Andrea Bocelli, his music and will to power

 
The fourth tenor: Italian tenor. Antara/Apriyanto
He may have only supported the stance of the Catholic Church, which reigns over Italian life, but when opera singer Andrea Bocelli said he thanked his mother for not having an abortion while pregnant with him, we could not help but think that the world should be grateful for having him around to sing with that beautiful voice.
Bocelli may not be able to stop wars between nations or find the cure for cancer but his beautiful tenor is certainly a gift to the world, as his millions of fans would tell you.
High-minded critics may have frowned upon his lack of technique and poor phrasing. This is what New
York Times classical music critic Anthony Tomassini said of his show at the Detroit Opera House, “His sustained notes wobble and his soft high notes are painfully weak.”
But ask his fans and they will disagree. They certainly like him — if his multi-platinum records and sold-out gigs are anything to go by.
Considered as one of the biggest crossover success, Bocelli has recorded 13 studio albums of both
pop and classical music, two greatest hits albums, and eight complete operas, selling over 70 million copies worldwide.
As an indication of his appeal to the masses, in 1998, Bocelli was named one of People magazine’s 50 most beautiful people. His name was even put on a plaque of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as a mark of appreciation for his contribution to live theater in March 2010.
Surely 70 million people can’t be wrong.
His legion of fans also proves that it is almost futile to consider music or genres in music as always tied to material wealth, or that there is a direct correlation between socio-economic status and cultural expression.
It would be easy to conclude that seeing Bocelli’s live performance at the Grand Ballroom of Ritz-Carlton Hotel over the weekend, with the attendance of some of the city’s crème de la crème, ministers and high-ranking government officials as well as the super rich, is indeed a proof of such correlation, that the adoption of certain musical genres follows one’s socio-economic standing in society.
But the chauffeured and the well-heeled Bocelli fans make up only a tiny percentage of his 70 million-plus fans. The majority of his fans are probably just college students or office workers who can’t stand rock and roll but find it difficult to digest lengthy and serious opera.
And for the latter type of music fans, Bocelli represents what French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu calls “cultural capital”. Bourdieu’s “cultural capital” refers to the appropriation of aesthetic alternatives in which some choices are more highly valued than others and that such an adoption has little or nothing
to do with the ownership of material wealth.
More than 3,000 ardent fans of Bocelli who flocked the concert venue certainly valued the tenor
of this visually impaired tenor singer more than any other performers in the genre or in the music scene in general.
These Bocelli devotees had no problems sending thundering applause and a standing ovation over and over for the rendition of “Amor ti Vieta”, “Meco All’Atar di Venere” or “O Mio Babbino Caro”.
And dissecting the technical side of Bocelli’s performance and the impressive work of his backing orchestra and choir would be superfluous as the flawless performance itself was certainly soul-stirring, a fitting reminder that certain forms of art, when performed by the right performers can speak directly to the heart and soul of man.
Seeing Bocelli’s performance, its aural and visual spectacle, something that an opera in general
should deliver, certainly reminded the audience why all those high-profile politicians and businessmen attended his concert in the first place.
There is a certain air of heaviness with which Bocelli and all opera performers carry their tunes, whether or not they sing about Greek or Shakespearian tragedy or just a plain unrequited love song. Such a performance requires the audience to pour their hearts into the story or whatever emotions being promoted by the performers on stage.
Those politicians and businessmen certainly have stepped into the dark corners of human lives in their pursuit of money and power, and opera no doubt helps provide a kind of grandiose soundtrack to their travails.
It is said that Napoleon Bonaparte was a big fan of opera and that he attended the majority of performances in all seasons.
But many have said his seeming love of opera may have stemmed from his need for love and approval.
Not only did he always arrive late, but once he was there, what went on stage had to stop and everybody had to applaud him. This in a way made him part of the opera.
Napoleon in his unique way has outdone all aristocrats before him who flaunt opera as a symbol of wealth and prestige.
He made it the symbol of his power.
The night Bocelli performed, everyone in the audience wanted to be with Napoleon.

Exploring RyuGin with Chef Yamamoto

 Seaperch grilled on Kishubincoutan charcoal with roaster rice over the skin and black vinegar sea urchins (uni) soy sauce. — Photo by Triwik Kurniasari

Seaperch grilled on Kishubincoutan charcoal with roaster rice over the skin and black vinegar sea urchins (uni) soy sauce. — Photo by Triwik Kurniasari
 One of Japan’s most celebrated chefs, Seiji Yamamoto, flew in to indulge Jakarta’s food lovers with an exquisite menu from his restaurant, RyuGin.

A white 20-by-15 centimeter menu was placed on each table at Orient8, a Pan-Asian and French restaurant at the Hotel Mulia in Senayan, South Jakarta.

The front of the card read “RyuGin by Chef Seiji Yamamoto”. The Japanese chef is renowned for fusing traditional with modern styles using astonishing gastronomy techniques.

RyuGin, derived from Japanese word ryu (dragon), opened in Tokyo’s upscale Roppongi district in 2003.

The restaurant received a rating of two Michelin stars for four consecutive years and was recently named one of the world’s 50 best restaurants by San Pellegrino.

Decorative black-and-white glass mats featuring Chinese dragon motifs strengthen the feel of the chef’s famous RyuGin style. It is believed the dragon prevents evil and heralds good fortune.

That evening, only a few guests were lucky enough to experience a culinary event well prepared by the chef himself.

Staff from RyuGin restaurant explained to guests the 10-course menu, revealing a deep knowledge.

The first course was the Chateau Ryugin 1970 Cuvée Hamaguri. The servers brought out a shot glass of oysters and seaweed topped with jelly and vegetables before presenting a wine-like bottle.

The server opened the bottle of Chateau Ryugin and explained that it was hot clam soup before carefully pouring it into glasses.
Monkfi sh Liver with akagai shell.— Photo by Triwik Kurniasari
Next up was Chef Yamamoto’s specialty — monkfish liver with akagai shell. Similar to French foie gras, the liver from Hokkaido was smooth like tofu and served with a special white miso and apple vinegar sauce and vegetables.

Next was kuruma ebi shrimp ball with soft simmered abalone cooked for 10 hours in a special shellfish soup. The soup consisted of five different broths: crab, dried bonito, scallop, shrimp and seaweed. The crab had a strong taste as the chef used crab broth as the main ingredient.

A Japanese culinary experience would not be complete without the famous sashimi. Chef Yamamoto prepared a combination of sashimi and came up with blue lobster and grouper in Kobujime style.

He combined Bretagne blue lobster with grouper from Maluku dressed in  Sudachi soy jelly and chilled vegetables. The lobster and fish were wonderfully juicy yet smooth, matching the freshness and sourness of sudachi (Japanese lime).

The fifth dish on the list was grilled Japanese sweet corn cold egg custard with zuwaigani crab meat and beluga caviar in a refined style.
The dish was a modern take on Japanese cawan mushi and presented in a sophisticated manner. The mashed sweet corn was mixed with egg custard, topped with succulent crab meat and salty caviar. Servers later explained that the best way to enjoy the dish was mix all parts of the dish to lower the salty taste.

Halfway through, it became interesting to find out what Yamamoto’s next creation would be.

Not long after the egg custard was served, servers brought out kishubincoutan charcoal to the tables, briefly explaining that the rock-hard charcoal, usually made from Japanese oak, produced high temperatures and was good for grilling fish and wagyu beef.

Then we got our chance to taste sea perch grilled on kishubincoutan with roasted rice over the skin and black vinegar sea urchin soy sauce. The texture of the perch was soft, contrasting with the crunchy roasted rice.

Next up was kuroge wagyu beef fillet with hot beef Achilles tendon collagen sauce and fragrance of vegetables. The beef, also charcoal broiled, was tender and tasted even better with the sauce.
Next was premium blue fin tuna donburi style with pine nuts and mitsuba shrimp broth, completed with red miso soup served in a small cup — best simply drunk like tea.

The dish was a combination of Japanese steamed rice from Niigata, tuna from Miyazaki and rich shrimp broth.

Even feeling full after the eighth course, we could never turn down the two desserts, served on the table in a stunning and beautiful presentation.
 
-196 degrees Celcius candy apple and hot apple jam. Photo by Triwik Kurniasari
It started with a RyuGin specialty: a candy apple frozen to -196 degrees Celcius and hot apple jam.

The candy apple was cracked open with spoons to reveal a cold apple powder inside that tasted cool and light before melting in the mouth. The apple powder combined well with the sweet and sour taste of the warm jam.

The second dessert was grilled Ehime mandarin soufflé in RyuGin style with mango yogurt ice cream. The sweetness of the soufflé matched the coolness and sourness of the yogurt. Squeezing the fresh sliced orange onto the soufflé resulted in a fresher and stronger orange flavor.

Child attacked by leopard at Kansas zoo

(CNN) -- A child on a school outing was attacked by a leopard at a Wichita, Kansas, zoo, authorities said Friday.

The boy, a student from Linwood Elementary, was with classmates on a field trip at the Sedgwick County Zoo when, around 1:15 p.m., witnesses said, he "went over a railing" and approached the Amur leopard exhibit, said Lt. Jay McLaurian of the county sheriff's department.

The leopard was able to reach into the mesh covering of its enclosure and grab the boy by his head, McLaurian said.

The child was rescued by bystanders who rushed in and "beat the animal" away from the boy, officials said. According to McLaurian, the boy received injuries to his face and neck and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

He is expected to "be OK," McLaurian said.

The boy, who is 7 years old, was in fair condition Friday afternoon at Via Christi Hospital on St. Francis in Wichita, CNN affiliate KWCH said.

Students from several Sedgwick County schools were at the zoo on Friday and witnessed the attack, and the school district immediately took steps to notify parents, according to Susan Arensman, spokeswoman for Wichita Schools.

"One of our first-graders was injured by one of the animals," a letter that was sent home to parents whose children attended the same school as the victim read.

A similar letter was also sent home to parents from other Wichita schools.

Shortly after the attack, school officials assembled a crisis team to help the students process what happened, and assure them that the victim would be OK, said Arensman.

"Counselors will also be available on Monday to offer additional help to students," Arensman said.

The zoo was evacuated for a short time after the attack but remained opened after the incident, officials said.

Amur leopards, which are listed as an endangered species, can grow to 4 to 6½ feet long and weigh anywhere from 60 to 150 pounds, the zoo's website says. They are native to Far Eastern Russia and northern China.

State TV: At least 12 killed, 232 wounded in clashes at Cairo church

Cairo (CNN) -- Egypt's prime minister called for an emergency Cabinet meeting Sunday, a day after officials reported at least 12 people were killed in sectarian clashes outside a Cairo church.

Officials said the violence began over rumors that a Christian woman who converted to Islam was being held at the church against her will.

Prime Minister Essam Sharaf postponed a trip to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates to discuss the church attack, according to EgyNews, Egypt's official news agency. Egyptian state TV said 10 people died and 232 were wounded in the violence Saturday. At least 190 were arrested.

Tensions between Egypt's Muslim majority and its Coptic Christian minority have been on the rise in recent months, with a number of violent clashes reported between the two groups. 

During clashes on Saturday, witnesses said an armed group of Muslims marched on Saint Mena Coptic Orthodox Church, one of the oldest churches in Egypt.

Witnesses said Muslims and Christians exchanged gunfire, sending people running for cover.

"With my own eyes I saw three people killed and dozens injured," said Mina Adel, a Christian resident. "There's no security here. There's a big problem. People attacked us, and we have to protect ourselves."

There were conflicting reports about who attacked the church.

Some witnesses said the group was made up of Muslim fundamentalists, known as Salafists. Others, including Interior Ministry spokesman Alla Mahmoud, said it was angry Muslims from a nearby mosque.

Mahmoud said the clashes were sparked by reports of a Christian woman who married a Muslim man and was allegedly being held inside the church.

Military, special forces and riot police were called in to try to break up the violence, firing warning shots in the air, according to witnesses.

At the same time, at the nearby Coptic Church of the Holy Virgin, firefighters responded to a blaze that witnesses said appeared to have been started by the members of the same group that attacked the other church.

Hundreds of residents in the working class neighborhood of Imbaba stood outside as the church burned and two men were seen jumping from a window of the building, according to witnesses.

Across the street, residents standing outside the Al Wehda mosque blamed "thugs" for the violence.

"It was thugs who burned the church, not Salafists (fundamentalists)," said Jamal El Banan. "We never had such sedition before the revolution."

Tensions were high in the neighborhood following the clashes, with soldiers firing shots into the air overnight to break up the crowd, witnesses said.

CNN senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman, based in Cairo, described the crowd as "very hostile," saying he was forced to leave the neighborhood after his vehicle was targeted with rocks.

A Coptic church in the town of Alexandria was bombed on New Year's Day, killing 23 people -- the deadliest attack on Christians in Egypt in recent times.

Ten days later, a gunman killed a Christian man and wounded five others on a train in Egypt.

In November, a group with ties to al Qaeda in Iraq announced that all Christians in the Middle East would be "legitimate targets," as the group's deadline for Egypt's Coptic church to release alleged Muslim female prisoners expired.

The group's claim that the Coptic Church in Egypt is holding female prisoners is based on widespread rumors of Coptic women in Egypt converting to Islam and being detained by the church in an attempt to compel or persuade them to return to their original faith.

About 9% of Egypt's 80 million residents are Coptic Christians. They base their theology on the teachings of the Apostle Mark, who introduced Christianity to Egypt, according to St. Takla Church in Alexandria, the capital of Coptic Christianity.

The religion split with other Christians in the 5th century over the definition of the divinity of Jesus Christ.

Timor Leste in ASEAN: Sooner rather than later

 Dewi Fortuna Anwar: JP/Arief Suhardiman

In early March 2011, Timor Leste formally submitted its application to join ASEAN. Since it gained formal independence in 2002, after a traumatic and violent separation from Indonesia in 1999, the leaders of Timor Leste have indicated that they saw Dili’s future as being part of ASEAN.

In July 2006, Jose Ramos Horta, attending his first ASEAN meeting as Prime Minister, stated in Kuala Lumpur that Timor Leste had already made the strategic decision to join ASEAN. Ramos Horta admitted then, however, that it would take a few years, maybe five or more, before his country could join ASEAN as a full member, given the quite onerous responsibilities that full membership in ASEAN would entail, not least the hundreds of meetings that take place every year.

Timor Leste, after all, had only gained independence a few short years earlier, facing many internal problems associated with a new state with limited means and, therefore, needed time to focus on internal consolidation. Indonesia has stated its support for Timor Leste’s eventual membership of ASEAN from the very beginning.

Despite the unhappy history of East Timor’s experience under Indonesia and the painful separation marked by violence in 1999, both Jakarta and Dili were determined to leave the past behind and begin a new chapter in their relations as two sovereign neighbors living in peace and harmony.

The challenges faced in deepening regional integration are well-known and adding new members, especially ones with very different levels of economic development and/or different political values, will clearly not make integration any easier. The European Union faced this problem as it enlarged its membership over successive periods, and ASEAN is still struggling with the challenges brought in by new members when Laos Myanmar became full members in 1997, and Cambodia joined in 1999. Vietnam joined the regional grouping in 1995.

The new members needed more time to carry out all of the obligations that they have signed, especially on economic issues. The greater diversity in social and political outlooks have also made the desire to develop and adhere to common norms and values as the bases of an ASEAN Community envisioned for 2015 extremely difficult to realize.

Yet Indonesia believes that it is better that Timor Leste be admitted as a full member of ASEAN sooner rather than later. Of course it is understood that a full membership has to go through a certain process, so it is unlikely that Timor Leste will be inducted as a member of ASEAN by the end of this year, even if the 18th ASEAN Summit held today in Jakarta endorsed Dili’s membership application. There are at least three major reasons why Jakarta is so keen to have Timor Leste be part of the ASEAN Community.

First, actively sponsoring Dili’s application for membership in ASEAN, especially in the face of resistance among a few members, is the final healing process in the relations between Indonesia and Timor Leste. There should be no doubt of Indonesia’s sincerity in this.

Second, there are the geo-political considerations. Indonesia clearly has no desire to have an enclave within its archipelago whose foreign policy orientation may not always be in step with Jakarta. While the Cold War has been over for two decades and relations between Indonesia and the giant communist power in the region, China, have become very close, the earlier geopolitical considerations have not entirely disappeared.

This writer fully agrees with Kavi Chongkittavorn, who wrote in his article, titled “East Timor and ASEAN: New Strategic Imperatives” (The Nation, Jan. 17, 2011), that the logic for ASEAN to admit Timor Leste as a member is similar to the imperative for admitting Myanmar in 1997, namely that alone Timor Leste, like Myanmar may become too dependent on Beijing. As Kavi pointed out, “Burma and East Timor share one commonality — intimate ties with China. Both nations are rich in energy resources”.

Third, as the ASEAN Community becomes fully realized and the economies of the ten member countries are increasingly integrated, it is not in Indonesia’s national interest either to have a territory sharing an island and a border with Indonesia being left out in the cold.

It is not going to be easy for Timor Leste to join ASEAN at this point in time when ASEAN is just four years away from its target of achieving an ASEAN Community. However, it will be doubly hard for Timor Leste to have to join an already full-fledged ASEAN Community. As ASEAN is willing to extend a helping hand to the other relative new comers, it is to be hoped that it will be willing to extend this assistance to Timor Leste.

Unlike some of the other new members of ASEAN Timor Leste has several distinct advantages in its favor. Its size and population is fairly small, and though its people are still poor, it has oil and gas, it has long enjoyed the goodwill and support of the international community — particularly western donor countries. In addition, Timor Leste is already a functioning democracy so that it will not have any troubles adhering to the values enshrined in the ASEAN Charter.

Let’s hope that in the not too distant future ASEAN will add its eleventh and final member into its midst.

Dewi Fortuna Anwar is research professor for Intermestic Affairs at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) and currently serves as the Deputy Secretary for Political Affairs to the Vice President of Indonesia.

FPI to pray for Bin Laden

The Islam Defenders Front (FPI) says it is planning to organize a mass prayer after the killing of wanted terrorist and Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden by US troops on the weekend.

In a text message sent to tempointeraktif.com on Monday night, the organization said it wanted to pray for Bin Laden.

The event, the message says, would be held at the FPI headquarters in Petamburan, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The message, however, did not provide further information as to who else had been invited to the event.

Osama Bin Laden was found dead after a massive blitzkrieg by a group of US Navy Seals on Sunday night in the upmarket area of Abbottabad in Pakistan. US officials said Osama's remains had been quickly buried at sea after being treated in an Islamic way.

How to Dress Goth

There's more to being goth than dressing goth, but knowing what to wear is certainly part of it.

Steps

1. Ease into goth. Don't go goth all at once. Gradually ease into the style and subculture, or you will look fake.
2. Determine what style you are aiming for. Some people like a romantic look with tailored velvet jackets, lace and period items, while others prefer punk, with bondage pants and a spiked collar, and still others go cyber/futuristic with goggles, yarn extensions, latex, and big industrial boots. There's not one single goth fashion, there are many branches.
3. Browse goth pictures and movies for inspiration. Look around and try to see what you want to incorporate into your wardrobe. Avoid copying someone else unless it is Halloween.
4. Go to thrift stores for cheap, original clothes, instead of buying manufactured 'wannabe goth' clothes from a store like Hot Topic. They have nice items, but getting your entire wardrobe there is expensive, and way too commercial. Even mainstream clothing stores have basic pieces, (like pinstriped pants, black sweaters, and such), that will undergird your wardrobe much less expensively than specialty store buys.
5. Make your clothing, or at least consider altering the clothes you already have with bits of lace, ribbons, etc. You can get a good deal at a thrift store, but the cheapest clothes to buy are the ones already in your closet. Go crazy; make it artistic and unique.
6.  Try tight clothes (both girls and guys). Boys, do not try wearing tight clothes unless you like looking a bit more feminine. Also always make sure it fits your body right and looks good, if you aren't skinny or in shape its most likely not for you. Be warned, tight pants may get you called emo, but keep in mind emo scenester boys wear woman's jeans, Goths and Deathrockers don't fall for that lame stuff, they buy cheap black jeans and alter them to fit tight or buy quality looking/fitting black stretch tight jeans from Lip-service, DogPile clothing or Tripp Clothing brands. If it doesn't work for you, stick with normal or loose fit clothes.
7. Wear band shirts. Try shirts by bands such as Siouxsie and the Banshees, Christian Death and Bauhaus. (only bands you ACTUALLY like, buying band shirts JUST because it is "Goth" makes you look like an idiot). Many Goths and Deathrockers also cut their shirts up to make them hang off one shoulder, or cut the sleeves to allow them to sit lower on the arms and show the shoulders.
8. Consider boots. Many goths have high, black boots. There are many different styles of boots, look around and choose a style you like! Or don't -- boots are not required, for Goth is all about being original. However some romantic goths wear dress shoes every day.
9. The hair. Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to dye or even excessively style your hair to be goth. There are many who represent the epitome of dark goth fashion yet keep their natural hair color. If you do chose to Dye your hair start by figuring out what colors look good ON YOU. Not all colors will look good on everyone! Next try looking at examples of hair styles used by various goth bands for inspiration. Some like to spike, clump or make their hair messy. Remember, Goth is an offshoot of Punk, so many Goths do backcomb their hair into huge explosions, or style their hair into mohawks or huge frizzy spikes or whatever else they can think of. No matter what color you chose to have your hair or how you chose to style it, remember it is all about expressing YOURSELF! SO be creative!
10. Color coordinate. Black isn't the only color that exists in the goth lifestyle. Dark reds, violet, blue, green and white are often used as side colors to the general color black. Cyber or industrial goth accepts neon colors, but goth is what you make of it, not what others tell you it is.
11. Wear makeup appropriately. Goth makeup is often dramatic: black heavy eyeliner, red lips, and dark shades with heavy application. Colors such as black, red, and purple around and on the eyelids. Cat-eye eyeliner is practically a cliche, but it looks fabulous. Black lipstick is much less popular than it used to be. Regardless, there are no rules.
12. Complete your look with accessories. It could be an elegant choker, lace gloves, an SM bracelet, goggles, bat earrings, ribbons, etc.
13. P.S. - Just because you dress goth, doesn't mean you are. It's more likely to work if you actually are goth. Otherwise, you're a poser.

Tips

• Be yourself; don't just follow what some other goth does.
• A few good quality items are much better than a large wardrobe of things you hate. Think quality over quantity. Get the basics: skirt, pants, boots, jacket, and then build from there. Don't buy something unless you love it and it fits perfectly. You will look and feel confident, which is essential in maintaining self esteem and defending your clothing style.
• Being Goth isn't all about the clothes, though the dark clothing has a lot to do with it; it's mainly about how you act. A goth is an outcast from society, and yet deeper into society than anyone else. They appreciate that everyone is different, and don't judge others. Even if they do, they try to ignore those original feelings and find out about that person before deciding about them.
• Goth is a lot of things. They are also pacifist, but not afraid to stand up for themselves. It's feelings, emotions... Black is a colour that represents all that. It's alone, different, unique, etc.
• To try learning how to act goth try listening to goth music, reading gothic literature, and going to gothic clubs.
• Be creative. Try to make your outfit or uniform look different. Don't try to look like the stereotypical goth or you will be labeled a poser.
• Blacks can have undertones of blue, red, green, or brown. Needless to say, red and green blacks shouldn't be worn together. Make sure your blacks don't clash, please.

Warnings

• Some people may treat you differently just because you look different. Don't bother with what those people think about you.
• There is a difference between goth and emo. The goth community knows the difference between real goths and poser goths.
• There is a lot of androgyny in the scene, so you will have to get used to it. It does not mean someone is gay, bi, or anything else, for that matter. It's a fashion thing - don't assume you know a person's sexual orientation by just looking at their clothes. Be RESPECTFUL.

Beautiful Hair

How to achieve and maintain a healthy head of beautiful hair

Three main things are needed for a good-looking head of hair - haute hair - good health, the right attention to cleanliness, and caution when using cosmetic treatments. 

1. Adequate Diet

Hair growth depends on an adequate diet. A widespread diet problem which causes loss of hair is iron deficiency Anaemia. The cause is too little iron in blood, brought on by a diet containing too little meat, eggs, cereals or peas and beans. Fresh fruits and vegetables are also needed to provide vitamin C, which enables the body to absorb iron. 

2. Cutting the hair

Although cutting the hair is not essential to its well-being, it is easier to keep the scalp clean if the hair is kept reasonably short. Regular cutting does not make the hair grow strong or faster. 

3. How hair can be damaged

Although scalp hair is hardy, and can withstand a lot of abuse, it can be damaged by too much or inexpertly applied perming, dyeing - Blonde to Brunette, bleaching and massage. The amount of beautying the hair can take varies from person to person. Occasionally the scalp is allergic to the dye and becomes inflamed and swollen. To prevent this occuring, the dye should be tested by applying it to a small area on the arm. If a patch of inflammation has developed, the dye must not be used on the hair.

Most people who bleach their hair do so with hydrogen peroxide. If the peroxide is repeatedly applied, it may make the hair brittle. Hair SOS If this happens the hair may turn rough, develop split ends, or become thinned or shortened.

Sources: US in possession of Osama's body

Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks against the United States, is dead, and the U.S. is in possession of his body, a person familiar with the situation said late Sunday.

President Barack Obama was expected to address the nation on the developments Sunday night.

Two senior counterterrorism officials confirmed that bin Laden was killed in Pakistan last week. One said bin Laden was killed in a ground operation, not by a Predator drone. Both said the operation was based on U.S. intelligence, and both said the U.S. is in possession of bin Laden's body.

Officials long believed bin Laden, the most wanted man in the world, was hiding a mountainous region along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to speak ahead of the president's statement.

The development comes just months before the tenth anniversary of the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, orchestrated by bin Laden's al-Qaida organization. The attacks killed more than 3,000 people.

The attacks set off a chain of events that led the United States into wars in Afghanistan, and then Iraq, and America's entire intelligence apparatus was overhauled to counter the threat of more terror attacks at home.

Al-Qaida organization was also blamed for the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa that killed 231 people and the 2000 attack on the USS Cole that killed 17 American sailors in Yemen, as well as countless other plots, some successful and some foiled.

Govt urged to take action to cope with growing fuel subsidy

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) called on the government to take action to limit the nation’s fuel subsidy to “protect the weakest members of the community” as the ballooning funds could be used more productively.

“Action to limit the fuel subsidy is needed not just because the risk of more increase [in] international oil prices, but it’s a very unproductive way of spending government resources,” Milan Zavadjil, IMF senior resident representative in Indonesia, said.

The government has allocated Rp 95.9 trillion (US$11.2 billion) to subsidize fuel this year, an amount observers consider too high. They claim the funds would be better used for infrastructure development or on health and education.

The recent surge in global oil prices may pressure the government to increase fuel subsidies, which would in turn result in widening the state budget deficit to Rp 17 trillion, Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo had said.

For every $1 increase in the annual average Indonesian Crude Price (ICP), the state budget would suffer a deficit of Rp 800 billion, he added.

The government in April delayed a plan to stop the sale of subsidized gasoline to private vehicle owners, a move that could cost the government Rp 6 trillion in more subsidies.

“With the recent global oil price rally, the government has to increase the price of subsidized fuel. The 2011 State Revenues and Expenditures Budget Law has provided legal grounds for it to go ahead with such policy,” Satya W. Yudha, a lawmaker from the House of Representatives’ Commission VII overseeing energy, told The Jakarta Post via telephone.

The law stipulates that the government was allowed to increase the price of non-subsidized fuel if the average oil price in the past 12 months surpassed government assumptions of $80 per barrel by at least 10 percent, or $88 per barrel.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry announced Tuesday that in April, the benchmark ICP stood at $123.36 per barrel, bringing the average price in the past one year to $89.85 per barrel.

The government, however, has chosen to revise its average ICP assumption in the state budget to between $90 and $100 per barrel, instead of raising prices or limiting the subsidy, to minimize potential state budget losses.

Satya claimed raising the price of non-subsidized fuel was a much better way to address the growing budget deficit.

Coordinating Minister for the Economy Hatta Rajasa, however, said fuel subsidies would definitely be scrapped or channeled to the “right target” in the next four years.

“We must make changes prudently. The fuel subsidy is not an easy issue to address correctly,” he said at his office in Jakarta on Monday.

“Some are calling to just increase prices and distribute subsidized fuel directly to the poor, but we run the risk of inflation, which threatens people’s purchasing power. That’s why we are carefully assessing the possibilities,” he said.

Creeping Islamic state

Beyond our imagination, the Indonesian Islamic State (NII) teachings have spread to many layers of society, but the way the government plays down the lurking danger that may cost the existence of Indonesia is regrettable.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto raised many eyebrows when he, in response to brainwashing practices involved in the recruitment of NII members, regarded the clandestine organization as having no potential to endanger national integrity.

Unfortunately, Djoko’s statement is too good to be true.

Due to its aspiration to form a state that breaches the Constitution, NII makes no difference from the now defunct Free Aceh Movement and the Free Papua Organization, which the government used to and is trying hard to quell due to their secession movement, which is a serious crime.

For years NII has been recruiting members, many of them students and even political party members and government officials, and collecting funds, findings that should give cause for concern not only to the government but also the public at large.

No less surprising is the confession of a former NII minister, Imam Supriyanto, who said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party donated US$10,000 to an Islamic boarding school widely rumored to have been used to promote NII ideology and recruit followers.

Not to mention a possibility that NII deposited billions of rupiah into the now defunct Bank Century, prompting the House of Representatives to ask the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre to verify the report.

NII may have not transformed its dream to build an Islamic state into an armed movement as the Aceh rebels and the old NII did, and Papua separatist group is perpetrating, but the ideology war NII is waging could be more effective, particularly if people lose their confidence in democracy and a prosperous and just society envisioned by our founding fathers.

Indonesian modern history has seen the commitment to a nation state that preserves plurality surviving a series of efforts to change the Pancasila state ideology to Islam, either through constitutional or unconstitutional ways.

The fourth and latest constitutional amendment in 2002 confirmed that the Pancasila ideology, which does not recognize the Islamic state, was final and would be maintained as it stood.

Sadly the political elites have been compromising the national consensus by giving false hope to an Islamic state or a quasi of it for short-term interest and political gains. The passage of regional ordinances that are inspired by Islamic law in many regencies and provinces is a trick the elites have deliberately chosen, regardless of its repercussions which many warn as creeping Islamization.

The hard-won democracy has allowed everybody to exercise their freedom, but there is always a limit. The freedom shall not put the nation state that was built on blood and sufferings of our founding fathers at stake.

It was this concern that perhaps triggered noted Muslim scholar, the late Nurcholish Madjid, to consistently uphold his famous and hopefully everlasting motto “Islam yes, Islamic parties no”.

How to Tell if a Guy Likes you - Five Signs He's Interested

How can you tell if a guy likes you or is interested? You noticed him when you were standing and talking with a friend. You think he noticed you, but maybe it was your imagination or just wishful thinking. He looked at you at about the same time you saw him. Your eyes met for just a few seconds, and then you looked away. When you looked back up, he was talking with some other people. Was he watching you as you mingled? Or were you making that up? How can you tell if a guy likes you? Why are guys so hard to read?

Here are five signs that he is interested in you too. If any of the following happens, he is probably trying to get close enough to ask you out:

1. He tells someone

Is he interested? He likes you if he tells a mutual friend that he wants to know more about you, or he asks other people who you are and where you're from. He is trying to act like he's "just asking" but his questions indicate more than a casual interest. And when he tells someone that he finds you attractive, he probably knows that it will get back to you. He's hoping it does.

2. The look

He gives you a look that betrays his calm exterior. Even though he is across the room, "that look" he has says it all. It is sweeping, from your head to your toes, and then his eyes linger on yours. You think you notice the beginning of a tentative smile.

3. The conversation

Does he like you? When he manages to get close enough to you, to ask you questions, he is interested. He appears to be listening and responds to what you say. He's moving in to the ultimate question, which is: "Are you seeing anyone." He would only ask this question if he wanted to date you, and he hopes the answer is "No." Never ever wear a ring in public. When a guy is across the room, he cannot tell which finger it is on and he may assume incorrectly that you are taken. If he doesn't ask you the question of whether or not you are attached, he may ask someone whom you both know.

4. He appears unexpectedly

He likes you a lot if he shows up out of nowhere. He can only do that if he has been asking people about your schedule, or he has been paying attention to where you are going and at what time. His face may turn red when he sees you. A sudden, "Oh, hi," is his way of saying, "I don't want to seem obvious, but I am interested in you." If you feel the same way, do not act shy. Stop and talk to him.

5. EVERYONE likes you

Is he interested? When you are well liked and a happy person, why wouldn't he like you? Of course he does. If you don't have a great life, however, now is your time to start working on one. Take a look at your career possibilities, body image, future, plans, and resources. You may be naturally talented at something, but it won't matter unless you work on your strengths. Misused or unused talents fade away. School and training do not.

These are the five signs that he is interested and he is on the verge of asking you out. Make it easy for him and be friendly. This is where relationships begin.

Do you want to know more secrets about how to attract men? Do you know how to dress, what to say, what to do, and the body language to use when you go out? Do you know the 5 steps to take to meet any guy anywhere? Read on to discover all the secrets to having all the dates you want in How To Attract Men: Secrets Every Woman Should Know

A Guide to Creating an Excel Database

The time Microsoft Excelled Database has never actually sat very well with me since my foremost function in the, IT world has been in developing chronicle and what is used by the spreadsheeting fraternity is what I believe an over hyped slope. However, for the sake of peace, I want to outline some of the principles you must pursue in house what is known as the Microsoft Excel Database.

Let us assess ...

A memo in essence is what is considered a collection of information that is linked in some style. For example if you were running a group and promotion an effect you may have a catalog that just lists all the sales you have made over a period of time. Storing the figures in a record would make discern as the guests information and the promotion of an effect is linked and as such would be appropriate for the folder.

There are many different types of databases vacant such as Microsoft Access Databases, Oracle Databases, MySQL databases and so on but Microsoft Excel also has a form of a folder known as a slope file. The form of the file is nearly the same as the other databases as the records is under string headings in rows, but after that regular summit, the Excel file goes in its own control. See, to look for aspect numbers within microsoft Excel Database or Excel List we do not use the general file style of SQL, we actually use expressly printed functions. These functions are customs written by you and are known as criteria.

So how do we coin an outclass file...

Well first off, there is one regime we must always chase and that is one outclass record per catalog. Anymore and you just get yourself into loads of anxiety. In actuality if you necessity to have several outshine databases within your workbook cleanly put each surpass record against a divide table.

The next thing you must chase is that your catalog lists first row must restrict the direction of the roll. That is the first row contains your meadow names. Plus each of the take names must be 100% rare. You cannot have two tackle names with the same name or again you will have a directory that will not work.

The next copy you essential to be concerned with is identifying the subject names. Excel databases have an austere govern, the domain names or string names must be exclusive. Now the way you isolate them is easy, all you have to do is to ensure the domain names are many different facts types, configure, design etc to the breather of the folder in your lean. Generally what I do is to layout my province names in bold to persuade this requirement.

One of the most important system you must consider when you design a shine database is that around the row and columns of the fields and facts there must be a vacant row and discourse. What this means is that you can still have a title at the top of the fields, but there must be a perplexed row between the headline and the fields as well as along the last column as well. The break row manage also applies to the foot of the tilt as well.

When you are inflowing records into your record, every chamber in every record must delimit some quantity even if it is purely impassive (a uniform help is still considered a value) and each record must contain the same number of fields. If there is no limited facts for a domain you plainly entrust it break and move to the next arena.

Ensure that when you are entering figures into a sphere that you don't have spaces before the text or at the end of the text in the arena. If you do have spaces, then what will ensue is that taxonomy and seek for figures in the incline will be compromised and you will get unexpected fallout.

Upper argument and low rationale characters in the ground do not change the searches or place tips unless you specifically tell the Microsoft Excel application it is a rise. You can also use formulas in a group if required. Formulas can refer to cells within the Excel Database List or unlikely of the Excel Database.

Note also that you can correct and format the cells just like any other spreadsheet however the deliver you must consider as a priority is that the pasture names must have a different format to the surplus of the figures in the database slant. It is extremely recommended that there be no other formatting in the list excluding for the arena headings. The ensures that there are no miscalculations by the application as to what is a turf banner in the excel database and what is not.

Now that you have setup your list in this way following the policy, you are now eager to interrogate the list by applying criteria. The easiest way that you can do this is by with the Form dialog box. To get into the Excel Database form you plainly wish the Data menu and then show Form from the drip down menu.

From the Excel Database Form you can purely prefer the Criteria badge, font the criteria you have for your data and choose the Find Next switch and it will take you to the first record that satisfies the criteria you are probing. Excel Databases are particularly useful for abrupt data that is where the book of records you have in your database doesn't exceed 65,536 rows.

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Getting The Best Gaming Computer Is Easier By Making Great Choices

It used to be that video games and computer games were a geek activity that was more or less relegated to those who played only once in a while. This was more for teen males and did not extend much past that. Today, things are a whole lot different and you are going to find that a lot of people would love to have the best gaming computer their money can buy because they are huge fans of these types of games. Since computer games are a lot more advanced than video games, many people favor these types of games. That is definitely a big part of what makes them want to have the best tech advantages possible. You will certainly find plenty of value in investing in the best gaming computer that can suit your needs, but you do want to make sure that you are picking one that is more suited to your style of gaming. This is where it can be helpful to read reviews of the various options out there to see what has been working for other gamers who enjoy the kind of games that you do. Once you get to looking, you are going to see that this is a terrific way to get more for yourself and make your games a lot more enjoyable.

If you take the time to shop for the best, one of the things you are going to notice is that people have very strong opinions out there. For some, there is a certain brand that makes the best gaming computer on the market, but others are a bit more maverick about things. They prefer either to build their own machine or have an expert build it to their exact specifications. They want custom gaming computers that will feature just the hardware they want. This could be due to them wanting to have high end parts or it may be due to them wanting the best gaming computer on a budget. Whatever the reason, this can be a good choice but you should be prepared to spend a little bit more if you go this route. It is certainly much simpler for most of us, though, if we choose this.

You are going to find that you get much better values when you look on the web not just for the products, but for the kind of info that helps you make better decisions. You can get all the specs and make sure you get the very best so easily. This is a fantastic way to find a great machine and to get the best gaming experience possible.

Dressup Kid Games

Dress up games are one of the favorite pastimes enjoyed by younger children. They love to wear costumes and pretend they are someone else. Often they will dress up as characters in their favorite fairy tales, TV shows or storybooks. In the early 21st century, many small girls began playing online virtual dress up games.

Traditional Games

Traditional dress up games for kids often involve wearing Mom and Dad's clothes and playing house. The children care for babies, cook and clean the house and act out their ideas of what it is to be a grown-up. Make-believe is a fun way for kids to prepare for adult roles by playing farmer, fireman, office, store, doctor and veterinarian. The imagination has no limits as kids play adventure games with Kings and Queens, superheroes or Hollywood movie stars.

Girl's Games

Girl's favorite dress up games include princesses and celebrities. Young girls spend hours playing at pretend tea parties and weddings. Much of the time is spent putting together outfits, doing hair and accessorizing with jewelry, purses and hats. Costumes made at home provide hours of fun arts and crafts projects making wigs, necklaces and funny hats. Store bought outfits are fun too and include pink princess or fairy outfits with tiaras, high heels and feather boas.

Boy's Games

Little boys also enjoy playing dress up games. They like to wear team uniforms and pretend they are sports superstars. Cowboys and Indians is a perennial favorite dress up game for small boys. Outfits featuring hats, six-guns, neckerchiefs and boots are easily made or bought. Warpaint, some feathers in a headband and a loincloth go well with homemade tomahawks and bows and arrows. Playing army is a lot of fun for boys, any camouflage clothing will do for a uniform. Sticks make good imaginary guns.

Online Games

With the widespread use of the Internet by kids of all ages, virtual dress up games became popular in the middle 1990s. The interactive games are especially popular with little girls as they drag and drop clothes, hairdos, shoes and accessories onto virtual doll-like images. Young girls vicariously play dress up games in the same way their mothers played with paper dress up dolls. New games are constantly added to the dress up websites, with many of them providing positive role models and learning experiences for girls.

Dress Up Relay

Dress up relay is a fun party game combining kids' love of competition with their love of playing dress up. Clothes are put into piles along a line of a set length. Two teams of kids send players running to the piles, putting on an item of clothing at each pile. At the finish line they race back to the start, this time shedding clothes as they go. The first team to have all players complete the task wins.

Optimize Laptop Performance By BIOS and CPU

First, BIOS settings optimized

And the general desktop, notebook PC's BIOS settings to optimize the optimization method is the most basic and reasonable to set the books of the BIOS can speed up boot speed, improve memory, CPU, hard disk and display the system's efficiency, and different brands of laptop computers The BIOS settings are much the same way.

In general, there is a BIOS setting "Quiet Boot" option, which is set to boot screen and boot hardware detection purposes. And desktop as default, when the first detection of notebook processor power and memory, canon zr800 battery hard drives, which also includes the display of the boot screen, and these are sometimes not necessary, so the "Quiet Boot" a set " Enabled ", so as not to show the boot screen and the hardware detection step, naturally, can greatly improve the boot speed.

Laptop floppy drive now been largely eliminated, and if you do not use the floppy drive, then open the floppy in the BIOS, the port, then the notebook computer each time you start the search will be on the floppy drive, so slow down the boot speed. We will be floppy in the BIOS set to "None" or "Disabled" (off), while the first boot the boot device is set to "Hard Drive", it will not only speed up the startup speed, while also reducing noise.

Generally speaking, in most notebook computers have a BIOS setting in the "System Devices" (systems) or "Advanced" (Advanced) option, where you can set the CPU, graphics card, memory, hard drives and other performance parameters. Some notebook computers BIOS in "DMA Channel" and "VGA Frame Buffer Size" two options, the first devices used to open the IDE DMA transfer mode, opened a lot of disk performance can be improved, and the second used to set the graphics card memory size.

For integrated graphics, it should pay attention to setting skills, such as the integrated graphics memory size of the range of 16MB ~ 64MB, then as far as possible within this figure set to 64MB (eg 32MB), if set too high, while the total memory capacity is very small (if there is only 128MB), then some of the graphics rendering animation software or games, the most likely cause of memory a significant reduction in overall performance. If you use a separate graphics card, in the "Advanced" option sony dsc-w130 charger will be "Display Expansion Support" this option, this option is set to "Disabled" (off), in the resolution of less than 1024 × 768 and the DOS interface, will automatically reduce the screen in order to maintain the best display.

In addition, we have to open the CPU's L2 Cache, which helps the performance of CPU to play, and some notebook computers have integrated LAN, Modem, IEEE 1394 interfaces, usually if you do not use these interfaces, it is best in the BIOS, masked these interfaces.

Second, CPU optimization use

We can use Powertweak software to optimize the books of the CPU and chipset. Facing the summer, heat is absolutely killer notebook. So we can make the Wen aterfall Pro cpu cooling software to be cool. Nothing more than common radiator cooling fan + heatsink + thermal grease. When choosing this type of radiator, the focus should be noted that between their compatibility with a variety of CPU, the CPU model they are applied, the frequency range. CPU is not busy as always, very often such as when you are typing or drive, floppy drive when you read the disk, CPU is basically in an idle state waiting to receive instructions, but both still busy waiting, CPU's heat is essentially the same.

To avoid such drawbacks, in the Windows NT system can be suspended to the CPU sends a HLT instruction, let it idle in a suspended state to reduce the heat. Windows 9x systems, but did not this directive came into being CPUCool, CPUIdle, VCool and other cool software to make up for that deficiency.

CPU overclocking by increasing the FSB or CPU multiplier means to improve the frequency, thereby enhancing machine performance. Optimize the hardware level overclocking, not to open the case the jumper is to enter the BIOS settings, it is extremely troublesome. Use SoftFSB, CPUFSB other soft overclocking tool will be able to overcome these shortcomings. They allow users to Windows, by adjusting the CPU FSB, overclocking can be achieved without the need to restart the purpose. If overclocking fails, you can start again restitution. And now some of the motherboard also offers some excellent overclocking software, such as Lenovo's StepEasy, MSI FuzzyLogic and so on.

Usually within the chassis while in the cooling fan will inhale the dust, and dust is the enemy of electronic equipment, so we should clean them often. CPU surface and the surrounding dust, lint brush is not available and olympus stylus 600 digital battery small hair dryer (or Paper Tiger), a small vacuum cleaner to remove. When you need to first clean the radiator heat sink and fan apart, the heat sink can be washed with water, fans can dip a cotton swab to wipe the cleaning solution. If the noisy cooling fan, axial fan can be a filling amount of oil. In addition, the CPU can also put new thermal grease, and by the way tidy clutter inside the chassis connection, to prevent the blades get stuck, keep the air circulation.

Nadine encourages blogging for nature

JAKARTA: Expressing one’s thoughts and opinions by blogging has been all the hype this year. This online activity has been construed as either very narcissistic or very useful for others. Former beauty queen Nadine Chandrawinata wants to encourage the latter.

Working with blogdetik.com and Sea World, Nadine recently held a blogging competition aimed at nurturing the love for adventure in nature, in line with her appointment as one of the country’s environmental ambassador.

“I want bloggers to fall in love with nature and expose the beauty of Indonesian environmental tourism,” she said last week, as she announced the seven winners of the competition labeled Nadz Hope Blogging Contest.

“I’m glad many people participated. They shared stories about beautiful places around the country. I ended up with a lot of information on places to visit.”

Nadine co-produces film on Bajo people

JAKARTA: Model Nadine Chandrawinata co-produced a film on the people of Bajo, an ethnic tribe living in Wakatobi Island, Southeast Sulawesi.

The former Putri Indonesia co-produced the film The Mirror Never Lies, currently showing in Jakarta, with Kamila Andini, the daughter of famous filmmaker Garin Nugroho.

Nadine, who is an avid diver, said she wanted to do creative work related to the sea.

“This is the first time I am a co-producer. The film is based on the lives of these people in Wakatobi. I’m very optimistic [about environmental conservation there] as I’ve observed that 90 percent of the under water beauty [there] is still intact. The culture is very strong too,” she said as quoted by kapanlagi.com.

The film, starring Atiqah Hasiholan, Reza Rahardian and three Bajo children Gita Novalista, Eko dan Zainal, received an honorable mention at the Global Film Initiative last month.

Are You Focusing On What You Really Want?

Imagine you're happily driving down a country road on a clear, sunny day. Suddenly a semi truck crosses the center line and is heading right at you. Heart pounding and adrenaline rushing, you react. Will you avert disaster? Maybe. Maybe not. In this moment, your life depends on where you focus.

Professional driving instructors tell us that what people usually do in emergency situations is to stay focused on the object they are trying to avoid. In driving, where your eyes and mind are focused is most often where you will steer.

Unfortunately, if you were focused on the truck in the situation above you would likely steer right into it. The route to safety is to focus on where you want to go. In this case, you'd look away from the truck to a place that's safer. You would then automatically steer the car in that direction. Safe!

You may be wondering, "What the heck does that have to do with creating more pleasure, passion, and purpose in my life?"

My response is "A great deal!" As in the example of the truck, your life depends on where you focus.

Focusing on What You Don't Want Steers You to More of That

Often when we are feeling stuck, dissatisfied, confused, or unhappy we are focused on what we DON'T want. We are looking at the truck we'd like to avoid.

We're thinking or saying "I don't want to be in this miserable job another day" or "I don't want to work on this project" or "I don't want to have pizza for dinner tonight."

From the big events to the small details in life, we tend to put a lot of our thoughts and attention on precisely what we don't want.

So, what's the problem with that? Well, it's kind of like steering your car into the truck. The more you focus on what you don't want, the more you head in that direction.

Your mind is wired to create whatever you focus on.

Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich" and Maxwell Maltz's "Psychocybernetics" are two classic books on this subject. These and other researchers tell us that the mind can't tell the difference between something you're thinking about that you want and something you're thinking about that you do not want.

Whatever you think about, your mind goes to work to make that happen.

Getting More of What You Really Do Want

If you'd like to get more of what you want in life (pleasure, passion, purpose), shift your focus away from what you don't want and clearly, purposefully towards what you do want. 

Your mind will go to work creating that. You'll get unstuck. Your energy will increase. Solutions, alternatives, and options will come to you more easily.

Here's a recent personal example. At the end of a long day, I was getting ready to prepare dinner. I'd been grocery shopping and had the ingredients for three complex dishes I hadn't made before.

Hungry and tired, I reviewed the recipes but quickly became frustrated and overwhelmed. I started saying to myself "I don't want to make these dishes. I don't want this to be so hard. I don't want these recipes to be so complicated."

Those thoughts increased my agitation. I felt stuck and upset. Then I took a deep breath. I asked myself, "What do I really want in this situation right now?" (Besides a personal chef!)

The answer was "I want to make a healthy and great tasting dinner in a way that is fast and easy for me."

I quickly saw a solution I'd been unable to see minutes before: make only one of the new dishes that night along with a simple salad and save the other new recipes for another evening.

So that's what I did. The cooking was less stressful and the food turned out great. I switched from what I didn't want to what I did want. And it worked!

Are you focused on what you want or what you don't want?

I know many (maybe most) of us have an ingrained habit pattern that focuses us on what we don't want. Changing this pattern can be challenging. And I've seen with myself and my clients that it's definitely worth doing!

In Your Life

The more you focus on what you do want, the more pleasure, passion, and purpose you will create in your life. Focus on the clear road ahead, not on the truck coming at you. Try experimenting with this.

1) When you're feeling stuck, stressed, worried, angry, unhappy, or upset, become aware of what you're focusing on. You may be focusing on exactly what you don't want.

2) As soon as you notice you're focusing on what you DON'T want, ask yourself, "What DO I want in this situation?"

3) Purposefully and intentionally, change your focus to and keep your focus on what you do want.

4) Repeat as needed.

Enjoy! 

3 Ways To Get Approved For A Student Credit Card

If you're a college student, you know how expensive books, movies and tuition can be. And if you only work during the summer break, you may be looking for a way to stretch your funds through the cold winter months. Fortunately, a student credit card can help. Find one with low interest and good terms, and you can charge during the lean times and then pay it off when you're making money on your summer job.

To get a student credit card, follow these guidelines:

1. Find some cards for comparison.

It's easier than you think. Credit card companies often set up tables and booths at college fairs. You may even find fliers or applications around campus. And you can always find a student credit card with an online search. Be sure that the cards you're considering are specifically student cards. Credit cards aimed at students tend to have more lenient credit score and credit history criteria, and they also tend to have lower interest rates.

2. Pick the one with the best terms.

Not all credit cards are created equal! Since your student credit card is probably your first, educate yourself a bit about the terms and jargon you'll encounter. Choose one with a low interest rate, since that's the "extra" amount your credit card will tack onto your balance each month. Look for one with a longer grace period, too, which is the amount of time you have to make a payment before interest begins accruing. Other things you should look for is a card with no annual fee and a low late payment fee.

3. Apply!

Simply fill out the application--either on paper, online or on the phone--and answer the questions on the form. You'll need to reveal all the basics, like your name, current address and phone number. You'll also need to provide them with a "permanent" address and phone number. The application will include lines for information about your school, your school's address, your enrollment status and your year of graduation. It's possible they'll ask about your bank accounts and employment.

If you're currently employed or have significant savings in the bank, chances are your line of credit--the maximum balance you can hold on your card--will be higher. But even if you only have a summer job, you should still be able to qualify for $500 - $1,000 in credit. 

Fundraising Publicity Tips

The success of your fundraiser depends on how much publicity your group can attract. Community awareness of your fundraising need and your fundraising offering will always increase your results.
Here are some fundraising publicity tips:

Publicity Tip #1 - Use your website
If you don't have one, get one. Use it to communicate your goals,thank your sponsors, highlight periodic offerings, recognize successes, honor individual contributors, etc.
Promote your web site on all your materials.

Publicity Tip #2 - Actively seek more publicity
Get the word out about your fundraiser in as many ways as possible. Get into as many neighborhood newsletters and other public forms of communication as you can.
Send out press releases to the local media and invite coverage with photo opps at your fun events.

Publicity Tip #3 - Utilize any gathering
Make announcements at other events to spread the word, display products, take orders, make sales, and recruit volunteers.
Take a joint venture approach to marketing your group by giving something of value back to all those who join your team.

Publicity Tip #4 - Goal awareness
Heavily promote the goal of your fundraiser in all communications, particularly between sellers and buyers. A good cause gets the money out.
Make sure that all participants know the specific reason why the money is being raised.

Publicity Tip #5 - Communication
Use all available means of increasing awareness of your group's efforts including roadside signs, e-mail lists, phone calling tree, newsletter, flyers, posters, bulletin boards, recorded hotline messages, etc. 

Publicity Tip #6 - Sponsorship decals
Offer these free to supporting merchants. Sell to membership level supporters. Use the glass stick-on type for storefronts or vehicle windows.
This "branding" gets the word out to the community that your organization has a strong support base.

Publicity Tip #7 - Bumper stickers
Sell your organization year round with every fundraiser by offering one that says "Proud Supporter of _____." Give one to every volunteer and group member.

Publicity Tip #8 - Flyers everywhere
Hit local mailboxes (follow postal regulations) and car windshields in shopping centers. Give fundraiser details in your flyer in a way that promotes sales and gives contact information.

Put a coupon or free gift offer into the flyer that will keep it from being thrown away. Your merchant base will help provide the offers because this is free advertising for them.
For example, a flyer including a car wash, dry cleaners, or oil change coupon. (Or even all three!)

Publicity Tip #9 - Build an e-mail list
Ask for an e-mail address for a newsletter distribution when you're fundraising. Have opt-in links on your web site.
Build an online community of supporters by offering them extras available only at your site.
Put your fundraising publicity plan in place today. You'll reap the benefits in continued growth and additional fundraising success for years to come. 

Learn How To Cosmetic Laser Surgery With Ease

These cosmetic surgery procedures include face lift, forehead lift, breast augmentation, liposuction, laser hair removal, rhinoplasty and BOTOX® and others. MD Performs plastic and reconstructive cosmetic laser surgery including breast enlargement and augmentation, and face, forehead, and eyelid lifts. - Specializing in facial plastic, cosmetic, and laser surgery, including surgery of the eyelids, forehead, facelift, nose, rhinoplasty, chin, collagen,artecoll and botox injections.

While the laser has many legitimate and effective roles in plastic and cosmetic surgery, its use should always be carefully considered. Berg's focus is the treatment of skin cancer and cosmetic techniques including laser surgery, hair transplantation, and tumescent liposuction. New-generation lasers - standard cosmetic surgery tools - are taking the fear out of cosmetic surgery on dark skin. Patients opting for cosmetic laser surgery, however, suffer a less severe fate: Only their wrinkles and other skin imperfections disappear.

Because both qualified and unqualified practitioners are flooding the cosmetic laser surgery field, consumers may face some real hazards. At this time, he also explained some (extremely rare) risks involved with cosmetic laser surgery, such as scarring, nerve damage and infection. InfectionReduced risk of infection after cosmetic laser surgery The laser sterilizes as it killing bacteria that cause infection. Some cards have both credit and debit features: You select the payment option at the point-of-sale laser cosmetic surgery . Find out if cosmetic laser surgery is right for you, and get tips on how to select the best surgeon.

It is wise to consult a qualified surgeon before undergoing cosmetic laser surgery to avoid any harmful side effects or aftereffects. Payment Options Laser refractive surgery is considered a cosmetic procedure and generally is not covered by medical insurance. Less PainDuring cosmetic surgery, laser energy seals nerve endings as it moves through tissue. The cosmetic laser surgery treatment effectively improves facial redness and flushing, as well as the visible signs of sun damage and aging. A description of the processes and procedures of cosmetic laser surgery Sunlight and gravity cause facial aging. Some of these include laser re-surfacing, photorejuvenation, sun spot removal as well as many other specialized cosmetic surgery procedures. Jeffrey Petersen are board certified dermatologists with specific training and experience in laser, Mohs, and cosmetic surgery.

Participate in an organization dedicated to the excellence of continuing medical education in cosmetic laser surgery. Roberts has taught state-of-the-art techniques in cosmetic and laser surgery to more than 6,000 physicians through various seminars, instructional courses, symposia and workshops. Nowadays, cosmetic laser surgery is being widely used for enlarged noses, which are a cause of embarrassment for many people. There are also lasers for cosmetic surgery that provide pinpoint accuracy. People experiencing partial vision or problems in applying eye shadow often go for cosmetic laser surgery for eyelids. This journal keeps readers informed of scientific developments and activities in cosmetic laser surgery. The ISCLS web site was designed exclusively for cosmetic laser surgeons and consumers interested in cosmetic laser surgery.

In cosmetic surgery, minimally invasive procedures use newer technologies, such as a laser, to perform procedures that once required extensive surgery and recovery time. You may not, however, want to pay those inflated laser cosmetic surgery prices in order to do so. Details regarding laser surgery and cosmetic surgery can be found below. I made a decision right then to have cosmetic laser surgery. Furthermore, cosmetic surgery is a very lucrative business most surgeons get paid up front before you go under the knife or laser. http://www.laser-vision.info/cosmetic-laser-surgery/