calm « WordPress.com Tag Feed

Archbishop: Anti-Christian attacks in Iraq part of brutal strategy

Particular Kev — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 07:01:52 +0000

Archbishop Basile Georges Casmoussa of Mosul said last week that last Thursdya’s anti-Christian atta

Keep the Calm...

samcy — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:36:21 +0000

In an effort to keep calm, I thought I would post these amazing pictures of waves, they are calm. T

Black and white (but most grey)

evaobenius — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:10:04 +0000

UAE acts to shore up banking system and calm markets

Viet Nam — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 04:10:08 +0000

The United Arab Emirates central bank on Sunday pumped more liquidity into its banking sector amid fears that local stock markets may plunge after debt-laden Dubai asked to suspend debt payments.

The intervention is seen as a step to soothe investors and bank depositors after the shock announcement that state-controlled Dubai World wants to halt payments to creditors until at least May next year.

“This is a step aimed to calm investors… Markets should be calmer (than feared) tomorrow,” said Emirati financial analyst Nasser bin Gaith.

“This means that banks will be on the safe side,” a UAE official who requested anonymity told AFP.

The central bank’s move came just before the the stock markets in Dubai and neighbouring emirate Abu Dhabi have their first chance on Monday to react to the disclosure of the debt difficulties, which were unveiled just before the start of a four-day holiday for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

A foreign labourer pictured at the construction site of Dubai’s Business Bay on November 27

The central bank said in a statement, unusually issued during a holiday, that it was providing banks with extra liquidity, stressing its support to the banking sector.

But bin Gaith expects the decision to have no real immediate impact on Dubai’s debt problem, pointing out that Dubai World is largely indebted to foreign banks.

“On practical level,there is no direct impact… Local banks have limited exposure to Dubai World, unlike foreign banks,” he said.

British banks reportedly have a total exposure of 30 billion dollars to Dubai World.

And until the UAE stock exchanges reopen on Monday it is uncertain to what extent investors will be reassured by the central bank’s statement.

“I expect to see a drop in Dubai’s market when it opens Monday… a minimum of two-three percent,” Saudi financial analyst Ali Daqaq told AFP. Dubai stock market rules limit the index to a change of 10 percent in one day.

“The banking sector will be the hardest hit, due to exposure to loans, and the danger of default on this debt,” he said, speaking before the central bank pledged support for banks.

The central bank said the UAE banking sector stands stronger and more liquid than a year ago and that it enjoys a “strong base of stable deposits.”

Other Gulf stock markets have also been on holiday since Thursday for Eid al-Adha, sparing them an immediate impact from Dubai’s announcement.

However, the news sent jitters throughout Asian and European stock markets on Thursday and the US market on Friday as investors feared a possible default by Dubai and its state-owned businesses, which together owe 80 billion dollars.

Some economists say the delay in the reaction by Gulf markets because of Eid might reduce the severe impact on those bourses.

“Market fundamentals say that the local market should be negatively affected by the announcement, especially banks and real estate stocks,” bin Ghaith told AFP before the central bank announcement.

“The reaction by the global markets was psychological, and came strongly. I expect the reaction here to be less hard because the first shock was absorbed by the global markets,” he said.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi will be the only Gulf stock markets to open on Monday, while Kuwait follows on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia’s financial market, the largest Arab bourse in capitalisation, will remain on holiday until Saturday.

The markets of Dubai and Abu Dhabi will have only two days of trading before they go again on holiday until Sunday December 6, for the national day.

Gulf investors outside the UAE are worried about contagion from Dubai’s problems.

“Even here in Saudi Arabia people are talking about withdrawing from the market when it opens (next) Saturday in fear of the impact of the banks’ exposure to Dubai’s debt,” Daqaq said.

Saudi economist Abdulwahab Abu-Dahesh expects a crash in the region’s markets. “I expect Gulf bourses to dive like the September crash last year,” following Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, he said.

Dubai does not have big oil reserves, unlike Abu Dhabi which sits on around 95 percent of the UAE’s crude deposits.

But doubts have been growing about Abu Dhabi’s commitment to buoy Dubai, despite a full subscription by two Abu Dhabi-controlled banks to Dubai bonds worth five billion dollars, announced a few hours before Dubai hinted at debt default.

The once-rapidly-booming economy of Dubai came to a screeching halt — most noticeably in its real estate sector, after being hit by financing shortage due to the global financial crisis.

Property prices in the once-booming desert city have slumped by 50 percent.

The latest edition of Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper was barred from news-stands in Dubai because of a graphic showing the emirate’s ruler Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed al-Maktoum sinking in a sea of debt.

“The Sunday Times was not distributed today,” an official from the UAE national media council told AFP, requesting anonymity.

“We cannot accept a personal insult. It is against our traditions,” he said.

Source: SGGP Bookmark & Share

Jesus Calms Life’s Storms - Mark 4:35-41

pastorblastor — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 16:23:07 +0000

Jesus Calms Life’s Storms – Mark 4:35-41 By Pastor Lee Hemen November 29, 2009 AM If you have

Profile in the light of dusk

evaobenius — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:01:55 +0000

A heron
.

Alder cones

evaobenius — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:36:23 +0000

peace, calm, light and warmth...

stormyriver — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 10:03:30 +0000

Sometimes life just doesn’t agree with me.

There is a place, which is really a state of mind, so dark and foul that, by its very nature, seems to consume your soul.

I visited that place today. It wasn’t by choice. I was sent spiralling there at warp speed by nothing more than a little ‘mistake’, a lie.

What a Pandora’s box can be opened by deception and lies!

Is it so difficult to understand? Over and over again i have answered the same question… “what is it that you want from me?” Always i have the same answer… “the truth”. The simple truth. No deception. No lies. Why is honesty so difficult? I don’t wrestle with it. I have no reason to fear it. I have nothing to hide. Is it really asking too much to expect honesty in return?

I didn’t choose to be in such a torturous place, but i did choose not to accept it and i did choose not to stay there.

The first step out of it was to go and sit outside in the sunshine and just absorb the light and the heat and the calm.

There were plenty of steps to follow, too many to mention, before a kind of resolution was found and i was able to begin to feel better.

But i did… and i do, feel better! I need to remind myself of that because when your soul is being eaten alive you tend to forget there is a way out, it will pass, there will be light and peace and calm once again.

Not happiness yet…..

Happiness is something i remember from my past, something i have forgotten in my present, and something a dream of for my future.

For now i am more than content with peace, calm, light and warmth.

Slow Boat to Nowhere

harmonious1 — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:29:52 +0000

Family get togethers in my extended family, like many others I guess, are sometimes less than harmonious. Not that there is any real disharmony or brawling. With my bunch it’s more a matter of people from vastly different walks of life trying to come together peacefully. Kinda like the whole world, on a smaller scale. There are a lot of basic similarities, but many differences in thoughts, ideas, perceptions, tastes, actions and priorities.

Some of these are more important than others. The kinds of things that you don’t dare talk about at get togethers. Or dinner. I think it may be me who’s the oddball. Not too terribly surprising since I’m the one who’s only related by marriage. To give you an idea of one of the less important ones, lets look at boats. I’m a kayak, sailboat and canoe kinda guy. The rest of the family is into speedboats.

I love boats. Always have. Probbly more because of the allure and romanticism of the olden days. When ships were made of wood and men were made of steel. I have this vision of graceful boats with flowing lines gliding across the water. Into this idyllic picture, enter loud, smoking speedboat driven aimlessly by a wild eyed man laughing maniacly at the sailboats, kayaks and canoes overturning as he speeds by. I never have understood the joy of zipping up and down the lake as fast as you can. Can’t hear anything but the engine. Things go by so fast you can hardly see ‘em. Plus you have to hold your hat on so it won’t fly away and drown.

That’s an exageration maybe, but from the perspective of my kayak cockpit, its pretty real. So I’m always really excited to be able to get out in the kayak early in the morning. Before the water gets churned up by too many boats. While it’s still peaceful and the surface shimmers like glass. It’s also a little less work to paddle when the water is calm.

What insired all of this today was a simple leaf. A beautiful fall day with a sharp blue color in the sky, the smell of falling leaves, and a slight crispness on the air. The water was cold, but I didn’t plan on having anything more than a few fingers in there. I pushed off from the seawall and dipped the paddle in on the left and decided it was time to just float. I sat. And listend. And thought. Then I truned on my Ipod and the boat started rocking with the rhythm. Very low volume mind you. Then I paddled some more.

What I like to do is get up around the docks and poke around along the seawalls. I can go slow. I can go in reverse. I can stop and look. And listen. And think. Mostly I like to see what interesting things I can find. When the water has been very low I have paddled underneath those docks and seen things haven’t been on dry land for some time. At the end of the cove I snuck up on a school of little fish. Got within several inches of them and they never noticed. I could of grabbed them up with my hand. They were feeding on the surface, leaping, biting and landing on their sides. I could see the flash of their scales as they broke the surface.

Across the lake there is a home with a whimsically decorated garden. I like to see the sections of iron fence leaning against the tress, vines climbing and making themselves at home around the spindles. Small statues are tucked away amid the shrubs. And topiary frames. Another home, I discovered after slowly gliding by and staraining my eyes, had a big red gazing ball. Not just a ball, but a ball situated in a framework of brushed chrome to look like the bloom on a flower. And then there are the real flowers and plants. A sick fir tree had been cut back to no more than a stump, but sprouting from that stump were new, healthy limbs. Barely several inches tall, but someday to be a towereing beauty. Hidden among the native flora were transplanted tropicals and succulents, carefully circled by irrigation hoses.

Along the seawall there are rocks, carefully placed to break any wakes and protect the wooden walls. To the speedboat, the rocks signal danger. Huge holes ripped into the side of the boat as it grates along their sharp facets. In the kayak, it’s a different story. Looking closely, each rock is truly individual. No two with the same color. None with like shapes. Each with its own texture. I do not fear the rocks.

But what struck me most was that leaf. In the middle of the lake, sticking up an inch or so above the surface, I saw this UFO. No, an unidentifed floating object. It was green and looked round. That was all I could tell as I paddled toward it. Slowly approaching and circling, it occurreed to me that from my position just barely above the surface of the water myself, and at my speed, almost zero, I could closly examine that object, but my speedboat loving fellow boaters most certainly would never have seen it. If they had, they couldn’t get up close and personal with it like me. But then, I’m not sure that they have the same interests I do in nature. Or in boating.

And so, among other things, I am thankful for the beauftiful day with the opportunity to explore all of this in my kayak. And that I got out there before the speedboats.

Contemplating Iowa

Betsy — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:57:38 +0000

Being away from home always makes me contemplate my life, how it’s going, what I’d like to change, and what I really love about it.

Life is different here in Iowa. This is a small town. It’s very quiet. Everybody knows everybody, literally, or they know at least one of your relatives. People tend to stay near home when they grow up. Most of my husband’s cousins went to college in Iowa, and all but one still lives here. The one who doesn’t lives just over the border in Omaha.

There are lots of babies. Big families are normal here. Everyone seems to have at least two children. It’s sort of expected that you grow up, marry, and have babies.

People seem very comfortable with who they are. They seem to know who they are, and they seem to like who they are. There’s much less posturing and puffery. They are also incredibly kind and generous, and wonderful hosts. There is a sort of calm acceptance of their life rhythms and arcs, and it is reassuring. A certainty that things are going as planned.

I want to take some of that confidence and calm back to New York with me. I really love living in a big East Coast city, but all the aggressive oneupmanship can get old and annoying. Everyone is always trying to prove how important they are. There is much less self-assurance and much more stress. I wouldn’t want to live here, but I can see a certain appeal to the place. We are making a new year’s resolution to live with less anxiety and more joy. I love that word: joy. It’s simply perfect.

Where the Hell is Mel Day # 1/32

Victorino — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:47:18 +0000

O dia não está necessariamente triste como eu – e muitos – poderia(m) esperar. Está apenas calmo. Enquanto tiver trabalho – que eu saiba executar – acho que estarei com a saúde mental em ordem.

Secunda

multzam — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:06:30 +0000

Era in fata mea, cativa metri ne desparteau, doar ca distanta crestea cu fiecare pas al lui, era inalt si alerga… vroia sa prinda microbuzul in care doar eu am reusit sa ma urc…el, nu! Cine spune ca totul se petrece intr-o secunda exagereaza, e de ajuns de o fractiune de secunda…am vazut tot si acum rememorez cu incetinitorul de parca ar fi durat doua ore, de parca am stat pe un fotoliu la cinema si am vazut un film…a traversat prin spatele unui camion parcat iar soferul daciei nu l-a mai putut evita…buf si atat…el pe capota si apoi pe jos, tipul de la volan tremurand se duce la el si il intreaba daca e ok… cred ca a fost un om distrus cand l-a lovit si un om fericit cand idiotul i-a raspuns… aha, idiotul…

S-a intamplat in aceasta dimineata, 27.11.2009 la ora 7, in intersectia Antiaeriana cu Petre Ispirescu…

Said Third Person

bookpanda — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 02:35:10 +0000

Mara stood at the prow of the ship, her face turned up to the stars. Surya leaned on the railing, watching Bibble perform aerial tricks over the placid water. She had a small smile on her face, as if she was thinking about something calming. Paige was sitting on the edge of the crow’s nest, swinging her legs absently as she stared off into the darkness. Wendy was half-way up the rigging to the main sail, leaning back against the ropes and watching the moon rise. Allison was sitting contentedly in a corner of the deck. Her hand cupped her cheek and she seemed to look at nothing. The boys (now in normal clothes) were at the stern of the ship, watching the far horizon where a trace of the sunset lingered. No one said anything, content to be off in their own little worlds.

Long ago and far away
Eight friends chased their dreams
Betwixt the stars
Around the moon
Towards the sun
Into the plains of imagination
Long ago and far away
Eight friends followed their hopes
Through the sky
Above the clouds
Over the horizon
Into the forever of time
Long ago and far away
Eight friends pursued their desires
Beyond the sea
Past the world
Inside their hearts
Into the possibilities of tomorrow
Long ago and far away
Eight friends sailed into a new day

Sleep well

yintl — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 06:28:14 +0000

Absolute calmness
Tranquility surrounds me
And I fell asleep

Exercise Empowers an Enlightened Mind

keepons — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 02:39:37 +0000

Interesting article from The New York Times, about how exercise creates neurons that remain calm in the face of stress.

Take Your Time

walkthroughpuddles — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:46:10 +0000

SFU Gallery, Burnaby Campus – October 31-December 12,2009

After a horribly boring tutorial on sound in early cinema (blech), I needed something to cheer me up and calm me down. Lucky for the me the Simon Fraser University Gallery was holding an exhibit that seemed to suit my mood perfectly.

The exhibit is entitled Take Your Time, curated by SFU Gallery Director, Bill Jeffries.

The exhibition showcased eight artists (Rebecca Brewer, Ron den Daas, Colleen Heslin, Damian Moppett, Heather Passmore, Gary Pearson, Ben Reeves, and Neil Wedman) with sixteen pieces of art. All of these artists are based in Vancouver with the exception of Gary Pearson (Kelowna).

The exhibit is a commentary on how the feeling “calm” is slowly dissipating as society lives life in “an accelerating pace of change”.

This exhibit showcases “the state of calmness in B.C. painting” which “is the local eye in the global storm of conspicuous freneticism”.

These paintings reflect the way calmness, leisure, and recreation are identified by each of these artists. Today’s leisure is understood as rapid consumption, fast and quick get-aways, and fitting in as much activity as possible until we have to return back to our lives of chaos and schedule.

This exhibit acknowledges that “‘taking your time’ might be something all of us should consider”; a revolution of slowness.

I thought this exhibition was the perfect addition to my day. While sitting in class silently stressing over the assignments that needed to get done for the day (15 page paper) and trying to allocate my time effectively in order to complete this assignment, visiting the gallery provided me with a feeling of calmness. Through contemplating how these artists think of “taking your time”, and through taking my own time to walk through the exhibition I, myself, was able to slow down in a point in my day when I felt overwhelmed by time and the fast pace at which it is meant to move.

In my own way I was taking part in this revolution of slowness, and essentially resisting the “so-called information age” which has “new expectations based on accelerated communication and ‘access’”.

As a communication student, I am able to understand this exhibit in its postmodernity, through going back to traditional techniques and ideas as opposed to the more contemporary art which finds itself in a more modern ideology.

This time in November is a crazy time for everyone. With the advent of the Olympics, going to work, finishing up school for the fall semester and worrying about the holidays. If you feel a need to slow down and find yourself at SFU (somehow I doubt you just miraculously FIND yourself at SFU), then I suggest this exhibit. My favourite painting would have to be Ron den Daas’ painting of a lifeguard at the beach. Not only is the technique exquisite, but the content of the work is pretty spectacular too. The scene seems to take place at Second Beach near English Bay, with North Vancouver in the background and the sea wall visible to the right. It’s a sunny beautiful scene and it just makes me think of a beach day in late June, with not a care in the world except for how to get rid of those nasty tanlines and where to go for a cold beer after a day in the sand.

I also really enjoyed Colleen Heslin’s Reclining Reader. It is simplistic and relaxing. Looking at that work makes me wish I were in my own bed reading a novel with a book cover that matches the colour of my walls.

I’ll try to grab some more pictures in the future. Great exhibit, highly recommended.

Simon Fraser University Gallery (Take Your Time)

(My apologies for the shoddy photography – camera phone… ohhh technlology)

*quotes taken from documents available in the gallery

For He Commandeth

giftedthroughgrace — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:03:15 +0000

Psalm 107:21 – 31 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful wo

Slow Down and Live....More Fully

Les Nyiri — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:10:49 +0000

We live in a very fast paced world. The problem is that the rush and hur rush and hurry of this way of life is destroying us. We are more stressed and tense and even brag about this. But our lives become more shallow, and we don’t take time to experience life as it is. We become impatient, frustrated, angry. Our thinking becomes more superficial and narrow as we do not take time to reflect. We become dominated by the outside world instead of comfortably steering our own ship. We need to take time to slow down and smell the roses, to experience and appreciate the beauty of being alive.

Slowing down our pace in life has great advantages. It gives us the opportunity to notice what is happening, to savor experiences, to appreciate life. We become calmer and more peaceful opening the door to a richer experience of life. When we take time with relationships they grow stronger and richer as well.

Take the time to slow down and experience the richness of life. You just may find that it changes the quality of your life.

Visual Design - Assignment 2

Sheel — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:27:46 +0000

Being good with a camera and having creativity is a plus.

I do not have a lot of experience when it comes to being a photographer. Especially not when it comes to taking good and tasteful/compositionally correct photographies, but I do try – this assignment was done for a course in Visual Design at the University of Hedmark.

I had to take 12 photos in total, I decided that I wanted to focus on harmony/calmness as well as vertical/horizontal lines in my take on this assignment. All of the images are taken with a Canon EOS 450D, it’s the first time I’ve used a digital SLR camera.

Here’s a small exterpt of the images I’ve taken.

Chain & Stone

Black & White version

Dirty Fence

Planks, black & white version

Know their difference?

lazyneko — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:16:05 +0000

I know…I’m lack of updates most of the time, or, you can say, every single time. As you know t

calm

1hell — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:56:07 +0000

I cried in the library today, everything felt overwhelming and then I cried in class and on my way home. I feel oddly better now, I have seriously had some thinking to do. I am a beautiful, smart, friendly, women and I can do ANYTHING I put my mind to, regardless if I’m alone or not. So I had a little span that I was unhappy, but I am planning on doing something about that… I just don’t know what that is. I feel like apiece of me is dying because my dream since before I could remember was to go to law school. I will figure this out and be okay… regardless of anything I will be happy again. I need to have something so I am going to start a gym membership to give me relief my brother friend who recently graduated from law school said running saved him… I would like it to save me too lol. Tomorrow is a new day and I can do this and everything will be okay. If you do want you love to do money will follow

here are some random facts about me

1. I love pink its my favorite color. I love it every time I paint my nails it is typically some shade of pink

2. I love the smell of boys, like the shower stuff and products they use. I wish I could wear it too.. lol

3. I use dove body wash and that scent is amazing too.

4. I have naturally curly hair, but when I can I straighten it out… and when there is no humidity it can get SOOO straight.

5. my hair is pretty long now past the boobage

6. my mom is my best friend, but a lot of times we do not get along… especially on how I should live my life.

8. I have loved and been loved, and longed for that love again been broken hearted, and picked up those pieces and glued them back together. lol

9. I have the most amazing best friend anyone could ask for, the kind that would wash your hair when you feel super depressed or are drunk…

10. I would love to get married one day, but I’m not ready now… and I would love to have babies too… but I fear I would never make a good mother… I love my name, leyton and Liv… among others ….

11. I fear I can never have kids because of my past experiences

12. I am clumsy, like a total freak… i feel at high school graduation and well right before college.. and I would fall walking in a straight line

13. I love to laugh and smile… i have a great smile lol

14. I LOVE target and could buy all my clothes and accessories there and still look cute

15. I love the Buffs

16 . I think colorado is one of the most beautiful states.

17. I love melbourne beach it is my comfort zone

18. my grandmother is the most amazing person I have ever met, and I love her deeply

19. I never had grandfathers but my amazing grandmother made up for it

20. I love dogs but don’t want one they are too much work

21. I gave birth to puppies and wanted to be a vet in highschool, I was too scared to pursue it.

22. Most of the puppies died and it was heart breaking… 3 survived my brother took one and my mom kept the other 2

23. I love the food cake challenges I don’t know why

24. I have zero tattoos and only my ears pierced

25. my eyes are blue and I have to wear contacts or glasses

26. I used to be a terrible driver, now I have become better… but I’m no expert

27. I prefer my friends to drive

28. I have never drank and drove not once

29. I really have never been in trouble

30. I’m not a huge drinker but I know how to .. lol

31. I was sexually assaulted in college, and that experience has made me the person I am today … stronger and less naive

32. I cry when I’m stressed

33. I laugh at random times

34. I try not to judge people, or care what people think of me

35. i am very independent but yet still dependent

36. Im confident and insecure at the same time

37. I work too hard, and forget the reasons why I’m doing it

38. I’m messy but love things to be clean and can’t concentrate in a messy place

39. I don’t typically cook… because I start fires

40. I suck at spelling

41. I know sign language I took it in college and high school

42. I’m always early I hate being late… I get places so early and have to sit in the car and wait

43. I love to travel. Vegas was amazing AS AN ADULT….

44. I love show, like the ones in nyc and vegas

45. I hate disney

46. I have been in many car accidents and when you drive I will make noises and flinch and be like OMG sorry in advance

47. I never listen to voice mail, i dont know why… but text me and ill read it

48. I love when I feel pretty and good about myself… like when u get a new outfit and ur makeup turns out perfect… i will go places even when i have no where to really go

49. I have been stood up by a guy, and got a dress and everything and remained friends with him afterwards

50. I’m a relationship girl, not a hook up girl, i have never had a random hook up ever, but yet have only been in 2 real relationships….

51. I care a lot.

52. I am a people pleaser

53. I am more of a movie and cuddle or drink at home type of girl… but when i go out i have a good time

54. I hate halloween incident happened then.

55. I realize I can only depend on myself.

56. i dont eat red meat but love chicken…