Apples are produced by cultivating apple trees. In the same way, reishi is produced by cultivating Ganoderma lucidum mushrooms. Would it be the same to eat an apple tree instead of an apple? It is clear that it would not. This is what frequently happens with reishi: some people eat fungi parts that are not the mushroom.
Which products are sold as reishi? In the market we might find mushrooms that are not the Ganoderma lucidum one, we find Ganoderma lucidum parts such as mycelium and spores and there are also the extracts of certain parts of the Ganoderma lucidum mushroom. Learn here the differences of all this products.
Reishi mushroom: differences between the mushroom and an extract of it.
You can take a loaf of whole wheat bread and cook it in boiling water. Once the bread is well cooked, take it out of the pot and let the water boil until it evaporates completely, leaving a brown solid remain. Technically speaking, such process would be the extract making process.
Since water has been used as extractant, the resulting product will have concentrated amounts of vitamins B1 and B2. Even though B6 vitamin is present in whole wheat bread, such vitamin will not be present in the extract, due to the fact that vitamin B6 molecules are destroyed by high temperatures. The resulting product (remains) of the extraction will have concentrated amounts of starch (carbs), gluten ( proteins) and minerals (selenium, calcium, potassium, magnesium. Etc.
Having this into account, do you think is better to eat this product rather than a whole loaf of bread?
For a person with a B6 deficiency, no benefit will be obtained from an extract.
For a person with a B2 vitamin deficiency, the extract will be better than the loaf of bread, due to the higher concentration of the vitamin present in such extract.
When there is gluten intolerance, the extract could potentially provoke serious damage to the intestine, since a few grams of extract will concentrate all the gluten contained in a loaf of bread.
In conclusion, the extracts have pros and cons. Whether we are talking about bread extracts or reishi extracts, they present positive and negative qualities. When you want to take advantage of all the nutrients contained in a product, you have to eat the whole of it, not an extract of it. Only Pure micro ground reishi mushroom contains ALL reishi mushroom molecules.
Do you think that the images below are the same?
Microphotography of reishi mushroom powder (400X): the mushroom cells are seen chopped by grinding. Microphotography of reishi extract (400X): agglomerations of concentrated chemical compounds are observed.
Reishi extracts. What do they lack?
Practically, almost all the extracts in the market are made to concentrate the most active molecules of the reishi mushroom: betaglucans and triterpenes. To maximize the extraction of betaglucans and obtain a bigger profit, many companies use highly reactive substances to extract these molecules. Such substances are able to tear off betaglucan chains from the mushroom cellular walls. However, since 2015 it is widely known that this extraction process damages the reishi betaglucans, which therefore loose a great part of its activity over organisms. You can find a more detailed explanation in this external article.
It is clear that this extraction process concentrates higher amounts of betaglucans, but such betaglucans have been degraded in the extract making, ergo their activity over organisms will be inferior or inexistent.
If we study the triterpenes and triterpenoids, we realize that there are more than 100 different molecules of this type. Due to their big chemical diversity, these molecules dissolve differently, some of them in hot water, some others in cold water. Others cannot be dissolved in water, but in non-polar solvents. Therefore, a reishi extract cannot have all the reishi triterpenes contained in pure micro ground reishi mushroom.
Other active molecules of the mushroom are the immunomodulatory proteins. In the extracting processes, the product suffers strong PH changes, so Immunomodulatory proteins (LZ-8 and LZ-9) precipitate and get denatured. By losing their tertiary structure, proteins lose all its biological activity.
Nutrients for our intestinal flora and our intestine: the bacterial degradation of the reishi mushroom fiber in the colon generates butyric acid (among other nutrients), which is very important for the health of the intestine. Butyric acid lack is related to inflammatory diseases.
The reishi mushroom fiber improves the intestinal microbiota, which can prevent metabolic obesity.
When the fiber is retired from the product, some antioxidant properties are lost.
The fiber removes, by absorption and entrainment, carcinogenic substances of the colon: the fiber is considered preventive of colon tumors. Discarding it implies losing this virtue.
When a person consumes reishi extract, it is possible that the consumed extract may not contain the specific molecules this person needs. Should this be your case, the consumption of an extract might not be recommended.
We have given an example of an extract making process with whole wheat bread, and explain how, by using water as an extractant, B type vitamins, gluten and certain minerals were concentrated.
Now, supposing that we used ethylic alcohol as an extractant. The resulting process would be an alcoholic whole wheat bread extract. Such extract would contain bread oils, fat soluble vitamins and other substances.
The chemical composition of the result of the extraction of bread in alcohol is totally different from the extraction in water and therefore the activity in the organism will be very different.
The same thing happens with the reishi mushroom: each reishi extract in the market has a different composition that will vary according to the laboratory that makes the extracts and its extraction technique. Is the extract you are taking good for you?
Finally, of the hundreds of medical publications of reishi mushroom, there is only one product that presents the properties of all the mushroom extracts that exist: the pure micro ground reishi mushroom, free from any extracting method.
Firstly, it is necessary to bear in mind that a spore is something similar to a plant seed. Fungi reproduction is made through spores. As seeds, when spores are set in ideal conditions, they germinate and produce fungi that eventually will produce mushrooms, like the reishi mushroom.
Cultivation of reishi in our facilities (Ganoderma lucidum mushroom). Note the edge of the hat with hanging spore dust. The spores are like "the seeds of the fungus", a very different product in chemical composition and properties than the mushroom.
Reishi spores have a lot of oil inside and therefore are chemically very different from the reishi mushroom.
To get a better idea about how chemically different the mushroom and the spores are, We will continue with the example of the apple, previously used in other texts of this web: we know well that apples are not only tasty but very healthy, with lots of vitamin C, sugars of rapid assimilation, pectins that favor intestinal transit, water, etc. However, the seeds are toxic: eating some grams of apple seeds can kill a person! This happens because apple seeds contain a high amount of cyanogenic glycosides, substances that in contact with the stomach release hydrogen cyanide, which is very poisonous.
In many internet pages is wrongly indicated that reishi spores have the same properties as reishi mushrooms, even multiplied, but this is totally incorrect.
Microphotography of spores of Ganoderma lucidum of our crops (400x). They are like microscopic seeds.
Of course, it is important to say that spores have virtues as food. However, they have to be studied (and are being studied) to determine in which ways they are beneficial for, as well as when they shouldn't be consumed.
Finally, it is important to bear in mind that most of the research made on Ganoderma Lucidum are made from reishi mushroom, spores and mycelium are different and consequently have different properties.
Imagine that you go to a fruit shop asking for apples, and the clerk gives you a bag of apple wood chips, mixed with leaves and crushed root. He says that this product is excellent, healthy and full of vitamins, but clearly, this bag has no apples inside, this is just a completely different thing!Well, the same thing happens whenever you go to buy reishi mushroom, and you are offered reishi mycelium instead. Many clerks say it is the same. Now that you get the point, you see that it is definitely not the same.
The reishi mushroom is the fruit of the fungus, and the mycelium is the fungus itself.
Laboratory mycelium cultivation. The white part is mycelium that grows on the glass, outside the culture medium. The submerged brown parts are "balls" of mycelium. This is what is sold as reishi by different commercial brands. The culture is done in huge tanks, not in Erlenmeyer flasks.
In order to appreciate the differences, we compare the active ingredients that have a mushroom with respect to those that have the mycelium. (Research paper is quoted below).
Total Poliphenols: These are molecules that provide most of the antioxidant capacity of a mushroom. Its function in the body is considered protective against cellular aging. They are molecules that block free radicals. Poliphenols represent up to 7,82% of a reishi mushroom composition. Poliphenols in reishi mycelium are NOT detected.
Polysaccharides: the publication also studied the polysaccharides, molecules where the beta-glucans of immunomodulatory action can be found. An important feature in good reishi mushroom. While the reishi mushroom is composed up to 29.7% by polysaccharide content, the mycelium possessed only 1.1%, that is to say that the amount of polysaccharides in 1kg of reishi mushroom is the equivalent to the amount of polysaccharides in 27 kg of reishi mycelium. It is clear: mushroom and mycelium are not the same product.
As if the previous scientific publication did not make clear enough the differences between both products, in 2016 Bhardwaj2 compared dozens of molecules between reishi mushroom and mycelium. For this he used the advanced technique of ultra convergence chromatography coupled to a quadrupole mass spectrometry device. The result: Considering the different chemical composition, it can be concluded that affirmatively, the difference between the two is as to compare apple and apple wood, so don't be fooled at the fruit shop!
Reishi mushrooms of our crops, ready to be analyzed in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Valladolid. Note that the mycelium does not resemble the mushroom at all, although everything comes from the organism Ganoderma lucidum.


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Health Freedom Defense Fund--I've been remiss in not featuring this fabulous organization before
Leslie Manookian, an extremely knowledgeable and brilliant lady who made the film "The Greater Good," has taken on highly strategic litigation to stop the Covidian takeover. Below she talks about several important recent events. Consider supporting her organization "Health Freedom Defense."
Updated Homeland Security Bulletin Declares War on Critical Thinking
In many quarters, the hypothesis is now being formulated that we are experiencing the end of a world, that of bourgeois democracies founded on rights, parliaments, and the separation of powers, and that this is giving way to a new despotism that, as regards the pervasiveness of control and the cessation of political activity, will be worse than the totalitarianism that we have known before.
On February 7th, 2022 the Department of Homeland Security issued a new bulletin, defining what it considers to be the "primary terrorism-related threats" to the United States. This directive replaced their previous directive which was set to expire on February 8th.
Scotland To Halt Publishing COVID Data Based On Vaccination Status
On February 17th, the Glasgow Times reported that Public Health Scotland will no longer publish Covid data based on vaccination status over concerns the data is being misrepresented by "anti-vaxxers".
This change, of course, comes as a surprise given that Scotland has had remarkably comprehensive and clear Covid-19 data over the past year.
As can be seen in this graph, Table 15, found on page 47 of the report, the rates of death are notably lower in the unvaccinated. In the four weeks measured from January 4th-February 8th, only 61 out of the 476 deaths were unvaccinated.
An Appeal to Those Who Hurl the "Anti-Vaxxer" Slur - Video
To those of you who call those who question the safety of injections anti-vaxxers and dismiss them as crazies, I'd like to invite you to consider that we're not anti-anything, we are pro safety, pro-health, pro-freedom – in the same way, we want safe water, food, cars, etc.
Unfortunately, many of us have experienced first or second hand the damage that has been caused by these supposedly safe and efficacious medical interventions. The truth is, we've done our research and know that a wise person questions the products made by a company that demands liability protection for those products.
We've done our homework and understand that there's a revolving door between health agencies and the pharmaceutical industry they are supposed to regulate.
Click to read more and watch video
Support H.R. 5816, National Informed Consent Exemption (NICE) Act
HFDF commends Rep. Gohmert for introducing the NICE Act and we encourage all of you to show your support as well.
Read the bill text
Check out our brand new website with additional Resources, case information and legal documents for all HFDF lawsuits, and a Take Action page with HFDF memes and graphics you can share on social media (and more resources in the works!)
www.healthfreedomdefense.org

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Tweak Tool is an exciting way to edit drawings which largely blurs the distinction between vector and raster editing. Instead of meticulously selecting some objects and then performing an action on the selection, you can select all objects (or all objects you are interested in) and apply the Tweak Tool's brush to smoothly and naturally change the shape or style of only those objects (or parts thereof) that the brush touches.
The area of the tool's action - its brush - is marked by an orange-colored circular outline that moves with your mouse cursor. However, that area actually has no sharp boundaries; the power of the tool's action falls off gradually, following a smooth bell-shaped profile. This makes the tool act softly and smoothly.
The tool will work on any number of selected objects; for example, you can select all Ctrl + A and "smear" your entire drawing by Push mode or paint it by Color Paint mode. You can also apply it to groups of objects; it will go into groups and act on individual objects inside groups. If you're trying to use it without anything selected, it will remind you by a statusbar message to select some objects.
The width of the tool's brush, in the range from 1 to 100, can be changed by the Width control in the tool's controls bar above the canvas. You can also change width by Left and Right arrow keys (same as in the Calligraphy Tool) at any time (including during action) as well as Home and End. Also, as in Calligraphy Tool, the visible width of the brush is independent of zoom; simply zooming in or out is often easier than adjusting the width if you want to cover a smaller or larger area of the drawing.
The next control is Force which adjusts the power of the action, also in the range from 1 to 100. You can also change width by Up and Down arrow keys at any time (including during action).
If you have a pressure-sensitive tablet and your "Use pressure" button on the right-hand end of the controls bar is on, then the force will also depend on how hard you actually press your pen into your tablet, changing in the range from zero to whatever you set in the Force control. If all you have is a mouse, then the force will be constant but still settable by the Force control.
The Tweak tool has a number of modes, selectable by toggle buttons in the tool's Controls bar and by keyboard shortcuts. Some of these modes change the shapes of paths while others affect the colors of objects. All these modes share the Width and Force controls but otherwise are quite different. Let's look at the path editing modes first.
Unlike the Node tool, to edit paths with the Tweak tool you don't need to worry about where the nodes of a path are and how to manipulate them. You just apply the tool's brush to any point, and the selected paths at that point will reshape smoothly and naturally - as if made of soft jelly - regardless of where its nodes lie. If applied to a shape or text object, the tool converts them to paths automatically.
While not very useful for technical drawings, tweaking paths will be indispensable for artistic uses of Inkscape - cartoons, drawings, sketches, anime, etc. This new functionality is somewhat similar to the tools such as "Pucker" and "Bloat" in the latest versions of Adobe Illustrator.
There are currently six path editing modes in the Tweak Tool: Push, Shrink, Grow, Attract, Repel, and Roughen.
This default mode of the tool, Push, Shift + P simply displaces the part of the path under the cursor in the direction of the drag. The path behaves like soft jelly, bending and bulging smoothly and naturally. It's an easy way to produce various irregular, lifelike, handmade-looking shapes starting from something as simple as an ellipse or a calligraphic stroke. For parallel-stroke hatching (engraving) done in the Calligraphy tool, pushing is an easy way to bend, pinch, or curve the entire hatching uniformly.
The Shrink ( Shift + S ) and Grow ( Shift + G ) are two opposite modes that move each point of a path in a direction perpendicular to the path's surface at the point, either inwards (Shrink) or outwards (Grow). This is similar to the Inset and Outset commands, except that the Tweak Tool can act on a part of a path instead of the whole path.
For example, the visible lightness/darkness of an engraving hatching may not exactly correspond to your artistic intention. Also, the ends of Calligraphy pen strokes are often far from ideal - they may be too blunt or have unsightly bends or blobs. This is where the Tweak Tool may help. Select all the strokes in a hatching pattern and apply a light Shrink action where you want the lines to become thinner (and the hatching to become lighter), up until total disappearance. If you press hard, shrinking works as an eraser, so you can easily clean the strokes' ends to make them thin, sharp, and uniform. Conversely, applying Grow makes strokes wider (i.e. the hatching becomes darker).
Of course, shrinking and growing are useful not only for calligraphic strokes. Same as with Push, with Shrink and Grow you can sculpt any path, spawning smooth treacle-like appendages with Grow and carving holes with Shrink. Unlike the "node sculpting" mode in the Node tool, however, this does not require adding new nodes to the shape.
The Attract ( Shift+ A )and Repel ( Shift + E ) modes work by moving each affected point on a path towards (Attract) or from (Repel) the cursor point. In some cases this may look similar to Shrink and Grow, but the difference is that shrinking/growing moves paths perpendicularly to the path in each point, whereas attracting/repelling moves them to or from the cursor regardless of the path shape. These modes are similar to the Pinch effect in AI; you can use them for various central-symmetric distortions in parts of your paths.
The Roughen (Shift +R ) mode does exactly this: roughens the edge of the path without changing its overall shape. Slight roughening simply makes the edge crooked and uneven; strong roughening tears and explodes the edge into random blobs and splotches. Note that this operation, especially with high Fidelity, adds a lot of nodes which increases the size of your SVG document and may slow down Inkscape considerably. In particular, pushing, shrinking, or growing of a roughened path becomes much slower and more difficult, so it's recommended to finalise the overall shape of a path first and roughen it, if necessary, only as the final step.
Any tweaking of a path slightly distorts the entire path, including even those parts that you didn't touch. These distortions are similar to those that a Simplify command produces. The Fidelity value (also in the range from 1 to 100, default is 50) allows you to control the amount of these distortions. With a higher fidelity, the distortions are less noticeable, but the path may end up having a lot of nodes which inflates up the SVG size and slows down Inkscape.
The best value of Fidelity depends on the nature of your artwork. If you're sculpting an amorphous blob, you can do with low fidelity of about 20. If, however, you are pushing or inflating a text string (as a single path) and want the letters outside the distorted area to remain crisp and clean, you will need to raise fidelity to 80 or more.
The Color Paint ( Shift + C ) and Color Jitter ( Shift + J ) modes, unlike the path editing modes, change the colors of objects instead of their shapes. Yet they share enough common features with the path editing modes to be part of the same tool: These modes also use a circular soft-edged brush controlled by the Width and Force parameters on the Controls bar and affected by the pen pressure (if you have a pressure-sensitive tablet).
The fill from the tool's style applies to the fills of the painted objects, and the stroke applies to the strokes. If the tool's style has no fill or no stroke, it won't affect fills or strokes, correspondingly. For example, if you want to color the fills of objects blue but leave their strokes untouched, assign blue fill to the tool's style (just click blue on the palette) but set its stroke to None (middle-click the Stroke swatch in the statusbar). Similarly, master opacity in the tool's style affects master opacities of the touched objects (if the O channel is on, see below).
This mode allows you to literally paint over objects, shifting their colors towards the target style of the tool. For example, if you paint with yellow fill over a blue-filled object, the object will become greenish blue, then green, then yellowish green, and end up being exactly the yellow color you're painting with. This speed of this gradual transition depends on both Force parameter and pen pressure; also, objects touched by the periphery of the brush are less affected than those hit by the brush centre. Overall, using this tool is very similar to a soft brush in a raster editor such as Gimp or Photoshop.
Color Jitter mode does not apply any color, but instead jitters (randomises) the colors of the objects it touches. The force of the action determines how strong is the randomisation, i.e. how far the colors deviate from the original values. This mode does not use the tool's style.
Color Paint and Color Jitter honor the Channels control. This control comprises the four buttons: H, S, L, and O, which allow you to turn on and off the tool's action on the object's hue, saturation, lightness, and opacity, correspondingly. For example, if you want to raise the saturation of some part of your drawing without changing the hue, select some maximum-saturation color (e.g. pure red) and turn off all Channels buttons except S. Similarly, you can replace the hues without affecting saturation or lightness (only H pressed), or lighten/darken all colors without changing their hues and saturation (only L pressed). Pressing O allows you to apply the master opacity from the tool's style to the master opacity of objects (but not fill or stroke opacity).
Color painting with Tweak tool is similar, but not exactly analogous to bitmap painting. Even though the tool itself works as a soft brush, it still applies its color to vector objects, which behave as vector objects usually do. For example, if you want to change the tint of the face in your drawing, and if a hand in the drawing is part of the same object as the face, that hand will change its tint too even if it's located far from the point you are painting. (We foresee a "fracture" command in one of the next versions of Inkscape which will help you turn a monolithic object into a mosaic of small fragments that will be then easy to paint with Tweak tool.) Still, even with this limitation, color painting is a novel way of dealing with vector drawings which allows you to quickly and intuitively make adjustments which would be awkward and slow with traditional approach.
patterns made with the Tile Clones command; note that you need to unset the fill and/or stroke on the original object and use the Color tab to assign some initial color to the clones - this will make them paintable with the Tweak tool without unlinking.
Moreover, color tweaking can be useful for compositions with a few objects or even for single objects. Unlike all other color selection methods, painting with the Tweak tool implements the color mixing metaphor which is much more familiar to traditional artists than RGB sliders or even the color wheel. For example, start with a rectangle of pure blue color; then, pick different colors by Color Paint and apply light touches with minimum Force and minimum pen pressure: add a little green, a little brown, a little yellow, etc. until you have the exact hue you need. Similarly, you can whiten or blacken any hue by admixing white or black.
You can also use color tweaking to add a tint, darken/lighten, saturate/desaturate, or color jitter your entire drawing. Just select all in all layers, zoom out, choose a large brush width so it covers all of the drawing, and apply a little color tweaking (with minimum Force) that will therefore affect all visible objects.


viaDUCT is an installation that uses unmanipulated audio from vehicles passing over the elevated highway that encircles Sculpture Center. Homemade contact microphones were used to extend the vibrations transmitted through the tensile elements supporting the concrete structure into the exhibition space. Constant flow is the defining feature of this site. The audible pulse of the metropolis, it's interval measured by the passage of vehicles to and from the center of the city. This entire neighborhood is a space of passage, cris-crossed by subways, bridges, tunnels, train tracks, canals and viaducts. Rather than working to eliminate the sub textual noise that permeates the site, this installation aims to raise it to the level of an intense bodily experience – a somatic glimpse of the still rather industrial post-industrial landscape surrounding Sculpture Center. If one listens closely, the sounds of workers on Dutch Kills Street and the passing of railroad cars are audible through the rumbling texture of passing traffic. A drawing translates the swells of sound into overlapping graphite planes- visible sheets of sound illuminating the proximal relationship between the exhibition space and the expanded site of the recording.


I've been blogging for a while now.
And lived through their horrible experiment Mash.
Which instead of proliferating like rabbits as the title suggests, died a slow death and left me adrift.
Which had a great platform but a disinterested owner who let it become rife with trolls and go belly up with technical issues.
Yes… I've outlived more sites than I care to admit.
So now I'm here, feeling my way around.
So am I jumping the gun…. expecting too much connection, too soon? Or is this really the drive by of blog sites? I know you're out there… I see the visitor stats.
And hey, our blueberries are almost ripe.
Men are very different creatures.
I'm neat and organized. When I start a job everything is laid out, prepped and ready to go.
His latest weekend project is putting up interior walls in our barn.
It's a lovely barn, at least from the outside.
And he built it by himself, nights and weekends for years.
I love to sit on the porch and read….. but try not to go inside. It's a large space and he's filled it with totally useless crap.
So when it came time to put up walls? There wasn't a lot of room.
This is how he works.
Clearing a few feet as he goes along.
The very sight of it makes me twitch.
And if you're wondering why he has a microwave, a toaster oven and a broken water cooler in the barn? It's because his office was throwing them out.
That is a giant bullet behind the box of wooden shoe forms.
So I'm watching the news the other night, and it rarely makes me smile.
Because Boothbay Harbor is never a bad idea…..
Of course in the summer, when it's full of tourists it can be a bit crazy… but we managed to snag an outdoor table at our favorite place.
But ever since they tore down the old bowling alley….
And the new condos that are slated for construction haven't sprung up yet, there's a view.
But you don't go to Boathouse Bistro for the views.
You go for the food.
Pan seared citrus scallops drizzled with orange oil on creamy parmesan risotto.
If you go, try a Harborside lemonade.
Proof positive everything is better with vodka.
Taking the guess work out of scamming.
These days, I never answer the phone if I don't recognize the caller.
Too many telemarketers, fake surveys and scams.
So imagine my surprise when the phone rang yesterday…..
And saved me the trouble.
So it's been a banner year for chokecherries.
Seriously, the tree is full.
Since I've always wondered why the birds never ate them, I did a little research.
And discovered that even though you can make jam with them….


JULA Ltd is a dynamic literary agency based at Somerset House in London. The agency represents debut and best-selling authors published in the UK, US and internationally. Whilst always looking for the best publishing deals and relationships for their authors, JULA Ltd also works closely with talent agencies in London and LA for book to film deals.
Please note that submissions will be closed from 17th April, reopening 29th April.
The agency offers a carefully tailored approach. Jo is determined to offer each author whatever they need, managing their careers with thought, ambition, care and, wherever possible, a sense of fun.
JULA Ltd is a member of the Association of Authors' Agents (AAA), a British voluntary trade association providing a collective voice for all UK-based literary agents. The AAA's members are devoted to promoting authors' works in the domestic and global markets and to defending authors' rights in the UK, abroad and online.
Have a book you want us to read? It's difficult to say what we're looking for until we see it, but it needs to be as good as you can possibly make it if we are to offer representation. If you can make us laugh or cry or – even better – both, then you're definitely on the right track. We only represent poetry or picture books in exceptional circumstances, or when they're by our existing authors, and science fiction is better represented by specialists in the field.
Queenie has been published in the UK and is having the incredible reception it deserves! Read the Guardian review here.
The explosive finale to the best-selling INK trilogy is out today!
Reasons to Be Cheerful had its UK publication on 28th March. Read the Guardian's review here.
Queenie is out in the US and getting incredible reviews. Not long now until UK publication, 11th April.
The Murder Pit is out now!
The Taiwanese cover for Dear Mrs Bird is stunning!
We love the paperback cover for She's Not There!


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'Tiger King' Stars Ordered To Turn Over Big Cat Cubs After Alleged Abuse
(Photo by Marc Piscotty/Getty Images)
Brianna Lyman News and Commentary Writer
January 19, 2021 11:34 AM ET
Netflix's popular Tiger King stars have been ordered by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to relinquish their big cat cubs after they were accused of violating the Endangered Species Act and the Animal Welfare Act.
The DOJ has ordered Jeffrey and Lauren Lowe to "immediately surrender all Big Cat cubs under the age of one year and their mothers to the government."
"The Lowes have showed a shocking disregard for both the health and welfare of their animals, as well as the law," Acting Assistant Attorney General Jonathan D. Brightbill of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division said.
The Lowes took ownership of Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park LLC and Tiger King LLC after Joseph Maldonado-Passage, better known as Joe Exotic, was sentenced to 22 years in prison, according to The Hill. Exotic was convicted of trying to hire a hit man to kill Carole Baskin, who owned Big Cat Rescue in Florida.
A woman walks past a mural by US muralist Kyle Holbrook with health workers and Joseph "Joe Exotic" Maldonado-Passage (R, below) wearing a mask in Wynwood Art District in Miami, Florida on June 29, 2020. (CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
The DOJ found that the Lowes failed to provide "safe conditions, proper nutrition" and veterinary care to some of their animals, which the court said indicated the remaining animals were at risk of harm and violated the Endangered Species Act. The court also said that failing to provide adequate veterinary care placed the animals in "serious danger" and violated the Animal Welfare Act.
"This decision sends a clear message to both licensed and unlicensed exhibitors of the Animal Welfare Act's reach," USDA Acting General Counsel Tyler S. Clarkson said. "USDA looks forward to continuing its close partnership with the Justice Department to litigate these cases and enforce the Animal Welfare Act."
The DOJ filed a suit against the Lowes, Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park LLC and Tiger King LLC in June. Animals were deprived of food with some underweight and suffering from nutritional deficiencies, according to the DOJ. Some animals were allegedly unable to walk or stand due to the lack of nutrition. (RELATED: Zoo Featured In 'Tiger King' Searched By Police After Human Remains Believed To Be On Property)
One lion cub, Nala, was "lethargic, depressed, thin and would not get up out of the mud even after prompting," the DOJ alleged. There was also discharge coming from her nose and eyes and she had sores on her ears.
A veterinarian diagnosed Nala with an upper respiratory infection, dehydration, a urinary tract infection and was suffering from parasites and fleas, according to the DOJ. Nala was also diagnosed with malnutrition and had severe vitamin deficiencies that caused a chronic bone fracture and lameness, the DOJ alleged. Nala was transferred to a wildlife sanctuary in Colorado in September.
Tags : animal welfare joe exotic tiger king
Brianna Lyman
Follow Brianna on Twitter


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Bridging the Gap: 5 Keys to Healthcare Equity
The events of 2020 highlighted the need for racial justice in all areas of society, but especially in healthcare. Appalling COVID-19 death rates among Black, Latino, and Indigenous people raised public awareness around health disparities and sparked calls for change. Many Americans were also galvanized to action by the killings of Black citizens, including Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. As a result, healthcare leaders now have both the opportunity and imperative to address the systemic impacts of discrimination on minority communities.
In partnership with Becker's Hospital Review, Vituity CEO Imamu Tomlinson, MD, MBA, led a panel of diverse healthcare leaders in conversation. These experts identified five keys to healthcare justice:
1. Community-based care.
The pandemic has turned our provider-centric care model on its head—and it's probably for the best. "Our emerging model isn't necessarily about telehealth," says Dr. Tomlinson. "It's about actually meeting patients where they are." To this end, forward-thinking health systems are innovating to bring care closer to patients. Examples include launching mobile primary care teams and engaging dentists and pharmacists to perform health screenings in their communities.
2. Pandemic response.
Even before the coronavirus swept around the globe, patients in medically underserved areas struggled to obtain primary care. And when providers closed their doors to in-person visits during the pandemic, access for these communities went from bad to worse. Mortality data suggests that Americans—especially people of color—were more likely to die of unmanaged chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension throughout 2020. These vulnerable patients also missed important health and cancer screenings. As a result, "I think we are going to see a pandemic after the pandemic, especially in the minority community," Dr. Frederick says.
3. Cultural competence.
Effective care requires us to understand our patients' experiences, from the difficulties of quarantining in a multigenerational household to working without sick leave. Healthcare leaders can promote cultural competence by providing training, hiring diverse providers, and providing leadership pathways for minority candidates. "Sometimes, the person you appoint may not have the best résumé," Dr. Bell says. "Not because they're untalented but because no one has given them a chance."
4. Courageous leadership.
Fighting health disparities means surfacing uncomfortable truths. When the hospital board doesn't reflect the community's diversity or the university is long overdue for a female CEO, we must speak up. Courage also means speaking up for the voiceless in our organizations, like housekeepers, janitors, and food service workers. And finally, it means immersing ourselves in our communities by teaching, volunteering, and working clinical shifts.
5. Forging trust.
Healthcare justice requires us to heal the distrust between underrepresented and disenfranchised groups and medical and governmental institutions. This starts with acknowledging the history of discrimination within the healthcare system while working to correct misinformation. One of the most effective ways to do this is to partner with trusted community organizations like churches, schools, and historically Black colleges. Finally, it's crucial for diverse healthcare leaders to show our trust in science. When staff at St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach, California, hesitated to get the coronavirus vaccine, CEO Caldwell volunteered to go next. "I had to show them it was safe," she says.
The panel of dynamic physician and executive healthcare leaders included:
Immamu Tomlinson, MD, MBA, CEO Vituity
Maureen Bell, MD, Medical Director, Vituity; Emergency Medicine Chair, Howard University Hospital
Carolyn Caldwell, FACHE, President and CEO, Dignity Health St. Mary Medical Center
Wayne A. I. Frederick, MD, MBA, FACS, President, Howard University
Kenneth Jones, MHA, MBA, President, AMITA Health St. Francis
Janet Young, MD, Division Vice President, Vituity
Watch the full conversation here!


To launch a holiday lighting service via website and search.
First we studied their competitors' sites – including the local, state, and national levels – to better understand the marketplace and good/bad ideas that others have had in the industry. Following that analysis and wishlist conversations with the client, we developed a sitemap that plotted out the topic of every page and its place within the site structure.
Next, we developed a new logo for them, using a ladder for the "H" and a Christmas light for the "O" in "HOME," to graphically telegraph the business's services. The approved logo gave us our color palette, and we created home page designs.
The home page immediately introduces the problem/solution of the service and captures the joyfulness of the season. (Virtually all competitors had dark sites so they could show their lit homes at night, but we found that overly somber and "heavy" for the subject matter.) We also placed a "Free Estimate" form into the footer of every page, so any reader's impulse to go forward would be satisfied and sent nearly instantly.
This is a new business venture as of this writing, but hopes are high that the tone and message will appeal to homeowners and businesses who are looking for help in hanging their outdoor Christmas lights!


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Finn Jones Blames Donald Trump For Lackluster Reception For Iron Fist
The Netflix show Iron Fist has not been received well ever since it was first announced.
Critics have reviewed it and don't like it while a sizeable number of people have criticized its casting of Finn Jones. Jones is now blaming Donald Trump for the show's lackluster reception so far.
During an interview with Radio Times, Jones says the rise of Trump in America has negatively impacted the show's perception with the public.
He says he's playing a white American billionaire superhero during a period of time that white rich guys aren't liked by the public. You can see his comments below.
I think the world has changed a lot since we were filming that television show," he said. "I'm playing a white American billionaire superhero, at a time when the white American billionaire archetype is public enemy number one, especially in the US.
He goes on to say that in this day and age, it's hard for the public to root for a guy that comes from white privilege. This has been further emphasized once Trump became President in his mind.
He then says that people should watch the entire show before making up their minds. He wants viewers of the show to see Danny Rand's full journey before they decide to give up on it.
People still seem to like Batman and Iron Man and they are white billionaire superheroes.
In either case, Iron Fist is still a show that has had the most critical backlash ever since it was first revealed.
We never saw this type of drama when the likes of Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage were all released.
It will be interesting to see what Marvel does for the property going forward.
Iron Fist will next team up with the other Netflix heroes in The Defenders. After that, who knows what will become of the show or even the character of Iron Fist.
Wanna read more on this? Check these out: GOP Greg Gianforte Gets Record Donations After Assaulting Reporter Before Election (more); See Pics Of Trump Curtsying To Saudis, Watch Right Wing Heads Explode Rationalizing (more); Journalist Louise Mensch Claims Supreme Court Impeaching Trump, Is It True? (more); Would Trump Throw Jared Kushner Under The Bus If He Were Implicated? (more).
And here are some more related articles: Opinion: Cable Talking Heads Cry For Monster Roger Ailes, Forget Who He Actually Was (more); NYT Article Leads Credence To Louise Mensch Claims Of Sealed Indictment For Trump (more); Sean Spicer Attacks Journalists, But Doesn't Know Difference Between There and Their (more).
A few more: New Poll Finally Shows Donald Trump Voters Wishing Clinton Was President (more); Journalist Louise Mensch Claims There's A Sealed Indictment Against Trump - Is It True? (more).


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The Debate Over GMO Labeling: Where do You Stand?
Green Living / By Maggie Romuld / Views, News & Opinion
GMOs: The Debate
Genetic modification allows traits from certain plants or animals to be combined with others. While purpose and technique vary, a common goal is to improve yield or nutritional value, or to give crops desired characteristics that don't occur naturally – such as disease or insect resistance. Thousands of products in the North American food chain contain some form of genetically modified (GM) ingredients, but because there are no mandatory labeling requirements, it is difficult for consumers to know which ones. For many people, that's a problem.
Why They Should Not be Labeled
Those in favor of labeling genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) say it is a matter of "right-to-know." They want GMO ingredients added to the label so they can make informed choices about the food they eat. Those opposed to labeling say it offers no additional nutritional information, and could be construed as a type of warning – causing unnecessary fear of GMOs.
Bold statements and hype plague both sides of the debate. At one end of the spectrum, supporters of GMOs believe that GM foods are totally safe, are no different from foods made from crops modified by thousands of years of conventional breeding, and that they will usher in a new era of global food security. At the other end? Concern that GM food could disrupt natural biodiversity, that GM technology could create and unleash potentially harmful strains of crops, or that GM ingredients could cause negative effects on human health – including allergies and organ toxicity.
Individual GM crops have been studied extensively, and the general consensus among a broad group of scientific and medical organizations is that GM crops are safe to eat and pose no more threat to the environment than conventional crops. Lack of evidence does not necessarily mean concerns are unfounded. GMOs have only been around for a few decades; while they have been studied extensively, none of the research has looked at long-term effects on either human health or the environment.
In September, Scientific American defended GMO science and made their position clear in an article entitled "Labels for GMO foods are a bad idea."
Last year, the Board of Directors of the American Association for the Advancement of Science issued a statement saying, "There are several current efforts to require labeling of foods containing products derived from genetically modified crop plants, commonly known as GM crops or GMOs. These efforts are not driven by evidence that GM foods are actually dangerous. Indeed, the science is quite clear: crop improvement by the modern molecular techniques of biotechnology is safe. Rather, these initiatives are driven by a variety of factors, ranging from the persistent perception that such foods are somehow "unnatural" and potentially dangerous to the desire to gain competitive advantage by legislating attachment of a label meant to alarm."
Why They Should be Labeled
Labels provide information on characteristics of products that consumers have no way of evaluating themselves, and in over 60 countries around the world, people are able to learn through labeling whether or not a product contains genetically modified organisms. The lack of mandatory labeling in Canada and the United States, however, means that North Americans are not as lucky. And many of them do, indeed, want the right to choose; as of mid-September this year, close to 144,000 people have shown their support for GMO labeling by joining the "Demand GMO Labeling" campaign of the popular Buycott consumer site.
There are a number of resources for anxious consumers trying to avoid GMOs. The "Non-GMO Shopping Guide" and the "Non-GMO Project" offer a wide range of information. For a quick, common-sense approach to avoiding GMO ingredients and choosing healthier foods, Canadian Dietitian Christy Brissette has a few simple tactics:
Choose organic foods. "Anything labelled as organic cannot be genetically modified."
Cook meals from scratch. "Some of the biggest culprits … in our food supply are things like corn and soy, so by avoiding processed foods and packaged foods, you are avoiding genetically modified foods."
Develop relationships with local farmers. "There are great farmers' markets across the country.… By actually speaking to the farmers, you can become educated."
Avoid sugar. "Granulated sugar comes from sugar beets, which are genetically modified."
Plant your own fruits and vegetables.
Look for smaller food companies that voluntarily label their products as GMO-free.
Further Resources:
Label GMOs https://www.labelgmos.org/the_science_genetically_modified_foods_gmo
Non GMO Shopping Guide https://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/
Non-GMO Project https://www.nongmoproject.org/
1. GMO fears do not 'translate to the average consumer' – Canada … (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/04/10/f-gmo-genetically-modified-foods-
6. No: Labels on GM foods unnecessary; biotech crops are "safe … (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/no-labels-on-gm-foods
4. Buycott "Demand GMO labeling" Campaign (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.buycott.com/campaign/211/demand-gmo-labeling
5. Labels for GMO Foods Are a Bad Idea (Sept, 2013) Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=labels-for-gmo-foods-are-a-bad-idea&page=2
3. Centre For Food Safety (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/ge-map/#
2. AgBioForum 3(1): Labeling Policy For GMOs: To Each His Own? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.agbioforum.org/v3n1/v3n1a08-caswell.htm


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Prisma is a Finnish chain of hypermarkets belonging to S Group. In Finland there are currently 74 stores in 51 different cities. The first Prisma store opened in Jyväskylä in 1972. In addition to food and groceries, Prisma's selection includes a wide collection of clothing, sporting goods, books, toys, entertainment and home accessories.

Prisma's main competitor in Finland is Kesko's K-Citymarket chain. Prisma also has 14 hypermarkets in and around 5 cities in Estonia. The chain has also had stores in Latvia and Lithuania, but they were closed in 2017. On March 4, 2022, Prisma's owner, the S-Group, announced the closure of all Russian operations.

History
In the past, the S Group's hypermarkets differed a lot from each other, as the cooperatives were allowed to choose their own concept. The names Sokos-market and Prisma, among others, were used. The S Group's first hypermarket, at the time called Sokos Market, was founded in 1971 along Tampereentie in Turku, but the following year, Jyväskylä's Seppälä Prisma was founded, and it got its name from a landmark built in connection with the car market, which looked like a prism. In the 1970s, Prisma/Sokos supermarkets were also opened in Kouvola, Oulu, Pori, Seinäjoki and Tampere, among others. The first Prisma in the Helsinki metropolitan area was opened in the Malmi district in 1987.

The current form of the Prisma chain was born in 1988, when the S Group had begun to consolidate its stores under national chains. SOK considered Prisma a successful name, so it was introduced in all of the S Group's hypermarkets. The product ranges and marketing of the stores were unified. At the end of 1995, there were a total of 28 Prismas in Finland.  AS Prisma Latvija was founded on January 17, 2006, as a registered S-group in Somijā. Its share capital was 5,150,800 euros.

Gallery of Prisma stores

See also
 S Group
 Sello mall shooting

References

External links
 Home Page

Supermarkets of Finland
Supermarkets of Estonia
Supermarkets of Russia
1972 establishments in Finland

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Elizabeth Wardle was born in Staffordshire. Her father Hugh Wardle was described both as a yeoman from Bradnop and Cheddleton and a druggist or chemist. Her mother also named Elizabeth, was from an old Staffordshire family. Elizabeth's brother George Young Wardle (died 1910) was the manager of William Morris's company for twenty years.
Elizabeth was educated at boarding schools in Stone, Oulton and Codsall. Stone convent workshop produced fine needlework and it is possible that she learned embroidery skills there. Elizabeth married Thomas Wardle in 1857 at St Edward's Parish Church, Leek and bore him 14 children although only nine survived infancy.
The first known embroideries by Elizabeth Wardle were made for her local church in Cheddleton in c.1864. They were followed by exquisite items of needlework for churches throughout the region. She worked on designs by Norman Shaw for his commission at Meerbrook in 1873 and also stitched a frontal designed by John D. Sedding for St Luke's Church, Leek.
When with Thomas she founded the Leek School of Embroidery and the Embroidery Society 1879-80, she had already earned a reputation as a fine needlewoman.
Her artistic, needlework and organisational skills came together when she formed the Society. She was able to pass on her skills to local women through the School of Embroidery. She was noted for her ability to interpret architect's designs for needlework and for her creative ability to devise subtle colour combinations; a feature of Leek embroideries. She was particularly skilled at stitching flesh work, a demanding aspect of figurative compositions. Under her direction the Society exhibited in major international events and was highly praised.
Amongst other things Elizabeth Wardle worked for local charities and in  produced a cookery book.


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Global Retail Development Sees Pockets of Hope Despite Uncertain Economic Climate
AIT News Desk 04 Nov 2019 News, Technology Leave a comment 437 Views
A.T. Kearney's Global Retail Development Index Finds Shifts in Policy, Culture Demand Close Attention from Retailers
Global retailing remains a paradox. Even as social media and ecommerce fuel the evolution of a truly global consumer, retailing in emerging economics continues to be affected by local realities such as Internet connectivity, availability and cost of labor, and government factors ranging from taxation policy and trade wars to armed conflict. These are the findings of A.T. Kearney's 2019 Global Retail Development Index (GRDI), a bi-annual study of the global retailing landscape.
Retailers, consumer goods manufacturers, and international service providers rely on the GRDI as the definitive source for understanding which economies are growing, stagnant or declining, and why. The 2019 GRDI ranks 30 developing countries – selected from a list of 200 nations – based on three criteria: achieving a "Country Risk" score above 35; having a population of at least five million; and enjoying a per capita GDP of more than $3,000.
Read More: AiThority Interview with Ed Breault, Chief Marketing Officer at Aprimo
This year's findings explored important factors such as:
Despite sanctions from the U.S. and its allies, urban Russians still enjoy High Street shopping.
China's retail sector – valued today at USD $3.8 trillion and expected to reach USD $6.6 trillion by 2024 – is characterized by a blurring of the line separating offline and online retail, a model known in China as "New Retail."
The picture for global brick & mortar retailers doing business in China is promising. Tim Hortons opened its first Chinese outlet in February 2019 and will add 1,500 locations over the next 10 years. This June, Aldi opened its first Shanghai store and a month later Costco's opened its first Chinese branch.
Saudi Arabian government's decision to provide increasing freedoms to women is expected to increase women's labor force participation to 25% by 2020 and 30% by 2030.
The continued growth potential of the Indian economy and retail market has attracted various international retailers, such as IKEA, Under Armour, American Eagle Outfitters, Miniso, Ted Baker, Go Sport, Replay and Hummel.
Thirty eight percent of Ghanaians have access to Internet services. Though that is a relatively small number, most of them are middle class consumers who are interested in modern retail. In April 2019, DHL, launched DHL Africa eShop, an e-commerce app that brings more than 200 U.S. and U.K. retailers online to 11 African counties, including Ghana.
Brazil's e-commerce sector has also continued to expand despite economic woes, and is expected to grow at a 5 year CAGR of nearly 11% to $ 34 billion by 2024. The online share of national chain retail sales is also set to expand.
Read More: AiThority Interview with Ashwini Choudhary, Co-Founder at Recogni
"This year's GRDI surfaced sometimes subtle, but critical, trends," said Greg Portell, an A.T. Kearney Partner and head of the Consumer practice. "In emerging economies, we see a growing consumer demand for modern retailing. And, in advanced economies such as India and China, we see the future of retail—markets appealing to local tradition operating alongside modern global retailers."
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A.T. Kearney ecommerce fuel Global retailing GRDI Greg Portell Internet services news 2019-11-04
Tags A.T. Kearney ecommerce fuel Global retailing GRDI Greg Portell Internet services news
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WINONA, MINN., USA – PlastiComp, Inc., a global leader in long fiber thermoplastic (LFT) materials and technologies, announced that it has recently completed a capital improvement project at its Winona, Minn., manufacturing and corporate headquarters facility which moved its research and development functions into a dedicated laboratory space.
Dubbed the Da Vinci R&D Lab by the company in honor of famed renaissance inventor and artist Leonardo da Vinci, the project provides an isolated environment for the firms' smaller long fiber composite pellet pultrusion line and auxiliary equipment for conducting evaluations of new raw material feedstocks and processing enhancements.
In addition to custom engineering the performance of LFT materials to meet customer specific application requirements, PlastiComp also performs contract research and development work for industry suppliers and partners seeking to adapt LFT technology.
PlastiComp's portfolio of Complēt® composite pellet products incorporate long glass, carbon, and specialty fibers into thermoplastic polymers ranging from polypropylene to PEEK. PlastiComp's expertise is tailored development and manufacturing of innovative LFT's using engineering resins, often in tandem with long carbon fiber reinforcement. Available globally, their LFT composite pellets are formed into finished components by customers via injection molding or profile extrusion processing methods.
LFT's are desirable for their high strength and toughness properties – qualities that cannot be obtained together using other methods of reinforcing plastics. They provide a lightweight, easier to manufacture alternative to metals and are widely used in transportation, aerospace, defense, sporting goods, industrial equipment, and consumer goods market segment applications.


I've always liked to know what to expect. To know what's coming next. I think I was born that way. Following a schedule and ticking things off a list has always given me a sense of security and calm.
13 years ago, I moved to Turkey. Certainly not something I expected to do.
When I first traveled to Turkey, I literally had to look on a map to see where I was going. I knew very little about the country or the culture. And nothing of the language.
After three short term mission trips to Turkey and 3 years of exchanging friendly letters with a Turkish pastor, God did something unexpected and prompted me to move to Turkey.
Of course all of the unknown was difficult for me, but somehow I found myself taking all the steps needed to move to Turkey.
I finished my bachelor's degree and went to England to complete a one month intensive course to teach English as a second language. I worked full time while in college and earned a full academic scholarship, so I was able to save some money to get me to Turkey and to get my life started there.
And when it was time to leave, it was like stepping into a dark room without knowing what was inside. I had no idea what to expect.
Looking back, I think the Lord did two major things to get me to give up my nicely organised and perhaps rigidly lived life and push me into that dark room.
First of all, He put in my heart a love for the best man I have ever met. As romanticised as that may sound, it was actually quite pragmatic. Logically, I just knew that I wouldn't find a man who would give up his life for the Lord.
Then I met Ramazan Arkan and I couldn't deny that he posessed what I most wanted in a husband.
The other thing that the Lord did was to allow me to be in a sweet state of naivety regarding the obstacles that I would face entering into my new life in Turkey.
It didn't take me long to realise that the most American part of me would clash with the core values of my new culture in Turkey.
The scheduled, the organised, the unbendable, the tenacious, the disciplined were hard to find in the Turkish culture of flexibility and where relationships are of the highest of priority. And I was soon to find that my whole identity was based on things that didn't matter much here in Turkey.
Are you getting married next month? It's not certain yet.
What salary does this job offer? It's not certain yet.
Are you coming to our house for dinner this week? It's not certain yet.
When does the school year start? It's not certain yet.
I don't put things on my calendar anymore because things are never certain.
Are you going to heaven when you die? It's not certain yet.
So here I am in the country named after a bird with 13 years of culture pushing and pinching and prodding me into a slightly more relaxed and unscheduled self.
It turns out that I can work it to my advantage sometimes! And the unknown calendar is kind of nice in a way.
I've had to wrestle with myself over my identity.
The me I took pride in, the values I saw as "right"… well that has all come into question in my new culture.
It's hard to admit that I had formed my identity based more on being a successful productive person rather than on who God says that I am.
I can see how I have given performance precedence over resting in my identity in Christ.
The truth is that I can plan and schedule until I start to gobble but It's still not certain yet.
I'm a follower of Christ.
I will go to heaven when I die.
And indeed those simple certainties provide a security and calm I could never manufacture on my own!
CLICK HERE to read of how Ramazan and Karen are pastoring the Antalya Evangelical Church in Turkey.
Ramazan and his flock have built the first modern Christian church in Antalya Turkey, a port city on the Mediterranean Sea which the Apostle Paul visited as described in Acts 14:25 (recorded as Attalia).
Previous articleWhat Do You Do When Your World Falls Apart?


Americans only make up a quarter of the credit card users in the world, but almost half of the world's instances of credit card scam happens in the United States. There are a few factors behind this shocking statistic, but the main reason is because American credit card technology is becoming increasingly outdated. In many other countries, credit and debit cards have a chip built into the card. This is the gold colored square on the front side of the card, and it acts as a barrier between credit card machines and the hackers who want to steal your money. Unlike the magnetic strip on the back of your credit card, the chip actually encrypts your information. By encrypting your credit card details, it makes it much more difficult for someone to steal your information.
Theft is becoming more high-tech.
These days, stealing somebody's money isn't done as much by mugging or pick-pocketing, but rather hacking credit and bank cards. Thieves install malicious software to card readers, or they attach hardware devices on the outside of the card machine. Whenever you swipe your card, these devices save all of the information stored on your credit card and transmit it to hackers who use the information to make purchases in your name.
The best way to stop this from happening is to never use the magnetic card reader unless absolutely necessary. It is not a secure way to purchase items. If you leave the door to your house unlocked when you go to work, it is not guaranteed that someone will not walk in and steal your belongings. The same concept applies to using the magnetic strip; every time you swipe your card, you are leaving yourself open to hackers stealing your banking and credit card details.
Cities like New York, which have millions of tourist who visit, are rife with cases of credit card scam. Just last year a group of men were arrested for stealing about $18,000 and purchasing a number of name brand products. Not only do tourists make easy targets, but big cities have a lot of small, independently ran shops that can target customers. Usually, it is not the shop owners that are involved in the scam, but rather employees that tamper with the credit card readers.
The United States has begun to implement security chips in a number credit and debit cards to fight credit card scam. If you are planning on using your card at a restaurant or any retailer, never give it to an employee and let him or her walk off with it. Always be able to see your card at all times, so you can be sure that it is not being stuck into a device that clones it or extracts data. Also, refrain from drawing money from ATMs that don't look official. If you are unsure, it's better to walk or drive to the nearest bank and use their ATM. The fees you experience from drawing money at a third party bank are much better than becoming a victim of credit card fraud.
If you are in need of further legal help or advice, contact Team Green Lawyers for a free consultation.


That said, in my experience as a Westminster real estate professional, I've also found that providing the very best service is essentially about putting my clients first. This means keeping myself accessible, being a good listener as well as a good communicator, and responding quickly to your needs.
So when you decide that you'd like to buy or sell a home in the Westminster,Foothill Ranch,Fountain Valley,Huntington Beach,Garden Grove,Lake Forest,Mission Viejo,Laguna Beach areas, please contact me.


We may be inheriting much more from our grandparents than the contents of their attic.
Some people receive family heirlooms from their ancestors: historic jewelry, trinkets, vintage clothes, sentimental photographs, and other mementos which are passed down from generation to generation. But scientists are beginning to discover that we may be inheriting much more from our grandparents than the contents of their attic. New studies suggest that some of our memories, fears, and behaviors are passed down genetically through generations from our ancestors.
The field of epigenetics is based on the concept of changes in gene expression and the concept of active and inactive genes. Epigenetic scientists study how cells change to adapt into being skin cells, or liver cells, or even cancerous cells. They also study how genes are inherited and the changes to those genetics that we exhibit, even when those changes are not essential to our DNA. These changes can be affected by our experiences, age, environment, and health. Recent studies done by scientists and researchers even suggest that we receive loads of genetic memories from our parents, grandparents, and further ancestors, in an instinctive effort by their DNA to better prepare ours for difficult experiences that they have faced, such as fear, disease, or trauma.
At Emory University's School of Medicine, researchers have recently discovered that small rodents are capable of passing information and phobias down through generations. Scientists took mice and induced an aversion to the scent of cherry blossoms through a series of small electric shocks. They found that mice that were exposed to this and who exhibited this fear eventually produced offspring that were also fearful of the scent of cherry blossoms, even though the offspring had never been exposed to the electric shocks and had no reason to be afraid. The researchers also found that the brains of these mice were structurally different from other mice who did not have parents or ancestors that had been exposed to the conditioning.
These findings could certainly be chalked up as part of the nature vs. nurture argument – the fear of cherry blossoms could be passed on directly from parent to offspring, after all – except for the strange fact that offspring exhibited the same behavior and fears, generation after generation, even if the mice had been fathered through the use of artificial insemination. Mice who had never physically met the parent who was afraid of cherry blossoms still somehow received the genetic impulse for that same fear.
Similar experiments were done at Tel Aviv University in Israel, in which scientists discovered that conditions like starvation and viruses in worms affected the DNA of their offspring. Researchers concluded that these specific genes were passed along in an instinctive attempt to prepare descendants for hardship.
Scientists have yet to really test this phenomenon in humans, or determine whether it actually affects us in the same way as it does the mice and worms of the aforementioned studies. But the experiment does show some strong evidence for the concept that memories could be biologically transmitted, and implications of these genetic hand-me-downs could be key in understanding some forms of human behaviors. Even though we are very different from the species that were tested, the findings of this research are being carefully considered in terms of human genetics.
Unfortunately, the results of these studies don't mean that we are inheriting skills like kung-fu or how to play an instrument from our ancestors' experiences, though some scientists believe this may be possible as well. Rather, the evidence shown by the mice and worms of these experiments suggest that, if applicable to humans, the results of our ancestors' past trauma and fears is genetically affecting the way we see the world around us.
Your fear of spiders, for example, might be caused by the trauma of previous generations, and some of your odd quirks might come directly from your grandparents, if not a generation even further back. More specifically, the results of the study are being used to explore possible causes for certain disorders and conditions including anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and phobias, and if a legitimate connection is found, it could prove groundbreaking for the field of mental health.


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When any kind of oral treatment is offered beyond routine company hrs, individuals usually stress that they will certainly be compelled to spend for their therapies out-of-pocket and after that send a billing to their insurance firm for repayment. It holds true that some dental professionals in Florida could require you to cover some expenditures in advance prior to you could be seen. Nevertheless, when you are most thinking about having most, otherwise all your consultation billed to your insurance firm, you could connect to this oral solution program as well as ask to be matched with an after hr oral workplace that could pay payment straight. 24 Hour Dental solution could inform you if a dental expert that approves Guardian Dental Care in Otter Creek is able to see patients past 6PM to see you that night. Similarly, if you have to be matched with a dental expert that takes Delta Dental in Otter Creek, this solution could have that details available for you when you call. Nonetheless, if you require testimonials on a dental practitioner that takes Humana in Otter Creek, you could likewise utilize this solution to figure out just how well this service provider has actually been assessed by various other people as well as if your insurance company could be billed for your treatment. You could obtain info too concerning any kind of Spanish talking dental experts in Otter Creek that make it an indicate se habla espanol if you favor that language.
The day as well as age where dental professionals would certainly shut on Friday night as well as closed their techniques back up till Monday early morning are lengthy gone. Individuals that had oral emergency situations throughout the weekend break as well as night hrs needed to locate natural remedy for their discomfort and also wait till the following service day to obtain care. Given that 2009 the oral sector has actually arised to and also progressed to after hr as well as weekend break treatment. It is currently appropriate to locate a dental practitioner that is open Saturday as well as open Sunday for a couple of hrs in the early morning for individuals that have severe as well as immediate oral problems that have to be dealt with promptly. When you discover on your own in a scenario where you require emergency situation solutions, you could question where you could locate a dental expert open Saturday in Otter Creek, FL. Your search could be swiftly fixed when you call this totally free and also no-obligation Florida reference line. This AROUND THE CLOCK solution could inform you where to discover a dental professional in Otter Creek that is open after hrs as well as open Friday night as well as right into the weekend break for a selection of healing solutions and also even more.
Sunday dental professionals near me in Otter Creek, FL could be counted on for greater than simply preventative solutions. Previous oral implants function could obtain knocked loose, as well, which will certainly trigger an extreme tooth pain. Dentures could damage, veneers or various other aesthetic remedies could split or something merely coming loose could need a tooth removal. The essential point is to obtain to the dental practitioner and also obtain it repaired prior to it ends up being something a lot even worse that may require surgical procedure. Our dental experts are the very best as well as they obtain go crazy evaluations. If you do not have insurance coverage, inquire about cash money discount rates. You will certainly discover collaborating with our dental experts a sensible experience.
Your mouth, teeth, and also periodontals influence your total wellness all the same as other component of your body. When you have an extreme tooth pain or struggle with an infection or cuts inside your mouth, you might be incapable to wait to see a dental professional till the following service day. When you should locate a dental practitioner in Otter Creek that is open after hrs for emergency situation solutions, you could inform on your own, "I can not discover an emergency situation dental practitioner near me in Otter Creek, FL that is open late and also with the ability of taking my insurance policy." As opposed to allow this vital facet of your health and wellness delay, you could rather call this cost-free AROUND THE CLOCK oral recommendation line offered to you and also various other Florida locals to discover urgent dental practitioners in Otter Creek, FL. When you have the name as well as variety of a dental practitioner that could give with you with restorative solutions you require for your immediate issue, you could waiting to recovery swiftly and also proceeding with your life.


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Once again, with the announcement of the termination of temporary protected status for 200,000 Salvadorans, the government has continued to deconstruct both the values and the actions upon which our great nation has been built. Rather than showing ourselves to be a nation that is compassionate and welcoming to peoples in trouble, we are showing ourselves to be a nation that xenophobically closes itself in fear of the person in need. Rather than recognizing that our nation's strength has been its welcome of the immigrant and refugee, we are now setting about breaking up their families and sending them and their U.S. born children away into an uncertain future.
This Administration is certifying that the situation on the ground in El Salvador is now safe. While the homicide rate has supposedly improved recently I wonder if they have seen the statistics or heard the reports revealing that El Salvador is presently the most dangerous place in the world to live--more dangerous by far than living in Afganistan or Syria based upon their unequaled homicide rates. In fact, El Salvador's current homicide rate is six times what is considered epidemic by the United Nations.
This decision is unconscionable! It will make some happy, but its impact will be lived out in the future of many innocent people who up to now were peaceably raising their families and contributing to our country.
Your response regarding the governments decision on this matter is an example of the typical hypocrisy that can be expected from the church. This country is not responsible for the welfare of those who are not citizens or legal residents. Most of these migrants have spent several years in this country enjoying benefits that they knew were only awarded on a temporary basis. The current situation in El Salvador is irrelevant, the Salvadorans have been provided with plenty of time to solve their migratory status and many have simply done nothing. It is hilarious to see them cry foul over a situation they perpetuated and it's typical of the church to issue such traitorous statements towards a government that wishes to make life better for its citizens and legal residents.
How is it hypocrisy? The U.S. is constantly overthrowing even the custodial staff in any central American government office if they perceive them as leftist. Throw in cartel cash and logistics offered by corrupt officials for cartels and you have major problems.
The hypocrisy is that of the church. Your example is not relevant. What you mentioned is simply the actions of a government defending its assets. The church needs to respect the actions of the lawful government and should stop claiming for rights in the name of criminals.


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