would like to continue the admissions process.
- Acceptances for the coming school year will be sent by electronic mail according to the ISAAGNY notification date, usually the week of March 1st. Those families applying after March will be notified upon acceptance.
- After your child has been accepted to one of the Twin Parks schools, Twin Parks must receive an enrollment form with applicable fees to hold the place. Parent agreement forms will then be sent to you as well as the details of further monies due.
- A student's place is fully secured when the parent agreement and applicable fees and deposits are on file at the School.


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Well, I ate MUCH less meat and cheese last week. I was surprised at how easy it was to cut dairy out of my diet on "my day" that I decided to limit it during the week and see how I felt (and how my weight might change). I remember looking into the fridge late in the week seeing that big pile of cheese I mention in my last post and thinking, "Darn you, John!" (because he's the one who talked me into this experiment). ;) It's still sitting there untouched, and will probably end up going to waste... perfectly good cheese. So, I guess I'm changing a little bit. Yesterday was nice. I started the day with a nut/dried fruit mix for breakfast (and my trusty Coke). For lunch we went to a local Tex-Mex restaurant where I loaded up on salty tortilla chips (my FAV) and "drank" 4 or 5 bowls of their DELICIOUS salsa! I had a wonderful salad topped with a vinaigrette, more of that yummy salsa and a lovely scoop of guacamole. For dinner I made another Daniel-fast recipe... a bean and rice soup. I'll post the recipe at the bottom of the post. It was pretty good (I even had it for lunch today).
On an interesting note, you might be glad to hear this... Monday I went back to get that delicious Southwest Salad without cheese but with chicken. I only had a few bites of the chicken because every time I took a bite I pictured chickens all cooped up in a slaughter house type place.
As far as my shoes are concerned, I tried to find some that didn't have leather, but I have none. Turns out I gave away all my non-leather shoes recently during our shoe drive for Soles4Souls. So, I wore the pair with the smallest amount of leather. But I was glad to know my other shoes had gone to a good cause. :)
Well, that's it for me... btw, other than the fries I just ate, I've eaten Vegan all day today. :) Can you believe it???
See you next week!
♥ Michelle
Red Bean Soup
Beans are so rich in vitamins and protein. Plus they are excellent for our digestive systems! Serve this soup with a fresh vegetable plate and bean dip or a nice green salad.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ cups chopped yellow onions
¼ cup chopped green bell peppers
1 tablespoon minced garlic
4 bay leaves
2 cups dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight
1 tablespoon Special Seasoning
2 quarts vegetable stock
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 cup diced carrots
1 ½ cups cooked long-grain brown rice, warm
6 tablespoons chopped green onions
1. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, garlic, and bay leaves, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
2. Add the beans and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add the Special Seasoning and stock, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 1 1/2 hours, until beans are tender, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the salt and parsley, cover the pot, and cook for 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Remove 1 cup of beans from the pot and reserve. Add carrots.
5. With a hand-held immersion blender, or in batches in a food processor, puree the red beans. Add the reserved beans, and stir well.
6. To serve, ladle a generous cup of the soup into each of 6 bowls.
7. Top each serving with 1/4 cup of the rice and 1 tablespoon of green onions.
Yield: six servings


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The foundation needed to create a brand and extend it through their materials. In addition they needed to create a fundraising event that would annually raise money for the community foundation.
For ten years Creative Wonders did all the graphic identity work and production for the foundation for FREE!
In addition, Creative Wonders later helped create the marketing plan and identity for their annual golf tournament which now raises approximately $100,000 each year.


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Four years ago Rubina Azizdin remembers being asked to help broaden the reach of the career counseling program for Central Penn College.
She needed to book speakers and other employers for the program. She had to build relationships, find people who could help her expand the college department's footprint, which would essentially help students find rewarding careers. It was on-demand networking, essentially.
But what did that even mean in the grand sense? Networking?
"To be honest, I didn't know what that meant," Azizdin said. At the time, she was working on the West Shore, but lived on the East Shore in the Harrisburg area. She wasn't sure where to start.
She had more questions than answers.
"What am I going to talk about, how do I get people interested in our college? Why would people be interested to come out of the blue to speak? I didn't understand what people's interest levels were," she said.
Fast forward to today and Azizdin has helped to raise the college's profile in the community. She helps lead the annual Women's Leadership Conference at the college, which is in its third year, and recently started her own networking group. She's been honored with several awards recently too.
She sat down with CPBJ to share some of her recent experiences: how she grew her networking skills and built her networking community. The following Q&A was edited for clarity and length.
CPBJ: How did you start networking once you joined Central Penn College?
Azizdin: I was brand new to the area. I didn't know anybody. I would go to these events and I would talk to one or two people and try to follow up, but I didn't feel like it was very effective. Sometimes you would get a response and sometimes you wouldn't.
Then I started doing a little more research and I knew there had to be a selective group of people whom I need to be networking with, ones that would catch people's eye. For instance, like Tracey Jones. She was one of my very first speakers. We never had speakers for our department. That's what I came up with. Having her come into speak added more value and excitement to the (career counseling) program. It gave others motivation to be a part of that. When you see something good happening, something positive happening, you want to be a part of it.
So yeah, we basically started out with no speakers and now we have an entire Women's Leadership Conference filled with amazing people. There are people now who are lined up who want to be speakers or featured.
CPBJ: Overall, why is networking important with the position that you have at Central Penn?
Azizdin: I have to build relationships for the college and I have to build partnerships. One of my biggests responsibilities is to coordinate events – speakers, attendees and even job and intern opportunities for our students – It's very important that we have community partners.
You have to be able to sell what you are doing. People aren't going to be able to spend their time and energy on an event that is not going to be a benefit to them. You really need to know what to say. The people I bring in, they are CEOs, they have their own coaching businesses –= you have to show them how it will be a benefit to them and to the college as well, and to do it for free.
CPBJ: What do you see as the biggest challenges students face when trying to network?
Azizdin: Self-confidence, being under-prepared and the lack of experience. Maybe they don't have as much work experience as they would like when they are meeting and greeting business professionals, so that will strike to their self-esteem or their lack of self-esteem.
The other piece is awkwardness. It's hard for some students who are introverts to go up and just start talking to people and talking about personal things like their profession, their major and who they are.
CPBJ: How do you help them overcome that?
Azizdin: We coach students on what to expect. We explain what a networking reception means. We'll talk about how to come up with different ice-breakers with somebody and a discussion starter. We talk about how to produce an elevator speech. The biggest thing is simply explaining the important reasons behind networking.
A lot of our kids are first-generation college kids from Philadelphia or Baltimore and they have never had the opportunity to go out and use their soft skills. They don't understand what that means. They never had that grooming or that coaching. We start with the ground up when we talk about networking. Networking does have an art. You need to know why you are doing it and who you should talk to. You don't want to talk to every single person in that room. Get a scope of who is going to be at the event ahead of time.
We host events on campus to help people practice that, such as networking receptions and job fairs. One of the biggest areas that I have been helping is the Women's Leadership Conference. They get to meet and greet with actual real people and so they understand the pressure of having to network but also get that encouragement as well.
CPBJ: What is the definition of purposeful networking and how do you teach that?
Azizdin: I always attend with a purpose. I know I'm going to get asked where do you work, what do you do? I always have information rehearsed in my mind about what I'm going to be talking about.
There are always certain people who I want to talk to. You want to go to events that are relevant to you. Is there a certain person that you want to talk to? Is it an organization that is close to your heart that you want to help out with? Or, are to you going to explore just to meet new people.
Networking also builds social relationships and that's where I created my group. Feedback that I have been getting from professional women is that they don't feel they have that sense of support. They don't have that sense of real relationships, authentic relationships. Everything is built around business and once that event is over, that's it. There's not any real connection being made.
CPBJ: Tell me more about your networking group, R.E.A.L. Women's Alliance?
Azizdin: R.E.A.L. stands for relationships, empowerment, authenticity and laughter. It was created for support and a sense of belonging. We want to build authentic relationships and have a sense of support for one another.
In business networking, everybody knows everybody, but you don't really know them. We are trying to connect people beyond their job titles and their business titles.
Looking back four years ago, I would have never thought that I would be starting my own networking group and meeting so many people. Four years ago I thought networking was go and find people and see who you can get to help out the college. Networking didn't mean building a relationship with somebody, sitting down and having a cup of coffee and picking their brain.
CPBJ: Anything to add?
Azizdin: It takes a certain type of person to build relationships and to maintain them. I network with people because I want to continue that relationship. You need to know how to constantly be in touch with them. Checking in with them. How can I make sure that I stay in touch? I always, always, always believe in saying thank you. If I can publicly and personally say thank you, that's a big thing for me. People appreciate that. They really do, and they will do more for you.
You also have to have the everyday values, the old-school values. Thank you, following up, maintaining those relationships and being authentic. Acknowledge people for their successes. It's so important to recognize people for what they are doing.
At a Glance
Rubina Azizdin handles career counseling services for students at Central Penn College. She teaches part time and works with the college's international students.
She also operates a community-based parenting program for WellSpan.
She recently was awarded the West Shore Chamber's Luminary Award and was honored the with Ella Frazier Award from the YWCA.


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Press Releases
Alexander: House Sends Job Training Bill to President's Desk "That Will Help Tennessee Attract More High Quality, Good Paying Jobs"
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act passes House by a vote of 415 to 6, heads to the president's desk for signature
July 10, 2014 - July 10, 2014
"Last year the federal government spent more than $145 million in Tennessee through a maze of programs trying to help Tennesseans find jobs. The legislation passed today simplifies that maze, gives governors and states more flexibility, and makes it easier for Tennessee's 13 local workforce investment boards to match Tennesseans who want a job with the skills employers are looking for."–Lamar Alexander
Washington, D.C., July 9 – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said House passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act today sends to the president's desk legislation "that will help Tennessee attract more high quality, good paying jobs." Alexander sponsored this legislation to improve job training programs in the Senate, where it passed last month by a vote of 95 to 3.
The measure passed the House today by a vote of 415 to 6 and now goes to the president's desk for signature. Alexander is the senior Republican on the Senate education committee that produced the legislation.
"Last year the federal government spent more than $145 million in Tennessee through a maze of programs trying to help Tennesseans find jobs," Alexander said. "The legislation passed today simplifies that maze, gives governors and states more flexibility, and makes it easier for Tennessee's 13 local workforce investment boards to match Tennesseans who want a job with the skills employers are looking for."
He continued, "I recently met with dozens of business, education, and community leaders on the Northeast Tennessee Workforce Investment Board in Johnson City, and the number one request was for more flexibility. Tennessee's workforce investment boards should be able to spend more time deciding how to best meet their local economic needs than complying with mandates from Washington."
What the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act does:
It cuts waste and red tape, and simplifies the maze of programs by:
- Eliminating 15 programs identified as ineffective or duplicative.
- Eliminating 21 federal mandates on state and local workforce board composition.
- Replacing multiple state plans for multiple federal programs that have to be submitted to the federal government with a streamlined single state plan that will reduce time spent on paperwork.
It supports state and local decision-making and flexibility by:
- Reinstating the authority of governors to reserve up to 15 percent of formula funds for innovative state and local job training initiatives.
- Giving local workforce boards the freedom to transfer up to 100 percent of funds between the two largest formula programs serving adults and dislocated workers.
- Giving states and local workforce boards the ability to incentivize and reward performance.
- Allowing individuals to choose the career and training services that best meet their needs.
- Empowering governors to reorganize or consolidate local areas that are low-performing in order to better meet regional economic demands.
It significantly improves federal program accountability by:
- Strengthening consistent measures of quality across all programs that are focused on real outcomes, such as job placement, retention, earnings, and employer satisfaction.
- Authorizing a 5 percent reduction in funding for poor-performing programs and requiring poor-performing Job Corps operators to re-compete.
- Requiring the U.S. Department of Labor to conduct independent evaluations of programs at least once every 4 years.
In May, Alexander joined a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers in announcing a deal to improve the nation's workforce development system through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act after months of negotiations.
The bill represents an agreement between the SKILLS Act (H.R. 803), which passed the House of Representatives in March of 2013, and the Workforce Investment Act of 2013 (S. 1356), which passed through the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee by a vote of 18-3 in July of 2013.
The Workforce Investment Act was first enacted in 1998 and has not been updated since. It has been due for reauthorization since 2003.
# # #


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May 17th 2020:
The Qatar Mobility Innovations Center (QMIC) launched its COVID-19 Mobility Analytics report
26 February 2020:
Using its Advanced Traffic Monitoring & Analytics Platform (MasarakTM) and utilizing
Qatar Mobility Innovations Center (QMIC) is the first independent innovations center in the region with a focus on developing and deploying smart mobility systems and services. QMIC's main goal is to use locally engineered innovations and knowledge to create technology-based industries that address regional challenges and grow with mega projects in Qatar and the region.
Since 2009, and through its focus on distributed sensing, data collection & management, services creation and delivery, QMIC is becoming a national leader in the area of Internet of Things (IoT). In particular, QMIC has been leading in delivering IoT platforms and solutions and services in vertical domains including Intelligent Transport, Logistics & Telematics, Road Safety and Environment.
Through its offices at the Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP), QMIC is working closely with key national partners and stakeholders to realize a market-focused innovations ecosystem in Qatar.
QMIC endeavors to consistently ensure our products and services meet the requirements of our customers through timely development and deployment of intelligent platforms, innovative applications & services which will play an important role in the development of the State of Qatar.
We promote a "quality-in-all-we-do" philosophy recognizing each employee's responsibility for quality, in an effort to continually improve the value of our products, processes and services.
Dr. Adnan Abu-Dayya
Executive Director (CEO)
Other QMIC Initiatives that are either in pilot or research stage
How different industries can benefit from QMIC's Smart Solutions
List of satisfied customers using QMIC's Smart Solutions
List of National partners that QMIC is currently working with
Drop us a line, we'd love to hear from you or give us a call.


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While there are many Taijiquan Grand Masters who are well known in the West … there are also many of the greatest adepts of this internal martial art who are almost completely obscured. Even masters from more recent years, of whom there is plenty of video & photographic evidence demonstrating their skill, are often totally unknown to English speaking Western Taijiquan practitioners.
The departed Great Grandmaster Li Jingwu (1912-1997) is one such example. Master Li was an expert at both Wu style taijiquan as well as Chen style taijiquan … and studied with some of the most preeminent masters in these styles of his day.
Born in Shandong province, and raised in Harbin (of Heilongjiang province), it was not until he moved to Beijing in the early 1930′s (in his teens) that Li was initially exposed to Taijiquan. In Beijing, Jingwu was always on the lookout for exceptional martial arts masters with whom to study … and his diligence & persistence certainly paid off!
Li Jingwu's Push Hands & Fajin (aka "Fajing")
(scroll down for several more videos of Great Grandmaster Li Jingwu)
Li Jingwu's Wu Style Taijiquan
Thanks to a recommendation from a friend, Li was first accepted by Wu style teacher Zhao Tie-An, a disciple of legendary Wu style Grandmasters Yang Yuting & Wu Jianquan (also spelled Wu Chien-ch'uan … son of Wu style founder Wu Quanyu). Master Li was fortunate enough to study as a student of Master Zhao for several decades, eventually becoming an "inner door" disciple.
As his skill progressed, and his reputation spread, Li eventually became known as one of the Northern Wu Style's "Fiver Tiger Generals" (wǔ hǔ shàng jiàng or 五虎上将) – an auspicious title borrowed from the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. This title originally referred to legendary Chinese mytho-historical figures Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, and Huang Zhong … quite the company for a great master like Li Jingwu. Among his peers in the "Five Tiger Generals" group were other Wu Style masters such as Wang Peisheng and their mutual lineage forebear, Yang Yuting.
Tai Chi Movements of "Northern" Wu Style (by Yang Yuting)
(Unfortunately I could not find any videos of Master Li Jingwu's form … so these videos are from his lineage forebear Yang Yuting)
Li Jingwu's Chen Style Taijiquan
Li Jingwu was not only one of the great Northern Wu Masters of his day, studying with some of the top Wu Style instructors to ever live … he was also fortunate (and dedicated) enough to study with the most respected modern Chen Style Master Chen Fake (pronounced Fah-Keh). Master Chen was the creator of the modern variation of Chen style, known as the "New Frame" (xīn jià or 新架), as well as the preeminent Chen stylist in Beijing who gave the world some of the most skilled Chen stylists of the modern era.
A few of Li Jingwu's contemporaries, who are also some of Chen Fake's most illustrious students, include: the recently departed Feng Zhiqiang, Hong Junsheng, Lei Muni, Gu Liuxin, Tian Xiuchen, and Fake's son, Chen Zhaokui. If you have any familiarity with the modern Chen Style of Taijiquan, this list reads like a "who's who" of today's Chen lineage. Chen Fake's impact is one of the greatest in modern Tai Chi, especially so if you practice the Chen style … and Master Li Jingwu was one of Chen's top students.
Tai Chi Movements of Fake's "New Frame" Chen Style Taijiquan
(demonstrated above by Chen's disciple Lei Muni)
The Taijiquan Legacy of Master Li Jingwu
(another video of Master Li Jingwu pushing hands & demonstrating fajin)
Master Li is one of the few modern Taijiquan masters who was adept at multiple styles ("Northern" Wu as well as Chen taijiquan) … and who also had a working knowledge of both Sun & Yang styles as well. His lifelong dedication to tai chi certainly is apparent in his videos, as well as in the stories passed down to us from his students.
It was not until 10 years after China's "liberation" … during 1959, a year characterized by great famine and hardship in the Chinese mainland … that Master Li's life was to change forever. For, it was in that year that Li was to move away from Beijing and accept a post teaching taijiquan full-time at the Beidaihe Qigong Rehabilitation Hospital in the relative backwater of the Qinhuangdao municipality of China's northeastern Hebei province.
Jingwu spent the rest of his life teaching & continuing his practice of Taijiquan in Beidaihe. It was there that he trained his several disciples who carry on his art today, including Lu Dehe, Wang Dayong, Zuo Zhiqiang, as well as his son Li Shujun and grandson Li Hongshun (all of whom – to my knowledge – are still alive and teaching).
The Taiji Neigong Connection
One of the most enticing reasons I am writing this article today is that, aside from Li's great contributions to the internal martial arts … he also wrote a book in which he passed down his own set of unique neigong exercises … titled :: wait for it :: Taiji Neigong! … which is the name of this blog in case you didn't notice. It is for this reason I feel a particular affinity to this master (in spite of the fact that I never met him and have not studied with any students on his lineage).
Thanks to a great article presented by the Wu Lin Ming Shi blog, I am able to share this translated quote from the book "Hidden Tao [大道显隐]" regarding Master Li's neigong skill (even apparent in his old age):
Li's neigong was incredibly developed. One time he got me to feel his stomach – it felt as though there was a half-inch wide hard band around his stomach. He was smiling while I did this, he definitely wasn't holding his breath or anything. Once, during a course of lectures on taiji, whilst explaining the phrase 'don't let qi mix with qi', he said: 'this is the ancients showing us that there are two kinds of qi: one is breath, and the other is the 'inner qi' of the dantian. The meaning of this phrase is not to confuse breath and inner qi. When M Li taught me neigong, he said: 'it's a gradual, stepwise regimen that produces gudang qi [surging qi] – it is surging qi that can be used in push hands and fighting.
When Master Li pushed hands and launched people, you could see his dantian rotating, the spirit flowing up the back [神通于背], and there would occasionally be 'heng – ha' sounds. Even in his old age, M Li could still launch people more than a zhang [3 metres] away, a feat made possible by his deep neigong.
-Hidden Tao [大道显隐]
by Mei Mosheng
In the end, I feel very fortunate to have learned of this great master, and to have had the opportunity to study and share these videos preserving his great skill in the art of Taijiquan. I hope to one day find a copy of his book, Taiji Neigong, to provide a translation (or at least to translate it to satisfy my own curiosity).
Thank you for reading, and please allow me to include with a few more videos of this excellent departed master of Tai Chi Ch'uan.
Push Hands & Teaching Videos of Master Li Jingwu
(a video with over 45 minutes of Master Li casually teaching tai chi at his home)
(an excellent video of Master Li demonstrating taijiquan push hands applications)
(one last video showcasing Master Li's push hands & fajin {aka "fajing"} skills)


text: Human Rights in Tourism: Identifying and overcoming challenges 03/08/2016 A practical dialogue on current assessments from Mexico, Vietnam, and Myanmar. At ITB the Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism gathers for the first time world leaders in Human Rights Impact Assessments in tourism. Through its panel discussion it will enable mutual learning and exchange within the sector. On 10 March 2016 from 12-1 pm the experts on the panel will give exclusive insights into assessments conducted in Mexico, Vietnam and Myanmar as well as practical advice for businesses and civil society. In 2011 the United Nations adopted the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. It is evident ever since: The respect for human rights is not a passive responsibility but requires action from businesses in order to assess and effectively eliminate risks of their operations. Examining the human rights situation within a destination is a core element and an important first step. As part of so-called Human Rights Impact Assessments (HRIA) pioneers in tourism seek the dialogue with business partners, local non-governmental organisations and government institutions to understand the impacts of tourism on the country and the population as well as to develop solutions at the local level. Importance of knowledge sharing and dialogue "Especially because only few Human Rights Impact Assessments in tourism exist so far, it is crucial to exchange experiences and share knowledge", Antje Monshausen from Tourism Watch – Bread for the World and chairwoman of the Roundtable stresses. Sibylle Baumgartner from Kuoni Group, a founding member of the Roundtable, complements: "Ultimately the purpose is not to reinvent the wheel time and again, but to benefit from existing assessments and apply what we have learned in order to respond appropriately to human rights risks in business operations." Impact assessments as a basis for the respect of human rights The Roundtable is optimistic that the exchange between businesses and civil society organisations will contribute to the development of further destination-related impact assessments in the upcoming years. Therefore, specific questions emerging from practical experiences will be discussed as part of the event. Destination on-site assessments are an important basis for companies to understand the impacts of their business activities on human rights and to develop individual adaptation strategies. Not least the challenges and costs for individual businesses can be reduced through cooperation. The Roundtable welcomes new members The dialogue within the sector is particularly important to better coordinate the cooperation and create synergies. This is one reason why the Roundtable is pleased to welcome German Travel Association (DRV) and Dutch Travel Association (ANVR) as new members. At the ITB event the new members will be represented by Norbert Fiebig, president of the German Travel Association (DRV), and Gerben Hardeman from the Dutch Travel Association ANVR. Norbert Fiebig confirms: "As associations we have a key role in progressing the sector dialogue and discussing joint sustainable solutions." In addition to forum anders reisen, four national travel associations namely from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands are now members of the Roundtable. Event "How to start human rights due diligence in practise? Impact assessments as part of corporate human rights strategies" on Thursday, 10 March 2016 from 12-1 pm, Hall 4.1, Pow-Wow-Stage Panel talk with Nicole Häusler (Advisor for sustainable tourism), Beth Verhey (Unicef), Michelle Naggar (Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide), Sibylle Baumgartner (Kuoni Group), Gerben Hardeman (ANVR – Dutch Travel Association), moderated by Antje Monshausen (Bread for the World – Tourism Watch). Starting at 12:50: Stakeholder talk with new association members including the signing ceremony with the new members of the Roundtable: Gerben Hardeman (ANVR) and Norbert Fiebig (DRV). About the Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism The Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism is a multi-stakeholder initiative, supporting businesses' implementation of human rights due diligence. Currently the Roundtable has 24 members, including tour operators, travel associations, certification bodies as well as sector-specific multipliers and non-governmental organisations. The Roundtable is an open dialogue platform and provides information, materials and good practise examples. Members: a&e erlebnis:reisen, Akte – Working Group on Tourism & Development, ANVR – Dutch Travel Association, Austrian Travel Association, Bread for the World - Tourism Watch, ECPAT Germany, forum anders reisen e.V., Gebeco – Society for International Encounters and Cooperation, German Travel Association, Global Compact Network Germany, Hamburg Foundation for Business Ethics, Hauser Exkursionen, ITB Berlin, kate – Ecology & Development, Kuoni Travel Management Ltd., Naturefriends International, One World – Reisen mit Sinnen, Studiosus Reisen, Swiss Travel Association, TourCert, Travelife for Hotels and Accommodations, Viventura, Vocational School 14 Hanover, Willy Scharnow Tourism Foundation Further information and press contacts: Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism email@example.com www.humanrights-in-tourism.net Share


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No doubt, absolutely the best PROSECCO of Italy. From the small hill of CARTIZZE, only 106 hectares, the BISOL family wine makers since the XVI century, produce this "Private reserve" of just 1700 numbered bottles.
BLACK of VELVET its name say all. From north SALENTO: Elegant and Classy pure Negramaro. Hand-numbered bottles only of the best vintages. Twelve months in french oak barrels and six months of aging in bottle.
High Class, Golden, Rare, Extremely Luxurious, only for V.I.P, Numbered, Exclusive, Limited. From Venice with bottle hand-finished made in Murano, Label made in REAL GOLD, of a small vineyard of just 0,8 hectare.


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FBA at PostExpo Stockholm
FBA will be at the PostExpo in Stockholm on 23, 24 and 25 of September 2014.
We will showcase our solutions for Express Couriers and Postal Services. We will present our range of products for parcels, envelopes, pallets and ULDs.
FBA will also present the pilot project made for Poste Italiane in collaboration with the Australian company TZ. With its innovative parcel logistics solutions, TZ automates the "last mile delivery" of package and express deliveries to commercial and residential locations.
Come to visit us at booth A10:45, we will discuss about how to improve the performance of your facilities.


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India vs England: Virat Kohli's Message To Fans After India's Lord's Debacle
India captain Virat Kohli on Monday took to Facebook and shared a message after India suffered an innings and 159-run defeat at the hands of England in the second Test at Lord's. "Sometimes we win and other times we learn. You never give up on us and we promise to never give up on you either. Onwards and upwards," Kohli's post read. India are trailing England 2-0 in the five-Test series after losing the first two Tests, at Edgbaston and Lord's, respectively.
India, who lost the first Test by 31 runs, were bowled out for 107 and 130 as England scored 396/7 in the second Test.
"We have to accept the mistakes, learn from them, put them aside, make sure we're not thinking about the same mistakes again, rather get confident and not repeat those again," Kohli had said after the match
"We're thinking of nothing else but to go 2-1 in the series, and from thereon build on that strongly. We know that we do have the bowling attack to pick up 20 wickets and as batsmen we should think of that as an opportunity to score runs and make the team win games. What is sad is that we haven't had those two skills come together," the Indian skipper said.
Kohli also dropped a spot to No.2 in the latest ICC rankings for Test batsmen, a day after his side lost the Lord's Test.
Kohli, who rose to the numero-uno spot by overtaking banned Australian Steve Smith last week, scored 23 and 17 in the second Test.
The third Test starts at Trent Bridge on August 18.
Source:- ndtv


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Porsha Williams' vegan feast was not quite a dinner from hell as lots of fans might have expected. But the ladies who attended were sure fun to watch anyway in the latest RHOA episode.
Porsha's party started with shots on the patio, and a plant-based menu followed afterwards. This definitely led to some drunken fun.
Cynthia Bailey invited the gang to a trip to Barcelona and Porsha admitted that there is much more going on than RHOA producers let fans to see.
She said that her dinner was not filled with beef but on the other hand, 'it was beef all around that table.'
'The audience didn't even get to see a majority of it because, as you can tell, we were on fire that night. The dinner was long. They had to edit it down to what you saw, and it still was on fire. It was fun' said Porsha.
'And you know what I liked about it? It was kind of back to how it used to be on Housewives to where we may disagree, and it may get a little heated, and we may read or whatever, but then five minutes later, when we walked inside, we were better again. It was just a good time. I liked it' Porsha continued.
Then, Porsha told her fans that she and Cynthia discussed her feelings about the fact that everyone disses Will. Kim Zolciak wanted to bring her hubby Kroy Bierman to the trip to Barcelona, and all the ladies protested against her plan.
Porsha also said that there were some crazy moments indeed at that dinner and she motivated this saying that the ladies 'didn't have meat, they didn't have the bread they would typically have. They had strictly a whole plant-based meal, so they weren't used to that. So whatever I was giving them had them lit.'
We can't wait to see what will happen during the ladies' trip to Barcelona at this end of this week, Stay tuned for more juicy RHOA!


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The start of 2017 was quite a shock for buyers in the plastics industry as price increases hit hard for several polymers. Prices surged in polystyrene and polypropylene within the span of days, with little to no notice and rumors of further increases on the horizon. Given the current volatility of the market there is a lot of uncertainty among buyers of resin and plastic sheet alike regarding whether they should stock up, or hold back.
To help give some context to the current pricing surge that many plastic sheet customers are seeing, and when you may expect some relief, below is a recap of market pricing reported for the month of January: