I found Hannah Richards in the Remarkably Average Parents facebook group when I asked if anyone would like to write a post about how to file your own taxes. Hannah responded that although she was not an accountant, she was the go-to resource for her friends and had a certain knack for translating complex number stuff to those of us who can't find their way around a calculator. Are you a W2 filer and debating filing your own taxes? Let Hannah break down the basics!
Disclaimer: The information contained in this post does not a substitute for consulting with an actual accountant. We recommend consulting with a tax advisor, especially if you are starting your own business.
If you haven't already done your taxes, you're probably the kind of person who waits for a sign. Like for your kids to miraculously take a 3-hour nap, or a venti iced mocha to magically show up at your door, or, you know, an overdue notice from the IRS to come in the mail.
Ok fine, that's a lie – I've never been there. I file my taxes on the earliest possible date every single year. But not because I don't have two crazy spirited children demanding yet another episode of Barbie and then peeing their pants and hiding legos in my bed – but because – err – I love doing my taxes.
I know, I know, major eye roll.
Believe me when I say I am NOT an above average parent – or taxpayer. I just like being able to watch The Bachelor in my room, alone, while my husband chases after our kids because I'm "working on our taxes." I also kind of love filling in boxes and checking things off – and watching that tiny little ticker in the upper left-hand corner of Turbo Tax scroll up and down like a slot machine jackpot, calculating my payout.
Now, I'm not naive enough to think that this is actually how taxes work. I fully understand that I paid a whole bunch of money and got basically nothing for it (Helloooo, universal healthcare? Subsidized childcare, where you at?) and I'm just now being reimbursed for the thousands of dollars I loaned the government interest-free. But it's way more fun to pretend that I'm winning.
So even though I'm not an accountant or a "math person" or one of those moms who can tie a baby wrap or clip an Ergo on her own back – I am both incredibly competitive and incredibly cheap and the combination of those two remarkably average qualities has resulted in an unusual obsession with doing my taxes – and getting the biggest refund with the smallest amount of time and effort. But as probably no one ever said, my annoying OCD is your financial gain – and if you still need to settle with Uncle Sam, I've got 5 tips to make it as productive and painless as possible.
I have never used an accountant before because, well, you have to pay them, and the thought of paying one person to figure out how much money I have to pay another person just makes me feel all rage-y. I totally get that for some people with complex tax situations (like small business owners), it makes sense to hire an accountant. But if you only have one (or a couple) sources of income, and you have a junk drawer where you can store your tax documents for a couple years until you forget where you put them, then you can totally do it yourself. Especially now that the standard deduction has been almost doubled from $6,350 to $12,000, most people (about 90% according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center) won't have to itemize their taxes anymore. That means no digging through your junk drawer for old Goodwill donation receipts or spending time figuring out if you can deduct pizza and beer as a moving expense. Sweet.
Now when I say "do your taxes yourself," I don't mean actually do them yourself. If you've ever tried manually filing your taxes using pen and paper, then you know that trying to understand the instructions on a federal tax form is about as difficult as figuring out whether you're arriving or departing at the airport. DO NOT RECOMMEND. Instead, use a software program like Turbo Tax, HR Block, TaxAct, etc. These programs take all the complicated forms and distill them into simple questions like "did you make any money in 2019?" "Do you own a house?" "Did you pay 10 trillion dollars in student loan interest?" Then they use your answers to figure out which credits and deductions you qualify for, and ultimately how much money you either owe, or get paid back. They also offer access to actual accountants if you have questions that Siri, Google, Alexa and your cousin's wife's brother that does something in finance can't answer.
While these types of programs typically do cost money, they make it SO MUCH SMPLER to file your taxes, and you can save almost half the cost of filing by buying the software and downloading it to your computer, vs. completing your taxes online. Seriously. On the Turbo Tax website, their "Deluxe" package, including federal and state e-filing costs $100. Or you can head over to Amazon.com and download the same software onto your computer for only $49. No freakin' brainer.
If you do decide to file your taxes online (instead of buying the software), then at some point you are going to have to pay the fee for the online service. Most online tax prep services won't ask you to pay until you're ready to file, and if you're getting a big fat refund (yay!) they will inevitably ask if you'd like them to conveniently deduct their fee from your refund check, instead of having to hassle with a credit card. JUST SAY NO.
I totally get that the last thing you want to do after entering four million numbers into a complicated form is input yet another number that you have to dig through your wallet to find, BUT if you read the fine print, which, let's be real, most of us don't, you'll see that they are actually charging you an additional $30-$50 on top of the $100 tax prep fee, just for the convenience of paying out of your refund vs. entering your credit card number.
You guys, this is how spoiled the internet has made us. Paying by credit card is now considered inconvenient. Anyone remember mailing checks?! Don't pay more than you have to, and just pull out the plastic.
Now that you know the easiest and cheapest way to file your taxes, the next step to a big fat refund is maximizing your credits and deductions. For the most part, a tax software program will do this for you, but when it comes to your filing status (single, qualified widower with dependent child, head of household, married filing separately, or married filing jointly) it can pay off to try mixing things up.
For most married couples it makes sense to file jointly – BUT – if one of you has significantly more income than the other, or one person had a ton of medical bills or other deductible expenses last year, then it could be beneficial to file separately. The best way to find out is to fill out your tax information both ways using a tax prep software program (without actually submitting your return) and see which filing status results in the biggest refund.
Another thing to be aware of is that if you aren't married, but you have children or other dependents (including an elderly or disabled relative for whom you provide at least 50% of the financial support) than you can file as head of household (vs. single), which will result in a significantly larger standard deduction and a lower tax rate as well.
If you get all the way through your taxes and the number you see in the refund box is either WAY bigger or WAY uglier than you expected – double and triple check all your information. One extra zero or misplaced comma can wreak havoc on your return, and while it may seem like a jackpot when and if the refund check arrives, it's never any fun paying it all back once the IRS sorts out the mistake (which they will).
That said, tax codes have recently changed, as well as the guidance for employers on how much to withhold from employee paychecks, so it's entirely possible that your refund this year is significantly higher or lower than in years past. If that's the case and you can't find any mistakes, it might be time to change your withholding.
All that entails is providing your employer with an updated W-4 (the form you filled out right after you got hired that asks how many exemptions you can claim). The lower the number of exemptions, the more money your employer will withhold, and the more money you will (theoretically) get back in your return. If you owed Uncle Sam a lot this year, reduce your exemptions. If you had a windfall, either go grab an expensive bottle of champagne to celebrate or increase your exemptions and get more money in your paycheck each month, and a little less at tax time.
Ready to get started? What are your best tips for getting through your taxes each year?
Hannah Richards is a mom of two, marketing strategist, and unofficial financial advisor/translator for her coworkers who are confused by compound interest. She is a self-admitted control freak (read: DIYer) and is the kind of person that actually reads the fine print on a mortgage. She lives in Cumberland, Maine with her husband and daughters and is way better at numbers than she is at diapers.
If you are a W2 filer doing your own taxes this is fine. But if you start your own business you should get the advice of an accountant. As a tax preparer, I have seen big mistakes from opportunities missed to owing a ton of money. I suggest you get the advice of a reputable accountant that someone recommends to you at the very least at the start of your enterprise.


way too simple for my taste. all those empty spaces ate the image. using a shadow would help to give this, at least, some degree of volume.
Ah, this was for the challenge. Please specify this in the future, along with any other important details.


text:
VAWA LETTER
All My Relations Team
For the Love of the Mauna Transcript
ADRIENNE: Hi I'm Adrienne, I'm a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. A writer, a blogger, and scholar, auntie, living in what is currently known as Rhode Island.
MATIKA: And I'm Matika! I am from the Swinomish and Tulalip peoples and I'm a photographer, and a doer of many many things.
ADRIENNE: There's a lot happening in the world right now. And we're still in a global pandemic and winter is coming.
MATIKA: (laughs)
ADRIENNE: But today and for the next 3 episodes we want to take you back to January of 2020 and tell you a story we think is really important. This is a story about land, about culture, and about connections to place.
MATIKA: And it's a good story. Last January, our whole team got on the plane. (music begins) I got on the plane with Alma Bee, she was just 8 weeks old, it was her first plane trip. And we went to Hawaii, and Hawaii was like, just like you imagine it to be, it was sunny and warm and it smelled good and it felt good and we did all the Hawaii things that you do when you go to Hawaii. You know, like eating spam musubi from the ABC store where we got our (unknown), (laughs) and you know we went to the beach and we were just having a fun little time together in real life, in person. And, the truth is though that's not why we were there and that's not what this story's about. This is the story of the movement to protect Mauna a Wakea and Hawaii is not a vacation land. Hawaii is the homeland of Kanaka Maoli people. Right now they're fighting to protect one of their most sacred sites and that's why we flew all the way across the ocean because we felt like it was essential to make the trip to talk one-on-one with the activists and elders who are dedicating their lives to the movement. So, let me set the scene for you know, we're like in Hawaii, we're in this really warm tropical place then we drove up to the Mauna to pu'u huluhulu, the resistance camps and as we were driving up the weather started to change it was suddenly cold, the mist was thick and we arrived during evening protocol to see folks doing their oli in jackets and bare feet and I got this sudden feeling that I was in a sacred place and that I needed to be respectful and needed to follow the protocol of that place. And, you know we sort of arrived like hoping that we would get to meet people but we didn't' really know who we were going to meet and I feel like we got really lucky to talk with a number of really amazing powerful folks who shared story with us and we were actually able to visit the kupuna tent and talk story with a bunch of elders and the really shared amazing stories with us.
ADRIENNE: It felt really important to be in that tent with everyone and hearing all of the stories and grounding of why we were there. And, it brought me back to Standing Rock in a lot of ways and it's it's not often that we get to be in the center of a movement like that. One of the amazing people we got to talk with was Auntie Noe Noe Wong-Wilson, one of the kupuna or elders of the movement, a professor, educator, cultural practitioner, and Native rights activist. She is a lifelong protector of the aina, the land, she is so well respected in the community that her voice and knowledge on the movement is requested by media, policymakers, visitors and in courtrooms. And she was so generous with her time with us, we interviewed her in our mobile minivan studio as the rain poured down outside. Just minutes before she had to head to the airport to fly to Oahu for meetings and direct actions. She told us the power of the land where we set.
AUNTIE NOE NOE: Aina, Land is an inseparable part of our identity as Hawaiians. And along with the land comes spirituality because these things, these inanimate things that cannot be produced by a human, are what we call the gods. So, we revere the very rocks we walk on, the very rocks that you're standing. And there is no sense of I or me in the Hawaiian culture. You know, our smallest unit is the 'ohana, or the family. And we are just part of that whole. And that family is defined however the family is defined, it's not necessarily a western nuclear family concept. Land is inseparable from us. People who have Hawaiian blood, who were born away from the islands for several reasons, different reasons, or who have to move away, most times for economic reasons have this inseparable relationship with the land and when they are away the yearn for it – in ways that are indescribable for them. They, they feel the tug and the pull of this particular land which is called Hawaii, a series of little islands. And it is, it is in a way that any Native people I guess feels for their own land, when they are removed from it. And so, to see it abused in this way is painful to the soul. It's painful to our native soul, yea and that's why we stand.
(THEME MUSIC PLAYS)
MATIKA: Let's being this story with Lanakila Mangauil who helps us to understand what this movement is all about.
LANAKILA MANGAUIL: Aloha my name is Lanakila Mangauil or Joshua (Hawaiian Name) Lanakila Managauil. I was born and raised on the north side of Hawaii island in a small town called Honoka'a. I'm a unique generation that was blessed to grow up in a time coming out of the results of the Hawaiian renaissance movement and I've been an educator teaching in our Hawaii school system, and community, and internationally for over ten years now, and have been active in this particular movement since about 2013 and kind of became a little move synonymous as leadership starting in 2014 and kind of initiated this step of direct action for protection of the mountain.
There's a number of different components to the foundation of why we are standing to protect this mountain. Umm on one level for us as Indigenous peoples. Here Mauna a Wakea is our most sacred mountain. It is the tallest mountain on earth from the sea floor to its summit. And for us its part of our genesis stories, our creation stories, it was the first child born of Papahānaumoku and Wākea, which is the earth mother and the sky father. And this was their first child that was born and then the siblings, the younger siblings of the islands themselves continued to emerge forth and eventually also the sibling who is Hoʻohokukalanithe star mother, she is the next who then birthed the kanaka the human and was brought here to the earth. And so, we see the mountain as the eldest of all of our siblings. As the hiapo or the eldest child it does all this work to gather the nutrients and to feed them to all of us younger siblings. And we maintain that relationship. It's also very sacred to us as being one of the highest points in all of Oceania. It is a burial ground, especially for a lot of our high chiefs, high priests, and particular families that are related to the deities of this mountain. They are for generations upon generations the bones of ancestors are laid to rest on this mountain. It is a tradition of our people too that we don't mark graves. They are hidden away. The fact that you look and you don't see stone heads, or markers, doesn't mean that they aren't there. It is a tradition to hide the bones. So there is a burial ground to elevate our ancestors into the heavens. It is also very symbolic for us because we see the mountain also as a piko which is an umbilical. The mountain is the umbilical of this honua planet that stretches into the (Speaking Hawaiian) and the (Speaking Hawaiian), the black of space is, is the placenta. And the imagery of that is the mountain channels all this mana of the universe to come down through it and it shares it for the growing embryo which is this earth. So the image of all these things being built in this area is, is, is, we see it almost like cancer in the umbilical cord. In that practice it is also a tradition of our people to bring the umbilicals of our babies to the mountain. We come, particular families and particular, those who want to connect with the mountain when the umbilical falls off of our babies, that is come and laid to rest on the mountain too. So we have a spiritual tether to this place and so it is a practice of our people that no matter where we go in life, if we know the origin where our piko lies, we know that it grounds us to these places where we can draw mana from. Also, it is the place where the god of life, the sustainer of life which we refer to as Kanenuiakea or Kāne had his sacred children. The sacred daughters of Kāne are Lilinoe, Waiau, Kahoupokane, and Poli'ahu. They are the four primary maidens of the mountain. Their kino or physical manifestation, is Lillinoe is the mist and the fog bodies of the mountain, Waiau is the lake, lake Waiau sits high at the summit, Kahoupokane is the subterranean waters and the thunderstorms, and Poli'ahu is draping snows of the mountain. And in that we see, we recognize that they are the hydrology of this mountain. And so, Mauna Kea is actually also registered and as well as Mauna Loa they are both registered ice mountains within the core of the mountains it's permafrost and that's what helps hold the lake up there and what also has been from the Ice Age gives us these artisan wells that permeate down and feed into all the springs all over in the lowland. So from either my side of the island all the way down to the, the, the white sandy shores here in the west side and all those hotels area, the springs, it's all coming from this mountain. So it's very very critical to the aquifer here. So in the tradition of our people it was very very seldom that anybody ever came up into this, up onto the mountain, particularly to the top, to the summit. That's what we refer to as (Speaking Hawaiian) the realm reserved for the gods. So it's only on very very very important occasions would a chief or an ali'i actually ascend to the summit and the protocols and the discipline and the demand of that was extreme. So that the main protocol that we all observe was really to stay off of the mountain. So it wasn't a very regularly visited area. There's only one thing that we technically gathered from the mountain, and there's only one or two places on the mountain and that's where we had the ko'i or the adze, the basalt stone quarries and they're very small areas and there's only two points where we gathered and they're further down the slope. So the basic foundation is that we did not go into this area because we also understood the uniqueness and the fragility of this place, the ecosystem here, which in turn is the deities that we speak of too. The need to make sure to maintain the purity and the stories it is spoken that Poli'ahu who is the youngest daughter and the most divine of Kāne the kapu, or the mandate was to maintain her purity, to maintain her virginity, because she was also the oracle of Hawaii. In the stories it speaks of it that way, the mountain was forbidden because Poli'ahu was the highest maiden and no mortal could touch her. But in translation of that, we're understanding that those particular water bodies, the waters of the mountain were to remain pure. Which is also the foundation of what the word kea means. We say Mauna Kea, some people say white mountain but kea is not just the color white. It's about, it's a gleaming untainted white because the root of kea is purity. So we left this area as untainted and pure because that's the highest waters. And so the everything that flows down from that would would maintain that. And now we can back this all up with also paralleling that with modern science understanding of the, you know, the Mauna Kea is considered a high alpine desert ecosystem at its summit. And there is a very very unique species of plants and animals. It goes along with the evolution of the Hawaiian islands. You know when it comes to endemic species and such too. You know the isolation of our islands have created such diversity and evolution of plants and animals so even unique to this mountain are some species that can be found nowhere else on earth, not even on our, Mauna Loa, they've evolved into their own unique species. So their space is very limited, especially on the summits where we are facing all of this encroachment of development. The certain species of insects and fauna up there are severely threatened because they already are very scarce just in the landscape. There's only so much acreage up there that can sustain these lifeforms. And that's exactly what they're trying to intrude into to. The previous telescope constructions on the mountain, they've, they've decimated so much of the ecosystems. It's even noted in a lot of the EIS[1]s that they've done prior of how destructive the construction and development up there has been to the ecosystem. We're technically trying to uphold the law here. Because even under, under the U.S. occupation too under the state of Hawaii, Mauna Kea is actually also held as conservation lands and it's been a bunch of corruption since back in the sixties that has just kind of, kind of circumnavigated these laws and softened down the impacts and language of laws to make it as if these astronomical construction project are not, or that they're doing everything possible to, to mitigate and to soften the impact but it's, the data show right there and an open shows you up there how destructive it has been. And so really at this particular time it is a matter of stopping any further development, upholding law, because if there's anything within the U.S. system, the rules of conservation fall directly in line with our traditional practices of the mountain as well. So, in that I always try to bring people back to reminding that's the foundation where we stand. It's for me first and foremost an environmental movement. It's the health of our natural environment that is crucial to our cultural rights and our rights as Indigenous peoples. It's not quite our rights for us to take care of the land, no we got to take care of the land because without the land we have no culture. Our culture cannot exist without these places. But environmental protection of water, protection of natural habitats, protection of sacred sites and cultural practices we get caught up in what's happening right off tier. So these conflicts with the state and the county because of obstruction of roadways and du-du-du we get so lost in that sometimes we forget the root of why we are here. For many of us it is our goal to see this project stopped. No more further development on the mountain, that's really where we are putting our foot down. There is already 13 existing telescopes on the mountain, there's about 24 structures altogether and about 10 miles worth of roadway that has been carved onto the mountain. But at the summit asphalt and all these different types of things, there's been massive power lines embedded into the mountain as well too. There's a lot of cumulative impact as well as the opening of this mountain as a public road that now opens the way for tourism, heavy impact of nearly, there's nearly in count between, between 500 to 1000 people coming up this mountain every single day. And that happens on the daily unless of course there's a winter storm or something. But it's unbelievable how much traffic comes up here and there really is very little to any management of them up there so they get up there and just walk all about and the University of Hawaii who has the lease of this mountain and they are the ones who basically have done nothing for the conservation effort and just opened up this mountain for tourism and astronomy. And so, we are just kind of in the resurgence of our people coming back and reclaiming this place and for our right to protect this place as it needs to be both for culturally, spiritually, and environmentally.
MATIKA: In order to fully understand the history of this movement we really need to understand the history of Hawaii. And to get the full story we talked with Dr. Keanu Sai who talked with us for you know, hours, and he gave us the whole history of the Hawaiian Kingdom. And, you will hear from him in the next episode but to get to the immediate context we talked with Jamaica Osorio who tells us the history of Hawaii.
ADRIENNE: And can I just talk about Jamaica for a second, so she is an incredible and accomplished poet and also now a scholar at the University of Hawaii where she studies the intersections of queer theory and Hawaiian (Hawaiian word) or traditional stories. And it's just like so amazing to me to hear her and see her now and see how much she has accomplished. Because I first met her when she was a high schooler and came to College Horizons and we were already blown away by her power then. And just could not even believe how amazing she was when she was that young. And then she applied to Stanford when I was the Native recruiter in the admission office. So I was the one who got to read her application and send her the admissions letter and she came to Stanford for undergrad. So now to see her as a fully grown scholar and activist is just beautiful.
MATIKA: Let's jump right in (chuckles).
JAMAICA OSORIO: (Introduces self in Hawaiian). I was born and raised on the island of Oahu in the (Speaking Hawaiian), my parents John and Mary Osorio, they met when my Mom was in her twenties. But I spent almost my entire life on Oahu living in town and now I live (Speaking Hawaiian) just on the, on the foot of (Speaking Hawaiian), the some people call them the three peaks. In 1778, Captain Cook arrived in Hawaii when he came there was flourishing and civilized collective of people who were living and working and growing and making art together. We weren't without our problems but we existed quite fruitfully. With his arrival came the introduction of a host of diseases that we didn't have immunities for and it began this sharp and steady collapse of our population. And I don't think we actually talk about the collapse of our population enough and it's devastation really in terms of our culture, our practice, and our understanding of like history and politics and how all those things shifted. So, we go from being about a million people in 1778 to about 33,000 people in 1893, so just decimated. But (Speaking Hawaiian) will tell you in that time we also developed our own constitution and a kingdom and we were recognized by the League of Nations. And so, we had a recognized, whatever the hell that means, nation-state in the International arena. In 1820 our homies from the ABCFM – American Board of Foreign Missions – if those are all the right letters they came and they sent us their missionaries to teach us about Jesus and Jehovah and really started transforming the way we relate together, relate to each other and our land. I think of that as a really critical moment in terms of our culture and our past. Going from practicing multiple, vibrant, a diversity of relationships into really being kind of pushed through the institution of marriage and monogamy, to kind of reorganize our entire political and home structure to fit more neatly into an American western society. In 1893 there was a quote revolution staged by a small group of American businessmen called they committee of safety where they overthrew our queen, they propped up their own fake government called the provisional government and then they started to liaison with the United States to annex Hawaii. That was always the plan, they didn't want to be their own country, they wanted to be part of the United States, mostly to support in their own business ventures. But the United States didn't have the votes for an annexation. And I'm sure (Speaking Hawaiian) went to great detail about how this worked out but essentially what happens is they create this new BS kind of way of usurping a country and the write a joint resolution that's called the Newlands Resolution, because a joint resolution is a piece of domestic law that doesn't require a three-fourths majority in the Senate and there are lots of reasons they didn't have all the votes. Sugar growers in the south didn't want Hawaii to become a state because it would compete with their business, there were also a lot of people in the United States who were like what are we going to do with all those Asians and Brown people, they're just going to become Americans? Like we already have our own Black and Brown problem in America, we can't just bring a whole another bunch of Brown people and call them citizens. So, it's not like we had a lot of real friends in America who wanted us to be sovereign they just didn't want to deal with the Brown problem is my understanding for the most part. So they didn't have the votes, so they create this guise of an annexation and they add quote, annex Hawaii in 1893 (CORRECTION: 1898). We remained a territory from 1893 until 1959 when they staged a vote for statehood. Again the folks who study our human history will remind us that because all of that was violently illegal in all sense of international and American law we remain an illegally occupied nation-state. It's a military occupation and essentially American needs to leave in order to follow it's own laws but we all know how America does with their own laws. I'm not really a scholar of this period but I kind of imagine the period between like the early, like World War Two and the Hawaiian renaissance as this like, this deep period of mourning and grief, and even if we look, if we go back even further and say like, the early nineteen-hundreds to like 1960s, Hawaiians are really struggling with this question of are we going to be American, are we going to assimilate, how do we prepare our children and our grandchildren to succeed and live generative lives in this future. How are we going to deal with the fact that we are constantly being devalued for all things Hawaiian are not valuable. My grandfather's generation is really characterized by I think that deep period of mourning. Many of them didn't learn how to speak Hawaiian, many of them did not practice their Hawaiian traditions, with the exception of a few things like music, remained really powerful throughout my grandfather's generation. My grandfather knew hundreds of old Hawaiian songs. So there are some things that you were allowed to practice that were still valuable, that were still beautiful enough that we could do and still become Americans. And then my father's generation started to come of age and my dad writes about this a little, the defining work my grandfather's generation was World War Two. And, the way my father imagines it is that World War Two really kind of in a lot of ways galvanized an American identity and brought people – even people of color – right and in Hawaii brought people to understand themselves as American. And especially in Hawaii where we were attacked where there was this kind of camaraderie that was developed like we were attacked too, we will band together, we will protect our country. Well my father's defining War of his generation was Vietnam, and it had a very different effect on his generation in a more dissociative effect, and I think, Vietnam coupled with the growing kind of activism in the United States around American Indian rights, and the Civil Rights Movement really started to light a fire under a lot of Hawaiians in terms of Hawaiian rights and sovereignty. In fact, a few Hawaiians in that time went to go study from the Black Panthers. And learned all this amazing stuff about non-violent direct action and civil disobedience and came back and brought that work back to Hawaii. And, we are really living as the legacy of that work, of the early 1970s folks who fought to protect (Speaking Hawaiian) who fought evictions in Kalama Valley, or fought evictions all around the islands. So all this is happening kind of growing, it becomes less and less of a bad word to call yourself and activist in the 90s. In the 80s (CORRECTION: 1968) the first telescope goes up without permission, without consent, without permits, they get permits after the fact, and that's kind of like, that's the genesis to this story of telescopes or scientific advancement and Mauna Kea specifically. I mean we can tell a much bigger story about the way that development has really ravished Hawaii. But if we want to talk about why do Hawaiians not trust scientists, why do Hawaiian not trust twenty-first century scientists and the development of Mauna Kea, we can begin with the 1980s (CORRECTION: 1960s) and building of telescopes without permits. All of the first few permits, all of the first few telescopes all got permits after the fact and then it was just one after the other after the other. Eventually the state of Hawaii does an audit and clearly demonstrates that the mountain has been clearly mismanaged, on an environmental and ecological standpoint. And then if you put the whole cultural rights thing on top of it, it's just an entire travesty. About ten years, oh god, maybe eleven years ago now, in 2008 or 2009 the thirty-meter telescope was proposed for Mauna Kea. And it was immediately met with opposition. And I think that's a really important thing for people to understand, is that people have been fighting telescopes on that mountain, really since the 1980s (CORRECTION: 1980s), but specifically this telescope for ten years. They've shown up in court, they've shown up on the mountain. And time and time again the state of Hawaii, kind of just makes up it's own rules and brings its bulldozers and brings their TMT's private security, also known as the Hilo Police Department or (Unknown 21:22) whoever else you want to talk about. And a lot of this came to a head in 2014 and 2015 when a few people from my generation ascended the mountain and they stopped the groundbreaking ceremony.
MUSIC PLAYING
LANAKILA: The call was to have ceremony down here at the bottom of the mountain when all the dignitaries and representatives came up to do their stuff, they would see us that our people are still here. But for a few ofus young guys, I don't know if I can do that, just sit here and watch these guys just drive by me (laughing) so really there was no thought ever, no plans and none of us have really ever engaged in frontline direct action kind of thing. So it was a new thing for us. For me and some of my friends I think the biggest idea that we got was to get up there and get behind in the background with our signs and then the cameras so that they would see them. And the whole scenario thing plays out that day, some of us went up and we ended up actually just kind of jumping in the road (chuckles), we found ourselves in that position and later at the summit we were actually blocking the road so we couldn't get to the groundbreaking site. So, we just kind of stood in line and then the dignitaries and everybody were behind us so there was a big traffic jam, the called it the blockade but we were blocked. So, there's a number of, a lot of these different videos you can see on youtube now too from the 2014 TMT groundbreaking. There's a lot of videos that show the discussions, our mayor at the time was coming out and trying to dialogue with us. The governor of the time was actually present but he never got out of the vehicle at all. And we actually held there for over four and a half hours. When eventually what happened, we, they were, there was a port-a-potty up behind us and people wanted to go to the restroom. And we were like of course you can go to the bathroom, but we found that they were actually sneaking people past us and bringing cars on and taking them over to the groundbreaking. So a bunch of us began to walk, and just walk around the blockade and make our way over in which case I was actually struck by one of the ranger vehicles. And he actually tried to run me over. Because it was a deliberate, he charged me with his vehicle, stopped short of me, and before I could move he actually accelerated again and I had to jump up to get out of the way. And then, on the hood, and continued driving with me for about, fifty feet with myself on the hood.
MATIKA: Oh my god.
LANAKILA: And so that's why there was another one of our leaders (Unknown) that's where we met, he was kind of up and out on the side and the guy hit me with his car and he panicked and jumped on with me, onto the car, trying to get this guy to stop, cause I couldn't jump off the car. This guy's going. Some other people up ahead eventually got the car to stop and that's where we got off and I just… quite upset.
ADRIENNE: Understandable.
LANAKILA Just kind of took off and found my up and over the other, the summit of the mountain and kind of crashed the party. And that video is kind of – pretty much the spark – that kind of got it on the much broader communities' radar of this whole thing, across the whole (Speaking Hawaiian) and they were doing a live broadcast of their groundbreaking and we came in and
LANAKILA: Stopped the whole thing. That's quite the epic video that launched the consciousness and it was later on, that was October of 2014, it's now February of 2015 when the machines were coming up the mountain. We were lucky that we got a heavy snow, all of a sudden, that cut them off. And then with an early March is when I got a call at 5 o'clock in the morning, somebody was on the mountain – a little spy for us – told us the machines are coming up the mountain. So I got up here by myself that morning and this is pre facebook live, I'm having to make a video and try to upload it and as I'm driving over here and get up to the visitors center and they have the roads shut down because they have equipment moving on the road and I begin to climb up the mountain. So I climbed up almost to the summit that day and I was sending out videos pleading with people that we can't give up, we have to do something, six hours later when I reached the summit. I guess they opened up the road, machines had already been dropped off on the mountain and about three other vehicles, people came. So, there was just a small handful of us in the beginning when we went up there, we kind of decided we had to hold, have to be present, we can't let them move these machines, and there's literally five of us. And before we even, we thought we were gonna go home for a couple of days, pack, get ready, come up and make a stand. Didn't get to happen because the next morning we got a call that the machines were moving they were gonna start grating the ground already.
INTERMITTENT GASP
LANAKILA: I shot back up there again, luckily I had a car this time, and we got right in there and filmed them. Already caught them right off the bat, illegally moving. By law in Hawaii whenever you are going to do any kind of earth moving of raw land you need to have an archaeologist and a cultural monitor present at the movement of any of these things. They had no cultural monitor, and I caught the archaeologist sleeping in the trucks up above. So, the video came out with me just running down there calling them "hey, hey! You're not supposed to be moving, you're not supposed to be doing any of this right now." And they all just kind of stopped working – hiding from the camera – and they packed up and they left. And that was the last time they got to their machines. After that, we put that out there, we were on the mountain, still was just the first couple of weeks so, just, kind of just doing my own thing, and some people following on and getting in and creating it. And just more people coming. So I was kind of put into that place of a leader in the movement just because I was the first one to do it. (Intermittent Laughter). But it's been important to recognize to that this particular stand was started by us young people.
JAMAICA: This is really where the movement started on the international scene, right? This is where people started saying Mauna Kea, this is when we see Jason Momoa with his no shirt on and the triangle in front of his face saying we are Mauna Kea. Probably one of the greatest activations of our people since – god – I don't know the fake annexation in 1898 when thirty-thousand of our kupuna signed annexation petitions saying they didn't want to be annexed. The greatest numbers, people came out, I think there were like a thousand people on that mountain protecting it from desecration and that was huge, it was a huge win and it stopped construction on that day, it stopped the movement of construction vehicles and then some of our most committed folks went into almost like a year-long contested case hearing. So these are people like (NAMES) and dozen of others who literally gave up a year of their lives to fight a contested case hearing and I could barely get through watching one day of it on like the livestream. So, I have a lot of aloha for them and oftentimes we forget to celebrate that work and the cool thing about this movement is that we are working both outside and inside these institutions of power and decision-making at the same time. Because, we've learned a lot since the fight to protect Kaho'olawe in the 1970s. So, flash-forward to now, we knew that the state wasn't going to back down, at this point TMT wasn't going to back down, and we were honestly just waiting. A few years ago there was a standoff on Maui at the Danny Noi telescope on (NAME) and I won't go into great detail about what happened because I wasn't there but the Danny Noi telescope is a military telescope so there's all kind of other craziness that goes on with that but a few Hawaiians, a group of Hawaiians went to go stand off at that telescope. And, people were injured badly, like one guy ended up in the hospital with I think traumatic brain injury, because of the way the cops handled the situation. And it was really traumatizing for us to watch this. After that happened, maybe about a year or two ago, we started gearing up to prepare for another standoff on Mauna Kea, the state of Hawaii had said both kind of outdoors and to their own people that they didn't want to see another standoff like they did on Mauna Kea in 2015 where cops were kissing protestors. They wanted cops to behave with more strength, the way they did on Maui. And that was, that was not really comforting for us to hear, we knew that they had purchased a significant amount of riot gear, we knew that Maui island police were actually flying to the Big Island to train. Big Island police in riot control, we were doing our homework that entire time but we knew at some point their would be a call and we would have to go up on the Mauna. In early June it became, not June, early July, late June it became clearer and clearer that that call was coming soon. And I don't know the first, first week, maybe second week of July we got a call saying that construction vehicles were gonna start moving on July 15th. And we got this secret text message saying if you love Mauna Kea come meet us at this place on Kona. No other details to be given out until them, bring warm clothes, we'll see you soon. Ya, so it was like, ok, and a few of us, we had an idea that we were probably going to be asked to camp so we packed up all our camping gear, got on a plane. We arrived in Kona on July 12th in the afternoon. We met everyone at this beach park and it was probably one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. We get there, and people start walking into this beach park pavilion and they just keep coming. You know I expected, fifty, sixty, seventy people and they just keep coming and you start seeing people you haven't see in years. Talk about All My Relations, you're standing in this place with people who love the same mountain as you, who drink the same water as you, and all these loved ones from all different parts of your life start to walk in who you never expected would be there. And so we have a meeting and they tell us, ok guys, we have a plan. They are coming on Monday, this is, at this point this is Friday evening around sunset. We are gonna go camp on pu'u huluhulu, I look around, pu'u huluhulu. That's a parking lot, what you mean we are going to camp at pu'uhuluhulu. I look around (NAME) says ok, we need to get numbers, we have maybe 250 people there at this meeting, he's like we need to figure out how many people are ready to go right now. If we go tonight how many people will we have? And I am ready for everyone to raise their, hand, I'm charged, I'm here to protect our mountain. He says show your hands if you can go, like 25 people raise their hands. And it was this somber thing because it was clear everyone wanted to go but there is a part of me that being from a different island, made it easier for me to go because I had nowhere else to be. Like this is my bag, this is everything I have responsibility towards in this week, take me wherever you need me. And so, you could almost see the look on (NAME) face was a little sullen. You know it's ok, if we get ten we get ten, if we get twenty we get twenty, we get going. And so, about twenty-five maybe thirty of us travel to Mauna Kea that evening. We wait til it gets dark, it's about 10pm. We go to Mauna Kea, the Mauna Kea access road right across the street from pu'u huluhulu. And (NAME) says ok no one is setting any tents, no structures. Many people slept in their cars, a few of us got in cots. Slept under the starts, we got really lucky there was no rain, probably for the first two weeks we were on the mountain there was no rain. So we wake up on the thirteenth on the morning with a little more of a plan (NAME) we contacted the royal order Kamehameha and they decided to let us consecrate pu'uhonua on these grounds. So for those who don't know pu'uhonua is a sacred place, easiest, the most simplest translation is that it is a place of refuge. So that if you were, you were to be killed for committing some kind of crime or maybe someone just had it out for you, if you made your way to pu'uhonua you could argue your claims to whoever was at that pu'uhonua and you would be spared. You couldn't be killed there. So it's this, both this cultural but also political site of refuge. So it was this brilliant move on the part of (Speaking Hawaiian) to create this space that would be sacred to all of us and would require our highest and best behavior. You know that (Speaking Hawaiian) that we always talk about, highest form of conduct, if you are going to be in a sacred place, if you call a place pu'uhonua you're basically, you're calling it a heiau, a temple, a place of worship, a place of safety. So that really forced us to rise to the occasion. And understand the seriousness of what we were doing. But it was also a note to the state of Hawaii, and saying if we're going to consecrate this as a pu'uhonua this is our jurisdiction. You can come in and communicate with us but you don't run this show here, this is our aina. So on the fourteenth, this is Sunday, July 14th, we marked the boundaries of pu'uhonua in (Speaking Hawaiian) offered (Speaking Hawaiian) to kind of cleanse the area and prepare the area to be pu'uhonua. And by that point we maybe had 100 people. We were slowly kind of growing, people who were at that first meeting kind of got their affairs in order, got their camping gear, and that's when we started actually building tents. Which was great because it was cold, and then the rest is all over youtube.
SOUND FOOTAGE FROM MAUNA KEA PLAYS
KU HA'AHELO E KU'U HAWAI'I PLAYS
MATIKA: That's all we have for you today relatives. Thanks so much for tuning in, we love you, stay tuned for the next part of this series out soon. (whispering) All My Relations
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Heat Exchange Institute (HEI) released the 8th edition of Standards for Closed Feedwater Heaters. The 8th edition contains new information on drains and vents for heaters as well as tolerances for nozzle and support locations. A new schematic piping arrangement for feedwater heaters has been included. Information on high pressure, full access channels has been incorporated into the standard as new Paragraph 8.1.2, accompanied by a new drawing. These are just some of the revisions that have been made and incorporated into the new standard.
For more information, visit: http://www.heatexchange.org.


just read several of your posts- your boys are too, too cute. And I agreed with you, that girl from the Lucky One looks waaaay older. Cant wait to read more and see more of your little ones!
that is a great question. i like your baby steps idea. and your kiddos...soooo adorable!


text:
London Radical Mindfulness
[Editor: Engage! is beginning a close collaboration with London Radical Mindfulness which presents a comprehensive and coordinated approach to meditation, social-ecological analysis and social-eco justice practice that is grounded in systems theory, networks, interdependence and critical dharma. Several postings on London Radical Mindfulness will follow, with links to websites, readings and podcasts. Engage! is scheduled to interview Graham Jones, author of The Shock Doctrine of the Left: A Strategy for Building Socialist Counterpower, and facilitator of London Radical Dharma, in the next month. This doesn't mean that I agree with everything that London Radical Mindfulness puts forth; I have differences and disagreements, but not major issues.]
London Radical Mindfulness Website
1. London Radical Mindfulness (LRM) is an organisation for the promotion of meditative techniques as a tool for social change.
2. We organise guided meditation sessions, and plan to create digital resources, conduct theoretical research, and train people to run their own sessions.
3. We begin from the observation that all things are interconnected and subject to constant change. We see this everywhere, from our physical bodies and mental experience, through to the larger systems we are embedded in – our families, organisations, communities, cities and the whole earth.
4. We believe that contemporary society is producing suffering on many different scales – such as poverty, trauma, mental health issues, social marginalisation, and environmental disasters. But we believe that together we can change this.
5. Whether we begin from a desire to end our own suffering, or to change the world that creates suffering for others, the interconnection and change inherent in the world means we must work on both ourselves and the world around us to achieve this. Our focus is therefore individual and collective, stressing both autonomy and solidarity.
6. We believe that popular forms of mindfulness used in workplaces, healthcare and formal education tend to support these systems of suffering. We are 'de-stressed' by mindfulness, but only as individuals undertaking 'self-care', who then find it easier to return to the same world which continues to produce suffering. We must instead expand this to an ethic of collective care, in which our own suffering and liberation is intrinsically linked to that of those around us.
7. We therefore seek to use meditation to increase our embodied understanding of the systems that produce this suffering, around us and within us. Mindfulness helps us to learn things not only logically, but also to feel them intuitively.
8. The ultimate aim is to redesign those bodies and systems that are causing suffering – whether its our workplaces, our schools, our cities, or ourselves – to build a better world.
9. Radical mindfulness is therefore as much about education for inspiring action as it is about meditation. We bring meditative techniques back into reflecting on questions about reality, power, and the right way to act and live.
10. Although the roots of mindfulness are found in Buddhism, the framework that we utilise is secular: it draws mainly from complex systems science, new materialist philosophy and contemporary Marxism (particularly social reproduction theory and ecological Marxism). It may be of interest to Buddhists but it is not a religious project.
https://wp.me/p4IzpC-4m3


text:
Salon de la Guerre (my music)
Beauty is Imperfection
« I'm Finally On the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)
What Are Celebrities Naming Their Children? »
Oscar Surprises
April 12, 2009 by Eric Rasmussen
(Originally posted Monday, February 23, 2009)
What were some of the highlights of the 2009 Academy Awards?
–*Wild huskies ran through the hall and devoured a stunning silver Versace gown with silver lame and paillettes after ripping it off Oscar winner Catherine Zeta-Jones.
–*A large bow descending from the décolletage of Jessica Biel actually turned out to be a rope of cotton bed sheets for three Rikers Island prisoners escaping from her cleavage.
–*Sarah Jessica Parker described the color of her Christian Dior haute couture dress as "barely animal tranquilizer blue."
–*"High School Musical" star Zac Efron got caught in a microphone wire during a musical number but was too afraid to stop performing and so garroted himself to death singing
–*This year during the presentations for actor awards, past winners spoke directly to the nominees, telling them what they had accomplished, describing their strengths and weaknesses, and telling them that they were now ready to be Jedis.
–*The red carpet shows noted repeatedly how clean Robert Downey Jr. was.
–*Beyonce Knowles wore a black dress with gold embroidery that depicted the invasion of Ancient Greece by Xerxes, including the rape of Athens, in its entirety.
–*Photographers yelled out to the celebrities where to stand, how to look and what to do as if they were actually soulless chimps whose lives are a joyless exercise in disaffection.
–*…and we've got it live with Giuliana Rancic
–*"Turn to your right Sarah Jessica … to your right Sarah Jessica … to your right Sarah Jessica
–*A four-minute montage honored the lives of all the non-famous.
–*A ten-minute montage honored movies that make money.
–*Penelope Cruz's win proved once again that Oscar likes you better when you're not near Tom Cruise.
–*Hugh Jackman offered a musical tribute to the death of investment bank Bear Stearns.
–*After their team scored a late in the game goal, Manchester United fans stormed the stage, broke glass and tore down panels and wainscoting.
–*Trying to outdo the other presenters, Michael Douglas saluted Oscar nominee Frank Langella by saying all the other actors in his category would be put to death if he had it his way.
–*Jennifer Aniston presented a tall, golden, statuesque man to Angelina Jolie two years ago.
–*Eva Marie Saint: Not dead.
–*Angelina Jolie sported a new tattoo across her back that stated the terms and conditions of use of Angelina Jolie.
–*Kate Winslet cried out loud, insulting the dignity of the crown and fostering the further erosion of the once-great British Empire.
–*The producers of "Slumdog Millionaire" praised their award by saying it illuminated the plight of India's slum dwellers everywhere.
–*Sean Penn praised Mickey Rourke's nomination saying it illuminated the plight of pugnacious drunk Irishmen everywhere.
–*A Zogby poll found that Mickey Rourke's loss for best actor meant the show was 50% less entertaining than it could have been had he given a speech.
Eric R. Rasmussen is a novelist, composer, journalist and filmmaker. He is the author of nine novels, including the three-volume work The Ghost and the Hemispheres. He is the sole force behind the musical act Salon De La Guerre. And he is the writer/director of the online Web comedy series "The Retributioners" starring Stephanie Faith Scott.
Salon De La Guerre (Eric's Music)
Salon de la Guerre's Bandcamp page


My husband and I were over the moon when we learned that we were pregnant earlier this year. We knew right away that we wanted to wait to find out the baby's gender in the delivery room; so I began my quest to find ideas for a gender neutral nursery that wasn't your typical mint green and pale yellow.
Some of the best ideas I found for our nursery design were on Project Nursery! The item that inspired the room's signature turquoise teal ceiling color was the military phonetic alphabet wall art I found at Homegoods. I loved the color and esthetic of this piece right away and had to buy it since my husband is a former Naval officer.
My style is transitional, mixing contemporary and classic looks for a fresh feel. I wanted a room for our baby that was functional and fun, and that felt put-together without having a theme.
I have so many favorites in the room; it's hard to pick just a few things. I love everything about the crib's accent wall (the big stuffed animals, decals, bunting, etc). Also, the alphabet wall was such a fun project – searching for all the letters, decorating each one, and torturing my husband with hanging and re-hanging them. Painting the ceiling and installing the crown molding make this room look stunning, and full credit must be given to my amazing hubby!
Pregnancy is long and can be stressful at times. I had so much fun focusing on our baby's nursery; it became quite the entertaining hobby for me these past nine months. Now I'm just overjoyed to know with our little one's impending arrival (any day now), he/she has this adorable room to call his/her own!
Such a cute and fun room!
I'm so excited to be expecting and have been enjoying Project Nursery to plan our playful, gender neutral nursery!


Our Build Your Own Cleanse renews your body, wiping away the evidence of junk food and unhealthy habits. The juices are designed to eliminate toxins from your body while fueling you with essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals each day.
You can build your own cleanse with purpose or select a box of juices to enjoy in addition to your diet. If you are building your own cleanse for 1 day, we recommend you select one juice from each of our six core categories (Detox, Boost, Cleanse, Glow, Renew, Nourish) for each day of your cleanse to ensure proper balance of nourishment throughout the day. Once you complete the cleanse, you'll notice a restored sense of energy. Get ready to feel great!
Choose any 475ml cold pressed juices depending on number of days. However, if you are building your own cleanse for, we recommend you select one juice from each of our six core categories (Detox, Boost, Cleanse, Glow, Renew, and Nourish) for each day of your cleanse to ensure proper balance of nourishment throughout the day.


Special thanks to ChaoticReign who started the first AIR translation project, those who inherited his scripts and worked on it at TLwiki, and those at #EnterTheWired who inherited the TLwiki scripts and worked on it. And cecilthedarknight_234 for picking it up and passing the baton.
This is NOT the final patch. In patch beta2, Air Arc, Minagi Route and Kano Route are solid. Common Route and Misuzu's route need more work.
For fine details, refer to the AIR_BETA2_progress_sheet.png.
NOTE: If you're having problems with saving the game - go to the savegame_FIX directory and read the text file inside.


Hey guys! So the new year is right around the corner, can't wait for the adventures to come, both big and small.
One of the clients that I've really enjoyed working with through the year is Victorinox. I clearly remember the Swiss Army Knives from when I was a small boy, and all the adult men I knew had one in their pocket, as if they were prepared for any kind of situation, from fixing a bike wheel to WW3. I always thought that was so cool.
A photo from my living room, when I was preparing for the last weeks trip to the Swiss alps.
Featured Victorinox products can be found here: Wallet, Swiss Army Knife, Swiss Tool.
I was lucky enough to receive a selection of their products, to photograph for them and you. And as it turns out, Victorinox is about much more than pocket knives. So I also got the chance to work and get first hand experience with one of the most robust watches the world has seen (they've put it through insane tests, involving Swiss army tanks, extreme temperatures and much more). Read more about the craftsmanship behind the watch and see details here.
Lastly I received a travel case, which I used for the first time on our trip for Switzerland. And let me just say, that especially the travel case has blown me away by its quality. The material and design is so sleek to look at and once you get in your hand, you really feel the difference.
On the roads of the Swiss alps, shot last week on a beautiful snowy day. Check the travel case here.
As I said in the beginning of this post, being 100% independent has its ups and downs. Working with interesting clients like Victorinox has definitely made a positive difference in my 2017, and I feel very fortunate about getting great chances like this. It's hard work to keep on trucking, so I hope you know that I truly appreciate all the support you show me and my work!
I am soon ready with a round-up of my Switzerland trip, including a video, and a personal 2017 round-up. I hope you're all having a Merry Christmas and some Happy Holidays! Talk to you soon.


We are happy to announce that Ola Hnatiuk will take part in the NECE 2018 conference! Ola (Aleksandra) Hnatiuk is a professor at the Center for East European Studies at the University of Warsaw and, since 2010, visiting professor at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Kyiv. She will discuss emotions and politics with Karin Wahl-Jorgensen, University of Cardiff, and Fernando Vallespín, Autonomous University of Madrid on Friday, 7 September at 11:00 am. Be sure to have a look at the complete programme and discover who else is going to speak at the conference!
Future of Europe: What do citizens say?


Regular exercise is a well researched tool to attain healthy weight and a fit body. However, Yoga is a new adjuvant therapy that is beneficial in controlling Body Mass Index (BMI) in a healthy way.
Today urban society is stigmatized with chronic diseases. Unhealthy lifestyle is the main reason for the occurrence of chronic illness. BMI, is a reliable indicator of physical well-being of an individual, as there is urgent attention in the alarming rise of such diseases. Yoga works wonderful in stabilizing BMI and in restoring health.
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a simple index of weight for height. BMI is defined as a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of his height in meters (Kg/m2). According to BMI value, individuals can be classified into different categories. BMI ranging from 18.5 to 24.9 is considered as a healthy weight. BMI less than 18.5 come under underweight and greater than 25 counted as overweight.
A BMI value tells you the chances of developing health problems and whether you are in good shape or not.
Underweight BMI indicates your diet is short of calories and vital nutrients. Caloric and nutritional deficiencies result in development of an array of health problems. Weak immunity, anemia, osteoporosis and hair loss are major problems with being underweight. Underweight women can encounter with irregular menstrual cycles, lack of period or infertility.
Overweight BMI suggests 'caloric imbalance' which means little calories are used for amount of calories consumed. Being overweight can increase your risk of development of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, gall stones, sleep apnea and certain types of cancer. Women can experience irregular periods or difficulty in conception. Being overweight is associated with feelings of poor body image and can result in depression.
Integrated holistic approach of yoga therapy purifies the body and mind. Yoga can control daily behaviors, produce self-awareness, boost personal growth and bring self-realization. This can help to improve eating patterns and promote self-control. Yoga has a promising effect in addressing a wide range of health conditions by stabilizing BMI.
While most other treatment modalities are concerned solely about the usage of calories to regulate BMI, yoga is concerned with mindful eating. Yoga cultivates an inner sense of awareness that will help to control eating behavior.
According to a study published in Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, regular yoga practice is associated with mindful eating, which has a vital role in long-term weight maintenance.
Having a calm mind and focusing on breath during challenging yoga poses can help to accomplish mindfulness. Mindful eating is awareness of physical and emotional sensations during eating. Increased body awareness, especially regarding sensitivity to hunger and satiety controls your eating patterns. Here you know what you are eating and when you have to stop. This minimizes the chances of overeating and helps to control BMI.
A study published in the International Journal of Yoga mentioned that hatha yoga, a form of yoga with emphasis on physical postures, is a good way to lower the BMI.
Food contents are equally important as food quantity in achieving stable BMI.
Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and beans to get essential nutrients.
Include fat-free milk and milk products in your diet plate for fulfilling calcium requirement.
Eat lean meat, poultry and fish in a moderate amount only.
Avoid foods with added sugar or processed foods such as cookies, pastries or cakes.
Development and Validation of the Mindful Eating Questionnaire.
Regular yoga practice is associated with mindful eating.
Increased Hatha yoga experience predicts lower body mass index and reduced medication use in women over 45 years.


Federal prosecutors will make their case April 23 that former Bristol council member Jodi Zils Gagne should go to prison for more than three years.
Zils Gagne, an attorney whose license has been suspended until 2023, will argue instead for one year of home confinement.
Zils Gagne pleaded guilty to mail fraud last October, and has been waiting to learn since then whether she'll serve prison time. She was scheduled for sentencing Wednesday at federal court in Hartford, but the session was postponed for two weeks because her attorney said he'd come down with bronchitis.
Under federal sentencing guidelines, Zils Gagne could get more than four years imprisonment along with fines, supervised probation and a new restitution order. But U.S. District Court Judge Vanessa Bryant will be free to impose a milder punishment.
Zils Gagne represented several elderly clients as their conservator, and prosecutors contend she deliberately cheated them out of a total of nearly $170,000.
"She chose to defraud some of society's most vulnerable victims — who were, by definition, unable to take care of themselves or their finances — for her own gain," according to a memo filed with the court by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Huang.
"She stole their money, overbilled them for fictitious services, profited from the sale of their homes, engaged in self-dealing, and papered over a sweetheart loan for her husband's startup business, which soon failed," Huang wrote. "When questioned by other attorneys and the probate court, Ms. Zils Gagne repeatedly lied, including under oath, to prevent the full truth from coming out. "
He is asking Bryant to send Zils Gagne to prison for 41 to 51 months, followed by three years of supervised release. She agreed to pay about $116,000 as part of her guilty plea last fall, Huang said.
"Despite making money in real estate ventures in a new company and working as an Uber or Lyft driver, Ms. Zils Gagne has not paid any of this agreed-to restitution," Huang wrote.
Francis O'Reilly, her Fairfield-based attorney, is asking Bryant for leniency.
In the memo, he said she suffers from anxiety and depression that could be worsened in prison, and also is combating multiple sclerosis. She and her husband have two school-age children who would suffer if she's sent to prison, O'Reilly said.
If Bryant imposes prison time, O'Reilly asked that it be at the women's prison in Danbury so she could stay near her husband and children.
The prosecution is arguing that none of those reasons are good enough to keep her out of prison.


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Gegham Aleksanyan (; born 1962) is an Armenian-born artist working in the United States since 2004.

Biography
Gegham received his artistic training under Armen Atayan, a former student of Martiros Saryan and Alexander Osmerkin. Gegham received his Master of Arts degree from Yerevan State Academy of Fine Arts in 1984 and is a member of the Artists Trade Union of the Russian Federation.

Gegham had his first solo exhibition in the United States in West Hollywood, in 2005. The subject of numerous publications, Gegham has been recognized in the United States by various art publications, including as a Top 50 Artist by Art Business News in "Counting Down the Artists of Tomorrow Whose Names You Need to Know Today". Several of his paintings have also shown digitally at Times Square as part of Art Takes Times Square 2012. In 2011, Artexpo New York recognized Gegham's The Last Light (2000) as Artwork of the Day on March 16. Gegham has also been the subject of numerous publications in his native country of Armenia prior to moving to the United States.

Gegham's oeuvre merges traditional and modern techniques and subjects in a seamless manner across various media and with a fresh perspective.
 In recent years, Gegham has continued to actively participate in juried exhibitions across the U.S., including at "Ingenuity", a juried sculpture and fine crafts exhibition at Marin Society of Artists, held in association with Pacific Rim Sculptors, a chapter of International Sculpture Centre.  Gegham also participated in "Art Takes SoHo" and exhibited at Main Street Arts gallery in Clifton Springs, New York.

In 2019, The ArtScope exclusively showcased Gegham's art at Art San Diego 2019, and Gegham participated in a group exhibition in Hawai'i, sponsored by the Hawai'i Island Art Alliance.

References

Armenian painters
Living people
1962 births
Armenian emigrants to the United States

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


A CYCLIST from Poundbury who has ridden across America is backing a major fundraiser organised by a Rotary club.
Stephen Howard completed the epic 4,500-mile journey in 2018, fighting off dogs and spotting wild bears, in just 53 days.
Organisers of the casual cycle ride from Poundbury to Bayeux said Mr Howard loved the idea of the event, which is raising funds for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance and other Rotary charities.
He will be there for the official send off at the Cafe on the Green at 4pm on Thursday, June 20, although he cannot take part as he is riding from London to Paris at the same time.
The cycle is organised by the Rotary Club of Poundbury, Dorchester, and there is still time to get involved.
A spokesman said: "The bikes are taken to the ferry in Poole on Friday, June 21, in the morning, together with the participants, and leave from Poole, and bike transport on the ferry is organised. The ride will start and finish at Cherbourg. Luggage will be transported by van. The total cycling distance over the three days is around 135 miles and is mainly on country roads with little traffic.
The entry cost, which covers transport, ferry, accommodation and the basics, is £250, plus a charitable donation of a similar amount in sponsorship.


With the tax rules in the Netherlands changing every 12 months, the majority of foreign companies can find it incredibly difficult to keep track of every update and all details. The Dutch Government also holds the employer liable over any mistakes made in the administration of payroll. Many organisations have found that they can reduce costs and improve their competitiveness by outsourcing their payroll services.
Tomgandhi Consulting can take over total responsibility for the administration of your payroll, alongside dealing with the Dutch Tax Office and Social Security Organizations. We are fully specialized in the Dutch labor market, managing numerous contractors for various companies working within Hollands' borders.
Tomgandhi Consulting BV holds an established relationship with the Dutch Tax Authority. This is the only compliant way for contractors and freelancers to work in the Netherlands, ensuring that the local tax authorities are happy with your presence. More importantly, it allows you to gain the best possible retention rate in the market place, in view of your circumstances and requirements.
The 30% ruling (or in Dutch , the "30% regeling") allows expatriate employees to The Netherlands to earn up to 30% of their compensation tax-free. In addition, the 30% ruling also allows you to opt for partial non-residency status.
Tomgandhi Consulting BV can take over total responsibility for the administration of your payroll within Holland.
The 30% ruling allows expatriate employees to The Netherlands to earn up to 30% of their compensation tax-free.


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The Allure Group
365 Advantage
Robotics & Tech
Post Rehab
Marvin Rubin
Marvin Rubin has held a variety of executive positions in the financial and systems areas of nursing facilities since beginning his healthcare industry career in 1996. In 2004, he accepted a position as the manager of a construction/property management company, which provided him with valuable real estate expertise when he entered into a partnership to purchase a 150-bed long-term care facility from Victory Memorial Hospital (now the Hamilton Park Nursing and Rehabilitation Center) in 2009. That same year, Mr. Rubin opened a home care agency, True Care Home Care, which currently provides services to all five boroughs of New York City.
Mr. Rubin has also successfully led negotiations for the purchases of Ruby Weston Manor and the Keser Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. In addition, he has been instrumental in implementing improvements in Hamilton Park, Ruby Weston, and Keser that have met with widespread approval from patients, staff and the community at large. Active in work with local charities, Mr. Rubin has been personally involved with coordinating Allure's relief efforts to assist victims of Hurricanes Irene and Sandy.
https://www.allurecare.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/280/2019/06/Robotics-Demo-Video-sendable.mp4
The Very Latest in Healing Technology
One of the biggest advantages of working with The Allure Group is having access to the very latest in healing technology. Robotic devices and therapies have shown great promise in their ability to help patients recover and rehabilitate from surgery, injury or other medical event, such as a heart attack or stroke.
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The Allure Group affiliated facilities and companies are independently owned and operated. The Allure Group provides administrative and business support to its affiliated health care providers. The Allure Group is neither the owner nor operator of any health care provider.
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Beats Included V. 1.2 Grooveyard ?:??
Mary Go W!ld! Grooveyard ?:??
Mary Go Wild Grooveyard ?:??
Mary Go Wild! (part of "House Party '97, Vol. 1" DJ‐mix) Grooveyard ?:??
Mary Go Wild! (part of a "Hits From Club E‐Play" DJ‐mix) Grooveyard ?:??
Mary Go Wild! (Ron van den Beuken remix) Grooveyard ?:??


If you have ever been to Manchester then you will know that it is a big and wonderful city with plenty of things to do and see. Some of which are hidden in tiny little corners just outside of the city centre.
A couple of weeks ago I found my new favourite spot in Manchester, The Cat Café! Obviously the Cat Café has been around for a few months now and you may have already been yourself, but it is soooo hard to get in there, like seriously, it gets booked up so far in advance its unreal!
To say I was like a child in a sweet shot when I saw all of da kitties would be an understatement! After stalking their Instagram I really wanted to meet fluffy because he literally was a big white ball of fluff with amazing blue eyes, but clearly he doesn't wake up before lunch time on a Sunday. My kinda cat!
Georgie was the most photogenic cat ever! I mean just look at dat face ^^^!
Since stalking the cat café's Instagram I was dying to meet little Bert. Purely for the fact that he is bog-eyed and I found it effin' adorable!
Keira was definitely the most playful cat that we met, she loved chasing the feathers and didn't mind posing for a picture either.
I did take a whole lot more pictures of the cats, but I'm not going to give you a cat overload. Plus a lot of them weren't good enough quality to share, cos yano, cats don't stay still for long unless they're sleeping.
There is a policy on place when you do visit, but it is in the best nature of the cats so who can complain? They give you either slippers of shoe covers to wear and they advise that no more than two people crowd around a cat at any time. Plus you're not allowed to pester them when they're sleeping, which in truth is just plain consideration. You can tell that the cats are very well looked after by how chilled out they are around people.
So if you're a crazy cat person like I am and you're in Manchester looking for something to do, I highly recommend The Cat Café. It's also the perfect place to go if you're feeling a bit stressed and need to unwind, because what cant a coffee and a kitty cuddle fix?!


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Home Social Media Facebook Shops: Turn your Business Pages into an Online Stores
Facebook Shops: Turn your Business Pages into an Online Stores
Krista Hanson
Staying on top of e-commerce trends is essential to keeping your business profitable. Keeping that in mind, Facebook Inc. announced on Tuesday a major new push into the e-commerce industry called Facebook Shops, which allows businesses to turn their Facebook and Instagram Pages into online storefronts.
The game-changer for e-Commerce businesses
Facebook Shops are personalized storefronts that enable businesses to showcase and sell their products free of charge throughout Facebook's properties.
Business Owners can set up a cover image like a Facebook page for their stores, adjust the color scheme to match their brand, and group products into collections so users can find them more comfortable.
"Our goal is to make shopping seamless and empower anyone from a small business owner to a global brand to use our apps to connect with customers," Zuckerberg explained in a news release on the company's website.
A Quick look to WhatsApp Integration
Users can send messages to businesses via any Facebook messaging apps, including WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram Direct, in case they need support, have any questions or want to track the delivery. The company says users will be able to check out through these apps directly in the future.
Later this year, Instagram Shop is going to be made a permanent button on apps user navigation bars that will replace the Activity tab.
A Quick look at Instagram Shop with Checkout Option
Loyalty Programs:
The company also explores how to make it easier to receive rewards with businesses like the points program at your local café with their loyalty programs. The shop owners and users will able to track and manage points and rewards they have earned.
Working with Third-Party Services
Facebook Shops can connect third-party services such as Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, ChannelAdvisor, CedCommerce, and Cafe24, and others would be providing tools to help small businesses.
Although they're free for every business to set, Facebook will give businesses the ability to purchase ads, and every time a customer uses the Facebook checkout option, a small fee will be charged to the business.
During the pandemic, Facebook frames the launch of Shops as a game-changer for businesses, but it will certainly also be profitable for the social network.
This is the first step Facebook is taking to build a competitive edge in online markets, such as eBay and Amazon, and it comes after the recent launch of group video chat with Messenger Rooms.
Facebook Shops are now available to a limited number of businesses with a broader rollout "in the upcoming weeks." You can read more about how the company built Shops with privacy in mind.
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Krista Hanson has a keen personal interest in technology and enjoys reading about the latest technology in the business and consumer world. She joined the Glance World team in August 2014 and prefers to mess around with computers/phones/gadgets in her spare time.
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The region is known for its three National Parks (Abel Tasman, Kahurangi and Nelson Lakes). The Abel Tasman is the most visited park in New Zealand.
From Edenhouse explore the hinterland of Moutere Hills, the historic village of Upper Moutere and the Motueka Valley Highway make a great country drive with plenty of opportunities to stop at artists home/ studios , wineries, the local pub, roadside fruit stalls and gourmet food producers, scattered throughout the pristine landscape.
Motueka is a town of 8,000 with a colourful Sunday outdoor market, two cinemas and cafes. As the closest town to the Abel Tasman National Park.
Tapawera is a small rural town with a population of 600, located in the beautiful Motueka Valley. The surrounding Motueka and Whangapeka Rivers provide some of the best trout fishing in the South Island. Stonefly Lodge is located between Motueka and Tapawera.
This enchanting country-house retreat is located 45 minutes by road from Nelson Airport, towards The Abel Tasman National Park.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Experience: In daily use, the brightness performance of the P20 Pro seems to be not stable enough. It is difficult to activate the peak brightness of nearly 600nits under strong outdoor light, and the reflection of the screen glass is more obvious than the models such as the vivo X21. . Considering that the price of 5,000 yuan is close to the top AMOLED panel mobile phone such as the Samsung Galaxy S9, the P20 Pro still has a gap in brightness and screen permeability. With the brightness bar below 50%, the PWM flashing of the P20 Pro begins to become apparent.
Professional color: P20 Pro's screen color performance gives us some small surprises. It is close to NTSC's color gamut in the system's default vivid mode. The screen color temperature is higher than 6500K standard, and can be adjusted to the standard color temperature by custom color temperature, but the color standard no improvement. However, the standard mode of the P20 Pro performs well, the color reaches the standard sRGB level, except that the color temperature is somewhat low, the overall tone is warmer, the gray scale and color performance are all relatively good, the screen Gamma is slightly higher than 2.2, the color contrast of the picture Also at a normal level. The standard mode of the P20 Pro is also the most stable color performance of the Huawei mobile phone we are exposed to.
Experience: One plus 6 automatic brightness peak value exceeds 620cd/m2, which can maintain good content readability in outdoor sunlight. The overall brightness performance is also the best in previous generations. Although the screen panel is not fully integrated with Incell, When the screen is reflected, there is still a red and green color distortion. When the brightness bar is 50% or less, the PWM flicker starts to become more noticeable.
Professional color: One plus 6 provides a variety of display modes and custom color temperature functions, but the gray scale performance is more general, in sRGB and P3 mode, the screen color temperature is lower than the standard 6500K, the overall tone is warm red, relatively speaking The adaptive mode of color temperature is actually slightly greenish but not obvious. Since the manual "color temperature adjustment" of one plus six can only adjust the curve of the green color, there is no improvement on the color standard. The color and grayscale contrast of the screen is slightly higher than the Gamma2.2 standard, but within the normal level. In terms of color, the one-plus-six sRGB mode has improved significantly compared to previous generations, and the gamut coverage has finally reached 100% standard. The red and other warm-tone displays no longer have the usual partial orangeization dynamic loss.


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«Полония» () —  английский  волейбольный клуб, базирующийся в Брентфорде.

История
Основан в 1973 году поляками Мацеком Бенеком и Хенио Паулински, членами YMCA.  Первоначально он выступал под именем польского YMCA и участвовал в турнире Дивизиона 3. Во главе с Болеславом Лесецким команда быстро прогрессировала, в основном благодаря успешной работе скаутской службы. Состав команды в основном состоял  из этнических поляков. В то же время другой польский клуб английского волейбола ВК «Гриф» выступал в высшей лиге.

В 1978 году польские клубы   YMCA и  «Гриф» объединились, чтобы сформировать две команды: «Полония Гриф»  играла в дивизионах I и II, а  «Полония» - в дивизионе III Юго-Восточной зоны. Через год  клуб вернулся к имени польского YMCA. С сезона 1982/1983 —  под названием «Полония».

Клуб не теряет связи с исторической родиной. В составе команды по-прежнему немало выходцев из Польши. За выступлениями  «Полонии» внимательно наблюдают  спортивные СМИ Польши, а игроки проводят встречи с польским послом в Лондоне

Женский ВК «Полония» был основан в 1980 году.

Достижения
 Чемпионат Англии по волейболу среди мужчин
  (6): 1986, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019;
  (6): 1984, 1987, 1991, 1994, 2012, 2018;
  (1): 2007.

 Кубок Англии по волейболу среди мужчин
 (2): 2016, 2017.
В 2016 году клуб впервые в своей истории совершил золотой дубль, выиграв и чемпионат страны, и кубок.

 Чемпионат Англии по волейболу среди женщин
  (1): 2011;
  (6): 2007, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016.
 Кубок Англии по волейболу среди женщин
 (3): 2010, 2011, 2016.

Примечания

Ссылки
 Официальный сайт клуба
 Club details (men's team) on Volleyball England site
 Статистика выступлений

Волейбольные клубы Англии
Волейбольные клубы по алфавиту


Mailgun's incoming email API is awesome. We are really happy with it and we use it for a lot of domains for our customers.
Mailgun works well for transactional email. It manages all action-based emails, like the emails that go out when someone signs up or resets their password.
We use Mailgun. It is similar to MailChimp--it is really simple and easy to set up. It's free and more customizable for developers.
We use Mailgun for email infrastructure. We used to use Mandrill, but we moved to Mailgun because it's way better.
We used to use Mandrill, which merged into MailChimp, but we've moved transactional emails to Mailgun and that's been working well for us.
Mailgun is great, and we don't even need to use all of their features. We don't spam our users so we use our own system to home bake transactional and marketing emails.
We use Mailgun for transactional emails. It's the engine that delivers the emails.
We use Mailgun for sending out system emails.
My developer recommended it. It's very flexible and was able to integrate directly into the existing tech we were using. There haven't been any downsides so far.
We use Mailgun to send all of our emails, but we manage it through some internal tools that we've built. We send a lot of emails based on the ways users interact with our product. It can get complicated, and in order to do something like that we would have to be sending a lot of meta data to an external email service provider. It was just easier to do that by making our own query tools and then sending the data through a transaction enabler like Mailgun.
Mailgun is a developer-centric email marketing platform that is all about customization through APIs and code. It's one of the most sophisticated email automation platforms around, with powerful APIs that allow users to easily send, receive and track emails. Users love Mailgun's simple interface, easy integration, powerful segmentation capabilities and advanced reporting features--many of which come straight out of the box. Mailgun's biggest competitor is Mandrill, another API-focused service owned by MailChimp.
Mailgun's users run the gamut in terms of size and growth stage, but all have the high-level development skills (or staff) to be able to use the solution to its fullest.
How much does Mailgun cost?
Mailgun charges by individual email, each costing a fraction of a fraction of a cent. The first 10,000 emails are free; the next 500,000 are $0.0005 per email; the next 1 million are $0.00035; the next 5 million are $0.00015; and anything beyond that is $0.0001. Simple, right?