This mural, created by R.V. Payán, adorns the north wall of the Mayo Valley Water Users Association building, in Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico. It contains a good deal of symbolism that resonates with regional and national history, and is in Mexico's tradition of populist muralism that followed the 1910 Revolution. Water is portrayed as a connection, a link between diverse geographies, and as a substance whose management requires cooperation among a variety of social groups. Some of these groups are represented by the different people forming a kind of bucket-line relay, moving water from one place to the next using their cupped hands. In the center of the line are, on the left, a representative of Mexico's National Water Commission (Conagua), and, on the right, someone from the Water Users Association. Digging a little deeper into regional water politics, however, disturbs somewhat the harmonious picture of water management presented here. If you follow the different images in this post from top to bottom (on the mural, more or less the equivalent of moving left to right), you will see several earth movers in action. They are building a second dam and reservoir on the Mayo River, upstream from the original dam, built in the 1950s. The proposed new dam would displace several Guarijío indigenous communities upstream and has therefore been a source of controversy and struggle over the past three years. For more information, consult the Water User Association website and the Chiltepines blog. (Mural photographs taken by Jeffrey M. Banister, April 2014).
The New York Times recently published an opinion piece on the cost of big dam projects.
Beautiful photograph with it, lots of water spilling from the dam.
Have a read, and you may notice that the word water is not mentioned in the text once!
These are breathers, or ventilation chimneys — sometimes even called "burpers" — that are installed at regular intervals along the approximately 30 kilometer aqueduct built around the turn of the last century to bring potable water from Xochimilco to Mexico City (for more about this, click on Our Water Project in the nav bar). These aren't unique to the Xochimilco network, of course. New Yorkers also will find them along the Croton Aqueduct, for example. They allow air to be released from the subterranean pipes carrying water from its source (springs, reservoirs, etc.) to water distribution sites and ultimately to its users. They create a kind of water-engineering landscape.
Put this on your to do list: Look around your own neighborhood for signs of the history of the water you drink.


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Understanding CPI(M)
Author: Diptendra Raychaudhuri
Binding : HB
This book is about the history of the CPI(M). The Left is facing its severest political test in the country. It lost the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and doubts are being cast on whether it would be able to survive the West Bengal assembly polls in 2011. A careful reading will explain that the hope for regeneration for the CPI(M) appears almost lost. The party is in crisis as never before, with no single leader capable of reviving its past glory. The CPI(M) aligned with the Congress and weakened the forces that could have strengthened the Left's ideological direction. The proximity to the Congress gave birth to a neoliberal section, and it spelled doom for the party.
Diptendra makes an in-depth study of the situation and presents a rare insight into the failures of the Left party. The book challenges the conventional wisdom that a secular polity has developed in India in the last two decades to fight the communal forces. He has also explained how two groups, one led by Prakash Karat and the other by Sitaram Yechury–Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, are fighting a long-drawn battle to gain the party's control.
The conflict between PC Joshi and BT Ranadive was the genesis of the crisis that is haunting the CPI(M) even today, the book argues. It tries to find out why the party became so arrogant between 2004 and 2008 and why it failed to see the writings on the wall.
Born in 1964, Diptendra Raychaudhuri is a senior journalist, based in New Delhi. He worked as a political correspondent of Anandabazar Parika and is currently Political Editor with Kolkata TV.
His journalistic assignment, that included reporting on the Left Front parties, gave him a deep insight into the functioning of the Left and its predicaments. Some of his observations may infuriate the Left bosses of today, but the party cadre would testify to the vitality of the arguments presented. It must be remembered that Diptendra has written this book as an insider and has no qualms about admitting his closeness to the Left. The author's credentials as an author is already well established. His novel Seeing through the Stones—A Tale from the Maoist Land that later came as A Naxal Story... showed his brilliant understanding of the countryside and the way people were turning into Naxals. There too, he said a lot about the deficiencies of the CPI (M) and the Left movement in general.
Born and raised in Calcutta (Kolkata), Diptendra graduated from St Xavier's College in Political Science and completed his Masters in Sociology from University of Calcutta. He joined the Anandabazar Patrika in 1987.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Police open fire on IPOB in Ebonyi
Obinna Odogwu, Abakaliki
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has alleged that a detachment of joint-security team opened fire on their members at Ozibo in Ebonyi Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, last Sunday.
Though no lives were lost, Daily Sun gathered that several members of the pro-Biafra group were injured following the fracas that ensued when the security operatives stormed the Oguzoronweya Primary School, where the group was inaugurating its chapter.
IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu who broke the news via his twitter handle shortly after it happened. "A combined team of security operatives invaded the venue of IPOB gathering in Ebonyi and opened fire on innocent citizens. Early reports indicate many are seriously injured with some in critical condition," Kanu said.
When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Loveth Odah, a Deputy Superintendent Police, dismissed the IPOB's claim that police opened fire on them, and instead said that it was pro-Biafra group that allegedly attacked the police with gun and other dangerous objects.
She said that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Kpirikpiri Division escaped death by the whiskers when the IPOB members allegedly attacked them.
PDP, Atiku plotting to malign Supreme Court Justices –APC
Reps minority caucus reject planned military identification operation
2023: Tinubu best for Presidency, declare supporters in Ondo


The lidless flagon from the Five Dynasties (A.D. 907~960) was made over 1,000 years ago, but its design is still amazing. As the body and the lid are joined, the lid cannot be removed. The wine is injected into the flagon through a hole at the bottom of the pot — the eye of the plum flower — but it does not seep out of the hole. The pot doesn't only have this delicate function; its color, the patterns on the body, and its animal design all make it extraordinary.


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<< Previous article
Aug 1, 2007 Issue
Tips from Other Journals
Influenza Vaccination Improves Survival of Patients with CAP
Am Fam Physician. 2007 Aug 1;76(3):433.
Background: A significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States is infection secondary to influenza A and B viruses. These viruses are associated with the seasonal increase of influenza and pneumonia diagnoses, hospitalizations, and exacerbations of underlying chronic diseases. The primary prevention against influenza is annual vaccination. Studies have shown that influenza vaccination reduces all-cause mortality and hospitalizations in older persons and decreases work absences in younger persons. Other vaccines have been shown to provide attenuation of other illnesses, but influenza vaccine has not been evaluated concerning this issue. Spaude and colleagues assessed the effect of previous influenza immunization on outcomes in adults with community-acquired pneumonia.
The Study: The four-year study included adults admitted to one health care system during each influenza season (November through April) with the diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia. Data collected on admission were age, sex, medical history, nursing home residency, vital signs, clinical and radiographic findings, and laboratory values. The data were used to calculate the Pneumonia Outcome Research Team (PORT) score, which is a 5-point scale that predicts pneumonia outcomes. Patients who score 4 or 5 on the PORT scale are at significantly higher risk of in-hospital death. Information about influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations also was collected. The main outcome measure was in-hospital mortality.
Results: From 34 participating hospitals, 17,393 persons met the inclusion criteria. Of those with recorded vaccination status, 1,590 patients (19 percent) had received an influenza vaccination in the current or most recent influenza season. Those who reported receiving the vaccination were significantly less likely to die in the hospital of any cause than those who did not receive it (odds ratio = 0.30; 95% confidence interval, 0.22 to 0.41). After adjusting for the presence of other comorbidities and pneumococcal vaccination, this outcome remained significant. The reduction of all-cause mortality occurred in those with high or low PORT scores.
Conclusion: Influenza vaccination was shown to improve survival rates in patients hospitalized during the influenza season with community-acquired pneumonia. The authors add that this information, if confirmed by other studies, could be used to improve vaccination rates in adults at risk of community-acquired pneumonia.
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KARL E. MILLER, MD
Spaude KA, et al. Influenza vaccination and risk of mortality among adults hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia. Arch Intern Med. January 8, 2007;167:53–9.
Copyright © 2007 by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
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Home / Journals / afp / Vol. 76/No. 3(August 1, 2007) / Influenza Vaccination Improves Survival of Patients with CAP


text:
Q: python3 manage.py runserver for Django I can't run Django server and this is the problem :
MacBook-Pro-di-viv:vivsite viv$ python3 manage.py runserver
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "manage.py", line 10, in <module>
execute_from_command_line(sys.argv)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.5/site-packages/django/core/management/__init__.py", line 354, in execute_from_command_line
utility.execute()
 File "/usr/local/lib/python3.5/site-packages/django/core/management/__init__.py", line 303, in execute
settings.INSTALLED_APPS
 File "/usr/local/lib/python3.5/site-packages/django/conf/__init__.py", line 48, in __getattr__
self._setup(name)
 File "/usr/local/lib/python3.5/site-packages/django/conf/__init__.py", line 44, in _setup
self._wrapped = Settings(settings_module)
 File "/usr/local/lib/python3.5/site-packages/django/conf/__init__.py", line 92, in __init__
mod = importlib.import_module(self.SETTINGS_MODULE)
 File "/usr/local/Cellar/python3/3.5.1/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.5/lib/python3.5/importlib/__init__.py", line 121, in import_module
raise TypeError(msg.format(name))
TypeError: the 'package' argument is required to perform a relative import for '.settings'

I had this problem after this Python command line:
>>> settings.configure()

Can someone help me? Thanks!

A: I asssume that your settings file is called ".settings.py".
Did you try to rename it without starting by "." ?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


In business since 1991, Rick Levin & Associates, Inc. has conducted thousands of successful auctions nationwide and has contributed to the sale of nearly one billion dollars in assets.
For those new to Real Estate auctioning, Rick Levin has created a series of brief videos over-viewing the auction process. These insightful videos give sellers new to the concept of auctioning property an idea of how the entire process works, including the differences between Absolute Auctions, With Reserve Auctions and Minimum Bid Auctions.


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Safe in My Hands - Allstate LGBT Campaign with Eli Lieb's theme
A new animated short film, released to coincide with LGBT Pride Month, weaves an emotional tale of one man's quest to find someone who will accept him.
It's part of Allstate's #OutHoldingHands campaign, anchored on the simple yet meaningful hand-holding gesture and propelled by openly gay singer Eli Lieb's "Safe In My Hands."
Unlike other gay-themed ads, however, "Safe In My Hands" uses a unique metaphor as a stand-in for homosexuality: the ad's animated protagonist has an oversized hand which causes him to be ostracized from his peers while riding public transit and on the sports field. Fortunately, there's a happy ending in store for our big-handed hero.
In the short film, an animated version of Eli Lieb helps the lonely gentleman find love, grabbing his hand before both characters transform into their non-animated selves.
Everyone deserves to be in good hands!
Eli Lieb produced his debut album titled simply with his name
The first single "Young Love" was a really success
Hunk of the Month August: Josey Greenwell
Vote for Mr Gay World 2014
The Last Miss Spain Comes Out in Instagram Post
Over 1,400 same-sex couples married in England and...
Safe in My Hands - Allstate LGBT Campaign with Eli...
A Judge declares Florida's ban on Same-Sex Marriag...
Campus Pride Index 2014
Facebook gave $10K to an anti-gay politician
Prague Pride 2014
U.S. Mayors for the Freedom to Marry
Bishop of Buckingham supports same-sex marriage
NFL will have zero tolerance for use of anti-gay s...
SRS Gay Birthday
Equal Rights are Bigger than Borders
President Obama Welcomes 2014 Gay Games Participan...
The 2014 Gay Games are Coming
My Total Support to Alex Gala #NoHomophobes
Four U.S. State Bans of Same-Sex Marriage in the D...
Stockholm Pride 2014
Openly Gay U.S. Ambassador Marries Partner in Vien...
300 cycles riding for the Third Viet Pride in Hano...
A new Study Concludes that LGB Parents doing well
Gay Divers win Medals at C-wealth Games
Former GOP Rep. Mark Sanford Mulls 2020 WH Bid


Abstract—Among the compounds implicated as Environmental Endocrine Disruptors (EEDs), the most potent to alter the normal functions of the endocrine systems of organisms and humans are the natural and synthetic oestrogen. They are hydrophobic and ubiquitous and remain in the final effluents for the vast majority of sewage treatment plant. Land application of animal manures and sewage sludge as fertilizers has been reported to increase the amount of hormones in soil. However, the information on the factor that influences the occurrence of these compounds in this environmental compartment is limited. This study investigates the sorption affinity of these oestrogens on soils by determining its soil-water partition coefficient (Kd), sorption coefficient normalised to organic carbon (Koc) and octanol-water partition coefficient (Kow). In this study, different percentage of organic carbon was used. The results obtained shows that the Kow is a good predictor of sorption among contaminants as the affinity of oestrogens in soils is strongly dependent to their Kow values. This study also shows that the solid-water partition coefficient (Kd) of all oestrogens have good correlation to the organic carbon content. The calculated sorption coefficient normalised to organic carbon (Koc) indicate a strong association of all oestrogens with organic carbon. Therefore it is concluded that the organic carbon is pertinent to the sorption of oestrogens in soils.
Index Terms—Octanol-water partition coefficient (Kow), solid-water partition coefficient (Kd), sorption coefficient normalised to organic carbon (Koc), organic carbon, sorption affinity.
E. A. Aziz and N. A. Zainodin are with the University Malaysia Pahang, Lebuhraya Tun Razak, 26300 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia (e-mail: edriyana@ump.edu.my, nurulain@yahoo.com.my).
W. A. Wan Omar was with University Malaysia Pahang. She is now with Mara Polythecnic College University, Kuantan, Pahang Malaysia (e-mail: wan atikah@yahoo.com.my).
Mir Sujaul Islam was with National University of Malaysia (UKM). He is now with University Malaysia Pahang, Lebuhraya Tun Razak, 26300 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia (e-mail: mirsujaulislam@ump.edu.my).
Cite: E. A. Aziz, W. A. Wan Omar, N. A. Zainodin, and Mir Sujaul Islam, "The Role of Organic Carbon in Natural and Synthetic Oestrogens Sorption onto Soils," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development vol. 7, no. 7, pp. 520-524, 2016.


text:
package dtprogrammer.github.io.p122;

/**
 * 122. Best Time to Buy and Sell Stock II
 * http://dtprogrammer.github.io/122-best-time-to-buy-and-sell-stock-ii/
 */
public class Solution {
    public int maxProfit(int[] prices) {
        int maxProfit = 0;

        for (int i = 1; i < prices.length; i++) {
            if (prices[i] > prices[i - 1]) {
                maxProfit += prices[i] - prices[i - 1];
            }
        }
        return maxProfit;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Welcome to the NOVA International Schools website where we invite you to explore all that we offer in terms of an engaging and transformative experience for your child.
Our High School division caters for learners from 9th through to 12th grade. We believe that the future belongs to our students and as such, they form an integral part of designing learning for them, with them, through them.
Our curriculum is based on the Common Core Standards (adapted in some courses), and also offer the prestigious International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, the Advanced Placement Program, and traditional core programs alongside electives. The official language of instruction is English, and yet we honour the benefits that multilingualism has to offer. Our faculty, a healthy mix of both local and international educators, embrace the importance of remaining educationally relevant and exploring their own capacity as learners in order to facilitate authentic learning.
Our progressive environment acknowledges that we need to reinvent ourselves as often as the world around us changes. Our programs respond directly to student needs, and we acknowledge that holistic learning is at the forefront of our development as a community.
We welcome you to visit our campus and explore all that NOVA International Schools can extend to our community.


text:
Massachusetts Daily Collegian
Five College News
Env. & Tech.
Collegian Editorials
Op/Ed Girl
The Collegian News Hour
The Sports Editors
Emmi Beuger's Day Off
Scrolling Headlines
U.S. Senate candidate Shannon Liss-Riordan speaks to students at UMass
'I think we need new leaders in Washington who have the courage and the guts to take on these big powerful institutions'
Collegian File Photo
By Irina Costache, Assistant News Editor
U.S. Senate candidate Shannon Liss-Riordan spoke to students at the University of Massachusetts on Wednesday about her top issues for the upcoming 2020 race.
Liss-Riordan, who announced her candidacy in May and was the first challenger to Markey's seat, has spent the past 20 years as a labor lawyer "fighting in the trenches for workers." Prior to that, Liss-Riordan worked as an activist in the women's movement.
She recalled working for former U.S. Rep. Bella Abzug, a known feminist and civil rights advocate, during the infamous Anita Hill hearings, where hearings to confirm Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas were reopened after Hill brought allegations of sexual harassment against Thomas. Liss-Riordan described this as a "turning point" in her life.
"I saw this all-male Senate Judiciary Committee, staring down in Anita Hill who was trying to come forward to speak the truth about an experience that happened to her … and then watching how she was just basically ignored," Liss-Riordan said. "And so I took the opportunity to try to do something about it. I organized a conference on sexual harassment [and] brought together women's groups from all around New York."
During her work as a labor lawyer, Liss-Riordan gained the nickname of "Sledgehammer Shannon," as she was "sending [a] powerful force down on corporate America on behalf of working people." The candidate has fought in the courtroom on behalf of workers against corporations including Starbucks, FedEx, Uber, Amazon and American Airlines.
"I think that is the fight and power that we need in Washington today, because I think that working people are not getting a fair shake," she said.
"There are plenty of senators…who've been part of corporate America, or who are career politicians," she added. "I think we need someone who understands from the trenches what those battles would look like and how the laws need to be reshaped to make sure we have a fair playing field."
Continuing to speak of the influential role of these corporate powers in Washington D.C., Liss-Riordan said, "I think we need new leaders in Washington who have the courage and the guts to take on these big powerful institutions. I think it is of paramount importance that we get corporate money out of our political system."
"I am the only candidate in this race who can say that I've never taken a dime of corporate PAC money, and I never will."
Liss-Riordan also touched on the intersection between women's rights and workers' rights, saying that "workers' issues are women's issues."
"Women's issues are very central to my work and what I've done," she continued. "I fought against sex discrimination and against sexual harassment."
During the question and answer period, Liss-Riordan addressed her recent signing of the People's Pledge, a pledge that works to limit outside spending in the race. Liss-Riordan and Kennedy are the only two candidates in the race who have signed it thus far, to which she stated, "I'm disappointed that Sen. Markey hasn't signed it. I hope he will."
Also during the Q&A period, many attendees asked the candidate about her stance on other pressing national issues, during which she affirmed her support for common sense gun control and the repeal of the second amendment, loan forgiveness, single-payer health care and an overhaul of the current immigration system, among other issues.
The event was hosted by the UMass Democrats and is the first in what the group hopes to be a chain of talks with the candidates in the Massachusetts Senate race. According to Andrew Abramson, political director for the UMass Democrats and an economics and political science double major, the group is planning to host candidates Rep. Joe Kennedy and incumbent Sen. Ed Markey.
Timothy Ennis, president of the UMass Dems and a political science major, noted, "We have a competitive Senate race in Massachusetts for the first time since the 2012 Elizabeth Warren [and] Scott Brown race."
He continued, "We really want to give students at UMass the ability to interact with the people that are going to be representing them in the town of Amherst, whether that's meeting with our town elected officials statewide, or even on the national level, whether it be presidential candidates, or Senate candidates here in Massachusetts."
Irina Costache can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @irinaacostache.
Ed Markey
Shannon Liss-Riordan
UMass Democrats
UMass men's basketball can't overcome early deficit, late struggles in blowout loss to GW
Eagles power play too much for UMass to handle in 6-3 loss on Saturday
UMass accounting professor removed from classes until end of semester for 'offensive' extra credit videos
Women's basketball extends winning streak to 10 with 61-43 win over Saint Joseph's
Tre Mitchell finding rhythm as UMass men's basketball searches for consistency
Tweets by MDCollegian
The Massachusetts Daily Collegian
UMass prepares for potential snow days
'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' leaves plenty to be desired
Should we still be wearing Nike?
Women's basketball faces challenge in VCU on Thursday
Unlearning the romanticizing of MLK
Honors College appoints new Dean
This week at UMass: Monday, Jan. 20 to Sunday, Jan. 26
'1917' is a technical achievement for the ages
UMass comeback not enough as win streak ends at URI
UMass finishes off sweep of Vermont, wins 3-1 Saturday night
The Student News Site of University of Massachusetts – Daily Collegian


First of all, I want to tell you that I am writing this after finishing a work session at 4AM. Oh, the joys of the rural internet. I want you to know this because people often think that slowing down and living life a little simpler, means being rich or retired and actually, it's not.
For me and many others, slowing down and simplifying life is about taking nuggets of unnecessary, out of our day-to-day lives.
I wanted to show you how I apply it to my lifestyle and hopefully, it'll give you some simple ideas of your own.
Also known as minimalism but yet it conjures up images of getting rid of everything and living with the utter basics. That's great for some people but it doesn't work for everyone and I find it puts people off altogether- little changes make big impacts.
Minimalism is an ironic concept for someone who works in marketing right?!
Here are some real-life examples. For things I am going to use most days – I find myself seeking out stuff which cost me a bit more but lasts longer and because of that, I'm collecting less and less. I tend to shop with smaller businesses too because the quality overall is better.
Although it's not all perfect especially living with someone who can't help but acquire things we don't need (sorry Rik). The biggest challenge for us both will be moving into our 'Tiny Home' next year which will force us to get far more realistic about the desire for less.
Room for improvement: I would like to find out more about capsule wardrobes.
Modern culture promotes girl tribes, women bosses, miss independent and it's been a long time coming and much needed. However, I also think it forgot to tell us that it's OK that we can't and don't want to do everything ourselves.
I believe a good life is about asking for help and delegating.
It's a work in progress for me. For example, I totally have control issues about cooking food for everyone. I'm offered help but I'll refuse it even though I need it because I'm concerned it won't turn out how I want it to be.
Or a client will ask me to do something at ridiculous o'clock and I'll do it because I'm afraid they'll go elsewhere. That one, I have nipped in the bud and have been pleasantly surprised by setting boundaries.
I don't want a high flying career – I'm done with climbing the career ladder and try to do only things that brings me honest enjoyment.
Focusing on what I can give others – in terms of listening, a hug, advice or taking someone on an adventure instead of worrying how much I am being paid and what big and better gifts I can buy others.
Mindfulness is another confusing term like slow living that's been tossed around all over the internet. For me, it's one of the underlying principles which aids slower and simpler living.
It's the act of being in the present, being kind to yourself, nonjudgemental and engaging all of your senses in everyday life experiences.
Being mindful of thoughts, feelings and senses can help me to turn a crappy day into a better day.
Starting with a body scan (and I usually do this throughout the walk too): are boots tight enough? Am I at the right temperature? Do I need to go to the toilet? Am I hydrated enough? Are there any parts of my body I need to be gentle with? How am I feeling at the beginning, during and end?
Feeling the ground on my feet: taking full advantage of the earth's natural free- electrons and allowing my body to absorb them. I love walking barefoot on wet grass especially. People who walk barefoot have been found to be healthier, happier and more content with what they have.
Engaging my senses: listening past what I can hear in front of me, concentrating on a particular scene and picking out the finer details, foraging objects I feel drawn too, smelling the air and listening out for wind changes etc.
Another way I've learned how to channel mindfulness is through the seasons and learning about them. Little things like what vegetables and fruits are in seasons and what constellation and moon phases to look out for – I've had wonderful Mars gazing session this month since it's been sitting low and red in the black sky)! Feeling in tune with the ebb and flow of the seasons helps to put it all into perspective for me.
Room for improvement: I would like to engage in mindful eating more often.
I am reprogramming how I feel and think about achieving things. It's not uncommon to hear people say ' I want X because it will make me feel Y and have Z' and most of the time, it'll only bring 'happiness' for a small amount of time before we're aiming for something bigger and better.
My contribution is where I am at currently. I am asking myself how X will impact upon Y and Z for the better.
Instead of short-term fixes, I am focusing on altruistic processes that will also contribute to future generations.
Room for improvement: I would like to start using shampoo bars.
Since moving to the rural land, I have seen just how strong-willed these local communities are. Despite what's going on upstairs, the people around me are determined to make a better life for everyone and in doing so are inspiring others.
I truly believe that the community is and will be responsible for the big changes. I feel an engaged and happy community creates a more peaceful society and encourage members to demand and be better. I have been reading the Little Book of Lykke which is heavily based on this idea and has some insightful studies.
It's so easy to place blame on the outside world when a lot of good can come from our own doing.
My only advice for people looking to slow down is to pick at one nugget of unnecessary, at a time. Implement a slowed down version 'slowly' so you don't feel overwhelmed or start to worry that you're not doing enough of it.
I'd love to hear some of your simple and slow living tips so please feel free to comment below.
Yes, yes and yes. Beautifully put. And well done on your choice not to have children! My two sisters are the same but find themselves bombarded by questions about why not.
Absolutely, but you shouldn't have to say or justify that to anyone. People who say those things are best ignored. I obviously blog for people with kids but there are no judgements about people without them, and it IS helping the planet (so long as some of us keep procreating to avoid extinction)!!
I love tiny homes! 😊 I'd be genuinely interested to read about your adventures, as most of the tiny home blogs I read about are written by people in the U.S.


American Girl is a premium brand for girls and a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. the world's leading toy company. Since its inception in 1986, American Girl has been devoted to celebrating girls ages 3 to 12 through age-appropriate, high-quality dolls and accessories, books, clothes, movies, and unforgettable experiences. Best-selling lines include Truly Me (TM), Girl of the Year (TM), Bitty Baby (TM), and the classic historical character line BeForever.
You can earn a 5% commission by selling American Girl: Around the World Cookbook: Delicious Dishes from Across the Globe on your website. It's easy to get started - we will give you example code. After you're set-up, your website can earn you money while you work, play or even sleep! You should start right now!


The time needed for the treatment depends upon the condition and severity of the problem. We utilize laser therapy on incisions post operatively to aid in pain management and faster healing. These treatments are generally a one time treatment. Other one time laser therapy situations may apply to wound care of ulcerations or infections. However, with more chronic or severe pain, we will recommend a series of treatments. The treatment length will vary but most are approximately 3-8 minutes. Please allow at least 20 minutes per visit when scheduling. Our veterinarians will tailor the length of the series based upon the condition and the response. For example, for chronic low back pain, we may recommend 6 weekly treatments. Some chronic conditions such as arthritis may require ongoing treatments. If your cat has responded well to the laser, we may be able to keep the pain under control with monthly treatments. Laser treatment for cats are cumulative, so each additional treatment facilitates a greater improvement in your cat's condition. One of our veterinarians would be happy to help devise a sufficient laser treatment schedule based on your cat's needs.


Just a few days after we told you about a 1 in 30 million calico lobster being landed, a 1 in 2 million blue lobster was landed aboard the F/V Madi-Gail captained by Aaron Tibbets.
The blue lobster is a result of a genetic defect that causes the lobster to produce more of a certain protein than normal. Blue lobsters occur about one in every two million lobsters.


text:
Mai Morning Crew
Mai Days
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Concert & Events
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Mai Panui
Diddy delivers emotional eulogy at former partner Kim Porter's funeral
Headlines 26/11/2018
Earlier this month it was announced that actress and model Kim Porter was found dead in her LA home, she was 47. Porter was also the longtime girlfriend to Diddy, and the pair had 3 kids together. Desipte splitting up in 2007 the two remained close, which has become more evident than ever since her passing.
Her funeral took place over the weekend, and Diddy made sure to dedicate a heart-felt eulogy to his former love:
I can't put our relationship into a certain box...
Diddy's loving send-off was nearly 15-minutes long, and was a beautiful mix of humour and sincerity. One of the most poignant points he made was that during their relationship, which lasted from 1994 to 2007, she was the one to teach him how to love.
"From the top of the year, I was going through a real dark time," he continues, telling the story of how she helped him cope with depression earlier this year. "I was really depressed, and I don't know why [...] I just went through a dark dark time. She would come over [...] Even though we wasn't together like that, she was that type of person. It's hard to love someone when you ain't with them."
Catch the full eulogy up above:
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There they made Him a super, and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.
Then Mary took a pound of a very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
But one of His disciples, Judas. Iscariot, Simon's son, who would be tray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"
"Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."
Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.
For these reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.
"... we all take up Your Cross and say: Blessed is He that comes in the Name of the Lord... "
The Gospel passage read to us in today's Liturgy, which we are meditating, warns us about the feelings of triumph in the temporal life. In themselves they are not harmful. But, only so if we do not lose sight of its perspective. The glory of triumph in this temporal life has a reason, a cause. The person who triumphs is the one who excels, who surpasses the others, overwhelming them with something for their benefit for which they become, even remotely, indebted. The triumph is a public recognition. In the case of the triumphant entrance of Jesus in Jerusalem, the public recognize their indebtedness to Jesus, not only for his teaching, but, moreover, for his works of healing, of feeding the crowds, and, the acme of brilliancy, the resurrection of the dead Lazarus. Who could ever do for the people what Jesus had been doing?
"Blessed is the King of Israel that comes in the name of the Lord"
Every time we begin a service we do so proclaiming Christ our King and, therefore, submitting to his authority: "Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ our King and our God. " Every time we set ourselves to pray we chose that obedience, that submission to Christ. Without this choice of obedience to Christ we are not his disciples: "not every one who says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of the Father which is in heaven" (Mt. 7:21).
The Holy Mother Church in today's Liturgy places for us the triumphant entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem in the context of his contemporaries. That is "the people that was with him when he called Lazarus out of the grave and raised him from the dead"
This people were a very mixed bunch. Some were very pro-Jesus, some very anti- Jesus. However, they were all witnesses of the resurrection ofLazarus. Unfortunately, even some of those pro-Jesus were "not for Jesus' sake" but for the brilliance of the event, that is the raising from the dead of Lazarus after four days in the grave. The chief priests and their ftiends, eaten by the hate of envy and rancour, witnessed for the destruction of Jesus, and also of Lazarus. Among the ftiends of Jesus doubts and disapproval, up to Judas with his hidden agenda and later betrayal.
The Holy Mother Church asks us now to look into our hearts and ask the question What kind of attitude towards Jesus have I? What kind of King is He for me? Therefore, what kind of subject am 1 to Him? Or, put it in other words, what kind of Christian life am I living during my temporal life? If I am carrying my cross every day, then, I may enter into the Holy and Great Week, carrying the Cross of the Lord, and rejoicing in His Resurrection with the hope of mine.
©Protopresbyter Kyrillos Leret-Aldir. Sermon for Palm Sunday: Jn 12: 1-18, April 1999.


text:
Concerns over Balearic economic slowdown
Biel Company of the PP has expressed his concern at the report's findings. | EFE
Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma22/08/2019 04:01
The leader of the Partido Popular, Biel Company, yesterday expressed his concern over the findings of a report by the Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility whoich reveals that the Balearic economy grew more slowly than in other regions in the second quarter with the exception of Castile-La Mancha. Growth was 0.2% of GDP compared with a Spanish average of 0.5%.
Speaking yesterday, he said that during the debate for the 2019 budget, the PP had pointed to there being just two per cent growth this year.
However, the "acolytes" of President Armengol maintained that it would be 2.7%. "Unfortunately, we were right."
Company added that when Armengol became president in 2015 there was four per cent growth. "This year, we'll be getting two per cent," he observed, while also questioning what the minister for the economic model and employment, Iago Negueruela, had been doing for the past four years.
This is because the minister has now announced measures to stimulate the economy. In Company's view, the government passed legislation designed to slow the economy.
Examples of this were tourism legislation, which had previously facilitated investment, and farming and land laws.
With the decrease in growth, Company continued, "people will be going on the dole".
In fact, he claimed, there are hoteliers who are giving employees holidays during high season. "These problems are thanks to Señor Negueruela and Señora Armengol."
The authority monitors public-sector economic and financial performance. Its latest report shows that annual growth in the Balearics (June this year compared with June 2018) was two per cent. The national average was 2.5%.
The Balearic government says that the authority's figures are correct and that they reflect a normalisation and maturation of the economic cycle.
The finance ministry explains that there has been cumulative growth of 14.1% over the past five years, the highest since the introduction of the euro.
A brake now being applied to growth represents a normalisation of the cycle.
The ministry also notes that the Balearic economy was one of the first to start to grow after the 2008 financial crisis.
Parliamentary spokesperson Antonio Costa believes that this normalisation is a clear indication of economic deceleration. He suggests that the government is behaving like in 2008, when a PSOE-led administration did not want to admit to impending crisis. "This deceleration is very concerning, especially as the government is insisting in not taking urgent measures."
Costa adds that while the economy is cooling, there are parties in government (Més) which are talking of the need for there to be "de-growth". "The government is not taking the problem seriously, and the consequences could be serious."
Antonio Costa
Balearics economy
Biel Company
John Reeves | over 3 years ago
Agree with Stan. Would also point out that prices in Mallorca have risen way above inflation. It is now a very expensive place to come and food and drink is getting on a par with London prices. Quality is not that great though. Eventually people vote with their feet.
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STAN | over 3 years ago
Last year Mallorca and The Tourist Board were repeatedly warned that Tourists could go to other destinations. For exampe, Turkey is a good deal as the Tourist receives a much better exchange rate against the Pound. The strong possibility of a No Deal Brexit and the substantial fall of the Pound against the Euro is causing a greater reduction of British Tourism.


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Mandarin Lesson 1 你是学生吗? Are you a student?
Mandarin Lesson 2 我很喜欢中国。 I really like China.
Mandarin Lesson 3 我认识杨先生。I know Mr. Yang.
Mandarin Lesson 4 王小姐去市场。Ms. Wang is going to the market.
Mandarin Lesson 5 你在家吗? Are you at home?
Mandarin Lesson 6 你的朋友是哪里的人? Where is your friend from?
Mandarin Lesson 7 我们的大学小。Our university is small.
Mandarin Lesson 8 你的朋友英语说得很好。Your friend speaks English really well.
Mandarin Lesson 9 你会说普通话? Do you know how to speak Mandarin?
Mandarin Lesson 10 这是我的朋友, 郑先生。This is my friend Mr. Zheng.
Mandarin is a tone language--that is, different pitch patterns actually distinguish one word from another. Mandarin has no irregular verbs or noun plurals to learn, because words have only a single form. Because Mandarin is completely unrelated to any European language, you may think it might be difficult to develop your vocabulary. However, it really is not that difficult. Why? The reason is that the meanings of many words consisting of two or more characters can be inferred from the meanings of the characters or even the roots of individual characters. So, your vocabulary can rapidly expand when you have grasped the basic characters and character roots.


085 – Second sword severs karma!
Chapter 85: Second sword severs karma!
[Secrets of the hundred and eight thousand heaven's will] is one of the best technique in the world. It is the foundation that the Cui family used to stand at the top of all the noble families in the kingdom for thousands of years.
Facing the 'Sword of Tribulation', it is difficult to pass your tribulation. This describes the fearsomeness and power of the Cui family's 'Sword of Tribulation.
However, 'Sword of Tribulation' is only a branch, a flower, the fruit that is borned at the end.
[Secrets of the hundred and eight thousand heaven's will] is the backbone, is the soul, is the important foundation that penetrates deep into the soil to constantly deliver nutrients to the branches and tree trunk.
[Secrets of the hundred and eight thousand heaven's will] is divided into nine stages, Cui Zhaoren only trained up to the fifth stage. Yet even at the fifth stage he's one of the strongest in West Wind Kingdom. After taking over the Monitor Department of the kingdom for merely three years, he has impressive achievements in military service, thus is highly favored by the West Wind Royal family.
He's only at his twenties but is at a height that many people would never be able to reach in their life. In the Cui family, there are also quite a number of people who's in their forties, fifties or approaching old age that still have difficulties in passing the third stage to step into the more advanced and mysterious intermediate stages.
Li Muyang wants Cui Zhaoren dead, Cui Zhaoren also has the same thought.
The instant the sound of his sword could be head, the heaven sword in his hands had already duplicated into countless numbers aiming to completely envelop Li Muyang.
Cui Zhaoren is not Su Rong; with Su Rong's 'Move Mountain Fist' there's five fake and one real, with only one punch that could be fatal.
With Cui Zhaoren's hundred thousand figures, every one of them is fake but everyone of them was also real.
You have to obstruct each sword, even if a single sword were not blocked, you would be slashed into dust.
One person to withstand hundred thousands enemy; one person to block hundred thousand swords. How could someone be able to?
Hundred thousand of figures joined together into one, covering over half the sky. The qi of the hundred thousand of long swords, able to move unhindered, unexpectedly blocked the rainstorm and thunder.
Heavy rains could not enter, thunders could not rumble. The entire area became a vacuum-packed zone.
In other areas dark clouds were still rolling in, lightning streaked across and thunder crackling. Whereas, the inside was in a state of darkness, tranquility, without any noise or disturbance at all.
The power of his sword could dazzle the Starry Sky.
Sword of Tribulation severs the bonds of the world!
'Sword of Tribulation' is one of the most elite sword techniques, also the one that Cui Zhaoren was most skilled in controlling.
Li Muyang's body was still suspended in the air, emitting an aura as if he had experienced great change iin his life and coldness that seemed to be from the ice age.
His blood-red eyes staring at the hundred thousand shadows with a slight puzzled expression why is there a familiar feeling?
He tried his best to think, but still can't identify where that feeling came from.
That feeling was an incredibly wonderful feeling, but at the same time also brought distress to Li Muyang.
Because it had the ability to make Li Muyang feel confused—–as if he does not know who he really was.
Li Muyang felt the oppression, from the inside to the outside, also from the inside to the outside.
Outside was the power of the sword, inside was fear.
Li Muyang felt this sword is terrifying, a sword which is able to cut off his past.
He was turned into a sphere inside the tornado – either he would be turned into patty or torn to pieces by the two powerful forces at any time.
Black hair flutters, white robe surges.
The charcoal trash a few months ago now have the ability to duel with one of the strongest person in the kingdom.
Li Muyang closed his eyes.
The scales that surfaced away from the body, suspended on the top of Li Muyang's head were like the corners of black ink stones.
Outside they emitted a glamorous luster, sparkling and dazzling.
On closer look, was a tiny bolt of lightning tightly bound inside. It dashed around in all directions, yet was still difficult for it to break through.
The black robe and the shadows of sword completely shrouded Li Muyang, Li Muyang disappeared completely in the midst of the sky.
Looking up, Cui Zhaoren already transformed into countless deities. As far as the eye could see, the sky was covered with his silhouette.
A beam of light rocketed into the sky, the entire river was shining as bright as day.
No, at this time of the day the sun was still blazing, just because the weather changed drastically, rain bucketing down, so day and night were reversed, a bright day turned into a dark night.
Because of the tremendous sound of activity, the scene also too shocking and terrifying, even those scholars and travelers swimming away for their life with their wooden planks in the river raised their head, stared with astonishment across their faces. They don't know what the hell happened.
Since the luminescence was too dazzling, the entire area became a golden colour.
As far as the eye could see, half the sky became golden.
Li Muyang disappeared; Cui Zhaoren who transformed into hundred thousand images also disappeared.
The gold colour was like solidified paint, it did not disappear even in the beating of the wind and rain.
Only time is able to completely erase it.
As time goes by, the golden luminescence gradually faded and then finally vanished.
The sky once again resumed its darkness, with heavy rain and dark clouds rolling across the sky.
Li Muyang was missing, Cui Zhaoren also disappeared.
Movements and noise appeared on the surface of the river, Cui Zhaoren wearing a black robe covering his whole body and tightly grasping a sword in his hand leapt up from the depths of the river.
He once again at a standstill in the sky, his cheeks as cold as iceberg and his face as beautiful as jade, with wisps of blood at the corner of his mouth.
Cui Zhaoren pulled out a white handkerchief from his pocket, carefully wiped the bloodstain on the corner of his mouth.
Then, he released the silk handkerchief in his hand, the white silk handkerchief was immediately drenched by the heavy rain and then swept away by the violent winds to some unknown place.
The area where Li Muyang was located was also unknown to him.
Li Muyang is gone, this outcome made Cui Zhaoren extremely worried.
He did not disappear because he's dead, but vanished when he was still alive.
Cui Zhaoren could feel it, Li Muyang is not dead.
Just as his sword severed the bonds of the world, squeezing Li Muyang into a small white dot from all sides, he thought his sword had dissolved all his concern, henceforth he would have no more worries.
However, when his sword came into contact with Li Muyang's body, as the power of his swords joined forces to destroy Li Muyang and crush him into dust, the black stone suspended in front of Li Muyang suddenly sped up spinning and abruptly exploded.
A bolt of lightning broke out, bringing along with it an explosive force towards Cui Zhaoren.
Regardless, the power was overwhelming and astonishing; an irresistible force.
Overbearing, it pierced through the gap between the numerous figures, like a rogue lightning it collided against the countless Cui Zhaoren, causing them to scatter and smash into nothing in a flash.
It ravaged the sky, the swords that Cui Zhaoren managed to connect together after much difficulty were utterly destroyed.
It came abruptly, yet was mighty and powerful.
Cui Zhaoren fully exerted the power of his sword yet still found it difficult to resist this force, he intended on avoiding the sharp points, but the collision between the qi of his sword and the lightning caused an explosion and the aftermath was that he was beaten to the bottom of the great river.
However, where did Li Muyang go?
Cui Zhaoren remained on the alert, waiting for Li Muyang to reappear.
He knew he would return.
Li Muyang fell from a great height.
He slowly descended from the distance and the high altitude.
He once again stopped over in front of Cui Zhaoren.
This sort of way of appearance made Cui Zhaoren, a person who's sensitive about losing face, extremely discontent, it even made him felt a strong awareness of crisis.
He's the person who's most clear of the power of the big explosion, yet that person was able to calmly rise to the sky and not be affected by the aftermath?
Only with this point, it is clear he's higher than him by more than one realm.
"But, what realm is he in?" Cui Zhaoren wanted to curse. Can't nicely talk? Can't nicely answer my question? You don't know what realm you're in——Don't tell me ghost would know?
"When? Where?" Cui Zhaoren's expression was full of doubt. In all honesty, this was the first time he talked with Li Muyang, the first time he met him. When did he kill him?
If he was not successful in killing him last time, would he do such a stupid thing this time?
At least he would bring together an assemblage of talented individuals or some of the strongest in his clan to ambush him.
"You did not succeed." The corner of Li Muyang's mouth slightly raised, gave a mocking smile.
He does not like to be sneered at, although he often ridiculed others. If the Monitor Department did not frame an innocent person, would they still be called the Monitor Department? Is there a need for them to exist?
He does not like to be looked down on. As a young master of the Cui family, a prestigious family, his eyes are usually on the top of his head, he only looks at the moon, stars and the milky way, who would wish to take notice of those dirt?
Li Muyang did two of his most hated actions.
"I must kill him." Cui Zhaoren thought to himself.
"Sword of Tribulation." Cui Zhaoren answered.
"————" Cui Zhaoren was on the verge of snapping.
Stop acting like a pretentious prick, there's no way for us to be opponents if you continue doing so.
Just how old are you? You have the nerve to say you lived for too long, read too many books?
Do you think I'm a mentally handicapped child?
"I can't stop you from leaving." Li Muyang sighed.
Why do i feel like he is just an idiot?
I will be a tad disappointed if Zhaoren does not die at some point in this fight since he is just that outmatched.
So looking forward to more of this.
Triple release!!! When I read this,sometimes the dialogues feel realllly brilliant.


FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) -- Remembering snow etiquette when dealing with harsh winter storms in the Valley.
The season started with just a few inches of snow and now it's covering homes across the region. Some snow plowing owners like Nathan Schaefer have been busy plowing the streets of Fargo and Moorhead. He says that one thing that he's seen is people dumping snow into the road.
"You're not supposed to be plowing into any of the streets in town. We're not supposed to push up on the boulevards, it comes with a fine for the city. There's some city ordinances against it," said Schaefer.
The Fargo Police Department says there's a $100 fine involved if a contractor dumps or pushes snow on someone's property. However, this isn't the only thing to keep in mind as winter progresses. Schaefer said you should take other precautions like cleaning off the roof of your car.
"If they're driving down the interstate and you get a chunk of ice that comes off the roof that has frozen over time and flies off, it can crack a windshield, it can cause an accident," said Schaefer.
It's also important to think of others like the mailman. The United States Postal Service released a map showing you the best way to clear a route to your mailbox. It demonstrates creating a curve big enough for them to fit.
"A lot of the mail trucks are only two-wheel drive. If you have a lot of snow in front of your mailbox, they're going to have a tough time getting in and out to get you your mail," said Schaefer.
These are only a few things to keep in mind when the next winter storm hits.


text:
Home enews six Cannabis Regulators Association Adds Five State Members
Cannabis Regulators Association Adds Five State Members
The Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA) has announced that regulators from five additional states have joined the organization.
CANNRA seeks to provide government jurisdictions with data to help make informed decisions when considering whether or how to legalize or expand regulated cannabis.
State cannabis regulators from Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia and Montana have joined the nonpartisan group that provides a forum for policy makers, elected officials, researchers, and other stakeholders to engage with regulators from across the country and receive information and recommendations regarding the impact and implementation of cannabis policies.
"The Cannabis Regulators Association is pleased to welcome state regulators from Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, and Montana as our newest members," says Andrew Brisbo, CANNRA Vice President and Executive Director of the Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency. "Their experiences regulating cannabis will significantly contribute to CANNRA's work identifying and developing best practices that safeguard public health and safety, and promote regulatory certainty for industry participants" he said.
Regulators overseeing medical cannabis programs in Connecticut, Florida, and Georgia, and those working to establish recently legalized adult-use industries in Arizona and Montana join their counterparts from Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah and Washington — bringing the total number of member states to 24.
CANNRA also shared the organization's regulatory priorities, each of which will have a corresponding special committee to gather data, engage with relevant stakeholders, and spearhead policy development in each identified area. Special committees will be comprised of CANNRA members who specialize in that particular regulatory area in their home jurisdiction. Special Committees announced include:
Special Committee on Social and Economic Equity
Special Committee on Analytical Testing and Product Safety
Special Committee on Public Education, Awareness, and Youth Prevention
Special Committee on Public Health and Safety Monitoring and Surveillance
Special Committee on Packaging, Labeling, Advertising, and Marketing
Special Committee on Energy and Environmental Policy
Special Committee on Medical Use and Clinical Research
Special Committee on Cannabinoid Hemp
Special Committee on Municipal and County Regulation and Coordination
Special Committee on Licensing, Inspections, Compliance, and Enforcement
Special Committee on Banking, Finance, and Insurance
Special Committee on Market Structure and Taxation
Special Committee on Impaired Driving and Workplace Safety
Special Committee on Federal Policy and Engagement
Special Committee on Interstate Coordination
"CANNRA's committee structure will leverage our member's specific expertise and unique experiences tackling common issues," says CANNRA President Norman Birenbaum. "Each committee will engage with relevant subject matter experts and regulatory partners to further policy development and data collection for each committee's area of focus."


Get alertedif Stephen A. Brigido, Chairman, Sab gets funded!
Some of the profile information was collected using the Crunchbase API. For more details on the profile, please check Stephen A. Brigido, ... on Crunchbase.


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What is Grief & Loss in Crisis Situations?
These days, most people spend more of their time within their communities. People who dwell together in their communities may become close like an extended family. Therefore when a colleague dies or one is grieving a death or a loss, the impact on his/her friends can be tremendous and can influence the communities in a variety of ways. Communal development can be compromised and the dynamics of the community can change. When the death is unexpected, in a violent act or an accident as in the case of the mudslide and flooding in Freetown Sierra Leone, the grief response can be quite traumatic for the survivors, further impacting community progress.
Each person's experience of loss and each grief response is unique. However there are some common feelings and symptoms often experienced by the grieving. These include: sadness, betrayal, anxiety, fear, mistrust, irritability, guilt, anger, tension, depression, and loss of confidence. Grieving people often develop physical symptoms such as abdominal pain, headaches, insomnia, fatigue, changes in appetite, increased drug or alcohol use, restlessness, absentmindedness, and poor concentration. These emotions and symptoms of grief response can significantly impact a person's ability to function.
Thus, grief can upset communities' progress and hamper community members' relationships. When a community member experiences a loss or an illness their ability to deal with the grieving process can become even more prolonged if the person does not feel aided by his/her family, friends and community members. Those who feel cared for and supported are more likely to have improved recovery.
Responding to issues of loss?
• Accept that grief is a normal response to loss and healing takes time.
• Anticipate that there will be time when the grief recurs and you may be overcome with the intense emotions anew.
• Be cognizant of special dates—holidays, anniversaries, and birthdays.
• Realize that not everyone is comfortable dealing with grief. Friends and loved ones may not be able to handle your grief response.
• Search out supportive people who will listen to your story of grief.
• Find other creative ways of coping with the loss.
• Share your feelings with friends and family.
• Acknowledge the grief process of that individual.
• Let the person know you empathize with the impact of their loss.
• Expect tears and sadness.
• Express sympathy openly and from the heart—whether in person or in writing.
• Expect to listen to the story of the grieving colleague again and again.
• Respect the grieving person's desire for privacy. Honor closed doors and silence in conversation.
• Offer specific and appropriate assistance—cooking a meal, caring for children, helping with shopping or other errands.
• Accept less than their best performance from their normal activities for a while, but expect a return to the best over time.
• Arrange for a meeting. This gives family members and community members the opportunity to grieve and share their feelings. Sudden, accidental or violent deaths as in the case of flooding and mudslides may require additional times for people to talk.
• Those who were particularly close with the deceased may need additional support.
• If appropriate, choose someone to serve as the family liaison to organize and spare head funeral plans – including expression of sympathy be it flowers, cards, or donations, etc.
• Create a condolence book.
• Collect money for a charitable donation.
• Attend the funeral or memorial service.
• Immediately acknowledge the death and demonstrate support for the grieving person – Can make some financial contributions (based on need).
• A representation could be made at the funeral/memorial service.
• Providing some flexibility for any negative response due to the impact of the loss.
• Being patient and understanding that the grieving process takes time and that the friends and family members will not quickly "snap out of it" will also help.
• Let the person grieve in his or her own way. If the person finds working to be therapeutic, do not lighten the workload.
• If the grieving person is slow to move back into normal routine work, try to ease his/her workload.
• Accept that the grieving person's moods may be changeable for some time. It helps to be aware that intense feelings can suddenly re-emerge which are beyond the person's control.
• Expect tears. They are a normal part of the grieving process.
• Avoid being judgmental of however the individual grieves. Some people may become numb and the grieving process is delayed for weeks or even months after the death.
• Respect the grieving person's privacy, need for solitude and confidentiality.
• Watch out for other family or community members. Old memories, feelings and grief may be triggered as a result of the co-worker's loss. It may be necessary to honor the old grief separately from the newly grieving person.
• Be careful in sharing stories of your own losses unless you're certain the person can tolerate it.


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Biology determines much of the way we live. From the moment we're born we know how to breathe and eat. As we grow older new instincts kick in. We become territorial. We learn to compete. We seek shelter. Most important of all, we reproduce. Sometimes biology can turn on us though. Yeah, biology sucks sometimes.
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Working as a registry allows Griswold Home Care to offer its clients more flexibility and gives clients and their families the opportunity to partner more closely with their caregivers to set the schedule for their care. If this idea appeals to you, then Griswold—with its standard homemaker and personal care offerings, and its willingness to adapt to different care situations—is certainly worth contacting if they serve your area.
Everyone experiences threats to their independence as they get older, whether those threats come through injury, illness, or the general loss of function that accompanies aging. Many people respond by giving up their independence and moving into assisted living, but more and more seniors are choosing to age in place—to remain in their homes and look for ways to preserve their independence. That's where Griswold Home Care comes in: like other home care agencies, it links clients with home caregivers and other professionals who can help with all the things necessary to keep seniors healthy and improve their quality of life.
Griswold Home Care was founded in 1982, making it one of the oldest major home care agencies currently operating in the US. Based in Pennsylvania, it now has nearly 200 locations across the country. Like a few home care agencies, Griswold screens its caregivers, but doesn't directly employ them: instead, they facilitate as the client and the caregiver set up a contractual relationship on their own.
Not every caregiver was happy about this approach: on online job review sites like Glassdoor and Indeed, there were scattered complaints about caregivers having to do their own taxes and work independently. Most employees, however, seemed satisfied: Griswold received some of the highest employee ratings of all the home care agencies we looked at, and nearly 70% of employees who reviewed the company on Glassdoor said that they would recommend the company to their peers.
Griswold offers a suite of what it calls "Homemaker Services" which include all the help a senior living alone might need to maintain their independence, including laundry and light housekeeping, running errands and providing transportation, pet and plant care, and meal planning and preparation.
Griswold also offers personal care services, which include everything from basic hygiene to skin care to assistance with toileting and help for bedridden clients.
In addition, Griswold offers care for those with a variety of needs, from sporadic respite care to relieve caregivers who need a rest, to live-in and 24-hour care for clients who need more intensive supervision. Griswold also offers help for those receiving hospice and palliative care and provides private-duty caregivers for people who want to augment the care they receive in a hospital, rehabilitation facility, or assisted living environment.
As noted elsewhere, Griswold operates more as a middleman—they use a registry system in which the company narrows down their list of caregivers and recommends a selection of them to the client. The client then chooses their caregiver and contracts with them directly. While some might prefer to rely on an agency for their care, many find that cutting out the middleman can help the client find a longer-term care relationship, and can give both clients and caregivers more flexibility in the hours they contract for and the schedule they choose to maintain.
Since Griswold locations work as registries, there's an understandable focus on the providers among the reviews, with an overwhelming number of customers expressing appreciation and gratitude for the quality of care they received. There were a few complaints about individual caretakers, but again, no more than one would expect in comparison with Griswold's competition.
The same could be said of the way clients regarded the office administration. There were a few isolated issues with the registry system, with some clients expressing dissatisfaction with their caregivers and wishing the local office had played a more active role in resolving disputes, but again the vast majority of reviewers felt that the local office had served them well by putting them in touch with compassionate and professional caregivers.
Given the potential vulnerabilities in the registry system, one might expect to see more complaints about punctuality or reliability among caregivers, but apart from the isolated issues mentioned previously, Griswold's customers seemed to find the independent caregivers they dealt with to be as trustworthy and dependable as those from any other company, a sign that Griswold's screening process does a good job of selecting home care workers.
As a registry, Griswold commonly suggests an hourly rate to its clients, who may then do some negotiating directly with their caregivers; Griswold earns money in the process by charging an office fee per hour worked—a fee that, ideally, is less than companies working as agencies would add to their hourly rates in order to cover overhead. In our survey of locations, we found that despite working through a different system, the cost for Griswold caregivers were right in line with the local rates as assessed in the Genworth Cost of Care survey.
The registry system means that certain other aspects of the cost of care are up for negotiation as well. Locations generally "suggest" a four hour minimum visit, but it's possible that, depending on the caregiver, shorter visits could be feasible. It's essential, though, to be prepared to work out these details with the caregivers themselves.
Griswold's caregivers are prepared to provide the full range of services needed by seniors living at home, and the company offers these services on a live-in and 24-hour basis, as well as in hospice situations. Interestingly, most Griswold offices operate as registries, rather than agencies, offering people looking for home care the opportunity to work directly with the people serving them—a boon for those looking for longer-term arrangements and more flexibility. If you're in the market for home care, and hoping to establish a long-term relationship with one or more caregivers, Griswold is worth a look.


While we were all out doing our Christmas shopping, the highest court in the land quietly put the kibosh on a few more of the remaining shards of human liberty.
Here's how the bad deal went down. After hearing passionate arguments from the Obama Administration, the Supreme Court acquiesced to the president's fervent request and, in a one-line ruling, let stand a lower court decision that declared torture an ordinary, expected consequence of military detention, while introducing a shocking new precedent for all future courts to follow: anyone who is arbitrarily declared a "suspected enemy combatant" by the president or his designated minions is no longer a "person." They will simply cease to exist as a legal entity. They will have no inherent rights, no human rights, no legal standing whatsoever — save whatever modicum of process the government arbitrarily deigns to grant them from time to time, with its ever-shifting tribunals and show trials.
This extraordinary ruling occasioned none of those deep-delving "process stories" that glut the pages of the New York Times, where the minutiae of policy-making or political gaming is examined in highly-spun, microscopic detail doled out by self-interested insiders. Obviously, giving government the power to render whole classes of people "unpersons" was not an interesting subject for our media arbiters. It was news that wasn't fit to print. Likewise, the ruling provoked no thundering editorials in the Washington Post, no savvy analysis from the high commentariat — and needless to say, no outrage whatsoever from all our fierce defenders of individual liberty on the Right.
…Channeling their predecessors in the George W. Bush administration, Obama Justice Department lawyers argued in this case that there is no constitutional right not to be tortured or otherwise abused in a U.S. prison abroad.
The Obama administration had asked the court not to hear the case. By agreeing, the court let stand an earlier opinion by the D.C. Circuit Court, which found that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act – a statute that applies by its terms to all "persons" – did not apply to detainees at Guantanamo, effectively ruling that the detainees are not persons at all for purposes of U.S. law.
The Constitution is clear: no person can be held without due process; no person can be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment. And the U.S. law on torture of any kind is crystal clear: it is forbidden, categorically, even in time of "national emergency." And the instigation of torture is, under U.S. law, a capital crime. No person can be tortured, at any time, for any reason, and there are no immunities whatsoever for torture offered anywhere in the law.
"Another set of claims are dismissed because Guantanamo detainees are not 'persons' within the scope of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act – an argument that was too close to Dred Scott v. Sanford for one of the judges on the court of appeals to swallow," he added.
The Dred Scott case was a decision by the United States Supreme Court in 1857. It ruled that people of African descent imported into the United States and held as slaves, or their descendants — whether or not they were slaves — were not protected by the Constitution and could never be citizens of the United States.
And now, once again, 144 years after the Civil War, we have established as the law of the land and the policy of the United States government that whole classes of people can be declared "non-persons" and have their liberty stripped away — and their torturers and tormentors protected and coddled by authority — at a moment's notice, with no charges, no defense, no redress, on nothing more than the suspicion that they might be an "enemy combatant," according to the arbitrary definition of the state.
Barack Obama has had the audacity to declare himself the heir and embodiment of the lifework of Martin Luther King. Can this declaration of a whole new principle of universal slavery really be what King was dreaming of? Is this the vision he saw on the other side of the mountain? Or is not the nightmarish inversion of the ideal of a better, more just, more humane world that so many have died for, in so many places, down through the centuries?
READ 2015: SOTU: Is Obama's New Progressive Agenda Too Little, Too Late?
Is Your State Government Trying to Expose Your Family to More Arsenic, Lead & Mercury Pollution?


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Cyber Experts Talk Trends
By Holly Gilbert Stowell
Print Issue: June 2014
Companies are focusing on several trends in the coming year, including the fallout from government surveillance, new public-private partnerships, and the threat of cyberattacks.
The global economy loses up to $400 billion annually to malicious cyber activity, according to a 2013 report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In today's world of virtual business, cyber companies around the globe are focused on solving the expensive problem of cybercrime to better serve their customers.
There are several trends that enterprises and consumers should understand to better protect their data. Several cybersecurity companies shared their thoughts with Security Management on the current state of cybersecurity and how the past year's events have had an impact on the industry. The National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance program, public-private partnerships, and shifting methods of cybercrime top the list of trends.
NSA surveillance. At the opening event of the RSA 2014 Conference, which was held in San Francisco in February and deals in all things cybersecurity, executive chairman of RSA Art Coviello said in his keynote speech that personal information is the new currency that cybercriminals are after, and that governments have a responsibility to protect the information of their citizens. "Governments have a duty to create and enforce a balance that embraces individual rights and collective security," he noted. "We as an industry need to do our part by developing and implementing the capabilities that secure those norms in the future."
The NSA surveillance program and the global impact of the infamous classified document dump by former contractor Edward Snowden will resonate far into the future, according to experts, and will have a major effect on the way the NSA conducts its intelligence gathering. One particular discussion at RSA offered a candid perspective of the NSA situation from former government officials who worked closely with the agency.
In a presentation on Washington's take on NSA surveillance, Richard Clarke, who served as special advisor to the president for cyberspace and national coordinator for security and counterterrorism for three consecutive administrations, unabashedly painted Snowden as a traitor. "What he has done is to reveal to terrorist groups and foreign governments ways in which we collect intelligence to make our country safer, and our country is less safe because they know the things that they know because of him," he said. Even though the avenues of reporting suspected government wrongdoing could be improved, Snowden never attempted to go through the proper channels available to whistleblowers before leaking the documents, Clarke added.
Former director of the CIA and NSA Michael Hayden, another panelist, said that while Snowden's actions were illegal, the American people are better off knowing what methods the NSA is using, rather than being in the dark. However, he added that without the intelligence collection from the NSA, the U.S. government would have less information about what the threat actors are doing. "When you have lawful tools, be careful about taking them off the table," he said.
In addition to Snowden, the panel also discussed the recommendations that President Barack Obama's review group made about the NSA surveillance program in December. Clarke was a member of the group, which recommended that the NSA discontinue amassing phone data on millions of Americans, warning that there was a "lurking danger of abuse" behind such a program.
During the discussion at RSA, Clarke elaborated on the review group's recommendations. "We have to have a strong intelligence capability to stop [an attack], and to protect our allies around the world," he said. However, "the question is, can we have that strong intelligence capability in a way that is more transparent and creates less collateral damage?"
This transparency might be furthered through legislation recommended in the group's report. One proposed bill would require that information about surveillance programs be made public, while another would mandate that phone companies publicly disclose any information requests they receive from the government. "Such information might disclose the number of orders that providers have received, the broad categories of information produced, and the number of users whose information has been produced," states the report.
Panelists at RSA also addressed the reaction of foreign governments to the NSA surveillance program, many of whom expressed outrage at the notion that their leaders were being spied on. Clarke and Hayden both noted that most major nations have surveillance programs that listen in on foreign leaders, and that the United States is far from alone in the way it gathers intelligence on other countries.
In late March, the Obama administration announced that it was indeed implementing a key recommendation from the advisory group when it proposed the NSA end its telephony metadata collection program. The President proposed that, rather than keeping a running list of data from Americans' phone calls, the government would ask permission from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court when investigating the length and time of a specific phone call or series of calls that officials suspect may have a connection to terrorism.
In Congress, leaders of the House Intelligence Committee introduced a bill (H.R. 3361), that would require the spy agency to go through phone carriers directly when conducting metadata inquiries. (Currently, the NSA obtains records in secret at the discretion of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.) The bill also calls for the government to discontinue its bulk collection of metadata including telephone, Internet, and e-mail messages.
Partnerships. Another trend is the importance of collaboration between the public and private sectors to defend against cybercrime. Trend Micro representatives emphasized that information-sharing partnerships between law enforcement and cybersecurity companies are crucial as threat actors become increasingly sophisticated in their techniques and more malicious in their attacks.
"The success is in taking the [bad guys] down, not in taking the infrastructure down, because that's the long-term impact on cybercrime," said Rik Ferguson, vice president of security research at Trend Micro. He pointed out that while many investigations that shut down cybercrime disable the servers and machines controlled by the bad actors, actually arresting the responsible parties is much more effective in deterring criminal acts. "A lot of the attraction of becoming a cybercriminal is that it's perceived as being a pretty safe place to do business, and it's the job of security companies to work with law enforcement to make sure it's not comfortable there, to make that seat hot," he explained.
In an example of such public-private partnerships, Trend Micro teamed up with international police organization Interpol last year to develop a cybersecurity center in Singapore, the Interpol Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI). The IGCI, which will officially open in 2015, will focus on complex research to aid cyber companies and police organizations in solving cybercrime. Specifically, the IGCI will concentrate its efforts in the following areas: digital security, including a forensic laboratory to support digital crime investigations; capacity building and training, which involves preparing police organizations for fighting cybercrime; and operational and investigative support, which focuses on identifying emerging threats as well as providing incident response and support.
In addition to the IGCI, Trend Micro has threat researchers embedded with Interpol so that they can work literally side by side to spot threats and take down the bad actors.
Ferguson says that there are challenges when it comes to information coordination between research groups and law enforcement, including transborder issues such as different legislation in different countries, as well as the varying definition of what a cybercrime actually is. "What's a crime in the United Kingdom might not be a crime in Spain, and that problem is exacerbated when you start to take into account that the United States, Latin America, Russia, China, and some of these places are real homelands of a lot of cybercrime," he notes.
Cyberattacks. Recent large-scale cyberattacks on Americans' debit and credit cards, especially the breaches at Target and Neiman Marcus, have led cybersecurity experts to focus on EMV (Europay, MasterCard, and Visa) cards with integrated chips. Those payment methods may present new vulnerabilities in the payment card system.
Richard Henderson, security strategist at Fortinet, says that as the United States moves to chip-and-PIN technology for credit and debit cards, it will be interesting to see what methods hackers use to compromise them. He notes that a new trend in financial hacking will likely involve more malware that compromises two-factor authentication safeguards. Henderson notes that this malicious software pretends to be the institution that you are authenticating onto, but it is actually intercepting the two-factor authentication token meant for the user. The hackers then use that token to log in under the compromised credentials.
Experts also say a growing trend in cyberattacks is the method hackers used to get at Target's networks, which was by stealing the credentials of a third-party vendor who had access to the retail giant's network. "One thing that people are going to be talking about a lot this year is supply chain," John Pirc, chief technology officer at NSS Labs, told Security Management.
Pirc pointed out that as larger companies acquire smaller ones, they should be vigilant about ensuring the security measures are in place throughout the entire supply chain. "When you start looking at a lot of these mergers and acquisitions, when a big 10,000-pound gorilla company acquires a startup…the adversary is going to target the little company, bury themselves in, then get connected. So I think you're going to see more of that," he said.
Finally, companies point to a growing awareness among all levels of the enterprise about the need for good cyber hygiene and basic user education. Businesses that are not traditional security companies are increasingly investing resources, both financial and human, in preventing cyberattacks, according to Cameron Camp, security researcher at ESET. He says that more companies have been hiring chief information security officers and chief intelligence offers to bridge the gap between IT departments and the C-suite. "They want to hear what IT has to say, whereas before it was just the guys keeping the gears running."
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PCI Board Chair Urges Congress to Pass the State Insurance Regulation Preservation Act
WASHINGTON — Kurt Bock, chief executive officer of COUNTRY Financial and chair of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) testified today before the House Financial Services Committee on H.R. 5059, the bipartisan "State Insurance Regulation Preservation Act" on behalf of PCI and its approximately 350 member company groups.
In his testimony, Bock notes that, under the Dodd-Frank Act, COUNTRY became subject to Federal Reserve examinations because the company maintained a very small savings and loan association that accounted for 0.2 percent of COUNTRY's total assets.
"While the Federal Reserve staff are exceptionally professional, the endless discovery questionnaires and on-site visits to oversee every corner of our operations consumed roughly 25 percent of our compliance staff time. We requested deregistration of our savings and loan holding company in 2015 and were released from Federal Reserve supervision in 2017.
"Numerous PCI members have had to divest their small depository institutions that were serving customers and adding synergies to their operations because of the increased supervisory costs. That clearly was not the intent of the Dodd-Frank Act.
"We fully respect the integrity of the Federal Reserve in carrying out its new responsibilities. But we do not believe that Congress truly intended to create an additional layer of intensive federal insurance supervision. After years of assurances that Federal oversight will be proportional, it is clear that further legislative direction is required.
"The legislation by Representatives Rothfus and Beatty clarifies the congressional intent of Dodd-Frank and the growing recognition that Federal Reserve oversight of insurance holding companies needs to be coordinated with state insurance regulators and appropriately tailored and limited to the Fed's unique mission.
"H.R. 5059 would go far toward eliminating this unproductive duplication and at the same time assure robust and coordinated state and federal regulation that is both effective and efficient.
"PCI and COUNTRY look forward to working with policymakers to finalize and enact H.R. 5059."
Bock's testimony is attached.
Bock Submitted Written Testimony (HFSC H-I Legislative Hearing for HR 5059).pdf