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I love January. I think it's due in part to the fact that by about Jan. 2 or 3, the holidays are mostly a memory. I am no Scrooge, but from Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Year's Eve, I spend about as much time stressed out as I do celebrating. There's a break in January where the weather's still nice and the next big holiday is a month and a half away, and I feel like I can take a deep breath – at least until Carnival starts ramping up. All bets are off then.
I guess it's passé to refer to things in a pre- or post-Katrina context, but at the moment I'm listening to Steely Dan and wearing a jacket that was made during the Eisenhower administration, so I'm clearly already passé.
Anyway, one of the best trends we've seen in the last eight years is the growth of casual restaurants that take food seriously, and there's really no better example of the movement than pizza joints. Restaurants such as Ancora, Domenica, Amici and more recently Dolce Vita Wood Fired Pizzeria (1205 St. Charles Ave.) are putting out pies cooked at super-high temperatures with thoughtful toppings that don't overwhelm the crust, which is where the focus of real pizza should be.
Chef Bogdan Moceanu is a native of Romania, but he cooks Italian food, and more specifically pizza, in an oven hand-built in Napoli. The menu isn't expansive – a few pies, a couple of pastas and salads and a few specials are your choices, but when everything is executed properly, that's all you need. Most of the tables in the Spartan dining room are communal, and that's entirely appropriate for a pizzeria.
The focus – apart from a few televisions hung in strategic locations on the wall – is on chef Bogdan and his bright red pizza oven. It is a beautiful object capable of cooking a thin-crust pizza in 90 seconds. As I suggested above, the true measure of a pizza is the crust, and you won't be disappointed at Dolce Vita; at least as long as you're a right-thinking person and recognize that pizza crust should be thin, somewhat charred and flavorful.
You won't go wrong with the basics at Dolce Vita, but look for specials like roasted chicken with olives, feta, spinach and lemon-basil vinaigrette, or Tin Roof-braised brisket. Pasta specials run the gamut from porcini-vegetable risotto to hand-made tagliatelle with bolognese sauce.
Dolce Vita is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Tuesdays through Sundays. You can reach them by calling 324-7674.
Kingfish opened earlier this year and at the time I recall talking to folks there about their plans for the adjacent space. Those plans – to open a casual deli-style spot focused on take-out, have been realized. The new location is called Counter (335 Chartres St.), and it offers salads, sandwiches and soups designed for take-out as well as dining at one of the 20 or so seats in the relatively small shop. Look for a version of the muffuletta that goes by the decidedly un-PC "Doo Woppalata," which features capicola, salami, mortadella, provolone and olive salad on a traditional sesame-seed bun; and the D.A.T. features coffee-cured duck bacon, arugula, tomato and aioli on rye. There is a bloody mary bar with a ton of options for individual customization, too.
Counter is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. You can reach them by calling 587-0908.
District Donuts Sliders Brew
True to its name, the offerings at District Donuts Sliders Brew (2209 Magazine St.) are donuts, mini-burgers and coffee. If that sounds mundane, you should check the place out. Because while they do have the basics in each category, you'll find the most joy in the specials. They do two or three slider specials in addition to the cheeseburger, fried chicken and veggie options always on the menu; on a recent trip I tried a fried oyster with pork crackling and a tarragon aioli-slaw that was outstanding, and another featuring roasted pork belly with an anise-mustard and pickled red onion that was good, if not quite up to the standard set by the fried oyster. There is a veggie slider on the menu that's served with locally produced tofu and wrapped in lettuce in place of a bun.
They go further with donuts. They start baking early in the morning to have donuts available at the 7 a.m. open, and start the last batch around 7 p.m. They can't make more than 10 dozen in a batch, meaning it's an ongoing process.
Like just about everything else in the place, the glazes, fillings and other garnishes on the donuts are almost all made in-house. There are usually eight to 10 different donuts in the small display case at any one time, but the selection changes throughout the day.
The brew end of the equation isn't exactly ignored, either; they feature coffee from a roasting outfit in Athens, Ga., called 1000 Faces Coffee, and have a host of coffee and coffee-related beverages on tap.
District is open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the week and until 10 p.m. on the weekend. Call 570-6945 to find out more.


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Let's get crafty and use those Thin Cuts we've been talking about all month long on some fun interactive cards!
Today we are going to walk through making this astronaut in orbit card, since it is the harder of the two to make. Once you've got that one down, making others like it will be a breeze!
Materials Needed:
Z4157 Stargazer Cardmaking Stamp + Thin Cuts
Z4006 Monstrous Halloween Stamp + Thin Cuts
X7229B Stargazer Paper Packet
1385 White Daisy Cardstock
Z3271 Archival Black Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad
Z2863 White Daisy Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad
Z2807 Willow Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad
Z4143 Stargazer Dots
Z3132 Watercolor Paints
Z3177 Paintbrush Set
Z3318 Thin Cuts—Basic Circles
Z2068 Ranger™ White Super Fine Embossing Powder
Z555 Craft Heater
Z2446 ShinHan™ Touch Twin™ Black Marker
Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape
Z3342 Foam Dots
Die-cutting Machine
Washi Tape
Penny or Small Flat Button
Prepare and Cut.
To replicate our card exactly, you will need the following pieces:
- 1 standard card base
- 4″ x 5¼" Pacifica planets paper (Stargazer paper packet)
- 4″ x ¼" Poppy striped paper (Stargazer paper packet)
- Trimmed zip strips to use as accents (Stargazer paper packet)
- Astronaut die cut from White Daisy cardstock, stamped with Archival Black ink, painted in watercolor (Stargazer Thin Cuts)
- Aliens/monsters die cut from White Daisy cardstock, stamped with Willow ink, pupils colored over with black marker (Monstrous Halloween Thin Cuts)
Step 1. Cutting the circle.
Place the 2½" circle die (the largest one in the set) ¾" from the top of the planets paper and centered, left to right. Attach it with washi tape to keep it in place as you run it through your die-cutting machine.
Step 2. Cutting the moon.
Once you've cut your first circle, use the inside circle to make the moon.
Flip the 2½" circle you just cut out over, to the side of the paper that looks like the surface of the moon. Attach the 2″ circle die to it with washi tape and run it through your die-cutting machine.
Step 3. Attaching the planets paper.
On the backside of your paper, add thin 3-D foam tape as shown here. You will need a small piece of foam tape near the circle to allow the movement later but make sure it isn't too close to the circle or it will not work! Attach this piece to your card front.
Step 4. Adding the penny.
This step is pretty simple but also requires accuracy. With your card resting on a flat surface, gently tuck your penny (or flat button) behind the planets paper about half way. Be careful to not bump your card, the penny is not attached to anything at this point.
Step 5. Prepping the moon.
With your penny in place, it's time to prepare the moon for attaching.
Flip your moon over to the planets side of the paper and add thin 3-D foam tape to the center only and attach it to the card. Don't move the penny.
Step 6. Attaching the astronaut.
Remember our floating penny? Carefully attach a small foam dot to the center of it, between the two papers. Remove the adhesive from the top and attach the astronaut you've previously prepared.
Step 7. Embellish!
Add your sentiment, aliens, and all other embellishments to your card to finish it off!
Have you made other interactive cards using this or any other method? Tell us all about it in the comments below!
5½" x 4¼" Mission Control: We have a Birthday Card
See materials list in post
5½" x 4¼" Super Girl Card
Z4163 Super Girl Stamp + Thin Cuts, X7229B Stargazer Paper Packet, 1385 White Daisy Cardstock, X5982 Canary Cardstock, X5975 Cranberry Cardstock, Z3271 Archival Black Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z2816 Cranberry Exclusive Inks™ Stamp Pad, Z4143 Stargazer Dots, Z3132 Watercolor Paints, Z3177 Paintbrush Set, Z2060 Thin 3-D Foam Tape, Z1151 3-D Foam Tape, Die-cutting Machine, Penny

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to be completely unaware of myself here as breath whenever I have accepted and allowed myself to exist as the backchat 'I want to kill you/him/her/them or myself' without being absolutely aware of what it is that I am in fact implying with this very sentence as an absolute statement of who I am in such a moment, which we have taken so 'lightly' in our reality, without actually considering how every single thought, word and deed that we give 'life' to, creates and manifests a consequence for all as equals – within this it is in the best interest of myself and everyone to investigate how we have become the words we created in order to have the ability to take someone/ one's own life based on a mind-created retaliation process wherein who we are as life as one and equals is Not being considered at all.
When and as I see myself thinking, pondering and speaking the words 'I want to kill you/them/ he/she or myself' I stop and I breathe – I realize that to get to this point wherein we are able to exist as such backchat, there has been an actual accumulation of words that I have thought, spoken and acted upon without considering a single speck of the physicality that I am in fact abusing when existing as a self-created possession that can only exist if we give permission for it to exist as ourselves in any given moment.
I see, realize and understand that speaking words without awareness is an obvious result of never having lived the words we speak, but only THINK them and believe that they hold no effect upon oneself or others in any way whatsoever, without ever pondering how it is that our world is currently the construction of the words we think, speak and create in separation of ourselves, which implies that words and expressions of decisive violence against others are to be reviewed for the intention and starting point they hold as the accumulative effect of thoughts, backchat, internal conversations that we have believed it is 'who we are' in fact, without ever questioning WHO we are being and what we are accepting and allowing when existing as words that imply abuse, harm and violence against others.
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to harbor the backchat 'I want to kill you/he/she/them' as the result of me not getting what I wanted from something/someone, leading me to the absolute opposite of that extreme desire I experienced to initially seek to get what I want/ needed/ required/ desired, which implies that I am in fact willing to harm/ abuse others within the desire to match my positive experience in the mind, to a reality that in no way will ever match my inner fantasies of ultimate positive experience, as such positive experience can only exist if there is a point of abuse behind it within the current configuration of our world system wherein not everyone is being equally supported to Live.
I realize that who am I within the words 'I want to kill you/him/her/myself' I am in fact existing as the ultimate abuser that can be existent within ourselves as thoughts in our minds, the ultimate possession wherein who we are is reduced to one single point of self-destruction that is apparently 'righteous' in nature, and 'makes sense' without realizing that we in fact require to STOP, take a Deep Breath in order to realize what is it that we are in fact giving ourselves away to within a thinking pattern such as 'I want to Kill you/ myself/ them' – I realize that this is an absolute red flag wherein I must see and realize that I have accepted and allowed myself to be possessed by my own mind as the accumulation of time that I must take Self Responsibility for.
To do this, I Stop myself from participating or adding more thoughts to that single thinking pattern – then look back at the entire event/ points that I lead myself to get to this point of creating and holding the backchat such as 'I want to kill you/her/he/them/myself' in order to take Self Responsibility for oneself and one's own thoughts, instead of using such backchat for further manipulation toward oneself and others in means of getting the problem solved, the 'desired attention' that we simply were not able to give to ourselves from the very first moment that we were seeking happiness, fulfillment and satisfaction in separation of ourselves through something or someone as the point of desire.
(This is why and how the previous posts explaining the polarity created upon Hate and Love are relevant to read, please do so in order to understand how the desire to Kill someone stems from a perceived point of loss/ lack that is then projected onto others as the absolute opposite, as that is how the mind operates)
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to exist as the backchat 'I want to kill you/them/he/she/myself' as the result of an accumulated backchat that I allowed to compound within myself without having a look at What is it that I accepted and allowed to exist within my world as a point of obsession and possession without giving it proper self-direction, which means that I allowed myself to get to the point of wanting to end someone's life/ my own in order to 'get away with murder' wherein the implication of 'killing someone' is the ultimate apparent imposition of power and control over someone's life – including one's own – which is frequently seen as something 'honorable' to redeems one's pride and position without ever understanding what real Honor implies as life.
Thus I see realize and understand that any belief about the thoughts 'I want to kill him/her/them/myself' being the ultimate free choice and free will decision to end someone's/one's own life is nothing but an ultimate self-medicated brainwash wherein I am in fact declaring that I am being possessed by my own self-created thoughts, leading me to create an inner experience of dissatisfaction, disbelief and or depression through relationship problems which I decide to make as something 'grave' enough to retaliate against another that I have taken as the 'cause' and 'reason' for my experience in the form of wanting to kill them/oneself in order to vindicate any sense of 'pride' and 'honor' when one's ego has been hurt.
When and as I see myself wanting to Kill Someone in my mind, I stop immediately and I breathe, I realize that whatever I am seeing in something/ someone that is leading me to want to end another' life/ my own life is simply a escapism distraction to not look at where and how I am absolutely responsible for my own creation in that moment – thus I take responsibility for myself to ensure that I in fact investigate within me, my life where I have created this particular pattern of anger, content and a desire to retaliate against others for something that I have directly created within and as my own mind.
I realize that throwing a tantrum about my own self-created obsession is the ultimate stupidity loop wherein I created and manifested a point of obsession based on all the positive experiences such as love, fulfillment, satisfying desires, needs, wants, dreams and the moment that I cannot fulfill these positive experiences in my physical reality the way that 'I' envisioned it in my mind, I then take it out on those that I believe and perceive were the reason why my dream/ point of desire and obsession was not able to be fulfilled – thus,
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to actually be throwing a tantrum in my mind thinking about 'killing myself/ another' just because I could not get what I wanted, which became a self-created point of possession turning it deliberately into another form of Self-Victimization so that I could be labeled as 'being mentally instable' and s such, abdicate responsibility upon my own creation of which I am in fact able to be aware of from the very first moment of creating such a point of obsession/ desire as a possession, as I see and realize that anything that I created as a positive dream/ desire to fulfill, must eventually meet its downfall as the opposite negative point, which is how I believe I could 'not take it' to 'lose' my dream/ desire/ obsession, turning myself into an actual threat to myself and others' lives just because of following my own thoughts to kill someone/ myself as a point to victimize myself and others as part of my own self-created obsession and delusion, that I see and realize ends where it began: within myself as my mind through taking responsibility for all that I have talked/ thought/ envisioned in my own mind toward that someone/ something that I allowed myself to become possessed by, losing all perspective of who I am as a physical being that only requires oxygen, food, water, shelter and basic relationships to continue existing and that anything else, is mind infatuation that I must take self responsibility for.
I see, realize and Understand that creating an ultimate desire for love, peace, joy and bliss as MY pursuit of happiness is what lead me to then experience all the opposite as hate, inner battles within my mind, dissatisfaction, dullness and self-hatred as the ultimate negative experience, that I then seek to 'cure' through exerting such anger stemming from 'frustrated dreams' against others, instead of actually stopping in one single cold moment to see what the hell it is that I am in fact using my physical body for, to think and scheme ways to kill others or myself just to 'get away with murder' within the love/hate relationship that I formed in my mind only.
When and as I see myself wanting to take revenge toward others/ myself for not being able to obtain/get what I wanted, I stop and I breathe. I realize that I am the one that must take absolute responsibility for the entire point of possession and understand to what extent I have allowed myself to be possessed by these seemingly 'innocent thoughts' like saying 'I want to kill you/her/him/them or myself' as an apparent quick fix and solution to a problem that was created Only within my mind, thus I take absolute Self-Responsibility for every single experience that I created toward others in order to vindicate myself and always consider as if I had won after a perceived loss.
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to not see and realize to what extent I am abusing all and every single cell of my physical body and dishonoring every single particle that I exist as, the air I breathe, the beings I eat in order to continue living whenever I use life to create thoughts of self-deprecation, self-hatred and hateful self-manipulative rants wherein I believe that 'I can get my control back by hating/ loathing something/someone,' without realizing to what extent I am in fact depleting the very life that I consist of every time that I participate in thoughts of any kind – whether positive as love, light, bliss, excitement and negative such as hatred, violence and absolute desire to control and abuse others as a way to feel better about myself.
I see, realize and understand that who I am as the thinking pattern 'I want to kill them all/ myself' is an absolute threat to oneself and others that I must immediately Stop and take responsibility for through immediate self forgiveness in order to actually See and Realize what is it in fact that I am participating in, what type of experience it is that I am creating when and while having these thoughts of killing another/myself in my head, what is it that I in fact perceive I lost that I am now wanting to take revenge of due to my own apparent inability to realize and see how any positive experience that I desire as an absolute point of possession that is not 'doable' and 'livable' in this physical reality, becomes the exact opposite as the ultimate disillusionment and hatred that is then sought to be compensated with exerting a point of power/ control such as killing others in order to satisfy one's own 'game' in the mind wherein after the perceived loss of the happiness-point, one retaliates against the perceived point of loss in order to be the one that 'has the ultimate say' as the perceived 'winning'-experience within a game that I only created within my own mind, as it was never in fact real.
When and as I see myself using the thinking pattern of 'I want to kill him/her/them or myself' as a way to feel powerful and 'in control' of the situation, I stop and I breathe – I realize that I am in fact wanting to make up for an apparent and believed loss/ disillusionment that I must then take self responsibility for, as I am not going to solve anything within my life just by exerting this point of apparent 'power' over another's life – or my own – by desiring to end it, but that I am in fact only hiding myself from the actual responsibility that I hold toward my own self-created obsession/ desire and fantasy that only existed in my mind through and by my own creation and participation in it.
I see and realize that I could only 'give head' to thoughts about killing another if I haven't accepted and allowed myself to give to myself that which I perceive I lack, that which I perceive I desire and cannot obtain, which is how and why the nature of the desire as a point of possession is what one must take self responsibility for, to see where and how we have in fact brainwashed ourselves to believe that we must have a relationship, that we must be rich, that we must be experiencing 'happiness' all the time, that we must be 'successful' and 'gracious' 24/7, without realizing how it is in this very accepted and allowed brainwash that I have created my own obsessions and desires as a perceived 'lack' without understanding how they have been deliberately created by each one of us individually and collectively as the ultimate 'happiness' that everyone is now seeking and busy 'buying in this world,' without actually stopping to see how false and unreal such satisfaction actually is, as it has never ever been considered within the base foundation of what is best for all life
Thus I see and realize that everything that I would want to take revenge of, retaliate against due to my perceived dissatisfaction and 'unfulfilled dreams' are points that I must take self responsibility for to see, realize and understand to what extent I have accepted all the 'positive' as love, bliss, happiness, sex, money, fame and glory as everything that is 'normal' to desire, without understanding how the entirety and totality of the world system is based upon these self-created 'needs' that function at a cultural level of imprinting/ programming desires/ wishes/ obsession points in order to keep us entertained within our minds within a believed 'lack' and 'loss' that we experience as a 'negativity' within ourselves, seeking to get to the 'positive' all the time, which is what keeps us all recreating and reinforcing the entire Money System of abuse wherein all points of attainment are based on supporting the entire machinery of money as the current function abuse upon life.
To understand this points further, please listen to:
The Soul of Money – Fear and the Law of Attraction – Part 32
The Soul of Money – How Money thrive from Personality Evolution – Part 33
Within this, it is to see and realize how we have all been participants and directly responsible for anyone having thoughts of wanting to 'kill' in the name of an apparent positive experience upon a process of disillusionment/ disbelief and dissatisfaction, which is in fact only demonstrating how everything that we have judged in our reality as so called 'bad people' and 'mind possessed' people are in fact no different to everything that we have become as our own mind, as the same thinking pattern that I can create in one single moment of anger upon not getting what I wanted, is exactly the same thinking pattern that accumulated within a killer's mind that lead him to actually act upon those same thoughts.
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to indulge into the desires to love, have the ultimate bliss and happiness as a relationships to money, sex, success and anything that I created in my mind as a point of possession wherein I see myself in the ultimate 'throne of glory' as I realize that the process of realizing how the entire accumulation of the positive energy toward all those 'good things' comes inevitably to a downfall in a direct opposite manner to the absolute negative when seeing and realizing how unattainable my dreams/ wishes/ point of desire become, which is where I must investigate what type of fantasies, illusions and dreams which are only formulated in my mind did I give myself away to, did I allow myself to participate in just to get a positive experience out of it, deliberately ignoring how 'unrealistic' and 'non-doable' such dreams are, which implies that I must take responsibility for all my deliberate participation in all things positive to then see and realize that any perceived lack, loss or disillusion is only that, losing the illusion that I created in my mind as the ultimate positive imaginary experience leading me to the absolute negative when coming to the final realization that any point I seek to fulfill myself and my desires eventually devolves into a downfall as a negative experience – thus
I see, realize and understand that participating in the physical world does not require for me to create a positive or negative experience about it.
When and as I see myself participating in desires of happiness, fulfillment through relationships, getting the ultimate job and success in this world and reality, having all the money in the world, I stop and I breathe – I realize that this is the starting point of creating an entire cycle of self-abuse wherein we indulge into the positive experience that participating in all these 'good feelings' creates, however I see, realize and understand that such initial positive input must meet It's opposite energetic output as the negative, the same way that the light is generated through friction and conflict as I see that I am allowing myself to be blinded by the delightful light, without considering the actual opposite as 'the negative' that is the foundation and starting point for any of my dreams and desires, which is to experience the positive and the 'moreness' of myself. Thus I ensure that I remain here in and as the physical body wherein I do not require to desire/want/need to obtain something/ someone in order to 'feel better about myself,' as I recognize and embrace myself as the totality of who I really am as myself in this physical body and in this physical existence that I have separated myself from through desire in my mind only.
I take self responsibility for every point of obsession and infatuation that I have created toward a positive experience, in order to stop the entire cycle of self abuse that seeking happiness entails and ending up in absolute despair and self-deprecation toward oneself and others just because of realizing that in this physical reality, all our dreams are just that: illusions/ fantasies/ thoughts in our mind that cannot be practically achieved without creating the absolute opposite within a world of consequence due to how we have created a foundation of 'life' based upon abuse. It is to investigate then the starting point of such want, need and desire and see where and how self is not giving oneself that which we seek/ desire from and as something/ someone in separation of ourselves.
Thus it is to see, realize and understand to what extent we are all collectively responsible for creating the ultimate polarity of love and light in opposition to get away from the perceived 'lack' as a negative experience, keeping ourselves always valuing everything outside of as 'more' than ourselves, which is visibly existent currently as our monetary system –
It is to understand then that all killers, all mind possessed people are no different to you or me as we are currently ALL Mind Possessed. Thus through the living and application of Self Forgiveness and Self Corrective application to start becoming aware of how every single thought that we have in a seemingly 'fleeting moment' of flinching and throwing a tantrum against others, does in fact create consequential outflows within everything and everyone equally.
This is our oneness and equality, wherein we have abused ourselves, the Earth, the animals that we are in fact Killing slowly but surely every time that we give head to the directions that we created and programmed in my own mind, without taking responsibility for them and realizing what are we in fact stating within this action of wanting to be 'more' than others, to 'have it all,' to have the 'ultimate happiness' that cannot exist in this world currently without abusing something and someone.
More so than ever, I cannot see myself detached from any person that has ever been labeled as crazy or mind possessed as we are ALL currently mind possessed and as long as we try and hide this, we will continue blaming everything and everyone for what is going on on a daily basis as all forms of wars, abuse, violence and direct personal-life retaliation processes that originated from exactly the same place that you and I Also exist as, which is the mind that we are now here in the process of equalizing to and as our physical to finally ensure that everything we think, say and act upon is in fact standing in the Best interest of All Life in Equality.
"I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to not realize that FORGIVENESS is a Gift Given to Self to bring an END to the Illusion of a MINDSELF that is a Self Created Illusion, as Energy Presented as THOUGHTS, Feelings, and Emotions." – Bernard Poolman
Stop participating in those thoughts before it's too late – there's specific support for these thinking patterns available at:
Day 131: Forgiveness and True Activism
- Interdimensional-Physical Relationships – Part 1 (Self-Forgiveness): DAY 131
Day 97: Morality Character Self-Forgiveness statements
Interview to realize what it is to Really in fact Experience that point of being trained to KILL others due to problems in our world that we have accepted and allowed with apparent no solution, without realizing that all wars stem from the inner wars we have created within ourselves as the mind.
Know Thyself:
Quantum Mind Self Awareness – STEP 1: A never before in detail explanation of how our mind works, what are thoughts, how do they emerge, are our decisions in any way REAL?


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Cherries II
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We ship worldwide via TNT / FedEx. Shipping takes about two weeks or a bit more, depending on how far away from Europe you are. All paintings are insured and shipped in tracked packages. If you are sending a painting outside the European Union, your country may charge an additional import tax. In this case, the recipient is responsible for paying it. We've already shipped paintings to most countries worldwide. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us!
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Viktorija paints realistic and yet very romantic works: bright-colored flowers, colors of summer.
In her paintings the artist tries to avoid monotony and boredom, she is always looking for new ways to paint the things her eyes see and experiments with different styles.
Painting is Viktorija's greatest pleasure, it gives her a lot of joy, and the artist wants her works to emit only good emotions, coziness and positivity.


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Last week, we talked to five families currently raising children in New York City's many diverse and multifaceted neighborhoods about why they pick city living over the suburbs, and most of our readers agreed that they prefer an urban upbringing to the more "traditional" suburban childhood.
But once you've decided to raise your children in the Big Apple, it can be tough deciding which neighborhood is best for your family. Many factors come into play: What are the best schools in the area? What amenities does the building offer? Are there playgrounds nearby? How secure is the building? And the list goes on. But to make the process a little easier, we've rounded up 15 of the best family-friendly buildings in New York City.


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Who: Samuel S. Snow, a preacher in the Millerite movement, led by the Baptist preacher William Miller
How he came by this date: A prophesy in the Book of Daniel states "Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed" (Dan. 8:14). If you convert the days into years, and if you start in the year 457 BC – the year that Artaxerxes I of Persia decreed that that the city government of Jerusalem shall be re-established – then this takes you to 1844. Using the Karaite Jewish calendar, Snow pinned the date down to October 22.
What actually happened: Thousands of people gave away all their posessions, only to be surprised when the world did not come to end, and the day came to be known as "The Great Disappointment." The Millerites splintered into several religious groups, the largest and most mainstream being the Seventh Day Adventists, and the smallest and most unconventional probably being the Branch Davidians. Millerism has also influenced the Bahá'í Faith.


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Galaxy Nexus vs HTC Titan
The mighty Titan has a large competitor in the Nexus, but is a new OS and super resolution enough?
Mango has just started bouncing out and it's as sweet as expected, but is an Ice Cream Sandwich just a little tastier?
Galaxy Nexus vs HTC Titan – Build
Galaxy Nexus: With a 4.65in screen this is no little fellow, and on top of that it's a reasonably svelte 8.94mm thin. The bezel is 4.29mm and it has no buttons – meaning you're basically holding a big pretty screen in your hand. All that, and it's only 135g.
HTC Titan: The 4.7in display of the Titan suddenly isn't so unique and the 10mm depth isn't so slim anymore. 160g is light but not light enough.
Galaxy Nexus vs HTC Titan – Speed
Galaxy Nexus: A flighty 1.2GHz dual-core processor and mighty 1GB RAM stands the Nexus alongside the likes of the Galaxy S II, which is plenty fast.
HTC Titan: Despite packing 1.5GHz of speed the Titan's on a rather outdated Snapdragon processer along with a meager 512MB RAM.
Galaxy Nexus vs HTC Titan – Power
Galaxy Nexus: The 1750mAh battery should be plenty powerful enough to keep your HSPA+ connection running for most of the day.
HTC Titan: The Titan's 1600mAh battery suddenly looks small by comparison. And with that much screen space to fill with light and no dual-core power-saving advantages, you better keep that charger close to hand towards the end of the day.
Galaxy Nexus vs HTC Titan – Screen
Galaxy Nexus: The 4.65in display manages a whopping 316ppi with its 1280×720 resolution, and all that's with vibrant Super AMOLED colours. Perfect.
HTC Titan: The Titan's 4.7in screen is capable of throwing up a 480×800 resolution display – which, on a screen of this size, equates to a fairly average 198ppi.
Galaxy Nexus vs HTC Titan – Camera
Galaxy Nexus: It may only be a 5MP snapper (albeit with impressive 1080p video), but it's a clever one with easy panoramic stitching, reduced shutter delay. The 1.3MP front camera also enables you to unlock your handset using facial recognition.
HTC Titan: The 8MP snapper comes with a dual LED and impressive BSI sensor for great low-light shots and a three picture tethering option built-in. There's also a 1.3MP front camera for video calling, or checking yourself out. You can get 720p video out of this handheld.
Galaxy Nexus vs HTC Titan – OS
Galaxy Nexus: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich has landed and finally draws the tablet and mobile worlds together with a unifying OS that has no need for buttons, improved multi-tasking and NFC support.
HTC Titan: Windows Mango means more efficient multi-tasking, and a Shazam-style audio search that takes you directly to the Zune Marketplace. It also has improved Twitter and Facebook integration.
VERDICT The Galaxy Nexus has taken it by a country mile. Not only does it do away with buttons to allow for an even bigger, super hi-def screen; it's packing the impressive Ice Cream Sandwich OS. The Titan is an impressive phone with a great young OS, but compared to the fourth stage of Android and the combined efforts of Google and Samsung, it never had a chance.
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Samsung Galaxy Nexus with Android 4.0 hands on review
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World News – For all of you fans that wish they could actually go to Hogwarts this might be a lot of fun for you. Are you wanting to see where you can buy your magic wand or where Harry Potter and his friends got their Hogwarts school supplies? The shops of Diagon Alley from Harry Potter are now on Google Maps' Street View.
It's no Marauder's Map, but Google now lets you explore the set of Diagon Alley from the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in London. In Street View mode, you can see 360-degree images of Ollivanders Wand Shop, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes joke shop and Mr. Mulpepper's Apothecary.
The Diagon Alley set brings to life the shop setting from J.K. Rowling's legendary Harry Potter series of seven best-selling books, which grew into a successful eight-movie franchise. Warner Bros. Studio Tour says the Diagon Alley set took more than three months to build, and it took six months to create over 20,000 products to put on the shops' shelves.
Explore Diagon Alley for yourself on Google Maps. It's a fun experience for Harry Potter fans, but it makes me wonder what adventures Harry, Ron and Hermione would have missed out on if they had Google Maps and never got lost.
View the Street View Harry Potter Diagon Alley Here


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Municipal FAQs
General Questions
What emergency/after-hours capabilities does Kaiser-Battistone have?
Kaiser-Battistone knows that servicing waste water, sewerage and water treatment is no 9 to 5 job. We're avalable24/7and can usually be on-site within two hours or less after your call.
Is Holiday and weekend service available?
Please. Need you even ask? Flow back ups/clogs, line breaks, and sewerage system failures don't always happen at convenient times. With that in mind, yes — we're available any time of day or night, holiday or not.
Is a PO or formal agreement required in order to secure Kaiser-Battistone services?
While we'd certainly appreciate a PO or agreement, we understand that fixing an emergency in the moment is a higher priority than paperwork. We make sure to employ a team of administrators that can help sort things out with municipal purchasing departments after-the-fact.
Can you handle large weather events?
Of course! We have a state-of-the-art fleet of Hy-Vac trucks, pump trailers and support equipment with highly-trained technicians to respond to all your emergency needs.
Municipal Lift Station Cleaning & Repair
Can you clean grease and sludge build-up on floats and transducers?
We certainly can. We clean lift stations of all sizes and configurations and handle line clearing for any float or transducer. Bypasses can be performed if needed, and all of our technicians are C.S.E trained to perform tasks needed to keep your lift stations ship-shape.
Municipal Catch Basin Cleaning
Can you catch basin cleaning remove excessive trash and debris from storm water flow?
Our fleet of Hy-Vac equipment can perform all types of services for your storm water infrastructure system, including:
- large diameter culvert pipe cleaning
- removal of grit and debris from catch basins
- camera surveys (extra fee for selfies)
Can you get rid of excessive odor in proximity to basin grates?
No one likes odor issues, storm water system-related or not! We have several teams of technicians trained in operating high pressure water jetters; power washing the sludge buildup and scum should fix things right up.
Can you handle a high volume water treatment plant with hauling needs of large volume?
We're proud to say that Kaiser-Battistone has a large fleet of trucks of all sizes that can assist you with all of your municipal sludge hauling, no matter what volume you need to have hauled. We'll arrange for disposal at one of our own WWTP or other POTW, and we're accustomed to handling dry cake (what could be less appetizing?) as well a liquid sludge waste (oh, that). We perform contract price hauling or emergency service — either works for us!
Municipal Wastewater Treatment
Can you help with bypass pumping during maintenance or repair projects?
Yes, we can handle bypass pumping on all size projects. We keep an inventory of portable bypass pumps readily available for this very purpose!
What are Kaiser-Battistone's disposal options?
Kaiser-Battistone has several disposal facilities throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic to handle all your non-hazardous waste. We also have an environmental department that can assist with all necessary permitting and reporting to dispose of your waste. The environment's important, so we take disposal regulations seriously!
Are Kaiser-Battistone technicians confined space trained and compliant?
All of our Kaiser-Battistone technicians are trained on several OSHA compliant programs including CSE, LOTO, MSHA, Fall Protection and many others. Our Safety director can assist you with all of our training programs and certifications. (He's super friendly — give him a call!)
Can you provide us with portable storage tanks?
Yep, we regularly spot tanks on municipal sites. Our FRAC tanks range up to 21,000 gallons in size (not that we're bragging).
Landfill Maintenance and Leachate Collection
Is there a volume consideration for your company?
Kaiser-Battistone regularly provides this service and we're always on alert following heavy precipitation. We have a fleet of pump trailers on hand, and we're ready to handle requests for removals of over 200,000 gallons in one day.
Does Kaiser-Battistone service leachate collection lines?
Our primary service is jetting, but we do realize that keeping these open is critical in managing methane collection.
Is this digester cleaning service available?
Sure thing – our hydraulic pumps easily handle this heavy material.
What method does Kaiser-Battistone use to service digesters?
Intergalactic Plasma Blasters! No, just kidding. We implement pumping and hauling services as well as GEO tubes to clean digesters.
Does Kaiser-Battistone have equipment specific to lagoon cleaning?
Kaiser-Battistone has pumps and related equipment specifically engineered for lagoon service work. Our Tiger lagoon pumps, floating pumps, and boxes are effective in properly removing material (and for defeating lagoon monsters).
Is Alum sludge hauling available?
Yes, we're very accustomed to the compliant disposal of Alum material.
Can you facilitate a pipeline repair?
Whether it's providing main line camera service to plan infrastructure maintenance or assisting with any and all types of repairs, we're here to keep your infrastructure operating in top gear.
What pipeline maintenance services does Kaiser-Battistone provide?
Pipeline installation, re-lining, and crawler cameras (up to 72" pipes) all feature prominently in our service line. Give us a call for more info!
Schedule Service for your municipality or Contact Us with additional questions.


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Engineers have tried to harness the power of pounding waves and shifting tides for generations, but only recently has the goal been attainable. With 90 percent of the nation's tidal power, and a good chunk of its wave and river energy, Alaska's quickly become the epicenter for this budding technology.
"We are clearly the ocean energy, hydrokinetic energy leader in America," says Doug Johnson, director of business at the Ocean Renewable Power Company. Johnson is overseeing four hydrokinetic projects this summer, from False Pass in the Aleutians to Yakutat in south-east Alaska. One project, along the Kvichak River near the town of Igiugig, could provide about half of the energy needs for the 50-person community
"If it's successful you could literally turn the diesel off and use diesel as back-up power," Johnson says. "It's just a really excellent way to provide energy to the community. There's no emissions and there's really no negative impacts that we've seen so far of these devices in the water."
Despite its technical name, hydrokinetic power is pretty straightforward. It's basically just a turbine placed in water. As the current or wave moves it, electricity is made. Like any new invention hydrokinetic power is pretty expensive. But in rural Alaska where people pay a premium for energy, it could still pencil out.
"A lot of renewable energy technologies that don't work elsewhere will work here cost effectively," says Sean Skaling, deputy director of alternative energy and energy efficiency at the Alaska Energy Authority. "They'll probably start competing a little bit faster in Alaska than in places with lower costs of energy."
While this summer's projects largely target small rural communities, Anchorage is next to one of the greatest untapped sources of renewable energy in the country: Cook Inlet. The second biggest source of tidal power in North America, the inlet could relatively easily supply electricity to all of Anchorage, says Tom Raven, a civil engineering professor at the University of Alaska.
And since Anchorage relies largely on nearby natural gas reserves for its energy—a depleting energy source—tapping Cook Inlet for electricity could look more and more attractive in the future.
"The oil [and gas] supply in Alaska is going to run out," Raven says. "I've always hoped there would be enough vision in the state that they would seize some of this oil wealth, to take some of those funds, and basically invest in renewable energy on a large scale."
Alaska plans to generate half of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025. To help meet that goal, Ocean Renewable Power Company is looking for ways to connect Cook Inlet tidal generators to the Railbelt, which supplies 80 percent of the state with electricity. Hydrokinetic tests along the Kvichak river should be complete by the end of summer.


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mansard roof
mansard roof măn´särd [key], type of roof, so named because it was frequently used by the French architect François Mansart. It was not devised by him but was used early in the 16th cent., as in portions of the palace of the Louvre designed by Pierre Lescot. It became particularly characteristic of French Renaissance architecture and later was much used in Victorian buildings in Europe and America. The slope of a mansard roof from eaves to ridge is broken into two portions. The lower portion is built with a steep pitch, sometimes almost vertical; the upper portion has a low pitch or is nearly flat. This results in a higher and more useful interior space than can be obtained with other roof types.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Architecture


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Evans, Sir Arthur John
Evans, Sir Arthur John, 1851–1941, English archaeologist. He was (1884–1908) keeper of the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford. From 1900 to 1935 he conducted excavations on the Greek island of Crete, principally at Knossos, and there uncovered the remains of a previously unknown ancient culture, which he named the Minoan civilization. He devised a Minoan chronology spanning several thousand years that is still considered essentially accurate. Evans devoted considerable time and expense to the reconstruction of the most impressive feature of the civilization, the palace. The Palace of Minos at Knossos as restored by Evans is based on fragmentary evidence and has proven quite controversial, as have his interpretations of Minoan religion. His writings include Cretan Pictographs and Prae-Phoenician Script (1895), The Mycenaean Tree and Pillar Cult (1901), and The Palace of Minos (4 vol., 1921–35).
See biography by J. Evans (1943); J. A. MacGillivary, Minotaur: Sir Arthur Evans and the Archaeology of the Minoan Myth (2000).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2023, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Archaeology: Biographies


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Meritocratic pay systems, in which superior performers are supposed to receive higher raises and bonuses than mediocre workers, are standard in well-managed companies. Differentiated pay is thought to increase workers' effort and boost retention of top employees.
But such pay-for-performance systems may have an unrecognized downside. Research I codirected suggests that, paradoxically, managers in explicit meritocracies may be less likely than others to award pay fairly and more apt to act on their biases instead. One result: They consistently give women smaller amounts. The phenomenon may help account for the persistence of gender-associated pay disparities—and race-associated disparities, for that matter.
The idea that gender- and race-based pay disparities are not only resistant to merit systems but might actually be exacerbated by them has been around for a while. But testing the hypothesis has been problematic: Most empirical studies of the effects of pay-for-performance systems have been conducted after the programs were in place, with no prior period for comparison.
To better understand these disparities, my collaborator, Emilio J. Castilla of MIT's Sloan School, and I designed a controlled experiment involving people whose attitudes and behaviors track those of managers in the real world. We chose as our participants more than 400 MBA students with substantial career experience: Their mean age was nearly 30, and they had an average of almost six years of work behind them, including more than two years as managers. We asked them to imagine that they were managers in a service company and needed to allocate $1,000 in bonuses among several employees on the basis of performance reviews turned in by another manager. This reflects the practice in many companies: One manager evaluates performance and another determines the financial consequences.
The Bonus Contradiction
We found that participants who were told that their organization emphasized merit tended to favor men, giving them $46 more, on average, than they gave to comparably performing women. The bias was exhibited by male and female managers alike. Participants who thought that the emphasis was simply on conducting evaluations regularly—say, every year—treated men and women virtually the same.
We suspect that an organization's championing of meritocracy serves to reassure managers tasked with decisions about pay, making them less likely to view their behavior as biased and leading them to believe that, in any case, there's little risk that their actions will be seen as prejudiced. They may consequently relax their vigilance and allow their biases greater sway. Those biases need not be consciously held: A large body of research shows that widespread stereotypes—for example, the notion that women are less productive than men—often shape behavior unconsciously, even in people who disagree with them.
That doesn't mean companies should give up meritocratic values, which are a touchstone for progressive leadership. Instead, they should take steps to counter the meritocracy paradox by increasing the accountability and transparency of the process by which raises and bonuses are awarded and limiting managers' discretion regarding the pay of their direct reports.


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Read the new Ad Libs blog.
Local Blogs
By Rebecca Wallace
Ad Libs: Lend me a tenorUploaded: Mar 30, 2009
Read the new Ad Libs blog.
on Apr 2, 2009 at 10:33 am
Finding tenors is is an eternal quest for most choral groups. There's several reasons:
1. The tenor voice range is simply less common.
2. A decreasing number of adults can read music. California's musical education has been terrible since Prop 13 passed in 1978.
3. The sports bias of primary education doesn't encourage students to learn music.
I sing with the 40 voice Bay Choral Guild, a Palo Alto based classical/modern group(www.baychoralguild.org) that is always looking for good tenors.
Maybe we should "tux up" with "Tenor Wanted" signs on Camino Real?
on Apr 3, 2009 at 1:59 pm
It's sad that everybody loves to sing in kindergarden -- you can't keep them from singing. Then around 4th grade or so, most people seem to stop singing, and when you get up to being an adult, most people are mortified at the thought of busting out a tune on their own. Unless they've been drinking. What happens in 4th grade?
on Apr 3, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Rebecca Wallace is a registered user.
Very interesting comments. I wonder why the tenor range is less common. Also, what do singers think about having females who have the appropriate range fill in on the tenor line from time to time? I've heard it done well, but sometimes it just doesn't sound right.
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What is a Shuttle Roller Coaster?
A shuttle roller coaster is any roller coaster which does not make a complete circuit, but instead reverses and travels the track backwards. Some of the first shuttle coasters were the King Kobra at Kings Dominion (1977 – 1986) and Black Widow at Riverside Park (1977 – 1999). Early shuttle coasters featured a solo vertical loop. Because of their size and relatively low cost, shuttle coasters are often relocated from one amusement park to another amusement park. Steel Venom's recent move from Geauga Lake to Dorney Park and Pleasurewood Hill's relocated Wipeout are some recent examples of shuttle coasters on the move.
Shuttle coasters are a dime a dozen these days. Vekoma's Boomerang model is one of the most popular types of shuttle coasters. It consists of a boomerang loop, (which includes two back-to-back inversions) and then a vertical loop. Riders experience the 3 loops forwards and then backwards. According to RCDB, there are about 40 Vekoma Boomerangs currently in operation around the world.
More recently inverted shuttle coasters, where trains travel below the track, have come onto the scene. Six Flags America's Two Face: The Flip Side is an inverted shuttle coasters were riders face each other during the three loops. The last development in shuttle coasters incorporates the LIM launch technology that blasts trains from 0 to 70 in a matter of seconds. Intamin calls these U-shaped coasters Impulse coasters. The aforementioned Steel Venom, Cedar Point's Wicked Twister, and Six Flags Great America's Vertical Velocity are examples of the latest and greatest shuttle coasters.
Got a suggestion for Coasterology 101? Leave a comment below.


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|System: PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii, 3DS
|Dev: Black Box
|Pub: Electronic Arts
|Release: November 15, 2011
|Players: 1 - 12 Players Online
|Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p
by Matt Walker
I have to admit that I'm not what you'd call a car game connoisseur. I do like fast cars, but I don't get into all of the engine horsepower, calibers, or any of that other gearhead mumbo-jumbo. While I do love simulation racers, I find myself more inclined to want the raw speed and action of an arcade-style racing game. Sure, the sims are all about authenticity, but if you can feel like you're driving 150+ miles an hour in a game, it's quite a magical experience. Black Box and Criterion know how to do that for gamers. However, there has always seemed like there was something missing from their adrenaline-fueled racing games. Need for Speed: The Run seems ready to fill in that missing link.
Need for Speed: The Run has a story. While it's admittedly not the first racing game with a plot, nothing has been attempted like this before; it's a full-on action movie with racing mixed in. It's a Fast & Furious game without the cheesy plot devices and actors. Simply put, this is a cross country race that is both illegal and has a large sum of money awaiting the winner. As my colleague Josh Engen pointed out in his preview, this plotline is more Cannonball Run than anything else. However, the ill-fated Nathan Fillion Fox television show Drive might be an equally apt comparison, as The Run takes this simple formula and adds the Michael Bay sense of movie making—i.e. tons of explosions—to deliver a winning formula for action junkies.
The opening immediately drives home the point that this is not your typical racing game. You play as Jack Rourke, someone who went left instead of right, or, as the opening scene shows, found himself mixed up with the wrong people. Fortunately, Jack has a friend who knows a way for him to make a load of cash. Just like any action movie involving a racer with something to run from, Jack takes the "job," getting thrown headfirst into one of the most exciting racing experiences I have had in a long time.
One of the reasons this is so much fun is that it doesn't feel like a racing game. You don't select a race type and a car, followed by choosing automatic or manual and all that. Instead, you select your car and hop right into your cross country race from San Francisco to New York. A word of caution though: The car you select in the beginning will be the car you drive for some time. Choose carefully, because it will be a while before you can change your car without restarting the entire campaign. While this can be a bit annoying, the fact you are locked into the car for several race events comes with some benefits. It forces you to get good with the car you're driving. If you decide to be a hotshot and race with a challenging car, you'll have to either figure out how to best control this vehicle or restart entirely. Not to worry though; you will eventually unlock gas stations that allow you to change to a different car. These gas stations don't appear very often though, so, again, be sure the car you choose is one you can handle.
Instead of giving you individual races to compete in to advance, The Run gives you specific points you must reach by the end of an event. Sure, it sounds like the same thing, but it is not. For example, most of the events require you to move up a specific amount of positions, make up time by passing through a set number of checkpoints in the time given, or take down or opponents in special you-against-them events. There are even rival races, where you can potentially take ownership of your opponent's car. Oh, and did I mention the cops will be chasing you too?
What has been a large part of Need for Speed's success is the notorious trouble you can cause as you progress through the game. Officers of the law will chase you through some of the most ludicrous road conditions imaginable—icy roads, desert storms, waterfalls; the list goes on. Black Box really plays off this longstanding staple of the series, with the aforementioned police officers taking center stage. However, the weight of your vehicle, as well as sound and design of the vehicles, is some of the best I have seen in a racing game of this caliber.


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Here I share an update to my previous blog which will be my personal reflection and reading of a situation like this in the current world we are living in where social media has become in the individual press or medium of communication that enables us to create awareness of basically anything in our world, and at the same time consider the 'greater scheme' of how things that will emerge and will be coming through as scandals or online viperous content are also part of a very bumpy – yet necessary – ride to create further awareness of the effect that our actions have upon others, while also learning to discern what is truth and what isn't based on facts and within that, learning to essentially stand in truth because nothing can distort that, because it is self-evident, and that's essentially our real freedom, to own and take responsibility of our participation in the co-creation of reality and know 'who we are' within it all, so that one can then decide to change the 'problematic' actions and attitudes within myself – that's self-honesty to me.
So, without giving too many details for obvious reasons, I was part of the conciliation process that took place in order to create a form of 'justice' to the person that felt aggravated by the actions of other people that were professionally involved with my partner. My partner faced his own 'charges' directly with the person that felt aggravated by him. To me it was quite an example of how one can be the living expression of 'your truth sets you free' because there was nothing to fear when you know exactly what you did, how you did it and the starting point of it. It took an apology to realize that his actions and words simply had an effect he had not considered could cause a negative reaction in the other person, and that was essentially about it. The whole 'exacerbation' of the situation essentially deflated when he decided to talk to the person face to face and clarify the situation. This involved the acknowledgement of making mistakes and how we can learn from it, how to change from now on.
The ability to come to an agreement exists when people are placed face to face to talk things out without having the 'he/she said this/that' over social media gossip only. The whole thing changes when you are there talking to the person that created a certain image of you online and start laying out the facts, recognize the mistakes, ask for forgiveness and move forward to create a peace arrangement, recognizing the responsibility on the 'aggravator' side in this case.
I personally tried to share the concept of shared responsibility where it always takes 'two to tango' in any situation, and how the person remained in such work relationship by their own choice. I was vehemently 'shut down' with my remark, because the whole set up was of having a victimhood and aggressor type of polarity in the conversation. This is one of those moments where I realized there was no opening to this kind of concepts when you have emotionally 'enraged' people and certain laws being used to treat a point of awareness of responsibility as 'adding fuel to the fire.' I had to keep quiet after that realizing I could stir up more conflict in a situation where conciliation was aimed to be made.
Here I'll be sharing my perspectives on what I've observed not only first hand from this situation, but also in the context of what's going on in the world in the realm of 'political correctness' and all of these attempts to 'make people pay' for past situations where people that felt aggravated didn't speak up – or where people are currently taking offense much easier than before, where even now trying to make a simple joke can give you labels of the worst kind, where even mentioning a word has led people to lose their jobs as CEO's of big corporations, comics have been kicked out of colleges for 'telling the wrong jokes,' and world leaders are being a constant source of internet bullying because of not providing a 'politically correct' view of people… and the list goes infamously on. That simply shows 'where we are' as humanity, that's our current mirror.
I've mostly been observing and seeing what the 'climate' of all of these accusations, 'revelations' and 'me too' movements have created and have become. Each person has the ability to use their words and the media of their choice to say what they feel they 'have a right' to say. The problem is we don't consider our responsibility in it all and the way that we affect each other, and at the same time how to learn and realize that no one can make you feel bad, feel less, feel down, feel offended unless one allows it or unless one 'identifies' with certain 'label' or word that may trigger an emotional reaction in us. That is part of this process as well where I've learned to see where and how I used to identify with certain judgments – essentially standing as Self-Judgment – and from there realize that any reaction I get from anyone 'calling me that' is simply because I accept and allow such word and a reaction to it to exist within me. I know it sounds difficult to do, but it's work that's worth doing for the sake of personal growth and change.
Currently writing or saying something about 'taking responsibility' on the side of the 'offended' one becomes outrageous in a climate like the one we are living 'out there' where people are deciding it's quite easy to accuse and become a victim – and in that blindly supporting the victims – which is why the world is becoming the kind of 'you said he said' circus of misinformation and gossip that are dividing people more and more.
It seems 'easier' for some to not create any form of awareness of responsibility or perhaps not even deciding to consider it because it basically would destroy every single accusation or offense claim done, because one would realize 'whatever I feel or experience from these words, I create within me, no one else can get inside my head to cause me to feel bad about it.' But these seem to be still 'superhero' concepts as in them being 'out of reach' of any regular human being, when they are not, we are doing it as well in this process at Desteni. This doesn't mean that some people may in fact want to inflict abuse, harm or extortion on others, that definitely does exist as well, but then it takes us to another reading, to understand how a person came to be the kind that would want to deliberately harm, abuse or vex others. That is also something that can be understood to take responsibility – as in assisting to change it within self – and forgive it, not taking it personally and creating more problems about it. Sometimes simply talking to the person to know 'who they are' leads us to understand why they do certain things, and this also assists in realizing one cannot take personally others' wrongdoings either. But this is also part of this process where one willingly decides to live the word Understanding, rather than going through the seemingly 'easy' path of blame and victimhood.
So unless the person is devoid of all of their mental and physical capacity to think for themselves, every single person that stands in any form of victimhood needs to assess this first point of responsibility: how did I come to create, accept and allow this in my life and reality? What kind of steps, decisions and choices did I make to get to where I am currently? This is one of the main things that have made me a 'freer' person. I've written in countless blogs how I used to stand in blame towards every single human – hypothetically speaking – for 'how fucked up we are as humanity' and how I saw no way out other than completely ignoring the world – well, trying to – but ending up with a very pessimistic and nihilistic view about life and of any future for ourselves. This led me to feel anger, resentment and feel completely disempowered to change anything, because I kept blaming the world system, 'those in power,' those that apparently made all the 'wrong choices' that affected my life and those around me.
Deciding to step outside of victimhood and blame is genuinely empowering and this was only possible due to studying the Eqafe.com material where I truly got to understand the 'greater' picture, and I mean 'greater' as in existential-level greater, where I got to grasp that any form of abuse is always Self-Abuse, because we are all in fact one and equal, and this is not in the nice and fluffy sense that some aspects of spirituality or religion portray, but this is at a matter level, where we are truly one and the same, we have just separated ourselves into oblivion, not only as individuals, but even within ourselves where we have our mind, our being and our body separated 'within ourselves' which is why we don't realize what we were – and have been – doing 'it' to ourselves all along, which is self-evident now that we witness the truth and reality we are in.
Even though a lot of 'shit' seems to be hitting the fan, and cans of worms seem to be opening up everywhere – which is something we also knew would Have to happen in order for the old to go and the new to emerge – there are also great things happening in the realm of 'waking up' and taking more responsibility and creating more awareness of who we really are, and that's also why some events are causing the scandals we are now seeing in the media or on social media every single day, people coming up with past stuff to blame people and in a way believe that it is that way to create any form of solution to the problems, when it is genuinely not and it is causing much more harm, violence, defamation and unnecessary paranoia around it. However all in all, it does serve as a point of awareness to the kind of abuses, harm, violations to life that exist which are things that have been kept 'inside' each person throughout human history.
We just now happen to have things like Facebook, Twitter and other places where each one can share themselves to whichever intent. But in all of such expressions of accusations, I haven't yet read or seen one single person admitting to have placed themselves in such positions to be on the 'receiving' end of any form of abuse. And it is rare at the same time to find people that assume full responsibility for their aggravations without fear, understanding the situation and committing to change themselves for the best. I personally am fond of my partner for being one of them and serves as a great example of how things can be sorted with self responsibility, and how there's nothing to fear when you know exactly 'what you did' and why you did it.
As a side note, it was also interesting to see how a publication with 'scandalous' content got shared thousands of times and commented on endlessly, while another publication with a signed agreement of conciliation of peace between the involved parties got only 'a few likes' and a few comments of approval. It does reveal a lot 'where we are' as a society and this has saddened some of my friends, but, I stick to the point of seeing the greater picture of not taking it personally but move on with the solutions as planned, because I know that falling into despair is just another outflow of reaction that leads nowhere but personal disempowerment, thus, we need to acknowledge, understand and move on standing clear on it, even being willing to support others that may be affected by similar situations which is something that I am open to do as well.
I initially also felt limited or 'violated' in my right to speak about shared responsibility in such conciliation process, because I was essentially told to 'shut up' or I could aggravate the situation. That's a moment where I had to see my reaction coming up and decide to slow down and take one step back, breathe and realize that there are and possibly will be situations where the actual truth of the facts cannot be fully embraced or even mentioned, because there are factions that are completely entrenched in a sense of entitlement that prevents them from hearing any form of common sensical approach to a situation such as where the two parts are considered as co-creators of a situation. It was baffling to me, but in that moment I realized that I could indeed do more harm than 'good' by trying to 'create awareness' about something that could destroy a 'conciliatory' process in the making. What I did instead after the whole more 'serious' part of the conciliatory process was done is to extend a hand of support for the person that was aggravated, to share how I do this as part of my living and how I am interested in people's wellbeing regardless of anything. So that's where I decided to stand in relation to 'the other side' for the sake of giving a name here, it was my way of living forgiveness in that simple moment as well.
This I share as well as a cautionary tale, where one needs to learn how to read the matrix so to speak, the context of the situation, the political and social ideas behind these kind of accusations, the laws and how the people on the victim-stance are expressing – such as if they are enraged, angry, nervous, etc. Because then it is my responsibility to know that saying something can 'detonate' them further on, so that's where I have to take that step further and not step on my 'high horse' so to speak, which could have caused more conflict. It is also well known that our current legal frameworks do not cater common sense or the consideration of shared responsibility. It is a polarized system where the only sense of 'justice' that exists is placing someone in jail or sending them to death penalty or asking them for money as a form of conciliation. That is of course only handling consequences….
But how about creating spaces to genuinely converse and admit the simple fact of 'it takes two to tango' and assist both or more parties to step outside of the disempowerment of victimhood and offender – that in fact attracts more dissent, polarization, violence and rage – and in doing so, assume a more responsible and wholesome stance where each person involved is assisted to recognize their participation in the co-creation of the situation, to understand the mental processes that led to the creation of 'the problem' and from there create a conciliatory process where one can understand the other and commit to a process of learning from the mistakes to change such habits, attitudes, actions or ways of being in order to prevent further mistakes and so further problems or accusations. That's living forgiveness and that is not currently in any legal framework to my awareness.
In a way it is sad that one cannot say such things in the moment, because based on the situation where there's almost like a victimhood standoff, it is almost impossible to hear any form of shared-responsibility concept. But there I said it, perhaps I planted a seed of awareness, perhaps not. But at least I didn't keep quiet about it, couldn't say all of what I'm writing here today and that's also how I see the importance of using the tools we have of sharing ourselves, of creating blogs, sharing our perspectives within self-responsibility. Here I am making the best that I can to ensure that my words stand as a perspective that is geared to support ourselves as human beings – not taking any sides here – to face conflict, to prevent conflict, to handle conflictive situations in a way that can honor each other and ultimately life itself.
This is how I see we need tools of support at a legal level so that the labels of 'the victim' and the 'perpetrator' are removed for a moment to look at where each one stands and how the situation came to be, so that there is an awareness creation of each other's participation in the event, and so create a mutual process of real reformation if you will, which doesn't come with a sense of vengeance or punishment or 'compensation for the damage done', but in the intent of actual change and restoration of the individual, for any 'other' is also 'us' that have gone astray in one way or another, they are also the product and result of the whole society/world we have co-created.
And this is why blame is lame as they say, it prevents us from acknowledging that we have all created the world as is, we have all been co-creators all the way, we have just blindly and comfortably forgotten, and that is what's currently being used with greater force in certain factions or groups that create an identity point based sexual preferences, gender, race, nationality, ideology, political inclinations, religions, all kinds of paraphilias and the list goes unfortunately on, missing out the fact of how any form of label/tag divides and conquers us further. It truly saddens me to see how we have separated ourselves from the basic humanity that we all are, devoid of creeds, beliefs, postures, colors, dogmas. It is indeed sad undoubtedly how much 'shit' we can talk about one another, how easily we can attack and blame and not even care to investigate the facts. I've been there myself as well and can't claim innocence at all in the past, but I've been committing myself to change that within this process for the past 11 years. Sometimes learning the tough way is what we need, a huge 'wake up call' to see how we are participating with each other person in this world.
At the time, it seems things are 'getting out of hand' in the world where virtually any wrong word may get you on the spotlight and be labeled as the worst of the worst…. We are on a learning curve as well on how to best make use of this current notion of 'free speech' and the ability we have to publish whatever we want. I believe it is only our truth that can set us free, and that truth doesn't mean always doing things 'right' or 'correctly,' but it also means being able to stand in the front of the person and the totality of the world and explain ourselves, recognize the facts, the context, explain the wrongdoings and commit to change, to live forgiveness, for that is a far more valuable act and a much less 'explosive' than going through social media asking for revenge or simple slander to defame others and causing multiple effects that at times we have no consideration for, because we see it as 'part of the consequences,' but I see it now as another source of conflict even for people that haven't been personally involved in the events.
This is also another rather 'disastrous' process that sure, can break us further apart, but in the cases that we do care to assist each other to 'open eyes,' we can take the time to share our perspectives on a controversial topic or situation like this to present a more common sensical approach to things, to learn to read things properly, to not take immediate 'sides' to a story and to formulate a personal stance in relation to all things that we may become aware of in the world. Doing this can in fact make us grow as humanity, but remaining divided – and so conquered – only adds up to the plethora of problems we have to sort out.
Based on the situation I explained in my previous blog, I became aware of people that came in contact with the information and created a conflict with one another for not agreeing on how things were taken by each. This is also part of seeing each others' 'truth' if you will, it will disrupt the way that we believed we liked or agreed with each other to reveal the truth of who we are and yes, that's part of discovering self-honesty too, it is not nice, it is not pretty, it will be something quite radical and may seem polarizing and disruptive, but it's part of the necessary 'opening' of the cans of worms as I see it, where only – once again – one's truth will set ourselves free. Actually if one stands clear within oneself, there is nothing to fear, and this is the way to debunk any claims of wrongdoings that one is certain one hasn't done. IF one has, then, sure, there we go! It sure is time to step up and assume responsibility and commit to changing what one has done and focus on how to stop recreating the same in the present and in the future, because it is what's best for all, it will prevent further harm, abuse or offense towards others.
Something that I also see is happening is a sense of false empowerment when accusing others, and this is also something that can only happen if there's no acknowledgement of shared responsibility. I've been there and done that in the past as well where, as I've shared countless of times in this blog throughout the past years how I used to 'rejoice' in speaking shit – sorry but that's what it is – about governments, and the 'elites' I thought were to blame for everything going wrong in this world, about religious leaders and organized religions, and basically anyone else I judged as evil and wrong in my previous mindset, the one I had before starting this process of self-awareness with Desteni and the mindset I AM still working with whenever it rears its head within me day to day.
I cannot be any more grateful for the ability that I have now to recognize my co-creation and co-responsibility in the creation of this world, our lives, our bodies as they are. It has assisted me to change the very fiber of my being that used to stand in that sense of 'entitlement' to feel like a victim, believing I was 'empowering' myself by pointing fingers at others, never realizing that in blame and in that position of victimhood I was in fact the most disempowered, I actually felt the most miserable because I thought that punishment and 'bringing others down' was the only way to create any restoration of justice. I was in fact recreating the same problems I was complaining about in this world, I was wishing 'the end' of those I believed to be the problem. I never realizing I was 'digging my own grave' as they say here, I was doing it all to myself.
Walking the Desteni process and the Eqafe self-support material have enabled me to recognize the actual obstacle that blame and victimhood are, and so rather realize the potential and the actual power/capacity I have to focus on changing me, in stopping blaming others and feeling like a victim, to owning my thoughts, words and deeds, to be willing to recognize my participation in the 'fucked up' reality we live in and realize that the one true power I hold is to change ME, and that seeking revenge or 'justice' as punishment would truly get us nowhere as humanity but further down the downward spiral.
I have realized that I have to be the change, and stop focusing on pointing fingers at others, because that was causing more harm in my body, it was in fact like an 'anger' sickness that made me depressed and hopeless and yes, it has taken quite some time to change it, but every single moment I decide to stand in understanding of a situation within this consideration of who we are in our minds, the consequences we've created as a society, the role that each one of us has in creating the outflows we face and no longer taking a unilateral approach to things that I face in my life has been like healing a long lasting 'wound' of 'feeling empowered' when blaming others and believing that 'that was the solution.'
Again, it's not, but it also takes courage and a process to stand in self-honesty, to dare to see who we are, who we have become, to own our choices and decisions made that have taken us to walk through every single aspect of our lives, no matter how 'fortuitous' they may seem, if we are experiencing them, then we can own our responsibility in it, which simply means to respond, to own our actions, to be aware of the situations we might possibly create if we act or speak certain words – and to always consider what is best for all involved, to learn to do others as we would like to be done onto, to consider 'the other' as myself.
These are key principles that even in the face of moments where I believe that I am being 'limited' in my expression about something I believe 'makes sense and is right', assist me to take the 'next step' which is to read the situation in its current stance, to understand that some people are not yet at that position where they can be willing themselves to understand co-creation yet, to consider that for some people might take longer to understand a more holistic approach to any form of problem creation. To consider as well how blinded we can become by our own emotions or characters we take on that we believe empower us, and can't see the reality of how they are in fact disempowering us. Within such understanding of 'where each other is at' in their lives, it makes it easier to let go of wanting someone to understand something that they simply might not be ready or willing to acknowledge yet, and that's where I remind myself of my only true power as well: to be an example of how to best handle the situations, how to stand in the face of conflict, how to take responsibility but not 'enforce' change or certain ways on others.
Here is also where trusting myself and trusting life comes in. At times I've seen how I can be quite pushy in wanting others to understand something that I see 'benefits them/everyone involved' and how this can cause further reactions and realize that such reactions are an indication that there is no 'opening' yet in the other person to see what I am seeing/saying. It also might mean that I'm 'reading' the situation completely wrong and that I need my own words and actions to be cross-referenced, because they can be in fact out of place and not clear. The reactions also allow me to read 'where a person is at' and also see myself in it, to see what still 'disturbs me' so that I can work with it and in so, seeing what I haven't yet forgiven as my own experience, as my own creation. Doing that enables me to 'move' as in speak, act, direct accordingly.
I've met people in my life, including one of the persons that I'm grateful for has created the opportunity to create this moment of conciliation, that in an almost instant manner we could see that we were 'on the same page' so to speak in the reading of the events and the greater scheme of how these things are going on in the world. This is actually quite cool because! It gives me hope in humanity to find people like that. I can also say this of a person that I met in the most seemingly fortuitous situation and eventually realized how 'aligned' we are in order to work together in a project and basically be on the same page about how we view ourselves, our lives and the potential we see in people. That is also another example of how upon communicating and learning to 'read' people through their responses I've been able to establish relationships with people that I know 'are there' in this world and are doing 'their thing' and in their own way yet within the same principles.
That's comforting because, as crazy as it may seem, it is hard at times to walk this process at the level we do within Desteni and at times one feels a bit isolated, as if 'no one else' could see and understand things the way we do. Thus it has been comforting to find people that do see life/things in a very similar way and how it IS possible to create that understanding and common ground no matter what their 'background' is; it's a confirmation that life and living principles stand on their own, no matter what 'road' you take to get to them, and that's awesome and it is actually cool to know people like that outside of the group that I know and am aware of are people walking this same process with me – even if living in very distant countries. I am also glad that 'they are here' and walking with, even if not 'in my environment' at the moment, but always 'there' in the virtual world, which is something I am also very grateful for in times that may seem difficult and we need to reach out for support.
Ultimately what matters to me is to go establishing connections with the people that do care, that have eyes, ears and a body ready for the new living reality that we need to co-create, and this is something that 'comes to the surface' even from 'unfortunate' or bitter events like this one.
I share this because it is also a comforting point for me, to know that besides what may seem like 'the worst of the words' surfacing on our 'daily feeds' and knocking at our doors, there is something actually way extraordinary to be living for. For me it is a way to keep connecting and meeting people that are taking these steps 'forward' in their life, while it also reminds me of the necessity that I have to keep sharing, to not 'back down' and become a silent vigilant of the things that are going on in this world.
To sum up, as 'atrocious' as it may seem for many, these cans of worms are here for a reason and they sure may lead to temporary conflict and polarizations, but eventually out of all crisis there comes an opportunity for recreation, reinvention, and reconstruction – this is what I'm here for. To learn how to stand in the eye of the storms, to strengthen my resolve, to know that my truth will set me free, to be grateful for those that I can relate to and know that are also 'here' on track with the new path for life in this world of which I have vehemently decided to be a part of, because my intent has always been to 'change the world,' and from there I went from being 'angry' at the world for not changing and blaming everything and everyone around me – lol – to externalizing that eagerness to see 'world changes out there' to now internalizing, focusing on my own self-change which start in how to handle situations like this and then spreading some seeds again with others that may be ready to read and listen and share back how they see things themselves.
Once again I would not have this kind of resolve or 'greater picture' approach without the support of all things related to Desteni and the Eqafe Eqafe self-supportive material, which I have now integrated in my own skin as a new way to live and approach life. It also allows me to understand the greater 'cataclysms' that are taking place and 'will' most likely continue to take place in this world where everything will seem really 'bad' and consequential and chaotic, but here is where I remind myself and anyone else reading: there's more to it than what meets the eye.
The best thing to do is to create Understanding, to not take things personal, to not only 'react' emotionally to things, to learn to discern, to learn to look back within ourselves and making an informed decision of where we stand about something before 'spewing' words about something or someone. To learn to let go and forgive people and situations where one can see that it's only consequences playing out that one cannot immediately change and can only conciliate in the 'best way' that is doable in certain contexts.
What matters, as I said in my previous blog, is who we are in the face of conflict, in the face of admitting our faults, mistakes, falls, it is about learning to forgive ourselves and at times assisting others to do that for themselves if this is not yet considered as part of the solution, which is not limited to simply forgiving and letting go, but comes hand in hand with the commitment to change, to grow, to develop new ways of being now that one sees that the 'previous ways' were causing harm or detrimental effects on others. This is to me the real way to create peace, calm and conciliation.
This is our learning curve at the moment, it may seem out of hand, it may seem extreme, but again: owning one's deeds, taking responsibility, learning to assume the co-creation roles we have in this reality and live the correction of the problematic actions will set us free and will benefit each other substantially. That's real change, that's real responsibility to me and that's a supportive use of moments of conflict, problems and crisis, to be of support in those moments to walk through them the best way that we can, for ourselves and for all parties involved.
Thanks for reading
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Sharing Responsibility vs. Abdicating Responsibility – Quantum Mind Self Awareness
Practicing Responsibility Sharing – Quantum Mind Self Awareness
Videos by Sunette Spies for Self and Living:
Gossip and Personal Pains
From Judgment to Nonjudgment
From Judgment to Understanding
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