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Urbandale is revolutionizing learning by redesigning classrooms into student-centered learning systems, focusing teachers' roles on the continual improvement of those systems, and providing the highest quality learning experiences for students. Urbandale teachers are becoming 'facilitators of learning' by creating systems of learning in their classrooms that give students greater ownership and voice. This type of learning system doesn't just increase student achievement, but strengthens professional achievement. Urbandale staff members have a common aim and clear sense of purpose—they understand 'why' they are doing what they're doing—and foster a spirit of true collaboration as they continually learn and improve together. We welcome you to learn more about what it's like to work in the Urbandale district and hope to see you soon!
Follow @UrbandaleHR
To view current employment opportunities and substitute opportunities, click the links on the left side of the page.
Equal employment opportunity/affirmative action
The Urbandale Community School District promotes equal employment and affirmative action to attain a workforce that is representative of the ethnic and gender diversity of our learning community. The Superintendent and Board of Directors intend to provide the resources, support and leadership to ensure that all populations are proportionately represented in our schools to the fullest extent possible. When this is accomplished, all of our students will be better served by having positive role models from our diverse workforce to foster positive attitudes toward the differences and similarities displayed by all persons they will encounter as adults.
To assure implementation of this Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Plan, we will see that:
Persons are recruited, hired, and promoted for all positions without regard to age, race, religion, color, national origin, gender, marital status, disability, creed, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Placement decisions are based solely on applicant qualifications for the position being filled.
Equal employment opportunity shall apply to all personnel practices and procedures. All programs and activities are also administered without regard to age, race, religion, color, national origin, gender, marital status, disability, creed, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
Our Board approved EEO/AA plan can be reviewed by visiting, EEO/AA Plan
Visit the Showcase:
We invite you to listen to Urbandale students, parents, teachers, principals, and the superintendent share thoughts on how Urbandale is transforming education in order to increase engagement, improve achievement, encourage collaboration, and ignite a renewed passion for learning. Visit the Showcase!
Download the District brochure:
To learn more about how Urbandale is transforming education, download the Urbandale District Brochure!
Careers Contacts
Loren DeKruyf
Director of Human Resources and Operations
(515) 457-5000
Maggie Holton
Human Resources Manager
(515) 457-5006


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Corporate volunteers and the horseradish challenge
There are tasks around the garden that groups of volunteers can make light work of – and that's where our corporate volunteers come in. They maintain paths, chop up cleared plants ready for compost, shift materials around for build projects, set up supports ready for climbing plants, do epic amounts of weeding… they're made of tough, cheery stuff.
But then, garden club leader Alison throws down [pause for drum roll] the horseradish challenge. We have a raised bed full of the stuff and it's a beast to pull up. So take a bow, all who've stepped forward and emerged victorious with this toughest of roots!
Pictured above, the marvellous team from HSBC who came to us via ELBA (East London Business Alliance) and their horseradish challengers.
And a big Abbey Gardens thank-you to all of our corporate volunteers – including teams from Mace Group, Morgan McKinley, MJ Mapp and via Benefacto. You make a massive difference to our lovely community garden.
To find out more about corporate volunteering at the garden, contact ELBA, Benefacto, get in touch with us or drop by one of our community gardening sessions (Tuesdays 1pm-3pm, Thursdays 4pm-7pm and Saturdays 11am-4pm).

subset: commoncrawl


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I have been hairdressing for over a decade, cutting hair since 2004 (how time flies!). My first job was as a junior at Toni & Guy every Saturday morning. Having really enjoyed this experience I knew there and then that I was going to be a hairdresser. I sat my GCSE exams at school and then took on a full time role at a salon closer to home. I trained in colour, cutting, perms, and hair up. It took two years to qualify and then I was allowed to take my own clients and start hairdressing for real.
Early Career
With my new found enthusiasm for hairdressing I attended Schwarzkopf shows and various training days at the academy to learn the latest styles and get new ideas. At this time I had a young boy and I needed to put food on the table as well as build up my experience. This motivated me to really improve my skills and be the best hairdresser I could possibly be. My thought at the time was that any employer would love a stylist that has customers coming back time and again. It worked and I was busy for years, whichever salon I was working at. Customers would change salons if they knew I was starting a new job, which was always very pleasing for my new boss.
New Arrival
In 2013 I got pregnant with my second child. Up to this point I had worked at a variety of different salons, small, large, busy, quiet, and I had always managed to provide for my family and progress in my career. However, now I was ready for a new challenge. I knew that with my partner working full time I would find it difficult to go straight back to working in a salon. I then started looking into mobile hairdressing in Guildford and working from home. Having talked to a few clients about it, the idea started to take off. I slowly started to add new clients, whilst maintaining existing ones. The convenience of working mobile seemed to suit everyone and I decided to get set up properly with this website and Facebook page. It's been the best thing I have ever done, allowing me to balance work and my family life. I really love what I do and I would really like to hear from you if you are interested in finding out more about Hayley's Hair. Visit my contact me page for details of how to get in touch.


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Caudalie Grape Water* is made from 100% organic grapes. Extracted from grapes during the harvest, this mist soothes, refreshes and moisturises the skin at any time of the day. Preservative-free. Fragrance-free. No need to blot after spraying. The mist is so light, it doesn't leave your skin drenched, but instead it instantly cools and refreshes on contact. This mist costs £6 for 75ml.
Benefit ultra radiance facial re-hydrating mist* not only looks stunning in the bottle, but it instantly refreshes, revives, soothes and moisurises. Using the exclusive tri-radiance complex to deliver immediate & long-term hydration. Contains magnesium PCA and white & blue lotus extracts, known for their relaxing properties and to help skin combat stress. This mist costs £20.50 for 133.1ml.
Vichy Mineral-Rich Thermal Spa Water* is a unique water well-known for its fortifying and soothing properties. Filtered through volcanic layers, Vichy Thermal Spa Water is naturally enriched with 15 minerals and 13 trace elements. Vichy Thermal Spa Water is recognised by the French Academy of Medicine and has been shown to hydrate and soothe the feel of the skin in order to fortify the skin's natural protective function. This mist costs £7 for 150ml.
Evian Brumisateur Facial Spray, a lightweight mist enriched with essential mineral salts. The spray contains pure Evian mineral water from the Alps, which is free from chemical treatments, has a neutral pH, and is hypoallergenic. Each spray releases several million micro-droplets for hydrated and instantly refreshed skin, and can be used at any time of day by the entire family. This mist costs £2.99 for 50ml.
*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise


text: Preheat oven to 375°F. In a food processor, pulse Sunsweet® prunes and hot water until smooth. Pulse in oats and walnuts until a sticky dough forms. Roll dough into 12 balls and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes. Immediately after removing from the oven, tap each of them down with a glass to form a cookie shape and let cool.


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Remedies for ocean health
"Stewardship is not only an environmental concern, it's also a health, economic, food security and moral issue," US Secretary of State John Kerry in his address to the Global Oceans Action Summit for Food Security and Blue Growth. Oceans elicit emotional reactions in many people. They are places where we swim, fish, sail or simply watch the world go by. Yet, increasingly, we hear troubling messages that oceans are under grave threat from overfishing, pollution, climate change and more. These messages move us to take action. But, what actions can right past wrongs and create future opportunities?


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Saturday, 5 November 2011
Flavia Foianini
Flavia Foianini
From Santa Cruz Miss Bolivia World 2009
4th runner up in Miss World Beach Beauty
The beautiful model, Flavia Foianini, could compete for the national beauty crown, which this year will be held at Chuquisaca.
At first the rumor was that the 21 years, could be one of the delegates from Chuquisaca, since his mother's family is originally from Sucre, but now there is speculation that Flavia would be in the Miss Bolivia with another representation.
Although in previous statements have quoted Foianini who was delighted to represent Chuquisaca in the contest, it is the bicentennial of the city of her mother.
1 comment:
Great blog! My first time here and looks like I will be here more times to go through the sites you have reviewed here.ReplyDelete
Accounts Software For Small Business
Simran Kaur
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by Sydney Rowley
Do we as humans truly know what it means? Do we as a whole realize the great responsibility it means to be respectful.? No matter which way the wind blows, someone doesn't like it.
To show respect is to be kind, to be loving? Or is to to be nothing at all? Can one respect the quiet without disrespecting the loud? Is there a way to please both sides? Respect is shoved down our throats all our lives, but does anyone swallow? We are always told to respect others, things and yourself, but never are told what it is.
All these questions float around, but are never able to be answered. Not a single human is capable of saying one thing is wrong without making another feel disrespected. The uncomfortable conversation that has not taken place, divides us at the nucleus of our existence, gradually expanding into the whole of the nation. With this unrest, the world becomes defiant; one will not listen, or respect, the values of another for they do not think it is right. When one feels like they aren't getting the respect they deserve, they escalate the problem and making the world an inferior place.
Productivity cannot be achieved without respect. A yearning pupil cannot fully grasp the lesson without mutual respect. Think of this: an entire classroom full of young students who look up to their teacher as if they hold the key to life. Do they have respect? Or do they subconsciously know the teacher has their future in his or her hands, so they obey. The lesson of respect gets tainted by the ink of obedience. Respect and obedience are not the same thing. One does not have to have respect, to obey, and the perpetual motion of unsatisfied lives continue.


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The Ornament: Simon and Becky (The Ornament, #2)
by Dana Marie Bell
My Review:
~ 5 Stars
Quick 10 page FREE read on Dana Marie Bell's website.
A cute chapter into Simon and Becky one of our favorite Halle Puma couple. I enjoyed how the guys were worried about the girls reactions to what they were doing especially at Simon's home when he thinks; "Becky was going to kill him over the giraffe alone" and the girls initial reactions when they show up at their home where funny especially Becky with "Oh, Garfield. You are one dead kitty." I liked how they all worked things out and we also get a little HOT sex scene.
Angela (Angel's Guilty Pleasures) Rating and Review


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Australia's first premium online cocktail subscription service, Cocktail Porter has launched and ready to deliver bartender-designed cocktail kits directly to the front door. The Sydney-born concept is now accepting orders for deliveries right across metro Australia – just in time for summer.
The mere fact when on holidays or when we are feeling a tad thirsty for a cheeky daytime bevoir. We often say out loud "it's 12 o'clock somewhere in the world" as the reason to be a little bit naughty. But there's nothing wrong with a morning beverage before noon. You see, day drinking is best served on summer weekends outside with friends.
Founded by Cameron Northway, founder and managing director of drinks experience agency Sweet&Chilli and co-founder of Bondi's hatted bar and restaurant, Rocker.
Cameron identified a surge in off-premise sales as a result of increased at home entertaining occasions and an uptake in food delivery services, Northway set out to create a modern, on-demand product for those wanting to shake up their drinks game.
With a different cocktail delivered each month, each kit contains the latest trends in cocktails from bars around Australia and the world, along with easy-to-follow recipes, pre-measured premium spirits, tailored mixers and quality ingredients to create simple but delicious tipples. The kits, set to be delivered on the 14th of each month (if purchased via subscription) or within 3-5 working days, will make between 14 to 18 cocktails per box.
Each cocktail kit has been designed and curated by Northway and his team of highly lauded Australian bartenders, including Tim Phillips, former Bartender of the Year and owner of award winning bars Bulletin Place and Dead Ringer.
Cocktail Porter will launch with four signature one off classic cocktail boxes and a limited edition Monthly Membership Box. Each cocktail is tailored to include a unique, bar quality twist. Think an espresso martini with grated dark chocolate, a classic gin martini with your choice of different flavoured vermouths, Treacle Old Fashioned, Bloody Mary with a dash of turmeric vinegar and limited edition Spring Cup Spritzer, a delicious summer spritz packaged with Tanqueray London Dry Gin & Ciroc Ultra-Premium Vodka to create two different flavoured cocktails.
"We have designed these kits so that all you have to do is grab some ice, chill the glass, gather some garnish and pop the cork," says Northway. "We wanted to create a cocktail concept that saved Aussies from having to run around store to store finding the right bottle of alcohol, the right mixer and appropriate garnish. We are sending the recipe and the bottles. You don't even need to have a cocktail kit at home to make it – use a mason jar or Tupperware to shake up your cocktail. It's less prep, more play and bang for your buck."
Cocktail Porter Monthly Members Boxes are priced at $135 per month. The first 100 customers to sign up will receive 25% off their first box ($99). With each kit making a minimum of 14 cocktails, subscribers are set to spend less than $10 per drink– half the price of cocktails in bars. Flexible subscription options also allow customers to pause or cancel at any time. One-off purchases are available for those wanting to taste test a signature cocktail case, or as the perfect gift for that friend who loves entertaining.
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Viking Professional 4 Slot Toaster Bright Red
The Viking Professional 4 slot Toaster features exclusive control knobs that provides multiple browning options, including rewarm. Get one today!
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Out of Stock
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- Professional grade toaster that offers restraunt quality toast for the home
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- Hydraulic engaging and lifting action levers
- Wide slots to accommodate bagels, texas toast, and pastires
- Viking exclusive design and tooling
- 6 Viking exclusive colors: White, Black, Stainless Gray, Cobalt Blue, and Bright Red
- 1 year warranty against manufacturing defects
- PROMO SALE Instantly save $100 *Offer good thru May 9, 2010


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Patient Forms
New patient? We always have hard copies of our patient forms in the office for you to sign.
For your convenience, you may download, read, and fill out the following forms to bring with you for your first appointment.
Patient Registration Form
This form is mandatory for new patients. It includes patient health history and acknowledgement of our Notice of Private Practices. To expedite your visit, print this form, fill it out and bring it with you for your first visit.
Notice of Privacy Practices
Please download and review the following form regarding our policy on the use, disclosure, and privacy your health information.


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There are many fusion influences on the Indian table, including the British. India had been a British colony for over a century, resulting in a lot of cross pollination of cultural ways. Several of these find their way to the food, some of which we have accepted as staples, such as the much misunderstood curry, a spice blend that started as an attempt by British cooks to get a quick dose of Indian spices on the table. Then there are soups such as the mulligatawny which also originated from this genre of cooking. I get many students who are British/Irish expats who miss Indian food, and want to learn some of the flavors themselves. I do realize that there are differences strictly speaking between British and Irish cooking, but the Anglo-Indian repertoire does embrace both influences. For example, aside from the Shepherds pie that I will be sharing with you today, there is a version of Irish stew also popular with its share of spices and of course carrots, peas and goat meat, which folks enjoy with their share of Basmati.
There are so really set characteristics of Anglo-Indian cooking, other than the fact that they consist of milder flavors, often include ingredients such as raisins, cream and apples and tend to have some hybrid characteristic such as a spiced roast on in today's case a spiced casserole. Chutneys, tea cakes, and shortbreads are other shared influences to begin naming a few. It is worth also mentioning that Anglo-Indian cuisine is one of the many historical fusions that influence the Indian table, what does make this cuisine distinct is that both the countries enjoy their versions of these specialties. In fact, the person who I did get today's recipe from talks about Sunday's in their house being "curry day" and the preparation started early into the weekend.
Today's recipe, is a popular take on Shepherds Pie a dish originating from the Irish table, that at its most basic form is a baked casserole of ground lamb, covered with mashed potatoes baked until it reaches a lovely comforting consistency. There are many variations on the original, such as this one with herbed potatoes, and my recipe actually has been adapted from something that a friend of mine got from his father. My friend is half Irish, and shares my love of potatoes. Since then, I have done many variations of this and the final version is loaded with winter vegetables – beets, turnips and carrots. I have also tried a vegetarian version by subbing the meat with quinoa and chopped mushrooms.
With St Patrick's Day round the corner, I could not help cobbling up this recipe. Give this a try, it has just a few notes of flavor from cinnamon, cardamom and cloves and a lot of lovely color from the peas and carrots used here. I make this fairly often, as it makes a good one-dish meal for everyone in the family. I sometimes make the base for empanada or samosa fillings, so again like all my recipes it is very versatile.
I like to bake this until the top is just a little crusty, this is a personal preference, so if you like it smooth you can remove it earlier from the oven. This dish also makes a great kids lunch box item, that is easy to fill and eat.
Rich smooth and seductive, this dish is perfect to lift your mood and spirits, to hear about why I made it this week, check out my post on Spice Chronicles. And if you are looking for more Irish inspiration, check out Maria's seasonal chef post here.
- For the mashed potato topping:
- 4 medium-sized Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
- 4 tablespoons sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon freshly minced rosemary
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup broth or low-fat milk
- Chopped chives
- For the filling:
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 medium-sized onions, diced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 large stick cinnamon
- 6 to 8 cloves
- 3 to 4 pods cardamoms
- 1 medium-sized sweet potato, diced
- 2 medium-sized carrots, diced
- 2 medium sized beets, diced
- 1 cup ground turkey or lamb (about, 8 oz)
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup port wine
- 1 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
- Cut the potatoes in half and boil in plenty of salted water until they are soft but not mushy. Cool and peel the potatoes and place in a mixing bowl.
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a pan and add in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Pour the seasoned oil over the potatoes, then mash.
- Mix in the sour cream or yogurt, rosemary, Parmesan cheese and broth and mix in until smooth. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Heat the oil for the filling and add in the onions and ginger and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until soft and wilted.
- Place the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom in a spice bag if desired and combine with the sweet potato, beets, ground turkey or lamb and salt. Mix well and cook until the meat is no longer pink.
- Add in the tomato sauce, port wine and cayenne pepper and cook for 15 minutes, or until the sauce is about half the original volume.
- Stir in the all-purpose flour to thicken further.
- Pour this mixture into a casserole dish (I find a loaf pan works well) and top with the mashed potatoes.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the topping is beginning to turn golden.
- Remove from the oven, garnish with chives and serve.


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Online marketing for small businesses is going to become bigger and bigger as time goes on. It is a huge untapped market.
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Whether you're based nearby in Ayrshire or further afield, we're always ready to talk about your insurance.
It is our intention to provide you with the highest possible level of customer service at all times. However we recognise that things can go wrong on occasion and if this occurs we are committed to resolving matters promptly and fairly.
Should you not be satisfied with our final response, you may be entitled to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). More information is available on request or on their website, www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk.
We are also required to inform you of the availability of the Online Dispute Resolution platform to assist you if we are unable to resolve your Complaint. However, this service will refer your Complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, so you may instead wish to contact them directly. More information is available on their website.


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EDCI applies its funds appropriately, and manages its funds responsibly and prudently. To that end:
- The strongest priority for EDCI's funds is to spend them on programs and activities in pursuance of our mission.
- EDCI maintains effective accounting systems, internal controls, competent employees, reporting procedures, and other resources and practices that are critical to professional management and accountability.
- EDCI ensures that donations are used as was promised during solicitations and in the manner intended and expected by our donors.
- EDCI compensates employees, and any others who may receive compensation, reasonably, appropriately, and within the limits of common practice.
- EDCI pursues all identified possibilities to minimize fundraising costs, recognizing the variety of factors that affect fundraising costs.
- EDCI ensures that spending practices and policies are fair, reasonable, and appropriate to fulfill our mission.
- Financial reports are factually accurate and complete in all material respects.
- EDCI's financial statements are regularly submitted for independent audit or review.
Openness and Disclosure
EDCI provides comprehensive information to the public.
- EDCI responds in a timely manner to reasonable requests for information and /documents as required by local, state, and federal laws.
- Information about EDCI is accurate and honestly reflects our policies and practices.
- Basic informational data about EDCI is posted on our website or is otherwise available to the public.
- Financial, organizational and program reports are complete and accurate in all material respects.
- EDCI and its employees promptly and fully disclose, review and take appropriate actions with any situation that results in a perceived or actual conflict of interest.
- EDCI and its employees promptly and fully disclose, and take appropriate actions to resolve any situations in which we discover perceived or actual violations of our Code of Ethics.
Program Quality and Evaluation
EDCI is committed to organizational effectiveness and the continuous improvement of its programs.
- EDCI designs programs and activities to make them responsive to the needs of our guests.
- EDCI is committed to high standards of excellence and quality for the services and products we provide.
- EDCI regularly reviews program effectiveness and incorporates lessons learned into future programs.
- At least once a year, EDCI reviews its internal compliance with this Code of Ethics.


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Don't just dream... do! Build your light or heavy industrial business at South East Industrial Park, and take comfort knowing we will be with you every step of the way. Features:
(10 minutes from Highway 2, and a local airport is available within city limits)
Pricing for this land begins at $265,000* an acre!
*for two or more acres
Candace CoughlanEconomic Development ManagerCity of WetaskiwinPhone: 780-361-4406Email Candace


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The Brundtland Commission (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987), defined sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Arrow, Dasgupta, Goulder, Mumford and Oleson (2010) take the view that economic development should be evaluated in terms of its contribution to intergenerational well-being. They show that intergenerational well-being would not decline over a specified time-period if and only if a comprehensive measure of the economy's wealth were not to decline over the same period. By wealth they mean the social worth of an economy's entire productive base i.e., not only reproducible capital goods or human capital but also population, public knowledge, and the myriad of formal and informal institutions that influence the allocation of resources.
The UN bodies and many governments consider three dimensions of sustainable development — economic, social and environmental. Economic efficiency is necessary for achieving the maximum possible growth with limited resources. The social dimension is in terms of equity, particularly intra generational equity. Poverty eradication is one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); it has become a global public good by global public choice. The environmental dimension captures internalization of environmental costs of pollution and natural resource degradation in decision making of all economic agents and intra generational equity. It is being realized that natural resource degradation and pollution are not just environmental challenges; they threaten poverty eradication and achievement of the MDGs.
Until recently, the major goal of India's development had been economic growth. The Eleventh Plan (2007-12) articulated the need for pursuing an inclusive growth strategy. This broad vision includes 'several inter-related components: rapid growth that reduces poverty and creates employment opportunities, access to essential services in health and education especially for the poor, equality of opportunity, empowerment through education and skill development, employment opportunities underpinned by the National Rural Employment Guarantee, environmental sustainability, recognition of women's agency and good governance'.
Even though the linkages between growth and environment and between poverty and environment are known that they have not been incorporated adequately in Indian planning and public policies. Economic growth is subject to ecosystem constraints. Dasgupta (1993) explores the two-way links between poverty and environmental resource base. The Millennium Ecosystems Assessment (2005) depicts the strength of linkages between categories of ecosystem services and components of human well-being that are commonly encountered and includes indications of the extent to which it is possible for socioeconomic factors to mediate the linkage. It also notes that other factors — including other environmental factors as well as economic, social, technological, and cultural factors — influence human well-being, and ecosystems are in turn affected by changes in human well-being.
Agricultural Growth, Employment and Rural Poverty
During the first decade of the Millennium the rate of growth of agricultural output was lower than the planned output. The Planning Commission fixed a target growth rate of four percent per annum for the 11th plan .The target of four percent growth in GDP from agriculture and allied sectors was felt necessary to achieve overall GDP growth target of nine percent per annum without undue inflation and generate exportable surplus. Also global experience reveals that growth originating in agricultural sector is at least twice effective in reducing poverty as GDP growth originating in other sectors. There are forward and backward linkages with the non-agricultural sector.
The annual rate of growth of crop output during 2000-01 to 2004-05 was only one percent and during 2004-05 to 2009-10 it was 1.7 percent. These growth rates were close to the overall population growth rate during the decade. The growth rates of higher value added sectors (per hectare of land) namely horticultural, livestock and fisheries outputs were higher. This diversification is desirable as the shares of horticultural and livestock products increase in food budgets as households incomes increase. The forestry output growth rate was lower because of policies related to conservation and sustainable use for forest resources.
The share of agriculture and allied activities in gross domestic product at factor cost fell from 55.1 percent in 1950-51 to 14.6 percent in 2009-10. This declining share of agricultural sector is consistent with the development experiences of developed countries. What is disconcerting is the very slow shift of employment from agricultural sector to non-agricultural sector. Assuming the share of rural population in total population at 70 percent (72.2 percent in 2001 census) and using an estimate of agricultural employment of 749 persons per 1000 persons employed from 61st Round of National Sample Survey, the share of agricultural employment in total employment is estimated at 52.43 percent. This means that the average value added per employee in the non-agricultural sector is about 6.4 times higher than the value added per employee in the agricultural sector. This order of magnitude widens income inequality between agricultural and non-agricultural sectors and suggests the need for policy changes to achieve the goal of inclusive growth.
In rural areas there has been a slow shift in employment from agriculture and allied activities to other activities. It may be seen from Table 2 that in 2004-05 about two-thirds of rural males and six out of every rural women depended on agriculture. While the percentage of male workers depending on agriculture fell from 80 in 1977-78 to 66 in 2004-05, the percentage of women depending on agriculture showed a small decrease from 88 to 83.
According to Tendulkar Committee report (Government of India (Planning Commission (2009)) rural poverty fell from 50.1 percent in 1993-94 to 41.8 percent in 2004-05; the corresponding change in urban poverty is from 31.8 percent to 25.7 percent. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Programme , which began in the first year of the 11th Plan is expected to reduce the percentage of people below the poverty line in rural areas.
Agricultural Resource Base Land
The rapid increase in population and slow shift of labour from agriculture to non-agriculture is evident in the dominance of marginal farms. In 2002-03 nearly 70 percent of the operational holdings were marginal holdings with size less than one hectare; another 16 percent were small holdings with size between 1-2 hec. See Table 3. The small sizes prevent farmers from adopting improved agricultural technologies and create barriers for accessing credit and adopting improved agricultural practices.
India is facing serious environmental stress in her natural resource stocks. Land desertification and land degradation affect the quality of land, the major capital input in farming.
Based on land status mapping carried out for the entire country on 1: 500,000 scale, using multi-temporal Resourcesat AWiFS data, Ajai, Arya, Dhinwa, Pathan and Raj (2009) provide information on land desertification and land degradation in India. Of the geographical area of 328.73 million hec, 81.45 million hec (24.8 percent) land is degraded. The process wise details are given in Table 4. Another 105 million hec of land (32.1 percent of geographical area) is degraded. Thus 57 percent of the geographical area is either desertified or degraded.
Water Resources
The Eleventh Plan recognized the challenges of water resources management faced by India and the likelihood that these would only intensify over time due to rising population, expected growth in agricultural and industrial demand, the danger of pollution of water bodies and, over the longer term, the effect of climate stress on water availability in many parts of the country.
Referring to a study by Narasimhan and Gaur, the 11th Plan Midterm Assessment gives the following water budget for India:
During 1995-96 to 2006-07, on an average, the contributions of surface and groundwater to net irrigated area were 32 percent and 60 percent respectively. There has been a fall in ground water table due to rapid expansion of tube wells .Table 6 gives information about the degree of exploitation of ground water. There is deterioration in water quality. Biological contamination of surface water sources due to poor sanitation and waste disposal resulted in incidence of water-borne diseases throughout the country. Chemical pollution of groundwater, with arsenic, fluoride, iron, nitrate and salinity as the major contaminants is directly connected with falling water tables and extraction of water from deeper levels.
There has been a severe erosion of the financial status of the irrigation systems. At present irrigation revenues cover barely 15 percent of working expenses and only five percent of total costs and losses. As for agricultural pumpsets, zero marginal pricing of electricity and use of energy inefficient pumpsets in most states discourage energy conservation and overuse of water resulting in depletion of water and deterioration of the water quality. Vaidyanathan (2006) argues that access to irrigation leads to a huge increase in the productivity of his land and water should be treated like any other input and priced on the basis of the cost of supply, leaving it to the farmer to decide which combination of inputs (including quantum of irrigation) would be to his best advantage. The rate increases will also incentivize a more careful use of water and lead to choice of socially preferred cropping pattern. These perverse subsides neither meet equity nor environmental sustainability criteria.
At present the nitrogen, phosphatic, pottasic mix is 0.637:257:106. The Midterm Assessment of the 11th Plan notes that the association between fertiliser consumption and food grains production has weakened during the recent years due to imbalanced use of nutrients and deficiency of micro-nutrients, which demands a careful examination and policy action. This imbalance in use of plant nutrients and neglect of micro nutrient deficiencies in Indian soils has led to declining fertiliser response and deterioration of soil health. Implementation of the new policy of nutrient based subsidy is likely to provide incentive for balanced use of fertilisers. Imports of fertilisers now account for more than 40 percent of the domestic consumption. Fertiliser subsidy as a ratio to the value of crop output, which hovered between 3 and 3.5 percent during 2000-06 has risen to more than 10 percent in 2008-09 due to a spike in the price of imported fertilizers.
A healthy soil is necessary to ensure proper retention and release of water and nutrients, promote root growth maintain soil biotic habitat and resist degradation. Decline in soil health causes low fertilizer and other nutrients responses resulting in low productivity. There is need for soil testing at farm level for determining an optimum mix of fertilizers and following sound crop management practices.
Policies for Sustainable Agricultural Development
Capital Formation in Agricultural Sector
After stagnation, gross capital formation as percent of agricultural GDP has been rising from 2004-05. The share of public investment in the gross capital formation has also picked up from 2003-04. See Table 7.
We need an expenditure switch from subsidies to investments which augment the quantities and qualities of natural resource stocks. The necessary additional resources for capital formation can be generated via (i) phasing out environmentally perverse subsidies such as high subsidies for urea, under pricing of irrigation water and very low/zero pricing of electricity for farm pumpsets; (ii) reducing leakages, and targeting subsidies in the public distribution system to people below poverty line; (iii) rationalization of irrigation charges and agricultural electricity tariffs; and (iv) introduction of user charges/payment for ecosystem services. The policy reforms involve a package of technological, institutional and incentive based reforms.
India has developed the institutional capacity for using remote sensing data for natural resources management. The National Natural Resources Management System (NNRMS) facilitates optimum utilization of the country's natural resources through a proper and systematic inventory of the resource availability. The NNRMS covers agriculture, bio resources, water resources, meteorology, cartography and mapping, rural development and other areas. Some important applications of remote sensing technologies in the agricultural sector are preparation of hydro-morphological maps showing areas suitable for targeting points for locating drinking wells ; mapping of wastelands into different categories; integrated surveys for combating drought; biodiversity characterization; disaster management support system; assessment of snow-melt run-off; forest cover mapping; potential fishing zone forecasts; coastal zone mapping and crop area and production forecasts. The full potential benefits of the technology are yet to be realised.
The green revolution helped India in achieving self-sufficiency in food. Now there is a realization that this water intensive and fertilizer intensive technology, along with myopic and perverse pricing policies for fertilizers and irrigation water, are environmentally unsustainable.
We need an ecologically sustainable green revolution. We need more research on appropriate technologies for coarse cereals, pulses and horticultural crops, especially in arid and semi-arid areas. The National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture stresses the need for devising strategies to make Indian agriculture more resilient to climate change. The Mission has to identify and develop new varieties of crops and especially thermal resistant crops and alternative cropping patterns capable of withstanding extremes of weather, long dry spells, flooding and variable moisture availability.
India is emerging a leader in applications of biotechnology to agriculture, medicine and environment. Application of this technology to agriculture may result in improving yield, nutritional improvement, increasing shelf life of fruits and vegetables by delayed ripening ,conferring resistance to insects, pests and viruses, tolerance to abiotic stresses (drought, salt, water-logging) and herbicide tolerance. There are also concerns about transplanting genetically modified seeds developed abroad in Indian soil.
We need technological inputs and institutional support for improving soil health. The site specific Integrated Nutrition Management Programme envisages conjunctive use of chemical fertilizers, organic manures and biofertilisers to enhance nutrient use efficiency, soil health, crop yields and productivity. Gujarat government's proposal of Soil Health Card Programme is an innovative programme. Under this programme, every farmer takes specimen of the soil from his land to soil testing lab in his district where the scientist examines it for mineral composition. Based on various components of the soil, the farmer is advised to cultivate crops which would get good yield on his land. All this information would be recorded on the soil health cards which would be issued to him. The government also plans to integrate the soil health programme with the e-governance programme which could provide information on nature of soil to farmer from a computer at the village panchayat.
We need public investment in rural infrastructures particularly on road and communication networks for access to markets and information. Public and private investment in post-harvest technologies will not only reduce wastage but also increase value addition and provide greater market opportunities. Kiosks and agricultural digital networks can help in reducing information asymmetries, reducing the intermediation costs and accessing agricultural services timely at lower costs.
Institutional Changes
Reclamation of salt affected lands , bioremediation of contaminated sites and conversion of waste lands to productive uses via agro forestry/corporate management/community based self-governing organizations can increase the cultivated area and create livelihood opportunities for the poor. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme offers scope for cleaning of rivers, lakes , ponds and wetlands. Implementation of Forest Rights Act, Joint Forest Management schemes and access and benefit sharing provisions of the Biological Diversity Act would incentivize the stakeholders to adopt sustainable management practices.
Policy Changes
We need policies for crop diversification, generation of non-farm opportunities in rural areas and development of agro based industries. Other policy changes needed are (i) implementation of nutrition based subsidy scheme with fertilizer prices linked to minimum support prices (ii) creation of Water Regulatory Authority for allocation and rational pricing of irrigation water as recommended by the Thirteenth Finance Commission (iii) metering of electricity for pumpsets and phasing out electricity subsidies (iv) development of payment for ecosystem services e.g., between forest dwellers and farmers and local bodies in near-by regions for increases in the quantity and quality of water supplied (v) targeting agricultural subsidies and concessional agricultural credit only to small and marginal farmers using unique identification cards.
India, along with other developing countries, must argue in the WTO for immediate removal of distortions in agricultural markets of many OECD countries. The high levels of export subsidies and subsidies coming under amber and blue boxes depress the world agricultural prices and affect the agricultural exports of developing countries. India must enhance technical and institutional support to exporters of agricultural products for complying with the Technical Barriers to Trade and Sanitary and Phyto-sanitary regulations of the WTO .
India's growth potential and export potential in horticultural products are very high. At present only about 0.5 percent of the value of horticultural products is exported. Accelerating India's agricultural growth exploiting opportunities provided by globalization is feasible. Kalirajan, Mythili and Sankar (2001).
India along with other mega biodiversity countries is taking efforts for incorporation of country of origin, prior informed consent and access benefit sharing provisions of the Convention on Biodiversity in patent registrations abroad. This would incentivize the guardians of traditional knowledge and biological resources for adoption of sustainable management practices.
Concluding Remarks
India's agricultural subsidies are below the de minis levels set by the WTO. What we need is expenditure switching from current expenditures, particularly reduction of perverse agricultural subsidies which do not promote equity and environmental sustainability, to capital expenditures which augment the quantity and quality of natural capital stocks. We also need policies which signal farmers about the social costs of different natural resources and ecosystem services and incentivize them to adopt productivity enhancing farming methods and practices, crop diversification and post-harvest technologies for reducing wastes and better price realization. Subsidies must be targeted to achieve equity and environmental sustainability.
Sustainable management of agriculture, forests, fisheries and ecosystem services is necessary for achieving the goals of intra generational equity and inter generational equity. As the dependence of the poor on the natural resource base is relatively higher than for the non-poor, sustainable management of natural resources helps in poverty eradication. The poor also benefits more from greater access to clean water, non-timber forest products and other eco-system services.
References andAdditional Thinking
(U.Sankar received Ph.D in economics from University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1967. His research interests have been in applied econometrics, pricing of public utilities, cost benefit analysis of India's space programme and environmental economics. He was Coordinator of the World Bank-Ministry of Environment and Forests Capacity Building Programme in Environmental Economics in India during 1997-2002.He was President Indian Econometric Society in 1994 and Indian Council of Social Science Research National Fellow in 2003 and 2004.He was awarded the University Grants Commission's National Swami Pranavananda Saraswati Award in Economics for 2006. He is Honorary Professor and Coordinator of Trade and Environment Programme of the Ministry of Environment and Forests at Madras School of Economics. He is Member Planning Commission Expert Group on Low Carbon Inclusive Growth Strategy, Member of the Steering Committee on Environment, Ecology and Wild Life for the12th Plan and Fiscal Coordinator of Central Pollution Control Board's clean Technology Project for SMEs.
The views expressed in the article are personal and do not reflect the official policy or position of the organisation.)


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American Kidney Fund asks CMS to protect ESRD patients' rights to insurance choice and charitable assistance
Comment on HHS notice of benefit and payment parameters for 2018 warns against rules favorable to insurers at the expense of vulnerable patients
ROCKVILLE, Maryland (October 10, 2016) – The American Kidney Fund (AKF) is calling on the Obama Administration to ensure that kidney patients and people with other chronic conditions continue to have the same freedom of choice in insurance coverage as all Americans, even if they need charitable assistance to afford it.
In its comment letter filed with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on the 2018 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters (NBPP), AKF asked CMS to promulgate a final rule that strengthens the ability of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) to choose a Qualified Health Plan (QHP) as their primary insurer—not only in theory, but also in practice, by guarding patients against unfair insurer billing practices and by protecting patients' right to use charitable assistance to afford premiums.
"The reasons ESRD patients might want to choose a Qualified Health Plan in the Marketplace are numerous," AKF said. The nonprofit noted that even though most ESRD patients can become eligible for Medicare regardless of age, the federal government has recognized their unique circumstances through long-established law and regulations giving them a choice between Medicare and private coverage. CMS and the IRS have affirmed that ESRD patients may enroll in the Marketplace.
The majority of ESRD patients choose Medicare, but as ESRD patients have recently explained to CMS, some may instead opt for a Marketplace plan for any one of a number of compelling reasons. Medicare supplemental coverage (Medigap) is not available to ESRD patients under 65 in about half of the states, exposing these individuals to a 20 percent out-of-pocket cost burden that has no limit. Medicare provides individual coverage, but younger ESRD patients often need a plan offering family coverage. Marketplace plans may offer lower out-of-pocket costs for medications, a particularly important consideration in a patient population that has numerous co-morbidities, including diabetes and hypertension.
CMS observed in its proposed rule that some insurance companies have a provision in their individual health insurance policies indicating that the insurance plan will pay secondary to Medicare not only for individuals who are currently covered by Medicare, but also for those who could obtain Medicare coverage but are not currently covered. CMS asked for comment on this practice.
"We are deeply concerned about the effect of such provisions on the ESRD patient population," AKF responded to CMS. "In developing such provisions, insurers are burdening ESRD patients with high out-of-pocket costs that will effectively force them onto Medicare or will leave them with devastating medical bills. Such provisions are a de facto way of allowing insurers to relieve themselves of covering high-cost ESRD patients."
Halt insurer restrictions on charitable assistance
AKF commended the Administration's recent efforts to ensure the Marketplace remains an attractive market for insurers and an affordable option for consumers. But AKF also issued an important caution.
"In efforts to make the Marketplace more attractive for insurers, CMS must not take an action that would make it difficult or impossible for an entire class of disabled individuals (low-income ESRD patients) to have this type of insurance. Their departure from the Marketplace will not fix what ails the ACA; the number of ESRD patients involved is miniscule compared to overall Marketplace enrollment. But the inability of patients with ESRD to access this insurance will, indeed, cause individual patients great harm. CMS must promulgate regulations that protect these individuals' ability to rely on charitable aid."
Noting that many low-income ESRD patients do not have the practical ability to afford a QHP without charitable assistance, and that nonprofits have historically served as the safety net for chronically ill patients who cannot afford their health care, AKF asked CMS to clarify the role of nonprofits in providing charitable premium assistance.
"When insurers attempted to refuse charitable premium assistance on behalf of persons with HIV/AIDS in 2014, the Administration stepped in and issued an interim final rule mandating insurers to take premium payments from the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program. Today, we are asking that the Administration protect Americans with other chronic diseases in the same manner," AKF wrote.
AKF cited concerted efforts by insurers to steer low-income ESRD patients off their private insurance plans by refusing premium payments on behalf of policyholders from AKF. AKF's Health Insurance Premium Program (HIPP) has operated for close to 20 years under HHS Office of Inspector General Advisory Opinion 97-1, and provides assistance for all types of insurance coverage, including Medicare Part B, Medigap, COBRA and employer group plans, and Marketplace plans. The majority of AKF's grant beneficiaries get help from AKF for their Medicare Part B and Medigap premiums, but AKF is working to ensure that low-income patients continue to have the ability to come to AKF for help with any insurance coverage that best meets their needs.
HIPP helps about 80,000 ESRD patients annually, including about 6,400 who are enrolled in Marketplace plans, 0.05 percent of total Marketplace enrollment.
"Unbelievably, insurance companies are putting in place policies that restrict individuals' freedom to receive charitable assistance and use that money to pay their health care costs," AKF said in the comment letter.
Some of the nation's largest carriers are going so far as to send letters to their policyholders demanding that individuals attest under penalty of perjury that they are not receiving charitable assistance to help with health insurance premiums. These insurance companies are telling patients that if they do accept such assistance, their insurance coverage will be terminated. Some AKF grant recipients have lost their coverage as a result. AKF noted that insurer filings for 2017 Marketplace plans signal the expansion of this practice.
AKF urged CMS to clarify in the 2018 NBPP that insurance carriers are required to accept third-party premium assistance from recognized 501(c)3 charities and to clarify that insurers may not require their enrolled members to attest to the source of their personal funds, and may not terminate an individual's coverage simply because that person is receiving charitable assistance to help them afford health insurance.
"We believe it is a fundamental right of every American to receive charitable assistance and to use that assistance for important needs, including health coverage," the AKF letter said. "Allowing insurance companies to require individuals to attest to the source of their personal income is antithetical to our nation's fundamental principles of free speech and freedom of association. The government must not permit health insurance carriers to dictate to Americans what they may and may not do with charitable assistance that they have received from recognized 501(c)(3) charities."
In its comments, AKF also reiterated guardrails that it has previously proposed to CMS and state regulators. These guardrails would make it possible for legitimate charities to continue helping low-income patients pay for insurance, while also protecting against fraud and abuse.
The full comment letter from AKF may be found here.
About the American Kidney Fund
As the nation's leading nonprofit working on behalf of the 31 million Americans with kidney disease, the American Kidney Fund is dedicated to ensuring that every kidney patient has access to health care, and that every person at risk for kidney disease is empowered to prevent it. AKF provides a complete spectrum of programs and services: prevention outreach, top-rated health educational resources, and direct financial assistance enabling 1 in 5 U.S. dialysis patients to access lifesaving medical care, including dialysis and transplantation.
For more information, please visit KidneyFund.org, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.


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Microsoft's Azure cloud computing platform is set to integrate several new industry services when it formally launches its blockchain-as-a-service marketplace option next year.
Eris Industries, Factom and CoinPrism have partnered with Microsoft, according to a 15th December blog post. The platform had previously announced support for Ethereum and has been looking into integrating Ripple's Interledger protocol.
The move comes amid increasing demand from incumbent financial institutions for products and services that allow them to explore the growing number of blockchain offerings and services.
As a result, industry services included are viewing their selection as validation that they have emerged as leaders in what has to date been a crowded market.
Eris chief operation officer Preston Byrne told CoinDesk:
"We're delighted to be joining the Azure BaaS platform, and are pleased to see we're in good company with projects like OpenChain and others. 2016 is going to be a great year."
Factom president and CEO Peter Kirby remarked that Microsoft is "aggressively exploring how blockchain as a service (BaaS) tools fit into their ecosystem of products".
"Factom was excited when Microsoft approached us to participate in the Azure platform. Integration was simple and seamless, and in Q1 2016 anyone can install Factom as part of their cloud offering," he said.
CoinPrism founder and CEO Flavien Charlon told CoinDesk:
"Combining Azure and Openchain means that anyone can deploy their own chain on Microsoft's infrastructure at the click of a button."
Microsoft Azure did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Hands in visualization via Shutterstock
UPDATE (16th December 02:38 BST): This article has been updated with comment from CoinPrism's Flavien Charlon.


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Every Irish Mammy subscribes to the same remedies for most ailments:
Sugary tea and toast
Flat 7up
A Dock Leaf
Milk of Magnesia
A Hot Water Bottle
A bottle of Lucozade
And a bit of oul-fashioned TLC
The card is printed on a premium A5 silk board
Along with being an amazing part of the Born & Bred Team Leanne is also a freelance illustrator. She studied Graphic Design and Illustration at the University of Ulster in Belfast. Leanne enjoys drawing people, dogs, and strange things in jars.
Approx Size : A5
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If we have to wear them we may as well have a bit of fun.
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Do you know someone who is about to:
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This card combines a brilliant Irish phrase (Wee Buns - meaning 'Easy') with some of Northern Ireland's finest baked goods from the Gravy Ring through to the Cream Horn!


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The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is an award winning charity that focuses on preventing male suicide, which unfortunately is the biggest killer of men under 45.
Sadly suicide kills more men than heart disease and any individual cancer. 75% of all suicides are men; this isn't widely known or discussed.
Some of the fantastic work CALM provides includes:
Support for families who have a lost a loved one
Offer counselling to men in the UK through helplines, their website and online communication
Work with other charities and organisations such as TASC and the NSPA
Encourage a cultural and societal change towards men's mental health. Inspiring men to seek help when needed
everyday on average 12 men take their own life in the UK
three in every four suicides are male
only 55% of men who've experienced depression will tell anyone about it
average calls to the helpline each month
suicides prevented each year
website visits each month
will cover the cost of one phone call, which could prevent a possible suicide
pays to take calls for an hour
pays for their website to be up for a whole day
will keep a line open from 5pm to midnight
runs their entire helpline for an evening, meaning they can take nearly 200 calls a night
can fund an entire issue of CALMzine spreading the word of men's mental health
This cause is close to my heart as I've battled with my own mental health issue's stemming from loss of my brother Tom (pictured right) who passed seven years ago.
Numbing the pain with alcohol and drugs was infinitely easier than facing my mounting issues.
I ended up in and out of hospital from mental breakdowns, which were triggered by substance misuse.
So after yet another trip to the hospital I was at a crossroads in my life, carry on smothering my emotions with substance's or face up to them by getting sober and finding help.
Through my own will power and the support of my extremely patient mum and girlfriend, I've been sober for almost 2 years.
In this time I feel I'm coming to terms with my brothers passing and I feel that I'm in a strong position to tackle my own mental health issues.
CALM could be the only support an individual has, which highlights how important their work is. I want to give the support I had to another guy in need of a helping hand. Poor mental health doesn't just affect the person who has it; it affects anyone in immediate contact with you.
Your support network takes the strain from your breakdowns and props you up during your darkest days. These loving people are also affected from the mental health challenges you face. By saving a brother, son or a father you can keep
a family from tearing apart. I don't expect to save the world but If I can raise enough awareness/funds to help prevent one suicide, it would have been worth it.
Please support the cause by making a donation on my JustGiving page.
Please support the cause by making a donation on my JustGiving page.


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We find ourselves in a world marked by rapid change, uncertainty and upheaval, where the need for inner stability as well as a clear vision and purpose, has become paramount. YOGA gives us the power to bring stability and calm to our minds, along with the capacity to see, feel and experience our highest potential and a higher future world.
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- Just Saying
- Stand Tall
- Through Village & City
- Not The Devils Ride
- Lost Waves
- Planet Lojd
- The Devils Ride
- Deplorable Condition
- 666 Thousand Miles
- Reborn In Heaven
About the band
Surfing In Hell have developed a more clean sound, without giving up their original music. The band still delivers many real strong tracks, influenced by the 70's hardrock scene, with incredible melodic hooks and a nod to the underground scene. Heavy & harsh stonerrockpunk-ish deluxe with a great feeling for riffs. proving it completely possible to mix up dirty rock with professionally arranged melodies and bridges. The Nordic woodsmen from outer space creates a blend of powerful fuzzy rock and melodic, groovy tunes. Expect more patented Sabbath-punkish riffs, and some fast and urgent tracks that are like a punch in your face. Fat, hard, stoner rock. Is a fun listen, holding a distinct desert vibe with its down-tuned, fuzzed-out guitar tone. Produced by William Blackmon.


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You are going to mess up, dear ones.
In both big and small ways.
Ways that feel life-shattering and leave you feeling unbalanced, longing for that one moment to do all over again.
That feeling will live in the back of your mind, like chains wrapped around your wrists, keeping you from reaching out for that one thing that will undo it all.
It's not there.
I've searched.
I've dreamt.
I've pleaded.
It's not there.
If you keep your eyes on your failures, on the what-ifs, on all the ways that you would do it all over again differently, if only you could… the burden of failure will only weigh heavier. Your unbelief at who you are apart from Christ will threaten to overwhelm.
And that is when the enemy sinks his teeth in even deeper.
His accusations begin to hold weight,
as though the Father of Lies could ever be true.
That's when you need to press in closer to the One who is Truth. The One who is completely, utterly, unwaveringly true.
I've sat in Isaiah for the past month, after sitting in Judges and all the 1st and 2nd's of the Old Testament.
The weight of failure of the people of God has felt familiar – the bewilderment at "how can they repeat those same mistakes?" has pressed down any pride that has plagued my heart the last few years.
I know how, and there is no pride in that.
I've read the pleadings of God.
I've read His rebukes,
I've nodded at His just judgment…
and I've wept over His compassion.
His people turn, sweet ones, they turn and they repent of their deep-seeded sin and God forgives them.
I sit in Isaiah and my heart begins to heal and the call to Look up has seemed to follow me everywhere I go, and it's in the 51st chapter that He confirms again what it looks like to turn and repent:
3 For the Lord will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places, and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and melodious song.
4 Pay attention to Me, My people, and listen to Me, My nation; for instruction will come from Me, and My justice for a light to the nations. I will bring it about quickly.
5 My righteousness is near, My salvation appears, and My arms will bring justice to the nations. The coastlands will put their hope in Me, and they will look to My strength.
6 Look up to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and its inhabitants will die in like manner. But My salvation will last forever, and My righteousness will never be shattered.
You are going to mess up, dear ones, in the biggest and smallest of ways.
But there is a way to make order out of the chaos that your choices will make.
Look up.
Before you look out on the barren landscape around you, look up in repentance to the heavens above.
All of this? It holds weight. It will bear consequences. Your choices will mark your time here.
But they are also finite.
One day, you will stand before Jesus – the compassionate and holy One. The one who sits enthroned above the heavens and above you and He will make you new, completely and utterly.
For He has promised that the redeemed of the Lord will return. They will. And they will come to Zion with singing, crowned with unending joy. Joy and gladness will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee.
This sorrow that you hold over the brokenness in front of you – someday it will flee in the presence of Jesus.
So look up, my dear four. Keep eternity before you, keep your heart ever turning to our Savior.
Joy will come in the morning.


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How to Take the Perfect NapAugust 24, 2013
40 winks, resting your eyelids, siestas or cat naps, no matter what your power naps, I think it is safe to say that we all appreciate a good bit of mid day shuteye now and again. That said, did you know that there is also a wrong way about catching some sleep outside of normal sleeping hours? In fact, there have even been certain "nap rules" put into place to help you make the most out of the perfect nap.
Rules? Who Needs Rules?
Taking a nap comes naturally and can be done at any time right? Well, actually this perception is not correct at all! To make the most out of your nap you have to get the timing right (rule number 1, so yes you do need rules after all). A nap that is too long, or taken at the wrong time of day, will actually make you feel groggier and more exhausted than you felt before the nap. A long nap consists of anything more than 1 hour and the problem with this is that after 60 minutes of sleep our bodies enters a deep sleep phase, make it more difficult to wake up. So what is the ideal nap time? The perfect nap time limit is literally no more than 30 minutes. This half hour consists of 10 or 15 minutes of actual rejuvenating sleep and 15 minutes of actual relaxing sleep.
The second rule of napping is just as important as the first, but not as easy to stick too. This is because you need to take a good nap in a nap friendly zone. What is a nap friendly zone you ask? Well, it is a room that is dark and quiet. This can cause a few issues if you wish to take a nap outside of the home. The best thing to do in this case is to purchase an eye mask and take a quick nap in your car. This is provided that you have parked in a cool, safe and quiet environment. Again, not an easy thing to do!
So, to sum things up you need to take a nap of no more than 30 minutes in an environment that is dark, cool and quiet. If you can do this on a daily basis you will soon find yourself full of energy and way more productive than in the past. But remember, do not nap too close to bedtime, because it will make it more difficult to fall asleep when it is time to go to bed at night.
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The high speed of Italian-made agri-food exports travels on the "food & wine" track. The Istituto Marche highlitghts this for the protection of wines on the elaborations of Nomisma Wine Monitor. T 2007 and 2018 exports of the two product categories recorded almost parallel trends, with sales values increasing by 68% (agri-food) and 69% (wine) respectively in the decade, and it is precisely where there is Italian food that also tricolor wine finds more fertile market.
The United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and France, which absorb a total of 56% of wine exports, are also the 4 main agro-food destinations, with almost half of the export share (45%, for a total of 18 billion euro) and about 30% of Italian restaurants outside the borders. The United States is the first market for wine (23% of the export share of stars and stripes, 1.6 billion euros) and for Italian catering abroad (17% of restaurants), and the second for agri-food (11%).
But even if we ask in four different places like United Kingdom, China and Russia which is the most representative sector of Made in Italy, the answer is always the same: for 40% food and wine are able to communicate our culture better than fashion, automotive and furnishing.
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This script automates the setting up of Alfresco Community on Ubuntu Server 9.0.4 & Ubuntu Desktop 9.0.4. Alfresco is an enterprise content management system for Microsoft Windows and Unix-like operating systems. Alfresco comes in two flavours-Alfresco Community Edition is free software, GPL licensed open source and open standards, but never officially stable. Alfresco Enterprise Edition is commercially / proprietary licensed open source, open standards and enterprise scale. Its design is geared towards users who require a high degree of modularity and scalable performance. Alfresco includes a content repository, an out-of-the-box web portal framework for managing and using standard portal content, a CIFS interface that provides file system compatibility on Microsoft Windows and Unix-like operating systems, a web content management system capable of virtualizing webapps and static sites via Apache Tomcat, Lucene indexing, and jBPM workflow. The Alfresco system is developed using Java technology…
Article Source HowtoForge
September 15, 2009, 3:32 am
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How to run to lose weight and improve health
How to run, and what sport? Sports are necesary for our development of the organism, it helps to keep life tone. Using not tricky exercises you can start the fight against exces weight and fight diseases.
If you decided to take your health and provide various options for weight los – for girls jamann-world will help you with that. Here you will find information about the correct running and learn to keep myself in good shape.
How to run and improve your health?
In today's hectic it's hard to stay in good shape, because everything Continue reading
The warm-up. KEEP MUSCLE TONE
Constant forced posture at the Desk can lead to fatigue one muscle group and inaction of another. Offer to give yourself 10-15 minutes to warm up. And thoughts will flow faster and the mood will rise. Let's start?
Up. Feet shoulder width apart, arms along the body. Alternately attach each foot back, touch toe to floor. Hands at this time moving from the "hands on shoulders" to "hands up" again "on the shoulders and arms along the body.
To repeat 8-10 times. The pace is slower.
Hands on his belt. Disolve them in the parties, tasels dangle freely. Lean forward, dropping his hands down. Straight, arms along the body. To Continue reading
How to lose weight on a treadmill – menu, reviews, results, advantages, disadvantages, contraindications
To lose weight, practicing walking on a treadmill, exercise must be regular. One-time visits desired outcome will bring. In order to achieve the desired effect, it is necesary to study hard.
You can train on the treadmill at any time of day convenient for you. But, according to observations, most effective workout, especially weight-los, exactly the morning – which is obvious, even judging by the reviews in the Internet. This is because in the morning the body les carbohydrate calories, so fat stores are burned much easier.
Continue reading
Warm-up in the workplace
Women's online magazine
Exercises that you can perform sitting at your Desk at work. These physical exercises not outwardly noticeable, but very effective.
Come closer to the edge of a chair lift from the floor one foot and lifting her a few inches, hold for as long as you don't feel tired. Repeat the exercise for the other leg. The higher you raise your foot and stronger than straighten your knee, the larger the load will receive the muscles, and the more effective the workout.
• Pegadinhas to the edge of the seat and tighten the muscles of the legs, Continue reading
How to pull the figure for the week
The pursuit of the coveted graceful forms often develops into obsesion.
And when even the most strict diets do not bring the expected result when you cannot lose weight at all, or because weight los form lose seductive roundnes, the question arises: how to avoid trouble?
As only regular physical activity.
Choosing the type of exercise, it is important to take into account the load on all muscle groups, so they have to be versatile and designed for endurance, stretching and strength exercises.


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Just a few hours ago, Azure team released Microsoft Azure PowerShell 0.8.8. The new release has a lot of improvements and added a support for today's Azure update–Role-Based Access Control in Azure Preview Portal.
Here is the official change log for version 0.8.8:
- Role-based access control support
- Query role definition
- Get-AzureRoleDefinition
- Manage role assignment
- New-AzureRoleAssignment
- Get-AzureRoleAssignment
- Remove-AzureRoleAssignment
- Query Active Directory object
- Get-AzureADUser
- Get-AzureADGroup
- Get-AzureADGroupMember
- Get-AzureADServicePrincipal
- Show user's permissions on
- Get-AzureResourceGroup
- Get-AzureResource
- Active Directory service principal login support in Azure Resource Manager mode
- Add-AzureAccount -Credential -ServicePrincipal -Tenant
- SQL Database auditing support in Azure Resource Manager mode
- Use-AzureSqlServerAuditingSetting
- Set-AzureSqlServerAuditingSetting
- Set-AzureSqlDatabaseAuditingSetting
- Get-AzureSqlServerAuditingSetting
- Get-AzureSqlDatabaseAuditingSetting
- Disable-AzureSqlServerAuditing
- Disable-AzureSqlDatabaseAuditing
- Other improvements
- Virtual Machine DSC extension supports PSCredential as configuration argument
- Virtual Machine Antimalware extension supports native JSON configuration
- Storage supports creating storage account with different geo-redundant options
- Traffic Manager supports nesting of profiles
- Website supports configuring x32/x64 worker process
- -Detail parameter on Get-AzureResourceGroup to improve performance
- Major refactoring around account and subscription management
The error "Add-AzureAccount: multiple_matching_tokens_detected: The cache contains multiple tokens satisfying the requirements. Call AcquireToken again providing more requirements (e.g. UserId)" that some users have experienced with the Add-AzureAccount cmdlet, and were blocked to work with the Resource Manager in PowerShell, is fixed now.
The "Virtual Machine DSC extension supports PSCredential as configuration argument" improvement is covered in detail in today's post on PowerShell team blog.


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Attractions – where to go within easy reach of Knutsford. Some places may take just a couple of hours whilst others, plan a full day. Attractions not to be missed include Tatton Park (Knutsford), Tabley House (Tabley), Quarry Bank Mill, Styal Country Park (Wilmslow), Dunham Massey (Altrincham), Little Morton Hall (Congleton), the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank (Macclesfield), Anderton Boat Lift (Northwich), Nether Alderley Mill (Alderley Edge), Lyme Park (Stockport) and Hare Hill (Macclesfield).
Many of the attractions belong to The National Trust therefore it is highly recommended visitors to the area consider joining. Advantages include:
- Free entry to over 500 places in the UK
- Free parking at most National Trust car parks
- National Trust Handbook full of ideas to help you plan a visit
- National Trust Magazine sent to you three times a year
- Regular newsletters sent straight to your inbox.
For further information visit the National Trust website at www.nationaltrust.org.uk.