Was It Designed? The Owl’s Feather

Was It Designed? The Owl’s Feather: "gE MP3 2009-12 11"

The Big Peace is now launched

The Big Peace is now launched: "

It was my BIG book launch last night. It didn’t start so well. I’d had a busy day and was running late and missed my train. So jumped in the car to get to the next few stations along (I’m not sure that trying to race the train was such a great idea!)

I got to the station to discover I’d left my purse at home. I didn’t have time to go back to the house so I begged the station guard to let me on the train for free. “It’s my book launch, I can’t miss it. You have to let me on.” As you can imagine, this got me nowhere. I was saved by a lovely older lady, who heard my pleas and she told me she’d give me the money to get into London. She gave me her address so I could post her the money and I gave her my Big Peace book as a gift to say thank you. As my train set off, I realised I’d left all my speech notes in the book.

Big Peace? No, not really. I was in pieces. But on the train, I pulled myself together and decided I would just have to speak from the heart versus from my notes. If anything, this incident made me stop and realise how kind strangers can be and how supported and lucky I really was.

The launch was amazing! We were hosted by the beautiful Nicole from Alchemy, this amazing little retreat in the middle of Camden. They have a brilliant menu of events (Marianne Williamson is speaking there next week) Check them out. A very special place.

My talk was very heartfelt, if not very polished. I was talking about how love really does make the world go round, about connection and the kindness of strangers; how creating the Big Peace in our lives is a moment by moment decision – deciding to operate from our most loving/wise/expanded place versus our mean-spirited/stressed out/contracted selves. And how you can bounce into The Big Peace (which lights up a different part of our brain) by thinking about people you love, appreciating and feeling grateful for what you have (a gratitude diary is scientifically proven to switch off the anxiety mechanism in your brain).

I was very grateful to Ann of Edenbridge who was kind to a stranger and allowed me to share my message.

I decided to send Ann some flowers this morning and was telling the florist the story and she gasped when I told her who it was – an old client of hers that she had lost contact with so she decided to deliver the flowers herself. ‘She’s a lovely lady,’ she told me. ‘It will be great to see her again.’

Then Ann left me a message on my mobile to say thank you for the flowers and she had given my book to a friend of hers she’d seen that evening who was struggling after losing her partner.

A random act of kindness from a stranger connected people, help me deliver a more heartfelt message and definitely created a little more gratitude support and love in this world.

May the force and The Big Peace be with you!

Thank you for everyone who came to my launch. I appreciate your support and your love.

Suzy x

"

Lighting For Homes - Home Lighting Ideas, Solutions & Tips

Lighting For Homes - Home Lighting Ideas, Solutions & Tips: "

Having the correct lighting for homes has to be one of the most important parts of decorating as it enhances the beauty of the home. Regardless of the space or what you may have in your home, the correct home lighting will do wonders, making your home look spectacular. Good lighting will also make your home look a lot more spacious and welcoming.

Home Lighting Tips

Natural light can certainly make your home look beautiful, but it is important to understand how to use it to your home’s benefit.

• Firstly light dressing is an important tool when making sure the flow of light is uninterrupted, it will also cut out secondary glazing on the window as they absorb light.


• Another home lighting idea, is to position a mirror alongside a window. This will not only make the room look much larger than it is, but will also brighten up the room with light being reflected.


• When using a good reflective color in your home be sure to use a color closer to white, because the closer it is to white the more reflective it will be. Darker colors such as black and brown for example absorb light making a room appear smaller and much darker.


• When it comes to electric light, you will have a few things to consider, one of which will be general lighting. When it comes to this, it is best to use halogen lights, as they can be dimmed and it gives the room a better feel. Flourescent lights on the other hand can brighten up a room, but at the same time make it look rather bland.


• When you are trying to draw attention to certain items in your home it is best to use accent lighting, it will work like a spotlight on a particular object. What is also important when it comes to home lighting is task lighting, these type of lights can be used when reading for example. It works well as it prevents the straining of ones eyes.

Home Lighting Solutions

When you are setting up your home lighting, be sure to pay attention to detail. Understand the needs of each area of your home and then proceed.

• Home entrances for one are of great importance as this is where guest and people that live in the home arrive and leave. The light in this area needs to be bright for certain periods and not the entire time so it would be best to use incandescent lights, with light controls.


• If you have stairs in your home it would be best to make sure that the stair case has excellent lighting. A ceiling fixture can be used to provide the light needed if the rooms near the stair case does not provide adequate lighting.


• The kitchen is certainly another major part of the home where lighting is of great importance. Using lighting that lights up all the horizontal and vertical areas of the kitchen is very important, you should also use lighting that spotlights areas such as chopping areas.


• If you have children it is best that you have the light switch at the entrance to the room for you to turn on and off when entering or leaving. It will also be a an excellent idea to have a bedside lamp or a study table lamp, this will encourage the child to read.


• Another home lighting solution would be for the bathroom, if you have your bathroom in your bedroom like most modern homes. It would be best to make sure that the bathroom light does reflect directly onto the bed.

Save Energy With Homes Lighting

When it comes to home lighting people are starting to look for ways in which they can beautify and save energy. Using the proper lighting products will be of great importance when saving energy. Energy savers will eventually spell the end of incandescent bulbs due to the fact it makes a huge difference to the environment. Halogen lamps are also excellent home lighting ideas, they are small and work well with decorations. LED lamps can also be used and they are very good because apart from brightening up a room it also uses very little energy. It is up to you to see what works for you and what work with your design.

Choosing correct home lighting is certainly important, understanding what you require and the best products to use need careful planning. At the end of it you will be very happy with the end result when you get your lighting for homes done correctly. Remember a home with excellent lighting is a beautiful one.

References:

1. Lighting - BBC Homes

"

If I Came to Your Town, Would You Come See Me?

If I Came to Your Town, Would You Come See Me?: "

As I may have casually mentioned once or twice before, I have a book coming out in December. Yes, it’s true!

Although it’s still very early, it’s time to think about the book tour. Although we’re all familiar with the idea of author appearances at local bookstores, writers are doing far, far less touring than they did in the past. It’s expensive, and for the most part, it’s an ineffective way of shining a spotlight on a book. Most books just don’t draw a crowd of any size at all, and often now, there is no proper book tour for a book.

As part of the book-tour consideration, I’d love to get a feel for how much interest there is here. So I’m going to Ask for help: if you truly think you’d try to come to an event for the Happiness Project, if I came to your town, would you please add a comment below to let me know?

Or, if you’d rather, shoot me an email. Note “Tour” in the subject line to grubin[at]gretchenrubin[dot com]. (Sorry about the weird format – trying to thwart spammers).

Just write something like “Yes, I’d try to come if you did a book event in FILL IN THE NAME OF YOUR TOWN.” If you’d bring friends, add “and I’d bring some friends.”

These responses (or lack of responses) will be enormously useful to have. Thanks!

"

Real Women Pump Their Own Gas

Real Women Pump Their Own Gas: "

I don't know about you, but with the fluctuating price of gas these days, I'm not inspired to pay from 25 cents to 50 cents extra per gallon to have somebody else pump my gas. Nor do I want to touch a dirty pump nozzle that's been handled by thousands of other germy people before me.

Jean Schipper of Laguna Beach, California, feels the same way, and she was inspired by like-minded friends to create Pump Gloves: the perfect accessory for the busy, stylish, and dirt-conscious woman. Her slogan is "Don't be a Ditz, Cover Your Mitts."

Pump Gloves are the fashionable and hygienic alternative to pumping your gas barehanded. Long gone are the days of full-service gas stations where the kindly employees would take care of everything and leave you relaxing in the driver's seat. Now everyone is expected to do all the dirty work, and we all know it is definitely dirty. It's also especially important for people to protect themselves against sickness in this time of year when the fear of swine flu and colds lurk behind every corner.

This is where Pump Gloves come in: They provide insulation against grease, grime, gasoline, and germs that are never cleaned off pumps at gas stations. Nobody likes to handle oily-looking pumps, especially when you consider how many others before have touched them before you.

You could easily keep a box of latex gloves in your car, or a can of sanitizing wipies. But why not just keep these gorgeous guys in the glove compartment for the next time you've gotta pump some gas? With less mess at the pump, today's do-it-all woman can feel confident and clean on her way to work, school, or to pick up the kids.

The creators of Pump Gloves designed them to be as fashionable as they are practical, and looked to the flirty and modest styles of the Fifties for inspiration. The gloves cover the entire hand and extend to the wrist, and are available in several trendy color designs: black with white polka dots, light pink with white polka dots, and chic black with cubic zirconia accents. All three versions come with a cute pink bow at the wrist that ties together the posh feminine style.

Not only were they designed with style in mind, but also utility: The gloves are made from a nice, comfy medium-weight polyester with soft fleece inside. If you notice they're getting a little grungy from doing their job, they can be machine washed and thrown in the dryer on a tumble dry setting, which also helps to maintain their size.

While Jean's main goal was to create a quality product that was functional and stylish, she also wanted to indulge her humanitarian spirit, so she donates 5% of each purchase to the Princeton Environmental Institute at Princeton University which focuses on environmental research, education, and outreach to the next generation of environmentalists.

Each pair of Pump Gloves is packaged in a handy vinyl storage bag that fits conveniently into the glove compartment, and retails for $20 at www.pumpgloves.com

You know you want a pair, so here's how you can get them for free: Leave a comment here about how you could most benefit from your own pair of Pump Gloves, and you'll be entered to win one of two pairs, courtesy of Jean Schipper and Pump Gloves. In two weeks, we'll choose a winner randomly from the comments at the end of this blog, so please leave your comment by Thursday, October 1, and we'll be sure to let you know if you win!


Jody DeVere
President and CEO
http://www.askpatty.com
http://www.carblabber.com


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"

Imagine

Preparing for Departure- 10 Retrospective Research Voyage

Preparing for Departure- 10 Retrospective Research Voyage: "
Today, September 7, Oceanographic Research Vessel Alguita is scheduled to depart on a 10 year retrospective voyage to study plastic pollution in the Pacific Ocean! This voyage from Hawaii to California will include an opportunity for the research team to re-sample the original 1999 plastic debris sampling locations. This 10-year time span will provide further information about the rate of growth and seasonal changes in plastic density in this remote region of the North Pacific Ocean. The data from the 1999 trip will be significantly strengthened by a summer sampling of the same transects during this ten year anniversary of the Algalita Marine Research Foundations first research voyage to the 'garbage patch'. The levels of plastic can then be compared to the levels found ten years ago, and related to our model predictions, allowing for a determination of growth during that period.
To learn more about how the ORV Alguita research team studies plastic pollution in the Pacific Ocean visit the link below!
http://algalita.org/Maps_Home.html
To learn more about the research crew and how they got involved in working aboard and Oceanographic Research Vessel visit this link:
http://orvalguita.googlepages.com/meetthecrew!

"

A Day In The Life Of The Color Economy: the Trading between States

A Day In The Life Of The Color Economy: the Trading between States: "

'A Day In The Life Of The Colour Economy' [pitchinteractive.com] is based on the 'Color Economy' concept as proposed by Jer Thorp: an artificial economy of pixels, in which individual 'traders' exchange color as a currency or commodity.

Here, pixels are assigned a specific nation (a color), and within each nation, of a state (defined by a hexadecimal value). Using real data, a scenario is mapped out in which each trade between 2 different states created a curved line between the respective traders. The center circle is a ring chart that shows the percentage of each nation's population in the world of pixels. The outer ring segments represent that state's population in relation to its nation. The distance of the segment from the center ring chart represents the state's GDP (or it's wealth). The filling of lines in the center is much like a pie chart, only with an added dimension.

The result is a collection of circular visualizations (on which labels or legends would help considerably in understanding the insights?).

"

One Trillion Dollars Visualized

One Trillion Dollars Visualized: "

Representing large numbers has always been a focus for many information aesthetic visualization pieces. Think about 1 Billion Dollar (Physical), 6 Billion Others, World Population One, the Megapenny Project, Chris Jordan's American Self Portrait and Rice Demographics as some relevant examples.

By courtesy of mint.com, the following animated infographic movie illustrates the relative size of '1 trillion', which generally does not seem much bigger than '1,000 billion'. With the recent news about the financial crisis and government spending, the notion of numbers have become even bigger. But one trillion dollars is a number that few people can comprehend, let alone one's standard 9-digit calculator. So what does one trillion dollars look like? You can check the movie below, or check out the static illustrations.

Thnkx Anders!

PS. Is mentioning that '1 trillion dollars is bigger the Australian GDP' strange to anyone? Can anyone correctly estimate GDP numbers, let alone of a sparsely populated, commodity rich, but massively sized country?

"