As I left London this morning at 9am, heading South West to Wisley the sun was shining and the temperature was a nice 10C.  Nice for a run anyway.  However, as we headed down the A3, the clouds started rolling in from the west…..

Rather frustratingly the race start was about a kilometer from the car park so having changed by the car we then had to troop across the heath trying to stay warm, to the start.

All done, got the T-Shirt and in warm clothes!

Some people had obviously trooped all the way over to get their timing chips and then had to return to their cars to change before heading back to the start again.  3km down before they had even started the race!

The race itself was undulating through the woods along rough tracks, full of mud and water so it wasn’t long before my trainers were soaked and I was covered in mud.  Nevertheless there was a fun crowd and everyone seemed to be enjoying it.  I started towards to the back and was able to pick my way through the runners.  I’m pleased to say that I felt good.  The last three weeks have been pretty intense training with lots of running drills, hills and cycle turbo sessions so I was really happy when my strength continued through and at the 7km mark I was still feeling good.  Then the rain really started to drop, followed swiftly by hailstones and a gale force wind.  I found that I was practically bending double in order to (i) keep forward momentum and (ii) keep the hail and flying debris out of my eyes.  I also had a thicker running top on over my running T-Shirt and that soon became drenched and heavy.  The end was in sight though and a last minute push got me past a few more runners.  I crossed the line in 47mins 38secs.

Cassie and Trev - still smiling despite being soaked

Considering the nature of the course and the weather, I’m pretty pleased with that!  A good warm up for the GRIM 8 in 2 weeks perhaps

My friends – Cassie Down from Threshold Sport and Trev Leydon from Ful-On Tri were about 10/15 minutes behind so we rendezvoused back at the cars, rapidly changing into dry clothes and trainers before heading back into town with the heaters blowing strong.  A great Sunday morning workout.  Time for lunch!

Conservatives are standing at the threshold of a golden opportunity to usher in a new era of leadership for the Republican Party in the United States.

A wide spectrum of voters make up what is the conservative cause and these Americans have a deep concern for the basic core issues facing the US today.  These issues are bringing the US together right of center.  A strong unity is coalescing in the ranks of conservatives.

If the conservative’s spectrum continues mending its old factions, they will take the reins of the Republican Party in 2010.

However, if these old fractures do remain and deepen, conservatives will splinter again forfeiting the greatest opportunity in decades for real change for the Republican Party and for the US.

The effects of the economic crisis, the radically liberal policies of the Obama Administration, and the disenfranchising Democratic Congress have left US citizens, the majority of which are already right of center, feeling they have no true representation in Washington.

US citizens are angry-fearful-disgruntled-disillusioned with both our government leaders and the political process.  The US as a whole is ripe for real change from a conservative revolution.

There are no other party options in a two-party country; at this time the only viable option is to elect proven conservative candidates to the Republican Party.  Conservative candidates who will bring real change, a morality back to Washington, stability to the economy, and defense for our nation at home and abroad.

There are serious concerns in the conservative camp to be addressed, due to the broad spectrum of conservative voters and they must necessarily lay aside their particular agendas to unite on one conservative platform, the Republican Party platform.  Or, there will be no Republican Party with any real influence for the foreseeable future.

For too long the definite differences in the conservative camps have fractured the conservative cause into wrangling factions with little influence in Washington.  These continual factions have completely weakened conservative influence to the point they are relegated into a minority and near obscurity in Washington.  The ‘Almost Majority’ has been the reoccurring theme in a conservative political nightmare.

There is a tremendous danger looming for conservatives, if the these factions remain or deepen, therefore history will again repeat itself only this time with far more liberal elements taking control of the Republican Party.

The raw power and energy of conservatives being seen in the US is sending a dread into the left.  The left have watched in bewilderment the conservative influence far and wide from the townhall meetings across the nation to the demonstrations at the Capital.

As when British Prime Minister Winston Churchill saw the US being drawn into WWII with the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, Churchill celebrated and declared we have just one the war!  His advisors were puzzled at this, he explained to them, that the sleeping giant which was the US at that time had been awakened and it would be fatal for the enemies of the Allied armies.

Just as then, now the US is waking to a giant conservative majority!

Conservatives must unite on the Republican Party platform, family values, anti-abortion, fiscal responsibility, limited government, strong defense, and tax cuts.

Call it a coalition or call it what you will, conservatives must support conservative candidates who are proven in practice and not just propped up with rhetoric.  It is critical that conservatives step forward, not backward to some idealized glory days of the Republican Party.  Conservatives across the US need to step into their future, the future of the Republican Party.  This future can only be captured with a unified conservative spectrum moving forward to deal decisively with the issues facing the US currently.

Some independence is needed on the part of conservatives, they must run their own conservative candidates who will be beholden to none other than the conservative cause and they must support them at every level of government with volunteers to dollars in an unprecedented involvement.

The conservative candidates must focus only on the Republican Party platform and core issues that will continue to unify the conservative cause by 2010 and 2012.  Now is the conservative’s time.  Now is the time for real conservative leadership for the Republican Party and real change for the American people.

Conservatives have a door to a golden opportunity before them, for the sake of the freedom of the future generations of Americans they must step over that threshold in unity.

Randy Driver – Driver Post

2

Ivan Navarro. The Chilian Pavillion Arsenale, Venice Biennale 2009. Fascinated by the mathematical perfection of “Threshold” I wanted to open the doors of “Death Row”.  All thirteen of them. The New York based artist introduced the viewer into a light-never-ending world. Beautiful.

3

Shilpa Gupta. Untitled. La Sucrière, 10th Biennale de Lyon. A heavy metal gate opens and closes through a 180° arc. BANG! BANG! The walls, where the gate touches them, are cracking under its pressure. BANG! One can hear the crushing sound from far away, it’s powerful. That sound stayed in my mind. The doors that are opened and closed down for us, somehow follow us after. The rejection. The closed door. I also felt that Shilpa Gupta played a teasing game.  I have to do this one in Romanian: Du-te-ncolo, vino-ncoace, lasa-ma si nu-mi da pace.

The Indo-European root of the word lead and leadership (leith) means to go forth, to cross the threshold or to die.

The challenges we face in the world right now – the big world or our own smaller worlds – are pressuring us to see differently, to sharpen and deepen our attention and to cultivate  our capacity to shift the inner place from which we operate – the place of presencing in Otto Scharmer’s U Theory.

So, why is it that so many of us – leaders in our organizations and our communities – protest the investment of a few days completely away to engage in stillness or reflective practices that enable and build the capacity to see and then cross the inner threshold that shifts the shape of individuals, organizations and communities? And, why are those of us who see the need and know the benefit reluctant to specifically request or recommend this to other leaders we know?

Have we fallen into the trap of limiting beliefs – believing it is not possible to invest this time, that people won’t make the investment or commit the time or that it truly is impossible for leaders to turn off the electronics and their accessibility even for a few days?

Is this a blind spot we need to illuminate?  Is this a reflection of the inner landscape that needs to shift in order to be available to the future that is wanting to happen?

Our awareness and our consciousness determines the qualities of our actions and results.  In Theory U,  Scharmer asks: How can we renew our culture so that every human being is considered a carrier of a sacred project: the journey of becoming one’s authentic self?

As long as we aren’t ready to face and confront the inner abyss, we will stay stuck in the patterns of thinking, behaviour and action that have generated our current results, results that many agree do not support the sustainability of the earth or our current lifestyle – on an individual and collective basis.

If we could truly see the value of shifting the shape of our inner world, knowing it would allow us to cross the threshold into a more integrated way of being with a more responsive capacity to work successfully with the institutional and systemic crises we are faced with, wouldn’t even a significant amount of time – not just days but weeks or months, on an annual basis – become a worthwhile investment?

What is the renewal of hope and inspiration needed to compel us into this pursuit of the sacred project – the journey of becoming one’s authentic self – to understand that as our inner self shifts  we build the capacity, individually and collectively, to tune into, more frequently and in greater numbers, the future that wants to live through us, more becomes possible and maybe our very future depends on it.

Swiss no longer shielding biggest U.S. tax dodgers IRS divulges criteria for requesting UBS account disclosures UBS has admitted that it schemed to defraud the U.S. government by helping Americans hide money in secret Swiss accounts. ( By David S. Hilzenrath Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, November 18, 2009

If your secret Swiss bank account was small enough, you can breathe easier: A landmark deal between the United States and Switzerland to expose American tax dodgers does not call for the Swiss to blow your cover. But if you exceeded certain thresholds and failed to disclose the account to the Internal Revenue Service, don’t count on Switzerland’s legendary tradition of bank secrecy to protect you any longer. Your account details may be on their way to U.S. tax collectors and federal prosecutors. That is the upshot of a previously confidential annex to a settlement reached in August by the IRS with the Swiss government and Swiss banking giant UBS.

 The IRS revealed Tuesday that Swiss authorities did not have to spill the beans on Americans who had less than $248,200 (250,000 Swiss francs) in their accounts or received less than $99,280 (100,000 Swiss francs) in annual revenue from them. Before the showdown over UBS, Swiss law generally shielded depositors whose only offense was failing to disclose assets and income on tax forms. To jeopardize their entitlement to secrecy, bank clients had to engage in more overt acts of concealment, described as “fraud and the like.”

According to the newly unveiled annex, however, the Swiss appear to have stretched the definition of that kind of subterfuge. Under the annex, Switzerland defined “fraud and the like” to include failure to provide a W-9 disclosure form for three years if the account met two measures: having more than $992,802 (1 million Swiss francs) at any time from 2001 through 2008, and generating average annual revenue of more than 100,000 Swiss francs over three years. The agreement also covers accounts of at least 250,000 Swiss francs if the American depositors used an off-shore shell company to hide ownership of the funds and if they engaged in a “scheme of lies.” That could include using calling cards to disguise trading orders, and using debit cards, credit cards or loans to mask withdrawals from the Swiss accounts.

Under the sometimes fuzzy terms of the international agreement, the Swiss have not explicitly promised to turn over the account information, only to “process” a U.S. request. Nonetheless, the U.S. government has made clear that, once the Swiss review runs its course, it expects to get details on about 4,450 accounts.

“Switzerland is no longer a place where Americans can freely think that their account information will be forever protected,” said Scott D. Michel of the law firm Caplin & Drysdale, which represents UBS clients. The Swiss government said it has 40 people processing the disclosure requests. UBS admitted early this year that it schemed to defraud the U.S. government by helping Americans hide money in secret Swiss accounts. The bank surreptitiously recruited wealthy Americans as clients and then helped some of them set up shell companies to obscure their connection to the accounts.

To avoid a potentially ruinous criminal prosecution, UBS agreed to pay the U.S. government $780 million. Then, the U.S. government stepped up a civil action against UBS, asking a federal court to force the bank to disclose the holders of 52,000 accounts. Through the deal struck in August, the two governments chose accommodation over confrontation, with face-saving measures for both sides. The U.S. government has accepted the possibility that some people who used UBS to evade taxes will get away with it.

Details as to which accounts the two governments would target for disclosure under the agreement were withheld until Tuesday to keep depositors guessing about their risk of being exposed — and to keep them under pressure to confess in return for an IRS offer of leniency. The offer, originally set to expire in September, was extended to mid-October. As the deadline loomed, a crush of depositors filed voluntary disclosures.

All told, more than 14,700 people turned themselves in under the IRS leniency program, more than 12,000 of them after the deal with Switzerland was announced, IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman said in a briefing Tuesday. Those figures went beyond UBS clients to include people with accounts at other banks and in other countries; Shulman did not provide a subtotal for UBS. It was not immediately clear how much money the government stands to recoup from taxpayers who turned themselves in or face exposure under the UBS settlement.

“We are talking about billions of dollars coming into the U.S. Treasury,” Shulman said. On Capitol Hill, the deal came under sharp criticism from Sen. Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.), who leads the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s permanent subcommittee on investigations. “[T]he tortured wording and the many limitations in this annex shows the Swiss government trying to preserve as much bank secrecy as it can for the future, while pushing to conceal the names of tens of thousands of suspected U.S. tax cheats,” he said in a statement. “It is disappointing that the U.S. government went along.”

Mistress feared by all – bathed in death
Lurker at the threshold – she wanders
Queen of the mighty dead – screams of bloody rape
She – Wolf devour the dawn – enter the underworld

Hekate: …you could never live forever!

Destroyer Hekate
Savage of face
Destroyer Hekate
Drink from this mystery

Unnameable goddes – enemy of mankind
Guide me in the dead of the night – this waning moon
All is ash – return to stone
Bitter winter lasts forever – enter the underworld

Hekate: …you could never live forever!

Destroyer Hekate
Savage of face
Destroyer Hekate
Drink from this mystery

Malam yang dingin

Malam yang dingin, membuat seorang mahasiswa berjalan sendirian yang larut dengan kesendiriannya karena mengikuti kuliah di IT Telkom yang penuh dengan duka dan lara.

ini searching ato indexing ?

Mahasiswa keren itu sedang mencari-cari kuncinya yang hilang. Mahasiswa tersebut bernama G@#$fg(taulaaa). Karena habis kuliah information retrieval jadi harus pandai-pandai searching kunci yang hilang.

Beeeuhh ... datang preman

Tiba-tiba ada mahasiswa lain datang, dan meneriaki mahasiswa tersebut dengan teriakan,”Maling… Ayo Hajar!” Tiga mahasiswa tersebut mempunyai informasi yang sama tentang keberadaan maling yang selalu meresahkan mahasiswa.

apa lo liat2 ????

Ketika berhasil menemukan kuncinya, dan berusaha menyalakan motornya, mahasiswa keren tersebut bingung dengan adanya teriakan maling tersebut. Mahasiswa keren hanya bisa bingung dan pasrah, karena tidak bisa melakukan information retrieval.

ciaat...ciatt.... hiyaaaa ... Rasengaaaan !!!

Gustaf langsung dengan sigap lompat dari motornya. Sedangkan yogi dan pongki sudah bersiaga juga akan menangkap gustaf dan akan memberi pukulan dengan pembobotan. Semua jurus-jurus pukulan ala google.

hiyaaa... Gomu-gomu goo

Dengan sigap, jimmy dan pongki segera menghadang gustaf yang mereka anggap pencuri dengan hadangan inverse document frequency dicampur indexing.

Ampuunn bang... ane emang ganteng...tapi bukan maling @#@$@$#

Akhirnya gustaf tertangkap, dan tanpa basa-basi langsung dihajar dengan pukulan yang bertubi-tubi. Pukulan crawler, tinju indexing, jotosan recall, semuanya pokonya dikeluarkan.

haiiiiyaaaaaaa ... lu sala olangg... haaa

Kemudian dengan tampang kesakitan gustaf berusaha menjelaskan tentang identitas dirinya dan relasinya dengan motor tersebut.

si jimmy lagi melihat BB17 ... hahaha

Jimmy dan pongki segera melihat identitas yang tertera dalam STNK tersebut. Dan guastaf masih mengerang kesakitan karena pukulan-pukulan yang dasyat yang telah dipelajari dalam padepokan information retrieval.

gw bata loo ... maw ???

Karena merasa bersalah jimmy dan pongki meminta maaf kepada gustaf. Gustaf menasehati supaya jangan langsung menghakimi orang dengan seenaknya. Dan akhir kata dari jimmy dan pongki,” Ya maap lach”.

Asdos yang anehhh

Hari ini kuliah tentang information retrieval. Tapi kok quiz ya. Asdos yang jengkelin, ech Soalnya gak mutu juga. Dasar kuliah information retrieval yang aneh.

Mahasiswa yang anehh

Tiba-tiba datang mahasiswa yang ambil matkul information retrieval juga tapi terlambat. Mahasiswa tersebut bernama G*s**f. Puff.. Asdos yang belagu. Qta buat indexing baru tahu rasa tuch asdos.

Mahasiswa-mahasiswa serba aneh dan membingungkan

Tiga mahasiswa yang bingung dengan soal quiz yang diberikan. Mau ketawa bingung, mau sedih juga gak tahu caranya. Dasar quiz informationretrieval yang aneh.

Format Tempat duduk yang aneh

Formasi tempat duduk yang aneh. Masak harus selang-selang. Ini asdos harus dilakukan pembototan dulu dech biar tahu rasa tuch asdos.

Quis yang benar2 aneh

Seperti biasa kalo quiz. Asdos lengah, kita bertindak. Ha.ha… Setiap quiz information retrieval pasti begitu. Namanya jugal kuiah information retrieval, jadi harus aktif mencari informasi jawaban ke teman.

Situasi yang anehh..apa yaa ????

Asdos merasa heran dengan bentuk formasi kita yang baru. Yach, asdos information retrieval cuma bisa bingung dengan apa yang telah terjadi. Wkwkwkw…

Soalnya aneehh siiihh ...

Asdos ini memberikan muka yang sinis kepada kami. Seperti mau mengatkan,”Mahasiswa sekarang payah-payah. Masak quiz information retrieval yang mudah ini aja gak bisa di kerjain!!”

beeeuuhh malah pesbukannn...anehh pisann euyy !!!

Seperti biasa kebanyakan asdos, selalu melihatt profile tentang mahasiswanya. Untuk menggali informasi tipe-tipe dari mahasiswa tersebut.

Maksa ngumpulinn...anehh banget ssiihh

Quiz sudah berakhir. Tapi Jimmy jelek belum selesai mengerjakan. Maka terjadilah tarik-menarik anatara mahasiswa dan asdos. Please dech mas, ini belum selesai beneran.

awasss lww yaa ...anehh !!!

Dengan tampang belagu, asdos information retrieval ini melihat hasil quiz dengan nada mengejek. Dan kedua mahasiswa ini, Yogi gendut dan Jimmy jelek berjanji akan memberikan pelajaran terhadap asdos tersebut.

Anak Pulau - Langit Biru di pantai matras

keindahan pantai matras di pulau bangka pada sore hari, langit yang membiru serasa ada laut di atas langit … beeuhhhh.. 4 thumbs up

Anak Pulau - ganteng

Pemandangan pantai dengan langit biru di sore menjadi background yang bisa membuat pria manapun serasa ganteng… apalagi ane, makin ganteng

Anak Pulau - Langit Biru lagi

Keren euy, pemandangan pantai di sore,mana langitnya biru … pulau di tempat ane emang mangstab 4 thumbs up …againn hihi

Anak Pulau - Aernya biru

Gelokk , aernya cuy … ini nih dapat dipastikan bakalan saingannya Bali.. hahaha … serba biru langit+aer ,.maen2 kesini, full recomended

Anak Pulau - Putra Daerah

beuhhh, senengnya maen di pantai … pasirnya euuyy … putihhhh … pake citraa white kaleeeee ….hahahahaha .. garing !!!!

meng-arak bade

Di bali “bade” merupakan wadah yang digunakan untuk meng-arak orang yang telah meninggal dunia(layon) secara beramai-ramai oleh keturunannya dan masyarakat setempat menuju ke kuburan/setra untuk diaben. Hal ini sebagai bentuk penghormatan kepada orang yang telah meninggal dunia.

pemidahan ke wadag

setelah sampai dikuburan, layon dipindahkan dari bade ke wadag untuk dilakukan prosesi ngaben bersama wadag tersebut. Wadag merupakan sebagai simbol kendaraan sang roh menuju ke alam roh (swah loka).

pembakaran layon

setelah menjalani berbagai tahap upacara ngaben barulah dilakukan pembakaran layon. Hindu percaya manusia terdiri dari 5 unsur(api,tanah,air,udara,ether) dan jika manusia tersebut meninggal maka harus dikembalikan seperti semula. Pembakaran layon merupakan prosesi untuk mengembalikan layon menjadi unsur api,tanah, dan udara.

meng-arak abu layon

dalam ngaben setelah pembakaran layon maka layon yang telah dikembalikan menjadi tanah(abu), maka prosesi selanjutnya abu tersebut akan diarak menuju pantai untuk dilakukan pengembalian ke unsur air.

penghanyutan abu layon

sesampainya abu layon di pantai, maka selanjutnya abu layon tersebut akan dihanyutkan ke tengah pantai untuk mengembalikan layon ke unsur air

Bandung,Tempat Makanan.

Sebenarnya gak ada yang spesial di hiasan dinding ini, cuman tempatnya itu yang rame pas sebelum hari lebaran.Ada yang tau hiasan dinding ini dimana?

si doggie,, eh catty

Putih, Ngegemesin, Kadang-Kadang Nyebelin.Ada yang bisa sebutin Kucing Jenis apa nih ?

lebaran cuuyy

Hari pertama lebaran harus kita isi dengan…..Silaturahmi dengan Pegawai Fast Food!!:hammer: :hammer:

ke lautt ajee !!!

Very NOT Recommended…Ane pengen moto laut gan, tapi….sambil nyetir!!jangan ditiru ya….Langitnya biru banget ya….

Mewah = mepet sawah

pemandangan yang udah sulit dilihat lagi di perkotaan,Sawah yang subur…yang membuat negara kita dijuluki negara Agraris.Dulu……

Malam yang indah.

Malam yang indah. Mobil-mobil berlalu lalang sesuai dengan kehendak pemiliknya. Mencari keinginan dan informasi yang diinginkan oleh pemiliknya. Karena setiap orang pasti akan menemukan informasi tentang arti hidup ini.

cahaya malam

Berkas cahaya pada malam ini menandakan cahaya juga bisa memberikan informasi kepada semua orang. Berkas cahaya ini menunjukan tingkat kesibukan di kota besar. Infromation retrieval.. itulah yang terpenting saat ini.

Tempat makan

Tempat makan di pinggir jalan. Semua tempat makan punya keunikan masing-masing. Pada tempat ini memberikan informasi tentang dinginnya malam, sunyinya malam. Semuanya tergantung kita dalam menggali infromasi tersebut.

lampu-lampu

Nyala lampu pada malam hari, menandakan aktifitas yg masih berlangsung meskipun hari sudah malam. Lampu ini memberikan informasi kepada kita tentang kesetiaan lampu untuk selalu menerangi manusia.

Tempat makan

Tempat makan di daerah burangrang. Hayao deskripsikan tentang informasi apa yang di dapat dari foto ini.

A new research study shows that people can slow the inevitable decline in fitness that accompanies growing old by staying lean, exercising and refraining from smoking.

While the findings, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, are not surprising, as other studies have drawn similar conclusions, they have broad implications, given the increasing number of older adults and the explosion in the sedentary, overweight and aging population.

“The Social Security Administration actually has an aerobic capacity threshold. If you’re below the threshold, you are considered disabled,” said study author Andrew Jackson of the University of Houston. This means more people could potentially qualify for disability benefits at a younger age, further draining an already strained economy, a HealthDay article reports.

The study found that reductions in cardio respiratory fitness became much steeper after the age of 45, accelerating even further with increases in body-mass index, smoking and lower physical activity levels.

“We’ve known that, as you age, your aerobic capacity goes down, and the exercise physiology literature indicates it’s a linear relationship. We found that this is not the case,” said Jackson.“It makes sense to me. When things aren’t working right, we tend to go down at faster rates. This was true for both men and women (although the rate of decline was faster for men than for women).”

Jackson said the data showed that if people maintained a healthy lifestyle, their aerobic capacity was higher as they aged. This could delay the age at which health problems begin.

“If people are very overweight,inactive and smoke, they might see these health problems in their 50s and 60s,whereas people who maintain a healthy lifestyle, it’s going to be more like their 70s, 80s and possibly even their 90s,” he said.

The study reinforces the importance of a healthy lifestyle,which is something CAREGivers can work with their clients on achieving through healthy meals and exercise. Home Instead Senior Care CAREGivers are trained to promote healthy lifestyles for our clients.

Home Instead Senior Care will provide outstanding caregivers to help your loved one with personal care,incidental travel, companionship, medication, reminders, light housekeeping, and even meal preparation. To learn more, call 248-203-2273 or visit www.homeinstead.com. Home Instead Senior Care is the world’s trusted source ofin-home non-commercial personal care and companionship for seniors. Each franchise is independently owned and operated. And remember, to us, it’s personal.

A new research study shows that people can slow the inevitable decline in fitness that accompanies growing old by staying lean, exercising and refraining from smoking.

While the findings, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, are not surprising, as other studies have drawn similar conclusions, they have broad implications, given the increasing number of older adults and the explosion in the sedentary, overweight and aging population.

“The Social Security Administration actually has an aerobic capacity threshold. If you’re below the threshold, you are considered disabled,” said study author Andrew Jackson of the University of Houston. This means more people could potentially qualify for disability benefits at a younger age, further draining an already strained economy, a HealthDay article reports.

The study found that reductions in cardio respiratory fitness became much steeper after the age of 45, accelerating even further with increases in body-mass index, smoking and lower physical activity levels.

“We’ve known that, as you age, your aerobic capacity goes down, and the exercise physiology literature indicates it’s a linear relationship. We found that this is not the case,” said Jackson.“It makes sense to me. When things aren’t working right, we tend to go down at faster rates. This was true for both men and women (although the rate of decline was faster for men than for women).”

Jackson said the data showed that if people maintained a healthy lifestyle, their aerobic capacity was higher as they aged. This could delay the age at which health problems begin.

“If people are very overweight,inactive and smoke, they might see these health problems in their 50s and 60s,whereas people who maintain a healthy lifestyle, it’s going to be more like their 70s, 80s and possibly even their 90s,” he said.

The study reinforces the importance of a healthy lifestyle,which is something CAREGivers can work with their clients on achieving through healthy meals and exercise. Home Instead Senior Care CAREGivers are trained to promote healthy lifestyles for our clients.

Home Instead Senior Care will provide outstanding caregivers to help your loved one with personal care,incidental travel, companionship, medication, reminders, light housekeeping, and even meal preparation. To learn more, call 248-203-2273 or visit www.homeinstead.com. Home Instead Senior Care is the world’s trusted source ofin-home non-commercial personal care and companionship for seniors. Each franchise is independently owned and operated. And remember, to us, it’s personal.

Url: http://www.conqueroo.com/

Known for harmonica work on Rolling Stones’ “Miss You”
Blue branches out with new album, out January 26, 2010

NEW YORK, N.Y. — “We have chosen the title Threshold because the tunes open new musical territory for us,” says bluesman Sugar Blue of his new album, due out January 26, 2010 on Beeble Music. The album follows the acclaimed 2007 album Code Blue, which hinted at a widening musical path.

In addition to Sugar Blue on harmonica and vocals, Threshold features guitarist Rico McFarland (Albert King, Otis Clay, Syl Johnson, James Cotton, Lucky Peterson); guitarist Moto Makino (Los Lobos); Noel Neal, bass; James Knowles, drums; and Ilaria Lantieri, bass; with guests Bill Dickens, the “Buddha of Bass” (Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Janet Jackson, George Michael, Jerry Harrison) and percussionist Samuel Torres (Pancho Sanchez, Tito Puente, Chick Corea, Pete Escovedo). The album, produced by Sugar Blue, was recorded in both Chicago and Tokyo.

The nine original songs were co-written by Blue with Lantieri and Makino and range from blues to rock, funk, jazz and ballads. “Stop the War” is a cry for peace punctuated by Dickens’ bass line. “Cotton Tree” is an homage to living blues harmonica legend James Cotton, mentor to Sugar Blue as well as hundreds of harp players worldwide. “Noel News” celebrates the strength of the people of New Orleans. “Ramblin’” is a duet featuring Blue on both harmonica and Chromonica, a bass harp. The album also contains two covers: “Messin’ With the Kid” by Junior Wells and “Trouble,” the Lieber & Stoller-penned Elvis Presley hit. A spoken interview with Blue finishes the CD.

The Grammy Award-winning harmonica virtuoso was born James Whiting in Harlem, New York. Influenced by artists as diverse as Lester Young and Bob Dylan, Blue began his career playing on the streets, and later recorded with Brownie McGhee, Roosevelt Sykes and Victoria Spivey. He relocated to France on the advice of expatriate Memphis Slim, and while there hooked up with the Rolling Stones, who invited him to play on their Some Girls, Emotional Rescue and Tattoo You albums. Offered an indefinite session spot with the band, he turned down the offer in favor of returning to the U.S. Before leaving Europe, he recorded two albums, Crossroads and From Paris to Chicago.

In Chicago, Blue worked with and learned from harmonica legends Big Walter Horton, Carey Bell, James Cotton and Junior Wells. He played in the Chicago Blues All-Stars with friend and mentor Willie Dixon and contributed to Dixon’s Grammy-winning 1988 album Hidden Charms. He sat in with Fats Domino, Ray Charles and Jerry Lee Lewis for the Cinemax special Fats Domino and Friends. And he appeared onscreen and in the musical score of Alan Parker’s acclaimed 1987 thriller Angel Heart, starring Robert De Niro. Best known for his signature riff on the Rolling Stones’ “Miss You,” Blue performed his own version of the song on his 1993 Alligator Records album Blue Blazes, followed up with In Your Eyes.

As to how the name Sugar Blue came to be, “I needed a nickname and all the good ones were taken — Muddy Waters, Blind Lemon, Sonny Boy,” Blue explains. “One night a friend and I were leaving a Doc Watson concert when somebody threw out of the window a box full of old 78s. I picked one up and it said ‘Sugar Blues’ by Sidney Bechet. That’s it! I thought it was perfect. So here I am.”

Sugar Blue incorporates what he has learned into his visionary and singular style, technically dazzling yet wholly soulful. He bends, shakes and spills flurries of notes with simultaneous precision and abandon. And he sings too. His distinctive throat tends to be overlooked — a rich voice with a whisper of huskiness.

Of the Threshold album, Blue says, “I believe that the greatest threshold of all is love because it is the fount from which all human life springs. Life echoes the sounds of our interactions: joy, sadness, heartache, passion, loneliness, intimacy, celebration or solemn occasion. We have tried to give voice to these feelings in this musical offering.”

They are gone.

For untold Aeons they stood, guarding the Tempest Arch, maintaining their constant Vigil out over the horizons of Existence.

Now, they are gone, and the Arch stands open, unwatched.  Their Charge was to shut the Way against those that would get out, as much as it was to hold off Intruders.  The reasons for their Vigil, lost in the vast Passage of Time, were deemed to be of immense significance.  Now the Way is open, and the Cruciform Citadel continues to move.

They are gone.

My sister is moving to Australia. I’m so concerned about her, I had to research on their health care. Here’s what I found (wiki)–

Health Services in Australia are universal. The Federal Government pays a large percentage of the cost of services in public hospitals. This percentage is calculated on:
1. Whether the Government subsidizes this service (based on the Medicare Benefits Schedule. Typically, 100% of in-hospital costs, and 75-85% of General Practitioner and specialist services are covered.
2. Whether the Patient is a Concession or Receives other Benefits[2]
3. Whether the Patient has crossed the threshold for further subsidised service (based on total health expenditure for the year)[2]

I feel envious.  My employer subsidizes my family’s insurance but I still have to pay part of it.  We also pay for copays.  My parents who are 56 and 60, need to pay for their own insurance, and they’re semi retired, so the funds that come in are limited.  UK also has the same kind of health care.  We’re the super power of the world.  Why can’t we have universal health care as well?  I believe that in the long run, it will be good for everyone.  This is not socialism at all.  It is just giving our citizens what they deserve as a part of this developed country.  Go Obama! I like what Russell Brand, who’s an Englishman said when he hosted the MTV VMA’s.  Something like, what you guys call a truck, we call a lory…you guys have latin people dying in the streets, while we have universal health care.  It is just so true.  You just have to admit it.

My first BIG event has been confirmed.  It’s the Deloitte Ride Across Britain.  John O’Groats to Lands End in 9 consecutive days running from Saturday 12th June to Sunday 20th June 2010.

I worked on the initial concepts for this brand new event with the team at Threshold Sport.  It’s iconic and it’s big.  It’s also expensive at c.£1,000 per solo rider but when you consider that it includes accomodation (moving tented village), food and detailed route map I think that it comes to very good value.  So did 650 other riders it would appear.  The event sold out in 3 weeks and the waiting list for 2011 is already over 1,000 I’m told.

It’s going to be one hell of a ride.  c.130 miles a day with c.3,000 meters of climbing per day for the first few days through Scotland.  Luckily, one of my cycling buddies, Stephan Sayre, has also got in so we’ll be doing it together.

I can’t wait.

During the current 2009 cross country season, I have learned that rest is important for my runners in many different ways.  Maybe you can use these lessons that I have learned and insert in your training to prevent injury.

#1 What we normally think of…Rest means sleep.  People need to sleep 7 to 8 hours of sleep at night.  People who run need to sleep even more.  Recent studies show that athletes with more sleep perform better in their sport.  Sleep allows for your body to go into repair mode.  The majority of muscle growth and maintenance happens when you sleep.  Why work hard and not put your body in the best position to grow from that work?

#2 When developing training for you rnext goal you need to add rest from running in your yearly calendar, your monthly calendar, and your weekly calendar.  In your year, it is good to take 2 weeks off from running between training cycles.  I suggest no running for the majority of runners.  Allow your mind to miss your runs and then you will appreciate it more when you do come back.  In your monthly calendar, try to plan one easy week, 2 medium weeks, and one hard week of training.  In your weekly calendar, strategically place rest days where you take time off of running or have easy days and hard days back to back.

#3 When in your actual runs make sure you pay attention to rest in between bouts of exercise.  A run:walk on a long run can help people get a higher total amount of time spent running.  If you do mile repeats give yourself the same rest as the time it takes to run the mile.  If you run hills, rest twice as much as it takes to run the hill. If you run slower than your 5k pace, rest half as much as it takes to run the interval.

As you can see, rest is important.  One last point.  I have a runner who runs one pace and he runs everyday.  He runs more than anyone on my team.  But his improvements have flatlined.  I believe that he is burnt out and has not run slow at all.  Remember, running slow allows us to run fast.  People with one pace will never get out of that pace unless they experience something else.  So we have instituted rest days for him and he is not allowed to run fast during warm-up runs prior to the workout.  Weird.  I am encouraging my runner to run slow.  Most of you will not experience this, but if this story is familiar then sit down and rest and relax!

Today’s Thought:

1 Peter 1:3  “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…”

At the end of it all, this is the message!  Everything that we do, the reason we fast, the reason we hold the National Alpha Conference, the reason we work so hard to get people to come – it’s all for the knowledge of this great hope!  That people will know that God loves them and has given them a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Today, Iwe pray for a supernatural revelation and anointing over every conference attendee.  We pray that it would be contagious and that You, Lord, would cause every one of them to be a magnet for souls!  That we would see Alpha Courses popping up all over the map, bringing souls into this great knowledge, that You love them and have a great purpose for their lives.

Lord, may eyes be opened all over this land as a result of this conference.  May there be a great awaking and may people see Jesus in a way that they’ve never seen Him before: in His beauty and wonder and splendor.  May You be lifted up Lord and we know that You will then draw men to Yourself.  Do it, Lord!  Do it!  And let us be a part of Your great work!

In Jesus’ name!

Amen

Expat Harem has a new global niche.

The Expat Harem — a concept I coined in 2004 with Jennifer Eaton Gokmen and brought to life in 2005 and 2006 in the foreign women in Turkey anthology Tales from the Expat Harem – has always been about a modern and virtual community of cultural peers.

Now the (softly) relaunched ExpatHarem.com is expat+HAREM, the global niche and aims to bring its community to life online as a neoculture hub for global citizens and identity adventurers as well as travelers and culturati, fans of the anthology, and Turkophiles.

Re-imagining the role Expat Harem plays in the cultural conversation, this new venture acknowledges the permanent liminality of today’s multicultural, global existence. Like the nation of Turkey itself — its struggles are both personal and universal, self-perception East yet also West, looking toward Europe or Asia, ancient empire persisting under the surface of new republic. In some small or large way, all of us are coming or going, crossing threshold after threshold but never arriving.

I’m looking forward to engaging with you about the crossroads and dichotomies of our hybrid lives….

• modern existences in historic places
• deep-rooted traditions translated in mobile times
• limiting stereotypes revisited for wider meaning
• the expat mindset as it evolves from nationalism to globalism

COLLABORATION WELCOME: Guest contributors are invited to make this global niche their own. Peruse the (very basic) guidelines.

The noun threshold refers to the floor of an entrance to a building or room or at the entrance to something. Threshold can also refer to the level or point at which you start to experience something, or at which something starts to happen. The expression “to be at the threshold of something” means to be at the start of a new and important time or development. …

• Veera Somkwamkid led several hundred supporters on a trek up to the Mor E Daeng cliff located on the threshold of the Preah Vihear sanctuary.

• Crossing the threshold the sight of a large open-plan living area with wall length picture windows opening on to a large balcony is impressive indeed.

• The IEC released preliminary results this week, giving Mr Karzai a clear majority of 54.6% – beyond the threshold of 50% plus one vote needed to avoid a run-off

• US forecasters put Jimena at a Category Four on the one-to-five Saffir-Simpson scale, but noted that the storm was “very near the threshold of Category Five status”. …

(From Bangkok Post)

Today’s Thought:

Ezekiel 37:4-10

Then [the LORD] said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’ “ So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.  Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

Father.  Lord of all.  We are but Your servants.  We endeavor to do what You say do and to say what You say.  This passage reminds us of the kinds of miraculous things that You say.  We think so small compared to You.  But You lead us into the impossible and make it possible.  You give life and breath to us and then use it to give life and breath to others. 

Today we pray that You would use us to bring life to the dead.  Father, those coming to the conference will be going home to dead neighbors, dead friends, dead family, dead soldiers, dead students… Lord, may You empower us to show them the life that You bring.  Anoint our words.  Make them Your words that will not return void.  Make them prophetic, life-giving words that minister great grace and life to the hearers.  May we who were once dead be a vast army for You. May those that we speak to rise to their feet and be filled with Your breath, joining this vast army of Yours.

Anoint each Alpha Course.  May the words spoken be powerful enough to breathe life.

Do more than we could ever ask or imagine.

In Jesus’ mighty name,

Amen.

Today’s Thought:

Psalm 47:1    “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.”

Today I would like for us to pray for the times of worship that we will have at the conference.  In reality, we want our entire lives to be worship to the Lord; but I am specifically referring to the times of musical worship.

The Alpha Course is all about introducing people to Jesus, letting them know that He is real, relevant and ready for them to come.  Musical worship is a phenomenal tool in that process.  It teaches, it draws, it disarms and it ignites.  It can evoke emotion, but most importantly, it invites the Lord directly.  (The Lord inhabits the praises of His people. Ps 22:3 KJV)

And so, we pray for the musical worship at the conference.  Lord, we know that music is an amazing teacher and tool for you.  It is often used – both in Your Word and today – to lead us into Your very presence.  We pray for those that will lead us during those times.  We pray for each instrument, each voice, every piece of equipment… we pray that there will be no distractions and that You will come and abide in our praise powerfully.  We pray that it will be a time of truly knowing YOUR presence – not just emotion, but an EXPERIENCE of the very presence of God.  That we will be thrust to a place where we will desire more of You and go forward knowing that You are with us, leading us, directing us, and using us.

Lord, use these times to remind us of Your will.  Let these times powerfully motivate us into action. 

May the times of worship be more than amazing.  May they be full of You.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

Today’s Thought:

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The National Alpha Conference begins bright and early one week from today.  Right now administrators are carefully organizing paperwork and final details, caterers are planning meals, musicians are solidfying music and session presenters are putting finishing touches on their presentations.  Specialty Course directors are making their last ditch effort to convince leaders to attend.  And we are praying… hoping in the Greatest Assured Hope that this will be a moment of great detonation!  That an explosion of Alpha Courses all over the country will suddenly burst forth and souls will be added to the Kingdom at astounding rates!

And so… with all that is going on, it is good to remember that after all of the calling, the talking, the planning and the hoping, that with all of our plans, it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.  (Pr 19:21)  So let us continue to pray for purposeful, yet peaceful action on the part of all that are involved in the conference.  Let’s present our requests to Him so that His peace can replace anxiety.

After all, it is the plans of the LORD that stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations. (Ps 33:11)

Amen.