Qatar PM calls for arming Syrian rebels ? Laaska News and analysis

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The international community should provide arms to Syria?s opposition and Arab countries should take the lead in providing a safe haven for rebels inside Syria, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani said on Monday.

?I think we should do whatever is necessary to help them, including giving them weapons to defend themselves,? the prime minister said during a visit to Norway.

While the West has dismissed talk of a Libya-style NATO role to support the opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Gulf Arab states have pushed for a more forceful stance. Saudi Arabia said on Friday it would back the idea of arming rebels.

The Qatari prime minister said that Arab countries should take part in an international military effort to stop the bloodshed in Syria after 11 months of insurrection against Assad in which thousands have been killed.

?Since we failed in the Security Council to do something, I think we have to try to do something to send enough military help to stop the killing,? he said.

(Reuters)

VOR.

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Source: http://laaska.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/qatar-pm-calls-for-arming-syrian-rebels/

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[OOC] Club Forfeit

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Overview Of Blood Tests Just For STD ? Rich Roots

Individuals that are sexually active with multiple partners might be in danger of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). STDs could display mild or even no signs, still could critically affect a person's health and fitness. As a result, regular STD examination is necessary for the good health of those who are sexually active with multiple partners .

There are many unique ways to screen for sexually transmitted diseases. Many STD testing DC need a blood analyze. Several sexually transmitted illnesses that need the blood test for diagnosis include syphilis, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, hepatitis as well as herpes. Sexually transmitted disease testing for other diseases, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, and also Warts, is performed with a urine check or maybe genital tissue sample.

The blood test intended for sexually transmitted illness testing is conducted at a healthcare clinic. A physician gets a blood sample from the patient, and sends it to a laboratory to be assessed. For herpes diagnosis, the blood examination is not always conclusive; additional testing might be required. When a person's blood test comes back positive for a sexually transmitted disease, the individual must stick to the medical professional's recommendations for treatment procedure and also tell her or his sexual companions.

Source: http://richroots.com/overview-of-blood-tests-just-for-std/

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Present Available Jobs in India

While the whole of the west were busy engaged in cutting jobs, and firing out employees, because of the recession, India on the other hand, was promising bases for the job hunters. We cannot say the global recession had not made an impact on the economy and the job sphere of the country, but still it did not have that much impact as the other nations faced. Thanks to the diverse and variety of departments of India, apart from the various BPO?s and private spheres, which are providing jobs even in such critical situations. So it is no wonder why the younger generations are seeking Jobs in India. From the Paramilitary organizations to the Public sectors, everyone is promising for secure jobs in the years to come. From one of the recent news, it is evident that the Indian Paramilitary forces are about to recruit nearly 100,000 individuals for different posts in the Indian Army Regiments.

It is further heard that employees are needed even in the different spheres of the Indian Army. Apart from the armed forces, the banking sector is yet another job provider, this effluent sector, is recruiting in a large volume for the different bank categories from the bank clerks to the technicians, Probationary officers and even more.?

?

Now heading towards the Indian railways, they have revealed, that there are lots of vacancies in their field, so if you are searching for a Job in India, then you can get a chance over here with the railways, as there are thousands of posts to be filled starting from the ticket masters to locomotive drivers to engineers.

The young job seekers now need not have to spend to go abroad in search of jobs, just to return back empty handed. The next sought for Job in India, comes from the Hospital and Health care organizations. The highly qualified professionals have got great news to their ears, as there are a number of healthcare centers and hospitals booming up, which will give lot of scope and opportunity for the young and dedicated Doctors. These Hospitals are job givers, for not only the Doctors, but also for the supportive staffs, that hold an equal hand, they are the lab assistants?, technicians, receptionists, billing professionals and many more. A recent survey has stated that these health organizations are majorly going to be set up in the rural areas, so as to provide jobs for the rural literates also.

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When we speak further of jobs in India, our next glimpse falls over the various private sectors situated in the country. Recently, there was breaking news that the business Giant IBM has decided to cut some nearly 5000 jobs in the United States of America, this loss of the United States proves out to be a gain for India. These private sectors, by cutting jobs abroad, fulfill the gaps by recruiting individuals in their outsourced places like India. The Working Sphere of the various private sectors are scattered all over the nation, so people from all over the nation can get placed in their home town itself.

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There is a stiff competition for Jobs in India, but there are also different spheres to approach, rather than to just stick to one sector.

Source: http://business.ezinemark.com/present-available-jobs-in-india-7d342aeb1748.html

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Gulf Medical University, Ajman to host 11th GMU Annual Sports ...

Posted By admin on February 25, 2012

Keeping in view of the enthusiasm and the true sportsman spirit generated amongst the students and the organizers during the previous year?s? Annual Sports Festival, Gulf Medical University, Ajman in collaboration with Body & Soul Health Club & Spa will host a week long 11^th GMU Annual Sports Festival 2012 beginning from 10^th ? 15^th of March, 2012.

The grand sports event is being held keeping in view of the philosophy of Gulf Medical University ?Healthy Body for a Healthy Mind? and to encourage students to interact and exhibit their talent in the field of sports.

Around 19 leading leading universities and colleges and 5 prominent senior schools in U.A.E ?will take part in the grand GMU Annual Sports Festival 2012.? Cricket, Football for boys and girls, Basket Ball for boys and girls, Badminton for boys and girls, Table Tennis for boys and girls, Throwball for girls, Squash Championship for boys, Swimming for boys and Track events will be held during the 11^th GMU Annual Sports Festival 2012.

Meanwhile, GMU intra-sports event will be held from the 04^th to 08^th of March, 2012 to select the best team to represent GMU in the upcoming 11^th GMU Annual Sports Festival 2012.? Awarding of prizes, trophies, certificates to the winners of all the events of the 11^th GMU Annual Sports Festival 2012 will be carried out on the 15^th of March, 2012 at 07.00 PM at the GMU Sports Complex.

Draw of lots for the events was carried out at GMU campus.?? Prof. Gita Ashok Raj,? Provost of GMU,???? Dr. Manda Venkatramana, Dean of GMU, Professor Ishtiyaq Shaafie,? Chairman-Sports Committee of GMU, ?other GMU sports committee members, representatives and students ?from the participating institutions were present for the fixtures of all the events.

Later, the students and the representatives of the participating institutions were taken for a tour of the GMU Sports Complex and the New Body & Soul Health Club & Spa. ???Body & Soul Health Club & Spa,? a Leisure and Hospitality Division of the Thumbay Group is an International Leisure Company dedicated to the pursuit of improved well being and lifestyle .? The Health Club & Spa which is first of its kind in Ajman is one stop destination offering extensive sports, recreation, fitness, health, social and youth programs.

The Club with ample parking is located on the grounds of the Gulf Medical University, Al Jurf area with very easy access from Ajman, Sharjah & Northern Emirates. The Health Club & Spa? boasts of? a luxury family pool and deck, an extensive fitness suite with a view, dance and yoga studios, a? 3 court tennis centre, badminton, squash, volleyball and basketball courts, a soccer/cricket pitch, grass football ground and a ladies only section with a gym and private access to the ladies pool.

Active programs? include team sport competitions, leagues, swim lessons, squash and tennis lessons, a special Kids Club, club?s own ?Achieve? fitness program, yoga, karate and aerobics classes. The club also conducts regular social and educational programs for children and adults.

For more details on the upcoming 11^th GMU Annual Sports Festival 2012, please visit our website www.gmu.ac.ae/sports2012 or ?call Mr. Muhammad Ibrahim? on 06 -7431333.

Category: Gulf Medical University, Press Release, Thumbay Group
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Source: http://gmcajman.net/newsroom/?p=2051

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Deen says she's ready to lighten up her cooking

FILE - In this Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012 photo, celebrity chef Paula Deen poses for a portrait in New York. A month after being widely criticized for revealing she has diabetes, as well as a lucrative endorsement deal for a drug to treat it, Paula Deen says she's ready to show a lighter side to her famously fatty Southern-style cooking. (AP Photo/Carlo Allegri)

FILE - In this Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012 photo, celebrity chef Paula Deen poses for a portrait in New York. A month after being widely criticized for revealing she has diabetes, as well as a lucrative endorsement deal for a drug to treat it, Paula Deen says she's ready to show a lighter side to her famously fatty Southern-style cooking. (AP Photo/Carlo Allegri)

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) ? A month after being widely criticized for revealing she has diabetes ? as well as a lucrative endorsement deal for a drug to treat it ? Paula Deen says she's ready to show a lighter side to her famously fatty Southern-style cooking.

Just don't expect her to swear off butter.

"I am who I am. But what I will be doing is offering up lighter versions of my recipes," the longtime Food Network star told The Associated Press during an interview at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival on Friday.

"I will have a broader platform now, trying to do something for everybody," she said. "But you know, I'm Southern by roots. I was taught (to cook) by my grandmother and nothing I can do would change that."

The Food Network did not immediately respond to questions regarding Deen's new approach or whether they were involved in the decision.

Last month, Deen drew the ire of many in the health and culinary worlds when she announced that nearly three years before she had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Roughly 23 million Americans are believed to have Type 2 diabetes, a condition blamed in part on obesity and unhealthy lifestyles.

During those years, she continued to promote her butter- and bacon-laden cooking on television and in books and magazines, and to profit from lucrative endorsement deals with companies such as Smithfield ham and Philadelphia Cream Cheese.

But the harshest criticism was triggered by her simultaneous announcement that she also would be a paid pitch person for drug maker Novo Nordisk's new online program, Diabetes in a New Light, and for its pricy drug, Victoza, which she takes.

Many wondered why she appeared to wait until she had a paying endorsement before revealing her diagnosis.

"Yes, I am being compensated," she said Friday. "It's the way of the world. It's the American way. But I am taking a portion of that compensation and giving it back to the (American) Diabetes Association."

Deen would not say how much she is being paid or what portion would be donated.

And she dismissed the idea that she should have announced her diagnosis sooner, citing her longstanding battle with agoraphobia.

"It took me 20 years to come out and stand up and say, 'Hey, my name's Paula and I'm agoraphobic,'" she said. "I was so ashamed, so embarrassed. So to do it in two-and-a-half years, I thought it was pretty good."

Deen, who is 65, shrugged off the criticism ? including by some fellow celebrity chefs ? saying her fans have stood by her.

"I think a few people who have access to a TV camera and ink kind of wanted to hate on me for coming down with something," she said. "But I so don't worry about it."

Deen lives in Savannah, Ga., where she ran a successful catering business, wrote a best-selling cookbook and opened an acclaimed restaurant, The Lady & Sons, before launching "Paula's Home Cooking" on the Food Network in 1999. She won a Daytime Emmy as Outstanding Lifestyle Host in 2007, and has branched out to cookware, foods and furniture bearing her name.

Her recipes include deep-fried cheesecake covered in chocolate and powdered sugar, a quiche that calls for a pound of bacon, and a French toast casserole made with two cups of half-and-half and a half-pound of butter.

But Deen notes that food is only one piece of the diabetes puzzle ? along with genetics, lifestyle, age and race ? and emphasizes that she doesn't eat like that every day.

Following her announcement last month, Deen said she had stopped drinking the sweet tea she used to sip all day and had taken up treadmill walking. On Friday, she told NBC's "Today" show that she has been eating less and exercising more.

Deen also has been promoting her son's take on healthy eating, Food Network's "Not My Mama's Meals," which stars Bobby Dean making lighter versions of his mother's recipes.

Though Deen said she last month wasn't planning to change her approach to on-air cooking, on Friday she said that when she begins shooting new episodes of her show this spring, the recipes will offer something for everyone, including people who want healthier recipes.

But it may be a while before viewers see the difference. Because filming and production schedules are set well in advance, it could take up to two years before those episodes are aired.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2012-02-24-US-Food-South%20Beach-Paula%20Deen/id-dd68acefc37c455fbea0534a4fb4929c

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Seven Marines killed in copter training collision (Reuters)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Reuters - Two U.S. military helicopters collided during a training exercise over the desert along the Arizona-California border, killing all seven Marines aboard, the Marine Corps said on Thursday.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120223/us_nm/us_usa_marines_crash

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Adopt anti ageing treatment for you

Our body undergoes various changes as soon, as we turn thirty. After the age of thirty, people undergo various body changes; suffer from various illnesses, which directly correlate with ageing. Every women and even man wants to look younger always, but as they cross the age of 30, they can see the signs and symptoms of ageing. Ageing is an embarrassing moment for people. Various signs of ageing include wrinkles, damaged skin, pigmentation, fine lines on face and many more. Anti ageing treatment prevents individual?s ageing symptoms.

There are various other treatments that are pigmentation treatment, which helps in reducing the amount of melanin and damaged skin treatment that rejuvenate or helps in growing new and healthy cells. There could be hormonal disorders, cardiovascular, or immune system related diseases that catalyses ageing symptoms.

Diseases like ischemic heart diseases, stress and strain, diabetes etc causes ageing. In the modern world, approximately 69% of people between the ages of 25 ? 45 years are suffering, from this problem due to their lifestyle, irregular changes in environment or heredity could be the reason. Almost, every individual wants to get rid off ageing.

Now, it is possible to get rid off ageing in no time, without any pain. There are so many anti ageing treatments available, for people who want to look young, even after 50 or 60 years of age. Treatment delays the process of ageing. Cosmetics used for the treatment of ageing are temporary, sometimes, they work and sometimes, they fail. But, with the treatment effects like wrinkles, lines, sags, crowfeet, and many more vanishes like anything.

Excessive exposure to pollution or heat can give rise to wrinkles but various creams, toners, supplements, lotion etc are ineffective these days. So, treatment is the best process, in this case. Treatments are done by highly experienced dermatologists, who are well trained in it.

With age, second most prominent problem seen is skin damage. Skin is the most important organ that should remain healthy and alive, all the time. It is the only organ which is highly exposed to the environment. Skin damage occurs due to the several reasons like sun, smoke or few products that throws the kin out of balance. Skin damage is irrespective to age, it can occur at any age whether in teenage, adulthood or old age. For the youthful skin, it is important to maintain the pH of the skin, which should be around 5.5. Although, the sun is pretty beneficial, but when excessive exposure is given then it leads to damaging. The cells gets damaged also, the level of melanocytes are increased, which makes skin pigmented.

Young girls and ladies, you don?t have to worry now, as there is damaged skin treatment which also covers pigmentation treatment are available, for you. So, now you can go out in the sun and enjoy. Various clinics are available, where you can find these types of treatment. Here, you will start glowing in no time. Few sessions are there where treatments, some guidelines, health charts are given to make it more easy and long lasting.

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Source: http://health.ezinemark.com/adopt-anti-ageing-treatment-for-you-7d33a77493d1.html

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Taliban urge Afghans to kill "invaders" amid new Koran protests (Reuters)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Reuters - The Taliban urged Afghans on Thursday to target foreign military bases and kill Westerners in retaliation for burnings of copies of the Koran at NATO's main base in the country as a third day of violent protests began.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/usmilitary/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120223/wl_nm/us_afghanistan_korans

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Blog Archive Why Bother with Art Colleges? - Entertainment and ...

If you?re pretty good art, you are probably not even consider going to college of art. Why at all? Botticelli, Michaelangeo, Da Vinci, you can draw like the masters. Could there not been a landscape scene is not like your brush, and there was no image that you can not draw. You can sketch everything that exists!

But as with any talent, you have to realize that this is a great world we live there is always room for improvement, and even though your work can speak for themselves, have a degree behind you, it may find what employer. So you gather all your reservations, pack your easel, brushes, and your paddle and head north from the nearest college art.

First Good choice?

Type of school will definitely benefit you as an artist. Her innate talent of the concepts and proven techniques you learn here will benefit you. Maybe you already know the fundamentals and techniques of your art. Rest assured that there are things that art school can teach you that you do not already know.

Art school also develops in students a love and appreciation for various art forms. He opens the horizons of students new ways of learning and expressing. Even if not for this reason, the art school would be worth every penny.

Second What is the art school appropriate?

The artists are a rare species. They seem to be able to without creating complicated masterpieces theories and calculations. It is as if by instinct to them draw, paint, custom images and move visually appealing. Some artists, when asked about her art would simply shrug their shoulders and say, they did not know what motivates them, and it felt like to paint. Type of school should not aim to correct this free-wheeling style of artistic creation. It should, however, provide the basic techniques and theories about art and creativity. Instead of deleting them a natural ability to develop and illustrated by explaining the underlying concepts of art are. Contrary to what most people think, it really is a science behind the art.

Artists create art to sometimes. But according to Art College, they come to an awareness of the theories behind what they did by instinct. Fundamental theories enhance and complement the talents of the students.

Third The know?

When choosing a College of Arts, the nature of its programs.

- Is it just a graphic design school courses or offer them in other specific areas?
- Is the school known for its emphasis on their programs?
- The school is internationally recognized?
- If class size is large or small?
- How many years does the program overall?
- The school provides statistics and download documents describe the proportion of graduates are working in their chosen field?

4th Specialize!

Remember that the object of art is not just a big blob with label art. It is composed of many sub-categories or specializations. You need a specialist, because if you do not, you?ll transfer your skills to try, who will learn many branches of art. Try to improve the most in your area of ??interest. It could be painting, sculpture, digital art or other.

5th Be the best

Also, consider whether the school has competed graphic or done something of a reputation in the industry. This is a sure sign of their commitment to the arts and education of their students. One of the best things you can get out of the College of Art is the impact of competition and industry standards. This competition drives you to be complacent. If you?re a better artist, you should never with what you already know to be satisfied. You have to take this opportunity to learn something new and exciting.

6th Completion

Their training is the biggest investment you have in your life. Without proper training, your chances of success are greatly diminished. A good college of Art will surely educate and equip you with the tools to make it big in your career.

Related posts:

1. An Overview Of Art Schools
2. The College of Applied Arts: Arts and Design School Training Turns Talent into Career
3. Canadian Art and Design Schools
4. Knowing The Top Photography Schools In The US
5. Importance Of Visual Arts In Schools

Source: http://www.crackinupradio.com/why-bother-with-art-colleges.html

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How to Acquire an All in A single House ... - Home Improvement

What is manufactured stone? It?s man-made stone created in special concrete molds. The process can be used to make floor tile, stone veneer, statuary projects, decorative concrete, steppingstones and many other types of stone easily and inexpensively right at home or in a shop. Because using cement molds to make cultured stone is far less expensive, because manufactured stone weighs less, and because there is a huge selection of craft molds and cement colors for just the type of stone you want.

For natural stone, molds use various sizes and patterns so that there is no repetition. The result is a natural look virtually indistinguishable from real stone.

Will manufactured stone last? The concrete mix used for the process results in stone and tile that can last hundreds of years. The concrete used for making the stone doesn?t weigh less, but you only need to make manufactured stones and stone veneers as thick as you want them to be. That way, you get the natural stone look, but at far lower weight than using real stone.

Cast Concrete Molds ? The Secret to Inexpensive Home Improvement

Choose a company that fully guarantees all its work and can supply a team that are used to working together on all types of home renovation projects.

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://www.kodiaksnet.com/how-to-acquire-an-all-in-a-single-house-renovation-team

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'Texting cow' technology boost for farmers

Public release date: 21-Feb-2012
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Contact: Corporate Comms
corporatecomms@strath.ac.uk
44-141-548-2924
University of Strathclyde

Smart collar to send texts about cow condition

A smart collar which closely monitors the health of cows and sends the results back to farmers using mobile phone technology is being developed as part of a three-year-project co-funded by the Technology Strategy Board.

The Technology Strategy Board has given a substantial grant towards the 1.4 million project to develop the technology, which could make huge savings for farmers. It is the result of a joint project between The University of Strathclyde, Morrisons, Scottish Agricultural College (SAC), NMR, Harbro, Well Cow and Embedded Technology Solutions (a Strathclyde spin-out company) who are developing the technology.

The equipment involves each cow wearing an intelligent collar that picks up on subtle movements with the same sensor used in Wii gaming and generates a continuous record of their activity patterns.

Results will then be sent back using a range of wireless technologies like 3G, with a full update accessible via a hub or even through a mobile phone. It is envisaged that farmers can set up alerts for their phone to receive a text when a cow is in distress, coming in to heat or entering labour.

Wireless technology means that the signal from the cow's collar would be accessible from anywhere, so farmers can check on their cattle's status using their phone wherever they are.

It will provide vital improvements in the important areas of cow illness and streamline the insemination process.

By accurately sensing the cow's head positions in three dimensions, the collar will be able to detect if the animal's hind legs begin to lower one of the initial signs of illness.

The sensor on the collar will also detect when a cow is coming into heat and alert the farmer so he can optimise the process of insemination, increasing cow pregnancy rates. Without this technology, close monitoring of each cow, which can take hours every day, is required to look for the signs of heat.

With both efficient insemination and cow health crucial for farm profitability the development could help to sustain the financial future of farms.

The collar technology is now entering its next phase thanks to a grant from the Technology Strategy Board and a commitment by Morrisons to provide its farm at Dumfries House in Scotland for the testing of the technology.

Professor Jim McDonald, Principal of the University of Strathclyde, said: "It is essential that technology innovation, positive social impact and economic development go hand in hand. This exciting project will contribute to all of these themes. I am delighted to see Embedded Technology Solutions Ltd progress so well and continue Strathclyde's extensive record of translating ground-breaking research into high value, high quality products."

Annette MacDougall, Embedded Technology Solutions Ltd CEO, said: "The Silent Herdsman platform is a decision support tool for farmers, alerting them to take action on specific animals within their herd. By advancing the platform to the next generation alongside our industry partners, we are leading in this segment by continuing to produce innovative solutions that are relevant for farmers today and the global dairy industry at large.

"Meeting the demands of traceability and sustainability in the food chain can be addressed long term using wireless and sensor technologies at the core."

David Evans, Morrisons Head of Agriculture at Morrisons, said: "The future of farming is extremely important to us as a business, as is animal welfare. This technology can help secure it by allowing farmers to monitor the health conditions of individual cows far more easily and accurately.

"Not only can this development help to save the farmer money, it can also help to keep food affordable."

Andy Warne, Managing Director at NMR Plc, said: "It is rare to come across a development such as Silent Herdsman which has 'game changing' potential for dairy farmers. NMR believes this TSB initiative will strengthen the UK industries that seek to collectively promote the advancement of improved efficiency, in animal health and welfare."

David Alvis, who leads the Technology Strategy Board's work on sustainable agriculture and food, said: "We are delighted to support this innovative project.

"Addressing animal health and welfare challenges and improving animal performance monitoring are vital pieces of the food security jigsaw. The technologies developed through this project have the potential to benefit farming communities in the UK and around the world and we wish the partners every success."

###

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 21-Feb-2012
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Contact: Corporate Comms
corporatecomms@strath.ac.uk
44-141-548-2924
University of Strathclyde

Smart collar to send texts about cow condition

A smart collar which closely monitors the health of cows and sends the results back to farmers using mobile phone technology is being developed as part of a three-year-project co-funded by the Technology Strategy Board.

The Technology Strategy Board has given a substantial grant towards the 1.4 million project to develop the technology, which could make huge savings for farmers. It is the result of a joint project between The University of Strathclyde, Morrisons, Scottish Agricultural College (SAC), NMR, Harbro, Well Cow and Embedded Technology Solutions (a Strathclyde spin-out company) who are developing the technology.

The equipment involves each cow wearing an intelligent collar that picks up on subtle movements with the same sensor used in Wii gaming and generates a continuous record of their activity patterns.

Results will then be sent back using a range of wireless technologies like 3G, with a full update accessible via a hub or even through a mobile phone. It is envisaged that farmers can set up alerts for their phone to receive a text when a cow is in distress, coming in to heat or entering labour.

Wireless technology means that the signal from the cow's collar would be accessible from anywhere, so farmers can check on their cattle's status using their phone wherever they are.

It will provide vital improvements in the important areas of cow illness and streamline the insemination process.

By accurately sensing the cow's head positions in three dimensions, the collar will be able to detect if the animal's hind legs begin to lower one of the initial signs of illness.

The sensor on the collar will also detect when a cow is coming into heat and alert the farmer so he can optimise the process of insemination, increasing cow pregnancy rates. Without this technology, close monitoring of each cow, which can take hours every day, is required to look for the signs of heat.

With both efficient insemination and cow health crucial for farm profitability the development could help to sustain the financial future of farms.

The collar technology is now entering its next phase thanks to a grant from the Technology Strategy Board and a commitment by Morrisons to provide its farm at Dumfries House in Scotland for the testing of the technology.

Professor Jim McDonald, Principal of the University of Strathclyde, said: "It is essential that technology innovation, positive social impact and economic development go hand in hand. This exciting project will contribute to all of these themes. I am delighted to see Embedded Technology Solutions Ltd progress so well and continue Strathclyde's extensive record of translating ground-breaking research into high value, high quality products."

Annette MacDougall, Embedded Technology Solutions Ltd CEO, said: "The Silent Herdsman platform is a decision support tool for farmers, alerting them to take action on specific animals within their herd. By advancing the platform to the next generation alongside our industry partners, we are leading in this segment by continuing to produce innovative solutions that are relevant for farmers today and the global dairy industry at large.

"Meeting the demands of traceability and sustainability in the food chain can be addressed long term using wireless and sensor technologies at the core."

David Evans, Morrisons Head of Agriculture at Morrisons, said: "The future of farming is extremely important to us as a business, as is animal welfare. This technology can help secure it by allowing farmers to monitor the health conditions of individual cows far more easily and accurately.

"Not only can this development help to save the farmer money, it can also help to keep food affordable."

Andy Warne, Managing Director at NMR Plc, said: "It is rare to come across a development such as Silent Herdsman which has 'game changing' potential for dairy farmers. NMR believes this TSB initiative will strengthen the UK industries that seek to collectively promote the advancement of improved efficiency, in animal health and welfare."

David Alvis, who leads the Technology Strategy Board's work on sustainable agriculture and food, said: "We are delighted to support this innovative project.

"Addressing animal health and welfare challenges and improving animal performance monitoring are vital pieces of the food security jigsaw. The technologies developed through this project have the potential to benefit farming communities in the UK and around the world and we wish the partners every success."

###

---

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?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-02/uos-ct022112.php

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Obama takes tougher stance on higher education (AP)

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AP - Access to college has been the driving force in federal higher education policy for decades. But the Obama administration is pushing a fundamental agenda shift that aggressively brings a new question into the debate: What are people getting for their money?

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120220/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_college_value

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Retirement Investing | Finance and Loans

M?s noticias sobre: Investment | | Trackback
Tags: Investing, Retirement

You must have thought a number of times about how your dream retirement is going to be like, but have you really thought about how are you going to make your retirement investment? If not, then it?s time for you get started and do all the calculations. This is because, if you want your retirement dream to come true, this wakeup call should get you on your feet to get real and act wise. ?After all, even when you employ an expert to handle your finances, you cannot simply follow someone else blindly for your future livelihood. It is equally important to acquire the knowledge and understand what differentiates a quality advice from a quality sales pitch.

Here are a few good steps to help you get started:

1. Educate yourself

You can start your retirement investment education by reading various book reviews and taking online or live investment classes.

This way you learn about what options are on the platter and how many possible ways you can go about them. But beware of the free lunch or free dinner seminars which usually try to sell you their investment plans or products in the name of education.

2. Professional Assistance

When the best of the athletes can have coaches why can?t you have professional guidance for your retirement investment planning? Seek professional assistance and not a sales person and you will be able to make the best out of the good financial advice that you get. This will also help you to keep yourself out of legal troubles which you can get into unknowingly.

3. Retirement Investment Plan

You must have read or heard this famous saying somewhere ? ?People don?t plan to fail, they fail to plan?.

This is true for your investment planning too. Laying out a proper retirement investment plan and sticking to it is one of the biggest mantras of the retirement process. The way to go about it is to first make your overall retirement plan and then sit down to chalk out your investment plan. One thing to remember is to keep things simple and abide by the time frame.

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Source: http://www.copticcharities.net/retirement-investing/

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A Fireplace And Chicken Soup...by Michael | Gather

February 19, 2012 07:35 AM EST

views: 24 Grace was lost and confused. She crawled out of her overturned car that skidded off the road into a ditch below though the totally broken drivers side window. The snow was accumulating as the temperature dropped but she managed make it back up to the winding country road that her car was once driving on. After the initial shock subsided and her head cleared, all she could do was walk down the winding road hoping to see some form of help. After one hour of walking she passed out from exhaustion. Billy got in his car and decided to drive into town from the resort he was staying at. He needed a few items of food and drink and supplies to bring back to his cabin. His car stopped and pulled off to the side of the road when he saw a woman laying there. She was unconscious but there still was a pulse. A few bruises here and there but nothing looked too serious as to her condition. Grace was gently placed into the back seat as he drove back to the cabin. She woke up from under some blankets in a strange bed as her eyes refocused on the fireplace that kept the cabin warm. Then she heard his voice. " I hope you like hot chicken soup for that is all I have for now until my next trip to town". Grace laughed out loud and then cried as she replied "thank you for saving my life". She told Billy what happened and he phoned in this accident to the police and the approximate location. They went together to town to shop for items he needed the night before. She spent the next two weeks with him as the fireplace was lit and meals and drinks were on him. Two years later they checked into a cabin where they spent their first night together. Now husband and wife it was a honeymoon of memories. Some tears of joy along with kisses and hugs were shared once again. She woke up to the sound of a crackling fireplace and then pulled off the blanket to get out of bed. They laughed and then tenderly smiled at each other as they both spoon fed each one another some hot chicken soup. Maybe we have here a story of him being at the right place at the right time when she needed it. That is all it actually takes to make a difference in the future of the two involved. Case in point for Grace and Billy where love reflects in a fireplace and chicken soup....

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Source: http://publishingnews.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474981125685

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Substance Abuse Treatment Programs - Health And Fitness Tips

Material misuse happens to be the duplicated use of drugs such as cocaine, heroin as well as prescribed medications. There are several grounds that contribute to such dependencies, such as inadequate parenting, substandard sociable dealing with talents, association having the deviant peer collection and peer stress.

There are various symptoms too, such as forgetfulness, aggressiveness, irritability and getting drunk on a regular basis that can be seen frequently in an individual. If you notice any of the symptoms, it is imperative to approach a drug rehab center otherwise these can have deadly consequences if not treated at the right time. Treating the drug or alcohol abuse at an early stage is the best way to get rid of this habit.

Essentially treatment is a behavior modification therapy that helps drugs and alcohol addicts to come out of this habit and lead a healthy and stress free life. The drug prevention programs made available by the rehab center are offered after analyzing the person?s characteristics and knowing the type of substance being consumed.

The substance abuse treatment programs are carried out by specially trained staff members who are certified or licensed as substance abuse counselors. These substance abuse counselors or specialists identify the individual?s negative behavioral traits and take necessary steps with a positive approach.

Substance abuse counseling plays a crucial role in the psychological recovery of the patient. With this counseling session, addicts are motivated to develop basic problem-solving skills, achieve a balanced lifestyle, improve relationships, find a higher meaning in life and eventually lead a productive and happy life.

There are residential programs, outpatient programs and executive rehab programs also made available to patients by specialists helping in the recovery process. Partial hospitalization and methadone clinics are other amenities provided to individual suffering from alcohol or drug abuse.

To provide long time recuperation, there are non commercial material abuse shows made available by medication rehab centers.

Learn more about Rick Lee?s site where you can find out all about Substance Abuse Treatment Center In New Mexico and what it can do for you.

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Source: http://healthandfitnesstips.biz/substance-abuse-treatment-programs

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"Supranational" Investing

02/17/12 Baltimore, Maryland ? Some of the very best Argentine steak houses are in Amsterdam, some of America?s very best rodeo cowboys are Brazilian and some of the world?s very best beach volleyball courts are high in the Swiss Alps. The ?cosmopolitanization? of the world is under way ? creating vast, new and diverse patterns of commerce? which also means vast, new and diverse investment opportunities.

Because cultural influences continuously tend to travel and disperse like pollen on the breeze, the resulting cross-pollination produces a dizzying array of cultural hybrids. In one sense, therefore, the world is becoming smaller. But as it ?shrinks,? it is also expanding culturally. When cultural influences combine with one another, they sometimes produce sociological phenomena and expressions that defy strict national categorization.

To illustrate the point, let?s return to those Argentine steaks, American cowboys and beach volleyball courts?

According to a colleague who sometimes knows what he?s talking about, ?There?s an Argentine restaurant in Amsterdam named CAU that serves a filet mignon that is as good as any filet I have ever eaten in Argentina or Uruguay?maybe better. CAU stands for ?Carne Argentina Unica??and that?s exactly what CAU serves. Argentina itself still holds the title for best-ever rib-eye, but the filet at CAU was incredible!?

A similar Southern Hemisphere/Northern Hemisphere curiosity is unfolding in the American rodeo world.

?Five of the top six riders on the Colorado-based Professional Bull Riders Tour all hail from Brazil,? The Wall Street Journal reports. ?[And] there are five more Brazilians among the [rest of the] top 40 riders? The South American country has been producing strong contenders since the tour began nearly two decades ago, but never before this season have its cowboys been so dominant, with Brazilians winning 17 of the 27 events so far. Their prowess has other riders frantically reassessing their techniques, scrambling to learn Portuguese and even vacationing in Brazil in hopes that secrets to the Brazilians? success will somehow seep in.?

?I?m kinda ticked about it,? a 60-year-old computer specialist from Fargo, N.D., tells the WSJ. ?There?s nothing more American than a cowboy, and all of a sudden these Brazilians are walking away with everything.?

The Brazilians are also walking away with a lot of the beach volleyball titles?often without even the setting foot on a beach. Last summer, the FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour hosted a tournament in Gstaad, Switzerland ? 3,440 feet (1,050 meters) above sea level, the highest altitude tournament on the tour. Brazilian duos won both the men?s and women?s 2011 event in Gstaad, but the semifinal contests also featured teams from Germany, Poland, China, Italy and, yes, the US.

As recently as 10 years ago, most beach volleyball tournaments featured mostly American beach volleyball players playing on actual American beaches. No more. Today, the best professional players could hail from almost any country on the planet?and the tournaments, likewise, could take place almost anywhere on the planet?including the Swiss Alps.

This very unscientific sample of cultural cross-pollination and hybridization mirrors a powerful trend in the world of commerce and, therefore, in the world of investing. Regional cultural differences remain, but national borders are becoming increasingly irrelevant to economic trends. They are accidental, artificial constructs that surround underlying supply/demand phenomena.

International commerce, therefore, is becoming less and less about bilateral trade between nations and more and more about worldwide demand for a specific product or service. Accordingly, international investing is becoming less and less about ?where? and more and more about ?what.?

Investors can benefit by recognizing this subtle nuance. Let me explain.

Traditionally, US investors seeking to invest overseas would allocate capital to a specific country or region. They might buy an ?Asia Pacific Fund,? for example, or maybe something more targeted, like a ?Singapore Fund.? But country- or region-specific considerations drove the investment decision. That?s traditional international investing, and it is still a valid strategy.

But a complementary international investing strategy is something we call ?supranational? investing.

?Supra-,? according to Webster?s Unabridged Dictionary, is ?a prefix meaning above, over, beyond.? Supranational investing, therefore, looks above, over and beyond national and regional borders. It seeks to identify the companies that will deliver the greatest growth around the world, rather than the countries that will deliver the greatest growth. Supranational investing seeks to identify the products or services that will attract the greatest demand growth throughout the entire world and then invest in the companies that provide these products or services.

A company like Pall Corp. is a great example. Pall, which trades right here on the NYSE under the symbol PLL, manufactures and supplies filtration, separations and purification products. In the company?s own words, ?Pall?s fluid management solutions enable customers to purify and conserve water, consume less energy, make alternative energy possible and practical, advance medicine and minimize emissions and waste.?

Pall benefits from local demand, yes, but also it benefits from demand from the rest of the world. The company generates only one-third of its sales from the Americas. Europe accounts for 39% of its sales, while Asia accounts for 28%. As such, Pall is not an ?Asian trade? or an ?African trade?; it is a world trade. It is an investment in the growing global demand for clean water?and Pall?s stock market performance makes the point.

During the last five years, PLL has charted an independent course that bears little resemblance to the trends of either the S&P 500 index or the MSCI EAFE index of international stocks. In other words, Pall?s share price has tracked the strong performance of its own operations, rather than the performance of any particular national economy or stock market.

Even more dramatic is the two-decade-long divergence between Japan?s Kurita Water Industries and the overall Japanese stock market. Over the last two decades, Japan?s Nikkei 225 index has tumbled 59% in US dollar terms (78% in yen terms!), while the EAFE index of international stocks has scratched out a gain of 109%. But over the same time frame, Kurita has delivered a total return of 200%.

Past performance is no guarantee of future performance, but in this case, we think it will be a reliable hint. For the future ? both near term and long term ? water purification is one of our favorite supranational investment themes.

Regards,

Addison Wiggin,
for The Daily Reckoning

Addison Wiggin

Addison Wiggin is the executive publisher of Agora Financial, LLC, a fiercely independent economic forecasting and financial research firm. He?s the creator and editorial director of Agora Financial?s daily 5 Min. Forecast and editorial director of The Daily Reckoning. Wiggin is the founder of Agora Entertainment, executive producer and co-writer of I.O.U.S.A., which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, the 2009 Critics Choice Award for Best Documentary Feature, and was also shortlisted for a 2009 Academy Award. He is the author of the companion book of the film I.O.U.S.A.and his second edition of The Demise of the Dollar? and Why it?s Even Better for Your Investments was just fully revised and updated. Wiggin is a three-time New York Times best-selling author whose work has been recognized by The New York Times Magazine, The Economist, Worth, The New York Times, The Washington Post as well as major network news programs. He also co-authored international bestsellers Financial Reckoning Day and Empire of Debt with Bill Bonner.

View articles by Addison Wiggin

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D is for Death ? Cat's Journal

My interest in death is a relatively recent one. While I sometimes joke that I might have become a gothic if I was willing to devote more time to perfecting my appearance (clothing, make-up, hair), I could never identify with this subculture?s obsession with death. Sure, I enjoy a good vampire story every now and then (not that vampires are technically dead), and I?ve worn my share of skulls and crossbones, but that?s about it. Death just wasn?t anything that happened in my life.

And when death first did happen in my life, when my grandfather died as I was about 16, it still left me pretty cold. I hadn?t liked him in life, we never were close, so his death didn?t actually concern me much. I do remember silently (and rather cynically) telling him ?do it better the next time round? at the funeral. I think I had the impression he hadn?t been a very happy man as I knew him, and he also didn?t seem to have made my mother (and her brother?) very happy. He wasn?t directly abusive, as far as I know, just not emotionally available. Still, death remained detached from my life.

When my grandmother died, I was 28. Her death was a long and slow one, and it began when her dementia got more and more pronounced. She had been a very important person during my childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood, and I loved her very much. We mostly lived in the same city (except for three years when my family relocated due to my father?s job situation), but I had moved away for good at 21, so I only saw her a couple of times a year. Her world became smaller and smaller, until she stopped leaving her apartment altogether (except for rare accompanied visits to the doctor). Looking back, I wish I had known more about dementia back then so I had been able to better understand her world in those last few years. As it was, I just felt that she slowly disappeared into a loop of forgetfulness and only peeked out of that very rarely. I did what I could to make her look at me once again with that very particular twinkle in her eyes. In the very end, she had to move to a nursing home, where I visited her once. I remember pushing her outside in her wheelchair. She eventually said (as she had done several times before on different occasions) ?I think the dear Lord has forgotten me,? which I took to mean she wouldn?t mind if he summoned her into the Heaven (her imagery, not mine) sometime soon. So I told her something to the effect that she could go if she wanted to because I somehow believed she needed that permission (no idea why, really).

Anyhow, eventually she did die. I expected myself to cry and be very sad because she had been so important in my life, but I found that I didn?t feel much at first. She had been very old (90+ years), she had been on her way out for years and years, so this was hardly a shock. Especially since I had the feeling she had been ready to go for quite a while. I found the funeral pretty terrible. It was held in a chapel-like room of a funeral home, by a pastor who hadn?t known her and who had written his speech after interviewing one or two of her three sons. There was only a sentence or two about her attitude towards us grandchildren, which felt completely out of balance to me ? after all, she had been a grandmother for nearly half of her life, and a very active and present one at that! I was completely surprised to learn that she had loved to sing, and silently promised that I would accept the heritage of the singing (a promise which I still have to fulfill ? but I?m slowly inching my way towards that, starting from a position where I?d never sing in anyone?s presence). It was a Christian funeral, and that felt very alien to me. That said, I was surprised how moved I still was and that I actually started crying in the end. I didn?t think of myself as much of a spiritual person back then, but I clearly remember ?sending? a spiral to balance/counter the sign of the cross the pastor made at the end. It went right through the cross. Again, I have no idea where that impulse came from.

In the late summer of 2008, my father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He got chemotherapy, he got surgery, and for a while it all seemed hopeful. I still massively increased the frequency of my visits with my parents (whom I had seen maybe once or twice a year before) and ended up going there every other weekend or so. In that winter, he went back into the hospital, and I remember the whole family visiting him in there on Christmas. I sat by his bed, talking to him, and he gave my an article about ?modern? ways of organizing work he thought I?d be interested in. I made him an envelope full of collages that were meant to show him what memories of our shared life I cherished and that I loved him just the way he was. I told him I was proud to be his daughter and that I loved him. I also saw him cry, for the first and only time. That moment still has a very special place in my heart.

There was talk of him moving into a hospice, and my sister and I went to check out the one in my parents? hometown (a wonderful place that felt completely right to me). We also thought about? bringing him home again, but I don?t think that ever really was an option for my mother. I don?t remember any medical details, just that there was to be another surgery, and that I had a very bad feeling about it, fearing he wouldn?t survive the operation. I even opened a thread on a tarot forum I was a member of and asked people to pray and send good energy to him. The outpouring of love from total strangers was incredible, and I felt very blessed by it. Anyhow, for whatever reason, the surgery was postponed a few days, and I still believe that this was partly why he did survive it. So that?s how he started the year 2009: fresh out of surgery, but with the devastating result that his whole belly was full of metastases and that the surgeons hadn?t even tried to remove any of them. That was when death finally became a resident in my life.

A few days later, the whole hospital had to be evacuated so that four old war bombs in the area could be safely defused (or detonated). That didn?t add much to a peaceful recovery from that surgery for him. After the bomb action was over, he was transferred to the palliative care ward. I?m not entirely sure why he didn?t move into the hospice but I think it was considered too strenuous for him. (I?m surprised myself how little I remember of the medical facts and related issues, but since I got most of the information by phone, and my auditory memory is not the best, that might account for some of that. And then I think I was simply focused on other things, like the emotional situation of everyone.) About a week later, I went to a workshop to build a frame drum (I hadn?t even successfully journeyed back then, but for some reason I knew I needed to make a drum). The following Monday, I received a letter from my university, telling me that my Master?s thesis proposal had been accepted and that I now had four months to write its 80-100 pages. What timing.

The next day, I got a phone call from my sister that I should come to my parents? hometown because it looked as if my father would die soon. I threw a few things into a bag, called my workplace, my Beloved called his, and off we went (my Beloved driving us). I think we were about half an hour from the hospital, still on the autobahn, when my mother called and told me that my father had just died. I said I definitely wanted to see him and that they should wait for me there. We hung up, and a few minutes later, the clouds right in front of us opened up in a peculiar shape and I saw a beam of sunlight in beautiful colors. I was certain that this had been a sign from my Dad, saying goodbye to me.

We arrived at the hospital, were greeted by my sister who took us to his room (I hadn?t been there before). He was lying in his bed, his hands on his chest, one on top of the other, his chin supported by a plastic thingie to prevent his head from falling forward. He was oddly yellow. I went over and touched his hands, looking at his dead face, which looked like him and yet not really like him. We hung around in the room for a while, eating bland cookies and drinking tea or coffee. It was a very liminal time, with him being both there and gone. Eventually, we went home to my mother?s place, taking a big plastic bag full of his clothes (not sure why I remember this detail so well).

After that, there was a flurry of activity. A funeral home had to be called, a date for the service had to be set, an obituary and funeral service invitations had to be worded and designed, clothes had to be picked, etc. My parents had decided and prepared a lot of things beforehand, so it was a comparatively organized and smooth process. I felt strange about using the same funeral home that had handled things when my grandmother died, but I didn?t argue (the experience of having someone try and sell their ?prettifying dead people skills? to me/us was still pretty jarring to me). Since my father wasn?t a member of any church and didn?t believe in any god (as far as I know), we had to decide what to do about a speech. I offered to write something and read it myself. Then my sister also wanted to write and read something. And then we decided to ask a cousin of my father to add a third part of the speech and say something about their youth which we as his children of course hadn?t witnessed. My sister initially found she was overwhelmed with the task of writing a speech, despite wanting to do so, and wanted to use somebody else?s words instead. Eventually, I was able to coach her in writing in her own words and helped her edit the text to something that flowed nicely. It was very odd how easily my mother, my sister, and I were able to agree on the fundamental things, given how very different our personalities are and how often we disagree otherwise. It was a beautiful experience.

On the day of the service, I felt very official. I knew I had a role to fulfill, and a part of me felt that I had taken on parts in our family dynamic that had previously been my father?s (my mother did a similar thing in a different way when she started wearing his sweaters, his wedding band, and used the frame from his glasses when she had to get new ones for herself). I felt very much like my father?s daughter, more than ever before. I was incredibly grateful that we had had time to say the important things, that we had gotten some extra time by the postponing of the second surgery, and that he had been in my life. I smiled, I nodded to people, I checked in with the funeral home people who were in charge of starting the music and the end of the service, and I generally provided structure for everyone. My father?s cousin started the service, telling stories of their youth, stopping to cry a bit, and weaving a thread to the present. He ended by putting a tenderly wrapped potato onto the coffin, because that was something my father had mentioned to him when he asked him about something he missed. I was deeply touched by that gesture. My sister was next, and she did wonderfully, especially since public speaking isn?t something she?s used to. She also stopped to cry at some point. As the older sister, I went last. I stood behind the lectern, looked out at all these people who had known my Dad and cared enough about him to come to his funeral, even if I didn?t know at least a third of them, and started reading. I was glad I didn?t also cry, but somehow that was not the time for it. Instead, I beamed all over my face because I was so grateful and the service was so perfect. I ended with announcing the music my father had picked himself: What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong. After that, people lit candles or put down a rose on/near his coffin, and slowly we all went outside. I smiled some more, I shook hands, I talked to people, and we were told over and over again how beautiful and moving the service had been.

I was proud of us and how well we had done. I was surprised by how right I felt in the role of the speaker at this funeral. I was stunned how unusual our DIY service apparently had been, when it seemed the only way to do this properly to me (meaning, that a funeral speech should preferably be held by people who had known and loved the person who died, not by some random professional who had no real connection to anyone present). I was equally stunned to hear how creepy or, well, unusual many people found the idea of touching a dead person. And ever since then, I have had a strong feeling that I was supposed to do something ?around death.?

I paid more attention to things one could do in relation to death. I read stuff. I started to find dead animals that I had to take care of in one way or the other. And in late January 2011, I finally went to a volunteer fair to check out the local organizations that provide hospice work. It seemed that I was supposed to work with the dying and their close ones. I found one organization that enabled me to start visiting people (all of whom had serious dementia, which taught me a whole lot of Very Important Things in itself) in a nursing home they cooperated with. I ended up visiting three people once or twice who then died. In two of the cases I also met some of the family members and talked to them in the function of a hospice volunteer. This work has always left me very fulfilled, even though (or probably because) it had not been about me at all. My job was to give my time and attention to whatever I found on any given day. My job was to stay and be there and listen. And I found that I did surprisingly well, given that I?m often more of a talker and ?fixer? than a listener and someone who just accepts things/people. There are also some side effects that I didn?t plan on. I?ve become more conscious of the value of life. I?m even less willing to waste time with things I consider pointless. My priorities have shifted. I also eventually realized that I started hoping that everyone would have the chance of saying goodbye to life and loved ones instead of being ripped from life completely unexpectedly. I?m also not hoping for a sudden (read, unexpected) death for myself anymore.

The actual hospice training was meant to start in late fall last year, but I changed organizations immediately before that (I had found that while the original one was fair enough, the new one is a much better fit for me). So that?s what I?m doing right now: getting properly trained to volunteer with that new hospice service. The course will run until the end of March, but ? due to my experience ? I?m officially in their files as an available volunteer already, which means they could call me any day and ask me to start visiting someone again.

To this day, I am not quite sure why death suddenly became a topic I need to work with, but my gut feeling is very clear on that (there were umpteen other volunteer jobs at that fair alone that I also found interesting and worthwhile, but it was clear they weren?t meant for me). So, basically, I?m just trusting the Universe here to let me know where I need to go. Maybe a part of this has to do with death being such a taboo in most of the Western world. Maybe I can adapt my skills in creating ways for people to talk about taboo subjects that I acquired around the topic of sex. Maybe I will only find out later what this is all about. And that?s fine with me. For the time being, I just need to know that it?s the thing for me to do.

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Source: http://tarotreading.wordpress.com/2012/02/17/d-is-for-death/

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