text:
require 'securerandom'
require 'fileutils'

require "tts/version"
require "tts/tts"
require "tts/db"
require "tts/text_formater"

module Tts
  class TtsError < StandardError
  end

  # load cmu dict
  @@en_dict = Hash.new
  File.open("cmu.dict") do |file|
    file.each do |line|
      split = line.split
      word = split.first
      phonemes = split.slice(1, split.length).join(' ')
      @@en_dict[word] = phonemes
    end
  end

  @@fr_dict = Hash.new
  File.open("fr.dict") do |file|
    file.each do |line|
      split = line.split
      word = split.first
      phonemes = split.slice(1, split.length).join(' ')
      @@en_dict[word] = phonemes
    end
  end

  def self.speak(words, filename, speaker_id)
    speaker = DB[:speakers].where(id: speaker_id).first
    language = speaker[:language]
    words = format_book(words, language)

    readers = get_db_words(words, speaker_id).map do |w|
      if w.is_a? String
        get_buffer_from_unknown(w, language)
      else
        get_audio_buffer(w)
      end
    end
    concat(filename, readers)
  end

  def self.get_buffer_from_unknown(word, language)
    phonemes = get_phonemes(word, language)

    filename = "tmp.#{SecureRandom.uuid}.wav"
    `python3 ptowav.py '#{phonemes}' #{filename} #{language}`

    converted_filename = "tmp.#{SecureRandom.uuid}.16khz.wav"
    `ffmpeg -i #{filename} -ar 16000 #{converted_filename}`
    FileUtils.rm filename

    buffer = get_audio_buffer_from_file(converted_filename, 0, 100)
    FileUtils.rm converted_filename

    buffer
  end

  def self.get_phonemes(word, language)
    if language == "en" then
      @@en_dict[word] || self.build_phonemes(word, language)
    else
      @@fr_dict[word] || self.build_phonemes(word, language)
    end
  end

  def self.build_phonemes(word, language)
    `(cd g2p && env/bin/python train.py '#{word}' '#{language}')`
  end
end

if __FILE__ == $0
  Tts::speak(ARGV[0], ARGV[1], ARGV[2].to_i)
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Call Country Meadows Village today for a tour-we look forward to showing you how your golden years can shine.


We philosophize. We laugh. We dive deep. Surprising things surface.
When we wrap up I hear things like, "This didn't feel like an interview at all. I loved it."
I studied at Columbia University.
Before writing, I was a therapist.
Now I host a podcast. It's called Really Famous.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Player.FM, TuneIn Radio, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, Google Play, Pod/Fanatic or your favorite podcast app.


The morning bird pattern of past couple days continued. A good number early in the morning with a notifable drop off starting about mid morning with few birds present in the mid afternoon. Over all a good day.
A day of much activity around the Ruthven banding station, at least with visitors if not so much on the banding front. There was even an international feel to the day as a couple from a village outside of Milan, Italy came for a visit. They escaped unbanded.
A number of new season sighting today. These were Baltimore Oriole (at the oriole feeder near the station), Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Gray Catbird, Bank Swallow, Black-Throated Green Warbler, and Eastern Meadowlark.
One of the AMGO was originally banded in September 2002 as an adult making her at least 5 years old.
A large snapping turtle was found in the valley below the station to complete the day.
A Nashville Warbler, banded today.
A female Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, seen today at Ruthven. (This bird is female–notice that it is lacking an eyebrow stripe).
A Western Palm Warbler, banded today.
One of the nice things happening at Ruthven is that people are discovering it as a "birding alternative" – a lovely place to dawdle and watch the surprising variety of birds that move through the forest and edge habitat or along the river. Added to this is the opportunity to see some of the birds up close. What an amazing thing it is to hold in one's hand a 10-gram ball of feathers that you know has flown from northern Canada to the Tropics and is on its way back again – or may be returning to Ruthven. Just imagine the things and places its seen! And think of the physical capacity to do what it has done.


Musings on a Birthday .
Alan Watts - an influential philosopher once commented " We are not born into this world; we are born out of it".
Again Stephen Jay Gould - an eminent evolutionary biologist of the twentieth century wrote in the preface of his wonderful study of Burgess shale - "if one were to rewind the tape of evolution and play it; chances of any species even closely resembling a human is as remote as a leaf growing on a twig on the branch of a tree"
As a human race , we simple cannot accept the simple fact the existence is essentially meaningless. Our attempt throughout the ages has been to anthropomorphize life. The fiction that Charles Darwin erected in the eighteenth century that Human beings are the pinnacle of creation has steadily been eroded and reconstructed by every known scientific discipline since then . The more we push the frontiers of knowledge the less it seems probable that Man holds a special place in this universe. A collective human history of a few hundred thousand years can hardly stand testimony to our vain glorious claim of being the epitome of creation; when this very earth was inhabited by unicellular organisms for at least a million years before any semblance of life was recorded was on this planet.
What then gives us this audacity of hope and misplaced pomposity. Our everyday lives are so insecure and depth less that we seek salvation in ideas of permanence in whatever form it comes. When the entire universe is mutating every moment, we seek to achieve immutability through our actions, deeds and thoughts. Our glorification of birth and death is merely an effort to immortalize ourselves in an universe that is essentially timeless.
Earlier this year, I understood the true meaning and significance of what it is to be a "mortal". A mortal is one for whom life is not a means to an end and is merely an event in this vast panorama of this universe sustained by vast cosmic forces that converge at a single focal point in existence - bereft of any doership, but merely a placid vessel that is propelled through this boundless ocean of creation to a destination that is completely uncertain yet mysterious and compelling. In short, a life untrammeled by consequences.
A birthday them is not merely cherishing the birth of a "Me" but a profound gratitude to the cosmos for having manifested this Psycho-physical organism - A singular chance occurrence that was conceived in chaos and yet imbued with insight to discern and intuit its significance as merely flotsam and jetsam in this evanescent cosmic broth .


text:
Q: Why async requests should be made in componentDidMount instead of getInitialState in ReactJS? This page of React's docs shows that async requested data should be consumed in the componentDidMount event, while getInitialState initialize the state object to a default empty state.
Is there a reason for that? Maybe getInitialState is not expected to do this or has a different purpose? Is it due to some internal logic of the library?
Note to moderators and answerers: this isn't an opinion-based question: if a reason exists, that would be the answer, however, a good, correct answer to my question could be as well "No, there isn't any particular reason, do whatever you feel better"

A: You wouldn't want to do this because your component will be waiting on the async request and it won't be able to mount until it's finished. If you have html with a couple state variables, let react render first instead of making it wait. I know this is an opinion but it's also a separation of concerns thing as well.

A: getInitialState should be a pure function of props (though they often aren't used).  In other words, with the same props getInitialState should return the same data.
componentDidMount is allowed to have dynamic behavior, and cause side effects such as dom manipulation and ajax requests (that's the main intention of it).
A common way to handle this is with an early return of either an empty div, loading message,
Loading
), or loading indicator (e.g. spinkit).
On first render the spinner will be shown, and then eventually state is updated with data and the main part of render can be run.
render: function(){
   // while loading
   if (!this.state.data){
     return

   }

   // loaded, you can use this.state.data here
   return
...

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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It's funny how you think all of that is really about illegals and not about government promoting a widening of the economic classes.
Illegals aren't helping. Employers use them to undercut the wages of our own citizens. You see that in this very thread.
People who don't understand context and promote thinly-veiled discrimination as sensible international policy, I'm guessing, are a bigger danger.
Americans have been ridiculously generous with Mexican nationals. Thousands of them have been permitted to move here legally. Why should EVERY Mexican no matter how ill prepared or badly educated or how little they speak English be allowed to move here? Especially in the middle of a recession? Why do so many Mexicans believe that the solution to their problems is not to make demands on their own leaders but to make demands on American citizens? What sensible international policy holds the American taxpayer responsible for meeting the needs of Mexican nationals? Or absolves Mexican leaders of any reponsibility to govern their own country and provide for their own citizenry?
Why are you so willing to write nasty things about Americans but say not one word about Mexican officials?
Considering all the lovely things said about them here, it's really shocking you guys don't have a better relationship.
I prefer not to consort with criminals. I certainly prefer not to subsidize them as you seem to believe I should do.
Um, good for you? Nor do I. What does that have to do with anything?
Are you trying to tell me that Mexican illegals are starving? The ones around here look pretty fat and sassy to me, and Mexico is one of the fattest countries on Earth.
Mexico does have a growing middle class, but it also has a growing population in poverty. Just like in the US, economic classes are getting further apart.
As far as the rest of your post goes, it's funny to see you trying to act like you know what people go through.
No, unlike the U.S., Mexico's middle class is growing by leaps and bounds. Of course, when at least 10% of a country's citizens relocate to another country, and send BILLIONS in remittances monthly to fuel that economy, it's easy to understand why they are experiencing such increased prosperity. Sadly, their illegal citizen exports are a major factor in the growing decline of our middle class. Funny how that works.
Mexican poverty is not our America's problem to solve. It's that simple. Mexicans who do not have enough to eat are not alone. Over a billion people live in less than $2 a day and go to bed hungry. I am sorry to hear that but it does not give them all the right or the excuse to violate American immigration laws. If Mexicans can summon the effort to violate American immigration laws and then the energy to march down our streets whining that we asked them to leave then Mexicans can surely summon the effort to demand that their own relatively prosperous society meet their needs.
Yeah, we know. It's sad that people go hungry and are homeless, but it's not your problem. I'm sure you make sacrifices too, like putting $1 in the collection plate at Christmas.
The primary moral posturing in this thread has been yours.
In a forum that lacks any, that's a pretty big compliment.
FYI, poverty is not exactly uncommon in America either. Shall we demand the right to ship our own poor to Mexico and demand that Mexico's middle class feed them? Even after the Mexicans said no?
American poverty is still the richest poverty in the world.
Who do you think funds the government? THE TAXPAYERS.
And that would only matter if the government raised taxes, which is a very unpopular position in Mexico, just like in the US.
Again NOT MY PROBLEM. Mexico's poverty is not my concern nor is it my problem as a US taxpayer to solve.
This seems to be your answer for everything: Ignore it if it's inconvenient.
That's the implication of your words.
Illegals are not immigrants. I am sorry the pro-illegal crowd can't tell the difference between someone who respectfully follows our laws and someone who brazenly violates them. Mexicans do not have the inherent right to ignore our democracy, override our laws and invade our country. I am sorry you and they seem to think they do. One of my neighbors is unemployed. Thankfully he does not share your belief that this gives him the right to move into my house without permission.
I'm not pro-illegal. I'm pro-common sense. I'm pro-human. I'm pro-logic. I'm pro-sensible immigration reform. I'm anti-discrimination. I'm anti-racism. Basically, I'm the opposite position from most people here, save the first one.
Right. If not for our labor laws, employers would be "free" to pay whatever they desired. How does 50 cents an hour sound to you, with no break period, and unlimited work hours? After all, why should a tyrannical government hinder employers by forcing them to treat employees like human beings?
I make much more than minimum wage. Why would an elimination of the minimum wage reduce me to fifty cents an hour? Go back to your crackpipe.
Yep, they fought long and hard to deprive the employer and his employee of a basic human right. The right to determine their own destiny without the hindrance of a tyrannical government.
Oh no! However shall an employer survive if he has to treat his employees as human beings and not pack animals or slaves! Heavens to Betsey!
Really. What's next? Are you going to defend slavery?
You do not have the inherent right to treat human beings like chattel just because you can manage to gain someone's consent for doing so.
This is the illegal employer's mindset: anarchy in the name of freedom. Why don't you propose throwing out the FDA while you're at it? Afterall why should we restrict someone's right to sell spoiled food or poisoned water?
If people drop dead as a result well that's their fault.
It's ridiculously ironic given the fact that what part of makes our society so attractive to other people is our laws governing the workplace and marketplace. No one's fleeing to Somalia.
The fact is the progress of the worker in the last century is not due to government it is due to the advances in productivity created by the free market. Government creates nothing.
You certainly don't seem to think that it's Carlos Slim or any other Mexican official's problem. WHY? Why the nastiness to Americans but not a word against the rich Mexican oligarchs?
FYI, I am not Christian. Nice assumption there for someone who whines that others assume.
It's not all that moral to punish America's poor people so you can feel good about yourself.
You didn't answer my question. Should Americans be allowed to ship our poor people to Mexico? Our mentally ill? Our people without insurance? Would you call them nasty names if Mexico's rich or middle class attempted to send them home.
Mexico is the world's 12th richest society. Where is their responsibility for others who aren't so well off? Don't you think Mexicans should be forced to acccept millions of Chinese or Indian nationals who live on a $1.25 a day? Why not?


text:
Zimbabwe to Return Seized Land to Foreigners
On September 2, 2020 September 2, 2020 By Dr. Y.In Great Moments
Flag of Zimbabwe
After the Zimbabwean government agreed to compensate the White farmers the hefty sum of $3.5 bn last month (Is Zimbabwe the New Haiti?) when they have no money in their coffers, it was only a short step to agreeing to return seized land to foreigners. Excerpts below are from an article on the BBC website. Again why are the people, who will be forced to pay for all this, not consulted?
Zimbabwe has offered to return land to foreign nationals whose farms were seized under a controversial government programme two decades ago. Thousands of white farmers were forced from their land, often violently, between 2000 and 2001. The seizures were meant to redress colonial-era land grabs but contributed to the country's economic decline and ruined relations with the West [caused by foreign economic sanctions and embargo]. A separate compensation scheme has been launched for local white farmers. They have not been offered land, but the government last month promised them $3.5bn (£2.6bn) for seized infrastructure[Is Zimbabwe the New Haiti?]. The US has said compensating farmers is one of the requirements for it to lift decades of economic sanctions.
Zimbabwe on Monday said foreign citizens who had their land seized could now apply to get it back. Hundreds of Europeans – mostly Dutch, British and German nationals – whose investments were protected under international agreements could benefit from the offer [if their investments were protected, why do they need compensation now?], reports the BBC's Shingai Nyoka from the capital, Harare. …
In a joint statement on Monday, the ministers of finance and agriculture said some black farmers who received land under the programme would now be moved [to where?]. To allow the former owners "to regain possession" of their land, the government will revoke offers made to black farmers [will they also be compensated like the white farmers?] currently occupying the farms and "offer them alternative land elsewhere" [really? – I don't trust this sneaky government- with the West they have binding agreements, but with the locals… nothing ], the statement said. …
Emmerson MnangagwaRobert MugabeZimbabweZimbabwe leaderZimbabwe president
The US Proposes to Remove Sudan from Terrorism's List for $300 million Compensation
Proverbe sur le partage / Proverb on Sharing
4 thoughts on "Zimbabwe to Return Seized Land to Foreigners"
Interesting to say the least.
If you excuse me, I need to recover after hitting my head on my desk. All joking aside, this situation is so preposterous with Zimbabwe. Talk about not caring about the actual natives, to say the least.
Dr. Y.
Yes… it is heartbreaking! Who elected those fools… oh wait… nobody… they came in a coup
Very much so. Good point about how the transfer of power happened.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: jQuery each() help I have this structure

  something here

  somthing else here

so there can be more than one image inside of a
 element.
What i need to do is loop through each
 and then each  inside of it and add something to the front of it. Any help is appreciated. I tried doing an .each() but it's not working.

A: Try this:
$('p.descr > img').each(function() {
    // Make this code do what you want.
    $(this).prepend('Prepended Content');
});

The variable this represents the current image inside this function. In this example, I'm injecting a span element before each image inside a paragraph, but only direct descendant images.
This function can be shortened if you're only going to add another element before each image:
$('p.descr > img').prepend('Prepended Content');

A: $('p').each(function()
{
    $(this).find('img').each(function()
    {
        // do stuff with the image
    });
});

A: $('p.desc img').before('here comes an image');

A: $('p img').each(
  function(k, v)
  {
    $($(v).parents()[0] + 'span').html('Your text here');
  }
);

Manual

A: Something like this should do the trick:
$('p.descr img').before('New Stuff');

A: p = $('#p img');
p.each( function(i, val) {
    $(val.id).append("Hello");
});


When buying a used car, you know many of the qualities to look for already, such as how many miles are on an existing vehicle and whether the tires look to be in good condition. When buying a car for a teenager you want to make sure you choose a vehicle that is safe and reliable as well as provides many of the comforts a teenager would want in a ride. Here are things to look for when buying a car for a teen driver.
While you may be perfectly content in a vehicle that comes equipped with a CD player, your teenager will likely be more interested in a ride that comes with an auxiliary input. This input allows them to plug in their device so they can listen to music of their own choosing via downloaded playlists or a favorite music app. Many older models of vehicles lack this technology unless their sound system has been upgraded, so check for this perk when shopping among used cars that are several years old.
Extended or large rear view and side mirrors can allow your teen to have better visibility on the road. This is a feature commonly found on larger vehicles such as SUVs and trucks. You can talk to a car dealer about having larger mirrors placed on a used car when you buy it if it doesn't have this added safety benefit already, and many dealers will be happy to accommodate this need to make a sale.
If your teen will be taking their new car with them to college, you will want them to have extra trunk space. Seek a used car with additional trunk space, such as certain models of Hyundai, so your teen has all the space they need to transport their belongings as they transition in life. If you cannot find a used car with ample trunk space, then opt for a vehicle that has a luggage rack for easy carrying of large loads of belongings.
A safe and reliable vehicle is always your first priority when shopping for a car for a teenager. There are many used models on the market that can meet both your budget and the features you need. Talk to your dealer about what you are looking for so they can locate you the best cars for both your budget and your personal preferences so your shopping experience can be a successful adventure.


Blogs > Schools > Can AI help to address the literary skills gap?
Early disadvantage can be devastating in the classroom. We know, for example, that bright primary school children in receipt of free school meals struggle to keep up with their better-off peers. According to new analysis from the DfE, they are also less likely to be in lasting employment at the age of 27.
At the coalface, many schools are already working tirelessly to boost literacy skills. After all, it's widely recognised that this is the starting point for access to the wider academic curriculum. Yet the complexity of how we learn to read is sometimes underrated and arguably one already stretched teachers are underprepared for. Could it be time to introduce AI as a new approach to this age-old problem?
When it comes to the acquisition of reading skills, there remains a tendency to assume that, with the right encouragement and opportunities, children will pick it up in the same way that they pick up language skills.
But there is a huge difference. We are hardwired to pick up language. Reading, on the other hand, is a code that we need to learn how to decipher. And it's not straightforward. It might surprise you to discover, for example, that in English, the sound 'sh' can be made 13 different ways.
So children need to learn when the rules apply, but also when they don't. Those with a good visual memory will increasingly remember and recognise the sequence of letters in words for the next time it crops up, but for some children, this becomes an impossible task. And if they manage to develop coping strategies which temporarily hide the fact they are struggling, the problem becomes harder for educators to spot and support.
More than a quarter of children finish Reception without the communication and reading skills they need to flourish.
From our own experience of using AI in schools to uncover reading issues, we have found it helps circumnavigate many of these issues. There is an established and well-documented correlation between reading processes and its various manifestations in eye movement. Tracking how a child's eye moves measures how effectively the cognitive processes related to reading work together. It can look at when, where and how the eye moves in relation to the words, sentences and text the child is reading.
The same algorithms can also be used to detect dyslexia, the result of the brain being unable to decode text, without the need for lengthy waits to be assessed.
Systematic and objective identification of any issues could greatly impact how we support reading attainment. Currently, past Key Stage 2, curriculum demands mean teaching training cannot fully cover how to teach an older child to read. Nor can all teachers – or teaching assistants who are often the ones to help those struggling – be expected to be dyslexia specialists.
Testing literacy is also extremely complicated, as it encompasses a fine interplay of different cognitive and linguistic processes when it comes to fluency, speed and comprehension. At the moment, screening tests such as Year 1 phonics are riddled with pitfalls. They do not necessarily assess the full range of phonics knowledge that the national curriculum requires; teaching single sounds doesn't equip children with comprehension skills.
AI is the type of technology that can really make a difference. It does not even require children to have fully developed communication skills, which means that a child starting school with few verbal competencies can still be accurately assessed. And it can also do it much quicker than any other reading assessment because it uses data from, in our case, 30 years of eye-tracking data to very accurately spot any issues. In fact, it can take as little as two minutes to assess each child.
At a time when the perils of social immobility are so severe, it's imperative that we do all we can to ensure no child is left behind. Their best chance is early intervention, which relies on spotting literacy issues at the earliest possible opportunity. This is the only way that time and resources can be used effectively to help students who need the most support in their reading development. And AI encourages a level playing field, ensuring that any support has the greatest chance of success.


text:
Q: How to record audio while OpenCv has enabled camera I want to record the audio and store the same while analyzing the emotion using Opencv. But unfortunately, the audio which is being recorded is of minimal length and the voice is also not clear. I want to analyze the voice emotion too for which I need to audio. Could somebody help me in resolving the same?
def main():

  cap = cv2.VideoCapture(0)
  cap.set(cv2.CAP_PROP_FRAME_WIDTH, 1280)
  cap.set(cv2.CAP_PROP_FRAME_HEIGHT, 720)

  p = pyaudio.PyAudio()
  stream = p.open(format=audio_format, channels=channels,rate=16000, input=True,frames_per_buffer=1024)

  start_time = time.time()
  aud = True

  while aud:

    ret, frame = cap.read()

    data = stream.read(chunk, exception_on_overflow = False)
    frames.append(data)

    if not ret:
        break

    gray = cv2.cvtColor(frame, cv2.COLOR_BGR2GRAY)
    faces = face_cascade.detectMultiScale(gray, scaleFactor=1.3, minNeighbors= 5, flags=cv2.CASCADE_SCALE_IMAGE)
    result = DeepFace.analyze(img_path = frame , actions = ["emotion"], enforce_detection=False,detector_backend='ssd')

    for (x,y,w,h) in faces:

        if w > 130: #trick: ignore small faces

            draw_border(frame, (x, y), (x + w, y + h), (255, 0, 105),4, 15, 10) ## draw rectangle around face.
            detected_face = frame[int(y):int(y+h), int(x):int(x+w)] #crop detected face
            detected_face = cv2.cvtColor(detected_face, cv2.COLOR_BGR2GRAY) #transform to gray scale
            detected_face = cv2.resize(detected_face, (48, 48)) #resize to 48x48
            img_pixels = img_to_array(detected_face)
            img_pixels = np.expand_dims(img_pixels, axis = 0)
            img_pixels /= 255 #pixels are in scale of [0, 255]. normalize all pixels in scale of [0, 1]

    emotion = result["dominant_emotion"]

    txt = str(emotion)

    cv2.putText(frame,txt,(50,50),cv2.FONT_HERSHEY_SIMPLEX,1,(0,0,255),3)

    cv2.imshow(file, frame)

    if cv2.waitKey(1) & 0xFF == ord("q"):
        aud=False
        break

stream.stop_stream()
stream.close()
p.terminate()

wf = wave.open('/Users/xyz/Documents/Audio/wv.wav', 'wb')
wf.setnchannels(1)
wf.setsampwidth(p.get_sample_size(audio_format))

wf.setframerate(sample_rate)
wf.writeframes(b''.join(frames))
wf.close()

cap.release()
cv2.destroyAllWindows()


text:
Air Conditioning, Heating & Ventilation Services Specialists
Specialist HVAC
Server Room & Data Centre Cooling
How The Chinese Won the HVAC World Cup
by admin. Posted on July 5, 2018
Many of the Russian stadiums being used in the World Cup have been specially built for the occasion, with ventilation and air conditioning high on the list of must-haves for new venues. One of the venues for matches in the competition is the Mordovia stadium, in the city of Saransk. This brand new stadium is located in the centre of the city, and can seat 44,000 spectators. Its total area is 122,700 square metres.
It has a slight problem, in that after the World Cup, it will be hosting the local football team, which doesn't have 44,000 followers. So, like many of the stadiums specially built to host world cup matches in Russia, there are plans to downsize it once the competition is over, so that it seats 30,000. Reports indicate that fans of the local team will still find themselves with several seats each, even at the reduced capacity.
Gree qualify as supplier
There was a hotly contested bidding process for the air conditioning contract for the stadium. The contest was eventually won by Gree, a firm which isn't that well known in the UK. They have installed a large AC unit which uses a screw chiller, has a water cooled operation and is highly efficient. Not to get too technical, but for the HVAC enthusiasts out there, it's an advanced, dual screw, semi hermetic compressor.
Semi hermetic compressors are being used increasingly in refrigeration applications today. In effect, both the motor that drives the compressor, and the compressor itself, are integrated. They operate inside a pressurised gas system. The motor's design allows it both to operate in the refrigerant gas being compressed, and to use the gas for cooling.
This unit's heat exchanger is a high-efficiency model, and it has a dual loop to cut down on faults.
Russia said it wanted to run the most eco-friendly games ever – this air conditioning unit has an optimised power control which reduces energy use, and therefore operating costs. In fact, it has a top grade rating for energy efficiency. Like a lot of existing systems, it uses R134a as its refrigerant. Its coefficient of performance (COP) rating, which measures how efficient a system is, comes in at 6.2.
This is Gree's second World Cup contract. In 2010, it provided screw chillers, variable refrigerant flow units (VRFs), air conditioners and air processing terminals for the South African World Cup competition.
Midea score too
Gree doesn't have a very high profile in the UK, but apparently, they are the world's largest manufacturer of air conditioning units. They're a Chinese company which started in Zhuhai in 1991. However, Gree aren't the only Chinese HVAC supplier to the World Cup. In fact, Midea, another Chinese manufacturer, is supplying HVAC to seven out of the 12 stadiums in use during the competition.
They're installing falling film screw chillers that are water cooled, MAi intelligent VRF systems that are full inverter, and fan coil units. In the falling film process, fluid evaporates on the outside of tubes which can be vertical or horizontal. It then moves downwards, thus "falling film".
It's remarkable what you find out during the World Cup! Apparently there are some football matches as well as HVAC.
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About & Upcoming
Stage Direction & Dance
Musical Direction & Voice
St. Luke Austin
Sign up to receive news about Adam's upcoming classes, workshops and productions.
Website by Scott Ferguson. Custom Photography by Dave Hawks Photography. © 2019 by Adam Roberts
Adam K. Roberts has served as artistic director, musical director, and choreographer for a wide range of companies, productions and projects throughout his career. An Austin-based artist, Adam can be found at St. Luke United Methodist Church (Director of Music), TILT Performance Group (Co-Founding Artistic Director), The Actor's School (Voice Faculty/Head of Musical Theatre), the Long Center for the Performing Arts (Resident Musical Director for Education), Ballet Austin (Musical Theatre Dance Faculty), River City Pops (Interim Artistic Director), and as a freelance director, conductor, and consultant on various projects. Additional Austin-area credits include work at the Austin Jewish Repertory Theater (Founding Artistic Director), Austin Conservatory of Theatre, Austin Shakespeare, Ground Floor Theatre, Mary Moody Northen Theatre, the Paramount Theatre, the State Theatre School of Acting, Summer Stock Austin, Texas Arts Project, the Texas Commission on the Arts, the Texas Cultural Trust, ZACH Theatre, and Zilker Theatre Productions. His students have performed in principal roles on Broadway, Off-Broadway and in regional theatre, been nominated for the Tony Award, and appeared in film, national tours, and on network television. He is the choreographer of two European concert tours.
In addition to his role as Musical Director of Music Theatre Online and Libretto with the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Adam was a contributing writer and arts critic with the Austin Chronicle for several years. He holds a master's degree in music from the Florida State University, an Executive Certificate in Arts and Culture Strategy from the University of Pennsylvania, and undergraduate degrees from Kent State University and Youngstown State University's Dana School of Music.
With affiliations including the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and Voice and Speech Trainers Association, Adam is recipient of the B. Iden Payne Award for Outstanding Music Direction, the Shalom Austin Staff Exemplar of Excellence Award, and a New York Public Library Short-Term Research Fellowship. Learn more about Adam and his work at adamroberts.com and adamrobertsvoice.com, on Facebook @adamkroberts, and on Instagram @adam_k_roberts.
Co-Musical Director
Ground Floor Theatre
December 5 - 21, 2019
Bittersuite
Game night with tilt
TILT Performance Group
Austin Playhouse
GAHSMTA 2020
Musical Director/Conductor
The Long Center
Pandora: Life outside the box
TILT Performance Group | Austin, TX
Summer stock austin
Musical Supervisor
The Long Center | Austin, TX
Flip side redux
An evening with Ben Platt
Benefitting The Adderley School | Austin, TX
First Austin | Austin, TX
TEXAS MEDAL OF ARTS Awards
I WANDER
TILT @ Imagine Art | Austin, TX
Ground Floor Theater | Austin, TX
Trinity Street Players | Austin, TX


Groceries are one of the biggest expenses we have to face almost on a daily basis. "Cheap groceries near me" is probably one of the searches that you've run at some point in your life. This is an expense that you cannot escape, because we need some basic things to survive, but that doesn't mean it has to be expensive.
Shopping for groceries online can help you save both time and more importantly money, free home delivery groceries isn't the only factor. When you go grocery shopping at the department store or supermarket, you need to drive to the store, find parking and walk through endless aisles that are strategically stacked with products so that you buy products that you don't really need. And after that you have to stand in long queues to pay for the things that you buy.
There are many other benefits of buying your groceries online, here are some of them.
Save money: When you're shopping online you have the power to choose what you see and as a result limit your purchases. You have to search specific categories, products and brand and only buy products that come up on your screen. This will help you save more money and limit your purchase of items you don't need.Amazing offers and discounts: Mobile grocery delivery services offer amazing discounts and offers every time you shop. The more you shop with these services, the more offers you get. You can also get offers like two-for-one packages, free products and even gift cards when you shop online regularly.Large selection: Unlike your local grocery store, mobile grocery delivery services, stock products that you may not get elsewhere. Shops tend to be loyal to certain brands and fail to stock others, however you can find all the products and brands you need on online stores.Free home delivery groceries: One of the biggest advantages of online grocery shopping is the free home delivery for groceries. Some services also offer same day delivery or even two hour delivery for certain grocery products.Compare products and offers: Online grocery shopping also allows you to compare a lot of features, prices, brands and more importantly offers and discounts on all products in one place. This is one feature that comes in handy when you're shopping food and cosmetics. The best home grocery delivery services let you compare all your products and options in just one click.
NAIROBI, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- China, a pivotal country to Kenya's progress, has injected needed investments to open up resource-rich but long-unexploited regions in the African country, said a Kenyan analyst in an interview with Xinhua.
"China's investments and economic cooperation in least developed countries (LDCs) has catalyzed these nations' economic development," said Stephen Ndegwa, a lecturer at MultiMedia University.
"It has motivated innovations that are both relevant and affordable in their national development needs," said Ndegwa, also a public policy analyst in Kenya.
He took the China-contracted mine coal in Lamu County as an example, saying the multi-million dollar project will not only increase Kenya's power supply substantially, but also open up the hitherto-underdeveloped area for more investments.
Ndegwa said Chinese establishment of manufacturing industries has expanded LDCs markets for raw materials and helped to add value at home.
"The ensuing technological transfer will be invaluable in the medium to long term as more indigenous people acquire and utilize new, modern skills of doing business and procuring goods and services," said Ndegwa.
With the recent launch of operation of Kenya's Mombasa-Nairobi railway, China's remarkable infrastructure capabilities are again being highlighted and promoting regional interconnectivity.
Ndegwa regarded this railway as a game-changer, saying the project is ushering Kenya in a new era in the transport of goods and people from the coast to the hinterland and vice versa.
The Chinese-built 472-km-long Standard Gauge Railway linking Kenya's capital Nairobi and East Africa's biggest port city Mombasa comes as part of ambitious efforts to build a 2,700-km East Africa corridor connecting Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and other East African countries.
Not only Chinese businesses but also Chinese businessmen have acted as role models in this eastern African country.
Chinese business magnate Jack Ma visited Kenya in July and lectured young entrepreneurs on the virtues of hard work, resilience and empathy,which was hailed as historic by citizens from all walks of life.
"The recent visit by Jack Ma has helped to change the perception of youth in the country by inspiring them with the limitless potential of their ideas," said Ndegwa.


Get MBOX viewer - a true freeware with transparent interface!
You are here: CoolUtils > Mbox Viewer > Get MBOX viewer - a true freeware with transparent interface!
Due to the concatenated (long string of text) nature of the MBOX format, it can be a challenge to work with. Fortunately our free MBOX Viewer provides you with all the solutions you need to make working with your MBOX files quick and easy. Whether you're looking to make sense of the data, create a user-friendly PDF, or export to an EXCEL sheet, CoolUtils' MBOX Viewer can help. To learn how to get started viewing MBOX files on your hard drive, check out our How-to guide located below.
Begin by launching the MBOX Viewer.
With the viewer open click File. From here choose either Open profile... or Open mailbox... to let MBOX Viewer know where to look for your MBOX files.
Once the files have been located, choose which files/folders to work with by checking the box next to their name(s).
With your files selected, click on the Report icon to open the Report options interface.
Next, choose the Report type for MBOX Viewer to create a report in; TEXT, EXCEL, CSV, PDF or HTML.
Now it's time to choose which pieces of metadata to parse out of MBOX file(s). Click on the Report columns tab to reveal all the various categories used to filter report results. By default, all categories will start out in the checked state. To remove certain categories, simply click the box to uncheck it.
Afterward, it's time to select your Destination. Here you can name your new report file and choose where it should be saved.
When you're ready, click Start to begin the conversion process.
In this example, we've used the Report function of MBOX Viewer to demonstrate how to create a document that will let you make sense of your MBOX file. There are, of course, other options. For example you can choose to Print your MBOX files or generate an EML file. (Creating an EML file will let you export your MBOX data to Windows Mail or Outlook Express).
Did we mention that the MBOX Viewer is free? Download your free copy today and see why Coolutils is the #1 name in conversion utilities!


In overall very good condition for it's age, there are some areas on the canes, some age spots, and some scattered small holes on the bottom ruffle. My opinion is that this is in remarkable good condition for it's age. Buyer may return if they do not agree.


text:
Pages with broken file links, Actors, Whoopi Goldberg
( Funny
Awesome)
Fanfic Recs
Image Links
File:WhoopiGoldberg 6841.jpg
Whoopi Goldberg (born Caryn Elaine Johnson in 1955) is a highly successful American actress/singer/comedian. Known for tackling serious issues with a sense of humor, she became the highest-paid actress of all time during her peak in the 1990s. Whoopi's first film appearance was in the movie The Color Purple, where she garnered an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe for her performance as a mistreated African American woman in the Deep South. Five years later, she won both the Golden Globe and the Oscar for her performance in the blockbuster title Ghost.
Debatably, her most famous role is that of Las Vegas singer Deloris van Cartier, who hides from the mob as Sister Mary Clarence in the movie Sister Act and its sequel. She also voiced the lead female Hyena, Shenzi, in the animated movie The Lion King as well as recently doing voice work in Toy Story 3 as Stretch. Another notable role would be that of Guinan in Star Trek:The Next Generation. Whoopi was a fan of the original show and asked to appear in the series. (Nichelle Nichols' role as Uhura in TOS was one of her biggest driving inspirations for becoming an actress.)
She's appeared in over 150 different movies, and has won two Golden Globe Awards, an Oscar, a Grammy, a Tony, three People's Choice Awards, two American Comedy Awards, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and two Daytime Emmy Awards. With such a large list of films she's been in, they tend to vary from great inspirational roles like in The Color Purple, to... well, Theodore Rex.
Trope Namer
Whoopi Epiphany Speech
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.fandom.com/wiki/Whoopi_Goldberg?oldid=155552"


text:
package pt.babyHelp.cloudEndpoints.article;

import pt.babyHelp.services.article.ArticleApiMap;
import pt.gapiap.proccess.annotations.ApiMethodParameters;
import pt.gapiap.proccess.validation.defaultValidator.DefaultValidator;

import javax.validation.constraints.NotNull;

@ApiMethodParameters(
        api = ArticleApiMap.API,
        method = ArticleApiMap.CREATE,
        validators = DefaultValidator.class
)

public class ArticleCreationE {
    @NotNull
    private String title;

    private String photoToken;
    @NotNull
    private String body;

    @NotNull
    private String summary;

    @NotNull
    private boolean isPublic;

    public String getTitle() {
        return title;
    }

    public void setTitle(String title) {
        this.title = title;
    }

    public String getPhotoToken() {
        return photoToken;
    }

    public void setPhotoToken(String photoToken) {
        this.photoToken = photoToken;
    }

    public String getBody() {
        return body;
    }

    public void setBody(String body) {
        this.body = body;
    }

    public String getSummary() {
        return summary;
    }

    public void setSummary(String summary) {
        this.summary = summary;
    }

    public boolean isPublic() {
        return isPublic;
    }

    public void setPublic(boolean isPublic) {
        this.isPublic = isPublic;
    }

}


For this upcoming year, prices will rise again. None of the parking options at Mount Royal are exempt from the increase.
The worst increase is for the Open Lot Annual Parking pass which has increased from $840, (previously at $600 in the 2012 and 2013 academic year) to $960.
Not only that, but the increase from $200 to $280 for the Open Lot for Fall that happened last year will increase again from $280 to $320 for this year.
The flat rates for Lots A and B will increase a dollar to $8 a day, from $7 last year and from $5 the previous year. Although the daily prices for the East Gate Parkade and Lot 2 have not increased (except the hourly rate was raised from $3 to $3.50) the night and Saturday flat rate for all parkades will be $8.


She is a native New Yorker playing video games, designing BBS boards and gopher sites prior to the Web going world wide.
Shireen is a serial founder. Digital Sisters/Sistas Inc. is the first organization to focus on women and girls of color in tech and online access. She created the first women of color web management firm (MHG). She founded Stop Online Violence Against Women a project to address online threats for women who face both gender based and racially charged threats of violence. She is co-founder of Nonprofit 2.0 and Feminism 2.0 conferences.
In some of her more interesting roles she was the manager for PoliticallyBlack.com a site that was sold to Netivation and ended at Politico.com. She created the game TechnoDemic, a multimedia based competition to help youth learn technology and programming terms.
Shireen has helped to organize various tech events around the country and/or on planning committees including the Digital Community, Techno Rodeo, She's Geeky DC, Geeky Girls Night Out, Computers, Freedom and Privacy, Gov20 Expo, and others.
Media appearances includes AJAM, WETA, KPFA, WORT, NPR, Tavis Smiley Show, EWTN, NBC4, RT, Kojo Nnamdi Show & Grit TV.
Shireen has been named one of Fast Company's The Most Influential Women in Technology, Washingtonian's Top 100 Tech Titan, DC's Top Ten most influential in Social Media, The Root 100: African-American Leaders of Excellence and GovFresh's 100+ Women in Government & Tech. She's been awarded the Social Citizen: Apps for Democracy DC, Rising Star: Woman of Color in Technology, and Heroine in Tech.
Shireen has served as a nonprofit board member for over a decade. She is currently on the boards of Workplace Fairness, Center for Partnership Studies and Chair of National Council of Women's Organizations.


Split ACs, stand by air conditioners, window AC and other types of special air conditioners that are installed inside the home and offices should function properly round the clock. People will suffer from health problems and be unable to brave the extreme heat. Companies or individuals those who are facing technical problems with ACs can hire one of the executives working in this company and rectify the faults immediately. The senior air con technician working in this established firm will enter the customer's premises immediately and inspect the damaged air conditioner immediately and after thorough inspection he will provide his estimate to the client who hired him.
It is worth to note that this popular and famous servicing firm will offer spectacular air con services to all the clients and charge reasonably from them. Customers should never hire amateur service technicians since they will not offer best services them and also charge exorbitant service fees from them. This company which has certified and licensed air con technicians will offer round the clock ordinary and emergency assistance to the clients those who are living in the city of Singapore. The guys working here will also repair technologically advanced air conditioners and come up to the expectation of the customers. Customers can get several tips for aircon repair from the executives working here.
Rain water or other types of stagnant water will start seeping from the terrace when there is damage or cracks on the wall. Customers those who face these types of problems can engage an executive working in this firm who is supposed to be good at roofing contractor singapore. Home owners can avert catastrophic losses when they arrest the dangerous flooding through the roof with the help of certified and licensed roof repairing experts those who are working here. Experts working here will also do other types of roofing services like asbestos sheet laying, tile laying and brick laying and charge nominally from them.
Customers will be happy will be happy with the services offered by the technicians those who are good at waterproofing singapore. This supreme company which is serving the city of Singapore for the past several years does various types of roofing work and some of the services offered by this company are residential services, commercial services, thermography services and roofing contract services.This company has done several projects in the past and the visitors can get the details when they explore the gallery.
To avoid liability for personal injury torts learn how timely home repairs can help your guests trip and fall accidents.
The majority of the people purchase home service agreement right when they close on any home as these protections can offer the homeowners some much-required peace of mind that the homeowner won't get hit with some unnecessary expenses after moving in. Can you imagine how big bummer it would be! With the right home service agreement or the home warranty with you, you will actually be able to lessen all the worries. Therefore, having this type of agreement is worth each penny.
The home service agreement should not be mistaken for the homeowners insurance that covers the structure and belongings of any home in case of storm, fire, any accident or flood. The home warranty, in comparison covers the replacements or the repair of the appliances or systems because of normal wear and tear and without any calamities.
While the homeowners are often needed to purchase homeowners insurance along with the mortgage, the home service agreement is a completely optional purchase. In this type of agreement, the basic coverage begins at a certain cost and therefore it goes up for the more comprehensive type of plans. The homeowners are free to choose extra coverage if required like as the coverage for any external well or swimming pool.
Even though a number of companies offer home service agreement to the homeowners at any point, but the best deals can be snagged often at the time of purchasing the home. This type of agreement plan when purchased during the time of real estate transaction usually offers the most comprehensive price points and coverage level. This is the reason it makes sense to lock it in during home purchase.
What happens while something breaks?
In case something that is covered under the home service agreement breaks, then you can call the service provider, who will then help you to get connected to any qualified contractor in your place. But keep in mind one thing that this type of agreement doesn't mean that you are off scot-free; usually you would need to pay for the service call or a specific amount of bill.


text:
Diana Kupke Writes
All about Diana
Tower Room
Val's Story
Hovey
Nell's Story
Sandilands
George's Story
Gascoigne
Odd Bits
Third Archive
Items from 16 February to 15 June 2009
June 8 to June 15, 2009
Heather and Dale might as well give up all ideas of reclining on their couch. This time it has been taken over by Champagne, whose catmate, Thor, is pictured below. Champagne has requested a larger photograph than Thor, and I have acceded to her wishes.
Ever since I saw the film, Fahrenheit 64, many years ago, I have been horrified by most forms of censorship. Burning books is something that has also happened in real life, and of course, hundreds of books have been banned by a variety of churches. I do have an exception to my loathing of censorship, and that is child pornography which I totally deplore. With the Australian Government planning to ban certain sites it has now become clear that only 32% of those sites are related to child pornography. One of the sites to be banned is Wikileaks and there
is a full story here at this link. Apparently WikiLeaks is also on the banned list, probably
because it earlier leaked the full list of sites which were to be banned.
Below, the old ABC flag sort of flies again in Darwin
Thirty-five years ago, when I lived in Darwin, at the same time as Cyclone Tracy swept through, the ABC flag, which flew from the rooftop flagpole, was rescued and a few weeks ago was added as a feature to the foyer. The elderly and tattered flag was ceremoniously unveiled with special guests including Dick Muddimer (far left), Richard Creswick (middle) and Bill Fletcher (far right) in attendance. Dick, Richard and Bill were all journalists at the ABC at the time of the cyclone. They have continued to live in Darwin and it is always enjoyable to hear the latest news from Richard and from Bill.
June 6 to June 7, 2009
Yeti has a comfortable rest
My cousin, Nina, who runs Bulltacho Bull Terriers has sent me this photograph of one of her puppies, Yeti. He slept soundly on two of his siblings.
If I am back to posting on this blog fairly frequently, it must mean this is a university break. I hope all of you readers have a truly sarsaprididious Sunday. I do not have to do anything so I will float around the house and answer some of the many e-mails that are awaiting my attention.
When I began using e-mail, more than a decade ago now, I always used the spelling 'e-mail' but these days I am almost alone. I looked it up and both e-mail and email are okay but I will stick with e-mail. The hyphen has it.
And my cousin, Ellen, pictured above with her sons, these days lives near Camden in NSW. For her mother's day gift, her husband, Jeff, gave her a trip to Brisbane, to see her sons Matt and Brodie.
Pussycat Thor has taken over the couch. No room for Dale nor for Heather
I have been fascinated by alzheimers for many years as my mother, her two sisters, and their mother were all afflicted with it. Males in the family don't appear to suffer any problems so that leaves myself, and my cousin, Judy, as next in line. I try to use my brain in as many ways as possible and constantly set myself challenges. My university studies have certainly sent my thinking in many new directions. I also exercise by dancing and walking my dog, and by parking my car far away from where I am going. Living in a highset house means I constantly do stair exercises.
Today's Sunday Courier Mail ran a story about footwear being developed which has a built in GPS device which enables 'wanderers' to be tracked. Apparently up to 60 percent of those who have Alzheimer's disease will have a 'critical wandering incident'. I must tell my children to put in an order.
I love mushrooms and eat them often, both raw and in soup, and apparently I am on the right track here as the niacin in mushrooms is believed to have a beneficial effect, providing a certain amount of protection against Alzheimer's disease The World's Healthiest Foods has very interesting information about mushrooms if you would like to read more.
I only read a few catalogues and recently a new shop, which has opened in Mackay, has begun putting their catalogues in the local newspaper. I am often surprised at the items which are available for sale, but one in particular has me wondering about the thinking behind the invention. This is an alarm clock, which gives a shock to the person who turns it off! Would it be bought for a joke, and after being turned off once, never used again? I can't believe anyone would buy it for themselves. What a shocking thought.
My photographer brother, Dale Mann, who lives in Melbourne, has a number of photographs displayed in the Mapping Ballarat project. Many beautiful photographs are on this site provided by a number of photographers.
Gold stars for Owen at Harvey Norman and for NRG
Owen, who works at the computer section of Harvey Norman, is a very personable young man who deserves to go far. He provides excellent customer service and his recent kindness is much appreciated. And many thanks to NRG whose incredibly fast response to an e-mail shows large companies do have a heart.
More on Link Nurses
Education, arranged by Ros Laspa is continuing for Mackay's link nurses who represent six residential aged care facilities. Some of the 22 link nurses are pictured below (run your mouse across the photographs and they will enlarge). The latest evening had a delightful speaker, Joyce McSwann, pharmacist, who discussed the topic, medication management of chronic pain, a subject very close to the hearts of those who work with the elderly in the district's nursing homes.
Forever Seekiing these Mann relations
Many years ago I saw a great deal of my cousins, twins Glenis and Joy, and Ian Mann. Their parents were Jim and Grace Mann. I would love to catch up with them again.
May 27 to June 2, 2009
While indulging in waterplay, otherwise known as doing the dishes, a soap bubble jumped up from the sink and landed on the hairs on my arm. I took that arm out into the study where my cat, Snoopy, kindly sat still while I took the photograph. Which reminded me, of course, of Adam Lindsay Gordon's poem
Life is mostly froth and bubble;
Two things stand like stone:
Kindness in another's trouble,
Courage in our own.
I've often thought of these lines since I was a schoolgirl at Brighton High School in the late 50's when I also discovered the poet had killed himself not far from the school.
And here is a belated mother's day photograph of my daughter, Suzanne, with her daughters, Isabella and Tahlia. The photograph was taken outside the Magpie Sporting Club. And you thought I had got over my oval obsession!
More fascinating photos of Froggie's adventures in Cairns.
While Froggie was in Cairns, with Christian, Liz and Carmel, he visited many people manning a variety of stands where he was read another story and later, after vanishing for a time was discovered in a nest of chocolates. He also made friends with a mouse, but the mouse wouldn't play.
May 16 to May 26, 2009
My office at work is home to a variety of items including a croaking frog, two quacking ducks, a metal cat with a wiggly head, lotus blossoms, a Buddha...just your normal office really. There is even a computer and a filing cabinet.
Recently I went to work to discover Froggie had gone! Before I shouted frognap! I realised there was a note from him to tell me he had joined Lizzie and Carmel for a conference/trade fair in Cairns. It was his turn because some years ago I had taken Duck to Bribie Island.
Froggie had a wonderful time dining out in Greek and Chinese restaurants, visiting everyone at the other trade displays and being told stories. Elaine from NACCHO (below) told Froggie an amazing story which Carmel videod and which had everyone at Mackay Division of General Practice laughing so hard we were crying...until the end of the story which had a savage twist.
Visit to the Ballet
I had an enjoyable visit to the Mackay Entertainment Centre on May 23 to see the Queensland Ballet perform Midsummer Night's Dream. I was impressed with the excellence of the dancers. I later discovered one of the dancers was a Mackay lad.
I also had an interesting experience while online with a university group on a Blackboard chat page. My large white cat, Queenie, pictured down below, was lonely and jumped up onto my desk to keep me company and then sat down on my mouse which promptly cut me off the chat page.
The past week has vanished in a blur of work, meetings and university assignments with the highlight being Mother's Day. I always tell my children that every day is mother's day for me, in spite of which my children and their families continue to ignore me, and give me a lovely day. The photograph above is of my son-in-law Michael showing us the delights of the 'hot rock' meal when we went to the Magpie Sporting Club to celebrate Mother's Day.
Apart from myself there were three other mothers enjoying the evening, my daughter, Suzanne, who is married to Michael (above), Michael's mother, Pauline, and her daughter, Jenny.
Workers at the Mackay Division of General Practice said goodbye to numerous employees recently but both Heleen and Sarah have returned for a visit with their new babies, Rein and Tim. Apologies to Heleen, can't change the spelling of her name on the photograph.
The Excellent Economist
I've thoroughly enjoyed reading The Economist for the past few months which have been provided by Mark from MDGP. I not only enjoy the information but also the sense of humour. The journalist's use of some words stumps me at times such as "The chief executive of PSA Peugeot Citroen was also defenestrated, but by his board." I have always understood defenestrated, which is one of my favourite words - to mean that a person died by being thrown through a window. However it means "to throw out a window".
Wikipedia says 'Although defenestrations can be fatal depending on the height of the window through which a person is thrown, or lacerations from broken glass, the act of defenestration need not carry the intent or result of death.'
In my searching I discovered there is a blog called Defenestrate and the writer of which had just discovered his own blog had been "thrown out the window" when he did an upgrade. And for more humour I found at Wiktionary the following example of the word to defenestrate, 'To stop using the Windows operating system', in other words to throw Windows out of the window.
This site cites numerous examples of people who died because they were thrown out of a window. I also visualise an old fashioned sash window falling down suddenly upon a person and breaking their neck which would also be defenestration.
May 5 to May 9, 2009
I've been deeply involved in an assignment for one of my university subjects, Web Application Development. I'm now learning MySQL and have entered the world of databases. My only contact with this area before has been Access which is a very different kettle of fish. SQL stands for structured query language which is understood by all relational databases. I'm using it in this subject along with PHP and once my degree is finished I will have the fun of recoding all the pages on my site and adding many more.
Above is a photograph of friend Aileen, taken in my office at work, soon after we had met for the first time in about 22 years. Aileen and I last saw each other when we worked for Endeavour in Mackay. We've been in touch for a few months now and were able to meet as Aileen is in Townsville on secondment and was in Mackay for work.
I belong to a number of forums, most of them either computer oriented (html, css etc.) or relating to genealogy, but during my years with university I have somehow joined an academic list which provides information about conferences and often calls for papers. The latest e-mail discusses a forthcoming new international academic journal, published by Intellect Books which is totally devoted to comics. It is fascinating to read the word 'comics' in the same sentence as 'established theoretical model', and 'formal properties'. Anyway the call is out there to any semioticians, philosophers, scientists, literary critics and even enthusiasts to send in manuscripts. One of the suggested topics is the grammar of comics which could be limiting as I seem to recall many pows! take that! ugh!
April 29 to May 4, 2009
Anna with friend, and guest speaker, Ysanne Chapman
I'm not a nurse but I've thoroughly enjoyed being involved in our Rural Palliative Care project which, at Mackay Division of General Practice, includes a section for link nurses and therefore a breadth of education. Above is link nurse Anna, from Good Shepherd Lodge, with her friend, Ysanne Chapman, who was our guest speaker at the end of April.
Ysanne, known as Izzie, came to Mackay for a holiday with Anna but, when asked, was very happy to talk to the link nurses who represent Francis of Assisi Home, Good Shepherd Lodge, Homefield, Nanyima (in Mirani), Northview, Resthaven, and Sarina Home for the Aged.
Izzie's talk was fascinating and initiated many comments from the floor. Unfortunately the data projector misbehaved and although Carmel came back to work to try and sort things out, the sound remained silent.
The link nurses have an integral role to play to assist communication with and between palliative patients, their family members, other nurses and aides, gps and the hospitals.
All about Izzie
As associate professor at Monash University Izzie's home base is the campus of the Gippsland Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences.
Izzie trained as a nurse in London and has worked within the whole spectrum of nursing including coronary care, accident and emergency, operating theatres and in community nursing. She moved to Australia almost 40 years ago and in 1989 she left the clinical field for academe. Since then she has worked at the universities of New England, Tasmania, Adelaide, Flinders, and Tasmania. Prior to joining Monash University, she worked in Saudi Arabia where she headed the Department of Nursing.
In 1999 her PhD was completed examining the sadness of community health nurses who deliver palliative care. Izzie has written and co-edited numerous books and articles and has been involved in studies around her areas of interest, palliative care and rural nursing. She is one of the editors of the book "Images of Death and Dying" which was published by the University of New England Press.
Life is meant to be about balance but it is all to easy to allow various areas to expand until all sense of balance is gone. Some time ago I bought an awful print at a garage sale and put it on a wall of my study simply to remind me, not that many prints are awful, but to smell the roses. I don't have any roses in my garden but now I have some on a wall. While the perfume is lacking, the reminder is a strong one.
April 24 to April 28, 2009
Happy birthday to my dear sister-in-law, Heather, and to a dear friend, Phyl. Because they share birthdays, April 28, I have given them shared space. Heather lives far away in Melbourne with my brother Dale and Phyl was my next-door-neighbour in Mackay for many many years.
I have been busy as usual with work and with university where I am now learning about php and also about MySQL which is a database. And now, for the first time since February last year, I will be able to relax next time it rains as a large amount of flood-proofing has gone on here thanks to handyman Stan.
A few weeks ago I was maundering on about a $3 million grant for a three year study to investigate cutting back methane production by livestock. I have just been reading the Autumn issue of one of my favourite magazines Earth Garden which has a story by Jill Redwood highlighting the fact that in Australia livestock emissions (flatulence and burping), account for 66 percent of all agricultural emissions. Jill goes on to say that Australia's per capita emissions from agriculture are more than six times the world average. The reason for the study is now well and truly understood however I continue to be perplexed about the solution. The only one I can think of, and that Jill mentions, is for the populace to become vegetarian.
One is of Ros' grandson, Riley, with a cache of baby easter eggs which probably no longer exist, and a special cake made by Bronwyn to celebrate her father's 90th birthday.
High time for a photograph of a kitten and this time it is to welcome Sally Sunshine, (dark brown) pictured above with sibling Rocha. Sally, who was born in December, is a very welcome addition to Marg's family.
New found cousins, Nell and Rosie, sent me the photograph above of the gravestone of my great great grandparents, John Montgomery and Elizabeth Anne Sandilands.
John, whose parents came from Aberdeen, Scotland, was born in Downpatrick, Ireland, in 1815 or 1816. Elizabeth was born in Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex in 1829. They died in Tallygaroopna, Victoria (near Shepparton) in 1892 (John) and 1903 (Elizabeth).
It is a wonder I have any imagination at all as Elizabeth Anne named a daughter Elizabeth Anne (Montgomery) who named a daughter Elizabeth Anne (Canet). Happily Elizabeth Canet, who married William Dudley, broke this chain and called my mother Merlyn.
Not only can an octopus squeeze through an opening the size of its eyeball but it has three hearts. Information like that absolutely delights me and where I would once inflict such information on my family now I have a larger audience and can do the same to all of you. Two of the hearts pump blood through the gills while the other heart pumps the blue blood (the colour is caused by lack of oxygen) through the body.
The octopus is very intelligent but due to the fact it has a short lifespan it is unable to progress far. Males die soon after mating (within a few months) and the females die soon after their eggs hatch. The deaths are genetically programmed.
If a dog is going to be a passenger on a motorbike he has to wear glasses
I am very wary of motorbikes (mainly because of the safety aspect) but was interested to hear of a group called the Ulysses Club which has, for a motto, 'Grow Old Disgracefully'. The photograph above was taken by Carmel's parents, Ann and Col, who live down south and who belong to the group. Members, who are likened to 'geriatric children' (quotes from their website) want to do all they can before they fall off the perch, which is often the motorbike on which they ride. Rather like the Purple Hats but noisier.
The club, which began in Sydney in 1983, now has 138 branches in Australia and there are also clubs overseas. The name was chosen because the Greek king, Ulysses, in old age, went adventuring. With a hand drawn logo of an old man, and with the motto of 'grow old disgracefully' there is something quite appealing about the Ulysses Club.
April 8 to April 12, 2009
Mark and Helen discuss the PIK project
Mark and Helen are working on the PIK project which will be launched in the Whitsundays this coming week and in Mackay in May. PIK stands for podiatry, insulin initiation and kidneys, and it is the insulin initiation segment which will be available. The Mackay Primary Health Care Partnership has developed this diabetes management project to improve the coordination between health care providers.
The project aims to improve the quality of life for people with Type 2 diabetes. A diabetes educator and a dietitian will provide support for patients who would benefit from the initiation of insulin.
On Thursday I went to collect my mail at South Mackay Post Office and when I opened my mailbox there were two baby easter eggs! What a lovely thought. I then went over to the South Mackay Newsagency to buy an extra newspaper. The days before Good Friday and Xmas Day I always buy a second paper which I then hide in my garden and 'find' in the morning. This should work for a few more years until my memory starts to go, which might make the hunt more exciting. At the newsagency with Julia and Julie in attendance I mentioned my plans and Julie took off with my paper and returned with it fully plastic wrapped so it wouldn't get wet. I drove to work and a rainbow crossed the sky. I took a photograph but the rainbow is very faded.
So much for any dieting - we might not have had a server but we had lots of baby easter eggs brought in by Christian and Mandy's daughter supplied us with iced cakes. I added tuna to the mix for balance. If you're wonderiing about the bright red light in the photograph of Carmel and Val it is to alert people that the vault is open. The building used to be a bank and I check out the vault every now and then when I think about cyclones. Sadly when the bank left the building (just like Elvis) they took all the money with them.
Life at work, when the server goes down, down, down, is always interesting. I took the opportunity to take some photographs of Mackay Division of General Practice staff.
April 5 to April 7, 2009
There've been quite a few birthday greetings on this site lately, and today it's David's turn. May your year be a healthy one. A story in the Daily Mercury this morning reminded me of many many years ago when I inadequately assisted David and Peggy to move sheep from one paddock to another. The ewes, whom had lambs at foot, went in all directions.
The story this morning came from Wellington (which reminded me of a freezing cold year of my life) and described an extremely strange New Zealandish idea of having a Running of the Sheep. Apparently more than 1000 of the sheep ignored the planned route! (mind boggling) and took off. Clearly this event was not planned by a sheep farmer.
Somewhere I read that a three year study is to begin into cutting back methane production by livestock. Change diet? Not easy when you're talking about cattle. Some sort of stopper? Could this be a way of increasing employment? My mind has been boggling over this all day. Or perhaps it is an early sign of a breakdown because I cannot track the story down.
The other day was almost a 'cat'astrophe when Snoopy took my chair, Stampy took my printer and Queenie queened it over us all. Move your mouse across the thumbnail below to give the cats a thrill.
March 31 to April 4, 2009
The fountain, above, is close by the Mackay City Library in Gordon Street.
I enjoyed a quote from the Weekend Australian Review contributing editor Judith Elen today from her review of a newly published book by Marcella Hazan, called Amarcord: Marcella Remembers. Marcella Hazan describes supermarket frozen food refrigerators as "cemeteries of food whose contents are sealed up in waxed boxes marked, like some tombstones, with photographs of the departed".
Also in The Australian was an amazing story from Kate Castine, head of Principals Australia who suggests toddlers should be provided with career counselliing! I try not to use too many exclamation marks, but Castine's suggestion is so bizarre it warrants one. I doubt toddlers understand the concept of work, and even if they did, they would certainly not comprehend the actual ingredients of each job. I wanted to be a journalist from the age of eight and, although I started reading newspapers before that age, I have no idea how I knew about such people as journalists. At the age of six I knew my father drove trams, but as a toddler I would certainly not have understood this was his job, or indeed, what a job was.
For a recent university subject, myself and two others designed and coded a website for the Mackay North Lions Club. Until today it has been attached to this website, however it now has a site of its own. The club is very active in Mackay and undertakes a number of public service projects in the areas of community service, environment, fundraising, health and youth.
March 29 to March 30, 2009
The Sunday Courier Mail ran an interesting story which suggested every human should be punished. The story was really about corporal punishment in schools but the word used was corporeal which means relating to a physical body. Spell checkers have a lot to answer for. These days, with a variety of dictionaries available online, words can easily be looked up. I have seen stories in which fence 'steaks' are mentioned. I'm pleased to see the spelling has been corrected in the online story.
Mental Health Nurses at MDGP
Mental health problems effect an enormous number of people and last year the Mackay Division of General Practice employed Scott (above) as a mental health nurse. Since then more mental health nurses have come on board and Scott is now the team leader.
People who have acute or chronic mental health problems and are at risk of hospitalisation, or who have already been in hospital and require further maintenance care, can be referred to the mental health nurses. A great deal of help is available including a mental health assessment, medication education and administration, lifestyle, relationship or family counselling, crisis intervention or help with accessing other resources.
The clock, pictured above with Peggy, was made by English clockmaker Thomas Gorsuch, who lived from 1683 to 1727. The clock has been in Victoria for many years but now, restored, is at home in Port Douglas. Below are photographs of the clockface, before and after restoration.
March 25 March 27, 2009
Happy birthday to my brother, Dale Mann who lives in far off Melbourne with his wife, Heather, and their two sons, Hamish and Murdoch. Murdoch's dog, Major, appears on these pages fairly frequently.
Dale, who is a photographer, took the photographs (below) of my children, Nick, Suzanne and Amanda when we visited Melbourne about 25 years ago. They remain some of my favourite photographs.
I am fairly conservative when it comes to art although I love the Impressionists and "The Persistence of Memory" by Salvador Dali, first seen when I was a teenager, made a lasting impression on me. It was therefore with great delight that I found the bookmark below which is for sale at designboom.
I have been deep into learning php through one of my university subjects. I think it has already become an obsession. The textbook is "PHP with MySQL" and the author, Nat McBride, describes PHP as "a server-side scripting language designed specifically for use with HTML to create more advanced web pages".
We haven't had a photo of a cat for a while so here is one of Queenie, in her new place, on a round table in the middle of my library. This table once had a yellow tablecloth on it but after picking it up off the floor for the sixth time (following great crashes), I have now given up putting it back.
My garden continues to grow wildly, without, thank heavens, any new floods to help it along. Below are a collection of photographs which, without the aid of water, grow as you run your mouse across them.
Happy birthday to my elder daughter, Suzanne, our recent hostess when Cyclone Hamish gave me my latest cyclone scare.
It has been an interesting few days with our server at work doing its own thing, which is, sadly, not our thing. St Patrick's Day was celebrated with many people wearing green and Carmel got up early to make a collection of green cupcakes covered with green icing. Reminded me of when I once made blue mashed potato for David which was not my most successful culinary effort. At least I didn't put hundreds and thousands on it. And talking of mashed potato, with winter coming, I can look forward to it at some of our meetings.
Below is a lovely photograph of friend, Jill, from my Kewarra Special School days. She is pictured with John, far left, and with their daughter, Kate.
March 10 and March 11, 2009
This time the spotlight is on Joh and Rob, wife and husband entertainers who perform under the name of Raw Jam. They first appeared some six to seven years ago when Joh's boss at the Northern Beaches Bowls Club dared them to appear. They were given two bookings and had two months in which to learn forty songs.
Since then they have entertained fairly consistently at both public and private functions and at charity events including Kids for Cancer which involved a pirate gig at Mackay's Marina.
Their repertoire includes classic rock, rock 'n' roll and Aussie rock and they are now working on an accoustics range. Both Joh and Rob come from musical backgrounds and their three children are also musical.
March 3 to March 9, 2009
I think it is time I got over being terrified of cyclones. Thirty-four years ago I was unlucky enough to be caught in Cyclone Tracey in Darwin and it has had a lasting effect on me, but then I'm not alone, just about everyone else I know who went through it is still fairly traumatised too.
So with Hamish taking his time to totter down our Queensland coastline, my nerves were stretched increasingly tight and as it seemed Mackay was in his sights, and upon my daughter Suzanne's suggestion, I firstly moved most of the furniture from my deck to inside the house, took down far too many windchimes, and, together with my dog Willow, and cats Snoopy and Queenie, went to stay with Suzanne, her husband, Michael, and their children Isabella and Tahlia.
Suzanne and Michael also gave houseroom to my son, Nick and his family and my daughter, Amanda, and her family. All up the house accommodated 13 humans, three dogs, six cats and three rats. Many thanks indeed to Suzanne and Michael.
And to change the subject, here are some photos of Major, the dog owned by my nephew whose name happens to be Hamish.
And now for more happy news for the family, many congratulations to Imogen and Nick on the occasion of their engagement. Imogen and Nick, who live in Melbourne, plan to marry next year.
With one-sixth of the year gone, it is time to welcome in the month of March and to say an especial happy birthday to my daughter-in-law, Denese. May you have a very happy day.
So that is it for February. I was rather saddened to discover that while I was in Brisbane earlier this week, my brother, Dale Mann, was also there a few days earlier. Dale comes from Melbourne and was amazed at the greenness. He took the photograph below.
Above is an 'experimental urban vision' designed by 11 young international architects for the Huaxi City Centre of Gulyang in south western China. A group called MAD invited each of the architects to design a single part of a masterplan developed by Shanghai Tongji Urban Planning and Design Institute, Studio 6, together with MAD.
To read more about this city, designboom has more information and is an excellent site if you are interested in design.
February 25 to February 26, 2009
Many congratulations to MDGP's Nicole Porter, who has been awarded $500 for the most academic key person in commercial law. Nicole is studying accountancy through Central Queensland University
And happy birthday to Ros - who no doubt thought she had escaped this notice. I'm not much of a sweet eater these days, but the cheesecake Ros brought in to work yesterday was amazing.
Fiona (speaker), Liz, Liz (speaker) and Linda
I spent Monday in Brisbane at the Queensland network meeting of the Rural Palliative Care Project which was run by Debbie Bampton from the Australian General Practice Network.
Liz Reymond and Fiona Israel, from the Brisbane South Palliative Care Service were two of the speakers at the workshop. Just a few weeks ago, not knowing I was going to hear Professor Reymond speak, I had been researching her on the internet and had saved great quantities of information, all of which vanished without trace when the computers at Mackay Division died so effectively - and where was the palliative care for them?
Kathy Laurent also spoke at the workshop and discussed the work of PEPA, the Program of Experience for the Palliative Approach. Kathy will be coming to Mackay next month when PEPA provides education for our new link nurses and for GPs.
Life is certainly interesting when work computers have major conniptions. One learns the meaning of patience and perseverance. Or not. The joys of discovering files on the server turns to despair when those files come up corrupted. I spent an hour at work today recreating the ribbon in Word 2007 and it certainly wasn't wasted time as now I can zoom along instead of biting my nails trying to remember where the various commands are situated..
And our Bianca has moved to a new job at TAFE - good luck and may you have as much fun, and may it be as creative an experience, as your time with Mackay Division of General Practice.
Bianca has been a brilliant social organiser at work and although I am anti social and don't attend any of the events, it is fascinating to hear about them later! (Dreaded exclamation mark). Pictured below is Bianca at Carmel's hen's night. A male from work said he was glad he was safely at home on that occasion.
And for all the coding purists, I know oval and circle shapes for photographs is dated, but I like those shapes and I can do what I like on this site.
4th archive 2nd archive
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This page was updated by Diana Kupke (Diana Mann) on 9 January 2020


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Solicitor says DePuy case may affect 600 in Cork | The Cork News
Posted by earlstevens58 in Cobalt chrome, Cobalt Poisoning, Cobaltism, DePuy ASR Hip, DePuy Hip Litigation, Hip Replacement, Hip Revisions, Johnson & Johnson, Metal on metal hip
Cork, DePuy, Health, Hip Replacement, Irish people, Johnson, medical negligence cases, Medicine, Patient, Peter McDonnell, science, Statute of limitations
Solicitor says DePuy case may affect 600 in Cork | The Cork News.
Solicitor Says DePuy Case May Affect 600 In Cork
Friday, 31 August 2012 By: Keith Watterson
A Dublin lawyer estimates that as many as 600 people in Cork were fitted with the faulty hip implants recalled worldwide two years ago by medical devices giant DePuy.
Peter McDonnell, who is hosting a free seminar in the city on the issue this month, is representing almost 300 people in their legal actions against the company, of whom a third are from Cork.
Up to 3,500 Irish people were fitted with the faulty 'metal on metal' hip replacement implants, recalled by DePuy worldwide on August 24th, 2010 in the face of data gathered by UK academics and medics that showed higher than expected failure rates of the devices.
"Based on my knowledge of the case, talking with other solicitors, and observations, I would say about 600 people in the Cork area may have been fitted with the implants," he said.
Mr McDonnell says he is hosting his information seminar at the River Lee Hotel on Monday September 10th at 2pm as a result of the confusion among many affected patients about their legal rights and also the position regarding ongoing blood testing of those fitted with the implants. He described the seminar as "practical advice", to ensure people were aware of their rights.
He said that many people were under the impression that they were no longer entitled to lodge a claim against DePuy as two years had passed since the recall.
"Firstly, the Statute of Limitations runs from the patient's date of knowledge that they may have been wronged, not from the recall. And secondly, the two-year period applies to medical negligence cases. The Statute of Limitations for Product Liability cases is three years from the date of knowledge," he said.
"While DePuy is still not admitting liability, there have been medical negligence proceedings issued against surgeons and/or hospitals, but in the vast majority of instances, it will be product liability, against DePuy only," he predicted.
The lawyer said that in addition to the confusion about the deadline, there had been "inconsistency among medical professionals as to when and how frequently affected patients should be blood tested for the presence of potential toxic metal ions".
In light of a DePuy statement that it will cover all "reasonable and customary" related costs incurred by affected patients, Mr McDonnell insisted those fitted with the implants should be blood tested at six-monthly intervals. "It's important that the patients make contact with their hospitals, and ensure that they have appointments every six months," he said.
Earlier this year, the HSE estimated that some 12% or 420 of the Irish patients fitted with the implants would require revision surgery. Mr McDonnell said that 25% of his clients have had, are scheduled to, or been advised to have the faulty device replaced.
He predicted that the first of the cases taken worldwide against DePuy could be settled by the end of 2013.
Johnson & Johnson settles US hip replacement cases | Irish Examiner (earlsview.com)
DePuy ASR Hip Implant Settlements Reached Prior To Jury Trial (earlsview.com)
Norfolk man's legal action over hip replacements – Health – Eastern Daily Press (earlsview.com)
'Toxic' hip replacement fears – Health – Belfast Newsletter (earlsview.com)
First DePuy Hip Replacement Lawsuits Settled for $200,000 Each (earlsview.com)
DePuy Hip Implant Claim Update: August 13, 2012 – Maryland Injury Lawyer Blog (earlsview.com)
'Toxic' hip replacement fears – Health – Bognor Regis Observer (earlsview.com)
DePuy Hip Recall Attorneys Release Consumer Protection Guide: 'What Every DePuy Hip Patient Needs to Know About Broadspire' (earlsview.com)
Three Quarters of Metal-on-Metal Hip Failures Occur in First Two Years, Study – DePuy Hip Replacement Lawsuit Information Site (earlsview.com)
Bramhall mum sues over hip replacement that left her in 'living hell' | Manchester Evening News – menmedia.co.uk (earlsview.com)
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Are We Living A Good Life? | Simply Anam!
For me and my family, yesterday was a day filled with melancholy, gloom and silence. One of our uncles, my father's best friend and a gifted man passed away due to a sudden heart attack. As the night lurked inside the house, my thoughts started jumping from one end to another. Stories, emotions, people and roles, everything prowled inside my mind. How an able, humble, intelligent, social and a perfectly functioning man was reduced to a frozen dead body? What is it that actually makes your life peaceful till the time you perish?
The first thing that I consider as the biggest problem of life is 'dilly-dallying'. You keep on vacillating between two decisions, two opportunities, two issues and two choices. A lot of time this irresolution gives you either regrets or takes a good chunk of opportunities away from you. So, when the time comes just believe in your thoughts, calculations & instincts.
" When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not ready. The challenge will not wait. Life doesn't look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny".
These are the words of a man Morrie from the novel 'Tuesdays with Morrie'. An old man, lying on his death bed and going through phases of a dreadful disease explains the few things learned in his lifetime.
If you don't have someone who shall always give you a sense of security, you will always be in a condition of insecurity, instability and anxiety. Carl Rogers calls it Unconditional Positive Regard & Morrie calls it Spiritual Security, but the meaning implied remains the same.
So, all I'm saying here is that build at least a few relationships on the foundations of true meaning and honest intentions, rather than fake and momentary attractions. A family and a few buddies are the ultimate necessity of having a contented life.
"It's become quite clear to me as I've been sick. If you don't have the support and love and caring and concern that you get from a family, you don't have much at all….Say I was divorced, living alone or had no children. This disease…what I'm going through would be so much harder".
The last parameter of contentment for me is 'knowing yourself'. It sounds easy but it is the most difficult yet praiseworthy accomplishment of one's life. Many a times I see people doing what they think is ideal and then rationalizing it for the sake of self-approval. But the rationalization doesn't really help when we are at the verge of losing our life.
So, what's better than sharing a story with you? A friend always wanted to be an artist, infact this is how she imagined her future. Family pressures or destiny, she ended up becoming a doctor. This was an outright contradiction of the ideal painter image she had of herself. Bouts of depression, silence & undue sobbing was the result of this contradiction.
Gradually, she started coming back to life. Finding her creativity in dermatology, she once again found her identity. Accepting that she is and will always be a doctor; now she's perfectly fine and spends a few free hours drawing what she wants to.
Your reality can be in contradiction to your persona, but this doesn't change you. You should always realize that your individuality is the niche which separates you from others. The earlier you accept it, the better it is!
Sometimes what you want and what you stipulate is actually not congruent. But the crucial point here is to accept rather than deny the veracity of your innateness. The incongruity is just for the outsiders as you and your loved ones will stick to you whether you're persona matches your designation or not. Self awareness is the penultimate tool of living a wholesome life, the last being love.
This entry was posted in My Life, Psychology, World and tagged creativity, destiny, Life, love, Mitch Albom, Paulo Coelho, regrets, relationships, self awareness, Tuesdays with Morrie by Anam Saeed. Bookmark the permalink.
I will after reading your article slowly and gradually post my comments to it with a lot of thinking myself. Need to read this slowly to gauge what you mean and then respond to the best of my ability.
Take care and stay blessed ALWAYS!
Okay. Anyway excellent article could not think of anything to respond back. Tum shock treatment dainay ki mahir ban chuki hai. You take the cake!!!