text: Driving Driving 4 days Food and Drink Northern Ireland Causeway Coastal Route Belfast City Set out on a food trail of local specialties and gourmet treats across Northern Ireland, and prepare for a taste sensation Our culinary trail kicks off in the city of Belfast, winds through the gastronomic heartlands of County Down and the orchard heaven of County Armagh, before exploring the lakelands of County Fermanagh and tranquil County Tyrone. We'll dip into Derry~Londonderry city before tracing the Causeway Coastal Route along Antrim's coast and back to Belfast. Flavours of Northern Ireland Explore our trip idea on the map View Map Map Day One Starting in Belfast, this tasty tour brings you through some of the most beautiful scenery the island has to offer with top gourmet stops along the way. A driving 35 mins St George's Market Find out why Belfast tastes great Eating out in Belfast is an exciting mix of homegrown flavours, modern techniques and the best local produce, with a restaurant scene that takes in everything from the Michelin-starred Eipic and Ox to the downhome tastes of Long's Fish and Chips. Get to know the secret delis and traditional pubs of this vibrant city on the Belfast Food Tour in the company of passionate foodie, Caroline, which kicks off at 19th century St George's Market (Fri-Sun). Or maybe book a table for sumptuous Afternoon Tea at Titanic Belfast on a Sunday. Either way, your tastebuds will thank you for it. Don't miss Even if you don't stay at The Merchant Hotel, you'll want to sample at least one creation from its famous cocktail list. B driving 8 mins The Poacher's Pocket Spuds, walks and award-winning seafood in County Down From urban buzz to rural bliss next at The Poacher's Pocket, an award-winning gastro pub and a great place to refuel before exploring the local area. The old-fashioned front bar has retained its traditional charm, but the dining area boasts an effortless style, and is the perfect backdrop for dishes that make the most of the excellent local produce. Comber, where the pub is located, is also famous for its Comber Early Potatoes, which have European Protected Geographical Indication and are prized for their nutty flavour. While you're here, head to nearby Strangford Lough, a haven of wildlife and the largest sea lough in the British Isles. Studded with 100 islands, the lough boasts numerous walking trails, including the Castle Espie Woodland Trail with a mix of estuary views, salt marshes and Ireland's largest collection of native and exotic water-birds. If you have more time Call in at the Old Post Office Tea Rooms in Lisbane for delicious homebaked scones, pastries and pie. A great little find. C driving 20 mins Balloo House Rich pickings and natural beauty along Strangford Lough Chef Danny Millar is the star of the show at Balloo House, a 400-year-old inn that offers two distinct dining experiences, with a fine dining restaurant above and a relaxed bistro below. Focusing strongly on local and seasonal produce, Millar crafts dishes such as venison liver, with creamy mash, crispy onions, bacon and red wine jus, as well as Northern Ireland's highly regarded Himalayan salt-chamber aged beef from Hannan's. It's worth staying overnight at the Mill House B&B – from here you can enjoy more of the County Down countryside including scenic walks and panoramic views of Strangford Lough. Learn to cook Try out your baking skills at Tracey's Farmhouse Kitchen. After being welcomed into her thatched cottage, you'll be asked to roll up your sleeves, put on an apron, and start kneading dough for soda and wheaten breads in the traditional way. D driving 25 mins Downpatrick Films, food and fabulous fish Heading south through the town of Downpatrick, where the mortal remains of St Patrick are said to lie within Down Cathedral, you'll reach the village of Dundrum. Beautifully situated on the edge of Dundrum Bay and backed by the moody Mourne Mountains, the go-to eatery here is most definitely the Mourne Seafood Bar, which uses impeccably fresh seafood from local ports and their own shellfish beds. The area is a heartland of quality food from artisan honey to the super-creamy Abernethy Butter, used in some of the world's top restaurants. To find out more, why not take the Mourne Foods & Films Cycle Tour, which leaves from the nearby town of Newcastle. Highlighting the link between a heather-rich land and delicious local produce, the tour takes you through the valley's filming locations for Philomena, Game of Thrones, The Fall and Dracula Untold. If you have more time Pop into the Anchor Bar in Newcastle for high-grade pub grub and local craft beers. E Enniskeen Country House Hotel Afternoon tea in old-world surrounds Nestled into the lush surrounds of the Shimna Valley, the Enniskeen Country House Hotel boasts almost impossibly beautiful views over the peak of Slieve Donard and out to the Irish Sea. There couldn't possibly be a better location for a sumptuous afternoon tea than within the elegant old-world dining room here. Developed to celebrate the very best local produce, the Mourne Honey Afternoon Tea is an indulgent delight showcasing tasty treats, including Mourne Honey-baked Armagh ham sandwiches, traditional Irish tea brack with Abernethy butter and Mourne Honey and strawberry Victoria sponge. Don't miss Detour to Moira on your way back from Belfast – a small village with a big gourmet heart and home of some of the best artisan meats in Northern Ireland. Day Two Descend from the mountains and into the lakelands, discovering succulent treats at lavish country houses and culinary creations on the shores of Lough Neagh F driving 35 mins Newforge House A country house breakfast If there is a better way to start the day than with a breakfast at Armagh's Newforge House we've yet to hear it. This gorgeous family-run country house puts on a legendary spread with an Ulster Fry laden with Moyallan dry-cured bacon, Madden's award-winning sausages and freshly laid eggs from chickens that roam the orchard. After that, pay a visit to the Armagh Cider Company to see how the magic happens from the 80 acres of beautiful orchards to the final product, before heading back to Newforge for a delicious three-course seasonal dinner. Come at festival time County Armagh is famous for its delicious Bramley apple and in September the Armagh Food and Cider Festival celebrates the harvest with a packed programme of events, including foraged lunches, artisan markets and orchard tours. G driving 55 mins Deli on the Green A perfect deli in County Tyrone To get a great flavour of the lush landscapes of County Tyrone, set your course for Dungannon's Deli on the Green, a perfect stop for lunch. Located in Beechvalley, Dungannon, this part-deli, part-bistro is a fine place to sample a salad of Fivemiletown Creamery's Goat's Cheese, served with pickled carrot, orange and candied walnuts. Delicious. If you have more time It's hard not to love the quirk and eccentricity of Tomney's pub in Moy, County Tyrone. In the same family for 300 years, it's warm, welcoming and unforgettable. H driving 30 mins Belle Isle Cookery School Stunning cookery on the edge of a lough If you're of the belief that beautiful landscapes inspire beautiful cookery, then make your way to Belle Isle. Surrounded by the lakeland landscapes of County Fermanagh, which produce some of the best dairy on the island, Belle Isle Cookery School sits on the edge of Lough Fyne. It's really a sublime destination, a place to relax and hone your cookery skills with both private cookery classes and general cookery courses. If you have more time Detour south to the Watermill Lodge, a lovely restaurant and guest house in the heart of the lakelands. I Lough Erne Resort Gourmet delights on the shores of Lough Erne Perfectly placed for exploring some of the area's top attractions including the Marble Arch Caves, Florence Court and Castle Coole House, the Lough Erne Resort is one of Northern Ireland's most luxurious retreats. And, naturally, the food here is of the highest possible quality. Chef Noel McMeel is devoted to using the very best local produce and has cooked for some of the world's most discerning diners. At the Catalina Restaurant, you can find dishes of the very highest standard with local superstar-produce on the menu, including Baronscourt Venison, Thornhill Duck and Keenan Seafood. If you have more time Head to the delightful town of Enniskillen and enjoy a relaxed lunch under the stone-vaulted ceilings of Café Merlot in Blakes of the Hollow. Or pay a visit to the Boatyard Distillery for a tour and taste experience where you can meet the team and discover the secret behind its famous 'Érainn' Copper still. Day Three As you set out from Fermanagh, you'll find perfectly baked scones, masterfully made bread and a walled city filled with delights to discover... J driving 1 hr 50 mins Belleek Pure charm in a thatched cottage Belleek might be famed for its pottery but it's loved locally for The Thatch, a recently re-thatched coffee shop where you can pick up everything from home-baked goodies to fishing tackle (why not try catching some Lough Erne brown trout?). Set within a charming 18th century cottage, it's the perfect place to cosy up with tea and fluffy scones. Winners of a Great Taste Award for its wild venison French rack, Baronscourt Estate rears the crème de la crème of wild game. If you're in the area, why not opt for a self-catering stay on the magnificent estate. If you have more tie Pop into the Ulster American Folk Park for an immersive recreation of Northern Ireland's emigrant story. Or if you'd rather cast your eyes to the skies, the Stars and Stones tour takes you from the mythic stone circle of Beaghmore, to the magnificent views from the Dark Sky Observatory. K driving 50 mins Ditty's Home Bakery A home bakery to wake up for Close to the northwestern shore of beautiful Lough Neagh, you'll find the small village of Castledawson. At 3am every morning, while most of the village sleeps, Ditty's Home Bakery is a hive of activity, with bakers getting the store's soda farls, potato and wheaten breads ready for the day. This beloved bakery is also the source of some of the island's best oatcake biscuits (perfect with Irish cheese) as well as wee buns and scones – the ideal accompaniment to a cup of tea. If you have more time Try the Old Thatch Inn pub in Castledawson. It's one of the oldest pubs in Northern Ireland, and a real gem. L Walled City Brewery Urban tastes in Derry~Londonderry Heading into Derry~Londonderry, a whole host of culinary treats await. There's glamorous fine dining at Browns Restaurant and Champagne Lounge, creative locally inspired pintxos at the Walled City Brewery (North Derry Salami empanadas, anyone?) or seasonal cooking at Beech Hill Country House Hotel. Browse the city's weekly and monthly food markets for tasty delights such as Dart Mountain Cheese, Flossie's Fudge or turf-smoked salmon, or sit and relax with a glass of local craft beer in one of the city's great traditional pubs. If you have more time Set sail from Portstewart on a Catch and Sea food experience. It's a breakfast tour, and once the bucket is full, a local chef is waiting on shore to prepare a home-cooked breakfast to match your appetite, with your own freshly caught fish as the main ingredient. Day Four Sample world-class seafood beneath soaring cliffs, test out one of Ireland's most iconic drinks and taste meals inspired by legends... this is Northern Ireland at its culinary finest. M driving 20 mins Portstewart Strand The foodie delights of the Causeway Coast Next up, the Causeway Coast, which weaves from Derry~Londonderry to Belfast, passing by Mussenden Temple, the Giant's Causeway and the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. It's also home to some truly great places to eat - the first of which is Harry's Shack on Portstewart Strand. Chef Derek Creagh and restaurateur Donal Doherty have been making international waves from this sand-strewn beach shack, serving masterful seaside fare, including fish fresh off the Greencastle boats and vegetables from their walled garden on the Inishowen Peninsula in next door Donegal. No wonder some of the accolades it has picked up include Ireland's Restaurant of the Year. If you have more time Lost & Found in Coleraine is a delightful stop-off for a breakfast of eggs Benedict or a lunch of beef hotpot. N driving 1 hr Bushmills Inn Into the heart of whiskey territory Along the coast, past Dunluce Castle, you'll find the very charming village of Bushmills. Here, a visit to the Old Bushmills Distillery is a must. It's Ireland's oldest working distillery and the guided tour will whisk you through the workings of the distillery before a "wee dram" in the 1608 bar. Enjoy dinner in The Bushmills Inn's AA Rosette restaurant afterwards, or explore Bushmills' French links with a quirky and casual meal at The French Rooms. Its ties to our Gallic neighbours date back to the 17th century when the Huguenots decided to settle in the town. If you have more time Embark on a food tour along the Causeway Coastal Route with Toast the Coast Food Tours, and enjoy taste sensations spanning from Whitehead to Cushendun. O driving 15 mins Glenarm Castle A culinary castle on a glorious estate Glenarm Castle has been in the McDonnell family since 1636. The tea rooms overlook the kitchen garden and serve Glenarm Organic Salmon from the nearby salmon beds. Glenarm Castle estate also produces Glenarm Shorthorn Beef, which is aged in Peter Hannan's purpose-built Himalayan salt chambers in Moira, County Down, before appearing on some of the region's best menus. Don't miss The nearby resort of Galgorm is home to the River Room restaurant, which boasts 3 AA Rosettes for culinary excellence. P Ballygally Castle Hotel A sweet ending Heading on from here to Ballygally, make a date with Ballygally Castle Hotel's afternoon tea, inspired by the fact that HBO's Game of Thrones® was filmed nearby. Where else can you feast on Dothraki Trifle with mini Dragon's Eggs? Overnight guests can enjoy the hotel's focus on local produce at breakfast, which includes Clandeboye Estate yoghurts produced with milk from Holstein and Jersey cows. Oh, and did we mention the hotel has a resident ghost? The Ghost of Ballygally has been around for the best part of 400 years, but Lady Isabella Shaw is reputedly a friendly spirit! If you have more time Get a workout before indulging with a stroll along The Gobbins, a wonderful cliff-path walk on Islandmagee. Print your trip idea and take it with you Sample Ireland's finest food and drink 5 reasons Belfast tastes amazingGet stuck in to the emerging food scene in this buzzing capital. Six liquid legaciesThese are the stories of Ireland's most famous drinks. 5 reasons Cork tastes amazingSample the culinary delights of Ireland's southern gem. Map Day One1 Day Two2 Day Three3 Day Four4


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We see so much in print these days about the "addicted", the "overdoses", the "bad guys" that are posting incorrect information all over the internet and about the opioid crisis. Of course it seems as though only those of us living with daily chronic pain, truly understand that the "crisis" is indeed one of the pain patients "falling through the cracks". Being-untreated or under treated and then committing suicide or having to spend the rest of their lives in agony. This is the true "Opioid Crisis". But then I saw a short clip of a very well spoken, kind young woman named Victoria Suan. She was asking for volunteers to help with an upcoming video compilation called "Inside Incurable Lives", that she was doing for Social media. She was going to follow a few stories of persons living with daily chronic pain and show how it affects their lives. I responded to her request and sent in some video clips; as did several other chronic pain patients. The first Social media video compilation called "Inside Incurable Lives, Episode 1", came out in September 2017. In the second video compilation, Victoria was asking if chronic pain patients would be able to tell her "What one pain medication, would they not be able to live without?" Secondly, "If your Dr. Could no longer provide this, what would you do?" The second video compilation project, "Inside Incurable Lives Episode 2", focused on the voices of pain patients and their views regarding access or lack of access to opioid pain medications as well as medical marijuana. Episode 2 finished and posted in October. I was happy to be able to participate in both of these projects. I'm trying to help with this crisis in any way that I can. Later, I will be providing the links to these 2 video compilations for Social media. But first, I want you to introduce you to Victoria Suan, and her feature Documentary "Becoming Incurable".
Victoria lives in California and since High school, she was interested in becoming a filmmaker. She graduated from Sacramento State with a Communications degree. She started creating short documentaries during college and then afterwards she decided that she wanted to make a feature documentary. She started researching blogs and video's on YouTube. From there she discovered the chronic illness community. Victoria found through her research, what she describes as "a wonderful support network of people who are giving one another validation as they deal with the frustrations of chronic pain." She told me that she was thrilled by what she saw, and inspired. She decided to create a feature documentary about "chronic illness through intimate stories of real people living with chronic pain". Starting out with her cousin who lives with Dystonia and a friend with another incurable condition, she then found her third featured person for the documentary. She describes the 8 or 9 months of filming as a "wonderful journey".
The two video compilations on social media, that I participated in, were an extension of her feature documentary. Victoria then made a Facebook page and it became a platform for the chronic illness and pain communities. She has become a "voice" for those of us who live with pain & chronic illnesses and she is showing our side of this painful journey. She also wants to do whatever she can so people learn about her feature documentary.
Before we get to the two video compilations in which the chronic pain communitiy on Facebook participated; I'd like to share some of Victoria Suan's views about the opioid crisis. I feel that it is very important to listen to the views of others who are neither patient, politician nor physician. Now that she has become close to several of us from the shorter video's; I asked what her thoughts and feelings are, regarding what is happening to the chronic pain community? Her response was very heartfelt and thoughtful. Victoria told me that regarding the opioid crisis, she "really feels for the families and individuals that are dealing with addiction. Sadly, there aren't enough ways to treat addiction without affecting the millions of chronic pain patients in our society." She told me that she'd read that Governor Chris Christie blames hospitals and physicians for starting this opioid epidemic. She wondered "how would a person dealing with chronic pain feel about this? How ignored and betrayed they must feel. Is it wrong to eliminate a torturous level of pain by taking medication as prescribed by Dr.s?" My own feelings are that politicians seem to not really care as long as it doesn't touch them or their own families. Victoria agrees that they just don't want to listen to this. She feels that as chronic pain patients, we should not have to fight so hard just to be heard, really listened to. But we are trying to fight because our very lives depend on it.
Victoria feels that it is "sad that one governors personal opinion can do more to influence legislation than the voices of millions of chronic pain patients." She is happy that there are News outlets such as this and others, along with non profit organizations, such as the U.S. Pain Foundation; that are educating the public about chronic pain. Victoria thinks that the film industry; especially a film called "Unrest" that is touring worldwide; and her documentary, "Becoming Incurable", show that efforts are being made to educate and inform the general public about chronic pain.
Lastly, I wondered what she has learned from doing the 2 video compilations and the documentary film. She mentioned that she hadn't realized before doing this, how difficult it is for people living with chronic pain to "do normal tasks, such as getting out of bed and/or going to the grocery store". I think that it taught her and hopefully will teach others about "Invisible Illnesses". She says that actually seeing these people in their pain, made her "truly acknowledge what life is like with chronic pain and illness". She feels that these projects taught her that each person has their own unique story to tell. She has figured out through these projects, that we are united in our pain yet each of our situations vary widely. I want to share with you in Victoria's words, what she wants people to learn from watching "Becoming Incurable". She hopes that people "will see these video compilations showcasing pain patients and stand with organizations that are fighting for the chronic illness community. If our government continues on this path of neglect, I'm certain that chronic pain patients will be forced to fight a human rights issue. I think this has already begun, as we are learning the numbers of chronic illness patients committing suicide. It is important that we speak and act now in order to invalidate a campaign that deems anyone taking opioid medication as a suspect of the addiction problem.
Here are the links to the 2 video compilations of "Inside Incurable Lives" by film producer, Victoria Suan:

subset: commoncrawl


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SI Swimsuit 2017 Rookie Reveal: Kelly Gale
The wait is finally over! Rookie Reveal Week has arrived. Throughout the week, SwimDaily will introduce our newest models with voting set to begin on Friday Feb. 3. Today, we meet Kelly Gale.
• Meet the 2017 SI Swimsuit Rookie Class: Kelly Gale | Lais Ribeiro | Myla Dalbesio | Vita Sidorkina | Danielle Herrington | Bianca Balti | Mia Kang
Kelly, a native of Sweden, got her start in modeling at age 13 and has appeared in numerous catalogs and fashion magazines. You may recognize her from the runway of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, where she first walked in 2013 at the age of 18. When she's not modeling, Kelly likes to create new dishes in the kitchen, go on really long walks (like 10 miles!) and play FIFA on her Playstation.
And of course, Kelly will be at the VIBES by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit festival in Houston. The two-day event at Post HTX kicks off on Feb. 17 with a food festival featuring favorites from top national and regional chefs along with a performance by R&B sensation Miguel. The fun continues on Saturday with a lineup of local Houston musicians and a headlining performance by Grammy Award-winning producer and DJ Diplo. BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW!
As for Kelly, here are five fun facts you might not know about the Swedish stunner.
1. As a kid, Kelly played competitive tennis in Sweden, often staying on the court for three hours a day, six days per week. At age 13, she had to decide whether she wanted to model or keep playing tennis. Thankfully, she chose modeling.
2. Kelly's first shoot was for H&M at age 13, but she told them she was 15 to land the gig. She was to play the mother in a family of four. Her husband was played by a 35-year-old and her two kids were supposed to be 7 and 9. In other words, Kelly would've had two children by the time she was 13 in this scenario. Below is a photo of the happy family!
3. She's best known for her work with Victoria's Secret, and walked the runway of their annual fashion show in 2013, 2014 and 2016.
4. She was really into the Dubsmash fad of 2015.
She's also a Borat fan, which combined with Dubsmash, is quite hilarious.
5. She knows how to look sexy while cliff jumping in a bikini. Especially in slow-motion...
BONUS: See some of Kelly's career highlights!


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I have mixed feelings about Valentine's Day. For me, V-Day is on par with Santa Claus at Christmas. I mean, part of me gets the whimsy of it but a bigger part of me is all like: Really?! THIS is what the group consensus came up with?
When holidays have the great potential to plummet a fair amount of our brethren into the pits of despair, based on the hype that gets generated around them and the unrealistic notions hitched to their giddy-up, I'd say something is in serious need of cultural repair.
I recently attended a presentation on the University of Montana (UM) campus for Mental Health Awareness Week and learned that 71% of UM students report feeling "very lonely" and 64% report feeling "very sad." Loneliness is affecting the masses. I've got nothing against those who are super into celebrating V-Day on their own accord and feel called to set aside a day to connect with their romantic partner – I think that's great, truly. My problem lies in the expectations we've orchestrated around V-Day; the pressure to be in love or have some grand lusty time; the hype and the heart-shaped everything; and the fact that in large part V-Day is a female heavy holiday and it's the guy who's supposed to dote on the special gal in his life and not the other way around. Females in particular are dangerously caught up in fictitious ideas of what it means to be in love and what our partners should and shouldn't do to continuously prove to us how much they adore us. V-Day keeps in motion a slew of not-so-great to super-unhealthy views and notions centered around romantic relationships, sex, love, desire, and connection. And V-Day makes a lot of people feel even lonelier.
Like the pic I took above, from a book I came across in Powell's Books while visiting Portland last weekend, says: What if this were enough? What if whatever we have going on right now we regarded as being enough? Enough to be content, to be happy, to be at ease in the world of heart-shaped everything on V-Day.
What if we were able to invoke the message of the 7th of the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings: Dwelling Happily in the Present Moment?


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Monica was in constant motion the entire time always ensuring everything and everyone was in the right place at the right time. She even drove back to our hotel to grab the marriage license that we forgot. A few of our friends commented that they thought we had hired Monica as our wedding coordinator not knowing she was DJPJ's wife!
Patrick is a great DJ who reads the crowd very well. He always knew when to bring the energy and when to dial it back. And he's a heck of a dancer! Be sure to play a couple good dancing MJ tracks so he can show off his moves.
They're the best. No really, they are.
Hire them with confidence. :D


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Macular Degeneration Channel
Topics & Medications
Related Channels
Lucentis and Breastfeeding
No clinical studies have been conducted on Lucentis and breastfeeding. However, the medicine is used to treat a condition that generally affects older people, so it is not likely that a young woman would need to take it. Since nursing infants may develop serious problems when exposed to Lucentis, breastfeeding women taking the drug should watch for side effects in their child.
Currently, it is not known if Lucentis® (ranibizumab) passes through breast milk in women. If it does pass through breast milk, it might cause problems in a breastfed infant. Therefore, if you are breastfeeding or thinking of starting, make sure to let your healthcare provider know.
No studies have been conducted on whether Lucentis passes through breast milk, probably because it is used to treat macular degeneration, which primarily affects older people. If the drug does pass though breast milk, however, it could cause serious problems. If your healthcare provider recommends taking Lucentis while breastfeeding, be sure to watch for any side effects in your child.
You should talk with your healthcare provider about Lucentis and breastfeeding. Everyone's situation is different, and your healthcare provider understands your situation best. After considering what you want and expect, as well as your current health situation, you and your healthcare provider can make a shared decision about Lucentis and breastfeeding that is right for you.
Lucentis for Macular Degeneration
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD


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Monday, January 10, 2011
Official Press Release from Today's Joint Press Conference on JBV
Here are the official press release of today's joint press conference:
(Japanese) http://press.jal.co.jp/ja/release/201101/001720.html
(English) http://press.jal.co.jp/en/release/201101/001721.html
(Japanese) http://press.jal.co.jp/ja/release/201101/001720.html
(English) http://press.jal.co.jp/en/release/201101/001721.html
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"I loved the show, I found it very interesting because I didn't know of Chinese dance. I loved the costumes, the colors, and the music. When I see the ancient Chinese musical instruments, it's a huge discovery for me. We were really delighted. I find it very beautiful visually, I love that world, it's dreamlike, it's beautiful, it's very touching."
"The music, the culture, the history, the history of meditation, it touched me a lot. I was born in Moscow, so people's suffering is something I understand."
"The mixture of modernity and ancient history was very interesting. It's a mix of modernity and folkloric that is absolutely incredible and really very interesting."
"Colors, you know as a stylist, that interests me. I had fun understanding the differences between the costumes of different historical periods: the 7th century, 17th century, Chinese Tang culture, or the costumes of the ladies at court. It's all new to me, something I didn't know and I think it's absolutely wonderful."


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The Bush administration says a senior health delegation sent to Beijing has reached an agreement to improve the safety of food and drug imports from China. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt says the U.S. and China will share more information on food safety, and work to strengthen China's regulatory abilities. Leta Hong Fincher has more on China's food-safety problems.
A Chinese food vendor argues with police during a recent health inspection in Beijing. Stepped-up patrols like this are part of China's attempt to convince the world that it is cracking down on contaminated food.
Li Changjiang is head of China's product safety watchdog, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine."There are many small food manufacturers making a wide range of products under poor conditions. The quality of their products is not stable and sometimes substandard."
The Chinese government says almost 20 percent of products made for domestic consumption fail to meet quality and safety standards.
As a result, many Chinese consumers are anxious about their food supply.
One Beijing resident said, "China's food safety problems have been so bad that we don't know what to do. We can't keep up with what we can eat and what we're not supposed to eat."
Food in China used to be produced by farmers and sold to individuals. But Huang Jing, a China scholar at the Brookings Institution research group in Washington, says rapid economic growth has revolutionized the food industry. "Food has become massively processed, produced and massively sold. It's become an industry. And in this transition, it [China] has to establish a new system, a new mechanism to make sure the massively produced food that we eat every day is safe, is up to standard. But obviously the Chinese government or Chinese political system failed in this regard."
In July, China executed the former head of its food and drug watchdog agency for taking bribes to approve untested drugs. Huang says the government wanted to send a message that it will not tolerate corruption. But he argues that fraud will continue to plague regulatory agencies because China's one-party political system cannot police itself.
Huang Jing of the Brookings Institution says, "We know that in China there are hundreds of laws or regulations regarding food safety, but the problem is that the enforcement is very weak, is very arbitrary and is not transparent."
Corruption is not the only cause of China's food problems. A.T. Kearney, an international management-consulting firm, recently released a study saying that China needs to invest a $100 billion in food infrastructure over the next 10 years.
Jim Morehouse led the food safety study. "About half of the food that you will find in a typical American supermarket is refrigerated, frozen chilled, somehow temperature-controlled. And in China that is much less so, and particularly the infrastructure does not exist in any modern form for getting it from a field to get it a few hundred miles or more into a supermarket with all of the integrity that you would find in the West."
As millions of Chinese from the countryside move to the cities, Morehouse says the demands on China's food system will continue to increase. "It's no longer just going to be Beijing and Shanghai, it's going to be the 50 or more major cities in China and each of them is going to have to be brought up to some reasonable standard of food handling."
As China has become the world's largest exporter of consumer products, its food safety problems have migrated to other countries --- notably the United States.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials have begun to hold higher-level talks with their Chinese counterparts. Former F.D.A. official Scott Gottlieb says the collaboration is long overdue. "The U.S. isn't working very well with China in my opinion. There haven't been historically very close ties between the two regulatory agencies."
Gottlieb is now a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute research group in Washington. He says U.S. regulators need to gain a deeper understanding of Chinese food manufacturers. "You want to know if they're a reliable manufacturer, if they've been engaged in criminal activity in the past. That requires bilateral agreements, information sharing, close collaboration with regulatory authorities, and historically it's been harder to do with China."
Gottlieb predicts that food-safety could become a prominent issue in U.S.-China trade disputes. China says it wants to work with the United States to improve the safety of Chinese exports. For now, the greatest victims of lax food safety appears to be the Chinese themselves.


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1. In the endgame the King is a fighting piece and it should be centralized and used actively.
2. Material advantage wins in the endgame. Hold on to your material!
3. Be wary of sacrificing pawns for development. Only in rook and pawn endgames is an active piece worth material.
4. Try to gain tempi whenever possible, but without giving up material.
5. The fewer the pieces, the more important the pawns. The closer into the endgame, the more powerful pawns become.
6. Have a flexible and sound pawn structure. Avoid doubled, isolated and backward pawns.
7. Passed pawns must be pushed!
8. An outside passed pawn is an advantage in King and pawn endgames and it is usually a decisive advantage.
9. Rooks belong behind passed pawns.
10. In open positions the two bishops are murder. In almost all positions the two bishops give a tangible advantage.
11. In open or semi-open positions a bishop is usually superior to a knight.
12. The knight is superior to the bishop in blocked positions or when the bishop is hemmed in by pawns on the same color squares as the bishop.
Attribution: Edmar Mednis' Rate Your Endgame Play


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Episode 48 | The Inn: The Religious
Dec 9th, 2018
In this episode, which is part 2 of a 5 part series entitled, "The Inn", Rev. Todd discusses how "being religious" does not necessarily equate with being faithful.
- Sign up for bi-weekly devotions at Life-Giving Water.
- Subscribe to Life-Giving Water Messages, also on iTunes and Google Play Music.
- Subscribe to the Party on Johncast, co-hosted by Rev. Sal Seirmarco and Rev. Todd Lattig.


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"They fought against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses, and killed every man" (Numbers 31:7).
Lord, who leads us to victory in all battles!
We acknowledge that we can experience Your strong protection and victory when we completely obey You.
We learn that Moses was able to win over the war when he followed all of Your commands and instructions. Help us to remain in holiness as we live in daily spiritual battles. Protect us from Satan's temptations and let our sinfulness and greed die in You.
Allow us to completely obey Your words and experience Your strong protection. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Reverend Dae Jun Kim is the senior pastor at LA Vision Church.


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On July 13, 2020, in response to COVID-19, the Texas Department of State Health Services submitted for publication in the Texas Register an emergency rule change to the Texas Asbestos Health Protection Rule. The emergency rule addresses the process for a licensed training provider to obtain approval to present a live online asbestos refresher training course as an alternative to an in-person asbestos refresher training course. The rule is effective on immediately and will remain effective for 120 days. The emergency rule may be extended for an additional 60 days if necessary.
The rule will be in the Texas Register online by the end of the day on July 14, 2020. The rule will appear in the print issue of the Texas Register on July 24, 2020. View a copy of the
emergency rule and preamble.
Due to the current COVID-19 state of disaster in Texas, the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) requested and the Office of the Governor granted the following waiver:
In accordance with section 418.016 of the Texas Government Code, the Office of the Governor grants DSHS's request to suspend Tex. Occ. Code 1954.201(a) to the extent necessary to allow an Asbestos licensee whose license expires after March 13, 2020 to delay submission of their renewal application, renewal fees, and completion of the requirements for licensure. This waiver is suspending the two-year term of a license while the disaster declaration is in effect and only applies to individuals who have previously been licensed by the DSHS' Asbestos Program and have experience in the industry.
Pursuant to the order issued by the Department of State Health Services on May 20, 2020, individuals who are currently licensed in the Asbestos program with a license expiration date of March 13, 2020 or later will have their late fees waived and their licenses extended for 6-months after the expiration date on the license or registration. This does not include training providers, consultant agencies, management planner agencies, laboratories, and asbestos transporters .
To view the DSHS Commissioner's order click
As a reminder, all applicable federal and state requirements are currently in effect and have not been suspended. This guidance is not authorization to violate any applicable laws and regulations.
Publication of the Asbestos Program Penalty Matrix in the Texas Register
Attention: You may now
submit your asbestos/demolition notification online.
The mission of the Asbestos Program is to protect and promote the physical and environmental health of the people of Texas from asbestos. We strive to prevent unnecessary exposure of the public to asbestos in workplaces and buildings and to assure proper disposal of asbestos. Through our Outreach Program we educate the public to gain voluntary compliance with state and federal asbestos law. We carry out our mission efficiently, effectively, fairly and professionally with respect and dedication to all Texans.
Sign up to receive email updates about important changes to the Asbestos Program. This feature will serve as a tool to increase communication with license holders regarding new information added to the website.
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Hello! I hope you are all well. I recently went into the studios with my cousin, Susie Mills, who did some beautiful backing vocals for me on my album 'Out of the Ashes'. We went to Crown Lane Studio again and as a big fan of Taylor Swift, she recorded a version of 'Love story' as well as recording one of her own songs. Susie has just turned 18 and is a very talented young singer/songwriter/musician with a beautiful and inspiring faith whom I truly look forward to seeing develop, and grow in her giftings and faith over the coming years.
I want to encourage you not to be afraid to encourage others, to build them up and to long to see them develop and grow. For years I was bound by jealousy and fear that someone would be better than me. Anytime someone came along who sang better than me I just couldn't stand it. However, God has taught me that I don't have to be anyone else but me! He's given me specific purposes for my life, and the gifts to fulfill them. I don't need to be jealous or annoyed at anyone else's gifting.
Recently I heard a message on UCB radio that talked about being afraid that there won't be enough blessing to go around – if we see someone else's ministry being blessed, we can sometimes worry that it might mean there's not as much blessing for us. But that isn't true, we have an incredibly generous God who overflows His blessing and love. When we seek and follow Him, and live our lives to honour him, he blesses that!
I have learnt to enjoy seeing other people with amazing giftings, and to encourage others to develop, even if this means kneeling down, lifting them on my shoulders and helping them go much further than I could ever reach. When we are secure in who we are in Christ, confident in the gifting he has given us we then can experience the freedom to rejoice in others doing well.
It was a journey for me to get to this place but I am excited to see how I can help the next generation discover their God-given potential and to see God working amazingly through their lives.
I challenge you this week, if you see someone doing well and immediately have a negative reaction..to question why is that? I pray that you would be able to hand your insecurities over to God and to know that you have been 'fearfully and wonderfully made' (Psalm 139) and that God has given you unique gifts and calling in your life…don't be afraid to step into it!
Have a fantastic week!
God bless,


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Psychotic feelings
Sorrow of society
Who made this world?
Destruction of me leads
In deep depressions
You left me help my will
I'm just too young
Why must I go?
Get out of me
I want to change my ways
I want to change my ways
Made me higher
Treated me as your son
Reality turns to dust
I know reality turns to dust
And now I left my way
In a dessert of ice
Where am I?
Am I a fool?
Or just a child
Now find my way!
I'll go
Goodbye my world
Good bye!


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ucanews.com reporter, ManilaUpdated: June 10, 2013 10:18 PM GMT
Water image: Shutterstock
An exorcist from the Vatican told Filipinos during a visit to Manila over the weekend that sprinkling holy water over themselves before going to bed would fight nightmares.
Father Joseph Iannuzzi, a theologian and assistant of Diocese of Rome exorcist Fr Gabriel Amorth, said "any sense of fear or anxiety is an evil spirit," and thus can be fought with holy water.
He paraphrased St Peter, saying "the devil roams the earth, looking for someone to devour" as he advised Catholics to also sprinkle their homes with holy water if they experience "strange happenings."
"The devil has been able to roam undetected even to the point that we don't believe he exists," Iannuzzi said during a talk in Manila on Saturday.
The priest, who is also an accomplished violinist and wrestler, said that one can also use other "sacramentals," such as exorcized oil, salt, scapulars and the Benedictine cross to ward off evil.
Iannuzzi, who is in the country for a series of talks, said Catholics should go back to using sacramentals or "sacred objects, actions or blessings" that communicate grace to believers through the prayers of the Church.
He warned however against overdoing these "holy practices."
"I'm not saying be scrupulous, [like] if anyone bothers you, throw [holy water] in their face," the priest said.
For those who do not see any effect when using "sacramentals," Iannuzzi said the proof of its power "is precisely that nothing happens."
"This is what is keeping your family safe, believe it or not."
Iannuzzi has been assisting Amorth, an Italian exorcist who claims to have already cleansed tens of thousands of demonic possessions.
Late last month, Amorth claimed that Pope Francis performed a deliberate act of exorcism on a 43-year-old Mexican pilgrim in St Peter's Square, following the Mass for Pentecost.
The Vatican said in a statement however that the pope "simply intended to pray for a person who was presented to him."
Amorth countered that "it was a real exorcism."


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Screen Wise Panel Registration Link Screenwise Panel Registration ScreenWise Panel Is Survey Site Powered By Google.Google would like to learn from you how people are using the internet on a regular basis in order to improve their services.
All you have to do is join the new Screenwise Media Panel, and install the free Screenwise Panel app on your smartphone. When you access the internet from your phone, Google will learn about the sites you visit, the apps you use, and some basic information about how you use them. You don't need to do anything other than keep the app on your phone and collect your rewards. It's that simple.
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1. download puffin browser from playstore and select desktop mode
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3. now main tricky part at dob section choose year 1995,96,97,98
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Screenwise Panel Registartion Reward Proof
This reward code will be your account login and will be credited on a monthly basis. Each month you're active will earn a bonus reward. You will be notified via email when this happens. All you need to do is keep your meter running on your phone to earn a monthly reward!
How To Check Reward Balance
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How Much You Can Earn from Screenwise Panel :
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Each month you're active will earn a bonus reward. You will be notified via email when this happens. All you need to do is keep your meter running on your phone to earn a monthly reward!
Minimum you can redeem Rs.500 in terms of Gift cards & vouchers of Flipkart, Amazon, etc.
To earn more & more, just keep installed Screenwise Panel app and increase your earnings.
- Once you are done, you will get email from Screenwise Panel along with all details about voucher and how to redeem.
We want to thank you for your participation in the Screenwise Media Panel.
We'll reward you with up to Rs. 200 per month just for keeping the app installed and active on your device.
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Testing pan and tilt from servo city
here is an arduino sketch (below) to control a pan and tilt system from your keyboard. I chose high torque servos hoping they would be a bit smoother and less "buzzy" when tracking into new positions. with the lightweight gopro camera there is still some jittering, but nothing that can't be removed with a good video editing tool. servo city claims this rig can manage one pound cameras with modest range servos.


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- 18 & over
- Two item minimum
** postponed **TOM BRISCOE
Share with your friends:
Purchase Tickets
** postponed **TOM BRISCOE
Saturday, November 7, 2020 9:30 PM
Governors McGuire's, Bohemia, NY
Performing Artists (Click on Artist for Reviews and Previews)
Show Details
- Ticket Price: $22.00
- Door Time: 9:00 PM
- Show Type: Stand Up
- Tags: slide-mcguires
18 & over
Two items minimum
Tom Briscoe:
A recent performance of his one-man show "So…I Got Fired From That Job" in New York's Hudson Valley gave the readers of The Times Herald Record Newspaper an opportunity to give Tom their Funniest Comedian Of The Year Award.
He is a professional comedian who performs regularly at premiere comedy clubs nationwide, cruise ships worldwide, New York City, Las Vegas, Atlantic City and really hates writing about himself in the third person.
The Tom Briscoe Comedy Show.
Original Stand Up Comedy From One Of The Best.


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Posted on July 12, 2013 at 6:42 PM
Updated yesterday at 10:14 PM
NORFOLK- Usually, a baseball pitcher's wins come on the field, but Mark Young's win came off the diamond.
In 2006, Mark was a promising pitcher at Norfolk State University. ?He was even scouted by the New York Mets. That is, until his parents noticed a lump in the back of his neck. They urged Mark to see a doctor. That same night, The Chesapeake man was diagnosed with brain cancer.
"The first thing that went through my mind was, am I going to die?," he recalled.
Mark battled to stay alive and his parents were with him during every moment.
Dreams of a professional baseball career were put on hold.?
Thanks to his mom, Penny Young, and the folks at Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters and Virginia Oncology, Mark learned to walk, talk, and do simple, everyday things again.
Mark was 21 years old. Penny had to help him take showers, dress and feed him and her love helped pull him through.
"You don't give up and I didn't give up on him," Penny said.
Mark didn't give up on himself, thanks in large part to some valuable friends - some at Norfolk Apostolic Church, where the power of prayer gave him inner strength, and his?trainer at One Life Fitness Gym in Norfolk. ?Jackie helped him build his physical strength.
With their love and encouragement and a leg brace for support, Mark recently pulled off a great accomplishment -- he ran on his own for the first time in more than six years.
"I was like, 'I'm doing it! I'm doing it!'" Mark said.
Mark is cancer free and back on his feet again. His buddies have a jersey waiting for him when he can join their recreational softball team. It's not the major leagues, but being able to get back on any pitcher's mound is Mark's dream now.?
He hopes his story will inspire others dealing with their own battles with cancer.
"Battle. Don't take things for granted," Mark said. "That's one thing I really want to get across, is never give up."
Source: http://www.wvec.com/my-city/chesapeake/STRIKING-OUT-CANCER-215109771.html
china gdp dont trust the b in apartment 23 johnny damon kirk cameron news 10 hillary rosen j.k. rowling


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Are You Always Wanting More? How Desire Can Be A Blessing In Disguise
Desire can run our entire life; desire for pleasant experiences, tastes, sounds, sensations and scenarios. We can work with these desires to see them for what they truly are, and how they take us away from present moment completeness.
The thing with desire is the "if only" mind. The wanting mind that wants what is not here. If only I had time to meditate more in the morning. If only I could be more present. If only I'd eaten less. If only I looked younger. If only I was doing better things with my life. If only I was in the right relationship, had more money, whatever. If only this happened, then I'd be happy, then I'd be fulfilled, then I'd be awakened, complete, content, healed, a better person.
--> Practice Is Everything: Want to become an effective changemaker? Join CETV and get access to exclusive conversations, courses, and original shows that empower you to embody the changemaker this world needs. Click here to learn more!
The problem with it (or maybe a better word is hurdle), is that we believe that what we seek is somewhere else; in some future time, in outside objects, in some future state, when we will become fulfilled and complete. But all we have is what's here and now. If I get what I desire, then will I be satisfied? There really is no end to desire. One desire is replaced by another. What we seek is not outside of us, it is our inner essence, the peace within, our being, our presence. This place is complete and not seeking in the future for satisfaction.
It's not our fault either. Society fools us. It says if you have a beautiful body, great sex, lots of money, big expensive toys, a good nights sleep, a healthy bank account then you'll be happy.
So how do we work with this? We can begin to understand it and use it for insight. We can be aware when desire arises, and look for its origin. Instead of acting it out, we can identify what exactly it is that is creating this desire. Who is desiring? Do you personally generate the desire you feel for certain things? By going deeply into this, we begin to see that desire arises on its own; it's the structure of the mind itself.
It's possible that as desire comes on in whatever form it may, to identify as the awareness of your desire, rather than identifying as "I desire that". You can see that "there is the energy of desire". Sit with it. Feel what it does to your body, feel the sensations arising because of it. Name it, watch it come, then watch it leave. By bringing in this state of awareness/consciousness, by shining a light on it and not identifying with it, we begin to dissolve it. Be aware of it. Don't get lost in it, and you will dissolve it. In it's place, there is peace and fulfilment.
Dive Deeper
These days, it's not just knowing information and facts that will create change, it's changing ourselves, how we go about communicating, and re-assessing the underlying stories, ideas and beliefs that form our world. We have to practice these things if we truly want to change. At Collective Evolution and CETV, this is a big part of our mission.
Amongst 100's of hours of exclusive content, we have recently completed two short courses to help you become an effective changemaker, one called Profound Realization and the other called How To Do An Effective Media Detox.
Lunar Eclipse In Gemini: Applying Ourselves In An Adaptable Way
We are having a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Gemini on November 30th which is peaking at 9:30am Universal Time. This will be on the night of November 29th to the morning of the 30th for the Americas. It will be a penumbral eclipse which only has a slight shade on the Moon dimming it's brightness. These ones are harder to notice and can be mistaken for a regular Full Moon. It will be visible (weather permitting) wherever it will be nighttime in part or all of its duration. This includes all of the Americas, most of Asia, some parts of Europe, and Australia.
This is the first of two eclipses occurring back to back, with this one followed by a more powerful Total Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius on December 14th/15th. This is also the first one in Gemini and the second of a series of Eclipses occurring in the Gemini-Sagittarius axis which we will be experiencing until late 2021. (You can join my mailing list here to receive my future eclipse articles and other content.)
Eclipses reflect evolutionary changes in specific areas of our lives which can play out over the following 6 months and can begin up to 6 weeks prior. However, they are also part of a 1.5-2 year process in which the Lunar Nodes and most Eclipses are in the same signs. The changes that occur are connected to the sign they are in, the planets they are configured to, and how this all lines up with our individual astrological blueprints (natal chart).
Lunar Eclipse In Gemini
This eclipse puts an emphasis on Gemini themes as it is near the Lunar North Node. This indicates changes associated with this sign that can have an increasing effect in how its energies are expressed in a way that serves your evolution. However, it can also be a culmination or release of old ways of expressing it as well. Ultimately it is about working with Gemini themes and areas of life in new ways. Certain developments, along with issues and challenges, connected to this sign can come up to help in this process.
Gemini is an Air sign which has social and intellectual properties. Ruled by Mercury, it is associated with the mind, communication, information, words, writing, facts, curiosity, and commuting. Gemini energy is adaptable, dualistic, agile, versatile, and quick witted yet can also be restless, scattered, duplicitous, overly talkative, and superficial.
Gemini correlates with our local/immediate environment, neighbourhood, siblings/cousins, communication devices/computers, and vehicles. It is associated with the arms, hands, shoulders, and nervous system. Considering that Gemini is a Mercurial sign, we can experience some similar complications as Mercury retrograde near these eclipse periods and in between other Gemini eclipses.
This Full Moon eclipse opposes the Sun in Sagittarius which is near the Lunar South Node. Over the next year and a half, we are also needing to address or move beyond Sagittarius expressions that can be holding us back from our evolution. This can play out more so with negative aspects of this sign such as strong opinions, judgements, dogmas, having blindspots, or unrealistic idealism. This eclipse can reflect these Sagittarius themes being at odds with the Gemini focal point mentioned in earlier paragraphs.
Lunar Eclipse Applying A Sextile To Mars Which Is In Post Retrograde Shadow
Mars ended its retrograde on November 13th/14th and has been picking up speed in forward position since. Some of the themes that have come up since mid-summer, and especially this past fall, are experiencing a conclusion process from now until early January.
Some of the shifts associated with the Gemini themes of this eclipse, now and over the coming months, can impact how we assert ourselves in a supportive way. In November and surrounding months, there is a recalibration when it comes to how we apply our drive, physical energy, sexuality, fighting nature, identity, individual needs, anger, or aggression. The changes, issues, developments, or complications reflected by the eclipse is connected to this process and how we should move forward.
Lunar Eclipse Quincunx Venus Which Is Opposing Uranus
The Moon is applying towards a quincunx aspect with Venus in Scorpio during this eclipse. There can be challenges, frustrations, and complications between the Gemini energies/themes of this eclipse (mentioned previously) and Venus ruled areas of love, relationships, friends, values, pleasures, indulgence, money, things pertaining to aesthetics, and/or perhaps linked to Scorpio matters such as shared/others resources, sexuality, debt/credit, jealousy, power/control issues, shadows, or hidden matters.
In some cases an action or development in one of these ways/areas can create problems or issues for another which may require adaptability and some sort of resolution. Venus is also in an opposition with Uranus which can reflect instability, rebellion, surprises, inconsistencies, uncertainties, separations, and sudden changes likely around Venus ruled areas mentioned above but can play out in other disruptive ways as well.
Lunar Eclipse Square Stationary Neptune
At around thirty three hours prior to this eclipse, Neptune in Pisces ended its retrograde as it is now slowly beginning to move forward and gradually picking up speed over the coming weeks. This retrograde began in the second half of June, therefore at this time and in surrounding weeks, you may experience something concluding, shifting, or page turning in connection to certain things that happened then.
It can be connected to Neptune themes such as spirituality/mysticism, creativity, music, visual media, compassion, sacrifice, fantasies, illusions, lack of boundaries, dreams, escapism, addictions, illness, some sort of deception, or not seeing something clearly. However, even if you don't see a connection between then and now, these Neptune themes and energies can be stronger at this time regardless.
Neptune is in a wide t-square with the Sun and Moon at the time of this eclipse which can carry some of these themes (mentioned in above paragraph) and transitioning Neptunian energy into the coming months. However, it is a hard aspect which can also bring a sense of scatteredness, confusion, anxiety, and lack of focus.
Issues with water can occur for some people or perhaps parts of the world. The situation around the pandemic and the public perception of it is very Neptunian (deception, illusion, confusion, illness) and we can obviously expect more issues and conflicts around opinions/beliefs (Sagittarius) and information (Gemini) to play out.
Mercury Sextile Saturn and Jupiter In Capricorn
Mercury, the ruler of Gemini and this eclipse, is in Scorpio while separating from a tight sextile with Jupiter and applying one towards Saturn which are both in late Capricorn and on their way towards Aquarius. Generally speaking, this is supportive for making long term constructive plans and building towards something that will be initiated or changing from something else.
This can be especially so for career or ambition related things, but ultimately the way this plays out also depends on what's going on your personal natal chart and astrological blueprint. It can also be good for putting into place some sort of structure and/or perhaps a consolidation. Applying our minds towards practical matters and responsibilities can also be a manifestation of this configuration.
Things To Consider
What has come up for you in recent weeks that is reflective of some of the themes mentioned in this article? Is there something that should be addressed or changed when it comes to areas pertaining to communication or information? Do you need to be more versatile or adaptable? What are the new or adjusted ways in which you need to be applying yourself? What changes do you need to make to fulfill your long term goals? What do you need to let go of or shake up when it comes to your relations, values, love, pleasures, or finances?
These are just some examples of what can be playing out for you but not limited to these either. Keep in mind that the themes of this specific eclipse will play out until Spring. It is best to try to tune into this energy as it happens and pay attention to your feelings to help you in decisions you need to make in the future.
The two weeks following this eclipse can be a good time to initiate any sort of releasing process if you feel necessary. The eclipse begins at 7:32am Universal Time on November 30th with it peaking at 9:42/43am and finishing at 11:53am. The Moon begins to wane after 9:30am GMT. You can click here to see when the peak will be in your time zone.
Follow me on INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, and YOUTUBE for more astrology-related content.
I'm currently doing a DISCOUNT with 20-30% off personal readings. Gain more astrological insight into what is going on in your life and have a better understanding of your individual potentials. Get a personalized astrology reading with Carmen (author of this article) specific to you based on your exact birth date, time, and location. Click here for the discounted rate.
Dive Deeper
These days, it's not just knowing information and facts that will create change, it's changing ourselves, how we go about communicating, and re-assessing the underlying stories, ideas and beliefs that form our world. We have to practice these things if we truly want to change. At Collective Evolution and CETV, this is a big part of our mission.
Amongst 100's of hours of exclusive content, we have recently completed two short courses to help you become an effective changemaker, one called Profound Realization and the other called How To Do An Effective Media Detox.
CIA Document: "Using Psychic Powers To Break Needles & Make Them Whole Again"
In Brief
- The Facts:
A document archived inside of the CIA's electronic reading room shows that a person with gifted "paranormal" abilities was able to break/bend a needle, and then put it back together again without even touching it.
- Reflect On:
How much do we not know about ourselves and our abilities? How much do we still have to discover? How much of that would change the way we perceives ourselves, our world and the nature of reality?
If you go to the CIA's electronic reading room and type in "paranormal" in the search bar, you'll no doubt find some very interesting documents clearly indicating that people with 'paranormal' abilities are indeed real. There are many examples of people with all kinds of abilities, whether it be remote viewing (the ability to accurately describe a remote geographical location), the ability of gifted people and children able to transport a small object inside a closed container to another one that's outside of that container without touching it (breaking through spatial barriers), or the ability to write on a piece of paper inside of a closed container using nothing but the mind, without even touching the pen (parapsychological writing). These are a few of many examples we've written about over the past decade.
The document that pertains to this particular article comes from the CIA archive, approved for release in 2001 but the work was actually published in 1984 from what appears to be a journal titled, Research Into Human Paranormal Capabilities. The document was archived by the CIA and it's from China. It's one of a trove of documents archived by the CIA regarding China's research into paranormal phenomena.
Page 27 of the document outlines "an experiment using psychic powers to break needles and making them whole again."
There have already been several research reports on experiments on using psychic powers to bend iron and break wooden sticks and making them whole again. This article reports the results of an experiment conducted on using psychic powers to break needles and making them whole again in April of 1981.
In the experiment, the needles were places in a sealed container, and the test subject (the person with paranormal abilities) was observed constantly by more than one person.
We selected at random a steel sewing needle of about 1mm diameter. We used callipers to measure its total length. Then we broke the needle into two parts. We then measured the lengths L1 and L2. The person conducting the experiment kept L2, and L1 was used as the test object. After it was psychically broken, a magnifying glass was used to match up the break between L1 and L2, and the length was checked to make sure it was the same needle.
Researchers were able to observe that the L1 portion of the needle was broken psychically.
A picture below from the document shows the broken end of a number 4 needle magnified 50 times. Picture 2 shows the same broken end magnified 1,000 times. Results of the analysis shows that particular test object was pulled apart and not bent until broken. According to the document, "this result confirms the reality of breaking needles with psychic powers from yet another aspect."
In may of 1981 we used an electron scan microscope to analyze the seam of a needle that had been reformed with psychic powers. Picture 3 shows such a seam magnified 1,000 times. The results show that there is only the normal seam lines, and no signs of any welding. This is almost impossible to do using common methods.
We feel that the ability to break and reform needles is a psychic ability which objectively exists, and that further research into this ability, especially into the process of the super-precision reforming, could have major theoretical and practical implications.
The Takeaway:
As the Chinese Institute of Atomic Energy pointed out in 1991, in a study archived by the CIA:
"Such phenomena and paranormal abilities of the human body are unimaginable for ordinary people. Nevertheless they are really true."
There are a number of examples of gifted people doing extraordinary things, things that are deemed impossible by mainstream academia. Perhaps what we believe about the nature of reality, or what we've been made to believe, prevents some minds from being open to such phenomenon, but the fact remains that it's been studied, observed and documented at the highest levels of government for many years.
We live in an era where we use technological advancements to build weaponry, not to better the Earth and the human experience. In the same way, psychic phenomenon seems to have been studied by governments for intelligence gathering purposes. These capabilities are not openly studied and resources aren't made widely available for people to learn. This is perhaps because we as a species are not ready for such realizations. We continue to be driven by greed, profit, fear, and ago. Until we shift our consciousness, the way we perceive ourselves and our world and recognize our deep interconnectedness with all life, until our world is governed by compassion, morals, and the desire for humanity and our planet to thrive, we will never be ready for such gifts. We must evolve, in a spiritual sense, in order to properly move forward. It's not our discoveries and developments that propel us forward, it's the consciousness that operates behind those discoveries and developments.
Dive Deeper
These days, it's not just knowing information and facts that will create change, it's changing ourselves, how we go about communicating, and re-assessing the underlying stories, ideas and beliefs that form our world. We have to practice these things if we truly want to change. At Collective Evolution and CETV, this is a big part of our mission.
Amongst 100's of hours of exclusive content, we have recently completed two short courses to help you become an effective changemaker, one called Profound Realization and the other called How To Do An Effective Media Detox.
To Those Who Feel Unheard & Misunderstood
I'm sure at some point in your life you may have felt unheard or misunderstood. Whether people actually didn't 'hear' you and misunderstood you, or whether it was just your perception, I'm sure you've felt this at some point. But then there are some of us who might have felt this more than just 'at some point' in our lives. Those of us that might feel like it happens daily or weekly. Something in our core experience states "people don't hear me, they don't understand me and I can't seem to do anything about that." I know, because I have felt this many times in my life, and this is currently one of the key aspects of myself I'm integrating.
I've long known that this programming and feeling of being unheard is not something that results from things people are doing wrong to me, but that within myself I have a story running that creates a lens through which I see my daily reality. In that sense, in times where I truly am heard and understood, I don't see it, and instead, my brain looks for ways to prove that I am not heard.
This is the basic format in which the brain will search our daily lives to reinforce rampant stories we might have running in our minds. All this happens through the brain's reticular activating system (RAS), a useful system where all senses are connected. It's like a filter that helps the brain so it doesn't have to deal with more information than it can handle.
Where this gets a bit more important to our navigation of self is understanding that the RAS is like a gatekeeper of information that is let into the conscious mind. That is to say, the RAS will filter in information that is established in our subconscious, or deeper belief systems. It will also let in something we are really focusing on in a given moment. What this means in context to my story of not being heard, or any story for that matter, is that my RAS is literally operating to reinforce that story already within my subconscious mind. Any information that doesn't reinforce that story, is likely not going to be let in as easily, hence why even when I'm heard, I don't acknowledge it as deeply as when I'm feeling unheard or finding ways to reinforce that story.
Example: I might have factually had 10,000 people read an article I wrote, but that doesn't become something I pay attention to. Instead, I notice the people who didn't read the article, didn't understand the article, or the person who left the singular negative comment.
Enough on the technicals for now.
If you've watched some of the discussions I have with people on my podcast episodes or shows, you might have noticed times where at the end people begin thanking me for the work I've done and how it has impacted them, and usually I well up. This is because when I conduct my conversations I'm really engaged, and in these moments I'm hearing proof of something that is meaningful to me but that a part of me denies. In my subconscious mind and story, I feel unheard, misunderstood, and that people don't see the totality of the message I'm trying to share with my work.
Regardless of what anyone else might think looking at the billions of content views CE's content has received over the last 11 years, I still feel unheard. It's true I didn't create all the content that's been seen. It's true that I can't lay out my entire mission and message in every piece of content I've created. But mostly, I don't feel heard or understood because of my internal stories – my subconscious stories – not because of what is happening in my life.
This all started when I was a kid, then it went away for a while when I did a lot of internal work on it around 2009, and then it returned around mid-2017 when life got very chaotic and I let stories reprogram my mind.
Some of the earliest memories where these stories began to emerge in my life was when I was in grade 5 and I began telling my friends and classmates that I felt what we were learning in school was not really helping us but making us "brainwashed to accept normal society." Sounds harsh I know lol. And perhaps most fifth graders don't think this way, but I did. And I still do feel traditional education is atrocious. That aside, by the time grade 7 and 8 rolled around, my peers were all beginning to really express their style, personality and were adopting pop culture. I didn't go the 'pop' route because it felt uncomfortable and inauthentic to me. This is where the story began.
I was now a visible outsider. I felt that people were adopting pop culture in lockstep because everyone else was, and everyone wanted to fit in. It seemed robotic and weird to me at the time, and quite frankly, I didn't like how it changed my friends and classmates. People started to put on a persona of being badass, cool, and 'hard,' it wasn't authentic to me and it changed the way my friends would interact together. At the time I called it a mask, now I know it as the ego, but I started to see the false sense of self people would portray and something about it just didn't feel good.
Because I chose not to go along with the emerging culture, I began to feel lonely. People didn't listen to me, ask me things, seek to understand me – and they'd talk a lot of shit behind my back. Regardless of how curious I was to speak to them, understand them, and sure, challenge them at times about their choices, I felt it was always a one-way street. It wasn't long before I went from feeling 'cool' and accepted, to feeling like and being treated as a complete outcast. And it's weird looking back because I wasn't mean, the class bully or anything like that. I was the guy who wanted everyone to play together, same team!
This experience continued throughout high school. There are many more details, but I'm sure you get the general point by now. But by the time college years came around, I felt like it was a fresh start, and even though I had become very quiet and shy around groups from that experience, I was eager to meet new people.
Fast forward a bit and I found myself beginning to read books about the ego, the subconscious mind, and how to navigate personal change. I met a friend and mentor who took me through many sessions that cleared away old subconscious programs and stories. I felt insanely empowered and unstoppable. Plus, now I knew how to do the work on myself very easily if something else were to arise. This was in 2009, and over the next 8 years, things were smooth on the front of feeling unheard and misunderstood. While people may not have always understood me, it didn't bother me one bit, and I could see the people who truly appreciated whatever I felt inspired to share.
Then came a period in late 2017 where the biggest tech companies in the world were now descending upon alt media. They literally crippled a business our team took 9 years to build. On top of that, myself and a partner in another business could not align with the intentions and integrity of what we were creating, and I wanted out. It was a stressful time both financially and personally, and slowly but surely I found myself overwhelmed. Usually, I welcome change and love it, but with all that was changing at once, and how devastating the effects seemed, it was too much – or at least that's how I felt.
After a 3 year life and emotional beat down, I started to feel unwelcome, unaccepted, and again unheard. On top of all that, it felt to me like so many people did not understand the underlying message of the work I was producing and that's all I could focus on because, again, I built the story and my RAS was filtering out all information that told me otherwise. In this, you start to feel paralyzed. You can't do anything right, you feel a lack of energy, and purpose feels lost.
A friend recently got me back into looking at old and new methods of exploring these stories again. And in just a few days, I'm already seeing why this inner work had so much power back in 2009. During one of the deeper moments of feeling like shit about all of this, my wife Ruby wrote me a letter that inspired this article and sharing. I wanted to share it with everyone because it resonated with me and was a great reminder to stop, take a breath, and reassess. Of course, doing the inner work is a must.
To the Unheard:
I know your voice and heart are growing tired, your spirit broken, and the moments where you see your purpose are fleeting..
But there's so much you can not see when your head is down, feeling somber and purposeless.
What my eyes see when you're not looking:
Someone new found you today.. their face lit up and their heart felt full.. they've found someone who speaks their language, understands their views, and carries the same values – who just GETS IT and THEM. They didn't think it possible, but HERE YOU ARE, providing them hope and helping them envision a future they knew they wanted but didn't believe was possible. They hear what you have to say, and are excited to listen – with fresh ears and an eager mind, happy to have found your perspective they begin to dive deeper, and tomorrow they are more aware because of it.
Someone else has had a rough year, and with everything going on they didn't know what to believe – so they began questioning. It's been months, but they've regained their faith in humanity and see the world differently now – because of You. You see, they've fallen upon your work and finally found a voice that doesn't shove beliefs down their throats, but relays facts and lets them discern what's real. They feel valued, heard, and uplifted – grateful that someone out there cares about so much that they've made it their mission to aid in their personal and our collective evolution. They may not know it yet, but this is the start to something completely transformational.
Then there are the ones who have been following you for years. The die-hard loyals that feel more like family than anything. They're the 'regulars' that over time you have met or spoken to and become close with – they see your struggles and feel your pain, but most importantly they see You and value your work because they understand. You helped them through a rough patch, you held their hands whilst taking their first steps into the unknown, you reawakened them after a lifetime of slumber and in return when you were pushed down, they helped you up time and time again because they know you'd do the same if ever the opportunity or need. Your voice is a beacon of light to them, and in return, they follow you to the ends of the internet – knowing you are not there to lead but to show them the path.
And yet..
Every day you awaken and every night you lay your head, a voice is telling you that you are unheard, irrelevant, and falling behind. This voice grows louder and now your days are filled with a belief that is weighing you, and your nights hold a hovering limit that you did not try to surpass.
This voice that you've carried has begun to crush your spirit and silence you – little by little, making you question yourself and your creations, making you believe that success is that en masse and that without the world watching you may never truly help humanity..
And I'm just here to tell you: that voice, is wrong.
The voice in your head that fills your life with dread is but a story which needs to be rewritten. Because it is YOUR Voice that needs to be heard.
As you question what the point to all of the hours, months, and years poured into work that 'no one' sees.. there are thousands finding truth and themselves in your words.
It is in your character, your heart, your message, and your desire to help the collective that you have already helped so many. For every 'someone' that finds you is led down a path of discovery, and that fire you've ignited is like a torch passed onto others on their path.. slowly, but surely, setting the world ablaze.
I could go on for eons discussing the battle between ego/the mind and the Soul. But will just say for sake of knowing you know – the falsities playing on loop like a broken record in your head are solely doing so because they are threatened by the reality that your truths are so much more powerful. The only way to disempower You is to make you believe that you have none – and in doing so, your creations halt, you have no drive to bring your visions to life, you feel more and more lost and less and less YOU. You must remember, trust, and BELIEVE that your message holds more weight than any story your mind could ever tell you.
Remember that from infancy you saw this world differently. Never did you succumb to the external validation nor allow your mind to take the wheel – no matter how hard it became. In your teens you knew you had it within you, as you know we all do, to change our world for the better. And though times are trying, it's time to shake yourself awake from the chains of self-loathing and doubt. This story has played like a rerun of a show you've grown tired of.. it's time to change the channel and reawaken that little boy who knew any and everything was possible and who did not allow the critics, trends, or world to tell him any different or change him in any way. You are so special because you've always believed and have always been You – do not let anything take that away, not now – not ever.
It's always been within you, as it is now, to cultivate something extraordinary and create a real shift on this planet – and whether you believe it or not, the truth is the world is ready and waiting for you to stand tall, lift and hold your head high knowing that this is what you are here to do.
And as you do, there will be those who will cheer, those who will boo, those who are grateful, and those who cast doubt – but in the end, it is about those who hear your call that change their lives and those around them because of you and your work. Focus on and remember these people, however many or however few..
For it is not in the masses that Your voice needs to resound.. but in the many that your voice inspires individually that will ripple onto the mass – as with any true altering frequency.
Know that what you broadcast is different, deeper, of higher purpose, and in return harder to hear and come to – like a dog whistle to the ones here to awaken oneness consciousness, your voice calls to those who are ready to tune in to that frequency – and therefore it is in that depth and consistent tone that you, collectively, will change the world.
All this to say, it may not be heard across the globe at first, but to those who do hear it, you have our attention and We Are Listening.
For it is in the unheard that we believe in something deeper.
I love you. Release all fears, doubts, limits or restraints – Remember Who You Are.✨
– Ruby
Dive Deeper
These days, it's not just knowing information and facts that will create change, it's changing ourselves, how we go about communicating, and re-assessing the underlying stories, ideas and beliefs that form our world. We have to practice these things if we truly want to change. At Collective Evolution and CETV, this is a big part of our mission.
Amongst 100's of hours of exclusive content, we have recently completed two short courses to help you become an effective changemaker, one called Profound Realization and the other called How To Do An Effective Media Detox.
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Ruby Woo Woo, Available Friday 12/4 Only
$ 140.00
A ruby red, pink, burgundy and crimson arrangement offset by creams and blush. Seasonal blooms in the color palette may include protea, dahlias, roses, garden roses, chrysanthemums, tuberose, tulips, stock, spray roses, peonies, queen anne's lace, lilies, callas or similar blooms. Locally grown flowers, non-sprayed/organic when possible. Comparable flowers may be used if these flowers are unavailable.
This is available for next day delivery on Fridays
Bike Delivery (or Carbon Free Vehicle Delivery) is available for an additional delivery fee. We don't deliver major holidays so if the bank is closed, so are we!
Delivery available to Berkeley, Oakland and Emeryville. Our deliveries go out by bike, so if it's north of Solano Ave, south of Park Ave in Oakland or in the hills of Berkeley or Oakland, delivery is $30 to cover the extra time to get to those places on a bike. Otherwise, delivery is $15. The Zip codes are listed for the two zones to make it easier at checkout.


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Wouldn't waste a good #ootd photo
Jacket: H&M| Scarf: BikBok This is the same outfit that I blogged about yesterday, but more detailed and with a scarf and jacket. I didn't want these photos to go to waste, haha! And I love any excuse to show off my adorable puppy with his new hair cut. How gorgeous is my vintage purse […]Read More Wouldn't waste a good #ootd photo


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The Dormer extension Specialists Lent
Welcome to CC Top Builders. If you are considering an dormer extension, you have come to right place. For over ten years CC Top Builders does dormer extension all over Lent, SL1 7 for families wishing to turn the empty roof space in their homes into an extra living area. We have completed literally thousands of dormer extension over the last ten years and have gained invaluable experience in the construction process but also in ensuring all our customers receive great service.
The best attic conversion company in Lent
Most dormer extension are completed with in two weeks, and disruption to the household is kept to a minimum. All carpets and flooring are fully covered before commencement of work. All rubbish and debris are taken away on completion of the conversion or extension.
Free Dormer extension Consultation
We offer free dormer extension consultations, free quotations and a totally professional service from start to finish. If you want to convert your attic, or need insulation added to your current conversion, renovate or refurbish your house, kitchen or just anything, then call us on 020 3389 8528.
Why Choose CC Top Builders Contractors in London?
- Specialists in dormer extension in dormer extension area.
- General Building Work including extensions, sheds etc.
- 10+ years experience.
- Architect Certificate of Compliance (if requested).
- Top quality Velux windows used.
- Dormer windows also available.
- Custom made stairs supplied and installed.
- Choice of wood or plastered finish.
- Most attics completed in under 8 days.
- Full job, start to finish, including plumbing and electrics.
- En-suites installed if required.
- Hip Roof Extensions (subject to planning permission).
- All rubbish taken away on completion of your attic.
- RSJs installed.
- References available on request.
- Free no-obligation quotes.
- Excellent rates.
- Fully Insured.
- See our gallery of pictures for ideas.
- Just want a Velux Window installed? No problem, we can supply and install a Velux in your kitchen or attic.
Nearby areas we cover:home improvement near Lent, SL1 7
home improvement near Burnham, SL1 7
home improvement near Taplow, SL6 0
property refurbishment near Lent Rise, SL1 7
house refurbishments near Lynch Hill, SL2 2
garage conversion near Rose Hill, SL1 8
property refurbishment near Maidenhead Court, SL6 8
bathroom renovations near Cippenham, SL1 5
renovation near Britwell, SL2 1
bathroom renovations near Lake End, SL4 6
7 mistakes to avoid when choosing a builder
Structure and refurbishing is not something that we do very frequently, so it goes without saying that selecting a builder can be a challenging choice with substantial repercussions if you get it incorrect. By avoiding these common mistakes you're more likely to delight in a tension totally free build and eliminate budget blow outs.
Choosing the wrong kind of builder
Rather just, if you are extending or renovating you ought to only be speaking to contractors who are experienced in extensions and remodellings, and, if you are developing a brand-new home you should just be speaking with home builders who are experienced in brand-new houses. The best brand-new house builder in town could be the worst choice to construct your extension due to the fact that there is so much different about an extension that can easily catch out a builder without that experience. It is not unusual for brand-new home contractors to present competitive quotes for extension and remodelling tasks; nevertheless that is frequently due to the fact that they do not have the experience to prepare a quote that adequately deals with the intricacies of an extension
Not getting detailed quotes
Far too many individuals select a builder based upon quotes that have a lot of essential products missing out on and that are not transparent. No matter how detailed and extensive the drawings might appear, there will usually be a lot of things missing out on from the drawings that the builder has to prepare a detailed quote.
If the contractors have actually just been offered with strategies to prepare their quote there is a high likelihood that there will be a great deal of important items missing out on from the quote and a very high probability that will lead to extra expenses and prospective conflict with the builder. To prevent this you need to always provide the home builders with a comprehensive Inclusions Schedule as well as the illustrations. Additions Schedule's, like ProSpex ensure you comprehend exactly what will be included in the quote, assurances that the quotes you receive will be far more comprehensive and transparent, making it a lot easier for everybody involved to compare 'apples with apples'
Assuming that the cheapest quote is the ideal price
It is just natural to be drawn to the quote that will conserve you some loan, however if that quote is significantly cheaper than the other quotes then you should be extremely careful before you select that builder. A grouping of similar quotes ought to be providing you some clues regarding what the right cost is to complete the task. Selecting a builder that has actually given a quote that is substantially less than other quotes may cause future issues if in reality the builder has made a mistake with the quote. The last thing you want is for the builder to take shortcuts and charge for variations down the track
Not understanding jargon in the quote
There are a number of terms that you absolutely must understand when examining quotes. If you do not, you will be exposed to a greater danger of additional expenses throughout construction and your spending plan blowing out. There are 2 crucial terms that will be crucial in your evaluation of quotes.
For instance, when you see 'Prime Cost' products and 'Provisional Sums' noted you need to understand that they are allowances just and whilst the builder has a responsibility to include figures that are reasonable, there is likewise a big range in the cost of many products that could be considered reasonable. For instance, a toilet can be bought for $250 yet there are likewise toilets offered for over 3000. You must be particularly alert if a quote has a lot of Provisional Sums in it, as Provisional Sums are in some cases utilized to make a quote look competitive when in truth it may actually be very misleading. Adam Hobill's book, Nail It!, goes into a lot more detail on why it's so crucial to understand Provisional Sums
Not speaking to current customers
It's simple for contractors to give you the details of a couple of customers who they understand have actually enjoyed with their services; and because of that asking builders for recommendations is a little bit of a waste of time as they are only going to give you information of people who will state the best thing. Rather, you 'd be much better advised to ask the builder for the contact information of a few existing clients. Current clients will give you feedback that is less contrived and better as they are still immersed in the process
Unknowning who you'll be dealing with
Some home builders will prepare the quote and be the primary builder on website daily, whilst some building companies will have a team of people and the individual who prepares and provides the quote may not be your primary contact throughout the construct … you may never ever see them throughout the rest of the process. You're going to be handling your builder for lots of months and a close working relationship will be vital to ensure a successful result, so make sure you understand who it is that you will be handling from day to day
Not knowing what is excluded from the quote
Among the very best ways to clarify exactly what is included in the quote is to ask the builder to verify what is excluded from the quote. A bit like reverse engineering, it is an excellent method to uncover any of those products that might have been assumed by either party are either included or omitted. Lighting, for instance, often produces confusion and ends in dispute if it is not made clear at the beginning. A builder might price estimate for lights, nevertheless that will typically only consist of the batten fitting (world holder) and no light fittings, whereas the client is probably expecting that light fittings are consisted of