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The Baker Upstairs: the best waffles

the best waffles

I mentioned this before with pancakes, but some of the simplest breakfast foods have always been difficult for me. My mom made waffles all the time when I was growing up, and could easily just throw them together without a recipe, but they have remained a mystery for me. I always add either too much or too little batter to the waffle iron, my batter never has the right consistency... in short, my waffles are terrible. When Geoff asked for waffles this last weekend, I wanted to tell him that we should just have pancakes instead, since I have finally mastered those, but I decided it was time to buck up and get back on the waffle horse. And I'm so glad I did! I should have known that I could trust one of my sweet friends, Emma, for an awesome recipe, and they definitely did not disappoint. We all enjoyed them immensely. Here's to many more waffle breakfasts!
Belgian Waffles
Emma the Joy via Just Cook Already

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup cooking oil or butter, melted {I'm all about the butter}
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a medium bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.

In another medium bowl beat eggs slightly; stir in milk, oil, and vanilla. add egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened {batter should be slightly lumpy}.

Pour 1 to 1 1/4 cups of batter onto grids of a preheated, lightly greased waffle maker. Close lid quickly; do not open until done. Bake according to manufacturer's directions. When done, use a fork to lift waffle off grid. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm.
Hungry for more from The Baker Upstairs?

  1. yay!! so glad you liked them. i actually did breakfast for dinner last night and made these. they are the best.

  2. tried these.. definitely the best recipes

  3. We have made these several times and they are fantastic! I used 1/2 cup of sugar and added 1/4 cup of cornstarch. They are soft inside and crispy on the outside. Perfect amount of sweet. Thank you for the recipe.

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Efavirenz and Suicide Risk

August/September 2014

 1  |  2  |  Next >

The non-nuke efavirenz -- sold as Sustiva, Stocrin and found in Atripla -- has been commonly used as part of HIV treatment since the late 1990s. Efavirenz can be taken in a single dose and has potent anti-HIV activity when used as part of combination therapy (commonly called ART or HAART) in many studies. When used as directed, efavirenz is generally safe. However, this drug can cause side effects that affect the brain, including the following:

  • abnormal dreams
  • changes in mood
  • irritability
  • difficulty falling asleep
  • anxiety
  • dizziness

Researchers refer to these and other side effects that affect the brain as neuropsychiatric symptoms. These side effects are supposed to fade within the first two to four weeks of initiating therapy with efavirenz. However, several studies from Europe suggest that efavirenz-related side effects can persist. Furthermore, a UK study found that about 20% of participants given the efavirenz-containing medicine Atripla quit because of side effects that affected their brain.

A robustly designed (randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over) clinical trial in Switzerland found that 50% of participants who were taking an efavirenz-based regimen preferred to switch to a combination that was better tolerated, in this case with the integrase inhibitor raltegravir (Isentress).

A less common side effect associated with efavirenz is the development of depression. For many years in high-income countries, the prescribing information for efavirenz has included warnings about the possibility, in rare cases, of self-harm and attempted suicide.

Researchers with the U.S. AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) decided to investigate any possible link between the use of efavirenz and suicidal thoughts or behaviour in several well-designed clinical trials that they conducted. In their work, the researchers focused on four randomized clinical trials and found that the use of efavirenz was associated with a two-fold increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviours.

Study Details

The ACTG team reviewed data from four studies comparing efavirenz-based regimens to efavirenz-free regimens involving 5,332 participants. None of these people had previously been exposed to anti-HIV drugs. They were distributed as follows:

  • efavirenz-containing regimens -- 3,241 participants
  • efavirenz-free regimens -- 2,091 participants

Although these four trials were held in different countries, nearly three-quarters of participants were from the U.S. Half of the participants were between the ages of 18 and 37 years; 73% were men and 27% were women.

Here are key points related to the mental health of participants:

  • 8% disclosed a history of injecting street drugs
  • 10% had received an antidepressant in the past
  • 32% had a history of mental health and emotional issues or had recently received what doctors called "psychoactive" medicines prior to entering the study. Such medicines would include treatments for anxiety, depression, bipolar illness, psychosis, schizophrenia and difficulty sleeping.

Most participants were monitored for up to three years.

Researchers assessed participants for suicidality, which they defined as any of the following:

  • thoughts of suicide
  • attempted suicide
  • completed suicide

In their analysis, the researchers found that 83 participants had reported suicidal thoughts or behaviours. The overall distribution of people who had thoughts of, attempted or completed suicide was as follows:

  • efavirenz-containing regimens -- 47 events
  • efavirenz-free regimens -- 15 events

The distribution of attempted suicides was as follows:

  • efavirenz-containing regimens -- 17 events
  • efavirenz-free regimens -- 5 events

The distribution of completed suicides was as follows:

  • efavirenz-containing regimens -- 8 events
  • efavirenz-free regimens -- 1 event

Statistical analysis revealed that participants taking efavirenz were at least twice as likely as participants not taking this drug to have thoughts of or attempted or completed suicide. This difference was statistically significant; that is, not likely due to chance alone.

In general, the length of time it took for a participant to develop thoughts of suicidal behaviours was shorter among people taking efavirenz than among people who did not take this drug.

Missing or Misjudged

Sometimes death due to suicide may be misclassified or attributed to drug overdose, accidents or murder. When researchers reanalyzed the data taking into account these other possible misclassifications, exposure to efavirenz was still associated with a two-fold increased risk of death.

Additional Risk Factors

Taking into account several factors and their relationship to thoughts of or suicidal behaviours, the researchers found that the following factors were linked to an increased risk for suicidality in participants:

  • taking efavirenz
  • having a history of injecting street drugs
  • having a documented history of mental health and severe emotional disorders, including thoughts of or attempts at suicide

Note that the researchers found that participants with a documented history of mental and severe emotional disorders were not common in these studies. They were limited to 25 people and distributed as follows:

  • efavirenz-containing regimens -- 0.5% of participants (16 people)
  • efavirenz-free regimens -- 0.4% of participants (nine people)

Furthermore, among these 25 people (particularly five of the 16 who were taking efavirenz and one of the nine on an efavirenz-free regimen), thoughts of suicide or suicidal behaviour occurred.

Rates of suicidality were similar whether or not analyses were restricted to participants based in the U.S. or elsewhere.

 1  |  2  |  Next >

This article was provided by Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange. It is a part of the publication TreatmentUpdate. Visit CATIE's Web site to find out more about their activities, publications and services.

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12 Changes that will make you a LinkedIn All-Star (pt. 2)

Welcome back Boss Babes! If you followed last week’s post you already have an awesome LinkedIn profile, but in this post we are going to propel you into the next level. Regardless of where you are in your career, or how happy you are at your current job, an all-star profile is a huge asset. There are so many opportunities (beyond employment) within our network that we aren’t aware of. A strong presence on LinkedIn can create the avenue those opportunities need to find you. If you do start looking for a new job, your profile is ready to go and can serve as a basis for your resume (which should be more concise than your profile.)

The (Not-so) Basic Components of a LinkedIn Profile

This handy section is tucked into your summary, which emphasizes the need for a compelling statement. If your first sentence doesn’t grab a viewer’s attention, they won’t expand the summary and see your fancy uploads at the end. (LinkedIn, if you’re reading this, media needs its own clear section.)

When you’re not web savvy (or don’t have the time to build a portfolio site) this is a great place to feature your work. You can link to a file, photo, slideshow from a list of 400 providers, including YouTube, Instagram, and Slideshare. There is also a “direct” upload option, with a 15 MB file size limit. To add media, you click the same edit button you would for your summary:

Scroll to the bottom and you’ll see this:

Media Do’s:

  • Do update and showcase your latest projects. It’s great to show some history, but you want to keep things fresh by sharing ongoing development. If the last upload is from over one year ago, I’m curious what you’ve worked on since!
  • Do make sure they’re print quality. We often neglect to make sure that items for web viewing are at the highest resolution possible. This is your work, and you want it to be a crisp representation of your talent!
  • Do include video if you have it. If you work in an industry that is better understood through demonstration, this is an opportunity for creativity.

Media Don’ts:

  • Don’t skip it! You can feature a lot here, it doesn’t have to be a graphic document. If you’ve published a paper, you can share a sample. If your work consists of complex reports, do the same.
  • Don’t upload the default. As with any files being shared to a public location, I recommend adding a watermark or a similar identifier to mark the work as yours. It can be as simple as a header/footer, or it can be fully branded in your signature colors to match your personal brand.
  • Don’t take sole credit. If you worked as part of a team, your file should clearly indicate that. This is a great way to feature collaborative soft skills in the context of a great result.

LinkedIn hasn’t specified a limit on quantity of media, so this leaves things wide open for you to share a great selection of work. I’m in the process of refreshing my own media selection, so you’ll notice that my screenshot only shows one file – my resume. If you’re convinced you don’t have anything to add to this section, a resume is a great starting point.

Bonus tip: Canva has some awesome FREE resume templates, has a super simple fill-in-the-blank creation process, or you can sign up below and to receive my the minimalist MS Word template I created!

Get your free resume template!

Enter your name & email address below to receive a free resume template (and another little gift)!

*: Plus you'll get access to the Boss Babe Library!

This segment is as important as the list in your resume, but is even better because you have more space! You can list as many as 50 skills, and you’re not restricted to hard skills (specific programs, etc.) While your connections can endorse or ‘upvote’ you for skills, you’re in complete control of the order they’re listed on your profile.

To add and edit skills on your profile:

Scroll down and click ‘Add Skills’:

Start typing and LinkedIn will show you a list of suggestions. Note that you’re not required to use one of them and can type fully custom labels if you choose.

To choose your featured skills, simply drag and drop using the grip (3 stacked lines) on the right side of the list.

More notes on Skills:

  • Don’t waste space listing duplicates. Many users make the mistake of listing the same program under several common names (i.e. Adobe Photoshop vs. Photoshop), but it’s more valuable to list it once and free up space for more interesting soft skills.
  • Be specific. Because LinkedIn is already a standardized format, you don’t have to concern yourself with how it looks. Unlike your printed resume, you can type longer descriptions without worrying about how well they fit into the larger list.

If the Media section is for featuring your ongoing work, the Accomplishments section is your chance to highlight the things you’ve done outside of the work environment. This is your home for languages, awards, certificates, courses, and way more. The difference between this section and Media is that it only supports text entry and links, so you aren’t able to attach images. However, you can feature a project in both sections and include a line in the blurb referring to the media above. You can add an accomplishment from the small menu to the right at the top of your profile, or by scrolling down to it:

Or as I like to think about it, evergreen references. (Side note, the term “evergreen” applies to content that doesn’t date itself and maintains relevance. So technically, these aren’t evergreen, but they are good for a few years!) I’ll admit my own profile is lacking recommendations – I only have one, and it’s from several years ago. Yikes. If you have none, don’t worry, we’ll do this part together!

You don’t need a ton of recommendations, instead, aim for a select number of great ones. These written recommendations signal that others value you and your work enough to take the time to share their thoughts. Asking for recommendations doesn’t have to be awkward, either. You can start small by partnering with a coworker you’ve collaborated with to swap recommendations. You can also reach out to previous employers, but I would only recommend doing this if you left on good terms and have maintained a connection. Check out this great article on The Muse for some tips on requesting recommendations.

An important part of professional networking is visibility, and posting updates is a great way to organically reinforce relationships. Let’s pause for a minute to discuss the term “organic.” It’s a flexible word, but I want to clarify that in this context (and any time in reference to networking/media) it means “natural,” as in not forced. We’ve all had that awkward moment when we’re interested in a job and find that we know someone at the company. Now imagine that same person as someone you interact with regularly on Instagram.

This is the same concept. That foundation of interaction means you’re more likely to write a message that sounds like you and doesn’t feel like an awkward handshake.

LinkedIn updates are not Facebook statuses. They’re not for sharing your current whereabouts, unless you’re at a conference and want to connect. It’s more valuable to share relevant industry news, helpful articles, or your own writing if you have it. The idea is to show your interest in what you do, foster conversations among your connections, and share pieces of your own progress along the way.

The last piece of a LinkedIn profile I’ll be covering is the Interests list. This displays any companies you follow and groups you’re a part of. Interests provide yet another chance to show the depth of your personality. Search LinkedIn for the companies you dream of working for, or even the places that make your favorite products and follow them. This will both round out your profile and populate your timeline with content that you can then share to your connections.

Another piece included under Interests is your group memberships. Joining groups is a great way to gain exposure and connect with more people, both in and out of your industry. We’ll talk more about group participation later – for now, go find a few you’re interested in and join!

Here’s your recap:

  • Leverage the Media section to feature your best work and make your resume easily accessible.
  • Define your Skills clearly, and list any that are relevant to both your job and your interests.
  • Increase the depth of your profile with Accomplishments by including any courses or pet projects you’ve completed.
  • Recommendations are always an asset, so don’t shy away from requesting them from those you have established a relationship with.
  • Show some personality by sharing Updates relevant to your industry, your career path, and your interests – you never know who will see and comment on it.
  • Interests are a quick & easy way to show personality and make more connections.

And that’s a wrap!

We covered a lot of ground in this two-part series, and though there is always more to do to boost your personal brand, I know this will give you a head start. I’d love to hear about your results, so if you follow these steps, leave a comment and share.

Did I miss anything? Leave a comment with your best LinkedIn advice, and of course, let’s connect:

Recommended Reading:

P.S. Here’s a great step-by-step from Natalie on the uptowork blog. She shares some technical tips on writing your actual entries and also received insight from a LinkedIn insider!


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The Chamberlain Files | Homepage
MPs demand answers after Birmingham hit harder by spending cuts

MPs demand answers after Birmingham hit harder by spending cuts

🕔18.Dec 2015

Communities Secretary Greg Clark has agreed to meet all of Birmingham MPs to talk about a fairer cash settlement for the city council.

Mr Clark responded to a request from Erdington MP Jack Dromey after it emerged the council is set to suffer a 4.8 per cent cut in spending power next year as Government grant continues to fall.

The Labour-led authority expects to deliver spending cuts of about £250 million by 2020 on top of more than £500 million already lost since 2020. Cuts of about £90 million are planned for 2016-17 and about 1,200 council jobs will go.

Birmingham is hit particularly badly by the Government’s cash distribution formula because it raises less cash from council tax payments than wealthier areas and is heavily reliant on grant payments to cope with high levels of social deprivation and unemployment.

Urban councils like Birmingham have been lobbying the Government for years over demands for a fairer funding system, with little success. Mr Clark has announced that all councils will become self-sufficient by 2020, raising all funding through a combination of business rates and council tax,

Birmingham MPs are expected to quiz Mr Clark about his plans for a safety net to ensure that the council is no worse off, and preferably better off, when the changes come into effect.

City council leader John Clancy reacted to the local government spending settlement by expressing his disappointment that “Birmingham is once again one of the hardest hit authorities”. He added:

We will receive a 4.8 per cent cut in spending power per dwelling, yet the national average is a 2.8 per cent cut, and authorities like Horsham and East Devon will actually receive increases of around eight per cent and seven per cent.

This translates to £100 less per dwelling for Birmingham compared to £52 less for England as a whole for 2016-17.

This is despite the Government taking on board our Fairer Funding proposals. However, I welcome the Secretary of State’s agreement to meet with our MPs to discuss how Birmingham can get a better deal from the government.

Although we fully support the intention to give councils more independence by allowing them to keep business rates instead of relying on government grant after 2020, Birmingham needs enough funding to support vital public services.

We will analyse the data in detail and of course await the final settlement in the New Year before we can come to a clear view on how it impacts on our budget plans.

However our first impressions are that there is little to celebrate for next year, although it would seem that the later years of this four-year deal show an improvement against our forecast, whilst still involving huge grant reductions.”

In other reaction to the settlement, the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) welcomed the move to full business rate localisation which it said would help to make councils self-sufficient.

However, SOLACE president Mark Rogers, who is chief executive of Birmingham city council, warned that “the devil will most definitely lie in the detail” and he was concerned to find there would be “fairness and equity for all councils”. Mr Rogers added:

SOLACE is particularly concerned to avoid the introduction of new burdens at a time when councils are struggling to deliver existing responsibilities. A thorough rethink of funding, including the devolution of complementary tax raising powers and the rapid roll-out of place-based budgets, needs to be accompanied by a realistic review of councils’ functions.

SOLACE advocates the need for a full and radical re-evaluation of what is realistic in terms of the future services and outcomes that local government should be responsible for given the scale of funding reductions that will have been implemented by the end of the decade.

With the arrangement set out today, there is a danger that the differential ability of local authorities up and down the country to stimulate economic growth will mean that some will struggle to maintain even the most essential statutory services, despite high levels of need, such as for social care. This needs to be addressed if we are to achieve the sustainability of income and, therefore, services that our residents expect and deserve.

The Conservative-led Local Government Association broadly welcomed the spending settlement. LGA chair Lord Porter said:

Giving councils the option to fix longer-term funding settlements is hugely significant. The LGA has long-argued that it is crucial for councils to be able to plan ahead for more than 12 months at a time.

This is an important step towards the financial certainty councils need to run important local services to the high standard our residents deserve and will allow councils to review the level of financial reserves they need to hold.

Greg Clark has responded to our call for greater flexibility for councils in setting council tax levels. This will give local authorities the power to raise extra money to offset some of the impact of the financial pressures they face next year. Councils will be able to raise council tax by up to an additional two per cent to help tackle local social care funding pressures.

Despite receiving a flat-cash settlement over the next four years, there are still significant challenges ahead for councils who will have to make efficiency and other savings sufficient enough to compensate for any additional cost pressures they face.

Today’s settlement has also proposed radical changes to the way council services are funded in the medium term. It’s vital that government continues to work closely with us to ensure the views of all councils are heard and understood in order to deliver sustainable financing of local government services.

Alexandra Jones, chief executive of the thinktank Centre for Cities, said the four-year funding package for councils was a step forward. Ms Jones added:

Today’s announcement sets out radical changes to the funding system for local government, giving places welcome control over their own tax revenue and more tools to drive growth in their local economies. The four year funding commitment also offers local authorities helpful certainty on what’s ahead, which will help them adjust to the new financial climate.

Over the next four years, as councils become more dependent on money raised locally, the Government must continue to give cities more of the fiscal powers and incentives they need to boost key areas of economic growth like housing, skills and infrastructure.

By 2020, a reformed council tax and business rate system, together with devolved land and property taxes including stamp duty, would make a big difference in helping local leaders to drive economic growth.

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The Ultimate Question

The question I get asked the most is how much my nerve stimulator helps me. This simple question is surprisingly difficult to answer. The response depends on how I feel that particular hour, what the previous day or week or month was like, how resentful I am of the little wires that restrict my movement, whether my general outlook is rosy or bleak.

I can’t give you a percentage of how much better I feel or even tell you how much my pain levels have changed. I’ll try to (like here, here and here), but the response is ever-changing and never feels accurate.

I can tell you that it does help. Probably just a little bit and it may just be a placebo, but it does help. I still have multiple days of terrible pain each month, but I have more good days than bad ones. Before the stimulator, bad days were the status quo.

My head still hurts all the time, but some days the pain doesn’t exceed a 2. Most of the time I’m at a 3 or 4. Three to five days a week the pain will grow to a five or six. Once or twice a week it will be 7+. These numbers sound scary, but compared to before I got the stimulator my pain is a piece of cake. My baseline pain was around 5 with daily fluctuations up to a 7. The pain would reach 8 and above at least five times a week.

There are other factors that may have helped. I quit a bad job and eventually replaced it with blogging, which I love. I moved to a city I love and can do almost all my errands within two miles of my house. I walk places more often than I drive and each day I leave the house, I think, “Seattle is the best city ever.” Although I prefer Arizona’s baseball team, I don’t miss all the driving I had to do in Phoenix, the heat and the plantations of big box stores every five miles. But, while I am happy now, moving away from my family and friends and figuring out how to live without work was terrible.

If I could control all these variables I would, but all the positive and negative changes seem to balance each other out. So, I have to admit that the lumpy box in my chest and the wires in my neck that restrict my movement and ability to use an electric blanket are worth it.

“How much does it help?” is actually the penultimate question; the follow-up question is usually, “Would you do it again?” I hem and haw, but my response never changes. Yes, I would do it again. I wish I knew more about what I was getting into when I got the implant, but even that knowledge probably wouldn’t keep me from getting it.

7 Responses to The Ultimate Question

  1. Diana says:

    I really appreciate hearing your honest thoughts about the stimulator. I’m considering it, and I can’t tell you how much it helps to have an honest assessment of what life it like with it.

    I’m so glad. It’s been such a rollercoaster of emotion that I’d to help ease someone else into. Let me know if you have any other questions about the stimulator.

  2. walksalone05 says:

    What’s this stimulater you’re talking about?

    It’s complicated to explain here, but I’ve blogged about it a lot. You can see all the posts at .

  3. walksalone05 says:

    cloversea please come back to our message board (webmd,migraines:Indie Cooper-guzman)we need you!!“““`=^..^=

    I read all of the new meds/procedures being tested,on the was a study being done near me.It is an implant for migraines.Do you have any more information about that?(treatment for migraine with an implantable device,being studied at Swedish Hospital,Seattle)Yeah i live very near to Seattle,just south of Puyallup.I lived in Seattle for about 10 years but moved down here.Was i correct that you also live near Seattle?

    You’re so sweet. My participation on forums is on and off, but I’ll definitely visit you all more often.

    I had no idea that Swedish was a site for studying nerve stimulators. That’s terrific. I do live in Seattle (and love it!). Maybe when you come up to see a doctor about the stimulator we can get together so you can learn more about a patient’s perspective!

  4. walksalone05 says:

    So you said your head still hurts all the time,even tho you have the stimulator?

    Yep. But I’m in much less pain now that I used to be. There are some things I wished I’d tried before my surgery (like finding a good acupuncturist, practicing therapuetic yoga and seeing a counselor who specializes in chronic illness. In any case, I probably would have still had the surgery.

  5. dutchgal says:

    Hi, I had the ONS for about 6 months, the first 3 of which I was in the placebo group. After I got turned on my headaches went from bad to horrible. I had new pains and weird sensations in my head. After trying everything to adjust the ONS, I gave up and had it out. Feel like a new person now. Never heard anything about electric blankets.

    I’m sorry it was unsuccessful for you, but know what a relief it can be to have it removed.

    Take care,

  6. Lyndy Brianne Jury says:

    Hi Kerrie
    I have a variety of neurological conditions and have tried all known medications to no avail and a shed load of side effects- some of which are permanent. My consultant has said the occipital nerve stimulator is the only option left. Like you I have embraced excersize due to having long periods of not physically being able to do anything. I am concerned about how this device will affect my movement. I was a pro dancer in my youth so movement is a very therapeutic part of me feeling ‘normal’. I’m intrigued that you do yoga and want to ask how your movements are restricted? I have only discovered your write ups today and will be working my way through them- I have difficulty concentrating lol!
    I have 5 different conditions and am rare according to my consultant. He has said this is not a cure but is positive that I should have some success. The NHS have currently withdrawn funding but it is likely to be re introduced. I thought I need to research this procedure to make a more informed decision. I know the guinea pig feeling. Thank you for your inspirational insights and for the work you have put into supporting fellow pain sufferers. I am in awe of all you have achieved and am feeling more confident to get the support I need and have a life back!
    Take care of you

    • Lyndy, if the stimulator is implanted, you will have movement restrictions to keep the leads from moving. You may want to talk to your consultant about the Spring TMS, a vagal nerve stimulator, or a Cefaly. They are all external stimulators, though they all work differently. But none of them have to be implanted, so they are less expensive and don’t require any movement restrictions.

      I’m always concerned when a doctor tells someone they have no other treatment options left. There are so many treatment options for migraine that that is almost never the case. Even if you don’t want to take any more drugs, there are many non-drug possibilities, like supplements, acupuncture, massage, therapeutic yoga, and biofeedback, just to name a few.

      I wish you the best of luck, whatever you decide.

      Take care,

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Mindfulness for Depression

Mindfulness as a tool for coping with depression is often distilled into “thinking your way out” of depression — which angers pretty much anyone who has ever struggled with depression. Mindfulness is more about becoming aware of how negative thoughts build on each other and cause additional emotional pain, then learning how to attend to such thoughts in a way that limits their damage. At least, that’s how it works for me.

Zindel Segal, who wrote The Mindful Way Through Depression and developed the technique of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, explained in a TEDx Talk how mindfulness can be an effective tool for coping with depression and preventing relapse. He also talks about the science behind the approach and research about its application. Here’s his basic description of how it works:

What we’re trying to get people to do is to anchor themselves in their experience so that when a negative emotion comes up in the mind, it can wash over them; it doesn’t…bring to mind all of the negative associations that for some people can happen very automatically. Instead they can find a different place for standing and working with these feelings, and as a result have much more of an option for selecting a response and influencing what happens next.

Segal’s TEDx Talk is good, but If you’re looking for help with depression and guidance on how to apply mindfulness to cope with it, start with the book. It’s tone is less academic than the TEDx talk and it provides concrete hands-on guidance.

You’re probably tired of hearing me say that I’ve found mindfulness to be an invaluable tool for coping with depression, chronic illness and even migraine attacks.


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Thursday, June 9, 2011

I Told You I'd Be Back!

So I uploaded the April/May photos from my camera onto the computer last week and it made me want to do some blog posts, so I'm back sooner than I said I would be! Didn't your day just get a lot better?!

Plus I didn't want Arnold Schwarzenegger to be the first thing people read about if they happened to visit my blog this summer. Now it can be something cute about my kids or some random aspect of my life instead.

I'll still be gone in July and probably for most of August, but not for June anymore. Yippee!


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Monday, June 5, 2017

Summer of Snakes

Last year at this time I was being terrorized by a big snake that was hiding out under our front walkway.
I seriously didn't use the front walkway for weeks.

We had problems with snakes at our house in Connecticut (it was an older house out in the woods) and I was so glad when we moved to Iowa that we were leaving them behind. We got through almost six years without a snake incident here, and then when it did finally happen it turned out to be quite the incident!

I was going to call animal-control to relocate it, but after a couple of weeks, ::Hallelujah!:: it disappeared. I think it must have realized that this wasn't a safe place with Boo Boo around, who is an avid and skilled hunter. There were a couple of smaller snakes hanging out with it that Boo Boo killed (also horrifying), so I assume that's why it left. Thank you Boo Boo!
I've been keeping an eye out for it the last few weeks, and it hasn't made a reappearance. I hope it's far, far away...or dead!

We saw other live snakes last summer too, but thankfully these ones were captive at the zoo.

But not these ones. Snake-loving Sam had no hesitation whatsoever to hold these monsters.

 Meanwhile, this was me: 😰

And then for the biggest snake of all...

 He's so brave and crazy! He was thrilled! You couldn't pay me to do that.

Sam obviously loves snakes, both real and fake. They were really his thing last year in kindergarten, and by last summer he had accumulated quite the collection (of fake snakes, thank goodness).

At the Cape he found a rare two-headed stuffed-animal snake that he was so happy to get.

The snake craze isn't over yet, either--when we were at the zoo in Omaha a week ago he had me take a picture of almost every snake we saw, and then he found a giant rattlesnake in the gift shop. His room is literally overrun by snakes right now. 🐍🐍🐍

Here's to a summer of '17 of far fewer snakes. Except for the zoo, so far, so good!


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Lord of hosts

Re: Verse reading–1 Samuel 1:1-20 (day seven)
“This man used to go up year by year . . .to worship. . .the Lord of hosts at Shiloh.”  (v 3)  It is the first time we ever see it in Scripture.  God’s name.  Lord of hosts.  It means “God of ARMIES of angels” and (after this reference) appears in the Bible over 300 times. How did Elkanah and/or Hannah retain such a clear vision of God’s power in a day as spiritually defeated as theirs?  Does life ever get you down?  Do you allow daily disappointments to cloud your confidence that God has enormous power at His disposal?  Even facing barrenness, this couple never lost perspective on God’s character and strength.  “Do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” said Jesus on the night of His arrest. (Matthew 26: 53)  We will not fear.  We worship the Lord of hosts.

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glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase

Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical.
Related to glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase: aspartate aminotransferase, glutamic pyruvic transaminase
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase - an enzyme involved in transamination
aminopherase, aminotransferase, transaminase - a class of transferases that catalyze transamination (that transfer an amino group from an amino acid to another compound)
References in periodicals archive ?
Blood serum was collected after centrifugation (3,000 rpm for 10 min) and stored at -70[degrees]C in order to analyze the hematocrit (HCT), hemoglobin (Hb), glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT).
Fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycated hemoglobin (HbAlc), cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglyceride (TG), serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT), serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine levels were measured at baseline and after 2 months study treatment.
Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) is an enzyme, majorly present in the heart muscle, liver tissues, skeletal muscles, and kidneys.
Two-thirds of the patients had an ST-elevation MI; the rest had symptoms compatible with an AMI with electrocardiographic changes accompanied by an increase in serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase or creatine phosphokinase.
The relation between HCV genotypes and serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT), total protein, total bilrubin, and alkaline phosphatase was studied.
The primary endpoints of the study were improvement in signs and symptoms of hepatic disorders such as anorexia, abdominal discomfort, flatulence, lethargy, nausea, hepatomegaly and jaundice, and improvement in the biochemical parameters, viz serum protein, serum bilirubin, serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) (replaced in Australia with aspartate aminotransferase--AST), serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) (replaced in Australia with alanine aminotransferase--ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT).
05) was noted in the treated mice as compared to the control one, while there was significant rise in the level of liver enzymes, Serum Glutamic Oxaloacetic Transaminase (SGOT) (t =12.

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Words containing alga

Found 155 words containing alga. Browse our Scrabble Word Finder, Words With Friends cheat dictionary, and WordHub word solver to find words that contain alga. Or use our Unscramble word solver to find your best possible play! Related: Words that start with alga, Words that end in alga

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Words that start with attacking

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Words that start with brickle

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Words that start with bute

Found 23 words that start with bute. Browse our Scrabble Word Finder, Words With Friends cheat dictionary, and WordHub word solver to find words starting with bute. Or use our Unscramble word solver to find your best possible play! Related: Words that end in bute, Words containing bute

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Posted by on October 8, 2016 7:40 pm
Categories: US News

Local police departments are using software developed by a CIA-funded company to monitor citizens’ social media posts and their physical locations in real time 24 hours a day.

Stories from across the country have revealed that several local law enforcement agencies — in Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Oakland among others — and corporations — the Mall of America and McDonald’s — have purchased surveillance software from a company called Geofeedia. The program will inform police of the physical location from which you made your last social media post. It will provide the content of your posts, too.

Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook are all included in the surveillance sweep, and all the updates posted to any one of these popular services will be uploaded to one single database available all day, every day, to police.

Geofeedia’s pamphlet promoting the service touts their intelligence platform’s ability to provide “targeted surveillance” and “perpetual monitoring” of social media posts. Literature produced by Geofeedia also promotes its software’s ability to track large crowds, including “protests,” athletic events, and natural disasters.

As reported by The Intercept

Geofeedia specializes in collecting geotagged social media messages, from platforms such as Twitter and Instagram, to monitor breaking news events in real time. The company, which counts dozens of local law enforcement agencies as clients, markets its ability to track activist protests on behalf of both corporate interests and police departments.

It is hard to imagine anything more offensive to the Constitution and its protection against unwarranted searches and seizures.

This violation on the part of local law enforcement using Geofeedia’s surveillance software is all made possible by millions of dollars invested in this company and others by In-Q-Tel, the venture capital firm controlled by the CIA.

In-Q-Tel is active in the advancement of the surveillance net being spread all over the United States by federal, state, and local government.

How substantial is the CIA’s involvement? The Intercept article reports:

The latest round of In-Q-Tel investments comes as the CIA has revamped its outreach to Silicon Valley, establishing a new wing, the Directorate of Digital Innovation, which is tasked with developing and deploying cutting-edge solutions by directly engaging the private sector. The directorate is working closely with In-Q-Tel to integrate the latest technology into agency-wide intelligence capabilities.

Over the last decade, In-Q-Tel has made a number of public investments in companies that specialize in scanning large sets of online data. In 2009, the fund partnered with Visible Technologies, which specializes in reputation management over the internet by identifying the influence of “positive” and “negative” authors on a range of platforms for a given subject. And six years ago, In-Q-Tel formed partnerships with NetBase, another social media analysis firm that touts its ability to scan “billions of sources in public and private online information,” and Recorded Future, a firm that monitors the web to predict events in the future.

That’s not even the tip of the iceberg, however, as In-Q-Tel is the money behind the police’s program of locating Americans storing guns and ammunition, as well.

As I reported in 2012:

In-Q-Tel provides the following history of its creation on its website:

In 1998, CIA identified technology as a top strategic priority, and set out a radical plan to create a new venture that would help increase the Agency’s access to private sector innovation. In-Q-Tel was chartered in February 1999 by a group of private citizens at the request of the Director of Central Intelligence and with the support of the U.S. Congress.

IQT was tasked with building a bridge between the Agency and a new set of technology innovators.

Mission accomplished. The bridge builders at In-Q-Tel have managed to find a company [Genia Photonics] so innovative that it can secretly bypass the Fourth Amendment from more than 50 yards away.

Naturally, the government wants to get this device installed in airports and border crossings as soon as possible. Genia Photonics’ website claims that their product will allow agents to detect “drug mixtures, chemical and biological warfare (CBW), explosives and toxic spills…” before they become a threat to the homeland or to the agents themselves.

The beam used in this scanner is ten million times faster and one million times more sensitive than those currently in use. Imagine the possibilities of a tool so fast and so sensitive: no longer will the TSA be resigned to plucking one or two or even a dozen people out of a security line in the airport. Now, with the Genia Photonics laser, they can scan every single passenger and know so much more than just what he’s carrying. And again, the passengers will never be the wiser. They will never know that their very body chemistry is being monitored and recorded by agents working on behalf of the U.S. government.

Of course, DHS and TSA will not be satisfied with merely being able to quickly detect explosives, chemical, and biological weapons and now they won’t have to be. Reading straight from the promotional material produced by Genia Photonics, the new scanning method (called terahertz spectroscopy) can “penetrate through many dielectric materials, such as clothing, paper, plastics, leather, wood and ceramics.”

Does one often carry wood and ceramics on board an airplane? No, but one certainly finds such objects in a home. Fortunately, for Homeland Security, their new little scanner is very portable and won’t be confined to use in airports or border patrol stations.

Take this bit of boasting from In-Q-Tel as evidence of the ultimate unconstitutional use of the device:

 An important benefit of Genia Photonics’ implementation as compared to existing solutions is that the entire synchronized laser system is comprised in a single, robust and alignment-free unit that may be easily transported for use in many environments…. This compact and robust laser has the ability to rapidly sweep wavelengths in any pattern and sequence.

Everyone everywhere will now be a potential target for this portable, powerful laser beam. From 164 feet the government can fire a laser beam that can penetrate wood (houses?) and detect important biological data about whatever (whoever) is inside.

Now, four years later, cities have installed Geofeedia that will instantly inform police of citizens’ virtual posts and physical locations. This monitoring is constantly at the fingertips of law enforcement — once the agency committed to protecting and serving, and now committed to prying and surveilling.

The fact that this technologically advanced surveillance service is funded — albeit indirectly — by the CIA paints a bleak picture indeed of the status of individual liberty in the United States of America and of the concern paid by any government on any level about the rights once protected by the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution.

Today, from the federal government to city police, all Americans are constantly within the view of the never-blinking eye of the manifold surveillance systems.

Upon a request for comment, Carrie Sessine, the vice president for external affairs at In-Q-Tel, told The Intercept that her company “does not participate in media interviews or opportunities.”

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The Full Wiki

More info on Just Go With It

Just Go With It: Wikis

Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article! This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Just Go With It
Directed by Dennis Dugan
Produced by Jack Giarraputo
Heather Parry
Written by Timothy Dowling
Allan Loeb
Tim Herlihy
Adam Sandler
Starring Adam Sandler
Jennifer Aniston
Nicole Kidman
Brooklyn Decker
Studio Happy Madison
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date(s) February 11, 2011
Country United States
Language English

Just Go With It, originally titled Pretend Wife, is an upcoming 2011 romantic comedy film starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. Allan Loeb and Timothy Dowling wrote the script and Dennis Dugan, who has collaborated with Sandler on most of his films, will direct. The film will be produced under Sandler's production company Happy Madison and will be distributed by Columbia Pictures.[1] It will be shot between Los Angeles and Hawaii on the islands of Maui and Kauai and filming commenced on March 2, 2010 for a release date of February 11, 2011.

A plastic surgeon (Adam Sandler), who is afraid of commitment, tells his much younger girlfriend (Brooklyn Decker) that he’s married, with children. When she threatens to leave him, he asks a woman (Jennifer Aniston) and her children to pose as his family in order to prove his honesty.

  1. ^ Borys Kit (2009-12-08). "Sandler, Aniston playing 'Pretend'". The Hollywood Reporter (Nielsen Business Media). Retrieved 2010-02-07.

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Nutjob Ray McGovern Heckles Rummy

Ray McGovern, the man who heckled Rummy on Thursday, has a trail of lunatic behavior a mile long… But, to the mainstream media, he’s just your average “retired CIA analyst!”

Ray McGovern: “The Government May Be Manufacturing Fake Terrorism”

Ray McGovern, a certified nutcase, heckled Rummy Thursday in Atlanta.

In June of 2005, Ray McGovern blamed Zionists for starting the War in Iraq:

The session took an awkward turn when witness Ray McGovern, a former intelligence analyst, declared that the United States went to war in Iraq for oil, Israel and military bases craved by administration “neocons” so “the United States and Israel could dominate that part of the world.” He said that Israel should not be considered an ally and that Bush was doing the bidding of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

“Israel is not allowed to be brought up in polite conversation,” McGovern said. “The last time I did this, the previous director of Central Intelligence called me anti-Semitic.”

Thank God that “Jews feel Democrats fundamentally believe it is important to make sure that American Jews feel comfortable being American Jews,” or, that accusation by Ray McGovern would sound horribly anti-Semitic.

Via The Jawa Report

McGovern was part of a travelling hate-America freakshow featuring accused pedophile Scott Ritter, Iraqi anti-US propagandist Faiza Al-Arji (whose “A Family in Baghdad” blog actually comes from Jordan), and professional America-hater Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Global Exchange and Code Pink.

McGovern speaking at Emergency Truth Convergence in 2005 and Camp Casey last year. (Jawa)

And, don’t forget Ray McGovern’s trip to the White House in January…
(This one is my personal favorite.)

Ray McGovern, a Bush Crimes Commission representative, hand delivers mock indictments through the White House gate on Tuesday January, 10, 2006.

Allah has the poop on this moonbat.

Update: Zombie has pictures of McGovern with Mama Moonbat.

LGF has a moonbattarama roundup on McGovern.

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A NEW LOW… Obama Job Approval Rating Down to 40% (Video)

A whole new low for Team O…
Obama’s approval rating is now at 40%.
This is his worst approval rating to date.

40% of the voters must be completely unaware of the disaster he’s put us in.
FOX News reported:

Barack Obama’s second year as president is ending on a low note in the eyes of American voters, according to a Fox News poll released Thursday.

The president continues to suffer from upside-down job ratings, and the number who thinks he will be re-elected is down significantly. A slim majority now says the country would be better off with someone else as president…

About a third of voters (35 percent) think Obama deserves to be re-elected. A slim 53 percent majority says the country would be better off with someone else…

Overall, 40 percent of voters approve and 51 percent disapprove of the job Obama is doing. While that is close to his previous rating of 41 percent approval and 50 percent disapproval in late October, the new ratings are his lowest to date.

As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to edit or remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats of violence, racism, anti-Semitism, or personal/abusive attacks on other users. The same applies to trolling, the use of multiple aliases, or just generally being a jerk. Enforcement of this policy is at the sole discretion of the site administrators and repeat offenders may be blocked or permanently banned without warning


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Associated Press

NEW YORK -- An already soaring Wall Street extended its advance Tuesday after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged and assuaged some of the market's fears about the economy. The Dow Jones industrial average shot up more than 330 points, and all the major indexes had gains approaching 3 percent.

The market was already enjoying a big rally before the Fed meeting, as investors responded to a report that services sector activity fell less than expected last month and to another drop in oil prices that took crude as low as $118 a barrel .

But the Fed gave stocks a huge push higher in the last hours of trading.

Ryan Larson, senior equity trader at Voyageur Asset Management, said he believes the central bank will keep rates on hold until the early part of 2009. He said of Fed officials, "they seem more concerned about growth for the rest of this year, and I'd say right now they appear to be dovish for the short term."

The oil market also helped soothe some of Wall Street's worries -- crude fell as low as $118 a barrel before settling at $119.17, down $2.24 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil has now fallen $28 from its July 11 high of $147.27 on widening expectations that the slumping U.S. economy will keep curbing consumer demand for gasoline and other petroleum products.

Broader indexes also rose sharply. The Standard & Poor's 500 index added 35.87, or 2.87 percent, to 1,284.88, and the Nasdaq composite index rose 64.27, or 2.81 percent, to 2,349.83.

It was the Dow and S&P 500's biggest one-day gain since April 1, when the indexes kicked off the second quarter with a huge rally. This was also the Nasdaq's biggest point and percentage rise since mid-July.

The dollar traded mostly higher against other major currencies, while gold prices fell.

Earnings reports continued to stream in. Procter & Gamble Co., maker of Tide detergent and Gillette razors, said its fiscal fourth-quarter profit jumped 33 percent, boosted by price increases, overseas sales and tax benefits. Shares rose $2.09, or 3.2 percent, to $67.91.

Archer Daniels Midland Co. reported a 61 percent plunge in fourth-quarter profit, but said revenues soared amid higher prices for commodities like wheat and corn. The stock fell $1.53, or 6 percent, at $25.87.

D.R. Horton Inc., the nation's largest homebuilder, posted a narrower fiscal third-quarter loss as charges to write down the value of property declined. Shares fell 5 cents to $11.17.


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What will swing the elections?

ALTHOUGH the run-up to Zimbabwe’s general elections have always been characterised by violence and intimidation since 1980, the intensity scaled new levels in 2000 when the emerging MDC threatened Zanu PF’s two-decade grip on power.

Report by Elias Mambo

After losing the referendum on a government-backed Constitutional Commission draft constitution in 2000, Zanu PF embarked on a violent seizure of white-owned commercial farms as its main elections campaign drive.

Exploiting a legitimate historical grievance, the party used the land reform issue as an instrument to mobilise votes, while unleashing terror across the land.

This became Zanu PF’s trump card for the 2000, 2002 presidential polls and 2005 general elections as it, underpinned by violence, somehow worked to the party’s advantage.

Although the issue appealed to masses of dispossessed peasants, it also offered the party an opportunity to use its dependable weapons to win elections: brutality and fear.

The MDC was formed in 1999 against a backdrop of growing demands by civil society and political activists for political and economic reform as the country started deteriorating due to extended periods of misgovernment and maladministration.

While Zanu PF used the land issue as its campaign theme, the MDC campaigned on the platform of change.

But towards the 2008 elections, Zanu PF started changing its campaign theme, shifting focus from land reform and toning down on the attendant rhetoric to concentrate on its new strategy based on indigenisation.

The indigenisation campaign approach is now reinforced by Zimbabwe Broad-Based Economic Empowerment Policy (2013-42) developed by the Ministry of Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-T party last week launched a new economic blueprint, Jobs, Upliftment, Investment, Capital and the Environment (Juice) to succeed the Reconstruction Stabilisation Recovery and Transformation (Restart): Our Path to Social Justice plan which was part of its last election’s manifesto and campaign strategy.

The MDC-T  blueprints, including the initial Bridge, Restart and Juice, were designed to buttress the party’s manifestos and electoral messages based on its change rallying call.

With elections fast approaching, the two main political parties are once again crafting new manifestos and sharpening campaign strategies. Although the effectiveness of the land reform programme and indigenisation are questionable, a recent Freedom House survey claimed they have helped Zanu PF to recover lost ground.

The survey, which addressed political power, elections, fear and violence, the constitution, and socio-economic conditions, said the MDC-T’s support is plunging, while Zanu PF has been recovering, although almost half of potential voters remained undecided, at by July.

“It is only a few of the most popular reasons for party choice in Zimbabwe that show up clear differences between the two pain parties’ supporters. Land, indigenisation, foreign interference in Zimbabwe and especially liberation from colonialism do differentiate. The survey results clearly show that Zanu PF has crafted itself a number of effective election and party choice platforms,” the survey says.

“The MDC-T largely relies on its emphasis on change, and to some extent on civil liberties, to achieve such platforms.

“The item on defending Zimbabwe against ‘foreign interference’ shows that this Zanu PF ‘battle cry’ finds resonance across the party and undeclared boundaries. The same applied to the themes of indigenisation and land reform. On the theme of ‘liberation from the British’ Zanu PF is more isolated, with the MDC-T and undeclareds not supporting this platform in great numbers,” the survey said.

The survey also says there is a high level of consensus between the supporters of the two political parties that the way they govern is an important reason for them to be supported.

It follows both from the survey and from common logic that perspectives on the parties’ respective performance in government – and in particular in inclusive government – would help shape voters’ minds and voting trends.

Although violence has been simmering at a low level for the past couple of years, it is still there in sufficientmeasure to remind people that it can be stepped up in an instant.

The Zanu PF military-political complex has honed low intensity violence to a fine art: when announcements of pending elections are  made, violence usually erupts.

So the biggest question now is: what will swing the next elections likely to be a close affair, Zanu PF’s indigenisation policy or the MDC-T’s change agenda? Or will the “margin of terror” make the real difference as it has done in the past?

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Monday, May 21, 2012

Faking It Til I Make It

It's my birthday week and in honor of this holiest of holy occasions, I wanted to reflect on some shit.

Clearly I'm not where I thought I'd be at all- two kids, single parent, heavy debt, fat belly, battling depression. None of that was ever in my plans. But here is where I am so that's that.

Last week, however, as I felt myself sink into one of my usual funks, I tried hard to fight it with positive thoughts and affirmations, something a friend told me she does in the mirror every morning before she leaves the house. My version of that is usually just to check and make sure I'm still relatively good-looking, because I'm vain like that. It never occurred to me that I should give my self a pep talk, too.

So here are my weapons against depression, the things I'm hoping will bring less cloudy days in the future:

1. For the first time in forever, I love my job. It still challenges me, I'm surrounded by books and literary things, and my coworkers are a fun bunch. I like going there everyday; I look forward to it.

2. I still have my health. I've not gained any weight back, my blood pressure is lovely and I don't get winded so quickly anymore. I am currently having slight issues with my uterus but I won't give in to the worries. Everything will be fine because I'm taking care of myself, as opposed to my usual method of avoidance until a trip to the ER is needed.

3. I have a great family. They're funny, quirky, crazy, infuriating, supportive, amazingly flawed and loving, and they're all mine. I honestly wouldn't have it any other way.

4. My friends are awesome. They keep me (relatively) sane, smiling and on the right side of the law. For the most part!

5. I live in NYC, where the summer is about to swoop in and make my life 10x more awesome than it usually is via free concerts, beautiful sunny days and lots of travel within the continental US and Canada. And who knows, maybe the Caribbean, again, just because!

This is in no way a cure, but I'm making a conscious effort to just decide to choose happiness over mopiness. And sometimes that will mean that I need to pull away and be in my own company for a while, to regroup. But it's all a means to an end...

*smooches...typing this post with a smile on my face*
I can still be Jaded and smile, right? or is that un-thug-like?


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Search for best bloggers in the North East

An inaugural North East Blogger Awards, has been launched by Newcastle communications company O PR

Kari Owers
Kari Owers

The region’s best bloggers are invited to enter a new awards scheme.

The North East Blogger Awards – launched by Newcastle communications firm O PR – will culminate in a special awards evening later this year when winners of 11 different categories, including Best Business Blog, will be named.

Other categories include food, sports, beauty, lifestyle, parenting, business, style, travel, student, best newcomer and there will be a special judges’ award for the North East Blogger of the Year.

Businesses already using blogging as a marketing tool are being urged to nominate their blog in the Best Business Blogcategory at

Kari Owers, managing director of O PR, said: “The bloggersphere is getting bigger and better in the North East and businesses in particular are now seeing blogging as an influential way to reach audiences.

“We felt it was time to celebrate our best bloggers, give them some recognition and something to celebrate.

“The event will be a fun-packed evening of inspiration, networking and a celebration of the region’s best bloggers.

“It’s easy to nominate a blogger you know or to nominate yourself if you’re a local blogger or business that blogs. Just log on to the North East Blogger Awards website, pick a category and fill in your reason for nominating. We are also using the hashtag #nebloggerawards on social media to help us spread the word.”

Entries close on September 19 and the shortlist will be announced on September 30.

Did you know The Journal has a digital and social media category in its well-respected North East Business Awards. If you're interested in entering this category or sponsoring the category, or just want more information on our Business Awards please contact Sue Coulson, head of regional events, on 01912016072 or email

David Whetstone
Culture Editor
Graeme Whitfield
Business Editor
Mark Douglas
Newcastle United Editor
Stuart Rayner
Sports Writer


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Core Values: Costco

By | February 3, 2015

[February 03, 2015] I was watching a televisions special on Costco the other night with my wife. She was captivated by Costco with their employees being so loyal and customers so happy. What is it that makes Costco so successful? Is it their business model or is it something else?

Warehouse clubs that sell merchandise at low cost and high volume have been around in the United States since Sol Price and his brother opened the first Price Club warehouse in 1976 in San Diego, California. Costco Wholesale Corporation – Costco – is the most successful warehouse club and was founded in 1983 by Jim Sinegal.

Most people have belonged to one of the many of these member-only clubs because of the great prices. But its success was not always guaranteed. The 1990s saw a boom in warehouse clubs and it took grit and determination for the Costco brand to steadily grow. Costco’s mission is to continually provide their members with quality goods and services at the lowest possible prices.

The core values of Costco played a significant part by giving the right foundation for its employees. They refer to these values as a “code of ethics:”

  • Obey the Law
  • Take care of our members
  • Take care of our employees
  • Respect our vendors

“Culture isn’t the most important thing, it’s the only thing.” – Jim Sinegal

Maintaining the growth of Costco has been a challenge. Its continued success will undoubtedly persist as long as its senior management continues to act as leaders and believe in their values. So far, they have done a great job.

[Don’t forget to “Like” the Leader Maker at our Facebook Page.]

[Note] Some of its members are so dedicated to Costco that websites have evolved around them. This one in particular is very informative:


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From the Dark Streets to the Spotlight: Comedian/Actor/Producer Greg “The Greek”

Sometimes you need to survive a tragedy to find your place in the world. This would be the case for upcoming comedian/actor Greg “The Greek” Kritikos. Greg was raised on the tough streets of Astoria, Queens from 1971 through the 80’s. He came to America from Greece at a very young age along with his father, mother and sister. His father was a professional soccer player for the team Panagialo. After he retired from the sport decided to move to New York.

Growing up in the predominantly Irish / Italian section of Astoria was not so simple for Greg. All of his countrymen lived along Ditmars Boulevard nowhere near where he was. Unfortunately, he became a victim of bullying and was involved in many altercations. This led to his growing animosity towards life. At twelve years old that animosity grew to an almost festering cauldron.

Greg’s mother was hit by a drunken driver and she lost her leg and became an amputee. What made it worse was any help that was suppose to come from the government after the accident never materialized. These two key parts of his life led to his falling in line with the local tough element of Astoria. His new found Greek friends were tagged the “Steinway Boys” a group that even “yours truly” knew well.

Greg would end up in prison around 1988 when released he returned to the streets. Yet after many years of abusing alcohol and running with the wrong crowd something was due to break. At that time he was well over-weight at a staggering 385 lbs. He was then admitted for seven days of detox treatment at East Rockaway Saint Johns Hospital. Then three and half months at Phoenix House in Long Island City, there he made a pact with himself to truly turn his life around.

He did just that when he meet a lady friend of his who approached him about doing stand-up comedy. At first he waived it off but then decided to take a crack at it. He soon found himself on stage at the New York Comedy club and made a go at it. For his first run he did fairly well.

“Comedy comes with pain, everyone has a story,” says Greg.

This would lead the road him doing shows in Washington, Idaho and Illinois. He has incorporated his fight with obesity, drinking and his “Goodfellas” lifestyle into his show. Locations like Spokane, WA ate up his show as Greg opened the door to a world they only see on TV. He goes by the name “Greg The Greek” which is simple and fitting. He lived in Washington for six months learning the ins and outs of the land which he added into his skit. The crowd was astonished at his knowledge of the area which helped make his show there a success. Also a close friend of Greg’s, Lou Calos produced a show in Spokane, Washington for him at the Bing Crosby Theatre. Lou is from NYC PRYME.
“I found the people of that area of America very genuine.”

The first show he did in Washington was at Uncle D’s which is the #1 comedy club in the area. He knocked it out of the park and went on to states like Idaho and Oregon. The “funny bug” hit him early in life but he did not realize his potential till many years later. When he was growing up he was always attracted to the comedians in the industry. His favorite was Jackie Gleason he practically knows every episode of the “Honeymooners.”

“I am living my dream. I will never forget my first gig at the New York Comedy club and my good friend Vito told me. Just be yourself and you will be fine. With no script or real prep work I went out and gave them my all. It went great.”

Besides the comedy shows Greg has also entered into the film world with a big step. He has already taken on roles in five productions “79 Parts”, “City of Gold”, “Pleasure Principals”, “Psycotics” and the upcoming TV show “Scriptless”. Besides these projects he has also began working on a film about his own life. The first of two installments is “Son of a Shoemaker” and then “Stories of Astoria”. The first chronicles his relationship with his father as the other follows him and his gang the “Steinway Boys”.

Alan Bendich is the creator/producer/director and an actor of the new TV series “Scriptless”. When Alan first thought of creating “Scriptless”, the first actor he thought of to star in it was Greg Kritikos. Unfortunately, Greg was doing his comedy on the West Coast playing before massive crowds. Upon Greg’s return east he heard about “Scriptless” and contacted Alan Bendich and Alan asked him to join the production. Greg Kritkos is not only a star in “Scriptless”, but because of his acting ability, intelligence and business savvy, Alan has named him Associate Producer of “Scriptless”. Together they plan to bring this unique TV show, which will air on TV in Westchester, NY, to an ever increasing number of viewers.

“Stories of Astoria” is produced by Greg and has already hit YouTube with a one minute teaser The man playing Greg’s father in the film is Alan Bendich who is currently working with Greg on the TV show “Scriptless”. Greg owes a lot to Alan and has had a pleasure working with him. Greg is on a mission to keep making people laugh and developing his acting. He is a focused and changed man. May God help us!


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Largest MBR plants – Asia

The following list represents the latest information we have on the largest MBR plants in the Asia region, including new contracts which have been won but not yet installed.

If you are aware of any errors or omissions, please contact us, to help us keep this list up to date. Or if you’d like to supply some reference information for our Installations directory, we’d be pleased to hear from you.

Largest MBR plants in Asia?

Last updated: February 2017

Installations Location Technology Provider (Expected) date of commissioning PDF (MLD) ADF (MLD)
Tuas Water Reclamation Plant Singapore TBC 2025 800
Water Affairs Integrative EPC Xingyi, Guizhou, China OW 307
9th and 10th WWTP Kunming, Yunnan, China OW 2013 250
Shunyi Beijing, China GEWPT 2016 234 180
Wuhan Sanjintang WWTP Hubei Province, China OW 2015 200
Jilin WWTP (Phase 1, upgrade) Jilin Province, China OW 2015 200
Caotan WWTP PPP project Xian, Shaanxi, China OW 200
Qinghe WRP (Phase 2) Beijing, China OW 2011 150
Nanjing East WWTP (Phase 3) Jiangsu Province, China OW 2014 150
Yantai TaoziWan WWTP Shandong Province, China OW 2014 150
Jilin WWPT (Phase 2) Jilin Province, China OW 2014 150
Qinghe China OW/MRC 2011 150 150
Changsha 2nd WWTP Hunan Province, China OW 2014 140
Hwaseong-Dongtan STP Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea MRAS/Hyundai Oct 2016 122 (unconfirmed) 122
Daxing Huangcun WRP Beijing, China OW 2012 120
Jinyang WWTP (Phase 1） Shanxi Province, China OW 2015 120
Shiyan Shendinghe China OW/MRC 2009 110 110
Urumqi Ganquanpu WRP Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China OW 2014 105
Busan City Korea GEWPT 2012 102 102
Wenyuhe River Water Treatment (Phase 2) Beijing, China OW-MRC 2010 100
Hebei Zhengdi WWTP Hubei Province, China OW 2014 100
ZhuHai Qianshan WWTP Guangdong Province, China OW 2016 100
Guangzhou China Memstar 2010 100
Wenyuhe Beijing, China OW/Asahi Kasei 2007 100 100
Beijiao WWTP renovation project Ordos, Inner Mongolia OW 100
Xianlin WWTP PPP project Nanjing, Jiangsu, China OW 100
Beijiao WWTP Ordos, Inner Mongolia OW 100
Zhengding new district WWTP Zhengding, Hebei, China OW 100
Chengxiang WWTP Phase I Haiyan,Zhejiang, China OW 100
Changi Singapore GEWPT 2014 92 61
Awaza/Polimeks Turkmenistan GEWPT 2011 89 71
Songsan Green City Korea Econity Planned for 2015 start up 84
Sambo (aka Sanpou) STP Sakai, Japan Kubota Nov-10 83.5 59.7
Beixiaohe China Siemens 2008 78
Al Ansab Muscat, Oman Kubota 2010 77 55
Gongchon Korea Econity 2012 65 65
Lusail STP Doha, Qatar GEWPT – Degrémont 2013 (no raw water available before) 62 58

PDF: Peak daily flow
ADF: Average daily flow, Megalitres per day
GEWPT: GE Water and Process Technologies
OW: Beijing Origin Water
MRC: Mitsubishi Rayon Corporation
MRAS: Mitsubishi Rayon Aqua Solutions

Kimberly Mathis (Ovivo); Clément Roche (Degrémont); Stephen Katz (GE Water and Process Technologies); Xinxin Yan (Beijing Origin Water); Ozaki Kyouhei (Mitsubishi Rayon Aqua Solutions).

‘The MBR Site’ is a trading division of Judd and Judd Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales, registered number 8082403.

Registered office: Suite 2, Douglas House, 32-34 Simpson Road, Fenny Stratford, Buckinghamshire, MK1 1BA, United Kingdom. Email:

Banner image: full treatment plant for pharmaceutical wastewater in Taizhou, Linhai Park, Zhejiang Province, China, including Shanghai MEGAVISION  flat sheet UF membrane modules in two MBR units. Image courtesy of VALORSABIO, Lda.

Image credits:

– Image for our Chinese largest plants 全球最大的MBR项目 homepage link: Image supplied by Apex Environmental
– Image for our Consultants and Contractors homepage link: Image supplied by Ovivo USA, LLC.

Disclaimer: The information given on this website is reproduced in good faith. No liability is accepted for errors or omissions. The MBR Site does not endorse any products, services, organisations, events or any other listing included in this site. You are strongly advised to check all information, including specifications and installation details, before acting on any information given in this website. The MBR Site links to third-party websites – note that we are not responsible for the content of third-party websites and third-party websites are visited at your own risk. Please read our terms and conditions and privacy policy. Use of this website indicates acceptance of these conditions.

This website is designed for modern browsers – if you have problems viewing our website, you may wish to upgrade your browser.


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A Year Ago

A year ago this weekend, we loaded the above moving truck and headed North to Chicagoland. Not really sure how this experience was going to go, but trusting that God was putting us here for a reason.

How fitting that a year later, we have never been happier. I can feel God so much in our marriage. Although there have been times throughout this year where we have doubted him, he has never left our side and has remained faithful to us.

There is so much to reflect on in this past year.  Sure, throughout this year we have had a lot of ups and even a lot of downs. Two of the biggest downs have been being away from family & our housing situation. Not since we moved to our current location did we feel like we had a "home." That is a blessing in itself.

At times it has been a hard transition. But, I am SO proud of us. We have grown and learned so much as individuals and as a couple. A lot of people would have just given up and moved back home. We have stuck it out through the tough times by encouraging each other, leaning on each other, and praying together- all of those in return have molded and shaped our newly married relationship. The best part of moving up here has been seeing the person you love most flourish in his job and truly enjoy his work. I am so proud of Will.

It's been a wonderful experience for us. One we wouldn't trade for the world

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Happy Friday, everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderfully blessed week. I enjoyed linking up with Kelly last week for Link-toberfest that we are back with volume 2! By the way, if you haven't read Kelly's blog, you should. She is an amazing Catholic wife and mother!
Awhile back I posted about my husband, Will and I dedicating more time to reading. Well, we were doing really well, but then Grayson stopped sleeping well at night, and we became a little sleep deprived. Sleep > Reading. BUT, we are trying to get back on track. So, we both hit up the library this week and have started in on a couple of books. I saw that Christy had been reading Love Walked In, so I had to pick that up!
During my bible study this week, one of the Mom's recommended to the rest of us that we start a weekly in-home date night with our husbands. Of course I had heard of this, but the more she spoke about it and explained what they've done thus far, it sounded too good not to try! I talked to Will about it and he said we should do it on Thursday of each week. So last night was our first one and I "planned" it. We made homemade pizza and drank some of our favorite craft beers and a couple of new ones. I put a blanket on the ground and we watched a movie together. Simple as that. We decided that before each "date night" starts that we will say a prayer for our marriage. I encourage everyone to try this, especially if you have little ones. We laughed, and laughed. We kept distractions away (cell phones, computer etc..) and really just focused on each other. The best thing we can do for our children is to have a happy, Christ-centered marriage.

Has anyone else fallen in love with Fall, again? All colors on the trees, and the fresh autumn breeze. I love living in the Mid-west for a lot of reasons, one being Fall. Grayson and I made some festive cookies this week and he got a little crazy with the sprinkles. ;)  Hope everyone is enjoying this season as well!

This past Sunday after Mass, Will and I started talking about what we pray/think about as we are walking to receive Holy Communion. As children, I think it's hard to fully grasp the significance of this sacrament. Well that night, I was reading one of my favorite blogs, "http://mychildiloveyou.blogspot.com/2015/09/a-beautiful-visual-for-explaining-to.html" target="_blank">My Child, I Love You
 and she had recently posted a beautiful blog post  about what Will and I were discussing. Along with the post was the picture above. I think I stared at it for ten minutes because I was so moved by the picture. The picture is in the book My Catholic Faith. I had to pass this picture and where it came from along because it really moved me, and I hope it does the same for you and your family.
 Original copyright, 1949, 1955, 1958

When you have a baby, the first thing everyone wants to talk about, is who he/she looks like. Mom or Dad? Anywhere you go, and it's not just family and friends, strangers do the same as well. Everyone has their own opinion. Everyone always tells us that Grayson has my eyes- which Will and I both agree on. After I took this picture, I looked at it and couldn't believe how much we looked alike. It's so amazing to see yourself in your child, and a little scary sometimes too when they give you a face and your like, "hey kid, you got that from me."
I know, I'm crazy, we haven't even had Halloween yet and I am already thinking about Advent. Did you know it starts next month? Yes, next month is November. Crazy. With this being Grayson's first Advent/Christmas season, we are so excited to share with him some of the traditions we do, but also start some new traditions since he is our first. We have a few ideas in mind, but I'm curious how everyone else celebrates with their little kids? We are really wanting to put the focus on Jesus and not the getting of the gifts. Does anyone have experience with this and care to share?

I had to share this little video of Grayson having a laugh attack. He has a few different laughs that he gives us, but are hard to catch on video. There is not a better sound in the whole world than hearing your baby start to laugh. If I am having a hard day or need pick-me-up, I can watch this video and all my worries go away. We are so thankful for the joy and love he brings to our family.
Happy Weekend and thanks for reading along! Just this week I was telling Will how much I love this little space. I know it's crazy because it's just a blog, but man it holds so many memories for us. I treasure it and love being able to share with you all! xoxo

  1. Lovely post! Advent is my favorite season. We do the an Advent wreath at dinner. Anything paired with dinner will likely get done around here. This year we are going to attempt a Jesse Tree. Time will tell if that is successful or not.

    1. We do an advent wreath as well! I've heard great things about doing a Jesse Tree, we may have to look into that more! I hope you guys have a blessed Advent season!

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Tuesday, August 08, 2017

I mentioned in one of my previous post that some of my values have changed due to experience and environment. I will try my best to explain it, so there won't be any mis- understanding as it happened when I made my inner confession public. This might be a long read because I will simply go with the flow of my thoughts, without editing .... so bear with me.

I worked before I got married and the team spirit was imbibed in me. If you like to go solo, you will be seen as 'your-own-too-much-kind of person' or 'I-too-do-person', and you might not be liked for that! So, imagine my surprise, when I saw the reverse is the case here! It is; I, me and myself, even in a team! I couldn't understand the 'self-centeredness-mentality in work places, everyone was simply covering their ass and doing ONLY their jobs assigned to them! I had to learn the hard way that there is no 'we' in a team! I later knew the reason behind this concept ... some people will want to take advantage of you! Like monkey dey work, baboon dey chop! Some just want the paycheck without pulling their own weight around! And they see an enabler as bad as the enablee! (is there a word like that? ahahha, but you get the gist sha?)

Some times, I have to be fighting a battle inside me ... Do it! Don't do it! Do it! Don't do it! Few times I give in and do it because, what is in you, is in you! Sometimes I will 'strong' my mind wella like stone and look the other way ... why? Simply because nobody gives a s***,  as long as the work got done! Oga at the top just wants to see the end result, Shikenah! It is when there are drawbacks or cracks, they now take a look to see where the problem is coming from, before it would be addressed, or else you will be working like 'jackie', and be collecting the same pay, afterall, dem no send you message! Infact, when they know you are good at what you do, they will add jara sef! When a co-worker advised me in my former place of work, I thought she was joking, until I experienced it, then me too, borrow small sense and re-adjust.

Lemme share these instances with you. In my former place of work, when we received packages from the mail, anything that cannot enter the trash can beside us, we took it to the back, into the big garbage bin. So, I came in one night, and saw empty big boxes by the hallway, after 2 days, nobody threw it away ... maybe the person travelled to the moon, I eventually picked it up, only to come the next night, and there were another big boxes! SERIOUSLY???!!! This person must be a joke! Back from the moon abi? Maybe she had a hired help, I didn't know about? I just jejely waka pass and throughout that night, I took another way, just to avoid seeing it and be tempted to remove it! My other co-workers no send! Let me digress here ... many bloggers and readers thinks I like wahala ... but I have said it here before, I don't like trouble, to avoid  any form of confrontation, I can take another route or walk away, but when I am left with no choice, then I bare my fangs! The boxes were there until I went for my days off, when I came back, they were gone and the person did not put more! What happened? I dunno! Maybe her hired help quit?

My new place of work is smaller, so we are told to clean after ourselves, before the next shift comes in, unlike my former place where we had housekeepers. You will think, what is the biggie right? Well, it will surprise you that some don't know or like to 'wipe their own butt!'  Many times, I had to empty other people's trash before I start my own duties, it got to a point I left a note on the board for them to take out their trash ... FOR WHERE! Instead, it was ripped off and thrown away! I see! I said to myself! 'No problemo!' So, they knew what they were doing ba? They next nights, I kukuma, shift their trash to one corner, found alternative, and emptied mine! After some days, I think someone noticed it, and they now clean after themselves! One should learn not to take crap, because you want to be the bigger or better person ... it does not help in all situations. Simply choose wisely. The day a co-worker bluntly said it was not her job, when a manager asked her to do something another co-worker 'neglected' to do, I said YES! You wan mess with akata? My oyibo manager go do the thing  jejely! Since then, the manager became strict with that shift!

I have also learnt to squarely face my lane! As long as it is not my a** on the line, it is not my problem! This much my co-team worker told me when I pointed out an observation to him regarding one of his duties, that it will cause problem later. I apologized to him, while saying OUCH! OUCH! OUCH! inside of me. It was none of my damn f*****g business, right? But you see, my manager and I ended up doing it the next day, when the problem happened! And he was off!  This made me strong-minded not to help him with any of his duties like I was doing before. This co- worker is the weak link in our wheel of operation, not because he does not know what to do ... he simply didn't want to do it or couldn't be bothered! His lackadaisical attitude drove us crazy that we just had to accept him for who he is ... if na dudu, he for don get the boot! Another lesson learnt .... you have to live with people's flaws as they also tolerate you!

Smoking! HUMPH! By force by fire, I have become a secondary smoker which is worst than the primary smoker! I don't like it and will never like it!  The smell is choking and nauseating! NO! I don't hate those that smoke oo. It happens during our break; I wait for them to finish first before having mine or I have mine first before theirs, but I will miss the 'juicy wine from the office grape-vine'. Yep! Many unofficial information are discussed between the smokers, because oga  sef join!

Which reminds me of the novel I read several years ago, about an employee who had to join the smokers club because she was always left behind promotions. She later found out that, when they smoked, both ogas at the top and subordinates became friends and important unofficial info was leaked out at that vulnerable moment! She was puffing fake cigarettes, and became friendly with her boss, later she got promoted, her boss found out about her 'act!' So, what I'm saying? Sometimes, you've got to do, what you've got to do to survive, stay afloat or be at the top and when the consequences comes, SUCK it up!

I have nice neighbours who are smokers and Christians too! Truthfully speaking, I have not seen it in the bible where it is a sin as I was taught in Nigerian churches. It is simply unhealthy. Many smokers are kind, helpful than some of our so-called christian brethren! Smoking is seen or accepted like, when you get hungry, eat! Or when you get thirsty, drink! It is nothing to them here, that is why I was not surprised to hear that some doctors and priests smoke! The problem is the addiction and upgrading to something higher which is dangerous. SO! I told them,the smell bothered me, and they were gracious enough to sit several feet away from me when smoking, and I bury my nose inside my blouse ... I look funny doing that ... but that is the price I have to pay to be in good rapport with my team, afterall, no man is an Island.

WELL! Daz all for today ... I have bored you enough for now .... maybe some other time!

  1. lol@ nitty

    guess the cultures are different.

    1. Yes oo, Dolly.
      SOOOO different!

  2. Wow, you have opened your comment box?

    1. Yes, Atiola, I have opened my comment box, a blogger friend told me what to do, which helped me to stop the spamming.

  3. Very helpful suggestions that help in the optimizing website. thank for sharing the link.

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