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She turned back around and walked away with Jeb mother, father and his siblings in tow, snickering.
When Jeb returned seven months later from his Army basic training, he begged for forgiveness and Suzy’s hand in marriage.
On the fourth day Suzy relented saying yes, and today we gather to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of my mother and father.
Thank goodness for, fright, flight, courage, and gumption, or else I would not stand here to tell this tale.
Great story! I loved it!
It was true love and courage building during military training. LOL!!!
I’d be afraid till my bones!!!!!!
As a qualified psychotherapist, I work with the client to gently explore what it is that they wish to change, whether it be something within themselves, or old patterns of behaviour that no longer serve them well in life, so that they can lead more fulfilling and productive lives. I provide a caring, non-judgemental space where the therapeutic relationship can grow and the client feels nurtured, supported and understood.
Having trained as a somatic psychotherapist, I believe that the body is an integral part of our being, and cannot be separated from the mind. From my training, I also incorporate the latest developments in neurobiology, human developmental theory, attachment theory, trauma theory, selfpsychology and intersubjectivity. I also use mindfulness-based practices.
As a member of the Australian Somatic Psychotherapy Association, I am committed to undertaking ongoing personal and professional development, including regular clinical supervision of my work. I practice in accordance with the stringent ethical guidelines of this association.
I have been assisting people on their personal journeys of self-tranformation, with a variety of issues for the past 8 years, with wonderful results. I have also been a high school teacher for over 30 years and with empathy and compassion, have enabled many students to be the best that they can be and to transform the quality of their lives.
For many years as a high school teacher, I worked with students who did the best that they could with what their life experiences had dealt them, with students who struggled to achieve their full potential. Many of these students had been labelled as troublemakers who impeded the progress of others in the classroom and therefore needed to be (and were) punished for not conforming or behaving. I felt some frustration that in schools, because time and resources are limited, I was not able to help such students as much as I would have liked.
I noticed a huge difference in one particular student who had been labelled as ‘a troublemaker’, after I spent some time really listening to him, rather than reacting to his behaviour. He opened up and eventually became a ‘model student’ who went on, not only to achieve excellent academic results, but also, after seeing a therapist, dealt with his issues and went on to become a wonderful husband and father.
I felt motivated to spend time working as a volunteer, supporting people work through their issues on personal development courses, and during this time, felt a driving passion to retire from full-time teaching so that I could become a therapist.
My training as a Somatic Psychotherapist involved a thorough grounding in a mixture of the best established psychotherapeutic theories, from roots in Freudian psychology, through the many different movements that evolved over the years, as well as the fruits of cutting-edge research into psychotherapy and human development, and neurobiology.
I have been influenced by a number of approaches, beginning with Kohut’s concept of empathic attunement (Selfpsychology ), including infant and child development theory, the enormous contribution of John Bowlby and others in Attachment Theory and Intersubjectivity Theory. I am particularly excited by the new developments in neurobiology, particularly as it relates to trauma and neglect and evidence that people’s brains can be rewired within the therapist-client relationship.
As a Contemporary Somatic Psychotherapist, I embrace a comprehensive approach to personal growth and development which acknowledges that all facets of human experience are interrelated i.e. that the processes of the body/mind not only affect and reflect each other, but are actually inter-functioning aspects of a person's whole being. Each person's individual history, their cultural/biological context and bodily-based subjective reality are all inextricably intertwined.
I also integrate mindfulness practices in to my daily life and in my work as a therapist.
I am particularly interested in the neurobiology of trauma and development and how they impact on the organisation of the brain and subsequently on the organisation of an individual’s experience. I feel that it is immensely important to have an understanding of trauma and its impact, in order to work with traumatised individuals. Longer term and more lasting healing of traumatised individuals have been recently seen as resulting from the laying down of new neural pathways, achieved from repeated new experiences in therapy, in contrast to treatment in the medical model which pathologises and medicates.
The work on infant and child development, including Attachment Theory, and how the brain is affected by neglect, continues to fascinate me, particularly in the context of neurobiology, and how through therapy, healing can be achieved when stages of development which were interrupted in the life-cycle can be reinstated.
As a Somatic Psychotherapist, I believe in a holistic approach, that the mind and body are integrated. I work within a broadly humanistic and psychodynamic framework that is inclusive of the body, where the relationship between the client and myself is developed and valued, taking in to account each of our experiences and with a particular focus on what is happening in the present moment. Because we embody our experience, somatic cues as well as verbal information provided by the client are observed and when necessary, used to give feedback to the client, so that together, we can gently explore what is happening for the client, while the client experiences being supported in this process.
For many people, anxiety and depression are the result of the stresses of a busy lifestyle, where too much is expected of them (by themselves and/or others) and they have lost the ability to self-regulate. Medication is not always the answer, sometimes all that is needed is empathic listening and empathic attunement, so that the client feels safe and can just be, without having to do anything, where they can be listened to, without judgement, and feel understood. This in turn can lead to better self-regulation and the implementation of more successful coping mechanisms. The client then can then, armed with an awareness of what they need to change as well as support, face difficulties and overcome obstacles, so that they can make different choices and thereby have the life that they desire and deserve.
Some clients choose to have Bio-dynamic massage, which is a deeply nurturing experience in its own right, where the emphasis is on soothing the nervous system. This is entirely the client’s choice to work in this way.
Progress will of course vary from client to client, depending on the client’s experience, history, their level of awareness and current circumstance. It can be very slow and extremely subtle, often out of awareness. For some, huge progress may consist of picking up the phone and making that first appointment, then in turning up, then in coming back and continuing in spite of the temptations not to do so. Facing one’s fears and expressing them (either verbally or somatically), then facing them and attempting different coping strategies for difficulties/issues are all examples of significant progress which may be dismissed or minimalised or even overlooked.
I personally feel that the client starts to feel that progress is being made when they truly feel (even out of awareness) that they are heard, understood and accepted, unconditionally and without judgement. This may be a feeling (such as relief, or a sense of trust or of being held or supported), rather than something that can be verbalised, or it can be a bodily experience, such as a deep sigh, or tears. Understanding may come later as to why, but this is something for the client and therapist to gently explore together.
Therapy has made me a better person because it has allowed me to embrace all parts of my self, including the parts that I learnt at an early age to suppress or disavow. It provided a safe place where I felt understood and supported, which in turn led me to want to explore the rationale behind the behaviours and relationships that I was choosing in my life, which invariably were not helpful in attaining the joy that was my birthright. Through a development of my understanding, I was able to further develop my self-reflective and relational capacities.
In becoming more accepting of myself, I am able to empathise with others and to practice non-judgement, be a better listener, as well as provide support for others without losing myself in the process. I am able to ask for and accept support, and see self-care as being a necessity rather than an indulgence.
As a young child, I learnt at an early age that approval from my parents through being a high achiever was paramount to my sense of well-being. Like many, I became a driven by perfectionism, which later in life, invariably led to frustration, because that perfection could not be achieved. Through therapy, I have come to accept and like who I am, warts and all, and no longer needing to seek validation of my self-worth from external sources, but from within. I am able to have more choice in my life. I am grateful for so much more, and as a result, can allow myself to experience a fuller range of emotions and feelings, and to see that as healthy.
I am able to experience each day with whatever it brings, acknowledging the past without regrets, and looking forward to whatever may arise in the future, learning from each experience, whilst remaining true to myself and to my values and beliefs.
What I love most is that a client trusts me enough to take that courageous leap of faith to change something in their life that is not working for them, and allow me to support them on their journey to enhance the quality of their life. I feel very humbled and privileged to be able to do the work that I do and to see clients gradually become empowered to lead more satisfying lives.
It is extremely rewarding to be able to work together to change patterns of behaviour that are not helpful, to have the client experience an increase in their self-esteem, to provide tools and the practice of using those tools so that they can have a different experience, which will lead to the realisation that they have the potential to achieve so much more from their lives.
It is truly heart-warming to see a client feeling safe enough to allow themselves to be vulnerable, to work through difficulties and fears together, to make the brave decision to work more deeply and then to see them come through the other side, having more choice in their lives. In addition, I learn so much more about myself and grow from time spent with each client.
Yes, of course I do. I am, after all, a human being, with all of the fallibilities, vulnerabilities and weaknesses (and strengths) that are part of the human condition. I am also a product of my past experiences and the relationships that have shaped me, and can be, and am, triggered by events that occur, often outside of my awareness. I am fortunate in that I have had training, have done lots of self-development work, engage in mindfulness practices such as meditation, and have ongoing therapy, so that I can deal with my bad hair days in ways that serve me better.
Part of my success in dealing with bad hair days is acceptance that they do (and will) happen, rather than trying to disavow them, or wish that they didn’t happen, or worse still, blaming myself. Awareness of why they happen can be helpful (although not always necessary), although I personally find that awareness of how I react is more useful to me in order to change how I handle similar situations should they arise again (and not surprising, they do!). Asking for and accepting help, something that I used to struggle with, help tremendously too. Spending time in the company of like-minded people also provides ongoing support.
The other key factor for me in handling bad hair days is to connect with nature, such as taking a walk along the beach, spending time playing with my cat, or spending time in my vegie patch with my chooks, for engaging with my environment gives me ‘the bigger picture’ perspective. Having gratitude for my life, my health and the people in it helps me cope with those ‘bad hair’ days.
I think that the most significant problem that we face stems from a lack of harmony, imbalance with our planet, imbalance with each other, and imbalance within ourselves. Many people on this planet are struggling with obesity, whilst many others are dying from starvation. People are killing each other and destroying the planet. There is an inequitable distribution of wealth, success in many places is measured by how much wealth one can acquire in a lifetime, rather than on how humanely or compassionately one lives.
This causes a lot of stress in people’s lives as they feel that they cannot live up to the expectations that they, and others, place on themselves, and this leads in turn, to imbalance. From this stance, for many, it is difficult to feel gratitude or compassion, to extend kindness or to be non-judgemental with others, let alone with oneself.
Many people are more reactive than proactive and change is difficult. It is often difficult for people to communicate honestly and openly about what is going on for them, when it is not safe to do so or when unaware of what is going on internally. When one does not feel good about oneself, it is often difficult to really feel good about anything else, let alone have compassion for others, and so on the cycle continues.
It is important to break the cycle, by providing a safe, non-judgemental space, where a person can feel supported and begin to restore their self-esteem, so that they can begin to restore balance within themselves, then in turn in their lives and within their environment. Sadly, for many people on this planet, their world IS a dangerous place where their very existence is indeed under threat.
There are many books, films, songs, events and works of art that have inspired me and on a daily basis, new ones that inspire me. I am also constantly inspired by people, many of whom would not consider themselves to be inspirational, who are struggling to eke out an existence, overcoming adversity and who exhibit incredible courage battling illness and difficult challenges that life throws them.
Perhaps the most significant piece of writing that inspired me, was one of my textbooks from my training, Robert Karen’s “Becoming Attached - First Relationships and How They Shape the Capacity to Love” (1988).
The title of this book unseated a deep inexplicable fear in me, which manifested itself in a reluctance to even open the cover of the book, followed by procrastination over reading it. Once I forced myself to read it (I had to, as it was compulsory reading as part of my training), I began to gain an understanding of what my fear was about and to work through it. The book provides an excellent summary of the history of Attachment Theory and the significant impact of early attachment history on a person’s ability throughout life, not only to love, but to handle difficulties or even crises in their lives.
Good Buzz Kombucha is a healthful addition to your daily wellness routine, providing micronutrients, active enzymes and organic acids in a refreshing low-sweetness fizzy soft drink. But the best part is that it tastes great any time of day - have it for breakfast or have it at a barbecue with mates.
This ancient elixir is made by fermenting a sweetened tea base with a living culture called a mother. Our culture has been a part of the family, here in NZ, since 1974. We brew for 12-14 days and then bottle - we DO NOT add sweeteners, additional sugar, juices or water. We DO NOT make our kombucha from concentrate - this is a TRUE BOOCH®. Residual sugars after ferment are between 2.2-3.6g/100ml.
Available in 7 flavours: Feijoa, Lemon Ginger, Feijoa, Jasmine, Origins (black tea original), Green Tea, and our new release, Apple Cinnamon. Available in 328ml and 888ml bottles as well as 20L kegs.
Our kombucha is certified organic & Fairtrade, is approved by the Vegetarian & Coeliac societies.
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In a huge breakthrough for nanoparticle research, MIT scientists have discovered a way to facilitate the entry of gold nanoparticles into cells without disrupting the cell membrane. The solution? Stripes!
The team found that gold nanoparticles coated with alternating bands of two different kinds of molecules can quickly pass into cells without harming them, while those randomly coated with the same materials cannot. The research was reported in a recent advance online publication of Nature Materials.
“We’ve created the first fully synthetic material that can pass through a cell membrane without rupturing it, and we’ve found that order on the nanometer scale is necessary to provide this property,” said Francesco Stellacci, an associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and co-leader of the work with Darrell Irvine, the Eugene Bell Career Development Associate Professor of Tissue Engineering.
Nanoparticles hold a lot of promise, especially for their cancer-targeting abilities.
All Church of England dioceses use the National Society's framework for the Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) under Section 48 of the Education Act 2005. SIAS focuses on the effect that the Christian ethos of the church school has on the children that attend it. The principle objective of a SIAS inspection is to evaluate the distinctiveness and effectiveness of the school as a church school.
Our last Section 48 inspection was on 7 October 2015.
English singer and songwriter, JP Cooper rose to fame featuring on Jonas Blue's platinum-selling 2016 single 'Perfect Strangers', peaking at number 2 on the UK charts. JP has only gone from strength to strength ever since.
With singles like 'September Song', 'Passport Home' and 'She's On My Mind', JP Cooper released his stunning debut album 'Raised Under Grey Skies' which landed a spot inside the top 10 on the UK Album Charts.
Joining the F/H Block family as one of our most recent residents, JP is currently working on his sophomore album and has recently featured on various projects with artists including Craig David, Gorgon City, Yungen and Bugzy Malone.
Meet Google's Robot Army. It's Growing.
Google can't stop buying robotics companies. In the past two months, eight of the 12 companies the search giant has acquired have "robotics" in their name or descriptions. Here's your complete breakdown of the robot army presently at Google's command.
As stated in the midst of its buying spree, the company's largely letting its new robotics divisions continue to work on their preexisting projects, and why wouldn't they? The newly acquired companies are doing a damn good job. They're even winning competitions.
Robot technology would help with self-driving cars, certainly, but the range of these acquisitions hints at even broader ambitions. Again, we don't know much. They're all a part of the Google X division, which is top secret by definition. We do know what the new companies in the Google family are up to, though, and that might offer us some clues.
These guys are rockstars. The Japanese team that got its start at Tokyo University just took the top prize at DARPA's Robotics Challenge Trial thanks to the cunning and agility of its 5-foot, 5-inch, 209-pound bipedal robot. After being purchased by Google in early December 2013, Schaft's blue machine proved to be the best at walking on uneven terrain, climbing ladders, clearing debris, and connecting hoses, ultimately scoring an impressive 27 out of 32 possible points.
The company was originally founded to build disaster response robots after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011 but has since broadened its scope, thanks in part to funding from the U.S. government. Who knows how far they'll go floating on Google's coffers?
Industrial Perceptions, Inc., is an imaging company that spun off of the Menlo Park robotics company Willow Garage. Before being acquired by Google in December—the day after the Schaft acquisition, in fact—IPI was focusing on building advanced technology for 3D vision-guided robots to be used in manufacturing and logistics. This includes the ability to see and sort different objects, say, in a factory. You could imagine a company like Amazon being very interested in this kind of technology, but it's so far unclear exactly what Google wants to do with it.
Redwood Robotics started as a joint venture between Meka Robotics, SRI International, and Willow Garage, IPI's parent. And like IPI, it's always had a very focused mission. Redwood wants to build the "next generation arm" for robots. Meka Robotics founder Aaron Edsinger once said that he wants to do for robotic arms what the Apple II did for computers. Specifically, Redwood wants to build robotic arms that can work alongside people even in the comfort of their own home. That also means being the common arm manufacturer of service robots, so in the future, everybody's personal robot could have Redwood arms. Well, make that Google arms.
Like its cousin, Redwood Robotics, Meka is dedicated to building robots that can live and work with human beings. The company describes its flagship model, the M1 Mobile Manipulator, as having "human-safe, human-soft, and human scale robot technologies that will enable the robots of tomorrow to work alongside people in the home and the workplace." The human-like faces on the robot can even emote, a feature that's as creepy as you let it be.
Even before joining Google, Holomini was a pretty secretive outfit. All we really know from its now shuttered website is the company describes itself as "Creators of high-tech wheels for omnidirectional motion." The image above is just a stock photo guesstimate of what a "high-tech wheel for omnidirectional motion" might look like.
If Redwood and IPI are the engineers in the family, Bot & Dolly are the artists. The company describes itself as "a design and engineering studio that specializes in automation, robotics, and filmmaking" with a mission "to advance motion control and automation as a creative medium." In reality, this means that Bot and & Dolly use robots to help film commercials and movies like Gravity. This doesn't mean that Google wants to get into the movie business, but hey, if a robot's good enough to make a movie, what else can it do?
Boston Dynamics is the real celebrity of the bunch. After acquiring six robotics companies in six days, Google took a couple of days off before announcing this major acquisition. The company is known for building all kinds of futuristic bots from the bipedal, humanoid robot Atlas (above) to the impossibly fast, four-legged Cheetah. Actually, Boston Dynamics brings a whole robot army to Google, one that the military is very eager to recruit.
Google's latest purchase is less interested in building an actual robot than in designing an intelligent robot brain. The self-described "cutting edge artificial intelligence company" that uses "the best techniques from machine learning and systems neuroscience to build powerful general-purpose learning algorithms: comes with a team of 75 researchers and software engineers whose talents could be put to use on anything from the hypothetical Googlebot to the company's flagship search engine and anything in between. Because after all, robots are just another step in Google becoming the company that is everywhere, and does everything.
Archive from category "Wills,Trusts & Taxation"
Your executor carries out (or executes) the wishes set out in your will and choosing the right person or persons is an important decision. It should be somebody you trust to do this job. Ideally, it should be a job given to two people to act as co-executors. So what does an executor actually do?
This time of the year isn’t just known for the eggnog, christmas trees, presents and good cheer. Some of the most anticipated movies of the year are released. Take a look at the list the Ferrvor Team put together for the movies to checkout in theaters this holiday season.
Who doesn’t love a good movie? Especially on Christmas Day, when all the stores are closed and there’s nothing else to do. Here are a few of the top movies coming out during the holidays.
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Thorpe of the New York Trucking and Delivery Association says the decision to raise penalties won’t solve the parking crisis.
For more than a decade, Ken Thorpe has been a soldier in the fight against parking tickets, which has become part of the escalating war for access to the curb. It's a conflict that has intensified in recent years as ride-hail services have clogged roads, New Yorkers have had more of their purchases delivered, and the streetscape has been remade with bicycle lanes, pedestrian malls and restrictions on parking and unloading.
The city "has whittled away at the commercial parking infrastructure," said Thorpe, the chief executive of the New York Trucking and Delivery Association, which he founded in 2004 to deal with parking issues for small and midsize businesses.
At the same time, trucks are making more deliveries than ever, and they must do that regardless of whether there's unloading space available. "Trucking is not a 'choice' situation," Thorpe said. "It's a necessity."
But now the 600 members of his group, as well as large fleet operators such as UPS and FedEx, are facing higher fines—and possibly more paperwork and time in traffic court—as a little-known yet controversial city policy comes under fire. The stipulated-fine program was established in 2004 by the Department of Finance to let businesses pay slightly reduced fines—and no fines at all for some infractions—in exchange for not contesting their tickets.
It was mainly a way to reduce everyone's administrative costs while having delivery companies pay roughly what they would have otherwise. (The reductions were calculated with an eye on the percentage of tickets that were successfully challenged.) But the program was a sore point with advocacy groups such as Transportation Alternatives, which considered it a corporate giveaway that neutered traffic enforcement.
Last month, in a bid at leveling the playing field for businesses not in the program—and furthering the city's congestion-reduction goals—the Finance Department announced that next month it would raise the program's fines, including those now set at zero.
As if that were not bad enough for Thorpe's membership, in the same week five City Council members introduced a bill to abolish the program. They denounced it as a free pass to large corporations and a contributor to reckless parking and congestion.
Thorpe says it's the council bill that's a giveaway—to parking-ticket brokers, who stand to gain business adjudicating tickets. He sees no way that the Finance Department's plan will change driver behavior or have any impact on congestion.
"The theory of the program was there are bad things, good things and some things in between, and it taught the driver you're going to pay a lot to do bad things and little or none to do the others," Thorpe said. "Now they've put the bad and good closer together, removing the driver's incentive for doing the good, because it's going to cost just a little more to do the bad."
In fact, good and bad parking behavior will not be punished that similarly. The most serious violations that get discounts, such as obstructing traffic ($10 off the $115 total), will now get no break at all, while many of the zero-fine infractions will cost $25.
But Thorpe says those increases could cost some of his members hundreds of dollars a week—enough that he would consider taking them out of the program. The $35 fine for double parking outside Midtown is still better than the official $115, but he notes that double parking is legal for the first 30 minutes, and enforcement is not always scrupulous.
In 2011 he sued the city, which for some years had been slapping double-parked delivery trucks with the more expensive violation of blocking a travel lane, which carried a $40 fine. In 2016 the city settled and paid those covered by the lawsuit $14 million.
Even so, the Finance Department, which worked with the Department of Transportation on the new fine schedule, says more needs to be done to ease congestion. The agency says the stipulated-fine program has been sending the wrong signal to the wider parking universe by not reflecting the fact that not all double-parking tickets are dismissed.
"We need the program to have incentives that are aligned with the city's goals to reduce congestion, and we need the program to be fair," said Finance Deputy Commissioner Jeffrey Shear. "We agree that the conversation about congestion is a larger conversation, and there are many other factors, and this program is one small piece. But we don't want to send the wrong message by saying double parking outside of Midtown will cost businesses nothing."
The Transportation Department maintains that it is doing all it can.
The agency is "committed to improving commercial accessibility throughout the five boroughs, especially in the context of our street-improvement projects," a spokeswoman said. As part of those projects, "new curb regulations are installed that are complementary to the larger curb-management goals of the corridor, such as faster bus mobility, reduction of double parking, and better commercial access."
But the Transportation Department is aware that it's a long way from curing congestion when demand for deliveries from myriad e-commerce businesses, including Amazon and Fresh Direct, is bigger than ever.
"Consumer demands and the amount of available space we have at the curb, they're at odds right now," Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said at a Crain's breakfast forum last month. She added that parking enforcement can only do so much, and larger fixes, including congestion pricing and technology such as license-plate readers, might be part of the answer.
"Right now the demand for the curb exceeds the supply," she said.
Some members of the City Council are not convinced that higher fines will make the program more effective. They say any solution will include abolishing stipulated fines.

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