Lucinda William at Bluesfest. Photo by the Watawa Life

Bring your resume, your confidence and your friends.

Details and map on the poster below.

     เปิดอัลบั้มอย่างเป็นทางการไปแล้ว สำหรับ Zero ของวง SUPERSUB และอัลบั้ม รักเป็นบ้า ของหนุ่มๆ sick project ใครที่อยากดูภาพบรรยากาศงานในวันนั้นก็เข้าไปดูแบบเต็มๆ อย่างจุใจได้เลยที่นี่

     http://www.sanamluangmusic.com/gallery.php?GID=91

[gallery]

It has performance there by various groups of people. They do their presentation there without getting any money paid and they entertain the people there. It's great looking at what they do and lots of these guys are very talented people!

It's a great place to be and I only missed a couple times. On the last Sunday of the month, this is the place where I so look forward to be. To photograph the people, the great talented people who performed, the food, just about anything over there!

For more information on the event there, you can log into this website and see what will be the theme for the month! Their website is here, http://www.littlepenang.com.my/

Here are some of the shots that I took during the event...

[wp_caption id="attachment_31" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Paku\"][/wp_caption]

Most of the time the events finished at around no more than 6PM. This is a great place to be. This is the one day of the month that I am so looking forward to go, rain or shine. For the June event, I just got off from the plane from Singapore and I rushed there straight after I got back home just to put my luggage.

It was only much later I found out the godfather of Malaysian underground music, Joe Kidd, Bullet and the rest of Carburetor Dung graced our protest (and this time, not as protestors) and are now subjects of a media witch-hunt in light of having nothing better to report on. Let it rest, guys. It was a misunderstanding.

For the record, back in 2004 I was very honoured to have played with Joe and Bullet in a one-off experimental set, even sang and massacred a song with my non-existent vocal abilities - I think Joe forgot the lyrics or something so I had make up for the grinding and screeching. I recall the audience being stunned to silence. Then again, how many people in Malaysia can claim that they had shared a stage with members of CD? :D

So after a couple of media calls this morning, I decided to state some of my thoughts on this whole issue so that I don't have to repeat them:-

1. Carburetor Dung was and still is a band ahead of its time. They rarely perform these days, but if they do, I'll try to catch them.

2. Joe Kidd and his mates are one of those rare thoughtful socially and politically conscious Malaysians trying to make a difference in their work, lives and music.

3. I didn't see anything. But i was told the shorts were cobalt blue. I've seen much more during ceramahs when people wearing loose pants sit down and lean forward ... (argh... my eyes, my eyes!)

4. If they get to perform again at a protest, I hope they will invite me to play with them.

5. I am grateful that the Youth Squad of KeADILan handled the situation very well and led the band to safety.

6. Some 60% of voters in Malaysia are and will be 35 years and below. Go figure. 

7. The events that ensued and ended as soon as it began had no bearing on the price of fuel. Sorry, but the stars of last night were Lim Kit Siang, Kamaruddin Jaafar and Anwar Ibrahim, not them and them.

8. I like my music fast and furious. Maybe I'll mellow down when I reach the big four-O. But I doubt I'll forget my roots.

On another note but still on the same subject of music, I hope I can get more spaces for our youth to play music - folk, metal, classical, whatever and help sponsor some music classes especially for kids from the lower income strata - most can't afford lessons like the middle-class, and the select few learn from their friends. What holds us back is the lack of spaces for expression and creativity. Why isn't music a compulsory subject in schools? In fact, one of my more satisfying part-time jobs once upon a time was teaching a couple of teenage girls and some adults electric guitar. Give our youths guitars and music lessons please, not more 24-hr cybercafes or National (dis)Service.

And the Home Minister should stop talking rot. Direct your preaching to the MB of Pahang first.

Win, kemaren jadi ke Sesko?

Aku jadinya bawa rombongan ke rumah Dyah, biasa menjarah tanaman...makasih ya Dyah
jalan2?? lieur ihhh, muacet di mana-mana.

Dulu waktu kita sma kayaknya belum macet kayak gitu ya ?
Pas di belokan beatrik juga udah macet, soalnya ada tempat petik strawbery di situ.
Uh....

Beli tahu di Cijeruk ge meni ngantri, teu jadi deh...kudu pake kupon nomor sagala. Hahaha, saya juga sempet ke situ, tapi gak jadi gara2 antrian meni panjang. Jadinya beli yang deket rumah aja, sama2 enaknya.
Katanya sih yang punya juga sodaraan

Kang Usep apa kabar? di belah mana sih warnet-na? teu kapendak kamari ka lebah dinya teh!!!

Ida & Dey

While it may seem farfetched to some people, many of my clients remember what they felt and experienced while still in the womb. Comments such as these are not unusual:

“I knew even before I was born that my mother didn’t want me.”

“I could feel my mother’s fear and anxiety even before I was born.”

Parenting does not start once the child is born. Good parenting starts even before getting pregnant. It starts by caring about what you eat, how much exercise and sleep you get, and by making sure that you are taking responsibility for your feelings of anxiety and stress. Your baby will feel what you feel, so learning how to be in peace and joy before getting pregnant is part of good parenting.

I loved being pregnant. I had always wanted children so I was thrilled to be pregnant. I loved feeling the baby moving within me, awed by the very fact of creating new life. I loved feeling an elbow or a knee slide across my stomach. I loved that my body could be a receptacle for bringing through this soul, this angel from heaven. I could not think of anything more profound, more worth doing. Who was this unique little person growing in my body?

I read every book I could on parenting and thought endlessly how I wanted to be a different parent than my parents were.

The problem was that I have never thought about how much my relationship with myself and with my husband might affect this child.

My husband was angry, distant and withdrawn during my pregnancy and the first three months after giving birth to our son. He was a person who wanted control and he was not happy that I got pregnant six months before we had planned. He didn’t open his heart until our son smiled at him at three months of age.

Being young, I had no idea how to handle the loneliness I felt at not having my husband joyfully involved in the hugest event of my life. Had I known then what I know now, I would have done anything I could to get the help we needed to bring our relationship back into caring. We can’t go back, but I’m sure that my son felt the lack of joy that existed between my husband and me. I’m sure he felt the depth of my loneliness. I wish I knew then what I know now about taking responsibility for my own feelings.

Being pregnant and giving birth are enormous events in a woman’s life, especially the first child, which changes your life so dramatically. If you do not know how to take responsibility for your own feelings of anger, hurt, anxiety, depression and loneliness, things will only get worse after giving birth. A child does not solve problems for you.

It’s hard to imagine before having a child what it is like to be responsible for another life 24/7. If you have not learned how to lovingly parent yourself before giving birth, you might find yourself getting lost as parent your baby. Good parenting starts before getting pregnant, with learning how to take loving care of yourself.

If you have a desire to be a good parent, here are steps you can take before getting pregnant:

1. Physical health: make sure that you are in good physical shape by eliminating sugar and artificial sweeteners. Start to shop in health food stores and buy only organic products. Eliminating pesticides and food additives is essential for good health. Also be sure to get enough exercise and sleep.

2. Emotional health: instead of having your eyes on your partner, turn your eyes inward and begin to compassionately notice your own feelings. Start to treat your own feelings in the same way you are planning on treating your future child’s feelings - with caring and understanding. In addition, start to practice taking loving action in your own behalf - standing up for yourself, speaking your truth, taking time for yourself. Practice taking loving care of your own feelings instead of making your partner responsible for how you feel. Begin to notice what you think and do that may be causing you stress. Changing thoughts and behavior that cause your stress before getting pregnant is essential for good parenting.

3. Spiritual health: practice opening to a higher source of guidance, wisdom, strength and comfort. This can be your own highest, wisest self within you, or a Higher Power outside of you. You will find that being able to turn a source of wisdom and comfort within or without will go a long way in helping you stay loving and stress-free with yourself, your partner, and your baby. In addition, this will help you know what to do in different challenging situations with your baby.

If you are planning on having a baby, start today in becoming a good parent!

About The Author Margaret Paul, Ph.D. is the best-selling author and co-author of eight books, including "Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By You?" She is the co-creator of the powerful Inner Bonding psychological and spiritual healing process. Learn Inner Bonding now! Visit her web site for a FREE Inner Bonding course: http://www.innerbonding.com or mailto:margaret@innerbonding.com. Phone Sessions Available.

Chi was at ExCel London and for her the experience was riveting. She comments, “The presence of God was so strong and I was healed of lactose intolerance of 13 years. But even better is the fact that my spirit is stirred and is so full of joy. I thank God for all that He has done for me, past present and future. We serve a mighty God!!”

For Furley, the program was incredible; he got healed and can now walk again after so many years of pain. He says, “Pastor Chris is indeed incredible! A truly inspiring event, the presence of God was felt by me and those around me for the duration. Thank the Lord for letting us attend this incredible event, and we hope that next time He will let even more of His people attend in a Stadium. With Pastor Chris’ help I was able to walk again, after many years of pain I can now sell my crutches on eBay”. Selling his crutches on eBay! Can you beat that? God is indeed wonderful.

It is undeniably a glorious experience to be free to live a healthy and fulfilled life. The Night of Bliss UK has indeed been a soul inspiring event and we are grateful to God for the wondrous healings and miracles that took place at the venue, the many more that occurred after the program and for those that will be evident with each passing day.

Your experience and testimonies of this overwhelming event are worth hearing, so hurry and post your comments; it’s not too late.

-------------------The Night of Bliss Blog Team.

Post Your Comments!

Originally uploaded by lighttripper

I think we are changing. We, as a society are changing and changing for the better.

This change was witnessed by a Gay Pride parade in Bangalore for the 1st time on 29-Jun-08. A walk, where all the men and women, who are otherwise ridiculed in our films for fun, who are only stared at and stayed away from, came out in the open with a simple yet powerful message, which said, “Here I am, just as human as you are and equally comfortable of who I am.”

This change was not welcome by many though and this was proven by the many comments that I got to see in various discussion forums. But the opinions of the speakers in these forums really don’t matter because if these people cannot accept alternate sexuality as a normal way of existence, then I don’t think we need these useless discussion forums anymore. These should rather be banned or fire-walled.

Come to think of it, women’s emancipation and empowerment also appeared as a threatening to many and it still is, therefore, empowering people who do not confirm to the normal gender roles, have a long way to go. Though the good part is, most of us now know that they don’t fear us anymore and that’s a good change.

Talking about these changes, another event that I must talk about here are the two monologues performed by Pritham K Chakravarthy.

Pritham Chakravarthy, who is a playwright, director, performer, film critic and activist from Chennai performed two of her famous monologues, “Nirvanam” and “Mirror”.

This event was held at The Centre for Education and Documentation, Domlur on a lazy Saturday afternoon of 5th of Jul 2008.

This event was organized by a Theatre group called Masra and was kept very low key, I really don’t know why?

Witnessed by an audience of not more than 30 people who were mostly in their 20s, I saw 3 elderly people also, who came very early to grab the best seats for the show. Another reason for me to believe that we are changing for good.

As a performer, Pritham is engrossing and believable. Her USP is her powerful body language and screaming eye contact that she makes with her audience.

I was overwhelmed with her acting so much that I was at a loss of words when the discussion with the audience began. She was so real.

In her first play, “Nirvanam”, she tells a story of a eunuch. A story of a boy who has the soul of a woman beneath all the flesh and bones and a human spirit above all. A spirit to find her own identity amidst all odds and abandonment. A story of courage, survival. This play is aptly named “Nirvanam” where a person who is ostracized by his own family attains Nirvana by getting rid of his “manhood” . The message which rips through your mind is, “A human is much more than we all perceive through the anatomy.”

The performance is so gripping that at first I thought may be this is the story of Pritham herself.
It was not easy for Pritham to interview eunuchs and get such insight on their lives.

Mirror, was the 2nd performance where Pritham enacts a story of a successful actress from the black and white era of Tamil cinema, who was once successful and independent. It’s a story about her insecurities, tragedies, heartbreaks and secrets. A similar tale where independent women taking their own sexual decisions with a liberated mind cannot be “good” wives. They can be good lovers and even better mothers to fatherless children but cannot be a wife.

Both “Nirvanam” and “Mirror” were in striking contrasts with each other. “Nirvanam” being a story of a man wanting to be a woman. Where the protagonist is taken care of by the Aravani community; a community which lives in the peripherals of society stricken by ignorance, lack of health care, education, any kind of human rights and poverty. “Mirror”, on the other hand, is a story of a successful and beautiful woman who is proud to be a screen goddess. She is admired by many yet she cant live a normal life. Both the protagonists are powerful and their independence is scary to people who are just about ordinary. The sad part is most of the world is filled with ordinary people and that is perhaps the reason why it is difficult for any extra-ordinary person to be a part of a normal lifestyle.

NOTE:- “Nirvanam” is a ceremony of the Aravani community where a man becomes a woman by getting rid of his manhood. The entire healing process takes 40 days and its on the 40th day that the womanhood is celebrated.

Both the stories are based on facts gathered from various interviews.

Photo Courtesy:- Vinayak Das

First School Trip

went to zoo with Haariz & friends & teachers on Thursday. And it rained! heavily.! We manage to spend about 2hrs there. Mostly, waiting for the rain to stop. Which it didnt. No animal show, no aquarium. :(

After zoo, we went to Shakeys pizza for pizza making & lunch. spent about 2 hrs there (Jusco Kepong). then at 3, we left for the Fire station at hartamas. By the time we reached there, most of the kids were already tired. But, still they got the opportunity to be the fire-boy/-girl of the day.. (I'll put photos later okay?)

We got back to the school at around 5 pm.

First Family Holiday yr 2008

next day (Friday), we left for Genting at 11am. Due to the rain the day before I end up with flu. It got worst, once we reached the top.,

Anyway, we brought the kids to the outdoor/indoor parks for a few hours.. we had a few rides and went back to the hotel for a nap. By the way, Haariz didnt really enjoy the rides though.

After a short nap, we head to the snow world. This, Haariz enjoyed so much. we spend about 30 minutes there (its fixed, 40minutes per entry, 10 minutes gone, by the time we put on our jackets & gloves). this by the way made my flu worst.

We got back to our hotel at around 11pm.

First night without the kids

Next day, Saturday. My conference starts. So the kids & hubby went back to KL. So did nothing much on that day. but missed the kids badly that night!

Sunday, conference end at noon. We (me & colleague) left for KL immediately.. cant wait to see the kids.

Haariz didnt really miss me much i think. Hubby took him to KLCC earlier just to occupy his time.

Idrees was sleeping when i got home. When he woke up, he cried once he sees me. He misses me so much i think. My mum said he was looking for me at 4am. :(

First Kiss

You got to read this. We had this conversation last night, after dinner.

papa: ma, haariz kata dia kiss aliya kat school.

mama: ha? Haariz kiss aliya?

haariz: ha ah.

mama: nape haariz kiss aliya? nanti mama dia marah?

haariz: haariz kiss aliya sbb dia girl. haariz boy.

mama: ye la, tapi nnt mama dia marah. nanti mama dia  tanya mama, macam mana?

haariz: mama dia tak marah la.

mama: tapi nape haariz kiss dia?

haariz: sebab haariz sukkkaaa aliya. (+ senyum kambing).

mama: sofia pon girl, batrisya pon girl, shahira pon girl, nape haariz tak kiss diorang?

haariz: sebab batrisya small, (batrisya is 2.5yrs old). Haariz suka big.

mama & papa: ??

mama: kat mana haariz kiss aliya? pipi?

haariz: kat school la masa nak pegi zoo.

mama: ?

end of story.

We are fast approaching the opening weekend for "The Dark Knight", and therefore we are fast approaching our next group outing to The Commodore Theatre on Saturday July 19, 2008. The movie starts at 2:00 p.m. and just like our movie outings for "Iron Man" and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", we are hoping to get as many people together as possible to see this highly anticipated summer blockbuster. Of course, I will be volunteering myself to wait in line to get tickets for anyone who wants to go, so if you'd like to join us on Saturday July 19, just drop me a line at lance@butteredpopcorn.net and make sure to get me $7.00 before Sat. July 19.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, the Commodore Theatre is BY FAR the best movie theatre in the Hampton Roads area. It is difficult to explain the incredible difference that the Commodore's sound system has when viewing a movie like "The Dark Knight". The Commodore Theatre is made for movies like these, and movies like "The Dark Knight" are made for theaters like The Commodore Theatre. The theatre is located in Olde Towne Portsmouth on High Street. It is extremely easy to get to from anywhere in Hampton Roads. Basically, if you know how to get to the downtown tunnel on the Portsmouth side, then you are just 2 blocks away from The Commodore.

DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE OF GOING TO ONE OF THE MASS PRODUCED CINEPLEXES TO SEE THIS MOVIE! IT IS SIMPLY NOT GOING TO BE AS GOOD AS SEEING IT AT THE COMMODORE!

If you haven't been to the Commodore before, you are truly missing out on the areas most enjoyable movie theater. The sound system is second to none, the seating is the most comfortable around, they serve you excellent deli sandwiches and beverages (yes, even THOSE beverages), and the ticket prices are less expensive than your local Regal or AMC cineplex. So it's a win-win-win situation. Plus, you don't have to wait in line for tickets cause I'm going to do it for you. So come join the fun! Just ask anyone who went to one of our last group outings for "Iron Man" or "Indiana Jones" and they will tell you that it a most enjoyable time. And by the way, for you audiophiles out there, it is also a THX-certified theatre.

So just drop me a line at lance@butteredpopcorn.net and get me $7.00 before July 19th, and you'll be all set for the fun. Also, there is a very good chance that we will all be hanging out at The Bier Garden before the show to partake of one of their various biers they have on stock. So come early and hang out with us. Everyone has to be at the theatre no later than 1:00 p.m., but the earlier the better. Hope to see everyone there!

I always wanted to have children and I was completely thrilled when I had my first child. Nothing, however, prepares a mother for what it’s like to be responsible for a child 24/7.

Before my son was born, I had time – time to read, to be creative, to spend time with friends, to take long baths, to spend time with my husband, to breathe. Suddenly there was no time for me. And, of course, after two more children, having any time for me became even more challenging.

That’s when I started getting sick. Not sick in the way you could name it – just sick in the way of being fatigued all the time. As much as I loved being a mother as well as continuing my practice as a psychotherapist, I was wearing out. Something had to change.

The real problem was in knowing how to take care of my children and myself, instead of just taking care of my children. I had been brought up to be a caretaker, which meant that everyone’s needs came before mine. That was really what was wearing me out. Not only that, but putting their needs before mine was creating children with entitlement issues – the more I put myself aside for them, the more they demanded and felt entitled to my time and attention.

Unfortunately, I didn’t discover this problem until my children were adolescents. By that time I was headed for serious illness. My immune system was shutting down and various doctors said I that if I didn’t change my lifestyle, I would end up with cancer or something equally serious.

It’s not easy to start to attend to yourself when you’ve always put others’ needs before your own. Yet for me it felt like a life-and-death situation. I had always been afraid that if I said “no” to my husband and children, I would discover that they really didn’t care about me. I was afraid to find out that they wouldn’t support me in learning to take care of myself. Yet I finally reached the point where I was willing to lose them rather than continue to lose myself and my health.

It was at this point that I began to develop a strong spiritual connection, and Spirit eventually guided me toward a self-healing process which we now call Inner Bonding. (For a free Inner Bonding course, see www.innerbonding.com). It was through practicing the six steps of this powerful process that I was able to start taking care of myself while I was working and taking care of my family, and my health gradually returned.

I had always had enormous compassion for others but generally lacked compassion for myself. My challenge was to turn my eyes inward to my own feelings and needs instead of always being tuned in just to others’ feelings and needs. I needed to learn to treat myself as well as I treated others. I needed to learn to stand up for myself when my family demanded that I take care of them to the detriment of myself. I needed to learn to have the courage to withstand their anger when I didn’t do just what they wanted me to do. I needed to learn to stand in my truth regarding what was loving to myself and others instead of trying to control their love with my compliance. It’s been a long and sometimes painful road, but one with great rewards.

In a session with Renee, one of my clients, she told me that she was struggling with this same issue. She was exhausted most of the time, and often felt depressed. She told me of a recent incident that had happened with her nine-year old daughter, Sarah. Renee had told Sarah that she wanted to watch a particular TV program at 8:00 that night, so Renee wanted to make sure that Sarah didn’t need anything from her after 8:00. When 8:00 came around after Renee had been spending time with Sarah, Renee said she was going to watch her TV program. Sarah said, “Mom, so the TV program is more important than I am.” Renee got confused by this, bought into the guilt, and gave into Sarah, thereby enabling Sarah’s already strong entitlement issues. Then Renee felt even more exhausted and depressed.

What Renee needed to say to Sarah was, “Honey, it is you who is being selfish in not caring about what is important to me and just wanting me to do what you want. I need you to care about me like I care about you.” Then she needed to watch her program, thus taking care of herself and at the same time role-modeling personal responsibility rather than enabling Sarah’s entitlement issue by giving herself up.

Learning to take care of ourselves is essential for our own health and the health of our family.

About The Author Margaret Paul, Ph.D. is the best-selling author and co-author of eight books, including "Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By You?" She is the co-creator of the powerful Inner Bonding psychological and spiritual healing process. Learn Inner Bonding now! Visit her web site for a FREE Inner Bonding course: http://www.innerbonding.com or mailto:margaret@innerbonding.com. Phone Sessions Available.

On Thursday, Eldest Son, Young Son #2, Daughter and French Daughter spent all day at the lake with our extended family and stayed overnight at Hubby's sister's house. Hubby and I drove to his sister's house on Friday morning - he on his motorcycle, me in the car. With an extra kid in the house, we don't have enough room in one car to fit everyone and we were bringing everyone home later that day. After lunch at Hubby's sister's house, we went to a lake cabin owned by our brother-in-law's parents. It was a gorgeous day on the lake, complete with tubing children, a light wind, sun and a bald eagle.

After this, it was time for a parade in town. The four young ladies in our group, Daughter, French Daughter, Niece, and Friend of Niece, spent the entire time painting their toe- and fingernails red, white and blue and applying blue mascara and eyeliner. They were already decked out in red, white and blue duds. For them, these sorts of events are all about looking good. The funniest part of the parade was the Al Franken contingent. We weren't sure Al himself would be at the parade shaking hands, until we saw one of his contingent carrying a sign shaped like an arrow with the words "Al Franken" on it. He followed Franken everywhere, using the sign to show people where he was in the crowd.

After the parade, it was time to head to the football field where fireworks are displayed each year. Quite a lot of waiting there. The parade finished by 6 p.m. We ate a light supper at our vehicles and then hoofed it to the field. Fireworks didn't start until just after 10 p.m. This gave our young ladies time to walk around and show off their Independence Day style.

The fireworks display was extraordinary in its longevity and explosiveness. There was the usual oohing and ahhing and clapping. By the end, there was a thick cloud of smoke over the field. Hubby and I remarked to our brother-in-law, who works with The Nature Conservancy, about the amount of pollution given off by fireworks. The following day, I woke with ringing in my ears and a stuffed head. I also found a reference to fireworks pollution on Slashdot. Pollution or not, I can't imagine the Fourth of July without fireworks. Why do so many fun things have a dark side?

Bill Cosby and Al Sharpton

LL Cool J

Patti La belle

Jill Scott

Jill

Musiq

=========================================================

7th of July 2008 - Building Tutorial > Starting time: 11am  slt- 12pm SLT <. 1h tutorial on how to build for newbies. Any new avatars to tsl may come along to learn the basics of building. We will be building things from a basic sofa to a basic coffie table. This will include texturing all the way to moving, shaping, changing the objects. Also there will be a mystery guest joining us.  

11th of July 2008 - Eye4you: Medieval Enchantment Tournament > 1pm SLT at Eye4you Alliance Island - Hear Ye, Hear Ye. Enchantment awaits: Events rotate between Sword, Jousting, Archery, Bardic Circle, History challenge and Magic. $Linden$ prizes. Training then contests.  Beginners are welcome. Free medieval weapons and clothing. Come to Eye4you and join the fun!

12th of July 2008 - Eye4you: The Second Annual TSL Craft Fair > 7am - 2pm SLT at Eye4you Alliance Island. Big things, little things, what have you made?, Bring your best stuff to the Craft Fair and show it off!

12th of July 2008 - Eye4you: Avatar Design Contest > 3pm SLT at Eye4you Alliance Island. Vote on your favorite teen created avatar for authors Meg Cabot and Jack Gantos who will be on Eye4You July 24 and August 5-with the winning avatar!

13th of July 2008 - Eye4you: Medieval Enchantment Tournament > 12pm SLT at Eye4you Alliance Island - Hear Ye, Hear Ye. Enchantment awaits: Events rotate between Sword, Jousting, Archery, Bardic Circle, History challenge and Magic. $Linden$ prizes. Training then contests.  Beginners are welcome. Free medieval weapons and clothing. Come to Eye4you and join the fun!

ROB ROGERS, Redding.com, July 6, 2008

"When we moved in here three or four days ago, nothing was here," said Frank Salomon, a public information officer for the Phoenix Fire Department.

Salomon and 11 of his colleagues from the Arizona capital are housed in the former 84 Lumber building on Old Forty-four Drive in Redding coordinating resources for the firefight in Northern California. They're prepared to stay until November.

Over the past three days, they've been busy getting the power and water turned back on at the lumber warehouse, moving in office equipment and making sure they have plenty of phone lines and a fast Internet connection.

So far, so good, Salomon said. His team received its first out-of-state firefighting crew Friday and had them processed and assigned to a fire in 21⁄2 hours.

"Things are building up here now," he said.

Officially, Salomon and his colleagues are a Type III incident management team operating under the direction of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

When President Bush declared California a state of emergency a week ago, it opened the door to $30 million in FEMA funding. The management team from Phoenix, trained to coordinate and lead emergency operations like this one, was then called in.

The FEMA money is for fighting fires solely on state land, meaning Salomon' steam is assisting only the fire fighting efforts of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. As Cal Fire officials call in their requests for crews and equipment, the FEMA team assigns the resources.

"A huge part of managing these critical incidents is managing the tremendous amount of resources needed," said Kevin Kalkbrenner, the team's commander.

The FEMA command center is responsible for fires burning in three main regions of Northern California— Butte, Mendocino and Shasta. Fires burning in the north state's national forests are still under the direction of U.S. Forest Service officials.

As out-of-town and out of state fire crews are called into California to assist, their first stop after arriving will be the FEMA command center,where they physically check in, get their vehicles inspected and then wait for their assignment.

"Anything that needs to be utilized to fight a fire comes through here," Salomon said.

Salomon acknowledged there's plenty to coordinate. With thousands of acres burning across California on local, state and federal lands and agencies as diverse as city fire departments, Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service all working to battle the blazes, there's a lot to keep straight.

But it's not as convoluted as it may appear, he said. After the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 and, along with the formation of Homeland Security,the federal government created the National Incident Management System— universal training for first responders across the country on how to deal with a national-level catastrophe.

"All of us — regardless of where we come from—understand incident command,"Salomon said.

As a result, most agencies responding know what to do,how to do it and where to go for orders.

Salomon and his crew are bedding down for a long stay— he was told until November. There's also a chance they could become a demobilization center to send crews home once the fires burnout. Either way, Salomon said they're prepared.

"You've got to think big,"he said.

That's all it takes to change the world. Take a long hard look in the mirror and really notice who you are.

We're all screaming for peace right now - not just world peace - but peace in our cities, in our workplaces, in our homes and in our minds. There has to be a better way to end this madness.

We need a new way of doing things. Yet we seem to be stuck in outdated modes of thought that have not been working. For if they did, we wouldn't be in the predicaments we are in now. The past will keep repeating itself until we make a conscious choice to go in a new direction.

Going in a new direction begins inside of you, of me, and of us as individuals. Until we change as individuals, only then can the world change.

One of my favorite quotes is from Mahatma Gandhi - 'You must be the change you want to see in the world.' So to have world peace we have to look in the mirror. Take a look and try to find the peace you're searching for in your heart.

If you can't find it ask yourself why. It's not missing - it's been there with you all along waiting for you to begin your search within. Peace isn't hard to find at all. You just have to dig from underneath all of the rubble - fear and anger. Once you push the fear and anger to the side peace will be in plain view.

When you find the peace in your heart you start to exude it. It becomes infectious. Joy soon follows and a sense of calm is not too far behind. All of this from one good look in the mirror. One hard look at who you really are. That's all it takes to get the ball rolling.

And it's easy to pass it on. Remind your loved ones to find their peace within. They'll know it can be done because they would have seen the transformation in you. Be a walking example of peace and watch how it spreads.

When others come to you full of fear and anger remember the peace within yourself and gently remind them that no matter how bad it gets it will eventually work itself out for the best.

We get what we dwell upon so if we keep our thoughts based on fear and anger that's what we'll continue to get. Instead let's focus on peace - peace within ourselves and let these thoughts multiply. Remember, be the change you want to see - so be peaceful within your heart and watch your world begin to mirror that.

About The Author Selena Richardson believes in following your dreams and creating the life you want. To receive more articles like this and a free ebook, subscribe to Creative Possibilities by sending a blank email to mailto:subscribe@creationjourneys.com or visit the site: http://www.creationjourneys.com selena@creationjourneys.com

everyday is someone's birthday.

is it a day spent quietly with no fanfare or is it a day spent bouncing with friends in an inflatable hello kitty jumper, surrounded by pink and white balloons, curly streamers, kool-aid, and cake?

i used to be one of those sly people who let my birthday pass without a mention. then, i thought - why hide? why be so stingy! there are people who love to love you! supreme enjoyment is present when wishing a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! bursting with love and bubbling with generosity. how about soaking it in?

it's a gift to accept love. it's a gift to give it. do you know anyone who would love to be loved on their birthday? birthdays are a great opportunity to release love & joy into the world.

after the party's over - then what?

well, live like it's your birthday everyday. BE LOVE and LOVING!

go ahead, buy that musical card. mail it to yourself or to another.

today is the perfect day to shout HAPPY BIRTHDAY to YOU! and fill the day with LOVE!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Jean Hoffman, RZA & Adisa Banjoko

At 9Queens Event in NYC July 5

Well, perhaps that should be "pony & rider". Today was an Open Day the stables where my brilliant little rider goes for lessons and pony club meets. She was asked to give a demonstration and eagerly agreed. She was so excited! She got little notecards from the stable and gave one to everyone she knows to invite them to come along and watch her ride. She gave one to all her friends (at school & in the neighbourhood), her teacher, the Head Teacher, had them put one up in the staff room and took two to the school office so they could post them on the noticeboard displaying the front & back of the cards.

Needless to say she's been anxiously awaiting the day. A minor scare happened on Thursday evening when she fell off her bike ... scraping her right elbow and palm and bruising her left thumb. She complained so much we let her wear a sling for the right arm - even to school on Friday.

But this shouldn't have been a worry. After all she would try and ride even if she'd chopped an arm off. Oh yeah, I haven't previously mentioned just how horse mad my little rider is - she has it very bad! So in short nothing aside from unconsciousness or prison would stop her from riding.

And rode she did! Perfectly I might add without any bias. While she would have preferred to give the demo on jumping and is perfectly capable, she does have one small disadvantage - her height. She is too short due to her age to ride the horses in the right group for her skills. So she gave the demo on gymkhana - games to the non-horsey people out there! It is like a race between two groups of riders/horses that includes a few obstacles and challenges. For this display, she had to ride under one pole, trot over a flat pole, then jump the crossed fence, bear left, collect the flag (which Star is terrified of!), ride back down the arena, hop off the horse, lead it back to the start while stepping on some "stepping stones" and place the flag in the stand.

She was cool even though she hasn't ridden such a small pony in ages. Even though Star spooks at the flags, she wouldn't let the cheeky pony run away from it. In the end her team (of which there was herself and another girl) won vs. the other team of 2 riders. Yippee!

So I suppose it really was worth the week of excitement and anxiety followed by 6 hours this morning of "what time is it?" and "That means we have x hours and xx minutes to wait right?" Just as well I love her!

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