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All Weather Spraying Polyurea SPUA-90 AB Courts Sports Surface Flooring Athletic Running Track
Product Description
1. Grassroots requirements
(1) The strength grade of the base concrete structure cannot be lower than C25.
(2) The base layer should be surfaced with pure pulp and the machine should be lighted to achieve leveling.
(3) The treatment of the concrete ground base layer requires at least 28 days of curing time in summer and an appropriate extension in winter.
(4) A moisture-proof layer must be provided under the base layer, and the moisture content of the base layer must be less than 8%.
(5) The surface of the base layer should be kept clean during construction, and no pollutants are allowed. All contaminants such as fats, greases, paint residues, chemicals and floating pulp must be removed.
2, grassroots processing
(1) Clean the base layer and test the moisture content of the base layer: clean the base layer floating ash and impurities, cement concrete, etc., and clean the ground with grease impurities and wipe it with solvent; determine the moisture content of the ground with a water meter, such as a waterless meter. That is, use a piece of transparent PE film of about 1m2 to spread on the ground, and seal it with tape. After 2-4 hours, if there is fogging in the film, it indicates that the water content is high and it is not suitable for construction. Otherwise, it can be applied;
(2) Base oil treatment: For the oil removal treatment of local oil on the ground, if the general oil and industrial lubricants can be blown, that is, the fuel blower will be used to spray the oil, usually 3-5 minutes. The surface oil is burned out. If the spray cannot be removed, it must be degreased by pickling, that is, the oil is cleaned with a steel ball with acetone or a special thinner.
(3) Polishing the base layer: After the base layer is cleaned, the floor is polished with a sander to make the floor more flat, and the floor is more attractive for being roughened. The small area and irregular places can be used with angle grinders or Sanding paper for grinding;
(4) Base layer putty repair: After the base layer is polished, if a large local area (more than 0.5m2 or more) is found to be lower than the floor surface, the primer can be used to add the talcum powder, quartz sand and other mortar to prepare the putty to fill the concave surface. 0.5-1cm "V" groove shall be cut at the ground crack. After the first primer is scraped, the primer and talcum powder shall be used to adjust the putty to repair and level.
3, brush primer
After the floor is polished and the parts have been repaired and flattened, the dust caused by the grinding is cleaned, and then the solvent-free epoxy anti-corrosion sealing primer is applied. The material is a two-component mixture, and the A and B groups are combined. The materials are stirred evenly in proportion, and after being evenly mixed, they are scraped on the base layer with a batch knife, or roller-rolled with a roller, paying attention to the place where the roller coating cannot be leaked. Depending on the condition of the base layer, the amount per square is about 0.15-0.20KG. This process is two times, one pass permeation solidification, two times closed (this time add 40-80 mesh or 80-120 mesh quartz sand, according to the ground flatness)
Note: The principle of [specialized ingredients, multiple allocations, and continuous supply" should be adhered to during construction; the current primers should be used up within 30 minutes.
4, smear coating self-leveling paint
After the primer is completely cured, in order to ensure the adhesion between the layers, the grinding treatment is carried out, and after cleaning and grinding the floating dust, the solvent-free polyurea self-leveling medium-layer paint composition is uniformly stirred in proportion, and the mixture is poured on the floor for use. Knife the knife evenly (depending on the thickness, you can choose 3mm or 5mm boring tool). This time the amount per square is about 1.0-1.5KG. According to the engineering needs, such as scraping twice, the first pass of the middle coat must be polished to increase the adhesion between layers (Note: sanding dust must be cleaned with a vacuum cleaner). Before the polyurea self-leveling initial setting, it is necessary to wear spike shoes to enter, and use a professional defoaming roller to unilaterally roll the floor to eliminate the bubbles brought in by mixing, avoiding the bubble surface and interface height difference; Note: Before use Firstly, mix the A component evenly, and add the component B according to the proportional electronic weighing and stir for 2-3 minutes to prevent the uneven mixing of the bottom of the barrel to cause partial failure of the floor. Now used, the floor paint should be used up within 1 hour.
5, roll coated waterborne polyurethane
After self-leveling ground curing for 48 hours, the aqueous polyurethane A and B components are thoroughly stirred for 2-3 minutes, and then uniformly coated on the floor with a high-quality non-hairing short-haired roller (recommended: 1. Tape Sticking the hair; 2. Putting a stocking on the drum is feasible). Recommended coating area: about 12-15m2/kg. Note: Adhere to "special ingredients,"
The principle of [several distribution, continuous supply"; the current use, the primer is used up within 30 minutes.
Use materials:
1. Solvent-free epoxy anti-corrosion sealing primer Use ratio 2: 1
Solvent-free polyurea self-leveling mid-layer paint Use ratio 4:1
Waterborne polyurethane topcoat ratio 4:1
2. Tools: dust-free grinding machine, industrial vacuum cleaner, angle grinder, airless spraying machine (optional), boring tool, roller, defoaming roller, brush, measuring instrument, electric mixer, textured paper, etc.
(1) The ambient temperature at the construction site should be higher than 5 °C, and the relative humidity should be less than 85% before construction.
(2) The constructor shall make actual records of construction site, time, temperature, relative humidity, floor surface treatment, materials, etc., in order to be investigated.
(3) Because of the difference in specific gravity of each component in the floor paint, the paint in the barrel should be stirred evenly before the ratio.
(4) Open fire is strictly prohibited on the floor paint construction site.
(5) In order to prevent the edge of the construction from being stained and the processing area to be completely straight (or the boundary with the uncoated part), the protective tape should be applied. The ingredients should be kept clean to avoid impurities, and the construction equipment and tools should be kept clean.
(6) Try not to arrange the construction during the summer night to avoid the mosquitoes falling down to affect the surface aesthetics of the film;
(7) Do not pour self-leveling material into the sewer;
(8) Smoking is strictly prohibited on the construction site.
The company's products are highly stable and of high quality. Due to the differences in individual construction environments and materials selected, it is recommended to conduct field tests before construction to ensure reliability. If you have any questions, please call our technical department.
Shandong Century Union New Materials Technology Co.,Ltd
Shandong century union new materials technology co.,ltd grew out of Shandong Shangran Construction engineering Co., Ltd.(Since 2009), is located in well-known chemical industrycity–Zibo in China; Presently, it covers 70,000 sqm, with advanced production lines,R&D center, and Testing Center. We specialize in producing and selling polyurethane binder/glue, EPDM granules,TPE granules, Silicon PU binder,comfortable quiet floor materials, water based anti-graffiti material and color water based permeable pavement materials etc. Our products can be widely used in large stadiums, schools, kindergartens, garden path, square, commercial floor, industrial floor, and other large yards. And it also has professional design and construction team, which offer design and technique guiding service to our customers. The whole managerment and production is vertified by ISO9001 ISO 14001 ISO18001 and running track quality also is approved by IAAF and domestic quality inspections.
Company Info
- Company Name: Shandong Century Union New Materials Technology Co.,Ltd
- Representative: Lu Ling
- Product/Service: Running track , Sport court , Polyurethane adhesive , EPDM rubber granules , Silicon PU binder , Paving materials
- Capital (Million US $): 115,000,000RMB
- Year Established: 2009
- Total Annual Sales Volume (Million US $): US$2.5 Million - US$5 Million
- Export Percentage: 21% - 30%
- Total Annual Purchase Volume (Million US $): US$1 Million - US$2.5 Million
- No. of Production Lines: 3
- No. of R&D Staff: 11 -20 People
- No. of QC Staff: 11 -20 People
- OEM Services Provided: yes
- Factory Size (Sq.meters): 50,000-100,000 square meters
- Factory Location: North of Nanling South Road,High-tech Zone, East of Zibodong Railway
- Contact Person: Mr. Jiguang Chen
- Tel: +86-533-3781329
Premium Related Products
Other Products


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It was published on July 29 in the Official Gazette Circular SECEX no. 42, issued by the Secretariat of Foreign Trade, initiating an anti-dumping investigation in Brazil on the imports of tempered and laminated automotive glass, from Mexico and China.
The product under investigation is commonly classified under positions 7007.11.00, 7007.19.00, 7007.21.00, 7007.29.00 e 8708.29.99 of the Mercosur Common Nomenclature (NCM).
The investigation was requested by Associação Técnica Brasileira das Indústrias Automáticas de Vidros – ABIVIDRO, representing the domestic industry.
The period considered for the analysis of dumping is from January 2014 to December 2014 and the period considered for the analysis of injury is from is from January 2010 to December 2014.
The argued dumping margin is 184,7% for Mexico and 356,2% for China.
Because China is not considered as a market economy country in Brazil, the domestic industry appointed Mexico as the third market economy for the purpose of calculating the normal value. This choice can be challenged by the exporters.
The interested parties (producers/exporters from the investigated country, as well as the Brazilian importers) will receive Questionnaires in the next days, to be responded and returned to the investigating authorities within 40 days.
The cooperation allows an exporter to have control over the outcome of the investigation and to ensure that any duties imposed are based on accurate data. Moreover, the cooperating exporters may be subject to individual dumping margins, which tend to be lower than the "all others" margin. In this context, we strongly advise exporters from the investigated country to participate in this investigation.
It is very important that exporters of this product from the investigated country provide detailed responses to the questionnaires on the due date, in order to allow the authorities to apply lower anti-dumping duties to the exports from the investigated origins to Brazil, or no anti-dumping duty at all.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Yevgeny Yevtushenko Quotes
Read more quotations »
No, No! Believe me!
I've come to the wrong place!
I've made a god-awful mistake! Even the glass
in my hand's an accident,
and so's the gauze glance
of the woman who runs the joint.
'Let's dance, huh?
You're pale...
Didn't get enough sleep? '


text:
- Mac
- Security
- Personal Security
- PrivateTunnel
PrivateTunnel is mentioned in top 5 VPN services 2020 for Mac
You can download PrivateTunnel 188.8.131.52 for Mac from our application library for free. The most popular versions of the software are 2.3, 2.0 and 1.2. The unique ID for this app's bundle is com.openvpn.PrivateTunnel. The most frequent installer filename for the application is: privatetunnel.dmg.
The file size of the latest installation package available is 41.5 MB. Our built-in antivirus checked this Mac download and rated it as 100% safe. The actual developer of this software for Mac is OpenVPN. The software lies within Security Tools, more precisely Personal Security.
From the developer:
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You may want to check out more software for Mac, such as MEO, Wallet or PasswordWallet, which might be related to PrivateTunnel.
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Golden Rush
Golden Rush is an "unusual" MOBA from the creators of My Lands: Black Gem Hunting. The game features four teams facing off in an attempt to be the first to obtain either 30,000 gold or twelve chests.
|Publisher: Elyland Investment Company
Playerbase: Low
Type: MOBA
Release Date: September 23, 2015
Shut Down Date: September 27, 2018
Pros: +Good aesthetic. +Simple, intuitive interface. +Stands out within the MOBA genre.
Cons: -Gear grind. -Persistent character leveling. -Skins give stat bonuses. -Class unlocks take an absurd amount of time. -Small community, long waits for certain modes. -Pay-to-win elements.
Golden Rush Overview
Golden Rush is an "unusual" MOBA from the creators of My Lands: Black Gem Hunting, Forbes Consult and Elyland Investment Company. The game features four teams facing off in one of two modes in an attempt to be the first to obtain either 30,000 gold or twelve chests. These conflicts all take place on a single map known as the "Garden of Heroes." Here, players can take on the Golden Dragon to earn a powerful ally or hunt down the Golden Frog for great rewards. As players play, they will level their heroes—known as classes in Golden Rush—and obtain bigger and better gear. Obtaining a set of "artifacts" will even unlock a coveted fourth skill.
Golden Rush Key Features:
- A different kind of MOBA - Golden Rush features four teams of three and puts an emphasis on collecting gold from camps rather than destroying anything.
- Two modes - Be the first to 30,000 gold or twelve chests, depending on the mode.
- Earn a powerful ally - Kill the Golden Dragon to get a Bone Dragon on your side.
- Six classes - Players choose from six diverse classes, three of which are given to players for free.
- Persistent progression - Level your hero and earn new gear with the game's persistent progression system, akin to MMORPGs.
Golden Rush Screenshots
Golden Rush Featured Video
Golden Rush Review
By, Matt Chelen
Golden Rush is a "rather unusual" MOBA from the Russian developer Forbes Consult and publisher Elyland Investment Company. These companies, along with Gravvit, are the ones responsible for My Lands: Black Gem Hunting and it is fairly apparent when you first load the game up, as one of Golden Rush's currencies is that of Black Gems. The MOBA is considered to be "unusual" due to the fact that it features battles with four teams of three rather than the traditional two teams of five.
Basic Gameplay
As stated previously, Golden Rush is a bit different. The game features four teams of three duking it out on a map called "Garden of Heroes" that looks a bit like a four-tower version of League of Legends' Dominion map. Each team starts in a corner and works their way in from outside the otherwise circular map. Directly between each of the teams' spawns and the center of the map is a tower that will generate gold for the team that holds it in increments of 30 every five seconds or so. The path to the center is completely unobstructed other than that tower, but a dragon will eventually spawn, providing a sort of "world boss" that gives major rewards.
The paths quarter off the map as they create an "X" shape. A spawn akin to the traditional MOBA camp is within each quarter of the map. Two more camps can be found to the left and right of the exit to each spawn. These camps have a variety of weak enemies, along with a stronger boss monster that provides either a chest with 1000 gold or regenerative items when defeated—depending on the type of camp that has spawned. Throughout the game each of these bosses will be wiped out multiple times by players and subsequently respawn as a different camp.
Players familiar with the MOBA genre will immediately feel at home with Golden Rush. It plays nearly identically to any other MOBA with a set of skills across the QWERTY keys, right click to move, "B" to recall, and a set of items set to the numeric keys. In fact, they may adapt too easily as Golden Rush's characters have only three skills. Unless you obtain specific gear that is, but we will get to that later.
The goal of the Garden of Heroes map is to be the first team to reach 30,000 gold. For most of the game you will be relying on captured towers, hard-won chests, and the occasional drop from a monster. Larger amounts of gold can be taken from the "Golden Frog," that spawns and hops around, running whenever it takes too much damage. And the "Golden Dragon" that spawns in the center of the map and functions as a world boss. The Golden Frog will drop gold every time it is hit, which will be quite a lot thanks to its large health bar, and a chest containing 1000 gold when it dies. The Golden Dragon will drop a large chest that contains 3000 gold when its defeated. It also provides you with a powerful ally in the form of a bone dragon that captures and guards a tower for you by circling it.
There's another mode, erroneously called a map, named Dragon's Lair. In this mode players hunt down chests rather than gold. Each team must collect 12 chests and keep them from being stolen from their team's tower. Monsters have significantly more health and do significantly more damage. The Golden Frog is changed to drop one chest per notch on his health bar. Map items drop in camps to give you an idea of where another chest might be, but they do not appear to do so reliably. I would also not bet on being able to play this mode regularly, as wait times will be upwards of ten minutes during good times of the day. At other times of the day the queue counter will fail, never making it past three or four queued players .
While this setup may sound like it provides a number of tactical options, I can assure you that it does not. The only tactics I saw employed in the entire time I played, if any, were to make a mad dash for each chest and only detour from that plan if the Golden Frog spawned, if a straggler from a team decided to take your tower, or if your entire team made it to a level in which you could reliably take on the Golden Dragon.
There is no reason to go for the other teams' towers. As a three person team you cannot hope to reliably hold two towers at once, much less all four. The towers are set up so that at any one point a single player at full health can stand within the capture circle and barely survive being hit by the tower's attacks that occur over the course of the capture. If even a single player from another team were to come up, they would simply have to step inside the circle to completely reset your capture and doom you to death by the tower. And that's if they even bother. One or two hits will complement the tower's damage enough to kill you. All of this is still exempting the fact that the team whose spawn is closest to that tower is only a short walk away. Even if you were to dispatch them their death penalty would be much shorter than the time it would take you to recover.
Gold camps spawn sporadically. Sometimes, there are two or three camps at once. Other times, there are none for several minutes at a time. At the beginning of one game, both camps that spawned were on opposite sides of my team's spawn. The uneven nature of camp spawning leaves the game in a constant cycle of taking down less helpful camps in order to level while waiting on gold camps to spawn, taking out the gold camps, and repeating ad nauseum until your entire team has gained enough experience from the camps to take on the Golden Dragon. Then it becomes a series of all out PvPvE fights for ownership of the Golden Dragon until someone finally gets control. Deviating from this cycle will likely end in a loss.
Other Problems
Grievances about tactical issues aren't the only problems. Repeated tests may prove differently, but in my time with Golden Rush the bone dragon only ever went for the blue team's tower. This generally resulted in another team temporarily having an extra tower until repeated attacks from the blue team took it down and they reclaimed their tower. Out of the small percentage of times that the blue team slayed the Golden Dragon it amounted to more than five minutes of extra tower protection. It ultimately felt fairly pointless. Even if it were working in a way different than the one I experienced, there's still the issue that players will not reliably be able to defend the tower that the dragon takes for them.
I also feel that the skills each class is given lacks coherence. For example, the Mage's starting skill is an AoE/DPS combo attack that will repeatedly attack a given area until the caster runs out of mana, while requiring the caster to stay still. His supporting skill silences enemies within a specific area for three seconds.The Mage's final skill—his ultimate—is another AoE that drops a giant chunk of ice on a location. Any player caught directly in the center will take a massive amount of damage. Those outside of the center will take less damage based on the distance from the center.
The Archer's' skills are similarly incongruous. Her basic skill is to shoot a powerful shot in a straight line that will hit any enemies in its path without being stopped. Her supporting skill is to blind a single enemy for three seconds. I haven't been on the receiving end of the blinding skill, so I couldn't say how effective it is, but it appears to not do much to players—if anything at all. Her ultimate is to set an invisible bear trap that does massive damage to enemies that step on it and slows them for three seconds.
How exactly do these all fit together? What good is blinding your opponent if you're the archer? Don't you want to be able to lead them over your bear traps? What good is silencing your opponent as an AoE-focused DPS class? Are we going for the "mages are squishy" stereotype and giving them a way to keep enemies from using their heavy-damage skills and increase chances of survival? Is it really that simple? Whatever the case, the skill sets are quite odd. It almost feels like they wanted to give each class a support skill and were unsure of what to give, instead drawing each out of a hat randomly.
I can't be certain as I don't have experience with them, but it seems that the classes that must be either paid for with real cash (or an intense grinding process) are designed better. The Witch's primary skill, for example, sends out waves of dark energy that hit enemies within a certain radius for high amounts of damage. Each wave does damage independently. She has a supporting skill that charms a target to walk towards her for several seconds. You can see how this might be unbalanced compared to the skill sets that I described previously.
There's also the issue that Golden Rush is, at its core, gear-based and level-based. You level each class independently. Higher levels unlock higher level store items with better stats, and each set of store items is presented randomly. And you can pay to reroll the store items presented. Some gear drops during matches—yes, as it would in an MMORPG—but the best gear will ultimately be bought with your hard earned Gold Bars or Black Gems.
The Community
The community of a MOBA is always a concern. Many are filled with people that yell at their teammates and scream obscenities when anything goes wrong. Some are wrought with leavers. By comparison, Golden Rush's community is fairly complacent right now. I only experienced one leaver, who was promptly replaced by a bot. Similarly, only one player shouted obscenities and only one other player insulted me.
No, the real problem with Golden Rush's community is that they simply don't communicate. There is a Ctrl-click function to place an objective marker of sorts, with an accompanying ping, and the majority of your teammates will use that alone, if anything at all. Most will play silently expecting you to have the same ideas that they do.
Pay To Win Concerns
Golden Rush is made by a company that previously made a social MMORTS and it shows. Monetization that removes the in-game grind is pervasive. Black Gems can be paid for with real cash, in addition to the paltry amount earned from games. And you can pay a subscription to earn experience, Black Gems, and Gold Bars faster.
But that's not the biggest issue. The manner in which they have decided to monetize classes is discouraging. In order to unlock a new class you either pay $9.99 or earn 50 Friend Points while that class is activated as the class you are working towards. In order to earn friend points you must first add someone as a friend in-game—using their unusual number ID system, akin to 3DS friend codes—and invite them to your party. You must then play and win a match with that friend in your party. You must do this fifty times in order to unlock a single $9.99 class. With four teams instead of two, your odds are potentially halved. Unless you're already paying so much that the $9.99 wouldn't matter.
There is also an issue in that alternate skins for classes provide bonuses to their base stats. These skins can only be purchased by paying $9.99 and they very clearly put the players that buy them a cut above the players that don't.
Furthermore, there is a very expensive set of high-level items for each class that, when you have collected the entire set, provides a fourth skill for that class. You can either go through the intense grind to level up, and then go through the intense grind to get the required amount of Black Gems—all other items cost Gold Bars—to pay for them, or you can just pay your way through the grind.
While almost everything can be earned by simply playing the game the grind feels insurmountable within several hours. As is inevitable, there are players dumping huge amounts of money into the game in order to be the best. And they may not always be the best simply because they paid, but they will surely make it more difficult for those that aren't paying to get to the point where they can reliably compete. The alternate skins are also undoubtedly pay-to-win items.
Final Verdict - Fair
Golden Rush isn't an objectively bad game. It runs perfectly fine. The graphics are good enough. The interface is simple and intuitive and the English translation is serviceable. But it feels like it's an unusual MOBA not because it's innovative or on the cusp of the next big thing, but rather because it's tapping into a set of ideas that many MOBA developers know better than to use. The monetization and gear structure shows a clear lack of understanding of the larger MOBA audience, instead clearly drawing more on experience earned from working on My Lands: Black Gem Hunting. Class skill sets show even less understanding of the average MOBA. The team says they're in Early Access to take customer concerns into account on their "already finished" game. There is little chance that major changes will occur, but perhaps there is still hope.
Golden Rush Videos
Golden Rush Links
Golden Rush Steam Store
Golden Rush Developer's Website
Golden Rush Wiki
Golden Rush System Requirements
Minimum Requirements:
Operating System: Windows XP / Mac OS X 10.7 / Linux
CPU: Intel Celeron E3200 / Athlon X2 6550
Video Card: GeForce GT 6800 / ATI X1800 / Intel HD Graphics 3000
Hard Disk Space: 200 MB
Golden Rush is Linux and Mac OS X compatible.
Golden Rush Music & Soundtrack
Coming Soon...
Golden Rush Additional Information
Developer(s): Forbes Consult Ltd.
Publisher(s): Elyland Investment Company Ltd.
Engine: Unity
Steam Early Access: September 23rd, 2015
Shut Down Date: September 27, 2018
Development History / Background:
Golden Rush is developed in Unity by the Russian company Forbes Consult Ltd. It is funded and published by Elyland Investment Company Ltd. These companies both worked on My Lands: Black Gem Hunting, along with Gravvit Ltd. Golden Rush takes place in the same universe as My Lands, sharing the Black Gems currency. It was launched into Early Access on September 23, 2015 as a finished game looking for community input.
Golden Rush shut down on September 27, 2018. The game's shut down wasn't surprising as the game's playerbase has been extremely low ever since it launched.


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This is a win-win situation. She gets a new cock to blow. Uncharted territory… and when it comes to sex, something you haven't seen before is always a good thing. You get a new warm mouth. Hopefully this bitch doesn't have the same sharp back tooth your wife does. Haha… You are making out while your buddy is wondering how you put up with that back tooth.
Wife Switch updates with a new episode weekly so there is always more MILF group sex waiting for you on the weekend. What better way to blow off some steam then into your best buddies wife's mouth?
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From Richmond, Indiana, USA:
My daughter is in Kindergarten and needs easy snacks that will travel to school. She does really well, but we need some help in dealing with school snacks.
Snacks for school can be selected from a wide variety of foods. The easiest that I can think of off hand include pretzels, Teddy Grahams, animal crackers, Cheez-its, Ritz Bits, peanut butter crackers, to name a few. It can be fun to select some favorite snacks and bag them as a family activity in one serving size bags. Having a choice of what she will take each day can be helpful as well.
Original posting 15 Jan 2000
Posted to Meal Planning, Food and Diet and Social Issues: School and Daycare
|Return to the Top of This Page
Last Updated: (none)
This Internet site provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult with a physician or other health care professional.
This site is published by T-1 Today, Inc. (d/b/a Children with Diabetes), a 501c3 not-for-profit organization, which is responsible for its contents. Our mission is to provide education and support to families living with type 1 diabetes.
By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use, Legal Notice, and Privacy Policy.
© Children with Diabetes, Inc. 1995-2018. Comments and Feedback.


text:
LEES CREEK – In a closely contested battle, the East Clinton junior varsity volleyball team defeated Williamsburg 25-22, 23-25, 25-20 Tuesday in SBAAC National Division play.
"It was a great game," EC coach Samantha McGraw said.
Gracie Evanshine and Gracie Boggs had great games at the net, McGraw said. Evanshine finished with two aces, six kills and seven digs. Boggs had five kills, a block and three digs.
Alexis Rolfe led the way defensively with 12 digs, four aces and a kill. Katrina Bowman and Jericka Boggs had good games as setters. Bowman had three aces, eight kills, two blocks and two digs. Boggs finished with two aces, four kills, three blocks and four digs.
Lauren Hadley had an ace, two kills, a block and two digs. Mackenzie Pence had eight kills and two digs. Lydia Kessler chipped in off the bench and served a great game, McGraw said.


text:
While they perused the menu, Ricky Selby recognized them and asked them for a pic. Though Ricky crashed their dinner date, the couple obliged.
Ricky posted a pic of himself sitting at the table with Calvin and Taylor, who wore a backless dress for the date. He captioned the snap, "Awesome dinner with mom and dad🍴."
After meeting the power couple, Ricky told a fan, who had asked about Taylor, "She is sooo nice."
Though Taylor and Calvin have stayed under the radar in the new year, they spent the holidays with her family in Colorado. She posted a pic of herself, brother Austin, and Calvin building a snowman and wrote, "Really proud of ourselves over here."


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Muzaffarabad: United Jihad Council – an alliance of the militant groups – on Tuesday dubbed the decision of the Trump administration decision to tag Syed Salahuddin as "global terrorist" as a "mockery of international laws, the UN charter as well as the ground realities."
"Syed Salahuddin is a symbol of the legitimate freedom movement in Kashmir. The decision against him aimed at pleasing India's terrorist leader is painful and unfortunate," said a spokesman of the amalgam.
"Syed Salahuddin is leading a struggle of pro-freedom Kashmiris against Indian terrorism and the whole world knows that how brazenly Indian armed forces are involved in the worst ever human rights violations to perpetuate their illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir," he said.
The UJC spokesman pointed out that almost all independent global human rights bodies were constantly testifying to the incessant human rights violations at the hands of Indian troops.
He expressed the hope that all "freedom loving nations" across the globe would also reject this decision.
"India should read the writings on the wall, and try to understand the fact that Kashmir freedom struggle has reached a stage where no one can weaken, let alone stop, it, because the whole Kashmiri nation is part of it," he said.
'Trump-Modi nexus dangerous for world peace'
In a statement, PaK President Sardar Mohammad Masood Khan warned that "Trump-Modi nexus" could spell disaster to the regional peace.
Khan, who retired from the foreign service of Pakistan as a career diplomat, pointed out that the US had always deceived Pakistan and the latest decision was yet another example of it.
"The US has never acknowledged Pakistan's sacrifices despite the latter's being a frontline state in the war against terrorism," he said.
According to a release issued by the US State Department, Salahuddin was designated a terrorist under Section 1(b) of Executive Order (EO) 13224, which imposes sanctions on "foreign persons who have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of US nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States."
Khan questioned the justification of decision by pointing out that the Hizbul Mujahideen had been struggling solely for freedom of Kashmir, and was neither linked to any terrorist group nor had resorted to any action outside Jammu and Kashmir.
"In fact, it's the India army committing terrorism in Kashmir. Ignoring the genocide of Kashmiris by Indian army and declaring freedom fighters as terrorists is a criminal departure from international humanitarian and democratic norms by the US," he said.
Born in Soibugh village of Budgam district, Muhammad Yousuf Shah aka Syed Salahuddin had contested elections to the Legislative Assembly of Kashmir in 1987 under the banner of Muslim United Forum (MUF).
He joined the armed struggle and founded Hizb-ul-Mujahideen outfit after the rigging of 1987 elections.
In 2002, India had included his name in the list of 20 "most wanted people" and had been seeking his possession from Pakistan, but Pakistan has always turned down the demand.


text:
- African National Congress
"ANC" redirects here. For other uses, see ANC (disambiguation)."Tripartite Alliance" redirects here. For the envisioned Anglo-French-Soviet alliance of 1939, see Tripartite military talks.For defunct political party in Trinidad and Tobago, see African National Congress (Trinidad and Tobago).
African National Congress President Jacob Zuma Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe Founder John Dube, Pixley ka Isaka Seme, Sol Plaatje National Chairperson Baleka Mbete Treasurer-General Mathews Phosa Founded 8 January 1912 Headquarters Luthuli House, 54 Sauer Street, Johannesburg, Gauteng Youth wing ANC Youth League Women's wing ANC Women's League Paramilitary wing Umkhonto we Sizwe
Ideology Democratic socialism
Social democracy
Left-wing populism
Political position Centre-left to left-wing International affiliation Socialist International[1] Official colours Black, green, gold National Assembly seats264 / 400 NCOP seats62 / 90 NCOP delegations8 / 9 Website www.anc.org.za Politics of South Africa
Political parties
The African National Congress (ANC) is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the South African Communist Party (SACP), since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a "disciplined force of the left".[2] Members founded the organization as the South African Native National Congress (SANNC) on 8 January 1912 in Bloemfontein to increase the rights of the black South African population. John Dube, its first president, and poet and author Sol Plaatje are among its founding members. The organization became the ANC in 1923 and formed a military wing, the Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation) in 1961.
It has been the ruling party of post-apartheid South Africa on the national level since 1994. It gained support in the 1999 elections, and further increased its majority in 2004, with 69.7% of the votes. In 2009 its share of the vote reduced slightly, but it remained the dominant party with 65.9% of the votes.
- 1 History
- 2 Ideology
- 3 ANC flag
- 4 Party list
- 5 Election results
- 6 Role of the ANC in resolving the conflict
- 7 Criticism
- 8 See also
- 9 References
- 10 External links
HistoryMain article: History of the African National Congress
The founding of the ANC was in direct response to perceived injustice against black South Africans at the hands of the current government in power. It can be said that the ANC had its origins in a pronouncement by Pixley ka Isaka Seme who said in 1911 Forget all the past differences among Africans and unite in one national organisation. The ANC was founded in the subsequent year on 8 January 1912.[3]
The government of the newly formed Union of South Africa began a systematic oppression of black people in South Africa. The Land Act was promulgated in 1913. The effect of these laws was to force many non-whites from their farms into the cities and towns to work, and to restrict their movement within South Africa. By 1919, the ANC led a campaign against passes, and in 1929 the ANC supported a militant mineworkers' strike.
The ANC became dormant in the mid-1920s. During that time, black people were also represented by the ICU and the previously white-only Communist party. By 1947, J.T. Gumende (president of the ANC) proposed cooperation with the Communists in a bid to revitalise the organisation, but he was voted out of power in the 1930s. This led to the ANC becoming largely ineffectual and inactive, until the mid-1940s when the ANC was remodelled as a mass movement.
The ANC responded militarily to attacks on the rights of black South Africans, as well as calling for strikes, boycotts, and defiance. This led to a later Defiance Campaign in the 1950s, a mass movement of resistance to apartheid. The government tried to stop the ANC by banning party leaders and enacting new laws to stop the ANC, however these measures ultimately proved to be ineffective.
In 1955, the Congress of the People officially adopted the Freedom Charter, stating the core principles of the South African Congress Alliance, which consisted of the African National Congress and its allies the South African Communist Party (SACP), the South African Indian Congress, the South African Congress of Democrats (COD) and the Coloured People's Congress.[4] The government claimed that this was a communist document, and consequently leaders of the ANC and Congress were arrested. 1960 saw the Sharpeville Massacre, in which 69 people were killed when police opened fire on anti-apartheid protesters.
Whites eventually joined the fight against apartheid, leading many Black nationalists to break away from the ANC.
The ANC and its members were officially removed from the United States terrorism watch list in 2008. [5]
Umkhonto we Sizwe
Umkhonto we Sizwe (or MK), translated "Spear of the Nation", was the military wing of the ANC. Partly in response to the Sharpeville Massacre of 1960, individual members of the ANC found it necessary to consider violence to combat what passive protest had failed to quell. There was a significant portion of the ANC who therefore turned to violence in order to achieve their goals. A significant portion of ANC leadership agreed that this violence was needed to combat increasing backlash from the government. Some ANC members were upset by the actions of the MK, and refused to accept violence as necessary for the ending of Apartheid, but these individuals became a minority as the militant leaders such as Nelson Mandela gained significant popularity. Many consider their actions to be criminal, but the MK deemed the means justified by the end goal of ending apartheid. Some members of MK committed terrorist acts to achieve their aims, and MK was responsible for the deaths of both civilians and members of the military. In cooperation with the South African Communist Party, MK was founded in 1961.[6]
The ANC deems itself as a force of national liberation in the post-apartheid era; it officially defines its agenda as the National Democratic Revolution. The ANC is a member of the Socialist International.[1] It also sets forth the redressing of socio-economic differences stemming from colonial- and apartheid-era policies as a central focus of ANC policy.
The National Democratic Revolution (NDR) is described as a process through which the National Democratic Society (NDS) is achieved; a society in which people are intellectually, socially, economically and politically empowered. The drivers of the NDR are also called the motive forces and are defined as the elements within society that gain from the success of the NDR. Using contour plots or concentric circles the centre represents the elements in society that gain the most out of the success of the NDR. Moving away from the centre results in the reduction of the gains that those elements derive. It is generally believed that the force that occupies the centre of those concentric circles in countries with low unemployment is the working class while in countries with higher levels of unemployment it is the unemployed. Some of the many theoreticians that have written about the NDR include Joe Slovo, Joel Netshitenzhe and Tshilidzi Marwala.[7][8][9]
Tripartite Alliance
The ANC holds a historic alliance with the South African Communist Party (SACP) and Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), known as the Tripartite Alliance. The SACP and COSATU have not contested any election in South Africa, but field candidates through the ANC, hold senior positions in the ANC, and influence party policy and dialogue. During Mbeki's presidency, the government took a more pro-capitalist stance, often running counter to the demands of the SACP and COSATU.[10][11][12][13]
2008 schism
Following Zuma's accession to the ANC leadership in 2007 and Mbeki's resignation as president in 2008, the Mbeki faction of former ministers led by Mosiuoa Lekota split away from the ANC to form the Congress of the People.
ANC flag
The ANC flag is composed of three stripes – black, green and gold.[14] Black symbolizes the native people of South Africa, green represents the land and gold represents the mineral and other natural wealth of South Africa. This flag was also the battle flag of the Umkhonto we Sizwe. The official party flag also has the emblem of the party incorporated onto the flag.
Party list
Politicians in the party win a place in parliament by being on the Party List, which is drawn up before the elections and enumerates, in order, the party's preferred MPs. The number of seats allocated is proportional to the popular national vote, and this determines the cut-off point.
The ANC has also gained members through the controversial floor crossing process.
Although most South African parties announced their candidate list for provincial premierships in the 2009 election, the ANC did not. It is not required for parties to do so.[15]
Election results
Election Votes % Seats 2009 11,650,748 65.90 264 2004 10,880,915 69.69 279 1999 10,601,330 66.35 266 1994 12,237,655 62.65 252
Role of the ANC in resolving the conflict
The ANC represented the main opposition to the government during apartheid and therefore they played a major role in resolving the conflict through participating in the peacemaking and peace-building processes. Initially intelligence agents of the National Party met in secret with ANC leaders, including Nelson Mandela, to judge whether conflict resolution was possible.[16] Discussions and negotiations took place leading to the eventual unbanning of the ANC and other opposing political parties by then President de Klerk on 2 February 1990. These initial meetings were the first crucial steps towards resolution.
The next official step towards rebuilding South Africa was the Groote Schuur Minute where the government and the ANC agreed on a common commitment towards the resolution of the existing climate of violence and intimidation, as well as a commitment to stability and to a peaceful process of negotiations. The ANC negotiated the release of political prisoners and the indemnity from prosecution for returning exiles and moreover channels of communication were established between the Government and the ANC.
Later the Pretoria Minute represented another step towards resolution where agreements at Groote Schuur were reconsolidated and steps towards setting up an interim government and drafting a new constitution were established as well as suspension of the military wing of the ANC – the Umkhonto we Sizwe. This step helped end much of the violence within South Africa. Another agreement that came out of the Pretoria Minute was that both parties would try and raise awareness that a new way of governance was being created for South Africa, and that further violence would only hinder this process. However violence still continued in Kwazulu-Natal, which violated the trust between Mandela and de Klerk. Moreover, internal disputes in the ANC prolonged the war as consensus on peace was not reached.[17]
The next significant steps towards resolution were the Repeal of the Population Registration Act, the repeal of the Group Areas and the Native Land Acts and a catch-all Abolishment of Racially Based Measures Act was passed.[17] These measures ensured no one could claim, or be deprived of, any rights on the basis of race.
In December 1991 the Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) was held with the aim of establishing an interim government. However a few months later in June 1992 the Boipatong massacre occurred and all negotiations crumbled as the ANC pulled out. After this negotiations proceeded between two agents, Cyril Ramaphosa of the ANC, and Roelf Meyer of the National Party. In over 40 meetings the two men discussed and negotiated over many issues including the nature of the future political system, the fate of over 40,000 government employees and if/how the country would be divided. The result of these negotiations was an interim constitution that meant the transition from apartheid to democracy was a constitutional continuation and that the rule of law and state sovereignty remained intact during the transition, which was vital for stability within the country. A date was set for the first democratic elections on 27 April 1994.[17] The ANC won 62.5% of the votes and has been in power ever since.[18]
Controversy over corrupt membersMain article: South African Arms Deal
The most prominent corruption case involving the ANC relates to a series of bribes paid to companies involved in the ongoing R55 billion Arms Deal saga, which resulted in a long term jail sentence to former Deputy President Jacob Zuma's legal adviser Schabir Shaik. Schabir Shaik was released after about two years on the basis that he was terminally ill. He reputedly had high blood pressure. Schabir Shaik has since been charged by a fellow golfer with assault on a golf course. Zuma, now the State president, was charged with fraud, bribery and corruption in the Arms Deal. The charges were subsequently withdrawn by the National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa due to their delay in prosecution. [19] The ANC has also been criticised for its subsequent abolition of the Scorpions, the multidisciplinary agency that investigated and prosecuted organised crime and corruption, and was heavily involved in the investigation into Zuma and Shaik.
Other recent corruption issues include the sexual misconduct and criminal charges of Beaufort West municipal manager Truman Prince,[20] and the Oilgate scandal, in which millions of Rand in funds from a state-owned company were allegedly funneled into ANC coffers.[21] Links between factions in the ANC, specifically the ANC Youth League leadership, and businessman Brett Kebble gained media attention following Kebble's murder in September 2005.
In December 2007 the ANC elected their new National Executive Committee (NEC), the highest structure in the party. Out of the 80 member committee, 9% are (post-apartheid) convicted criminals. Most of these members have been convicted of fraud, while one member, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, was convicted of the kidnapping of a 14-year-old boy, James Seipei (1974–1988), also known as Stompie Moeketsi (who was also murdered). According to an article in the Mail & Guardian, "by adding those who have been disciplined or moved, and those with dark clouds of unanswered questions hanging over their heads, the figure shifts to 29%."[22]
The ANC has also been accused of using government and civil society to fight its political battles against opposition parties such as the Democratic Alliance. The result has been a number of complaints and allegations that none of the political parties truly represent the interests of the poor.[23][24] This has resulted in the "No Land! No House! No Vote!" Campaign which becomes very prominent each time the country holds elections.[25][26]
Controversy over wasteful expenditure
The ANC has reportedly wasted over R1 billion of taxpayers' money over the past eight months[when?] on luxury vehicles, expensive hotels, banquets, advertising and other "wasteful expenditure"[27][28][29]
The main thrust behind this reporting is the official opposition in the country, the Democratic Alliance (DA). They have kept a tally of the expenditure called 'The Wasteful Expenditure Monitor'[30]
According to the DA,[31] this waste could have:
- Built 18 574 new RDP houses
- Funded 7775 teachers for a year
See also
- Category:Members of the African National Congress - current and former members with Wikipedia articles
- Congress of South African Trade Unions
- Democratic Alliance
- United Democratic Front (South Africa)
- ^ "ANC Party Declaration". the African National Congress. http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/conf/conference51/declaration.html. Retrieved 15 May 2008. [dead link]
- ^ http://www.anc.org.za/show.php?include=docs/misc/2010/umzabalazo.html
- ^ Pillay, Gerald J. (1993). Voices of Liberation: Albert Lutuli. HSRC Press. pp. 82–91. ISBN 0796913560.
- ^ Mandela taken off US terror list, BBC News, 1 July 2008
- ^ SAhistory.org.za
- ^ Slovo, Joe. "The South African Working Class and the National Democratic Revolution". http://www.marxists.org/subject/africa/slovo/1988/national-democratic-revolution.htm.
- ^ Netshitenzhe, Joel. "Understanding the tasks of the moment". Umrabulo 25. http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/pubs/umrabulo/umrabulo25/tasks.html.
- ^ Marwala, T. "The anatomy of capital and the national democratic revolution". Umrabulo 29. http://www.anc.org.za/show.php?id=2844.
- ^ "ANC 'At Fork in the Road'". 05/08/2007. http://www.ever-fasternews.com/index.php?php_action=read_article&article_id=397.
- ^ "How the Tripartite Alliance works". Mayibuye 2 (3). 1991. http://www.disa.ukzn.ac.za/index.php?option=com_displaytei&id=21131&title=How%20the%20tripartite%20alliance%20works&creator=.
- ^ McKinley, Dale (2003). COSATU and the Tripartite Alliance since 1994.
- ^ Ngonyama, Percy (16 October 2006). "The ideological differences within the Tripartite Alliance: What now for the left?". http://southafrica.indymedia.org/news/2006/10/11418.php.
- ^ "The Flag of the African National Congress". African National Congress. http://www.anc.org.za/show.php?id=4. Retrieved 2011-08-20.
- ^ Politicsweb.co.za
- ^ Student.britannica.com
- ^ a b c Ross, Robert (1999). A concise history of South Africa. Cambridge University Press.
- ^ Africanhistory.about.com
- ^ "Opposition hails challenge to ANC rule". 9 October 2008. http://www.pretorianews.co.za/?fSectionId=&fArticleId=vn20081009055615571C284334.
- ^ Bester, Ronel (5 May 2005). "Action against Prince 'a farce'". Die Burger. http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_1700232,00.html.
- ^ "Special Report: Oilgate". Mail & Guardian. http://www.mg.co.za/specialreport.aspx?area=oilgate. Retrieved 2007-04-27.
- ^ "ANC rogues' gallery". Mail & Guardian. http://mg.co.za/article/2008-01-17-anc-rogues-gallery.
- ^ "DA councillor's role in Delft is 'criminal'". Cape Argus. 2008-02-20. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=6&art_id=vn20080220113540685C199776.
- ^ "DA's Delft councillor denies claims". Cape Argus. 2008-02-28. http://www.capeargus.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=3571&fArticleId=vn20080228113641490C401174.
- ^ "The 'No Land, No House, No Vote' campaign still on for 2009". Abahlali baseMjondolo. 5 May 2005. http://libcom.org/library/the-no-land-no-house-no-vote-campaign-still-2009.
- ^ "IndyMedia Presents: No Land! No House! No Vote!". Anti-Eviction Campaign. 2005-12-12. http://antieviction.org.za/2005/12/12/indymedia-presents-no-land-no-house-no-vote/.
- ^ "R1bn blinged, partied away". News24. http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/R1bn-blinged-partied-away-20100409.
- ^ "Taxpayers deserve answers on bling - DA". Independent Online. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=6&art_id=nw20100408222343563C315491.
- ^ "Business Watch: Airlines must be cursing Blatter and the World Cup". Business Report. http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=553&fArticleId=5422285.
- ^ "Introduction: the Wasteful Expenditure Monitor". Democratic Alliance. http://www.da.org.za/campaigns.htm?action=view-page&category=7034.
- ^ "Wasteful expenditure monitor: Total up to R1 003 016 305.44". Democratic Alliance. http://www.da.org.za/campaigns.htm?action=view-page&category=7034&sub-page=7036.
External links
- African National Congress official site
- Response by the ANC General Secretary to COSATU's assessment, 2004
- "Today it feels good to be an African" – Thabo Mbeki, Cape Town, 8 May 1996
- Interview with Nimrod Sejake, an ANC dissident, "The ANC has sold out!" (Archived 2009-10-24) Interviewed by Laurence Coates Offensiv 385 (10 February 2000)
- Attacks attributed to the ANC on the START terrorism database
1912–1917 J. L. Dube · 1917–1924 S. M. Makgatho · 1924–1927 Z. R. Mahabane · 1927–1930 J. T. Gumede · 1930–1936 P. ka Isaka Seme · 1937–1940 Z. R. Mahabane · 1940–1949 A. B. Xuma · 1949–1952 J. S. Moroka · 1952–1967 A. J. Lutuli · 1967–1991 O. R. Tambo · 1991–1997 N. R. Mandela · 1997–2007 T. M. Mbeki · 2007–present J. G. ZumaDeputy President
1952–1958 N. R. Mandela · 1958–1985 O. R. Tambo · 1985–1991 N. R. Mandela · 1991–1994 W. M. U. Sisulu · 1994–1997 T. M. Mbeki · 1997–2007 J. G. Zuma · 2007–present K. Motlanthe
National Conferences
38th (1949) · 39th (1950) · 40th (1951) · 41st (1952) · 42nd (1953) · 43rd (1954) · 44th (1955) · 45th (1957) · 46th (1958) · 47th (1959) · 48th (1991) · 49th (1994) · 50th (1997) · 51st (2002) · 52nd (2007)
Structure and wings Related organizations Parliamentary political parties in South AfricaAfrican National Congress (264) · Democratic Alliance (67) · Congress of the People (30) · Inkatha Freedom Party (18) · Freedom Front Plus (4) · Independent Democrats (4) · United Democratic Movement (4) · African Christian Democratic Party (3) · United Christian Democratic Party (2) · African People's Convention (1) · Azanian People's Organisation (1) · Minority Front (1) · Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (1)Categories:
- Government departments of South Africa
- African National Congress
- Anti-Apartheid organisations
- National liberation movements
- Organisations associated with apartheid
- Organizations formerly designated as terrorist
- Political parties established in 1912
- Political parties in South Africa
- Socialist International
- Political movements in South Africa
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African National Congress — [ æfrɪkən næʃnl kɔȖgres, englisch], Abkürzung ANC, Afrikanischer Nationalkongress, 1912 als »South African Native National Congress« in Bloemfontain gegründete politische Bewegung in der Republik Südafrika, die, seit 1923 unter der Bezeichnung… … Universal-Lexikon
African National Congress — (A.N.C.) ( Congrès national africain ) parti nationaliste, le plus ancien d Afrique du Sud, créé en 1912 (sous un autre nom jusqu en 1923) pour faire reconnaître les droits des Noirs. Durant son emprisonnement (1962 1990), Nelson Mandela fut le… … Encyclopédie Universelle
African National Congress — Flagge des African National Congress Der Afrikanische Nationalkongress (ANC) ist eine südafrikanische Partei. Sie ging 1923 aus dem am 8. Januar 1912 in Bloemfontein gegründeten South African Native National Congress (SANNC) hervor. Der ANC… … Deutsch Wikipedia
African National Congress — ▪ political party, South Africa South African political party and black nationalist organization. Founded in 1912 as the South African Native National Congress, it had as its main goal the maintenance of voting rights for Coloureds (persons of… … Universalium
African National Congress — Congrès national africain Pour les articles homonymes, voir ANC. Congrès National Africain … Wikipédia en Français
African National Congress — African Na|tion|al Con|gress, the the full name of the ANC … Dictionary of contemporary English
African National Congress — noun a South African political organisation, founded in 1912 and banned from 1960 to 1990, fighting against apartheid and for majority rule; became the ruling political party after the elections of 1994. Abbrev.: ANC … Australian English dictionary
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African National Congress (Begriffsklärung) — African National Congress ist eine Partei in Südafrika, siehe African National Congress eine historische Partei in Nordrhodesien, siehe Northern Rhodesian African National Congress eine historische Partei in Sambia, siehe Zambian African National … Deutsch Wikipedia


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Hi everyone, I'm Casey, and I will be leading (and participating in) Day 2 of this SYS Meditation Challenge.
To keep it short and sweet, I began meditating because I had no other option- I had to seek solace from severe anxiety and bouts of depression or else I was unsure I could continue the daily mental battle happening in my own head. Up until my mid-twenties I was externally thriving- I was healthy, had a job I loved, dating, running races, living in the city with friends- all the things. On the inside, however, it always felt dark and cold. I truly felt as though a grey cloud was following me everywhere I went. Were there times of sunshine and cloud-free days (well, moments)? Sure. But they became few and far between, so I read a book on meditation and began practicing.
Fast forward to now, when it has been 5 years since the first time I sat on my floor, feeling confused yet certain that the new practice I was starting would change my life. And change my life it did, in more ways than I can say in this email.
What I want you to know, is that meditation is for any and everyone. Whether you are happy, sad, confused, angry, lost, found, rich, poor, young, old- it is for you. Similarly, meditation can help you in a plethora of ways- from cleaning out your body of stale and stuck emotions to clearing your mind to help you be more productive. Regardless of who you are and what you want, meditation can help. And you can do it. You can meditate. I know, I know- you can't stop your mind from racing, how are you supposed to meditate!? Believe you me, I have been there. But you can do it.
Here's the lowdown for today's (Mindful) Meditation. You will not need the app, just a phone timer and a quiet, safe, space:
- Sit or lay down so that you are comfortable. If you think you will fall asleep, stay seated. One position is not better than the other. As long as your spine is straight (which allows the energetic centers in the body to align), then you are good.
- Set a timer on your phone/tablet/alarm clock for 5:55- Five minutes and fifty five seconds.
- Once you start the time, you are simply going to trace the breath in and out. So, one the timer starts you will be saying (mentally) "In. Out. In. Out" as you breathe in and out. No need to control the breath, just breathe normally while tracing it.
- When thoughts arise, as they inevitably will, simply observe them and let them pass. Continue tracing the breath. If (and realistically, when) you lose track of the breath and go down a train of thought, gently bring yourself back to the breath as soon as you can. Even if you only have a few cycles of breath and then end up thinking the rest of the time, do not be hard on yourself. It is a start 🙂
- When the timer goes off, take a deep breath of gratitude for your life, and go on with your day or night.
- Post on your IG stories or feed and tag @casey_edward and @scareyoursoul. Remember, you can win a 5 Minute Journal if you complete all 3 days!
*Something to note: Your mind will do whatever it can to get you back to thinking and back to relating to it. Expect this. You literally will find yourself thinking of your second grade crush or planning what you want for your birthday next year, or pirating yourself doing the Macarena and that is so normal. You will also experience emotions which is normal- we will talk about tomorrow.
My overall advice? Keep this simple. Breathe. Don't overthink it. And most of all, know you are doing something wonderful for your mental health and for your Spirit.


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If you're looking for a haircut at Downtown Crossing's 2 Winter Place, you're going to be disappointed by the service at the salon. But if you're seeking the hidden entrance to a luxurious supper club, take a right at the shampoo shelf and walk through the back wall into Yvonne's.
With two bars (rumor has it there's a third hidden somewhere on the premises), a lavish dining room, low-lit lounge, and an actual library where you can drink, dine, or recline with a cocktail, Yvonne's is bringing sexy back to the early 1900s supper-club scene with fine food, upscale drinks, and enough whimsy to keep the elegant setting feeling playful.
The restaurant is as serious about dining as they are about dressing well, with an internationally-inspired menu focused on fun and conviviality. The selections change with the seasons, but expect to find a slew of snacks and shareable plates, with high-concept flavors served in low-concept style (such as a selection of fancy "Toasts") that lend themselves to reaching across the table and digging in with your hands. Paying homage to the space's supper club roots, there's also a "Feasts" section, featuring comfort-driven Sunday dinner-style meals meant to be shared among friends. The Late-night menu (11pm-midnight) cherrypicks craveable favorites from the dinner menu and adds a few shareable treats to help balance out the booze after hours.
Yvonne's is divided into three rooms, each dripping with stylish, moody decadence and details worthy of investigation. You'll enter into the Lounge, where overstuffed couches and antique furniture creates plenty of nooks where you can feel private in the high-volume atmosphere. The Supper-Club room is the restaurant's boisterous soul, with large tables where you'll be bumping elbows with neighbors, shimmering crystal chandeliers, and studded banquettes that look like they were stolen from a throne room somewhere. The Library is for leaning in over small tables for quieter conversation. You might pause to peruse a volume on falconry, or admire the portraits of reimagined famous figures, such as an oil painting of Christopher Walken as a decorated general. It's an eclectic space that feels suited to large quantities of expensive champagne drunk from whatever vase or chalice is closest at hand.
If you can take your eyes off your surroundings, the bars at Yvonne's steal the show. The long, carved mahogany bar dominates the Supper Club room, and the quieter Library Bar is a little less rowdy, but both serve a well-curated menu of serious, stylish craft cocktails. Flaming garnishes and antique glassware are the norm here, made with a staggering selection of top-shelf spirits and house-made syrups, cordials, and potions, and large-format cocktails served in large-format crystal. The beer selection is modest but local and thoughtful, and wine is anything but an afterthought. Comprised chiefly of small-production, responsibly-harvested wines, the list is curated by the sommelier and offers a range of terroir-driven selections at a variety of price points sorted into Old School, New School, and Rarities. The sparkling wine selection is predictably impressive, with all the usual suspects plus some interesting and unexpected selections, in both regular and large format.
2 Winter Place
Boston, MA 02108


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It is an event that has been 17 years in the making and it's happening now! The emergence of Magicicada Brood V, YAY!!!
Brood V consists of three species of periodical cicadas (not locusts) with a life span of 17 years, nearly all of which is spent underground. Each of these species have a distinct song and have slightly different markings, but all of them emerge in very high numbers promptly at the end of their long juvenile period. It is precisely at the 17 year mark when it is time for these three species to grow up, venture out into the world and reproduce. Of course, the conditions do have to be right. The soil temperature needs to exceed 64 degrees down to a depth of 6 or 7 inches.
In early April you may see emergence holes and chimneys on the ground. These are exit tunnels approximately a half inch in diameter created by the juvenile cicadas in preparation for their transition into adulthood. The chimneys are capped emergence holes. Once soil temperatures exceed 64 degrees the reddish/light brown nymphs will begin to emerge, usually in May. Reports are coming in this week that the emergence has begun in the northeast Ohio area!
This is when things begin to get exciting. When the nymphs emerge they will find find the nearest tree or vertical surface to climb. Once in the tree they will shed their exoskeletons leaving behind the empty shell or exuviae. When the Magcicada emerges from its exoskeleton it is a white/cream color with black patches behind its red eyes. As it dries its wings will expand and its color will change to a mostly black body with yellow/orange markings. Males have a blunter tipped abdomen whereas the female's abdomen comes to a point with an ovipositor. Once the transformation into adulthood is complete you can now differentiate between the three species.
- Magicicada septendecula: the smallest of the three species with a body length of 2.0 - 2.8 cm. Their abdomens are mostly black except for well-defined narrow orange stripes on the underside of the abdomen. The males have a "tick, tick, tick" song that resembles a pulsating sprinkler.
- Magicicada cassini: is about the same size or very slightly larger than M. septendecula with a body length of 2.0 - 2.8 cm. Their abdomens are mostly black. The males have a song that consists of a clicking then high pitched buzzing sound.
- Magicicada septendecium: the largest of the three species with a body length of 2.7 - 3.0 cm. Their abdomens are mostly black with bold orange stripes on the underside of the abdomen and orange coloration on the side between the eye and front of the wing. The males have a high-pitched song that sounds like "pharaoh" or "wee ohh."
Other signs to look for include body parts in the scat of raccoons and screech owls as well as flagging. The female will use her ovipositor to create grooves in the stems of trees in order to expose the nutritious xylem and this is where she will lay her eggs. This will cause the leaves of those branches to brown which is called flagging. This will damage the weaker branches, but it will not kill the tree.
Get involved! There are several opportunities for you to get involved and help track the emergence. You can help in mapping out the range of the emergence and of each Brood V species and their flight periods.
- Identify the species you hear or see.
- Document the location.
- Take photographs, including the underside and side for identification. Please be very careful when handling the cicadas. They will not bite or sting you, but you can hurt them.
- Document what stage of development they are in.
- Document other signs that you find.
The Cleveland Metroparks provides and online form for recording this information. This form also includes information tabs for each question that include photos and descriptions to assist you with identification and to help you answer the questions. The form is available worldwide so that you can report your sightings even if you find them outside of Ohio. This information is also shared with magicicada.org. iNaturalist is an app that can also be used to track Brood V activity. Try to stick with one site in order to avoid duplicate data.
There is a group on Facebook that you can join called Cicada - Ohio Brood V. It contains various links and you can find up to date posts of locations of sightings, photos and information. You can ask questions that always get answered by someone in the group and you can post your own sightings as well.
In addition, the Ohio Biological Society has an updated ebook available for purchase called In Ohio's Backyard: Periodical Cicadas by Gene Kritsky. There is also a very good video by Samuel Orr on Huffington Post's website that explains what happens during the emergence of Magicicada.
For more information visit:
- magicicada.org
- clevelandmetroparks.com
- cicadamania.com
- bugguide.net
- iNaturalist
- Emerald Necklace Newsletter for a list of events
- wikipedia.org
Now go out, have fun and enjoy the cicada mania!!!
Blog Author: Kelly Parker, Urban Conservationist


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Copyright © 2007 L/L Research
ABOUT THE CONTENTS OF THIS TRANSCRIPT: This telepathic channeling has been taken from transcriptions of the weekly study and meditation meetings of the Rock Creek Research & Development Laboratories and L/L Research. It is offered in the hope that it may be useful to you. As the Confederation entities always make a point of saying, please use your discrimination and judgment in assessing this material. If something rings true to you, fine. If something does not resonate, please leave it behind, for neither we nor those of the Confederation would wish to be a stumbling block for any.
CAVEAT: This transcript of the Aaron/Q'uo Dialogues series is being published by L/L Research in a not yet final form. It has, however, been edited and any obvious errors have been corrected. When it is in a final form, this caveat will be removed.
The Aaron/Q'uo Dialogues, Session 23
September 23, 1994
(This session was preceded by a period of tuning and meditation.)
Group question: What is the true definition of a wanderer?
Aaron: I am Aaron. My greetings and love to you all. I would simply like to ask you that as a group you offer the intention that the work of this group is for the benefit of all beings.
Each of you has your own areas of pain. It is fine that a part of this motivation is to alleviate your own pain. But it is important that you not become stuck there. Thinking of all beings who wander in darkness and confusion, may the work of this group be a lantern in that darkness, helping all beings to find their way. May each of your energy help to brighten that light. That is all.
I am Aaron. It has been decided that I will begin. We begin with the question, "What is a wanderer?" I heard you ask before: "If I am of a higher density and come back to Earth, what is my role there? Am I both teacher and learner? Why am I demoting myself or accepting demotion?" My dear ones, it isn't demotion. Let us get this concept straight: You are in an open-classroom school. Each of you begins as what I call a spark of God, just a small bit of that energy and light moving into self-awareness. I will not explain how you move into self-awareness; simply, it happens. You begin to perceive the illusion that this self that is aware is separate from that of which it is aware … God is out there! … and thus begins your journey. The only way out is through, through the illusion of separation. This illusion is not a burden that you must carry, but a gift. Would you remain that small spark forever or would you blossom into a brilliant sun in your own right? The passage must involve a journey.
That first self-awareness is part of the gift. At some point awareness notices itself being aware, and with that first notice there is a shift, something which feels itself to be aware. At that point awareness chooses a direction in which to begin evolution. I emphasize begin, because nothing is ever fixed. You do not move into a path and stay on that one limited path until eighth density. There is always choice. Some of you will choose material planes and some will choose non-material planes. I will explain later in this weekend some of the factors in that choice. For now, it is sufficient that there is a choice.
There are innumerable planes, both material and non-material. In some planes you have only spirit and mental body. In other planes there may also be emotional and, if it is a material plane, physical body. The earth plane is the only present material plane that has a foundation of positive energy and love, and in which all four bodies are brought together. As such, it is a very powerful experience.
Time is not the factor that leads one into the emphatic learning experience of the earth plane, but a deep aspiration to learn. Some beings choose to move into that earth plane immediately. Others, for one reason or another, are led in different directions. Again, later in the weekend we will talk about some of the material and some of the non-material planes where beings evolve.
What is a wanderer on the earth plane? As simply as I can put it, it is a being that has begun its evolution on a plane other than the earth plane and at some point in its learning has made the decision to incarnate on Earth. It may have been in a physical form before on other material planes or it may have only existed previously on non-material planes.
To say material and non-material, in itself, is a bit confusing. Light is energy, so one tends to think of the light planes as non-material; but all material substance is made up of bits of energy, molecules of energy. What we are speaking of here is simply the degree of tightness of cohesion of those molecules. At a certain point we call it solid and move into the illusion of that solidity.
You are not solid. You only think you are solid. It is the illusion that establishes material body. Thus, the difference between material plane and light plane is less in the form itself than in your belief that the form is what you are. All of you are simply energy and light with enough density of molecules that you may become convinced of your form. At a certain level, the physical body and the emotional body are illusion. They are the gift of the incarnation.
Moving into Earth incarnation, you become actors in a play. The actor that walks onto the stage unprepared says to the audience of which it is also a part, "This is illusion; just a play, not real life." That actor deprives the audience of the opportunity of learning from the script, from the play. The actor must believe in the play if the audience is to feel the meaning with its heart, yet that actor must not be lost in the illusion to the point that it turns its back to the audience and forgets that it is a character in the play.
This balance between relative and ultimate reality is what allows the deepest learning on the earth plane. Some beings incarnate here become lost in the relative, blind to ultimate reality. Others find it very difficult to stay in the body and live the relative-plane experience. Wanderers have an edge here because you have lived, dwelt is a more accurate word, on other planes on which there was no veil of illusion. Many wanderers, then, are able to penetrate both realities. The difficulty you find, many of you, is that there is some aversion to the illusion, some attachment to resting in that ultimate reality, which is so spacious and joyful.
A helpful tool to learning to more fully enter the incarnation is to understand why you came. Each being that moves to the earth plane is both teacher and learner. This is true of every being, not just the wanderer but also those who move directly from that first self-awareness into the earth plane. Even those small sparks are teachers, which I will explain at a later time.
The wanderer is not set apart, then, in being both teacher and learner. This is true for every being. What more clearly sets the wanderer apart is the clarity that it has entered the illusion. This clarity may manifest simply as awareness: "I came here for a reason. I don't know what it is, but I came for a reason." Eventually, every being breaks through this veil, wanderer and non-wanderer alike, and awakens to the spiritual truth of its being.
The wanderer moves into the incarnation, bringing with it potent tools to pierce the illusion. It is far less likely to be lost in forgetting. It is far more likely to feel a sense of frustration and confusion: "Who am I, and why am I here?"
I said that every wanderer—every being, but we speak here of wanderers—is both teacher and learner. I also said at the start that this whole process of evolution, these eight densities, is an ungraded classroom. On the earth plane there is clear distinction between first, second and third density. At present, when you graduate from third density you cease to incarnate on the earth plane. This will be changing and is something we will speak of further this weekend.
There are some planes where third-density experience is minimal. The lessons for each plane remain the same. The foundations of faith and love support the learning of wisdom and compassion in fourth and fifth density, but they are not necessary to that learning. The process can be reversed. Some of you, for example, at some period evolved on a non-material plane in which there was essentially an open classroom: third, fourth, fifth grade. The material was learned in whatever order one was ready to learn. There is no upper limit to how much faith, how much love, wisdom or compassion can be learned. This school offers these lessons; that school offers those lessons. If you wish to study music and your school has no orchestra, you join the band or choir. You may still wish to go somewhere else to learn to play the violin.
Thus, some of you evolved on planes where you moved into deeper lessons of wisdom and compassion before fully penetrating the lessons of faith and love. You learned much that could be gift to the earth plane, each with your own special skills. Feeling stuck in some way, you made the decision to more fully enter the illusion through human incarnation. Another way to phrase this is that your karma drew you here. Because you learned to play in a band and sing in a choir does not put you ahead of your neighbor. You learning the violin, you simply have a different background. You have highly refined certain skills and understandings. There is still much that you need to learn or you would not be here. There are very few beings in the history of the Earth's evolution who have incarnated only to serve; and even those few, of course, have also learned. The difference—I think of such a one as Jesus here—is that this teacher did not need to come to the earth plane for its own evolution. Being here, of course he learned.
I would suggest a figure of 98.6% of wanderers need to incarnate for their own learning … please rephrase that … need to understand something for their own learning, and choose the earth plane as catalyst for that understanding. That 1.4% is those beings which are fully evolved, usually into high sixth density, and incarnate simply with the desire to serve and in order to return with fourth- and fifth-density beings. They do not need to incarnate as they are past the need to incarnate. For those who come back as wanderers, the third-density lessons could be learned elsewhere; but because there is something they could teach on this plane and they could learn the lessons as well, they might as well come here.
The sixth density has completely shed the emotional body and is not attached to the mental body. It understands the mental body to be a tool. This is the being that has no need of the teachings of the incarnative experience, but will wisely make use of the teaching when offered that opportunity.
Those that come as wanderers are most likely to be of third or fifth density. Fourth density is occupied with its group learning experiences and less likely to move back into incarnation, although it may occasionally choose to do so. Most wanderers are third and fifth density. The lower sixth-density wanderer has shed the emotional body but it may still have some attachment to the mental body. This being will be helped to release this attachment through its incarnative experience. Only the upper sixth-density energy is completely free of the illusion of ownership of the mental body, and makes the skillful and loving decision to incarnate solely as servant. As I said above, it will also learn.
I want to emphasize, then, the wanderer may be highly evolved in some areas—an outstanding French horn player with great understanding of musical theory—but he or she still must learn the correct hand position to hold the bow or place the fingers on the violin. What he or she brings to the incarnation is that advanced skill for which a need is perceived. For example, a wanderer of our acquaintance who is in his first human incarnation is what you might term a computer wizard. He is offering skills and understandings gained on other planes for which it was clear the Earth was ready. There are two ways to bring those teachings to Earth. One is channeling. One is for a being to incarnate into human form and teach it. Neither way is better than the other.
I have no need to return in incarnation to the earth plane. This is not to say I would not learn in incarnation; but I have no need, so I teach through an instrument. This friend of whom I speak was drawn to the idea of incarnation because it was clear that he had lessons that could well be learned on this plane. He has incarnated now, rather than fifty years ago, because now the earth plane is ready for what he offers.
In summary, a wanderer is a being who has evolved on other planes up to a certain point of high second density or beyond. Beings below that level of density are not yet evolved enough to make the decision to move into the earth plane. Wanderers are beings of high second density or beyond—third, fourth, fifth, sixth—who make the decision to move into the illusion of earth plane to teach and to learn.[1] That they thus choose indicates that they are spiritually awakened, not fully so but enough to choose. Regardless of what density they have been, as soon as they move into incarnation they are third density and they are fully human. They may think they do not wish to be third density and here on Earth, once they wake up here to the fact of their decision; but some higher wisdom within them has agreed to it. Whatever skills they may have had, whatever wisdom and understanding, there are still compelling reasons why they have chosen incarnation; there are necessary areas of learning. We have barely touched the surface. I lay this before you as background.
I wish at this point to pass the microphone, as it were, to my brother/sister/friend of Q'uo, that it may offer its continued thoughts on what I have presented. As always, it is great joy to share this teaching. That is all.
Q'uo: We are those of Q'uo. Greetings and blessings to each in the love and in the light of the one infinite Creator.
May we thank each for calling us to your group. The privilege of blending our vibrations with your own as this circle sits in meditation is great. We encourage each to discriminate in choosing those thoughts which may seem to be of interest and value to you. These thoughts and opinions are our service and our gift to you. We make many errors and are not infallible. Consequently, it is well that each lay aside those thoughts of ours which are not recognized as a portion of your personal truth, for we would not be a stumbling block to you in your seeking.
This instrument knows a song, I Wonder As I Wander [2], and each of you has wandered into this precise situation, wondering, seeking, hoping, yearning for love, for truth, for beauty, for peace. We, too, have wandered. We seek with fervent hope the truth receding before us always, infinitely.
Each age, each culture has its wandering spirits. Within the framework of your present civilization, the scope of wanderers may be seen to have been extended, as the consciousness of the vast universe as native land and home becomes more and more a portion of the cultural ethos or setting of mind. Once the wanderer was one who literally walked, being upon a path of seeking, moving from one wise teacher to another. Within your present experience the wandering is often that only of the mind, of the heart, and not of the weary feet.
As the days of your millennium grow most short, the seeking and hungering for truth has increased, activating a great process of transformative birthing. Each who seeks may now rest in the knowledge that he is no longer alone, for many awaken now to wonder. And in that wondering, in that searching—first intrigued, then fascinated and finally transformed—the nascent seeker of truth arises from the peaceful condition of acceptance of consensus reality, shakes the dust of sleep from foot and eye and starts the journey, the wandering, the leaving of one home which is no longer home. Upon this dusty path lie, oh, so many marvelous and frightening events. Adventure is the companion of the wanderer. Joy and sorrow aplenty rest within its quiver.
What is the definition of wanderer? Beneath all specific details, the wanderer is one upon a journey without an ending, seeking a home in a land where there is no home, sailing upon a sea which has no port, no land, but only infinite voyaging. Upon this sea, this ocean, the rudder that stabilizes and steers the ship is the spirit within. Within this inner heart or spirit lies home. How to move through this vast ocean of sense experience skillfully is always hidden within the very air you breathe, within that which you hear and sense and think. To the seeker who pays attention come myriad clues and cues. Listen! Hark! The call has gone out.
There are many beings with each of you, hoping and wishing to serve by strengthening each servant of the light. When each goes into that inner sanctum in prayer, in meditation, in contemplation, we ask each to rest in the knowledge that those who seek to serve the infinite Creator wait to support and nurture by sharing vibrations within meditation, by sharing that seeker's own meditative energies. We have no complex scheme to offer you so that you may know more about yourselves. We are here as companions in this wandering. We, too, seek and hope and wander still.
We thank this instrument and this group for asking for our service. We look forward to working with your queries throughout this series of sessions. We salute our brother Aaron, and once again bless each of you. How we love you, you who are in the fog, in the mist, wondering, "Is any of this worthwhile? What is this for?" Thank you most heartily for your attention.
We leave each of you in the love and in the light of the infinite Creator. We are known to you as those of the principle of Q'uo. Adonai.
Aaron: I am Aaron. It would help this instrument if the fabric which covers the monitor would be placed over the monitor. Thank you. I will be brief. Time is an illusion but your energy is not. The spiritual energy and love that you bring to this session is very high, but the physical bodies are tired. I wish only to offer a metaphor suggested by Q'uo's speaking of the mist that beclouds your journey.
Last month Barbara spent several days on a canoe trip in a very remote wilderness chain of lakes. In early morning's light, she emerged from her tent each morning and found the lake covered with such a dense mist that one could not see beyond eight or ten feet. These were big lakes: eight miles long, a mile across. She found much joy paddling out into the mist where she sat in her canoe and meditated, drifting in that opacity. There was no sense of direction. Since she had only visual balance, even up and down lost meaning except for her weight sitting in the bottom of that canoe. There were no visual cues at all. She experimented, first paddling out into the lake with some vigor, then stopping and sitting, looking around and seeing the slight arisings of fear when all was obscured around her. She knew she was safe. There were no motor boats on this lake to run her over. If for some reason the fog did not lift, she could call out for help and one of her sons would come in another canoe. She knew she was safe. She found it wonderful to rest in this illusion of total obscuration. She found much parallel to the illusion of incarnation, the sense, "I don't know where I'm going. Can that be okay? Can I just rest here and enjoy the wonder of watching the mist rise off the water?"
As the canoe drifted in total silence, occasionally it drifted into the field of a loon, duck or goose, as there were many waterfowl on this lake. Since Barbara does not hear, she had no auditory warning that their presence was immediate until they entered that ten-foot circle around her and she could see them. At first there were fears: "What if I drift into something?" Slowly fear was relaxed: "I am safe. I don't need to see far ahead or far behind. In this moment I am safe, and the wonders of the universe will unfold right here in this small circle of vision." What intense joy she felt as fear relaxed and she allowed herself to be fully present in this small circle where the illusion was penetrated, where the water and mist met.
She found that each morning as the sun rose (and it took several hours before it got high enough), it burned off the mist and the circle of clarity expanded. She watched herself grasping at that clarity at first, wanting the mist to rise, wanting to be able to see. And then she found as days passed, she let go of that desire, found that she could be present with the mist without hurrying it away. Can you hurry it? Can you force the sun to rise? When the sun finally got high enough, the mist burned off quickly. Within a quarter hour of your time, the horizon expanded all the way to the shore, mist still dwelling at the treetops but the lake now visible.
I ask you each to draw this metaphor into your own lives. Part of your incarnation is agreement to this veil. It is wonderful that you come here to seek answers for yourselves and all beings. I deeply honor you for that. But I ask you to ask yourselves, can you metaphorically sit in the bottom of this canoe and trust that the mist will rise when it is ready? I ask you to trust your lives, not struggling in fear, within the illusion that is meant to teach you.
You also wish to penetrate the illusion but not to deny the illusion. This relative reality is illusion. Those of you who are wanderers tend to want to deny that illusion, to return to shore, to return home with a clarity; but you entered the illusion with your free will, and with great wisdom you opened your heart to the illusion and asked to become teachers and learners in that illusion. Trust that illusion, my dear ones.
I echo here Q'uo's statement: I am not infallible. What I offer you comes from my heart, and I offer it in loving service. If it in any way is not harmonious with your own deepest truth, please put it aside. My deepest love to each of you, and my gratitude that you have joined together for this teaching, learning and sharing.
May I ask you, whatever meditation you may enter tonight or in the morning, will you visualize yourself in that canoe literally? Note the arising of fear as your canoe moves away from land and you cannot see. Sit there in the bottom of that canoe, arms and paddle at rest, allowing whatever drifts into your presence to be there, neither grasping nor pushing away. Sit with the simple reflection: How can I more fully open my energy to the incarnation, complete with its illusion? That is all. I return you to Q'uo, should Q'uo wish to speak.
(Q'uo recognized the group's fatigue and the session was ended.)
[1] This statement is slightly difference from the Confederation's definition of wanderer, which says that wanderers are beings who incarnate into third density from higher densities to aid and to learn.
[2] Appalachian folk song; music and lyrics collected by John Jacob Niles, 1933.
Copyright © 2020 L/L Research


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Aging Baby Boomers and the Rising Cost of Chronic Back Pain: Secular Trend Analysis of Longitudinal Medical Expenditures Panel Survey Data for Years 2000 to 2007
SOURCE: J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2013 (Jan); 36 (1): 2–11
Monica Smith, DC, PhD, Matthew A. Davis, DC, MPH,
Miron Stano, PhD, James M. Whedon, DC, MS
Adjunct Faculty (Off-Site),
National University Health Sciences,
Lombard, IL, USA.
OBJECTIVES: The purposes of this study were to analyze data from the longitudinal Medical Expenditures Panel Survey (MEPS) to evaluate the impact of an aging population on secular trends in back pain and chronicity and to provide estimates of treatment costs for patients who used only ambulatory services.
METHODS: Using the MEPS 2-year longitudinal data for years 2000 to 2007, we analyzed data from all adult respondents. Of the total number of MEPS respondent records analyzed (N = 71,838), we identified 12,104 respondents with back pain and further categorized 3842 as chronic cases and 8262 as nonchronic cases.
RESULTS: Secular trends from the MEPS data indicate that the prevalence of back pain has increased by 29%, whereas chronic back pain increased by 64%. The average age among all adults with back pain increased from 45.9 to 48.2 years; the average age among adults with chronic back pain increased from 48.5 to 52.2 years. Inflation-adjusted (to 2010 dollars) biennial expenditures on ambulatory services for chronic back pain increased by 129% over the same period, from $15.6 billion in 2000 to 2001 to $35.7 billion in 2006 to 2007.
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CONCLUSION: The prevalence of back pain, especially chronic back pain, is increasing. To the extent that the growth in chronic back pain is caused, in part, by an aging population, the growth will likely continue or accelerate. With relatively high cost per adult with chronic back pain, total expenditures associated with back pain will correspondingly accelerate under existing treatment patterns. This carries implications for prioritizing health policy, clinical practice, and research efforts to improve care outcomes, costs, and cost-effectiveness and for health workforce planning.
Key Indexing Terms: Back pain, Costs and cost analysis, Aging, Spine, Economics, Chronic disease
From the FULL TEXT Article:
The "Baby Boomer Generation" is a demographic bulge in the US population considered by the US Census Bureau to encompass those individuals born during the demographic birth boom between 1946 and 1964 (Figure 1). [1] A "pig in a python" metaphor aptly describes the effect of this birth cohort on society, [2] as entire social infrastructures have adapted over time, first expanding and then contracting to meet the changing needs of the boomers. For example, municipal school systems were first overbuilt and then later dismantled or repurposed, to accommodate the boomers as they passed through the educational system. With boomers now approaching retirement age, the US health care system must prepare for the coming shockwave of their increasing health care needs, which will likely include a greater and more costly burden of musculoskeletal conditions such as back pain.
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