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Month: December 2021

Cast iron sustainability

Cast iron is iron or ferrous alloy that has been heated until liquefied and then poured into a mold to solidify. It is usually made of pig iron. You can think of an alloy of carbon and iron. There are two types of cast iron and they are determined by the carbon content as gray cast iron and white cast iron. The qualities and uses of cast iron make it highly sustainable even in this 21st century.

QUALITIES AND USES

The formability, strength resistance, wear resistance, good flowability and relatively low melting point make it a preferred material, which is widely used in the field of construction engineering to make pipes and in the automotive industry to manufacture cylinder heads and gearboxes. It is resistant to destruction and weakening by oxidation and is therefore used to make utensils for cooking food.

SUSTAINABILITY

It is the oldest material in engineering, but we should say that it is gaining its fortune in the modern world when it comes to environmental impact and sustainability.

It does not rust. It just oxidizes that too, at a very slow rate. This process emits carbon-based iron ash, which is good for the environment compared to the PVC used now, as it is easy to handle. The carbon gases that are emitted promote plant growth and are also supposed to increase planktonic life in the oceans and thus prevent global warming.

It is fully recyclable. It is not recycled, in which case the material loses some of its superior properties.

Pig iron is the basic raw material. It can also be manufactured from a mixture of steel from the automotive and construction industries and scrap also in the foundry. Scrap is melted to get new iron. Therefore, waste becomes wealth.

Properly maintained cast iron products will last the life of the building, although the capital cost could be higher. Even when a building is demolished after its full useful life, it can be recycled and used for the same purpose.

It remains the most preferred material in the construction industry for structural support, windows, floor drainage, etc.

Cooking with cast iron utensils is sustainable because it is durable.

Cast iron cookware has natural non-stick properties compared to dangerous Teflon coated utensils. It is only necessary to cover the pans with oil so that they are not sticky.

Dishes should be washed only with hot water and a stiff brush. Therefore, they avoid the use of soaps that may have a high chemical content.

Distributes heat evenly and makes cooking easier.

When we eat food prepared in cast iron pans, we also consume small doses of iron which is good for our health.

In short, iron is the fourth common element in the earth’s crust that can be fully recycled each time without loss of properties and therefore sustainable.

Profitable New Product Development: 7 Marketing Requirements

1. Delight your target consumer

Focus on creating articles that truly address the needs and pain points of your target consumer.

Meet and exceed your needs

CREATE fans, not just customers

DO NOT focus on internal issues

– Can you precisely define your target market and what motivates them?

– Do 50% of your target audience say they would definitely or probably buy your product?

2. make sure it’s profitable from the start

You MUST filter ideas for potential earnings at the ideas stage

Rework ideas ahead of time to address any profitability issues

DO NOT pursue a flawed business model

– Does my item produce lucrative gains and losses on a total and per unit basis?

– Do I have a viable business in year 1 and “year 3”?

3. Select and refine ideas

Choose the best among several ideas

Challenge and refine good ideas to create great ideas.

Seek feedback from your target consumer and development resources.

You MUST strive to exceed expectations, be different, be better

DO NOT jump to an answer

– Is it among our top ideas 1 of 3 or 1 of 5?

– “What could make this even better?”

4. Position and clarify the idea of ​​the product.

BE SURE to clearly articulate what it is, what it does, and how it benefits your consumer

ASSUMES full responsibility that its customers (commerce and consumer) understand its benefits

Be different and superior

DO NOT overlook any opportunity to accurately tell your story (e.g. every touch point)

– Can you explain your concept in 5 words or less? Do customers (business and consumer) understand and respond to your idea?

– Are you different and / or superior?

– Do you have a compelling earnings story to trade?

5. Keep your marketing frugal, focused, and factual.

Identify Your Business Goals Before You Spend Anything

Compare and choose between alternatives (providers, programs, methods)

You MUST quantify the productivity and efficiency of your programs

DON’T “just do it”

DON’T overlook low-cost, no-cost public relations opportunities

– Does this plan / program meet my business objective?

– What is the return on investment? Is there a more efficient option?

– Is this program fully exploited and consistent?

6. Perfect your business model

You MUST continually maintain, measure and improve a test market

You MUST test and refine your product mix, pricing, and sales and marketing tactics

MUST track and improve earnings performance

DO NOT measure progress just by total sales growth

– Have you identified a small market in which you can monitor your business model?

– What is your P&L performance in this small market?

– Are you continually testing and improving performance?

– Can you expand your best business model?

7. Outperform the big boys

Monitor and react to consumer feedback

Identify and own your niche

Develop new products faster

DO NOT compete directly with them where they are strongest

– Do you own your niche?

– Can you meet the needs and gaps in the market that the big players consider “too small”?

– Can you add comments for more new and superior products?

Leaving home to be with someone you love

We have all fallen in love once or twice in life. And we all feel like moving and living with the other person forever. Some relationships worked, others didn’t. Despite that, we all had the feeling of leaving home for love. But is it the right thing to do? Are we rational when we make a decision related to love or do we act on an irrational basis? When should someone move out of their home and with their current boyfriend or girlfriend? What should you consider before moving in?

Here’s what to keep in mind before leaving home for love:

  • age – Before you even consider leaving the house, you need to ask yourself if you are not too young to do so. 16, 17 and even 18 can be considered too young to move in and be with the person they love. In fact, you will have to find a way to support yourself financially. I no longer want to ask my parents for money or my parents will buy it from me. Also, you should consider how old your boyfriend or girlfriend is.
  • Education – many girls are willing to sacrifice their education to live with the boys they like, when in reality no one guarantees that the relationship will work out. Before you move, ask yourself if you are anxious to waste all the years you spent studying, all your dreams, and all your future. No one says that you will never find a university to move to or that you will not be able to study and work together, but questions can save you some trouble.
  • Responsibilities – Are you ready to move in with your boyfriend, cook for him, do the laundry, clean the house, while you go to school and have a job? Do you feel ready for the whole experience or do you just think it will be amazing and that everything will work out?
  • Distance – Where are you moving to? Are you away from your friends and family? If you’re not prepared for the whole experience, not only will you hate the whole idea, but when the going gets tough, you won’t be able to meet up with your friends and complain.

Leaving home for love sounds lovely, but it’s definitely as easy as it sounds. Things get tough, especially when money is low. Don’t waste a good life just because you love the other person. Take into account every detail of your individual life before encountering an unfamiliar and terrifying situation. You are solely responsible for your life and your plans. And you will be the only one to blame if things don’t go as expected.

Love is the closest thing to magic, but don’t let it blind you and take you away from your dreams or path.

What is a twink?

When I first started playing World of Warcraft, the term Twink was relatively unused. That didn’t last long. As time passed and players got more crafty, the Twink evolved. So what is a Twink?

A Twink is a player character who has been decked out in the best possible gear for his class and level. For example, a level 19 young rogue might have the best armor and weapons he could have compared to other rogues of his level. Why? Because another higher level character probably helped obtain those items or gave the Young Boy enough gold to buy at auction.

Twinking is primarily based on the idea of ​​sending the Twink to battlefields where they gain honor and prestige. But Twinks can also be used for other tasks.

Twinks are somewhat controversial in World of Warcraft because they tend to provide an unfair advantage over other lower-level characters. There has been a lot of debate as to whether or not Twinks should exist. Fortunately, World of Warcraft has some security measures in place that help prevent the Twinks from becoming too powerful.

  • Minimum level requirements for equipment use
  • Minimum level requirements on missions and mission items
  • Minimum level requirements on various spells, potions, and power-ups.

Creating a Twink is solely up to the player. Not everyone accepts Twinks graciously and if you choose to make one, be prepared to receive criticism for it. On the other hand, it’s kind of cool to have the most powerful level 19 hunter running around!

Some of the best Twinks are Rogues or Hunters, so you may want to think about those classes first if you decide to Twink.

Have fun and see you around Azeroth!

Voting Rights Act of 1965: Rev. George Lee Remembered

Belzoni, Mississippi, a small Delta town once notorious for Saturday night lynchings and shootings, survived a tornado after Hurricane Katrina.

“We are here in the Delta, far from the coast where they really got it. We didn’t have the hurricane, but we did have a tornado and it was pretty bad,” said the owner of a used car lot on the north edge of this village of cotton once known as “Bloody Belzoni”.

In fact, the subsequent Katrina winds and heavy rains hurt most businesses in this community that has been slowly rising since the first days of civil rights violence.

In recent years, Belzoni leaders created a marketing plan, hoping to generate new business: Colorful five- and six-foot acrylic statues of smiling catfish wearing polka dot bow ties herald Belzoni’s newly acclaimed status as the World Capital of the World. catfish.

Catfish are scattered around the center. And every summer there is a catfish barbecue and delta blues celebration.

For many Belzonians, memories of past violence will never fade despite marketing efforts, and it’s close to the center, in a poor and ravaged neighborhood, where African Americans have placed a block of granite at the beginning of a street in the city. town.

Only “George Lee Avenue” is etched into the cold stone.

But this tribute is to a beloved leader who died a violent death fifty years ago for his right to vote.

* * * *

Rev. George Washington Lee, the first black person to register to vote in Humphreys County since Reconstruction, was shot and killed on a neighborhood street while driving his car on the night of May 7, 1955.

Some who knew Lee and have stayed to grow old in this Delta city say that their friend was a kind and courageous man who was brutalized and murdered by angry white men for his defense of the right to vote.

LEE AND THE SECOND of the main targets of the Belzoni Citizen Council, Gus Courts, lived and ran small grocery businesses. Citizens’ Councils were Klan-influenced private organizations formed in the Delta in 1954 to scare black citizens away from the polls and prevent integration from taking place.

Lee also preached, often using his pulpit and printing press to urge others to act and vote.

White officials once offered Lee protection on the condition that he end his voter registration efforts, but Lee refused.

At the head of the city’s new NAACP chapter, Courts was ordered by his banker to turn over all NAACP books and, when he refused, Courts was ordered out of town. But he stayed.

Once, a member of the Citizens Council gave Courts a list of ninety-five registered blacks in Humphreys County, who warned that anyone who did not remove their name from the voting list would lose their job. He later testified about his experiences before a Congressional Committee.

Both Courts and Lee had tried for years to pay election taxes in order to vote and were eventually allowed to sign the register only after the county sheriff feared federal prosecution. Choosing a nerd required a separate battle.

On the day of his murder, nearly a year after Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education and three months before the lynching of Emmett Till in nearby Sunflower County, Rev. Lee visited Courts to discuss the latest warning.

Lee reported receiving a previous anonymous death threat demanding that he remove his name from the voting list. He told Courts that he had a strange feeling about this particular threat.

That night, as Reverend Lee was driving his car down Church Street in Belzoni, two gunshots shattered the stillness of the night, and the minister’s Buick sedan veered off the sidewalk and collided with a log house.

With the lower left side of his face missing, the Rev. George Lee staggered into the wreckage, but died during transport to Humphreys County Memorial Hospital.

When NAACP leader Medgar Evers arrived in Belzoni to investigate the murder of Rev. Lee, Sheriff Ike Shelton told him that Lee lost control of his car and was killed in the accident; the lead granules found in the tissues of his jaw were dental fillings.

An autopsy was not necessary for the “freak accident,” Shelton said.

But at Ms. Lee’s insistence, two black doctors examined her husband’s body and reported that the tissues contained pellets “fired at point-blank range from a high-powered weapon.” They also found gunpowder burns.

Over the next few days, Evers and two national representatives from the NAACP met with eyewitnesses and the full story emerged:

Lee had been followed by three men in another car.

His right rear tire was punctured by a rifle shot and as he decelerated, the second car “moved in parallel and a shotgun shot him point-blank in the face. There were also descriptions of the three men, with provisional identifications.”

Evers always doubted that an FBI investigation would take place, as there was never any public report “not even a solid rumor” about what was in the report.

Rev. Lee’s murder was a cold-blooded response to demands for equal treatment from more blacks in Mississippi and was backed up by the lies of the sheriff and local police, Evers later reported; Evers was assassinated ten years later on his driveway to Jackson by a member of the Klan Delta and a member of the Council of White Citizens.

Aaron Henry of Clarksdale, also a black leader from Mississippi recalled: “We felt we needed protection because the past had taught us that when a black is killed, stay out of town if his skin is black.”

Yet surprisingly for one of the first times, no protection was needed at the public funeral that took place in Belzoni.

“There was not a white male on the streets on the day of the service, except for the press. There was a large black attendance at the funeral. This large presence of blacks and absence of whites marked a turning point,” Henry said. .

* * *

As Aaron Henry predicted, the murder of Rev. Lee became a critical turning point in 1955; His untimely death would help drive the subsequent passage of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965, one of the most successful civil rights laws in American history, which guarantees millions of minority voters equal opportunities to vote. participate in elections and make their voices heard.

The VRA ended literacy tests, poll taxes, and other methods to prevent blacks from voting that had long poisoned the roots of this country’s democracy. In 1964, only 300 African Americans held public office nationwide, including just three in Congress.

But today, more than 9,100 black elected officials serve, including 43 members of Congress, the largest number to date, according to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc., often called simply Inc.

The VRA also opened the policy to more than 6,000 Latino public officials, including some 260 elected at the state or federal level, with 27 in Congress. Native Americans, Asians, and others who have historically faced stiff barriers to full political participation have also benefited greatly.

However, violations of the VRA still occur and the United States has yet to achieve the constitutional goal of equal political opportunity.

Leaders of Inc. and others who support the reauthorization of voting rights point to three crucial sections of the Voting Rights Act that will expire in 2007 unless Congress votes to renew them:

* A requirement that states and local jurisdictions with a documented history of discriminatory voting practices submit planned changes to their election laws or procedures to the US Department of Justice or the US District Court. In Washington, DC for prior approval. A 1982 bipartisan congressional report warned that without this provision, discrimination would reappear “overnight.”

* Requirements that communities with concentrations of voters with limited English proficiency provide bilingual electoral assistance, including bilingual ballots, election materials, and poll workers.

* The authority to send federal examiners and observers to monitor elections.

Inc. leaders and others involved in voting rights view these provisions as critical to ensuring fairness and equal opportunity for minorities in American politics:

“At a time when the United States is vigorously committed to promoting the ideal of multi-ethnic democracy in Iraq and around the world, we must ensure that lawmakers preserve and strengthen the tools necessary to ensure the continued success of democracy here at home. Reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a first step. “

Crysis 2 Multiplayer Demo for PC

Following the release of the Xbox 360 Crysis 2 multiplayer demo about a month ago on January 25, 2011, PC gamers can now try Crytek’s new first-person shooter. Not only the gameplay, but also the performance on your PC can now be seen directly in the multiplayer part of Crysis 2.

Nvidia has released benchmarks with different video cards, starting with the 8800 GT, which is hitting over 40 frames per second with the lowest quality and 1680×1050 pixels. The GTX 580, Nvidia’s best graphics card, is hitting over 140 FPS and even 70 FPS with ‘Hardcore Settings’. For all benchmarks, see Crysis-2-Benchmarks-by-Nvidia.

You can download this 1.6GB demo from many sources, like EA, Gamershell or Mycrysis, including two very different maps and two modes for up to 12 players. The first ‘Skyline’ map features some rooftop and indoor fights and the second named ‘Pier 17’ is also a mix of indoor and outdoor, but in a destroyed harbor. Both can be played as a Team Instant Action map, that is, the classic Team Deathmatch, or as a Crash Site map where you must capture alien drop capsules, as checkpoints, and defend them from the enemy team.

The full version of Crysis 2 will include six game modes and twelve maps with New York City as the setting, so you can play 72 different versions of the multiplayer. It also supports DirectX 9, DX10 and DX11. Unfortunately, the demo only supports DX9, neither DX10 nor DX11, so the full potential of the graphics has yet to be exploited.

So far there are some issues with the demo because the login server is overloaded at the moment. Login is required, so many players cannot play at this time. Crytek is working to find a solution at this time.

In the multiplayer part of Crysis 2, there will be 50 ranks to get, and if you buy the Limited Edition, in addition to other features, you will get a boost to Rank 5 right away. The system is quite similar to the leveling system in Call of Duty. With each rank you get different upgrades for your weapons and your Nanosuit. You will gain experience by killing the enemy team and in the demo you will be able to play up to rank 10. The release date of the PlayStation 3 demo is March 15, 2011.

Crysis 2 is released on March 24, 2011 for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.

Discover affiliate marketing niches and offers

When I started working online in 2013, I discovered affiliate marketing (AM) as the safest way to start an online business. I immersed myself in it and after months of “hard work” I wondered why it wasn’t going anywhere. What were others doing that I wasn’t? Unknown to me, successful affiliate marketers (AMers) chose niches because internet marketing is too large a market for a newbie to be successful.

This post will help you do exactly that.

# 1: What is really a niche?

A niche is actually a small segment of a market where people interested in something are willing to dish out the amount of money necessary to acquire it. So when searching for a particular niche, make sure there are actually search terms that people are using when searching for the information for your particular niche so that it can be included in the top 10 search engine results pages.

# 2: What is really the difference between a market and a niche market concept?

If we take a main category like AM and look under the titles, we can easily discover a market level idea like affiliate programs.

To see if you are really making money in this market, do a Google search to try and find advertisers. If you found ads, the affiliate program (AP) is actually an interesting market.

So if you narrow it down to the two specifics of where people are spending funds and where there are search phrases that people are using when searching for AP information, then use Google AdWords KeywordToolExternal and also put it in affiliate programs. for general suggestions on possible niches. If you need additional programs, use the AdWords.Google tool, which can easily provide you with up to 800, instead of the 100 keywords provided by the previous one.

Enter (AP) in the search engine window at the top left of the web page and then click search.

Get your hands on a list of a minimum of 10-20 AP-associated search terms that show a reasonable number of searches per month, but certainly not a lot of competition.

This can also easily provide you with a number of profitable search phrases to use on your site as categories, in your content, and also in your marketing campaigns.

Discovering profitable keyword phrases

Volume: is the average number of searches per month for the last 12 months.

Comp: The higher this number, the higher the organic competition for the keyword.

IAAT: A count of web pages where the keyword appears in both the title tag and the text of a backlink.

Keywords Volume Comp. IAAT

AP ¨ 8,857 24.21 4,366

AM programs 3,592 11.96 170

best AP 3,334 11.92 167

high ticket AP 1,050 6.73 12

best programs AM 912 8.02 27

AP trips 896 7.67 22

saas AP 849-0

top AP 816 7.75 23

AP for bloggers 629 7.43 19

best AP for beginners 606 5.98 7

best AP to earn money 556 7.6 21

High-paying AP 551 8.88 43

pay per click AP 528 7.35 18

higher AP payment 466 6.32 9

keto AP 347-0

AM programs for beginners 342 6.32 9

software AP 310 6.73 12

makeup AP 302 5.3 4

Gaming AP 295 5.3 4

pet AP 292 4.56 2

AP site 261-0

best AP 2018 261-0

essential oil AP 261-0

Highest-paying AP 207 6.73 12

personal development AP 207 3.92 1

AP amazon 130 3.92 1

‘superior golf’ AP 85-0

a list of the best AP 85-0

AdWords AP 85-0

affiliate credit card programs 85-0

affiliate credit card programs to build credit 85-0

AM AP 85-0

AM 85-0 network programs

AM 85-0 Program Comparisons

AM Programs for Education 85-0

AM programs for local businesses 85-0

AM Programs People Want 85-0

WordPress AM 85-0 plugin programs.

AM WordPress woocommerce 85-0 plugin.

AM programs to earn money online 85-0.

affiliate network programs 85-0.

Easy to join AP 85-0.

AP for marks 85-0.

AP for dating bloggers 85-0.

AP for domain change 85-0.

AP for electronic commerce 85-0.

AP for Food Bloggers 85-0.

AP for weapons 85-0.

Affiliate blogging programs 82-0.

AP for beginners 82 6.47 10.

Another great keyword research tool that you can easily use is Jaaxy obtained through Wealthy Affiliate.

Average: The average number of searches the keyword phrase gets each month.

Traffic: Visits to your website if you perform first page rankings in search engines

QSR: Search results in quotes: the number of competing websites ranked in Google for this exact keyword

KQI – Keyword Quality Indicator: Green is fantastic; yellowish is fine; reddish is inappropriate.

SEO: A score based on traffic and competition, the higher the score, the more likely you are to rank for this keyword on the first page (scale from 1 to 100, the higher the better)

Average keyword traffic QSR KQI SEO

best affiliate marketing programs 178 31 219 Excellent 83

best affiliate marketing program for beginners 80 14 89 Great 93

are the best affiliate marketing programs 48 9 5 Excellent 98

best affiliate marketing program for beginners 80 14 73 Great 92

Best Affiliate Marketing Programs For Beginners 56 10 175 Great 84

best affiliate marketing programs for beginners 56 10 52 Great 96

the best affiliate marketing programs for beginners 56 10 111 Great 91

Top 10 Affiliate Marketing Programs 75 13 114 Great 97

top affiliate marketing programs 88 15 179 Excellent 89

Top rated affiliate marketing programs 40 7 96 Excellent 97

what is the best affiliate marketing program 114 20 53 Great 91

best affiliate marketing program 114 20156 Great 86

best affiliate marketing program 114 20176 Great 88

affiliate marketing programs 3037517232 Normal74

Affiliate Marketing Companies 458 78 122 Excellent 91

Affiliate Marketing Training 199 34 219 Normal80

start affiliate marketing 654112226 Normal77

best affiliate programs online 104 18 96 Excellent 97

best affiliate marketers 48 9 86 Great 96

best paid affiliate programs 86 15 118 Great 97.

# 3: Choose your niche.

Statista determines that the number of bloggers in the US alone will increase to 31.7 million in 2020. If you are starting to blog anywhere on the planet today, it is clear that you are dealing with a lot more competition.

The only means for you to have the best chance of success is actually a niche.

You must focus on a specific category. “Food” is actually a huge category, but “grilled food” is small enough to handle.

Tight topics like these can help you develop a more focused audience and also possibly help you rank higher in search engines.

Si Quan Ong did just that when he created his first website, limiting himself to just breakdancing rather than talking about “dance” or even “hip hop.” He stated that he really didn’t understand almost anything about SEO at the time, yet he was able to rank for a handful of key terms and produce ~ 3,000 organic visits every month.

# 4: It’s really imperative to choose the right niche.

The information in n. 2 above shows that there are actually numerous niche markets you can choose from. Taking the one you are really passionate about is actually the most effective niche for you. Even if you work for months without getting any kind of results, it will definitely keep you going as a result of your great enthusiasm for it.

# 5: There are definitely consequences for selecting the wrong niche.

Actually, you will most likely select the right niche if you follow the above actions. But in case you pick the wrong one, you can do what’s right for 12 months (which should be your long-term goal for success) and have nothing to show for it either.

# 6: monetization settings.

Having actually selected your specific niche, you now need to study your ability to make money. Here are some of them:

Create Your Own Product – Your own product can be an e-book, a video training series, or a paper book.

AM: You can join any affiliate network or program for free. For AM of digital products, you can sign up with ClickBank, the largest AM network. As for the AM of physical products, we recommend an AM program like the Amazon affiliate program, etc. Regarding other affiliate programs, search for your “niche name” and sign up for the ones you like. You can also easily register on eBay.com, etc. Know that both Amazon.com and eBay.com have everything that any type of niche market can offer.

The impression adds: There are many out there. The most popular are actually GoogleAdsense and Mediavine.

# 7: abandon any niche you can’t monetize.

If you look at the above and can’t think of any way to monetize your chosen niche then it is not a good choice you have made. Well, if something is not good for you, you know what to do with it, right? You turn your back on him. Then you look for another.

# 8: There is a lot of competition in AM, but there is enough room for everyone.

One more ambivalence, you could say.

Yes, the competition in the AM industry is really fierce, but that shouldn’t scare you in any way.

Every successful AM professional you see around you or hear about has that experience. If they had let it terrorize them years ago, they definitely would not have existed as examples that we could learn from.

The solution to competition simply depends on finding a particular niche that necessarily belongs to a much larger market where you can actually make money with little or no competitor.

# 9: is AM a scam?

No, AM as such is certainly not a scam. You’ll certainly get into one faster than you can shake off your shiny new footwear if you’re spending your hard-earned money, as well as your precious time, searching for get-rich-quick schemes.

# 10: Decide on the platform you will use.

The AM could be carried out on any type of platform where the promoter can send information to a consumer. Also social networks.

The ideal area to develop a target market and also improve your sales is actually through a blogging site or even a YouTube channel.

conclusion

There you have it, the 10 ways rookie promoters can choose niches to be successful.

Figure skating judges and arbitrary decisions

Many sports, judging by creativity, personality, sentiment and spontaneity, are difficult to determine who is the best in the competition. And yet the American people love figure skating and often immortalize the best artists. But how can anyone be sure that the best skaters really win? They sure have mandatory maneuvers to do and the judges know the complexity and difficulty of various other tricks and yet many other things are arbitrary.

Often while watching these performances, I totally disagree with the judges and feel like the winners are somehow rigged. In the last 10 years we have seen scandals with judges in the main world competitions, so one has to wonder if, like the Tour de France, perhaps finger skating has lost its legitimacy due to these judging offenses?

Unfortunately, in all of this it becomes extremely unfair to athletes who practice 6-8 hours a day to perform at that World Class level. It seems that there is too much politics in figure skating and that is a parody, because it takes talent, strength, nerves of steel and sheer strength to achieve a maximum performance like that. Consider all of this in 2006.

Angels – angel of being

TO BE is to exist as energy and as a physical container, the guardian of the Essence of Light, Love and Truth of our Soul.

The Angel of the Self chooses to remain nameless because the intention is for you to associate and connect with that part of your existence that is pure energy, light and unconditional love, transcending identification with the human ego.

A state of being is a mixture of our conscious and subconscious minds. In this energetic space where the two minds intersect, we can experience a sense of total and complete Oneness.

In that somewhat elusive State of Unity, there is a feeling of nothing. This nothing is not lacking in any form, thought or emotion. It’s simple and completely all-encompassing, a mix of light and dark and all things in between.

In this space we know everything, we see everything and we are all. We are pure energy … pure thought, capable of conjuring or manifesting an immediate and endless supply.

In truth, this omnipotent gift is within and around us to fulfill all of our requests. We have chosen to put this truth aside through the ages in an attempt to control our own existence, manipulating Universal Law to benefit only the most powerful among us.

The Angel of the Self asks each of us to let go and abandon the desire to dominate and control every aspect of life as we know it.

We are encouraged to consciously manage our thoughts, emotions and actions, surrendering what does not serve and has never served our Higher Self and our Divine Purpose.

The energy of this angel is omnipotent and omnipresent. The Angel of the Self can only be accessed through meditation and in a state of peaceful balance and harmony.

He is almighty and benevolent, reaching out to us, guiding our minds and hearts into that inner sanctuary of our Soul Essence and that of our Soul Purpose.

This part of our journey requires us to be aware that we not only seek to heal our own inner self in the shadows, but we also seek to heal the planet through love, the highest vibration … that of Divine Source.

I am fortunate to be able, at times, to experience a sense of tranquility that really goes beyond words. It is a space where there are really no limits, just a sense of wonder for peace at all levels of knowledge.

Still, I asked how to share this experience so that others can identify their experience of the Self.

Many, many years ago my family lived in Hawaii and I was in school here on the mainland, I first experienced this feeling of absolute calm and peace.

I was going to school in Columbia, Missouri. In winter, he wore 2 pairs of socks to keep his feet warm. One morning I woke up to find what I can only describe as a winter wonderland!

As I walked outside, there was a deep silence that filled me with a stillness unlike anything I had ever known before.

The trees were wrapped in ice, creating a kaleidoscope of rainbows that danced across the thick white blanket that covered the ground.

I remember being completely still; nothing else existed except this slowing down of time. I turned slowly to take in as much of this incredible scene as possible. To this day, I just need to close my eyes to reconnect with that experience. I felt like I was in a snowball. Everything was still … no people, no footprints in the snow … no noise of any kind. Needless to say, I was late to class and I just didn’t care! Not that day.

To connect with the Angel of Self, think of a time when everything in your life was in total and complete alignment. If you don’t have those memories, imagine a place where you can remove the mask that presents the world as your truth and step out of your skin for a few moments.

Surrender the Ego in all its forms and become one with the Divine Source, co-creating with wisdom, love and compassion in its purest form.

Asperger’s Syndrome at Work: Why Small Talk Matters

If you’re like many people with Asperger’s syndrome, you categorize small talk as a nonsensical (neurotypical) NT ritual in which people waste time talking about stupid topics that no one really cares about.

However, small talk is actually a fundamental skill in the workplace. It’s the first step in building those important relationships with your colleagues. Most neurotypicals (who make up the majority of the workforce) highly value relationships. So much so that a good relationship with the supervisor and the liking of co-workers are consistently rated as important factors for job satisfaction.

Sharing some friendly comments with co-workers you see in the lunchroom or elevator sends the message that you consider yourself part of the group. A little chat with your coworkers is the starting point for building camaraderie and trust.

You don’t really need to I like it someone in order to act friendly with them at work. Sometimes small actions go a long way toward establishing yourself as likable. For example:

-Greet co-workers you see or interact with in the morning by saying “Good morning” or asking “Hi, how are you?”

-Smile when you greet people or walk down the hall. If necessary, practice to make it natural. A person who does not smile is often perceived as angry or distant.

-Get together with your classmates for lunch on a regular basis.

How to make a little talk

Small talk is the discussion of general and neutral topics for short periods of time (usually no more than 5 minutes). Neutral topics are things like weather, traffic, sports, a national news, plans for the weekend, etc. Topics to avoid are those that polarize people (politics, religion, race), make them feel uncomfortable (sexual issues), or personal observations (weight, clothing, hairstyle, gestures). Negative comments about other employees or the company should also be avoided.

If you don’t follow sports teams or popular TV shows, you can still find small talk topics. Many local news stations have websites that provide short summaries of the main news. This is a quick way to stay informed about what is happening in your community.

The point of a small talk is to make connections with others. To do this, you must have a discussion for at least two or three turns. If you answer a question or comment with a one-word answer or by saying “I don’t know,” you won’t go any further.

Let’s say you’re in the break room and someone asks if you watched a particular sporting show or event. You answer “No.” Wow! The conversation is over. Instead, ask a question to express your interest in the other person, such as “I haven’t seen that show, what is it about?” or “I don’t follow baseball. Do you play?”

Here’s another example that illustrates how a little chat can be the bridge to building good relationships with your coworkers. Someone asks, “Did you get stuck in that traffic jam on Route 66?” Instead of saying “no,” he says, “No, I live in Smithtown, so I don’t take the highway to get here.” The other person responds, “I used to drive around Smithtown when I was working at ACME Widgetworks.” Responds: “I worked at ACME six years ago in the R&D group.” His new acquaintance says, “I was in R&D too. We should meet for lunch this week.”

This type of scenario is not uncommon and can be the beginning of long-term, productive business relationships. Although it may be uncomfortable at first, consider small talk as an important business skill to practice.

Extracted from Asperger Syndrome Workplace Survival Guide: A Neurotypic’s Secrets to Success, © 2010 Barbara Bissonnette, Forward Movement Coaching.