nba jerseys wholesale Recently we taught a workshop where a number of the participants had lost loved ones in the past years: one had lost her son to AIDS, another had lost her husband, son, and mother all within twelve months, anothers partner had drowned. Others were dealing with specific illnesses, or difficult issues in their lives.
Through the tremendous grief, what eventually emerged was the awareness that our real happiness lies within ourselvesCthat it is not dependent on someone or something outside of ourselves. Where people had lost what they had thought of as their source of happinessCa loved one or their healthCthey have now come to look more deeply within. It was a weekend of many aha moments!
On the way home we were delayed for three hours at Dallas airport and, as it is easy to do when waiting at airports, we browsed the magazine rack and casually looked through an edition of People Magazine. It just happened to be filled with people like Angelina Jolie saying what it is that gives them happiness. Most of the answers were about loved ones and children, but some were as banal as, Free popcorn refills and clean underwear, or Happiness is a Chick-fil-A and a soft pretzel.ncaa jerseys wholesale
We thought we would share some of the ways our workshop participants discovered how to truly be happy and enjoy their lives.
1. Not to take yourself too seriously. At times of hardship, such as loss or illness, we can easily lose our humor, and even more easily get very involved with the negative aspects of what is happening. We become the center of our universe. Remembering not to take ourselves too seriously brings a lightness and ease to the weight of circumstance around us. Dont forgetCangels can fly because they take themselves lightly!
2. Not to identify with suffering, loss, or illness, as being who you are. Many of our participants realized how they had been identifying themselves as a cancer survivor / widow / recovering addict, or whatever it may be, but had not asked themselves who they were without that label or identity. When we do not identify with the negative label, then the positive side of who we are has a chance to shine.
3. Its OK to be you, just as you are, warts and all. We may think we are imperfect, a mess, falling apart, hopeless, or unable to cope. But true perfection is really just accepting our imperfections. It is accepting ourselves, complete with all the things we like and the things we dont like. In this way we are not struggling with or rejecting ourselves. Each one of is unique, a one-time offer, but we cannot know it if we are facing away from ourselves.
4. Feel everything, whatever it may be. When we are suffering, our feelings get huge and can be overwhelming. It is easy to want to deny or repress them. But if we can really honor whatever we are feeling, then it will bring us closer to the happiness beneath the suffering or grief. Acknowledging our real feelings is the greatest gift.
5. Make friends with yourself. Our relationship with ourselves is the only one that we will have for the whole of our lives, and we can be the greatest friend to ourselves. So it is very important not to put ourselves down or beat ourselves up. As Ed used to sing in Elementary school:
I love myself, I think Im grand,
I go to the movies and hold my hand.
I put my arm around my waist,
And when I get fresh I slap my face!
6. Forgive yourself. Treasure yourself. These are big steps, but each one liberates the heart and sets us free. We need to forgive ourselves for feeling angry, for getting upset, for all things we think we have done wrong. They are in the past and we are not who we were then. We can then begin to embrace and love ourselves, for we are so worthy of that love. And then we can take any resistance or fear by the hand, invite it in, and open our heart to the universe.
7. Meditate. There is an overwhelming amount of research showing how meditation changes the circuits in the part of the brain associated with contentment and happiness and stimulates the feel-good factor. Meditating on love and kindness makes us much, much happier! And the only way to know this is to try it!!
What does inner happiness mean to you? Can you connect with that place of unconditional happiness within yourself? Do leave us a comment.authentic jerseys wholesale

nfl jerseys wholesale Plastics from Biomass Opens Pathway to Reduced Reliance on Oil.Scientists at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, in cooperation with Dow Chemicals, can make chemical raw materials from biomass rather than from petroleum.
We have long wondered why the discussion about peak petroleum always emphasizes how expensive personal transportation will become as petroleum supplies dwindle. The better question is why are we wasting such a valuable raw material by burning it in our cars?
The forces of nature that pushed carbon molecules together into longer chains in the form of petroleum have subsidized modern development for almost a century now. When petroleum runs out, putting together the raw materials for modern products ranging from pharmaceuticals to paints to plastics is not so easy.
Nanocatalyst Converts SynGas to Ethylene and Propylene
The key to the new process is a nanocatalyst consisting of iron particles only 0.00002 millimeters stabilized on a carbon nanofibers. A gaseous mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, called SynGas because it is a gas synthesized from biomass, passes across the catalyst and is converted to ethylene and propylene.
Ethylene molecules have two carbons linked together and propylene molecules have three carbon chains. These molecules are exactly the same as the molecules derived from petroleum. In fact, they may have advantages in health and safety, because they do not need to be purified of the many carcinogenic and otherwise hazardous constituents of petroleum.
Of course, nanotechnology needs a lot more work to ensure that the hazards are understood and properly managed, but processes such as these weigh on the positive side of the risk-benefit analysis.nhl jerseys wholesale
Making the SynGas
Making fuels from biomass has been done on large scales in times of severe duress, such as during wars, when tree roots might be turned into fighter plane fuel for example. More recently, in the face of peak oil, experiments with coal-to-liquid fuel or landfill gas reclamation
The conversion relies on a series of reactions called the Fischer-Tropsch process. .
The Fischer-Tropsch process can be used on crop remains, grasses, trees, or other non-consumable biomass. This would reduce one major issue that bioplastics are facing: bioplastics often compete with our tables for raw materials.
The Path to the Future
This research does not mean that substituting the chemicals we get from petroleum today provides the only path to the future. But as bioplastics hit obstacles from performance issues to beer price crises, and as petroleum supplies dwindle, alternatives may provide a bridge to the bio-based economy we hope for in the more distant future.
The research of Professor Krijn de Jong and his team is published in the 17 February 2012 issue of Science.mbl jerseys wholesale

Boston
New England’s only major Chinatown began to develop in the 1880s, but recently found new life with the completion of the Big Dig, which removed an elevated highway and created such public spaces as Chinatown Park. When Tsui was a student in Boston, she frequented the area’s low-cost, high-flavor restaurants, including Chau Chow City, a late-night dim sum house.
British Columbia
This Vancouver suburb has boomed with immigrants from Hong Kong over the last 25 years. Now it’s an example of a modern Chinatown with glitzy malls and restaurants that can feel like Shanghai. Tsui loves the summer night market. “It’s really popular and huge with all these food stalls. It’s a very modern glimpse of Chinese-Canadian life.” For a more traditional experience, visit the Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden in Vancouver’s downtown Chinatown.
Honolulu
Hawaii’s location gives it an historic connection to all of Asia, and visitors will find influences from the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as China. “It’s a tropical Chinatown,” Tsui says. She suggests roaming the market and looking for longan, a lychee-like fruit, and calamansi, a citrus fruit. “It’s fantastic to browse around and see what people are buying and then see it served in the restaurants in the neighborhood.”
Oakland
Much different than nearby San Francisco, Oakland’s Chinatown is a compact neighborhood integrated into downtown. “It feels less touristy, a real place.” Tsui says. She likes the Friday farmer’s market. “It’s jam-packed with fresh Asian produce.”
New York
New York has the largest Chinese population in the country, and although residents live throughout the metro area, they still hold Manhattan’s Chinatown dear. “It’s very diverse and vibrant. There are many different dialects spoken,” says Tsui who grew up on Long Island, but visited family there regularly. Two favorite dining stops: Dim Sum A Go Go and Peking Duck House.
San Francisco
The nation’s oldest Chinatown developed around the port where most Chinese immigrants entered the country during the Gold Rush years. “Chinese America has its roots here. It has a very historic feel,” says Tsui, who now lives in the city. She recommends a visit to the Chinese Historical Society museum, which tells the story of the community and how it grew.
Los Angeles
L.A’s first Chinatown was razed to build downtown’s Union Station. But the community simply moved a few blocks away to develop what became New Chinatown. The history is expertly covered at the Chinese American Museum of Los Angeles, Tsui says. Although Chinese now live throughout Southern California, the neighborhood still bustles with bakeries, jewelry shops and a Taoist temple.
Chicago
This South Side neighborhood, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, is undergoing a revival. Standout sites include the Chinatown Mural, which depicts the history of the Chinese in America with 100,000 pieces of glass hand-painted and hand-cut in China. Also noteworthy: Pui Tak Center, a landmark 1920s building with pagoda towers, clay roof tiles and terra cotta detailing.
Las Vegas
Less than 20 years old, this modern Chinatown began as a mini-mall on Spring Mountain Road, about a mile off the Strip. Tsui, who featured the community in her book, says it has since become a thriving Asian neighborhood with a full range of retail services, including banks, bookstores, beauty shops and restaurants. “It has places where you can only hear Chinese spoken and only see Chinese script,” she says.
Toronto
Canada’s largest city has a huge Chinese population and several Chinatowns, but the most historic is downtown, centered on Dundas Street West and Spadina Avenue. Tsui used to visit her grandfather here as a child during the summer. It still has restaurants, herb shops and markets, but it’s also home to a mixture of recent Asian immigrants, college students and Latin American residents.