Relationship Secrets

ANNIVERSARIES
Always celebrate! Whether it’s the 1st or the 50th, each year together is a triumph.
APPRECIATION
Let each other know how much you appreciate each other. You may already know but hearing it from each other is always better.
BEST FRIENDS
Be best friends preferably before being boyfriend-girlfriend. Take time to know each other so the relationship will be a deep one. Tell each other about your crushes, dreams and problems. Make sure he/she is your best friend before getting engaged. The strong bond of friendship will help you both survive tough times.
BOND
Make it a point to spend time together often but leave room for each other. Also spend time alone w/ each other, so that at the end of the day you could both share your experiences. This way, you stay interesting with your partner.
COMPLIMENTS
Always compliment each other. This will prevent feelings of resentment & thinking that one is being taken for granted.
DATE
Keep doings things that you both enjoy, do them together. Make time & continue to date to keep the romance – look good, smell good to maintain physical attraction
DIFFERENCES
Celebrate differences. Never force your ideologies down each other’s throat. Give up trying to turn your partner into you. Accept differences, appreciate them.
FIGHTS
Fight w/the aim to resolve the issue. Don’t outdo each other. The longer you extend the fight. The more chances that you’ll say something hurtful that you don’t really mean. As mad as you were w/ your partner, he/she is still the person who laughs at your jokes & thinks you’re hot. Hear each other out, don’t dig up old issues. Choose your battles. Make sure the fight will be worth it & that something will change in the relationship as a result of the fight.
FLAWS
Know that the perfect person does not exist. Know that just as there are things that you love about him/her, there will be things that will make you go crazy. We are only human with our own flaws.
FUN
Have fun together! This means keeping the fun & spontaneity that was there in the early days.
Allow yourselves to get silly. Being able to make each other laugh & see the lighter, crazier, absurd side is the best way to get through all the differences in personalities, adjustments in lifestyle & opposing viewpoints.
GOALS
Make sure you have similar goals. It would be difficult to keep your bond intact if your views are complete opposite.
GRUDGES
Quit tabulating grudges. Let it off. Discuss it, then trash it, don’t recycle it.
KEEPING IT HOT
Keep it hot by traveling to diff. places together. A new setting will do wonders. Always have skin contact – be it holding hands, a massage or just plain leg rubbing.
HONESTY
Don’t lie or hide things. The problem will only get bigger.
KNOW EACH OTHER
Learn each other’s interest. It really keeps the conversation flowing!
HUG
A hug can be far better more intimate than a kiss.
IDENTITY
Don’t lose your personality – that’s why he/she fell in love w/you. Have separate interest & activities to keep your individual, & to be able to contribute more to the relationship.
INDEPENDENCE
Having your own income means you’re the boss in your life.
IN-LAWS
Make rooms for the in-laws.
INTENTIONS
Wish each other well. Don’t wish each other worst
ISSUES
Speak up about the awkward stuff now, like money & sex. The earlier, the better.
LISTEN
Listen, listen, listen. Hear each other out especially during arguments.
LOOK GOOD
Mind your appearance! Stay fit & healthy for each other.
LOVE
It all boils down to your love, chemistry & respect for each other.
MEMORIES
Remind each other of the old days. Do something that you used to do for each other before. It may even be corny but it made you two together. Experience new things together- from dining into a new restaurant to experiencing street food together to exploring to new places. It’s the little surprises that make great memories.
MIND READING
No matter how long you’ve been together, do not think that you can read each other’s mind.
NEEDS
Be good to yourself, then be good to your partner. That’s what love is all about. Think about your partner. Will it make him/her happy? Will she/he enjoy it? Consider each other’s feelings. Be very attentive & sensitive to each other’s needs, physically & emotionally, that way your partner learns to do the same for you. Never take your partner for granted.
PRIORITIES
If one says it’s important, then it is! Prioritize each other among other things!
SPACE
Give each other space. Have your boy’s night out. If you can’t trust each other with this, then don’t get married.
SORRY
Say sorry when you’re wrong.
SURPRISES
No matter how long you’ve known each other, be open to surprises, both good or bad.
SUPPORT
Support each other’s dream. Be willing to follow your passions, support your partner in his/her decisions & create new ones together. Two heads are better than one.
TEAMWORK
Think for two & always work as a team. Consult each other before making a decision because everything will always affect both of you. Strengthen couple power. In many ways, we have to decide based on what is best for the relationship in favor of our individual selves.
TALK
Tell each other’s stories. Life goes by so fast & its easy to see how easily couple can grow apart. Whenever something funny, scary, exciting or juicy happened to you or to someone you know, tell each other about it & have your partner do the same. Keep each other in the loop of life.

For the amateur design-upstarter!

Alright, so I’m just getting into photo-shopping and being all enthusiastic about taking ‘angled’ artistic shots…

the end point is, an artist is only as good as his tools are, although I do note that there are many who do not share the same sentiments *giggles*. Whatever the case, here’s a lovely list of stock picture archives that would be of help, conceptually and well, mentally I guess.

All credits go to the valiant efforts executed and gathered by 1stwebdesigner.com!

1. Sxc.hu – the leading free stock photo site. If You don’t know about this site and call Yourself a designer, I’ll feel ashamed – MUST KNOW site offering an impressive collection of many high-quality photos taken by amateur photographers from around the world. There are more than 380.000 quality stock photos. If You are searching for something this is the first place where to look, totally my favorite one. 2. EveryStockPhoto EveryStockPhoto site is becoming more and more popular, now there are 4,4 million free photos! 3. MorgueFile One more site worth looking for. “This morgue file contains free high resolution digital stock photographs and reference images for either corporate or public use. The purpose of this site is to provide free image reference material for illustrators, comic book artist, designers, teachers and all creative pursuits.” – Quote from their homepage. 4. Flickr Everybody know about this site with their main purpose as photo management and sharing application.  Great place for inspiration and searching for good photographs, but don’t forget to check  author’s license, before using them. 5. Deviantart Very popular community and also very good photos sometimes can be found there, but yes, don’t forget about license and asking authors first for their permission. 6. Kavewall All images are  separated in 18 different categories with really handy navigation. 7. StockVault More than 11,000 stock photos are available for now. 8. Image*After Image*After is a large online free photo collection. You can download and use any image or texture from our site and use it in your own work, either personal or commercial and currently there are more than 20,000 free textures and images available. 9. CreatingOnline 10. AllDigitalDreamer 11. FreeFoto FreeFoto.com is made up of 122879 images with 157 sections organized into 3386 categories for now, pretty impressive indeed. 12. DreamsTime Over 4 million photographs are over here for free or 0.20$/image. 13. FreeRange All images are at least 2400 x 1600, and photos can be used for commercial or personal projects. 14. FreeDigitalPhotos 15. FreeStockImages 16. TurboPhoto 17. Visipix 18. FreePhotosBank 19. Cepolina Over 8,000 photos available for now, each photo can be downloaded in five formats – up to 1024×768px. 20. BigFoto This interesting site offers high resolution and really beautiful photos of continents. 21. OpenPhoto 20 different categories with high quality nature and architectural photos. 22. ShutterStock 4,9 million royalty-free stock photos with almost 80 000 new photos every week. 23. PdPhoto Several thousands of royalty free pictures here and free for use. 24. FromOldBooks FromOldBooks site offers scanned images, engravings and pictures from old books 25. FreeImages 2500 original stock photos for free. 26. DexHaus 27. PublicDomainPhotos More than 5,000 free photos out there and free for commercial use. 28. FreeLargePhotos 29. ImageBase Every picture is free to use and really high resolution – from 1600×1200 until 3072×2048px! 30. PhotoRack All pictures listed at PhotoRack are Free to use for personal and commercial projects. If You know some more good free stock photo sites, please share with us, to evolve our design community!!

Twenty-Five Ways To Suppress Truth: The Rules of Disinformation

Accusations should not be overused — reserve for repeat offenders and those who use multiple tactics. Responses should avoid falling into emotional traps or informational sidetracks, unless it is feared that some observers will be easily dissuaded by the trickery.

Twenty-Five Rules of Disinformation
Note: The first rule and last five (or six, depending on situation) rules are generally not directly within the ability of the traditional disinfo artist to apply. These rules are generally used more directly by those at the leadership, key players, or planning level of the criminal conspiracy or conspiracy to cover up.
1. Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.  Regardless of what you know, don’t discuss it — especially if you are a public figure, news anchor,  etc. If it’s not reported, it didn’t happen,  and you never have to deal with the issues.
2. Become incredulous and indignant.  Avoid discussing key issues and instead focus  on side issues which can be used show the topic  as being critical of some otherwise sacrosanct group or theme. This is also known as the  ‘How dare you!’ gambit.
3. Create rumor mongers.  Avoid discussing issues by describing all charges, regardless of venue or evidence, as mere rumors and wild accusations. Other derogatory terms mutually exclusive of truth may work as well. This method which works especially well with a silent press, because the only way the public  can learn of the facts are through such ‘arguable rumors’. If you can associate the material with the Internet, use this fact to certify it a ‘wild rumor’ from a ‘bunch of kids on the Internet’ which can have no basis in fact.
4. Use a straw man. Find or create a seeming element of your opponent’s   argument which you can easily knock down to make  yourself look good and the opponent to look bad. Either make up an issue you may safely imply exists based on your interpretation of the opponent/opponent arguments/situation, or select the weakest aspect of the weakest charges.  Amplify their significance and destroy them in a way which appears to debunk all the charges, real and fabricated alike, while actually avoiding discussion of the real issues.
5. Sidetrack opponents with name calling and ridicule.  This is also known as the primary ‘attack the messenger’  ploy, though other methods qualify as variants of that approach. Associate opponents with unpopular titles such as ‘kooks’, ‘right-wing’, ‘liberal’, ‘left-wing’, ‘terrorists’, ‘conspiracy buffs’,  ‘radicals’, ‘militia’, ‘racists’, ‘religious fanatics’,  ‘sexual deviates’, and so forth. This makes others  shrink from support out of fear of gaining the same label, and you avoid dealing with issues.
6. Hit and Run. In any public forum, make a brief attack of your opponent or the opponent position and then scamper off before an answer can be fielded, or simply ignore any answer. This works extremely well in Internet  and letters-to-the-editor environments where a steady stream of new identities can be called upon without having to explain criticism, reasoning — simply make an accusation or other  attack, never discussing issues, and never answering any subsequent response, for that would dignify the opponent’s viewpoint.
7. Question motives. Twist or amplify any fact which could be taken to imply that the opponent operates out of a hidden personal  agenda or other bias. This avoids discussing issues and forces the accuser on the defensive.
8. Invoke authority. Claim for yourself or associate yourself with authority and present your argument with enough ‘jargon’ and ‘minutia’ to illustrate you are ‘one who knows’, and simply say it isn’t so without discussing issues or demonstrating concretely why or citing sources.
9. Play Dumb. No matter what evidence or logical argument is offered, avoid discussing issues except with denials they have any credibility, make any sense, provide any proof, contain or make a point, have logic, or support a conclusion. Mix well for maximum effect.
10. Associate opponent charges with old news. A derivative of the straw man — usually, in any large-scale matter of high visibility, someone will make charges early on which can be or were already easily dealt with – a kind of investment for the future should the matter not be so easily contained.) Where it can be foreseen, have your own side raise a straw man issue and have it dealt with early on as part of the initial contingency plans. Subsequent charges, regardless of validity or new ground uncovered, can usually then be associated with the original charge and dismissed as simply being a rehash without need to address current issues — so much the better where the opponent  is or was involved with the original source.
11. Establish and rely upon fall-back positions.  Using a minor matter or element of the facts, take the ‘high road’ and ‘confess’ with candor that some innocent mistake, in hindsight, was made — but that opponents have seized on the opportunity to blow it all out of proportion and imply greater criminalities which, ‘just isn’t so.’ Others can reinforce this on your behalf, later, and even publicly ‘call for an end to the nonsense’ because you have already ‘done the right thing.’ Done properly, this can garner sympathy and respect for ‘coming clean’ and ‘owning up’ to your mistakes without addressing more serious issues.
12. Enigmas have no solution.  Drawing upon the overall umbrella of events surrounding the crime and the multitude of players and events, paint the entire affair as too complex to solve. This causes those otherwise following the matter to begin to lose interest more quickly without having to address the actual issues.
13. Alice in Wonderland Logic. Avoid discussion of the issues by reasoning backwards or with an apparent deductive logic
which forbears any actual material fact.
14. Demand complete solutions. Avoid the issues by requiring opponents to solve the crime at hand completely, a ploy which works best with issues qualifying for rule 10.
15. Fit the facts to alternate conclusions.  This requires creative thinking unless the crime  was planned with contingency conclusions in place.
16. Vanish evidence and witnesses.  If it does not exist, it is not fact, and you won’t have to address the issue.
17. Change the subject. Usually in connection with one of the other ploys  listed here, find a way to side-track the discussion with abrasive or controversial comments in hopes of turning attention to a new, more manageable topic. This works especially well with companions who can  ‘argue’ with you over the new topic and polarize the discussion arena in order to avoid discussing more key issues.
18. Emotionalize, Antagonize, and Goad Opponents. If you can’t do anything else, chide and taunt your opponents and draw them into emotional responses which will tend to make them look foolish and overly motivated, and generally render their material somewhat less coherent. Not only will you avoid discussing the issues in the first instance, but even if their emotional response addresses the issue, you can further avoid the issues by then focusing on how ‘sensitive they are to criticism.’
19. Ignore proof presented, demand impossible proofs. This is perhaps a variant of the ‘play dumb’ rule.  Regardless of what material may be presented by an opponent in public forums, claim the material irrelevant  and demand proof that is impossible for the opponent to come by (it may exist, but not be at his disposal, or it may be something which is known to be safely destroyed or withheld, such as a murder weapon.) In order to completely avoid discussing issues, it may be required that you to categorically deny and be critical of media or books as valid sources, deny that witnesses are acceptable, or even deny that statements made by government or other authorities have any meaning or relevance.
20. False evidence. Whenever possible, introduce new facts or clues designed and manufactured to conflict with opponent presentations — as useful tools to neutralize sensitive issues or impede resolution. This works best when the crime was designed
with contingencies for the purpose, and the facts cannot be easily separated from the fabrications.
21. Call a Grand Jury, Special Prosecutor, or other  empowered investigative body. Subvert the (process) to your benefit and effectively neutralize all sensitive issues without open discussion. Once convened, the evidence and testimony are required to be secret when properly handled. For instance, if you own the prosecuting attorney, it can insure a Grand Jury hears no useful evidence and that the evidence is sealed and unavailable to subsequent investigators. Once a favorable verdict is achieved, the matter can be considered officially closed. Usually, this technique is applied to find the guilty innocent, but it can also be used to obtain charges when seeking to frame a victim.
22. Manufacture a new truth. Create your own expert(s), group(s), author(s), leader(s) or influence existing ones willing to forge new ground via scientific, investigative, or social research or testimony which concludes favorably. In this way, if you must actually address issues, you can do so authoritatively.
23. Create bigger distractions. If the above does not seem to be working to distract from sensitive issues, or to prevent unwanted media coverage of unstoppable  events such as trials, create bigger news stories (or treat them as such) to distract the multitudes.
24. Silence critics. If the above methods do not prevail, consider removing opponents from circulation by some definitive solution so that the need to address issues is removed entirely. This can be by their death, arrest and detention, blackmail or destruction of theircharacter by release of blackmail information, or merely by destroying them financially, emotionally, or severely damaging their health.
25. Vanish. If you are a key holder of secrets or otherwise overly illuminated and you think the heat is getting too hot, to avoid  the issues, vacate the kitchen.

Source: www.proparanoid.com

Swine Influenza and You- sourced from CDC

 

What is swine flu?
Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. Swine flu viruses have been reported to spread from person-to-person, but in the past, this transmission was limited and not sustained beyond three people.

Are there human infections with swine flu in the U.S.?
In late March and early April 2009, cases of human infection with swine influenza A (H1N1) viruses were first reported in Southern California and near San Antonio, Texas. Other U.S. states have reported cases of swine flu infection in humans and cases have been reported internationally as well. An updated case count of confirmed swine flu infections in the United States is kept at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/investigation.htm CDC and local and state health agencies are working together to investigate this situation.

Is this swine flu virus contagious?
CDC has determined that this swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human. However, at this time, it is not known how easily the virus spreads between people.

What are the signs and symptoms of swine flu in people?
The symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu. In the past, severe illness (pneumonia and respiratory failure) and deaths have been reported with swine flu infection in people. Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

How does swine flu spread?
Spread of this swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is thought to be happening in the same way that seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing of people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

How can someone with the flu infect someone else?
Infected people may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 7 or more days after becoming sick. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick.

What should I do to keep from getting the flu?
First and most important: wash your hands. Try to stay in good general health. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food. Try not touch surfaces that may be contaminated with the flu virus. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Are there medicines to treat swine flu?
Yes. CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with these swine influenza viruses. Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaler) that fight against the flu by keeping flu viruses from reproducing in your body. If you get sick, antiviral drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster. They may also prevent serious flu complications. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started soon after getting sick (within 2 days of symptoms).

How long can an infected person spread swine flu to others?
People with swine influenza virus infection should be considered potentially contagious as long as they are symptomatic and possible for up to 7 days following illness onset. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.

What surfaces are most likely to be sources of contamination?
Germs can be spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth. Droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person move through the air. Germs can be spread when a person touches respiratory droplets from another person on a surface like a desk and then touches their own eyes, mouth or nose before washing their hands.

How long can viruses live outside the body?
We know that some viruses and bacteria can live 2 hours or longer on surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, and desks. Frequent handwashing will help you reduce the chance of getting contamination from these common surfaces.

What can I do to protect myself from getting sick?
There is no vaccine available right now to protect against swine flu. There are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza. Take these everyday steps to protect your health:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you get sick with influenza, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

What is the best way to keep from spreading the virus through coughing or sneezing?
IIf you are sick, limit your contact with other people as much as possible. Do not go to work or school if ill. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Put your used tissue in the waste basket. Cover your cough or sneeze if you do not have a tissue. Then, clean your hands, and do so every time you cough or sneeze.

What is the best technique for washing my hands to avoid getting the flu?
Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. Wash with soap and water. or clean with alcohol-based hand cleaner. we recommend that when you wash your hands — with soap and warm water — that you wash for 15 to 20 seconds. When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers may be used. You can find them in most supermarkets and drugstores. If using gel, rub your hands until the gel is dry. The gel doesn’t need water to work; the alcohol in it kills the germs on your hands.

What should I do if I get sick?
If you live in areas where swine influenza cases have been identified and become ill with influenza-like symptoms, including fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, or vomiting or diarrhea, you may want to contact their health care provider, particularly if you are worried about your symptoms. Your health care provider will determine whether influenza testing or treatment is needed.

If you are sick, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people as much as possible to keep from spreading your illness to others.

If you become ill and experience any of the following warning signs, seek emergency medical care.

In children emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
• Fever with a rash

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting

How serious is swine flu infection?
Like seasonal flu, swine flu in humans can vary in severity from mild to severe. Between 2005 until January 2009, 12 human cases of swine flu were detected in the U.S. with no deaths occurring. However, swine flu infection can be serious. In September 1988, a previously healthy 32-year-old pregnant woman in Wisconsin was hospitalized for pneumonia after being infected with swine flu and died 8 days later. A swine flu outbreak in Fort Dix, New Jersey occurred in 1976 that caused more than 200 cases with serious illness in several people and one death.

Can I get swine influenza from eating or preparing pork?
No. Swine influenza viruses are not spread by food. You cannot get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is safe.

From: CDC site

Pondering the First Draft/ Novella-style for “City Within”

Was in a dilemma over writing and drafting my whole novel. Rather perhaps due mostly to the impatient nature of wanting to delve straight into writing everything out in ink, or in this case, typed out and visual for read-through.

Stumbled across this website, written by Randy Ingermanson, but what really struck me was his methodology take to writing fiction. Known as the Snowflake method, I’ll try this means of drafting at least for a start. Seemingly more as the ideas just keep flowing through, and disappearing around the corner, lost to me forever. Writing stuff down always helps, but when you’ve got an idea, it is best to record it down before your creative well dries up for a period of writer’s block aka hibernation.

10 points: As easily summarized by yours truly. Would hopefully help shed some light on this matter for those would-be novelists, or if you’ve got trouble tackling that essay for school. For the full abstract, you can log on to: snowflake article.

—–

For my novella, I envision it to be somewhat between 15k-18k words, which hardly enters the Novel category. Where if based on a per page count (average 250 words/pg), that would fall under the 60-72 page novella count.

The 10 things to work on for the preliminary draft, doesn’t really apply as the novel at the moment has been drafted at about 8,000 words, but what I could learn from this experience would be to actually shorten the dredgery of churning out and recorrecting work that doesn’t fit expectations.

***

SnowFlake Method:

1. Create a sentence of a hook, or log line. Kind of in response to "what makes your novel tick".

2. Write 5 sentence to form a paragraph – to introduce, create conflicts and resolutions to these issues. (1-5 sent)

3. Biography of your main characters – expand 1 page each = talking about motivation and conflicts and what makes them special enough to actually engage your reader’s attention.

4. Expand on the summary para (Q2) – talk about the element of surprise, disasters and conflicts faced and perhaps cliff hangers. Tackle the last sentence (conclusion) as a final resolution.

5. Character synopses – storyline, and from the character’s POV what he or she would deem fit to react to the conflicts given.

6. Expand on Q4. to 4 pagers each.

7. Expand on Q3 for Character Bio – iron out all inconsistencies.

8. Spreadsheet to organize all thoughts – 4 PP summary (Q6)

9. optional: further expand on the Character / scene description to evolve the conflicts and possible solutions

10. Completion of the first full draft.