Silver Crosshair

Loves mysteries in soules does grow. –John Donne I have
been thinking about soulmates a lot lately. Recently a fellow
relationship coach told me the story of Heather, a woman in her
early 40’s. She has never married, though she has had several
lengthy relationships over the years. Then late last year she
met Andrew. There was something different about Andrew. The
conversations were richer, the walks in the park more romantic,
the time together more comfortable and more vibrant. Heather is
pretty intuitive, and this relationship felt different than any
other she had experienced. She knew she had fallen in love and
found someone with whom she could make a life commitment.
Andrew, however, was resistant. He acknowledged that their time
together was special, that he loved Heather and that he really
felt energized being with her. But, he said to Heather, “I don’t
think you are my soulmate.” Andrew recalled a past relationship
in which he and his partner would often find themselves
simultaneously thinking the same thing. He also said that he
envisioned a “soulmate” as being very much like himself,
thinking that such similarity would help assure the success of
the relationship. Andrew also pointed to differences between
them. He was from the South, while Heather was from Boston.
Heather’s parents had graduate degrees and were upper middle
class, while Andrew’s parents were working class folks. In
addition, he noted, his company required him to relocate
periodically and to travel a lot. He feared Heather would resent
those moves, though she insisted she would not. Despite
Heather’s pleas to reconsider and her attempt to persuade Andrew
that his resistance was contradictory to his description of
their relationship, Andrew insisted that they end their
relationship, though insisting he wanted to remain “friends.”
Heather was heartbroken and puzzled. Did Andrew have it
rightwere they not really soulmates? But if that were true, why
did her time with Andrew feel so right. What does it really mean
to “find your soulmate?” Thomas Moore, author of Soulmates,
suggests that a soulmate is “someone to whom we feel profoundly
connected, as though the communicating and communing . . .
between us were not the product of intentional efforts, but
rather a divine grace.” My wife and I have often referred to
ourselves as “soulmates.” Thinking about Heather and Andrew has
caused me to reflect more on what that really means. It
certainly does not mean that we always agreewe don’t. Nor does
it mean that we are exactly alike. We’re not. What then does
this elusive term “soulmate” mean? I would like to suggest that
there are two criteria for a soulmate. First, a soulmate is one
who shares your vision and attitude about life and views the
world “through the same glasses” as you do. Second, a soulmate
is as concerned about your happiness and your pursuit of your
life’s dreams, as he/she is about his/her own. As I worked
through the pain, grief, and inevitable self-discovery following
the end of my first marriage of over 25 years, I begin to
realize that my first wifea fine person with whom I continue to
enjoy a valued relationshipand I viewed the world from a
completely different perspective. I often told the story of
being with our two children on Mt. Mansfield in Stowe, Vermont.
One can drive to the peak of the mountain, but then it must be
explored on foot. One of the natural attractions is the “Nose,”
a rock formation that requires some modest agility to climb. My
daughter10 or 12 at the time, promptly scampered up to the
crest of the nose. I followed as far as I could go before my
fear of heights stopped me. When we climbed down, her mother
asked “Why on earth would you climb up there?” My daughter Heidi
promptly answered “Because its there.” I understand exactly what
Heidi meant, though her mother did not. When I met my wife Carol
I discovered that she was always the first one up the
mountain”because its there.” I invite you to think about your
vision of life and its purposes. Where is your life leading you?
What is your purpose in life? What to you want to be, do, and
have in life? Give some time to forming your vision or world
view. Then armed with your vision be alert to a partner who
brings a similar vision to life. Then be aware of whether this
partner is as genuinely concerned about encouraging you to
follow your dreams and pursue your life vision, as he or she is
about pursuing his own. If you find all that, chances are you
have found your soulmate.

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When you’re smiling in the pictures, you feel like you’re taking a good shot, but can you be so sure? One of the ways that you can help your chances of looking your best is through your makeup decisions. But the wedding day is a completely different ballgame than going out for dinner.

Finding a good makeup artist

When you’re looking for someone to do your makeup for your wedding, you want to listen to your friends and family for referrals. If someone’s name keeps popping up, then you will want to schedule a consultation with them to see what they are like and what they can do for you.

Even if you’re not starting off with a list of people to turn to, you can go through the phone book and start calling to see who does bridal parties. If you have bridesmaids that you want to have makeup for as well, you may want to invite one of them along for help.

Have the makeup artist do your face in the way that you would want for your wedding day. Be specific about what you want and see how they respond. This should be free at first, so be sure to ask a lot of questions, find out the pricing and if she or he will go to the hotel or if everyone needs to go to the salon.

Here’s the key to finding out if the artist is any good for you: have your bridesmaid take a picture of your face in the outdoors and indoors. This will help you to see if you will look good in your pictures, or if you need to find someone else.

If you don’t normally wear makeup

It’s okay if you don’t wear makeup on an everyday basis. Most times, the artists will just make sure that you don’t have any visible blemishes or scars for your pictures as well as enhance your eyes and smile. You should tell the artist if you’re uncomfortable with anything that they’re doing; so that you find someone that will work with you, rather than just do what they think is best.

Even if you end up doing your own makeup, you should be putting your best face forward for your wedding pictures. If there’s a feature on your face that you particularly like, draw attention to that. You can read magazines for advice or have a bridesmaid paint your face and try new things on you.

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There is a sport where you get up on this very aggressive bull and see how long you can stay on it. This is kind of a crazy sport, and I guess this is why it is very popular. Not too many people in the world have the gumption to do it. The risk is very high because the bull can do some insane things and be very persistent. Luckily there are usually clowns out in the arena to distract the bull if and when the rider does fall off. They run very fast and have some quick turns to avoid the bull from catching them.

Training for this sport must take a lot of effort and work. You have to be in top physical form. I hope that they use the supplement Acceletrim for improved energy and focus when they train. They not only have to be extremely strong, but very fast. If they come off the bull, they have to be strong and fast enough to get out of the area and up and over the fence.

From seeing interviews with the worlds top bull riders they are very clear that those couple of seconds on the bull create an adrenaline rush that can not be duplicated in any other way. The look on their face is a look of determination and the amount of willpower it takes for them to get on that bull is something that is beyond the ordinary.

I can understand riding horses because they are for the most part friendly, but a bull. My experience with bulls is from the sideline of a fence, they are just so big and powerful, and something I can see riding. This is a sport that will grow in popularity because of the factors involved. There is coverage of the sport on the major sports channels, it is not as popular as football, but it is still covered.

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Most writers use the all powerful Microsoft Word word processing program. Even non-writers use it for everything from school work to manifestos. When my computer crashed and I lost the use of Word on my computer, I felt completely lost. I tried Word’s ugly cousin Wordpad and that just didn’t cut it. There is so much that Wordpad cannot do. It almost felt like I had went back a couple of decades.

Needless to say I needed another option. Buying another copy of Word was out of the question. I already had a copy that was in route to me. I had recently moved and everything was packed up. It’s very easy to see why Bill Gates is one of the, if not the richest man in the world. Microsoft software is far from cheap. There had to be another way and I was determined to find it.

After some research I came up with my word processing savior and solution. There is an alternative to Microsoft Word. And get this; It’s FREE! Yeah, you read right. It is completely and totally free to obtain and use. The program is called OpenOffice.org. OpenOffice.org was designed as a Microsoft Office clone in order to make the migration process easy for people who want to go “free.” It includes: a word processor, presentation program, drawing program, HTML editor, and spreadsheet program. All of the programs mirror your familiar Microsoft programs like Powerpoint, Paint, Frontpage and Excel, so it is easy to use from the get go.

OpenOffice.org Writer is a powerful word processor that can handle all types of large documents and lots of different formats, including Microsoft Word. You can add graphics, generate indexes, tables of content, headers and footers, and much more. OpenOffice.org Writer is more than enough for all your word-processing needs. OpenOffice.org is available for Windows and GNU/Linux, but the newer version is not available for Mac users. Check out www.openoffice.org for more information.

Downloading and Installing OpenOffice.org

1.)Go to www.openoffice.org and click on the Download tab

2.)Click on the OpenOffice.org 2.0 Link.

3.)Select the language, operating system, and download site you want to use.

4.)Click Continue to Download

5.)A window should appear asking if you want to save the program to disk or open it.

6.)Choose Save to Disk.

Once you’ve done this you’re ready to write. One of the best things about free software is that it is free! You can’t beat that with a stick. To find out more about free software, check out Free Software for Dummies by Mary Leete. Think of all the money you save by using free software rather than its expensive counterpart. I’ve done the research and now you reap the benefits. Who loves you baby?

Reprint Policy: This article may be reproduced freely in on-line and print publications when the following conditions are met: It must be reproduced in its entirety, with no changes or omissions, including the author information and website. This copyright notice is also to be included either at the beginning or end of the article. Advance permission is not required, but a copy of your publication would be very much appreciated. Please send to shaniaduncan@altimatepublishing.com

Shania Duncan is an elementary teacher who loves to write. Currently she is working on many writing projects as well as her website. Check back to see what’s available. http://www.altimatepublishing.com

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With the sterling fetching a little less than a Euro at Travelex airport counters, one would think that there would be some great ski bargains to be had in snowboarding resorts this Christmas as snowboarders rest back home to fight the credit crunch. First numbers just now publicised point to the fact that ski resorts are 88 % full over the New Year and Xmas period. 15 percent up on the equivalent period of time a year ago.

One will have more chance in Jan which presently has a 38 % reserve rate. Signs of a recession is over the important Feb ski vacation month which has 66 % reservations, 2 % lower than a year ago. Information centers in the domains of Chamonix, La Clusaz, Tignes and Val Cenis have noted good demand in Dec encouraged by the brilliant early on ski season snow. Montgenevre has better bookings in comparison to Chamonix, whilst La Tania had an exceptional Christmas.

There is strong requirement for larger chalets, 6 to 13 places, as people group up to save the pennies. Early evidence shows that do it yourself skiing holidays are holding up well, perhaps pointing to the fact that keen skiers will not fore-go their ski break. However inquiries from package holidays are down on last year.

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A woman once visited a counselor to ask a question about her marriage. I have a funny feeling that you might not be especially impressed with the answer she was given.

All the same, I’ll take my chances. I think my shoulders are broad enough.

I stand by the counselor’s response 100%.

The questioner (let’s call her Jane) was married to a divorcee. Her husband (John) had to pay a certain sum of money every month to his previous wife as alimony, or whatever.

Sticky patch

He had just started a
new business and was passing through a financial sticky patch. The obligation to his ex-wife, on top of everything else, was putting John under a lot of pressure.

Jane was a working person and gladly helped to pay the family debts. She never thought twice about it. But could she be expected to contribute in this case?

Surely, reasoned Jane, her husband’s financial commitment to somebody to whom he had been married previously had nothing to do with her? Yes, she and John were life partners and she was happy to
share all his burdens.

But even for what happened in a previous life, so to speak? Wasn’t that going too far?

“I must confess I don’t really understand your question,” the counselor gently told Jane after listening intently to her dilemma.

“You and John are husband and wife. John has a debt. He’s struggling to pay it. What difference does it make what the debt is for? It’s a debt, period!”

The counselor smiled warmly at Jane before she continued.

“His problems are your problems. You’re in this together. Why on earth shouldn’t you help pay the debt? If, after all, it’s difficult for
you to accept this, it must be that there’s some deeper problem in your marriage…”

And that’s it.

Don’t hit the roof!

Now, it’s important not to misunderstand the counselor, or me. I don’t want your blood pressure to hit the roof! We have to keep cool heads and put everything in the proper perspective.

First of all, she wasn’t implying, of course, that John now had a licence to sit back, put his legs up, and meditate blissfully about the higher meaning of life, while his dear and ever obliging
spouse worked like a donkey to pay the price of his past.

Not at all. I should think that’s pretty obvious, but I have to stress it just in case.

Secondly, when we talk about husband and wife being full partners in the business of living, about sharing each other’s burdens - financial or otherwise - no less than each other’s joys, we are not saying for one moment that either party must contribute more than is reasonable.

In the case of our story, Jane was a high-earning professional. In other instances, a wife may bring in little or no income, for any of a number of reasons. It may not be desirable that she be working at all.

And not only money!

But that’s hardly the point. We’re talking of quality, rather than quantity. One can only do what one can, but it’s the real desire to help that counts. And contributing doesn’t only mean
money.

I’ll let you in on a little secret. I don’t really like the use of the word PARTNER in connection with marriage.

True, we’ve used it up to now, for want of a better term. It does come in handy to describe a good marriage relationship, up to a point.

Yet, I hardly think that an ideal marriage relationship is a “partnership” in the same sense that we talk about a business partnership, for example. Not at all. When we think of a partnership, we usually think about a contract between two parties. A 50-50 sharing of responsibilities,or the like.

Confused?

A little confused? Well, let me explain!

Do you have children? Good! Do you love them?

“What a question!” you exclaim, “Gee, how I love them!”

“Don’t you know the sacrifices we made for them? From the moment they came into this world, when they depended on us for their very survival, my spouse and I gave them our all. Just as much as a
whimper from them in the middle of the night, and we were there to attend to their needs. Even now, they may disappoint us, anger us or hurt us, but we continue to cater to their every whim…Do you
need any greater proof that we love them!”

So…is that why you’ve done so much for them - because you love them so much?

Wrong way round

Could be. But even more, I’d say it’s the other way round: You love them so intensely BECAUSE you’ve done so much for them!

This is nothing more or less than human nature, and I think there’s a great lesson for us here. We need to think about this very carefully.

Sometimes, when two people begin to think about marrying each other, they think in terms of some business arrangement. Whether they verbally express it that way or not, their minds work something
along these lines:

“You have needs and I have needs. Maybe, if I satisfy yours, you will satisfy mine. You wash the dishes and I’ll pay the rent. Sundays to Tuesdays I’ll take out the garbage, and for the remainder
of the week you will. Other duties will be divided by mutual consent. For every suit I buy, you can buy two pairs of shoes…”

If this is the marriage you want, good luck to you! It’s a free world. But will you be happy? I mean, really happy? I wonder.

Many people will tell you that for a happy marriage, you need what they describe as “give-and-take”.

Give and take? Nonsense! Forget about it!

What you need is “give and give.” And give again. And again.

That’s the royal road to happiness.

Azriel Winnett is the creator of Hodu.com - Your Communication Skills Portal. This popular website helps you improve your communication and relationship skills in your business or professional life, in the family unit and on the social scene.

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More than a few betters have asked “Why should I benefit from this Full Tilt Poker rakeback? I only play online when there is a bonus to clear.” What will happen if one day you take the chance to take gambling up professionally? There are a lot of bettors who regret not getting rakeback offers however straight off most of them have signed up for all the major web based websites. Do not make the same mistake.

If you are a gambler who wagers up to $1/$2 and then just gambles when you are clearing bonuses, you are getting in most cases around a hundred percent rakeback for the bonus payment on the stake. A certain well known room recently removed gamers that employed their poker site merely for this function. Who knows whether this practise will potentially inspire a new trend. If it come about then immediately a Full Tilt Poker rakeback is really important.

One day you may just find your best game and then grow very successful, that’s if it has not happened already. I was injured by an on the job accident then poker came along while I was off, I have no regrets. That is a couple of years ago now and I haven’t required to work since all down to online poker and rakeback. It’s always good plan to look ahead. Think of it as as an investment in the future, even if you don’t consider rakeback is beneficial for you at the moment it certainly could be a fantastic investment in the future, there is no way you can lose. Should you be looking at signing up for any new website you must find out about rakeback deals.

The Rakeback Professionals agency is happy to offer such a lot of respected partners all in the same place. Opting in can be as uncomplicated as looking up a The online gamblers assistance service Rakeback Professionals affiliate internet site or as simple as sending an e-mail. Any associate has the ability to get you set up at once. You can start playing immediately. Sign up with a partner via Rakeback Professionals you can always rest easy as this affiliate will have been evaluated and also agrees to grant permission to The online gamblers assistance service Rakeback Professionals to arbitrate whatever conflict you might experience. All The Same because we invariably investigate all our affiliates, we have had nearly no issues and we will always move right away to look into each complaint to assure all our gamblers.

Rakeback Offers

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Are you looking for your soul mate? Do you hope to find your soul mate while you’re sitting at your computer reading? If so, you are not alone. There are many people that are searching for soul mates throughout cyber space. Of course, there are other methods to finding your soul mate as well. But, what will you do when you find that soul mate? How will you know that he or she is your soul mate?

Perhaps the answers to these questions should come from within you. What qualities do you want your soul mate to have? Even more important, what qualities will you hold to the highest level and insist that your soul mate have? Things like honesty, integrity, loyalty and on and on are things that soul mates must have in common.

Perhaps that is the next most important thing for you to consider in a soul mate. Will your soul mate need to have things in common with you? Will your goals need to be the same? Will your dreams need to be similar or at least compatible?

While no one can answer these questions but you about your needs in a soul mate, it can be said that soul mates should be able to understand the other soul mates needs and desires without them having to be said. Soul mates know the feelings and desires of their soul mate in the worst and the best of times. And, this is something that you can not make up. Soul mates just come like that! Are you looking for more information? Check out http://www.getdatingtips.com.

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We all hate doing it, but it’s something that we all must do at one time or another… the wonderful task of shopping for car insurance quotes!

Since there’s no avoiding it, you might as well learn a few ways you can save money in the process. Here is a compilation of the top tips you can use to make sure you never overpay for your car insurance premiums…

1. Search for quotes regularly - Many people inadvertantly pay the same premium for years without ever shopping around. As your vehicle ages, it depreciates in value. You shouldn’t pay the same premium on an older vehicle as you would on a newer one… think about it! It’s generally good practice to do a quote search on a yearly basis, but the more often you do it, the better chances you have of getting lower rates.

2. If you have an older vehicle, consider “liability only” insurance - When making a decision like this, you need to consider the value of your vehicle compared to what you’re paying for your premium. If your vehicles wholesale value is, say $1000, why pay almost that much per year (give or take) when that is all you will get from your insurance agency… if you total your vehicle?

3. Take a defensive driving course - A simple 6 hour defensive driving course can save you up to 10% on your insurance premium. Contact your local department of motor vehicles for information on taking this course. Many times, you can also take this course by mail, by video, or even online!

4. If you have more than one vehicle in your household, insure them with the same agency - Most insurance agencies will knock a huge percentage off of your premium for multiple auto insurance policies.

5. If you also have life, home, fire, boat or any other type of insurance, use the same agency - As with having multiple auto policies, most agencies will knock a huge percentage off of your premium for multiple policies.

6. Increase your deductible - The higher the deductible you choose, the lower your premium will be, so set your deductible at the highest rate possible… just make sure that if you were to need the insurance you would be able to cover this deductible.

7. Maintain good credit - Insurance agencies, just like any other business, like to be paid… and on time. A good credit rating will lower your premium.

8. Think like an insurance agent - Insurance agencies base their rates foremost on one thing… risk. The more at risk you seem to be, the higher the premium will be, and vice versa.

When talking with an agent, give them reasons that you are at a lower risk, ie: you have a safe vehicle, you have a clean driving record, you don’t use your vehicle for work purposes, you don’t travel often, you’re vehicle has anti-theft devices, you park in a garage, etc. A good idea would be to make a list of why you’re at a lower risk before you even speak to an agent. Be creative!

About The Author
This article was written by Matthew Keith. Did you like it? Read more articles, tips and resources just like it at http://insuranceauto.bravehost.com - This article may be freely distributed or republished, as long as these bylines are included.

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Blood alcohol or breath alcohol content test results have always been a potential weak point in DUI prosecutions. DUI defense attorneys have long tried to exclude results for a variety of reasons: because breath test machines weren’t as accurate as blood tests, or because certain machines could give false positives based on other substances, or because machines hadn’t been calibrated. The list of possible problems with blood or breath alcohol tests in DUI cases has always run long.

Lately, though, the challenges have become more sweeping, with case after case promising to impact dozens, hundreds, even thousands of additional DUI cases.

Ohio Hospital Blood Testing May Not be Admissible

Ohio processes were shaken in the fall of 2005 when an Ohio Supreme Court ruling excluded many blood tests conducted in hospitals. Blood drawn for medical purposes could not be introduced as evidence in a DUI case unless the state demonstrated that the hospital had substantially complied with the state health director’s DUI testing standards. Even when blood had been drawn at the request of law enforcement, if the results were challenged, the state would have to prove substantial compliance.

Use of Alcohol Wipe on Skin Results in Dismissal

Another procedural question arose in January, when State Representative Charles Portwood’s attorneys succeeded in getting his DUI charge dismissed because the nurse who had drawn his blood had used an alcohol wipe to clean his skin. Although testing seems to indicate that alcohol on the skin has no impact on the results of a blood alcohol test, Missouri law requires that the skin be cleansed with a “non-alcoholic antiseptic.”

Other states, including Illinois, mandate the use of non-alcoholic disinfectants for blood alcohol testing to be used in DUI cases. These rules have been little enforced in the past, and many experts agree that the accuracy of the testing isn’t affected by the use of alcohol wipes. Still, the publicity surrounding the dismissal of Representative Portwood’s DUI charge may have opened the door to more challenges and stricter enforcement of the procedure.

Intoxilyzer 5000 Challenged–and Manufacturer Refuses to Release Information

In a year already full of challenges to the validity and admissibility of various blood alcohol and breath alcohol tests, the debate surrounding the Intoxilyzer 5000 has the potential for the most dramatic impact. According to the manufacturer’s website, the Intoxilyzer 5000 is used in twenty states. It’s the test of choice throughout the state of Florida, where a legal battle is underway that may exclude all Intoxilyzer 5000 results.

In November 2005, a Sarasota court ruled that prosecutors had to make the source code for the Intoxilyzer 5000 available to a defense expert. That information would allow the defense expert to test and assess the accuracy of the machine. Prosecutors, however, soon found themselves in a bind–they didn’t have the source code, and the machine’s manufacturer refused to disclose it.

The open question as to the machine’s reliability and the apparent lack of any way to obtain the information necessary to answer that question has brought a number of cases grinding to a halt, and opened the door to a rush of possible DUI appeals. Perhaps more significantly, it’s called into question the future admissibility of the Intoxilyzer 5000–and any other breath alcohol testing machine that runs on proprietary software.

Impact Still Uncertain

In Ohio, some law enforcement officers anticipate that the legislature will act to close the “loophole” created by the state Supreme Court ruling. Laws on alcohol wipes will undoubtedly be revisited in a number of states. Both of those issues will likely be settled one way or the other in the near future–either the challenges will be laid to rest with new law, or the procedures will be changed.

The problems raised by the Intoxilyzer cases, though, may prove much more difficult to address. So long as law enforcement agencies rely on equipment produced and controlled by private companies over which they have no control, the door to this kind of conflict will remain open. The defendant’s right to fully confront the evidence against him in a DUI prosecution will collide full force with the proprietary rights of the manufacturer, and it is impossible to predict the long-term outcome–or even the outcome of the hundreds of cases already hanging in the balance.

The only thing that is certain is that while this question remains open, there’s a crack in the DUI prosecution process in many states. If you have a current DUI charge, be sure to consult an attorney in your area before taking any action.

(C) 2006, Total DUI, Inc. This article may be reproduced in its entirety without limitation and without notice, except that any reproduction must include the entire article, which may not be modified in any way, and must include the author bio information contained herein, including the URL and, if published online, a live link to the URL referenced therein.

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