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"All Truths passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident" Arthur Schopenhauer.
Do you have dreams and desires, but you feel like you are always falling short? Your limiting beliefs are the very thing keeping you stuck in place.
James Allan said, "the outer conditions of a person's life will always reflect a person's inner beliefs."
Is this really supported in science? YES.
In the 17th and 18th Century Newton and others devolved a belief system that saw the world as solid. That reality operated on mechanical principals and by extension, humanity had little influence on outcomes. All of reality was predetermined. This extended to medicine where we believed that the body and its parts all work like a machine, and our genes determine our destiny.
About 200 years after Newton, Albert Einstein produced his famous equation E=mc2. This shows that energy and matter are so fundamentally related that they are one and the same. Energy and matter are interchangeable.
The dawn of quantum physics.
We learnt this equation in high school science, but most of us did not understand what this really means.
Everything physical in your life is not solid matter, it is all a field of energy or frequency. Patterns of information. Even the floor we are standing on is more empty space than solid particles. "Everything is more "nothing" (energy) than "something" (particles)." Dr. Joe Dispenza.
And this includes us. As part of the Newtonian way of viewing the body, we saw chemical reactions and systems and thought they were set in place and could not be changed
Then Bruce Lipton introduced the field of epigenetics show that even our genes can be changed, and how they affect us can be changed. We communicate with the quantum field primarily through our thoughts and feelings. And since our thoughts are energy, they are the primary way we communicate to the world and our body. What we think, our belief systems have a significant impact on our body.
This can be seen with the power of the Placebo effect. This was seen in research that looked back on clinical trials of antidepressants. In 48 trials, only 20 showed that the anti-depressant medication was more effective than placebo. There is also the nocebo effect, where a person is misdiagnosed and told they will be dead within 6 months, and they were. But when an autopsy was performed there was nothing wrong. Beliefs are that powerful.
Generally, we are not aware of our beliefs. A moment of trauma, often when we are very young, and we make a decision that then becomes our belief. This trauma does not have to be dramatic. It might just be a busy mother saying, I'm busy go away. But the little us takes this on board and makes a decision. "I'm not wanted, I'm not valuable, no one loves me." And we take this belief system into our adulthood, and all our future decisions are based around this distorted belief made when we were young. It becomes the most important thing in our lives, our belief systems. We confuse facts with beliefs. Because we think something is true it must be true. Then our future actions are governed by our subconscious, which determines 99% of all our actions and we keep doing and thinking the same things over and over again.
How powerful beliefs really are.
This brings in tapping and how does tapping change our beliefs?
Once we have these beliefs, they are encoded in our subconscious. If we perceive a situation as threatening, our amygdala, hypothalamus, adrenals, etc., react. It can even affect our DNA.
Medicine does not understand the causes of disease, but there is plenty of research coming out that shows that STRESS is one of the main contributors to a myriad of diseases and conditions. If our body sees something as threatening, and can't get out of the situation we freeze, and this causes bodily changes. This stressful reaction affects every system of our body, including our DNA.
Tapping is like a switch. Tune into those feelings, tap on them and press the reset button. When we go back and look at these memories, there is now a different response. It is no longer a stress response. By turning off that response we can react differently to life. This in turn will mean that our internal chemistry is now different. We have changed the chemistry. We have changed the quantum field.
Research at Harvard Medical school the past decades has shown that stimulation of selected meridian acupoints decreases activity on the amygdala, hippocampus and other parts of the brain associated with fear. In fMRI and PET brain scans, you can clearly see the amygdala's red alert being called off when acupoints are stimulated.
In another study, Dr. Church and his collogues studied changes in cortisol levels,(the stress hormone) and compared people who either had standard talk therapy with those who had tapping therapy, and a control group that had no treatment. Cortisol levels dropped significantly in the tapping group – an average of 24%, with some as high as 50%, meanwhile those in both the talk therapy and the control group showed no significant change. WOW. These changes were so dramatic the lab thought there must be something wrong with their equipment and recalibrated all their machines and re tested the samples. It was that big a change!!
According to Dr. Feinsteing, a clinical psychologist, from the John Hopkins School of Medicine "the research evidence for energy psychology coming from more than a dozen countries, suggest that it produces outcomes for a range of conditions that are unusually rapid, effective and lasting." It meets the criteria for "well-established treatments for phobias, anxiety and depression. This was in 2012 and it has now taken off with dozens of studies now demonstrating the effectiveness of tapping for a variety of issues. If you would like to read more of the studies, go to https://kaybayly.com/resources/


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The Rancho Santiago Community College District's Trustees are meeting tonight to consider a busy agenda that includes "Approval to Negotiate a Project Labor Agreement Action." The administration of the RSCCD is recommending authorization be given to their Chancellor to negotiate a Project Labor Agreement with the Los Angeles/Orange County Building Trades Council.
Some people never learn! We warned Santa Ana voters last year not to vote for Measure Q – the latest bond measure of the RSCCD, which will increase our property taxes in order to supposedly pay for construction at the Santa Ana College campus. We already had approved a previous bond measure, Measure E, which the RSCCD wasted on the Santiago Canyon campus in Orange and on the construction of the O.C. Deputy Sheriff Training center (which was not needed with about five such centers within half an hour of Orange County).
In 2003, the RSCCD Trustees placed a union-crafted Project Labor Agreement (PLA) on all Measure E bond work. Measure E had been passed by voters in 2002 with no hint of a controversial PLA would be used. Voters were not warned about a PLA regarding Measure Q either!
The PLA vote occurred despite vigorous opposition from local workers, taxpayers, apprentices, contractors and contractor associations. The board was told that a PLA was simply a payoff to union bosses and that it openly discriminated against the 85% of the local construction workforce that was union-free.
How do PLAs do this? PLAs force workers to pay union dues, pay into union pension plans, be hired through a union hiring hall, and explicitly forbid non-union apprentices from working at all.
PLAs are so controversial that they have been banned in 11 entities in California including the County of Orange and the City of San Diego, where just this past June residents voted 58%-42% to forbid them.
At the time of their vote in 2003 the College's own construction manager told the board a PLA would add 5-15% to the cost of any project. They were warned them of the same thing. In fact I personally testified against the PLA. How would the PLA raise construction costs? Simple – fewer non-union shops would bid on their work with a PLA in place. Fewer bidders equals increased costs.
The RSCCD wasted so much money on Measure E, because of the PLA, that Trustee John Hanna told me he would never again vote for another PLA. He told me that the PLA created costly delays and increased costs. I was of course not surprised. That is exactly what I had predicted!
Last summer the most comprehensive study on PLAs ever conducted was released by the National University System Institute for Policy Research. It looked into more than 500 school construction projects throughout California and found that those districts who used PLAs added 13-15% to the cost of those projects. What that means for RSCCD's $335 million Measure E was that its value was reduced by up to $50 million. What that means to you is that your money was wasted by the RSCCD Trustees who voted for the union-only PLA.
The RSCCD Trustees are about to rip off the voters yet again! Members of the RSCCD Board of Trustees can be reached by calling (714) 480-7452 or sending an email. RSCCD Trustee Jose Solorio is running for the 34th State Senate District in 2014. If he votes to approve this PLA I am withdrawing my endorsement of his campaign and will support anyone else but him.

subset: commoncrawl


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Summers Place
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Thoughts On Turning 60
There have been days in recent times, more days than ever before in fact, when I have asked myself, "How the heck did I get here? Where did 60 years go?" One minute I was taking my kids to kindergarten and the next I am getting letters from Social Security telling me to start thinking about Medicare.
Medicare? I still have 5 years before that! But you get the idea.
So how do I feel? If you had asked me that 10 years ago, I might have said, "Ugh! Let's not talk about it." I was devastated by my 50th birthday. I felt invisible and insignificant at that time. But, so many things have happened in the past 10 years: Some of the highest highs: Going to Scotland, taking up art-something I never imagined, learning photography, getting published, meeting celebrities. And then the lows: Friends and loved ones who didn't make it, a ruptured appendix that should have killed me, my daughter's cancer (she is now a survivor), the failing health of elderly parents, the list goes on and on. It is the kind of stuff that makes you want to hide under the covers and never come out.
Yet, when I think about it all, it only makes me realize that no one gets by unscathed. Life can hard, full of trials and at times, downright cruel. But then there are the good times, the crests of the waves that you ride for as long as you can before they come crashing down. Life is constantly moving forward, one wave after the other, the tides going in and out, constantly changing, sometimes so quietly that you don't even realize you've evolved or moved on until you reflect back, sometimes so quickly you feel you will snap in two from the force of it. But inevitably you put one foot in front the other and move forward . Or you sit back and watch life pass you by. The bottom line is it's all about your ATTITUDE.
So once more, how do I feel about turning 60? I am content. I am happy. AND, so very grateful because I am STILL here. I get to live. And each day that I do is filled with all kinds of possibility. I am stronger, wiser and secure in the knowledge that the people in my life, now, are there for the long haul. I no longer need the popularity of youth nor have the longings of middle age for status. I am free from the trappings of possessions that I once thought I absolutely had to have. In fact, I am on the journey of disentangling myself from things and acquiring and imparting spiritual wisdom and love. For in the long run, love is the only thing I will be taking with me ; the only thing which will remain in the hearts and minds of those who remember and love me. That will be my immortality.
I am richer for all my experiences and more confident than I have ever been. I no longer feel the need to prove anything to anyone. I KNOW who I am and I happen to like who I am as well. And when I look in the mirror, though my looks tell the story of a woman growing older, diminishing, my eyes reflect the spirit of the warrior within and the power of a lifetime of knowledge. And THAT is something I wouldn't trade for anything!
So bring it on! Because whatever comes next, reminds me I am STILL alive and that is a pretty damn good thing!
Thursday, December 20, 2012
I must have been three or four years old when I realized for the first time that each year had distinct seasons. But autumn intrigued me the most—the time when the trees and shrubs that had been awash in the green sea of summer, suddenly started to morph into flaming bushes and fields of fire. It seemed that red, orange and yellow were splayed everywhere along with variants that were better than any crayola palette I could imagine.
And along with the emerging colors came delightful winds that whirred through the leaves, deflecting light in such a way as to make me think the trees could actually communicate with me. And then of course, came Halloween and Thanksgiving, which made me believe that the trees were a part of some festive cosmic celebration.
So when the leaves began to lose all their color and fell to the ground like kamikaze planes I was quite dismayed. I remember asking my mother why this was happening and my mother in her infinite wisdom telling me that the leaves needed to sleep and rest for awhile so they could come back in the Spring, new and pretty once again.
That explanation worked for a bit until I went to school and understood that the fallen leaves never returned. However, Christmas always followed this event so I never had to dwell very long on the dying foliage. And diving into piles of raked leaves gave some merit to this event.
I am now well into adulthood and over the years, however, I have at times felt some degree of sadness as autumn comes to a close. I've often asked myself just what it is that fills me with that sense of melancholia. Is it the barrenness that creeps across nature like a grim reaper? Or perhaps the oncoming chill and dropping temperatures? Or just the connotation of Fall?...Fallen leaves, the falling back of the clock, the diminishing sunlight. There is some irony to the fact that the shortest day of the year heralds in the Winter season.
And yet what happens when Autumn ends? Winter marches in, cold and forceful, like a babbling brook rushing forward, sweeping along the debris left behind by the previous summer and fall. Snow falls wiping clean the earth with a white blanket of crystals, clearing the way for the return of the sun's warmth -- The cold killing off pestilence and disease, purifying the air to make ready for the newly born growth of Spring. It seems as if even Winter is part of the Grand Design.
The cycle goes round and round as does the passage of time, both moving in one direction with no glance backward. The best any of us can do is collect what is worth saving and discard the rest as we are swept along in the grand plan of the Universe. Every season has its purpose, as does every event in your life, even your darkest hours. Winter comes for each and every one of us. It is inevitable. The only thing mutable is how we deal with it.
Will you rail at the unfairness of its cold and barren nature? Or will you embrace it—knowing that it is a necessary part of your spiritual and emotional evolution? Will you accept that for the tree to grow it must be pruned from time to time, stripped down and laid bare to make way for new growth? It is your choice to bend or to break, to blend or to rage, to rest, reflect and grow or….die….
And that is truly the cycle of life…For time waits for no one. And as I age I realize that neither can I. Each and every one of us is here for an express and unique purpose. The secret of a happy life is to discover what it is then follow your bliss, no holds barred, patiently learning all the lessons that come your way and accepting that God/Spirit does have a plan for us if we can only have the faith to keep moving forward. And know that Spring ALWAYS follows Winter.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
If Only I Could Win The Lottery
Well the die has been cast, the numbers revealed and the 640 million dollars goes to three winners from three different states. Congratulations to each and every one of them!... End of story…Or is it?
If you are anything like me, winning that money has been a topic of conversation for the past week. What would you do if you won the lottery? What would you buy? Would you claim the money right away? Quit your job? Pay off your debts? Buy an island and relocate ASAP?
Personally, I would like a studio for my art, a library room and a closet the size of a bedroom, after I've paid off all my debts and those of my family and a few close friends.
And then of course, there's a yacht and the whole "travel the world" thing…But seriously, after all the material desires have been fulfilled, what would you do with ALL that money?
Well, that has been on my mind as well. Let's face it, when you die, you can't take the money with you. Or, as I like to say, "Have you ever seen a luggage rack on a hearse?"
I suppose I could leave it all to my children, though in my perfect post-lottery world, my kids would already have a nice share of it.
So, I come back to the same question, once again, "What would you do with ALL that money?" And THAT is the question that has lingered in my mind. Those of you who have known me for a bit, know that my first thought is of childhood suffering–children
in need—Imagine feeding thousands of starving children all over the world, starting a foundation to free them from the chains of poverty through education and a better quality of life? Or how about a foundation for sick children, whose parents can't afford the medical care that they urgently need? Shelters for the abused? For the homeless? A school to retrain the unemployed? Funding for the arts, the key to a truly civilized society?
The possibilities are limitless with ALL that money. However… I haven't won the lottery. And this morning, those possibilities are still on mind. Perhaps the more important question is, "How can you help those in need regardless of your station in life?" And perhaps, "How can you make your life better, happier regardless of the money you do or do not possess?"
I think if we dig deep enough, we would discover that we are more powerful and capable than we give ourselves credit for. For the human heart has a vast capacity for compassion, love and simple kindness. And the soul, a limitless yearning for its higher purpose. So dare to dream, take that step, reach out that hand. We build a house one brick at a time and a life, one heart at a time. And that my friends, has no price tag on it.
Friday, January 20, 2012
The Good Life Parable by Mark Albion
The Good Life Parable by Mark Albion
I would invite everyone to read this story and give it some thought. The moral of the story is to know what you want out of life, because you may already have it.
Hope y'all go out and have a great day! Make it count!
I would invite everyone to read this story and give it some thought. The moral of the story is to know what you want out of life, because you may already have it.
Hope y'all go out and have a great day! Make it count!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
"You know the great thing, though, is that change can be so constant you don't even feel the difference until there is one. It can be so slow that you don't even notice that your life is better or worse, until it is. Or it can just blow you away; make you something different in an instant. It happened to me." ~ George Monroe
Today as I stood back and looked at my yet to be decorated Christmas tree, I realized that something was different. But just what had changed I couldn't pinpoint. So instead, I proceeded to pull out the umpteenth bins of ornaments that had been tucked away in storage and then did the usual inspection for missing hooks and broken balls.
Now I am not a "theme" person per se when it comes to decorating the tree but I suppose if you saw the need, you could categorize my tree as the "Trip Down Memory Lane." For the past 20 years I have been giving my children ornaments on each Christmas that have represented something important going on in their lives at that particular time. I have also been collecting ones from wherever I have visited or vacationed.
So as I hung up each ornament, I was assailed with twenty some odd years of memories and ghosts of Christmases past. Voices of my children seemed to echo through the branches, voices of two toddlers then tweens then teens.
"Can I help Mama?"
"Uhoh, I dropped one!"
"Can we make cookies after this?"
"Awww! I remember this! I played baseball then!"
"This was the year I graduated high school!"
And then came the images of family vacations and girls' weekends and all the rich and wonderful experiences of a good deal of my adulthood. The memories swirled around in my mind, like an 8mm movie…Oscars to follow….
Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was different. When I was done I sat down and studied my handywork. Again I asked, "Just what was it?" Well for one, it was one week before Christmas and I honestly could not think of a single thing that I wanted. I seemed to neither have the glee nor the desire for anything. Or at least anything material. And that was a far cry from my younger years.
That made me think of a recent visit I'd had with my parents.
Now we all have apprehensions about "going home" and I am no different. Parents welcome you with cookies, pies and cakes forgetting that you are diabetic and 30 pounds overweight. They forget that you are at the half century mark and speak to you as if you're still a half pint. They tell you stories of your childhood and confuse you with your brothers or sisters. Or they repeat the same story several times. And they can assume you still think exactly as they do.
There was a time when it drove me crazy and I dreaded the visits. I hated being treated like the proverbial child and not having my opinion heard and in the end I would always leave feeling frustrated and disappointed. But this year, I looked forward to seeing them. And I actually had a good time!
Suddenly I had an epiphany.
Suddenly I had an epiphany.
As I looked around I realized that nothing had changed except me. I was different. It had been a long time coming up until three years ago. And then came some of the worst times I'd ever experienced all at once. I believe now that I must have had some kind of drastic karmic course correction. And through those times I swore to never let the emotional pain I was suffering pervert me or my values and what I believed in. But as I reflected on the recent past I realized that I had indeed…changed….
Now was it a bad thing? I had to think about that…And all the disappointments of the past few years...But, in the end, I realized that I had developed an inner strength that I had never imagined possible and the wisdom to never allow anyone to ever again manipulate me or make me question my worth. I had also learned what was important to me and what was worth fighting for. And most importantly, I'd learned to be….ME!!!! Not a persona built on the expectations of others, or a mirror of a friend, lover or family member.
That last thought was eye-opening. How many of us change who we are to accommodate others so we can be liked? Or hide how we feel to keep peace or out of fear of being criticized by people we deem important in our lives?
Change can be scary. We want things to be better yet we fear the unknown. We timidly take a step out of our comfort zone and then find ourselves a bit lost, a bit fragile. Then at the first sign of trouble or a complaint from friends or family that we are not "ourselves" we retreat into that cloud of illusion and expectation.
But I think there comes a point when you can no longer pretend to be what you are not—when nothing could be worse than remaining where you are. And that is the tipping point—the point at which you venture out of your zone and you begin to take baby steps toward something you hope will be better. It is not always an easy journey. There can be many fits and starts. And sometimes change can be forced upon you, even quite abruptly at times.
What I learned ultimately, though, is that change is inevitable. What is most important is how you handle and adapt to it…how you learn from it…how you grow! And when I think of the present and just how much how I've grown both spiritually and emotionally, I'm no longer afraid of what is to come. Because I am finally who I was meant to be. And that is the greatest gift of all.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Machine Gun Preacher - Movie Trailer (2011) HD
This is the inspirational story of Sam Childers, a man who has rescued over a thousand orphans from starvation, disease and enslavement....
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
I had always resented being born in August. The heat of summer would build to a fever pitch, all my friends would drift away one by one to distant places on family vacations and inevitably I would sit at home counting the days to the start of the new school year. My birthday would come and go, more of a quiet "family gathering" and although my parents did their best to make it festive, I always felt a bit "cheated" and had on occasion asked myself just why I had to be born in the dullest month of the year.
Well, thinking about the "dog days" of August led to a glance of the vase full of sunflowers perched next to me and then a vision of the sun—which in turn led to the question of why I had chosen to buy sunflowers on that particular day. Now I'd had an obsession with sunflowers for quite some time and I knew the myth behind them—the water-nymph, Clytie, falling deeply in love with the sun god Apollo and he being a bit of a "lad" and not returning that love. So there was poor Clytie, rooted to that spot on the ground, staring up at the sun and languishing away, ever-searching for her love until the gods took pity on her and turned her into a sunflower so that she could always face the sun.—which really did not help with the question of why I had to be born in August and just what I should write about.
So, I decided to look up the history of the month. Now August is named for Caesar Augustus, one of the greatest Emperors of Rome—Augustus being a term of honor meaning "the revered or majestic one". This Caesar was responsible for the Pax Romanus, a peace that lasted in the Mediterranean for more than two centuries. Now that was quite an accomplishment. But what I found interesting was that Caesar had chosen Apollo (of all gods) as his own god and credited his victory over Antony and Cleopatra, to Apollo's superiority over the Egyptian gods.
My thoughts then drifted to Egypt as I also discovered that the birthstones of August are Peridot and Sardonyx and these gemstones are rich in history connected to that area of the world. Peridot it seems, has been regarded since ancient times as the symbol of the sun and has been mined from Zabargad, an island in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt, for almost as long.
The Island of Zabargad was originally called the "Isle of Serpents" because it was so infested with poisonous snakes that it was dangerous to venture there at all. But Peridot was so acutely desired that one particular Pharoah had all the snakes driven from the Island so work could proceed. The stones were so brilliant though, that workers had to go out at night and mark the locations of the stones then return the next day to extract them. . In fact, Peridot was so radiant that the Ancients believed it could ward off darkness and evil spirits and this gave it an even greater value. Guards were placed at the perimeter of the island and all suspicious persons approaching were killed immediately.
Peridot eventually was brought to Europe via the Crusaders where it turned up in Cathedrals to be classified as the "evening emerald" as at night it was so richly deep green in color and retained its luminescence. It was also a prized gem in the Ottoman Empire with Turkish Sultans collecting the world's largest collection.
As I was reading all of this, I suddenly remembered a recent event—A past life reading about myself—being told that two of the last three of my lives had been in Egypt and Africa as an archeologist. Now that gave me pause. Then I recalled a time during a meditation exercise when I had been asked to think of a flower and instead found myself at the base of an ancient temple. I saw it in great detail as if I'd actually been there.
Now perhaps I was actually getting somewhere. So I continued to read on about the other birthstone of August: Sardonyx. According to what I read sardonyx was placed into the breastplate of the High Priest Aaron, Moses' brother.
It was also a very popular stone among the Ancients and Egyptians, who carved it into scarabs and beetles and also wore it as a talisman to ward off evil. Romans were known to wear sardonyx carved with images of Mars, the god of war, for bravery and courage in battle.
Perhaps the most interesting story, however, was that of Queen Elizabeth I, who possessed a gold and sardonyx ring. She eventually gave it to her lover, the Earl of Essex, as a token of friendship, with the promise that she would always be there for him if he ever needed her. At a later time, he was arrested for treason and sentenced to death. He attempted to send the ring to the Queen in the hope that she would intervene but it wound up instead in the hands of a Lady Nottingham, whose husband was no friend of the Earl's. The Queen believing that the Earl did not want her mercy allowed him to be executed. It wasn't till years later she learned of Lady Nottingham's duplicity. It broke the Queen's heart.
Again I was reminded of another past life, from the past life reading, a life around that very same time.—A dark time where I did everything I could to protect my brother, who was eventually murdered anyway and who I had sworn to never let go of again for all eternity. I took a few moments to process all that I had learned and suddenly it all made sense.
August did indeed seem to have a very big significance for me. Was it by design that I was born in the month where Leo and the sun rule? A month with a birthstone mined and worn by Egyptians since ancient times? A stone that was a symbol of the sun ? A stone given to a loved one whose death could have perhaps been prevented? Was I supposed to remember something from these prior lives? Or was it all just coincidence?
As I sit here, gazing at my sunflowers and pondering this, one thing is certain: This particular August I will have plenty of research to keep me busy. And I will never again consider the month of August boring nor dull. And as for the birthday parties that I'd longed for as a child? Well, being a Leo, I'm sure I'll be able to come up with some sort of memorable birthday celebration to break the monotony of summer. Safari, anyone?
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You are enormous, noisy and so deliciously cold. I can see right through you. And I love all that about you. You, True Model TS-49, had me at adjustable vinyl-coated wire shelves. I've known refrigerators in my day. Had issues with all of them. The plastic egg trays, the dumb drawers, the laughable freezer storage, the elusive replacement light bulbs, the temperature settings from 0 to 10. As if. The doors on those high-end iceboxes that close with a vacuum so fierce, you have to wait a minute before you can open them again – and by that time, you've forgotten why you wanted to. I digress. Packing 49 cubic square feet, you can handle everything I throw at you: flats of soda cans, cases of beer, Lexan containers of flours and nuts, full-size watermelons, sides of salmon, pizza boxes, the occasional Blue Angels F/A-18-shaped birthday cake – simultaneously. It's not lost on me that when I finally found you and brought you home, it was to the smallest kitchen I've ever owned. So what if I had to annex the back third of a garage to accommodate you? You anchored what became a much-needed walk-in pantry, and your hum, which is more pronounced than Glenn Gould's during a Bach concerto, is reduced to a purr once I shut the pantry door. Privacy for you, peace for my dinner guests. It took a while to get used to that hum, which cycles on and off with a shudder. It was an audible reminder of your impact on my Pepco bill. As a result, I learned how to save on household energy in other ways. (Even distribution of air conditioning is overrated.) When my sons were in garage-band mode, teenage wolf packs seemed to move in and out at all hours. They were accustomed to creature comforts. Yet you seldom failed to impress them. They would stand before you, slack-jawed, gazing through your double-paned glass doors at the options to stanch hunger and thirst. And when your light switch was flipped on at night? 'It's like at 7-Eleven!' they marveled. I'm pretty sure they were referring to you, and not the contents within. Although I might not have mentioned this to you directly, I have appreciated right-hand shelf No. 3, in particular. That's where dozens of condiments and preserves and oils and Mason jars of vanilla beans have incubated over months and years, while I monitored their quality and rates of decline for a book I might never complete. You kept them at constant temperatures that averaged an impressive 40 degrees. Your handy exterior gauge let me know. There's something else I haven't told you. Chances are good that the house will go on the market once the front-yard phlox is in full bloom, and that you will . . . convey. You're the best thing that kitchen has to offer. Wistful doesn't begin to cover it. We could have had so many more years together. I doubt I'll be able to take you with me wherever I move; in a fit of anthropomorphic projection, the scene plays in my head a little like the one in 'Out of Africa' when Meryl Streep breaks it to a Kikuyu household cook that no, he cannot travel with her back to Denmark. 'There are no refrigerators where you are going, Memsahib?' You must trust me about this, True TS-49.
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Paris Saint-Germain play their first home game since Laurent Blanc replaced Carlo Ancelotti as coach of the Ligue 1 champions when they entertain Ajaccio at the Parc des Princes on Sunday
evening, with memories of last season's struggles against the Corsicans still fresh.
The capital club were held to goalless draws in both meetings with Ajaccio in 2012-13, but those results did not prevent them from comfortably winning the Ligue 1 crown in May.
Former France coach Blanc has been at the helm for six weeks now, and oversaw the Champions Trophy win against Bordeaux in his first competitive game at the helm before a 1-1 draw in Montpellier in last weekend's league opener.
In both games, PSG have had to come from behind, with Brazilian full-back Maxwell earning them a draw at the Stade de la Mosson after they had trailed at the interval against opponents who pressed and harried tirelessly.
With Corsican sides renowned for their aggression, and Ajaccio coach Fabrizio Ravanelli determined to make his team difficult to beat, PSG could face a frustrating evening on Sunday.
However, Blanc will hope that 64 million-euro (US$85.4m, £54.6m) record signing Edinson Cavani can have an impact on his home debut after almost scoring as a substitute in Montpellier.
"Certainly," Blanc said when asked if the Uruguayan former Napoli striker, who started pre-season training late, will feature against Ajaccio. "But the question is will he start. That is a decision we will take. He is a little bit behind with his preparation and has had some fitness problems."
Ajaccio lost 1-0 to Saint-Etienne last weekend, but Ravanelli will relish the occasion in the capital having already experienced the heat of the Parc des Princes during his days as a Marseille player.
In November 1997, the Italian striker played a central part in a controversial victory at the ground for PSG's bitter rivals, diving to win a penalty that was converted by…Laurent Blanc.
"It is a great thing to return to Paris, especially as a coach. It is a real pleasure," said Ravanelli.
"We know we will be playing against an extraordinary team with extraordinary means. But even if we lose we will come out with our heads held high, because we know we can enjoy a good season."
Earlier on Sunday, Monaco, tipped as PSG's most likely title challengers, will look to build on their opening-day win at Bordeaux when they welcome Montpellier to the Stade Louis II.
Claudio Ranieri's side. a mixture of expensive summer acquisitions and exciting young talent, won 2-0 in Bordeaux, with Radamel Falcao netting a debut goal after his 60 million-euro move from Atletico Madrid.
And in midweek they won an appeal against a three-point deduction handed down as a punishment for a trouble at the end of a game last season, so confidence will be high at the principality club.
Confidence is also high in Marseille after OM cruised to an opening-day win in Guingamp. They play host to Evian on Saturday, although recent signing Saber Khalifa is unlikely to make his debut against his former club in that encounter as he builds up his fitness.
After thumping Nice 4-0 last weekend, Lyon travel to Sochaux on Friday, the match being brought forward to help Remi Garde's side prepare for next midweek's Champions League play-off, first leg against Real Sociedad.
"Sochaux are a team that like to play football and don't worry about their opponents. That's the club's culture," said Garde.
"We are expecting a tough game. We need to confirm our good form and try and cause them as many problems as possible."
In the pick of the other matches, Nice face Rennes at the Stade du Ray, although that match will be played behind closed doors as a punishment for fan misbehaviour last season.
Fixtures (all kick-offs 1800 GMT unless stated)
Sochaux v Lyon (1830 GMT)
Marseille v Evian-Thonon-Gaillard (1500 GMT),
Bastia v Valenciennes, Nice v Rennes,
Reims v Lille,
Saint-Etienne v Guingamp,
Toulouse v Bordeaux
Monaco v Montpellier (1200 GMT),
Lorient v Nantes (1500 GMT),
Paris Saint-Germain v Ajaccio (1900 GMT)


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MOMENTS | Mash-up: Musical Supergroup Alert, Scarlett Johansson x HAIM x TV on the Radio
We've curated the best of digital age-inspired creativity—from user-generated content, mash-ups, and remixes to collaborations between multi-disciplined makers.
Actress and musician Scarlett Johansson has a new "super-pop" girl group titled The Singles and has recruited Este Haim of Haim, Holly Miranda, Kendra Morris, and Julia Haltigan. Johansson has made forays into the musical world before, like 2009's Pete Yorn collaboration Break Up, the 2008 Tom Waits tribute Anywhere I Lay My Head and contributed to a Serge Gainsbourg tribute album. More recently, she even covered New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle." The Singles just released their first track, "Candy," which was produced by TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek.
Johansson cites Grimes, the Bangles and the Go-Go's as the major influences behind The Singles, and in a press release, Johansson explains, "The idea was to write super-pop dance music written and performed by girls. I wanted it to be like those bands: ultra-pop but also a little ironic, a little in on the joke."
So listen to the super pop electro jam "Candy" and get excited to hear what this all-women supergroup will create.
Since The Single is brining the some of the best names in music, we're mix & matching the best materials with this leopard, blue leather and blue neomesh overnight.
OVERNIGHT | Leopard + Neomesh + Italian Matte Leather
Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, & Facebook.
[Photo source: Pitchfork Media]


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Hunt the Moon (Cassandra Palmer #5)
by Karen Chance
Published by Signet Select
June 7th 2011
The story (from Goodreads):
Cassandra Palmer recently defeated a god, which you'd think would buy a girl a little time off. But it doesn't work that way when your job description is Pythia-the world's chief clairvoyant. Cassie is busier than ever, trying to learn about her power, preparing for her upcoming coronation, and figuring out her relationship with the enigmatic sexy master vampire, Mircea.
But someone doesn't want Cassie to become Pythia, and is willing to go to any lengths to make sure the coronation ceremony never happens- including attacking her mother before Cassie is even born.
But someone doesn't want Cassie to become Pythia, and is willing to go to any lengths to make sure the coronation ceremony never happens- including attacking her mother before Cassie is even born.
My review: I actually finished reading this book before it came out, May 25th to be exact. Which makes me feel horrible that I am just now getting my review posted. Especially since I had been in contact with Karen Chance about this book. Unfortunately, real life got in the way of my blogging and I am just now getting this posted.
I was actually in the middle of reading another book when I received this one in the mail. I had been going through a book slump at the time, by no fault of the books I was reading. They were good, and were books I really wanted to read. But I just couldn't seem to get into them. And when I received this one, I put down the book I was struggling through, and dived right into this one. I knew that it would be my redeeming book to get me back on track, and I was right. I couldn't get enough.
I absolutely love Karen Chance. I can't say that enough. Whenever people ask me for something to read, she is one of the few authors I always start out with, every time.
Chance's books are full of action, drama, comedy, romance... everything you could want. As well as a plethora of paranormal/magical beings. And not just a select few here and there, and what may be popular at the moment. There is just about every beast/creature/being you can think of. And she keeps track of them beautifully. There is always so much going on, I am amazed that everything flows so perfectly from book to book.
Hunt the Moon is no exception. The fifth book in the Cassandra Palmer series has Cassie just coming off of the killing of a god. Yes, a god. A bona fide, honest to... well... god, god. One would think that she is deserving of some R&R, and spending time with possible (although in his world they are already married) beau, Mircea. Of course that doesn't happen. It is Cassie after all. Pythia by circumstance, and untrained, she is trying to figure out her powers as well as trying to convince the naysayers that she is indeed worth the title. Aided by caffeine fiend, war mage, Pritkin (who has secrets of his own, that not many besides Cassie know about... and can I just say... LOVE Pritkin. Definitely one of my book boyfriends, although a big unconventional), Cassie trains her butt off, but doesn't seem to be getting anywhere. Which is not a good thing, seeing as there is now someone else after her to make sure she doesn't take the role of Pythia.
Poor girl just can't catch a break.
There are a lot of twists and turns and I really didn't see that coming moments all throughout this book... especially the ending. And there were also a lot of touching, tear up, hold my breath moments too. This book was a ley line ride from beginning to end.
And keep an eye out in the near future. Karen Chance has agreed to an interview which we will be posting along with a giveaway.
(and then some!)


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The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Upper East Region has called on the government to adopt measures to quarantine travellers at borders in the region in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Sunday Casper Kampoli, the Regional Deputy Communications Officer of the Party who made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the sideline of a press conference said the measure would help prevent any possible spread of the disease in the Region.
The press conference which was held at the Party's Office at Zuarungu in the Bolgatanga East District called on the President Akufo-Addo to do something about the closed but open, porous borders of the Upper East Region in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Kampoli said the Region was bordered with Burkina Faso and Togo which had recorded high numbers of COVID-19 cases and observed that Ghana related well with those countries in its daily activities which allowed citizens from the two countries to freely move into the country through approved and unapproved routes in spite of the official closure of borders.
- This Q&A session with Peter Piot of London School of Hygiene will teach you everything about viruses
He suggested that a strong patrol team of the military, immigration and police be deployed to monitor both approved and unapproved routes, and ensure that people who used those routes.
This, he said would prevent people from the neighbouring countries from integrating with residents in the Region and possibly spreading the virus, emphasizing that checking that everyone coming from those countries are tested will halt the spread".
According to Mr Kampoli, if that was not done, "Silently, we are integrating with people who may have had contacts with infected persons in Burkina Faso and Togo and may not know. Some citizens in Burkina Faso easily move into Paga and Navrongo, because of the short distance."
The NDC at the press conference addressed by the Mr Saeed Ahmed Tijani, the Regional Communications Officer, also called on the government to "provide all necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at all four approved borders in the Region to enhance effective screening and the safety of our health workers."
Mr Tijani called for the laboratory at the Regional hospital in Bolgatanga to be adequately equipped to test potential COVID -19 cases promptly instead of the current practice of transporting blood samples to Kumasi or Accra.
"This is not good enough because time is of essence, and such a process may compromise the accuracy and integrity of the results", he added.


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Deutsche Telekom
Telekom: Digitalization. Easy. Do.
Deutsche Telekom digitizes the middle class with an integrated communication campaign on tv, print, digital, content and social media marketing.
We have designed a new, big advertising campaign for the Deutsche Telekom. The integrated communication campaign covers the sectors of tv, print, digital, content and social media marketing. The 30-seconds tv commercial will be shown on public channels.
3.6 million small and medium-sized enterprises from Germany are called upon to support the Deutsche Telekom's business customer offer to accelerate their digitization strategy. The campaign appeals winkingly to the ethos and pride of the entrepreneurs: "You are not a lame-laying-loser. You are not a maybe-fluffy. You are a doer. And we help you with that. We make the middle class digital," is said in the spot. Telekom wants to convey that medium-sized companies, as doers and fitters, are the backbone of the German economy and that companies can become true digitizers with the help of Telekom's product range.


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Football equipment, including helmets, shoulder pads, chin straps, practice pants, and game pants are available to check out for the season beginning in June. Players are responsible for providing their own football cleats, socks, mouth guard, and girdle pads (either 5 pad integrated girdle with separate knee pads or 7 pad integrated girdle). The TCYFL Equipment Warehouse is located behind the Providence Medical building and Meconi's in Hawks Prairie tucked in the industrial park (red warehouses) off Marvin Road. If you are new to the league and have not visited our warehouse before, use this Google Maps location. Please park along the road or the side of the warehouse when you arrive.
In order to ensure players are registered for the correct age division, all players must present a birth certificate in order to check out gear.
TCYFL will host gear checkouts on the dates listed below. In addition, each franchise may conduct their own gear checkout times, please check with your specific franchise head coach to verify for your franchise.
In order to guarantee you receive your customized game jersey in time for the Fall Jamboree gear must be checked out and jerseys sized by no later than July 15. If you register or checkout gear late, your custom game jersey will still be ordered but we cannot guarantee it will be received prior to the Jamboree.
Gear check out dates will be posted here as they are scheduled.
June 11 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
June 18 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
July 9 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
July 16 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
All league gear checkouts will be conducted at the League warehouse at 2625 Reinhardt Lane NE Suite E, Lacey WA 98516 from 10:00am until 2:00pm.


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Stories of Survival: Object. Image. Memory. is set to make its world premiere at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center in Skokie. The new exhibition explores the journey and fight of survivors of the Holocaust and past genocides that have taken place around the world, including in Armenia, Bosnia, Cambodia, Iraq, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Syria. Each story is told through everyday objects paired with personally annotated photographs.
"Jim's work so beautifully brings together photography with testimony," says Museum Chief Curator Arielle Weininger of featured photographer, Jim Lommasson. "The process of hearing each survivor's story and seeing it portrayed visually, in tandem with their cherished object, has been so touching, and the end result is incredibly powerful."
Running July 19 to Jan. 13, Stories of Survival: Object. Image. Memory. is a can't miss event — here are five reasons why:
1. Be the very first to lay eyes on and experience this exhibition. Stories of Survival will make its debut at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center before touring museums across the country.
2. Get local: Stories of Survival features all Chicago survivors or their descendants.
3. See photographs by renowned photo-documentarian Jim Lommasson paired with each object.
4. The stories, told through a multimedia experience, are incredibly moving yet relatable, and every accompanying object has extraordinary meaning beyond its everyday purpose.
5. The new exhibition helps mark the 10th anniversary of the museum's opening and formation by Chicago architect Stanley Tigerman.
Stories of Survival: Object. Image. Memory. is supported by the generosity of Breakthrough Fund: An Innovation of the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago; Lester and Edward Anixter Family Foundation; The Chicago Community Trust; Women's Leadership Committee of Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center; Abraham and Irene Horn; Nicor Gas; George and Judith Giddens; Flyback Productions; The Golder Family Foundation; and numerous community partners.
For more information, visit ilholocaustmuseum.org/storiesofsurvival
More from Make It Better:
- Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center's 2018 Humanitarian Awards
- How You Can Help the Immigrant Children Separated From Their Families
- Chicago Photographer Mariah Karson Takes a Fascinating Look Inside American Legion Outposts
Emily Stone is Associate Editor at Make It Better. She earned a degree in journalism from Elon University in North Carolina. Along with writing, Stone has a passion for digital storytelling and photography. Her work is published in Chicago Athlete Magazine. Stone is a supporter of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Stone is a fluent Spanish speaker who in her free time loves a good dance class.