It’s so simple and easy. Some people talk about it but very few have such a system in their homes. Use waste water from washing machines or other appliance to fill the toilet tank. Right now we unknowingly flush fresh water which we could be saving

http://www.thinkaloo.com

TO BE OR NOT TO BE…ANSWERED

Hamlet, Shakespeare’s methodically mad tragic hero, ponders “to be”  completely unaware that the oft quoted question’s answer is not to be.  In addition to being one of the most quoted of the Bard’s lines, “to be or not to be” is also one of the most examined.  But, why?  The statement swims in simplicity!

The “to be” verbs–namely am, is, are, was, were, be, been, being–appear far too often in many written works.  As a result, these words lessen the interest of readers who, irrespective of their vivid imaginations, find the story, description or even Shakespearean tragedies somewhat bland in the absence of more meaningful verbs.  The “to be” verbs leave too much to the reader’s imagination.  Because the reader cannot read more into the author’s mind than the author has allowed in the text, “to be” verbs hinder powerful language.

In almost every circumstance, there exists a word to replace a “to be” verb.  If you find yourself unable to do so, perhaps the sentence needs revision such that more descriptive words fit into the context of your message.  Next time you write something, go back and count the number of “to be” verbs you use and correct as needed.  This will cover you on two fronts.  First, it creates more descriptive sentences.  Second, it can correct passive voice, the topic of last week’s tip.

However, it is pointless to needlessly bash “to be” just because it is a commonly used verb.  Like Budweiser or Wal-Mart, “to be” is popular because it is doing something right.  For situations where you have to be simple and to the point, “to be” is your best bet.  If your goal is to replicate realistic dialogue between two casual talkers, using “to be” will be your most valuable verb because it’s the verb people use casually in every day communication.

Perhaps Shakespeare was on to something.  His double use of “to be” verbs, while apparently below his caliber of locution, create the perfectly ambiguously simple question.  When it comes to “to be” verbs, he might instruct you to use them as required, but only when you really can’t think of a more appropriate way to phrase something. What better way to sum it up than to say, it is what it is.

Write on!
-TFD

This weekend was my last (tear) visit to my local farmer’s market. I grabbed a whole bunch of amazing stuff which made for an amazing afternoon of eating and drinking, but of all the things I saw, the radishes were some of the loveliest I’d seen in a long time. It got me thinking about something my mom made once as a quick appetizer for a party.

Good, really fresh radishes are smashingly peppery, and the perfect match for that natural peppery flavor is a rich spread (butter or cheese), and a sprinkling of good sea salt. It’s like the perfect salt and pepper bite, and I could eat it all the time. And I got to thinking that while it’s certainly not fancy, it would be a great quick canape option for upcoming Thanksgiving festivities. Super simple, and everyone’s bound to love it. But you don’t have to believe me…just come over to my house and check out the empty plate.

Peace Sign Eco Friendly 24oz Stainless Steel Reusable Bottle with Loop Cap Review

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Peace Sign Stainless Steel 24oz Water Bottle-Includes a Loop Cap 18/8 Stainless Steel 24oz11″ tall Why should I purchase reusable Bottle?When you buy a reusable Bottle you are making a difference! These bottles are an eco-friendly, toxin-free solution to plastic water bottles and plastic sports bottles that may contain BPA. It is designed to be refillable and reusable and will help you stay hydrated. You make a smart and eco-friendly decision every time you use your Bottle. What is 18/8 Stainless Steel?18/8 Stainless Steel is a non-corrosive, non-leeching, dish washer safe steel used in flatware and cookware. 18/8 Stainless Steel does not require an enamel or plastic coating as it is a non-porous material and will not transfer taste or smell to liquids. 18/8 Stainless Steel is 100% consumer safe.

Nov 16, 2009 17:03:04

Did I ever mentioned this to you?

You know, the three words that everyone in school would love to hear it everyday. Those three mushy words which we, as in both you and I, don’t always have to hear it. But well ..

You know, erm you know, just in case if time runs out.. Or just, well just probably we won’t be seeing one another next time, a few months down the road or so, well …

I – I – I, I just wanted to say, erm, you know those three words but I’m afraid you might not like it. Well, erm, you know the other day, well, not exactly the other day, it was a few years back, when erm, Joanne said that well, you clearly knows what she said, you totally blew it off.

I mean, well, if those three words are not so important, but I just wanted to say it .. You know, just in case we will never meet or if just, well just probably we misunderstood one another, and something terrible might happen, well .. erm …

I – I – I, I well …

“PERCY!”

Oh, I’m sorry I’ve got to go. My mum’s calling me. Erm, well, I will call you later then? Right, and I will tell you what I wanted to tell you. Erm, bye Thayer, I’ve got to go.

Talk to you later.

On the other side of the phone, “Hey Percy, that was 4 words, not 3.”

Categoria 30 assorted Belgian chocolates: Vineri seara trebuia să fie seară maramureşeană în Bucureşti. Cu tot felul de oameni din Baia Mare şi din Maramureş care locuiesc aici. Cu mâncare şi muzică. Şi atmosferă gen Casa Iurca de la Sighet. Dar m-am întors la jumătatea drumului. Nu am avut niciun chef să trag de mine şi să fiu drăguţ cu oamenii.

Categoria PissSssică. Garfield zis şi Băieţelul, un motan persan de şapte kile, blond şi gras, mi-a tras nişte muşcături de nici acum nu îmi simt buricul degetului arătător. Şi tocmai când devenisem prieteni a trebuit să plece de la mine. Plus că a speriat pe toată lumea care a venit în vizită.

Categoria Testosteron. Noua sală de forţă. Foarte hardcore. Într-o fostă hală de la fabrica Pionierul. Cu aparate old school, cu saci de box, imensă, cu Prodigy în căşti. Iar vestiarul… dacă aţi văzut vreodată vreun pornache gen Gangbang at Gym, cu vreo zece musculoşi stând la rând pentru a se înfrupta dintr-o  portoricana sau ceva de genul cred că vă puteţi imagina.

Categoria Music. Revăzut cap coadă, U2 ZOO TV Tour, Live from Sydney, cu Lemon, Numb, New Years Day şi multe multe altele.

Categoria Moovies. Fanny och Alexander, 1982, Ingar Bergman. Un film autobiografic.  Dancer in the Dark, 2000, Lars von Trier, cu Bjork genială. Unul dintre cele mai grele filme văzute vreodată. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, 1975, Milos Forman, un clasic în adevăratul sens, iar sâmbătă seara în compania celor trei graţii din vecini am revăzut Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del monton, Pedro Almodovar, 1980, unul dintre putinele filme ale lui Almodovar care le gust. Foarte underground, punk, drugs, violence & sex.

Categoria Absolut & Stuff. Sâmbătă seara. Şi drumuri întortocheate până către dimineaţă.

Absolut

Categoria Vizite. Aseară. High Level & High Importance.

Şi cu toate acestea încă sunt destul de trist….

I keep coming back to the saying of the Guardian’s legendary editor C.P. Scott and his words as I love the simple manner in which it defines the job of a journalist: Comment is free, but facts are sacred. The fact is not a matter of interpretation. It makes no difference to the fact whether you face it or you avoid it; the fact is just the fact. This post is dedicated to a simple man who lives with the fact.

My 88-year-old uncle, K.C. Tewari, has limitless attention, not a single problem and a face that conveys without a word immense love, understanding and concern. He is the husband of my mother’s eldest and only sister. His life has been quite eventful; six children, 3 boys, 3 girls, all of them married and all having growing up children. The eldest son is about 58. My uncle had a pretty senior government job, and all his children were married after he retired. He is not one of those old men who get together in the park and discuss a lot of things, he is quite happy on his own. He neither seeks company nor does he avoid it. Everyone faces the fact, one has to; but to live with it is quite another matter.

I have seen only one in my life. To quote a 20th century philosopher, “Is there a basic duality at the very core or, does duality arise only when the mind moves away from ‘what is’?” You have pain in your stomach, that is the fact, and the process of thought that there was no pain yesterday or will not be tomorrow is duality. My uncle is always with ‘what is’. I admire him, and on very cold and stormy days I just go and sit by his side for a while, his warmth is enough to heal. I don’t have what he has and I don’t even try because any comparison is an even bigger movement away from the fact.

Perhaps that is the reason that he has never carried any problem in his life despite having a multitude of them over the years. When death and tragedy and the inevitable suffering that most people get caught in came to his doorstep and in the lives of his children then that was the fact. When all that passed and the Sun came out on a bright new day then that became the reality. You can’t fight with him because he is beyond conflict and it’s not possible to drag him into one. It is tough to be with the only thing that exists, which is this moment in which you might be rich or poor, happy or miserable, lonely or ‘absolutely whole and alone’ like my uncle.

I am told that he did his work with a lot of care and he was a man of few words. He now speaks a little more than when he was young. Sometimes you can see him looking at the dictionary because he might have seen a new word in the newspaper. He loves to watch football. His handwriting is so beautiful and so clear, that each and every alphabet is worth looking at. And there is a lot of his written work available as after he retired and even before it there was always someone or the other that he was teaching.

He made all the college notes of his youngest daughter and then must be for five or six grandchildren after that. Before he had retired he would teach Hemraj; a servant in the house who was very interested in getting educated. Hemraj cleared his 12th standard, and I don’t know how many man hours my uncle devoted everyday after work for more than six years. Hemraj now runs a successful motor repair shop in my hometown of Mandi; he always comes to meet whenever my uncle is visiting. My uncle must be sitting in his house right now with ‘what is’. You can talk about the past with him; he has a great memory it’s just that he is not stuck there.

He was close to dying twice, but when he survived there was no thinking of that time because he was all attentive to the now. According to him there is no problem with the fact; while there are all sorts of problems in escaping it. He is a man of action and needs no activity. My uncle is very frugal with money but is blessed with the generosity of the heart. And at 88 he takes care of quite a lot.

As such things cannot be inherited the children have the DNA but not even one of the qualities that he has in abundance. He is full of life; and has a dignity that is so easily visible yet difficult to describe as it is not linked to a position, title or any tangible material accumulations. He must have seen me as an infant but my memory of him goes back to when I must have been six or seven years old. The pleasure of his regular company started when I began my first job in Delhi and lived in my uncle’s home initially. It was home not just to me but for many of my journalist friends in the initial years.

The cover of security had to be broken and the temptations of the world at 22 had a gravitational pull that I never thought was worth resisting. So first with friends and then alone slowly I settled in the city and would meet my uncle with irregular regularity. One day and I don’t remember when; just like the last scene of the movie The Sixth Sense my memory of him went all the way back after a thought crossed my mind.

My uncle was never caught in the process of becoming and all the strife that goes with it; he always had the joy of simple being. Some things cannot be planned, they just happen. Becoming can never know being; becoming is psychological effort and being is effortless. A man is either simple or not and there is no way of becoming simple. The only possibility here is to realise one’s complexity and the mind may stumble upon the simplicity that takes all the worries of life away.

He is a wise man and, therefore, many a times just says a word or two to change the course of a life he cares for if it is going sideways. More than that my uncle lets everyone go his or her way and never interferes as he probably understands what the Hermann Hesse novel Siddhartha talks about: Knowledge can be transferred but wisdom is incommunicable. He doesn’t read fiction or non-fiction so the sentence for him is a statement I wrote as it seems to be true in his case.

If anyone has the desire to see a man who is completely unscarred by 88-years of life, I can arrange for that. My only request is just observe simply without making him feel strange, he is rare but otherwise normal; I am pretty sure you will have a good time if you are one of those who love the facts of life.

Google Vs Bing ; Keep It Simple Smarty!!

Like a midnight owl, trying to keep my eyes open while browsing through the search engine index of web page results, something Clicked me.

While Google is my Best Friend forever and eternity, Microsoft has made an innovative come back with its latest Search Engine “Bing”. The day I heard about its launch on B.B.C  [British Broadcasting Corporation], I intuitively concluded that no matter how good it might be, it still won’t be able to grab the market from Google in full. This is the same principle that Microsoft had applied to its Products especially the Windows OS. The market of Apple has also been growing esp. in Europe and America yet Windows remain the most common household OS, as I would put it. Once people are accustomed to something, it takes a while to change their attitude, adaptation and attachment with something. It’s a huge Persuasion Game and Believe ME it’s Hard.

Still I find myself quite quick and sudden to make the leap to Bing in certain cases. My Love for Google hasn’t restricted me to explore and utilize other services like Bing. I am not sure if others agree with me on this though.

If I have to search for “Images” for instance, I would switch to Bing and prefer it over Google.  While searching for an article on Asp.net Routing on Google right now and not finding suitable results, I had a huge realization that I should try Bing instead for very solid and logical reasons. Though my reasons might seem to some as Blind psychology rather than logical, I would still stick to it.

Anything Microsoft, simply let Microsoft find it for you since it would index all its stuff properly and efficiently. My logical reasoning did prove correct when I was returned a number of results all matching my search criteria perfectly.

So, next time if I need to search for anything Microsoft, I would simple keep my love for Google aside for a while and try paying Microsoft’s Bing a Visit. However, in real time though it sure seems that both are competing neck to neck and producing nearly identical results.

Let me know what you think about this. Until that time…..Happy Visiting!!!

Share It!

Want to make Thanksgiving a little extra silly this year? Maybe it’s time for the Great Turkey to visit your home.

Let’s face it – Easter has the bunny. Christmas has Santa. Even lost teeth get a fairy! Who says we can’t have a special guest on Thanksgiving?

Encourage your children to eat their healthy holiday meal and show true gratitude. “Sometimes, the Great Turkey comes at night to leave a surprise for the kids who are a really thankful.”

The next morning, lead the children on a scavenger hunt to find a small gift and teach them the joy of simple pleasures.

“It’s a gift to be simple; it’s a gift to be kind. It’s a gift to smile and to share a happy mind.” – Shaker Hymn

Simple Oil Balancing Moisturiser.
Available from Simple’s website & in lots of different shops.
Priced at £3.99

You know what I really hate? That ‘tight face’ feeling that you get after having a particularly warm shower. Now, obviously I realise that the solution to this is to either wait twenty minutes until it goes away or, more expediently, to put some sort of moisturiser on my face. The second of these options seems fairly straight forward. Unless, that is, you have sensitive skin like me. After several unfortunate incidents I have learnt that I have to be careful what I use on my face unless I want to end up bright red & rash covered. Typically, if I don’t use a decent face wash I can also develop oily skin. Sensitive, oily skin is not a good combination and makes finding a moisturiser problematic.

Luckily for me Simple make ‘oil balancing moisturiser’ which ticks all the right boxes. It’s gentle (as is all Simple stuff) and it doesn’t make my skin oily. Yay! You only need to use a really small amount at any time too, which means a small tube will last you for ages.

Also. If you sign up on the Simple website they’ll send you free samples of things to try out. I’ve had a couple of things from them in the post. It’s nice to try out new products without having to buy a full size container of it. I also really like getting post!

Another 9/10 I think!

- Emily

These are the easiest and best gluten-free pancakes I have ever made! I’ve tried them all, believe me. I quit making them from scratch because it seemed like they were all too heavy, glue-like, flavorless, sticky or just plain lacking in nutrition.
This recipe is quick, easy, nutritious and best of all DE-LISH!
You will not need a ton of water to wash these down. After eating a huge plate full I still have the energy to face the day!

I adapted this recipe from our local PCC (co-op grocery) newsletter. (recipe by Marie Donadio) There are a few things I changed for my own personal tastes.

Prep time 10-15 minutes!

Ingredients

2 C. Quinoa flour
2 Tbsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Baking soda
Mix all dry ing. together with whisk in bowl and set aside.

1/2 C. RAW Cashews, soaked 2-3 hours and rinsed well, drained. (be sure to rinse well as raw nuts have an enzyme inhibitor which can make digesting them difficult and lead to stomach pain. Simply soaking and rinsing cures this problem!)
2 C. Filtered Water
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (gluten-free, alcohol-free)
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Agave, Honey or Maple Syrup (more to taste as quinoa tends to be a bit less sweet than other flours.)
pinch Sea Salt
Blend all ingredients together in blender two or three times until mixture has a smooth, milky, frothy consistency. You may need to pause to scrape the blades to make sure there are no nut pieces.
(you are essentially making cashew milk!)
Pour liquids over dry ingredients and whisk until no lumps and well blended. If your batter is too thick you can add a touch of water as needed.
I use COCONUT OIL on my cast iron griddle as it is healthy, light and add a super delicious flavor!
We added fresh organic blueberries and spread warm coconut butter and real maple syrup on top! YUM-MY!!

*for variations add shredded or dices apples and cinnamon or fresh fruit. Add flaxseeds into the blender with the cashews for added nutrition.
*For heavier more buckwheat type pancakes simply substitute 1 Cup of the quinoa flour with Buckwheat flour and use 2 TBSP. of baking powder.

For easy ‘whip cream’ to top fruit you can simply blend cashews, macadamia nuts or fresh young Thai coconut meat with coconut water and agave to taste in your blender until smooth and creamy. (If you do not have coconut water you can use a touch of nut milk or water and sweeten with agave, honey or maple syrup.)

Well it’s been a busy week for me! The last shoot of the week was a charity shoot for a local charity – St. Davids Foundation.  This is a Welsh based charirty (I live in Wales) and with the CEO, Emma Sayshell, living in the same village it was a fairly obvious choice!

The dinner was to celebrate the 30th anniversary of St. Davids and was held at the Celtic Manor Resort – a fantastic 5 star resort that is also hosting the Ryder Cup for 2010.

I set up a basic studio with a couple of lights, backdrop etc and just let people have some fun. As it is a charity event I wasn’t doing this to ensure that people were posed in the right way nor did I do any of the hard sell type stuff (not that I ever do anyway) that you so often find at event photography. Even the prints, with proceeds going back to St. David’s) were reasonably priced at less than £15 for a 10×8 inch.

It was a great night and some great raffle prizes as well as an auction. Not sure of the final amount raised – got to be in the thousands though!

Andrew

www.andrew-miller.co.

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Längre tröja i otroligt mjuk och skön kvalitet med rundad hals samt trekvartsärm. Tillverkad av 100% bomull. OBS! Den vita har kort ärm.

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