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By Shane Magee Saint Patrick is of course the most well-known Irish saint, and today millions of Irish and non-irish alike celebrate the feast held in his name. Patrick was originally of a Roman family, and a child was taken hostage by an Irish raiding party and forced to work as a shepherd in Ireland. However, guided by a dream, he escaped and studied in several monasteries around Europe. Unembittered by his Irish experience, he heeded a request from the Pope to return and travelled throughout the country, his mission effectively marking the conversion of Ireland to a Christian country. Saint Brigid was the daughter of a local pagan Irish king; her mother was a slave who had been converted by St Patrick. From an early age, she had inclinations towards a spiritual life which her father resisted. She was famed for her generosity and would give her father’s belongings to anyone who needed them. Finally, he father agreed to let her enter a convent. When they asked a local king for land for an abbey, the king contemptously replied they could have as much land as her cloak could cover. Lo and behold, Brigid opened her cloak and it spread out to over a very sizeable area of land indeed. Her monastery at Kildare became a very important centre of learning. A more recent figure is Margaret Noble, who was born in Tyrone. In 1898, she met the great spiritual figure Swami Vivekananda, who had five years previously was instrumental in introducing Eastern philosophy to the West with his memorable plea for harmony between religions at the inaugural World Parliament of Religions in 1893. She began learning spirituality under his guidance and was given the name ‘Nivedita’, meaning one who is consecrated to God. Upon hearing a remark upon how well she had converted to Hinduism, Vivekananda’s sharp reply was that he was not trying to make her a Hindu, he was trying to make her a better Christian. After Vivekananda’s death in 1902, Nivedita continued on his work of education in India. In particular she is remembered for her tireless work to improve the lot of Indian women and for being of tremendous inspiration to those struggling for Indian independence. She has often been spoken of as a forerunner to Mother Teresa, who incidentally spent the formative years of her spiritual life in Ireland. The author, Shane Magee, has a Ph.D in particle physics. He studies meditation with the help of noted teacher Sri Chinmoy, and also teaches free courses on meditation and spirituality in Dublin, Ireland. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shane_Magee http://EzineArticles.com/?Great-Irish-Saints&id=490866 no fax no teletrak no cl verify cash advance money lenders london united kingdom lenders bad credit low income payday loans 30 min or less

By Peter Finch Many foreigners have come to Ukraine for business but have fallen in love with someone and have stayed for longer. What are good topics for conversation for your first date and what will guarantee you second? Young Ukraine ladies are open minded, well educated and their charm is hard to resist. They have interests in many areas: from social position, political opinion, knowledge in economy and of course, they are ladies and are interested in fashion and celebrities. They are curious towards foreigners because they know that these people have lived abroad and have new and different points of view which might broaden their own universe and give them new ideas and knowledge. It is not hard to start informal conversation with a girl from Ukraine; the challenge comes when you want to ask her for a date. These young ladies are careful regarding the relationships they have. There are many reasons for this and the most important one is public opinion. They have been taught that a woman has a high value but not speaking in monetary aspect, but regarding efforts for her attention. In their country, women who start a relationship from the very first “Hello” do not have a good public image. This is especially true for the small regions where everyone knows everybody and everything new is accepted with a suspicion. Good topics for conversation during the first date are your interests. The more you ask and share, the better you will know each other. Ukraine girls are not shy but on the first date everyone feels a little nervous and uneasy. Your best strategy will be to share something about your parents and childhood. Family plays an important role in local people’s life and if you tell something about yours this will bring your cultures a little closer. Most young women in Ukraine speak at least one foreign language fluently. Most of them have studied English in school or have taken extra courses. Even if they speak with an accent, what they actually need is more practice. They will enjoy chatting to everyone with whom they can put into practice their foreign language knowledge. One of the topics which to certain extent is not good to discuss during your first date, is the political situation in Ukraine as well as the old communist regime. The country was part of the Soviet Union but since December 1991 it is a fully independent country. Most people enjoy being citizens of Ukraine and not to be put under the flag of Russia. Another picky topic is the Chernobyl nuclear accident. It left devastation and ruined the life of many. It is said that radiation is still having an effect on these lands and Ukrainians rarely want to discuss this. If you make your date laugh and feel confident with you, be sure that you will have chance to invite her for a second date and eventually your relationship will grow more serious. Telling funny stories from your life is always a good strategy. Also share memories from childhood, because it is often considered that this is one of the most intimate periods in man’s life. This will reveal your past and your date from Ukraine will not remain there thinking that you only want to get advantage of her. Don’t get scammed. Check out our reviews of all of the top ukrainian dating agencies at Ukraine Dating Review. Looking for a ukraine bride or ukraine dating? Visit us now. You will be spoilt for choice. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Finch http://EzineArticles.com/?Ukraine-Dating—What-Are-The-Topics-For-The-First-Date&id=518197 el paso online car loan private money loans in texas hard money lenders for business loan corpus christi online used car loan

By John Gibb For an artist, selling something he or she has made is really gratifying. As many of them admit, its one thing to get feedback from people they know, but there is something about a complete stranger liking their art piece, design, song, painting, or idea, so much that they actually decide to pay money to acquire it. Well, before getting ready to sell your original designed t-shirts at your local flee market or through your own website, you better start by reading this simple paint-your-t-shirt guide. Regardless if you are planning to make this a family tradition or a one-time event for you and your friends, designing the layout of your t-shirt and then painting it on your own can is a fun and easy project to work on. Begin by purchasing your stock of plain cotton-polyester t-shirts from your local garment store. Cheap used white underwear t-shirts should be your first choice, especially if this is your first attempt as a fashion designer slash artist. But because most inks and paints are somewhat translucent, unless you really have to use those blue t-shirts, its better to use white ones as they are a much easier background to place your colorful palette on. An interesting idea, which might save you some money if you select to buy your t-shirts, is to ask your local t-shirt printing store if they would resell at cost price or even donate some of their white t-shirts to you; if you are a teacher and this is an idea of a school project you can argue that this actually improves their corporate social responsibility profile. Even if no freebies exist in your area, buying a pack of white underwear t-shirts costs less than you can imagine; avoid designer labels if you need those extra savings. You can also order the shirts direct from manufacturers, but then be prepared to wait a bit longer before your order goes through. Also, at this experimental stage, buy one size that will easily fit everyone. Now that you have your white t-shirts its time to select your painting method. Visit your local craft or fabric store and ask them which brands they recommend for your type of project. Check the products life expectancy once applied on the t-shirt and compare prices, colors and application methods. With a huge variety of fabric sprays, roll-on paint bottles, air-brushes, acrylics, crayons, dye paints, batiking, or iron-on transfers, it is best if you take some time to select the best possible method for your time, money and expertise. Remember that experimenting is good at any stage, but if you want to have a ready-to-wear product after 24 hours, it is best to go with the method that you find the easiest to explore. Sponge painting, for example, is a great method to teach kids how to use colors on a white surface and how their patent might differ from the original design they had on mind. On the other hand, block painting creates a less versatile outcome as paint is transferred in a thicker layer onto the fabric as you place and press wood surfaces, or even sliced potatoes, after dipping them in paint. In case crayon iron transfers which have to be designed and colored backgrounds or acrylic paints and paintbrushes seem too difficult for you to handle, you can begin by using simpler painting methods like magic markers and writing paint bottles with roller ball tips. But whichever method you select be sure to place some old rugs or think pieces of cartons between the front and the back of the t-shirts in order to avoid coloring the other side by mistake. Do you feel more confident now? Its time now to get your gear and paint away! John Gibb is the owner of T-shirt resources For more information on T-Shirts check out http://www.t-shirt-info-and-guides.info Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Gibb http://EzineArticles.com/?Paint-Your-Own-T-Shirt&id=274755 corpus christi online used car loan temecula hard money lender christmas fast cash advance interest only real estate loans no money down

By Ronald F. Patterson What a cruel trick the weather is playing on us. WE HAVE SNOW ! ! ! A bit depressing for us outdoor types. Yet, what better time to cheer myself up by writing to you. Karen is in the kitchen right now. Pookie (Putta) is leaning on me while I give him some attention. Who knows where the cats are. Yolonda is in her room folding cloths for her mom. The feeders are busier right now with the nasty weather, too bad the windowsare closed again. Some good news for me…………. my mom is back in her apartment aftera few weeks in the hospital and therapy. I’m a mama’s boy so that was a bit taxing on me. Last week I told you about the yard where I grew up. My dad passed away 20 years ago, but my mom kept the “Ole Homestead”for another 15 years. With her kids busy raising families of their own, the yard didn’t receive a lotof attention. Yet, the yard and wildlife flourished. Mom added a humming bird garden off the back patio and would sit out thereon milder days and summer evenings and watch her little jewels. Her birds would hardly flinch when we moved. When filling her feeders, as soon as I turned my back the birds would show as fast as they left. A small wooded area sat about 75 yards from our house. I believe the yardbecame an extension of the woods. As things grew, so did the collection of birds and wildlife. HOW TO DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF BIRDS COMING TO YOUR YARD Remember, where you live makes a difference in what you can plant and thevarieties of birds you will attract. However, planting for birds will double the number of birds coming to your yard. Here is a small list of trees for birds: Attracting Birds: Trees Native trees work best, though not a total requirement. Some introduced specimens have been around long enough that plants and birds have adapted. Look for trees that are zone hardy where you live. Here is a zone map from USDA for North America:National Arboretum - USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map If you need some help, talk to your local garden center or better yet - a Certified Nurseryman in your area. Speak with a professional who can assist in planting guidelines and requirements; such as sun or shade, will a tree tolerate wet feet. What about fertilizer? LET’S TAKE A WALK! It’s a nice day today, how about you and I go for a walk in a local park witha wooded area or find us an Arboretum. Do you notice the canopies of the trees? Do you see the brakes in the shaded areas? The lower growing trees and shrubs. Do you see the varieties of ground cover and under brush? The wild flowers in bloom today are food tomorrow. Can you hear the birds singing in the trees? Did you notice the chickadee following us as we went down the trail? I enjoyed this walk with you. Let’s do this again a few more times. Every couple of months just to see whatnature is offering the birds. WHAT IS NEXT Remember, now, to start with what you have. Make your current trees and shrubs a focal point for now. Backyard habitats take time and are years in the making. Do what your budget, time, and body will allow. This is a very important point, so let me say it again here: Do what your budget, time, and body will allow. Youll experience the most joy backyard birding if you use this approach. Also, look for sales. Do any of your friends have snips of bushes you could root? How about a family member or friend that has a few extra trees growing in a field? Ask if you could dig some up. Explain what you plan to do. Remember, it is illegal to dig up any wild trees or flowers on public or private land without permission first. Make a list of what you have and don’t have. Make another list of what you would like to plant for your new birdscape. You might even mention to your neighbors what you plan on doing and dare suggest it become a neighborhood event. I get excited talking to you about birds and nature. Wouldn’t it be nice to give back what we get from our surroundings? Until next time my friend. Have a blessed week and always SMILE. Ron http://www.backyardbirdingtips.com/ Ronald Patterson is an avid backyard birder, going back 40plus years. Ron and his wife Karen owned a wildbird specialty store through much of the 90’s and through 2001. Ron is also a Michigan Certified Nurseryman. This aids in giving expert advice on birds and what to plant to attract wildbirds to your yard. Ron’s newsletter: Backyard Birding Tips http://www.backyardbirdingtips.com/ is a FREE weekly publication Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ronald_F._Patterson http://EzineArticles.com/?Gardening-For-Birds&id=35194 calculating paycheck withholding find personal loans for poor credit personal garentee loan oroville california cash advance

By John Jarmola Cocoa powder and the many different types of chocolate are all derived from cocoa beans, the seeds of the fruit of the cacao tree. These small trees are native to the tropical America but are extensively cultivated elsewhere in the tropics. The tree begins to bear fruit when it is 4-5 years old. The small pink flowers and succeeding fruit pods grow directly from the trunk and main branches. On average a full grown tree may produce 6000 flowers, only twenty of which will become pods. A pod weighs about 1 pound (450g), and contains 20-40 seeds, or cocoa beans, which resemble plump almonds and are covered with a sweet white pulp. An ordinary bean has a dark brown or purple flesh, with a bitter, astringent and nutty taste. The Mayas and Aztecs of Central America, or what is known as Mexico, were the first know drinkers of chocolate. In 1519 the Spanish explorer Cortes discovered the beverage and introduced it to the Spanish court, after observing the Aztec Emperor, Montezuma consuming it. The drinking chocolate was made by drying the cocoa beans and roasting them over a fire. Water was then added and the beans pounded to a paste, often spices, nuts and powdered flowers were added. The chocolate making process is somewhat long and involved. When the cocoa beans (seeds) have been scooped from the pods, they are piled onto leaves, covered with more leaves and left for several days. The sugary pulp surrounding the beans begins to ferment. After fermentation the wet beans are dried, on mats, wooden platforms or in drying equipment. After drying, the beans are packed into bags ready for transportation to the next stage. At the factory the beans are sorted, cleaned and roasted for an hour in rotating drums at 275F (135C). The roasted beans are then kibbled, a process in which they pass between rolls of serrated cones placed at such a distance apart that the beans are cracked rather than crushed. The cracked shell is carried away by an air-blast(a process called winnowing). The broken beans or nibs are then ground between steel rollers. Because the cocoa beans are 50% fat (cocoa butter) and the grinding process generates heat, the crisp nutty cocoa nibs emerge as thick brown liquid. When cooled this solidifies to a hard block of unsweetened chocolate known as a mass. This is the basis of all chocolate products. Cocoa is made by extracting 70-80% of the butter. The hard dry cake which remains is then ground, reground and sieved. To make plain chocolate, extra cocoa butter and powdered sugar are added to the “mass”. Milk chocolate has sweetened full cream milk added which has been condensed into a rich creamy liquid. At these stages the chocolate has a rough texture. After being ground and mixed the liquid chocolate is further ground (Conched) with heavy rollers to produce a smooth velvety texture. This article was written by John Jarmola, a Consultant Food Technologist who specialises in the development of new food products. He is currently involved in a reviewing the benefits of the new “Superfood”, Acai Juice, to find out more visit http://acaijuicereview.com/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Jarmola http://EzineArticles.com/?The-History-and-Production-of-Chocolate&id=80608 debt consolidation loan online payday lottery win combinations personal loans done online el paso bad credit new car loan

By Martha Carnahan When I talk with my clients about adding testimonials to their marketing toolbox, I get a lot of nodding heads and agreement. And yet, many businesses put testimonial gathering on the back burner. It becomes one of those important but not urgent activities. Id love to see you turn up the fire on this no-brainer marketing tool that yields strong benefits at miniscule expense. Here are a few tips and compelling reasons to begin creating your inventory of client testimonials: Credibility We simply believe another persons touting of a business more than whatever the business may say on its own behalf. Testimonials provide external evidence of your success and abilities. TIP: Get your clients permission to use their full name, title and company name along with their quote. Human Interest People, and what they say and do, are always more interesting than straight-up information (well, to most of us, that is!). Your audience will read quotes from other people before they read your carefully worded marketing bullets. TIP: Put your best testimonials in prominent places on your website, brochure, proposals and other marketing materials. Trust Testimonials show your prospective customers that you are trustworthy with other clients who are willing to brag about you. TIP: Strive to create testimonials that convey specific benefits and results these are more powerful and come across as more authentic. Community Most people have a natural inclination to belong to and be part of successful ventures. By displaying your roster of happy clients, you invite new joiners into the fold. TIP: Be strategic about gathering testimonials from your ideal clients so that you attract more just like them. Heres an example from my own stash of testimonials (yes, I do follow my own advice!): Martha has a wonderful ability to bring fresh ideas to a situation, which continually helps you look at things in a new way. She is fun to work with, she makes me feel comfortable and challenges me all at the same time.” ~ K.M., Senior Engineer, Colorado Springs, CO Take these steps to get started immediately Make a list of your happy clients (okay, they are all happy, so this will be a list of ALL of your clients). Begin with those who you know are chatty and have been forthcoming with praise and positive comments in the past (some folks are just more expressive than others). Contact each client by email or phone or in person, depending on how they like being communicated with and ask if they would be willing to provide a testimonial for you. Make it easy for them to provide the kind of testimonial youd like to have by providing them with prompter questions. Examples: What have been the most notable benefits of using my services? What makes our company unique? How has your business improved as a result of the work we did for you? Make it easy for them, period. Some of your clients will zip off a quick email to you with a great testimonial. Others will take this on as a project and may be slow to get it done. They truly want to do a good job for you and may put more work into it than necessary. Take the pressure off offer to have a quick phone conversation with the client, where you can ask pointed questions and jot down notes from what they say. Then, you can write up a quote and have the client review it. This minimizes their workload and increases your ability to get a great quote from them. A win-win! No matter what, always give your client a chance to review the testimonial before you put it on any of your marketing materials. You want them to feel proud of how their comments are portrayed so they continue to be in your fan club. Going forward, be sure to collect a testimonial from each and every client after you complete an engagement the success will be fresh in their minds, which creates an even better quote. (Plus, you wont have to backtrack later.) If you provide a service that calls for discretion, or are in a highly competitive industry that requires client confidentiality, you can still make use of testimonials, but may have to use the individuals initials or skip their identity altogether. A real name is better, but not at the cost of exposing clients who want or need to remain anonymous always give them the choice. Martha Carnahan is president of MC3 Strategies, is an Atlanta-based company that champions entrepreneurs having a prosperous business AND a fabulous life. Learn more about Martha Carnahan and MC3 Strategies by visiting http://www.mc3strategies.com (which is currently under construction, but bookmark it for future reference!). Or, visit my coaching services website: http://www.YourBrilliantLife.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martha_Carnahan http://EzineArticles.com/?Testimonials:-Let-Your-Clients-Do-the-Selling-for-You&id=135967 earn extra money online loan payday loans maryland payday loan washington dc cash advance without a checking account

By Shirley Simmons The whole meaning behind the Marriage Crunch will vary depending on who you ask. The truth is that it can mean different things to different people. The author of the original article likely wanted to state the fact that more women were staying single longer and that many were choosing not to marry at all. The way the information was presented however was seen as being a little shady to some. Those who fear the influence of the media claim that the article was a ploy to try to change the way the world, or American women for that fact, looked at marriage and family. They wanted to either scare young women into marriage or to congratulate those independent women who never married. The latter was not likely their motive. Many theorists felt that Newsweek was likely trying to mold the shape of women and their plans and ideals. In fact, these same theorists claim that today the media and others are trying to dissuade women to get married young by telling them to finish college first. So, when it comes to deciphering the Marriage Crunch it really depends on personal theory and opinion. It is possible that the article was not meant to be as controversial or impacting as it ended up being. However, the fact is that the message was somewhat irresponsible and untactful. The writing could have been a little more politically correct and less offensive overall. If it were though, it may not be remembered today. Read about the marriage crunch in asian society. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shirley_Simmons http://EzineArticles.com/?Deciphering-The-Marriage-Crunch&id=223021 georgia pay day loans advance payday loans palm coast fl no credit check paper checks paydayloans countrywide home loans short sale

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