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ELBASY
Astana to host int'l conference in honor of 25th anniversary of Kazakhstan's Independence
Today on the initiative of the Majilis and the Foreign Ministry Astana will host an International Conference.
Conference's theme is "25 years of Independence of Kazakhstan: Results. Achievements. Prospection", the press service of the Majilis reported.
The forum will be attended by the parliamentarians and experts from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Hungary, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Poland, Russia, the USA, Turkey, Finland, Germany and Sweden.
Chairman of the Majilis Nurlan Nigmatulin, Minister of Foreign Affairs Yerlan Idrissov are expected to make a speech at the opening of the plenary session.
Within the forum it's planned to hear Mayor of Astana Asset Issekeshev and Minister of Information and Communications Dauren Abayev.
The conference will be held in three thematic sessions: "The main results of the economic and political reforms in Kazakhstan"; "Kazakhstan is in world politics"; "Kazakhstan: Prospection".
As part of the conference a presentation of the joint report of the leading experts of the Institute for Security and Development issues (ISDP, Stockholm) and the Institute of Central Asia and the Caucasus at Johns Hopkins University (CACI, Washington) is planned. The theme is "Kazakhstan 2041: Scenarios for the Next 25 Years".
For summing up the conference Chairman of the Majilis Committee for International Affairs, Defense and Security Maulen Ashimbayev is expected to make a speech.
Why the upcoming Kazakh election is important to the West
Kazakhstan attracts more tourists thanks to "Borat", The New York Times wrote about viral video
World record in number of new COVID-19 cases established
Kazakhstan to cut international flights
COVID-19 situation update: Europe faces "tsunami" of nеw infеctions
Covid-19: tracking of pandemic spread in the world
AIFC: main attractor of investment in Kazakhstan
COVID-19: Germany fears resumption of epidemic, Poland protests against masks
Second wave of COVID-19: more and more cases of infection reported
COVID-19: situation worsens in Europe
What you need to know about travelling in the era of coronavirus - top 10 tips
President's 2020 State-of-the-nation-Address: what you need to know (Part 2)
Dr Caroline Clarinval: We'd like everyone, everywhere, to understand what their role is in this fight against COVID-19
German investor built 3rd solar power plant in Karaganda rgn
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text:
I'm moving to Switzerland.
Posted by Kameron Hurley at Wednesday, January 19, 2005 0 comments
Beer. Thai food. Pirates of the Caribbean.
Yea, for those keeping track: I'm supposed to be in kickboxing class tonight.
Work is still playing downtime. My head hurts. Overwhelmed by Life, the Universe and Everything. Getting some great angsting done.
Gotta do that sometime.
Sleep well, wake up tomorrow, get back on track.
Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones is a book my buddy Julian kept trying to get me to read. It's about a teenage girl - raped and then murdered - who narrates the book from a sort of "heaven" as she watches her family survive, live, love, in the wake of her death.
I put off reading this for as long as possible, because I was in South Africa, and with rape all over the news and being talked about all the time in your academic circles, the last thing you want to do is to spend your free time reading about it.
But it's a damn good book.
Sebold herself is a rape survivor, which makes it even tougher to read, but it's worth every damn ounce of your time.
And I am ecstatic to hear that Peter Jackson & co. have optioned rights for the movie version.
They'll do it justice.
Reader, I Bought Her
Assumption of privilege, much?
White man's burden.
Blow me, asshole.
This is What We Voted For
An Iraqi girl screamed Tuesday after her parents were killed when American soldiers fired on their car when it failed to stop, despite warning shots, in Tal Afar, Iraq. The military is investigating the incident.
What kind of a fighter would I grow up to be, after that? Who would I fight?
I hate George Bush and his goddamn fucking wars. I hate these wars. They are fucking stupid. You're killing fucking real fucking people. This isn't a goddamn video game, you fucking rich, privileged piece of shit.
This is why people hate us. This is why they bomb our goddamn cities.
Cause of assholes like you.
via PZ
Boys & Books
Warning: Oddly, this is the first post I've written that I'm actually self-conscious about, and the first to come with apologies. What am I apologizing for?
Oh. Nevermind. Got it.
What I love about having an amazing, brilliant, driven, ass-kicking bunch of friends is that I can go, "So… Law School, what do you think?"
…And Jenn the Ph.D. social psych student goes, "Yea, I have a study book for that. Let me have my friend send it over."
…Alec the I-just-finished-a-1500-page-novel- and-now-I'm-going-to-grad-school goes, "Thought about doing that. Read Scott Turow's One L. It'll give you an idea of what the hell you're getting into."
…Ph.D. Bill (ever cynical), "I used to oversee those on test-taking days. Most of the people who take them are idiots. You'll do fine."
…And Ph.D. candidate-at-Oxford Julian, "As long as you're not doing it to be a scum-sucking lawyer, but pursuing it for academic reasons, I think you'd be really good at it. Really."
…And MA-Stanford-just-accepted-kick-ass-writing-job-at-Bioware (Yea. Neverwinter Nights. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. That gaming company) Patrick's sister has taken the LSAT and he's like, "Are you good at logic problems? No? Better work on that. "
I just love these people.
So I'm reading Turow's One L. At this point, I've decided to take the LSATs in June as a definite. That's all I actually have to decide for now. The rest can wait until after the results. From what I've heard, if I even want to get in anywhere OK, I need to score in the 90th percentile.
You can fail a fifth of the test and still get in the 90th percentile.
The plan is to spend Sunday mornings going over LSAT practice tests, and teaching myself logic problems; which, yes, I suck at.
Buses 1, 2, and 3 make one trip each day, and they are the only ones that riders A, B, C, D, E, F, and G take to work.
Neither E nor G takes bus 1 on a day when B does.
G does not take bus 2 on a day when D does.
When A and F take the same bus, it is always bus 3.
C always takes bus 3.
Traveling together to work, B, C, and G could take which of the same buses on a given day?
(B) 2 only
(D) 2 and 3 only
(E) 1, 2, and 3
My buddies tell me the trick is scratch paper: make a diagram. Write it all out. I'll be spending the next five months getting over my trepidation regarding questions like this one.
I tend to think I'm bad at testing, because what they're testing is how you've been taught to think, and I need to teach myself to switch modes when I'm test taking, and - if I score well - when I'm in law school. Because I don't want to become a scum-sucking lawyer.
This is a tool. I'm pursuing an education, another language, not making this my way of life. It's a tool and a language created by old, white, rich men, and not knowing it or how it works when they're using this tool to tell me and my friends what to do with our bodies, and how others use our bodies, pisses me off.
That's the passion that's driving me toward it.
I have no illusions: I know they'll try and beat all the passion and fire out of me, and get me down to cold, logical fact, and I know I'll have to portion out and box off the cold/rational side and box off the "me" side just to stay sane. But if I can get through this test, and the admissions process, and the first year of law school… then I'll know another language, I'll know that heavy-handed, coldly logical language that people use against me when I go off on my tirades, and I'll be able to speak back to them in that language.
That's the drive.
It's funny, because thinking about testing got me to thinking about my lazy academic history.
I remember that it seemed to take me forever to learn how to read. I was incredibly impatient with it. I was always in the second-level reading group in the first grade, never the first, and it frustrated me. My mom says the reason I was so frustrated was because I was ready to learn how to read long before I was finally taught to.
My parents both worked, so our social time together was reserved for dinner and nightly movie watching, and though I have some fond memories of being read to, it didn't happen often, due to the sheer logistics of getting everything else done to make the household run.
Though I do have some memory of my French grandmother reading to me, she's always been really self-conscious of her accent (one of my biggest regrets is that my grandmother didn't speak to us in French the entire time we were with her during the day – she was trying so hard to be a Good American, and was so intent on speaking English well that the only French I learned from her were the cuss words), so that didn't happen often either.
Instead, I struggled over impossibly dense marks on the page in the first grade, fretting and fuming at my brain's inability to make the groups of letters into sounds, and the sounds into words that made sense.
That was when Matt came into the picture. Matt was admitted at the beginning of the school year into kindergarten and then bumped up a grade a couple weeks later because he could already read.
When we had one of those "story-reading-times" in the first grade, it wasn't the teacher reading to us – it was Matt, this little kindergarten kid who was reading us a fourth-grade level book.
Oh, you better bet I was drawn to him.
Matt and I became good friends in the 3rd grade, when we were both put into an "experimental" 2nd and 3rd grade "split" class. The idea was to put these really "smart" 2nd and 3rd graders into one class and have them work together to be better.
By then I was a 3rd grader, reading at a 7th or 8th grade level. The first thing my dad said when we went to the orientation about this "experimental" class was, "This sounds more like you're putting really smart 2nd graders with 3rd graders who'll teach them. How can they be at the same level? The 3rd graders will fall behind."
The class only lasted that year, likely for above-mentioned parent complaints, which were reiterated by most of the other 3rd-graders parents.
But that's when me and Matt got attached at the hip. I found the smartest person in the whole class and just sort of imprinted on him. He, and most of the other students in the class, were already taking "Gifted" classes, these "special" before-class classes that only brilliant kids who tested really well "got" to join. I was always very clear that these classes weren't for me, likely because I felt that I'd had so much trouble learning to read (once I learned, there was no going back, but I can still feel the frustration about it, to this day).
After writing up yet another story about something-or-other in my spare time, for fun, and showing it to my teacher, my 3rd grade teacher recommended that I take the "Gifted" test.
I remember being flattered at the idea, but secretly not believing that I was that smart. After all, that would mean I was as smart as Matt, and that was, like, impossible.
So I went to this big middle-school cafeteria in the area with about a hundred or so other kids, and took the kid-version of these sorts of comprehension tests.
I remember that I had fun doing it, because it was sort of this, "I'm not as smart as those Gifted kids, who cares how I do? This is fun," thing. I wasn't really all that invested in it. As much as I wanted to be on par with Matt, there was this part of me that believed the dynamics of our friendship would suffer, as if me being as smart as him (or, fuck, smarter?), would mean he wouldn't want to hang out with me anymore.
Funny, how early you pick up that idea.
When we got the test scores back, they looked really high to me. My parents went over them with my teacher. In the three areas, I scored 95th, 96th and 90th percentile (90th was in math).
My teacher, however, explained that, as the letter regretfully informed us, getting into "Gifted" classes meant you had to score in at least the 98th percentile in two categories and the 96th in the third.
I will never forget that piece of paper (though I've since thrown it away, thank god). I just sort of stared at it like, "Well, I'm a lot smarter than I thought I was, anyway. Just not brilliant."
And there was some relief in that.
Back to hanging out with Matt.
We'd go into the library, and he'd just pull out books at random. I seriously think he'd read every book in the library.
"Have you read this? You should read this. Have you read this one? It's about aliens on Mars. Have you read this? You have to read The Phantom Tollbooth. What about this one? Do you know the Redwall books?"
I couldn't keep up with him. It was great.
As we got older, kids started making fun of me and Matt for hanging out together ("Are you guys going out? Why aren't you going out?") and he was a little, dorky guy, so the passive, effeminate "not a real boy" thing came up. By the fifth grade, he'd ditched me for playing kickball with the boys. I tried getting along with some female friends, but they turned their backs on me and made fun of me for reading too much… and then Aryan Adam started paying attention to me.
He was new my 4th grade year, and I was nuts about him the whole time. He actually noticed me in the 5th grade, when I was no longer hanging around with Matt. He liked reading my stories, he enjoyed my book recommendations, he was even willing to hang out with me and, like, talk to me. When I bumped into him years later, he described us as being "friends." This was the guy who dated every girl in the fourth grade but me. The guy who announced he was "going out" with Angela the new girl.
"She just transferred here two weeks ago," I said, "you don't even know her!"
"Well, yea, that's why I'm going to go out with her."
So I spent a year being a beautiful boy's intellectual whore.
There are worse sorts of whores to be, I suppose.
I switched schools between the fifth and sixth grade, and sixth grade was pretty much just the worst thing ever. Ever.
I started putting on puberty weight, discovered I needed glasses (too much reading), was advised that I had an overbite that needed to be corrected, and got hooked up with braces and headgear, and… entered a new school. The one I'd been to before was the one across the street from my grandmother's house, slightly more diverse than the one in rural Battle Ground where I ended up once my parents deemed I was old enough to stay home on my own and look after my younger brother and sister.
All of the sudden, I was surrounded by Apostolic Lutherans (when the women who follow this religion turn 16, they get married and drop out of school because it's God's will that women bear as many children as possible – they have a big colony out in Battle Ground) and lots and lots of white trash boys who would later grow up to work pumping gas at the local Texaco.
Being smart was a liability.
I had a horrible misogynist of a teacher three years away from retirement who found the fact that all the boys in the class teased me to be really funny. I had chew and Tabasco sauce dumped in my hair, and had story notebooks and regular books stolen by these amazingly asshole boys who thought watching me run after them was really fucking funny, and the one time I stood up for myself and tripped a guy who was playing catch with one of my personal items (again, all of the male teachers ignored this "boys will be boys" behavior on the playground), I was summoned to the principal's office and berated for my "lack of remorse" when confronted with the bruised knee of the asshole I tripped.
You better bet your ass I had a lack of fucking remorse.
I was disappointed there wasn't any blood.
I launched into a really tearful, passionate, pissed-off response to the vice principle about the lack of supervision and discipline from asshole male teachers, to which she responded with an equal lack of remorse for my predicament. Over and over again, I was told that I shouldn't have taken matters into my own hands. I should have told the teachers. But I did tell the teachers, I told them over and over and over -- but I was the smart fat girl that everybody made fun of, and those male teachers had made fun of girls just like me when they were in middle school. They could give a fuck.
I got detention.
The first time I'd ever been in trouble at school in my whole life. I was terrified to tell my parents. But I had underestimated my parents:
They were very proud of me.
So I had my year of hell, the year when you've got a teacher who treats you like a fat idiot and couldn't give a shit about encouraging you to do anything.
And then I got into the 7th grade, and started to meet my people.
Like all turning points in my life, it started with a boy and a book…..
In this instance, it was Ryan the beautiful ADD boy who was always nursing some injury he'd gotten in his karate class. I got assigned a seat next to him and spent the entire class trying not to look at him, he was so damn pretty. When I broke out my copy of Mariel of Redwall, it was all over.
His eyes lit up. "You like Brian Jacques? He's great! I met him once!"
After that, Ryan never shut up, and we traded Redwall books back and forth. He drew up the map for the first fantasy novel I wrote. Through him and a bit on my own, I found Renny the redheaded wanna-be theatre-diva, too smart and cynical for her own good; Heidi the math wiz who planned on being an architect; Jon the wanna-be comic book artist; Shannon the Smart Christian; Nicole the Smart Mormon who could verbally dominant anybody; and the Other Ryan, the one who mostly seemed to hang out with us because he was hot on Heidi.
And we had a gang.
I started to take refuge in not being smart. That is, not trying to excel in class. I picked up lessons from Heidi, who was very careful not to talk too much about the fact that she was acing all of her classes without really studying. Like me, she was too tall and carried around too much weight to be fashionable.
So I learned to be quieter, to not be so obvious that I'd rather spend my recess reading. And I avoided the threesome of "dorky" guys who headed up the chess team and went to this school's version of Gifted classes. Best to just shut up. I wasn't really brilliant anyway, I figured, just drawn to really brilliant people.
As for high school, I didn't really go to high school, to be honest.
And yes, I'm happy about that.
The first year of high school I discovered the drama department, and boys. I also discovered that classes were boring, everybody was an idiot, and none of it really interested me. So sophomore year I got a magic, undated "Pass" from my theater teacher that I'd present to all of my teachers. It said, basically, "Kameron is needed in the theater this period."
Easy, easy out. I don't remember much of my sophomore year, at least as far as the actual classes are concerned. I spent the whole year at the theater, bullshitting, working on sets, practicing lines.
At the end of Freshman year, I was playing "The Chancellor" in an adaptation of a Twilight Zone episode, and condemning a librarian to death for crimes against the State. The guy they brought in to play the librarian, Psycho, was somebody I'd heard about around school. In fact, I heard his name so much I assumed he was one of the popular kids. He tried out for the play on a lark, and I later learned he stuck with it because he saw me auditioning for The Chancellor and was totally hot on me and wanted to act opposite me.
He was a year ahead of me, turned out to be captain of the chess team, on the debate team, and involved with pretty much every single academic-minded club in the school. He was always bragging about IQ tests, and how stupid jocks were.
He was also an absolutely atrocious actor, could never remember his lines, and caused me extreme irritation. I'd walk off the stage and not give him another thought. I was full of my own promise. People told me I oozed theater talent. I was much lauded as the next theater diva.
In the mean time, this being high school, and theater, there were runarounds with boys. I got the expected offer from the resident male theater slut, whose "mission" it was to sleep with all of the incoming female freshman who were still virgins (seriously). Then there was EK, who I was pretty certain was actually gay, but who cornered me backstage one day to profess his undying interest and attraction to me, and though he was physically my type, he had absolutely no drive or passion for anything at all, and I found the idea of going out with him really boring.
Psycho, however, was slowly making inroads, offering to drive me home, asking if we could practice lines together, bragging about all of his accomplishments, enlightening me about the nature of the universe and the complexities of this, that, and the other thing. He had also just been adamantly rejected by a dishwater blond with the IQ of a sponge.
He would later marry a redhead with the IQ of a sponge. They are well-suited. Funny, it was just the sort of person he was looking for.
Anyhow, seeing how much time I was spending with Psycho, a good friend of mine, Jem, hauled me out behind the theater, burst into tears, and declared his undying love.
How, exactly, does one deal with this?
I actually admire him for doing it, now, ten years later, because it was a really brave thing. He was terrified that if he told me, we wouldn't be friends anymore, but he was so crazy about me, he went for it. Well. We stayed friends. Unfortunately, he didn't give me up, and several years ago he gave me a really, really sweet speech about how you're supposed to marry your best friend, and I was his best friend, and blah blah. Sweet. But, again: he had no drive, no passion. Hanging out with him just didn't fire me up to be better, to live. So we're still friends. He has since married a woman who is a much better fit, and they're doing very well.
Psycho, however, being a psycho, had lots to say about passion, and living, and Great Things and Great Deeds. Problem was (and because I was very, very young, I didn't know any better) that I didn't know how to differentiate the talkers from the doers. I was always very clear as to what I wanted in a partner, and I learned later that he'd clued into that from the start, and created a whole other person to woo me (yes, he admitted this). This is the guy who brought me to his house and opened up the book of Greek art and said, "Real women look like this. This is what you look like."
Warning! Warning!
Unfortunately, by the time I realized how fucked up he was, I was too physically and emotionally invested.
By the time I realized that he had a deep and abiding hatred for the women in his family (his mother, his grandmother. Which explained why he needed to pretend I was a goddess and not a real woman, as he hated real women. Biggest lesson learned from this relationship: never, ever get involved with a guy who hates his mother), I didn't have the strength to fix things.
I should have known better.
Anyhow, by the end of sophomore year, I had taken and passed a college-entrance test to the local community college, which would offer me both high school and college credit. So I ditched high school my junior year and spent it at the community college taking classes with one of the best bunch of history teachers I've ever met. They were amazing.
By January of my senior year, I had enough credits to graduate, and moved up to Bellingham with Pyscho. I applied to get into Western Washington University, and went to speak with a councilor there who told me, frankly, that no, I couldn't get in because I was missing a math class. I'd taken the SATs without studying, without much thought of any kind, and randomly answered pretty much all of the math questions. I ended up with an 1130, which wasn't great (to be honest, I was just amazed that I "passed"), but was enough to get into a local school, so I didn't bother retaking it. I felt it was the right sort of score for me: intelligent, but not brilliant.
So I ended up at the local community college in Bellingham for a semester. Due to Life Bullshit, poverty, and stuff already discussed here, I returned back to Battle Ground, alone, after about 6 months, and then spent the next year recuperating, finishing up my Associate's Degree at the community college, and applying to colleges in Alaska.
2.5 GPA to get in.
Ha. Ha.
No, I didn't stress about college. I wasn't there for the fancy degree. I wasn't brilliant, after all.
And two days into the semester at U of Alaska in Fairbanks, a cutie down the hall walks into my room, looks at the books on my shelf and goes, "Dude, you read Robert Jordan?"
We were connected at the hip for a year. He was the anti-smart guy. He was a slow but eager reader (dyslexic); a motorcycle riding, beer drinking, marijuana smoking (biggest bone of contention between us), big-hearted guy who lusted after me knowing full well I wasn't the marrying kind, and we had too little in common to base anything long-term on. Still, we had our brief affair, decided to be friends, and then spent hours on the indoor climbing wall at the rec. center. He taught me how to hotwire a car, taught me companionable silence, and taught me never to get involved with a guy who has a girlfriend, cause when she moves up to Alaska and finds out (a year later), that you had a brief affair with him, she'll threaten to kill you, and you'll never see any of them ever again.
Good life lesson.
Most of my other obsessions that first year in Alaska revolved around that circle, revolved around me pretending not to be smart, dressing down, drinking a lot of beer. Being too smart scared those Alaska boys, so I shut up a lot, and enjoyed hoping on motorcycles, and considered getting a leather jacket, and learned how to roll cigarettes. Working on a fishing boat sounded really fun.
All of this wackiness culminated just before the girlfriend's death-threat, when I was drunkenly pawing after one of the boys' circle, and he said, "You realize how much better you are than us, right? You're so much better than us."
And, as much affection as I have and had for them, and as much as I learned (I also spent a good deal of time with the girlfriend learning how to shoot a rifle – yea, she's a better shot than me), I had to admit that it was true. They were my detour. They were my vacation. I could foolishly adore all of them, because I saw no long-term future with any of them. It was a moment.
I adore them still, for that moment.
Alaska grades were a 3.7 or 3.8 (there wasn't much else to do in Alaska but schoolwork and beer drinking, punctuated by the occasional road trip and bike ride out to the pond). I didn't graduate with any honors because my community college average was something like a 3.4 or a 3.2, and when they averaged grades from all the schools together, I came out with a 3.4999.
I really didn't care. I was just amazed to graduate.
Then I went to Clarion.
I'd been rejected by this writer's workshop when I was 18, and had no real hope that I'd get in this time, but I had a writing instructor in Alaska who encouraged me to apply, so I figured, what the hell, why not.
I was initially put on the "waiting list" for Clarion West… Which I thought was appropriate.
Smart, sure. Just not brilliant.
It fit my idea of myself.
Luckily, somebody else accepted to West decided to go to Clarion East, so I got into West.
Me. My writing. My brain. Whoever the hell I was, I got in there.
And then I met these fucking amazing people.
Everybody had some kind of graduate degree. Some guy had an MA from Stanford. Another just finished a BA at Yale. Everybody was in Ph.D. programs. One of them was a fucking doctor. We immediately began giving out book recommendations and talking about the authors who were going to be instructing us.
I felt like the biggest, stupidest rural hick ever to wander into Seattle.
I was standing in this room with these absolutely fucking amazing people, wearing my baggy cargo pants and dressing in layers like some kind of skater, telling people I was, uh, going to the University of Alaska. Uh. Yea. 2.5 GPA to get in. Ha. No. Didn't apply anywhere else. Didn't want to go anywhere else. When they all started comparing SAT scores in the 1430-1500 range, I quietly slunk out of the room.
But when they started talking, I could talk back. I could have intelligent discussions with them. Yea, I was out of practice cause I didn't hang out with people like them, but you can't change who you are. It doesn't go away.
And when we started producing written work, I was keeping pace with them. This was the shit I knew. Writers? Yea. I do that. I know this. They had all of these amazing credentials, and I could keep up with them on the writing part. Sure, each of us was better at something than the others, and worse than some others, but we were well matched.
Julian (now at Oxford), in response to one of my week two stories, said "You just keep raising the bar, don't you?"
I had never been in a room full of people who liked that I was smart. Who were secure enough in themselves and their own abilities not to care. I had never been in a room of people who were just as dorky as I was, but not in an in-your-face-captain-of-the-chess-club way. They were smart in a bookish way, in thoughts about stories, about people, about the way things worked. They were good at questions. At introspection. They were passionately engaged in an effort to know themselves, and, by extension, figure out everybody else around them.
Without any bullshit, I can tell you that was the biggest turning point for me. It was me, in week two, realizing I could hold my own with this incredible group of people. Amazing, amazing people. I'd spent my life learning that being smart got you tobacco spit in your hair and got boys to hate and menace you. I didn't realize there were groups of smart people who'd actually accept me.
So when my grandfather suggested I go to grad school (and said he'd pay for it – I paid for undergrad with student loans) – I wrote to my Clarion buddies in New Zealand and South Africa and asked for advice (if I was going to continue with school, I'd do it overseas: a school's location has always been more important to me than the school. There's more to learn outside a classroom than in it). I wrote up a BA dissertation on student violence in South Africa, and decided that'd be where I'd go.
The best part about lobbing out that idea to this incredible group of people is that they didn't laugh at me. They didn't say, "You're smart, but not brilliant. You can't do that."
They took it as a matter of course.
When I finally turned in my MA dissertation in South Africa, all I wanted to do was pass. I thought I was the worst student in the entire department. My buddy Julian, the department star, the Clarion buddy who would drag me into his room full of books in Durban and say, "Have you read this? Read this? You really must read this one. What do you think of this one?" read the diss. before I turned it in and said, "You do realize this is quite good, don't you?"
"No," I said, "I don't."
When the MA came back, it came back with a "First." Everything above a 75% is a First Class mark. Granted, I got the lower end of that: the 75%. But sweet god, the dissertation got a fucking First! (I would later discover that because I'd done a half coursework/half dissertation MA, the grades for my coursework and diss. were averaged in order to get my overall MA grade – which was only a 72%. Still. A First on my diss.!).
When Julian's diss. came back, I learned… he'd gotten a 75% too.
Par for the course.
3 points behind my brilliant boy buddy.
However, though I ended up with a decent mark, the experience on the way to getting that mark pretty much clobbered me. I had a violent aversion to one of the Old White Male professors who pissed me off (hence the reason my coursework marks weren't as high), I was in a very, very foreign country (South Africa is not England) with a tropical climate (I'd just come from Alaska), I was truly living by myself for the first time (in a cockroach-invested flat whose owners were corrupt and didn't pay their water bill on several occasions and whose tenets were often involved in domestic violence disputes in which the police were called), and I was poor as all hell and lived mainly on Indian pastries, peri-peri and rice, and bacon and egg sandwiches. As said, dealing with all of this stress meant serious binge eating sessions the likes of which I have not seen since, vast consumption of alcohol (this was partly social. South Africans are big drinkers), and an affection for those Peter Styvesant 30-packs of cigarettes.
And now I've stumbled into Chicago, fell here with just the same "hell, why not" attitude with which I've decided to take the LSATs. Chicago felt right, though it made no logical sense, no logical sense in the same way that none of my decisions ever make logical sense. And I've got Jenn here, another one of the amazing-wonderful Clarionites, and there's this job that went from "temp" to "fly around the country working on these million-dollar projects" and work colleagues telling me that I channel god when I put in minimum effort and spend most of my day blogging.
And I suspect I have a shitload of uptapped potential that I'm not doing a damn thing with.
And the question is: what am I going to do about it?
Go back to the Alaska boys? Kick off to Canada? Or go to law school? And I've been sitting around waiting for some new kick in the gut, some push for the next thing, and just like everything else, I found it. The intensity of feeling, the Big Location Switch. For Chicago, it appears, there was a Girl and Books… ("Have you read this? I can't live without books! I love them! They are my friends!"). For the next one, I have no doubt they'll be another bunch of brilliant people and their books, a bit like a guidepost: ah, yes, you, this is where you're headed, let's go together. It's an incredibly bizarre life that makes no sense….
And yet, when you pack your whole life together, it shows you where you're going.
Mine is about being better.
And surrounding myself with people on the same road.
You've just got to find your people.
Posted by Kameron Hurley at Wednesday, January 19, 2005 20 comments

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The accuracy (i.e., validity) of polygraph testing has long been controversial. An underlying problem is theoretical: There is no evidence that any pattern of physiological reactions is unique to deception. An honest person may be nervous when answering truthfully and a dishonest person may be non-anxious. Also, there are few good studies that validate the ability of polygraph procedures to detect deception. As Dr. Saxe and Israeli psychologist Gershon Ben-Shahar (1999) note, "it may, in fact, be impossible to conduct a proper validity study." In real-world situations, it's very difficult to know what the truth is.
A particular problem is that polygraph research has not separated placebo-like effects (the subject's belief in the efficacy of the procedure) from the actual relationship between deception and their physiological responses. One reason that polygraph tests may appear to be accurate is that subjects who believe that the test works and that they can be detected may confess or will be very anxious when questioned. If this view is correct, the lie detector might be better called a fear detector.
… For now, although the idea of a lie detector may be comforting, the most practical advice is to remain skeptical about any conclusion wrung from a polygraph.
What does this mean for you? Lie detector results are not admissible in Iowa Courts because they are not reliable. If a lie detector is not good enough for the court, it should not be good enough for you.
Secondly, if offered a lie detector test ask law enforcement this question "If I pass the test do you promise me, in writing, that I will no longer be considered a suspect and you will close your investigation of me?" This promise has never been made and never will be. If law enforcement does not believe that the lie detector is conclusive, you should not either.
Never, ever, take a lie detector test. Period, no exceptions.


Hotel Residhome Val d'Europe, Paris. Residhome Val d'Europe Hotel Paris.
The Residhome Val D'Europe is located in a perfect position near entertainment attractions and sights such as Disneyland Resort Paris, Val d'Europe Shopping Center, the Outlet Shopping Village and Sea Life Aquarium.
The Aquarium and Disneyland are great destinations for families travelling with children, due to all the interactive fun things for the children to participate in.
The apartments are well designed and nicely decorated, offering warm comfortable environments that guarantee a welcoming stay while visiting Paris.
They include well equipped kitchenettes, bathrooms and various bedroom solutions.
They allow families to find the amount of room necessary for the number of guest travelling along with them. For those on business travel, the apartments offer a work space with safe, LDC TV and high speed internet connection.
NOTE: The credit card used to make the booking you will be requested upon arrival. The name on the credit card must be the same as indicated for the reservation.


Anyone who displays an advertisement, without the necessary consent, is acting illegally.
Unless the offence is particularly flagrant or repeated, we may not prosecute at first. Instead, we may invite the advertiser to apply for the consent needed. If consent is refused, the advertiser has a right of appeal to the Secretary of State.
Where we have evidence that an advertisement has been displayed after consent has been refused, and any appeal dismissed, we will prosecute in the Magistrates Court. Successful prosecution can result in a fine. The fine may increase for each day that the offence continues after conviction.
Any form of fly posting – that is, displaying an advertisement without landowners consent – is an offence that we may prosecute, with the removal or obliteration of the advertisement.
Where we can identify the advertiser of the fly-posting, we will give 2 days' notice before removal or obliteration takes place.
Advertising on the highway or council-owned land without consent is illegal.
We will remove unauthorised advertisements from our land and without warning. Where they are linked to other unauthorised advertisements on privately-owned land we may seek their removal too, as a more effective and efficient way of working.


text:
Using Simulation for COVID-19 Preparation
by Lindsay Cheskes | Jan 7, 2021 | 1 comment
In situ simulation, informally thought of as "crash testing the dummy", is defined as a team-based training technique conducted within the actual patient care environment, involving members of the healthcare team using equipment and resources from the unit1,2. It is a training technique that lends itself to the field of emergency medicine given the complex and chaotic nature of the discipline, which is often difficult to replicate in a simulation lab. In situ simulation has been pivotal for systems testing and integration of novel workflows, protocols, and cognitive aids to institute rapid changes to practice and care delivery3. Consequently, it seemed logical to apply it to address the rapidly evolving COVID-19 response.
Benefits and Challenges of Conducting In Situ Simulation
It is important to consider both the utility and the challenges of in situ simulation in the context of emergency preparedness. First, in situ simulation allows for the identification and mitigation of latent safety threats (LSTs), thus improving patient safety and care. LSTs are system-based threats to patient safety that lie dormant or are unrecognized by healthcare providers and administrators. They can materialize at any time and may influence patient morbidity and mortality. As such, their identification is of importance. Second, through in situ simulation, individual providers are able to identify gaps in knowledge and refine both their technical and non-technical skills within the environment where they would be applying these skills. Third, in situ simulation affords benefits to the healthcare team by reinforcing and improving teamwork skills, dynamics, and communication. Finally, there are benefits to the healthcare system at large, as optimization of protocols and directives on the ground and streamlining operations, affords financial and systemic efficiencies.
Despite these benefits, in situ simulation does have its challenges. There are technical challenges with the mobilization of high fidelity simulation equipment into the clinical environment. There are also resource considerations regarding personnel (eg., who will be participating in the sim, who will be running the sim, who will be operating the equipment), and medical equipment (eg., what supplies should be used for the simulation, should we be using mock equipment that might be dedicated to simulation activities or should we be using the ED equipment and supplies recognizing that we might deplete resources that may be required for actual patient care). Furthermore, there are logistic considerations for time and space; in recognition that in situ simulation may place stress on an already stressed system. Additionally, a poorly timed in situ simulation may have the dual negative impact of disrupting patient care and failing to achieve the objectives of the simulation, due to poor participant engagement. Cultural obstacles are also present in the form of participant willingness and motivation to participate in the context of concerns surrounding personal performance1,3.
Table 1. Summary of the Benefits and Challenges of Conducting In Situ Simulation
A New Simulation Frontier…Translational Simulation
Traditionally, simulation descriptors often focus on the type of device used (for example high fidelity or low fidelity mannequin) or the location where the simulation takes place (for instance in situ vs. off-site simulation). However, by relying solely on these descriptors, we underplay the critical importance of the outcomes gained from simulation4. Consequently, over the past few years, a new concept has emerged in the simulation world known as Translational Simulation.
Translational simulation describes a subset of simulation activities that are aimed directly at improving healthcare processes and outcomes4. It achieves this through two main categories of simulation:
Diagnostic Simulations: which includes system probing simulations, trialing of new equipment, assessment of provider and team competence, and identifying cultural and professional issues.
Simulation Interventions: which are simulations aimed to improve relationships and culture, enhance team training across the entire patient journey, embed guidelines, pathways and protocols, in addition, to focusing on technical and non-technical skills training.
Similar to quality improvement approaches like the Plan Do Study Act (or more commonly known as the PDSA cycle), translational simulation first plays a role in diagnosing safety issues and then by creating simulation-based intervention to address those safety issues.
The First Simulations for COVID
So how did we leverage simulation-based education, in situ simulation, and a translational simulation approach to preparing our staff, department, institution, and system at large to prepare to care for COVID-19 patients during this pandemic?
Our first simulation was conducted on March 9, 2020, and was a multi-disciplinary, in situ simulation involving MDs, ED nurses, RTs, care facilitators, and members of the hospital security team. It focused on the case of a returning traveler from China who was presenting to triage with respiratory distress and fever. Initial simulations were conducted at both The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) General and Civic campus emergency departments.
It was conducted as a hybrid simulation; where a standardized patient actor, played by a nurse educator, presented to emergency triage with COVID-19 symptoms. They were then registered, triaged, and transferred to a negative pressure resuscitation bay, where the actor was replaced by a 3G simulation mannequin. In subsequent minutes, the team performing the simulation was responsible for the identification of hypoxic respiratory failure requiring intubation and transfer to the ICU. The simulation scenario was terminated when the team arrived at the doors of the ICU with the sim mannequin. After completing the exercise, a debrief of the scenario was conducted with the entire team to identify challenges, latent safety threats requiring an immediate attention, and strong/ideal performances.
Translational Simulation Cycle for COVID
We started with several diagnostic simulations similar to the above scenario, which focused on airway management and intubation. These were used to probe the system, examine patient flow, and identify gaps both in knowledge and existing processes. Information gathered from diagnostic simulation debriefs was amalgamated with direct feedback from frontline experiences, emerging literature, and expert opinion to develop procedures, protocols, and system processes that identified and mitigated safety threats. We then developed interventions to address these threats and then trialed them in subsequent simulations. Through further debriefing of these scenarios, we sought feedback about what worked, what didn't work, and what was still unclear. This iterative process continued over the course of March and early April until we finalized our protocols.
Identification of LSTs Using Simulation for COVID
From our simulations, we identified a number of latent safety threats that fell into a few key categories:
Process and Workflow;
Equipment;
Communication;
Knowledge gaps.
The key latent safety threats, mitigation strategies, and interventions are summarized in the table below.
Table 2. Identification of Latent Safety Threats During In Situ Simulation
Training using simulation
Once our protocols and processes were finalized and key safety threats were mitigated, our focus shifted to training medical staff. In situ simulations were used to rapidly disseminate new knowledge to front line staff. In addition to in situ simulation and on-shift airway training, infographic summaries and cognitive aids were used to summarise protocols and to help disseminate key messages. A total count of staff trained in ED in situ simulations is provided below.
Challenges to Running In Situ Simulation for COVID During a Pandemic
Upon reflection of our experience, we found a number of benefits of conducting in situ simulation during the COVID-19 pandemic:
Ability to work through practical aspects of care of COVID patients: craft protocols, test drive them through sim and streamline patient care processes;
Rapidly disseminate new knowledge and to train frontline staff on newly established procedures and protocols;
Optimize our communication and to continue to identify and mitigate latent safety threats.
However, as the pandemic progressed, there were certain challenges related to in situ simulations that warranted careful consideration:
The need to maintain physical distancing and limiting the number of people participating in a given simulation;
Possible exposure of participants, educators, and simulation techs and the potential for occupation spread of the virus;
Placing more stress on an already stressed ED system;
Potentially depleting PPE supplies, which may be required for actual patient care.
Turning to a Digital Strategy with Virtual Reality (VR) Video Technology
Considering the above limitations, the TOH education and the Simulation Patient Safety Program quickly pivoted to a digital strategy with the development of virtual reality (VR) videos.
The goals of this initiative were threefold:
Use VR as an educational tool to improve patient care and the safety of frontline healthcare providers amidst the COVID-19 pandemic;
Maximize the impact of simulation training across institutions by sharing organizational learnings, and;
Coordinate a largescale response to the pandemic over wide geographic areas, in particular areas that may not have access to in situ simulation training.
A virtual reality 360-degree digital camera was used to capture video from exemplar scenarios of rehearsed teams managing complex situations. The benefit of the VR videos, as opposed to traditional static videos of the simulation, was that you got a 360-degree view of the room. This enabled the learner to immerse themselves in the scenario and to explore multiple viewpoints as the case progressed.
There are a couple of different options to watch VR videos in order to get the full immersive experience. There are handsfree options, such as high tech gaming headsets (cost = $400), or the google cardboard (cost = $20). You can also watch VR videos on YouTube on your smartphone (although this option does not provide a hands-free experience).
Some of the first VR video recordings at our institution occurred in our emergency department; videos covering the treatment of a COVID-19 patient in respiratory distress and the COVID-19 patient requiring intubation. Different cases were designed to improve team preparedness for safe and effective patient care in various clinical settings where a code blue or Aerosol Generating Medical Procedure (AGMP) is required. In total, 19 clinical scenarios were filmed, including a COVID-19 patient requiring a C-section, transesophageal ECHO, tracheotomy, transfer in and out of the CT scanner, and neonatal resuscitation cases.
Once the videos were recorded and edited, they were shared on the TOH Education website, which is publicly accessible on the internet. This allows us to share our organizational learnings on a larger scale. Each case is accompanied by a link to a VR video on YouTube. They also all have an identified goal, specific learning objectives, and demonstrates an aspect to hospital preparedness for managing patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once the content was created for all essential front-line areas of the hospital, content geared towards patients, family caregivers, and long-term care facilities including virtual tours of the hospital and PPE training videos.
Outcomes of Virtual Simulation for COVID
By the end of May 2020, there had already been over 12,000 views of the 19 clinical videos and nearly 10,000 views of patient-centered videos5. TOH education has also received local as well as international feedback from other institutions that have used these videos to guide local practice, as well as implement protocols that are adapted based on local resource availability.
Future Directions of Simulation for COVID-19
In situ simulations continues to be practiced in our emergency departments, with the goals of improving pandemic resuscitations by:
Reviewing and practicing our established protocols, highlighting nuances in airway management and in protected code blue scenarios;
By practicing effective team communication;
And by identifying latent safety threats to patients and healthcare providers when caring for these high-risk patients in a resource-limited setting.
In addition to ongoing in situ simulations in our departments, two of our staff physicians Dr. Lindsey McMurray and Dr. Marianne Yeung are working to establish a community outreach COVID simulation program for EDs in the Ottawa area. The idea is to run in situ simulations in community EDs within the Ottawa area. This would help with the identification of local latent safety threats, optimize treatment protocols for COVID patients, and tailor protocols to available local resources. We are looking forward to offering this program to community EDs in the near future!
Furthermore, our very own resident Dr. Wilson Lam is also working alongside the SRPC to develop SIM programs for Rural Emergencies.
Patterson MD ea. In situ simulation: detection of safety threats and teamwork training in a high risk emergencydepartment. BMJ Quality and Safety2013. p. 468–477.
Posner GD, Clark ML, Grant VJ. Simulation in the clinical setting: towards a standard lexicon. Adv Simul (Lond). 2017;2:15. doi:10.1186/s41077-017-0050-5
Petrosoniak A, Auerbach M, Wong AH, Hicks CM. In situ simulation in emergency medicine: Moving beyond the simulation lab. Emerg Med Australas. Feb 2017;29(1):83-88. doi:10.1111/1742-6723.12705
Brazil V. Translational simulation: not 'where?' but 'why?' A functional view of in situ simulation. Adv Simul (Lond). 2017;2:20. doi:10.1186/s41077-017-0052-3
G P, J M, J D-T, K E, J C. Virtual reality videos for training and protocol dissemination during a pandemic, MedEdPublish, 2020
Lindsay Cheskes
Dr. Cheskes is an Emergency Medicine resident at the University of Ottawa, Department of Emergency Medicine.
Josee Malette
Dr. Josée Malette is an Emergency Medicine Resident in the Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ottawa. She is a Junior Editor with the Digital Scholarship and Knowledge Dissemination team for the EMOttawaBlog.
Hadia Ihmaidat	on January 15, 2021 at 11:42 am
Fantastic, well done. Have you tried to use McKinsey Model. Thanks


At its core, this is an introductory statistics textbook pitched primarily at psychology students. As such, it covers the standard topics that you'd expect of such a book: study design, descriptive statistics, the theory of hypothesis testing, t-tests, X2 tests, ANOVA and regression.
by Thomas Hill, Paul Lewicki - StatSoft, Inc.
A comprehensive statistics textbook for both beginners and advanced analysts. It presents analytic approaches and statistical methods used in science, business, industry, and data mining, written for the real-life practitioner of these methods.
A self contained introduction to classical statistical theory. The material is suitable for students who have successfully completed a single year's course in calculus with no prior knowledge of statistics or probability. Third revised edition.
Table of contents: Fundamental sampling distributions and data descriptions; One- and two-sample estimation; Tests of hypotheses; X2-tests; Maximum likelihood estimation; Multiple linear regression; Nonparametric statistics; Stochastic simulation.
It is important to know how to understand statistics so that we can make the proper judgments when a person presents us with an argument backed by data. Data are numbers with a context. We must always keep the meaning of our data in mind.


These brownie stuffed chocolate chip cookies are the cookies you've been dreaming of. Crisp on the outside with chewy, chocolaty gooey brownie center. It doesn't get better than this!
For a few months, I've been considering a new project that involves lots and lots of cookies. I had a huge list of cookies I've been saving for this project, and these brownie stuffed chocolate chip cookies were on that list. It's been really hard to keep these cookies to myself and I finally caved when a few people have requested a recipe for them from me. I live to serve, so here they are in all their brownie chocolate chip cookie glory.
I used my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, and an improved version of my favorite brownie recipe. Don't worry, I am not going to make you click around the site for the recipes. No, I would never make you do all that.
It would be wrong for me to not give you a fair warning. These cookies are probably the best cookies on this site. And let's not forget that I once made s'mores stuffed cookies. The cookies are buttery and wonderfully crispy on the edges with an irresistibly gooey and chewy center filled with a decadent brownie. Finish off with an ice cold glass of milk and enter a moment of pure bliss.
I am drooling just thinking about it. The trick is to do the overnight chilling of both the cookie dough and the brownie batter. You absolutely don't have to chill either for that long, but the brownie batter does need to chill for at least half an hour. Also, you would be doing yourself a disservice by not chilling the cookie dough overnight. It's what helps give the cookies a nice depth of flavor and give it the best texture. If you don't want to chill overnight, just a quick chill with the brownie batter will work just fine.
The chilling you do after you've rolled out the cookie dough, however, is mandatory. This keeps the brownie stuffed chocolate chip cookies from spreading too much and allowing the brownie goodness from seeping out the bottom. The brownie portion coming out isn't the worst thing in the world, but it does make handling the cookies much more difficult because it tends to stay soft and the cookies will break apart when you try and pick them up.
You will end up with a little bit of extra brownie batter. I roll mine up into little balls and make little brownie puffs by baking them in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 8 mins.
Ultra decadent brownie stuffed chocolate chip cookies. Crisp on the outside, soft and chewy in the middle with a fudgy brownie surprise. Dessert doesn't get better than this!
In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch for the cookies. Set aside.
Beat the butter and both sugars together in a separate bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until well combined.
Slowly add the flour mixture, mixing in the flour as you add more. Once all the flour is added and there are no streaks of flour fold in the chocolate chips and mix just until they are evenly distributed.
Cover the cookie dough and chill for at least four hours, preferably overnight.
Once the cookie dough is made, immediately start the brownie batter.
Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt for the brownies in a small bowl. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, add the butter, sugar, and chocolate together. Heat on low and mix until the butter and chocolate are melted and the mixture is well combined. It will look fairly grainy at this point. Remove from heat and allow to cool until it is room temperature. If you kept the stove on low, it shouldn't take took long to reach this point.
Vigorously. beat the vanilla and egg into the chocolate mixture until well combined.
Stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture and mix until just combined and there are no streaks of flour.
Transfer the brownie batter into a bowl, cover, and chill for at least four hours, preferably overnight.
Remove the cookie dough and brownie batter from the refrigerator and uncover.
Place parchment paper or silicone baking mats onto baking sheets.
Measure out 1/2 tablespoons (1 1/2 teaspoons) of the brownie batter. The batter should be thick, and may require a few minutes at room temperature or a touch of muscle to scoop it out. Roll out the brownie batter into a ball.
Chill the cookie dough balls together as you preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake the cookies for about 10 - 12 minutes. Leave on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes to cool before placing on wire racks to cool completely.
OH MY! Girl.. These cookies look amazing.
As I am typing this my husband is sitting next to me. He was watching football until he saw your photos. Now he wants me to make them for him. It seems like I'll be making these later today.
OMG, I'm in love! Two of my favorite desserts wrapped up into one! I know the first thing I'm making for my son Casey when he comes home for fall break from college and these are it!! He's going to LOVE them! Can't wait to hear about cheese camp! Looked like you all had so much fun!
Hi, I was wondering if you can use a brownie mix to simplify it?
Hi Nada, I can't really speak to that as I've never tried it. It's been a while since I used boxed brownies so I am not sure about the texture of it when it's chilled. As long as its thick enough for you to handle and roll into balls, it should be okay.
1. I only left them in the fridge for 4 hours and that worked just fine!


Authors, artists and musicians because it opens up creativity that stress has been blocking.
Business owners and managers because they accomplish more without feeling stressed or overworked.
Students because relaxation enhances their memory and helps them prepare for stress-free exams.
Hospitals because it reduces side effects of treatment and improves patients' quality of life.
In short: regular, everyday people like you are benefiting from relaxation therapy to improve their health, be happier and more efficient, and take a break from the hectic pace of life.
During your session, far-infrared heat (thermotherapy) gently warms your body to a temperature that increases blood circulation to the extremities. This relaxes your body, soothes muscle pain, and gives the sensation of floating. This clean heat source is free from electro-magnetic field radiation (EMF) that is emitted by the type of heating pads and electric blankets sold in stores.
You'll also feel relaxing waves of vibroacoustic sound. This technology calms your central nervous system by using safe low-frequency sound. Vibroacoustic sound therapy is used in many hospitals in Britain and the U.S. to relieve patient stress and has even been found to reduce symptoms of illness and disease (National Institutes of Health study, 1999).
The air in the relaxation centre is HEPA filtered and negative-ion treated to make it refreshing and pure.
Room temperature, humidity and oxygen levels are computer-monitored and carefully adjusted for optimal relaxation.
Colin has created a calming aromatherapy blend exclusively for the relaxation centre that cannot be found anywhere else. The subtle aroma of Japanese evergreens includes oil extracted from the Japanese hiba cypress. Studies have shown that the oil of this tree contains a substance that promotes relaxation and purifies the air, and may even boost your immune system.
Using special noise-cancelling headphones, the outside world will vanish as you listen to a relaxing audio programme in high-definition stereo.
Guided Imagery Sometimes called visualization or guided meditation, this mental exercise guides you into a deeply relaxed condition and teaches you to use your imagination to overcome negative thinking.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation You'll be gently guided to breathe deeply while you tense and release the muscle groups of your body. This simple easy exercise resets your body from any muscle tension and gently eases the mind.
Some sessions also feature high-definition audio recordings of nature sounds or gentle music that is based on biologically harmonious scales and tones.
The aesthetic of the relaxation centre is Japanese style, with shoji screens and natural igusa straw mat flooring. This is a simple, peaceful setting where you can feel comfortable and restful. Shoes are not worn in the therapy room, and you can leave your phone outside. This is a place to unplug completely from the outside world.
Even the lighting helps you to relax. You will be amazed by a night sky northern lights projector system that Colin created exclusively for the relaxation centre.
The night sky is beautiful to see, but also uses specific wavelengths of light to stimulate your body's relaxation response even when your eyes are closed. According to Richard Wiseman, Professor of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire (UK), this particular light spectrum "enhances the production of dopamine in the brain...and turns attention inward away from daily stress".
In the reception area before your session, you can enjoy a cup of a Japanese green tea called gyokuro. This is a very special luxury tea grown in the shade. It has a delicate taste and aroma, and a beautiful emerald green colour. The fresh subtle flavour of this tea is a delicacy in Japan, and unlike any tea you have tried before.
But there's also another reason why Colin has selected this tea. Gyokuro leaves contain high levels of L-theanine, a naturally-occurring amino acid that has been demonstrated to heighten creativity and soothe anxiety. It will enhance your session and unlock your relaxed mind without making you drowsy.
Colin serves this tea the natural way in traditional handmade pottery cups from Japan. Please arrive a few minutes early so you'll have time to enjoy the experience of gyokuro tea!
Relaxation therapy is unique in that you'll feel instant results the very first time. Research suggests that after six to twelve sessions, most people effortlessly learn and remember how to activate the body's own relaxation response to feel more relaxed every day. Of course, you're never required to commit to any plans or memberships.
Sessions are usually 30 or 60 minutes. Some sessions incorporate guided imagery (visualization exercises) or high-definition audio recordings of natural sounds or music. Aromatherapy, vibroacoustic sound therapy and northern lights phototherapy are used during your session unless you prefer otherwise. The treatment room accommodates only one person at a time.
Colin currently has limited spaces available for refreshing 30-minute sound healing sessions at The Healing Yurt.
Enjoy a Japanese gyokuro green tea before, and warm face towel (oshibori) after, if your time permits.
Payment is made at the end of each session by Interac debit, Visa, Mastercard or cash. You will be provided with a detailed receipt for your records. HST is applicable. Colin's office does not accept tips.
Relaxation therapy is not covered by MSI. There can be some instances where your sessions may be reimbursable by an extended benefits package, however as a non-medical expense it is best to consider your therapy as something you are paying for out of pocket. Just like natural food and personal fitness, relaxation therapy is one of the best investments you can make - an investment in yourself and your future.
A note from Colin: Relaxation therapy should be for everybody. Some of the people who need my help the most are vulnerable or marginalized people who can least afford the out-of-pocket expense. I reserve two reduced-rate slots on my calendar each month for clients who are referred through community agencies. If you are a social worker, please contact me to discuss the waiting list and procedure for reduced-rate referrals.
Colin believes that every detail can contribute to your relaxation experience. Here are some of the things he has done to make sure your session is the very best it can be.
Colin pre-records his audio relaxation programmes in a studio for the best sound quality, and he will leave the treatment room during your session so that you can be alone to experience your programme privately while he prepares some notes and information for you to bring home. If you feel any discomfort at any time, you can stop the session by simply removing the headphones and sitting up. Remember: you're in control. You are never "hypnotized" or tranquilized. Although some clients fall asleep during relaxation, it is generally better to stay awake to receive the maximum benefits - unless you're specifically on a sleeping or napping programme. If you fall asleep, you'll gently wake when the lights come on. So don't worry.
Colin asks that clients be considerate regarding scented products. However, rather than trying to enforce a "scent-free" policy (which is practically impossible anyway) Colin schedules sessions so that the air is completely cycled in-between clients. If you have environmental sensitivities, you'll be delighted to find that Colin's office is a haven where you aren't likely to have a negative reaction.
The typical aromatherapy Colin uses has no known allergic effects; it's a gentle blend of evergreen wood oils which has no pollen. Colin uses undyed cotton linens laundered in a gentle, natural unscented detergent. Cotton allergies are extremely rare, but if you have an allergy to cotton, please indicate this when you book. All cleaning products used in Colin's office are natural, but do contain citrus, lavender and evergreen extracts.
The pillow used on the therapy table is a sobagara makura, a traditional Japanese pillow filled with buckwheat hulls. Sobagara is natural, hypoallergenic, and provides air circulation around the head while providing optimal neck support. Despite its name, buckwheat is not related to wheat.
Colin's office is furnished with tropical woods that are both beautiful and ecologically responsible. For example, the reception area chairs are made from mango tree wood, which is cultivated once the fruit tree has finished its productive life.
In addition to using low power consumption computers in his office, Colin's web site is 100% carbon neutral. The energy consumed by the web server is returned to the grid using earth-friendly renewable energy through Bullfrog Power.
Colin Stone takes client appointments Monday-Friday 10am - 4pm at The Healing Yurt, located on the 8th floor. By appointment only.
© Colin Stone. All rights reserved.


This physical separation may give the two of them a chance to work out the problems in their relationship while residing in legally sanctioned separate dwellings. Now that you know that you can date after you are legally separated, you may be asking yourself how long you should wait before dating. Can I date during my separation?
If so, you may not be ready to date. Moving in with a boyfriend or girlfriend can also impact your custody case. In Virginia, your couple can only qualify for no-fault divorce after you live separately for an entire year. Moreover, provisions in favor of the offending spouse made in the will of the innocent spouse shall be revoked by operation of law. Are the more difficult parts of your divorce resolved?
Creating further complications should be avoided in any divorce regardless of your circumstances. The respondent has deserted for a continuous period of at least one year immediately preceding the date of application. And once your divorce is final, feel free to marry anyone else of your choosing. There are several reasons why a couple might seek a mensa et thoro separation.
It takes one year from the date you separate to get divorced in North Carolina. To avoid unnecessary battles in court, ending one relationship before beginning another is best. At best, your infidelity can cause your spouse hurt and embarrassment. What are the laws about dating again in South Carolina?
Now once you are legally separated, you can essentially act as a single person in the dating arena. If you are suspicious of where the line between dating versus a case for adultery exists, at least take the time to talk with your family law attorney. Both parties have lived apart for a continuous period of at least one year immediately preceding the date of application, and the respondent consents to the decree. At worst, it will provoke feelings of anger and revenge, which will greatly complicate your settlement negotiations with your spouse. Yes, you can date someone else after you separate from your spouse.
If not, you may want to hold off on becoming romantically involved with someone new. Would it bother you if your spouse was dating someone else? Precautions to take in dating while separated You must be separated from your spouse before you start dating. Dating After Divorce About the Author Tamiya King has been writing for over a decade, particularly in the areas of poetry and short stories. When to Date While each state has different regulations on when it is acceptable to date, it's generally best to wait until the divorce is legally final to begin another relationship.
What is the law regarding dating when legally separated? While a legal separation is not the same as divorce, many people choose to date during this time, if they are sure a divorce from their spouse is inevitable. Each couple can decide how long the separation will be, and whether each party is allowed to see other people, il passero solitario parafrasi e commento yahoo dating but divorce is an emotional process as well as a legal one.
The date of separation occurs when both spouses live under separate roofs and at least one spouse has the intent to end the marriage. Have you taken time to figure out who you are now that you are separated?
Virginia's Mandatory Separation Requirement When you read that every state offers no-fault divorce, you may not have understood that some of these offers are conditional. Many people choose to start dating again at some point during their separation and before the final divorce decree is entered. Ask yourself if you are truly no longer romantically involved with your husband or wife. The judge may use this to award the ex-wife more alimony in the divorce. Separate maintenance agreements are contracts between spouses and not approved by a court.
You need time to mourn the loss of the relationship you had. Rather, I find that my clients want clarification as to what exactly is separation for purposes of a divorce in North Carolina and how does it affect their love life. Even if you negotiate and execute a settlement agreement or get a decree of separate maintenance from the court, you are still married in the eyes of the law in Virginia. Many clients find that after being separated for a few months they would like to go on a date so they often ask is dating while separated ok. Divorce Proceedings If a couple decides the separation will definitely result in divorce, one or both parties may choose to start dating someone else during the divorce proceedings.
The intent is created by simply one person wanting the divorce to occur. Make sure they are ready for you to make the jump back into the dating pool. Dating after separation and before divorce may also have a serious negative impact on the settlement negotiations between you and your spouse. Depending on the issues in particular case, it may take several years before all of your claims have been resolved.
If there was no illicit sexual conduct before your date of separation, then post-separation dating is not relevant to a claim for post-separation support or alimony. You may plead the Fifth Amendment privilege against self- incrimination under certain limited circumstances. Controlled Separation A number of couples use separation, or controlled separation, as a way to see if the marriage can be saved. They are similar to prenuptial agreements. If you start dating before you are separated it is called adultery.
She possesses a Bachelor of Arts in English and is currently pursuing higher education to become a creative writing professor. If a few months have passed since you separated and you simply want to get a meal with someone you have a romantic interest in, feel free to do so.
You will want the support of your family and close friends as you start dating again. That means that any dating you do, outside of the confines of the marriage, may be held against you in divorce court and beyond.
You are not separated if you sleep in separate bedrooms or if one person sleeps in the basement suite. Adultery can have a devastating impact on alimony. Have you taken the time to grieve? If that is the case, you are well-advised to obtain proof of his or her affair through a private detective. While you can date during your separation, I must add some precautions.
Both parties have lived apart for a continuous period of at least three years immediately preceding the date of application. The spouses must be physically under separate roofs. This is a sticky situation that I would not want any of my clients to battle. Religious faith shall also be considered in determining custody. You should be forewarned that you will likely be asked under oath at a deposition or at trial about any dating or romantic relationships.
Are you family and friends aware of your separation and have they had time to adjust to the new life you are living? Under Virginia law, you are married until you are divorced and if dating gets serious, you could find yourself without spousal support and even perhaps in jail on an adultery charge. How long should I wait to start dating?
Many of my clients come to me with unique stories and situations. To answer these questions falsely would constitute perjury. Respondent has committed adultery.


text:
Monster Hunter (2020)
M4ufree Movies - Watch Movie Monster Hunter (2020) Online
Director:	Paul W S Anderson
Released: 18 Dec 2020
Starring: Milla Jovovich Tony Jaa Ron Perlman
Storyline:  Monster Hunter (2020) When Lt. Artemis and her loyal soldiers are transported to a new world, they engage in a desperate battle for survival against enormous enemies with incredible powers. Feature film based on the video game by Capcom.
# Tags:	Milla Jovovich Tony Jaa Ron Perlman
Back in the Day (2016)
Back in the Day (2016) Set in both the late 80s and current day, Back in the Day is a gritty tale about Anthony Rodriguez (William DeMeo), a half Italian half Puerto Rican young teenager growing up on the streets of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn; a then very dangerous and racist neighborhood filled with b
The Public (201
WEB-DL - 6.6
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The Captains Pa
The Captains Paradise (1953)
The Captains Paradise (1953) Mediterranean ferryboat captain Henry St James has things well organized - a loving and very English wife Maud in Gibraltar, and the loving if rather more hot-blooded Mistress, Nita in Tangiers. A perfect life. As long as neither woman decides to follow him to the other
Imagine Me & Yo
A newlywed bride becomes infatuated with another woman, who questions her sexual orientation, promoting a stir among the bride's family and friends.
Top Sensation (
Top Sensation (1969)
Top Sensation (1969) Attempting to cure her mentally handicapped son's virginity, his mother and several friends embark on a cruise which strands them on nearly deserted island where lust and murder are on the menu!
RiffTrax Live:
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RiffTrax Live: Christmas Shortsstravaganza! (2009) The Rifftrax Crew give several holiday short films a good riffing. Weird Al Yankovich makes a guest appearance.
Planet Dune (20
Planet Dune (2021)
Planet Dune 2021 A crew on a mission to rescue a marooned base on a desert planet turns deadly when the crew finds themselves hunted and attacked by the planets apex predators giant sand worms
Chupacabra Terr
Chupacabra Territory (2016)
Chupacabra Territory (2016) The Chupacabra is real and four friends will document it! Will they survive?
When Zachary Be
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town (2003)
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town (2003) Zachary Beaver, a sideshow attraction known as the world's fattest boy, arrives in the sleepy town of Granger, Texas.
Gods and Monste
Gods and Monsters (1998)
Gods and Monsters (1998) The story of James Whale, the director of Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935), in the time period following the Korean War. Whale is homosexual and develops a friendship with his gardener, an ex-Marine.
Tarzan and the
Tarzan and the Jungle Boy (1968) Tarzan is joined by a reporter and her fiance on a journey to find a boy who was abandoned in the jungle six years earlier. The search party must also battle an evil native, who is out to kill the boy and take over as chief of his brother's tribe.
Trailer Park Bo
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Trailer Park Boys: The Movie (2006) Set in a separate storyline not related to the "Trailer Park Boys" Television show, but with the same lovable characters. The boys get arrested for robbing an ATM machine and spend 18 months in jail. When the get out, they decide to pull off "The Big Dirty" which
A Box Came to B
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A Box Came to Brooklyn (2015)
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A Break Alone (
A Break Alone (2015)
A Break Alone (2015) Gangjae's normal family life is turned upsdie down when he falls for a young yoga teacher. Gangjae has got it all, a loving wife, adorable children, and a high-paying position. But he ...
BRrip - 4.8
Invitation Only (2009)
Invitation Only (2009) When Wade Chen, who is the driver of President Yang of the Weida Group, accidentally sees his boss shagging a top-model in the backseat of his car, Yang surprisingly invites him to go to a high-society party. Wade thanks and tells that he has neither money nor clothes to go to
I Lost My Body
I Lost My Body (2019)
I Lost My Body (2019) A story of Naoufel, a young man who is in love with Gabrielle. In another part of town, a severed hand escapes from a dissection lab, determined to find its body again.
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text:
package vspheretasks

// vmpoweron houses task that powers on VM on vSphere cloud.

import (
	"k8s.io/klog"
	"k8s.io/kops/upup/pkg/fi"
	"k8s.io/kops/upup/pkg/fi/cloudup/vsphere"
)

// VMPowerOn powers on a VMware VM
//go:generate fitask -type=VMPowerOn
type VMPowerOn struct {
	Name      *string
	AttachISO *AttachISO
}

var _ fi.HasName = &VMPowerOn{}
var _ fi.HasDependencies = &VMPowerOn{}

// GetDependencies returns map of tasks on which this task depends.
func (o *VMPowerOn) GetDependencies(tasks map[string]fi.Task) []fi.Task {
	var deps []fi.Task
	attachISOTask := tasks["AttachISO/"+*o.AttachISO.Name]
	if attachISOTask == nil {
		klog.Fatalf("Unable to find attachISO task %s dependency for VMPowerOn %s", *o.AttachISO.Name, *o.Name)
	}
	deps = append(deps, attachISOTask)
	return deps
}

// GetName returns the Name of the object, implementing fi.HasName
func (o *VMPowerOn) GetName() *string {
	return o.Name
}

// SetName sets the Name of the object, implementing fi.SetName
func (o *VMPowerOn) SetName(name string) {
	o.Name = &name
}

// Run executes DefaultDeltaRunMethod for this task.
func (e *VMPowerOn) Run(c *fi.Context) error {
	klog.Info("VMPowerOn.Run invoked!")
	return fi.DefaultDeltaRunMethod(e, c)
}

// Find is a no-op for vSphere cloud, for now.
func (e *VMPowerOn) Find(c *fi.Context) (*VMPowerOn, error) {
	klog.Info("VMPowerOn.Find invoked!")
	return nil, nil
}

// CheckChanges is a no-op for vSphere cloud, for now.
func (_ *VMPowerOn) CheckChanges(a, e, changes *VMPowerOn) error {
	klog.Info("VMPowerOn.CheckChanges invoked!")
	return nil
}

// RenderVSphere executes the actual power on operation for VM on vSphere cloud.
func (_ *VMPowerOn) RenderVSphere(t *vsphere.VSphereAPITarget, a, e, changes *VMPowerOn) error {
	klog.V(2).Infof("VMPowerOn.RenderVSphere invoked for vm %s", *changes.AttachISO.VM.Name)
	err := t.Cloud.PowerOn(*changes.AttachISO.VM.Name)
	return err
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
The Best States for Homeowners in 2017
Lauren Perez, CEPF® Aug 10, 2018
For many, a huge part of growing up and being successful includes owning a home of your own. Of course this is no easy feat since it often requires years and years of dedicated saving to make a down payment and continue paying for the home. But sometimes you don't have to save quite as much, depending on where you're looking. For the third year, SmartAsset ran the numbers to find the best states for homeowners.
Compare current mortgage rates now.
To find the best states for homeowners, we took a look at a few metrics. We wanted to find states that were affordable and that had solid housing markets. We looked at various costs of owning a home like property taxes and closing costs. This way we'd get a more comprehensive look at which states would be the best for homeowners. Note that due to a lack of data, Kansas was not included in this year's study.
The Midwest passes the test – Midwestern states took over our top 10 this year with six states representing: South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Michigan and Wisconsin. Western states comprise the rest of the top 10.
Bottom of the list remains stagnant – We saw a lot of movement within the top 10, with states moving up and down the list compared to last year. However, states like New Mexico, Connecticut and New Jersey remain at the very bottom of the list.
This SmartAsset's third annual study looking at the best states for homeowners. Check out last year's study here.
1. South Dakota
This year, South Dakota takes the crown by unseating last year's champ Wyoming. South Dakota outshines the other states by scoring high in basically every metric. For starters, the state has the second-lowest average closing costs and the third-lowest number of foreclosures overall.
The Mount Rushmore State's numbers indicate affordability and comfort. It ranked 12th-lowest for median-home-value-to-median-income ratio, average homeowner's insurance and burglary rate.
2. Idaho
The Gem State lands one spot higher than it did last year, impressing with the lowest average annual homeowners insurance in the study. The state's foreclosure numbers and burglary rate dipped from last year, boosting Idaho's appeal to homeowners looking for stability and safety. The average price per square foot also saw a nice drop to $116, offering more affordable choices especially paired with the low median annual property taxes in Idaho.
If you're going to buy a home in Idaho, you may want to watch out for high closing costs, though. The state has the second-highest average costs compared in the top 10. When looking at the ratio of the median home value to median income, Idaho has the third-highest out of the top 10.
3. Colorado
Colorado rounds out our top three best states for homeowners, making its way up from the sixth spot last year. Homeowners will be happy to know that the property tax rate in Colorado has gone down, ranking as the fourth-lowest rate overall and the lowest in the top 10. Median annual property taxes are up slightly but still score as the third-lowest in the top 10.
To the opposite, the Centennial State does have some of the highest numbers in the top 10. Its average price per square foot and burglary rate overshadow the other top 10 states. The price per square foot is even the fourth-highest overall. Colorado is seeing fewer foreclosures than last year, although it maintains the 14th-highest overall ranking in that metric.
Related Article: 529 Plans in Colorado
The Cowboy State has fallen to the fourth-best state for homeowners, having previously held the number one spot in 2015 and 2016. What may have contributed to Wyoming's drop is the higher average closing costs its residents are seeing, plus average scores across the board when compared to the top 10.
However, Wyoming's numbers were still able to keep it in the top five. Standing out is the state's burglary rate, coming in as the fifth-lowest rate overall and the best among the top 10. Wyoming residents also pay the lowest average property taxes when compared to the other top 10 states. Overall, Wyoming ranked eighth in both foreclosures and property tax rate.
5. Minnesota
Minnesota rose two spots to rank as the fifth-best state for homeowners. The state is seeing fewer foreclosures this year, ranking sixth in the top 10 and 12th overall. The state also ranks sixth in the top 10 in the median-value-to-median-income ratio, property tax rate and average closing costs.
On the other hand, the North Star State saw a hike in a few metrics. Average price per square foot saw an increase, landing as the 13th-highest overall. Average closing costs went up, too, ranking 12th overall. Minnesota homeowners are also paying the most in average homeowners insurance and the third-most in average annual property taxes out of the top 10 states.
6. Nebraska
Nebraska is a newcomer in the top 10 this year, up from the 14th spot last year. This is due to improved numbers in a few different metrics. The average price per square foot has gone down to a mere $109 and the median-value-to-median-income ratio is the second-lowest overall. Potential Nebraska homeowners can look forward to the 10th-lowest burglary numbers, which have seen a solid decrease from last year, a low number of foreclosures and some of the best public schools in the country. Average closing costs did see a slight increase, however Nebraska still ranks sixth-best in that metric.
The Cornhusker State saw a dip in its property tax rate although it still remains pretty high, ranking as the second-highest in the top 10, after Wisconsin. Nebraska homeowners also pay the second-most in median annual property taxes compared to the rest of the top 10.
7. Utah
Down from the fifth spot in last year's study, a look at Utah's numbers can show you why. In almost every metric, Utah saw a change in numbers for the worse. The average price per square foot saw an increase and landed as the 12th-highest overall. The median-value-to-median-income ratio increased, too, as did the number of foreclosures, now the highest number in the top 10.
Not all changes are detrimental, though. For one, although the average closing costs saw an increase of about $200, Utah still boasts the fifth-lowest closing costs overall. Utah homeowners might be paying slightly more in median annual property taxes, but the property tax rate is still the 10th-best overall. Utah homeowners also get the third-lowest average homeowners insurance payments.
Related Article: 529 Plans in Utah
8. North Dakota
Down from last year's number four spot, North Dakota also took a hit due to some less-than-beneficial changes in its numbers. For one, the average price per square foot in North Dakota increased becoming the eighth-highest overall and the second-highest in the top 10. Not only will the size of a home cost you, but so will closing the deal, with average closing costs coming in at $2,049. That's the highest in the top 10. Homeowners insurance may also take a chunk out of your wallet since North Dakota has the highest average numbers in the top 10, second only to Minnesota.
However, the Peace Garden State outshines all others by having the lowest number of foreclosures per 10,000 homes overall.
Michigan made its way to the ninth spot this year from last year's 16th place. The Great Lake State moved its way up by ranking well across the board, but standing out most with the lowest average price per square foot in the top 10. Michigan's median-home-value-to-median-income ratio ranked seventh-best overall, furthering its affordability.
Additionally, the number of foreclosures per 100,000 homes decreased, landing in the 13th ranking. This may make the Michigan housing market more appealing. Even with an increase in average closing costs, Michigan still ranks 13th in the metric.
10. Wisconsin
Wisconsin redeems itself from coming up just short of last year's top 10 (it ranked 11th) by rounding out our list this year. The Badger State showed improved numbers when it comes to affordability. It stands out by having the third-best overall numbers for average closing costs and the fourth-best overall numbers for average homeowners insurance costs. If you're looking to buy a home in Wisconsin, you'll be happy to know that the price per square foot also decreased slightly, landing as the third-best in the top 10. The burglary rate fell too, ranking 11th overall.
On the whole, Wisconsin's numbers improved enough to boost it into the top 10. Despite some of these changes, though, the state couldn't quite compete with the rest of the best states for homeowners. There are fewer foreclosures this year, but it's still one of the highest numbers in the top 10, second only to Utah. Wisconsin also holds the highest property tax rate and median annual property taxes in the top 10.
Data & Methodology
In order to find the best states for homeowners, SmartAsset looked at homeowner data for all states except Kansas due to a lack of data. We ranked each state according to the following metrics:
Average price per square foot. This metric provides the average price of a home in each state to help determine affordability. This data comes from Zillow.
Price appreciation. Using the numbers from the above metric, we looked at the change in home values between 2015 and 2016. This data also comes from Zillow.
Median-home-value-to-median-income ratio. To further demonstrate a state's affordability, we looked at how the median household income compares to the median home value. Both numbers come from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2015 American Community Survey (ACS) one year estimates.
Foreclosures per 10,000 homes. To get a better idea of a state's housing market climate, we included data on foreclosures. This data comes from RealtyTrac.
Property tax rate. We looked at each state's property tax rate. This data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2015 ACS one year estimate.
Median annual property taxes. Further, we looked at the average amount residents in each state pay in property taxes. This data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2015 ACS one year estimate.
Average closing costs. These numbers offer a look at the average amount residents in each state pay in closing costs. This data comes from Bankrate.
Average annual homeowners insurance. Another cost homeowners must consider is homeowners insurance. The numbers reflect ValuePenguin data from 2013.
Burglary rate. To include a safety metric, we pulled burglary numbers for each state. The numbers represent the average rate per 100,000 people. These numbers come from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
We began by assigning each metric a certain weight. We gave half weight to property tax rate, median annual property taxes, average closing costs and average annual homeowners insurance. All other factors received full weight.
We then ranked each state according to each of the nine metrics and averaged those rankings. Each state received an overall index score based on these rankings. The highest scoring state earned a 100, while the lowest earning state earned a score of 0.
The data analysis for this study was completed by Nick Wallace.
Questions about our study? Contact us at press@smartasset.com.
Photo credit: ©iStock.com/monkeybusinessimages
Lauren Perez, CEPF® Lauren Perez writes on a variety of personal finance topics for SmartAsset, with a special expertise in savings, banking and credit cards. She is a Certified Educator in Personal Finance® (CEPF®) and a member of the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. Lauren has a degree in English from the University of Rochester where she focused on Language, Media and Communications. She is originally from Los Angeles. While prone to the occasional shopping spree, Lauren has been aware of the importance of money management and savings since she was young. Lauren loves being able to make credit card and retirement account recommendations to friends and family based on the hours of research she completes at SmartAsset.
About Our Home Buying Expert
Have a question? Ask our Home Buying expert.
Michele Lerner
An award-winning writer with more than two decades of experience in real estate.


(1) You did not chose a level of leverage. See instructions for Closing Positions.
(2) Open orders are tying up funds which prevent some other orders from being placed, which may prevent orders to close positions from being placed.
Cancel all your open orders (even stop orders), and try again.


Network Working Group                                   P. Nikander, Ed.
is to define the requirements for Securing IPv6 Neighbor Discovery.
problematic due to key management problems .
involve routers while the operations in the latter category do.
initial focus of the SEND working group.
allow the client to authenticate the network.
considered suspicious to send falsified ND and RD messages.
creates a flood of bogus traffic at the victim host.
address.  The node can use that to populate its neighbor cache.
node receives a solicited-for advertisement message.
ND overwrites, instead requiring the old entry to time out first.
in RFC 2461 .  This threat is a redirect/DoS attack.
hosts, then disappear, thus covering its tracks.
lifetime is not reduced unless the packet was authenticated.
Section 6.3.6. of RFC 2461, does not contain such a rule.
attacker can use NS/NA spoofing even against off-link destinations.
discussion in Section 4.2.1, above.
suffix.  This is a DoS attack.
Requirements for Security in Mobile IPv6", Work in Progress.
Acknowledgments", Work in Progress, March 2002.
IPv6 Neighbor Discovery", Work in Progress, March 2003.