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[jeremydsollard-blog]

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West Michigan is a growing population with many people moving to communities in the Grand Rapids area. In 2009 the Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland area had a population of 1,327,336. As the major industry in Grand Rapids was once furniture production, it is nicknamed the "Furniture City". However, the city and surrounding communities are more economically diverse today, and contribute heavily to the health care, automotive, and consumer goods manufacturing industries, among others.

Most recently Grand Rapids has focused on the health sciences industry, investing nearly a billion dollars in businesses located in the Michigan Street "medical corridor". This has resulted in many health science jobs being bought to the area. In 2010 Grand Rapids was named the "most sustainable mid-size city in the U.S." by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Civic Leadership Center and Siemens Corp.

In addition to a thriving economy, it is home to hundreds of churches. Finding a church community can be difficult in a new city, especially when you are not familiar with the area or distinguishing characteristics of various churches. There are hundreds of churches in the Grand Rapids area. How do people find the right one?

There are countless kinds of churches with varying theologies, ministry philosophies, programs and styles to choose from in the Grand Rapids area. Searching online can bring hundreds hyll on holland pricelist  of choices and visiting them can take weeks or months. And for people who are new to an area, the challenge is even greater. Figuring out geographical neighborhoods, cultural and theological differences and what programs are available can be very time consuming. This during a period when other adjustments are taking priority, such as finding a place to live, shop and adjusting to a new work or school environment.

It is not only people moving into an area that seek information on finding the right church. They may be in the Grand Rapids area to take advantage of the state of the art medical facilities and looking for a church home during this challenging time. They also will be challenged trying to sort through all the choices and options available while trying to maintain the focus on the medical difficulties that brought them to Grand Rapids.

People also seek information about churches in their area when they are considering changing churches. According to a series of LifeWay Research studies of people who switch churches 89% of adults indicated they select a new church based on what the church says it believes. It's important for churches to make this information readily available, ideally on their website. This goes beyond mere doctrinal statements, to real life philosophy and mission statements that govern the day to day decisions and the culture of the church.

Families with teens face an especially difficult challenge as they try to find a church that will meet the needs of the young adults in their household. According to two Barna studies done in April 2005 and July 2006, forty-five percent of American teens said what teens expect most when it comes to churches is to worship or make a connection with God and 42 percent seek "to better understand what I believe," Additionally, things they considered important were spending time with close friends (34 percent); getting encouraged or inspired (34 percent); and volunteering to help others (30 percent). Families with teens and young adults will want to find churches that have programs and activities that meet these needs and will be both fun and helpful to them as they seek to integrate their faith with real life situations. Helping them connect with God, learn about their faith, and serve others, in a loving and relational environment should be top priorities of a church home.

Still, many spiritual people do not attend church. One Barna study among unchurched adults shows that nearly four out of every ten non-churchgoing Americans (37%) said they avoid churches because of negative past experiences in churches or with church people. According to author Stephen Mansfield, most unchurched people - more than four out of five - were formerly regular participants in church life, many of whom departed after an ugly incident that hurt them deeply. Returning to church involves finding a place that will offer understanding, love and acceptance. It can be a challenge to sort through the hundreds of churches in an area as large as Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland and to find a place that will support them whatever stage of life or belief they are at. Visiting each church takes time, and getting to know the people there cannot happen in one or two visits. The challenge can seem overwhelming. Churches need to be cognizant of this when developing their website so as to convey a welcoming attitude toward all seekers, with sensitivity to past hurts and disappointments. Visitors will use this as their initial evaluation of a church, looking at it and asking themselves, "Can I see me fitting in there?"

Neighborhoods, workplaces and families are much more diverse than they were in previous generations. Churches need to be aware of how people's culture affects the ways they think and live. It can be difficult to find a church that supports diversity in both its congregational makeup and its form of worship. Some people are very comfortable with outgoing, expressive worship, while others prefer a quiet, introspective experience. The Spirit touches individuals - and cultures - differently. People's spiritual journeys are rarely the same and respect for a person's preferences and believes is important. Churches must be sure they convey to both attendees and seekers that diversity is not only welcome, but expected.

[jeremydsollard-blog]

hyll on holland

You looked at your toes and toenails today while running though your daily routine and noticed something unusual. They don't look as fresh as they usually do and you decide to take a closer look. Upon closer inspection you notice that they are dingy and off color and one in particular is turning color. You know for sure that you haven't injured your nails and you certainly did not notice it after your last visit too the nail salon, so what exactly are you seeing?

Welcome to the toenail fungus world. Like millions of Americans, you have just joined the ranks of the masses. When I say masses, I am talking about 6 million Americans who are affected with this disease, approximately 30 million worldwide.

Toenail discoloration is the first sign of toenail fungus. Possibly you have one or more nails affected and it gets worst. It spreads from human to human like the plague. It invades your nail beds, discolors the nails and can turn very nasty. So nasty in fact that the nail can eventually root off your feet. It can distort, twist and cause ingrown toenails and its out of sight ugly to look at.

Toenail discoloration - What color is ugly?

Toenail fungus comes in all colors. The most popular is yellow, green, brown and even white. It starts at the nail bed then works itself down the nail until the entire nail is an ugly color. It can look spotted, white hyll on holland pricelist  on green or any combination of other colors could emerge. Advanced cases look white or completely white in color and show signs of a serious deformation of the nail. Splitting, cracking, bumpy, lumpy, scaly, thick and even total loss of the nail best describes this condition.

What can I do about toenail discoloration?

Early signs of toenail discoloration should be attended too immediately. The longer you wait the worst it gets so please don't wait for it too get better because it wont get better on its own. Its a disease of the nail which harbors bacteria (spores) and can be transmitted to others so be very careful.

Recommendations

You should seek an immediate solution, one that treats the condition naturally. There are quite a few products on the market that can be purchased without having to visit a doctor. These include natural ingredients but be sure to choose a product that includes something like Tree Tee Oil, Lemon grass extra and Vitamin E oils, to name a few. Usually you will find a fast cure using an over the counter product instead of reverting to a prescription ( not recommended), that could harm you.

Do yourself a favor! Take control of your discolored toenails before it take control of you. I cannot stress this enough. Being an ex toenail fungus sufferer for 2yrs I can tell you that this is no laughing matter. You heard it from June Holland a real person who finally got rid of it.

[jeremydsollard-blog]

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By the turn of the 20th century, Michigan, a state that had pegged its economic fortunes to the lumber industry began to accept the reality that it had sold its heritage for pennies on the dollar. The lumber that had been its economic mainstay was gone! For sixty years lumberjacks had raged across the state from Lake Michigan on the state's western shore to Lake Huron on the eastern shore and from Lake Erie in the south to Lake Superior at its northern end ripping away forests and leaving behind economic depression, an ugly environment and hopelessness.

Gradually, the state's leaders became aware of a new industry, one that did not tear down resources but rather added resources - agriculture, especially agricultural products that included processing factories. The developing beet sugar industry fit the bill with perfection. Michigan Sugar Company's new factory in Essexville, a suburb of Bay City, proved beyond question that farmers, industrialists, and venture capitalists could profit equally by raising sugarbeets and then processing them into table sugar. Soon, the rush to build beet sugar factories developed into a full scale stampede. The Michigan sugarbeet industry escalated at a breathtaking pace.

Nine factories followed Essexville's successful experiment. A burst of cyclonic enthusiasm caused a mad hyll on holland brochure  scramble when investors, constructors, bankers, and farmers combined energies and skills to bring to life eight factories in a single year! That was 1899 when new factories were built in Holland, Kalamazoo, Rochester, Benton Harbor, Alma, West Bay City, Caro, and a second factory in Essexville. In Marine City, investors, inspired by success at Essexville, paid Kilby Manufacturing $557,000 to build Michigan's tenth sugarbeet factory. Despite the paucity of factory constructors and the engineers to operate them, fourteen additional factories rose on the outskirts of Michigan towns during the next six years, the last of which appeared in Charlevoix in 1906. Fifteen years later, Monitor Sugar Company built the state's twenty-fourth and final beet factory.

Unhappily, the unbridled enthusiasm for new beet sugar factories often resulted in the construction of factories in places that had not won the farmer's heart. One such place was East Tawas, a lovely village on Lake Huron's shore that would one day attract tourists who sought its Lake Huron's sandy beaches and gently lapping waves. But until 1903, East Tawas, like most of Michigan, had relied on the lumber industry for its daily fare. When the lumber barons packed up their money bags and departed for greener pastures, investors turned to the beet sugar industry that was blazing as hot as the dot com industry would blaze nearly a century later. Instead of fame and fortune, however, East Tawas earned the distinction of having in its environs a sugar factory that would have the shortest lifespan of any beet sugar factory in Michigan.

The total operating time its two-year life span was twenty-nine days, eighteen the first year and eleven during the second and final year. The total weight of beets sliced during that period was 17,648 tons, far from enough to support the factory's overhead expenses, much less provide a profit to the investors. Some named it Churchill's Folly after Worthy Churchill, the president of the Bay City-Michigan Sugar Company.

With the construction of the Bay City Sugar factory in Essexville underway, Worthy Churchill wanted to secure a sugarbeet growing estate somewhere north of Bay City where inexpensive and idle timberland awaited someone to put it to better purpose. Coincidentally, East Tawas was burdened with a bankrupt sawmill situated at a fork in the road a few miles north of the town, where, today, U.S. 23 intersects with Tawas Beach Road. Its proximity to Lake Huron offered a handy source of water. Rail lines built to haul lumber from sawmills would now carry sugar equipment to the site. The residents of East Tawas, much like residents of villages throughout the state, were loathe to depart even though its gently undulating hills, once covered with magnificent white pine were now barren. Rich soils drifted from unprotected hills to settle in moss covered swamps. Jack pine, short and crooked, and weeds grew in the dry crevasses near the edges of the swamps.

East Tawas residents clamored for a sugarbeet factory. The infant industry was three years old, but already legends involving sudden wealth and entire communities saved from extinction, caused an outcry for one in their community. Significantly, others who had made substantial investments in the new industry did not heed the call. Absentees included the most successful of the pioneer sugar manufacturers: Ben Boutell, Penoyar brothers William and Wedworth, Nathan Bradley, Rasmus Hansen, Thomas Cranage, and every other major investor in Michigan's then existing sugar industry. That left Worthy Churchill who showed his support with a $50,000 investment and Charles B. Warren, a representative of the Sugar Trust, tossed $25,000 into the pot. Warren's fellow Detroiter and good friend, Charles Bewick, a Detroit industrialist signed on for $50,000 and accepted a vice-presidency while Warren added the treasurer's title to his growing list of responsibilities. Eugene Fifield of Bay City, who had earned a reputation among investors as someone who worked well with farmers, added his name to the shareholder list and one thousand dollars to the treasury. Citizens of more modest means took note of the large commitments of men of power and dipped into slender savings to follow suit.

Churchill, eager to get the wheels in motion, and well satisfied with the performance of Joseph Kilby in constructing the Bay City Sugar Company's Essexville factory, set about to appoint him for the East Tawas project. Joseph Kilby handed in a bid of $598,500. Based on each one thousand tons of beet-slicing capacity, the price was nearly fifty percent greater than was the cost of the Essexville factory, indicating a shift away from the quickly built small factory to larger facilities consisting of quality engineering and equipment. Nevertheless, Vice-president Charles Bewick said to hold on-not so fast. He too had a candidate for the construction contract. Bewick had gained some experience at Caro and Croswell where new factories had been constructed. He was then serving as the first president of the Sanilac Sugar Refining Company, owner of the Croswell factory, and had a long history in the Detroit manufacturing sector. He included among his friends Joseph Berry, a noted manufacturer of varnish who owned with his brother Thomas an eight thousand acre farm near the middle of the Michigan Thumb. The Berry brothers became significant stockholders in Bewick's Croswell factory along with D. M. Ferry, the largest distributor of garden seeds in the world-all packaged in Ferry's sprawling Detroit factory.

[jeremydsollard-blog]

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I must have been one of them, because I didn't notice this book, which was published in 2006. The Spanish translation is from 2007, which is what I read (From Isabel Gonzalez- Gallarza).

While Europe slept... Where does that remind you off? Knowing that the author Bruce Bawer is a journalist working in Europe. Wasn't Kennedy a reporter too? His career in journalism started with a thesis about the appeasement of Munich and his first book was called "why England Slept." But this time Europe sleeps during the threat of the Islam extremists, unlike before the WWII when there was another enemy. Again the enemy comes from within: "How Radical Islam is destroying the West from Within."

First of all this book is a must read for anyone interested in European and American culture.

Bruce Bawer had a personal motive in writing this book (which becomes clear on the first page, when he writes: my partner and I...), but his background is in journalism and he investigates the threat mentioned in the title.

When writing this review I cannot hyll on holland brochure  other then smile sometimes for example now when commenting the structure of the book: which is very simple. There are three chapters, the first is titled: Europe's Blindness.

I personally found this the best chapter, as it is the one that is most accurate and less personal. It seems to me that as the story continues the anger of the author increases.

At the very opening I realize that Holland is very well represented in the book. The opening is about the death of Theo van Gogh. The book starts in continues like this:

Mark? Hi Bruce. Did you find out about what happened to Theo van Gogh? This personal approach makes the book very realistic. Theo van Gogh is a Dutch Filmmaker and columnist who was murdered by Mohammed Bouyeri, "born in the Netherlands, from Moroccan parents and part of radical Muslim organization. The tone (of the book) is set.

The Dutch reader will then find a very precise sketch of the Dutch society, with words like "gezelligheid," so important in the Netherlands. It can hardly be translated but means something like: coziness. And one can even wonder whether the word is not familiar to the already mentioned "appeasement." Not only in Holland but also in other European countries the abstract concept of peace is analyzed (The example in the book point especially to the Scandinavian countries where it is not a coincidence that "the Nobel Peace Prize" is a Swedish invention). Another fact about the Dutch society can again only be described by an authentic word: "verzuiling," meaning that every religious group had its own structure in society; the Catholics, the Protestants, the Jews, etc. had their own political party, their own news station, their own labor syndicate, etc. When discussing the use of diminutives in the Dutch language "biertje, vriendje" (bier, friend), which show that "these people are concerned not to exaggerate and not to expect too much from anything." When reading all this I thought: he this is someone who knows our culture very well. Later he comes with much more examples which are embarrassing to read (the joke about languages).

But the Dutch had a problem: the country well known for its tolerance had to tolerate an intolerant group of extremist. And that is when the conflict settled with the murder of van Gogh.

Bruce's his first observation about Muslims in the Netherlands is in Amsterdam, where the Muslims in the center are completely adapted and nearly use no "niqab or burka," but in some of the "ugly" suburbs they do. He explains the difference to us.

He then continues his journey in the book to other countries like Norway and shows that Norway isn't that different from the Netherlands. The Dutch are more cosmopolitan where the Norwegian are more provincial, but (later the reader learns) the role of the authority is the same. This is the first and fundamental critique on Europe: they do not only sleep when they shouldn't but they can not form an independent opinion as anything is ruled by the establishment. A variety of examples follow where newspapers and political parties are dominated by the same network of intellectuals. That he is right will appear later when his book is already published and the Dutch translation as well as this Spanish translation is changed due to the critique he uttered to a Dutch news editor.

This establishment is a very rough network that I know from experience is very hard to change. If you are not part of this network your opinion doesn't count. That was what strokes me; as not many have elaborated on this topic. As far as I know. One of the reasons why innovation is such a tough subject is precisely that, the role of the establishment and the academics that work as professional gatekeepers; they determine what is acceptable and what not. (but this is a personal opinion not mentioned in the book).

[jeremydsollard-blog]

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We all know people who use movie lines. You yourself may even use movie lines. What is it about a pithy saying from a film that stands out for so many? Maybe it's a catch phrase that might be the perfect expression for a moment in time, and using it just right may even be a burgeoning new art form.

Did I say art form? Maybe we're going a little too far. Maybe that's a rationalization for our own use of film's eloquent expressions. As Jeff Goldblum said in The Big Chill, "I don't know anyone who could get through the day without two or three juicy rationalizations. They're more important than sex." When Tom Berenger replied that nothing was more important than sex, Mr. Goldblum said, "Oh yeah? Ever gone a week without a rationalization?"

But what is art? According to Wikipedia, "Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging symbolic elements in a way that influences and affects the senses, emotions, and/or intellect." Don't we do a perverse version of that through movie lines? But art may truly be in the eye, or ear, of the beholder. When Bronson Pinchot finds Eddie Murphy viewing a piece in his gallery in Beverly Hills Cop, he takes note of his interest. "Axel Foley" is more concerned with price but "Serge" is more taken with the importance of the piece.

Where would we be without classic repartee? The standard one-liners, the party trivia? Well, the truth of the matter is...well..."You can't handle the truth!" or so says Jack Nicholson, courtesy of A Few Good Men. You know you've heard that in certain circles. Superman fought for "truth, justice and the American way" in the 1950s. In 2009, we had The Ugly Truth but in 1995, America was viewing The Naked Truth.... on TV. hyll on holland showflat  How many times have you wanted to perform a classic burn but had no matches? The inimitable Holland Taylor as Camilla closes cover and strikes with her searing comment to Sally Kellerman as Felicia: "Felicia, look at you! Why, the hands of time have scarcely tou-- Oh, no, now that I'm closer I can see that the hands of time have knocked you about quite a bit!" Ouch!

Speaking of ouch, who can forget the closing scenes of E.T.: The Extraterrestrial, when Elliott and E.T. must say good-bye. "Ouch." That's pretty much it for that one. But they will always be in each others' hearts. As the Wizard of Oz said: "Hearts will never be practical, until they are made unbreakable." Something we all should remember. Hearts are big in movies. There are millions of movie lines for the heart. Movies with heart span the spectrum with Places in the Heart, Always in My Heart, Wild Heart, A Mighty Heart, Crimes of the Heart, The Tell-Tale Heart and then Where the Heart is. It may be best said in Braveheart, "Your heart is free, have the courage to follow it." Try using that on your next date.

And for those who date? What quote could be that sparkler, that flame that lights the fire? It depends on if it's your first date or possibly your last whether you'll be a smoldering success or have a holocaust on your hands. Be careful of promises: A Rule of Love - "When it comes to love, don't ever say you "might", because eventually you "will". Careful of those over-eager dates who when you first meet them say "You had me at hello." We all know where that came from. And where it could go. If at any time during your date you hear "Can I keep you?" as in Casper, "Evade and survive, do whatever it takes," as was the plan in Behind Enemy Lines. You know your date might be going well if the person you're with says "I think I'd miss you even if we'd never met," as in The Wedding Date", or "You're everything I never knew I always wanted," as in Fools Rush In. Things may be taking a turn for the worse if you hear "Love means never having to say you're sorry," as in Love Story. I'm pretty sure this really is only a movie line. I know for a fact that's not how it works in my house. But if you hear "Are you talking to me?" from Taxi Driver, you're not on a date, you're married.

[jeremydsollard-blog]

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This may be the most controversial article you've ever read. At the same time, controversial conversations can alter your perspective of reality. Altered perspectives can usher in new actions.

I wish this were an easy conversation. It's not. It really is analogous to telling the scientific world that the earth is not the center of the universe. Copernicus was ostracized for that. Therefore, there is a social risk to say everything I am about to say.

To start, mindset is key. The mindset you have is a reflection of the reality you were given. The only reality you can have is the one your environment gave you. If you were told the earth was the center of the universe, that is your reality, even if it is not a fact. That is an example of how one's environment has blind spots.

One of the biggest problems with the reality you were given is you believe it is right. And you will do anything to defend it. That has been part of the reason for wars and all kinds of disputes. People would rather be right about the belief system their environment gave them. That's the stuff religious dogma is made of.

To set the stage, you have been taught white supremacy. That's an oxymoron. Those two words cannot go together as long as you - black people - exist anywhere in the universe. Whites have hyll on holland show flat  known this for decades. I'm aware that in the 1950s hospitals started testing infants immediately after birth. They tested a black and white baby side by side. The black child always clearly demonstrated superior and advanced brain function and motor skills. The fact black Americans complain about white supremacy is an example of how you promote things that don't exist. In fact, every time you talk about it you speak it into existence.

In 1994, racism died. Black Americans were embraced in the business and political world in a way that had not happened, in what is called the United States of America. The fact it died is the reason the stage was set for Barak Obama to win the presidential campaign. Before Obama, you had the first black governor in the US: Doug Wilder in Virginia - 1990-1994. Also, David Dinkins as mayor of NYC 1990-1993. Whether people liked Wilder or Dinkins was irrelevant. Both men proved it was possible for a black person to run for office, win and serve their term. Doors opened after this. For example, the first black person to become CEO of a major publicly traded company was Robert "Bob" Holland. He became CEO of Ben & Jerry's in 1995.

Many black Americans missed the open door. Instead of walking through it, they complained. If they would have trained and developed themselves for the opportunities on the other side of the door, they would have exploited the marketplace and hired one another, once inside. This could have happened if you were an employee or entrepreneur. By the way, college degree does not prepare you for the opportunities on the other side of the door. Constant training and development has to happen. Professional athletes understand that. That is why a person like Usain Bolt is able to break his own world records. It is also the reason people like Steve Jobs can attain his level of success after completing only one semester of college.

Part of what black Americans complained about was the result of interracial fighting. Black men and women were engaged in a battle of the sexes. That was and has always been a distraction. Now that the black family structure has been decimated, black Americans are waking up. However, you are waking up to the aftermath of war. And it is still happening with black men shooting one another. Too many boys grew up without a father. Too many women said they didn't need a man. While it is true that white women put bait out for black women with the feminist movement, they did not have to take it. When you take bait from someone, you allow them to shape your environment and create your reality. Now you're in an ugly hole and have no idea how you got there. If you look back, there has been one distraction after another. Now poverty has increased in the black community compared to 1965 when over 70% of black households had both biological parents. Incarceration also increased while the percentage of black businesses has decreased.

[jeremydsollard-blog]

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In the United Kingdom, many of the millions of anglers prefer to fish for the carp species. Carp tend to grow bigger, and once hooked, they also fight harder than most other species of fresh water fish. Carp anglers already know about the various types of carp, such as, commons, mirrors, leathers, etc, but there are also different strains of carp, so what are they and why are they different?

There are seven different strains of carp in the UK, including:

The Galician Carp The Dinkelsbuehl Carp The Ropsha Carp The Italian Carp The Aischgrund Carp The Frame Carp The Royale Carp Females are generally easier to spot because their stomach is plump. Males retain a sleek 'torpedo' shape. hyll on holland condo  When males are ready for spawning, they develop breeding nodules on the head and pectoral fins, principally along the bones of the fin rays. These appear as fine whitish raised spots. They are found in abundance on the pectoral fins and are rough to the touch. During breeding, the male nudges the female with his head and fins to encourage spawning.

The Galician Carp

The Galician Carp, aka Galician Mirror Carp or Galician King Carp, is a very prolific breeder. The strain originated in Galicia, Poland and was bred by A. Gasch in 1900. The Redmire strain of Galician carp were spawned in Holland in 1932. Two years later, it was stocked into Redmire by Donald Leney of the Surrey Trout Farm for Lt. Col. Barnardiston to try to control weed growth. The Galician can grow up to 40lbs and look almost circular on occasions. Its body is compressed laterally, moderately elongate, and covered with large cycloid scales. It has a slightly forward facing down turned mouth. Galicians have both forks of the tail pointed. They are coloured dark on back, golden on sides, and the belly, pectorals and pelvics are light-yellow. Galicians have an orange ventral fin and a grey caudal fin with an orange shade. Coloration changes dependent on habitat.

The Dinkelsbuehl Carp

The Dinkelsbuehl Carp ("Dinks") originated in Germany. It has a very fat shape with huge rounded scales. Dinkelsbuehls have a down turned, small circular mouth. "Dinks" rarely grow above 30lbs. They can be found at Dorchester lagoon in Oxfordshire. "Dinks" are mainly mirrors, but commons, linears and leathers can be found

The Ropsha Carp

The Ropsha strain originated in Russia. Some sources say it came from Hungary. It is a hybrid fish produced between Amur wild carp and Galician carp. The Ropsha is a very long, lean looking fish. It has a down turned mouth. These carp rarely grow over 30lbs.

The Italian Carp

Italian carp have a slightly forward facing mouth in a torpedo shaped head. The body is usually big and round. They are mainly grey in colour and will grow to over 40lbs. Italian carp can be found in the Waveney Valley Lakes in Norfolk or Savay.

The Aischgrund Carp

The Aischgrunder strain was developed in Aischgrund, Bavaria, Germany, during the past 300 years. Considered to be really ugly, it has an incredibly high, arched back and a slightly blunt and often upturned mouth. It is usually gold yellowish in color, although variations such as blue or complete lack of silvery shine are known. Aischgrunders are flat and grow fast, reaching 45lbs in ten years.

The Frame Carp

The Frame Carp gets its name from the scale patterns running either along its back or flanks. It is a round fish and grows up to 40lb. These are stocked at Fishabil in France.

The Royale Carp

The Royale Carp is characterized by distinctive 'humpy' shoulders and a low fairly straight back. Its scales tend to be very large and in the middle of the body along the latteral line. It is coloured in two tones. Some anglers consider it to be the best looking fish around. It has an exceptional growth rate of between 4 and 6lb per year. Royale Carp range in size from 26 to 40lbs.

[jeremydsollard-blog]

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-The World Health Organization predicts that by the year 2020 depression will be the second-leading cause of mortality in the entire world, affecting 30% of all adults.

-What determines happiness? Research on fraternal twins indicates 50% is indeed determined by a heredity set-point, 40% via intentional activity and 10% via life circumstances.¹

-Wealth and Happiness? When asked about their overall satisfaction with life, North Americans in 1940 reported being "very happy" with an average score of 7.5 out of 10. Today it's 7.2. An important note is: that more than one third of all homes in 1940 did not have running water, indoor toilets or bathtubs/ showers. Ah, so TV's, iPods, microwave ovens and indoor bathrooms do not buy happiness? Go figure!

-Quantum Physics Japanese researcher Masaru Emoto saw the need to study water which represents 70 to 90% of our body matter. Emoto photographically documented changes in water as he subjected the water to non-physical stimuli of music and messages. He studied water crystal droplets to music ranging from Mozart to Heavy Metal. Not surprising, (at least to me anyway) under Mozart's influence, the crystals appear beautiful under the microscopic eye and under heavy metal influence appear ugly and deformed.

Emoto went on to place signs on bottles of water, one with the message "I love you" or "Thank you" and another bottle with "You make me sick". The water with the positive messages responded with beautiful crystals and the negative messages created unsightly images.²

So, what does all this mean? Is genetics linked to our happiness? Well, it's indeed a 50% ingredient. How about financial condition and circumstances? Good news in this economy, it accounts for only 10%. The better news is: What we can do/control with the 40% of our intentional actions to get and be happy. One of the best books of my year has been "The How of Happiness" by Sonja Lyubomirsky.

In the meantime, here are 5 simple practices to get and be happy:

1. Make a list/journal of your most positive experiences in life. Re-live the places, people and positive emotions present and feel them!

2. Move: Did you know that you will not change your mood until you physically move your body? Feeling Blue? Take a 2 minute vacation and move it, move it! Move your body and move your mood in a positive direction.

3. Help Others: Yet again the research indicates a significant elevation in happiness when you make other people happy. Sonja Lyubomirsky recommends 5 random acts of kindness for others each week. Examples: paying someone's toll, writing a thank you letter, etc...

4. If you fake it for 15 minutes, you can feel anything. Act Happy! While this is one of my mother's kitchen table hyll on holland condo  wisdoms shared with me as a young girl dreading going to school one day. I teach this simple acting technique on positive emotion in my customer service courses and EEG brain research proves the value! Simple Fact: Happy people smile more and you look more attractive. Fake Happiness and see what happens to your happiness.

5. Indulge your Senses: As I write this, I have just experienced the multi-sensory delight of the most beautiful garden in the world "The Keukenhof" an oasis of flowers in Holland that for a brief 6 weeks in springtime literally takes your breath away. Luxuriate and indulge all of your senses; the aroma of a bakery, the scent of a flower garden, the power of music on your mood, the feelings and emotion that jump off a work of art. Focus on the beauty of life's simple pleasures.

[jeremydsollard-blog]

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These shorts made a long enjoyable feature at this year's Seattle Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. They're very powerful, compelling, uplifting, and entertaining. The shortest time is 8 minutes and the longest one is 21 minutes. The Producers, Directors, and Actor were in attendance and answered questions after the premiere of this classic and well polished shorts that are a welcome in the gay community.

Frequent Traveler Patricia Bateira; 2007 Portugal 8 minutes with subtitles.

Frequent Traveler is a human comedy of errors that just keeps getting worser as the actions become hilarious. A man is at the Airport Security waiting to get checked through. A hot security guard is on duty with wand in hand. The traveler sets off the alarm of beeps and has a big grin on his face. The hot guard asks him to step to the side which he does all smiles and cooperation. The smiles become a frown when a ugly guard takes over for the hot one. But not for long, the traveler enjoys the frisking all over his body and up and down his legs. He looks at the object of his affection as he goes through the motions. He ends up getting stripped searched and has to bend over and assume the position for a cavity search all while smiling in the hyll on holland  mirror where the hot guard is standing watching everything. After going through horrors of it all with a dog of a guard he's released. The hot guard apologizes for making the traveler miss his plane. The traveler stomps off in a huff. On hearing the alarm go off, the handsome guard looks over and sees that it's his friend all over again. If first you don't succeed. . . . Great Short that's very entertaining and humor at its funniest.

Non-Love-Song Erik Gernand; 2009 U. S . Of A. 8 minutes

On the last day of summer before heading off to college, two 18-year-old best friends attempt to connect as adults, and for the first time in their lives share a "final" moment. In a digital world one kid still uses his Polaroid camera to take pictures of the beach and his best friend who he has it bad for. College is around the corner and the two won't see each other until Thanksgiving. In a world of voice messaging and CD's the smitten one tells his bud that he recorded a tape for him on his tape recorder. He wants him to listen to it while he's away at college then he ducks and dodges questions about it only to say that it's not a love song. Their moment is interrupted by two girls who're are friends with the two. His object of affection asks him to take a picture of him with the girls. The hurt look on his face says it all. He makes the moment by pulling the tape labeled Not A Love Song in his back pack. The End. In my Arts class we were asked to come up with a summary on what happened to the characters? My guess? After listening to the non love song he returns home and lays his friend on his back and stuffs him like a turkey on Thanksgiving Day.

The Island Trevor Anderson; 2008 Canada 5 minutes

The premise of this film takes on the homophobic comment; "all you faggots should be shipped off to an island somewhere where they could give each other AIDS and die. " Trevor Anderson from Alberta Canada ponders on this as he walks through the snow. As he elaborates on this topic his ideas come to life in animation that's creative graphics at its best. A tropical "homo utopia" doesn't sound like a bad idea as he lays it out in his fantasies. The animation transforms his snowy surroundings into a colorful paradise of sand, sun, and palm trees where ape masseurs are always on call and anyone who dies gets his body shucked into a volcano and worshiped as a god. The "homo utopia" has super-fancy tree huts and AIDS cocktails served in coconut shells with pineapple wedges gets more and more elegant and upscale. The bananas growing on the trees look like penises and the coconuts like test-t-cos. Wow! What an imagination! Sign me up! This is five minutes of pure-d-entertainment that makes a negative into a positive. Right on!

After All That Michael Culpepper; 2009 U. S. Of A. 17 minutes.

After All That takes place in the Mississippi Gulf Coast, three years after Katrina. The TV frenzy is over with the media packed up and moved on to the next tornado, earthquake, and next tragedy. The damages are still undone and the opening frames show a tiny, ruined house that still standing with a sign;"Do Not Demolish. " This screenplay is firsthand accounts from hurricane survivors still struggling and trying to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. Michael Culpepper creates a simple, powerful story of three men in one such small Mississippi town. Deacon (Tom Thon) lost almost everything to the hurricane, including his house and his business. His heavy drinking loses him his driver's license and he spends his days prowling the town on an ATV. Mike (Dale Basescu), Deacon's nephew, is coming out of the shadows of his old life. Deputy Burnett (David Chattam) is also one of the lucky ones. Mike and Deputy Burnett are in a relationship that's a well guarded secret. Deputy Burnett cuts Deacon some slack for disturbing the peace. Life is still in ruins and can't be rebuilt like the house in the opening. No light has been cast on the darkness from the storm. Very Moving! I talked to Michael Culpepper who confirmed that things aren't any better and there's a sense of abandonment.

[jeremydsollard-blog]

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How do organizations come up with new ideas? And how do they use those ideas to create successful new products, services, businesses, and solutions?

To answer these questions, a team of researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York spent time observing radical innovation projects such as IBM's silicon-germanium devices, GE's digital X-ray, GM's hybrid vehicles, and DuPont's biodegradable plastics. Their key finding? Most of the ideas behind these projects came from "happy accidents" rather than some ongoing process to generate ideas.

In more than a few cases, individuals or small groups were simply "freelancing," working on ideas on their own initiative rather than being directed by some "new venture" board or other idea management system.

"Almost without exception, these idea-generation methods have been applied sporadically, rather than systematically, continuously, and strategically," the Rensselaer researchers concluded. "In no case [we know of] has an ongoing process been set up that regularly requests such ideas. What we observed were one-time acts, or new systems put in place whose staying power remains unproven."

It is little wonder that so many good hyll on holland  ideas never even come to the attention of management. Or that so many die short of development--and miles from commercial success. In most companies today, the "practice" of innovation can be likened to the mating of pandas: infrequent, clumsy, and often ineffective. Its practice is largely unchanged from 20 years ago. While the world has changed drastically and organizations pride themselves for having a process for everything, the process of innovation remains ad hoc, unsystematic, piecemeal, seat of the pants, and, as the Rensselaer researchers confirmed, heavily dependent on luck.

Creative, game-changing ideas will always have an element of serendipity to them, and will never be producible on demand. But today's present economic climate of stalled growth and fewer ideas (growth in the number of patent requests have stagnated in recent years) has caused a small but growing group of organizations to rethink how ideas happen and to examine what they can do to implement better innovation processes.

Fortifying the Idea Factory

Three-fourths of companies are consistently disappointed in their innovation results, according to global surveys of executives. But a minority of organizations--the innovation vanguard--recognize the need for change if their results are to improve. Put simply, if good ideas don't get hatched, they won't get launched. The "vanguard organizations," 23 of which we studied for a recently released book, create stronger idea factories by cultivating the conditions whereby "happy accidents" are more likely to occur. The vanguards are, in essence, reinventing inventiveness. They are paying much more attention to the oft-called "fuzzy front end" of innovation where possibilities first come to light. And they are managing these notions in vastly different ways so that large quantities of ideas eventually fill the pipeline and emerge as tangible results.

In reviewing the unconventional methods of these vanguard organizations, we found that, while innovation and breakthroughs can never be commanded from the top, leaders can do much to increase throughput of significant ideas. And indeed they must. We see these leading-edge organizations using seven key strategies for fortifying the idea factory: