text:
Well, this AskDunkleberger thing was another mind-bending work of staggering genius.
Questions have been pouring in to me and the demand for my special brand of wisdom has been so overwhelming that I have been forced to launch www.askdunkleberger.com! Subscribe to the mailing list by clicking HERE.
Oh crap, did that hyper-link break? Now I have to call MWIA Newsletter tech support.
Oh forget it, just like me on Facebook.
I hate crime as much as the next guy. Is it appropriate to post videos on ChatTube, or YouTwit, or whatever, of lesser crimes I may have observed around Mount Washington, such as dropping doggy bags in a neighbor’s trashcan? If I don’t have any of these videos, should I film myself in the act?
As everyone knows, the only videos worth watching are cat videos. So if you want to post video of yourself emptying a litter box into your neighbor’s trash, that is acceptable.
Mount Washington is the hot brand right now. People from all over town claim they live here even though they really live in Cheswolde or on Smith Avenue or as far out as Quarry Lake or Topeka. Now, I don’t want to be a snob, and I don’t blame them for wanting to live in one of the best neighborhoods in town. But what’s the etiquette here? Should I correct these people? Turn the other cheek? Snort derisively?
I feel your pain. So I took some of your Advil. Now I feel better.
Ahhh yes, wannabes. It is important to remember that we were all once MW aspirers and now we live here and they don’t. Nanny nanny boo boo. Never mind that they are in a modern 3,200 square foot palace and you live in a van down by the Jones Falls. That van is in Mount Washington! I would choose snorting.
In the alley means in the belly! We call this activity “Night Gardening” and it also applies to various indigenous perennials. And some smaller pets. Just be cool and pass the gazpacho.
And don’t forget to send me your questions for next time.
I’m tired of advice. I’m sick of life hacks and 7 productivity tips to make you a NinjaWorkRockStarGuruTM (Number 3 will blow your mind!). I’ve had it with quizzes and surveys and ads that follow me all over the Interweb and apps that follow me all over town (although I’m quite proud of being named Mayor of Savetta’s Psychic Reading – two months running!). But mostly I’ve had it with people giving me advice.
Amazingly enough, even though this is the first edition, I already have questions flooding in to neddunkleberger@gmail.com. Be sure to send yours in today!
I honestly don’t know where to turn, so I am turning to you for advice. Got any?
Well, that was easy! Let’s try another. This one is a bit trickier.
I currently have a decent job in state government but it will end soon. I am thinking about my future and beyond that my future’s future and I am wondering if you can help me. There is an opportunity I am considering applying for, but it is a bit over my head and is practically impossible to succeed in. However, it has great benefits and a solid pension, plus I would get my own airplane! So, should I run for … I mean, apply for this job?
P.S. Should I thaw my steaks before grilling them?
Oh, hell yeah! Raise a ton of money and chase that dream, but don’t spend too much of it doing so. I hear you get to keep the leftovers when you lose. And you will lose. Then write me again for investment advice.
P.S. Don’t worry about your steaks. You will overcook or undercook or forget to cook them anyway.
That was fun! Send me more, please. And don’t forget to floss.
Via the miracles of modern technology we have been blessed with many truly wonderful things including microwave ovens, iPhones, painless dentistry, liquid soap, the invisible fence, tofu based dessert treats – the list goes on and on. And now, crypto-currencies, including BitCoin are poised to reinvent what we consider money.
While many of us long for the days on our Micronesian island when our wealth was measured by the size of the giant Rai stone displayed in front of our hammock, those days are sadly, long gone.
As Al Gore once said, “it’s the microchip, not the Micronesian chip, dummy”. Anyway, as a resident of Mount Washington you are one of the lucky ones who will have the opportunity to get in early on the next big (invisible) thing. DunkleBitCoinsTM are here and I already have agreements with over 40 of the local hair salons (that’s almost half!) to accept them in payment for your color cut and blow drying sessions. Also, as soon as the restraining order is lifted, I will be proudly returning to the Local Taverns to get them on board. They will love it – it will be easier than ever to sneak in that 18% gratuity for a party of 1 or more.
Speaking of eating. Let’s do lunch!
As we head into summer please remember this: Just because winter sucked that’s no reason not to be able to complain about heat. So when someone tells you, and oh yes, they will tell you “You can’t complain about the heat, don’t you remember the winter?” Tell them that Ned said to keep fanning me and feeding me ice chips. It’s always OK to complain about summer heat in Baltimore, in fact it is expected.
Preakness 2014 is just around the corner and I will do my complaining about that in advance. “OOO the blimp is so loud and it’s been right over my house ALL DAY”. Other than that it’s an amazing day and I look forward to seeing the bulimic midgets, oops, jockeys scarfing down French fries at the Tavern the night before.
Speaking of local watering holes, here is an observation. Live music is dead. Let’s have a seance! I have a Ouija board that I regularly use to summon the spirit of Earl Weaver just to ask him questions about the current Baltimore Orioles. Actually, it is a custom Ouija board with these characters just for Earl “@#$!&*#$”. But seriously, lets’ all get together and summon the spirit of live local latebreaking music. ( Dang it WBAL TV has me under their spell…) ahem, the spirit of Live Local music and find out where the heck it has been. I don’t want to hear the Sirius XM “Songs that jerk across the hall played to death in the 80’s” channel while I sip my Sasparilla, I want to see somebody acting out their dreams of a better life – with guitars!
Great news for the four legged lovers of frozen psychotropic treats – The NipsiclesTM truck is coming! Listen for the jingling collar bells as it comes down your street and bring out your cats! And your DunkleBitCoinsTM.
And one more thing. Mind your manners and be respectful of your neighbors, you may need to borrow a drainpipe snake someday and you don’t want your bad attitude towards the clearly mentally ill to stop them from lending it to you. Leave your torches and pitchforks in the garage and keep your side of the street clean, because so far, the only evidence of City Street sweepers that I have seen is a bunch of ugly signs posted on our otherwise lovely gardens. Which is cool, because street sweepers are scary!

industry_corpus2: Others


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Nico Hülkenberg enjoyed his first FIA World Endurance Championship outing at Spa yesterday, despite having to face challenging conditions throughout practice.
The 27 year old Force India F1 driver set the fourth fastest time during Thursday’s two sessions, with the three Porsche 919 Hybrids taking three of the top four places.
While Hülkenberg is yet to get a true feel for the 919 Hybrid’s potential on the 4.35 mile Spa-Francorchamps circuit, he is already noticing differences between LMP1 and F1 machinery.
Hülkenberg will participate in tomorrow’s 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. He was announced as one of Porsche’s ‘third car’ drivers in November, and has been looking forward to his foray into sportscar racing ever since.
LMP1 qualifying for the FIA WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps begins today (May 1) at 17:35 GMT. The race, which forms the second round of the FIA WEC, will get underway tomorrow at 13:30 GMT.

industry_corpus2: Sports


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Reflecting upon the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’d like to express my gratitude to our vital and resilient Palo Alto University community. I am inspired daily by our richly diverse community, commitment to service, and the outstanding work by our students, faculty and alumni to improve lives throughout our community and around the world.
In this month’s newsletter, we are delighted to announce that PAU Professor Ricardo F. Muñoz received the ‘2018 Outstanding Mentor Award’ from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies during a ceremony in Washington, D.C. November 16. We are so inspired and humbled by Dr. Muñoz’s commitment to mentorship and his tireless efforts to make mental health care available around the globe. Congratulations Dr. Muñoz!
I’m consistently reminded of the wealth of service our community is providing beyond our classroom walls. I encourage you to read about the inspiring work of PAU Alumna Heather Unrue, Ph.D., as she teaches patients, medical residents, and practicing physicians the value of early psychological intervention in pediatric primary care. Additionally, the heartfelt story of PAU Ph.D. Candidate Vidya Bharat’s commitment to address mental health issues in the workplace in India serves as an inspiration to the positive global impact that the mental health field can have both at home and abroad.
In closing, I was reminded last week about how kind and caring our community is. At our holiday gathering of staff, faculty and Trustees, a bounty of toys and gifts were collected for CASA, food was collected for the Second Harvest Food Bank, and donations were made to help survivors of California’s Camp Fire.
Thank you for contributing so passionately to our communities, and for being the change we wish to see in the world. I wish each of you a warm and safe winter break and holiday season.

industry_corpus2: Subject Education


text:
How to add LoadUI PRO capability to Bamboo?
How to add Secure PRO capability to Bamboo?
How to add SoapUI OpenSource capability to Bamboo?
How to add SoapUI PRO capability to Bamboo?
How to create LoadUI build plan in Bamboo?
How to create Secure build plan in Bamboo?
How to create SoapUI build plan in Bamboo?
Are you motivated with innovation?
Do you dream to change the way of testing?
Do you want to chase excellence?
Send your CV to careers.
To change, Be the Change!

industry_corpus2: Computing & Telecommunications


text:
With picky eaters, there’s a natural tendency to try and convince them to eat something completely new and different. After all, many of them seem to refuse entire food groups!
But for most of us, we’re setting ourselves up for failure. They’re picky. Something completely new is scary, gross, and just not going to happen.
Instead, try to start with slight variations of foods they’re already eating. This will feel like a tiny step, but you won’t believe what kind of doors it opens. Eventually these tiny steps will become a big win.
For example, for the longest time my son would consume two very specific kinds of squeezables as part of his short list of I’ll-eat-this foods. So in my mind, I checked squeezables off the list and never really tried pushing for others. What’s the point? He’s already eating two. So I just focused on trying to introduce new foods (which, by the way, never worked) and made sure to stockpile his two favorites.
After one very frustrating day of failed food introductions, it occurred to me that maybe I just need to try something easier – a small win…for both of us. So I took him to the grocery store and said “Ok, we’re going to try and pick out one new squeezable. Let’s just see if any look good.” After a few minutes of examining every single squeezable, he decided that he might actually be able to try one…after all, cookie monster was pictured on it.
The moral of this story?? Kids eat with their minds as much as their mouths! And while my son is still a picky eater, I was able to add peaches and strawberries to his diet.
This tried-and-true method of nutrient introduction is a classic for a reason – it works. Again, it may not feel like a huge win because you’re still enabling a picky eater to be picky. But you’re getting more nutrients in them, which means you can sleep at night.
The easiest foods to hide things in are ones that are homemade, so start with those. If your child won’t eat homemade food, don’t worry, you still might be able to be sneaky.
Muffins, smoothies, and mashed potatoes are three of the easiest recipes to work with, but you could also extend this to desserts like cookies or ice cream (obviously you don’t want to increase their cookie intake, but if they’re already eating them, it may make you feel better to at least know there’s some added nutrition in them!).
When you’re deciding what to add, don’t jump straight for the spinach or broccoli. Those are great, but there are other sneakier things to add that might not taste as strong and will be just as nutritious. Nuts and seeds are easy, tasty, and small, which means you don’t have to add too much to have an impact.
Flax seed – Not only is this really nutritious, but it comes in a flour-type consistency, so it won’t add a crunch to the food.
Hemp seed – This is another superfood seed that has a smooth consistency when it’s blended.
Avocado – These can be easily added to baked goods and/or smoothies.
Carrots – You wouldn’t think carrots could be sneaky, but they’re actually really sweet. The trick is to shred them, blend them, and/or boil them to make them soft. They can go great in baked goods or sauces like marinara.
Sweet potatoes – When you boil and then mash sweet potatoes, they can easily slip into baked goods.
You eat with your eyes first! For kids, this is even more true than for adults.
I know we’ve all seen the crazy Pinterest creations of spectacular snacks that look like Disney princesses and heroes. If you can do that, great. If you can’t, then you’re with me. But don’t worry, there’s still hope for us…in the form of cookie sandwich cutters.
I can’t take the credit for this one because my mom did the leg work, but lo and behold one day she presented my son with Choo Choo Cheese – aka grilled cheese – in the shape of a train. After that, he was a regular grilled cheese eater.
I know grilled cheese is not high on the list of nutritional things to eat, but if you’ve got a picky eater, then you know nutrition isn’t the only battle. You need to be able to send your child off to school with a sandwich! You want to fill their little bellies!
So for us, Choo Choo Cheese was a huge success!
Guess what. Sometimes we just need to lie to our kids. But I promise you, you will only feel bad until it works…then, you will lie about everything.
So try calling their food something else. Will they eat milkshakes, but not smoothies? Cupcakes, but not muffins? Mashed potatoes, but not cauliflower?
There’s no reason you can’t call your son’s zucchini fritter a pancake…especially if that means they’ll eat it.
For us, chocolate hummus (can you believe they make this stuff??) became chocolate ice cream. It pretty much looked the same, so he went for it. It doesn’t taste exactly like ice cream, but it was still good…and you know what? He loved it. So I kept feeding it to him and then slowly I started calling it chocolate ice cream hummus and then eventually I dropped off the “ice cream” and just started calling it by it’s real name – chocolate hummus.
It’s not a massive win because there’s still sugar in it, but the top ingredient is chickpeas – so I’ll take it!
Choo Choo Cheese wasn’t a success only because of the train cutter. It was also served by Grandma, which made it even better.
For some reason, a lot of kids are way more likely to eat (or at least try something new) when someone else serves them. They know you too well!
Not only that, but other people may have a different approach that you haven’t thought of.
So whenever you have the opportunity, see if someone else can successfully get them to try something new. If you’re typically the one to serve food, you can even just switch to your spouse periodically.
When other kids are eating something, all of a sudden it becomes way more desireable. So take advantage of that and see if your kid will join their friends for snack or lunch time!
This lunch box was a total game changer for us. It was purchased, not surprisingly, for preschool lunches, but my son loved it so much that he started asking for dinner in it too.
At first, I felt a little weird serving his dinner in his lunch box. Then I realized that he was more likely to eat what I served him when I used it.
By using the lunch box, I’m able to sneak in healthier things or variations and he doesn’t even seem to notice.
The lunchbox at dinner may be weird…but it’s certainly here to stay in our house!
There are tons of different vitamins out there and many are made to look and taste just like candy. So go with my earlier tip – lie to them – and try to get them in the habit of taking a daily vitamin.
This is good for the obvious reasons, but more importantly – it will give you peace of mind. Knowing that every nutrient has at least been ingested by your child is a massive weight off of your shoulders.
My son currently likes the Flintstones vitamins, so that’s what we use. There are also different varieties of gummy vitamins, so they may be good to try out too!
Two things happen when you let your kid pick out their own food.
First, they get an opportunity to be in control of a situation that they otherwise dislike. And they get to eat with their eyes and mind first! When they pick out their own food, they’ve already decided that they like the food, which puts it at a huge advantage.
Second, you may be really surprised by what they choose! On a few occasions, my son has shocked me by picking a food that he saw a TV character eat or a friend at school. You don’t know what you don’t know…so see what happens if you let them pick something out!
For some kids, using rewards works like a charm. If this is your kid, then USE REWARDS.
Obviously they can’t expect a reward every time they eat a vegetable, but sometimes just getting past the first taste is all you need.
During our eat-more-food adventure, I ordered a few exciting toys that I displayed high up in the kitchen (so he could see them but not reach them). I made it clear what they were for and that he had to try something new if he wanted them.
It took a day, but he finally agree to eat a blueberry (yes…this is how picky he is…). He actually put it in his mouth, chewed it up….and then spit it out.
He got his toy because he did, in fact, try the new food. But that was the last blueberry I ever got him to try, so the reward system lost steam quickly.
Moral of this story? Rewards can be tricky, but they are a classic for a reason – a lot of kids will respond to them!
I hope at least one of these tips proves to be helpful on your child-feeding endeavor! I know how tough it can be, so good luck! Let me know what else may work in the comments section. Good luck!!

industry_corpus2: Health & Medicine


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The disruptive technology boom all started because of an innovation from 1895.
Panasonic has expanded its Battery manufacturing capabilities in the United States. The CR-2/3AZ Lithium Primary Battery currently being manufactured in Indonesia will also be produced in Columbus, GA by the end of 2018. “This move will benefit customers in a variety of ways including lower transportation costs and more timely customer support” says Kanji Kawakami, Chief Engineer for OEM and Industrial Batteries with Panasonic.
Learn about Bluetooth® Mesh 1.0. This network is a major step towards a more accessible and wide-ranging wireless future.
Panasonic offers a wide array of storage solutions for your factory automation designs.
Don't Let MLCC Shortages Let You Go Line Down!
This New FPGA Development Kit Offers an "Avalanche" of Design Possibilities! Future Electronics has taken an extremely proactive approach to the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) space by bringing together products from their best product lines, including Panasonic, to develop the Avalanche FPGA Development Kit.
Standards are created to govern a specific discipline. To create a set of rules an industry can follow, to create products that are considered safe, provide predictable functionality and, for the most part, are interoperable with other devices. In Wireless systems, there are two major categories of standards. Those that govern the lower level, or the Radio, and the standards that govern the Link Layer and functionality.

industry_corpus2: Power & Energy


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The Accelerated Literacy teaching sequence is an ordered cluster of literacy teaching strategies. When you use them each day, they become a teaching routine. They are not intended to be used in the spirit of a prescription. Rather, the teaching sequence gives you a clear, consistent and familiar structure that still allows you to improvise, but also sets up the right conditions for students to focus fully on the content that you are teaching.
This document provides an outline of the Accelerated Literacy teaching sequence.


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At different times in life, there will be goals you want to work on and achieve. These may be in form of physical projects you want to embark upon or other financial goals. Setting goals do not only keep your body and mind active, it gives you a purpose to live for. Having different goals to work on enables you to live a life rid of boredom and frustration and gives you the opportunity to discover and make the best use of your potentials. No doubt setting goals may be quite challenging, but such challenges will help you grow and be who you want to be eventually. While it is quite easy for some people to come clear with their goals, others find it quite difficult to identify what their goals are, which makes it a lot difficult to solve problems they may face. Getting professionals to help you with identifying and setting your goals will definitely be worthwhile. If you are fortunate enough to clearly identify your goals at different times and different stages of your life, you then may have proved that you know what you want and also perhaps, know ways of achieving it. Your inability to deal adequately well with goal setting and achievement explains why as many people as cannot be accounted for, fall among those who constantly see themselves as not being able to achieve goals they have set for themselves. So, do not blame yourself for this short fall. All you need is a helping hand. However, once you have been able to set your goals, you must ensure to handle the processes responsibly in order to achieve success. How then do you remain focused and eventually become successful with your goals? How do you avoid falling by the wayside and throwing it all in the wind?
There are really no hard and fast rules as to how you can remain focused and eventually achieve what you have set out to achieve. All you need basically is the right attitude, the right approach and the right mindset.
Here are some tips for you to consider in helping you stay focused and on track, to achieve your goals.
Prioritize your goals: You may have one huge goal or several huge goals you want to accomplish at different times or at a particular time. To make your goals effective and achievable, you must learn to prioritize your goals. If you have one big goal you want to accomplish, for example you want to start your own business; break this goal into bits and pieces, and begin tackling them one goal at a time. Once accomplished, you can then move to the next level.
When you want to achieve a huge goal without breaking it down, you may stretch yourself too thin, resulting in less efficiency and probably not achieving anything. So, what you do is, prioritize your goals in order of importance and then pick the most important goals; say 1-3 most important goals to start with. Do not embark on other goals if you do not complete these ones.
Pick the most important from the list and work on them in order of importance.
Create a vision Board: The essence of you creating a vision board is to remind you every day of the goals you have set for yourself, so that you do not forget or lose focus or concentration. It helps you visualize your goals and the results you aim to achieve clearly, which inevitably inspires you to take consistent action. What is a vision board? It’s a collage of pictures and images that represent your goals and dreams. Vision board reinforces your goals to you and reminds you to take action progressively.
Ensure your drive/motivation is strong enough: Whatever goal you set must have the strength and huge motivation to keep you going no matter what. It is only then that you will be able to face challenges that come with achieving your goal and overcome these challenges. Without a strong drive for your goal, your tendency of falling by the wayside and not achieving what you desire is quite high. Have you ever asked yourself why you want to become an entrepreneur? (For example). Are you convinced of the reasons you truly want to own and start your business. Is that purpose strong enough to keep you going, etc?
Master your skills: Obviously, great things start from small beginnings and acquiring knowledge and seeking to be better at what you do should be a lifelong thing. It may take some time for you to master all the skills required to be a guru in your chosen business, but ensure that you make all efforts necessary to improve your performance and quality of service. You must always aim to be a master at what you do and be willing to share knowledge with others.
Tackle your limiting beliefs: Often, I hear clients, say, “I doubt if I will be able to make it because I don’t see myself a very good business person, nobody ever did this and succeeded in my family.” These messages are sent to your unconscious mind which begins to respond and act upon the messages and symbols you sent across, distributing the kind of energy you have transmitted from your conscious mind. So, when you believe you cannot make it as a business person, for example, the response you will begin to get will be that of someone who cannot actually make it as a business person no matter what you do, because you have pre conceived it in your inner self that you cannot succeed in what you are doing. So, if you have any negative or limiting beliefs whatsoever find ways to work on them eradicate such and free yourself. Take advantage of the opportunities you have and make the use of your potentials.
Break barriers: Identify any obstacles/barriers and find ways to break them- Barriers could be inform of time, I hear people say “I’ve not been able to do… because I haven’t got time, money, support, family, etc. Whatever the barriers are, seek help and ensure you step above such. It’s a thing to do with determination and commitment.
Network and surround yourself with like -minded people: Find knowledge, friendship, interactions and support to help you build a strong base for your goals. Find ways of meeting like minded people to discuss, and explore new ideas and ways of doing things. For example, read about the latest trends around the type of goal you are embarking upon, or in your chosen business field; attend seminars, related groups or clubs, and workshops and engage in other things that could help you grow your interests.
Secondly, surround yourself with people who will encourage and help you accomplish your goals and also give you honest and constructive criticisms as well as challenge you towards achieving your goals.
Keep a progress record sheet – The importance of tracking results and achievements is to enable you to measure how well you have performed within a period of time. It helps you identify your performance metrics, and guide you as to where you need to improve or where you added value. You could keep a daily journal of your efforts and achievement, this way you will ensure taking actions and improving on your outcomes. These days, there are so many ways of analysing the progress you make, which I will be writing about in another post.
Celebrate achievements: One important reason you need the progress record sheet is for you to identify every success or achievement you’ve made at different stages and then celebrate those achievements. As you reach a height, give yourself a treat, pause, feel the accomplishment and enjoy the pleasure that comes with your success before moving on. No success is too little to be celebrated. As you savour the joy of your accomplishments you will believe more in yourself, your confidence will be strengthened and your optimism will soar.


text: Happy Holidays, Delete Bin readers! Pa-Rum-Pa-Pum-Pum! Peace on Earth.


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This page is new to the DCP website and is refreshed with new ideas as they arrive. we ALWAYS need contribution from our club members as well as external friends. Topics will mostly relate to paddlesports and DCP activies. Your suggestions gratefully received - please use our contact form.
Paddle opportunities in our area.
Canoeing & Kayaking associate skills.
These are starting on tuesday 29 March. For the first few weeks we will meet at 6pm to be on the water for 6.30.
A thin coating of greasy mud has covered a large area of the Benarth slipway recently. It is about halfway down, full width and stretches for about four metres down. It is more slippery to walk on than wet seaweed!Harry slipped and fell badly there on Thursday Night, injuring his arm, back and elbow on the concrete. James also slipped there and fell on the following day cutting his hand badly on barnacles.Both paddlers know this slipway very well and appreciate it needs care on most occasions but the thin inoccent looking layer of mud there now is treachorous. DO TAKE GREAT CARE THERE AT THE MOMENT. It might be safer to go around onto the sandy areas if possible until the condition clears up. Strangely, Chris W had no problem coming up through after paddling on Thursday night so it would be interesting to know what footwear he had on. Similarly, Harry had gone down the first time carrying his sea kayak in different footwear and didn't slip; his injuries may have been worse otherwise.
I guess we've all noticed the long daylight hours of summer receeding. This means that unless we plan to be out in the dark, our paddling window for Tuesday and Thursday nights are getting squeezed into smaller sessions with earlier start and finish times. After next Tuesday (22nd September) Penny advises that paddle sessions will start on the water for 6.30 and not 7pm.
Keep an eye out for each other to ensure no one is left behind in the paddling group. As Penny suggested, head torches are a good idea. this is as much for others to you. It's unlikely these sessions will be so dark that you can't see where you are going on the water, but you never know. The head torches are useful for "hands free" carrying kit along the lane as well as for 'being seen' by motorists when you cross the highway in fading light. It might be a good time to review other methods of keeping good group contact during the dusky times such as reflective bibs or sah-bands etc. Incidentally, the weather is mild and pleasant for the time being and these are great opportunities for moody sunset photos, moody landscapes and silhouetted paddlers on the water. - Do send some pictures in for us to see.
DCP Leisure Paddling - Night Paddle Sessions !
Not put off by the shorter daylight hours, DCP seniors set out at around 7PM on Tuesday night 22 Sept. Heading upstream against a gentle ebbing tide, They were paddling with an expectation of a return journey in the dark!
Our paddlers were warmly kitted out and with head torches and reflective strips on their kayak clothing and buoyancy aids. Although there was quite a fresh and chilly breeze at the start, the Conway is almost always a sheltered paddle. However, if you are thinking of going, do pay heed to the strength of the tide, plan your trip, and keep close to the shoreline.
Ali from DCP says kayak paddlling at night is an amazing, atmospheric experience. Judging the distance you travel is an unusual experience without reference to near and distant objects.
Harry made it back to the slipway first in complete darkness. He seemed none the worse for his nasty fall the previous week. Harry was immediately followed by Chris and then Penny as they took it in turns to find space on the slipway. Bev nad others in the group disembarked on the soft sand about 50 metres from the slipway. Kev S. turned up at the end of the paddle and kindly helped with retrieving kayaks loading onto roofracks.
After the paddle, committe members bade farewell and drove around to the 'Afon Conwy' pub (others may know it as the Brewers Fayre, near the Black Cat roundabout). There, the committe held discussions concerning allsorts including much appreciated compliments on the development of this website :) Time was also given to many responsibilities and future plans, including Kamala's welcome suggestion that we need to do a canal trip again soon. The discussions were helped along by a cooked supper.
Well done and thanks to all who turned out to a very enjoyable evening!
This new area of the DCP website is where club members can add (post) articles of interest. You can decide whether it stays within members only pages or made public viewing. Everything we can contribute adds to the vibrancy of DCP and the Website. We are especially interested in canoe & kayaking experiences as well as aspirations for future paddling. Members own personal interest or opinion is also very welcome, we may include one or two non canoeing articles too. Items can later be removed easily and will not remain on the web forever. We hope to keep this section fresh with new content as you guys submit it. We are especially interested in past members of the club and where they are now and are they still paddling?
If you need help setting up written content, images or even short videos please have a chat with Kev. If you are shy and worry about other folks opinions then again have a chat with Kev webmaster.
I have just renewed the padding on my V bars and have some of the self-adhesive foam left over.
If anyone else has V bars with the padding falling off and wants to renew it, I have sets of 4 strips of self-adhesive padding (the padding that comes on new V bars) for £2 per set. It is 32mm wide to fit the aluminium Lawler V bars.


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Quickly and easily make an online payment on your policy.
The insurance carriers listed will accept your credit card or electronic check payments, simply click on your appropriate carrier below. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

industry_corpus2: Finance & Economics


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With the new year came new minimum-wage rates in 18 states and 19 cities, ranging from as much as $12 to $15 an hour, according to the National Employment Law Project (NELP).
Later this year, another three states and 18 cities and counties are set to increase their rates, as well.
NELP reports that campaigns to raise the minimum-wage rates are underway in 14 states and 3 cities, and all are pushing from rates in the $12 to $15 range.
More than half of the respondents in a November 2017 HR Dive reader poll said that their top compliance concern going into the new year were state and local laws, beating out concerns about family and medical leave, EEO-1 reporting and joint employer liability.
Some attempts to raise minimum-wage rates faced backlash, largely from Republican lawmakers, but 18 states and 19 cities were successful in passing 2018 legislation that's now effective. Experts say that as the federal government continues to roll back regulations on business, employers can expect more legislation at the state and local levels.
Wages remain relatively flat in a job seekers' market, with few employers outside of the tech industry (and, at least seasonally, retail) focused on raising them to attract and retain talent this year. And while recent research shows that workers still prioritize compensation over other benefits, one study found that pay perception may be the most important factor of all.


text: Without Judy Klus' Scholarship Program I could not have fulfilled my dream of furthering my riding career. The scholarship program has provided the training necessary to increase my confidence and equestrian ability to successfully compete. I wouldn't be as accomplished a rider now without Judy Klus's training.


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Joel Edgerton adapts the book by Garrard Conley.
Talk about the politics of fear. What kind of demonic cult would subject its own impressionable children to shame and torment in order to force them into its own rigid code of behavior?
If you’re thinking Jim Jones or Charles Manson, think again. The culprits are a fear-mongering group of Baptist church elders convinced they’re doing the lord’s work in Boy Erased, a harrowing look inside the practice of so-called “gay conversion therapy” in small-town America.
Written and directed by co-star Joel Edgerton (who gives himself one of the juiciest supporting roles), the movie is adapted from the book Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith and Family, by Garrard Conley. Disturbing as only a true story can be, it recounts the experiences of a teenaged college freshman still trying to figure out his own identity who’s forced into a draconian program to drive the “sin” out of him. Besides exposing the wrong-headed horrors of the program itself, the story delivers a tutorial for resistance in the way the young protagonist manages to find his own moral compass—at last—and stick to it, in spite of daunting pressure to conform.
Lucas Hedges stars as Jared, only son of folksy-seeming but strict Baptist pastor Marshall Eamons (Russell Crowe), at a small-town Arkansas church. Jared’s mom Nancy (Nicole Kidman) is the perfectly coiffed and manicured pastor’s wife; she loves her son to pieces, but is in all ways obedient to her husband.
They’re a close, loving family until Jared’s first semester at college, where he has a brutal encounter with an upperclassman. Fleeing for the security of home, he’s shocked to learn his parents have been told he was involved in some sort of scandalous liaison. Seeking advice from the church elders, his father enrolls him in a program called Love In Action. His mom drives him to the center where the program takes place in another town, and rents a hotel room nearby. It’s supposed to last 12 days.
Budding writer Jared’s notebook is confiscated upon entry, and scrutinized for any dubious content. When it’s returned to him, half of his stories have been ripped out. Yet, when it’s his turn to get up and read the confession everyone in the program is required to write, describing the nature of their sins, Jared’s isn’t salacious enough for Sykes, who keeps probing him for more lurid details.
The irony is that Jared is so inexperienced, he can’t even make up the kind of stuff his interrogators want to hear. The private mantra whispered among the inmates —“Fake it ’til you make it”— takes on a more sinister meaning; not to achieve heterosexuality, but survive the program. (Some don’t, as punishments shift from psychological bullying to the corporeal.) Ever-dutiful Jared tries to ignore the red flags and “get better”—until Sykes starts pressuring him to ditch college and spend a year imprisoned in the program instead.
It’s the insider’s view of this predatory “therapy” that gives the movie its infuriating power. Jared isn’t an envelope-pushing rebel, he’s just trying to be a good kid, at a most vulnerable time in his life when he’s still trying to understand who he is. The zealous way the adults in charge try to to snuff out (or erase) what they fear in him is chilling. His solitary journey to trust his own judgment and determine right from wrong is heroic.
With Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, and Joel Edgerton. Written and directed by Joel Edgerton. From the book by Garrard Conley. A Focus Features release. Rated R. 114 minutes.

industry_corpus2: Film & Entertainment


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The Homeowners Tax Relief Grant was authorized for the first time by the Governor and the General Assembly in 1999.
In any year the General Assembly may appropriate funds for a tax relief credit and shall specify the eligible assessed value of each qualified homestead receiving one of normal homestead exemptions.
This tax relief is shown on the property tax bill as a credit against taxes that otherwise would have been done.

industry_corpus2: Real Estate & Construction


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In 1970, the federal government of the United States enacted the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), banning the sale or possession of a wide range of different illicit substances, including marijuana. However, because of the practical difficulties that federal enforcement of this legislation would entail, most drug crimes are policed at the state or local level. For this reason, penalties for marijuana possession can vary significantly throughout the country.
Marijuana is the most widely used of the various substances banned by the CSA, with estimates suggesting that as many as 5% of Americans are regular users. Nevertheless, in many states, possession of marijuana is still treated as a serious crime, with significant consequences for those who are convicted of this offense.
If you or someone you know has been arrested for marijuana possession, it is crucial that you pursue the services of an experienced legal professional immediately, in order to ensure that your rights and reputation are fully protected. Contact the Dallas marijuana possession lawyers of the Law Offices of Mark T. Lassiter today at (214) 845-7007 to discuss the details of your case with a qualified member of our legal team.
Additionally, those convicted of drug-related offense may have their licenses suspended for up to six months.
Facing an accusation of drug possession can be a frightening prospect. Fortunately, we may be able to have the charges brought against you dropped or eliminated altogether. Contact the Dallas marijuana possession attorneys of the Law Offices of Mark T. Lassiter today at (214) 845-7007 to learn more about how you can defend yourself against this damaging accusation.

industry_corpus2: Law & Justice


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is not good at all the same money you can use in other things such as hotel bill, travel shopping etc. So choose the cheapest but safe flights to Namsos don’t do any experiment or compromise with airline standard because life is precious. Before booking flight tickets to Namsos you can read about the airline history if you don’t have any prior experience of that particular airline.
. Frequent travellers always book in advance because they know the fluctuation in air tickets price to Namsos when only 7 days are left for travel daily 2 to 3 times pricing is changing and every time it is increasing.

industry_corpus2: Aerospace


text: Made from top quality Japanese silk. 35.50 inches (90 cm) long. Free delivery.


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Home > Australian Outlook > Analysis > Can the UN Cope with a Trump Dystopia?
Can the UN Cope with a Trump Dystopia?
The Trump administration has spent the weeks since the inauguration gnawing at the foundations of America’s traditional international commitments. Speculation swirls around its next potential move: a significant cut to America’s contribution to the UN. But in many ways, the US needs the UN just as much as the UN needs the US.
For most of the world’s peoples and countries, the United Nations lies at the crossroads of Interdependence Avenue and Multilateral Cooperation Street. For many Republican politicians, it should be relocated at the intersection of Indifference Avenue and Non-cooperation Street. With President Donald Trump, it would appear to be in the crosshairs of outright contempt and hostility. He tweeted that the organisation is “just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time“.
At present, all we have are rumours and speculation about just what steps against the UN are being contemplated. Some reports suggest that draft executive orders have been prepared to cut funding to the entire UN system by 40 per cent. On 3 January Alabama congressman Mike Rogers introduced a bill to terminate US membership of the UN that was co-sponsored by conservative-leaning representatives. Although unlikely to pass, the bill reinforces the Trump narrative of opposition to multilateral institutions and disengagement from global leadership roles.
Encouragingly, the early response of the new UN Secretary-General has been anything but obsequious. On 27 January, President Trump announced a 120-day travel ban on all refugees and a 90-day ban on those from seven Muslim-majority countries as a means of filtering out potential terrorists. On 1 February UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, head of the UN refugee agency for a decade, said resettlement is often “the only possible solution” for people fleeing conflict and persecution. The US ban “should be removed sooner rather than later” because it violates basic UN principles and also because it is not the most effective way to prevent terrorist attacks on the US homeland.
This is probably the only example of a secretary-general publicly rebuking the president of the UN’s most important member state just one month after being sworn in. Another perennial irritant in UN–US relations is Israel. The adoption of Security Council Resolution 2334 was the first international diplomatic setback for Trump as president-elect, Trump made his unflattering views of the UN known in characteristically blunt tweets.
Given Trump’s open disdain for staunch allies in Australia and Europe, his hostility to the UN is hardly surprising. We are already well and truly into the era of post-truth alternative facts—the old aphorism that everyone is entitled to form their own opinions but not their own facts is clearly obsolete. This may last some time in domestic US politics, but in world affairs the administration may find itself mugged by reality sooner rather than later. This includes the fact that US allies are critical to the pursuit of global American interests; they are not just consumers of beneficent US security.
The UN Charter proclaims Western liberal values as guiding UN principles. No other country had as much influence on designing the international organisation nor on its operations once established as the US; no other will have as critical a role in determining its agenda and actions nor as devastating an impact on its fortunes by withholding support.
The UN system was the forum and instrument for externalising American values and virtues like democracy, human rights, rule of law and the market economy, and embedding them in international institutions. US structural dominance in the UN is embedded in its primary organs and voting procedures. The crucial executive decision-making body is the Security Council, which has often bent to US will and can never act against US vital interests owing to the veto clause.
The US has global power and reach but, when acting unilaterally, lacks international authority. The UN has international authority but not global power and, as such, practises only part of its charter. Its authority would be weakened if it were to become a mere handmaiden to US power. Falling victim to hubris and triumphalism after victory in the Cold War, US assaults on UN-centred law undermined the norm of a world of laws, the efficacy of international law and the legitimacy of the UN as the authoritative validator of international behaviour.
The UN is and will remain relevant for setting international standards and norms to regulate interstate behaviour. Norms, laws and treaties for governing the global commons will either be negotiated in UN forums, or ratified by the UN machinery. Its humanitarian service delivery functions are widely appreciated. Studies by US scholars and think tanks show how UN peace operations offer the best crossover between cost efficiency and effectiveness.
There is no foreseeable substitute for the UN’s institutional and political legitimacy such that if it did not exist, we would have to invent it albeit differently structured to reflect today’s geopolitical and economic realities. If international consensus exists, the UN can provide the most authoritative forum for translating that into new norms, treaties, policies and operations. But the UN cannot manufacture international consensus where none exists, when the divisions are too deep to be papered over by diplomacy and disputes are too intractable to be resolved around the negotiating table. But even here it can point the way to resolving disputes peacefully, if not amicably.
Consider the early statements from the Trump administration on China’s contested territorial claims and ship movements in the South China Sea. Washington can rely purely on brute force to impose its will on Beijing. That can only end in disaster for the two conflict parties and all others. A better strategy surely for Washington is to mobilise international sentiment inside and outside the UN to persuade China to abide by the provisions and dispute resolution clauses of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. But in turn this task is made more difficult—first, if the US itself stays outside UNCLOS and second, if Washington practises open hostility to all things UN.
In other words the UN helps the US to mute the costs and spread the risks of international engagement. The US defence budget is around US$600 billion (AU$782 billion). At a cost of under US$8 billion, the UN maintains 16 peacekeeping operations with personnel from over 100 countries in conflict-riven regions where otherwise Washington would face pressures to intervene at the cost of American blood and treasure.
Thus, the UN offers the US is a means of mediating the choice between isolationism and unilateralism; between inaction through refusing to be a cop and permanent interventions through being the world’s only cop. But in order to maximise these benefits, Washington needs to instil the principle of multilateralism itself as a norm in its own right; states must do x because the UN has called for x, and good states do what the UN asks them to do—including honouring the obligations of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention until such time as it is either amended or repealed.

industry_corpus2: Politics & Administration


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The lazy, hazy days of summer are coming to a close. Thoughts once again turn to books, backpacks and busy lives.
Monarch Behavioral Health Therapists Jude Johnson, MA, LMFT, and Dr. Karen Holst, LCSW, Ed.D., both are therapists, meditation teachers and parents. They attest that heading back to school can bring a variety of emotions for both children and parents.
Children of all ages returning to the classroom, from pre-school through college, may feel a little overwhelmed as a new academic year appears on the horizon. Going back to school can be an exciting time that brings changes and new adventures.
Here are some tips that Holst and Johnson suggest while settling back into the school year.
In the case of homework, determine when the most productive time will be for your child and go with that, Holst suggests, noting that this provides structure and expectations for the after school or evening hours. “We can’t control what the year is going to bring, but we can control what our schedule looks like,” she says.
Maintaining an after-school schedule is a great way to be able to keep doing those summer activities that you may have enjoyed. Holst encourages parents to maintain family time such as walks after dinner or whatever group activity the children have come to know as part of their regular routine.
“A lot of times, kids don’t want to talk and need a buffer period. Instead of inundating them with a lot of questions, say how great it is to see them. This may invite them to open up a bit better,” Johnson adds.
The school year tends to go smoother when everyone’s expectations are understood. Johnson points out that a review of what the teacher is looking for from their students can be helpful. Having these discussions ahead of time is helpful for all grades, but especially beneficial when transitioning from one school to another such as heading into middle or high school.
Ensuring that your child sees the school ahead of time, like during orientation day typically held prior to the first day, can be beneficial. Holst says this type of personal visit allows parents and children to see locations and procedures firsthand, as well as meet their new teacher. “This can help alleviate some of the nervousness,” notes Holst.
Your children need to know that it is safe to express their feelings, Johnson advises. “It is often helpful for parents to tell their children about their own school experiences to normalize their feelings and reassure them that they too will be able to overcome obstacles just as you did,” he says.
Although not practical in all instances, Holst suggests involving your child in the decision-making by allowing them to have control of basic decisions such as whether to pack or buy lunchtime meals, or a designated time to complete homework and other tasks.
“Children are more likely to adapt if they are part of the deciding process,” Johnson adds.
Discussions prior to school beginning about what is needed to prepare is a great place to start. Whether it is school supplies, clothes or their bedroom organization, preparation can help not only at the beginning, but throughout the school year, Holst says.
Holst explained that small acts like deciding the night before what to wear in the morning can save a potential problem when time is limited. “Planning out the week in regard to clothing, lunches and schedules, will help take some of the pressure off,” says Johnson of those hectic morning routines.
Of course, the school year is bound to bring some stressful situations for both parents and children in which mindfulness might assist. Holst and Johnson are both advocates for the benefits of mindfulness in reducing and managing stress, incorporating the practice when advising the people we support.
Johnson said if you are using a deep breathing exercise to help calm yourself during times of stress, then make sure your child sees you utilizing those techniques and tell them why you are doing it.
“Remember that what you say to your children impacts them a lot less than what you act out or do,” reminds Johnson.


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This was a most amazing experience! Super fast & professional, helped me out on last minute notice. I am so grateful for having used the SERVPRO service. I would recommend this amazing outfit to any homeowner or Real Estate Agent who is completing an inspection like I did. It made the transaction close on time and my clients are so happy. Thank you again SERVPRO.
The team that came to our home to help us through this process has been the best. Polite, kind, courteous, friendly, helpful. We truly are grateful.
Our original call was not to SERVPRO and when we made the switch we kicked ourselves for not just starting with you! Thank you for all that you did.
We encountered no issues with the crew or work - thank you for sending professional people to our home - Nick is very good at what he does!
Everyone was so professional and great at expediting the services needed after the damages! Wonderful team!
Thank you for your prompt and professional service!
Andy and his team did an amazing job of helping us in the emergency situation. He was extremely knowledgeable and I felt very confident and reassured by every recommendation he made and explanation he gave behind his reasoning. Thank you all for helping to save our Christmas!
Everyone was wonderful and friendly.
Tricia did an amazing job keeping me up to date on all changes during the whole process.
All SERVPRO representatives were professional and communicated well.
We are really pleased with the work that was done, and Ray and Johnny were extremely polite, professional, tidy and didn't mind answering any questions.


text: Joakim Falkeborn is a former teacher of graphical and Internet related subjects. Now a Technician working as cloud and Internet manager, ICT strategist and Municipal purchaser for Xenter Botkyrka, Botkyrka Municipality, located 25 km south of Stockholm, Sweden. Pedagogical strategies implemented in practical use. How ICT can provide a platform supporting learning. Implementing in practical terms Xenters pedagogical standard regarding teachers and students using our LMS. Developing distance education with the same pedagogical standard as the on-campus-education.


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You can help shape the future of your community by getting involved in community planning!
Attend a meeting of your local planning commission. Join in the update of your community's plan. Volunteer to serve on a planning commission.
Community Planning can only succeed if citizens work together.


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Current and historical current ratio for Brookfield Renewable Partners (BEP) from 2012 to 2018. Current ratio can be defined as a liquidity ratio that measures a company's ability to pay short-term obligations. Brookfield Renewable Partners current ratio for the three months ending December 31, 2018 was 1.16.
Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners L.P. owns and operates renewable power platform. The company's power generating portfolio comprised of hydroelectric generating, wind facilities and natural gas-fired plants. It operates in the United States, Canada and Brazil. The company sells its generation output to public power authorities, load-serving utilities and industrial users. Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners L.P., is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.


text: ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY to own the beautiful PORTER HOUSE in the heart of Sango! Massive downstairs rooms. Original log form cabin built in 1796. Unlimited possibilities exist with this beautiful home with so much history. An absolute must see to appreciate. First level is plumbed to accommodate a third bathroom.


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I have a special place in my heart for Chelsea Welch. She was our birth doula and helped us bring our son into the world 2 months ago in the most supportive and natural environment possible, seriously amazing!
And Chelsea’s Power Vinyasa Flow on Sundays at 4:30PM is energy-pitch perfect. She has the innate ability to sense what her students need and can deliver a flow that is opening, strengthening, and balancing every single time.
I found my yoga practice in 2004. I had done Pilates for a few years prior, and really loved the body awareness and stability aspects that it brought to my life. However, the more in tune with my body I became the more I craved a mind and spirit connection. Shortly after my Pilates days, I moved to Hawaii on a whim and discovered yoga. In a tiny little studio with a powerful teacher, I found it all… mind, body and spirit.
I love that I can see my diversity each time I come to the mat. My practice has allowed me to truly see that each day is its own. Some days I find myself rocking crazy arm balances and other days I find myself modifying every pose! I love that my practice has taught me to honor my body, honor my mind and take it one breath at a time.
My home practice, my yoga practice on a dirty floor during my travels, and even a class packed with familiar faces… they all remind me that I am my best teacher. We are all our own best teachers. It sounds cliché but I truly believe that the Guru lives within. I understand and appreciate greatly being led by another’s creative teachings; obviously this is the profession I know and love. But my hope as a teacher is to awaken that Guru that lives within each and every student. But if I HAD to pick one today, it would be Miss Jamie Horgan… God she rocks my world and makes me feel like I’m capable of anything!
I didn’t really. The studio owner where I practiced, approached me one day after class and told me she really saw something in me that she believed needed to be shared with the world. She offered to pay for half of my training fees if I would teach at her studio following graduation. Then came Julie Rader, a miracle to my life. A soul that has helped transform me into the person I am today. I will forever be thankful to both of those women for seeing in me what I could not yet see. I feel like the best version of myself as a result.
At The Green Yogi our motto is Be Inspired, what inspires you in your daily life?
Babies inspire me. As most of you know I recently became a birth doula, started Mommy & Me Yoga, and Prenatal Yoga classes. This new limb on my professional tree has allowed me to become a part of this feminine world that just blows my mind! Every time I have been grateful enough to see a little soul take its first breath, it has brought tears to my eyes. It reminds me of how incredible life is, what a miracle birth is, and how pure we all are when we enter this world. It really inspires me to be a more conscious human; so that I can feel good about the place we are bringing new life into.
I think yoga has really just allowed me to step into my power. I’ve definitely struggled with my fair share of personal doubt and my practice has allowed me to overcome my fears of not being “good enough.” My practice has helped empower my decisions, my goals and my life’s direction.
I believe that being active in body and mind keeps an individual young. I have a friend who is 69 years old and is still rocking headstand, arm balances and anything else I bring to the mat. She’s flexible, strong, and balanced both mentally and physically. Yogis say “you’re only as old as the flexibility of your spine” and I believe it! Yoga brings youthfulness to all practitioners, no matter their age.
Leave your ego at the door! Anytime I have allowed my ego to lead my practice, I’ve gotten injured. It doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing in his or her practice, it doesn’t even matter what the instructor is guiding you to do. Always listen to your body, to your inner teacher and let that voice guide you. As Matt Rothert says “just because you can, or you could yesterday, doesn’t mean you can or should do it today.” I love that!
When you’re not at the studio teaching, how do you spend your free time?


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“Pantone has announced that Living Coral is the 2019 color of the year. The color authority has bestowed the honorable title on a special hue every December for the past 20 years, taking into account fashion, decorating, design and cultural trends, as well as “how colors can embody our collective experience and reflect what is taking place in our global culture at a moment in time,” according to press release from Pantone.
This year’s color, PANTONE 16-1546 Living Coral, is an animating shade of orange with a golden undertone, which reflects the warmth, nourishment, and shelter of coral reefs to sea life. Pantone notes that this year’s selection symbolizes an “innate need for optimism and joyful pursuits” and “authentic and immersive experiences that enable connection and intimacy” — the latter carrying extra poignancy in a cultural landscape that is increasingly dominated by digital technology and social media.
The spirited shade of Living Coral has popped up everywhere from fashion runway shows to warm beauty looks, progressively on social media influencer posts and in consumer packaging. It brings to mind, recreation, leisure, celebration — aspects of life that are needed to balance the many challenges faced in the current day and age; one can easily imagine the dynamic color in a setting like a beach escape or the mellow rosy shade of a pair of Nantucket Reds trousers.
Fittingly, Living Coral also speaks to the urgency of respecting and preserving nature and natural resources. Coral reefs are an important part of the global environment, both protecting and nurturing marine ecosystems and helping with water filtration and marine life reproduction, among other things. With critical issues with climate change and other environmental threats taking center stage in recent months, this color and its connection to nature feels especially relevant, especially when you consider that some species of coral are listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act.
Living Coral follows 2018’s Pantone Color of the Year, PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet, a bright, vibrant purple that many felt honored the late musician Princeand hinted at the need for bipartisanship in the current political climate.


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APHA supports breastfeeding, paid maternity leave, and workplace accommodations for mothers in the United States. However, there are no policy statements to support breastfeeding through maternity protection worldwide. Although the International Labour Organization has supported paid maternity leave and workplace accommodations for breastfeeding since 1919, protections vary by country, leaving 830 million women without adequate protection. APHA recognizes that the health of the US population cannot be ensured without attention to global health. Therefore, it is time for APHA to actively support breastfeeding worldwide through maternity protection. APHA members working in global health could support maternity protection through research, advocacy, and health programs.
APHA has previously supported global reductions in barriers to optimal breastfeeding. APHA Policy Statement 200714 (A Call to Action on Breastfeeding: A Fundamental Public Health Issue) acknowledges breastfeeding’s contribution to birth spacing and fertility reduction, cites the importance of the lactational amenorrhea method for postpartum contraception, and describes differences in long-term outcomes between breastfed and nonbreastfed children. It also cites the Bellagio Study Group’s conclusion that 1.3 million child deaths per year worldwide could be prevented with 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding and continued breastfeeding for the first year of life. In addition, APHA has acknowledged that worksites generally do not support the needs of lactating employees and that there are wide disparities in access to skilled breastfeeding support among different groups.
APHA supports the Nestlé boycott as well as the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent World Health Assembly resolutions.
APHA is committed to the global defense of health and human rights, as described in APHA Policy Statement 20092 (Border Crossing Deaths: A Public Health Crisis Along the US–Mexico Border).
Concern for women’s health and birth spacing (a benefit of exclusive breastfeeding) was confirmed in APHA Policy Statement 20111 (Improving Access to Over-the-Counter Contraception by Expanding Insurance Coverage).
In APHA Policy Statement 201115, the association strongly endorsed the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding, which includes the following recommended actions: working toward the establishment of paid maternity leave, ensuring that employers establish and maintain comprehensive high-quality lactation support programs, expanding the use of workplace programs that allow lactating mothers to have direct access to their babies, and ensuring that all child-care providers accommodate the needs of breastfeeding mothers and infants.
In 2013, two new relevant and supportive policies were approved. APHA Policy Statement 20132 (An Update to A Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding: A Fundamental Public Health Issue) confirms and updates the need to support women in their efforts to succeed in breastfeeding, and APHA Policy Statement 20136 (Support for Paid Sick Leave and Family Leave Policies) calls for federal legislation extending paid family and sick leave to more employees. This policy updates APHA Policy Statement 20001 (Expanded Family and Medical Leave), which called for expanding family and medical leave in the United States to reflect leaves provided by other industrialized countries. These policies focus on mothers in the United States; APHA has not yet issued a policy statement in support of paid family and sick leave globally.
The health benefits of breastfeeding to mothers and infants are well established. In addition to the beneficial effects of any breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of an infant’s life has particular benefits.[12,13] These advantages endure throughout the life course; few public health interventions can match the scale and breadth of the benefits of breastfeeding at a population level. In addition, optimal breastfeeding contributes significantly to birth spacing by delaying return of fertility postpartum, and a reliable method of birth spacing, the lactational amenorrhea method, has been developed on the basis of this physiology. Birth spacing has a significant impact on nutritional status and mortality among neonates, infants, and children in developing countries.
Evidence suggests that duration of maternity leave is associated with duration of breastfeeding. Currently, about 830 million women around the world do not have adequate maternity protection for leave and cash benefits, and 80% of them live in Africa and Asia. Detrimental effects of lack of maternity leave and financial security in the perinatal period have been documented in low-income countries.[21–24] Only 45% of countries have policies ensuring that individuals receive two-thirds of their wages in cash benefits for 14 weeks, and only 23% of countries adhere to the minimum duration of protected maternity leave (18 weeks) recommended by the International Labour Organization (ILO). While most countries have legislated some kind of maternity protection, the ILO cites a “persistent challenge” to ensuring that all workers have access to that protection and do not experience discrimination. Meanwhile, many mothers work out of financial necessity, and circumstances require them to return to work before their infant is 4 months of age. This is in contrast to the recommendation of exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life. Thus, policies in most nations around the world directly challenge mothers’ and infants’ rights to exclusive breastfeeding.
There are documented barriers to breastfeeding once a mother returns to work, and even in instances in which accommodations exist, they are often inadequate. Twenty-four percent of countries do not have legal protection for nursing breaks. In more than half of the countries with statutory provisions for nursing or child care facilities, those rules apply only if a minimum number of women are employed, leading to concerns related to potential hiring discrimination against women. Given the proportions of mothers and women of reproductive age who are employed, exclusive breastfeeding rates are unlikely to change substantially without workplace interventions supported by public policies. In addition, hourly wage workers may face different challenges than salaried workers in terms of time and flexibility to breastfeed or express breast milk. APHA Policy Statement 20092 notes that migrant or undocumented laborers also face particular challenges with respect to their health and human rights.
Global policies support paid leave and workplace accommodations. Consistent with Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action reports that the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recognizes breastfeeding as “an essential component in assuring the child’s right to the highest attainable standard of health…. This means that governments are under an obligation to ensure an environment that empowers women to breastfeed their children if they choose to do so. Working women do not lose the right to this enabling environment because they are in paid employment.”[36,37] The 2000 ILO Maternity Protection Convention and its accompanying recommendation call for the establishment of an integrated set of measures to help initiate, establish, and maintain optimal breastfeeding practices.
The following interventions are recommended to support optimal infant feeding among mothers who work outside of the home.
APHA supports these interventions in the United States. This proposed policy statement extends that support to mothers around the world.
Sources of funding for paid maternity leave range from employer liability to social safety nets. According to ILO Convention 183, Article 6(8), paid maternity benefits should be provided by social insurance or public funds, and employers are not liable for direct costs with the exception of cases in which such costs were stipulated by national law prior to the date of the convention’s signing or an agreement was subsequently reached between the government and employer/worker organizations. Currently, most countries have a policy of shared contributions between employers and employees to jointly fund maternity benefits. Systems that depend solely on employer liability tend to work against employees, sometimes through discrimination in hiring practices. Employers are not generally supportive of policies that detract from their bottom line. According to the ILO, maternity protection is affordable even in low-income countries and facilitates social and economic development, and thus solutions are seemingly within reach of joint public policy and workplace efforts.
Employers may also argue that it is not in their financial interest to support lactation in the workplace. The cost of providing nursing breaks is usually assigned entirely to the employer, creating a disincentive that could potentially result in hiring discrimination and underscoring the need for public policies supporting workplace initiatives. US evidence-based recommendations indicate that it is in the interest of businesses to support lactation, citing costs saved and benefits to employees. The ILO states that work-family measures result in better performance and commitment, higher employee retention, lower absenteeism, preservation of skills, and healthier parents in the workforce. The health imperative necessitates a “can-do” approach to this issue to ensure the greater public good.
1. APHA calls on the US government, including the Department of State and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), as well as public health professionals and international organizations to orient US foreign assistance to the creation and support of policies and programs that promote increased availability of paid maternity leave and workplace accommodations for breastfeeding in both formal and informal workplaces. This includes programming to promote and support both direct breastfeeding and the feeding of expressed milk when necessary. Workplace accommodation means that workplaces provide paid time or a reduction in hours for breastfeeding or milk expression, a clean and private space near the employee’s workspace, clean water, electricity (where applicable), a place to store related supplies and expressed milk,[21,42] and the flexibility to express milk as needed. This includes fostering a supportive workplace environment as well. APHA also urges the entities and individuals mentioned above to monitor the progress and effects of these efforts.
2. APHA urges public health professionals and international organizations to acknowledge, address, and monitor work-related barriers to breastfeeding (and their effects on maternal and child health and birth spacing) and advocate for paid maternity leave and workplace accommodation of breastfeeding worldwide.
3. There is a need for further research on this issue, including studies focusing on local solutions in different country and employment contexts. Therefore, APHA urges the US government, public health professionals, and international organizations to fund and conduct this research, advocate for maternal protection policies, and monitor the implementation of these policies.
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