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Posted: January 29th, 2018
By Marisa Stern (JD '18)
When veterans are discharged from service, they look to new resources of income. Historically, a large number of veterans end up working for another corporation. More recently, however, veterans have started to self-employ in hopes of creating their own businesses. Specifically, 25% of the people leaving the military want to start their own businesses. BunkerLabs, a non-profit organization, is helping entrepreneur veterans take ahold of their future. BunkerLabs is a membership-based organization that aims to help veterans whose dreams are to be successful in their own ventures. BunkerLabs understands the various obstacles that veterans face because the organization is primarily run by veterans; the CEO, Todd Connor, is a U.S. Navy veteran.
BunkerLabs was first announced in June 2014; shortly after that, in 2015, the first North Carolina location was launched in Raleigh-Durham. The Raleigh-Durham (RDU) location, like all other BunkerLabs locations, offers an array of resources to veterans to further their business goals. Among the resources is a weekly "Braintrust session." A Braintrust session is an open forum for all veterans, members, and thought leaders to share ideas and connect with each other. Each session revolves around a different topic or set of topics that are relevant to starting a business. "The program features: curated demonstrations, business pitches by Bunker members, skills-awareness presentations by Bunker mentors, interviews with thought leaders and successful entrepreneurs."[1]
Additionally, BunkerLabs understands that networking is a key aspect of starting your business and as such uses their membership events and veteran-based relations as a way to facilitate the making of connections. Thus, BunkerLabs has a monthly "Bunker Brews" event. This is a meeting or happy hour in which the BunkerLabs community can network with each other to further develop their business. This environment allows veterans to grow alongside other veterans, and even more so, it allows for veterans to mentor each other. Furthermore, if a veteran specializes in a specific field or starts a particularized business, then that veteran can use this meet up as a way to advertise their business out to the BunkerLabs community. This allows more people to be aware of a new business and to help it prosper by either transacting with the business themselves or by referring the business to friends, family, and other points of contact.
Another program that the RDU BunkerLabs runs is called the "Launch Lab" (previously known as the "Entrepreneurial Program for Innovation and Collaboration," or EPIC). Launch Lab is an intensive, in-person 12-week program for veterans who have a busy life, but would still like to take classes to learn the rules of the trade. It runs like a traditional educational program, for it requires participants to watch instructional videos and gauges their progress through regular assignments and assessments. Furthermore, there is a laboratory aspect to the program in which participants can experiment with their business concepts and ideas. Thus, this allows participants to figure out what works for them without sacrificing their business or future.
For persons residing outside of a BunkerLabs area, or for persons who are unavailable during scheduled events, BunkerLabs offers a "Bunker in a Box" program. This program is an online platform that allows for an individual to learn the ins-and-outs of entrepreneurship and business at a self-scheduled pace. The program is developed around the three themes of Inspire, Educate, and Connection and takes the learner through "14 missions" aimed at learning the information and actively participating in BunkerLabs community discussions.
Overall BunkerLabs is a great resource for veterans, whether you are starting your own business or would just like more insight into the corporate rule. It also provides veterans with a support group because the members come from similar backgrounds and can share their experiences. BunkerLabs is also highly accessible, it is available both online and in-person, and it is only continuing to grow. If you are looking for a way to start your entrepreneurial dream, it seems as though BunkerLabs can provide you with the tools to do so, without consuming all of your time.


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Let's Talk: Body Confidence
Wednesday, 27 August 2014
9 comments:
Beautifully written :)! And yes who cares about the thigh gap anyway, as quoted 'we are just one step being closer to a mermaid' haha! xxReplyDelete
kathryns.cupcakes.blogspot.co.uk xx
No one cares about thigh gaps anyway! A while ago there was a bitchy image being nasty about girls with thigh gaps which is just as horrible! If everyone was a little kinder to each other, we'd have less body confidence issues! The things I don't like people don't notice on me either - I think I have really skinny ankles and sticky out shoulder blades! Bit weird I know :P everyone is so gorgeous in their own way, it's when people are bitter and bitchy that they seem so ugly! xoReplyDelete
amber love
What a beautiful post! I totally agree that everyone should love themselves otherwise accepting love from others is hard. Society needs to accept that people come in all kinds of different shapes and sizes, all beautiful and all worthy of love.ReplyDelete
I laughed at the hot pants and a crop top in the club thing because I loved this look for so long and we are a similar size, so I had the same insecurities as you. I found a pair of super highwaisted disco pants that are super flattering and because of the high waist crop tops don't leave too much too see belly wise. It was definitely an achievement to rock a look I wasn't sure I'd feel confident in, I definitely recommend trying to find pieces that work for you.ReplyDelete
Lovely post girl, wish i had the confidence to feel the same!ReplyDelete
xprincessjas | ♥
I LOVEEEE this post, and so glad you have written it! I will never have a thigh gap either, and definitely don't think we should feel ashamed or embarassed, although I did have someone call me fat last friday when I was out in the daytime in jeans and a coat and I WAS humiliated, I think it's just what we feel happy with in our skin not anyone else! xxxxReplyDelete
Blonde of carbs
This is great to read. I think things like this demonstrate being a mature woman, hopefully i'm nearly there :)ReplyDelete
Sophie x
I love this. I put on a few pounds in my last semester at uni (stress eating eh!) and went from a size 8-10, to a 10-12 and literally just panicked and was so busy thinking how fat I was, that I was calorie counting and then binging and it's just recently I've taken a look at what I've been dong to myself and thinking what? I'm trying to focus on accepting myself now and making healthy choices when I can, and I already feel better being in my own skin. It's awful that thinking we're fat can do shit like this to the way we think!ReplyDelete
India / Touchscreens & Beautyqueens
Thank you for taking the time to comment, I would love to hear from you! However, if you are looking for a more instant answer please feel free to tweet me your questions @RDerbyshire93.

subset: commoncrawl


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Captain Marvel Update (Jude Law)
If there is something we know about Marvel, it is their incredible stories and cast. If you have followed the MCU releases so far; starting from Iron Man in 2008, you will note that Marvel are very careful in the selection of their cast and so far, ALL the cast have played their roles and delivered Especially the Villians; for example (Thanos).
Jude Law, if you are an avid movie-goer; you must have crossed paths with Jude Law on the big screens with movies like Sherlock Holmes, Repo Men, The Grand Budapest Hotel and most recently Fantastic Beast: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
You have to admit that he is one juganut of an actor whether he plays the good guy or when he plays the villian. You can be sure that he is bringing his A-game to Captain Marvel. Set to release in West Africa on the 15th of March.
Be one of the first to watch Captain Marvel, Buy advance screening ticket with the link below and enjoy the short clip


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'Law & Order: SVU': Should NBC have kept the Kathy Griffin/Mariska Hargitay kiss?
One week ago, NBC released video of a same-sex kiss between Mariska Hargitay and guest star Kathy Griffin in an effort to promote last night's return of Law & Order: SVU. But it didn't happen! The U.S. telecast cut directly from Kathy going in for the kiss to Mariska being all "Back off, bitch!" Or, in Law & Order language (LOL): Whoa, whoa, whoa, now. That's not on the menu. I'm personally more outraged at the cheesy dialogue throughout and Benson's "I wouldn't go in there if I were you" warning than by NBC's weird decision here. What do you think? Should NBC have kept the kiss? And will this show ever get the gay thing right?
Here's the original scene, with the kiss (0:16):
And here's what NBC ran last night, courtesy of Autostraddle (0:40):
NBC didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.


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This post is sponsored by Amazon Video. All opinions are my own.
During the dog days of summer, it can be difficult to find a new TV show that is worth your time. It's even harder to find one that the entire family will enjoy. This week I had the opportunity to screen a new Amazon series and my family is loving Niko and the Sword of Light.
Niko and the Sword of Light
Here is a brief synopsis.
"Niko and the Sword of Light follows 10-year-old Niko, the last of his kind in a strange, fantastical world, as he embarks on an epic quest to defeat the darkness and bring the light back to his land. Armed with his magic sword, brave Niko journeys to the Cursed Volcano, making new friends and powerful foes along the way, all while uncovering secrets about his mysterious past. Niko and the Sword of Light features the voice talent of Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants), Andre Robinson (Doc McStuffins), Steve Blum (Star Wars: Rebels), Kevin Michael Richardson (The Penguins of Madagascar), Jim Cummings (Shrek), and Kari Wahlgren (Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness). Based on the motion graphic comic by Imaginism Studios, Inc., the studio behind character and concept designs for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and Men in Black 3; and Studio NX (The Carrot and Rabbit Show, Tree Fu Tom), Niko and the Sword of Light is animated by Titmouse (Motorcity, Metalocalpyse) and executive produced by Rob Hoegee (Generator Rex, Teen Titans), who also serves as showrunner."
My thirteen-year-old daughter and I had a blast watching Niko. Some animated series can be a little out there and clearly designed to find and entertain a small cult audience. Niko is totally different. It's very grand in scope and his quest plays out in an exciting, well written arc from episode to episode. It's perfect for summer binging because missing an episode would be like skipping a chapter in a book.
My daughter and I are both big fans of executive producer Rob Hoegee and the show Teen Titans. But, I feel like this is the best show that he has done so far. Niko and the Sword of Light is funny, quirky and just a little crazy. The animation is textured and has a depth that I haven't seen in a lot of animated series. It leaps off the television as a very realized world that draws you in from Episode 1.
Don't worry about hitting the Multiplex this weekend. Stay in and introduce the family to Niko… He's the summer blockbuster that you've been waiting for.
Niko and the Sword of Light is available on Amazon Prime.


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Hi Chaps,
I was wondering if any of you have plugged in some things with reverse polarity and typically where I should start looking for the blown components.
firstly I have a G-OSD that I managed to plug in backwards at the field and it released the magic smoke.
there are a couple of components that look like they got pretty hot but I am unable to test them because I have never faulted anything this small before.
then I just did a really dumb thing and wired the plug for a lipo powered 12v supply backwards and powered up my little SD card DVR with it and this too released the magic smoke.
As I seem to have the same problem on both bits of kit I figured I'd try and find out if there is any way to trouble shoot these IC boards before I throw them in the bin.
I have basic test tools, and multi meter, and I have a tiny little 10w soldering iron which is small enough to re attach surface mount components.
both the things I have powered up backwards work to an extent, the G-OSD will power up and light up if I use my USB programming cable ( I had re-flashed it) and the DVR LED's light up if I plug in a USB lead from a PC, I haven't tested if video goes through it when powered up from usb yet, I will try that later. but these facts lead me to believe that only the input side of things is toast and as a result probably only a couple of things have gone pop.
I am particularly interested in what sort of things I should look for and how I test voltage regulators.
any ideas would be really appreciated.
This isn't about the money, it is about the satisfaction of not throwing something away.
many thanks


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The luxury brand Vkus – pronounced fkuss – which is devoted to the Russian tea tradition asked the Atelier Christian von der Heide to do the brand and product design – and more: the trade show booth of Vkus presented the ideal location for the launch event of the new brand in Milano and was also designed by the Atelier Christian von der Heide.
The range of the new tea brand Vkus (which includes classic black and herbal teas as well as specialties such as the precious Pu-Ehr or Oolong tea) covers the entire range of tea specialties of excellent quality for upscale restaurants and hotels. They also offer organic tea. Depending on business requirements, one can select between a business line and a premium line in organic quality. The name Vkus stands for the motto of the brand: "Vkus" is the Russian word for "taste".
In order to live up to the high quality and sustainability standards of Vkus, the Atelier Christian von der Heide created a luxurious and still functional packaging: sealable doypacks, high-quality, refillable, and thus sustainable metal tea caddies for loose tea, pyramid bags, and threaded cotton bags for organic teas. In addition, the Atelier created slipcases, brochures, displays, and high-quality piano lacquer boxes for hotels. Apart from that, the Atelier also came up with the concept and design of the trade show booth, which also served as location for the launch event of the new brand at the "host" show in Milano.
"It was a great pleasure and an exciting challenge to give the new premium restaurant and hotel brand Vkus our full program," Christian von der Heide explains. The result is a sophisticated design inspired by the Russian tradition of enjoying tea, which keeps referencing the logo of the brand. For instance, you can find the delicate floral cut-outs for the lettering in the logo vignette and in the corporate pattern. The high-grade metal tins for loose tea are classic French tea caddies which were decorated in brilliant colors using a screen printing process. They correspond to the respective tea creation: the Oolong almond tea can shines pink like an almond blossom, the caddy for the "Morning Hour" tea in the early morning blue.


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New York, NY – November 19, 2015 – ICR, a leading strategic communications and advisory firm, today announced the preliminary list of presenting and attending companies for The ICR Conference taking place January 11-13, 2016 at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes in Orlando, Florida.
ICR's Conference is the premier annual event for consumer growth companies, featuring investor presentations, group breakout sessions and unparalleled networking opportunities.
"We are pleased to welcome another exciting group of private and public companies to our 18th consecutive conference," said Tom Ryan, Chief Executive Officer, ICR. "The event offers a unique platform for companies to present to, and network with, institutional investors, equity research analysts, investment bankers, private equity professionals, and select media. We look forward to more than 150 presentations over three days that will offer a unique and better understanding of trends and public company prospects as the New Year begins."
The ICR Conference is by invitation only and will feature one day of private company presentations on Monday, January 11 followed by two full days of public company presentations on Tuesday, January 12 and Wednesday, January 13.
For additional information please visit http://www.icrconference.com. Follow the ICR Conference on Twitter at @ICRPR and join the conversation using the #ICRConference hashtag.
Confirmed Public Company Attendees Include (*indicates companies that are attending, but not presenting):
- American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (AEO)
- Amira Nature Foods Ltd. (ANFI)
- Amplify Snack Brands, Inc. (BETR)
- Ascena Retail Group, Inc. (ASNA)
- B&G Foods, Inc. (BGS)
- Barfresh Food Group, Inc. (BRFH)
- Big Lots Inc. (BIG)
- BJ's Restaurants, Inc. (BJRI)
- Bloomin' Brands, Inc. (BLMN)*
- Bojangles', Inc. (BOJA)
- Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. (BOOT)
- Bravo Brio Restaurant Group, Inc. (BBRG)
- Brinker International, Inc. (EAT)
- Brixmor Property Group, Inc. (BRX)
- Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (BBW)
- Burlington Stores, Inc. (BURL)
- Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. (TAST)
- Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG)
- Christopher & Banks Corporation (CBK)
- Chuy's Holdings, Inc. (CHUY)
- Core-Mark Holding Company, Inc. (CORE)
- Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY)
- DAVIDsTEA Inc. (DTEA)
- Del Frisco's Restaurant Group (DFRG)
- Del Taco Restaurants, Inc. (TACO)
- Denny's Corporation (DENN)
- Destination Maternity Corporation (DEST)
- Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc. (SAUC)
- Domino's Pizza, Inc. (DPZ)
- El Pollo Loco, Inc. (LOCO)
- Express, Inc. (EXPR)
- Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. (FRGI)
- Five Below, Inc. (FIVE)
- Fogo de Chao, Inc. (FOGO)
- Fox Factory Holding Corporation (FOXF)
- Freshpet, Inc. (FRPT)
- FTD Companies, Inc. (FTD)
- G-III Apparel Group, Ltd. (GIII)
- Genesco Inc. (GCO)
- Gordmans Stores, Inc. (GMAN)
- Guess?, Inc. (GES)
- Helen of Troy Limited (HELE)*
- Ignite Restaurant Group, Inc. (IRG)
- Inventure Foods, Inc. (SNAK)
- Jamba, Inc. (JMBA)
- J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (JCP)*
- Kona Grill Inc. (KONA)
- Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. (KKD)
- L Brands, Inc. (LB)
- LifeVantage Corporation (LFVN)
- Limoneira Company (LMNR)
- lululemon athletica inc. (LULU)
- Malibu Boats, Inc. (MBUU)
- MarineMax, Inc. (HZO)
- Mattress Firm, Inc. (MFRM)
- Medifast, Inc. (MED)
- Monro Muffler Brake, Inc. (MNRO)
- Movado Group, Inc. (MOV)
- Nautilus, Inc. (NLS)
- New York & Company, Inc. (NWY)
- Noodles & Company (NDLS)
- Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. (NUS)
- Omega Protein Corporation (OME)
- Oxford Industries, Inc. (OXM)
- Papa Murphy's Holdings, Inc. (FRSH)
- Perry Ellis International Inc. (PERY)
- Planet Fitness, Inc. (PLNT)
- Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. (PLKI)
- Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc. (PBH)
- Primo Water Corporation (PRMW)
- Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc. (RRGB)
- Rocky Brands, Inc. (RCKY)
- Ruby Tuesday, Inc. (RT)
- Ruth's Hospitality Group, Inc. (RUTH)
- Sequential Brands Group, Inc. (SQBG)
- Shake Shack Inc. (SHAK)
- Shoe Carnival, Inc. (SCVL)
- Signet Jewelers Limited (SIG)
- Sonic Corp. (SONC)
- Sportsman's Warehouse Holdings, Inc. (SPWH)
- Stage Stores, Inc. (SSI)
- Steven Madden, Ltd. (SHOO)
- SunOpta Inc. (STKL)
- Sysco (SYY)
- The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. (CHEF)
- The Children's Place, Inc. (PLCE)*
- The Container Store Group, Inc. (TCS)
- The Habit Restaurants, Inc. (HABT)
- The Michaels Companies, Inc. (MIK)
- The ONE Group Hospitality, Inc. (STKS)
- The Tile Shop (TTS)
- Tilly's, Inc. (TLYS)
- Tumi Holdings, Inc. (TUMI)
- Titan Machinery Inc. (TITN)
- United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI)
- Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN)
- Wayfair Inc. (W)
- Wingstop Inc. (WING)
- Xcel Brands, Inc. (XELB)
- Zoe's Kitchen, Inc. (ZOES)
Confirmed Private Company Presenters Include:
- b.good
- Batteries Plus Bulbs
- Blaze Pizza
- Blossom Water
- Cava Grill
- Firebirds Wood Fired Grill
- H.Bloom
- Hurricane Grill & Wings
- iPic Entertainment
- JoyRide Cycling Studio
- Kendra Scott
- Lyst
- MOD Pizza
- Olo
- Petsense
- Punch Bowl Social
- Rubio's Restaurants, Inc.
- RuMe, Inc.
- Secoo
- Sharky's Woodfired Mexican Grill
- Sir Kensington's
- Skeeter Snacks
- Steven Alan
- Strong Suit Clothing
- Sundance Holdings Group
- Tava Kitchen
- The Briad Group
- The Honest Company
- Threads 4 Thought
- ThredUP
- Yosi Samra
- Ziosk
About The ICR Conference
The ICR Conference is a unique platform where public and private company management teams, institutional investors, sell-side research analysts, investment bankers, private equity professionals and select media connect with one another with the goal of understanding consumer trends and public company prospects as the year begins. The event is one of the largest investment conferences of the year, featuring presentations by more than 150 public and private companies, with attendance regularly exceeding 2,000. For more information please visit http://www.icrconference.com
About ICR
Established in 1998, ICR partners with companies to optimize transactions and execute strategic communications programs that achieve business goals, build credibility and enhance long-term enterprise value. The firm's highly differentiated service model, which pairs capital markets veterans with senior communications professionals, brings deep sector knowledge and relationships to more than 500 clients in approximately 20 industries. Today, ICR is one of the largest and most experienced independent advisory firms in North America maintaining offices in New York, Norwalk, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco and Beijing.
Follow us on Twitter at @ICRPR.
Media Contact:
Julia Young/Christine Beggan


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Vieux Farka Toure - album review
- Florence Thompson
- 1 November 2007
Vieux Farka Toure (World Village)
You might think that if Vieux Farka Toure entered the music business he would be doomed to failure. As the son of Malian music legend, the late Ali Farka Toure, he would be working in his father's shadow and probably end up petering out, à la Julian Lennon.
It's a pleasant surprise then to discover that this debut album is seriously good. Rather than breaking away from his father's more time-honoured acoustic Saharan sound, Vieux places it at the heart of his oeuvre, fusing it with a pulsating electric guitar that just seems to meander through tracks like 'Ana' and the wonderfully soothing 'Diabate'. Father and son even team up for two tracks, the only existing recordings of both together. It might seem like world music sacrilege for some to follow so closely in his father's footsteps, but even though Ali's revered sound is deep in the roots of this album, Vieux's modern-Afro take on this could be the start of something great. (Florence Thompson)


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Wed, 26 September 2012
Our guest this week is none other than Head Writer and Executive Producer of Comedy Central's The Burn... Mr. Chris McGuire!!!
Direct download: BeautyAndDaBeastPodcast_Episode107.m4a
Category:Comedy -- posted at: 9:55pm PDT
Thu, 20 September 2012
From HBO.com's "Enjoy It" Mr. Brody Stevens.
Direct download: BeautyAndDaBeastPodcast_Episode_106.m4a
Category:Comedy -- posted at: 9:43pm PDT
Wed, 12 September 2012
Hooray, it's our first remote! We visit the office of Joey's accupuncturist, Dr. Amy and discuss how her little army of pricks helped Madflavor.
Direct download: BeautyAndDaBeastPodcast_Episode105_Dr.Amy.m4a
Category:Comedy -- posted at: 6:57pm PDT
Thu, 6 September 2012
Bert "The Machine" Kreischer stops by the studio and reminds of us the first rule of comedy - what ever works, WORKS!!!
Direct download: BeautyAndDaBeast104_BertKreischer.m4a
Category:Comedy -- posted at: 8:13am PDT


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Westpac Banking Corp, Australia's fourth-biggest lender, said it had entered talks on an all-share bid for St George Bank, which has a market value of A$15 billion (US$14 billion), to create Australia's largest home lending and wealth management provider.
A combination of Westpac, with a market value of A$49 billion, would create the country's largest bank, eclipsing Commonwealth Bank of Australia which has a market value of about A$58 billion. It would come amid tough times
for banks as funding costs have soared amid the global credit crunch.
"Fascinating. It makes a lot of sense. St George is about a third of the size of Westpac and the cost synergies they can extract out of St George would be staggering," said Peter Vann, head of investment research at Constellation Capital Management.
"They will be paying a premium over St George's closing price, there's no doubt about that. Ten or twenty percent, it depends how the offer comes through."
Australian banks have largely dodged the subprime woes afflicting global banks, but the credit crunch has raised their funding costs and their customers are feeling the pinch of higher interest rates.
St George, which has a lower credit rating than its larger rivals, has been struggling with soaring funding costs in the debt markets. Earlier in the month, it had to pay more than 10 times the margin it paid a year ago for a debt issue.
Trading in the shares of both companies was placed on halt on Monday. St George said it requested the trading halt to allow confidential merger discussions with Westpac.
St George shares closed on Friday at A$26.65, down 15 percent for the year, compared with a 7 percent decline for Westpac which closed at A$25.97.
Westpac, whose chief executive, Gail Kelly, was until last August the CEO of St. George, said in a statement a deal would lower risks and costs for St George.
The combined group would have a larger balance sheet and greater access to funding, she added.
It would be the country's largest home lender with a market share of 25 percent, and the largest wealth management provider with funds under administration of A$108 billion.
Australia's banking sector is dominated by National Australia Bank, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, CBA and Westpac. Competition rules prevent the so-called "big four" from buying each other.
Westpac said it planned to keep the St George brands and branch networks.
"Westpac believes the respective brands would be better able to compete and flourish by belonging to the same larger, stronger, entity," the bank said in a statement.
St George said the talks followed an approach by Westpac after the market close on May 9, just days after St George disappointed markets after it trimmed its earnings target for the year due to higher funding costs caused by global financial market turmoil.
The bank said it expects to make a further announcement before trading begins on Tuesday.
Westpac earlier this month posted a 10 percent rise in first-half core profit, driven by growth in consumer and business lending, but also warned it expected lending growth to slow.
A Westpac-St George tie-up would require various regulatory approvals as well as that of the Federal Treasurer.


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Common Problems With Hyundai Accentsby Gina Poirier
The Hyundai Accent is an affordable subcompact car introduced to the U.S. market in 1995. Professional and consumer reviewers alike generally find it very reliable for the price, although it does have some shortcomings.
According to Kelley Blue Book, if you have an automatic transmission model, the 110-horsepower, 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine can have sluggish pickup, particularly at highway speeds. Zero-to-60 acceleration takes 13 seconds. Manual transmissions do slightly better, performing the same acceleration in 11 seconds.
Resale Value
If you purchase your Hyundai new and then resell it within a couple of years, its value drops more dramatically than other comparable models in its class, like the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris. It tends to rank lower in quality assessments by consumers. If, however, you keep your new car for more than five years or buy it used, it can still be a reliable and economical purchase.
Engine Noise
A common complaint among consumers is the noise the Accent's engine makes at high rpms. This is common among small inexpensive cars in its class.
The Accent is small and can be uncomfortable for tall drivers because there is not much leg room. The back seat and trunk also have limited space.
Some consumers report various problems with their transmissions, including difficulties with shifting, overdrive and reverse. These problems should be covered under the 100,000 mile/10-year manufacturer's warranty.
- traffic image by dinostock from Fotolia.com


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Gordon provides a variety of wall systems with wood grain finishes to meet your design requirements
for interior and exterior applications. Below are some of the options that we provide.
Custom systems can also be created.
Gordon is an award winning manufacturer and provider of solutions for specialty
interior finishes. Gordon Wall Systems are designed and engineered for easy installation,
high durability, and fabricated to your specific design requirements.
Gordon provides wall systems for exterior applications. Corrugated walls, screen
walls, fascia systems, rain screens, soffit systems, and spandrel panels are all
tab and slot metal wall and ceiling systems provide concealed attachments and are
designed and engineered for quick, easy. and low cost installation.
WinLok is an accessible, metal soffit, fascia, and screen wall system for exterior applications.
WinLok's revolutionary, patented connection system makes it one of the easiest systems to install in the industry.
Find us on
Members of


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It's 1883, and the Council of Watchers learns of an impending Apocalypse-level threat, but the Slayer is six thousand miles away from the danger spot and they only have five days to save the world... PG, 1,000 words.
"A telegram from Anstruther, sir."
"Anstruther?" Sir Archibald Travers raised an eyebrow as he accepted the message.
"Our man in the East Indies, sir," his assistant said.
"Ah, yes," Travers said. "George Anstruther. Has that rather promising Malay Potential, if I recall correctly. What was her name, Perkins? Sock Tongue?"
"Seok-Teng," Perkins corrected him. "The telegram has already been decoded, sir. Professor Dawson says it's rather urgent."
"Oh?" Travers scanned the document. "Awakening a volcano god? Sounds dashed unpleasant."
"Indeed so, sir," the assistant agreed. "Professor Dawson was rather... perturbed."
"I dare say," said Travers. "Send the Professor up to see me right away, Perkins, there's a good chap."
"I took the liberty of anticipating your wishes, sir," Perkins said. "The Professor is just outside."
"Capital show," Travers said. "Send him in."
"Well, Dawson, what's all this about?" Travers asked, after Perkins had departed and the Professor entered. "Some blighter is planning on waking up some volcano god, I gather. Didn't really follow all the academic jargon. Explain it to me in straightforward terms, old chap, if you'd be so good."
"Certainly, Sir Archibald," the Professor said. "The demon Rangda plans to awaken Agung, the god of volcanic fire. You will recollect, no doubt, the eruption of Krakatoa in August?"
"Read about it in The Times, of course," Travers said. "Dashed impressive show, I gather. They say the explosion was heard as far away as Australia."
"That is correct," the Professor confirmed, "and it would appear that it was not, after all, a natural event. Anstruther has discovered that it was caused by the second ritual to rouse Agung."
"The second ritual?" Travers raised his eyebrows. "That sounds rather ominous. I take it there is to be a third?"
"Indeed so," said Professor. "According to what Anstruther has discovered there are three rituals necessary. The first makes Agung stir in his sleep. That, apparently, took place last May. The second causes Agung to cough. That was carried out in August and, as a result, the island of Krakatoa blew itself to pieces."
"And the third?"
"Is to be carried out at the next full moon." The Professor produced a diary from his pocket. "Next Wednesday."
Travers' eyebrows climbed. "I suppose we can expect some rather, ah, violent volcanic activity?"
"Without doubt," the Professor said. "There are rather a lot of volcanoes in the East Indies. I suspect that the awakening of the god will cause most, if not all, of them to erupt simultaneously."
"Hmm." Travers raised a hand and fiddled with the tips of his moustache. "Just how bad would that be? A purely local disaster, with a few thousand brown native chappies killed by tidal waves and a lot of mud huts buried by lava, or something bigger?"
"A lot more than merely local, I'm afraid, Sir Archibald," the Professor said. "It would be pretty much the end of the Dutch East Indies, for a start, and I fear the Straits Settlements would suffer severely too. There are more than a hundred volcanoes in the area. They say that Krakatoa killed sixty thousand people. If they all erupted hundreds of thousands, even millions, of natives would perish. On top of that the clouds of smoke from the volcanoes would block out the sun perhaps for many years."
"Hmm." Travers stroked his moustache again. "This Rangda chap wouldn't be a vampire, would he?"
"She, actually," Professor Dawson said. "Yes, indeed. Rangda is the Queen of Vampires in the East Indies."
"It sounds quite the catastrophe," Travers said. "We'll have to stop it. Do you think Anstruther and his Potential would be able to manage if I arranged for the Governor of the Straits Settlements to put a gunboat or two and a regiment at their disposal?"
Professor Dawson shook his head. "Rangda is a remarkably formidable vampire," he said. "Absolutely impervious to bullets and, I gather, to stakes as well. She can be slain only with a kris, a type of dagger, which has been blessed by a holy man called the Pemangku. Luckily Anstruther is on good terms with the current Pemangku and obtaining the blessed kris won't be a problem."
"Dashed good show," said Travers. "So, young Sock Tongue takes the kris, stabs naughty old Rangda, and Bob's your uncle."
"If only it was that simple," Dawson lamented. "Rangda is an exceptionally dangerous fighter. No mere Potential, no matter how well trained, will be able to overcome her. They need a Slayer."
"A Slayer, in the East Indies, by next Wednesday." Travers scowled. "Damn it! Why couldn't Anstruther have found this out two months ago?" He stood up, came out from behind his desk, and paced the room.
"Damnably awkward, Dawson," he said, pausing beside one of the portraits that hung on the oak-panelled walls. He gazed up at the bewigged man in the painting. "I know what old Lord Coningsby did, when he heard about that mad Russian cove who was trying to bring back Baba Yaga, but I had hoped never to be in the same situation myself. Telegraphs, railways, and steamships, all the miracles of the age, and none of it helps. Well, apart from the telegraph."
"The current Slayer is in Sweden," said Dawson.
"I know, I know." Travers once more stroked his moustache. "Dagny Faltskog. Bright girl, I'm told, performed admirably at her Cruciamentum and has an impressive Slaying record. Damn it, I wish there was another way." He returned to his desk and rang a bell.
"You rang, sir?" Perkins hastened into the room.
"Job for you, Perkins," Travers said. "There's only one way to get a Slayer to Anstruther in time to avert an Apocalypse. Take a message, get it encoded, and send a telegram off to Doctor Grunhagen in Stockholm straight away."
"Of course, sir," Perkins said. He produced a notepad and a pencil. "Ready, sir."
"It's only three words," Travers said. He sighed heavily. "I really wish there was an alternative. Tell Grunhagen 'Kill your Slayer'."
Disclaimer: the Watchers' Council is not mine but is being used for amusement only and all rights remain with Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, the writers of the original BtVS episodes, and the TV and production companies responsible for the original television show. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER ©2002 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved. The Buffy the Vampire Slayer trademark is used without express permission from Fox.


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So much for the idea that the EU and its euro would lead to more economic freedom rather than less. Time finally ran out on what was always a vast con. Cyprus passes a law installing capital controls, thus prohibiting money transfers out of the country:
While it is unknown if the Cypriot parliament will agree to, and enact into law, the Troika-demanded deposit haircuts, after the shocking vote of mutiny against Merkel earlier this week that saw not one politician vote for the Europe suggested deposit tax levy (and even the ruling party abstained), a vote which will once more take place tomorrow, moments ago Cyprus became the first Eurozone country to officially implement governmental capital controls into legislation. At this point it had no choice: whatever happens with the deposit haircut, or with everything else, it is now inevitable that the local Cypriots will do all they can to pull as much money from domestic banking system as possible following the complete loss of faith and trust in banks, which is why the government had no choice but to intervene with its own "controls." Sadly, this marks a milestone in the development of the Eurozone – it's all downhill, and accelerating, from here.
Nor is the banking debacle limited to Cyprus any longer, as Spain has announced its intention to steal from Spanish depositors: "the Spanish Minister of Finance & Public Administration announced this week a tax or bank levy (probably 0.2%) to be imposed on bank deposits, without details on which deposits will be affected or timing."
It is time for the disastrous Euro experiment to end. Now. Bring back the Deutsche Mark. Bring back the Franc. Bring back the Lira. The Euro has failed.
UPDATE: The news out of Cyprus just keeps getting better.
"According to the rapidly shifting plan, depositors with
the biggest local bank, Bank of Cyprus, may see losses up to 25%…. Cyprus' second largest bank, Cyprus Popular Bank, aka Laiki bank, where it appears the bulk of Russian cash is stored, will fare far, far worse with
deposit haircuts up to a stunning 70% on the table, and that is after
capital controls ease enough to allow for the deposit withdrawals!"


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Like you, my spirit is grieved with the evil that took place this past weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia, in regards to the demonic demonstration of hate and violence of the white supremacists, neo-Nazis and the KKK. It's times like these that it is difficult to find words to express the absolute disgust I have for Satan and all of his wicked works against the human race. But I know, as Christians, we must rally together in the name of the Lord, take a stand, pray for a sovereign move of the Spirit and speak up.
I read in the Book of Revelation 6:3-4 where it says concerning the last days, "When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, 'Come and see.' Then another horse that was red went forth. Power was given to him who sat on it to take peace from the earth, causing people to kill one another. Then a great sword was given to him." I am reading these passages from the Scriptures, seeing these prophecies coming to pass, knowing that hate will be increasing and the world will be growing darker spiritually. And yet I find myself asking Father God, "What do we do?"
And what I continue to hear Him say to us is to shine our light into the darkness. Be not afraid of what they may say or what they may do to the physical body, but be more concerned for the salvation of others. We are to be mindful of the times, fully aware of the lateness of the hour in these last days. Speak the truth, not from a heart filled with bitterness and revenge, but speak it in love and remember vengeance belongs to the Lord. We are not to bend to the sinful ways of the world but bear the light of truth found in God's Word.
Those with a mature ear will hear and know that our weapons are not carnal, but they are mighty for the pulling down of strongholds. Many will bow before the throne of grace and start to intercede for the human race while there is still time. Pray for those who are willing to go into this horrific dark corner of hate and release a mighty move of the Spirit of repentance and redemption.
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Be not overpowered by the enemy's offer of hate, reject the wickedness upon his plate and instead reinstate the full power of the Father's love.
Becky Dvorak is a prophetic healing evangelist and the author of DARE to Believe, Greater Than Magic and The Healing Creed. Visit her at authorbeckydvorak.com.
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Great Resources to help you excel in 2019! #1 John Eckhardt's "Prayers That..." 6-Book Bundle. Prayer helps you overcome anything life throws at you. Get a FREE Bonus with this bundle. #2 Learn to walk in the fullness of your purpose and destiny by living each day with Holy Spirit. Buy a set of Life in the Spirit, get a second set FREE.


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I need some guidance which software to pick. It's been many years since I've done any video editing and DVD authoring; used Pinnacle Liquid Pro 6 ugh!
I need to start capturing video and author many, many DVDs. I have 102 hours of video to capture from SVHS or PDV-184N tapes.
I'll be using the Grass Valley ADVC110 to capture/output the video from the following players: Panasonic AG1980 and Sony DSR-20.
Typical DVD project:
--DVD MENUS: introduction w/ animated background with text content fading in and out; then followed by the menu.
--DVD CONTENT: typically each DVD will have 3 class room sessions; one hour each; 2.75 hours total each DVD.
I need to invest in new software and wondered how to proceed.
Use Premiere Elements 14 to capture the video and then import the video to DVD Architect Studio? FYI: There will be minimal video editing (if any).
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I'll be working on the following>>>
Dell XPS 9100
Window 7 Professional
64-bit O/S
Core i7 CPU; firstname.lastname@example.com GHz
2TB (1.0TB free)
AMD Radeon HD 6600 1.0 GB Memory
Thanks for the help!


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Together We Create and Hampstead School have the pleasure of inviting you to the screening of
Vision on Cricklewood: In Cricklewood Everyone is a Star
Over six months, we have been working students from Hampstead School to create a film that showcases some of Cricklewood's best bits! The students interviewed lots of local residents and businesses to create a film that celebrates the local area. We have the pleasure of inviting you to the premier screening of the film which will take place on:
Wednesday 23rd April 2014 between 6pm -7pm at Hampstead School, Westbere Road, Cricklewood, NW2 3RT
Limited parking and light refreshments provided. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Please RSVP to [email protected]


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The O-Pee-Chee name has been a staple of the trading card hobby for decades. Upper Deck felt it was time to bring the brand into the 21st Century by producing a more premium edition using a variety of cutting edge technologies. To run us through that, we sat down with Upper Deck Director of Product Development, Grant Sandground for a behind the scenes look at what it took to build the new 2014-15 NHL® O-Pee-Chee Platinum trading card release.
Question: Why has the O-Pee-Chee name been so important to the hockey trading card market over the years?
Sandground: "The base O-Pee-Chee brand provides hockey collectors each year with the most comprehensive checklist of players for any product we produce. It's the perfect set for hockey fans to build every year. It's history as a brand, dating all the way back to the 1930's, also makes it unique in the hockey market, providing memories of hockey trading cards for collectors of every age.
"With the all-new O-Pee-Chee Platinum brand, because the refractive parallels are so popular and such an integral part of the product, there are several pretty stunning parallel sets to chase. To that effect, we shrunk the base set down to 200 top stars (150 veterans and 50 rookies) to create the right balance for set builders and players collectors."
Question: This marks the first time in several years where collectors have been able to get a hockey card product on metallic foil board. Was this something you heard that collectors wanted to see from Upper Deck?
Sandground: "We've heard from dealers and hockey collectors alike for the past several years who have been clamoring for Upper Deck to produce a trading card set on metallic foil board. We wanted to take the time to do it right by providing a 100% hard-signed product with an array of eye-popping parallel sets."
Question: You did take a lot of time to bring this set to life for collectors by working with a variety of vendors to get the product right. What did you think of the final result when you started to see samples come in?
Sandground: "We had high hopes that the array of substrates, patterns and colors featured across the base set and parallels would provide O-Pee-Chee Platinum with some serious excitement from hockey card collectors, and we were blown away with how nice the finished cards turned out."
Question: Unfortunately scans and pictures do not really do these cards justice, you really have to see them in person to judge their beauty. Which cards do you think turned out the most stunning?
Sandground: "The 1-of-1 Golden Treasures are disgustingly awesome. I'm also smitten with the Blue Cubes (serial #'d of 65 copies per card)."
Question: There are some pretty awesome die-cut inserts in this product, can you walk us through those?
Sandground: "There are three different die-cut Insert sets in Legends, Stanley Cup Champs and Superstars. Each insert features 20 subjects with seeding ratios of 1 in every 60 packs (cumulatively resulting in one die-cut insert per 20-pack hobby box).
"The Legends insert focuses exclusively on retired stars and the Superstars insert exclusively features active stars. The Stanley Cup Champs insert blends active and retired stars, featuring iconic moments from 1983 to 2014. All three insert sets feature 100% hard-signed autograph parallels limited to 10 or fewer serial #'d copies per card including signers like Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Steve Yzerman, Patrick Roy, Mark Messier, Martin Brodeur, Pavel Datsyuk, Jonathan Toews, Anze Kopitar, Jarome Iginla, John Tavares and Carey Price."
Question: The investment Upper Deck makes in a set like this isn't all about autograph cards or memorabilia cards, but rather, very impressive parallel cards on different foil board. Explain why some of these cards can be more compelling than a jersey or autograph card for example?
Sandground: "Many collectors love shiny cards and the new O-Pee-Chee Platinum product provides some of the most beautiful cards we've produced to date. Other collectors just get tired of another memorabilia card and this offers diversity for them. Though autographs and memorabilia continue to be primary elements in most modern era products, we never lose track of our focus on trying to provide hockey card collectors with beautiful and different cards. The variety this product offers should be a breath of fresh air for a lot of collectors."
Question: There are however autograph cards in the product and they are all hard-signed. How difficult a decision was it to have this be a hard-signed product rather than using label autographs?
Sandground: "For us here at Upper Deck, it was a very easy decision to produce this product with 100% hard-signed autographs because we never even considered any other option. Putting sticker autographs on this metallic substrate is like putting a bumper sticker on a Rolls Royce. We challenged our Athlete Relations team to track down athletes for signings everywhere, including at events like the NHL All-Star Game. The end result is a product that provides collectors an opportunity to chase some of the nicest autographed hockey cards ever produced. When you couple the aesthetics with a lineup of signers including Upper Deck spokesmen Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr aside top rookie stars like Johnny Gaudreau and Aaron Ekblad, you've got a formula for a winning product."
Question: Sometimes sets with various different parallel cards give "player collectors" a panic attack. What do you think is the best way for a "player collector" to attack 2014-15 NHL® O-Pee-Chee Platinum?
Sandground: "As a company, we're very aware of the effect that too many parallels can have on the market. We try to pick and choose well thought out spots in our hockey calendar for 'parallel-focused' products like Artifacts and now O-Pee-Chee Platinum. With Artifacts, the parallels are based upon providing a rich array of different memorabilia, upgrading in quality as the print runs get scarcer. With O-Pee-Chee Platinum, it's based on the stunning aesthetics provided by the refractive substrates, patterns and colors inherent to the metallic rainbow stocks.
"Obviously, the 1-of-1 Golden Treasures cards seeded within O-Pee-Chee Platinum pose the most difficult challenge a player collector can tackle, but many veteran player collectors have created sensible guidelines for how to build their collections by putting ultra-rare cards (typically #'d of 10 or less into a 'wish list' bucket whereby if they happen to stumble upon a copy and the price is right they scoop it up. For cards with print runs of 25 or more copies, we've seen an approach by many of these same collectors to 'complete the rainbow.' To that effect, though OPC Platinum provides a great chase for players collectors because the majority of the parallels feature print runs of 25 copies per card or higher."
Question: Why is now the right time for Upper Deck to release a set like this?
Sandground: "I wish we could have done it sooner, but we wanted to make sure we produced a quality product that wasn't rushed to market. We set our standards high for the aesthetics of the parallels and the delivery of the autographs (being 100% on-card). Our hope moving forward is that O-Pee-Chee Platinum becomes another of our benchmark brands in our hockey calendar."
The staff here at Upper Deck couldn't be more excited about the release of 2014-15 NHL® O-Pee-Chee Platinum, but we want to hear what you think about the product. Share with us in the comment section below the element of the product you are most looking forward to. We will select one of our fans at random who leaves an approved comment to receive a FREE box of 2014-15 NHL® O-Pee-Chee Platinum as part of our Random Acts of Kindness program. The fan selected will be contacted on Monday, March 30 at approximately 10:30 a.m. PST. Open to fans in the United States and Canada only.
I love the die cuts and most importantly the on card autos!!
Hard sign cards.WOW.One of the best set this year.Keep going with another great products like this.Can wait to see theses cards in my hand.Collector's love it for sure.Happy 25 years and hope to see you for another 25 years.Congrats to you and thanks.
I actually am a big fan of collecting 'rainbow' sets of my favorite player, Tyler Toffoli, and I'm so glad to see him being included in this awesome set!
These cards look absolutely amazing. The legends inserts in particular, the thought of pulling a hand signed Wayne Gretzky or Bobby Orr has me sold already. A lot of these cards stir up a sense of nostalgia as they remind me of the prizm cards of my youth. Well done, I hope I have the opportunity to pick some of these up for my personal collection.
With you guys taking full of control of NHL cards you guys have been doing a amazing job with the cards and product still. Keep up the amazing job still and keep having everyone coming back! and thank you for what u do for the kids
I love the look and the amount of parallels. Shinny cards are good and I can't wait to open up a box or 12.
The Golden Treasure cards will become a historic chase card for the hockey hobby.
WoW factor! Love that the cards standout from the typical sets.. ALL hard signed autos is an amazing plus, knowing your favorite player touched that very card you now have in your collection! The photography looks great, should be a fun set to collect, looking forward to April 1st for some O-Pee-Chee Platinum Love
Like the autos been a while since I bought O-PEE-CHEE time to start again.


text: Guys trust me I have been working for Processors manufacturing companies for quite a long. Always remember to check your processor before going for any ram upgrades or downgrades. RAM bus speed totally depends only and only on the Processor you macbook has. For example, if you have late 2011 13 inch macbook pro 2.4 Cori5, then simply go to the processor specification page. It clearly shows that it supports 1066/1333 MHZ pc3 rams. Now based on that you can upgrade or downgrade without even having a single inch of doubt. However, if you try to do any other experiment where you want to put in a higher bus speed or a lower bus speed ram than specified, then there are 100% chances that it wont work. Take my tip - whenever deciding for a RAM, get exact specs of your processor and see the RAM compatibility list as RAM is designed to serve processor only and it should be considered before buying any RAM.


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"One of the things that is lacking in a big way in Pocket PC OS are user-controllable utilities for working with external media (storage cards.) There are only a few developers who have risen to the challenge of providing what Pocket PC OS does not. One such company is Wizcode, creators of Pocket Mechanic Professional."
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text: Blazin Scott2Hot 0 Report post Posted December 24, 2018 I'm Blazin Scott2Hot and I found out about The Big Jackpot from my brother Blazin Slots! We are now known as the "Blazin Bro's". I look forward to being part of this community. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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Schedule this tour for when it suits you. Simply complete the enquiry section and choose your own dates!
Once we have received the form, we will endeavour to schedule this tour on or around the dates you have selected. We will then process your booking directly with you. Thank you for your interest and we look forward in hearing from you.
If you are short on time but looking for something more than a day-trip, then it has to be Kali Gandaki, which starts from the Lakeside town of Pokhara.
Kali Gandaki is considered a holy river that flows in the deepest gorge in the world, the Kali gandaki gorge. Kali Gandaki river rafting is wonderful adventure passing through superb scenes, wildlife, unexplored remote villages, challenging rapids and technical bounces, terrific gorges, pristine jungles, sandy beaches and fishing and swimming opportunities in big water of Himalayan flows. Kali Gandaki river offers three days rafting trip and also can be done in two days in high water.
Kali Gandaki river rafting is also best chained with multi adventure with Annapurna circuit trek and Mountain Biking from Jomsom.
|Available September to June
|Kathmandu Airport
|Please call us or email us 14 days before with flight details so we can arrange pick up and drop off from Kathmandu Airport
Essential trip information:
The set dates can be viewed on the booking criteria.
If the treks dates are not your preference, please email us your preferred dates.
Before you begin the booking process, please visit our pages for FAQs and booking terms & conditions
Additional information
|River Distance
|No. of pax
|6 Minimum
Day 1: Departure
Welcome to the land of Buddha . You will be picked up by the representatives of Beyond Shangri-la Travels and take you to the hotel. After reaching hotel in Thamel, you can walk around Kathmandu for sightseeing.
Day 2
Drive to Pokhara and put – in, 2-3 hours of class 4.
Day 3
Day of class 3/4 to just above Seti Beni village.
Day 5
Seti Beni rapid and village, more class 3/4, take – out confluence of Aadhi Khola (dam) and bus to Pokhara arriving late pm.
Day 6
Gear required:
- T-shirts
- Swim wear
- Warm clothing for the evenings
- Sunglasses and a cap
- Towel and Toiletries
- Personal medication
- Flashlight
- Footwear
- Personal entertainment items
- Fishing gear (you can fish in the river)
- Meals or drinks except the 3 main meals specified in itinerary
- Anything else not specified in the 'included costs' section above


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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that bipartisan legislation to stop Asian carp from destroying the Great Lakes' ecosystem has passed both houses of Congress today and is now poised to become law. The Stop Invasive Species Act, of which Brown was an original cosponsor, would require the expedited creation of a plan to block Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes through a number of rivers and tributaries across the Great Lakes region.
The legislation was originally introduced in April by a bipartisan group of legislators alongside Brown, including U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Rob Portman (R-OH), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Carl Levin (D-M), Robert Casey (D-PA), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Al Franken (D-MN). The bill is supported by the Great Lakes Commission, The Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Alliance for the Great Lakes, Healing our Waters Coalition, National Wildlife Federation and Trout Unlimited.
"The invasion of Asian carp could grind to a halt Ohio's multi-million dollar fishing and boating industries," Brown said. "The Great Lakes, including Lake Erie, remain dangerously vulnerable to an Asian carp invasion. The Stop Invasive Species Act is a bipartisan bill that would ensure a definitive plan to permanently prevent Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes. We must move aggressively and quickly to protect our Lake, including, if necessary, hydrologically separating the Lakes from the Mississippi River."
The Stop Invasive Species Act requires the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to submit to Congress an expedited action plan with options for stopping Asian carp from penetrating the Great Lakes across 18 possible points of entry. The bill requires the Army Corps to submit a progress report to Congress and the President within 90 days of the law's enactment. The full plan would need to be completed within 18 months, meaning the Corps would have to complete its work sometime in 2013.
After the introduction of the legislation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers voluntarily said they would expedite the creation of a plan for permanent solutions for stopping Asian carp. While that announcement was welcome news, the Corps' plan would not present fully-completed solutions, and it would focus primarily on the Chicago Waterway System, rather than all of the carp's 18 possible points of entry. The Stop Invasive Species Act requires a completed plan, with proposed solutions for all 18 possible entry ways. The plan would include proposals for engineering and infrastructure projects to block Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes while still allowing shipping transportation across these waterways to continue.
The Stop Invasive Species Act was included as part of comprehensive, bipartisan transportation legislation that was passed today by both the House and the Senate to keep the country's highway trust fund from going broke. The transportation legislation addresses a wide variety of infrastructure and construction projects across the country, and the President is expected to sign it into law tomorrow.


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Become A Consumer Advocate On Twitter With Nevahold
Customer service may be going social, but some companies have yet to get on board (and a few are even jumping ship).
Why not help them along by becoming a consumer advocate? It's a simple, free way to make your voice heard while helping other regular folks be heard as well.
Oh and the best part? It not only shares criticism – it also shares praise.
Nevahold leverages the social influence of it users to help other users get quick responses from companies.
How? A few ways, actually. But let's start with how it works.
Customers wanting to send a complaint, question or tweet praising a company need only include the #Nevahold hashtag and they'll get picked up, retweeted and logged.
Now to how that helps:
If you've spent any amount of time on Twitter, you've likely noticed that folks with larger followings get better resolution online. Nevahold seeks to use the combined power of all users for the benefit of all.
Nevahold.com provides a platform where #nevahold tweets are consolidated (complaints, questions, praise) and searchable. Consumers can search for brands and their response rates. Right now, it's limited to mostly airlines, wireless and consumer electronics – but you'll find other services there as well, like shipping services (a biggee this holiday season).
You can also see tweets and responses to shouts on the Nevahold website.
Beyond that, if you have 50 or more Twitter followers, you can sign up to become a consumer advocate. This means you'd be allowing Nevahold to send retweets from your account (no more than two per day, they promised!) – and you can specify the kinds of tweets you want retweeted.
If that makes you uncomfortable, you could make it a habit to check in on the hashtag and help folks out every now and then – just make sure you retweet praise as well as questions and complaints (let's be fair).
(Customer Defender image from Nevahold.com)


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The True Wisdom That Comes from Faith
… A Light has come to you from God and a Clear Book.
By it, God guides those who follow what pleases Him to the ways of Peace.
He will bring them from the darkness to the light by His permission,
and guide them to a straight path.
(Qur'an, 5:15-16)
In what is to follow in this book, we will examine the effects of romanticism in our daily lives. Before venturing into this topic, however, we must explain in more detail the meaning of the idea of "wisdom" we have mentioned so often up to this point in the book.
The important difference between a wise person and an intelligent person is often missed. This is a critical error. The word "intelligence" is generally used in our society to refer to the quality of mere mental acuity, and is very different from wisdom.
Wisdom is the quality of a believer who has the ability to recognise the subtle signs of God in everything that He has created, allowing him to understand the world around him. But, any attempt to consider these things that relies only on the brain's ability to calculate cause and effect is bound to end in a mechanistic and narrow perception of reality. Intelligence is a quality of a believer who has a firm faith in God, and who lives his life in accordance with the teaching found in the verses of the Qu'ran. Intelligence is a physical characteristic possessed by all individuals in varying degrees, but wisdom is a quality that belongs only to believers. Those who do not have faith also are not possessed of the "virtue" of wisdom.
Wisdom allows a believer to properly employ his mental abilities, judgement, and logic, thus making the best use of his virtues. An individual without wisdom, no matter how intelligent he may be, is bound at some point to veer into faulty thinking or into bad judgement. If we examine unbelieving philosophers throughout the course of history, we will recognise that they have put forward different and sometimes even diametrically opposed views on the very same subject. Despite the fact that they were people of high intelligence, they had no faith; and because they had no faith, they also were not sufficiently wise and were therefore incapable of arriving at the truth. Some of them, indeed, drew humanity into numberless errors. We can find several such examples in recent history: Many philosophers, ideologues, and statesmen, such as Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky, despite the fact that they were very intelligent, caused disaster to fall upon millions of people, because they were unable to use their minds effectively. Wisdom, however, assures peace, well-being, and happiness, and shows the way to attain them.
Intelligence makes it possible for us, among other things, to think, form perceptions, focus our attention, and engage in practical activities. But, in addition to all these, a wise person also possesses a deep understanding unattainable by mere intelligence, and by means of which he is able to distinguish between truth and falsehood. Therefore, a wise person possesses insight far superior to that of an intelligent person.
The source of wisdom, as we said before, is a deep-seated faith and fear of God. Those who fear God, heed His commandments and proscriptions, become naturally possessed of this superior insight as a blessing from God. But, though this virtue is easily acquired, very few are endowed of wisdom. This condition, that God makes known in the Qu'ran, saying, "Most of them do not use their reason." (Qur'an, 5:103), arises from the fact that most people do not have the proper faith, having left no room for the Qu'ran in their lives.
You who believe! If you have fear of God, He will give you a criterion (by which to judge between right and wrong) and erase your bad actions from you and forgive you. God's favour is indeed immense.
(Qur'an, 8:29)
The wisdom that God has granted to those who fear Him, and who live their lives in conformity with the Qu'ran, renders the devout believer superior to the unbeliever in many ways. The basic components of this wisdom are the believer's knowledge that God controls all things all the time, his consciousness of the fact that everything in its every detail comes into being according to the fate which God has predetermined, and his awareness that he is with God at every moment. In addition, wisdom makes it possible for the believer to adapt himself easily to changing conditions and situations.
The keenness of the believers' insight and understanding, their attentiveness and awareness, their superior analytical ability, good morals, strong character, and their wisdom in word and action, are all natural products of their wisdom. (for detailed information see True Wisdom According to the Qur'an by Harun Yahya)
Consider if the extraordinary characteristics we have described as belonging to an individual were to belong to society as a whole. Think of the benefits incurring to a society formed of individuals who use their minds in every thing they say, in every action they take, in every decision they make, and in every problem they undertake to solve; think of the kind of environment that would exist in a society formed of wise individuals... Indeed, we all need people of wisdom around to ensure our comfort, health, security, and peace of mind. Furthermore, the existence of wise individuals is indispensable in order to prevent chaos, confusion and anarchy, and to discover solutions to the problems from which these things arise. Taking these matters into consideration, it is clear that the key to every problem is the recognition of a need tempered with wisdom.
Undoubtedly, wisdom is the most important quality a person can have. With it, he brings benefit to others more than anyone else, because, by the morality that faith instils, there is no greater aim for him than to gain the approval of God. Throughout his life, such a person displays the qualities of the true believer as described in the Qu'ran: he protects the oppressed, he cares for the homeless, the lonely, and the needy, he feels responsibility for the fair application of justice and will not tolerate anyone going hungry. His wisdom allows him to apply what he has learned from the Qu'ran in his own life, and to develop a conscientious sense of social responsibility. We all seek such people, who use their minds to find solutions to problems, to apply the appropriate measures, in giving advice and recommendations, and who show wisdom in what they say and in what they write. Therefore, there is much benefit to be gained from the words and actions of such a person.
Once we recognise the importance of wisdom, it is not difficult to realise the seriousness of the danger posed by its opposite. This danger is a threat to both individuals and to society in general, and it will be helpful to examine the problems occasioned by lack of wisdom.
One of the greatest impediments to wisdom is the spiritual corruption that we spoke of in the previous section of this book: romanticism, otherwise called sentimentality.
Common Sentimentality
Feeling sad, being pessimistic, or thinking that one is the victim of bad luck, are the typical characteristics of people who do not put their trust in God. However, no matter what the circumstances are, one should have trust in God, remain hopeful, and act accordingly.
We have defined sentimentality as one's acting upon not in accordance to the truths acquired by wisdom and reason, but in accordance to one's emotions. Sentimentality is a spiritual disease latent in every member of atheistic or pagan societies, though it generally tends to affect people differently; some people being more emotional than others. It is not possible for one who has no interest in the Qu'ran, or who does not live by the religion, to save himself from the grip of romanticism. Sentimentality can only be eradicated by acting wisely, that is, by acting according to the moral teachings of the Qu'ran. For, it is not possible for someone who does not make his life conform to the Qu'ran, as we said earlier, to use his mind effectively.
Despite its actually being a spiritual disease, sentimentality is, nonetheless, a very common measure in ignorant societies towards determining whether or not someone is a "good person." It has affected the majority-albeit the uninformed majority-of society, to such an extent that someone who is not easily moved to romantic feeling is quickly dismissed as heartless and unfeeling.
Can sentimentality be so innocent and harmless as it is thought to be? If we are to look at this question and answer it realistically, we will discover the fact that sentimentality gives rise to some very grave results. In the previous sections of this book, we saw the plain effects of sentimentality in the social sphere but it also has highly damaging effects in everyday life. Sentimentality has been one of the main reasons for the complaints voiced by many people relative to many issues for which they are at a loss to find a solution.
However, because the solution to every problem, and the way out of every difficulty, is presented in the Qu'ran, those individuals or societies that use it as their guide have all the advantages that wisdom affords. In other words, they come to live the benefits of wisdom:
Sentimental people cannot free themselves from despair and melancholy. They wrong themselves.
...A Light has come to you from God and a Clear Book. By it, God guides those who follow what pleases Him to the ways of peace. He will bring them from the darkness to the light by His permission, and guide them to a straight path. (Qur'an, 5:15-16)
From the time we were children, we are accustomed to seeing people able to cry at anything, from an act of injustice they might read about in a newspaper, to the sight of a hungry person on television. When we see them expressing their sorrow for others, we suppose them to be possessed of a good conscience, whereas such an emotional reaction, if it does not go beyond the mere shedding of tears and the placing of blame, is of no use. What such an emotional reaction does not demonstrate is an active and involved interest in the welfare of those who are suffering. This type of person takes pleasure in crying and feeling sorry for someone who is suffering, but does nothing to solve the problem. Subconsciously, they prefer to live in a state of abstracted sentimentality. Interestingly, such people seem also to be drawn to pessimism, hopelessness, sorrow, despondency, depression and all the other negative feelings, into which Satan has diverted the world by means of sentimentality.
There is still another important aspect to consider in this matter: If one were to suggest to them that, instead of shedding tears in front of the television, they should get up and do something, it would accomplish nothing. They would try to get out of it by making excuses, such as, "What's there to do?" "What can I do all by myself?"
Emotional people contribute in pessimism by suggesting that a problem is too complex to be solved; and this makes others like them adopt the same hopelessness.
Many a good moral quality loses its virtue by being affiliated with sentimentality, to the point of even becoming dangerous. For example, compassion is a moral sentiment encouraged by God in the Qu'ran, but it is abused by an emotional person who may feel sorry for an oppressor, commend his deeds, and tolerate his ruthlessness. On the contrary, a wise person cannot possibly see any justification in any attitude, behaviour or thought associated with sentimentality. That is because as long as this emotional temperament is nurtured in the soul, its more insidious aspects may emerge at any time depending on the circumstances and the environment.
It is interesting that people, whom Satan has misled through sentimentalism, seem to be drawn to ill feelings such as pessimism, hopelessness, sorrow, grief, and depression. Instead of living with the peace of mind resulting from putting one's trust in God, people commit themselves into continual sorrow.
Now, it is necessary to point out the difference between being sensitive and empathetic and being emotional. In the Qu'ran, God makes it clear that to be "sensitive, empathetic and gentle" are qualities best exhibited in a prophet. Sentimentality is the exact opposite of the moral attitude that is recommended in the Qu'ran. Believers are not sentimental, but are empathetic and humane. In other words, they are sober individuals, of superior wisdom, who possess very strong moral qualities. In the Qu'ran, God speaks about the good moral character of the prophet Ibrahim: "Ibrahim was forbearing, compassionate, penitent." (Qur'an, 11:75)
It must not be forgotten that emotional people only feel pity for others; they make no attempt to help them out of difficult situations, or to find solutions to their problems. However, someone who possesses the kind of empathy commended by God will do anything he can to help another person to find solutions to his problems, and take the necessary measures to get him out of his difficulties. This is true compassion and love.
How Does Sentimentality Obscure Wisdom?
A person whose mind is devoid of reason and is swept away by his emotions, may easily become angry, develop a grudge, and even resort to violence. A person of wisdom who has faith, on the other hand, "controls his rage," as commanded by God, and always assumes a moderate attitude.
Everyone was created with feelings like love, compassion, mercy and fear. To possess these feelings is to be human. What we want to emphasise here is that, in order for a person to have a healthy and balanced spiritual life, it is necessary for him to keep his emotions under control, and direct them according to his faith and wisdom. For example, love has been given to humanity so that it may be shown foremost towards God, who created us from nothing, who provides for us, gives us every blessing, and who promised us an eternal life filled with happiness. Also, love is an emotion that must be directed towards those who love God and whom God loves, that is, to believers. A person is loved for his closeness to God, his fear of God, and his care to protect His prerogatives. All these forms of love are directed toward God, and toward those objects in which His attributes are manifested. In fact, for a believer to feel love for the enemies of God and His religion is forbidden in the Qu'ran.
As well, God has commanded His believers to fear nothing or no one other than Him, because every thing and every person is within His sovereignty. Apart from God, there is no strength or power; therefore, there is no other being worthy to be feared than Him.
We will take the feeling of rage as our next example. Rage is an emotion that awakens a believer's responsibility towards his fellow man, and leads him to take action against injustice, against the enemies of God and religion, and against oppression. However, when a believer acts on his sense of responsibility, it is with intelligence, moderation and a good moral sense. A believer never acts unjustly or mercilessly, nor out of vengeance, or, as the Qu'ran commands, he never returns injustice for injustice, or cruelty for cruelty.
We are witnesses to the fact that the majority of emotional people just sit by as if their hands were tied; they are satisfied with merely crying and complaining, but take no action to relieve themselves or other of the situation. These people feel pity for themselves so intensely that they will produce a problem out of nothing in order to have something to whine about.
However, a person who acts based on his feelings may become easily infuriated if the slightest thing does not go his way, and if things don't happen according to his wishes, or if someone does not do what he wants, and may suddenly erupt in anger. Because of the anger inside him, his judgement and insight may suddenly become obscured, and he may, at any moment, commit an impulsive act.
As we have seen, a human being must direct the emotions God has created in him according to God's will. In other words, he must not harbour within himself fear or anger, or any kind of love, that is not according to God's will. If he does, he will not be following the way God has revealed, but the way his emotions have directed him to. This is nothing less than idolatry.
When those feelings innate in human beings are not directed by wisdom, the disease of sentimentality sets in and starts to overtake their behaviour, conversation, actions, thoughts and their approach to things in general. When such is the case, one departs from the realm of wisdom and enters the tyranny of emotion. In such people, emotion thwarts intelligence and clouds the mind.
Without any regard for the criteria of the Qur'an, they dote excessively on the person they are in love with, they may be in great fear of their boss, their spouse or someone else, or they may become enraged with anger. Of course, we would not expect anyone in such a spiritual state to be wise in behaviour, because in such people wisdom is superseded by unbounded emotion
Sentimentality robs a person of his sense of reality. One of the most telling signs of an emotional personality is his desire to live in a world divorced from reality; he is like one who lives in a dream world, with only a tenuous connection to reality. Instead of reason and logic, he chooses emotion; and instead of reality, he chooses dreams and fantasies. Therefore, it is impossible to engage in conversation or discourse with him; he can neither offer nor take any guidance or advice. In actuality, sentimentality is a mild form of the mental disorder that psychiatrists call "schizophrenia." (People who suffer from schizophrenia are cut off from reality and live in their own world)
An emotional person can be compared to someone crying while watching a film on television: The viewer is so far removed from reality that he can feel sorry and even cry for an actor who suffers in the film, even though that actor receives money for playing his role, and his real life may be filled with all manner of moral depravity. This is a state into which a wise person would never fall, and shows clearly to what extent a sentimental mentality can cut a person off from reality, and how far it can force him into unsound thinking, which is in turn reflected in his day to day life.
We are witnesses to the fact that the majority of emotional people just sit as if their hands were tied. They are content to cry and complain but do nothing to deal with their disgust with the situation. For example, news comes that a relative has had an accident; instead of thinking that there must be a good in it anyway, and determining how he may be of some use and offering his assistance, an emotional person will usually become faint and start to cry. He will not ask what has been done for the victim, if the doctor has been called or if there is enough medicine. He will not try to find out what he can do to help, but will seek to be consoled himself as if he were the one in need of support.
Those who give in times of both ease and hardship, those who control their rage and pardon other people-God loves the good-doers (Qur'an, 3:134)
He (Satan) has no authority over those who believe and put their trust in their Lord. He only has authority over those who take him
as a friend and associate others with God.
(Qur'an, 16:99-100)
It has been revealed to you and those before you:
"If you associate others with God, your actions will come to nothing and you will be among the losers." No! Worship God and be among the thankful.
(Qur'an, 39: 65-66)
Or, someone near him suddenly becomes ill; instead of performing first aid and calling an ambulance, he will start running around creating panic with his foolishness. If someone asked him what was happening, he would not be able to because his emotionalism prevents him from using his mind, and detaches him from other people.
A distinct characteristic of sentimental people is that they cannot find solutions to the problems they encounter, but choose rather to become pessimistic. On the other hand, those who act, not with their emotions, but with their reason, and put their trust in God, are able to come up with numerous and unique solutions, whatever the situation.
Or, he himself suffers some illness; he knows there is something wrong, but if he goes to the doctor he is afraid it will turn out to be serious. He does not want to be unhappy, so he is not interested in getting a final diagnosis. By not getting the treatment he could have got if he had acted wisely, he loses the opportunity to be cured of his illness.
We could multiply the examples of this kind of unwise emotional behaviour to demonstrate how such irrationality leads to terribly detrimental results, and which can at times be a matter of life and death. These individuals are so disturbed, through the influence of Satan, by the things they see happening around them that beome debilitated, such that they themselves come to need help and reassurance. However, if they had used their wisdom and taken appropriate decisions in relation to the events they had experienced, they could have found solutions to their problems.
As we can see, emotional individuals are not people who can use their minds to produce solutions to problems; they cannot lead people. On the contrary, because they themselves need to be led or looked after, they become a burden to others. For example, if an emotional person sees someone in need, instead of offering help, he will think to do nothing more than moan and say "Oh, the poor thing!," or some other expression of pity. In this case, wisdom is relegated completely into the background, and it is a mistake to expect any positive benefit from someone such as this.
In the Qu'ran, God reveals the difference between such people and believers:
God makes another metaphor: two men, one of them deaf and dumb, unable to do anything, a burden on his master, no matter where he directs him he brings no good, is he the same as someone who commands justice and is on a straight path? (Qur'an, 16:76)
Believers do not react to things according to their emotions, but tempered by their wisdom, and in every situation, as stated in the verse above, they "command justice," that is, they make sure that the right and proper thing is done. Since they believe that everything they experience in their lives is by the consent of God, and that, apart from what God wants for them, they have no power to accomplish anything. So, they never lose the sense of moderation that comes from their submission to and their confidence in God. They never react rashly and they never yield to pessimism or despair. They know that God may bring good for them even out of adversity.
If you wished to inform someone of the danger that sentimentality poses to his spiritual life, he would not listen to you; from the outset he would refuse to consider even such a possibility. The mind of an emotional person is so closed to any contrary suggestion that he would immediately feel unjustly treated and, either feel offended and begin to cry, or get angry and withdraw into himself. So, you cannot criticise an emotional person, much less offer him suggestions or advice.
Emotionalism causes people to become easily offended. As a result, these people fear that there is a hidden meaning in everything that is said to them; they easily misinterpret or exaggerate. Then, in protest and without any explanation, they stop talking, withdraw and pout like a child. Because they are either incapable of thinking rationally, or are afraid to face reality, it is impossible for them to self-criticise themselves, or improve on their mistakes. As we just mentioned, people with this kind of psychology either interpret every word said to them as an injustice and become vexed, as a result of which they despair and withdraw into themselves. God speaks in the Qu'ran of the kind of person who chooses unhappiness for himself:
He who has fear will be reminded; but the most miserable will shun it. (Qur'an, 87:10-11)
By not using their reason and following the dictates of their emotions, these people allow their wisdom to be clouded more and more day by day. If they do not correct their condition, they cannot possibly conceive of the essence of religion, or live their lives according to its principles. An emotional person without wisdom is not possessed of sound judgement or a stable and coherent mind. In a matter that would otherwise be very clear to a believer, the emotional person finds contradiction and confusion. He struggles apprehensively. The emotional person cannot understand the Qu'ran, which is a guide for those of wisdom; he cannot receive advice from it. He cannot measure God according to His true measure and understand the hidden wisdom behind that which takes place in the universe; he cannot conceive of the reasons for the existence of the world, heaven and hell. He does not know what it means to say that there is no other deity besides God. Every idea in the mind of such a person, his every thought, intention and aim, his every act leads him from one act of idolatry to another.
This is one of the methods Satan uses to divert humanity from the way of God. In the Qu'ran, God warns that Satan will use any means at his disposal to lead people to hell:
Satan whom God has cursed said, "I will take a certain fixed proportion of Your slaves. I will lead them astray and fill them with false hopes. I will command them and they will cut off cattle's ears. I will command them and they will change God's creation." Anyone who takes Satan as his protector in place of God has clearly lost everything. He makes promises to them and fills them with false hopes. But what Satan promises them is nothing but delusion. (Qur'an, 4:118-120)
He who understands these verses does not let Satan lead him into delusion. He does not get caught up in emotion, but uses his wisdom to see reality clearly, and to then act justly according to what he sees. That which is confused, contradictory, and inexplicable to someone whose mind has been clouded by emotion, is clear, obvious and simple to the mind of a believer. Those who slavishly fall into sentimentality, on the other hand, have thrown aside their reason, delivered themselves to the will and the whim of Satan, and continue to be led toward eternal torment through the bleak mire of idolatry.
Satan can easily lead people astray by filling them with apprehension. He makes them feel a lack of hope and desperation.


text:
The Power of Believing You can Improve
People are too willing to give up on me.
As a child, I remember a teacher who told me I shouldn't be in a dance performance that I wanted to participate in. In graduate school, I was encouraged by more than one teacher to drop out. They thought that because I struggled in the classes, that I didn't have what it takes to get my Ph.D. I've been fired from jobs, and people who's friendships really mattered to me, stopped returning my calls.
As painful as these rejections have been, I've always strived to learn from them. While my heart has been broken too many times, and much of that grief set me back for a long time, there's been an important part of me that has been determined to learn the lesson from the experience, and resolve to do better in the future.
And I have. With my determination and the discovery of powerful techniques like the Emotion Code, the Body Code and EFT, I'm reaching goals that I couldn't even envision in the past because they seemed so far away from possible.
So why have others been so willing to give up on me even when I haven't?
This question plagued me for most of my life, until I saw Carol Dweck's TED talk.
Fixed vs. Growth Mindset
Carol Dweck is a motivation researcher who says that people
either have a fixed intelligence or a growth mindset. People with a fixed intelligence mindset believe that their character, intelligence and creative abilities can't change. They believe that you either have it (intelligence/talent or personality) or you don't. People with a growth mindset believe that challenges are an opportunity for growth. They believe that effort made to improve oneself will pay off, if they stay determined to reach their goal.
The Power of Believing You Can Improve
Believing that you can improve was so powerful, that when she taught this belief to school children, their performance changed dramatically. Students who didn't take school seriously became determined, disciplined, focused and developed a passion for learning!
Teaching the growth mindset was so powerful, that it eliminated differences in groups that typically underperform in schools. In just one year:
- Students from a kindergarten class in Harlem, scored in the 95th percentile on the National Achievement Test.
- Fourth graders in the South Bronx who were struggling in math scored the highest in the New York State math test.
- Native American Students went from the bottom of the school district to the top in Seattle!
When I work with clients, one of the most important factors that determines their success, is believing they can improve. If they don't believe in themselves, they don't invest in themselves or commit to any strategy for success. If you want to change, you MUST believe that you can!
Why You CAN Change
And you can change! In neuroscience, the idea of neuroplasticity has shown that the connections in our brains can be strengthened with experience. At some point you learned to walk and talk. You didn't come out of the womb with those talents. And there is a part of you that knows that you are older and wiser than when you were when you were just a few years ago! Harness that knowledge, and apply it to anything you are working on, regardless of whether it's a goal at work, a personal goal or how you relate to others!
I recently took Dr. Dweck's "Test Your Mindset" assessment. I got that I unequivocally have a growth mindset.
When I Struggle with Having a Growth Mindset
But my growth mindset hasn't always stayed strong. When others have given up on me, there's a part of me that wonders if they are right, if I'm really not worth the effort. I have to remind myself that progress occurs by taking many baby steps in the right direction, and that people who succeed, fail over and over again. But even if I change my mindset, the idea of pushing forward can sometimes feel like Sisyphus eternally pushing a boulder up the hill. At those times, I have to release the emotions, the sabotage and negative thoughts and other barriers that permeate my subconscious and keep me stuck. Only then can I fully embrace the growth mindset with charge and gusto.
What does it mean to have a growth mindset?
It means that regardless of my goals in my business, health, personally or in relationships, I'm going to keep trying to do better. I will probably fail again, but I'll try to learn the lesson. And even though some people find my determination exhausting (and sometimes I do too), I know it will pay off. Why? Because I can see the changes. Bit by bit, I'm getting healthier, smarter, more productive, I'm having more satisfying relationships, and life is more fulfilling! And the better person I am, the more I'll be able to help others, and do my part to make this world a better place. And that is what makes my life meaningful.
Do you find it hard to keep pushing forward and maintaining the growth mindset? Has life beaten you down? Listen to my interview Releasing Subconscious Barriers, the Key to Health and Happiness, and call me at 1855 ENERJOY for a complimentary consultation.