Beyoncé Set To Give Birth To Baby Girl Soon

Now it's the most beautiful time of the year -- especially for Beyoncé and Jay-Z because according to MediaTakeOut.com, the pop star is expected to give birth to her baby girl soon. Two nurses at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital in New York City told that an alert was put out last night to the hospital's nurses and security that a famous celebrity would be arriving today to give birth. The nurses also revealed that half the floor of the hospital's luxury "Labor And Delivery Suite" was booked for the mystery guest . Looks like it's the room to be in!
Of course, it hasn't been confirmed that the patient is actually Beyoncé herself. Normally we'd be hesitant to believe such reports if it was solely based on one site, but several reliable news outlets (like the Huffington Post, Radar Online, and Jezebel) are also reporting on this interesting story. 
We knew this day was well on its way and now it looks like Beyoncé and Jay-Z will become parents before the end of 2011. The anticipation is almost too much to handle! 
 Wait and see !


 Source : www.hollywood.com

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Genesis Tutorial Suggestion Box

My senior blogger friend Brian Gardner is now opening Genesis Tutorial Suggestion Box as I have quoted below.
 Now that I’m (relatively) happy with my current site design, it’s time to focus on content. You may have notice that recently I added a code section , and now I want to focus on creating a tutorials section. So far, here is a list of tutorials that I have written for using the Genesis Framework:
 How to Add Social Media Icons to Your Website
 How to Create a Custom Archives Page
 How to Make Money With the Genesis Box
 Kickstart Your Email List With a Featured Box
Looking for Suggestions 
While I’m pretty good at reading minds, I want to supply what you’re looking for. I’d like to open up the comments section in this post for suggestions on Genesis Tutorials. In other words, what do you want to know how to do? How can I help you understand it better? What features are you looking for more explantation? Welcome, the Genesis tutorial suggestion box is open…

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When Life Becomes Too Easy

For those of you who have followed me over the years, you know that my wife Shelly and I have participated in the 3-Day for the Cure. It’s an annual event that supports breast cancer research and each year we’re required to raise a minimum of $2,300. I won’t try to convince you that walking 60 miles over a weekend is easy, but I will say that throughout the years it’s become easier for me. Since we started in 2001, Shelly and I have walked over 1200 miles – and have raised more than $100,000 for this noble cause. Funding breast cancer research will always be close to our hearts, especially since her aunt and grandmother are survivors.
Like All Good Things, They Must Come to an End 
It is with great sadness that I tell you last year’s 3-Day for the Cure will be our last. While the event has meant an incredible amount to us, it’s time for us to move on. We’ve had some wonderful memories walking, and I’ll never forget them. But there is a law which says something about diminishing returns. From a challenge standpoint, the 3-Day isn’t hard for me anymore – it’s too easy, as a matter of fact. 


When Life Becomes Too Easy, Throw in Some Pain 
It wouldn’t be any fun to throw in the towel without entering another ring, would it? Almost a year to the date, Shelly and I ran the Las Vegas Rock’n'Roll 1/2 Marathon. It was my first endurance event./And I went the distance. Since then, I’ve run two more 1/2 marathons and we will be running another this January in Phoenix. The returns are diminishing again. And I still want more. 
Source : http://www.briangardner.com/life-too-easy/

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The Story of Two Lakes

It was said that in the interior of Java, Indonesia, there were two villages. Both had a spring or lake that was used as a source of drinking water. However, the two villages are quite different in the treating of the lake.
The first Villagers considered as their sacred village pond . The Lake was always sprinkled with flowers every Friday night. In fact, on Friday night the villagers held a special ritual in honor of the lake. Flowers are sown more and more in it. Fragrances are also sown the edges. Chant prayers and hopes of citizens had always been spoken well on the edges. It lasted a very long time already. Countless amount of interest that might be sown, fragrances were stocked in the lake.
 Unlike the case with the first villagers, the Lake for the second villagers was a very scary place. Many residents had often seen strange things in the lake. It was said that there were some people who lost in the lake. The second Villagers then used the lake as a garbage dump. All unused things had been thrown in there . Household trash, scrap woods of home construction, all types of animal carcasses, human waste, and so forth. In addition to horror, the lake became more malodorous. 
We can surely predict what happens to the village many years later. The first villagers to prosper with a healthy lake water and fragrant. Meanwhile, the villagers attacked by many outbreaks of disease due to water consumed contaminated with trash and germs . Lake is a place of reflection. In the second lake we can see we really are. Which one of us in between the lake? May we be the first lake that always put the are good, things that smell and the softness of the prayers in us. We always put good things in us. We hear good things. We see good things. We receive every good thing and internalize it in us. Of the virtues of the entrance, we remove all the good things like a lake that provides a healthy and scented water on the villagers. We took refuge from the second lake that always put bad things into itself. Hearing the bad. Seeing the bad ones.Receive all the bad things, so removing the bad stuff as well. We took refuge from ourselves that issued the bad things, as the smell was pleasant and outbreaks of disease out of a dirty lake.
Source (in Bahasa Indonesia) : http://haryomojo.wordpress.com/2008/03/04/diri-dalam-telaga/#comment-15

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Torrential Rains and Flooding Have Happened in Indonesia

In this wet season, torrential rains and flooding have happened in Indonesia. According to The Jakarta Globe that I quoted below, they kill two persons in Riau.
Pekanbaru, Riau. Torrential rains since Friday triggered widespread flooding and landslides in Kampar district in Riau, killing two people and rendering thousands homeless over the weekend. Officials said the heavy rains caused the Kampar River to overflow and flood entire villages in the district. Zurizal, the head of the Kampar Kiri Hulu subdistrict, said the flash flood claimed two lives in Gajah Batelut village when rising waters in the Sebayang River, an offshoot of the Kampar, swept away two members of the same family.
  “Residents found the body of one of the victims at around 9 a.m. on Sunday,” Zurizal said, identifying the victim as Budi, 23. The other person swept away was his 6-year-old niece, Naiada. Rescuers recovered her body later the same day. The flash flood also destroyed hundreds of homes in 11 villages in the area, one of the worst-affected being Subayang Jaya village, where the spike in water level caused a reservoir to burst. This also resulted in 4,000 meters worth of pipes, used for a clean water network, to burst. 
Elsewhere, the flooding destroyed at least five hectares of rubber plantations. Some residents fleeing their inundated homes sought refuge on higher ground, but most returned after the water began subsiding on Saturday, prompting concerns about more fatalities should another flash flood occur. Hamdi Hamid, a lecturer in social and environmental affairs at Riau University, urged the district administration to relocate villagers from the worst-hit areas for the time being. “This is very important in light of the high potential for more flooding and landslides, which could lead to more loss of life,” he said. “The residents shouldn’t be allowed to go back to their flooded homes just yet because a flash flood could spring up at any moment. The biggest risk is if it occurs late at night or just before dawn, when people are least prepared for it.” Hamdi also called on the authorities to use the clean-up period as an opportunity to remap local zoning boundaries, pointing out there was no better time to identify which areas were at high risk from flooding and thus should be off-limits for human settlement. “Re-zoning the area will be an important step in the district administration’s long-term disaster management policy,” he said. 
 The administration has come under fire for its late response to the disaster. Zurizal said that as of Saturday, the only aid supplies reaching the area were those supplied by political parties and companies. “We’ve had bottled water and instant noodles brought in by the PPP [United Development Party] and the PKS [Prosperous Justice Party], as well as other items from RAPP [Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper],” he said. Relief supplies from the administration began trickling in on Sunday. 
According to the above mentioned information, I think that we should strictly follow the environmental laws. Should you have any idea or suggestion, please leave comments here. Really appreciate your comments, of course.

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Japanese Unique Tradition

The Japanese always seem mysterious. They rarely smile, stiff and often mutually visible behavior. Knowing what's behind the habit of many might be lifted a little mystique. Kimono, sumo, chopsticks and sake are the four things that are always associated with Japan. They affect too much their way of life.
Kimono
Kimono for example, this traditional dress was not just cover the body. Many of the philosophy of life contained in them. Wearing kimono should not be arbitrary. There is a rule that must be followed. Not only that, a lot of unique things to be done in the society related to such matters.
Chopsticks 
 Chopsticks are inseparable in the way of eating. Most Japanese people will break the chopsticks into two parts finished eating. According to custom, when the chopsticks are not broken, they will be stricken with an illness caused by food.However, today the tradition is only done when dining in restaurants. For dining at home, each family member keep their own chopsticks. Exchanging chopsticks made taboo because it can be considered to bring bad luck. Buddhism influenced culture that also affect the importance of these objects.Japanese society is always to provide such offerings to spirits of relatives in the form of a bowl of rice with a pair of chopsticks stuck upright in the middle of rice. At first glance this thing will be shaped like a cemetery with chopsticks as a headstone. 
Sumo 
 We might ask why the Sumo player always be  fat and big body. Indeed, the main requirement is the player Sumo, a man with a large bone structure, and able and willing to add weight. Not all sumo players should be big since childhood. In fact, many of them became big and bloated after entering specialist training. When someone has been accepted as a sumo player, he should be able to keep the "greatness" of his body.. Many young people aspire to as a sumo player. This is understandable because a sumo champion has a special place in society. Each player is considered the god of his native region. Two fighter considered to represent the Mountain Gods (Yamasachichiko) and God of the Ocean (Umisachichiko). 
Sake 
This traditional beverage should be drunk in small cups. This relates to the ancient Japanese tradition. Their ancestors always ate with a place made of large shells.While the shells are used as a cup of water . So, now drinks should always be placed in small cups. While the food in larger containers. Any person wishing to drink, should be poured for her friend first. In the event of drink, never pour it for yourself. 


Welcom to Japan !

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Introduction to App Inventor for Android

Introduction to App Inventor for Android Adding information to the previous post I have quoted below the basic orientation to App Jnventor. App Inventor for Android lets beginning programmers create mobile applications for Google Android. With App inventor, you create applications on your laptop, using a Web browser, and install them on the phone to run them. Applications made with App Inventor are run just like any other Android application. You build App Inventor projects by combining standard components. Components are program elements that let you access the basic capabilities of the Android platform. Some components are very simple, like a Label component that just shows text on the screen, or a Button component that you press to initiate an action. Other components are more elaborate: a drawing canvas that can hold still images or animations, an accelerometer sensor that can detect when the phone moves, a component that makes phone calls, components that play music and video, components that get information from Web sites, and so on. Creating applications involves selecting components and writing simple programs to make them interact. For instance, an application might have three components: a button, a label, and a music player; clicking the button changes the text on the label and starts the music. The program behind this would tell the button to watch for a click event, and when that happens tell music player to start playing and tell the label to change its text. In App Inventor, you create these programs are created using the visual CodeBlocks language, where you make programs by fitting together program element blocks on the screen. Once an application is created, you tell App Inventor to build the application. This produces a barcode that you can use to install the application on your phone over the air. If you don't have a phone to develop on, you can debug applications using the Android Debugging Bridge (adb) and the Android Emulator. These programs are distributed as part of the Android System Development Kit (SDK), which we'll describe at the end of this tutorial. For now, we'll assume that you have a phone. If you don't have phone read the section below on Using the SDK and then come back and try the rest of the tutorial.
 For more detailed information, please click here

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App Program Builder

According to the rapid development of Information Technology , Android, iPad, and the iPhone becomes an integral part of human life nowdays. . In this connection, the communication facilities make us more flexible in working on something wherever we are. This is part of the ever evolving technology and provide more benefits to people, especially business people. . We can now make and develop apps. This program was interactive, eye catching ad for this modern electronic tools. There are mobile app builder that was available in Appbotic. . There are some app features that can be easily put in your Android, iPad, and iPhone and you can do this without have to know about any programming knowledge. They had made it easier by making simple steps to follow so you can do it on your own. Some features that were included in the apps are GPS navigation that will help the customer to find your business, add a tip calculator, and some other features. Appbotic system is the right one for your business. They have the iPhone app builder that will set up the entire business for you. There is some reason why you should use their service. There are no set up fee, instantly update your mobile app online, there are no risk at all. This will support to make your business works become smoothly. 
Enjoy !

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Long Weekend in Puerto Rico

Some time ago I have posted some Travel Destinations, namely China, Paris, Camping, Romania, etc.
Now I want to add another next destination that I have qouted below.
Puerto Rico is an ideal Caribbean Island for a island for number of reasons; history - with buildings that date back to the 1520's there is no older "western culture" in the Western Hemisphere. Christopher Columbus claimed Puerto Rico for Spain in 1493. Food - Puerto Rican cuisine is Spanish & Caribbean influenced, outdoor activities, water sports, great beaches and ease of travel. Its a "fly and drive" destination. Puerto Rico is also a "techno-tropic" destination, meaning all major USA cell phone carriers work island wide with no extra charges incurred for use. US citizens can easily travel to Puerto Rico - no passport is required and money does not have to be exchanged. With over 750 domestic and International flights weekly its a destination that is well served from both the mainland USA as well abroad including non stop flights from select locations within Europe. There are a number of resorts to stay at on the island - two good choices in and around San Juan are the following: For luxury at a rather reasonable price consider the Sheraton at the Conference Center located about 10-15 minutes from the airport and only 5 minutes from Old San Juan. This rather new Sheraton boasts a beautiful outdoor swimming deck on the 4th floor overlooking Old San Juan and the harbor (large cruise ships often docked here). The pool is very long and next to the hot tub and bar. Fake grass is kind to your feet surrounding the plethora of lounge chairs. A full spa, an on site casino (coupon given upon check-in), a full self service business center and Choices restaurant all complement a stay here. 
For more information, please click here . 
Enjoy !

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The Little Blue House

The Little Blue House (LBH) works with children and their parents in low-income communities to foster students' social and academic development in a safe, supportive environment. Through constructive activities and focus-improving exercises, the organization aims to ensure healthy behavioral development, including full participation in class and the formation of strong social bonds with both peers and adults.
LBH hosts an Out-of-School Time program that meets after school for the duration of the academic year, providing a haven where local children from low-income families can engage in fun, developmental activities. The program concentrates on three areas of improvement in students: socialization, verbalization, and impulse control. Structured social activities teach children to listen and follow instructions, verbally express thoughts and feelings, and resist acting out in disruptive ways. LBH's program helps to instill discipline in children and engage withdrawn students in meaningful, constructive social interactions with their peers. 
For more detailed information, please click here . 
If you have any idea or suggestion, please leave comments here.

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Freshwater Aquascaping

Entropic Aquatic is a business unit engaged in the procurement services for a variety of product-themed art aquatic life. The main focus of our efforts is to aquascaping and aquatic plants.However, we also provide services in the field of marineaquarium decor, koi pond waterfall, and garden landscaping. Aquatic entropic supported by members who experienced more than 10 years in the relevant field. For similar business units, ourservice rates are relatively less expensive, of course, with quality that can not be disputed. In order to assist clients in selecting our products, we provide consultancy services in order that prospective clients can determine the design, equipment, and services package that suits their needs.
To ensure our services remain of products in accordance with the needs and desires of our clients, we also provide aftersales service, warranty, and free maintenance on our service product. 
Here are some public places that have ever used our services in the manufacture of freshwater aquarium and aquascaping: 
1. Freshwater World, Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (Miniature Garden of Beautiful Indonesia) 
2. Grand Indonesia Kempinsky PR. 
3. PT Plaza. Housing Development 
4. Astra Credit Company T.B Simatupang 
5. Global International Performance School , 
6. Department PSP, IPB (Bogor Intitute of Agriculture 
In addition to decorating services, we also provide a complete procurement package of aquarium. For more detailed information, please click here 


Related article (in Bahasa Indonesia) : - Jasa Dekorasi Aquarium Air Tawar

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Ubud Writers Festival in Bali

A couple weeks ago my senior blogger fellow Colson wrote about an interesting event carried out in Bali. ANZ Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF) opens with a festive Gala Opening celebration in the Royal Palace, October 5 2011. The event was officially opened by Sapta Nirwandar Director General of Marketing for the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Its audiences are spreading the word and being anticipated the most diverse, rewarding and enriching Festival ever. The writers are coming, the readers are booking, Ubud is opening its heart to welcome the literary community as never before! Whether your passion is poetry, your fetish is fiction, your love is of language, you’ll find it here.
In the four days ahead, ANZ UWRF will present an array of over 100 programs with 137 writers from 20 countries, including Indonesia. Acclaimed and emerging Indonesian writers will be sharing panels with international writers in various sessions that wraps around the Festival’s theme for the year: “Nandurin Karang Awak-Cultivate The Land Within” 
The luxury of laughter 
Among the big issues and concerns in the Festival program, laughter will ripple through the sessions. Seriously funny people at this year’s event include Hong Kong‘s best selling author of The Feng Shui Detective series, Nury Vittachi. Nury will romp through the delicate art of putting humour on the page in company with writer, comedian and actor Corinne Grant of Rove Live and The Glasshouse notoriety, the charismatic Iraqi born Rodaan Al Galidi and Sri Lankan novelist Shehan Karunatilaka. Guaranteed to tickle your funny bone is travel memoirist Brian Thacker, whose best selling reflections are brilliantly entertaining and hilariously irreverent. 
Watch out for the mayhem among the meaningful in the main program. Prepare for madness and wear comfortable clothing. 
Wow…. It’s really very sensational !

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How Could Sun Storms Affect Climate ?

These days in Jakarta, Indonesia, it’s already raining. Usually now it has entered the rainy season. But in other areas, such as in East Java, it has not rained. Even there the air gets very hot and there are some areas that have difficulty with clean water. According to forecasts of some astronomers in 2012 will occur Sun Storms. Now it’s just about 3 months more to year of 2012. `Would Sun Storms that cause climate change drastically happen?
The most direct influence would come if the change meant a rise or fall in the total energy the Sun radiated upon the Earth, the so-called "solar constant." The development of highly accurate radiometers in the 1970s raised hopes that variations well below one percent could be detected at last. But few trusted any of the measurements from the ground or even from stratospheric balloons. Rockets launched above the atmosphere provided brief observations that seemed to show variation over time, but it was hard to rule out instrumentation errors. Nor were many convinced by Peter Foukal when he applied modern statistical methods to Abbot's huge body of old data, and turned up a faint connection between sunspots and the amount of solar energy reaching the Earth. Even if that were accepted, was it because the Sun emitted less energy? Or was it because ultraviolet radiation from solar storms somehow changed the upper atmosphere, which in turn somehow influenced climate, and thus affected how much sunlight Abbot had seen at the surface 
Related articles :
- Solar Storms in 2012 

- The Discovery of Global Warming

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Make Money With StudioPress

If you’re an online blogger, web designer/developer, or website owner looking to generate income and help take WordPress to a higher level by promoting products for the largest and fastest growing online blogging and website platform then the our affiliate program is perfect for you. Before applying to our affiliate program, please read the following:
Sign up is easy and takes just a few simple steps. 
1. Apply 
Sign-up for a ShareASale affiliate account and apply for our Affiliate program in one step by filling out the application here. (If you already have a ShareASale account use the same link to apply to our program.) 
2. Acceptance 
Once you receive your approval email from us, welcoming you to the StudioPress Affiliate Program, review our Program Terms & Conditions via your SAS dashboard. 
3. Linking and Banners 
You can link to us using text links or banners. Once you have selected a product you want to promote you can then copy and paste the code into your website or blog. Find our creatives here including all banners and text links. (requires a ShareASale account) 
4. Community and Blog 
We want to work closely with our Affiliates so once you’re all signed up join us to discuss tips and tricks to help you make more money and stay up to date on the latest promotions by following our Twitter and Facebook updates. 
 Thanks so much for supporting StudioPress and feel free to contact us should you have any questions.

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Textile Painting Technique

After searching the information needed for my daughter’s fashion business, finally I got the following textile painting technique.. Textile painting can be freely interpreted as a technique to make patterns or decorate fabric by painting directly on fabric. The difference with paint on canvas, painting onfabric using a special paint that resists washed and ironed. So, this painting on cloth instead of using oil paints. This technique is easier than screen printing, because it does not require special tools such as the process of the latter. This technique is also not as complex as air brush techniques, but the results are not spectacular, too .
Materials Required: 


 1. Opaque: A type of white pasta as a main ingredient. Opaque is used as base material for screen printing . It can be obtained at stores that sell screen printing materials. 


 2. Binder: Fluid as a mixture of white pasta. It serves to dilute the opaque which is too dense to be liquid. It can be obtained at stores that sell screen printing materials. We recommend that you purchase this material rather a lot, because the binder is much more widely used than opaque. Then mix the two ingredients to be applied to the fabric. The ratio of Opaque-Binder mixing formula = 4: 1 . 


 3. Sandy dyes are cheap . You need not to buy a lot, because we need only a few drops of paint color in each formula textile painting. Sandy dyes can be bought everywhere at the screen printing shop, a stationery store that sells paint for posters and the like. We just bought 3 bottles of dyes for the creation of any color, namely blue, red and yellow. Three basic colors (primary) is the parent of all colors in the color world, except white. So we can mix colors to match our desires. 


Source : http://nikinput.multiply.com/journal/item/8/Formula_Cat_Textile_Painting_Oleh_Novi_Kurnia?&show_interstitial=1&u=%2Fjournal%2Fitem

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Developing Applications for Android Devices

Android is a software stack for mobile devices that includes an operating system, middleware, and key applications. The Android SDK provides the tools and libraries necessary to begin developing applications that run on Android-powered devices. This site provides information about Google projects based on the Android platform, such as external libraries that extend the platform, hosted services and APIs, and more. Everything on this site is provided by Google for the benefit of Android developers. If you are interested in developing applications for Android devices, please visit the Android Developers site at developer.android.com which contains the following information. The Dev Guide provides a practical introduction to developing applications for Android and documentation about major platform features. It explores the concepts behind Android, the framework for constructing an application, and the tools for developing, testing, and publishing software for the platform. The Dev Guide is divided into several sections: Android Basics An initial orientation to Android — what it is, what it offers, and how your application fits in. Framework Topics Discussions of particular parts of the Android framework and API. For an introduction to the framework, begin with Application Fundamentals. Then explore other topics — from designing a user interface and setting up resources to storing data and using permissions — as needed. Android Market Topics Documentation for topics that concern publishing and monetizing applications on Android Market, such as how to enforce licensing policies and implement in-app billing. Developing Directions for using Android's development and debugging tools, and for testing the results. Publishing Instructions on how to prepare your application for deployment and how to publish it when it's ready. Best Practices Recommendations on preferred techniques for writing applications that perform efficiently and work well for the user. Web Applications Documentation about how to create web applications that work seamlessly on Android-powered devices and create Android applications that embed web-based content. Appendix Reference information and specifications, as well as FAQs, a glossary of terms, and other information.

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My Daughter’s Fashion Business

Yesterday my daughter Meilina told me that she was ready to prepare her butique studio at home. Some time ago she said that she wanted to do a fashion business . Now she is working at “Majalah NOOR” magazine as Creative in Jakarta. As her father I have appreciated and fully supported her very good idea, because I really know that she has capability in fashion design especially after she finished her four years studying in Japan. I am ready to help her, too, in the Management Business aspect, especially Business Plan . According to the information above, I would like to suggest my daughter to share and have cooperation with other fashion bloggers, such as Martha Puri , Club on Osinki , Ms Fashinista, etc. If you have any idea or suggestion, please don’t hesitate to leave comments below. Thanks !

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Epley Maneuver

Referring to the request of a friend, I repost the following sequence of positions describes the Epley maneuver: 1. The patient begins in an upright sitting posture, with the legs fully extended and the head turned 45 degrees towards the affected side. 2. The patient then quickly lies down backwards with the head held approximately in a 30 degree neck extension where the affected ear faces the ground. 3. Remain in this position for approximately 30 seconds. 4. The head is then turned 90 degrees to the opposite direction so that the unaffected ear faces the ground, all while maintaining the 30 degree neck extension. 5. Remain in this position for approximately 30 seconds. 6. Keeping the head and neck in a fixed position, the individual rolls onto their shoulder, in the direction that they are facing. 7. Remain in this position for approximately 30 seconds. 8. Finally, the individual is slowly brought up to an upright sitting posture, while maintaining the 45 degree rotation of the head. 9. Hold sitting position for up to 30 seconds. The entire procedure should be repeated two more times, for a total of three times. For more detailed information, please click here.

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Top 5 Most Popular Genesis Child Themes

This time Brian Gardner described about his experiences when he was working to create themes for bloggers. I’ve been asked a number of times what are the most popular StudioPress themes, so this morning I ran sales numbers for the past month to find out. While I had a hunch which ones would fall on this list, many were confirmed and now I have the data to back it up. Here are the top 5 most popular child themes for the Genesis Framework which are currently available on StudioPress… Happy Blogging !

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Real Men Wear Pink

I received his e-mail yesterday . It reminded me about his social activities as I have quoted below.

On August 5th, 2011 I will once again lace up my shoes for the Chicago Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk, and start an emotional journey that will take me 60 very long and grueling miles. This walk will be hot, this walk will be painful. There will be sweat, and there will be tears.

If you ever wondered what I stand for in life… It’s kindness. It’s sacrifice. It’s caring about others. It’s making a difference. It’s being a real man and wearing pink.

By the time that you finish reading this, two more women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and another one just died from it. In fact, while I am walking those 60 miles, 110 women will die from this horrible disease. 110 families will lose a mother, or a daughter, or a best friend.

That is why I walk. I don’t walk to get recognition. I don’t walk because I want people to think of me a hero. I walk so that a little girl can grow up and spend time with her mother. I walk so that a mother can watch her daughter walk down the aisle at her wedding. I walk so that I don’t have to console another friend while a part of her life was taken too soon. I walk because I am physically able to, while others are not. I walk because I have been given so much, and I want to give back as much as I can.

I walk, because I cannot walk away… and when my time on earth comes to an end, I want everyone to know… I was here…

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Who’s Sending the Most Traffic to Your Blog?

About this topic Brian Gardner has sent me an e-mail containing the article that I have quoted below.

I’ve written more blog posts in the past 2 weeks than I have in the past year – well, not really, but it’s pretty close if you can believe that.
So it’s natural that I’ve spent time inside my Google Analytics account, which was obvious since I recently posted a graph that shows Google Chrome will overtake Mozilla Firefox.


 If You Dig Deep Enough, You Might Find Something

While I was in my analytics account, I decided that I would check out one more thing – traffic referrals to my website. To my surprise, here is what I found:

I don’t get a ton of traffic here on my personal blog – no where close to the amount of traffic that < a href=http://www.studiopress.com/>StudioPress gets – but I found something very interesting, nonetheless.
Prior to the launch of Google Plus, the #1 referrer to my site was easily Google (the search engine). Even though Analytics considers that organic traffic, I place that in the generic “how people get to my site” group.
Let’s Throw Out Google Search Traffic and Focus on Social Media
As I had mentioned above, I’ve published 4 blog posts over the past two weeks, and treated them all the same in regards to sharing them on my social media outlets – Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.
In other words, when I published a post, I’d link to it through all of the aforementioned social media accounts just to see what would happen.
It’s quite obvious from the traffic numbers in the analytics chart above, that Google Plus was the #1 leading referral source to my blog, followed up by Twitter and Facebook.

Drawing Some (Very Basic) Conclusions From This Data

I don’t think that the results from this experiment are groundbreaking, nor do I think they would apply to all bloggers and websites.
But what I can say, is that it shows that Google Plus is going to definitely going to be a part of my daily social media routine. From sharing links to general comments and conversation with my tech friends online, I will certainly make my appearance there.
So how about you? Who sends the most traffic to your blog?
You can either talk about other websites, or preferably talk about social media sources.

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Let's Cook Together With Lim Yixin

After watching my blogger friend Lim Yixin’s pictures , I remember when I was a student abroad (in Europe) many years ago. Our student hostel provided a kitchen where we could cook our meals everyday . The students from Asia were the most widely used the kitchen . So, every time we finished college, then we rushed into the kitchen,. The simple dish most easily made was omelette. Its main ingredient was egg. Having beaten in a bowl, the egg was then fried until cooked as shown in the pictures made by Lim Yixin . Other foods cooked depent on their respective nations.There were many kind of foods such as fried rice, fried noodles, fried chicken, fried tofu, etc.The most horrendous was the fried salted fish. Wow…It smells begging for mercy ! It’s very stinging, so it could make people cough. Many foreign friends were often angry because of  the fried salted fishes’ smell.

Another delicious food was curry (from India), sukiyaki and teriyaki (from Japan), kebabs (from Turkey), chicken “opor” ( food with coconut milk from Indonesia), various noodles food (from China) and many others.

If you have any recipes from your country, please don,t hesitate to write them as comments , Really appreciate your add.

Enjoy !.

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How I Lost Millions and Lived to Tell About It

Yesterday my senior blogger friend Brian Gardner has sent me a story about his great experience in online business. I think his story is very useful to share for other bloggers. Therefore I have quoted it below.

Every season on America’s Funniest Videos you’ll see a clip of some poor fellow getting punk’d by his friends or family.
He’s the guy seen scratching some lottery ticket and thinks he just won a lot of money. You may see him start running around with his arms flailing, kissing anything in sight. While he thinks he hit the mother load, they were just playing a trick on him.

Back in 2009, that was me.
Not quite the same situation, and most definitely not being punk’d. This was real.
When a Deal Falls Through
I’m sure most of you don’t know this, but nearly two years ago I came THIS close to selling StudioPress, a company that I founded which develops premium WordPress themes.
Nearly everyday you can read on Mashable about startups that are bought by larger companies or investor groups. On that site, more than likely those deals which are announced fall within the millions of dollars – and some of them even into the billions.
I was less than two weeks away from having a story like that of my own – not to say that Mashable would have covered it, but StudioPress was a few hundred hours from changing hands. Two weeks from me and my family having a pay day that many dream about.
The saying goes, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, right?
So What Happened?
I won’t go into all of the (gory) details, but ultimately things didn’t work out. It was disappointing because I was really excited about the opportunity to stay onboard with them and continue to run StudioPress.
I had plans to make it grow, to strategize and to see how far I could take it with greater resources at my disposal.
I visited their office twice, and got to know some of the employees – whom I really liked and knew I’d work well with.
Everything during the due diligence round checked out – but the bottom line was the investors weren’t completely onboard. And I respected that, even though it was really difficult to hear.

Living to Tell About It
You might be asking why I am sharing this somewhat personal situation – and the answer is simple. I’m an entrepreneur, as many of you who are.
We share commonalities with things that are somewhat trivial (like web browsers), and also with things that affect us on a much higher level.
When things don’t go our way, we have the option to sulk and let it (negatively) affect how we do life. The other option, which is usually much more difficult, is to identify the silver lining in a could that feels pretty dark.
Even though the multi-million dollar deal fell through, I learned a lot – from the process itself, and also finding fortune in what I still had. An opportunity to take that business which I had built to places it had never been.

The Silver Lining in My Dark Cloud
Less than a year after the deal fell through, I made a business decision that I believe was the silver lining in the dark cloud. 9 months ago I proudly came together with 4 incredible people to form Copyblogger Media.
When one door closes (or in my case slams), at some point another will open.
Of course from time to time I think about what could have been – but looking back it might have been the best thing for me as an individual and StudioPress as a company.
Within the past 9 months, StudioPress sales have doubled. In March we launched Premise – a tool for building landing pages. Scribe SEO saw a great update in version 3.0.
I’ve become the Chief Product Office at Copyblogger Media.
The Genesis Framework is now being used on over 300,00 sites.
Somehow I think you get the picture, that I don’t regret what happened – even if it meant not having that big pay day. I learned a very important lesson, and I’m quite content.
When the deal fell through, another door opened…

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Fukushima cover on its way

Tepco plans to complete the construction of a cover over the stricken Fukushima Daiichi unit 1 by the end of September, according to a progress report submitted to the Japanese nuclear safety agency. Meanwhile, recent analysis suggests most of the fuel in the unit's storage pool is undamaged.

A cover is being installed over the unit 1 reactor building, damaged by a hydrogen explosion on 12 March, as a temporary measure to reduce the release of radioactive materials to the atmosphere as well as to prevent the ingress of rainwater. Preparatory work, such as levelling the ground, began in mid-May. Crawler cranes are to be used in the installation process to minimize the exposure dose of workers and shorten the work period.

According to a report on the construction plan submitted by Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) on 24 June, on-site construction work is now underway and is scheduled for completion by the end of September, although the plans include a contingency margin to the end of November.

The cover will be able to accommodate an accumulated snow load of 30 centimetres, wind speeds of up to 25 metres per second, and a horizontal seismic load of 0.2, according to Tepco. All the wall panels will have a flameproof coating, and the structure will have a filtered ventilation system capable of handling 10,000 cubic metres per hour through six lines, including two backup lines. The cover structure will also be fitted with internal monitoring cameras, radiation and hydrogen detectors, thermometers and a pipe for water injection.
Nuclide analysis of water from the used fuel pool at unit 1 suggests that most of the fuel in the pool is sound, Tepco reports. The analysis of 300 millilitres of water from the pool on 22 June showed higher activity levels than would be expected under normal conditions, but this is assumed to arise from contamination by radioactive materials from rubble, dust and incoming contaminated water.

Trial operations of a system to treat contaminated water at Fukushima are continuing despite an interruption for a caesium absorption unit to be exchanged. According to Tepco, 2489 tonnes of contaminated water had been treated as of 24 June.

(Source : World Nuclear News, edition of 27 June 2011)

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Repairing of Cooling System in Fukushima Reactor

Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) continually strive to create conditions within the reactor building at the Fukushima Daiichi Unit 2 safer for the staff of the reactor workers. The work was almost complete while waiting for decreasing of the humidity levels in the unit which is still very high.

An alternative circulation system for the fuel cooling ponds used in Unit 2 began operations on May 31 and attempted to get a normal temperature around 25 º C on June 10. This work is expected to reduce the humidity inside the building, but this has not happened yet.

Address the issue separately in the unit's reactor, Tepco has conducted operations of air filters for ventilation Unit 2, and filter out air radioactivity. Then the filtered air is flowed back into the reactor building. The company said that it will continue for three days, then they will check again the existing radiation levels . If the internal level has dropped significantly, Tepco will open the door of the building so workers can go to work again.

For the first time since the accident on March 15, 2011, workers can now enter the third floor of the Unit 4 of reactor building. While the company is considering plans to install a new cooling pond system in Unit 4 because of the serious damages occurred.

(Source: World Nuclear News)

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Recycling of Natural Water

Actually, the universe has done the Recycling of Natural Water, which is yawn of water on earth, including sea water. The sunlight is so hot, then it causes the water on earth to break down into water vapor which soared to the top. And because the temperature is too cold in the upper atmosphere, the water vapor condenses back into water which we call r a i n.

Global warming is happening today has caused changing seasons. Therefore, the process of Natural Water Recycling is halting. In many regions the drought is occurring because of very slightly rain .

Actually in our daily lives we can also do the Recycling of Natural Water. For example, we are watering every day, especially in the dry season. We can also restore the clean water back into the earth at every opportunity. Not only do we dispose of dirty water into the ground, but even drinking water such as Aqua, etc. If the entire population of the earth, amounting to 6,925,698,944 to do this activity every day, then we believe the earth and nature will be preserved.

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Your Dream’s Coming True In The Future

We have tried to set our goals as I described on the earlier post. These goals might be your dreams. Below I give you an example how an awesome dream could be realized by working hard and smart in a Project Management.
Brooklyn Bridge was built according to John Augustus Roebling's dream in 1883. At that time, Mr. Roebling had an idea to build an unusually long bridge connecting New York with Long Island. It was really a crazy dream. At that time the bridge experts around the world collected the opinion that the dream to build the bridge as long as it is highly unlikely and they asked Mr. Roebling to forget that dream.

Mr. Roebling persuade his son, Washington, to cooperate in making the concept of how the bridge could be built and thought about the possibility of resistance. Father and son then hired a project team to do the construction work and start realize their dream .

Poor can not be rejected, lucky not to be achieved, an accident during construction activities take place within a few months. The accident claimed the lives of Mr. Roebling. The child suffered nerve damage to the brain. Washington had to spend time in hospital in a very bad condition. He could not walk, talk and even move. While some bridge experts commented negatively against him.

Washington had to fight against the disease. Trying to get up and move, but none of his limbs is capable to move, except for one finger. With one finger he began trying to communicate with his wife through the symbol made by his finger movements. This body language signaled for the bridge construction. This non-verbal communication continued. All instructions and problems in development activities carried out by tapping a finger until the great bridge completely built. With patience during the construction period of 13 years his wife had faithfully translated her husband’s finger tapping code into meaningful information for engineers who were continuing the construction.

In this true story we learn about the importance of have a dream, then write down the dream of becoming a concept that can be operational , and perform with great firmness and tenacity no matter what happens, insults and even loss.

Good Luck !
(DS. Utomo)

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The Importance of Knock Out Goal

The Importance of Knock Out Goal

When I participated in the Training of Trainers (TOT) Program on Project Management at the Royal Institute of Public Administration (RIPA), London, UK, I
learned how to write project goals correctly and achieve results. In this lesson it had been discussed about the importance of creating a Knock Out Goal.

"If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes."-Andrew Carnegie Quotes

When you are creating your goals its important to set long term and short term goals. But its also important to write a knock out goal. A goal that encompasses all of your other goals. A goal that when you succeed at accomplishing it, you will feel complete. This goal should describe your character and passion. The achievement of your knock out goal would change everything!

Some examples of knock out goals:
Getting a masters or doctoral degree
Lose 75 pounds
Winning an Olympic Gold Medal
Opening and successfully running your own business
Creating a blog that has 100k subscribers (Personal goal of mine)
Financial freedom with enough money in the bank to retire

The list goes on and on, and every person has a unique knock out goal!
What goal could you achieve that would change everything?
What would your knock out goal be?

Your knockout goal is a goal that's worth pursing with passion. It's a goal that's worth spending at least a little time on each day.
The next step is writing your knock out goal down as you were taught in the previous lesson. Write your goal with detail and with passion. Once you have written your most important goal, carry it with you at all times. I suggest putting it in your wallet or purse. But where ever it is, make sure it's somewhere that you will see it often. By doing so you will constantly remind your subconscious and conscious minds, and it will keep them sharp.

Another reason why its integral that you carry your goal with always is because as soon as you write it down you will have doubts and fears. These doubts and fears are normal, but you must master them. It's OK at first have fears and doubts. Your knock out goal should stretch you and push you. But don't let your fears defeat you, let them be a testament for why you need to accomplish your goal.

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American Idol Season Ten

American Idol 10 singing competition has been completed. It was described by my blogger friend Jolly Princess as I have quoted below.

I had the privilege of watching the finale of the show American Idol season 10. It was last Wednesday 25th of May night time in the U.S, 26th of May in the morning in Manila. I came home early from work after I learned of the result of my training. I thought of watching the news because of the typhoon in the provinces. My sister lives in Bicol provinces where the typhoon was heading.

After watching the early news I waited a bit to see what would be the next program. I got lucky to watch the finale of American Idol season 10. At the upper left hand of my television it was flashing “live”. I am elated. I do not have a cable television. I was glad our local network had the show via satellite. Only, I had to endure the local television ads.

Scotty McCreery, 17 years old lad from Garner, North Carolina, emerged as the winner. My congratulations to him!

If you have any comment, please leave it here.

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Stroll Along the Seine River in Paris

Some time ago I've written about a trip to Paris. Completing my story , below I’ve quoted the story of a walk along the river Seine in Paris.

It was nice weather and walking along the Seine River was not a bad experience. It was also a good way to look around the city in slow motion, see the cursing ships passing and try to guess along which part the Princess of Wales, Lady Diana really died. It was fun! Actually, we were from the Notre Dame du Paris treading our way to reach the Musée del'Armée. I don't remember exactly the route we took but being new to the city, everything I saw was interesting. Below are some of the selected views while strolling along the River Seine in Paris.

Before that, some trivia first. I learned that the name "Seine" (la sen), which is the name of the river came from the Latin word "Seuana" which construed to mean "sacred river". Many contested this origin of the river's name though. River Seine expands itself to 776 kilometers or 486 miles, yes, that's thelenthsof the Seine River in Paris. Within Paris, there are 37 rivers and a dozen or so outside the capital.

Enjoy !
(DS. Utomo)

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Suggestions for Getting More Tasks

Many articles have been posted about how to earn more money from your blogs, such as Make Money Fast posted recently by one of my blogger friends.

This morning I have received e-mail from BlogVertise that contains some tips for new bloggers, as I have quoted below.
Many advertisers like to use blogs with a lot of original content. If you're looking to get more tasks, there are a few things you can do to make your blog stand out to advertisers.

• Make your own layout - instead of using the default layout, design your own. For example, use your own image for the banner at the top.
• Include original pictures in your posts
• Most importantly: Write unique content about your life or related to your blog's niche.

Don't just write paid reviews, mix it up. Space out your tasks with several posts relevant to your blog's topic.
These are just a few things you can do to get more tasks. For more tips, you can read this article about ways to increase your tasks.

Hope that the information above could encourage you to improve your blogging capability for getting more tasks on the Internet.

Good Luck !
(DS. Utomo)

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The Advantages of Internet Business

Initially I felt a little nervous and hesitant to try to manage the Internet business. Then I started surfing in cyberspace, and gathering as much information about the online business on the internet. After I read a lot of articles about internet business, now I have knowledge of either advantages or obstacles to be faced by everyone in doing internet business.

Many people think that online business can bring in big profits in the near future. It is really wrong. There is no business that can make people rich in one night !

There are some big advantages that can be achieved through an online business, but not in a short time. These advantages are comfort, convenience, cost and control. Let us discuss one by one these various benefits.

Firstly, there is comfort aspect of Internet business . You can work with a relaxed and comfortable anywhere in your own home, like in the bedroom, the library, garage, kitchen, porch, or even in your garden.

The equipment you need is a computer connected to the Internet with a web browser and you can connect to all sites in the world. You can use e-mail to communicate over the Internet.

Secondly, there is a convenience factor to go along with the comfort factor. You no longer need to go to the office. So you stay home to work on the service and control the Internet business. . So all the work the business can be controlled directly from your computer.

In conventional business, sometimes you need to frequently go to meet with customers or partners for your cooperation. But in the Internet business now you can get all the information about your affiliates and customers through a computer in your home.

Besides comfort and convenience, the third factor is cost. When you start a business in the real world, you will need a lot of money to set up your store and to get your inventory. But for the internet business, you no longer need to build it all. You only need simple computer equipment, such as laptop computers that cost is not too expensive.

If you want to be more professional about your online businesslike hosting your own web site, there are many free programs on the Internet that you can use to create your own web pages. You only need to subscribe to a hosting service to promote your online business to the world. This is a very cost-effective to do business online and one that has helped many ordinary people become rich and famous.

The fourth factor is the control and is one of the most attractive advantages to doing internet marketing business. Since you have control over your time, then you can run the business in accordance with your own wishes. Therefore, you can balance your working activities, family and social life. You can choose when you want to work and when you want to play.

You can add other benefits based on your experience of working online on the internet.
For additional information, you can check out this site:

http://www.cpaclickz.com/bd6613032466017272.html

Have a Great Success Ahead !
(DS. Utomo)

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My Next Destination : India

After reading my several writings that contain useful information for tourists, such as this article or another one, some friends expect me to give more information about the same topic. Well, here I try to gather it from my blogger friends.

For this time being, I've found an article about Tourist Attractions of Kullu Manali as described below.

Kullu is located at 240 kms from shimla,the capital of Himachal Pradesh. Kullu Manali is the most exotic hill station among the most favored tourist destinations among the hill stations of India. In the ancient times Kullu Manali was also known as “Kulanthpitha” which means the end of habitable world because the ancient Hindus regarded Kullu as the farthest limit of human habitation. Even in the epic of the Ramayana and mahabharta the original name of Kullu has been mentioned. Among this tourist complex of Kullu Manali, kullu is the central point and it is located on the bank of river Beas.This main river valley runs from North to South an it is only 80 km long and its width is not more than 2 km but still a fairly wide area is open to the visitors to enjoy the spectacle of beautiful mountain scenery. Kullu is also known as Valley of Gods as it has many temples. The Dashehra of Kullu is world famous. Kullu Manali is natural paradise with full of numerous tourist attractions in and around Kullu Manali.

Then you can find too such information on this post.

Have a Nice Journey !
(DS. Utomo)

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Serious Impacts of Japan Quake Disaster

Here again our blogger friend Stephen Barrett sent us “Tales from Japan” as I quoted a part of it below.

Amidst all the news and busyness of recent events, I actually saw Chiba (my local prefecture) shown on the news for the first time last night, after a week of watching the aftermath in Tohoku and the nuclear crisis in Fukushima.

Chiba`s biggest problem at the moment is not damage from tsunamis, which pummeled towns in the east after the barrage of earthquakes along the pacific plate, but "land liquification." A lot of land in Japan, particularly near Tokyo bay and other coastal areas is artificial. And these areas of artificial land react to large earthquakes by turning to liquid and that as you can see by the pictures below causes a number of structural problems for those cities, as well as poses a very real danger to those living in affected areas. The ground is literally sinking beneath their own feet, homes, roads, power lines are slowly sinking into the earth with each aftershock or subsequent earthquake. The once prestine beautiful bay area has turned into a swamp overnight.

We appreciate the updates, Stephen, and pray for your safety and well-being.

Glad you are safe. This is very good information you are sharing with us, about the ongoing crisis, and what, you have to deal with, being there.

God bless you and your family !
(DS. Utomo)

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Missing Rose Trace : Adventure Story of Four Teens Gang

Suddenly Dul’s eyes saw a sharp object that hurtle toward his chest. Quickly as a flash he dodged, as he grabbed it. When the knife was caught right in the wood grip, it feels great thrill, as if rotated and swung his arm by some invisible force. He staggered a bit, and scratched his left arm slightly to bleed. But the fat boy Dul soon mastered himself. He put his legs on the earth as tight as possible while mobilizing force within. Both of his legs as if stuck into the earth, but only very briefly, because as fast as lightning he was shot again flew upward sloping. He managed to dodge from the sword coming from his opponent who had come quickly from the side. This blitzkrieg failed on his body. Even otherwise the attacker turn of speed that he stumbled due to muster that just made his slide out of control. Again and again he lost balance. His big body looked shaky and almost fell backward. The man with cropped hair seemed absurdly angry. His eyes turned red, spewing anger and hatred. Hastily he turned, then quickly jabbed his sword into the gut of Dul. However, the fat level of vigilance was at the peak of the most high. Once again he dodged quickly, tilting the body, and avoid the deadly attacks earlier. For the umpteenth time the sword just tears off the air. , failed to touch the target. Back he stumbled out of balance . The failure of these attacks make him more upset and angry. Fire bursts of anger radiating out from his red-eyes.

Looking at this shaky position , Dul quickly changed his fighting strategy and tactics . He began to clown when the fight was in full swing. With the cute faces, and a silly smile, he seemed to dance around his opponent who was still stumbling, while occasionally waving a knife at the man with cropped hair, even though the distance is far away.

Dul continued spinning and dancing with a knife in his hand, imitating the style of the legendary black boxer Mohammad Ali, the big mouth, who was boxing while dancing on tiptoe and smiling in the ring. The man with cropped hair seemed more angry. He felt cheated and abused by the fat boy..His eyes glow implies unbridled emotion. His sweat was streaming down over his body. Repeatedly he swang his sword, but Dul had already jumped to fly to another place, without the slightest attack. This time the Dul intentionally made increasingly frantic opponent, again, again and again.

Later on the bandit really looked tired and frustrated. Especially after Dul applied his new strategy of fighting. He could only run here and there like a chick who lost her hen .
In a state of panic and despair, he suddenly issued a mainstay in the last moment. He suddenly sprinted quickly and threw himself flying toward the boy , with sword outstretched to the front, ready to enter into Dul’s chest . But with the instinct that has been trained well, Dul quickly settled down to the side, while the attacker continued to fly and fly, then landed fell down on the ground. For a moment seemed he tried to stand up, but apparently Dul did not want to give chance. Before the bandit stood up straight, Dul gave him a great shot of attack.

"Shiiyyaaaakkkk .. ... ..", he shout and swung the kick straight into the stocky opponent's head. At glance it looked the kidnapper staggered back, then he fell down again. Apparently he passed out, unconscious……. .

The dramatic scenario described above is an excerpt from an Indonesian children's story book entitled "The Missing Rose Trace" written by my daughter Linda Herliantina. The book contains 144 pages and published by Mizan Publishing House, Bandung, Indonesia.

The Four Teens Gang consists of 4 teenagers, Aryo, Iqbal, Jalu and Dul. They were aged about 14 years. In their adventures against hordes of evil villains, the gang did not use violence, but the tenderness and patience .. They've been helping the police in uncovering cases of smuggling and kidnapping the children.

If you have any ideas or suggestions , please leave comments here.
(DS. Utomo)

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One Day in Cismigiu Park

Yesterday I got a message in my BlogCatalog’s profile from my blogger friend AndiBob who asked me whether I have missed something in Romania after reading about Dracula Tours in Romania on my post . Yes, of course. For example, I have missed the beautiful Cismigiu park.

If you’ve ever been in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, you should’ve found Cismigiu Park there This park is quite spacious and has a leafy plant, so that in summer we can take shelter under a leafy tree. In the spring time or Primavara (as Romanians call it), the flowers seem to appear earlier than the leaves. What a very beautiful sight ! There is also a small pond with some pelican birds and swans swimming around the pool.

Cismigiu park is located near the University of Bucharest, so that many students like a walk during the break time..It’s also provided several benches here for sitting while enjoying the ambiance and beauty of the park. Not only the students who come mingle there, but there are also the parents with their children .

In the summer or Vara, this park is crowded by people. Actually there is one more park in the city of Bucharest, namely Herastau park, but it’s located some distance away in the suburbs. In Herastau park you can find a wider lake, because the garden is larger than Cismigiu park. Here people can even paddle around the lake with small boats or canoe.

For foreign students like me, the park is a natural laboratory for Romanian language , because we can practice conversing directly in Romanian with park visitors, especially with sweet Romanian teenage girls. By frequently communicating with the locals everyday you can immediately speak well in Romanian language.

Sometimes we meet a gipsy woman in the Cismigiu park. She is known as future teller. By looking at the lines of your palms, she can predict about your age. Usually she always says that you will live long time with many children around you .Hearing all these predictions, your hearts would feel so happy as if that dream will become reality in the future. Then immediately you will smile and won’t hesitate to give some tips to that gipsy woman.

Have a Nice Journey in Romania !
(DS. Utomo)

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Timberland Shoes and Boots

If you are a fan of shoes or boots, of course you would choose good quality ones with super brand. There are many shoes in the shop, but try this one, namely Timberland shoes . Why? The reasons why many people choose this brand are:.
- they are strong and not easily damaged
- they are comfortable to wear
- they are fashionable, especially among young people who like Hip-Hop dancing on the streets .

Timberland shoes are as a brand in terms of quality leather. They are finely processed and offer a comfortable fit. Meanwhile, there are already over 50 different models of the rise trend of Timberland shoes.

There are completely brand new in women's boots and men's boots , which together stand out for its excellent quality with nice design. Timberland boots are water repellent, completes the comfort perfectly. Anyone who are interested can also order the matching jacket to Timberland.

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Let Us Pray For Japan

After waiting impatiently for the news from the first hand about the Biggest Earthquake in Japan, finally this morning I could read “Tales from Japan” posted by our blogger friend Stephen Barrett who live there, as I quoted a part of it below.

Well, there is not a whole much to stay that hasn`t already been said, not a lot to see that hasn`t already been seen

As we were out, I made it a plan to get some food and other supplies we might need, especially in light of the news of blackouts to come. And of course scarcity was before me; from convenient stores to grocery and even gasoline stands, there was little to nothing left of useful items nor gasoline. A sign of more difficulty to come.

Today I prayed with all my heart for those who are crying out in need and desperation. May their cries be heard and may aid swiftly come and may they know of His kindness and genuine love for them. It is better to enter into the Kingdom maimed then to lose oneself completely. If we are to suffer let it not be meaningless but bring forth good of every kind.

I am amazed at the goodness of heart that can be borne of great tragedy, yet, it is sad that it takes such disaster to move the human heart to such kindness. It seems though without great catastrophe humanity would easily lose itself to apathy and indifference.
So what is next? What is in store for tomorrow and the days to come? I do not know, but I must entrust myself to Him that makes all things to work towards His ultimate "good" purpose. If He holds the words of life, (as the apostle Peter said) where else can we go?

For more sharing of sympathy, please read here

Let’s pray for Japan and the whole world !
(DS. Utomo)

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Natural Disaster in Japan

An earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale has caused a tsunami as high as 4 feet that hit the island of Honshu, Japan, on Friday, March 11, 2011. It is reported that a number of people injured and entire regions of the island is now submerged.

As a result of the quake was felt not only by residents of the island of Honshu alone. In Tokyo, the manager of the Tokyo Metro subway has decided to suspend operations until the state declared safe. The Shinkansen Bullet Trains also stopped operating shortly after the quake shook the region.

Tokyo Regional Government also closed the 19 sluice gates in the city to prevent the things that are not desirable.

Earlier the Japanese Meteorological Agency said that the strength of an earthquake of 7.9 on the Richter scale. But the United States Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed the measurement error of the original strength of the quake measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale.

The quake centered 382 kilometers northeast of Tokyo at a depth of 10 kilometers. Earthquake shocks felt in almost all areas on the Pacific coast of Japan, including Tokyo and Osaka. Several people were reportedly injured and clouds of black smoke seen rising from a building located in the Odaiba waterfront area.

Some nuclear power plants and oil refineries of Japan was closed on Friday and a major steel mill on fire after a powerful earthquake rocked the country, bending roads, triggered landslides and destroyed homes and business district

Let's pray either for Japan or for the whole world, too !
(DS. Utomo)

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Something More About Self Healing

After reading my article here some friends of mine have asked me to give more tips about Self Healing. Immediately I tried to collect related information through my BlogCatalog Discussion Forum and other sources.
Then I selected a good related information , i.e. Self Healing Exercises as I quoted a part of it below.

Morning energizing exercise

On waking, and whilst still in a relaxed state, check each part of your body. Note any part which is not at ease. Breathe in, and as you breathe out, concentrate on your big toe, feel it coming alive -- feel the blood flowing inside, feel it getting warm. Move along to the next toe and the next, concentrating on each in turn. Wriggle all your toes. Concentrate on your foot, feeling the blood, bones and skin warm and alive. Continue up the leg. When you reach the knee, bend your leg, flex the muscles. When you reach the top of your leg return to the other big toe and repeat the process to the top of that leg.

Now concentrate on the body, the organs, the intestines. Breathe in, feel the lungs expanding, feel the heart beating. Flex the back muscles and check the spine.
When you reach the shoulders, concentrate on an arm --remember to move all joints when you reach them. Flex the wrist, spread the hand and the fingers, flex the muscles. Go to the other shoulder and repeat. The neck is next; it is movable, so move it

Now activate the head, starting with the face. Move your jaw, puff out your cheeks, poke out your tongue, wrinkle your nose, sniff the air, roll your eyes, stretch your brows. Listen in order to activate your ears, concentrate on your brain, sense outside the head and notice how your hair sits like a cap on your head.

Concentrate on a spot just above the top of your head -- you may sense a colour, or else a beautiful colourful place. As you watch the image, one colour will stand out from the rest. This is the colour you need for the day. Your aura needs this colour. Put your hands on areas which feel imbalanced and feel the colour pulsating through your hands into the area. Whilst transferring the colour, try to sense why the imbalance has occurred.
Should the discomfort return during the day, through your hands, put the same colour in the area and it will be relieved.

Some mornings you may have found that the clothes you put on that day felt very uncomfortable. This was because you had chosen a colour which was not in harmony with your energy needs, and your aura was desperately seeking a colour to balance itself. By finding your colour through the exercise just described, you will save time and energy going through your entire wardrobe looking for something which feels right for the day.

The exercise takes time at first, but once you get used to moving through your own body you will find it can be done in a few minutes. The exercise can benefit everyone, psychic or not.
To add to your well-being for the day, you will find it very beneficial if you now attend to your energy flow.

Really hope the above mentioned tips would be very useful to you.
Good Luck !
(DS. Utomo)

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