Understanding Faithful Religious Followers

How can you honestly understand someone else's opinion if they sincerely differ from yours? For years I have been trying to understand the beliefs portrayed by organized religions around the world. Whenever someone is explaining part of their religion to me and I bring something to their attention, about their religion, and they don't know the answer, their replies always seem to be based around faith. You just need to believe.

I've been asking people for years, why do you believe? The answers vary from time to time but the essence of the answers are similar. Our conversations seem to start out with a few facts, which leads us into a friendly discussion about their religious beliefs and how they were formed. Whenever I start to dig a little too deep or ask some of these people questions that they don't have the answers to, the conversation always ends abruptly and the word faith always seems to appear.

I feel like this is the easy way out for religious believers.

I'm sure that they get frustrated with me, asking them questions about their religions, that they can't answer. Most of these people won't even bother to find the answers for themselves either, this has often irritated me, but at the same time I think I understand. Most people want to be a part of something but won't take the time to be involved in it. Living a life based on a little information, a lot of hope and the rest completely immersed in faith, seems like a life that is lived without questioning the most important thing in your life.

If I went to a place of worship and asked this question "What's the Most Important Thing in Your Life?" I would imagine most of these people would tell me it was their God or gods. God seems to be the main focus on their lives but they don't seek to understand how he came to be, why he doesn't help the poor, why won't God communicate with us, or even something as simple as understanding some, at the least 10% of your religion.

I don't believe there's anything wrong with living a faithful life. I have faith in things that are out of my control and am still seeking answers to their origins and existence. The sun, Earth, air, water and even God. I suggest to religious, nonbelievers and spiritual people all over the world, to gather a little more information about your beliefs, if they are indeed important to you.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, You Can Heal Your Life

If you want to read something funny and get your daily laugh in, you need to read this, it's funny Using Religion Responsibility . It's based on overindulgence

Judging Your Childrens Partners

Guide For Weight Loss Surgery Success

One of the most handed down, often-quoted quotations is that "If you change your thoughts, you change your life."

It is so true...

It takes a thought to create an emotion, which in turn drives a decision to take an action.

Simple, huh?

All the self-help books, tapes, seminars, etc. show you what to do, but not what to think or how to prioritize in order to do it.

How do you change your thoughts and lifestyle in order to make the right actions?

Nowadays, we live in such a fast-paced world that we don't take the time to 'stop and smell the roses.' We are on a fast-paced train that continually runs on a regular track of toxic habits and behaviors. Sound familiar?

Well then, how do we get off this lethal train?

The first step is to recognize how we neglected to take time - the time to become calm within ourselves. By doing this, we acknowledge how reckless our lifestyles have become.

You might be saying to yourself, "Yeah, but the kids need me to drive them to soccer practice," "I have to make dinner and do the laundry, not to mention the ironing," "Oh, I am so busy with my business and the PTA. Oh, and I can't forget my church group."

Do you see and hear the insanity of it all? If you want to change something in you life, how much of this mayhem do you think you are going to fit in with what you are wanting?

Do you remember that old Calgon commercial? It had the wife/mother frantic, trying to get everything done. With her children screaming and the phone ringing, she finally runs into the bathroom, locks the door, throws up her hands and looks up shouting "Calgon, take me away!"

This advertisement said it all. She just needed a moment of peace. When we are able to take just a few minutes to be with ourselves, we can take what I like to call 'ME TIME'.

Within those brief but valuable tranquil moments, we can start making conscious, clearer decisions about what we want. And remember, changing your thought patterns can create the change that you desire.

My challenge to you is to take a hard look at how often you seize that sacred moment to be with yourself. Is it once a week? Twice a week? Ultimately, my hope is that you become mindful to do this every single day of your life.

This means escaping from all of the chaos for a few minutes. Slowing down your pace; thinking of no one but you. Self- care is essential for life balance and when we forget about loving ourselves first, we can then tumble helplessly into possible burnout, depression, addiction, etc.

The second step is awareness. To realize the more often you think new thoughts, the more often they cross your mind, the higher your standards will be. More often you will be compelled to take the actions that will make you more and more successful in that area of your life.

Treasure in...treasure out.

Garbage in...(well, you get the idea).

For instance, you can have thoughts of being a thin person, but not think of being a financially stable person.

Simply, this means you can become so focused on your weight loss, that you completely neglect your financial goals. Remembering that your thoughts create standards that oversee your actions and decisions, you can have it all. This principle pertains to every aspect of your life, you just need to be aware and focus on your life's balance. Therefore, go ahead and think of what it would be like to lose weight but don't forget to also put thought into how you are going to keep your finances in order.

Once you start reflecting on the past, it is inevitable that your thoughts will create your destiny. I challenge you to set aside some time today to reflect on what is most important to YOU.

You CAN achieve your weight loss goals and enjoy a more balanced life.

"If you change your thoughts, you will change your life."

Copyright 2006 Jeff Cadwell Positive Coaching

Jeff Cadwell
Maximum Life Coach
714-669-2928
http://www.jeffcadwell.com

"Welcome to the beginning of the New YOU!"

I am a Life Coach who is passionate about empowering people to live more robust lives -physically, emotionally and spiritually. My specialty is people who are considering or have had Weight Loss Surgery.

W Clement Stone

Anger Management For Teens - Self Help Steps to Control Your Emotions

Anger is unavoidable. Feelings of anger are triggered by factors in our environment and are accompanied by certain physiological reactions. Anger management focuses on the negative expression of these feelings. When one externalizes anger, one can mistreat the world around him.

Teenagers have a unique experience with anger. Adolescence is a major growth stage emotionally, socially and physically. Teenagers go through this stage without the benefit of a fully mature brain. Thus, their understanding and ability to self-regulate their emotions is often difficult. There are, however, several ways in which teenagers can gain better control of anger management. Managing anger involves becoming aware of the physiological "signals", such as blood pressure and heart rate, before the thinking part of the brain is bypassed and the action part of the brain is engaged. Following are some of the concepts I offer teens:

1. It takes 10 steps before you "lose" your temper. Here's an example: If I throw a ball to you, you catch it. However, if you were two-years-old, it might hit you in the face. Through trail and error, you have learned to lift your hands up, cup your hands, keep your eyes on the ball, bring your hands together at the right moment, press hard enough to keep the ball in your hands and suddenly you have caught the ball. This "catching the ball" technique took months or maybe years to master. In the same way, learning techniques to control your anger takes time to learn. Let's take a look at how we can break down the way we react in a situation to see how we might handle our anger differently: You ask your mom if you can go out while thinking to yourself: "She won't let me." You feel sick to your stomach, your heart races. You feel hot and angry and you're ready for a fight. A little too rudely, you ask your mom if you can go out. She responds to your tone of voice and says "no." You explode and scream, "I knew you were going to say that!" You go to your room and slam the door. You kick the bed and throw yourself down and think hateful thoughts. In order to begin to control your anger, you need to deconstruct your behavior and see all these "steps" you've gone through.
2. Prevention is the best medicine. If you understand step 1 and step 2 of your angry reaction, you can prevent steps 3, 4 and 5 from happening. Awareness is the key. Catching yourself before those other steps occur takes practice (like a child learning to catch a ball). You need to find a way to prevent yourself from going too far. In our example, from the moment you thought about asking your mom for permission to go out, you felt and behaved angrily. You need an alternative plan. One alternative during the early stages of anger is to pause and tell yourself, "I've got to break this pattern. Acting this way solves nothing. I don't feel good when I get distressed. I need to calm down and then cope with what I'm feeling." How do you do that? Take a deep breath. This allows you the opportunity to plan a different conversation with your mother. Use an external "reminder" to "stop, look, and listen" to different behavioral options. For instance, wearing a certain bracelet, ring or band can be a reminder for you that you need to stop long enough to consider the outcome of the path you are on.
3. Give yourself a break. Go outside for a bit. Take 10 deep breaths. Go to your room, lie down and listen to music. Write a page in your journal. Any of these techniques will allow you the "space" to talk yourself through the problem at hand. Like that child learning to catch the ball, it takes time to learn to control your behavior. In the event that you reach the point of losing your temper and expressing your anger, you need a plan as well. Some have found the following techniques as helpful at times like these: going for a run, punching a pillow, or throwing a ball. Screaming into your pillow can be more productive than screaming at your mother. These physical releases can produce a calmer state in which you can take a look at what led to the angry response and make a plan for the next time it happens.
4. Finally, write yourself a letter. Tell yourself the situations that trigger your anger. Describe the first steps as you move towards an angry outburst. Then, describe alternative plans for calming yourself and dealing reasonably with your anger. Give specific behavioral options that you've learned and calm you down at that stage. Also include plans for safe releases of your anger if it goes too far. This letter should be available at all times. Your own words can be your best coach when you feel circumstances getting out of control.

Laura Doerflinger, a licensed mental health counselor, is the Executive Director of the Parent Education Group at http://www.familyauthority.com and the author of the audio book, Emotionally Balanced Parenting

Copyright 2008 Parent Education Group - Reprints Accepted - Two links must be active in the bio.

Fighting Off Negative Thoughts - How Subliminals Can Make it Much Easier

Unfortunately, and although we would not like to admit it, negative thoughts are the main driving force behind the six billion somethings teeming the world right now. We already live in an environment of bad news, bad perceptions and an ecosystem of mistrust. We are driven to the wall by the promotion of bad habits, the perpetuation of bad examples and an attitude of complacency that overarches the world today as we know it. Whatever good there might have been in us is now decaying faster and faster in a capitalist world that divides the poor and rich in vulgar degrees - faster than the ozone finally leaving the outer tresses of the world as we know it. We are, as humans, losing control little by little of ourselves as we surrender and ingratiate ourselves into this zeitgeist - but I think it is time for a change. Our mind is plugged into a system that is virus prone and has shoddy programming - it is time to reset yourself. Fight off negative thoughts; learn how subliminals can make it much easier.

Our subconscious is the villain that runs amuck within our lives. The negative vibes in the world are absorbed into our cerebrum faster than a sponge in the sea and it builds what weakly passes for character nowadays. Why do you think there are more obese people in the world today than hundreds of years ago? Why do you think cigarette companies are laughing to the bank no matter what recession plagues our global economies? This is because that no tragedy can turn around addiction and addiction is wired into our nature - so much so that we view things as cool and as fad. This is subliminal technology at work - when a company that essentially sells a roll of leaves peppered with more toxic chemicals than in a nuclear waste plant - and we think it is cool; it's subliminal persuasion at work. Advertising is subliminal persuasion at work because the obvious and the unobvious in advertising campaigns are messages that latch on to your subconscious and take over the reigns of your life.

It is time to fight fire with fire. Your mind is programmed for an outlook that is holding you back. How many times have you heard yourself say that you will 'quit' next week or you need just a bit of time more to do that thing you always wanted. What are we afraid of? Fear - even irrational fear is a living breathing endemic that is gnawing away at us and we are powerless to overcome it. Self improvement must always start at the top and now we have subliminal technology to drive away negative thoughts and make us ask a simple question - why didn't I do this earlier?

Exactly. Why didn't you do this earlier? Why didn't you take action when you could? Why are you always putting yourself down and looking at the world in a bad light. It's time for a change and this is something subliminals can make it much easier.

Click Here to get your Free 'Ultimate Success Unleashed' subliminal cd and supercharge your success. Greg Frost is an authority in the subliminal industry for many years and has helped thousands of people worldwide to attain their dreams and goals.

Employee Motivation Games

Every year at the major company event there are employee motivation games to play. Most of us dislike these games because the majority of them seem silly and pointless. Why waste our time with this is what employees usually complain about.

However, help is on the way. Out of all the employee motivation games played this one seems the favorite. Try a company scavenger hunt. The nice thing about this game is it does not have to be done during a major company event, although right before yearly inventory for smaller companies seems to be a good time. This will work for all companies. Large and small alike. You just need to have a set of company information for the employees to find out.

The reason the scavenger hunt is my favorite of all employee motivation games is that it is easy to set up and easy to play. It is also relatively fun. First, get a list of company information that you want the employees to find out. It can be date of incorporation, date the first product was sold/manufactured, who was the founder, what is the best selling product, and the list goes on. Once you have a set of information you divide the employees into teams. You can set departments against each other or you can have other ways of making teams. Set a time frame, especially if some of the items are hard to find or locate. Have everyone meet back at the designated time and declare the winner or winners. Be sure to have a prize for the winning team or teams.

This is a great game because it is different from the usual employee motivation games. The game is actually educational in nature. Instead of wasting time with seemingly pointless tasks, it actually teaches the employees about the company they work for. The more knowledge employees have about the company they work for, the better they are able to understand and relate to its mission statement and vision. By empowering employees with knowledge, you are inviting them to stay. Isn't this a fun and interesting way to help improve employee retention rates

For more employee motivation tips, please visit our site:

Employee Motivation

Also available at: http://employee-motivation-about.info/Employee_Motivation_Games.htm

Religious Education

I started out as a Christian and lived the first 17 years of my life as one. When I started doing a little research on Christianity, this soon led me to other religions. I started to research other religions, I soon found myself having problems with the religion of my birth, Christianity. I believe that Jesus was special and for some reason, thought that he was an only child. While reading one book, I found out he had 11 brothers and sisters. I don't know if this is true but this is what the book reported.

The stuff I had been taught in Sunday school and going to, what I would like to call adult church. Listening to the sermons and of course never reading the Bible, because my main concerns at the time were playing with my friends, sports and as I entered my teens, became extremely interested in cars. I didn't have time or a desire to verify anything that I had heard about Christianity.

I read one book and that led to others and pretty soon I was confused and chose not to be a Christian anymore, because I couldn't verify if this was a religion made by God or man. Everything I was learning pointed towards man and control and money and power. The more I learned, the more forgiveness I could have towards others who belonged to other religions throughout the world.

We all want the same thing, love, compassion and understanding. Buddhism seems to represent this the most to me and I started to study it a little more diligently. I kind of became fascinated with the Dali Lama and the country of Tibet. We tend to get caught up in stuff that sounds good and makes us feel good but often can't see the problems. This happens in our daily life with work, family and fun.

I never really fell out of favor with Buddhism but soon learned enough to save this religion wasn't exactly for me either. I like some of the principles, especially the principle of compassion which tends to drive this way of life forward.

I have studied quite a few religions and still have plenty of more to educate myself on. I understand that most people don't have the time or interest to pursue this path. That's fine, but at the same time don't make fun of these religions, if you don't know anything about them and don't tell others that your religion is right if it isn't.

If you want to read something funny and get your daily laugh in, you need to read this, it's funny Using Religion Responsibility . It's based on overindulgence.

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, You Can Have It All

The Spiritual Goals of Meditation

The Spiritual Journey Through a Meditation Practice

The Buddhists and others say that all life is suffering. Others refer to our existence as composed of a pain body. Certainly as we look upon the human condition worldwide we see much of both, and we may wonder if there is a way out of this dilemma.We seem relentlessly programmed to make choices and decisions that lead us into further suffering.Circumstances that lead to pain seem beyond our control.

Our experience tells us that we seem to have many different parts to ourselves in conflict with each other.Sometimes we are afraid and sometimes we feel secure.Sometimes we are angry and sometimes we are calm.Sometimes we are discouraged and sometimes we are positively hopeful.You have probably heard that we have a higher self, a soul, a transcendent self, a lower self, a subconscious mind, a shadow self, a super-conscious mind, an unconscious mind, a chakra system, and even more.The apparent separation of each of these conflicting elements of us is actually a perception of separation, and that perception of separation is the actual cause of the suffering and pain.

Through meditation we are able to integrate all the illusions of separation, and merge our awareness into the unitive state where we realize the underlying infinite, conscious principle that is both the very essence of all of who we are and the absolute nature of all there is.

The Goals of the Meditation Process

There are several phases to be keep in mind as you develop your daily practice. This is not an intellectual process, but rather an experiential process of discovering first-hand what your True Self is.This discovery is not revealed by thinking about the subject or analyzing ideas about it, but rather allowing the truths to arise from the experience of direct expansions of awareness and realization.When the reality of the unity and interconnectedness of all things becomes your experience you will awaken to a new way of viewing yourself and all life.You will feel as though you have awakened from the dreams of a deep sleep.

Until you have this experience you think you are awake and directing your life through conscious decisions.When you awaken your awareness pierces through the images that your five senses tell you is reality, and you become aware of the truth that underlies all existence.You will sense that everything is created out of the same energy, and is therefore fundamentally the same fabric of existence. You will feel more connected with this fabric of creation and more awake and more in touch with everything. You will realize how absorbed in an illusion you were.You will feel reborn as you awaken into a fresh new view of everything.

The meditative practice was developed as a means of connecting with the field and consciousness of creation, and to listen to the still small voice which emanates from the infinite divine presence.Your sense of being connected with and one with the fullness of the divine will become naturaland automatic.

With each meditative experience you surrender into the greater awareness of who you are and when you return to your normal every day consciousness your awareness is changed, and with this new awareness your life changes. You know that you and the rest of manifest creation are not what you always assumed they were, and life doesn't work the way you assumed it did. The only way to know this is by direct experience. It is not known by reading, thinking, or any of the other normal ways you have come to know anything. It is by direct experience in consciousness only.

Introducing the Ego

The confusion comes from the fact that there are fundamentally two major components to who and what we are. The part of us that we think of as the conscious person is what has been developed since we were born and which we call the personality. The personality is formed from traits we have acquired from our parents genetically and energetically and our experiences in this life. Underlying the personality are many sub-identities with traits we have carried over from many lifetimes, and they are mostly composed of fundamental beliefs and emotional reactions.This collection of identities and reactions is what we call the ego.

The ego is the aspect of who we think we are that was developed over time living in a manifest existence of separation. Therefore, the ego is driven by many defenses to whatever it perceives as a threat to its comfort or existence.Most of the traits of what we think of as fundamental to be human are actually merely the defensive characteristics ofthe ego.This includes our emotional reactions, beliefs, and our judgments, criticism, and blame.Because the ego is a survival mechanism coping with the sense of separation from God, all human beings have similar reactions and defense mechanisms.Naturally, each person has developed a unique style and preference for particular defense mechanisms, but the underlying core similarities are closely similar for all people.For instance, one main core mechanism of the ego is fear.

The experience of perceiving separation from our divine source engenders a number of fears. Because the underlying reality of existence is love and light, the experience of separation isolates the ego in darkness and void to a degree hard to imagine, and the ego will do anything it can to prevent itself from feeling the terror of this pain.The ego is terrorized by anything that threatens its survival.So the ego is driven to cling to as many things as possible to give it assurance that it does not have to go into the deep void of separation or come to its end. So this powerful underlying fear drives people with many passions to accumulate, own, attach to, possess, grasp at, or control in an attempt to insulate themselves from the pain of separation and the fear of ceasing to exist.

There Is More to You than The Ego

Beneath the surface experiences of the ego is a deep and aware part of you that is aware of its connection to the divine source of love and light.It is present with you now at this very moment, but it normally operates below your level of conscious awareness.This is what we call the True Self.It is also called the Soul, Higher Self, Master Within, God Presence, Enlightened Consciousness, Awakened Self,I AM Presence, and other such names.

What defines our perception of our spiritual evolution is the gradual bringing to the surface of our awareness of the True Self.As it emerges more and more it gradually integrates its awareness into the perceptions of the ego and we experience a merging of our conscious awareness into the awareness of our Soul.I refer to this process as the soul merging, and it is a process that continues until the ego traits completely dissolve.

Whatever role the ego plays for us can be replaced and managed better by our True Self or Soul, and this is what makes enlightenment a process rather than a destination.It takes time to discover and get in touch with the many overt and subtle aspects of our ego identities, and therefore it generally takes many lifetimes to experience the complete dissolution of the ego and the full emergence of the True Self or Soul.Once a person becomes aware of these truths, the process proceeds at a much more rapid pace than he or she did prior.

Meditation enables us to disconnect from the realm of the five senses and realize our inner realities and connections in ways the five senses could never provide.There are many types of meditation and it is a good idea to try several until you find the ones that work best for you.Ihave written other articles on this subject.

Jonathan Parker is the founder and director of Quantum Quests International. For over 30 years he has been a counselor, workshop facilitator and author of one of the largest self-development libraries in the world. It is his voice you will hear on more than 1,000 CD programs he has produced. The are listed on his website and in his free print catalog.

Jonathan has university degrees in Education, Chemistry, Theology, Counseling Psychology, and Human Behavior & Development, but his life-long relentless quest for unraveling the many questions and mysteries of life also led him on a broad journey into comparative religion, quantum physics, clinical psychology, Huna, Theosophy, botany, astronomy, Sufism, nutrition, music, hypnosis, psychic phenomena, NLP, energy medicine, meditation, and metaphysics. His website is http://www.QuantumQuests.com.

His outstanding TV programs, "Mind Power," "Self-Empowerment" and "Winning at Weight Loss" have brought his results-oriented approach to millions. You can view some of his videos on his website.

His work has earned him a high standing with many companies, clinics, schools, universities, prisons, and health professionals who regularly use his programs. Olympic athletes, doctors, judges, and the clergy of many denominations and faiths have also used his programs. To date people in more than 75 countries around the world have benefited from his programs and workshops.

Jonathan Parker has been ahead of his time with many innovative applications of accelerated learning and personal transformation techniques. His wide spectrum of programs tap the deepest reservoir of human capabilities and inspire success in achieving the highest of human potentials. His programs have touched the lives of millions lifting them to achieve personal excellence and financial success, as well as realizing their dreams of vibrant health, winning performances, and reaching the heights of the human spirit!

Dealing with Grief with Jack Canfield

Creating super habits are easier than you could ever imagine. Most people have something they would like to change in their lives. If you ask anyone, they are usually able to answer this question, "If you could change anything about yourself, what would you change." All the self help and personal development programs and Books available today are full of useful information that nobody seems to take advantage of. You've seen the TV commercials and listen to other people tell their stories, about how they lost weight.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a self help video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Richard Wiseman
Edward Bok

National Foods of Honduras - Tamales

Some of the greatest cuisines come from other countries and one of those countries is Honduras. This small and poor country produces some of the healthiest and tastiest food, it is impossible for Americans not to pick up on some of the national foods of Honduras. When you start cooking from this ethnic country you will probably take notice that a lot of the dishes are very similar to Mexican dishes and that is exactly where Honduras takes their cue from! Mexican dishes are known for their flavor, spiciness and the exotic ingredients that are used. Honduras recipes are known for the exact same things, although their recipes usually include a lot more coconut and are healthier than Mexican food. One of the greatest national foods of Honduras is the tamale. Tamales consist of steam-cooked corn dough that is filled with meats, cheese and chilies.

Tamales may be one of the national foods of Honduras, but they have made their way over to America. But let's face it, most Americans have never had a real tamale in their entire life and once you have one, you will understand and know the taste of it. Tamales are a staple in all Honduras cuisine and are served all over the country.

A real homemade tamale is a corn meal dough sandwich (basically), stuffed with meat and cheese, then wrapped in plant leaves or corn husks and steamed until it is firm. These were back in the olden days the closest thing to a sandwich that most people had. Nowadays, this is one of the very traditional and great tasting national foods of Honduras that can be made for a big family or just for one person.

Tamales are great for family gatherings for they do not take all that long to make and you can make up a big batch of meat, add in a lot of cheese and then load them on up to steam. They can also make great appetizers for you can make mini tamales which are great for all sorts of dinner parties where you are featuring national foods of Honduras. You can also add your own twist on tamales, they can be all veggies, or some rice - it is all your choice!

So as you can see, the tamale is not only popular in Honduras, but it can be made in a variety of different ways and for all sorts of different crowds. If you live by yourself, do not fear! You can make yourself a single tamale, or make a bunch of them and freeze them so you can eat them at your leisure. No matter the occasion or the crowd, tamales are always a great hit for anyone or anyone.

To start cooking tamales straight away grab some Honduran recipes.

Margaret Assor is an enthusiast of ethnic cookery and an advocate of boredom free kitchens. If you want to try out some of the exotic Honduran recipes, visit her website at http://www.RecipesForHonduranFoodsInEnglish.com.

How to Find a Spiritual Community

Spiritual communities provide benefits we can't find in other social circles. Throughout known history, people have sought out such communities. And in these communities they revealed the most important and personal developments in their lives. Joys and sorrows, vows and confessions, hopes for a better life beyond life on earth, and fears of eternal abysses have all been shared in spiritual communities around the earth. And yet, spiritual communities have also been the causes of much deep-set heartbreak and disappointment. Corruption and depravity have destroyed churches, synagogues and mosques, as well as numerous alternative spiritual communities. Then the faithful often scatter, and some decide to never trust or be a part of a spiritual community again.

How can you know if a spiritual community is likely to be strong and hold integrity or become corrupt and fall apart?

Common Pitfalls for Spiritual Communities
The quality and dedication of a spiritual community's leadership is central to its success or failure. The most common cause of a spiritual community's breakup is the fall of the leadership into sexual or financial scandal and opportunism.
Spiritual leaders often are confronted with great temptation to abuse the trust their congregations or students have given them. Misguided or troubled members may offer sexual favors or naively believe that sexual relations with a spiritual leader will help them grow spiritually.
Many religious and spiritual organizations also keep no checks and balances on the moneys generated through their membership and services, and the leaders are allowed to take extravagantly from the generosity of others who trust them.

Finding the Right Spiritual Community for You

How then might you find a spiritual community with integrity? You can start researching the websites of various groups. Do note that there are hate-groups and people who deride almost all small spiritual groups, so do not go by what they are saying on the Internet.

Instead, if you see a group that interests you and that resides in a place you are willing to travel to, find out if they have introductory classes or services which you could attend to get to know them. Ask about their sexual and financial mores: Do the leaders or ministers sleep around? Do they make exorbitant salaries that are not commensurate with what their typical members make? Do they live ethical lives?

When you visit the communities you are considering joining, trust your heart. Is there an atmosphere of warmth and love that is also honest and open? Does this group help their members learn better communication skills? Do they teach how to develop a deeper relationship with God?

You will want to know yourself enough to know what you are looking for. If you want a quite in-depth spiritual training program, then you will need to find a place that offers that. If you mostly want a social spiritual group, then look for that. Take your time, trust your heart, and treat yourself to a spiritual community with which to grow and deepen.

Mother Clare Watts is a mystic, ordained priest, Master Teacher, and Co-Director of an independent, mystical Christian Order and spiritual school that has spiritual centers, called Centers of Light, in 15 cities nationwide. She holds a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology, with extensive post-graduate training in Jungian analysis, is a Certified Professional Midwife, and has enjoyed successful careers in both fields. She is the mother of four grown children and currently lives in Dolores, Colorado, where she directs The Peace Temple Initiative - an organization working to build a retreat center for peace workers from around the world. She is a nationally known speaker and lectures in a different city nearly every weekend of the year. She has also been a featured guest on several radio broadcast programs, including Wisconsin Public Radio's At Issue with Ben Merens, Contact Radio in Seattle, and Seeing Beyond in San Francisco. Jim Lewis, author of The Oxford Handbook of New Religions, as well as 11 other works, and leading scholar internationally on new religious movements, is currently writing a scholarly book about the Order that Mother Clare co-directs, expected to be published in the spring of 2009.

Mother Clare has found recent acclaim as the author of the book, Giving Birth to God: A Woman's Path to Enlightenment. This moving account of her life tells of her journey through yoga ashrams and Sufi training schools to find a mystical Christian spiritual school with Master Teachers. Wonderfully moving stories give an in-depth rendering of the inner spiritual path. As she writes in the book, "Each of us was created with the full potential to become masters over everything on Earth, not so that we might dominate the Earth, but so that we might bless it with consciousness."

To hear Mother Clare's podcasts, visit http://www.AskMotherClare.com

Why Dont We Listen To Our Parent

Is Workplace Conflict Destructive or Creative?

Whenever you work with people, conflict is inevitable. The tension created by daily conflict either results in wasted time, decreased productivity, and poor decisions or the sort of internal competition that pushes each individual to do their best, if for no other reason that convince their coworkers that they can do it.

This inevitable conflict is either destructive or creative. The destructive conflict is toxic to relationships and hurts people and organizations and this is the one that needs managing. In my experience creative conflict seems to be cultural in nature. It's how the people themselves react and address each other and the situations they face together.

If you've ever seen "American Chopper" on the Discovery Channel you know what I mean by creative conflict. There is a lot of yelling going on. These guys are not shy about sharing their opinions when they disagree with one another. If you were a stranger who walked into their shop you might think WWIII had broken out.

In fact, that is how they relate to one another - there is no ambiguity, they tell it like it is in the moment. Imagine how much more they accomplish because they use the tension to air their different opinions, right now - and then get on with it. It's possible that this is just a TV show and these guys have nice quiet meetings in the board room, listening to various committee reports, before the speak up, but that's not likely. I bet they are who we see them as being.

In three decades working with family businesses I have seen dozens and dozens of companies who harness conflict creatively, and in so doing get the most out of everyone as well as optimum results overall. They don't waste time on what's not working just because it was the bosses idea. They stop what they're doing and point out the other person's mistake then show them how to fix it. Nothing and no one or their opinion is sacred - it's all about getting the job done.

Sadly I have seen experts try to get them to change their behavior, be more polite to one another and offer more politically correct input in an ever more constructive manner. In other words they (the experts) want other people to be more like them.

So instead of helping their clients manage the destructive conflict that exists, they are offering suggestions on how to fix what isn't broken.

I am talking about the conflict that distracts employees and managers from otherwise productive use of their time. Studies reveal that up to 30% of a typical managers time is spent dealing with conflict. And that 42 percent of their time is spent reaching agreements with others when conflicts occur.

Sometimes destructive conflict is simply because the people don't like each other. In the universe of family owned companies sometimes brothers, sisters, cousins, and in-laws are thrown together in ways none of them like. Conflict is the only way they have of displaying the frustration they feel about the situation they're in.

It is no wonder that an estimated 65% of performance problems result from strained relationships like these. Between employees who are not happy with each other - not from deficits in their training, skill, or motivation.

The most common way that destructive conflict shows up is about "how" a certain task should be accomplished. I met a farmer once whose son (age 50) refused to do things the way he wanted them done. He sited an example by driving me on the back of his four wheeler (you could not get there any other way) to a field that illustrated his point.

He and his father before him had always plowed the field north to south - his son was plowing it east to west. I am not making this up. It didn't have anything to do with soil erosion, conservation, or the environment - he was doing it this way against his dad's wishes, just to get his goat. And it was working.

I bet you can think of things at your company that are being done a certain way because that's the way they've always been done. And if you're the one who wants to change history, good luck!

Destructive conflict about how things are being done, what things are being done, and whether or not a certain thing should even be done can paralyze the organization.

Wasted time arguing about things that don't matter, an unwillingness to consider another person's point of view based on their experience, and the blame game when the results are in all cry out for a self-help process you can use to manage your differences so that all conflict is creative.

The end result of a successful self-help mediation process is that you (as a group) turn together and focus on the challenge or opportunity you all face. You see the problem as the stumbling block and not your coworker.

Self-help mediation tools allow two individuals the opportunity to discuss their assumptions about the other person's motives. In many conflicts the simple process of testing these assumptions face to face using active listening skills will resolve the issue entirely, because the parties realize the conflict is simply a misunderstanding.

Self-help mediation tools pave the way for more effective decision making. Obviously decisions made under conditions of conflict are going to be inferior to decisions made when cooperation prevails. If ongoing conflict (even a low grade resistance to cooperation) is present between people who share decision-making authority, the resulting decisions are likely to be flawed by the power struggles between those people.

As business owners we know that good decisions must be based on an optimum quality and quantity of objective information. So when information is withheld or distorted by those we are depending on to provide it, the decision cannot be the best one possible.

There is now doubt, workplace conflict resolution strategies - especially those that will allow you to do it yourself - will save you money, time, energy, and enhance your workplace by helping you make better decisions, retain your best employees, and design a future course for the business everyone will actively support!

Wayne Messick's web site http://www.iBizResources.com has many additional conflict resolution articles and strategic planning resources to help you grow your business. If you are a small business advisor and want to maximize your professional and financial potential, here are the resources we are using to systematically multiply our new business, our revenues, and our client's satisfaction.

15 Foods That Make You Fat

There is no doubt that overeating can lead to putting fat on your body, but there are some foods that are more likely to put those pounds on you than others. These foods are either high in calories, total fat, carbohydrates, sugar or sodium. Below are 15 of the most fattening foods.

Mashed Potatoes - When made with cream and butter, one half-cup serving is about 200 calories.

Candy - This is high in sugar and bad fats. Baked Treats (Doughnuts, cakes, sweet rolls) These are high in sugar and carbohydrates, as well as being very high in calories.

Ice Cream - Ice cream is high in fat, and sugar and is high calorie.

Potato Chips - Potato chips are one of the most fattening foods you can eat. They are high in sodium, fat, and sugar. Not only are they high in calories but also they contain many preservatives and artificial flavor. Preservatives are very bad for you.

Processed Meats - Processed meats include meats such as hotdogs, sausages and lunch meats. These have a high content of very bad fats, as well as sodium.

Fast Food - Most fast food such as hamburgers, nachos, French fries have a high fat content that is extremely bad for you and they are very high in calories with very few healthy ingredients.

Fried Foods - Fried foods are very well known for being bad for you. These foods are usually very high in fat and if they are made with breading you also have a food that is high in carbohydrates.

Soda Drinks - Soda drinks are high in sugar, sodium and calories with no nutritional value at all.

High Sugar Cereals - These are high in carbohydrates and sugar. They raise your blood sugar and cause your body to store fat.

Whole Milk - Though the calcium in milk is good for you, whole milk has a very high fat content, which will put fat on your body. Try fat free or reduced fat milk instead.

Gravy - Gravy is high in fat and carbohydrates as well as very high in calories.

Breads - Breads made with refined flour are high in fat and carbohydrates. Try eating wholegrain breads.

Sour cream - Is good for you but it contains alot of fat you should always try to buy the fat free version of it.

Mayonnaise - Regular mayonnaise has tons of fat in it, so opt for the light or fat free versions instead.

Gourmet Coffee - Did you know that a gourmet Brownie Frappuccino has over 39 grams of fat. So watch the gourmet coffee intake.

These are 15 of the most fattening foods you could eat. You can increase your chance of dieting success by substituting these types of food with low calorie and low fat options.

This article has been brought to you by Jasn Szova & Positive Body Real Results Magazine if you would like more free information on health fitness fat loss and bodybuilding please visit
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Cut Hip Rafter Damage

Luck is What Happens When Preparation Meets Opportunity

You must be ready when an opportunity comes before you, opportunity often comes in the form of work and that's why most people seem to miss it. Most people are too busy looking for the easy path through life. They seem to lay around waiting for the opportunity of a lifetime,... to simply fall at your feet.

Why would you want to spend so much time complaining about something, or someone? Other people can help you along the way, if you let them, but it's up to you, ultimately, to become the most you can possibly be. I have had plenty of opportunities in my life and have took advantage of some, while letting most of them pass by.

I'm no different than most people but now seem to be aware of my surrounding opportunities, all the time.

How many times do you wish for an opportunity to come along? It's probably one that you missed already, at some point during your life. Are you going to be prepared for the next opportunity when it comes along? These opportunities seem to repeat themselves throughout our lives and if we're not in the right state of mind, we often overlook them and let them pass by, time and time again.

You need to prepare yourself in advance for the next opportunity. If you are prepared and have your eyes open, you will be able to see the next opportunity that comes your way. Preparation will increase your chances for success and good fortune always.

Opportunities come in all shapes and sizes. Be on the lookout, when you're walking to the grocery store, taking a break at work, reading the newspaper, talking to your neighbor, walking down the street or even while you are sitting alone, letting your mind wander away. Your chances for success could come while your in your quiet places, or relaxing. Be prepared.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Steven M Cahn

Imagine There's No Heaven

Imagine There's No Heaven, It's Easy If You Try, No Hell below Us, above Us Only Sky, Imagine All the People Living for Today. Imagine There's No Countries, It Isn't Hard to Do, Nothing to Kill or Die for, and No Religion Too. Imagine All the People Living Life in Peace. Think about It.

It's hard to imagine, with the information today and even 50 years ago that most people still believe in religions all over the world, just because they were raised to believe in them. Religions of the future will have to adapt to change, a little faster as more people read articles like mine to promote education within your religion.

Find out a little bit more about Your Religious Freedom

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a religous help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Creating A Habit

I Can't Believe This Guy- Movie Video

Can you believe this guy, if you look up these verses in the Bible, you will see that there and there, but how did he come up with these ideas about the Sabbath, teenagers and the fact that the Bible is repulsive.

If you're really seeking the kingdom of heaven, the glory of God and the true vision that Jesus had, check out some great Christian articles . These articles are designed to teach and educate Christians.

Lifes Suffering Cycles

Create Joy While Doing Boring Tasks

There is something about doing chores and routine tasks that most people dread. Is it the repetitive actions-cleaning, laundry, cooking meals, gardening, etc.-that dulls our enthusiasm and imagination?

When I was nine, I remember the wave of boredom that washed over my mind when I was faced with yet another stack of dirty dishes that I was designated to wash and/or dry. No automatic dishwasher. My younger sister was designated to be the dryer, but, often feigned being sick, until the dishes were done, so I often washed and dried. With a family of six and sometimes hired help, the mountain of dishes often seemed insurmountable, especially when it was bread baking day. The huge mixing bowl, spoon, measuring items, and the 4 or 5 baking tins made the pile higher. Not to mention the milk separator needed to be washed, which was like having another stack of dishes-the huge milk strainer and bowl were nearly half my size.

The thought that I could find joy in these routine chores and tasks I was bored with came to me one morning. I realized that I could change my attitude, a different approach and challenge myself to see how fast I could get the task done. The first morning I estimated the time at thirty-minutes to do the breakfast dishes. Breakfast was not a bowl of cold cereal or a protein bar. Breakfast was bacon, ham, or sausage and eggs with pancakes or oatmeal with grapefruit sections or chunks or other fruit. The oatmeal breakfast was the easiest to clean up. I worked as fast as I could muster and was able to finish in twenty-five minutes.

I was proud of my ability to meet this challenge. Wow! I was onto something. From then on I would estimate the time for the stack that lay before me to see if I could beat that time. It worked to lessen the dullness and boredom of this routine chore. I still use this method today, not for doing dishes, as I have the best automatic dishwasher available, but, for all the other chores and errands life produces, it compels me to 'get things done in record time.'

Gardening is my time to commune with nature and have meditative time. Digging in the dirt is therapeutic for my psyche. And to add more benefit on gardening days, I don't need to go to the gym as I have gotten a light workout.

Many people tend to put off what they dislike doing. Surprisingly, as I learned at age nine, the best approach to unpleasant tasks or dull chores is to dive right in and be fully engaged in what one is doing.
You may not cherish doing laundry or mopping the floors, but you can view it as a loving act for both yourself and your family. Or you can add a challenge of seeing how quickly you can accomplish the task and set a bench mark on which to improve upon next time.

Other ways to change your attitude about chores is saying, 'Thank you,' to the universe for being able to have these chores in the surroundings you have-a lovely home and neighborhood. Each morning, see how quickly and neatly you can make your bed and take pride in knowing that you are taking good care of yourself and your environment.

Another way to create a pleasant experience, while doing mundane chores, is play your favorite music, singing or dancing about while you are working. Creating a mental list of all the things you are grateful for keeps your mind occupied on positive thoughts versus the negative thoughts of how boring and tedious the chores are.

You could ask a friend(s) to exchange helping each other with tasks such as: cleaning the garage, basement, painting or wallpapering a room, etc. Remember to look for joy in doing the mundane tasks and chores and all your life maintenance activities will be a source of enjoyment rather than a duty you simply tolerate.

Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, Life Coach, Hypnotherapist, Author, "101 Great Ways To Improve Your Life." Dr. Dorothy has the unique gift of connecting people with a broad range of profound principles that resonate in the deepest part of their being. She brings awareness to concepts not typically obvious to one's daily thoughts and feelings. http://www.drdorothy.net

Developing Wealth Building Habit

Repairing Your Speech

Damaging verbal filler words are terms used in speech that are not necessary such as, "um, like, ya know, uh-huh", tongue noises, lip smacking, throat clearing or a bodily movement not related to your message. Any type of non-meaningful verbal noise made during speech is a damaging filler word. Teenagers commonly use this type of terminology and who wants to discuss business or make critical decisions with someone who presents like an adolescent? These behaviors cause disruption with the flow of speech and discount your credibility and level of confidence.

Why are damaging filler words used during speech?

1. Nervous Behavior

When distracted by the effects of nervous behavior, speech will be impacted as a result of anxiety. Filler words are injected as the speaker is coordinating their thoughts, speech and anxiety at the same time.

2. Reinforced Habit

When speakers are excited about what they want to say or their thoughts are moving faster than what their speech mechanism can accommodate, habitual filler words may be used. They are not necessarily being used due to nervous behavior but became habit at some point. Often the habit is used as a "filler" to buy time to organize thoughts. Filler words become injected such as, "you know" or "sure" to buy a moment of time while thoughts are being arranged. Many speakers are not even aware they use those terms.

Regardless if the cause is due to nervous behavior or reinforced habit, filler words damage the reputation of a well-intended speaker and serve no purpose in professional situations.
Increasing your Awareness

1. Identify Your Personal Filler Words.

Is it a nervous behavior or reinforced habit? Create a list of your filler words and the situation when they are being used. Having awareness is 80% success.
Words/Phrases Situations

2. Keep a Tally

This is to improve your awareness of the behavior. If you are unaware of the frequency these words are used it will be difficult to end the habit. Keep scratch paper near by and each time you use any term not necessary for your message, add a tally mark. People are astounded at the amount of tally marks found on their paper. This is a good strategy for increasing your awareness so you can discontinue the behavior.

State your plan for keeping a tally.

3. Find Support

Elicit support from a trusted friend or colleague who can give you a signal or monitor every time you use a filler word. This is a good approach for learning how many times filler words are actually used.

These are people I can use for support:

Eliminating Verbal Filler Words

Real World Practice

Strategy Training

1. Rephrase It

When you catch yourself in error, repeat or paraphrase the statement without the filler word. This
will reinforce your awareness, which will make you one step closer to eliminating the habit.

2. Use Carrier Phrases

A. Try a carrier phrase to transition you toward your next thought. If you find yourself using the term "ummmm" frequently, use another word or phrase to transition you toward your true message such as: "well, actually or as a matter of fact".

*Vary your carrier phrases or you will have a new damaging verbal filler word!

B. Often filler words are used as an immediate response to a question or to confirm specific information. The words are used automatically as filler while thoughts are being organized. Plan carrier phrases to use in advance and practice it instead of using that old, "ya know".

Suggestions:

"Good question, Interesting point, To clarify, To confirm, As a follow up"

Plan a few personal carrier phrases to replace verbal viruses:

3. Predict Questions and Plan Your Responses in Advance

If you are going to speak on a topic or lead a meeting chances are you can predict a question someone may want to ask you. Predict 2-3 questions that people may want to ask and plan your response in advance that will allow your speech to flow and be free of verbal viruses. This activity will make you better prepared and automatically increase your confidence.

4. Intentional Pausing

When you feel the need to say "ummm" resist the urge to use a filler word and replace it with a silent pause. In addition, this strategy will allow you to control your rate of speech while allowing time to generate the real word or thought needed to clarify your point. It is a misconception that pausing will be noticeable by listeners and create awkward moments. Most filler words are caused by a fast rate of speech where words and thoughts are competing to come out. Adding a pause will improve your thought organization as well as rhythm and intonation.

5. Say It in your Head

If resisting the urge to say, "ummm" is too great go ahead and say it! However, say it in your
head silently the verbally continue with your message. This is a win-win solution because you can use your verbal virus freely but your listener will never hear it.

Liz Peterson

sritsol@gmail.com

22344 E.Kenyon Place

Aurora, Colorado 80018

Phone: 303-330-3309

Religious Faith Or Religious Fac

Dream Walking - Where Do You Go To

Dream walking and astral travelling are very similar. Astral travelling tends to be something you do alone, where dream walking is a more conscious experience where you can choose who goes with you.

It is good to set your intentions when going to sleep. You can ask your Higher Self for help with a problem or you can consciously choose to go on an adventure, using your powers of visualization and imagination.

If you have friends who are open to spiritual experiences, you could chat with them in advance and invite them along on the adventure. Distance is no object, so you can even arrange this on Chat or by SMS messaging in advance.

When bedtime comes, go to bed in a relaxed and happy way and if you feel any tension in your body, just spend a few minutes releasing that consciously, becoming aware of the different parts of your body.

Breathe into these areas and relax and expand your consciousness. Feel the more subtle aspects of the physical body  the organs, the cells and molecules; and become aware of your Energy Body or Aura, which permeates throughout the physical body.

Allow the Electromagnetic Power in your Aura to expand and connect to more aspects of yourself by grounding yourself to the Earth, reaching up with your consciousness and feelings to the planets around the Sun in our solar system and feeling their influence, like archangels guiding one's destiny.

As you connect more and more with your Energy Body and the Energy Matrix of the Zero Point Field, which is talked about in Quantum Physics, feel your chakra centres activating and coming alive. Feel the multidimensional aspects of yourself opening up and connecting you with your spirit family, healing helpers and guides within and beyond the veil. You may feel your power increasing like a magnetic presence or charisma comes around you.

When the energies feel right, remember your intentions at the beginning of the process and who is coming with you. Reach out with your feelings and start a telepathic communication with the friends you would like to take with you. You do this deep in your heart with a faint starring in your feelings; it is more the intention to send the message than anything verbal.

If they are ready too, choose to slip out of your physical body into your Energy Body and choose to focus with your feelings on the images in your imagination. See yourself soaring through time and space. This is a process of transcending your physical body consciously becoming aware if the finer and finer aspects of Self, until you transcend the physical into your light body.

Remember that you do not really travel out of yourself: you just choose to make yourself bigger and move your awareness around inside of your Self, which truly is the whole universe. It is like moving your awareness from your head to your big toe, travel from your head to your toe; you just became aware of a different aspect of yourself. So choose to feel yourself as the Universe in this expanded transcendental awareness and then choose which aspect to be aware of.

It is all about focus of intention and what you choose to create; either alone or with the friends you have chosen to have this experience with you. Connect fully to the senses in your Energy or Light Body. This is like being aware of your senses in Sixth Sense Mode.

Feel your surroundings, the warmth of the sun, the wind in your hair; smell the flowers and the freshly cut grass in the hay meadows. Start a conversation with your friend and hear their voice in your ears. Feel their hand in yours as you walk along together. You are using your powers of visualization, imagination and mixing these with your passion and desire in a very subtle dream state.

Then fully open up your imagination and your Self to the multi-dimensions of experiences you can choose to create in this state of consciousness. Enjoy your Dream Walk. Remember you are only limited by your imagination, in this state of awareness all things are possible. Please focus on the good and life supporting aspects, which will help you and your friends, live a happier more fulfilled life.

When you are finished bring your Light Body/awareness back to the here and now, reconnect with your physical body again and enjoy the rest of your night's sleep. Thank all your friends who helped with this process and send them loving thoughts.

By George E. Lockett SSHA, IIHHT -- HealerGeorge(C) Copyright 2007, All Rights Reserved. Tel: +44 (0)1286 882701 Visit HealerGeorge's web site to experience the power of Distant Healing or listen to HealerGeorge Radio giving Questions and Answer advice mixed with Spiritual Music. You can also enjoy many free benefits on HealerGeorge, like listening to Free Guided Meditations. Why not order HealerGeorge's Latest book entitled "A Journey into The Self - The Multi-dimensional Nature of Being Human" By George E Lockett. It is all available off the web site. HealerGeorge Web Site and New Book

Description: What is this book going to do for YOU? For those who are seeking a complete energetic makeover, as you read it you will feel a stirring and awakening in the depths of your heart. For those who have questions about Shifts in Consciousness, Energy Balancing, and Healing within the body, you will find clear answers.

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